new fall tv shows

we're a few weeks into the new fall tv viewing season, and it's time to see how the new shows are holding up...


monday nights i watched the the playboy club.  it sounded interesting and i've always had a desire to don a bunny outfit.  let's just say the best part is the costumes.  the show's now canceled and i can delete the series recording from my dvr with no guilt.

i planned to watch hart of dixie but i refuse to give up house or mike and molly.  from what i heard, it's a weak show anyway.


tuesday nights are my ringer nights.  i am absolutely intrigued by the good twin/bad twin premise of this show.  and i love SMG.

hubby wanted to watch new girl so i recorded the first episode.  i'll admit that i just didn't get it.  i love zooey deschanel and her quirkiness and her blue eyes but the show just was weird to me.  a couple episodes in and it's growing on me.  this week's wedding episode was pretty funny.

i wanted to see unforgettable but i didn't want to give up my body of proof or parenthood.  i suppose i could get caught up by watching eppys online but i don't like viewing shows on my computer.


a couple new shows are on wednesday nights.  i was excited to see up all night becos i can relate to the challenges of adjusting to a new baby(ies).  i'm not sure how i feel about the show now.  christina applegate and will arnett are hoots as new parents (a little bit silly) and i love maya rudolph, but some shows feel like it's more about her than about the parents or the baby.  the new car episode was pretty funny and i'm willing to give it more chances, but i really don't relate to this show.

suburgatory is in it's second week, and the jury is out on this too.  the first episode was kinda funny, and i was too busy talking with hubby to pay attention to this week's episode.  i'm not sure i'm going to get it, but i'm willing to try.

i watched episodes of revenge on demand (becos i refuse to give up csi:vegas or svu).  the first episode was intriguing.  the second one...eh.  i'll give it a couple more episodes but my interest is already waning.


we kick off thursday nights with charlie's angels.  i loved the original and i loved the movies and we wondered if a reboot would do the franchise any justice.  well, the first eppy was interesting - there was a nice mix of old and new elements.  second episode - i honestly can't remember a thing about it.  this is another show i'll give an effort to.  i'm intrigued.

person of interest is another new show i've been excited about.  linus and jesus fight crime!  the first episode left me confused, but the second episode was better.  i'm really looking forward to seeing how this show unfolds.

i watch prime suspect on demand becos i refuse to give up the mentalist or private practice.  i'm not sure about this show either.  for some reason it feels too much like SVU.  maybe i'm just tired of crime procedurals.


there's only one new show on friday nights and that's a gifted man.  this show is slowly growing on me.  i like the mix of ghost led doctor - it's fulfilling my medium/med procedural nicely.  i'm curious to see where it leads.


on sunday nights we watch pan am.  i like this show a lot better than playboy club.  i love the glamour of the show but there is also a bit of mystery.  this is quickly becoming one of my favorite new shows.


there are a couple new shows that haven't aired yet that i can't wait to watch.  i can't wait to see once upon a time.  the mix of fairytale land and right now sounds really interesting and cool!  and to be honest, any show with ginnifer goodwin, lana parilla and robert carlyle would rock.

ironically the other new show i'm curious to see is also about fairy tales. if "law and order" and "charmed" hooked up the resulting love child would be grimm.  tv guide didn't give it strong reviews but it sounds very interesting and i can't wait until it airs.


let's see.  AMC is now off the air, so that freed up some viewing.  with the change in the season also came schedule changes and i lost chicago hope and mad about you reruns.  fame reruns are on their second run so i don't watch them.  big bang theory is now in syndication and we started watching from the beginning.  why was i so afraid of this show?  it is freaking hilarious!  i'd like to to think i'm a geek, but i'm not that hard core geek, but i get it.  boy, do i relate to sheldon.  his comments and behaviors - that's me!  particular spot to sit at home or church - me!  inability to relate to most people - me!  hubby and i wet ourselves watching this show.


i guess it's pretty obvious.  I WATCH TOO DARN MUCH TV.  :P

the end of a soapy era

one of the last remnants of my childhood is disappearing.  all my children has been canceled.

don't think i'm a SAHM who sits around watching soap operas eating bonbons.  i started rewatching AMC a couple years ago.

i watched AMC as a little girl.  i remember watching it with grams and my mom.  during the early to mid 80s,  my daily soap ritual started with ryan's hope, loving, all my children, another world and santa barbara.

i will go as far as when i was 8 years old and my grandparents took me to hawaii for a week, i insisted that no activity interrupt  the airing of AMC becos it was the summer of jenny and greg, the teen super couple.


image courtesy of foreverafangirl.com


there was snooty phoebe wallingford and saintly myrtle fargate.  i remember when opal was played by dorothy lyman who went on to mama's family!  gotta love those bastards adam chandler, palmer cortlandt and david hayward.  everyone loves tad the cad!  and we can't remember the last original character of the show, erica kane.


image courtesy of groovyvic.mu.nu

AMC featured many groundbreaking storylines.  erica had the first legal abortion on television.  homosexuality, drug and alcohol addiction, rape, anorexia, and AIDS/HIV were important storylines.  bianca and reese became the first legally married same sex couple (and ironically, the first divorced same sex couple).


image courtesy of lesbiancrete.blogspot.com

AMC also pushed the envelope with really implausible storylines (erica's long lost daughter kendall, her "assumed to be aborted" son josh, not to mention bringing jesse back to life after being dead for 20 years).  a recent storyline featuring the stillbirth of a baby only to have it be replaced by an infant "given up" and left in a police squad car - i don't want to say how many shades of wrong that is - that's a rant for another day.

it's also somewhat amusing what "tragedy" befalls the residents of pine valley - i can't remember how many tornados, explosions and accidents one small village can endure.  and the strange maladies - SORAS being one of my favorites.  and i would LOVE the transportation system they had in pine valley.  need to be in new york for a meeting?  snap!  you're there in 5 minutes!  trip to california - snap!  you're there an hour later!

