This and that

Feeling uninspired with writing at the moment, so I figured I'd make a list. :o)

• Sass learned how to blow up balloons today.
• Spyder started a new Nancy Drew game -- The Curse of Blackmoor Manor. These kinds of games aren't really my thing, but I'm really impressed with how much critical thinking is involved.
• Skeeter has a job offer from a firm which occasionally hires him for consulting. Neither one of us is really sure whether we want him to take the job.
• I'm thinking about applying to a different bookstore. A new one is opening closer to my house, but I don't know much about the company.
• Spyder, Sass, and I watched The Standard Deviants Astronomy Adventure, Part I today (a Netflix movie). As always, the information was presented in an entertaining way, but it wasn't quite what we wanted. We aren't going to bother with Part 2.
• Spyder read How to Eat Fried Worms because he really, really wants to see the movie.
• We made Key Lime Pie today, and it was fantastic!

Abundance

My neighbor's tree is absolutely loaded with pears. Today we picked a dozen or so, and I'm on the search for recipes! Pears are pretty expensive here, so I only buy them occasionally, and never for whole recipes.

I'm overjoyed to have so many!

Any suggestions?

Pirates . . . arrgh!

I've just finished a wonderful young adult series, the "Bloody Jack Adventures" by L.A. Meyer. I originally started reading them to see if they were appropriate for Spyder (they're not just yet), but I continued reading them just for me. :o)

The series begins with Bloody Jack. The setting is London, around 1795. Mary, a six-year-old girl is orphaned when both her mother and father die during an outbreak of the plague. There is nowhere for her to go, so she ends up on the streets and falls in with a street gang. A few years after, the leader of her gang is killed and she decides to strike out on her own. Disguised as a boy, she renames herself "Jacky" and gets a position on a Royal Navy ship as a ship's boy. She learns quickly and keeps up The Deception, despite running headlong into puberty and adolescence.

The second and third books continue with her vast adventures. Despite all of her hardships -- and there are many -- the books are encouraging and empowering, something that is sorely needed in young adult books today.

Highly recommended, particularly for teen and pre-teen girls.

September 1

The beginning of September always feels like a new beginning to me. A fresh start, a change of pattern. I'm not sure why; maybe I've had "new school year" impressed in my mind, even though I no longer have the need to follow the traditional school schedules.

But whatever the reason, the September date feels like I've turned the page onto a new chapter. The weather is even cooperating at the moment. We've had some (relatively) cool days, and even a couple of moments where I've thought, "Ooh, I'm kind of chilly!" Considering the summer we've had, that's just short of amazing to me.

September always makes me feel as if change is on the horizon, but this time more than usual.

Just what I needed to hear

From my friend Kathy's Quote of the Day email:

Jesus came to the disciples at the start of "the fourth watch," or around 3
a.m.... Many people seem to become unsettled during "the fourth watch,"
that is, very early in the morning when they can't get back to sleep, but
it's just too early to get out of bed. In the darkness, problems seem to
multiply and magnify.... What more apt time to invite Jesus to come to us!
Even if sleep has abandoned us, Our Lord will not.

- Fr. James McKarns, from "Living Faith" January/February?March 2003

Celia Rivenbark

Celia Rivenbark is absolutely one of the funniest writers I've read. I'm in the middle of her latest book, Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank and Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom.

All of her books are written somewhat like a collection of essays, so they're perfect for anyone who loves to read but doesn't always have the time. I've been reading the book while giving Sass a bath, waiting in line somewhere, waiting for that pot of spaghetti to boil . . . . You get the idea. If I have a couple of minutes, I read this book.

Being a fellow Southerner, I know (and, sadly, am probably related to) most of the people she describes. And she is completely spot on. And they're Laugh Out Loud Funny. I can't even say how many times I've laughed aloud and had to explain why I was laughing. :o)

Read her; read her; read her!

Cute little girl

After Sass got out of the bath tonight, she said she wanted "Mommy's after shower hair."

It took me a moment to figure out that she wanted me to make my usual after-shower towel configuration. LOL! She was thrilled with her "long, pink princess hair."

It's the simple things . . . .

We've had a little bit of a reprieve with the weather lately. Temperatures are only hitting in the low to mid 90s, and it feels practically cool compared to the 100+ days we've had.

My children play outside quite a lot, usually in the clubhouse or on the swingset. Lately though, they've discovered the joy of mud puddles. Yesterday when they went out to play with the water hose, they ended up filling a hole (created by those blasted canines) and turning it into "The Big Muddy." Oh, dear heavens. They played in the mud, muddy water, and grass clippings for almost two hours. Their only tools were a trowel, a garden rake (with a broken tine), and a skateboard.

I love it when they do things like this! In what seems to be an age of technology overload, it's wonderful to see them enjoying the simple things.

Agent Cool Blue

Agent Cool Blue is a new plaque revealing rinse that (I believe) has only recently come onto the market. Agent Cool Blue is made by Listerine, so I was a little bit skeptical in buying it. Listerine is a great product, but it hurts to use it! It makes my eyes water, and I very seldom make it past 15 or 20 seconds of swishing.

But hey, Spyder was interested in trying it, and I'm all for anything that makes him want to brush his teeth.

In a word, it's wonderful! We got the bubble gum flavor, and the taste isn't that bad. I think Spyder has brushed his teeth more in the last two days than he has in the last week! And it's all been willingly, not me with the continual reminders of "Did you brush your teeth yet?"

Normally, I'm not a person who feels the need to buy the New or New and Improved things on the market, but this is one that I'm glad we did buy!

Church activities

I started a new bible study at our women's group tonight, The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority by Dr. Adrian Rogers. I think that I am really, really going to enjoy this study. We did the introduction this evening, and I was absolutely captivated by the lesson.

The group is also focusing on memorizing Bible verses, which I haven't done since I was a girl. I've helped Spyder and Sass with their Awana verses, so I haven't completely strayed away. It just hasn't been my focus. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated when the study leader said she'd be keeping track of who was memorizing! It should be good practice for my limp noodle though. :o)

In child news, Sass started her second year of Awana Cubbies, and she was thrilled! Her little friend Olivia is now in the class with her, and they were both excited about that. I'm not sure that the teacher is going to be all that thrilled with it though. :o)

Spyder began his first year of Truth In Training, and he was absolutely over the moon about it! He doesn't get his book for another two weeks, but he's been practicing memorization by using his book from last year.

I'm still the director of the Awana store, so I'm having to work that into the bible study nights. I'm also working in the nursery one Sunday per month, as well as working in Junior Worship one Sunday per month.

Whew! Another church year starting off with a bang!

Reliving my youth

Lately I've been getting older movies from Netflix, the library, and the video store, ones that I loved when I was younger. Skeeter and I have had such a blast watching these oldies but goodies. So far we've seen (in no particular order)

• The Princess Bride
• Real Genius
• Sixteen Candles
• Can't Buy Me Love
• Back to the Future
• Beetlejuice
• Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
• War Games
• The Goonies

I'm sure the list isn't complete. We've been on this kick for a few weeks, and we haven't even gotten to Explorers or Better Off Dead!

Lately, the children have fallen in love with Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry. Scooby is fun, but Tom & Jerry make them laugh and giggle like I've never seen before. I need to introduce them to Fred Flintstone. :o)

Back to school

We had our annual homeschooling "back to school" party on Friday, from 11 am to 4 pm. And let me tell you, that is a long time to be in a gym with 60+ children. It was a great party though.

The gym is made for roller skating, so my urchins had a wonderful time learning how to skate. Sass was doing very, very well by the time we left. Spyder, on the other hand, wasn't faring as well. I think we're going to be doing skating more often though. It was loads of fun! Ah, I do remember the roller skating days . . . . Friday nights at Skateland. Oh, the memories! Sadly though, I didn't get out there to skate. I was very busy trying to hold up my children. Plus, I was a little bit afraid that I would make a fool out of myself!

We also had a mini-curriculum fair, and I found an excellent science curriculum that I can use for both children. It is engaging enough that Sass should be interested, but we can make it challenging enough to keep Spyder working as well. We're saving so that Spyder and Skeeter can attend the Father/Son Space Camp, so I chose the Apologia Astronomy curriculum. Several people had recommended it, and I had looked at it online, but I couldn't really decide if it was for us until I actually held it in my hand. (Being a tactile person is a detriment at times.) I ordered it immediately, and I can't wait to get started on it!

That bookstore job

I love it. I really do. But on nights like tonight, I wonder if I'm not really cut out to be in a customer service job.

We've been incredibly busy for the last two (almost three) weeks. Busy like Christmas. Schools are starting now, and everyone who procrastinated and didn't do his/her summer reading is rushing to get the book. Teachers are handing out new reading assignments. And none of the teachers actually give us a heads up so that we can order additional copies.

