Testing, Testing 1,2,3...

::::::::::::::::Testing, Testing, and More Testing:::::

Noah, Rachel and Aaron are all testing this week for CRCT. Aaron's test site is close to the house, so that is nice. The check-in, yesterday, was unncessarily, confusing. It all worked out on time and then Aaron said he had to wait 45 minutes before the test started. He said he made friends with 3 of the boys at his table, so he was pleased.


::::::::::::::::Nim's Island::::::::

We just finished reading Nim's Island and the kids really enjoyed the story. It is a bit different from the movie, which we happened to see first. The kids really like Nim's friends who happen to be a sea lion, marine iguana and a sea turtle. They also like how self-sufficient the character is, but that she has such a loving relationship with her dad, Jack. Overall, this is a cute story.

::::::::::::::::Apheresis:::::

Michael went for his tri-weekly apheresis appointment. They took a triple product from him because they have so few donors. He came home absolutely exhausted.

::::::::::::::::Slideshow:::::

No photos of anything for the blog because I'm working on a slideshow for the Court of Honor on Wednesday night. It was presented to me on Wednesday, last week, then my computer crashed and after fixing it...a bit...I still can't access some music files and the computer error message says it doesn't know why it can't access them either. So, I'm doing a crippled effort for the slideshow, so I hope it works out any way.


:::::::::::::::::Ballet Recital:::::::::

Eve and her ballet friends were practicing their recital in the hall where they will actually perform. When I walked in to pick her up the girls had just finished dancing and Eve was crying. I saw Ms. Brooke comforting her. One of Eve's friends explained that Eve was nervous. Ms. Brooke sat down with the girls and told them that she would get nervous when she was little too and that it was okay. She also reminded all the girls that people who loved them would be the audience. Ms. Brooke is a fantastic instructor and I thought the other girls worrying about Eve was so sweet. Eve seemed to feel much better after a few minutes.

::::::::::::::::::Walking:::::::::::::

When I went walking, yesterday, I borrowed the headphones my mom got for free from Delta. You just, gently, clip them over your ears, which is better than the ear buds. Ear buds...HURT me! Michael loaded "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on the mp3 player and I laughed the entire time to the park and back home. That show is a riot.

Smiles!

Pleasant Surprise...

***Edited to add an amazing article about my great-uncle Dewey Posey at the end of this post.

:::::::::::::::Flowers::::::::::::

I went to Eve's preschool, yesterday, for the final conference of the school year. Crystal, Eve's lead teacher, was very pleased with how Eve is doing and said she is ready for Kindergarten. She said she hoped Eve got an older teacher with a bit more structure, so Eve would be encouraged to work to her best abilities. The teacher felt that a new year teacher might tend to just let her be because, in class situations, Eve is quiet and rarely gets into trouble. She also is one of two children who let the teacher know what is going on, or assistant information officer. So, all in all, Eve is doing well. As we finished up the meeting she directed me over to a bouquet of flowers and handed me a thank you card. She said the flowers were for all of the help I gave the class this year. I was pleasantly surprised. I find it really enjoyable to do things with the kids. They are a fun bunch. I don't do car drop off line because I have fun walking Eve to class, see what she's doing, say high to the other children and talk with the teachers. Crystal, especially, is out-going and really funny. Kimmie is quiet and prefers to listen and interject occassionally. This preschool is one that all of my children have attended and we have been thoroughly delighted with the experience.

::::::::::::::::::::::::Cool Book::::::::::::


This book caught my eye with the engaging and adorable image of a leaping, wide-eyed sheep. The book is really fun to read, as well. Russell just can't get to sleep. We go along with Russell as he tries several different ideas on ways to achieve slumber. The kids thought Russell's pet frog was really cool. If you are familiar with Mercer Meyer's character of "Little Critter" and that character's spider and cricket companions illustrated on each page...it's like that. This is a fun a quick read for any time...day, or night!

::::::::::::::::::::::::Atlanta Botanical Garden Pages::::::


<sub>My mom went with us to the Botanical Gardens and the kids were, so happy she came along.
Credits:


8x8 Bracket Brag Book Template Album by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17930 Font: DJB ALL GIRL is included!
Additional font: DJB MY DEAR MARSHA by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick

BYOC for April from The Lily Pad designers.

Birgit: Sprout alpha


Rachel pretending to be Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor's Garden.
Credits:
8x8 Bracket Brag Book Template Album by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17930 Font: DJB ALL GIRL is included!

BYOC for April from The Lily Pad designers.

Birgit: Alpha from the Collaboration with Kate Hadfield and Catrine at Catscraps

Ida: water doodle

Weeds and Wildflowers: Cherish alpha


My mom with the kids who are content to be silly for every photo!

Credits:

8x8 Bracket Brag Book Template Album by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=17930 Font: DJB ALL GIRL is included!

