1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500

This will be Jonathan's car for driving to work and to the acre of blackberries we have 1 1/2 hours away. He made 2 trip to his parents land, to the berries, and I made one trip to Norman and our auto gas budget increased waaaay too much. This vehicle gets about 30 mpg.

We bought it off of ebay from a guy in T-town. He was working on it and has all of the parts (several newly machined) it just requires final assembly, it also has a hardtop that needs new seals. J's mom has a Spitfire also, so he's used to working on them. It's definitely easier then the Lincoln. This car will also retain some value (unlike most other cars we've had) and it's cheap to fix.

Jonathan feels like he's starting a classic car collection, because he already has a 1954 Pontiac Chieftain.

The auction was exciting, we had power issues on our street yesterday (blown transformers, 3 fire tucks, neighbors trees being cut down by PSO, calling neighbors at work to give messages from firefighters). I had power in spite of the issues in the alley, until 10 minutes before the auction ended. The power company cut it all off and I had to call Jonathan at work to finish the auction. My heart was pounding.

After the auction ended I was shutting breakers off at neighbors houses. The Art Gallery across the street had all of it's wiring fried and had smoke, but no fire damage. The firefighters were afraid when the power company turned the power back on that we may have more of that happen. I was supplying what I could when the power came back up to help them cover the gallery door. They had to bust out the glass, so I was running my extension cord and drill over to help them get the plywood on to cover it.

About 3:15pm I was walking out of my neighbors house when their 12 year old walked up. His dad told me where the spare key was and I unplugged their TV and computer and I turned their power off. I had just finished slowly turning their power back on (and going over and doing a smell and fire detector check). The funny thing was his lack of concern of me coming out of the house. He was totally disappointment he missed the fire trucks. I guess even 6th grade boys like fire trucks and excitement.

Check out Jonathan's new (used) car.

We get it this weekend. Awwww, YEAH!

BTW

I cut off my hair. I know what you're thinking..."What hair?" Well, chin length is long for me and I've been good and It's been longer then that for over 4 years. Tuesday it left. I forgot how much I missed short (really short) hair. Since just before Easter weekend I have cut Jackson, V's and the twins (for the first time).

Jennifer you're right I need more pictures. I will try to remedy that soon. Unfortunately I'm too busy (or lazy) to right now. Actually right now it is busy, most days it's lazy though.

I did the great meat buy yesterday, so I have to prep and freeze it all and make a birthday cake for a friend. The cake will be eaten here after a trip into T-town to the Olive Garden, so we have to clean (I'm in big trouble). I also am putting the final coat of varnish on V's floor today (so J can finish her walls and I can paint). I'm the lighting designer for an event called The Show of Hands (sign language to Broadway songs). Dress rehearsal is tonight with a show Saturday night (after Olive Garden) and Sunday afternoon.

No, I'm not normally this busy, I'm just in that moment that hits every so often right now.

I must renew my library books now and get back to work.

Have a great weekend!

Auditions

Okay, so V's music showed up Monday...late. She spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday learning her song. She sang "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" from ANNIE. She could sing and act and smile as long as she didn't have the music on. Once she had the music her timing was good if she didn't smile or move. If I told her to smile it looked like she was smelling socks or she sang too fast.

Some how in spite of that she got a call back Saturday. She must have gotten into her groove under pressure. I wasn't in her audition, I don't know.

V, the twins and I missed the auction and she was at call backs for over 3 hours Saturday afternoon. After, we went to Yale to pick up Jonathan and Jackson (they went to the auction and took his parents Tahoe back).

We waited until Monday for the cast list to post and....she didn't make the show.

I was more nervous then she was. She was not at all bummed. She had fun auditioning and doing call backs and that was enough (she's a bigger person then I am). Jonathan didn't want her to get into the show and then he was bummed she didn't make it.

I'm just really proud of her hard work and good attitude.

So, I've been in hidding.

Not really, but I'm a bit behind on my posts.

Jonathan turned the big 3-1 today. I made steak, scalloped potatoes and New York Style cheesecake to soften the blow.

We went to Norman (Friday through Sunday) to visit family and we went to Bristow Wednesday to visit friends.

V is auditioning for High School Musical tomorrow.

I got new glasses (red horn rimmed, so groovy) last Monday.

V's floor is almost done. I bought bedding, now I need to make or buy curtains. Then we are down to paint and trim. YIPEE!!

Both babies are fussy (I blame more teeth or allergies).

We are going to the OSU surplus auction Saturday morning.

I've also tired to figure out how to start making stained glass "art". I'm not artistic, but I have a need for a few pieces and I think I can do it (there are tons of books with patterns). We'll see.

I also messed up or pulled something in my back. I'm a little sore during the day (no big deal), but it hurts beyond belief at night and it's making sleep hard (I pulled off the bottom sheet I tossed so much last night). Feeling like I can function during the day has made me think I don't need to go to the doctor. It's been about a week, I hope it goes away on its own soon.

So, how are you?

The New England Primer and Teachers Unions

Terry in response to what you said about teachers unions, I totally understand and agree. That is the reason my father-in-law "retired" from teaching. He wouldn't join the union and his contract wasn't renewed, I think about 11 years ago. He's the kind of teacher you would love to have, full of knowledgeable, fun, funny, and interesting. My husband has been blessed with some of his gifts and can explain anything, so anyone can understand it. That helps when I can't.

As for curriculum it may not be the New England Primer and it's just for English, but Victoria's current English book is from around 1900. It's called Primary Language Lessons. I've been more impressed with the selections that come from my curriculum provider, then any others I've looked at. It uses a lot of real books and some of them are pretty old. It's good stuff.

Reunions

This past June was my 10 year high school reunion. Did I go? No. Did I care? No. Since that time I've done a lot of thinking about my 4-H friends. These are the people who mattered to me and had a greater impact in shaping me. I've made attempts at finding and contacting old friends, but when you want to reunite from an orginazation and not a school it's harder to find those people.

I posted a letter to my 4-H friends on facebook and I plan to do the same on myspace later today or tomorrow.

Any suggestions as I begin a greater search?

HEY BUDDY!

My little buddy Xander (that's what we call Alex now) says that all the time now and Owen mimics the Empirors March from Star Wars. I'm so proud of my little geeks!

The tall and SHORT of it. (UPDATED)

Short women may live longer.

Yeah, for me I'm only 5'2".

(UPDATED)
I can verify we are meaner.

This could spell trouble.

You can read it here, or you can get the RD (Readers Digest) version from me. In the 2nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles it has been ruled that you can't home educate your children without teaching credentials.

As most of you know we homeschool in Oklahoma. Whether you agree with that or not doesn't matter to me. I have my reasons, just as others have their reason for sending their kids to public or private school. I don't have credentials (I was working toward my BS in Aerospace Engineering), but I do have the help and support of both of my in-laws who are credentialed and a friend who is a retired school teacher for support. My curriculum is sound and and developed by credentialed individuals. My children are also VERY socialized (I honestly think I run around more homeschooling then if I didn't).

Most people who are against homeschooling have little understanding of it. My usual gripe that I get deals with them being involved with other kids. We belong to a group called BCHEF (B'ville Christian Home Educators Fellowship-you don't even have to be Christian to join-one family was Hindi). My children have church, 4-H, P.E., swimming lessons, holiday parties, field trips, sports and V even attends an enrichment program one day a week with other kids (for music, P.E, science, art-things that are more fun in a group). We also have the only trampoline in the neighborhood and we have a handful of kids in our backyard whenever the weather is good.

If testing is the issue people have, a private school here in town will allow us to let our children sit for standardized testing for $20. Some think hoemschooling isn't regulated enough, but why is that an issue when in Oklahoma homeschooled children are winning the robots competitions, spelling bees, geography bees and they are begin heavily courted by universities.

Credentials mean very little to me in the realm of education. I've had my fair share of credentialed "teachers" who were narrow minded, poor educators who had a pitiful grasp of the subject matter, and should never be allowed to be around children or teens.

My husband and I are both smart people who were never challenged in school. We received good grades for minimal effort. We want our children to have a challenge. Educators will tell you that 1 on 1 education is the most effective. I love that she can accelerate at what she is good at and that we can pull back and work longer on the things she struggles with. My daughter is like me, independent and she is just as content to be alone as she is in a group. I want her to remain her own person, not turn in to societies Lindsey Lohan/Paris Hilton knock offs (I'm giving Brit a break here).

