Listen up.

I am often stumped by the question, "What kind of music do you like?"  While I can easily state to anyone that I hate country or Brittney Spears, I've never been able to correctly categorize my music style enough to answer that question.  So, I will leave it to you blog readers to help me nail it down so I can avoid stumbling through another getting to know you question, especially since the first one is usually, "Where are you from?" which is an even harder one for me.

Anyway, here are my first top ten music lists.  I have done them all by era.  60-70's, 80's, 90's, 00-10's.  We'll start with 60-70's and 00-10's and add the other lists later (if you can take the suspense).  I'd like to dedicate this first list to my great husband, who has basically introduced every single one of these songs to me and who finally read my blog for the first time yesterday.  Oh and for all my lists, for the sake of variety, I did not repeat artists, even though I would probably have more than one Led Zeppelin song on there, for example.

MY TOP TEN FAVORITE SONGS MADE IN THE 60's-70's.   

The Kinks, Lola
The Beatles, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Canned Heat, Going up the Country
Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Helplessly Hoping
Donovan, Sunshine Superman
David Grisham and Jerry Garcia, Sitting Here in Limbo
Jimmy Buffett, Volcano
Led Zeppelin, D'Yer Mak'er
Marshall Tucker Band, Can't You See
Steve Miller Band, The Joker

This next list is dedicated to my sister Cami, who is my source for staying anywhere near hip and with-it in the music department.  And as a side note, it amuses me that I get crusty looks from Dylan if I'm listening to anything produced in the last 15 years, and crusty looks from Cami when I'm listening to music not produced in the last five.  And I know I cheated and did twelve for this list.  But there were twelve years in the era, so I thought it could slide.

MY TWELVE CURRENT FAVORITE SONGS FROM 2000-2011

A Band of Bees, Wash in the Rain
Dispatch, Open Up
Jack Johnson, Do You Remember
Modest Mouse, Dashboard
Radiohead, 15 Step
Red Hot Chile Peppers, Soul to Squeeze
Slightly Stoopid, Closer to the Sun
State Radio, Calling all Crows
The Strokes, Reptilia
Sugar Ray, Into Yesterday
Teddybears, Cobrastyle
Yeasayer, 2080

Honeyless Hives

LOVE

My list of top coolest websites that can easily eat up all your time, in no particular order.  Please add any that will enlighten me:

Grooveshark.  I have found no song yet that is not on here.  I don't know if it is more shark than groove, but am happily clueless listening to any song, any time.

Pandora.  I know this is list is in no particular order, but this would be #1 if it was.

Etsy.  Take the taste test.  And you can search for things by color?  How fun.  Just don't have your credit card ready, or get a side job to cover it.

Wikipedia.  There really is never again any need to leave a bet on correct facts unsettled.

Flixster.  Mostly for me for previewing upcoming movies and showtimes, and getting the rotten tomatoes rating which I find quite reliable at keeping me from watching movies like Skyline ever again.   I know there is a never-ending quiz section, but am worried I will never play with my children again if I start that.

LITTLE LOATH

Itchy Hives. And going to the doctor. This is the first time I've gone to the doctor for me (other than the ob/gyn) since my junior year of college. That's like 11 years ago. I was on such a great streak! But the itchy bumps all over my legs and backs of my arms convinced me. And of course, only adding to my desire to never go again, they cleared up an hour before my appointment, and then came back about an hour after. So, it appeared psychosomatic, and I got no more information from the doctor than a google search provided. But I suppose now I'm assured I'm not spreading some weird disease to anyone. But I don't know what is causing the hives. The only suspect is NyQuil, since I took that in the last few days (yes, I've also been sick), and that is the only change I can think of.   Allergic to NyQuil?! What a cruel world that would be. As long as it's not wheat, dairy, or chocolate, I will survive.

LEARN

Every blog needs recipes.  So, here's one for you to learn, since I couldn't think something I learned this week.

Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad

This salad requires good garden-fresh or farmers market tomatoes.  Do not substitute ones from the grocery store.  It will not be the same.  I use black olives even though other kinds are more traditional for Greek Salad, but I just don't like the more pungent tasting olives.  Also, please adjust amounts as necessary; this was my guess at what I put in.  You may be more partial to tomatoes or something.  Also, it doesn't keep well.  So, enjoy immediately, or wait to mix it up and add dressing right before you eat.

Serves 4 as a large side dish

4 medium tomatoes, cut in large chunks
2 English (hot house) cucumbers, half peeled, and sliced
1 small can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 oz feta cheese, in large crumbles
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. lemon juice (the juice from 1 or 2 lemons)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried or fresh oregano (or fresh mint or basil)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Put tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onion, and feta in large bowl.  Whisk remaining ingredients for dressing in separate small bowl, and then pour over salad, and gently combine ingredients.


LAUGH

That Ethan calls the liquor store, the liquorice store. I'm guessing since we buy candy there. Why correct him? He'll learn eventually.

