Literary Lovin'

Tee tagged me for a meme I thought would be much easier than it ended up being. Here's how it goes:

"Ten Literary Characters I Would Totally Make Out With If I Were Single and They Were Real But I’m Not, Single I Mean, I Am Real, But I’m Also Happily Married and Want to Stay That Way So Maybe We Should Forget This..."


In no particular order:

1. Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye. I just reread this recently, and Holden's definitely a guy in need of some loving.

2. Rev. Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter. My favorite novel by my favorite writer.

3. Aron Trask from East of Eden. I just love this character.

4. Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew. Everybody loves the bad boy.

5. Duke Orsino from Twelfth Night. If music be the food of love, I'll sing him a few songs.

6. Romeo from Romeo and Juliet. He has to be a good kisser, right?

7. Hamlet from Hamlet. I guess I have a thing for troubled souls.

8. Ivanhoe from Ivanhoe. Hot guy and knight in shining armor - what's not to love?

9. Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. Yeah, I definitely have a thing for troubled souls.

10. Peter Pan from Peter Pan.

Okay, this was a rather fun and disturbing look into the way I think... If you'd like to play too, post it and then let me know you played!

It's a grand slam

I find myself missing Denny's this morning. What could I possibly miss about overpriced food, slow service, and the much-less-than-five-star dining experience? Well, it's not so much the place, it's the time in my history.

My senior year of high school, they built a Denny's literally around the corner from my house. Lots of kids from my class applied to work there. I don't remember if I did or not, but future-Hubby came home from college and started a painting business, and I decided that would be a good way to spend time with him - work as a house painter.

While the days were long and the work was hard, I always looked forward to the evenings, because future-Hubby would come from whichever job he'd been supervising and we'd go out to Denny's. I don't remember getting meals there, just dessert - the chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream on top in particular. But then, we didn't go for the food. We went to hang out together, talk, laugh, or even just be quiet together. In the fall we'd be going to different states for college and we wanted as much time together as we could get.

And sometimes we'd bring his friend Dan along, who was just about the funniest person I'd ever met, and he kept us both in stitches. It was a fun summer. And every now and then, it would be nice to go back there.

Do you have a special place you'd like to revisit?

How am I today?

Combine my last two posts and that's how my night was. I couldn't sleep for the migraine pain, and when I did get to sleep, I got awakened by the dog breathing and/or licking. I actually moved to the basement for a couple of hours, but then the sounds of the water heater and the cat prowling around above me kept me awake.

Right now, I have the remnants of a migraine, which could turn into another one, just depending.

Seems I can't do anything but complain at the moment. Sorry about that. Um... co-op went well today. And my lunch is yummy. How's that?

Sick of sick

Spent all weekend sick in bed. This is twice in three weeks, folks, and it's not even cold season yet! I'm going to have to up my echinacea dosage or something. Plus, I think I have an ear infection. The temp in my right ear (with my hand-dandy ear thermometer) is 97.2 and in my left it's 100.2 - unless I'm supposed to average them, in which case I'm right on target.

And then this morning I had a migraine, which is always exciting. It started last night, and I took medicine for it, but to no avail. Fortunately, my parents are here for a couple of days and could take the boys while I slept it off. I feel mostly better, except my left eye is out of focus.

Only 37, and I'm already falling apart.

Stop breathing - I'm trying to sleep

When I became a mother, I lost the ability to sleep soundly. It seems no matter how tired I am, I am awakened by the slightest sound. Well, that's not entirely true. I can sleep through wind, rain, thunderstorms, dogs barking, cows mooing, and insects chirping if I'm tired enough. And I actually tend to sleep better if there's a little bit of ambient noise going on (I even used one of those white noise machines until it started talking to me, but that's another story).

No, it's not the random nighttime noises that bother me. It's the human and dog sounds in the house that keep me up. The boys sleep across the hallway from us, and the 2 year old has a monitor in his room through which we can hear him. Last night, I turned on our air cleaner (which makes white noise and helps my allergies) and went to sleep. But I was awakened in the middle of the night. The dog was breathing again.

Don't get me wrong - I like my dog, for the most part. Now that Hubby has mounted our trash cans four feet off the floor and she can't raid them when we're not home, I like her even more. But she breathes SO loud! Not just breathing, but panting. I woke up and all I could hear was "huh-huh-huh-huh" on and on and on. I tried rolling away, but Hubby was breathing, too! Just when I got him to roll over and breathe quieter, the 2 year old started breathing loud over the monitor.

I think I need one of those soundproof rooms, the kind they put game show contestants in to keep them from hearing what's happening outside. Yep, just make me a horizontal soundproof room, and I'll sleep in there.

Or earplugs. I guess earplugs could work...

Accents

Accents fascinate me. I'm not sure when I first started noticing them. I know it wasn't when I was six and watching Star Wars for the first time. Years later, I realized the film was full of English accents, both real and affected. But somewhere along the way, I started to notice the ways people talk.

There are linguists who can tell you exactly where someone is from based on a few sentences or even a few key words. I remember hearing such a person commenting on the annoyance of Dennis Franz playing a New York cop with a Chicago accent. I think it would be really cool to be able to do that.

I remember my best friend from home moving to Nebraska when we were 12. She and her sister got teased relentlessly for the way they said "water." When Hubby and I moved to Louisiana, everyone had trouble understanding him because he talks so fast, and has no Southern drawl. And I'll never forget the story a friend from college told, about going to Scotland with her father and being asked to translate. "Dad, they're speaking English," she told him.

When I went to Spain, I discovered the same is true of other languages. The Spanish I heard in Madrid sounded different than what I heard in Seville. And the Spanish in Cuba is different from the Spanish in Mexico, which is different from the Spanish I hear around town. I have to learn how to listen to each version before I can understand it.

I think sometimes it's good to remember that even though we might be speaking the same language as someone else, we still might not be understood. Everything from personal background to where you grew up can change the meaning of even the simplest words. People say things all the time that don't get heard. We find a true friend when we find someone who speaks the same language in every sense of the word. And that has nothing to do with their accent!

Nice visit

You know when you meet someone and you just click? I had never met the woman who came to my house yesterday, but by the time she left, I felt like I had known her forever. We had a wonderful visit, I cooked lasagna, everyone had dinner, and then we talked until 11 or so. They had to get going this morning. I just had a terrific time. And their kids were so quiet compared to mine! Of course, they have three girls and one boy, so I'm betting that's part of the difference. The kids all played with the Wii and had fun hanging out together, too.

All the work cleaning the house and cooking and everything was inconsequential when I think about how nice it was to share our home with this couple, even for only one night. Maybe next time they're on furlough (in 4 years) we can do it again. Until then, we've always got the internet!

Busy

We're expecting some friends shortly. Actually, we don't know the wife, and we haven't seen the husband in years. And we've never met the kids. I saw this lady's name on a Mr. Linky and thought, Naw, that couldn't be. So I emailed her. Turns out, Hubby and I grew up in the same church as her husband. They are now missionaries working in a camp in Alaska, and they're on their way to the Baltimore area to visit some of their supporting churches.

So we agreed to let them spend the night here on their way to Baltimore, so we could visit for a while, and let all eight kids play together. This means I have been cleaning and organizing like a mad woman for the last 30 hours. They will be here any minute, so I won't have much chance for blog hopping and commenting today. But I'll tell you all about it later!

What a great weekend!

Thank you all for the birthday wishes - that was awesome! We left here Saturday morning and didn't get back until 8 last night. We had such a fun weekend!

