The End of the Game

I admit that I, too, invested a decade of my life waiting to see who would finally win the Game of Thrones. Like so many others, I was incredibly disappointed with the final season.

But what I'm not disappointed in, is how this series brought people I know together. Two of my kids have been avid watchers for years. Many people I know watch it. Sharing the finale was something we rarely get to experience in these days of streaming. Everyone is usually binging their own current favorite on their own schedule.

It reminded me of huge shared moments in the past, like watching the moon landing. Thanks to Twitter, we can now instantly find a broad spectrum of opinions and explanations. Facebook friends acted like a massive support group for those of us who were dazed by it all. Friends were texting me nonstop. What a luxury to all live in the moment together.

The clever jokes and memes make all the pain a lot more palatable. People who can make me laugh when I'm frustrated are the best people.

So cheers to the creators of such a huge spectacle - and boo to some writers who dropped the ball. And hugs to everyone who watched. Valar Morghulis.

10 Things I Love About Not Watching Football

 Kathy over at Mama's Losin' It has a set of suggested writing prompts for today.  I picked "10 Things I love about football." 

There's just one catch.  I don't watch football.  Haven't seen a game in years.  That doesn't stop me from loving it though.  Here are my 10 reasons why:

1. It's a great excuse to sit down and watch television on Sunday afternoons.  While I can hear the neighbors cheering on the home team, I am having an equally enjoyable time catching up on Downton Abbey episodes.  I don't feel guilty for being unproductive in the middle of a weekend day - everybody is!
2. Even though I graduated from college many years ago, I maintain bragging rights to my alma mater's football team.  When they're winners, obviously I'm a winner.  When they lose I just don't bring it up.
3. Having gone to plenty of games in the past, I now know exactly how long 100 yards is.  This is actually pretty useful.  Whenever some measurement is mentioned in a large number of yards, I compare it mentally to a football field.
4. There are a lot of great tailgate and football party food recipes on Pinterest.  There's no law that says a particular dip can only be used for a football party.  When cooks get creative, everybody wins!
5. Football pants.  I might have to endure replays on the nightly news, but I don't always mind so much. 
   
6. We Americans stubbornly insist on calling our game football, when the rest of the world has a game they all call football and we call soccer.  I love that we're just contrary like that. 
7.  Fewer crowds at the mall on game days.  The big crowds are all down the street at the stadium.
8. Special game-day sales.  These run the gamut from shish kabobs to electronics.  Nobody requires you to show proof you actually watch the games in order to get the discount.
9. "Football widow" events.  My local yarn shop hosts a big knit-in on Super Bowl Sunday every year, with refreshments and sales.  Count me in!
10. Last but not least, I can go through the checkout line at the supermarket with a huge bunch of chips and snacks and drinks and guacamole and nobody bats an eye.  Because of course, I'm just getting ready for the game.

 Are you a football fan?  Or more like me - someone who just takes advantage of the wonderful parts of football season.

Day 8 today for the Harry Potter quilt show and tell.

Just another set of books.  Wizards clearly love to bind books with all kinds of fantastical images.  They're wizards, they can do anything they want.  I'd like to think the book with the flames on it is actually hot to the touch in the wizard world.  The one with skulls is probably a book on poisons.

I'm ready for next Christmas

It's hard to describe how happy this makes me.  I've picked up one of these Playmobil advent calendars almost every year.  This year it was nowhere to be found.  Every store sold out before I could get my hands on one.

But today, as I strolled through a bookstore there it was!  A whole stack.  75% off!  And it's the forest animals one!  It's going to be hard to wait 11 months to play with the little bunnies and hedgehogs.

I'm worse than the kids.  Don't judge.

Another literary win

by threeundertwo related [litandlaundry.blogspot.com]

I couldn't be more excited. It's absolutely true that Drama Girl has always made it clear how much she dislikes my favorite book.  In part I suspect it was part of a general separation from anything that mom found cool. 

But as Elizabeth Bennet would say all that is behind us now.  My pride and her prejudice have reconciled over this wonderful event.

Funny thing, the whole family kept it a secret from me that she was auditioning for this.  I knew she was trying out for a production, but she never really answered questions about it and let me think it was another student-written play.

Guess who's studying every page of the book now? 

I'm trying so hard not to gloat.  All I can say is, watch out Mr. Darcy;  if anyone was born to play the smart, bookish, opinionated Elizabeth, it's Drama Girl.

Here's another picture of the sampler hanging by my harp:

The Big Kid's Favorite Day

Did you know that there is an annual "Free Comic Book Day?"  Comic book stores all over the country open their doors with a selection to entice those who might not be avid comic book readers yet.  I think it's usually in May.  My husband goes every year and takes at least one of the kids with him.  This year while they were there, they also went through the bargain bins and shopped around.  Every year they pick up more and more.

