Should a Meme Make me Cry?

Kate tagged me for the 6th picture meme.

Here is the 6th picture from the 6th folder on my external drive:




Agent 002's first day in America, running accross Grandma's backyard (well, actually Ant P's yard, but they live on adjoing lots).

We had arrived at JFK the day before, spent the night at Grandma's, and were just about to buckle him up for his arrival home.

Tears.

I think that Kate and Heather have already tagged everyone I know, so I will leave this open to anyone who hasn't joined in yet.

Dork Dates

Some of you expressed envy that I got to go on a date last week.

What I didn't tell you is that mr warillever and I actually go on dates several nights a week.

Well, we don't exactly go anywhere, but our philosophy is that if the two of us are alone, we can make it a date. According to Miss Manners, all we need is fun, food. and affection.*

We've been known to spend hours quizzing each other on factoids from the The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008. You know, exciting stuff like "How many cities in Iowa have a population of 50,000 people or more?" or "What are the seven largest countries in Africa in land area?"

Before the presidential election, we spent hours on CNN.com planning different scenarios for the electoral college distribution.

We spent two evenings last week ogling the maps at Worldmapper.com.

But the ultimate in time-wasting dorkitude?

Line Rider.

Wow.

We're Coming into My Season

I love fall.

It is undeniably the most beautiful time of the year in this area. Our yard will soon be awash in glorious reds and yellows.


The morning frost puts a glaze on everything.

The weather is perfect -- going outside is just a matter of pulling on a sweater. No sunscreen or bugspray or mittens or boots. Fresh crisp air. The outside temperature is 38 degrees right now, but by noon it should get up into the 60s. Perfect for a stroll. Or my brother's 40th birthday party (which is where I'll be).

And it is my season:

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Wordle

Of a Brave Young House Cat

Because even a cat requires a theme song.

(Performed to the tune of Brennan on the Moor)

'Tis of a brave young house cat
Her story I will tell:
Her name is Janice Aloysius,
You all should know her well.

One day into the driveway,
And then into the house
Looking for a gourmet meal
Or maybe for a mouse.

Janice the house cat
Janice the house cat
Oh! Brave and undaunted was our
Janice the house cat.

One night in our basement
A flame she did see.
It was just a boiler, but
She attacked it with glee.

Janice the house cat
Janice the house cat
Oh! Brave and undaunted was our
Janice the house cat.

Singed whiskers
our cat it did not deter.
When pipes did leak
She was licking the sewer.

Janice the house cat
Janice the house cat
Oh! Brave and undaunted was our
Janice the house cat.

Grover's Presidential Tour

Grover insisted on blogging a bit more about "his" vacation. In this post, he tells you about an obsession he shares with mr warillever -- presidential history.

Forget the imbecile act you see on tv. In real life, I am a history buff. In particular I like to visit presidential sites.

I have been to the Lincoln Boyhood homesite; Calvin Coolidge's farm in Vermont; the Franklin Pierce Homestead in New Hampshire; James Polk's house in Columbia Tennessee as well as the site of his Nashville home; the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson); Mont Vernon (George Washington); Herbert Hoover's childhood home in Iowa; Gerald Ford's birthplace in Omaha as well as his museum in Grand Rapids; Eisenhower's museum in Kansas; James Garfield's and Rutherford B. Hayes' homes in Ohio; and Harry Truman's house in Independence Missouri.

The warillevers have also gone to a few (JFK, Adams, Adams, and Chester Arthur) without me. I still hold that against them.

On our California trip we stopped by the Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon's library/museums. Here I am in front of both signs:

I love it when the warillevers take my picture.
The Reagan museum is at his ranch in the Simi Valley. Beautiful view.
The Nixon museum is located at his birthplace. Pretty neat little house. We didn't go in, though. Something about the kids being too tired for a stuffy museum. I need my own wheels. Or rotors ! Then I would go to every single presidential site in the whole country! Maybe Ronnie would carry me?

Guest Post: Grover Beach

I am honored to have a real television and internet star as my guest blogger today. In addition to his fantabulous blog (Grover's Travels), he has been known to save kittens from trees and dry the tears from babies' cheeks. Welcome, Super Grover!

Between dazzling rescues and filmings of my hit television show I frequently spend some downtime with the warillevers. They are fun, and they travel to amazing places.

This past month, they took me along to Grover Beach, California.

I enjoyed the sunset:



and really appreciated it when they let me drive the rental car

Since this is a family-friendly blog, I won't tell you about all of my adventures, but I will leave you with a teaser photo....

The Meme of Fives

The rules:

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?

I was living in glorious South Bend, Indiana. Mr warillever had a summer internship downtown, and we both biked to work every day. I was taking my first class toward a Masters in Library Science.

What are five things on your to-do list today?

1. Do a freezer inventory
2. Create a menu plan that will use up everything in the freezer before we leave for vacation.
3. Call social worker to schedule the agents' final post-placement report
   
4. Write "Unplugged" post (it will be a good one!)
   
5. Go to book club at 7pm
   

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1. Carrot sticks
2. Mini pretzels and sharp cheddar cubes
3. Goldfish crackers
4. Black licorice
5. raw green beans

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1. Adopt one child a year for the next 15 years or so
2. Pay off all of our debt
3. Set up a charitable foundation so that mr warillever could make pro-life advocacy his full-time job.
4. Donate to (yet-to-be-determined) charities.
   
5. Travel. And bring my parents along.

What are five of your bad habits?

1. Starting new projects before I have completed the previous one.
2. Chewing my fingernails.
3. Spending way too much time on the computer
4. Forgetting that Agent 004 is only 3-years old
5. Taking mr warillever for granted

What are five places where you have lived?

