Backyard Academy

2009-08-17T05:59:00.001-05:00

8th st and 5th ave.
Huntington WV
12 noon to 2pm

As hard as I try....

2009-08-12T06:43:00.004-05:00

I just haven't been able to get back into blogging. It's not like I haven't been doing anything... I just don't seem to have a minute to sit down and wax poetic about it.

as if...
But today is a slow day, by choice. I have a ton to do but it will all wait. I need a mini vacation.
I wouldn't mind making phone calls..
reading endless pages of legal jargon...
schmoozing (*barf) ....
designing fliers (ok,, that's kinda fun)....
answering 40 gillion emails...
answering the phone as it rings off the hook....
interviewing on the radio.....
keeping up the website....
ordering Tshirts and bumper stickers and other fundraisers...
selling said fundraisers...
running around procuring permits and the like....
and much more, if I were getting PAID! LOL Oh.. wait... I'm getting paid, by the RNC! No? I'm not? Really? DaPrez says I am.
Must be the Insurance companies then. It's not? Really? Nancy says I am.
Must be the Nazi party. That'd account for my swastika. What? I don't have one?
Something is FISHY HERE!
Better report me! ha ha ha ha

I've been neglectful!

2009-05-12T06:45:00.003-05:00

Why in the world do I enjoy something for so long and then "BOOM" I just hate it? I don't know, it must be the ADHD... I'm riddled with it!
I'm also blaming facebook and bejeweled blitz... seriously, what a time SUCK!

I also kinda crashed after the excitement in Charleston. It was a lot of build up to a big thing and then, honestly, I think there needed to be something directly after to keep the fires burning. Not that MY fire isn't still burning! I'm looking for ways to serve, brushfires to start, banners to wave.

We've deviated so far from natural law in this country. Only when we recognize that we can only give government permission to make laws that protect our unalienable rights will we truly be free. Only when our sovereignty is secure can we feel safe and only when we realize that or liberty comes from the Creator, not government, will we be strong. I want to see a return to these principles.

There needs to be fires from within people. Start small. A small amount of people can make a difference. The revolution was won with only 1/3 of the populous supporting it. We don't need to win them over.... we only need to win.

Where is our manifesto? Read the constitution.

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The EAGLE has landed!

2009-04-21T23:03:00.002-05:00

Our last meeting of EAGLE was today. It's been a SUPER first semester. We have a lot of bugs to work out but all in all everything went really, really well. We start planning our next semester officially tomorrow. It's already underway but tomorrow it goes on paper.
The weather is finally looking up. Even though it's been raining, I've seen glimmers of sunlight and that makes me very happy indeed.
I picked up a rain barrel and some buckets today. I hope to set my entire balcony up with potted plants to increase the garden yield. It could still be weeks before my garden spot is dry enough to till. The ground cover is still mud! We're also going to concentrate on making our garden beds "raised" so we won't have this issue in the future.
I have so many plans for the garden this year! I want to experiment with seed banking. This seems like a must because of the f o o d m o d e r n i z a t i o n a c t. I want to concentrate fully on foods I can put up and can.
And speaking of canning...
I can't wait until next week! I'm going to go learn the intricacies of canning meat. This should be a huge help in the food storage department. A very generous friend of a friend is going to give us a class.
This Thursday we're going to get together for our first book club meeting! We're reading "The 5000 Year Leap" and man... is it GOOD! This will make my third time through the book and I am constantly finding something new in it. Just a spectacular read.
That leads me to the next thing. I live this guy so much. Bob Basso rocks so hard. His newest message is very exciting to me!

I wish I could rattle off with passion like him! I didn't get my entire speech from last week recorded but here's a few seconds!

I'm still a little jacked up!

2009-04-16T07:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was amazing.
To see so many people stand up for their country as it was founded did my heart good.
THERE IS HOPE PEOPLE!!! Because so many of us care. We are truly not alone.
I'm so honored that I was able to speak yesterday. Now I'm not saying that I wasn't terrified (oh man,, and it showed!) but it was definitely a once in a lifetime thrill!
The weather on the other hand was FOUL. We were wet and frozen to the core but do you know what? So was George Washington when he crossed the Delaware. The Hessians weren't expecting him because of the weather. I wonder if Washington was expecting us?!
Here is my little speech from yesterday:

Good Afternoon!