Tonight I was besieged with customers who wanted me to get books for them with almost no information. Here are three of the most extreme requests (with a little extra rudeness thrown in for good measure):

#1: A book from on the high school reading list that has "My" in the title. The customer -- the student's mother -- scoffed at my first guess (My Antonia). I started offering others (Bless Me, Ultima; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Black Like Me). My customer got angry that I couldn't come up with the title immediately. "I have places to go!" While the mom was on her tirade about how useless I was, the student came up and immediately picked up my first choice (My Antonia) and said, "Hey, that's it." The mom paid and left, with no apology to me for her rudeness.

#2: A customer called and asked for "a book that was on one of your displays with M&Ms on the cover." She couldn't remember if it was a hardcover or a paperback, on which display she saw it, or anything about the title or author. While I was looking for that elusive book

(Aside/digression): Another customer came to the desk to use the phone. She didn't ask anyone if it was okay. She just picked up the phone and hung up on my customer. I was walking into the area when I saw her and I yelled, "NO!" She jumped, and I said, "You just hung up on my customer." She giggled and said, "Oh, you scared me. I thought something was wrong."

#3: A book with "ruby" in the title. I came up with several titles, but none were what she wanted and she walked off in a huff.

I am usually pretty good at figuring out what someone needs. I've been working with books for years, so I have a pretty broad knowledge base. But I'm not clairvoyant.

Well, I did it.

I quit the Bunco group last night. It's the best decision, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And to top it off, I won a prize last night. The category? Last Bunco.

I called Skeeter on the way home and told him that I really did it. I think he didn't believe I'd actually go through with it. We both decided that I needed to find something else to do just for me, at least once a month. I'm pleased that he's realized that I need the time away. When I first started Bunco -- and for the first year, really -- he moaned and whined every month when it was time to go. And it was just for one night, for about 4 hours.

He's come a long way though, and I'm really glad that he can see that time for myself is good for me.

Bunco

I'm quitting Bunco tonight.

It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is to me. I've been with this group for three years, and really it's my one night a month to just go hang out with friends.

The problem is that it's on Sunday night, which is when our ladies group has Bible study at church. It's been bothering me for quite a while that I've all but dropped out of the ladies group, and I decided this morning (at church) that it was important that I start going again. I'm still doing the Awana store, so I'll need to miss once a month anyway, but twice a month would just be too much.

Most of our original group is gone anyway. I think there are only three or four of us left.

So tonight is the last Bunco for me. I'm a little bit sad over it, but I know it's best. Maybe I can start another group that doesn't meet on Sundays!

It's so hot

One can't do much more than complain about the heat. And poor Skeeter works outside in it every day. The temperature supposedly isn't hotter today than it has been for the past two weeks, but it certainly feels a lot worse.

We had to leave the house for about two hours. I had promised Sass a milkshake, and we had some things we needed from Target. When we got back home I let the doggies in again, and the poor things were miserable from being outside! Poor Lucy camped out at the water dish and didn't move for 15 minutes! Brownie didn't seem to have fared quite so badly, but he was definitely glad to be inside again.

Unwarranted guilt

I'm such a pleaser. Sometimes it's fine. I actually do like to help other people. But why do I feel guilt when I say no?

Yesterday afternoon, the manager at the bookstore called me with a nicely convoluted story about how they were a person short. I had plans for the evening, and I truly didn't want to go in. We had dinner plans with friends, two stops to see more friends, and family time all planned out for the evening. Nothing was unbreakable, but really I just didn't want to. I asked Skeeter's advice, and he just asked the basic question, "Do you want to go in?" No, I didn't. So I called and told them that I couldn't come in.

Another example: on Monday I was supposed to keep a friend's children during the morning so she could see a relative in the hospital. She didn't call, but I stuck around home thinking that she'd be over any time. I finally called around 1:30, and she hadn't made it out yet. She asked if she could bring them over around 2:30, and I had to say no. We had errands to run that day that I had already put off because I had thought they were coming earlier. And I was working that night, so I had to get the errand running done before 4:30.

So why did I feel selfish in saying no in those instances? I still haven't figured it out.

Wordplay

My friend Julie gave me John Langdon's Wordplay for Christmas a few years ago, and it's one of my favorite books to peruse.

I love words. I love wordplays and puns and word puzzles and creative use of language. John Langdon's word art brings in all of these, as well as the artistic sense of the word.

Langdon's book brings in another aspect of his word art: philosophy. Philosophy within vocabulary and art and science.

This isn't your typical "sit down and escape" type of book, but it is definitely a book for those who want to think about language and art and its impact on our thoughts.

Family Day

We spent yesterday at my parents' house. My sister was visiting, and we don't get to see her very often, since she lives about 6 hours away. The only day that the rest of the family was available was Friday, so we decided to have the big family cookout then rather than waiting until Saturday or Sunday.

Skeeter fell at work on Thursday and twisted his ankle very badly, so he spent the morning at the minor medical center. (He's fine; he got the usual "keep it elevated" directive.) He got home at about noon, and we headed out just afterward.

We got there around 2 pm, and the children immediately headed to play with Ranger, my sister's dog. He's a beautiful chocolate lab with a great personality. He's only about a year old, so he's still playful enough that he and the children really enjoy each other. It was hot though, so we brought the doggie inside not long after.

We spent the day doing what we usually do at Mom & Dad's house -- chatting, watching the children explore the bean field and climb the trees, and playing with the dogs.

The children were, of course, absolutely filthy by the end of the day. It's a very good thing that I believe in the "always prepared" mantra when it comes to the children, and I had extra clothes and underwear for both of them. There is absolutely no way that I would have even let them into the car without a bath. Spyder's feet were black from all of the dirt, and his whole body had a layer of grey dirt. I had to wash his shoes! (Luckily, he wore his Crocs, which are pretty easily washable.) I still don't know exactly what he got into that made his feet so black. Sass doesn't like to wear shoes when she's playing outside, so I didn't have to clean her shoes, but she did have a nice layer of dirt everywhere though. :o)

It was a very full and fun day, but it's left me confused on the days of the week, since yesterday felt like a Saturday!

24 hours in a day

And sometimes I need far more. The blog has been sadly neglected.

We "officially" started school again this week, although truly we never stopped. But it's quite a bit different doing "official" work four or five days a week rather than one or two! I can't imagine how hard it would be if we had completely stopped over the summer!

Sass is absolutely thrilled that she's doing school this year. She picked out a backpack at Target, and she's organized all of her workbooks into the backpack. She's still doing mostly what we did last year, but she wants to feel as if she's just like her big brother, so it works out well for me, I suppose. :o)

Spyder has gone into school with a vigor that I hadn't expected. He is doing about twice the work that I expected for him. I'm sure that will wane in time, but for now, it's nice. He's even getting up an hour earlier to get a head start on the day. (Is this really the same child that I had last year? LOL!) I am rather proud of him though. He's still having some difficulty memorizing his multiplication tables, but he's moved into double digit multiplication with no trouble at all. We started division today, and he completely got the concept right away! ::happy dance::

It's so interesting how I can see Spyder growing up. He's started taking notes for all of his learning. I hadn't realized that until he got his planner book out today when I was explaining division. He wrote down all the steps as I explained them, and I could see that he'd written out some of the multiplication tables and the steps to double digit multiplication.

It seems like every day is another time for me to say, "Oh my babies are growing up!"

As for the pantry,

I really, really blew it. I took Skeeter and the urchins to the store with me tonight (bad idea), and I spent $38 of my weekly grocery budget AND I got almost nothing to show for it.

Part of it really was my fault; I admit it. I went looking for a few specific ingredients for a copycat recipe for Alice Springs Chicken like they make at Outback. I normally don't buy for recipes. I tend to adapt the recipe according to what I have already. But Skeeter had a bad day at work today, and I wanted to do it the "right" way for him. I also got Starbucks whole bean coffee for him instead of the usual, and that was a huge splurge.

So, alas, I'm working on $12 remaining for any grocery or household items until next Friday. And that's not particularly good, since my pantry is looking rather bare! This week's shopping really should have been all about working through the small amount left and restocking. Bad, bad me! Because of my poor shopping today, I think that my pantry challenge will last about a week longer than I had intended!

The Alice Springs Chicken recipe was excellent though, so I'll definitely make that again.

No, no, no!!

Beginning this week, the British version of Monopoly will no longer have the traditional multi-colored cash. Monopoly in the UK will be now sold with Visa cards and a scanner!

Yet another once wonderful real-life teaching tool ruined by "modernization." How many of us learned to count money by playing Monopoly? I know I did. My son did. My daughter is.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the "improvement" makes its way across the pond to the US. As for us though, we'll keep the old paper money.

Should I be worried?

