playing catch-up: episode 4

 Meanwhile back at the ranch, Angel is grumbling to herself, "DANG! I wish she'd get that dadgum... doggone... doofus of a camera out of my face while I'm trying to take my nap!"

 But in the REAL news dept. we have a way cool public service announcement of the musical variety. Davy's band, A Basement Rendezvous, went into the studio to record their official EP! It has just been mixed and is almost finished. It will be available sometime in the near future on iTunes, CD Baby, Facebook, dropped from planes, hanging from trees, slid down chimneys, and in the trunks of at least 20 cars that I can think of right off the top of my head. In other words, IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME AND WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR THEM!!!

 Henry letting loose on his violin. Lurve, lurve, LURVE. IT. 

 Jimmy focusing on that gorgeous bass of his.

 Johnny boy! Hey, where are your mad guitar skills?

 Davy so serious and loving how his new guitar sounds.

THE MOUSE?!?! That's right - he has become so good on that banjo of his, Davy wanted him playing on his Welsh folk song "Crigog Ross" (most fans know it as "Moses"). Way to go Mouse!!!

And speaking of the Mouse, he did a very brave thing a few weeks ago: performed solo at his first open mic night :) He played and sang "Wagon Wheel" by the Old Crow Medicine Show, and did a fantastic job! It was a great night, a terrific crowd, and they showed him much appreciation! 

***UPDATE: below is the video***

~

Over and OUT!

playing catch-up: episode 3

Good morning sunshine! So this catch-up espisode is going to begin and end with a few more flower photos I've been goofing with. I'm getting ready to add lots more photos to my portfolio at Zagg, so check them out in the next week or so - your gadgets could be given a whole new personality with my original photos enhancing them! :)

* the awesome LDS church in Kampala *

We need to get back to Uganda, Africa to see what Daniel and Megan have been up to. They are a whirlwind of a research team and have done amazing things to further help regulate and empower NPO's. With the program they have designed, they have held seminars and recruited over 40 NPO's to work together to become stronger organizations and therefore meet the needs of the people. I am so proud of them and all they have accomplished!

But what cracks me up the most are their frequent culinary endeavors. Here is Daniel making "chapala", an African type of bread he loves. He said they made near perfect hockey pucks. Oh well, keep trying Daniel!

 And Megan with her gorgeous chicken dinner... right after the oven overheated and she nearly singed her face off. The glass door shattered when she had to pull back from the inferno and it slammed shut. FUN TIMES!

Yet another culinary success: Burger Night! These turned out amazing and here are two definitely very happy carnivores! Love their expressions, especially Megan's! :D

Megan making some amazing macaroni & cheese. Daniel said it was the best he had ever had in his life. As his mother, I am here to say that he HATES mac & cheese, so if he loved it, Megan you really could have a second career as a chef! Nice job!

So these two are more than just NGO geniuses and budding chefs... apparently they are a formidable duo as they clean the local church every Saturday with the other church members. They also love watching movies, trying to out stink each other, and read books aloud together every night. Daniel says that has been one of their most enjoyable activities and they've finished many books!

Here is a beautiful area up north they go visit - one of the NGO's in their program - a plantation  planning a large kid's soccer/camping area in the far right field toward the back of the photo. 

Megan with the children from another NGO - a small orphanage. These children are so precious!

Megan & Daniel with some of the key men that have helped their program launch, move along, and stay strong as it continues to grow. The Reverend sitting next to Daniel has been a big help and become a special friend - someone Daniel has much respect and love for. And good thing I finally finished this Uganda catch-up because Daniel and Megan will FINALLY be coming back to the states! FOUR DAYS AND COUNTING! :D

And as Meg Ryan would say in "You've Got Mail"... "Daisies! The friendliest flower!"

XOXO

playing catch-up: episode 2

Oh my gosh, this is *such* a Davy face! (I stole your photo, Ashley) A little more Jim Carrey and it would be perfect! LOL! This was taken at the Griffith Park Observatory, just BTDubs

So Davy turned 20 at the end of February - TWENTY!!! Happy birthday to my crazy, talented, hysterical, creative, intelligent, sensitive, passionate, certifiably nutsy cuckoo son!!! We rearranged the posters in his room while he was gone, and put up a special poster the Moore's had arranged to give to him for his birthday. Liam is in art school in London, so I promised I'd take good pics! I made a poster to go in front of it, kind of like the wrapping paper.

 Here he is, smiling extremely happily, with his *AMAZING* "Black Swan" poster (yes, there is a story to it) after he doubled over with a heart attack and we had to resuscitate him. Nice job Moore Family - you guys totally ROCK! Rob, Traci, Elise & Liam, you guys are da bomb :D 

 This is his gift from us - a sweet, sweet guitar, and ohhh, does he play it sooo nice :) It was a great birthday. Of course, it also included Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles and Amoeba Records in Hollywood, but that is a given.

