My most recent works of art

Melissa's Thanksgiving cards she sent to her clients

Ann's holiday cards she plans to send to her clients

playLIST NOVEMBER.nineteen.twothousandnine

Like anyone cares :) Like I care if anyone cares?? Anyway, it'll be fun to look back in six months and see what I was listening to on 11/19/09!!!

1. Heat of the Moment (asia)

2. Dreaming (blondie)

3. Sweet Jane (cowboy junkies)

4. Underneath {Radio Mix} (dj antoine)

5. Pjanoo {Club Mix} (eric prydz)

6. Mercedes Benz (janis joplin)

7. Imagination {Tiesto Mix} (jes)

8. Angel On My Shoulder {EDX Radio Edit} (kaskade)

9. Feel Your Love {Extended Mix} (kim sozzi)

10. Sex on Fire (kings of leon)

11. Use Somebody (kings of leon)

12. Paper Planes (m.i.a.)

13. Got Money (lil wayne & t-pain)

14. Top of the World (the pussycat dolls)

15. Cherub Rock (smashing pumpkins)

16. Hold Me Now (thompson twins)

17. The Promise (when in rome)

18. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To (weezer)

Heat of the Moment - Asia or Cartman?

I can't decide which version I like best!!! Ugh! Which one's your fave???

Asia's Original:

Eric Cartman's Rendition:

RJBs Stache

Rob explains his 'stache to the professional community at HogeFenton:

"A few of you may or may have not noticed the beginnings of the sweet moustache sprouting on my upper lip. The reason behind the grooming change is not because of a career change to law enforcement or a foray into 1970's porn it is to support a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to cancers that affect men. Apparently this started in Australia and they call a moustache a "mo" down under hence "Movember".

Anyway, a friend of my wife's at Adobe is a testicular cancer survivor and has been cancer free for one year and has a baby on the way. He is raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. My wife has joined his "team" and a link to make donations to the cause is included below. I am showing my support by growing a moustache during the month.

The point of this e-mail is to mostly explain why I am growing a moustache but any support you can provide is much appreciated. The link is http://us.movember.com/mospace/7270/"

Please go to http://us.movember.com/mospace/7270/ and give what you can to Team Manscapers! Click on the "Donate to me" button :)

Part 1: Fun Things for the Kiddos to do in the Bay Area

When you have toddlers, every weekend is consumed with finding ways to keep their thirst for learning quenched. RJB and I have actually become quite adept at "changing it up" every weekend with something new and fun for them to experience. So I figured I'd blog about it and share our faves here, as well as share places we've heard or read about that we hope to check out soon. This is Part 1 (since there are sooooo many places to share, it needs to be broken up into parts - this is why I LOVE Cali!).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monterey Bay Aquarium

* GET THE MEMBERSHIP!!! It's $150 for the whole family. Go twice and the membership has paid for itself. Plus you get to partake in special events only offered to members, the aquarium opens earlier and stays open later for members only, and members get to experience sneak peaks at new exhibits.

* It's perfect for toddlers - they can run, explore, and touch. There are many fun activities to keep them busy and engaged, plus several different play areas with slides, things to climb on, tunnels to walk through. There's even a little gated toddler area where they can don water-proof aprons and play with toy fish in the water. This area also has a waterbed-like thinga-ma-jig where they can jump and bounce. Fun - I wish I was a toddler :)

* Jack's favorite exhibit: The Outer Bay

* Nora's fave: The Kelp Forest

* Taylor's fave: The Jellies

While in Monterey, check out the following:

Cannery Row

Rip Squeak and Friends Gallery Monterey

Ghirardelli's Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop

Nestle Toll House Cafe

I LOVE this!

Coloring Pages

A while back when my creative juices were really flowing, I created a few cutesie little whatevers. I realized today that I could turn my artwork into coloring pages for J&N. I share them here. Stay tuned for more! Oh I have more; much, much more.

Download Cat (click here)

Download Dog (click here)

Download Starfish (click here)

Download Sand Dollar (click here)

In case I haven't touted it enough.......

I work for Adobe. I love the products. They are not only fun to use, they enable productivity-challenged people like me to be productive. Anyway, Acrobat.com is THE best in the West! I can't get enough. You can create documents (much, much sexier documents than what you create in Word) and share these documents with your friends and colleagues, you can convert documents to PDF, you can share your files with your peeps, you can collaborate and share your computer screen with ConnectNow, and you can store files. Very cool.

So if you haven't heard and you haven't checked it out, what the H are you waiting for??? BTW, did I mention it's free??

Bear Feet Shoes

I share again another find on the ol' internet - Bear Feet Shoes! I really like it. I really do. It's awesome. All of the shoes are made right here in our very own country - nice. And they're all made of buttery soft leather. Makes me wish I were a toddler so I could have a pair. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they're C-U-T-E CUTE! They also make accessories - I love, love, love accessorizing Miss NoraSephora.

Anyway, below are a couple of cutesie little cutie cutes I'm contemplating getting for Nora:

These are called "SkullyJanes" - way too cool!

"Punk Janes" - with Nora's black Paul Frank Angel Monkey tshirt?

"Flower Power Bracelet" - powerful bayyy-bee!!

enfant terrible

I have blogged about this site before, I know, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I only wish I had taken French in school, because I have absolutely no clue how to pronounce the name!!! Anyway, here are a few items that a:) I wish weren't so stinkin' out of my price range, and b:) I am incredibly inspired by that perhaps, since I cannot afford them, I will once and for all drag out my cute sewing machine and try to recreate. By the way, I have been saving clothes I no longer wear so that someday I might re-use the fabric to make cutesie numbers for Miss NoraSephora - we'll see. I'm always full of good ideas, but lack the follow-through to actually see said ideas to completion - ugh!

Oh no - this is wayyyy too cute!

Are you kidding me right now??

Seriously? Seriously!

Twins - handmade stationery

I want to go to Istanbul

Ok, so the other night Rob and I watched the movie The International with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. If you haven't seen it, don't waste your time!! It sucked. The only redeeming aspect was the scene at the end of the movie which was set in Istanbul, Turkey. I've always wanted to go to Istanbul (a.k.a Constantinople), so I immediately went online and researched where we would stay when we go. I totally want to stay at the Four Seasons right smack dab in the middle of the city. It looks fabulous. The hotel was "created from a century-old neoclassic Turkish prison", and since it's in the center of the city, it's close to all of the best sites to see! Some day perhaps......

Reflecting on the Past 5 Months

The Reinmillers came to visit from Seattle

Carol and Tracie came to visit from Saint Louis

We celebrated Stacey's birthday at the A's/Redsox game

We went to Santa Barbara for Spring Break

Taylor graduated from 8th grade

Father's Day

We went to Saint Louis to visit the fam

Rob's sister came to visit and we went to Monterey

Elephant in the Room

How funny would it have been if I had just pretended that nothing ever changed? So here I will address the obvious, which is.......

I HAVE NOT POSTED TO MY BLOG IN ALMOST FIVE MONTHS!!!!

There. I've addressed the proverbial Elephant in the Room. Don't ask why it's been so long. Please. I'm afraid it is quite boring and that goes against my mission for blogging in the first place.

I'm back, that's that!

I finally have a maxi dress!

I've been drooling over this dress all summer and finally decided to just buy it! I'm going to wear it in Paso Robles next weekend - I can't wait (to go to Paso, to finally own a maxi dress, and to actually wear it!).

Fiddlebugs

Ok, how stinkin' cute are THESE??? Jenni Salter, founder of Fiddlebugs, is the designer of these fabulous and fun barrettes.  You can get your own here!

Happy Saint Patty's Day!!!

Or as Taylor would say "Happy Leprechaun Day"! Here are a few gorgeous, glamorous green goodies that I am absolutely gaga for!!!

Green master suite from the HGTV Dream Home. I love

all the white against the green walls and ceiling - gorgeous!

Marc Jacobs - my favorite designer of hand bags and accessories!!!

I would take any (or all) of the following cutie cutes.

Key Lime Pie - yum!  The best is made with Nellie and Joe's

Key Lime Juice.

This Paul Smith blouse is fabulous!

And finally the green book: The Everday Guide to

Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

Daily Candy

I love Daily Candy!  It's an amazing on-line publication/guide to fashion, beauty & fitness, things to do, and places to eat. There's an edition for twelve major cities (including London!) as well as an "Everywhere" edition. They even have a kids edition in each of those cities. Fabulous!

I love the artwork by Sujean Rim, too. Very sweet and incredibly eye-pleasing. 

Jason's Band (I'm so proud!)

I'm so proud. They had a professional take pictures - WOW, I love it! Aren't they cute?  You can view their MySpace page here (warning: the content may not be appropriate for really nice people and very young children!!!).

Mush!

I love my big brother.  He's the best - the best in the Midwest ;) ;)  Ugh, that is soooo incredibly dorky! Anywaaaayyyys.  He sent me this link to the Boston Globe - just  a little reminder that even though Spring is rapidly approaching, there are still places in the world where a sled dog race (or two, or three) is taking place. Here are a few more of my faves:

We almost adopted a dog that had eyes like this

Doesn't this one look like Makoto???

Cool pic!

American Idol - Dirty Dianna

My fave tonight:  Alexis Grace's performance of Dirty Dianna.  Woohoo - that rocked!

I admit I watch, but I don't vote. Is that bad? I just like to watch. I don't want to dial.

American Idol - "It's all about song choice."

Why do the majority of the contestants pick such wearisome songs? Perhaps it sounds better live? Seriously. I can't figure it out. Every year, year after year, I ask the same question. I feel like at this stage of the show, the contestants play it really safe and it bores the heckito out of me (heckito, if you're not familiar with the term, is something that Judy Schachner's siamese kitty boy, Skippyjon Jones, has been known to say - check him out, he's muy adorable!).

I know it's going to get better. That's why I keep watching. Once they narrow it down to the final twelve, the stage and the competition will change, and the real show will begin. I can't wait.

BTW, Felicia's performance was my fave (she sang Alicia Key's No One).

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Can't you just picture Nora in this?? If I don't win, I promise (cross my heart, hope to die), that I will attempt to make it myself for NoraSephora. Seriously. I'm not kidding this time.

My Nora (not to be mistaken for menorah)

I was actually attempting to focus in on Nora. Clearly I need to figure things out!

That's better, but not quite what I wanted.

Hmmmmm.......