Like Glee . . . kind of.

Is this week half over already? I still haven't recovered from my weekend!

Last Thursday, Annalyn flew to Nashville with my parents, and I flew to meet them on Friday. We were all there to support my brother, who accompanies a high school show choir that was competing in a national competition at the Grand Ole Opry.

Think Glee meets real life. Kind of.

(If you add miles of walking in work shoes, because you didn't bring tennis shoes; hauling a 2-year-old in the 80th percentile for weight on about half those miles; missing most the choir performances due to a cranky little girl; and sleeping with said girl, who happened to believe the full-size bed was all hers. I'm just saying.)

Reportedly, Annalyn was awesome on the flight down. And I won't make you wait to find out: she was pretty good on the flight back, too. She was definitely a squirmy, tired toddler. But, thanks to several (yes, several) bags of berry Yogos, three laps to climb over and a mommy who can recite her favorite books from heart, we had no 45-minute screaming fits. So I call that a success.

And the weather in Nashville? It was beautiful. The whole Opryland complex was covered in blooming flowers like this:

Unfortunately, Annalyn's cold - and the chaos of travel and the constraints of a quiet, dark auditorium - brought us some of this, too:

On the bright side, though, my brother's choir was AWESOME. And they got Best Combo of the whole competition. That means "best band," which is his part. So, you know, we were a little proud.

I know we're mid-week now . . . but how was YOUR weekend?

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It just happened.

I started a blog because I was bored. And a little lonely. I thought it would be a good place to get my thoughts out and maybe keep in better touch with my friend, Chelley.

I never intended to make friends all over the country.

I had no plans to make a dime, much less make a plan for monetizing.

I certainly had no intention to grow a heart for missions.

And yet . . .

*****

When I was in college, I had a few friends who went on mission trips. And then at the first church we attended after moving back to Kansas City, we became close friends with a couple training to translate the Bible for the people of Indonesia. Later, when we moved to the church we still attend, we met lots more people determined to answer that Great Commission . . . overseas . . . far away . . . in the mission field.

And every time I’d meet another missionary or learn that one of my new friends was, in fact, a missionary (gasp!), I’d say the same thing:

“I’m so glad God didn’t call me to missions.”

*****

At first I only read a handful of blogs. Chelley’s, of course, and the blogs her grad school friends wrote. But one day – maybe nothing good was on TV or I was up late, letting my newborn cry it out – I branched out. I read other blogs.

Those other blogs led to more blogs, which led to even more blogs.

And somewhere between just reading a handful of blogs and the hundreds of blogs that clog up my Google Reader today, I stumbled onto a group of women who have changed my life.

Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.
Sophie at BooMama.
Melanie at Big Mama.

Are these ladies funny? Sure. But while I do enjoy their rambling, clever posts, it was their hearts for Compassion International that moved me.

Moved me to tears.
Moved me to sponsor a child in Ghana.
Moved me to reconsider how I spend my money.

I used to thank God for not calling me to missions. But now I know differently. He’s called me, all right.

To what, I don’t know.

Maybe just to sponsor a little girl named Elizabeth.
Maybe to use the money from a job change to pay off debt faster – instead of getting a new cell phone.
Maybe to tell you about what I’ve learned from Compassion.

Or maybe something more.

I don’t know. But this sure isn’t why I started a blog. THIS is what I would call an unintended consequence. Since stumbling on the first Compassion blogger posts . . .

I've been glued to my screen every time a group goes on a trip.
I've applied to go on a trip myself.
I've cried tears of joy - and maybe a couple of envy - when each new blogger mission trip group is announced.

Shaun Groves has asked how God has changed and surprised us. Well, this is it.

Because of the Compassion bloggers, I am changed.
Because of the Compassion bloggers, my heart is broken.
Because of the Compassion bloggers, I can no longer say, “I’m so glad God didn’t call me to missions.”

Has God changed or surprised you lately?

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Some things I think you might like reading

Okay, folks, here’s the deal. I read a lot (a LOT!!) of blogs and online publications. That results in a) eye strain, b) information overload and c) a backlog of great articles I want to share with you.

The problem? I’m not sure how to best share these articles. Though I use Delicious, Stumble Upon and sharing through Google, I don’t know that you necessarily will find the things I tag, stumble or share. And I want to make it easy for you.

Because, yes, I truly believe you’re all sitting on the other side of your screens, hitting refresh all day, waiting for me to tell you what to do. Riiiight.