I can site friends who were homeschool, that are well rounded, "normal" individuals. The best example I can site here is my friend Jeremy, who's blog is listed in my links. I understand the reasons people don't homeschool, I respect their decisions. I just wish more people would respect ours.

Getting back to normal.

If you read this post, things are getting better. I'm on a roll, I've been up before 8am (before 7 Sunday and Monday) for 4 whole days now. Ya, it's not much, but it's all I've got.

The caffeine consumption is still way too high, but I'll work my way back down.

I think everyone is better finally. We did have some puke Sunday and yesterday, but it was minimal and short lived (and Sunday I was singing in the first service when it hit) and I haven't had to clean much up.

How inconvenient.

Well, changes have happened in J's office. We were blessed for a period with him working 4-10 hour days and having 3 days off most weekends (he did have to work a few Friday's). Well, changes have occurred in his division and they now have a new GM and have been moved back to 5-8's.

I'll be honest I'm not to happy. Our spring weekend plans will have to be reevaluated, b/c they will require vacation time. Maybe they will change it back someday. Right now I can only hope.

Both Grandpa's are at the hospital (UPDATED)

Okay, the Grandpa from yesterday has a little blockage behind a stint, but they will probably let him go around 5 and they will schedule a stress test to see if they need to do more to fix it.


I just got a call that my other grandfather passed out and was in the ER at Norman. The guess is that his blood pressure meds made his blood pressure to low and he passed out. I'm not sure.

UPDATE

Grandpa T (the one who passed out) was almost kept, his sodium was a little low. When his doctor was contacted he said to release him and that he'd take care of it. Grandpa T went home, changed clothes and went to El Chico. Mexican food-a good source of sodium. I wish we had an El Chico here.

Grandpa O should be out of the hospital in the next hour and a half.

R.I.P. Bill Buckley Jr.

I was first exposed to Bill Buckley in college. He was mediating a debate that was telecast to the Oklahoma State campus. Even as a mediator he was more interesting and intelligent then either of the debaters.

He was a man of the type intellect that you honestly don't see very often. Whether you agree or disagree with his politics (even I don't always), if you ever have the opportunity to see any talk he has given it is worth the time just to hear is gift of the English language.

He will be missed.

Prayer Request

My grandfather was taken to Norman Regional Hospital. I'm not sure what is wrong. They thought it was a heart attack, but the EKG wasn't showing anything (I think). This is all I know from my dad, so if you can throw a prayer up for my Grandpa O.

For love of Scrabble.

Okay, so I'm a geek. I love me some Scrabble. I play on Facebook, so I play a game virtually for about a week before it ends, but I never play my husband. We have good reason, he won't play me online and we have 4 kids and 2 under the age of 2. Imagine the mess of tiles from a well played game. I know it couldn't be left for a moment, or all would be lost. I needed a solution.

I found a bought the solution.

We went to bed the other night and played on the bed laughing. We come up with some pretty stupid stuff. We can close the game and save it for later. It's just SCRABBULOUS!

I love politics,...

...but this election season is getting on my nerves. I usually love the election season (maybe it's just been going on too long). I guess this goes to remind me that it is the politics and issues I love not the people. Maybe I'm not into it, because there is no one who really stirs a fire in me. I'll be glad when November is here and we can have the election behind us and get back into policy. I'm just tired of listening to them slam each other, as they don't really say much about their plans and policy ideas. I need more then catch phrases, rhetoric, vagueness and dirt. I'm just needing some depth and more substance.

Blogger Spell Check

Did anyone else have issues with blogger's spell check not working lately?

It's up and running again.

Ya, I'm glad.

I lucked out.

Jonathan was supposed to be gone overnight last night. He went to Wichita to meet with Cessna. He finished up about 4 o'clock , so he drove a little over 2 hours to come home last night and drove out again this morning.

I can handle the kids when he's away, but it is just so nice to have back up at night. I'm so thankful he came home.

Ha! Ha! Ha! (UPDATED)

Babystepper just posted this comment under my Um ya... post:

"No wonder you've been a away for a bit! You have always had amazing amounts of energy."

I'm sorry Babystepper I laughed. The only reason I'm functioning lately is the kids are sleeping until 9 and I'm being lazy and sleeping until then too. Yes, I am sleeping 9-11 hours a night, because I am absolutely wiped out. I also went from drinking very little caffeine to consuming 2-5 Dr. Pepper's or cups of coffee a day. I've hit the wall.

UPDATE

For the record this sleep pattern has only been going on since everyone has been sick. I honestly think it's what has kept me from catching the crud.

When I grow up I want to be...

... a carbon copy of what I see in women's magazines.

Scratch that I want to be me and comfortable in my own skin.

My friend/family over in the Babystepper household had a great post today. Go ahead...read it...I'll be waiting here when your done.

She's an excellent writer and makes great points, but this one is one that has struck home with me around Christmas and it's nice to know I'm not the only one.

I rarely buy a magazine outside of Family Fun (for some random craft or an easy pirate ship cake) or recipes from Rachel Ray. I found I don't have time to read them and I’m not going to execute most of the ideas and suggestions they had. They aren't me, they don't fit my budget and I have better things to do.

Reading about the article that frustrated Babystepper reminded me of a conversation Jonathan and I had about V before Christmas. Jonathan had taken V to Toys R Us to look and give ideas of what she would like. Every "girly" thing she looked at she expressed interest in and then thought about it and said, "That's neat, but I really don't think I'd play with it." V did not request a Barbie, a baby doll, kitchen stuff, or dress up clothes. The one thing she really wanted was a lightsaber. Needless to say Jonathan got bummed. He thought he was losing his little girl.

I had to explain a few things to him. I asked these questions and I answered them for him:

"What are girls expected to play? House, dress up/princess, dolls/mommy"

"What do I do everyday? Clean house, cook, and take care of babies/kids, married (to my prince)"

"Those imagination play things are the daily activity in our house and she's bored with it. She knows it's not all fun and games. Let her go beyond and be an astronaut, a pirate, or buy her some K'nex to build what she imagines. Let her not be conventional, because she's not. Neither was I at her age. At 7 all I wanted were Transformers and G.I. Joes (I only got 1)."

This brings me to what Babystepper was talking about. I am a person who is content to be alone. I have few female friends, but we are all unconventional in what we find fun and funny. Going to the garden center with goody bags would just be weird. Normal for us would be karaoke, working on a musical or play, inflicting pain on each other at the YMCA, or being messy and helping paint a room. Spontaneity reins supreme and it's just doing what we like and acting like big kids (who can have an intelligent conversation) together.

I want my daughter to know that different is good, life can have its conventional (wife, mother, student), but you still get to be whoever and whatever God made you to be.

I like to embrace my weirdness and I hope V will too.

America's Next Top Model

I really don't watch TV so I haven't seen this show, but a girl from where I currently live in on the show. Out of curiosity I looked at the web site to see her picture. She looks like Mila Jovovich.

Wow!

I admit it I love Daimond.

Neil Diamond that is.

Yes, it's hard to admit, but my mother is a huge fan and has past it down to me (I'm the only 1 of her 3 who is). It's strange element in my music style. I like rock, alternative and metal as my standard (I like most stuff in some form). Right now I really want my mom's old records and a record player for a little Neil. Maybe it's because I have so much house work to do (because I'm lazy, people have been sick and home renovations), it seemed to be the standard stuff mom played while we worked. It was peppy and made for some silly dancing on mom's part as we worked.

Ya, maybe I need to go to Hastings and see what they have.

I smell poop!

I hope this makes you laugh. If it makes you ill I'm sorry.

O and A are both cutting teeth. They are usually normal babies having 1-2 BM's a day. Right now they are teething and we have increased to 5-8 a day. All doctors will tell you teething doesn't cause diarrhea, but it's happened with all 4 of my kids EVERY time they cut teeth (even 6 year old molars-sorry V). I would love to be believed by a doctor, but this proves my point, they call it medical practice, because if they knew what they were doing they'd call it something else.

I usually buy a big box of diapers every 2 weeks, but I've had to buy 1 box a week for the last 2 weeks. That's 94 diapers, that is almost 7 diapers per kid per day. That's like the number you go through with a newborn. I just want it to stop.

Also be warned 100% grape juice and diarrhea stains their rear end. It's like perminent marker. You have to scrub and scrub.

