Elementary, My Dear Watson...

Okee dokee, back again. Nothing much to report, other than the usual, but whatever.

So, Monday was kinda...well, boring. Nothing much went on besides the usual stuff. And watching Oprah, but that's not important. So, let's skip Monday.

Tuesday, I got up, got ready, and went downstairs and watched a couple of movies. The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, both of which were pretty interesting. I think I read The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was in sixth grade, but I didn't remember much of it, so this was a neat referesher.

Holmes (Basil Rathbone), Miss Brandon (Ida Lupino), and Watson (Nigel Bruce)

Anyway, then Mom came home, and we chilled for a while, prepped for dinner, and then Mom left, I finished the dinner stuff, Dad came home, and we ate and watched some tv. Then, I did tha dishes, and went downstairs to let Ella out and watched The Voice, which was actually pretty interesting. And that was it for the night.

Today, I got up, got ready, and went downstairs to watched The Lost Weekend, a Best Picture winner. I didn't think I'd like it all that much, but actually, it was pretty interesting, for a movie about a man suffering from alcoholism. And wouldn't you know, the bartender, Nat, is Howard Da Silva, aka Ben Franklin from 1776, except very much younger and not in period clothing.

Anywho, now I'm just chilling, waiting for Mom to get home so we can start the dinner stuff, and then Dad is picking up my grandmother so she can have dinner with us, and I think that's pretty much it for the night except for watching that "Inside The Royal Wedding" thing that's on tonight...by the way, Mom and I are getting up at 4:00am on Friday to watch the coverage of the wedding. Yes, we know we're crazy. Lol.

Um, on the agenda for the next few days...I'm babysitting on Friday night, then Mom and I are going to have a girls weekend (because Dad and Quinn are going to Danville for a RC tanking thing). So, we're getting mani/pedis and going out to dinner and all that good stuff. And then, I'm babysitting my mom's co-worker's son, Nathan, (who I've babysat before), on Tuesday evening, so I'm almost going back-to-back...so we'll see how that goes.

Happy Easter To You...

So, I've been busy...

On Saturday, I got up, got ready, had breakfast, then Mom and I went to the grocery store, and then we colored Easter eggs. Well, Quinn and I colored Easter eggs... Then, I chilled for a while, and that evening, Dad and I went to the Dash game at BB&T Ballpark. And it was pretty amazing. We got to see the Budweiser clydesdales, which were huge, and then we spent a while bouncing from line to line trying to exchange our tickets, but it was all good. We walked around a bit, and then made our way up to Party Deck 2, and met some of the Komen volunteers, and the local Primo Water affiliate (they were sponsoring the Party Deck).

And then, we got some food (hotdogs and potato salad) and drinks and cookies, and sat down and watched the game from the deck. And while I admit I'm not much of a baseball fan, the games in between the innings were hilarious. People leap-frogging each other, trying to find their shoes, running the bases with inner tubes around their bodies...all kinds of crazy stuff. So, we watched both games, since it was a double-header, and then walked back up the hill to the parking lot. My feet were freezing afterward, because I had decided to wear sandals, and the grass was dewy, and the temperature had dropped considerably since we left the house.

Anyway, on Sunday, I got up, got ready, and Mom helped me put candy in the Easter eggs, and then we went out and hid them in the yard. And then, we let my brother loose, and he started hunting. Which turned out to be harder than he thought because we numbered the eggs, and he had to bring them to us in order, 1 to 45. So, we had to give him a ton of "hot or cold" and we gave him a couple of 30-second free-for-alls where he could pick up as many as he could and bring them back to us, out of order.

So, once we finished, Quinn and I got our gifts. Quinn got a video game, and I got a cute little necklace from The Jewel Box. Then, we helped Mom make deviled eggs, and a veggie casserole, and then I cleaned Ella's cage, because I didn't have time on Saturday. Then, we chilled for a while before heading to my aunt and uncle's for a cookout. We chilled by the pool for a while, then had burgers for dinner, and sat and talked, and then had bread pudding for dessert. And then, we talked some more, and then headed home. Mom and I watched Charlie St. Cloud, which was pretty good, and then I came upstairs and chilled.

