Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The world of a six year old - in pictures
Pictures by my 6 year old. These are really quite good. They are very artistic. They make you think about the way the world looks to a six year old. Insightful, inspiring....
To kill a plant
I never knew that mint plants came in so many flavors. There is mint, spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, candy mint and more. I bought a candy mint and fell in love with it's smell. It wasn't the best looking mint plant, but I couldn't resist the smell. I kept it on the back patio with my other potted plants. It did fine, but not too healthy. I watered it good and stuck it on the front porch. The candy mint was very happy there and it became nice and green.
Then we had that dumb heat wave and power outage (which for us included water outage.) The plants did not get watered. The candy mint fried in the sun and died. I put it back on the back porch and left it there. It was a black bit of plant. Sad and dead. I couldn't throw it out. So, it sat for several weeks, dead as a doornail on the back porch. It sat through several rain storms.
This weekend, I noticed a little shoot of green was coming up from the candy mint plant. I figured it was a weed that had managed to plant itself into the pot. I picked up the pot and looked at the little plant. It looked like the candy mint. I gingerly touched its leaves and smelt my finger - mint! The candy mint came back to life!
It is now in my house, sitting in a cool, but sunny place and it is growing again. I pruned away most of the dead plant and the candy mint is once again growing. I won't kill it again. I promise.
Then we had that dumb heat wave and power outage (which for us included water outage.) The plants did not get watered. The candy mint fried in the sun and died. I put it back on the back porch and left it there. It was a black bit of plant. Sad and dead. I couldn't throw it out. So, it sat for several weeks, dead as a doornail on the back porch. It sat through several rain storms.
This weekend, I noticed a little shoot of green was coming up from the candy mint plant. I figured it was a weed that had managed to plant itself into the pot. I picked up the pot and looked at the little plant. It looked like the candy mint. I gingerly touched its leaves and smelt my finger - mint! The candy mint came back to life!
It is now in my house, sitting in a cool, but sunny place and it is growing again. I pruned away most of the dead plant and the candy mint is once again growing. I won't kill it again. I promise.
 |
| The dead candy mint and the tiny sprout of new green mint. It's ALIVE! |
Friday, July 27, 2012
Who ya rootin' for?
My kids and I just watched a bit of the soccer games from the summer Olympics. We saw the Spain vs Japan and the Mexico vs S. Korea. I cheered for them all. Every time one team got near the goal, I cheered them on. Every miss on the goal, I groaned. When it comes to games involving teams other than USA, I just cheer them all on.
Oddly, in both the games I watched, none of the teams scored while I was watching. Maybe I had better not watch the USA game. They might not score......
Oddly, in both the games I watched, none of the teams scored while I was watching. Maybe I had better not watch the USA game. They might not score......
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Chair Survey Results
Well, here are the personality results of the amazing chair survey. Does the description fit you?
Amazing, isn't it? Any idea who might have done the exhaustive and creative research for this incredibly accurate survey? It's me! Yes, I know, I'm good!
Straight back kitchen chair:
You are used to dealing with tough situations. You follow the rules and you are strict, but
fair. Your friends and coworkers respect
your ability to make decisions. But like
kitchen chairs, you also bring people together for good food.
Folding chair:
You
are adaptable. At work, co-workers look
to you during company changes because you always keep a cool head. At home you are fun and always trying new
things. You bring people together and
are a great host/hostess. People feel
relaxed and at-ease when they are with you.
Chair without a back:
You
don’t follow the rules. Always looking
for the alternative, you are creative and innovative. Supervisors go to you when a new solution is
needed for a problem. You are not
confined. You never have your back
against the wall and can see in all directions.
At home you are always looking for new projects that allow your creative
juices to flow.
Big squishy arm chair:
You
are kind, friendly and welcoming like a comfortable sofa. Co-workers and friends come to you when they
need a friend. You are a good listener
and can give level-headed advice.
However, you will not be taken advantage of. The big comfy armchair is also like a throne
and you are like royalty. You are
respected and revered.
Rolling computer chair:
You
are a logical thinker with a flair for fun.
A problem solver, you are heavily relied on at work. You can be depended on. At home your logical side keeps the finances
in order while the fun rolling side is great at rolling with the punches and
seeing the cup of life half full.
Amazing, isn't it? Any idea who might have done the exhaustive and creative research for this incredibly accurate survey? It's me! Yes, I know, I'm good!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Chair Personality Survey
A new survey has come out from Mrs. Golightly's Sitting University. It is a personality survey based on your chair preference.
Are you:
A straight back kitchen chair
A chair without a back
A big squishy arm chair
A folding chair
A rolling computer chair
This is quite the interesting survey and one I'm sure you will find to be most enlightening.
Tell me in the comments, who are you?
Are you:
A straight back kitchen chair
A chair without a back
A big squishy arm chair
A folding chair
A rolling computer chair
This is quite the interesting survey and one I'm sure you will find to be most enlightening.
Tell me in the comments, who are you?
Monday, July 16, 2012
My teen improv group
Back in April or May, I started an improv group for the local teens. It has been a lot of fun and we've had eight kids coming regularly. We've played a bunch of games, but I'm starting to see their favorites and what they do best in.
They are a funny group of kids. They are all sci-fi geeks and I say that in the most loving way possible. They love Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. They are fans of The Muppet's, Lord of the Rings and Weird Al.
In addition to doing improv, I'm going to introduce doing some sketches. I'm writing one now called "An outer space survival guide." We will draw on funny cliches and situations from their favorite sci-fi shows.
Recently we tried a new game. It has no name that I know of, but you could best describe it like a biography show. We choose a famous character, like Han Solo from Star Wars. The kids have to create their own character and how they are related to Han. They take turns coming to center stage with me. I'm the interviewer.
Me: Welcome, may I have your name please?
Teen: My name is Papa Lapa Shapa Lapa Ding Dong.
Me: Welcome Mr. Ding Dong. Tell me, how do you know Han Solo?
Teen: He use to come to my dance studio. I taught him how to dance the cha cha.
Me: Really? Is Mr. Solo a good dancer?
Teen: He is now.
and it just goes on from there. That little conversation was based on one of the characters one of the teens did. I loved the name the kid used and he says it very fast, so it's really funny. Each time we meet they get more and more creative. They are also getting louder and louder as their excitement grows. Someone get me some ear plugs!
They are a funny group of kids. They are all sci-fi geeks and I say that in the most loving way possible. They love Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. They are fans of The Muppet's, Lord of the Rings and Weird Al.
In addition to doing improv, I'm going to introduce doing some sketches. I'm writing one now called "An outer space survival guide." We will draw on funny cliches and situations from their favorite sci-fi shows.
Recently we tried a new game. It has no name that I know of, but you could best describe it like a biography show. We choose a famous character, like Han Solo from Star Wars. The kids have to create their own character and how they are related to Han. They take turns coming to center stage with me. I'm the interviewer.
Me: Welcome, may I have your name please?
Teen: My name is Papa Lapa Shapa Lapa Ding Dong.
Me: Welcome Mr. Ding Dong. Tell me, how do you know Han Solo?
Teen: He use to come to my dance studio. I taught him how to dance the cha cha.
Me: Really? Is Mr. Solo a good dancer?
Teen: He is now.
and it just goes on from there. That little conversation was based on one of the characters one of the teens did. I loved the name the kid used and he says it very fast, so it's really funny. Each time we meet they get more and more creative. They are also getting louder and louder as their excitement grows. Someone get me some ear plugs!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Need a Logo?
Does your company need a logo? My husband has created a number of professional and individualized logos for various companies.
Hubby's for hire! If your company needs a logo, contact him and he will create a logo to your specifications.
He is very good. He created my Auntie M's Children's Theater logo, see on the right side of the blog. If you are interested in having him create a logo for your company, leave a comment and I'll have him contact you. His rates are very reasonable. Check out some examples of his work:
Hubby's for hire! If your company needs a logo, contact him and he will create a logo to your specifications.
He is very good. He created my Auntie M's Children's Theater logo, see on the right side of the blog. If you are interested in having him create a logo for your company, leave a comment and I'll have him contact you. His rates are very reasonable. Check out some examples of his work:
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
My first book
This is a digital world! I wasn't going to wait any longer for a 19th century process when the 21st century is at my fingertips.
Very few publishing companies publish more than a few books a year and even fewer of those traditional books are from first-time authors. The publishing world is a near impossible world to break into. I've been trying for several years, but all I got was the standard form letter saying, "Thank you for your interest, but we are not looking for anything new at this time (or we are not the right publisher for your work). Best of luck."
A few months ago, I read an article about a woman who published her first book through Amazon's Kindle online publishing. Within a year, her book had sold over 600,000 times! A movie company was looking to buy the rights to the book. All of that and not a single traditional paper book was printed. Last month I read another article about an author who had published a couple of books the traditional way, but was completely frustrated by the process that the publishing company goes through. The author lost all rights to the publicity of her book and the publishers took a considerable chunk of the profits. This author switched to Amazon and love it. The author retains all control of the publicity and can even set the price of their book.
I knew this was the way for me to go. Two weeks ago, I took the step and published my first book through Amazon. I'm very proud of this. It is a middle school aged fiction for girls. So far, I've sold three copies! I bought one, of course, my grandmother and my aunt. Thanks family for your support! Check it out: Go Band Go!
Very few publishing companies publish more than a few books a year and even fewer of those traditional books are from first-time authors. The publishing world is a near impossible world to break into. I've been trying for several years, but all I got was the standard form letter saying, "Thank you for your interest, but we are not looking for anything new at this time (or we are not the right publisher for your work). Best of luck."
