The Ultimate Creator

(A Year Later....)

2008-09-02T11:28:00.002-04:00

I know that I had ceased blogging, but since we have moved and I have a tiny bit more time on my hands at present, I thought I would blog a little update:

I have moved from the Washington DC area to the high plains in the Texas/Oklahoma/New Mexico region. We are now in a town of maybe 40,000. I am still adjusting, but in general, I like it.

Fortunately, a friend from way back moved here a few weeks after we did. We are enjoying sharing the joys and pains of small town life and the quirky people we encounter on a close to daily basis.

I kinda quit blogging after I started going to Community Bible Study. Prior to that, I did several studies with online friends. This spurred me to post at least once a week. There isn't a CBS here, but I met a neighbor who is trying to get one started. I have been looking for a study until then (January?). There is a Beth Moore study starting in October. This week one church is starting Satisfy Our Souls: A Cry from the Desert by Frances Worthington. I would love to hear any input about her or this book since I'm not familiar with it.

A nearby college has a new printmaking instructor and no classes yet. I'm going to go over there and visit this week and see if there is a way to use the facility. I have a room here at the house to use as a studio, but it is jammed full of everything we didn't have another place for at the moment. It is the art studio/wrapping room/gift closet/kids' craft/computer equipment/scrapbooking room. Did I mention that it is about 6' by 15'? You can see that I won't be painting in there until I work on it a bit. :)

My children are back in school. I had significantly less forms to fill out this year. Okay...maybe not that many less, but not all at the same time. My daughter likes her classmates, but not her teacher; my son likes his teacher, but is struggling a bit with making friends with his classmates. I think sixth grade is a tough year to be a new kid. We have met some of our neighbors and like our neighborhood. We have been going to church and have been meeting some people there as well. All in all, life is good. Thank you, God for all the blessings.

Parental Homework

2007-09-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

Above is my "first week of school homework." Sigh. Today is Thursday too, so I must get it finished today. Remember as well, that I have TWO students in this school, so all but the PTA form and directory form have to be filled out TWICE.

Has the school system not heard of a database? Could we not have the alternative of keyboarding our info in ONCE. I would be more than happy to schedule a time to come to the school to do this! In this day and age, it is ridiculous!

In case you're incredulous, here is a list of what the forms are:

1. Form for county system

2. Form for office file

3. Bus Form

4. Permission to Walk on Field Trips Form

5. Opt-Out of Media Form

6. Opt-Out of Family Life Form

7. Join PTA Form

8. Volunteer Form

9. School Directory Form

10. Parental Responsibilties Form (Whaahh?)

11. Outdoor Lab Form

Luckily, I could file 13 the Free and Reduced Lunch Application and the Student Health Insurance Application, because I think that would put me over the edge.

Almost enough to make me want to homeschool......nah, but I totally respect those of you less-selfish than me.

Speaking of homework, read BooMama's post about preschool assignments stressing her out. I sympathize.

I wonder if BooMama has to make the "all about me" poster too....I had to do my children's before I switched to digital and of course I procrastinated and didn't have the time or inclination to make reprints. I wasn't about to cut up and paste on a poster our "good" photos, but most of our rejects were rejects for a reason! I still have these lovely creations in the basement. I ran across them last month. What a riot!

BTW, if you didn't read my post about last weekend, don't miss it!

Idol Labor Day Weekend

2007-09-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, my workaholic husband mentioned that he was taking off a few days before Labor Day. This was just prior to my going on a nine day road trip through nine states with my mom and children. Being the planner of said trip, I was slightly distracted and went, "Yeah, that's great. We'll do something fun." He suggested an amusement park a few hours away. "Well....maybe," I responded.

On the last day of our road trip, I decided where we should go. PHILADELPHIA! I think I went back in junior high school, but don't remember it at all. The Monday prior, I finally got around to making hotel reservations. I couldn't get a room at my first hotel choice, so I settled on the Hyatt at Penn's Landing.

Guess what was (unbeknownst to me) happening at this hotel all day Saturday and Sunday?

My favorite phrase in the disclaimer is highlighted for you guys. I laughed out loud.

Simon, Paula, Randy, Ryan were auditioning Philadelphia contestants in the ballroom! Although sequestered all day by about twenty American Idol employees/security, we did get to see each of them on one of the evenings as they left.

Ryan shook our hands and said, "Hi, I'm Ryan." I grinned and impressed him by saying, "I know." Simon shook hands with the kids and signed autographs. Paula signed autographs. I didn't see Randy on Sunday, but took his picture getting in a limo on Saturday.

We also saw lots of wacko contestants like a lady (I think) with white boa and feather hat and a guy in a tiger print vest with a guy in a red wig dancing behind him. An AI security guy told my daughter to take a picture of this one girl in a bluish/purplish outfit who was being interviewed outside. She must be one of the talented ones. (Daughter has a low-res Disney camera, so if she is identifiable, I'll post them later. )

BTW, this lucky lady is going to Hollywood, but they made her run up and down the boardwalk several times to get the shot they wanted.

Late Sunday, they had all the "moving on to Hollywood" crowd there taping on the escalators. We were told we could not take pictures of them. I didn't go back in the lobby to see them; we were chatting with Paula's hairdresser.

My kids thought this brush with TV personalities was really cool; my husband just rolled his eyes. We love him anyway.

BTW, we saw the historic sites, rode the Ducks, went to the King Tut exhibit and ate at some fabulous restaurants too! It was a terrific weekend.

Where Does the Time Go?

2007-07-25T14:17:00.000-04:00

Summer is half over and I've nothing to show for it.....except some good memories. :) Of course, these memories and photos will join several thousand others waiting to become beautiful pages....sigh.

What have I been up to? VBS crafts, shuttling my kids to various and sundry interesting camps they chose for this summer, planning the aforementioned trip up the east coast, and playing Webkinz. I am hopelessly addicted. My kids don't mind my earning them kidzcash though. I highly recommend Dicekinz, but you will need to buy some good dice. I did this by doing the quizzy's, Quizzy's Word Challenge and Cloud Storm. We've also planted a garden in the outdoor room and all the pets are enjoying farm fresh vegetables.

My diet has gone kaput, but I did go walking/running today. I hope others are having a more productive summer, but I'm enjoying my wasted one.

Summer Camp

2007-07-11T01:32:00.000-04:00

I know that very few are waiting to hear my next installment, but we are (finally) in the throes of summer. My oldest (not quite 11) is away at sleep-away camp for the first time. My almost eight year-old wishes she was with there too....
Here is the gist of his first letter, addressed to me:

"Dear All,
My first day of camp was rough. The a.c. broke tonight. It was so hot I
could hardly get to sleep. We got to see the red pandas; not the babies though.
So far, camp is fine. From, D."

As sketchy as this is, it still tops my camp experiences. I am hoping he returns with experiences better than my memories of soggy bacon and forgotten underwear memories. Otherwise, my guilt will haunt me.

Hold Your Hats; We've Crossed into Illinois!

2007-06-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

It is amazing how many miles the Lindas, Lisa, Janeen and Michelle racked up the last month while I've neglected, again, to update our progress: 289.5 miles! Consequently, we have crossed over the Ohio River into Illinois.

We are currently a little west of Murphysboro in a town called Chester.

One of the notable facts about Chester is that it is the home of Popeye creator, Elzie C. Segar. Segar park boasts a bronze statue of Popeye himself. Vandals have stolen Popeye's pipe numerous times. Each year they have a Popeye picnic at the park. You can view pictures taken by Thomas J. La Rosa here.

There is also the lovely Chester Bridge connecting Illinois with Missouri over the Mississippi River and Fort Kaskaskia, making this one of our more interesting stops.

Keep on walking! I've gotten back on a plan and am finally making my original goal of 12 miles a week. An email from Lisa M. tells me that she has reached 200 miles in our challenge. That's a great job! I would love to hear other reports of milestones in our journey.

M&M Family

2007-05-30T17:16:00.001-04:00

Thanks Mel....I spent about two hours this morning making this.

Idol Results

2007-05-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

Would you believe that my DVR cut AI off before the winner was announced last night? Since I was not watching real time, I had no idea who won. Well, I had an idea, but no confirmation. I read it in the Post this morning.

Congratulations Jordin! I think you are immensely talented and your win inspired me to see if you really did tour with Michael W. Smith. According to his blog, you definitely did. This makes me so happy. I hope that you use your new found fame to further Christianity the world over. What an awesome opportunity. Make the most of it.

Nancy's Uncommons

2007-05-21T22:03:00.000-04:00

The Mall Meme: I found this over at Melanie's and it sounded like fun.

First, the rules as I understand them: You get to create your own Mall. Choose 6 stores that would definitely be included in your ideal one stop mall. Then as a bonus you can pick your favorite restaurant and fast food eatery to be located there, too. After you’ve created it, post it and tag some bloggers to join in the fun.

1. First, I would have a gallery and framing shop where I could display my artwork and have someone else do my framing. :)

2. I almost said Harold's or J.Jill, but then I got lazy and thought....."I need a place I can buy clothes for the whole family, not just me." So, I choose Steinmart(s). I love the nice stuff, marked down and for the whole family, plus I can also buy gifts and home items too!

3. Books-A-Million! I'm a BAM girl. And, although I prefer Starbucks, Joe Muggs would do fine. (Have you noticed how I'm managing to slip in the extra stores within stores?)

4. Because I'm a total foodie, I have to choose a meat and produce market. It would only have the freshest of fruits and vegetables and a great fish and meat department....Oh! and a section with value wines too.

5. Salon and Spa - a place with a fabulous hairstylist, full-service spa services and $5 kid haircuts. (Can I have an appointment this week?)

6. Best Buy. I have to go with somewhere that has printer ink, movies and gadgets.

Bonus! Restaurants: This would be a hard decision. I love trying new restaurants, so settling on one fine dining restaurant would be nearly impossible. That said, I'm choosing a not-so-fine but yummy restaurant...Chevy's. I could live on the tomalito alone.

Fast food: Zaxby's - I miss their chicken fingers, sauce and mushrooms so much!

Scrapbooking Link is Up!

2007-05-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

I know you have all waited with bated breath! I finally made the scrapbooking link below the title banner go somewhere (or you can click here). You will have to patiently wait for it to load, view the pages and then close the window and click "return to blog." I'm not sure if this system of posting them will be permanent, because of all the clicks required, but at least it is a start.

Sympathy from an Adolescent Boy...

2007-05-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

Walking with the kids, a gnat flew up my nose. I'm sputtering and freaking out...

Darling son, "Don't worry, it will come out in a booger eventually."

Just lovely.

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-11T13:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of my mommy readers. I can't wait to see what my angels have made for me at school. It's always very interesting!

Do you have any Mother's Day traditions? As a child we wore flowers to church....pink or red if our mother was still living and a white one if they had passed away. Since I have been a mom, we most often eat Mexican food and go to the zoo. It's fun to see all the mommy animals with their new spring babies!

Bachelor Picks a Military Wife

2007-05-11T13:45:00.000-04:00

When I surfed to this article through Military Money, I thought you'd find it interesting...Shore Duty.

I especially liked the line he gave about which OSC position the future Mrs. Andy Baldwin would want to take up first....funny stuff.

Obsessed with My Diet

2007-05-11T13:44:00.001-04:00

As many of you out there, I started the May-Day Weight Loss Challenge. I am far more motivated than I have been in years and I think I'm off to a great start. I have been spending so much time planning meals and entering what I eat in my food journal that I didn't realize that I haven't posted here all week!

I've been walking a lot, so if you are part of Walk2Fitness, send in your mileage via comments or email and I'll update. Hopefully, you are still walking even if you haven't reported in lately. Send any backlog you have!

Too Funny (and way too True)

2007-05-04T11:48:00.001-04:00

Your Rapper Name Is...

Biggie Wino

What's Your Rapper Name?

Motivation for Losing Weight

2007-05-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

I was cruising around the blogosphere last week and ran across one of my Walk2Fitness friend's Fitness/Diet blog. This was a big reminder that I have to do something. Summer is quickly approaching and I can't stop eating Alouette and pita chips or cookie dough. (The Alouette Garlic and Herb Light is not that fattening, but the chips sure add up.)

Last year I did Weight Watchers from February until sometime in May. I lost about 15 pounds. It is a great program for health weight loss and maintenance, but I didn't feel like I was getting much out of the meetings even though my leader was terrific. I didn't know anyone at the meeting, so I didn't have any true accountability. I have the knowledge needed to lose weight; it is the discipline I lack.

Over the last year, I have slowly gained back all of the weight I lost and a few more pounds. I know the yo-yo thing and my increasing age make it harder and harder to lose weight, and at 5'2" it doesn't take much to start gaining!

That said...I'm joining Beth and Thea's May Day Weight Loss Challenge beginning on May 8th. I'm counting on you guys for my accountability. If you see my counter stalled for a long time, take the time to encourage me; I'd really appreciate it.

Here are some of my favorite diet/fitness links:
Journal to Success
Dottie's Restaurant List
Easing into a Running Program
Run, Walk, Jog Mapping

Custom Cards

2007-05-02T10:52:00.000-04:00

Works for Me Wednesday, Birthday Edition

I use birthday invitations or baby announcements to make the card for the person being celebrated. For example, below is a baby announcement that I received.

I cut up the announcement and made the card below.

You can also do this digitally, if you know Photoshop, as in this example.

