No More Muffin Top Muffins!

Almond Cherry Muffin

This is too good not to share!  It is all natural.  We used Almond flour and Stevia so it is low carb packed with protein.  It makes a great snack.  Make a cup of tea and enjoy.  These babies taste amazing!  

Disclaimer: If you are expecting it to taste like the processed muffins or sugar coma inducing pastry's from the store, you might be disappointed.  We are used to eating healthy alternatives.  We were so excited about it we gave a bite to a friend to try.  She said it tasted healthy and gritty.  She could eat it if she was starving!  Ha.  More for us, I guess.  

If you are brave, give it a try!  I don't think it tastes healthy for being really healthy, if you know what I mean. 

Almond Cherry Muffins

2 1/4  cups almond flour 

sugar substitute equivalent to 2 T sugar (we used 1 1/2 t stevia from Trader Joe's)

1 t  baking powder

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup cream

4 eggs

2 t almond extract

1 cup dried cherries 

Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan with 12 muffin cups.

In one bowl mix together all wet ingredients. In larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients (except cherries) Mix only till combined, do not beat.  Mix in cherries and divide evenly between muffin cups. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.  Let cool.  

Put on plate.  

Remove muffin cup.

Pick up.

Eat.  

Fin. 

The Little Old Door That Could

I never was a big fan of thrift shopping.  I usually just went to the typical mainstream stores in the local mall.  It seemed easier than sifting through racks and racks of clothes that were tattered, stained, or old just to find one good thing or maybe nothing at all.

I've changed my tune, due to the fact of actually finding some great original pieces at thrift stores in town for the fraction of the price.  Once you start seeing results, it's hard to stop.  I've learned what I can find at thrift stores and what I'm going to need to get at a regular store.  Pretty much, I don't go near the pants.  I need long pants and they are hard enough to find in regular stores. I stay away from plain staple tops, because most of the time I can get these at other stores in the clearance racks for the same price.  I have been able to find skirts, blouses, jackets, scarves, etc.  Oh and those sweet boots in my profile picture.  Four bucks.  I am not kidding! 

One store that has treated us very well is the 22nd Street Thrift Store.  I went there the other day with my new Thrifting Buddy.  We had a blast with our guilt-free shopping.  Seriously, you can clean out the place and not leave much of a dent in your wallet.  They have a coupon that you can print off their website for 50% off your whole purchase.  Not just one item.  Your. Whole. Purchase.  That's what I'm talking about!  Welcome to the wide world of thrifting!  

Found this skirt with the tags still on it.

Scored for $4.

This is how I styled it.  This is the same skirt, I swear.  The lighting was not cooperating.

How do you like my door?  Yes, we have had this great rustic old door just hanging around our house for awhile now.  I pulled it out because it needed some love.  This antique door was also thrifted up in Door County, WI.  Where else.  We picked it up at this great architectural graveyard of sorts.  Have you been to one of those places?  Your imagination could run wild with the endless design ideas to bring life to these ancient pieces.  Do you ever wonder where they came from?  Like this door.  Where was it before?  What grand people have swung it open or slammed it shut?  

My parents brought it home and had it leaning up against the wall in our living room.  Friends would come over and say, "What's up with the door?"  Oh yeah, that old thing.  It's just our door.  What.  You don't have one like it at your house?  How sad.  

The door managed to make the trip all the way to Tucson.  In a room where there was too much furniture for the square footage, impossible to fit everything in, the door made the cut with it's small footprint against the wall.  My parents threw a Mexican blanket over it and called it a day.  

Now it's the doors time to move on or maybe it's our time to move on from the door.  We had it in our last few garage sales and there were no buyers.  Can you imagine?  We can't go carrying this door with us everywhere we go, sadly.  I think you could do some pretty great stuff with it, though.  Wouldn't it make a great headboard?  

The door might be here for a little while longer and I think I'm in love, especially now that that Mexican blanket is nowhere in sight.  Come on, show it some love or give it a new home.  Going once... Going twice...

Read this, Lah! Or Else This Post Spoiled Already! Haiz.

While the majority of people in Malaysia speak English, it's nothing like American English.  Sometimes with their accents, it was almost like they were speaking another language.  It took a little getting use to and still there were times when I had to ask over and over again what they were saying which made me feel pretty dumb and left them frustrated.  Aiyo!

