beancounters

Xmas in the 24th century

[Via Doctor Fun]

Advent Calendars

When my brother and I were kids, we had an Advent Calendar my grandmother made. (Dan, do you remember it?) It was a big sucker. We'd take felt ornaments out of the numbered pockets and stick them on the felt tree, using some new-fangled material called "Velcro". Candy was involved, but I don't remember the details.

I always buy Advent Calendars after Christmas, and store them in a prominent place near the boxes of ornaments. If I didn't do it that way, I would invariably be caught by surprise without one when December rolled around again. Bunny's calendars never include candy, though. If she ever finds out they sometimes contain chocolate and such, I may be in trouble for holding out on her.

Here's an online Advent Calendar for your desktop, courtesy of Ann. Look what you can do on Day 3! (And Ann, to respond to your post, calendars I've seen always have glitter on them. Is that just a nice touch, or some kind of tradition?)

I ain't got no body ...

You're a skeleton!! You enjoy halloween as much as
anybody butyou're not so sure about the cold
weather! Remember to wrap up warm, you need it
more than most!


"A spooky hallowe'en quiz!"
brought to you by Quizilla

[Courtesy of Maya]

This reminds me, it's nearly Trick or Treat night.

I love Trick or Treat. Lovelovelovelove it.

I even love being the mom standing out on the sidewalk, as much as I did being the one on the porch with the grocery bag and the sweaty mask on.

Last year Bunny dressed as a witch. We visited all the neighbors on our street. Then we were at a corner ... before us loomed a new street, full of the dark promise of mini candybars and popcorn balls. We barely hesitated. Onward!

At one house, the residents had set up a little haunted maze in the front yard. There was a big witch stirring a smoking cauldron, a scarecrow draped on a chair, and -er - a shrubbery that rattled in a very scary way. Bunny held my hand as we walked up the sidewalk. Then I noticed her hand got heavier and heavier ... I looked back at her ... she had slowed to a stop, her eyes were huge and her lips were mouthing oh no ... But it was all good. We hung out for a while, and waited for the scarecrow to manifest itself back into a teenage boy, and the kid inside the shrubbery to climb down for another bag of mini M&Ms.

Bunny still talks about that house. I hope when she's too old for Trick or Treat, we can plan our own front yard haunted maze.

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Dig out yer copy of "The Pirate Movie", lads 'n' lasses, 'cause soon it be the nineteenth o' September. An' the nineteenth o' September be Talk Like a Pirate Day. So don yer gear, 'n' hoist th' Jolly Roger! Miss Flint! Take th' wheel there, lass, an' steer us true! Arr, there's no life like a pirate's life! Now hoist the mainsail! Look alive, ye swabbers!

Whew. That's about it for me. Thanks for coming over, everybody! Buh-bye! ... What? You say I have to keep this up all day on "Talk Like a Pirate Day"? Okay. Let me catch me breath, while I learn me true pirate name.

And it would really help if Johnny Depp were here to, you know, show me the ropes.

I've been saving up for the Fourth ...

Create your own fireworks display. Change the city skyline and choose automatic fireworks, or pop yer own. Another such site is hosted by PBS. (Both require Shockwave)

Cap'n Wacky's Gallery of Unfortunate Fourth of July Cards. Oh, go on, share with your kids. You can't raise them on Barney and Caillou forever, you know.

Why isn't C-I-U-V-X-U a word?

Bunny and I have become utterly hooked on Bookworm. We have been playing it a week now, since we found it via A Welsh View: Games. When one of us is playing, the other can't walk away; instead, she lurks behind the player and becomes a backseat driver of sorts. Then BB hears us yelling cryptically at the computer, things like "'MILK'! I see 'MILK'! Right there!" or "We can't FIND 'yen', you stupid worm!"

Easter puzzle

Happy Easter, everybody! May all the eggs you find be hard-boiled - 'cause otherwise, when you crack them open, what a mess.

Easter Bunny hip-hop

Check out the bunny rap. This one had me rolling! Turn on your speakers ...

Inside joke follows. Please don't take away my Blog Card.

I'm about to commit a horrendous blogging faux pas. I have posted a funny item without explaining the exact story behind it. Suffice to say, if two bored beancounters ever whiled away their afternoons by e-mail, for months on end, imagining themselves as eccentric but famous Hollywood producers, this might be a marquee they would find amusing. I'm not saying for sure, though.

An' I built it all by myself! Well, me and LetterJames.

In a related Beautiful Thing, the LetterJames site has a way to make your own Easter greeting. Share with your kids!

Belated St. Patrick's Day jokes

What do you get if you cross a four-leaf clover with poison oak?
A rash of good luck.

What do you get when you cross a pillowcase with a stone?
A Sham Rock.

Why did St. Patrick drive all the snakes out of Ireland?
He couldn't afford plane fare.

Why should you never iron a 4-leaf clover?
You don't want to press your luck.

What do you call an Irishman who keeps bouncing off walls?
Rick O'Shea.

Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
Because they're always a little short.

[The Acme Heartmaker, via]

Can you draw the Chrysler Bldg with one line yet?

Here's an Etch-a-Sketch for your drawing pleasure. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard. How good are you?

When you've had ju-u-st about enough Christmas

Slingshot Santa

[Via QC]

Make fun of others in the holiday tradition

Would you like fries with that? It’s a BK holiday!

Naughty or Nice?

From Santa's Nice-o-Meter. I even didn't know one could receive pre-Christmas behavior feedback from Santa! Ah, the wonders of the Information Age.

pam

"Nice," but you'd better watch out! I'm checking my list (twice!) and I see that the manners sometimes slip a bit. Please remember to say "thank you" especially in a season when people are giving gifts and doing such nice things. Good work brushing those teeth! Floss regularly and you'll earn extra "Nice" points!

Wait'll Bunny sees this. She doesn't believe in Santa anymore (a sordid story), but she'll really get a kick out of her assessment.

[Via the only slightly naughty Alicia]

Create your own Snowflakes

I've already mentioned it, but this site is so appropriate this time of year.

Create your own snowman

I made my snowman in the traditionalist style (down to the coal eyes), but OMG, there are some really creative ones in the Gallery! Next time, I think I'll make a Dadaist snowman.

[Via CT]

Update: such a spaz - I referred to this stuff as "Santa" instead of snowman. Have now changed it, so quit laughing already.

Christmas fun fer th' whole fambly

White Trash Christmas (Speakers also required)

Talented reindeer!

Here's a cute interactive musical greeting. (Turn on the speakers.)

Christmas trees to decorate

My favorite kind Christmas quickie website - a tree to decorate!