Dear Cedric Diggory,

Dear Cedric,
I like calling you Cedric, because well, that's how I first came to know your royal cuteness. This is not to detract from your overall appealling nature. (Which I just realized could be misread as appalling, but I digress)
Now, Cedric, as you know I am married to the cutest boy in the world (blantant phrase stealing from sweet potato queens), but that doesn't mean that I can't have celebrity crushes.
I know a lot of people will know you as Edward from Twilight, and that's fine, some people may even call you Robert (since you know, real name and all)but again, I prefer Cedric.
It seems, Cedric, that I'm not really getting to my point and that's not true at all, I'm just enjoying writing a fan letter, because well, I never really did that sort of thing when I was a teenager (may account for the general nuttiness now). So, you see, I do actually have a point.
Cedric, what I'm wondering is, 1.how does your hair always look like you just rolled out of bed, did you, in fact, just roll out of bed, or is it something that you take hours to perfect? and 2.do you wear lipstick?
I'm curious because, your lips always look all kissable and plump and well, this is not exactly the way boys lips generally look.
I'm just asking.
Please don't misunderstand, I like the messy hair, sexy lips look, it would just bother me if you were all contriving to look so mysterious and sexy.
In short, are you naturally all cute and stuff or do you try really hard?
Much love, Rhianna
PS. do you still have the teeth from the movie?
What? I'm just wondering!

heavenly ham, holidays and hoopla

It's over.
The balloons are loosing helium, Dick Clark is back resting in his Malibu mansion, and the Christmas tree is dried up and droopy.
Yes, the holidays are officially over.
How do I know?
Two reasons,
1. I'm counting my money and these two pennies are very sad indeed and
2. my children are gearing up to open their very own Lawndale Toys R Us.

(oh, yeah, and I turned thirty, no more mention will be made of this, take note)
In no particular order I'm going to do what I do best and make a list of my favorite holiday moments and least favorite.
First..
The best
1. My brother just about loosing his mind trying to get the Steve Miller Band live DVD/CD at our annual gift exchange. (the same could be said for my Mom, Dad, Seth's girlfriend Shannon and my sister Jessica, but Seth made the biggest a@# of himself..and therefore, made me laugh the hardest.)
2. The ham and ham glaze from Thanksgiving..(thanks for the recipe Rob..ps, if anyone wants a good glaze for their ham, I'll post some post holiday recipes next week)
3. Cheesecakes by Ashley (uh oh, is it a bad sign that two out of three are food?)
4. Having my Mom and my Dad healthy for the holidays this year.
5. New wine glasses, spending time with family and finally having a good book light.
6. Getting to bake with my friends, working has put a huge time crunch on my girl time and having a whole day with my buddies was awesome.
The worst
1. 'Hi, Mom, is three oh twelve too early to get up?'
2. Surprise you have to work Christmas Eve. PS, you have to close.
3. Surprise you have to work on New years Eve. PS, you have to close
4. Fixing your brakes will only cost the approximate same as buying a new refrigerator..MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ok, That's it...I'm doing so far so good with my resolutions, I hope everyone can say the same.
I'd love to hear your best and worst holiday moments and check back often, I'm hoping to post twice a week this year!
Happy New Year!
R

AWESOME AT 30

SO while my wife is at work I decided to post aq few reasons that she will be awesome at 30.There are tons but I am going to just hit the high ponts.
First,yes You are 3 tens,2 fifteens and 10 threes,but You are also half of 60,a third of 90 and a mere quarter of 120(typically people dont make it to 120 but You gave 3 examples and I wanted to follow suit.
You so rarely answer "I DONT KNOW" as it is because You are easily the smartest person I know.There are occasions that I have gotten the I dont know response but on all of those occasions I made up one or more of the words in the question.I did that to make them unanswerable.
As for the fine lines and wrinkles,You must need new contacts or something.I am yet to find a fine line or wrinkle and I'm really looking.(TENTPOLE)
Just a couple of comparisons between 20 and 30 year old You:
20 year old you was funny but 30 year old you is absolutely hilarious.You make me laugh more than any 10 other people put together.Anyone who reads Your blog regularly knows what I'm talking about.
20 year old you was a great person,30 year old You is one of the most genuinely kind caring and loving people I know.Not because You are supposed to be but because that is who You are inside abd out.You at 30 are what most people spend an entire life trying to be.
20 year old you no kids that adore you.30 year old You 3 kids who couldnt love You more.20 year old You wasnt an incredible mom(just a future incredible mom).One reason I married You was because I knew You would be a great mom but you have exceeded every hope I had for that.Thank You.
20 year old you was hot,30 year old you is,well lets just say You put 20 year old you to shame.When we got married people were like "she married down".I think Jim even mentioned it in the vows.People now think You picked me up from some agency that matches fuglies up with beautiful people to try to keep them humble.