Anyway, I’ve decided to begin posting a list of links regularly (or, let’s be honest, semi-regularly, because, yes, I am aware that I promised an amazing post about a couch way back when and have yet to deliver). I used to do this on Saturdays and call it “Random Readings.”

But I’ve decided I don’t like that. I would hate for anyone to feel that I consider his or her article random. This decision, however, leaves me with a dilemma: What do I call my semi-regular link posts?

So far, I’ve come up with Remarkable Readings, Lovely Links and Sunday Suggestions.

Clearly, I need help. Would you help me? Please – send me your ideas, share with me your suggestions, tell me what to do.

Because you know I like telling you what to do. For instance, read these:

• Mama Kat cracks me up! I love her take on cleaning in No One Ever Told Me.
• For a different perspective on cleaning (although still from someone who reportedly hates it), check out Christine’s new blog, I Dream of Clean.
• I’ll be making these fancy-schmancy (but not really fancy) deviled eggs for Easter lunch. Or dinner, depending on where you live. Because they have bacon. And cheese. And – really? You need another reason?
• Are you a blogger? Or a blog reader? Or both? Then you need to read OhAmanda’s tips for making bloggers happy and making your readers happy.
• Ashleigh writes beautifully about her husband’s recent deployment and what that means to her. Read What It Is, Going it Alone, and Rollercoaster. I’m so very thankful for the sacrifices her family and countless others are making every day.
• For the past few weeks, Mark and I haven’t spent much time in bed together. Yep, that’s right. I said it. Now get your minds out of the gutter. I'm talking about a situation caused by crazy coughing fits and supposed snoring. Thank you, allergy and sinus issues. Because of all that, Missy’s post about the marriage bed simply cracked me up.
• Following up her weeklong series on beauty, Sarah has posted links to everyone else who wrote about beauty. These stories are amazing.
• If you don’t already read Lisa-Jo’s blog, The Gypsy Mama, I highly recommend it. This woman has heart, humor and an unbelievable talent for painting pictures and moving hearts with her written words.

Have a great weekend! (And don’t forget to tell me what to name my link posts! I need HELP!)

I'm linking this post to Mandi's Saturday Stumbles!

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Losing It - including my sanity!

 {How cute is this card? Thank you, Jessie!}

Update: After reading your posts, I have come up with four new goals. First, I'm bringing my exercise ball back into the house and will use it this week. Second, I will work hard to avoid emotional eating (this is huge for me). Third, I will aim for a gallon of water a day. And fourth, um, shoot. I don't remember.

So - if I commented on your blog about a goal, would you remind me? Thanks. You guys are great. And, yeah, next week I'll take notes as I read your (obvioiusly) inspiring posts!!

Guys, I have a confession: I have no idea what week we are in. Can someone tell me? Please?

You may not know this about me, but sometimes I'm just not good with the numbers. Or I've lost more sanity than pounds. I don't know.

I'm not weighing in today, but not because I'm afraid of the scale (for once!). More about what I am doing today later. What I can tell you now is that I've written down all my food and counted my points this week. That might seem like a small thing, but it's HUGE for me.

The trick will be keeping it up this weekend, because it's going to be a hectic one.

How do you stay on track when you get busy?

Wonder what I'm talking about here? Each week for the next few weeks, Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife, Ashleigh from Heart & Home and I will be sharing a peek (or in the case of this wordy ramble, an oversized bay window) into our weight loss journeys.

If you’d like to take the challenge to Lose It (#LosingIt10 on Twitter, by the way), write about your own journey, link to this site in your post, and share a link to your blog post in our weekly carnival. The bloggers who link up at least six out of the 10 weeks will be eligible for our prize package of a six-month subscription to The Six O'Clock Scramble (a meal planning service), a Weight Watchers pedometer and a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods.

The winner will be the person who loses the largest percentage of his or her body weight during the 10 weeks.

I can't wait to read about how your week has gone! (Although, I'll warn you: I will have to wait. Because of the previously mentioned hectic weekend. You know.)



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Meet the Rizers!

Why is it so hard to find good [not annoying] kids’ music?

I’ve mentioned before that Annalyn is sometimes less than awesome when it comes to car rides. Right? Thankfully, I’ve found that making a big deal about playing “her music” while we’re driving makes a difference.

[Sometimes.]

And that means I get the opportunity to listen to kids music – or, even better, kids singing kids music – a LOT.

So when I heard about The Rizers, I was pretty excited. Fun music and Scripture memorization? Yes, please!

