Nurse Nightmare (059/365)

Shaun: Are you OK? Did they hurt you?
Barbara: [over the phone] No I'm fine. I'm fine.
Shaun: Mum...
Barbara: [over the phone] Well they were a bit... bitey.
Shaun: [concerned] Mum, have you been bitten?
Barbara: [over the phone] No... But Philip has.
Shaun: [calmly] Oh, OK.
Ed: Has she been bitten?
Shaun: [to Ed] No, Philip has.
Ed: [calmly] Oh, OK.
Shaun: Listen, Mum, what sort of state is he in?
Barbara: [over the phone] Oh, he's fine. Bit under the weather.
Shaun: I see.
Ed: What's the deal?
Shaun: [to Ed] We may have to kill my step-dad.

Shaun of the Dead. Perfs. Simon Pegg, Penelope Wilton, Nick Frost. Dir. Edgar Wright. 2004. Universal Pictures.

TIME:  11:54 PM
PLACE:  My desk
SUBJECT:  February Zombie

When I saw the Fold-Your-Own-Zombie 2011 Wall Calendar back in January, I knew that I had to buy it for my zombie girl, StellaDella.  Tonight, I finally folded her first zombie – the February pin-up, “Nurse Nightmare”.  I’ll have to catch up and fold January’s zombie, “All Business” and since March starts tomorrow, I’ll have to do the “Rabid Rottie” as well. ~  A funny story about SD and her zombie obsession…she had watched “Shaun of the Dead” on TV (a very heavily edited version) and thought it was the greatest thing she had ever seen.  About a week later, as she was lying in bed next to me, she turned and said in a very serious voice, “Mom, you know, if we were ever attacked by zombies and one bit you, I’d have to kill you.  I wouldn’t want to do it, ‘cause I love you, but you would turn into a zombie and try to kill me, so I’d have to do it to save everyone.”  I told her, in that situation, it would be the right thing to do and that if there ever WAS a zombie apocalypse, I’d want her on my team.  I am not, however, going to give her Power of Medical Attorney over me – that girl would pull the plug in a New York minute.

Egg Sacs (058/365)

Wilbur: Templeton, if you weren't so dopey, you'd notice that Charlotte has made an egg sac.
[Templeton gazes toward the ceiling and sees Charlotte's egg sac]
Templeton: [hiccups] Hooray for Charlotte.
Wilbur: She's going to become a mother. For your information, there are 514 eggs in that peachy, little sac.
Templeton: This has been a night.

Gibson, Henry, and Paul Lynde, perf. Charlotte's Web. Dir. Charles A. Nichols and Iwao Takamoto. 1973. Hanna-Barbera Productions

TIME:  2:33 PM
PLACE:  Yard waste container
SUBJECT:  Spider egg sacs

It actually became warm enough outside to get some yard work done this afternoon.  The HandsomeHusband and I pruned our trees…we still have some larger branches to take off, but the chainsaw is at the shop getting sharpened, so they will have to wait until Wednesday when it is ready.  I also cleared out the front flower beds of dead vegetation and leaves.  When I grabbed one of our plastic trash cans we use as a yard waste container, I saw these spider egg sacs attached to the inside walls.  From what I’ve read, each sac contains several hundred eggs, so there is probably a potential of around a thousand spiders in this photo.  As long as they stay outside, I’m good with that.

Ketchup Rich (057/365)

“You know, you really can't beat a household commodity-the ketchup bottle on the kitchen table.”

Adlai E. Stevenson (American Politician. Governor of Illinois (1949-53) and Ambassador to the United Nations (1961-65). 1900-1965)

TIME:  6:46 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Ketchup packets

The HandsomeHusband had a Rotary Club dinner, MonkeyBoy has a friend spending the night and I wasn’t hungry and didn’t feel like making supper (big surprise there).  So, I let the kids vote on what they wanted to eat and after a lengthy debate, they chose Jack-In-The-Box.  The worker at the drive-through asked me if I needed any ketchup or sauces - I told him “No” but I guess he didn’t hear me.  When I arrived home, I found about 30 of them in the bag.  I am now well prepared for Armageddon.

