The Year of the House

I'm seeing our lives fold out into defined times.....a year for vacations and trips, then a year to stay home and work on the house. This appears to be a year of the house. :)

I painted today....touch-ups were needed in the bathroom where I hurried and painted over a spot that should have been sanded and the paint peeled :/ and in the hall where the girls picked out a spot about as big as my hand, and there were plenty of dings there, too.

The bathroom wall is green....my favourite wall in the house. I sit in the bathtub and just enjoy that wall. :) The trim in the bathroom is a lovely lilac....I would NEVER have chosen lilac paint, but it was a happy accident, in which I found three gallons of beautiful paint for $5 each at Home Depot, and thought it was cream - judging from the splotches on top - and when I got it home and started painting, lilac. Three gallons of lilac paint. I think I'm going to paint the alcove trim and cabinet lilac, too. I like it.

The hall is the colour of melted chocolate. If you've seen the new version of the Willy Wonka movie, when the palace of chocolate starts melting....that's the colour of my hall. Makes me want to lick the walls.

The rest of the house is mostly white. When it was put up for sale, it's owners slapped (quite literally) white paint on everything. I had so much to do just removing the paint from the floors and walls where it wasn't supposed to be - not to mention that the floors had to be completely redone, sanding and all, and when I took the wallpaper border off the kitchen wall the plaster came down, too - so I left most of it white. The kitchen, of course had to be re-painted after it was repaired, and I went with a light grey there. It seems the best compromise, because, although I want it to be sunshiny yellow, or at least a light spring yellow with blue accents, it wants to be brown. (And my library wants to be red......ornery rooms....)

I HAD to have the green wall in the bathroom, and the trim there was unpainted with plaster, so it required painting. The hall needed something, so it was chocolateized. The girls each got the trim painted in their rooms - Emma purple and Anna green, and the trim in our bedroom is blues.

The rest of the house is still white. I want to paint some things, but they don't want to be painted....kitchen trim, for example, is jealous of the hall's brown, and refuses to even try on yellow to see if it likes it. Library trim says if it can't be red it will just stay white.

I put a coat of a beautiful cream colour in the living room, on 2 doorways and the door to our bedroom, but then the living room said it wanted to be fuchsia! Of all colours! I'm hoping I can talk it into at least trying a lighter colour, but I don't expect to have much luck after the other two. :)

I would like to someday paint the stairs' railing and risers some sort of funky colour or colours, but after hearing that the living wants to be fuchsia, I don't even want to ask what the stairs have in mind! ;)

Beyond colours, though, we have plans for a new kitchen floor (vinyl....we're too rough on floors to do wood in there, and cork would cost around $1000. THAT isn't going to happen!), perhaps a refinishing of the hall's floor. (Both the hall and kitchen have those nasty little stick-down squares. ick!)

We're decluttering....hopefully 2012 will be the year we can actually see past the piles of stuff. ;)

Then there are the odd jobs that need to be done -or redone-.....tub surround need to be re-grouted, kitchen sink needs to be taken up and re-set.....perhaps with a new, taller faucet? Stove needs help because it keeps shocking me. I don't know what to do about that one.....

The hardwood floors need attending, too.....I would like to polish them really well with oil or wax or something, but online says they need to be re-sanded and re-stained. Probably, but 2 years isn't enough time for me to forget doing it before!

Christmas Woes

My husband worked up enough courage (or guilt?) to go to his mom's on Christmas, and take her a gift.

When he got there, she asked, "Did you see what my friend gave me?" and pointed to the porch. He looked out the window and saw a little plaster fellow on the porch, and said, "Oh, yeah, it's cute."

When he left he saw the sign it was holding - "Friends welcome, Family by appointment only."

Huh. Real sweet.

Just a Thought....

Realized tonight I'm raising a couple little liberals. One moreso than the other, but both fit this description fairly well...

