kreativ blogger
i'm sure there was some sort of mistake.
i'm so not worthy of such an award,
but, in what i suspect was copious amount of black tar heroin consumption,
the divine deborah of dumbwit tellher bestowed the very generous kreativ blogger badge upon moi.
to say i have procrastinated is putting it mildly: she gifted me march 1st.
tis how i roll. i'm still sending out wedding invitations, and we're coming up on our 2nd year anniversary.
i tend to fall behind.
part of my hesitance has been the job of summoning up 7 personal items of substance and circumstance to impart upon, you, my loveliest of readers.
i can easily give you 7 things that are annoying and compulsive. but the former......i gots nuttin.
rather than try to dazzle i will go for the informative route. these may not be sparkly, antic facts, but all are true and differentiate me from the all the other mouthy, half-japanese/half caucasian, childless, compulsive eating, newport beach housewives around here.
1. i am terrified i will be the worst mother ever. we're talking joan crawford style wretched. i'm in love with a baby i haven't even conceived. but i'm deathly afraid said child will be asking hh for someone more adept and competent with her first words.
2. i love gummi bears. but only the haribo brand. and only the orange and yellow bears. i won't touch red, white and green. they taste like someone else's regurgitated jello shots: a senior graduation trip to puerta vallarta i'm still trying to forget.
3. i like to have things planned way ahead of time. and i make lists like ina garten makes cobblers.
i'm a moronic-scheduling-maniac, who writes everything done in my filofax (yes, i still live in the 1990's), re-syncs it in my blackberry, and triple confirms it to my desk calendar. i even schedule my spontaneity.
4. i take multiple baths everyday.
5. crickets. i hate crickets. i also hate silence which, in effect, is pseudo-crickets.
6. my left pinky toe lies horizontal. i was born with it this way. we call it bitch toe.
7. i am always cold. i wear a fluffy, cozy wrappy all the time to keep warm. even in 100 degree costa rica sunshine i had goosebumps. it's no longer adorable to my hh, but to still to get his attention i dramatically cry out, "baby, i am frijoles!!".
yes, i know this translates to " i am beans." BUT i like the way it almost sounds like "i am freezing", and it makes him smile.
so there you go. my seven things. it only took me 4 months to figure them out, put them to paper, and post.
i'm apparently supposed to tag the kreativ blogger onto 7 other blogs to keep the party going.
argh!! i hate that i have to narrow it down to 7....
duel living, jeune marie, sweet nothings, reverie, trust your style, with love from pittsburgh, and audrey onassis.
feel free to accept the tag if you like or pass it on to your discretion.
thank you again deb. you set the standard, oh goddess of katy, texas.
red, white, and happy
happy weekend indeed.
smiling has been infectious of late.
the sun overcame her shyness.
hh didn't notice/mind the baked beans were bacon free.
a 6 year old's front yard, sparkler extravaganza {both parents inches away} was insanely more entertaining than any disneyland spectacle i've ever seen.
our sweet priscilla, whom will be with us for a year come friday, did not bolt or skip the fence as we had feared she would attempt.
{the fourth is such a nasty holiday for pups and kittens alike.}
to bed we all snuggled in early, windows and doors sealed shut.
whirling ceiling fans and kisses canceling out the noise of piccolo pete's and butterfly rockets.
still grinning ear to ear.
priscilla goes to canyon ranch
piglet, er...i mean, priscilla has put on a couple of el bees of late.
although she eats vegetarian fare, we recently learned she's been helping herself to the kibble bin between meals.
definitely behavior unlike a lady, miss priscilla.
much to her father's dismay (the idea of his apple suffering sends him fetal) i have put miss priscilla on a strict diet:
vegetables and fish oil. tried and true.
i've used this method before, and it works wonders. my beasts slim down, their coats and eyes shine, and they shave minutes off their 10K's
at first she was curious. {never underestimate the power of a pink bowl}
then she spit it out.
a tantrum of tears and bellowing ensued for quite some time.
i finished a magazine.
exhausted and defeated (read lazy); she surrendered, and ate her "salad".
truman, trying to stifle his giggles, watched in happy, glib glee; remembering his months at canyon ranch.
post meal though, priscilla actually embraced her new spa-like regimen with a half savasana/half happy baby pose.
see? she's already groovin' canyon ranch style.
namasté.
hermit by choice
i'm constantly chided for my hermit like tendencies.
what people don't realize is that instead of hiding behind my front door amassing an enviable lint collection and a law & order library to rival imbd; hh and i also work excruciating hours on the routine.
i'm only showing it once so that you copycats respect our simple, modest piece.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9BqgrhHhQE&feature=related]
sorry for the camera bumpiness.....priscilla was filming.
weekend
it's worked. the images have worked. no matter how delicious the key lime pie or side splitting the story, i can't get the oil-coated pelican off my brain.
friends visiting from the east got a taste of my grizzly, murky mood this past weekend. while they delighted in lobster spring rolls and wedding plans, i plotted how not to drive my hybrid as much.
i feel so responsible. i unplug every unused cord and even some that i DO (kinda) need. penance for all those times i unplugged my brain.
today i'm wearing moody as my accessory.
