Murder

Guidelines:
1. Put your music player of choice on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your next answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how outrageous it sounds!
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the note from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS, "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Innuendo, Queen

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
The Dragon Scroll, Hans Zimmer (hm ... sounds very mysterious)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Na Laethe Bhi, Clannad (I don't understand Gaelic ... so I have no idea what I like!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Obession, Animotion (nice and straightforward. I like it.)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
I'll Be Home for Christmas, Jackie Gleason (ROFL!)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
You're My Best Friend, Queen (awww....!!! :D)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (true ... pretty much the last 2 months of the year, I think about this)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Shadowman, Afro Celt Sound System

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry (And don't you forget it, Jason! I think this is a sign you're supposed to keep up with Rock Band.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
14, Gypsy Guerrilla Band (I don't even know what this means!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Cruella De Vil (yup, the song from 101 Dalmatians. I'll have to ponder this one...."If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will...")

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
48 Pattern of Tai Chi Chuan (I wish.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Dragon Warrior is Among Us, Hans Zimmer (*grin*)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, Abba (ROFLMAOAPIMP!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Feed The Birds, Julie Andrews (Uh, I don't really think so ...)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Feelin' the Same Way, Norah Jones (Hmmm...)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The First Journey, Knut Avenstroup (yup. I like travel.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Ride the Wild Wind, Queen (where are all of these Queen song coming from?!)

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Carol of the Bells, Mannheim Steamroller (If that's the worst thing, bring it on!)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
I Think Of ..., Afro Celt Sound System (dang, I wish it were more specific ... now I don't know what to avoid thinking about!)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Joy to the World, Boston Pops Orchestra (*snort*)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Kalimba Waltz, Gypsy Guerrilla Band

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Ontological Shock, The Matrix Soundtrack

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
The Second Journey, Knut Avenstroup (*grin* True.)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Time to Pretend, MGMT (Deceitful wretches!!!)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Gesi Za Woda, Gypsy Guerilla Band (uh, I need a translation. This could be really good ... or really bad)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Possessed, Jekyll & Hyde Soundtrack (Not sure about this one.)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Dreams Come True, Magic Kingdom Events Soundtrack (In an obscure way, regarding the adoption process, this is accurate!)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Murder, The Crystal Method (well, THAT'll get people's attention!

I'm tagging anyone who's reading! :D

Blog tag!

I've been tagged by Jill! Here's the deal...

If I tag you, all you have to do is just go to the place on your computer where you store your photos, then to the sixth folder, then to the sixth photo. Select that photo, pop it onto your blog and tell the story. Then you choose people to tag...



The story of this photo? It was taken at our local Heritage Fest, right on the heels of several of us playing board and card games, including Operation Corn Dog, which has a card featuring the Ring of Fire. It was just too funny, so I snapped this shot of Ken, Chris, and Jason, hamming it up! It was an extremely silly day!

So, now ... I will tag several people:

Karen J
Amanda
Gaye
Mandy
and Chiara!

Tag! You're it!

Attention: Animal Lovers!

A non-profit Animal Rescue & Sanctuary in Washington State has come up with an awfully clever fund raising project. Check it out here. I think I am going to "buy" a heart or two myself. Who's with me? I checked out the affiliated Etsy shop & they've got some really nice things! C'mon, be a sport & give 'em 5 bucks, will ya? :D

Toutes les animaux!!!

Even if you don't understand French, this little girl's storytelling is so sweet. And don't worry ... it comes with an English translation.


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

She's so funny! And so inventive!

Dear Birthmother: Thank You for Our Baby by Kathleen Silber

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was recommended to me as a "classic" in adoption literature, and I would have to concur with this assessment. Originally written in the early 80's, when open adoption was an extreme rarity, the book does a great job of alternating anecdotal information with letters between birthparents, adoptive parents, and adoptees. It gives a great glimpse into some of the myths and fears held by various segments of society & talks about how to overcome them. I would strongly encourage anyone involved in the adoption process whether directly or indirectly to read this & better understand how the relationships between birthparents, adoptive parents, and adoptees change over time & what role "openness" has on those evolutions!


View all my reviews.

Eat your heart out, Jon Bon Jovi

Move over for Wil Wheaton!

What have YOU done?!

Got this from B.B. Bellezza's blog! (say that 10 times fast!)

