Halloween Costumes:

Eve as Tinkerbell:


Noah as Patrick Star (Spongebob's best friend):


Rachel was a lovely Rag doll:


Aaron received the most compliments for his costume:

His Uncle Stephen, made the chain mail by hand. Michael contributed the fabric with the fleur de lis. The bow was borrowed from Grandpa Jim:

2 Signs of the Apocalypse:

This first sign was the spookiest:



What you are witnessing is the first horseman of the Apocalypse in the form of Noah hanging up his Halloween costume neatly in his closet...WITHOUT...having to be asked...AND...Noah wanted to be first to take a bath...WITHOUT...whining! Call Medic Alert because I about couldn't get off the floor with shock!

::::SIGN 2:::::

Noah is going through his treat bag and calls out, "I think I have too much candy! Maybe I could give some away!"

What is this about? I don't think I've ever heard a kid say that before. This has to be the second horseman.


All I'm suggesting here is that you may want to have your life in order and have a clean set of undies on whenever you go out! :)

Two Fun Kids:

Noah's pet, Oinkey, is a nice furry companion that we don't have to clean up after:


_{Paisley Passion Kit by Sandra Boddington at Sweet Shoppe Designs,
Staple from Circus Train by Sandra Boddington,
Tea Overlay from Scrap Artist's Carefree kit,
Font: Ash 94}
Text: "When mom and dad are sleeping in their bed and I'm trying to go to sleep I have a fearless friend who keeps two watchful eyes open for me all night. He is soft and cuddly too! He doesn't make a fuss when I throw him over my arm and he lets me pick the movie and never complains about my choice. I made him a bed out of mom's tissue box, but he prefers to sleep by my side. When I go to school I give him to my mom so he will be safe from my big brother, Aaron and my little sister, Eve. Did I forget to tell you that my friend's name is Oinkey? He is very friendly! You can pet him, but you can't keep him.


Noah"




_{Paisley Passion Kit by Sandra Boddington at Sweet Shoppe Designs,
Paper Tears from Fhunglie's Ultimate Torn Pack,
Scrap fabric template from the Grace Sampler by Katie Pertiet,
Font: Marcishand/Patchanka Px}
Text: "What does a 4 year-old think about?
What makes you cross, joyful, or sad? What stops you in mid exploration to stare and marvel? So much to learn, so much to experience! Eve, one of the greatest joys in my life is watching you grow! Love, Mom"


::::::::::::::::Noah Loves Math:::::::::::::

Noah had us laughing again! As we were driving to Granny Sydney's house for her annual "Pagan Harvest Fest" Noah told us about a math program he was working on at school. He said, "There were 101 math questions on this new math program in the computer lab and I got 100 of them correct. I would have gotten them all correct, but I hit the wrong key and exited the program. I was going to type in 10 as the square root of 100, though." I started laughing because I'm certain I had no clue what a square root was in first grade. As usual, I had to tell him I wasn't laughing at him, but was simply amazed that he understood the concept.


:::::::::::::::::Costumes:::::::::::::

I helped Rachel create her rag doll costume with some funky horizontially striped tights, an old dress, a white apron, some pink blush, dark brown eye liner, and some pink lipstick. The only purchase was a braided yarn head piece from Jo Ann's. She looked adorable. She also wore her black boots from last year. I'll post pictures tomorrow, me thinks!

Michael will be sewing the boys' stuff tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing Noah as Patrick Star!

Hardiplankin':

Here are a couple of pictures of my dad working on the chimney side of the house. The work is slow, but we've had positive comments from the neighbors and the guy from Walton Emc who came by to reattach the electrical drop to the chimney. Since my dad had a dentist appt. today Michael took the day off to work on the house. We were able to get down the masonite up to the attic and Tyvek the 2nd floor front of the house where the kids' rooms face. We were able to place about 3 more rows of Hardiplank, then Michael needed to stop because he was dizzy from fluid in his ears from a new round of colds.
I caulked most of the chimney, but stopped off and on to help Michael. I also stopped to help Aaron with Math, Science and he really wanted to me to see the film produced by the DNR in Georgia about the black bear and how we can protect them by not feeding them and maintaining garbage free areas. Mostly we just thought the bears were adorable. I also had to stop for Eve's collision with the ground. I'm not sure what she was doing, but her knee was bleeding. I climbed down from the scaffold and grabbed her into a big hug and dabbed the knee with a wet paper towel. Then, a dab of Pain Relief Antibiotic cream and a big knee bandaid...and a kiss. Later, she hurt the other knee, but big brother Aaron came to the rescue and now Eve has matching knee bandaids.

