Murder in Margaritaland

Last weekend we were invited to a murder mystery party. This was a first for the boy and I both and while we both were a little curious about how this was all going to play out (me especially with my non-existing acting skills) we knew it'd be fun - since 95% of the attendees were also family.

Before the party we all got cards that introduced us to our character and what we needed to know to play our part well. I got to be a grown up child actress who's spent part of her life interacting with the wrong crowd - I have since done a few weeks in rehab but broke myself out. The boy, of course, got to be Jack Daniels a bartender who is quite friendly with most of the girls on the island.

We all had objectives that we had to do before the end of the night. All in all - it was a night full of good food, a lot of laughs, and some light hearted drama.

Me as Starr Bright

Jack Daniels and Tatem Tatt

The best agent a girl could ask for

Jack's being fired for sleeping with the Millionaire's girlfriend

I soooo knew that He'd be the victim

The sign of a good killer.....no one ever suspects you. No one in the party guess who the murderer was......what's that say about us.

We should have known - just look at this face

weekend window

Some fun pictures of how we spent our weekend (Someday I'll figure out how to put them side by side on here).

What's Wrong with this picture? (Or why you should respect the laws of Karma)

After you stop laughing, I'll tell you the story..........
ready?

The other night I was trying my best to be SUPER MOM. Will was at baseball so the feeding, bathing, bedding of two wild animals fell to myself. I thought I was doing pretty well. I usually let Bobby and Emma play together for a little bit, then I take Bobby out and let Emma play for a few minutes by herself while I get Bob's pjs on.

So.. I may or may not have already been grumbling about how I can't believe that Will never makes Emma put the bath toys back in the bin before she gets out of the bath.

And.. I may or may not have stopped long enough on my way back to the tub, after drying Bobby off and getting him dressed for bed, to get Emma out of the tub to look at the tv and declare "Holy - bad haircut, cheezy suit combo - Batman" to one of the Jeopardy contestants that night.
And in the instant that it took me to utter those words I was aware of a blue blur streaking back into the bathroom. And in the time it took me to walk the few steps from the hallway to said bathroom....the damage had been done.

So I laughed, ran and got the camera, took a few pictures.

And Emma in her infinite wisdom (still in the tub playing at this point) looks at Bobby, then looks at me, and says "Mom, I think Bobby's going to need some new pajamas."

My Little Joys

After thoroughly enjoying the list of life's little joys here, I thought I'd start my own list and add to it as they come to me.









A few of my favorite things




* old fashioned pipe smoke * newborn chihuahua puppies * crunchy peeps * coffee * Farm District in the Fall * a sleeping baby * cloud gazing * just cut alfalfa * July thunderstorm * eating watermelon on the back porch * swinging * popsicles * hot apple pie * roasting marshmallows over the campfire * cool, crisp mornings * milkweed sailboats * canteloupe ice cream * playing cribbage * waking up early * staying up late * Dr. Mario * Disneyland * star gazing * Levis * riding bareback * flame kissed ribs * a good book * sand between my toes * A cup of Christmas Tea * hot baths * August meteor showers * black licorice *

Book Report: The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn

By Janis Hallowell

A story about a 14-year-old girl, Francesca, proclaimed to be the Blessed Virgin with child by Chester, a local homeless man. The story is told in turn by four characters: Francesca, Chester, Sid - Francesca's troubled school-age friend, and Anne - Francesca's paleobotanist Mother.
The novel brought up some good questions while I was reading it:
What would it be like to have a saint or holy person declared in your hometown?
Who would they surround themselves with?
Would there be signs or miracles?
Would organized religion take notice?
Would there be a grand exit complete with flowers and fruit (such as in Saint Dorothy's case)?

All in all the book was a quick and enjoyable read. It really didn't address the divine nature or spirituality of any of the characters but rather a lark based on one man's assumptions.

Spring Sprung and then...

Sunday morning I woke to one of the first signs of spring at our house.

My crocus bloomed. Yeah! That means the daffodils will also begin to bloom very soon. Wanting to share my 'spring fever' with someone, I quickly found Emma and dragged her over so she could see too. I pointed out the blooms and we had a 10 second conversation about something and we parted ways.

The next thing I know, Emma is trotting up to me with a cheesy grin on her face, exclaiming "Look at the pretty bouquet of flowers I picked for Daddy!".

My eyes widened in horror, I took a deep breath, shook my head, and replied "That Daddy, He doesn't know just how lucky he is."

We took the bouquet into the kitchen and put in a glass of water so that we could at least enjoy the flowers for a day or two. So now, I'm back to waiting for colorful signs of spring in the yard again. And I don't think I'll point it out to Emma next time.

Book Report: Marley & Me

I saw the movie previews. They didn't rate too high on my to watch radar. And the book certainly wasn't on my to read list. But Jacko recommended it more than once and Will checked it out from the library so I read it. The warning I got from Jacko was that it was a little bit sad. Oh great I thought to myself. I'm going to need my kleenex box for this one. The book chronicles the life of a couple as they welcome an energetic, yellow lab puppy into their lives. It is filled with the almost always comical mischief that a puppy is capable of and the changes their owners must accept in their own lives. And yes, I got to the end and it was a little bit sad. But it also made me think. Isn't every great "good dog" book a little bit sad? Think Old Yeller or Where the Red Fern Grows. When you compare Marley & Me to that, I think this book is quite tame.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. The movie still isn't very high on my to see list. And if I ever start thinking I want a yellow lab puppy, I'll read this book again.