I just got a set of hair care products to use as part of a study. On the bottles is a warning:

"If you experience a medical emergency related to the use of this product, discontinue use and call xxx.xxx.xxxx."

Um, YIKES!

The beginning of the end of summer

It's time to look into school.

My friend Carla had her annual "end of summer" party today. It seems really strange to think of July being the end of summer. When I was little, it was still considered the middle! But, as I found out today, schools start soon. One district starts on August 2nd! The ones closer to me start August 14, but even that seems early to me.

In our version of homeschooling, we never officially stop. We just take more breaks in the summer because Spyder's friends are more available. There is something fun about the "beginning" of the school year though. Spyder and I both got sucked into the school supplies aisles at Target yesterday. We ended up buying pencils (several 8 packs for 20 cents each) and a composition book, but I managed to restrain myself otherwise. I can tell we'll be back though.

As for schoolwork, Sass will begin Pre-K officially. I'll need to make an entirely new curriculum for her. Spyder just skipped Pre-K -- or he did it before I realized it -- so I'll need to focus on researching that. As for Spyder, we're revisiting Egypt because he specifically asked for it. We're also continuing our geography study(Sass too), focusing on US geography mostly, but we do touch on European and Middle Eastern. Reading, writing, spelling, and math will continue as usual. The only thing we'll be changing -- sort of -- is science. I'm looking into science curriculums, simply because Spyder wants to use one. I have a sneaking suspicion though, that he'll get the currciulum and do it in about two weeks. He's done that before!

Summer has been good for science, really, because I let both of the children choose a plant to nurtre, and they've loved it! Sass chose lavender; Spyder chose impatiens. They've loved taking care of the plants and watching them grow. It ended up being an excellent teaching tool, that was completely unintentional! I bought some cilantro from Home Depot, and on the spur of the moment, I decided to let them each choose a plant. I need to do things like that more often!

Pretty soon, I'm going to attempt to dry some of the lavender to make sachets or something. I think Sass will love making those. I'm thinking Christmas gifts, at least for the grandmothers. :o)

Puzzlemania

My Sass is a girl after my own heart.

She's incredibly into puzzles at the moment, and she's really good at them too!

Her favorites are the 24 piece Polly Pocket puzzles, probably because they're so girly, but she can do the 100 piece ones that belong to Spyder. She's just not all that into Spiderman or the Fantastic 4. :o)

Oh, the woes of an eBay seller

I'm pretty sure that I'm giving up my eBay store. I received an email yesterday, via the eBay automatic system, saying that store listing fees were going up dramatically, and Final Value Fees are also increasing.

Last year, eBay raised the base price of a basic store from $9.95 to $15.95. Even then, it seemed worth it for me to just keep the store running all the time, with items only $.03 a month + the 8% Final Value Fee. Now, most of my items will be $.06 a month + the 10% Final Value Fee. Prices take effect on August 22, and I need to determine ASAP whether it will be worth it. I'm not a tremendous seller. Mostly I sell things from around my house -- toys, my children's outgrown clothing, books, movies, music -- that sort of thing. I would have to put much more effort into actually having a store for it to be worth it to me. It would become just another stress point, and that's not something I need at the moment.

Spyder's homeschooling has become much more mom/teacher-intensive, and Sass will begin Pre-K this year, most likely with the same type of schooling. I'm pleased with the path that schooling has taken for us, and I can't see changing it as a good thing. I can't afford to take away time from them to make eBay more profitable.

I've been thinking about this since I got the email, and I only came to my decision on the ride home from work tonight. As much as I hate to give up my "fun money," I know it will be the best decision in the long run.

Ephiphany

Nothing makes me appreciate my own children more than keeping someone else's.

Must have been a good dream

When I went to wake Spyder this morning with the usual, "Good morning, Sugarbunch!"

He responded with, "Well? When are the arms going to explode and shoot the stuff?"

Three minutes later, he had no idea he'd even said it.

Childhood relived

I've begun reading a book to Sass every night. Not a picture book, like we used to. A real honest-to-goodness book that we both can enjoy.

We sort of fell into it by accident. I read to relax every night. She'd crawl up into my lap, so I read out loud. I think she must have really enjoyed it because she started coming to me regularly, expecting to hear me read the story. It was very nice, for both of us, just sitting in the rocker, spending quality time together.

Our first story was Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, written in 1912, but the prose is so engaging that it isn't difficult to read at all. In fact, it reads very much like a teen historical novel written today.

Our current story is Mandy by Julie Edwards, one of my favorite books from my childhood. My grandmother had a copy on her shelves -- a hardcover -- and I loved reading the book whenever I went to her house. I'd sit on her couch or at the dining room table and fall in love with the little cottage all over again. I didn't find out until much, much later (in my 20s) that the author was truly none other than Julie Andrews, whom I absolutely adored as Mary Poppins.

I think next will be Heidi, another favorite at my grandmother's house.

I am so excited that Sass is finally old enough to enjoy books with me, not just picture books. And although I never really think of myself as a girly-girl, but I'm so glad to have a daughter who wants to share these with me.

Larry-Boy Saves the Day!

Skeeter and I are helpers for children's church once a month. Yesterday wasn't supposed to be our day, but another couple asked if we'd trade since their daughter was being baptized this week.

Sunday morning at 8:30, we got a call from the coordinator. The lead worker was sick, and we were the ONLY ones for children's church that morning! No lesson plan. No snacks. YIKES! We sprang into action.

I am a local Veggie Tales ambassador, and I had picked up my kit for the new movie Larry Boy and the Bad Apple earlier in the week. We had planned to have a movie night at the church in the beginning of August, but Larry-Boy came to the rescue for children's church instead!

We gathered a story that worked with the "temptation" theme, got a small craft together, grabbed the DVD player, and Skeeter was at church by 10 am setting it up! I ran to Target for snacks -- goldfish, graham crackers, and apple juice -- and I got there around 10:30, just as they had finished the craft and were heading for the movie.

We had planned to share the story at the very end, just before prayer. The pastor ended his sermon early though, and the parents were coming to get the children just as the music video ended.

Despite the short notice, I think children's church went off really well. And I think this Larry Boy is one of my favorites -- and not just because he saved the day. :o)

Pantry cheater!

Well, it wasn't *that* bad, I suppose, but I spent $22 on Saturday, and not all of it was "must-have." Particularly not the ice-cream sandwiches! Bad me! :o)

I bought ground beef (2 pounds), and today I'm making spaghetti and meatballs. A friend gave me a huge bag of ripe tomatoes that really needed to be used ASAP, plus I'm using garlic (that I had in the fridge), mushrooms (jarred from the pantry), onions (already diced in the freezer). I already had the spices and things as well, so no trouble there.

I still haven't made the pantry/freezer list, so I'm sure that there will be another trip to the store involved in that. *sigh*

Pantry news

WOOHOO!! Things are looking good in the pantry and freezer! Things are clearing out, and I can see the light! LOL!

We have used all of the meat in the freezer, with the exception of two large chicken breasts and a ham bone for soup. We'll have the chicken this week, but the soup will have to wait for cooler weather. I'm not really interested in soup when it's 100 degrees outside.

We have (no kidding) a two gallon bucket full of rice that I completely forgot about. I found it in the back of the freezer. It's been there since October of last year, so that needs to be used ASAP. Luckily, we eat rice quite a lot! Since we're in the South, I keep all of our grains that require "long term" storage in the freezer. Flour, pasta, cornmeal, rice, and occasionally spices go into the freezer because they can get buggy if they're stored more than a couple of months, especially during the summer.

Tomorrow is grocery shopping for the must-haves, so I'm planning to go through the fridge, freezer, and pantry to make a list of what we still have. I'll have to do that to be able to plan what we need to use. I know that I'll have to buy eggs, spinach, carrots, and the like, but I'll need to plan our main meals, and I can't do that without assessing what we still have.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Skeeter, Spyder (and a friend), and I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean film last night.

I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't like it as much as the original. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'm going to try to be as vague as possible.

As before, the action scenes were excellent, and overall the film was great fun. And I'd say it is a film that works best in a movie theatre, on the big screen. The water wheel scene alone is worth the price of admission. We saw it on an IMAX-style screen, and it was one of my favorite scenes in the film!

I also loved the depiction of Davy Jones and the crewmen, as more creatures of the sea than true men. That was excellent!

Most people have heard that there will be a third installment what has become the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that this film felt like it was doing nothing more than setting up the third film. It raised issues and questions that weren't resolved. They weren't even explored. They were sort of dropped into the viewer's mind, then left.

I'll definitely see the third Pirates film, but I'm sorely disappointed that this one was merely set-up for the next.

That bottomless pantry!

