The Magic Mirror

You know those mirrors at Carnivals and Funhouses that make you look really tall, really short, or stretch you wide? What about the one that makes you look really skinny? Those mirrors...the skinny ones...are at some women's clothing stores (but without that weird distorted look).

Case in point: I was shopping for jeans, which I detest almost as much as swimsuit shopping. I have spent countless hours, no YEARS, searching for the perfect pair of jeans, but have yet to find any one brand or style that consistently delivers a great look and fabulous fit.

In a bizarre twist of fate, a recent trip to Ann Taylor and Gap produced not one, but TWO pairs of jeans. Not only that, but one was a petite length, and the other was the hip "skinny" jean. (There has been some debate on whether a female of my age can pull off the skinny jean.) After looking in the mirror, I decided that I COULD wear the skinny jeans, and that I looked good in them too...trendy even. And did I look younger? I sure did. I may have even compared myself to Jennifer Aniston. These jeans are amazing!

I was anxious to try the jeans with my other clothes, because let's face it, the buy isn't complete until you have tried on the clothing in question with the array of garments you already own. As I looked in the mirror at home...I realized that during the 20 minute ride home, I had aged 15 years and gained 15 pounds, and really didn't look that hip at all. A Jennifer Aniston FAIL. What happened?
 

The Magic Mirror. The mirror that makes you look thin, beautiful and chic. I think women's clothing stores purposely use mirrors that make women look good so we'll buy more clothes. A marketing ploy built upon our emotions and insecurities.

I remember an episode of Seinfeld that touched on this very phenomenon.

(from seinfeldscripts.com)

Elaine: Ok, So Barney’s is having this huge sale. I try this dress on -- (holds the garment bag out towards Jerry) -- Stunning. Stunning. I couldn't take my eyes off myself.
Jerry: Yeah.
Elaine: OK, so then I put it on at home. It looks like I’m carrying twins.
Jerry: So you're saying, Store -- Hotsy-Totsy, Home-- Hotsy-Notsy.

(After Elaine models the dress for Jerry and George, George asked why she bought it in the first place)

Elaine: Why did I buy it, because in the mirror, at Barney’s, I looked fabulous.

So true. I once had one of these Magic Mirrors. It was just a $5 mirror I bought at a discount store, but it was the Best. Mirror. Ever. It was more than a reflection. It was confidence. It was style. It was elegance. A BFF, always available and full of compliments.

I don't know what happened to my Magic Mirror...and I haven't been able to find another that replicates such a fabulous image. But I'll keep searching. I'll never be too old to believe in magic.

Gingerbread Houses

Oma and I took the boys to make Gingerbread houses on Sunday. The Assistance League of Wichita organizes the event, and proceeds benefit the Wichita community.

We stood in line and "oohed" and "awed" at the elaborate and impressive gingerbread houses made for an auction, which sold for between $25 and $150. There was a haunted house, church and Santa's workshop, just to name a few.

At the end of the line we received our supplies: pre-cut graham crackers, candy, frosting glue, base and stabilizing square (to place inside the house). Volunteers helped us get started and then the creativity began.

Zach used almost all his little candy pieces and covered the entire area around his house. He also made a "shed" and placed a few kernels of popcorn around. Once we got home, he used more candy to complete a dizzying, random design, with no apparent rhyme or reason to it. His gingerbread house could be described as "controlled chaos."

Adam's house is orderly, logical and systematic. His fence is straight and tidy. He carefully chose candy to ensure the roof had a pattern to it. He covered his house and the base with frosting so it looked like snow. Here is his house, in progress.

And the finished masterpieces.

Joining the Pack

Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? Do you know the Cullens? What about the legend of the Quileute Tribe? What happens to vampires if they go out in the sun? If you don't know what I'm talking about, just stop reading now.

The Twilight Saga is a four book series by Stephenie Meyer that chronicles the love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob. Except Edward is a vampire. And Jacob is a werewolf. And Bella is a human.

I admit it. I am part of the Twilight madness. And I have brought at least three friends down with me. I blame it on my sister-in-law, who introduced me to the books a couple of years ago. At the time, I had never heard of the them.

Twilight, the first installment in the Twilight Saga, arrived in theaters in 2008. The second movie, New Moon, opened on Friday. I didn't get tickets to the midnight showing, namely because I didn't think I could get anyone to go with me (think again). And could I really stay awake until 2:30 am to watch a movie? (Yes!)

I won't make those mistakes again.

I bought four tickets in September, the day they went on sale, for the 6:45 pm showing on Friday, Nov. 20, a good 18 hours after the first showing.

We arrived at the movie theater an hour before the movie, and the line was already out the door. There were girls of all ages: young tweens and teenagers with their moms, groups of 30-somethings and even a few baby boomers. We entertained ourselves by debating whether a werewolf or vampire was a better match for us. Some girls were sporting New Moon t-shirts, and there was lots of giggling and "OMG's!" flying around (and not just by us). Once they opened the theater, we even saw a few fans running to secure the best seats. We did not run, although I think there was some shoving involved. I won't name names.

There was a sprinkling of testosterone...lucky males who (I'm assuming) were dragged to the movie by a female, a normally level headed wife or girlfriend who is now the equivalent of a squealing 14 year old girl. I'm wondering if this is similar to the old footage I've seen of the Beatles...like this YouTube video from 1963.

And was the hype worth it? You betcha.

The third movie, Eclipse, comes out in June 2010, and Breaking Dawn, the final installment, in 2011. You can bet I'll be there, and this time I won't have any trouble finding a few Twilighters to go with me...to the midnight showing.

If you're not sure if you're a Twilighter, visit this site.

The Yearly Stats

Annual report of Adam and Zach's yearly check up:

Adam (as of 10/20/09):

45 lbs (15%), 44.5 inches (4%)

Zach (as of 11/5/09):

41 lbs (16%), 41.5 inches (1%)

Doctor: "Zach, do you ride a bike?"

Zach: "Yes."

Doctor: "What do you wear when you ride your bike?"

Zach (pause): "Clothes."

Doctor: "Well, that's good to know. We should always wear clothes when we ride a bike. What else do you wear?"

Zach (pause): "Shoes?"

Doctor: "Yes, another important thing to wear when you ride your bike. What do you wear on your head?"

Zach (pause): "Hair?"

Doctor: "Yes, we all wear our hair all the time, don't we? What else goes on your head when you're riding a bike?"

Me: "You know, we clip the strap under the chin?"

Zach: "Oh, well a helmet of course."

Trick or Treat!

Back row: Batman, age 3; Spider-man, age 6; Storm Trooper, age 5; Red Ranger, age 6; Red Ninja, age 6; Anakin Skywalker, age 8; Yoda, age 2.

Front row: Skeleton, age 7; David Beckman, age 8; Pokeman Pikachu, age 9.

Later on we met up with Amelia Earhart and a policeman, and Robin Hood and a princess.