Santa comes early...

Okay, so we don't really believe in Santa in our house. Our kids are the ones who ruin it for all their friends. Yup, there goes another childhood dream.
We did our own Christmas tonight. A trip to Double T for dinner (James ate my eggs, but there was enough corned beef hash - absolutely delicious! - for me to have a good dinner too) and then home for stockings and presents. This year Jamie knew what to do, and he did it. He tore into those presents and had fun the rest of the night. Poor thing had to go to bed without his new Duplo train... lots of crying. Hopefully it will bring good dreams of playtime for tomorrow. Dot is happy with more playmobil and a copy of American Girl magazine. She can't wait to do her two new crafts, but we won't open them until we get back from our family Christmases.
Jim was eager to play with his new toy, a joystick that plugs into your tv - with Ms. Pacman, Galaga, and other "old" games on it. Even the kids wanted to play with it. I am happy with my new kitchen toys and cd. To top it all off, my long-awaited LL Bean slippers arrived today, and I am so happy! They are so comfortable and warm. No more cold toes while washing dishes!
Wonder of wonders, the house is still clean from all my work today. Let's hope it stays that way!

good books

Lately I have entrusted a lot of my reading time to one man - James A. Michener. His books, while long, are very good reads. They combine the fiction I like with the history I like. On top of all that they also have quite a bit of geography, but don't let that put you off; the descriptions often make you feel as if you have been there your self, and want to go back for more.
Michener was not a Christian, and it shows through in his books sometimes. For example, in Centennial there was a whole chapter dealing with the evolution of the animals of the west. It was hard to read, to tell the truth. Also, as he tells the stories of the people you sometimes get exposed to bad language and questionable morals.
Overall, his stories are incredible, pulling you into those families, following their histories, successes and failures. If you had the time, you would want to read the whole book in one sitting (but that is hard to do, since most of the books are well over 600 pages).
Right now I am in Mexico, with wonderful descriptions of bullfights. I keep wondering if this really agrees with what Mexico is like. Hey, Joel, what do you think?

ornament

Yesterday, late in the afternoon, I received an email from Jim telling me he had a task for me. I was to help make an ornament for the office Christmas tree, something to do with the theme of a security enhanced Christmas.
Last year I made a small tree for Jim. It had penguins (Tux, from Linux) and little cardboard cd's on it. Dot loved helping me make the ornaments, and wishes she could see the tree again. (Alas, we cannot go to his office, and he cannot take pictures there...) Why couldn't they just use last year's tree???
Anyway, by the time Jim came home I had a list of word ideas. He liked the idea of a safe, so we went to Joann's after we ate dinner. I found a small square unfinished wood frame ornament and some silver cardstock tags - all on clearance! When we got home I painted the frame silver and started cutting up the cardstock. Jim printed out a picture of Tux with a Christmas tree, and we mounted that in the frame. TaDa! Tux's Christmas is "safe"!

Sick

Last week Jamie had a runny nose, but seemed to get better by the weekend. However, Sunday morning he was running freely again, so he couldn't go in the nursery. We had to go to church for the morning service, so Jim sat with him in the foyer. By the time we got home, though, we were feeling quite tired as well, so we decided to stay home in the evening. (Skipping church, can you believe it???) It's a good thing we did, as I definately have caught the cold now, too.
This bug is mean for a cold. No temperature, so you're not really 'sick', but you are really tired, almost like when you have the flu. I wish I could spend the day in bed... but I have two kids and a mountain of laundry. So, caffeine is my friend. I am sure the kids will get away with more than they should, but I will be happy just to make it through the day.

*** Tuesday morning: Last night Dot woke me up around 1am to ask for anti-nausea medicine. I had just given her a dose when it came right back up. So now we are dealing with the flu, too. Just in time for Christmas... Oh well, she seems to be doing a little better this morning, but we'll take it slowly.
*** Tuesday lunch: Dot asked for tomato soup, then proceeded to eat it with animal crackers. I think it must have been a very short, possibly 12-hour bug.

Merry Tuba Christmas

This Saturday we went downtown for our own family Christmas Tradition - Merry Tuba Christmas. Here in Baltimore it is held at Harborplace mall - right on the inner harbor, out in the elements. It can get quite cold with the wind, so it's a good thing there is no seating for the crowd. We all cram together and stay as warm as possible.
The official count for the tubas was 175 musicians. They didn't count the crowd... but it had a good turnout. Jamie was particularly happy to see a few dogs enjoying the music, too. Both kids were surprised to hear the Constellation fire a cannon at 4 pm. (Someday we will take them on a fieldtrip to that ship!) We were all happy to get back to the car, though, in order to warm up!
To round out our family day we all ate soup (it's hard to beat tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches!) and watched Christmas videos... and ate up a lot of our Christmas cookies!

not for me... yet.

I get quite a few update emails from different companies, most of them dealing with foods. This one made me think of a few family members and friends. They, of course, are gourmands and wouldn't really be interested in something like this...
I am not interested enough yet. The email told me that homecafe now can make tea as well. However, it isn't that hard to make a good cup of tea.
I sure could use a good cup of Earl Gray right now... with a little milk and sugar... yum!

when the cat is away

As a stay-at-home mom and a home-schooling mom I have found that I distinctly lack time to myself. I have had to rework my schedule quite a few times... perhaps it is a good thing I am somewhat spontaneous. One thing I have had to "fit in" is my internet time. Obviously, when Jim is home the computer is generally being used by him. Dot is another computer hog, but she usually leaves it in Windows, and it takes a long time to reboot into Linux. When I do want to be on the computer I have to fit it in with cleaning, laundry, cooking, teaching, etc. I also need to decide if I can leave the kids by themselves.
Today I left Jamie in the living room watching Cat in the Hat so I could do my email. Of course, I found myself interrupted when I heard him taking his diaper off... I went out and reattatched it, and came back to finish online. However, when I was done, and went back out to check on him, I found him without a stitch of clothing, standing on the couch (minus cushions), having a puddle at his feet...
Some things you can take pictures of to use as "blackmail" in the future (i.e., teenage years); this was not one of them. I will have to remember this one...

commenting troubles, 2

Earlier this year Jim bought a "new" (used) computer for us. When he got it up and running he informed me that while we would have Windows on the system he intended us to use Linux for the most part. I have been learning some of the Linux programs, and it is easy enough to use for the internet, but a couple of my programs do not have a Linux counterpart.
One problem I have found is the increased security in the web browser. Somehow I cannot sign in on any MSN blogs - including KJ, Linda, and Andy... That is why I haven't posted a comment in ages. Good thing we still have email.

Castoff cast

This morning Dot became normal again. (As normal as possible, I suppose!) She no longer has a cast on her arm, which is good, because it was getting quite stinky. At this moment both Dot and Jamie are in the tub, splashing water all over the bathroom. I am sure the mats will need to be wrung out. After six weeks of incomplete baths, Dot is now clean from head to toe. Hooray!

Both kids have been sporting a new look after our visit to the doctors office. Dot has an ace bandage on her arm, and Jamie has been trying out the castoff cast.

gingerbread

Dot has been looking forward to decorating for Christmas. Last night we put up the tree and greenery, and they look pretty good. Our tree is getting the hodge podge look that comes from having kids - there are more handmade ornaments every year. It makes for good memories, though.
Today we put together the gingerbread house. I broke from tradition, though, and did not use the mold that I usually use. This year I got a pattern online for a thatched cottage. We even used shredded wheat for the thatching! Dot is a little disappointed, though, as she has to wait to do the decorating. We will add snow and sprinkles when we do our cutout cookies - lots of frosting in one day!
In the meantime the kids will enjoy the leftover gingerbread. Both Jamie and Dot love gingerbread, so it never sticks around long at our house!

goodbye... hello!