I (too) want to thank you for coming out today when it would have been easier to stay home.
I want to thank those of you who have never done anything like this before but are ready to say "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
I respectfully stand in awe those of you who are steadfast and strong and have decided to stand on your principles.
I commend those of you who are afraid,,, but you're here anyway.
And for those of you who lie awake at night and worry.........
This homeschool mom of 2 awesome boys and wife of an incredible soldier who served his country until they made him come home.....
I would like to offer you a shoulder... because I understand.

When I began to ask people to join me here today they would inevitably ask me "What are you protesting?"
This gave me pause.
I hesitated again when Anne asked me why I felt like today was important.
Why do I feel so passionately about our presence here in Charleston WV? Why are people all over the nation raising their fists and saying "DON'T TREAD ON ME!"?
I believe we run the risk of becoming fractured if we do not come together and agree on a purpose.
I understand that without purpose there is anarchy and anarchy acts as a vacuum to which anything will rush in to fill the void.
So I needed a purpose, I settled on three major reasons:
My first is that I am terrified by the massive leaps towards socialism that this country is taking. What was skipping in previous years, is now a full fledged run. I cannot stand by while the greatest nation the world has ever known is destroyed from the inside out. President Reagan said it best when he reminded us that "if we loose freedom here we have no place to escape".
My second is our liberty. Liberty is what I hold dearest. I mentioned before that our family educates our children at home. This is only one of hundreds of liberties that are dangleing precariously ready to become over regulated and nearly impossible if the current transnationalist friendly administration gets it's way. We are entering into an age where state protectionism, economic interventionism, and regulatory policies are becoming the norm.
Thank you but no thank you Mr. President, I am a free citizen of these United States and I will fight while clinging to MY GOD and MY GUN, to keep it that way.
Last and certainly not least is OUR Constitution. The greatest document ever carved out by common patriots. The framers went to great lengths to prevent the type of tyranny they fought so hard against. The idea that political rule should be according to a document, not the will of kings is the essence of the republicanism (small r) that has made the US government great.
Right now? I don't feel like it is. I feel like they are making up rules as they go along. "Social Policy" they say. We are a nation of Laws not Men and NO ONE should be above the law.

Do we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the founding fathers? I challenge you to pick up a copy of the Constitution, read it, and cross off the parts that you don't want or that you are willing to compromise on. I'm willing to bet that it remains uncut.

I hear so often when I ask people to stand with me, "I'm just one person,, what can I do?" or "It won't do any good, they don't care". I understand this all too well because I too am only one person, as are you.... and you... and you.... and you. Together we are not "one person" together.... we are a MOVEMENT. While we may disagree on policy, I think we can all agree on the values of a peaceful society. The time has come to hold our representatives to these values as well.
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Gratitude
I know these are the values that YOU live your life by and the time has come to send a clear message to our representatives that they work FOR US! They are held to OUR standards, we are not ruled... we are a REPUBLIC.
Thank you.

Here are some pictures

More Grown-uped-ness

2009-04-12T08:34:00.005-05:00

I mentioned the other day that I barely recognize Thomas anymore. This is bittersweet of course. Life is cruel ya know. On the one hand you want them to grow up and get out but on the other hand watching it happen is hard. Life is also cruel because the plan was (in my head anyway....) that they would grow up and leave me so that I could buy a pair of Harleys and Chris and I would keep the roads hot.
Now I'm too old and achey to fathom hurting myself. I just don't heal like I used to!
Youth is wasted on the young!
This year my kids said "NO EASTER BASKETS" Ugh... they stink. They suck all the pleasure right out of my life. LOL They wanted cold hard cash. Fine. I should be grateful, it's easier but there was something very anti-climactic about it. They're happy tho and that's what matters on a day like Easter. I guess we did get something Easter-y
We got baby chicks!!!
Our plan was that we would get hens but there were none to be had. Well,, none that didn't have one talon in the grave so we decided to just brood up our own. Oh, baby chicks are so sweet! We got two Barred Rocks and two Buff Orpingtons. By fall we should have a dozen eggs every other day,,,, IF.... none of them are roos. We were assured they were all pullets but we shall see. We have no need for roosters!
I also took an Easter Portrait of the boys:
Domestic Terrorists? No.... but according to some we are! LOL

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Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T08:33:00.000-05:00

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
 waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Refrain:
 Up from the grave he arose;
 with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
 he arose a victor from the dark domain,
 and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
 He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
 vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
 (Refrain)

3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
 he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
 (Refrain)

