I'm FREEZING!!!

Our heater stopped working last night. Daddy had been able to get it working again the last two times it stopped last week, but last night it was just dead.

We went out today to see about having someone come out to look at it, and...they're off until after New Year's. So we get to freeze until next week. Yay.

We have a heater going, but we only have one. I think, though, Daddy is going to see if he can borrow one from his brother, if he has one. Times like these I miss the wood stove. lol

On a happier note, Anna had her first "real" basketball game tonight! Her team won, too! I'm not sure how many points she got, but she got at least two. She and Emma stayed with my mom to watch the other teams play, and Daddy and I went out on a date. ; )

Recap of the Weekend...If I Can Remember What We Did...

We stayed in Friday, then went to Wal-Mart to see what they had in their after-Christmas sale. I bought candles, cookies, chocolate-covered cherries, thin mints, and garland. Emma bought a case of make-up and a string of blue lights (I MUST have blue lights. They're just SO pretty!)

When we came back from there (after stopping by the hospital to see our next-door neighbour who had a stroke on Christmas Eve...she's doing better...) the girls and I went to my mom's for lunch and my sister came up with her kids, then my brother's kids came and it was pandemonium for the next few hours. : ) Good pandemonium, though. My kids and my sister's son tried to break into the hunting cabin in the woods above Mom's, but other than that...and the swimming in the drainage ditch....everything was nice. ; )

I got an itch while we were sitting around the kitchen table talking and got up and started cleaning the cabinets and re-arranging the kitchen. lol I guess I'm more like my mom than I suspected...she moves furniture ALL the time!

(A joke on me here...I'm more like Daddy's mother than I thought before, too. We were talking about men marrying women like their mothers and I said I didn't think I was at all like my MIL. Then when we opened Christmas presents Daddy asked if I hadn't gotten him something he knew I had, so I went off to look for it. I found it (unwrapped) and two more unwrapped gifts for each girl. I laughed SO hard, because that's exactly what Daddy's mother does every year. "Did you open XXX? Where IS that? Oh, it's still under my bed.....in my closet...in the bag from the store..." lol )

Yesterday the girls went out to eat with Mom after Church, then they went to her house to help her clean. Daddy and I went up to pick them up, and we all ended up playing Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader. (And we were! lol) It was so much fun we decided we should invite some friends and relatives and do it again sometime. I picked nuts from their shells and put them in the freezer, cleaned part of the refrigerator, and washed the dishes while we played. It was easier to think while I was working. ; ) I did great on the history/geography questions, not so hot on the science, and stank on the math ones. ; )

Christmas and the Day After

We opened a couple gifts Christmas morning...most we opened on Christmas Eve. Daddy got me the Love Dare book. I am looking forward to working through it with him.

We went to my grandmother's and to Daddy's mother's. We ate WAY too much food...but it was SO good! ; )

The girls were showered with lots of really cool gifts...and if I had thought of taking the camera, I'd be showing pictures.

Daddy's cousin bought them this , though....

and we had a good time last night scouting out constellations. We can now identify Orion with no problems! lol

Today we were planning on going out to the after-Christmas sales, but by the time everyone was ready to go my stomach started hurting and I thought it might be better to stay home and be sick. ; P

Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow and go out then. I *really* need whatever is on sale at Wal-Mart. lol

Merry Christmas!

I had hoped we could spend the whole day having fun playing board games and watching videos and eating the cookies I baked last night, but late last night Emma fed the cats the last of their food, so this morning I had to go out and brave the grocery stores to buy more. The cats appreciated it, though. ; )

The girls watched some Christmas videos earlier, but now they're all outside in the rain for some reason I can't fathom. lol I'd MUCH rather be snuggled up inside! : )

We're helping Daddy's mother with the food for tomorrow's dinner, so I'm spending the day in the kitchen again...I was in there last night until about 8:00 cooking supper and baking cookies.

Daddy let the girls open one present each today, because he wanted them to have it for Christmas...he got them each a digital camera. He's afraid they don't like them, because they haven't said much about them, but I think they do, and I think they will like them more as time goes on and they see how nice it is to have a camera *all your own*. : ) Kinda wish I had one. ; P

BRRRRR!

I know, some places were LOTS colder than this today, but still, for around here, it's pretty darn cold! lol My fingers were numb by the time I came in from feeding the rabbits and outside dogs.



Last night when we walked it was 19*, with a wind chill of -5*! The girls thought it was some of the most fun they'd ever had, walking when it was that cold. ; ) For once they did bundle up pretty well...I don't think either of them had socks on, but they both wore a jacket under their coat, and Emma even wore her hood for a little while! (Will wonders never cease.) ; )



They spent their Christmas money from their grandmothers on...food. lol They were going to have a picnic outside, but when they found out how cold it was, and how quickly the temperature was dropping they decided to have it inside. They had a nosey visitor who begged and stole. (I mean, besides me. lol)

Husband Meme

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen? Stargate or whichever new movie he's rented.

2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch

3. What is one food he doesn’t like? Buttermilk comes to mind...it's hard to think of something he won't eat. lol

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? He hasn't drank since his 21st birthday, and since I was 17, I didn't go with him; so I have no idea what he had.

5. Where did he go to high school? Same town in which we now live.

6. What size shoe does he wear? It's embarassing to admit, but I don't know. ; )

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? DVD's....or junk. lol

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Cajun Roast Beef with tomatoes, lettuce and swiss cheese.

9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could? Salads and sandwiches.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Honey Bunches of Almonds, although he will eat just about anything colorful like Fruity Pebbles, or crunchy like Captain Crunch, and he's not supposed to be eating cereal, since he's lactose intolorant, but he still does.

11. What would he never wear? Hairbows. lol

12. What is his favorite sports team? He doesn't watch sports. Thank goodness. ; )

13. Who is his best friend? Female, me...male, Nathan.

14. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Multi-tasking...especially while watching movies.

15. How many states has he lived in? 1...we live 50 feet from the house he grew up in.

16. What is his heritage? English, Irish...they will say American Indian (Souix), but I haven't been able to find proof of that.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind? Probably a yellow cake with chocolate frosting....maybe chocolate on chocolate.

18. Did he play sports in high school? I think he played a little football, but he didn't play for long.

19. What could he spend hours doing? watching tv

Now if you decide to play along, please let me know so I can come and check it out. : )

Home

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."Robert Lee Frost

Yesterday I needed to cook for the family reunion and today's Christmas party at mom's, so I went to my mom's house to do the cooking. I called my husband while the food was cooking, and he asked if I felt like an intruder, which was cool, because I had already been thinking about how nice it is that I can go into my mom's kitchen and start cooking exactly the same as if it were my own, even though it's been 14 years since I've lived there.

It reminded me of the quote above. My brother had that in his Literature course last year, and it's stuck in my head ever since. My mom has done an admirable job of making her children feel welcome again and again after they grew up and moved out and started their own families (never a "have to" sort of feeling there)...and I want that for my girls, too. I hope they always feel like our home is also their home, no matter how long they've been away.

