My 9-year old daughter pointed out to me tonight that I am not very good at picking favorites. This is a somewhat baffling situation for her, since childhood practically revolves around picking favorites. I used to have favorites, but over time I suppose I forgot the purpose and lost the inclination.
What's your favorite color? Chris' is orange-red. Melinda's is blue. Audrey's is purple and blue and a rainbow...okay maybe my indecisiveness has worn off on her. My favorite color is...orange or red or lime green...maybe teal, oh no--brown! no, probably orange. or lime green. I do like red though. hmmm...
What's your favorite candy? (the question that spurred the blogging) Melinda's is Twix, Audrey's is Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups. I don't even know where to start when trying to figure out mine--everytime I think of one (or type it) I change my mind.
What's your favorite animal? Melinda's is the hamster (this may change somewhat frequently, but she always has a favorite), Audrey's is the horse (this never changes). I typically cave in and say that mine is probably the bunny rabbit...simply for tradition's sake--that's what it was 15-20 years ago and I still like them, so why not? Of course, I'd rather cuddle with a kitty cat. yeah.
Are these favorites what defines us? Studies must support it somehow...picking "security questions" for accessing my accounts online is tortuous. I don't know who my favorite elementary teacher is. I don't know which childhood pet was my favorite. Asking about my favorite author can be a dangerous question to ask unless you have some time on your hands. Favorite band? song? book? word? Ha! Favorite child? pffft.
So be forewarned, that's all. If you need to ask me a "What's your favorite" question and want a speedy reply, the only safe question to ask is "What's your favorite season?" I know the answer to that one. (Of course, one mustn't be presumptive, so I'll wait until you ask before I answer.) I honestly don't know how people do it. How do you just know what your favorite cereal is? Advice welcome.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Before and After
It should be a requirement, upon cutting a foot of hair off of one's head, that pictures be shared of the transformation. Regardless of one's feelings on having one's self openly inspected by others.
Most of these pictures were taken with my phone by my 5 year old--that is my disclaimer. 12"-13" of old hair is on it's way to Locks of Love, while I am thrilled to have gotten rid of the heavy, tangly mass. Yay! It's about time, and it feels great.
Most of these pictures were taken with my phone by my 5 year old--that is my disclaimer. 12"-13" of old hair is on it's way to Locks of Love, while I am thrilled to have gotten rid of the heavy, tangly mass. Yay! It's about time, and it feels great.
Friday, October 23, 2009
How do you...
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week, making sure that you are keeping up on your book club book at the same time?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week, making sure that you are keeping up on your book club book at the same time, and hosting birthday parties?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week, making sure that you are keeping up on your book club book at the same time, hosting birthday parties, preparing for Christmas, being down with the flu and preventing it from reaching the rest of your family, figuring out how to attend weddings 7 hours away on a school night, keep your plants watered and your pets fed and still fit in time to try to appreciate autumn in a land where autumn doesn't exist?
How? Repeat after me: "This too, shall pass" and go make yourself another cup of coffee. Soon--and very soon--it will be a new passel of problems to deal with and this will be but a memory. It is in the midst of this craziness that life is lived.
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week, making sure that you are keeping up on your book club book at the same time?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week, making sure that you are keeping up on your book club book at the same time, and hosting birthday parties?
How do you keep a house clean when you are selling it and you have four children, three of which you also need to homeschool, and one whose private school acts as if you have nothing other to do in life except help them, while trying to make 15 quilt blocks in time to fulfill a quilt-block-exchange obligation and manage to keep food in your house and on the table and not forget that at some point you will need to figure out how you are going to move in a week, making sure that you are keeping up on your book club book at the same time, hosting birthday parties, preparing for Christmas, being down with the flu and preventing it from reaching the rest of your family, figuring out how to attend weddings 7 hours away on a school night, keep your plants watered and your pets fed and still fit in time to try to appreciate autumn in a land where autumn doesn't exist?
How? Repeat after me: "This too, shall pass" and go make yourself another cup of coffee. Soon--and very soon--it will be a new passel of problems to deal with and this will be but a memory. It is in the midst of this craziness that life is lived.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Birds and the Grain
I love having sparrows and doves coming to my house to play. They are so much fun to watch, and the easiest way to convince them to come visit seems to be by enticing them with large amounts of birdseed.