Traditionally the day after Thanksgiving is spent in the mall, or some other retail outlet, shopping for Christmas presents. While there were some very good deals to be found if you were willing to brave the early morning cold and the crowds, we decided to skip the stores this year (AGAIN!). Instead we jammed ourselves into the truck and headed to the Honda dealer out in Ellicott City.
We test drove a 2006 Civic, comparing it to the Toyota Corolla we had test driven on Tuesday. Jim was happier with the Civic, so he sat down with the car dealer to start the paperwork. The kids and I spent time in the play area, where there was a lego table, a toy box filled with blocks, two pint sized tables, and a tv tuned to Nickelodeon. We spent a lot of time in the play area... it took quite awhile to get everything taken care of. Part of that was due to the truck being a trade-in. It was worth only $500, but it was a 1994, after all. Goodbye, faithful Ford Ranger...
Hello, new Honda Civic! The kids were tired and hungry by the time we headed out to the new car. To reward the kids we went to Burger King for lunch... but we didn't go through the drive through! No food or drink in the car for awhile...

vacations

Have you noticed that our vacations tend to be visits to Ohio? We love y'all so much that we spend our time off with you!
While we do love to visit family, we also want to do other things on vacation, too. We have discovered that we like to camp and hike. How can we put both together??? Thankfully there are lots of nice parks in Ohio, so we are thinking of going to Hocking Hills for our summer Ohio trip - we can camp (in a cabin, most likely) and hike, and we can invite the family down to visit. Perhaps the cousins can all make s'mores together... Dot and Jamie would love that!
Truthfully, this is still an idea that is just brewing. Lots of planning will have to go into this, but what else will we be doing during the long winter days? Dreaming of summer... checking things out online:

Ravenwood Castle, for those who wish they could've come with us to Great Britain (check out the gypsy wagons!). This looks interesting enough to visit on it's own!
Honey Fork Log Cabins and Top O' The Caves cabins for a rustic experience.

november rain

Today started out very nice for November. We ran a few errands and the kids took their coats off whenever they could get away with it. (Truthfully, I was more worried about them losing their coat than getting cold...) The sun went into hiding, though, and the clouds becames heavier. When we went out again after lunch it started to sprinkle... and now it is a cold, grey and rainy November day.

Our family didn't take many vacations - at least, not ones that most people would call "vacations." We probably couldn't afford them - after all, it costs a lot to feed and board a family of 7! I have warm memories of our trips to Hocking Hills in southern Ohio. It was so much fun to hike up and down all day, climbing rocks, slipping on wet fallen leaves, pretending to be Indians in Old Man's Cave, peering down into the Devil's Bathtub. One year we stayed in a cabin - it was almost camping! I remember a great big set of checkers, and a game played with tops? Better memories from the house we rented... it was small, but we fit in somehow. The hill (more of a slope, really, but seemed big to me at the time) was a great place to play some baseball, or roll forever!

Maybe we didn't go at the best time of year - the leaves were past their peak, and most of them were on the ground already. It was getting cold, and often rained. Somehow that didn't matter. We were away from home, on a grand adventure, enjoying the great outdoors. What an amazing playground God made there in southern Ohio! Someday I hope to take my kids there to camp and hike, to give them a chance to imagine, to wonder at the beauty. Perhaps next year...

Start your engines

Okay, this morning when we walked into Wal*Mart I noticed a sign hanging from the ceiling - 6 Saturdays until Christmas! YIKES! Time to get a move on!

Not that things aren't busy enough around here, but now it is time to buy the supplies and crank out the homemade cookies. Yum! This year we will be making about 7 different kids of cookies and a gingerbread house. Sprinkles will be everywhere! Buckeyes are always on the list, as are cutout cookies. (What is the holida season without decorating kids with frosting? I mean, kids decorating with frosting...) One of Grandma's recipes will be showing up this year - Thumbprint cookies (updated to include chocolate chips under the morello cherry jam). Of course, what is Christmas without date pinwheels?

While our to-do list includes cards, cookies and present, it also includes shopping for a car... finally. Jim is getting a little anxious as the weather gets cooler. Will the truck make it through another winter snow? It seems like we have considered most every type of vehicle out there... but now we are leaning towards a sedan - small and economical, but enough room to haul the whole family if needed. Top picks? Camry, Corolla, Accord, Civic, Mazda3... Sedans seem to all look somewhat alike, and since it will be "Jim's car" I don't really care which one we buy. When it comes to be my turn I will have more to say...

commenting troubles

Due to the 'overwhelming support' from the spam community, you will have to do extra work just to comment on my many wonderful posts. Sorry! It's just a few more letters to type...

GB, part 4: V&A

Thursday had been quite the success, and we felt like we had seen everything we wanted to while in London. So, on Friday we headed out to the Victoria and Albert museum. Happily for Jim, it was free. We spent a few hours wandering through the displays, mostly giving everything a quick look. If we had looked at everything in detail we would be there still! Being the nice guy he is Jim didn't put up a fuss when I wanted to go through the special exhibit on fashion, which was centered on a collection of clothing from Queen Mary of the Netherlands (Victoria's granddaughter). We walked through the European collection, and paid special attention to the Tudor, the Georgian, and to the Victorian periods. They have a lot of amazing items there! Things I had read about, things I had seen in history books were there on display. (Imagine owning something that old, or being able to touch it and take care of it!) Things were starting to blur together again, and our feet were really tired, so we sat for awhile to rest. Eventually we started off again, and looked at a lot of ironwork - beautiful, but you can appreciate only so many window grills. After that we headed down to the cast courts - plaster casts of all sorts of different items - Michelangelo's David or Trajan's column, for example. It is a wonderful room to walk into, where you can be overwhelmed by so much history and beauty. However, by this time we were getting hungry, and a little tired, so we left the museum and headed back toward our hotel. I stopped in a tea shop to buy some rose tea and amaretto tea (and green tea for mom), and then we walked up to Harrod's. I probably couldn't afford much in the department store itself, but the food courts were irresitible. We ended up buying a few scones and a bacon-and-cheese baguette. Yum. Slowly we waked back to the hotel, and just rested for a few hours. Later, just before dinner, we went to the two local charity shops, but didn't find anything we wanted. We ate in a pub for dinner - they had a restaurant in the basement which had very good fish and chips - made to order!
Saturday morning we headed out for our very long trip home. After way too many hours sitting in trains and planes, we arrived in DC, where Mom, Dad and the kids welcomed us home. We were exhausted - it was the middle of the night for us! We let the kids open the Christmas crackers (I knew that would be the perfect souvenir for them!), look over the leftover coins, and then finally put them to bed - so we could collapse! What a trip!

GB, part 3: Big Ben, etc.