In other news, I have a babysitting job on Friday, my first repeat customers, actually. I'm going to be babysitting Malcolm and Watson again (see my Adventures in Babysitting post). And hopefully, this time will go smoother than the first. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, since today is Easter and all (although there's only just under an hour left in the day), I thought I'd post something sorta Easter-y. I love this number to pieces. The movie...eh, not so much. But, I swear, I could not get that "Happy Easter" tune out of my head today...



And although I don't particularly like Judy Garland, this number is pretty funny. They don't look at all like themselves here. I was watching some documentary of the movie (which is Easter Parade, by the way), and what went into the production and filming and all that, and apparently, Judy picked out the most crazy, oversized stuff, and went all out, while Fred was constantly asking if his outfit was too much.



So, anyway, I think my post is becoming much to long, so I'll spare you any other comments I have to make tonight, and just say goodnight! :)

Chilling Out With Some Books and Movies...

Okay, quick recap of the week...

Tuesday was normal. I watched Adventure, which was just okay, and then pretty much waited until Mom got home. And we chilled and had a snack and all that good stuff, and Mom left, Dad came home, we had dinner, watched tv, etc. And Mom and I watched Parenthood later, which was pretty good.

On Wednesday, I watched Without Love, which was pretty cute, then did basically the same thing. Dad brought Granny over for dinner, and we ate, and watched tv, and then I did the dishes while Quinn and Dad took her home. And Mom and I watched Modern Family when she got home.

Thursday, I watched Footsteps in the Dark, which was cool (I love murder mystery movies), and then Mom came home, and we chilled for a while, and watched Oprah, which was funny, and then she left for work, and all that good stuff. And then, we watched The Office and 30 Rock when she got home.

Today was much more interesting. I got up, got ready, and my aunt picked Mom and I up and we went over to Shouse Nursery to get some vegetable plants for our potted garden, and then the three of us had lunch at Mrs. Pumpkin, which was amazing. I had a grilled chicken and sundried tomato wrap, with pasta salad, fruit, and a cream cheese brownie, and then one of the employees brought us out free samples of their white chocolate frappelatte (or something like that), and they were so good. And he said they're 30% off all summer long, so they're cheaper than coffee drinks at McDonald's. So, I'm definitely stopping there more often.

And then, we got dropped off at home, and just ending up chilling out and reading for a while. We went to the grocery store for a few things, and then came home. And now, I'm just sitting here, chilling out, waiting for...I don't know what really. Tonight is going to be pretty normal, I guess. I was supposed to go with Dad to the Dash baseball game tonight (he has tickets to the party deck for Primo Water Night), but they postponed it to tomorrow, so we'll go then.

Ooh, in other news, I just finished Mockingjay, the last of the Hunger Games series, and it was so good! I finished it in, like, three days, and absolutely loved it. I can't wait for the movie now.

Um, what else? Well, this weekend should be fun. Tomorrow, I guess the main thing is going to the baseball game with Dad. On Sunday, we're going to a cookout at my aunt & uncle's, and just chilling out. :)

'Cause I'm Nuts About You...

Okay, so maybe it's too early to be on here again, seeing as I just posted yesterday. But, I wanted to mention a few things, since today was pretty cool.

Anyway, I got up this morning, got ready, and went downstairs to watch a movie. I ended up watching Born to Dance, which was...neat. Kinda like Follow The Fleet (what with the navy/sailor theme), but without song-and-dance superstar leads like Fred and Ginger. This one starred Eleanor Powell and James Stewart...who seemed very compatible, except that Eleanor was a trained dancer (I've seen her in The Broadway Melody of 1940, dancing with Fred Astaire) and Jimmy was not. But, what I love is that while Eleanor's singing was dubbed by another singer, Jimmy's is his own.

This is one of the funnier numbers...