A few months ago, I read an article about a woman who published her first book through Amazon's Kindle online publishing. Within a year, her book had sold over 600,000 times! A movie company was looking to buy the rights to the book. All of that and not a single traditional paper book was printed. Last month I read another article about an author who had published a couple of books the traditional way, but was completely frustrated by the process that the publishing company goes through. The author lost all rights to the publicity of her book and the publishers took a considerable chunk of the profits. This author switched to Amazon and love it. The author retains all control of the publicity and can even set the price of their book.
I knew this was the way for me to go. Two weeks ago, I took the step and published my first book through Amazon. I'm very proud of this. It is a middle school aged fiction for girls. So far, I've sold three copies! I bought one, of course, my grandmother and my aunt. Thanks family for your support! Check it out: Go Band Go!
"Moriah, Eva and Kathy are best friends and starting the
seventh grade. Moriah and Kathy play the flute and Eva plays the trumpet in the
school pep band that performs at all of the school’s football games. With such
great friends Moriah is sure that this year will be fantastic.
Then, Moriah’s parents announce they are going to adopt a baby from China and Moriah is worried that the baby might turn out to be as annoying as her brother, Michael. On the first day of seventh grade, Moriah forgets to take her flute to school, finds out she has the dreaded Mrs. Talbot for her history teacher, and Walter, the weirdest kid at school wants to talk to Moriah in alien languages. When she gets to her first football game, Moriah realizes she knows absolutely nothing about football. And when all the band’s mouthpieces go missing, Moriah is on the lookout for the thief.
Moriah is going to need Eva and Kathy to help her get through the seventh grade and she begins to see that her friends will need her too."
Then, Moriah’s parents announce they are going to adopt a baby from China and Moriah is worried that the baby might turn out to be as annoying as her brother, Michael. On the first day of seventh grade, Moriah forgets to take her flute to school, finds out she has the dreaded Mrs. Talbot for her history teacher, and Walter, the weirdest kid at school wants to talk to Moriah in alien languages. When she gets to her first football game, Moriah realizes she knows absolutely nothing about football. And when all the band’s mouthpieces go missing, Moriah is on the lookout for the thief.
Moriah is going to need Eva and Kathy to help her get through the seventh grade and she begins to see that her friends will need her too."
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Is the price OK?
You know the routine when paying for something at a store: If you use a card of any kind, you have to answer 3-5 questions before the purchase transaction is done.
"Your total is $37.84"
slide card
"Enter pin"
****
"Do you want cash back?"
No
"Is $37.84 OK?"
To me, this is the kicker. I just want to yell at the machine NO! No it is not OK that I'm paying over $3 for a gallon of milk. No it is not OK that the loaf of bread is $1.20. No it is not OK that I can fit $37 worth of food into one little grocery sack. No, $37.84 is too high. Can you lower the price a bit?
Instead of yelling "NO!" at the machine, I punch the 'yes' button and get my receipt.
"Your total is $37.84"
slide card
"Enter pin"
****
"Do you want cash back?"
No
"Is $37.84 OK?"
To me, this is the kicker. I just want to yell at the machine NO! No it is not OK that I'm paying over $3 for a gallon of milk. No it is not OK that the loaf of bread is $1.20. No it is not OK that I can fit $37 worth of food into one little grocery sack. No, $37.84 is too high. Can you lower the price a bit?
Instead of yelling "NO!" at the machine, I punch the 'yes' button and get my receipt.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Our corner of insanity
Can I just say that life has been a little on the crazy side recently?
Let me go back a bit:
June 21-23 - Hubby is in the hospital with stomach pains that ended up with one procedure and gall bladder removal surgery. I spent most of my time during those days at the hospital with the Hubby. One of our children's birthdays fell during that weekend. Needless to say, it wasn't the ideal birthday for that child (or perhaps it was as mom and dad weren't around that day and the kids were able to do whatever they wanted all day long.)
June 24 - 29 - Hubby is home, but hurting. I'm not a great nurse, but I try to make sure he is as comfortable as he can be. Lots of ice packs and heating pads. I try to do normal stuff around the house. The kids hang out and play.
June 29 - At 11:30pm, the power is knocked out. A storm is starting. Two of the kids are asleep and the rest of us go to the back door to watch the storm. It is an awesome storm to watch. The wind blew like we've never seen before. Trees were swaying like flowers in a breeze. My potted plants all fell over. The lightning and thunder were constant and it even rained a bit. The storm lasted for a good half hour before the wind finally slowed down. We went to bed. No power. It was pretty warm in the house.
Saturday, June 30 - We got up early and surveyed the damage done to the house and yard. The house suffered none. The yard had some downed tree limbs and our corn garden was flattened. We were one of the lucky ones. Several friends had trees fall on their homes and sheds. We cleaned the limbs out of our yard, did our best to stand the corn back up and save it, and gathered all the trash that blew in. Our water is from a well in our yard. Sadly, when the electricity goes out, so does the well's pump. So, we had no water. Temperatures were in the hundreds. It was hot, we were sticky, and had no way to cool down or wash off. I made a couple of trips to a nearby gas station for 5 bags of ice. We had to save our fridge/freezer food. I built up a fire in the fire pit (extra hot) and we cooked lunch and dinner over the fire.
Sunday, July 1- I spent a terribly hot night in the lower half of the house. I felt so icky. We went to church, quite sticky and my hair was a mess. I pulled it up into a bun and hoped no one would look at me (or smell me) too closely. Everyone at church had had their power out for a while. Some of them got power immediately, some on Saturday and some while we were at church, their power came back. Some of us weren't so lucky. One of our friends invited us to their house that evening so we could shower. Ooo, it felt so good. Unfortunately, we went back home to a hot, sticky house.
During the weekend, I fixed all of our meals over a fire in cast iron pans and dutch ovens. I did dishes outside in a couple of tubs of water. I even tried to wash some clothes, but my tubs weren't deep enough and without a washboard of some sort, they didn't get very clean. But I tried and I was very proud of myself.
Monday, July 2 - I was HOT! After finding out the boys scout camp had been canceled due to the power outage (ironic, no?) I packed up the kids and we left for my sister's home in Illinois. Poor Hubby had to stay home in the heat. His job was to keep our plants as alive as possible and be here when the power came back on to take care of the house.
I drove for 15 hours!!!!! I've never driven that long before. My previous record was 13 hours, but 15??? I will not be setting a goal to break that record. It is too freaking long. My kids were awesome in the van for the 15 hours. The drive is actually 13 hours, provided you don't stop for gas or bathroom breaks. Well, we had at least 4 bathroom breaks, two gas stops, and two food stops. All of Virginia, West Virginia and parts of Kentucky had power outages too. It was hard to find a working gas station.
July 3 - At 1 in the morning (my time, midnight my sister's time) I pulled into the driveway of my sister's home. I was so tired, but the kids, who had been sleeping in the van the previous 3 hours weren't as tired as I was. It took a while to get them all settled down and asleep.
July 3-5 - Hung out with my sister and had a wonderful time. We hadn't seen each other in 2 years. It was great fun. I could type a super duper long post about my visit with her. As this post is already reaching an epic length, I'll not tell about my stay in Illinois. A call from Hubby told me power came back on in the late afternoon of July 3.
July 6 - Drove back. This time, we made 2 bathroom/gas breaks and one short food break. We ate our meals in the van as I drove. It took 14 hours. I got back at 11:36pm. What a long, long, long day. My two youngest fought a lot, but really, the kids were all amazing considering the amount of time we spent driving. I came home to 25 more quarts and 20 more pints of pickles and dilly beans. Hubby was incredibly busy on the 4th of July.
July 7 - TODAY! Unpacked. Cleaned my kids room. What a project! Also, had a date with Hubby, who is feeling much better. Hopefully, the crazy unexpected semi-crisis's are over and we can enjoy the rest of summer the way it is meant to be enjoyed - watching The Monkees!
Let me go back a bit:
June 21-23 - Hubby is in the hospital with stomach pains that ended up with one procedure and gall bladder removal surgery. I spent most of my time during those days at the hospital with the Hubby. One of our children's birthdays fell during that weekend. Needless to say, it wasn't the ideal birthday for that child (or perhaps it was as mom and dad weren't around that day and the kids were able to do whatever they wanted all day long.)
June 24 - 29 - Hubby is home, but hurting. I'm not a great nurse, but I try to make sure he is as comfortable as he can be. Lots of ice packs and heating pads. I try to do normal stuff around the house. The kids hang out and play.
June 29 - At 11:30pm, the power is knocked out. A storm is starting. Two of the kids are asleep and the rest of us go to the back door to watch the storm. It is an awesome storm to watch. The wind blew like we've never seen before. Trees were swaying like flowers in a breeze. My potted plants all fell over. The lightning and thunder were constant and it even rained a bit. The storm lasted for a good half hour before the wind finally slowed down. We went to bed. No power. It was pretty warm in the house.
Saturday, June 30 - We got up early and surveyed the damage done to the house and yard. The house suffered none. The yard had some downed tree limbs and our corn garden was flattened. We were one of the lucky ones. Several friends had trees fall on their homes and sheds. We cleaned the limbs out of our yard, did our best to stand the corn back up and save it, and gathered all the trash that blew in. Our water is from a well in our yard. Sadly, when the electricity goes out, so does the well's pump. So, we had no water. Temperatures were in the hundreds. It was hot, we were sticky, and had no way to cool down or wash off. I made a couple of trips to a nearby gas station for 5 bags of ice. We had to save our fridge/freezer food. I built up a fire in the fire pit (extra hot) and we cooked lunch and dinner over the fire.