After we walked through Westminster (and visited the gift shop - where we almost bought a kitchen "Chopin board" for Joel, ha!) we set off down the street towards Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. We couldn't go in, but we walked around the outside and took a few pictures. Another amazing building!
Next up, Trafalgar Square, just a few blocks down the road. The kids would have loved it! Big lion statues, fountains, lots and lots of steps... there were kids climbing everywhere. We decided against the National Gallery, and went off through the Admirality Arch down to Buckingham Palace. Once again, another place we did not go inside, and it wasn't the time for the changing of the guard, so we didn't spend much time there. We walked around the outside, though, on our way to Hyde park. We didn't spend long there, just enough time to sit awile and rest a bit once we had crossed "Rotten Row." We hopped on the tube (the all day pass is a really good deal!) and headed off to the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral. The Tower is very expensive to get into, and it wasn't really that high on our list, so we just took a few pictures outside, and of London Bridge, and then headed to the Cathedral.
St. Paul's is another really old church. It is bigger than Westminster - brighter and more open inside. The history of St Paul's starts in 604, when a wooden "cathedral" was built on the site. Obviously it was rebuilt (many times!), the latest designed by Wren and completed in 1710. They did have to do some restoration and rebuilding after WWII, when it was a target during the Blitz. It is beautiful! Our favorite, and most tiring - part of the tour was the Whispering gallery in the dome. The elevator was out, so we walked up way too many stairs to get there. It was worth the climb, though, as we looked out over the railing down onto the cathedral floor. Wow! WOW! Eventually we walked back down, and finished the tour.
At that point we were pretty much done for the day, ready to get some food and put our feet up. We hopped on the tube again and headed back to the grocery store and hotel.

Great Britain, part 2: Westminster

Once Jim's conference was done we checked out of the amazing hotel and headed up to London. Every time we got on a train we remarked that our kids would love to be there with us... but they weren't old enough to deal with all the walking we would be doing. Sorry, kids, maybe next time!

Anyway, we got into London that afternoon and went to our hotel -we had booked it through a travel agent, and prepaid, so we didn't expect any trouble. Oh well, things don't always turn out so easy, do they? Somewhere along the line a travel agent stopped using our name to book the room, and used a generic name ("Smith"). Eventually they figured things out and sent us to our room... We went through the maze (this was an old georgian? rowhouse turned into a hotel - fire doors everywhere, back stairs, front stairs, etc.) and opened room 8. How depresisng! It looked like they had built four walls around a double bed and called it a room! I almost cried... until we noticed that there was someone else's stuff in there. Jim went to check it out, and found that we were supposed to be in room 18, not room 8. A desk clerk error, quickly repaired, and we found ourselves in a much larger room (although not as large - or as nice - as our room in Brighton). The view outside our window? A bunch of mattresses covered in plastic, and the wall of the house next door. Lovely.
We did a little walking around that afternoon, mostly to find a map of London and dinner for that night. We ended up buying most of our dinners at the local grocery store - cheaper than eating out, and still getting to try cultural foods (we really enjoyed the sausage rolls!). In the evening we looked over the map, watched for the local weather forcast, and decided what we wanted to see the next day.
Thursday was supposed to be gorgeous, and it was. Sunshine and 70's, perfect for being out and about. We headed out after breakfast on our walk to Westminster Abbey. Surprisingly it didn't take long - it seems further on the map... We paid our fee and went in to find an amazing church. The architecture changes your attitude and demeanor. It is so overwhelming - so large, so intricate, so beautiful! You could see how it put forth the idea of the glory of God. Of course, it put forth the glory of man, too, with all the big memorials and graves. They were interesting, too, though, seeing how much history is in that one place. (Funny thing - Jim didn't know that the graves were inside the church. He imagined it like most churches - with the graveyard outside.) In our country it is hard to find old places that are kept up so well. It was hard to comprehend how old this really was! Most of what is there now was built in the 1200's! However, there were monks at that spot in the 900's. While we walked around trying to digest that thought, Jim added on the thought of places with even older buildings - like Rome, Greece and Egypt. Imagine!
Jim's favorite grave in the church? The Plumber's grave, in one of the cloisters. Just think, serve your church well, and you might get to be walked on for centuries. (Oddly enough, someone else found this grave to be amusing, too, and took a picture. I don't know the rest of the content of the site...)
Another interesting thought - they have a small gift shop and snack shop in one of the cloisters... right on top of some of the graves. Important people??? Not anymore!

Thanksgiving article

One of our homeschool links send a monthly "epistula" to us. This month they focused on Thanksgiving, with Marlin Detweiler writing not only about the history of the holiday, but also about his families memories. My favorite line:

These memories are not just warm, fuzzy thoughts of friends and family. They are not just sappy Thomas Kincade pictures in our minds. They are visible, clear demonstrations of the covenant faithfulness of the God we worship.
(Italics mine.)

Veritas, the aforementioned link, has another good article posted on their site. Are you afraid of the Big, Bad Book?

how is it possible?

We have just caught up on all the blogs, and wow! there was a lot out there... I was surprised to find that my family is getting tangled up with our past. Somehow Kevin Mungons, the music minister from our old church in Iowa, has shown up on Mike and Joel's blogs...

Great Britain, part 1

Perhaps it was a good thing to have our return from the UK coinside with the daylight savings time change... or, maybe not. This morning both kids were in bed with me at 6 am. Ugh. Time for the tea I bought in London...

Other than too much time spent in the air, and the huge time change, we enjoyed our trip. Other than one very rainy and windy day the weather was beautiful. Great Britain was having a heat wave - temps in the 70's with lovely sunshine most of the time. Just the type of weather you hope for if you plan on being outside walking around all day.

We arrived Sunday morning, and got to Brighton before our room was ready. The concierge was happy to keep our luggage for us, so we went for a walk on the beach. Surprisingly, the beach had no sand - it was all pebbles and shells. At one point there were two piers in Brighton, but there was a fire a few years ago, and the shell of that pier sits crumbling and rusting in the water. It must have been lovely before the fire! The other pier is still intact, and houses an amusement park. At night it is all lit up and looks very nice. Finally, though, we stumbled along the boardwalk, crossed the street and checked into the hotel, where we showered and collapsed into bed. (We didn't sleep on the overnight plane trip!)

In Brighton we stayed at the DeVere Grand Hotel, a very luxurious hotel. It was beautiful! On Monday we awoke to the strong winds and the prediction of rain, and it did rain! I had gone out for a walk in the morning and came back soaked, despite having an umbrella. Thankfully I had planned on staying in for the afternoon - to experience a real afternoon tea. The Victoria Lounge, just off the hotel lobby, serves a traditional tea. After settling myself into a comfy upholstered chair at a corner table I ordered blackcurrant tea (one of my favorite herbal teas) and relaxed. The tea was lovely, and was accompanied by a selection of finger sandwiches (egg salad, tuna, cucumber, tomato, or smoked salmon), scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a few desserts (chocolate cake, sponge cake, and a fruit and cream tart). Oh, I love clotted cream! Yum!
On Tuesday we took off over the lunch hour to visit the Royal Pavilion. This was the palace built by King George IV, and was finished in the early 1800's. The far east was popular at this time, and it is reflected in the architecture and interior design of this building. (They have a set of Chinese Court Officials, made of unfired clay, that are the earliest "bobbleheads" I have ever seen!) It is lavish, as you would expect a palace to be. Many people must have been totally overwhelmed by the decor - it was rich, lush and golden. Even the kitchen had decor elements - four large iron posts made to look like giant palm trees held up the center ceiling.
While in Brighton we also took the time to walk through "the Laines", a shopping district. These are very european style streets - narrow and winding. Most of the stores (and restaurants) were much too expensive to even think of going into, but some parts offered more affordable items. We, of course, stopped in the two used bookstores we found. While Jim didn't actually buy any books (can you believe it???), I did find one on Mary, Queen of Scots that I wanted. To top it all off we ate dinner at Burger King. I know... we can eat that here in the USA. It was funny, though, to see the "American" decor.

Not right now!!!!