:::::::::::::::Halloween Costumes::::::::::::

Aaron is going to be an archer from the Medieval Times.
Noah is going to be Spongebob's best friend, Patrick.
Eve will be Tinkerbell (Which isn't a far cry from normal).
Rachel is supposed to be a Rag doll.

Noah's Malady:

No, Noah isn't sick with the croup again. This is just a layout of his most recent bout a month ago.


_{Fall Velvet kit by Holly McCaig,
Kodak film pieces from Primitive Photography by Mo Jackson,
Tape from Primitive Scrapbook by Mo Jackson,
Journal blocks from Fading Days by Jen Wilson,
Card board from Urban Trash by Kim Gairusso and Julie Howard,
Real Stamped Alpha by Lisa Whitney,
Font: Opie's Ma, Pea Martha, Pea Angedawn.}


::::::::::::House Renovations::::::::::::::

I'll upload the photos I've made soon. My dad has been bustin' his tail working on the house. We are residing in Hardiplank and I spend my time cleaning up after him, referring fights among the kids and caulking joints. Currently my fingers are coated in caulk.

The HVAC man is due to inspect our system today, but I hear he is rather backed up, so he will get here...eventually.


::::::::::DENTIST:::::::::::::::::

It was Aaron's turn to run the gauntlet. We drove to Dr. Healey's office in Roswell, which is a miserable drive in some of the worst traffic in Atlanta. I was saying to myself, "Shouldn't these people be at work! It's 9:15a.m.!"
We got to the office exactly at our appointment time. Aaron had no cavities! That is 4 for 4 in the kids department! WOO HOO! The doctor informed me that once Aaron's baby teeth are all gone, which should be in the next year, that Aaron would need braces to straighten his teeth more and close in the spaces. Michael has small teeth, so Aaron got that from him, but he doesn't think it is worth putting braces on Aaron. Time will tell...oh, well!

::::::::::::::MESSAGES:::::::::::::

Yesterday, Rachel had her substitute call the house to remind me that there was an Accelerated Reader Awards ceremony going on at 2:00p.m. Aaron took the call and never gave me the message. Rachel was disappointed that I never showed up. This is the second thing I haven't shown up to to take her photo and I think I'm getting a bad Mom Rep. One was my fault, but I really would have appreciated getting the message. I'm having a real hard time with Aaron lately, so I wasn't surprised. I feel the worst for Rachel who really lets these things get to her. I am really proud of her working hard at school.

Speaking of school stuff...Noah brought home several "100"s on his school papers, and they weren't just math. He is reading and understanding sound concepts and writing so much better. YEAH!


Smiles!

Spencer Pages:

<sub>Papers, tag and doodles by Fee Jardine in her baby boy workshop forum, paper tear by Fhunglie's Ultimate Torn Pack, Fonts: Occidental, Stan's Hand


Papers and ribbon from Fee Jardine's baby boy workshop forum, movie items by Tabby Lewis from her blog, Felt star freebie from Holly McCaig, word blocks and inked edge from Studio Chic by Shabby Princess, White inked edge by Robin Cabana, Font: Chalkdust


papers, alpha and staples from Fee Jardine's baby boy workshop forum, paper tear from Fhunglies Ultimate Torn Pack, clock brush by Happy Robyn, Font: Artistamp Medium</sub>

X-9 Fireball and sweet Spencer:

This is a photo intensive post and I may edit this later today if I can get some layouts finished:


Noah loved learning to sand his boat and was excited to paint it, too!

This is Noah's cool dragon sail.




Sooooo close!

Aaron had the hang of the correct angle and blowing pressure right away!










:::::::::::::::::::::::Sweet Spencer:::::::::::::::::::











Marcus talks to Eve about patting Spencer's head gently.

Where is that cord?

Well, I have pictures of Spencer and the Rain Gutter Regatta...on the camera. Michael has misplaced the uplink cable. I will try to get some photos up tomorrow.