Sunday, July 1- I spent a terribly hot night in the lower half of the house. I felt so icky. We went to church, quite sticky and my hair was a mess. I pulled it up into a bun and hoped no one would look at me (or smell me) too closely. Everyone at church had had their power out for a while. Some of them got power immediately, some on Saturday and some while we were at church, their power came back. Some of us weren't so lucky. One of our friends invited us to their house that evening so we could shower. Ooo, it felt so good. Unfortunately, we went back home to a hot, sticky house.
During the weekend, I fixed all of our meals over a fire in cast iron pans and dutch ovens. I did dishes outside in a couple of tubs of water. I even tried to wash some clothes, but my tubs weren't deep enough and without a washboard of some sort, they didn't get very clean. But I tried and I was very proud of myself.
Monday, July 2 - I was HOT! After finding out the boys scout camp had been canceled due to the power outage (ironic, no?) I packed up the kids and we left for my sister's home in Illinois. Poor Hubby had to stay home in the heat. His job was to keep our plants as alive as possible and be here when the power came back on to take care of the house.
I drove for 15 hours!!!!! I've never driven that long before. My previous record was 13 hours, but 15??? I will not be setting a goal to break that record. It is too freaking long. My kids were awesome in the van for the 15 hours. The drive is actually 13 hours, provided you don't stop for gas or bathroom breaks. Well, we had at least 4 bathroom breaks, two gas stops, and two food stops. All of Virginia, West Virginia and parts of Kentucky had power outages too. It was hard to find a working gas station.
July 3 - At 1 in the morning (my time, midnight my sister's time) I pulled into the driveway of my sister's home. I was so tired, but the kids, who had been sleeping in the van the previous 3 hours weren't as tired as I was. It took a while to get them all settled down and asleep.
July 3-5 - Hung out with my sister and had a wonderful time. We hadn't seen each other in 2 years. It was great fun. I could type a super duper long post about my visit with her. As this post is already reaching an epic length, I'll not tell about my stay in Illinois. A call from Hubby told me power came back on in the late afternoon of July 3.
July 6 - Drove back. This time, we made 2 bathroom/gas breaks and one short food break. We ate our meals in the van as I drove. It took 14 hours. I got back at 11:36pm. What a long, long, long day. My two youngest fought a lot, but really, the kids were all amazing considering the amount of time we spent driving. I came home to 25 more quarts and 20 more pints of pickles and dilly beans. Hubby was incredibly busy on the 4th of July.
July 7 - TODAY! Unpacked. Cleaned my kids room. What a project! Also, had a date with Hubby, who is feeling much better. Hopefully, the crazy unexpected semi-crisis's are over and we can enjoy the rest of summer the way it is meant to be enjoyed - watching The Monkees!
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Annual 4th of July Cake Contest
The annual family cake decorating contest!
This year I got to be with my sister during the competition. We rocked it!
This year I got to be with my sister during the competition. We rocked it!
 |
| Remember the Alamo!! |
 |
| The Land of Lincoln |
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Lots and lots of cucumbers
We've had a great harvest of cucumbers from the garden.
I have never made pickles before, but the reason we grew cucumbers is so we could have pickles!
I read up on a few recipes, bought a 12 pack of quart sized jars, some dill, some garlic, a large box of salt, and a lot of vinegar.
With my husband's help, it took us four pots, three burners, and several hours to do the job. Most of the cucumbers were cut into spears, but there are some that were sliced. You can see in the picture below the jar in the middle was sliced. On Father's Day, we made 12 quarts and 3 pints of pickles.
Yesterday I made 10 more quarts of pickles and another 2 quarts of dilly beans (pickeled green beans.) We've got A LOT of canned pickles. The recipe said to wait three weeks to try them. I'm thinking on the 4th of July we'll bust out a jar of pickles and see how they taste.
I hope they are good because we've got 24 quarts of the stuff!
I have never made pickles before, but the reason we grew cucumbers is so we could have pickles!
With my husband's help, it took us four pots, three burners, and several hours to do the job. Most of the cucumbers were cut into spears, but there are some that were sliced. You can see in the picture below the jar in the middle was sliced. On Father's Day, we made 12 quarts and 3 pints of pickles.
Yesterday I made 10 more quarts of pickles and another 2 quarts of dilly beans (pickeled green beans.) We've got A LOT of canned pickles. The recipe said to wait three weeks to try them. I'm thinking on the 4th of July we'll bust out a jar of pickles and see how they taste.
I hope they are good because we've got 24 quarts of the stuff!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
A little bit crazy
This week got a little crazy. Hopefully, all returns to normal next week.... we shall see.
I took pictures of my pickles that I made last Sunday, but I haven't uploaded them to the computer yet.
The kids are having a good summer. They've played a lot on the trampoline, lots of Wii and computer games, watched movies and all those good things. This coming week starts the several weeks of camps that various kids are involved in.
My improv group is going very well. I'm actually doing two. One is for a group of teenagers. They are funny, loud, and very creative. The other group is for kids ages 7-12. I've got three or four kids coming to that along with my four kids. It's been a lot of fun.
My house has been neglected for the last three days. The kids have done a pretty good job of cleaning and working, but there is still some serious cleaning that I need to do. Off to do that....
I took pictures of my pickles that I made last Sunday, but I haven't uploaded them to the computer yet.
The kids are having a good summer. They've played a lot on the trampoline, lots of Wii and computer games, watched movies and all those good things. This coming week starts the several weeks of camps that various kids are involved in.
My improv group is going very well. I'm actually doing two. One is for a group of teenagers. They are funny, loud, and very creative. The other group is for kids ages 7-12. I've got three or four kids coming to that along with my four kids. It's been a lot of fun.
My house has been neglected for the last three days. The kids have done a pretty good job of cleaning and working, but there is still some serious cleaning that I need to do. Off to do that....
Monday, June 18, 2012
The Fruits of our Garden
Over the weekend, we harvested some of our garden. There is more still growing!
This weekend's harvest included: more peas, green beans, 6 small potatoes, 4 rhubarb stalks, lemon mint, borage flowers and leaves, and a bunch of cucumbers.
I wanted to make rhubarb jelly. I've never done that before! I had a hard time finding a simple rhubarb only recipe, but finally managed to come up with one and I got started. It wasn't difficult at all and I ended up with one jar of naturally beautiful red jelly.
The jelly jar got canned properly and here it is:
Don't you just love the color?? The mixture in the cheese cloth, we took out and kept. It's the consistency of chutney and so yummy on crackers. Who knew rhubarb could be so good. (Of course, with two cups of sugar mixed in, how could it not be good?)
Coming next: Pickles, lots and lots of pickles!
This weekend's harvest included: more peas, green beans, 6 small potatoes, 4 rhubarb stalks, lemon mint, borage flowers and leaves, and a bunch of cucumbers.
I wanted to make rhubarb jelly. I've never done that before! I had a hard time finding a simple rhubarb only recipe, but finally managed to come up with one and I got started. It wasn't difficult at all and I ended up with one jar of naturally beautiful red jelly.
The stalks, already a beautiful red.
After boiling the chopped stalks, pectin and lots of sugar, I hung the mixture in cheese cloth and let it drip into the jelly jar. In this picture, it had already filled up the jelly jar, but was still dripping some jelly, so I filled up a little Tupperware and we've been eating that.
The jelly jar got canned properly and here it is:
Don't you just love the color?? The mixture in the cheese cloth, we took out and kept. It's the consistency of chutney and so yummy on crackers. Who knew rhubarb could be so good. (Of course, with two cups of sugar mixed in, how could it not be good?)
Coming next: Pickles, lots and lots of pickles!
Friday, June 15, 2012
When the kids get hold of the camera
Photos taken by my kids. This first one is one of the boys holding a balloon. Thanks to the joys of a paint program, they enhanced the picture.
A science fair project: What would happen to your nose if you didn't have snot? Balloon #1 got a daily application of "snot", balloon #2 got snot every other day and balloon #3 received snot only once.
Do you want to know what happens to those balloons? Here you see balloon #1 after 10 days or so of daily snot application:
Day 10 of balloon #3 after getting only one snot application. It isn't pretty:
This is what we get when Peanut gets a hold of the camera. A picture of birthday decorations and her pre-school workbook.
There you go. Random photos from my camera. Kids are so entertaining!
A science fair project: What would happen to your nose if you didn't have snot? Balloon #1 got a daily application of "snot", balloon #2 got snot every other day and balloon #3 received snot only once.
Do you want to know what happens to those balloons? Here you see balloon #1 after 10 days or so of daily snot application:
Day 10 of balloon #3 after getting only one snot application. It isn't pretty:
This is what we get when Peanut gets a hold of the camera. A picture of birthday decorations and her pre-school workbook.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
My Great-Grandmother
I've written about my great-grandmother before. Her name was Peggy, but we called her Mamu. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland. While I'm always aware of my Scottish heritage, I don't often think about it much, but over the last year and especially the last few months, Scotland has been thrown into my mind over and over again.
I'm trying to re-connect with the family there. I've met some of the cousins, back in 1992 when I got to travel to Scotland. (Seriously, I can't believe it's been 20 years.) When it comes to my family history from my Scottish line, I don't know much, so one of the cousins and I are trying to share. Technology is amazing.
Here is one picture I have of my great-grandmother that I love. It is her and her older brother, Jimmy, taken in 1901.
Mamu is 4 in this picture, the same age as my youngest daughter. Peanut actually has the exact same shape of face as Mamu and by this picture, I would even guess their hair color is similar. Family!
I'm trying to re-connect with the family there. I've met some of the cousins, back in 1992 when I got to travel to Scotland. (Seriously, I can't believe it's been 20 years.) When it comes to my family history from my Scottish line, I don't know much, so one of the cousins and I are trying to share. Technology is amazing.