So, I thought that was cool. Anyway, I watched that, then came upstairs and had lunch, then chilled in my room until Mom came home, and we went out to the post office to mail a couple of things. And then, we came home, had a snack, and watched Oprah, and then Mom left for work. I made dinner, and Quinn and I ate, and watched the news. Dad came home later than usual because of a meeting, so he had dinner, and then we all watched some tv.

I washed the dishes, and then let Ella out while I watched The Singing Bee, which, oddly enough, still comes on, but now it's on CMT, and most of the songs are country. But, still cool. And then, Mom came home, and we watched Modern Family, and that was pretty much it for the night.

Errands & Things...

Okay, recap...

Friday was normal. I got up, chilled for a bit, then when mom came home, we headed out to run a couple of errands. We stopped at my grandmother's to have her sign her tax forms, and then we drove out to the dermatologist, and then to the bank. And then, we came home and relaxed for the evening. Mom left for work, Dad came home, we had dinner, etc. And then, Mom called us to say that her car battery had died, so Dad went to pick her up.

On Saturday, Dad got the battery replaced, and so Mom and I went to the Hanes Brands store, and then got our grocery shopping done a day early. We ended up chilling at home for a while, then the four of us went to Coppola's for dinner. And we stopped at Harris Teeter for some graham cracker sticks. Then, we came home, I cleaned Ella's cage, and Mom and I watched Burlesque, which was neat, and had canoli dip for dessert.

Today, I got up, got ready, and ended up helping Mom put together the chicken cacciatore that we were putting in the slow-cooker for dinner. Then, I had lunch, while Mom and Aunt Lynne mixed soil (for the veggies we're planning on growing this summer) and weeded, and Mom said she saw a little baby bunny in where we grow our raspberries. We've been seeing what we assume is the momma bunny hanging around the backyard, so it was only a matter of time before the little baby bunnies started appearing. They've been around for a couple of years, and we just love them.

Anyway, I ended up chilling until Mom came back inside, and then we went to run a couple of errands. We went up to the grocery store for a few things, then to McDonald's for some Mocha Frappes, then to the gas station to fill up the car. When we came home, I helped Mom work on some curtains she's finishing up for my aunt, and then we all had dinner, and I let Ella out, and ended up looking at all the Sunday Sweets posts on Cake Wrecks...

The Hunger Games is an amazing book, by the way.

I'm not a huge fan of Alice In Wonderland, but I really like these...

And I just love this one...I really wish I knew how to make flowers like that. They're gorgeous!

Um, anyway, not much going on this week...just chilling out. :) I guess you could say "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars is my theme song as of late. Lol.

I Have Internet Again!

Okay, well, I'm going to start with a warning. This is probably going to be a pretty long post, just so you know.

So, on Sunday, Mom and I went to the grocery store, and then came home, put the groceries away, and headed back out for cremini mushrooms and leaks, which they didn't have at our normal grocery store. So, we went out again, stopping first at Lowes (Home Improvement) to get part of Dad's birthday present. And we ended up walking right past one of the teachers from my elementary school. So, then, we went to the Lowes grocery store over there, and they didn't have what we needed.

So, we got in the car again and went to Harris Teeter. They did have what we were looking for, so we picked up the two items we needed, plus a couple we didn't, and ended up walking past the register where Mr. Stamp was checking out. So, I saw two teachers in one day, which was really kinda weird/crazy. Anyway, we went home, and Mom and I worked on putting together the meal for the slow-cooker, and then, we had lunch, and went back out.

We went to the Sprint store, so Mom could get her phone fixed (she couldn't receive picture mail), and then we stopped at Steinmart for a belt for my dad (another birthday gift), and then went to Target for cards. When we got home, we chilled for a little while, and then had dinner, and I cleaned Ella's cage, and then Mom and I watched Salt, which was neat.

And somewhere during the afternoon, Quinn decided to try and pick up the network on his DS to get some sort of promotional character for one of his games, except we couldn't get on to the network. So, we tried a couple of things, and then had Dad come down and help us, and when he unplugged the router and reset it, we couldn't get into our network. So, we had no internet, no email, no wireless.