The Rizers are a cartoon (ahem, animated) band that sings scripture verses in upbeat, kid-friendly songs. Their mission is to instill in kids a love for Jesus Christ and his Word through scripture memorization and worship.

Never mind my 2-year-old; I need this myself! (KIDDING. We can listen TOGETHER. In the car. All the time. Over and OVER.)

That’s just it, though. You can listen to it over and over. Your kids will love the cute characters, and you can connect with the band on Facebook. (There’s really something for everyone with this group, isn’t there?!)

 You can buy their album, Meet The Rizers, on Amazon, as well as iTunes.

This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

Have you heard of The Rizers? What’s your favorite (I mean, your kids’ favorite – no, I mean your favorite!) kids’ music?

Disclosure: I received a preview of The Rizer's album from their publicity firm.

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What says "college" to you?

Futons.

Funky downtown shops.

Micro-fridges.

Tostitos cheese dip.

T-shirts with Greek letters.

The smell of a cafeteria.

Dave Matthew Band, Blues Traveler, Jars of Clay, The Cranberries, and ska music. (Remember that?)

Tickle Me Elmo, Japanese anime, Home for the Holidays.

And this sight:

W

What says "college" to you?

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Monday night, interrupted.

Monday nights are big at our house. As in, big television-watching nights. Three of my favorite shows are on Monday, plus a show that I really like and a show that I kind of like but was still giving a chance.

It's really too much, and I'm doing good to catch three of the shows.

Last night I didn't get to watch them, though, because life came calling at 5:00.

Our friend's son's birthday was yesterday, and while I was picking Annalyn up from daycare, I got a message asking if we'd like to meet at the McDonald's P-L-A-Y-P-L-A-C-E. (Tell me you have to spell things at your house, too!)

So we swung by the grocery store, ran by the house and sped off to McD's. The kids had too much sugar a great time, and while I can't speak for all the grown-ups, I did, too.

I'm so glad I didn't get to sit on my couch and watch my regular Monday shows. This kind of Monday was WAY better.

When's the last time life interrupted your plans - for the better?

I'm linking this post to Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky.

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Are you building a cathedral?

Image by ~MVI~

Last month I attended a professional development and networking luncheon. It was more interesting than it sounds.

Something from that lunch has stuck with me – and I don’t mean the dozens of announcements or painfully basic tips on getting involved in social media.

To read the rest of this article, please visit (in)courage today!

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Last chance for chili

The first day of spring brought sleet and snow, and I took advantage of the weird weather by making chili one last time.

I’m not opposed to chili in the summer, but Mark has this thing about hot things in hot weather. He doesn’t drink coffee in the summer either. [He’s weird.]

As I was pulling all the ingredients out of the pantry, I remembered that I’ve never posted my chili recipe. [Don’t be confused – like I was. I have written about canned chili and its use as a necessary ingredient to homemade burritos. But that’s a whole other story.]

Chili is really one of my favorite things to fix, especially now that I’ve mastered it. In addition to Mark’s seasonal chili preferences, he’s also pretty picky about the level of heat, the meat to bean ratio, and the thickness of the soup (and how it’s not a soup, because he doesn’t like soup).

So figuring out the exact chili that we both like was a bit of a challenge.

I can’t promise that our chili compromise will work for you, but it definitely works for us. And it’s super easy and healthy, too! (Yes, that’s right, folks! Chili is a miracle food!)

 
Cold-Weather Chili

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
Onion
1 large can tomato sauce
1 medium can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Ro-Tel)
1 can chili beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
½ packet hot chili seasoning
½ packet mild chili seasoning

Dump it all in the Crock Pot and cook on high for two hours (or low for four hours).

A few secrets:

Don’t substitute another can of kidney beans for the chili beans. If the store is out of chili beans, just don’t make chili. Seriously. I tried it and could not figure out why the chili was so bland. It was the lack of chili beans.

Remember my tip for chopping onions in bulk and freezing them? What about my bulk beef browning? (I know. That doesn’t sound right. But I couldn’t resist the alliteration. I’m weird.) If you do these things ahead of time, making this chili literally takes 5 minutes.

 
Unless you have a Pampered Chef can opener that is smarter than, well, you. And in that case, it might take 10 minutes.

And last, but not least, I don’t stop at draining the fat off my hamburger. I actually rinse it. Some people (ahem, husband and sister-in-law, ahem!) think this is weird. I think it’s smart and healthy. You decide.

So, there you have it. The medium heat, appropriately meaty and beany, not too thin, just right for the last big snow of the winter chili.