The problem with this, as my dad was quick to point out, (he had already thought this through--I had to learn through experience,) is that birds are messy creatures and the majority of the seed ends up all over the ground. Then you end up having a massive weed issue to deal with.
I had been trying to keep up on the weeds, and was looking for a better place to put the bird-feeder, when we went on vacation for half of the summer. When we got back our little birdseed weeds had grown a tiny bit.
Apparently our gardeners thought that the plants were a) intentional, b) pretty cool looking, or c) too much of a pain to keep pulling up.
They are pretty cool looking plants, so we decided to let them live while doing a little reasearch on them. I believe we have grown ourselves a miniscule crop of millet. Millet is an ancient grain that has been used in many ways for thousands of years. Since we are studying Ancient Civilizations in school, this was fun information. We found out that it is ready to be harvested when golden brown...and since it is mostly already there, it looks like the kids have some threshing to do. I am thinking that perhaps I should have titled my post "How to Turn an Accident into a School Project".
The problem with this, as my dad was quick to point out, (he had already thought this through--I had to learn through experience,) is that birds are messy creatures and the majority of the seed ends up all over the ground. Then you end up having a massive weed issue to deal with.
I had been trying to keep up on the weeds, and was looking for a better place to put the bird-feeder, when we went on vacation for half of the summer. When we got back our little birdseed weeds had grown a tiny bit.
Apparently our gardeners thought that the plants were a) intentional, b) pretty cool looking, or c) too much of a pain to keep pulling up.
They are pretty cool looking plants, so we decided to let them live while doing a little reasearch on them. I believe we have grown ourselves a miniscule crop of millet. Millet is an ancient grain that has been used in many ways for thousands of years. Since we are studying Ancient Civilizations in school, this was fun information. We found out that it is ready to be harvested when golden brown...and since it is mostly already there, it looks like the kids have some threshing to do. I am thinking that perhaps I should have titled my post "How to Turn an Accident into a School Project".
Friday, October 16, 2009
Happy Birthday Melinda!
Amazingly enough, it has been nine years since Chris and I were first blessed with a lovely daughter. Melinda has been so much fun to watch grow. She is full of life and love; there is rarely, if ever, a dull moment when Melinda is around.
Melinda has never been into toys, unless they involve arts & crafts, physical activity, or--most importantly--spending time with other people. She is a creative girl, outgoing and friendly, who loves to entertain guests and make friends.
To this end, we had the joy of being able to give her 2 gifts for her birthday: an art easel and a bike. Both have already been put to good use. On the morning of her birthday, October 14th, Melinda had no idea how to ride a 2-wheel bike, (was afraid of it actually,) and the next day she was riding like a pro. I am so proud of her! Good job Linnie!
Melinda has never been into toys, unless they involve arts & crafts, physical activity, or--most importantly--spending time with other people. She is a creative girl, outgoing and friendly, who loves to entertain guests and make friends.
To this end, we had the joy of being able to give her 2 gifts for her birthday: an art easel and a bike. Both have already been put to good use. On the morning of her birthday, October 14th, Melinda had no idea how to ride a 2-wheel bike, (was afraid of it actually,) and the next day she was riding like a pro. I am so proud of her! Good job Linnie!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Let Me Sum Up
I was going to explain, but there is too much so I will just sum up. In other words, I am going to combine a whole bunch of little things into one blog post and just pretend that they all go together somehow.
First, please remember that we are in the process of trying to sell our house. Yes, our house is currently on the market, and I have had the pleasure/stress of having it shown fairly often. The kids have done quite well keeping their beds made and rooms picked up, and typically the majority of our mess has been in the kitchen or dealing with school books being strewn all over the living room. Recently, however, I walked into our [in]formal living room to find that kids finally couldn't stand it any longer. They HAD to make Something messy.
Next up in the news, I made my first Lemon Meringue Pie. I'm glad to say that it wasn't too difficult, nor did it turn out horrible. (I also made a beautiful and delicious apple pie this weekend. I like making apple pies, although I dont usually like eating them. This one was amazing though--I was shocked. If I could make it like that every time, I'd be an apple pie convert.) And now, since I don't have a picture of the Amazing Apple Pie, here is one of the Lemon Meringue Pie:
Another interesting tidbit involves some sort of fruit tree we have in our front yard that has remained frustratingly unidentified until recently. Timothy was drinking a bottle of juice and realized that one of the fruits on the label looked like the ones on our tree. This is how we discovered that there is such a thing as a Yumberry Tree.
