SortaCrunchy

Once Upon a Time Tuesday: Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

 

"Be careful. Emotional entanglements can lead us down very dangerous paths." -- Mr. Gold

It's Tuesday morning, so let's discuss: Once Upon A Time: Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

Overall, this episode was a little meh for me. Maybe it's because it's coming off the heels of 7:15 which I so highly enjoyed. I don't know. I think I'm going to break this down into what I liked, what I didn't, and what I'm still wondering.

The Good

I thought the writers did a nice job exploring the idea of freedom versus captivity of our own choosing and captivity forced upon us through the story of Sidney/Genie/Mirror. It's a good theme to draw out as we consider all of the residents of Storybrooke being held captive under the Regina's curse.

Interesting that Regina's name is the same in Storybrooke and in the Enchanted Forest. It makes sense, of course, because it is her curse. (Or is it?)

Inserting Queen Regina's father into the Enchanted Forest story was a tender touch.

I know it's trivial, but oh my GOODNESS, do I ever love the wallpaper in Mayor Regina's office. I have to hand it to the set designers - the visuals on this show are always so appealing and just perfect for the stories being told.

Having King Leopold die from a snake bite (and not the awesome Commodore 64 kind of Snake Byte either!) was a nice touch - to be bitten in the end by the wish he had made. If we've learned anything from Rumpelstiltskin, it's that magic always, always comes with a price, and that includes magical wishes.

The Bad:

Where to begin?

It really, really bothers me that either the writers have forgotten about Emma's supposed sixth sense about whether or not a person is lying OR it was never something they took as seriously as they allowed it to play out in the opening episodes. I know some viewers are saying, "Oh, that's just something adults tell children to get them to tell the truth," but I think that's a cop out. It was something they strongly emphasized about Emma's character from the start. Why, then, is she so easily played by Sidney?

Regina tearing down Henry's castle. She is the WORST of the worst. Even Kyle was pissed off by that move, and he has not been one to have a strong emotional reaction to anything on this show so far.

The way Regina turned the $50,000 disappearance around on Emma in the city council meeting rang false to me, too. Okay, so maybe she moved the funds for a playground, but wouldn't that still require council approval? ALSO, her modern-y playground creation looked supah dangerous (much moreso than the wooden one) and also very, very boring. I hated that whole plot thread.

The Questions

What DO all of those keys on the key ring in Regina's office go to? It can't be her heart crypt can it? It seems like those opened magically. Or am I not remembering correctly?

Dear Show, please tell us Mystery Motorcycle Writer Man's name. He's mysterious. We get it. He needs a name.

Is the thing that Queen Regina hates Snow for the fact that she always reminded Leopold of her dead mother, his one true love? I sure hope not because that is L-A-M-E. I'm hoping that the betrayal Queen Regina has alluded to in previous episodes is something much bigger than that.

Did you feel sympathy for Queen Regina in this episode at all?

Other thoughts on Fruit of the Poisonous Tree?

(As always, for a real recap, head to Television Without Pity.)

 

What Are You Into - January 2012

Yes, I know we aren't quite to the very last day of January yet, but I've been inspired by Leigh to go ahead and share the first What I'm Into of 2012 a bit early.

(oh my gosh, you guys. Look at the picture of my girls from What Are You Into January 2011. Does Dacey not look so young?! OH MY LORD the difference one year makes. Wow.)

What I'm Into This Month - January 2012

On My Nightstand: I've started reading again. HOORAY! I don't want to give away too much because I'm working up a post to share some current reads for Quirky Bookworm, but here's a short list:

Julia's Child: A Novel by Sarah Pinneo. Releases tomorrow! Review coming soon!

Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam McHugh (yes, thoughts coming on this one, too)

Healing by Francis McNutt

T.V. Show Worth Watching: Once Upon a Time. Duh. Also, L-O-V-I-N-G Project Runway All-Stars. (except for the Miss Piggy episode. that was dumb.)