BYOC for April from The Lily Pad designers.</sub>

:::::::::::::::::The Weather:::::::::::::::

It looks like a beautiful day is shaping up outside. Unfortunately, for Rachel, the morning started with a sore throat and dry sinus passages. My guess is that she is suffering from the pollen explosion. After breakfast she felt a bit better. I hope she continues to improve because the math portion of the CRCT is being given at school today. She is intimidated by math test, but usually ends up doing fine. We all prayed she would remember the things she has learned and then we will hope for the best.

***Dewey Posey::::

Outdoors: FISHING AND HUNTING IN THE SOUTH

Callaway's hook-up man

Angler shares his secrets with all

By Scott Bernarde
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/13/08

Pine Mountain —- Dewey Posey keeps no secrets about his favorite fishing hole of the past half-century.

He'll tell where to go, what to use and how to get a fish to bite. In fact, he'll even dig into his tan-and-white, three-trayed tackle box and give you the same lure he used yesterday to catch 'em.

No, really, he will. He has done that many times over while meeting and greeting out-of-towners who drop by to fish Mountain Creek Lake at Callaway Gardens.

Every Saturday during the spring Posey, 85, of Columbus, volunteers at the lake's boathouse to share his passion with park-goers wanting to rent a fishing boat. Guests try to tip him, but he gives the money back.

"I hate to see people come here on vacation and spend as much money as they do, and then not catch a fish. That breaks my heart," he said.

Posey, who may give a guest a handful of crappie jigs to use on the water, has had an open-tackle box policy. He remembers one time when a man and wife from Atlanta came to fish, but the wife hadn't ever caught one. They didn't have gear, so Posey gave them each a rod and all the tackle they needed. The wife caught more bream than her husband.

"He is a legend at Callaway Gardens, a legend on this lake," Callaway's fishing operations manager Carl Warmouth said. "I've heard people say if Dewey's not catching fish, they're just not going to be caught. He's caught so many fish here that he doesn't have to make anything up, and he loves to share.

"He has a genuine desire to help people catch fish."

The World War II vet who has been married for 66 years to his wife, Julia, has had a love affair with Mountain Creek Lake almost as long. It was after Posey's return from the war that a friend suggested that he try the Callaway lake, and he was hooked for good.

He has become a master of whatever fishing you want to do at Callaway's largest (125 acres) lake, from bass to bream and catfish. Anglers would be wise to ask Dewey first before hitting the lake. But that doesn't mean everyone listens.

Take a couple of brothers from Albany who often drive the 125 miles to catch Mountain Creek's plate-sized bream. Posey remembers overhearing the brothers as he was catching fish after fish. One kept saying, "Look, he caught another one" every time Posey reeled one in. Eventually, the brother said, "That old SOB caught another one."

Later, Posey saw the brothers at the boathouse and wryly asked them, "Would you fellas like to know what this old SOB was catching 'em on?" he remembers saying.

"They came back with a limit on bream. That tickled me. They didn't think about their voices carrying over water like that."

"That's a true story," Warmouth said. "I was here the day it happened."

Posey is the lake's volunteer coordinator who helps line up folks for projects such as the annual boathouse cleanup every March.

"I'm just crazy about this boat dock and the people who come to fish," Posey said. "I don't do it for the money because I like to see people happy when they go fishing. It's a happy thing to do."


p.s. Thank you for sending the link, mom and Aunt Loly! :)

Take A Guess...

I saw this photo quiz on The Sweet Shoppe and decided to take it:

GuessTheSpot

You correctly answered 12 out of 16. You score is 80%
I was incorrect on #s 5,6,8,16

::::::::::::::::::Books on C.D.::::::::::

For car rides I checked out a few books on c.d. from the library. The one Noah wanted to listen to first was Indian In The Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks. The author also reads the book. Rachel stated to me that she really likes it when the authors read their own works because the emphasis and feeling are presented the way the author intended. We are on the last disk of the 4 for this book and I really enjoy listening to Banks read her work. If you are looking for something to do in the car consider a book on c.d. I would warn you if you have small children that the "D" word is used in this work a few times.

:::::::::::::::::::The Black Hole::::

We finished reading my old copy of this book Monday. Rachel and Aaron were asking a lot of questions trying to follow characters and asking about the science of what was going on. Noah was usually falling asleep half way through and Eve wanted me to tickle her arm pit, while I was reading. (She likes to have her arms tickled...strange.)

The book is about a small group of explorers from Earth that include astronauts, a reporter and a robot. This group aboard the Palomino happen upon the missing ship Cygnus as they are about to make a turn that would take them back to Earth. They do a fly by of the Cygnus, but get caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole that appears to not have any effect on the Cygnus. The Palomino is able to escape the pull of the black hole and dock with the Cygnus. The greeting on board and the crews meeting with the famous and infamous Dr. Reinhardt is a cold and confusing one for the crew. The sinister nature of Dr. Reinhardt unfolds to the crew slowly, but is an interesting story. The mystery of what the black hole is and where it leads is fascinating even in any inaccuracies. This is science fiction, so we did not put stock in the actual book explanations behind the science. The ending to the book left the kids pondering about the state of souls, which was pretty interesting to discuss. Light reading it isn't, but thought-provoking it is.