Here is one picture I have of my great-grandmother that I love. It is her and her older brother, Jimmy, taken in 1901.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
The herb garden
I'm growing the neatest little herb garden. I'm very pleased with the way it is working out. One new plant that I've got growing, I had never seen before, but after some reading, I was quite intrigued. It's called borage. I've planted a bunch, but one has grown much larger than any of the rest. It' comes up to my thigh, so it's tall. Two days ago it produced it's first flower!
The borage has a lot of herbal medicine qualities. It's good for coughs and stress. Next time my kids get a cough, I'm going to try making a tincture with the borage leaves. I've been reading about the borage and it has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries.
This is the beautiful flower of the borage. It's blue about about the size of a penny. The flowers are edible and can be used as a salad topper, dessert topper or frozen in ice cubes for drinks. They sure are pretty little flowers.
I ate this one today. I felt very silly pulling a flower of a plant and sticking the flower into my mouth, but I was given quite the little surprise. The center of the flower is sweet!
How does the garden grow? Very, very well. I've got peppermint, mint, lemon mint (bee balm), candy mint, borage, angelica, dill, lavender, chamomile, chives, basil and parsley. The lemon mint is doing extremely well and has gotten very tall. It was starting to take sunshine away from my basil, so I pulled a hand full of the lemon mint.
It has a mild lemon flavor to it. Yes, I stuck one of the leaves from the lemon mint right into my mouth after pulling it from the ground. If you know me, you will understand how odd this is. I don't eat green things that grow in the ground. Anyway, the leaf tasted a little like pine-sol. I boiled some water, and dropped a few leaves into the water, creating an infusion. I drank it. Not bad. A bit like pine-sol. I've been reading about what to do with this lemon mint. It can be used in poultry recipes. Rosemary and lemon mint chicken. Mmm. Sounds pretty tasty. I've got this batch hanging in my kitchen, drying.
The borage has a lot of herbal medicine qualities. It's good for coughs and stress. Next time my kids get a cough, I'm going to try making a tincture with the borage leaves. I've been reading about the borage and it has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries.
I ate this one today. I felt very silly pulling a flower of a plant and sticking the flower into my mouth, but I was given quite the little surprise. The center of the flower is sweet!
It has a mild lemon flavor to it. Yes, I stuck one of the leaves from the lemon mint right into my mouth after pulling it from the ground. If you know me, you will understand how odd this is. I don't eat green things that grow in the ground. Anyway, the leaf tasted a little like pine-sol. I boiled some water, and dropped a few leaves into the water, creating an infusion. I drank it. Not bad. A bit like pine-sol. I've been reading about what to do with this lemon mint. It can be used in poultry recipes. Rosemary and lemon mint chicken. Mmm. Sounds pretty tasty. I've got this batch hanging in my kitchen, drying.
Well, that's a little about what is growing in my garden. It's very exciting!
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Peas and Beans
Our garden has produced peas and beans!This past weekend, we picked all the peas and some of the beans. The two large bowls in the front are peas, the small one in the back is green beans.
It took four of us a hour and a half to shell all the peas.
So, today I spent several hours figuring out how to pickle the green beans and can the peas.
Success! Seven jars of peas, and five picked green beans.
One of the green beans didn't seal completely. My canning instructions tell me to stick it in the fridge for 3 days and then it can be eaten. Hopefully Hubby can wait that long.
Next canning adventure will be rhubarb jelly!
Monday, June 04, 2012
Talking with the four year old
My four year old has a lot to say... about everything. She is quite jealous if two people are holding a conversation and she is not involved. When my older daughter was four, she had an imaginary friend, Jenny Jenna, who was the center of all of her stories and the authority on all subjects. Peanut will tell you, "last night at my friend's house, we ...." and the story goes on from there. She makes sure she has her say in everything.
Peanut is also smart. A little too smart sometimes. :) Language is so difficult and it takes years to master. It's something I'm still trying to master, but for a four year old, it is an amazing accomplishment. Peanut surprises me constantly with her thoughts, her vocabulary, and her ways of expressing those thoughts.
This morning I asked her, do you want cereal for breakfast? She starts to sound out the word, holding out the 'sss' sound at the beginning of cereal. Then she announces, cereal starts with c. Whoa! Did she just figure that one out? She saw the bananas on the counter and started sounding the word out, so I asked her, what does banana start with? She got it, B! I know it seems like a little thing, but for a four year old, it's pretty impressive.
Something that has amazed me is her memory. She can be asking for something, fall asleep, take a nap (or even sleep all night), wake up and continue asking for whatever it was she wanted. She has done this many, many times. She wants me to read her a story, but she is crying and tired. Instead of the story, I get her to fall asleep. She can nap for an hour, wake up and start to ask about the story again. Yesterday before church, she asked Hubby for something. He told her after church she could have whatever it was. As soon as church was over, she was asking again.
I can't remember what I was thinking about two minutes ago!
Peanut is also smart. A little too smart sometimes. :) Language is so difficult and it takes years to master. It's something I'm still trying to master, but for a four year old, it is an amazing accomplishment. Peanut surprises me constantly with her thoughts, her vocabulary, and her ways of expressing those thoughts.
This morning I asked her, do you want cereal for breakfast? She starts to sound out the word, holding out the 'sss' sound at the beginning of cereal. Then she announces, cereal starts with c. Whoa! Did she just figure that one out? She saw the bananas on the counter and started sounding the word out, so I asked her, what does banana start with? She got it, B! I know it seems like a little thing, but for a four year old, it's pretty impressive.
Something that has amazed me is her memory. She can be asking for something, fall asleep, take a nap (or even sleep all night), wake up and continue asking for whatever it was she wanted. She has done this many, many times. She wants me to read her a story, but she is crying and tired. Instead of the story, I get her to fall asleep. She can nap for an hour, wake up and start to ask about the story again. Yesterday before church, she asked Hubby for something. He told her after church she could have whatever it was. As soon as church was over, she was asking again.
I can't remember what I was thinking about two minutes ago!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
The Sock Conundrum
Mismatched socks.
For years, I have heard many people talk about how their dryers eat their socks, leaving lone socks without a match. I too have this problem. Although I'm not sure it's my dryer. I'm thinking aliens....
Here we go:
Seventeen pairs of lone socks! None of them match. Thankfully, my husband and eldest son are not too particular about their socks being exactly matching. As long as they are the same color, they are OK with it. However, none of these can even be similarly matched. It's ridiculous!!!!
See, I think it's aliens. You might say, "but Molly, you moved away from New Mexico. That is where all the aliens go." And you'd be right.... BUT, now I'm living near the nation's capital. How many movies have you seen where Washington DC gets attacked by aliens? Tons of times, right? Yep, aliens, one-footed aliens.
For years, I have heard many people talk about how their dryers eat their socks, leaving lone socks without a match. I too have this problem. Although I'm not sure it's my dryer. I'm thinking aliens....
Here we go:
Seventeen pairs of lone socks! None of them match. Thankfully, my husband and eldest son are not too particular about their socks being exactly matching. As long as they are the same color, they are OK with it. However, none of these can even be similarly matched. It's ridiculous!!!!
See, I think it's aliens. You might say, "but Molly, you moved away from New Mexico. That is where all the aliens go." And you'd be right.... BUT, now I'm living near the nation's capital. How many movies have you seen where Washington DC gets attacked by aliens? Tons of times, right? Yep, aliens, one-footed aliens.
Monday, May 28, 2012
So many stories
I've got so many stories floating about in my head, it's crazy! I think up new stories long before I can finish writing out the old ones. The stories come to me almost in their entirety. Some elements have to be fleshed out, but for the most part I know the main story right from the start.
The problem is it takes much longer to write than for me to tell it in my head. By then, a new story has begun.
Right now I've got three stories in my mind: a young adult fantasy, a chick lit story, and the middle school aged series that I started years ago. For the series, I've got two of the stories written, but I have the next formed in my head now.
Because of the time it takes to write anything, I guess I should pick on story to work on, but it is so hard when I think up a new one and get all excited about it.
Really, I shouldn't worry about any of this because no one will ever read them, but I want to write them out anyway. Silly, I know.
Happy Memorial Day! My deepest gratitude for those soldiers who have fought and died so I can enjoy the freedom to write my stories, have a wonderful family, and worship God as I desire.
The problem is it takes much longer to write than for me to tell it in my head. By then, a new story has begun.
Right now I've got three stories in my mind: a young adult fantasy, a chick lit story, and the middle school aged series that I started years ago. For the series, I've got two of the stories written, but I have the next formed in my head now.
Because of the time it takes to write anything, I guess I should pick on story to work on, but it is so hard when I think up a new one and get all excited about it.
Really, I shouldn't worry about any of this because no one will ever read them, but I want to write them out anyway. Silly, I know.
Happy Memorial Day! My deepest gratitude for those soldiers who have fought and died so I can enjoy the freedom to write my stories, have a wonderful family, and worship God as I desire.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Attack of the worms
We've had a lot of rain the last few weeks. I'm not complaining! I LOVE the rain. However, it has brought in some unusual unwanted guests.
Worms!
We have a door along side the house that isn't well sealed at the bottom and during all the rain, worms have crawled into our house. Then, they dry up and sadly die on our family room floor. One day after a really rainy day and night, I think there must have been about ten dead worms on the floor.
Not very smart, are they? I'm not sure if they are escaping the rain or what, but they come into our house during the night and I wake up each morning to dead worms.
This has been going on for about a week now. I wonder how long they plan on coming into the house to die?
Other new creature additions to our yard: a frog in our ditch in the front yard. We can't ever see him, he hops away too fast. Lightning bugs or fireflies in the evening. Lots of bees. They love our clover yard. And there is a mole or two in the back yard, but we can't catch them. I hear they are hard to get rid of.
I find myself talking to the dead worms, the frog and the bees in the yard. I think I might be going a little crazy.