Anyway, on Monday, when Mom got home, we started our testing for homeschool, which went well, and then I wrapped the gifts for Dad, and we started on the prep work for dinner. Then, Mom left for work, Dad came home, and we had dinner, and had doughnuts for dessert. My dad opened his gifts after that, and I think he liked what we got him. My aunt, uncle, and grandmother came over at 7:30, and my dad and uncle went downstairs to try and solve the issue with the network, while the rest of us chilled upstairs. When they left, I washed dishes, and let Ella out, and then Mom and I watched a little tv before going to bed.

On Tuesday, I got up and watched From Here to Eternity, another Best Picture winner, which was a pretty neat movie. Then, I washed dishes and chilled for a little while before Mom came home and we did some more of the testing. Then, we worked on the dinner prep, and she left, and Dad, Quinn, and I had dinner, watched some tv, and chilled. I let Ella out, and when Mom came home, we watched Parenthood. We laugh because we hate each character individually, but we like the group as a whole.

Wednesday was busy. Mom took the day off, so we ended up having lunch, and then I went to the pet store for a couple of things while Quinn had his lunch. And then, we finished up our testing, and we chilled and had a snack, and did the dinner prep work as usual. Then, Mom left, Dad came home, I worked on getting dinner ready, and my uncle and grandmother came over. We all had dinner, and then my uncle, Dad, and I worked on the computer issue, which we finally got fixed. At around 9:45, they left, and I did the dishes, and when Mom came home, we watched Criminal Minds, which was pretty good, and then went to bed.

Today, I got up, got ready, and went downstairs as usual. I watched a biography on Myrna Loy, but it wasn't much of a biography, just mostly clips from movies she starred in. And then, I started watching The Birth of a Nation, an old 1915 silent epic film, but I just couldn't pay attention and focus on which family was which. So, I ended up deleting it, and coming upstairs to have lunch and wash the dishes. Now, I'm just chilling out in the living room. Quinn is asleep in his bedroom, after staying up all night. He didn't get to bed until about 10 or 11 this morning, so he'll be out most of the day.

The rest of they day should be pretty simple. Mom and I are planning on watching Oprah today, since she's doing a show on her all-time favorite/worst bloopers and 'what was I thinking' moments, so that should be good. And then, she'll leave, Dad will come home, and we'll have dinner, watch some tv, I'll let Ella out, and then, when Mom gets home, we'll watch some of the Thursday night shows we have recorded - Community, The Office, and 30 Rock.

Um, other little things I can talk about...I finished the second Hunger Games book, Catching Fire, this week, which was really good. I can't wait to read the third and final book! Speaking of books, I think there's another Pretty Little Liars book coming out this summer, called Twisted, which should be amazing. I thought they had finished the series, but obviously not. Um, other than that, I entered a YouTube contest a few weeks ago, and the results came in this week. I didn't place, but the person running it said that she had the hardest time choosing and I was pretty much tied for second place, so that was cool.

Anyway, sorry about the length of this post, but I haven't been able to post without having internet, and this is the first opportunity I've had to do it since we fixed it.

Adventures in Babysitting...And Other Stuff

Okay, recap time, even though I'm about to drop dead/fall asleep/pass out or something to that extent.

Thursday was normal. I watched Band of Angels, which was okay, and did my normal stuff for the day. Mom brought home Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games book for me to read, so I started on that. Friday was pretty much the same, except no movie, and Mom got home earlier.

Today was more interesting. I got up, and when Mom got home, we woke Quinn, and then went out to lunch at McAllister's. Which was really good, by the way. Then, we stopped at Gamestop and Cato's and then headed home. I chilled for a couple of hours, just watching videos on YouTube and checking Facebook, and then I came out at 4:45 to have a cup of coffee.

