Augie's Moon Trip

Augie and crew took a recent trip to the Moon. During which we experience weightlessness, collect moon dust/rocks, find a moon-hopper, a moon tarantula, and a moon beetle, and eat some pear flavored moon slime. We saw aliens outside the window of our spacecraft. Oh and we also crash-land on the moon, which we discover during our pre return flight systems check (PRFSC) damaged our visual systems, so we have to do a blind re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. A really exciting trip. Luckily for Augie, Ardara and Huyler were both seasoned space travel veterans and they helped him a LOT.

Sidewinder

REM - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight - wideo
REM - The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
320x240

Mots-clés : rip rem

Video de x92org

Inspiration for a new year...

I Got What I Wanted.

Really my wish for this Christmas was to have fun, be happy, relax, and enjoy Christmas instead of being let down from all the build up. I have to say this was the most relaxed Christmas season we have had since the kids were born. We agreed that each of us would get each other person one gift. That meant that we would each get four gifts total. (Besides whatever aunts, uncles and grandparents gave us). That took a lot of pressure off of our shopping. And there was a lot less chaos Christmas morning - but the kids were JUST as excited! If not MORE excited because they got the chance to GIVE gifts this year instead of just receiving them, as in years past. On top of that, my mother-in-law went down to her other son's house for Christmas, leaving only one relative in town for us to share the day with. We woke up at a leisurely 8:00 am, opened presents slowly and then had french toast before heading over to my sister's house to see the family. Once we were there, we just hunkered down. We relaxed. We lounged. Okay, we cooked and cleaned the kitchen and cleaned the kitchen again and cooked some more. But I didn't have that added concern of watching the clock to make sure we divided up the time evenly between Dane's family and my family. We were just there and that was it. So relaxing.

Plus, it was my birthday and Dane and the kids surprised me with birthday cards and gifts, and candles on top of the delicious blackberry cobbler. We watched movies and gabbed and laughed and watched Alex play his new Guitar Praise video game. We played board games and worked puzzles and wore new slippers and drank wine-a-ritas. It was such a good day!

Here are some of the terrific presents I got this year:

a Sonicare toothbrush

Kate Moss perfume

my dad's driftwood art

The Devil's Bonbons made by my genius sister in law

a book of essays about the works of Randall Jarrell

spa products galore

family photos

a gift card for Barnes and Noble

a new camera

a complete set of bare minerals cosmetics

a bracelet beaded by my 7 year old daughter

and here are some of the gifts I had the delight of giving this year:

to my husband: Fossil sunglasses

to my kids: educational gadgets [microscope, telescope, smart globe]

to my best friend: PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren

to my relatives: homemade Lapbooks about each of them - their home, their activities, their special interests, etc.

Snowflake goodies

Some weeks back I read this idea. And it sounded fun and perfect for my little ones. We took flour tortillas, folded them in quarters and cut them into snowflakes, just like you do with paper.

Then we fried them in hot oil until golden and crispy - sort of like a sopapilla, but not as bubbly.

And as they drained on paper towels, we sprinkled them generously with powdered sugar. Now they are beautiful white snowflakes and a perfect match for hot chocolate (make mine with some Bailey's Irish Cream please!)

Then we snuggle up and read another chapter of A Christmas Carol (you know it only has 5 chapters so you can start it on the 21st and finish reading it to your kiddies on Christmas day. Be sure to use appropriate voices for all the characters!)

My Auntie Kay

So, I have this awesome aunt. I know that all my siblings will agree that she is our favorite. I don't mean any disrespect to our other aunts - they all have wonderful qualities, and special memories for us - but Auntie Kay is different. My sisters and I must all aspire to be that kind of aunt to our neices/nephews - we want to be THEIR Auntie Kay. I doubt we ever will be. She is like the Indiana Jones of aunts. For example, when we were little she lived on a farm, but it wasn't an ordinary farm - they had peacocks running around with the chickens. My mom would drive us out to visit her and sing a song she had made up about Auntie Kay (nope, don't remember any OTHER aunt having that honor!) and it was a FUN song to sing, so we all joined in. We had this black and white photograph of Kay hiking in the Sierras that made it look like she was just crawling up the side of a giant rock slope like spider man. Kay always had funny stories to tell us. Sometimes they were about her stepdaughters, Audrey and Vanessa, or her cousin's girls, Lindsey and Hallie May. Sometimes they were about whatever silly kitties were occupying a place in her heart at the time. Her nutty husband Roger for years made fantastic stuffed bears - Roger Bears - and they were always getting into mischief too. When we lived far far away in Missouri, we loved to get letters from Auntie Kay telling us such funny stories. But she also wrote to us about grown up things. I remember her writing to me about the book she was reading - the Aquarian Conspiracy - and actually trying to explain in words an 8 year old could understand what it was about. She also made me a leather totem pouch - just like the Indians wore! And she didn't just make it for me, she sent me instructions how to make my own. Kay lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico studying ancient Chinese medicine. When her 8 years of training were complete, she moved to Sedona where we would often go visit her and receive acupuncture treatments, and covet her earring collection and go hiking in the red rocks and so on and so forth. Our mom and Kay were always in a competition to see who could grow their hair out longest. The funny part about it was, they both had extremely short hair. They were obsessive about cutting their hair. They would get it pretty long (Like, covering their ears) and then it would feel too shaggy and they would have to cut it. They are only a few years apart so they used to look a lot alike. Some people even said they looked like twins with their short hair and their Evans faces. When I was a single adult living in Santa Fe (certainly trying to be an adventurous spirit like Kay was in that place before me) I saw a comic strip that reminded me of Auntie Kay - It was Mutts, and it was a kitty playing with a little pink sock. It was similar to this onebut not this one. Anyway. I saw it and I thought of Kay so I sent it to her. Would you believe that 10 years later, my Auntie Kay sent me that comic strip back and told me that she had kept it all those years and always thought of me when she saw it? That began a correspondence that I have been so thankful for. I love my Auntie Kay even more now than when I was a little kid. But lately life has gotten in my way. I haven't written to her in months - maybe even a year. Well, the other day, I got a letter from her with another Little Pink Sock episode tucked inside. The letter began with "The saga continues." It just made me giddy. But the letter unfortunately was pretty sad news. She is practically crippled from back pain that doctors have had trouble treating. Her husband is so busy trying to earn a living in this economy that he couldn't take care of her in that state, so she has gone to live with her sister (my other dear Auntie, Nancy, who is older than my mom and also a very interesting and compassionate person). I can't say it sounds horrible being taken care of by your sister - apart from the chronic pain, of course. I'd love to get to live alone with my big sister and spend lots of time with her. But Auntie Kay? It breaks my heart that her adventures are pretty much over. I guess this is the time for her to put her Buddhism to the test and learn to quietly listen. But I so ache for her. And I can't help praying that God is using this for his glory in Kay's life. That maybe this is a whole new chapter of HER saga. That an awakening is coming far more real and grand and life-altering than any harmonic convergence in the galaxy. I pray that this will be the time when Kay meets God. And I pray she will have joy.