The boys all decided to stay with my parents, so Hubby and I got a date night! We drove the two hours to Philly, and then drove around trying to figure out where to park. The concert was part of a big fall festival in the town of Bensalem, and parking was nonexistent unless you wanted to walk a half mile. Finally, we saw some signs saying there were buses from the high school. Once we found that, we were good.

We got to the amphitheater and there were these red metal mesh seats on either side of the stage, right up front. Over on the right side, there were empty seats in the front row! So we went over and grabbed them. I tell you, if you're going to go see Rockapella, you must get a front row seat if at all possible. It's just like on a roller coaster - the other seats are fun, but you're going to get maximum thrills in the front.

Here's something the people in the back didn't see - watch Scott's microphone (Scott is the blonde, in case you're new to Rockapella).

Scott did see me in the front and wave right near the beginning of the concert. Unfortunately, because there were going to be fireworks after, everybody had to clear out and I never saw the five guys together after they left stage. I did happen to run into Scott and he wished me a happy birthday and gave me a hug. I say "happened to" because there were thousands of people, and it was dark. My hubby saw someone he thought might be Scott coming from the general area of backstage and sure enough, it was. Anyway, long story short, I didn't get them to sing Happy Birthday to me. :( Maybe next year.

But it was awfully nice of the town of Bensalem to put on fireworks just for my birthday! Take a look!


Then yesterday, we hung out with my parents at the campground in Hershey (Hubby and I slept in a tent - my back still hurts). We played tennis and mini golf with the kids, which was fun. I only had sandals, so I took them off to play tennis. I do not recommend barefoot tennis. Maybe on a grass court, but not on cement. Still, it was fun!

Now I'm going to do some shopping with my birthday money! Later!

Today...

A one-day-before-my-birthday rant

Hypothetically, if you were going to threaten to take your landlord to court for something, do you think you would perhaps check the lease you signed first to see whether or not the landlord was within her rights? I think a reasonable person would.

Of course Fred and Ethel unreasonable people would call and leave hostile phone messages merely because the landlord has returned their October rent checks (they paid last month in advance) along with a note saying they will get their deposit back within 30 days after they move out. Hey, idiot, you signed a lease that says I have 30 days to get it back to you. How stupid would I have to be to give your money back before I inspect the house for damage? If we weren't going to be on vacation then, I would definitely wait the entire 30 days.

I'd actually kind of like them to take us to court for this. They would have to pay $100 or more in court fees to have the judge laugh at them. And really, according to the lease, if they break any of the rules, we're not required to give them back one penny. Which, if they were to take me to court, I would love to point out.

I now know 100% for sure that Jill has been telling the truth all along (not that I really doubted) and these people are nuts. Especially since, hypothetically, they're the type of people who would slash their own tire to try to get their neighbor in trouble. Hypothetically.

Two days to birthday!

My oldest son started talking at 18 months, and everything he said could be understood by almost anyone. I'm told I was the same way as a child. Then my second son came along, and no one could understand him except me. He went to speech therapy, and by the time he was three, he spoke very clearly.

Apparently they've changed the rules since then, because even though my youngest was saying fewer words and was less easy to understand than #2, he didn't qualify for speech therapy. And so the battle continues - I understand, but only what he's said before. If he adds a new word, it involves me having to determine from context or repeat it over and over myself until I figure it out. Endless frustration for both of us.

So for anyone who is planning on visiting, or who might be living with, a toddler, I'd like to present the toddler translation dictionary.

• nant noo - thank you
• mcnahno - McDonald's
• it neem - ice cream
• ferdetti - spaghetti
• wake - like, as in I don't like that
• ahmam - I am
• nant - can't
• fadater - refrigerator
• difor - dinosaur
• nain - train
• Nahmit - Thomas, as in the tank engine

Just a small sampling, of course. But I'm telling you, if they ever let toddlers join the UN, I'll be a shoe-in for translator.

Birthday month - day 3

You've heard of the Cookie Monster? We have the Brownie Monster. Last weekend I bought a tub of bite-size brownies from Sam's Club. The two year old wanted nothing else for three days. He got up in the morning and asked for a brownie. I said he had to eat breakfast first. He said, "I want a brownie for breakfast!" This went on for three days. I'm not sure how they lasted that long, when he was eating 57 at a time. He had a perpetual brown stain around his mouth, and if we didn't have a dog I would have been able to find him by the trail of little brown crumbs. Needless to say, I will not be buying those brownies again while he is still small. It seems to me I read somewhere that kids should eat something besides brownies if you want them to be healthy.

Birthday month - Day Two

Why do I celebrate the whole month? Well, I was due to be born at the end of the month, but I arrived at the beginning of the month. I figure that pretty much gives me the whole month to celebrate.

I got a nice "gift" from a friend this morning. I showed up at co-op wearing a pair of jeans I literally could not fit over one thigh a year ago. And my friend looked me up and down and said, "You just get thinner all the time!" That felt good. I am officially at 60 pounds lost, people! That's like a large dog.

Birthday month - Day One

Official celebrations may begin - it is now my birthday month! While there are no official ceremonies planned, don't forget that my birthday month always ends with lots of people donning costumes and handing out treats. Start planning now!

In other news, Fred and Ethel are not at all pleased about being told to move out. We weren't home all day yesterday and when we finally got home last night, we had an angry message from Fred telling us we were making a mistake, because Jack and Jill are the ones who called the cops on them. Um, duh! That's one reason we know we're not making a mistake! Then he started ranting about his security deposit and taking us to court. Yeah, good luck with that. He signed a lease saying we have 30 days after they move out to get any money back to him. And unless the house is trashed, he'll get all of it back that he's supposed to.

Honestly, in almost nine years of being landlords, this is the first time we've had people complaining over and over about one of our tenants. Do they really think they're the innocent ones here? I have nothing against them personally, but they clearly cannot play nice with others, and I'm tired of the phone calls. So my phones are off until they calm down. They've said they'll be out by the 30th. We'll see.

Hey, where was I 12 years ago today? Any guesses?

That's me in a Rockapella sandwich. Mmm.

Birthday countdown!

As many of you know, my birthday is coming up a week from tomorrow. For those of you who are in some way related to me, or who would like to buy me a gift out of the kindness of your hearts, my Amazon wish list can be accessed through my profile. Anything on that list would make a wonderful gift which I would in no way turn down.

Next Saturday, we will travel to the Philly area for a Rockapella concert. I'm so excited that this is actually ON my birthday. And not only that, but it's free! It's a completely free concert! Which means we can bring the kids this time and not worry about paying $30+ dollars a ticket! (Not that Scott wouldn't comp them, but I hate to keep asking). Lest you think I've lost my mind, we will only be taking the older two boys. I shudder to think of the scenes that would be caused by a talkative 5 year old and a screaming 2 year old.

And because one of my secret Rockapella dreams has always been to have them sing Happy Birthday to me, I will absolutely be letting them know it's my birthday. Don't worry, I'll be subtle. I'm making myself a t-shirt that says, "It's my birthday - sing to me!"

The roller coaster

I was thinking last night about this house. The cleanliness of this house, specifically. Any of you who do not have at least three children probably can't imagine the sheer volume of filth in my house. The numbers of drinks spilled, crumbs dropped, and toys kicked under furniture add up to a continual, uncleanable mess.

