(Via)
Season 3 of Downton Abbey airs tomorrow!!!! I'm so glad I'm finally caught up on this show, thanks to good old Saint Nick bringing me the Seasons 1 and 2 DVD set for Christmas.
Don't hate me, but below I'm going to post just a few new pics. I had to take more since we turned on the fireplace for a change. It's been a rainy, wonderfully cool day so there was nothing to do other than take pictures.
Since all the other Christmas decorations have been put away, all left is the village and tree. I started taking off the ornaments, but look at what I'm dealing with here.
I'm dealing with A LOT of ornaments on a 9 foot tree to say sad goodbyes to. So far I've only taken off 9 of them. 9 out of possibly hundreds. (This year I'm determined to make an official tally of them. We have a bet going against my brother. I can't wait to see him lose!)
Abby and I played with her new Christmas baby today. Believe it or not, a couple nights ago was the first time she actually placed a baby/stuffed animal at my feet to play tug-of-war with and chase. (Finally, she's starting to act like a real dog and not a human baby). This is not usual for her, since she's obsessed with just hiding her babies behind the couch and guarding them. I even found Wendy's catnip mouse back there.
If there was a hoarding show for dogs, she'd be on it.
Look at these sleepyheads.
Chewing rawhides, playing with their toys and begging for people food is exhausting work.
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At first, I was undecided but now I think this is so amazing. It's definitely different. I've heard 2 or 3 of their songs before, but I never knew they did all these remakes.
The songs I've heard by them before are these:
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And here's the original song, "My Immortal" by Evanescence. I love both versions of these songs. It's sad, but beautiful.
I confess that I'm guilty of enjoying sad music. As Sally Sparrow said in Doctor Who, "Sad is Happy for Deep People."
- Along with Downton Abbey, Once Upon A Time airs tomorrow too. I don't know if I can handle this much joy in one night!
- I really need to raid the kitchen because this cooler weather has influenced Mom into baking and cooking a lot over the weekend. We have all this wonderful food - left over BBQ, Long John Silvers, homemade Cinnamon Crumb Cake, homemade Lemon Meringue Pie, homemade potato soup, cinnamon bread, powdered donuts, a box of assorted Milano cookies - yet I'm not even hungry.
- I forgot to mention that my niece and nephew were on tv again. Their high school's football team made Championship, and it took place at The Cowboy's Stadium! (Their team won, by the way).
The camera panned on my nephew and his girlfriend a couple times, and before the band played at halftime I heard them announce my niece's name... complete with her nickname "Lethal Weapon." (Because she's a 2nd degree black belt. Her brother is, too).
- My poor brother-in-law just lost his job, but thankfully he already has an interview with someone he's worked with before. Hopefully everything will work out for him, and I hear he wasn't happy at his old job. I really hope this is a blessing in disguise for them.
- I'm extremely jealous of all this snow people are getting. It's been in the mid-40's here lately, which is a pretty awesome change, but snow would be so nice. I don't think I've seen even a dusting of snow in 9 years.
Although we do have ice in our freezer. Does that count?
Current Mood: 
These quizzes can be so addictive at times! I took these a while back, took them again and received the same results. Sometimes they're just a lot of FUN to take.
Or maybe I'm just as easily amused as my cat. 
Hopefully, it'll rain more this weekend (which we do need) so I have a feeling I'll be indoors taking even more of these.
Kristin got The Beast
- He is a rough and tough man. However, under it all he is a sweetheart. He cleans up good, too.
- Your Prince is a big softy. Behind his rough exterior there is a tortured heart yearning for love. Sometimes, he has quite the temper, but you are that one person who can open up his heart. He will always be there to protect you.
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
Kristin got Artist
You are very, very artistically inclined. You love to spend time alone in your own space and get inspired creatively. You like to create new things. When something you use has been made by you, it makes you feel better about yourself than if you bought the item you could have easily created at home. You aren't a huge material person. Love and family are more important to you than material objects. You see things in an artist's manner. You also can be somewhat cluttered and unorganized at times.