12-20-08

Anna is having basketball practice again today. I'm trying to get a bit of breakfast finished before we have to go down there for that, and I need to feed the dogs and rabbits and juice some oranges and tangeringes, but here I am, blogging away about nothing. lol

Last night was DH's family reunion. There were fewer people than usual, and we *still* didn't talk to any of them. I told DH that after we've been together 15 years it looks like I'd know at least some of them....but then, he doesn't know them very well either, and he's been in their family for 36 years. We were trying to get his aunts matched up with his cousins, and he couldn't do it. He said we need to make a photo family tree. With help, of course. lol

Emma and Anna and one of their little cousins sang Jingle Bells for everyone, and we all played Bingo. I won a set of paring knives. I'm always needing more knives because Anna takes them outside and loses them. This summer we got down to one knife! I bought 4 at a thrift store last month, and now I have two more, so I'm good-to-go until next summer. ; )

I took chocolate cake, banana pudding and cornbread dressing as my offerings. I brought half the chocolate cake home, and deserted the cornbread dressing, but the banana pudding was all eaten. If there is one thing I do make well, it's banana pudding.

I posted the recipe for the chocolate cake on my new blog,Pawpaws for the Masses. I am LOVING my new blog...I just wish someone else would come and love it with me. I feel all alone. ; O)

My Husband Doesn't Listen to Me...

Today he said, "The carpet is wet over here."

I said, "The washer overflowed, and it hasn't dried up yet."

He said, "There's a wet towel lying here! I bet it got the carpet wet!"

Okay, then.

12-16-08

We went to the food bank to help this morning, and worked from 9-1. Both girls were exceptionally cute, Anna wore a Santa hat and stood by the Christmas tree with a bag of candy canes and a box of toys and gave them out, and Emma went this way and that, being as helpful as possible.

We came home to eat lunch, then went back out again (although it was VERY tempting to stay home) to the library, because they were having a community Christmas party, and we couldn't miss the wonderful food they always have. ; ) Not only are our librarians wonderful friendly people, they're also good cooks! lol A quick stop by the grocery store for some baking items(which I haven't exactly used yet) and finally I got to come home, get back in my pj's and lay on the couch for a little while....about five minutes, actually, because I thought I'd put a load of laundry in, then I made supper, then the laundry wanted to get out, then I made hot chocolate mix, then we walked Oscar (all these things were interspersed with bouts of computer, because I kept looking up recipes online...I printed out a stack of them, some to try *later*, some for now)

I made nachos bellgrande , or my version of it, because I keep forgetting the darn hamburger! You would think that would be kind of an integral part, wouldn't you? lol I made the refried beans, since I'm trying to cook more from scratch, and it couldn't be easier. I used this recipe. I did use canned beans, but I'm looking forward to starting with dry beans and working from there. I'm wanting to try making soup beans for supper one evening, then using the leftovers to make refried beans. I'll feel like SUCH a good homemaker when I do that. (Assuming everything goes as it *should*.) lol

I've been doing more things like that lately...like my hot chocolate mix. Emma LOVES hot chocolate, and I like my share, too. ; ) (Anna and Daddy can take it or leave it...mostly leave it.) I've bought two or three boxes of the little packets, but I like it home made better.

Hot Chocolate Mix

2 cups nonfat dry milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (this is what the recipe says, but I put in more like 3/4 cup)
a pinch of salt
Mix well.

(I also add a handful or two of chocolate chips...can't have too much chocolate!)

Add 1/4 cup mix to 1 cup hot water, stir, add marshmallows and enjoy!

I pour everything into a gallon-sized freezer bag and shake it to mix everything, then drop a 1/4 measuring cup in and seal the whole thing in another gallon-sized freezer bag (because the first one always gets a hole in it.)

12-15-08

Both girls (usually only Emma) went out with Daddy's mother today, so Daddy and I were left to our own devices. ; )

He read about a digital art show, and wanted to go see it, so we went over there, then to a couple libraries and the grocery store, took a nice drive out into the country (the SHEEP! So many!), and also looked for a store we never found. All in all, we considered it a nice day. : ) (You KNOW you're old when a *date* includes stopping by the grocery store. lol)

He rented movies...he and Anna are watching Prince Caspian right now. And Emma has just come home from her Grandma's. Anna came home almost as we did, because she doesn't like to be away from us for long.

I've washed laundry, made some christmas candy sorts of things, and I'm contemplating cookies right now........it is after 7, though...maybe cookies should wait. For when, I'm not sure, because we're going to the food bank tomorrow to help out. Maybe cookies should be now. ; )

Basketball, First Practice

Anna started basketball today. They're the *cutest* group of kids ever...the smallest ones have just turned 4...barely bigger than the ball! lol Anna's team was called Bucks, but she said they decided to change it to Wildcats. ; )

They learned a few things about dribbling, passing, and keeping one foot planted on the floor, then they divided into two teams and played a game, and Anna's team won! She even made one......hit? ball? goal? a two-pointer, anyway. Whatever they're called. I was getting all excited and yelled "Shoot the ball to Taylor!" Afterwards I thought it should have been "Pass.". Oh, well. lol

I wish I could have made pictures, but our camera won't take pictures in the gym because it's too dark. There were other people taking pictures, though, so maybe I'll be able to find some online with Anna in them. ; )

Pine Nuts?

We went out to eat today for my birthday, and the girls and I tried pine nuts. Daddy didn't, just in case he's allergic to them. They were...interesting. I'm glad I tried them off the salad bar, instead of buying a package. I don't think I'd ever want more than a taste. ; )

I do like trying something new every now and again...and usually my girls will give it a shot, too. Emma drew the line at live termites once, but I believe that's been the only time. ; )

I've been spending my birthday money on candy...I'm in a chocolate-binge sort of mood, and I keep looking for a candy cane that is as good as I remember them being when I was a kid. Maybe I'm outgrowing them? Or maybe they're just not making them like they used to. That's probably it. ; )

Christmas Art Contest Entries

Emma's first. Then Anna's.

I kinda wish Anna had asked for help with spelling "Christmas". ; )

Another Christmas Meme

Because I have absolutely nothing else I'd rather do right now.



1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Either/or. I'm not picky. Some things fit better in bags, and some things are surprises and require paper. ; )

2. Tree--Real or Artificial? VERY artificial. It's silver metal with hooks for branches.


3. When do you put Christmas tree up? Usually the first of December, this year was the 4th or 5th.

4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as we get home from visiting the family on Christmas...or if I'm too tired the day after Christmas


5. Like eggnog? Bleah. A drink with eggs?...no thank you. My MIL makes something with eggs, too...boiled custard, that's rather like eggnog, and I don't like it either. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southern-Boiled-Custard/Detail.aspx Emma and Daddy do, though.



6. Do you have a nativity scene? Several. The last few years my decorating has been mostly nativities, but this year I didn't feel like unpacking them and re-packing them, so I left them in the boxes and put up my little village pieces instead.