Reversible (056/365)

“The reverse side also has a reverse side.”

~Japanese Proverb

TIME:  10:54 PM
PLACE:  Dining room table
SUBJECT:  Bibs

The mother of DramaQueen’s best friend mother is having her third child (a second girl) next month and DQ has been invited to her baby shower which is tomorrow afternoon.  Tonight, we went to Target and purchased a diaper change organizer from her register and I decided to make some bibs to give her as well.  I followed this tutorial from the SewSheSews blog and fabric I had on hand.  I think they turned out pretty cute.  I just need to attach the fastener at the neck and they will be finished.  That, however, will have to wait for tomorrow morning - I’m done for the day.

Lady Madonna (055/365)

“Lady Madonna, children at your feet
Wonder how you manage to make ends meet
Who find the money when you pay the rent
Did you think that money was heaven sent”

The Beatles. "Lady Madonna." written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney. Capitol Records, US, 1968.

TIME:  10:23 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Hull Madonna #417 planter

To reward myself after folding and putting away 5 loads of laundry, and before I ran my Thursday errands, I decided to stop by one of my favorite thrifts, the Senior Citizens Thrift Store.  I just love this thrift – this is the one where I found my orange chair.  Today, I found this Hull planter and two pieces of Haeger pottery.  I thought they would look good placed upon the shelves of the wooden hutch (the one I purchased last July) that sits on my front porch.  I brought the pieces to the older gentleman at the front check out desk, along with a tin strawberry printed serving tray and 3 small wooden block houses.  He glanced at my choices and quoted me a price – one dollar.  Do you see why I just love the Senior Citizens Thrift Store?

Icy Monet View (054/365)

Tai: Do you think she's pretty?
Cher: No, she's a full-on Monet.
Tai: What's a monet?
Cher: It's like a painting, see? From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess. Let's ask a guy. Christian, what do you think of Amber?
Christian: Hagsville.
Cher: See?

Murphy, Brittney, Alicia Silverstone, and Justin Walker, perf. Clueless. Dir. Amy Heckerling. 1995. Paramount.

TIME:  8:26 AM
PLACE:  The Jeep
SUBJECT:  Ice on window

We must have had some rain last night, and since it was so cold, everything this morning had a layer of ice on it.  We still do not own an ice scraper (now it’s so close to spring, I just don’t see the point in purchasing one), so after the car heated up a little, I rolled the windows down to try and remove the icy coating.  The window went down, but the ice remained vertical.  It made a nice little Monet-type filter as I looked out of the window.  The black outline on the right side of the photo is the rear view mirror.

Paid (053/365)

"The world thinks eccentricity in great things is genius, but in small things, only crazy."

Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton (English politician, poet, playwright, and prolific novelist, 1803–1873)

TIME:  12:24 PM
PLACE:  Work
SUBJECT:  “Paid” and date stamp

I am an accounting geek and I have a secret…I love the “ker-chunk” sound my self-inking “Paid” stamp makes when I use it on an invoice.   I will also admit to enjoying the daily routine of changing the date on my date stamper.  I believe these things are required to tickle your fancy in order for one to be a card-carrying bean-counter.  Or maybe I am just eccentric.

Turn Lane (052/365)

“It's better to be last in the traffic lane than first in the funeral procession”

~Author Unknown

TIME:  9:35 AM
PLACE:  Center for Advanced Medicine, St. Louis, MO
SUBJECT:  View of turn lane on Euclid Ave from 10th floor

Today was rainy and much colder than the weather  we had yesterday.  HandsomeHusband had a doctor’s appointment early this morning over in St. Louis and I tagged along.   It went quickly and we were back in town before lunch.  Then MonkeyBoy had an eye doctor appointment at 3pm for some new contact lenses.  Before I knew it, it was time to make dinner..Why do the extra days off (specifically, President’s Day today) go by so quickly while work days creep so slowly?  Obviously there is something wrong with the space/time continuum when it comes to this.