The 100 Greatest Movie Characters

This list on Empireonline.com was pretty dang good. But I take issue with them including the likes of Wall-E and excluding Holly Golightly AND Barbarella. As for their ranking - has Tyler Durden really upstaged Darth Vador? I'm not entirely sold. But it seems as though this list was compiled through some sort of democratic process. Maybe just not enough of us turned up at the polls. Wouldn't be the first time. Check it out for youselves.

The 100 Greatest Movie Characters

The Dude, as portrayed by Jeff Bridges for "The Big Lebowski" ranked #7

What i love about Christmas time

Christmas may be all overly commercial and stressed out. And for some sad reason it has to come right in the beginning of flu season. But that doesn't mean it isn't the MOST wonderful time of the year. Here's a list of things I love about Christmas time:

1. Christmas movies - I don't mean the lame ones like the Santa Clause or Fred Claus. I'm talking Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the Polar Express, and lately the Nativity Story.

2. I love going to the Walk Through Bethlehem at the local Lutheran Church. They have done it every year as long as I can remember. Its better than a live nativity because they do the whole village, and everyone talking about the census and the strange star shining and the poor woman they saw riding a donkey. As you pass through, some shepherd boys stop you and tell you about seeing angels - this is where I always start crying - and then you go through a door and you see hosts of angels proclaiming the arrival of the Messiah. Out one more door into the cold parking lot that has a stable built and there is the holy family with some donkeys and sheep. They don't say a word. Its just beautiful.

3. I love going Christmas shopping all by myself. No one else keeps the same speed as me. They always want to go somewhere else or get tired before I am. I like to just wander through the stores by myself and take my time and buy a little something here and a little something there.

4. Christmas cooking. I'm talking sweets, baby. I am going to try a new thing this year. You cut snowflakes out of tortillas, deep fry them and sprinkle them with powdered sugar to make snowflake fritters. So pretty and yummy.

5. It's my birthday and even though I never get a party and I always get two-in-one gifts, there is still something special about it being my birthday.

6. I love drinking hard liquor in the cold - like hot toddies or Irish Coffee at the courthouse lighting. I know it sounds bad, but I'm not talking about getting wasted. I just like the heat of it sliding down my insides when it is so cold on the outsides.

7. Christmas Eve services. I am such a sucker for little kids singing praises to Jesus, and they don't ever do it as enthusiastically as at Christmas time. I cry and cry all through church. Its wonderful. Especially when MY kids are involved.

8. Waiting for it to snow. Even though we live in Arizona and it rarely snows here until around February or March, I still like to look outside and think "This could be it."The skies get all grey and dreary, and we are all walking around blowing our noses and the only thing that would make it all worthwhile is some big, fat flakes falling and sticking to the ground. Its wishful thinking but it does really happen sometimes.

9. Driving around looking at people's lights. We also incorporate the Town of Prescott Valley's City of Lights display into this, but I'm most excited about the lights people (mainly dads) go out in the cold to staple, hang, wrap and smother their homes in. We don't do outside lights, but Daddy does do the lights on the Chrismas tree. That's a daddy's job.

10. Fun and excitement are in the air. I know that most of it is commercialism. But I just read the greatest thing about Christmas in Anne Rice's book "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession". I already returned the book to the library, so I can't quote, but she talks about how those storefront displays and those carols on the radio and over the speakers at the mall, etc. are the closest many people get to the Lord at Christmas time. They DO remind us of the hope that is in the coming of Our Lord. And that excitement may be over what we are getting and what we are giving, but more than a few times during the season, everyone remembers that God came down to be one of us, and he didn't do it in splendor or pomp. He came as a baby, and a poor baby at that. So that every thing we go through in life we can know that he has been there.

The Christmas Meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Some of each – Dane is a wrapping paper lover, and I of course reuse gift bags until they fall apart. 2. Real tree or Artificial? Real! I really loved the year we won the lottery to cut our own, even though the one we found was sort of Charlie Brown-esque 3. When do you put up the tree? About 2 days before Christmas 4. When do you take the tree down? About 2 days after Christmas 5. Do you like eggnog? I made it from scratch last year. It was a little bit gross. 6. Favorite gift received as a child? My kitty. He is in Israel in a box. Someday we’ll be reunited. 7. Hardest person to buy for? Dane 8. Easiest person to buy for? Ardara 9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, Dane gave me a gorgeous one a couple of years ago. I love it. And a different one that the kids can play with too. 10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I wish I had it together enough to do Christmas cards. Every time I try, I’m late mailing them. 11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don’t remember ever hating a Christmas gift. I must be easy to shop for. 12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I have a few – Scrooged, A Christmas Carol, and The Bishop’s Wife (because I have to get Carey Grant into my holidays somehow) 13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? If I had my way, I would do it way early, but Dane doesn’t let me shop until right before Christmas. I hate that. 14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so. 15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Candy, baby 16. Lights on the tree? Have you seen the Mythbusters about it? Lights really aren’t what causes all those Christmas tree fires according to them. Its faulty wiring/overloading the sockets, a la Clark Griswald. So, light em up! 17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night (me too, Tara!) but my kids laugh at me because I always cry when I sing Little Drummer Boy. I’m that cheesy. 18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay home 19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? my Dad teases me that I remember every lyric to any song I’ve heard even once. That’s an exaggeration, but I have heard The Night Before Christmas many times – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet Cupid, Donner and Blitzen... and do you recall the most famouse reindeer of all? RUDOLPH the Red Nosed Reindeer! 20. Angel on the tree-top or a star? We had a stained glass cross, but it broke so this year I get a new tree topper. I saw a cool one in a catalog. It was a start of David. I think I might get it, if I can find it again. (the one in this picture isn't it.) 21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Morning. No cheaties 22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The people wanting you to give one last tax deductible donation before the end of the year – as if we are all just looking for ways to get rid of our money right now. 23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Ones the kids make 24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Christmas dinner wasn’t really a tradition in our house growing up. We just grazed it seems like. (Sorry mom if I am forgetting your hard work for many years – I really don’t remember Christmas dinner!) But it is my birthday and I do remember birthday cakes. YUM! 25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Something sentimental. Merry Christmas to Everyone and many blessings for the New Year!