i stopped watching the show in the late 80s, when schoolwork and activities kept me busy, and i lost interest.  i missed pretty much all of the 90s and 00s.  i only started watching again a couple years ago when the show touted a highly technological tornado story arc.  shortly after was the bianca/reese nups and the reunion between jesse and angie, and i was hooked again.

over the past year or so, my interest waned.  the storylines were banal and i couldn't relate to many of the characters (newer, younger actors and characters).  some few juicy storylines (the return of brooke!) fizzled.  many of my favorites or originals either died (phoebe, palmer, myrtle) or retired (adam/stuart).  to save money, the show moved to the west coast, and many actors (including thorsten kaye, who played zach) chose not to relocate with the show.  the move out west really kicked off the demise of the show.

the show's final episode will air in september.  and so ends another piece of my childhood.

the network plans to air reality talk shows in the place of all my children and one life to live.  really now?  we need more inane talk shows?  no wonder america is becoming more stupid.  keep shoving more reality shows down our throats.  (not that soap operas were perfect for brain development, but they at least were entertaining.)  guess what ABC?  i won't be watching.  i can't stand talk shows. at least now i have 45 free minutes in my day due to your dumb decision.

rest in piece all my children.  you will be missed.

kate gosselin is a pinhead

hubby and i watch sarah palin's alaska.  i watch it more for kicks - she seems to be a bit of loose cannon to me - but i've been enjoying the show.  i've never considered visiting alaska, but after watching the show, i think it would be fun to visit.

last week TLC aired an episode where kate gosselin and her brood visited the palins and went camping.  i'm not sure if TLC is still trying to eke out more cracked eggs out of their decrepit tarnished goose (that would be kate) or were trying to spice up palin's show.  at any rate, if watching the show was a drinking game, i would have been passed out on the floor, by all the comments i made about kate.

kate et al aired a show about their recent travels to alaska.  i remember her bitching about it then, and i thought to myself, why would you go somewhere on vacation only to complain about it?  if you weren't interested in visiting alaska, why did you go?  at the time i figured TLC paid for the gosselins' trip, but now i'm wondering if the show wasn't in cahoots with palin's show from the get go.

anyway, palin explains that the gosselins are visiting them and that they are going camping.  when kate and the kids arrive, she has a deer caught in headlights sort of look, along with a "what the hell am i doing here" kind of face.  they chat about their large families and how hard it is to being in front of the media and paparazzi (um, i didn't see anyone holding guns to your heads.  you can stop being in front of the tv camera anytime you want.  especially you, kate).  kate made some (unkind) comments about the palins' animal trophies, particularly the bear rug.  (kate you dumb bitch, you live in the middle of PA dutch country.  you live a freaking half hour from cabella's. have you never been in a home with a deer head hanging on the wall?  where i live, practically everyone has a some kind of animal trophy.  even my folks have a deer head, although my dad didn't get it - someone else - my pap?  my uncle?  - shot it instead. and my ILs have a stuffed fox.)  sarah's father shows the children the trophies, skulls and pelts of the native animals, educating the children about them.  i thought this was very nice of him.  and the kids enjoyed it too.

in preparation for their camping trip, sarah and kate take a bear safety class.  sarah is entertained and informed by the class, kate is bored and complains about running into a bear.  next, kate and sarah take lessons in shooting at a charging bear.  sarah, as always, has a decent shot - kate is apprehensive of the rifle (actually, she shouldn't be allowed near a fire arm.  knowing her, she'd shoot her eye out!).

the next day both clans set out to camp in an area where they fish for salmon - they had to fly there.  they set up camp next to the river.  the day was dreary and gray, and apparently very cold too, becos kate complained the whole time about wearing layers of clothes and freezing. (maybe you wouldn't have been so cold if you didn't wear fancy leather boots - try duck boots and wool socks next time).  todd went fishing, the children went about collecting fire wood for the camp fire, cleaning up the space, and exploring the area.  all this time, kate stood under a tarp, bitching about being cold and wet, all the while the children were having fun (kate, you bitched about camping when you and jon were still married.  why the hell would you try it when you don't like it?  also, what did you expect out of camping in alaska?  it's not going to be like camping on a sunny hot beach.  also, camping can be rainy and cold - even in summer.  next time, maybe you shouldn't accept a challenge if it's something you know you don't like).

todd didn't catch any fish, so sarah brought out the reserves - moose hotdogs and makings for s'mores.  the children ate with gusto,  kate looked at her hot dog like it was poison, took a nibble, then made a face.  

sarah's dad came along for the trip and taught the children about the area.  both sets of kids had fun playing and interacting with each other.  kate continued to stand under the tarp, antisocial, becoming increasingly agitated, pissing and moaning about how much she hated camping, how much she hated being cold, how much she hated being wet, and how hungry she was. (gee kate, did you scarf down a dozen s'mores off camera and the sugar rush got to you?  you acted just like a 2 year old.  how sad that you looked like a sulky brat, while your kids had a ball).  

after a while, kate gave up and told her brood that it was too wet and cold and they were going home.  after they left, sarah's grandfather commented on kate's "bitching" (his words) and how the kids were having fun.  sarah, in an aside, commented that the conditions "weren't that bad" and that they basically had "lunch by the river" with the gosselins.  i will admit, sarah and her family were very gracious about the situation.  i felt bad about sarah's dad witnessing kate's rudeness, especially when he took the time to talk to the children about living in alaska.  i also felt bad about sarah's daughter piper, who was so excited to know the gosselins were going to visit (or so it appeared...), only to give a feeble wave and shrug of the shoulders when the children were whisked away home on the plane.  

it was a very interesting episode.  if anything, i felt a bit more comfortable about palin pursuing political interests.  she seemed to be a genuinely gracious hostess, despite having a difficult guest, and she rolled with the punches when the trip crumbled.  i think IRL, she's a humble person.  i know when i talked to my mom about the episode (they watch the series too, altho they are not as politically passionate as i am about her), they were impressed by how humble and down to earth she and her family are (mom's comment was that their house was normal looking, not fancy), and especially how gracious she was to kate's family.  

