Maybe this time

I caught the end of the movie Somewhere In Time yesterday, and I did that thing I always do. I started yelling at the screen, "Don't look at the penny!" But he did. Why does he always have to look at the stupid penny? (If you're lost, suffice it to say there is not a happy ending.)

I'm the same way when I watch Titanic. Maybe this time they won't hit the iceberg. No, don't turn! Don't turn! If you turn, it will scrape the side of the ship and sink you! Don't... oh, man, he turned again.

Or in Romeo + Juliet, every time he just narrowly misses getting the message from the priest that Juliet is alive, I am screaming, "Go back - you just got a letter! Go back!" Or later, when her eyes flutter but he's not looking at her, "She's alive! Look! She's alive!"

What is it about these movies that makes me watch them over and over and expect a different outcome every time? I guess I'm drawn to great tragedies. Of course, I knew ahead of time what was going to happen. As the story of Somewhere In Time progresses, before he ever does the time travel thing, you know that at some point he's going to get taken away from her. Unless you live in a bubble, you know that any movie named Titanic is not going to end well. Same for Romeo and Juliet. Of course, Shakespeare is nice enough to tell you up front that they're going to die in case you haven't seen it before.

Then there are movies like The Perfect Storm. No warning. Boom, everybody's dead. I know it's based on a true story, but really, why bother getting us all invested in the lives of these fishermen just to watch them die? I won't watch that one again.

How about Ladder 49? Same deal. You get so involved in the life of this character, and then, well, he dies. I understand the point, and I actually really liked the movie, but I won't watch it again.

Or Pay It Forward. Why does the kid have to die in the end? Stupid.

So what's the difference between the ones I'll watch over and over and the ones I dismiss after one viewing even though they were good movies? I'm thinking it's the romance. All three of the first movies have a payoff. At the end of Somewhere In Time, they're together (in death). Same with Titanic. And in R+J, the director uses imagery of the two together from earlier in the film to get the same message across. Even in death, there is hope. In the last three, they're just dead. The end. No hope there.

How about you? What movies make you yell at the screen?

Ways to tell your grass is too long

After spending three hours cutting the grass on Saturday, I devised this handy list to help determine when it next needs to be cut. And being the helpful soul that I am, I now share it with you.

Top Ten Ways to Tell Your Lawn is Too Long

• You don't need a weather vane, you just watch the grass waving in the wind.
• Your kids are outside playing. You can hear them. You cannot see them.
• Your cat has learned to walk on his hind legs so he can see where he's going.
• The local farmer offers to lend you his combine harvester.
  
• On your way to the mailbox, you run into a man with a pith helmet and a machete.
• You get a notice in the mail that your property is now a wildlife preserve for endangered insects.
• You know you had a shed out there... somewhere.
• You could take down your privacy fence and no one would notice.
• The neighborhood kids are seen daring each other to go into your yard.
• Your lawn mower takes one look at the grass and breaks down.

Hope this helps!

Carnival of the Blogging Chicks #1

The first Carnival of the Blogging Chicks is up! Go here to read all about it! And if you're a woman and you blog, you're welcome to join the blogroll and participate in the next Carnival! Could I use any more exclamation marks in this post?!?

SPF - Aperture

Soon-to-be-bride Kristine has given us the following assignment for this week:

A wide-open space: This is going to be the view from my new deck. In the other direction, there's more field and more mountains. And of course, I'll be able to watch my little monkeys playing in the sawdust pile down there (see the Tonka trucks?). All we have left to finish is the floor boards and the railing!

Brightness: This is my dog, Zelda. I guess the flash was so bright, she had to put on shades. My oldest son took this picture.

In the dark: Hubby took this picture of our coal stove glowing in the dark. He was trying to make me see how cozy and inviting it is. And it is. It's wonderful. As long as I don't have to be the one to keep it burning. The stove and I have a definite love-hate relationship. It hates me and it loves to torture me.

Did you play?

Lessons from a landlord

My husband and I have been landlords for seven years now. We started out living in one half of a duplex and renting the other. When we moved, we bought another duplex and did the same thing. So now we own four rental properties. Overall, I've been pleased with our experience as landlords, and I've learned some important lessons. I think all of these lessons can also be applied to life in general, and so I share them with you.