Rhinos pictures

Well, Jarnli did send me the pictures of me and the kids with the Rhinos basketball team. So, here they are. I look like I'm trying really hard. But I was cool, really.

Seven Things

Because one of my very favorite blogs is Design Crush, and because she invited everyone to do the About Me survey, and because I love to do surveys, I offer you ...

The picture on my profile right now is an illustration from my favorite childhood book, Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. As a child I had these really wild paisley sheets on my bed and I would get under the covers with a flash light and read Water Babies and imagine I was in an underwater world. I really really wanted to be a water baby. One of my favorite things about Dane when we were courting was that he went to the barber regularly for a shave and a haircut. He was so handsome and smelled so good afterwards with his clean cut, it thrilled me beyond measure. But for the past 7 years he has had me cutting his hair for him, and it doesn't have the same effect at all.

The first person I ever stalked was a man who looked exactly like Cary Grant. I was working at Little Caesar's pizza and he came in to pick up an order. He didn't speak English at all, but was reading off of a 3x5 card. His accent sounded french. I was so taken by him that I looked up his phone number in the backwards telephone directory and his name was Rolph Englehard. It had his address, so I started a daily routine of driving past his house for a glimpse of him. I never actually saw him, though. By now he would be a gray haired old man, although probably still handsome. Actually, that was a lie. I actually started stalking cute boys while I was still in school. I memorized Jim Fransen's locker combo just so I could smell his jacket when he wasn't around. I also made my mom drive past Stan Goligoski's house many many times. I don't know why Rolph Engelhard stands out as the first, when I did it all the time as a school girl. Either way, he wasn't the last. Now, of course, I don't do any stalking. I really am happily married. (: My pet peeves include but are not limited to: not replacing a roll of toilet paper when you use it up, bad grammar/punctuation/spelling, improper use of cliches, fanatics (whether it is a fanatical vegetarian, eschatologist, baseball fan or scrapbooker - they all just get under my skin.) One thing that Dane does that really endears him to me is to sing along with gusto to the music he loves, even though he can't carry a tune and doesn't know the lyrics. I don't really appreciate this quality in everyone, but in my husband it is precious. He confessed to me the other day that he was singing along in the car and thought he was hitting the notes so well he turned down the volume to hear himself. He was wrong. Enough said.

My very favorite car in the whole world is a 1963 Jaguar XKE. It is pure sex on wheels.

TAG! You're IT!

Teachable Moments that REALLY Matter

So, last night Dane told me he would need me and the kids to be finished with our exploration Wednesday by noon for him to use the car. Since our unit this week is on the sun and the moon, I quickly yanked the kids out of bed and dragged them outside (okay, I wasn't really that rough about it) to look at the gorgeous, bright full moon over our house. Then I told them we would be getting up early and going somewhere special to watch the sunrise. I was so excited myself, I could barely sleep. I just knew it was going to be a special day. I was right. We woke up at 6:30, got some apples and coffee together and some woobies, and drove to Watson Lake. We got there just in time to scramble up onto a huge granite boulder, cuddle up under the down woobies and watch the sun peek over the horizon. As it rose I talked to the kids about Lamentations 3:22-23, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." I told them that if there was ever a time in their lives that they realized they weren't close to God, or thought they had done something God wouldn't forgive, or just wanted to somehow draw closer to God, I wanted them to wake up early like this and watch the sun rise. That every time they watch the sun rise it will remind them that today is a brand new day. Every day is a new chance to start all over. Every morning God's mercy is perfectly new. Fresh. Not two week old leftovers out of the fridge, but brand spanking new mercy that doesn't remember the past, but tells us "I forgive you. Just go forward and don't look back." We sang that little chorus that I learned when I first became a Christian - "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases/ his mercies never come to an end/ they are new every morning/ new every morning/ great is thy faithfulness, O God/ Great is thy faithfulness" Then we got to just climb around on the awesome granite dells and explore for a few hours, which was super duper fun. It was by far one of the most meaningful times I ever spent with my kids, and I know it touched them too, because the rest of our day was filled with supernatural peace - which is HUGE when you have three young children! Just before bed time Huyler told me "Mom, I had a really good day." My heart wanted to just over flow. I hope they remember it, because without that fresh mercy every day, I would be totally lost in life.

Netiquette

So, I just found out that FTW is supposed to mean "for the win" and not "f*** the world", which explains a lot about why I see this acronym from people I totally wouldn't expect to hear swearing. I googled it. I also found a whole glossary of internet abbreviations and I am just sitting here wondering why people can learn what practically amounts to an entire new language for typing on the internet, instead of spending an equal amount of time learning to type things out in the language they already use? I mean, it doesn't take me any longer to type "for the win" than it does to think of typing FTW and then executing it. If that's really a part of someone's vocabulary anyway, why not just practice your typing skills to save time? I guess it just bothers me that the English language is falling by the wayside while people are taking the time to create a glossary so that others can understand their mostly initialed email.