I'm beginning to think it has a bottom after all! Yesterday I went through both the pantry and the freezer and organized everything according to type. All the frozen veggies together, all the grains, etc. I found that we have exactly three chicken breasts left, and that's IT for the meat! Unless I count the package of veggie sausage. :o)

I did go to the market last night because we were completely out of milk, creamer, and bread. And those are absolute essentials. I spent a total of $12.90 because I got the remaining ingredients for cucumber salad as well. I made that today, and it was just fantastic! So easy to make and wonderfully summery.

********************

Cucumber Summer Salad

2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced and quartered
10 oz cubed mozzarella cheese
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small container blue cheese
Italian dressing, about 1/2 cup

Mix all ingredients and chill for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

********************

Sometimes I mix pasta with it as well, and occasionally prosciutto, to make it more of a "main" dish rather than a side.

I know that I've cheated a little bit on the pantry challenge, but it's really doing what was intended -- using up things that have been in there for ages, as well as making me take stock of what I have.

On a not-so-good note, Skeeter didn't like yesterday's chicken and black bean dish at all, so I'm trying to think of a way to change it or spice it up. I'm going to clip some cilantro tomorrow -- my plants are doing quite well! -- and I may add some cayenne pepper. We had it over rice, and I think that was at least part of what he didn't like. Maybe I can grab a bag of tortilla chips and use it as a hearty dip instead.

Ideas, anyone?

On shopping

I spent $26 at the grocery store on Saturday. I didn't do really well this week, but because I wasn't at my usual shops, I couldn't really comparison shop like I normally do. I'm still working out of the pantry, so most of what I bought is for Skeeter's lunch. For home, I bought

• cereal
• rice
• olive oil
• salt

I'll still need to get bread, milk, and creamer sometime early this week.

Tonight we had BBQ ribs (from the freezer), potatoes, and broccoli. Tomorrow I absolutely must make the rest of the squash in the fridge. We'll have the rest of the ribs then too, I think. I have just enough carrots and such to make rice pilaf. I have two or three cans of black beans that I need to use too, but I haven't come up with anything that sounds good so far.

I really want to make a nice cucumber salad though, so I'm trying to justify heading to the fresh market to get cucumbers and cheese. I think that would be cheating though, since I don't have to have it. Maybe if I can think of a creative way to use those black beans, I'll celebrate by making the cucumber salad. :o)

I'm not as young as I think I am

Whew!

This weekend was quite a whirlwind! I worked Friday night, and we had troubles with the computer system, so I ended up getting home later than usual. I slept in on Saturday morning (so no yard sales this week) and made brunch (omlettes and waffles) around 11.

At 12:30, my mom called and said that they were having a party at 3:00 for my grandmother's birthday. Could we be there? Well, yes, if we left straightaway!

We left home just after 1 pm, stopped for gas, and headed to Mom & Dad's. We pulled into the driveway at 5 minutes to 3:00. We stayed there until just after 10:00. It was actually a pretty productive day. Skeeter fixed Mom & Dad's computer; I did a bit of grocery shopping (more on that later); the urchins played outside and got filthy (as always). Plus, I got to visit with an aunt and uncle that I haven't seen in years.

We got home at midnight, and I was just wiped out. We went to bed almost immediately, and I was so tired that I didn't sleep well. I tossed in a half-sleep most of the night, and I woke up feeling like I had a hangover, which lasted all day. Of course, it didn't help a bit that I had to work all day today either.

There was a time that none of that would have bothered me. I spent most of my 20s working 80+ hours a week, with time to spare for fun. No longer! I still think of myself as being relatively young, but times like this make me realize how very wrong I am!

On cooking and spending

Last night's dinner was Chicken Enchiladas, and once again, all ingredients came from the pantry or freezer. I made up the recipe, but it was pretty good!

********************

Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream Sauce

1 cup shredded chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz container of sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk (approx)
Mexican seasoning to taste (I like Emeril's Southwest Seasoning mix)
Tortillas

Cook chicken and shred (I love my crock pot!); mix chicken and cheese and roll into tortillas. Place side by side in a deep baking dish.

Whisk together sour cream, soup, and milk to make the sauce; add seasonings to taste and pour over the rolled tortillas.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Top with additional cheese and diced green onions and serve!

********************

I did spend about $9 at Target yesterday. I had to go anyway (for toilet paper -- necessity!), and several of their snack-type foods were on sale. Skeeter takes those for his lunch, and 80 cents for an 8 pack of cheese on cheese crackers isn't bad. He also got mini-smores and peaches (also for his lunch), and the urchins got graham crackers and saltines.

Tonight is Family Buffet night, which pretty much means that I'm not cooking, and each person can choose whatever he/she wants for dinner. We have tons of stuff in the fridge from what I've cooked earlier in the week, and it needs to be eaten anyway!

Oh happy day!

We finally got the new chandelier up today!

Found at a yard sale about two weeks ago for $35, and it was worth every penny.

I love it!!

July's Personal Challenge

This month we will be eating out of the pantry, rather than purchasing items for meals. We do have quite a lot stockpiled, so it shouldn't be too awful. :o) I'll need to buy some things, of course, but I'm going to try to buy only what I must.

So far this month, I've spent $4, on coffee and whipped cream (to go with pound cake and strawberries). Tomorrow we should finish off our July 4th feast, and I'll need to cook something. At the moment, I'm thinking I'll make zucchini pasta and garlic with cheesy garlic biscuits. But I could change my mind tomorrow when I start poking around in the pantry. :o) That's exactly how we ended up with pound cake and strawberries today. I found them both in the back of the freezer!

I've been trying to keep up with my cooking and spending anyway, due to the yahoogroup discussion, but I have a feeling that this month will be all about creative cooking!

Happy 4th!

Today was an absolutely fantastic day!

We opted out of the usual family celebration, simply because it would cost an additional tank of gas, and I just didn't have the money to spare. Between having been off work for a week and a few additional and unexpected bills, we have to stay strictly on budget for the moment.

Despite the not-so-great reason that we stayed behind, I can honestly say I'm really glad we did!

We didn't have any real plans, and we bummed around far longer than we should have. I had planned to make mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini, green bean casserole -- all the Southern fare -- with a couple of bacon wrapped beef filets that have been in the freezer for a few months.

We had invited our friends Chris and Brenda last week, but we'd never made final plans. I had assumed that they'd do something with family since I hadn't heard from them. Brenda called around noon and said they'd be over later -- YAY!! They came over around 4 (sans children, since they're with a grandmother for the week).

I pulled a couple of extra of the filets from the freezer and got everything ready. They came with the grill, plus extra squash, sweet corn, and green tomatoes, all fresh from the garden. Oh yummy yum yummmmm!!

I had been a wee bit concerned that we might not have enough food, since I'm budget-limited this week, and I had to use what we already had on hand. We ended up with far more than we could eat! (Isn't that usually the case though? LOL!) We barely had room on the table for all of the food and our plates!

We ate far too much, which always happens at gatherings, and we had an excellent time just hanging out with friends and no pressures of having to get back home.

A day well spent!

Overheard

"Hey man. That magazine says you have to be 18 to buy. You think I can get it? I'm WAY past 18. I'm 19!"

The Joys of Vacation Bible School

My children just completed a week of Vacation Bible School, and this particular VBS brought back incredibly strong memories of my own VBS years.

I never really thought about it before, but most of the programs that churches do now are programs that are purchased as a whole, just like a boxed homeschool curriculum. The program that our church used this year was "Arctic Edge." I wasn't really impressed with it the first time I heard the songs, but they grew on me, and I ended up really liking the program as a whole. Unfortunately though, our church was one of many in the area who used that particular program. I do understand why most churches choose the boxed route. It's definitely easier, especially when considering how many children come to ours!

The one we just finished, however, was a program that the church had organized on its own. They determined everything, from the stories to the crafts to the songs. And it was SO MUCH FUN! Sass wasn't comfortable being left completely on her own, so Skeeter and I just stayed at the church, somewhere in the background, to make her feel a little more at ease. As a result, we really participated (and helped) in the VBS experience too.

The program was based on The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, which my children absolutely love. We've read the book, listened to the book as a dramatic audio, and seen the film. They LOVE it. So, of course, the children loved the program. The decorations weren't elaborate, but what they did have was very impressive, a huge castle facade that must have taken them hours and hours. It was relatively small too, probably only about 35 children or so, which is a far cry from the 150 or so who come to ours.

But what I loved most was the parents program. Most of the programs that our children have done are nothing more than a song and then awards presentation. This was a real program. The children sang and danced, and I loved watching every moment of it. And my children thoroughly enjoyed performing. The church gave each child a professionally made CD with the songs, and we all sang them all the way home AND during our nighttime clean-up.

I've already started a thank you note to the minister to let him know how much we appreciated all of their hard work, and I'm pretty certain that Sass and Spyder will be there next year!

