Friday Fill-Ins #13

A Luxury Weekend to Remember!!

This is a small part of the huge presidential suite we'll be staying in this weekend with my Mom, Stepdad and brothers. The room has a $3000 dollar a night price tag (no, we didn't pay for it- we just get to be special and priveleged this weekend cuz my Stepdad is just that cool) and every President since 1927 has stayed in this suite! Can I just tell you how (ohmygoshIcan'tbelieveit) excited I am?!?! So my Fill-ins this week are mostly related to this FANTASTIC trip :)

1. Please don't tell me that it's going to snow!

2. Can you jump on the big fluffy beds with me in the morning?

3. The color yellow makes me want to dance!

4. I have a craving for japanese food... Jae's, here we come. Yum, yum!

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it this weekend so I could more fully enjoy this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime weekend and the Ruggle at her cutest, most fun age so far!

6. Eyes are the most honest part of the body. (You thought I was going to say "windows to the soul", didn't you?)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to out to dinner alone with my man in Boston and spending the night in the amazing presidential suite at the park plaza hotel with my awesome family, tomorrow my plans include park plaza, aquarium with the girl, out to eat and maybe some shopping... woot woot! and Sunday, I want to maybe grab breakfast with my fam, then drive home and prep for the week- gotta squish laundry, muffin-making, grocery shopping and lunch making into half a day- yikes!

You can find other Friday Fill-ins participants and the weekly prompts here...

Wordless Wednesdays #16- Dada's Hat Is More Comfy...

If you would like, you can visit other Wordless Wednesday participants HERE.

**end wordless wednesday post**

PS: This is my 98th post. 100 is up and coming... Any good suggestions? Anything you'd like to see? I think it's a little late to do the 100 question thing, but feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know now and I will tell all in that post. Course there probably won't be many questions by then, but, eh, whatevs. :)

ROCK That Runway, Ruggle!

Many of you don't know this, but my Mom works in media and as of late has been intensely involved in (and mostly in charge of) the development of a new upscale magazine out of North Andover, Massachusetts called- what else?- The Andovers. It's a great resource for people living in the area to get in the know on what's going on, who's hot (like in the Andover's hottest bachelor contest!), and even get fresh ideas for dinners, decor, and de-stressing. So guess how excited I was when she asked me if the Ruggle could pose for some pics in the magazine this coming spring??

That's right.

SuperexcitedyesofcourseshewouldlovetoandIwouldloveherto! heh.

You heard it here first. You are now watching the making of a mini-model.

So what else could she do but begin to practice? I mean, she changes her clothes all the time anyway... granted it's usually because she spilled some kind of something on herself, or she leaked splody poops on her pants... but still... still...

Okay, really, it's just another great big excuse to show off some new pics of the girl. Humor me please, and leave comments about how darned cute she is and how she will someday be famous and take care of her mummy who loved her and coddled her and made her head big and took way too many pics of her when she was young.

Note: These aren't the pics from the photo shoot for the mag. We haven't done that yet, but I'll be sure to let you know when we do.

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The room is dark. Your chair is uncomfortable. You hear the crunching of secret chocolate wrappers stashed in purses, snuck into the no-food-ever venue by PMS'ing photogs and buyers for name brands. A strobe rises up and a hush falls over the crowd as the famous Bendy Ruggles is revealed in silhouette:

You never thought you would actually get to be thisclose to a real, live, up and coming model, now did you?
It's okay, feel free to gasp. Also, feel free to rearrange your buttcheeks on the seat if it's too hard. God knows Bendy loves her some wiggling. In fact, just the other day, she wiggled her own self right off the edge of her seat. No joke. So don't feel like you need to remain in humble quietude for her benefit. She'd prefer you **get your sillies out** just as you normally would in your own home. Oh, better hush up, here she comes on her first jaunt down that runway!

Uh-oh, better focus that camera! Don't want to miss any more important shots. Too bad you missed that one in her fuzzy jacket and hat. It was cute. Really cute.


Here she comes again, modeling the latest and greatest in puffy-jacket outerwear for the 2009 season! Every girl needs a truly warm coat, wouldn't you agree? According to the toddler digest, green and purple are. seriously. in. this. year.