In case you couldn't picture it...

As described in my last post.... here is me with a paper clip in my nose. It came about from helping my kids clean their room and finding said paper clip on the floor. I realized that it had been quite some time since I had pulled that little shocker, and sure enough, Augie was completely taken aback. He loved it. Dane, not so much.

Let's All Get to Know Each Other

My mom sent me a quiz! Of COURSE I had to fill it out. And it was a fun one, too.

(X) Gone on a blind date an Irish kid named Patrick in Santa Fe. He took me to an old people restaurant

(X) Skipped school I forged a note from Mom and it was so obvious I got called in to Mr. Bixler's office and busted for it.

(X) Watched someone die Holly Windish had an asthma attack at the Major Lingo show in Jerome, and the ambulance didn't make it up the hill in time from Cottonwood. Very sad.

(X) Been to Canada (thanks to Anika!) yeah!

(X) Been to Mexico Prescott's sister city Caborca for a service project when I was 16

(X) Been to Florida thanks to my Father in Law!

(X) Been on a plane (more than I'd like) amen.

(X) Been lost "...but now am found, was blind, but now I see"

(X) Been outside of the country Ireland, Israel and stopovers in England (can't count Mexico and Canada, because not only are they attached, but we already covered them in a previous question)

( ) Gone to Washington, D.C

(X ) Swam in the ocean Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean and Dead Sea!

(X) Cried yourself to sleep Hello, I was 16 for a whole entire year.

(X) Played cops and robber Sheriff Powder Puff with a chicken coop for a jail!

(X) Recently colored with crayons Like every day.. .I did the best Incredible Hulk yesterday. I should scan it.

(X) Sang Karaoke I can do Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" like nobody's business. I just recently sang it a capella to Dane on our anniversary - we didn't feel like going to a honkey tonk to actually get accompaniment.

(X)Paid for a meal with coins only I have paid for more embarassing things than food with coins only

(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't… Have you seen Augie's smile? He could get me to go back on my word 100 times a day.

(X) Made prank phone calls I actually did, but I can't remember with whom or what we said

(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose And one time Karen Chandler made me laugh so hard I threw up in my thirstbuster cup. TMI, I know.

(X)Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(X)Danced in the rain

(X)Written a letter to Santa Claus

(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe But never taken by surprise in a romantic, movie way. I'm always the dork standing under the mistletoe going "Oh, look! I'm standing under the mistletoe! How silly of me!"

(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about

(X) Blown bubbles

(X) Gone ice-skating

(X)Been skinny dipping outdoors The last time was with Mom in Tomales Bay!!!

(X) Gone to the movies If there is anyone who is living in a technologically advanced enough vicinity that they can receive random quizzes via email and yet they have never been to the movies... I'm confused.

(X) did something illegal

1. Any nickname? Squasha Tasha

2. Mother's Name? Silly Sally

3. Favorite drink? It changes, but lately I have been enjoying Nescafe in the mornings. It reminds me of Israel, where everyone drinks instant or Turkish coffee. No one has a coffee maker.

4. Tattoo? Several, but I'm not proud of any of them now.

5. Body Piercing? Septum, but I don't wear anything in it anymore. Sometimes I stick a paper clip in there to freak out my kids.

6. How much do you love your job? I LOOOOOVE home schooling my kids. I HAAAAAAATE doing office work for Dane.

7. BIRTHPLACE? a hospital delivery room, unlike my lucky little sister.

8. Favorite vacation spot? I like the vacation spot in "The Fifth Element", where they go for a cruise on another planet and hear an alien opera diva. Way cool.

9. Ever been to Africa? Never even desired to go. Well, maybe to Egypt.

10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? No, but Pancakes is a regular dinner item

11. Ever been on TV? Nope

12. Ever steal a traffic sign? No, but three different boyfriends of mine have. It is always a result of drugs and/or alcohol.

13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, and always my own fault - but NOT the result of drugs and/or alcohol.

14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4-door 4x4

15. Favorite salad dressing? Wishbone Green Goddess

16. Favorite pie? It's been a super long time since I had mom's rhubarb, but it does sound good. I also like me some pumpkin pie from scratch with free pumpkins from the day after Halloween at Albertson's. I forgot to go get one this year, but I still have some in the freezer from last year.

17. Favorite number? 11 - because it's just two sticks

18. Favorite movie? P.S. I Love You - speaking of karaoke, I haven't seen Dane laugh that hard in years. Mom, you would love that scene. Its PG-13, did you see it?

20. Favorite dessert? Just a little bit of delicious chocolate for me

21. Favorite food? sushi, and I'm proud to say that my 7 year old loves it too.

22. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday, its Exploration Day this year in school and we are required to go spend time outdoors, exploring a new place every week. The kids draw in nature journals, and we do experiments. And no math class or anything.

23. Favorite brand of body wash or soap? Body Shop pink grapefruit

24. Favorite toothpaste? Tom's non-flouride peppermint

25. Favorite smell? clean little babies sleeping

26. How do you exercise? hmm. ha ha. haaaa haaa haaaa. bwahhh haaaa haaaaa haaa. HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Maybe another baby? Maybe living in Israel? "...yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." James 4:14

28. What do you do to relax? I have a lavender eye pillow and I lock my door and lay down and put on my eye pillow and I escape into another dimension until someone comes screaming at me that so-and-so is going to kill them, and then I get back up.

29. Furthest place you will send this message? Newport, OR, but I may post it on my blog, too, which is read all over the world according to my little map counter thingy!

30. Who will respond the fastest? Mom sent it to everyone I would send it to. And I bet you I sent it back before Jarnli! HA!

Oh, and if you read my blog, consider yourself SOOOO tagged. I want to see some long quizzes on your blog pronto.

Okay, I forgive you.

I'm really easy to appease. Just remember 3 things:

1. Don't treat me like a jerk in the first place
2. When I go to sleep on the couch, you aren't supposed to LET me.
3. When #1 and #2 get missed, just TRY to make up.. even with a bouquet from the grocery store. I'm not picky.