I am a Snapdragon

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Creative cooking

I've been in a most interesting discussion on one of my yahoogroups recently. The topic has turned to food budgets and menus, and it seems that I do things quite differently than most!

Our food budget is $50 a week for our family of four. It's sometimes a little tight, but most of the time it's not terribly difficult to hold it to that amount. One of the easiest ways to do it is making a variety of stir-fry meals. Everyone in the family loves rice, so I just change what we put on top. :o)

I usually mix-and-match:

yellow squash
zucchini
bell/sweet peppers
mushrooms
asparagus
onion (scallions are best for me)
carrots
broccoli
cauliflower
garlic

depending on what I'm making. Here is one of my favorites, from Cooks.com

**********************

THAI CHICKEN STIR-FRY WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or spinach

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes. Serves 4.

**********************

I add more veggies than just broccoli though -- usually carrots, a little bit of onion, and water chestnuts -- and the chicken is hit or miss, depending on whether we have it and whether I want to bother cooking it. LOL!

If I'm making a Mexican-y stir-fry, I add corn and black beans, at the end, just to warm them up a little bit. Instead of the peanut butter, soy, etc, I add Mexican spices like cumin and cayenne.

If I'm making Moroccan-y, I use the basic veggies (broccoli, carrots, asparagus, etc) and add Moroccan spices like ginger, cinnamon, etc and maybe throw in some almonds and raisins.

I'm using the same basic items for each meal, but just changing the combinations and spices makes something that's new. It's the easiest way for me to use up things in the refrigerator and pantry while not having the same boring old thing week after week!

Books and more books

I've just been turned onto Joan Carris' "Let's Read" website. Oh, I think I'm in a heaven for book lovers! Her site is absolutely filled with recommendations for a variety of ages, all with a nice synopsis.

The opening says it all:

"Welcome! This site is all about the joy of reading. My goal when writing and recommending books is the same: I want children to have so much fun reading that when they finish a book they will want to read another."

I can't wait to give some of her recommendations a try!

Postal woes

I am not crazy!!

I've been complaining about our mail delivery for a while now. We've had no problems with mail delivery EVER until a couple of months ago. I found out that I wasn't getting mail that I should have. Packages that were shipped mysteriously showed up on my porch. We routinely have a couple of days a week with NO mail at all. That just doesn't happen to us! The last straw was when I got a call from my bank asking my correct address! Our statement had gotten sent back as "no such street."

We've changed carriers, and I didn't realize it. I don't always see our mail lady. The mailbox isn't on the house; it's at the end of the driveway, so I only really saw her a couple of times a month. I found out yesterday about the new carrier, who has been delivering for about -- you guessed it -- two months.

Luckily, the important bills -- the mortgage, the electricity, the gas, etc -- are all automatic drafts, so I don't have to worry about not getting them. I wonder how many OTHER things have been sent back though, and no one bothered contacting me about it.

Maybe the mail lady will get better. I certainly hope so. But right now, she's definitely OFF my Christmas cookie list!

Tired Day

Today was such a tired kind of day. No one wanted to get up. And even after I'd gotten the children up, they snuggled up on the couch and went back to sleep. (See photo in previous post. LOL!)

We had friends over today, and I think the tired troubles had hit them as well. The children bickered off and on the whole time, and that NEVER happens with these particular friends. It's absolutely amazing how well they usually get along, but not today! There were arguments over dress up shoes, the Flying Turtle, running in the house, the color of the bubble container, water guns, etc, etc, etc.

Spyder went to art class at the library in the afternoon, and he ended up being so tired (and hungry, he later said) that he hated his drawing. He had a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk after art class, and Sass and I went to her room for her to perform a talent show. I sat on the bed with the rest of the audience -- her stuffed animals -- and the next moment, I was waking up to the doorbell ringing, with Sass asleep right there beside me!

Right now, we have nothing specifically scheduled for tomorrow, so I hope that we will all be a bit more rested!

I love thrifting!

Today I had an unexpected hour to myself, so I headed to the thrift store! I had not been in ages. I just haven't had the time, and I just don't like going with both children. The thrift stores here are all HUGE, and I don't feel comfortable searching the racks the way I like and not keeping my eyes on them.

My hour at Amvets was wonderful (and somewhat therapeutic). I didn't have any great, fantastic, unbelievable finds today, but I found some good things that we can use, as well as some things for friends.

The children and I went yard saling this past weekend, for the first time in over a year, and we all had such a fantastic time! We found loads of things then, some that we needed, and some that were just for fun. I found a rock tumbler for Spyder that had been on my "want" list for a while. I just couldn't make myself spend the $60 for a decent one. We took it to my dad (the official family tinkerer) to see if it actually worked, since it was about 30 years old. The drum was pretty worn, so it didn't turn well. BUT -- my dad to the rescue -- my old rock tumbler (28 years old, and we completely wore out the motor) was still at their house, with an extra drum. A little bit of tinkering (Daddy's specialty), and VOILA! A working rock tumbler for a whopping $2.

I really need to make time for thrifting, in its various forms, more often. You never know what you can find!

Another current favorite CD

Since yesterday was all about the new-to-me Dan Zanes, today it's time to mention how much the entire family adores the soundtrack to the latest Curious George film.

The work that Jack Johnson has done for the soundtrack is far, far better than I ever expected from a simple little family film soundtrack. Truly, it was so good in the film that Skeeter and I looked at each other while were were in the theater and said, "We've got to get this." I bought it a few months ago, and it's been in the player off and on since.

The entire CD is folksy but fun, and I listen to it quite a lot, even when the children aren't. :o) Last week we went to a craft time at the library, and the lead artist played this CD. We were sitting beside the CD table when she turned it on for working time, and Sass said, "Hey, it's Curious George!" The woman was really surprised that Sass (at age 4) knew exactly what it was just from the opening bars of the first song.

Sass's favorite song is "Upside Down," the opening song that she identified immediately. Spyder's is "The 3 Rs." I don't know if I have a favorite because I love the entire thing!

I am so witty!

I must be exhausted.

I neglected to do the reminders for this week, so I'm doing them now. Tomorrow is trash day, and I just put a reminder on Skeeter's computer. The first thing he'll see in the morning is:

It's Trash Day, move your can!

I'm getting a bigger laugh out of that than I should. :o)

Dan Zanes

Tremendous thanks to Alkelda from Saints and Spinners for her post on Dan Zanes.

Until recently, we were watching The Disney Channel in the morning. Dan Zanes has (had?) a video that was played between the shows, and I had no idea who he was. Either they never showed his name, or I missed it every stinkin' time. I searched the Disney website with absolutely no luck.

I've just spent far too much time on his website, and it seems as if all of his songs will be great for the whole family. We love listening to music that everyone can enjoy. Lately our favorites have come from Putumayo, specifically the "Sing Along" CD. (You've never really heard "Old MacDonald" until you've heard Rufus Thomas' version.) Oddly enough, Dan Zanes and Friends are ON that CD, and I never even thought to look them up!

Oh yeah, and I think he's a shopper after my own heart. Just have a look at the lyrics for "Thrift Shop."

Thanks again, Alkelda!

Days without television

Ah, how I love the sound of silence!

Spyder has had a serious television addiction lately, one which required intervention. Skeeter and I have a television in our bedroom, mostly as an incentive for me to fold the laundry, a most mindless task that I detest. That's pretty much the only time that either Skeeter or I use the bedroom television. Spyder had started sneaking into the bedroom and watching The Disney Channel on the sly, but particularly after he had been told "No television" in the living room.

As a result, we got rid of the cable in the bedroom. Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth! Sass wasn't bothered by it at all, but Spyder . . . well, let's just say that it's certainly not coming back.

During a recent study of children's programming, The Disney Channel was cited has having the least violent content. That may be true, but many of the programs directed at the elementary/pre-teen group seem to romanticize or play down the consequences to disrespectful behavior. Most of the shows that come to mind -- Lizzie McGuire, Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Phil of the Future -- all feature children who are disrespectful to their parents, as well as siblings who are disrespectful to one another. Of course, everything is resolved in one single 30 minute episode. Parents forgive and forget because, obviously, the child knew more about what to do than the parent. Siblings forgive each other and stick together when the going gets rough. But things don't happen that way in real life. There are lasting consequences for our actions that simply aren't seen in television shows.

And I really wonder if this is only meant for comic effect or if much of this is intentional, to undermine parental authority. After all, if the parents (particularly fathers) are portrayed as buffoons, why in the world should the child believe that the parents' opinion and judgement is valid? When a parent does exercise judgement that goes against the child's wishes, doesn't programming like that only increase the child's feeling of "Oh my parents just don't get it!?!" Does that allow the child to give the brand's opinion (and, oh yes, The Disney Channel IS a brand) more weight than the parent's opinion? Thus, when the children ARE outside of parental eyes, wouldn't the Brand be chosen over the Parent?