My life is already fairly busy, but this week is really, really busy, what with parents coming in (must have clean house!!!) and interntional travel next week. On top of everything else, this week in gym class Dot fell and hurt her arm. I had her elevate and ice it that afternoon, gave her ibuprofen, and figured that it would heal fairly quickly. She, of course, milked it for all it was worth. Drama Queen... But, the next day she said it still hurt, so she had more ibuprofen and applied heat. She still wouldn't use the arm...
This morning she was still favoring it, so I called the doctor. Turns out we could get in this morning... Now we have a referral to go to the Imaging center for an x-ray. So, soon we will find out if it is just a sprain or if she actually fractured the arm...
I will feel really bad if it turns out to be fractured...

* So, I do feel really bad. It is fractured, a minor one, but it is fractured. Tomorrow we go to the Orthopedic office... Dot has decided to go blue if she gets a cast, but most likely it will be some sort of brace. More later...

Christmas lists

For those who need to know...

Jamie -
The Incredibles dvd
anything Thomas the Tank Engine
coloring books and/or stickers
books

Dot
playmobil, especially these: 7600 wheelchair 3136 superset police 4639 magnificent lady
3980 hospital room 3235 playground 4641 equestrian woman
American Girls mystery books
Boxcar children books
Narnia audio books (see Narnia post)
books by Richard Peck (or audio books)


Laura
earrings and necklaces (gold, not silver, if possible)
good sewing scissors
plain metal baking sheets (look at Wassestrom for good, inexpensive ones)
60 x 124 tablecloth(s)

Jim will have to post his own list...

health question?

This afternoon I took part in a health survey of our neighborhood. I was given a series of questions by two students from Johns Hopkins. Most of the questions were normal, not even specific enough to be asked by your doctor. Do you eat fruits and vegetables? How many? Do you get regular exercise? How much? or Why not? They did have one question that I didn't know how to answer... it came after Do you consider yourself religious or spiritual? They asked How much do your prayers impact your health? How much do my prayers impact my health? After all, it's not that praying keeps me healthy or that not praying makes me ill. Consider Job. Ah, well, it is just a survey, and I gave the best answer I could.

Burl Ives

Today in history Dot learned about Robert E. Lee. The enrichment activity for his biography happened to be the song "Goober Peas", which the teacher was encouraged to sing... I think the kids enjoyed hearing me sing the song (they certainly laughed along with me!), but the usual question arose - "what are goober peas?"

I remember hearing this song on a Burl Ives recording that Dad had. There were other American folk songs on there, too. With her interest in "old time America", Dot would enjoy hearing fold songs. I wonder if there are any good recordings out there now. Too many are geared toward kids, and are too cutesy. I guess we will have to look in Dad's records when we are home for Christmas... (another intro to "old time America"- Records!)

Peas! Peas! Peas! Peas!
Easting goober peas!
Goodness, how delicious,
Eating goober peas!

Narnia

We are eagerly awaiting our next drive around town - we have been listening to Focus on the Family's production of Prince Caspian. At home Dot is reading through the series, and is devouring them! We are thinking of getting the whole series of audio books. Anyone want to spend alot of money on our kids for Christmas?
On the horizon - Disney is coming out with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a movie this December. According to WebIndia123 the royals are getting in on the premiere, and The Stone Table is asking the question we all want answered: Is it Christian?

another forward

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions.

Why did God make mothers?

1 She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1 He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts..

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1 God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1 We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1 My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1 His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your dad?

1 My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats allot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1 Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

1 Moms work at work and work at home, & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic they make you feel better without medicine..

What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1 Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1 She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back of her head.

It's that time of year...

One of Dorothy's subjects this year is Greek Mythology. Her latest stories have been about Persephone and Hades, explaining the seasons of the year. (If Persephone is above ground it is spring/summer. If she is below ground it is fall/winter.) Dorothy has determined that it is almost time for Persephone to go back to Hades.

We are getting a bit cooler now, which is very nice. The highs are getting to be high 70's/low 80's now. The trees are starting to lose a few leaves, but the flowers are still blooming. This is the time for the crysanthemums to steal the show, and the poppies are starting to bloom, too.

Soon it will be time to clean up the garden. After all, it has been taken over by the neighbor's morning glory vines anyway. I also need to move some perennials in the flower garden, and plant some bulbs for next spring. If I find a good hauling company I will take out the overgrown bushes and the dead tree. It would be nice to get that done!

Note for next year - cosmos are very tall in the flower garden - one plant has blooms over my head! Perhaps I will skip those next spring. I will plant more poppies, asters and coleous, as they did very well in the garden this year. If possible, I will also move the vegetable garden - I am tired of the morning glories taking over every year!

camping

This past weekend we went on a short camping trip, away from the city noise and hustle and bustle. We rented a one room cabin at a KOA campground in Fredericksburg, VA for two nights. This cabin had no bathroom (communal campground ones down the road) and no kitchen (picnic table and metal fire ring on the ground out front), just a double bed, a twin bunk bed, and a small table by the door. With all our clothes, equipment, and cooler inside there wasn't much room to move around. The kids were thrilled, though, and they were climbing the bunk bed and jumping on the double bed while we unpacked. The cabin also had one more amenity - a window air conditioner! It did help to have that, though, as the temperatures were in the high 80's and low 90's that weekend.
Why Fredericksburg? We didn't visit any battlefields, and we didn't do much sightseeing. We did enjoy a short visit with our Navy friends who live nearby (wish it could have been longer, we had a great time with them!). However, it could have been any campground - we just wanted a low key, quiet weekend. We got what we wanted, and Jim didn't have to sleep in a tent for it!
Memories are made from trips like this. We simply spent time together as a family - swimming, playing on the playground or in the gameroom (foosball anyone?), making s'mores at the campfire, telling stories of other camping trips.

fair wages

Dot made money this year at the fair, and didn't have to work hard at all.
We picked up her entries this morning and found that, aside from many "participation" ribbons, she had won third place for her quilt, third place for her beaded jewelry , and an honorable mention for her apron. All were entered in categories for children up to 11 years old. She now has $11 of prize money to put in her bank account!

Nashville fried biscuits

With Jim home for labor day I was able to try a few new recipes without "help" from the kids. Yesterday for dinner I made two grilled chickens (I will always let poultry soak in a saline bath before I cook it - always!), green beans with bacon and onions, broccoli salad (just enough for me, since no one else really enjoys it) and Nashvile Fried Biscuits. I had found this recipe in a cookbook awhile back, and it sat in my folder of "recipes to try" for a really long time. I thought it might be time to try it.
The basic recipe is for a biscuit made with yeast - usually these are found in the south, named "angel biscuits." The beauty of this type of recipe is that you can prepare a large batch and then freeze it for later use. Pull out a few biscuits, let them thaw and rise, then bake. No mess, no fuss.
While angle biscuits are baked, these, obvious from the title, are fried. They are somewhat like a donut, just not so sweet. (Although, if you put a glaze on them, they might come close to a krispy kreme.) It turns out lovely, light and fluffy, with a crisp golden exterior. The inside is not as flakey as a biscuit, but when you eat one you won't care. They are delicious! Perhaps not worth the work all the time, definately not worth the health risk all the time, but nice to try every now and again.

Fried Biscuits
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp yeast
1/4 c. warm water
2 c. milk
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
5 c. flour
1/4 c shortening
fat or oil for frying
Stir yeast into warm water; set aside to proof. Mix together the sugar, salt and 3 1/2 cups flour. Cut in the shortening. Combine milk with yeast mixture, add to flour mixture. Add flour as needed to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover and let rise one hour, or until doubled. Roll out 1/2 inch think, cut into rounds. At this point the biscuits can be frozen to use at a later date. As the biscuits rise, heat your oil to 350 degrees F. Fry biscuits until golden brown, drain on paper towel and serve warm. Yields about 5-6 dozen 2-1/2 inch biscuits.