Worms!
We have a door along side the house that isn't well sealed at the bottom and during all the rain, worms have crawled into our house. Then, they dry up and sadly die on our family room floor. One day after a really rainy day and night, I think there must have been about ten dead worms on the floor.
Not very smart, are they? I'm not sure if they are escaping the rain or what, but they come into our house during the night and I wake up each morning to dead worms.
This has been going on for about a week now. I wonder how long they plan on coming into the house to die?
Other new creature additions to our yard: a frog in our ditch in the front yard. We can't ever see him, he hops away too fast. Lightning bugs or fireflies in the evening. Lots of bees. They love our clover yard. And there is a mole or two in the back yard, but we can't catch them. I hear they are hard to get rid of.
I find myself talking to the dead worms, the frog and the bees in the yard. I think I might be going a little crazy.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Reflections on our first improv night
Last night was Auntie M's first teen improv night. I had three people who wanted to be there, but couldn't last night. They've promised to be there next time - in two weeks. So, we had two teens come. Because our current location is so far out of the way and we were only meeting for an hour, the parents that brought them stayed and they also brought one sibling each along. So, we had six people along with our big ol' family.Lots of fun! We played Train Station (twice), Questions Only, Party Quirks, and Two Lined Vocabulary. The funnest part was the parents got involved and they were good! We let the little siblings get involved at one point, but it was way too chaotic. After about an hour and a half, we had soda and donuts and they left.
As everyone was leaving, one of the families I was expecting arrived. They apologized for being late and commented on how far away from the main road we are. :) We invited them in. This time it was an 11 year old girl (not quite a teen, but I certainly wasn't going to turn her away), her mom and her two younger sisters. We gave them a donut and then played a couple of games, Party Quirks and Props. It gave them a chance to see what this was all about and we had a lot of fun.
We should have the same crowd next time plus three more potentially. Yeah!
Some thoughts:
They are all girls. My son might be loving that, but I think we need some more guys. We've got to get some guys here. I sent all the kids away with invitation to hand out to friends. Who knows how many we could have next time. Kind of scary. We've got to recruit some guys, though.
There is an interest from the younger kids ages 6 - 11 for acting. They want to participate, but they are just too young and small to do improv with the teenagers. Perhaps I need to start a younger group as well. Some improv, but more acting focused.
Anyway, I think it was a success. We just need some more kids, get the kids comfortable with each other and performing in front of others, and practice, practice, practice. Perhaps during the summer, we can have a performance for a real audience.
We need a name for this group.... any ideas?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
4th grade journal entries and The Challenger space shuttle
Some journal entries from the 4th grade. The spelling has been cleaned up so it is readable, but the grammar is the same:
23 Jan 1986
Today was no fun and exciting. The no fun part is what I made on my science and social studies test. On my social studies I made a 75.5. On my science I made a 68%. The exciting part was that the fire trucks came. They dryer caught on fire. So,..... The fire trucks came. The rest of the day was school and homework. Sister got sick today. I wish I would too. It's bed time.
Good night.
24 Jan 1986
Sister is not sick, but Brother is. Today we went to the film festival. They had some very good movies. They started very late. 2 of my favorites were about 2 sisters that fought a lot. The other one is about Corduroy. He is a bear (teddy bear). He is looking for his lost button. Sister is sleeping with Ellie. As for me, I'm sleeping with Lara. We are listening to Peter Pan on my record player. Well, I think that it is time to go to bed. Good night. Bye.
Ellie was my Cabbage Patch doll and Lara was my sister's cabbage patch doll. And Sister and Brother are not the names of my sister and brother, their names have been changed to protect the innocent. lol
27 Jan 1986
Today was sad and exciting. The exciting part was the Challenger went up into space. The sad part was that it blew up. It had 7 astronauts in it. One was the first teacher in space. They all died. Mom said if she was asked to go into space she would do it. But I can't think of loosing my mother. It's bed time. Good night. Bye.
Writing prompt inspired by Mama Kat.
23 Jan 1986
Today was no fun and exciting. The no fun part is what I made on my science and social studies test. On my social studies I made a 75.5. On my science I made a 68%. The exciting part was that the fire trucks came. They dryer caught on fire. So,..... The fire trucks came. The rest of the day was school and homework. Sister got sick today. I wish I would too. It's bed time.
Good night.
24 Jan 1986
Sister is not sick, but Brother is. Today we went to the film festival. They had some very good movies. They started very late. 2 of my favorites were about 2 sisters that fought a lot. The other one is about Corduroy. He is a bear (teddy bear). He is looking for his lost button. Sister is sleeping with Ellie. As for me, I'm sleeping with Lara. We are listening to Peter Pan on my record player. Well, I think that it is time to go to bed. Good night. Bye.
Ellie was my Cabbage Patch doll and Lara was my sister's cabbage patch doll. And Sister and Brother are not the names of my sister and brother, their names have been changed to protect the innocent. lol
27 Jan 1986
Today was sad and exciting. The exciting part was the Challenger went up into space. The sad part was that it blew up. It had 7 astronauts in it. One was the first teacher in space. They all died. Mom said if she was asked to go into space she would do it. But I can't think of loosing my mother. It's bed time. Good night. Bye.
Writing prompt inspired by Mama Kat.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Toddler reminders
I recently had the opportunity to babysit for a friend. I'm still new in the area and I don't know people as well as I would like, so when I offered to babysit, I wasn't sure what ages the kids were.
Due to many other activities going on that day, I only had my two youngest at home and they were super excited at being able to have friends over to play even if they didn't know who the friends were.
When the kids were dropped off, I was happy to find I would be watching a 5 year old girl (Little E) and a 1 year old boy (Little J). My 4 year old Peanut was so thrilled to have a girl over to play with.
My living room was in play condition. That means there were toys all over the floor and a basket of more toys sitting there. I was glad the toys were out because the little boy cried for the first 5 minutes after getting dropped off. When we showed him the toys, he got down and played and was happy as could be the rest of the time. However, Little E decided my living room needed to be cleaned. She put all the toys in the basket and pushed the basket into the hall. She would give items sitting out to Peanut and Peanut would happily put them away. She got my son (6 years old) to sweep the living room floor!!!
It was incredible! Little E succeed at something I've been trying to do for years! She can come over any time she wants!
It was fun having Little J in the house. I discovered my home is kid-friendly, but it is no longer baby-proof. Little J was opening cupboards and drawers. He was going up and down the stairs. He was a pro the stairs, but it still made me a little nervous. He climbed on the table, over and over. He kept me very busy. It was so much fun, though. I'm glad I don't have to do that every day anymore, but it was fun to do for one day. It reminded me of my oldest when he was a tot and a good reminder of why I wanted to be done with that stage in life. Toddlers are so busy and need constant watch.
Whew!
Due to many other activities going on that day, I only had my two youngest at home and they were super excited at being able to have friends over to play even if they didn't know who the friends were.
When the kids were dropped off, I was happy to find I would be watching a 5 year old girl (Little E) and a 1 year old boy (Little J). My 4 year old Peanut was so thrilled to have a girl over to play with.
My living room was in play condition. That means there were toys all over the floor and a basket of more toys sitting there. I was glad the toys were out because the little boy cried for the first 5 minutes after getting dropped off. When we showed him the toys, he got down and played and was happy as could be the rest of the time. However, Little E decided my living room needed to be cleaned. She put all the toys in the basket and pushed the basket into the hall. She would give items sitting out to Peanut and Peanut would happily put them away. She got my son (6 years old) to sweep the living room floor!!!
It was incredible! Little E succeed at something I've been trying to do for years! She can come over any time she wants!
It was fun having Little J in the house. I discovered my home is kid-friendly, but it is no longer baby-proof. Little J was opening cupboards and drawers. He was going up and down the stairs. He was a pro the stairs, but it still made me a little nervous. He climbed on the table, over and over. He kept me very busy. It was so much fun, though. I'm glad I don't have to do that every day anymore, but it was fun to do for one day. It reminded me of my oldest when he was a tot and a good reminder of why I wanted to be done with that stage in life. Toddlers are so busy and need constant watch.
Whew!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Auntie M's is official!
Auntie M's Children's Theater is now a registered business! I'm very excited.
I'm not sure what to do now.
I'm trying to get the word out since our first event is next week. I'm working on writing a play, I need to re-write three plays. I need to set some dates, find some locations, type up some calendars, and do a bunch of other things. I've got to figure out how I'm going to advertise. Nothing is going to work out if no one ever shows up.
I called a local community center to see if we could use their facility for one evening. It would be an ideal place for our first event. It was going to cost a minimum of $135. No thanks. I'll keep looking for other locations....
Oh well, it is official and I'm very excited!
Next Thursday is Teen Improv Night! Donuts included! It will be lots of fun.
I'm not sure what to do now.
I'm trying to get the word out since our first event is next week. I'm working on writing a play, I need to re-write three plays. I need to set some dates, find some locations, type up some calendars, and do a bunch of other things. I've got to figure out how I'm going to advertise. Nothing is going to work out if no one ever shows up.
I called a local community center to see if we could use their facility for one evening. It would be an ideal place for our first event. It was going to cost a minimum of $135. No thanks. I'll keep looking for other locations....
Oh well, it is official and I'm very excited!
Next Thursday is Teen Improv Night! Donuts included! It will be lots of fun.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Dream 3-day weekend
Writing Prompt from MamaKat!
"You have a 3 day weekend to do anything you want with your family…money is not a factor, BUT you must stay in your own state. What would you do?"