Huntington Junior Business College

2009-04-08T20:58:00.002-05:00

A small group of Middle and High School homeschool students went on a college shopping field trip today. The staff at Huntington Junior Business College welcomed us with open arms. I admit, I knew very little about about "junior colleges" before attending today's meeting. I was really impressed by the staff and the casual feel. It really does seem like a place where a younger non traditional student could excel.
You see, in WV a homeschool student can graduate at 16 if they can successfully complete their GED. If nothing unforeseen comes up, we suspect that this will be what our oldest does. My youngest is a totally different story but that's for another post. We just can't see any reason to waste 2 extra years going over stuff we've already covered just because someone says he has to stay in school "this long". So, he'll need a transitional program to enter. We assumed it would be some kind of "vo-tech" program but now that we've spoken with the Jr. College... we're not so sure! This is a serious possibility!
We met the teachers, sat in on some classes, at lunch, and talked to the financial aid director. It went really well.

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My Heart Hurts a Little

2009-04-08T20:41:00.003-05:00

So... My boy.. my little boy... is not so much a little boy anymore.
Today I took him on his first College Shopping trip. Now granted.... it was just the Junior College but all the same. It hit me like a Mack truck when I realized that we could be shopping for financial aid in as little as 30 months. Then it hit me even harder when he said on the way home " I can get my Medical Assistant degree from the Junior College, then I'll be old enough to join the Army and become a Medic and then when I get out I can use my GI Bill to go to St. Mary's School of Nursing"
SOB! OMG!
When we went to pick up Tristen, I was standing beside Tom and realized... HE'S TALLER THAN ME. Holy moly. He wasn't taller than me last week! All his pants are also about 4 inches too short. He's like... a smallish man.
SOB! OMG!
So on the way home.... he wanted to stop by the graveyard and drive the car. I said "Ok, if it isn't busy for the Easter holiday" Well, there were no cars there so I got out and let him drive. YES... I know this is illegal but we're on private property and all the people there are already dead, so there. It's the same graveyard where I learned to drive. He did GREAT, I mean really, really well. He's quite a driver for 12 years old! LOL
again...
SOB! OMG!!
Oh well, just had to get that off my chest.

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The best quote I've read today.

2009-04-08T06:46:00.000-05:00

“Remember, write to your Congressman. Even if he can’t read, write to him.” - Will Rogers

Big Week Ahead...

2009-04-05T09:25:00.003-05:00

What else is new right?
Monday- Giving a test at noon- Band at 3:00pm
Tuesday- E.A.G.L.E. + Science Club
Wednesday- Field trip at the Huntington Junior College.
Thursday- Uhhmm,, I have nothing this day... yet but probably prep for the party
Friday- Dr's Appt. and Tristen's Birthday party!
Saturday- Lucasville Flea Market
Sunday - Easter (Plus it's Tristen's Birthday)

You are invited to Tristen's 10th Birthday Party!

When: Friday the 10th at 5pm (till 7)
Where: Skateland in Altizer

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Testing... VANQUISHED!

2009-04-02T13:39:00.003-05:00

Well, not completely but the biggest part of it is done. Today was our big testing day. All of the children were very well behaved while they were taking their tests and we had a pretty good showing. We had a few hiccups that I'll undoubtedly spend the next month cleaning up but all in all I'd say it was a success.

My parent volunteers were awesome. I can't thank them enough. Testing day wouldn't be possible without them.

I'm tired. Man am I tired! I'm going to try and catch a nice snooze before I head out to Mom's Night Out tonight! Whoo Hooo! Mellini's here I come!
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I can't wait for summer, swimming with pool floats, gardening and just warm weather,, how 'bout you?!!
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What's New?

2009-03-30T08:32:00.003-05:00

Not a lot, but I've been out of my mind busy. CRAZY busy. This past weekend I rested a bit though. Sorry to disappoint but I just had to!
We have a mega busy month coming up!
Monday- I'm testing 2 boys for their end of year review. That's like 3 hours. Blah.
Tuesday- The first Softball get together for the year. These are always fun.
Wednesday- My Dr's appt for my gallbladder. He's not going to be happy to know that I want to put it off until May.
Thursday- TESTING DAY! Yikes. Am I ready? No, prolly not. Are YOU ready? Yeah, you're ready! Thursday is also Mom's Night Out at Mellinis! I'm going to need it,, lemme tell ya!
Friday- The Brain Expo at Marshall U.
We also have to get some school in and then there's the 75gillion other things I have to accomplish this week.
It makes my head spin to think about it.. really. Next week is just as busy.

Here's the biggest and best news-

TAX DAY TEA PARTY!
April 15th, 12:00 noon
At the Capitol in Charleston
Feel free to contact me if you want any info at cnewmans at yahoo dot com

I'll be there. I hope you will too!

Too early to be thinking about Black Friday? NO WAY!

The Second American Revolution

2009-03-21T14:54:00.001-05:00

Anne Frank: A Theme Unit

2009-03-21T08:40:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I made a homeschool update.
The last few weeks have been iffy around here for school work. On the first of March, T2 came down with a stomach bug. It came on slowly and lingered long. By the 4th, T1 had it too. Not to be left out,,, The Husband came down with it on the 8th. See a pattern here? Every 4 Days. The entire time I was scurrying around cleaning this and that, making 7up runs and wiping subsequent puddles(sorry, tmi). I was feeling horrible too. At one point I hadn't eaten or drank anything more than a sip or two for a week. The rest of the family eventually mended but I continued to feel really poor. Another week went by and I was feeling worse and worse. By the 15th I felt HORRIBLE. I was in so much pain. I was having crushing chest pains, upper back pain, trouble breathing, dizziness, sweating, pain in the upper arm, neck and jaw. I finally exhausted all known home remedies to make it stop and decided that the ER was in order. It turns out I was having a mild cardiac event, a gall bladder attack and my blood sugar was out of control. My BP was 220/100 when they hooked me up to the machine and my Pulse Ox was like 82.
NICE.
So I got to spend a few days in the hospital. I have to have my GB taken out, a stint put in, and I'm apparently a diabetic.
This ticks me off beyond words. I mean, I'm a "big 'ol girl" but I'm not like "cut a whole in the side of the house" big. What the heck is happening to me?!??! I've actually even lost 30lbs in the last few months! (Yay me btw!)
So yeah,, school work has taken a back seat. No one has felt like it. Just another awesome bonus to homeschooling!
So the other day we got back on the ball. We have a lot of catching up to do. The Husband has been giving the kids lessons on WWII. I figure it's his specialty so why not let him do it! I'm taking care of the more mooshy side. I'm reading "Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl" with the boys. They are surprisingly pretty into it! After that we may read "Number the Stars" . I'm going to an Usborne book party today and picking up a few books on the subject too.
Here are some online resources we're going to use.
WWII a Thematic Unit PDF

A Reading Group Guide

A Reference Guide (excellent)

A Teacher's Workbook (excellent)

VocabularyPDF

There more be more to come. Right now I have to get out of the house!

Exactly.

2009-03-18T14:07:00.001-05:00

Good Food, Great Friends

2009-03-14T10:30:00.003-05:00

I attended a Glenn Beck Watchparty last night!
I'm trying really hard not to be disappointed because the evening wasn't disappointing at all. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but let me see if I can explain myself. This might be hard because I don't know if I can really put my finger on it. Perhaps I'll have some kind of catharsis here? ha ha.
We Americans are feeling frustrated. Not Democrats, Not Republicans, Americans. Everyone can see that the current economic plan is going to bankrupt us, the core values are being dismissed, and our liberties are being stolen from us one by one. There are people out there that are saying "oh, it'll never happen" or "that's awful, but I can't do anything about it" and I understand that. I do! I understand because we call our representatives and they ignore us. We call and we're talked down to like we're unintelligent. They tell us we're drones of Talk Radio.
Then there are the folks that dig in, hang on, and decide that we're not going to take it! This country is OURS. This country belongs to US. I don't mean the conservative "us", I mean everyone! I want people who don't believe like I do to have the same liberties without MY LIBERTY being quashed. I don't like the direction the country is taking because the Progressive definition of "Fairness" seems to be smell an awful lot like "revenge" or "retribution".
Tell the Truth. That's all.
When we found out that nationally known talk show host, Glenn Beck was going to rally us around and introduce a program for those who feel like they are alone in feeling this way, some friends and I were really excited! We immediately started planning a watchparty. Glenn told us to gather all our friends and family and get together and watch the show. There were thousands of watch parties all over the country large and small. We held a covered dish meet and greet and watched the show at 7pm. We all waited anxiously for not a plan really, but just some support in our endeavors to take our country back to the founding father's principles and values.
Well, the food was wonderful, and the friends, old and new, were fantastic. We had a great time talking and eating but the show,, while sweet, was a little disappointing.
Glenn blew snot bubbles. That's always fun. No, really, it's funny. He introduced a new website called The912project.com . Great site if you can get there. Apparently the biggest server privately available was purchased and the site keeps crashing due to the HUGE amounts of traffic that is coming in. Chuck Norris was on the program via satellite from his watchparty, that was interesting. But other than that? I feel kinda let down. It did accomplish the goal though and I don't regret it. It's always fun to get together with people of like minds.
So, yes, I'm a little disappointed but not completely. This was a catalyst to hopefully something huge! We're already planning on getting together and learning what we can to reaffirm our beliefs in what we know in our gut is right. To use these principles and values to solve our country's problems and do what we can to add to our own personal security.
I've also put a reading list up on the side of my blog. We had some good discussion about that last night.
My personal goal is to do something every single day, no matter how small or large, to add to my family's personal security.
What did YOU do today to add to your security?
Crystal
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We're under attack.

