I won a blog award!! Kami of Kamika Krafts named me as a Versatile Blogger!! Wheeeee!! Thanks, Kami!!

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you’ve recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

Here are 7 things about me:

1. Today I found a pretty vintage gold and rhinestone necklace in the shape of a feather!! Crummy iPhone pic:

2. When I was little, I would draw people as hearts. Instead of just stick figures, people had heart-shaped bodies with stick arms and legs.  :-D

3.  I prefer Dick York as Darrin.

4. Sometimes I take a spoon and just eat lemon curd as is. xoxoxo

5. I hope Marco says ‘Mama’ first.

6. I’ve always wanted to walk into a restaurant and say, “Gimme the usual, Mack.”, and then receive whatever ‘the usual’ is! Like, a grilled cheese with grilled onions; or something that sounds like a weird detective meal. Starbucks is as close as I’ve gotten. They know I either want a non-fat chai latte or a non-fat caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso.

7. I would love a pear-infused vodka cocktail right about…NOW.

7 Bloggers:
1. Stilettos and Diapers
2.And this is what she said
3.Northwest Betty
4.West Sac Honey
5. Hair by Adrian
6. Rants. Raves. Ridiculous
7. AOG Daily

Make sure to check out the giveaway!! Only 5 more days to enter…

Thanks, Samantha! Needed a time-filler.

1. I love… my library!
2. Right now I want… water. I’m thirsty.
3. I feel like… I should brush my teeth.
4. I hate it when… the kids down the street yell up and down the block FOR NO REASON.
5. I fear… too early, for my mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the stars… – Yep, I’m a Shakespeare nut.
6. I’m lonely without… books.
7. I need… new shoe laces for my grey Converse.
8. Today I… met a woman in Target with a 20 month old and a 3 week old. She invited me to join the Napa Moms group.
9. Tomorrow I’m… going with Tim and Marco to see Adrienne, Justin and Belle. We need to catch up on ‘Mad Men’!
10. I just… purchased Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s Kisses. I can’t wait to try them!
11. I want to meet… Hugh Laurie because I lourrrveee him.
12. I’m hungry for… lovin’. LOL
13. I love it when… Tim, Marco, and I go to breakfast at Gillwood’s on Sunday mornings. 
14. I’m afraid of… spiders, snakes, and sharks. THE AXIS OF EVIL!
15. I’m listening to… ‘The Edge of Love’, on my television.  Keira Knightley is actually good in this, and she has a pretty singing voice. Unfortunately, I don’t think Matthew Rhys is a great Dylan Thomas.
16. I’m wearing… dark skinny jeans and a blue tee shirt.
17. I wish I was in… Italy.
18. I’m craving… strawberries
19. I want to get… more books, and the Balenciaga Paris perfume.
20. I can… hear Marco talking to himself. What a goober.
21. I can’t… wait until my birthday dinner! My special outfit is SO cute!
22. I have… many pairs of shoes.
23. I haven’t… had PinkBerry in far too long.
24. I’m nervous to… change my hair, but I know Adrian will do something fantastic with it on Saturday! 
25. My Mom thinks I’m… independent.
26. I think… I need some coffee.
27. I’m happy when… I find out I have more readers! I am so excited!
28. I’m sad when… anyone mentions the movie ‘An American Tail’. DON’T GET ME STARTED.
29. I like eating… fruit
30. I hate eating…  things that are gross?
31. I love watching… Tim cuddle with Marco. They are just too cute.
32. I love listening to… JIMMY EAT WORLD! I CAN’T WAIT FOR THEIR NEW ALBUM!
33. I like playing… hide and seek with my cat. Stabler can always find me.
34. I hate waking up to… loud, annoying, birds!
35. I can see… the mailman!
36. I’m glad that… my birthday is in 5 days!
37. I’m disappointed that… ‘Psych’ won’t be returning until November! Shawn and Gus are the bomb-diggity.
38. I look like… a mix of my mom and my father. 
39. I wish I looked like…

Cate Blanchett

 OR

Rachael Stirling, when she was in the Poirot flick, ‘Five Little Pigs’. OMG.

My birthday is only 1 month away (I’m turning 26)!

I love making wishlists, so here’s my birthday list:

One of the best British comedies! I was already a Hugh Laurie devotee, but I fell in love with Stephen Fry because of this awesome series, which is based on the hilarious ‘Jeeves’ stories by P.G. Wodehouse.

I love the black Converse slip ons that I purchased a few months back; but these are a bit girlier.

Found this on Etsy several months ago. A beautiful handmade journal with a bit of one of my favorite Sonnets!

Awesome color, and a classic sneaker.