Whoops, looks like she found someone's stash when they snuck out to change their tampon! Now you know... Even models need chocolate breaks. I think the choco-face goes perfectly well with the multi-colored polka dot outfit.

HEY! You! YES, YOU! No flash photography backstage! Now GIT OUTTA HERE! Before I have to unleash my faithful furry friend on you...

Now comes the nationally acclaimed Bendy Ruggles in her signature Abby Cadabby pantsuit with skirt attached! Of course, one could pair it with nothing LESS than knockoff Uggs. Puh-lease, people. You didn't know this was the new trend?

Back on the runway in a stunning cherry dress with matching shirt and heart-embellished tights, it's BEEEEEEENNNNDDDDYYYY RUUUGGGGLLLEEEESS! Notice that she has realized the beaded rainbow bracelet does NOT match and has tossed it to the side. But the sippy, that matches. Sippies match with everything, right?


Ignore the legs in the background, please. That's just the janitor, come to clean a spill... SOMEone got chocolate all over the runway. And yes, men's winter outerwear is also making an appearance on the toddler fashion circuit this year.

Remember this face, for one day it will grace magazines far and wide. Or at least as wide as North Shore, Mass. Which is essentially the same thing, right?

Thank you for joining us tonight for the first ever Bendy Ruggles fashion show! Please help yourself to the buffet of leftover nuggets and de-crusted PB&J sandwiches on the way out, and don't forget to enter the raffle..........

....for.......
a brand-new.........

POTTY seat!
That's right! You, too, could be the proud owner of a cushioned ducky seat by the end of the night! Don't miss out!

Any media inquiries about the Ruggle must be directed to Mama Ruggle at the Ruggle agency, inc. Thanks!

Challenge to Kick-Start My Bloggy Blues :)

I went to visit Angela over at This Woman's Beautiful Life (click it, you won't be sorry! She takes AMAZING photos. And I'm reading her book right now, which is also fantastic!) and saw that she was doing this challenge- The One Word Challenge put on by the Shutter Sisters. I wrote in my comment to her that I totally admire her ability to commit- I always want to participate in fun photo challenges like this, but then my nerves get the best of me, I start worrying mine will suck, and I flake. I hate flaking.

Angela convinced me to give this one a go. I mean, what do I really have to lose? If I don't follow through, I'm only disappointing myself in the end. And it should be fun. Really.

Here are the rules (cut & pasted from the Shutter Sisters' post):

Here's how it works:

1. Pick a word that best represents you or your focus. Your word should inspire images throughout the month of February. If a word doesn't come immediately to mind, scan Ali's extensive list of words to inspire you.

2. Once you've selected your word, share it here in the comments or blog about it in your space and leave a permalink to your post here so we can go check it out. The project begins on Sunday, February 1, but you can join the project any time after this date.

3. On February 1, begin shooting images that visually represent your word. You can shoot, tag and share your best photographs in the Shutter Sisters flickr group every day or whenever you feel moved to do so.

4. TITLE each of your One Word Project images to include your word (e.g., Hope, Love, Courage, Peace). TAG each of your images as follows: "oneword (month)" (e.g., "oneword february", "oneword march", "oneword april", etc.). Tagging is important as it's the only way we can find and enter your images in our contest.

5. Beginning February 1, check the new One Word Project page daily within this site to see if your image is featured. The first award-winning photo of the month will be chosen by the Shutter Sisters team and announced on March 1, along with the new One Word Project for March.

We've created a discussion thread in the Shutter Sisters flickr group to manage questions and answers. If you have any questions, check for the answer or post your question here.

* * *

You can find out more about the prizes, how to enter, or any other groovy details on their post.

The word I chose for the month of February is... ::::drumroll please:::: GROWTH!

So I am going to begin taking my shots on Sunday. I will not flake. I will not flake. I will not flake. This is my mantra.

::Edited to add:: I am thinking I am going to post my pictures once a week, just so that I don't tell myself I'll do it every day. Cuz let's be honest, I won't. If I just post my seven pictures for the week at the end of the week all together, that will be best. Plus, I'm thinking I might be able to also do some kind of snifty voting thing where you all could give me feedback if you wanted and vote on your favorite for the week. Yeah, that would be cool. ::end edit::

If any of you like this challenge, please play along. I would love to see what some of my other bloggy friends would come up with. Plus, then I won't feel so alone. And that would be one MORE reason for me NOT. TO. FLAKE.

Here's me right now. I'm a little bit of this:

but even more of this:


Minus the rollers, which is a good thing for all, I think. :P

Friday Fill-Ins #12

I swear I am still here. I know, I know... I said it before. It's just that there's so much going on lately, so much to remember and so much to worry about that I keep forgetting to bring my camera to do my posts. I keep forgetting what I was going to write about. And when I sit down to do it, I am at a loss for words.

Work has been a little busier than usual this past week, and I have felt swamped around the house. We had no hot water for two days (which meant icyfreezingfreakincoldassinducehypothermia-type showers) but I can thankfully say that as soon as I called my landlord she did something about it. Which, if you know about our previous heat situation, was something we had reason to worry she would not do. She had a plumber out to our house at 8:30 pm on the second day. But that still meant my dishes had been put off, Illy's bath had been put off... So yeah. Got a little behind this week.

I'm here. Still breathing. Still hanging on. Still working in little bits towards our goals and still (as per usual) reading everyone else. You all make me laugh, and you give my days a little bit of a reprieve. For that, I thank you. Thanks for being you, and thanks for letting me bitch and moan, and for still visiting us over here at the Ruggle house. Stay tuned...


And now, for the FRIDAY Fill-Ins. (Can I get a woo-haaaaaaa for Fridays? Thankies.)

1. I'd really like a day at the spa right now. I could totally use the relaxation. And pampering. And prettifying. Let's face it, stress isn't the best makeup.

2. DAMMIT! is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe. Course, I could also let loose with a more vulgar choice. I'm not really thinking about what I'm saying when my toe. is. throbbing.

3. Possession is a generally over-punished drug law.

4. I never cared much for Captain Jack Sparrow.

5. Marshmallows and fire go together like peas and carrots. I couldn't help it, all I could hear when I read that was Forrest Gump sayin' "we go together like PEAS and CARROTS." Plus, I had peas and carrots with dinner last night.

6. Life goes on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing my brother and Mom, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, cooking and Wii'ing a little and Sunday, I want to veg and ignore the superbowl that will inevitably be on TV!

Quote of The Day

Since the Friday Fill-Ins author seems to be slacking this week (there aren't new fill-ins for today up yet) I decided to share an inspiring quote with you today.

I am sure you have all seen the commercials for the Foundation for a Better Life. They also have a lot of billboards across the country. (Here are a few of my favorites:)





One day, I got curious after seeing an ad and visited their website. I signed up to receive their daily quotes. I LOVE THEM. I use them as my status messages for AIM, Gmail, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, etc. all the time. They are great reminders of what is really important and sometimes help me to take a look at my life and re-focus. So, without further ado, here is today's quote:

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”

—Ayn Rand (1905-1982); novelist, screenwriter, playwright,

If you love this quote, visit their site. There, you can view their billboards, sign up to receive daily quotes or their GOOD NEWSletter, or get materials to bring to your or your children's school.

Now, don't you feel a little bit more warm and fuzzy? :)

Obama's First Day :)

I just thought this was a cool little snippet of an article, and I wanted to share. :)

Bush Street Renamed Obama Street in San Fran

And here is his first signature while President of the United States. Pretty, isn't it?


Edited to add: You should definitely check out this Lost Inauguration Commentary by Issa. It had me rolling! Her kids are hilarious! Urethra Franklin. hee. hee.

Buzzing, Ecstatic, Overwhelmed, Elated...

That's how I feel right now.

I just watched the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America. The FIRST African-American President ever.

He speaks so eloquently. He has faith and confidence and family values.

He gives me hope.

It's time to remake America. It's time for us to once again stand up and be proud of who we are- the many varied faces of who we are- and what we believe in.

It's time.