1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Vermont
4. Indiana
5. Moscow, Russia (a college semester abroad)

What are five jobs you have had?

1. custodian
2. store clerk
3. day care assistant teacher
   
4. high school teacher
   
5. library aide

Five people I tag (links to come)

1. The Library Despot
2. The OCP Librarian
3. Capt. Walton
4. Frances
5. Stretch Mark Mama
   

No more Snow Boots

You Are Bare Feet

You are a true free spirit, and you can't be tied down. Even wearing shoes can be a little too constraining for you at times! You are very comfortable in your own skin. You are one of the most real people around. You don't have anything to hide. Open and accepting, you are willing to discuss or entertain almost any topic. You are a very tolerant person. You are accepting and not judgmental. You should live: Somewhere warm You should work: At your own business, where you can set the rules

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

A Tough Nut to Crack

You Are a Brazil Nut

To most people, you seem exotic, unusual, and even a bit scary. But you're really quite normal. You're just hard to get to know. If people leave you alone and let you do your thing, you really shine. But you tend to get lost in a crowd, especially if it's filled with big personalities.

What Nut Are You?

Why Can't I be a Comma?

Or a question mark? Or even an ellipses?

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

HT: Happy Catholic

I Always Considered Myself a Piglet

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

There once was a Mommy named B

I haven't shared any poetry in a while.

There once was a mommy named B
Home with baby and toddlers three.
Four kids and a cat,
Plus a man that's all that,
Who wouldn't want to be me?

more limericks at Rocks in My Dryer.

I Thought I was Worth More than This

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 16. What is your score? Get it here.

What with a "W" and all.

Forget the Elves.....

I know that y'all have seen dancing elves, but how about them turkeys?

Made me laugh. Had to share.

HT: Happy Catholic

Christmas Meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.
   
2. Real tree or artificial? Real. The warillever men went out into the woods and killed it themselves.
   
3. When do you put up the tree? We put it up the day after Thanksgiving, but didn't decorate it for another week.
   
4. When do you take the tree down? Just after the Epiphany.
5. Do you like eggnog? I have one glass at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My husband and daughter LOVE the stuff and could drink it by the gallon.
   
6. Favourite gift received as a child? My first bike. My godfather got it for me when was three or so.
   
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Curt Jester says Jesus, and I think he's right. But as for members of my family, it would have to be mr warillever. Not because he is picky, but because I always want it to be "just right."
   
9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I honestly can't remember any notably bad presents.
   
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? The real thing, with very cute pictures of the agents as an insert.
    
11. Favourite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life.
    
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Should I start soon?
    
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Absolutely.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Bread pudding.
    
15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights on the tree, but colored lights on the bushes out front.
16. Favourite Christmas song? Silent Night.
    
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home.
18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Ruben and Steve?
    
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Nothing. The tree is jammed right up into the ceiling.
    
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. And all day. At least the past two years, our kids have played with each gift as they opened it, so gift-opening literally takes all day.
    
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? That, despite my good intentions, it makes me frantic.
    
22. Best thing about this time of year? The good will and cheer. It is the one time of the year when it is acceptable to be outright giddy about your faith. That we light up our lawns, bring wildlife into our houses, bake cookies, sing songs, throw parties, give gifts, and drink hot wine, all to celebrate the birth of our Lord.
    

stolen from the Curt Jester

HT: From Under the Clutter

It may be a G-rated blog, but it is an R-rated life.... Today's drama centers around mr warillever's car, which decided to stop working in the middle lane of the highway on a Friday evening of a three-day weekend in leaf-peeping season. With no help from the tourists unwilling to slow down from the five-miles-per hour they were moving in toll traffic, mr warillever managed to push his heap of junk off to the side. The momentum of pushing got it going again, and after a dozen such stops (with help from several of our neighbors), he managed to get home.

We'll miss you, Nelly.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer : On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

6. More than an average day.

Soup : What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?

Specific. I cannot pronounce it correctly. It comes out more like Pacific.

Salad : Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?

No. I don't wear them because they give me a headache unless they are wraparounds, and even un-fashion-conscious me knows that just doesn't look right. And I would lose them anyway.

Main Course : If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?

My honey, my bunny, and my cat. You guess which one is which......

Dessert : Name a beverage that you enjoy.

The first cup of coffee in the morning.

Friday's Feast : Up Too Late

Appetizer: How are you today?

Splendid. And you?

Soup: Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.

I honestly watch very little television. The only show that I make a point to watch is Gray's Anatomy, and I am not certain that I will bother with that this season. The kids watch Curious George about once a week, and I catch glimpses of that.

Salad: What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?

Driving to a job interview in a pre-dawn snowstorm, I spun out my car. I backed the car back onto the highway and waited for a plow to come by. I managed to follow him at a safe distance for the rest of the trip, which made for much better conditions.

Main Course: If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?

I honestly don't think that you can beat New England in the fall, so I will pass on this one. But if it were winter, I think I might want to escape to somewhere warm for a few days.

Dessert: What do you usually wear to sleep?

Shorts and a t-shirt.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer : What is your favorite type of art?

Poetry. But if you are asking about the visual arts, I like a little bit of everything. In other words, I do not know enough to discern well. My favorite artists are Ilya Repin (especially the historical pieces like Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan), Albert Bierstadt, and Norman Rockwell. I do not like portraits.

My favorite painting is Alexander Ivanov's Apperance of Christ before the People.

Soup : When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?

Aren't they all free lunches when you don't have a job?

Salad : On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?

Three. I dare any of you to argue with me!

Main Course : Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?

Under 15 minutes.

Dessert : To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

55 degrees except for a half-hour for showers in the morning and an hour for bathtime in the evening. But the with the woodstove the temperature in the kitchen and play area are in the mid-60s during the day.

I dare you to join in!