Kumbaya

I will be spending the next few days getting in touch with my inner Kumbaya. That's right--I'm going to Girls' Camp! I know you are all jealous of my upcoming commune with Mother Nature (a.k.a latrine duty). But I do have to say, I actually find myself a little excited about the cooler air and a few days of virtual radio silence.

See you Saturday!

Enchanted

Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

I am enchanted with Enchanted. Gabby and I took a sabbatical from the movie for a couple of months, but we picked it back up for our rainy day special a week or so ago. My eyes well up every time I see the movie. I've told this to a couple of friends and a quizzical look comes over them as to why and what part I get weepy over. No it is not the utter cuteness quotient of Patrick Demspey, although I've loved him since his Can't Buy Me Love days. It is not the brilliant seamless way that the creative folks at Disney have incorporated a nod to almost every animated feature they've created in the past 70 years.

The scene that sums up my waterworks: Patrick Dempsey with his daughter in the cab and he is explaining that Nancy will be coming over the following morning for some "grown up girl bonding time." She looks at her dad and says, "Dad I'm only 6!" His reply, "Yes, but you won't always be."

(Princess Gabby at Disneyland with her cousin and Princess Aurora circa 2007)

Artist in Residence

We are pleased to announce that we have hired an Artist in Residence for the Chateau de Jones. GMJ Studios, has recently taken over the living room for an exclusive showing of her latest collection.

Thanks to the semi-private tutelage of two master artists, Gabriella's work will now be featured world wide (or at least on the world wide web)!

Chateau de Jones will be keeping several pieces for our permanent collection, but grandparents feel free to place your bids for any work that you think would complement your current collection (or refrigerator).

Notice GMJ's wide arrange of genres-from Van Gogh to Mondrian and from pop art to cubism, she does it all!

Will the Real Mother Jones Please Stand Up?

I became a Mother Jones by marriage, so I thought I would take a minute to post the about real mother jones. As many of my dear readers know (all 10 of you), I definitely have an opinion about most things and consider myself a bit of an old school feminist (think Susan B. Anthony type). It should not surprise you that Mother Jones, my blog's namesake, is one of the original feminists.

Mary Harris Jones, aka Mother Jones, will be celebrating her 171st birthday on August 1st, although she was known to lie about her age. She often gave her birth year as a decade older because she felt like an older age would lend more weight to her opinion. Living in a culture obsessed with youth I think...How fabulous is that? Age=Wisdom?

Mother Jones is best known as a labor organizer who worked tirelessly for economic justice. While her opponents called her the “most dangerous woman in America,” fellow organizer Elizabeth Gurley Flynn called Jones “the greatest woman agitator of our times.” Jones combined dynamic speaking skills and radical organizing methods to mobilize thousands of laborers and working-class families. She said of herself, “I’m not a humanitarian, I’m a hell-raiser.” A woman after my own heart!

The publication that bears her name states that "the nickname 'Mother' Jones was no mere rhetorical device. At the core of her beliefs was the idea that justice for working people depended on strong families, and strong families required decent working conditions." AMEN! (I am thinking about current health care, energy, mortgage crises today)

If you want to learn more about her hell raising efforts go to http://www.motherjones.com/news/special_reports/2001/05/motherjones_gorn.html.

In true post feminist fashion, I am off to do my Monday chore--laundry!

Well Laid Plans

You know what they say about well laid plans! So my plan to do this today...

turned into this...

A real Vegas flood in the backyard! After a good soaking, Gabby and I dried off watching Enchanted. It reminded me of the good old days on Patrick Lane where sometimes after a downpour **, the basement would flood. The family would literally haul buckets of water out, roll back the carpet, and bring in industrial fans to dry everything out. Good times!
**At least one time the flooding was not due to mother nature, but to your very own mother jones because I left the front yard hose on overnight--sorry Mom!

The Dreaded Second Post

The first post--a piece of cake. I actually thought it was kind of fun to see my name in lights and to actually get 8 whole comments! Well now comes the "Dreaded 2nd Post" and the reason why I entered into the 12 step program for blog addicts in the first place. I don't want to fall into what I see are the 3 traps of blogging:

1) Blogging just to have something up there to satisfy the addicts (that includes myself!). How many times I have gone to my favorite blogs to be left only in withdrawal because they have no updates. No cute pictures. Where does the average blogger's responsibility start and end to accommodate their readers, family, friends, et al? I can't believe how many people have already asked me about a "next post." Such pressure! (Miranda, don't worry I am not cracking under said pressure!) Keep in mind that I am not talking about someone like our witty friend over at http://www.dooce.com/ who gets paid (quite) handsomely to keep the junkies happy.

2) That is so "bloggable." Bloggable defined as doing an activity or taking a photograph with the thought in mind to post it immediately on your blog.

3) Blog Envy. Similar to number 2 but blog envy is focused on making sure you edit your entries to make sure others envy your perfect children, perfect husband, perfect homemaking skills, etc. I think most of the time this is an unconscious decision, because who really wants to waste a post writing about a recent screaming match with their kids or photograph that junk room in your house where all good goes to die? (Although I have read some great honest posts regarding those very things)

Disclaimer: I don't mean to imply that any of my dear readers do this with their blogs, but I think we have all seen examples where the blogging goes too far and you are left wondering why you aren't as perfect as they are--or maybe I am the only one?

Feel free to weigh in here--am I off the mark? I welcome honest discussion on the subject and advice on how I can keep it as real as you guys seem to be doing on your own blogs.

For now, please enjoy a picture of where I will be spending my time today, tomorrow, and the next day--in my (of course, perfect) backyard where the budget that was once allocated to feed my shoe habit now resides and where I will probably be shuffling around in a bathrobe when I am 80 because I have no equity left in my home to ever, EVER leave.

Approved

I am entering the blog world kicking and screaming! After being a blog stalker, then a blog addict, I am now in blog recovery. One of the twelve steps is to identify there is a higher blogging power and if I truly want to beat 'em, I might just have to join 'em.

The other reason to post the daily (or what will probably turn out to be weekly) happenings in our world into the great WWW, is that we are officially approved to adopt again and we need your help to spread the word that we are by far the most talented, patient, creative, attractive, world-traveled adoptive family ever.


Photo courtesy of the great Haley Ann Warner