Then, at 5:30, Mom drove me over to the house where I was babysitting, and I met the family. The parents left at 6:00, and Malcolm (5 1/2) and Watson (4) showed me some of their toys. And then, we went into the basement and played around, and ended up in a tickle fight/pillow fight/kill fest. And when we finally got out of it, we played alphabet Twister upstairs, and then the boys brushed their teeth in preparation for bed. And that's where the fun began...

So, we started out in Malcolm's room, reading a book, which I found out didn't have many words, and we finished that pretty quickly. Then, we started on a chapter of Sherlock Holmes, which I made the big mistake of not checking how long it was before I started. So, after a few pages, Watson was starting to get tired, so I switched to Plan B, which involved Malcolm watching tv while I sat with Watson until he feel asleep. Of course, knowing that Malcolm was getting to stay up caused a bit of a meltdown for Watson, but we worked through it, and I told him a story (thank goodness I had already started thinking one out in my head that afternoon), and he finally went to sleep.

Then, I got Malcolm back into his room, and we finished out the Sherlock Holmes mystery, which was interesting, and then I pretty much retold the same story to him when I turned out the lights. And then, I ended up cleaning up their toys in the living room a bit (because I completely failed at getting them to do it before bed...they were so rambunctious), and I spent the next two hours sitting on the couch, getting up, checking on the boys, walking the house, then sitting back down and repeating every half hour or so.

The parents got home around 10:45,  and Mom was waiting outside, so I pretty much gave them a recap of the meltdown, just so they knew, and them gave them my card, received my money, and said goodbye. And I got to recap the whole thing for Mom while she drove me home. I had a half of a peanut doughnut for "dinner" (I guess it really was just a late night snack), and then headed to my room. And now, I'm off to bed...tomorrow, we're going to the grocery store, then shopping for gifts for my dad's birthday, and then we're starting our homeschool testing in the late afternoon.

Things Just Pop Up Out Of Nowhere...

Well, you know, I have no idea why I'm back on here, when I only posted yesterday. I guess I figure that having more small posts is better than having a few really long posts. But whatever.

Anyway, last night was pretty much exactly like I thought it would be. I helped Mom fix dinner, then she left, and Quinn and I ate, watched some tv, and then Dad came home from his meeting. And we watched a little more tv, and then I did the dishes, and let Ella out. And then Mom came home, and we chilled for a little while, and then watched Parenthood, which was good.

Today, I got up, got ready, and then went downstairs and watched a film called Dancing Lady, which I loved to pieces. And there really isn't one definite reason as to why. Maybe it's because of the dynamic between Joan Crawford and Clark Gable (Crap, can't embed... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGCBF6b6K_A). Maybe it's Fred Astaire's first on-screen appearance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hABUSzw0w6U). Maybe it's The Three Stooges (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBNOwvz5QoA). Maybe it's the crazy Bavarian costumes in this number (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWmE-xheMI). Well, whatever it was, I liked it.

Anyway, I came back upstairs, had lunch, and washed the dishes as usual. Then, I noticed I had a voicemail on my phone...and now, I'm babysitting on Saturday. Apparently, one of the moms from the preschool Jeannie's (my mom's co-worker) kids go to needed a last minute replacement babysitter after her normal one cancelled. So, I'm watching two boys (4 and 5 1/2 years old) for four hours Saturday night, from 6 to 10. Which really shouldn't be that hard...just playing around with them for a little while, then getting them into bed.

So, anyway, I've been playing phone tag with her, and coming to the sad realization that I really have no phone etiquette. I mean, I do, yes, but I'm starting to realize how bad texting and emailing is in that respect. Not that I can't talk on the phone like a normal person, but I just don't like talking on the phone. It's weird...

Right now, Mom is downstairs working on ordering photos from Snapfish, and I'm sitting up here, doing nothing. Tonight, Dad is picking Quinn and I up from the house, and we're going to pick up some food and have dinner with my grandmother at her house. And we'll probably watch some tv there, and then head home, and I'll let Ella out to play, and when Mom comes home, we'll watch Criminal Minds. And that'll be pretty much it for the night.

