My List...

...of MUST.WATCH Christmas shows....check 'em out!

1.) A Charlie Brown Christmas

A true, heartwarming classic. I don't know anyone who hasn't seen it and loved it.

2.) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

He's cuuuuute....I think he's cuuuuute!

3.) How the Grinch Stole Christmas

My small heart grows three sizes every time I watch this!

That Cindy Lou Who....ADORABLE!

4.) A Christmas Story

You can watch it ALL.DAY.LONG on Christmas Day....

if that doesn't make it a must-see then the leg lamp DOES!!! :)

5.) The Year Without a Santa Claus

This is an obscure one to a lot of people.

The Miser Brothers dancing with their little "mini-me's" make it a worthwhile watch!

6.) Santa Claus is Coming to Town

This is the show that teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about everyone's favorite Jolly Old Elf :)

Put one foot in front of the other...

7.) Frosty the Snowman

Happy Birthday!

8.) The Little Drummer Boy

This one helps to remind me of the reason for the season.

9.) Prep and Landing

My NEW favorite!

Debuted last year and I can't WAIT to watch it again!!!

10.) Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

That Emmet....Adorable!

This is the DVD that MUST be added to our collection this year! Hubby and Iz have never heard of/seen this show and it's been WAY too long since I've seen it!

Those are my favorites....what are yours?

No Such Thing as Too Much TV...

...when it comes to Christmas Shows, that is!

We try and limit the amount of tv Iz watches. In reality she still watches too much but, in our defense, 90% is educational and she's learned languages, shapes, colors, sharing, imagination, dance and a million other things from her *buddies* on PBS, Nick Jr., and the Disney channel. The amount of television we watch is directly affected by the weather. When the weather is bad, the tv is on...and vice versa.

However, the Christmas season has begun (well, to me it doesn't officially begin until December 1st, but we won't get into that right now) and all tv rules go out the window when it comes to Christmas specials. ABC Family is beginning it's 25 Days of Christmas on Wednesday and all the networks have various Christmas shows scheduled to air throughout the month. Me? I plan on watching them ALL with Iz right by my side!!! :)

I read an article in the paper yesterday where the author listed his holiday specials to warm the heart. It was HIS ten favorite Christmas shows. You can find the article HERE.

Here's his list:

1.) A Charlie Brown Christmas

2.) Miracle on 34th Street

3.) A Christmas Story

4.) How the Grinch Stole Christmas

5.) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

6.) It's a Wonderful Life

7.) It's a Wonderful Life

8.) Frosty the Snowman

9.) Saturday Night Live Christmas

10.) Scrooged

There are 3 shows on the list I have not seen (pathetic, I know, but I've never watched #2, 6 & 9 ....probably because my holiday viewing focuses mainly on cartoons!) but, I must say, it's a good list. However...there are a few shows missing. I'm not sure why - maybe the author was limited to 10 or limited himself to 10. Either way...tomorrow I'm posting MY list of must-see holiday specials and then I'm going to make a point of watching the above list AND my list in the next 26 days (um, 26...that's how many days 'til Christmas y'all!!!!).

Bring on the Fa-la-la-la-la, Ho Ho Ho and You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!!!! I'm ready :)

When In Rome...

I'm a *bit* obsessed with a few tv shows (Grey's, Private Practice, Survivor, Biggest Loser....the list goes on) but they're all ending. The Grey's finale last week had me so tense I actually had to take a couple breaks while watching it so I could remind myself to BREATH ALREADY!!! and the Private Practice finale the week before had me sobbing for the final 15 minutes (Love you Dell!!!). The Survivor finale was great, mostly because Russel didn't win...again! Tee hee hee! The Biggest Loser ended last night and I was thrilled at the winner and, as usual, amazed by all of the contestants transformations! American Idol ends tonight (Go Lee!) and Flash Forward ends tomorrow...

I've been looking at the summer tv schedule and there's definitely a couple things that interest me - Wipeout is always good for a laugh, as is the first few episodes of America's Got Talent but, what I've really been thinking is, I want to re-watch Rome.