Lexington, Virginia! Now, I've never planned a vacation in VA before, so I'm not entirely sure about everything we'd do, but I've got a pretty good start. We would stay in a log cabin home. I found this place that rents out real log cabins from the 1800s. The one I've picked for our family is called the Homesteader's Cabin. I think we could probably just spend the three days there and not need to do anything else, but since we can go and do whatever we want, we'll only spend most of the time at the cabin. :)
In Lexington, they still have a drive-in theater! I want to take the kids there. We'd open up the back of the van, fill it with blankets and pillows, bring lawn chairs, and food for snacking.
Going on a hike or rafting along a lazy river. Those sound like fun. I think it would just be a beautiful weekend in the Shenandoah Valley. Too bad the weekend can only last for three days.
Now, this is just awesome!! I would love to visit Luray Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley and hear the Stalacpipe Organ. Check out this video!!
I'm ready to go! Whose with me?
"You have a 3 day weekend to do anything you want with your family…money is not a factor, BUT you must stay in your own state. What would you do?"
Lexington, Virginia! Now, I've never planned a vacation in VA before, so I'm not entirely sure about everything we'd do, but I've got a pretty good start. We would stay in a log cabin home. I found this place that rents out real log cabins from the 1800s. The one I've picked for our family is called the Homesteader's Cabin. I think we could probably just spend the three days there and not need to do anything else, but since we can go and do whatever we want, we'll only spend most of the time at the cabin. :)
In Lexington, they still have a drive-in theater! I want to take the kids there. We'd open up the back of the van, fill it with blankets and pillows, bring lawn chairs, and food for snacking.
Going on a hike or rafting along a lazy river. Those sound like fun. I think it would just be a beautiful weekend in the Shenandoah Valley. Too bad the weekend can only last for three days.
Now, this is just awesome!! I would love to visit Luray Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley and hear the Stalacpipe Organ. Check out this video!!
I'm ready to go! Whose with me?
 |
| http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/blog/ |
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
My paper's in, the kids are at school, it's time to get a haircut!
I did it! I went and got my hair cut.
It pretty much has been cut to my shoulders again, but this time, they added some layers and I've got more curls now. I like it. I can't say the same thing for my daughter, though. When I picked her up from preschool, I asked her, do you like my hair? She starts to cry. No! I like it long. Oh well. Can't please everyone.
I'll have to get one of my kids to get a picture of my new do later.
Life doesn't stop. I've been to the grocery store three times in two days and still I forget toilet paper! Gotta love that, right? I've got to head out the door again in 20 minutes to pick up my son from school and take him to the orthodontist. Tonight he needs to be back at his school to help the soon-to-be 6th graders pick out instruments for orchestra/band next year. Then, I take my own soon-to-be 6th grader to the school and let him see the instruments. Exciting night!
It pretty much has been cut to my shoulders again, but this time, they added some layers and I've got more curls now. I like it. I can't say the same thing for my daughter, though. When I picked her up from preschool, I asked her, do you like my hair? She starts to cry. No! I like it long. Oh well. Can't please everyone.
I'll have to get one of my kids to get a picture of my new do later.
Life doesn't stop. I've been to the grocery store three times in two days and still I forget toilet paper! Gotta love that, right? I've got to head out the door again in 20 minutes to pick up my son from school and take him to the orthodontist. Tonight he needs to be back at his school to help the soon-to-be 6th graders pick out instruments for orchestra/band next year. Then, I take my own soon-to-be 6th grader to the school and let him see the instruments. Exciting night!
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Trip to the book sale
I took the kids to the library on Friday. Every month on the first weekend, the local library has a book sale. Libraries regularly weed books. This means they pull out old books, or books they have too many copies of and not enough interest (like most libraries don't need 10 copies of the last Harry Potter book anymore), or they have books are donated to them but they don't need or want them.
I have found some great deals at our library weekend sales. Last month I got a Richard Peck book called Fair Weather. This month I found one called A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.
It's about a girl named Zoe who is 10 and has dreams of being a concert pianist. All she needs is a piano. Her mother works all the time. Her father is a kind man, but has some major anxiety issues and never leaves the house if he can help it. Zoe is certain if she had a piano, she would be a prodigy and play in Carnegie Hall before she is 12. Instead of a piano, her father buys her an organ. The organ purchase comes with free lessons for six months. Zoe is quite disappointed.
She takes the lessons and practices the music her teacher assigns her. After a couple of months, her teacher realizes that Zoe is a hard worker and gives her some new music with the expectation for her to give her first recital at an organ competition. Zoe has to practice hard and faces the butterflies in her stomach when it comes to her first performance. She meets other kids her age at the competition who all play the organ.
The story is written from Zoe's point of view and it is almost journal entry like. There are many chapters, but they are more like journal entries. Some of them are very short, only 3-4 words long. Others are longer, like when she describes going to a birthday party. It's a nice book. Not too sweet, but you like all the characters (except for the snobby girls, but there is a set of those in every story about a middle-of-the-road girl like Zoe.)
The story of Zoe and her dreams of being a pianist and her reality of having a wheeze-bag organ is a different kind of fun story. When it comes to the school drama, it is pretty standard formula. She doesn't have any friends at school. Well, she had a friend, but the friend is from a rich family and she drops Zoe so she can be friends with another girl who lives in the same rich neighborhood. The only kid at school who likes Zoe is the weirdest boy in the class. He calls her Goober and doesn't have many friends himself. In the end, they become good friends.
It was a fun read and I read the entire book in an evening, so it was quick reading too. I like quick reading books. I don't have to think to hard about the story. It's just a sit back and relax kind of story. Nice.
I have found some great deals at our library weekend sales. Last month I got a Richard Peck book called Fair Weather. This month I found one called A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.
It's about a girl named Zoe who is 10 and has dreams of being a concert pianist. All she needs is a piano. Her mother works all the time. Her father is a kind man, but has some major anxiety issues and never leaves the house if he can help it. Zoe is certain if she had a piano, she would be a prodigy and play in Carnegie Hall before she is 12. Instead of a piano, her father buys her an organ. The organ purchase comes with free lessons for six months. Zoe is quite disappointed.
She takes the lessons and practices the music her teacher assigns her. After a couple of months, her teacher realizes that Zoe is a hard worker and gives her some new music with the expectation for her to give her first recital at an organ competition. Zoe has to practice hard and faces the butterflies in her stomach when it comes to her first performance. She meets other kids her age at the competition who all play the organ.
The story is written from Zoe's point of view and it is almost journal entry like. There are many chapters, but they are more like journal entries. Some of them are very short, only 3-4 words long. Others are longer, like when she describes going to a birthday party. It's a nice book. Not too sweet, but you like all the characters (except for the snobby girls, but there is a set of those in every story about a middle-of-the-road girl like Zoe.)
The story of Zoe and her dreams of being a pianist and her reality of having a wheeze-bag organ is a different kind of fun story. When it comes to the school drama, it is pretty standard formula. She doesn't have any friends at school. Well, she had a friend, but the friend is from a rich family and she drops Zoe so she can be friends with another girl who lives in the same rich neighborhood. The only kid at school who likes Zoe is the weirdest boy in the class. He calls her Goober and doesn't have many friends himself. In the end, they become good friends.
It was a fun read and I read the entire book in an evening, so it was quick reading too. I like quick reading books. I don't have to think to hard about the story. It's just a sit back and relax kind of story. Nice.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
My Hair
I don't know what to do with my hair. It's long again. Too long and I want to get it cut, but I'm tired of doing the exact same thing over and over and over, which is, just cut it all to about my shoulders.
This is the way it goes:
Hair gets long
Cut to shoulders
Let hair grow
Hair gets long
Cut to shoulders
......over and over for years and years.
I want to do something different, but I've never really been brave enough to do anything except cutting it to my shoulders.
Actually, I know what I would like to try, but I can't do it myself. Someone professional would have to do it and I don't trust the hair cutting people at Wal-Mart to be able to do what I want.
See, there is an actress, who has beautifully curly, crazy hair. I would like my hair cut like hers. Here is my problem, I'm too embarrassed to take in a picture of her and say to them 'this is what I want.' I shouldn't be embarrassed, right?
I'm embarrassed at what they might think.
I'm worried that they wouldn't be able to do the haircut the way I want it.
And I'm scared that on me, the hair style would look ridiculous.
So, do I take the scary plunge and go with a picture of the actress and hope that it works out OR do I just go get it cut to my shoulders again?
I want to be brave. It's just hair, right? It will grow. But I'm so scared.
This is the way it goes:
Hair gets long
Cut to shoulders
Let hair grow
Hair gets long
Cut to shoulders
......over and over for years and years.
I want to do something different, but I've never really been brave enough to do anything except cutting it to my shoulders.
Actually, I know what I would like to try, but I can't do it myself. Someone professional would have to do it and I don't trust the hair cutting people at Wal-Mart to be able to do what I want.
See, there is an actress, who has beautifully curly, crazy hair. I would like my hair cut like hers. Here is my problem, I'm too embarrassed to take in a picture of her and say to them 'this is what I want.' I shouldn't be embarrassed, right?
I'm embarrassed at what they might think.
I'm worried that they wouldn't be able to do the haircut the way I want it.
And I'm scared that on me, the hair style would look ridiculous.
So, do I take the scary plunge and go with a picture of the actress and hope that it works out OR do I just go get it cut to my shoulders again?
I want to be brave. It's just hair, right? It will grow. But I'm so scared.
 |
| Love the hair! What do you think? |
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The future is here
Going back to the SeaQuest train of thought.....
SeaQuest ran from 1993-1996. It took place in the years 2021, 2022 and 2032. Now, you have to remember that in 1993, the Internet wasn't what it is now. It wasn't until 1996 that I actually used the Internet for the first time. There was no way in 1993 that anyone could have guessed what would happen over the next decade in relationship to technology.