"My Favorite Martian?"  Really?  I vaguely remember this show from my childhood.  Some of these characters have been around a long time.

While I don't understand the appeal, I love that my kids and my husband have such a good time picking these out.  Now they're going to sit on the coffee table for a long time and yes, I will probably get around to reading them too.

Are you a comic book fan?  If you're on facebook you can follow free comic book day and get information about it.  While you're there, why not follow Lit and Laundry too?  See you there! 

It's not mean if it's funny

Crochet hook:  $2.19
Scraps of yarn: free from stash
Cake keeper: $:12.00

Seeing son run across the room when he spotted what he thought was a piece of cake:  Priceless.


(Free pattern can be found HERE.)

Makes My Monday: The New Face in the Kitchen

I'm willing to bet my family goes through more toast than the average family.  Here in the land of delicious sourdough bread and the occasional homemade bread toast is a food group all on its own.

Our last 4-slot toaster finally reached it's end.  I knew how to push the levers down just so, so they would catch and hold, but others in the family banged on it repeatedly and said choice words when the bread popped right back up at them.  So I picked family peace and morning quiet over trying to train them in the finer points of toaster use.

This new model has a digital readout of not only the darkness you select, but a countdown until it's done.  Then it beeps to politely remind you to come get your warm bread.  Already the house is split into two camps; those who walk away from the toaster and depend on the beep, and those who hover nearby, hitting the "cancel" button moments before the beep is set to sound.  We all find our thrills in different ways.  Meanwhile the debate rages on the new bagel toasting feature, which toasts the inside of the bagel while "gently warming" the outside.  I love it, while certain members of the family just can't adapt to that much novelty.

Warm bread makes my Monday.  Visit Cheryl at Twinfatuation for more Monday makers.

[Title of Show]

We all went out as a family last night to see [Title of Show].  Yes, that's the name of it.  It's a musical about 2 guys writing a musical for an upcoming festival.  Unable to come up with a topic, they decide to write about writing a musical.  They enlist the help of two actress friends and spend three intense weeks writing about what they're doing during those three weeks.

In a case of art imitating life, or maybe life imitating art (it gets confusing), their show not only makes it into the festival but gets an off-Broadway run and eventually makes it to Broadway.

In reality, the show's writer, composer, and director all won Obie awards (off-Broadway versions of a Tony) and the writeer, Hunter Bell, was nominated for a Tony.

As the real show was gaining stature and popularity, the show itself was edited to reflect the updates.  The audience gets to share in the joy of the characters real rise to fame.  There is even a snarky review that ends with the line "I bet you'll put this in the show" - and they did.

The show is funny and a little raunchy.  Definitely PG.   It's a wonderful exploration of the nature of creativity, goals, and self-doubts.  If you're creative in any way, this is a perfect musical to see.  Standout numbers include "Die Vampires, Die," about the little voices in our head that tell us we're not good enough, and a solo about remembering the joy of childhood, called "A Way Back to When."  There's a video of it on youtube but my computer is having trouble putting it on the blog this morning.  If you're really interested, you can find it here. 

The kids enjoyed it and were quoting funny lines on the way back home.  I recommend this one if you get the opportunity to see a production in your town.

Makes My Monday: Recognition at long last

Loved him for years. LOVED.  Here is the famous scene from Pride and Prejudice when Colin Firthtakes a cold shower jumps in a cold lake and then runs into his love unexpectedly.



Congratulations to Colin Firth.  And for those of us who are Pride and Prejudice fans, there was a particular happiness in knowing that P&P costar Jennifer Ehle also had a role in The King's Speech.  She played the speech therapist's wife.

In my mind, he was best actor years ago.  Glad the rest of the world is catching up.

Makes My Monday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation.  Join in and show us something you can smile about!

Makes My Monday: Heat Wave

The calendar says it's officially Fall now. The weather, however, has finally decided to act like summer.

Here in the San Francisco Bay area, we've had one of the coldest summers on record.  I was really tempted to turn the heat on a few times, especially at night. 

September and October are usually our most beautiful months, and now, at the end of September, the temperature is in the 90s and I feel like I'm finally thawing out.  Forget planting bulbs outside until at least December - they don't keep cool enough to stay dormant until Spring. 

So I'm putting on shorts and having my first iced tea of the year, and I'm not going to complain about the heat.  I love it. 

How about you - enjoying Indian summer, or feeling the first twinges of autumn?

Any Excuse for a Party

We get excited about everything around here.  Baby teeth that fall out, squirrels running across the fence.  It doesn't take much to make us smile.  So picture our delight at this situation: 

.

"Look kids! It's going to roll over to 100,000!"

"oooh!  we should celebrate!"

"Let's buy new DS games!"

"Let's get a cake!"

"Let's go out to dinner!"