1. There are good people in the world and there are bad people; you can't tell them apart by looking at them. After the first tenants we had skipped out on us while owing two months' rent, we found a service that will do background checks for landlords. It's worth every penny. I've met plenty of potential renters who I really liked, until I read their credit history.

2. Don't be bullied; there's always a better tenant out there. I once had a call from a man who was opening an Italian restaurant in town with his brother. When I met with them, all I could think was mafia! They were seriously like people straight out of the Sopranos. Anyway, the house needed new carpet and paint before we could rent it. I told them this. I told them it would be a month before it was ready. They told me I would have it ready in a week. I stood my ground, and they finally stopped calling me when they realized it really couldn't be ready in a week. I always feel like I dodged a bullet with that one (no pun intended).

3. Trust everyone. But file an eviction anyway. We have lost a couple thousand dollars in non-payment of rent by trusting that people really are going to pay us. Now, if a tenant is late with the rent, they get one phone call from me, and one chance to pay me within two days, or I file for eviction. It's easy to stop the eviction process and it lets the tenant know I'm serious.

4. Some people are really good liars. Some just think they are. If you're going to lie to someone, at least make sure it can't be easily refuted by the neighbor who is also renting from your landlord. Because yes, your neighbors really are watching you! My favorite was the couple who swore they didn't have a dog, even though the neighbors could hear it barking, saw them walking it, and (gross!) could smell when it was left in the garage too long without walking.

5. Some people are just weird. As long as they pay their rent, I don't care. We've had a tenant who wanted us to get her a new stove because the clock on the stove was too loud (we didn't get her one). We've had tenants who painted a whole room in paint that could only be seen by black light. One of the current tenants periodically cleanses the house by waving burning herbs around the foundation. None of this bothers me. The first two moved out without owing us anything, and the third pays her rent faithfully.

Eventually, we'll sell the houses, pay the capital gains tax, and "retire" from the landlord business. But the lessons I've learned will last me a lifetime.

Books for summer

Back when I was childless, I used to dream of the day when I could share my favorite books with my kids. Books have been my constant companions through life, and there are some that have been very special to me. It's been such a thrill to see my oldest son embrace reading, and boy #2 is well on his way to being just as enthusiastic about it. Since summer is coming, I thought I'd put together a reading list of some of my favorites, and maybe you can share a few with your little readers as well!

For the pre-readers:
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt- Kids can never get enough of this book. It has no story, just lots of fun things to touch and look at. Both my copies have been well used,

Dr. Seuss's ABC - I adore the way the alphabet is done in this book. Many real words, many made-up words, all Seuss!

For the early reader:
I Can Read books - I remember going to the library and just getting piles of I Can Read books. You're bound to find many great stories, and your child will be improving important reading skills along the way.

For pre-teens:
Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys books - I loved Nancy Drew. I own a few of them, the rest I got from the library. It was always fun to try to figure out the mystery.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - What child can resist a story about talking animals?

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - I adored this book as a child, and when I read it to my boys, they loved it, too. Milo drives his toy car through a toy tollbooth and ends up in another land, where he is sent on a quest to restore Rhyme and Reason (the two princesses) to the throne. Along the way, there are many interesting characters and hilarious puns.

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor - I loved this book about a Jewish family with five little girls and the events in their lives. I especially recommend it for girls to read, but I think boys would enjoy it, too.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - Obviously, I didn't read these growing up, but I am reading them aloud to the boys and we are all loving them! If you haven't read them, by all means go grab book 1, The Bad Beginning, and get started!

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein - Oh, how I love Shel Silverstein's poetry! I have many of his poems memorized and like to recite them at appropriate moments. My kids have enjoyed reading from this book. It's a great way to introduce kids to poetry beyond Mother Goose.

Whistle in the Graveyard by Maria Leach - If you like scary stories, you'll love this collection. I used to get this book out of the school library in elementary school at least two or three times a year. It's out of print now, but you can still find it used. If you see one, grab it!

Teens:
Lois Duncan books - Long before "Goosebumps" there was Lois Duncan. Now, I can only vouch for books she wrote before 1990 or so, but she always had a way of creeping me out and making me want the light on at night.

