Ladybug picnic - I've got joy like a fountain in my soul (blither blather blog post w/ a couple pics!)

We recently bought a 40-year Sesame Street highlight DVD set from Target and haven't gotten much past the first 20 seasons DVD yet (1969-1989). I was so happy to see in season 7 the song that I often sing to myself when I think about SS: "1-2-3-4-FIVE-6-7-8-9-10... eleven, twelve... dooodoooododododododo...". It's the crayon-type animation of the pinball hitting all the numbers - I love it! I've always wondered - do I remember it correctly? And I do! I LOVE sesame street and all things muppety. Having a kid in 2009 is very awesome because you get to re-live all these wonderful things thanks to modern technology. And Helen loves it too - Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, even (grudingly, me) Elmo (not sure when he was introduced - we haven't made it that far yet) - the characters and the skits transend time. What lucky people who work for Sesame Street. Here are my top 3 jobs, should I ever decide to break away from the fun-filled, fast-paced environmental industry:

1) Sesame Street - puppeteer? writer? sewer of costumes? I wouldn't care - just give me a job!
2) Bill Nye, the Science Guy - is that show still even on? If it is, I would answer phones gladly and get Bill a cup of fair trade, environmentally friendly coffee (although would probably need to simulatenously win the lottery).
3) NPR - anything. I envision myself starting out in the mailroom in DC and "working my way up". Someday I would report similarly as Michelle Norris did from earthquake torn China last year. Again, I may need to win the lottery for this one to pan out.

So you see a theme here, maybe - I LOVE public television and radio! I guess that comes from my closet leftwinger parents (come on, dad - the Smothers brothers? the Kingston Trio? - I'm onto you!). I appreciate the fact that you didn't cram it all down our throats - it took me many years to figure out.

Anyway, back to the 40 year Sesame Street retrospective - I don't remember the ditty "Ladybug picnic", from season 3 of SS, but it's very catchy and I find myself singing it all day long lately to Helen. I bought a few songs from artist Elizabeth Mitchell from itunes a couple months ago, and for some reason went to her website today (I have not figured out if she is the same person as the actress Elizabeth Mitchell from the TV show Lost, which I don't watch. I figured this out today when I did a search on her name, that apparently Elizabeth Mitchell is a fairly commen name, go figure).

Anyway, on one of her albums she has a rendition of the "ladybug picnic" - how fun! Her website is: http://www.youaremyflower.org/home.html should you like to check it out and hear some full length tunes (and you've actually read this far). If you enjoy slightly melancholy, folky kids music, I highly recommend her! I've downloaded "You are my sunshine" (which can make me cry on a good, bad or any day), "peace like a river" and "this little light of mine" (the last two inspired by my catholic school memories of singing similarly at school).

The song "Ladybug Picnic" is located within the website above at (full song!): Sunshine->listen->ladybug picnic.

The song "You are my sunshine" is located within the website above at (full song!): Sunshine->listen->you are my sunshine.

I think you can find the other two if you really try here or on amazon or whatever.

Anyway - this was a long blah blah blah to get through to get to the pics of H - here they are! XO

She is getting harder to photograph face on (unless she is eating!). :-)

yes. she had three odd barrettes in her hair. dealing with her hair of late seems to be a full time job in and of itself (these barrettes you see here are one of my few and only attempt thus far.).

The H/T Family headed by Aunt Judy sent a wonderful, and much appreciated Christmas package to the G family. Here are a pair of reindeer slippers sent to H. So cute! Everything else is set up on the "chistmas table", which is located next to the "christmas bookshelf" (we do not have a christmas tree - too much work right now). See "christmas shelf" below:

Said slippers.
Here are just some random pics of H playing.
She likes to lay on her belly and look at things. I like the Versace perfume pull out in the upper left corner - that is SOOooooo us.