Questions exactly like these have been floating around my brain for quite some time, and I think I've been hesitant to face them. I have become a television rebel, and I'm anxious to see where this takes us on our journey as a family.

Small but significant

Since my "Insomniac" post, I've been forcing myself to go to bed at a more decent hour. It's been difficult, and I fuss and wiggle for a while before falling asleep. I wasn't really doing myself any favors by staying up that late though, even if the library got loads of donations out of it. :o)

Ever since the insomnia had set in -- and I'd been getting up late with extra grumbles -- I'd stopped doing my One Year Bible readings. It had been about two months! YIKES! Instead of starting where I'd left off, I decided to leave the guilt behind and just jump in where I should be. I'm in Proverbs at the moment, and -- WOW! -- I couldn't have ever chosen a better place to start! I found myself nodding my head at everything I read! There were so many things that I read that applied directly to me.

I'm still astounded at the amount of encouragement and support that I got from a 15 minute read. It helped my whole day go better, and it was just yet another insight as to how often I see God's hands in my life.

Insomniac

I've always had trouble sleeping, but it seems to have gone to extremes lately. I've been going to bed later and later and later, and most recently it's been an average of 3 am. Not so good when I get up between 6 and 6:30!

I've no idea what's causing it. I don't do caffeine; my eating habits haven't changed; my routine is basically the same. It's not even that I'm thinking about the million things that I always have to do. I just can't sleep.

I've been forcing myself to make my non-sleep time productive though, and I'm wading my way through the shelves of books.

Some I've read, but I won't ever revist. Those are being put in a box to be donated to the library. Every time the box gets filled, off it goes. I've taken 7 so far.

Some I need to read, and I've never taken the time. Those are being put into a certain bookshelf so that I can wade my way through. Once I'm done, most of them go into the donate box.

Some I love, and I won't ever part with. Those are also going into a certain bookshelf. I absolutely love going to that bookshelf to peruse. I've read everything in that section -- some of them several times -- and it's like visiting old friends.

I'm glad that I'm working my way through something that's needed to be done for ages, but I think I'd really prefer being able to sleep.

Quote

Opportunity only knocks once. Temptation leans on the doorbell.

-- unknown

Birthday party day!

Spyder's birthday party was (finally!) today, at a local park. Truthfully, it was one of the easiest parties we've ever thrown! We always go all out for birthdays. We've had a space party (where we turned one room into a space ship and "launched" everyone), a detective party (everyone followed clues to find the treat bags), and a spy party (everyone went through "spy academy" and graduated afterward). They're always tons of fun for all of us, but it's usually a lot of work getting everything together. This one took almost nothing!

Spyder's birthday was two weeks ago, but schedules have made it nearly impossible to plan a party. Every Saturday from the beginning of May to the end of June was booked! Church activity, Mother's Day, another church activity, Memorial Day, VBS, VBS, Father's Day, etc, etc. So we opted to have it on a weekday, a couple of days after the local schools were out. Worked out perfectly!

Spyder specifically asked to have it at this particular park, which he LOVES, but isn't near our house, so we don't get there often. He's become quite the amateur magician, and he wanted to perform for his friends, so he ultimately decided that he wanted the party to be a Talent Show. It was excellent! We had dancers, a martial arts demonstration, magicians, and a balloon artist! Luckily, the park has a really nice, large gazebo, so we had the party there, and afterward the children went to play in the play area.

It was hot today -- 90 degrees was the high, I think -- so instead of the usual cake and ice cream, we had a decorate your own cupcake time. I always stress about the cake. Always. I usually make the cake. Normally I like to decorate the cake to look like it came from a bakery, but I was afraid I'd mess up the cake in transit, so I opted for cupcakes instead. Yesterday I baked 34 cupcakes. I had planned to decorate them too, with different cute scenes, but at the last moment I had the (brilliant!) idea that the children might like to do their own. It was a HUGE hit, and it saved me two hours of work, so I'm all about it! I may have to make it a tradition. LOL!

Of course, the children were exhausted and filthy afterward, but it was an excellent time. I remember park parties when I was little, and I never liked them. They were hot (no shade) with tons of bugs, so I was reluctant to agree to the park idea. I'm very glad I did though. The children had a great time, and I didn't have hours of cleanup afterward!

*sigh* I'm hooked!

WEBoggle is my newest internet addiction! I'm not all that great compared to some of those who play, but I can usually get about 25-30 words out of the 4x4 puzzle. I've never been one for internet gaming, but this really has me hooked!

Just this once

I'm rather sad that I don't like country music. I was flipping channels in the car this evening, and I ran across Keith Urban's Making Memories of Us. What a sweet song, and such a lovely sentiment. It's so seldom that popular media portray love and relationships in such a simple and beautiful way. Angst and drama are so much more "interesting" and "sellable."

While I love the lyrics (with the exception of using the word "Paw" for the sweetheart's father -- who uses that term now? -- well, my children do, for their grandfather) and the music, I just couldn't get past the affected Southern accent and the typical country twang. When I was in the car, I kept thinking, "Surely this man can't have this kind of accent." I'm from the South, and no one that I know sounds like that! Obviously, I must have been correct, since I found out that he's Australian! And yes, I know, I've been told that I must live in a bubble for not knowing who he was.

I hope that some non-country artist records this song so that I can fully enjoy it!

One of the more disgusting things I've read lately:

Urine Therapy.

I'm pretty sure that I'm staying away from this.

The Rules for being a Dog

• I must insist on being inside the House at all times, even when it's quite lovely outside.
• If I am required to be outside when I don't want to be, I must sit on the steps outside the Door, occasionally Whining loudly and Pawing at the Door to remind my Human that I am not to be forgotten.
• When my Small Humans are outside, I must argue with my Sibling about who should Play with my Small Human.
• When I am inside the house with my Humans, I must follow them around intently, observing any opportunity for food nicking.
• I must be underfoot at all times, particularly when my Human is in the kitchen.
• If my Human is eating or drinking anything at all, I must sit at -- or better yet, ON -- her feet, ready to grab a dropped crumb at any moment.
• When I am bored with my Humans, I must lie in one of My Spots. My favorite Spot is behind my Human's rocker, just close enough so that she can't actually use the rocker. My second favorite Spot is on My couch. When I am on My couch, I must have my favorite pillow. If my pillow is not in the correct Spot on the couch, I will Whine until my Human locates my pillow.
• If the front curtains are open, I must sit at the window, Barking, Growling, and sometimes Whining at the Birds that Dare Trespass in My territory.
• If my Human has been outside the house for any amount of time, I must Sniff every possible inch of her to determine if she has been two-timing me by Petting other Dogs. If I find evidence of her Treachery, I will snuffle loudly to show my disapproval.

An excellent day!

Today Skeeter took off work at midday so that we could have a family day. Oh, we had a blast!

First on the agenda was the Greek Festival. Loads of yummy food and good music. Somehow we missed the dancers this year though. Skeeter and I had gyros this year, instead of the usual kebabs. Skeeter said he'd probably stick with the gyro, but I think next year I'll go back to the kebab. I forgot that dill is a key ingredient in the gyro, and I'm not all that fond of dill. For dessert, we shared loukoumades, a puffy pastry with honey, cinnamon, nuts, and powdered sugar. Messy but good.

We usually meet our friends Diane and Ginger with their boys, but this year we were running late -- stinking bank! -- and Diane and the boys went on the church tour, so we completely missed them. Diane called my cell phone just as we were leaving the festival, so we chatted with them for just a few moments before we walked back to the car.

Afterward we went to the bookstore to buy a birthday gift for Spyder. His birthday is soon, and the poor boy didn't have a thing for his birthday until today! While at the bookstore, we got a coffee -- of course -- and Sass and Spyder each found a book to buy.

Afterward we went The Learning House, a local educator store, where Spyder got to choose some of his birthday presents -- all science supplies. He picked out beakers, test tubes, petri dishes, litmus paper, and a few other things I'm sure that I'm forgetting. They were out of the test tube stand though, so we had to order that. He can't wait to use them, but he has to wait until his birthday. Plus we'll need to get ingredients for the experiments!

After the big shopping experience, we went to the bargain theatre to see The Pink Panther. Skeeter and Spyder loved it, but I wasn't all that thrilled with it. It had some funny parts, but overall I just didn't like it much.

We came home briefly after the movie. Mostly we played outside on the swingset and with the dogs, then we ran out to Kohl's. Skeeter found two pair of pants on the clearance rack -- $10 each -- and we made the thrilling discovery that he's moved down TWO sizes without really trying! Hey, I suppose walking on the highway is good for something!