."“If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal", then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal.”"
― John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage

Very interesting to watch them grow and form their opinions, from my POV, having been raised in a VERY conservative home....I find their thoughts on certain topics enlightening, to say the least. ;)

But WHY???

"Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve

Stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve....


etc, etc.....

WHY is this song mixed in with Christmas music? Just because it includes the words "Christmas Eve" ONCE?

This is, in my opinion, the absolute most depressing song EVER foisted upon listeners!

They meet, drive around in her car drinking (HELLO? ), and talk about how miserable they are.

Merry Freakin' Christmas. Wake me in 2012.

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/dan+fogelberg/same+old+lang+syne_20035792.html

It's a SUPPLEMENT, Okay?

I started a comment on a blog post, but decided I'd better move it here, to my own soapbox. ;)

The blog post in question complained about going to a food pantry for help, and getting only one box of food, and cooking most of it that night.

I'm sorry, really sorry, for those having financial problems, but service organizations are there to supplement what you already have, not to re-stock your cabinets.

Regarding the one box of food you received at the food pantry. I am stock manager at a food pantry, and it is very difficult sometimes to have enough food to even give out that one box. Our pantry serves over 500 families (540 in October) each month, and we usually get two truckloads of food a month, and that food costs around $1500 each time. When donations from churches and individuals fall off (extremely low sometimes) we can only afford one truck. Imagine, if you will, 6 pallets of food that have to be divided between 540 families. No one is going to get very much. We do the best we can, stretching it as far as it will go. I have seen the volunteers at the pantry bring food from their own houses so we could make it through one more day. I've done it myself.

Climbing down off my soapbox now....

Spankings

One of my cousins posted on facebook a pro-spanking message....and facebook didn't see fit to put it on my news feed. ;)

I guess it knew I wouldn't "like" that kind of post? ;)

I'm thinking about going to her page and commenting....but that feels just a bit like stalking.

I'll leave a few links here, though, in case someone else might want to re-think hitting their kids...

http://www.stophitting.com/

http://www.parentinginjesusfootsteps.org/

http://www.awareparenting.com/twenty.htm

http://www.neverhitachild.org/noframes.html

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/discipline-behavior/spanking/10-reasons-not-hit-your-child

http://www.physorg.com/news189367630.html

(And, heck yes, that judge that beat his sixteen year old daughter should AT LEAST have the same thing done to him. AND all the parents who told their kids that they'd eaten all the halloween candy while the kids were sleeping should get a good kick in the pants.)

Ah...I love having a little soapbox over here in the corner....

A Book Giveaway

A book giveaway!


The book is: To Be Perfectly Honest: One Man's Year of Almost Living Truthfully Could Change Your Life. No Lie. by Phil Callaway.

It looks SO interesting! I've enjoyed books like this (dudes and their year-long challenges) before, so I think I'd like this one. :)

Decluttering....and Re-cluttering... ;)

Inspired by my good friend's blog posts (last one) about decluttering, I tried to dispose of a few things last month.

It worked.....somewhat. ;)

I cleaned out my closet and got rid of two trash bags full of shoes, clothes, and purses. I've also brought in two new-to-me purses, but I'm still ahead, right? ;)

I've been sorting books, too. When we moved I boxed all the girl's books and they've been boxed ever since, for lack of a shelf. We've been slowly going through the boxes (5, I think, so far) and each of us choose the ones we simply *must* keep, and sending the rest away....except the ones I keep to take to the homeschool used curriculum sale next year......yeah....it's difficult to get rid of books. :)

I'm planning on working in the attic and my closet a bit more today. I boxed up clothes when we moved that I haven't even gotten out of the attic, so those need to go somewhere today (hoping Anna's grown enough to wear them, if not, out they go!) and I'll try to get all my clothes in the closet, instead of in piles around the bedroom. :) Neat, folded piles, but still, piles must go!

