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Tonight was the night...you won't believe who we saw wandering about on our deck...
First there was this pink devil girl (believe me it is all about the 'pink')
Then this famous person showed up...he really needs no introduction!
And finally DH got in on the action!
How does one define the word 'veteran'?
Originally, the word veteran meant "a person of long experience" or skill. Derived from the Latin term veteranus. After the American Revolution the word veteran came to be associated specifically with former soldiers of old age who had fought for independence. As time went on, "veteran" was used to describe any former member of the armed forces or a person who had served in the military.
World War I, also known as the "Great War" was officially concluded on the 11th hour of the 11th Day of November, at 11 A.M. in 1918. On November 11th of the following year, President Woodrow Wilson declared that day as "Armistice Day" in honor of the peace. (The term armistice means "truce" or the end of wartime hostilities.) This day was marked with public celebrations and a two minute halt to business at 11 AM. In 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated in Arlington Cemetery with a ceremony on November 11th. After this dedication, Armistice Day was adopted in many states and at the federal level as a day to honor veterans. This was made official in 1938 when an act of Congress made Armistice Day a national holiday.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day. For several years in the 1970s, Veterans Day was observed in October by many states but in 1978 it was returned to November 11th. Today, Veterans Day is still observed on November 11th as a national holiday to honor all veterans of the United States Armed Forces. (If November 11th falls on a weekend day, the holiday is observed the following Monday.) Throughout the nation, Americans participate in parades, ceremonies, and observances to pay their respects to our servicemen and women, both past and present.
Through the years, we have come to think of Veteran's Day as a time to honor the men and women who have been involved in the Armed Forces (past and present). But if we think back on the original meaning of 'veteran', wouldn't it also be appropriate to honor people of long experience or skill? We often seem stuck in the present or with our eyes turned toward the future and we neglect the past. We discount the wisdom of those who have gone before us and paved the way for us. We forget to take time to simply reflect and we neglect to take the time to learn. And we all know that 'he is doesn't know history is doomed to repeat it.'
So this Veteran's Day, I am not just going to remember and honor the brave men and women who have been part of the United States Armed Forces. Today, I am going to remember a woman who was born on November 11th, 1926 at approximately 11:00 pm, Anny Jeanne Neuman was born in Luxembourg. Anny was born 8 years after the war to end all wars had officially ended. The day she was born had been set aside to commemorate peace that the world hoped would last forever. For the first 13 years of her life, Anny grew up in a home where she was loved and nurtured by her hard working parents. She visited relatives in France. She was an inquisitve and happy child who was a light in her family's home. But before she reached her 14th birthday, she was fleeing for her life with her family from the invading German army.
Anny and her family were not Jewish. They were Catholic. But in the initial invasion of Luxembourg, everyone was at risk of being shot on sight. They left behind virtually everything they owned to escape death in May of 1940. They entered France riding in the same type of cattle cars that would eventually be used to transport Jewish people and other 'enemies' of Germany to concentration camps. She had first had experience of what it was like to be in crammed in a train where there was standing room only for four days without food or water. When her family arrived in France, the French helped them as best as they were able, but they were under attack as well and supplies were scarce for everyone. They were given a place to live in while they were there. It was little more than a hovel, but they made the best of it.
In September of 1940, Anny and her family were allowed to return home to Luxembourg under German rule. But it was not the Luxembourg they knew and loved. Fear marched the streets. Friends disappeared in the dark hours of the night. There were rules to be followed. Anny was told she could no longer associate with her best friend who was Jewish. Indoctrination took place in the school as the Germans tried in vain to turn the citizens of Luxembourg to their way of thinking Anny even had to go through a name change to make her name more pleasing to the German conquerors. Her father was forced to fly a German flag from his window, to ignore friends, and to follwo the German rules. He did these things in order to protect his family and to ensure their survival. Anni (her new name) walked a careful line. She was deferential when she needed to be, but she also visited her Jewish friends in secret. She carried messages and packages for what one can only assume to be some type of underground network. She watched, she learned and during years of deprivation and loss, she never gave up. She never lost her sense of who she was or what was important.
Eventually, the Americans came. And the hope that had kept the Neuman family alive (along with many others), was renewed. As the Germans were pushed back and countries regained their freedom, the Neumans rejoiced. Anni found love or maybe I should say love found her. Even though life was better now that the fear had been banished from the streets. It was still a struggle. Europe had been ravaged by war and it was going to take a long time for any sort of normalcy to return to this war stricken land. Food was still scarce as were jobs and all supplies.
But Anni had dreams and the darkness of the occupation had not destroyed them, only reshaped them. And while she did not live happily ever after, she did way more than survive.
I don't want to tell you the end of her story because that would be spoiling the book that I have to share with you. I do want to say that this book has taught me and touched me more than any book that I have read for a long time. While reading it, I felt much the way I did when I saw Schindler's List. I was reading about horrible things and because I was reading them through the eyes of Anni, I understood them way more than I ever have by reading history books in school. I saw this family triumph time and time again. I saw them not fall to bitterness as so many did. Instead they continued to struggle, to hope, and to dream. They helped one another and others as they could during some of the darkest days of our world's history.
The book that I read was "The Meeting of Anni Adams: The Butterfly of Luxembourg". I won this book in September but was unable to read it until the last couple of week due to other commitments. Lonnie D. Story wrote the story of Anni Jeanne Neuman Adams. He wove in excerpts of history so we would know what was going on in the world beyond Anni and her family. This story will capture you and carry you along as you cry, fear, hope, and survive alongside the Neuman family.
We all go through periods of difficulties and how we get through them is a measure of our character and our outlook. Sometimes we feel like no one else has ever dealt with as much as we are. They wouldn't be able to survive! How can we be expected to be in a good humor with all that is going on. Let Anni and her family be your guide. Let their courage lift you up and let their survival give you hope. Read of their struggles, then compare them to your own. Share this book with your older children so they can get a good inside look at World War II. So much is glossed over and forgotten in today's history books. Don't let them forget. Let's prevent history from repeating itself.
I wrote to Lonnie and told him how much I enjoyed the story and how I wanted to share it with others. I told him I planned to do a review of the book and that I wondered if he would be kind enough to bless one of my readers with a copy of The Butterfly of Luxembourg
He wrote back and said that in honor of Anni's upcoming 81st birthday, he would share not one, but five copies of this wonderful book with my readers. Each copy will be signed by Lonnie and Anni. I am grateful. I am excited to be able to share this amazing story with you. And I look forward to hearing what you think of it when you are through. Here is a recent picture of Anni sharing a copy of her biography with a reader.
All you have to do is leave a comment below. I will close this contest at 11 pm on November 11th, 2007 in honor of Anni Jeanne Neuman Adams. Lonnie will be mailing the book directly to the winners. He said he can mail to U.S. addresses, France, Luxembourg and Belgium.
UPDATE!!!! Lonnie has emailed me Anni's email address. He said she loves to get email, so if you would like to send her birthday wishes, please feel free to contact her. Remember her birthday is November 11th.
If you can't wait to win a copy, you can click on the link below and buy your own now. Or wait and see if you win. If you don't, the link will still be here!
Okay, I have come up with what I think is going to be something fun, helpful and profitable...all in one!
One of the many reasons I blog is to try and make some extra money. As a single income family, the extra money definitely comes in handy. I have written three non-fiction books about animals and I have put together a Recipe CD.
So here is the deal....
For the next month, I am going to do the following. If you purchase my friend Carole's information on how to sell on Ebay, my Komodo Dragon Ebook, my American Bison ebook, my Ruby-Throated Hummingbird ebook or my Recipe CD (each available for 10.00), I will donate 1.00 to Habitat for Humanity to go to rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. But that is not all...you will also get the opportunity to win one of the prizes pictured below! For every purchase you make you will get one entry into the random drawing at the end of the month! So if you buy 10 copies, you will get 10 entries! Just think...you can buy Christmas gifts, support a great charity and possibly win a neat prize to boot!
So here is the information about the products I have for sale (and below that is the list of prizes).
BTW: I am sorry, but currently I am only offering these prizes to people with U.S. mailing addresses. But if you are from outside the U.S. and are interested in the ebooks or the Ebay selling website, feel free to purchase and know that not only will you get a great product, but you will also be helping to rebuild New Orleans.
1 My Komodo Dragon Ebook. This is a PDF file of an interactive book. There is all kinds of information and photos and Internet links regarding the Komodo Dragon.
2 My CD of over 460 recipes. Some were handed down through my family, some were ones I found.
4. My Ruby-Throated Hummingbird EBook. This is a PDF file of an interactive book. There is all kinds of information and photos and Internet links regarding the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird.
5. My American Bison Ebook. This is a PDF file of an interactive book. There is all kinds of information and photos and Internet links regarding the America Bison.
Now for the prizes:
1. Electric Pasta Cooker (Pasta Vision)
2. Down Santa Claus Lane: a hard cover book full of Victorian Era artwork (counted cross stitch)
3. Joy to the World: a Treasury of Christmas Crafts (a hardcover book)
4. The Spirit of Christmas: Creative Holiday Ideas (a hardcover book)
5. Timeless Ornaments (Christmas) - a hardcover book
6. Betty Crocker Bake N Fill Cake Pan (this is just about new. I used once. I loved it, but I just don't make that many cakes).
7. Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Comfort and Joy (501 crafts, decorating, and food ideas to make your holiday unforgettable)
8. The Veritas Conflict by Shaunti Feldhah
9. A 500 piece Hallmark puzzle for ages 10 and up.
BTW: I am sorry, but currently I am only offering these prizes to people with U.S. mailing addresses. But if you are from outside the U.S. and are interested iin the ebooks or the Ebay selling website, feel free to purchase and know that not only will you get a great product, but you will also be helping to rebuild New Orleans.
After careful consideration of my three ebooks: Life of the American Bison, Life of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and Life of the Komodo Dragon have been accepted by The Old Schoolhouse Store for inclusion in their inventory. I am tickled to be a part of a store that is dedicated to provide wonderful products to anyone interested in education!
Here is the link to where you can purchase my books.
This will appear as a sticky note until October 31st. Please scroll down a bit for newer entries!
I found out about a fantastic giveaway where people who enter have an opportunity to win one of twenty three prizes! And the first three prizes include baskets of books and an ipod!!!!!!
Be sure to visit Camy's website to find out all of the details!
Also, if you do decide to enter, let her know that WRITMM referred you! Thanks! Good luck!
Last Tuesday, when we were at the library, we came out to find that the battery on my car had died. This was a bit of inconvenience and the money we had to spend for a battery was money that had been earmarked for gasoline, but we can't complain too much. Afterall, the Interstate battery was warranteed for five years and had lasted seven! That's quality!
Then on Thursday, dh was driving across the street to the office. Normally he walks, but it was pouring rain and he didn't want his laptop to get wet. So he got almost to the top of the driveway when he realized that he had a flat tire. I say top of our driveway because our driveway is uphill from our house. So when the rain abated a bit, he tried jacking it up and changing the tire. He got the old tire off and then the car slipped off the jack. Fortunately he wasn't hurt, but we could no longer get a jack under it to put on the other tire. So we had to call a tow truck and the old tire had to be replaced.
Then today, he called while he was on his way to work to inform me he had hit a deer. Fortunately the car was still driveable and he wasn't hurt. When he reached his destination. he got out to see what damage had been done. The passenger side fender is crumpled a little and the headlight is busted and non-functional. Obviously, the headlight will have to be fixed in order for the car to be legally driven...grrrrrr!
So I repeat...these things come in threes, right? And we are done, right????? Right????
Suburose is offering a beautiful item for your wearing pleasure! And you can win it by visiting her website and leaving a comment. When I initially wrote this post, I credited Suburose with making this beautiful necklace. She was quick to point out that someone else had made it and offered it to her to giveaway. I missed this because I was scanning through posts this week due to the Fall Ya'll Bloggy Giveaway...and I wasn't reading carefully. So, I want you to know that the beautiful necklace you see below was made by Erin Elizabeth Jewelry
I almost hated to tell you about this giveaway, after all, the more people that know about it, the more my chances of winning go down. But I am hoping that my sharing this information will in fact be 'good karma' and it will increase my chances of winning! How's that for rationalization!
Suburose definitely has a talent for this sort of thing! Good luck!
I ran across a very thought provoking article in my web ramblings
While the writer, Mark Morford, does not once mention home schooling, this article could be a 'poster child' for homeschooling. He sums up very nicely many points about the problems that our country is going to face in future years due to the education (or lack thereof) that our children are receiving. Combine that with the constant bombardment of television, video games, and other electronic gadgets, then stir in the fact that many children today have never gone for a walk in the woods or learned how to build a simple thing for themselves...and what you have is a recipe for disaster.
He shares insight that he has obtained from a teacher he knows. A teacher who says he gets high school students that don't know how to form a sentence. A teacher who is thinking about moving out of the country when he retires because he is afraid that the generations coming up aren't going to have a clue to manage the current infrastructure, much less change it for the better. As I was reading his post, I kept thinking about the movie Idiocracy that I did a movie review on recently. This movie could very well depict our future. It's scary!
I was just reading this interesting story. A man in New Mexico, won a $1.6 million dollar jackpot at the Sanida Resort, but when he went to collect his winnings, he was told that the nickle slot machine had malfunctioned and he would not be receiving the $1.6 million dollar jackpot.
Now there are several interesting aspects to this story. First of all, the nickel slot machine has a disclaimer on it that says the maximum payout is $2500.00 and that any amount over that is a malfunction of the machine.
Second of all, the Sandia Resort and Casino is owned by Native Americans which makes it very difficult for the winner of the jackpot to do much against them legally speaking. They are considered nations and the U.S. and state governments don't often get involved.
So...who is right here? The machine was examined and the makers say it malfunctioned. The machine also clearly states that $2500.00 is the maximum payout and the casino offered to make good on that payout. Should the winner look at the situation, be understanding of the computer error, take the money offered and be happy with getting that? Or do you think he should go for the gold and continue with his legal maneuvers?
Let's think of some other examples. Say you were in the bank and deposited $1,000.00 and your receipt said $1,000,000? Certainly you wouldn't expect the bank to make good or their error, nor would they. But if you are in a store and the price on the shelf says one thing and the price at the register says something else, then you have more of a leg to stand on.
Personally, I think the guy should take his chips and go home. The machine obviously malfunctioned, no money actually crossed the man's hand and in this technological world, we have to be understanding that mistakes are going to sometimes occur.
I would love to hear what you have to say.
My dear hubby sent me this beautiful photo! It has been photo shopped, but it is so cute!!!! And my hubby knows I am a sucker for flowers and cute animals.
LOL! When my husband sent me this photo, he titled it squirrel love. I chided him on the fact that they were chipmunks and not squirrels. His response was 'whatever'. Today when I went to post this cute photo, I just typed what he had! I have now fixed it so that the animals are named for what they are. These kind of errors are the ones you end up with when you are doing too many things at one time!
I have recently received some Jergen's lotion samples from Walmart recently and I have been trying them out. I thought I would share my impressions with you in case it would help you choose a lotion that would be good for you.
Jergens Shea Butter: This has a very strong scent. In fact, I personally didn't care of it, but it did disappate after a while. When I first put it on, my arms felt 'tacky', but after about 30 minutes, I noticed that they didn't feel that way anymore. I guess the moisture had sunk into my skin. This is supposed to be a 24 hour lotion and at the end of 24 hours, my skin was still feeling soft. It is a combination of shea, mango and cocoa and it is designed to soften and heal skin. There was a weird time when about 6 hours after I had put it on, my skin felt tight, but then that passed. While this lotion is okay, it probably wouldn't be on my shopping list.
Jergens Ultra Healing Lotion: This has a light and pleasant scent. It is designed to moisturize into deeply hydrated skin. It did this. After 24 hours, my skin was still feeling wonderful. This lotion is along the lines of what I am looking for. Something that lasts (because I am forgetful) and I only have to apply once a day and it doesn't overpower my perfume.
Jergens Skin Smoothing Lotion: This lotion has a nice scent, It soaks in quickly. It exfoliates and softens at the same time. It makes my crusty feet and elbows feel wonderful!
I recently had the enjoyable experience of getting to read Boo Humbug by Rene Gutteridge. This is the fourth in the 'Boo' Series, but have no fear...if you have not read the first three, you will still be able to enjoy this delightful tale!
Like millions of others, I love A Christmas Carol, that immortal story crafted by Charles Dickens. I have seen it many times and in some different versions (like An American Christmas Carol or The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), so I was looking forward to a book immediately alerted me to the fact that Scrooge was lurking in the wings (who else would be saying 'humbug'?)
Boo Humbug is a fun mix of A Christmas Carol and the wacky residents of Skary, Indiana. The holiday season starts off in Skary with Lois Stepaphonoplis creating her own version of A Christmas Carol. She brings more and more of the townspeople into the production, but something is amiss...and it's not just Lois' modern take on this Christmas classic. After days of rehearsal, the big night has arrived and it comes to the attention of Lois and Alfred that a dreadful mistake has been made...just wait until you read the twist in this story! It will warm the coldest of Scrooge hearts!
I have two copies of Boo Humbug to give away to two randomly drawn lucky winners! I am sorry, but this drawing is only available for United States addresses. And all you have to do is leave a comment below! Really, that's it! Just leave a comment! And if you would like an extra chance at winning, you can always share the information about this contest with others. Just be sure to let me know you have done so!
I will be conducting the random drawing on November 3rd around dinner time (EST) And for more great giveaways, go visit The Fall, Y'all! Bloggy Giveaway
Yep, it's time for Memory Lane Monday again. This week, Heather at Momsblogging.com wants us to share our favorite Halloween memories.
Here are a couple of mine.
When I was in third grade, my mother made me a beautiful Indian costume. I had long hair and she put it in braided pigtails. She took one of my dad's old hunting vests and fringed the bottoms of it. I honestly don't remember the rest of the costume, but I do remember winning first place in the costume judging contest. That was very cool!
When I was about 16, my youth group went on a hayride. I judge all other hayrides by that one. We went down some back gravel country roads, it was dark and the ride lasted forever. It was a wonderful evening.
When I first met my current husband, we decided to have a Halloween party for his two sons and some friends of ours. The kids made Halloween crafts and we hung a pinata for them to break down and open up. In the end, Daniel and David had to bust open the pinata as the kids were unable to get it to break. It was a fun night and the first of many of my efforts to do fun things with my children.
Yesterday was busy and fun. We had church in the morning. Then Katrina went home with her friend Kaylie for the afternoon. Jack and I headed home for lunch and to get some things done before leaving at 2:00 to go to Lynchburg for a recital he was in. This was the first recital he was in that there were a substantial number of strangers at. It was a delightful experience and we got to hear some piano students from other studios which was also a true joy. One girl played a song that was 12 minutes long from memory. That sort of thing absolutely amazes me. After the recital there was a brief reception, then we jumped in the car and headed back to church.
We arrived in time for the Fall Festival. The children worked on their Awanas books for about 30 minutes while the grown-ups got to observe the classes and prepared the tables and so forth for our meal. We had hotodogs with the fixins and plenty of desserts (why are there always so many wonderful desserts?). We had hoped to have a bonfire, but weren't able to do so this year due to the local fire ban. We were blessed with about 3-5 inches of rain last week, but it wasn't enough to lift the ban).
After we ate, it was pinata time. They had a baseball pinata filled with candy and a bat. The older kids didn't even get a chance to take a swing as the little ones had knocked it down. They reminded me of locusts as they raced to fill their bags with candy.
Then it was time for a hayride. I have to tell you that I love hayrides and they do a wonderful hayride that goes a few miles down a country road and ends at a farm. It was a perfect evening. We enjoyed spotting deer alongside the road and we got to see a glorious sunset.
We arrived back at the church and the children participated in a cake walk (where we gave away cupcakes so everyone eventually won.) Then we did a variation on bobbing for apples. Due to the MRSA scare in our school system, instead of putting the apples in water, they stuck them on a nail that was tied to a string then held them dangling in the air for a blind-folded child to try and get with their teeth while their friends directed them. It was hilarious!
Finally, about 8, we were cleaning up and headed home. It was a wonderful evening of fellowship and fun! As we were leaving, we were handed a bunch of left over hotdogs, buns and cupcakes. These were an added blessing that will help us stretch our grocery dollars this coming week.
I got a free sample from Wal-mart of Sunsilk Anti-Flat Shampoo, Conditioner and a styling product. These products are designed to increase volume. My hair is very thick, but its very thickness tends to weigh it down and make it look flat. So I wanted to see what Anti-Flat Shampoo would do for it.
I used all three products on the same day as indicated by the directions. The products had a nice scent and my hair didn't feel weighed down or overly slick when I was done. However, the directions did say to style as normal. Most of the time, I just let my hair dry by itself, so that's what I did as that seemed to me to be a true tst of the product. Unfortunately, I think it probably would have worked better if I had used a blow dryer. My hair was actually flatter than normal. Perhaps, I will get another sample some day and try it with the blow dryer, though just using the blow dryer does give my hair oomph.
So, it is not a wash out, it just isn't right for me.
Inspired by the weekly contests at The Average Girl's Guide to Being A Princess, I have decided to begin a regular post entitled Monday's Act of Random Kindness. In it I will tell whatever random acts of kindness I manage to do, observe or receive during the week. I am hoping this will help me to be more aware of opportunities that I have to be kind to others. I also thought it would be a great way to start my week, and hopefully yours!
I would love to hear about your Random Acts of Kindess. Feel free to use Mr. Linky and share your own acts of Random Kindness that you have witnessed or instigated by posting on your blog, then putting your link below. Then I can come read your Acts of Random Kindness!
We had a meal at church last night and when we were leaving, the pastor's wife gave us several leftovers to bring home to eat. That was definitely an act of kindness.
The biggest acts of kindness I witnessed this week revolved around the bake sale that I blogged about recently.
Today, as we were trying to get ourselves together to head out to church, Katrina came rushing in saying that she thought Ella was dead. Ella is our 2 year old hamster. She said Ella didn't come out last night when she fed her and that she wouldn't come out of her den.
I went in and took the top off of the cage and sure enough, Ella was no longer with us. We knew that Ella, and her brother, Nibbles, were entering the last phase of their life just based on hamster life expectancy, but it we are still sad. Ella is the longest lived hamster we have ever had. Katrina held her and cried and told her she would miss her. I found a lovely box and we put in some bedding and a few snacks for the voyage to the other side. Katrina is at a friend's house this afternoon and we have a festival at church tonight, so we will have Ella's funeral tomorrow.
We are glad she seemed to have died peacefully in her sleep. We had one hamster who actually had seizures and then died while we looked on helplessly.
My mom is a wonderful cook as were her mom and her grandmother. She always seems to add a little something extra and the things she cooks often look like the pictures you see in magazines or cookbooks...just perfect! And they taste even better!
At Christmas, Mom is most in her element. Cookies, cakes, candies...and the house always smells so good. I have many fond memories of baking cookies with Mom. There was one item she made every year that made our mouths water and got Dad involved too. Fresh Coconut cake. If you have never had fresh coconut cake, you can find the recipe below. It is out of this world. And let me tell you, bagged coconut doesn't begin to compare! Why did Dad get involved? Well he was the one breaking open the coconut.
