Fluff

Hello! Not much really happening in our household, but thought I'd say hi to everyone. Some things that I'm excited about, that most people probably wouldn't think exciting:

I love to shop clearance, and have certain places I go to frequently to patiently wait for a bargain. This week I got some amphibious footwear on sale for $25!




They're impractical winter shoes, but will be fun for summer. I think the "drain frame" is so interesting how it directs the water away from your feet. So cool.

I added a Shelfari bookshelf to my blog! (Look left.) I was already on Goodreads, and a friend sent me an invite to Shelfari. I wasn't going to do it, but I love how adding books you've read actually put them on your bookshelf! It's fun! (Which makes me sound and feel like a 5th grader.) Speaking of books, I just finished reading this book:



And a bunch of others than you can check out on my bookshelf. (Look left.)

But, back to The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. I really loved it. Not sure if Olivia still checks out my blog, but I would recommend it to her since many of the books she's talked about on her blog I've also enjoyed. I think my mom-in-law would also like it - so check it out.

I have a renewed interest in my favorite band from my younger years. Don't laugh .... Oingo Boingo! Around Christmas I got a couple of my favorite albums of theirs off iTunes ... all of these I only ever had on tape!



I'm not much of a concert-goer, but I've been to two of theirs; one was their farewell tour. :(

Another of my favorite-ever albums is:



Over the holidays we watched Mamma Mia! at least five times! It has now been officially added to my list of favorite movies. To be added to the list means that I can watch it repeatedly and never tire of it. Here is the list, not in order of my favorite -- because I couldn't pick a favorite -- but in order of when they were added to the list.



"Dumb and Dumber" really doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the movies, does it? Can someone please buy me Nancy Drew's blue roadster?

Of the movies above, I have also read Pride & Prejudice, Marnie, and Random Harvest. You can find them on my bookshelf. (Look left.)

Other exciting things in my world ... Odwalla has new Monster Protein drinks that will keep you awake and energized for hours! Yeah! And they're so yum! I couldn't find a picture of the new ones, but here is the Chocolate Super Protein, which is also tops!



We went to the car show with our friends last weekend. My favorite car was the midnight blue Saturn Aura with the brown interior. It was a beautiful combination of colors. I couldn't find one that was similar online, but here is the interior:




That's the scoop on all the unimportant, yet exciting things in my world. The important thing that takes up the majority of the time (i.e. work) is about the same. The hatchet keeps threatening to fall, but so far I still have my neck. ;)

It's good that I have so much exciting fluff to engage my thoughts in troubled times!

Good things...

do happen in January!

Today we had our final inspection on our house, and we passed.

So our house permit is now officially closed and we can put things upstairs for real.

When Matt called today to tell me the result, I was so excited that I wanted to do a happy dance.

 

And at the same time I was so in shock.  It was hard to believe that it's real.  When you've lived with something in the back of your mind for so long it's hard to convince yourself that it has come to a close.

So, we took a gift card we got from my work and went to The Cheesecake Factory for a celebratory dinner.  Yippee!

And I can whole-heartedly recommend that place.  Wonderful food!

Bollywood Again

I didn't watch the Golden Globes, but I wish I would have!

You all know I'm a freak for Bollywood movies!  Imagine my surprise when I find out that the biggest star in Bollywood ... "King Khan" or Shahrukh Khan ... was invited to present!

Lucky for me (and you) I found the clip on YouTube!

If you click the Bollywood label below, you can see other references to Shahrukh Khan in my blog and other Bollywood films!

One more thing to note which I think is super exciting ... A.R. Rahman was nominated and won a Golden Globe for best music.  He is the first Indian to win a Golden Globe.  He also composed the music for Jodha Akbar and Dil Se.  Click on the Bollywood label below and you will find an awesome clip from Dil Se with subtitles!

New Year!

We kind of disappeared the last three months of 2008!  They are my favorite months, and they get packed full of activities!

Honestly December was disappointing because I was sick so much!  I got sick December 1, and I had the last traces of my cough from that cold around December 19.  But, I was so glad to break my yearly curse of being sick ON Christmas!

Ha - ha.  December 24 I started in with another cold, and this one has been worse than the first.  Probably since I had been sick so recently.  Anyway - this one is still hanging on.  Matt's entire family, except one individual, got sick.  So, we had a cough-filled holiday.  It's just my luck that I'll be feeling good in time to go back to work!  I really can't remember a time when I've been sick for so long.  Only 5-days of being well in one month!  Crazy!

But, we tried to have fun anyway, and did some cool things:

• December 2 - We went to the play "Savior of the World".
• December 4 - We got free tickets from my work and went to see "The Nutcracker".
• December 6 - It was a very warm Saturday and we finished our Winter yard preparations, and put the Christmas lights on the house.
• December 14 - We had our yearly Christmas Dinner with my family.

• December 17 - We got free tickets from my work to see the advanced showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".  It was interesting, but soooo sad.
• December 20 - Our friend Quincy got married and we went to his reception.
• December 22 & 23 - I had two glorious non-sick days of cleaning/shredding junk out of our office.
• December 24 - We had a fun evening doing what we traditionally do this night - - - dinner with Matt's family at his Aunt & Uncle's and then watching "We're No Angels", our yearly Christmas movie, with my family.
• December 25 - We had Christmas breakfast at our house with Matt's family.  Normally we go to my brother's house for dinner, but I was really sick so we stayed home this year.
• December 28 - Matt's mom made her own birthday dinner (isn't that sad), and everyone came to our house to eat.  Matt and I were both horribly sick by this point, so mom took over and did all the work.  We woke up to eat.  She flew home on her actually birthday - December 29 - and was the last one to get sick, starting in with it that day!  What a birthday present.

We hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year's!  Happy 2009!