Next week I'm going to tackle Anna's room....I have plans to take down her bed - she sleeps in the living room - and then they'll have room for their Barbie houses and all their dolls. I hope they have enough room for them all! :)

Plans, plans.....the planning comes easy.... ;)

What NOT to Donate

I was working at the food pantry tonight, sorting clothes, and thinking about a blog post...

Because, really, we don't want your junk. There are some places that can use stained and torn t-shirts, your local food pantry probably isn't one, even if they do give out clothes.

Just because people are poor doesn't mean they want to wear rags! And in America, there is no need for them to. There are enough great clothes, relatively stylish, clean, and in good shape that there is NEVER a time for wearing trash.

A lot of what we get in is trash. Last weekend we picked up leftovers from two yard sales. Bless their hearts, the little old ladies who donated the stuff were so sweet, thinking they had special things that were useable, but this weekend I'm working my butt off to get the few good things out of all the trash.

Seriously, we got two boxes just like these full of clothes, and one that was as deep, but rectangular. I kept four banana boxes of summer clothes, and two trash bags of winter clothes. Everything else has to be bagged and carried off.

Speaking of winter clothes....

Don't donate winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter unless you know for sure the place you're donating to has lots of storage space.

Space at the food pantry is at such a premium that unless it's something new with tags, or in pristine condition, I don't keep it. It would be lots better for you to keep a couple bags in your garage until the weather changes than for me to have to send it somewhere else. We simply don't have the space to store lots of out of season things.

There were scary-dirty clothes....looked like someone had picked them up off the bedroom floor and instead of doing laundry, donated it. Underwear, too. Ick. No, thank you, I don't want to sort that bag. Dirty clothes, clothes that smell like mothballs or cigarette smoke....do me a favor and go ahead and throw it in the garbage. I guarantee that's where it will end up.

Your grandmother may have been the sweetest lady in the world....I still can't use her polyester dresses from the '70's. Or your grandfather's suits. If it's older than my kids, it's automatically going in the *out* pile.

And shoes. Five inch heels are fine and all that, but no one ever takes them. I'll just cart them off later, too. Shoes you wore in grade school......no, they haven't come back in style. Shoes your kid wore twice and outgrew, yes, we'd love them.

It's really quite easy - if it's something you'd wear, but it's too small or the wrong colour or something , go ahead and send it in. If it's been in your closet since you were in high school, put it out of it's misery. Please. For the sake of us all.

Sharing a Contest....

A contest via Home Educating Family Publications - the prizes look Great!

Enter to Win
1. "A Journey Home" from Franklin Springs Media
2. "Beside Still Waters" by Tricia Goyer
3. Well Planned Day Planner, 2011-2012
4. 1 year subscription to Home Educating Family Magazine

This prize pack has a value of over $70.

Contest Dates: June 23, 2011 through June 30, 2011.

Trash Pickup

It's so easy to thrill me. ;)

Every Tuesday morning I'm thrilled by the fact that two (or three) men come along in a truck, and LOAD UP ALL OUR GARBAGE and take it away. I'm even more thrilled when I actually get to watch -- it's SO amazing that they DO that for us! ;)

At our old house, indeed, at all the houses we've had before this one, we had to haul our own garbage away. Granted, at the old house it was 1/2 a mile to dumpsters, and the house before that just about a mile, but still we had to do all the loading and lifting and taking.

Now we just wheel our cans out to the road on Monday night, and on Tuesday morning (or afternoon, depending on how busy they were) they're empty and ready for us to re-fill! It's one of the wonderful things about this house....disappearing trash....... ;)

Too Funny Not to Share *Somewhere* ;)

SO, you know my husband's just started pastoring a church.

Yesterday, I was making red clover tincture, and yelled downstairs to him, "Bring the Everclear when you come up!"

He came up after a few minutes, handed me the bottle, and said, "You know, I was on the phone with the treasurer when you said that.