::::::::::::::::::Swim Suit Season:::::::::::

Has rolled around again to the delight of the children. Rachel had grown out of her tankini, so we went to the mall and looked around for a new one. Our Church recommends and usually requires one piece bathing suits to activities, but many of those suits expose just as much skin as bikinis. The point, in this directive, is to cover the front of the body and rear-end. I have always hated one pieces and find bikinis equally unattractive, so I was thrilled by the solution of the tankini. Our family is very prone to sunburn,even with lotion, so the surfer type shirts and shorts work great. The shoulders and back get covered and all the other extra bits and, BONUS, when you have to go relieve yourself you can simply drop your drawers without all the twisting and dropping over your wet suit to the yucky floor. We found Rachel's suit at Land's End at Sears.


















::::::::::::::::::Homemade Chicken Soup::::::::

Michael made a double batch of homemade chicken soup with egg noodles. Half of his soup he took to our neighbor who is sick. Aaron is glad we have leftovers because he woke up with a horrible cold, actually he states he didn't really get any sleep. Since Jasper, the ferret, shares a similar immune system he is also the recipient of this nasty cold virus, but his hit yesterday. He was snuffling and whistling much of the day.

:::::::::::::::::::Cub Scouts:::::::::

Noah is signed up for Cub Scout Day Camp. He wasn't excited to go and I wasn't going to force him. I did, however, talk up the things he would get to do and he saw that maybe Day Camp would be fun, so he said he would go. He even followed up with me when he got into the car when I went to pick him asking me, "Did you remember to give her the check, mommy?" I was glad to see he was covering his bases.

I hope y'all have a great day! :)

Happy Halloween!

_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB MICHAEL at The Digichick
Kate Hadfield: Halloween Doodles
Tiff Brady and Kate Hadfield: Halloween Wordy Bits
Katie Pertiet: Taped Frame
Nancy Comelab: Freebie frame October
Emily Merritt: Meshy Brush Add-on, Meshy Glitter Brush
Font: Blackadder ITC}




Eve wore her Wicked Witch of the East costume with panache! Michael repurposed Aaron's old Dracula cape, stitched up some black & grey yarn for hair, a $ 1.00 hat, black tights, Rachel's old velvet dress and old ruby slippers.


_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB Michael at The Digichick
Kate Hadfield: Halloween Doodles, Doodled Alpha and Doodled Frame
Tiff Brady and Kate Hadfield: Halloween Wordy Bits, Basic Wordy Alpha
Bren Boone: Luscious Solids}
Noah was excited to lose his second tooth so quickly! Now he has lost both central incisors.





_{Darcy Baldwin: Rubbed Out Alpha, Save The Date, DJB AMANDAG, DJB SUSANR all at The Digichick
Katie Pertiet: Taped Frame
Kate Hadfield: Stitched Alpha, Heavy Duty Staples, Journal Doodles, Rainbow Tape, Doodle Borders, Pipe Cleaner Stars, Rainbow Rubberbands
Tiff Brady and Kate Hadfield: Wordy Bits Alpha
Rhonna Farrer: Peachy Keen paper
Emily Merritt: Going Home Add-On
Natalie Braxton: Boy Buttons, Stitched Cut-Outs
Jenn Patrick: Backward Staples
Christina Renee: Punch Label Alpha
Catrine: Journal Paper}

:::::::::::Color Test:::::::
I saw this test on Julie P.' site and I scored 88% the first time and 100% the second time. The retake used the same word and color matches. I always find the tests that throw in a new batch of variables to be the best, but this one is fun.

Color Test
:::::::::::::::::::::Field Day Photos::::::

coming tomorrow. Aaron is sick so I need to tend to him!

Have a Sweet night!

Feeling Loquacious

Text: Eve found this use of the hammock far superior to relaxing int its web!

_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB LORRAINE1/ DJB Doodl E Doo/ DJB A Bit of Flaire at The Digichick
Kay Miller: Organic Kit
Kate Hadfield: Heavy Duty Staple
Jenn Patrick: Backward Staples
Birgit: Gralpha
Jessica Bolton: Teeny Tiny Alpha (Using Organic kit paper)
Weeds and Wildflowers: Layered Alpha (graph paper)}


:::::::::::::Water Heater::::::::::::