I think You should be pretty pleased with Yourself at 30.I know I am.Your the greatest wife and my very best friend.I LOVE YOU.
Happy Birthday a little early
M
p.s. thats blackjack (tentpole)

Turning 30 for dummies.

The big day is upon me. All year I've been very cavalier about the whole situation. Of course turning thirty doesn't bother me, maybe forty will.

Um? For the record?

I'm a big fat liar.

I'm 30. (well, in two days)

Three tens.

Two fifteens.

TEN threes.

OK, enough with the multiplication tables.

The truth.

Thirty bothers me.

Bothers me in that I thought I would no longer feel like a kid. Bothers me in that I thought I would no longer have to say 'I don't know' to questions (to clarify, I didn't think I'd be a know it all, I just thought perhaps some cosmic intelligence might osmosis it's way into my thick skull)Bothers me in that I haven't been all the places I'd like to go and done all the things I'd like to try (apparently you drop off the planet at age 30, who knew?)bothers me that my skin is having some sort of flashback to 1993 (thirteen or so) but add a few fine lines and wrinkles.

It also bothers me that It bothers me.

Dude, I love myself so much more.

This year has been great for me self actualizing-wise.

I've been more honest with myself than previous years, I've been more soul searching and less quick to judge, more ready to forgive.

In a lovely twist of kismet, my birthday falls on New Years Eve, (guess who gets to work on her thirtieth birthday?) so I get to make my resolutions and grand declarations all on the same day.

Early on, I said I was only going to do two, possibly three resolutions this year because, well the more you do, the more disappointed I tend to be when I fail miserably.

My first draft o' resolutions

1. Write every day (even if for only fifteen minutes)

2. BE more healthy (i.e. take better care of myself) which I finally decided was too broad, not specific enough and too easy too interpret into something not very difficult, which I'm going to be honest, I do too much.

So, on to second draft o' resolutions and grand declarations.

1. Write every day. (even if only journaling)

2. Exercise and cut out (most) caffeine.

3. Take vitamins.

And, while this is very specific, I'll be honest. NOT very exiting.

And as we all know, getting exited about resolutions is what it's all about.

Ahem, third Draft of Grand Declaration and Resolute Truths.

1. Write Every Day.

2. STOP eating crap, and drinking crap.

3. Reward myself. (now, this is something I can really get behind, idea wise)

Ok, obviously, it's a good thing I have two more days before I have to be certain of resolutions.

I'd love to hear about your resolutions or what you love and hate about your age.

Happy New year.

PS

Hands down? Favorite thing about the holidays this year? (Besides the joy on the munchkins faces and all that jazz.) Ashley's homemade cheesecake. Good stuff.

PPS

Totally didn't make it on the reading fast, must pick less stressful month, maybe February? Er, March?

Falling in love is the easy part.

I'm already done with Thanksgiving and it's not even here yet officially.
We've done one dinner with my Dad and Step mom and that end of the family, and that was at MY HOUSE, so I'm done.
No more turkey/pumpkin pie/ham/overeating 'til I puke for me.
Ok, that's a lie.
Just like all the other holiday's I really love thanksgiving. I love hearing what people are thankful for, and although it's mostly the usual suspects (husbands, wives, children, friends....), it is what people are truly thankful for, and I can understand that.
Here, in a blatant copycat move, I will list my top ten things I'm grateful to have in my life.
10. A job. Despite all the criticism and guilt, I like my job, and am actually good at it, and it's helping to keep us afloat right now.
9. Humor. I love the fact that even when times are tight, and stress is high, Mike and I can still laugh (at each other, at some random movie, at a goofy comedian) It makes me feel more equipped to cope.
8. A hobby. I like having a creative outlet (or several) into which I can funnel my frustrations.
7. My mom and dad. Both experienced health crisis' last year and the fact that I still have them around is not only a gift, but a blessing as well.
6. Human rights equality. I know a lot of people are displeased with the election results, and I know President-elect Obama is not completely African-American, but he's halfway there and to be a part of a generation that has accepted equality to this degree makes me proud. (I would have been prouder of a woman, but OH WELL)
5. My children. I am, at best, a mediocre mother, but I love my children fiercely and believe with all my heart that they are amazing, wonderful little beings.
4.Friends who 'get me'. I have always been lucky with friends, and right now I have a tightly woven support system that keeps my head above water when I'm drowning in responsibility.
3. Civil servants and Military Personnel. Almost every day I talk with someone who has a family member who is deployed or who has been deployed (or is getting deployed). Although I'm not a fan of the war, I know it is a noble duty to protect our country and the freedoms we hold dear. Also, as the economy becomes more uncertain, crime generally rises, and I have a brother who is a police officer that I'm both thankful for and terrified for. Please give your officers the respect they deserve, just like teachers they are not paid their worth.
2. Saturday Mornings. Mike lets me sleep in since I usually have to work late (and even if I don't) and I look forward to that extra forty five minutes (or three hours) all week.
1. Mike. He's my best friend and an amazing father. His worth to me is beyond measure and there are no words for how much I adore and admire him. I'm proud of him for who he is and our lives together.
Happy Thanksgiving.
R