We speak Engrish! Ha!

Malaysia-isms:

1. So how?  Ex. We have to meet at the train station at 6, but we have an appointment all the way on the other side of the line at 5:30 and it'll be a jam(rush hour), so how?  Pretty much we have a problem.  How do we fix it?  Some friends felt kind of like they were under attack.  Fix it!  Fix it!!  It didn't bother me, because I adopted this phrase pretty quickly and answered their so how with a so how, so how?

2. Lah.  To lah or not to lah, that is the question.  Kind of hard to explain this one.  It's normally put at the end of a sentence.  Most of the time for emphasis or to make things sound more polite.  Ex. Hurry laahhh!! I'm starving lah! When are you coming, lah?  I think it can be kind of endearing, when not overused.  It's cute.

3. Spoiled.  Ex. My phone is spoiled already.  Translation: My phone is broken.

4. Aiyo or Aiya!!  Most commonly used as exclamation for frustration.

5. Haiz. Means sigh.

6. Boleh. {Pronounced: Bow-lay} Malay word meaning can.  Malaysia boleh is the nations slogan.  People say can a lot over there.  Ex. Do you want to go to the store? Answer: Can.  Not yes I would like to go, just can.

7. Is it? This one still doesn't make much sense to me.  Ex. My friend told me there is a really big sale on at Time Square.  The reply to this would be: Is it?  What I get from it is it means something like oh really?


8. Last time.  They use last time for anything in the past.  It is not necessarily the last time this certain thing happened.  It just in fact happened sometime in the past... err... last time.

That's all I can think of right now.  Thought I'd share in case there is ever the slightest chance you ever go over to Malaysia, you will be able to understand that much faster! ; )

Make It Work!

Before

Poor sad, little dresser.  

It was turning yellow and depressing sitting in my closet.

If there were Prozac for dressers... 

After

Fresh coat of spiffy new paint with crackling.  

Happy Dresser! 

Also, doesn't help that the first picture is in our garage with the harsh concrete floors compared to in Syd's room with the nice mustard wall as a backdrop.  Kind of like those before and after diet/workout pictures.  The before picture they are always slouching and pale.  Whereas in the after pictures they are standing tall with a miraculous spray tan.  Hmm, I'm sure they didn't plan that one.  *ping* 

Before

Check out that hanging artwork with the pictures... Meh...

After

Turned sideways it becomes an aesthetically pleasing holder for our necklaces.

Don't you just hate when they get all tangled?  We don't have to worry about that anymore!

All of these new creations have somehow ended up in Sydney's room.  

How did she manage that?

Next project, maybe.  

{via}

I am dying to get my hands on some chalkboard paint and go crazy with it.

And this one will be all mine! 

The Run-In

Don't you hate it when you bump into random acquaintances in random places?  You know, you are minding your own little business maybe shopping or at a restaurant.  You are having a grand 'ol time.  When out of nowhere you are thrown on an obligatory mind numbing chit chat sesh with someone you don't really care to talk to in the first place.

Oh. Hi. How are you?

Good.  What have you been up to?

Not much.  Just shopping.

I can see that.  I just stopped by to pick up a few things.

Oh really?

Ahh!!  Can I go hide in the clothes racks until they are gone in order to avoid this situation?

Am I alone on this one?  I wonder if they are thinking the same thing about running into me.  If we both just pretend that we didn't see each other, that would be cool.  We could just go on with our errand running in peace.

We Put Birds On Things

I have totally fallen prey to this whole bird design craze. 
I have no idea why birds make things instantly cuter and quirky, but they somehow do! 
Put a bird on it.  Make it pretty.

We used to have a cockatiel.  He liked me and used to sit on the couch while I watched early morning cartoons.  He didn't like Syd so much, because she was little and used to step on his tail. We named him Woody.  We named our yellow lab, Simba.  Could we be any more lame with our pet naming abilities?  Or how about our two hamsters that we named Cotton and Candy.  Oh, that's rich!  We were not cool like a certain family I know who named their fish after characters from The Office.  That's pretty funny. *Shakes fist at disgraceful little girl self*  Steve. 

Anyway, back to birds.  Does anyone really like them?  Other than on their clothes, jewelry, bags, notebooks, and little figurines sitting all pretty in their houses?  Birds are having their moment of popularity.  Live it up, Birds.  It's bound to be short lived.  Then we'll all go back to thinking you're gross.  Eww!



