Frenchie McKnitsalot's knitting resolutions

I am doing so well. 1 month into the new year, and my resolution to knit in a more challenging way is going quite well, so far. I still have one project that I started this year that I have yet to finish because it's gotten a bit boring, but the rest go on and off the needles quickly, mostly because I've been so challenged by the patterns that they are keeping my interest.

This is Little Honey for Mia. It is a really nice pattern for a top-down sweater, and while I was doing the neck and sleeve shaping, it really did keep my interest. But now, I'm just doing the sleeves and the endless stripes and knit stitch makes it a bit boring. Hopefully, the next time we pop in a complicated movie, it'll get finished. Once I finished the body, I tried it on Mia and it runs REALLY big, so that might be one of the reasons I am not motivated to finish up.

 A quick little distraction for me while I was in the middle of the body of the above Little Honey was this little turban headband. It was intended for my niece, Danielle, but this too, turned out huge so it is just on Mia's head. I made another, significantly smaller one, for Danielle. It is all ready to ship out as a little Valentine's day present!

 This is an infinity scarf that I finished up before the end of the year, not technically a 2014 project, but I've been wearing it almost every day that I can hardly let it go unmentioned. It's very loosely knit, and I just sort of winged the different stitches. It loops twice around, and is really handy to wear over a sweater during this very mild Las Vegas winter.

This is my Block of the Month blanket project. The idea is, you knit one block every month, and by the end of the year, you've got 12, enough for a blanket. I decided to try doing 2 per month, to double the size of the blanket. I've done 1, and am at 1/2 of the second block. It takes so little time, that I could honestly sit down and finish that second block tonight if I REALLY cared about staying on track for 2 blocks per month. Hmm... maybe I will.

Lastly, and most triumphantly, here is a triangular lace edged shawl that I am giving my grandmother for her 90th birthday. (The one we are taking the trip to France for?) It is really beautiful, and I hope she loves it. It took me less than a week, because, again, I was so captivated by the pattern that I couldn't put it down. It's a merino wool yarn, and it's hand-dyed, which is why the color is a bit varied. What you can't see in the pictures is that there's a bit of silver thread woven into the yarn, so it has a bit of a shimmer to it. Really beautiful.

So that's it! One month, 5 projects on needles, and only 2 remain to be finished! I'm doing well. Yesterday, I just casted on a scarf for my French uncle using the most scrumtious yarn I've ever bought. It's not far along enough to deserve any pictures. Any knitters out there? Friend me on Ravelry! My name is AttyAnais.

Bullet Catch Up

2 weeks? Really? I'm never sure how that ends up happening. I swear that I've composed a couple of blog posts in my head since then, I guess they just never made it down in writing. Anyway, in the interest of getting me writing again, let's see what I can get down.

1) Pink Eyes and Ear Infections - they're at our house. On the same person. On Sunday, when Mia woke up from her feverish nap, I saw the gunk around her eyes and declared that she had pink eye. She looked at me, and asked: My eyes pink? Yes, child. Your eyes pink. I kept her home, got her to the pediatrician at 8:45 am, where she was also declared to have an ear infection. This is too many in a row, so the pediatrician is recommending an allergy test, which we will do next week. She's at home for a second day in a row, with B. Daily allergy medicine has got to be better than constant ear infections, right?

2) The Bachelor. I am frustrated with it. You guys know how much I love this stupid show. I never fail to get caught up in the fabricated drama. I always fall for the editing - this person is crazy, this person is nice, the lead is always fantastic. This time? No. I am not falling for it. Maybe it has something to do with his anti-gay comments, but I am totally turned off by Juan Pablo. He seems completely insincere and not at all into anyone. They are editing one of the girls to be "the mean one", but I think she's actually great. I will still watch, because... well, because. But I am NOT enjoying it.

3) Mia and I are officially headed to France for my Grandmother's 90th birthday. We leave March 21st, with one night in Chicago to break things up. Then, one week in France! It should be fun. Oh, and Mia's French lessons? I am failing at them. I keep coming up with excuses - there is always something to do on a Saturday morning that I can use, but I'll be sorry when we show up in France and I have to translate everything. I will be sorry.

Guilty Pleasure: New Shoes

Indulge me while I devote an entire blog post to my new pair of shoes.

Photo Credit, Sole Society

I have been coveting Sole Society for months. Months. I like about 90% of the shoes on the website, and I have had several pairs (and one bag) in my cart for as long as I can remember. They're not expensive, for shoes, but they are expensive for my current shoe budget of zero. I got my booties in the fall, and those are adorable and I love them, but when this pair popped up in my cart at $29 with free shipping and my Xmas shopping was complete with a bit left over in my Etsy bank account, I did it.

And let me tell you something about how much I love these shoes. They are really comfortable - a tiny bit tight in my toes (I'll probably order a 1/2 size up from my normal size when I order another Sole Society pair). I wore them for New Year's Eve at a sit/stand party, and the balls of my feet started only started getting tired after midnight. One hiccup, though: halfway through my evening, I noticed that the finish on the toe cap was slightly different. One is highly polished and the other is slightly duller, sort of like when you buy the display pair of shoes and one is slightly duller from being out in the light and the other is brand new because it was safely in the box? This kind of thing would normally bother me enough to return them, but I love these shoes so much that I don't care! To be fair, I did call the customer service, and they were perfectly willing to exchange them without any cost, but I just... didn't want to wait the mailing time to get a new pair. I figure that as I wear them, the finish will even out.