We've finally burned through our Netflix queue. I'm watching Downton Abbey on my own when I can. Kyle just won't budge on his resistance to that one, so last night we launched a rewatch of Lost. I had tears in my eyes through the whole first episode. It's truly like revisiting old, dear friends. The symmetry between the opening scene and Jack's last scene in the finale. Yep. I could cry thinking about it.

Movie I've Seen (in or out of the theater): We watched Limitless (Bradley Cooper flick) on Netflix. It was pretty good.

We really need movie recommendations though!

In My Kitchen: a very naughty, very NOT low-carb sweet popcorn recipe I'm hoping to work up a post for to share with you before your Super Bowl parties!

In My Ears: I am heavily reliant on the recommendations of friends when it comes to music. I think this is the main reason I LOVE Spotify. I like to see what other people are listening to and I love the ability to follow entire playlists.

January puts me in a chill kind of mood, and I have an entire playlist devoted to "chill" on Spotify. Specifically, these days I am loving the Kina Grannis/Boyce Avenue cover of Fast Car (via Amy Clark), Alexi Murdoch's Something Beautiful (via Doug Matlock), and, for when I'm feeling more dance-y than chill-ish, Karmin's cover of Look At Me Now (via Sara Sophia). <---- AJ loves this one, too, and calls it The Paper Song. We are SO holy.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: BLISSDOM !!!!!!!

(Not looking forward to? Switching to Facebook timeline. I know the involuntary switch is coming, and for the record, I have NEVER complained about Facebook's changes. I usually quite like them. I do not like the timeline. It confuses me. And the thought of choosing ONE picture for the cover (?) picture stresses me out. /old lady rant)

How about you, sweet friends? Whatcha into this first fine month of 2012?

January featured sponsor A Simply Good Life has an interesting post up about nontraditional careers. If you are in the midst of a season of unemployment, under-employment, or shifting between careers, I am sure you can relate to her thoughts!

so long six. so now seven.

"The seven year old, with his toothless smile, is a physical marvel. He stumbles while running across the playground, because his legs probably grew while he slept last night. He looks slightly different every day, because he is growing teeth and losing them at a rapid rate. Suddenly, he is able to think outside the concrete experience of his in-the-moment life, and plan ahead, envisioning what is not yet there." -- Pam Allyn

It is the tradition I engage in every year on January 27th, a sacred liturgy all my own, remembering the last 24 hour hours before Dacey was born, the last full day before I was reborn as a mother.

I start at 6 AM, remembering the soul-crushing call to the labor and delivery floor of our hospital. "Too full." Too full for me to come in for the scheduled induction. Nine days past the due date I was convinced I wouldn't reach, nine days of growing more and more convinced she would never, ever arrive.

But later in the day, there was mercy in the form of the careful gloved hand of my doctor. Membranes stripped at 1 PM. Labor started at 4. I waited until Friends was over at 7:30 to go to the hospital. A long night and lots of things never imagined and she was born on the 28th - FINALLY - at 5:43 AM.

With solemnity and smiles, I mark the day every year. The last day before.

* * * * *

"Seven year olds worry, but they also revel in the rich moments that are special to their age. An ice-cream cone with a grandparent or a subway ride are grand adventures. Seven-year-olds are true companions, old enough to understand you have had a hard day, and young enough to need that day to fall away so she can crawl right back into your arms, preparing for the new and better day ahead." -- Pam Allyn

After school, she climbed into her booster seat and told me breathlessly, "Mom! I got my first birthday present at school today! It was from Maria!" Dacey's pre-K and Kindergarten class looped up together; I know them all by name. Maria is the only one from that class who is in first grade with Dacey, and oh, I do love that little girl. White teeth against brown skin make her smile a true wonder of creation.

"A marble! A clear marble with blue and orange swirl!" Dacey held up it for me to admire, and I said, "What a great gift! How thoughtful of Maria!" My daughter's big enthusiasm for the smallest things - I wish I could capture it and swirl in a marble and tuck it away to treasure the rest of my days.