Good Things Happening to My Mouth and Me

You know you are true friends when you can not see someone for two whole years and then pick up as if you just saw them yesterday.  It's nice.  A lot changes in two years, yet your friendship doesn't change.  There aren't too many people like that.  Thanks, guys.  It was good!  

Kind of like my friends, the Brooklyn Pizza Company garlic knots.  It had been too long.  Thanks for the good times last night.  It was as if we had never been apart.  Happy reunion of garlic and bread at it's finest. So good! 

After party led us to Hub Restaurant and Ice Creamery on Congress.  It just opened and we had to try it.  Now we had pretty high expectations.  After having Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco, nothing here comes close to it.  Until now.  Bi-Rite's still got this beat, but it is a huge step in the right direction from the usual offerings of Dairy Queen.  We've always found it so strange that being hot year round there are not any good authentic ice cream places here.  We are not talking the ice cream shoppes that sell the same ice cream that you can get in the grocery store for quadruple the price.  We are talking flavors like Salted Caramel and Bourbon Almond Brittle.  If you don't go, then your mouth will be missing out something fierce.  My mouth will laugh at your mouth and that never ends well.  

In all seriousness, this might be a new stomping ground.  It had all the things a nice place to escape the Southwest should have.  Exposed brick, dim lighting, comfortable nooks, a dj spinning Passion Pit, all good things.  I can't speak for the food yet, but the ice cream alone has got me hooked.  Go.  Your mouth will thank you! 

Friendship from a Scam Artist

We heard the stories.  A group of gypsy kids will surround you pulling and yanking on all your bits leaving you feeling violated and with no money.  Or the story of the old woman who would throw her baby (actually a doll impersonating a baby) at you.  You would try to catch it, saving the poor things life. This would be the perfect distraction for them to pounce taking everything you've got.  This did not happen to us.  I don't know what I would have done if it did.  I don't know karate, but I know cah-razy.

One day, we were strolling through one of the many piazzas in Rome.  That place is pretty great, you know.  I would love to travel around Italy more.  Since we were young and our parents would've freaked out if we did the whole backpacking thing, we pretty much stuck to Rome.  Back to the piazza.  It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny and full of promise as only a day in Rome could be.  Out of nowhere these guys come up to us asking for our pinky.  I didn't know what they wanted to do, but they were not gonna do it with my pinky.  My other friend had her hand out though and before she could say pinky... swear? this dude had wrapped two pieces of thread around her finger and was madly twisting away.  A friendship bracelet, for me?  How sweet of you.  Except not really, since they were demanding she pay for said unsolicited gift.

She stood her ground. "I'm not paying for this.  I didn't want it in the first place!"

"But I made it, just for you!"

Back and forth they went.  Now his other buddies came up around us.  We gripped our bags.

"I will give it to you for a kiss."  This guy looked like a slightly cleaner cut Johnny Depp circa Chocolat.  Oh, you are good, Johnny, you are good.  Hmm... I'll have to think about that.

You lose, perfectly rugged gypsy man!  She was strong and walked away with a free friendship bracelet.  Thank you very much.  Gelato anyone?

Victory is mine!  

He was  It is pretty, no?

Now All I Need is Some Lipstick

Am I the only one loving this messy side ponytail!  

There is a full tutorial here.  I tried it yesterday.  Love!  

I get in a rut with my hair always just leaving it down.  What is long hair for but to play around with different styles?  With all the teasing in back, it felt like I had an extra pillow last night.  I slept good!

Try it!

A Tall Tale

Things silly people say to tall people:

Someone says, "You are tall!" To which I say, "You are short!"  What? I thought we were just stating the obvious.

Random Stranger comes up to me. "You must play basketball/volleyball."  I would appreciate you taking those tall people stereotypes elsewhere.  "Do I look like I play basketball?" You do not want to see me on a court  I do have a number of other very interesting talents.  Don't want to talk about that?  Okay, bye bye!

When I occasionally talk about how it's not so great to be tall sometimes, people will say, "Models are tall." And that helps me how?

Tall guy who married a girl a foot shorter than him says, "Short girls are so cute!"  I know.  Us tall girls will never be cute like you shorter girls.  Where does that leave us?  Good for getting things off the top shelf and basketball apparently. 