Michael and I spent Saturday installing a new 40 gallon water heater. We have a small house and the 15 to 20 year window to recoup the cost of a tankless system had us replace our old one with the same system albeit more efficient. I was the gopher girl for odds and ends needed to finish the task. After Michael dropped molton solder on his finger he related this fact: Your wound self-cauterizes...isn't that neat?! He accidently got some molton solder on my exposed toe (yes, he advised me to put on more than my Croc sandals for this activity...but NOOOOO! I hate shoes...so confining.). There was standing water from a previous test on the sweated pipe that failed and the molton solder hit the water and popped off like grease in a frying pan and landing on the third toe of my right foot. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as Michael's finger. There is a bit of a leak in the cold water side of the connection to the water heater. To fix it we would have to shut off the cold and hot water at the valves and drain the new tank, cut the pipe to the cold, tighten it down, make a new connection and sweat the pipe, again. Michael is so thrilled with this perspective that he is in a "Let's just watch it for a bit and see how bad the leak is." I translate that into, "My finger really hurts and I really don't want to do this again, but I know I'll have to fix it soon!" It's nice to have such a handy guy around! He showed my how to cut pipe with the cutting tool, how to turn off the main gas to the house, the main water cut off and explained along the way what the different pipes did and how the water heater works. We even took the opportunity to clean the part of the duct system Michael knocked off wall trying to solder the cold water pipe. Nasty dust...just NASTY!

:::::::::::::Blogger Silliness:::::::

Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Baby Got Back"

You're a total show off who is willing to risk looking like a fool to get a few laughs. In fact, you'll go for the cheap laugh if you need to... because it's better than no reaction! Your friends can count on you to get a party started, and you'll party hard until you can't remember their names. You're charismatic, charming, and a total character. With or without a few drinks in you. You might also sing: "I Touch Myself," "Oops I Did it Again," or "My Humps" Stay away from people who sing: "Candle in the Wind"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

You Are Banana Pocky

Your attitude: fun and lighthearted Unique and unforgettable You are cutie everyone falls for

What Flavor Pocky Are You?

Your Driving Is is: 48% Male, 52% Female

According to studies, you drive both like a guy and a girl. This means you're a pretty average driver, with typical quirks. Occasionally you're frustrated and or a little reckless, but that's the exception - not the norm.

Do You Drive Like a Guy or a Girl?

::::::::::Really Cool:::::::

I saw this on Julie P.'s site and took the test twice. My first score was 42% bionic. The great thing about this test is that the five tests are the same, but the questions with in the test are different, so when you retest you aren't repeating what you've already seen. There is one test, now I think about, on reflexes that is the same, so 4 out of 5 are different.

See What You're Made Of - Visit The Official Site


::::::::::::::::Sunday Family Fun::::::::

For our joint Family Home Evening we went to Stephen and Shelene's house. The kids really look forward to playing with their cousins. The food for the evening was soups and stews. Michael made homemade chicken soup with noodles. Our kids kept asking for more of daddy's chicken soup. Eve even wants the left over soup for breakfast. What a compliment for Michael! There was also a savory and spicy chili by Marcus and Laura, Stephen made a delicious crab chowder, Melissa brought some yummy potato soup, Christopher made "George" a concoction of chicken and rice soup all his own...and quite tasty. Benjamin and Missy made stewed cabbage. Shelene supplied one of my favorites, cornbread...rub the tummy good stuff! There was also some very good sourdough bread. Noah at Ritz crackers...what a nut!
The lesson for the evening had us write positive traits about the others in the room. Stephen shared how his positive attitude often creates an atmosphere that allows and prompts people to be positive in return. He encouraged to look at the cards that had what people said about us and build on those and add to them.

::::::::::::::::::What You Hear While Making Soup:::::::

Michael called me downstairs while he was working on the chicken soup and said I've got to tell you what Noah said before I forget it. (Noah and Aaron were playing some game with their Legos at the time).

Noah: "Suppose I were to go back in time and bump into my kid self and my kid self would probably say, "Who are you?" and I would have to say, "Let's just say we're related."

Michael and I just laughed and Rachel was listening to this too and shaking her head.

Maid of the Mist

_{Cluster Frames by Nancy Comelab
Font: DJB Michael by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
Tape by Kate Hadfield
Boy Buttons by Natalie Braxton
Grungy Alpha by Birgit
Doodle Alpha and Layered Alpha by Weeds and Wildflowers
Backward Staples by Jenn Patrick}



::::::::::::I Saw This:::::

quiz on Janna's blog and felt compelled to take it.

Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?

You are Deb and you could drink whole milk if you wanted.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

::::::::::::::::::::::::::Guitar Lessons?::::

Aaron is interested in taking guitar lessons so I am checking out a place a couple of miles away. He has a friend taking lessons from the same facility. If he decides to follow through with the lessons he might try to learn bass because he always picks out those parts in the songs he likes.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::German Lessons:::::

Aaron and I went over lesson one again before going on to lesson to on the Pimsleur cds. I stopped by the School Box store to see if they had any language workbooks, but they had nothing for any language. I will have to peruse Amazon.com, I guess. If anyone has any workbook suggestions I would appreciate a link. Thanks!

While at the School Box I picked up a lesson book for To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I hope to have this book for discussion with Aaron and Michael said he wanted it to be one of our family reading books.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::Speaking of Family Reading Books:::::

The way Gulliver saved the palace from burning down was so bizarre. The kids were laughing when Gulliver urinated on the fire. Surprisingly enough, the empress refused to ever return to that part of the palace.