Back to school

Aaah, summer is over... at least the school system seems to think so. Poor children, having to give up their summertime play. No more sandbox, no more pool, no more free time in front of the tv or computer...

At our house we have begun to homeschool. We may have an interesting year, one where we accelerate certain subjects. In spelling today, lesson one had Dot spelling words such as: I, for, of, the, etc. I am tempted to skip through to at least lesson 20! Jim thinks her math will be somewhat simple as well. She will need to go through this book, though, to learn multiplication and division, area and a few other math basics. Dot's handwriting will need lots of practice... That is one area in which she is not advanced!

This morning when I began working with Dot we sat at the dining room table listening to cars go by and children arriving at the school next door. The tv was on, but no one was watching it; Jamie was sitting quietly at the table as well, coloring in a few new coloring books. Perhaps he feels left out... I think he may be ready for school soon, if he would just learn to speak... :-)

We are taking a break now, or rather, a field trip. This morning we will pick up Dot's entries from the fair. I am sure we will blog later about what ribbons she won...

jiggety-jig

After a restful vacation we are back into the normal rush of homelife. Also, we are preparing for the start of homeschool, planning vacations, and trying to accomplish various home improvement projects.
Jamie and Dot survived a day-long trip in the car with just me driving. Amazing! They were thrilled to get out and swing at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Aunt Linda and Uncle Michael were willing to give them push after push.
On Saturday we travelled again, this time up to Meadville, PA for a 65th anniversary party. We surprised the Grimes and had a wonderful time. It was nice to see more family, and to catch up on what's happenning in the different families. It was interesting to see my kids (and neice and nephews) playing with the same toys I played with there when I was young! I made sure to get photos of the kids with great-grandparents. I wish we could have spent more time with them!
On Sunday Dot left to go to Norwalk, to spend her week being spoiled by Grandma. Apparently she had a very good time, made a new friend, and tried a new food. (Cucumbers are now acceptable.) Lots of hugs when she came "home", though. She must have missed us after all. :-)
Jamie and I spent the week with Mom and Dad, and it was a very nice, sort of quiet week. We visited the thrift stores (and found some really good bargains!) and went to garage sales, but we also helped clean chairs at NCS. Throughout the week we tried to get Jamie to talk more, and took him on walks to see the trains and dogs. He was thrilled with all the attention he got. Jamie is a surprisingly obedient little boy.
Jim flew in Friday night to spend a quick weekend in Ohio. He did get to visit both Half-Price Books locations, and still had time to go to a local boy scouts garage sale - where he found more books! :-) We played Dutch Blitz and visited with Doug and Lori. Just like old times!
Monday we packed up and travelled back to Baltimore, and the trip went well until we arrived in time for rush hour traffic. We pushed on through, and both kids were happy to see our home again, especially when they found surprises awaiting them! Jamie was thrilled with the new rocking horse and Dot loved her canopy over her bed.
For a week or so I lived a wonderful life - reduced responsibilities (no cooking, less cleaning/laundry). I had someone else around to help watch the kids, and the kids were happy to play with "new" toys. Thanks, Mom and Dad. I feel refreshed.
It would be so nice to live near family! We really miss them all!

rather than forwarding this...

The Guys' Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story. (I must admit, it's pretty good.)

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. Please note... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don 't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Bollywood

Perhaps you know how much I enjoy Jane Austen. I have read the books, seen the movies. Obviously, some of the movies are better than others, with those that stick to the actual story being the best. (For example, "Clueless" is not a classic.) I watched another one yesterday - "Bride and Prejudice."
"Bride and Predjudice" is an odd combination of American, British and Indian film ideas. There are song-and-dance sequences sprinkled throughout the movie, and, no, they are not traditional Indian dances. The songs are a combination of Indian sounds and hip-hop or pop. (If watching again, I would skip the song by Ashanti all together - it's a little too risque for my taste. It's probaby what gave it the PG-13 rating. That and a short dream sequence with Mr Kholi...) There are a few cases of swearing, but not many. Also, keep in mind that they will wear traditional Indian clothing at times, with bare midriffs in many scenes.
Overall I had a hard time taking the movie seriously. It was strange, but funny. Odd, odd, odd. I don't plan on adding it to our collection.
PS After a watching a "condensed" version, Jim thought that the main female character didn't look Indian enough... even if she is one of the biggest stars in Bollywood!

Library

Both kids took part in our local library's summer reading program. They do not have to write down each book they read, they simply have to complete a series of reading related tasks, such as talking about a story with a friend, learning to ask a librarian for help, and, of course, reading a book. When they complete a series of tasks they turn in a coupon (signed by a parent) and receive a prize. The under-4 crowd has one coupon, school aged children have four. We turned in the final coupons yesterday. Jimbo received a soft zebra striped ball and Dot received a small panda flashlight keychain and a coupon for a free meal at Old Country Buffet. They are both happy with their prizes.
I remember getting a free ticket to Wyandot Lake... Now that's a prize! I doubt they give those away anymore...

Summertime fun

Today marks the return of true Baltimore summer weather - hot, humid and unbearable. Following a rainstorm late last week we had a welcome break over the weekend, with temps in the 80's and partly cloudy skies. It was very nice out! I let the kids play out on the deck while I grilled. They filled the kiddie pool and ran through the sprinkler.
Remember when life was good and the sprinkler was great entertainment? Catching fireflies at dusk? Discovering discarded cicada skins? When does it change over to worrying about getting the lawn mown and having dinner ready on time? When do bug spray and sunscreen become important?
I love rediscovering summer with my kids... but I'm also glad we have air conditioning.

Jealous

I am fighting jealousy this week... first off, Jim and Dot went to Six Flags today, while Jamie and I went grocery shopping. How unfair is that?! Oh well...
What is worse, though, is that our friends are moving back to Pennsylvania, to live near their families. Oh how we wish it was possible for us to move to Ohio! Ohio is the promised land for us - family, friends, good churches, Cedar Point... However, Jim's job is a good one, and it would be tremendously hard to find another employer willing to match the pay and benefits we are getting here. Plus, where would everyone go for vacation if we moved to Ohio? :-)

Poor me...

Poor, poor me. Yesterday someone broke into our house while we were gone. What they took didn't amount to the deductible on our insurance, but it was mostly my stuff! My earrings and bracelet , both presents from Jim, my camera, my savings bond, etc. The kids are mourning the loss of the dvd player. They did enjoy seeing the police at work, though. Word to the wise: they can't take fingerprints from dusty surfaces...
We began the tedious paperwork and legwork to get our life back in order. Credit reports are on the watch, just in case, official paperwork was filled in and filed. Insurance was called. Kids were bored to death at SSA.
Now we deal with the other side of things - Dot is inclined to worry. Every thing must be locked up tight! New locks will be put on windows (they came in through the bathroom window).
Over all, we have much to be thankful for. This isn't a huge deal - most of our stuff is still here, we are all safe. Sure, I'm out some jewelry (sentimental value outweighs the price), and that picture of "snaggletooth" will never be developed, but we'll live. We still have too much stuff! Too bad they didn't take the worthless junk we have stashed everywhere!
Something we laughed about last night - they actually used one of my pillow cases to carry the jewlry!

