SYTYCD Top 12

Thought and rantings:
Kayla - Best female dancer of the group by far. She has nailed every single number she has been given. I don't think she has a ton of support because the judges fawn over her and she made the mistake of telling teenage girls all over America that she would be modeling if she were not dancing.
Kupono - Sick. of. him. Your clothing designs - t-shirts worn as necklaces do not amuse me. He was brilliant yesterday in the contemporary, but fell short yet again on the Broadway. He is too effeminate to pull off any of the ballroom and is not strong enough to do any of the hard lifts. His solo last week was terrible. Does anyone else think he was handed "Addiction" as a life line?
Jeanette - Second best female dancer and the one I most connect with this season. She too has been amazing in every single dance - very, very impressive! I am sad to see her and Brandon take on new partners. Loved both of their routines this week and still go back and watch their disco!
Brandon - Best male dancer by far. Has been outstanding in every genre and has yet to get his own - contemporary. So strong, which the choreographers must love as they keep throwing impossible lifts at him and he pulls them them off every time.
Evan - I'm starting to lose my Evan love. He is still adorable and a beautiful dancer, but he cannot pull off the strength of movement needed in ballroom or hip-hop.
Randi - Same with Randi. Love her, but COME ON GIRLFRIEND?! What is up with all of the blushing, hesitation and nervousness to do anything remotely sexy? Did you NOT WATCH the other four seasons?! Suck it up, commit and dance!
Caitlin - So, I loved Caitlin in the auditions, but I do not think she has been every memorable on the show. Maybe she has just had really bad routines (with the exception of the Bollywood), but some of it is just bad dancing - hello Paso Doble, and hip hop I'm looking at you! I do feel bad for the poor girl. He Paso Doble costume was awful and it was topped by the black spandex aluminum foil monstrosity from last week. She has wonderful solos and looks very light on the dance floor.
Jason - Why do I keep forgetting Jason? He looks great without a shirt. His solos are great. I liked their lyrical jazz, but did not buy them.
Melissa - I like Melissa and think she has had some great performances. Her body is a rock and I love her cute little dimples and red hair! Why was she handed the ballet last week? It felt a bit like the pas de deux with Katee and Will. Speaking of ballet, the guest performance last week was stunning!
Ade - Ade really impressed me in the waltz - those turns! Their disco was sluggish compared with the previous one this season. The lifts were very impressive though.
Phillip - The Russian Dance was like a dull Hansel and Gretel middle school musical. I do not buy Philip in anything but his own style. Of course he rocks as a popper.
Jeanine - I just do not connect with her at all - maybe because she acts so young? She looks heavy in every attempt at ballroom.


My favorite couple. Excellent.




Fun, Fun, Fun and extremely well danced. Finally, Wade. Finally.




So Powerful, So Beautiful. It's called "Addiction".

To Market, To Market, Jiggity-Jig

We took Heather over to the local farmer's market to pick up produce for our 4th of July BBQ. More and more produce is available now, and the flowers are beautiful! We found some delicious red and yellow beets, baby carrots with greens, new fingerling potatoes and of course, kettle corn for the kids. Speaking of kettle corn, is that a racket or what?! It's $4.00 for a small bag of popcorn, sugar and oil. Sign me up.

Monkeys on Bars

We did not spend all of our time watching movies - though more on that later. We did find the time to explore a bit more of the area. Jensen Lake Park has a great hiking trail, but as they were working on the path, we decided to just spend some time at the playground.


We decided Soren does not look like our side of the family at all. He is the spittin' image of his father. I told Heather she needs to get busy making another one so we can see if she can produce one that actually looks like her!


Safety first. Max loves to climb up to dangerous places and then yell "Mom, take a picture." In the meantime, Calvin tries to copy his every move - yikes!

Gaskell's North and South

My sister Heather was in town this past week and besides seeing the sights in the Twin Cities, we spent several evenings and afternoons immersed in period dramas.

I have owned North and South since Mother's Day, but did not watch it until this week. WHY?!


The movie starts in the lush, green English countryside, but very quickly moves to the industrial town of Milton. At first, I did not think I was going to like the movie - the shocking first scene at the cotton mill left me wondering how I was going to love Mr. Thornton . . . which is rather crucial. <insert big sigh> I love Mr. Thornton.


