random bullets ...

• definitely gonna have to give the bullet lists more regular appearances over here - not enough time to turn everything into a post these days (or any day?!), yet so much I want to say ... in glancing around my bloggy world lately, I think we're all in the same boat right now - being totally consumed by the collision course between the end of the school year and the start of summer ... I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread lately ...

• little ladybug got a fabulous last-minute opportunity to go to the ballet last week - with her friend who dances for the Boston Ballet, the one who kindly took her backstage at the Boston Opera House in December after one of her Nutcracker performances (see here if you missed it).  This time, little bug got to sit with her friend in the front row and was spellbound by the entire 2 hours of dance right in front of her ... it was a school night and when she fell into bed at an unheard of 10pm, the last words she whispered to me were "mommy, i felt so lucky tonight" ... so true - the luckiest ladybug of all ...

• the weather on the New England coast this May has been dismal to say the least.  I heard a statistic on the news this week that it was only something like 34%  days with sunlight?  The second most grey May on record, well behind the average for May sunlight.  Every morning for 3 solid weeks it's been foggy with a damp chill ... often as low as the 40's!  I even had to occasionally turn the heat on just to take the edge off ... dismal indeed.  Now it's warmer at least, highs near 80, but the muggy air persists ... with all this moisture, I think I'm going to have a yard full of mushrooms in no time ... and don't even start on me about the carpenter ant invasion in the house ... ew.

• Jen at Jen's Ink Pen hosted another linky party on Monday but I missed it this week ... I still want to answer, though, because I am loving her walks down memory lane each week ... 

what do you remember about prime time tv?

The Muppet Show on Sunday nights is my most fond memory ... it was to me what 'America's Funniest Home Videos' is to my girls every weekend: the one time each week where all of us gathered to watch and laugh over the same show ... my favorite characters were Beaker and the Swedish Chef!  I also loved those Disney movie nights ("The Wonderful World of Disney") - correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's where I saw Benji and Escape to Witch Mountain?  Loved those movies!

Did you or another family member have a hobby that took up a lot of time?
I don't have a great answer for this one from my childhood years but ... I do have a hobby fun fact: when we got older, my mother took up pistol shooting as a hobby and quickly learned she had a knack for it.  She became quite good, earning trophies and recognition on a national level.  She considered the Olympic trials at one point as well ... bottom line: don't mess with my mom, she's a skilled marksman!

Did you sleep with a special toy?  For how long?  Where is it now?
From the time I was 5 or so, I had a flat white stuffed animal (technically a cat, but shaped/sewn together like a person who happened to have fur and a cat's face) named "Cida" with a soft C ... I cut off her tail pretty soon after I got her so she could fit into doll clothes and be my best friend.  She went everywhere with me and we did everything together - a critical companion - just like a security blanket.  Like forever.  Like until college.  She needed frequent sprucing up along the way (thanks, mom!) to repair holes, lack of stuffing, general grime, etc.  Cida is still here in this house, in the attic, tucked into a 40-year-old metal footlocker filled with my most special childhood treasures.

Thanks for hosting this, Jen, sorry for the late link-up ... looking forward to more!

• After this weekend, only 2 weeks of school remain, the ladybugs will be set free on Tuesday the 14th and they're counting every last minute ... it pains me to think of all that's on my plate (not to mention theirs!) between now and then, but I have no other choice but to jump in and just keep swimming ... we have a summer that's already 98% committed between the steady flow of houseguests, the sailing schedule, the birthdays, the camps, etc ... so if I think it's busy now, I'm not even gonna know what hit me by this time in June ... yikes!  Just keep swimming ... just keep swimming ...