The Wire

So I know I'm late to this party but we just finished the first season of The Wire. I can't wait for Season 2. I am not sure where Season 2 will be headed..., I will stop here so as to avoid any spoilers. If you, like me, are stuck in 2002 and haven't watched it yet, go for it. It takes a couple of episodes to get into it but give it a chance. You'll get hooked.

Super Geek, Super Geek, She's Super Geek-ayyy

I found this shower curtain (brand new in the package) at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago. It is the Top 100 SAT words and definitions and it is a blatant display of my nerd-ery.

In my house, you can often hear someone yelling words out of the bathroom, asking for definitions. Much to my chagrin, (that's one of the words) despite my having majored in English, my husband is beating me in this intense geek battle.

It's What's For Dinner- Week 12

Monday- Dinner at Nanny's

Tuesday- Dinner at Michelle's

Wednesday- Asian Stir-Fry

Thursday- Leftovers (meeting the girls for a movie so something quick and easy)

Friday- It's the start of the 4th of July Weekend! Something on the grill.

Laughter is Contagious

Beatrice, for the past week or so you've been waking up around 9:30pm for no apparent reason. I go in there, take you out of your crib and rock you for a couple of minutes, then you settle right back to sleep.

It happened again last night. I went in there to find you in your crib, on your knees, arms outstretched. I picked you up, your arms linking around my neck, your legs around my waist. We sat on our glider and within minutes you started to fall back asleep, the pitterpatter of your heartbeat slowing to match mine. As our breathing began to fall in sync, I felt your soft little hands reaching for something behind my head. Your hands moved slowly and methodically, finding the edge of the glider cushion behind my head. Then, all of a sudden your pace quickened and you gripped the sides of the cushion, pulling it tight to squish the sides of my head.

You tried to suppress a giggle, without much success. Pretty soon you were engulfed in a full body laughting fit. I tried with everything I had to fight the urge to join you. Within moments, we were both in hysterics. We'd start to slow down to catch our breath, then you'd reach behind me again to squish my head. Cue laughter. We repeated this pattern about 10 times. And of course, the more I laughed, the more you laughed, and the more you laughed, the more I laughed.

I haven't laughed like that in a long time. You laugh like that at least once a day. I could learn a thing or two from you.

The Thrill Is Gone

I will choose to remember this M.J.:

Or this one:

But not this one:

RIP, Michael. May you moonwalk your way through the pearly gates.

Some great Jackson tribute videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o

http://elzol.com/ (Click on EnVivo)
(Thanks, Is!)

What's your favorite Michael Jackson song?

Paint the Town Red

I just jumped on to Hip2Save and she's talking about this great Glidden free quart of paint giveaway. I just filled out my form and got my confirmation email that a quart of Bittersweet Chocolate paint is coming my way. I don't have a use for it yet but it will get me closer to my dream of having all of my walls in this house looking like peanut butter or chocolate. Heaven.
(**act fast as supplies are limited)

You Knew This Was Coming...

Really, Internet are you just giving away websites to anyone that says "pretty please?" http://www.teresagiudice.com/

I think Beatrice might like this from the Bow-tique collection:

And the nonsense continues tonight on Part 1 of the reunion show.

P-A-R-T-Y

We had a fun, busy weekend. Saturday we had back to back birthday parties and Sunday we relaxed during a quiet Father's Day. For some reason, last week was soooo long. Maybe it was the dreary weather?

So here are some of the highlights:

• Clapping as Lilli blew out her candle. Precious girl is already 1 year old. I can't believe it.
• Hearing Beatrice belly laughing from across the yard at Birthday Party #2. She was going buckwild in the Bouncy House.
• Being told by a 101 year old woman* to go home and make a baby brother for Beatrice. Sitting between Cory and my mother-in-law during this conversation.
• Watching Cory 'open' his Father's Day gift. I had our wedding date and Beatrice's name and birthdate inscribed in his wedding band. The best part was that I had it done last week while he thought it was just being cleaned. I put the ring back on him earlier this week. Luckily he never takes his ring off so didn't notice the inscription. I was impressed with myself for being able to trick him. I'm usually the one being tricked.