Anyway, I can't say enough about how much I love these shoes, how beautiful they are in person and what a nice quality the leather and materials are. Sole Society rocks.

PS: this is not sponsored or solicited - I just really like my shoes!

For a bit of light reading...

Since I haven't picked up a non-study guide book in over 6 months, one of the things on my post-bar list was: Read fiction. With that being the first criteria, there are several others that I had to impose on my tired, overcrowded brain. Easy, unrelated to my life, and nothing that would even remotely qualify as "literature". 

First up, the Beautiful Creatures series, also known as the Caster Chronicles, though I had no idea of what in the world that meant at the time I downloaded it onto my Kindle. It's a young adult (Easy = check!) series of 4 books which I believed to be a love story between a human and a witch (unrelated to my life = check!). You know, Twilight meets Harry Potter (not literature = check!).

Not surprisingly, I finished the first book by Monday evening and it was extremely satisfying. There really is nothing like losing yourself in one of these books! More Twilight than Harry Potter, but the heroine is significantly less annoying than Edward and Bella, which, in my opinion, the biggest downfall of the Twilight series. It has its roll-your-eyes moments, but overall, it is exactly what I needed. 

Next on the list, the Divergent series!

Oh, on a side note, I've decided to stop making the bracelets from my Etsy Shop, so I discounted the bracelets to cost, and hope to close out my inventory before moving on to something new. So take a look at anything you might have liked before, and buy it at a much lower price!

House of Cards ... and Hair.

Have you guys watched House of Cards yet? It's the new Netflix-produced series that is now available on Netflix streaming. I'm not sure whether there are other places you can watch it. Well, if you haven't, you probably should. Because it's actually really awesome.

Kevin Spacey plays a Congressman who is also the House Majority Whip, and political drama and intrigue ensues. It's exactly B's style of television show, and I am generally a sucker for a good dramatic television of any kind. We started watching it this weekend, and we only have two episodes left to go. When we first heard that Netflix was producing its own series, we weren't sure whether they would release all the episodes at once, or if they might actually try to be more like a television network, releasing a new episode every week. They did release all of them at once, embracing what is most awesome about watching television episodes on Netflix (aka, allowing us viewers to stream episodes non-stop, schedule permitting). All the characters are so driven by their own desire for power, it's one of those shows that don't make you feel bad about your own moderate success (unlike my feeling of overall inadequacy when watching the first season of Girls).

More importantly, can I pull off Robin Wright's hair? (I've been considering a major hair change. B is not convinced, but men always like long hair so I don't take his opinion too seriously.)

Photos courtesy of Robin Wright's Facebook Page

Here is the other option I am considering:

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Lastly, for ease of input, here is what my hair looks like right now, in a not-flattering photo I've taken in the middle of this writing blog post.

Would it have killed me to put on some lip goss before snapping this pic, and maybe smiling a bit? The answer is YES.

In other Netflix related news, here are some other programs that have been streamed on the weekends:

World Without End, based on Ken Follett's novel, and a pseudo-sequel to his Pillars of the Earth. Excellent, if you're into period stories. B was not a big fan, but I secretly like that so that I have something to stream while he is at work on Saturdays.

American Horror Story, Season 1. I got on the American Horror Story bandwagon way too late this year. I noticed it on Netflix and watched the entire first season over the span of a couple of weeks, but by that time, it was already way too close to the Season 2 finale to catch up. I'm [im]patiently waiting for the "new episodes" icon to pop up on my screen so that I can catch up.

We've tried Breaking Bad, and it has surprised me how difficult it's been for me to get sucked in. I'm usually pretty easy to engage, but we've watched two episodes without feeling the need to go any further into the series. I'm not one to miss out on something everyone seems to like, but I'm not convinced on this one. What else do I need to add to my instant queue? And also, seriously, tell me what you think I should do with my hair. I am not afraid.

Guilty Pleasures: Girls, the series.

Happy Monday! (or in my case, Happy-no paycheck four days after payday, dammit I thought my company was supposed to be doing better-Monday!) Did everyone have a great weekend? We did, other than having no money. Did everyone watch the Golden Globes? Did 25-year old Lena Dunham make anyone else feel like they were total bums who had accomplished nothing in their life (which is 4 years longer than hers)?

I don't normally feel that way, only this morning when I am feeling how broke I am, despite knowing that I SHOULD NOT BE. As of moving and my Cable Company giving us 3 months of free HBO and Starz, and subsequently discovering the HBO On Demand feature, B and I have been dutifully watching all the HBO series that are available from the beginning. In this order, we watched: Game of Thrones, Girls and Newsroom. My favorite: Girls. B's favorite: Newsroom.

Not having HBO basically since moving out of my parents' house, I have learned to ignore all the praise and accolades that normally follow these HBO series, telling myself that this is not money I need to spend on a monthly basis. Like many other women of my generation, I own the full Sex and the City series on DVD, and have watched it many more times than I should (as the the DVD cases can prove). In college, we spent many a snow day cooped up in our little townhouse apartment having Sopranos marathons. But beyond that, my HBO knowledge is lacking. Well, I think my unwillingness to increase my cable package might actually be ending, which is unfortunately exactly what my cable company intended when giving me the free three months that conveniently expire right before the new season of Game of Thrones starts.