:::::::::::::The Rain Gutter Regatta:::::::::::

The only mild fiasco of the evening was the rain gutters weren't sealed when the leader poured water into the gutters. Nothing like a quick trip to the hardware store for some quick sealing caulk material to get the heart a pumpin'!

This was only a hiccup in the grand scheme of things. The boys all did a great job on their boat designs. Noah's was green with a sort of flame job and a dragon on the sail. He was quite sure of speedy victory. I suppose he hasn't read about the superstition of sailing men which goes that if you announce your victory before it has been won you tempt fate and will most likely be defeated. It is merely a superstition among sailors, but this night we weren't to prove it false. Noah lost both of his heats. He is a rather forceful blower and that sent his sail side ways and he could never get the hang of slow gentle blowing.

There was little plastic medallions for the boys (Noah wanted metal...there is no pleasing this kid...trust me)!

::::::::::::::::SPENCER:::::::::::::::::

After the Regatta we called to see if it was okay to visit Spencer and his parents at the hospital. They said sure so we loaded the Queen Victoria family truckster and brought our rambuctious crew to meet their new cousin. Spencer is a sweet and mello baby...so far. I can't vouch for future behavior, but he was a doll while we were there. Rachel was so excited to hold him and so was Aaron. Eve was shy and Noah was being a loud mouth. (Can you tell he was getting on my nerves?!?)
Spencer's little head was full of handsome dark hair and he had the cutest little round head. He also has a cleft lip and palate, so I was interested on how to bottle feed him. Marcus had mastered the feeding part and was a great teacher for anyone who wanted to learn the method. Eve wondered why his face was different and we explained that Spencer was fine, but just needed a couple of things sewed up. This had to be explained to Noah, nicely at first, then a bit more sternly in the hall because he didn't seem to get it.

I got to change Spencer's diaper. I know most people hate that part, but I feel it is a cool thing because you are able to help a sweet baby be comfortable again after a bit of a nasty experience. I can only imagine that babies simply can't figure out why the end opposite their head explodes every once in a while...and "hey, can't somebody get that nasty stuff off me?" Projecting...I know!

::::::::::::::::CHIMNEY:::::::::::::::

My dad made a lot of progress on the chimney yesterday. One of our neighbors, Art, came up to offer my dad any assistance should he have something heavy to lift. Art also commented that he liked the new house color and then realized it was just the primer color that is put on the Hardiplank. I laughed because I like the primer color, too!

I got to help dad by using the wire brush attachement on his drill to sand the rust of the chase that goes on top of the chimney. I really enjoyed cleaning that thing.

While my dad worked on the house I worked on pulling wild raspberry vines and trimming edges. My dad brought his gas powered weed eater. Boy, I like power tools and lawn equipment.

::::::::::::HIGHLAND GAMES:::::::::::

Mom and Aaron are going to the Highland Games today and Aaron really likes watching the games. I hope they have a good time.

Have a great weekend!

Welcome, Spencer!

My new nephew is here! I'll post photos soon:


_{Circus Train kit by Sandra Boddington,
Star doodle by Ida,
Notebook paper by Tia Bennett,
Clock by Happy Robyn,
Postcard by Kristy Ann Nerness
Font: Panchanka Px, Mama Script, Stamped Dsg, Artistamp Medium}

::::::::::::::::
I'm off to the Rain Gutter Regatta...photos later!

New Noahism and K9:

Noah called out for me to help him wash his hair, so I had him choose between strawberry and blueberry smelling shampoo. He choose the blueberry and as I was washing his hair he had this serene smile come across his face. He said, "This smells really good...like fresh blueberries...from the freezer." I couldn't stop laughing and called Michael into hear about fresh blueberries...from the freezer. Noah was instantly ticked off and told me to stop it. I told them that he was just so clever that I wanted to tell his dad. (I don't think he bought that explanation).

:::::::::::::::

My dad came over to start working on the house yesterday. Rain was in the forecast, of course. Most important endeavors in our lives involve percipitation. Anyway he got started deconstructing the chimney where we have water damage, so he could assess the items he would need. Then, we drove to Lowe's and picked up several items. The rain started coming down light and steady at about 11:30a.m. Aaron and Rachel were "in charge" in the house while I stayed outside to hand my dad the nail gone and move debris out of the way. Aaron came out to help for a little bit.
Michael is having a garbage bin delivered on Monday for construction debris, so Aaron can earn money by moving the garbage from the backyard to the bin. I told him I would pay him $5.00 an hour if he kept a steady pace, but if he picked little bits up one at a time he would get .50 cents an hour for being slack.
My dad's parting words for the day were, "See you when it's not raining!" Today is is pouring down, but tomorrow looks pretty good for a bit of sunshine.