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
Kristin got Otter
The otter represents joyfulness and lightness. People who have this spirit animal have mellow personalities, and are capable of remaining calm and collect in any given situation. Otters are often the ones who keep others grounded, in a sense.
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
Kristin got White - The Peaceful Soul
Peace is the most important thing to you, and you are quietly independent. You need to feel good about yourself. You hate trouble, and being pushed around by others. You prefer suggestions to demands, and can't understand cruel people. You don't get mad easily, but when you do, people better watch out! Red souls irritate you. You open up easily to blue souls. Yellow souls interest you, but are unlikely to notice you. You get along well with other white souls.
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
You are an ancient spirit
Your spirit is ancient. You are solid and strong like a mighty old oak. You have wisdom beyond your years on this earth. Sometimes you seem almost prophetic. People come to you to gain knowledge from your wisdom. If you are young in years people might consider you boring because you prefer solitude to the loudness of this world. It's because your spirit is ancient and enjoys the peace.
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
(Your score: 26)
Powers: Foretelling future through dreams, dream-walking
Swans are idealistic, open-minded, and passionate. Your good nature often leads people to think they can take advantage of you, but they should be careful—beneath that serenity lies a fighting spirit. Your love is fierce and unconditional, fueled by the certainty that it should last forever.
Best matches: Wolves, Horses, Otters
Watch out for: Cougars, Foxes, Hawks
And even more quizzes! Why couldn't we have had quizzes like this in school? With these, I remembered to provide a link to each of them.
That last quiz made me laugh with it's results, considering how often I change the layout of this blog.
Your life may seem to be in a rut right now. Your wheels are turning, but you're not going anywhere. You feel like you could be getting so much more out of every day, but you don't know where to begin.
Tap into some red energy by starting small. Do one thing you love, and do it as much as you want to. Once you get a taste of what it's like to follow your passions, you'll be unstoppable!
http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorwouldhelpyourightnowquiz/
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
You are creative and good with your hands. You are more of an artist than you know. You may not be politically conservative, but your behavior is conservative. You don't like to rock the boat.
You are truly caring. You're helpful and giving - eager to be a true friend. You are intelligent and skilled, but you're also modest. You don't like to boast or brag.
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourluckycharmquiz/
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
You can be a shy and quiet person, and sometimes doing things out in the world stresses you out. You need someone who will speak up for you and take care of you when times are tough.
You don't mind being with a partner who likes to be in control, as long as your sweetie isn't controlling. Above all, your soulmate is confident and competent. You could never be attracted to someone who was immature!
http://www.blogthings.com/whatisyoursoulmatelikequiz/
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
You are a very intellectual and logical person. You like to think, and a lot of your thinking is quite deep. You are both philosophical and idealistic. You think it's interesting to imagine how the world could be.
You enjoy spending a good deal of time alone. In fact, you tend to go sort of crazy if you don't get your space. While you may seem distant, you care very deeply for humanity. You're trying to figure out how to save the world.
http://www.blogthings.com/areyouabookmagazineornewspaperquiz/
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
You are a warm, friendly, and considerate person. You think it's important to treat others well. You work well in groups. You love to cooperate, and you are a true team player.
No one would ever accuse you of being selfish. You are sensitive to others' points of view. You notice other people's moods and take them into account. You try to make sure everyone is happy.
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourdominantpersonalitytraitquiz/
~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~
You are creative and vibrant. You are inspired by everything around you, and you don't have any one style. You like a mix of old and new. And you always have something unique to add to the equation as well.
You are informal, open-minded, and flexible. You love to play around with art and design. You tend to change things up a lot. Whether it's your own clothes or your home, you can't stay with one look for long!
http://blogthings.com/whatkindofgardenareyouquiz/
I think this music feels perfect for my mood and this weather today. The first song is titled "Death is the Road to Awe" and the second is "Xibalba." Both are from the soundtrack to the Hugh Jackman movie, THE FOUNTAIN.