My sister and I heard this a lot while we were growing up. "You guys are getting so big."  My mom would reply, "I know, aren't they huge!"  Thanks, Mom. 

That is just to name a few.

It's not easy being tall!  It can get kind of cramped.  Especially when it comes to leg room.  Many things are not designed with tall people in mind.

 

You know you're tall when you stand up in a bathroom stall and can see yourself over the stall door in the mirror and the girl primping by the sink.  Oh, hi there!  Not awkward at all.

Sometimes I wonder what it is like to look up to more than a handful of people.  To not have to try to find long pants that are still not long enough, only to have them shrink in the first wash.  You know all those cute dresses and skirts out there in the shops?  They are all just a couple inches too short.  Forget about sleeves being long enough.  Oh to be 5'7"!

Don't get me wrong.  I love being tall!  I wear heels still and everything.  There are some perks.  You can easily see in crowds to find people or easily be found.  You can get places fast.  Or at least we do.  Our legs are long.  We are not running.  That's just our natural stride.  If you gain a few pounds or 10 or 15, no one notices except you and your pile of clothes that no longer fit.  Not that that is the case for me, but you will never know because I'm tall!  Ha Ha. 

There you have it! For all you short people wishing you were tall, it's not as great as you might think.  It's not so bad either. 

Friend or Foe?

An exciting surprise is getting Netflix in the mail.  You never know what you might get.  Now you are thinking, but you pick the movies yourself and add them to the list, how is that at all surprising or exciting? We aren't on Netflix personally editing that list everyday making sure we get the newest releases.  Oh no.  We might go on there load up on a few random movies, foreign films, cartoons, etc.  Who knows in what order or even what that movie was about after you hit add to queue it is immediately forgotten.  Hence, the exciting surprise when this mystery movie comes in the mail.

Such was the case with the Japanese foreign film we got this week.  I had high hopes as I always do with foreign films.  Some days I'm all for the slow drama that is the foreign film, but this one blew all the rest out of the water.  If you are not a fan of awkward silence, run far away from this movie.  Do you like watching someone pour a glass of water and drink it very slowly?  You might enjoy Tokyo Sonata.  

Then there is the added "I have to read?" element.  Closed captioning is our family's friend.  We have to have it on.  If there is no closed captioning, I might go slightly crazy for the first few minutes.  Where are the words???  The words??  Okay, I'm better now.  You either love them or hate them.  Those who hate closed captioning, here is a question for you.  I want an honest answer.  Can you always understand what everyone is saying, really?  I have a hard time believing that you do.

 

For example, we had some friends over and they were anti closed captioning.  We were going to watch a movie.  As the amazing hosts that we are, we conceded to turning off the closed captioning just for them.  Just this once.  Halfway through the movie, it happens.  The actor is mumbling.  

CC Hater: What did he say?? 

CC Lover: I don't know.  We would know if the CC were on!

CC Hater: Play it back.  Let's try it again.  (Believing their super hearing would be able to decipher what's being said without the aid of closed captioning.)

CC Lover: Sure.  (Humoring them knowing full well their poor excuse of hearing is going to fail them.  The actor is clearly incomprehensible.  Who hires these people anyways?)

CC Hater: *strains to hear once again* *bows head in utter defeat*  Turn on the closed captioning.

CC Lover: *switches to closed captioning* *rewind* Ahh, to understand again!  Those glorious words! 

That is how closed captioning always wins in the end.  I didn't hear that car honk or dog bark, but the words say it is so and so it must be.  If you hate closed captioning, state your case... now go!  But we might not be friends after this.  

Shutting Up Now

Take it from me.  It's better to keep quiet about plans until they are certain to happen.  I thought a number of things would happen last year and they didn't.  It's okay, because we are keeping busy here in the meantime.  This has been a year of uncertainty and it's my fault for getting too excited over the possibilities of change and talking a little too much about it to a few too many people.  Here's what some of my conversations of late have been like.

Friend: You're still here?

Me: Yup, still here.

Friend: I thought you were going there!

Me: Well, umm, *enter me rambling about a couple of the reasons why things didn't work out, because I give way too many details and can't give vague, straight forward answers for the life of me.  Someone please help me!*

Friend: Ok, well, see ya later!  

If we've had this conversation, I am so very sorry!  