There are times I feel like I have it relatively under control. The boys do their chores, I come along and finish up, and things look pretty good. And then there are times that almost all of the work is left for me to do, and I can't keep up. Then I get sick, like this past week, and absolutely nothing gets done, and then when I'm well, the sheer volume of disgustingness makes me want to crawl into a hole and never come out. I feel like I am constantly either at the pinnacle of making things just the way I want them (this usually happens right before company comes), or down in the dirty depths of grossness from which there would seem to be no escape.

It's not that I don't have the time to clean. But when I spend all day teaching, then cook dinner, I really really don't feel like spending two hours cleaning on top of that. And when I do, it gets messed up immediately, so where's my motivation? Why bother to clean at all? Can you tell I'm at a low point right now?

My oldest son always does his chores. The younger ones don't. I've tried taking away every privilege they have and they Just Don't Care. I've tried taking their chore money so that the oldest gets to buy neat toys when they have no money to buy anything, and they just don't care. Oh sure, they whine at the toy store, but that doesn't motivate them to work at home. I don't get it. Does anyone have any ideas to motivate two kids who won't work? Because I'm going to lose my mind here.

Lest ye think I forgot...

Last Wednesday was Talk Like a Pirate Day. I know you're thinking I forgot, but let me assure you that my oldest son and I did our entire math lesson in pirate speak. Well, mostly me. But he loved it. It went something like this:

Me: Are ye comin' to math class or are ye walkin' the plank?
Son: (No response)
Me: (imitating pirate's parrot) Walk the plank! Walk the plank!

Once we sat down to the workbook, I looked at the problem: 157,295 divided by 2172. So I said:

If ye have a treasure chest filled to overflowin' with 157,295 pieces of eight, ye must divide it amongst the 2172 members of yer crew or risk a mutiny. How many pieces must ye give each man to avoid bein' thrown in the brig?

When he got the answer, I said:

Aye, 72 pieces per crewman. And since yer the captain, take those extra 911 pieces for yerself!

We did all of his problems this way.

Oh, why couldn't there have been a Talk Like a Pirate Day when I was in school? My friends and I would've had a blast. How about you? If you were still in high school, would you have walked around talking like a pirate last Wednesday?

When grown-ups act like babies

We have these two sets of tenants. One is an older couple, I'll call them Fred and Ethel, and one is a younger couple, I'll call them Jack and Jill. Jack and Jill have lived in one of our houses for four years now. They always pay rent on time, they pay their sewer bill, and we have never had any complaints about them.

A year ago this past month, Fred and Ethel moved in next door. At first everything is fine. But then we start getting calls from Jill. Ethel is calling her names, standing at the window screaming at her two kids, telling them to get off her lawn. Basically, Jill and the kids can't go outside without this woman screaming at them. In fact, while Jill was telling me this on the phone, I could hear Ethel shrieking from her open window in the background.

So I called Fred and asked him to please control his wife. She is slightly mentally unbalanced (and that's not a dig, she really is), but he knows how to handle her. He assures us he will take care of it. But summer is coming, which means the kids are going to be outside more often. Sure enough, Ethel calls me to complain about people walking through her yard. She wants me to pay for a fence. Um, no, sorry.

Three weeks ago, I spent three hours on the phone, first with Jill, then with Ethel. They were both in tears. Jill was upset because Ethel just won't leave her alone. She can't walk outside without being called an f-ing b- and that's on a good day. Meanwhile, Ethel is in tears because she can't have a decent looking lawn because people won't stay off it. So I asked Jill to please not walk across Fred and Ethel's lawn, and to keep her kids off as well. This was mostly to see if that was really the problem.

Naturally, it was not. Ethel has since grabbed another neighbor's son around the neck because she thought it was Jill's son. She has also told Jill that she should keep her kids inside if she wants to keep them safe. The police were called, and would have pressed charges for harrassment, but indicated to Jill that it would probably get thrown out because of Ethel's mental illness. Jill is at the end of her rope. So at this point, since their lease has expired, I'm going to be asking Fred and Ethel to leave. I will evict them if I need to. Which is a shame, because they have been perfect tenants as far as paying rent on time and not giving us trouble. Unfortunately, they, or I should say she, can't seem to stop causing everyone else trouble.

I probably shouldn't have let it go on as long as it has (four months now), but until this recent incident, it was just Ethel's word against Jill's. I finally have other people willing to tell how this woman is terrorizing Jill and her family. What a pain for me, though! I have to kick out perfectly good tenants and then try to find new ones. Ugh. Why can't people just get along?

To NaNo or not to NaNo?

In just a little over a week, signups begin for this year's NaNoWriMo. That's National Novel Writing Month, a time when thousands of writers all over the world crank out 50,000 words in just 30 days. It's always in November, which always seems to be a busy time for me. But I've managed it two years in a row, and come out a winner both times. It really seems to help get my creative juices flowing and focused on a task. I just don't know if I should do it this year or not.

See, I'm still revising last year's novel. I love it, I think it has a strong story and characters, and I think it could sell. But it still needs a lot of editing and tweaking, and maybe I should spend two hours a night doing that.

On the other hand, I already have the second book in the series all plotted out in my head. I just need to write it. And what better time to write it than when I'm forcing myself to write new material every night for 30 nights? Except it would be more like 25 nights, because of Thanksgiving and everything. I mean, whose idea was it to do this the month of Thanksgiving?

So, what do you think? Should I go for it again this year, or take the time to "finish" (and I put that in quotes, because all writers know that nothing is ever truly finished) last year's novel?

Fall previews

Earlier this week, I discovered four brand-new NBC shows in our On Demand menu. Pilot episodes of new shows, available to watch more than a week before they would be shown on television! Naturally, I had to check them out. And as a public service, I will now tell you which one(s) seemed most worthy of your time.

First up, we watched Chuck. Now, I was all prepared to like this show, just from the commercials. I thought it looked cute, smart, and funny. And I'm happy to say I was right. The character of Chuck (Zachary Levi), a bumbling member of the "Nerd Herd" and lonely guy still stuck on the girl he lost in college, is well developed and interesting. He unwittingly becomes the keeper of government secrets and enters a life he never would have dreamed of. Along the way, he learns a little something about himself.

Sounds cheesy, right? I'm telling you, the humor and action on this show is a great balance. I enjoyed every minute of it. My only criticism is that is was obviously written by a GenXer, which Chuck is not. So when he talks about writing programs on a TRS80 in college, and college was only five years ago, geeks like me have to say, "Wait a minute, that's not right." Though when I heard the line, I laughed, because I can relate. Hey, who just yelled, "Nerd!"? I heard that.

Okay, moving on, we have The Bionic Woman. I was all set to love this show. After all, I loved the original, watched it every week, never missed it, wanted to be Jaime Sommers. The new Jaime is played by Michelle Ryan, whom I absolutely loved in the BBC series "Jekyll," so there was another vote in its favor. But I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I know they have to set up the story, but I found it highly predictable. Except for the part about the evil Bionic woman. That was just weird. This Sara Corvus character really freaks me out. The actress has a way of looking at people that's just, well, freaky. And she has a bionic chest? Excuse me? She actually said that.

Having said that, I truly enjoyed Michelle Ryan's performance, which is flawless. And by flawless, I mean that you forget she's English. Not a trace of her accent was heard. I like that. It's the main reason I watch House. Well, maybe not really. Anyway, I think she does a wonderful job of playing a Jaime who's both vulnerable and strong. If anything makes this show fun to watch it will be her. So I'm not ready to say forget it just yet, but they need to start pulling out some surprises if they want to keep viewers.