Mom, a.k.a. Grease Monkey

As you have noticed, I have privatized my blog.  Once upon a time, when I was a dedicated journal writer, I wouldn't let Dylan read my journal.  Not because I had things I didn't want him to know about, just because I wanted to be able to write knowing he wasn't reading it.  In fact I would often read it to him anyway.  This is similar.  I don't expect perfect strangers to become stalkers of me and my children by reading and piecing together clues to our lives; I just am a bit more content knowing my audience.

LOVE

I got a girl's night out this week, AND a date with Dylan.  I am a lucky girl.  The highlight of the date was our trip to Castaways (the thrift store around the corner).  There was the inappropriate statue that Dylan convinced me to buy for Alissa as payment for babysitting.  And the pictures for sale for $.50 each.  I'm not talking about sweeping landscapes or mona lisas.  This was about 150 3"x 5" photos of random girls dressed up for prom, or a bearded man's trip to Tokyo in 1979.  Who buys that?  So, we each picked out photos for our "vacations" and Dylan's narration won.  My imagination was lost somewhere back when I was 5, after I wrote my crowning work, "O, The Family of the Banes".  Read it?  I've got it, if you haven't. 

LAUGH

Carter coming upstairs in the morning with socks on, and socks only.  Sorry no pictures, but it made me smile.

LEARN

I am supremely proud of myself for this one.  I installed the drive shaft on Dylan's '65 mustang during Tanner's nap.  And Dylan was not even home to ask for tips.  How cool is that?!  He asked me if I wanted to do it and told me how, and I gave him a "Yeah, right" look, but then thought about it, and did it. 

LITTLE LOATH

Hitting another snag on the entitlement process for our mini-storage.  The county changing the environmental impact determination and a series of neighbor complaints can't be good.  Someday we will stop pouring time and money into this thing, but unfortunately, that day is not today.

___

I didn't have any great pictures related to my post, but I do have some great pictures from our utah trip taken by my lovely sister Katie.  So, here they are:

Climbing a mountain

I am not typically drawn in by the msn or yahoo random headlines of "Is your house really worth what you think it is?" or "See these random stars are nerdy teenagers," but I tell you what, I am a sucker for top ten lists.  It doesn't matter much what the top ten is of, I will probably click on it.  So, here is my first top ten list of my blog.  The top 10 beautiful hikes in San Luis Obispo County, in approximate order of amazingness.  If you haven't done them, do them.  If you need a hiking pal, children included, call me.  I'm game.

This is not meant to be a hiking book, but I put one special highlight or photo to entice you for each one.  All of these I have done with my children except Bishops Peak, so this is not a list of top 10 most strenuous hikes in the county.  Ok, here goes.

10.  Black Hill, Morro Bay State Park.  The view says it all.  And I've had multiple two-year-olds walk up it, so you can too.

9.  Cal Poly Design Village, San Luis Obispo.  The most giant jungle gym you've ever seen, and a building shaped like a shell.
8.  San Simeon Bay Trail, San Simeon State Park.  View worthy of the cover of my hike book and a cool tunnel-like cypress grove that feels like you're in Lord of the Rings.

7.  Point Buchon Trail, Montana de Oro.  Electric fences, and a giant sinkhole into the ocean.  And last time we saw beach goats.  Weird.
6. Bob Jones Trail, Avila Beach. Paved bike/stroller trail with Avila Beach as the destination.
5. Hazards Canyon Reef Trail, Montana de Oro.  Lush, short walk to tidepools and giant sand hill.

 4.  Reservoir Canyon Trail, San Luis Obispo. Waterfall, cave, pleasant rolling cascades of stream. Very close to civilization.

Credit to Alissa, for taking a picture with Carter actually smiling. Oh, and for taking him on this hike at a 3.5:1 kid-adult ratio, so I could pack for Utah. That's a friend!

3.  Ragged Point Cliffside Trail.  This is very treacherous hike down a cliff to a black sand beach.  Dylan got really mad at me for taking my boys on it, and I couldn't blame him.  But it is awesome.

2.  Little Falls Trail, behind Lopez Lake.  Boy, oh boy, I wish I had brought my camera on this one.  40 foot mossy waterfall with crystal clear pool at the bottom.  You have to drive through a creek 7 times to get to it.  Truck/4-wheel drive required.
1.  Bishop's Peak, San Luis Obispo.  Perfect, long steep climb to sweeping views with lots of bouldering opportunities.

Do I need a title every time?

My brother Ammon comes up with clever names for every single post that he does.  I am not sure how to do that without an unreasonable amount of brainpower devotion.  So, I'll have to work that one out.

LOVE

Garden = Happiness

At our place, we have no place for a garden; we've got concrete, some boring landscaping, and nowhere that even gets enough sun for pots of veggies.  So, we started one at our friends.  Thank you Pattersons.  Now, don't get me wrong, having your garden a half hour away from your house is not the best way to go about this, but it has been so wonderful despite our best efforts to make it fail.  We have harvested snap peas, zucchini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, and beets.  It has been so wonderful for all of us to dig in the dirt.  And we won't even need to pick weeds if Dylan keeps eating them!