And that, I believe, is all I am going to cram in for now. I love all of those Little Things!
First, please remember that we are in the process of trying to sell our house. Yes, our house is currently on the market, and I have had the pleasure/stress of having it shown fairly often. The kids have done quite well keeping their beds made and rooms picked up, and typically the majority of our mess has been in the kitchen or dealing with school books being strewn all over the living room. Recently, however, I walked into our [in]formal living room to find that kids finally couldn't stand it any longer. They HAD to make Something messy.
Next up in the news, I made my first Lemon Meringue Pie. I'm glad to say that it wasn't too difficult, nor did it turn out horrible. (I also made a beautiful and delicious apple pie this weekend. I like making apple pies, although I dont usually like eating them. This one was amazing though--I was shocked. If I could make it like that every time, I'd be an apple pie convert.) And now, since I don't have a picture of the Amazing Apple Pie, here is one of the Lemon Meringue Pie:
Another interesting tidbit involves some sort of fruit tree we have in our front yard that has remained frustratingly unidentified until recently. Timothy was drinking a bottle of juice and realized that one of the fruits on the label looked like the ones on our tree. This is how we discovered that there is such a thing as a Yumberry Tree.
And that, I believe, is all I am going to cram in for now. I love all of those Little Things!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Reading in September
Since July I have wanted to sum up my reading accomplishments for 2009 to date and set some goals for the remaining months of the year. Now in October I am no closer to achieving these goals although the desire has not waned. The point of doing this is rather dull now, with there being less than 90 days left of the year. (!!!) I would be much better served by practicing writing (typing?) "2010" instead of "2009" and coming up with New Year's Resolutions. Oh, and thinking about Christmas shopping somewhere in there too, I suppose.
Unfulfilled goals notwithstanding, I am happy with the reading I've done so far this year. I haven't read as much as I'd wanted--believe it or not--especially when it comes to books already on my bookshelf begging to be befriended. I have, however, read some amazing books and made some new favorite authors (Cather, Tolstoy). In September I finished reading:
-My Antonia by Willa Cather. This book didn't touch me quite as deeply as did Song of the Lark, but then I had to read it in such a hurry to finish it by my book club meeting that I probably didn't spend as much time on it as I should have. I love Willa Cather's writing, and My Antonia only served to solidify my resolve to read all of her works.
-The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Buchanan. I read this as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book, and ended up with conflicting opinions about it. The story and the history in the book were enjoyable, but I felt that there was a lack of continuity in some areas.
-The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. A great read.
-Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Who am I to review Shakespeare? Classic.
-Let It Rot by Stu Campbell. Great introduction and reference about composting.
-The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. I read this aloud this time as a school book. It was exciting enough that I was coerced into reading for 1.5 hours in order to finish the book. A great intro to Ancient Egypt.
And with that, I think I'll sign off and curl up with a good book. Happy reading, all.
Unfulfilled goals notwithstanding, I am happy with the reading I've done so far this year. I haven't read as much as I'd wanted--believe it or not--especially when it comes to books already on my bookshelf begging to be befriended. I have, however, read some amazing books and made some new favorite authors (Cather, Tolstoy). In September I finished reading:
-My Antonia by Willa Cather. This book didn't touch me quite as deeply as did Song of the Lark, but then I had to read it in such a hurry to finish it by my book club meeting that I probably didn't spend as much time on it as I should have. I love Willa Cather's writing, and My Antonia only served to solidify my resolve to read all of her works.
-The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Buchanan. I read this as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book, and ended up with conflicting opinions about it. The story and the history in the book were enjoyable, but I felt that there was a lack of continuity in some areas.
-The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. A great read.
-Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Who am I to review Shakespeare? Classic.
-Let It Rot by Stu Campbell. Great introduction and reference about composting.
-The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. I read this aloud this time as a school book. It was exciting enough that I was coerced into reading for 1.5 hours in order to finish the book. A great intro to Ancient Egypt.
And with that, I think I'll sign off and curl up with a good book. Happy reading, all.
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