If you haven't watched it, you are definitely missing out. It was on HBO for two seasons and we have both on DVD...amazing! Plus, if you like Owen on Grey's you will LOVE Rome since he's the lead and spends the entire series all buffed up and looking super-cute!

I know it sounds like all I do is watch tv and, I'll admit, I do get into that rut but once Iz goes to bed there isn't a whole lot else to do. I read a lot and knit a lot and post-bedtime is when I do some of my best de-cluttering but still...we live in the middle of nowhere. TV is just about all we have :)

So.....Rome it is!

Can You Hear My Heart Breaking?

It's that time of the year...no, I'm not talking about Christmas. I'm talking about something that has a little bigger impact on me. Something that effects me on a deep, personal level. Something that practically brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
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Winter Hiatus*

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That's right....ALL my shows are disappearing over the next week or so. The Biggest Loser finale is tonight, the last new Grey's episode until January was a couple weeks ago, no more Private Practice until after the holidays, GLEE is off air until SPRING (yipe!) and the Survivor final is the 20th.
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Luckily, come mid-January I will be able to devote 2-3 nights a week to this guy
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and this guy
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and this girl
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and, new this season (and I'm not sure yet how I feel about someone who has NOTHING to do with the music industry involved this show), this girl
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Plus The Biggest Loser will be back on the air late winter and Grey's and PP should be back in a few weeks. I'm all for celebrating the holidays and enjoying time at home with family but let's not go overboard, shall we? Do ALL my shows really have to go off-air for most of December? I don't mind season finales in the spring as much (though I DO miss my McDreamy fix in the summer) but I live in MAINE...and I don't ski or snowboard or snowshoe or even go outside in winter unless I HAVE to. There isn't much else to do in December. Well, I guess I could clean my house or something....hmmmmm....nah!

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*not sure if that's what it's "technically" called...but that's what I call it

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credit, credit, credit, credit

Obsessions...Let's List Them, Shall We?

Jeez...I've got problems. I mean SERIOUS problems.
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In the last 5 days I have developed FOUR new obsessions in my life and I'm beginning to think that I may never be able to leave the house again.
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Here they are:
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1. Glee ... one of my FB friends raved about this show and I made the mistake of going to HULU and watching all 5 back episodes...in a 24-hour-period...I now LOVE this show. I thought it would be for the teens but the interaction between the teachers is more than enough to completely capture this 30-something woman and the musical numbers are just a BONUS...check it out. Seriously :)
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2. The Middle ... Thankfully, only one episode has aired and it's only 1/2 hour show so it only took 25 minutes to get all caught up :) This show is SUPER FUNNY! and probably a whole lot more realistic than most mothers out there would be willing to admit.
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3. Woman with Kids ... I lurk at a ton of blogs...this is one I happened upon accidentally, read a few recent posts then HAD to go back to when it began in 2006 and start "catching up." I got about 3 months in and realized this blog is written by SOMEONE.I.KNOW. Someone I went to school with, someone who I considered my best friend in 9th grade :) and someone who I haven't seen since we graduated until we met for coffee a couple months ago...Remember (scroll to the last pic)? I can't believe it took me so long to realize it was her but then again she is so funny and witty and sarcastic that I wasn't really thinking at first. I was too busy laughing! Check it out!!!
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4. Ellie :) Iz and I went to see her Saturday afternoon after ballet class...because I just couldn't wait any longer...I hadn't seen her in TWO WHOLE DAYS!!! I was definitely missing her. So we stopped in for an hour or so of "q-time" with the babe, who is getting bigger and cuter and sweeter every day :)
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Now, if those were all than I would be okay...but, while I'm being honest, here are some of my other obsessions:
IzzyB :)
Grey's Anatomy
Private Practice
The Biggest Loser
Survivor
Amalah
My Yahoo Knitting Group
The Forgotten
Flash Forward
100 Days of Holidays
Patriots
DD Iced Coffee (which, thankfully, gets me out of the house)
Knitpicks
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Those are just the ones that popped into my mind...plus books, of course....
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I'm currently listening to the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and reading the Temperance Brennan books by Kathy Reichs which the TV show Bones is based on. Plus, Audrey Niffenegger has a new book out that I MUST read...SOON! and it's almost time for me to reread Harry Potter and Twilight...it's been a while, you know?
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So that's me right now...how about you? Anything good you can pass along that I will immediately become obsessed with??? Because I'm still leaving the house a couple times a week to get iced coffee and fresh air. but that's not necessary, is it?
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Need MORE Tissues!