Tiny Bubbles (051/365)

“Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time”

Ho, Don, perf. "Tiny Bubbles." Tiny Bubbles. By Leon Pober. 1966.

TIME:  10:05 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  Fish tank bubbles

I just could not get into taking photos today.  Usually when that happens, I turn to one of our pets for the day’s picture.  The fish, however, were not cooperating this evening - so instead, I went with the bubbles coming out of their water filter.  That’s all I got right now.

Sprouting (050/365)

“Your heart is full of fertile seeds, waiting to sprout.”

Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese, Martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido, 1883-1969)

TIME:  10:30 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Endive sprout

The HandsomeHusband decided that we this year in our garden we need to start the plants ourselves from seeds.  He bought a fancy grow light, special food, a 72 cell grow kit (with soil pellets), several varieties of seeds (heirloom tomatoes, moonflowers, red pepper, cucumber, marigolds, and endive), and a wire shelving unit that has been temporarily placed by one of the living room windows to hold it all.  He started off by planting some endive seed on Sunday.  They have just sprouted.  It is so nice to see something green growing.

New Glasses (049/365)

“Men do make passes at girls who wear glasses - but it all depends on their frames”

Optician Quoted in: The Concise Columbia Dictionary of Quotations

TIME:  8:30 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Me

It was a body maintenance day for me.  I had a dentist appointment in the morning to replace the one and only filling I have in my mouth.  It has been about 25-30 years since the work was originally done and the silver amalgam had deteriorated and was starting to pull away from the sides of the tooth.  I splurged and went with the white or natural colored filling to replace it.  Then, with my numb gum, lips and chin, I picked up my new glasses from the optometrist.  They are slightly geeky, but I like them.  My son told me I look like a hip grandma.  I told him he wasn’t my favorite son anymore.

Sea Monkeys (048/365)

“Dory: [dreaming] Uhhh... the sea monkeys have my money... yes, I'm a natural blue...”

DeGeneres, Ellen, perf. Finding Nemo. 2003. Pixar Animation Studios. DVD.

TIME:  3:10 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBECT:  Freshly Hatched Sea Monkeys

My brother and sister-in-law gave StellaDella a Sea Monkey kit for her birthday.  Oh joy.  SD was excited about them though.  On Saturday, we followed the directions to make the water ready and on Sunday, she poured the egg packet in the tank.  Last night she was able to see the tiny buggers swimming around,  Right now, they are not much bigger than the commas in this post, but there are a lot of them.  If you embiggens the photo, the blurry, white, dotty things in the water are the brine shrimp.  SD gets to feed them for the first time tomorrow.

Glacier In The Gravel (047/365)

“Pain reaches the heart with electrical speed, but truth moves to the heart as slowly as a glacier.”

Barbara Kingsolver (American Writer and Activist. b.1955)

TIME:  3:56 PM
PLACE:  Back driveway
SUBJECT:  Ice patch in the driveway gravel

What a difference a week makes.  Our temps hit 70 degrees today and it is only supposed to get down to about 54 degrees tonight – crazy.  With the warmth, much of the ice covering our ground is or has melted away.  We had some small patches of ice remaining in front of our garage door which is in the shade most of the day.  I messed around taking photos with my 50mm lens.  This photo is a crop from of one of the pictures I snapped.

Tethered (046/365)

“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” 

Thomas Dekker (English Writer and Dramatist, 1570-1632)

TIME:  9:53 PM
PLACE:  Master bedroom
SUBJECT:  Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine and HandsomeHusband

The HH has had difficulty sleeping and in December he underwent two sleep study evaluations.  As a result, he was diagnosed with mild form of sleep apnea and it was recommended that he use a CPAP machine for treatment.  It seems to be working - he’s had much better sleeping patterns since he began utilizing the machine.  In fact, he’s had several nights where he has not even awaken at all until the alarm has gone off in the morning.  That’s something that he hasn’t experienced for quite some time.  Another benefit of him using the CPAP machine is that I am not awakened by his loud snoring.  A welcome bonus.

Hanging Hearts (045/365)

“Valentine hearts beat more passionately than everyday hearts.”