He and I would go downstairs with the coconut and make a place on his work bench. With hammer and screwdriver, he would knock out the 'eyes' (that's what I call them) and drain out the coconut milk (you need that for the recipe). Then he would use the hammer to tap on the shell until he got it cracked open and got the coconut broken into chunks that Mom could use.
He and I would go downstairs with the coconut and make a place on his work bench. With hammer and screwdriver, he would knock out the 'eyes' (that's what I call them) and drain out the coconut milk (you need that for the recipe). Then he would use the hammer to tap on the shell until he got it cracked open and got the coconut broken into chunks that Mom could use. Mom would then grate the coconut with a grater. And if I was lucky, I would get a chunk of fresh coconut to nibble on.
Mom didn't just make us a fresh coconut cake every year, but she made one for our neighbors too. Carrie and Herman babysat me when I was young and my mom went to work. They were like parents to my parents and held a very special place in Mom and Dad's heart. Herman passed away when I was 12 years old. Carrie passed away last year. Even after we moved, Mom would bake Carrie and Herman her Fresh Coconut Cake.
Fresh Coconut Cake
This fresh coconut cake is made in two layers with a fresh coconut topping and coconut milk.
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup grated coconut
PREPARATION:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, beating well. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the coconut milk. Stir in vanilla and coconut.
Beat the egg whites with remaining 1/2 cup sugar until soft peaks are formed; fold into the cake batter. Pour batter into two greased and floured 8-inch layer cake pans and bake at 375° for about 25 minutes. Remove fresh coconut cake to wire racks to cool.
Topping
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 coconut, shredded or grated
In a bowl, beat cream with the sugar until thick. Add vanilla Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle cake with fresh coconut.
I received a free sample of Curel Ultra Healing Lotion from Walmart last week. I love the Walmart free samples page because it gives me a chance to check out a product without buying the whole thing.
I have dry skin and in the winter I suffer even more. Usually once or twice a winter my fingers will crack and bleed. My husband fusses about my 'crusty' feet and I hate my 'rusty' elbows and knees. My hands would never pass a dove commercial, they lines in them are already pronounced. So I am always looking for a lotion to help with my issues.
I tried the Curel-ultra healing lotion. The brochure I received said that it can't help but be drawn to dry skin. Its dermatologist-teste formula contains a positive charge that is attracted to dry skin's negative charge, giving you the right amount of moisture right where you need it. It penetrates deeper for complete all-over comfort without that greasy feel. It also claims to heal dry skin 5X better than Eucerin Original Moisturizing Creme in just one use. And it is supposed to last for 24 hours!
So I gave it a whirl and I have to say, it seems to be everything it claims. My skin felt silky, not just for 24 hours, but for about 36 hours. Unfortunately, I only had enough for one application, but I liked it enough, that I will be adding it to my shopping cart in the near future! Thanks, Curel!
I was up with the chickens again this week. I didn't plan to get up quite as early, but I left my alarm set to wake me up at 5:00 (which is the time I got up for the yardsale last week). I didn't want to get up until 6:00, but that's just the way it goes. Since it was midnight when I went to sleep, I was a wee bit tired, but a shower woke me up. I did some work, then headed to town to help out with the 4-H bake sale we were doing today. I had made brownies and cookies. I was in charge of bringing tables and I brought signs with prices and I brought a chair to sit in. I didn't bring children, That was my one mistake. I was envisioning four hours of boredom and my daughter, in particular, moaning about when were we going to go home and couldn't I buy her something. I also wasn't sure any of the other moms were going to bring their kids (I should have asked, but it just didn't occur to me...too many other things on my mind right now).
So we went and got set up. We had brownies, peanut butter cookies, 1/2 a lemon pound cake, 4 loaves of bread, cupcakes, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter granola bars, and bags of popcorn. We started selling at approximately 9:00 a.m. and sold until 1 p.m. We had signs up that we were selling baked goods to raise money so we could send soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait care packages. We explained to people that we would be sending the care packages to unit leaders who would then pass out the items to those soldiers who didn't get much if anything from home. People opened their hearts and their wallets.
Many would buy $1.00 worth of cookies and then give us another $1 - $5 as a donation.
Another mom had a wonderful suggestion of putting a glass jar on our table so that people who wanted to make donations without buying baked goods could do so. We placed two U.S. flags in the jar. We had a poster with photos of the soldiers we would be sending our items to. And then we made posters for the children that came. They said things like 'Help Support Our Troops' 'We are going to send them care pacakges.' There were a couple of girls and four young boys that were holding the signs and asking for donations. They also had a metal jar that people could put money in. Among themselves, they worked out a great system. They lined up at the door where people were exiting. One would say, support our troops, another would say 'we're having a bake sale over there.' and point to the table and then the can was present, but not in an obnoxious way.
When someone put money in the tin can, the boys would then sing "Thank You", one after the other. It is hard to describe, but if you have ever seen the movie "White Christmas" where the four are sitting in the train singing "Snow, snow, snow, snow"? Well, that's how the boys did 'Thank You.' Those boys, who stood there for four hours and came up with their own way to attract the attention of people walking by raised $290.60!!!!!
I haven't been so moved in a long time. By the hard work of the children (the girls were the ones who made the beautiful signs and helped hold them up, btw) and by the generosity of those coming out. So many thanked us and told us of family members and friends that they had overseas. It was an amazing morning and I was blessed to be part of it.
On Monday, we will be sending 4 boxes of leftover cookies, brownies and popcorn to the two soldiers. On Thursday, we will be putting together supplies that they requested and mailing those and we plan to mail some more in December and to have a yard sale in January so we can continue to support them throughout the year.
In case you don't know, you can get a flat rate priority mail box and stuff it full (weight doesn't matter) and send it to a soldier ofr $8.95. If you don't know a soldier, then call your local Army/Marine/Navy/Air Force recuruiting office and get the name of a soldier. They are sacrificing so much by being away from their families and protecting others. Whether you believe in the war or not, support the men and women who are doing their job. Skip one dinner out this month and send a care package or two. You will brighten their day and you will feel a bit better yourself.
Jen over at My Three Boys and she is trying to get to know her readers better, so she is sharing her work experiences and asking about others. She tagged me, so here we go:)
I babysat from the time I was about 12 years old (1978) until I was about 25 years old.
When I was about 15 I cleaned house for a neighbor once every couple of weeks.
When I turned 17, i went to work at a local grocery store. I worked there for about a year as a cashier/bagger/stocker until management changed and he didn't want to work with me when I came home from college on breaks.
My first two summers and the following two Christmases I worked for First Colony Life Insurance Company. First in Cashier department and later in New Business.
When I was a Junior in College, i worked briefly at the local weekly paper stuffing ads in to newspapers. The ink made me ill and I had to quit. Then I spent the rest of my Junior year in college working for the Sociology Department as a student aide (filing, typing, gopher).
The summer of my Junior year, I got a job as a teacher at a local Montessori School. I worked with the 1 1/2 - 3 year olds and occasionally filled in with the 4 and 5 year old group.
My senior year in college, I continued working part time at the Montessori School. 1/2 way through the year, I also picked up a job at the local hospital working in the personnel office (10 hours a week).
When I graduated from college, I spent the summer working in the Emergency Room of the local hospital as a patient registrar/clinical secretary.
In the fall, I went to work as the Manager of Parking Services for the College of William and Mary and I continued to work weekends and holidays at the Emergency Room. I quit working at the Emergency Room after about 8 months. Then I picked up a part time job at the Christmas Mouse in Williamsburg.
I worked for Parking Services for about 18 months. Then I left the Williamsburg area.
I spent a couple of months working as a telemarketer. (Hated that job).
I then went to work for about 4 months working as a parent assistant through a local community services program. I worked with parents who had difficult children and didn't know how to handle them.
I then got a job as a Child Development Instructor working with an Early Intervention program. I worked there for 6 years.
While working at Project Daniel, I briefly tried selling Tupperware, Princess House Crystal, and Contempo jewelry for extra income. During this time, I also became a mom to my two stepsons.
I quit working at Project Daniel in 1996. I then spent about 6 months trying to get my own vending machine up and running. I had those gumball type machines in stores. They were fancy ones with wooden bases. But then I ended up on bedrest and couldn't really follow through with that job.
Once I ended up on bed rest with my oldest, I studied some Visual Basic, but I didn't really feel drawn to that. After my son was born, I spent about a year helping my husband remodel an office and trying our hand in the 'head hunting' business. Trying to place techincal people in jobs. That didn't get very far. I could find the people, but with Daniel working another job, there wasn't the time to make the calls for interviews that he needed to make.
I then took a class in writing for children. I did well, and took the next course. For the next 5 years (until 2004), I studied, I wrote, I got lots of rejections and I had a few things published. I was very proud to have my work published (and if you google Melissa O. Markham) you can read some of it), but over a period of 5 years, I didn't make but about $500.00. I never did get into steady work and I decided enough was enough. Though writing has always been my first love and in every job just about that I have had, written communication was involved.
I had my daughter in 2000 and I started homeschooling in 2002. Once I gave up on the writing, a friend taught me about selling on eBay. I have been selling on eBay since then. I have mostly sold books, but have also sold toys, games, and other collectibles. eBay comes and goes as far as being a money maker for me, so I kept looking.
In the summer of 2006, I went to work for a local company called VaBay. They also sell items on eBay. They sell for other people who bring in stuff they want to sell. I am one of the writers who writes the ads based on research I do based on pictures they provide for me. I get paid per the ad. I also started during that time selling items on eBay for friends for a commission.
Then two months ago, I started writing reviews on my blog for different companies.
It's funny, while I wrote this, I realized I had forgotten all of the different things I have done. Thanks to Jen for tagging me!
Anyone reading this who wants to share their work experience on their blog, let me know. I would love to come read it!
Yesterday, we finished with the straightening of the house. We tackled Katrina's room. She really is the whirlwind in our family as she starts getting out lots of different items and putting them all together to make one very cool game! So without further ado...here are the before and after photos:
There he is!
Hey, look at that! There is a floor in this room! We wondered what was holding everything up!
And there she is...the Jungle Princess! (By the way, she is in her bathing suit because she and Jack were out enjoying the rain during a break in cleaning.
Today, I was perusing bloggy land, and I saw someone who has posted about her upset that people were using 'Xmas' in order to take 'Christ' out of the season.
I used to think this was true too. I remember when I was younger and saw Xmas, I didn't think much of it. I just thought it was a way to make the word short. Then when I reached my twenties, I began to feel like it was just what this blogger was saying - an attempt to take 'Christ' out of Christmas. But then I had someone who enlightened me to some history.
The use of 'X' in Xmas is not modern. The origins of the 'X' originates in the fact that the first letter in the Greek word for 'Chirst' is 'chi,' and the Greek letter 'chi' is represented by a symbol similar to the letter 'X' in the modern Roman alphabet. Hence 'Xmas' is indeed a perfectly legitimate abbreviation fo the word 'Christmas' (just as 'Xian' is aso sometimes used as an abbreviation of the word 'Christian').
Are there people who try to use Xmas to take Christ out of Christmas? Sure there are. But the neat thing is that the last laugh is on them! They aren't being as 'vicious' as they think they are. Check out the information at Wikipedia or more on the subject!
This past week has been a good news week. And since I figure everyone enjoys good news, I would share.
Friday: I was notified that I had won this lovely pink hair piece from Aimee's Blog. Katrina and I will share it once it arrives.
Saturday: It went well at the flea market. I made about $50 from selling my books.
Sunday: I switched my membership to our new church. They are a very welcoming group of people and we are happy to be part of a church family again.
Monday: my car broke down, but the good news was that it was only a battery.
Early this week I won some Chit Chat cookie mix from DC Metro Moms Katrina, Jack and I can't wait for it to arrive!
Weds-Friday: we have had lots and lots of rain for which we are so very grateful! It was so dry here and we have received several inches of rain in the last few days.
Wednesday: Daniel had the final interview for the Illinois job, now we are just waiting to hear how that is going to work out. Hopefully early next week.
Thursday: Bruce, my stepson, had a very good interview with a company out of Charlotte, NC. He got good feedback and should have another interview next week. This job will provide much better pay than his current position, plus benefits!
Today, I found I that I was the grand prize winner in Girlfriends In God's Let's Make a Deal contest. I won a $100 gift certificate for American Airlines! WOW!!
Today, Daniel received a contract for a few days of work in Roanoke. So that will be some money coming in the end of November or so.
And then, today Google updated my page ranking. I went from a number 2 to a number 3. Cool!
And today, I received notification that my 3 ebooks are now being displayed on The Schoolhouse Store!
Hey, just now I got notification that I won a book from my friend Laura! The books is Never Look Back! What a week!
Thanks to Laura for keeping me posted on all the best contests out there! And thanks to all my readers and people who link to my blog who have helped me rise up in rank!
Oh yeah, and the house is clean!
I hope your week has been as cool as mine! God bless!
Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.
Just Call Me Jamin! She always has the best craft ideas! And her sense of humor makes me laugh!
Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?
I know i dream every night, but I am too tired to remember it. I maybe remember a dream once or twice a week.
Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?
I had a dog from the time I was 2 or 3 until I was 12. Her name was Candy and she was taffy colored. She was like a sausage dog and she was my best friend. She was always waiting for me when I got home from school. She listened to all of my woes and was always ready with a lick to my face. She loved ice cream and gum drops. When she died it left a big hole in my life and my parents weren't pet people, so I didn't have anymore pets until I got married.
Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?
I would be in a public service announcement reminding people to spay and neuter their pets.
Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?
Peppermint
We appreciate those who helped us with our fundraising efforts to help send care packages to soldiers in Iraq. I dislike doing fundraising, but it is a good cause and a one time deal. (We are going to be doing bake sales and yard sales because none of the other moms like fund raising either.)
For the three people who donated, they each get to send me their prize preference.I have emailed them.
Becky, a homeschooling friend, gets the Encyclopedian and Rufus.
I am waiting to hear back from:
K.J. and Sarkastic.
GreenRoad Technologies has a product that is being hailed by businesses and insurance companies across the country. Their product provides private in car feedback to the driver so the driver of the vehicle knows what they are doing wrong and can improve it.
When we go through driver's training in school, there is a lot of information given to us in a short amount of time. Plus we are more excited about the act of driving than learning how to do it correctly. Most states have increased the times that teens practice behind the wheel training, but that does have one flaw. As adults, we were once those anxious teens ourselves and we have probably developed poor driving habits over the years that we may then pass on to our children.
The GreenRoad system will bypass that and make us all better drivers and help to make the road a safer place to be. Check out these statistics!
Their customers have achieved dramatic results:
54% reduction in driver crashes
42% reduction in at fault crashes
50% reduction in risky teen
driving behavior
7% reduction in fuel consumption
I recently got a trial issue of a magazine that I am definitely going to invest it: Taste of the South. This magazine is chock full of yummy recipes and great pictures.
Last night I wanted to cook something yummy and different. In our house, we mostly eat different things. My hubby is on a low-carb diet, I am on a low calorie diet, and my kids don't like either of those diets. But I was tired of eating my dinners out of the microwave.
So I chose the below recipe and it is fantastic! I added some hormel bacon bits that I had on hand for a little bacony flavor. Give it a whirl the next time you want a twist on your meatloaf!
Yo Mama’s Meatloaf
Recipe courtesy of Susan Graniero, in Taste of the South Magazine,
Fall 2007
Ingredients:
1 egg
¾ cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup quick-cooking oats
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup drained salsa
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 ½ tsp prepared mustard
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet; set aside
In a large bowl, beat egg and milk together. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, and salt. Add ground beef and mi well. Shape mixture into a loaf. Place on baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine salsa, brown sugar, and mustard. Spoon over meatloaf.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
We keep plugging away! Today we got our school work done. I caught up on some phone calls. I even had time for a tub bath with a book in hand...ahh...the luxury! I made more brownies for the bake sale. I fixed a yummy meatloaf for dinner (I will be sharing that recipe soon) and we cleaned. I even managed to fit in a couple of episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man and then tonight hubby and I caught up on the last two episodes of the New Bionic Woman series.
So, without further ado...here is the evidence of our cleaning efforts...
Jack Before
See the hand poking out from under the pile of blankets and stuffed animals? That's Katrina!
Jack After (and I have no idea what that white blob is... have we entered the Twilight Zone?)
Katrina enjoying the newly made beds and the organized animals!
We live in a culture where everyone seems to want to blame someone or something else for their behavior. And we live in a world where if people are the least bit different from the main stream are suddenly being handing diagnoses of this or that mental illness. The number of mental disorders the general population might exhibit leaped from 180 in 1968 to more than 350 in 1994. So in 30 years, did we become twice as likely to have a mental illness or do the doctors just have too much time on the hands?
Are we more attentive and figuring out more about what is wrong with us or are we trying harder than ever to make sense of our world by putting people into little boxes? Is it too much of a challenge to deal with a child who is fidgety, so instead we give them a label and medicate them so that overstretched personnel have one less thing to worry about? Instead of taking responsibility for our lives and our own feelings, has it become easier to look for past wrongs that have turned us into shy or depressed individuals?
Don't get me wrong, I know there are people in the world who have bad things happen to them and they need counseling or medication to help them deal with it. There are people who have chemical imbalances and there are children who truly have ADHD. I just wanted to throw out some food for thought. Part of what got me thinking about this was an article my hubby sent me.
From the Article:
In "Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness" (Yale University Press, October 2007), Northwestern's Christopher Lane chronicles the "highly unscientific and often arbitrary way" in which widespread revisions were made to "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM), a publication known as the bible of psychiatry that is consulted daily by insurance companies, courts, prisons and schools as well as by physicians and mental health workers.
In examining the American Psychiatric Association archives, Lane -- who argues that psychiatry is using drugs with poor track records to treat growing numbers of normal human emotions -- even came across a proposal to establish "chronic complaint disorder," in which people moan about the weather, taxes or the previous night's racetrack results.
"It might be funny," he says, save for the fact that the DSM's next edition, due to be completed in 2012, is likely to establish new categories for apathy, compulsive buying, Internet addiction, binge-eating and compulsive sexual behavior. Don't look for road rage, however. It's already in the DSM, under intermittent explosive disorder.
I don't know that there is much we can do about this trend as your average citizen on the street...but it is something to keep in mind if you, your children, or a friend suddenly has a doctor questioning whether or not you are too shy, too apathetic or on the Internet too much! Stand up and be proud of your differences and tell your physician that he should get some therapy as he obviously has a problem with misdiagnosing his patients!
Hat Tip: Physorg.com
Isn't that a beautiful picture? Saturn's rings are seen here in a panoramic mosaic of 165 images taken by the Cassini spacecraft. The color contrast has been greatly exaggerated to better show the color and size differences between the rings.
Saturn's rings are one of the most mysterious and beautiful sights in our universe. For a long time scientists have believed the rings are created by matter left over from Saturn's formation. New information leads them to believe that the rings are particles that have been left behind by the pulverization of a large moon in Saturn's orbit.
Hat Tip: National Geographic
Canal Linking Ancient Egypt Quarry to Nile Found
It has long been suspected that some of the buidling blocks for the pyramids and other great stoneworks in Egypt were floated to their destination instead of moved across the land.
Ancient artwork shows Egyptians using boats or barges to move large monuments like obelisks and statues, and canals have also been discovered at the Giza pyramids and the Luxor Temple.
Experts have discovered a canal at an Aswan rock quarry that they believe was used to help float some of ancient Egypt's largest stone monuments to the Nile River.
Ancient Cataclysm Rearranged Pacific Map, Study Says
I have always found plate tectonics fascinating. The thought of rock moving over pools of lava to form mountains and canyons or rifts. A new theory is evolving about changes that occured in the Pacific Ocean Basin 50 million years ago.
Using geophysical data gathered by scientists from Australia and Russia, the team confirmed that the ridge plunged underneath a plate of Earth's crust that stretches between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The Japanese landmass then acted as a vast plug in the crack between the plates, changing their movement and rearranging the geography of the Pacific, the team found.
Australia would have been an icy piece of property had this event not occured (I am sure the Australians are happy that they were spared that).
I wanted to start a meme that I hope will be fun for my readers. You see, I am Thirsty for your answers and anecdotes. So each Thursday I am going to ask you a probing question. Just post your answer on your blog and sign into Mr. Linky below. I will come by and read your story. I also would appreciate it if in your post you would like back to Thirsty Thursday so others can join in the fun! Feel free to copy my image!
Todays Question:
So what is the worst babysitting experience you ever had? This can either be a situation where you were babysitting or a babysitter that you hired to watch your children.
About three years ago, we had a 13 year old girl who came to babysit our children. Jack was 7 and Katrina was 4. We were going out to dinner with my in-laws. Megan had babysat for us before and had done fine. On the previous evening she had babysat, when it was over, I asked her if she could do some simple cooking. She said she could. So when she came this time, I had a pizza ready for her. It was a frozen pizza that you stick in the oven, then take out after 10 minutes of cooking. The instructions were on the back of the package. I set out a cutting board for her.
We came home and I took her home (can't have dads taking home young ladies anymore). She mentioned there had been a small fire in the oven, but she had gotten it out. She was going to call me, but it was okay, so she didn't. Well, this bothered me that she hadn't called. It also bothered me that she had been unable to find the fire extinguisher which was right next to the stove.
I get home, expecting to find a burned pepperoni in the bottom of the stove. Instead I find the smoke alarm lying in pieces on the floor. I opened the stove and there was plastic melted all over my stove. Remember that cutting board? She had put the pizza on the cutting board and then put it in the oven. My 7 year old son told me she was on the computer when he noticed flames shooting out of the eye of the stove. She used the broom to beat the smoke detector into submission. To this day, I am not sure how she got the flames out or what kept my house from burning down. I was thoroughly amazed that she had no idea what had happened and that she didn't call me!
Needless to say, I thanked God for watching over my babies and I didn't call her back to babysit. Anyone can make a mistake, but to be that careless and not to call me when there was a fire like that was irresponsible.
So share your story with me! I can't wait to hear it!
We have been on the run a lot lately. Flea Markets, 4-H meetings, yard sales...and then there is all the blogging I am doing to try and add some income. Throw in piano, grocery shopping, and homeschooling, cleaning has fallen way down the list...I mean way down. The kids have been doing chores when I remember to tell them to pick one out of the jar, so the house is basically clean, but it is cluttered. What you don't believe me Well check out these before pictures of the playroom that I took today.
Now, in the kids defense, 2 Saturdays ago, while I was hosting our subdivision meeting, another family brought a 2 year old and 4 year old grandson with them. These kids left a lot of the mess and the family left without offering to help clean up. I told the children I would help since they didn't make the mess, but I have been busy. Jack admitted to he and his friend, Brandon, had pulled all of the games out on the floor. And Katrina and her friend Kaylie had helped some too...
So, today, we are home. It is the first day of three days. I made the first batch of brownies for a 4-H bake sale this coming Saturday. I filled out my 4-H volunteer form that I was given last week. I blogged. We did school work and we tackled the playroom. Now we just have the den and two bedrooms to go...I'll be posting before and after pictures of those tomorrow.
Last night as we went to bed, we did a final check on the weather. They were calling for 80% chance of rain last night and 100% chance today. We were thrilled. We are very dry here in our corner of the world. All outdoor fires have been banned. Even fires in a barrel. Water restrictions are in place in the local cities. And there is talk of muzzleloader season being cancelled. This is something that has been discussed in times past according to my dad, but has never actually happened. This year it might.