i have no idear if palin is doing this show as a media blitz to curry interest or becos she needs the money.  or maybe TLC is trying to milk this family for all their worth.  whatever.  her show is very entertaining and informative.  

and kate is still a pinhead.  (kate, your 15 minutes are over.  go home, take care of your feral kids, and go away).

i love it, everyone hates it

What's one thing you love that nobody else does?



photo courtesy of google images


hubby laughs at me when i watch 90210 (the 90s series, altho i do watch the new version of it as well).  i prefer the "brenda years" over the valerie or gina years.  hubby can't stand shannen dougherty.  i think she's just misunderstood.  


i will admit that the only reason i started watching the new 90210 was becos kelly (jennie garth) brenda (dougherty) and donna (tori spelling) were going to be on.  brenda and donna were one-off episodes, and kelly hasn't been on all season and probably is finished as well.  i know the PTB behind the new series probably did that to lure old fans like me.  i guess it worked, although now i can take or leave the show.  

martha martha martha. and alexis, jennifer and lucinda.

dear martha.

i'm so happy for your move to the hallmark channel.  i looked forward to your new season all summer.  now that you're here, i'm not sure i'm feeling it anymore.

i realize it's midweek and you're not quite up to speed for the season, but i have not been impressed by your shows so far.  i liked your segment about mario batali's eataly, and it made me want to visit the store.  but the rest of your guests, your cooking segments - meh.

please have a craft segment soon.  i like cooking, but it has to be simple for me right now.  i like fashion, but right now i really don't care what donna karan has designed this season.  and i just don't care what cool bar you go to for your date night segment.

maybe it's a new format becos of hallmark channel.  maybe you're evolving becos you've been on for 5 years now.  but right now, i fast forward through your show, and that's just not cool.

i stuck by you through your debacle during the last decade, and i'm not ready to give up on you yet!  you just haven't hit your stride (i'm guessing, anyway).  can't wait to see what lies ahead this year!


sincerely,

a martha fan




dear alexis and jennifer,

i adore your show whatever, martha!  i get a big kick out of the two of you taking the piss out of martha's old episodes.  i even got hubby hooked onto your show and it was a great way to rewind after a crazy  busy day.

when i heard that you were going to have your own talk show, i was elated.  i've never heard your radio show, but i hoped the tv show would be similar to your radio one.

it's day 3 of your new show, and this is how i feel about your show:  meh.

jennifer, i absolutely adore you.  you remind me a bit of myself - the chubby, self deprecating crackup who loves her family and life.  i related to you on W,M! and you bring fun to the show.

alexis, you are a big bitch.  but that's why i love you.  you get away with saying and doing stuff that i can only dream of.

that said, your show feels a bit blah.  maybe it's your guests.  maybe it's becos i'm accustomed to your acerbic wit on W,M!  maybe it's becos you're on wholesome channel hallmark channel and they are reining you in.  i realize that you can't talk about certain sexual things the topics you cover from your radio show.  but your new show has a"safe" feel, and i think i was thinking it would be edgier. i guess i was expecting an hour long whatever, martha!

ah, it's only the first week.  i'm sure you'll get better with time.  and i'll keep watching.

look at it this way - you're way better than the myopic bitches ladies on the view.


oh, and i can't wait for the 3rd season of W,M!



cheers,

a fan




dear lucinda,

i enjoyed your segments on everyday foods.  now that i have 3 children of my own and have to learn to cook for a crowd, i can relate too!  so i was tickled to learn that you had a new show on hallmark channel called mad hungry.


your show is the first of the new shows this season that i didn't fast forward through!  you chose simple timely recipes that i can totally see myself cooking in my own kitchen.  the ingredients are simple, the cooking methods are uncomplicated, and the meals can be cooked in a reasonable amount of time.  in addition, the portion sizes are perfect - between hubby and myself, and the 2 mini human vacuum cleaners, the food won't go to waste either!

i loved your spatchcocked chicken recipe from yesterday so much that i'm making it tomorrow for supps.

good luck with your new show.  you're off to a great start.


sincerely,

a new fan




dear everyday food chefs,

thank you for rerunning the older shows.  i forgot how entertaining and educational they were.  and they give me great meal ideas.


sincerely,

a foodie fan

a disservice to multiples

saucer of cream, anyone?  diva's a bit catty today.

hey, i have twins!  i want something for free!

a new episode of kate plus eight aired this week.  i devoured the original "jon and kate plus 8" series and followed the family's story for about a couple of years.  last year i became especially interested when we found out we were having twins.  as an only child who had no clue how to deal with multiple children i was curious to see how they handled being parents to multiples.  i loved the earlier episodes, spesh when they showed kate exhausted and dealing with bratty kids.  hey, i can relate to that!  it was disappointing to watch the family spiral into anger, separation and eventually divorce.  i learned how to be a better parent and wife by watching their meltdown.  i also became somewhat resentful of the latter episodes - hey, i have twins, send me to hawaii to renew my wedding vowels! my hubby and i still love each other!  hey, i have 3 kids, send me to disney!  i am ashamed to admit that i did buy those tabloids in the stores, becos i couldn't get enough of this train wreck.  hubby even worried that our relationship could wind up like theirs, after reading a study that parents of multiples often separate.  

over the months kate got a make over!  kate was on dancing with the stars!  kate has a new show!  and i wondered what was happening with the kids.  i guess i got my answers with the new "specials".  after viewing those shows, i had to refrain from throwing the remote at the tv.  

kate and the kids got to spend the sextuplets' birthdays at an aquatic park, no doubt at the expense of TLC and the park itself.  hey, i have twins - let my kids swim with dolphins too!  i was most bothered by the children's birthday party.  it was just kate, her friend, and the kids.  no jon.  no other relatives.  no friends of the kids.  just 3 pinatas, a big cake and the fractured family.  i thought it was pitiful.  it was such a contrast of previous birthdays.  and it made me grateful that my kids' birthdays are surrounded by family and friends.