We stopped at the Sonic on the way home, and now we're in for the night. Finally! It really was an excellent day.

An eBay mystery

Strange things are afoot at the local PO.

I sold a book on eBay on April 4. I shipped it a day or so after the person paid. On April 14, it showed up on my porch. Skeeter didn't remember putting it ON the porch, so I assume that somehow it worked its way back to me instead of to the recipient, although there was nothing on the package to indicate that.

I shipped it again on April 15. Last week, I got an email from the buyer asking if I had shipped it. So I sent her an email telling her what had happened. It hadn't shown up on her end though. I did send it media mail, which is occasionally very slow, and it was tax time. But, wanting to give good customer service, I told her that I would check at the PO to see if they had more information than is available online.

The woman at the PO was (not surprisingly) unhelpful.

Two days ago I found the package -- in the manager's office of the bookstore where I work!! I haven't asked the receiver yet, but I assume that they got it in with the regular shipments. I had used a box from the bookstore, and I had just taped the label over the original one.

I know for certain that I never, ever took the book to the store. There was no reason to. I packed it at the kitchen table, as always, and I even used packing paper that came from my Southern Living at Home shipment. And I remember taking it the post office because it was April 15, and I shipped multiple packages that day. And of course, they were all huge, so I had to make two trips to the car.

I was in the manager's office, getting ready to leave for the day. I needed to get something from a file drawer, and POOF, I saw my lost book sitting in the box in front of the cabinet! I shouted "That's my book!" and I think the manager jumped a foot. Of course, I had to tell him the whole story. I'm not sure he believed me, but I know he wanted me to shut up about my lost book, so he let me take it. LOL!

I kept babbling, "It's out of print. I swear, it's my book! There's a newer edition now. We don't even have any copies of the new edition in the store. And that's the packing paper that came out of my Southern Living at Home stuff. It's my book!"

So now I'm sending this book for a THIRD time, and I'm hoping that it will get there. I did learn a lesson from this though. From now on, I will always include the shipping invoice inside the package.

The Winds of Change

I feel like I'm moving into a completely new arena of parenthood. My children went to their first sleepover this weekend.

On one hand, it was wonderfully liberating. I have never been without my children for more than a couple of hours since they were born. Never ever. Skeeter and I went to dinner (at the Olive Garden -- yummy, yummy!), then we went home and watched Waking Ned Devine (a quirky little movie, but quite good). The movie ended at about 11:30, and we went to bed.

Not an exciting night, certainly, but it was fantastic. During that entire time, I didn't have to be the policeman or the referee. I was just a woman, enjoying the evening with her husband.

On the other hand, I didn't sleep well. I kept waking every couple of hours, thinking that I needed to check on the children for some reason. They were fine, of course, and it wasn't even that I was worried about them. I had trouble relaxing once my mind was unoccupied, simply because checking on them is what I do.

It's a very good thing that changes come a bit at a time. It would be too much of a shock for me if it came all at once.

A few comments on the weather

Good heavens!! The weather so far this year has been so strange. We seem to move from one extreme to the other, with almost no time in between.

We usually manage to make it until the first of May before we have to turn on the air conditioner, and it usually stays on until mid to late September. The heat goes on anywhere from mid-October to the first of November, and it stays on until mid to late March.

This year has been far from typical. So far, we've turned off the heat, had to turn it back on, turned it back off, turned on the a/c. Turned off the a/c again, then turned it back on. It's been on since. At one point in April it was 95 degrees. Thankfully, that heat wave only lasted for a few days. Overall though, I think that April has been far from typical, weather-wise.

Just Monday it was 85 degrees (warmer than normal, but still not horrid), where we spent a lovely (if crowded) day at the zoo. I just went out to feed the birds and it was CHILLY! Came in to check the temperature, and it's currently 56 degrees! Crazy weather. Crazy! Thankfully, we have an indoor activity planned for the afternoon!

April really is the cruellest month.

Unrealistic expectations

When I was working at the bookstore tonight, I had at least 11 requests for Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. We had two copies in the store, and we sold both of them before I got there this evening.

The teacher assigned the book today, expected them all to have copies tomorrow, and would be giving each student a ZERO for each day he/she didn't have it. (Three different students told me this, each at different times, so I don't think they were all exaggerating.) Every bookstore in town is sold out. And we have 10+ stores in the area. I know. I called them all.

The teacher is entitled to classroom autonomy, so I suppose there isn't anything that the students (or the parents) can really DO about it. But in my opinion, that's just wrong. If the teacher had set aside the books for them, then yes, she absolutely has the right to require that they get them that quickly. But none of them were assured a copy of the book, and those who don't get the zeros this week are just the lucky ones who can drive or dial the phone faster than the others.

A Girl Named Zippy

My latest read was Haven Kimmel's A Girl Named Zippy, and it was absolutely delightful! Read it, read it, read it!!

The book is really just a collection of essays about the ins and outs of growing up in a small Middle American community. It reads like Spoon River Anthology, where much of what is told isn't stated, but inferred.

I grew up in a small-ish town, and some parts of the book brought me back to my own joys and discoveries of childhood. I can't express enough how much I enjoyed this book!

I was thrilled to find that Kimmel has written another book of essays further detailing her small and small town years, and it's definitely high on my "must read" list.

The dogs are good for me

We have two dogs. They were (very unexpected) Christmas gifts in 2004 when we found them abandoned in below-freezing temperatures. They were only 5 weeks old when we got them, but now at 50 and 65 lbs, they're hard to remember that small!

Watching them grow up and seeing how their personalities develop has been the most fun part of having them.

Brownie is the larger of the two, but he's the "scaredy dog." He's terrified of loads of things, but the ones that come to mind first are the vacuum cleaner and mylar balloons. He always wants to be in the middle of everything, particularly anything that's taking place in the kitchen (LOL!). We always joke about him, particularly how the big and brawny dog is the one who is scared of everything, but he's a very loving and happy dog.

Lucy is much, much different than her brother. We always joke that she's the cat-dog because she has the same "You're just here to feed me" attitude that I usually see in cats. She's very aloof, although she does enjoy a good petting on her own terms. :o) She's definitely a bird dog. She's constantly tracking the birds and squirrels that happen to get too close to her domain (the backyard). She's never caught a squirrel -- that I've seen -- but I have seen the remains of several birds who got too close. She's currently in a war with a bluejay that has taken up residence in the live oak tree, and I've enjoyed watching them annoy each other. LOL!

Yes, having the dogs puts more work on me, like cleaning the neverending bits of dog hair that seem to get everywhere, but I'm so glad to have them.

This morning we had a terrible thunderstorm, and neither of them wanted to go out for their morning pee. When it was mostly over, Skeeter insisted (quite rightfully!), but they were both quite annoyed about it. Once the trip outside was finished and they were back in, Brownie looked at Skeeter and howled at him. Not a menacing bark or growl, but a howl, as if to say "How could you make me go out there!?! Use your eyes, man! It's wet and growly and awful!"

It was the biggest laugh I've had in ages, and even now I'm having trouble typing through the laugh-tears. It made me remember how much I like having my furry, four footed babies.

A Labor of Love

Well, probably nothing that dramatic. :o)

Last year around my birthday I decided to grow my hair long so that I could donate it to Locks of Love. It was pretty short when I decided, just barely brushing my shoulders. I haven't had it long since I was about 6, so it was definitely a new experience for me.

It really did become a sacrifice for the last few months, and that wasn't something that I expected. It had gotten so long that it was significantly heavier than usual. It took much longer to wash and dry, and it always looked and felt dirty at the end of the day.

This year, at my birthday last week, I went to the salon to see if it was long enough to donate, and . . . HOORAY!! . . . it was!

The transformation:

Bristle Love

Oh, how I love my new toothbrush!! LOL! I'm such a cheap old biddy. I always buy the generic Target brand toothbrushes. They get the job done, but they're nothing special. I've just never been able to spend almost $4 on the "fancy" name brand toothbrushes.

Today I opened my new toothbrush, which happened to be a freebie from a local dentist that I got at the Christmas parade. (I thought that was great -- throwing toothbrushes instead of candy! LOL!) I really, really need to figure out what kind it is because it's fantastic, and I will *definitely* spend the extra money for it!

I just Googled and figured out what I have. Just in case you're wondering, it's the Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush. And it's most certainly worth the $4!

The Science of Magic

We spent the day at the Pink Palace Museum, and we had a BLAST! For some reason, the children were fascinated with the idea that it had been built as someone's home, so we spent over an hour in the mansion portion. And the public portion isn't all that big! The public is only allowed in the entry, a hallway, and two rooms. The hallway and rooms are set up with exhibits on the history of the area, but the entry is just a huge open space -- with a stuffed polar bear (??)! I need to remember to ask why the polar bear is there. LOL!