Now that I've grossed you out, have a great day. I just had to share a mommy moment.

Is it bad...

...that I could care less about Valentine's Day. My primary love language is acts of service. Going out for an over priced meal and getting more "stuff", because it is certain day doesn't do anything for me.

Don't get me wrong I enjoy being treated and appreciated and I like a good gift, but I like for it to be J's idea. I'm not anti-Valentine's Day for everyone, just me. I like making cards for the kids Victoria knows, with her (it makes a fun art lesson), and I enjoy an excuse to buy a little candy.

When I knew Jonathan was looking on the computer to buy me a gift I told him, "Buy me a gift and I'll punch you in the throat. If you feel the desire that you must do something, bring home dinner so I don't have to cook." It's a wonder I ever got married with my attitude at times.

I can skip Valentine's Day I will take a random act of service done in love any day.

In other news J has no desire to eat he’s so sick. He ate ¼ of a Caesar wrap from Camille’s and is in bed in a sweatshirt, bundled up and chilling. He missed work Monday and was going to make it up tomorrow and I told him if he felt bad at all he wasn’t allowed to go in. He must feel bad, because he didn’t argue.

Um ya...

...so it's been a while. Jackson didn't get a "My baby turned 4 post". Life happens. The babies, though normally easy to care for and good natured, have started channeling the devil (not really, but we've had ear infections for a month). I also noticed they were each cutting at least 2 teeth. As it stands I am the last man standing at home. I'm the only one not sick and I hope to stay that way.

The babies have hit climbing mode (no not stairs, that’s old news and normal). I don’t remember this with V and J, but O and A climb tables, cabinets…whatever. Nothing is sacred. I have had at least 1 new full box of Cheerio’s dumped and a full pitcher of Kool-Aid. V’s home school assignments have been written on. I left briefly one night and Jonathan left them alone for 3 minutes. I came in and busted them on the kitchen table with V’s markers (washable) writing on things and each other. Say it with me class…FUN!

Here we go on the Jackson front. His 4th birthday my mom, sister's, Michelle's boyfriend and J's parents came to B'ville. We ate pizza at a place that no one can argue has the best pizza...period...no you can't argue until you've tried it...stop now...you can't convince me. Then we unloaded "THE GIFT" (a SQUARE 13 foot trampoline). Michelle and Steve picked it up at Sam's. It was in 2 HUGE boxes (I think coffins are smaller) and it was heavy. I used to sell appliances at Lowe's (I've loaded refrigerators with no issue and these boxes I thought had anvils in them). If you look at the box for the enclosure and trampoline (14’ round) at Wal-Mart those 2 boxes together are smaller then 1 of these.

The boxes were set in the kitchen and we brought Jackson in. He looked and said, "I wanted a robot!" Hmmm, we didn't think about the fact that he'd never been on a trampoline before. My mom did buy him a Transformer, so we were saved. It was very cold out so I threw on my coveralls and we assembled it. Did I mention this detail...it was cold. He now loves it.

We have been very busy since we got the trampoline. Other neighbors have the swing sets with the forts and play houses, but we have the ONLY trampoline. We are very popular now. The boy next door (Matthew, he's 12) likes to play with V and J. We know some of his friends (they wanted to help when we moved in) and he's brought them over to see if they can play. It's been fun, but busy.

Other recent activities have included, a foot of snow (a huge fort and snowman) Jackson started speech therapy and we gutted V's bedroom down to the studs and are in the process of remodeling it. We've been busy.

So far in V's room we have removed over 2000lbs of plaster, and unknown amount of lathe and trim. We have rewired which required some attic tear up (we still had a little knob and tube wiring), we have insulated the dinning room downstairs with blown insulation from her room and we've added rolled insulation to her room. Her room has been sheet rocked, taped and had a coating of joint compound put on. 2 more coats of joint compound sanding and sanding will leave the walls ready for me to paint. We also have patched her closet floor, now we need to sand and varnish. Then it will be down to the details like trim (which J builds) and me finding what I want for curtain material so I can make them. V is sleeping in the laundry room (no it isn’t as weird as it sounds).

There is your update from the land of the R family. I hope this finds you well, warm and not windblown.

"I don't know how you do it."

"Your kids are so well behaved. I'm just amazed, especially with twins. I couldn't do it."

I hear the above...a lot. No, my children aren't angels, they have fits, they talk to strangers about their diarrhea or any taboo financial figure I've given them when they ask. My kids are better then some and over all they are pretty easy to take care of. That statement comes with an exception if you weren't noticing (here it comes).

Right now I'm a little frazzled. Jackson is a turning 4 (Saturday) and in his search for Independence he is throwing fits and getting spanked more then I would like. V was doing so much better at focusing and listening and now she has hit a "cloud" and all things I say are lost in the fog. I'm tired of repeating myself once, twice, three times or more. Owen and Alexander regardless of being really good have pink eye and double ear infections (I'm not sure if they got sick from Wal-Mart shopping carts, childcare at the YMCA or if it's just bad luck). They are both crying and needy and holding 2 isn't as easy anymore, especially when they want down and then right back up. I will survive, but I'm definitely tired. I've still got my smile, but I would love a nap.

Homeschool work is taking a slide this week as we prep for family to converge on our house Saturday. Thankfully that is one less thing on my plate.

I'm off to clean the kitchen and fix dinner and then I'm off to the Y (since I can't take them to childcare) after J is home.

Right now I don't know how I'm going to do it.

Spell Check

It's a wonderful invention, it's too bad it doesn't catch everything. I'm not terrible at spelling and grammar. Typing that's another story, most of the time I just type and go and I don't proof read and check my work. I think much faster than I type and errors pop up.

Today I noticed an error in my header on the blog (which has bee there for a long time). I had spelled the word correctly, but I had typed the wrong word. I had typed your instead of you're. These error make me feel silly for the short amount of time it takes to proof the blog stuff.

Please, laugh at my silliness. It's like typing loose when I mean lose. I just have to remember to go back and check, so I don't embarrass myself.

Did you know...

...that January 1st has kicked off the New Year in English speaking countries since the adoption of the British Calendar At of 1751? Prior to that, the New year began on March 25th.

Yes, I am a fountain of useless knowledge.

I have no resolutions, I change my way of doing things all the time. I don't need today to make me do it. Persevering through the changes I make year round, that's another story. Ya, I still have work to do. I'm not nearly as groovy as you all thought. Oh, wait...you don't think I'm that cool? I'm not surprised. ;-P

Have a great day! I'm off to take down Christmas decorations and watch football (maybe).

Number 9...Number 9...

...is one of my least favorite Beatles songs, but today number 9 is different.

I married Jonathan 9 years ago today!

We have no plans, the kids have had an over load of travel and conflicting discipline for the holidays. We need to get them back in our routine before subjecting some poor babysitter to our 4. I have plans for fixing a nice dinner and we are going to rearrange for new toys (and remove more even though I did it a couple of weeks ago) and for the start of renovating V's room. It may not be an anniversary of fun activities, but it is a reminder of the adventures we always have and there is always fun involved in our own warped way, that most may not see.

Have a great day!

DANG!

They've got skills. You have to watch the whole thing, it gets better as it goes on.

Rush Limbaugh (updated again)

I was the first caller on Rush today! I picked on him for rooting for Missouri.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

(update 1)
Terry,

I read you comment after I posted this and laughed hard.

(update 2)
He even linked the conversation on the website on the front page (look in the left column), here's the direct link. I'm such a giddy little dork. I will pull and save the mp3 of this show.

Personal Foul

BOOMER SOONER!

OU just won the Big 12 Championship against #1 Missouri.

I predicted it (at least on my pick 'em group, I'm ranked #2).

Here is the football question to ponder. If you tackle a guy and your butt is right next to his head and you fart on purpose, could that be a personal foul? Sorry, I started laughing during the game while thinking about that.

Ya, I know that was just bad.

Wait Wai

There's no need to eat your hat (made of turkey) unless your just hungry right now. The women were all in the kitchen and were around as the turkey was put in the roaster oven and prepared. The discussion had already occurred as to how to brine soak the turkey and what I put in the soak. They asked before they ate it.

The guys on the other hand cared not. It was food and it was good, they ate it. Then they all retreated to their respective chairs or outside to throw the football around with the kids and that was about the extent of what we got out of them.

19 people satisfied, I finally put my few left overs in the freezer.

Recap

I had a successful Thanksgiving in spite of Murphy's law.