7. Favorite gift received as a child? Teddy bear, the year I was 4.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Just about everyone. No one waits until Christmas to get what they want...they go ahead and buy it. What can you buy for people who buy for themselves the things they want?

9. Easiest person to buy for? Emma. She likes anything and everything.


10. Worst Christmas gift? Not a gift for me, but last year my BIL gave my girls old candlesticks with half-burned candles. I was SO mad...I told them if he gives them something like that this year to hand it back and tell him they don't want his trash.


11. Mail or email a Christmas card? Giving or receiving? Giving, mail. Receiving, either.


12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Charlie Brown Christmas.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The after-Christmas sales.


14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Lots of times...unless I can't remember who gave it to me.


15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? I'll eat almost anything.


16. Lights on tree? If I had a more real-looking tree, yes.


17. Favorite Christmas Song? I'll say Silent Night. It's easy to remember, anyway.


18. Travel during Christmas or Stay home?We go as far as my Grandmother's for dinner...5 miles, I think.


19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Since watching Jingle all the Way so many times, yes.


20. Angel or Star on Tree top? We have a star, but in the past when we had real or more realistic trees we've had both.


21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Both. And at various times during the month, too.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Too many people out.

23. Favorite ornament? I like all we have....maybe the "baby's first Christmas" ones best.


24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Candy and socks. And since I picked out my gifts...I get them!

Christmas Meme

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, with LOTS of marshmellows

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps...he used to do fancy wrapping and big beautiful bows, but he got old and tired and now they just have paper tossed around them any which way.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White this year. And only one strand. They're pretty, though.

4. Do you hang Mistletoe? If I could harvest it myself I would. (That's a "no".)

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the first day of December. This year it was the 4th or 5th.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I'll eat almost anything as long as it's fresh.

7. Favorite memory as a child? Hiding behind the tree and eating off the candy canes. My mom finally started buying extra boxes of candy canes to replinish the tree on Christmas Eve.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't know that I ever didn't know.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We usually go to my MIL's and open gifts, because DH can't wait. lol

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Ornaments, one for *almost* each year we've had kids. I think we're missing 1997, but I also thought we had one before, so it may have been packed in a different box somehow.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? More indifferent than anything else. It's lovely when it's falling, though.

12. Can you ice skate? I skated all over the place last night when we took the dog out for a walk. Or did you mean on actual *skates*? Never tried. Probably could, if my knees held up.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I still have it...a teddy bear I named Frances.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? My grandmother's fudge..chocolate, that is. She also makes peanut butter fudge, but I don't like it as much.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Baking cookies...and we have this little thing we do...it started when my girls were tiny and got so excited when they saw houses decorated for christmas they screamed. Every time they saw one. At the top of their lungs. In the car. So I told them we would do this instead..."The first house is Oooooh, the second house is Ahhhhh, and the third house is Ohhhhhh, then start over again with Oooooh." lol They still do it. ; )

17. What tops your tree? A star. It's a metal ornament tree and the star came with it. (Kind of like this one, but I found this picture online. It actually may have been easier to turn around and take a picture of my actual tree, but my house is messy around it.) ; )

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night...maybe. There is probably some other song I like that I just can't remember. I tried to make a Christmas playlist the other night, and was e-mailing my sister for help, because I couldn't remember any songs.

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum? See number 7. Yum.

21.Favorite Holiday Movie? Charlie Brown Christmas.

A *very* Nice Insult...

Emma and Anna are playing with Barbie Christmas tree ornaments behind me, and Emma's says to Anna's "You cast a shadow so crooked no snake could fit into it."

Now THAT's an insult. lol

Happy Snow Day

It's hard to see the "day" part.

Anna went out this morning and took pictures of the snow.

And pictures of things she wrote in the snow.

She's outside now, playing in the snow...

and Emma and Daddy just got home from the store, and I'm getting off the computer! ; )

Buying Fini

I finished up my christimas gift-buying yesterday. Daddy says he still has to buy me a little something more, but he's already bought the three things I wanted most (a book, a round thermometer and socks...soft fuzzy warm socks...) (Pictures courtesy of the internet...those aren't my feet, although I'd like to have those socks....) ; )

Now I just need to wrap things....they're all sitting in a pile in my bedroom right now...and figure out where to put them until christmas. If we go ahead and put them out Luc will tear them open and eat the paper. He has some sort of paper fetish. I bought a bag of cat litter the other day, and he even opened that! Not to mention, he has torn holes in an envelope I had on my desk...and split a lunch bag I had there, too. He's part rat, we believe. ; )

I'm thinking of decorating today...I don't know if I'll actually feel like it when I move from in front of the computer....buy maybe I will. The girls are wanting something interesting to do....decorating sounds interesting. I'm wanting, also, to make a gingerbread house to eat...probably using cookie dough instead of gingerbread dough...and decorate it, then eat it. ; ) At my MIL's Thanksgiving dinner one of DH's cousins was talking about when she was a kid someone making gingerbread houses every year and they weren't allowed to touch them. I'd much rather my kids have memories of making a house, then *eating* the house...instead of watching it crumble and fall apart, then be thrown away. They don't like the way the gingerbread tastes, though, so I thought we'd try cookie dough. Molasses sugar Cookies...my favourites. ; ) Even if they're not stiff enough for a house, at least we can eat them. lol

Emma made a gingerbread house for a contest, but didn't win. We got our hopes up really high, then crashed.....although she doesn't seem to mind a lot. *I* thought she should have won. ; ) At least second place.

It's an "Over The Hedge" theme, with the log, the hedge and some of the animals...Stella, Hammie, Vern, and the two porquipins.

Black Friday

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death

You know something...people, get some sense.

Even without the tragedy of a death, if you knock down the doors of a store and storm the place, they're going to close the store and make everyone leave.

Duh.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Emma is wrapping Christmas presents, Anna is sitting under Oscar, and I'm thinking of cleaning my house. HAHAHA....a thanksgiving joke for you there. ; )

I've been making orange juice...DH went to the food pantry to help yesterday and they had a box of oranges in which some were turning green and they were going to throw them out, so DH brought them home and I picked out the good ones and juiced them...SO good!

I went to the library yesterday, too, and got a box of books for free! They have been discarding, going through the juvenile section, and yesterday they had lots of fiction...they've been having out-dated science books, but yesterday they had nice things like books by Carolyn Haywood...

http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Haywood,%20Carolyn

We already have lots of her books, so it was nice to find some we didn't have...and for free. ; ) Free is always nice. : )

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm up Too Late!!!