The Belgariad by David Eddings - Long before Harry, there was another boy named Garion who discovered he had special powers and a special calling. I read these books as they were being published and it was torture waiting for the next one! It's a wonderful fantasy series, which is continued in The Mallorean series.

The Hitchhikers Guide series by Douglas Adams - You might have guessed I love these novels. Hilariously funny and fun, I could read them over and over again. And I have.

The Myth series by Robert Asprin - This series started back when I was a teenager, and he's still writing them! A great fantasy series with a great sense of humor, the Myth books will have you laughing out loud. They follow the adventures of Skeeve, a young magician's apprentice whose magic doesn't always work quite right. Read them in order; each one builds on the last.

I know there are more, but I'll leave it at that for now. Happy reading, to you and to your kids!

Wonderful 9/11 tribute idea

I think this is a fabulous idea for honoring the memory of all those who died on 9/11. Go here
and sign up.

Ghost stories

I'm not sure what started it, but the boys decided they were going to shut their door and tell ghost stories last night, the only light in the room coming from the flashlight held under the storyteller's chin. I could hear them in there laughing at the stories, all of which seemed to have a silly ending. So I told them that I knew a silly ghost story.

I shut their door and held the flaslight under my chin. "One night," I began, "a little girl went to bed. She looked up at her dresser and there was a ghost sitting on it." As soon as I said that, my oldest crouched down in the corner and started whimpering. "So she called her parents, who came running, and told them. They turned on the light," which I did at this point, "but there was no ghost." Light off again.

"The next night, the little girl got in bed, and when she looked up, there was a ghost on the ceiling!" Oldest boy whimpers louder. "She called her parents, who turned the light on, but there was no ghost." My six year old, Mr. Know It All, is saying, "Of course! Ghosts don't like light."

"The next night, the little girl goes to bed, and the ghost is sitting right there on her bed!" My oldest sounds like he's going to pass out from fear. I keep giggling because of his reaction, and because I know what's coming. "She started yelling at the ghost, 'What do you want? What do you want?' And the ghost said..." At this point, I blew a really loud raspberry! The boys all screamed and then started laughing. It was a big hit.

Of course, they didn't want the lights off after that!

It gets colder at higher altitudes - DUH!

Saturday was a pretty cool, cloudy day. We were attending a picnic in the evening with some people from church, and by mid-afternoon it had warmed up somewhat, so did I pack jackets? No. Put on long sleeves? No. At least I didn't change into shorts. The park we went to is up on top of a mountain. It was cold.

You know how usually when you go to a park, you hunt and hunt for the picnic table in the shade? Well, we wanted one in the sun, hoping to get just a bit of warmth that way. There was only one. For thirty-some people. That wasn't going to work. So we sat in the shade and shivered, waiting for everyone else to arrive.

There's a fantastic playground up there, so the boys were happy. Even the baby really got into it, climbing up the equipment to get to the taller slides, then coming down feet-first on his belly. I spent about an hour pushing Isaac (4) on the swing and made myself sick on the merry-go-round. It was fun.

It did rain on us at one point, but it was a short shower. Nothing goes with icy winds like damp clothing, right?

After that, we went to the brand-new WalMart in town. It's so nice and new and shiny. Even the cement floors are shiny. And it's a lot closer than the one we used to drive to. The only downside is that it's in PA, so they have the minimum price for milk. Yes, in PA, there is a minimum price which must be charged for milk. So while it might be $2.49 a gallon in MD, just north across the border, you can't find it for less than $2.85. We bought a gallon anyway, though: we were out.

Then we got home and worked on our deck a bit more. It's coming right along. I'm really looking forward to sitting out there in the morning with a cup of coffee, or in the evening with a telescope aimed at the nearest planet. And then maybe we can finish the master bedroom we've been working on for two years.

SPF - Ooo, pretty!

Kristine's assignment this week is relatively simple. Play along, won't you?

Something shiny (okay, apparently it was "sparkly"): I was going to go take a picture of the sun, but it's a nasty, cloudy day. So instead I give you my favorite picture of the sun, taken by my Hubby back when he was in college. We have it blown up to poster size and hanging in our basement family room. Look at how the sun sparkles on the water!

