last post from almost mexico, az

Well, the packers are here, our home is 80% boxed. These guys are goooooood. Best packers we have EVER had. I'm so thankful for this. I don't have too much time for this post, other than to say, I'll miss my Almost Mexico friends! See you around the US :)

the final countdown

Remember that old song from 1986 by Europe? Check out that hair! I remember the song, but I don't remember the band.

Packers arrive one week from today. I have so much to do, and here I am on my blog. I think I'm kind of blocking it out.

Oh, here are some pix of our new house:

Kidding...this is Mt. Vernon, which is 2 miles from home to be. Our home is actually on property formerly part of the Vernon estate. The kitchen is completely remodeled.

We adore these mid-century modern iron railing details...SO COOL!

View of the front.

ilsa got her first tat...

....kidding...

But she DID earn a "Read!" temporary tattoo for her participation in our local library summer reading program. We recorded 6 hours of read-alouds (before the move, this is all we could muster).

And of course, because it was I who was applying the tattoos, I goobered-up Ingrid's. She is not happy. I forgot to take the protective plastic sheet off of the front, and I moistened the back. So of course, the tatoo has adhered to the plastic sheeting. However, she needs to be satisfied, as she completed the entire "reading path", plus the bonus 6 hours and earned a book. She chose a neat Usborne Look and Find book about sea creatures. She's still looking for a mermaid within the pages, even though I told her there were only real creatures within the book...

our new home...

Chad just got home from house hunting back in the Great Green Eastern Seaboard. Love our new home! Will post pictures soon.

Look what is in the basement of our new home...I think this is SO cool! The owner of the home lived in it for 30 years. We will be the second family to occupy...

dawn treader preview is up!

Woo hoo - Here is link to the official Voyage of the Dawn Treader Website. Sorry it is cut off on the side. Here is link to YouTube.

what were the writers thinking???

Mr. BikeMan has been house hunting, so I had the Netflix streaming queue to myself this week. I had heard buzz that the BBC-produced series, Robin Hood was very fun to watch (here's link to Season 2). Once I started watching, I just couldn't stop. I watched 26 episodes in 4 days. (Wow....that's a lot of streaming.) The show itself is pretty silly, often cheesy, but just so entertaining. The actors are appealing: the bad guys are really really bad (Richard Armitage is chillingly conflicted as Sir Guy), and the heroes are really really good (Robin is just, well, so darn cute in a school-girl crush sort of way). It was rather PC in places, and purposefully modernized. The costumes are silly -- no woman of the gentry from c. 11oo would wear pants with camo duster over the top. Sir Guy wears a black leather suit that looks like the pipe-covered uniform that the Borg wore in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In one episode, Lady Marian was practicing what appeared to be Tai Chi.

But....if you don't want to be spoiled, don't read on, because honestly, it's a great series. Well that is Seasons 1 and 2 are great. When the girls are a bit older, they'll think it's a kick (it's really clean, and the fighting is bloodless). So, here's the spoiler.......

......the writers of this show must have lost their minds, because Marian is murdered at the very end of season 2 by Sir Guy. Whaaaaaaa????? Robin without Marian? You don't mess with 1000+ years of legend. There's a Season 3. I'm not watching. Lame.

sonicsgate

You've gotta watch this video -- it won the Webby in the sports category. I remember just how shocked I was when I heard the Seattle Supersonics were leaving Seattle. What? Seattle without the Supes? Made no sense. Well this video explains it all.

Mr. BikeMan and I still sing a funny little cheesy song that was written for the 1979 NBA Championship season. I Googled but couldn't find it...I know someone has to know it. The only thing we remember was, "Woop woop! Supersonics! Woop woop! Supersonics!"

arghhhhh

Below is a trailer for the documentary, "Consuming Kids" which was released in 2009. Click here to view screening and purchase info. Here is a very comprehensive list of other resources on the subject of the over-commericalization of childhood.

electron boy saves the day!!!

Being a native Seattle-area girl, I'm SO PROUD of my hometown for pulling this wish off for this little guy! Way to go Electron Boy!!!

PS This happened back on April 29, but I just heard about it, and had to post this story.

anne & diana saga update

Ingy has decided that her missing hair is now a really cool thing. I kind of agree. My "ticked-off-ness" has worn off. She has proudly told Grandma and Grandpa and the neighbor all about her trade with her friend "H".

anne shirley & diana barry

If you are familiar with Anne of Green Gables, you surely must remember the part where Anne and Diana vow their undying friendship to each other, even though they have been separated by circumstance and parents, solemnized with the snipping of tiny locks of hair given to each other as a token of their friendship.

Ingy's little friend, "H" decided a few weeks ago that she would follow Anne's example. She cut a lock of her hair and put it in a ziplock. (As you can see in the picture above, it was not a lock -- it was a chunk.)

Today, we were visiting "H". So....it was a bit too quiet back in "H's" room. I go back there to let Ingy know it is time to go. You guessed it. Chunk of Ingrid's hair is gone and in a ziplock. I think that PDG has some "buyer's regret" at the moment, so I'm not even bringing it up. I'm minimizing it in fact. She's going to beat herself up enough over the next six months when she can't have pony tails this hot, sticky summer on the Eastern Seaboard. I'm sure we'll look at this incident with fond remembrance. I'm not ready to do that just yet... still kind of ticked, in fact.

- cut side -

- intact side -

some things speak for themselves