How do you make chili? And do you eat it in all seasons - or just the cold ones?? Or, if you don't like chili at all [weird], how did you celebrate the first weekend of spring?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

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Book Review & a Question

Sometimes I wish I’d been an English major. Partly so I knew more about writing and partly so, when I say that I’m a big reader and people ask me if I’ve read [fill in the blank with a classic that everyone but me has read], I could say yes.

But I wasn’t. So while I love writing and reading and remember most of the English terms essential to my daily life, such as “gerund” and “participle,” I don’t know how to describe a certain type of writing.

I’ll get to that in a minute. (It will be the question I mentioned in my title, and no pressure, but I’m really counting on you all to answer it.)

Back in 1997, an unknown author published a little book called . . . [wait for it] . . . Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Remember when I mentioned not having read the books that everybody and their grandmother have read? Yeah . . . this would be one of them.

Much to my friend chelleybutton’s dismay. See, Chelley is a huge (HUGE!!) Harry Potter fan. And my lack of interest in her favorite book has been a point of slight contention between us for a while now.

She finally got me to read it, though – by giving me her copy of the book. (Don’t worry, Chelley, I know it’s just a loan!)

One night a few weeks ago, I’d finished my latest fluffy book, skimmed through my parenting magazines and didn’t feel like slogging through the serious Christian living book I’ve been nibbling on for months. So I picked up that colorful Harry Potter book and started reading.

Oh. My. Gosh. I loved it! I enjoyed fantasy books when I was younger, so this really was “my type” of book, even though I’d been protesting the exact opposite every time Chelley asked why I hadn’t read it yet. And it was so smart! And British. You know that automatically makes it better. I call it the Hugh Grant Effect.

I even found myself so absorbed in the story that one day at work, when our e-mail system temporarily crashed and I was inconvenienced trying to get a message to a co-worker in another part of the building, I actually found myself thinking, “I wish we had owls.”

Ha! I laughed so hard at myself and then, of course, told Chelley all about it. I knew she’d be thrilled that not only had I started reading her beloved book, but I was a teeny bit obsessed with it, too!

I finished it, and just in case someone else out there hasn’t read it yet either, I won’t give away anything about the ending. But I will say that I was surprised and realized I hadn’t given JK Rowling enough credit.

Chelley has loaned me copies of books 2-4 of the Harry Potter series, but I haven’t started the second book yet. I will, though. And while I’m pretty sure it won’t take me 13 years to get around to it, I told Chelley today that she may have a future fan in Annalyn. That kiddo loves picking the Harry Potter novels out of my three huge stacks of books and pretends to read them!

So here’s my question (were you wondering when I’d get around to that?): what do you call the kind of voice that Rowling uses in the book? That tone makes it clear that the story being told is a fantastical one, and it’s a little sardonic or amused. Like she knows what she’s telling us is ridiculous but it’s also wonderful, and she wants us to love it even if we’re laughing at it, too.

What is that?

One of my favorite fluffy writers, Kasey Michaels, writes a series about a female romance novelist whose main characters (a Regency heartthrob with a stuffy and semi-clueless butler-type sidekick) somehow come to life. The novelist realizes how crazy this is, but it’s happening anyway. And these silly (I know.) stories are told in the same type of tone that Harry Potter is.

So, what’s that called? Is there a technical term for it? Anyone? Bueller?

Feel free to mock me in the comments. Make fun of me for just now reading Harry Potter. Or wishing to be an English major. Or reading fluffy romance novels. Or admitting to reading fluffy romance novels.

Whatever. Just tell me if there’s a name for the type of voice or tone or SOMETHING that JK Rowling used to tell the Harry Potter story?!!

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Beauty and Losing It – Week 4

This was me in 1990. Since then I’ve lost those hideous glasses, straightened and whitened my teeth (good heavens, how could a 5th grader have such horrible yellow teeth?), gained a few million pounds and gotten a somewhat better haircut.

Oh yeah, and my mom finally allowed me to wear makeup. (And shave my legs, but let’s be honest: I’m not nearly as excited about that as I was back then.)

But in my heart? I’m still that ugly duckling . . . and I’ll never be a swan.

I know, I know. That’s a ridiculous thought. Not because I’m some supermodel, though my mom insists on calling me Beautiful Baby Girl and my husband is smart enough to say I’m pretty.

No, it’s ridiculous because I Was Created In God’s Image. And we’re all beautiful, each and every one of us. I know. I KNOW.

But do I really believe that?

