Owlhaven

30 Subscribers?

2007-01-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all. Just looked over here at blogspot and saw there are still 30 subscribers to this blog. My NEW blog is over at http://owlhaven.wordpress.com I'd love it if you'd come subscribe there instead, if you haven't already. Also, if you were kind enough to link to me in your sidebar, will you please, pretty please update your link? Thanks so much!

Redirecting to the new Owlhaven

2006-08-13T12:55:00.000-06:00

http://owlhaven.wordpress.com/ Please, pretty please, update your bookmarks and bloglines? I'd love to see you there!

People!!

2006-07-24T23:19:00.000-06:00

OK, people! You will not believe this. Wordpress has ONE-click comment delete. (Instead of blogger's dumb 8-click or whatever it is.) So even IF I get a bunch of spam over there, it would take, like, a minute, to delete 10 comments. Instead of 15. OK, I am so going to try this out. Here I am-- Owlhaven. I am still working on my blogroll, my look, etc, so be patient.

Add me to your bloglines OK? If I utterly despise it, I can always come back to blogger. But the more I figure Wordpress out, the more I love it. It even let me import my entire archives from blogspot. How cool is that? Come see me. And just to relieve my mind, cvomment over there and tell me if you've bookmarked my new site. I REALLY don't want to lose a bunch of readers in this move. COME ON OVER!

And, oh, one final incentive. I'm announcing my VIP award OVER THERE!

Rambling...

2006-07-24T18:01:00.000-06:00

I've been having a rotten time posting comments on other blogs today, so I am assuming that is why my comments are so quiet today too. Dumb blogger. I am seriously thinking of switching to another blog provider. I have been playing with a template over on Wordpress, and I may give it a trial run soon here, and see how it works. More on that later this week.

The highlight (lowlight?) of this afternoon, however, was sitting down on the living room floor this afternoon preparing to peel off my one year old's swimsuit and discovering odd looking slime down her legs.

Yeah, she'd pooped her suit.

Stood her there, VERY gingerly peeling the suit off, and as soon as I got it off, she ran off. When I screeched at her to get back here, she obediently ran to me and plopped her dirty little bum right on the carpet. I just wasn't moving fast enough this afternoon, that's all.

Getting the feeling I may not be moving fast enough all week. While the kids were playing in the pool this afternoon, I made a list of all the things I MUST do this week, and it is insane. Wish me luck. For starters I must go cook something to toss to the masses or a revolt will happen here.

And, if I DO switch over to another blog service, y'all WILL come with me, won't you?

Meme, Baby

2006-07-24T08:31:00.000-06:00

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer's one year old tagged MY one year old for a meme!

3 Things That Scare Me
When my brothers ROAR & chase me across the room ( I love it!)
The lawn mower roaring nearby
When someone I don't know well asks to hold me

3 People That Make Me Laugh
My 4 year old sister
My 12 year old brother
My daddy

3 Things I Love
Pulling things out of the fridge when anyone opens the door.
Getting raw potatoes out of the pantry and chewing them.
Clicking on mommy's computer keyboard

3 Things I Hate
When someone leaves and I don't get to go along.
When mom won't let me stand up in my high chair.
When mom takes the phone away from me.

3 Things I Don't Understand
Why I have to sit while eating.
Why I can't talk on the phone.
Why mom only gives me ONE teeny piece of gum, even after I swallow mine and holler for more.

3 Things On My Floor
My PJ's
My sister's Little People house
The fluffy duster thing I pulled out of the pantry

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now
Playing Little People with 3 siblings.
Screaming at my sister because she won't give me her Little People.
Trying to make my Little People lady ride a giraffe.

3 Things I Want to Do Someday
Talk on the phone all day.
Eat a whole pack of gum.
Stand up in my high chair the whole meal.

3 Things I Can Do
Count to 10 if someone else says the 'odd' numbers.
Point to 10 body parts.
Say "I don't want that" crystal clear.

3 Ways to Describe My Personality
Happy
Busy
Happy

3 Things I Cannot Do
Sleep all night, ever
Sleep without touching mom
Go all night without my bottle (hey, nobody's perfect!)

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
Me counting to 10
Me singing bits of the ABC's with my sister.
My family singing "Amen" with me (I dance and sing. I know ALL the words!)

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
"no"
"come here"
"sit down"

3 Absolute Favorite Foods
hot dogs
pancakes
yogurt

3 Things I'd Like to Learn
How to call daddy on the phone.
How to ride a bike.
How to walk down the stairs standing upright instead of crawling (but every time I try, mommy screams, "SIT!")

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
Milk
orange juice
Any other drink someone leaves in my reach.

3 Shows I Watch
Clifford
Dora
Backyardigans

3 Babies I Tag
Butterfly Mama's little guy
One Woman’s World's Bean
Daring Young Mom's Magoo

take THAT, you nasty spammers

2006-07-23T20:03:00.000-06:00

After 152 spams in the last 3 days (thanks in part to Blogger malfunctioning and sending me multiple email notifications of the same spam) I am now turning on word verification. Sorry, peeps. I held off as long as I could.

Sunday

2006-07-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Matthew 6:19-20;

Opinion Saturday

2006-07-22T00:02:00.000-06:00

A topic for Opinion Saturday...hmm...what shall we talk about? Why don't you tell me something you've done in your adult life that as a kid you NEVERinyourwildestdreams thought you would do.

My personal 'thing' is that I now have 8 kids. When I was a kid I swore I'd never have more than 4. But here I am. Who'd a thunk it? Not me, for sure.

So, tell me something about the adult-you that would surprise the kid-you. You have until Monday evening. Seems like we haven't done a Very Interesting Person lately. So let's make this one for the VIP Award, OK? I'll announce a winner on Tuesday morning.

Have fun!

"Coffee. Make it strong!"

2006-07-21T17:32:00.000-06:00

Doesn't anyone remember what movie this line is from? Am I the only person who loves this movie?

Need it or want it?

2006-07-21T08:47:00.000-06:00

My latest post is up at Larger Families Need it or want it. And if you're not sick of me by then, go read Unphotographable on my adoption blog. And feedback? It's always good.

How one night can feel like a week...

2006-07-21T00:12:00.000-06:00

Lest you accuse me of painting too rosy a picture of camping with 8 children in a 26 foot travel trailer, let me share one particular night last weekend.

8:15 pm--Lie down in trailer bed with 1 year old, who's had 45 minutes of nap all day and should be utterly exhausted. Think optimistically of joining my teenagers for a game of cards in 10 minutes or so. Hold 1 year old in gentle headlock while feeding her a bottle and singing for 40 minutes straight. During this time she flails around, sticks her finger up my nose, thumps the wall between herself and 4 year old sister who's also 'trying' to go to sleep, cries, throws her bottle across the bed/room, and generally resists sleep as long as possible.

8:55- Tiptoe out of room, baby finally asleep. Peek at 4 year old, also asleep. While I've been wrestling the baby, dad has already read stories to the 8 year old boys in the screen tent -- good man. All I have to do is kiss them, warn them sternly about being quiet in the trailer, and send them in to bed.

9:00-11:30-- Play cards with big kids-- they are so much fun! They teach me to play poker. I discover I have a huge propensity for betting big, when it's red, white and blue poker chips anyway. Lose many chips, and make my 12 year old very 'rich'. Make mental note to self to stay far from Vegas.

11:30-- Head for bed where baby is currently crashed and hubby is surveying the bed wondering if we 3 will all fit. All other beds (and floor space) are taken. In this photo you see our predicament-- obviously this 24 pound child is a colossal bed hog. Please note that her heel is touching the wall on the left. This is a standard double bed with a 12 inch 'sidecar' added on the left. We usually sleep in a king. Hmm...

11:40-12:00- After getting ready for bed, I gingerly scoot baby over. Just as I scooch in, she flops over into 'my' space again and I almost sit on her. I scoot her over again which causes her to wail and start to waken. Hastily gesturing for hubby to kill the light, I grab her bottle out of the cooler bag and settle in next to her. She quickly dozes off and after a couple minutes I attempt to scoot away from her into a comfy position. She wails and flops until her entire body once again is cradled under my arm against my side. I decide I'm too tired to argue, and go to sleep myself.

1:50-2:05-- She's flipping and flopping and fussing again. Teething, maybe? Once again I offer the bottle, hoping she'll hush before she wakes the whole family. She refuses, fussing around for what feels like a really long time before deciding that only lying on my chest will do, preferably with her head cradled on my shoulder and her puff of curly hair in my face. In moments I'm sweating and tossing covers off-- gingerly, though, so as not to wake her. I think of getting up to give her some Advil (or maybe some Benadryl?) but I'm too tired, and doze back off.

2:17-2:50- She rolls off me, towards dad. I feel her wiggling around trying to get comfy against dad, and think of pulling her back against me so she won't disturb him. But he has been sleeping so darned well through all of this that I'm a bit irritated. So I let her be and doze as she thrashes and worms her hand between the mattress and his side and says dada sleepily. But when he growls and flops away and cracks his elbow on the wall, a teeny bit of remorse creeps in. I pull her back against me and pat her on the bum and whisper-sing into her ear until she settles back to sleep. Again I doze.

3:30-3:40 She's awake AGAIN. It's gotta be the teeth. I head into the bathroom with her and yank open the medicine cupboard, trying to decide between Advil and Benadryl. Advil might help the teething, if that is it. But Benadryl will make her sleep, and sleep is what we gotta have right now. Benadryl it is. Then back to bed where thankfully she falls back asleep quickly.

6:10 AM- 4 year old climbs in with us. I hiss at hubby to stick her back in her bed quick before she wakes the 1 year old. He does, and we all doze back off, not waking until after 8.

The first words out of my mouth at that point, I believe, were, "Coffee-- make it strong." (Name that movie?!)

Vow to myself that if she's that restless the next night, she's getting Benadryl much sooner!

Cake, pie, whatever...

2006-07-20T07:48:00.000-06:00

My 20 month old loves to sing. Her favorite song of all is "Happy Birthday", which she sings something like, "Happy Boodoo to doo". This rendition of the song seemed particularly appropriate last weekend when she -- twice! -- approached me singing her favorite song, carefully holding her 'cake' between two hands, the 'cake' actually being a very large, very dry cow pie.

Walking The Mom

2006-07-19T18:57:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to get more regular at walking, but have been feeling like I need someone to physically pick me up and shove me out the door to accomplish this. (I'm so mature like that.) I realized after some thought that I have 7 kids able AND willing to nag me. Assign each of them one day a week to take mom for a walk, and hey, we have ourselves a walking program. And a chance to talk to each one individually, which is a precious thing in a busy house like ours.

First walk was last night. Got a mile in at a slow amble, it being 89 degrees and all. But, hey, my 8 year old and I we were moving. And chatting. And having fun. Tonight is the almost 12-year-old's turn. I think we'll walk a little later in the evening in hopes it will be a bit cooler. This has the feel of something that just might work.

Golden Keyboard (& Works For Me!)

2006-07-18T22:26:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to reading all the great comments on my Opinon Saturday question about appropriate reading for young teens. Thanks, everyone! This week's Golden Keyboard goes to Pieces of wisdom has two parts: Teen Reading. Great thoughtful post!!

In case you're wondering, here's how we handle kids and reading at my house (oh, here's my Works For Me Wednesday too!) At our house my teenagers scan the library on their own. I do recommend books at times and try to help them vary their reading so that they are not only reading 'fluff'. I have been known to pay a teenager a buck or two to read a classic that I think is particularly worthwhile but that I know is a more challenging read.

We also talk about what goes into their heads. I think young teens don't need their heads filled with romance years before they are old enough to marry, so I encouraged my girls to wait on these types of books, though I don't outright forbid romances nor do I check every book they read.

I do keep track of their current interests by now and then choosing a book off their stack to read myself-- partly just because I love to read! I will sometimes also ask which book they enjoyed most this week and why. I think it is valuable to be familiar with what our kids read.

Once when my oldest was 10 or so, my sister Sophie, bored while babysitting my kids, picked up one of my daughter's Babysitter's Club books to read. I had not ever read one of these books-- just assumed they were fine. So I was surprised when Sophie told me that one scene in the book was of a seance. This was not something I had ever discussed with my daughter and not something I expected to be in this book geared towards 9-12 year olds. So I appreciated the heads-up from my sister and the chance it gave me to talk with my daughter about it.

One final thing we do to encourage a love for the good stuff is to read to everyone. My hubby always has a novel in progress with our big kids. This weekend around the campfire my SIL, whose kids are a little younger than ours, was asking our kids about good read-alouds.

It was very gratifying to hear all four (ages 18, 16, 14, and 12) reel off title after title. Many my husband had read to them over the years. Some they read on their own. But all were worthwhile books that I felt confident had added to the good stuff inside their heads.

Our reading strategy works for us!

Camping: The Place

2006-07-18T17:15:00.000-06:00

We have a place in the mountains. Well, actually it belongs to my husband's mother, and before that it belonged to his grandparents. They always called it 'The Place.' It is 13 acres of forest along the edge of a tiny, windy river. There's a little cabin, built by my father in law when my husband was a child. There are RV spaces, complete with a power pole, which makes possible both air conditioning and microwave popcorn.

There are fir trees and Ponderosa pines and aspens and knee-high weeds thick with mosquitos. An ancient wrecked car forever rests on the riverbank. There are sheds which house motorbikes and newspapers that date back to the 1980's. And bats. There are outhouses and cow pies and miles of barbed wire fencing. There are flowers and firepits and fish. There are deer. The Place is quiet much of the year. But for half a dozen weekends each summer the woods and river ring with the calls of children. With the sound of splashing feet and skipping stones. With laughter around campfires. With the intermittant roar of chain saws chopping trees that had the audacity to fall across paths. With the quiet zing of fishing line reeling out and then back in, sometimes with a silvery fish on the line. At the end of the noisy weekends we visitors leave The Place quiet again, taking back with us mosquito bites and mountains of laundry and dirty feet and fish and photographs.

And memories, golden memories, to line the hallways of our minds for the rest of our lives.

Instead of blogging last night

2006-07-18T15:05:00.000-06:00

Sunday

2006-07-16T07:24:00.000-06:00

Don't Leave It On The Desk

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the Gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto Seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it"

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, Do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn' t want one!"

Dr. Christianson said, "Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Sternly, Jenny said, "No."

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the ro om. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"

Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Dr Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid
the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all
sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

Opinon Saturday

2006-07-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

An interesting post by here in korea: Gossip Girls got me wondering about something this week. I thought it would make an interesting Opinion Saturday question. Do you think it is appropriate or necessary to help young teens (ages 12-15) select reading material, or should you just give them free run of the library? Tell me what you think, and why. You have until Monday evening to comment on my blog or link to a post on your own blog. Tuesday I will award the Golden Keyboard to the person who makes the most convincing argument.

I am so bad...

2006-07-14T11:56:00.000-06:00

...at losing weight -- OK, this is pitiful--that a fond memory in my past is when I was fresh home from Africa, had giardia, and managed to lose 9 lbs in one month. Now, granted, I did not have a rip-roaring case of it. Mostly I was just nauseated and had no appetite and threw up once a week or so. Nothing really awful. But that was the easiest weight loss I'd ever had.

I am on a quest at the moment to lose 9 whole pounds. I actually want to lose 16 but I'm starting moderate. I began 7 weeks ago and since then have actually managed to lose 4. This is about as good as I ever do with weight loss, barring the occasional Africa-induced bout of giardia. So I am pretty pleased with myself at this moment.

But I am afraid my self-control will slip and so that is why I have been mulling over taking Mel up on her challenge Join The Diet Naked Team. I think if I did, I'd get much more serious about this and feel more accountable in those moments when (just for an example) I have just eaten 4 chocolate chip cookies in a row and am contemplating a 5th. (Not that I've ever actually had a moment like that..weak smile...)

I don't know if I can bear to be that 'out-there'. But, boy am I tempted... I'd really love to be down to a healthier weight by next summer, when I turn 40. So I'm wondering, is anyone else thinking of taking Mel up on her challenge?

The most recent example....

2006-07-13T13:43:00.000-06:00

...why you should always investigate when a kid gets way too quiet

Thankfully it was only a small bottle of lotion. And, boy, did she smell yummy for the rest of the day!

On to the next project!

2006-07-12T17:28:00.000-06:00

Now that we've got my 4 year old's room all Pretty in Pink, my two 8 year olds have been hounding me to do something about theirs. They have some blue 'gingham' checked paint and a train wallpaper border that's been up since they were babies and is now looking a little tired. Translation: they've peeled away great chunks with clever bored fingers at bedtime. (The moral of the story : NEVER put a wallpaper border in a kid's room where he/she can reach it! ) The cute train quilts also have given up after years of washing and are trailing stuffing out their ripped edges.

Time for a redo.

My starting point is this cute reversible bed-in-a-bag set for their bunk beds. I'm going to paint the walls green, probably darker camo green below and light camo green above an orange stripe like the one shown in the picture. And since their request was for a Star Wars room, we checked out allposters.com and found some fun 8x10 Star Wars posters that we are going to mat and frame. (no more curling posters for me!)

I'm going to make them new curtains out of one of the dust ruffles that came in the bed-in-the bag, since the upper bunk of the bed doesn't need a dust ruffle. It will all probably take me a week or two, since I haven't even bought the paint yet. But I'll show you the finished project when I get it done.

Works For Me

2006-07-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

Playing Works For Me Wednesday with Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer again. This week's idea is a simple thing. For the longest time I have hated my colanders. It seemed they were always either tipping over, letting all the spaghetti slop into the sink. Or I would have that dreaded drain backup problem-- you know, when the disposal hasn't been run and the water backs up into the sink....and into your pasta. Yech.... (Please tell me it's not only me who has this problem!)

Anyway, I finally got fed up a few months ago and went on a colander hunt. I found this beauty for $15 at Walmart. The colander is huge--a plus for my family! It is suspended at the top edge of the sink with sturdy arms. The arms are adjustable to fit varying sizes of sinks, and the whole thing is very stable. You don't even have to totally empty the sink of dishes because it sits so high. Works for me!!

Woohoo!!

2006-07-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

After many months of waiting, my friend Anne finally got baby news-- Adoption Journal: the most joyful news! Go help congratulate her!

Also, the 2006 Blogs of Beauty Awards - Nominees and Finalists list came out today. Though I'm not a finalist, I was so honored to see I'd been nominated in 4 categories. Thanks, y'all! Go check out the finalists!

Golden Keyboard This Week And A New Contest!

2006-07-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I asked for ideas to celebrate my anniversary. You all shared lots of fun ideas, but I am giving the Golden Keyboard to Brianna this week for the sheer humor of her response. Now that's what NOT to do! Thanks for sharing, Brianna!

And in more contest news, today I launched a contest over on my Ethiopia Adoption Blog for adoptive parents. Go check it out-- there's a prize and everything! Spread the word-- the more the merrier!

Garden in July

2006-07-10T20:01:00.000-06:00

Our garden has been growing like crazy since I showed it to you 5 weeks ago. You should be able to click on any of these pictures to enlarge them. The first one shows most of the garden. Left to right, we have corn, tomatoes, cukes (on wire) pumpkins, peppers, and cabbage. In the background you can see more corn. Our orchard is on the far right. Next we have grapes and cabbage. My daughters are standing next to the corn to show you how tall it has grown. You can see it is starting to tassel.

The yellow flowers are squash blossoms on a volunteer squash that decided to come up in the raspberry patch, 40 feet from the actual garden. We decided to let it do its thing, and it will probably give us our first squash of the season. My daughter is standing alongside the tomatoes-- we have lots of green ones, but not a speck of red yet..
I pointed out the apples to the one year old, who promptly picked one and started gnawing on it-- very, very green still, of course. And here are some of the raspberries. I made raspberry apricot jam this afternoon that I would show you if I wasn't so tired of uploading pictures at the moment!