Christmas in July!

As far as decorating goes, the Wms. women don't know how to hold back. Visit any of our homes or attend any of our parties for a not-so-subtle reminder. Christmas ornaments are no exception.

I think it was my great-grandma Zella (my mom's dad's mom) who started the tradition of hand beading and sequining ornaments--and it's become quite a passion for our family. I grew up thinking everyone's tree ornaments must be as beautiful as ours. The ornaments typically have a theme and are placed near each other on the tree--The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion), Cinderella (Prince, Fairy Godmother, Pumpkin,), Raggedy Ann and Andy, Twas the Night Before Christmas, etc...

In the last few years, as my sisters and I have gotten older, my mom's been in an ornament frenzy! And that zest has passed to each of us. I've learned to bead and sequin, and our Christmas gifts to each other in the last few years have been peppered with ornaments created by hand. Let me tell you, those gifts are my favorite--because they're long lasting and I know how much painstaking detail and time went into each one.

Last Christmas, I sorted the ornaments in my cedar chest (Christmas '07. Gosh it's great being from a family of girls) and I'm amassing quite the collection!

I've hesitated in bringing them East because I typically spend half of December in Portland, but maybe this is the year to bring them out to Boston!

of hearty stock

Tonight, to celebrate Pioneer Day, Linda and I bought a bunch of shrimp (shrimp! yay!) and stood--hovered over the bowl of cocktail sauce and were thankful for our pioneer heritage.

Amen.

more BANG for your buck!

Tonight, Katie and I sat at IKEA (with $25-50 worth of random home goods we couldn't live without, naturally) devouring warm cinnamon rolls.

Side note: Whenever conversation dulls, I always always ask people "if you could be eating anything in the world at this exact moment, what would it be?" 95 percent of the time, I respond with "a warm cinnamon roll." Very rarely do I depart from that answer.

As the cinnamon rolls were one-half of the reason we went to IKEA (guess on whose half vote that was?), a thought hit me. The dollar cinnamon roll might actually be the best deal you can get for a dollar. I vocalized my claim and then asked Katie what she thought.

She agreed that the cinnamon roll was a brilliant purchase for a dollar, but her best dollar is spent on vacuuming her car. Brilliant.

IKEA cinnamon roll: 1
Vacuuming your car: 1

Hit the comments with your best way to spend a single dollar. In this economy, I need to know where else I can stretch my dollar on the best deals!

the birth of Brain Dump 2.0

The beauty of being an inconsistent blogger is your ability to "cheat the system" and lump multiple events together with quick recapability. I can hardly remember what happened, so why should you care about the minute details. You just want to hear what embarrassingly stupid thing I did last! (And let me tell you what, there's a story I'm embarrassed enough that not.a.single.person. knows about what happened, yes. That mortifying.) SO! Without further filibuster or grandeur... updates!


A) One Tuesday night I got a hare/hair-brained idea. With nothing on the agenda, I decided I needed Costa Vida (the equivalent of Cafe Rio). Had to have it, wanted it, was going to die without it. Only problem is that the only Costa Vida east of Utah is in Portland, Maine. 200 miles from my home. No big. It was one of 2 sunny days in June, so I jumped in my car and away I went. The drive was gorgeous and it was really nice (liberating even) to spend that much time alone with a goal. The folks at CV were amazingly nice when I told them my story and doubled the food I ordered. I ate like a king for several days!

B) The US team played in a North/Central American and Carribean soccer tournament a few weeks ago. We went to support the team and stuck around for the Hondurus v Granada match. You have no idea how many Hondurans live in New England until their in one place with their flags, and painted faces, and national pride. It was a super fun night -- made even better when the US tied a game tying-goal with only 30-seconds left. I can definitely understand why soccer/futbol is loved so well around the world.

C) Some of you have asked how the shaggy mullet is going. I'm definitely getting more used to it. Getting used to doing it too; definitely more styled than the mane was before; but also so much shorter and harder even to ponytail. But it's working its way out just fine. In two years you'll never even know I cut it.

D) I met my Visiting Teachers at the temple the night before my eye surgery. I figured if the lasers blinded me, it'd be a good "last visual" memory. This photo was taken with my phone, so pardon the graininess; I take better photos for the most part. And didn't even have to go to photography school! (Boon!)

And that's that. Four quick stories in one happy blog format. I shall have to try this again. Brain Dump 2.0? Yes. HA.

So once I had cosmetic surgery...