Although I used a baby announcement, this works great for children's themed parties!
When you use part of the invitation, you know that the recipient will like the theme and it personalizes the sentiment, plus it's fun! Works for me!
Visit Shannon for more WFMW birthday tips!

Note: You can do this same type thing for your own child's birthday to make a great title block for scrapbooking. If you go the digital route, you can make thank you notes!

Watchin' Idol

2007-05-01T21:36:00.000-04:00

I didn't plan on bloggin' during the show, but halfway through LaKisha's song I grabbed the laptop....she is awesome tonight. Love the song she picked; didn't know it, but it totally suits her.

Backin' up now....Phil was good. Still not my favorite, but respectable none the less.

Jordin. She's usually at the top of my list, but not tonight. I can't believe that she told Jon that her mother grew up listening to him. I don't know his age, but I'm guessing that he is about 5 years older than me. Although I technically COULD be Jordin's mom, I would not be flattered if she acknowledged that fact on television. I love "Livin' on a Prayer" but she didn't really do it justice. Disappointing because this girl has amazing talent. Like the judges said, "out of her comfort zone." Hope she stays, but learn from this, girl.

I love Blake. Watching Jon talk about his choice makes me nervous. Glad he's showing more of the beatbox thing that makes him stand out. Love the dark hair. (Can't wait to hear controversy over that one!) I think he is rocking a song that I loved originally. Totally fresh. Maybe not everyone will like it, but I love the sound and the risk he took. I might even vote. (Gee, Simon agrees with me.)

I forgot to mention that Ryan needs to shave (or something).

Back to the show.

Cracked up when Ryan called Chris "Justin." Anyway, I love the song. Let's see if he pulls it off.

Good emotion. I like it. Takes me back. He's doing well, but I still think a thousand people could be put in his place and we wouldn't notice. He's a good front man for whatever man needs a singer. I would go see him, but I don't see much originality.

[Aside-Does Simon make disparaging comments about contestants he wants to stay around hoping to incite the vote? Just a thought from a newbie.]

Melinda's shyness and modesty might be her undoing here.... Okay, maybe I'm wrong; she's pulling it off. Maybe it's a bit contrived, but still....she's looks and sounds good and WHAT'S THAT I SEE? ATTITUDE? I love it! Maybe she's fakin' but I love seeing that she's human!
(Okay, she was fakin', but it was good.)

[Aside#2- I love(d) Dub-Ya, but that was a bad teleprompter moment.]

I don't want anyone to go home. :(

Show Me Your Handbag

2007-05-01T15:39:00.000-04:00

Michelle tagged me for this voyeuristic challenge.

I don't have an issue with someone going into my purse for something they need, as long as they are friend or family. This said, I carry weird stuff around in my current purse. You see, it is very large. When Mom gave it to me at Christmas, Hubby noted that it was exceedingly larger than any purse he had ever seen me carry.

Maybe it isn't evident from the first photo, but it works as a purse and a tote bag all in one. The photo below should put it into perspective; it shows the purse's contents last Sunday when I brought it in to do this challenge. The downside of its ability to hold all this stuff is that I can never find a thing inside it. This is most often a problem when my phone is ringing or I need to get into the car.

Remembering Birthdays!

2007-04-25T07:25:00.000-04:00

I've tried many methods of birthday reminders. The one that works best for me is BirthdayAlarm. This online service sends you an email whenever you specify. I receive one reminder giving me enough time to find a gift and get it in the mail. A second reminder gives me another chance to drop it in the mail (Priority) or to set up an e-card for someone's special day.

There are several additional features at BirthdayAlarm. You can email people and ask them to add their birthdays to your account or you can enter them manually. (You are given the option not to enter the year if you don't want to give away your age.) You can also enter anniversaries and choose which holidays they remind you of. You can have the reminders sent to your cell phone if you choose ($.50) and view them on a calendar or as a list.

Some of the cards that they offer are really sweet or funny and I do use them often. Sometimes, however, a DaySpring e-card is just a better option.

DaySpring cards are free. Birthday Alarm has some of these services for free, but being a premium member is totally worth it for me. I know I could just put all the dates in Outlook with reminders, but this way I can go to the site and see what birthdays are on the horizon and easily edit when needed. Works for me!

No TV, and not by Choice

2007-04-24T22:10:00.000-04:00

As much as I support the Turn Off the TV Week thing, I didn't anticipate tonight being TV free. Unfortunately, the power went off at 7:15pm and stayed off until 8:56pm, so I saw FOUR MINUTES of American Idol.

Here is what I deduced from what I saw:

Jordin did a great job with "You'll Never Walk Alone." I wouldn't say I loved this song choice, but it really showed off her talent and she sounded great! (This is the only performance I saw all the way through.)

The clip of Chris was impressive. I wish I had heard all of it.

Melinda's review clip wasn't that great, but I can't imagine that she didn't do well. She always brings it.

Blake starts singing and the DVR cuts off....oh well.

Thanks to everyone for their updates. I guess I'll have to avoid fast forwarding all the replays when I watch tomorrow night's show on Thursday. (Wednesday is our family's TOTvN.)

The Rampant Beast

2007-04-23T23:13:00.000-04:00

I hesitate to post about The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman....

My husband is an officer and a gentleman and he almost gagged at the promo of this show. I meant to set my DVR to record it, but it began during spring break and I was out of town. My dear friend emailed after the first episode to ask my opinion and I promptly set myself up to tape it. This might turn out to be a decision I regret...

In the second episode, I really liked Andy. He is physically appealing and seems confident and caring. Tonight I think I have changed my mind. Andy is like 50% of frat boys that I had no respect for. Essentially, he is well aware of all his attributes and becomes the ultimate player.

Case in point:

He actually said, "Jealousy is such a rampant beast" and "Just what the doctor ordered." Yes, he is cute and in an enviable position, but come on now!

Does anyone know who dresses the Bachelor? I am hoping that all of his wardrobe is insisted upon by the network, because I would never trust a guy that wears the clothes that Andy shows up in. Yes, I did like the navy, yellow and white tie, but some of the other stuff....never in a million years would a straight guy put it together.

Was I surprised with who he sent home? No. Steph (S.C.) should have seen it coming when he made a point not to focus on her cleavage. Show a little modesty, woman! I was afraid Kate might go after the big plea to oust Amber; men hate cattiness in any form.

I hope Andy can redeem himself in the weeks to come, but I'm afraid his 15 minutes of fame and the adoration of all these women have caused him to lose the focus of finding the people inside the lovely bodies. I expected more from this Navy doctor. Shame on me.

How Can You Resist the Cuteness?

2007-04-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Haley over at Love, Life, Family...and then Some is giving away this stinkin' cute bag to celebrate her birthday. Mention this giveaway at your blog and then head over there to sign the Mr. Linky. Good luck and
Happy Birthday Haley!

Turn Off that TV!

2007-04-23T09:52:00.000-04:00

This week is "Turn off the TV Week." (Shudder.) Our family loves television. We love each other too, mind you. I brought up the subject of whether our family would choose to participate in this admirable goal. This is what we came up with.

1. No TV in the morning. (The kids get up early to watch before breakfast.)
2. No TV at all on Wednesday. (This is early release day at their school, so more hours at home.)
Note: "No TV" means nothing requiring the TV being on, hence, no videos or video games.

Not lofty, I know, but it is a start. Maybe we will make this a permanent thing. You never know. However, we do need to watch the second half of Superman Returns that we began last night. :)

For the Care of our Planet

2007-04-22T16:09:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day people!

I wish I could tell you some big earth-shattering contribution I made to the environment this weekend, but sadly, I've done nothing of note. My sweet daughter urged us not to drive our car today, but being Sunday, with my commitment to teach Sunday school at our church about four miles away, we told her this was not possible. Last night we briefly considered biking to church through several treacherous intersections and along major thoroughfares before dismissing the idea as too dangerous and complicated.

Our associate pastor is a huge advocate for the environment. She suggested we all contact the church to receive our weekly newsletter by email to save trees and the added impact of more mail delivery. I can do this easily. I should really take some steps to quit receiving so much junk mail. I called 1-888-5OPTOUT. I don't know if this helped much. I think I'll do it again just for good measure.

I continue to take steps mentioned in last year's post. I hope you are doing the same! Happy Earth Day!

Added: I was checking out the latest fashion obsessions of my favorite Hong Kong fashionista and found the ultimate in celebrity Earth Day contributions. I thought I would share it with all of you!

Weird Placenames Abound

2007-04-20T16:59:00.000-04:00

Have the rest of you noticed that we have ended up in couple of strangely named towns on our walk? This week we are in Buffalo, KY. I realize that there is a Buffalo, NY and I have wondered why it was named that as well. Wouldn't you think that a town named Buffalo had buffalo in it at some point in time. Doesn't it follow then that "Buffalo" should be the name for a town in....Wyoming or the Dakotas.

The nearest point of interest from Buffalo, KY (pop. 2000) is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln grew up on a rented 30 acres called Knob Creek Farm. He recollected planting pumpkins and corn there. Next year in February they will hold the kick-off the two year celebration commemorating the 200th year of Lincoln's birth.

Like the New Look?

2007-04-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

I will not begin to tell you how much time I ~~wasted~~ spent reworking this cool template I found at Gecko&Fly. I could have finished all my laundry and done a few paintings instead, but I needed a makeover. Let me know what you think. :) There are a few bugs to work out. (Job one will be getting the sidebar text not to be in so incredibly narrow a column. Idea anyone?)

Such Light Snuffed Out

2007-04-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

Today I relented and read the Washington Post. It was terribly sad reading about all the potential that was removed from the world. My heart goes out to all the families. It was horrifying to hear that so many people tried to befriend and reach out to the gunman and he couldn't/wouldn't respond. It's a shame that people who need help the most don't get it.

I pray that the faith of young people across the nation will grow because of the tragedy.

Added on Friday: I'm proud to hear that students at my college have already responded...

For Heather

2007-04-17T23:01:00.000-04:00

If you are at my blog, I'm sure you already frequent BooMama, but if you haven't been there today, visit her to see how you can help Heather of Especially Heather. As if Heather didn't have enough on her plate, she is now battling a brain tumor. Pray and donate if you are able.

Idol Thoughts

2007-04-17T21:09:00.000-04:00

So, tonight we have Martina McBride as our celebrity coach. (I do love "Let Freedom Ring.") She's younger than I thought. (Can you tell that don't know country music well these days? I believe I was thinking of Reba McIntyre....I guess it's the "Mc.")

Phil Stacey- I agree that he does best when he puts that soulful sound into the song. He sounds good doing this song. He sounds better when I don't watch him. That sounds mean, but it's true. I got a little bored with the repeats in the song, but it was good for his voice. Randy thinks he should do country. Paula agrees. Simon likes the song choice and said it suits him. Phil says this is what he wants to do. Why didn't I know that before tonight?

Jordin Sparks - She chooses one of Martina's songs. Brave. She looks GORGEOUS! I think some of her facial expressions are a bit contrived. Boy she can sing! Amazing talent! Randy gives kudos. Paula says, "fantastic job" and says she liked the facial expressions. Simon thinks she could win AI.

Sanjaya - I can't wait to see what he wears and what his hair looks like. I couldn't care less what he sings. Oh, like someone from the eighties.....John Cougar Mellencamp? Bruce Springteen? I can't quite recall. Martina tells him to project more. We'll see. He's starting pretty well....It's getting slower and slower. Like when the batteries in your old tape player started to die. Okay, this is ridiculous. Oh, I thought it was over, but no. Whew. Randy says it karaoke. Simon says "horrendous" and compares it to the bad auditions.

I'm loving Simon and Ryan sniping at each other....."big mouth!" LOL

Lakisha - She has chosen my daughter's favorite song. Martina is choked up at Kiki's conviction. I think this song really shows off her talent. For once I know the song well enough to know each change she has made to it. I don't think it is quite as good as CU's recording, but darn good nonetheless. Her make-up looks fantastic. I wish I knew how to make my eyes look like that. Randy doesn't like her this week. Paula agrees. Simon says the song couldn't hold up to the Lakisha treatment.

Chris Richardson - Martina says he is very versatile. I think he's very nasally. He's moving kinda weird...uncomfortably or something. He is just okay in my opinion. just when I was starting to like him more… Randy says he had no emotion. Simon says it was nondescript. Chris says he intended to sing it nasally. Okay......

Melinda – She looks so young and hip tonight! That will help her! I don’t know this song either, but it reminds me of two-steppin’ in San Antonio back in the early days of our marriage. I don’t think the song showed off her voice as well as it could, but she is having fun. The judges liked it. I agree with Simon. She needs to lose the surprised look. She should know she is good by now.

Blake Lewis – Blake says this is a big departure for him. I hope he can pull it off. I think he sounds good. The song doesn’t song country when he does it. It’s something about the proper inflection he puts on his words. I think it was a solid performance. Randy says “you know who you are.” Paula likes his “quirky Blake-isms.”

Best of the night? Jordin!
Who should go? Sanjaya, of course, but I wonder who will.

Our Boring Lawn

2007-04-16T16:08:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, after skating lessons, my seven year-old gazes out the car window and says, "Everyone else has yellow flowers in their grass, but we don't. How am I supposed to make a flower necklace?"
I assured her we would stop and get plenty of flowers for this project. Luckily, they are in abundance along the bike trail!

Starstruck!

2007-04-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, BooMama requested readers comment on any celebrity encounters they've had. I started a comment and realized that I've had more encounters than I realized:

In high school our church choir went to NYC and I met Martha Quinn in Bloomingdale's. I have a photo around here somewhere. (Eighties bonus to the first person to say who this is!)

