you will be wise

Sylvia Pearl on her Blessing Day, sigh, I worship that pearly skin and those pearly eyes!!         hopefully the song played, but if you don’t hear any music then FYI it is My Eyes, by Travis. You can YouTube it if you want. It’s a weird video but the words are GREAT and we send them to Sylvie with all our hearts from our family to you!

boat!

russell says this one is not a wagon, it’s a BOAT and then he said “go way mommy, we going to the castle” I think Alice is very brave to allow herself to be driven around in any kind of vehicle by someone who is, well, dressed like that.

changing of the guard

Since I have a little downtime this morning I think it is time to update my sidebar and say goodbye to my friends of the last few months (gosh my turn around for books has slowed down SO much! I think you can safely blame THEM since keeping them alive takes most of my brain cells)

So, see you later “Tender Morsels.” This book had a huge impact on me, but I have to say I am not going to miss it. It was hard for me, but first I had to get over the fact that I found it in the TEEN section and if my teen was reading this I WOULD DIE, and I’m no prude, but it is way too much for young adult reading. In the end I have a love hate relationship with it, but I think I am better for having read it. Here is my favorite quote:

“Liga fed them, bathed them, clothed them, told them stories, sang them to sleep and learned their songs, kissed them and accepted their kisses, held them and was held by them and soothed by their hands touch. Sometimes she cried from it, and sometimes she thought she would die of it, of the luck and the joy of having been given these two wild animals to grow and to love, and to be grown by, and to be loved by.”

been given these two wild animals to grow, hmmm, probably obvious why I like that line.

a couple other goodies for me are

“We thought too much, we calculated too hard.I would rather have wandered among the trees, with their more meaningful conversation”

“Such a difference between that one’s peaceful, pearly slumber and this one’s red rage! She scooped up the child and kissed the hot face; the clenched closed eyes that still leaked tears; the tiny mouth with it’s leaf tongue, from which such noise emerged!”

Da describing when he met his newborn son “I remember how, exhausted and frightened, I marveled at the enormousness, and at the same time how it all spun in like the pattern on a snail-house or a seashell, all towards this little face, red, near-blind, and mystified, these two soft flowers of hands not knowing what to do with themselves, to crumple closed or spread wide and waver on their stalks.”

I loved “Redirecting Children’s Behavior”, such a sterile title for a book that is actually quite lively with a good heart that has helped me forgive myself as a parent and see my children in a totally bright and clear way. “Fool” doesn’t have anything PG enough for quoting here, but it was  naughty, naughty fun.

Now I am going to reread some parts of “Anna Karenina.” After talking about it with Erin the other day I wanted to visit one of my favorite tortured souls again. And I’ll be reading “The Book of Guys” by Garrison Keillor because I bought it for Jon but every time I pick it up it makes me laugh so now I want to read it end to end.

My research book (self help?! okay :) this time around will be “Driven to Distraction” (which i think everyone should pick up if you have or suspect you have ADD or know someone who does) what I have already read of this book is funny, compassionate and full of AHA! moments that are in turn also totally helpful and kind of inspiring.

And once again I am halfway through the Sookie Stackhouse books, but you’ll have to wait for the post on that because I am going to give it one all to itself! Suffice it to say these Vampire trash novels actually make me a better person. The way she describes folding her warm laundry in between her death defying shenanigans makes me want to do laundry! What book have you read that can do that?

beachy keen!

when lois lane was here (that would be lorraine) we went to the beach!  that’s really all I have to say, enjoy the photos!    

comment awards

Welcome to the first annual award ceremony for best comments on Rae of Sunshine!! 

Since I get a shameless thrill when I see a comment has been made on a post, even before I read it, I thought I would take a minute to share with you just a few of the many comments that have lived up to that thrill. Remember friends, there are no bad comments, only bad friends that never leave any :)

how to type milk coming out of your nose goes to Lois Lane

“baaaaahahahahahahahahahahahaa.
wheeeeez
gassppp
BAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

Hailey wins points in the future mother-in-law category for

“Hi Aunt Lissa,
Did you mention to this "Avi" that Russell is spoken for??
Love,
Hey-bug”

Grandma Sharri wins the technical award for

“oops, this isn't from jared”

best food related comment goes to Aimee

“I am so happy to finally see Pasta Bowls getting the hate mail it deserves!”

best (or worst?) song goes to Andrea

“In the Navy, some more words I don't know, In the Navy, more words I don't know, In the Navy... on and on like that.”

best observation of my post baby body goes to Stefie

“You're the incredible shrinking woman!”

which goes well with the award for the comment you can leave every time, which goes to Erin for

“Love the bangs. Love the outfit. You look fabulous!”

best whiner goes to Jon

“I really like the picture where my head is chopped off.”

the tell me about it award goes to Stefie

“If I have a doll nightmare I'm totally blaming you!”

best disregard for (others) life and limb to Andrea for

“Did you photo shop Lorraine into the slasher picture?? Well, however she was offed, its a cool picture.”

the Kate award for just being Kate

“you're not at all alone and you're not at all lost” and for describing newborn Alice as “Little Alissa Lite.”

the why I married him award goes to HIM for this

“I need you a lot. What's for dinner? What TV shows are on tonight? When did Alice eat last?”

the what?! award goes to Andrea for this one (though I did have many to choose from)

“You have stinky breath, and end up with a tampon, or you need some candy and end up with a condom. Or you need a condom and end up with an unplanned pregnancy... oh wait, that's not so funny”

and Erin gets the end of pregnancy self esteem boosting award for

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, they've both already had their babies and are STILL bigger than you.”

Caroline get the fashion advice I wish I COULD take award

“Your little man looks like he belongs in that costume. Would it be weird if you dressed him like that every day?”

the I way I feel everyday award goes to Ashley

“I just want to squeeze those fabulous cheeks!”

and the reason why I blog award goes to Andrea

“I am glad you blogged about it rather than commit a homicide though.”

And for those of you who pretend to read my blog but really come for the pictures, to top off all this strangeness, I saw a monk looking at coffins at Costco yesterday and, well, that’s all. Here’s your picture.

If you are reading this now and have a blog, go ahead and take the picture at the very top of this post for your own blog sidebar because, well, why not? I found it just for you :)

What?!

No. Seriously. What?! You wonder why/how he’s always getting into mischief? He was just BORN that way!

She MADE this!

Today I got the MOST FAB hair accessory (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26769813) with roses and feathers and buttons that my friend Carly MADE and I wore it on a date and felt so stylish even though my hair was just in a boring pony tail. She also made these hats for the kiddo’s and Alice likes hers so much she wants Russell’s too! So fun!

And speaking of Etsy, I put a $6 decal on Jon’s nerdy work laptop and now I think he’ll look tres chic at his upcoming Las Vegas convention where he’ll be giving a few presentations with his new “HD Ready” laptop design. Why does he deserve these nice things? Because look at the way he helped to solve the problem I have keeping Alice’s thumb out of her mouth while I feed her sweet potato’s   At least she looks a lot happier than my cats ever did wrapped in a towel.