I'm Sitting - A Rap

I'm sitting. When I shouldn't be sitting, oh! Drinking what I shouldn't be drinking, no! Thinking what I shouldn't be thinking, so! 

I'm sitting. Sippin' a twelth cup of jo, yo! Hope'in it makes me go, oh! Down to the Costco, whoa!

I'm sitting. Keep sayin' "Hey, no!" I don't wanna go, yo!" To Costco, oh! It's too loco, so!"

I'm sitting. Wonderin', "Hey, so? On Thanksgiving Day, oh! Will my family say, 'Um, whoa! What's up with the hotdogs, yo?'. If I don't go to Costco, oh!"

I'm sitting. When I shouldn't be sitting, oh! Drinking what I shouldn't be drinking, no! Thinking what I shouldn't be thinking, so! 

Hugs,

The artist formerly known and currently still known as Melissa

Baby Riot!

Being a sound designer and composer, Pete has the opportunity to work on some really cool projects. In my opinion, he is a total sound stud!  I mean, he won an Academy Award for Sound Design on the movie Braveheart for goodness sakes.  You can read more about Pete's work here.

Recently, a friend of Pete's named Paul Cuoco asked Pete to do sound design for a Doritos "Crash the Superbowl" commercial contest.  You guys, this commercial is super funny and it sounds awesome.  Seriously, what could be cuter than a baby riot?

Check it out and please vote for "Baby Riot!"

Baby Riot!www.doritos.comSubmitted From: United States Baby gates and Dads can’t stop the determination of a trio of babies when it comes to getting their mitts on the bold cheesy taste of Doritos.

Here is a behind the scenes picture peek at our youngest monkey girl doing a voice over for the commercial...

She's the voice of the blonde baby boy at the end of the commercial making the "Mmmm" sound.

Awesome work, Paul, Pete and the whole cast and crew of "Baby Riot!"  Good luck!

Hugs,

Melissa

We Have A Winner!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who left us comments, shared, and liked "This and That". How fun!

We would like to especially thank, Jenny Rofkahr! Girlfriend, you just won yourself a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!! Woooohooo!!!

Please FB message me with your email and I will send you a link to the loot! Congratulations!

Hugs,

Melissa 

Me, just showing how much "I love you!" in chocolate (dark and milk, just to be thorough)!

Holy Cannoli!  I can not believe that I have been blogging for three years now!  Three fun, quirky, exciting, awesome years of blogging!  Hopefully, you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have.  If I have managed to make you crack a smile or two throughout the past three years, well, then it was all worth it.

I know that there have been some more serious moments here on the blog too, but that is how it all just seems to flow.  This blog is sort of a barometer of my moods, a musing of sorts, a place to be reflective and all out goofy at the same time.  That's how we roll!

So, thank you for being here for the past three years!  Thank you for sharing "This and That" with others.  I love this community!

As a little birthday present to "This and That" and a HUGE thank you present to you, we are having a birthday giveaway!  Here's the skinny (and trust me, it's the only thing skinny around here :-) ):

From this moment until November 30, 2013 at 11:59 PM, please visit  The "This and That" FaceBook Page, be sure to "Like" our page, "Share" our page, and leave a comment.  OR, if you are not a FaceBook user (you are smarter than the rest of us :-) ), please leave a comment at the bottom of this post (you will have to become a follower of "This and That" to do so). I would love to hear what your favorite post on "This and That" was this past year or any other year for that matter.

Then, on December 1, 2013, a winner will be randomly selected to receive....

A $50 Amazon Gift Card!!!  It will be emailed to you, and you can spend it any way your little heart desires. 

The winner will be announced on the blog on December 1, 2013.

Once again, thank you for making blogging so much fun.  Now, go spend time with your family, eat a ton of turkey,  Deck the Halls (but, try not to deck Uncle Gus when he drinks too much egg nog and knocks over your collection of rare antique glass ornaments.), and Be Merry (no really, Be Merry, dang it!).

P.S. This is not an endorsement or a paid thingy for me.  Amazon does not even know that I exist (although I have been called an Amazon woman from time to time by Pete, when I have gone three months without shaving my legs, but that is really more than you cared to know).  Sorry, sometimes I just share too much. 

P.S.S. Also, please just leave one comment per follower. That means your brother Daryl and your other brother Daryl will have to comment on their own.


Hugs,

Melissa

Be. Still. My. Heart!

Seriously, seriously I am one proud Momma Monkey over here!  Our oldest son has just released his first music video of his first song!  We are so, so proud!  My heart just pounds in my chest every time I watch this and hear his sweet voice.  I know that he is a grown man, but I can still call his voice sweet, because I am his momma!