• Sipping on Cory's (Now)Famous White Sangria with dinner on Sunday. You should have him make it for you sometime. It's that good.

How was your weekend? Is it wrong that I'm already planning this upcoming weekend? Work is for jerks.

* Said elderly woman is my mother-in-law's boyfriend's mother. We've heard tons about her but never met her in person. It was worth the wait. She was a hysterical little old lady from the North End. Time with her made me miss my grandmother, an equally spunky, foreign, little old lady.

It's What's For Dinner- Week 11

So we took last week off from meal planning and what a pain it was! I basically ate hummus and crackers or cereal for dinner every night. Not good! So we're back on this week.

We did eat like kings this weekend. Friday night we cooked mussels in a wine broth. Then we used the leftover broth to make a seafood gumbo yesterday. Yummy.

Monday- Nanny's for dinner
Tuesday- Steak tips, corn on the cob, salad
Wednesday- Out to dinner with the girls
Thursday- Crockpot Chicken (I have some leftover Chicken Tikki Masala sauce in the freezer) and Basmati rice
Friday- Fish Tacos and Slaw Salad

Go Green or Go Home

Here are some links for green/sustainable/fair trade gifts. Thanks for the recommendations, Is!


The Green Veranda
Nature's Legacy
Swahili Imports
True Green

Along these green lines, I was pleasantly surprised during my recent stay at the Doubletree- Westborough. In every room, they had trash barrels that were separated in half. One side for recyclables and the other for trash. I've not seen that before in hotels. How green!

Thanks for the Sperm

Sperm is a weird word. Say it a couple of times. Weird.

If you know a daddy that needs some gifting here are some great ideas from MightyGirl. She always has fantastic posts on gift giving!

Lots of love to all the papas out there. Though I don't really think any dudes read this dribble. Cory, if you're reading (the marriage certificate kind of obligates you to), no, I won't be revealing what Beatrice got you for Father's Day. She'd kill me! I am not trying to get on her bad side. As it is, we're already in a fight on account of the binky situation.

Rubber Ducky

Last night while I knelt beside the bathtub, you giggled and squealed as you splashed around. I leaned forward and put my face atop the bathwater and blew out like a motorboat. You looked at me, both impressed and surprised that I had done that. Usually this kind of silliness goes on between you and Daddy.

I did it a couple more times while you watched intently. I coaxed you into trying it yourself and much to my surprise you dove right in. (You are usually more of a cautious child.) You made the right sound on the very first try and didn't inhale any water. Daddy walked into the bathroom and you motioned to him to watch as you slowly dunked your face in the water and blew out. When you lifted your head, water running down your face, you smiled ear to ear, so proud of your latest accomplishment.

Thank you for letting me teach you new things.

Season Finale- RHNJ

Did you watch the train wreck last night? I actually stayed up well beyond my bedtime to catch this shit show. (Digression: Cory and I watched Defiance last night. Its the true (!) story of Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe escaping into the Belarussian forest. They join Russian resistance fighters and build a village in the woods that ends up housing 2000 Jewish people. You should watch it. It's not light but its good. And Daniel Craig is hot. Really hot.)

Anywho, was it just me or did the whole dinner table fight thing seem really staged? There were parts where it looked like Danielle was trying not to laugh or 'break character.' Nonetheless it was entertaining.

Did you see this little tiddlebiddle about Danielle? Trash.

Mr. and Mrs. Silva

Bri and Filipe's wedding weekend was a whirlwind. How's that for alliteration? We had a great time as did the bride and groom. The gals had a wonderful time getting all gussied up at the salon before the wedding. If I was rich, I would hire a personal makeup and hair team. I'm not sure Cory would go for it. He was not a huge fan of my get-up... he just kind of kept looking at me quizzically, repeating "It just doesn't look like you." I took that as a compliment. But nothing was as big a compliment as being compared to Teresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey. I wish... the bigger the hair the better. (Speaking of which, she goes off the chain tonight on the season finale. I can't wait!)