Next we watched Life, a show about Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis), a cop who was unjustly imprisoned for 12 years and has just been exonerated. He's been given a large cash settlement (some guess $50 million), but chooses to go back to work as a cop. Only now, he has a unique insight into both the ways that criminals think, and the way that cops think about criminals. And apparently, he read a lot of books about Zen, because he makes all these really deep observations that make you go, "Wow." I didn't think I would like this show, but I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Lewis is likeable as the wronged Crews, who no longer really fits into society ("What's an IM?") or into life among the other cops. Despite his time behind bars, Crews has a wonderful ability to connect with people, and gets answers other people can't. Playing his partner is Sarah Shahi, who does a wonderful job of being tough but vulnerable at the same time. I loved the shower scene (you'll have to watch it to see what I mean!). And I loved how they solved the case at the end. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes, especially as Charlie tries to figure out who framed him twelve years ago.

And finally, the show I was most skeptical about, Journeyman. From the ads, it looked like a rip-off of Quantum Leap, one of my all-time favorite shows. Guy travels in time, but can't control it, doesn't always know why he's there, but ends up putting things right that once went wrong. And I was right about the similarities. Yet I was strongly drawn into the story, right from the start. Kevin McKidd stars as Dan Vasser, a reporter who lost his fiancee in a plane crash eight years ago. He's now married to Katie (who used to date his brother!) and they have a son and a sometimes rocky relationship. It doesn't help when he starts disappearing for days at a time. At first he thinks it's a dream. But then he begins making connections between what he "dreams" and real life. And he makes a startling discovery in the past that promises to make the series very interesting indeed. Just like Sam Beckett and his computer Ziggy, Dan's got a handheld computer (his phone) to give him info. But often, right when he's about to find a clue, he loses service (because he's just flashed into the past). And when he's in the present, he has to deal with friends and family who think he's on drugs. I loved the intervention ("Trust me, you have not been where I've been.").

So the show I was most prepared to dislike I actually really enjoyed. Dan is intelligent and passionate, and I loved the ending. I turned to Hubby and said, "I'm intrigued." I think this show has amazing possibilities, and I can't wait to see what they do with it.

If you have Comcast On Demand, you can check out these pilot episodes, right now! If not, they will all be premiering this coming week. Happy viewing!

Nice matters!

I just received a lovely award from the very sweet eMom at Chrysalis. Thank you so much!

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

Now to pass it on to seven others! Probably all my picks have already gotten it, but I'm going to hand it out anyway! Excuse the excessive use of the word 'nice' - it's part of the award.

1. Cheeky, who is just one of the nicest people I have "met" online. Love you, girlfriend!
2. Tracy, a.k.a Tee, is the only blogger I've met in real life (who I didn't already know), and is just as sweet and nice in real life as on her blog.
3. Mary Anne, a.k.a. CameraDawktor. She hasn't been around much lately, but when she is, she always has a kind word to say.
4. Blest, a dear friend who gave me the encouragement to keep plugging away at this weight loss thing. I would have given up after 20 pounds if not for her, and she knows it.
5. And while I'm at it, all the ladies at One Weigh or Another. No one there ever has anything nasty to say to anyone else. They are the most encouraging group of people I've ever been around.
6. Jean-Luc, who should be totally snobby because he's such a brilliant blogger, but who is always so nice and leaves such encouraging comments. Plus he's English, so automatically he gets bonus points. ;)
7. And finally, I'm sending this one right back to eMom! Thanks for thinking of me!

WCW - Way back!

This week, TKW asked to see our leftovers. One of those pictures we were planning to use for Way Back Wednesday, but never got a chance. This is one of my favorite old pictures of me. I like it because it's funny, and because it reminds me of autumn, one of my favorite times of the year.

Clearly I am very into whatever game I am playing as I leap into the air to catch the ball. What ball? See that thing over my head? Yeah, that's the ball. I never was one for great hand-eye coordination.

So, did you play?

I love to count!!

I suppose it was bound to happen, with a father who's an engineer. My youngest, age 2, is obsessed with numbers. In particular, with counting. He loves to count. It's exactly like living with the Count from Sesame Street. This morning, for example, he poured the last of the Ritz crackers from their crinkly package onto the table. "I count them, Mommy." He pointed at each one as he recited, "One, two, three, four, Mommy!" "That's right, there are four." I have to confirm it for him. You know, measure twice and all that.

He's taken to counting anything of which there is more than one. Last week in a restaurant's bathroom, he had to count the light bulbs. "One,two,three.four,five,six,seven,eight,nine,ten... ten, ten, ten, ten, ten! Ten, Mommy!" Yeah, he doesn't count past ten yet. Still, pretty good for a two year old.

I envision him in two or three years' time doing long division, trig, maybe even calculus. After all, that's just advanced counting. And with him at home, there's no limit to what I can teach him.

But first I'm going to teach him to say, "I love to count!" with a cheesy Transylvanian accent. Cause I'm cool like that.

I answer your questions

On Monday, I asked you to ask me any questions you wanted. And today I shall answer them.

Hubby asked, "Why?" The answer to that is, as always, because I said so.

Cheeky wanted to know, "Is you is or is you ain't gonna be my one state away neighbor?????"
The answer to that is still up in the air. As far as I know, they haven't gotten back to us with an offer. And it would have to be a pretty spectacular one for us to go to all the trouble of moving.

Karmyn had several questions: What is your favorite time of the day and why?
If I'm awake, I love the early morning, when it's cool, a light mist still hangs in the air, and the boys are still asleep. Unfortunately, I'm usually up too late at night to get up early!
What is your favorite subject to teach to your kids?
I really love teaching science, but I hate doing experiments. I have a bad track record with experiments. Apparently, the laws of physics work differently in my house. At least, that's my story.
What is your favorite way to pamper yourself?
I like to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of strong, black coffee. If I'm away from home, going out to eat is my favorite treat, especially if I can get good seafood (and I'm from Maryland, so I mean good seafood).

And finally, Beth asked, "What is your hardest day of the week, and why?"
Monday is usually the hardest, because the boys play all weekend and then we have to get back into the school routine again. There are some Mondays when we don't start school until 10 or 11 because we're all just dragging. But even worse than Mondays are Tuesdays after a 3 or 4 day weekend.

Thanks for all the questions, everyone! That was fun!

WCW - Tentacular!

I'm trying to think how this fits into the letter W, and it just doesn't. But here it is anyway. The other day we were at the grocery store, and I noticed this on the shelf:

Now trying to tell four boys they won't like octopus is like trying to convince a dog to ignore a T-bone. It ain't happening. So we put the octopus in the cart, with the understanding that I would be taking photographs of their octopus-eating experience. This is going to make a fun scrapbook page.

So first, the five year old tried it:

And his reaction:

Get it out! Get it out! Then the eight year old tried it.

He likes it! At least one of them will eat it. And then, the two year old had to have a sample, because he loves seafood.
See? Food!

So, did you play?

Six years ago

I worked as the childcare person at a local gym, for two hours every weekday morning, 9 a.m. to 11. This particular morning, one of the regulars had brought her two preschoolers, I had my five and two year olds, and I was a few weeks pregnant with #3. Like every other morning, the kids played and watched Nickelodeon.

A few minutes before 10, the other mom came back into the room. She looked at me. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Change the channel. Two planes flew into the World Trade Center."