Dedicated Sale Room

Our local library has a room that is dedicated to storing seasonal books and back issues of magazines and newspapers. This same room has a couple of shelves for the sale of their withdrawn items, too. We rarely make a visit to the library without visiting this room. Their prices are very reasonable - 4 books for $1, cd's are $2, videos are $3. Every once in awhile they have a special sale where books are 10 for $1!!!
Previously I picked up a book on daily life in medieval times (I like history, what can I say...). Jim looked it up online and found that as a new hardback it can sell for over $100. Mine, sadly, is an old paperback copy...
Anyway, we went down there yesterday, and found a few books for the kids and a couple cds. I picked up Michael Card's "Starkindler" cd. I have heard some of the songs on our local (mostly ccm) Christian radio station. These are hymns played with a celtic flair, such as "Be Thou My Vision", "The King of Love My Shepherd Is", and "Jesus, Lover of My Soul". While it seems to be a short cd, only 10 songs, it was well worth the $2 I paid. Very nice.

Oh yeah...

I meant to post this last week, after we had visited our local Chinese buffet (yes, can you believe it? Jim even enjoyed some of the food! Of course, Jimbo ate mostly french fries... and Dot asked if pizza was Chinese!) We all enjoyed reading our fortunes, but mine was the only one that actually seemed to fit:

Traveling more often is important for your health and happiness.

It might bankrupt us, but I would be happy and healthy! I can afford a walk around the block if not a trip around the world. The kids would enjoy the walk more anyway.

homeschool

Last night we went to Chick-Fil-A. After we ate dinner the kids played in the playplace while we had a meeting with another couple from our church. The "G" family has been homeschooling for quite awhile, their 6th child is entering the high school years now. They answered alot of questions for us, and made it all look possible. They gave us catalogs to look through and some things to think about. They also encouraged us that this is a good path to go down.
Homeschooling is so open nowadays. While many parents will choose the Abeka/BJU path, there are others who will choose to make up their own curriculum. We are leaning toward a more "classical" education, and we have found some promising resources. Veritas Press (their catalog features an article by none other than R.C. & Denise Sproul, jr.) has many interesting things for sale, and their curriculum looks challenging - in a good way! The Calvert School, even though it is secular, looks like a good choice to start out with. They provide a lot of help for homeschooling parents, sort of an "umbrella program". A bonus - they are here in Baltimore! Of course, we will go with Saxon Math - I enjoyed it for high school math, and it is highly recommended. Would you believe we are leaning toward teaching Latin?
So, here we go, heading out into a new world... it's sort of frightening and exciting at the same time!

new car/used car?

We are in the process of looking at cars. Both of our vehicles are getting older, and neither one of us is a mechanic. Soooo... what do we buy? We have a truck and a minivan at this point in time, and we plan on keeping both (Jim can choose which he wants to drive to work). Therefore we have the option of a smaller vehicle, if we so desire. We have looked at wagons, small SUVs, and even those little crossovers. At the top of our list, the Honda CR-V or the Subaru Forester/Outback. (Of course, someday we'll look at MGs and Jaguars, right?)

The deals offered lately have been tempting - employee price plus customer cash? It makes a new vehicle the same price as a slightly used one. (What is the use of us buying anything that isn't slightly used? We want to get something that won't need work anytime soon!) We've browsed Carmax, and would probably buy there if we choose used - one of our friends is a mechanic there.

Someday soon we will have to brave the dreaded car dealers...

bad attitude

Okay, so I realize that I am at fault here. I shouldn't dread VBS this much. However, I haven't had to fight rush hour/construction zone traffic for a long time now, and the kids have been sleeping in... It's hard to get my housework done... It's payday/shopping week... It's hot...
Dot has been thrilled to go to Neighborhood Bible Time, and wants to be the ultimate memory champ (or some such thing). Jimbo is having fun in the nursery - although he is very territorial now. Sharing is just one of many concepts being taught in our house right now. I did get the nursery toys and books sorted through and took a bunch as donations to Goodwill.
After hearing that they had enough teachers, I decided that I don't have to feel bad about not helping out all week. I can use my Thursday and Friday mornings as shopping days while Dot has fun at church.

Symphony in shorts

Last night we went to the BSO's Star Spangled Spectacular up at Oregon Ridge Park. We were able to hear a very nice concert and enjoy some very nice fireworks. Impressive, and fully worth the money we paid.

The park was beautiful, a good choice for a concert venue. The stage was set at the bottom of a wide sledding/ski hill, and there were plenty of picnic tabels and bathrooms. The concessions were not numerous, but they were affordable; most people brought their own food, however. While they did have kids entertainment that required a $5 wristband, the park's free playground was large and new enough to keep our kids happy. The park did have parking, but they encouraged the use of their shuttle service - it was a well planned service, too, and we didn't have to wait too long before we were back at our vehicle.

The concert was very nice, with most of the music being well recognized patriotic favorites. Singing was encouraged, and they even started off with the pledge to the American flag. The second half of the concert included well choreographed fireworks. No cheap white noisemakers here, these were very nice fireworks. (Another benefit of being out of the city - no booming echoes off surrounding buildings.)

We met up with our friends from church, and enjoyed spending the evening with them. It is good to get out and do things together with friends and family! Dot danced along to the music at times, and "Jimbo" was so tired that the fireworks were a little scary... snuggling up in Mommy's lap helped. This was his first time to see fireworks! Dot fell asleep on the way home, but Jimbo stayed awake the whole time... even wanted to play when we got home. Funny kid... it was close to midnight!

Meringue

This weekend I tried a new recipe - well, new for me... I made a chocolate pavlova. Yummy! This dessert, the Pavlova, was created and named for Anna Pavlova, a famous ballerina in the early 1900's. New Zealand and Australia both claim to be where this recipe came from, but the jury is still out. Okay, here are the basics of this dessert: a layer of meringue covered with whipped cream topped off with fresh fruit. After looking online at some different recipes, and looking at my kitchen to see what I had, I ended up doctoring a variation of the original. My dessert was a chocolate meringue covered with real whipped cream topped with cherry pie filling. It looked good and it tasted good! Yummy! I love real whipped cream!!! I took it to a wedding shower at our church, and didn't bring any home.
chocolate pavlova

Options

We now have to consider our schooling options. Dot is too smart for her own good, and something must be done. Her teacher this past year suggested a few things, one being skipping a grade (which is not our school's policy), and the other being attending a PACE school. At home we have discussed the PACE option, homeschooling, and simply continuing at her current level.
Dot was all for homeschooling, and Jim likes the idea of being her teacher (and main influence on her character development!). However, it poses a problem for me - how to do housework and keep an toddler happy while trying to homeschool as well? I know that many women do this successfully everyday, and that it happened all the time in past centuries, but I am not ready for it! (Insert scream here!)
Yesterday we went to meet with the school principal. After going over her grades, we discussed our options. Surprisingly he offered to move her up a grade! We had not even discussed this at home, not thinking it possible. Now we have to consider this, too, weighing it's pros and cons. She may not be ready socially. (She may never be ready socially!)
What to do? What to do?

Portrait Studio

Yesterday a package arrived in the mail. It was the free 8x10 we had been promised from Olan Mills - we had our photo taken for the church pictorial directory! Apparently we were right in choosing not to buy any of their portrait sheets (at $20 a piece, or $25 for a re-touched one, where they take 5-10 years off your face), for it was a bit disappointing. Needless to say, it is not going up on our wall.
Today we are going to Target to have James' two-year-old portrait done. (If we had an endless supply of money, we might actually go to a good portrait studio that is not attached to a store. However, we are not independantly wealthy, and they charge more than we can afford... and all their shots are tempting because they are all so well done!) I hope he will be good for his picture. Last time he kept climbing off the platform to go dig through the props. Apparently they had a large stuffed Clifford that he desired... I hope they have that hidden this time.
Someday we will have to go to school to pick up Dorothy's school class photo. It has been waiting there for awhile, and I know she will be happy to get it.