Hehehehehe.....I'm still chuckling over that. ;)

This & That :)

Anna came into the library this morning, sat down, picked out a book and started reading. :) She came and went all day, and still finished the book before the sun went down. *That* is how my library is supposed to be used....I'm so happy. :,)

I checked my blood pressure yesterday - down to 120/74 - yay! I suspect it's all the exercise, because I've been SO snacky it couldn't be dietary changes. ;)

I hurt my back, though, last week, picking up a microwave at the food pantry (who knew an "empty box" could be SO heavy!) and haven't been able to exercise like I was. I'm still persisting in doing my walking, even though I can't run like I was beginning to be able to.

Morning Walk

A few photos from my morning walk....

Sunshine and fog and papaw trees... Oscar beside the pear tree...

Oscar wouldn't come all the way with me every time....he'd stop and look at me as if to say, "WHAT are you doing walking up there again?" :)

(I'm so excited about my blueberries!)

Oscar got bored with walking and decided there was something much more interesting in the papaw trees. ;)

Morning Walk

I'll have to take my camera tomorrow....it was SO beautiful out today!

I saw three mama turkeys with a whole fleet of chicks, and Oscar sniffed out a rabbit, then when we came back home a blackbird and a wren came out on the carport to clean up the spilled birdseed. :)

I added a cucumber to my morning smoothie......I think a whole cucumber was a bit much. I may try half of one tomorrow and see if I like it better. It wasn't the taste as much as the smell. My smoothie just smelled overwhelmingly cucumber-y today. :)

I have a plan to overcome my health issues.....morning walks - uphill, so my heart rate goes up better. If I walk on flat ground I tend to dawdle. Morning smoothie filled with lots of good stuff. :) Lots of water, a mostly vegetarian diet, with a bit of fish/chicken once in a while, vitamins and supplements, and nightly yoga. Plus making myself get off the computer and *live*! :)

Should be fun. :)

It's AMAZING -

what happens when you listen to your body!

I went to the doctor today, and my blood pressure was high. Not *really* high, just higher than it should be. I came home and started researching online - after I took a nice walk with my kids - what I could do to lower it.

I found this site, and was SO amazed by the list of helpful foods - minus a couple things (fish and baked potato), that's my morning smoothie!

When I first was learning about unschooling the talk of listening to your body to see if you're hungry or tired or what made me wonder.....and the more I practiced it, the more I saw it was true.....for my kids *or* me. :)

This is SO Annoying....

I am really tired of people who won't say things straight out to you, but they slink around and say things *to other people* when they know you're listening.

Or, just as bad, they blog about it.

If someone has something to say to me, I'd rather they just come right out and say it. Their excuse is always that they don't want to hurt your feelings by saying whatever, but, really, IMO, it's lots better to just go ahead and say it, instead of saying something *about* it to someone else and hoping they get the hint.

Annoying people...... :P

You Know What?...

I really don't care what gender your kid is.

I don't want to know, my life is fine without knowing.

Guess what, people - you don't need to know, either!


ALL THIS HOOPLA over whether this kid is a boy or a girl.....I clicked on the comments, but couldn't bring myself to read them.

Really...don't people have better things to do with their time than to wonder what's in that kid's diaper!?! And, gosh, doesn't it just sound perverted when you stop to think about it?

I suppose if you were a perfect parent and made no mistakes whatsoever and your kids turned out perfect and also raised perfect kids, then you might be in a position to give your opinion about how this family is raising their kids, but otherwise, you really should keep your mouth shut (or your fingers off the keyboard, as the case may be).

I *Don't* Think SO...

From Facebook:

"My promise to my children ~ I am not your friend.....I am your Mother. I will stalk you, flip out on you, lecture you, drive you insane, be your worst nightmare & hunt you down like a bloodhound when needed because I LOVE YOU! When you understand that, I will know you are a responsible adult. You will NEVER find someone who loves, prays, cares and worries about you more than I do! Repost if are a parent and agree.♥"



NO.......not gonna repost that!

