Day 12: Something you don’t leave the house without

This is a VERY short list:

Shoes. (That is TOTALLY because of FlyLady. And it is GREAT!! My feet are much better--no gross callouses, not freezing all the time, don't hurt. Except for the baby-toe I broke last week when I stubbed it on the corner of the bed at 4:50am. Mutter-mutter.)

That's about it.

I suppose Pants, too (and FlyLady is the reason for THAT, too) In fact, any shreds of organization and/or smoothness in my life pretty much ALL come from FlyLady).

However, I have to run out chasing SmallDaughter whenever the mood to escape strikes her, so it is in my best interest to be clothed at all times.


I almost always leave the house without makeup on. I don't always carry a purse. Even in the old days when I HAD a cellphone, I always forgot to carry it (or I had it, but it wasn't charged!).

But I do have chapstick, diapers & wipes & tape (both medical and cheap adhesive) stashed in my purse, all cars, church bag, etc.

Day 11: Favorite tv shows

Truth be told, I really don't watch much TV. The only show I make a point of watching is "Castle", and I watch that on Hulu because it comes on after my bedtime. I watch nearly all of my TV on the computer. I do enjoy "Endgame", which is a Hulu exclusive, I think. Occasionally I watch the new BBC version of "Sherlock"(on Netflix), and I do enjoy some British Comedies (such as the Vicar of Dibley special!), but I think one of the shows I have enjoyed the very most was called "Jam & Jerusalem" in England, and "Clatterford" in the US.
I really love well written ensemble shows--it is sad that there are so few of them.

Speaking of which, if you haven't watched "Firefly"--drop whatever you are doing right now, and go watch it--immediately! As of this typing, it is on Netflix Instant View. Sadly, there are only 14 episodes, so it doesn't take all that long to catch up on!

I do enjoy webcasts because they are short, so I don't have a major time commitment into them.







I haven't started watching "Dr. Who" (even though David Tennant is just delish!) or "Downton Abbey", because I just don't have that much time--I waste enough as it is! However--they are at the top of my "things to watch when I have a badly broken leg" list!

Day 10: Something you’re afraid of

Crickets
(it's the scritchy, nasty legs...just trust me on this one)
Small, dark, enclosed spaces
Heights
Stairs (the ones with the open backs, especially)

There are some other things, but I think I have subjected myself to enough mockery for one day.

HOWEVER--
I am NOT scared of:
snakes
spiders
mice
public speaking
or
dying

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

So I appear to have missed yesterday entirely (at least as far as my blog challenge can tell!). So, here is yesterday's post, and soon to follow is today's. Then I am off to run exciting errands at the BMV.


Like most things in my life, I don't just have ONE. I have several best friends, and several pictures of each. However, most of them are carefully filed in large cardboard boxes full of pictures, and there is not enough time to start on THAT project.

So, we will make do.


Note--in looking through my pix, it appears Miss K and I have never been photographed together--suspicious, huh? We are really good at suppressing the evidence, apparently!

Day 8: A place you’ve traveled to

Yeah--I wanted to be a super cool blogger, and post pictures of my trip to England and Wales, show our awesome family vacation--you know, show off a little. However, it is 10:04pm and I have been up since 5am, so you get whatever I can easily pull out of my computer.

Five minutes later:
HEY, GUESS WHAT I FOUND! Some pix of our New York trip! The ones I have been meaning to get around to posting! So, here they are! (In order of...completely random):

Day 7: Favorite movies

Whew!

That is a pretty long list! Which kind of movies?

Family Movies?
We just watched the new Muppet Movie, and it was pretty hilarious--but even more hilarious watching SmallDaughter enjoy it!

We are also Big Hayao Miyazaki fans at our house, so we also love:
My Neighbor Totoro (1994 Fox version, if possible)
Castle in the Sky
Howl's Moving Castle
(if you haven't seen any Miyazaki movies, we recommend watching them in this order. Totoro is one of the greatest kids movies of all time, the other two are for more grown up kids.)