Gosh, I remember how shy he was when he was a little monkey.  Then as he grew older, he was less shy, but very humble.  In fact, we did not even realize he could sing until he was in high school.  We knew that he was a wonderful pianist, thanks to genetics and an awesome piano teacher (That's you, Joanna!).  We were really jazzed up that he taught himself to play the guitar while in high school.  But, what totally floored us was that he could sing, really well.  Our worship leader, Carol, auditioned him and gave him a position on the worship team.  She really encouraged him and believed in him and he gained more and more confidence.  Today, he is the worship leader at our church.  God has really gifted our guy and he is so faithful to use the gift of music to encourage others.  We love his heart for worship!  We love his music! We are so, so, so proud of you, Alex!

And to put the icing on the cake, Alex asked our middle monkey boy to film, direct, and produce his music video.  It turned out so FANTASTIC!!! Hey, Middle Monkey! Have we told you lately that you rock? Because you do!  Thank you for teaming up with your big bro!  What a dream team you two are!

But wait!  There's more!  Our super talented nephew, Corey (Alkamist) produced the song!  Could it possibly get any better than that? Corey, you also rock the house!

So without further adieu, please enjoy "Carry You Home"  by Alex Lehman.:

Carry You Home "Single" - Alex Lehman m.youtube.comMusic video for Alex Lehman's single, "Carry You Home." Video production: Aaron Lehman Song production: Corey Lehman (Alkamist)

Be sure to click on the link above to view the video.


Be. Still. My. Heart!

Hugs,

Melissa

Thankful

Sometimes it's the simplest things in life that just enrapture me. Things like:

A crisp fall morning...

A table full of family and friends...

A beautiful birthday girl...

Friendship...

Young love...

58 years of love...

Sweet sisters...

Goofy grandsons...

Cheeky monkeys...

And someone to share it all with...

Hugs,

Melissa

Dear Mr. Middle Finger

Dear Mr. Middle Finger,

When I woke up today, I thought that I was in the United States of America.  So please try to imagine my surprise when I got on the road and drove what I thought was the posted speed limit of 65 (give or take 10) miles per hour, only to find you driving right on the tail end of my car.  So, I thought to myself, "Whoa!  We must be in Germany today!  Whoops!  This isn't the 408 in Orlando, Florida, it's the German Freaking Autobahn!  My bad!"  Of course, by the time I had realized my faux pas, you were already in the lane beside me getting ready to pass me by.

Oh, and was that your middle finger that you offered my way?  Well, here is where I will have to let you know that despite your driving prowess and your rather forward offer, I am indeed taken.  Might I suggest to you a less forward approach with the ladies?  A kinder, gentler gesture of sorts.

Or maybe I could offer you some helpful advice..."Slow down!"  Oh and, you can stick that middle finger where the sun doesn't shine.  What?  I meant in your ear.  Oh ye, with the dirty mind!

Sincerely,

Melissa

P.S.  My 5 year old could drive circles around you and then he could kick you in the shin.  That is, if  we condoned violent behavior, which we don't, but I'm just letting you know.)

It's Time for Another Adventure...

If you have been playing along with us here on "This and That"  you will know that we like to have adventures.  A couple of years ago, I tried out for a theatre group and we dialogued through that process together.  It was a great experience!  I would do it again in a heartbeat!  You can read about it here, here, here, and here.

Then, there was this past summer, when Pete and I took the monkeys to New York City and stayed in Harlem for a month.  Fun times!  We enjoyed sharing those memories with you and all of your awesome suggestions and comments. Thank you!

And now, friends, I have decided to do something really "stretchy".  Which means basically that I am stepping or stretching outside of my little comfort zone and into...the comedy zone.  I am officially enrolled at SAK University and have taken a couple of classes already this month.   It is very challenging and I am a sweaty mess after each class.  It is crazy fun!  It's the highlight of my week!

Image credit:  SAK Comedy Lab

So, friends, are you up for a challenge?  Do you have something that you have been wanting to try or do? Maybe it's auditioning for a singing group (ahem, Autumn...), learning how to drive a stick shift, traveling to a foreign country, making your grandma's famous lasagna,  yodeling, juggling, drawing, sky diving,  brewing your own beer, starting a non-profit, writing a screen play, whatever, whatever, whatever...

My challenge to you is to go. for. it!  But first, if you want to share please tell us about it here on "This and That".  We want to cheer you on!

You can leave comments on the blog or on our FB page.  What are you waiting for?

Hugs,

Melissa