*Might* post this, though:

"My promise to my children ~ I LOVE being your friend! Being both friend and Mother is a wonderful experience. I will hang out with you when you feel like it, talk when you want, and listen when you need me to, drive you anywhere you need or want to go, wish you sweet dreams every night and miss you like crazy when you're away because I LOVE YOU! Someday, I hope you do find someone who loves, prays, cares and worries about you more than I do, and when you do, marry him! Repost if you are a parent and agree.♥"

;)

Signs of the Times...

It's hilarious when you know someone's out of jail because he's finally on facebook. ;)

A Conversation

Emma: "Who's been drinking out of my cup?!"

Me: "Has someone been sleeping in your bed, too?"

Emma: "Mother! Don't be facetious!"

I love the way my kids speak!

;)

I Think They've Got Something There...

I've been thinking lately that other countries are on to something with their midday rituals.

Take teatime for instance. A light snack and a cup of tea is wonderful in the early afternoon.

And the siesta.....oh, my gracious!

What better time to take a nice nap than when the day's too hot to work? You wake up refreshed and ready to work into the cooler evening hours...perfection!

(The things I've been thinking lately.....yesterday while having a bit of afternoon tea, and today, when I woke up from my siesta.) ;)

Mister Potato Head(s)

I've wanted a Mr. Potato Head toy for ages....but I didn't want to pay for a new one.

Week before last I found three bodies in a large ziplock back with sundry pieces for $1.50 (enough pieces to make two Misters and one Mrs.), and this week I bought another (Mrs. Potato Head this time), then found two more while dumpster diving!

So six new Potato Heads to play with within the past month, to go with the one body and few pieces I already had.....7 potatoes!

I've been cleaning my library this week, and made a new place for the Legos. When a local video store closed their business I bought their drop box, a wooden cart with wheels. I put the Legos in there, two cat litter buckets full - which is where they were stored before - three boats and all the pieces that go with them, which wouldn't fit in buckets. I'm going to get the big baseplates and put them on a piece of board for a lid and it will be moveable storage for Legos....hopefully also made in such a way that I can flip the Lego side over and use it as a flat table, too.

I organized all my "extra" game pieces....a quart-size baggie of dice, pieces to Clue...all except for the lead pipe which is, of course, what was lost the last time the girls played....Monopoly Jr pieces, marbles and lots of pawns, both plastic and wooden. I buy lots of games just so I'll have the pieces, and woodens are my favourites.

When the last library shelf is finished I'd like to make one more small shelf, possibly with glass, to showcase the really cool pieces.

Vacation!

We have returned from our vacation....a drive down-one day at the beach-drive home kind of vacation, but it is still nice to get away, even if just for a bit. ;)

We stayed at Cedar Point Campground in North Carolina....absolutely wonderful place! They say quiet time is from 10pm-6am, and it really is.....everyone there - and all the sites were full - was polite and nice. Mostly older couples, with dogs, and a few young families.

The salt marsh just down the road (in sight from the campground entrance) was beautiful - and SO interesting! Clams and crabs and birds all over.

That was one of our favourite parts....waking up to the bird songs! So many different kinds of birds! Although, besides the sea birds, the ones I saw were the same ones we have here, there were so many more there! :)

We took a wrong turn at Raleigh on the way down and circled the city twice before heading on down, and then I had us on a different road (I hesitate to say "wrong", because it did lead to our destination, but took a bit longer to get there), but we managed to make it to the campground before it closed up for the night. The tent went up really quickly - yay!, and we were in bed by about 10:30. The dogs weren't happy, though, so I got in the van with them and slept in there.

We stopped at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on the way down, and it was Awesome! And free...free is always good for families! ;) I would have preferred more *real* exhibits, but it was interesting even with models.

