well....

...i was all set to write about my trip to seattle this weekend, when i got obsessed with redoing the layout of my blog.

i'm sure this has happened to you--once you start the 'redo' process, be it of a blog, a closet, a room....somehow what was to be a simple thing becomes complicated.  i kept telling myself--just one more thing, just one more thing....

and now it tis time for me to go to bed.

i have a 7 am pilates class!

hopefully, my travels will be up on the blog tomorrow...

thanks...

just a quick note of thanks for the support, understanding, and valuable advice about the avocado plant....and of course, about penny, too!!

really?!? seriously?!?

in the last couple of days, i have been faced with 2 different situations that made me scratch my head and wonder--really?!? seriously?!?

ok, first up--our new house has a side gate on the driveway that we open and close as we come and go...but sometimes, we [read:i] forget and leave the gate open.  we also use the back door to let the pups in and out--hoping that someone [again, read: i] has remembered to close the gate.  well, saturday was garage sale day in our neighborhood.  and trust me--you took your life in your hands driving along the streets in said neighborhood.  i had to go on a quick run to the hardware store [more on that in another post] around 8am--prime garage sale shopping time.  cars were speeding up and slowing down up and down the street and people were walking everywhere.  by the time i returned home, i was relieved to be staying put...and so i guess i was in a forgetful mood.  the gate was left open.  MHD decided the pups needed some fresh air and promptly let them out.  we didn't think anything about it until MHD gets a phone call wondering if we were missing a short, funny-looking dog.  what?!? does this look like a short, funny-looking dog to you?

i mean really!  isn't my penny just the sweetest, cutest looking pup?!

now my second situation involves what i guess i should call 'my black thumb'.  i love plants and flowers but for some reason everything botanical just doesn't make it if i have anything to do with it.  i keep trying though.  so what i really wanted to do was to try and grow an avocado tree from the pit [seed] of an avocado.   now i have heard that it is easy to get them to sprout and then replant so it can grow into a tree, but that it won't produce fruit for many years.  that's fine with me...i can accept that.  so i rinse my pit, stick in the 4 toothpicks, and put it in a jar with water on my window ledge...

looks good, right?  well, two weeks later...it looked like this--

do you see any sprouting?  do you see anything?  i mean really?!? don't they do this kind of experiment in grade school?

so i ditched that one and found another excuse to eat an avocado [hello? is there anything better than guacamole?]  so now we have 'avocado tree--take 2'.

let's hope this one works?  have any of you tried this bit of botany before?  if so, do you have any tips or suggestions?  i really want this to work...

no. really. seriously.

best.show.opening.ever.

lately i have not been too into award shows...usually because i am not hip enough to know any of the nominees.  but this year i decided to dvr the emmys just because i think host jimmy fallon is super funny.  and i was not disappointed in the opening number...oh.my.  it had all my favorites:  glee cast members, the cute jimmy fallon who really can sing, tina fey, joel mchale, tim gunn, hurly from lost!! if you missed it, please watch and enjoy....if you have seen it already, then watch it again--it only gets better!

i just have one question...i guess i am not hip enough to know who the tiny girl in the red tank top who joins the 'club' when they are singing down the hallway--anyone know who she is?

i knew it...and i'm not the only one

what, exactly do i know?

well...that legos are awesome! i really don't remember playing with them much as a child...but when my kids were little, i really got into them. Sometimes i think i was more excited than my kids when they would receive a new set. i can't explain it...the thrill of building something with legos. i even treated myself with the falling water house by frank lloyd wright set this year. when my house gets settled, i plan to relish every minute of building it {of course, i will blog about it} and proudly displaying it. i know--i'm pretty much a geek!

but what brought this blog idea to mind? i saw an article last week that reinforced and frankly, justified my love of all things lego--

it seems a survey about the most popular toy ever made was done by toyology.com and the clear winner was--you guessed it lego!

read all about it here.

let me share just small offering of  lego coolness--

a dj booth...

if you want to, go here to learn how to make it.

or a tattooed lego guy... or two {presented by pilot pens}

 

or if you're in the mood for built-to-scale fast food...

or maybe you care to live in legos--bbc television host james may and  1,000 helpers built a 20ft-tall lego house on a wine estate in surrey complete with working plumbing and even a cat. it took over three million bricks...

feast your eyes...

and then there is this--

something called the brick testament...it is, in their words, "the world's largest, most comprehensive illustrated bible" with over 420 stories depicted--i just really don't know what to think about this...

here is an example of an illustration from noah's story--

but for me...the coolest lego 'creation' is not so much something built out of legos, but something repaired with legos...

the amazing work of jan vormann, a german artist who has traveled all over the world repairing gaps, cracks, etc. in buildings with, you guessed it again--legos! 

some examples in new york city

...look at the bottom right--

across from penn station/madison square garden

bryant park at 42nd street

one really cool example from barcelona

a massive example in tel aviv

and lastly, if you get a chance...visit a legoland theme park--trust me, you will be impressed.

are you a fan of lego?  or do you not see the beauty and creativity that legos afford? 

do you have a different favorite toy that you enjoy even today?

hello? hello? is anyone still out there?

contrary to popular belief, i did not fall off the face of the earth--

i've just been a bit distracted this summer.

whew!

what a summer it has been...i cannot wait to write about it all (i hope you all are still interested in the going-ons of the parrish family)!

i really hate to use an excuse...but i feel i must.  you see, we moved this summer.  some of you know the story--

spend 3 years designing/building our dream home...live in it 7 years...realize there is way more to living...simplify...find a great modern house in a neighborhood near our church...simplify...buy modern house...find renters for the dream home (the high end real estate market stinks right now)...simplify...and move!

from this:
our dream house

to this...

plus because we did need a little more room for the grand piano and an office for MHD, we are building an addition--

hopefully, you'll visit this blog often and see the posts as each room gets done.  i am really not planning on moving again...i am just getting too old...so i want to organize and furnish this house smartly, i.e. not too fast, but with a lot of thought.

so, you may be wondering what else happened this spring/summer--?

here's a preview*

prom/graduation for MDE

a wedding for MNL in atlanta

our annual trip to san diego

moving MDE to college

MTSC learning to drive

and of course, the move

*may not be posted in chronological order

i do hope that you will continue to visit my little blog...and just a reminder, i love love love comments! teehee

we can't stop laughing...part 2

i apologize for two goofy posts in a row...but, you know, sometimes you just need to laugh.

MDE and i came across this little show the other day by accident.  we were watching the son of a friend of ours and it was late afternoon--he was getting cranky, rubbing his eyes, seemed hungry but we were just trying to get him to make it another 30 minutes before we fed him.  now i know by playing the 'let's watch tv' card, we were taking the easy road...but we were out of tricks.  so we tuned in to nick, jr. and found THIS...the most awesome, funny show ever!  Here is our favorite clip...i believe we see the guest host around the 30-second mark but keep watching--his style only gets better.

what did you think?  am i right?  so so funny...in fact, i think he dances a lot like MHD!!! {sorry dear}