Once we left the original mansion, we went to the traveling exhibit, The Science of Magic. Spyder (the aspiring magician) was absolutely thrilled! Sass was excited too, since the exhibit is very "hands-on" and she got to do the magic too. It was actually our second time at the exhibit, but the first time we went was during Spring Break for the schools, so it was completely packed. It was much, much nicer being able to enjoy it without the big crowd.

It's a great exhibit, and I'll be sad for it to go. I can't wait to see what's next though!

SchoolHouse Rock LIVE!

LOVE IT!! We saw SchoolHouse Rock Live last week, and everyone loved it! I can honestly say that Sass, Spyder, and I all had a fantastic time.

For me, of course, it was a stroll (jog, maybe?) down memory lane. I remember how much I loved those three or four minute songs when I was little. I'd watch the Saturday morning cartoons just waiting for SchoolHouse Rock.

My children watch the DVD regularly, but it's not quite the same. There's just something about having a favorite song surprise you on the television, like when you're flipping channels and come across a movie that you already own and you watch it anyway. Or maybe that's just me? :o)

Tin Roof Tango!

Spyder and I went to see Tin Roof Tango last week. What a show! The group essentially plays folk music from around the world, and it was outstanding!

The group plays traditional instruments, which made it even more fascinating. One of the main instruments used was the hammered dulcimer, which we've seen at the Renaissance Festival many times (but Spyder never realized -- LOL!). I think his favorite instrument was the South American RainStick.

Spyder was laughing and dancing and singing through all of it! He loved it so much that we even bought the CD!

Back in the saddle again!

WHEW! It's been quite a month! From the urchins being ill to running about for different activities, the days have been quite full! I feel like my life was running me. I think (I *think*) that we're settled into our usual routine once again. Still busy and on-the-go, as springtime always is, but I'm not allowing things to get out of hand. :o)

I haven't quite worked eBay listings into the schedule again, but I suppose that will come.

At the moment, I'm trying to gather Easter basket items. I know what they're getting; I just need to go and BUY it without having me with them (quite a difficult thing)!

The Snooze Button

My friend Julie calls me quirky. I probably am. I have a strange hatred for certain things, and the alarm clock snooze button is one of them.

Skeeter and I have had this issue since we got married. He seems to believe that it's okay to set the alarm for an hour earlier than he actually intends to get up. He uses the snooze button for that "extra time."

It drives me nuts!

Perhaps I'm a bit different than the rest of the world (it wouldn't be the first time), but I can't see how getting an extra hour of rest nine minutes at a time is particularly worthwhile.

I firmly believe that the alarm should be set for whatever time that you actually intend to get up. (Shocking!)

Last week our old alarm clock stopped producing sound. The clock portion still works, but no sound at all. When I went looking for a new one, I searched every clock that Target offered, determined to find one without a snooze button.

No luck.

From that shopping experience, I fear that I'll have serious opposition when I try to convince the rest of the world that I'm right.

Love in action

My uncle died very suddenly. He was swimming with his children, and -- who knows why -- he had a brain aneurysm. He died instantly, and the two oldest children (E, age 8 and B, age 9) had to drag him from the middle of the pool.

It makes me cry just remembering it. It was an incredibly hard time for the family -- for the whole family -- but most especially for my aunt and cousins.

This all happened years ago, and the children aren't children any more. C, the youngest, will be 20 this month.

I always count my years with my dear friend Michael from the birth of the youngest. We were friends for several years before that, but the first time that Michael went to my Memaw's house was when C was born. Almost immediately, Michael was adopted into my strange, quirky, loving family.

But all of the above is just back-story.

On Sunday night, Michael called E. The usual sort of conversation ensued . . .

In the middle of the conversation, however, E said, "I need to tell you something. Right now. After my dad died, I remember how you were there for us kids. I remember that you picked us up from school sometimes. How you took B to dance class and let me drive your truck while we waited for her. All of that stuff that you did, and you didn't HAVE to do. You were there for us, and we needed it. And you didn't have to do any of it. I remember it, and I appreciate it."

Michael took the time to be with them while they were growing up, and it made a difference. E was absolutely right. He didn't have to; it wasn't an obligation. His actions came from love and caring, with no other motive whatsoever. He simply saw a need and did what he could to fill it.

Michael loves to say how completely superficial he is. I've never believed it. He may prefer to hide it, but he has a beautiful heart.

My Points

I just read my My Points newsletter today, and in it was a challenge (offer?) to blog about My Points. No problem! I love My Points!

Never heard about it? Check it out with this link. I've been a member since 1999 (I think). I came to it from an even older online rebate service that I can't even remember.

Here are the basics: My Points is an online advertising/rebate service where you earn points by clicking on a link in an email (5 points usually). You earn more, of course, if you take advantage of the offer (usually anywhere from 500 to 2000 points). I earn points by clicking on the links, of course, but I get the most points from buying things that I'd buy online anyway: books and DVDs from Barnes & Noble.com, Burt's Bees stuff from drugstore.com, joining Netflix . . . . you get the idea.

Now, here's where the fun comes. You redeem your points for gift certificates to your favorite stores! Our favorites are Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Olive Garden, and Starbucks. Skeeter and I both have My Points accounts, and he has almost enough to get a $50 gift card to Home Depot. New ceiling fan for the laundry room! YEAH! It's taking a lot of willpower not to go ahead and get a $25 card for Barnes & Noble instead though.

Between the two of us, we earn about $300 worth of free gift certificates per year! Oh yes, and one year, we gave some away as Christmas gifts. :o)

Interested? Hey, let me know and I'll send a referral email. I get points for it, you know. ;o)

Quote

Most modern freedom is at root fear. It is not so much that we are too bold to endure rules; it is rather that we are too timid to endure
responsibilities.

~ G. K. Chesterton, from "What's Wrong with the World?"

What will you have to write on the chalkboard?

Noodle will have to write:

I will not be charged with conspiracy to overthrow the monarchy again

'What will you have to write on the chalk board?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Snow Day

It started snowing around 2 pm, big, fat, fluffly flakes that started sticking to the grass immediately.

We never get that kind of snow. It's always snow and ice, or snow and sleet, or snow and freezing rain. This time, it was just snow, and it was beautiful.

Spyder and Sass played until they were little frozen popsicles, then they came in and had hot cocoa and warm baths.

It was an absolutely fantastic day!

Quotes

A friend's Question of the Week is to list a few favorite quotes. Here are some of mine:

When you're average, you're just as close to the bottom as you are to the top.

~ attributed to Alfred North Whitehead

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

~ attributed to Alfred Einstein

Intimacy is what makes a marriage, not a ceremony, not a piece of paper from the state.

~ Kathleen Norris

Just because no one understands is doesn't mean that it's art.

~ Unknown

Why argue over half-full or half-empty? It's still only half.

~ Spyder

I'm glad our doggies have tails. If they didn't, they'd be bears!

~ Sass

Offering the Day

Yesterday Sass was sick. She woke up at 4:15 am and said she needed to "frow up." We made it into the bathroom and waited for a few moments, but it never happened. After a bit, she decided it would be best for us to sit on the couch for a while. Personally, I wanted to go back to bed, but I could tell that she really did feel sickly.

We went to the living room, put on the Heffalump Movie, and cuddled up on the couch. Surprisingly, she didn't go back to sleep during Heffalump (she usually does when she's tired), and we moved on to Scooby Doo after Heffalump. Sass and Spyder have both become huge fans of the classic Scooby Doo cartoons recently, so Spyder heard Scooby and came running!

Skeeter left for work at 7:30, and the day continued pretty much the same way that it began. Sass took a nap from about 9:30 to 10:30. I was shocked that she didn't sleep longer since she had gotten up so early AND she was so sick. She had started out the day feeling tummy-sick, but it moved into sniffles and coughs. By the time she was up from her little nap, fever was added to the mix.

She and I spent most of the day cuddled together on the couch or in the rocker. And it was actually a pretty good day.

Years ago, before Sass was even born, I read an article in Mothering Magazine called "Mom Medicine: Offering up the Day to a Sick Child." It completely changed my outlook on "sick days." Instead of feeling upset and exasperated and annoyed that my to-dos are still undone, I offer a prayer of thanks that we have so many healthy days, and I welcome the excuse to do nothing except be with my child.

Last night, Spyder said, "Mom, today was a really good day." And his day was essentially the same as usual, so I think HIS day was better because MY day was less hectic. It's food for thought, anyway.

Today is beginning pretty much the same way as yesterday. Skeeter got up at 6:00; I got up at 6:30; Sass got up at 7:00. Skeeter left for work at 7:30. Sass and I are on the couch, watching Scooby Doo. Sadly, there are three errands that MUST be done today, but I think I can make them painless. :o)