The weather was absolutely perfect, a glorious day nestled amidst a string of cold and rainy days. The reception was fun with us all dancing up a storm. I'm not gonna lie, I definitely needed a couple days to feel back to normal. Lots of action!

I didn't take any pictures at the ceremony or reception but I'll post some once peeps put them online. Here are a few that I did snap at the rehearsal and before the wedding.

Congratulations, Bri and Filipe. To many happy and healthy years together!

Our Little Girl Is All Growed Up

Bri and Filipe's wedding festivities start tonight. Lots of prettying up and prepping to do today.


I'll post a wedding re-cap on Monday. Have a lovely weekend.

Is Grandma Included in the Rental Fee?

Cory's been searching for a house for us to rent this summer in the Cape. He came across a listing with this photo.

Kudos to this owner for thinking outside the box. Why just stick to boring interior and exterior photos of your property. After a while all the photos end up looking the same for each place (2-3 bedrooms, twin beds in all rooms, outdated kitchens, decks, etc.) All the amenities are listed, blah, blah... you have a dishwasher, laundry, outdoor shower, great. But do you have an old lady that comes with the place? Great marketing.

Feliz Cumpleanos Brother-in-Law

In honor of my brother-in-law's 29th birthday today, I will recount my favorite Dave story.

St. John, USVI 2007:

We are all lounging in the pool after a long day of beach and booze. Dave's hair is all mussed up, he's all bleary eyed and sunstroked. Isabel takes one look at him and busts out with: "Look at yourself. You look like that guy. What's his name? Gary.... Gary Busey."* We all burst out laughing. She backtracks and offers this as consolation: "I mean, like a young Gary Busey." Oh that's much better.

So not this Busey:

More like this Busey:

And the apple doesn't fall far from the tree:

* otherwise known as the poor man's Nick Nolte.

Dave, I hope you find occasion today to 'let the Buse loose.'

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Beatrice, I don't want to forget how your hair feels. Your wild, adorable hair has been well documented on this blog. I wish I could somehow add a 'feel' feature to this post, kind of like your "Touch n Feel" picture books. I want to remember the texture of your tight little curls at the base of your head, the wiry part at the top of your head, and the swirls and whirls on the crown.

I want to remember the way your neck cranes and your head jerks every time I try and run my fingers through each and every little curl while you watch your cartoons. I want to remember your priceless expression every time I try to put a barrette or headband on you, as if to say: "You think you can tame this 'do."

I'm sure it will change as you get older, the curls will become tighter or looser. You'll mature into a young woman and start in with the hair gels, hairspray, hair color, hair dryers, hair straighteners, etc. And I'll long to remember what those tiny, little whirly curls felt like between my thumb and forefinger.

And now for a hair montage...

Cross It Off the List

5K done. Thank god. We survived. It was actually a really fun experience. The weather could not have been more perfect, the course was great (we ran all along the Charles River), the runners were really nice (a lot of novices at our end of the race), and the crowd was really supportive. I was pretty nervous because I'd never run a 5K and didn't know how I'd hold up. I've run at the track and on the treadmill but not with ease. Running outside and in a crowd was definitely much easier. I underestimated the mob mentality and element of competition. I may be slow but I won't be the slowest!

So to summarize, here's what DIDN'T happen, although I predicted it:

• I didn't throw up
• I didn't have to be rushed to the ER
• I didn't finish in last place

Notable quotes of the day:

Me to Allison on the phone the morning before the run: "Ya, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I drank a bunch of booze Friday night, had maybe 8 oz. of water yesterday. My lips are all dry and chapped. I carbed up with a huge bowl of fettuccine alfredo last night (that The Office joke never gets old). So, ya, I'm good to go."

Sister to me after the run: "Is it OK that I ran for 30 minutes with orange juice throw up bubbling in my throat. I guess you're not supposed to drink OJ before a run?"

Mom to sister on the phone after the run: "Oh honey, I'm so glad you finished. I said a prayer for you. Hopefully this will be a motivator for you to get back to the gym. I mean, you and your sister look great, but Mom's just thinking about your health." (I love my mom. That comment reminded me of my birthday last year. Moms gave me a gift certificate to Marshall's and as I thanked her she told me that she noticed they had a lot of nice workout clothes there... hint, hint. Good thing I have really high self esteem.)