The grass crackles when we walk on it, the ground is cracked and the creek that I used to drive across to get to my dad's cabin is so low, you can walk across it without getting your feet wet (it is a good 12-15 feet wide in good conditions).
So come one rain! We are ready...let her rip! We went to bed hoping for the sound of pounding rain to awaken us in the wee hours of the morning. At 8:30, i woke to sunny skies and a dry deck....where is the rain? I look at the weather forecast. They are still calling for rain today 100% chance and tonight, tomorrow, and Friday...but where is it. So far today, we have had a shower. But the deck is already dry again. Doesn't 100% chance mean it should be raining? We are aching for the wet stuff! I hope it arrives soon!
I work from home because it fits with our lifestyle. Even during the last 'not working for myself position' I had, I had managed to maneuver it so that I could during the last couple of years there, I worked mostly from my home.
By working from my home, I have more freedom. I can be with my children (which is very important because I homeschool) and I am really only limited on how much I get done by how many hours there are in the day. I can do laundry in between jobs, I can watch TV while I work and I can work in my pajamas. The thing I like best about working at home (besides being with my children) is that I am in control. I can move up as far and as fast as I choose. If something is not working out for me, it is fairly easy to switch to something else. And I don't have to spend the time traveling to and from work (I live 30 minutes or more away from most job opportunities). I don't have to worry if I have the right clothes, the right hair do or drive the right car. I don't have to have a budget for lunches and clothing. And since my husband also works partially from home, I get to see more of him.
When I was in elementary school, we read a story about a mom and dad working from home on their computers and the child in the next room doing his schooling. I thought that was the craziest thing I had ever heard of...but here I am, living that story!
So why do you work from home or want to work from home? Super WAHM wants to know!
Super WAHM is having a cool contest where you can win a basket full of office goodies! You have between now and November 15th to participate. There are several ways you can enter to win, so be sure to read them all!
Heather, over at MomsBlogging.com wants some ideas of things to ask for this Christmas. Her mom is alreay questioning her for what she would like and her mom doesn't like the answers of weed whacker and chainsaw. You know how mom's are...they want to get you sweet, frilly stuff, preferably just for you. So, I thought I would help her out.
I could ask for things like:
World Peace, Daniel getting a job, and for hunger to be wiped out in the world...but these are things that most mom's are not going to be able to provide, so let's go with stuff that's a little more down to earth.
For Christmas this year, I would like the following:
1. The newest pewter Christmas ornament from my alma mater, William and Mary. My mom has been getting me these for several years now, ever since they started producing them. If she didn't get me anything else, I would really want that ornament. It means a lot to me.
2. A new set of Corelle. My Corelle is between 10 and 15 years old. I don't mind its age, but it is reaching that point in its life when it does break when a piece hits the floor and if you have ever seen Corelle break, you know it's not pretty. It doesn't break so much as it shatters.
3. A book of Arcimboldo's work. I love his work...I find it absolutely fascinating!
4. Some perfume...I like trying new scents, so this can be a surprise.
Well, that is all I can think of at the moment, but hopefully, it will give Heather some ideas! Be sure to write your own post and help Heather out! Not only are you helping out a fellow blogger, but you are helping your mom too!
This afternoon, we hopped in the car for our Tuesday afternoon errands. We had to stop by the dumpster, go to the library to return some books, hit the recycle center with our mixed paper products, and drop Jack off for group piano lessons. Katrina wanted to visit the Goodwill while Jack was at his group lesson, then we were going to finish off the day with our weekly grocery shopping trip.
The dumpster stop went off without a hitch. Then we headed to the library. As we got there, I realized that last week, Jack had asked to start carrying his own library card. I have always carried the kids cards just to make sure we have them when we show up at the library. Guess who had books on reserve to pick up and guess who didn't have their card with them? Yep.... so I went in with Jack and because I was with him, they let him check out his books even though he didn't have his cards (thank goodness as the library is 30 minutes from our house and we wouldn't have been back for another week, then the books he had on reserve would no longer be there).
Back out to the car to head to the recycle center. Turn the key in the ignition, slight start up noise, then nothing...absolutely nothing. So I called dear hubby and asked him to come give us a hand. I popped the hood and looked at the battery. It had been purchased in October of 2000!!!! It was a 60 month battery that had lasted 84 months! WOW! It was an Interstate Battery ( I share that because I am very impressed with its performance, sometimes it definitely pays to spend more on something). And the other day I was blogging about Interstate Battery being a green company dedicated to recycling, so I thought that was neat.
Anyway...it took Daniel about 35 minutes to get to us. We tried jumpstarting the battery...nothing. The battery was just dead as a door nail. It wasn't taking anymore charge. We tried for about 45 minutes before giving up and calling our Amoco tow service. Within 30 minutes the tow truck was there. He also tried jump starting the car, but to no avail. So he towed us to Advance Auto and we spent $84.00 that we really didn't have getting a new car battery. Fortunately our motor club took care of the towing fee. And I was grateful that he took us there instead of dropping the car at a garage that would be closed (after 5 pm).
I was also grateful that it didn't rain on us while we were standing there trying to get my car going. Mainly because my car windows were down and I couldn't roll them up because of the dead battery. Unfortunately, Jack did miss his group piano lesson, but it couldn't be helped.
So Daniel got us a bite to eat, then the kids and I went to get groceries. What a day...but all in all, I am grateful it wasn't something worse and more expensive.
Okay...so we believed what we were told...when we purchased Billy and Tickles back in June, the seller and an assistant looked at the bunnies and pronounced them both males. We actually wanted two females, but she didn't have two females, so what can you do?
When Katrina and I were doing her 4-H book, I tried determining the gender, but I still wasn't sure. The parts are little and the description in the 4-H book was not the best.
We don't get the rabbits out a lot. They actually resist the procedure of leaving their hutch. But today we got them out so we could give the hutch a good cleaning. I was petting Billy when I realized that his... her chest had several protruding teats. Uh...oh....
So I did a quick web search and found a much better description than I had previously. You see, when you examine the genitals, they protrude whether it is a girl or a boy. The key factor is whether it has a slit or just comes to a tip. Now that I knew better what I was looking for, I immediately determined that Billy was a girl. Uh...oh....what about Tickles? Cause the one thing I didn't want was a girl and a boy...
So we examined Tickles and to our delight, discovered she is a girl as well. Phew! And that was our science for today, folks! Jack has decided that he will still call Billy 'Billy'. After all, that is what he has called her all along, so why change now!
At Home with Kris is hosting the carnival this week and she has done a terrific job of sharing the ABCs of homeschooling! There is lots of great information to be found, so be sure to check it out!
Scientists have long known that coral in the Great Barrier Reef release their eggs and sperm at one week of the year in the spring, but they were unsure what triggered this mass spawning. Now they have determined that the coral have a gene that enables them to detect moonlight. Thanks to National Geographic for the photo and the information.
MomsBlogging.com is hosting Memory Lane Monday. I have missed it the last couple weeks, but they are back on track and asking for your memories. Go by and share and read what others have to say! It's great fun and it gives you something to blog about too:) Plus, what a great way to encourage you to record events from your past for your children to read in the future!
My first apartment was the one I moved into with my first husband. I actually lived in an apartment the summer before that with a friend, but it was her apartment and I was just hanging out for the summer and didn't really have much say in things, so I don't count it as my first!
Anyway, we picked out a wonderful apartment. It was on the second floor (no one above us) and it looked into the woods behind the apartment complex (better view than looking at other apartments. There was a pool and the laundry building was two buildings down. It had a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining room. It even had a bay window in the living room and it was perfect. We got married one week after graduation. Between the time I finished exams and we got married, I made trip after trip back and forth from my home in Lynchburg to our apartment in Williamsburg. We were given enough money as wedding gifts that we bought a dining room suit and a bedroom suit. Both were very nice. I can remember setting up the apartment just so with plants and my hutch where I displayed my stoneware. The kitchen organization greatly resembled my mom's kitchen organization...no big surprise there. The extra bedroom we set up as a library with books, a place for David's music stand and trombone and a fish tank. It was our spot away from the world and i was so very proud of it.
My husband is a risk-taker, I on the other hand, am not. I come from a long line of people that aren't risk takers. We go for stability. The steady paycheck, the long-term job, and in many aspects 'the easy way.' After all, isn't it the easy way out to take a job where you are told exactly what to do day in and day out. You may be very good at what you are doing, but there are generally parameters in that and most people are content to stay within the parameters.
I have had jobs in my past where I did fantastic with them. I pushed the envelop a little and introduced new concepts, but I still new that I was within those safe parameters...my check would still come on time and if my idea didn't work out, no harm, no foul. If my idea did work out, then I would get some pats on the back, but it didn't really move me up the ladder of things because I was still within the definite parameters fo what I was doing.
My parents are the same. They are hard workers who get excellent reviews at the jobs they do, but who had the potential for doing something new and exciting outside of the parameters of safety and they chose not to follow them. My father is an A-1 carpenter with over 40 years of experience. He never really went out on his own though and started his own business. He dabbled in it very briefly after a lay-off, but even when he left the corporate world to pursue being a carpenter full-time, he preferred to take a position where someone else dealt with the big picture stuff, and he dealt with his own little part. My father is a dying breed of carpenter. He is one who actually cares about the quality of his work and if the lines are straight. He could have had a thriving business, but he wasn't a risk-taker, so he went the safer path.
My mom is a wondeful cook. She spent about 40 years working in secretary/office assistant type positions. She would have done a wonderful job with opening a restaurant, or better yet a bakery. She has a flair for trying new things and they come out perfectly. She is asked by people far and wide to bring goodies to a variety of functions, because people know that what she makes will be fantastic. But she never took the step to give it a whirl. Partially because she prefers the safe route and partially because she was afraid to fail.
My husband, as I have said, is a risk taker. This had led to many grey hairs on my part, but it has also led to incredible successes and wonderful adventures. These started with when we toured the Shenandoah Valley for free because he was writing an article on bed and breakfasts and restaurants in the area. He simply wrote letters, called around and we were on a three day trip where we got to dine and sleep in places that at the time we certainly couldn't afford. Daniel is a visionary. He has one invention that is patent pending. He has a couple of others that we haven't put throught the patent process because of lack of funds. His belief in himself and his abilities and his desire to push the envelope have led him to work in D.C., San Francisco, Manitoba, Houston, Petersburg, Detroit, Sacramento, Connecticut, and now maybe Chicago. Not all of his ideas have come to fruitition and there are times when I am ready to pull my hair out because I long for the safety. But then I see him rise from the ashes of his failures, a little bit smarter and ready to conquer the next adventure.
It is better to have tried and failed, than to never have tried at all. I believe that and I struggle to over turn my own 'safe and stable' desires to be those more geared towards ones that will at least strike out and give something a whirl. If it doesn't work out, I hope I will follow my husband's lead and brush myself off and try again.
Since the 1950's, currents and prevailing winds have been collecting trash and depositing it into an ever growing island in the Pacific between San Francisco and Hawaii. This floating island of trash weighs approximately 3 1/2 tons and is twice as large as the state of Texas.
There is currently no way to clean it up, but there are suggestions of things we can do to prevent the island from growing any larger:
Limit your use of plastics when possible. Plastic doesn't easily degrade and can kill sea life.
Use a reusable bag when shopping. Throwaway bags can easily blow into the ocean.
Take your trash with you when you leave the beach.
Make sure your trash bins are securely closed. Keep all trash in closed bags.
Inspired by the weekly contests at The Average Girl's Guide to Being A Princess, I have decided to begin a regular post entitled Monday's Act of Random Kindness. In it I will tell whatever random acts of kindness I manage to do, observe or receive during the week. I am hoping this will help me to be more aware of opportunities that I have to be kind to others. I also thought it would be a great way to start my week, and hopefully yours!
I would love to hear about your Random Acts of Kindess. Feel free to use Mr. Linky and share your own acts of Random Kindness that you have witnessed or instigated by posting on your blog, then putting your link below. Then I can come read your Acts of Random Kindness!
Last week my nephew was in the hospital. He is 16 and attends the school where a student died last Monday due to complications from MRSA. We were terrified that he had contracted this illness. Jonathan has been healthy throughout his school career and has only missed one day in 16 years until now. As we tried to gather information and as we sent out prayer requests, we received many notes of churches and people lifting our nephew up in prayer. People who didn't know him or us sent well wishes.
Jonathan went home from the hospital and then we learned that he might have Marfan Syndrome...this sent us into another tailspin. Again, people reached out to us with comforting words, prayers, hope and knowledge. It warms my heart how people come together and offer support and love during difficult times. Thanks to each and everyone of you.
Last week my nephew was in the hospital. He is 16 and attends the school where a student died last Monday due to complications from MRSA. We were terrified that he had contracted this illness. Jonathan has been healthy throughout his school career and has only missed one day in 16 years until now. As we tried to gather information and as we sent out prayer requests, we received many notes of churches and people lifting our nephew up in prayer. People who didn't know him or us sent well wishes.
Jonathan went home from the hospital and then we learned that he might have Marfan Syndrome...this sent us into another tailspin. Again, people reached out to us with comforting words, prayers, hope and knowledge. It warms my heart how people come together and offer support and love during difficult times. Thanks to each and everyone of you.
National Geographic reports that elephants distinguish between humans they come in contact with by smell. The mere whiff of Maasai man's clothing will send African elephants running into the tall grasses because occasionally Maasai occasionally spear elephants as part of their rituals. On the other hand, they have a very mild reaction when they see Kamba men.
Much like we distinguish between people that we meet, the elephants have learned to stay clear of the people who threaten them. It is believed that the scent of the Maasai is different because they are a herding people, whereas the Kamba are agricultural.
Scientists have long thought that barred owls needed old-growth forests in order to breed, but an ongoing study has determined that they are thriving in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. The owls prefer old growth forests because of the large holes they can nest in. In Charlotte, the barred owls tend to nest in the cavities of the numerous willow oak trees that line the city's streets.
The trees are old and large enough to offer good nesting sites, and the well maintained lawns below provide an open understory—creating perfect conditions for the raptors to hunt.
Barred owls, like many other animals are adapting to people invading their territory. For more information, visit National Geographic.
Yesterday, I got up at 5 a.m. Do you have any idea how dark it is at 5 a.m.? I left around 5:30 and headed for the County Line Flea Market. this is a newly created flea market that is only 1 month old. It sprung up to fill a void created when another flea market that had been running for 20 years or more closed down. I arrived at 6 and it was dark. I wasn't sure where to park, so I pulled in next to another gentleman. It didn't take long to figure out how things worked (prices, where we could park, etc. One thing I was particularly pleased with was there was plenty of space. So many times the flea market space is tiny and you are hardpressed to fit in your vehicle and the stuff you have for sale.
It was fun watching everyone. We were unloading by flashlight and the few cars that were driving by. I didn't realize I was basically walking in a lot of mud until the sun came up. Oh well.... My 19 boxes of books were easy to unpack. I left them in the boxes, folded back the flaps and placed them on the tables I had brought with me. I spent the next 5 hours reading and talking with customers. I made about $40 for myself and $10 for the children. So it was way better and easier than the previous two yardsales I had tried. There was plenty of traffic, I didn't spend an hour making signs, an hour putting up signs, and an hour taking down signs.
After the flea market was over, I took my remaining 14 boxes of books and donated them to the library and will use them as a tax deduction. We have some other items and in a couple of weeks, I may head to the flea market again with those items.
When I was in school if someone had mentioned to me that the school system was thinking about requiring us to wear uniforms, I would have been first in line to protest! What about my individuality? What about the fact that I look bad in a skirt? Green clashes with my hair and plaid just looks bad. I would have thought it the height of absurdity to expect us all to dress alike.
As an adult, I see the situation differently. I see children wearing Britney Spears clothing to school. Young girls who would look better in Laura Ashley dresses than being dressed like a hooker walking down fifth street. We have become a nation full of undressed people. What are we thinking? It is everywhere! Women wearing clothes that show leave little to the imagination. Men with t-shirts, sagging pants with holes in them....don't we care what we look like anymore?
I know we won't return to the fifties where people actually cared about their appearance. It used to be that even the poorest man or boy owned a suit, a hat and a tie. Women wore gloves, skirts that left loads to the imagination and hats. They looked classy. Is it so wrong to wish we lived in a nation where people actually cared for appearance? How many times have you been to a store and seen women with their hair in curlers? Or in sweats and their bedroom slippers? Sweat pants have a place and it is at home. Curlers and bedroom slippers belong at home too. Saggy drawers belong in the prisons that they migrated out of.
When you meet someone for the first time, they are making a judgment about you based on your appearance. Is your hair combed? Is your shirt tucked in? Is your shirt stained or torn? Do your clothes fit (not too loose or too tight?). Just how many piercings and tattoos do you have?
We get more and more casual. Remember the casual Friday movement? Is it just me. or has that movement taken over the whole week? When we keep lowering the bar, then we encourage people to sink even lower for effect. In the fifties, a gal in shorts that weren't knee length was risque. Well, if now most gals wear shorts that barely cover their bottoms, were is there to go? Nudity? Oh yeah, Britney Spears and others have showed us that is exactly where you go from here.
So now as a parent and a 40 something adult, I am ready to see some style come back to people dress. I want to see the people at the bank wearing dressy clothes to work. I want to see kids wearing clothes that fit and cover. I don't want to see any more curlers or slippers at Walmart. I want sweat pants to stay at home and on people who are out for a walk or a jog. If we raise the bar, then kids can kick up their heels a bit, and still be respectable. But as long as adults and role models run around like there clothing doesn't matter, then children will have to go lower, just to outdo us (and emulate us).
The Marine Corps had relaxed some of their dress code rules. They were allowed to wear their cammies off base to run into a shop for a few moments for example. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but just like our having the casual Fridays that became the casual weeks, if you let a Marine wear his Cammies to run in to pick up lunch, it is an easy step to wearing his cammies to stop at the bar for a drink or two or five.
But General James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant has recently raised the bar. Among the fashion don’ts: No shiny metal or gems on your teeth, no designs carved in your hair, no flashy jewelry and no bare midriffs or excessive cleavage. And now Marines in camouflage cannot get out of their vehicles to run an errand or grab a meal on their way to or from the base. No pumping gas, running into the post office or picking up a cup of joe, either. Although Marines were always largely prohibited from wearing uniforms off base, they were allowed to make brief stops during their commutes. Now they can stop only for a medical emergency, a traffic accident or a breakdown. My husband said this was the way it was when he was in the Marines. I can only hope that others will take notice and follow the example of the Marines and clean up our act. Our society will benefit as a whole.
One thing I couldn't help but notice as I looked up photos after I wrote this article was that
It was easy to find a picture of a Marine in Dress Blues
It was hard to find a picture of a Marine in Camouflage
It was hard to find a photo of a well-dressed couple (they all tended to be from the 50s or earlier.
It was easy to find a photo of Britney Spears (I went for the tamer ones).
Even though fashion has gone downhill, men are still dressing sharper than women. For instance check out the below shots of Johnny Depp. The sophisticated look. The hat (I love the hat and he seems to wear them a good bit, but the hair could use a trim). And then the pirate. Even when dressed as a pirate, he is sharp!
A friend of mine sent me this cool dancing girl. See if you are left-brain or right-brain dominant and see if you can control the dancing girl with your mind! What blows me away is that Daniel and I looked at the image at the same time and saw her dancing in different directions! Very cool!
Laura is having a wonderful book giveaway and I urge you to go leave a comment for a chance to own a beautiful, autographed children's book that comes with a CD! The book is I Can't See, But...I Can Imagine by Patricia Bennett Wilson. Hurry! The contest ends October 26th! Good luck! (the book is for children ages 4-8).
FBI raids illusionist Copperfield’s warehouse - apparently this raid occurred as part of an investigation against Copperfield for sexual misconduct. In the process of the raid, the FBI seized a computer and $2 million in cash...hmm, wonder what the cash was hanging around for? I bet Copperfield is wishing that the ability to disappear wasn't just an illusion.
‘God breathed his warm breath down on us’ (Family of autistic teen lost in woods for 4 days thankful for good weather) - this is the story of the autistic teenager who spent 4 days lost in the woods and was found in good condition. Jacob had wandered away during a family picnic/hike. Jacob has the mental capacity of a 3- or 4-year-old and is not verbal. When he was found, he was hungry and thirsty, but otherwise okay. The weather was chilly the day he got lost, but grew warmer on the successive days, providing the best weather conditions possible for a lost child.
Storms, tornadoes hit Southeast, Plains; 5 dead (3 die in Michigan, baby found alive under debris; 2 killed earlier in Missouri) - what caught my attention with this article was not the tragedy (and the lost lives are truly a tragedy), but the miracle of the baby who survived. According to the story: In Millington Township, a year-old baby in a crib escaped injury after apparently being tossed about 40 feet by a tornado that destroyed a home early Friday, fire officials said. I just can't fathom how something as destructive as a tornado can leave behind such miracles.
Jonathan's Echocardiogram today was good. His heart is in great condition currently. This is a huge thank you and praise! Jonathan's heart was what we were most concerned about. He has an appointment to see a geneticist in January (the earliest) and that will help to enable a final diagnosis. In the meantime, we will play it on the safe side and treat him as though he does haver Marfan Syndrome and monitor his activity in particular. Fortunately, Jonathan never was much interested in sports (in spite of the fact that we all thought he should play basketball!).
He does have a profound love of and talent for carpentry. We are hoping that that type of activity won't be prohibited. We will meet with his doctor on Monday (I am going with my sister-in-law) to get some basic guidelines and any information the doctor can share and whatever permissions we will need to keep him from contact sports and weight lifting during P.E.
We are so grateful that we have discovered this now before any damage has occurred, so we can keep on top of it. Again, thanks for all of your prayers and concerns. God bless!
Okay, I have already posted that I am not a big fan of fundraising. I hate asking people for money, even when it is a good cause.
But I really wanted to support my children in their 4-H endeavor to raise money to send items to soldiers in Iraq. I think this is one of the most worthy of causes. Normally, I would just put the money in and we would buy the items ourselves, but with Daniel out of work, that is an impossibility for us this year. So I decided to ask local businesses. We live about 10 minutes from a small business complex. We have a doctor, a hair dresser, a convenience store, an auto repair shop, a propane center, and a gas fireplace business.
Three of the businesses are under the same business umbrella, but an employee said that they all had their own accounts and I should ask each of them. So here's what we did. Got the kids all dressed up, helped Jack come up with a script and off we went. Well, it is about a 10 minute drive from my house in a direction that I don't usually go unless I am goint to one of those businesses. So there is an out of the way aspect and gas usage involved here.
We arrive, and the kids make their 'pitch'. Only the hair dresser/owner is able to help us out on our first trip (she donated $20) as the owners of the other businesses are present when we arrive. We are told early morning (8 am) is the best time to catch them. So on the following Monday, we get up early and head back up there. The first business owner (and the main guy over all) says he will support us, but he needs a 501 number. I am a bit frustrated that this wasn't provided on the 4-H letter we were given, but it's not that big of a deal. I go around to the other businesses to touch base and tell them i will get the number and come back on Friday as we have a deadline approaching for getting these items together.