Something dull: If you majored in English, as I did, then you were no doubt forced to take some dull literature classes. The dullest I had to endure was 19th century English lit. We had a professor who liked to read long passages out of the books in the most monotonous tone imaginable. Then he would give us quizzes with stupid questions like "What was the name of the cat in Chapter 2?" My roommate and I were both in the class. We used to make faces at each other across the table to stay awake. Back in our room, we'd do imitations of the professor and crack each other up. Anyway, the dullest novel we had to read was Middlemarch, by George Eliot. This book is so dull I bet not even George read it when she was done.

Something colorful: Last night's weather map for our area. We live in that triangle between Washington, Pittsburgh and the I-80 symbol, so we got some nasty rain last night. It didn't last long, but boy did it pour! I love thunderstorms, though, so I hope some of that stuff around Columbus is headed our way!

Did you play?

In which I slowly lose my mind

I have been debating something for a while now, and I'd love to hear some feedback from everyone, especially those who keep their children home for the purpose of educating them.

My second son, Joshua, started out kindergarten absolutely thrilled to be "doing school" like his older brother. He was usually finished the entire day's lessons in about an hour and a half. He did really well with everything. But this year, first grade, has brought a big change in his attitude. He never wants to come into the school room (I have a separate room in the house just for school). When he does, he wants to take control of the computer and surf Lego websites. It takes me an hour and a half just to get through one lesson with him. Frequently this year, we have started school at 9:30 a.m. and, including lunch, not finished until 4 p.m. It's been tremendously frustrating for me because that leaves no time to work with my older son, not to mention keep house and cook dinner.

Near us is a very good Christian school, where quite a few of the young people at our church attend. Joshua is definitely the type of child who would love being in a classroom with other kids. I'm sure it would be an adjustment for him, but he would do fine eventually. If we sent him there, I would have all day to work with my fifth grader, not to mention more time to keep up the house and play with my younger two boys. He would learn not only his lessons, but also why it's more fun to be home all day than stuck in a classroom, and maybe he would be more receptive to staying home for third grade.

On the other hand, if we sent him there, we're tying ourselves to the school's schedule. We can't just take off whenever we want to. And I would have to be here when he gets off the bus every day. Not that I'm not home normally at that time, but I like having the freedom to go out if I want. And then there's the matter of tuition, which is reasonable, but still would make a dent in our budget that would mean cutting back on things like weekend trips to the amusement park or buying DVDs. Not that we need those things, but it's nice to have the option. Plus, he would be away from his brothers all day. He and his older brother are best friends and I hate to take that away from either of them.

So my other option is to keep him at home, but switch curriculum. Maybe he would do better with unit studies, or something less structured than what we've been doing. I'm leaning toward this option because I think he really benefits from being at home and having one-on-one interaction with his teacher.

But on the con side, what if I keep him home and he continues his rebelliousness? I had a neighbor years ago who kept two of her kids home and sent the other to school because she didn't have a "teachable spirit." I never understood what that meant until this year with Joshua. He doesn't want to be taught. You would not believe the struggles we have had this year. If he continues this way no matter what the curriculum, I will lose my mind. And it's not fair to Caleb, who needs more time from me than he can get when I have to spend all day fighting with Joshua.

So I really don't know what to do. Should I put him in school for half a year maybe? Or keep him home and then put him in school if he can't behave? Or just pick one or the other? I'm so confused! Any help would be appreciated!

WBW - Pomp and Circumstance

The Kept Woman has asked for photos recalling our glory days when we all thought we were smart and a piece of paper actually meant something. Then you enter the real world. Anyway...

Here I am after graduating from preschool. My neighbors' daughter just graduated from preschool the other day and I dragged out this picture to show her that I was once young and cute, too.
Here I am accepting my high school diploma from an unknown guest speaker while the principal looks on. Check out the perfectly coordinated shake-and-grab. Almost like I practiced it. Oh, wait, I did. They made us practice that. All 250 of us.

Here I am showing off my high school diploma. I was thinking, "Thank goodness I don't ever have to see any of those people again!" Hence, the big smile.

And here is my "official" college graduation portrait. Don't I look proud? In this one, I was thinking, "I just want to get out of here so I can start the rest of my life!" Which included getting married one month after graduation. I use my degree all the time, though. I majored in English and Creative Writing. I speak English, like, every day. And the writing, well, you're reading it!