Jonathan was off all last week (thankful).

We got a lot of work and organization done on the house (thankful).

Jonathan decided we needed to go to the zoo Tuesday and showed up over an hour after we did when I should have been working on the house because people were coming Wednesday night (thankful and then not thankful).

My turkey turned out pretty good (thanks Wai for the soak instructions they were great), it got cooked after it popped to try and get it to brown more and is wasn't as moist as it would have been (still thankful).

Jackson started throwing up at 1am Thanksgiving-he ate 5 crackers all day and threw up on my bed twice and on me twice (not thankful).

My in-laws stayed to care of the other kids while we took Jackson to the ER Thursday night (thankful).

No one else has gotten sick...yet (thankful).

I got the tree up and the house decorated Friday. It's nice and festive (thankful).

Jonathan had to go back to work Monday (not thankful and yet thankful-we have to have money to live).

These are just a few things from last week. I have much more to be thankful for, this is just a high and low light recap of last week. I hope you had a happy and blessed Thanksgiving and I hope you have a wonderful transition to Christmas!

I am the Queen...

...Nerd Queen that is.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Okay, so maybe all I put here are things to eat and be merry. If you want the drink I'm of no help here. This is a modified version of a post I made last November. It's still the same 5 recipes.

1. I’ve posted about this one before, this is a Rachel Ray 30 minute meal (it takes me closer to 45 without a helper for me). The chicken lettuce wraps are a lot like the ones at Pei Wei and P. F. Chang’s. I even use it as a salad topping with no dressing instead of making wraps sometimes.

2. It is a simple homemade Vegetable beef soup. This one requires no measuring and minimal prep. Just brown some ground beef (you choose the amount). Get a large pot and dump a can or 2 of Veg-All, a can or 2 of sliced new potatoes, a can of whole green beans, 3 beef bullion cubes and some seasoned salt and pepper. Add whatever amount of water you desire. Bring it to a boil; reduce it to a simmer for 15 minutes (or how ever long you feel, simmer longer and just keep checking the water level). This is good reheated and even my kids eat it. In one pan you have multiple veggies, meat, and starch, I love one pot meals and soup on cold days.

3. I made this pumpkin swirl cheesecake three times last year. For Thanksgiving and Christmas I cheated and didn’t swirl it. I just made it strait up pumpkin; this was a nice change to the usual holiday desserts. The ginger snap crust is so good. If you’ve never made a cheesecake before the videos on the page were very helpful. I’d never used a spring form pan before either.

4 & 5. 2 recipes for the price of 1. This is the recipe for the rolls I blogged about before. This is a super simple and delicious dough. It is knead free and takes about 10 minutes to mix up. The time is mostly in letting the stuff rise, but it is well worth it. I usually make a double batch and make one batch of cinnamon and one batch of dinner rolls. By doing this you have breakfast on the go and rolls for your holiday dinner or whenever you want. Both freeze and reheat very well. I’ve been known to freeze meal size quantities of dinner rolls, so we don’t eat them, and I just pull them from our deep freeze with our dinner meat when I need them.

Cinnamon/Dinner Roll Dough

1 cake of yeast
3 tbsp warm water
Dissolve yeast in water (to check yeast activation add a very small pinch of sugar and stir in, if it begins to bubble yeast is activated).

2 eggs beaten
½ c Crisco
1 tsp salt
½ c sugar
1 c warm water
Mix together well and add yeast. Gradually stir in 4 c of flour. Cover bowl with a dish towel, if used the same day allow to rise 2-3 hours (may be stored in the refrigerator over night).

Cinnamon Rolls

After rising, divide in half. Roll on floured counter into a rectangle with dough about ¼” thick. Melt a stick of butter or margarine and brush onto the dough all the way to the edges. In a container with a lid combine ½ c dark brown sugar, ½ c white sugar and ground cinnamon, shake until well mixed. Shake ½ of the mixture onto the dough (don’t apply to the last inch on the 1 of the long edges) spread evenly and smoothly with hand. Roll like a jellyroll from the long edge that has cinnamon. Cut into 1” rolls with dental floss or a piece of string. Place in a greased pan, but not too closely. Let rise 2 hours.Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.Glaze with ¼ c butter or margarine, ½ c of powdered sugar and 2 tsp milk. Soften butter at room temperature and use a fork to combine butter and powdered sugar, add milk and heat for about 30 seconds on medium in the microwave. Mix well and spoon over hot rolls.

Dinner Rolls

Divide into 4ths and roll into circles about ¼” thick. Brush with melted butter and cut into wedges. Roll from edge to point. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Let rise 2-3 hours.Bake 6-10 minutes at 425 degrees. Time varies upon cookie sheet and oven and desired doneness.I use airbake pans and a temp closer to 450 degrees for 10 minutes, on the lower middle rack.

I hope someone can use these for some holiday help. Enjoy!

Check this out.

This may be the colest car I've ever seen in modern history. Wow!

Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm not sure if their will really be changes around here, but their might be. For those of you who don't know, my husband has 2 bachelors (Aerospace Engineering, OSU 2002 and Mechanical Engineering, OSU 2005). It's sounds very impressive, but to complete the 2nd degree he just needed 12 hours in anything not remedial. He finished those courses through OCCC in OKC.

Jonathan is a Sr. Design/Program Engineer for an Oklahoma aero company, that does a little bit of it all, repair and overhaul parts, interiors and structures, nacelles and thrust reverser's, etc. He makes more then the state median income, but he is really wanting to knock out some debt, and get an newer car (his car is on its last leg) and he'd like to have more expendable income for potential property investments. He has been told that he is on the fast track for management, but the dollar signs of contract work and the potential to double his income (yes, we would pay the taxes, out insurance, dental and retirement) is very strong. Even with the expenses he would still pull in a lot (between 40% and 50 %) more then he makes now. The drawbacks are lose of his current schedule (4 days a week, 10 hour days-most of the time), more overtime and less time at home and the possibility of being let go at any time, b/c he isn't a direct hire. The market looks to be very hot for the next 2-3 years and he can go back direct at about anytime.

The big question is, is it worth it? It looks good, but with 4 kids I'm not sure I wouldn't opt for security. This is a discussion we have about every 6 months. It might happen, it might not.

This information supports...

...some of why my kids don't and won't go to public school. Somewhere down the line I think we lost reading, math, spelling, science, etc. for crap that has nothing to do with academics.


The public school teacher convention is going on and here are some of the workshops they are offering:

"The Unbearable Whiteness of Being: Dismantling White Privilege and Supporting Anti-Racist Education in Our Classrooms and Schools." Designed to help educators identify and deconstruct their own white privilege and in so doing more deeply commit themselves to anti-racist teaching and critical multicultural teaching.

"Talking About Religious Oppression and Unpacking Christian Privilege." Will examine the dynamics of Christian privilege and oppression of minority religious groups and nonbelievers as constructed and maintained on three distinct levels: individual, institutional and societal. God help us .. now there's not only white privilege, but Christian privilege as well.

"Beyond Celebrating Diversity: Teaching Teachers How to be Critical Multicultural Educators." This session will start from the premise that multiculturalism's greatest danger "comes from educators who ostensibly support its goals, but whose work - cultural plunges, food fairs, etc. - reflects a compassionate conservative consciousness rather than social justice. This session focuses on preparing teachers, not for celebrating diversity, but for achieving justice in schools and society."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.multicultural30oct30,0,4084309.story

How about worrying about students learning the basics and learning them well. Gee, I guess that's not what's important in school anymore.

My lose is heaven's gain.

Grandma Overstreet passed away last night around 1 am. I had even been called last night by my sister to tell me I probably had a week or two to get back down. I heard the answering machine and my Dad said to call him when I got the message. I ran downstairs to get the phone, but I knew.

Please pray as my family mourns this lose. She needed to go and she is in a better place.

The show is over.

The musical closed Sunday. It was fun, but I really miss the many new friends I've made. John Durrill of the 60's band The Five American's was soooo fun to work with. I danced, I sang, I was embarrassed by one of my costumes, heck I even cartwheeled over a guys legs (thanks for not dropping me Nathan). If you want to see pics you can go to my myspace page (linked to the side and check the album of back stage pictures and cast party photos).

It was nice to return to the stage after 10 years. I won't make the mistake of taking that long again.

G.I. Joe

This article is frustrating, but inspiring. Read it all.