Clearly, I am not the only person to think Girls is awesome, you know, since it won many an award last night. But did you know that Lena Dunham, the previously mentioned 25 year old, is the creator, director, producer and star of this show? Unbelievable. Who has that kind of creative talent? As a person who has always wanted to be creative but whose biggest creative success so far are a small Etsy Shop and a Mommy Blog, I am in awe. But back to the show itself. I think it purposely follows the set up for Sex and the City. 4 women, with one main character who can't seem to get her shit together. Since these women are in their early twenties, it does not follow the Friends/Sex and the City trend of an unexplicably high-end lifestyle. These girls live in Brooklyn, in not so nice apartments, with not expensive looking clothes. The mishaps are not unlike the ones my friends and I had when we were between 20-25. As I was recommending it to my Mom, I had to add the caveat: "It might be too young for you... sometimes, it's even a bit too young for me." But it is, excellent. Smart, funny, and does a great job portraying the naive 25 and under Girl.

Speaking of Guilty Pleasures, Happy Bachelor Monday!

Back to 5

...and after that holiday hiatus from seriousness, we are back in full force.

The past few weeks of shortened work weeks have been glorious. It's wonderful to think that you're days off outnumber your working days for a very short period of the year. Actually, I'm not sure it's always this way, I think it's just the way the calendar happened to fall this year. Plus, factor in your daughter's contraction of pink eye and various other viral maladies, preventing her for going into daycare, and you've earned yourself a couple of extra days at home, as I did last week. But, several days into her antibiotics cycle and a looming Big Thing at work on Thursday, and I have to be back, whether my throat likes it or not. (As it turns out, my husband does not have a looming Big Thing, and since I took sick days to cover Mia's ban from daycare, he how has the luxury to pink-eye it up at home - to be clear, I never got it, diligent hand-washer that I am.)

Anyhoov. Not only am I back because the Holidays are over, but I am also back to working 5 days a week, and therefore also back to full sized paychecks! That is very exciting. And although the re-institution of full time work is not (yet) company wide, I hardly feel guilty at all, considering looming Big Thing. Although working reduced hours had its obvious cons, I've gotten very used to having a weekday of rest, and to take care of various errands. I have a feeling I'm going to get much busier very quickly, and slightly crabbier, since I will no longer have a day of just hanging out with myself. Most weeks, B gets a week day off and works Saturdays. It's never been much of a problem, Mia and I do fun things together on Saturdays because I always have my weekday off to catch up on the things that are best done without a child around, such as laundry. I'll just tell myself that with my increased income, Mia and I might actually be able to do things that Cost Money on Saturdays since our budget won't be quite as tight (though, still tight).

Another welcome back to normalcy that this beautiful Monday brings is the much anticipated return of the Bachelor. Although I am much more obsessed with the Bachelorette, this is still a very good thing in my mind. My weekly two hours of pure indulgence start tonight. For now, it will unfortunately without the glass of  wine (South Beach Diet, Phase 1, Day 8, lbs: -8), but should still be just as satisfying. Sean was edited to be a bit serious and boring on Emily's season, but he comes across much more laid back and fun in the previews. Plus, I'm sure ABC will make up for it with some good casting for the women competing to be his wife. My dream is to be one of those people who writes a recap of the entire episode. "HONEY, QUIET I'M WORKING". Anyone want to make me an offer?

Monday Assortment

The Packing 2012 is going slowly but is progressing. Embarrassingly, I had to spend the longest time organizing all of my hobby supplies. One entire plastic storage bin for my yarn, knitting needles and pattern books, and one entire plastic storage bin for my beads and their supplies, only to find that I had more stashed elsewhere and no room in either plastic storage bin.

When you still have two weeks before you have to leave, it's very difficult to pack only things you aren't going to need in the next two weeks. I packed all of our pet stuff, only to have to go through it again a few hours later to locate the heart worm medicine. Ditto when I got bored with the one knitting project I kept out, and had to dig through to locate supplies for another. (I realize the second was purely of my own, stupid, making). The kitchen remains untouched and is likely the biggest job of course -- my reasoning being that the kitchen cabinets do not need to be emptied for the movers, whereas the various shelving units do. We are planning on moving the non-furniture items ourselves, so as to save on the $89 per hour the movers are charging. We have cars and two weeks to clear out the apartment after our scheduled move, we can handle the remaining items. Of course, I say that now... The closing was last week and went very smoothly. I had to sign "[Mom's First Name Middle Name Maiden Name Married Name] by [Frenchie Middle Name Maiden Name Married Name] as her attorney in fact " every. single. time. which highly amused the title company guy, but our realtor gave me a gift basket with towels and chocolate, so it was all worth it. Now we wait until the evening of the 15th, and we will be given the keys. On the morning of the 16th, I will have scheduled a cleaning service, a carpet cleaning service, and washer dryer delivery. On the 18th, we will sleep in our new home!

Mia helps sort through my jewelry by wearing my bangles, and Hawaiian necklace.

We had a lovely and productive weekend despite the boxes starting to make us feel like we're living in a fort. Mia and I went to Stroller Strides on Saturday morning, and I had two victories. 1) I did not even come close to passing out. 2) I am not even remotely sore. We got Mia's second official haircut at a kids salon, and it was very uneventful and great. Mia sad in a Lightning McQueen Chair, watched Little Einsteins and did not cry one bit. She was very squirmy, but the hairdresser managed to cut her bangs very straight across anyway (as you can see in the above picture).