{let's be honest, i've been channeling sylvia plath since age 7 }
i'm not complaining. i'm just sad for the state of status quo. i get my hopes up and think we're better than where we are.
yet, then i'll drive around looking at people's bumper stickers; next thing i know: i'm in a corner, fetally rock back and forth, singing "landslide" with my thumb in my mouth.
i'm sure by tomorrow i'll be pirouetting, peonies in my hair, with a case of the giggles.
i'm a loon. my favorite foods are kale juice and cupcake frosting (preferably pink). there's no sense to be made...
happy monday friends.
i am not a robot
obsession is too fluffy of a word to describe my infatuation with marina and the diamonds.
i feel like it's 1995 again and i've just discovered tragic kingdom.
here's what's been on virtual repeat the last two weeks.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_oMD6-6q5Y]
{the beasts and i desperately want a wind machine}
fashion crime
priscilla makes her dislike of mother's pink sweater obvious to all in the household.
from now on, all shades of pink will undergo canine council review to ensure no future attention will take away from youngest's fuschia feathers.
big fella
sawyer {aka favorite}
march 6, 1999-april 5, 2010
"Not the least hard thing to bear whenthey go from us, these quiet friends,is that they carry away with them somany years of our lives. Yet, if theyfind warmth therein, who wouldbegrudge them those years that theyhave so guarded?And whatever they take,be sure they have deserved."
--- John Galsworthy ---
bunny blues
don't judge if i ask for a weekend do-over.
or better yet, can i have the last 12 years back please?
please.
i can never tell if i've cooked the pasta too long or too little, if i should have held my tongue in that last political spat, or rather spit my venom at the ignorant twit getting her news from tarot cards.
i walk in perpetual doubt. i wear it like a fancy coat, with shiny white buttons, and a hem that swirls like a skirt.
i wish i needed my wavering wrap this weekend:
without any uncertainty i know that he is ready to go to sleep.
pardon me, while i scream into this pillow.
image: danny roberts
weekend round up
bowling, braids, beverages (of the adult variety) and boys.
does it get more fun?
it does.
calico kerchiefs on freshly groomed beasts.
vanilla shakes shared with a steady.
weather so warm play time wraps while the grass is still wet.
an afternoon nap. a blanket of beasts. windows open to the bouncy boats on the bay.
that cup of coffee showing she loves me.
this echoes through the house this time of year. one can't help but smile sweetly, and wish love for others when listening to such pretty music.
and if you can...stay the fuck away.
fancying you the finest week ever m'loves.
impossible to be pouty in pink...
i was looking around and couldn't help but chuckle at all the girl that seems to be invading the house of late.....
here's a favorite to keep you in a blushing mood day long:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D41-Bz1oNcA&feature=player_embedded]
keeping it pretty in pink today loves....
dreamy weekend
i had a horizontal weekend.
bliss.
any free moment was spent with favorite reclined in reverie.
books were finished and started.
our trees are full of baby birds! windows stay wide open and tv's stay silent: their loud, sweet, springtime song fills our house top to bottom.
the jasmine i planted last year opened her eyes yesterday. even priscilla lingers longer on the now perfumed patio.
this is what i choose to see, smell and hear.
happy monday loves.
click image for source
off i go
goodbye weekend. good riddance to pity.
nothing like a visit with adored aunt charla to send the scary sadness away.
grilled cheese and homemade lentil soup help too.
new week. fresh start. favorite detests the mopey; he's always commanded a certain dignity. a characteristic his two siblings consistently and miserably fail to supply.
i ferociously ride into this headwind of hurt with my heart lifted high, shoulders square, wearing my sincerest smile.
i get to love.
that's not just icing. that's icing and rainbow sprinkles.
click image for source
happy weekend
this weekend i need a roomy shirt. a long, loose shirt with stretched sleeves.
a shirt i can leave untucked so i don't fret about a stomach not sucked in.
sleeves to hide freakish goosebumps. whom appear even when doppler reads 80 degrees. warm (to some).
this weekend i hope to wear a mint green scarf of low blood pressure.
i'm going for a bit of a drive. happily. a treasure chest awaits me. i will gladly stay to the right of everyone else. listening to her, breathing in......
breathing out.
favorite and i will read. feel like i'm missing pages or worse a soul. i need an emotional socket converter because i'm not feeling anything yet, and (oh my) the story is sad. i read. unmoved.