It's like, 4:00 in the morning, and I'm still awake, puttering around on the computer. Shame on me! : P I might as well stay up all night now. ; )

It's snowing a little...we went for a walk in it, and it was simply lovely. : )

Today the girls and I cleaned out their playhouse/storage building, and then they played in it. It was such a mess when we started you couldn't even get through the door, but it only took about three hours to finish it. They actually got rid of some toys! I was amazed...usually they won't part with anything, but this time they filled three boxes for the thrift store! (I won't mention the three bags of trash we also got out of there.) ; )

In the evening we went to a funeral...well, we went and signed the book and Daddy talked to the husband of the woman who died. The funeral home was SO full...it always amazes me how many people come out of the woodwork for a funeral. I saw people I haven't seen in almost 20 years! I wouldn't have recognized them, either, but they were talking and I listened in. lol

I guess I *could* blog about all the really cool things my girls have been up to.....but it's 4 a.m. and I can't think of anything. ; ) They've watched Jurassic Park and The Lost World several times this week...watched Daddy play an X-Men game...oddly enough, nothing else comes to mind. They *must* be doing *something*...I just have no idea what. ; )

Wednesday we went to Mom's to help clean, since she's been so busy lately. The girls worked very hard helping. Emma folded laundry and cleaned the basement, and Anna cleaned the bathrooms, swept the floors, straightened book shelves and cleaned mirrors. I got to pick up broken glass outside, and (of course) stabbed myself. : P

My Meez

I *love* my Meez! I don't know why, but they move better on the Meez page, and she turns around and looks all around and bites her fingernails, while consulting her map.

She's lost in a painting! I think it's so cute. : )

Interersting Happenings This Week

Emma and I went out Tuesday, for a little *girl* time, shopping along with running a couple errands. She had her birthday money to spend, so we went to the mall. I suggested a clothing store (kinda wishing she would see some "cute" clothes and want to buy them), so we headed up to it. There was a kiosk in the middle of the aisle, and a tall...TALL...fellow came out and asked if we had natural fingernails. I said yes, so he drew me over to the kiosk and went into his spiel about fingernail ridges. Then he poked a buffer at me. I jerked back, and he said "It's just a buffer, it won't hurt." and poked it at me again. (Now to get the whole picture, you have to realize I'm wearing a floor-length black cape.) I gathered up my cape, swooped away (as Emma described it) and said over my shoulder, "But it might have FUNGUS!". LOL Because of my hearing problems, I'm fairly sure I said it louder than I meant to, and after the swooping off I looked back to see Emma still standing there with her mouth open. When she finally caught up to me, she was saying, "MOM, you EMBARASSED ME!" AND she's described my "swooping" to anyone who would listen, going as far as to put it on her myspace page..."Emma is embarassed because my mom swooped in the mall today." ROFLOL!!!

Yesterday was Daddy's day for interesting happenings. You'd have to know him to understand it, but he gets into the strangest things. (For example, last summer we went to an art show, I went to the restroom afterwards, and when I came out he was in the theatre's projection room helping work on the sound.) Anyway, last night he was looking for a CD he bought, and couldn't find it, so he went back to the store to see if he'd left it there. (He hadn't...Anna carried it out, and it was beside her seat in the van.) He was driving through town, and happened to see a fellow he went to school with, who he was wondering about the other day, so he stopped to talk, and lo and behold...the guy is in town playing the lead in a movie they're filming here! (To *really* get what this means to Daddy you must realize it's his dream to get all into movie-making thingeys) He helped for a while...stopping traffic so the actors could run across the street...and talked for a while, then when he came home, he was still so buzzed about it, he took the girls back to watch. So he and they got to watch a movie being made! (The girls were thrilled...Anna keeps saying, "I got to shake hands with an ACTOR!"

Trying a New Sort (for me) of Meme

Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to:
(Bold isn't looking bold, so I'm itallicacizing.) (Is that a word? If it is, I'm sure I didn't spell it right.)


1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis (and got pinched by it)


10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (WAY back when I was young and had time)

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run (not hard when you're playing with 8 & 9 year olds.)

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (how far back ancestors? My ancestors have been in the area I live in for over 200 years...before that, though...)

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing (but not with all the equiptment)

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (probably was more Daddy's idea than mine, actually)

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted (not very well, by Daddy)

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater (or was it a drive-in resturant? I was *very* young, whatever it was...)

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Gotten flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check (oops)

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy?

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job (kind of a "we'll call if we need you"...it was a temp job, anyway.)

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper (thankfully, hidden behind my kids, but you could still see my arm and hair. lol)

85. Read the entire Bible


86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life (if we count suggesting that Daddy try to talk William into going to the *clinic* instead of the hospital, and William went, and probably wouldn't have lasted the night if he hadn't...)

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous. (I know a woman who is semi-famous now, who wasn't when I was a kid and came and told stories at the library.)

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit (semi involved...Daddy hit a car, they sued, then didn't show up)

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Emma's 13th Birthday

This is the day of the thirteenth birthday of EMMA! This is the view from the spot Emma chose to spend the day of the thirteenth birthday.

This is the sister, building a lean-to, in sight of the view, from the spot Emma chose to spend the day of the thirteenth birthday.

This is the Emma, with the crystal she found, beside the sister, building the lean-to, in sight of the view from the spot Emma chose to spend the day of her thirteenth birthday.

This is the birthday girl, searching for crystals......

This is the mamma, too lazy to re-type all that over again. Finish it in your mind, as you go. : )

She had a lovely birthday. It was warm and sunny...until afternoon when clouds blew in, but it didn't rain until we were home. She wanted to go crystal hunting, so we did that in the morning, went out for pizza for lunch, then came home to a cherry cheesecake...and presents, pictures of which I'm not posting, because my house is too messy to show online. ; )

Tomorrow is her birthday party...I need to go frost the cake....I'm decorating it with these....

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50565

Halloweenies

My One and Only Political Post

Regardless of who is elected, the only way any change will come to America will be through "we, the people".

*Be* the change.

: )

End of political message.

I've been meaning to Update...

but I kept forgetting, and now I've forgotten what seemed so important to blog about. lol

Oh, yeah...Fireproof. The movie. Daddy and I went Thursday to see it...we got up late, then hurried to get ready, because I checked online and it started at 1, so we hurried and got to the theatre in plenty of time. There was only one other couple there, an older couple, probably up towards their 80's. Anyway, Daddy and I got to pick the best seats in the theatre, because there was no one else there, and I got to stand up and move around as I needed to (because of my back--pulled muscle) without worrying about getting in someone's way. Oh, and the movie? GREAT!!! We were kinda wary at first...it was hard to think of Kirk Cameron as "captain" for the FD, but he grew into the role. ; ) The only stinky acting was the doctor, but you really don't care, because he's in a stinky role, anyway. ; ) You don't *want* to like him. lol I LOVELOVELOVELOVE the music video for the movie--"While I'm Waiting"--I've been watching it over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3b2jw1rjBc

Afterwards, we were going to go out to eat, but I sneezed and my back seized up, and I only managed to limp to the food court, so we ate there, then went home. Except that Daddy wanted to stop on the way home for some BBQ peanuts, and they had...CHICKEN PAWS! (LOL that's what they are called on the package) I was SO excited..."Oh, LOOK, they have Chicken Feet!!!" The stock boy was standing there, and looked at me SO strangely. lol I suppose it was the first time he had heard that. ; ) But, really, they are good, and you simply CANNOT find them anywhere. (Strange, isn't it?) lol They were a bit greasier than I remembered....it's been since I was a kid since I had any...but they *do* taste good. ; )

The Anna-ism For Today.