And then came Sunday night and The Walking Dead. I'd like to think that I've become much less sensitive to the gore and not too afraid of the zombies anymore, but last night's episode really threw me off. Not only was it extremely gory, but also... yikes. I couldn't sleep and my stomach was uneasy for the rest of the evening. I was actually grateful when Mia wouldn't settle down in her crib again, only for having an excuse to snuggle her very close to me and make sure she was... you know, safe from Walkers. I can hardly blame Mia for being completely unable to take advantage of that extra hour.

Post Apocalyptic Nonsense

When I was a kid, I would hyperventilate at the Planetarium when I tried to wrap my brain around the idea that the universe went on forever. It freaked me out to think of earth, and of myself, as a tiny spec in the grand scheme of things. I'm not sure you can call it an existential crisis when it happens to an 11 year old, but there you have it.

Nowadays, the same type of feelings spring up when something big happens. In this case, Hurricane Sandy. Of course, I worry about my friends on the East Coast, and I'm sure everything will be fine as long as everyone stays safe. But when I look out my window and see not a single cloud in the sky, my heart rate quickens a tiny bit at the thought of how far away we really are from our friends and family scattered throughout the country, and in a lot of cases, the world. The physical vastness of the planet (and the Universe!) compared to what our bodies are physically capable of freaks me out. Mainly, it scares me that, should something like the Day After Tomorrow happen, our little family wouldn't be able to strap on some hiking boots and rejoin the rest of our family because we are just too far away.

Before this post takes a turn for the far too serious, let me disclose that B and I have been serially watching the Walking Dead all weekend anytime Mia is asleep. We have about 8 episodes left to go before we are totally caught up and can start watching what is currently airing on AMC. Ever since the days that I got majorly into Lost, about 50% of the thoughts I have while watching an apocalyptic style show (Lost, Revolution - which I watched 2 episodes of before giving up because I didn't like the main character) are somewhat wistful about how much simpler life would be if something like that would happen. Not so much in the case of the Walking Dead -- I do not fantasize about living in a world where there are zombies ready to eat you around every corner. But a world without electricity, or marooned on a tropical island? Sure.

The reason anyone can actually go away from home for anything is that it's easy to stay in touch. It was easy to pick up the phone or sign into AIM back in college, and it is even easier now to sign into Skype and have an actual face to face conversation with your parent, or make sure your child knows her grandparents' faces. It's easy to get on a plane and visit your grandmother for Christmas, so that she can see her great-grandchild. All of it is easy, and when I have my existential crises, at least I'm reminded not to take it for granted.

Because, it may come a day when there are flesh eating zombies preventing me from getting on a plane for a friend's wedding. But probably not. Until then, everyone on the East Coast stay safe!

The first step is admitting you have a problem

Guys, I'm addicted.

Addicted to Emily Maynard's clothes, jewelry, and accessories.

It's embarrassing. But, I'm thinking of cutting myself off from my laptop (whether my work one, or my home one) for the next 10 days in order to detox.

But until then, let me explain myself:

It started with the Bachelorette. Obviously, I like that show a bit too much, as I discovered from the amused/pitying look on Juliet's and our mutual friend D's when I made my best "please watch this show so that I have more people to talk to about it" pitch. I blame the margaritas. (I think I say that phrase a bit too often...)

Emily wears a lot of bracelets. Multiple bracelets, stacked on top of one another. I remember this from when she was on the Bachelor, and that was the first thing I emulated. So, I wanted some pictures of them to see if there were any I could copy. I found this:

Those are simple macrame style bracelets with one single sideways charm. I've perfected the technique using a couple of cheaper sideways charms that I found at a craft store. I think they're pretty, but they're not quite as special. I'm contemplating putting in an order for a few of these special ones, but I'm waiting to get a few more sales before purchasing more materials.

Then, she wore this dress:

And I had to know what it was. It's so beautiful! So, to Google I went. And found this my new best friend, Possessionista. (The dress, while being sold out, is probably also way out of my price range, which at the moment is Ross). Possessionista identifies clothing, jewelry, etc, worn on television. If you're ever wondering whether you can get Rachel Berry's quirky clothes, look to Possessionista for answers. She'll give them to you.

Since so much of what she wears is out of my price range, I've been keeping up with Possessionista to capture the few moments when the pieces are affordable, which, it turns out, is not that rare. Then, came this:

Let's not pay attention to the fact that she's crying, but instead, look at those rings and nail polish!

I had to have the ring. Dana id'ed it as an $860 rose gold ring with diamonds, but also gave us an alternative, $29 from Nordstrom.com. So... after reminding B that he had still owed me a push present (yes, 14 months after our daughter was born), two mouse clicks, and it was on its way. I've been browsing Etsy for a similar small gemstone ring to stack on top of it, but until I find the perfect one, I like it on its own just as much.

At Ross the other day, I was picking up a few non-ratty casual tops and other casual clothes, since, you know, I am going to be around adults not at the workplace, and can't very well wear my t-shirts with random oil stains, spilled milk, and whatever else Mia may have thrown on me. As I was perusing the aisles of discount clothes, each time I picked something out, I found myself thinking: "Would Emily wear this?" Yikes!

I've been keeping Possessionista open in my browser ever since I discovered her. I've come close to making a couple of purchases, but a voice of reason is always in the back of my mind, reminding me that although my paychecks are on time now, I'm still mostly at 4 days a week, and we still have a weekly daycare payment to make. Plus, Emily Maynard and I do not exactly have the same body type.