The Internet portrayed in the TV show was still rough graphics and bad sound. At one point in the show, they travel 150 years into the future and find that mankind had a super computer that linked all the knowledge of the world together. (It was a massive, neon light computer that took up an entire room.) It only took a decade and we hold the entire world of knowledge in the palm of our hands. It isn't a massive computer with flickering neon lights, it's an iPhone.
I love old sci-fi shows. What technology they perceived as impossibly far into the future is here! Think of the old Star Trek shows (even the ones from the 90's) they couldn't imagine the technology that was right around the corner. It wasn't going to take a thousand years into the future to get there.
Now, we aren't traveling around in personal spaceships, like the Jetsens, but that may not be as far into the future as we might think. What did we think possible ten years ago? Certainly not what we have now. What will be possible ten year from now? I can't even begin to guess.
 |
| Oh yes, awesome show!! (First season was the best) |
The Internet portrayed in the TV show was still rough graphics and bad sound. At one point in the show, they travel 150 years into the future and find that mankind had a super computer that linked all the knowledge of the world together. (It was a massive, neon light computer that took up an entire room.) It only took a decade and we hold the entire world of knowledge in the palm of our hands. It isn't a massive computer with flickering neon lights, it's an iPhone.
I love old sci-fi shows. What technology they perceived as impossibly far into the future is here! Think of the old Star Trek shows (even the ones from the 90's) they couldn't imagine the technology that was right around the corner. It wasn't going to take a thousand years into the future to get there.
Now, we aren't traveling around in personal spaceships, like the Jetsens, but that may not be as far into the future as we might think. What did we think possible ten years ago? Certainly not what we have now. What will be possible ten year from now? I can't even begin to guess.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
A story ahead of its time
OK boys and girls, it's time for a long winded story. :)
When I was a senior in high school and my first two years of college, my favorite TV show was SeaQuest DSV. I loved that show and I had a crush on one of the characters. I won't say which, but it wasn't the teenager that was in the show. Deep inside of me is an actor and a story teller. It is why I write. I love to tell stories. The actor in me wanted to be a part of that show, so in my own mind, I created my character and inserted her into the SeaQuest stories. I didn't write any of that down, it was all in my imagination.
I'm terribly embarrassed, but today I had an eerie (for me) but amusing experience that reminded me of my SeaQuest days. My character was named Moriah. Now, Moriah wasn't a crew member of the SeaQuest, but she was hired by the UEO (United Earth Organization, who SeaQuest was under.) Her job was a short termed one, but most important: to build a library and a cataloguing system for the SeaQuest. You see, SeaQuest was not only a military vessel, but a research one as well because it could dive deeper than any other submarine and had the very latest in technology. They were gathering more data than their database could handle. It was Moriah's job to fix that. She set up a cataloguing system for the SeaQuest that was unique to it. It could easily store, classify and catalog all data that was entered into it. It was complex and complete, but user friendly. Moriah also had some adventures on the SeaQuest, but the reason she was there in the first place was because she was a professional cataloguing librarian.
Yes, it is cheesy and that is why I've never shared that with anyone before. Hello Cyberspace!!
Now, I am in library school. I've got a major project due in 13 days. Believe me, I've been thinking about it all semester, but until recently, I didn't know enough about the subject of the class to really be able to work on the project. It is crunch time now and I sat today with my papers in hand, despairing over how much I needed to do. I realized there is a LOT more to the project that I thought. I read over the assignment again, again, and again.
I have to pretend that I am a newly hired Information manager of an organization. I need to take the library of the organization and create for it a new cataloguing and knowledge organizational system. I was pacing my living room, talking out loud about the assignment and trying desperately to put myself into those shoes. Then I realized, I had been in those shoes before - on SeaQuest. What I need to do for this project is exactly what I created my character to do in my own SeaQuest adventures. An efficient cataloguing and organization system for the company.
I understood my assignment! My story of Moriah was way ahead of its time. Crazy, crazy. Now, even though I understand the assignment, it doesn't mean I know exactly what to do. I have to write a 3000 word paper describing the new system and why it is needed. I honestly don't know how I will fill that many words. I struggled all afternoon with it and have only managed 369 words. Only 2631 words to go.
Molly and Moriah are needing so massive help with this project. I can do it! Just like every episode of SeaQuest ends with them narrowly escaping danger and have a happy ending with a smiling crew, so shall this project end. It is going to be tough, ugly and probably very scary those last few days, but, I will turn it in on time and I will be smiling. Then, my first year of school will be over.
When I was a senior in high school and my first two years of college, my favorite TV show was SeaQuest DSV. I loved that show and I had a crush on one of the characters. I won't say which, but it wasn't the teenager that was in the show. Deep inside of me is an actor and a story teller. It is why I write. I love to tell stories. The actor in me wanted to be a part of that show, so in my own mind, I created my character and inserted her into the SeaQuest stories. I didn't write any of that down, it was all in my imagination.
I'm terribly embarrassed, but today I had an eerie (for me) but amusing experience that reminded me of my SeaQuest days. My character was named Moriah. Now, Moriah wasn't a crew member of the SeaQuest, but she was hired by the UEO (United Earth Organization, who SeaQuest was under.) Her job was a short termed one, but most important: to build a library and a cataloguing system for the SeaQuest. You see, SeaQuest was not only a military vessel, but a research one as well because it could dive deeper than any other submarine and had the very latest in technology. They were gathering more data than their database could handle. It was Moriah's job to fix that. She set up a cataloguing system for the SeaQuest that was unique to it. It could easily store, classify and catalog all data that was entered into it. It was complex and complete, but user friendly. Moriah also had some adventures on the SeaQuest, but the reason she was there in the first place was because she was a professional cataloguing librarian.
Yes, it is cheesy and that is why I've never shared that with anyone before. Hello Cyberspace!!
Now, I am in library school. I've got a major project due in 13 days. Believe me, I've been thinking about it all semester, but until recently, I didn't know enough about the subject of the class to really be able to work on the project. It is crunch time now and I sat today with my papers in hand, despairing over how much I needed to do. I realized there is a LOT more to the project that I thought. I read over the assignment again, again, and again.
I have to pretend that I am a newly hired Information manager of an organization. I need to take the library of the organization and create for it a new cataloguing and knowledge organizational system. I was pacing my living room, talking out loud about the assignment and trying desperately to put myself into those shoes. Then I realized, I had been in those shoes before - on SeaQuest. What I need to do for this project is exactly what I created my character to do in my own SeaQuest adventures. An efficient cataloguing and organization system for the company.
I understood my assignment! My story of Moriah was way ahead of its time. Crazy, crazy. Now, even though I understand the assignment, it doesn't mean I know exactly what to do. I have to write a 3000 word paper describing the new system and why it is needed. I honestly don't know how I will fill that many words. I struggled all afternoon with it and have only managed 369 words. Only 2631 words to go.
Molly and Moriah are needing so massive help with this project. I can do it! Just like every episode of SeaQuest ends with them narrowly escaping danger and have a happy ending with a smiling crew, so shall this project end. It is going to be tough, ugly and probably very scary those last few days, but, I will turn it in on time and I will be smiling. Then, my first year of school will be over.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Auntie M's Children's Theater is back!
Now that we have moved, settled down and my school semester ends in 3 weeks, I'm starting to think about summer season 2 for Auntie M's Children's Theater.
We will be starting out with our teen comedy and improv group. My son is looking forward to doing this again with people other than his mom and dad. I'm really hoping we can get a group of great kids.
I'm also planning on doing a summer play. I'm not sure which one. I might do the same play I did last year - The Seven Ravens. Being in a new state, no one I worked with last year would be participating this year. New group of kids! Plus, I've already got all the props and scenery. All I would have to do is resew the raven costumes and find a location for the performance. I've got a few ideas for location and if all else fails, someone told me they have a perfect backyard for putting on plays.
Anyway, I'm excited for the beginning of Auntie M's Children's Theater 2012 Season! Check out the website.
We will be starting out with our teen comedy and improv group. My son is looking forward to doing this again with people other than his mom and dad. I'm really hoping we can get a group of great kids.
I'm also planning on doing a summer play. I'm not sure which one. I might do the same play I did last year - The Seven Ravens. Being in a new state, no one I worked with last year would be participating this year. New group of kids! Plus, I've already got all the props and scenery. All I would have to do is resew the raven costumes and find a location for the performance. I've got a few ideas for location and if all else fails, someone told me they have a perfect backyard for putting on plays.
Anyway, I'm excited for the beginning of Auntie M's Children's Theater 2012 Season! Check out the website.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Laughing until I hurt
Laughing until I hurt is my favorite kind of pain.
Last night I laughed until I hurt. In the last 10 months, the Hubby and I have had the opportunity to see some of our favorite actors perform live. Yesterday, we drove two and a half hours to a lovely little university town in Pennsylvania. It rained on us. I love the rain. So, we had a nice drive. We chatted, we sang to our favorite music CD's and we talked about the performance we would be shortly seeing.
When I get excited, I get talkative. I talked a lot yesterday.
Last night I got to see Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood do one of their live improvisation comedy shows. I had nothing but the highest expectations for the show and they exceeded them. My biggest complaint was about the lady sitting behind me, but that isn't the fault of Colin or Brad, just my seating luck. She was loud, loud, loud.
Despite loud lady behind me, I had the best time. I laughed hard. I laughed until I hurt. What a terrific night!
Last night I laughed until I hurt. In the last 10 months, the Hubby and I have had the opportunity to see some of our favorite actors perform live. Yesterday, we drove two and a half hours to a lovely little university town in Pennsylvania. It rained on us. I love the rain. So, we had a nice drive. We chatted, we sang to our favorite music CD's and we talked about the performance we would be shortly seeing.
When I get excited, I get talkative. I talked a lot yesterday.
