Obama Fans, take note. . .

Folks, I've had it.

I'm done with people telling me what kind of health care my family should have (we pay for part and my husband's company pays part and we are both very happy with this arrangement--who does Uncle Sam think he is, trying to mess that up?). I'm finished listening to Obamaniacs tell me that it would be good to let the guv'ment tell me how I should parent my wonderful children or spend my last days. I'm completely fed-up with liberals telling me which government "expert" I should listen to today. Is it the fresh-out-of-college "expert" telling me how to rear my children, or the wet-behind-the-ears "expert" telling my mom how to live out her last years? Unless I woke up this morning in North Korea, NO GOVERNMENT AGENT IS GOING TO TAKE AWAY MY LIBERTY. Has the President ever read our Constitution???

Keep watching this site for information telling the other side of the story, also known as "The Truth". Here are some sites to visit for more information on the proposed socialization of America -- or more to the point, how NOT to become the USSA: www.fixhealthcarepolicy.com/reality/ This is from www.heritage.org/, and both are great places to start. To see the complete proposed health care bill, visit www.godgunsandgold.com. There is also an analysis of the proposed bill on this site, as well as information regarding what the Prez really has in mind for us and -- most telling -- what citizens whose countries already use socialized health-care really think of it. On http://canadafreepress.com/index/php/article/13158, there is a "page by page" list of "Reasons to hate Obama-care". Read the reasons, cross-read to the actual wording of the proposed bill on www.godsgunsandgold.com, and you'll get a better understanding of the entire mess. Have your Pepto Bismol ready, you might feel as nauseated as I do.

I'm off to look up more Town Hall meeting sites. Gotta make those representatives hear our voices while we still have time. Honestly, if one more liberal tells me I'm "misinformed" (which is the catch-phrase they ALL use), or that I'm racist or judgemental, I'll be sick. Physically ill. And if their health-care plan goes through, it'll be 6-8 months before I could get an appointment to see a doctor.

Doing all right as Mommy

Go to www.bethany.preciousinfants.com and see the adorable art project that her child made for her. Warms her heart, warms my heart. As my husband looked over my shoulder, I showed it to him. That sweet man said, "Awww, that's so cute--but I don't know who made it, because you're the best mommy." I could have kissed him. In fact, I did :) Of course, I'm sure Bethany's husband feels the same way about her mommy-ing, and both men are correct. That's the great thing about motherhood. It really is the toughest job you'll ever love, especially if you homeschool and by necessity are with your children 24 / 7. With no "downtime" from mothering, there are simply more off-times but also more wonderful-moments as well. Bethany, if you read this, never doubt your mommy-ing skills. Easier said than done, I know. The fact that you doubt them sometimes just shows what a fantastic mom you must be. Those who never question themselves are usually those who should, in my opinion. If your kids love you enough to make a sweet gift like that one for you, you must be doing all right :)

Hubby's Birthday today!

Today is my sweet husband's birthday. I won't say which one :)

This morning, I made him cheesy scrambled eggs, tater-tots (his faaaavorite!) and English muffins before I sent him off to work. Tonight, we'll all go out to dinner--his choice of restaurant. He likes Mexican and Chinese, but I suspect he'll pick Indian food, his favorite. We'll see. We have a couple of family friends who might come along (they have company in town, so I'm not sure). I'll have a party for him in a week or two, since this weekend didn't work for us. We like doing birthdays this way, since it makes the special day last longer :) And we all like eating out!

Our weekend

It's been very, very hot in our neck of the woods. In the 90's, at least. I'm done with heat and ready to move to Alaska. The kids played softball after my eldest daughter's Shakespeare play rehersal today. All I could think was, "You've got to be kidding." Now, I'm not exactly athletically inclined. No one, absolutely no one has ever said, "Oooooh, I want Lisa on OUR team!". But this is such a nice group of kids and parents, mostly homeschoolers that we knew or have gotten to know during the play rehersals and productions. No one would yell at me too much for dropping the ball, so to speak. It looked like such fun! But I could barely keep myself upright on the bleachers, it was so hot. Just looking at everyone in the sun gave me a headache. . . .
But we're home now. Home where it's just as hot, but where we can flop on the couch and turn the fan on screamin' high and aimed right at us. Home where we can pick a movie to watch and just v e g o u t and relax. Somehow, the heat seems more bearable when you are lying down with a fan blowing all over the place =) My dear husband took one look at me and said, "Let's go to our favorite Chinese food restaurant for dinner" and it took me .005 seconds to say, "Yes!". It was yummy, and no dishes to clean up makes for an even more relaxing evening. We are so blessed =)
Tomorrow, I'm headed out to my favorite Farmer's Market (it's got over 100 vendors. There's a natural soap booth--www.montclairsoaps.com, which has the best soap on the planet, trust me. There are meat sellers, a honey lady, a knife-sharpening guy, ready-made natural food, raw milk, a children's area, live music, raw juices, all kinds of bakery items, tons of organic produce--this place has it all, literally). I love my trips to the FM and will get there early to beat the heat and crowd.
Hope your weekend is as successful and fun!