* * * * *

"While we all rush by, busy and moving quickly, the seven-year-old will still tug at your hand to bend down and take another look. They want to keep that beloved book by their beds because the act of rereading feels important, soothing, and instructive. How right they are. In reality, they are building their reading muscles, becoming more fluent readers, and increasing their stamina and comprehension by revisiting familiar texts on their own that for years you have been reading aloud to them. -- Pam Allyn"

"Pray over me."

Every night, our ritual. Aliza Joy says it, "Pray about me," and Lord knows I do. But Dacey says it the way I say it and I say yes, I'll pray over you.

Holy God and Heavenly Father, thank you for my Dacey girl. She is a treasure and a blessing and a gift from You. Thank you for her beautiful heart and her so smart mind and her loving choices today. Thank for another day with her. Put your Hand on her mind, God, and keep the bad dreams away. Help her dreams to be filled with all the things that are happy and beautiful and good. In the name of Jesus I ask these things, Amen.

If there was ever a child who loved ritual and routine and re-reading and re-visiting, it is her. She feels ground in sameness, but proud of herself for trying new things. "It's good to try something new every day" has been her favorite mantra lately, and I am amazed by the way she has incorporated positive self-talk into her life at such an early age.

She is truly new each day. More of her pull close, pants too short each morning, big teeth pushing in as quickly as little ones fall out. She is growing into herself every day, and I'm learning to step back more and become a student of my child, one of the best texts I'll ever read in her big dark brown eyes.

It will be hard to top Six, it was such a great year for us. But I have high hopes for Seven, for this golden age that is the blessed middle, far from babyhood but still a safe distance from tweenage. Days of marbles and rituals and giggles and fairies that visit in the night, leaving behind sweet rewards as consolation for the pieces of my baby they take while she sleeps.

* * * * *

All Pam Allyn quotes are from her highly helpful book What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child--and All the Best Times to Read Them

Dacey's birth story can be found here: Happy Three to D!

Now Accepting February Sponsors!

It's almost February and I want to invite you to partner with me at SortaCrunchy!

February holds lots of good stuff for SortaCrunchy, including my monthly post at Deeper Story as well as guest posts at several other blogs. Finally, at the end of the month, I'll be traveling to Nashville for Blissdom 2012 where I'll serve as a community leader and have the chance to connect with many MANY bloggers who I'm sure will be stopping by SortaCrunchy.

SortaCrunchy continues to receive 150,000 page views a month and the subscriber number is quickly approaching 3,000. (eeek! what?!) If this is the month you would like to step out in partnership with me, check out my sponsor page and send me an email!

Your Green Resource - Week Eighteen

Good Thursday morning! It's time for another link-up of Your Green Resource!

What is Your Green Resource? It's your chance to share all your green ideas, resources and solutions with ALL of our readers! So when you link up on any of our blogs, your idea will be shared with all of the readers here and at:

Andrea at The Greenbacks Gal Stacy at A Delightful Home Emily at Live Renewed

We know that many of you have posts of your own about your green journey that our readers will love. Some examples of Green Resources you can link up:
* Real Food Recipes
* Repurposed Projects
* Upcycled Projects
* Organic Gardening Tips
* DIY Natural or Green
* Thrifty Solutions

Each week, the four hostesses will each choose a favorite post from the week's links and pin it to our all new Your Green Resource board!

The post I pinned this week is from Small Footprint Family: Why You Should Start a Food Buying Club This Year.

I picked this post because I know first-hand how beneficial a purchasing co-op can be. I am part of a local Frontier Products co-op and I save sooooooooooo much money purchasing natural living products this way! This post has great information on how to start one where you live.

So now it's your turn, my friends.

Just a few things to remember as you share your green living links - OLD OR NEW - with us each week:

* Make sure to link to the post with your green/natural/frugal living idea - not your homepage.

* We would love it if you could spread the word about Your Green Resource to YOUR readers by linking back to one of the four hostesses. Posts with a link back to Your Green Resource are the posts eligible to be pinned to our Your Green Resource pinboard each week.

* Your Green Resource is a GREAT way to connect with other like-minded bloggers. Check out the other links shared this week - it's a great way to grow your own blogging community!