The Writers Diet (my next..er first bestseller)

I love to read.

Which is good. You learn things from reading.

I started reading around age four and I remember piling my books around me in my bed and cuddling with them as if they were my lovies. On more than one occasion I've been informed that my reading is a problem, from statements like, 'You'll never have a real life if you keep living in those books' or 'Your brain doesn't benefit from you reading a book over and over' (this second statement was a TEACHER, that's right an EDUCATOR told me to not read as much. As horrified as I am to think about this as an adult, I was mortified as a child.

The thing here is, I never thought my reading was a problem.

I love it. Like I said, I honestly believed that reading opened up worlds to me that I'd have never been privy to otherwise. Worlds from time long since past and places that only exist in other authors minds. I love that my daughter now loves to read, that I don't have to force her, and that she (almost) loves the new book smell as much as I do. I just love it, I love the thrill of having a new book that I have waited and waited for and cracking it open with some warm tea, a couple cookies and a cozy blanket.

But lately, when I should be writing, I've been reading.

I know that most great writers read a lot, but in theory, most great writers actually write at some point as well.

So, my pledge.

Starting Monday November 24th, I will NOT read For a WHOLE MONTH.

Thirty days.

NO READING.

NONE.

NO READING THAT ISN'T ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

for thirty days.

Thirty L-o-o-o-o-n-n-g days.

I'm getting light headed, is the room spinning?

No reading until Christmas Eve.

A reading diet, when I can hog out on turkey, ham, pecan pie and various other evil but delicous foods.

So here what I need from you faithful bloggies.

(bloggettes is a little sexist, but I do like it better)

Don't recommend a book or several books to me unless you are prepared to sit by me AA sponsor style and talk me down from the ledge.

Don't ask me about what I've read lately and if my eyelid starts to twitch step away slowly.

Expect me to cheat and love me anyway.

So hopefully I will be churning out mass amounts of writing this upcoming month which means updates on WritingMommy and I will of course keep you posted on my progress with not reading.

Happy Thanksgiving Turkies!

R

I ran from spam and new things I'm loving

So, if you have a blog you know how it is.
You send your million random thoughts (in my case, seventy or so) out into the blogverse and then you wait..


and wait...

and wait some more.....

For a comment on your myspace, on the blog, when you see someone who has commented on your blog, and then it comes..a COMMENT!
VALIDATION!!
CONFIRMATION!!
SOMEBODY LOVES ME!!
I HAVE AT LEAST ONE READER!!
The joy....and then..

the heartache.
IT was SPAM.

UH. About VIAGRA.
I suppose the fact that I get spam should flatter me (it doesn't) but VIAGRA?
Do they read the blog?
Honestly?
Pampers or a chocolatier would be much better served to spam me than Viagra.
I'm just saying.
and although I have a great poem about Viagra (and the kajillion rhyming words, Niagra..ok maybe one rhyming word) I will spare you and move on.

TV I'm Loving despite the fact that I only really watch adult TV one day a week.

1. The style networks new reality show Ruby.
This lady is amazing. I believe the show only started last night but immediatly I identified with her struggle. She's funky and beautiful and is four hundred pounds, get the tissues, it's that awesome.
2. True Blood On HBO...I know the last thing we need is another freakin vampire show, but the male hotness on this show + the outlandish fantasy storylines keep me hooked. ONLY TWO EPISODES LEFT!
3. Ace of Cakes. I know that naysayers say who can watch a show esclusively about cake? ME ME ME!! I love this almost as much as the challenges on food network.I don't know how you can be rock and roll and a pastry chef, but Duff makes it work.
4. My old favorites, My name is Earl, The Simpsons, and THE SOUP.
Ok, I'll watch paint dry if they amp up the drama!
Don't rot your brains!!