::::::::::::::::::
3 of the 4 kiddos have a dental cleaning appointment today, so I will check Rachel and Noah out of school at the end of the day. Eve seems to like the dentist office visits, too.

Aaron's appt for cleaning is next week. He goes to a pediatric dentist who specializes in cases where children have a lot of anxiety about any procedure. Aaron also has a severe gag reflex, so getting x-rays is pretty much nil.


::::::::::::::::::

My children were so funny the other night while we were watching a new season of Dr. Who with David Tenant as the Dr. Sarah Jane who was a previous companion during the Tom Baker time period was on the show with K9. K9 added a bit of comic relief and ends up making a logical decision that saves the Dr. and all the humans, but destroys his metal body. He ends up getting all spruced up by the Dr. and goes off with Sarah Jane. Rachel's tears of sadness instantly changed to joy and she began cheering for K9. "Yeah, he's alive!'" I felt the same way and the other kids were overjoyed. I think it is so funny how we attribute so much to characters and even robotic ones that are not supposed to have emotion themselves. I suppose we see "humanity" in anything or anyone who does something without gain and what we see as compassionate.
I just wish K9 was on for the long haul! "Yeah, he's alive!"

Mother and Daughters:

_{Template by Janna Billman,
Inked edges by Nancy Rowe Janitz and Shabby Princess, also Tea overlay by Scrap Artist in their Carefree kit,
Brooch by Fhunglie
Heritage brad by Cottage Arts,
Braided Gimp by Sandra Boddington's Allure Kit at Sweet Shoppe Designs,
Button by Anna Benjamin,
Papers from Gina Miller's DST Chat Papers,
Font: Beautiful
Brush: Michelle Coleman}

When You Wish Upon a Star:

_{bg paper and stamp from Fhunglie's Cloud 9 Kit,
Star Doodles by Ida,
Inked Edge and jewels by Shabby Princess,
Photo frame by Rhonna Farrer,
Staple by Michelle Coleman from Emma's Sundress Kit,
Journal doodles by Catrine,
Ribbon freebie from Christine Smith on her blog,
Font: Amienne/Waltograph
Disney eyelet by JLR}

Just a layout I made while listening to Conference talks. The photos show Eve on Michael's shoulders. Rachel and Eve got their photos made with "Cinderella" at their Cinderella Breakfast.

Kyra...

never a serious pose:


_{Allure Kit by Sandra Boddington at Sweet Shoppe Designs
Font: Pea Girly Girl/Penhurst
Inked edge by Nancy Rowe Janitz}

Granny's Delight:

_{Allure Kit by Sandra Boddington at Sweet Shoppe Designs
Brush work also by Sandra Boddington.
Font: Pea Martha}

Free Quick Pages, Check Ups and House Colors:

These adorable quick pages were a free download from a super fun site that I've been on their newsletter list over 3 years. Here is the link to their site:
Lettering Delights. Their items are fun for the creative fonts and many of the other lettering styles they use. There is much more to this site, so I hope you have fun clicking around!

::::::::::::::::::::

Aaron had his 12 year-old check up today. I was glad Michael came with me because Aaron's anxiety is a bit overwhelming. The basic stats put Aaron's height at 4'10" and his weight at 78lbs. This puts him in the 45th percentile for height and 27th for weight. He also asked to get the warts on his legs burned off with the liquid nitrogen. He pleaded for the doctor to stop, but I just had him squeeze my arm really hard. The doctor said they were the Molluscum variety. He was surprised to see them on his calf where it doesn't stay warm or moist.
After that it was time for his chicken pox and DTaP booster. Michael held Aaron, while the nurse (firm, yet compassionate) attempted to give him his shots. He finally relaxed for enough seconds for her to finish the sharp deed.
I forgot to say that during the preliminary stuff that included taking his blood pressure the nurse had to let Aaron sit down for a few minutes while she entered the measurements, so she could take a second reading. The first reading showed his blood pressure too high for a child his age. His anxiety had quite a dangerous manifestation!

