a peek inside the fish bowl.

:: Fortified with freshness ::

> Draw yourself in five lines.

> I left my heart in San Fransicso. And then someone put it online.

> Stop motion photo experiment. I'd love to try this.

> TV commericials from the 80s. I really really wanted these.

> I want one of these Thérapie lamps. OK, we have to win a lottery first. THEN, I want the lamp.

> More good reads to be found at riley dog.

> When I was a kid all I wanted was a tree fort. Those with the dollars to spend can have something a lot nicer.

> Ah, beautiful photos, and links to beautiful photos, and good reading too.

> Another fave blog. You must check out the photojunkie.

>Also, Not Martha. My marble-magnet inspiration.

> Blogalicious: Ultramicroscopic. Also, Dave Barry has his own blog. I never used to like Dave Barry, until I read Dave Barry.

:: :: :: ::

collected list o'links

I have two interesting self-portraits to show here. Emma is the artist.

1) Emma In Red Crayon
- she looks like she means business, talk about a poker face.
- I have no idea what that dot is supposed to be in the lower quadrant of her face, but perhaps it's a chin.
- Emma tried to write her name at the top, then scribbled over it in red and continued around the paper and created a border. I wrote her name in there afterwards

2) Emma in Blue Crayon
- The addition of eyebrows adds an interesting, more pensive "I'm a girl of the world" effect, don't you think?
- the round things in her hair are curls. This was added after my observation: "but Emma, isn't your hair curlier than that?"
- re: the lines at the top indicate a cage. Emma drew herself in a cage here. And no, she has never seen the inside of a cage. The closest thing is probably her crib or her playpen once upon a time. :)

(Two new pics on the main page, in case you skipped it)

Yesterday we went to Carlingwood after dinner. There is a DQ there now. I had a Skor Blizzard that practically melted my fillings. I haven't had anything that sweet in a long time. Emma and Sarah both had chocolate-dipped cones. They made a total mess. The lack of absorbency in the DQ napkins they have there is startlingly poor. This then forces us to use handfuls of them. Wouldn't it be more cost-effective to make ones that actually mopped up a sugary wet face?

Afterwards we went to the dollar store (a *real* dollar store, where everything actually costs a dollar) and spent thirty bucks. Yes, I managed to find thirty items. I picked up lots of good craft stuff, some toys etc. It was quite a rush.

I hate to say it, but sometimes shopping does help cure a case of the blues. After Sarah went to bed I headed out to Value Village where I bought a backless gold lame top. Three bucks. I may wear it once. But it totally makes me laugh.

I also tried on a seriously retro dress. As soon as I pulled it off the rack I thought "flight attendant."

It was a couture dress, for sure, right out of the 70s. The label was in Italian - Bellissima something or other. I tried it on, why, I could never have occasion to wear it. This dress is going to be a museum piece some day. It was a one-piece. The blouse part was semitransparent, with orange and blue stripes. Gold buttons up the front with a collar. The skirt was blue, and came down to my knees. It came with a blue belt. It looked awful on me. I think it was the belt. It just split me in half. But I'm sure it would have looked spectacular on a tall, lean, young fashionista in 1973, with her dark hair piled on her head. She would have had a cigarette in one hand (in a long black holder, of course) and a glass of red wine in the other.

I left it there.

We're having a rather bleak Saturday, weather-wise. Sarah is napping and Emma is camped out in front of the television. Emma and I did some painting earlier on some dollar-store small canvasses and acrylic paints. I'm not sure about hers. She mixed her colours and kept forgetting to clean her brush. But mine turned out pretty good... a red tulip done in naive contemporary style. :)

Swimming lessons were earlier today. I went in with Sarah again. (Mark, it's YOUR TURN next week.). It's the same routine, the same songs, the same jumping and splashing and tricks to make the kids put their faces in the water, but she loves it. I have fun too.

There is this a fellow in our class who looks exactly like Wayne Gretzy. He has a red maple leaf tattoo. I am 99.9% certain it isn't Wayne Gretzy, but this makes me wonder. If it was, would I recognize him? Obviously not.

Otherwise, swimming was great, other than the fact that I forgot to bring a diaper for Sarah.

The other night Emma and I were having our nightly chat. It's become a ritual. I sit with her before she goes to sleep. We talk about our day and cuddle and giggle.

Time came around to the goodnight kisses. She pressed her lips to mine... and poked her tongue in my mouth. I was slightly taken aback. (Reminder, she's not even four.) So, trying not to make a big deal about it, I asked her why she kissed me liked that.

"Why did you do that?"
"I don't know."
"Who do you know kisses like that?"
"I do."
"Yes, and who else?"
"Gracie."

Ah, Gracie. Emma's friend and shadow. Gracie, who every day asks us if she an come over to our house to play. A sweet girl, really.

"Why does Grace kiss like that?"
"I don't know. I guess she likes it."

Then I fondly called Emma a poopoo head. I didn't even think about what I was saying. I think this comes from the fact that we used to call her "boo" and booboo when she was a baby.

She turned to me.

"That's BATHROOM talk mom!" She scolded.
"What's bathroom talk?"
"Poo and pee. That's bathroom talk."
"But what if you really have to pee, and you have to tell your teacher?"
"Well, that's ok then."

andrea