So, did you play?

A memorable Memorial Day

I was sitting on a lawn chair last evening, watching Hubby and his brother building our deck. It was a hot evening, after a day where the temperature hit 90 degrees. My sister-in-law and I had been working in the garden, and I was hot and sweaty. I watched my other brother-in-law building a little fire to make s'mores. He asked my oldest son to bring a bucket of water for putting out the fire later. He quickly ran down to the outdoor faucet and filled a bucket. Then he brought it back to where we were all sitting.

I looked at the cool, clear water in the bucket and thought about how miserably hot and sticky I felt. "Go get another one to dump over my head," I joked.

He obediently ran off to fetch another pail of water. When he returned, I told him I was just kidding. He looked disappointed and set the bucket down. But apparently the tempation was too great for him. A few minutes later, the whole bucket got poured down my back and over my shoulders! I went running after him and gave him a nice big, wet hug! We were all laughing. Then he poured water over himself and we all laughed some more. What a goofy kid!

The happy dance

Noah is a dancing fool!

SPF - 5/26

This week, Kristine has requested the following:

Your suitcase: Bright purple. Let me tell you, it's really easy to spot this puppy on an airport conveyor belt!

Your ground: Most of what you see here is my ground. The barn on the left and the land beyond that is my neighbors'. This is just my front yard. We have four acres. I love having all this space for the boys to run around. Now you see why we desperately needed to find a new mower when ours broke!

Something to which you're powerless: The sweet, sweet sounds of Rockapella. Their website is here if you've never heard them. Oh, the bliss. This picture was taken in October 1995 at the very first Rockapella concert I ever attended. There's a whole long story behind this picture, which you can read here. Only two of these guys are still in the group: Scott, the gorgeous blonde high tenor, and Jeff, the one on the right, who's the vocal percussionist. They just keep getting better and better all the time, and they still make me go week in the knees.

Did you play?

Lost finale - SPOILERS

First of all, hooray Taylor, Soul Patrol, yadda yadda yadda.

I wasn't going to post about the Lost finale, but I just can't help it. Hubby and I stayed up talking about it and I dreamed about it all night as well, so it's the only thing on my mind right now. Stupid ABC. Stupid writers. Arg!!

Of course it was the giant electromagnet that made the plane crash. Anyone else smacking themselves in the forehead for not realizing that sooner? I usually spot these things a mile away and that one took me by surprise.

Naturally, "Henry Gale" is the leader. We suspected as much. But "We're the good guys."?? I don't see how that's possible. And if they're the good guys, who are the bad guys?

Okay, here's the theory Hubby and I came up with last night. Widmore was mad when Desmond wouldn't take his money to leave his daughter alone. So he had Des followed until he found out that he wanted to run this sailing race. Then he hired Libby (who was never really married) to put on a bad red wig and give him a boat. He made sure the path of the race would take Des near the island during monsoon season. The rest of the racers, meanwhile, were given a completely different path to follow to keep them out of harm's way. Widmore knows all about the island because he was integral in setting up the Dharma initiative. Sure enough, there's a storm and Des is stranded. Widmore knows that even if he gets away from the island (unlikely, since no one who has been sent there for the Dharma project has ever returned), his daughter will have long since gotten married and will have given up on him. End of problem.

However, Widmore didn't plan on his daughter using her own extensive cash reserves to try to find Des. She has hired these two guys in the Snow Station to monitor for unusual electromagnetic activity anywhere in the world, because she's good at snooping around and knows about Dharma as well. Now, she's been alerted that they have found "it."

That's our theory. I'm sure half of it will be disproved in the first episode of Season 3, but it's fun to speculate.

My only other burning question is why in the world did that bird say "Hurley?"

Scrappy

Scroll down for WBW, but I'd love your opinion on my scrap pages, too!

I have been a sort of part-time scrapbooker for a while now. I bought a few things, but not too many, and any time there was a sale on paper, I picked out a few new ones. But then my color printer died, I had no way to print pictures, and so I stopped.

I've known about digital scrapping for a while, but the only program I had that would do it could only save its own format. No good for showing off to anybody else, which is, after all, one of the points of scrapping in the first place. Well, my dad lent me a program that will do everything I want and let me save as a JPG, so now I can catch up with all those moments I've missed scrapping (yeah, right).