Production Week

Well, I will apologize for lack of posts and responses to e-mails. Life should be back to normal shortly. Our musical runs 2 shows. One Saturday at 7pm and one Sunday at 3pm. Wish us luck...oh, wait tell us to break a leg. lol

We had our first rehearsal on stage tonight. We have been practicing on the 9th floor of the state college here in town. Today we had our first tech rehearsal (setting the lights, BIG props, etc.). What will take less then 3 hours for the show, that has taken slightly longer then 3 hours in rehearsal took 5 1/4 hours (3 to 8:15). I thought I would be home before J and the kids got home from church, but I was about 45 minutes behind them. I had planned on making dinner and having it ready for them. I felt terrible about that.

I will try to post pics and maybe some blackmail worthy rehearsal video from my new camera.

Thankfully the choreographer will be back tomorrow night (she was gone ALL of last week), so my dance captain duties are over. I must have faked it well to make dance captain, b/c I am not a dancer.

And the hits keep coming.

It's been quite a day.

Updates. Jonathan's Great Aunt Marie, passed away this morning, she had a heart attack. My grandmother is in a nursing home down the street from her apartment so grandpa is close by.

The FedEx man paid me a visit and brought me Snappy Jr. I took some pictures and then I put the battery on the charger. Here are the first 4 pictures. I could have taken better ones, but I wanted the 1st four pictures to not be deleted and used in this post. So here are my lovely children.

Victoria has lost 2 teeth. I'll take a better picture later I promise Mom.

Jackson playing in the office. I love those blue eyes.

Owen is almost walking, but he climb better then Alex. He also loves shoes.

Big Al loves unplugging the monitor so it's never on when I need it. He runs now.

Thanks again Wai for the recommendation. I am impressed with this camera.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and I hope you have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Grandma O.

Okay, here is a better bit of information. I was in a hurry when I posted the last one.

Last week Grandma was taken to the hospital because of dehydration and a bladder infection. They had been struggling with keeping her electrolyte levels up and gave her some blood because her blood counts were low. On Sunday afternoon I had been told that Grandma would probably be released Monday and put in rehabilitation care before going home.

Sunday night I received another call from my Dad. He had just driven back to Texas from Norman and seeing his mom. They determined she has intestinal bleeding, probably from a tear. After talking to 3 doctors the same information was given. To do the colonoscopy she would have to be flushed, which would drop her electrolytes, which she can't keep up anyway. If surgery was needed putting her under anesthetic would cause her to go into cardiac arrest. The electrolytes are what keeps your heart going and hers would be too low. The options were to go ahead and try and let her die on the table (something she expressed earlier in life she would rather not go through) or to let her go into hospice and let her go that way. The decision for hospice has been made. Blood transfusions have been stopped, but electrolytes are still being give and she is on a full liquid diet. On top of the above issues Grandma is also diabetic and has mild dementia. There is a lot that needs cared for.

Dad and I both drove to Norman on Monday. Dad is still there and we came back late yesterday afternoon. It was hard knowing this is goodbye. Victoria sang "God Bless America" to her and recited her memory verse for the week. Jackson was sweet and wild. The babies were just sweet. I got the chance to hold Grandma's hand and pray with her. I broke down more then once last night at musical rehearsal, but I kept going.

Please keep my family and the people helping us in your prayers. Everything is a bit strange. It's hard knowing what the outcome will be. We haven't lost anyone in dad's family since Aunt Karen when I was 9.

On a positive note, grandma was on the same floor as the women's and children's center at Norman Regional. I got to take the twins down to the NICU to see their nurses. It's hard to believe that 15 months ago my boys were hooked to machines and being primarily cared for by women who weren't related to them. The NICU was home for 2 1/2 weeks. It was nice to go back and say, "Hey, thanks again." They couldn't believe how big they are.

We're off.

My Grandma O isn't well and is in the hospital. Things don't look good right now, but we'll see.

Please pray for my Grandmother, Grandfather, the Doctors and the rest of my family.

Thanks Wai!

I don't have it yet, but I just ordered my new camera (I got the silver version) and a 2GB card. Jonathan really wanted to go with a model from the Canon SD series so I relented. I don't get manual controls or image stabilization, but I am pleased with what we agreed on. If I want manual controls I'll have the camera guy in Norman fix Snappy, which I may do anyway and let V have a good camera to work with.

Jonathan wanted to go with a refurbished SD 550. After Wai posted a couple of comments about his SD1000 we agreed that it was the better way to go.

I got really impatient and almost went and spent more to have it immediately from Wal-Mart, but I'm trying to be patient. I'm also saving enough on tax that it paid for the memory card.

At last!

We own the twins outright!. Ya, I know they are almost 15 months old and this sounds weird, but we have been getting the run around with the insurance and the neonatologist's billing department. I've even been sent to collections and pulled out of collections as we have tried to get it all straightened out.

Now, I guess they can't repo the babies. Where would you return something like that? I don't think there was a return desk at the hospital. lol

Anyway, YIPEE! I was so happy i just wanted to wake them up and kiss on them. I did contain myself so they could finish their nap.

I think this is it.

I'm almost certain I am going with this and this. At about $178 I think this is a better deal then the repair or offered upgrade. My sister said since it's outside of the warranty to get it back and take it to the guy that repairs cameras in Norman. She said he does good work and he should be cheaper then Canon. If I do that I think I'll give it to V to take whatever she wants so she and J won't touch my new one.

Now I have to talk this out with Jonathan so we are in agreement before I make a purchase like this.

Snappy's Prognosis

Well, I got word from Canon today. I'm just going to cut and past the important parts of the e-mail here:

Received: September 18, 2007
Repair Cost: $ 97.00
Status: Estimated September 18, 2007

Dear SARA :

We have received your equipment for evaluation and repair. We have estimated your repair as detailed below. Upon your approval and payment remittance we will start the necessary repairs.

You can expect the repair to be completed and your equipment shipped back to you within approximately 7 business days,* from the time we receive your approval and payment. Please respond to this estimate promptly to avoid your unit being returned un-repaired.Please note that in the unlikely event that any internal damage is found due to liquid/water, sand, corrosion, battery leakage or impact (such as dropping the unit), a revised estimate will be sent for your authorization.The Canon USA repair facility may repair your equipment or exchange it for refurbished equipment of the same model, or for a new or refurbished equipment of an equivalent model to your equipment, with the same or additional features. Please note that recovered, remanufactured, repaired and/or recycled parts may be used in connection with such repair.

Thank you for purchasing Canon products and for allowing us this opportunity to serve you.

Best Regards,Canon Factory Service Center

They didn't tell me what was wrong and they gave me their "FLAT RATE REPAIR CHARGE". I at least like to know what I'm paying for.

They offered me this referb deal:

Canon has a special program for its valued customers.
As an alternative to repair you may now purchase a refurbished POWER SHOT A530 for $125.00 . Call our Customer Care Center at 1-866-443-8002 for more details.

I found the same referb cheaper on the Internet.

I really think I'm going to just buy a new camera. The offered A530 is a slower, lower megapixel, referb of what I want that's $168 and brand new.

What do you think? Anyone? Anyone?

Pressure

It's still there, but at least my molars don't hurt anymore. I ran across the house and my teeth hurt so bad. I would just like to take the shop vac to my sinus cavities to release the rest of the pressure. I should be better in a few days. I'm going to go and take some ibuprofen and a some more allergy meds. Only 7 days left of my antibiotic.

I'm embarrassed...

...to say I went to OSU. No, not because of football, I've never been a Poke fan. I'm embarrassed, because of this article. They are complaining about not being competitive in attracting students, because they don't get enough financial aid.

I think I've heard this before.

I remember hearing them say that they weren't competitive enough in sports, because their facilities aren't nice enough. Gee, I remember driving through Stillwater recently and I saw the stadium looking better and a neighborhood leveled to build an "athletic village," with a ridiculous donation from T. Boone Pickens. I still don't see OSU winning championships in anything except wrestling and golf (and at that who really cares).

So, OSU have those new facilities helped you? I think not.

OSU, has turned into a whiny, pity poor me university. They don't have the vision to eliminate issues before they arise. They aren't proactive and a fair amount of reporting about OSU is complaint, because they aren't good enough, smart enough and dog gone it people don't like them.