YES! The weather outside isn't frightful!

OK, I'll stop going on about the weather soon, but I'm just so darn thankful that it's only in the mid-eighties today, I actually want to do a little dance :) I'm planning a surprise beach trip with the kiddies tomorrow--shhh. Should be loads of fun, and is projected to be about 75 degrees--perfect. More later about that.

So incredibly thankful

Honestly, I'm thankful for many, many things. But today, I'm especially thankful that it won't be 100 degrees again. And so is my family, since they have to live with me ;) Projected is 86 degrees. I can handle that. I'll sit in the shade.

Still HOT here. . . .

Today, it was 100 degrees in my immediate neighborhood, with temps of 109 in neighborhoods 45 minutes away. Doesn't this just seem too hot for mammalian survival? I know I'm a huge heat-wimp, but come on! Even desert animals bury themselves in that kind of heat. We simply don't have enough basements in my neck of the woods to do that properly

(DARN those fault lines!).

Am considering a move to Alaska. . . .

We did have a fabulous breakfast with family friends who we have not seen in far too long. We then hung out at their house for a couple hours--they have air-conditioning and insisted :) Plus, they fed us watermelon. Awesome. If we can just get through tomorrow, the temps are supposed to drop by a few degrees each day until we have a slightly more bearable 85 or so in a few days. I can't wait.

Meanwhile, we'll go grocery shopping tomorrow, and to the library. I don't "do" malls unless I absolutely have to, so that's not an option. But the book-loaded, climate-controlled library. . . .ahhhh, that sounds fabulous right about now. . . .

So for dinner--always a challenge on days this hot--we had Taco Salad. As long as you have the ingredients on hand, it's simple--with a minimum of cooking. Here's how I do it:

Cook either 1 lb. ground meat or a meat substitute (we use 1 package Quorn crumbles, a soy-free meat alternative), using olive oil if you use a substitute. Sprinkle in a good amount of chili powder and garlic to season it up. Add a little ketchup for a really good "mouth-feel". Mix it up well. When cooked, take off heat and let cool. While it's cooling, place in very large bowl the following: chopped iceberg or Romaine lettuce (since this isn't the most nutritious, I also add lots of dark leafy greens, but you need the "stiffer" lettuce to build the salad), chopped purple or green onions, diced tomatoes and chopped black olives. Toss it around. Fold in diced avocadoes and lots of shredded cheddar cheese. Add the cooled meat/substitute and toss with a sweet, tomatoey French dressing, such as the following (from The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn):

2/3 cup ketchup

1/2 cup sugar (or to taste--may use other sweetener)

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

salt to taste

1 - 2 cloves garlic (1-2 tsp. of garlic powder)

2 Tbl. finely minced onion (I used a grater, and it was perfect)

Mix all ingredients by hand, shake in a sealed jar, or whiz briefly in blender (reserving onion to mix in by hand). Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 2 cups.

Mix everything well, and sprinkle crushed tortilla chips over each serving. Yuuummm. Hits the spot on a day like this!

BLEAH!

It's nearly 100 degrees outside today. The weather here is so funny: one day it might be in the 70's, the next, 20 degrees hotter. Or colder. Makes it difficult to acclimate, although, being a confirmed heat-wimp, I NEVER acclimate to these temps. Ugh, I'm just miserable. We've been sitting in the living room with a fan blowing on us, watching TV On-Demand. I'm actually pretty darn grateful we have both :) Sleeping tonight will be fun! <------- that's sarcasm, for those of you who didn't pick up on it.
Gonna go make some iced tea and check on my elderly cat.

On my mind. . . .

So many, many things to blog about--so very little time. Some things on my mind lately:
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. The hubby and I watched this the other day. We let our four year old watch with us. My finger was on the controls in case of a yucky part, but we were all OK with everything--that doesn't often happen in a video these days! What a great movie! There was some fantasy (it's a magical toy shop, after all), but I believe in magic. I believe God put magic, some magic, into our lives because He can. If you don't think there is magic in a baby's first smile, or the first blossom of spring, or a Golden Retriever puppy, or an amazing chocolate truffle--well, perhaps something inside you is just not functioning properly :) You know when the magic starts to get defiling, if you listen to your gut. This movie had a good lesson for all of us, but wasn't "preachy". It also had a sad part, which is obvious if you read the label and see that Mr. Magorium leaves his shop to a young lady because he's, well, leaving. As in permanently. It was tastefully done--my four year old didn't actually know when it happened. Now, the movie was funny and very visually interesting, so don't let this one thing stop you from watching it.
The weather: Summer has finally decided to grace us with it's presence. Every single year, people around me are "stunned" that it's so cold in June. Well, it happens every single year, folks--why are you surprised? It's called "June Gloom", and it stays around for all of June and usually we are wearing coats for the 4th of July fireworks. Then, in July, August, September and parts of October, it gets hot-hot-hot. Around Halloween, we all put our coats back on (which can really mess up your Halloween costume, believe me).
Food: This is always near to my heart--I'm with Paula Deen, food is fun! Lately, I've been making my own buttermilk (which has finally turned out GREAT), and using it in lots of recipes, even when it's not called for. I use it in place of milk or water, and the results so far have been delicious. I've also made sourdough bread (complete with homemade sourdough starter), with varying results, pickles (also with varying results), and kombucha (always yummy). I'm getting into the whole "agrarian" lifestyle, and would like to grow a huge garden soon. We are currently gardening in pots, and the results have been--you guessed it--varying. One type of tomato is putting out (Stupice), but the others are slow-going. See comments on weather :) The strawberries are disappointing, and the cukes died :( The green beans are ok, but I planted "only" 6 plants, and they so far haven't put out enough for us to make a meal. Sigh. I suppose I should read up on this a little more before I do this next year.
Jon and Kate + 8: Is anyone else sick, sick, sick of hearing about this family? Kate should read The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands and be completely honest with herself: she's not doing everything for the kids; if she were, she'd quit the show, fix her marriage, and let them be kids again. She's not stupid, but neither are we: those kids couldn't care less about getting $$$ for college, or going to see all the wonderful sights they've seen so far. They just want mommy and daddy to be home, and stop fighting and be a happy family. You know it, I know it, and Kate knows it, too. Jon's no angel, but he's been asking for an end to this madness for months, and wants his life back. So what's stopping Kate? Money--pure and simple. It's difficult to lay aside the million dollar house, the new clothes, the hair, the lifestyle. But lay it aside they must--FOR THE KID'S SAKE. Case closed.
Wee little kids doing beauty pagents: This is vomit-inducing to me. Mothers, fathers, wake up--you're killing your kids emotionally, no matter how much they "just love to do it!". They'd love to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner, too, but only a dork would let them do that.
My own wee one just got up--motherhood calls!

Back in Blogland

Been so busy lately, haven't been keeping up with blogging. To find out what I've been up to, check my daughter's blog at www.peanutbutterbroccoli.blogspot.com, hee-hee. We're taking the weekend off, thank goodness, for a much-needed break in the busy-ness of our lives. We were supposed to go to a beach bonfire today, and that would have been soooo fun! Unfortunately, the weather had different plans, and rain blew in last night. It's supposed to be rainy throughout tomorrow, and guess what? That's fine with me. Got a few things done around the house, spent some time together doing nothing, had dinner out--basically, it's been great being slothlike today. Tomorrow is my daughter's band practice, and it's a 45-minute drive, but we cancelled that too! Woo-hoo, we're on a roll. Actually, she seems to have a repetitive stress injury from practicing too much :) and I cancelled practice for her tomorrow. She's not happy, but knows it's best for her hand. She has a competition next Saturday, and needs to let it rest. Other than that, life was pretty slow today. Which is a good thing. We even ate dinner out, at our favorite Chinese restaurant. I've got a few things in the works, including hosting an 8-week ASL class in my home, and creating a homeschool preschool / kindergarten co-op with some other homeschooling families for my 4-1/2 year old. Lots of irons in the fire. I am truly blessed to live in an area with so much opportunity and culture. But on days like today, staying home and hunkering down in front of a fire is the best blessing.

Pickle Pics

Made some pickles today.

I used the recipe from Nourishing Traditions, one of my favorite cookbooks. It's truly a life-changing look at food, and what passes for food in industrialized countries. This particular recipe took 2 weeks to pickle last time I tried it, but after just one week these babies were already getting soft. Gotta eat 'em up fast! I'm tossing out my kombucha scobys (more on this later) and starting my own, as I've had these for a long time. To grow your own scoby, see www.keepingthehome.com. One taste of home-brewed kombucha and I was hooked. I use a bag of peach-ginger flavored tea and it makes it even more delicious. I plan to blog about food and add some more recipes in the future.

Long time gone!

Sorry to my faithful readers (hi, mom!), I've been so busy lately! My oldest daughter's Shakespearean group is producing The Tempest, and last night was the 2nd of 4 performances this week. The parents do tons of work with this company, as in most theater companies (see www.youthshakes.org). Last night, we arrived at our regular place of performance only to find that our "green room" had been converted to a "book-sale-next-week" room, leaving no room for any of the actors to change, do hair and make-up, etc. Yikes! After some frantic phone calls, we found another room, and are back in the saddle. Last night's performance was better than ever, and the actors are all so enjoyable to watch!

Well, I've got to get going and prep for tonight--I'm doing Caliban's dreadful hair!

What is your favorite Shakespearean play? I'm a huge As You Like It fan, myself.

Chocolate Fountains and the Flu

Our weekend was filled with both. We had a Chocolate Fountain Party for some of our friends, and a lot of the actors from my teenager's Shakespeare group. Unfortunately, 2 hours before the party was to begin, my little one got. . .unmistakeable sings of the flu, if you know what I mean. We notified as many folks as we could, and the party went on as scheduled--the chocolate must go on!--but my little one was sick all of yesterday and today we're just taking it super-easy. It's our normal Homeschool Park Day, and it's pouring outside, so we wouldn't have gone anyway. It's kind of nice just slogging around the house. It's pathetic that I need "sick days" to remind me to live at a slower pace, but there you go ;) A nearby library, a stocked pantry, two warm and healthy kids to snuggle--it just doesn't get any better for this homeschooling mama. Once Papa gets home, perhaps we'll all watch a family video. What's your favorite wholesome video for a rainy, relaxed day?

He da man!

Weekends are extremely busy for us right now. My oldest daughter has play rehersals on Saturdays (she's in a Shakespeare group), and band practice on Sundays (she's a piper in a bagpipe band). My hub and I do a lot of running around as neither of these practices is near to our home. Today, my husband kept our little one with him, and when I got home (with a car full of groceries--which he put away!), he had done 3 loads of laundry, vacuumed for a visit from my mom and out-of-town auntie, and changed the sheets. He had a nice fire roaring (it's--you guessed it--raining here in the Bay Area). He even wanted to help make the late lunch we were all going to enjoy. I kicked him out of the kitchen--that's MY jurisdiction :) After we ate, he even did the dishes (I didn't kick him out then, lol).

Am I a lucky lady or what??? ;)

A few things about me. . . .

I see other bloggers do this. It looks like fun--here goes:

• I'm a vegetarian. Who doesn't want to hear about it.


• I have always wanted to learn to drive a semi-truck.


• My favorite song is "Dig" by Incubus.


• I dream in color.


• I'm terrified -- beyond all reasoning -- of heights and small spaces.


• I've never, ever colored my hair (80% of American women do!).


• Despite that fact, my hair used to be a lot. . . .browner.


• Cosmetic surgery doesn't seem quite as ridiculous to me as it did 20 years ago.


• Embarrassingly, I found out that a song I liked was sung by Justin Timberlake.


• I'm dyscalculic (look it up).


• My parents almost named me Tracy.


• I have one brother and one sister, both younger than I.


• I sometimes edit my friend's Christmas letters. I can't help it.


• I don't suffer idiots or cruelty easily. I'm getting old enough to not care what others think of me when I intervene when faced with either.
• I'm currently reading Ted, White and Blue by Ted Nugent.
• I can dance. Really well.
• I cannot bowl. People bring me to bowling alleys for comic relief.

That's it for now. When I think of something that I think someone else would like to read, I'll let y'all know.

Goodnight!

Had the yummiest dinner tonight. Want to know the recipe? There isn't one. I'm not that kind of cook. I love to cook, and I cook yummy foods. But recipes are for sissies. OK, not really, but I try a recipe once by the book and if we like it, I'll make it again, but all bets are off as far as following the recipe exactly. Baked goods are an exception :) Here's what we had tonight:

GRANDMA MARILYN'S RYE BREAD THINGYS

Get a loaf of good quality rye bread, any style you like. Grandma Marilyn (my husband's paternal Grandma) always made them on those tiny rye bread loaves. They are pretty cute. I like the "Natural Preferences Cocktail Rye Bread" which I found at Whole Foods. I'm a nut for natural food. But any good rye bread will do, and if you don't care about living past 60, by all means, get the bread they have in regular supermarkets ;) Mix in a big bowl the following: 1 little can of diced olives (4.5 oz.), the kind that's chopped up reeeeally small, about a cup of shredded cheddar (maybe more), and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of finely diced onions. Mix and add approximately 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, just enough to wet it up and hold it all together. Adjust as you see fit, but it can't be too sloppy, no matter how much you may like mayo :) Spoon about a tablespoon on top of those little rye breads and pop under broiler for a couple minutes, till they are golden brown and bubbly. Or bake at 375* until they look golden and bubbly, or you can't stand it anymore. If you baked these on regular sized bread, use a pizza cutter to cut them in quarters. Plan on about 6 per person, if served as an appetizer or with soup. Plan on eating the entire loaf if you have nothing else as a side dish.


We had this with MOMMY SOUP, also made without a recipe. This is fun, huh?! This soup was first introduced to me by my dear friend Shirley (Hi, Shirley!), who brought it to homeschool park day and doled out little samples to everyone. That was so nice of her! That's just the kind of sweet person Shirley is. Well, we all loved it and showed our appreciation for her kindness by almost trampling her trying to get to the tureen for more. She gave the recipe to everyone, but to be honest, it was a bit too much work for me. I soon memorized the ingredients I really cared about and made it my own, hence the incredibly well-thought-out name. The beauty of this soup is it's versatility. If you don't have something, it works well without an ingredient or two, and doesn't rely on measurements overmuch, as you can see. Here goes:

Assemble: A bunch of carrots (tonight I used only 3, but they measured 8" at the large part so they were pretty significant carrots, as carrots go). A bunch of broccoli (I cheat and buy it pre-cut in the bag from Trader Joe's). A bunch of cauliflower (same thing about the bag). A couple russet potatoes, peeled and chopped. A box of stock (I use vegetable), or several cups of your own homemade. First, I toss a large chopped onion (or 2) in some olive oil and cook it over medium heat till it's nice and translucent, perhaps a bit brown. I also toss in some garlic cloves, chopped in half. Then I put in the stock, starting with about 2 cups and adding more if necessary. You want the stock to cover the veggies so they cook thoroughly, but not so the veggies are completely floating. Next, add the diced carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, all chopped up. Put it on "high", cover the pot, and walk away for a little while, and let the vegetables cook and get soft--perhaps 15 minutes, depending on how many vegetables you have. After they are soft, the stock should be diminished. If it isn't, leave the lid off the pot for a few minutes till the stock decreases a bit. You want to see stock, but not have the vegetables covered by it. Then, pour in a cup or two of cultured buttermilk. This is really important, since it imparts a lot of flavor, and buttermilk is good for you :) Here's where it gets fun: get out your stick-blender (if you don't have one of these, get off the computer, go to Bed, Bath and Beyond or Target and get yourself one. You'll wonder how you lived without it). Blend all this good stuff right up in the pot. What could be simpler? Add more buttermilk if you need to to make it soupy. I like to season with salt, pepper and dried dill. Yum. The best thing about this "recipe" is that it's almost fool-proof. Tonight, for instance, I didn't have any cauliflower or broccoli. I made it with just carrots and potatoes, and loads of onions. It was beyond delicious. Serve with crusty sourdough and real butter if you don't have the Rye Bread Thingys. Remember to say Grace before eating.

Rain Bizarre. . . .

Today I looked out into our backyard and this is what I saw: rain in the southern part. Sunshine in the other half. Our backyard is average-sized, but the weather has been so bizarre lately, we actually appeared to be having two different weather systems going on in a 50-foot space. We all watched it for a while, and then the cloud that was raining in only part of our yard moved on and life went back to normal. Wet, rainy, hair-frizzing normal. Life is good. . . .

Dive Right In and The Drive From Hell

Yesterday, my 4-year old and I went food shopping. We parked and spent about an hour inside the store. When we were finished, I was grateful that we'd asked for "help out". Surprise--my car was sitting in about 6 inches of water, water that certainly was not there when I parked an hour previously. My car was sort of just floating, or at least that's how it appeared. I couldn't believe it. "I guess the storm drain backed up again--I should call Maintenance about this!" said the keenly observant clerk as he tried to direct me through the shallowest part of the pool. All I could think was, "Again? This has happened before, and no one thought to check this out today?". It's been raining most of the last couple weeks around here, and it shows no sign of stopping. The storm when we parked was particularly fierce. Ten-day weather forecasts have mostly that little cloudy icon, with "showers" and "rain" predominating, although I'm not sure exactly what differentiates the two. Since we live in a very suburbanized area, where everything is paved, there isn't a way for the ground to keep up with all this rainfall--rainfall we desperately need. So we flood. Talk about insult to injury. Back to the car: I stood there, holding the little hand of my baby girl, and pondered this soggy mess. I wracked my brain trying to figure out a way to get around this problem. My car was completely surrounded by water. The clerk had it easy, since there was slightly less flooding at the back of my SUV, where he was loading my groceries. Plus, he wasn't wearing clogs. Cloth clogs. Read: absorbent. Finally, I figured out the truth: there was no way, absolutely no way to get out of this mess except to dive right into it. Yes, it was going to feel cold and disgusting. Yes, I was going to get wet. But I was already getting soaked standing in the pouring rain wondering what to do, and it wasn't getting me any closer to dry clothes and a warm and toasty fire at home. So I stepped in. . . .and I was right: it did feel cold and disgusting. Also, the water started wicking up my pants legs, something I hadn't thought about. I gave a little dramatic gasp, said something like, "Eeeeuck!" and tossed my little girl into the back seat. And proceeded to begin The Drive From Hell. To say, "It was a dark and stormy night" would be accurate. Hey, sometimes, it really IS a dark and stormy night. It was so stormy, no one was doing more than 45 on the freeway. I hydroplaned not once, not twice, not three, four or five times during that ride home, but six times. Scary as all get-out. People were just flying all over the road, in little swervy manuevers, and I'm betting I wasn't the only one with white knuckles. You've heard the expression There are no atheists in foxholes ? Well, there are no atheists on roadways like this, either. Or at least there shouldn't be. I'm no atheist, and I felt especially close to God during this horrendous ride home, with my soggy shoes and soggy pant bottoms.

How about you? When faced with a less-than-desirable situation, do you hem and haw, or dive right in? Keep in mind, there weren't a whole lot of options for me, but I still hesitated. I really, really wanted something supernatural to happen right then and there, like perhaps a very minor earthquake, just big enough to make a teeny-tiny crack in the parking lot and drain some of that nasty cold water so I could get to my car in comfort. I'm laughing about it now, since some time's gone by and I can find it humorous. Plus, I'm warm :)

And tomorrow, I get to go shopping for another pair of shoes. I think I'll pick a store on a hill.

Wintertime, and the living is easy. . . .

For some reason this winter, I've been pretty relaxed. I'm usually pretty high-strung and energetic, although I have my mellow side. But lately, the mellow side has sort of taken over. We normally take down the Christmas tree right after New Year's ("C'mon, it's time, Christmas is over!!!"). But this year, it stayed up until after my Birthday, which is the third week of January. The weird thing is, it didn't even bother me to have it up so long! We went on a snow-play trip on the 26th, and we had to take it down right before then, for obvious safety reasons. And because I'd be really embarrassed for the pet-sitter to see it :)


Have you been feeling mellow this winter season? Wanting to sit by a fire and bake cookies and just veg for much of the time? Let me know. I'd like to hear what good books you're reading, and how you spend your mellow-time.

Some Blogger I am!!!

My apologies to all my fans. Seems I took a little longer than I intended to post my. . . .ahem. . . .second entry. I promise to be better in the future :)

A lot has happened since September. We've visited several sites as a family, the kids have participated in many activities, changes have occured, yada, yada. So much to talk about. Right now, I've got to get to bed. After a good night of beauty sleep, I'll be able to post something tomorrow or the next day.

Thanks for your patience, my loyal and dear fans (this is pretty much my sister, and a couple friends and maybe my husband if he has time at work). Sleep tight!