Green and simple living friends! Have you met the featured sponsor for January? At A Simply Good Life, Vanessa explores the idea that a lower standard of living doesn't mean lower quality of life.

the confessional: in the tank

feelings as big as the oklahoma skies

There's this great moment in Season One of Project Runway when Michael Kors looks at his judging card and says to a designer about her just awful sad mess of a design, "I wrote down farty."

 That pretty well describes the past few weeks for me.

But wait, that's not fair. There is some good stuff, but my overall vibe has been just farty. 

When Kyle was coaching, he used the phrase "in the tank" for years to describe an athlete who was just suddenly and inexplicably completely dejected. So much of athletic performance is mental, and sometimes the slightest bump just throws an otherwise outstanding athlete into the depths of despair.

Generally some kind of great public success could lure the athlete out of the tank, but more often than not, if things were going badly on the field, it was because of something off the field.

I can identify with that, though I am far from being an athlete. But every now and again, I find myself in the tank. The bump that caused me to stumble in is usually something petty and insignificant. Like, hypothetically speaking, after hearing over and over for several years that anyone can wear skinny jeans and ordering a pair and realizing that's one of the biggest lies ever told. I mean to say, that's just as an example that's how petty it could be. Or it could be the public recognition of someone else's success and facing the truest true truth that I'll never be what that person is. Or it could even be a brief illness, something as transient as a cold. And suddenly, everything is farty.

Especially me.

* * * * *

I get dozens of requests for Pinterest invites every day. Mostly people just say "Invite me" or some variation of that, but sometimes people write personal notes. A week or so ago, someone had come to SortaCrunchy for the first time to get a Pinterest invite and shared that we had so much in common, she couldn't believe I was real.

Oh.

I'm real.

And sometimes I think that's what pushes me into the tank - the realness of myself. The real is so heavy, so far from the floaty ideal I think I am. I feel clumsy and ache-y with the real. I feel so real, so impossibly, breath-catchingly real that I just can't stand to feel it anymore, and conjure some mystical numbness to cover myself in, and under that cover I slouch and hide.

* * * * *

But then, as quickly as the wind sweeps an Oklahoma sky free of clouds, I'm over it. I'm out and I'm buoyant and I'm back. I think I can say, right at this moment, that yes. The farty has lifted and things have re-centered and I shrug off the numbness.

And I carry on.

Once Upon a Time Tuesday: 7:15

Love's the worst. I wish there was a magic cure. -- Mary Margaret

It's Tuesday, so let's discuss Once Upon a Time, shall we?

Oh, y'all.

SO MUCH TO SAY about this episode. When Leigh tweeted at me on Sunday night that this episode was sooooooo good, I knew I was in for a treat. I was not disappointed. For me, this one of the best episodes yet!

(As always, if you are looking for an episode recap, I recommend Television Without Pity.)

Let's start with Mary Margaret's rush to the coffee shop for her appointment to see David (buying coffee for two - himself and his wife) at 7:15. This whole episode is devoted to the theme of love and longing, and Ginnfer Goodwin brings it as you see her face go from tender affection to pained acceptance of reality in a matter of moments.

But is it reality?

We, as the viewer, know it's not. But reactions to the David/MM romance are split down the middle: some are repelled by it because he is married to Katherine; others see the David/Katherine marriage as the true adultery because Charming and Snow are really married in the real reality - the Enchanted Forest. SO COMPLICATED.

The writers do a nice job with bringing out the conflict and the tension in the dialogue. In one scene between MM and David, he says it's like he has two conflicting lives: one with memories of feelings for Katherine, one with real feelings for Mary Margaret. MM says, "Who's to say which is real?"

I have to hand it to The Show - I never, ever thought I would become invested in the Snow White story. I really hate the original tale, but this Show ... I confess. I'm all in. That scene where Snow sneaks into James's room as he is packing to leave for his new life with Abigail and he sees her and grabs her up in his arms - GAH. HEARTBREAK. Heartbreak made a little more bearable by the fact that we know that somehow, some way, they end up together ...