Well, no. Not really. I mean, I believe it about you. Sure. But me? No. I’m a nearsighted, yellow-toothed chubby dork. No matter what I see in the mirror, a small part of me still feels like that 11-year-old girl.

I’m not asking for sympathy or fishing for compliments. SERIOUSLY. I’m just admitting to one more bit of my CRAZY. My friend Sarah has had guest posters talk about beauty all week and asked us to do the same.

So there you have it. My kind of late night, definitely stream of consciousness thoughts on beauty – or lack of.

Now don’t go planning an intervention for me. I’m not dwelling on this craziness, I promise. But it’s there. Do you have a definition of beauty – or lack of – in a dark corner of your heart?

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On a related note, I guess it’s time to talk Losing It 10, huh?

This week I went walking one night with my friend Brittany (and Annalyn who was so excited to see her friend “Bernie” and actually cooperated when I put her in her stroller). And I’m drinking lots of water. (Yes, I will mention that every week. Sometimes it’s all I’ve got, okay?!) And even though I have not written down all my food and points, I have figured the points on most my food. So there’s that.

I am committing to writing down everything I eat this next week. I did it the first two weeks and lost weight. It’s really the only way I can keep myself on track.

How did you do this last week? And what’s your goal for next week?

Each week for the next 7 weeks, Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife, Ashleigh from Heart & Home and I will be sharing a peek (or in the case of this wordy ramble, an oversized bay window) into our weight loss journeys.

If you’d like to take the challenge to Lose It (#LosingIt10 on Twitter, by the way), write about your own journey, link to this site in your post, and share a link to your blog post in our weekly carnival. The bloggers who link up at least six out of the 10 weeks will be eligible for our prize package of a six-month subscription to The Six O'Clock Scramble (a meal planning service), a Weight Watchers pedometer and a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods.

The winner will be the person who loses the largest percentage of his or her body weight during the 10 weeks.

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On the other hand, I've got hitting the snooze button DOWN.

Yesterday did not start out well. After going to sleep more than two hours late (Thank you, Daylight Savings.), Annalyn woke up 45 minutes early.

[Side note question: Can anyone explain that phenomenon? At what age do we develop the skill of sleeping in to recover from late nights?]

So the early start turned into yelling (me) and frantic showering (me again.) and frustration over yet another chaotic morning (um, yeah, me.). Then, because I like to use stress as a reason to make poor food choices (feel free to turn away now, Losing It friends), I buzzed through the McDonald’s drive-thru on the way to take Annalyn to daycare.

This not only started my morning with 14 points under my belt (Thank you, dollar menu.), but also prompted my already cranky daughter to cry because I didn’t get her any fries.

The nerve!

It should come as no surprise, then, that I had a little – shall we say – incident in the daycare parking lot.

See, the thing is, those spots in that lot are really stinking small. And though I didn’t see it in the handbook, I’ve realized in the last three weeks that all daycare parents are required to drive SUVs or vans.

Anyway, back to my morning from, well, anyway. I found a spot and squeezed my wannabe-SUV into it. As I turned off the car, I was a tiny bit proud that I’d overcome the small spaces and SUV that was three inches over the line and a tiny bit annoyed that other people don’t know how to park.

And then I walked around to the other side of my car to get Annalyn out of her carseat. Juggling a package of diapers (Thank you, potty training FAIL.), her hat and gloves, and a sippy cup of milk, I looked up and realized that a) in my effort to maneuver around the SUV on my left, I had totally swerved into the spot of the SUV on my right, and b) the owner of that SUV on the right was standing on the sidewalk, admiring looking at my parking job in disbelief.

By that point, I’d already gotten Annalyn out of her seat. So I did the only thing I could think of and said, “Can you go stand by that lady, baby girl?”

Of course, even my small child couldn’t fit between my badly parked car and the badly parked car next to it. So we had to walk all the way around the car, stack all of our stuff on the sidewalk and say reassuringly, “Mommy will be right back. [I’m so sorry.] Just stand right here, okay? [Thanks. I do know how to park. I was trying to avoid that, oh, I’ll just move the car.] One second, baby!”

I’d like to say that’s where the humiliation ended, with me leaving my 2-year-old daughter with a stranger and backing out of a parking space.

But no. Then I had to turn a simple task – move from one parking space to another – into a 9-point turning ordeal. The other spaces were tight, too, okay? And it’s not as easy as it sounds to back up your car and re-park directly behind the original space.