We settled on dinner, because really, you have to mark big occasions like this.  And in case you'd like to enjoy the big moment with us, here it is:  [I did actually take a video - my husband was driving - but I'll spare you].

 The kids just had one question.

"Mom, what do you mean by 'roll over?'"

*sigh*  I'm so old I remember when odometers had pieces of metal for each number.  Milestones were even more exciting then.

We all have our weaknesses

Today was a great day.  Was it because the doctor said I've healed perfectly and I don't have to see him again for a year?  No.  Was it because the kids are all registered for school, which starts Wednesday?  No.  Was it because after the coldest summer on record we finally had a warm day?  Or because I can finally drive a car and escape my prison house again?

No, what makes this a great day is the fact that I found my absolute favorite candy in a store.  Chocolate-covered Altoids.  Have you tried them?  I keep a tin in my purse and eat one on very special occasions, like when I'm bored waiting for my kids to get out of ballet class.

When they were first introduced, they were everywhere - checkout lines at Target, candy sections of drugstores.  But no more.  The hunt can take weeks.  Today I asked at a grocery store and the bag boy went all over the place looking for them.  "Do you want more than one?"

"No thanks," said I, "I like to live on the edge."

Now it's your turn to confess - is there one special little treat that you would go out of your way to find?

Makes My Monday: School Supplies

Drama Girl starts high school in two days.   I'm in complete denial that I have a child old enough for high school, but I'm sure it will sink in at some point.

In elementary school, the kids always got lists of back to school supplies over the summer.  Apparently in high school, kids are supposed to come up with their own organization systems, which is fine with me.  Drama Girl loves shopping in all its forms, and couldn't resist dragging her father to a store to "get just a few things for the first day."

Apparently the first day of school requires a lot of pens.  And sharpie pens in every color.

I admit, after seeing her haul, I want to go out and buy a bunch of pens and some fresh paper. Maybe even some sharpies.

Makes My Monday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation.

Five Star Fort

When your six year old cousin comes to play, there's one sure way to keep everybody entertained. Make a fort. After gathering up quilts from all over the house, my kids asked me for some sheets and tablecloths. Witness the result:


This is the biggest fort I've ever seen in my life. There are some tall chairs in the middle holding it up. There are a lot of books weighting edges down on the left. The cats were banished because they tried to walk across the top.

Then they dragged in a dozen big pillows and even more quilts and settled in for hours doing whatever it is kids do in a fort.

Can careers in architecture be far behind?

Makes My Monday

Makes my Monday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation.

Ort Update

I know you've all been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see my progress on the Totally Useless Stitch Along. Here it is: my jar of orts.

It hardly tells the story of all the stitching I've been doing. Maybe because I'm so miserly with thread. I tell you though, ever since I started participating in this, I save every. little. bit.

Now I will venture with shame to see the really fabulous ort jars of my TUSAL* sisters. I can only hope to approach their skills in ort hoarding as time goes by. To see the wonderful blog of the originator of this fine internet group, visit Yoyo at Dragon My Needle. (Is that a great name for a blog or what? I love it.)


*Totally Useless Stitch Along - did you forget already?

Makes My Monday: The Car Wash

Just down the hill from me is a little oasis of delight known as the car wash. Not only will they do a nice hand wash and spritz your car with one of 25 different scents, but the cashier is housed in one of the best gift shops on the planet.

I love gift shops in general. I'm a born browser. I love small quantities of many small things all massed together to peruse. Need a new cookbook? This car wash has everything from tiny pocket versions to coffee table tomes on the cuisine of Peru. Scented candles? check. Silk scarves? check. Little car deodorizers shaped like trees? of course check.

My favorite section has to be the cards. Quirkier than Hallmark and the local drugstores, funny, sentimental - all the best cards are at the car wash.

Today I'm taking my car in and I'm looking forward to the free hazelnut coffee I'll sip while I look at the artisan jewelry and jazz cd selections. Maybe I'll get some Christmas shopping done.

Please don't point out to me that it's going to rain tonight. I'm really looking forward to this little trip today.

For more happy Monday thoughts, visit Cheryl at Twinfatuation.

Tuesday's Toonlet

My Son, My Personal Secretary by threeundertwo related [www.litandlaundry]

The Opening Credits to My Nightmares

Then I wake up screaming. And laughing.

The Perfect Gift: Duck Tape

What did Drama Girl want the most for her birthday? Duck tape. I had no idea that this is the new rage in middle school. Here is her haul, displayed on her messy desk. She's just thrilled about it.

Why duck tape? Because apparently you can do a million things with it. Here she is with a bag she decorated with plaid duck tape. You do have plaid duck tape at your house, don't you?

According to Drama Girl, kids are making flip-flops, purses, wallets - all kinds of things out of duck tape. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.


And speaking of things that make a girl happy on her birthday. . . let's hear it for peanut butter chocolate hot fudge parfaits!