:::::::::::::::::::

We will be replacing the siding on our house with Hardiplank and painting. We informed the neighbors and asked them if there was any colors that they flat out hated. Most folks said "NO Dark colors" and one neighbor requested no purple. We are vascillating on the color. The neighbor on the right side has a bright yellow house with dark green shudders, the neighbor on the left has a putty colored beige with muted green shudders and exactly across the street is a reddish toned brick house with a magenta toned shudder. I tell you these bits of information because I wouldn't mind some color combos ideas. I like the arts and crafts style, but the color tones are too dark for the house and neighborhood styles. So, just send me a comment if you think of a good combo!

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Skidboot:

The story of this dog and his relationship with his owner touched my heart! If you get a chance check out this google video link:

Skidboot Clip

A.D. IV ID. OCT.MMVI and Spongebob:

Aaron and I were not having a great morning going over his math work. He refuses to believe he got any of the equations wrong because if they are wrong he has to redo the problems. After talking with Michael, Aaron sat down to go over the math work. He was still being somewhat belligerent. Before we learn the new math concept we do a section of "mental math" where he answers questions allowed without writing anything down. Aaron decided to give me all of the answers in Roman numerals. He was trying to annoy me at first, but I started laughing and then he started laughing. I appreciated the fact that he was getting the answers correct and in an ancient numbering system. When the last answer was zero he asked how you stated zero in Roman numerals. The Romans did not have the concept of zero and here is a couple of fun links to learn more about Roman numerals and their calendar:

Roman Calendar ConversionsRoman CalendarThe initial 'A.D.' stands for ante diem - days before - not AD Anno Domini.



::::::::::::::::::::::
Two days ago michael and I made shredded pork sandwiches with pork tenderloin I put in the crock pot. It turned out perfectly. I cooked the meat on high for 6 hours in about 2 cups of water. I picked up some mustard based barbeque sauce from a restaurant we really liked in Charleston, S.C.



Sticky Fingers

Charleston location

Most of the barbeque sauce we use in Georgia is tomato based, so finding the Memphis style barbeque was a fun departure from the status quo!
::::::::::::::::::::::

YEAH! COOL! MARVY! NEAT! HURRAY! DUDE, REALLY?!

He reminds me of the babe. The babe with the power. The power of voodoo. Who do? You do! Jareth, I mean, David Bowie is going to do voice a character on Spongebob. He watches the show with his 6 year-old daughter and is excited to be on the show. My kids get a kick out of spongebob and they really like "Labyrinth"!



:::::::::::::::::::::::














Yet, more exciting news on the literary front...2 cool books are coming out! Yes, 2!

Book the 13th, The End by Lemony Snicket

and


Escape from the Carnivale (A Neverland Adventure) by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson


:::::::::::::::::::::::::

One of Michael's associates at work sent this to him and I thought I would pass the laugh along:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal they laid down and went to sleep.

Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."

Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars."

Holmes asked, "What does that tell you?"

Watson pondered the question. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Chronologically, I deduce that the time is approximately five past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"

Holmes was silent for a minute, and then spoke. "Watson, you blithering idiot! What it tells me is that some thief has stolen our tent!"

Parking a Car:

My sister, Tracy, sent me this hilarious game. Click for the game
It is just parking a car, but I get the biggest laugh trying to adjust the wheels and parallel parking, or backing into the space. If you hit a car the game is over, but, at least, you don't get a ticket, or hurt anyone! In "real life" I usually back into spaces, which is considered a guy thing in America. Michael has to do this for work and he has always preferred to back in because you are in better control of the situation when you leave. You are more likely to see anything that runs in front of the car. If I can't back in I try to pull all the way forward in a pull through space. Anyway, this game is fun...give it a try!




::::::::::::::::::::::::

Great news on the birthday front. My stepmother, Alice, purchased a family pass to:

I'm so excited to take the kids! I really love to catch a glimpse of Kuchi with her twins and I would like to see the new baby Panda. Terry Maple was such a great advocate for clean and healthy zoo animal populations. I also like to see the elephants all covered in Georgia red clay!