So today, out we go. I present the first owner with the number and the name to put on the check and I am handed a check for $10.00. This was definitely less than I was hoping for considering his business success and the cause we were raising money for. So then I went to the next business and was informed that while they are each separate businesses, they have a rule not to give if the other one does. HUH? This is the first I am hearing about this. I have walked into this place of business two other times and they knew I was asking at each business and no one mentioned this. I was even encouraged to ask at each business.
So then I go upstairs to the other business (the convenience store had already declined). I got turned down there as well. Feeling pretty frustrated, I headed to the doctor's office. They had promised supplies to send and I told them I would be there on Friday to pick them up. I arrived and was told the office manager wasn't there and while she had mentioned it to the other staff, she hadn't told them what was being donated. We have had a busy week in our county with MRSA and the doctors are swamped. I am sure this was the last thing on her mind, but it sure didn't make me feel any better at the time.
So I have spent about $10-$15 in gasoline on these three trips and 1 1/2 - 2 hours of my time with very frustrating results.We were able to get $30 in donations. I guess I should be proud, I did better than I did on my two yard sales combined. But I am definitely reminded as to why I dislike fundraising.
My sister-in-law called a little while ago. When I had called earlier to check on Jonathan, I had talked with his dad. I think Joy was still processing information. There is a strong possibility that my nephew has Marfan Syndrome. I have been doing some reading since she called. Tomorrow, they will be doing an echocardiogram and seeing how his heart is. Of course, I figure it will be next week before she gets the results back from that. Seems like doctors love to make you wait over the weekend.
At any rate, if any of my readers know anything personally about Marfan Syndrome, I would appreciate hearing from you. I have told Joy I would go with her to the doctor's office to help ask questions and to help her listen. 2 pairs of ears are always better than one in situations like this.
We are looking at the bright side currently. The fact that Jonathan became ill with another problem at the same time that all of this concern was going on about MRSA may have been meant to be. It gave the doctors a chance and extra motivation to examine Jonathan thoroughly and to recognize physical characteristics of Marfan. Knowledge is a great thing... it will enable us to take proper steps to help Jonathan.
This week has been a week of cool kid moments for my daughter.
On Sunday when we were in church, she made up a questionnaire for her friend. All of the questions were to do with Jesus and how he was our Savior and was sent to protect us and save us. I was so touched. I meant to keep it so I could share it, but I can't find it.
Then, when she found out about Jonathan being in the hospital, she wrote out a lovely prayer to God on Jonathan's behalf. Here is what she wrote (phonetic spellings included):
Dear Lord. thank you for today. i pray for jonhathin gets heald soon. i pray that they pray for him. I pray for magy and Fido (past pets). I pray for Jack, Mommy, Daddy and me. I pray for Jonhthen so bad.
My daughters' prayers mean so very much to me. I am so very blessed to have such a loving young girl.
Then tonight, she finished a jug of milk. She wanted to crush it like I do, but she was leaning on it and nothing was happening. She told me I must be strong. I told her she needed to take the lid off. I asked her if she knew why she had to take the lid off. Without batting an eye, she said because the lid trapped the air inside and so it couldn't be pushed out. Hey...she's only 7...how did she know that? Did I teach her that? I love moments like that! Now she is putting it on the floor and flopping down on the milk jug to make the air rush out and the top pop off. Ahh...the simple joys of the young!
My nephew Jonathan came home from the hospital today. I want to thank all of you for your prayers, concerns, and well wishes. They have decided that he has excessive acid in his stomach and have put him on an ulcer medication and prilosec. He has an echogram of his heart scheduled for tomorrow. This is a follow-up procedure. Jonathan was born with a sunken chest, and the doctors say they want to take a look at his heart and make sure all is well there.
We are so relieved that he is okay. We were so scared with all that was going on here. But God has blessed us with a lesser ailment. Thanks again for your prayers!
A month ago, we had a meeting during a 4-H science class where the mom's talked about how we wanted to handle our club meetings. Originally they were set up so that the first hour would be a meeting, the second hour would be for the kids to work on their project books together and in between we would have a snack. Well, the snacks quickly fell by the wayside, they took too much of our limited time and people kept forgetting to bring stuff or they didn't even come (this is a new group and definitely having birthing pains).
The problem with working on project books was that the children are not working on the same topic. Some were doing animals, some robotics, some woodworking...and on the list goes. So when we were discussing how we would handle the next club meeting, I suggested we not do project books, but instead spend that time working on the community projects we have planned as we are a community service oriented club. I was expecting that my suggestion would not be well received. Surprisingly, the other mothers immediately chimed in and said their kids were working on their project books at home and they would much rather spend that time at 4-H working on our community service projects. Yeah...one for me!
Then today, we had another meeting. The kids were being taught by the Extension Agent about electricity and the club leader needed to ask us some things. We have a bake sale coming up in a couple of weeks and she was finalizing details on that. The purpose of the bake sale is to raise money to help ship the care packages to the soldiers in Iraq. Then, she said, we will start our next fundraiser on November first and we will be selling candles. WHAT!? I am an anti-fundraiser person. I don't like asking people for money. And we don't really have the contacts. So I asked her why we were raising all of these funds for. She told me things that previous clubs had used the money for...to support their community projects, to pay for shipping of the care packages, to give a gift to a guest speaker, that sort of thing. Then I completely put my neck out and said, I despise fundraisers and listed my reasons for it.
I said I would much rather do bake sales or car washes or things of that nature than try to sell candles and what not and us receive very little money from it. I expected the tomatoes to start flying, but was tickled when the other moms jumped in and said...I agree! So we are going to do a yard sale in January and will probably throw in a bake sale too (guess who is in charge....yep, me...and I even told them about my previous two yard sale disasters!).
So I am tickled that we aren't going to be doing fund raisers ad I share these stories not to show that I like things best when they all go my way (which of course I do, but that is another story). My purpose is to say 'don't be afraid to speak up, because it is likely others are feeling the same way you are!'
Speak up! Others are just waiting for someone to say what everyone is thinking!
Scientists have recently discovered that the mangrove killifish can alter the way it breathes which enables it to live out of water for several months of the year!
What does this tiny little guy do when he is not living in the water? Why he is living in trees of course! Around two inches long, they normally live in muddy pools and the flooded burrows of crabs in the mangrove swamps of Florida, Latin American and Caribbean. But sometimes they like to hide out in the decaying roots and trunks of trees! Isn't that cool!???? And as if that wasn't interesting enough, this fish has the ability to breed without a mate.
This is how they change so they can live out of water: Their gills are altered to retain water and nutrients, while they excrete nitrogen waste through their skin. They were found lined up end to end with other killifish inside of burrowed insect tunnels. They have to curb their normal aggressive tendencies to survive in these tight quarters. As Spock would say...fascinating!
There are other fish that can breathe out of water. The walking catfish of South-east Asia has gills that allow it to breathe in air and in water. The climbing perch of India can suffocate in water unless it can also gulp in air.
Hat tip to
Last night I called a friend to chat and instead ended up talking with her 11 year old daughter, who seems to have grown up so much since our last conversation just a couple of months ago! She was filling me in on what she is up to and she shared her excitement about an upcoming horse show that she will be in this weekend. She was excited because it is a bit dressier than previous ones she has participated in and she is looking forward to wearing her fancy equestrian riding apparel. She said it will also be a more challenging horse show than ones she has done previously because she will have more rules she has to follow and she will be judged on more items.
My daughter would love to learn to ride, but it is not in our budget currently. Maybe someday! She loves animals of all kinds and because we have several friends whose daughters do ride, it makes her want to join in on the fun. I have been on a couple of ponies and one horse in my lifetime. I was about 20 when I got on the horse and it was scary how high up I was (lol). My daugther has already been blessed with more experiences on horseback in her short 7 years than I have in my whole life. And I know she would love wearing some of those fancy riding duds!
This is a beautiful song and the video is beautiful too. For more information about the song and the video, go visit Rocks in My Dryer which is where I ran across this gem. The music and the video exhibit the contest of peace which is what the song is all about.
My buddy, Laura, has given a review of the book The Shepherd's Prayer, and she is offering a copy to one lucky reader just in time for Christmas! Go check it out!
I wanted to start a meme that I hope will be fun for my readers. You see, I am Thirsty for your answers and anecdotes. So each Thursday I am going to ask you a probing question. Just post your answer on your blog and sign into Mr. Linky below. I will come by and read your story. I also would appreciate it if in your post you would like back to Thirsty Thursday so others can join in the fun! Feel free to copy my image!
Todays Question:
Why Do You Homeschool?
This is a question that I know gets asked in different places from time to time. I don't think that I have taken the opportunity to answer it here on my blog, so I will tell you why I homeschool and I would love to hear your reasons as well!
I hadn't even heard of homeschooling until about the time my first child was born (about 10 years ago). What little I had heard of it, led me to think that homeschooling was something done by kooks and wierdos! But as I watched my own son begin to grow and saw how much he was learning at an early age, I begin to rethink my understanding of homeschooling.
I had already seen my two stepsons go through several years of public schools and I had had to deal with several issues that gave me grave concerns. They had been bullied. They had been belittled with name calling. They had teachers who were unable to stimulate their learning process because they were too busy dealing with the slower children in the class and they were having to constantly worry about the Virginia SOL's and accredidations. Before I go any further, I want to say I have the utmost respect for teachers. I think the education system needs a majore overhaul, but I believe that the vast majority of teachers are doing the best they can with the support they receive from the school and from parents.
I watched as my oldest stepson stopped being as interested in learning and became more interested in fitting in with his peers. I dealt with a teacher who witnessed my son being terrorized by a teen three years older than him, but when we got to court, she backed down because she was afraid of th the teen. I shuddered as I heard my son coming home having learned such tidbits as 'you can 1 1/2 space your papers and no one will know the difference.' He heard this from a teacher!!!!! I hated fundraisers which seemed to pop up every month. I wasn't happy with the fact that my stepsons were terrorized on the bus and no one did anything to combat it. The list of horror stories is long, but the above events started making me think perhaps those homeschoolers I knew weren't such kooks after all.
By the time Jack was two, he recognized all the letters of the alphabet. By the time he was three, he could add numbers in his head. I was scared that if he went to school, he would be deemed a trouble maker because he would be bored having to relearn the stuff he had known for years. So my husband and I did some research, read some articles, I put out feelers into the homeschool community and we made the decision that for as long as we could and it worked, we would homeschool our youngest children.
I would like to say we did a bunch of reading and had our plan chosen from the beginning, but that would be a lie. We started with baby steps. Mostly using workbooks purchased at Sam's. The first year (kindergarten), I was so paranoid that I didn't know what I was doing, I gave Jack the Kindergarten CAT test at the beginning of the year so I would know what he needed to learn. Imagine my surprise and delight when he got a 100 on the test! So we moved on to 1st grade learning!
I love homeschooling because I love knowing who my kids are friends with. I love being able to spend time with them. I love being able to recognize when something isn't working learning wise and being able to adjust, to change curriculums, to try something new pretty much at the drop of the hat. I love the fact that when I realize they are wiped out from life events, I can give them a day or two off and know that no one will be breathing down my neck because they haven't been in school. I love the fact that I know I can give them a firm belief foundation which will hopefully help them to be strong when they are older and have to deal with more varied view points. I love that we stay healthier now that the children aren't bringing home all of those germs from school.
I love that we can all sit snuggled on the sofa watching animal documentaries and it is science. I love that when we are in the kitchen cooking, I know we are having fun and learning math. I love watching my children learn and I love it when they put together concepts on their own (and I get to see it!). I love that when opportunities come for us to travel with my husband we can take them. And i love that we can go on vacation during the off season and that we can go to museums and zoos when they are less crowded. I am not sure what the years ahead will hold. Jack is in 6th grade this year and we are taking the years to come one step at a time. But I am very glad for the time we have had together. I hope when they grow up and have families of their own and look back, that they will be glad too.
So now you know why I homeschool (assuming you didn't fall asleep), don't forget to tell me why you homeschool! I really would love to know!
We went to visit Jonathan at the hospital today. He looks pale and weak and is still not eating much, though he did eat some baked potato today, his mother reported. They are still waiting to hear back on tests and they have scheduled him for a echogram of his heart on Friday. MRSA is looking less likely to be a culprit (but we have not had it ruled out for us by a physician). We are grateful for this, but are still very concerned about just what is going on.
We appreciate your continued prayers for Jonathan and for the doctors as they try and get to the bottom of what's going on. Jonathan is 6' 4" tall and is very thin. He doesn't have any fat stores to go for days without eating. He is in the best place for now where the doctors and nurses can keep an eye on him and work to make him better.
Today, I was made aware of some technical difficulties on my blog. Because I had not closed a command on my blog, people who were using Fire Fox were having trouble commenting on my posts. Now, as bloggers, you know that comments are what makes a bloggers day go around!
So I am sending out a big hunk of linky love to Scribbit and Amber for taking the time to make me aware of the problem. And an extra thank you to Amber for helping me solve the issue!
Because of Halloween and the increasingly shorter number of daylight hours, October is a month when we start thinking about things that scare us...Scribbit is challenging us to write about the things that scare us and in exchange some prizes will be awarded and links will be given! But hurry, because the deadline is today! I can't believe I let this slip up on me!
So what scares me...
Monsters and things that go bump in the night. Or at least that was what scared me as a child. My mom loved horror movies and so did I...at least until the lights went out when I managed to see Dracula's creepy fingers crawling across my bed (bunched sheets), or imagined the blob rolling down the hall. I had some pretty vivid nightmares too that I can now trace back to my favorite cartoon - Scooby Doo!
As I grew into my teens, I became less afraid, but as children will do, I gained a sense of mortality. I can remember days when I would watch my parents head off to work and I would be afraid that I would never see them again. I would want to rush outside and stop them from leaving. My parents, thank the Lord, are both alive and well today.
In my 20s and early 30s I became afraid of someone breaking into our home. My husband worked out of town a lot and I spent a lot of sleepless nights. There was a time when I slept in a locked bedroom with my stepsons, a baseball bat by my side. There was another time when I called a friend at 3 a.m. because I was certain I heard someone moving in the house. Her husband answered the phone and talked with me while I searched my house. Slowly, I overcame this fear. I just kept fussing at myself. Now when Daniel is gone, I sleep with my bedroom door wide open. And I don't hear any sounds in the night. I sometimes wake up to find a child next to me and I didn't even realize they were there...good thing that they weren't a murderer!
My fears now mostly revolve around my children. Am I raising them up correctly? Is it safe to leave them in the car for 2 minutes while I dash into a bank? Where did my daughter go, she was here just a moment ago... I worry about what if something happens to me. I love my husband, but will he be able to take care of them as well as me? How will it affect their development? As I listen to the news I worry more and more about my children's safety and their emotional well-being.
There is enough real world horror in the world to keep people awake at night, but I must admit, I still love reading a good Stephen King or Dean Koontz book or watching a good (not gory) scary movie so that I can jump a little at the things that go bump in the night!
For this week's bazaar, I will share some Halloween Recipes:
Grandma’s Ginger Cookies
Sylvia Powell Lemley, my grandmother
Ingredients:
2 pint bottles of Brer Rabbit Molasses (green label if they have it)
1 pint melted lard
1 pint buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp soda
1 cup white sugar
5 pounds flour (won’t need all of it, but have it on hand)
THIS MAKES LOTS OF COOKIES!
Directions:
1. Cream sugar and eggs. Add salt, ginger and soda, mixing well after each addition.
2. Then add lard, molasses and buttermilk, beating after each. Then, add flour (a couple of cups at a time) until you have a soft sticky dough. Do not get the dough stiff or the cookies will be dry.
3. Flour board and roll out dough and cut with juice glass or small cutter (we like to use gingerbread men shaped cookie cutters) We also like to decorate with raisins, cinnamon hearts and icing.
4. Bake at 350 degrees. 10-12 minutes, begin watching.
GREAT WARM and dunked in milk or coffee!!! Freeze well.
We usually make these at Christmas time, but they are wonderful anytime. Cut the cookies into pumpkin shapes or ghost shapes and decorate them accordingly! The wonderful taste of ginger will have your family and trick-or-treaters coming back for more!
Russian Tea
Sheila Elaine Lemley Orndorff Galford (my mom)
Ingredients:
8 cups water
2 cups sugar
12 ounce frozen orange juice
2 lemons (juice of)
1 quart can unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tbsp whole cloves
5 tbsp tea or 2 double bags or 4 small tea bags
Directions:
Boil Water, cloves and tea.
Simmer 5 minutes-strain.
Add juices, sugar and boil 8 minutes.
Serve hot or cold. Keep refrigerated.
w/sugar, makes 14 cups -190 calories/8 oz serving
w/nutrasweet – makes 14 cupss-80 calories/8 oz serving
(My children love to drink this hot or cold and adults love it too!) A great beverage for your Halloween party and the scent of it cooking is delightful!
Many people in our country are uninsured these days. That is a scary thing. There are people who are not getting routine medical care because they can't afford it. There are other people who aren't getting specialized care because they can't afford it. We have been uninsured for about 6 years. As self-employed business people, insurance costs are astronomical. When last we were paying for insurance, it was $1200.00 a month and that was 6 years ago. In the last 6 years, I have been admitted to ICU for a gall bladder attack, had a gall bladder removed and had a lymph node removed from under my arm. My son has broken his finger. And then there are the normal yearly exams, mammograms, tests, etc. We are still paying for the removal of my body parts. I hope that our country will work out a system where everyone in it will be insured, but in the meantime, we have to search for solutions to help ourselves out.
For free or reduced price prescriptions here are a couple of sites to visit:
Pfizer prescription help program
For other free health benefits you can check out these sites:
These are just a few of the sites I found when googling terms like free medicine and free health care. I haven't tried out any of these programs yet or delved into them, so I am not endorsing any. I just wanted to give you a spring board as well as the tools to delve further on your own. If you are uninsured, check into ways to help yourself. Either by finding insurance with really high deductibles to cover catastrophic illness or by seeing if you qualify for a state or government program.
I am so tickled! I just was reading my comments and I received a comment from Sharon at the Diva Network, that I was being featured there! If you go to their very informative website and scroll down a bit, I am under 'feature' on the right hand column. It shows my top four posts and I am so honored to be there!
I ran across The Diva Network a few weeks ago and added this interesting site to my blogroll. This is a site designed by women for women (and for the men who want to know women better). Here is a list of their most recent article titles. You will see there is a bit of something there for everyone (fashion, beauty, contests).
Jevene Anti-Wrinkle Cream Free Sample
The Money Guy
Mondera New Coupons - Fine Jewelry
What’s Making us Fatter?
Free Teapot and Tea Book With Your Order At Adagio!
Dare To Go Pink - Shopping For Breast Cancer Awareness
Child Advocacy Group BizParentz Foundation Calls on eBay to Stop Selling Child Erotica
For Babies and Mothers, Cheeky Baby Butter
Extra 5% Off Coupon at Jegem.com
Your Guide to the Perfect Eyebrows
Britney Spears Loses Custody Of Her Sons
Vanessa Williams - How Did She Get It All Wrong?
The Best Way To Buy Your Favourite Magazines
Timeless Herbal Cold Remedy
Take a minute and go visit The Diva Network today! Who knows what cool stuff you will learn!
Is there anything that feels better on a chilly morning than a nice warm shower? Particularly one where the water streams out of the shower head? We have an adjustable shower head in our shower and you can change the settings so that it gives you a pulsating massage or something more like a gentle rain, or a few settings in between. Our shower head is about 12 years old. It doesn't have the oomph that it used to have as it has filled up a bit with the wonderful minerals that come along through the pipes with our water. We have a filter, but some still gets through. The water doesn't come through with the same power it used to and the showers are a little less invigorating.
So I have been looking around at shower heads online. Just to see what new inventions they have come up with in the last dozen years. I remember on a trip to Newport, Rhode Island that we saw a home that had hot and cold fresh and salt water spiggots. That was cool!
Check out this dual mermaid shower head. You can run them both at the same time, or turn one off. One shower head can be detached and used as a hand shower. Both shower heads come with four settings: full spray, turbo spray, pulsator spray, and champagne spray! With two heads, it will feel like I am going through a car wash!
What type of shower head do you like? Have you head experience with dual shower heads? I would love to hear your story!
U.S. and Philippine scientists may have discovered new marine species in the world's most biologically diverse region, their expedition leader said Tuesday. There are some really cool critters they have found there. Take a look at this juvenile box fish, for instance!
To see the latest Celebrities of the Celebes Sea, visit MSNBC. The box fish is especially striking!
A few weeks ago, we started hearing about children in our public school district contracting MRSA. First at one high school, then at another. Last night, one child died. Tomorrow the whole school system will be closed as schools are disinfected top to bottom.
Last night we got a phone call that our nephew who attends the same high school had been feeling poorly for several days. He had a pain in his stomach and was unable to eat. His parents took him to the doctor late last week and they did some tests. When she hadn't heard back early this week and Jonathan wasn't any better, she called. The doctor's said that it would take a week for the results to come back. She took him to the ER today. He is dehydrated and they have admitted him to the hospital. We are waiting to hear about the test results.
Please pray for his healing and pray that whatever he has, it is not something that is life-threatening. Thank you.
Yesterday, two goodies arrived in my mailbox.
First was a free sample that I had requested from Walmart. If you haven't checked out the free sample webpage, be sure to do so because there are lots of items there that you can try out for free. The free sample I received was of three different Jergens lotions: Ultra Helaing, Skin Smoothing and Shea Butter. I have lots of dry skin and multiple problem areas. The bottom of my feet, my elbows, my hands...I am looking forward to trying these and see how they work.
Also, I received a copy of Guardian of the Veil written by Gregory Spencer. I cannot wait to read it! It is going right into the reading stack! I won Guardian of the Veil from CeeCee at BookSplurge. Thanks, CeeCee!
Tonight at 8 pm, I wrote down the names of those who had participated in my Linky Contest. My daughter came and picked a random name. The winner is.....drumroll please....
Sherry at A Bibliomane Amidst the Butterflies!
Congrats Sherry! As soon as I hear from you I will be sending you copies of all three of my ebooks as well as my Recipe CD.
And for those of you who didn't win, you can always purchase a copy of any or all of these items. If you purchase before the end of October, you could possibly win one of 10 great prizes and you will be helping a worthy cause and you will be getting a top notch product!
Okay here's the scoop. I know that some people don't have money to buy my awesome ebooks or recipe CD, but would really like to have them. So here's what I am going to do. I will offer all three ebooks and my CD to one lucky winner! What do you have to do? Well, help me to get the word out!
1. Post an entry on your blog linking back to my contest post.
2. Leave a comment on this post and include the link to your blog post about my contest.
3. I will draw a winner on October 15th at 8 p.m.! That way, if you aren't the lucky winner, you will still have time to take advantage of my great October Extravaganza!
4. For more opportunities to win my ebooks and recipe CD, visit Laura's contests - she is giving away a complete set of my ebooks here and my recipe cd here.
I am liquidating my inventory from my eBay store. I have somewhere around 300 books that I am offering to you for a great price of $1.00 each. Most of the books are hardbacks, some are paperbacks. Many are first editions. They have been stored in a smoke free environment and are free from odors. Most are in good to very good condition. Many are ex-library books. If you have questions about a particular book, email me and I will send you information.