~Anonymous, winner of February 2011 quotegarden Twitter create your own quote contest

TIME:  8:20 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Paper hearts

I put these together on Thursday evening, so I would have some decorations up for StellaDella’s family party on Friday night.  I had the paper and eyelets on hand, so it was a very inexpensive endeavor.  We began our Valentine’s day with the annual cooking of the pink heart-shaped pancakes. (I was going to post a picture of them, but that would be two pancake pictures in a row and that would be against my arbitrary rules I have for this project.) The kids only had a half-day of school, but managed to have Valentine parties worked into the condensed day.  HH gave me a box of chocolate covered strawberries and a card with kittens on it.  He also made a tasty dinner <= always a good thing! 

Can You Eat All These? (044/365)

(photo taken by HandsomeHusband)

Goldmember: Would you like a shmoke und a pancake?
Austin Powers: A what?
Goldmember: A shmoke und a pancake. You know, a flapjack und a shigarette? No? Shigar und a waffle? No? Pipe und a crepe? No? Bong und a blintz? No? Well, then there ish no pleashing you.
Austin Powers: That's not right...

Myers, Mike, perf. Austin Powers in Goldmember. Dir. Jay Roach. 2002. New Line Cinema.

TIME:  8:25 AM
PLACE:  School Cafeteria
SUBJECT:  Pancakes

This morning was MonkeyBoy’s Boy Scout troop’s All-You-Can-Eat Pancake and Sausage breakfast.  Leaders and parents cook and serve the food while the boys refill drinks and bus tables.  Unfortunately, MB was not quite over his week of sickness (hacking cough, temperature and nose bleeds), so we figured it was best for all involved if he did not help out.  HandsomeHusband was chief bottle-washer – he says his hands still smell like Clorox. 

Young Authors Breakfast or How To Embarrass Your 13-Year-Old Daughter(043/365)

TIME:  8:38 AM
PLACE: Junior High Lobby
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen in color and in a “#2 Pencil” Photoshop action

DQ was recognized as a finalist in our school district’s “Young Authors Conference” for her “Story With No Name” this year.  Look at the photo she “allowed” me to take of her in the school lobby.  Quite a difference (both in how much she’s grown and in attitude!) from this one taken two years ago:

We sat with a friend of hers (who just so happens to be a boy) and I was informed (via a hissing whisper) that HH and I had better not embarrass her.  Wrong thing to say…I immediately took that as a challenge. *wicked grin*  We tried, I even took pictures of stuff on the table, like these straws, but it didn’t work.  She told me later this evening that her friend mentioned to her that he thought we were “pretty cool”  Hmmm, I guess we need to practice on our embarrassing parent routine more.

TIME:  8:55 AM
PLACE:  Junior High School Multipurpose room
SUBJECT:  Straws

Don’t Fear The Reaper (042/365)

“The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared (saying don't be afraid)
Come on baby (and she had no fear)”

Blue Oyster Cult. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." Agents of Fortune. Perf. Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser. Columbia, 1977.

TIME:  8:08 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  StellaDella’s birthday cake

THIS is the cake my 7 year-old daughter wanted for her birthday party.  Well, she really wanted zombies and werewolves, but the bakery at the grocery store did not have those figures.  So SD settled on a cake with a grim reaper, a vulture, a headstone and black balloons – more specifically, an “Over The Hill” cake theme.  The woman who took our order thought it was hilarious that my sweet looking, red-headed, little girl wanted this to be her birthday cake.  When I picked it up this afternoon, she told me that the decorator called as soon as she faxed the order to verify that we really wanted this particular cake for a seven-year old.  Yes we did. *shrugs* It’s her birthday and this is the cake that she wanted…I’m just happy that she was able to get her one that she liked.

The Birthday Girl (041/365)

Zack Martin: For a seven-year-old, she was tough. She had a mean left hook!

"Doin' Time In Suite 2330." The Suite Life of Zach And Cody. Perf. Dylan Sprouse. Walt Disney Television. 9 Aug. 2008.