Are you looking at that photo? Oh, the piercing eyes! the brooding! the anger! the tension! the frustrations and the agony! The movie is worth seeing just for the scene pictured above. "Look back, look back at me."

Beautifully filmed, the movie has an amazing cast of supporting characters. Mrs. Thornton has the deepest, most textured voice I have ever heard. I would love to listen to her read the book aloud. She hates Margaret. Hates her.
The sister is a riot and I could never figure out what she did all day? Was there anyone in town for her to hang out with?


North and South overall reminds me a lot of Pride and Prejudice, but with a much darker and more romantic feel. It also claims what must be the best period drama kiss on screen. The last scene in the bus station is utterly perfect. It is so satisfying to have a decent kiss when the lead characters finally get their acts together and profess their love (I'm looking at you Pride and Prejudice with the walking proposal that does not even merit subsequent hand holding!). The movie is one of those must own it and re-watch many times kind of film. So go, order it now!



BBC’s SUMMARY: Set against the backdrop of Victorian England’s industrial north, it follows the fortunes of Margaret Hale, one of 19th century literature’s most original heroines.

Played by Daniela Denby-Ashe, Margaret is a privileged, middle class southerner who is forced to settle in the northern town of Milton. [She] takes instant offence to the town and its people. She becomes terribly lonely and hates the dirt, noise and lack of civilisation, blaming their new way of life for her mother’s ailing health.

Her distaste for the town and its people extends to handsome and charismatic cotton mill owner John Thornton, (Richard Armitage), whom she believes epitomises everything she dislikes about the North.

However, Margaret gradually begins to settle in Milton. Her social conscience awakens and she befriends some of the local mill workers, learning about their poverty and workplace struggles.

As events conspire to throw Margaret and Thornton together, the two spirited characters have to overcome their repressed physical attraction for one another and conquer prejudices of class and circumstance.

Como, Butterflies and Blue Tongues

The Como Zoo is gorgeous right now - the koi are flashy and the lilies are blooming. We took the six kids up for the afternoon and they all had a great time!


Notice Soren dunking his car in one of the koi ponds. Five seconds after this photo, Max took it away from him and there were many, many tears. I love this room.


Don't miss the exhibit of bonsai trees - they are fascinating!


The carnival attached to the zoo has a lot more rides these days. Each of the kids chose one ride to go on and filled their tummies with blue cotton candy.


The best part of the zoo is the new butterfly garden (free!).

Get your butt to the Caponi Art Park

If you have kids and live here in the Twin Cities area, you need to get your tush over to the Caponi Art Park on Tuesday mornings. I have been driving past this place for YEARS and have never stopped and shame on me!

My sister Heather is in town this week and the two of us loaded six kids in the car and drove over on Tuesday morning for the Middle Eastern dance presentation. One, it is free (there is a $2 suggested donation). Two, the setting is gorgeous - acres of beautiful green hills and tall, tall trees and paths to follow and cool sculptures to find around ever corner. Three, the kids programs are wonderful! The strikingly beautiful woman performing on Tuesday had all of the kids up and dancing in a huge circle. After the program finished, we took a long walk, following some of the trails on the property - really, really lovely place. Go, go now.

Views from my car window

Random door that caught my eye.


Random car covered in plates?!! and conveniently passing by a house painted with flowers. The kids thought this car was awesome!

Views from my Window - Beat the Heat

Last week was nothing but hot - all the time - every day. The kids spent the entire week in their swimsuits, braving the heat to run wildly though the sprinklers. It's a tough life.

Swealtering Road Trip

A week ago Monday, I farmed out all of the kids to three different families (thank you!) and took a road trip with these pretty ladies. We shopped our way down to Des Moines Iowa where we were lucky enough to attended the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tour Concert at Wells Fargo Arena. The weather was 101 degrees with 110% humidity which meant we were dripping with sweat every time we left the car!

The whole concert was beautiful - they performed with the Temple Square Orchestra and the sound was glorious! This was the first time I had seen them in a concert setting and I was so impressed (the soloist was excellent and so much fun to watch!) - if you get the chance to go, do not hesitate. Thank you Susan!

A Moment of Silence, Please

Sophie's moth died today. She spent the better part of the afternoon taking detailed observations of it's winged corpse with her big brother's magnifying glass. When her Dad got home, she informed him that she needed to email the entomologist at the UofM to let her know what happened and invite her to the funeral. I wonder if I need to provide the refreshments?