Cub Scouts and popcorn:

It is popcorn sales time in scouting, so I made up this little card for Noah:


_{popcorn background paper and movie box by Tabby Lewis from her Showtime kit,
Word bubble from Jan Crowley's Comic Junkie Kit,
Vintage popcorn box from Mo Jackson's Birthday Party kit,
Font: DSG Stamped, Pea Angedawn, and Ligurino}


::::::::::::::::::::::

Next it will be Girl Scout Cookies made from 100% girl scouts!

The Mind of a 4 Year-Old:

What do most 4 year-old little girls choose to watch:

This perhaps:

I had Beatrix Potter tales in the dvd player for Eve and she came up and said she would much rather watch this:



Hmmmm.... I just kinda found that interesting.

Haley:

This is one of my beautiful nieces:


_{Breezy Blue kit by Sandra Boddington at Sweet Shoppe Designs
Fonts: Curlz Mt/Century Gothic}

Visit---to Alabama

_{Breezy Blues By Sandra Boddington at Sweet Shoppe Designs,
Fonts Used: Kristin/Poor Richard Regular}

Don't Sit Next To Him In a Theatre:

_{BG from Strawberry Kit by Sandra Boddington
Inked edge (modified) by Kim Hill
Journal papers by Catrine
Hubble photo and Spiderman Movie pic from the internet
Font: Pea Angedawn, Century Gothic
Polaroid frame from BYOBB Kit Add-on by Gina Miller}


All will be made clear if you clickHERE.

I have to tell Michael to be quiet in the movies so I can live in my oblivious world of movie fantasy. If you see him in a theatre buy him some Milk Duds, or popcorn. It might distract him from the GLARING, or finer errors of continuity!

Fun Stuff for Halloween:

Here is a great site for Halloween stuff that is sponsored by Fujifilm:
Click Me

This is one of the vintage cards you can get at their site for a free download.



Here is the section for the free scrapbook pages:
Free Scrapbook page.
You can also download tutorials on using the information.

::::::::

M&M Mars has a way cool "Dark" Chocolate game on their site:Dark Chocolate Game. They have created a painting that appears like a medieval bunch of riddles. You click on the different pictures and guess the dark movie associated with the riddle. Aaron and I have only figured out 12 out of 50 movie titles. The site allows you to save your game and continue later.

They have an awesome idea page:Bright Ideas page

::::::::

My mother-in-law will have her Pagan Harvest Festival soon, so I hope for some fun photos.

The Photographer and the Horse:

_{Be Trusting kit freebie on Kim Christensen's blog
Font: Misproject, Franklin Gothic Demi Cond}

Text: Baby Julia Sue Harris seats nervously on top of Sally the horse. It was common for a photographer to go around to homes in the community, so parents could get their children's photo taken.

:::::::::



_{Template by Jen Caputo,
Pink Pepper Kit by Zoe Pearn from her blog,
Sequins and journaling tab (Florist Kit) by Sandra Boddington at The Sweet Shoppe Designs
Alpha from the Splendid kit by Shabby Princess
Font: Century Gothic}

:::::::::::::::::

Neighborhood Bullies:

Aaron was riding his bike and a one of the neighbor boys threw a rock at him and hit Aaron in the side. Aaron came in clutching his side a fell into the chair. He didn't even say what had happened until I asked. When he told us Michael jumped up and had Aaron go next store and confronted the boys. There were two kids, but the one that threw the rock has tried to taunt Aaron into fighting him. The other boy used to be friendly to Aaron until he started hanging out with "W." Michael made sure the boys were aware that if any harm came to Aaron again police would be involved. He also informed both boys they were not permitted to walk through our yard. "W's little sister, "J." is pretty rude in her own right. I think the children are rather indulged by their parents because they are divorced, but both live in our neighborhood.
Both of these boys have moved here within the span of a year, so I assume we are in this for the long haul...JOY! As these bullying situations go the bullies will just wait out the trouble a bit then look for opportunities to get Aaron alone and without witnesses and threaten him. I hope this doesn't keep Aaron feeling like he can't freely go and visit his friend in a nearby neighborhood. I suppose I could get my tail out in the garden and be beautifying the yard, as well as, being a bit of a watch dog.