I am going to change the color to red for everything I have done. If you want, try this on your own blog....here we go.....


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (not yet ...!)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (working on it ... but I wouldn't say I'm facile yet)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Give it a try! Leave me a comment here if you do post it because I would love to see other peoples' answers!

One word only, Vasily.

Got this from Chiara's blog!

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS USING ONLY ONE WORD

It's not as easy as you might think! Consider yourself tagged upon reading this and post it on your blog if you so desire. It's difficult to only use one word answers.

Where is your cell phone?
There

Your significant other?
Loves

Your hair?
Up

Your mother?
Quilts

Your father?
Does

Your favorite thing?
Chocolate

Your dream last night?
Silence

Your favorite drink?
Soda

Your dream/goal?
Child

What room are you in?
Study

Your hobby?
Fun

Your fear?
Misunderstandings

Where do you want to be in six years?
Parenting

Where were you last night?
Home

Something that you aren't?
Glamorous

Muffins?
Blueberry

Wish list item?
Books

Last thing you did?
Blog

What are you wearing?
Clothes

TV?
yes

Your pet(s)?
Cats

Friends?
constant

Your life?
amusing

Your mood?
up

Missing someone?
no

Drinking?
no

Smoking?
never

Your car?
Saturn

Something you're not wearing?
Earrings

Your favorite store?
Books

Your favorite color?
Indigo

When is the last time you cried?
Unknown

Where do you go to over and over?
Home

My favorite place to eat?
Qdoba

Favorite place I'd like to be?
Caneel

Sugar and spice, and everything nice ...

Got this from Danielle's blog!

Susanne is Made Of Love, Impishness, and Pizzazz

3 parts Love 2 parts Impishness 1 part Pizzazz And a Splash of Instinct Sip slowly on the beach

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Fun stuff coming from Queen & Co!

I've been a fan of Queen & Co for a while ... just love their little brads & photo turns & alphas ... just too cool. They are the masters of cute, functional packaging, too. Anyhoo ... check out their CHA releases by clicking here. Awesomeness abounds, yes?

YES WE CAN!

I saw this video on Secondhand Bek's blog & just couldn't resist sharing it with you all on today, the day that President-Elect Barack Obama becomes our next US President. It is my hope that we will see the changes we long for so much, and I look forward to doing my part in this process!

One World One Heart Giveaway

*****As of February 13th, the giveaway for the plum colored getaway album is officially closed, and the winner is posted HERE! If you'd like to enter for future giveaways of customized mini-albums, go ahead and post & as long as the spirit moves me, I'll keep drawing names!!!****

I am happy to announce that I am part of 2009's One World-One Heart online extravaganza!!!



I have a giveaway (see below) and that in order to win, you need to leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. It's open to everyone, but just remember if you don't have an email address in your blogging profile you'll have to leave it in your post or I'll never be able to contact you. In which case I'll have to do a redraw.

The album measures approximately 5x7 inches and has been decorated in a plum/burgundy/cream/black/rust color scheme. It is intended to house approximately 13 photos from a weekend getaway or vacation. I will ask that the winner choose between (a) sending me 13 of their photographs which I will happily insert into the album (after possible chopping/cropping) along with matching embellishments from my copious scrapbooking stash and (b) having me mail the album directly to them and letting them assemble it with their own supplies & geegaws!

On February 11th, 8:30 pm Central US time (GMT-6), I will close all entries. At that point, I'll do the drawing & announce it on my blog & attempt to track down the winner!

If you're not familiar with One World-One Heart, click the logo above!

edit: for those of you looking for our adoption update, click here!

edit: although the OWOH giveaway is over, I will start drawing new names on February 15th, one at a time over the next couple of months, to keep entering, if you wish!

Evolution of Dance ... 2

I grant you ... not quite as good as the original Evolution of Dance ... but still amusing!

Fun new class from Shimelle

I am a very happy camper. Shimelle is offering a new class on her website. Check it out here. Isn't the picture pretty? It's hers. I'm geeked about the class because I think it'll be a nice compliment to the Project 365 thing I've already got going. Plus Shimelle's just super fun & a great teacher!

P.S. The link is now fixed. It should take you here, now.

Adoption update!

For those of you who are wondering about where we are in the adoption process ... here's the latest-and-greatest news:

1) We've finished our "interviews" with the adoption agency. The social worker now needs to start preparing a report.

