Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Okay I was introduced to THIS greatness over Thanksgiving weekend:



I LOVE Neil Patrick Harris, and I am a little bit in love with him after seeing this short movie (the above is just one of the songs).

I hope to own this DVD in the near future. Love love love.

Thanksgiving

(There's a story about these peaches!)

I had every intention of blogging before Thanksgiving, but in preparations for the Big Day, blogging fell by the wayside. We stayed with the mother-in-law all weekend, too, and her internet connection and I aren't friends, so here it is Sunday already. Funny how quickly those 4-day weekends go by.

So as you can see by the few pictures I've decided to post (there were only 157 after all), The First Annual All-Family Thanksgiving was a success.

I don't think I ever mentioned it on this blog, but this was a first for us this year. We kids decided that hopping from house to house to house and eating several meals in one day was NOT fun anymore. Since everyone seemed to get along so well (even the divorcees) at all the weddings there have been in the past year or so, we came up with the idea of just having everyone in one place. We figured it would either be the best idea or the worst idea ever conceived.

Luckily, it was great.

We had a huge turnout (around 50 people), and everyone brought something yummy to nosh on, so there was an ungodly amount of food. Everyone was pleasant and there was little to no drama (that I was aware of anyway, but I was holed up in the kitchen for the most part).

So the peaches...

Every year since the dawn of when I can remember, my Papa would always make those peaches and bring them to every family function. They're simply peach halves filled with a cream cheese and pecan mixture, and topped with whole pecans. I was always (and still am) allergic to pecans, so there were always a few with just the cream cheese in them for me. Funny thing is, I think they're incredibly gross actually!

So, even though Papa and Nana were both gone this year, we just had to have the peaches. It wouldn't feel like a holiday without them.

All in all, a year of many things to be thankful for:

• Operaboy and I are married. Finally.
• We have a house that we are slowly but surely turning into a home.
• We have a steady income.
• We have our health.
• Our family members who are ill are still battling courageously.
• We live in a country where we are free.
• We are loved by a caring and compassionate and living God.
• We have food in our bellies and a roof over our head.
• We have a reliable means of transportation.

That list could honestly go on and on. I am so thankful and so blessed to be where we are.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well, filled with many blessings.

Here's to the start of the 2008 Holiday Season!!!

The Wall of Mirrors is down!

And no, that's not a metaphor. Here are some pics of work we did at the OperaHaus this weekend:

The Wall of Mirrors. This has been a staple of the house for as long as I can remember. That's me in the front doorway. Hi!

Operaboy and my mom working on the mirrors (which were all very stubborn).

Me in the doorway again. Working hard, can you tell?

Stepmom going in and scraping all the black crap off so we could sand, texture & paint eventually.

About to take off the LAST MIRROR! This was an historic moment, let me tell you.

Pretty, huh? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Look at what we found under the (nasty) carpet! Brown linoleum! Yay!

Operaboy being shown the proper way to roll up old carpet. Yeah you can tell he's excited.

As you can see even by this little glimpse into one room of the house, we have a lot of work to do. But, you can also see that we have lots of help! I'm excited to take all of you loyal readers (both of you) along this journey with us. Yay for home repairs!!

The Biggest Lie Ever Told?

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

Quite possibly the most harmful thing any parent could ever teach their child, or that any person could teach another person. It is, quite simply, not true.

When and if I am ever blessed to be a parent and shouldering the responsibility of raising another life, I hope to impart upon said child the truth, which is that words do hurt. Words can hurt us, and we can hurt others with our words.

I was reading through some blogs today, happy to be back in the blogosphere, and happened upon something that shocked me with it's vitriol. Vitriol that was, no matter how cleverly disguised, aimed at me. Yes, me personally. This shouldn't have come as a huge surprise, considering the source, but I truly was surprised.

And hurt.

I know that not everyone I happen upon will love me, or even like me. However, I am truly surprised to see that I could have ilicited such a negative and hateful reaction from someone. Normally this type of thing would have sent me barreling into a self-righteous rage, looking for any way in which to strike back at the offender.