We also love:
Much Ado about Nothing (a bit of non-sexual nudity in the opening credits)
Oscar
Some Like it Hot
Surf's Up
The Scarlet Pimpernel
What's Up Doc?

I love classic romances--I like them more if they are funny, too!
While You Were Sleeping
Return to Me
Somewhere in Time
Pride & Prejudice (most versions!)
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day

There are also movies that every adolescent (15 and up, I would say) boy should see, even though they are rather violent, because they are about honor and manhood:

Kingdom of Heaven
The Patriot
Henry the Fifth (1989 Kenneth Branagh version)
Braveheart
and possibly
Rob Roy

So, there you have it: Once again, I CANNOT pick just one!

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Somebody asked me once how I kept going, when SmallDaughter can be so hard to live with. Fortunately, like all other toddlers, she is incredibly cute! And she is also charming, sweet, and hilariously funny! And we have the WonderDog.

This sign is just down the road from my house. All of the businesses in town and the library have hitching rails. We see LOTS of "horsies".

This is VERY old! We were doing a fashion show with my friend who has a vintage clothing store (yes, truly--I sigh, I swoon, I LOVE to try on the fabbity-fab clothes!)

This is also a from a long ago trip to the zoo. So fun!


This is the single most glamorous dress I have ever worn. It is real silk chiffon, and it has about 10 pounds of real jet beads on it. So Fabulous! It was actually the same fashion show as the other one. Just different outfits!

Another thing that makes me happy is going through the files of old pictures on my computer with BigGirl!

Day 5: A song to match your mood

I am adding this little playlist, since I could never choose just one!

The playlist won't load, so here are the songs:
My life is wonderful!
and beautiful
and kind of wierd.
But, in a quirky, creative way.*

However, mostly this morning I am feeling happy and grateful. Yesterday was busy and awesome. In the morning BigGirl went to a 4-H FCS board meeting (FCS is "Food, Clothing, & Sewing" and she is on the teen board, which helps with getting all of those projects accomplished, judged and displayed.

Then we went into town for a birthday party for a sweet little one year old. Miss Sophia has filled our lives with joy from day one! It was our family's turn to clean our church house, so we went and did that--which always makes me grateful for the brothers and sisters who physically built that building (back in the day when the members did the actual labor to build the church).

Finally, we went to a lovely potluck supper, and then, gathered with a group of very sweet Young Women, we watched the Young Women's Broadcast. I was filled with hope & joy!

After that, a spontaneous "sleepover**" was formed and came to my house! I brought home 3 extra young ladies, of more than the usual levels of awesomeness, and an evening of late night hilariosity ensued! Having 3 Drama Queens and 1 Loyal Sidekick, meant that there was a dramatic production staged
and BigGirl's eyeliner-ed on goatee and mustache caused tears of laughter every time someone looked at her!


They are crashed all over the living room.

My Favorite Gentleman has gone to retrieve LargeBoy from an Order of the Arrow "Blues Brothers Encampment".

Life is SO GOOD.

*And, if you are not acquainted with the music of the FABULOUS A Capella group "InsideOut", HURRY to their website at www.insideout-acappella.com and get to know them. And, in my claim to fame--I went to High School with 3 of them. And there may have been a bit of crushing going on (see post on "first love"!).

**We all know that the "sleep" part of "sleepover" is one of the most ironic statements in all the world!

Day 4: My Parents

A few weeks before her death, a hospice worker asked my mom "how her husband was handling it", and my mom responded "as well as any man can, who is losing the romance of the century." It made the hospice worker tear up, but my mom told her that was the only honest way to describe their relationship.



A lot of people looked at the outside of their relationship and got it totally wrong. My mom Brendawas 6 feet tall--4 inches taller than my dad. She loved to talk, and could be very loud. He was (and is) very quiet, and would rather chew off his own foot than get into a confrontation. Many people thought that she "wore the pants" in the relationship, but that isn't true. My dad adored her, and she adored him--and they both put the other person's happiness as the most important priority--so they both won.