We have a winner!! Balenciaga Paris has received the seal of approval from Tim. I love this scent. Wearing it made me feel elegant and bohemian at the same time; very European. All I had was a teeny sample to apply to my wrists and neck, though. I need a bottle!

I have the 3G, and it’s served me well over the past two years. My contract is officially up, and for now I will not renew unless I get the iPhone 4 (I’m just riding it out on monthly terms). I want FaceTime! There are, of course, rumours that AT&T is losing its exclusivity contract, and Verizon may have a CDMA iPhone – if that happens, I may wish to switch to Verizon. BUT, it wouldn’t happen until January 2011, and I don’t know what Verizon’s monthly price would be for service.

More vinyl records! I have a very small collection, and would love to expand it. I just pre-ordered Jimmy Eat World’s new album, ‘Invented’ on vinyl, and am very excited for it’s arrival; unfortunately, it won’t ship out until September 28th.

Adrienne posted her top 5 favorite books yesterday, so today, I’d like to post a few of my absolute favorites. I could never, ever pick just ONE! Most of my spare time is spent reading – though, now that I have a baby, it’s definitely harder to actually find spare time!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Gorgeous, tragic, classic story.
The Beautiful & The Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Interesting and well-written novel of the effects of youth, beauty and greed.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides – Euginedes does not fail to mesmerize me with his writing.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – Like everyone else who read this, I related to Holden in a major way. A classic.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – Beautiful.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – A lovely, classic romance.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – I loved this as a little kid, and still adore Anne (with an ‘E’) Shirley!

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant – So amazing! Diamant does such a fantastic job taking a minor biblical character, Dinah, and turning her into a heroine.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman – Such a fun, hilarious adventure!

Siddartha by Herman Hesse – Fantastic spiritual tale, a must-read.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro – A truly lovely, nuanced character study; not heavy on plot, though, so if that’s a problem for you, check out Never Let Me Go, another Ishiguro novel, instead.

Fingersmith by Sara Waters – This definitely kept me guessing! I loved the plot twists and the romantic nature of this Dickensian novel.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – Borrowed this from Micaela’s mum, who shares a similar taste in novels. This was fantastic! Wonderful story-telling, very interesting characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes.

Okay, I could go on (and on, and on…) but I’ve got to stop. You can check out my LibraryThing, and click ‘Favorites’ to see a more comprehensive list.

Adrienne filled this out, and since I need something to distract me, I’ll give it a whirl.

1. The first thing I do in the morning is try to get out of bed without having a contraction.

2. Every night before bed I massage the Palmer’s lotion onto my tummy, brush my teeth and take an Ambien. Then Tim and I talk until one of us falls asleep; usually Tim goes first, and I’ll read until my eyes droop.

3. My favorite thing to do when I’m having a bad day is read of my favorite books for the hundredth time, or go in the kitchen and tinker until I come up with something tasty.

4. Something that makes me cringe is having to take my shoes off in other people’s houses, and not by choice.  It’s always made me uncomfortable; there’s something too personal about walking around barefoot , like forced intimacy or something. Whenever it comes up it actually makes me go into slight panic mode – weird, I know. Plus, there’s always someone (usually someone I don’t know very well) with nasty feet or dirty socks. GROSS. Let’s just say I could never move to Japan. 

5. Social situations are fun when it involves the few select people in the world that I actually like, LOL. Just kidding!  I do like to meet new people, but only if they are intelligent and interesting – and they often aren’t, so things can get awkward really fast for me.

6. I like to collect books. I have a lot of shoes, too.

7. Weekends are for brunches with Tim, cleaning up the house and visiting with lovely people.  

At any given time, I’ll have about 40 different topics swirling around in my head, all vying for prime space in my brain’s receptors. All this jostling and shoving around can sometimes throw the important stuff into the background where it may remain for several hours, or even several days! This is one of the reasons I enjoy lists. I make lists for almost everything. Groceries needed, household chores needing to be done, books I’ve read, books to be read, people I’m not speaking to (KIDDING! Although, Stephen Colbert’s ‘On Notice’ board isn’t a bad idea — I’m looking at YOU, mean woman from a certain winery!!)… Anyway, this blog post is going to be a little like one of my lists. Slightly random and probably completely unhelpful to anyone other than myself.

-Tim is the loveliest husband. Example: He removed the chipped nail polish from my toes the other day because I couldn’t reach them very easily, and he HATES the smell of polish remover. He offered to help me paint them too, but I was kind and told him I’d keep them plain for now.  Further cementing his place in the ‘Awesome’ category: when we take showers, he always angles the shower head around my back so that the warmth can get through to my muscles; he runs out to get me veggie sandwiches even when he’s tired (and I don’t even have to ask!), and he not only tolerates my fussiness over picking the right shoe for the outfit – he’ll go through my stacks of shoe boxes and offer ideas (and funny justifications for polka dot espadrilles!) when I’m frazzled!  Tim’s also a faithful reader of my blog (how sweet is that!?) and I know this post will make him blush a lot little – sorry, hubby!