Here are a couple I've done. Each one took less than fifteen minutes!



What do you think?

WBW - History!

This week (which I mistakenly thought was two weeks ago), The Kept Woman wants to see pictures of us in front of historical monuments or locations of some sort. And while I have been all over this country and had my picture taken in front of any number of historical sites, I don't seem to be in posession of those photos. What I do have are pictures from my semester in London, where my roommate was kind enough to snap a few shots of me in front of some very interesting history.

This is me at the Roman baths in Bath, England. Very old, very historical. Very steamy. That thing under my arm is a video camera. Would you believe I lugged that thing all over the British Isles? Got some great video, though. It was worth every little back pain.

Here is the obligatory shot of me in front of Stonehenge. Notice the rope barrier to keep pesky people like the Griswalds away. And there's that camera again, this time perching on my shoulder like a large, mutant parrot.

Finally, a picture without the video camera! It may look like I am posing atop a hill in ancient Greece, but actually this is a hill overlooking Edinburgh, Scotland. Years back, someone had the bright idea of building a replica of the Parthenon up there. They got as far as what you see here, then they ran out of money. The monument is now known as Edinburgh's Disgrace. And if it looks like I'm wearing the same outfit in all three pictures, well, I probably am. I only took seven changes of clothes with me for the three and a half month semester. And I wore that coat all but two days we were there because it was so flippin' cold all the time.

And that's all for History with Jana. Come back next time when I explain why we refer to prisons as "the clink," and exactly why all those people near Loch Ness think they saw a monster.

Did you play?

The "d" word

Yes, I need to go on a diet. Well, actually, I have been on one for two weeks, and lost three pounds so far. Yay, me.

See, for the past ten years, I have either been pregnant, breastfeeding, or have managed to lose a scant few pounds before becoming pregnant again. Before my first pregnancy, I weighed 139. I won't divulge my weight now, but let's just say that even if I lose all 50 pounds I plan to, I won't be 139 again.

Anyway, now that my last baby is almost weaned (he still nurses once in the morning), I feel like I can finally cut back on my caloric intake. I discovered slim-fast.com, which has wonderful free weight loss tools, and you don't have to use Slim-Fast to use them. It will track your daily calories, fat, etc., and even suggest menus for you! You can also track your physical activity, if you have any (whistles, looks away guiltily).

Feel free to ask me how it's going and keep me accountable. I need all the help I can get!

My weekend

We had a nice weekend. Friday night my parents brought pizza, which was so nice! No cooking, yay! Then I sat up with my laptop adding all the Blogging Chicks to my Bloglines feed so I won't have to click through to each one separately. There are over a hundred now, you know! While I did that, Hubby cruised Ebay looking for a lawn mower.

Saturday morning, he found one ending that day located in Charlestown, WV. He researched the type of tractor a little bit, told me about it, and we both agreed he should bid on it. In between pulling weeds out front, he kept checking on the auction until finally, at the last possible second, he bid. He was the only bidder and we got it! Hooray! So we left the kids with my parents and rode down to Charlestown to pick up the mower.

Well, the guy selling it thought the best way to get in on our truck (we had removed the tailgate) was to drive it up the two boards we'd brought as a ramp. So Hubby climbed on and started driving. Unfortunately, friction was being a pain and one of the boards spun out from under the left side and fell, taking Hubby and the mower with it! Fortunately, he landed upright and the mower still seems to work properly. Anyway, they then decided that I should drive it up the ramp while the two of them pushed. I was a bit nervous (okay, so I was on the verge of freaking out), but we did eventually manage to get it on the truck. So now, our lawn is finally cut! Only time will tell if this will have any effect on the tick population.

Saturday night I took an Imitrex for a migraine. Sunday morning it was gone. But by Sunday noon I had to take a second Imitrex. I zonked out until around 3:30. Then I felt a lot better and it was time for Isaac's birthday party. We had my parents and the little girl from next door come over for cake and to open presents. He was thrilled to get a bunch of GeoTrax sets and immediately opened them and played for the rest of the evening.

Today I am debating whether or not to take another Imitrex. It is one of those migraines that just doesn't want to go away. If it's still here at noon, I probably will. Ugh.