Ash in Wonderland had her baby girl! She is so little and perfect and… sigh. And she doesn’t know how to curse yet! (Wacky Boy, earlier today: “Shit! My favorite word is shit!” Me, thought bubble: “Oh, #@!$&!”)

Babies are so appealing, for this and many other reasons. Sweet babies, I love you so. Go say hi and congrats. Also, last month, even though she was eight months pregnant and busy and all, she took it upon herself to name me a Rockin’ Girl Blogger. Awww! I am just now getting around to bestowing the title upon five other chicks (who are supposed to name five additional chicks — sharing the love). I say…

Whoorl

Mrs. Flinger

Mallory in the Middle

Busy Mom and…

Planet Nomad!!! Who is coming back to Portland!!! (This pretty much ensures we will find work in Iowa and move away, probably two days after she and her family arrive. More on Iowa later — I know I haven’t been keeping everyone updated on that. But I will. Oh, I will… because I know how intrigued you all are by my yearning for a Midwestern lifestyle.)

Welcome to the club!

You may have noticed our sites disappeared for a few hours there — another major power outage in North Portland, Ore. It was 102 or something today, so we amped out. Seven hundred houses around us lost power, and another 2,500 in Happy Valley, I heard. But we’re back up and good now so thanks for your patience — I’ll post tomorrow.

kisses,

WM

i have flickr now. I HAVE FLICKR NOW!

For most of you, especially those of you who know what kind of camera you shoot with (and I didn’t, not until I signed up with Flickr) — this is not a big deal. But I can’t figure out photos — uploads, downloads, sideloads, how to group things, how to post little fingernails — thumbnails! — onto the site so it doesn’t take you an hour to call up my site when you get there.

Things like that.

(I didn’t know what kind of camera I had, do you get what I’m saying? I mean, I’m not exactly cutting-edge technology here.)

But thanks to my Yahoo! e-mail account (that I forgot I had), I just buzzed right through it. Seeing Jenny McB’s pix got me all excited. I, too, am crafty! I knit! I put her down as my first contact. I feel so bonded with her now. Go look at her pictures, they’re real sweet.

I shoot with a Canon PowerShot A10. (It told me what kind of camera I took the pictures with. It told me what date. This blows me away. Me: “Is that Neskowin?” (in Oregon.) Hockey God: “It’s Carlsbad. Look at the date!” Me: “Whoa!”) It’s just a simple camera, but I like the pictures I take with it. Anyway, there are only a dozen pix on there so far, but you can see the ducks and rose petals from today, and a few shots of our poor, pitiful bathroom when it was being remodeled last year. Really wishing I’d taken befores ‘n’ afters of our living room — we’ve gone from purple, blue and gold (sponge-painting and “paper bag art,” yick) to green and blue (also yick) to a nice, simple off-white. Delicious!

I’ll upload more photos soon. Because now I know how to.

love,

WM

Big power outage all afternoon here at Wacky House but we are back, and servers are NOT toast, I am pleased to say. Sorry if you were shut out. Here’s your all-access pass.

Carry on. Happy weekend to you.

xoxx

WM

Amongst my top search terms, y’all were looking for the following:

* naked neighbors (they’re not here this weekend!)

* scarf site sex

* nasty neighbors wives

* cathy mincberg

* nekkid pool

* husband parked in front of the damn tv

* hockey wives

* hockey sluts (followed by…)

* dirty sluts (Hey! We are not!)

* i love my wild cherry tree but hate the mess (me too!)

* i rubbed cocaine on my lips will i be tested positive (me too! No, wait… that’s not true.)

* if you see your mother this weekend tell her satan satan satan

A few links, and a recipe, because I think you need ’em. Also a tiny bit of advice.

Love,

WM

For the kiddies:
Eloise — “I am a city child/I live at the Plaza.”
The World’s Youngest Blogger
Nancy Drew

From my kids’ wish lists:

Wacky Girl: 1) big house 2) big screen TV 3) lifetime supply of candy

Wacky Boy: 1) big house with a swamp in his room 2) a pen with 200 gallons of ink so it wouldn’t run out of ink

For breakfast this weekend:
from J’s thoughts and musings:

Company French Toast

1 ½ Sticks Butter
6 Eggs
1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon
2 cups Milk
1 ½ cup Brown Sugar
Syrup
*White Bread (Pepperidge Farm Toasting)

Melt butter in bottom of 9×13 casserole dish.
Add brown sugar and cinnamon: Mix and spread on bottom
Cut Crust off bread (personal choice here….) and layer bread 2 slices deep.

In separate bowl:
Beat together eggs and milk
Pour mixture over bread in casserole dish
Cover and refrigerate overnight

Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes in 350º
Drizzle maple syrup and broil until brown and bubbly.
Broil for 5 minutes or less.

*Note: The Canadian White bread is just as good as the Pepperidge Farm bread.

for you foodies:
The Smitten Kitchen
Ms. Dorie
Epicurious
and one just for the kids

Throw caution to the wind! Go bake a cake or make a vegetable dip or something. Cheese straws, perhaps.

For you gardeners… Were you aware that Miracle-Gro is now making an Organic Choice formula? Will wonders never cease?
Gardening With Lil Children
Rough Terrain
The Edible Schoolyard

(And for those of you needing to de-stress…)
Just Bubbles
Sex Tips for the Rest of Us (wherein women’s breasts do not bob up at top of website, thank you!)
…and last, but certainly not least, we have “Lock the Bedroom Door.” All I can say is — whoa.

Dear Wacky Mommy,

Losing Hope

Dear Hope,

Yes. Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing date, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? Well, it’s you girl and you should know it! With each glance and every little movement you show it… Love is all around, no need to waste it…

No, jeez, of course you can’t have it all, and thank God for small favors because what would you do with it all once you got it? But you can have 1) Grey’s Anatomy re-runs 2) Bosom Buddies on DVD 3) some flowers to watch grow 4) that next breath you inhale. And that, for tonight, is enough.

Love,

WM

Go say hi to Mallory, she’s cracking me up.

…I owe you these.

Every day I read Rockstar Mommy, Miss Zoot, Dooce and Amalah and no, not always in that order.

I really have grown fond of the lovely Suzanne, at DearReader. I log on every morning and like magic! Three new chapters for me. (I subscribe to one fiction and two non-fiction clubs.) I delete some, read some, devour some, and if I really love a book I put it on reserve at the library.

And… more favorites: Mrs. Flinger; Planet Nomad (whose husband, a photographer, has a couple of sites, too — go look at his photos. They are fantastic); I read my husband, but of course; and my girl Leslie Gould (note to both of you: update more!); and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! I just lost the rest of this post.

Here I am again with a handful more of my favorites. And I promise I’ll do this again soon to include some of you who I read often, but haven’t included today:

* Terrible Mother (because we all need a little more poetry, prose and angst)
* Monkey Disaster
* Gallivanting Monkey
* Breed ’em and Weep
* Moxie!
* the lyfe so short, the Craft so long to lerne
* DotMoms
* MamaToo
* Dear Prudence
* Exceedingly Mundane and… last but not least…
* Overheard in PDX

And that’s all for now.

(Except for Plain Jane Mom and Mrs. Mogul.)

(And Pass the Torch.)

My friend started a blog! How exciting… She’s MamaToo at Blogspot. Go tell her hello.

Also, why the fuck has no one nominated me for the Happiest Blog award?