:::::::::::::


Michael tried to burn the house down tonight. He attempted to make the kids some brownies, but left the oven on broil. Rachel came in from outside and asked, "What's burning?" I ran into check and smoke was beginning to puff out of the oven. I thought burning stuff was my job! I really think Michael needs to learn his roll in the family and stop trying to infiltrate my realm of poor cooking habits! Sheesh!

A Check Up and a Recommendation:

Well, Rachel got her well-child check up this afternoon. She is 4ft. 1in., or 1.249 68 meters. She is 59.5lbs. The doctor says this puts her in the 7 percentile for height and 33 percentile for weight. When the doctor informed Rachel she would never be very tall, she responded sarcastically, "Thanks for being so supportive!" What a mouth on that kid...I don't know where she gets it! The doctor asked if I had any concerns and I told him she is physically okay, but she is an emotional basket case. She cries if you look at her the wrong way. I told her we have a phrase for her weepy behavior..."The Estrogen Anomaly". If you have ever seen the Star Trek episode with Crystalline Entity (GEEK, Check!) you will know it is something beautiful, yet destructive. I told the doctor I've never had a third grade girl before and I don't know what to do with her emotional outbursts. I was a rather private child and didn't cry much. I also had to be organized and much more self-sufficient. I wonder what is best? She has recieved reminders both days this week at school and I thought she was going to burst with the frustration, but she tettered on the brink and held it together.

:::::::::::::::

Two video recommendations that you don't have to be a home schooler to really appreciate the value:

1. Voices of Civil Rights- (produced by The History Channel)
This film contains wonderful interviews and footage of the civil rights movement. The biographical information on Martin Luther King, Jr. is well researched and presented. The audio tapes and the footage of the meetings between Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson and Gov. George Wallace were fascinating. I'm proud that my son gets really angry that folks would put signs up that separated people. He wanted to know why people in authority would use their power to harm others and so we had a great discussion on that subject.
There is also a wonderful section on Justice Thurgood Marshall. Interesting to learn about his life, nomination and motivations behind his Supreme Court rulings.

2. Rx for Survival (produced by PBS)Click here for the informational website on the series.

Aaron and I have only watched the first of 3 dvds and I am amazed by the information. The first part of the film discusses how vaccines came about and the 2nd part talks about the MSRA and MSRBs. These acronyms stand for the "super bugs" that are resistant to most or all of the current antibotics. The doctors interviewed were worried that since the money is made in the diet and libido arenas that research companies can't afford to look for new antibiotics. There is one company called Cubist that is using an interesting method seeking new antibiotics. They created a strain of extremely resistant e. coli and introduce microorganisms they find from various soil samples and then put them together to see if the e. coli is effected.
Aaron kept watching me cry as they followed two doctors, Kim and Farmer, to from Harvard to Peru, while they administered strong, experimental drug treatments to people found to be resistant to every known antibiotic. They were successful in 85% of the cases. I was especially said for a young woman who could not let her son close and he thought she hated him, but she tried to explain she was trying to protect him. Her husband had left her, so he wouldn't get sick. She was in this treatment program, but her strain of TB was the most resistant and she died. Her son tested positive for TB.

I am a fan of history and I feel that the old adage is true about being doomed to repeat history if we don't learn from it. I highly recommend these two videos!

Kid Logic and Dr. Who:

A new Noah story...
Noah and Aaron were rough housing in the den when Michael and I heard Noah squallin' his head off. I ran down to check on him and Aaron met me half way saying that he didn't mean to hurt Noah. Aaron explained that Noah had charged him from behind, so Aaron had stuck his foot up to fend off the blow and kicked Noah in the mouth. Aaron was apologetic and Noah was apoplectic! In the midst of his heaving sobs Noah said, "When I was charging him...and I was about to head butt him...he kicked me in the face!"
Well, with that explanation and the way Noah said it Michael and I couldn't stop laughing. Here was a kid who didn't think it was a problem to try to use his full force to slam into his big brother and reasoned that getting kicked in the face by a defensive blow was completely unjustified! Noah should fit right in with a whole lot of "wronged" people and maybe he can look forward to being the plaintiff in several frivolous lawsuits growing up!