{yet, i saw a pigeon in a parking garage wednesday night, and i boo hooed for 30 minutes straight, imagining he was stuck there away from his family.}
we're waiting for the next available bed at the local sanitarium.
my mind lately is one loud pinball machine. bang bang. bounce bounce.
i want watercolor emotions just for a month.....
click image for source
sawyer
this weekend we found out favorite has cancer.
i have nothing to say. there aren't words, sentences, poems, photos which equal my sawyer's sweetness. i cry stupid, pointless tears.
it's in his lungs.
he has no idea. nothing hurts.
the tail keeps flopping on that damn hardwood floor.
mommy has a new bed downstairs with sawyer. the doctor doesn't know how long. he is old. he has put up with insulin shots twice a day for the last 6 years.
we wait until the tail stops wagging.
click image for source
Simple Things
christina is hosting the simple things today.
a call out to bloggers to "show what we appreciate, and what we are grateful for - no matter how big or small, these things may seem."
if christina asked me to dig ditches with her all day long in the hot sun, i'd be the first to sign up.
in an effort to help the haiti rescue and rebuilding, she is giving one dollar to doctors without borders for every participant.
thank you christina for inspiring me daily. here is my laddleful of love to you:
katie's simple things 1/27/2010
freshly scented, french milled soap
clean, empty notepads. ready for my days' plans, ideas, and aspirations.
homemade morning coffee. french pressed with ground cinnamon. a mug reminding me what matters most.
waking up in the middle of the night holding hands with hh.
fresh, inexpensive, trader joe's flowers on my desk
our sweet tree standing tall again. post storm destruction. so glad we were able to keep you in the family.
peanut m& m's, and don't you dare try to substitute plain!!!!!!
profanity. terrible, i know. i'm a good girl otherwise. i just like to swear.
perfume before bed, after my bath.
afternoon naps.
mornings. the promise. the second chance.
this song.......it renders me tear faced every time i hear it. but happy, oh my god, i'm so damn lucky kind of tears.
it's hard to have animosity in your heart with this music in your soul.
i'd love to twirl on fence posts with you, na-na-na'ing to this song.
happy wednesday. love, katie
cloud nine weekend
oh my! don't you just love open weekends that just melt seamlessly from no plans set, let's see where the hour takes us to ....well isn't this delightful and unexpected? this morning i found myself making snow angels lying in bed; giddy still from our joyful non-events.
i think the weather played a major role in my dreamy weekend. seventy degrees, skies pale blue, just enough clouds to make it girly and scenic.
let me summarize (smile).
the beasts got an outing to the park.
football silliness at the local high school.
a presidential 40 yd field goal kick costing hh to fess up the big dough in a lost bet.
i found my new favorite nail shade.
the MOST beautiful flowers (big, fat peonies!!!!!) delivered to my doorstep
a fish taco so delicious, only expletives and moans suffice.
a bubblebath or two. or four or five.
where i finally finished a nice, didn't suck, book of short stories.
all the while green fiddlehead fragranced the house with tea, clean cut grass, and spearmint.
and as you can tell, i'm back to taking photos again. sadly, alice, at only 3 months old, was on the fritz. a lemon. i had to return her. tamra is her replacement. i'm already attached. tamra the camera is a sassy shot and hasn't given me any grief since we've started courting. i think i've found my new dance partner.
happy monday friends!
click book, nail polish image for more information.
my grown up xmas list
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!Much pleasure thou can'st give me
just in case he IS checking his list twice here is what i would be asking for if we lived in that magical world where friends weren't sick, parents didn't fret over bills, animals frolicked freely, a soldier's watch was limited to his sleeping child, and our earth pumped out big gulps of clean, unpolluted air.
alas, this world eludes me. yet. till then, here's my shameless, materialistic christmas list.
grand? i think so. but tis just a wish list. health, peace of mind, safety, and a better world nix fendi shoes all day long.
have a jolly tuesday!
images: troy house, country living, coastal living, net-a-porter, paul costello, frank w. ockenfels, flickr.
lighting up my heart with joy!!!!
volume up friends.
this is what the beasts and i are dance partying around to this morning (thank you chuck).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il-OFaFzHQM]
rumps shaking and breathless we managed to give a goat.
the striking resemblance to the dairy buck sent truman into quite a rattled and distressed state. convinced we were paypal-ing HIM to a Ugandan, AIDS ravaged community, upon where he'd be milked daily and impregnated yearly, truman has stowed himself somewhere in the house hiding from us evil slave traders. two hours now and no truman.
sawyer, priscilla and i will continue to dance in efforts to draw brother out.
happy monday loveys!!!
dancing for rain gods
my dancing both worked and didn't. for weeks i've been bouncing, flinging, flipping, and romping round for the rain gods. breathless, the beasts and i bounded round the roost beseeching the powers that be for winter weather.bellied up, our tongues lolled, eyes too exhausted to smile; we slept sapped and satisfied listening to requited raindrops patter down on the roof all weekend long.favorite and i seemed to have romped a little too vigorously. the showers came down, so did we......with colds. grrrrr. barricaded under duvets and a bouquet of lanvin (sawyer love's mommy's perfume) we drank tea, read, and watched movies.
as always, there's nothing my boy of ten can't ease: colds, headaches, heartaches.
even sick i was able to have a nice weekend.
- sawyer protecting his anonymity