I jumped up and started flipping channels. My older son wanted to know why. "I want to see the news," I replied. "A plane just hit the World Trade Center."

Yes, I heard her say two planes. I did. But out loud I said one. Because in the back of my mind I knew instantly that if two planes hit, it was deliberate. And then she said it again. "Two planes." I looked up at her, and we both knew what that meant.

Mere moments after I changed the channel, the first tower crumbled. The news commentators didn't even notice at first. I remember shouting, "The building is falling and they're not even paying attention!" We watched in utter disbelief as one and then the other building fell. And our world changed forever.

Never forget.

Please go read my tribute from last year, if you feel so inclined.

800!

I have reached my 800th post! All I can say is, I sure talk a lot. I never did a 100 things about me list, and by the time I got to 400 posts, I knew I'd never be able to think of 400 things about me to write down. Besides, pretty much anything you'd want to know about me is probably in this blog somewhere.

But just in case there's something you're just dying to know, I'm opening the floor to questions. What do you want to ask me? Anything at all, just ask. I will answer questions later this week. Come up with some good ones!

Kids are weird

Yesterday, while I was teaching the oldest boy, the younger three decided that it was absolutely the most hysterical thing ever to stick stuffed animals down their pants. The two-year-old was calling himself Mr. Plushy Butt. Which, of course, made me Mommy Mr. Plushy Butt. He fell asleep with a duck and frog on his back end.

Can you read me now?

I've been told by no less than four different people recently that they have trouble with my blog coming up. It takes a really long time, or doesn't ever load at all. So in an effort to find and fix the problem, I have changed a few things around. First of all, the blog entries should load before the sidebar content now, so if Blogrolling is hung up, it should still let you read the latest entry. Second, I've deleted a lot of stuff that was hosted elsewhere and tried to stick to my own Photobucket account. And third, I took away the expandable boxes for the blogrolls I belong to, making the sidebar impossibly long, but also giving the computer less to think about before opening my page.

So, did you notice any difference in speed of loading? I'm still getting an error, but everything seems to load okay. Let me know what you think, and I'll keep tweaking.

Oh, and don't you just love this retro template? I changed it from the original somewhat, and will probably change it again, but I just love it!

WCW - The land of snow and, well, you know the rest

This is a picture Hubby took while landing in Wisconsin. No, not this time, silly. Even there it doesn't start snowing in September! At least, not the beginning of September. It's just a pic I had on the computer. Anyway, he's on his way home today after interviewing for two jobs. When I spoke to him last night, he hadn't found out what the offer is. Clearly, we're not all that interested in actually moving. But it would be nice if the people here would offer him the same amount or more vacation or something.

So there's my W for the week - Wisconsin!

What day is it?

School is moving right along this year, which is definitely a good thing. We haven't yet had a major battle. But then, I haven't tried to get the sixth grader to write anything yet. I guess he gets that from his father. Hubby doesn't even read anything unless I'm not around to read it to him, so writing is pretty much off the table for him. Which is fine. We balance each other out. I do all the reading and writing, and he does all the math and science. I've already told him he's going to teach high school math to the boys because it's just not my thing.

Anyway, long weekends always mess with my head. It feels like a second Saturday, and then Tuesday is completely thrown off. I need to start lessons this morning, but I really don't want to. And Hubby's off interviewing for that job in Wisconsin today, so that throws the daily rhythm off, too.

Okay, gotta go.

Happy Labor Day!

Hubby's off for the day and we're heading down to Baltimore to visit family. I hope everyone has a great day!

And if you're here, why not drop a word of congrats to my parents, who are celebrating their 42nd wedding anniversary today! Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Moving... or not.

I should have said yesterday that just because the London Eye has, in my opinion, completely marred the aesthetics of the city, that doesn't mean I won't go up in it the next time I'm in London. Of course I will! Just like I may think the name Chunnel is stupid, but that doesn't mean I won't use it. I just like remembering London the way it was, that's all.

And now for something completely different. There's been an offer of a job for Hubby in the Land of Snow and Cheese, aka Wisconsin. They really want him for either of two jobs there, actually. At this point, we're not interested in moving, but if they make a good enough offer (which, obviously, we need to define before he goes out there to interview), it might be worth considering. The plan right now is to play them against where he works now (same company, different location) and see what they'll offer him right here. Not moving would be good.

Then again, I had a look at the WI homeschool laws and it sounds SOOO much better than PA. That alone makes it kind of tempting!

Books and more books

The local used bookstore had one of their big bag sales this past weekend. I picked up some great books, all I could stuff in a bag for $4. Some of my more interesting finds include:

• the memoirs of Julian Hawthorne, son of my favorite author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. I can't wait to dig into this one and see Hawthorne's life through his son's eyes.
• Suzanne Somers' Eat Great, Lose Weight, which I picked up mostly for the recipes. It looks like her plan (published in 1997) is virtually identical to South Beach, which didn't come out until 2003. I guess people didn't take her as seriously because, hey, she's Suzanne Somers.
• I also found a great book on London, published in 1976. I like it because it has all the wonderful historical sites I remember from my time there (I was there in 1991), with nary a trace of the dreadful London Eye. Am I the only one who thinks a giant ferris wheel on the bank of the Thames is just horrific?
• A book on Spain published in 1992, so it's going to be very similar to what I saw in 1988. I can use it as a reference when I'm working on my novel from my first NaNo.

Not to mention a bunch of kids' fiction for the boys to enjoy, like Super Diaper Baby, by the same author who brought us Captain Underpants. Totally silly, but fun. And of course, some classic fiction for use in school. I even picked up a first grade math workbook from the FREE table - so there's next year's curriculum for the 5 year old!

((Sigh)) - I heart book sales.

WCW - Turn yourself in and nobody gets hurt

This week's Wild Card photo is something I got in the mail which amused me. Take a look.

Apparently the previous occupants of this house needed to renew their pistol permits. But that's not what caught my eye. Look at this:

I'm wondering how many calls they get from sending out these cards.
"Hello, this is the Sheriff's Office."
"Um, yes, I got a card in the mail that says you're going to arrest me?"
Sheriff's Office worker scrambles for a pen. "Can I have your name please?"
"Sure, it's Thiefy McThieverson."
"Hmm, yes, Mr. McThieverson, I see you're wanted for armed robbery. Where are you right now?"

And of course, if they know where to send the little postcard, why don't they just go arrest the guy?

So there's my W for the week - Warrant!

Ode to British television

Lost had ended, Heroes finished,
Summer stretched before me
With only a few reality shows
And reruns left to bore me.

Then BBC America became
My new nighttime sensation.
Robin Hood and his band of thieves
Brought endless fascination.

Oh, the adventures, the intrigue, the fun!
A favorite legend of mine, redone,
With new twists and turns to thrill my heart,
Now I want the second season to start!

But old BBC had more tricks to show me.
Gordon Ramsay's nightmares enthrall me.
Restaurant owners can be so clueless
But Gordon's there to help them through this!

British humor (or humour) is always a hit,
And BBC America has plenty of it.
Whether reruns of Coupling, The Office or Whose Line
An evening of laughter leaves me feeling fine.

And lately there's Jekyll, another old story
Redone for today in all of its glory.
Will Dr. Jackman's dark side foil him?
I've not watched the finale - don't spoil it!

BBC America, what will you show next?
Maybe I'll have to catch reruns of Hex.
Until Robin returns with his merry men,
Or Lost is finally on again.