Aaron Neville was on a commercial airline flight with us once. We sat with a member of his band, but he was in first class. :)

James Brown was eating dinner at a table near us in Buckhead (Atlanta). My mom got his autograph.

Alan Arkin and his wife were at a small resort we visited in Jamaica. They were very nice, but kept to themselves (surprising?) The prime minister of Jamaica came there for dinner, but we didn't meet him.

I've met two famous dinosaur people. My mom, the kids and I happened upon paleontologist Don Lessem at the opening of a animatronic exhibit at the Opryland center in Nashville. We didn't realize the exhibit was only open to the press that morning and were luckily let in as they left. We got cookies shaped like 3D dinosaurs and autographs! We have also met Sue Hendrickson who discovered the t-rex named after her ("Sue") on exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum. She lives in Honduras and I've visited her house twice when on the island. She is amazing.

I met author Pat Conroy at a book signing. He was SO nice and interested in my questions. I showed him a book that I had purchased from a collector with an inscription and he told me who the person was and chatted longer than would have been expected.

My biggest celebrity tie-in would have to be that I know Sister Schubert....you know....rolls....in the freezer section. She is from my hometown and actually, before she was a multimillionaire, she catered my rehearsal dinner. :) Many people have told me that they thought she was made up by the roll company, but in actuality her roll business began when she was making rolls for a church fundraiser and couldn't keep up with all the orders she began receiving.

Up From the Grave HE Arose!

2007-04-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!
Today at church I felt compelled to write about an amazing teacher that I had for first grade. Eunice Ledbetter was the best reading teacher anyone could have. Her ability to teach phonics made the children from my school excellent readers. The three things I remember about first grade are: (1) I picked Miss Ledbetter some "flowers" at recess and she practically ran from them due to her allergies; they were goldenrod, (2) I wet my pants because Miss Ledbetter didn't believe I couldn't hold it another five minutes before class was over, and (3) we learned the words to all the Easter hymns that spring, including Low in the Grave, He Lay, Christ the Lord is Risen Today and Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord?).

I still remember holding (and sniffing) the mimeographed sheets and squinting at the smudgy purple type as we practiced the songs. I don't remember if we had a program and sang the songs for our parents or other classes. I don't remember if Miss Ledbetter had a pretty singing voice. What I remember, or realize now, is that she must have felt it was her mission to share the miracle of Christ with all of her six year-olds. Every Easter I think of her and the foundation she laid for my life, both in words and faith.

BTW, she felt terrible about the "accident" I had. I bet I was the last child she ever told to wait. :)

Out to Lunch :0)

2007-04-02T14:18:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Paradise.
I'll be back before we celebrate our Risen Lord.
Have a blessed Holy Week and keep on walkin'.

Idol Moments

2007-03-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

I'm currently watching AI on my PVR. I had a meeting earlier, so I couldn't watch it live. My thoughts.

LaKisha looked terrific. That dress was adorable. Did she have Gina color in her hair? I rewound trying to decide if it was color or the lights and couldn't decide. She sang well by the way.

Chris Sligh just isn't the contestant I thought he would be when I saw auditions. I really love his look and I know he can sing better than he has lately.

Gina was FANTASTIC tonight. Not that I'm a music expert, but I didn't hear a single missed note. I was SO happy for her. I know she wants this intensely.

Sanjaya didn't give his worst performance. There were a few (brief) parts that sounded pretty good. The hair.....I think I will post a picture of my hair like that. Just for kicks.

Haley sounded pretty good but was forgettable. I can't believe Ryan said, "you look great" just before she left. In a contest (loosely) based on talent isn't that the equivalent to "she has a good personality" in a beauty contest?

Phil did a pretty good job with a high school favorite of mine. He needs a wardrobe/image consultant. I don't get the hat thing. He has gorgeous eyes. I'll bet girls have told him that his whole life.

Melinda looked groovy. Forget what Simon said. How old is she? Does anyone know? I think of her as the oldest in the competition, but maybe I'm completely wrong. In the beginning/middle I thought the background singers were too dominant, but in the end she really did a fabulous job.

Blake wins points for choosing The Cure. I even liked the rendition, BUT I've always had a thing for Robert Smith and no one can top him. That said, Blake has a certain something that would have made me a groupie in college. It's that lip curl thing and his intense look coupled with a totally fun style.

Jordin really confused me. I didn't realize it was her for about 15 seconds. Between the hair in a ponytail, the earrings and a totally different kind of song, I was like, "who is that?" I started to back up and see what was said before she started and then I figured it out. She sang the song well, but it wasn't my favorite song choice.

Chris Richardson sang his song pretty well. He is definitely the best looking guy, but I don't think his vocals are anything special. Don't get me wrong. He sings well, I just don't think he's that different from lots of other male artists.

By the way, I checked the website credited with messing up voting last week and there was some sort of gobbletygook there. Did hackers crash it our what?

Well, before I blow my Lenten "give up staying up past midnight" thing, I'd better go! Post your thoughts on the final three! I'll make a button for the winner, so you can show off your AI savvy.

Spring Reading Thing

2007-03-23T12:22:00.000-04:00

I'm always reading something. I might be reading even slower than I'm walking, but I am much more consistent with the reading. :)

I few weeks ago, I cut and pasted a meme about books into my drafts folder. I would love to credit the person from whom I "stole" it, but after twenty minutes of surfing around trying to figure out who that was, I give up.

After the meme, I'll post my list of books for Spring Break next week. That is as far ahead as I am planning currently, but you can always check my Reading List link in my sidebar.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? I'm in the habit now of reading the trade paperback and if I love it, I buy a used hardcover to keep in my library.

Amazon or brick and mortar? I prefer online, but usually use Alibris.com or the used part of bn.com

Barnes & Noble or Borders? B&N. It's close and has a Starbuck's inside.

Bookmark or dogear? Dustjacket flaps as bookmark. Paperbacks, I usually use a receipt or scrap of paper as a bookmark. I have real bookmarks, but never use them....don't ask me why. I do, however (tiny-ly) dogear pages with passages I want to write down to keep.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? My books are grouped by author and generally by genre, but that isn't a hard and fast rule.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I used to buy all hardcover and keep them, but being a military family, this isn't practical. We keep the real favorites. I used to donate the junk to the library, but i just joined PaperbackSwap.com, so now I'm happily trading them.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep it. Use it to mark my place and keep from getting wet by the tub.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? See above.

Short story or novel? Novel. See here.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Occasionally, a collection.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter!

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I prefer chapter breaks, but since I read at night, sometimes I just have to stop wherever I am.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Closer to "once upon a time," but the books I read don't usually fall into either.

Buy or Borrow? Love the library. Sorry, Mel and Jenn.

New or used? Used, but in excellent condition.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? More recommendations than reviews and by reading the back or dust jacket.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Tidy ending, but not a fairytale one.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? In the tub at night until my eyes won't stay open. On vacation, pretty much all-day, every day.

Stand-alone or series? I think each book needs to stand alone, but I don't mind the characters continuing in another book.

Favorite series? Lately, Harry Potter and the books in the Gregor the Overlander series...can you tell I have a ten year old?

Favorite children's book? The Dot and Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Ummm. Ray Blackston's novels?

Favorite books read last year? Maybe not my favorite, but The Eyre Affair by
Jasper Fforde was the most interesting.

Favorite books of all time? Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet (SEQUEL this fall!!!), and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Least favorite book you finished last year? that Margaret Atwood collection called Wilderness Skills, blech.

What are you reading right now? Next by Michael Crichton

What are you reading next? Here's my list:

Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding
Thr3e by Ted Dekker (that isn't a typo)
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Delirious Summer by Ray Blackston

Slow and Steady!

2007-03-22T22:13:00.000-04:00

Last week we covered 42 miles. Personally, I am not living up to the mileage that I intended to walk each week. Today was gorgeous, but I still didn't end up walking more than 1/2 mile. Hopefully, Spring will inspire me. If not, my bathing suit certainly should.

Since tomorrow is the next reporting day, I'll just keep it short....

We are in Berea, KY. Coincidentally, there was a girl in my high school named Berea; I wonder if this town has anything to do with that?

Our total mileage is 764.8

Keep walking!

Walkers, We're on Happy Top Mountain!

2007-03-11T18:41:00.000-04:00

Isn't that a fun name? Happy Top Mountain is in Estill County, Kentucky near Irvine.

Since we started, we have now walked 722.8 miles!

Estill County is "where the Bluegrass kisses the mountains" or "the mountains kiss the Bluegrass," depending on which website published it correctly! If we were able to hang around for about another month, we could attend the Mountain Mushroom Festival, which looks like it was a lot of fun last year! Like most of Kentucky, horses and basketball are big news. Daniel Boone was reputed to have first overlooked the Bluegrass from a peak here.

I'm so glad the weather has been so nice for walking. I hope it encourages you as much as it does me! I look forward to your reports on Friday.

BTW, I've finished the promised button. I hope you will like it! Violets symbolize faithful friendship (and hopefully faithful walking!), so I thought they made a perfect ribbon. If you have reported in (mileage or not) for five or more of the ten weeks we have reported so far, you have earned the medal. To date that would include: Roxanne (Wow! I don't think you've missed a week!), BooMama, ChupieandJ'smama, Lisa M, Robin, Linda and Sarah S.!

Feel free to cut and paste the button. If you would like one with the linked code and everything, just email me. Congratulations!

(Note: If you feel you qualify, and your name isn't above, it may be because you have posted with one name and emailed me with another and I have you down as two separate people. I'll revise the post, if you let me know. I don't mean to leave anyone out.)

Walking Update, Please Report In!

2007-03-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hi fellow walkers. I've sort of fallen off the Blogger cart these last few weeks. I apologize. I have a list of all the mileage you've reported since Feb. 22nd and I plan to update our walk tomorrow, so please send in any miles you have walked and not reported. Here's are the names and what mileage periods I think they have reported in for:

For the week of Feb. 17-23 (report date, Feb. 23): Blessed Beyond Measure, Lisa M., Linda, ChupieandJ'smama, Roxanne and Sarah

For the week of Feb. 24-March 2nd (report date, last Friday): Robin, Linda, Lisa M., Roxanne, ChupieandJ'smama and Sarah

For the week of March 3rd-March 9th (report date, tomorrow): Sarah

If you don't remember what you reported, and need to know, email me. For the record, I've been doing terrible since I stopped keeping up with our challenge on a weekly basis. I have only 7 miles to report for all three of these periods. Yikes!

Party Time!

2007-03-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

Janice is having a party and you are all invited! She has doorprizes and everything. She has asked everyone to do a little bit on their blog to make the party fun and exciting for her guests.

Pick something cute to wear. I've chosen this, from the sale section of Harold's.com:

Have some hors d'oeuvres and a beverage. "What kind of beer would you like?" Just kidding. I have Izze "sparkling pomegranate" soda and red wine from a box, called Black Box. My friend Erin introduced me to it; I think it is quite good and very convenient.

I don't know how to import music for you. :( Just imagine that we have our satellite radio on the 80's channel.

Later I'll bring out the tiramisu (my favorite) and a dessert cheeseball.

Enjoy the party!

Note: I was actually ditzy enough to post this on Feb. 2nd, so excuse the fact that my outfit is quite winter-y. If I hadn't spent time Photoshopping the items together (geek!) I would choose a more spring-ish top this week. :)

Walking Challenge Update Feb. 10-16

2007-02-21T16:32:00.000-05:00

Great, great news!
We are in Kentucky! Officially: Elkhorn City in Pike County, KY. From what I can tell, the Russell Fork is big area for kayaking and whitewater adventures.

I AM aware that today is neither Sunday or Monday. I am embarrassed I haven't gotten this done sooner. I don't think I have posted an update on time YET. I think I'll refrain from giving a day from now on...and just keep you guys guessing.
Here's our new map. I changed views, so I will colorize it next week.

The good news for me is that I have sufficiently recovered from my back injury and breathing problems to resume my walking, so at least this week, I will have a few miles to report.

I am so proud of you ladies who are sticking with this. When I get a spare moment (after March 5th), I'm going to design and send some of you steadfast walkers buttons of congratulations that you can post on your blog if you desire!

Keep up the good work!

Hello Walkers Out There!

2007-02-18T00:30:00.000-05:00

In case you wondered what happened to me and our walking challenge, I wanted to let you know that I am out of town. I am going home tomorrow and will update our totals either tomorrow or Monday, so be sure to get them to me right away. Hope you are having a good weekend.

I couldn't even access my blog yesterday; was Blogger misbehavin'?

Africam Safari

2007-02-12T11:29:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, my family sent me this web address, saying that my children might enjoy viewing African wildlife on this live feed camera. The first few times I tried it, I saw nothing. But then, when I learned when to check, I began to see animals. I've had the best luck from 10-12 in the daytime (EST) and in the wee hours of the morning, when I stay up too late, blogging and such.

I thought I would share this, because it might make a good project for homeschooling. So far, I have seen water buffalo, wildebeest, gazelle, antelope and some interesting birds that I haven't looked up. My brother and mom claim to have seen monkeys and lions. I say claim, only because for the few weeks that I saw nothing, and I thought they were making things up to pick on me.

The camera is viewed on Wavelit.com and called Africam. Here is how it describes itself.