Growing

This morning, bright and early, we went to the doctor's office for a two-year-old check-up. We have a healthy 29 pound, 37 inch boy who did not need any immunizations! He was in a really happy mood, and gave great big "aaahh"s when asked to open his mouth.
Yesterday we found that he does have a silly sense of humor. He laughed so hard when he saw someone on a movie sneeze. Then he went on to get us to pretend to sneeze, and laughed hysterically! "Ah... ah... ah... atchooo!"
We should be getting his picture taken this week, so next month we should have picturess to send out to you...

This week in Bawlmer, Hon.

This past weekend the Baltimore area had a very unique event - the Hon Fest. Check out the beehives!


Coming up, Flag Day. If the kids are healthy, we might go to the Flag House Museum. Remember to fly Old Glory! See here to brush up on your flag history and etiquette.


Next week we will join the crowds at the local library - it's almost time for the summer reading program! Any "must reads" for Dorothy?


I might be spending money here, they have a few things I want (okay, I would love to be able to plant MOST of these, buy my yard is only so big...). Jim thinks it is a little too goody-goody, but it seems like a fairly good deal. Ooh, I can just see those ferns by my bleeding hearts, and the black eyed susans by the daisies!

Back to work... in a big way!

Vacation is over... at least for me. School is out and Dorothy has summer vacation. It was a wonderfully restful week that James and I spent with Mom and Dad in Ohio. Even James seemed to take it easy - the only door we had to block off was to the computer room. (Unlike at home, where we have three gates on the main floor!)

Perhaps it was a good thing that last week was restful, for this week is busy. Dorothy's friend is over every day this week, and we expect Andy & Sharon tomorrow. Yesterday I had to grocery shop and do laundry (still working on that last one...), put away everything from our trip, and get ready for our church directory portrait. Oh yeah, and I have make sure the kids don't kill each other! Hmmm... it's Jim's turn to provide the birthday treat at work... The garden needs weeding.... The deck gate fell off... What's for dinner???

I think I need a nanny.

too many clothes

Nature has changed from its winter wardrobe to its spring and summer wardrobe... why can't I? I have so many clothes sitting around - I can't put away all my winter clothes and I can't get out all my summer clothes. We have had days with sun and 80+ degrees, and days (like today) that are grey, rainy and barely 60 degrees. I will have to get to work, though, and fold up all my sweaters and sweatshirts. I certainly don't need those anymore! (At least, I hope not!!!)

Freezer Burn

I have been dreading this task for quite awhile. I know I am supposed to defrost our freezer once a year, but what a gargantuan task that is! My friend in Iowa had a great way to deal with this - she simply did it in the dead of winter and let everything sit outside in the snow (staying nicely frozen) while she let the freezer defrost. Our winters here in MD are not as cold, and I didn't have a chance to take care of it then...

Lately, the food I get out of the freezer has been freezer-burnt, and we do not care for that at all. Yuck! So, this morning I bought two large bags of ice and cleaned out the freezer. I ended up with two coolers and a rubbermaid box full of food and ice. I also ended up with food to throw away - freezer burnt stuff that no one will eat now. What a waste. It is my fault, of course, and I feel horrible about that "money down the drain."

Perhaps next year I will do bettter and defrost on schedule.

Perhaps I should have shelled out the extra money for a self-defrosting freezer...

Helloooo?

I can guess why KJ has let her blog go, as Joel probably has highjacked their computer to keep up with his immensely popular blog. I suppose Linda might be busy with the school year winding down, and that could be why her blog has also lagged. I miss them, though, as they seem to be a convenient way for me to keep up with everyone.

Super-creativity

Am I trying to prove something here? I can't believe what I put myself through this week... I guess I need to do a better job at scheduling myself.

First - I have been planning on moving the brick walkway. (We always cut across the lawn anyway!) I thought, "I can do that myself!" I was right, for the most part. But, boy, oh boy, it's hard work! Lots of digging up old bricks, grass and dirt, tamping down dirt, spreading sand, laying bricks, spreading more sand... I started with a nice herringbone pattern, which looked great, but would involve many, many cuts for the edges. We don't have a brick splitter... and didn't want to rent one for $24 a day. Oh well. I changed the layout, and it looks okay (better than the original), and I only need two cuts, which I hear can be done at Home Depot for cheap. This job took two days - because I have to work during naptime, and because I was exhausted the first day!

Second and Third - I made and decorated two cakes. This is teacher appreciation week (brought to our attention by our school's weekly newsletter), and we have special snack tomorrow. Dorothy asked for a cake, so I baked one for her and decorated it with a lovely buttercream icing (which I purchased from Shelly, my friend who works for Giant). The peach flavored cake "to a peach of a teacher" written under a peach made from a cupcake. Cute. The other cake is for a baby shower tomorrow, and it a two layer cake with cute multi-colored little polka dots on it. I wish I had photos. Too bad.

Anyway, I am tired, and have asked Jim if we could have Mother's day tonight so I don't have to cook. I've been creative enough for one day...

the wait...

Oh, how horrible, it's going to the theatres first! We'll have to wait at least a year and a half before we can see it!

What, you ask, are we so impatient to see? The latest from Aardman, of course, a new Wallace and Gromit movie! It comes out in October 2005...

The cut of your clothes

"Happiness in wearing clothes is dependent, however, on some homely and revealing facts. You must know what you are really like. No one else, however, need know the whole truth about you." (emphasis mine.)

"Be yourself as you are and as you want to be. The frocks you wear will achieve this ambition for you. You can create a charmed circle of admiration wherever you go simply by the way you dress. Cultivate your gift for clothes. The puritan virtues concerning dress, while still virtues, are no longer in fashion. Enjoy your clothes."


"But what of the woman who is really matronly in build? No puffy bouffants for her. She would become terrifyingly enormous." (All right, so I threw this last quote in for fun!)

The wording in these quotes may clue in to their age. They come from a book published by the Butterick company in the 1930's, called Paris Frocks at Home. (I found it on a website devoted to vintage sewing). Even though these are from what we would consider an old book, they are true today. In fact, these ideas are repeated often today, just in more modern language. Of course, we no longer think that the average woman is going to sew her own clothes, let alone tailor them!

kids basketball

So, this past weekend we went to Dorothy's first basketball game. Keep in mind that she has had only one practice... We laughed so hard! She (and many other kids as well) sort of ran along with her team, sort of dribbled the ball the one time she got it, and just watched while skipping along most of the time. She had a great time, and got some good exercise, so it was worth it.

By the way, they have shorter hoops and a shorter court. They play four person teams for two minutes at at time before completely changing out the teams. It lasts one hour. Most kids are like Dorothy and don't know what they are doing, but some are good and can make quite a few baskets. The parents cheer and laugh and have a good time, too.

I think we have three more weeks of basketball, so we'll try to get some photos. Perhaps we will even get someone to take video of it for us! Aahh, teenage blackmail....

Playmobil

You may never have played with Playmobil toys as a child, or perhaps you were lucky enough to have the pirate ship set or Old West set. I have found these toys to be wonderful for children, as they promote imaginative play. Our collection started with the nativity set and now contains everything from baby Jesus to pirates to princesses to soldiers. The stories that come from this set are amazing, though, and wonderfully time-consuming! :-)

Some of the toys are expensive, but they always have "specials" that are under $5. Target carries a limited amount of playmobil, and has a few figures for $1.99. Sometimes one of these finds it's way into our "prize bucket." Often they fill our Christmas stockings (even Jim's!). They have made good last minute birthday gifts.