The directing in this episode is beautiful. The incredible seamless transitions between the Storybrooke story and the Enchanted Forest story are amazing. I loved the way Snow is rescued by the seven dwarves (Poor Stealthy! Candle in the wind!) - rescued not because she is weak and helpless, but because she is heartbroken and alone. Who among us cannot relate to that?

Other points of discussion:

When David and Katherine are talking in their bedroom and Katherine asks him, "Will you give us our best shot?" I thought that was a nice callback to the earliest episodes with Charming and Snow wanting to give Emma her best shot at escaping the curse, and Emma giving up Henry so he could have his best shot at a good life.

OKAY. The Mystery Man/Stranger/Writer. So it's a typewriter tucked away in his mysterious box. Interesting! Many guessed after last week that he might be Henry's real father. After this week's revelation, I'm seeing theories ranging from he is the writer of Henry's book to he is a Grimm descendant to he is Baelfire (Rumpelstiltskin's son) or even the Queen's son (some have pointed out Regina never got a good look at his face). Some still maintain that he is the Big Bad Wolf (he asked for directions to a place to stay - GRANNY'S INN - when he first arrived ...).

Names: One interesting note is that Emma didn't ask him what his name is as a preliminary question in her investigation of him. I find this interesting because, correct me if I'm wrong, we don't know James's real name either, right? I mean, the name given him by his peasant parents. We don't yet know Mystery Man's name. Rumpel's fixation on names. The weight of the character names in Storybrooke (Mary Margaret Blanchard - blanche = white; Regina = Queen; Dr. Hopper is Jiminy Cricket; and so on) continues to be, on a literary level, one of my favorite aspects of the show.

So we end this episode with Snow drinking the forget-my-love potion in the Enchanted Forest and David and Mary Margaret kissing like idiots in the broad daylight of Main Street (while Regina glares from her car. OF COURSE. Creeper.)

My only mild critique of this episode is that the doves = lifetime true love was a little bit heavy-handed for me. I enjoy some subtlety when it comes to literary devices, particularly symbols, so I rolled my eyes a bit at that. But I love this episode so much, I'll forgive it.

So, oh so many questions abound.

We know from the pilot that Snow still ends up in a glass coffin, awakened by True Love's kiss, saying "You found me." How does she go from blissful forgetfulness in the dwarves' cabin to dead in the coffin?

We still know nothing about what she did to Evil Queen.

We don't know how it is that James cancelled the wedding and escaped without the King killing him.

And of course Mystery Man.

Oh, the delicious anticipation of Story. LOVE IT.

ALSO: how gorgeous is Red Riding Hood without the hooker make-up that Ruby insists on wearing?!

Thoughts? I know you have them! How do YOU feel about David and Mary Margaret? Adultery or destined to be? Who do YOU think the Mystery Man could be? Tell me all your thoughts and theories!

 

weekend snapshots: january 22 + #janphotoaday

This has been a weird week, marked mainly by the fact that I randomly came down with one of those 48 hour fever viruses and it has set me back in all kinds of ways.

As such, I have cheated on and neglected quite a few of my #janphotoaday shots this week. Boo. I'll get to those in a moment. First, some snapshot mentions to share with you this Sunday:

* WOW! You guys turned up in full force for the giveaway of Jen Hatmaker's 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess! That is the most giveaway entries I've had in a while. The winner of the giveaway copy is Lindsey of Literary Lindsey. How cool that it went to a book blogger. :) For those who didn't win, it's about $10 right now on Amazon and definitely one worth adding to your home library.

* I absolutely 100% loved Jon Acuff's How To Be Awesome At Everything. LOVED IT. Perfect for someone like me who allows fear of failure to keep far too many projects from taking flight.

* One of my dearest, most precious, inspiring, amazing friends - Sarah at Emerging Mummy - is hosting a Practices of Parenting blog carnival which kicks of February 6th. I am so thankful that she is hosting this because sometimes I think we all just want to be encouraged in what parenting looks like for others - the ups and downs, the ideological and the practical. Check out her post for details.