OSU is the whiny younger sibling of OU and instead of positivly marketing their school, they complain, because they are in OU's shadow. OSU needs to step out and chart a course based on what they do well (they never talk about that). OSU needs a better attitude and a PR turn around. OSU is an A & M even if that isn't their name. They should be building up those areas and they should try to become the MIT of the south and they should stop trying to do be a liberal arts college. If you walk their campus, ag and engineering get a lot less and they are what that college is really good at (don't mention the ATRC-engineering students don't really have class or lab in there). It a shame they can't see their potential and are desperately trying to be what they aren't.

Even thought J and I went there we have not liked the direction the university has taken since we left and we have no intention of sending our children there. Heck, I'd rather see them go to Texas and Texas to an OU fan may as well be the anti-Christ (just kidding).

We lost, but...

...we played the BEST team in our age group. These girls are all at the older end of the age group and have been playing longer. We have a very small and young team.

We got creamed 13-2. Our girls never stopped. I was very proud of them. The other coach even said we did a great job with our team. It is the beginning of the season and we can change a lot over the next 9 games. I must say what I love about our girls is that win or lose (last season we won 1, tied 1, lost 11) they have a good time and don't care too much.

PURPLE PANTHERS RULE!

Call me Coach.

Our soccer coach is out of town.

Our first game last Saturday was rained out.

I'm coaching a soccer game tomorrow!

Please don't misinterpret this as excitement. I'm scared to death. I can play soccer (at least against 8 and under girls) pretty well, I can even train them. I assist at practice as a trainer. Coaching a game is another story. This is micro soccer (4 v 4), I played full soccer. The rules and positioning is different from when I was a kid. Heck this is recreational soccer, we don't know the score unless we keep it ourselves. We were vicious, blood thirsty competitors when I played. This isn't your fathers soccer. I'm a very competitive person, I just hope I can keep that in check tomorrow.

Hopefully my head feels a little better in the morning.

Wish me luck.

Oh, my aching head!

I've only had 1 sinus infection in my entire life, that is until today. The last one occurred when I was pregnant with Jackson (almost 4 years ago). I've had many colds and allergy flare ups, but I can normally kill them quickly. I didn't have that luck this time. I leaned over to get my shoes this morning and I thought my face was going to explode. My teeth hurt, it hurts to pucker and kiss my family. I resigned myself to reality and went to the doctor and got antibiotic.

Now if you will excuse me I'm going to go and run about 8 gallons of salt water up my nose. Okay so maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the picture.

I like...

...this one. Opinions?

I'm still sending Snappy in tomorrow, this is my plan if repair cost is high. After looking in the $100-$200 and the $200-$300 range I'm thinking it's not worth it to spend the extra money. Ratings were very similar in both price ranges.

Wish Snappy luck!

Death of a camera (updated)

I'll call him "Snappy" for lack of a better name for my camera. (Here's the update) *Snappy was a Canon PowerShot A95, 5.0 mega pixels, with 3x optical zoom, and used a standard compact flash card. He had lots of controls and I could flip out and rotate my screen. I'd take a picture and show him to you, but I can't. lol* Here is our history together.

Snappy and I met when a strange man in a brown UPS van dropped him off on my doorstep (sounds like the stork) on my birthday, August 9th, 2005. I gently removed him from his basket (insert cardboard box) and tried to figure out how to make Snappy happy (insert take pictures).

Alas, V wanted to play with Snappy too. I was not at home and Dad was supposed to be watching V and my little bundle (less then 1 week with us) and she dropped Snappy and bent his nose (insert lens which was out at the time). Jonathan fixed it (insert yanked really hard), but Snappy never made pictures as happily again.

Fast forward to last year. Snappy and the kids and I walked to homeschool PE (it was a nice day and only 10 blocks). We stopped at the gas station and I bought an OJ and set it in the bag under the stroller, with Snappy. The OJ wasn't very nice (much like the football player) except he just leaked all over Snappy. My lens was sticky, but that was about it.

Recently Snappy has been a bit short (insert runs down my batteries too quickly) and I suspected he wasn't well. I was going to send him to the doctor (insert Cannon Repair, b/c I had the extended warranty-which I never buy, but had this time). Unfortunately I didn't.

Monday, September 3, 2007 Snappy finally snapped and decided to die. I have called the doctor (insert Cannon) to see if they can play God and resurrect Snappy. I have put him in a coffin (insert card board box) and I am hoping for a miracle (a cheap miracle).

If Snappy can't be resurrected does anyone have any camera advice (other then don't let anyone else touch it and keep food, beverages, heat and cold away from it). I'm searching more for the new purchase variety (but I'm cheap-in the shopping sense-and will buy reasonable used or refurbished). I am hunting in the $150-$300 range, but I would like to stay in the $150-$225 range if possible (unless you know of something REALLY cool). I want good pictures and FAST. Snappy was a little slow on the take. I've always like Canon, but I'll be honest Snappy sucked (and I'm not sure if it was Snappy or the initial accidents). I do like the cameras that take compact flash (b/c I have a 1 GB card), but I'll take whatever. I'd also like a camera that does it's own photo editing, adds my make-up and shaves off the last 8 lbs from my last pregnancy and makes me look as young as I did when I got married (hey a girl can dream).

What kind of mother am I?

We've been teaching Jackson to say the typical bead time prayer. He has the dinner prayer down, so we are working on his bedtime one. The prayer goes like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Guide and guard me through the night,
And wake me with the mornings light...(we pray for our family and forgiveness here)
Amen

Pay close attention to the bold line. I say the line and Jackson repeats it. At this line he didn't repeat it, nor will he now.

He says, "And wake me with the wooden spoon."

You would think I beat him all the time. When he says spank it sounds like wake, so I'm not sure if he wants me to wake him or spank him.

Wow, just wow.

Another classic J thing lately is he has stopped saying, "Boomer! Sooner! Go Big Red!" he now yells "Boomer! Sooner! Go To Bed!"

I wish I had deeper insight into the mind of a three year old, then again it might be too scary for me to fathom.

Good night!

So it begins.

I decided last spring to do some homeschooling over the summer and not totally stop...ya, we got in about 1 assignment a month. I really intend to do a little more work, so we didn't have the mind of jello when it was time to start and I wouldn't have to reteach everything. We started some math and cursive review in mid August, but we begin the "official" 2nd grade stuff Monday. Granted she was doing 2nd grade math back in April, but now everything is 2nd grade.

Jonathan took vacation this week, because his company gave them 2 days for Labor Day. He figured he would only have to take off 3 days. He thought we could relax, hang out or run around whenever we wanted. Unfortunately he forgot that in the homeschool world many activities start the week after Labor Day. We missed soccer practice Monday (which just struck me as dumb to still have it) and we missed PE Tuesday (we were out of town). Today we began swim (every Wednesday) and tomorrow we begin BCHEP (B'ville Christian Homeschool Enrichment Program). V is very excited, because it is a day of electives from 9-3 every Thursday. She'll have art, music, science, more PE and history. We will follow that full day up with more soccer and our first soccer game is Saturday. The years activities have begin and now we run.

325

Wow, I've actually posted 325 times. That's impressive.

I did audition. It seemed to go well. I'll let you know what the outcome is.

Auditions

Okay, so here is my decision. I'm going to audition. I am going to play the petty child in my decision to participate. If I'm just a chorus member (yes, I know the chorus is important) I will not participate. If I have any role larger then the chorus I will accept it. This is a big time investment and a huge decision, so I feel like I need a big reason to sign on. I'm not saying I have to have a lead (that would be unrealistic) I just need something bigger then the chorus.

Now it's song decision time. My voice is not in the condition it once was, so some of my old standards are not possible. I really would love to do Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera, but I don't have the time to recondition my voice.

Current ideas:
The Lonely Goatherd (The Sound of Music)-This turns into a killer Julie Andrews impersonation
Blow, Gabriel, Blow! (Anything Goes)
Easy Street (Annie)
The National Anthem

I will accept other suggestions and if you know how I can upload songs, I can try to record something on my computer (with my lousy computer mic) and you all can vote before I audition. Auditions are Friday at 7pm, Saturday and 2pm and Saturday at 7pm, so time is short.

Your input is appreciated.

Spark or Sparks?

I'm not a soda drinker (too much corn syrup), but I do get my caffeine fix from other sources. I drink coffee (usually plain black) or I mix Spark with water or a juice of my choice. Today I was watching a bit of news on line about energy drinks and I found out there is one with alcohol in it called Sparks.

