Four Town Fair with the Boys!

Last Saturday, Mike and I took the Blanchard boys to the Fair. Maureen had warned me that A) Luke was having some separation anxiety lately and B) it would be smart to split them up to keep the brotherly fighing to a minimum. I'm happy to report that A was true (sorry, it just makes him even cuter!), as Luke immediately whispered to me, "I'm a little apprehensive to go today," and that B was completely false. The boys were terrific and Andrew has become such a little man -- so responsible and sweet. I was so proud of him that day, what a good job you guys are doing!


Making them pose while stuck in traffic. When Mike complained about it, Luke commented, "Well, it IS to be expected." Oh, really Luke? Is it?

After stuffing our faces with fried dough, Willie shouted words of encouragement to Andrew.

Early on, Luke and I went on our own to go down some of the big slides and he hurt his arm... barely. We thought ice-cream might cheer him up. It didn't. "My arm huuurrrttsss."

We thought going on Mike's back and seeing the animals might help. As you can clearly see, it didn't. I believe this was the apprehension he was talking about. So we fed him some soda. A blue slush. All the sugar a 4-yr-old could want. "My arm STILL hurrttsss!"

So, Andrew, the sweet thing, took him on rides (first the swing ride which was "TERRIFIC!" and then the ferris wheel). "THE RIDES MADE MY ARM FEEL BETTER!"

And Willie got his wish and got to shoot the paint-ball gun at this guy dressed as the hulk.

"Lisette is our favorite aunt of all time!" They all yelled this in unison. I swear to it!

And then, finally at the end when Luke was FULLY cheered up, he won this darling toy. And this is how I sent him home. I'm sure Jim was pleased.

Introducing...

Since I spend 9+ hours a day wasting away in a vomit-colored cubicle, I have done a great deal of blogging (browsing, not commenting). Most blogs are pretty narcissistic: "I'm a poet, mother, wife, lover of animals, and ardent liberal." A lot of blogs are celebrity driven: "Jennifer's turmoil over Brangelina's ever-growing baby bump!" And then there are the poor souls that just want to keep in touch with their family members: "Look! Chuck turned one and Mexican Hat Dancers came to serenade him! GO STAGS!"

However, if you search hard enough in the blogosphere, you'll find some gems. My gem? Design*Sponge. Man alive, this site makes me salivate with the great interior design examples, and if anyone else is bored at work (oh, you all like your jobs? Whoops.) I highly suggest this blog for window shopping. My fav is the "before and afters" and the "sneak peeks" into other rich interior designers homes.


Example #1:

Yowzaz! Ok, so this isn't the inside of a home, but I still think it's G-R-E-A-T. I'd probably offer up my first-born to own this bookstore in Denmark. I'd even break-up with Mike.. he's pretty dispensable.

Example #2:

I didn't even know there was such a thing as phone-stands. Thank you Design*Sponge!!! I'm on my way to replicate this lime-green dream RIGHT NOW!!

Example #3

Alright, maybe this one isn't that crazy-cool, but I had to add it for Dad. He's thinking about getting a dog but refuses my request that it be a wiener-dog. Dad, if, say, you ever change your mind, I'll certainly go to the Salve, get an old suitcase, and turn it into a doggie bed for you -- free of charge!

So, in conclusion, I recommend this site: http://www.designspongeonline.com/

You all can thank me later for finding it. And for those of you who actually do things with your life and don't waste hours upon hours browsing the net -- congratulations, you're life is that much better than mine.

Cheese Cultures

At a meeting of Europe’s cheese governing council today, delegates had some extra sharp words for their American counterparts. The foreign relations sub-committee of the Brie U formally censured American cheese for tarnishing the image of all Western cheeses through their aggressive Middle East menu.

“Their actions are a recipe for disaster” said Roquefort. “By spreading their ultra-pasteurized version of cheese to the larger world, they’re actually creating a new generation of cheese intolerance instead of cheese lovers. We are losing the cheese-culture war because of their conceit”.

American cheese did have some brief rebuttals from its Wisconsin home, “What do you expect? French cheeses are soft and yellow. They should grow a thicker rind, a pair of cheese balls and stop melting under the pressure”.

Tensions grew between these two supermarket powers after American cheese’s pre-emptive actions earlier this year in the Middle East. Without invitation from the population, they unilaterally started putting cheese on traditional Middle East cuisine, throwing cheese slices on pita, lamb kabobs, couscous and even babba ganouj. There have even been unconfirmed reports of the cheese missing its targets and hitting unsuspecting diners in the face. Local hospitals report a 15% increase in unexplained eye injuries since the American intervention.

American cheese has also lost some support form its original coalition. The Italian cheeses, once in favor of the action, have recently backed off their position. Mozzarella stated “Ay! Formaggio Americano. Whatsa da matta with you eh, youa blocka head? “. That criticism prompted the now famous retort from the American, “Have some whine with that cheese”.

The American Colby cheese, which is a more traditional and semi-soft cheese than American cheese, took a more diplomatic approach. “We all share the common goal of spreading cheese throughout the world because we know it leads to culinary peace and prosperity wherever it’s tried. The problem is that we have different tastes and economic philosophies. We believe that you should keep the revenue you earn and not distribute it collectively to support social programs like handing out government cheese”.

Besides its foreign policy, criticism of the Americans extends to its cheese manufacturing process which Europeans believe adds harmful methane to the air due to the high number and concentration of dairy cows in certain areas. In reply to that point, Monterrey Jack, which has been dubbed a ‘real cowboy’ by the Europeans, sliced up his critics. “If they’re worried about better air quality, maybe these cheeses should wash themselves a little more often. Man do they stink. As far as I’m concerned, they can all Gouda hell”.

Swiss cheese, with its neutral flavors, has called for a cheese summit to work out some of these differences. “I see a lot of holes in both arguments”.

Beyond the bickering, many believe that the growth of cheese in the Middle East is a lost cause. The comments of Mahmoud Al-Barraqq El Farriq, 41, are representative of many when he says, “You know, I guess I just like hummus better. Sometimes I eat cheese and I falafel afterwards (parum-pum). Take my wives…please!”