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1.10.2011

it's my job not to play favorites

I spent half of my day today laughing at the memory of my ginger sitting at the Met Cafe, eating a PBH and some pudding, and saying to me "Do you remember that whore unzipping my jacket?"

To which I stopped everything I was doing and said, 'WHAT?'

To which The Holbs looked at me innocently and said,

"The horse? Do you remember?"

I do remember the horse that unzipped Brandon's jacket, because that was the day I almost died. We rode Brandon's cousin Scottie's dang horses in the snow for ten minutes before mine got all grouchypants and I had the sudden realization that I WAS SOMEBODY'S MOTHER and as such SHOULD NOT BE RISKING MY LIFE.

I spent the other half of my day congratulating myself on finally figuring out that my baby is not angry or mean spirited, but rather he is sleepy. lightbulbs! I had no idea babies slept so much. All day long, really. Even when they stop falling asleep on their own.

Tricky, those babies.

Less tricky are dogs.

For instance. If you notice a dog is missing, and also so is the other half of your candy cane, chances are high that they are both together, enjoying sweet puppy love making, under your bed.

Dogs are so easy! I should write a book. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Dogs. Is what I would call it.

Did you know sometimes you have to help your puppy go to sleep, even when he does not act tired?


There is nothing worse than an overtired terrier.

The husband is off watching a football game with friends tonight, and so it is just me and the dogs and the off-and-on sleeping baby holding down the fort, and as such there is nobody here to keep me accountable to anything. How many Diet Cokes have I had tonight? THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING!

The other half of my day I spent staring at this part of my apartment:


Oh boy I am turning into my mother, and all I want to do is stare at this corner and ask myself out loud what I am going to do with it.

What am I going to do with it??

It is in my nature to just stick everything that is appealing to me onto the walls and call it good, but I have been informed by The Boss (he wishes) that this apartment is "too small to be cluttered."

Which is too bad, because the other day I acquired these guys.


So.

And now to cap this off, here is Barney:

25 comments:

  1. Can I ask - what is the huge flag on the wall behind your couch? Is it even a flag or like, a giant blanket?

    I have definitely noticed how many LDS bloggers there are. I would love some research into this area, por favor!

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  2. Charlotte, it's a nautical flag. It means "yes" or "change in course." I found it at the Brooklyn Flea and had to have it, since it seemed like this year was a giant escapade in saying "yes" and "changing our course," so it's like our mascot.

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  3. Pretty sparkly deer!
    Also, yes, I have noticed that an unusually large portion of the blogs out there belong to the Church! Not just LDS, but a lot of people who love the Lord are out in the blogosphere. Makes me kinda happy. : )

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  4. You know, I've noticed it as well. Just chalked it up to what little I know (forgive me if I seem to be generalizing as I hail from the Catholic variety. Roman to be more specific) of the LDS folk, and that being their love for familial documentation. That being genealogy (hello? ancestry.com? which, btw, HAS IT'S OWN BLOG!), scrapbooking, and now, blogging. Don't know for sure if that's a reason, just my observation.

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  5. I blame alcohol. (And other vices) I mean the LDS thing and blogging. The bit about noticing there being so many LDS bloggers. Really. Think about it. If LDS people drank and smoked and hummmina-what-ed (I'm not sure what that stands for) then there probably wouldn't be so many of us blogging as a time-occupier. And in contrast, if nobody smoked or drank or hummina-what-ed than maybe more non-LDS people would noticeably blog.

    Capisce?

    Well, it was worth a spin. Really, I think we're just so darned tickled-pink to hear honest to goodness thoughts that are realistic and not prim and proper molly-mormonish coming from blogs (of those who are LDS) that it's noticeable.

    That's all from the peanut gallery tonight.

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  6. Personally, blogging (latter-day style) is something for me to do besides school (or for some, I'm sure, besides cleaning up after kids or planning relief society lessons), that lets me feel like I'm participating in every-member-a-missionary, that also says to me: Hey, being Mormon can be pretty freaking great, and cute, and classy. Nice reminder if you ever feel like the world is belittling your religion/lifestyle.
    I love your blog :)

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  7. I too have wondered about the proliference of the LDS blogger. I'm a closet/pretend LDS, but since I already converted to Judiasm, I think my parents have been through enough already. Oh and I love coffee....dang it.