Then, I was at Target yesterday, picking up some trip essentials, I passed the nail polish aisle and remembered that Dana had also id'ed that nail polish she was wearing as Essie's Fiji. They had it, one bottle left. Right next to it, a very similar color. I tried both with a quick swipe on my nails, and opted for NOT Fiji. I went home, painted my nails and although they turned out nice, they are not the same as the above pictured. I am not sure why I thought that picking the one right next to it would create a superior nail polish look -- What was I thinking questioning the exact match??

B suggested I make a new bracelet: WWEMD. What would Emily Maynard do. Seriously, I have a problem. Phew, I feel better already.

Guilty Pleasure: Team One F Jef

You Guys. Have you been watching the Bachelorette? If so, and you haven't watched last night's Fantasy Suite episode yet, how in the world have you held out this long, stop reading this and go watch it. Well, don't. I won't give anything away from last night's episode, just the final three. If you don't watch it, you do not know the excitement you are missing. I may have been complaining the other day that my life is not exciting, but on Mondays, it's about all that this girl can take.

On Mondays, B picks Mia up from daycare so that I can get dinner started. They get home, we hang out, chat, read books and play. Then, dinner time. We eat, then usually Skype with Mom. Then, at promptly 7:45 (other days, I am flexible on her bedtime and let her tell me when she's getting tired), it's time to start our bedtime routine. Bath, pajamas, bottle, snuggle, and by 8:05, bed. I had straight to the kitchen, salt the rim of my margarita glass, pour myself some Skinny Girl and settle in for 2 hours of indulgence.

I've told you before, I'm obsessed with this show. No matter the quality of the main person, there always seem to be one or two or three awesome "contestants" that I cannot get enough of. In retrospect, I can admit that some seasons are less exciting for me, but in the moment, there is nothing that I could enjoy more than watching an episode, if I was covered in puppies, drinking margaritas and eating sushi rolls with a side of cilantro dipped in chocolate on a beach while getting my feet rubbed.

So, let's talk substance: Emily Maynard. I'll acknowledge that she was slightly boring on Brad's season, but I liked her. She's so pretty, sweet, has an awesome wardrobe that I want to steal/fit into, and is genuinely likeable to the point that viewers (at least me) will want her to be happy. This time, her excitement level hasn't picked up much, but we've gotten to know her a lot more than the others because there weren't as many distractions. Helicopters! Tightropes! Rappelling! Waterfalls! were few and far between. There was mostly a lot of walking around old castles and talking. I'm fine with it, it was still riveting.

Let's talk about the guys: the final three were not surprising. From the very beginning, it was obvious which three guys would be left standing for the overnight dates. They are all three awesome. Sean: incredibly good-looking, admittedly slightly boring. All-American hot! Similar to Emily! Arie: OMG so much charming. European-American hot! Jef: Also charming, but in a weird and quirky way. To me, he's excellent. He's too cool for normal suits, he has skinny pants suits. He probably bought them at Banana Republic when they were selling their Mad Men collection. Weird hot! I vote for Jef, but in the end, any of the three guys who do NOT get picked by Emily could be great as the next Bachelor. [I may have said that about Ben from Ashley's season -- I was totally wrong. He was awful. ABC, don't make another mistake].

What are your guilty pleasure shows?

Guilty Pleasure: Downton Abbey

Actually, I don’t feel guilty about liking this show at all. It’s awesome and critically acclaimed. It is British.

I had no idea this show existed until this year’s Golden Globes, when it won about a bazillion awards, and I searched in vain for it on my DVR schedule. My Netflix queue, realizing that I am always watching period British things, suggested it and even told me I could watch it instantly. Oh Netflix, you know me so well. So, I dutifully went through all the first season in about three weeks time, and absolutely loved it. If you haven’t seen it, get on Netflix and request the DVD, or watch it on streaming if you’ve got it. You will not be sorry.

The first season is set in pre-WWI England, and the storyline documents the lives of the residents of Downton Abbey, a grand home owned by the Earl of Grantham. As all other great houses in England at the time, there is a big staff of servants, from the Butler at the top of the hierarchy, to the kitchen maid. The Earl has an American wife, a “dowager” mother, and three daughters. On the first episode, you learn that his cousin and heir has died in the Titanic, and they are left to search for the next living male relative to inherit the title and the house. Downstairs, a new valet (pronounce the T) comes to Downton to serve the Earl, and stirs things up. From there, you’ll have to watch to get the rest of the scoop!

The story is poignant and beautiful, from love to intrigue to ambition and even some nice snarky British humor (is there any better humor??). Maggie Smith is wonderful as the Dowager.

As my Mom and I watched all of season 1 and caught up with what I missed of season 2 on the PBS website and tuned into the Bachelor the following Monday, we remarked how funny it was that the shows we were both most into at the moment were on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other. Anyway, last night was the conclusion of season 2, and I cried at least 4 times during the episode, and then once at the end when I realized that it would be months, if not nearly a year before season three returns to PBS. Watch it, you’ll be glad you did.