[I wish I was as creative as my friend, Erin, and could provide you with a diagram at this point. I just know it would clarify any questions you might have at this point.]

Finally after at least 32 minutes (or 3.2 minutes, I’m not sure), I pulled my car safely into another space, gathered my daughter and all our stuff, apologize AGAIN to the lady who was not quite as friendly and forgiving as I’d have preferred, dropped off my kiddo, and left.

Ready to start my day. Or something.

Oh, and if you were wondering about my whole getting up early plan? Yeah. Not so much. Don’t get me wrong! It’s still a plan. And I still want to do it. But I haven’t. Not in several days.

Annnnnd this whole story JUST MIGHT be the perfect example of why I should start my mornings earlier.

I love it when I teach myself a lesson.

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Swagbucks and Amazon.com Giveaway

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? What? It’s too early? Right. But it’s not too early to start saving for Christmas!

That’s where Swagbucks comes in.

Swagbucks is a search engine that offers you the chance to win cool prizes from every time you search. You win points by searching, and you can use points to “buy” prizes that include Amazon gift cards, kids’ clothing, electronics, comic books and more.

[Yeah, I thought I’d get your attention with “comic books.”]

Seriously, though, I easily earn about 10-20 points (Swagbucks) a day, and a $5 Amazon gift card costs 450 points. That means just by searching (which is made even easier by installing the toolbar, which I did at work and at home!), I could earn a gift card each month.

That’s not to mention the extra points you can get by following Swagbucks on Facebook, Twitter and their blog.

And there’s one more way I can earn Swagbucks. It’s pretty simple: I just tell you, my friends, all about it!

If you're interested in signing up for Swagbucks, would you please use my referral code? Just click here, and it will take you right there.

As of right now (8 p.m. on Tuesday night), I have 520 Swagbucks. That means I can buy my first Amazon gift card. And because I love you – and it’s only fair – I’m going to give that card away to a reader who signs up!

That’s like getting 450 Swagbucks for free!

If you sign up for Swagbucks using a link from this post by Friday, leave a comment and tell me. I’ll draw a winner (or Random.org will draw a winner) on Saturday.

Swagbucks works for me . . . and I love it . . . and it’s my favorite way to search the Internet. So this post will be linked to Works for Me Wednesday, Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

(And don't forget to vote for the couch you want me to write about.)

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Choose Your Own {Couch} Adventure

Image by emdot

Last month at Blissdom, I attended a workshop sponsored by Hallmark. The topic was inspirational writing, and in addition to two card writers, we got to hear from Casey from Moosh in Indy and Stephanie from Adventures in Babywearing.

I heard lots of anecdotes and advice about sharing our most meaningful stories, and then the panelists challenged us with a writing prompt. They asked us to write about couches.

Actually, they first suggested we write about our top ten couches, but then they said we could just pick one if we wanted. It’s been a while since I over-achieved much of anything, but today I’m going to do that prompt one better.

I’m going to list my top ten couches. And then I’ll write about one. Which one? That's up to you. 

Vote in the comments, and the couch that has the most votes by the end of the week will get the starring role in a post next week.

In no particular order:

1. Blue flowered couch I grew up with at my parents’ house
2. Wicker couch with blue cushions that my mom inherited
3. My grandparents’ brown, gold and orange flowered couch
4. My other grandparents’ plaid couch that is called a divan
5. The bright gold, ridiculously heavy couch I had in my college dorm
6. The first couch Mark and I bought – a blue and green plaid one
7. The same couch with a red twill slipcover
8. My current chocolate brown leather couch
9. My parents’ new couch
10. Our friends’ dark green couch

I know. That doesn’t tell you much, does it? And there’s no going back. Once you pick one, you can’t go back and read the other chapters to see if they had better endings.

Yeah. I’m harsh like that. A couch blog post reader survey rules dictator.

(Unless I decide to write about the other couches later.)

[Please don’t pick a bad couch.]

{No pressure.}

So, what’ll it be?

This post will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.

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Under the influence

I spent Saturday and most of Sunday driving and scrapbooking. (Not at the same time! Don't be crazy.) My two cousins and I went to a scrapbooking retreat at a crafting bed and breakfast place a couple blocks away from my cousin's town - three hours away from my house.

The original plan was for Mark and Annalyn to go with me and spend the weekend with my cousin's husband and four kids. Unfortunately, said husband and kids spent last week puking and fighting a nasty fever. So I was on my own.