So I'd be remiss if I didn't blog about the fact I got my eyes lasered last month. The decision was made and I had my poor eye sight cut out in about eight minutes flat. Nothing too bad or scary, except no one told me they screw clamps onto your eye-balls. They were of course numbed, but the pressure was weird and my mind was freaking out. I survived. In fact, I was most happy to take a sick day and not have to work.

I'd be happy to talk to any of you individually about the surgery, but most of you probably don't care and would rather read about my adventure in 140 character or less descriptions. Thanks Twitter! (Are you following me yet?)

I might have seen my last sunset tonight. Only the lasers tomorrow will tell. #LASIK10:16 PM Jun 17th from txt

Trying to pick my outfit for a breakfast date with the LASERS. Somehow, this is one occasion I don't think a LBD will do.12:27 AM Jun 18th from web

Gosh I hope I don't have to learn to read braille. I don't even know how to spell it.7:51 AM Jun 18th from txt

l;gjaew'tnqe nu tEJAEQ JEJ e t etieaipjgjaeqgguip gejkd 93593 as'mcmNVCow siwqjr9 WSFwR 9OW M5:45 PM Jun 18th from web

For the record, my retinas actually burned, and the smell produced is something I never, no never, hope to have to experience again. #LASIK6:01 PM Jun 18th from web

Survived Lasik to learn a CONFIRMED CASE OF SWINE FLU in the office. I knew eating those Skittles from the kitchen yesterday was a bad idea.6:06 PM Jun 18th from web

Oink oink BLIND6:07 PM Jun 18th from web

Side note: I think I'm on drugs.6:11 PM Jun 18th from web

At the eye doctor for the third time in four days. The good news? 20/20 isn't just as 60+ newscast any longer. What what.9:14 AM Jun 19th from txt

Eye drops of milky white color and consistency every 2hrs. Four days of lactating eyes sounds like an Enquirer headline or House diagnosis.4:06 PM Jun 21st from web

Mostly though, I like telling people I had cosmetic surgery! The payoffs have been greater and greater the further I get from the surgery. Never having to worry about popping a contact or itchy eyes has been well well worth the few minutes my eye-balls were clamped...!

on the boats and on the planes... they're coming to america

No better time exists in Boston than the 4th of July. The birthplace of the Revolution sure knows how to entertain the patriotic. I can't believe this is my third 4th in the city! Each year I'm worried the current events won't live up to the fun I've had historically, but I haven't been disappointed yet! Both '07 and '08 were stacked with out of town visitors--this year was the locals living it up.

After a dreadfully rainy June, the skies parted for the most blissful 4th of July on record. It was a cool 75 with clear skies and everyone was ready to get outside. On the 3rd we went to the free outdoor dress rehearsal of the Boston Pops and NEIL DIAMOND. That's right, that ironic pop culture icon singing his classics. We arrived plenty early and kept ourselves entertained on the lawn playing connect four, guitars, electronic scattegories, eating, and laughing. (This year, I'm most thankful for my lawn chair.) Neil didn't disappoint; we were definitely the most rambunctious of the 8,000 people in attendance; but that's pretty par for the course lately.

The morning of the 4th we saw the Red Sox play the Mariners. Is anything more American than eating a hot dog in Fenway park on the 4th of July?! We dropped into a party for a few minutes and then went to watch the fireworks on the Cambridge side of the Charles between the Longfellow and Mass. Ave bridges.

How awesome was having the holiday on a Saturday? It's the 13th of July, and I feel like I'm still recovering a bit from the 4th. But it's a happy recovering; I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Or in another 356 days.

don't cry for me thanksgiving

In keeping with tradition, I'm going to have a fabulous Thanksgiving. Today, tickets were purchased to spend the day of Thanks in BUENOS AIRES and MEXICO CITY. Happy Thanksgiving indeed.

This means I'd better get the rest of my life caught up in blog format before November. Which means Prague and Zurich should actually get blogged, the 4th of July, and the rice crispy treat sculpture I made to honor Michael Jackson. PLUS more pictures of the shaggy mullet, countdowns to my two August weddings, and probably not oh so much more!

But it won't be tomorrow. I'm flying in and out of Philadelphia (via Manchester, NH) in a single day for three hours worth of meetings. When did I become this old and professional? And what kind of logic makes blogging 4.5 hours before a wake up the right thing to do after having spotty performance for the last 12 months?

I depress impress even myself.

the last time it was sunny

Plenty Steamed

Tonight, I spent longer than I care to admit steaming some of the clothes in my closet. That's right, steaming. With a steamer. I felt like Jennifer Lopez in the beginning of the Wedding Planner when she was vacuuming her curtains.

Which is worse? Owning your own steamer or referencing J.Lo movies from 2001 with wreckless abandon?