Today Anna and Daddy have spent nearly all day with the metal detector, digging up riches. Well, pennies and bits of metal, anyway. : )

I went out to crack out some walnuts, and she came up to sit with me (and eat walnuts), and said, "I'm SO glad I don't go to school. If I did, I would have missed digging up my first wheat penny today!" : )

*I* am glad she gets to spend time with her Daddy, digging in the dirt, finding pennies and talking about things. (As I went in, I heard her say, "Diamond is a bad influence sometimes." lol)

It's After 2 in the Morning...

and I'm still online. I keep going from one thing to another, then I thought I might blog about what we've been up to.....and I'm getting *really* sleepy, and should be in bed, but Daddy is watching stargate atlantis, or something, in there, and I hate to bother him.

Anyway.

After our first big find of last week, we went back and...are you ready for this?....found ANOTHER batch of artifacts! More tools this time, and lots of flakes, not so many nicely shaped arrow-spear points, but the tools are AMAZING! And I did the stupidest thing...Emma dug out a sandstone, and I said it was just sandstone, it grows naturally where we were digging, so it's probably nothing important and she tossed it away. Later, we realized it was (DUH!) used for sanding. I'm SO stupid sometimes. lol *However* thinking about it made me realize I know of two other places where sandstones are peeking out of the ground. I wonder..... ; )

Researching the artifacts has made me interested in geneology research again. I've *finally* gotten to my grandmother's third-great grandparents, I believe. They're harder to track than a weasel! I spent hours in the library geneology room today, and only got one census record worth keeping! At least I found *somthing* though. I guess I could really say I found two things...because the census record was in a different county than I had thought, so I need to check that counties records instead of the county we live in. I am hoping the "far" library will have the information, so I won't have to drive an hour to a library to which I have never been to look. I need to get online and search, but it's too late tonight.

My DH claims to have Chocktaw (sp?) blood, so he's wanting to find out more about that, and I'm trying to follow both lines of my paternal grandmother (her maternal and paternal), so I've got too many irons in the fire right now, and the names get all muddled in my mind. I'm trying to make myself concentrate on one name at a time, but it's HARD! ; ) I'll be looking, see another familiar name and go off in that direction. ; ) Then there's all the fun of finding a book that proclaims "______ family history" and it's a name I need, but some odd different branch, and I hope, and check through it, and then the info isn't what I need, and I've wasted that time.... : (
lol I told Daddy I was wanting to find the information i need like we found the arrowheads...just lying there waiting for me. ; ) (Actually, that *is* how I've gotten most of my family lines traced. Just wait until someone else traces it and put the information online, then copy it down. lol)

I should say something about what my girls have been up to, also, this week. Well...Anna has drawing a lot of pictures of our Indian friend sitting and chipping at his flint, and Emma has been playing with Meez online. She's having a BLAST Meezing. lol

Anna has also been decorating our house for H'ween. She has some Barbie dolls hung by their necks from a tree, and a pair of pants and shoes with deer bones sticking out in the front yard. She also carved her pumpkin, and painted it up like an Indian. ; )

I Simply Can Hardly BELIEVE This!!!

This is SO cool!

We were out today and while Daddy was waiting on us (we were cracking walnuts) he picked up a piece of flint from the road. When the girls went down to where he was, they each immediately found an arrowhead in the road! We started looking on the bank next to the road, and they were ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!! We were literally sticking our hands in the dirt and coming up with four or five every time! It was SO awesome!

From what we've read so far, they are from the Early Woodland period...2,000-3,000 years ago! It's so amazing to think of someone chipping flint into points 3,000 years ago! And leaving their trash for us to go through. lol (There were some jokes about dumpster diving through a 3,000 year old dump.)

(And we didn't just find small arrow points. There are also spear points, scraping tools, chipping tools, and Emma found an antler tool...I read what it was called, then (of course) forgot.)

Apple Butter, Anyone?

I made my first batch of apple butter! I'm so proud of myself! ; ) Actually, I thought it was too sweet...the recipe called for four cups of sugar, which *I* believe was too much. Next batch I'm going to try three. But, even though it's a bit sweet, it still tastes like...get ready for it....apple butter! Frankly, I was surprised. lol It even LOOKS like apple butter.

It rained today, so I couldn't sit on the porch and peel apples, so I'm waiting until tomorrow to put another batch on to cook.

In other news today, Anna spent most of the day writing a story. She stopped for a couple brief moments...once to go with us to take Oscar to the vet to get his stitches out...yay!...and she let me have the computer to check my e-mails this morning, but other than that, she was on the computer typing from 10-4.....and when I printed it, it was two pages long...well, actually one and a half pages. When I think of her sitting there, thinking SO hard to come up with just what she wanted to say, finding the letters on the keyboard, and spelling, I'm impressed! And people say kids won't work unless they're made to! HA! She asked for help spelling a few words this morning, then started writing them how she felt best...but I'm going to refrain from putting any of them on here, because I don't think it would be nice. Let's just say...she spells like I do. ; ) But she's cute, so that more than makes up for it. lol

Emma was on their computer most of the day, and Daddy has hidden himself away in the bedroom on his computer, so it's been fairly quiet around here. Except for the occasional dog/cat fight...I got a water gun to shoot at them when they fight, and they are fighting less. Oscar barks at it when I hold it up. lol

Oscar did the cutest thing. He has a toy mouse that vibrates when you pull a string on it's tail, and he's learned how to pull the string and make it move! It's so cute. He holds it between his paws, and pulls the string with his teeth, then lets it crawl away a little, catches it and pulls it again. SO cute! : ) He was nervous about going to the vet. I didn't want to see them take the stitches out, so I was going to stay in the waiting room, but he wanted me, so I had to go back, and then he climbed me like I was a tree! lol He was good, though, while they took out the stitches, and then he was SOSOSOSOSO happy to be going home instead of being left alone there again. : )

I napped some today....I stayed up until 4:30 this morning watching videos on you tube. I didn't realize time was getting away so quickly, until suddenly it was 4:30, and I was tired. I *LOVED* this one, though...Andy Griffith looks SO old...and cute as can be...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKgnkIN8C8&feature=user

Preparing for Winter

I've been busy the last week or so, trying to get some foods put up for winter.

My uncle made molasses, and while we were at his house for that, he invited us to pick apples and pears. OH, BOY, You don't have to ask us twice! lol He had the coolest apples...black ones.

This is one of the black ones, and a regular one we got off another uncle's tree...I think they're Winesaps. The black ones are Arkansas Black, or Black Arkansas. I thought they were really cool. Anyway. ; )

Daddy cleaned out our garden spot, and the girls' garden spot, and found a watermelon on Emma's plant that she didn't even know was there. The vine was dead, so he picked it, but it wasn't quite ripe...almost, but not quite. She ended up carving it like a pumpkin and putting it one the porch with a candle underneath. lol I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

The girls are getting ready for H'ween again....they get SO excited about it's coming they can't wait and start putting up decorations as soon as October begins. Anna did most of the decorating and did it well, too. : )

I've been making salsa, putting pears in the freezer, and today I'm going to try my hand at applebutter...crockpot applebutter, that is. We're probably going to buy some from my SIL's mom's ladies group, but we wanted to try our hand at making it, too.