Gulliver also learns about the fickle nature of political leaders after he saves Lilliput from invasion by sea. The Emperor is thrilled and bestows Gulliver with the highest title of "Nardac", but quickly becomes angred with Gulliver for trying to help broker peace. The Emperor wanted to make the other country a province overseen by a viceroy a making them a slave population for Lilliput. The Emperor would also command which side of the egg to crack. Gulliver said they were a noble people and should maintain their sovereignty. The Emperor's greed quickly negated the fact that Gulliver had saved his country. The opinion didn't improve after Gulliver's unique fire quenching abilities, either!

:::::::::::::::::::::::The Lucifer Effect::::::::

The study was designed to observe prisoner behavior under conditions were they felt powerless. What was surprising to the researchers was the rapid metamorphosis of those role playing the guards. The struggle for being the alpha male among the guards led to increased abuse towards the prisoners. The night shift, which was supposed to be the less active turned out to be the most active and abusive. The researchers decided to send in an informer, which back fired quickly when the informer identified and sided with the prisoners.

Still reading...will let you know more later.

Curiosity...

***excerpt from CNN.com "Which hobby best suits your personality?
From exploring the great outdoors, preparing exotic cuisine or persuing the hundreds of TV channels from your multi-media center, the options for leisure time in the modern world seem limitless. So, what's right for you? Take this CNN.com quiz and find out which hobbies best suit your personality."

Leisure Quiz


Here is my result:


DISCOVERY

Life is a journey, and you take the time to smell every single rose along the way. Your brain is a sponge, soaking up every detail of life around you, and you constantly look inward to figure out the ties that bind you to the universe. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it's what makes you tick. You might like hobbies like participating in archaeological digs, botany, assembling models, playing the stock market, meditation or even parapsychology.


:::::::::::::::::I Woke Up To This E-mail, Yesterday::::

Good morning.
Well we've had an exciting night so far. We pulled into Sandrock at about 8:00 and set up camp. Not too many people up here . Just a couple of climbers and one group of rednecks off in the woods.
At about 1:30 I get woken up to the sound of the scouts yelling "forest fire!"
So I got dressed and grabbed the water jug and started over towards the flames that were going 40 feet into the air. Somebody had set fire to the jiffy johny that the Climbers Coalition had paid for and it was spreading to the trees around it. I quickly realized that this was much bigger than I could take care of so I called 911.
I did my best to control the perimeter with the little water I had. My biggest concern was the trees that were burning 30' above me. As I continued to do my best to keep the perimeter, which was now about 50' across, under control I noticed that several places got worse when I put water on them. This was a gas fire. Somebody had put gas in the john and set it on fire. The whole time I was doing this I had one shirtless, missing a few teeth, redneck shadowing me insisting that I not call the police. When I told him that they were already on there way he got defensive and even accused me of starting the fire. To which I told him, "You might want to go back to camp and lay low for a little bit. When the firemen show up they'll see me, sober and trying to contain this and you, drunk, just standing around and they'll draw their own conclusions." He threatened to kick my @$$ a couple time but his slightly less drunk buddies convinced him it wasn't a good idea. I had 8 scouts standing around who were pretty sure that there was gonna be a "tussle". I think Hyrum had actually placed a bet on it. Nothing came of it. I just kept assuring then that I hadn't accused anybody of anything. I just wanted to get the fire out before it got any worse.
After about 20 minutes of my futile efforts the local volunteer fire department began to show up. First on the scene was a good old boy with his two young daughters who showed up in his Camaro. I was a little concerned until I saw that he was wearing his turn-out gear. In a matter of minutes there were three firetrucks on the scene and about twenty of Sand Rock's finest quickly got it under control. I told them what little I knew about how it could have started and they said they'd send up a deputy to make a report. I shook all their hands and thanked them for getting here before it got any worse. So far I haven't seen a deputy yet.
Conspicuously absent from the last half hour was my inebriated friend and his buddies. Perhaps picking a fight with the one guy who was trying to put the fire out wasn't such a good idea now that there were so many firemen on the scene.
Oh well. That's the excitement so far. I'll call you in he morning and give you a full report. Hopefully our day of climbing will not be marred by the event.
I love you.
Michael Taylor


What an interesting trip! I was up at the same time scrapbooking and reading because nobody was home.

::::::::::::::::Shutterfly Album::::::

Carol asked if a Shutterfly Album would be forth coming and the answer is indeed!

I am working on two. One will be our vacation and the other the family reunion.

Later gators!

Among the Throng:

As of 1:15am. I finished The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.