Arizona Rhinos

Yay! Prescott Valley has a basketball team! The ABA team, the Arizona Rhinos was at Tim's Toyota Center today for a meet and greet. Then they showed up at a fall festival we were enjoying at Glassford Hill Church! We got to watch them shoot some hoops! Jarnli took a picture of me and the boys with the team, but its on her camera, so I may never see it. Season starts December 5th. Woot! And Huyler made friends with this little guy, Kalil, who was with the team, although I don't know whose son he is. He was 4 and ADORABLE (He gave me his autograph.. just a lowercase "h". so cute).

A reminder to vote early

This was so inspiring! I am going to the County Building this week to vote early. I think I will take my kids with me. Dane is still adamant about not voting, but I am more and more relieved to be voting again after 12 long years.

Vaught Thoughts

"Well today, Thomas went with me to the Washington County Courthouse, held my hand and walked up three flights of stairs where I presented my ID and took my place proudly in line with my son. "Electronic or manual?" the clerk said. "Electronic," I said. I thought Thomas would think it was cool to help me push the buttons on the screen. I was right. " Thanks for the reminder!

Tongue Twisters

So, I have a few favorite tongue twisters that I love to impress my kids with. I'm always game to learn a new one, so comment if you have a doozy. Here are mine:

From my Mother:

Betty Botter bought some butter

But, she said, this butter's bitter

If I put it in my batter

it will make my batter bitter.

But I think it would be better

if I bought some better butter

So it was that Betty Botter

bought a bit of better butter.

From a Nursery Rhyme book I have:

Moses supposes his toeses are roses,

but Moses supposes erroneously

For nobody's toeses are posies of roses

As Moses supposes his toeses to be.

And from my high school Spanish class:

Paco Peco, chico rico,

insulto de modo loco

a su tio Frederico,

y le dijo

"Paco Peco, poco a poco

poco pico!"

Translation:

Paco Peco, a little rich kid,

insulted in a crazy way

his uncle Frederico

and he said

"Paco Peco, little by little,

your little beak!" (that's slang for something like shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you)

And from the International Tongue Twisters Database, a Hebrew one:

NACHASH NASHACH NACHASH SHE NASHACH NACHASH.

Translation:

A snake bit a snake who bit a snake.

So, I'm Bored

70

Beautiful wisdom

"I get up. I walk. I fall down. Meanwhile, I keep dancing." – Rabbi Hillel

James McAvoy and Craig Ferguson

demonstrating what is now known as the "Scottish vacuum of charm." I love James McAvoy. I don't know how anyone so skinny and pasty white can be so diggity doggone HOT, but he manages it somehow. It must truly be Scottish charm. I know it isn't merely the accent, though, because he spoke with an American accent in Penelope and I still had fits of joy when he grabbed Christina Ricci and kissed her at the end.

I deciphered a secret

I know I have too much time on my hands once Dane goes to bed. But why else do we pay for internet access? If you aren't addicted to PostSecret.com yet, you should be. It is so fascinating to read other people's secrets. I may just send in my own secret someday. But until then, I will wait with bated breath every Sunday for the newest secrets to appear. This one was in code, so I went to wikihow and figured out how to decipher a code. It was easy. No, I'm not going to tell you what it says. Figure it out like I did.

Hold On Tight!!!!

This is me these past few days. The recession (read that depression) is slamming us down head first. We bounced multiple checks over the weekend and had three customers cancel this week citing the economic collapse as their reason. This is not a good time to own a window cleaning business. Its just not a priority in times of famine. I'm praying God will take us back to Israel now.

Paul Newman

I was so shocked to hear of Paul Newman's death today that I cried and cried. I couldn't handle all the "Remembering Paul Newman" things they did on the radio all day long. It just hurts to think of him dying. But, I have to pay tribute to one of my favorite actors of all time. I hope it soothes the hurt to see him in better days..

My Son and America's Crush..

Here is a picture of Huyler...

and here is the news anchor Dane's aunt thinks is his spitting image in 25 years.

I know, I know. That's Anderson Cooper. I honestly never heard of the guy until Tantie Pat told me he looked like Huyler. Then I had to look him up and felt like a n00b for not knowing who he was.

A New Classic Photo

I don't know who took this photo, or where else it has been published. I got it from Enthalpy, a blog I like, but don't know its author.

This is the memorial built for the 1900 storm that hit Galveston. And that is Ike about to hit it. Intense shot.

The New Cell Phone Rules

I recently read the new Email Etiquette posted by Catfood & Cabernet, and in a similar vein, I would like to present the Cell Phone Rules that I plan on giving to my husband as soon as he gets back to me.

1. We are currently spending $100 extra a month on your excessive text messaging, when we have FREE Sprint to Sprint calling. Why? Because you are enamored with your new touch screen phone that lets you transcribe instead of pushing buttons. So, from now on, you are forbidden to text me. I will not read or respond to your text messages. They are a poor form of communication anyway, because every time we converse via text, someone misunderstands our shortened version of the English language and I show up with Chinese food instead of the pizza you ordered. So, call me and tell me exactly what you mean and then hang up. Free.

2. I understand if you are in the middle of something and can't talk that you may push the ignore button. That doesn't mean that I never called you. Since I spend much of my time caring for our children, and since you are out driving our only vehicle around, consider the fact that I may have an important reason for calling you and RETURN my call as soon as you can. Telling me you forgot is not a valid excuse when I am calling you every 10 minutes and not getting through.

3. I hate it with a passion when you try to call my cell phone and I don't get to it in time so you immediately try the home phone. Please picture the scenario... I am cutting up a raw chicken for dinner. My hands are all slimy, bacteria infested and gross. The phone rings. I run to the sink to rinse off my hands, then turn to find a towel to dry them, only to see that the 5 year old has used it to wipe off his muddy shoes. No time to find a new one, my cell is on it's 3rd of 4 rings! I reach to my pocket, but.... where is my phone? I left it on the bathroom counter when I was wiping our 4 year old! I race to the bathroom and answer the phone just as it clicks to voicemail. So, then, I quickly hit "Call" to get you right back, and your phone goes directly to voicemail just as the phone in the kitchen begins to ring. I run back to the kitchen, tripping over the kids playing in the middle of the floor and by this point the dog is chasing me from room to room thinking it is a game. By the time I reach the kitchen phone, it too has stopped ringing. (You hung up before the voicemail picked up this time). When my cell rings again, I can be certain I will get a lecture for not answering my phone. NEXT TIME just wait to the count of 10 after you miss my cell. I will almost always call you right back, avoiding danger to life and limb on my end of the call and avoiding a pissed off wife on your end.