Here is me not talking about future plans anymore.  I'm not saying I don't have something brewin', but you won't be hearing from me about it.  Hey, I'm just doing us all a favor in saving us from having these painfully awkward conversations in the future.  

Pictures, Pictures on the Wall

Polaroids + Hearts = Simply Lovely

{via Black Eiffel}

How easy would this be to recreate?  I sold some of my art work that was hanging in my room in our last garage sale.  The space is looking a little bare.  This would do just the trick, I think.  Still going along the lines of simplifying.  No need to buy anything and easy to move.  Just goes to show, design doesn't have to be expensive.  

Another idea. 

{Image by Rue Magazine}

The Verdict Is In

The gem show is here once again.  I'm sure it is the highlight of the year for some serious jewelers, merchants, and beadsters.  The city's economy is booming for a couple weeks.  I always wonder how some of these hotels stay in business.  For us commoners, it means more traffic.  Could it get any worse in this big city with no freeways?  As if we didn't waste enough of our lives in a car, let's tack on an extra 15 minutes trying to get through each stop light.  Lovely.  It also means, in general, things are more crowded.  For example, Restaurants have longer waits due to all these gem showers.  Can you tell I don't like waiting? 

We went to the gem show the other day.  It's nice to get out of the car and walk around a bit.  You never know what "gems" you might find, if you will.  What you will find are a lot of rocks, rocks, and more rocks.  There are also mountains of cheap beads thrown into the mix.  You might even find cell phone charms made out of, you guessed it, beads.  I don't know who in the world buys those, but obviously there are some customers or they would stop making them, right?  In Malaysia, a bunch of people had these hanging off their cell phones, which amused me immensely.  Then there is booth after booth of turquoise southwestern style jewelry.  It's just not my thing.  Out of everything we looked at we did manage to find a few unique pieces.  

Exhibit A: Model Syd

Can you guess what we bought at the gem show?

Also, Syd pointed out that I always like to cut her head out of the picture. 

Point taken.

Exhibit B: Model Tay

Tibetan scarf made with boiled wool which makes it softer and gives it a really nice texture. 

Exhibit C: Model A Rock of Salt

Himalayan Salt to be exact.

This salt is actually my new deodorant block, just add water.  We'll see how it works.  Trying to get away from the deodorant otherwise known as Alzheimer's Friend.  We borrowed this eco-friendly beauty product book from the library.  It's pretty much telling us what we want to know and don't want to know,  how everything in our beauty makers are horrible for us.  It's nothing we didn't already know.  We have tried a whole lot of natural stuff before and still use some natural products.  I'm a girl that sweats though, so I haven't found a good natural deodorant.  Too much information?  I didn't think so.  What are your go-to natural products?

The Verdict: Gem show - nay with a bit of yay

Kissing, Big Buns & Making a Fool of Myself

I don't know why this keeps happening.  The last couple of weekends I've posted just random little bullet points of silly things.  I guess that nothing deep or substantial happens on the weekend or maybe I just don't feel like being deep, better leave that for a weekday.  I don't know if I like this though, because you will start expecting me to write these silly anecdotes every weekend.  Then that one weekend when I've got nothing, I might bitterly disappoint you.  I don't know if I can handle that kind of pressure!  Eh, no one reads this thing anyway, right?  Phew, I feel better.

Here goes nothing:

1) Fun Fact Nepal Style.  We were trying to explain to the Nepalese about marriage and monogamy/being faithful.  We are very limited in our Nepalese sign language and so we could only think of saying if you are married you shouldn't go kissing other people.  Then they explained to us in Nepal they don't kiss.  Really?  They said they don't kiss on the lips, only the cheek.  We asked even if you're married?  Yes, only the cheek.  Interesting.  Then they asked us why does everyone in America like kissing so much?  Ha.  Good question.