On Saturday we had planned to explore Beaufort, NC some, but happened to stop at the beach and the girls didn't want to leave. ;) We finally left about 2:30, but the street with the museum was closed off for a boat show, so we just drove around town a bit and went back over to the island and explored Fort Macon.

Today - Sunday - we drove home, taking the "right" road this time and making much better time, and stopped by Mt. Airy to see the Andy Griffith Museum ...a must-see for any Andy fan. ;) I took Schnitzel's picture with the Andy and Opie statue....it might be his new Facebook photo once I get it uploaded onto the computer. ;) My favourite thing in the museum was Barney's Salt and Pepper.....classic. :)

We also stopped by the World's Largest Open Faced Quarry ...when I finally found it. They really should have better signage.


Then we headed home, and it was SO nice to cross back into Virginia and drive up into the mountains. ;) That flat land's okay, but there's nothing like home. :)

Putting Things Off...

I'm putting off cleaning my bedroom....thought blogging might spare me a few more minutes. ;)

I have SO much to do in there......spring cleaning-type stuff, moving the bed and seeing what's under there, wiping down the walls....all those fun things. ;)

I know I'll like it so much when it's finished...it's just that getting started is so hard!

Yesterday I hired my nephews to weed-eat the bank at the front of the yard...too bad I don't have nieces who would like to clean for a bit of cash. ;)

Bows? Really?

What is with the companies that make women's undergarments?


WHY do we need little bows and/or lace on everything?


Come ON, people! I'm thirty-five years old, I no longer choose my underthings based on whether they've got bows or flowers or pictures of my favourite cartoon character!


I really can tell the difference between men's underclothes and women's without the help of the little bow. ;P


(A quick rant, because I can't remember what I was thinking last night would be a good post, and it's my blog and I can.) ;)

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is an interesting phenomenon, and one I experience every-so-often. This morning, as my body struggled to meet my mind in wakefulness, I had this thought: "I'm glad my life, my dreams, are sweet enough that I can take the time to experience this without being scared." Having grown up in a very religious household, I've heard dozens of stories of people who woke and felt that there was a demon on their chest, holding them down. Now, I don't *disbelieve* in demons....I have a very active imagination populated with all sorts of fanciful creatures, including fairies, leprechauns, yeti, ghosts....I even have trolls living in my backyard! However, I am not scared of them. There is nothing on earth that has the power to frighten me in a spiritual way. There is a quote I've always liked "I no longer look for Satan under every rock....I know what ROCK he's under!" I am glad my life is sweet. I hope that my children's lives are also happy, and their dreams sweet enough that if they wake into the dream world (love that thought!) it will be an enjoyable experience. :)

Hummmm....

Em said tonight, "Parents always apologize." Somehow I feel like a failure now. Parents don't always apologize. The *real* world isn't like that. I've always wondered what she'll (well, really, both of them) will think when she meets a boy from a "normal" family.....and she'll think he was horribly abused and feel very sorry for him and try to make him feel better....and that's where my imagination leaves and memory takes over....I remember feeling sorry for a fellow or two in my youth. ;) Does everyone with children feel they're failures? Except for those who really *are* failures and think they're wonderful.....and I don't believe any of those read my blog. ;)

April Brilliance! ;)

Anna tried to set a trap in the back yard to fool Daddy and Em. The trap didn't work, and she came in upset and cold and unhappy. She asked for help in thinking up another trick, but I couldn't think of anything.....the uppermost thought in my brain was how nice I thought it was when Em said, "I don't like April Fool's day....it's not nice." ;) She draped herself over me, and obviously needed something....something to take her mind off her failed trap, and something to do. And I thought of something! I suggested we sort through three bags of toys Dad and I picked up to take to the food pantry to give out. We spent a sweet, happy hour sorting toys, picking out the trash and choosing ones to keep. :) SO many times I can't think of anything.....I can't make my brain move past the problem to a *good* solution. I was so happy with the result this time, I wanted to blog so I'd remember it later. :)