 Stuff is changing all over the place, and that included us having to cut down our massive, massive, massive (no, seriously), massive tree. You can see where it already cracked the wall years ago. Long story why it hadn't been taken out before. This is only the TRUNK :/

 This pile is only half of the limbs - the other half is on our next door neighbor's driveway!

 Look at the SIZE of the trunk! Did I mention it was massive? Luna says, "Get me down from here"

 The way *COOL* part was that I noticed one of the cuts looked like a heart :) Okay, the WAY cool part, was that some really nice neighbors knocked on our door and asked if they could have all our wood! YES! WHEW! But I had to keep this huge log because of it's heart shape :)

A-HUNK-A-HUNK-A-BURNIN' LOVE

 But that means boys see wood. And want to burn it. Because they love fire. And are pyromaniacs that burn everything and make our fireman neighbor livid. So they get the can of gasoline and douse it before I can even get out there... silly, silly, CRAZY boys. 

Oh Mouse!

playing catch-up: episode 1

Sometimes a girl just needs a little chocolate therapy - this time in the form of chocolate colored toes - and a good hair day. Just a few of life's simple little things that make me happy. After my previous "I'm feeling very sorry for myself" post, I think I can move on now. So much has happened around here since I stopped actively posting... I'm going to try to do a few catch-up posts to let my readers (I hope I haven't lost *all* of you!) know what's been going on!

GO HART!!!

 High school volleyball season has officially begun for the Mouse, and it has been great to go to his games. Yes, I know I'm not supposed to be out in public while my immune system isn't working. But I have become adept at sneaking in to the Mouse's games and Davy's band's performances. I can't miss seeing my boys :) Besides, look at that Mouse's awesome vertical!!!

He made some great plays and scored some great points during this game. He enjoys the games a lot but can't stand the practices... Can't say I blame him - he has a coach who won't let the boys stop doing drills and running until they start throwing up :/ 

So do you ever get the feeling you're being watched? Davy's kitty is so silly. I was watching TV one night and had that uneasy feeling someone was watching me. Sure enough, I look down the long hallway, and there she is, just sitting there watching me. Plotting, no doubt.

THE CAT CLUB

Davy's band, A Basement Rendezvous (please "like" them on Facebook!), has been performing a lot lately, which is a great thing. Actually, they've been busy doing other fun stuff as well - I'll catch you up on all that in the next post. But here are some phone pix John took of them at all the different places. I like the dark, loungy-looking ones the best  :)

BRAVE NEW WORLD (sans Henry)

GENGHIS COHEN

THE COFFEE HOUSE

THE SILVERLAKE LOUNGE

We're super proud of these guys and their awesomeness. More updates on them forthcoming.

Last but not least, I'll leave you with some flower photos I've been goofing with lately. The spring weather has been just crazy, I know. Even here in southern California, last week it neared 100 degrees every day, and yesterday the rain was coming down in sheets, and freezing cold hail covered everything! (I will take that over 100 degrees, thank you) So many of you have been yearning for signs of spring, so maybe these flowers will help a little :)

  I see you! hehehe :)

I love these teeny daffodils. I can't not think of the talking flowers in

 "Alice in Wonderland" whenever I see daffodils!

they. wreck. everything.

 It started during Winter Break, when one of John's co-workers gave him a remote control helicopter. That the kids got their hands on in less than 30 seconds. The second that baby was unwrapped and in their sweaty hands, I knew what was going to happen before they even figured out how to fly it. I remained quiet. SURELY they would not RUIN my Japanese lanterns. On Christmas! I mean, come on - two of my boys are adults! 

They ruined them.

Too tempting. Too crazy to fly that helicopter. Too hysterical NOT to slice it's propeller right through that paper. I should have known by now. How could I not have known? Nothing is sacred. THEY. WRECK. EVERYTHING.

(Shall I bring up the snowball through the front window Davy?! Shall I?!) 

 Fast forward to a few days ago. This has been our week of Spring Break. I've never really figured out who gets the "break" for Spring Break, so aside from being grateful that I get to sleep in, I consider Spring Break more of a cruel joke than an actual vacation. Unless you have really planned every minute of every day out, all the kids get bored. And I don't know why this is, but they're always at MY house when this occurs. Example: Did I really send all of them with my credit card to In-N-Out yesterday because of the yard work they did? NO. Of course not. It was so 1) they would be fed, and 2) so I could get an entire half an hour to myself in my own house. But I digress. A few days ago the Mouse got his airsoft guns out. Supposedly he didn't have any ammunition, but anyone who knows airsoft, knows that you can conjure up those tiny balls of ammo from anywhere within seconds. Closets. Baseboards. Backpacks. Drawers. When I saw the Mouse sitting in the front room with his airsoft gun, I said 

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. 