I will reveal nothing about the outcome of Harry Potter. I have to say that hands down Ron Weasley delivers the best lines of the book. I qualify that be adding that I like sarcastic and a bit irreverent humor. But I thought I was going to lose it during a scene with Mrs. Weasley when she made an impassioned statement similar to Sigourney Weaver in "Aliens 2". If you are a sci-fi fan that scene from "Aliens 2" will probably stand out to you. Anyway, J.K. Rowlings use of imagery helps this book flow from situation to situation and taking us along with our hands clasped tightly as if holding onto Harry's robe as he disapparates. Though the book is somber in nature Rowling throws in enough light hearted moments that act like their own patronus keeping the dementors at bay. I find that Rowling is a wonderful writer of human nature and allows those with flawed characters, **warts and all, find those moments of heroism and chose to act. The words sacrifice, nobility, humility, friendship and love come to mind when I think underlying threads that tie these characters together and allow Rowling to weave such a wonderful tapestry of characters. I recommend this book!

**I had to do that!

::::::::::::::::::Voting Quiz::::::::

This was a quiz Michael found as he was trying to determine how each candidate stood on the issues. I thought is was interesting and sometimes surprising who ended up on my list. If you want to take your own quiz to determine candidates that share your perspective here it is: VOTE MATCHING QUIZ OF 2008


::::::::::::::::::Off to Upload::::::

more family photos!

Smiles!

Drivin' All Night, My Hands Wet On The Wheel:

Yes, that is a line from the song "Radar Love" by Golden Earring. Michael drove from Niagara, New York to Cleveland, Ohio, then I took the figurative reins. We took 77 South to 85 South as our route. I got to beep the horn in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. We only had one emergency pit stop on the way. Poor Eve had a tummy upset and held on valiantly until we located a Wendy's at exit 65 in Ohio. The siblings were trying to comfort her and told her she was so brave. Once we pulled in I through the car in park and grabbed her from the back and rushed in. We made it and with that out of the way she chatted and colored in her coloring book for the next couple of states. Before giving her the crayons I had to go over the "No Coloring On Dad's Truck Rule". A few days before she decided to do some modern art using her crayons on the back of Michael's seat. She said the coloring book just kept moving.

We arrived safely this morning. We went to bed about 3:30am. I got up at 9:15am and Michael ran to the grocery store for breakfast fixin's and made the kids french toast. I started the laundry and paid some bills on-line. The kids wanted to go to the library, so Michael loaded them up and instructed me to take another nap and a refreshing shower.

I slept about an hour and when I woke up Rachel was excited to show me a new series of books she found that are based on Colonial Williamsburg. I had Noah read a book from the reading list his teacher sent home at the end of the year. He enjoyed the book and his fluency gets better every time.

We went to my mom's house so the kids could get hugs and kisses, eat Granny's cheese grits, watch cartoons and pick up Jasper. My mother is very good with her "grand ferret". We watched the new season shows for Monk and Psych. The writers of Psych had similar likes and upbring because their one liners are warped. Tonight's episode included a line about Viger and Stephen Collins from Star Trek. It was hilarious. Tim Curry was on the season premiere and he was at his biting best. I love his condescending attitude. It is so tongue in cheek. One of the lines attributed to him in tonight's episode was, "He said we were a curious cocktail of inbreeding and type 2 diabetes!" Crazy hilarious!

:::::::::::::::::Next Week:::::

Is our family reunion at the lake. So I hope to get some scrap booking done about the trip before we leave, but the kids are clamoring for computer time. I also need to get the photos from Michael's computer so I can start. There is also a photo scavenger hunt we are supposed to have ready for the reunion so I need to print the list and keep it with me for photo ops.

:::::::::::::Saturday:::::::::

We plan to see the movie "Ratatouille" it looks fun and the kids were looking forward to seeing the movie with my mom.


I saw these quizzes on Janna's blog and they seemed a perfect quirky fit for me:

$5375.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Online Dating

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

49% GeekMingle² - Free Online Dating

I also printed an avatar of myself as if I'm a character from the Simpsons, but I want to create one of the whole family before I post.

Later gators!

One Year Older and Wiser Too?

Wouldn't that be nice! The day didn't start out well due to issues with Aaron, but it improved slowly.

Aaron made me some yummy pancakes for my birthday!






For my birthday dinner my mom made reservations for us at Longhorn Steakhouse. Michael ended up grabbing the tab, which surprised my mom. She bought me my own copy of The Phantom Tollbooth. She also purchased William Wilberforce's book Real Christianity. There was also a lovely check for digi stuff!

:::::::::::::::::::Quiz of the day::::::::::

The following pictures of Eve reflect what fact?

A. She has tickets to the front row of Nascar at the Atlanta Motor Speedway

B. She chipped her tooth while removing a bottle cap from a soda bottle

C. Running for Little Miss Trailer Park 2007

D. Had her tooth removed because the neighbor boy is too rough

*(Answer at the end of the entry)








Eve had her tooth pulled this morning and was a complete angel. Dr. Glenn Maron in Atlanta did the procedure. His dental assistants were really kind. The sedative they gave me to administer to her acted quickly. She then was given nitrous oxide. The procedure only lasted a few minutes. She got one stitch to close up the skin. Her speech was slurred and she was pretty out of it for the first hour. She developed the hiccups right after the procedure, so with the slurred speech she sounded like a whino with an empty bottle of ripple from Joe's Package store. I expected her to break into some Irish Pub songs at any time. She also wanted to stay at the doctor's office because she really liked them.
One of the assistants wheeled Eve out to the parking deck and waited for me to fetch the Queen Victoria Family Truckster. On the walk out to the parking deck I asked her about their dental team's recent trip to Ecuador to do surgeries. She said they preformed about 72 procedures and would liked to have done more. They are looking into going to Colombia in February for their next trip to help the poor.
Eve has a follow-up with Dr. Maron next week. She was prescribed codeine for the pain and amoxicillan to prevent infection. She is allowed liquids and soft foods for the first two days.