A Thought on Dieting

Why do people listen to a million other voices telling them what to eat/what not to eat/ what to drink/what not to drink, instead of listening to their own bodies? Grapefruit diet! Atkins! Hollywood Diet! Cabbage Soup! Slim Fast! Master Cleanse! South Beach! If they would instead try eating *real* food....enough with the food-like substances! I'm TIRED of people eating "cheese food" and thinking it's real cheese! If it squirts out of a can, it's NOT food! (Tripped over a soapbox there....where was I?) ;) If people would eat REAL food....things that look exactly or nearly the same when they're outside growing or when they're on your plate....they would be healthier and -most likely- loose weight. I've started eating a healthy smoothie for breakfast. After a couple days of eating it late and skipping lunch because I was still full, I noticed I wasn't feeling the best. I added in a late lunch and pushed supper back a bit, and I'm feeling good now. In other words....I listened to my body! The body KNOWS what it needs! You must learn to listen! Your body can tell you to drink more water, or that you need more fat, or that you've eaten too much, or too little! So many people don't know how to listen, though....it's sad.... A true story....a friend posted on facebook that she was going to start eating smoothies for breakfast, and did anyone have any good combinations to share? I shared with her what I eat in my smoothies....frozen fruits, greens, coconut oil, chia and flax seeds, tumeric, plain yogurt, fresh fruit, cream..... Then another of her friends posted about a smoothie they'd had....strawberries with strawberry yogurt and cool whip! Ewww! ;) I hope she takes my advice over theirs! Eat REAL food!

Idiots Annoy Me...

Vegans charged in infant death This has been all over facebook....and I think it's the most ignorant thing I've ever read. OBVIOUSLY it's nothing really about the parents being vegan....it's about medical neglect. They were told to take baby to the hospital after it's *9 months* checkup? It died at *11 months*.....and hadn't been to the hospital -or apparently the doctor- in the two months past. The baby died of medical neglect....and the parents are at fault. I don't care if they choose to graze in their front lawn for their food....their baby should have been taken to the hospital. Their eating practices have nothing to do with the fact that they neglected that baby. And they should be punished.

*Super* Moon?

Unless you've not been in contact with the outside world for the last week or so, you've no doubt heard about the so-called Super Moon, who was making his appearance last evening.

Somel people expressed disappointment that it wasn't as *Super* as they'd been expecting, given all the hype.

Others were amazed at it's beauty.

I was a bit on the disappointed side....first we had clouds, which blocked our view of the moon rising, which would have been the best time to see it looking larger. By the time the clouds cleared the moon looked like a lovely, full moon. I've seen them before. ;)

HOWEVER, another way to look at it's *Super-ness*......

Suppose we saw the *Super* as people going outside to look at the moon -on purpose-

Parents telling their children about it, and taking the time to sit and watch a moonrise with them.

A husband and wife who have been feeling at odds with one another who feel a bubbling of connection while waiting for the moon to rise.

Yes....I do believe it was a *Super* moon last night.

:)

(Picture is clickable, and will take you to a page that gives more scienific reasons for the moon's superness.)

Dogs and Bits of Food

I'm used to Oscar being beside me when I'm eating, and tonight I reached down with the last bite of sandwich for him....and something else was there....

;)

It was Schnitzel, and he, of course, wouldn't eat the bite of sandwich, but since he *did* sniff it, Oscar wouldn't eat it either.

They're such WIENERS! ;)

(Picture is when Schnitzel first came to live with us, getting his first bath at his new home. For future reference, Jan. 20, 2010)

Since when is torturing kids a good marketing campaign?

*Really?* THAT's all they could come up with?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ideas?"

"Well, we could have people being mean to their kids."

"Great idea! Let's go with that!"

"Okay, now on the important discussion: where are we going for lunch?"

"Hahahahaha"

*Group leaves for lunch*

**crickets chirping**