TIME:  9:42 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  StellaDella

My StellaDella turned seven today.  She and I went out to dinner together, just the two of us.  She didn’t stop talking in the car on the way to the restaurant (she decided on a Chinese buffet).  I swear she read every single sign we passed and I might add, she pronounced 90% of the words correctly as well.  Then, after we ate, we went to Wal-mart where she chose a new bike.  Her only criteria – that it was mainly black and had a skull on it.  She was in luck, they had exactly what she was looking for; a Mongoose 20" Outer Limit Freestyle bicycle with a skull emblazoned on the seat.  She was also able to find a helmet with a skull, one that had wings even!  Then, she picked out a new Pokémon DS game, Soul Silver edition that had a bonus “Pokéwalker Accessory Included” (whatever that is, I have no idea, but she was very excited about it).  I was christened the “..best mom in the whole entire world, oh and dad is too!” on the way home.  I guess that means she’s happy with her gifts.

A Plethora Of Milk Duds (040/365)

Blanche: The Milk Duds, remember. You had two boxes of Milk Duds.
Dr. Harris: Milk Duds.
Sophia: They're delicious. I love them. The trouble is, they take out my dentures.

"The Heart Attack." The Golden Girls. 23 Nov. 1983. Television.

TIME:  8:01 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Boxes of Milk Duds

StellaDella’s seventh birthday is tomorrow and she asked if she could give boxes of Milk Duds to each of her classmates.  I agreed, thinking that I had seen them for 69 cents each at a Dollar Tree store.  She said she had 25 kids in her class (not including her).  Ok, I thought 69 cents x 25 students = $17.25 – a little pricey, but overall, not too bad for birthday favors.  She went with me to pick them up and while there, she informed me that she needed a box and she wanted to give one to her teacher and the student teacher as well.  Ok then, 3 more wouldn’t hurt.  We went to the check-out lane and it turns out I was wrong....they were not 69 cents, but $1 each – that’s $28 dollars worth of Milk Duds!  Gah! – that was a bit more than I wanted to spend (I’m am very cheap frugal when it comes to things like this).  I went ahead and bought them anyway - SD is so excited about handing these out to her friends – I did not want to disappoint her and who needs money anyway?

Orange Cat Orange Chair (039/365)

“No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch.”

Leo F. Buscaglia (American guru, tireless advocate of the power of love, 1924-1998)

TIME:  8:32 PM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  Jack

MonkeyBoy has been sick the last two days…nothing messy, just achy and a slight fever.  He’s been sleeping a lot.  I’m thinking he will be staying home again tomorrow. ~*~*~  This morning, I had a dentist and haircut appointment.  I get to go back to the dentist next Tuesday because my one and only filling needs to be redone.  The tooth was originally worked on when I was in high school, so I guess that my parents got their money’s worth from the original dental work. ~*~*~  Jack has been sleeping on the orange chair most of the evening – I think he blends in rather well. 

Project Zwolf Revisited (038/365)

“I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work”

Thomas Alva Edison (American Inventor who, singly or jointly, held a world record 1.093 patents. In addition, he created the world's first industrial research laboratory, 1847-1931)

TIME:  8:43 AM
PLACE:  Work
SUBJECT:  View in the parking lot

No exciting pictures today.  I’m trying something similar to the Zwolf2010 from last year.  While I don’t consider my attempt last year a failure, I will admit that I wasn’t pleased with how my project turned out.  So, I’m adjusting - this time, instead of a monthly photo, I’m taking a weekly photo.  My subject will be this view at my office parking lot.  I think a weekly photo will capture the changes during the year better than a monthly photo.  I’m going to wait until I have about a quarter of the year done before attempting to post it anywhere…that is, if it turns out half-way decent this time.

Vintage Beer Holder (037/365)

“Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder”

Kinky Friedman (American Singer, Song Writer, Novelist and Politician. b.1944)

TIME:  6:36 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Blue Moon Belgian White and a vintage drinking glass

I found this glass at the thrift store on Friday.  Priced at a mere 35 cents,  I thought it was both adorable and affordable – I am officially in love with the bird that decorates the sides of the glass.  I christened my new drinking vessel this Super Bowl Sunday with a Blue Moon Belgian White ale, and of course, an orange slice.  It worked perfectly.

