19/52

Singing Saturday 18/52

Family Friday 18/52

Today I had my last muffins for moms. It was sweet and cute as these things often are.

You can see that M is still feeling a bit under the weather. Such nice allergy eyes he has. But we went to the dr. today and she said his lungs are much better.

Monday was the boy's last orchestra concert for the year.

Thoughts 18/52

It's been a weird week.

Poor M is still unwell. He had a massive melt-down today. to the point where I had to hold him to keep him from hurting himself or someone else. And as if that wasn't intense enough, it triggered an asthma like attack. That scared him enough to get him to calm down, but it lasted about half an hour. It was a bit scary, to be honest. He's okay now. Once I got him to eat something it helped a lot.

I've got to take the girl back to the orthopedist in the morning. We didn't make it to as many therapy appts as we should have, but she is using her hand now, so I think we will be ok.

My favorite kpop singer left for his mandatory military service this week. It was very strange.

I'm tired.

Scripture 18/52

This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest for your souls.

--Jer 6:16

Quotes 18/52

“Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.”

—	Langston Hughes, “Dreams”

18/52

18/52, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

Singing Saturday 17/52

Brice and Farmer

Family Friday

Been home this week with a sick M. He's wheezing and having severe allergies. So he gets to be on an inhaler. Which is so much fun. It's like giving him 3 double espressos. The weather has been wet and cool, which doesn't help at all. Hopefully it will clear up fast. sigh.

Scripture 17/52

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

—	Psalms 51:10

Quotes 17/52

“You don't remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened.” 
― John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

17/52

Singing Saturday 16/52

SHINee's back.

Actually, they came back the first time the week I posted them but I didn't feel like changing it, so. Anywho. Because the company they work for has perfected the art of taking money from young girls, their album was split into two. This is a bit different in that usually a second album is released with additional songs, but this time it was just split into two mini albums.  The first is called Dream Girl:The Misconception of You and the title track is Dream Girl.



Honestly, I think this is probably my favorite Kpop album because I feel like the music is consistent and there is not a song I don't like. My only complaint is that Onew needs to be heard more, but that's just a fangirl problem, lol.

The second part of the album is being released this week and is titled The Misconceptions of Me. I have heard the track teaser and I think it will be just as good as the first part. Here is the single called Why So Serious

Family Friday 16/52

Today my youngest child asked me:

"Momma, do the people in movies get bathroom breaks?"

Thoughts 16/52

Summer is creeping up on us. The kids have one month of school left. Although this week is their testing week, so not much happens after this.

I need to start figuring out what is going on the next couple of months. My oldest nephew is graduating from high school this year. He is graduating from the same school I did. But what is most frightening about this is that this means that this year is my 20 yr reunion. I feel very old, lol. I don't know what is being planned. I am  not attending. I went to my 5 yr reunion and no one talked to me, even the people I had been close to. Maybe I will make an appearance at the 25 yr mark.

Scripture 16/52

1 Peter 5:10

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Tuesday To-Do 16/52

This is a work in progress. A friend has helped start a group at the church where I work that meets once a month to do crafty stuff on a Friday night. So I went last Friday and I needed something to craft, so I am doing this. The design is from urban threads. It's been a long time since I embroidered. I think I missed it. It's got a nice rhythm to it and unlike things like crochet or knitting where you have to be conscious of counting, embroidery is just following the lines. So my mind can wander or I can watch a movie or listen to people talk.

My goal with this is to eventually make it into a euro sham, and of course I will need a second one, so I have a plan for that, too.

I would like to get back into crafting this summer. I really haven't done much in the last year or more.

16/52

Quotes 16/52

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

C. S. Lewis

Singing Saturday 15/52

Continuing with my theme for the month, today is my favorite songs featuring Sungmin on the guitar. Sungmin, Ryeowook, and Heechul all are from Super Junior.

First is Ryeowook singing his solo from the 4th album.





Second is Sungmin accompanying himself at a radio concert.






And lastly, Heechul.

Quotes 15/52

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” 
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey

006, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

pic for this week

017, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

pic for last week

Singing Saturday 14/52

Continuing with the favorite K-pop performances theme this week, this is actually a recent performance. Exo is a rookie group from the same company as Super Junior and SHINee(these are my three favorite groups, actually). Exo is an interesting concept from SM. Together there are 12 members, but they only perform as one on few occasions. They are subdivided into two goups, Exo-K(orea) and Exo-M(andarin). They sing the same songs and promote at the same time, but K sings and promotes in Korea(songs are in Korean) while M does the same in China(singing in Chinese). SM already has a corner in the mando-pop field with Super Junior-M(a subgroup of Super Junior) but they are limited in their promotions because most of the time they are busy being just Super Junior. Exo- M has done surprisingly well even in Korea. They have 4 chinese members and two korean members. I prefer M over K but I am not sure why. Maybe because they are collectively a bit older than K, but they really have a very different vibe about them.