2009-03-08T14:30:00.003-05:00

We've had a horrible, viralant, nasty pestilence all week. It just WON'T GO AWAY. Just about the time I think we're on the mend... someone else gets it or gets it AGAIN!
I have wiped and bleached every surface in this house 10 times over. I've sprayed the couches with vinegar (it only smelled like a pickle for a minute) I've done every stitch of laundry 2 times. I just don't know how to get out from under it!
I'M TRAPPED HERE! Ugh,,, quarentine SUCKS!!!
Not that I haven't got out a few times but coming back to "sick house" has been the pits. It's been nice to have the doors open over the last few days. Hopefully that'll help air this hotbed of bacteria and germs OUTTA HERE!
Seriously people,, I'm about to loose it! We simply must get over this by Friday so we can attend the "We Surround Them" watch party!
Ok,, enough.
Can you all see my words? Jen mentioned that she can't see them. Jen? Are you getting a greenish background or a black one?
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We're going to need a new dehumidifier after this. I don't even want to know what kind of plauge is lurking in ours!

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We Surround Them

2009-03-05T07:55:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it's lonely fighting the good fight. Sometimes you feel like you're in the minority. In this current climate, it's easy to feel that way if you have solid conservative values.
You have to know that you're not alone! If you are concerned about the direction that our country is taking and the looming economic collapse is keeping you up at night, consider attending a watchparty!
A watchparty is a kind of support group of sorts. We will solidify our core beliefs and feel strength in numbers!
What are these core beliefs?

The Twelve Values

Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Friendship

THE NINE PRINCIPLES

1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

Give me a call or shoot me an email if you're interested in attending! My email is cnewmans at yahoo dot com. It's on March 13th and it's covered dish! We will have lively discussion at watch the unveiling of Glenn Beck's We Surround Them project!

The "F" Word.

2009-03-04T23:51:00.004-05:00

I don't generally watch much television. I make it a point to watch LOST on Wednesdays but until recently, that's about it. Thanks to a friend, I've become a huge fan of Gordon Ramsey. I LOVE IT!!! This man has no off switch on his mouth! He takes the "F" word to a whole new level.
This is kinda the opposite view from my review on that buy.com commercial but the difference is that I watch Gordon when the kids are asleep. It's definitely not a kids show.
There are 3 different shows:
1. Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares
2. The "F" Word.
3. Hell's Kitchen

The "F" Word is actually the better show. He talks more about the food on that one, it's less reality based and oddly enough? I think there's less use of the "f" word in it! ha ha.

Gordon is on Jay Leno tonight. He's making savory crepes.

Any Gordon fans out there?
My friend Judi started a facebook group called "What Would Gordon Do?" where we propose insane situations and discuss how Gordon would handle them. It's fun.. but beware... prolific use of the "F" word! LOL
Come on.. it's all in fun!
Speaking of Facebook. I may need professional help. It's quite addictive is it not?
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If I watch any more Gordon, I'm going to need home theater furniture!
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Not Dead Yet

2009-03-04T23:35:00.002-05:00

But almost. Man!! have the kids been sick. This is the worst bug we've encountered in a long while. We've been mostly horizontal for 3 days.
It's a shame too because this was going to be a slow activity week for us and we were going to get all kinds of school work done.
Never fails does it?
We're going to skip all activities until we're sure we're not contagious. I don't want anyone to get this vile pestilence. Chris stayed home from work today too. This allowed me to get out and run a few errands.
I have yet to come down with it but I know it's only a matter of time. YAY! not. I'm so run down that I can't imagine how I wouldn't get it. My hands are so dry from washing that they're actually flaking and splitting. Pretty visual huh?
BUT...
On the upside..
It's MARCH!!!! WHOO HOO! Winter is almost officially over! It's over in my book though. I have daffodils coming up, pussy willows blooming and there are robins everywhere!
I love spring!
Speaking of spring, my youngest child will be 10 on Easter Sunday this year. Sigh.. it's all over. DOUBLE DIGITS! ugh.
That's all I have by way of updates!
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The kids can't wait for me to buy them new mattresses. How sad is that? They're getting mattresses from Sam's Club, nothing fancy like a sleep number bed.
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Sex Sells.

