"Sent from up above...

...you are the one I love." Endangered Love from Veggie Tales - Silly Songs with Larry.

Hello, lovelies!

The big news around here is, our old (um, only 2 years?!) blue-ray/dvd player died, so my sweet husband scoured sales and web deals and found us a new one! And this one is ever and ever so much better. One amazing upgrade...Youtube, straight to our TV!

But why do I care so much?

Because of this channel!

That's right, instead of exclusively watching classic Winnie-the-Pooh (which is still his favorite, by the way) James has branched out to Veggie Tales! So now when we're tired of rumblies in our tumblies, we can switch to water buffaloes, Barbara Manitee, and Kilts and Stilts. Previously, a computer was hooked up to the TV for this, but the full screen feature didn't carry through a playlist.

It is very heartwarming to see my 10-month old dancing and singing gibberish along to the Veggie Theme Song--his favorite.

Another exciting development with our little baby-face, is that he has stopped chewing on his board books and realizes that there is a story that goes with them. He brings me books to read him now, and sits and watches and turns pages. And he spends a good amount of time just flipping through them on his own, which completely delights me! He especially loves his "Touch and Feel" books (one Winnie the Pooh and one Beatrix Potter) and any of the Sandra Boyntons that have a song associated with them. (He just doesn't get tired of mom and dad singing Perfect Piggies.)

So that's fun. It's so exciting to see him comprehending more and more every day!

This isn't just impacting his playtime (but who am I kidding? It's all playtime). He's also developing in response to Mommy and Daddy telling him things. For several months now, when we would say "No!" He would freeze - pausing in what he was doing - and then we could get over to wherever he was and take the cord out of his hand, pull him away from the DVD player, pull the cat's tail out of his mouth, etc. Also, we'd taught him to not grab at the spoon when we fed him, roll on the changing table, and other simple things like that, and he reliably could be expected to obey.

But in the last few weeks, Jamesy was getting into EVERYTHING and doing all the stuff we'd so painstakingly taught him not to do! It was like he'd totally forgotten, and we started to question if he was really old enough to comprehend it anyway. But at the same time, his comprehension was rocketing up in other areas, so we decided to just consistently correct, explain, discipline--and the last few days have almost reverted back to his prior level of obedience. He's still prone to try to do things he knows he shouldn't...but I know he knows, because he watches me when he starts to reach for, say, an electrical outlet, and when I say no, he smiles and rolls away as if to say, "Yeah, I figured." So I suppose he's just testing us, bless his sinful little heart.

And now when we say, "Yay, good job!" he claps and says "Yay!" along with us. Which makes eating very cheerful, as I praise him frequently for eating well and neatly. And when that palls, we start singing Barbara Ann. It works for everybody, but let's just say we won't be going to any quite and fancy restaurants any time soon. Unless they have a special cheering section.

So that's the news from "Helm's Deep," as my mom calls our little estate.  ;)

Love!

"I'm singing the same lines all over again...

...no matter how much I pretend." Feelin' The Same Way by Norah Jones.

My friend over at Lovely Particulars sent me this link last week, and I spent a good afternoon perusing, looking for some of my favorite classic films! It is a collection of the title stills (and some of the ending stills) of various films. So fun!

All photos from The Movie Stills Collection

A few of my favorites. :) I almost want to buy posters to add to my movie room!

"I'll stay right where I am till you come back...

...I don't want to lose you." I Want To Belong To You by Katie Herzig.

So a few weeks ago I told you all about the BBC series Robin Hood that I was watching on Netflix. And I said it was good.

And now I've finished it. And I'm going to try not to spoil it for you.

Image from IMDB.com

IN WHO'S UNIVERSE DOES..what happens in this series happen? Who thought that was a good idea? I do not approve. The third season was fine but...a major plot line (my FAVORITE) was just, like, over after season two. What was the point? And then they brought in all these new girls and sheriffs and such and...well, the only thing that saved the primary new girl in my mind was that she's Anna from Downton Abbey. I'm sorry, but it's true. I literally cried and refused to watch it for days after season two, and then I hurried through the rest. And then, in the end, they had the AUDACITY to...do another unspeakable horror to the plot. I was furious. I cried. Like this. (That is also what I looked like at the end of season two.)

Image found here

So anyway. It's a good series, but I hated it.

And stuff.

Since I brought up Anna anyway, I think I better mention Downton Abbey in more than just an aside. Have I told you about it before?

In case you, like me, live under a rock as far as TV series go and haven't heard of it, let me recommend it to you. There's two racy and unpleasant scenes in the first episode or two, but just suffer through it, and then the rest of the series only ever refers to them and are otherwise clean as a whistle. And it's charming and delightful and funny. Like a brand-new Pride and Prejudice. It's the kind of TV show you can literally watch the entire season in one sitting and want more. Even my sweet husband was upset when, after a good eight hours of Downton Abbey on his day off, we found out the next season wasn't out till next January. So if I like it and he likes it and my parents both like it; basically, it's a crowd pleaser. And we're watching it over again from the beginning now because the Dowager is just too funny for words.

Image from IMDB.com

And while we're talking about wildly popular entertainment phenomena, let's bring up the Hunger Games. I read it and went to see it. It was enjoyable, in a sense, like any gladiator story of an dramatic protagonist fighting a symbolic fight to free her country from the oppression. I wanted to stay au courant with the hip new literature and movies, but it did not live up to my expectations. There were enjoyable and touching parts to the story, both in film and book, and it's probably worth seeing once, though we wouldn't buy it. I was surprised, however, how some of the authors creations ("Tracker Jackers") really stuck with me. Now whenever I see a wasp I am even more terrified.

For what it's worth, that's my two cents. :) Love!

"Robin Hood and Little John walking through the forest...

...laughin' back and forth at what the other one has to say." Oo-de-lally from Disney's animated Robin Hood.

I know I've mentioned it before, but we have awesome neighbors. Miss E, down on the end, just brought me over some amazing macadamia nut white chocolate chip cookies. Yummmmmmm.

Me and the kitties are enjoying the lovely springlike weather out on the patio...and speaking of spring-like weather, I think it's about to rain, so maybe I should enjoy it inside.

I discovered a new (to me) tv series that has been surprisingly enjoyable! It's a series about Robin Hood. It's got some implied violence (various medeval torture techniques) bot otherwise it's quite clean so far. It's British, and set for BBC One. And it's on Netflix! It's not as dark as the Russell Crowe Robin Hood but it's not as silly as the one with the foxes (which, not going to lie, will always be my favorite.) 

Photo from BBC One DVD Box Set Cover

Maybe some of you have already discovered this show. I'm loving it as I'm frequently indisposed. :P

Love!