Saturday Morning (036/365)

TIME:  8:42 AM
PLACE:  Backyard
SUBJECT:  Bird

TIME:  9:56 AM
PLACE:  YMCA
SUBJECT:  StellaDella

We woke up this morning to two inches of freshly fallen snow.  But that didn’t stop SD from attending her Daisy Girl Scout “Dance Away The Winter Blues” workshop at the YMCA.  I just threw the old Jeep in 4-wheel drive and off we went.  As I was backing out of the driveway, I spied the birds jumping around in the bushes.  I took a few shots then we continued on.  After a brief stop at QuickTrip for breakfast - water and a donut for SD and a coffee for me – we made it to the Y without any issues due to the snow.  There, I ingested my caffeine, took photos of her dancing up a storm and we returned to the house by 11am.  Take *that* Mother Nature!

BFFs (035/365)

“God gives us our relatives—thank God we can choose our friends.”

Ethel Watts Mumford (1878-1940), U.S. novelist, humorous writer, Addison Mizner, U.S. architect, and Oliver Herford (1863-1935), U.S. poet, illustrator. The Cynic's Calendar (1903).

TIME:  11:53 PM
PLACE:  Dining room
SUBJECT:  DramaQueen & Erin B.

Erin B. is spending the night…again *heavy, put-upon sigh*  I’m kidding – she’s a good kid and I don’t mind having her here.  Since she was here, I put her to good use - I made her and DQ pose with two of the chunky crayon lips StellaDella and I created the other night.  Aren’t they just the most adorable girls you’ve ever seen?

Clothed In Ice (034/365)

"Come when the rains
Have glazed the snow and clothed the trees with ice,
While the slant sun of February pours
Into the bowers a flood of light. Approach!
The incrusted surface shall upbear thy steps
And the broad arching portals of the grove
Welcome thy entering."

William Cullen Bryant, *A Winter Piece*

TIME:  2:59 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Ice covered leaves and branches

We awoke to sun, blue skies and below freezing temperatures.  The good news is that combination of the sun and the ice all around made for a sparkly, pretty day.  The bad news is that the kids were off school again.  The novelty of the weather and being home is wearing off both me and them...I posted on my Facebook last night that I was ready to wet them down and throw them outside!  Nevertheless, we survived another day of togetherness and I am certain that school will be in session for tomorrow – although tomorrow being Friday means that they go back for one day and then they will have another two days off due to the weekend.  How inconvenient.

Crayon Carnage (033/365)

"Life is about using the whole box of crayons."

~RuPaul  (American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, b1960)

TIME:  11:50 PM
PLACE:  Kitchen
SUBJECT:  Shredded crayon wrappers

We started making StellaDella’s classroom Valentines today while they were out of school due to the snow.  We are recycling the plethora of old crayons we have (two plastic shoeboxes full) into new chunky swirly ones by melting them in a Valentine cookie pan I purchased on clearance at Target last year.  StellaDella and I peeled the paper from a kabillion crayons – Two things I learned from this:  One: peeling crayons takes much longer than you think it would and two: I am a much faster peeler than she is.

Ice Storm (032/365)

“But I was going to say when Truth broke in
With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm”
 
Robert Frost (1874-1963), U.S. poet. Birches (l. 21-22). . . The Poetry of Robert Frost. Edward Connery Lathem, ed. (1979) Henry Holt.

TIME:  5:13 PM
PLACE:  Front yard
SUBJECT:  Ice covered branches

Well, Ice-Pocalypse 2011 has arrived.  The kids were off of school today and it has already been called off again for tomorrow.  It’s cold.  Freezing cold.  In fact, tomorrow night they are calling for below zero temps – *shivers*.  Here’s hoping the electricity stays on.  If not, we’re heading for Dad’s house and his fireplace.  Pop, I know you read this, so don’t be changing the locks on us!