We found chinquapins and chesnuts, too, and walnuts, so we've been in nut heaven. lol I'm going to try to get a chinquapin tree started....I might try a chesnut tree, too. I "had" a walnut tree started, but Daddy *accidentally* mowed it down. He's *very* allergic, so I suspect it might not have been an accident. lol I'm hoping I can get some trees started in pots, then move them outside when they're big enough. I don't know if it will work, but I don't have anything to lose by trying.

I've been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (http://animalvegetablemiracle.com/ ) and am inspired to do more with my little patch of ground. Also, to eat more locally produced foods. We went to two farmer's markets last weekend, and I got lots of peppers (which explains the salsa, lol) and okra, tomatoes, pumpkins...seems like there should be something else....I can't think...Anna is barking behind me. ; ) One of the booths at the farmer's market had water buffalo....I would have liked to try some, but we weren't going straight home, so we didn't. Daddy says maybe next time maybe we'll take a cooler. I think they only have about three more weeks that they will be open, so we might not make it back to get some.

The End of the Weekend,and the Beginning of the Week

Last night was FIL's funeral. It was nice, as funerals go, I suppose. My girls could have acted better, though. : (

I made sure to tell them exactly how to act at the graveyard today...just in case they acted odd last night because I hadn't reminded them how to act at a funeral. lol I told them don't sit around in trees...so they just swung from the branches. : P I told them not to pick up flowers from graves and move them to other graves...so they just adjusted them on the graves they were on. ; )

I was official videographer...so Daddy dropped me and Emma off at the graveyard before he went back to the funeral home to come in the procession. We were there for about half-an-hour before they got back...maybe 45 minutes. Emma was horrified to find I hadn't brought a deck of cards with me...so we passed the time playing 20 questions. lol I had hoped I'd done well on the video, but Daddy says the wind drowns out most of the talking...I didn't even realize the wind was blowing! He says, "The camera knows." lol

He's a bit more depressed now. He's eating to dull the pain...*not* good...

The service was beautiful, though. 21 gun salute and everything. It was simply breathtaking. I was behind the camera, making sure I filmed everything, so I didn't cry. FIL would have loved it. : )

Here's one from youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1H3eKMgvjY

These Past Few Days...

Daddy's father died Friday evening. It wasn't unexpected...he's been on hospice care for a couple weeks, but still...

Daddy's taking it better than I'd expected...he says he's glad his dad isn't suffering still. The girls are doing okay, too...Anna seems sadder than Emma, but both are doing better today than they did yesterday. Last night they were bawling...which, of course, made me cry, too. Anna asked, "Why are you crying?" And I told her because I hate to see my little girls sad. : )

Emma has been very helpful for her grandmother...today she even went to the funeral home with her to get the arrangements done. She's a million times nicer than I ever was or will be. I'm sure my BIL's and SIL think I'm awful, but I stayed home with Anna while they went. I'm using my back as an excuse to get out of things like that. ; ) Well, it *is* hurting. : P

People have been coming by and calling and bringing food...people sure are nice. I just sit quietly in a corner and watch them and listen...My husband's aunts are SO funny! I wish Emma would sit with them and listen to the stories they tell. I think she'd really enjoy it, and she'd get to know how it was (and how they were) when they were young.

Tomorrow is the funeral, then the burial Monday. I dread Monday...going in procession to the graveyard. I HATE HATE HATE funeral processions. Any time I feel trapped in a vehicle I fall to pieces...and funeral processions are almost the worst. Traffic jams are the worst. Makes me all willy just thinking about it. So I won't. I'll go back to my Smithsonian magazine and read about Stonehenge. Maybe the bluestones would heal me, too. : P

Home, Thankfully!

Be it ever so humble, there's NO PLACE like home! I always feel like that when we go somewhere, even if it's just for a day. I *like* my home. : )

Well, we left about 8, got to the amusement park about 10:30, and spent the rest of the day wearing ourselves out with too many rides. lol It was great fun. A couple rides I had been looking forward to were too much for my back, so we only rode them once, but the one I didn't like last year I figured out how to keep my head from hitting the restraint in an uncomfortable way, and *loved* it this year. The girls and I ran around and rode it again and again. Daddy got a bit panic-ey and didn't ride it after that. We had a good time, though, and when we left we stopped by a museum for a while...which turned into a llloooonnnggg while, because Daddy started talking to the fellow working in the gift shop and they traded tall tales for quiet a while. lol

We made it safely home, and picked up Oscar yesterday, and he's SO happy to be home, too. He's minus a ..ahem... couple things, but he's still himself. Daddy was afraid he'd be changed, but he's just as sweet as ever.

Leaving Home...

We're leaving in the morning for our "vacation". It's just a quick day-trip, but the girls are really looking forward to it. I guess I am,too. I'm thinking of things I wish we'd done differently last year (we are going to the same amusement park we've been to for the last two years), and planning on changing some things around.

We dropped Oscar off at the vet's today. Since we were leaving anyway, and we'd have to have him boarded, I thought it would be better to go ahead and have him neutered and that way he won't have to be away from us twice. We thought we'd be able to pick him up Wednesday, though, and they said Thursday, which was a shock. We miss him SO MUCH!!! It's amazing how much he's gotten to be a part of the family in less than a year.

Yesterday we went on a picnic, and fishing. And we took Oscar with us, to kinda make up for what he's going to be doing tomorrow while we're out enjoying ourselves. ; ) We picnic-ed at an old graveyard with wonderful views and a delightful breeze, and the girls and I built fairy houses just-in-case some fairies live there. It was a wonderful place for them.

Today we stopped at another graveyard and while Daddy was looking around (he's got this thing for graveyards all of a sudden) we made some more fairy houses. At least Anna and I did. Emma sat in the van with a book. Anyway, I made one, and went to start on another one, and Anna came to work with me. We were building next to a burnt-out stump, and I had just got the roof on, and was starting to pile leaves next to the walls for insulation, when a little lllooooonnnnggg green neck appeared next to me! A tiny green snake had slipped out from under the stump to see who was knocking on his door! I wasn't sure if I could move...I certainly couldn't move quickly, because of my back, but I managed to move quicker than I thought possible! lol I got about ten feet away (and Anna ran with me, even though she didn't know what she was running from lol) then started squealing. Daddy thought I was silly...but it just *appeared* there next to me. I'm not at all sure that fairies will want to live next to a snake...even a nice little green one. I suppose I made a *snake house*, instead of a fairy house, this time. lol

Meanderings...