I accept paypal and money orders. Let me know which books you are interested in, I will weigh them for shipping and give you a final total. I ship media mail unless you request otherwise. I will be offering these books for 2 weeks, then I will be getting rid of them through other venues. I will get to your requests on a first come, first serve basis. I may get tons of requests, I may get one, so please be patient!
Thanks for looking!
Books For Sale
1918: Decision I the West by Trevor Nevitt Dupuy, Col., U.S. Army Retired
A Miracle to Believe In by Barry Neil Kaufman, 1981
Agnes De Mille Dancing off the Earth by Beverly Gherman
American Needlework by Georgiana Brown Harbeson
Antiques Roadshow Primer 1999
At Mother’s Request: A True Story of Money, Murder and Betrayal by Jonathan Coleman 1985
Attracting Birds: from the Prairies to the Atlantic by Verne E. Davison, 1967
Bantu Bureaucracy by Lloyd A. Fallers, 1967
Berries: A Cookbook by Robert Berkley 1990
Blackberry Winter: My Earlier Years by Margaret Mead, 1972
Burning Bright: The Headway Program: 1982 Textbook Level H
Chaplin: His Life and Art by David Robinson, 1985
Charlie Brown’s Fifth Super Book of Questions and Answers, 1981
Charlton Heston: The Actor’s Life Journals 1956-1976 by Charlton Heston
Christmas Crafts and Custom Around The World by Virginie Fowler, 1984
Command Performance An Actress in the Theater of Politics by Jane Alexander, 2000
Cooking with Honey by Hazel Berto, 1972
Dance, Dance, Dance by Lester Wilson Choreographer of the film Saturday Night Fever
David and Goliath by Leonard Everett Fisher, 1993
Deadline: A Memoir: James Reston, 1991
Decorative Needlepoint: Tapestry and Beadwork by Julia Hickman, 1993
Don’t Tell Dad: A Memoir: Peter Fonda, 1998
Dr. Ruth’s Encyclopedia of Sex by Dr. Ruth Westheimer, 1994
Dream Catcher – A Memoir by Margaret A. Salinger, 1981
Eleni : A Savage War, A Mother’s Love, and A Son’s Revenge: A Personal Story by Nicholas Gage, 1983
Elton John (Biography) by Philip Norman, 1991
Encycolpedia of Cheese Cookery by Betty Wason, 1966
Everyday Miracles: Holy Moments in a Mother’s Day by Dale Hanson Bourke
Flower Remedies Handbook: Emotional Healing and Growth with Bach and Other Flower Essences by Donna Cunningham
Forever Man by Gordon R. Dickson, 1986
Fun with Crewel Embroidery by Erica Wilson, 1965
Furniture Marketing by Richard R Bennington, signed and inscribed, 1985
Gideon’s Torch by Charles Colson (signed),1995,
Gielgud Stories compiled by Clive Fisher, 1988
Gospel by Wilton Barnhardt, 1993
Gregory Peck by Michael Freedland, 1980
Happy Days by Shana Alexander 1995
Hirohito: Behind the Myth by Edward Behr, 1989
Hostage to Fortune: The Letters of Joseph P. Kennedy, 2001
How to Hunt Buried Treasure by James M. Deem, 1992
Hugs for Nurses by Philis Boultinghouse 2003
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
Inside New England by Judson Hale, 1982, signed
Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs, 1968
Isabelle: The Life of Isabelle Eberhardt by Annette Kobak, 1988
Islamic Fundamentalism in the Modern World by William Spencer, 1995
Jack Lemmon by Michael Freedland, 1985
John Gielgud: A Celebration by Gyles Brandreth, 1984
Lactose Free Cooking by Arlene Burlant, RD, 1990
Ladies Home Journal, Art of Homemaking 1973
Liam Neeson: The First Biography by Ingrid Millar, 1996
Lord of Chaos, Book 6 of Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, HB, 1st ed, 1994
Medicine Woman by Lynn V. Andrews, 1981
Men of Africa Series: Soldier of Africa by Maurice Hennessy and Edwin Sauter, Jr.
Mothers Talking: Sharing the Secret by Frances Wells Burck, 1986
My Sergei : A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva, 1996
My Stroke of Luck by Kirk Douglas, 2002, 1st ed
Nature in Needlepoint designs by Eva Brent, 1975
Naval and Overseas War, 1915-1915 by Trevor Nevitt Dupuy, Col, U.S. Army Retired
Next by Michael Crichton, 2006, 1st ed
Noah’s Ark: A Memoir of Struggle and Resistance by Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, 1973
Norman Rockwell, A Sixty Year Retrospective1972
North Star Over My Shoulder, A Flying Life by Bob Buck, 2002
Notorious : The Life of Ingrid Bergman by Donald Spoto, 1997
Old House New House: A Child’s Exploratio of American-Architectural Styles by Michael Gaughenbaugh and Herbert Camburn, 1993
Oliver Cromwell and his world, by Maurice Ashley, 1972
Prevention’s Stop Dieting and Lose Weight Cookbook by Mary Jo Plutt, 1994
Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney, 1999, by Amy Boothe Green and Howard E. Green
Rex Harrison: A Biography by Roy Moseley with Philip and Martin Masheter, 1987
Rhinestone Cowboy: An Autobiography by Glen Campbell, 1994
Rumpelstiltskin by Paul Galdone, 1985
Rural England Our Countryside at the Crossroads by Derrik Mercer and David Puttnam, 1988
Safe Eyes: A Story of Healing by Dr. Deborah Hall Berkley, signed/inscribed, 2001
The Longer Hangs the Fluted Shade by Paul Tomlinson Wooten, signed 1994
Scott’s Last Voyage by Ann Savours, 1975
Specialty of the House by Sandy Lesberg, (recipes from the finest restaurants around the world), 1970
Stamp Collecting, Modern History In the Mail, 1972
Sugar and Spite: A Savannah Reid Mystery by G. A. McKevett
The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes by Peter Todd, 1976
The All American Cook Book Favorite Recipes of Farmous Persons, 1954, printed by Hickory Grove Methodist Church in Bedford
The American Medical Association Family Health Cookbook by Melanie Barnard and Brooke Dojny, 1997
The Baker’s Daughter by Margaret Tabor
The Chair: Its Origins, Design, and Social History by John Gloag, 1967
The Christmas Ruby by Robert Lawrence Holt (signed), 1991
The Complete Guide to Sherlock Holmes by Michael Hardwick (A 100th Anniversary Companion to the Master Detective, 1986
The Complete Samoyed by Robert H. and Dolly Ward, 1971
The Cunning Little Vixen by Rudolf Tesnohlidek, 1985
The Demons of Rajpur: Five Tales from Bengal, translated and adapted by Betsy Bang, 1980
The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Virginia’s Republican Party Since 1945, by Frank Atkinson, (signed), 1992
The Everything Yoga Book: Improve Your Strength, flexibility and sense of well-being, by Cynthia Worby
The Folk of Souther Fiction, Merrill Maguire Skaggs, 1972
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham, 2006
The International Cheese Recipe Book by Evor Parry, 1981
The Lady, the Legend, the Truth, Lana by Lana Turner, 1982
The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, A woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill,2000
Family, Faith, Fortune, and the Empire of Olympia and York: The Reichmanns by Anthony Bianco, 1997
The Long March: The Untold Story by Harrison E. Salisbury, 1985
The Man Who Changed The World: The Lives of Mikhail S. Gorbachev: by Gail Sheehy, 1990
The Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams, an autobiography with Digby Diehl, 1999
The Oak Ridge Boys: Our Story by Ellis Widner and Walter Carter, 1987
The Promised Land by Nicholas Lemann, 1991
The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam, 1995
The Quest for Man by Vanne Goodall, 1975
The Shroud and the Grail: A Modern Quest for the True Grail by Noel Currer-Briggs, 1987
The Synoptic Gospels A Commentary by D. B. J. Campbell, 1969
The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson, 1990
The Toff and the Terrified Taxman by John Creasey, 1973
The Unauthorized Biography of Monty Python Veteran by John Cleese (Cleese Encounters) by Jonathan Margolis, 1992
Thrump-O-Moto by George Sharp, 1986
Time’s Eye by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (has unopened CD-Rom, 2004
To Ride A Magic Carpet by George W. Braswell, Jr. 1977
Training Your Horse to Show by Neale Haley, 1976
Tree of Hope by Amy Littlesugar, 1999
Voice of an Angel, My Life So Far by Charlotte Church, 2001
Winners of the West (The Sagebrush Heroes of the Silent Screen, by Kalton C. Lahue, 1970
Witness to A Century: Encounters with the Noted, the Notorious and three SOBs by George Seldes, 1987
Woman’s Day Prize-Winning Quilts, Coverlets and Afghans
I enjoy saving money, so I was delighted to find yet another coupon and coupon code resource at the Edealfinder
They are linked in with a variety of stores. Everything from Amazon to Zappos.
One site I am particularly interested in is Proflowers. For example they are currently offering a buy 12 roses, get 12 free for $29.99! I love receiving and sending flowers and this is a great deal! Or how about receiving 100 Peruvian Lilies for $29.99. There are more great deals to be had at Proflowers and at several other shops you will find at Edealfinder.com. If you like saving money for quality products, you are going to love this site!
Today, October 15th, is Blog Action Day. The topic for Blog Action Day this year is Environmental Awareness. There are over 15,000 participants! The purpose of Blog Action Day is to use the strong voices of bloggers around the world to reach out and make a difference! I got in about mid-way on the sign up process and you can find me listed in the section of blogs between 7,001 and 8,000. I am honored to be a part of this!
For my voice in this great adventure, I am going to write a post about the things we do in my home to help improve our environment. My belief is that if every single person makes an attempt to change things about their lifestyle and their own impact on the planet, then that would mean billions of people making changes and that would make a difference.
1. We are making the move to fluorescent bulbs. As our incandescent bulbs have gone out, we have replaced them with fluorescent bulbs. We still have a few incandescent bulbs in lights that don't get often used, but 85% of all of our bulbs have been switched. This makes a huge impact! One box of six bulbs will lower our electric bill by an average of $38 a month. I have already seen more change than that. The bulbs last way longer than incandescent bulbs so in the long run, I will save money in regards to the purchase of the bulbs. That also means less waste (old bulbs and the boxes they come in). Then there is the emissions that it cuts back. Consider that using a CFL instead of an incandescent light bulb can prevent more than 200 pounds of coal from being burned, and that lighting accounts for about 20 percent, or one-fifth, of total residential energy use.
2. We recycle cardboard. We live in a rural area where recycling can be tough. And we have a small home where storage of recycling is also a bit difficult. Our biggest recyclabe waste product was mixed paper products so we chose to start there. We are hoping to work out a storage system where we can recycle plastic (our next biggest throw-away) and aluminum cans.
3. We compost. Uneaten food, peelings, etc, goes outside into a pile. What the critters don't eat goes back into the ground and stays out of the landfills.
4. We combine trips. It is a 20 minute to 30 minute drive into town. We try to get as many errands as we can on the same day so we aren't making countless trips back and forth.
5. We are working hard to make sure we turn off lights and appliances when not in use. We would often forget and leave a DVD player or TV receiver on.
6. We recycle big items. We give clothes, books, etc to either friends or someplace like the Goodwill. If you aren't familiar with the Goodwill, not only does taking your used clothing or other items you no longer want there helping to keep them out of the landfill a bit longer, but it provides jobs for people who have disabilities and it provides low cost clothing for people to purchase.
7. We have also used a local Freecycle group to find new homes for things that have a lot of life left in them, but for whatever reason, we no longer need or want. If you haven't heard of this organization, be sure to check them out. There is bound to be a group in your area! i have given away exercise equipment, clothes, books, stepping stones, rocks. I have received clothes, books, and sheets.
We have one planet and we need to do our very best to take care of it and preserve it for the generations to come. It is important to be informed about what the scientists are saying. I would strongly urge you to read more than one report, and to always verify the information you are perusing because there is so much out there and it isn't all accurate.
I also would say, don't just wait for the big companies to do something. Start at home. Do everything you can. Then if you work outside of your home, encourage recycling and environmentally friendly behavior at work. The is a movement that can spread. Just like Blog Action Day started with 1 person signing up, and now over 15,000 have signed up. If we each make changes, those actions will ad up and like a snowball rolling downhill we will grow bigger and bigger and bigger and we will make a difference!
Thanks for stopping by!
Daniel sent me this link today as he knows I like to mess around in photoshop (as you can see by my banner and buttons on my sidebar). If any of you enjoy messing around in photoshop, you might want to think about opening up your own web design business where you can make logos and buttons for others.
I am a long way from being ready for something like that, but in case any of my readers have a penchant for it, I thought I would share this tip with you! Have a great day!
I just finished reading Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far by Amy Grant. This autobiography is one of the most interesting and easy to read autobiographies I have ever read. Often autobiographies start with I was born...then I ...then I...
But Amy choses to dip her pen into different parts of her life in no particular order. She shared memories of important times in her life and by doing it this way, she revealed not just the facts of her life, but she revealed a lot of her inner self. The book is also full of her songs. She shares an anecdote, then shares a song that was either inspired by that event or that relates to that event. If you love Amy Grant's music, you will particularly enjoy that part of this interesting autobiography. And for those of you who want the facts in order, don't worry, they are there too, in the back of the book and cover about 14 pp of the 222 page book.
There are 8 pages of color photos.
If you ever have ever wondered about the people who raised Amy Grant and helped to mold her into the inspirational person she is today, read the two quotes below: they speak volumes.
"Life is made up of golden chances, opportunities to do good. One lost is lost forever. If we miss doing a kindness to a friend, we can never do that kindness again. If we might speak a pleasant word, or offer a bit of worthwhile counsel or advice and fail to do so, we can never have that opportunity again. Giving is a way of life." - A. M. Burton (1879-1966) (Amy's Great-Grandfather)
"The life which gives multiplies itself; the life which absorbs destroys itself and others. All nature is built upon the plan of giving. The sun gives its light and heat, the bird its song, the lilac its odor, the orchard yields its fruit for the good of man, the field its grain for the same purpose. If a man is not a giver, he is out of harmony with his surroundings. If he makes a dead sea of himself, he becomes fatal to anything that seeks life from him." - A. M. Burton (1879-1966)
Amy came from a family of giving people and she is a giving person herself. Take some time and dip into her story, learn her thoughts and be inspired by her journey.
Amy Grant is the best-selling Christian music artist of all time and the first to garner the number one spot on Billboard’s chart. Since beginning her career at age 17, she has earned six Grammy Awards and twenty-five Dove Awards, and last year she received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Grant’s numerous television appearances include Oprah; Good Morning, America; and Late Night with David Letterman. In 2007 she’ll tour nationwide, performing with local symphonies in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and elsewhere.
And guess what...I have not one, not two, but three copies of this fabulous book to share with three lucky winners! All you have to do is leave a comment below and I will have a random drawing on October 19th at 6 pm. and announce the lucky winners! If you feel inclined to let others know about the giveaway on your blog, let me know and I will give you two chances to win!
This is only open to my readers in the U.S.
If you haven't been by 5 Minutes for Mom, you have really been missing out! There website is chock full of information for Mom's and it is written by two sisters who just gave birth two weeks apart! How cool is that!
In addition to providing their readers with information, Janice and Susan (the creative minds behind 5 Minutes for Mom) also own two toy stores: A Rocking Horse to Love and Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles.
Today, my site was featured in their weekly column, 5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere. In this column they share some interesting things going on in bloggy world! And it saves us mom from hours of scouring to find cool deals and great articles.
Spend some time browsing around 5 Minutes for Mom and you will find information on Mom owned stores, Mom run websites, and a fabulous blogroll. These are just a few of the things you will find there.
Janice and Susan provide product reviews, glimpses into their lives, and contests. They are also happy to link to your blog in a variety of ways.
Thanks gals for featuring me in this weeks 5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere! I really appreciate it!
Inspired by the weekly contests at The Average Girl's Guide to Being A Princess, I have decided to begin a regular post entitled Monday's Act of Random Kindness. In it I will tell whatever random acts of kindness I manage to do, observe or receive during the week. I am hoping this will help me to be more aware of opportunities that I have to be kind to others. I also thought it would be a great way to start my week, and hopefully yours!
I would love to hear about your Random Acts of Kindess. Feel free to use Mr. Linky and share your own acts of Random Kindness that you have witnessed or instigated by posting on your blog, then putting your link below. Then I can come read your Acts of Random Kindness!
And now for my 'report':
1. A fellow homeschooler learned of our current financial situation and mentioned it to her husband who is looking for a computer programmer. He is talking to Daniel. So if the Chicago gig doesn't work out (we have heard nothing this week), this is a back up plan. Always good to have those!
2. Another homeschooler, and my eBay mentor, and my dear friend, purchased some books from me this past week. There was one she really wanted and instead of paying me the .50 cents a book I was asking her (I gave her a deal because we are buddies), she paid me $20 for the one she really wanted (which was its suggested market value). Then she looke through another list of items and purchased a really nice crockpot from me that I never use. Then she sent me some extra money because in the past I have loaned her money when she needed it and she said now it was my turn.
3. When the children went around asking our neighboring businesses to support them, the people were polite and encouraging. That was a wonderful gift to them and to me.
4. I have been taking my neighbor's daughter to school until she gets over her respiratory infection (it is so dusty here with the gravel road it has really been bothering her to walk the mile to the bus stop and her mom leaves early for work).
Yesterday started at 6 a.m. And if you read my two previous yardsale posts, then you know how that all turned out. What you don't know is that when I left late in the afternoon to remove the 16 signs I had put up, I stopped by the other neighbor who also had stuff out. I was apologizing that things hadn't done better, and she said that she only sold 3.00 less than the week before. I asked how much she had made and she said $28.00 (remember last week I sold 31.50, she sold 31.00, but I had spent $30.00 getting it all set up.). This week I made $3.00. No upfront money this time on my part. I had two people stop by. She had 7! Why those other 5 people didn't make it back to my house is unclear. She says she told them. I had signs at the top of my driveway, I had a sign at the bottom of my driveway pointing to the back of my house and I was listening, listening, listening! So bizarre!!!!!
So by the time I got the signs down, came back and cleaned up after supper, then it was time to get ready for our subdivision meeting which was going to be at our house. I have been President for a little over two years. In some ways I make a great President, I am a peacemaker by nature and there was a lot of anger floating around between some of the officers and some in the subdivision. I was a new face, took a different tack, and things started to ease up and people became more friendly.
However, sometimes people don't pay their road maintenance and I was having trouble with the confrontation that occasionally is necessary. Sooooo... I talked a new neighbor into taking over the President spot and I have dropped back to secretary which I am excellently suited for. I have already typed up last night's meeting minutes and have them in envelopes with labels on them. The couple that had been secretary for a year took over the treasurer slot as the gal who has been treasurer has done it for years and years and was tired of it. So we have a new slate of officers and everyone else was happy that we came up with a plan since no one likes to ever volunteer (but they are happy to fuss at the volunteers).
We did have a bit of explosion of right of way difficulties. We have a neighbor who wants to treat his right of way like it is his property and prevent others from accessing it. This is due to some erosion problems he is having on his property. As we tried to sort through this and come up with a solution that would work for everyone, another neighbor who has some personal issues with this neighbor started speaking up and a tense, but working situation, fell off the tightrope and the yelling ensued. One neighbor had brought her granddaughter, she got her and they left. Another woman went outside. Finally the unhappy neighbor left despite our pleas for him to stay and get things worked out. We continued addressing the problem and we came up with a potential solution which we hope will fix his problem and keep the right of way open at the same time.
Sometimes, even when you try to keep things low key and even keel, you just can't calm those emotions. I actually had my hand on the other neighbor's arm, trying to get her to calm down...what a mess!
The rest of the meeting went well and I am glad not to be Mrs. President anymore.
I wrote a few days ago about how we are having to be involved with some fundraisers this year due to our involvement with our church youth group and 4-H. the 4-H group is looking for more fundraising ideas for later in the year and I found a site that interested me. I really don't care for the popcorn, special candies, or teeny candles fundraisers that I have run across in the past.
ARC Marketing does have some fundraising options that interest me. They have a variety of personalized silicone bracelets and custom car magnets. And if you haven't seen either of these items in your daily wanderings, you are not looking about you.
Custom car magnets show everything from support for Breast Cancer research to support of our troops to showing the world which football team you support. These magnets can be in the shape of ribbons, pawprints, or have your personalized logo printed on them.
The silicone bracelets come in a variety of colors and can show things such as an allergy, your school affiliation, or your favorite sports team.
ARC Marketing provides a quality product at a great price. For example, the standard cost for a silicone bracelet is 85 cents. Most people sell them for $2 or $3. This is a great way to make money and easy too. Most kids have a couple of bucks on them and are delighted to buy a personalized item such as a bracelet. For an order of 300 magnets, the price per magnet is $2.17. But if you order more magnets than that, the price decreases. Most organizations sell the magnets for $5.00. When was the last time you did a fundraiser that you could get excited about and make 100% profit on?!?!?
I will be passing the ARC Marketing website information along to our 4-H club at our next meeting.
Well, we had beautiful weather (it was chilly this morning, but lovely.). We had two people come by and one didn't by anything. But, I made $3.00 today...twice as much as last week! I doubled my money! So that's progress. I have gone through the items. My trunk is full of stuff for Goodwill. My back seat has some items that are going back into our storage building. I have a box of little kids toys and stickers that we are donating to our Awana's group's treasure box. I have two boxes of clothing that I am giving to some friends who have children younger than ours. And I have 19 boxes of books.
I just can't bring myself to donate all of those books to the library. So next Saturday, assuming that it doesn't rain, Katrina and I are going to take the books and go to the County Line Flea Market with my books. Whatever we have left, we will then take to the library. The County Line Flea Market is on a major road. And hope springs eternal.
Below are osme pictures of my beautiful yard sale that people missed out on!
6:00 A.M.The alarm went off and I stumbled out of bed. It was dark outside...would it be wet...only way to find out...I opened the door cautiously...brrrr...chilly, but not wet! Yippee! No one else wanted to get up, so I started taking out stuff and setting up. I have 14 boxes of books, children's clothing, and odds and ends. My kids have books, games, puzzles, stuffed animals...I made signs so people could easily see the cost of items. I personally hate the not knowing how much things cost.
Finally I managed to get Jack to roll out of bed. He helped me carry out the dining room table and carried the boxes of books that were in my car up to the deck. At 7:30 I was pretty much done and I finally managed to get Katrina to wake up! Here it is 8:18...no customers to speak of, but boy, our deck sure is full of stuff. I will update later!
I have recently started two new memes. I don't know if they will take off or not, but I wanted to have Mr. Linky in my memes because I think that is such a great way for others to for others to share their posts! It also is a great way to spread linky love and we all like that! So I went to Mr. Linky and was looking around. I soon realized that I needed to get a subscription in order to make my own memes and to make use of everlinky.
I checked out subscription costs and I happily paid 10.00 for a whole year of Mr. Linky, and then I went to get started. Well, I am a problem child. I use Movable Type and Mr. Linky wasnt yet set up for my templates. But he has been working hard all week. First he asked if I could zip up my templates and send them to him. I looked, but I couldn't find a zipper so I asked him if we could find another way.He said he could give me step by step instructions, but he needed to know which version of Movable Type I was using.