Friday Fill-Ins #11

1. Enough with the cold cold weather! People, it was NEGATIVE 23 fahrenheit this morning on my way to work. NO JOKE.

2. Applying for a new job causes me to be conflicted.

3. I've been craving ice cream this week.

4. Owen's new pic on wishpot makes me laugh.



5. I wish I could go to England to visit Merry next week.

6. Taxes has have been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Wii fit and chillaxing, tomorrow my plans include grocery shopping and hanging with the Ruggle and Dada and Sunday, I want to maybe clean some stuff... finish my book and relax some more!

Thursday Thirteen #7- About This Month

You can grab this, or any of a bunch of nifty headers for Thursday Thirteen from Jenn.

Find other Thursday Thirteen participants here now.

Thirteen things I want to remember about the first month in 2009 when I look back someday...

(1) Ilyana had conjunctivitis and an ear infection... and she kept trying to attack us with her *ah-fly tisses* (butterfly kisses) when she had it! It's very hard to turn down that sweet little voice saying- "Mama, ah-fly, ah-fly tiss!" Usually I love her ah-fly tisses, but I wasn't needing to get the pinkeye myself :P

(2) She learned how to say thank you. God, it melts my heart when I hand her a sippy and she cracks a big grin and says "Tank you, Mama, tank you."

(3) I applied for a job as a writer/ assistant editor in the Periodicals department at my work. Trying to move on up in my career! I don't want to be an admin forever, after all...

(4) Bendy is still not a big fan of the snow. She doesn't like stepping on or in it at all. In fact, she makes us carry her to the car every day because she doesn't want to walk on it. And whenever it's snowy or she gets snow on herself, she says it's snowing.

(5) The way she looks in her new outdoor gear. I mean, not that I'm biased or anything *ahem* but she totally belongs in a magazine:


(6) Hasn't happened yet (Dada! haha ;P), but... it is the month of Barack Obama's inauguration. I have high hopes of what his term will bring our country. I just know this economic crisis will turn around and we will once again all be proud to be Americans.

(7) Illy got a new Dora tent house for Christmas that she loves and she always wants me to "Shake house!" The other night we went into her room and I went to pick the house up and realized she had put all her stuffies in there. Apparently they had been cast out from the bed.

(8) After Christmas was over (ok, I guess this isn't really this month, but the very end of last...) she thought travelling around to everyone's house visiting and getting presents was just her new life, not a special occasion. She woke up a couple days after Christmas and looked at me and said- "Momma, I want Cey-cey, I want Gump, I want Pep, I want Gammy, I want Nana, I want pess-ents."

(9) This is the month she decided she doesn't like regular milk anymore. She is constantly asking for *Choc-it milk* instead. I try to pull the wool over her eyes and pretend I put some syrup in, but that girl is too smart. She'll hand it back and say, "No choc-it. I want choc-it." Of course, her Dada doesn't help much with this one. I keep telling him we have to give her regular milk and not give in so she doesn't think she's the boss, but the minute I turn around, here she comes running and tells on him- "Dada choc-it." And then I look, and lo and behold- her sippy has chocolate milk in it. Hmm... wonder how that happened?

(10) Her and Deuce dingle are playing together more and more. She likes to chase him around with something- whether it be her shopping cart, her car, or another push toy object, she just can't get enough. And he loves it! He chases her around and butts her with his nose, and chases the balls she throws for him. They are buddies. He even sleeps next to her bed some nights.


(11) She is getting so crafty and smart!! The other day, she figured out that if she holds her hula hoop around her body, she has enough control of it to hold it above her head and switch the light on and off. She drove Dada Ruggle batty when he was trying to take a nap! She has also taken to saying "ouch, ow, ow, ouch!" at night when it's time for bed and she doesn't want to sleep, because she knows that we always come running when she says ouch. Last night she was saying it and I went in there and guess what was wrong?? The RUG was crooked. Ouch, indeed. :P

(12) She's getting pickier about food. It seems all she ever wants is chicken nuggets and french fries. At least, when I ask her, that's all she ever says she wants. Do all kids go through this phase, or is she really just way too familiar with those golden arches? While travelling for the holidays, I think I might have caved on the nuggets one too many times. :P

(13) I ran out of paid time off this month, and our fiscal year goes till July! ACK! Hope nobody else gets sick for the next six months... *sigh*