Ahhh...Grey's Anatomy.... *sigh*
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I loved the premiere of the new season.
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I cried for almost the entire 2 hours. The whole "George thing" is a real tough one, but it was made a lot easier by the fact that Mer-Der were getting "cozy" everywhere and every chance they got :) and the whole Yang-Hunt thing....H.O.T. Loved him in the HBO series Rome and LOVE LOVE LOVE him on Grey's :)
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I'm still behind on my shows though. I haven't watched this week's Survivor and I also want to check out the new shows Mercy and Eastwick. If only I didn't need to sleep....then I would have all the time in the world. Instead I'll continue to try and fit them in first thing in the morning and last thing at night when Iz doesn't have control of the remote :)
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Even though I don' t work a traditional "job"....TGIF!!!
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Whew!!! I Did It!

Last Tuesday, the 15th, I HAD to buy this after Iz and I went to the movies... *
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24 episodes...1080 minutes...9 days....but I did it! I watched the ENTIRE season :) and I loved it even more than the first time I watched it!
(the lack of commercials DEFINITELY speeds up the watching time!!!)
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The new season starts in 2 hours!!!! Have I mentioned how excited I am???
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* image courtesy of amazon.com
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Playdate ... and my NEW Camera!!!

My new camera works GREAT! Here's a couple quick snapshots I took Monday night after Iz & I got home.
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The best part? It takes VIDEO.......WITH SOUND!!!!

(my old camera did video but without sound...who wants a video without sound? Seriously?)
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It was a little dark in the house when I took this, but it's still pretty darn cute!

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Yesterday, we headed over for a play date with Mel & the boys where my NEW :) camera got quite the workout! I was trying to kill the batteries (online reviews claim it's a battery eater!) so I took FIFTY pictures and EIGHT videos....guess what? My power bar didn't even drop a line. I'm thinking it's just fine with batteries!

We played inside for a while...

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Then headed for a quick hike in the woods to the brook.

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Back to the house to play some more...these two are quite the matched pair :)

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Mel's cutie, Otis...always have to try and snap a pic of him!

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A little more playing...then we headed home!

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Mel gave me the sweetest card and a small gift (tulip bulbs! yay!) in appreciation of our friendship. So nice of her! We met almost 3 years ago through a playgroup that had just begun in the area and I am SO glad that we did. She is the friend that I can be completely honest with, that shares my views of the world and parenting and marriage, someone that I can laugh with, someone I can be serious with, someone I can tell my hopes and fears to...
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Thanks, Mel....for being a wonderful friend :)
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Today, Iz and I went to story time at the library (as usual) and then made a "quick" stop at Nannie and Papa's to say hello. Only...our quick stop lasted 5 hours!!! My Auntie M was there helping Nannie do some cleaning/purging/sorting and I stayed to help. My mom is trying to downsize things, clear some things out and sell some things in a yard sale at some point so they can travel in the motor home this winter and maybe, someday, even sell their house!!! It's a BIG job...we're headed back Saturday afternoon to help some more.
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One more day 'til Grey's Anatomy!!! I'm so excited!!!!
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Where Do I Begin?

You're probably asking...where have I been???
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Busy! Busy! Busy! As usual. Plus, I haven't been downloading my pictures daily so I have nothing to show for our week.
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Thankfully, tomorrow is another day :) and I will post then. It will probably be long and full of pictures, but, hey! that's life...and I haven't seen (or heard) and complaints yet!!!
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P.S. Survivor starts tonight. Can't WAIT to check it out!
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P.P.S. Grey's Anatomy starts in ONE WEEK!!!!
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P.P.P.S (last one, I swear!) The winner of America's Got Talent? Yeah...I wasn't down with that but, then again, I didn't vote so I can't really say much. One thing though - LOVE LOVE LOVE Recycled Percussion!!!
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