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  8. I was wondering that very same thing the other day when I realized that a majority of the blogs I follow are LDS. Strange....I thought perhaps either there were just a crazy large number of you who blog OR you're just all really freaking adorable and I can't resist your sweet faces and quirky styles. I haven't come to a conclusion yet.

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  9. I have noticed my favorite blogs are of the LDS variety. I find your writing incredibly witty and charming. It feels like we're having a conversation.

    However, I don't blame it on the alcohol as another commenter stated.

    I don't think non-Mormon's don't blog because they're lazy and/or drunk. I blog, I'm Catholic. I drink on occasion. I blame it on the education. Honestly. I believe LDS schools have a higher standard of education. I also believe family bonds accentuate the importance and the assertion of education.

    I use my blog as a journal, area for venting about my infertility and a way of expressing myself. It doesn't bother me if only 4 people read it. It’s not a popularity contest. It helps me to organize my feelings, and it has helped me to find others who are feeling the same inadequacy. Which is how I came across your blog.

    I think you find others blogging about the same/similar topics you are interested in. I just fancy the ones that also happen to have similar beliefs (God, Luck and perseverance)

    Compare those of us who have commented so far. We are all women/daughters/sisters/mothers(or in my case wanna be mothers). This is what draws us together to read about each others lives. We are looking for insight and ideas, and sometimes a good laugh.

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  10. I was just talking to my sister about this last night. We were also raised Catholic (roman Variety) & feel a kinship with so many LDS writers out there. I feel like I'm LDS by proxy, only because I SO enjoy the company (is it company) of the LDS bloggers I follow. You're all (total generalization) so sweet & funny & all about family & I love every bit of that. I think those are traits to be admired! Just my 2 cents!

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  11. I love the LDS bloggers and I'm not even Mormon! You guys have the best style and are mostly great writers (including you, of course!). I don't know any Mormons personally and I'm not sure how many reside in northern Illinois, but you seem like a cool bunch.

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  12. Yeah, I'm with all these girls--I'm not sure why there are so many Mormon bloggers. But, hey, I'm very happy you're all here! I feel like the majority of the blogs I read these days are written by LDS women and I've learned so much from all of you. I grew up never knowing a single Mormon, so it's been really interesting getting to know more about your faith and what kind of values you try to uphold. And I'm just so inspired by all of you. I got married relatively young and while I'm still a very capable, independent 23yr old woman, I also really love my husband and love being domestic. Since none of my friends are married, or even in serious relationships, I've sort of lacked girlfriend support in those huge aspects of my life. So this is where I feel bloggers like you have enriched my life. While we do not share the same religious beliefs (or some of the same political standpoints), we share a common love for our families and homes. (And clothes!) I can't thank you and your contemporaries enough for inspiring me to be the best version of myself. And in return, as paltry as it may be, whenever I'm in a discussion where anything negative or simply untrue is said about the church, I quickly come to its defense and try to explain things to the best of my knowledge. I think the church is highly mysterious to non-members and most of the criticism it gets stems from a fear of the unknown. Mormon bloggers are really doing a great job demystifying the LDS church-or at least, its younger members.

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  13. What a great question that is getting great answers! I love knowing that Mormon blogs are doing some good in the world for the Church!

    My thoughts on the reasons are several fold:

    Many LDS girls are stay at home moms, and blogs are a good way to feel like you sort of have a social life without leaving your house. People feel connected to each other because they're in the same situation. I realize tons of people have blogs who aren't stay at home moms (including myself), but I think that's part of it.

    I don't know if this is the Church in general, or just Utah specifically, but I know that in Utah people love to jump on board with new trends. You know what I'm talking about--Noni Juice, Cafe Rio, having etsy shops, etc. And blogging is one of those things. All your friends have one, and they keep telling you you have to have one, so eventually everyone has one.

    I think too, like someone else said, the Church places a lot of importance on family history. But these days, who has time to sit down and actually scrapbook and write really great journal entries and all that? So we blog. I know I write a lot of things on my blog just because I want them to be remembered, mostly non-important stuff, but I want it to be there as a record of my life.

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  14. Because Mormons are crazy. And Mormon Women are even MORE CRAZY. No offense intended here because some of my favorite people in life are LDS...my mom and my sister. Both crazy but awesome.