In my baby book, my mom wrote under this pictue: "That is a yawn, not crying--she is a very happy baby".

I am the oldest child, so I have the most memories of them. I am really grateful for that.
My parents worked hard to raise a family that loved each other and had fun together. We didn't argue or fight (very much) and we still have a great time when we get together.


This is my dad, with most of his kids, after we surprised him last Halloween.


I am deeply grateful that my parents were married in the Temple, and that our family is sealed together for eternity, so that even death cannot stop us from being a family.

Day 3--My First Love

It is pretty hard to narrow down my first love. Seriously--I was the girl who was ALWAYS crushing on (multiple) guys. I remember having a couple of crushes before I started kindergarten!

There were the small, ongoing crushes--my handsome older cousins (and let me tell you, I am not the only person who thought those guys were extraordinarily good looking, or who had crushes on them!)--some of the guys in my class at school (*sigh* Dwight, *sigh* Jared...), etc.

There were big, painful teenage crushes. 'Nuff said.

I had some dear friend-guys and a couple of "almost boyfriends" in college. However, I really did marry my first true love.

Day 2: Meaning behind my blog name And Kitty Update

This one is easy! It was my first post.

Why " A Prismatic Life' Anyway? What is that about?

My life--and my entire personality--is made up of many contrasting (and even contradictory) elements. This can get a little confusing for the people around me--how is it possible for me to be BOTH shy and outgoing, clever and obtuse, etc, etc, ect.

Once, when I was in college, I was lamenting this to my dear roommate (I believe that the conversation included something along the lines of "how can I be so many things at the same time--maybe I'm schizophrenic!" --and yes, I believe it was around the time I was taking psychology classes.)

My dear, wise, poetess roomie lovingly said "You are a prism, with many, many facets--you change as the light moves. No one color is more important than another, and you would not be you without them all."

I am so grateful for her insight.

I have pondered it often in the years since then, and I have realized that a prismatic life is a beautiful thing to have.

And Kitty Update:

Phantom was busy while we went into town. When we got home, the total is now 5! Two black and 3 yellow. She is WAY skinny! She seems to be a very good mommy, and there is much joy around here!

Quick Update

BigGirl was right, and I was wrong. All day she (since seminary at 5:30 this morning!) she has felt like Phantom would have the kittens today. I maintained that she had another week.

We have kittens!

So far, a little yellow, and a black (or possibly dark tortoiseshell like mom), who has already been "dibs-ed" by LargeBoy, and named Loki. I don't know if she will have more, since this is her first litter.

Blog Challenge - Day 1

Introduce, recent picture of myself and 15 interesting facts about myself.

I'm Marie, and I'm a Mormon. I'm a wife (married for almost 17 years to My Favorite Gentleman). I'm the mom of 3 awesome kids (BigGirl,LargeBoy and SmallDaughter). I am the caretaker of: 1 WonderDog (SmallDaughter's Service Dog, through 4 Paws for Ability) miscellaneous cats (currently 1 gray shorthair female "Cat-cat", 1 gray longhair female "Thor", 1 orange shorthair male "Hobbes", 1 currently pregnant mostly-black tortoiseshell female "Phantom"--which means more babies soon!)
and about 40 chickens (which I like more than I ever thought I would). I homeschool the two big kids, and am very grateful for SmallDaughter's good teachers.



Recent Picture of myself: It was taken in November 2011.