Nkorho Pan is a natural water hole in the prestigious Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, in South Africa. Nkorho pan is named after Nkorho bush Lodge which gets it name from the Shangaan derivative for the call of the yellow-billed hornbill, a common and unusual looking bird from this area.

Good luck! If you get frustrated not seeing any African wildlife, you can always take a look at the hibernating bears on the other wildlife camera.

Note: wavelit has recently added commercials before letting you view the camera....quite annoying and also, the site is quite unattractive.....just to let you know!

My Perishables Enjoy a Caribbean Climate

2007-02-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

It all started on Thursday morning....

I woke up and went downstairs to make the wee ones breakfast before school. I opened the 'fridge and it wasn't cold in there. The "ceiling" of the 'fridge was actually hot.

I didn't have time to dwell on this, so I felt of the gallon of milk, which was further down the door and it was cool to the touch, so I asked my eldest son to test it. (He gave me a skeptical look, stemming from a prior milk experience, which so scarred him that he has been developing into a story for language arts at school. More on that another time.) Anyway, my daughter agreed to try it, and pronounced it fit for drinking.

I pulled a trusty instant read thermometer from the drawer (thank you, Pampered Chef) and put it in the 'fridge. 65 degrees, it read. I was irritated, but didn't have time to deal with it. (I had two doctor's appointments that day.) I figured that my darling husband had gotten juice at o'dark-thirty and not shut the door properly. (It is a bit off balance, and this is easy to do.)

That evening, I spent time on the computer finding out what contents I must discard from the overheated 'fridge. Hubby and I argued about some items. (He has eaten leftovers so old that I'm surprised he isn't dead, but never gets sick.) Finally, he realized that I would not be cooking any questionable foods for anyone. He would have to prepare them and eat them by himself, so he said, "Go ahead. Throw them out." I threw out soft cheeses, all meats, the milk I let the kids drink earlier, etc.

Now, it is Friday morning, before school......

MY REFRIGERATOR IS NOW REGISTERING 85 DEGREES!

The butter had MELTED in its dish.

I yell upstairs, "Kids, hurry and get dressed. We are going out for breakfast." I put in a service call to the appliance repairman and off we go.

I return to the house and begin ditching every single item in the refrigerator....every....single....one. Oh, the waste! Boo hoo hoo!

The scheduler calls back and says someone can come on Monday. I sit in shock. Monday?! Then she calls back and says she has someone near my area and asks if he can come right now. Yea!

It turns out that the compressor was fine, but the fan that pushes the air across the freezer coils and into the 'fridge was clogged with lint and pet hair. I paid a guy to come remove some screws and shop-vac the back of the 'fridge. If only I had known.

I replaced some of the spoiled food, but I don't trust the 'fridge now. I think I'll leave the trusty thermometer in there for a while!

Walking Through the Heart of Appalachia

2007-02-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

We are in Rosedale, Virginia, in the Heart of Appalachia. We covered 66.2 miles this week, bringing our total to 519.3 miles! I think that we are doing pretty well. :) This week went near Hungry Mother State Park in Marion! The story behind it is a little sad and morbid, but certainly gives it an original name.

Near us presently, is the J.S. Easterly Park which has a crystal clear waterfall that might be fun to see. Also, the mining town of Dante isn't too far. There is a memorial there to Coal Miners. Honaker is also nearby, where we could visit the county's oldest winery.

I hope you are enjoying our trip and the state of Virginia! Someday soon, we WILL get to Kentucky. I hope I have time to see my college roommate who lives there! Have a great week. Thank you to all of you who are participating. Feel free to join us at any time. You can add your name to the linky, or just add miles to comments on Fridays.

Walking Challenge Check-In!

2007-02-08T16:19:00.000-05:00

I am putting out this post, so that those of you who are on top of things and want to let me know early on Friday will have no question about where to post your mileage. I hope everyone is doing well.

I'm sorry you guys had to carry me this week. Hopefully, I will be back to exercising in the next few days.

Works-for-Me Wednesday

2007-02-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

A fun idea for celebrating anniversaries is to use the traditional or modern gift chart to choose a gift.

This works really well for years up to fifteen, especially since as newlyweds we had very little disposable income. For example, we chose to use the traditional list. On our first anniversary, which was "paper," my husband wrote me a poem and I made him some personalized stationery.

Once we hit fifteen years of marriage (this year), we will have to switch to the modern chart or find a new idea, because the traditional chart only gives a suggestion for every five years; plus, they get very expensive!

Works-for-Me!

Blog Housekeeping Junk

2007-02-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

Just for you, Melanie, I've turned on comment moderation. So, everyone will now have to be patient.

I haven't upgraded to the new Blogger yet. Can I get a few reasons that I should do so?

Walking Challenge, Week 5

2007-02-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

I hate break it to you, my fellow walkers, but we only had 9.7 miles logged in this week. Only one was mine. Thanks to those of you who got in your miles. I'm really proud of you. I was hoping if I waited a couple of days to write this post, that some additional miles might roll in. But it didn't happen. I guess the arctic conditions everyone is experiencing have kept you guys in your nice warm homes. I coulda/shoulda walked on my treadmill all those endless days at home, but I didn't.

Luckily, I found a cute little B&B for us all to stay in;

it is in Troutdale, VA.

Let's all try to report in, whether or not we walk. Remember that every journey begins with a single step!

Welcome to the Sick House

2007-02-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

After returning from our mini-vacation, my darling daughter started complaining of a achey stomach. On day three I took her to the doc, who promptly diagnosed it as strep'.

The next afternoon my son started complaining of a headache and stomach ache. Back to the doc. Strep' test is negative. 24 hours later he is fine.

The next day my back was hurting...just a little. Advil masked the pain and we did all our normal Saturday activities. That night it was hurting a little more. I took more Advil and a muscle relaxant and went to bed. A couple of hours later, I awoke in horrible pain. Worse than transition during labor with my son that I did naturally. I was rolling around on the floor. I couldn't properly answer hubby's questions. So, off we went, the whole family, to the hospital after midnight on Saturday night. Luckily, they saw me fairly quickly. My favorite part:

The doctor said, "you need to relax."
My back continues its spasms and I say through gritted teeth,
"I'm trying to!"

Finally she instructed the nurse to give me pain meds by IV. There were a few concerns, so I am to follow up with my PCM this week. I have four different prescriptions, but haven't needed the strongest ones today. Whew! not a night I would like to repeat.

Oh! Today I learned that the Noravirus is going around the kids' school; that is probably what my son had.

What else could go wrong......well, tonight our half bath toilet overflows if you run any water anywhere in the house. At least we don't have the stomach flu tonight. Sigh.

Perfect Hostess? or Future H00ter's Girl?

2007-02-01T23:06:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I received this from a friend of my mom's tonight. It is a true story about her granddaughter. I am old friends with the mother of this darling child, and the story made my night! (Names are changed to preserve the anonymity.)

As you know, Haley Rae attends the Oakdale Baptist pre-school program. One day last week, H.R. was playing in the school's pretend kitchen. She opened up the play refrigerator and said to her friend "what kind of beer would you like"? One of the teachers overheard Haley Rae and scheduled a conference with Ashley.

Ah....Valentine's! Make's me Think of Vacuuming

2007-02-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

My husband hates February. He was ~~expounding on this fact~~ whining about it at dinner last night. (This is a major deduction of points, by the way.) You see, first there is Valentine's Day, then my birthday, and then our anniversary, all neatly spaced one week after the other in the shortest month of the year.

This is a source of much consternation and gnashing of teeth for my husband. Too much expectation, too many gifts, too much stress! First of all, I've already told him that I want a large box of these chocolates for Valentine's Day.

I need to remind him NOT to get me flowers on Valentine's Day, because I am zipping out of town for a girl's scrapbooking weekend on the 15th. I have requested that we count the little vacation I am going on as my birthday gift. After 14 years of marriage, he doesn't fall for this trick, but I'm hoping it at least removes the pressure of spending enough. Truly, a five-dollar or homemade gift which has thought put into it, is SO much more meaningful than something a salesperson talked him into buying.

My husband can be a very thoughtful and creative giver of gifts. He has surprised me many times with items I didn't even know I wanted, but ended up loving, like a PalmPilot (back when I was overcommitted and stressed out), a latte milk frother, a label maker (#56), etc. He has given me typical gifts, like flowers, and jewelry, both good, and not so good. (To be fair, I was shocked and pleased with the three stone necklace until my daughter, a toddler at the time, astutely pronounced it my "snowman necklace.")

Perhaps his stress over the gift giving stems from our first Valentine's Day when we were dating. He gave me a Dust Buster. Yes, you read that correctly.... a Dust Buster. Although sadly underwhelmed, I still married him.

100 Things about Me

2007-01-30T13:29:00.000-05:00

In the grand tradition of reaching my 100th post, here's the massive amount of useless facts about "moi:"

1. Over the Christmas holidays, I taught myself to solve the Rubik's cube. It takes me about 5 minutes, but I have to have the instructions.

2. I hate to wash my hair when it isn't cut short, because it is too thick to blow dry in a reasonable amount of time.

3. I SCUBA dive, but lately it makes me anxious.

4. I have a hard time NOT volunteering for tasks when I'm in an organization.

5. I love to sort and organize.

6. I've lived ten places and liked them all.

7. I have been taking ice skating lessons lately and have learned to skate backwards.

8. I would love being on Survivor, except for the back-stabbing and food challenges. (I truly think I would be fine with finding/ catching/ preparing/ eating food found on an island, but I'm NOT drinking hot cow blood or eating larvae.)

9. I abhor someone telling me I cannot do something.... so, if I were on Survivor, and someone dared me or implied I was too scared to do a food challenge, then I probably would.

10. I've flown a plane for four total hours all alone in the cockpit, but didn't finish lessons and get my license.

11. Hubby and I are both foodies....and wine snobs, but I still love McDonald's and Taco Bell.

12. I like to camp... in the woods... without amenities.

13. I love trees, and pinecones, and leaves, etc.

14. I love the water: lakes, streams, the oceans and seas (and the bathtub).

15. I love animals, including reptiles. Even non-venomous snakes.

16. I am terrible at keeping houseplants alive, perhaps if they barked or meowed...

17. I adore English antiques.

18. I don't like to have my fingernails painted, but toes are fine.

19. I love to watch wild birds, but would never want any bird as a pet.

20. I like to shop for clothes (AND SHOES!), BUT am just as thrilled finding a perfect item at Target as Nordstrom.

21. I cannot understand why anyone's favorite color would be lavender.

22. If I could drive any car, I would have a Mini Cooper.

23. I only like pens with black ink.

24. I love to scrapbook, but haven't done it in a year.

35. I am a big time procrastinator.

36. I don't like to take naps, but like to sleep late.

37. I'm a night owl.

38. I enjoy sodoku and crosswords puzzles, but rarely invest the time to do them unless traveling or on vacation.

39. I like math, but am getting slower and slower in doing it.

40. Last summer I got up on slalom at the lake by sheer stubbornness.

41. I've never purchased a lottery ticket.

42. I'm very curious.

43. I interrupt people. I'm trying to stop.

44. I don't iron, except my children's church clothing.

45. I love to read on rainy days.

46. Teaching anything makes me very nervous.

47. I once installed a new faucet in our kitchen.

48. I love the words, "assembly required."

49. I still paint with brushes that were my grandfather's.

50. Nothing excites me more than having airline reservations.

51. I love Home Companion magazine, but ME's stuff is a little too cutesy for me.

52. I dream a lot. Sometimes I can't remember if stuff happened or was a dream.

53. I love architecture and studied it in college for a few years, but have no originality in that area.

54. I love water slides and worked at one for a summer in college.

55. I don't like rollercoasters like I used to.

56. I love my label maker.

57. I think Beth Moore is incredibly insightful and brings the bible to life for me, but I see her as a human and don't believe everything she says.

58. I miss living near the friends I had when my children were toddlers.

59. Motorcycles scare me.

60. I love to climb trees and rocks.

61. I am to lazy to speak another language, though I've briefly studied three.

62. Someday I hope to live in another country for a few years. (Maybe that will help with #61.)

63. I love looking at decorator fabrics and china patterns.

64. I've had four watches quit working in the past two years. Is it me?

65. I'm a carb addict.

66. I'm very sentimental.

(Has anyone else noticed how difficult it is to come up with this many items?)

67. I talk to strangers.

68. I am too trusting of people, but it worries me.

69. I want to follow politics, but the bureaucracy makes me sick.

70. I love days that I don't have to leave the house.

71. I can't imagine not having pets, but they seem more trouble than they used to be.

72. I would like the week to be a few days longer, but days to stay the same length.

73. I wish I knew how to get my phone messages emailed to me.

74. Someday I want to live in walking distance of the church we attend.

75. I want to learn DreamWeaver.

76. Giving things away on Freecycle makes me happy.

77. Someday I would like to build a custom house.

78. I need to find a snazzy new haircut.

79. I'm always emotionally attached to my cars. When we sell or trade them in, I feel like I have betrayed them.

80. I like books on tape more than music.

81. I like to listen to praise music while I'm doing my bible study homework.

82. I have a ridiculous amount of scrapbooking paper. I could probably collage every wall in the custom house I hope to build someday.

