What I’m up to:

– My sister and brother-in-law are going to be spending Independence Day with aliens THE PRESIDENT AT THE WHITE HOUSE where they will have dinner, listen to Mr Obama give a speech, and then MEET HIM AND SHAKE HIS HAND. I am simultaneously proud and enormously jealous. All of this is made possible by my brother-in-law’s impeccable performance at his job in the military, who, in addition to being a fantastic soldier is a great guy. I never thought any member of my family would ever be in the presence of a president, let alone one I helped to elect and respect on many levels. He isn’t perfect by a long shot, but I’m done thinking politicians can be and look forward to voting for him in November.

– This last weekend we headed to Modesto to hear our friends perform in Stefalynda, a two-woman, multiple keyboard group who play everything from jazz standards, electronic pop , 70s rock, and Mexican traditional music. (And maybe some Super Mario music to boot.) They were AMAZING. This it the first show they’ve played since Dave and Stef have returned from Reno and I don’t think I’ve ever heard them sound so good, and I’ve been following them from coffee shop to coffee shop for years. Locals, if you are ever in the area when they have a show, please come out. Their shows are all ages. You will love it.

– Twitter buddy (and almost-local) friend MsStabby up and bought Isobel a gorgeous Marimekko swimsuit off eBay, just because she loves us. I still can’t get over her generosity. You should give her some love and follow her on twitter, not because she will buy you things but because she is hilarious.

– Here are some things Isobel has been saying to me lately:  “Can I have a chocolate? Don’t say no.” / “What color are hiccups?” / “What are you saying to Dada about me?!” P.S. I am exhausted.

– My husband created a card game! It’s D&D-themed and super awesome. It play tested really well and Anthony is using his Powers of Math to refine the game play. We’re looking to involve friends in the art and design aspects of it and Anthony is researching what it takes to get it distributed. I’m really excited about this and so proud of him.

– Check out my friend Amber’s post about Little Big! She posted this last week and I’m still glowing from her praise.

– Anthony has been working his way through our friend Dave’s collection of Spaghetti westerns and I’m noticing something important that I’ve never realized before: Damn, Clint Eastwood was HOT.

– Twitter pal mypetshadow created an anagram of my twitter name (@exlibris) and came up with “BS Elixir.” We decided that a BS elixir must be the opposite of a truth serum, so when you drink it you are able to tell the most fantastical lies. Then Anthony told me that already exists in D&D and is called Potion of Glibness.

Little Big Links:

500 Full-Length Movies You Can Stream for Free. Helloooo thrifty summer entertainment!

Turn your IG photos into a memory game for the iphone or ipad.  An app that combines familiar images in a digital game. Via Ellen.

Go away, I’m reading. These free downloadable book covers would have been perfect for me when I was librarian! I love love love them. Via Ellen.

The Kid Should See This. Kid-friendly not-made-for-kids videos for all! Collected by Rion Nakaya and her four year old co-collector. I am thrilled to have found this blog! Also via the amazing Ellen. (I’ve been going through my emails and she sent me a bunch of awesome links–can you tell?!) I’m also following this blog on twitter.

Weekly Photos:

• This is summer.
• My two sleeping babies.
• Thrifted veil for the dress up chest.
• Clean kitchen!
• Clean kitchen!!
• Two keyboards. NBD.
• Piano siren.
• Father’s Day.
• Daddy snuggles.
• My husband created a card game!
• Flea Market Friend.

Reader Question:

Are you a loser, baby?

Soy un perdedor.

Do you have a question for me? I’d love to answer it! You can leave your question in the comments, @-reply me on twitter, email it to me at alittlebigblog@gmail.com or send me a messenger pigeon. Don’t actually do the last one, though. My cat will eat it.

FURTHER READING:

Snapshot9.22.11 * Snapshot 9.28.11 * Snapshot 10.6.11