I told him what I thought was the correct answer and within 24 hours, I had the code. Unfortunately, I had misled Mr. Linky and I really had an earlier version of Movable Type. But he very graciously said that was no problem and he sent to the Movable Type people for the correct template. Within another 24 hours, I received the code that I needed for ever-linky. It's great! A few moments of my time and now it is so easy to put Mr. Linky in the appropriate posts whenever I want.
Thank you Mr. Linky! You are the best! And for those of you who haven't visited Mr. Linky, be sure to go visit! The product is fun and the service is top notch!!!!
Keep your eye open for Monday's Act of Random Kindness and Thirsty Thursday! I would love for you to join in the fun!
This has been a busy book reading week for us. I, for one, have enjoyed it.
Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan is the book the children and I just finished reading. This book was on an end cap at the local library when we picked it up. I love the books they put on display and often choose some from them because most of the time we are book browsers. we don't go in looking for a specific book and the ones on the end cap call to us. So first I note the cool cover...a large white bird, a cardinal and a blue jay with swords. Now this isn't something you see every day. I open the book up and read what it says on the dust jacket cover flap.
The blue jays and cardinals of Stone-Run Forest have turned against each other. According to legend, only Swordbird, son of the Great Spirit, has the power to conquer evil and restore peace to the land. But is he real or just a myth? Can Swordbird arrive in time to save the forest...or will it be too late?
Twelve-year-old author Nancy Yi Fan has woven a captivating tale about the birds of Stone-Run Forest and the heroism, courage, and resourcefulness in their quest for peace.
DOUBLE-TAKE! Did that say twelve-year-old-author???? Indeed it did! Now how does a 12 year old get published when I can't! GRRRR...okay, I'm over it. I want to see what this young lady has to write about it. So I convince Jack to check it out. Afterall he likes swords and he likes birds so it should be a perfect match.
We enjoyed reading the book. Miss Fan did a wonderful job of creating a world that is truly different than anything I have read before. The birds are the only characters in the story and the war that is going on between them will have you choosing sides in short order. What amazed me was that this young lady doesn't just weave a delightful story, but it is full of subtext and meanings for the adult and the moral of the story is one we all strive for...peace and love.
Jack and Katrina give this book 2 thumbs up!
Man, I wish I had known about this site when I put two used xbox 360 video games up on eBay a couple of weeks ago! It would have saved me a lot of hassle and I would have made the same amount of money or maybe more!
PlayerChain offers free sign up which enables you to browse around. Then, if you decide this is the site for you, you can purchase the membership that best suits you and you can start buying, selling or trading. They have a huge database which encompasses everything from the new Wii, XBox 360 and PS3 all the way back to SuperNintendo, PS1, and XBox. And they handle Nintendo DS games as well!
They offer current market value for your unwanted games, not just for the most popular. And if you have games at home that you are tired of, you can put them in your inventory. Others will come in looking for games they want to try. If you have one, then they will request it. You will send it to them (your only cost) and then when you let the websitek know you have sent the game, you receive credit (game bucks) on site. You then take your credit to request other games from other people. It is very cool! Play a new game, then send it on when you are done with it.
The part I think my 10 year old will like the best is the fact that he is always on the lookout for old pokemon games, but the local gaming stores don't often carry them. Since Player Chain doesn't physically have to store all of the products out there, more can be made available. And isn't the main reason you trade games in to your local gaming store so that you can get money to buy new games? So why not just trade? I can't wait to tell Jack about this site when he gets home from hiking!
This morning at 6:00, the household was up and going. Daniel was taking Jack and Katrina hiking this morning and they wanted to leave by 7 a.m. Naturally I needed to get up too...I couldn't have slept through all of that ruckus if I had wanted to!
So they got themselves ready and I started on my day (oh goody...a morning in my house all alone...). So what I have I been doing? Well, first I made up our new set of yard sale signs, then I took the neighbor up to catch the bus and started to put up the yard sale signs. I realized the my brads, which worked great with posterboard, weren't going to work with cardboard (the head was too tiny). The other nails I had were 3 inches long...yikes! I'd be hammering all day! So I drove back to my neighbor's house. The gentleman of the house is a carpenter. sure enough they had just want I needed: roofing nails. So back off I went to put up the signs. To make the circuit takes about 1 hour. I dropped of the roofing nails that I didn't need and then I headed to my house.
I stopped by the storage building and grabbed the Halloween Decorations and the green spray paint. I did not feel like the signs we had made would be easy enough for people to see when coming to our subdivision. So I took some large pieces of cardboard that I had picked up from Pier 1 and I spray painted YARD SALE 10-13, 8 -2 on them and arrows. While they were drying I made breakfast.
Breakfast was an experience in itself. I had volunteered to sample a new meatless chicken product. I decided I wanted to try these patties for breakfast because it was quiet and I could devote my time to really paying attention to what I was eating so I could answer the questionnaire that came with the patties. While they were cooking, I folded laundry and threw more into the washing machine. Then I chipped ice out of the bottom of the freezer (our freezer has a leak that has to do with the ice maker) so once a week, I chip the accumulating ice out of the freezer). Then it was time to eat. I have to say those chicken patties were very good. I wish I knew what brand they were. Hopefully if the company decides to mass produce them, they will let me know then I can recommend them to you! So I tasted, examined, sniffed and filled out my questionnaire.
Then my signs were dry, so back into the car to put up four new BIG signs. Back home. It was now 10:00. I needed to get some blogging done, but first I had to go out and feed the bunnies. So I took care of that, then I mixed up some brownies and popped them into the oven. Tomorrow night we are having a Stephen's Subdivision Meeting at my house (I'm the outgoing president). So I wanted to make some goodies. The brownies cooked and I blogged. Then I made some peanut butter cookies and blogged while they cooked. I have spoken to our vet's nurse on the phone (time for the cats to get their rabies vaccines) and I talked with my mother-in-law while folding laundry. It is now 12 noon and I am sure my time of peace and quiet is growing short.
It never ceases to amaze me how much more I get done when it is peaceful and quiet at home...
This afternoon I have more books to pack up for the yard sale, more laundry to do, more blogging to do and some blog design stuff to work on and I have to create an agenda for tomorrow night's meeting...good thing I like being busy!
Please say a prayer that we will have lots of visitors at our yard sale tomorrow. One because we can use the cash...two, because I don't want to lug all of the stuff back in again!
What do you do with items that no longer function in the way they were originally designed, but you don't necessarily want to get rid of?
For instance, I have a glass goldfish bowl (actually I have two of them). They are very nice bowls, cost around 5.00 I think and once we moved up to an aquarium with filters and such, they were no longer necessary. I set them in my cabinet and waited. One day the beautiful ceramic large utensil holder that I had on my counter was knocked to the floor and broke. Ah ha...out came one of the goldfish bowls and it makes a wonderful container for those large utensils. And I have a spare!
Tires, old cast iron pots, unusable wheelbarrows...all of those things make great items to plant flowers in and they really catch the eye of passersby. My stepmother was remodeling and her old toilet was sitting out in the yard briefly. Dad told me they need to get it gone soon as it didn't look so good. I told him I thought it would make a wonderful flower holder...unfortunately, they didn't take me up on my suggestion.
There are many other ways to rethink how we use everyday items and I will be sharing more on Monday as part of Blog Action Day. But I wanted to get you thinking about the upcoming event, so I thought I would share a little preview here. Also, I want to share a wonderful post Daniel sent me! It is how one man makes use of old computer parts! You will love it!
Last night Daniel and I watched In Her Shoes with Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz, and Shirley Maclaine. Even though nothing was blown up and no one was killed, Daniel really enjoyed the movie. And so did I.
The movie is mostly about two sisters who love one another and hate one another at the same time. They are like night and day on the surface, but deep down they are very alike. The movie starts out highlighting the differences between the sisters. One responsible, one not. But as we see the responsible one trying to control the other, we start to feel a bit sorry for the irresponsible sister. Until we see her do something like take the money of the responsible sister's boyfriend.
There is an explosion between the sister's and the responsible one kicks her sister out. Then the movie follows the two of them as they begin to find their way on their own. They both change by leaps and bounds when they are away from each other, but deep down, the changes and new happinesses are missing a major component.
This is a movie of love and growth and humanity. You will laugh, you will cry, you will gasp in shock and shake your head in dismay. Daniel and I give it two thumbs up!
When my stepsons were attending school, I dreaded fundraisers. Actually, for the most part I hated them. I hated asking my friends, families and co-workers for their money. Partially because our own money was tight and the way this game works is that you would ask your friend, and then she would turn around and ask you to support her child. Does this seem a bit bizarre to you?
When my oldest needed to raise money for band trips, we didn't do the fundraisers. Instead we went to grandparents and said, Bruce wants to go on this trip. It will cost 'x' number of dollars. Would you each be willing to contribute instead of us hitting you up for a variety of fundraisers. They always preferred to go that route. In other times, we would just give them the money ourselves (buying a few items for our home or as gifts) instead of going out looking for others to join in. After all, if I was going to spend say $20.00 either way, I might as well spend it by supporting my child and not by asking others to support him.
As a homeschooler, fundraisers have been practically nonexistent. We do have a once a year fundraiser to support the Central Virginia Music Teacher's Association. The money we raise for that goes to support older piano students via college scholarships. Every year we have raised between $20 and $50 from family members.
Since neither Daniel or I are in convential workplaces, we don't have co-workers we can talk with. I am an only child, my husband has one sister so there aren't a lot of family possibilities. Our neighborhood has 14 families, but I have felt uncomfortable asking them to support my kid's fundraisers for the above mentioned reasons.
When we joined 4-H this year, I didn't realize that fundraisers would be involved. And not just one fundraiser, but several. Currenty, we are trying to raise money and donations of items to send in care packages to Soldiers in Iraq. We are very pleased to be able to do this and since we can't contribute by purchasing items ourselves, we have approached local businesses.
Today, the kids got dressed in nice clothes. I made five copies of the letter given to us by the Extension Agent and I made five copies of the list of items we were trying to gather. I also wrote down a sample script for Jack to read from in case he got stuck. He has never done this before. For the piano recitals, I have always been the one to ask the relatives to sponsor him.
About 5 miles away is a doctor's office, a hairstylist, a convenience store, a parts store, an auto repair garage, and a propane store. We stopped at the doctor's first and read the sign that they are closed on Thursdays and Sundays. Then we drove to the complex with all the other stores. Four out of five of the businesses we had to leave our information as the owner's weren't present. At the hairstylist shop, we talked to Mandy, she has been cutting Jack and Katrina's hair since they were born. She gave them $20.00. Jack did such a great job making his presentation. On Monday morning we will go to try the Doctor's office and to the owner of the garage (we are well known there). It has been a great experience for Jack and it boosted his self-confidence as well.
As I finish typing this, I realize this is Jack's second fundraiser attempt in the last month. The first was the bake sale with the church youth group. That was easier though. Bake the food and they will come:)
We have another bake sale we will be attending the end of October for the 4-H group. The money raised there will help to ship the care packages to Iraq. While I am uncomfortable doing fundraisers, I am realizing that beyond the benefits of the funds raised, is the benefit to my children to learn how to speak to strangers without being intimidated.
I would love to hear about your fundraising experiences!
If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that I am all about trying to find ways to save money to help out with our household expenses. And in my searching and sharing, I have learned that Everybody Loves Coupons, The blog of UltimateCoupons.com, is giving away a Nintendo Wii plus one game (Mario Party 8). People can enter through October 31, 2007
Not only do they offer coupons, coupon codes, and sweepstakes, but you can subscribe to their newsletter and get information periodically about wonderful deals.
For example, they have a sweepstakes where you can potentially win $200! Just for entering! The easiest $200 you will ever make! They have grocery coupons, store coupons, product coupons. The site is well organized so you can quickly find exactly what you are looking for and find out if there is a coupon for it.
Wondering about that Wii pacakge? well click on the Halloween section and surprise! There is the opportunity for you to win a Wii from their blog. They also have about a dozen options for great Halloween deals. They do this for a variety of other items and stores are well! Go check it out and start saving money today! Don't forget to enter those sweepstakes!
I recently received a copy of a beautiful book: Southern Lady: Gracious Tables (the Perfect Setting for any Occasion) by Phyllis Hoffman. The south has long been well known for its gracious hosts and hostesses. This book is filled with beautiful photographs of elegantly set tables.
There are over 55 recipes to choose from and they include mouthwatering dishes such as:
S'mores Brownies A La Mode
Brandied Mushroom Sauce
Blueberry-Pie French Toast
Parmesan and Herb-Stuffed Mushrooms
Fried Asparagus with Creole Mustard Sauce
Praline Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
These recipes are sandwiched in between pictures of beautifully set tables and tips on everything from how to set your table to how to seat your guests. There are tips about how to pick linens, glasses, serving utensils and dishes and how to make them be as enticing as possible. Flowers, gilded fruit and a variety of colors are used in the different settings to create an atmosphere that will have your guests wanting to return again and again.
If you enjoy entertaining or if you want to start and don't know where to begin, this book is a must have! Follow the tips and recipes in this book and your dinner parties will be the most talked about in town!
Do you spend much time in the car? Will you be traveling a lot in the holiday months ahead as you go over the river and through the woods to visit friends and family? Then this contest is for you! Madallie has A Children's Travel Store and it has everything you can imagine to help those long trips go smoothly by.
There are books, blankets, crafts, and games all designed to entertain your children on those long trips. Be sure to bookmark her site because if you don't win the $50 gift certificate, you are going to want to be able to find her store again and get stocked up before your next long trip.
Now about that $50 gift certificate. To win it, you need to visit Skimbaco for the details. It is as simple as spreading the word and having a lucky star shine on your name! Good luck!
I wanted to start a meme that I hope will be fun for my readers. You see, I am Thirsty for your answers and anecdotes. So each Thursday I am going to ask you a probing question. Mr. Linky and I are working on getting a code for my blog, but it isn't ready yet, so this week, just leave your answer/story in the comments below or a link to your post answering my question and I will come see your answers. Hopefully Mr. Linky will be up and running for next week. I also would appreciate it if in your post you would like back to Thirsty Thursday so others can join in the fun! Feel free to copy my image!
Todays Question:
Tell me some places in your house that you don't remember the last time that you cleaned?
Okay...I am horrible about cleaning under things. Refrigerators, ovens, beds...A few years ago, we bought a new mattress for our bed. Our bed that had been in the same place for about 10 years...there weren't dust bunnies under the bed, there were dust dinosaurs!!!!! I was so embarrassed when the furniture store people came. My guess is the dust bunnies have probably grown to the size of dust chimpanzees since we got the new mattress...but unless we move, I figure they have got another 22 years of growing to do (don't mattresses last about 25 years?)
A couple of days, I shared a list of books that I have for sale at the price of 1.00 each plus shipping and handling via media mail. You can find the titles I have left on this post: .Books for Sale.
I took my older, vintage books to a local bookseller and he purchased a few boxes of them. Here is what I have left. I am also offering these for 1.00 plus shipping and handling via media mail. Please let me know if you are interested in any or them. I will go through responses on a first come, first serve basis. These are older books and therefore have more stains, wear, and discoloration than my previouse list. They have been stored in a smoke free, musty free environment. If you have questions about the condition of a particular book, let me know and I will get you the information.
Thanks! melissamarkham(at)takethemat(dot)com.
6th printing: a book of Modern Jokes (orig. 10 cents) by Alex Wagontongue: undated
A Short-Cut to Correct Pronunciation, 1946, sections one and two, one book is covered in vellum
Southern Time Christmas by Robert Bernardini, Illustrated by JAmes Rice, 1991
A Star Shone by Robbie Trent, 1948
A Treatise on Chemistry and Chemical Analysis, 1st ed, 1900, Vol II Inorganic Chemistry (The Colliery Engineer Co)
Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus: by Samuel Eliot Morison, 1942
Adventures in Geography by Gertrude Alice Kay, 1929
An Anthology of French Poetry by James R. Lawler, 1960
An Anthology of Light Verse edited with an introduction by Louis Kronenberger, 1935 (Modern Library)
Anatole France Representative Stories by G. N. Henning. 1924, Heath's Modern Language Series
Better Homes and Gardens Handyman's Book 1957
Better Reading 1Factual Prose Walter Blair
Candide or Optimism translated from the French by Richard Aldington, twenty illustrations in colour by Sylvain Sauvage, Nonesuch Press (Francois Marie Arouet De Voltaire) not dated
Children Everywhere Laidlaw Basic Readers by Gerald Yoakam, 1940
Christmas Outside of Eden by Coningsby Dawson, illustrations by Eugene Francis Savage, 1922
Curriculum Principles and Practices by L. Thomas Hopkins 1931
Discovery: The Spirit and Service of Science: by Sir Richard Gregory: 1927
Essentials of Electricity for Radio and Television by Morris Slurzberg 1950
Ginny Gordon and the Lending Library by Julie Campbell, 1954
Harbrace College Handbook, 1951, by John C. Hodges
Hereward, The Last of the English by Charles Kingsley, 1866 (not the best condition, back cover is totally loose, tape on spine)
Homespun Poems by Carl R. Brown
Hygiene and Sanitation by Jesse Feiring Williams 1931
Industry and Trade by Bishop and Keller, 1923
International Library: Basic Inorganic, Basic Organic Chemistry
Junior Sunshine Songs for the Sunday School by George J. Meyer undated, sold for .35 cents.
Karl Foerster Vom Blutengarten Der Zukunft (1921) written in German, water stains
King of Kings by Malcolm Saville, 1958
Lawrence Welk's Musical Family Album by Lawrence Welk with Bernice McGeehan, 1977
Le Chateau de Malmaison (booklet of vintage postcards)undated,
Little Chuff Chuff and Big Streamliner, 1950
Little Elephant Catches Cold, Heluiz Washburne, 1945
Little Elephant Visits the Farm by Heluiz Washburne, 1951
Living Biographies of Great Scientists, by Henry Thomas and Dana Lee Thomas, 1941
Louisa of Prussia and Her times, 1901 (at the top of title page it says The Works of Louise Muhlbach in Eighteen Volumes), at the bottom of the page under the date, it has the number 7. Not sure if that means this is volume 7.
Memoirs of Hecate County by Edmund Wilson (the front cover is detached), 1947
Mother West Wind's Animal Friends by Thornton W. Burgess, 1923 (poor condition)
My Friend Mac, The Story of Little Baptiste and The Moose by Mac McNeer and Lynd Ward, 1961
Once Upon a Totem with Woodcuts by John Frazer Mills, written by Christie Harris, 1966
Personal and Professional Typing by S. J. Wanous 1952
Pitman's English and Shorthand Dictionary based on the original work of Sir Isaac Pitman, undated
Plaisir D'Amour: An erotic memoir of Paris in the 1920s by Anne-Marie Villefranche, 1982
Procedures for Virginia State Curriculum Program: Richmond: State Board of Education: 1932
Provisional Drill and Service Regulations for Field Artillery, 1916
Rickshaw Boy by Lau Shaw translated from the Chinese by Evan King, 1945
Right Back Where We Started From by Hortense White Moore 1972
Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 1951
Smoky Bay by Steingrimur Arason, 1943, illustrated by Gertrude Howell
Song Without Words The Story of Felix Mendelssohn by John Erskine 1941
Stories to Remember selected by Thomas B. Costain and John Beecroft, Volume 1 and 2, 1956
Stunt Night Tonight by Catherine Atkinson Miller by 1928
Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burrough's, unabridged, prepared for young readers, Whitman publishing, 1964
The Amazing Adventures of Archie and the First Hot Dog by LeGrand, 1964
The Arabian Nights 1902 a couple of loose pages and some wear to cover
The Autobiography of William Allen White, 1946
The Best of Clarence Day, 1948
The Boys' Life Book of Mystery Stories illustrated by Arthur Shilstone, 1963
The Fire Balloon by Ruth Moore, 1948, dust jacket
The Glass Mask by Lenore Glen Offord, 1952
The Happy Birthday Umbrella by David Cornel DeJong, illustrated by Harvey Weiss, 1960
The History of David Grieve by Mrs. Humphry Ward, 1892
The Jatakas Tales of India retold by Ellen C. Babbit, 1912
The King's Day Louix XIV of France, by ALIKI, 1989, 1st ed
The Leading Facts of English by D. H. Montgomery, 1923
The Man Who Walked through Time by Colin Fletcher, 1968
The Olden Days and More by Douglas Kyle Frith, signed, undated
The Poor Count's Christmas by Frank R. Stockton, E. B. Bensell by 1927
The Puritan Strain by Faith Baldwin 1935
The Reivers, William Faulkner, 1962
The Time for Decision by Sumner Welles, 1944
The Trail of The Lonesome Pine (June Tolliver Playhouse Big Stone Gap, VA June 26-August 30) has some signatures of the actors.
The World of Rembrandt by Robert Wallace (Time-Life) 1979 (comes with a cardboard slipcover)
The World of Van Gogh By Robert Wallace (Time-Life)1977 (comes with a cardboard slipcover)
There Was Timmy by Sally Scott pictures by Beth Krush, 1st ed, 1960
Urshurak, created by the Brothers H1979, Hildebrandt and Jerry Nichols, 1st edition, 1979
VE-Day, VJ-Day Selective Service and Victory 1948
Viavi Hygiene, 1920
Walt Disney's Zorro, Whitman Publishing, told by Steve Frazee, illustrated by Henry Luhrs
What is This Jewish Heritage by Ludwig Lewisohn 1955
When a Man's a Man by Harold Bell Wright, 1916
Words of Life(A religious and Inspirational Album containing 1100 Quotations from the Minds and Hearts of Writers of Twenty Centuries and Illustrated by Scenes of the Holy Land (edited by Charles Wallis), 1966
Wumpy's Christmas Gift by Nancy Nash 1956
As elephant populations grow there have been more and more conflicts with the farming community. Farmers have been trampled and crops ruined. Farmers of course are fighting back and are killing the elephants despite bans against this.
Lucy King, a zoologist with the Nairobi, Kenya-based nonprofit Save the Elephants came up with a study idea to see if the sound of angry bees would make the elephants turn back.
The idea of scaring elephants with bees comes from earlier observations by King's colleagues Fritz Vollrath and Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants. They determined in 2002 that elephants will avoid acacia trees with beehives.
The photo below from National Geographic shows some elephants who ran away from the sound of angry bees. This will enable farmers to strategically place hives or sound recordings to deter elephants from their land and provide some peace without killing the elephants that so many have worked so hard to protect and repopulate.
In the best tradition of Star Trek, NASA used the gravity of Jupiter to help slingshot the New Horizons probe on its journey towards Pluto.
While slingshotting around Jupiter, New Horizons took photos and sent them back to scientists here on earth.
They saw lightning strikes at the poles (previously polar lightning has only been spotted on earth). Also, climate changes were evident from previous flybys (1979 and 2003). Meanwhile, the study led by Baines at JPL found that cloud cover on Jupiter has thinned significantly since the Cassini-Huygens probe made its flyby in 2000. That means climate on the gas giant varies over the long term, possibly seasonally. New Horizons also captured images of fresh ammonia clouds. Reuter's team studied these images and found that storms that were bringing ammonia up from lower in the atmosphere.