And I didn't mind at all. Driving alone for hours gave me the opportunity to sing at the top of my lungs to a ridiculous variety of music, from Lady Gaga to Hall & Oates to Kid Rock to Ronnie Milsap.

Hey, don't judge. I had to do something to distract me from the view.

As much as I appreciate the beauty of the Kansas plains - and I do - it's a little easier to enjoy the view in the spring. Or the fall. Or, basically, any season but the winter without snow.

Although I did see several calves - jumping and frolicking. Before you ask, no, I didn't get any pictures of that. Actually, the only other picture I got since Friday was one that captures what the weekend was about:

My cousins are five and six years older than me, and when we were growing up, I idolized looked up to them. Until I outgrew them (AHEM.), I wore their cool hand-me-down clothes. I practiced - for hours - the simple dance routine they taught me from their drill team days. And even this weekend, they were taking care of me - letting me borrow their scrapbooking tools and encouraging me that my layouts looked fine when I was sure they looked terrible.

And teaching me to drink wine.

Oh, I didn't mention that before? Yeah. On Saturday night, they ran to Walmart to pick up some photos and came back with two brown bags. I don't remember what kind of wine it was, but believe you me, I will find out.

I don't like the taste of alcohol, so it's never been a temptation to me. This is a good thing, considering my family history, and I've never argued with the fact. But this wine? Deeelish.

Fruity drinks - like rum punch or Smirnoff apple - are great, but I can only drink one or two, because they're just too sweet. But this wonderful sweet wine wasn't overly sweet. It was just right.

Maybe I won't find out what it was called. This could be dangerous.

Kind of like that time I went to Oceans of Fun with my cousins and wore one of their swimsuits. It was cut higher on the legs than mine that I'd worn all summer. That wouldn't have been a problem - except when I saw them slathering on baby oil, I had to do it, too. And if there's one place you don't want the worst sunburn of your young life, it's the space on your legs between your swimsuit and your borrowed swimsuit.

Who did you look up to as a child? And what did you do this weekend?

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Weekend Links

Do you use social bookmarking? I’m talking Digg, Delicious, Stumble Upon. I’ve been experimenting with Delicious and Stumble Upon, and I’ve noticed lately that some bloggers do a weekly recap of the articles they’ve tagged, dug or stumbled.

I’m not going to do that.

Don’t get me wrong. I’d like to. But I don’t know how to do it. Yes, I realize I could just look at my list and re-type it. I think there’s some automated – or easy – way to do it, though. So until I can get that figured out, I’ll keep experimenting . . . and using my old system.

What’s that, you ask? Um, yeah, it’s keeping a list of my favorite recent posts and articles on a post-it. Or maybe a half-sheet of paper if the list gets too long.

If that method doesn’t work for you, check out Christine’s reviews of social bookmarking sites and see what you like. And then come tell me how to do it!

Now for the links I want to share with you:

• Missy is raising money to adopt a baby from Ethiopia by selling the cutest shirts.
  
• Amy has the cure for your bad mood or your case of envy. I’ve thought about these words every day since reading it.
  
• Did you read all the posts by the Compassion Bloggers? I still have a few saved in my Reader. It’s hard to digest all that they’ve shared with us.
  
• Shelly is writing a series called Intentional Parenting. She is a wise mother, and I love reading about the decisions she and her husband have made with their girls. I cannot wait until she writes a book!
  
• Have you heard? Savvy Blogging is having a conference in Breckenridge this summer. I’m pretty sure this just went on my wish list!
  
• Sarah is publishing a series of posts written by five women next week about beauty. She’s calling it We Are Full of Beauty, and she wants to know what you think about beauty, too. 
• Charlie dances away to a beautiful tribute to her readers - after telling Cover Girl exactly why she deserves a chance in their video contest.

Have you read anything good lately?

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Saturday Review: A bunch of movies

I heart Juno. Even in her other movies.

Does it seem like I watch a lot of movies? My friend Mandy would say so. But then again – and I can say this, because she doesn’t read my blog and that’s what you get – I’d say she never watches movies.

So there.

Anyway, this is quite a long list of movies to review, but it’s everything I’ve watched in the last three months. So really, it’s not that many.

[Wow, who’s feeling defensive today? Weird.] – Feel free to say that in a Jim Gaffigan whisper.

Can I just tell you that I really want to segue into the reviews by saying, “Without further ado.” But I find myself wanting to say that a lot, and I’m pretty sure I’ve broken down and written it before. So I’m going to restrain myself.

[Insert smooth, not cheesy transition here.]