Song Cory played when I got out of bed the morning of the run:
"You're the best, around
nothings gonna ever keep you down, your the best, around
nothings gonna ever keep you down, your the best, around
nothings gonna ever keep you down"
As my feet hit the hot pavement, sweat pouring off my brow, visions of Daniel LaRusso whooping ass in the final scene of Karate Kid danced through my head. I also recalled the image of walking into our wedding reception, hand in hand with my new husband. Those two images should not be juxtaposed but they will be when put your husband in charge of the wedding day playlist.

I definitely want to try and run at least one 5K every year. And they are usually for charity so I can kill two birds with one stone. And maybe, maybe one day we'll be able to take on a 10K. Baby steps...

It's What's For Dinner- Week 10

We've got a lot going on this week and weekend so its going to be a finish what's in the fridge and freezer week a.k.a. crap for dinner week. It has to be done.

Monday- Nanny's
Tuesday- Chicken, artichokes, and rice (I cooked this a couple of weeks ago and froze 2 servings.)
Wednesday-Happy Birthday, Dave. Pizza Party.
Thursday- Red Sox Game. We'll grab something before the game. Or maybe I'll eat 3 Fenway Franks and drink 8 beers. (Full disclosure: I've never eaten a Fenway Frank. I'm not a big hot dog eater. Don't be a perv. Ya, I'm talkin' to you Bri.)
Friday- Bri and Filipe's rehearsal dinner. Let the wedding fun commence.

I need to cook and freeze some stuff really soon because I don't have much for us or Beatrice. She's getting a lot of hummus and frozen turkey meatballs. She can eat her weight in hummus and meatballs but a girl can't live on that alone.

Sniffle, Sniffle

Wedding season is upon us. Tonight, we have our first of only 2 weddings this year. This is in stark contrast to the year we got married when we had 8 weddings. Then 7 the following year.

I am writing this post, tissues in hand, not because I am getting pre-maturely weepy for tonight's event, but because I am in the throws of a mild spring head cold. Or as Cory likes to taunt: "Oh, boo hoo, Cindy has the sniffles." I think a couple more hours of sleep should do me good. That or a screwdriver.

Signs of Life

The garden is starting to sprout. Lettuce, squash, and peas are popping through the soil. Yay.

Flip Video Camcorder- Steal at Amazon

Saw this great deal on Hip2Save just now: http://hip2save.blogspot.com/2009/06/amazon-flip-video-camcorder-only-4999.html. Was $149.99, now ONLY $49.99 and it ships for free.

That's My Dog

Here's the second installment of my weekly Beatrice posts.

Beatrice, when you were about a year old you started associating dogs (in books and in real life) with the woof sound. That was one of your tricks for a while: "What does a doggie say?" "Woof, woof." You don't fall for that show and tell routine anymore but you still say woof about 42 times a day.


You haven't quite mastered mama or dada or many other words just yet but woof, woof is an old standby. You've added your Beatrice spin so that all animals say woof, woof... cats, lions, horses. If it remotely looks like an animal, it says woof woof. Every morning when watching Curious George while mama and daddy try to squeeze out 2 more winks of sleep, you point and say woof, woof when Georgie comes onscreen. When we read the Corduroy Halloween book, you point at Corduroy and say woof, woof. When you pull back the curtains and look out the front window, you point to Bob and Irene's house and say, woof, woof (they have tiny, fluffy dog, Lucy, that you love.) When we go to Nanny's and you see Black Kitty (ya, I know, it's a very creative name) you point and say woof, woof. Sometimes you will change the tone of woof, woof to be a bit more high pitched so as to sound like mee-oww. I guess in your eyes, every animal has a little dog in 'em.

Rest assured the irony of your first real word being woof has not been lost on your mother and father. We are not what you would call animal people. I'm sorry to tell you this way but you will never have a dog. Ever. Ever. Evar. Well, maybe if you start saying mama soon....