Here is a live performance of the Journey classic Open Arms. Considering only one of them actually speaks english(the one on the left, but he is a rapper, not a singer so), they do a pretty good job.


 



Here is an official music video-if you happen to watch this, the english is really awful(SM songwriters are notorious for their awful english-even though they have plenty of canadian idols that speak it)

and in case you were interested here is the Korean version.

Scripture 14/52

Tuesday To-Do's 14/52

Not much to say this week, you may have noticed I didn't get a picture up this week. Splitcat was out of town last week and had both cameras with him. He was in Washington, DC on a field trip. I'll try to get one up this week some time.

I've been working on cleaning out my bedroom and getting laundry sorted, then I want to get to work on the girls room.

Speaking of the girl. I had to take her to the orthopaedist because he rehurt her arm a couple of weeks ago. She seems to have misaligned her wrist joint. It's not exactly dislocated, but something like that. But she refuses to move her hand or let anyone touch it(the dr. said it might be pressing on a nerve) so she needs physical therapy before the dr. can do anything. Still, she may need surgery. So please pray for her.

Quotes 14/52

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” 
― Elie Wiesel

Singing Saturday 13/52

I've run out of indie bands for the moment, so I think I am going to dedicate the next few weeks to some of my favorite Kpop performers/performances.  So today I am going to introduce you to Kyuhyun from Super Junior. This cut is from a variety show where idols/singers compete against one another. Every week showcases a songwriter/singer and the idols have to pick a song from that person's repertoire. Kyuhyun is a ballad singer at heart, but he sings in a group known for their dance songs, and for this performance he sings rock(the guitarist that performs with him is Jungmo from TRAX).




In 2007 Kyuhyun and several other members of Super Junior were in a very bad car accident. His story about that night is still one of my favorite's out of all the stories I've heard from each of them.

Tuesday To-Do's 13/52

Oh look. I finally found a clever title for my tuesday posts that I haven't really been doing.

So, accomplishments are pretty much nil for the moment, but today starts my self-imposed spring cleaning fling. Next week is Spring Break for the kids, so I want to get the basics done this week so I can deep clean next week and work on re-doing the girl's bedroom.

Also, today I had fun messing with the text/cloud editor at www.tagxedo.com

It took me about half an hour to figure out the basics, and there is still more I need to figure out.  But its loads of fun.

Quotes 13/52

“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large -- I contain multitudes.” 
― Walt Whitman

13/52

Happy Easter

Singing Saturday 12/52

I wish I could find a better quality video of this song, but this is pretty much it.  No one can come close to the  amazing harmonies of 2nd Chapter of Acts, so just ignore the bad 80's hair and listen to their voices.

Scripture 12/52

Psalm 23

Quotes 12/52

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” 
― John Green, Looking for Alaska

12/52

ev birthday, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

We had e's birthday party today. She turned 10 last week. sigh.

Singing Saturday 11/52

A New Indie Band for your listening pleasure. This is The Oh Hello's. I am smitten. How can I not be when they have a song called "The Lament of Eustace Scrubb." The whole album is on youtube if you want to listen and they are currently offering the download on their website for however much you want to pay(also at noisetrade).






They so kindly provided the lyrics on the youtube page, so I am copying them here.

I have made mistakes, I continue to make them
the promises I've made, I continue to break them
and all the doubts I've faced, I continue to face them
but nothing is a waste if you learn from it

and the sun, it does not cause us to grow
it is the rain that will strengthen your soul
and it will make you whole

we have lived in fear, and our fear has betrayed us
but we will overcome the apathy that has made us
because we are not alone in the dark with our demons
and we have made mistakes
but we've learned from them

and the sun, it does not cause us to grow
it is the rain that will strengthen your soul
and it will make you whole

and oh my heart, how can I face you now?
when we both know how badly I have let you down
and I am afraid of all that I've built
fading away

11/52

009, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

Scripture 11/52

Psalm 51.





Something a little different. Here is Charlie Peacock singing Psalm 51. This is probably my favorite scripture song.