:::::::::::::

My kids are Dr. Who fans. I used to watch the shows when I was a kid and even when to a sci-fi convention and got my Dr. Who book signed by John Pertwee. GEEK! (happily so, Thank you)! I really liked John Pertwee, Tom Baker, , Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison and Christopher Eccleston. Now we the show has the tenth doctor with David Tennant and I like what I've seen, so far. The kids are completely fascinated and creeped out by the Daleks.
My mother bought Aaron the complete first season of the Dr. Who series with Christopher Eccleston and the kids have watched them all, including the interviews.

My mom had given me the movie "Shada" starring Tom Baker as the Dr. along time ago. One day we were talking about the crazy sets on Dr. Who and the kids were curious and they popped the movie in and Aaron and Rachel loved it. Noah and Eve are scared a bit watching, so they walk out of the room and back in to watch some of the show.

Michael is funny to have around during the show because he understands enough about science to get annoyed about things he thinks the writers should get correct. He can suspend his belief about some of the crazier stuff, but don't mess around with proven mathematics. It's like the Hiesenberg Compensator on Star Trek that they use to explain why they can beam particles of matter back in the same order. Heisenberg uncertainty principle states (in general terms) that one cannot know the quantum state of a subatomic particle to arbitrary precision. Therefore, matter transportation in this way should be impossible.GEEK! (happily so, Thank you)! By the way, I really miss K-9!


::::::::::::::::::

My daughter, Rachel, and I have gotten sucked into the drama on Project Runway on the Bravo network. We only see cable shows when we visit my mom's house and this one is kooky. Rachel gets mad at Jeffrey because he flips everyone off and is rude most of the time, but she is a fan of Uli. Rachel likes the fun colors and patterns. She also likes Michael Knight. I really like the chic looks of Laura's designs and Michael Knight. I remember designing doll clothes for my Barbie's out of old slips and cast off thread from my mother. My favorite look was a sleek white wrapped dressed in a Grecian style with a neckline resembling an onyk. I would sweep the dolls hair up like the drawings of the muses and weave gold thread through the hair to hold it in place. Fun stuff!

::::::::::::::::
COOL SITE ALERT:

Seishido.biz has some kickin' brushes. I use photoshop 6.0 and their freeware brushes are 6.0+ compatible. Can I hear a Whoo Whoo! I was so excited! They are Japanese, so that was a bonus for Michael's mission pictures from Japan. The brushes were of so many different things I felt like a kid in a candy store. I got this sweet tip from Lanne over at the Shabby Princess discussion board. So, thank you!

Denny Survived:

We are back home from our weekend of Denny sitting and I am happy to report he survived the weekend with the loud Taylor kids and their parents! My parents had a wonderful time in Tennesee at the wedding of their niece, Katie. They took some fun photos of their tripclick here for the blog post of the trip. I suggest you check out my step father's photo of his mother with her 3 sisters. 3 out of the 4 look almost identical. The title to the photo is "Irish Mount Rushmore". We also call them the Keebler Elves. They are so cute.

:::::::::::::

Update on the teacher conference with Rachel. It appears that Rachel is holding her emotions in until she gets home, so she exhibits only happy behavior at school. She sees the reminders given for not following directions as a personal issue. Rachel thinks the teacher doesn't like her and feels like everything she does never measures up, so she dwells on these feelings of inadequacy rather than saying, "oh, I shouldn't have done that, I'll just not do that again", and move on with her day. I was not an overly emotional child. I was rather independent and a latch key kid, so I had to be organized and I didn't put much emphasis on the teacher liking me, or not. I do remember liking my teacher. I worry that she pins her emotions on how others persive her, which can be such shaky stuff. I'm really not sure how to deal with her emotions and obviously, neither is she.

I was impressed with the teacher's handling of the situation. She was direct and caring with Rachel's feelings. She let Rachel know why the rules were in place and why reminders were given, but that her having to "pull" these reminders in know way reflected on Rachel as being bad or causing the teacher to dislike her. Rachel wanted to be a bit silly and evasive because she was nervous and the teacher and I would reassure her that we were serious about calming her fears and feelings of not being perfect. The teacher reiterated that everyone makes mistakes, but we learn from them and move on and do the best we can.

::::::::::::::::::::

Noah is thrilled that one of the boys in his class just moved in across the street. He can't wait to play after school on Monday. I need to bake some brownies to welcome them to the neighborhood.

This year we are probably going to have a slew of young kids for Halloween. Should be fun!