One of Daddy's uncles or cousins or some such relative died last week, and he was asked to be a pall-bearer. He really didn't want to, but felt like he should. We were going down the road and he (trying to be a good example for the girls) said, "Well, what would Jesus do?" I said, "Generally, when Jesus went to a funeral, he raised the dead." hehehe Daddy decided since he couldn't raise the dead the least he could do was help bury the guy. ; )


Anna came to me last week and told me how to spell direction. She said last year she would have spelled it D-I-R-X-O-N, and now she knew it had a "tion" in it. It has been amazing and fascinating watching her improve in spelling and reading in the past couple years. She amazes me!

As for the other half of my kids...Emma has been so helpful since I've been unable to do much because of my back! Yesterday while I napped, she even gave Oscar a shower! Really, both girls have been wonderfully helpful. I'm happy with them. ; )

Last week, too, Daddy worked on wood sculpture with them. He said later that he "made" Anna stay and finish hers, because he didn't want her to think it was okay to quit when she got annoyed by something. After the funeral he was talking about one of his cousins who was there...she said her job stank, but she was going to stay with it. He said he was thinking (but didn't say) "Why don't you go find a job you love so you'll be happy?" He *hates* the thought of feeling stuck in a stinky job. I pointed out that he made Anna work on a job she was finding stinky, and she should have had the choice to stop. I suggested the next time he wants to work on some project to remember that she's small and may need a break, or food, or water, or something. With Anna, sometimes she just needs a snuggle. He said he'll try to remember. He *does* try to get unschooling and gentle parenting...and watching him, I'm amazed sometimes at the progress he's made. Sometimes, though, he's better with the dog than with the girls. lol

Updating the Blog...September 11, 2008

Since I haven't updated lately, I thought I should. My back has been hurting so bad for the last two weeks I haven't been able to sit at the computer (or anywhere else) for more than a few minutes at a time, so I haven't updated.

The girls have been doing this and that...reading, watching tv, playing computer games, playing outside, trying to catch frogs (Anna), and buying H'ween costumes (Emma).

Anna had her follow-up appointment Monday, the doctor said her leg is fine and she can go back to normal activities...."What sort of activities is she wanting to do?" "Climbing trees." "Oh. She'd better wait another week until she does that." lol Yeah, right. She was in one yesterday. Today we got the bill for her surgery...$7,000! Thank God for insurance! I've been telling her she'd better take care of it...it's a $7000 leg now. lol

I've been reading lots and lots, since I can't really do anything else. Luckily, I have piles of books to read. ; ) I'm currently working on "How Children Learn", "How Children Fail", "The Battle of the Bulge", "Realm of Algebra", and "Realm of Numbers". Plus three magazines. It's an interesting mix....I read until my brain is full of one kind of thoughts, then I read a different sort of book until I'm all filled up with those thoughts...it's giving me lots to think about. One thing I thought about is hiking a trail I was reading about in one of the magazines. I was thinking of hiking....it goes from one quaint little town to another...anyway, hiking it and staying overnight in a B&B, then hiking back the next day. Daddy looked at me like I was crazy...I can barely move...but still, we must dream, right? I think it'd be a blast. I'll have to pull the magazine out and see if there's a website mentioned...I may look it up and make a plan....

One Word Meme-Thingey

YOU CAN ONLY TYPE ONE WORD!
Not as easy as you might think. Now copy or forward to at least 10 people. Change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Let me know if you're doing one! I'd love to see your answers!

1. Where is your cell phone? trash
2. Your significant other? lovey
3. Your hair? uncombed
4. Your mother? nice
5. Your father? dead

6. Your favorite thing? food
7. Your dream last night? ???
9. Your dream/goal? painless
10. The room you're in? main

12. Your fear? vampires
13. Where were you last night? here
14. What you're not? healthy
15. Muffins? blueberry

16. One of your wish list items? money
17. Where you grew up? woods
18. The last thing you did? sleep
19. What are you wearing? dress
20. Your TV? off

21. Your pets? fleabitten
22. Your computer? LOVE
23. Your life? happy
24. Your mood? happy
25. Missing someone? no

26. Your car? gone
27. Something you're not wearing? boots
28. Favorite store? books
29. Your summer? fast

30. Do you love someone? girls
31. Your favorite color? green
32. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
33. Last time you cried? yesterday
34. Who will repost this? someone?

I *LOVE* This Little Hippie!

...with her psychedelic mushrooms. lol

When Daddy was thinking of going back to college and we all went up there with him, these lovely 'shrooms were growing out on the lawn. I didn't realize how "hippie" Emma looked until much later when I stumbled across the pictures. I don't believe I had even looked at them since I'd loaded them onto the computer! Which is amazing for me...since I'm usually in a rush to blog about whatever it was we did. ; )

Let me see...I'll bet there's one of Anna there, too....although she doesn't go for hippie looks...

She goes for posing and pointing. Emma said, after I took the picture, "Why do you ALWAYS want to point at something when you're having a picture made?" and embarassed Anna.

Recap of the Last Week of August

Anna's surgery was Monday. She was scared, at least up until they told her they didn't have to put the IV in until she was asleep. Then she was happy. : ) She had to drink a foul-tasting medicine, and threw up the first time she took it, but the next time she kept it down. They had told us it would be about two hours to do the preliminary stuff, and it was, two hours on the dot when they took her back to the operating room. BUT, they had told us it would be just about 45 minutes for the surgery, and it was more like an hour(and of course each minute seemed like another hour to nervous parents. lol) when they finally came out and told us we could go to the consultation room. the doctor came in and talked to us a little, then we went to the room they were bringing her to...and waited and waited...about another hour. We were *very* pesky, asking every few minutes if everything was all right and when would she be out. lol I'm sure we were much more trouble than she was. lol FINALLY she came out to the room...and promptly got sick again. The anesthesia wearing off, I guess. She wanted to stay for a bit...resting and watching cartoons...so we sat for another hour or so, getting the last forms signed and the instructions for care and a prescription and a follow-up appointment and all those sorts of things. She watched an episode of Tom and Jerry and an episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog. then she felt well enough to leave.

She got sick again on the way home, but slept most of the way. When we got home we fixed her up on the couch.

Monday evening, though, my nephew had a birthday party, so we went up to mom's. Anna couldn't go out and play, and she didn't feel very well, so she didn't have the best time ever. When we got home she went back to her couch and refused to move all day Tuesday...well, except for that one time she got up and played computer games for a bit. lol

Tuesday we spent all day catering to her...mostly changing the DVD that was playing, or giving her medication. She watched the clock all day, keeping up with when she should take her meds.

Wednesday, she said it didn't hurt, hardly, and she didn't ask for her medicine at all. So, I trusted she knew what she needed, and didn't try to make her take any. (I had thought of giving her some at night to help her sleep, but then I thought it was silly for me to think I might know better than her what her body needed.)

Last night she started playing with Oscar, rolling around the floor and running and jumping, so I'm assuming she's feeling fine.

Right now she's chasing him with a fly swatter. lol

She's feeling fine. : )

Oh, NO!!!

Anna's Orlando CRRAZY!!

She's printing pictures off the computer, and says she's going to sleep with them under her pillow. lol

Recap of the Rest of the Week

From Tuesday on...