Tell Me About Yourself Award

The above is an award currently circulating among bloggers, and it was recently granted to us here at "Mommy and the Sin City" by our "bliend" (blogging friend?  anyone?  no?  well, I tried, lol) "E" at "Every Day The Wonderful Happens."  I recently wrote about her, but if you missed it, she is a blogger who writes about her two pre-school aged sons, pets, faith, husband, and everyday life.  I was led to her blog a couple of months ago while perusing adoption blogs and she is one of the most entertaining, and honest(!), writers I have found when it comes to blogging about their experiences with adoption.  (One son is biological and one is adopted.)

The rules of the award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. List seven things people may not know about you.

3. Pass it on to 15 (or so) other bloggers.

So, I'm actually going to "pass" it next (just in case I lose anyone during my 7 personal tidbits and you don't read until the end).  Frenchie and I put our heads together and wanted to pass this award to those fellow bloggers that we thought would appreciate it most and want most to get in on the fun so we don't have 15 names, but still, we are passing it to: "The Lawyering BeeBeeZfa", Cristy @ "Happily a Law Mama"/"Is There a Doctor in the House?" (She has recently changed blog titles.), and "But I Do Have a Law Degree."

Now, finally, for my personal tidbits:

1. I greatly appreciate Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Junior.  Admittedly, Donald Duck's and Goofy's voices are like nails on a chalk board to me. And the repetitive songs and sayings, "Everybody say, 'Oh, Toodles!" while I know are exactly the point of the show and what gain the interaction of children in homes everywhere, can be irritating as well.  But man, how it shuts up my kid!  Okay, let me put that in more sensitive terms: Tybalt loves the show and whenever it comes on his attention goes straight to it, so it has saved me and my sanity more than once.

2. I have a secret paralyzing fear of potty training my son.  In all honesty, it was the main reason I was scared when I found out it was boy.  Boys and their "little bits" make me uncomfortable.  I can't explain it, because I know it's natural and nature and all that stuff, but I really think I'm going to squirm and giggle uncomfortably when the time comes to "teach" him.  Plus, who am I to "teach" him, when I know nothing about how a man uses the bathroom?

3. Sometimes, I still cuddle with and talk to stuffed animals like a child does.  Okay, there, I admit it.  I have had the same beloved teddy bear since I was born, a blue and white little guy named Bruno.  And I have others.  Quite a few.  Though those have all gone into Tybalt's room at this point and are considered his.  But Bruno is tucked away in my closet, comes out when I'm having the worst of days and really need him, and will never go to Tybalt.  Sorry, son.

4. I got mad at Romeo the first year we were together when he gave me chocolates for Christmas.  Two years ago when I wanted nothing but Godiva chocolate for Valentine's Day, it really threw him for a loop.  I tried to explain it: a) I didn't like the chocolate when we were "new" to each other and I felt that you got it because you just couldn't think of anything else, and that made me also feel like you looked at your plus-sized girlfriend and thought, "Well, she probably would like something to eat." Now I'm  your wife (and I was pregnant at the time), and I'm okay admitting when I do want some junk food. b) Come on, Godiva is Godiva!  Let's face it, he got me the cheap stuff before.  Lol.

5. Probably as little as 5 or 6 years ago I had never even tried sweet potatoes.  Now, I really like them!  Especially sweet potato fries.  Yum.  Same with sushi--my first experience with that was probably only 3 years ago.  And, well, okay, Frenchie can attest that my kind of sushi is basically maki rolls and only cooked items, but still...I consider that being more open-minded than when I had never even wanted to try a California roll!  And last week I did try [raw] yellowtail nigiri (Hamachi?).  So yes, I say points for me! Whatever you consider it, my tastes have definitely broadened since high school and college, that's for sure.

6. Speaking of food, I have a super power that I have never heard of anyone else having: I can distinctly smell lettuce.  I don't like lettuce.  Yes, I know it's practically tasteless, but it's the texture I don't like, same with cabbage, grape leaves, etc.  Anyway, when I order a burger or taco from a fast food joint, I order them without lettuce.  As soon as the bag is in my car, I can immediately smell if the restaurant screwed up my order and included the lettuce.  It's a sweet, grassy sort of smell.  And I've never heard of anyone else that can smell it, but I definitely can.

7.  My thumbs bend backwards.  I can bend them about 90 degrees back if I press on them, but even naturally, if I just give someone a "thumbs up" or the "hitchhiker's sign," both of my thumbs automatically bend about 45 degrees backwards.  I didn't realize it or know it was strange until I was in junior high or so and a friend at church asked me where someone or something was and I gestured with my thumb.  I remember her doing a double take and crossing the room quickly to ask me to do it again, and showing me it wasn't normal by showing me her thumbs and how they only go straight up.  Then she went up and down the hallway looking for people to show my thumbs to and get an opinion from. I forgot about it for years though, until Romeo got freaked out by it upon his first time seeing.  It still freaks him out to this day.  We've been trying to see if there's any chance Tybalt picked up this strange genetic party trick from me.  Can't tell yet, but sometimes I swear I see his thumbs flex backwards!  :)

Well, there you have it!

Whatnot Wednesday #1

Well, it's here!  I'd like to make a big announcement: Whatnot Wednesdays are beginning here on "Mommy and the Sin City!"  This is an idea and trend that is the brain child of the author (we'll call her "E") of the blog "Every Day The Wonderful Happens" and Frenchie and I are excited to take part.  I encourage you to become familiar with this author's entertaining blog about life and motherhood.  I promise you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get sucked in!  Cross my heart, hope to die, never tell a single lie!  But for now, do me a favor, and at the very least follow the hyperlink I've included with her blog title, or click on the button above, and read some of her weekly "Whatnot Wednesday" entries.

