Hot Hot Hot

In the interests of public service, and because I have a TON of time to kill, I am going to provide my list of hot men. Yeah! My tastes tend to run to men who are dark rather than blonde (with one or two notable exceptions), and masculine (I'm not attracted to metrosexual types. . . and while gay men are often GORGEOUS, if I know they are gay they won't be on my list. Also, MOST of these choices will be older. . . I like men, not boys. Mostly.

In no particular order, here goes:

Daniel Craig. As my husband knows, I have it bad for this man, one of the very few blondes you'll find on my list. He is just, frankly, to die for. My favorite James Bond ever, with eyes that could kill, and a body that is perfect. Yummy!

Taye Diggs. Yeah, his body is fantastic, but frankly it's his skin and his smile that get to me. And he can sing, too! What a package!

Richard Gere. He seems to just get better and better. I want to fall into those eyes, don't you? Sensitive, seductive, devastatingly handsome. . . Richard is a god!

Josh Holloway. Totally not my normal type, but OMG!!!!! Fantastic eyes, amazing body, scruffy beard (and I LOVE a man with facial hair), and as Sawyer on LOST he's a hero trapped in a bad guy. Plus on LOST he spends a lot of time wet and shirtless, a definite plus!

Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock. Just to prove there is an exception to every rule, here are two for me. I hate tatoos, and I hate huge muscles. But then there is Mr Johnson (who surely has the worst first name on my list). As with Mr Diggs, it is his skin that first attracts me. . . it is smooth and the most beautiful color. Add a killer smile and fantastic eyes, and you've got something delicious. I also allow his tattoos as they are part of his culture. And they actually do suit him.

George Clooney. Another man who just seems to get better and better. Yes, he's a bit of a bad boy. Yes, he's a total clown. And yes, he's totally hot too!

Antonio Banderas. While I TOTALLY don't get his being married to Melanie Griffith, fact is he can dance, sing and act while sounding and looking deadly gorgeous!Okay, that'll do for now. Whaddya think?

The Untimely Demise of CX

So for the past few years (four?), my scrappy home on the web has been Creative Express. About a month ago, the forums and galleries were suddenly GONE. No warning. No notification. Just gone. After a week or so, the CX people put up a message saying that the information had been lost when they were switching servers. Hmmmm. It was handled terribly. There are many people who were very upset and annoyed. Including me.

So a bunch of us have got together over at Outta this funk and Bunny's Place. . . but we seem to have lost some of the mojo and spirit we had, and we've certainly lost some of our friends. Sad.

Finally finally FINALLY. . . I have a working camera AND a way to upload my photos!!
It has been SO frustrating over the last few months. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a good photo of myself, as I'm looking different, and one of Tia with her "new" hair.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite layouts that I've completed this year.

This first one is a photo of Quiera at only six months old. Mom is holding her clothing in the back, but her balance is fantastic, and her strength amazing. At this age she was climbing stairs and other things, and cruising the furniture. What a cutie!

I'm too tired to finish this tonight, but here are two of my worst-dressed.

1. You may wonder what the luminous Freida Pinto is doing on this list. I love the color of her dress, but that piece of fabric going over her shoulder almost looks as though it's strangling her, and the sleeve is fussy. This looks like several dresses smushed up into one.

2. Meryl Streep. This dress really has no shape, and it's about the ugliest color imaginable. Yuck!

5. Evan Rachel Wood. Wowzer! I think she looks absolutely amazing in this modern take on a Hollywood classic. I do with, however, that she would wear less makeup. Evan, sista, you are so beautiful, you don't need all that crap on your face!

6. Natalie Portman. I absolutely love the color of this dress, and it is simple but not boring. Natalie looks just wonderful.

Life is not going so well right now, so I'm going to do something totally different, just for fun. Here are my picks for best and worst dresses at last night's Oscars.


Best, in no particular order:

1. The stunning Penelope Cruz. Okay, if I was going to be real picky, I could say that the skirt looks a tad like sheer draperies. But no. I think this vintage Balenciaga gown is delightful, and Penelope has never looked better.