Something on the planet is generating atmospheric waves like those that flow out from a disturbance on the surface of a pond, Reuter, of NASA's Goddard Center, said. What's causing the disturbance remains a mystery for now.
In other news, my husband broke the story today that someone is trying to send us a message from Io! Be sure to check out what he has discovered!
From time to time, I will run across an article or see something on television in regards to people's photos being airbrushed to enhance their appearance. One I remember fairly recently was Katie Couric in a magazine (can't remember which one) and they had airbrushed the photos bo make her look a bit thinner. A few years ago, I saw a segment on Opera about a mom that had appeared in Playboy. Now let me just say, that the woman that I saw on stage did not resemble the woman in the photos.
So do you wonder how it is possible to do this? Check out this airbrushed lady that I found in my web meanderings. It will show you step by step how a beautiful woman is created out of thin air and it looks like a photograph. It is absolutely amazing!
This weekend I moaned and groaned about what a bad day we had with our yard sale. The mist, the lack of customers, the fact that I made $1.50. I also told you I had words with God. After all, he knows we are strapped and we are trying to do our best to get ourselves through this difficult time, why did he allow this to happen? Well, now I know why. Let me lead you through the steps of what the last few days has brought:
1. When the yardsale didn't go well, I found my mind turning to other ways to make money. I thought about the approximately 350 books I had in my eBay inventory. Some I have had for a couple of years and haven't been able to sell. But I thought if I lowered the price and offered them to a different audience, I could probably sell a lot of them and make some money. So Sunday, I went through my books. I set aside 12 boxes to take to a local bookseller that purchases used books. The rest I typed out into a list, alphabetized and posted on my blog and on my website.
2. By the end of the day Monday, I had sold $53.00 worth of books. Since I had sent around the book list, I also sent around a list of some other items we are selling. A friend purchased a really nice crock pot for $30.00.
3. Tuesday I took the books to the bookseller. There was a bit of miscommunication, but they ended up paying me $44.00 for about 4 boxes of books. Then the person who I was meeting after I picked up my books that the bookstore didn't want, looked through those books and she bought $14 more dollars worth.
4. So now I am up to having sold $141.00 worth of items because I didn't have a successful yardsale on Saturday.
5. Now the real kicker, the one that cinches it for me that God sees the big picture that I miss even when it is staring me right in the face.
When I chose the date for our yardsale, I went for the first Saturday in October. I hoped the weather would be pleasant. It was the first weekend after a paycheck, and in a town about 20 minutes away, there is a big flea market the same day. I thought perhaps, people would be passing by us on our way to there and we would pick up some more customers. In reality, it probably worked against us. While I was putting up my yard sale signs, I noticed that there were some auction signs. I even picked one of them up and fixed it as it had fallen over. It is for a piece of property about 1 mile from my house. When is the auction? 11 am, October 13th. What day did my neighbors and I decide to try our yardsale luck again? October 13th.
Even when I had the pieces staring me in the face, I was focused on my plan, and I wasn't looking at the bigger picture. Thankfully, God sees better than I do.
Here are the prizes for this month's giveaway:
First prize: One case (Forty copies!) of The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul along with a copy of Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips (that's a retail value of over $600!). The forty books are not to be sold, but are to be given away or used for evangelism. Just think what you could do with forty of them. That's ten for people in the church, ten for family members, ten for Christmas gifts and ten to hold on to for just the right moment.
Second prize: One copy of Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips and admission for two to the Ligonier Ministries 2008 National Conference, Evangelism According to Jesus.
Third Prize: One copy of Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Phillips and admission for two to the Ligonier Ministries 2008 National Conference, Evangelism According to Jesus.
Note: If the second or third prize winners are unable to attend the 2008 National Conference, they may substitute admission for two to The Cross of Christ Regional Conference in Dallas/Fort Worth (November 2-3, 2007) OR any two books published by Reformation Trust.
Enter the Draw
You can enter the draw here . If you enter, please be sure to give them my referral id! Thanks a bushel! 21569
(Be sure to read the instructions carefully!)
Hat Tip to Laura!
Today was a good mail day! I love good mail days! I got a couple of magazines in the mail and two prizes I had won also arrived.
First I received a cool baby carrier made by Comfy Joey. I entered a contest at Lille Punkin' Reviews. The carrier is for my daughter and it will be a Christmas gift. She will love carrying around her dolls and stuffed animals in it! And, they make carriers for mommy's too.
Then my other package contained Kaponga Nuts Creme de parfum. It smells wonderful!!! And the smell lasts a long, long time! It is an all natural product and comes in a lovely wooden container. I won this from Fashion Fling.. I won the jasmine floriental scent.
If you haven't been by Laura Williams' Musings and signed up for her RSS feed, you are really missing out! This gal provides tons of contests every day for her readers! I have won books, perfume, gifts for my children, and found out about paying opportunities by visiting her blog.
Don't just take my word for it, go visit her blog! You will be so glad you did. Today, here are some of the many, many contests she shared that I was thrilled with.
Marcher Lord Press publishes Christian Speculative Fiction and they are offering wonderful prizes that will be given randomly to those who sign up.
If you do sign up, be sure to mention me as referrer. My email is melissamarkham(at)takethemat(dot)com!
How about winning a gift for your hubby!? Check out these cool vintage typewriter button cufflinks at Subu, Inc.! And you get to choose the letter you want if you win!
Harper Collins is giving away 15 sets of 12 scary books. The drawing ends on November 8, 2007.
Biblical Womanhood is giving away 10 copies of Passionate Housewives to 10 randome individuals.
So, check out the contests ad check out my buddy, Laura! You will be so glad you did!
Go to Apollos Academy and read the latest from the Homeschool Carnival World.
This is The Tutor's third time hosting and each time she has had...let's say...special challenges! But she has put together a lot of great posts and you definitely don't want to miss out on all of the great information in one place!
Grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and prepare to be enlightened!
I recently received this book and both Daniel and I have enjoyed reading it and I am planning on passing it on to my father-in-law as a Christmas gift. The book is titled The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told. The book is written by Rick Byer and it containes 100 tales from history that are designed to astonish, bewilder and stupefy. The book is 214 page long and is full of photos and illustrations and amazing stories! And each story just covers 2 pages, so it is easy to dip into and out of the book. You can start from the beginning or find your favorite president and learn his story! It is also very quick to read and it is easy to pick up when you just have a few moments.
Let me ask you these questions?
1. Did you know that George Washington was not the first president of the United States?
2. Did you know that John Quincy Adams liked to skinny dip in the Potomac?
3. Do you know which President was the only President to ever receive a speeding ticket?
4. Do you know which woman was President?
5. Do you know which President was a successful New York model?
If these stories sound as fascinating to you as they did to me, you are going to love this book! There is tons of great information and wonderful illustrations! This book is a great read and I feel sure you will enjoy it! It would also make a great gift!
Weaver Mom over at Multi-Tasking Mom's is hosting a jewlery and romance contest. Not only do you have the opportunity to share a story about a romantic moment with your hubby, but you will be in the running to win this beautiful jewelry from Bead-attitude.
Weaver Mom wants us to share a story about a romantic time we spent with our husband and any tips we may have to keep that connection going.
As to tips:
We have been together for 17 years this past August. And in 17 years we have times where we are closer together and times when we are farther apart. When we are closer, it is because we take some time each day just to chat, even it if is about the family, kids, bills. It is a connection time for us. We also like to play games - cards and Scrabble are a couple of our favorites. We also watch movies together, but this doesn't always seem like time well spent to me because we aren't really interacting (except to critique the movie).
Now for our most romantic event since the kids came along....
That is really a tough one. We have had children in our lives pretty much from the beginning as he had two sons from a previous marriage. We have always treasured times when we had a weekend together and the children were gone. We would go out for dinner or go hiking or take in a movie or play some putt-putt. Over the years, we have gone to Paris (the kids were with us, but we snuck in a couple of late night romantic interludes). One year we took a three day trip by plane to Maine. I have rented a room at a Bed and Breakfast, just the two of us. For my 35th birthday he rented a limosine for us and another couple. For my 30th birthday we went on a trip to Las Vegas.
Probably the most recent romantic event was for my 40th birthday he found a sitter for the children (this was a first!) First he took me to see a scary movie. Then he took me to one of my favorite restaurant's and we ate tons of sushi. Then we went on a drive. I am a mountain girl. I love being in the mountains. It's like I gain a strength and serenity from them. I feel renewed. So I was enjoying the drive and wondering where we were headed.
We ended up at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. I have always wanted to stay there and never have. Nestled between Flat Top and Sharp top and situated next to Abbott Lake, this hideaway spot is quiet and beautiful. The rooms do not have televisions or telephones. It is truly about getting away. We checked in. We walked around the lake and we got to see several deer up close.
We went back to the room and played cards and read books and just enjoyed being together without children constantly trying to get our attention. The next morning we got up early and enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast at the lodge while we sat overlooking the lake. It was a perfect weekend and I will always remember the effort my husband went to in order to make my 40th birthday a memorable one.
To read the most current post for Monday's Act of Random Kindness, visit here.
Inspired by the weekly contests at The Average Girl's Guide to Being A Princess, I have decided to begin a regular post entitled Monday's Act of Random Kindness. In it I will tell whatever random acts of kindness I manage to do, observe or receive during the week. I am hoping this will help me to be more aware of opportunities that I have to be kind to others. I also thought it would be a great way to start my week, and hopefully yours!
I would love to hear about your Random Acts of Kindess. Feel free to share in the comments below or if you post about them, leave a link and I'll come visit!
I am working with Mr. Linky to get a Mr.Linky sign up on my posts. And I put together a graphic that you can use on your posts if you would like. Be sure to leave a comment so I can come read your Acts of Random Kindness!
1. On Monday, while I was standing staring at tranmission fluid and trying to figure out the right one for my car (do you remember the days when there was only one?), a voice behind me asked what kind of car I drove. It was a teenager and he said he worked at Advance Auto and would help me. I told him, he handed me the bottle I needed. Terrific:)
2. Later on as i was leaving the Sam's parking lot, a car pulled up and the driver asked me for directions. I explained where to go (only a few blocks away), but he seemed confused, so i told them to follow me. It was only a little out of my way. I was glad to be able to help them. And they thanked me as they drove by in the left turn lane.
3. Kind words were spoken to me and encouraging me through difficult times this week.
4. I have volunteered to drive my neighbors daughter to catch the bus in the morning for the next week or so. She is a single mom and leaves at 6 am. It is very dry here and the dusty road has been bringing on breathing attacks for her daughter (she doesn't have asthma, but got bronchitis a week ago. So to make sure she gets to the bus and doesn't have an attack, I am driving her up our dusty road.
I played Crazy Eights as a child. We are more into UNO these days, but I was tickled when Laura tagged me for this fun post! Now you can learn a bit about me and my pal, Laura and the lucky 8 people that I tagged!
8 things I'm passionate about:
1. My Faith
2. My Family
3. Movies
4. Books
5. Homeschooling
6. Animals
7. Visiting with Friends
8. Blogging
8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Travel across the United States
2. Visit Egypt
3. Visit Australia
4. Visit Europe
5. Have a book published
6. Buy an older house with character and space
7. See my children grow up and have children of their own
8. Get my knee fixed so I can be more active again
8 things I say often:
1. I love you
2. Be nice to each other
3. Feed the cats, rabbits, fish, hamsters....
4. Clean up this room!
5. Great job!
6. Practice the piano!
7. Yes, you can go visit Ashley.
8. Why can't you clean up after yourself!
8 books I've recently read:
1. my Bible
2. Mosaic by Amy Grant
3. Nightrise by Anthony Horowitz
4. Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan
5. Marco Polo (I can't remember the author this is an older book)
6.Blaze by Richard Bachman/Stephen King
In Progress:
7. Anni Adams by Lonnie D. Story
8. Josh McDowell's Family Devotions
8 songs I could listen to over and over:
1. Amazing Grace
2. Anything my daughter sings (don't really have a choice about how many times I get to listen)
3. I Swear
4. I Can Only Imagine
5. You're the Inspiration by Chicago
6. The Love Theme from Aladdin
7. Open Arms by Journey
8. Anything by Elvis
8 things that attract me to my best friends:
1. loyalty
2. kind heart
3. forgiving
5. trustworthy
6. fun to be around
7. good listener.
8. aren't judgmental
8 things I've learned this past year:
1. Stink bugs swarm in the fall and love mulch (we just mulched our front yard this past spring)
2. That I can make money with my writing!
3. Putting up an inflatable pool is not as easy as they say on the box
4. That my children are very creative (they wrote and acted in two plays this summer)
5. That my children are learning the things I am trying to teach them (and not just 'school stuff')
6. It is nice to have neighbors that actually come and visit
7. The world doesn't come to an end when my house doesn't get cleaned for weeks on end.
8. A kind word creates ripples in the world (I have seen this in action a lot this past year)
8 people I think should do Crazy 8's
1. Lizzie at Writing to Inspire
2.Amber at Trust in the Lord
3. Heidi at Reviews by Heidi
4. Nancy at Lessons Learned on the Farm
5. Tiany at Less of Me, More of Him
6. Anna at Homeschooling in Illinois
7. Abiga at Blessings From Abiga
8. YOU!
Overwhelmed With Joy is Hosting the 2nd annual Holiday Cooking Blogger Style extravaganza!
You are not going to want to miss out on this! It is a great way to share your favorite holiday recipes and to learn some new ones! So post your favorite recipes, then fill out Mr. Linky at Overwhelmed With Joy's post. Then read other recipes there so you can add some new holiday cooking to your menu this year! Have fun!
Kay's Baked Beans
These beans are really good and a nice twist on a staple side dish! I make them often for family gatherings and church events.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground hot sausage
2 12-14 oz cans pork n beans
2 cup ketchup
2 cup brown sugar
1 10 oz bag frozen onions
1 10 oz bag frozen green peppers
(You can also use a stir fry mix with the two together or use fresh onions and peppers)
Directions:
Brown sausage. Add onions and peppers until cooked. Drain if necessary. Add in sugar and ketchup. Remove from heat. In large pan, dump beans in and add cooked mixture. Stir. Bake at 325 for 1 ½ hours
Grandma's Molasses Cookies
These are some of the best cookies ever and the recipe makes about a kazillion so you have plenty to share (if you want to). We also like to use gingerbread men cookie cutters and then decorate them with raisins and cinnamon hearts....yummy!
Ingredients:
2 pint bottles of Brer Rabbit Molasses (green label if they have it)
1 pint melted lard
1 pint buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp soda
1 cup white sugar
5 pounds flour (won’t need all of it, but have it on hand)
THIS MAKES LOTS OF COOKIES!
Directions:
1. Cream sugar and eggs. Add salt, ginger and soda, mixing well after each addition.
2. Then add lard, molasses and buttermilk, beating after each. Then, add flour (a couple of cups at a time) until you have a soft sticky dough. Do not get the dough stiff or the cookies will be dry.
3. Flour board and roll out dough and cut with juice glass or small cutter (we like to use gingerbread men shaped cookie cutters) We also like to decorate with raisins, cinnamon hearts and icing.
4. Bake at 350 degrees. 10-12 minutes, begin watching.
GREAT WARM and dunked in milk or coffee!!! Freeze well.
In recent years, personalized childrens books have become a popular choice for gifts for children. We have never purchased such an item, but I have thought they looked pretty neat and like something that children would enjoy tremendously.
I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to receive a free book or CD-Rom for one of my children to review. I filled out a form indicating my son's name, nickname, his two closet friend's names, his hair color and eye color and my hair and eye color. Then I was allowed to say which four titles I thought my son would enjoy most. What I didn't know was whether we would receive a CD-rom or a book. On Friday, this arrived in the mail:
Today, Jack and I sat down and tried it out. He was tickled to open up the CD case and see his full name printed on the CD label. Under that it said "John's Lucky Leprechaun Adventure" with Love from Mom and Dad.
The book itself was fabulous! There are fun color illustrations. You can listen to the story, you can color pictures from the story, you can play a game. As you listen to the story, each page that loads up has lots of items for you to click on. It is a fully interactive CD. The pages are colorful too.
When I was given the offer to participate in this review program, I was given a generic form to fill out
(there were a couple dozen participants and it was a one size fits all form). I made the mistake of putting in Jack's birth name (John) instead of providing them with the name "Jack". So the book's character is "John" which makes it a bit less personal than I would have liked. Should you decide to buy one of their delightful products, be sure that they know which name you want the main child's character to be.
I appreciated the fact that the character was obviously an older child as Jack is instead of a young child. And even though some of the activities were a bit young for Jack, he said he still enjoyed it and he did like having a story about him.
All in all, I think these personalized books are well put together and designed. This happened to be an interactive CD-rom with a story, but they also do books, DVDs, and songs. You can even get personalized books for teens and adults! There is something here for everyone. If you are looking for a unique gift for your child, i would recommend that you visit Personalized Stories and pick out the gift that your child will cherish for a lifetime.
What would you do for free cigars? CigarJack.net is offering several different ways for you to win a box of Olor del Cibao Cigars, so pick which one suits you best and give it a shot! My husband's uncle really enjoys a good cigar and occasionally so does my husband. We thought this would be a great opportunity to win a really great Christmas gift for him
If you have anyone on your Christmas list who enjoys cigars, this is definitely a site to check out! They carry a wide variety of cigars and accessories. Good luck with your contest entry!
One of the most awesome things about blogging is that we have the ability to reach so many people with our words and thoughts. We can touch the lives of others in ways we never suspected! We may inspire people, we may encourage people to think, we may give people an idea of how to do something they had always wondered about. Maybe we will make someone laugh or make someone cry or maybe we will make someone feel less alone by sharing our own journey.
Blog Action Day works on this principal. This years project is to have as many blogs as possible write something about the environment on October 15th. The goal is to get others thinking, talking and hopefully acting. Right now almost 8,000 bloggers are signed up to participate and it is anticipated that those blogs will reach a potential 5,000,000 people! That is incredible! So be part of something that will make a difference! Go sign up today and work on your environmental post to be published on October 15th!
Last week we received some long term good news. Unless something goes awry, Daniel will be going to work in Bloomingon, Illinois for about a year starting the first of November. This is excellent news for us since he has been between contracts since the end of May.
Of course the downside is that we are out of money now pretty much and he is going to need travel money for a couple of months to get started. Due to the way contracts work, he isn't like an employee who will get paid in 2 to 4 weeks. For a contractor, you turn in an invoice two weeks after you start work and it is generally payable net 30. So that would mean the earliest a check will come is Mid-December, but it is more likely it will be the end of December (without fail, the first check is always delayed). Needless to say the next 2 1/2 months are going to be very tough around here (and throw Christmas and my son's birthday in there and it gets even dicier.)
So please pray that we will be open to opportunities in the next couple of months and that we will keep our sense of humor about us during these tight times. Please also pray that the banks that hold mortgages against our property will be easy to work with. I dread making the calls. I know that the Bible tells us God will take care of all of our needs and that has always been one of the promises I have had the hardest time with. Partially because of the work ethic that was so strongly drummed into me as a child (along with the words, He helps the one who helps himself) and partially because it is so hard to give up that kind of control. So please add a prayer for me to have greater faith.
Yesterday was a long and more than a bit frustrating day. I didn't even have the oomph in me to blog! That's the first day I have missed in quite a long time! About a month ago, I decided that as a way to help us drum up some money we would have a yard sale. Of course this kills two birds with one stone because when you have a yard sale, you can declutter and make some money too.
The problem with us having a yard sale is we live a mile off of the hard surface road (no Jeff Foxworthy remarks, please!). So how to drive traffic to us? Well, as a person who enjoys yard sales, I know that I gravitate towards sales where there are several near one another or where there are multiple families at one sale. Gas is expensive and I want to make the most of any trip I make. I thought back and remembered a subdivision wide yard sale I had visited once and thought I would try to do that here.
So I called several of my neighbors and suggested we all do a yardsale the same day. I told them I would take care of signs and the ads in the local paper and all they had to do was put a sign up at their house and send people further back into the subdivision (I am just about the last house). 6 families said they were interested! Hurray, that qualified us as a Multi-family sale. I sent in the ads, made the signs, and then spent an hour or so on Friday riding the loop and putting up signs (there are several ways to get to our house.
I had watched the weather all week. We are actually in a drought and all they were calling for was a 30% chance of evening showers. By 10:00 there was no rain and everyone was in bed, except for me. I went to bed shortly thereafter. No sign of rain and none in the forecast.
I got up at 6 and first thing I did was go to feed the cats so they wouldn't be underfoot while I was putting stuff on the deck. I walked onto wet boards with a heavy mist falling. I couldn't believe it! And if you do yardsales, you know the mist is the worst kind of early morning weather conditions, because people get up, they look out and go....welll people won't be putting out stuff in this and they go back to bed! I just cried. We've been going through a lot lately and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Daniel went and checked the signs. They were curling up, but he uncurled them. I dried off the tables and hoped for the best. It misted off and on until about 10:00. By 11:00 we had had 2 visitors and I had sold $16 worth of stuff. We had lots of books, great clothing deals...but if no one comes, it doesn't matter how great the deals are.
So I left my 15 year old neighbor and my daughter in charge and I went to visit the other sales. Three other neighbors actually ended up participating. I realized that the first neighbor in the loop had put their stuff out along the road and they were in and out of their house doing stuff. So if someone came to their house and there wasn't anyone to greet them and tell them otherwise, they might assume that was it and leave! So, I drove back to my house, got some extra signs and put them up on the road past that house so people would be enticed further in. By the time I got back to my house, 2 more cars were behind me! We saw more customers between 11 and 12:30 than we did between 8 and 11. In the end I sold 31.50. I had spent 30.00 So a morning of aggravation reaped 1.50....grr.
Daniel had set up some stuff at our office across the street. The 31.50 we made included 5.00 worth of nails that he sold. Jack and Katrina had set up lemonade and snack stands and they had a ton of books, toys and videos for sale. They made about 13.00 between the two of them. So not the most productive use of my time. But the neighbors all seemed to enjoy it and one lady said that in all of years of yard sailing she had never seen anything like it.
So the neighbors and I conversed and if next Saturday is clear, we are going to do this again! I am going to do the signs a bit differently because while they looked great in the house, they were a bit hard to read along the road. We are not going to run anymore ads and we will hope for a nice clear day.
My family was so frustrated that we treated ourselves to a late lunch at Pizza Hut. On one hand, I felt guility about splurging with the money when we have so little coming in right now, but on the other hand, every now and then even when you are in the most desparate straits, you need a morale boost.
A friend of mine called me about 9 pm last night. She must have picked up on my unhappy vibes and she made me feel much better just listening to me and talking to me. Also, I decided yesterday that I have too much on my plate as far as 'businesses' go, so I have closed my eBay store. I have agonized over this eBay thing and agonized over it. I love books, but I personally feel like there are a glut of books on the eBay market and for me that is the least expensive investment up front, so while I personally know of things that sell better, I can't afford to invest in them.
I will continue to sell items we want to get rid of (nice clothes, videos, etc) on eBay from time to time and I have some friends that I sell for occasionally (and one who actively tries to promote me as an eBay seller). But other than that, I am going to stop investing so much time and energy into a business that for me has had limited success. That will free up my time to do other things. So now I have 300 books in my inventory that I am going to be looking to get rid of in one fashion or another. Wish me luck with that!