Here's the deal

Individually, nobody's idea seemed totally right. But I am formulating some possible titles based on ideas y'all gave me (that's a little Southern speak left over from my years in Virginia and Louisiana). So here's what I'm going to do:

Later today, I will draw a name to win all of the fabulous prizes pictured below, plus some extra ones I didn't have a chance to post. If you gave me a name idea, I will put your name in the drawing twice. If you commented, I will give you one chance. Then I will draw a name at random and award said prizes to the winner.

Then sometime this week, I will have a poll with some names listed. If you would be so kind as to vote for the one you like best at that time, I will most likely go with the majority. And yes, Hubby, I will have a choice for keeping the same name I've always had. Turns out he likes Going Places. And I would lose about 20 hits a week by changing the name, so I guess he has a point!

And the new name is...

...still undecided. I gave until noon to get those ideas to me. Come on, people! I know you're a creative bunch out there. Where are those prize-winning ideas? I'm going to extend the deadline until this evening at 5 (that's Eastern time). And if I still don't see one I like, the winner will be decided by random drawing. So even if you think you have a lousy idea, or no idea at all, leave me a comment and I'll put you in the drawing. What do you have to lose? Nothing. C'mon, let's hear those ideas!

Help me and win stuff!

This is a sticky post! Scroll down for new posts from 8/20-8/23.

It's been two and a half years since I started this blog, and in all that time there's been something that's bothered me. The name. When I was filling out the form to start with, it asked for a name for the blog. I glanced next to me on the desk and saw a travel magazine called "Going Places" and I thought, yeah, that's a good name. But ever since then, I've been trying to come up with a better name. And I just haven't.

So I'm turning it over to you. Going Places is going away. But what will the new name be? I want something that reflects who I am, without being too wordy or cutesy (though I can at times be both wordy and cutesy). What I'm going to do is take suggestions, either in the comments or through email. I will take submissions from now until next Friday the 24th at noon. Then I will decide by the following Monday which new title I like the best. If you haven't been reading me very long, peruse some of the archives to get a feel for what I write about.

And what do you get for all your efforts? Well, I'm putting together a prize package. I know I'm going to put a couple of books in there. What I'll do is make this a sticky post and as I add prizes to the list, I'll put up pictures. I want to make it worth your while.

In the meantime, spread the word! The more suggestions I get, the better. Snag this button and tell people about it! Oh, and in the event I can't find a suggestion I like a lot, I will randomly draw a name to win anyway!

EDIT: Here are prizes #1 and 2, novels I have recently enjoyed, that I would like for someone else to enjoy!

Prize #3: This lovely autumn-themed candle holder, with candle.

Flood!

We got home from soccer practice last night, and I went to make my evening coffee. As I poured water into the coffee maker, I felt a drop hit my arm. Figuring the water had splashed off the edge of the reservoir, I straightened my pour and continued. I reached into the cabinet for a filter and set it in place. Another drop hit my arm.

"Where is this water coming from?" I looked up. "Oh, no, the toilet!!" On our way home, we had debated stopping at the store for a new handle for the toilet. It flushes fine, but if you don't hold the handle until it's done, it runs. On and on. Forever. We decided not to stop last night because it was out of the way, we didn't need anything else, and we were tired. As soon as we walked in the door, the five-year-old used the toilet. It apparently was clogged and began overflowing. Only it didn't stop, because of the broken handle.

Hubby instantly jumped up and ran upstairs. I shouted for the boys to bring all the towels they could carry and we all ran up. It took a bit of time, but we got all the water cleaned up. So I came back downstairs to assess the damage.

The water still ran down the wall and the fronts of the cabinets like a river. Plus, it was raining about two feet out. Raining in the kitchen. Not good. Hubby got a bucket and a screwdriver and poked a hole in the ceiling over the cabinets, to let the water drain. It worked pretty well. Then we could go about cleaning the counters, which had turned into a small lake. Not fun.

I think we'll be going to the store tonight.

Congrats to Terry Fator!

I have been watching America's Got Talent, and was rooting for this guy all along. The multi-talented Terry Fator does impressions of famous singers. But he does them through his puppets with ventriloquism! He is simply amazing. Look him up on YouTube and you'll see what I mean. Well, here, let me show you.

Congratulations on your win, Terry! You totally deserved it!

Frizzy hair day

Remember that episode of Friends when they're all on some tropical island (Jamaica?) and Monica's hair gets all frizzy from the humidity? Yeah. That's me right now. I look like I should be doing an ad for Aqua-Net circa 1985. Or like I'm from Dallas. One or the other.

Diaper countdown!

Last night, I opened our last bag of 78 diapers. I am fervently hoping that this will be our LAST bag of diapers. The two-year-old has been telling me when he needs to go for about a week now. He wears underwear most days, though he still has two or three accidents a day. But I've been trying not to put diapers on him during the day unless he wets all of his underwear. He's doing really well.

Since my first and third sons both waited until they were well past their third birthdays to be fully trained, I'm excited! At this rate, he'll even beat my second son's family record of two and ten months! And Hubby's excited because he won't be paying for diapers anymore!

Open letter to Movie-Going Idiot and His Wife

Dear Idiot,

I am sure that your Nirvana t-shirt means a lot to you. It's probably one of your treasured collectibles from the days when you used to sit in your bedroom at your parents' house, listening to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and hoping your parents couldn't smell what you were smoking. You could probably sell it on Ebay for a decent profit. But you, sir (and I use that term loosely) did not use what little brain the weed didn't kill when getting dressed yesterday morning. And I did not appreciate having to stand in line behind someone with eight different obscenities written across his back, when I have two children who can read. Exactly what were you thinking when you decided to wear that to a "Family Friendly Movie?" Did you not realize there would be children there?

So please tell your wife/baby mama that despite appearances we were not trying to get in front of you in line. I was just trying to stand between my kids and your highly offensive article of clothing. If I'd stepped in front of you, that would have left them wide open to it. I hope you really enjoyed the 20 minutes of the movie you saw before your screaming child forced you to leave. Next time you go out in public, dress appropriately to the situation. If it's a choice between that shirt and no shirt, leave it off. Assuming you have nothing even more obscene tatooed on your skin.

Thank you.

But what was he happy ABOUT?

We seem to have fallen right into the swing of school this year. That's definitely a good sign. I think all my preparation paid off. Even on a day like today, when we went to the last free movie of the summer at our local theater, we still came home and got all our work done. Excellent.

The movie was Happy Feet. All I can say about this movie is that it was cute. There were a couple of laughs. For the most part, I just kept feeling like the plot meandered in too many directions. I mean, what's the conflict here? It seemed there were three or four things that all could have been the main conflict, and the plot kept moving around those things without making any of them the most important. I really liked the combination of live actors with the animation, but other than that, I don't think I'd watch it again.

Free movies are a good thing.

I've got shelves!

I mentioned a while back that Hubby was going to build me some shelves in the schoolroom, but I hadn't gotten a chance to show them to you. This first picture is the amount of shelves I asked for:

Just those two shelves under the window was all I really needed. But Hubby pointed out that it would be just as easy to add a few more on either side. So now I have this:

And this:

And see the shelf around the top? That goes all the way around three sides of the room! Let me tell you, this is a homeschooling mom's dream! I had a couple of homeschooling friends over and they were so jealous! Thanks for doing this for me, honey! I love it!

Kill the chicken!!