When I mention I drink Spark to people I wonder if they get the wrong idea. Couldn't you just see me driving down the street tipping one back with 4 kids in the car? Wow, what a bad thought. Maybe I just shouldn't mention my caffeine preference anymore. ;-P

Do you have an opinion?

I was looking through the local city calendar online to see if there was anything neat to do. Well, I found something intriguing, but I'm not sure if it's a wise option.

There are musical auditions for a centennial musical about B'ville. I haven't done a musical in 10 years. This will in entail rehearsal 5 nights a week from 6-9 (or even 10) for 4-5 weeks. Jonathan said he would make it happen. He said I needed something of my own. I understand that, but I'm not sure if the time required for this doesn't fall under the heading of "more then something of my own-ie. total insanity for my family."

Selfish or worth a shot? I'd like to hear your perspective.

I'm conservative...

...in more ways then just politics. I've even thought I was REALLY REALLY conservative. I've come to the realization that I'm not quite as conservative as I once thought. I believe in moral absolutes, I believe in God the father and that his Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, I believe in home education, and I don't wear bikinis or overly exposing clothing and I dress my children accordingly. I believe that to truly do God's will you must love him and in doing so love others.

Then I read this article and I was totally thrown off. I won't force you to read it, but I thought it was too black and white. It was about homeschooling and preparing those children for Godly marriages. This really hit me, "I believe in home schooling, I will not consider my home schooling a success until I see my daughters and sons home schooling their own children. Accordingly, I have a special concern that my daughters be prepared to teach their own children when the time comes." It lined out that our daughters are only ready to get married when they are ready to home educate their children, and be wives and mothers.

I would honestly hope that I can set an example that my daughter(s) (who knows we could have more) will want to follow. I'm not holding my breath, nor will I consider myself a failure if they don't. More over I want my daughters to be educated in such a way that if the unforeseen happens (death or divorce) they are capable of providing for their children. I want Godly children, who turn into an remain true, loving children of God in adulthood. I also want self sufficient children who have minds and can make decisions on their own. My mother didn't homeschool my siblings and me and my mother-in-law didn't homeschool her children. They were good parents and they did what was right for their families. No set standards work for all families, that's part of being individuals. I would hate to hold such stipulations over my children. I want to shape them, not break them.

The more I think about it, I'm glad I'm just conservative instead of ultra conservative. I know their are a fair number of homeschool families in our group that only do courtships. I'm not ruling it out, but I'm not sold on it yet. Maybe I should just set up arranged marriages now. Maybe that would make the teenage years easier. I really just want well rounded, well educated, self sufficient children who love God and are looking for that in their mate.

High Definition

I found it funny while taking the stickers off of the computer monitor. One sticker talks about our monitors high def 1680 x 1050 resolution. I ignored that part about HD when we bought it and so did Jonathan, b/c to us it was just a, "DUH!" point. Computer monitors have had this kind of resolution for a long time. The resolution of your computer monitor has been better then your TV (and may still be) for quite a while. Now this "normal" computer resolution is now required to be marked as High Def even though it has been for quite a while.

I guess adding the buzz words may make it easier to jack the price up on the same thing. It's funny how easily people are led.

It's okay...laugh at me.

I was cleaning up our old computer as I moved it to V's desk (no, it sin't "her" computer, it will just rest there). This was that cleaning that only happens when it gets moved. This is where wires are wiped and dust bunnies are forced to evacuate.

I noticed how grungy the key board looked and I decided that Clorox wipes would be my best and safest option for the task of the wipe down. I located in the pantry my little yellow container full of pre-moistened wipey goodness and I took it to the office an removed one and began my wipe down. I noticed that the dusted items just didn't look as clean so I wiped everything. The surfaces were smooth, slick and shiny. I felt like I had done a great job.

I returned later to the new computer and decided that the old trackball mouse needed wiped too, but my wipe was dry. As I looked for the container to get another I realized my mistake.

Armorall wipes really make the computer and accessories clean and shiny. Wow, just wow.

Hey...

...that 22" widescreen monitor is HUGE! I know it's bigger then our TV, but my goodness!

Ya, about the only thing I can really think is WOW!

I've been using it like 2 screens today side by side. It is so nice.

Computers (a history)

Jonathan and I had a very old computer that my mother gave us (we're talking a 486 that was later converted to Pentium) when we got married. In 1998 it was slow, but when all you need is a word processor it's no big deal. When V was almost 6 months old (fall 2000) we bought a new computer. It wasn't top of the line, but we could run some programs like MathCAD and more involved programs and we could use the net with it (at that point we were using university computers for that need).



We've used this computer for a long time and over all it has served us well (we've had to replace a few power supplies). In late 2001 or early 2002 my brother-in-law got us a deal on an old laptop from his office (it ran Windows 98) but in '02 that wasn't a big deal. Last year a friend at J's office had a computer that his hard drive fried and instead of buying a new hard drive he bought a new computer and we bought his old one cheap. This was okay (we had moved into the world of XP) until it blew 2 power supplies and sparked when we tried to fix it again. Alas we were back to the 7 year old desktop and the old laptop.



That is until last night. With our earnest money back in hand from the apartment fiasco we took the plunge. Now a better computer is more important (J can't run 3-D CAD software's without a better computer). J sees this time as the moment when God is pointing him elsewhere to pursue his own business and the computer is a necessary step. I'm moving computer today while J is helping his parents so I hope to be up and running soon.

Soccer Mom

V started soccer last night. Yes, it was at least 100 degrees at 6pm. Soccer now runs an hour and a half 2 days a week with a game every Saturday from the beginning of September to mid November.

There was a miscommunication on who was to inform the players when practice started we have 1 trainer who trains all of the 8 and under (girls) teams together even though they each have a coach. I finally called our coach from last season Wednesday to find out when practice started and found out they began Thursday. He had only contacted the newbies. V and I made a Wednesday run to get shoes since she had outgrown hers from the spring. I guess this is just the beginning. Activities will begin in full very soon. AWANA hits the first week of September and 1 day a week she will be going to a day of classes called the BCHEP (B* Christian Homeschool Enrichment Program).

Let the games begin.

Progress

Well, it's been a decent couple of days, regardless of insane, stifling heat.

2 days ago I went on a copy binge. I made almost every copy I will need for the next school year. The only major issue was that the copy machine kept reading low toner and I had just bought a new cartridge. It turns out the motor to turn the toner cartridge is shot. No big deal I now have one on back order with a company and I periodically rotate the cartridge to get better copies.

Yesterday V and I took on her file cabinet (no files in it, it is used to store craft stuff and activities) and her desk. After that I sent her on her merry way to play and I organized her school stuff for this year. Last year we had 1 file box and a 4"binder. This year we have 2 file boxes, a 4" and a 1" binder and a small Rubbermaid of books. One file box is curriculum, the other is supplies (easy to continue school at any location of my choice this way). I can just grab it all and we can head to Grandma's, the porch, upstairs. It matters not. The classroom is wherever we make it. We had it set up in that fashion at the end of last year and it made it very nice.

We are going to ease into school. J is taking vacation the first week of September and since I don't know where we are going or what we are doing (I vote we stay close to home) I don't want to be doing too much until the 2nd week in September. Today we will begin cursive review (yes, she learned cursive in the first grade) and a little math (we've done a little all summer) and naturally I'll have her read to me some. We'll kick into history, Bible, geography, language arts and more reading in a few weeks.

Maybe by that time I will have my desk and file cabinet straightened out by then and all of the out grown and unworn clothing boxed up and removed from the house. Let's not hold our breath, but a girl can dream.

I'm a bad blogger.

When I switched over to the new blogger I had tons of issues (I had subscriptions there were so many). It wasn't user error, it was simply glitches and incompatibility with my SBC browser. In that I got frustrated dealing with work arounds and began blogging very rarely and almost always about nothing in particular. It's been a while since this problem arose and has even been fixed.

I started using Myspace. I still don't like it, but I tend to throw a bulletin up without thinking and then I don't post a blog. The major problem is that the bulletins go away after a while and those records of happenings disappear. It's sad.

I need to get back on the blogger band wagon. I promise to those of you who still check in I am reading and lurking on your pages. I cheer for you and feel sorry for your loses.

-In current news I had a first yesterday. Jackson threw up in Hobby Lobby. I've never had a child throw up in a business before. Wow. Fortunately the milk in his stomach was still very fresh so it wasn't as gross as it could have been. I felt bad and yet relieved at the same time that someone else was cleaning it up.