2) I may be going deaf or need to pay better attention, most likely both.  We were meeting a couple new ladies and they were asking us how we like Tucson.  Sydney said she liked it okay.  Then we were saying that it wasn't our favorite place, but we hadn't figured out exactly where we were going to end up yet.  One of the ladies started talking about moving.  Then the other lady looked right at me and she had a really soft voice.  I don't do well with hearing people with soft voices.  I am in a family of loud talkers. One lady asked me if my mom was hard of hearing, because she talks so loud as if she is trying to hear herself.  True story.
Anyway, the lady whispered, "I like it here." 
I said, "Thank you." 
See, what I had heard was I like your hair.  I thought it seemed weird, but then who doesn't like a compliment every now and then.  
I figured out pretty quickly that I had not heard correctly.  Everyone looked at me puzzled and then shrugged their shoulders going on their merry way of conversation.  I told Syd about it later.
She said, "I was wondering why you said thank you.  It didn't make any sense.  Why would you say thank you?" 
Then we remembered the story of when my mom went to this work conference and this guy came walking up to the lunch table. 
He said, "Hi, my name is Stu."
My mom anwered, "I'm fine, how are you?"
Oh boy.  I am my mother's daughter!  Has this ever happened to you?  Awkward.

3) My obsession with big buns continues, big hair buns that is.  I'll end with these pictures from Ban.Do!  I love this.  Big bun, enormous flower clip, cardigan with embellishment, and confetti!  Also, those shoe clips.  Could I go around town rocking those without people thinking I was looney tunes?  Maybe not in this town.  Aren't they oh so quirky? 

{Shop Ban.Do}

This Blog is Kind of a Big Deal Around Here

I'm just kidding.  I've been hanging around this blog for about a month now.  I have already had over 1,000 page views and viewers from five different countries.  Is this good in the bloggie world?  I have no idea.  It just goes to show that some people are enjoying these silly musings of mine.  I wish I had used Blogger on our other blog of Malaysia experiences.  I heard that our experiences reached to different countries, but it would've been neat to see how many people were actually reading.  We didn't hear from too many people when we were over there, you see.

I started this blog to get back into writing a bit, which has been a love of mine since I was a little thing.  I use to write stories a lot.  Then I caught a case of the dreaded writer's block, for about five years.  Needless to say, I've been enjoying this.  I also wanted to use this blog as a platform to keep some of the things I've stumbled upon online that have struck a chord with me and to share with you, too.  Of course, most importantly to try to keep in touch with family and friends that are sadly far, far away.  I miss you all loads!  Muah!

Now have you ever seen someone walking down the street having a very interesting fanciful conversation no doubt, talking animately to themselves?  You kind of think to yourself,  "Aww that sad, crazy lady."  Am I right?  You picturing it?  Well, that's kind of like me with this blog.  Now you see the comment box below?  Right down there?  It's quite easy to set up a little account and start typing away.  You'll be happy you did.  You will make this crazy lady's day.  Thanks for all the little comments so far.  I love hearing from you!

Now if you don't want to comment here, I also added a contact me link right up there!  Get those fingers a flyin' and e-mail away, my friends.

I'm waiting!  

Purikura! Say what??

Let me introduce you to the Japanese sticker photo booth.  You think a regular boardwalk photo booth is entertaining, hold on to your hats, ladies and gents for the Purikura!  In Asian arcades they have a whole room full of these photo booths.  They all have different features, backgrounds, sizes, etc.  The lighting in those things is amazing and it gives your skin such a fresh, clean glow.  If they were smart, they would get those lights for dressing rooms.  All the bright colors and J-pop blaring in the background, you can't help but be happy.  It's not the most calming experience, you see everything is in Japanese and there are so many buttons and customizing that can be done.  You could spend hours in there, so that's probably why they have a timer.  The screens change so fast and pretty much by the time you figure out what you're looking at the timer is beeping and this happy Japanese voice is counting down.  We just frantically pushed the first thing that was closest to our finger at that point.  *Smile*  

We saw these stickers everywhere.  On phones, books, pretty much stuck to any surface possible.  The more extra little images stuck on the better.  Our pictures are pretty plain compared to most we saw.  We are Purikura amateurs obviously.  If you ever come across one, you must try it!  Then you will have awesome pictures like we do!  

  

Us getting our Asian on!

These make me so happy!

Kickin' It Old School

*Ring Ring*

Oh, hello! 

I got a new phone case.  I love it so hard!  

Even if it technically isn't compatible with my iPhone 4, it still works.

  

It came with the plastic cassette case and all.  I needed this to study my sign language.

Simplifying Is Complicated

I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true.  You would think trying to simplify your life would be, just that, simple. It is not.  Complicated is Simplify's awful middle name, you know like Ann or Lynn.  Now don't get me wrong, I love all of you Ann's and Lynn's out there.  My mom's middle name is Ann and she turned out okay.  For any of you who had parents who actually cared a little by giving middle name some dignity, high fives all around.  Did you just virtual high five?  Nerd.  