Last night I got to see Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood do one of their live improvisation comedy shows. I had nothing but the highest expectations for the show and they exceeded them. My biggest complaint was about the lady sitting behind me, but that isn't the fault of Colin or Brad, just my seating luck. She was loud, loud, loud.
Despite loud lady behind me, I had the best time. I laughed hard. I laughed until I hurt. What a terrific night!
 |
| The cover from the DVD of their live show. Released March 2011 |
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Squawky The Bird
Squawky, our Budgie, sits in his cage on top of the file cabinet in the office. He has food and he has water. He has a mirror and a disco ball. What more could a little budgie need?
Well, shared with you today are seven thoughts Squawky had during the course of the day:
"You're my best friend, Bernice," he says looking into the mirror. "No one understands me like you do."
"Wow! Look at the way the light is hitting the disco ball!" he cries as he starts to flap his wings like a feathered-bird version of John Travolta. What his owner interprets as squawking is actually: "You can tell by the way I move that I'm a woman's man, no time for squawk! Sing with me Bernice!"
"Bird seed, again? Can't they get a little more creative with my food dish? I mean, how about a nice fat juicy worm? Come on people! Less seed, more worm!"
"AHHHH, the music! Turn it down, turn it down! I can't take the sounds of Nick Jr. coming from the computer again!!"
"Bernice, you want to play hide and seek? OK, I'll turn my head, count to five and you hide. Ready? One, two, three, four, five! Here I come ready or not! (turns head back to mirror) Oh, your right there. Bernice, I don't think you get this game."
"Hey! Hey! Some one come clean my cage! There is a mountain of poo below me. Someone come get this stuff out of my home!"
"I don't know Bernice, sometimes I dream about flying away from here, finding my brothers and living in a budgie commune. Maybe one day...."
"Hey lady who feeds me, thanks for coming over and checking on me today. I appreciate when you talk to me, when you feed me and when you whistle at me. However, I don't like when you try and pet me and for goodness sakes, can you please get this poo cleaned up?"
Sincerely,
Squawky
I've recently found Mama's Losin' It and have found it to be a fun blog. Each week she hosts a writer's workshop. This is my first prompt.
Well, shared with you today are seven thoughts Squawky had during the course of the day:
"You're my best friend, Bernice," he says looking into the mirror. "No one understands me like you do."
"Wow! Look at the way the light is hitting the disco ball!" he cries as he starts to flap his wings like a feathered-bird version of John Travolta. What his owner interprets as squawking is actually: "You can tell by the way I move that I'm a woman's man, no time for squawk! Sing with me Bernice!""Bird seed, again? Can't they get a little more creative with my food dish? I mean, how about a nice fat juicy worm? Come on people! Less seed, more worm!"
"AHHHH, the music! Turn it down, turn it down! I can't take the sounds of Nick Jr. coming from the computer again!!"
"Bernice, you want to play hide and seek? OK, I'll turn my head, count to five and you hide. Ready? One, two, three, four, five! Here I come ready or not! (turns head back to mirror) Oh, your right there. Bernice, I don't think you get this game."
"Hey! Hey! Some one come clean my cage! There is a mountain of poo below me. Someone come get this stuff out of my home!"
"I don't know Bernice, sometimes I dream about flying away from here, finding my brothers and living in a budgie commune. Maybe one day...."
"Hey lady who feeds me, thanks for coming over and checking on me today. I appreciate when you talk to me, when you feed me and when you whistle at me. However, I don't like when you try and pet me and for goodness sakes, can you please get this poo cleaned up?"
Sincerely,
Squawky
I've recently found Mama's Losin' It and have found it to be a fun blog. Each week she hosts a writer's workshop. This is my first prompt.
 |
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Follow your Dream - Run a Marathon!
A very good friend of mine has decided to follow her dream and organize her own half-marathon! I'm so excited for her.
It is called the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon!
When: Saturday, October 27, 2012
Where: Boulder City, NV - the course runs along gorgeous Lake Mead
Who: Anyone and everyone! There will be a Kids Run, a relay, and the entire family is invited to attend. It's a downhill course, so it's great for those first timers and young runners.
The greatest part of all of this is that 100% of the proceeds go to young LDS men and women who want to serve missions, but don't have the means to do it. It is a great cause, will be in a beautiful locations, during a nice cool month and will be lots of fun!
Check out the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon website and then like them on their Facebook page!
It is called the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon!
When: Saturday, October 27, 2012
Where: Boulder City, NV - the course runs along gorgeous Lake Mead
Who: Anyone and everyone! There will be a Kids Run, a relay, and the entire family is invited to attend. It's a downhill course, so it's great for those first timers and young runners.
The greatest part of all of this is that 100% of the proceeds go to young LDS men and women who want to serve missions, but don't have the means to do it. It is a great cause, will be in a beautiful locations, during a nice cool month and will be lots of fun!
Check out the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon website and then like them on their Facebook page!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
TV Dad pick
I recently found a blog that shares writing prompts. I had been looking for things like that for a
while. It isn’t that I’ve run out of
ideas, far from it, but sometimes we get stuck in our own circle of thoughts
and need to break out of that circle.
This is where the writing prompts come in.
Here is a fun one: “I wanted Mr. Rogers be my dad so I could
live in his neighborhood and he could love me just the way I am.” What
celebrity Dad would you have picked for yourself as a child?
I think Bill Cosby would have been a fun dad. I would have stood out in a most odd way in his home,
though.
There are so many great TV dads: Ward Cleaver (Leave it to
Beaver), Steven Keaton (Family Ties), Dr. Seaver (Growing Pains)…..
Still, if I had to choose, I think I would pick Dick Van
Dyke. Who wouldn’t want to live in that
great house with Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore? Have dinner with Rose Marie… Yep, I think that would be my pick of a TV
dad.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
the "ee" names
Back from a spring break trip with the kids. We had a great time and are very thankful to Gran for having us stay with her.
I read something fun the other day on another blog. The question was asked, if you could change your name, what would it be?
This is a fun question for me as I love names.
When I was a kid, I wanted to change my name to Sally. I thought it was a beautiful name. I'm not sure where I came up with that, but it is what I wanted.
Now, I think Sally is a nice name. It is one that has quite gone out of style and it isn't looking like it will come back anytime soon.
Sally had it's peak in the 30's and early 40's. It has steadily declined and last appeared in the top 1000 names back in 2004. Yep, over 1000 names that people would rather give than Sally. Sally is a pet name for the name Sarah. It's a good old name that really needs to be revived, in my opinion. Names tend to go in cycles. It was a hundred years ago that names like Ava and Oliva were really popular. Perhaps in about 25 years, Sally will get what she deserves and she will make a come back.
I feel the same way about Maggie and Peggy. I love those names. Peggy, like Sally, peaked in the 30s and currently isn't in the top 1000. Maggie's peak was back in the 1880s (or about there). However, Maggie never really disappeared and currently is in the top 300 names. Good for Maggie!
I guess I like Sally, Maggie and Peggy because they are similar in sound to my own name. I don't know what I'd call myself if I could change my name. My name suits me and I like it.
I read something fun the other day on another blog. The question was asked, if you could change your name, what would it be?
This is a fun question for me as I love names.
When I was a kid, I wanted to change my name to Sally. I thought it was a beautiful name. I'm not sure where I came up with that, but it is what I wanted.
Now, I think Sally is a nice name. It is one that has quite gone out of style and it isn't looking like it will come back anytime soon.
Sally had it's peak in the 30's and early 40's. It has steadily declined and last appeared in the top 1000 names back in 2004. Yep, over 1000 names that people would rather give than Sally. Sally is a pet name for the name Sarah. It's a good old name that really needs to be revived, in my opinion. Names tend to go in cycles. It was a hundred years ago that names like Ava and Oliva were really popular. Perhaps in about 25 years, Sally will get what she deserves and she will make a come back.
I feel the same way about Maggie and Peggy. I love those names. Peggy, like Sally, peaked in the 30s and currently isn't in the top 1000. Maggie's peak was back in the 1880s (or about there). However, Maggie never really disappeared and currently is in the top 300 names. Good for Maggie!
I guess I like Sally, Maggie and Peggy because they are similar in sound to my own name. I don't know what I'd call myself if I could change my name. My name suits me and I like it.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Hardest words for a 4 year old to say
Slinky, Squinky, Twinky
They rhyme and they are very hard for a four year old to say.
They rhyme and they are very hard for a four year old to say.
 |
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Happy birthday Doris!
Today is my favorite actress' birthday, Doris Day!!!
She is absolutly beautiful and incredibly funny. Her movies are some of my favorites. Enjoy a funny clip called Doris Day is Mad!
She is absolutly beautiful and incredibly funny. Her movies are some of my favorites. Enjoy a funny clip called Doris Day is Mad!
Sunday, April 01, 2012
The Absent-Minded Moment
Last night I went into the bathroom to wash my face. I picked up the little cotton ball, opened the cleansing liquid, and soaked the cotton ball. I began to wash my face and whoo! my face was stinging.
I really didn't think about that. Obviously my mind was elsewhere not to be concerned with the amount of stinging my face was feeling.
I looked at the cotton ball. It was dirty. I put the lid back onto the cleanser and at that moment did I realize what I had just cleaned my face with - nail polish remover!
No wonder the make-up came off so entirely and my face was stinging.
An absent-minded moment if ever there was one.
I really didn't think about that. Obviously my mind was elsewhere not to be concerned with the amount of stinging my face was feeling.
I looked at the cotton ball. It was dirty. I put the lid back onto the cleanser and at that moment did I realize what I had just cleaned my face with - nail polish remover!
No wonder the make-up came off so entirely and my face was stinging.
An absent-minded moment if ever there was one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)