We have received the catalog at our house, and it is already worn out. Dorothy loves to look through it and dream of birthday presents! (She wants the mansion, which ends up being way too expensive for us!) James carries the 1.2.3 catalog to bed with him. (He is partial to the cars, trucks, and motocycles, although the animals are tempting, too.) By the way, his birthday is coming up soon...

Children's Stories

While going through various blogs, especially those belonging to family members (see links), I often feel as if my intellectual level has dropped. I feel stupid, in other words. While others are reading classic fiction books and other heavy tomes, I read the paper and kids books, and a novel when I get the time. I suppose being a mother has led me to this, and I really don't mind for now. It is interesting to revisit the classic children's books, and interesting to see what is new in that market. Dorothy is a voracious reader, and also loves to be read to. Her kindergarten teacher was astonished to hear we had read books such as Misty of Chicoteague and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to her before K5. When we have time now we are going through The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.
As children we listened to stories on the radio, such as "Adventures in Odyssey." Our stations do not play these now, so we have invested in several sets of childrens stories on tape (we are without a cd player in the van). Right now the favorite is called "The Pond," and is quite funny. We have also listened to "Bible Heroes" vol. I & II, "Mr. Henry", and "Adventures in Odyssey".
If we had a cd player, we would listen to Andy's stories in the van. He has posted two episodes online at his blog, so take a peak! Look for "The Apple Chicken" and "The Five Gold Coins." Another family member wrote a story, as well, although Joel has not deigned to post it on his blog. Perhaps he thinks it would lower the intellectual tone. :-) When we read it to Dorothy awhile back she enjoyed it a lot. When will we see more?

Fine Arts

Earlier this year Dorothy entered three items into our school's fine arts contest, an apron in the sewing category, a clown bank in the craft category, and a history project on Biblical clothing. We finally got back her State competition results, and she has scored second place in both sewing and history porject. These will go on to compete in the regional competition next week. She is very excited about this! Hopefully by May we will know the results!

On another Dorothy note, she will be participating in our school's elementary basketball league this spring. They begin next week! This will be the first time she has participated in a group sport. It should be a lot of fun!

Springtime

We have burst forth into spring! It seemed as if everything bloomed last week Just in our yard we have seen the flowers of Daffodils, Forsythia, Astrilbes, even Tulips. The cherry blossom festival was last week in DC, and the color is still around.

Many of our summer perennial plants are coming up, too. I have seen the beginnings of our Bleeding Hearts, Asiatic Lilies, Yarrow, Lavendar, and Hostas. I added quite a few plants to the garden last year, and it will be interesting to see them come up again this year. One in particular did very well last year, and I had to split it in the fall. I hope it doesn't take over the garden!

Dorothy and I started working on the garden this weekend. She planted carrots and I planted one row of lettuce. I instructed her on the importance of staggering your plantings. Who wants to gorge on lettuce just because it is all ripe at once! Better to plant a row a week and continue to enjoy it throughout the early summertime. Dorothy is also planning on growing her favorite "sweet 100" cherry tomato again this summer, while I experiment with some sort of heirloom tomato. And, of course, what is a garden without zucchini?

This summer I am going to try to plant some perennial poppies. In our area they plant the annual version in the highway medians. They are beautiful! In looking through the garden catalogs I have found many gorgeous versions of the poppy, and I have to see what will be available this summer at the nursery.

When out working in the garden I wonder what it was like in Eden. If things are so beautiful even now, what was it like in the perfect garden? What will it be like in heaven? What beauty is in store for us? God is so great! Get out and enjoy what he has given to us!

Living up to their reputation?

In this weekend's paper I found the usual coupons... but while looking through them for useful ones, I ran across one from White Castle. In it you see someone's hand taking the last cheesburger (the frozen kind, since we don't have the actual restaurant here in the Baltimore area) from a plate, with the headline, "Spring Cleaning."

I won't be buying these here, I prefer mine fresh... and Jim doesn't care for them. However, it did get me to check out their website:

http://whitecastle.com

Interesting Trilogy

As a mother of two children, I don't get to do much heavy reading any more (although I am currently reading a biography of Catherine the Great that is quite interesting). I do enjoy reading a good story, and I think that this trilogy by Liz Curtis Higgs is very good. It is based on the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah, but is set in 1700's(?) Scotland. I have had a hard time putting these books down, and often find myself thinking more about the women in Jacob's life. How did they do it? Sisters as rival wives... did they ever remember their bond as sisters, or were they ever friends to begin with? I also think of my own life. Am I a good wife/mother/daughter/sister/friend? If my life were written down for generations to read, would I be looked on with sympathy or honor?
I suppose that is what a good book will do for you - make you think.

http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/

Box Tops

Do you know you may be throwing away something worth a lot to Dorothy? Her school collects "Box Tops" from General Mills products, and also Campbell's "Labels for Education." The class that collects the most in a month wins an ice cream party. If you do not already collect these for your school, please think of starting to collect them for Dorothy!

http://www.boxtops4education.com/

http://www.labelsforeducation.com/

Spring Break

This week is Dorothy's spring break. No swimsuits here... So far the weather has been rainy, grey and cool... not good vacation weather! We don't have any big plans for the week... maybe some shopping for new school uniforms, a trip to the library, and lots of sleeping in. (Sleeping in means we wake up at 7:20 instead of 6:30.)
We did plan ahead, though, and bought quite a few craft kits. So far Dorothy has made a click-together bracelet and started on a velvet picture. She can't wait to fill small bottles with colored sand - she thinks they look so cute!
James doesn't get as much attention from me, but he gets to play with Dorothy some. He also gets to stay up later at night - which causes him to sleep in! (Once again, sleeping past 7am is a major victory in our house!)
So when do adults get a spring break? Can I take a week off of doing housework and cooking? :-)

Great Britain

We have always dreamed of going to England, so we are going to try to take advantage of a business trip... a wonderful 10th anniversary celebration! I have looked online at some travel/tourism sites, and I am a little overwhelmed by all the information. Better book a trip to the library...

Sick

I hate it when a weekend gets wasted on sickness! A stomach bug is going through our house. Not too bad for me, I just can't eat much other than crackers, and I'm very tired. However, I have had to deal with James twice this morning... cleaning baby, clothes, carpet and laundry all at once is hard enough, but doing it while sick is even harder.
I've spent too much time on the couch watching kids videos. I remember that being one of the "best" parts of being sick... now it is getting tiresome. Give me a good book! (And some tums!)

New Glasses

James, at 21 months old, now has glasses. He won't keep them on for more than 2 seconds, so I can say with all confidence that they aren't helping him yet. He is very interested in the case, and has even chewed on it a little. We are going to have a horrible couple of days... weeks... months... of trying to get him to wear them.
I was surprised by how very expensive toddler glasses are. Who would have thought that something so small could cost so much? Thankfully, the place we bought them from has a great warranty.
Dr. Waeltermann (the eye doctor) says she will be happy if we can get him to wear them half of the time. I'd be happy if we could get him to wear them AT ALL!!!

Finally!

I am finally joining everyone else. I now have a blog. If only I can get James to stay off the phone, I might be able to update it once in awhile. For now, I would just like to be able to get photos added... guess I better ask Jim. I know, I know, I am fairly computer illiterate and it is nice to have a nerd in the family. :-)