83. I got my own ski boots three years ago and have not been skiing since.

84. I love watching SEC football.

85. I buy original art depicting places we travel.

86. I have a collection of several hundred souvenir "floaty pens."

87. I've always wanted to learn to wire a lamp.

88. When I go to a garden center, I always buy more than I can plant in one day.

89. I am (embarrassingly) addicted to reality shows on MTV.

90. I could live off appetizers and desserts and never miss the rest.

91. I would be a restaurant critic for the cost of my meals. (Anyone need one?)

92. I can use power tools.

93. I've learned to ask for help when I need it. Friendships are built on helping each other.

94. I was a good student....until college.

95. I never thought I'd want children. I'm so thankful to have my two angels.

96. I still don't feel like an adult, and I'm almost 40.

97. I'm itching to paint some walls in our rental house, but don't want to have to repaint when we move.

98. I neglect answering phone messages.

99. Nightly baths keep me sane. I take them no matter how late I've stayed up.

100. Having a blog is nothing like I thought it would be. Who knew it was a whole community?

Digital Scrapbooking Distraction

2007-01-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

In yesterday's post I mentioned that I had been distracted on Sunday. I didn't say what the distraction was. Well, it is a new version of an old passion of mine.... scrapbooking!

For Christmas 2005, I asked for a large format printer. I had this idea that I would like to scrapbook digitally and then add the traditionally printed photos to the pages. (In other words, I wouldn't print my photos at home.) Well, a year has gone by and I've used the printer for other uses, but not scrapbooking. Then, back in December, I read the fifth paragraph of this post by my friend Heather. I visited the sites she recommended, Blair's and Alyice's. This planted the seed.

Then, last week, my mom sent me an article ripped from the Jan'07 Creating Keepsakes, "Instant Digital Success Guide." It talks of creating your first digital page in 15 minutes or less. (Mom had sweetly noted that this seemed something I would like and be good at.) I put the article in my office and didn't give it another thought until...... I went out of town for the weekend. With each photo I snapped with my digital camera I thought, "I really should see what that digital scrapbooking thing is all about!" So, Sunday afternoon, while laundry was churning away down the hall, I typed the web address into my computer.

Voila! Here is my first all-digital page:
It looks quite impressive, huh? In actuality, most of it is "off the rack," not couture.

You can get this cool background paper and other elements from Creating Keepsakes for FREE!

I, of course, could not leave well enough alone, so I added some drop shadows and made a ribbon for the tag element. But the thing is, now I'm hooked.

Sunday night, I went to several online stores to buy some additional digital scrapbooking "stuff." What I found was cool, but I thought, "I can make my own papers in Photoshop." So, I sat in front of the TV making background papers, having the absolute best time. I'd love to hear from any other digital scrapbookers out there. Where do you get your papers and embellishments? Do you print the pages yourself or use something like Storybook Creator to print them?

Walking Update - Week 4

2007-01-29T08:26:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. Today is NOT Sunday. I got a bit distracted yesterday and didn't update our walk. I apologize.

This week finds our merry little band of walkers 110 miles further along the route in Smyth County, Virginia, just outside of Sugar Grove. Sugar Grove is located on the south fork of the Holston River and was first settled in 1753.

Weren't we lucky to be in this area on the weekend that nearby Saltville held their Woolly Mammoth Day Breakfast? Here was our menu:
Ice Age Eagle eggs
Bison bacon
Mastodon sausage
Ground-Sloth gravy
Saber-cat head biscuits
Paleo pancakes w/syrup
Fried Arboreal apples
Ground Hog grits
Cave-bear coffee
Musk-Ox milk

If you haven't now guessed, Saltville is named for large natural salt deposits that draw wildlife, both now and also in prehistoric times. Too bad we can't hang around for a performance at the Lincoln Theater in Marion. It looks beautiful.

I don't know how I missed it, but did you have any idea that Virginia was this wide? I mean, every time I've driven through it I was headed North or South. Wow! I'm hoping next week finds us over the state line. How about you?

Walk Update Delayed this Week

2007-01-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

We are going on a super fun family trip today to Great Wolf Lodge! I will post our update for this week on Sunday, so please get your walk totals, still ending with Friday's walking, to me by then.

Have a super weekend.

The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Walking...

2007-01-19T08:18:00.000-05:00

Twelve of our thirty-six walkers reported in this week resulting in 96.75 miles being added to our trek!
Our total is now up to 333.75 miles.

We are in the southern part of Botetourt County, Virginia.

The Appalachian Mountains are on our right and the Blue Ridge Mountains are on our left. This is an iron rich area and if you are so inclined there are a few related sites to see: Catawba Furnace, the Phoenix Bridge, and the Lime Kilns. These links are courtesy of:

I know we all have things in our life that throw dedication to exercise off track (LIKE SNOW AND ICE!), but don't get discouraged. Hop back into our walking caravan at any time. If you don't have access to a treadmill, you might try visiting a nearby mall and walking a few laps and window shopping. (I recommend a decaf, skim, one-Splenda latte as a companion!) If you are merely lurking, you can still join us, even if you haven't participated in the first two weeks. We would love to have you along.

Okay, I did it.....I Watched American Idol

2007-01-17T15:27:00.000-05:00

I don't really go in for singing; (maybe because I can't carry a tune). I like it as a background for other things in my life, but singing as the main focus isn't my thing. For instance, I TiVo Martha every day and skip the musical guests' performance and move on to see them mix cookie dough or hot glue pinecones on a topiary or make valentines from a ziplock bag, etc.

So, how come I watched AI last night? Hubby is out of town for a mancation (his word for it, not mine) and I have depleted my supply of girl shows on the DVR. I must resort to (gasp) "live TV." There I was, scrolling the channels and American Idol seemed the best choice. I told myself, "I can watch a little and then go up to bed." Needless to say, I watched the whole thing and can't wait to watch Seattle tonight.

Heaven help me if I call to vote for someone. :)

Picky Eaters, Reformed

2007-01-16T10:46:00.000-05:00

My children used to be unbelievably picky eaters. Even ordering off a children's menu was problematic. I blame this problem on several factors:

1. genetics: my brother and I were picky eaters and their aunt still is
2. habit: my husband was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq for half the year during their toddler years and I was too lazy to cook "real" food
3. preference: my husband and I like really spicy and fancy dishes, so we often ate after we had fed and bathed the kids; plus, we were able to talk

Anyway, there we were with children aged 5 and 7, who only ate a combined sum of about 20 foods. I worried about their health. I was tired of cooking two dinners a night. I wanted to be able to eat our somewhere besides McDonald's.

The summer before my youngest started Kindergarten, we moved for my husband to attend school to get a master's degree. He would be home for a whole year. I seized this opportunity to do something about this problem.

Pediatricians tell you that children will eat what they are served when they get hungry enough. I had tried the battle of the wills feeding method before when my oldest was about four. Let me just say that he won. He would literally refuse to eat until his stomach was completely empty and throwing up bile. I couldn't bear it.

This time, we sat down as a family and told the kids that we wanted them to grow up strong and healthy. We wanted to be able to take them to nice restaurants and on nice vacations. We wanted them to eat what any regular kid could be expected to eat. Needless to say, they were not thrilled with this news. We explained that we would be having dinner as a family EVERY night.

We started out with rather plain and ordinary foods: broiled chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, spaghetti with meat sauce, breaded fish fillets. We served salad and vegetables at every meal. The only requirement was that they HAD to try each food on their plate. (And no alternative foods would be provided.) At first, meals were unbearably long...like an hour and a half. We worked hard not to lose our patience. Nutritionists say that a child has to try a food TEN TIMES to form an opinion about it. I didn't believe this, but now I do. Slowly, they began to ask for certain foods, even green beans or broccoli.

Skip to the present, two years later. I cook whatever I choose, though I consider their preferences and tone down spiciness and serve sauces on the side. When they ask what is for dinner, I often hear, "Yummy!" in response to the menu. We eat out at wonderful restaurants as a family. I can't recall the last time they found nothing on a menu to order. Usually, they choose an adult entree even if children's options are available. Their favorite restaurant is a Lebanese/Syrian restaurant where they order shwarma (chicken and rice).

Works for me!

For Kelli

2007-01-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

Sometime last week BooMama sent me over to Living in Grace. There I read about Kelli's journey toward a kidney transplant. This story touched a special place in my heart. My brother had a kidney transplant nine years ago. My mom gave him one of her kidneys. I am happy to report that he is doing well. The talk of creatinine levels is a familiar thing in our family! My husband's best friend from high school is also a kidney transplant recipient. His mother also gave him one of her kidneys, way back before I met my husband. He too is doing very well.

Dialysis and the stress of needing the transplant are enough to handle on their own, but the added strain of meeting the COBRA payments to stay insured is a burden Kelli and her family should not be facing. If you feel led, visit Boomama, who will link you directly to Paypal where you can donate toward this sister in Christ who needs our support. She also needs your prayer, so take a second right now to lift her up to God, for peace, healing and love.

We just went through Rockfish Gap, Virginia

2007-01-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

We logged 151 miles this week! That is almost twice what we walked last week! I'm so proud of you!

This week we have walked just past Rockfish Gap. By 1782, carriages going north could cross the Blue Ridge Mountains through the wind gap that begins in this town. We will have to be careful if it gets foggy, because there have been some large vehicle accidents in this area.

Presidents and dignitaries met at a tavern here in 1818 to choose the location for the University of Virginia.

Here's our view. I'm enjoying everyone's progress and visiting their blogs. Some are new to me.

Walk to Fitness Check-In #2

2007-01-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

We've made it to Friday again. Was this week easier for you, or harder. It was harder for me. I have no idea why. Today, I walked further than I intended, because my pedometer (that I just calibrated on Saturday) didn't work right. What a nice surprise when I got home and checked the route online! I might make my goal for the week after all!

BTW, If you left your mileage elsewhere in comments, don't be concerned. I got them. If you would prefer to privately email them to me, you can do that as well by clicking here.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-01-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

I know what it looks like, but what is she REALLY doing?

I'll post it later today. Come back to see.

Early Bird Gets the Worm, I Mean LOTS of Worms

2007-01-08T09:57:00.000-05:00

It rained a lot last night.

As the kids and I headed to school this morning, I noticed that many worms were in the street. My daughter commented that they are "gross." I explained that worms can't swim and when the ground gets saturated they have to come above ground to breathe. (Note: I've learned this is not true; they can live underwater for weeks if there is oxygen in the water.) I also said that the birds will be very happy to clean them all up. (Did you know that robins can HEAR worms moving underground? Crazy.) We walked on.

Our walk takes up through a park and onto a public sidewalk on the other side. Soon upon reaching the sidewalk I notice literally dozens of worms crossing the concrete and they are still alive. (One, I swear, was eight inches long!) Thinking of the starfish story and being respectful of all God's creatures, I start picking them up and moving them onto the grass, where they will not be trampled. My son stands with me and my daughter keeps on walking ahead. Eventually, I felt the futility of my attempt to save them all and recognized that if my son wasn't going to be tardy, we needed to move along.

The two of us continued up the hill and caught up with my daughter. We called out to her and she turned, tears streaming down her face. "The worms....," she sobbed. "They're so gross. I can't stand it!" (Mind you, this is the same girl who has hermit crabs as pets!) I hugged her and wiped her tears. I helped her get to the school door without looking down at the sidewalk. She regained her composure. I felt awful that I had not noticed that she was not just turned off by the sight of the worms, but was on the verge of flipping out. I have since learned that this is not so uncommon and is a reason many people cannot bear to garden.

Who knew?! I will take her more seriously next time. We may need to drive to school next time they are all over our street.

Welcome to King's Dominion!

2007-01-05T17:09:00.000-05:00

We logged 86 miles this week.

(I included everyone who posted up until 5:07 PM.)
(I was watching the America's Next Top Model Marathon and got enthralled; now TiVo is taking care of the rest for my next treadmill session.)

We are 10 miles from Ashland, Virginia.

Below is the place where we stopped this week.This means we are just north of Richmond, so I decided that we should stop at King's Dominion. After all, we have a large enough group to get a group discount. Just think, we will get even more exercise walking around the theme park! Oh no! It's closed until March. What a disappointment. Get a good rest and we'll walk more tomorrow!

Great job everyone! It was a short week, since I just posted the challenge on Monday, so I expect that next week will be even better! Keep it up ladies!

Fitness Walk - Check In Here!

2007-01-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see where we will end up today! Did you guys (or y'all) enjoy walking along the York River and through Williamsburg? (Wouldn't it be fun if we were really walking together all these places? Shopping....eating.....laughing......Sorry! I digress.) I wonder if we have made it out of the state of Virginia. Come back this afternoon and find out!

BTW, If you left your mileage elsewhere in comments, don't be concerned. I got them. If you would prefer to privately email them to me, you can do that as well by clicking here.

Encourage Creativity!

2007-01-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the kids' school to set up a display of work submitted to the PTA Reflections contest. In a school of 400, we had only 17 entries. This made displaying the work quite easy, but how sad that more kids didn't enter.

All kids are creative, because it hasn't been squashed out of them yet. I'll even go so far as to say that all adults have artistic talent, but not all adults are interested in making art. (That's okay, less competition for me.) If you, or your child doubt their creativity, check out the wonderful books, The Dot and Ish by Peter H. Reynolds. He completely "gets it." To be honest, you would probably be bewildered at some of the art students in my undergraduate degree program produced. Once I heard the story or concept behind a piece, I understood that art isn't always about the final appearance alone, it is about conveying what is inside of us, our thoughts and feelings. All kids have valid thoughts and feelings to convey.

