love that blue comforter (and the beach too)

We got back earlier today from a great week at the beach (after all the craziness of our leaving no less). We had beautiful weather and relaxing time with my family. So here's a quick recap of our week:

Read two really great books (Eat, Pray, Love and 1000 Splendid Suns)
Watched the Mad Men Season 1 marathon
Took ben to see his first movie (Wall-E)
Played arcade games (ben didn't get that in skee-ball you want to keep in your lane)
Spend tons on time on the beach playing in the sand
Caught up with my old teaching friend and her son who live in Wilmington
Ate seafood in SO many ways (and lots of i-cream- what ben calls it)
Tried two new restaurants (and visited our favorites too)
Watched the fireworks on the boardwalk while eating the best homemade doughnuts
Took several early morning walk/runs on the beach before anyone was up
Took ben to the local park multiple times to use his new tricycle and feed the ducks
Went bike riding through the area and admired the million $$$ houses
Went walking on the beach with my family at sunset
Took the ferry to Southport and loved the sun on our faces and more birds to feed
Swung on the front porch during an afternoon rain storm
Got up at 6 on this last morning to watch the sunrise on the Kure pier by myself and to give thanks for a wonderful trip with my family

can we just leave already?

so in the last 24 hours god has decided we should not be at the beach this week. our electrician that was suppose to be here on Thursday came at 5 yesterday and had to leave the job undone until after we are back. I washed a pen that ruined a whole load of clothes including all of bill's shorts, and then as we were about to pull out this morning, I noticed that our hot water heater was leaking. so we are waiting on the repair guy before we go. luckily in all my cleaning madness I had run the dishwasher, washed all the clothes, and in general got the house ready to go. I am very proud to say that I finished my whole house clean out prior to us leaving whenever that may be today!

stealing from the badger- a movie review

If you haven't checked out my husband's blog (the waking badger) do so by morning as I am sure there will be a movie review of the Dark Knight. In his vain of reviewing movies and uploading trailers, here is mine of this kick-ass movie!

After racing to drop ben off and meet up with friends for an adult "pb&j free" evening, we get to the theater just in time to get decent seats. so things I liked: styling of the movie- very dark, great mood and intensity throughout, I couldn't believe this was Chicago, major chase sequence goes in my top five behind Ronin and Matrix, Maggie Gyllenhall over Katie Holmes as Rachel (maggie rocks in Secretary if you haven't see this indy film), Aaron Eckhard as Two-face (also good in Thank you for Smoking), Christian Bale and his way of making a suit the sexist garment a man can wear (check him out in the Machinist), and Heath Ledger stole the show as the Joker. He totally remade this character from the late 80s version.

He was so good that it was hard to watch knowing he will never recreate. He was so good in Monsters Ball that I have a hard time not seeing him in that role in any other movie sense, but he should be nominated come major award season, he was amazing! Enjoy if you see!

happy housewife heroine?

It has taken me since April to finish this book (due to stopping to read book club books), but I finally finished The Feminine Mystique. What an an amazing book!

It was kinda bizarre reading her suggestions how to cure the mystique or the mask of contentment of family and childrearing that lead to housewife malaise in the 1950s/60s included some of the very things that working vs stay at home moms still differ as to what is good mothering. I have my grandmother's 1st edition in very fragile condition and it was amazing to read her comments in the margins. It made me realize how much she really struggled to find the same work/family balance that I do today as she defied norms and kept her career after marriage/kids.

I did find it amusing that Fredian predicted a woman would be running for president by 1976, and though she was a little off, I do think she would have been amazed at the dialogue about gender that the 2008 election has opened up. What am awesome and thought provoking read even if I do fall a bit into the martha stewart trap of return to domestic tranquility. thanks memaw jobe for reading along with me :-)

Have you Hugged Your candle today?

I saw this bummer sticker today and wondered if I had put this on my car what my friends would say. Probably laugh their ass off if they really knew me. It got me thinking what do my friends probably don't know about me- so I complied a top 10 list (yes that is me from halloween a few years ago. We went as a domatrix and slave. Other past halloween outfits included a west virgina wedding couple, and afro-tastic h and big pimpin' bill)

1. I love green kool-aid (especially with popcorn)

2. I hate musicals in any form, also on the hit list are most cartoons (working on this as I now have a child but didn't watch them growing up so I'm learning)

3. My high school nick name was "mama queen pee"

4. Used to play "what can I steal in chemistry" also "what can I throw out the window", I was the winner as I took a Bunsen burner and 2 titration tubes in one day.

5. Burned down part of the woods behind my house filming an AP English project on Dante's Inferno. My partner had to go the hospital. We got an A out of pity.

6. Was capt of my high school quiz bowl team and also played on my college team- Dorky at it's best but I still love trivia games or any board games.

7. Once went on a Dennys/Stucky's road trip with my friend Nathan. The ground rules were that every time we passed one, we had to go in an order something until we ran out of gas.

8. Past vocations I wanted to be at one time: Nurse, costume designer, psychiatrist, public policy analyist (teacher was never on the list)

9. Favorite music album of all time- Pretty Hate Machine- 1989 Nine Inch Nails. I do not recommend listening to this on a church retreat, you will be talked to.

10. I don't light candles around my house, so I could theoretically hug one if I so wanted- but then I would be a bigger freak than I already am.

Can I wear a Hazmat suit too?

So as my summer vacation is about 1/3 way finished I thought I would update what has gotten done off my list of 100 items over the past couple of weeks. We have been super busy and luckily my mother in law being here over the holiday helped keep and eye on ben.

90% done with garage clean out- this was an item left over from last year's list and the biggest on the list- big thanks to bill who made this possible- are you sure you can live without a hacksaw?

find a home for the excess old books and puzzles

Take a load of old computer equipment to the landfill (complete with men in hazmat suits) as this is the only place in the COUNTY that recycles them and other household chemicals- scary place once went there when pregnant and thought my son will surely have an extra limb

take a load of items to be consigned (I didn't do the Kids Exchange this year-no intervention needed- see last year's post with pics)

clean out all kitchen drawers and cabinets (calling anyone who wants a 30 year old fondue pot)

clean out all cookbooks (I collect, but there it a limit to what I will really use like "101 uses for a cake mix"that I parted with- about 40 in they were really searching- ant bait doesn't count)

clean out foyer closet and rid it of toys

Organize all gift wrap, bags, ribbon (this was really pressing you know)

clean out and organize linen closet including my sale surplus shelf

take all baby bottles to babes r us for BPA free bottle exchange

Jamfest 2- bring on peach preserves and blackberry/cherry

make my food co-op meals for July (lasagna)

Make dinner for and visit my friends with new babies (baby love is still intact and flaring up)

last...but not least set up a class Wiki for my upcoming AP Government class complete with first two weeks of assignments, discussion board, and web resources - I am really proud to be with this century although bill proclaims I'm still a luddite (http://hshsapgov.wetpaint.com/)-

Bring it on last 2/3 of the summer, I think there are still some closets I haven't attacked and maybe jamfest 3 is on the horizon.

Big Friends, Little Friends

Included on my list of 100 items is to get out with some of our baby (now toddler) friends and explore the area. In the last week I have gotten together with our friends Nathan and Katie at Pullen Park and the Farmers Market. Today we together again with Elizabeth and Katie and explored the Durham Life and Science Museum.

It was super fun for the kids as they enjoyed chasing each other, eating watermelon, feeding the ducks, and riding the train.

Thanks moms for the conversation while our little toddler tornado enjoyed their own friendships.