Tuesday, Daddy *didn't* eat the old steaks, but was still sick all day, so we didn't go anywhere. The girls and I did rum up to visit my mom for a bit later that afternoon.

Wednesday, he was feeling better, so we went out, to the libraries, and to an art show. It was really cool, monotype paintings ...what it is...

http://www.squidoo.com/editionH

and how to do it...

http://painting.about.com/od/fineartprintmaking/ig/Monotype-Print/Monotype-Print-Step-1.htm

I was completely wore out when we got home, and went straight to bed...at about 2:30. I didn't sleep the whole time, I was reading, trying to finish a book, but I didn't get up until about 7. I forgot breakfast, so I had gone about 24 hours without eating. I didn't want to grab something, because Emma and Daddy were cooking a nice supper, so I was just waiting on it, I went out to get some tomatoes and I was washing them and cutting them up for the dehydrator, and started feeling like I was going to pass out. I had to leave the tomatoes (Emma, wonderful child that she is, finished them for me.) and go lay down. I drank a root beer with crushed ice, and felt better after that, so it was either dehydration or my sugar dropping. I'll have to remember to make sure I eat and drink enough. Don't want to feel like that again!

Thursday evening we went up to Mom's, my sister was there with her kids, and after they left I helped Mom clean her bedroom. She's such a packrat! We got rid of another 7 or so bags of stuff! And didn't even get *to* her clothes. lol

Yesterday we took the clothes and things to the thrift store and dropped them off...and bought a couple things. Anna found me Big Bird's nest! ...The story... When Daddy and I went to drop off things once before, I found a *lot* of the pieces for the Little People Sesame Street set http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Fisher-Price_Little_People , and the girls have been having a BLAST playing with it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Fisher-Price-Sesame-Street-Little-People-RARE_W0QQitemZ200232631482QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2527QQcmdZViewItem

There's a picture (scroll down a little) with Big Bird in his nest. I LOVE it!!

I have several other little people things in my storage building...and if I ever get off the computer and go clean it out, I'll be able to bring them in for the girls. lol

But first, a couple pictures...

Emma with her favourite one...

And Anna with one that had "A"'s. I wouldn't mind something like that for her room. Maybe with a white frame.

This Week so Far...

I think up the most inane titles for blog posts, don't I? Something in me just doesn't want to think when I'm writing titles. lol

We've just been at home most of the weekend.

Saturday was my cousin's wedding...we went to that, then the reception, then helped clean up some after the reception.

Sunday we just stayed home and rested...Mom and one of Daddy's friends dropped by and talked for a while.

Yesterday (Monday) The girls watched Hairspray most of the morning, then Emma went to visit Daddy's mother, and Anna went with us to get water. While they were filling the water jugs I went up the hill a ways to pick apples...then I heard them calling for Oscar, who I'd left with them. He had chewed his leash in two, and snuck off quietly. They were yelling and yelling, and Anna was crying, so I went out to the top of the hill and called *once* and he came running back. *He loves me!* lol Actually, he was probably looking for me anyway.

Emma helped her grandmother clean, and came back with lots and lots of "gifts". Daddy said it looked like his mom had unloaded a bunch of junk on Emma. lol Emma loved it, though, and it wasn't *all* junk...there was a ring ("real gold and jewels!") and a pretty watch and bracelet set.

This morning when I got up, I went outside to check one of the freezers to see if there were any pizzas in it...Anna wanted pizza last night, and there wasn't any in the house...anyway, I went to check, and the freezer was unplugged! There was still a bit of ice, so I salvaged what I thought was edible, but I had to throw out about 6 hamburger patties, and some chicken tenders. (Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of meat in there.) Mostly what had been in there was the jam and berries I've been putting up all summer. GAH!! lol I went ahead and put them in the house freezer...I hope I don't end up killing someone. Daddy's trying to eat some steaks that were thawed in there...they don't exactly smell right, but hopefully he won't die from them. ; )

Medieval Princess

Anna came to me this morning and asked if I'd put her hair up for her.

I asked if she wanted it in a clip or with pins.

She said, "We're medieval princesses today, what would they have used?"

(Updated...Emma said, "Come, Princess, we'll have breakfast." Anna replied,"No thank you, I'm fasting." lol Where'd *that* come from?)

New Blog...

I made two, actually.

One is for the 100 Species Challenge
( http://weblog.xanga.com/scsours/664162392/the-100-species-challenge.html? )
(my Blog http://hundredspeciesasquicklyaspossible.blogspot.com/ ).

And the other is http://360blogmoved.blogspot.com/ , I'm moving my old blog posts from 360 for fear they will disappear there.

Yesterday we hiked up the mountain so I could finish my plant list. (You wouldn't believe how blank I get when *trying* to think of something. I know lots more plants than I could think of while we were out taking the pics...I just went blank.) I was hoping for some ginseng, but we didn't find any. We had a good time, though...and saw so many box turtles it was amazing! All heading North. We wondered why, but didn't ask. lol We also happened to find stinging nettle...the girls got all in it, and it was awful, but by the time we got home they were okay. (Yet another plant I couldn't think of it's name...Daddy had to supply it for us. )

I have my 100 species, though, and I'm going to try to get them posted today. My pictures suck, though, and my camera doesn't want to cooperate about taking better ones. I may try to get better ones for the really close to the house ones...I'm not hiking back up the mountain, though. lol

Little Miss Grits

Poor little Miss Grits died this morning. I don't usually cry over ~anything~, but I cried this morning. She was the sweetest rabbit we had...so picky, would only eat a certain kind of food(which required a drive of about 40 miles to get it), liked to eat apples and was grumpy when I forgot to bring her one, *really* enjoyed hay and clover....but was so sweet and loving while doing it I didn't mind a bit.

The rabbits were originally bought for food. Daddy said "We'll breed them, and won't have to buy meat from the store." Yeah, right. That lasted all of two litters, then we just kept the rest, babies and adults. Miss Grits was the best of them all. A rabbit with personality.

About the name. Some of our rabbits are named after foods, because they were intended for food. Grits came with Jowls (the Clampets on the Beverly Hillbillies eat grits and jowls, just in case you don't know where that came from. lol), we also have Brussel Sprout, Raisin (he's Brussel Sprout's last offspring, the only one she had, and he was all black and wrinkley, like a raisin.), Salt (she's an original one, bought to reproduce, but never did...she came with Pepper, who died ages ago)...Mainly we named the original ones intended for food after foods, we have two younger ones Little Grey and My Little Precious Bunny (so named by Anna) who aren't named for foods. Little Grey was Grit's last baby.

Anyway, when I went out this morning to feed them, she was laid out in her cage barely breathing. She lifted her head and looked at me when I came over, and I picked her up and held her until she died. Poor little thing. She hasn't been doing well for about a week now, not eating much at all, and not keeping clean like they usually do, so I knew it wouldn't be long, but still I was sad when it happened.

She was a good rabbit. Rest in Peace, little Grits.