5. Just wait until you are past that power line that ALWAYS makes you drop a call before you even dial. Because you never remember to warn the very important client/doctor/long-lost-relative you are talking to that you are entering a bad service area, so they are always surprised when they lose you. AND you are always going to scream a profanity when you lose the call, even when the kids are in the car with you.

6. I know you can play Vegas Solitaire and Bubble Breaker on your phone. But put it down and spend some time with US.

100 Things Every Omnivore Should Eat at Least Once

This one came to me through Sarah's blog, and she evidently got it from some other blog. I am not a picky eater, in fact I am a very experimental eater, so I am interested to see what I've tried, and to try some of the things recommended.

How it works:

bold items you have eaten

strike through items you will never eat

I also asterisk** the ones I can't wait to try

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros

4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding but hated it!

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp aka bottom suckers? I don't think so

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush hate eggplant

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi That's dry curry for those of you who don't know

15. Hot dog from a street cart

16. Epoisses***

17. Black truffle***

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras***

24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn, or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters

29. Baklava I make my own, baby!

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Salted lassi***

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar

37. Clotted cream tea

38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail As with "head cheese" there are some body parts best left alone

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin***

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin I don't know if this is the rock or the diaffhea medicine, but either one I'll pass on

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frogs’ legs

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost, or brunost

75. Roadkill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.

85. Kobe beef

86. Hare

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake

Google-A-Meme

I stumbled across this meme and thought it was cool…

To answer each question, plug your answer into Google Image Search, and pick a picture from the first page of images from your search results.

1. Your age on your next birthday.

34

2. A place you’d like to travel.

the Italian Riviera

3. Your favorite place.

Jerusalem

4. Your favorite object.

my Bible

5. Your favorite food.

excellent sushi

6. Your favorite animal.

tiny turtles

7. Your favorite color.

kelly green

8. The town where you were born.

Santa Rosa, CA

9. The town where you live.

Prescott, AZ

10. Name of a past pet.

Patrick "Patio Furniture" Harris

11. Name of a past love.

Noah Fisher

12. Best friend’s nickname.

"Emmy's Mom"

13. Your screen name.

This one is a tie between...

and... Bouvier

14. Your first name.

15. Your middle name.

16. Your last name.

17. Bad habit of yours.

Blogging

18. Your first job.

Little Caesar's Pizza

19. Name of grandmother.

Naomi

20. College/grad major(s.)

English Literature

It’s your turn… Consider yourself tagged and comment if you run with this one.

If I were Sarah Palin's daughter...

My Palin name would be: Trowel Ogre Palin I guess its just as well I was born a Cheney girl. I'm not big on garden tools OR mythological creatures. Try out the name generator and comment with your own Palin name.

Rhettandlink.com new song

Hey! Have a listen to Rhett and Link's new song and get the free .mp3 by clicking on the right to their blog.

Entertainment Weekly's - The New Classics: 100 Best Reads from 1983-2008

Another list of awesome books that I have yet to plumb the depths of...

• bold = books you have read
• italicize = books you’ve started but not finished (abandoned)
• strike = books you read but hated
• asterisk* = books you’ve read more than once
• underline = books you own but still haven’t read yourself

1. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (2006)

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)

3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)

4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)

5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)

6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)

7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)

8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)

9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)

10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)

11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)

12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)

13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)

14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)

15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)

16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)

17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)

18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)

19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)

20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)

21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)

22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)

24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)

25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)

26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)

27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)

28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)

29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)

30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)

31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)

32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)

33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)

35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)

36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)

37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)

38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)

39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)

41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)

42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)

43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)

44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)

45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)

46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)

47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)

48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)

50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)

51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)

52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)

53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)

54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)

55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)

56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)

57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)

58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)

59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)

60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)

62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)

63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)

64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)

65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)

66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)

67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)

68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)

69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)

70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)

71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)

72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)

73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)***

74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)

75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)

76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)

77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)

81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)

82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)

83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)

84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)

85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)

87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)

89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)

90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)

91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)

92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)

93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)

94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)

95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)

96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)

97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)

98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)

99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)

100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

I think we have a home!

We signed a (weird) contract on this house yesterday. It is a weird house. It is in the middle of a remodel and I wasn't totally sure this was the house we wanted, but the loan we needed was not offered after Friday, so we jumped on the two we found. One turned us down. This one accepted. Of course, things could crumble before escrow ends, so I am not getting my hopes up about it. I am hesitant to even say "We have a home" until the inspection is done and the papers are all signed, etc. Besides, Dane has yet to speak to the man we bought our land from and get out of that whole mess. Anyhoo... here is the house. And following are the pros and cons of this house.

Pro:

Check out the weeping willow in the front yard. There is some other awesome tree shading the front yard, too.

lots of windows, especially on every corner

big, grassy, fenced back yard - we're talking privacy fence, too.

nice big front deck

little stone terrace in the back

one car garage will fit our one car nicely

slump block with plastered inside walls

fireplace in living room plus gas furnace

big attic fan and evap cooler

hard wood floor in the dining area and nice new tile in the bathrooms

will have new carpet

refurbished original cabinets and new granite countertops

walk-in master closet

very good, older neighborhood in Prescott, close to Grammy Kathy and the Lutzes (our best friends and relatives)

Close to the reservation, so we know the nighborhood won't get much bigger - unless they decide to build the Mosher Casino next door)

A window over the kitchen sink that overlooks the back yard

Crawl space underneath and ductwork already in place

the price was right at $207,000 and the seller paying the down and closing costs

no HOA

Con:

popcorn ceilings in parts of the house

only 1 1/2 baths and a small bathtub

no appliances included

no air conditioner

the boys will have to share a room and there is no room for any MORE kids, should there be any more kids in our future - that means another move is inevitable.

an awkward hallway to the bedrooms (Dane actually got lost the first time we toured it)

my first impression of the seller, who is doing all the remodeling himself, was not very good. I'm concerned he won't get the work done in time.

no office space or homeschooling space.

the gorgeous trees block out a lot of natural light that those awesome corner windows should be allowing in.