another scene that bothered me was kate et al at the airport. the kids were hungry and she bought snacks at the airport.  no biggy, but i remember kate bringing snacks from home when the kids were little.  personally, buying a $5 string cheese and a bottle of water would make me a bit ill.  now, the kids did share sandwiches, which is a savings, but it just seemed very unlike kate the penny-pincher.  

and this is just plain mean of me - jealous more likely - but kate's new physical presence.  hair extensions, tarty dress, high heels.  i realize she's entitled to dress however she wants.  she's allowed to get rid of her hideous kate cut.  but when i saw her stringy hair and mini skirt i thought "she looks like a hooters waitress.  trying to outdress jon"?  i'm lucky to get a hair cut every few months (i value sleep.  and a quiet trip to the grocery store.  and nice barrettes and hair elastics).  and while i do don good jeans and tops when i go out, i'm too tired to torture myself with heels. give me a nice pair of loafers or a pair of flats any day of the week!  the only time i wear makeup is when i go to church or a fancy function (and lately "makeup" consists of tinted lip balm and a bit of eyeliner).  thank goodness for kiehls eye cream and garnier nuctris face cream - i'm botox free!  hey, i have twins!  give me a gratis tummy tuck!  well, i better exhale - so i hide my tummy with a pair of spanx.  shh.  don't tell anyone!  

i have to laugh when kate says she has to make these shows to make money for her kids.  at my estimate, the family taped over 100 episodes at $75 grand a pop, plus her books, plus what she earns at speaking engagements, she surely must have enough money for the kids' educations, the home and previous debts.  kate used to be a nurse.  nurses make pretty decent salaries.  and they don't sell their children's souls to make a living either!  and what about jon?  can't get a job becos you're "too famous"?  get over yourself. grow a pair, be a man, and get a job.  

as a mom with multiples i think this family does a disservice for other families with multiples.  we don't get things gratis.  the discount at bRu doesn't help (really, it doesn't help when you have half the furniture already, and how often do we buy carseats?).  no diaper or apple juice companies pounding down my door for gratis goodies.  i don't even use my formula coupons becos it's cheaper to buy generic formula than name brand.  and this one is personal - just because there are more multiple births in recent years, doesn't mean i used fertility drugs or procedures to conceive the kiddos.  just sayin'.  

hey kate!  i'm a mom of multiples too!  and i'm living the reality - raising 3 kids on a tight budget, making do with what i have, working hard with hubby to preserve our relationship.  it may seem a simple life...but it's MY life!

fabulous fauxbius scarf

i finished my fake moebius scarf.  the yarn was so yucky, plus i have other projects to work on, that i just wanted it done.


why did i call this a fauxbius scarf?  i bought this yarn becos the color called to me - i'm sorry, but i'm a sucker for coral now - and thought that coral and navy would make a kick ass scarf to wear with my acid green fleece cape.  then i thought, why not make a cool moebius scarf?  so i trolled ravelry for a cool moebius scarf.  i found many beautiful scarves and i picked this pattern becos i thought a dropped stitch would be a neat touch.  i also called this a cheater's moebius, since you knit it up like a regular scarf, give the scarf a half twist (making the moebius) then stitch the ends together. i am a true knit diva, as i'm so used to using cat bordhi's moebius cast on.  the pattern called for the kitchener's stitch, but that made a stockinette edge, and the scarf was in garter.  i did a 3 needle bind off.  it made the edge a bit thick, but at least it blended in with the rest of the scarf.  the scarf was really thick and wide enough to wear as a hood as well.  too bad i didn't take a picture of me wearing it like a hood.  maybe next time!

dear lord, when did i turn into my mother?  i look like an old hag.

here's the scarf, hopefully showing off the stitch definition:

these are the flowers for the tree skirt.  i have 7 more green petals to knit, then i add the button centers and sew the flowers to the skirt.

the mcknitsters have finally moved into the 21st century!  on saturday we bought a wide screen HDTV.

we bought our old tv at ames, 7 or 8 years ago, when the store went out of business.  it was a changhong that we got on sale.  my tv had died and we were using hubby's tv, which was several years old (he got it when he went to college, so that was back in '91, so you do the math), not to mention it was a tiny tv.

over the past couple of years, networks changed their viewing format and switched to widescreen format.  do you know what it's like to watch a widescreen show or movie on a box tv?  everything on the edges gets cut off.  credits, picture.  annoying as heck.

we kept putting the purchase off, becos we really didn't have the money, nor the space for a flat screen tv.  but then we got a wii for the boy, and realized that we can't really play wii with the old tv.

so on saturday we went to white trash central walmart and bought a 32 inch vizio.  we got a pretty good deal.  not as good as the black friday deals, but i'd rather pay a few extra bucks than get up super early and get run over by the crowds.

watching shows and movies is comparable to getting a new pair of glasses after you've outgrown your old prescription.  we watched a football game, and the game looked like 3D.  and yesterday on GMA they showed pictures of australia, and it was as tho we were right there.  so crisp and clean.  also, it's so nice to use the DVD player without turning the tv off.

now we want to find a dvd/vcr combo.  we also unhooked the vcr (which was mine, and it predates me and hubby).  i'd like to eliminate the dvd player too (hence finding a combo).  add a dvr, and we have a lot of electronic paraphernalia.  we did find combos, but the reviews were bad.  and i guess they don't make any blue ray combos.  oh well.

today i start work on the grandparents' xmas calendar.  every year i make a calendar through iphoto with the boy's pictures and give them to grandparents for christmas.  this year i get to really gussy it up with baby pics!

how amazing that although they're fraternal twins, in some instances they look nearly identical.  the beauty of genetics!

reality bites

there are a lot of reality shows on tv.  i don't watch many - jon and kate, table for 12, little couple, and real world/road rules.  sometimes supernanny.  i'd rather watch a crime or medical serial or craft show.  reality shows are the networks excuse for laziness.

anyway, i find it amazing how many people want to be on these shows.  apparently the balloon boy's family was angling for a show.  why would someone want to be on tv at their child's expense?  look at what happened to the gosselins.  there has to be a better way to make a buck than being on a tv show.  i wouldn't want my kids on tv.  we don't need the money that bad to sell their souls to the devil.

i'm starting another prayer shawl for MIL.   i tidied up the stash over the past few days, and found skeins of red lion brand homespun that i used for different projects (originally bought to make my dad a stole, i started making a small blanket before i frogged it.  now it's going to be a shawl.  anything to stash bust).  i need to make the boy a winter cap.  i like VH's feel good beanie (i made my KDO hat with this pattern).  i found black yarn, and i'll use avocado green and the rust yarns from the pumpkin cap to make the stripes.  the boy's new coat is black and green, so the hat will look really cute.

after i finished the poppin blankets and the pumpkin hat, i was at a loss as to what to knit next.  i should really tackle my WIPs.  i have 2 panels left on the tree skirt plus about a dozen flowers and a few pairs of socks.  i bought yarn at michael's to make sock monkeys for the twins.  i also got fluffy yarn to make their bug toys.  cottonease was on sale at michael's last week, and the yarn knit up so nicely for the VSKP squares that i went and bought more yarn in different colors.  at first i thought i'd make the squares for warm weather blankets for the twins, but then thought how cool it would be to make log cabin blankets for them instead.

so much yarn to knit, no time to actually do it.

the babies have been especially fussy this week.  yesterday i fed them every 2 hours (and naturally not at the same time).  i held them, put them in swings, in bouncers, gave them pacis, and nothing helped.   since they were born 5 weeks early, some of the developmental milestones are arriving later (technically they would be 6 weeks old if they went full term).  so a normal 6 week old baby would have this fussiness.  it's not easy when 2 babies are fussing, but we deal.

last night we went to title 1 reading night at the boy's school.  i thought it was a discussion about the reading program.  turns out it's a new program for students who need extra help with reading.  WHY DON'T THEY JUST CALL IT WHAT IT IS...REMEDIAL READING.  so hubby and i are totally freaking out - how could we NOT know that the boy was in special reading?  not that there's anything wrong with that, but for a kid who went to library since he was a year old, was read to, and has a mother and grandfather who devour books with gusto, how could he have trouble reading?  turns out, the event was more like an open house, with all students and parents invited.  we talked to the reading teacher who assured that the boy was merely tested and NOT enrolled, and secondly, the majority of kindergarteners CAN'T read and won't officially start this program (should they require it) until later in the school year.  it was a load off our minds, and the event was interesting, but had i known it was for remedial reading, we would not have gone.  with the babies fussing so much, we were pretty exhausted.  but the program does sound pretty promising.  and we did get to suck up to talk to the principal for a while, and even scored a free pizza.

today i got my doll porn american girl doll catalog.  i can't wait to order the twin dolls for the pixie and monkey ears.  i have one criticism.  for the price of these dolls, you think you'd have more choice in designing the doll.  the twins only come in either blonde or brunette hair, dark or light skin.  the boy will be easy - brown hair, brown eyes.  the pixie has red hair - don't they think that twins can have red hair too?  i'll prolly have to order a brown haired girl.  we have no idear how the pixie's hair will develop.  but right now it's strawberry blond.

the bigger dolls are worse.  i wanted to order a doll with my specs - dark reddish brown hair, brown eyes, freckles.   i can order a brown hair/eyed doll with light or medium skin, or a blond/red head with freckles.  actually, if i remember correctly, i can't even order a dark brown haired/light skin doll.  dark brown hair is for only medium/dark skin.  and i won't go there with straight/curly/wavy hair.  the doll i'd want would have dark reddish brown wavy hair/freckles/brown eyes.  i guess i'm not an american girl after all.  international mutt, perhaps?

hell is finally freezing over

proof that hell is finally freezing over:


obama won the nobel peace prize FOR DOING NOTHING.

shik almost one another football game against a rated team and are now 4-2.

my ILs bought the babies a case of diapers. it only took 2 months (and 2 baptisms) for them to FINALLY get SOMETHING for the babies.




mom took me shopping today and got me early xmas presents - new dressy pants and tops and sweaters IN A SMALLER SIZE. 2 months, 2 babies and i'm a size smaller than i was BEFORE i got pregnant. this just rocks. take THAT celebrity moms! now, my belly is jiggly. dunno if that will ever tighten up. but it feels great to be a smaller size. i can't wait to start swimming in january. hopefully that tones me up even more.

oh, and i got 2 new bras. including a black one!

i have to go through my clothes becos they are too big. i already put aside my maternity pants to sell next year, and some of my old things are too big. one of my favorite tops - a long sleeve with a deep scoop neck - is way too big. the neck is so big and loose that the babies pull it down to my navel. it would make a terrific nursing top - just pull down the neck an inch or two and pop out a boob! with twins, both boobs! my dressy pants are so big that i can pull them off my hips without unfastening them. they are so baggy they make my saggy belly look huge and hangy. my favorite jeans - which were snug before i got pregnant - are now a bit baggy around my butt and loose through the leg. i actually turned down mom's offer for new jeans, becos i'm so happy with my old ones. i have others in my drawer too, that would fit if lose more.

my fuck me heels still fit, and i bet my fuck me boots fit better too.

finally, the clothing universe is smiling on me. now, if i could only remember where i put my good sweaters...




i forgot to write about another new favorite show. mom got me addicted to HOARDERS on A&E. it's a reality show that features people with hoarding addiction as they attempt to clean up whatever they hoard. i used to think i had bad clutter. these people make me look positively minimalist. that would be an interesting field to work in - there are therapists whose entire practice is solely people with hoarding or obsessive/compulsive issues. better still, have a cleaning business that cleans up after these people (i used to think crime scene cleaner businesses would be good too). the show is over for the season - there were only 6 episodes or so - but it was a really interesting show. i can't wait until they have new episodes again.

lots of little things

so much to blog, so little time.


first off, the babies were baptized on sunday. the service went well and we got a lot of positive comments about it. the church has never had a baptism where 2 ministers officiated, but with 2 dads as ministers, we bend the rules a bit. as usual, monkey ears screamed, but the pixie didn't, which means she'll be full of the devil, just like the boy. our families came for the service and it felt good to have so many people there to celebrate this special milestone.

hubby and i cried as our babies were baptized. i wonder if other parents are as moved by their children's steps into spirituality? it seems like most parents view baptism as "insurance to heaven" and don't take the serious promises seriously. how sad for the child. whose parent is like that.

the boy also received his first communion. he has been looking forward to this for months. that went well too, and when i asked the boy what he thought of the wine he said it tasted "wonky". i told him to remember that until he's 21.



the babies' schedules have me so exhausted i'd give anything to sleep all day. some days i can't face washing another bottle. i can't wait until the babies are big enough to hold the bottles themselves so we can get rid of those blasted tubes. i can't stand washing 24 tubes.

i miss having free time. while the babies sleep, i do chores and catch up. i miss knitting. i miss reading. i wish someone would invent waterproof yarn so i could knit in the tub since the only free time i get is when i take a bath (and that's even multitasking cos the babies bathe with me). (actually waterproof yarn exists - it's jelly yarn). i miss having my body belong to me. the babies grab me and my hair, scratch me, cling to me. i haven't been clung to in over 3 years. i know i have to bide my time. but the babies are exhausting.

poor hubby wants to fight crime but he's tired. i don't even want to be touched. how to parents of infants manage to do that amongst other things? like, how do the duggars manage to conceive every 6 months?

this is how my free time would look:

sleep.
knit.
read.
eat.
sleep.
knit.
have sex.
sleep some more.

i really miss sleep.


we went to babies r us on saturday and came back several hundred dollars poorer. having twins sure does eat up the budget.



we also ate at sonic. this is such a treat.




the new tv season is among us and as a tv junkie, i am digging the new shows.

let's see. i like eastwick. i never saw the original movie but so far the show's been interesting.

i have 3 episodes of the good wife on the queue but haven't taken the time to watch them.

melrose place: just not the same as the original. i'll see if improves with amanda the bitch.

flash forward. this is an interesting show. unfortunately when i watch it i don't "watch" it and i couldn't tell you what it was about.

three rivers. this show fills the void of ER very nicely. i love that it's based in pittsburgh.

grey's anatomy. i miss george. and i have to watch this show on demand since it goes against csi and fringe. i refuse to give up csi. and fringe doesn't rerun.

private practice. love the violet storyline. i love this show.

modern family. i watched the first episode. i just don't get it.

cougar town. ditto. dumb.

the forgotten. has similar premise as cold case. i really like the show.

fringe. i love this show. unfortunately every time i watch it i don't "watch" it. i couldn't tell you what the last couple episodes were about (except the underground zombie episode was pretty cool).

lie to me. i'm about to give up on this show. i like the show. but i couldn't tell you what it's about.

til death. i liked this show when it compared the old marrieds with the new marrieds. they dropped the young couple tho and added a separated single guy. show is still funny tho. it fills my "yes dear" craving nicely.

national parks. i dvr'd this series and really enjoyed watching it. the photography was breathtaking and i loved learning the history of our national parks. but the 6 episodes ate up nearly 30% of my dvr space and i was afraid of running out of recording space. so i deleted the series and hope they rerun it on pbs again.

mentalist. i love this show becos i love simon baker. but i couldn't tell you what the last episode was about.

csi. sara's back! 'nuf said. except more greg please!

medium. i was so happy to see this show picked up after being canceled. somehow my dvr didn't record the premier so i had to watch it online (that was an interesting experience!) i love this show. and i'm seriously considering cutting my hair like allison's or ariel's. the pixie keeps grabbing it, yet it's too short to pull back into a pony tail.

accidentally on purpose. i tried to like this show. i really did. i love jenna elfman and dharma and greg. but this show sucked. maybe my losses are clouding my judgement, but the show really is stupid.

whatever martha! this is a show hubby and i practically piss ourselves watching. i love watching the old eppy's of martha, and to hear them get cut up and hear alexis' dirt on her mom cracks me up. i'd love to give their radio show a listen. maybe i can find it online.

mythbusters. i am such a science geek. i love this show.

the universe. ditto.

real world/road rules challenge. i should be ashamed of watching this drivel. but it's addicting. and so trashy.



i finished some knitting! i got my squares done for the VSKP on HAPL. all i have to do is mail them plus piecing/postage money to our mod. i also finished MIL's prayer shawl, but i'm going to undo the bind off and knit a few more inches. i could block the hell out of it to stretch it some but once my MIL wears it or washes it it will shrink back up. i hate that garter stitch does that.

i hope my MIL likes her shawl. i have a vision of her picking it up by the thumb and forefinger and scrutinizing it.

my MIL has lost much of her hair due to treatment. she has been wearing knit/crochet bucket hats. she showed me one last week when they watched the kids. i didn't know if it was a hint for a hat, but i did troll the ravelry bucket hat patterns to see if i could find a bucket hat to knit. i found a couple of hat patterns i really liked. unfortunately they aren't bucket hats. i found a really cute mobius hat. maybe if i knit it she'll like it. it would be more flattering than the hats she's been wearing.

i'm not sure what i'd do if i lost my hair. sometimes i think i'd shave my head into a mohawk or some funky style. or maybe wear hippy scarves. most likely i'd find a wig that's similar to my bob. or i could pull a samantha and wear funky wigs and styles. i pray this never happens to me.

my MIL also has a sinus infection and her third treatment got pushed back a week. we pray she kicks the infection soon becos if she misses another week of chemo, it'll bump a future "quarentine" into the christmas holiday.

they like haggis

yesterday was the babies' 2 week checkup. they are gaining weight and the doc is pleased with them. now we go back in 2 months. while we were there we saw a local tv personality getting his baby's checkup (their baby is a couple days older than the twins) and he saw us and said, "whoa, twins! congratulations!" that was pretty surreal - getting congrats from a news anchor!

we got medium flow nipples for the bottles and the babies are eating much much better. now they don't struggle and fall asleep finishing a bottle. they were still up in the night, but it was becos of dirty dipes. yeah, i'd bitch too if i had a load in my shorts too.

i don't know if it's hormones, tiredness, goofed up back or weather, but i have the headache from HELL. i feel like i'm wearing a hat that is 10 sizes too small. and meds aren't touching it. i tried sleeping it off but that didn't helped, hubby massaged my feet, neck and head and that didn't help, i'm drinking in case it's dehydration and nothing helps. ugh, i haven't had a headache this painful in years. i get migraines on occasion but never to this extent.

yesterday while waiting for hubby and the boy get the nips at kmart, i sat with the twins in the van. we'd been listening to the monkees and peter paul and mary (the boy's choices) and i decided to try my new lullabies. put on the pixies, and monkey ears started to wail! so i put on haggis, and he immediately quieted down. go fig, the kids would rather listen to celtic beer rock than punk lullabies!

i have about 3 dozen ears of corn to shuck, steam and cut off to freeze. i hate shucking corn and putting it up but i like having corn chowder and chicken corn soup in the winter so it's definitely worth the work.

edward gorey lullabies

i just spent the past hour downloading rockabye baby lullabies from iTunes, about $40 worth. thanks to Vickie Howell and her tweets about playing the pixies, and my SIL who was going to get us Pink Floyd for babies, i was curious and looked them up. years ago i had bought cds of "elvis for babies" and "beatles for babies" but this was an absolute treasure trove of music! all my favorite groups, played as tho by schroeder from peanuts! the ramones! the cure! yum!

some groups lend themselves to lullabies. coldplay and the beatles were great. nirvana and metallica were surprisingly beautiful. NIN was very haunting (hence the title of this post). i tried the ramones, but "i wanna be sedated" and "blitzkrieg bop" just didn't seem to lend themselves to lullabies. neither did, surprisingly, some of the cure. but i got some awesome music that i hope the babies will enjoy. i hope they love music as much as the boy does. this is a kid who knows the lyrics to "crazy train" and drinking songs from haggis! and the babies did get exposure to lady gaga and fall out boy this summer.

there is a thread on HAPL about tv shows or movies with pregnancy loss subplots, or babies in general. i just hit on my first infant death subplop post baby. on HawthoRNe, a woman who took her mother to the hospital forgot her baby in the car, and the baby died. it reminded me of the plotline in a CSI eppy that came out not long after i had the boy - a father left his baby in a car where it died - unfortunately he did it deliberately. the plotlines made me feel horrible. i remember being scared i'd forget the boy. however we had small cars at the time so it was easy to see him in his carseat. now i have 2 babies to worry about, and we drive a boat, and it scared me for a moment that the same thing could happen to me. it will probably be a long time before i go anywhere alone with the babies, and between hubby and the boy it's unlikely it would happen, but it did give me a little shock of reality.

it's getting dark, so a storm's approaching. the boy is with my ILs camping and coming home soon. then mom and dad are picking him up to take him to the zoo tomorrow. it's coming up to the pixie's supper time. it's time to hang this up.

enjoy! enjoy!

manny gordon passed away last week at the grand age of 97. he was a fixture on WNEP channel 16. he worked in forest conservation and after he retired he did a lot of publicity for the station about enjoying the outdoors and environmental conservation. "enjoy! enjoy" was his catchphrase. you couldn't help but feel good when he exclaimed it. he also did a lot for telethons that the station sponsored - Children's Miracle Network, Jerry Lewis. he hadn't been on tv for some time now - at his age, he quite earned his rest - but it was comforting to see him when he was on.

rest in peace manny...and enjoy! enjoy! wherever you are!

no turnpike bowl this year

i'm bummed the eagles didn't win. it would have been awesome to have a turnpike bowl.

i hope the steelers win. they're my team. i like the eagles too, but i think i've always been a steelers girl.

a few years ago a tv news crew was at my local supermarket. it was before a big storm and it was the same weekend as the 2 big games, both of which featured the eagles and the steelers. i was sick that weekend and looked like shit. however looking that way must have attracted me to the crew cos they zoned in on me like a hawk.

they were doing a story about tailgating parties featuring our local teams. here's how i learned that THE MEDIA LIES.

the crew caught me in the snack aisle (of course. it HAD to be the snack aisle, not the produce section which was mostly in my cart).

they kept badgering me about my "plans" for holding a football party and what team did i support?

i told them i wasn't planning on watching the games, that i WASN'T planning a party and that the only reason i was in the store was to stock up before the store and to "get milk for the baby" (the boy was about 18 months at the time).

they kept badgering me about which team was my favorite and i kept telling them that i liked both teams and supported them both but would be happy if both went to the superbowl. after about 5 minutes of badgering i finally said "i like both teams but prolly lean toward the steelers."

well, they didn't like THAT answer. obviously they were looking for an eagles fan. i wasn't THAT fan unfortunately!

i told them to not show the interview footage becos i was sick and looked horrible (too bad i didn't use the term "look like shit" - maybe they would have left me alone!)

but no. the next day the footage ran, and i looked like a big fat sick fool, getting "milk for the baby." and my faith in journalistic integrity went down the toilet.

i should be grateful that i wasn't wearing one of those nose strips across my nose, which i took off before so i wouldn't look like an ass. maybe i should have kept it on after all to ward off the news hawks.