15 interesting facts about me! [You probably already know most of these]

1. I love to bake, but I don't have a cake gene (it will either look good OR taste good--take your pick!) Any other pastry, I am great at.
2. I am an advocate for breastfeeding, attachment mothering, and families.
3. I had my babies at home.
4. I read compulsively. Truly--I can't help myself (and I read extraordinarily fast-not bragging, just the fact that I can read 3 paperbacks in 1 day). This is not always a good thing.
5. I served a Spanish Speaking Mission in California. I surprise people when they hear this extra white girl speak Spanish.
6. I wish I had a great contralto singing voice. I don't.
7. I was an art major in college.
8. I do not particularly like to clean, although I do enjoy having a tidy house.
9. I LOVE FlyLady.net
10. I don't tan. At all. And, I have given up letting the sun touch my bare skin, because of some severely unattractive freckling issues.
11. When I was a small child, I was blond. Then my hair turned brown. Now it is red, but mostly just to cover up how @#$%^&*! grey I have gone. My hair looks 20 years older than my face.
12. I love to sew, especially costumes--the more flamboyant, the better! I always heard how hard it was to sew formals and wedding dresses, but I love it. But I don't like to sew ordinary clothes.
13. I am the oldest of 11 children.
14. I am exceptionally bossy (sometimes). I do mean well--but, you know...
15. I have very little personal dignity--which means I am game for anything! You need somebody to dress up as the Statue of Liberty? Check. The Cat in the Hat? Check. Peter Rabbit's mommy? Check. It makes life a lot more fun (for me at least!) Any occasion or opportunity where dressing up is possible, I believe in making the most of! (did you ever wonder what kind of person gets dressed up in costume for the latest Harry Potter release or Twilight movie--yeah, that's me.

Plagarism...

In an effort to get back on my blogging bandwagon, I am stealing the 30 day blog challenge idea from my cousin Dedra, who stole it from her brother (another cousin of mine!), Garen. Here's how it goes...


I'm going to post everyday for 30 days and below are the topics I'll post about.


Day 0: The 30 Day Challenge Explanation and Description
Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3: Your first love
Day 4: Your parents
Day 5: A song to match your mood
Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7: Favorite movies
Day 8: A place you’ve traveled to
Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend
Day 10: Something you’re afraid of
Day 11: Favorite tv shows
Day 12: Something you don’t leave the house without
Day 13: Goals
Day 14: A picture of you last year – how have you changed?
Day 15: Bible verse
Day 16: Dream house
Day 17: Something you’re looking forward to
Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?
Day 22: What’s in your purse?
Day 23: Favorite Movie
Day 24: Something you’ve learned
Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26: Your Dream Wedding
Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in
Day 28: Something that stresses you out
Day 29: 3 Wishes
Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

Memory Lane is a bitter-sweet location

Today was certainly filled with walks down memory lane! I went through some great old videotapes (wow, did I ever have cute kids!), and in a really cool turn on facebook--I got in touch with my first-ever friend (from the time I was 2 until I was 5!) and she remembers me! I just wish I could call my mom and share the news.

Date Night!

Just got back from a hot date with my honey. It was actually a lot of fun--we went to see "Sherlock Holmes,Game of Shadows" at the dollar theater (where we always go to the early show, because we can't stay awake for the normal showing--to say nothing of the late show!), got Shamrock Shakes at MickeyD's (which I had never had before, but I never turn down ice cream!) and checked out the eyecandy at the junk yard, (truly, I was able to keep the drool under control!) while he got a new radiator fan to finish repairing poor green van that I hit the deer with. It was very nice, and now I am off to bed!

As a little PS--I was so proud that I found homes for the 3 kittens dear hubs brought home last spring--but two of them have come back to us, and one (who shall remain nameless, but is the only female, and who is currently going by the name "Hussy" is definitely preggers, so we have new kitties on the way. Which I am mostly excited about, because I do love kittens. But, boy do we have a lot of cats here!

Also--just so you are jealous: while we were gone, not only did the big kids do a great job taking care of SmallDaughter, but LargeBoy cooked a nice spaghetti dinner (it's his week to cook dinner) and also made some really good cookies! While I occasionally miss their tiny little cuteness, I do like the cool people they are turning into.

Even when it's weird.

re: weird--on Monday, LargeBoy declared it was "Mickey Monday" and spent the whole day talking in his newly discovered Mickey Mouse voice. yeah.
On Tuesday, since his wild and curly hair is getting so huge it is taking on a life of it's own--he found out he could put matchsticks in it--and not only will they stay, you can't see them! His record was 57.