A Visit From Israel!

I hope you have checked out the little map over there on the right side of my page. I have so much fun seeing all the places that "hit" my blog. I only get about 15 hits a day, but before I had that map, I didn't know if anyone ever looked at my blog. Today is the first time since I added the map that I saw a thumb tack in ISRAEL! Yay! Welcome, whoever it was in Ramat Gan that stopped by! I hope you leave a comment next time!

That's downtown Ramat Gan at night. Cool, isn't it? I wish I could be there in Ha Eretz!

Adam's Road

Here's a band I just heard about. They are former mormon missionaries who gave their lives to Christ while on their missions (2 were companions and the others were brothers and friends). They have a myspace and may be playing in a city near you, so check their Christian music out.

Alpha-Meme

A. Attached or Single? Happily married for almost 9 years

B. Best Friend? Krisina Dawn (Bowman) Cherot

C. Cake or pie? Pumpkin pie with whipped cream on it (I make it from scratch with free pumpkins they give away after Halloween. Yum!)

D. Day of choice? My days of the week will begin to have unique significance next Thursday when we start our school year. For now, I really like Tuesdays because it is the one evening we don't have STUFF going on.

E. Essential item? Stride gum. I chew it constantly. I'm sure I'm giving myself TMJ but I can't help it. The flavor never runs out.

F. Favorite color? Kelly Green

G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears, and only on frozen yogurt

H. Hometown? Prescott, AZ and I'm really hoping that we can find an affordable home in our hometown so we can continue to call it home.

I. Favorite indulgence? Body Shop cosmetics. I spend too much on them, but they beat other cosmetics all over the place. Plus, my sister is a rep, so I have to buy from her.

J. January or July? July, I love sunshine and hate the cold.

K. Kids? Three gorgeous little offspring

L. Life isn’t complete without? Jesus

M. Marriage date? October 16th, 1999

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 brothers 3 sisters

O. Oranges or Apples? navel oranges

P. Phobias? having a child kidnapped

Q. Quotes? "Consciousness of self is the greatest hinderance to the proper execution of physical action" Bruce Lee (Woot! Thank you, Larry, Rich, Kelly and Sam for making me memorize that. It has impressed people for a decade now.)

R. Reasons to smile? God keeps doing miracles all over the place. Am I the only one who's seeing this?

S. Season of choice? Spring

T. Tag 3 people: Annie, Kelly, and Sarah (and anyone else who wants to, comment so I can read your answers.)

U. Unknown fact about me? I had a long standing date for the turn of the millenium and I didn't go. And I don't regret it. And I don't care if he was there or not, because I was with my husband and happy.

V. Vegetable? cucumbers

W. Worst habit? Losing my temper with my kids.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound! I love watching that little heart beating!

Y. Your favorite food? sushi is delicious

Z. Zodiac sign? I don't do zodiac. I am under the sign of the CROSS.

A weird snack combo

Okay, I thought I had heard the weirdest snack combo when I found out my ex boyfriend had resorted to eating cheddar dipped in mayonnaise (why bother with bread, right? This is the best part of the sandwich!) STONER!!!

But I stand corrected.

This morning I found baking soda strewn around the box in the cupboard. When I questioned my kids about it, I was told of their recent discovery. If you dip a tootsie pop in baking soda, it makes it taste fizzy! Wow. And they aren't even stoned. I don't think.

T-shirt design

LOL. I saw this over at http://www.tuesdayteez.com/ and couldn't resist a repost.

Movie Review

Last night we watch "The Wings of the Dove" with high expectations. Let me explain.......

My all-time favorite movie is A Room With a View, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, and Daniel Day Lewis. It is completely romantic, smart, funny, and has a wonderful ending. It is an artistic feel-good movie, which is a rarity. So, when I saw all the viewer reviews on Netflix for "The Wings of the Dove" also starring Helena Bonham Carter, I wanted to see it. Multiple viewers even compared the two films, stating that "TWOTD" was BETTER than "ARWAV". Both were adapted from classic novels - one by Henry James and one by E.M. Forester. I see some similarities to the plot, of course. A young woman who wants to marry for love rather than money - takes a romantic trip to Italy. And that is where the similarities end. I have to say, although "TWOTD" was poignant and beautifully filmed, it is a sad, sad story. I was very bitter that Kate turned out to be such a selfish bitch and that Merton even went along with her childish scheme. In my opinion, it didn't even compare with "A Room With a View". I still might be persuaded to read the novels and decide again, because I know that books sometimes vary greatly from their film adaptations. But for now, I'm sticking with my old favorite.

DJ Jazzy Jeff on We7

I've had a we7 account since before its inception. I haven't really used it much, though, because they didn't have much good music yet. I'm checking it out again, though, because it seems to have evolved into something better than it was in the beginning. And this album is all I have to show you to prove that.

The Very Best Of D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

A Joke before I go to bed

I admit, I stole this from Erica's Life Unscripted blog. It was too funny to pass up.

A man who just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit.The female blonde mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. She points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing.The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the Blonde mortician a blank check and she says, 'I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.'

The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly.She says to the mortician, 'Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I' m very grateful. How much did you spend?' To her astonishment, the blonde mortician presents her with the blank check.'There's no charge,' she says.'No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!' she says.'Honestly, ma'am,' the blonde says, 'it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.'

'So I just switched the heads.'

Okay, now I can go to bed. Goodnight, Internets!