2. Sarah Jessica Parker. More often than not, I find her taste in outfits questionable at best. But I think she made a good choice here. Sure, it's a touch quirky, and yes her boobs look like they just grew three cup sizes (I'm sure there are some gel inserts hiding in the bustline there), but I think she looks like a stylish princess. At first I thought this dress was white, but it's just the palest possible shade of aqua. Yummy!

3. Marisa Tomei. There were loads of one-shoulder gowns on the red carpet, and this is probably the one with the most "WOW" factor. While not my personal style, I think this gown just makes you stop and look; it fits her beautifully; and Marisa looks phenomenal.

4. Miley Cyrus. Some people are going to love this gown, some will hate it. I doubt there will be much middle ground. Me, I think it is spectacular. I do think it's a bit too much dress for Miley, but hey, it is still spectacular. It is so totally different to anything I've ever seen on a red carpet. I love the neckline, the belt adds a funky touch, and the sequins and who-knows-what-else make me want to touch this dress. I think it is just fascinating!

Another random photo. This time it's the sixth photo in the sixth folder. That would be Robin, wearing his pumpkin hat. Aaaaw!

Saw this on another blog. Very random. Post the fourth photo in the fourth folder of your photos. Well, this is it. This is Alyson, a neighbor and friend of Tia's. This was four years ago, I think. Isn't she lovely?

Six Things that Make me Happy

1. Sunshine. I find this time of year in Western Washington very hard because of the lack of sunshine. I miss it. I just have to imagine. . .
2. Babies. I haven't had a baby in my life for such a long time, though that may change fairly soon. In the meantime, I have a baby calendar up in both the kitchen and my scrappy room. I love the way babies feel, the sounds they make, the way they smell. . . they are delicious!
3. Reality tv. Yeah, that's kind of sad, isn't it. But what can I say? It's my mindless entertainment.
4. Singing. I don't do it enough. But I always feel happy when we are having our weekly singing rehearsal.
5. Flowers, especially forget-me-nots, tulips and jasmine blossoms. Maybe I should treat myself to some flowers to cheer up the house. Hmmm.
6. Snowfall. I love everything about it when it's coming down, or when there's freshly fallen snow. The way the world is hushed. Yet some sounds are magnified. The way it doesn't get that dark at night because of the light reflecting off the snow. How everything looks so pretty. How a snowflake is so very delicate, but millions and millions of them together are so powerful. We might get snow this weekend. Right now it's just COLD and foggy and grey.

More of my Top Ten

Top Ten Layouts of 2008

Some people are posting their favorite ten layouts that they completed in 2008; here are my first eight; I need to get some more photos.

Update on all kinds of things

Here we go, an update on life 'n' stuff.

Chris: has settled in well in his new job at Microsoft, and his job is not threatened by the upcoming cuts. He is also settling into his new role as director of Side By Side, our singing group. Tonight we had our first rehearsal for the show we will be doing in May or June. The theme is "Songs for a New Depression." It's going to be awesome!
Quiera: is living in Walla Walla with her "spouses", Regina and Alex. Regina had a baby in early December, Isabell Grace, known as Bella. They also have three other children: Emmalee (10),
Brittan (boy, 5) and Cassidy (3). I'm not totally sure on those ages; I'll have to check. Quiera is currently staying home and sharing house and child duties with Regina. Despite none of her family being very happy about this arrangement, she seems to be doing well, and generally sounds happy when I talk to her on the phone, which is quite often.
Tia: is having health issues, as usual. We're seeing different specialists trying to come up with some relief for her. She is currently doing halftime school at home, only taking Russian, English and Algebra 2. Her abilities in Russian continue to astound me.
Me: I'm not working, and don't have anything coming up as far as performing, not until the SBS show. I've been chosen to direct a play reading this year, but the dates are currently up in the air. I hope to do a lot of crafting this year, write some theatrical pieces, sing and of course act. My health is okay, not perfect but not too bad either.

You are now officially updated!

A new year, a new me?

Not so much. I really want to turn my life around, and I have tons of good intentions and good ideas, but almost no follow-through. I am, however, glad to say goodbye to 2008, as it was not a good year. Mind you, there were some great highlights, especially Chris' and my trip to Maui.

I've only done one layout so far this year, but I'm going to try and start posting them here. This layout was for a challenge over at Creative Express. We were given the page layout or design, and had to go from there. Typical Taurus. My Quiera.