The last couple of nights have reminded me of an episode of Home Improvement. One in particular. (And no, Hubby, I'm not talking about the fiasco with the car repairs). Tim tells Jill he will teach the boys to sit down and have a quiet, civilized, polite dinner. I think there was a bet involved. Anyway, the only way he can get them to sit quietly is by wearing them out beforehand. So they run like wild men through the house and yard, screaming the whole time.

And that, my friends, has been my house the past few days. The clock strikes 6 p.m. and it's like somebody flipped a switch and they go berserk. All four of them. Which is 33% more than Tim Taylor had to deal with. There are invisible monsters chasing them, so they scream and run. One brother is trying to bite the other, so he screams and runs. We send them outside, but they keep coming back in for another lap.

At least it usually gets nice and quiet at bed time.

School starts Monday

Since we're planning on taking three weeks off at Thanksgiving to go to Disney World, I thought it would be a good idea to start school on Monday instead of waiting two more weeks. I can't say anybody but me is excited about it, but that's the way it goes. I was always the weird one who wanted to go back to school at the end of the summer, and I guess I still am.

I'm not going to say homeschooling has gotten easier, exactly, but we've certainly got into a pattern that works for us, for the most part. I rarely have to deal with a child who just sits there with his arms crossed refusing to answer me. More often than not, we get through our entire day of lessons by 2 p.m., and the house looks only slightly less damaged than if a tornado went through it by that point in the day.

I think that's the hardest thing for me - I work all morning and into the afternoon with the boys, and then I have all this housework that needs to be done. It's exhausting. But I think we'll be okay - we've implemented this new points system around here that has my oldest two doing extra chores without even being asked! This is a good thing!

So, I've got my schedule all written out in detail for week one. Any bets as to how closely we'll follow it?

Here's how it is.

I have a two-year-old screaming in my ear right now. Is he injured? No. His older brother won't let him play with one of his trains. Apparently, being told that Henry does not belong to him and he's not allowed to play with it on Thursdays is a fate worse than death.

You know, this kid is pushing his luck. Does he really think I care about a stupid toy that's not even his when he doesn't care that he woke me up at 6 a.m. climbing all over me and requesting Thomas videos, drinks, and Goldfish? Sorry. I just don't.

WCW - R

Today's random letter is "R", brought to you by the lovely and talented TKW. So, here's a picture from camp last week.
This is me Relaxing on the swings after a Really long day at camp. Hubby and I were in charge of nine 7 and 8-yr-old boys, which you might think would be a piece of cake for me. Okay, I pretty much didn't have any trouble, but it still wore me out! Also notice my Really big dress, leftover from the fat days. I have since pitched it in the Goodwill box. You know, a year ago I couldn't comfortably sit on one of those swings.

So, did you play?

Home again

Who picked the most humid, miserable weekend of the whole summer to go camping? {Waving hand in the air} Yeah, that would be me. The heat was bad, but the humidity was a killer. Still, we had fun. Mainly because my parents were also there in their RV, which has AC, even though it isn't very cold. At least it took the moisture out of the air. So we slept in our camper, but we hung out in their coach the rest of the time.

We made another three visits to the Creation Museum, as well. I know, we were just there, but this time I got to take my brother and his girlfriend with two of my guest passes. We also finally had time to see the last few rooms of displays which previously went by in a blur as we were dragged through by screaming children. Not that we didn't have screaming children with us this time. But we traded off so we could each look at the stuff we wanted to look at. I am more impressed with the museum now than I was after our first visit. Now if only I could get out of their bookstore without buying something every time!!

The worst part of the weekend was the drive there and back. I won't go into details, but let's just say that pee spilled on the van carpet, followed by vomit a couple of days later, does not make for the most pleasant travel experience.

Teenage mating rituals

It's pretty fun sitting up on the creek bank watching the "push boat" operators. The Junior Counselors are two 13-year-old boys, and one boy who is older, maybe 14 or 15. They are all cute (and I say this strictly in a parental "aren't those kids adorable" sort of way and not in a weird way at all), but there is one who is definitely a future hunk. Yesterday we had one 13-year-old girl come by to ride in the boat. As if that was actually why she came over.

Today, we had a whole flock of girls. Now, keep in mind, the girls are supposed to be doing other stuff while the boys are doing water activities. And yet, for some unknown reason (-->hot guy(s)), they are dallying around the boat. Giggling. Squealing. "Oh, don't splash me!" Giggle, giggle. And the boys, because they are boys, splash them even more. And then the girls throw the boys' towels in the creek. And so it goes.

Oh, this boy's parents are in for quite a ride.

I think I'm allergic to fresh air

Two days in a row now I've come home with a killer headache. There must be a front moving in, because the weather tends to play havoc with my sinuses. And of course, all the things I'm allergic to are mostly outdoors. But that's okay, the headache doesn't get really bad until the end of the day. The kids are having a blast with all the camp activities: swimming, wagon rides, paddle boats, tubing. My assignment is watching the "push boat," a little rowboat that the junior counselors push upstream for a ride. It's nice and shady there, and there's nothing for me to do, so I brought a book and read the whole time.

I also somehow managed to volunteer to play piano the rest of the week. Not quite sure how I did that. I've been practicing since we got home, and it's shaky. I'm a very right-handed pianist. I can play the right hand no problem, but if I have to play the left with it, I slow down to a crawl. Throw in four flats in the key signature, and I might as well forget it. So they'll have the right hand only tomorrow, which I suppose is better than no piano at all, which they've had the first two days.

And hopefully this front will pass overnight and I won't have another headache.

First day of camp

We had our first day of Good News Camp today. I'm totally worn out and have a killer headache, but didn't want anyone to think I'd forgotten to blog! It's a day camp, so we're done around 3:30, but after a full day of swimming, playing, lessons and quiz time, everybody's just beat. Hopefully that means early bedtimes tonight!

Don't worry - I'll take the camera some day this week and get some pictures!

SPF - Rainbow

Kristine wants to see a rainbow this week. My son happens to have snapped this picture at the Creation Museum. The rainbow is just to the left of center.
Genesis 9:12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”



Did you play?

Random act of kindness

Last night I went to the store with just the 5-yr-old. I had a list. But I had left something off. I went blithely through the store, picking up everything, all the while listening to the incessant chatter of my son. His favorite thing to do was yell, "Ooo, oo!" like one of those kids in elementary school who sticks his hand way up in the air and waves it frantically. He did this every time he saw something he wanted, which was approximately every 9.4 seconds.

Finally, we got through the store, paid, and went out to the car. I opened the back, and that's when I saw the roll of paper towels we keep there for checking oil, wiping up vomit, etc. "Paper towels!" I said, smacking myself in the head. "I forgot paper towels!" I started loading things into the car. "I guess I'll put all this stuff into the van and then we'll go back inside for paper towels, 'cause we're completely out."

My son said, "You're going to put me in the car and go back in without me?" a look of horror on his face.

"No, silly, I'm just putting this stuff in the car, and then we'll both go back in." I turned to grab the next bag and saw a man coming towards us across the parking lot. In his hand were two rolls of paper towels.

"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation," he said (oops, was I griping that loud?), "and I happened to have these in my truck." He held the rolls out to me. "I have kids," he said. "I understand not wanting to go back in the store!"

I took the rolls and thanked him profusely, and we were on our way home. Now that's the kind of thing that really restores your faith in humanity.

When the power is out

I woke up this morning to the sound of... no sound. We have a constant hum around here: fans or air conditioner, depending on the heat; the dehumidifier in the basement; two refrigerators; and an assortment of electronic devices. Together, they create a droning not unlike the deep underlying drone of the engines on the USS Enterprise. But this morning, we were dead in space. No power.