* I like what Emily at Live Renewed did as a spin on her Green Goals for the year. She invited her husband to share on the blog his own response to her goals in green living for the year to come. Such a cute idea and a great way to be accountable: She Said, He Said Green Goals for the Year

And now on to my floppy week of photos.

I started out strong ...

15. Happiness: one of the things that brings me happiness is serving as Minister of Coffee (that would be my self-appointed title) for our little church. Anyone who knows me knows I love coffee in a way that surpasses obsession, and so sharing my love of a cup of Joe on a Sunday morning is really happy for me:

 

 

16. Morning: it's a rare morning, indeed, when we all sleep in, but last Monday (MLK Day), we all did. And it was a lovely.

 

17. Water: we live too far from water, but it's never a bad day for a play bath. Why not add a little chocolate cake for extra fun?

 

 

 

18. Something you bought: this is where I cheated ... I bought this darling late 70s party dress at our Goodwill a few weeks ago for $.99. NINETY NINE CENTS. Can you even? It is SO PRECIOUS on - much moreso than on the hangar. But I didn't post the picture on the 18th, so technically cheating:

 

 

19. Sweet: is there anything sweeter than an emerging writer sticking out her tongue as she strains in concentration, laboring over her new skill? She is teaching herself to write, by the way, lest any of you think I'm a pre-schooling wunderkind.

 

 

Annnnndddd, the rest of the week just didn't happen. SIckies. Blah. Bummer.

But I think I'm finally on the upswing. Hope your weekend has been much more enjoyable than mine!

Meet Erin and Behind The Blog!

I have the joy of introducing you today to another of my January sponsors: Erin Goodman of Behind the Blog!

Hello Sorta Crunchy readers! 

I'm so happy to be here with you and to share a little bit about my latest project, Behind the Blog.

Although I'm a writer and blogger, sometimes I just can't quite capture everything I want to say in written form, which is a big part of what inspired me to create this new podcast, and also what led me to create this video for you:

If you'd like to see what else is going on Behind the Blog with me, including my upcoming Pay-What-You-Can program, the 10-Day Family Re-Charge, please come visit me at eringoodman.com. You can also find me on facebook (I hang out there sorta a lot) and sometimes on twitter (still trying to make sense of how things work over there).

Thanks for sharing your beautiful space with me, Megan!

A brand new episode of Behind the Blog just released today. Make sure to go by and check it out!

Your Green Resource - Week Seventeen

Good Thursday morning! It's time for another link-up of Your Green Resource!

What is Your Green Resource? It's your chance to share all your green ideas, resources and solutions with ALL of our readers! So when you link up on any of our blogs, your idea will be shared with all of the readers here and at:

Andrea at The Greenbacks Gal Stacy at A Delightful Home Emily at Live Renewed

We know that many of you have posts of your own about your green journey that our readers will love. Some examples of Green Resources you can link up:
* Real Food Recipes
* Repurposed Projects
* Upcycled Projects
* Organic Gardening Tips
* DIY Natural or Green
* Thrifty Solutions

Each week, the four hostesses will each choose a favorite post from the week's links and pin it to our all new Your Green Resource board!

The post I pinned this week is Christmas Card Photo Album Project for Kids at Naturally Chic Mama. I have to confess - all of our Christmas cards are still out, laying in a stack in the dining room. I treasure the cards we receive and never know quite what to do with them.

My girls LOVE to look at photo albums of our family, and so I though Amanda's idea was a fantastic one. Click here to read more!

So now it's your turn, my friends.

Just a few things to remember as you share your green living links - OLD OR NEW - with us each week:

* Make sure to link to the post with your green/natural/frugal living idea - not your homepage.

* We would love it if you could spread the word about Your Green Resource to YOUR readers by linking back to one of the four hostesses. Posts with a link back to Your Green Resource are the posts eligible to be pinned to our Your Green Resource pinboard each week.

* Your Green Resource is a GREAT way to connect with other like-minded bloggers. Check out the other links shared this week - it's a great way to grow your own blogging community!

Green and simple living friends! Have you met the featured sponsor for January? At A Simply Good Life, Vanessa explores the idea that a lower standard of living doesn't mean lower quality of life.