*Answer D

Elinor Dashwood...

I got this quiz from Sandra's blog.

You scored as Elinor Dashwood. As Marianne's older sister, Elinor lives at the other end of the emotional spectrum. She rarely reveals her intense feelings and is more concerned with being honest and loyal than having what she deserves. Even though her intentions are pure, she sets herself up for loss by constantly placing other people before her own needs. Overall, Elinor is gentle and rational but is just as capable of radical emotions (despite her withholding them) as her sister. Elinor Dashwood 75% Emma Woodhouse 69% Elizabeth Bennet 69% Jane Bennet 63% Marianne Dashwood 63% Charlotte Lucas 41% Lady Catherine 41% Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

Noah Wisdom of the Day:

"It’s sort of okay to spread germs to your own family."

This piece of medical wisdom was in response to me saying it was okay for Noah to go to school with the start of his cold. I told him to make sure he washed his hands and coughed into the crook of his arm to keep germs from the other kids and the teacher, while at school. He said he should probably stay home because it isn't nice to spread germs to other people. Rachel and I laughed and told Noah that we appreciated his willingness to share germs with us, exclusively! If you are infectious and you know it clap your hands! (Then, wash them, of course!)


I got this envelope from Anna Benjamin's site: Paper-moons

I got these blog quizzes from Janna's blog

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Your Element Is Water

A bit of a contradiction, you can seem both lighthearted and serious. That's because you're good at going with the flow - but you also are deep. Highly intuitive, you tune in to people's emotions and moods easily. You are able to tap into deep emotional connections and connect with others. You prefer a smooth, harmonious life - but you can navigate your way around waves. You have a knack for getting people to get along and making life a little more peaceful.

What's Your Element?

Happy Valentine's Day!

_{Shadow Box by Lynnie Smith, Be Mine kit by Jen Wilson, Collaged Letter "L" from Luna's blog, Font: Bathing Cap/Artistamp Medium}

::::::::::::Calling Heaven...770-::::::::::
Rachel volunteered to do the family prayer before she and Noah left for school. She was in a Valentine's induced psychosis when she began the prayer, "770...Wait! I mean..." She stopped and looked at us and repeated our phone number and smiled, "Just Checking! That was a test!" I was rollin'!

:::::::Parent-Teacher Conference:::::::::
Today we meet with Rachel's teacher, so it should be interesting to see the teacher's perspective on her progress.

on the 12th we had a conference with Noah's teacher. She was pleased that we didn't think Noah was ready for Sainthood, which creates on realistic expectations. We joked with her about Noah's needing to have the last word and policing the other childrens' behavior. She said that Noah was delightful and very smart. His test scores were all in the Exceeds Expectation levels and he graduated from the Reading Recovery Program. His actual reading out loud is choppy as he sounds out most of the words. His teacher was pleased with his comprehension of the stories they read. She said she wouldn't be surprised if they test him for the Gifted Program they call FOCUS in our school system. She laughed and told us that we could retire and Noah would be able to take care of us in our old age. She said that he is working on social situations that include sharing and that he hates when people touch his desk, but he shows genuine concern and caring for others. What complex psyches in a small package!
That night I took him for a hair cut and then Michael took all the kids out for Mexican food at Sangrias. The other kids like Mexican food, but Noah settled for his favorite chicken tenders and fries.

:::::::::::::::Happy Valentine's Day, again!::::::::::

We're Not Team Players...

because it can get too rough. My husband and I aren't great athletes by any stretch of the imagination. Michael likes mountain biking, camping and rock climbing. I like researching dead people (and live ones, too), gardening and walking. All of these can be achieved with little or no assistance. I played basketball, but if you have ever played church basketball you know it a vicious and rowdy sport (taken all too seriously). I believe you can learn good skills working with a team. We signed Aaron up for soccer for a couple of years and Rachel signed on for one, but the rude parents and the negativity from my own kids made me angry. My motto is "Cheer for your own team and say nothing negative about anyone else".
Our children have grown up not watching sports, but an occasional baseball game. I actually like watching volleyball (collegiate is my favorite), but I don't like when folks start talking nasty about the other team. This layout is one from 2003 when Aaron was trying to get involved with his uncles and cousins in a family game of touch football. His Uncle Reuben was trying to give him the basic lessons of how to play. The sad thing is Aaron never fits in to these games. For one thing he is shady on the rules and strategy, and another thing is he has a very slim build and doesn't like people hitting him. (Bad thing if you plan to play football!) So, inevitably he gets trounced by a bigger kid, or adult and comes over crying and hurt. Michael's response is "that is the point of football and that's why I don't play." I feel really bad for him because he desparately wants to fit into a world that doesn't value his presence and is quite happy to have him not participate. This carries over into his relationship with them in general...he doesn't play rough...he must be a wimp...mentality.
It's kind of funny that I right all of this because I actually thought this layout was fun to make and a cute photo of Aaron trying something different. Atleast, he tries to fit in and make friends. It's just unfortunate that others don't reciprocate.