-I’m really having fun with this Richard Doyle’s FairyLand coloring book. I grabbed some colored pencils and am enjoying picking out my colors for each character and shape. I also have this coloring book arriving today or tomorrow from Amazon, and I’m looking forward to shaving off a few hours of my day with some scribbles.

-Haven’t seen anything more hilarious/oddly adorable than Hugh Laurie saying the word ‘Ba-donka-donk’ in his charming British accent. Check it out at the 1:59 mark

-Just finished reading The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.  Also, Tim and I are finishing up Season 1 of ‘Mad Men’. What do they have in common? They’ve both got me thinking about how far women have come, in terms of our place in society. Do we still have far to go? Of course – we’re leaps and bounds away from true equal footing with men. BUT, in consideration of where we’ve been, I think it’s fair to say that our roles in the lives of our husbands/boyfriends/lovers have grown into real partnerships; and, I do also think it’s fair to say that some (NOT ALL) of the ‘imbalances’ today are probably more our own fault than we women would like to admit. One more note about Tim – bear with me! – watching ‘Mad Men’ has made him positively indignant about the way the men in the show treat their female co-workers and wives. I love him even more when he goes on a rant about it.

-Tomorrow I have another appointment at the OB office (2 in one week!). I’m having another fetal fibronectin test, and the unfortunate news is that I think the labwork has to be sent out, so I may not find out the results until next week.

-Need to remind Tim to pick up more Pink Lady apples. I <3 them.

-I’m really excited to see the pictures from our maternity photo session. The shoot was yesterday evening, (yes, I know I’m supposed to stay at home; but I wanted to make sure we had this done BEFORE Marco showed up!) and our photographer, Suzanne Becker Bronk, was great!  There was a little bit of a rough spot when a winery worker yelled at us for being on the property after hours (the gates were still open and it hadn’t quite closed yet when we arrived), and then drove down the road and proceeded to LOCK US IN. She saw that I was pregnant, knew we’d arrived on foot, and even after speaking to us she still locked us in. The three of us had to climb over a few rocks and onto a bridge (with a small creek below) in order to get back out to our cars. Apparently the woman couldn’t wait the 5 minutes for us to walk to the gate behind her truck. I was wearing 4 1/2″ heels, for cryin’ out loud! Don’t worry, they were one of my most comfortable heels – but she couldn’t have known that!

-I’m becoming more and more excited about my baby showers – and a lot of that has to do with the all the yummy food that’s set to appear. Is that sad? Probably. Will I be stuffing my face? OH YES.

I told you my grey matter was disorganized!

It’s Top Two Tuesday!

Random Facts About Me:

1.  I have this pinkish birthmark on the back of my neck that turns REALLY RED when I am upset.  If I’m really mad you could lift my hair up and check - but I DON’T RECOMMEND IT.

2. I need a fan running in order to sleep (no matter what time of the year it is). I have an old (as in, it was purchased new in 2000) Weatherworks box fan that I am loathe to part with. Tim tried to buy a new fan for me 3 years ago, and I can use it in a pinch, but it’s really hard to sleep without that specific white noise. Before we left for Italy, Tim and I had to go through about 100 recordings of fans in order to find one that would work for me. One of the reasons it is so hard for me to sleep is outside noise (birds, snoring, wheezy breathing, etc.) and the fan helps to cover up a lot of that noise.

Got this from another blogger, Beth of Just Me and My Life!

A. AREA CODE : 707

B. BED SIZE: Queen! Tim talks about trading up to a King but it’s all talk…

C. CHORE YOU HATE: dishes. Timmy is an awesome hubby and does them for me

D. DOG’S NAME: Chloe <3 My adorable puppy (okay, so she's 9 years old...she's still a puppy to me!)

E. ESSENTIAL “START THE DAY!” ITEM: Since I became pregnant, I like a good bowl of cereal Otherwise, I need my toothbrush and Crest Pro-Health toothpaste

F. FAVORITE COLOR: pink, black, peacock green

G. GOLD OR SILVER: Platinum!

H. HEIGHT: 5’3″

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: none – but I sing

J. JOB: Insurance broker/marketing, Innkeeper, Wife and Housekeeper (LOL). Will be adding ‘Mom’ to that list as well.

K. KIDS: gimme 9 more weeks and I might have an affirmative answer – depends on when Marco decides to make his debut

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Tim and I live in the house we purchased last summer

M. MOM’S NAME: Denyse

N. NICKNAME:Shelly, Wifey, M.C. MD

O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: Once, when I had an ovarian cyst burst – OMG PAIN.

P. PET PEEVE: Talking with your mouth REALLY full. It’s one thing to answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’; it’s quite another to launch into a story with masticated steak rolling around your tongue. Oh – and the turn signal on your car is not just a mechanism of politeness, it can prevent accidents!

Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE:Armand: “Los Copa? There’s nothing there but a cemetery.”
Albert: “That’s why I’m packing light.” flinging a toothbrush bag over his shoulder
Armand: I see, you’re going to the cemetery with your toothbrush. How Egyptian!”
From ‘The Birdcage’

R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Right

S. SIBLINGS: younger sister, 5 sisters-in-law and 2 brothers-in-law

T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: I wake up many times in the night! But to start my day, it really depends on my work schedule. Sometime between 6:30am and 8:30am

U. UNDERWEAR: yes?

V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: Celery

W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: It’s usually trouble getting out of bed or wardrobe issues!

X. XRAYS YOU’VE HAD: teeth, ankles, spine

Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: I’m a pretty good cook, but Tim’s favorite dish is my chicken enchiladas!

Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: I love the elephants!

 It’s Top Two Tuesday! Today’s topic is Things You Can’t Live Without.

  I’m going to skip over the real, sentimental stuff like Tim, my pets, friends, family, etc., and get to the fun things that I consider ESSENTIAL.  

1. BOOKS
I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for the wonderful written word.  From the minute I learned how to read, I’ve been in love. I love the smell, the look and the feel of books (which is why I’m not a good candidate for e-readers).  I take one with me everywhere I go (just in case), and if the book is really good, you can bet your ass I’ll read it again (and again…).   I have read many, many, many books, and one of my big goals in life is to have read 1000 books by the time I am 35 (halfway there!). One of my favorite places to be is in a bookstore or library, perusing the stacks. If I’m in a bad mood, a favorite novel can save the day. The ability to read is one of the most important traits you can possess, and I feel very sorry for those that are unable to enjoy this gift. I think I am most looking forward to teaching Marco to read, over any other milestone I can think of! I hope he loves it as much as I do.

This is from the Imperial Palace in Vienna – wish my library could fit stacks this high!

2. The Beatles & Jimmy Eat World
Okay, so I cheated and this is technically my top 3. Get over it!

I grew up listening to The Beatles (as in, from the womb – seriously). I was named after one of their songs (though I seriously would have prefered Julia or Sadie – less common- but, then again, I could have been Prudence) and cannot remember a time when I didn’t know all the words to ‘Hey Jude’.  Lots of words have been written about how amazing they were as a group, and about the individual talents that formed the group, and I’m certaintly no music expert. All I can really say is that they continue to inspire and amaze listeners, decades later. I cannot think of a single band that has formed since The Beatles were in their ‘hey-day’ that has not in some way been influenced by their music.  I love them and really hope that Marco takes a liking to them. The first song I played to my tummy was ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, so I’ve given him a good foundation.

Oh, Jimmy Eat World. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. I love love love this band. I listen to them almost every day. I love that with each album they record, they push their musical boundaries -just a tad- never so much that they are unrecognizable, but enough that you think ‘Well, that’s new!’ and with each new direction they try, they are consistently good. My favorite album is probably Clarity (most fans agree), though I do think Futures is an extremely close second. As we speak, they are mixing the tracks for the new album, and I AM SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED! Their last album (of new tracks) was released in 2007! I’ve seen them live 8 times (never enough!) and am always impressed by how great they sound. It is very difficult to love a band nowadays; too much technology can make even the worst performers sound good on an album. Jimmy Eat World is one of those groups that sounds almost exactly the same as they do on their albums.  I’ve been fortunate enough to meet them, in the summer of 2002, and they were as friendly, nice and unassuming as I’d hoped.  Here’s the best picture ever (Zach is not present in this photo, darn it!):

 

I got this from another blogger, Ali from The Way I See It. 

•Copy the list.    •Bold the ones you’ve done (w/explanations if needed).   •Share with friends.

I have:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 
15. Adopted a child (I think of Chloe and Stabler as my kids!) 
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (SO AWESOME!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person (not very exciting, unfortunately)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check (ugh, one of the first checks I ever wrote – I didn’t know how to balance a checkbook at the time!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (I’ve been laid off, but never fired)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox (twice!)
89. Saved someone’s life (a baby bird, does that count?)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby (not yet)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee