Doodle 4 Google

From Google's Doodle 4 Google page:

Welcome to Doodle 4 Google, a competition where we invite K-12 students to play around with our homepage logo and see what new designs they come up with. This year we're inviting U.S. kids to join in the doodling fun, around the intriguing theme "What I Wish for the World."

Both our country and the world are undergoing significant change. At Google we believe in thinking big, and dreaming big, and we can't think of anything more important than encouraging students to do the same.

Click here to vote for the winners! The entries are adorable.

LawlessLand

In an unprecedented move, and in honor of her 4th birthday tomorrow, Disneyland is dedicating its entire Kingdom to Emily Lawless!!!

Christmas Meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper, for sure.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Real. I need to be able to smell my tree. That's a big part of what makes it so special! (Not sure if we'll have one this year, though, 'cause we're getting new flooring in the kitchen, dining room area and living room. Yay!!)

3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually the weekend before Christmas, 'cause I don't like to give it time to dry out. (Although I guess it really depends on when Home Depot gets their shipments in, huh?)

4. When do you take the tree down?
Shortly after the Epiphany (around Em's birthday).

5. Do you like eggnog?
Love it! Especially with some brandy or rum.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Hmm... that's too tough. Too many to choose from. I was a spoiled child. ;-)

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Two people who shall remain nameless. One's a he and the other's a she!

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My girls.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Not a nice one.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I don't know, but I know the worst wedding gift we received. Funny enough, it was a Christmas decoration... and it wasn't even a nice one!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Carol.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually November.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes. If I don't like something or wouldn't use it, isn't it better to pass it on to someone who would than to keep it and watch it collect dust?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Cookies and tamales!

16. Lights on the tree?
Yes: multi-colored!

17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night... and the entire A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack (yay, Lisa)!
Also: Carol of the Bells, Silent Night, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), and Do They Know it's Christmas?.
By the way, here's a pretty good list of Christmas carols.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Staying home is the best.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Yes!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Maybe one on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning. As a kid, we actually opened them after Midnight Mass.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Just all the usual pressure and chaos. I wish we could all relax more and just really enjoy it (and enjoy each other) and take it all in.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
All the Christmas colors: red, green, gold, silver... like Lisa, anything sparkly!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Mom's prime rib with potatoes and all the fixins.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Good health and happiness for everyone... and relaxation!
Oh, and new flooring wouldn't hurt. ;-)



-- Here's my Christmas Meme from 2006.

Have You...

How to play: CAPITALIZE anything you've done.

[Thanks, Alicia & Sharon!]


1. STARTED YOUR OWN BLOG
2. Slept under the stars -- does in a van count? I didn't think so... ;-)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. WATCHED A METEOR SHOWER -- in Yosemite
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. BEEN TO DISNEYLAND or DisneyWorld -- D-Land many times; never D-World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. SAND A SOLO
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea -- no, but I've watched a fireworks show at sea in New Hampshire, and that was awesome!
14. TAUGHT YOURSELF AN ART FROM SCRATCH -- I guess I taught myself the basics of piano
15. Adopted a child
16. HAD FOOD POISONING -- I thought everybody's had this at some point or another!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty -- I've seen her, but never walked to the top
18. Grown your own vegetables -- nope, only fruit. When I was little, though, my dad had a chile garden, and Henry, my rabbit, ate them all! (D'oh!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
22. Hitch hiked -- um, no.
23. TAKEN A SICK DAY WHEN YOU'RE NOT ILL
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. GONE SKINNY DIPPING
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. WATCHED A sunrise or SUNSET
31. Hit a home run
32. BEEN ON A CRUISE
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. VISITED THE BIRTHPLACE OF YOUR ANCESTORS -- I've been to the country (Mexico), but not the cities they were from
35. SEEN AN AMISH COMMUNITY
36. Taught yourself a new language -- I learned some Spanish in school; I didn't teach myself
37. HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO BE SATISFIED (IN GENERAL)
38. SEEN THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA IN PERSON
39. Gone rock climbing
40. SEEN MICHELANGELO'S DAVID IN PERSON -- I was about 4 years old, and the story goes that upon seeing him for the first time, I whispered to my sister, "Is he gonna walk?"
41. SUNG KARAOKE
42. SEEN OLD FAITHFUL ERUPT
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. WAKED ON A BEACH BY MOONLIGHT
46. BEEN TRANSPORTED IN AN AMBULANCE -- I rode along while my parents were being transported. Does that count?
47. HAD YOUR PORTRAIT PAINTED -- not painted, but drawn
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. SEEN THE SISTINE CHAPEL IN PERSON -- it would be great to get these Europe pictures scanned and uploaded, wouldn't it?
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain -- not that I can remember! (Probably 'cause it never rains here! :-)
53. Played in the mud
54. BEEN TO A DRIVE-IN MOVIE
55. Been in a movie
56. VISITED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen -- I've always wanted to do this... I need to do this...
61. SOLD GIRL SCOUT COOKIES -- I was a Brownie at the time. Never advanced past that stage.
62. GONE WHALE WATCHING -- in Dana Point with the Lawlesses and the Guide Dogs of America
63. GOT FLOWERS FOR NO REASON
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma -- no, but I want to! Hopefully when we're done nursing.
65. Gone sky diving
66. VISITED A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP -- Dachau
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. SAVED A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TOY -- many! Make that too many!
70. VISITED THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. STOOD IN TIMES SQUARE
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. BROKEN A BONE -- my left ankle when I was a freshman in high school (a freak bicycling accident! ;-)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. SEEN THE GRAND CANYON IN PERSON -- quite a few times (I used to live in Arizona)
80. Published a book
81. VISITED THE VATICAN
82. BOUGHT A BRAND-NEW CAR
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE -- the outside, not the inside
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. HAD CHICKENPOX
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. MET SOMEONE FAMOUS -- Mario Lopez twice. He's not the nicest person in the world, that's for sure.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. HAD A BABY
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. OWNED A CELL PHONE
99. Been stung by a bee
100. READ AN ENTIRE BOOK IN ONE DAY -- a kid's book? Sure! ;-)

Molly's Mosaic Meme

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Type your answer to each question below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, choose one image and click on it.
3. Copy & paste each image URL into Big Huge Labs' Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.


QUESTIONS:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your latest celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation destination?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. What is one word that describes you now?
12. What is your Flickr/blog name?


ANSWERS:
View the Comments pop-up window.



Photo Credits:
1. Amalia, 2. Vegetarian Tacos even meat-eaters will love!, 3. Immaculata IR, 4. past the point of love, (made it to explore !) [10,00streamviews!], 5. Michael Bublé, 6. Perfection, 7. Cinque Terre beauty, 8. Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, 9. Portrait of love, 10. A True Smile, 11. It's Superman!, 12. IMG_2409

Stephen's Mosaic Meme

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your latest celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation destination?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. What is one word that describes you now?
12. What is your Flickr/blog name?


ANSWERS:
View the Comments pop-up window.



Photo Credits:
1. St. Stephen's Cathedral (Vienna) at night, 2. Done "Pittsburgh Style", 3. Old School, 4. Alidhoo, 5. Jessica Alba is a Raiders Fan, 6. _E2B0156.JPG, 7. Red Bull reflections, 8. espresso over vanilla gelato., 9. Hands, 10. http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandalovesray_04/283906297, 11. Ruby Throated Hummingbird, 12. do not take a data dump

New Presidential Candidate

We're seeing a grassroots movement to elect a newcomer to the political scene. Click here to see who the new presidential candidate is (and make sure you watch to the end).

I bet it's someone you know!

Leah Laughing

Emily was making Leah laugh by repeatedly throwing a sheet over her head. Ah... if only I could be so easily amused. ;-)

This was on Leah's half-birthday, by the way (which was on the 19th). Six months old? What happened?!

Two Eeyores

This one's for Mona, and she knows why!
(It's 'cause she always says I'm an Eeyore.) :-)

Cousins

We met up with Uncle Daniel, L and T at Disneyland this past weekend. We were there for three whole days! It was a blast. Exhausting, but a blast. Em got to do so much fun stuff, she didn't know what to do with herself. (Perhaps more on D-Land later...)

On Friday, after we arrived at our hotel, DLT met us there and all the kids (and that includes Stephen) went swimming. Our hotel has a really cute water playground called "Castaway Cove" and it's perfect for little ones. It features a very shallow kiddie pool, water that shoots up from the ground, and a play area with a huge bucket that tips over every five minutes or so and soaks the people underneath. Needless to say, Em spent a lot of time in the kiddie pool and the water-shoot-up area.

[Click photo to enlarge.]



After swimming, L and T accompanied our family back to our hotel room where we got ready to walk over to D-Land. While we were getting ready, L drew this adorable drawing for Emily. It says, "When you are lonely, talk to this drawing: me, Luke!" How precious is that?!

[Click photo to enlarge.]



L and T are always so good with Em. They treat her like she's their own baby sister. They talk to her, play with her, teach her... they even each held her hand while we were all sitting and watching Aladdin on stage. (It was so cute!) I love seeing her with her cousins!

Chuck E. Cheese's

A couple months ago, Emily saw a commercial for Chuck E. Cheese's and asked me to take her. I told her I wouldn't take her then, but I promised to take her when her cousin G was in town.

Em's cousins H and G came to visit for a month. A week before they went home, Stephen, Grandma and I took them, Emily, and G's friend H to Chuck E. Cheese's. The pizza was terrible, but we had a pretty good time playing games with the girls and running around with Emily. She enjoyed riding rides, playing games and scoring tickets. She'd collect a handful of tickets and run them over to me for safe-keeping. Then, at the end of the night, she traded in her tickets for a little rubber lizard. :-)

For me, the highlight of the evening was when Stephen and Em sat in the "sketch" booth and got this drawing done. The booth has a camera that takes a picture of the subject, and then it converts the picture into a "drawing". I think ours came out really cute. Emily's so gosh-darned photogenic, it's ridiculous. Anyway, here she is, with her daddy. Aren't they adorable together?

[Click photo to enlarge.]

Em & Gro

Em had a wonderful time at SeaWorld the other day, especially due to the fact that they've finally opened the Sesame Street Bay of Play. She adored Grover (as you can see), and she loved the Elmo Flying Fish ride. We rode it twice. (We also saw the sharks twice.) I'm wondering if we should renew our membership when it expires in a few months. (We originally planned on alternating memberships between SeaWorld and the Zoo/WAP.) I'll have to think on it!

But man, this picture (and the others we took of Em & Gro) pretty much melted my heart. A funny thing was that she wanted nothing to do with The Count (I wish I got a good shot of that!), but Grover? Well, he was a different story. Lucky for me, he's one of my two favorite Sesame Street characters. (Cookie Monster's the other.) :-)

The Lawless Elves

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Lawless Elves...

... and from the Elfin' Lawless Dogs!

[Make sure your sound is on.]

Enjoy! :-)

Christmas Meme

I was tagged by Alicia, who said that I should participate when -- not IF -- I got my blog back. I appreciate her optimism!! :-)


1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
For Christmas, definitely egg nog, 'cause it's only available this time of year, so that makes it special! If I had to drink one or the other all the time, though, I'd probably choose hot chocolate, 'cause egg nog's pretty rich.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He wraps them, of course!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
While I do think that all white lights are pretty, I also think they're kinda boring. We do colored lights on both the tree and the house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No, but I'd like to!

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Ideally, right after Thanksgiving, but that never happens. In fact, I'm ashamed to say that they aren't up right now. :-( There's just been too much going on, especially with Stephen gone. (He's been gone the past week, and back and forth the past three weeks, which is funny, 'cause his "extended work week/long hours" were supposed to end before Thanksgiving!)

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Well, my favorite Thanksgiving dishes are my Mom's mashed potatoes, my sister's mashed potato casserole, and stuffing. Man, do I love stuffing! And it can't be sweet, either. No, no, no.
We don't tend to have turkey for Christmas, but rather a prime rib, which is definitely my favorite Christmas dish. That, and tamales, which my Mom usually makes after Christmas. YUM!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:
I don't really have one favorite holiday memory, but I fondly remember how we used to go to Midnight Mass when I was little, and I couldn't wait to get home because I knew that we'd then open our presents. When we'd walk up to the front door of our home after Mass, usually one of my parents and one of my siblings would go in to "make sure Santa was gone". (We all know what they were really up to. ;-)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't remember, but I think I was on the older side. I don't even remember how I found out. It didn't come as a big surprise to me, though. I certainly wasn't devastated or anything.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Sometimes Stephen & I do. I think we'll start that tradition with Emily.
As I mentioned above, that's when my family opened all our presents when I was a kid. Well, technically we opened them very early Christmas morning (like at 1:30 a.m.) but since it was right after Midnight Mass, it still felt like Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Multi-colored lights, an assortment of ornaments from all over (no expensive ones, that's for sure!), some garland (no icicles! too messy!), and a star on top. Specifically, the one that my Mom used when I was a kid (which I LOVE). Definitely a star on top, though. I'm not an "angel-on-top-of-the-tree" kind of person. (Probably 'cause my Mom always used a star when I was growing up, which is funny, 'cause now she uses an angel!)

11. Snow?
Uh, here in SoCal, the closest we get to snow is IMPORTED snow. My sister & I took Emily, our 9-year-old niece G, and my 9-year-old neighbor H to Candy Land, a function that the City of Poway puts on every Christmas. This is the first time I've been and it was fun: they had karaoke, crafts, Santa & Mrs. Claus, elves making balloons, and the (imported 45 tons of) snow. The main attraction, however, was the life-sized version of the children's game, Candy Land, which was really neat! They decorated a gymnasium with Candy Land props, and volunteers dressed up as Lord Licorice and Queen Frostine. A female announcer called out the directions: "Move three spaces while shaking your belly like a bowl full of jelly." "Move one space while tiptoeing like an elf." And every 10 spaces or so, a boy scout or a Candy Land character would hand out -- you guessed it -- candy.