So, I'll get off my soapbox now, and send you over to the Company Store Kids Art Contest. There are four age categories, up to 3, 4-5, 6-7 and 8-10. The total in prize money is $3000, but don't tell them that! Let them just have fun. They ask that the drawings be of themes they use for their children's bedding, so browse the pirates and fairies with your child or make a list of things to draw. Good luck!

How's Everybody Doin'?

2007-01-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

I left Yorktown today! I hope you did too. I hope something blessed you on your walk... a bird, a silly squirrel, a neighbor, a thought, a memory. I was blessed to be accompanied along the (virtual) Colonial Parkway outside Williamsburg by my husband who returns to his regular work schedule tomorrow. I was also blessed by the perfect temperature for exercising, about 45 degrees. Can't beat that on a January morning.

When I returned home, I checked my email and was blessed by the vast number of you who found the walking quest from BooMama's blog. (I really think she is obligated to put, "read by hundreds" at this point :)

Most special was a comment left by Lyric from over at Chrysalis Song. She wrote that she was going to take a list of the walkers with her and pray for them as she walked. Wow! That is such a great idea and it was so clever of her to think of it. Knowing this really adds incentive for me; I hope it motivates you too!

I welcome everyone, including walkers like Devera, who don't have a blog. I am pleased with the response. (I was hoping that at least twelve would link.) I would hate to still be in Missouri or Kansas when it comes time for me to go on vacation this summer. :)

Remember, just 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day, such as walking, and switching to a healthier diet drop BMI, cholesterol levels and blood pressure dramatically in just 6 weeks. CNN lists even more benefits. (If you only click one of the links in this paragraph, read the BMI one.)

Keep walking! I'm off to finish my CBS bible study lesson.

I'm Goin' for a Walk, Wanna Come?

2007-01-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

After all of the cream cheese talk here and here, it's time to get a bit more exercise. Somehow, my daily 30 minute walk had evolved into a 10 minute walk to the school and directly home.

So, I'm going on a walk and I am inviting you to come with me. The walk we will take is gonna be a long one.....we are going from Yorktown, Virginia to Florence, Oregon.
How long will this take, you ask? That depends on YOU! Since it is a virtual walk, the more of us who walk together, the quicker the trip will go.

To sign up, just add your name to the Mr. Linky and leave a comment.

Then, each Friday, return and enter your mileage for that week. Enter your week's mileage in the comments by 4 PM EST and I will add a comment with a link to a new post telling of our current location. (Note: All mileage entered after that time will be added onto the next week's total.)

FAQ's:
Can I run if I want to?
Yes. Knock yourself out! (Not literally,please.)

Can I bike?
Since bike mileage is so much greater than walking mileage, I would prefer not. Feel free, though to register and enter your own info into the study being conducted by Lawrence Berkeley Lab and you can leave us encouraging signposts along the way!

What if I don't know how far I've walked?
You can use Google Pedometer or Walk/Run/Jog. It plots your route on a map and will tell you how long that route is. If you register, you can even save the maps. Or, you can invest in an actual pedometer. Or, you can walk somewhere that has distances marked (like a track or a park with mileage markers) once and time yourself. Once you know how long it takes you to walk a mile, you can guess-timate your distance on other walks. The mileage police will not come to your door, but do the best you can to be accurate.

Is their a minimum amount I can report?
You can enter any amount, rounded to the nearest 1/4 mile. Personally, I will be aiming for 12 miles per week.

How long will this take?
Once I get a general idea of how many people are participating, I will set a goal date and report it to everyone in the group.

___________________

Note: Avoid dangerous areas. Wear shoes meant for walking. Stretch. Stay hydrated. Let's have fun!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2006-12-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a blessed day of celebration with their loved ones. Remember that the best gift of all was the gift of Christ.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." James 1:17a

Fall Reading Challenge Results

2006-12-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

First, I want to thank Katrina over at Callapidder Days for hosting the Fall Reading Challenge. Although my list was very small in comparison to other participants, I thought I would actually come close to finishing my books, but this was not the case!

I haven't even finished the second book (but I am close). I have however, studied in depth the book of Genesis and a portion of Exodus and participated in numerous art shows, art sales and exhibits. There just isn't enough time in the day. 95% of my reading happens in the tub and when the water gets cold, I go to bed and sleep. Anyway, here are my opinions of the books....

Wilderness Skills by Margaret Atwood - In general I don't like short stories. A few I have liked include Jeffrey Archer and Stephen King, but most short stories leave me wanting to know more. (Maybe this is the point.) Anyway, I feel like they are, to use the art comparison, merely working sketches, and I prefer to see a the completed painting. This book solidified that opinion. To be fair, there were some great lines and observations, like in Hairball,

“Is she out of style so soon? She’s only thirty-five, and she’s already losing track of what people ten years younger are thinking. That could be fatal. As time goes by she’ll have to race faster and faster to keep up, and for what?”

or Isis in Darkness

“He didn’t want to marry Selena….All he wanted was a month, a week, a night even….From such an experience you would emerge reborn, or not at all….What he craved was not her body as such He wanted to be transformed by her, into someone he was not.”

and some marvelous word pictures, like in Wilderness Tips (also the name of a story)

“Acres of treelessness, of new townhouses with little pointed roofs—like tents, like an invasion. The tents of the Goths and the Vandals. The tents of the Huns and the Magyars.”

But, generally all the stories were dark and depressing.

The other book, which I am not yet finished with is Familiar Heat by Mary Hood. It moves rather slowly, but is a very intriguing premise about a woman who loses her memory in an accident and finds herself attracted to the brother of her husband. I can't wait to see how it wraps up. It is well-written and believable.

I hope the rest of you did better with your goals than I. I look forward to reading your results.

For the Love of Cream Cheese

2006-12-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

If you, like me, got caught up in BooMama's excitement over cream cheese sales this week and purchased a bit too much, here is an idea of what you can make with it. I first had this a few years ago and it was so delicious! I've decided to make these for our neighbors instead of cookies this year. It is almost like eating raw cookie dough. Yum!

Chocolate Chip Dessert Cheese Ball

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve.

Just before serving, roll the ball in finely chopped pecans or more mini chocolate chips. It is best served with graham stix, regular or chocolate...your choice!

Adorable Party Favor or Mini Gift!

2006-12-18T12:58:00.000-05:00

My kids each received these adorable candy kabobs from friends/neighbors last week. I think this idea is ingenious, so I thought I would share it. All these festive candies are threaded onto a 15" barbecue skewer. The "kabob" is wrapped in cellophane and held closed with a sticker (not shown) and the ends are tied with ribbon. I think they would look fabulous stuck into something (maybe half a cabbage?) as a centerpiece at a party and you could pass them out to the kids as they left. Keep in mind, of course, that my children are in elementary school. For younger kids, you might need to do shorter skewers and cut the pointed tip off after putting the candy on it! This would be great for Easter too. The ones we received had Peeps, Reese's cups, tootsie rolls, chocolates, large gummies, etc. I've included a closeup picture too, but use your imagination.

For more ideas for gifts both to buy or make, visit Jennifer's blog at the link below:

Open House!

2006-12-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my home. Thank you to BooMama who helps to satisfy that curiosity and nosey-ness in all of us. :)

[As a preface, let me note that although I intended all along to participate in the CTOH all along, I let go of my type-A tendencies and have not tweaked my decorations yet. This means that I let a.)my husband put lights on the tree without hiding the cords b.) my kids hang the ornaments without significant direction of placement in regards to color/style c.)left the mantel needing some frou-frou-ing d.)am not showing my door with the unceremoniously plopped and unadorned Boy Scout live wreath.]

First Things First:

Happy Birthday Jesus! Thank you for coming into the world to save me from my sins! You know how badly I needed that to happen. Help us remember that you are the reason for all the hoopla!

The tree is the center of decoration in our house. We usually have a live tree, though we do own an artificial one that we have been know to use when my husband is deployed during the Christmas season and the rest of us are out of town. I prefer a Frazier fir; the needles may fall off, but the limbs are sturdy enough for our sometimes heavy ornaments.

We have a tradition of alternating years that the children put the star on the tree. It is essential that we photograph the big event each year, because they always think it is their turn, never the other's turn.

Almost every ornament on our tree was given to us or purchased as a souvenir or for sentimental reasons. Every year my mom makes us needlepoint ornaments. For hubby and I she makes one reflecting the area we live. My son receives a Santa, and my daughter, an angel. If our house caught fire, these would be one of the boxes I would try to save. The nativity needlepoint is one that she had on her tree and I admired it so much, she let me have it. :)

I also collect glass balls that have been painted from the inside. As an artist, I respect the patience and skill this must require. (I do not have any desire to try it myself.)

I also love the shiny glass ornaments that many companies product now. I have a few Radco, but many are just from Wal-mart or wherever. We buy ones that reflect things we love, like this one that depicts my daughter's love of sheep and the other that shouts, "War Eagle!"

We also hang all the ornaments my children make at school with birdseed and glitter. (I didn't show them, because most have their names and photos on them.)

This year my mantel is a bit hodge-podge, unfinished, or something. I felt like leaving the sheep that stay there year-round, so I added my "sassy trees." (I intend to "fix" the garland, but haven't yet.) Note that our pets have stockings too. :)

Here are some other collections and groupings I have put out:

Santa collection - gourd in the middle, other cool Old World looking Santas and various gifts!

A collection of items - hubby and my mom got some in Europe, some the children have made and some are gifts from friends. The wooden nativity I purchased in Santa Fe with my mom back when I was in college.

This Santa's workshop Playmobil set started as an advent calendar, but I got tired of putting the pieces back into the correct numbered boxes after about year three. My daughter loves it and this is her set up that I photographed. A dear friend sent it to the kids about six years ago.

I should go now! I have lots of packages to wrap and ship before my helpers get home from school and play in the boxes like in this photo.

Halloween Meme

2006-10-30T12:20:00.000-05:00

1. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen? Halloween II (it haunted me through jr. high and high school...yikes!)

2. What was your favorite Halloween costume from childhood? I had homemade costumes and remember being a gypsy and a cat

3. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your fantasy costume be for this Halloween? maybe the Welcome to Vegas sign complete with lights and everything

4. When was the last time you went trick or treating? I guess going with my children doesn't count, huh?...when I was maybe ten or eleven (?)

5. What's your favorite Halloween candy? mini Reese's cups

6. Tell us about a scary nightmare you had. I have scary nightmares occasionally in which I am being held prisoner or am running from bad people

7. What is your supernatural fear? I don't know if it qualifies as supernatural, but that feeling of being watched when no one is around freaks me out.

8. What is your Creepie-Crawlie fear? spiders, without a doubt

9. Tell us about a time when you saw a ghost, or heard something go bump in the night. Last night our folding step ladder fell down the basement stairs. It certainly went bump, but didn't scare me.

10. Would you ever stay in a real Haunted House overnight? I don't really believe in haunted houses, per se, but I would worry about rats and spiders if I had to sleep in a creepy house. I would probably just stay awake all night.

11. Are you a traditionalist (just a face) Jack O' Lantern carver or do you get creative with your pumpkin? I definitely lean toward triangle eyes and a toothy grin

12. How much do you decorate your home for Halloween? We have an inflated light up JO'L in the yard and fall-ish decorations on and around the door. I kinda hate carving our pumpkins, 'cause then I can't keep them around through Thanksgiving.

13. What do you want on your Tombstone? She loved her life, but knew it wasn't home.

Anyone who wants to play along, enter your link below!

Wordless Wednesday

2006-10-25T07:56:00.000-04:00

Community Bible Study

2006-10-25T07:38:00.000-04:00

As I prepared to post my third WW in a row, I realized that maybe you guys would like to "hear" something too.

I have been meaning to post about the new bible study I am attending. I am studying the Pentateuch through Community Bible Study (CBS). I first heard about CBS through my bible study facilitator at our church in Florida. She was hoping to get a CBS group started there. The format is this, we meet and sing a few hymns, say a prayer and are dismissed to small groups where we study the material we have covered that week. Then, we get back together and sing a little more and hear a lecture on the material that serves as a bridge between what we have covered and what we will cover in the coming week. Our lectures are written by the ladies who give them. I don't know what preparation CBS gives them to start from, or if they write all of it themselves, but they are very good.

I wish I had attended CBS when my kids were smaller, because they also have an excellent children's program. The kids learn bible verses, make crafts and generally have a good time.

If you are searching for a group to join, check their website. CBS currently has 540 adult classes around the country, plus 72 classes for teens, and many more around the world. It is strictly bible based, with very little opinion added in, so there is little room for distortion of God's word. I am enjoying it very much.

Wordless Wednesday

2006-10-18T14:13:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2006-10-10T16:12:00.000-04:00

Help! I'm drowning....in paper

2006-10-10T15:24:00.000-04:00

You may not think this looks so bad, but consider the fact that the ENTIRE laundry basket is full of paper. I put all the papers that were on the desk about ten days ago into the basket. The papers on top of the desk are the NEW papers and of course, other various junk that piles up. Yesterday I spent an hour attempting to find our zoo membership cards. I never did find them, even after I finished the "Tackle" today. Sigh.

(It didn't really matter, the National Zoo is free and the parking lots that we could have parked in were full anyway. We had a nice visit.)

You will probably notice that I moved the big flat file thing to another location. I sure makes the desk "feel" better during use. I also unhooked the flatbed scanner and secondary printer and put them in the closet and see if I really need them.

Now, I'm off to fill up the basket with laundry and to zip tie the cords under the desk.

Happy Tackling!