I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP"

Oh, he thought about it. And then when I wasn't around, shot some freaking holes right through my poor lanterns. 

Not that these things are expensive. Or I couldn't replace them. It's that they're MINE! And they wreck my stuff!

Three more days of Spring Break, Mouse. 

And I know where you sleep.

Just sayin'. 

* GAME OVER *

PEEPS! Oh, peeps... I have missed you so :D

~

I have never told you the story about how Ruffles potato chips and I became so attached at the hip. I know I talk about Ruffles, joke about Ruffles, take photos of Ruffles, eat a lot of Ruffles, give Ruffles to friends, and receive bags of Ruffles from many of you as gifts (thank you!)... but I have never told you The Story. It's very short and simple really. And to this day it remains incredibly baffling to me. But it's true.

Exactly three years ago, I literally woke up one morning, and Ruffles potato chips were the very first thing I thought about. Before my head was even off the pillow. Ruffles. Ruffles potato chips. "R-R-Ruffles Have R-R-Ridges". I had to have them. I could hardly wait until I was able to get some. The opening of the bag. The crispy ridges. The salt. The craving to knock everyone and everything in my path to get to them was completely foreign to me. I had enjoyed a very tasty relationship with Cheetos occasionally throughout my life time, but I had never EVER been one to gravitate toward "regular" potato chips. But this could not be denied. Oh, it could absolutely NOT be denied. 

(*special note of thanks to the talented & amazing Riley Lyon 

for the most awesome chip clips on da whole planet earff)

I got me some Ruffles. It didn't take me long to realize that the Original kind were way too greasy and made me sick to my stomach. I quickly found out the Reduced Fat Ruffles were my personal Nirvana. Not greasy. Still salty. Exactly how I imagined they would taste when I woke up that fateful morning. Made just for moi. PERFECT. 

I could not get enough of my Reduced Fat Ruffles. I was insatiable. I had to travel with them. I had to have a bag in the trunk of my bug. I had to have at least two to four bags up in the cupboard so I always knew they were there and I would not run out. One time I *did* run out and could not find them anywhere. I went to 8 different grocery stores. SERIOUSLY. To no avail. So I tried the Natural Ruffles with Sea Salt in the interim (very good, I might add), until I found my beloved Reduced Fat Ruffles once again. I think I purchased twelve bags when the delivery finally came.

I was a freaking Ruffles connoisseur. Everything was categorized. I had my all time favorites - bite size, slightly more well-done. My next favorites - folded over. And my meh ones - really large or odd shaped (still edible of course). And though I would eat them morning, noon, and night, here's a little Ruffles trivia: they taste the very best in the morning. I'm guessing because your tongue has been resting all night so your taste buds are rearing to go. And I wouldn't be me unless I mention Ruffles go best with diet Coke w/ a splash of sugar free vanilla syrup in it (aka: R with DC with some V)..... but my ongoing love for diet Coke is a story for another time.

(*Special note of thanks to Diana Bingham for my MAGNIFICENT "M" cup!)

The first two years of this curious obsession were by far the most outlandish. I picture myself as a beaver gnawing through trees... sawdust flying in every which way. OBSESSIVE MUCH? Sometimes my hands would shake until I could get that bag opened. DRUG OF CHOICE HMMM? You would think that I blew up like a balloon with all that Ruffles eating, but I had previously blown up several years ago, so that was already taken care of. In fact, I lost 15lbs. And being so health conscious and all... I made sure I was always eating mozzarella cheese sticks to round out my Ruffles plan with some calcium and protein. I ARE SO SMART.

(*Speical note of *LOVE* to Kerrie and all my precious girlies, 

for their Ruffles & DC enthusiasm... but mostly for their love)

This last year has been a hard year. A hard world year. A hard family year. A hard me year. A hard Ruffles year. Not long ago, I began noticing the Ruffles weren't tasting as good. I thought surely I was mistaken, but no. It came as a shock when they sat in my stomach like a rock. Until I threw up. Repeatedly. It was still surprising though, when I found myself not wanting them as much, or even thinking about them. One thing I didn't know, was that I was getting sick - that I was actually already sick and would be getting sicker. Perhaps that had something to do with the change - I don't know. Over the last few months, I have thought a lot about this odd Ruffles phenomenon. Why did I wake up that one morning craving them in the first place? What purpose could they have possibly served in my life? Why exactly three years? Where is any significance whatsoever? I don't have answers for any of these questions. I just know my Ruffles days are over, even though I can hardly believe I'm saying that. Oh, I'm sure I'll eat a few occasionally. But that crazy, salty, crunchy, chip-obsessed roller coaster ride that usually ended with me puking? We're done now. We're done. This is me exhaling. 

* GAME OVER *

(*Special note of thanks to Carlos Porto and 

FreeDigitalPhotos.net for his tennis ball image.

To visit Carlos's webpage please see below:

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=345)