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  15. I don't have a good answer for you regarding the LDS blogs because you are the only LDS blogger that I follow. (At least, I think so. Some of the other people I follow may be Mormon, and I just don't know about it. :-)

    And I also don't have a good answer for you regarding your corner of decor. But if you could maybe put your cute, shiny reindeer in my house, then the Holbsboss won't have any problem with them! See? Trouble solved!

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  16. I've noticed this too! A lot of my favorite bloggers are LDS. I'm not religious but I think that the balance that this community gets from their faith extends into every part of their lives-- this balance is pleasing for the reader, LDS or not. Also you guys all just seem like a really happy bunch! I'd rather read the blog of someone who is living a life they love than someone unhappy.

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  17. Strangely, I have noticed this for several years now as I've been reading along with blogs and writing on my own. I don't know why 90% of them are LDS, only the women's blogs who ARE LDS are among my top ten and absolute favorite.

    I was raised in a limbo between catholic (father) and lutheran (mother) because the rents divorced early, and dad remarried. Sadly dad lost his faith in the church so we never ever went. I love reading a blog whose author has a very strong faith, mainly because I feel as if I still haven't found mine (completely) and take great comfort from their words of faith, scripture, thoughts and beliefs. I like to read about ALL faiths, I am not partial to any one.

    But what strikes me the most about Mormon women is their strong strong sense of family and homekeeping. Almost every single one of them happens to be a stay at home mom, which I would love to do as well but in reality I HEART my job and career as a designer.

    And speaking of that, so many of these LDS women have EXCELLENT taste in style with everything from books, music, clothes, jewelry, artwork and the handmade or vintage.

    It feels like a sisterhood and that is why I blog as well...I am creating stories and a journal of sorts for my children to read. I feel they'll understand me more for who I am and what I love to do as a woman AND their mother.

    I want them to know about my career, how I view relationships with them, talk about a good day or a bad day and my interests and passions.

    Because really...if your mother had a journal spanning years of what her life was like back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's I betcha it would be your most coveted and well read piece of literature EVER.

    So, it's a gift for my darling daughters.

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  18. i also have no answer on the LDS blogger question (even when I, myself, and LDS) but i would rather like to remark on how it's hardly fair that you get a day and a half and the rest of us mere mortals only get one day!

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  19. Because they are bloggers like you who are real and hilarious and the world needs to READ what your brain puts out :D

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  20. just found you via the LDS blogger article...what's funny to me is that i am 29 with 5 kids and blog and people ALWAYS assume i'm mormon. i'm not, and i have nothing against mormons but apparently you have to be mormon in order for you to pop out a lot of babies before you're 30 :)
    i'm loving your blog...and yes, i too love to read LDS mommy blog :)

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  21. um, yah, i hope my comment wasn't offensive?

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  22. Just read the article and found it so interesting. It was so nice to read all these comments and the nice things that nonmembers have to say about us, when we tend to get bad press sometimes. I'm drawn to lds bloggers because I'm lds :)
    It really made me smile to see your link to the article about Mormon mommy-bloggers. I absolutely love your blog, respect all of your insight, and think your tattoos are beautiful. I think I remember reading that you're not a religious person (I apologize if this is incorrect), and being a Mormon it's just nice to see something like this when we (I, too, am a Mormon) seem to get negative press sometimes. Thank you for this, and thanks for always giving me something to look forward to reading on your blog!

    http://3-rounds-and-a-sound.blogspot.com

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  23. I just found you, and you are totally adorable, and those deer are beyond awesome. I decorate in the same manner as you have described, and I have found that you could go right ahead and decorate your little sparkly deer loving heart out, it's not like he is going to decorate, or change it, so you are good to go. I think a sparkly deer here and there adds just the right about of whimsy. If I ask my husband for an opinion it is usually "beige" and a piece of me dies, so I paint the room robins egg blue instead and he gets to be married to me. Lucky him! *throws confetti*
    Oh and I think you should also decorate how you want because then I can live vicariously through you since I am currently living in grandma's basement in a tiny town in AZ. Sad day.

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  24. I've literally read this post like 5 times. It just cracks me up! I absolutely lose it every time I see you holding your dog like that! Thank you for making my day, over and over again with your funny posts!

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  25. Honestly, I'd never really noticed how many MMBloggers were out there. I mostly follow the blogs of my children and family...which, come to think of it, are all LDS. Oops! I came across this completely by accident. Glad there are so many out there.

    Love your decorating sense. I believe it living among things you love.

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