Quotes 11/52

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.” 
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Singing Saturday 10/52

Oscar and the Wolf




I believe this is a group from Belgium. Another random find that I really like.

10/52

017, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

It's been raining quite a lot. I finally bought myself a new umbrella.

09/52

010, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

Posting two pics this week since I missed last week. This is the lenten rose that is blooming in my backyard.

Quotes 10/52

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” 
― Maya Angelou

Singing Saturday 9/52

Let me introduce you today to Roo Panes. I know nothing about him. But his music is really nice.

Scripture 9/52

I thought I'd try something new. Pic is mine.

Quotes 9/52

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.” 
― Robert A. Heinlein

SInging Saturday 8/52

I think I have mentioned in the past that I really like We Were Promised Jetpacks. This is from a few years ago, but is still one of my favorites. Both of their albums are amazing.

nonsense 8/52

Hmmm. what to say. I haven't really blogged much on thursdays yet. I am working on pt 2 of my boy band series, but its not done.

I am still mostly enjoying work, but it definitely makes me tired.

I've been dealing with a lot of ants the past couple of weeks. It's been raining a lot around here.

I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow.

wow. this is sad, isn't it.

well, then. I shall give myself a gold star that says "you tried."

Belated Tuesday Post 8/52

I meant to post this yesterday but totally forgot. P had a project due today and needed my laptop to finish it.
So anyway. I actually have a project to post. I've been slowly(it's only taken, what, 5 years?) been trying to finish decorating my master bedroom. Doing it as cheaply as possible is part of why it's taking so long, and waiting to find just the right thing either at the thrift store or at any store.

So, a few years ago I wanted to make my first purchase on Etsy, so I decided to buy a print. When I found this print I knew I needed to have it because it was my favorite flair when I was on Facebook. So I bought it and it has been knocking around my house ever since waiting to be framed and what not. I briefly had it with a gold frame and a red mat, but didn't like the gold frame. Then I decided I wanted to put Christmas pics up in my bedroom and bought some cheap frames at Hobby Lobby(they were $2.50 each(50%off yo) and I bought a small can of dark red spray paint and painted them red. So I have, like maybe $10 invested in them?  I knew I wanted to put my print in one after Christmas, but I needed a different mat, and off white wouldn't work and dark blue seemed like it would be too much, so the other day when I was looking at scrapbook paper for my pre-school project I came upon some lovely paper that I realized would be perfect around it. So after some few minutes of cutting and pasting I finally had my picture framed. I like it and am currently putting it on a test run.

So, I haven't yet decided what I am going to put in the other two frames. One currently houses a plastic christmas ornament from walmart masquerading as art.

The other one is blank. And yes, they are not even remotely level.

I don't really like the ornament when it's paired with the print. I will probably just put some lace or something in there. But overall, I am generally pleased. I suppose. It's better than a bare wall.

Also, a few weeks ago I finally stumbled across what I had been looking for to put on the wall next to the window in my room at the thrift store. I meant to blog it a while back and forgotted. I don;t like having photographs of people in my room, so I put a map with a piece of lace in the frame part. The bit of lace on the left is a small tatted medallion I made a while back, and the one on the right is a crocheted thrift store find.

The scarf isn't usually there, but I was too lazy to take it down. 

So hopefully some time in the next few weeks I will get my room cleaned up to take you on the final tour!  

that is all.

Scripture 8/52

Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Luke 12:27 (New International Version)

picture 8/52

Sorry this is late, but it wasn't finished yesterday, so I finished today and took a picture with my sisters camera. This was my prototype of the project we are making with our kids for the father's day shindig next week. We have a student that does not have a father figure, so we decided to make a relatively generic craft.  This is my hand, so obviously their hands will be smaller. I gave mine to splitcat and told him he could take it to school to keep at his desk to look at. He politely declined.

Quotes 8/52

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” 
― Dr. Seuss

Singing Saturday 7/52

So. Today we are a back to kpop. This group is called SHINee. They have been together just over 4 years. I don't really remember how I found them, but I probably became aware of them because they are from the same company as Super Junior. Like their name, SHINee's concept is bright and fun and youthful. They also appear quite a bit on variety shows(more so in the past) and are always fun and entertaining. They have also officially debuted in Japan and their most recent album is a Japanese one(they sing in Japanese). This video is from their last Korean album.

My favorite version of this is the dance version. This is the dance they performed on the music shows (one of the interesting things about how Kpop groups promote is that they spend about 1 month promoting their new single by performing on the major networks music shows every week. The dance is an integral part of the song).





The other version has a sort of plot to it if you prefer that sort of thing.




This is their latest Japanese release. It's very pretty, I think.

Scripture 7/52

Psalm 119:50

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

Quotes 7/52

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” 
― C.S. Lewis

6/52 and 7/52

So, I promised two pictures for this week. These are both from valentine's day( I used my sister's camera phone). I forgot the perks of being a teacher were teacher gifts, lol. My brother in law brought my sister and I Valentine's donuts and mocha lattes. We really appreciated it.   We were supposed to wear red or pink or white(per our bosses request) so I wore a red sweater, my hot pink converse, and pink/blue/brown striped socks. Everyone was surprised because they know how much I don't like Valentine's day.

Singing Saturday 6/52

I think it's time for some Johnny Flynn. My love for his music has yet to abate. I just recently discovered a newly released album from Mr. Flynn, but it is a soundtrack for a movie. I have yet to purchase it and there aren't any videos on the tube yet, so I leave with a newish song that as far as I know hasn't been released on an album. I would love to see Johnny Flynn in concert possibly even more than I want to see Mumford and Sons.

Nonsense 6/52

Happy valentine's day.

tell someone you love them.

This video always makes me think of Valentine's day and is my 2nd favorite Super Junior MV.

Tuesday 6/52

This week has been all about the laundry. lots and lots of laundry. I also didn't get a pic for Sundays post, so I will probably try to do two this week.  I have a car again, which is so so lovely. And I am cold and falling asleep, so that is all for now.

Quotes 6/52

“A book without words is like love without a kiss; it's empty.”
― Andrew Wolfe

Singing Saturday 5/52

This year brought the return of Mumford and Sons with the album called Babel. It's just as amazing as their first album. I am a huge huge fan. My own personal thoughts on the difference between the two albums is that this new one is a little less dark.

When the video for Lover of the Light came out I was interested to see what they had done with it. There are no appearances of the band in this video, it is purely a story. I won't lie. I totally sobbed hysterically cried when the first time I saw it. You probably will not have the same reaction, but I seem to recall it being a difficult day(I don't remember why) and it just kind of hit me sideways. I know you probably don't ever watch the videos I post, but you should watch this one.




Here's a bonus video for you. It is my current pipe dream to see them live.

Tuesdays 5/52

I have nothing to report. Still in survival mode. Still no car. sigh.

5/52

5/52, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

Oops! I forgot to post this yesterday. Wednesday was a scary day. We were under a tornado watch most of the day and under several tornado warnings. This is what it looked like when I had to walk to the bus stop(I am still carless). The front yard flooded in a matter of minutes it was raining so hard. It also was hailing. Fun times.

Quotes 5/52

“Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.”
― Albert Einstein

Singing Saturday 4/52

Today I present the Last Bison. Splitcat brought me a cd a few weeks ago and said I might like it. He was correct. I like it lots. Their full album is apparently due out sometime this year, and I am definitely looking forward to it.

scripture 4/52

Proverbs 17:9Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (NLT)

Tuesday 4/52

I have not accomplished anything this week except surviving. I took the girl to the audiologist because she failed her hearing test twice. She can hear fine.

Last night I had to take her to the urgent care because she hurt her wrist. Thankfully it is just a sprain.
It's been a while since I had to go there. It was a bit nostalgic as the whole reason I started this blog was because I was spending so much time at urgent care. Hence the title of this blog.

Saturday night I was at the dining room table on my laptop and the kids were asleep in the living room. About midnight I heard someone get up and head towards the bathroom. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone in the kitchen. I got up to ask what they needed and saw it was M. He walked over to the garbage can and stood there. I shouted out "Wait! This isn't the bathroom!" Alas, I was too late. He gave me a weird look and pulled his pants down and peed in the garbage can. I was laughing so hard I couldn;t breathe. He just kept looking at me like I was insane. When he was done he just pulled his pants back up and went back to bed.

I asked him the next morning if he remembered and he said no. Then he said he thought it was a dream. He tried to argue with me that is was really just a dream until I asked how would I know what he had dreamed. He was both amused and embarrassed. I laughed for about an hour every time I thought about it. When I finally went to bed, thinking I had stopped laughing, I lay down and promptly starting giggling, which soon turned to full on laughter. I woke splitcat up laughing then told him what happened.

This is the only highlight of my week. The rest of the week I am choosing to forget ever happened.

Quotes 4/52

“We dream to give ourselves hope. To stop dreaming - well, that’s like saying you can never change your fate.”

― Amy Tan, The Hundred Secret Senses

4/52

4/52, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

I made my daughter scrambled eggs despite the fact it makes me gag to smell eggs cooking. the rest of my week was not worth photographing. or talking about.

Singing Saturday 3/52

We are back to english speaking non boy bands this week. Are you happy? 

So this week I would like for you to meet Civil Twilight. I actually found them because amazon had their cd for download on Black Friday for $3.99. I looked them up and liked them so I downloaded it. The one thing that hooked me is how much the lead singer sounds like early Bono.  I've listened through it several times now and although I am not going to jump up and down insisting you rush out and buy it, I like it quite a bit. I think they have had some of their songs show up on movie and tv soundtracks. you'd have to ask wikipedia to be sure though.

Nonsense 3/52 Boybands.....suck? Pt. One

or

a brief history of my demise

part one


I promised in my last singing saturday that I would discuss the fact that I now listen to boybands. So here is part one.

Please imagine, if you will, the late eighties. I was in the eighth grade and my family moved from a small town in New Jersey to the middle of nowhere Georgia. We lived in the middle of our town in NJ, and I either walked or rode my bike everywhere, including school. All of my friends were within walking distance. So it was a big shock when we moved and our closest neighbors were cows. Directions to my house included turn left at the goats, then turn left at the cows. The town listed as our address was actually a good 20-30 minute drive away and was in a different area code, which meant it was long distance to call the town we lived in. Weird, yes? I had to call collect from my school to call my parents.

Anyway. Here I was, a new girl at a school where most kids came from families that had founded the county and had known each other since they were in diapers.

Being the totally awesome person I am, I made friends pretty quickly. Unfortunately for me, the girls who befriended me were very much into New Kids on the Block. I liked Pink Floyd. I don't know if they were just being friendly, but I suddenly found out that I could have Danny from nkotb as mine. I felt this was generous, especially considering I had no idea who he was or why I would want him. I eventually figured it out and in any lunchtime conversation I was expected to chip in with my feelings on Danny(of which I had none). Honestly, this is probably one of the few times I ever gave in to peer pressure. I pretended to like a boy band I had zero interest in. But I remained friends with those girls all through high school. Not like close bff's or anything, but just people I could talk to. So I guess it paid off in the end?

My feelings towards boybands like nkotb could probably be best described as contemptuous. The girls that loved them, I mostly just felt sorry for (and yes, I am was a total snob). I liked bands that wrote and played their own music. I have always maintained a safe distance from the people in the bands I liked. I was a huge U2 fan for years before I even knew what Bono's real name was. And there is something inherently fannish about a boyband. It's not about the music, it's about the people in it. I never understood this. I was more interested in the people around me than in people I would never meet.  Music was about music, not the people who made it.

end pt one (because I took a benadryl and now I am falling asleep.)

Scripture 3/52

Psalm 34:18The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (NLT)

So this is my crafty for the week. E got a rainbow loom for Christmas so I have been learning how to use it so I can help her learn. It's really a pretty fascinating thing. You need very good spatial and visual skills to do this, especially if you want to create your own patterns. These are ones I made following the directions on the website. I went and bought some more rubber bands the other day and they had just put out some glow in the dark ones. I love glow in the dark anything, so of course I bought them. They glow really well.

There are only a few kids at E's school wearing these, so she has had lots of requests for some. She definitely likes the attention and I hope it helps her make some friends. All the girls she usually hangs out with are in different classes this year, and unfortunately, this is the year where girls start being obnoxious. I told her that sadly, it only gets worse from here.

Quotes 3/52

“I like flaws. I think they make things interesting.”
― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

3/52

We love popcorn at my house. It's been a crazy week so I haven't had much time to think about what I wanted to take a picture of. Splitcat is back so hopefully next week I can use the better camera and do a nicer picture. This will have to do for now.

bonus post

poor baby. he got hit in the eye with some kid's head earlier this week in p.e. and then today he got whacked in the nose with a doorknob. His eye doesn't look so dramatic in real life, but his nose looks worse.

here's a bonus pic because he is cute.

Singing Saturday 2/52

So, be patient with me for this one. I am going to stretch your sensibilities and your language skills. I will also try to explain. Most of you are aware that I now enjoy watching Korean dramas. I then discovered Variety shows, which then led me to Kpop. Most of the Variety shows that get eng subs are done because there are idols on them and the fans sub them to share with international fans. So it was thusly that I first discovered the group Super Junior. They tend to show up a lot on variety shows as they are considered for the most part to be "entertainment" idols. Technically they are a boy band. I will discuss me and the fact that I now listen to boybands another day. They were originally supposed to rotate members as each of them had differing specialties. They are actors, comedians, singers, and dancers. For some reason they clicked and after the addition of one more member(to make a total of 13(yes, it's ridiculous, right?)) they officially became a group. There have been a few changes since the beginning and their current line up would be 11, but they currently have 2 members(soon to be 3) serving their mandatory military service. (they also have an additional 2 chinese members who only perform with one of their subgoups). super junior is really hard to explain

So, after I finally figured out who was who and who did what I had pretty much picked out my favorite members. The one I am about to share with you goes by the stage name of Yesung.  He is the lead singer. This video was taken at their Tokyo Dome concert this past spring. You will notice the crowd is all waving blue light sticks. Every kpop group has a color that identifies them and their fans have matching lightsticks/balloons at concerts. Super Junior is Pearl Sapphire Blue. It's pretty amazing to see the 55,000 fans waving their lights. So, sorry for the quick course in Super Junior  but you will probably be subjected to more of them, so sorry, not sorry really, it is my blog after all in advance.

This song is called The More I Love and was originally sung by a korean rock band called Boohwal. if I remember correctly, it's about unrequited love.

Family Friday 2/52

Splitcat is back! bearing chocolate! also, a scarf for me, because that is what I asked for. He did good, it matches the hat his mother got me.

Have I mentioned where he went? I can't remember. He went to Italy on a school trip. As soon as he has pics up on flickr I will link some here.

it's nice to have him home. It's probably a good thing he has Monday off, though.

In other family news. the boy had his 12th birthday last weekend! Since his dad was out of town we didn;t really have a party, but I took everyone out to McD's for dinner then the next morning we went to dunkin donuts. yummm.

It's been a rough year for him, starting middle school and all. We've finally settled into a manageable routine, but some mornings I have to literally shove him out the front door. And he finally gets to learn an instrument! He has always wanted to play the violin, so this year he joined orchestra.

blogger is not letting me upload pictures. :(

M has had a rough time with his dad out of town. He had a stomache ache all week.

They all took turns sleeping in my bed with me. I'm not sure why. Last night it was just M and when I woke up this morning, I had just barely enough bed to lay on. he was all the way to my side and over half the bed was empty. I'd rather him be a blanket hog than a bed hog. It does not make for a good nights sleep.

W is just his cute little self. He made his dad a top out of Lego to welcome him home. He did an exellent job.

That's pretty much it for this week. It's nice to know splitcat is back safe and sound.

Nonsense 2/52

So it's time for me to talk about something. What should I talk about?

Not much going on right now. I may have murdered my vacuum cleaner last night when I accidentally sucked up a sock and didn't realize it until gray smoke began spewing from every available crevice.

splitcat will be back tomorrow. He doesn't know I caught him a pet in the basement. He'll be soooooo excited.

I am currently watching 2 kdramas. They are currently airing so I get 2 episodes/week to cry and laugh over. The first one is called School 2013 and is about the harshness of the Korean school system and college entrance exams. there are two main storylines-The relationship of an idealistic teacher with a cynical teacher as well as her relationship with her troubled students, and the other side story is about 2 boys who were best friends and then weren't and how they make up and then there are a bunch of other side stories about the other students. One of the things I like most about this show is that sometime during the first few episodes they decided to do away with the "love-line" and focus on the platonic relationships. It was an excellent decision. I don't think the show has suffered for it at all. There are still hints here and there, but with only 3 or 4 episodes left, I don't see it changing. This is going on my fav drama list. Here's a recap of ep 1-8.




The other drama I am watching is called The Flower Boy Next Door. It's about a girl who doesn't really leave her apartment but peeps across the alley and has an unrequited love for a neighbor. Chaos, of course, ensues and she is forced to start interacting with her neighbors. There are 4 episodes so far and it is shaping up to be both fun and thoughtful.

 This is the third "flower boy" show from this cable network and they have all been really really good. (a flower boy is a boy/man who is very stylish and very  pretty good-looking). The first was Flower Boy Ramyun Shop-it was a mostly light hearted romantic comedy about a young woman who falls for a high school student who also happens to be the son of a really rich man-and a student where she is student teaching. It dealt well with the obviously touchy subject. It took all the elements of a classic korean melodrama and used them in a fresh new way, often poking fun at the conventions while using them to its advantage. The second was called Shut Up! Flower Boy Band and it was more drama than comedy. It's about a group of boys who are in a band and how they deal with a tragic loss and sudden fame. The main focus is the friendships between the boys. One of the main themes of these 3 dramas is friendship and family, and I think that is part of why I like them so much.

All of these shows (and many more) can currently be seen(legally!) at dramafever.com. (hulu also has a big selection of dramas).

So, I guess that's it for my nonsense this week. I won't bore you with more dramas for a while. I promise. I just have a headache and couldn't think of anything else to talk about.

scripture 2/52

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (NIV)

I'm a little of schedule here since it's technically wednesday but we'll pretend it's tuesday since I haven't gone to bed yet.

Tuesday is supposed to be about what I have accomplished or made this week.

I caught a palmetto bug in the basement.

here's the problem, though.

splitcat is in another country.

I have a ginormous roach trapped under a plastic container in my laundry room. it's quite alive. I usually try to poison them before I trap them so splitcat just needs to dispose of the carcass.

 I didn't poison it because it started out in P's room so I didn't want to spray it in there. Roaches cause me extremely high levels of anxiety if I have to deal with them. My over active imagination takes over and just even trying to write this is giving me the heebie-jeebies. blech.



It's been raining for like the past 3 days and the weather refuses to get cold and kill off all the creepy crawlies for a while. winter is supposed to be my respite from things with multiple legs.


So. splitcat is out of the country so I am in survival mode, so no extra projects. nothing fun. And last week work went well, this week it has left me tired. But it was nice to see more numbers on my paycheck. The 4 yr olds are fun and the day goes by really quickly. I had to sub in the baby room today and I thought the day would never end.

So I am alive. there is a roach trapped in my laundry room. my children haven't been sent to boarding school(but one of them is close). I call this an accomplishment.

Quotes 2/52

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”
― A.A. Milne

2/52

2/52, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

The weather has been unseasonably warm and I noticed the other day that the camelia bushes in my backyard were blooming. It's nice to look out my kitchen window and see a spot of red amongst the mostly grey winter landscape.

It's been a while since I did a Singing Saturday, no?  I've come across a lot of new bands I really like the past year or so from scrounging around youtube and following random suggestions.

For the first Singing Saturday this year I would like to introduce you to Dry the River. Splitcat heard about them from NPR and gave me their cd and I fell in love. The following video is of my favorite song from their album Shallow Bed. There is an official video for this song, but I love this live version recorded as they gave a concert while on the canals in Amsterdam. I think you will agree that their live performance is pretty amazing. The entire concert is here

Family Fun 1/52

So today is the day I am supposed to blog about my family. And since we just completed the holidays, I suppose I should speak of them.

Two weeks before the break, the three youngest children and splitcat came down with the flu(or a flu-like virus). It was quite possibly one of the saddest sights I have seen. Splitcat took one day off work, but then was feeling and then went in anyway. The children missed an entire week of school. The first few days they did not move, speak, cry, nothing. They only moved when nature called. Poor M had it worst. His fever stayed in the 101-103 range for 4 days. It was a little scary at times when they medication didn't seem to be helping his fever subside. Somehow P and I managed to not get it. I was sick a bit, but not to the extent the others were. So we ended up not ever getting our big christmas tree down from the attic. I mostly didn't mind since I am the one who has to set it up and decorate it. I had a couple of small trees that weren't in the attic so I put mine up in my bedroom and the other small one up in the living room.

Honestly, I found it kind of nice. I am not the hugest fan of all the Christmas hoopla. But splitcat is, so I usually try to do things up for him and the kids, but no one really seemed to mind. P was the only one who kept asking when we were putting the tree up. Everyone still got presents to open and they were all happy with what they received. I feel like the older I get the more minimalist I become about the holidays.

The funniest thing that happened was on Christmas Eve. The kids get to open a present at my in-laws. When W got his present everyone started reminiscing about how last year he opened up a movie and loudly proclaimed it was stupid. Well, true to form, it happened again. P opened up his gift which was a huge LOTR Lego set. So when W opened his and just saw what looked like a piece of paper he said really loudly, "This is SO LAME," and then proceeded to cry. You gotta love a kid with zero filters. Thankfully, once I explained to him what everything was (some art stuff) he was happy. Splitcat got a great picture of his reaction, but he has it set to private so I don't think I can show it here.

Everyone has gotten along pretty well for the duration. P and M have been the worst. When M gets tired he gets cranky and starts bugging the crap out of his siblings and P rises to the bait every. single. time.

