What I {Felt Like Sharing} Today

Oh my.

It's been far too long.

I can't think of anything clever enough to write about, so I'll just visually stimulate you...

Click on the photo for possibly more info.  Maybe even more pictures.  You'll just have to see.

My trip to Germany was Ah-mazing.  I can't wait to go again! Maybe with warmer weather though...

Spending a week with Vivan reminded me how GIGANTIC Mia has gotten.  It blows my mind.  She's not a baby anymore!

In case you live under a rock, you might not be aware that the country has been hit with a "snow bomb" aka "snowpocalypse" or "snowmageddon"

Atlanta just got a ton of ice.  We've been trapped for 4 days.  We got bored.  And then highly entertained! Enjoy...

What I {Didn't Get To Witness} Today

Amanda and Phil had their baby!!!

Vivian {don't know the middle name} Laum was born 30 September 2010.

Which is good cause we have way too much stuff going on in October.

Momma survived the 17 hours of labor which is completely crazy!

No stats or pics yet but you can bet your butt I'll be posting a million as soon as I can.

As you may recall I got a front and center view of Mia's birth.  I've also gotten to spend pretty much every day with her since then.  So its a little sad I couldn't be there for Vivi's arrival. BUT I can't wait until December when the hwitty's will make our way to see her for the first time!


So, Happy Birthday Vivi! I'm terribly excited for our first video chat.
xo xo FGM

Now I just need to figure out how to make one of these...

{source}

Cause authentic ones are CRAZY expensive.

Also, one of my sisters needs to birth a boy so I can dress them him in these...

{source}

{source}

The cuteness is off the charts.
I love being an FGM.

What I {Got From Santa} Today

Nothing!

Santa doesn't really visit us...

We're Jews.

We're Jewish.

We're Jew-ish.

We're mostly culturally Jewish.

Which my faux brother will contend does not exist, no matter how many times we argue about it.

In summation, we don't celebrate Christmas.

Which is terribly unfortunate because I love Christmas! I adore Christmas! I think its cause I never got to have it.

Although, the Hwitty house was never devoid of Santa. We actually hung stocking for several years (hear the jews gasp!) I know, but it was never anything religious. I think my parents just didn't want us to be "those kids" that came to school and claimed Santa wasn't real.  It also probably helped us to not feel left out and such.  Plus, the stockings didn't have a little baby Jesus on them.  We had ones with Cabbage Patch Kids, Carebears, and Miss Piggy to fight over.

So when I say I love Xmas, what I really mean is that I love the Coca-Cola version of Xmas.

I'm currently on vacay in Juno Beach, FL with my rents. It's weird being by the beach at Christmas.

The weather has been so-so. The first day we were able to actually get on the beach was like this...

Wild aren't we? And the music on the radio couldn't be better.

I look like the uni-bomber.

The next day the sun actually came out!
And my skin freaked out. Which resulted in this...

That white streak is what my freakishly pale skin looked like before.  It's hard to see but the freckles where my sunglasses were are actually lighter than the ones around it.

I don't tan. I burn.

or freckle.

I got burned on my knees and new freckles on my neck.

You wouldn't think I would be able to tell anymore. But I can tell my friends, I can tell.

Yesterday the beach was too windy for the old folks so we went shopping at the fabulous Festival Flea market!

We each picked out something at the charming "$1 and Up" stand and decided to pretend that our purchases were brought to us by Santa.

We opened them this Christmas morning.

 Mom got a  fish bookmark.

Dad got a keychain bottle opener.



and here is my glorious gift...

It's a hamburger plant.
It's sunlight activated.
It's my true love.

Classy I know.

The packaging reads, "Flip Flap is a cute flower bud which moves by light.  Please grow your Flip Flap in your mind and bloom your own special flower." 

Oh believe me, I will.

This particular Flip Flap is classified as "Milk White".

Makes sense.

Here is my lovely hamburger Flip Flap in action!

Yes, I forgot to hold the camera horizontally...again.

So eco-friendly and waterless! Perhaps this is a plant I wont kill.

omg I haven't blogged in forever!

I'm feelin a little rusty but I'll get back into it.  When I get back home I'll catch you up on more {blanks} and maybe I'll finally tell Mags what I stood in line for.

She's actually been dying to know which is fun and makes me want to hold out longer :)

Speaking of omg, I absolutely love it when Alec Baldwin says omg. It does something to me...like harmonica.

So to all my Christmas celebrating friends out there...

Happy Christmas! Jesus loves you!

What I {Got Back From} Today

This weekend we decided to take a mini vacay and go to wine country.

No, not in Italy...unfortunately

No, not in Australia...unfortunately

No, not in California...unfortunately

Fortunately Dahlonega, GA is about an hour drive away...

And shockingly, is quite beautiful and makes some delicious wine!

Our first stop was the Chili Cook Off.

Yes, more chili...it must seem like I'm obsessed with chili.

  I'm not! ...well maybe a little. Ugh, I need to cut my bangs.

Then we headed to Frogtown Winery

It was b-e-a-uitiful!

Tastings, lunch, and a bottle later we headed back to our stylish accommodations...The Super 8 Motel.

It was um...a place to sleep.

Then Mia begged her parents to take her trick or treating.

We decided to join the locals for some trick or treating on the square.

But first we had to get her dressed...

Why was the zebra selected you ask?

Well, Mia's play mat (featured here) came with some lovely little animal friends that she can play with.  One day her mum was explaining what the animals were and what sound they make.  The lion roars! The elephant trumpets! The bunny...oh well the bunny doesn't really make a sound.  Moving on! The giraffe goes...oh hmm yeah well the giraffe isn't really known for a sound either...Ok last one, the zebra says...Wait, what sound does a zebra make?  Does it neigh like a horse? Who picked these animals? They make no sounds! So now Mia's mostly silent little animal friends have become a running joke.

When the costume was purchased we thought it was a zebra.

It had stripes like a zebra...

It had a tail like a zebra...kinda

Which lead to a great debate...

  Scene: 6:00am, the morning after Halloween in the room at the Super 8 Motel. 

Me: So, I don't think that costume was supposed to be a zebra...

Jason: Who wakes up and says that?

Michelle: Why don't you think it was a zebra?

Me: I just think about these things.  And I was just laying here thinking...it didn't have a mane.  If it were a zebra, wouldn't it have a  mane?

Jason: If it wasn't a zebra then what was it?

Me: A Siberian tiger.

Jason: It was not a tiger! It was white!

Me: Then it was a white Siberian tiger.

Michelle: Yeah like that creepy couple! The guys in Vegas that had the white tigers.  Man, what were their names?

Me: I know who you're talking about, but I can't think of the names.

Michelle: One of them was mauled by the tiger.  Look it up on Google! Google "Vegas act mauled by tiger"

(pause)

Me: Sigmund and Freud! That's it!

Michelle: Oh yeah I think that's it! Wait no, I don't think that's right...

(pause)

Me: Oh wait, yeah I just googled it...it was Siegfried and Roy.

End scene.

We should be on TV.

*photos by Jason