The idea is exactly as she describes: it's "like a neti pot for your brain."  In fact, it is very much my PREFERRED style of writing.  (I don't do it often, because many times my OCD overtakes me and I proof-read EVERYTHING and thus what could be a 15 minute blog post session turns into an hour and a half--sadly, I'm not kidding.  It's often why I go days or weeks without writing-- because I over-analyze everything I write!  But with these Wednesday posts I'm going to try to let myself breathe.)  In Whatnot Wednesday posts not everything is in "perfect paragraph form."  Not every point transitions perfectly into the next.  Not everything has a backstory, or further explanation.  Why?  Because it's not about any of that.  Rather it's about writing what's been bubbling up to the top of your brain.  Letting your fingers graze the keys and see what is transposed by them.  Allowing yourself to just write/talk/get "it" out.

So, here goes, my very first Whatnot Wednesday!

• Tybalt is walking.  Finally.  Man, Romeo and I have been worried.  The pediatricians (his original and the new one we don't like and so are finding yet another new one to replace) have said he should be walking by 13 months.  Now at almost 17 months he is finally, albeit gingerly and tentatively, walking. He started taking a few steps on New Year's Day, stopped for a week or so, but is now crossing our small living room.  He doesn't walk in any other room or any one else's house, but hey, it's a start.
• I'm watching QVC's "In the Kitchen With David" as I type.  I would normally NEVER do that, because I prefer to solely focus on the writing.  See, I'm already allowing myself some wiggle room with this type of post!  Yay, me.
• Speaking of QVC--I'm an addict.  There, I said it.  Sometimes I order, sometimes I don't.  But I watch it.  Alot.  Frenchie has talked about some of her Guilty Pleasures?  Well, QVC is definitely one of mine.
• Romeo came home sick yesterday from work.  This worried/frightened me for two reasons.  1) Romeo is NEVER sick.  Literally.  Okay, occasionally a sniffly nose and tickly throat, but even then he never admits it.  I always just realize a couple days later that we are out of Kleenex in the house.  We actually tease he's the carrier monkey.  I have a weak immune system and get sick all the time.  If anyone is sick at his office I am bound to get it.  I don't know how it happens; I never have physical contact with the co-worker, and Romeo doesn't either really.  But I guess sharing an employee restroom or something must be enough, because he passes the germs on to me.  Yet he doesn't get it!  So for him to come home sick wakes me up and makes me worry about him.  It means he must REALLY be feeling near his death bed.  2) I have an irrational fear anytime he comes home early.  It started with my youth.  My dad lost his job a couple of times, and I remember once in particular.  He came home in the middle of the day, and my mom (I'm guessing from her experience when he was fired/laid off the time before that I'm not old enough to remember) FREAKED THE HELL OUT.  Seriously.  We lived in a condo, on the second floor, and had large living room windows that faced the street.  She heard a car door close, saw him, then opened our door and saw him walking up the stairs to our place.  Holy. Crap.  It was not a good day.  So anytime I hear Romeo's key turn in the front door lock midway through the day, my stomach drops.  Until I know he's there for an unexpected lunch, or forgot something-- anything innocent--I start to tremble and feel like I'm going to puke.  (In a weird fortunate way, he was the one puking though yesterday.)
• I said I was watching QVC while I typed and that I normally never would.  I have to admit about 45 minutes ago I did put it on mute.  Baby steps, baby steps.  And 45 minutes shows how long I've been typing, proof-reading, and re-typing.  But again, baby steps, right?  :)

Ah, what a refreshing feeling!  My brain has been cleaned out a bit!  Interested in participating in Whatnot Wednesdays yourself?  Follow the hyperlink button at the top of this entry to link to "Every Day The Wonderful Happens," and find out more!

Guilty Pleasures: The Bachelor

When I returned from our vacation, I felt the same childlike excitement of Christmas morning when I saw that I had the first episode of the Bachelor waiting for me. I actually jumped in the Bachelor/Bachelorette bandwagon pretty late, but I can officially say that I cannot get enough of what happens to these men and women. Stockholm syndrome at its best. I wathed Monday's episode with my Mom and Brother and they were both making fun of me for smiling while watching. I had no idea I did that! Must remind myself not to watch with non-family.

For the Brad Womack II season, I loved a couple of the girls pretty quickly. Shawntelle (the undertaker) and Emily were charming and lovely. Probably too good for Brad (who wants to know you, badly), but hey, they wanted him. I was genuinely sad for After the Rose when things were visibly awful between Brad and Emily.

Ashley's season was out of control entertaining. The whole Bentley fiasco for the first half of the season was pure gold. Once the men had been whittled down a bit, I may have fallen slightly in love with Ames and Ben. I preferred Ames, but that probably wouldn't have worked, since a lot of people thought he was uber-weird. When they announced Ben was coming back as the Bachelor, I was seriously counting down the months.

Now, to the point of this blog post. Ben the Bachelor is in its second episode, and so far, I am not impressed. His preferred girls so far are... too obvious. He's smitten with the cackling model, he made out with horse-face, he likes horse girl who had to tell everyone that she'd rather smear dirt on her face than wear this pretty dresses and make up, and he got rid of the psycho Carrie Bradshaw impersonator! I was really hoping she would stick around and entertain us for a while. Plus, Ben is not yet charming. It took him a while to warm up with Ashley, so I'm guessing it will take a little while this time around too. Here's hoping things get a bit more exciting.