LAUGH

Carter has picked up on the phrase "Finders Keepers."  While not necessarily one that I want to encourage in general, his usage of it has been awesome. For example, he says it when he finds this rusty bottlecap in a pile of dirt in some parking lot.  Love it.

LEARN

I've learned there are some there are some things I have gotten really good at as a mom, and others that are still a struggle. 

Good at: Doing absolutely anything with one hand.

Still struggling: Cutting my boys hair.  As Dylan says, I do haircuts like playmobile guys.  I realize I could take them somewhere and spend the money to have it done.  But the frugile qualities engrained in me by my mom will not be tampered with.  So, I will keep trying, and someday, my boys' hair will not look better before I cut it than after.

LITTLE LOATH

Everything is my house ends up like this.  While I suppose it leads to less materialism, it still hurts.

By the Numbers

Number of times I have moved in my life: 17  (11 different cities; and I didn't go on a mission, you counting cheaters)
Longest amount of time I have gone without moving: 6 years almost to the day, Morro Bay
Number of states I have been to: 43
Number of places I want to move to: 0

That's right folks.  I find myself, the gypsy, so happy here.  I don't even spend time searching through cities on Sperlings any more.  I will never, ever commit to living somewhere forever, but if a knife was held to my throat until I answered where I would, I would say here.  I am frequently weirded out by it.

(Don't get excited or confused.  This picture is a year old.  The baby in my belly was born the next day and is the same as the one with the bucket on his head in the previous post.  It just was a good contentment photo.  And my feet are not usually this hobbit-shaped)

How this thing is going to work

Having my first post behind me, here are my ramblings on how I'd like to run this thing.  First off, an explanation on the title.  We had a girl's night for my friend Steph P.'s graduation, and as part of that Steph had to come up with a word to describe each of us.  And her word for me was Giggly.   And then my other friend Clarissa said her word for me was "From Scratch" (which I suppose is two words) because I often make things from scratch.  And I liked those two.  Although I don't giggle in my sleep like I did in college and when we were first married, and haven't laughed at my sister breaking her arm in a good many years, I do still apparently giggle a lot.

Okay, I really like to make lists.  So, I plan on listing the following for my life on a somewhat frequent basis:

Loves

Laughs

Learns

Little Loathes

I considered naming my blog The "L" word, but decided against it.  "Little Loathes" seemed the best appropriate word for the last category, because I think Loathes would be too strong.  I also wanted to add a "By the Numbers" to the list, which I realize doesn't have an L.

So, here is an example for this week:

Loves:

1.The Target that opened up in San Luis Obispo
2. Psych on Netflix

Laughs:

(Imagine the one-year old running around the house.  He did this all himself, and kept putting it back on when I took it off)

Learns:

1.  The word "recalcitrant."  Source: Jen.  Meaning: resisiting control.  Used in a sentence:  Daniel was recalcitrant to come learn jui jitsu with my boys from Karisa's brother, but did end of coming.  I see that word used lots in the future with my #2 boy.

2.
Source: Where else, wikipedia.  Meaning: the C-clef, the center of the swiggle is at the line on the staff that is middle C; typically used for the viola.  Used in a sentence:  I am transposing a song from C-clef to play my flute to in church.  I had seen this before, but didn't know how to read it.  That's right, you caught that?  I'm playing my flute in church.  I had that day a year or so ago where hiding my talents caught a snag when the fact I played the flute for 7 years slipped out with a Banfield in the room.






Loathes:

1.  Having Dylan out of town this, or any other, weekend.

2.  That no matter how many times I say, or yell, ONLY WRITE ON PAPER, nobody listens.  I think this is the tally for the day: Tanner's mouth, a book, Tanner's legs, Carter's sheet, Tanner's eye, Ethan's arm, Carter's arm.  I'm thinking of doing a pen and marker purge.    

Alright, and By the Numbers:  In the month of July, I saw 115 people related to me, not including those I live with.

Disclaimers

Hello all.  I have finally done it.  I now am officially a blogger.  Here are my disclaimers before we get this thing started:

1.  I'm really not that witty.
2.  I don't take remarkable photographs that capture the awesome things that I do in my life.  In fact I just took a trip to Utah, and had my camera in the car the whole time, and took not a single picture.
3.  My life really is all about my kids.  I'd like to trick you into believing it is not; and I will try my best to do so, but if you get annoyed by blogs that are all about the person's kids, this may not be for you.
4.  I don't feel like I can keep up with my life as it is, so am not sure I can fit a frequent blog lifestyle into the schedule.

So, given those four statements (all of which are what have kept me out of this gig for this long), why on earth do I have any right to start this thing?  Well, how else am I supposed to keep in touch with my sisters, brothers, long-lost friends, fill-in-the-blank without ever picking up the telephone?

Still reading?  All right.  Here goes.