However, in my recent attempts to be a better friend and a generally more positive person, I took a step back and tried to assess the situation (or non-situation, as some of my IRL friends wish I would keep it).

My response to this person, and to any others who might harbor similar feelings, is this: I'm sorry. No matter what I think of you (or "yous"), nothing gives me the right to make you feel as though you need to lash out at me (save for extreme situations such as running over my dog, or shooting my mom, you know). I'm sorry that I made you feel like the kind of person who can say and needs to say such hateful, hurtful things. I can't imagine you like feeling compelled to say them.

So for that, I apologize to you. I hope you can forgive me.

Take a Listen

I'm currently loving this song, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. It just sounds so light-hearted and happy and it gets stuck in my head in the best way!

Enjoy!

Completely Gratuitous

Yum.

You're welcome.

Survey Love

From the thought-provoking Smash.

Name: OperaWife

What book are you reading now? Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (finally)

What are your favorite books? Well I obviously can't get enough of the Harry Potter (Rowling) series, like any normal human being that I would associate with. I also have recently enjoyed The Exorcist (Blatty), The Mark of the Lion series (Rivers), Something Borrowed (Giffin) as well as Something Blue and Baby Proof by the same author (very easy reads), Nineteen Minutes (Picoult), and Digital Fortress (Brown). I'm always looking for something new, though, and I can't wait to read the rest of the Twilight series.

What foreign languages do you read? Um, none.

What 's the funniest book you ever read? Me Talk Pretty One Day (Sedaris)

What books have changed the way you look at the world or the way you live your life? Definitely the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, specifically An Echo in the Darkness

What books have affirmed what you believe about life or the way you look at things? See above.

What are some of the scariest books you've ever read? I read The Stand (King) a long time ago, and reading The Exorcist the other night didn't exactly give me rosy meadow dreams.

About how many books do you think you have you read in your life? I wouldn't begin to try to count.

About how many books do you own? Not a terribly large amount...maybe 50-75? If I know I'm not going to re-read it, I usually donate it.

How many books per month do you usually borrow from the library? I don't go to the library.

How much would you say you've paid in library fines in your life? Oh, probably upwards of $100....

Do you read in bed? Every night

Do you ever read while walking or driving? I've read while walking. I don't recommend it.

OK, let's get real. Where is the strangest place you've read a book? In the bathtub?

Do you listen to audio books? I never have, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Has anyone ever read aloud to you or you to them? Yes and yes. I don't necessarily prefer it. It keeps me from completely immersing myself in the story.

Tell us more. What book was the most difficult to read? Anything by Jane Austen. I love love love her work, but man those are a tough read.

Do you read every word of a book, or skip parts that don't hold your interest? Every word, but I usually miss a lot the first time through, because I'm reading so fast. I always re-read a book immediately to catch all I missed. I just get so excited!

What books do you keep intending to read but put off? I want to read more Austen, but see a question or two above. I also keep telling my mom I'll read the Left Behind series, but I'm not really all that interested.

Do you buy new or used books, paperbacks or hardbacks, leather or collector's items? All of the above.

How do you feel about writing in books, dog earing, etc? I'm really trying to stop dog-earing. I never write in books (besides textbooks, but everyone does that).

What is the first book you remember reading? I think it was a Sesame St book

Do you lend your books? I won't anymore. A certain someone in Boston STILL has 3 of my HP books....

Ever had to hire Large Louis to get it back for you? I'm about to.

What were your favorite books when you were a child? Babysitter's Club, all the way. Wombat Stew, when I was very small. I have a copy now. :)

What children's books do you most enjoy as an adult? Harry Potter and the Twilight series, but really those are "young adult."

Do you ever read the ending first? no freaking way!!

Did you ever agree to read the book somebody was pushing on you if they would read one for you in exchange? I haven't, but I can see it happening...

What were the books? n/a

Have you ever read a book more than once? Oh my goodness, yes!

What frequently recommended books have you been unable to finish? Flags of Our Fathers. It's not that it isn't interesting...it's just not that compelling.