It took me a long time to give this movie a chance. I was always curious about it, asked my brother about it and he said he heard it was really bad.
Which I decoded as "Wow! I think I'm gonna love this movie!" 
I looked up info about it on YouTube and was so surprised to see how popular this movie was with people. I really believed it would have been too cerebral for most people, including myself, to fully appreciate but that doesn't seem to be the case. I think it has more fans than one would expect.
So I broke down and watched it, keeping my fingers crossed that it wouldn't be too weird and out there. I'm a fan of deep thinking movies and all, but I'm not into those really huge eccentricities. (Example: Oscar Wilde was known to walk a lobster on a leash instead of a dog. Can you imagine the sight of that? If this really is true... his poor mother. It makes me glad I never reproduced and had children).
It turned out there was this one scene in particular - perhaps two - which was pretty darn unusual, but at the same time I understood what they were trying to show the audience. I think of this movie as two jigsaw puzzles in one (REALITY jigsaw puzzle versus the UNFINISHED NOVEL puzzle), and it's up to the viewer to decide which piece belongs where. In the end, there is no right or wrong answer. Oftentimes, I even change my conclusions after each viewing. A lot of people seem to think the book is also real, but a past life. Personally, at least for now, I think that part is just the book she was writing. I say this because there were waaay too many instances where the book imitated the circumstances in their current life.
I definitely see this movie as a brain candy flick, but my mother for one thinks it's too sad to watch. She's only seen parts of the movie, and for years I've been trying to talk her into watching the entire thing.
Someone once did a BEAUTIFUL video to the first song, but it's no longer on YouTube. Also, as much as I enjoyed Hugh Jackman's performance in this movie... Gerard Butler would have been even better. And I'm not just saying this because I'd marry the man tonight if I could. Cross my heart, I'm telling the truth when I say that Gerry would have had the audience sobbing uncontrollably. Grown men would have been crying like babies with colic. If there's anything Gerry is extremely gifted with, it's two things:
1). Conveying emotion with nothing but a look. No words necessary.
2). Tearing at the heartstrings and crying on screen.
It's gotta be that Scot's blood. For some reason, those Scottish men turn out the best crying performances ever on film. Ewan McGregor did it in Moulin Rouge, David Tennant in Doctor Who, and Gerry in all his dramas.
It rained earlier but, as always, not for very long. Still, after last summer's drought and wildfires I'll take ANY rain over none. I still don't take the wet stuff for granted. I even stood outside in it earlier.
Naturally, Maddie - my 'stormy-weather-phobic' dog - thought I had gone entirely bonkers but after I returned to the kitchen safe and sound she actually smiled and ceased cowering behind my legs while I continued cooking lunch.
Several hours later, I took a break from the Exercise Bike O'Hell and outside I saw a rainbow. The pictures I took weren't pretty, because of the pine tree in the way... but I'll just imagine a braw Highlander at some Highland Games holding the tree up at the bottom, only he's out of the picture frame... and because the lens kept fogging up from all the humidity. It was a huge rainbow, so I couldn't get it all in one frame. The colors didn't show up well in the photo either. But... if you use your imagination, I'm sure it'll look GREAT.
You know, even with a pretty rainbow outside I am so tired of this neighborhood. I wanna live in the country! I want to see some shade trees! (Okay, I do live minutes from The Woodlands area but my neighborhood is just a gated community filled with punks and skinny pines. I'm craving NATURE and not the neighbor's boyfriend's noisy motorbike and people popping fireworks at 3 am. Not to mention the electricity is always going off in this neighborhood, even on sunny days. It's rather frustrating and has been going on since we moved here almost 7 years ago. These eyes are craving to see some BEAUTY and not the same old cookie cutter houses crowded together like sardines. Do I particularly want to see one of our neighbor's standing inside his kitchen wearing nothing but his black bikini undies while he eats a sandwich? No, I don't think so... and this really has happened to me).