My Night on Bachelor: Rome

2006-10-10T07:46:00.000-04:00

I had the weirdest dream last night. I was one of the "ladies" on Bachelor: Rome meets Project Runway. There were only three of us. Lorenzo (although I don't think that was his name in the dream), and I were getting along famously. He was so gentle and sweet, but kissing in front of the other girls and the camera was WAY uncomfortable. He gave me this shabby looking little red pin that saved me from elimination. When Chris Harrison asked to see it and I opened my hand, it had transformed, Cinderella-like, into a bejeweled pin that more resembled a sorority or fraternity badge.
We were not staying in a lovely castle or villa. We were at a moderately priced hotel. The next thing I knew, the three of us were told we were to craft ourselves a hat to wear for the next date. We were given these clear plastic forms sorta like the really cheap fireman hats kids get at parties, but with brims MUCH bigger. I had planned to make a very romantic shaped hat with a brim that swooped down in the front. Unfortunately, I woke up before the task was completed.
I do remember that I had a lot of clothes in the closet I had brought to wear and that I didn't like any of them. I remember telling Lorenzo that the "hat challenge" was terrible because I don't wear hats; they make me look even shorter. He was sympathetic and said, "You're not that short." (BTW, I'm 5'2")
Do you think I watch too much reality television. At almost 40, married with two kids, and certainly no bikini body, my imagination sure had fun.

Changing the World...

2006-10-09T09:01:00.001-04:00

What does it mean for our hearts to start beating more and more like God’s? How could this change the way the world sees Christianity?

I am currently praying that God give me a more generous heart and help me bury the scarcity mentality I have developed. I believe showing unconditional love to those I encounter like in this ad goes a long way toward healing what is wrong with our world. I am always willing to talk about my faith, and mention how it impacts my life with anyone who is around me for very long, but I hope that I live in a way to honor God, because most people prefer teaching to preaching.

When it comes to church, what do you think God has in mind?

Wow! I can't wait to read what others have written on this one.
I think God looks down on his earth and shakes his head. I am amazed at all the doctrine related arguments between Christian churches. I can see why many people who were exposed to this have left organized religion behind.
As long as salvation through Jesus is the message, I believe the method of delivery can vary. Some people are never going to go to a traditional church for worship. Whether they feel out of place socially, financially or feel that atmosphere devoid of emotion, that is okay. Some people don't like to worship with contemporary music and feel that going to church in cut-off jeans doesn't show proper reverence to God. There is room in heaven for all people who believe Jesus is the Son of God and that he died for their sins. Churches should be a place for believers to meet in worship and grow in fellowship.

Shameless Self Promotion

2006-10-08T18:03:00.000-04:00

Friday I built webpages of my artwork to add to my other blog,
My Many Impressions. Browse over it you will and click on the Gallery subheadings. Or look here... watercolors and intaglio prints and monoprints. I will get the monotypes up soon. They are probably my favorites, but I have a lot of them.

The page design is nothing fancy, but since I've started giving out my blog address to galleries and customers, I felt I needed to have a more permanent part of the blog and this was the easiest way to do so with my limited web development skills. I am considering taking a class. I know I could pay someone, but I would really prefer to do my own webmastering and design.

Thirteen Things I Have Not Had Time to Do This Week

2006-10-04T23:18:00.000-04:00

1. Get my legs waxed
2. Actually DO the Tackle It Tuesday that I took a before picture of
3. Make sure my bills are all paid
4. Laundry
5. Take the cat for shots (I've been postponing since April.....sorry Gilbert)
6. Yoga Class....I hate that I couldn't go....
7. Finish my first book for FIR, titled Wilderness Skills
8. Have digital photos printed from Labor Day weekend that I promised my mom last week
9. Schedule my annual checkup that was due in June
10. Go to the grocery store
11. Make new art
12. Send the sticker chain letter that our neighbor gave our daughter
13. Make son's first orthodonic appointment

Wow! I thought there were many more things. I think I can know out most of these before Sunday....the good news is that our freezer is almost empty, the power is still on and I was able to enjoy the nice breezy afternoon in capri pants.....Have a good weekend!

Thirteen Ways I Entertained Myself as a Child

2006-09-28T07:33:00.000-04:00

Without cartoons 24/7 and computer/electronic games, I had to be more creative. Did you do any of these things?

1. Rode my bike around and around the block - sometimes we tried to make trails through the woods too

2. Walked to the stables (across a pasture at the back of our neighborhood) to look at and pet the horses

3. Rang the doorbells to visit with our older neighbors - sometimes they gave us juice and cookies too!

4. Solved mysteries - we had to look hard to find them....once there was water running across the street and we deduced that a water pipe was broken....weren't we smart?!

5. Rolled golf balls through the drainage pipes in my yard - this was so fun!

6. Spin Art - I just loved doing this!

7. Creepy Crawlers - I also loved making these little rubbery bugs. There were not edible, so I have no idea what I did with them after they were done.

8. Pretended to be a bird - (don't worry we didn't try to fly!) my friend Donald and I used to sit in the huge brown bean bag at his house and chirp until his mom would bring us a "bird seed bar" (popcicle)

9. Cleaned my room - this basically meant that I dumped out every drawer and put things back more neatly....kinda an inventory

10. Collected rocks - never identified them, but picked up interesting shapes, colors and textures and kept them in coffee cans

11. Caught insects for my "Bug Box"

12. Read books - I don't actually remember reading at all, but I know that I had stacks of books I loved: Socks, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan, Charlotte's Web, Ballet Shoes, Misty, Black Beauty, etc.

13. Jumped on the bed - no, my mom didn't "let" me, but since there was no trampoline in the neighborhood, we had to make do. I had twin beds, so it was fun to jump back and forth.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Wordless Wednesday

2006-09-27T07:15:00.000-04:00

Tackle It Tueday - My First

2006-09-25T10:21:00.000-04:00

Here we go! I'm jumping on the Tackle It Tuesday bandwagon. Over the weekend I took a long look at my overflowing and cluttery laundry room/closet and decided I should do something to cheer it up. Here is the before photo:

This took considerably more time and created several other projects, but I'm happy with the result.

Thanks for visiting!

Fall Reading Challenge

2006-09-25T10:12:00.000-04:00

Katrina over at Callapidda Days is hosting the Fall Reading Challenge from September 23rd through December 21st. If you have a big stack of unread books on your nightstand, you are the perfect candidate to join us.

Here's my list:

1.) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

2.) Familiar Heat by Mary Hood

3.) Pains of April by Frank Turner Hollon - this book came to me as a recommendation by Sonny Brewer who owns Over the Transom bookstore in Fairhope, AL. He thinks FTH is the real deal.

4.) The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway

5.) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

6.) I am currently reading a book of short stories called Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood. (It was in my car and I forgot to include it in the picture.)

7.) I had to return a book to the library called In Sheep's Clothing by Mary Monroe that I plan to finish when I have time to go get it again.

My Reward Book**(if I finish all the others) is One Mississippi by Mark Childress. I have not purchased it yet, so I can ask for it for Christmas if don't get this far before that. :)

I know that this is a pitifully small list, but this fall is really busy and I'm not sure it would be feasible to read more than this and still do my bible study and make artwork at the same time. Lately I have not scrapbooked at all and I haven't done any needlework in several years.

I also thought I would share my favorite online bookseller with you. I LOVE Alibris! It isn't a store as much as a network of independent booksellers. I have had excellent results searching for out-of-print books through them. Here is a quote from their website.

Alibris (pronounced "uh-LEE-briss") connects people who love books, music, and
movies to thousands of independent sellers around the world. Our proprietary
technology and advanced logistics allow us to offer over 60 million used, new,
and out-of-print books to consumers, libraries, and retailers.

I also buy from Amazon, but seldom buy the books new. I can often find a new or like new copy for much less in the "more buying choices" box. Just keep in mind that shipping is in addition to the displayed price and the "free shipping" options are not offerred on books that do not come directly from Amazon.

Note: I plan to post my opinion of the books as I finish them. I will use the Fall into Reading Banner to designate them. Happy Reading!

Template Help?

2006-09-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

When I put up long posts (like the Home Tour or Captivating wrap-up), it gets cut off even with the SiteMeter logo. Is this related? How can I fix it?

Thirteen Jobs I Would Like To Try

2006-09-21T15:11:00.000-04:00

Obviously I am not qualified for most of these jobs, but it is fun to dream.

1. Research Biologist

2. Paleontologist

3. Mail Carrier

4. Travel Writer

5. Food Critic

6. Restauranteur

7. Carpenter

8. Electrician

9. Librarian

10. Researcher

11. Kennel Owner

12. Marine Biologist

13. Astronaut

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Captivating, Chapters 7-12

2006-09-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

Romanced

This chapter I got. It’s the first one that really hit home with me. Daily I complement God on the great job He has done. I LOVE NATURE! That makes the complements so easy for me.

The God as a Lover thing didn’t offend me, although I have NEVER thought about my relationship with God in that context. Long ago I accepted that “God’s version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners come in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies: warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens…”

When Stasi described asking for a gift for “her heart alone,” I couldn’t help but think of Beth Moore’s “delight” that she requested (shared in Beloved Disciple). If you haven’t heard The Bear Story, you have missed out. I encourage you to do this study if you have the opportunity.

The truth about why my relationship with God is sustainable is put on paper at the end of this chapter: “God wants to live this life together with you, to share in your days and decisions, your desires and disappointments…..He is not interested with the woman you think you are supposed to be. He wants intimacy with the real you.”

Don’t wait until you are rich, thin, and successful. He loves and wants you NOW! Submit.

Beauty to Unveil

“The strength of a man is first a soulish strength – a strength of heart. And yes, as he lives it out, owns it, inhabits his strength, he does become more handsome.”

Why didn’t I understand that twenty years ago?

“…when someone is listening. She knows she matters. Someone cares about her heart, wants to know her.” Wow! Profound in an obvious way. The truth unveiled.

Arousing Adam
The message in this chapter that affected my most was the section where John talks about men seeking validation for their souls from women and this being the root of many unhealthy practices that destroy their lives and marriages. Men need to find the source of their masculinity in their Creator. When they seek it in woman, they are destined to be disappointed.

I don’t often validate my husband’s strength. I don’t offer him the appreciation he deserves as a husband and father. This is due to my own inadequacies. As a defense mechanism, I complain about the way he does any chore that I feel was my undone responsibility. I’ll admit that I actually do HATE the way he does the laundry and he does buy the WRONG food when he shops, but just the fact that he participates in these chores should warrant grace and a loving attitude.

Because I have pursued an intimate relationship with God only in a married state, it makes me wonder if I would feel beautiful and fulfilled as a woman if I were single. Does my validation come from God? I think it must, because the emptiness I once felt is gone.

I read the Single Women section with a huge sigh. Had I the chance to do it over again, I like to think my approach would be more in this vein than the one I employed in my youth.

Mothers, Daughters, Sisters

The desire in a daughter to please her mother is matched only by her desire to be separate from her.

That about sums it up. As much as I want to live my own life and be my own person, I CARE about what my mom thinks. In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott talks about writing and says that if you want to write freely, you have to write as if your parents no longer exist. I think the same applies to my artwork. Not that I aspire to controversial, outrageous imagery, but every effort has to pass by the “mom meter.” (Funnily, my dad and a friend of my mom’s have recently told me that my mom never has a thing to say but praise for me. All I hear from her is criticism.) Apparently, our communication “is fraught with hidden meanings and misunderstandings” like Stasi and her mom.

I don’t have a sister. I would love one. I apply the sister comments to my best female friends. The comments in this chapter pulled at my heartstrings, because I have no geographically close friends. I know that God has plans to in this arena and I am doing my best to be patient and open to those plans, but the following phrases reminded me of what I am missing:
“When God gives a friend, He is entrusting us with the care of another’s heart.”
“We need to call one another without waiting to be called first.”
“We love our friends – calls, little presents, cards, invitations to play, to go for a walk, to got to a movie. We offer our hearts.”

And yes, I have disappointed others in friendship and been disappointed others too. That doesn’t diminish the importance of these relationships.

Warrior Princess

I was intrigued by Stasi’s account of her dizzy spells. I was also struck by truth in her statement: “It was something that I had lived with or under for years, but it never occurred to tell him (John) about it. To me, it was normal.” Wow! It really made me consider that not addressing concerns makes us run the risk of accepting and assimilating them into our self. And, I don’t mean that in a good way!

When Stasi talks about the “replaying of conversations that you’ve had with people,” she really hit a tender spot with me. This is one of the areas that makes me feel crazy. The verse she gave, 2Cor. 2:11, may become my signature verse until I get over it. Why did I blame myself for this flaw. The evil one is just too smart.

An Irreplaceable Role

The main point of this chapter is that I need to put my gifts out there for God’s glory. We can’t “wait to offer our lives until we have our acts together…He invites us to share and give in our weakness. He wants us to offer the beauty he has given us even when we are keenly aware that it is not all that we wish it were.”

Think of the way people who live that way touch your heart and soul. Be that person for someone else.

In Review – Fascinating concepts and LOTS of opinions were presented. I was challenged to evaluate my faith and back it up with Biblical truth. I am not sorry I read Captivating, but if it had not been within the context of the study group I could never have finished it. I wouldn't recommend this book. It is confusingly written (because of the dual authorship). It makes lots of sweeping generalizations. It is rather loosely tied to scripture in my opinion. I DO think I grew in my faith as a result of reading the book, but because I was constantly challenged by it. The last few chapters were better than the first ones.