Today is another day and it dawned bright and sunny and our moods are sunny right along with it.
I am writing to let you know that Leo Chiang, the tattooed pilot on Battlestar Galactica, is having a contest where he will be giving away a copy of the much anticipated Halo 3 Legendary Edition.
My stepson and husband are salivating over the thought of this game, so I thought I would see if I could get it for them as an early Christams gift.
Go ahead and enter the contest. You never know when it will be your lucky number!
It was midnight when I turned in last night. I wanted to go to sleep earlier, but I had things to do and I just wasn't feeling sleepy. I had barely fallen asleep when I woke to the sound of my husband moving around. It was 5 a.m. and time to rise. I now know why it is called the crack of dawn...it is because when you are out early in the morning and you first see the sun, it shines through a little crack in the sky and looks like a line of fire! See, now you don't have to worry about the origin of that saying anymore! (And you don't have to figure it out for yourself! I have done the work for you!)
Daniel and Jack were off for another hike into the wilderness. This time, Katrina and I had a special role. We were to drive along so Daniel could leave his car at the end spot, then we drove them to the beginning spot and dropped him off. We got a bit turned around and it took us 1 1/2 hours to reach the spot we were heading for. After setting them on their way, Katrina and I headed to McDonald's for a special treat. We enjoyed breakfast there before heading home and putting up Yard Sale signs along the way. We came home and sorted out our stuff for tomorrow, made our price tags and we watched some tv and played together. And of course I have worked some.
Now we are watching Over The Hedge. The possum played by Shatner is my favorite character! Daniel and Jack are relaxing...that 7 mile hike and the early hours wiped them out. We will be turning in early tonight so we can get up early for tomorrow's subdivision wide yard sale! Wish us luck!
Yesterday, we went to our monthly 4-H club meeting. It was very exciting! We spent most of the first hour electing officers. We actually ended up with a couple of ties and they had to drag out the rule book to discover what to do. We ended up having 7 boys and 7 girls and when the vote for an office was between a boy and a girl, the children went with the child of their own gender. This club hasn't been around very long and so many of the kids don't know one another yet.
Jack wanted to run for Treasurer. He practiced his speech before we went to the meeting. I was very proud ot him when it was his turn to stand up and tell others why he wanted to be treasurer. He got elected (he had two competing against him). He is very excited and yesterday he came home and was reading through his book so he could figure out a bit more about his responsibilities...
Ahhh...today a treasurer...tomorrow PRESIDENT!
Go over to her blog for a chance to win this DVD for your daughter or another small friend (or for yourself!)
The new Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams DVD includes the first story line featuring Sleepy Beauty (Aurora) from the original classic. Princess Jasmine from Aladdin is also featured. I especially like the message of this DVD, which is believing in oneself. Gone are the days of princesses waiting around and being waited on. These are modern day princesses and Prince Charming is just a fringe benefit of royalty, not a requirement!
Hurry, the drawing ends Sunday midnight!
A few months ago the kids and I were watching a documentary on birds. I wish I could remember the name of it to share here with you, but I can tell you what intrigued us so. Crows are smart and adaptive. It showed footage of crows in cities. In the wild a crow will drop a nut from a high distance hoping to hit a rock below and have it break open. In cities, they have learned they can do the same trick on our city streets. But of course the traffic can make that a wee hazardous. Well, get this, we watched in utter amazement as a crow dropped his nut into a crosswalk. A car ran over it and when the light changed and people started walking across the crosswalk, the crow went along, picked up his goodies and left before the cars started moving again! That's incredible and it's true!
Scientists have attached mini-cam to New Caledonian crows which live in mountainous forests on islands in the South Pacific. And what they learned in a few hours was astounding! These crows use grass and sticks to get bugs out of holes in trees. They also use blades of grass to flip over loose debris on the ground looking for bugs and if they like a particular tool (it does a great job), they actually carry it with them from place to place! God's creatures never cease to amaze me!
In the beginning of 1999, I was signed up on the Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's list. I was fairly new to the attempt at getting published and I wanted to be part of a critique group. I ended up with five other great gals. One ended up dropping out, but the five of us that remain have been going strong and we have all been published in one way or another.
Dotti Enderle is one of the group and she has written several books, a couple of those which I have already reviewed here on this blog.
Last week I was delighted to receive a signed copy of Dotti's newest book Hidden.
The children and I couldn't wait to read it and we got started last week. We enjoyed every bit of this mystery tale.
This is a story of a young girl and her family who are having to clean out the house of their recently departed grandmother. While in the attic, among years and years of belongings, Fiona discovers an undelivered anniversary card that her grandfather had written to her grandmother 60 years ago, but she never received it.
Happy Anniversary, Millie! For better or worse.
Love, Dan
October 11, 1945
(symbols that my keyboard won't reproduce)
P.S. To be on the safe side, I've found a new hiding place.
Fiona instantly believes that there is a secret treasure to be found and she starts to look for it. She tries deciphering those symbols with the help of Eugene, a boy her age who appears and disappears with uncanny regularity. He has lots of great suggestions and the hunt is on.
Along with the treasure hunt, Fiona is busy trying to help her parents pack up, trying to figure out the creepy attorney, and learning more about her family history.This book gets a little dicey in the end. My 7 year old said it didn't scare her, but Fiona is in brief peril so use caution if you do have a child that may be bothered by that. Otherwise, it is a great read and full of fun twists and turns!
Since I am changing my blog name and look, I wanted to have a new button you could use to link to me. I took the wonderful code, that my friend Laura made for me and I created a new image to go with it. I couldn't have done it without her being so generous and showing me the way! Thanks, Laura!
I would love it if you want to put my button on your sidebar! But if you just want to come by and admire it, that is okay too:)
I have contacted the powers that be and it is okay for me to change my name! So I am beginning the process and my blog will be changing in the days/weeks ahead as I struggle to change colors and such. But i have a new header (ain't it pretty?).
If you have linked to me with your RSS feed, you may need to resubscribe, I am not sure. If you have been kind enough to link to me on your blog, please change my name from Yesterday's Hopes to Melissa's Idea Garden!
Many thanks!
In the interest of letting my blog readers know that some of my posts are written for compensation (either cash or products) I am posting my disclosure policy. The below is the legal information. I want you to know that I will not be doing any posts that I feel aren't family friendly or that I personally don't agree with or find interesting. Thanks for understanding that this is a way I can increase our single family income and relieve some pressure from the main bread winner.
This policy is valid from 04 October 2007
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Melissa Markham at melissamarkham@takethemat(dot)com.
This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
That advertising content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.
To get your own policy, go to Disclosure Policy.org
My husband spends even more time on the computer than I do and he often sends me links for stories he believes I will enjoy or that he thinks are just very cool. Today, I thought I would share some of those links with you, in case you want to see some unusual and neat stories too!
Duane Hanson makes amazing life like sculptures. You will think these are real people when you look at them! But, as a warning, parents you should look first. No nudity, but one statue is of a drug addict.
Do you like to swim? Do you exercise by swimming laps, perhaps? Well check out the world's largest swimming poo. One lap will do you for your daily exercise!
Here you can see some really cool elevators from around the world! Some are very creative, a couple are a bit scary....and not to be ridden in if you have a problem with heights.
You never know what treasure your metal detector might turn up. One treasure hunter found a 500 year old sword!
This has got to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Watch a five minute video of South Korean Soccer fans using their jackets to make cool displays. You would swear you were watching an LCD screen!
Hope you enjoyed these cool links!
If you can look at the above image and not be thrilled by the beauty that God has created for us, you need to have your head examined! What a gorgeous sight that has been captured by the Hubble Telescope. It makes me wish that we had starships so I could explore the wondrous galaxy and universe out there.
I will have to be content with exploring our own planet. God knows there is plenty here to see and enjoy and be amazed over. But from time to time, I will gawk at these glorious pictures of the universe and dream...
If you want to read more about the photo of NGC 3603, be sure to visit National Geographic.
Check out this awesome giveway over at Fashion Fling!
Each day for two weeks, they are giving away one of the fragrances of Nuts Cream Perfumes created by Kaponga! Don't miss out on your chance to get some natural smell goods! Good luck!
Researchers have learned that egg shells help produce hydrogen for fuel cells. Normally, carbon dioxide gas is given off, but with the egg shells thrown in, all that is exuded from the process is water vapor. So the process will cut down on green house gases.
At the end of the article it says this will keep eggshells from going to landfill, thereby saving the company money. Great! I am all over recycling.
But the paragraph before that it says, the eggshells will have to be buried to keep the carbon dioxide out of the air. Does that mean that the eggshells act as a sponge to the carbon dioxide and that if dumped in a landfill, the gases then ooze out? And if we still have to bury the eggshells, are we really getting ahead in this endeavor?
Two years ago, my right knee started making a lot of ominous popping sounds. And then one day, while I was squatting down, it gave way with a wrenching, tearing kind of feeling. I went to the ER. The doctor prescribed ice and pain meds. He said I probably had a torn meniscus, but a MRI of the knee would be needed to be sure. He suggested I give it three weeks and then go see an orthopedic surgeon.
So I waited and it got better, slowly. I had to be careful. I couldn't put weight directly on my knee (like getting down on my knees and scrubbing the floor), but slowly it began to feel better and within 6 months, I wasn't having any problems except for occasional twinges.
Then 5 months ago, the ache became worse and finally 3 months ago, I had that wrenching, tearing sensation again. This time i couldn't walk at all for several days and ended up tooling around my house in a wheel chair. I didn't go to the ER this time, but did get some pain meds from my family doctor who recommended the MRI if it didn't feel better after a course of steroids. Well, it did improve. Most days I can walk normally on it, though not as fast as I used to could and it catches if I am not careful. Steps are particularly difficult and long times on my feet. I am trying to ease the burden by losing some weight, but that is a challenge for me when I can exercise and for now, I cannot exercise at all.
A meniscus tear does not heal itself once you get past the teenage years. Most people suffer with it until they have to have it removed which leads to arthritis and eventual knee replacement surgery. The doctor who x-rayed my knee when I went in complaining the second time said he could already see signs of early arthritis. Now there is hope thanks to Schwartz Biomedical company and a new invention: .
I am hopeful that this will be something to solve my dilemma and the other million who suffer from this problem every year!
Because my husband is a computer guru, he is always trying to keep us ahead of the curve. Because of this we often are the ones experiencing the bugs that haven't been worked out of programs.
We got Windows Vista pretty soon after launch and the new Office 2007. Overall, I really like both. I find them to be easier to use and set up more the way I would have set them up (usually, I am fussing because I don't like the way things work and they don't make sense to me).
But as I have been doing more and more blogging and visiting more blogs and opening more windows to deal with photos, word documents, etc. I have noticed that I am running into a problem. My computer refuses to open more windows! I will click on something and it will pretend like it is thinking about it and nothing appears.
Or I will right click on a link I want to follow, but I still want the original page, and no menu pops up. I will go to open a program and Windows says...nope, not doing it! So then, I have to shut everything down and reboot. My computer is three years old. It doesn't care for this process and rebooting can take up to 15 minutes by the time everything shuts down and then starts back up again and then I have to reopen the windows I need. This is extremely annoying!
Well, apparently, this problem has been around with Windows for awhile and there is another computer guru out there who has the solution. If you have been experiencing this problem Ed Bott can tell you how he fixed it. My dear husband, smart man that he is, has followed his advice and he is no longer having this annoying problem.
Now I am hoping my kind, handsome, smart, funny, loving, and sweet husband will fix mine too (hint, hint, hint).
I have been buying and selling on eBay for about 5 years now! I love eBay. I have found some really cool things there like a Star Trek Monopoly game, signed books, and lots of Pokemon! I have purchase curriculum, DVDs, and the Inventors game (a favorite from my childhood).
So when my dear hubby sent me the link to this fun video! I had to share it with the other eBayer's out there who might have missed it!
Have you ever noticed how oversleeping by 90 minutes just throws your whole day off? I have felt like I have been running at breakneck speed ever since in an attempt to catch up, but so far, I still feel behind!
Today I have done the following:
Two loads of laundry
Made up a grocery list
Collected coupons and looked for sales deals as part of making the list
Taught history, spelling, grammar, and math
Watched a movie on Mountain Gorillas with the kids
Worked at my advertising job
Showered
Hauled trash to the dump
Fed rabbits
Stopped by the bank
Stopped by the library
Recycled at the recycling center
Went to a friend's house who used her sewing machine to help fix the pants for Jack's Elvis costume
Went to CVS
Went to Food Lion
Put away groceries
Did dishes
Wrote an Ad
Blogged
Made sure Jack mowed
Made sure the kids practiced piano
I have more ads to write and it is already 8 pm
And I have to read to the kids (one of my favorite things to do during the day)
I did get a delivery from Fed Ex today. It was a book: The High King's Tomb which I won over at Fantasy Book Critic's website.
Now if I can just carve out some time to read!
Ahhh...the cool weather is arriving. And with it comes the harvest of yummy fruits and vegetables (such as pumpkins, potatos, and apples). Of course those yummy fruits and vegetables lead to yummy dishes such as pumpkin pie, apple turnovers, apple cider, candy apples, pumpkin bread, and lots of soups, stews, and mashed potatoes. These are the dishes of fall. The comfort foods that remind us of our yourth. The comfort foods that make us feel...well..comfortable!
And quick on the heels of the apple festivals, fall festivals, pumpkin patch trips, and Halloween will come Thanksgiving and Christmas...is there ever a time of year we don't associate with food? Well, that is another topic for another time.
I was reading over at NBC what the eight most fattening foods of fall are. And I thought I would share that information here just so you could be aware. After all...if we are aware, we can make better choices, right? right????
1. Halloween Candy
2. Mashed Potatoes
3. Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte
4. Apple Pie
5. Cider
6. Stuffing
7. Candy Apple
8. Turducken
Quick, pass me the apple cider and mashed potatoes before my head figures out what my eyes have read!
Over at Always A Work in Progress and get a chance to win The Old Country Church CD by the Wright Family.
Go to Tami's Blog and enjoy the 92nd Edition of the Homeschool Carnival! One of the longest running carnivals I know of! There is lots of great information there, including an entry from me...see if you can find me:)
I prefer to pass on happy news, but when I read this article I was shocked and felt like it was something I wanted to make more people aware of. Apparently there is a heat loving amoeba that lives in lakes and dirty pool water and hot springs that can get into the human system and it eats the brain. If a person is infected with this amoeba, they do not recover. Death usually follows in a couple of weeks.
The amoeba gains access to the body via water going up into the nose. And it usually rests in the muddy, silty bottoms of the lakes. So kids are playing, stirring up the bottom, get water up their nose and they could become infected.
This is horrifying! Scientists believe that as temperatures continue to grow warmer, there will continue to be an increased number of deaths associated with this lethal amoeba. At this point, this disease is rare. Considering the numbers of people swimming in lakes and the number that actually became infected. For prevention, it is best to steer clear of algae filled areas and to wear nose plugs.
For more information on this situation, read this article at PhysOrg.com.
I love pasta! It is versatile and comes in so many shapes and textures. My absolute favorite pasta is angel hair pasta. I can eat that all by itself. Recently, I had it wish smoked mozzarella sauce...I was afraid the sauce might be too heavy for the pasta, but I have to tell you that as far as I was concerned, it was absolutely perfect! Daniel sent me a link to the National Pasta Association website. I didn't realize there were so many different types of pasta!
Of course, different pastas are best with different types of sauces. If you check out the link above, you can find which sauce best compliments which pasta. I found it very interesting and some of these pastas I have never even seen before.
In addition to angel hair pasta, I also like penne pasta, rotini pasta, and shell pasta. How about you? What types of pasta do you like? Inquiring minds want to know!
Inspired by the weekly contests at The Average Girl's Guide to Being A Princess, I have decided to begin a regular post entitled Monday's Act of Random Kindness. In it I will tell whatever random acts of kindness I manage to do, observe or receive during the week. I am hoping this will help me to be more aware of opportunities that I have to be kind to others. I also thought it would be a great way to start my week, and hopefully yours!
I would love to hear about your Random Acts of Kindess. Feel free to share in the comments below or if you post about them, leave a link and I'll come visit!
1. My friend and author, Dotti Enderle, sent my children a signed copy of her newest book as a gift. The newest book is Hidden. She sent it as a thank you for some review work I had done for her. We can't wait to read it!
2. Our family received four tickets to listen to Emile Pandolfi Christmas Show with Jim Sibley in Danville on December 2nd. A friend of ours had invited us to go and when I had to decline because of current finances, she sent tickets for us anyway. We absolutely cannot wait!
3. On Tuesday, I received an anonymous comment on my Home Sweet Home blog regarding a post I had made in March of 2006. It was a student who was researching the Ice Man and had found my site. She said it helped her with her school paper she was writing:) WOW!!!!
Dramatic Irony is when you know something that is going o in a story or in a program that the character does not know.
Irony - a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant.
We all have visions about the way our lives will play out, but what we don't know is how the end will come. I think if sometimes we knew, we would either die laughing or crying. Check out these unexpected ends and the irony of them.
Native Americans have always been near and dear to my heart. My great grandmother was a full-blooded Indian and I have always been proud to have that as part of my heritage. So when I was trying to decide which animals to research for the non-fiction books I wanted to write, the American Bison was an easy choice.
Here was an animal that was a huge part of the life of the Plains Indians and that went from numbering in the 10s of millions to the brink of extinction in about 100-150 years. And now it is making a comeback. It is an amazing story and I wanted to know more about this native American mammal.
So I have researched about the American Bison. I have put together an Ebook that will give you information from the time a bison calf is born until she has a calf of her own. There are wonderful photos provided by First People. There are hyperlinks so you can visit a variety of websites for more information.
After I put this book together, I had it reviewed by three experts for accuracy and it passed with flying colors. Now it is available for you to purchase for $10.00. Once purchased, I will email it to you ASAP.
Here are what others are saying about this ebook:
'One of the things I really enjoy about her e-books is that she links certain words and phrases to websites where you can learn more about these things. To a homeschooling mom, this is a great thing as it encourages further learning and research'. - Heidi from Reviews by Heidi
'Learn about how these wonderful creatures protect their young from predators, how they survive during the cold winter months, and more.' - Laura at Laura Williams Musings
'I enjoyed Melissa Markham's evocative accounts of the lives of bison and the interesting photographs she has used in her e-books are a bonus.'- Paeony Lewis, children's author
'Melissa Markham's educational ebooks make a perfect tie-in for both classroom and homeschool.' - Dotti Enderle, children's author
'Melissa Markham magnificently weaves together her story with facts'. Anna at Homeschooling In Illinois.
'I was thinking this would be a fabulous book to include in an Early America study!' Jamin at Just Call Me Jamin.
A few years ago, I read some animal books that I fell in love with. The style was such that the author described the major life events in a story style. The information was nonfiction, but the narration was entertaining. I wanted to write animal books this way as well. One of the animals I chose to write about was the Ruby-Throated Hummingbrid.
After completing my manuscript which was reviewed by three professionals who knew a great deal about Ruby-throated hummingbirds, I submitted the manuscript to agents and publishers. I was amazed when one of the top children's agents called me up and said he liked the manuscript and was going to pitch it to a publisher. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out. The publisher already had a hummingbird book on his upcoming list for the spring and he wasn't interested. Further research by the agent showed there was more than one hummingbird book coming out and so he decided to pass too.
I sent my manuscript around to other publishers, and though I received many encouraging words, I didn't get any takers. In fact, after 5 years of writing, it was the rejection of my three non-fiction animal manuscripts that let to me throwing in the towel.
I put a lot of work into these books and I got to thinking, they would be great ebooks. So I have formatted my manuscripts, added photos and there are hyperlinks so you can easily obtain more information. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Ebook sells for $10.00. You can purchase it via Paypal by pushing the button below. If you don't have a paypal account, I also accept personal checks and money orders.
Here is what others are saying about The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Ebook:
One of the things I really enjoy about her e-books is that she links certain words and phrases to websites where you can learn more about these things. To a homeschooling mom, this is a great thing as it encourages further learning and research. - Heidi from Reviews by Heidi
She takes you on a learning journey about these majestic birds from their life in the rainforests of Central America to the Eastern part of the United States. Her inclusion of wonderful hummingbird photos brings the facts in this ebook to life.-Laura at Laura William's Musings
'I enjoyed Melissa Markham's evocative accounts of the lives of ruby-throated hummingbirds and the interesting photographs she has used in her e-books are a bonus.'- Paeony Lewis, children's author
'Melissa Markham's educational ebooks make a perfect tie-in for both classroom and homeschool.' - Dotti Enderle, children's author
'Melissa Markham magnificently weaves together her story with facts'. Anna at Homeschooling In Illinois.
My daughter was spellbound as we read! There are also the most amazing pictures! As I mentioned before Melissa has a way with finding wonderful facts and pictures of wildlife. This bookis no exception! There are beautiful close up pictures of hummingbirds on every page! Jamin at Just Call Me Jamin!
The kids and I have been reading a biography of Marco Polo by Olive Price. This is an older book that I picked up at a book sale. It was published in 1953. The kids have enjoyed playing Marco Polo in the pool, so I thought it would be fun to read the book. He led a fascinating life, but what really threw me was when we were reading last night and came across this statement:
"It was on Sumatra that he first saw an animal called the unicorn. It looked like a white horse. but it had one straight horn growing out from its forehead."
I was taken aback. This is a nonfiction book. I didn't believe anyone had ever actually seen a unicorn...so I of course had to google it:
I found the website In the Footsteps of Marco Polo and here are the descriptions from his travels.
Did Marco Polo really see a unicorn? In the Middle Ages, most Europeans believed in the existence of such creatures. Read the following descriptions from Marco's Travels and try sketching the animals just as described.
In Kara-jang:
"In this province live huge snakes and serpents of such a size that no one could help but be amazed even to hear of them. They have two squat legs in front near the head, which have no feet but simply three claws, two small and one bigger. They have enormous heads and eyes so bulging that they are bigger than loaves. Their mouth is big enough to swallow a man at one gulp."
In Sumatra:
"They have wild elephants and plenty of unicorns, which are scarcely smaller than elephants. They have the hair of a buffalo and feet like an elephant’s. They have a single large, black horn in the middle of the forehead. They do not attack with their horn, but only with their tongue and their knees; for their tongues are furnished with long, sharp spines, so that when they want to do any harm to anyone they first crush him by kneeling upon him and then lacerate him with their tongues."
The first describes a crocodile. The second is a rhinoceros.
The book also mentions a flour tree he discovered in Sumatra. This is what is known as the Sago Tree.
Be sure to come and check out my main site for a bunch of neat opportunities to win in the month of October.
Around the 15th of October, I will be posting a review about Amy Grant's book, Mosaic and I have three copies to give away!
Linky Contest (this lasts until October 15th)
4-H Community Project for Soldiers in Iraq/Sticky Note #3 (this lasts until October 25th).
It's a Contest! It's a Product Promotion! Help Katrina Survivors! Have fun! Sticky Post #1 (this lasts the whole month of October.)
And from my friend's blog....she is actually giving away my products so it is another chance to win. These contests end October 5th.
Three Educational Ebooks - Bison, Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, and Komodo Dragon
A Recipe CD (over 460 recipes)