_{Sketch by Jen Caputo
Papers, alpha and brushes by Tia Bennett (Free Pea Football Kit)
Font: Century Gothic}

Text: Uncle Reuben teaches Aaron some football basics.

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Rachel has already had a glasses malfunction. The screw came out of her nose piece and she doesn't know when it occurred, so tomorrow after the funeral I have to drive over to the optical department to see if they can do a quick and solid fix.

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Noah's teacher sent a note home requesting that he work with playdough or clay to help strengthen his fingers for writing. When I told my mother tonight she said, "And who is going to pay to get it out of my carpet!" She is the one that goes to the dollar store and replenishes the dried out and color combined globs of dough every couple of months. She's a trooper with my kids. She, in true granny fashion, ensures the kids have as many paints, crayons, paper and playdough they request...(beg, plead, whine).

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Only one chapter left of Peter and The Shadow Thieves, but the kids are at my parents' house for Friday sleepover. We will all have to wait until Saturday night for the finale. It has been an amazing book, thus far!

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I have been in a reading groove lately. I finished The Wine Dark Sea
and the library has sent me a notice that The Commodore
is waiting. Michael keeps telling me, "Victoria, you know they're not real!" I got upset that Capt. Jack Aubrey had a very brief kava induced dalliance with a nicely "scented" Polynesian woman. Patrick O'Brian weaves such a wonder tapestry of words, places and ideas that I feel like the characters just stop in place waiting for me to open the book to start their action again. Totally absorbing reads!


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I saw this on Janna's blog so I decided to check out my color:

You are Ocean Blue

You're both warm and practical. You're very driven, but you're also very well rounded. You tend to see both sides to every issue, and people consider you a natural diplomat.

What Color Blue Are You?

Cleaning the World...One Piece of Pinestraw at a Time:

_{background paper blends and elements found in Gina Cabrera's Lucky Star kit and Kim Christensen's Rad Kit
Font: Georgia
Alphas: Newspaper by Rikki, and funky black chip board alpha by Gina Miller.}


Text by Jim Towhey:

TV networks save their best for sweeps week; the bi-annual test of what is working and what is not. Of course at our house the term has an entirely different meaning.

As I have noted in the past, our boy Denny is his own man. The inner workings of the autistic mind have never been easy to understand but when Denny decides it is time for something to happen, it usually will.

Denny has always had a penchant for collecting and disposing of the odd detrious of modern life. Each week in the laundry Denny's pockets (when he is willing to wear clothes with pockets) provide handfuls of strange items; Pull tabs from soft drink cans, gum wrappers, rubber bands, pens, lint and the ever-present pine straw.

Denny has always had a "thing" about pine straw, the stringy, brown pine needles that cover our yards, walkways and rooftops here in dixie. Earlier in his lanscaping career our boy would bolt away from us and suddenly pluck flowers and plants out of the ground by their roots and fling them away before we could react. We always coped, but it was tough on the school plantings and relatives yards.

As he aged and slowed down a bit he would simply collect handfuls of pine straw until he could carry no more and then fill the household trash cans or the back seat of the car. Lately Denny has refused to stop collecting the stuff despite our pleas and protests. To adapt, we simply set aside an old cardboard box for him to fill and he is happy. I then get to return the pine straw to the yard.

Today, on his arrival home Denny started collecting mamouth mounds of pine straw and would not come in the house. Rare, since he usually can't wait to hit the fridge and get his favorite treat; and ice cold Pepsi.

With no end to his crazed landscaping in sight, we gave Denny a push broom. The plan was a form of reverse psychology - he usually won't use tools, as they require actual work. To our suprise he attempted to sweep the entire driveway, side walk and lawn free of the offending needles. The guy was workin' his butt off!!

I broke out the leaf blower and backed him up, collecting the big heaping mounds into his box and adding them to the landscaping in the proper place. It was like working with the demented groundskeeper, Karl, from the movie Caddyshack. The wild-eyed man with the broom frantically sweeping the lawn while I attempted to place the collected material where it needed to be.

I eventually had to explain that we were done, and it was time to go in. The boss just handed me the broom and walked away - mission accomplished! I wish he would get this excited about scrubbing tile or cleaning the toilet - then he would have a real "sweeps week" winner!!

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Rachel is my voracious reader, so when I saw on Janna's site about the fun challenge going on at Kathryn Balint's site I joined in and made this page with the freebie made by Carol Baumann: