Countin' it all joy

The True Spirit of Christmas

2010-12-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

Bright beautiful lights, piles of gifts under the tree, cookies, parties, shopping… these are the things that have defined all my past Christmases. Don’t get me wrong.. I never forgot the true reason for the season. Everything I did, I did in celebration of the Savior’s birth. It is traditionally a busy, hectic, and happy time of year.This year is different. Economics and lack of employment

Roller Coasters

2010-07-25T23:37:00.001-07:00

I used to like roller coasters. Really. But lately if feels like I've been on one far too long and I'm ready to get off.I don't mind the highs and lows of life. Just like the grandmother on Parenthood (the movie version) said. It's what makes life interesting and exciting, unlike the merry-go-round which just goes round and round. (And it is interesting to note that the merry-go-round will make

Transitions

2010-07-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

God is certainly doing something in my family that doesn't feel comfortable at all. We are dealing with health concerns as well as major financial concerns. My husband is making a career change which appears to be going about as well as Abram's big move in Genesis 12:1. God told Abraham to leave his home, leave his family and go the place "that I will show you". Abram left his old home without

Better Late than Never...

2010-07-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Bird (the nickname given to my youngest by his daddy) suffers from migraines that have sent us to the ER twice in the past year. There is not a more helpless feeling than seeing your child in excruciating pain and knowing there is nothing you can do to fix it.The first migraine that sent us to the ER started with alarming symptoms. His hands and feet went numb and then the pain started. The

Speaking of Independence....

2010-07-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

I heard it all the time…“You are still nursing? You better stop, he’s going to be too dependent.”"He sleeps in your bed? That will make him too dependent.”“You plan to homeschool? How will he learn any independence?”It seemed to me that if I had listened to all these well meaning advice givers, as soon as the child had developed enough neck muscles to hold his head up, I was to kick him out and

Independence Day

2010-07-05T14:22:00.001-07:00

The 4th of July has always ranked right up there as one of my fave holidays. Nothing beats a good fireworks show!For years our family tradition was to go to the fairgrounds, spread a blanket under the Driller and bask in the glow that was the Bell's Amusement Park Independence Day Celebration. That was until the powers that be decided the Bell's was no longer needed or wanted as a Tulsa

Our Daily Bread

2010-07-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Last night there was a knock at the door. Lately, it seems when we have unexpected visitors, it doesn't turn out to be good news, so we all held our breathe as Jim went to the door."Hey buddy!" he exclaimed and we all let out a collective sigh of relief.It was Gary and he was bearing gifts but pretty much anytime Denise or Gary show up unexpectedly they are bearing gifts. They are cool like

2010-06-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

For far too long, my husband and I have been caught up in the busyness of life and it appears we have abandoned are artistic pursuits. For me, it was writing. As you can see, I'm three days and three blog posts running so I am taking steps. For my husband, it was picking up his guitar again. Just to give him an extra push, I submitted his music to CDbaby, who then distributed it to several

The Joy of Cooking

2010-06-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Let me be clear. I usually find no joy in cooking. In fact, I pretty much have a general distaste for all things kitchen related... ummm, except for eating! But that's another blog post.The Bible speaks of Mary and Martha. Martha was the happy homemaker, while Mary didn't want to miss any of the fellowship. I am without a doubt Mary!I simply can't stand being stuck in the kitchen while fun

Pardon My Dust!

2010-06-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've been here... and these internets certainly do stir up some dust!I should apologize for not writing more often, but then you've heard that song before, huh?It's not that I have had a shortage of writing material. In fact, several posts zoom through my brain daily. Unfortunately, never when I am at the computer... or a notepad... or even a tube of lipstick.

Little Miss Muffet with a twist

2010-03-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Muffet (that would be me for the purposes of this post)Sat on a tuffet (Ok, not sure what a tuffet is, but I was sitting in my car)Eating her curds and whey (ummm, yuck.. I wasn't eating any curds.. I was just driving)When along came a spider (a really big one!)And sat down beside her (actually, he fell on me as I adjusted my visor)And frightened

An offer you can't refuse....

2010-03-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

My boys... they are best friends, yet polar opposites. They are yin and yang. chaos and order. easy going and high strung. They are brothers and will fight to the death, yet give their lives for each other. But there is one trait that Cody posesses that makes his brother crazy. And truth be told, it annoys me a bit too. The kid can get a candy bar at the grocery store and then, horror of

Observations

2010-03-06T17:03:00.001-08:00

Is it just me, or is Johnny Depp playing Elijah Wood playing the Mad Hatter?

If you can imagine it, there is probably somebody to buy it!

2009-09-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is capitalism at it's best! Kitty Wigs! What is the weirdest retail product you've seen?

The Trouble with Jessie

2009-09-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago a friend of ours invited us out to his place to check out some cute little black lab puppies. We loaded up the boys and drove out there, determined not to fall in love.. we would just look. We didn't need a puppy. As soon as we got out of the car, we saw the squirming black mass that was about 7 puppies playing with and tripping all over each other. I picked them up one by

It's a new year....

2009-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a new year to me. Today was my birthday, and although I have reached the age where one shouldn't still love their birthdays, I do. I love my birthday, I love New Year's, I love Mondays. I love new and fresh starts. I get a do over from last year. The diet that didn't work, the goals that got lost under piles of urgent clutter, the dreams that didn't turn into reality YET; these

'Member Me?

2009-03-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Forgive me, reader for I have been absent. It has been 5 months since my last post. So much has happened since then there is no possible way to catch you all up... but I'll try.Here now is short summary of life since the last post sung to the tune of 12 days of ChristmasSince the last post on this blogthis has happened to me12 diets started11 diets ended10 friends found on facebook9 thousand

Pink Ribbons as Blinders

2008-10-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

So, we are driving down the street and we see a sign outside a doctor's office...."Breast Cancer Awareness Month"The problem is, I'm driving about 40 mph and my 12 year old only reads at about 20 mph...This is what he got out of the sign..."Breast Awareness Month" You can only imagine the hilarity that ensued.Thank you... but I'd rather he not be that aware at 12 years of age.

Kitchen Caution

2008-09-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

Look, it's not like I'm a great chef anyway. My 12 year old knows his way around a kitchen better than I do. It's not that I'm not a good cook... Ok, it's not ONLY that I'm not a good cook.. It's also that I'm busy, busy, busy! I'm constantly multitasking and thinking about a great many things other than cooking. However, when one is not completely focused on the task at hand bad things can

the birthday boy embraces his inner nerd...

2008-08-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

I might well be a bad, absent at times blogger, but I am an even worse blogger mother! My oldest turned 15 and didn't even get a mention... I am here to correct that now!Happy Birthday Cody!This is an excerpt from our homeschool yearbook I made for this past school year. This was the culmination of Cody's coop study of Ancient Greece. Cody made his costume out of a red sheet I wasn't aware I

Happy Birthday Dillon

2008-07-20T23:10:00.001-07:00

You're getting SO BIG!

More Vacation Fun

2008-07-18T18:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, here's the thing, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but it still doesn't quite do justice to how truly lovely Turner Falls is.. umm.. err... are? Are they plural Falls, or is it a singular park? Oh, who cares.. It was vacation.Turner Falls started out well enough. We drove in , parked the car after exploring for a bit. If you must know, Cody had started the miserable teenage bit

It's a Family Vacation

2008-07-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

The fearless family sets out on their first ever, every one included, family vacation. Notice how excited the boy and the mom look. The teenager looks like a teenager, complete with ear phones.. and the dad already looks tired. He really needed this vacation.First Activity: Fishing These fishermen may not have caught any fish.. but the certainly had fun, while I worried about someone getting

Happy Father's Day to the one who is NOT tone deaf

2008-06-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

In honor of Father's Day I wanted to show off what an awesome, amazing, unbelievable dad my kids have. Here is song he wrote for them and about them several years ago. I also made the video quite a few years ago too, which is why my boys still look like babies, and not the big hairy things they've since turned into! Enjoy!

Make a Joyful Noise

2008-06-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

...so a long time ago when Dillon was 2 or 3 we were driving in the car and a favorite song came on the radio. Seeing as how I was in the car with naught but my toddler I began to sing along loudly, as I sometimes do. I should take a moment to mention that I cannot sing. Not a note. Not even accidentally landing on pitch. And usually when I sing in the car, no one complains... because

Controversy and Conflict

2008-05-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

This week was a busy week for Controversy and Conflict.Let's begin with Case #1. I'm not completely convinced that Discrimination was at work here.. in fact, I'm pretty sure it wasn't! But some passionate (read hot headed) homeschoolers cried Discrimination over a a Subway Sandwich Contest. Here's the deal in a nutshell... Subway and Scholastic teamed up to hold a contest, wherein kids from

$$$

2008-05-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

We have been working on becoming the proud owners of a mortgage... and when you are self employed it is always daunting... but the bank has said we should have our official approval sometime next week. Now, the question is, do we use this loan to purchase a house or fill up the gas tank....

In Which I Completely Freak Out the Shower Guy

2008-05-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

Those that know me in real life know that there is probably not anyone more easy going than I. My blog theme isn't just pretty visuals. I really do always look on the bright side, always make lemonade out of lemons, and always find the silver lining... but sometimes... Sometimes I can be pushed so far, and coupled with stress and pressure, I can blow up.. and in the blowing up, innocent

Flashback Friday

2008-05-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

We were 16 years younger.... newly married and loving life. Happy Anniversary, sweetie! These have been the greatest 16 years ever!

Tag, I'm It

2008-05-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Comfy Denim suprised me by sneaking out from behind the laundry pile where she has been playing with her new puppy AND SHE TAGGED ME. And she didn't just tag me. She CHALLENGED me. She wrote, and I quote,"I hereby - officially tag: -... Melanie at Countin' it all Joy (because she'd be good at this)."So now, in addition to the pressure of having to write a new blog post, it has been announced

Happy Earth Day

2008-04-22T07:19:00.001-07:00

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Truly Counting It All Joy

2008-04-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

This has been an emotional week. From my mom's stem cell transplant to the death of a homeschooling friends' daughter... there have been many reasons to count things as joyful, and as many reasons to find it difficult to do so...I read a blog post today that truly summed up what it means to count it all joy.. even when faced with what one would imagine would be the darkest day ever.Audrey was

A New Birthday for My Mom

2008-04-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

I know many have been praying for my Mom and it has been felt! Yesterday she had her stem cell transplant. The put the stem cells back in that they harvested last month. The stem cell transplant will make such a difference in her recovery that the transplant coordinator told me this is her second birthday. Mom told me it was her thirdDecember 31st - The Day She Was BornSeptember 14th - The Day

Hail! Hail! And Marbles

2008-04-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Last night about 3:00 we woke up to the sound of marble sized chunks of ice beating on the roof. After I discerned that the train horn was not a tornado siren I went to check on the boys, who apparently could sleep through an atomic bomb. Jessie began to dance at the front door, eager to go potty. As soon as I opened the door, she started out and stopped cold. I actually heard her paws

Lessons Learned from 'Nilla

2008-03-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Friends who get new puppies like to show them off.These friends should be avoided.Because Puppy Fever is very contagious.11 year old boys are especially vulnerable.Once an 11 year old boy catches puppy fever, he can only say "puppy". ... even in his sleep. ... until he figures out how to say, "I'll do all the work" Soft hearted moms who have a touch of Puppy Fever believe this.Puppy fever

Cause it doesn't get any cuter than this

2008-03-12T09:52:00.001-07:00

Nicknames and promises to blog

2008-03-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

ComfyDenim has a great blog post about renaming things right now. And tonight, while IM'ing with another friend about the virtues of my unschooling-esque lifestyle, I have been renamed. My new moniker is "Melanie the academiclessness misspellfulling pummeller". (But only because it is so easy to misspell words like academiclessness when you make them up yourself!)I have some blog posts rolling

In Flu Enza

2008-03-02T18:52:00.001-08:00

I remember a joke from my childhood about a fly named Enza... and the punchline was "In flu Enza". Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't so much a joke as it was a play on words.. and not a particularly humorous one at that. Actually, nothing is particularly humorous right now because 3 out of 4 family members here have INFLUENZA!Jim, who is by far the worst case in the house AND just recovering

Prayer Request

2008-02-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,Please say a prayer for my dear hubby! We were in the doctor's office all day today where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He has breathing treatments, steroids and antibiotics, but even better than all of that is prayer!Thanks!

In which I catch up

2008-02-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

Now that I've remodeled the blog (noun) I feel I am obligated to blog (verb). The truth is there have been many times over the past few weeks that I've planned on blogging (gerund) but I have just been way, way too busy! (excuse)But now, I've turned over a new leaf (cliche)... OK, I'll stop all the parentheticals and just catch everyone up with what's been going on since I last blogged.First, I

Melanie is still musing.. but with a little more style

2008-02-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I got an e-mail from a reader of the blog "Melanie's Musings" It seems he was married to someone named Melanie, and just wanted to take the oppportunity to tell another Melanie how much he loved his Melanie. It was all very sweet. But he mentioned something in his e-mail about how one of my posts had touched him. The problem was, I had no clue what he was talking about.So, on a

Wordless Wednesday

2007-12-05T18:55:00.001-08:00

just morphing around

2007-09-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

So.. since I thought that last video I posted was so cool, I decided I needed to figure out how to do that myself... so, here's a little experiment. I morphed the '57 Belvedere that was rescued from Tulsa's Time Capsule this summer. This is actually part of a bigger project I'm working on now.. but I just had to show off my morphing.

Women in Film

2007-09-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was very cool and I like to share very cool things....

Cancer Sucks!

2007-07-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had metastisized to his bones. Unfortunately, it was agressive and had spread quickly. Fortunately, it responded aggresively to treatment and my dad is in good health with normal PSA numbers today.A couple of weeks ago, my mom was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma that effects the bones.I have started

Sweet Memories

2007-06-24T13:33:00.001-07:00

This a picture of Cody and my dad reading their papers. Cody is probably three here, but had a passion for reading I nearly killed when I tried to introduce Phonics. I eventually scrapped Phonics and allowed him to learn to read what he wanted in his time. On one of my loops we are discussing the value of comics, graphic novels, and other less than"literary" works in the teaching of reading. It

15 Amazing Years

2007-05-20T22:25:00.001-07:00

Last week, Jim and I celebrated our 15th Anniversay. That is to say, we wished each other a happy anniversary in between deadlines and clients. I had a huge video project due, and Jim had a huge shipment that needed to be readied. It's OK, though. The truth is, everyday with this man is special.15 years ago, Jim came into the recording studio where I worked. He had originally built the

Overheard at my house

2007-05-19T08:19:00.001-07:00

Overheard last night....Me: Do you want to go play golf sometime?Cody: No, it's itchy.Likely to be overheard in the future....Me: Clear the table.Kids: aw, mom.. that's itchy.Me: Have a good day at work, sweetie.Hubby: I'll try, but it's awful itchy.Hubby: Are you ready to do the taxes?Me: But that's so itchy!Itchy.. it's not just for wooly sweaters anymore.I'm off to purchase some

Drum Roll Please...

2007-05-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

I have an announcement.No, I'm not pregnant. But thanks for playing!Actually I have just started a new blog! Yes, you heard me right. I now have two blogs to neglect and feel guilty about. Ok, three if you count that whole yahoo 360 thing, but it really only gets copied and pasted from here.Why two blogs? Good question. And you can get the answer by surfing on over to melaniewalenciak.comDon't

I've been thinking....

2007-04-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

Call off the search party.. I'm here, alive and well.. and apparently in my silence I was awarded the Thinking Blogger Award. This could not be more appropriate because even though I might not have been blogging, I was, in fact, thinking. I was thinking about all they great blogs I could write if only I had the time. Problem is I never wrote them.. and they are long gone. My brain simply isn't

7 weird things about me... it's a meme thing.

2007-01-19T09:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm going to play... but I have to warn you, it's going to be difficult to narrow the field down to just 7.1. Every once and while I develop a craving for a balogna and frito sandwich. And I don't even have to be pregnant! Although when I was pregnant and suffering from all kinds of morning sickness, the only thing I could eat was chili-cheese dogs from Sonic. Nothing like spicey, greasy to

Deep Thoughts by Dillon

2007-01-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

So, Dillon and I were having a little discussion on the Bible. Dillon mentions that God is a great story-teller and He's always writing. I asked him what he meant and this is a direct quote from my Dillon... "Even now, He is writing the story that is me." It makes this Mama Writer's heart swell with pride. Dillon has deep thoughts and a way with words!

Blog... such a silly name for such a powerful tool

2007-01-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

Never, ever underestimate the power of a blog. A few months ago, an old friend from college found my blog. I went to his family blog and from there surfed on over to other blogs.. some bloggers I knew from school.. some I didn't. One particularly caught my heart.I check Noah Steven's Blog daily... praying for a miracle. I can honestly say that the seeking I have done on Noah's behalf, has

Christmas Traditions

2006-12-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

So Dillon and I sat down to watch some good old fashioned Christmas entertainment... the shows I used to watch in my youth. While I never forgot that Christmas was all about the birth of my Savior... certain characters were also definately a part of Christmas. From Kris Kringle teaching Winter to walk, ("Put One Foot In Front of the Other" ) to Elf Hermey's desire to be a dentist, the bouncing

Christmas Memories

2006-12-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Cody and Dillon ~ 7 years ago Cody, Jim and Dillon ~ 2 days ago

A Christmas Survey

2006-12-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

A Couple of friends have posted this Christmas Survey on their blogs.. I thought it might be fun to play along.... 1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?Hot Chocolate! Without question! It's not that I love hot chocolate so much.. it's simply that I can't stand Egg Nog. It might have something to do with that h0liday episode of Sisters where everyone got food poisoning from the egg nog... Ummmm.. No..

It is finished...

2006-12-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Dillon finally had his root canals today and we finished a journey, ummm, a "trip" really, that we started three months ago.This procedure has been a long time coming and some pretty major fears have had plenty of time to grow. By bedtime last night, Dillon was literally shaking. But he wasn't cold. My heart broke a little. When I went to wake him up this morning he was crying. My heart broke a

a little appreciation

2006-10-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

I hear it everyday!"Mom, I don't have any socks!""Do I have any clean jeans?""Please tell me you washed some towels!"Well, at least someone appreciates it when I don't do laundry!Sleep well, Jessie.... tomorrow your cuddly bed will be gone and the smell of Meadow Breeze fabric softener will permeate the house!

Interview with a Teenager

2006-10-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Cody at 13 Cody at 3It occurs to me, reading back over this blog that, what with teeth trauma and curly hair conundrums, the whole thing has been a bit Dillon-centric for the past few months. But Cody has been having an interesting few months as well. This summer, he became a teenager complete with a mustache. (Where has my little boy gone?) He is about 6 feet tall now, towering over me and

2006-09-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

Dillon and his Daddy making some pretty rockin' music together. This was taken a few years ago but remains one of my favorites!

So much for ripping that band-aid off fast!

2006-09-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

This morning we were scheduled to go have Dillon's root canals.I'm sure there is absolutely no greater morning greeting to a ten year old boy than to sweetly whisper in his ear, "Wake up, sweetie.. It's time to go get your root canals."The 10 year old boy summons all the saracsm the morning will allow, looks at me with his sleepy green eyes and says "you realize I'm in no way looking forward to

To the tune of " I Will Survive"

2006-09-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

So for some unknown reason, surely not having to do with any anonymous commenting on my blog, I was thinking of my college days. We had so much fun, it's a wonder that I even graduated. Oh, wait.. I didn't! That's right. I STILL have to run 3 MILES. Way to bring up a touchy subject!Anyway, that touchy subject aside, I well remember some of the hijinx that used to ensue when we would all get

To the anonymous commenter

2006-09-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

Heavens yes! It has been ages since Lomov came calling on Natalia but that certainly narrows down the scope of possibilites! I think I may need just one more hint... or was the use of the word "robust" in your original comment a bit of hint in itself?

Quick Dental Update

2006-09-25T23:21:00.000-07:00

9 out of 10 readers of this blog prefer Dentyne AND would like me to update as to the state of young Dillon's chompers. Due to a terrible cold and or allergies, Dillon was coughing way to hard to have any kind of dental work last Thursday.. so his appointment will be this Thursday. Say a prayer!

That boy is rough on teeth

2006-09-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful, breezy wednesday evening. The boys and I had gone to spend time with Jim at the shop and they decided they needed one last race before calling it a night. Jim and I were the "finish line" and we standing at attention when our boys rounded the shop corner. Suddenly, Dillon was down and screaming. Jim and I were trying to run to him, and Cody was doing his very best to comfort

But it's even cooler when you do it yourself!

2006-09-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

OK, you've seen the movie.... but you really have to experience it to get the full effect. It's like 3D... ONLY BETTER!This pics were taken at earlier this school year when we were studying chemical reactions. (and I"ve been meaning to post for quite a while!)The first picture is the definitive proof that Diet Coke makes a much better fountain than regular Coke. The other pictures show Cody and

Just cause I thought it was cool!

2006-06-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dillon and the Curly Hair

2006-03-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

My Dillon... my little hobbit who is outgrowing his hobbit hole all to quickly. I'm sure he is already taller than Frodo or SamWise.. but he will always have his hobbit hair. I love his curls. His daddy loves his curls. His grandparents all love his curls. He hates his curls. Almost as much as I hated my straight, lifeless, not blonde, not curly hair when I was his age.The other morning, he

Thursday Thirteen- a day late

2006-03-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Things about MY NAME1. My name is Melanie2. I was not named after the Melanie in gone with the wind3. Rumor has it, I was supposed to be a Melissa4. When my mother had me, her hospital roommate had a little girl as well5. My mom had 2 sons named Mark and Mike6. My mom's roommate had 2 sons named Mark and Mike7. My mom's roommate had picked the name Melanie out.8. If I had been a boy my

It's the thought that counts

2006-02-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day hasn't even arrived and he has already shocked me this year... really and truly. And it wasn't diamonds, flowers or candy. It was a phone call.And I'm not the one he called.He called another dad in the homeschool group to see if they could arrange a night to take all of us, oh-so-deserving moms out to dinner.I will wait while those of you who know my husband get up off the

Flying Squid

2006-02-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

No, not flying squirrels... flying squid. They are the official mascot for mothers everywhere.At least Kahri and I think so.Kahri and I were IM'ing today and trying to work out a small schedule snafu. It seems that Kahri was planning to come and help me organize my office (she's a professional organizer and I am NOT) at the same time she was planning to have an Usborne Book Party at her home. Now

AS IF.....

2006-02-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

There is a quiz going around letting you discover who your style twin is... Apparently my twin is Jessica Simpson. I can't help but laughing as I struggle to even pull up my daisy dukes! Click the link below and find out who your twin is.... and let me know!Your Celebrity Style Twin is Jessica SimpsonFlirty, feminine, and fun.Who's Your Celebrity Style Twin?

In which my faith is restored in humanity

2006-01-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

I'm sure all the regular readers of this forum (yes, both of you!) have been holding your breathe waiting for some kind of update on our recent victimization!The Tahoe and all it's contents are still gone. The detective says that the video from WalMart doesn't show anything. And in an interesting turn of events, it seems our debit card is being used by someone to pay membership fees to America

Anyone see a Chevy Tahoe?

2005-12-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost 1 in the morning and we just got home from WalMart. We didn't plan to be out this late, but unfortunately plans go out the window when someone STEALS YOUR CAR!!!! Yes, the Tahoe disappeared from WalMart's parking lot while we were looking for Draino.Not only was our car stolen, but Jim's backpack which is basically his office in a bag is missing along with all his keys, his

In Which I Slap Myself in the Face

2005-12-10T00:20:00.000-08:00

Literally, I slapped myself in the face tonight. And it still stings. It started with dinner at an Italian restaurant which was perfect if for no other reason than I was able to eat tiramisu surrounded by great friends. The food was fantastic, and the conversation was even better. The only thing that could top it was a dollar movie. After a lengthy discussion, all 8 of us decided we

WHILE THE SOAP BOX IS HANDY....

2005-11-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due..... which is why this article affected me so.Basically, Tilda Swinton who plays the White Witch in the soon to be released The Chronicles of Narnia, is claiming that she decided to make the White Witch, umm, white. She says that she thought it better to play her as white (aryan, in her words) instead of the typical dark skinned ghoul

FOR PETE'S SAKE......

2005-11-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

We interrupt the silence of this blog to step on the old soap box and rant...It seems that Tom Cruise has bought an ultrasound machine for his betrothed who is also with child. I'm wondering how often he plans to look at the little bambino.. (and I wonder how much water Miss Katie is going to have to drink daily to fill her bladder up for a better view!) Hey, I'm as sentimental as the next gal

THIRD PLACE AIN'T SO BAD

2005-11-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've won a few things in my life... mostly raffle type contests BUT up until a week ago I had only won one thing based on talent. In 5th grade, I won my elementary schools poetry contest and it started me on a path of seeking glory and adoration that continue to this day.Last week, I won something else. I entered the MomWriters Halloween writing contest and I won.... Ok, I won third place

I Married MacGyver

2005-10-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

And by that, I don't mean I married Richard Dean Anderson. (Although I loved the episode of Fact of Life where he was married to Tootie's aunt....) No, when I say I married MacGyver, I mean the man can do wonders with simple household objects. If the car is broken down, requiring a new part, forget about it. There will be no trips to Auto Zone.. not when he has a rubber band, a piece of chewing

EDUCATION RELAXATION

2005-09-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

One of my friends asked how our school year was going. This was my answer to her...I had grand visions for this school year which have not panned out due to health issues and other stresses. But that’s OK.. After 8 years of homeschooling I have learned to be about as relaxed as one could be without actually being asleep…..( if only I could sleep I might not be dealing with the aforementions

PERSPECTIVE

2005-09-02T23:36:00.000-07:00

I complained that I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet.~Irish ProverbWhat a lousy week… It was the kind of week where the simple act of waking up was a cardio workout. As soon as my feet hit the floor I remembered what bills were due and how there was no way to pay them. My heart would race, I would break out in a sweat and I would begin to feel breathless

PROCRASTINATION

2005-08-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

I don't procrastinate... but I plan to in the future.Ok, I might have a smidge of procrastination problem. You might notice that I registered this blog in February of 2003, and yet my first post was just 3 days ago.. TWO AND ONE HALF YEARS LATER!!!!!... I don't mean to procrastinate...but it seems to be the only thing I do in a timely manner.Recently on one of my loops, everyone was talking about

ANGEL BEAR

2005-08-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Although I registered this blog long ago, I have fought the blog. I have wrestled with feelings of inadequacy and wondered why anyone would care to read what I have to say. These thoughts are all the more suprising when one considers that I call myself a writer. Now, I know that there are topics on which I have volumes to write... marriage, parenting, homeschooling, and dream chasing, but what do