So back to simplifying.  It wasn't hard to be simple when we just left all our stuff and jumped over to Malaysia with a couple suitcases.  We lived out of those suitcases for five months.  Didn't feel like we were missing too much, either.  Amazing what you can live without when in a situation where it's cool to make do with practically nothing.  It's like an adventure.  You're in another country roughing it out.  You know, I don't need that can opener.  I'll just use my teeth.  Towels?  Who needs them?  I'll just stand in front of this oscillating fan.  This did happen once at a place we were staying.  True Story.  It's not so glamorous when you get back to the States and you are bombarded with pretty things and you have a closet and drawers full of clothes that you forgot you had.  It's hard to get rid of stuff for reals and pare down to those "two suitcases". 

Complicated is trying to figure out what to get rid of.  I've gone through bags of clothes and it seems like it hasn't even made a dent.  I'll be giving it another go soon.  Anyone need anything?

I brought all my books to Bookman's.  I love books.  I would love to have a whole room full of books. Do I need books on shelves to look like I'm well read?  Nope.  Books are heavy.  Books take up a lot of room.  A private library does not travel well.  Don't get me wrong, I will always have some books on hand.  I carry a book with me at all times, in fact.  I don't normally read books over and over again though.  So I traded in all my classics, the ones I had been holding onto with a death grip.  Sniff sniff.  This is what I'm going to do from now on.  When I'm finished with a book I'll trade it in at the used book store and get another one keeping my book collection down to a minimum.  There is always the library!

Too bad our libraries don't look like this one.  I would be getting lost in here for sure.

{via Hither and Thither}

Simplifying is complicated stuff and I just talked about unloading books.  What about the house?  Oh yeah, that.

Child's Play. Or Is It?

When it comes to animated movies, they are never really at the top of my must see list.  I want to see them eventually, but for some reason I never feel like watching them.  That's why I stick them on my Netflix queue and since I never update it, I know eventually the movies will be coming in the mail and it will force me to watch them. 

Toy Story 3 came in the mail the other day.  I know, you probably all have seen it already (I'm behind again).  It was such a sweet movie!  Can you believe the original Toy Story came out in 1995?  Big changes and growing up is so hard to do sometimes.  This movie got me thinking about my toys.  I don't have any now.  I was digging deep in this noggin and I still don't remember any outstanding toys that even made much of an impression.  I had a Talk Boy, which was pretty rad.  I never was into dolls much.  Is that sad?  What I do remember was pushing the big bucket chairs all together in my grandparents basement and pretending we were on a boat.  The floor was water or lava and if we were to *gasp* touch the ground it would lead to our deaths.  We would also play a game called The Blob.  It consisted of a friend with a sheet over them (the blob) chasing us around the house.  Very original, I know.  Also, we would run around the house hiding from monsters, dinosaurs, or tornadoes out to get us.  We had morbid imaginations.  What was wrong with us? 

Bear with me for this next bit, I might have a point.  This past year I actually got to spend some time with an old childhood friend.  We drifted apart at the tender age of seven or eight, due to our parents being the total slackers that they were and not planning any more play dates.  I'm blaming the parents of course, because at eight years old, everything is still their fault.  We were chatting about this horrible, scar you for life sleepover we both attended.  She said I had this amazing stuffed animal there.  It was scratch and sniff or else maybe it just smelled really good.  She said she remembered I always had the best toys. I told her that I was always jealous of her with her awesome basement where we use to roller blade.  It's all a matter of perspective.  Here I can't even remember any of my toys, but apparently I had many.  I was not a very good owner, my poor abandoned toys.  How funny what kids remember, huh?  Isn't it fun to reminisce and reconnect with long lost buddies?

I can't leave you with no pictures in this post, now can I?  If you skipped my deep thoughts on toys to look at these pictures, shame on you.  I'll only stay mad for a second though, because I might do that too.

One of our less morbid childhood activities!  Making blanket forts.  Isn't it the best to escape the world around you in your handmade hideaway?  We made a mean blanket fort back in the day out of our dad's home gym, blankets, pillows, some sugar and spice and everything nice.

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Now go and make yourself a blanket fort while watching Toy Story 3.  Stat!  Because, you know, you're cool like that.