Revenge, Southern Style

2006-09-14T18:18:00.000-04:00

(I don't normally put jokes on my blog, but this one was too funny.)

Jennifer's wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen her excitement -- not even her parents' nasty divorce. Her mother had found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best dressed mother-of-the-bride ever!

A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father's new young wife had bought the exact same dress! Jennifer asked the new wife to exchange it, but she refused. "Absolutely not. I look like a million bucks in this dress, and I'm wearing it," she replied. Jennifer told her mother who graciously said, "Never mind sweetheart. I'll get another dress. After all, it's your special day."A few days later, they went shopping and her mother did find another gorgeous dress. When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, "Aren't you going to return the other dress? You really don't have another occasion where you could wear it."

Her mother just smiled and replied, "Of course I do, dear. I'm wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding!"

Thirteen Furry Friends

2006-09-14T10:49:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Pets that have touched Nancy's Life
1. Figaro was an adorable black cat with white feet that I had as a young child. I have pictures of me at the age of five or six with him (I think). I know that he was patient and sweet. We went on vacation and he escaped from being boarded at the vet. We never found him. The vet gave us a beautiful, shy Persian as a consolation.

2. Pandora was our Persian. She was very shy and hid a lot, but so beautiful that she should have been on calendars and such. She was a good mother and we had lots of kittens over the years. I wouldn't have traded having kittens in our home for anything, but funnily, all our pets are now spayed, so our kids won't have that experience. We had several generations of cats descended from her.

3. Destin was a little Brittany spaniel. She was the sweetest dog you have ever been around. We were building a pond around the time we had her and she LOVED going there and getting all muddy. She was terrified of loud noises, so Dad wasn't able to take her hunting as he had hoped.

4. Anne was another Brittany spaniel. She was incredibly sweet and loving, but a bit of a "spaz." I have pictures of me in the doghouse with her when I was about ten or eleven. Anne was shot and killed in the yard of a man down the street. We were all devastated and my mom let the man have it. He was afraid of her until his death a couple of years ago. His excuse was that she was in his trash.

5. Clyde was a fabulous cat. He must have been a lot like Figaro, but I was older and considered him my pet. I don't remember if he was one of our kittens or if I found him somewhere. Anyway, he was a really cool cat. I remember that Clyde got very sick and wouldn't eat. The vet recommended that we put him to sleep. I pitched a fit and we brought him home. I remember laying on the floor in the laundry room crying and pleading to avail for him to eat. I am thankful that my parents let me see for myself his condition and relent on my own.

6. Lady Dye was a chocolate Lab that my parents got for me on my birthday when I was 15. Obviously, she was meant as a family pet, because at that age I wouldn't be at home that much longer. I remember practicing gymnastics on the lawn and feeding her apples. She was injured by the UPS truck and had to have her tail docked, so we always had people asking what breed she was.

7. Ski (Rhett Fodorski's Michief) was a precious black cocker spaniel that my high school boyfriend got for me one year. (I don't think he asked my parents.) He was the cutest puppy you have ever seen in your life! You couldn't even see his eyes because they blended in with the dark fur. He became my mom's adored pet. When I was in college, I came home for Thanksgiving and he had disappeared. I made flyers and we put them up all over our small town. Mom went to see a lot of black dogs, few of which were cockers, but he didn't turn up. At Valentine's I got her another lap dog and amazingly, a few weeks later the meter reader told mom he had seen Ski. Sure enough, he was tied up outside someone's house a few miles away. He came back to us. It took him a while to adjust; he seemed traumatized, but we were so glad he was back.

8. Ming was the Shi Tzu that I got Mom as a Valentine's Day gift. I remember sitting at the college library researching what kind of small dog would be a good fit for my mom. When I went to pick her up from the Golden Hydrant (isn't that an awful name?), she was SO tiny; probably too tiny to be away from her mom. I drove a little over an hour to give her to Mom. Mom quickly grew to love her. At first we thought she was very shy, but once Mom took her to be groomed, she became a fireball. (I guess it is hard to run around crazily when you can't see where you are going.)

9. Toby was the golden retriever that I got as a pet in college. (What was I thinking?) She lived at my friend Trey's trailer with his black lab. I went to get her in the afternoons and on weekends. That summer she would get out and run to my apartment down the road and jump in the pool. When she was small, my guy friends would borrow her to go pick up girls. She was gentle, loving and always had a space for me in her heart, even after Mom found out about her and insisted I bring her home to live with her other 3 dogs. (Do you realize that I was either partially or completely responsible for all her pets at this point?)

10. Bailey was a Springer spaniel that my husband and I got while we were engaged. We were in Atlanta visiting his family and were sent to the mall to get something for his poodle. We had talked about getting a Springer and they had one at the store. She was about 12 weeks old, leggy and awkward. We loved her and felt that if we didn't buy her, no telling what would happen to her. She lived for 14 years and was the sweetest dog I've ever known. I miss her terribly.

11. Clancy was Bailey's puppy. He was goofy, sweet and a giant Mama's boy. He never knew that he weighed 60 pounds and tried to be a lap dog. He was great with our babies and was their protector. He collapsed and died on the same day, quite unexpectedly. I wish I had been able to say a more proper goodbye.

12. Gilbert is a stray orange tabby that showed up back when we had Bailey and Clancy. Hubby couldn't believe I was letting it in the house. She (yes, she) loves dogs and all people. She has moved with us twice and loves us all. She is quite set in her routine and rules the roost.

13. Alli (All I Want for Christmas) is our puppy. She will be two in November. If you wonder why I still refer to her as a puppy, you haven't raised a Lab. She is yellow with a liver nose and lips. She is our son's dog, but she has finally won my heart. She has also shown me that I don't want any more puppies in the future.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Start Now!

2006-09-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

Susan and Janice at 5 Minutes for Mom and Heather at My Midlife Moments have creates this new blog to encourage Christian women in their faith. September's theme is faith.
On Mondays there will be "Faith Builders" - An interactive blogging Meme! For more today's, click here!

This week, for the first meme we are asked to share the impact of the following statement on our life and to reflect on the precious gift we have been given... a tomorrow!

“We cannot go back and make a new start, but we can start now to make a new ending.”

Gosh, this statement was tailor made for me. I have made SO many mistakes in my life. The sad thing is that I grew up a "good kid," but decided to throw all that away. I remember almost the exact time that I did it too. I had a boyfriend in high school AND I was committed to my church and faith. He kept nagging me about the time I spent at church and I knew I couldn't keep living a double life; I chose him. That is so embarrassing to admit now. HOW could I have made this choice? Well, you've all been 16, so I guess it is evident that I had more hormones than sense. Plus, I was really in love; I thought I could change him and have it all. I digress...

Anyway, I was a really good student and planned to go away to school. This boyfriend begged me to stay in our hometown instead. He said he would get his grades up and we would go to the school of my choice together. Even as foolish as I was, I knew this would never happen and we ended up breaking up that summer. As a parting shot, he said, "No one will ever love you like I do." Luckily, he wasn't a psychopath, or I might be dead, but his words cut deep and followed me for years.

I reacted in an unlikely way; I decided that I didn't want love at all and became a wild, attention-seeking co-ed and threw my morals out with the bath water. I started drinking for the first time. I figured that guys did what they wanted all the time and I would too. It was the eighties and time for women to be equals in all areas. Anyway, you have surely guessed that I had it all wrong and no one thought I was strong, sexy and desirable, just sad, drunk and pathetic. I truly "fell in love" with everyone who gave me attention.

I look back now with little more than shame. I want to personally contact all my sorority sisters and tell them that I really am a good person and that I am sorry that I made a fool out of myself all those years. Anyway, "we cannot go back." I have to believe that God had a plan, or has turned my rebellion into a plan. I don't see drunk, crazy teens as acting out, but as seeking. I know they are trying to fill some empty place inside them. I know that I will minister in this area in the future. I will share the consequences of these actions in a loving way, without judgement. God will use me in my weakness to "make a new ending" where HE is the focus. Surely this is why I still have tomorrows.

So, I'm Going to Try Yoga

2006-09-09T22:18:00.000-04:00

I'm getting older and less flexible. I need to do something about it. Many people I know go to yoga or pilates classes, so I thought I would give yoga a try. I asked around and am going to someone highly recommended. I am thinking that it will likely be a great time of prayer and meditation. That said, I have always despised "stretch and tone" classes, so I have rather low expectations. I find low expectations are the best for me in many cases I don't always follow popular opinion.

In the spirit of Eastern culture, I took a quiz. (I really expected to get the result of water, maybe because I love everything water related and am a Pisces.)

My yoga class is Thursday, I'll report back.

Your Element is Wood

Your power colors: green and brown

Your energy: generative

Your season: spring

Like a tree, you are always growing and changing.
And while your life is dynamic, you are firmly grounded.
You have high morals and great confidence in yourself and others.
You have a wide set of interests, and you make for intersting company.

What Element Are You?

Home Again, home again, jiggity jig!

2006-09-05T11:49:00.000-04:00

I'm back!

I had a wonderful time last month and did many things I had hoped to do. I did not really miss being home; I was too busy soaking up the moments where I was.

BUT....
I am so glad to be home now that I am here. My cat is certainly glad we are back. She received good care in our absence, but I could tell she was happy to see me. She didn't even do the cold shoulder routine common to felines.

I have enormous piles of mail to sort and I still have to go buy groceries, but I wanted to say, "Hi!" in case anyone stops by.

More later.

Road Warrior

2006-08-20T00:49:00.001-04:00

This is more for my own interest, but peruse at will.

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Great American Novelist

2006-08-19T17:07:00.000-04:00

Melanie over at This Ain't New York tagged me for a meme.

If you could write a novel about any subject, what would it be?
Just the subject, don't give away any plot ideas.

No worries about giving away plot ideas, because that is the part I would struggle with.....actually HAVING a plot! Anyway, I would like to write about things I know about, find intriguing and beautiful, so I would include lifeguarding, scuba diving, the Rocky Mountains, the Gulf Coast and art. Basically I would like to take my life experiences, compress them and add exciting detail!

To be honest, I don't really write except in my head. I have enough trouble trying to make time for creating art, but I will admit that I have dreams of publishing a book someday too. I am leaning toward middle school fiction. I was planning to write a book about moving based on my son who is nine, but I never wrote any of my ideas down. I have LOTS of experience with moving, so I really should. I thought it might help or at least let other kids identify with his experience.

Greetings from the Frontier!

2006-08-19T16:47:00.000-04:00

Hallelujah! I have time to check the blog world!

If you didn't know, I have been traveling for the past two weeks. It has been fun and I am a bit more tan and a lot less stressed. My destinations have been my family's lake house for six days, the beautiful gulf coast of Florida for four days and Atlanta for two days. I have seen SO many wonderful friends and family members, visited old neighbors, my old church, etc. etc. Twice I have checked my email, mainly to make sure the business part of my artistic life hasn't collapsed in my absence. Only a few hours of my vacation have been in buildings with broadband, (except for my dear friend who let me spend a few nights in her guest room/office, promptly shutting down the computer upon my arrival.)

Anyway, I am at my brother's today. He has DSL! Yea! Tomorrow I am going back to the lake (sans kids) to paint, read and lay in the hammock until Wednesday. I probably won't be online again until my return to the big city on Labor Day, but I haven't forgotten you guys!

Planning the Car Trip

2006-08-02T19:49:00.000-04:00

I am driving 14 hours with my two children (ages 7 & 9) and my son's dog this weekend. My husband's main concern was that the car needed servicing, but I'm much more concerned with NOT hearing any whining and "he pinched me"s from the seat behind me. (Keep in mind that we do not have a van with DVD player, so here's what we will be taking with us.)

1. Audio books from the library. The sweet librarian even renewed them until September, so I don't have to do it while we are gone. (Did anyone else know that you can renew at the same time you check out a book or tape?) I got these titles from a book called Books Your Kids Will Talk About: Freak the Mighty, Ella Enchanted, The Phantom Tollbooth and Crispin, The Cross of Lead.

2. XM Radio - it is installed in the vehicle we are taking. It was a gift from hubby Christmas before last, at my request. I couldn't drive such a big and fuel inefficient vehicle every day, so he inherited it. Anyway, my kids love XM Kids, so we will be sending our requests via fax/email and hope they call us or mention us on air. (If they ever fall asleep, I can listen to praise music or talk radio.)

3. Gameboy DS(es) - I must make sure they are full charged before we go. Mario has entranced both children (again). They also LOVE picture chat or whatever it is called. You can draw/type to someone else with a DS within something like 150 feet. They send secret messages to each other and get tremendously excited if someone else is in contact range, even if it lasts only a minute.

4. Bag-O-Tricks - Since the kids were little, we have had a bag that contains travel size games, toys and activities. It is ONLY allowed while driving distances of over 4 hours and the toys cannot leave the car. I can't believe that they still get excited over Hungry, Hungry Hippos, but they do. Occasionally I add an item or two.

5. Snacks - Okay, I mostly bring these for myself, but if the kids say they are starving and we just left every option except Billy Bob's Cafe and Gun Shop, I can stall them for a few more miles. Plus, Chees-It Grips or NutterButters quiet down disagreements pretty well.

6. Pillows and "Special Items" - Mimi and Slush will be coming along. These are comfort items for the kids and with a pillow, they just might sleep. I used to tell them, "If you go to sleep we will get there faster," until my son said, "We don't get there any faster, it just seems like we do." Touche.