Luau on Sunday

This is the birthday season for my family. Augie turned 4 with a Batman birthday last Saturday. My nephew Alex is turning 11 this Sunday and he has chosen a luau theme. I love luaus. And for this one I have been assigned to hula dance/teach the kids to hula. You see, when I was, oh... seven years old, my sisters and I took hula lessons from a really sweet WHITE woman, who I believe attended BYU in Hawaii and learned to hula while there. We know 4 or 5 dances and have been performing them at silly little luaus ever since. It's fun. Don't ask me why my sister Jarnli doesn't do the hula dancing at her own son's birthday. I guess that would be more embarassing for him. Or her boyfriend would be jealous. Dane is cool about it, although I don't know if he really likes me doing it. Anyway, I practiced today and my almost seven-year-old daughter, Ardara, tried it with me. She is a natural. I'll post pictures after the party. Oh! And since I am also an expert pinata maker, I am making a cluster of pinata coconuts. How cool is that? I am the aunt/sister of the year. (:

3 New Things

I am just all about freebies lately (because we are totally broke). So, here are 3 things I've gotten for practically nothing that I'm stoked about. Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself Study Guide. Okay, it isn't free, but since my mother in law is teaching the class, she let me bring it home without paying (yet). When I have $15 I will certainly pay for it. But until then, I will be gleaning Biblical wisdom from one of my favorite women on planet Earth. Yay!

A sample/cutting board of Wilsonart's solid surface line. I think the color is sandrift. My brother in law Dewey works for Wilsonart and handed me one of these dandy items at my son's birthday party last weekend. It looks nice on my counter, and works great!

Finally...this is the biggie. I got one of those $10 off coupons in the mail from Kohl's. So, I had 30 extra minutes last night before my home fellowship. I decided to run in and see what caught my eye. I can't believe what I got! This gorgeous satin number from Vera Wang's Simply Vera line was on the clearance rack marked down to $18. With my coupon that made it only $8!!! I look HOT in it! I couldn't stop thinking about it all through my home fellowship. I kept grinning and no one knew why but me. (: What a sweet deal.

Lovesong

He loved her and she loved him.

His kisses sucked out her whole past and future or tried to

He had no other appetite

She bit him she gnawed him she sucked

She wanted him complete inside her

Safe and sure forever and ever

Their little cries fluttered into the curtains

Her eyes wanted nothing to get away

Her looks nailed down his hands his wrists his elbows

He gripped her hard so that life

Should not drag her from that moment

He wanted all future to cease

He wanted to topple with his arms round her

Off that moment's brink and into nothing

Or everlasting or whatever there was

Her embrace was an immense press

To print him into her bones

His smiles were the garrets of a fairy palace

Where the real world would never come

Her smiles were spider bites

So he would lie still till she felt hungry

His words were occupying armies

Her laughs were an assassin's attempts

His looks were bullets daggers of revenge

His glances were ghosts in the corner with horrible secrets

His whispers were whips and jackboots

Her kisses were lawyers steadily writing

His caresses were the last hooks of a castaway

Her love-tricks were the grinding of locks

And their deep cries crawled over the floors

Like an animal dragging a great trap

His promises were the surgeon's gag

Her promises took the top off his skull

She would get a brooch made of it

His vows pulled out all her sinews

He showed her how to make a love-knot

Her vows put his eyes in formalin

At the back of her secret drawer

Their screams stuck in the wall

Their heads fell apart into sleep like the two halves

Of a lopped melon, but love is hard to stop

In their entwined sleep they exchanged arms and legs

In their dreams their brains took each other hostage

In the morning they wore each other's face

Ted Hughes

Scientists Rebuild the Spanish Flu Virus!!!

You can read about this debacle here

Personally, all I can think is "Didn't they learn anything from movies like 12 Monkeys and I Am Legend?" It isn't worth it!!! Don't recreate any viruses that killed millions of people just to study them! And don't use the excuse that 'Most people are immune to it now, so it couldn't become another epidemic' Yeah, right! Anyone who has watched any amount of science fiction knows that viruses morph and become more dangerous. With all the horror in the world, we really don't need another plague. Just my opinion.

LL Cool J answers random questions

Yo, I have always had a special place in my heart for LL Cool J. Ever since my sisters and I learned all the lyrics to "I Need Love" when I was in junior high. I seriously like his acting - he did great in Slow Burn with Ray Liotta. He gave some funny answers here, too.

I was glad to finally find that we have a few things in common.

Barnes and Noble,

Michael Jackson,

fear of mice,

Breyer's ice cream,

disdain for men in heels.

We're like soul mates!

(without the Bentley)

Christmas 1974

I took the flickr thing a little bit farther, because I was born on Christmas. So I did a search for "Christmas 1974" and most of it was a lot of fashion feaux pas under the ole tree. But this one was interesting.

"On Christmas eve 1974 a severe cyclone hit Darwin Australia's most northern city.The damage was so severe that the government ordered the dispatch of a fleet of Royal Australian Navy ships.As a unit it was was fully self supporting and there was no need to call on the very limited resources of Darwin. "

The link below gives a detailed analysis of what happened to the Attack Class patrol boat HMAS Arrow.http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/4801/feature/feature03.htm

And thus, into the twisted wreckage, and very bad fashion sense, Tasha Christine Cheney entered the world, depriving her brother and sisters of the Christmas morning they had dreamed of.

China's Switcheroo

All I can say is, I think Yang Paiyi is way CUTER than the girl they chose to replace her with. China is sick. One little girl will grow up with a complex about her looks and the other will grow up labeled a fraud. All for the image of a country that we already know isn't perfect! Come on, China! Do you really think we don't see through it all? All your bending over backwards to show off to the world is disgusting. Didn't anyone ever tell you to just be yourself?

Anyway, if you want to get the REAL impression of what China is all about watch below:

I Wish I Was in Beijing

I remember watching the Olympics as a kid. It was so exciting. The gymnastics were my favorite part. Now I don't have cable, and to top it all off, watching it live means staying up all night. So, I'm missing a lot, and the highlights on NBC's web page just aren't satisfying me at all. I hope some stuff will show up on youtube before too long. This is excruciating.