2) Once she's done with the report, she'll get in touch with us to schedule a home inspection. (We need to get some fire extinguishers installed ... but we think that other than that, we are good to go!)

3) Meanwhile, we'll be working on creating a "family profile" that will be shared with prospective birthparents. It'll need to show them who we are and what our life is like. For many birthparents, it may be the only "contact" they elect to have with us, so we've got to give some careful consideration about what we'll include. We'll also run this past the adoption worker for a thumbs-up before we make copies.

4) We've found out that our insurance coverage doesn't cover an adopted child until the adoption is legally finalized, which often takes about 6 months after placement. So, we'll need to come up with some kind of interim coverage. (You all know me ... I've already emailed the adoption specialist to inquire if the state has some kind of program ... and I've called our --- yup, our insurance agent, who just called me back & said she'll have to do some research, too, and get back to me.)

5) We had a frank discussion with our adoption counselor about our upcoming vacations & how it'll affect any potential adoption. Ken & I had mapped out how we'd feel going on each vacation as a couple, as opposed to what it'd feel like with an infant along. We developed some pretty good strategies & were comfortable with the idea ... but now it turns out we'd have to get permission from the adoption agency to take the child out of state, and that our counselor is concerned about taking a newborn on a plane, from a health-risk standpoint. So, I need to revisit our vacation plans & see if we can get travel insurance & if it even covers adoption as a valid reason to cancel last minute! We've been told to live our lives as we normally would ... but I balk at the idea of sinking a couple thousand dollars into a vacation & then have to take it as a loss! Would I trade the opportunity to be a parent for a single vacation? Heck no! I just cringe at the idea of that money being wasted!

So the long and short of it is that we're still deep in the paperwork, but once we have the inspection visit, we'll be able to give the adoption specialist our profiles, and then we start the waiting process!

Thanks to everyone for your support. If you have any thoughts on how to help us out when the day actually comes that we bring a baby home, please feel free to let us know!

Everyone else may be sick of it ...

...but I am loving this snow!

The back-and-forth between sunlight & snow (we have blinding sunlight right now) is also creating a waterfall of icicles in our front window. The cats are loving to snuggle up together & just watch the outdoors. One of the particularly long icicles is hanging over the entrance to my sweetie's side of the garage. We keep wondering when the roof of his car will knock it off ... but it hasn't happened yet, probably because his Civic is so low to the ground! Some of the icicles are actually starting to melt in the sun right now ... but I wonder if they'll lengthen again as the sun sets & the colder temperatures reassert themselves. I just think they're awfully pretty!

SNOW!

I love me some snow. It wreaks havoc with driving, for sure ... which is why I'm currently in front of my computer instead of at tai chi class. But still ... isn't it just so serene and beautiful? I love it.

My 2008 Journal Your Christmas album is done!

Journal Your Christmas, January 6th

And I really did go to Archiver's!


Look at my pretty splurge!!


I'm off to finish the covers for my album!

Journal Your Christmas, January 5th

I used the opportunity of packing things away to scrounge scraps & a tag that had popped off something else.

Journal Your Christmas, January 4th

I made today's page earlier this morning, but then I got somewhat sidetracked, plus I'm now getting into the habit of uploading all of my pictures at the end of my day, to establish a routine for my 365 project!

So, here's today's page:



We had an absolutely lovely evening together. We used the new aprons made by my mom-in-law, while we listened to soft music & cooked together. Our meal was Parmesan-crusted chicken cutlets with lemon-pepper linguine, and some peas. And sourdough rolls. By candlelight*. (Click here to see a photo.) We did dishes together & cleaned the kitchen while our Ceylon Najeera tea steeped & our gingerbread cake warmed. Then we sat at the table & enjoyed our little dessert & each other's company. Perfection!

*Item #98 on our 101 list!

Journal Your Christmas, January 3rd

I used up a piece of Italian paper that I've had for years and years. I love it so very much, so I thought I'd let it "speak" on this page about our favorite Christmas memories!

Journal Your Christmas, January 2nd

Journal Your Christmas, January 1st

I used PINK on today's page, as part of Shimelle's challenge to use a color not used anywhere else in this album! I also used a piece of vellum, embossed with gold clock faces, that I have had for years! Nice to clear out part of my stash!