-We tried to buy a 12 unit apartment complex and were were very close to finalizing the financing when we finished reviewing the owners tax records. The proforma he gave us was a fairy tale and the income after all expenses and mortgage payments changed so dramatically that we cancelled the contract. It's been disappointing, but we were praying really hard and we asked God for a definite sign. He really gave it to us in numbers and we hated to let it go, but after running the numbers we would be losing money if we had 2 vacancies. That was a risk we couldn't take. We are going to look at some others, maybe we'll try a small house or 2 first. We'll keep you posted as our entrepreneurial spirit takes us on adventures.

-The babies are "walking", but only up to 5 steps at a time (Alex more then Owen). They have also finally hit the 20lb mark and have new car seats that have been turned around. They are 13 1/2 months old.

-Jackson busted his head open on the swing set we bought V back in June. We sat in the emergency room with a bleeding 3 year old for more then 2 1/2 hours. We told them at the desk we were leaving and I went and got butterflies at Wal-Mart since we had stopped the bleeding while waiting. It was after 11 pm before we got home (of course the injury happened 5 minutes before they would have been called in to get ready for bed) I took him to the pediatrician the next morning and he didn't give him stitches and he said we did the right thing, by taking him home and letting him sleep. I was growing his hair out, but now he looks like a military school child.

-The dinning room renovation moves on and that is where we do V's school. J asked when I was going to start school and I told him I had planned on the first week of September, but since he was taking vacation that week the second week would have to do. He doesn't like the idea, but I asked him if he trusts me to school her to please trust me to set and fulfill my schedule and legal requirements. Public school starts here today, so she has more of a break. Homeschool activities will be kicking into high gear again soon and so will soccer.

-I turned 29 on the 9th. I thought I was turning 30. Ya, the mind is going with age. ;P Some schools started August 9th. That's too early. We always started the last week of August. We always started 1-2 weeks after the universities, now public schools are starting before. Is this a way to sneak into year round school or is this panic b/c of snow days last winter? It's nothing against year round school, we slow down in the summer, but we keep V's brain going so when we start full bore she doesn't say, "I don't remember this at all." I would just like to know their reasoning.

BTW (no spoilers)

I finished HP 7 yesterday. Wow! That's all I have to say. I would have finished it long before then, but things got in the way.

I read 2 chapters after I got it at midnight.

The next morning I found out a close family friend died and I cried of and on until 3, so I didn't read anything. I read and folded laundry until bed time and then J stole my book. When he fell asleep I read until 2.

Sunday after church we had VBS set up and I wasn't allowed my book, b/c J was reading it. When he went to sleep I read until 2.

Monday I read off and on around doing the necessary things and I was less then 1/2 of the last chapter and the epilogue from the end. It had to wait until VBS ended and again J went to sleep reading. I finished around 10:30.

In spite of the obstacles I got through it. I laughed, I cried, and I could only make minor predictions, because she can really weave a story.

I give it 2 thumbs up and I think it really does justice to the HP series and it had a fitting ending.

In just over 7 hours...

I will hold in my hands Harry Potter 7. I will gaze upon it and then I will devour it like a tender morsel. 10 years in the making, I would say it had better be good, but I know it will be.

Am I obsessed? How could you tell?

No, I don’t own a costume, otherwise I might consider being labeled a total freak. Oh wait, I already am, regardless of a costume.

Have a skippy weekend. Child neglect will begin in T-Minus 4 and a half-hours and counting. My family will see me resurface 2 to 2 ½ days after I begin.

1 YEAR!

Holy Cow! The twins are 1 today. I am way behind on posting pics. Here's 1. I spent 2 1/2 weeks "visiting" my sweeties while they were in the NICU! I'm so glad they are healthy!

Owen is on the left and Alex is on the right. This pic was taken June 1st.

Kitten

He's kind of a doggish cat. He's definitely not like most cats, which would mean instant hate from me.

His name has been changed again. It is now Rush Limbaugh. Yes, I have warped my kids. No, it wasn't my idea. He seems to like outside and doesn't want to come in as soon as I put him out. That's good, since it will be where he lives, b/c none of our allergies will be able to handle the dander in the house. I also refuse to have pets in the house for the shedding too. Our big lab, Murphy seems okay with him, he's still not totally sure about Murphy.

Yes, I know pics are long over due. I just put my camera software back on the computer, so I can access everything that's been on my camera since February.

It's been over a month.

Wow. Summer is here. It's still wet and relatively cool for June (if you can ignore the humidity). I'm working on my econ class. Jackson is insane. Victoria turned 7 on the 16th, we are still doing the occasional home school lesson (mainly math since she loves it and reading is just normal now). The twins will be 1 on the 27th. We have done a lot of work and have a floor (and no trim) in the dining room. Swim lessons begin tonight at the Y. We bought a wooden swing set we have to put together now. Jonathan is about to get really busy with the new Cessna program he's been given at work. He also decided we needed a cat. Now we have a kitten tentatively named Doby. I say tentatively, because I noticed it looks like he has a Hebrew letter on his forehead (a tav for those interested) and I'm tempted to call him by that letters name. I'm not sure if he's going to be dog food for our lab or not yet.

Ya, life is good.

A RIver Runs Through It.

No, not the book. I'm talking about my dining room.

I called out a guy who specializes in floor leveling and fixing crawl space foundations (I will call it csf from here). J has done some csf work before and we had an idea of what we would do, but we decided to get and estimate and hear from the "professional". This is another instance where we just don't feel like we can trust others to do the work. What the guy told us "needed" to be done is really not the issue and even though it could use some work. If your nervous about the process is easy (it's just uncomfortable because it's under the house, ewww).

This guy went under our house and gave us an estimate of $2,000 to replace 1 stringer and add a few supports to that stringer. As we ripped up our dinning sub floor (which is needed to level before we add new floor) we saw that their are 2 stringers in the dining/office section and 2 in the living room/entry section. The stingers remove flex in the floor and could be better, but they are okay. Our issue was in a big dip on each side of the door between the living and dining room. That issue is minimal and a very simple fix. This guy was going to charge us a ton of money for nothing. I'm so glad we decided to fix it ourselves and started to rip the floor up to see we were going to be riped off.

As it stands I only have 1/2 of the sub floor down in my dining room and with all of the rain (over 6 inches in the last 9 days-this isn't counting the rain we got at the end of April) we have a small pond under the dining room and a lake under the living room. We can't rip op the rest of the floor until the rain stops so we don't sink in the mud. We now have to find out if the water is high water table, rain or both. I guess the fix for that will be a little easier with the floor out. Also our 107 year old house has knob and tube wiring, so we get to work on that too. It just never ends.

We are crazy, that or stupid, I'm not sure which yet.

**Yes, I know I need to post lots of pictures, but I still haven't loaded my camera software onto the old computer yet.

HE'S PURPLE!

Jackson was sitting on the kitchen table (yes he climbed up himself) , looking at the babies. I hear him start yelling, "HE'S PURPLE! WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU BACK BABY!" He said it 3 or 4 times.

I look to see Owen doing his "business". He was red and holding his breath as he went. Jackson I guess was assuming that he was going to die. I just laughed.

The funny thing about him freaking out about the baby is the fact that he started talking about the babies at the hospital today. It's been 10 months and he hasn't mentioned the hospital, until today. He does remember it well, we did spend enough time there.

Dusty

Dusty is home. They weren't taking very good care of him at the hospital after ICU and his blood sugar shot up (WAY UP). They weren't medicating him, so he had to get his kit from home to get insulin. The doctor sent him home, because the hospital was not taking care of him. His levels are normal again, but he is down to 115 lbs. Please keep him in your prayers still. Feeling that far down will take a bit to recover from.

Prayer Request!

My Dad just called about a half hour ago and told me that my cousin Dusty (he's in my friends under DUTTY) is in the ICU. He is diabetic and the only details I have are that his blood sugar and blood pressure went high and that his kidneys are wanting to shut down.

Please pray for strength, peace, comfort and healing for Dusty.

Please pray for peace and comfort for his family (his wife, 2 kids, parents, sister, etc).

Please pray for good competent doctors and nurses and that the Lord will bless them as they take care of him.

Thank you!

***This was what I posted on myspace if you received this in an e-mail also, that is why there is the "found in my friends" comment.