I Seriously Need To Start Coming Up With Better Titles Than This...

Okay, well, my weekend was pretty good, I guess...

Saturday, we had doughnuts for breakfast/lunch, and then Mom and I went to my aunt's to pick up a couple of pots, but she wasn't there (we came back later). So, we got a salad at Subway for a side for dinner, and headed home. We popped the salad in the fridge, relaxed for a little while, and then went back over to her house, now that she was home. We picked up a couple of pots, and then headed home.

We ended up just chilling for the afternoon, and then we ordered and picked up pizza for dinner, and Mom and I went downstairs and watched Morning Glory, which was really cute. Pretty funny, too. And then, I cleaned Ella's cage, and that was it for the evening.

On Sunday, Mom and I went grocery shopping, and then came home and put everything away. We went back to my aunt's to get another pot (we're planting vegetables this spring) and then we ended up just relaxing for the afternoon. Mom made a chicken tortilla bake for dinner, and we watched Monsters, Inc., which we hadn't seen in years. I forgot how funny it was. Then, I let Ella out and chilled for the rest of the night.

On Monday, I got up, and watched All About Eve, a Best Picture winner, and then came upstairs, had lunch, washed the dishes, and then ended up finishing The Hunger Games, which I had started on Friday, so I pretty much sped through it, it was that good. I seriously couldn't put it down. So, now I'm into that trilogy...and hopefully, once my mom's co-worker (who we borrowed The Hunger Games from) finishes the next one in the series, she'll pass it on to us to read.

Then, Mom came home, and we had a snack and talked, and then she did some prep work for dinner, and relaxed, and then left. Dad came home, and we made pork chops, stuffing, and corn, and ate while we watched the news, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy. And then, I washed the dinner dishes, and let Ella out, and then when Mom came home, we watched the Who Do You Think You Are from Friday, which was neat, but not terribly exciting. Gweneth Paltrow was the focus of the episode, by the way. And that was it for the night.

Today, I got up, and ended up downstairs watching a movie I'd already seen before, It's Love I'm After, because I really didn't feel like watching the 3-hour movie I had recorded from last night. So, I deleted it, and rescheduled it to record next week when it comes on again. Anyway, I sat down there until just after 11:00, and came up, and had lunch while I watched the last half hour of the Today show, which wasn't that interesting. Then, I washed the dishes, and now, I'm just sitting in the living room (Quinn has been staying up all night, and he's currently in his room sleeping, so I didn't want to wake him by typing and listening to music and all that).

Tonight, I guess we're just going to be chilling out. Mom should be home soon, and I think we're having a baked ziti thing for dinner, so I guess I'll be helping put that together. Probably just watching tv tonight, letting Ella out, and then watching Parenthood when Mom gets home. The next few days should probably be the same.

Just Another Day...

Okay, let's see...Thursday was pretty much normal. I watched Kitty Foyle, which was good. And that was pretty much it...

Today was pretty much the same. I watched Annie Hall, which was another Best Picture winner, so I think I'm up to 36 out of 83, so almost halfway. Mom came home late, and I had french onion soup for lunch, and then we went over to Target for a few items...hand soap, allergy medicine for Quinn, and cosmetics for Mom. I went along just to get out of the house. And what do you know, I bought (well, Mom bought it for me) a swimsuit. Okay, I'm an idiot to buy a swimsuit in April, when it's still 50 degrees out and I'm not even close to thinking about summer. But whatever.

I don't know if I like it yet or not...Mom said it looked cute on me. It still sorta bugs me that the top and bottom don't match...and yet they do. So, I'm keeping the receipt, and if I really don't like them, I can return them.

So, anyway, we came home, and chilled, and I started reading The Hunger Games, because Mom's co-worker read it and said it was really good, so she gave us the book to read. And then, Mom left for work, and Dad came home, and we had dinner, and then watched tv. And then, I washed the dishes and let Ella out, and when Mom got home, we watched CSI: NY, and that's pretty much it.

Dang, another short post...oh well. Happy April Fools Day! :)