Em caught on to the whole thing really quickly. She held Hannah's hand the entire time, listening for the lady to give her instructions on what to do next. And when she got to the candy spaces, she eagerly held out her little white sack. It was all just too cute.

12. Can you ice skate?
No... I've only tried a couple times. The times I tried, though, I was able to do something that at least resembled ice skating!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
No, there are too many favorites to name just one.

14. What's the most exciting thing about the holidays for you?
All the beauty. Beauty in the lights, trees, families, and children's faces. And the smells. Christmas smells wonderful.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
For Thanksgiving, it's cheesecake and pecan pie.
For Christmas, I love all the different cookies my sister Mona makes. She makes a huge variety: chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies, Mexican Wedding Cakes, and more. My favorite of all these are her chocolate chip. They're Stephen's favorite, too. :-)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Just everyone getting together, eating good food together, and enjoying each other.

17. What tops your tree?
A star always tops our tree. Unfortunately, our tree is currently sitting in a garbage can full of water in the side yard of my parents' house. Stephen told me to wait to put it up 'til he gets home, and he's on his way right now (yay!). So we'll have it up tomorrow, probably.

I wouldn't be able to put it up now, anyway, 'cause I don't know where our tree stand is! Stephen's gonna have to help me look in the garage. My father-in-law gave us our tree stand, and it's a really great one. It's simple, but it works well. I remember my Mom used to have problems with different tree stands throughout the years. This one, however, is a keeper. :-)

18. Which do you prefer - giving or receiving?
I'm not gonna lie -- I like both. But if I had to only give or only receive, I'd much rather give.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O Holy Night.

I also like Carol of the Bells, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), Do They Know it's Christmas? and the entire A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. Mine doesn't look like this copy on Amazon, though. Maybe 'cause mine's from Starbucks.
By the way, here's a pretty good list of Christmas carols.

20. Candy canes?
I sometimes hang them on the tree, but my family never did when I was growing up. They aren't a big part of our Christmas tradition.

Moving Jigsaw Puzzle

My sister Veronica sent this to me.

And yes, it can be done!

I've Been Tagged...

...by my sister-in-law, Alicia. :-)

Here goes...

Five things in my freezer:
1. Lotsa ice cream -- strawberry, cookies 'n cream & coconut pineapple (funny that there's so much ice cream in there, 'cause I'm not even a big ice cream fan, although I've always liked cookies n' cream, and the Thrifty's brand coconut pineapple is really yummy!)
2. Eggos from Costco (in other words, plenty of 'em)
3. this really tasty Milton's chicken-rice dish we buy from Costco
4. lime & tequila flavored chicken wings (again, from Costco)
5. Peyton's chorizo (mmm!!)

Five things in my closet:
1. too many clothes
2. shoes
3. purses
4. suitcases
5. empty shoeboxes

Five things in my car:
1. portable DVD player
2. lawn chairs
3. unopened cherry-scented air freshener
4. sunglasses
5. ChapStick LipMoisturizer

Five interesting things in my purse (I'd hardly call these interesting):
1. cute little pen (medium, not fine-point!)
2. ChapStick (gotta have ChapStick on hand, ALWAYS, and it's gotta be the LipMoisturizer!)
3. St. Stephen prayer card
4. dental floss
5. bright blue light (attached to my keys)


I tag Stephen, Sister & Kathryn. :-)

Quotes

I'm going to consider myself "memed" by my sister-in-law, Alicia, and post my five favorite quotes generated from the Random Quote Generator:


"In Ethiopia during the famine, I saw stuff there that reorganized how I saw the world. I didn't quite know what to do about it. At a certain point, I felt God is not looking for alms. God is looking for action."
-- Bono (1960 - ), The Oprah Winfrey Show, 2002

"We need a president who's fluent in at least one language."
-- Buck Henry

"If you want to make a song more hummy, add a few tiddely poms."
-- A.A. Milne, Pooh's Little Instruction Book

"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat."
-- Napoleon

"Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again."
-- Mike Meyers

Canon

Em & I were gettin' down to this kid's rendition of "Canon"!

It appears he's got some accompaniment, but his action on the guitar alone is enough to get you movin'.

Check it!

BTW, "Canon" is very special to me because it was the song that was played during the bridal party's procession at my wedding! (Obviously the version played at our wedding wasn't quite as rock n' rollish as this kid's. ;-) Such a beautiful piece.

[HT: My dad.]

Juggler

This is a really cool video of a guy (a comedian named Chris Bliss) juggling to Beatles music. Check it out!

[HT: My sister, Veronica.]

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

This is pretty cute. I never thought I'd be thought of as a Boston Terrier, though. (And certainly not "aggressive, wild and rambunctious"!) :-)