Sherlock Holmes: Mark, Smitty and I planned to see this movie for months. If we hadn’t had silly family obligations on Christmas Day, we might have gone to see it on opening day. But of course we didn’t. We have priorities, you know.

The movie was really good. It wasn’t as exciting as I expected, but the dry humor was right up my alley and the action scenes were interesting. I didn’t care for a particular scene that involved dead pigs, but I survived. The story itself was okay, but it was mostly the characters and dialogue that I enjoyed. Without giving anything away, I’ll tell you that the way the movie ended left it wide open for a sequel, and I’m sure we’ll want to see that when it comes out.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: I love Redbox. I really do. But sometimes they don’t have any good movies to rent. On a night when this happened, we rented – out of desperation – something we’d never heard of. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a remake of a 1956 movie, and it’s about journalism and politics and murder and romance. From the description, it sounded like my kind of movie.

It wasn’t terrible. But it wasn’t great, either. And it certainly didn’t have an unrealistically happy ending, which, as you know, is what I prefer.

Another review I read of this movie mentioned that it’s film noir, and I decided to do a little research. I wasn’t sure exactly what determines that a movie falls into that category. Is it the thunderstorm? The pencil skirts? The low lights or the gravelly voice asking, “What’s your problem, sweetheart?”

It turns out there’s not much of a definition. At least according to Wikipedia, film noir is a difficult genre to define. So much for my independent film study project.

Invention of Lying: I promise I’m going to get back to movies I liked here in a minute. But not yet. The Invention of Lying was terrible. The acting wasn’t necessarily terrible, but the premise is just awful.

Basically, a man lives in a world that has never discovered lying. He does and then ends up telling the world a bunch of “lies.” What they didn’t show you in the funny commercials for this movie is that the lies he tells are what we would call religious truths. You know, like God made us. Like God’s in control. Like there’s a heaven and hell.

The movie made me mad, and I considered delving into a deep discussion on the whole thing. But then I remembered that I’m not a communication student with papers to write anymore. And so I didn’t. But if you saw this movie, I’d love to hear what you thought about it.

Whip It: Loved it! Yay! I loved this movie! I thought the interactions between characters were written and portrayed authentically, and I thought the story was realistic but still inspiring. I can’t wait to watch it again.

Rudy: Mark loves this movie, and it’s been on my list of “I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen That Movie; Where Have You Been, You Weirdo?” movies. Lucky for me, it was on cable a few weeks ago and we ran across it in the middle of watching taped episodes of Psych and Burn Notice. So I watched most of it. And now I’ve seen it. And yes, it’s inspiring. Okay?

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard: I had no desire to see this movie. So Mark rented it one night when I went to scrapbook with some friends. I didn’t end up staying very long at all, and he had just started it when I got home. I watched most of it with him, and I have to say, it was darned funny. Vulgar? Yes. So if that’s not cool with you, don’t rent this one. But if you can stand bad language and need a good (no pun intended, I promise) laugh, you might try it out.

When in Rome: It was a toss-up between this movie and Valentine’s Day when we went out with our good friends, Zac and Mandy. We picked this one, and I’m glad. It was not a good movie in a lot of ways. The acting wasn’t awesome, the premise was silly, and the way it all wrapped up was nothing short of ridiculous.

But did we laugh? Oh my goodness, yes. We laughed throughout the whole movie and all enjoyed ourselves. This may be because we were almost giddy about being out, sans kids, for a whole evening. But it was also just a fun (stupid) movie.

Couples Retreat: Last, but not least (see my review of the Lying movie), we rented this last weekend on our family date. (And by family, I mean that Annalyn went to the car show and dinner with us. But she was in bed when we watched this movie. So don’t even start telling me about what she shouldn’t watch. Believe me. That girl isn’t interested in anything that doesn’t involve princesses or Elmo anyway!)

This movie was long and not that funny, and I’m bummed that it wasn’t any better. Also, I kind of wish I had watched a great movie since then, so I wouldn’t be ending on such a Debbie Downer note.

Hmmm. Maybe I should talk about the upcoming movies I want to see? Um, no. Just looked at my word count. I think I’ll stop here, downer or not.

Tell me: what’s the best and/or worst movie you’ve seen recently?

[Disclosure: Some of the links are Amazon affiliate links. That means if you buy the movie, I get a teeny tiny percentage. (Believe me, when I find something that gives me a huge percentage, I'll tell you!) Interesting fact, while we're down here talking about these links: Whip It is on sale for less than $10. Just so you know.]

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