Guilty Pleasure: The Twilight Saga

As I mentioned before, I can often become overly enthusiastic about the things I like. The Twilight Saga is a bit of an anomaly that has a place on the "list of things I love". I love to read, and I especially love getting into a series. I absolutely adore putting down a book and knowing that the story is not over, that I've got at least several more hundreds of pages to get to know the characters, and for the story to become increasingly complicated. I love sitting down and re-reading a Harry Potter, knowing that I'm going to get more out of the story each time I pick up the book. Also, I have a terrible memory, so finding a series of books I love means I get to enjoy them almost as much the second time around. (B likes to watch movies more than once, which works out well for me because I almost never remember how a movie ends!)

Another series that I've gotten into is Philippa Gregory's books on the Tudors (best known for The Other Boleyn Girl), starting with The Constant Princess, and seemingly neverending. It's not a series in the traditional sense of the word, since each novel focuses on a different character. The first is about Catherine of Aragon, then the Other Boleyn Girl is about Ann and Mary Boleyn, and the third (The Boleyn Inheritance) is divided between three characters: Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn (George's wife) and Catherine Howard. There are quite a few others, but my favorites are the first three. Although these books border on entering the Romance Novel genre, they are very well written in the style of the period. I've also read a few of the True Blood books, but stopped after the third in the series because... well, there was a bit too much fetishy sex in there for my taste.

Twilight, on the other hand, holds a higher than I'd like position on my list of books I often return to. I have a strong love/hate relationship with those books. The writing is... horrendous. I hate to read a book knowing I could have written it better - if I had just had Stephanie Meyer right next to me. While I read (and re-read) I am constantly skipping portions because they are just so annoying. I also hate how Bella is so fragile and that she doesn't seem to have any personality on her own, and is just all around a bad female role model for the age group this series is intended for. I'm much more inclined to encourage my pre-teen/teen daughter to aspire to become a Hermione rather than a Bella. But boy, do I get sucked into that darn story. Despite not really knowing why Edward loves Bella so much, I'm definitely a sucker for Edward. I love the stories of how each Cullen becomes a Vampire (something I wish she would have expanded on), the different "powers" they have, and I love all the secondary Vampire characters who come in on the final book. And the Volturi, I love them.

With the first Breaking Dawn movie coming out in a couple of weeks, I've been thinking about picking that final book up again to remember the story. Luckily, I could read it in an afternoon since I skip so much of it!

Instant Gratification, Lost Style.

I am jumping on the bandwagon a little late, but I have just recently become obsessed with LOST. Okay, not just a little late, but really late. I was never interested in it when it first came out. I had heard that it was supernatural and uber-suspenseful. Harry Potter is as supernatural as I get. Anyway, I am obsessed with it. If I'm not at work and B is not home, or doing something else, an episode is on. I've even put down my knitting needles mid-project! Cannot read knitting pattern and figure out The Others! The Smoke Monster Thing! The Dharma Initiative! WOW!

During my maternity leave, I discovered the wonders that is Netflix streaming TV shows. B had always used the streaming for movies, but I realized that there are a gazillion tv shows on that thing! No commercials! No waiting between episodes! Awesomeness. While Mia was napping, or eating, or just wanting to be held and played with, I would stream a TV show. First, I started re-watching all of Grey's Anatomy. Then, I took Netflix' suggestion to watch Army Wives, which I liked a lot. And now, well OUT of my maternity leave, I have not given up on my streaming shows. LOST. I am so glad that I didn't get into it when the rest of the world did, because the way it has taken over my free time, I'm glad that I can at least watch the entire series in just a couple of months (I am almost halfway now), rather than dragging out my obsession for the 6 seasons that LOST was actually airing. Phew! Netflix, you rock. If you get past seasons of The Bachelor on here, I would actually never leave the house, so work on that. Or don't... because then I would turn into a pasty human-like couch cushion. Yeah, as much as I love LOST, I love the Bachelor even more. So yeah, you can look forward to that in January when Ben (so cute!) searches for the love of his life (or just the person he'll date for the next few months, but whatever, same difference).

I realized that this way of watching TV shows perfectly matches my way of "getting into" TV shows, and even books. Instant gratification. If I really like a book, I cannot put it down. The same goes for a TV show. If I start to really think about it, this type of passion (note the positive spin I've put on what is really some kind of obsessive disorder) is a big part of my personality. From ages 12-17, my room was plastered with posters of the Backstreet Boys and I spent most of my free time daydreaming about my wedding with Brian Littrell. ALL of my babysitting money went to concert tickets. (Did you know there is a yearly Backstreet Boys Cruise? I owed it to my teenaged self to at least look at schedules and pricing. And no, I did not go to the NKOTBSB show, I was mega-prego).

So, I swear that when I sat down to write this, I had planned a coherent post with a point at the end, but I've gotten myself all jumbled listing things I am obsessed with. Right. I wish I could come up with a way of channeling this obsessive behavior into something positive or productive, like running or biking, or any form of exercise. I want to be one of those people that is like "If I go a day without doing an hour of _fill in the black activity_ then I feel totally off". Any suggestions?

Or, more realistically, any suggestions for awesome TV shows that I may have missed while they were out and can now become obsessed with on Netflix? Ha!

PS: Netflix did not pay me or give me any type of free anything. I wish!