Have you ever noticed that it's hard to think of things to do when the power is out? My brain went through the following conversation with itself:
- I ought to get a shower.
- You can't - there's no power to run the well pump.
- Oh, right. ((dozing)) I should go do my blog for the day.
- You can't - there's no power to run the cable modem.
- Oh, yeah. Well, I need to call-
- You can't- you have VOIP service. No internet, no phone.
- Oh yeah.

I don't know exactly how long the power was out, but the freezer is beeping its little alarm that tells me it's too warm inside, so it must have been a while. Thank goodness I can do stuff now. Um, what was it I needed to do again?

I would never make it in the Amish world.

11 years ago...

I was sitting in a hospital bed, holding my newborn son and wondering what on earth I was supposed to do with him. Oh, how many sleepless nights were ahead! How many endless screamfests when nothing at all would comfort him! Five months of sleeping with the baby because he wouldn't sleep alone. Refusing to drink from a bottle. Nursing every hour for forty-five minutes.

Yes, there's no question my oldest was my most difficult. And now he is one of the most amazing kids you'd ever want to meet. I'm so proud of him. Happy birthday, son! I love you!

Opening my own library soon...

Despite the fact that I would really have liked to go camping again this past weekend, I decided there was really too much to do around here. So we stayed home and worked. I did tons of weeding and trimming of bushes, so now our front walk looks a lot less like the approach to a spooky abandoned house.

I had mentioned to Hubby that a set of shelves in the school room might be nice, since I seem to have a talent for picking up huge stacks of used books, and I long ago ran out of shelf space for them. Instead of the simple set of two shelves under the window that I suggested, Hubby is building me an entire WALL of shelves. Now I'll have room for all my books, and I can shelve them according to Dewey decimal number. We just have a few more shelves to cut and mount and it'll be done.

Now I'm itching to go to another book sale.

SPF - Fork it over

This week's SPF is the silverware drawer. So here it is.
I bought those white trays for holding the forks, spoons and knives, but they always slide to the back when I open the drawer. Why don't they make those things shorter? I mean, really, who uses a foot-long spoon?

I have to say, it's been nice and peaceful around here now that our neighbors have moved out. They were very good neighbors, in that they kept to themselves and didn't bug us, but their six year old daughter was another story. She was over here all the time, particularly once school let out. And let's just say her parents didn't teach her much about social graces and leave it at that. I don't know why they moved (they sold all their pets, including three horses, and bought a smaller house with less land), but frankly, if I had two daughters and lived next door to a house full of boys, I'd move too. And quick.


So, did you play?

The Creation Museum

Before I tell you about the museum, for anyone who might stumble across this review I wanted to tell you that I have studied evolution. I spent hours every day for two weeks straight reading books and websites devoted to it. I approached it with an open mind, sincerely wishing to understand what it is that so many scientists accept as fact. And then I taught it in my homeschool, before moving on to the Creation as taught in the Bible. Before you negatively comment on my point of view, I'd like you to do the same. Go to Answers in Genesis and read everything you can read in the next two weeks. Read the book of Genesis itself, in whatever translation you like. And read it all with an open mind, clear of skepticism. Take a couple of hours to explain it to someone else with no editorial comments. Then come back here.

The first things you notice at the Creation Museum are the dinosaurs. And not just dinosaurs, but dinosaurs next to people. As you walk into the first room, an archeological dig is taking place. You are shown through a series of illustrations showing the conclusions that man has come up with apart from the Bible (millions of years, molecules-to-man evolution), and then the same illustrations are used to show that what we see in the geological and fossil record can be explained by what we read in Genesis. The difference between the two is their worldview. One says, "God cannot exist, therefore..." The other says, "God exists and gave us a book of history, therefore..." But could all the stuff in Genesis really have happened? Let's explore further...

As you go through the museum, you see the six days of creation. Everything is good, and then Adam and Eve eat that fruit. Sin enters the world, and with it death and suffering. Corruption. God's creation is no longer good, and He decides to wipe it away with a worldwide flood. Only one man and his family escape. Now, we've all heard stories of Noah's ark. But hearing about it is nothing compared to seeing it. In one room of the museum is a full-scale replica of one tiny portion of the side of the ark. You can walk through the inside, too. Even at that, it's hard to imagine the size of it. Big enough to hold two of every kind? Absolutely. In a series of dioramas, we see the loading of the ark, the flood, and the receding of the waters.

Now, at this point, my children became restless. It was past lunchtime, they were hungry, tired from driving all night, and just wanted to move quickly from room to room. So I'm sorry to say I missed many of the more interesting topics covered by the museum, such as the Scopes trial, racism (the Bible is AGAINST it, in case you were wondering), and whatever else was in those last few rooms I got pulled through! We did, however, get to see the dinosaurs models, which come last. It was so refreshing to be able to read the information about each dinosaur without seeing that it lived "250 million years ago." Instead, most of the dinosaurs are biblically dated to have lived around 2500 BC.

From one visit, I would say that this musuem's main purpose is not evangelism. That may surprise you. But it is an unfortunate fact that many people who claim to be Christians do not believe the accounts in the book of Genesis. I think this museum's message is that you can be a Christian and KNOW why you believe. And in turn, tell others why. All Christians need to visit this museum, if at all possible.

I would say if you are not a Christian, and are not willing to open your mind to the possibility that this museum tells the truth, don't go. In other words, if you're going to approach it with a closed mind full of sarcasm and skepticism, save your money. But if you're prepared to believe that there is a God, go see it.

WCW - Party time! Excellent!

For this week's Wild Card, I had no trouble finding a picture. I saw this and immediately thought of TKW. This is the sign that was in a ballpark near the playground we visited Saturday.

I bet you know the W's I'm thinking of for this picture. As soon as I saw the sign, I could hear Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in my head: "Chick! Schwing!" Major Wayne's World flashback!

So there you have it. Did you play?

Pics and a meme

Here's our camper all set up at the campsite Saturday evening. Notice the stove on the side, which I used to cook this tremendous feast:

And the weird thing was, I bought twelve burger patties thinking everyone would want two, and I think we had six left over. Everyone was just too tired to eat!! But what fun! I can't wait to do it again!

And now...

Tagged by Emom:
1. All right, here are the rules.
2. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
3. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
4. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
5. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Okay, here are my eight facts:

1. I used to keep all my books in alphabetical order. Now, I'm trying to put them all in Dewey decimal system order so that when we're studying something, we can find it!


2. I drink my coffee black. I used to add cream and sugar until I met my college roommate. She was a tiny little 4'11" girl and drank her coffee black, and I thought, "If she can do it, so can I."


3. I have been on this diet for 14 months now and have lost 55 pounds.


4. I love trying new foods, but unfortunately, my kids don't! So I usually stick to the same basic meals for dinner.


5. I won the Bible I still use, a nice leather Scofield Reference Bible (KJV), by memorizing and then reciting 50 verses all at once. I was 13. I still know those verses.


6. I took a drawing class my senior year of college and the professor wanted me to switch to an art major. He was disappointed when I told him I was a senior.


7. I love Disney World and I would live there if I could. Not near there, but actually in the park.


8. I play piano, French horn and recorder rather well, but I know how to play pretty much any non-stringed instrument because my Dad taught music.

Okay, so now I'm supposed to tag someone. Um, if I've never tagged you, tag, you're it!