New Years I spent home alone while the kids and splitcat went to his sister's house for playing games and hanging out. The kids thought it was fun to get to stay up so late. they were cranky the next day, though.

And so now the break is over and life is ready to go back to it's routine.

Thoughts

You may have noticed a lot of updates this week. Are you suprised? Do you feel special? Do you think I've finally lost it? If you answered yes to all those questions you win a very nice prize that will be donated by my sponsors. oh. wait. I no haz sponserz.

anywho

So why, Debbie, why?

Because I love you? At least those of you who are still reading after all this time and so few updates. And when I started thinking about the whole 52 week project idea I thought about how I could do more with that. So, here I am. There you are.

This is my tentative schedule. I plan on scheduling a week or so's worth of posts on Sunday's when I upload my pic for the week. I may schedule further ahead sometimes. So I apologize if you are offended that I won't be personally attending my blog on a daily basis. But, realistically, that will never happen. The schedule button is my new best friend :).

Sunday-My pic of the week
Monday-a quote I like-this may or may not(probably not) be followed by commentary
Tuesday-Crafty-something I have made or accomplished for the week.
Wednesday- A Scripture
Thursday-Thoughts-me generally spouting nonsense about whatever I want
Friday-Family-updates on the kids and life in general.
Saturday-Singing Saturday! Yes, it will be resurrected.

So, stay tuned.

In other news. I have returned to work. But I have graduated from babies to 4 yr olds. woohoo? I needed a job and my sister needed help. so. We work really well together and my mom works just below us with the 2 yr olds, so it will be nice to see them more often again.

So, here's to me trying to actually blog again!

Scripture 1/52

Isaiah 40:31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. kjv

Crafty Fun times

So, a few months ago my dishwasher broke. It was not a good week. My cat had just died and P was having a really really hard time adjusting to middle school. I really didn't need my dishwasher to break. So I have been washing all the dishes since then and since I might be mildly horribly OCD when it comes to washing dishes by hand, I have gone through a lot of sponges. So I was chatting with my mom and looking through Ravelry and had the brilliant idea to make my own. So I did a quick search and found a few patterns and commenced to crochet.

I picked this pattern because it is double-sided, sponge shaped, and it worked up really fast once I got in the groove. I am going to try adding some tulle to one side of the next one I make to give it some "scrub" power. I am hoping to make between 5-7 of these to have on hand.  The one in the pics is wet because I have been using it. I just used cotton yarn.

  

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.”
―    Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

1/52

1/52, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

So, splitcat decided to do the 365 challenge, and well, since I spectacularly failed that one already I thought I'd go for the 52 project. I think I can handle one photo a week. maybe.

I made a list of things I like to use as ideas. I will probably mostly be using our old canon powershot, which I am out of practice using. hence the blur.

the plan is to upload on sundays. because me and plans work so well. but you never know. i just might succeed for once.

More pics

Since I've been too lazy to properly update...have some pictures...

christmas photos

christmas photo shoot 120, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

Trying to get christmas photos done early. Worked some on the twins, but mostly they made funny faces. They were really cute.

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!

The Boys

My favorite by far of this sequence., originally uploaded by splitcat.

splicat got this photo tonight. There are some more really cute ones at his photostream.

Kids

tonight the twins had a performance at school. it was preceded by a long boring meeting. They did a lovely job. I will upload some short video later, but for now here are some pics of the kids.

Six years ago

Two Sleeping, originally uploaded by splitcat.

Can you believe it's been that long ago? sigh. Happy Birthday, boys.

First day of school!

first day of school 2012, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

School starts today! The twins are off to kindergarten and E is starting 4th. P catches the bus to middle school two hrs later than these guys. We have to be at the bus stop at 6:45. This is why the lighting is so bad in this picture. There are a few more pics on my flickr, mostly of poor quality because I didn't have time to mess with the camera settings and had to use the flash because it was too dark outside.

The twins were very excited about going to school. the looked a little nervous as they got on the bus, but since they have their big sister, they weren't really scared. And since her class is just a few doors down from theirs, she can walk them to class every day.

Also, the twins will celebrate their 6th birthday this Wednesday!

Sorry I didn't get more vacation photos up. I've been having trouble loading them to flickr. I will keep trying.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....
I was cleaning my room yesterday and decided to move the bed so I could vacuum really well under it and clean out whatever was living under there, and so decided that while I was back there I should tkae my headboard off so I could finally paint it. So, without further ado, my freshly painted headboard.

I need to do a few touch ups here and there, but for the most part I am very pleased with how it turned out.