let's talk about sex baby

i hate to admit this, but i watch the real world/road rules challenge. it is the equivalent to a big bag of chips and a case of soda. so bad yet hilarious. i don't know why i still watch - i don't know half the kids (and i mean kids becos they are WAY younger than me) but for some inexplicable reason the damn show intrigues me.

i must stop watching it tho. it's causing me to lose brain cells. plus it makes me feel hopeless about the future of our nation.

this year's batch is in panama. what do they do after getting off the boat? guzzle booze and have sex. ON THE FIRST NIGHT. people, didn't the 80s teach us anything? is this how people date now, just hook up and fuck? one scene showed a girl in bed with a guy, she puked over the side of the bed and curled back up with the guy. how messed up is that??? so classy. in future clips it showed more hooking up, screaming matches and more debauchery.

seriously, these people will be running the country in a few years. I AM SCARED. VERY SCARED.

i also started watching the new 90210. i loved the old show (mostly the brenda years) and wondered what the new show would be like. i guess i'm really old and fusty when i was astonished that the first episode showed a guy getting a BJ in his car on the first day of school. this makes the old 90210 look like little house on the prairie. definitely not like the old show. i wonder if aaron spelling is spinning in his grave right now.

is this the future of television? brainless senseless acts of reality? i don't know how people can watch this on a regular basis. i mean, survivor and amazing race aren't bad shows. but it just seems that people keep coming up with the most stupid, useless basic reality shows. no wonder the country's going to hell in a hand basket.

one shining hope on the horizon. i watched the premier of "fringe." i like x-files-y weird phenomena type shows. it's quirky, and i'm willing to try it out. that said, it will prolly bomb and get yanked by episode 5.

i'm still waiting for the last couple eppies of "fear itself."

i WILL miss "swingtown." that show grew on me. now i have to wait until next spring (maybe winter?) for the new season (should it get picked up - i hope it does.)

where's BIG LOVE? when does that season start? it's been over a year.

mama cat was right

i tivo'd a cartoon on TCM called "the milky way." it was an old cartoon about the three little kittens and their trip to the milky way (this is 1940s vintage to be appreciated).

anywho, the mother cat is knitting. and scolds the kittens for losing their mittens. and sends them to their room without supper.

how quaint.

i'd prolly go apenuts if the boy lost mittens i'd knitted too.

yay/boo about writer's strike

yay that the writer's strike is over!! now my favorite shows will be back, albeit in about 2 months. i hope that with the extra money that they write EXTRA better (this means you writers of HOUSE. the show has been stinky-poo this season. clean up!) also i get some resolution with desperate housewives (this season felt especially juicy) and er (next season - yes or no?)

boo that some of my faves like pushing daisies, dirty sexy money and private practice won't be back until next fall!!!

cool knitters i recently discovered

what do morticia addams, june cleaver and roseanne's crazy mother have in common?

THEY KNIT.

i found out a few weeks ago that roseanne's mother bev knitted...and she used DPNs to boot! i watched an eppy of "the addams family " last week and discovered that morticia knits. and a few days while watching "leave it to beaver", i noticed that june cleaver knits too. how bloody cool is that!

and then the most coolest thing of all:




see those two little puppets? they're the two johns from they might be giants! as KNITTED PUPPETS. how bloody cool is that now!!! TMBG knitted! now i have an even deeper appreciation of a john sandwich! yesterday i discovered that they had new podcasts for the kiddies...and they use these puppets. and the whole time i'm watching them i'm trying to figure out what kind of pattern to use to knit one up... and now i know why like the song "hot dog!" from mickey mouse's clubhouse so much. i'm such a freak.

FINALLY finished the magic loop socks i started after thanksgiving. they look and feel great. i just have no patience for knitting ribbing.

guess that's about it.

let's try this again

vickie howell is starting her own podcast beginning november 1st. this should be a real treat since we haven't had any new knitty gritty's recently (hint hint diy and hgtv!)

i finished moc croc sock #1 and now have to start #2. also, everyone loved my scooby hat. next week i have to take the dragonscale gauntlets as dumbass me forgot to bring them along.

i also got to help some new knitters who've been coming to knitting. my teacher was late and me and some of the "regulars" helped out the new girls (not girls but you know what i mean). it's nice having new people join a knitting group.


shall we comment on some of the newest tv shows this fall? i already pronounced my love for pushing daisies. has anyone watched samantha who? everything i read about it pans the show but i think it's funny. i love christina applegate. hubby watched the second episode with me and asked, "what happens when she figures herself out? won't it be a short show?" good question. but i still like it. i've also been watching private practice, which i also like. i always liked addison on "gray's" and i love amy brenneman so which makes the show rock even more. this show too has been getting lukewarm accolades. maybe it's me i just like dumb shows. i also started watching criminal minds (i started watching it when it first premiered, then got out of it) and til death (mom and dad watch it and think it's hilarious, it really is, a more raunchy king of queens or mad about you).

i start my new yoga class tonight, same teacher, different locale. i hope it works out well. i miss going to an organized yoga class. doing it at home just isn't the same.

has anyone tried any recipes from "deceptively delicious?" i been putting spoonfuls of sweet potato in the boy's mac and cheese and so far so good (except last time when i put too much in and it didn't fool him - first time he DIDN'T eat boxed mac and cheese). i can't wait to try the other recipes. jessica seinfeld is a genius!

guess that's about it. see

pushing daisies with knitting needles

i finished the boy's scooby hat, complete with ears, plus the tail and the collar. good mommy.

philly sounds like a go. can't wait.

has anyone been watching the abc show pushing daisies? the show is absolutely hilarious in a six feet under/wizard of oz/twin peaks surreal kind of way. did anyone catch the fact that emerson the detective KNITS? he has rows of yellow socks in his desk drawer holding his reward money. and he uses a knitting needle to free himself, ned and chuck from the body bags. how bloody cool is that?