2009-02-26T09:10:00.002-05:00

Have you seen this commercial?

I'm so grateful for our DVR. I've been considering letting our satellite service lapse but now I'm reconsidering it. I rarely watch television (save Wednesday nights, I must watch LOST!) but the kids still do. Fortunately, they rarely watch live TV. They only watch things that they've recorded. When you watch things on the DVR you can skip through the commercials. The commercial above is a very good example of the kind of thing I don't want my kids to watch. I'm not overly protective about these things but seriously... it's getting rediculous. It's hard to pass up a sale but I won't be shopping at buy.com.

WV HB 2749

2009-02-26T08:24:00.003-05:00

I ran my mouth yesterday before I fully understood what I was talking about.
Who me?
Really?
No! LOL

I admit it though and I apologize for that. I never mind discussion, even when it's a bit heated. That's how we learn. Debate is good and yesterday, I learned something.

I learned that on Monday a bill was proposed in the West Virginia legislature that on the surface looks like a wonderful opportunity for homeschooled students that would like to participate in team sports at their local public school. I also learned to look very closely at these things because they are like David Copperfield.
"Hey, look over here, isn't this wonderful?!"
All the while they're slipping something ominous out of their sleeve.
On the surface the bill says that homeschooled students will be required to score at or exceeding the 50th percentile on the required end of year standardized test. Well that's fine,,, right? I mean, if publicly schooled children must maintain good grades then a home schooled child should, too, right?
Well, the ominous part to this is that this bill actually re-writes the Compulsory Attendance: West Virginia Code 18-8-1(a). It changes the language to state that a portfolio review will no longer be allowed for any student, not just those seeking a place on the team.
Portfolio review is a very important part of our WV law. Many parents choose to homeschool their children because they believe that a child does not progress according to a standardized test but by his or her own path. Some children have varying anxiety issues which makes testing counter indicated. Some parents prefer to maintain their personal liberties and believe that the state should have no interest in their children's test scores. I am the latter.
I believe this is a blatant attempt to whittle our hard fought rights away. They will not outlaw homeschooling all at once, they'll just make it so difficult and uncomfortable that no one will want to do it. Families are leaving the public schools in droves. This has to alarm the Department of Education.
Please contact your local representatives and tell them that you want this bill to be amended and that you will NOT COMPROMISE!!! Portfolio needs to stay in the current code.
Here is a link to the proposed bill:
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Text_HTML/2009_SESSIONS/RS/Bills/hb2749%20intr.htm
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I'm as mad as Hell, and you should be too.

2009-02-23T20:15:00.001-05:00

I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's work, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TV's while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.' Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot - I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad.
[shouting] You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING, Goddamnit! My life has VALUE!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell,
[shouting]
'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!' I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!... You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: [screaming at the top of his lungs] "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

Howard Beale. I just had to quote that. Has it ever been more appropriate?

My Big Old Saturday.

2009-02-21T22:28:00.004-05:00

Today was fun. It was also exhausting and frustrating but mostly fun.
It is friend T's birthday today so that means lunch and shopping. My dear sweet husband has grown to expect that this is what happens on either of our birthdays and he's very accommodating.

I left the house at 9:30 AM this morning to pick up some last minute gifts for T and a card (yeah,, I'm a slacker). She's going to let me borrow said gift when she's done with it. Yes,,, she is. ha ha (she doesn't know this yet) We met just before noon and hit the mall with only 2 goals:
Running Shoes (for me)
A Cute Shirt (for her)
We scoured that entire mall. We finally did come out of Sears with shoes but the shirt is still eluding us. Everything out there is just total CRAP! I mean,, seriously? $54.00 for something I wouldn't buy at Kmart? Come ON! Everything on sale or clearance was about 6 inches too short. Don't think you've got me fooled fashion industry,, I know where you're skimping.
About 3pm we needed a break.
Time for food!!!
We usually go eat sushi and that was the plan today too except we wanted to try the new Shogun Steak House. We had no idea what we were getting into. I'd never been to a Hibachi house before and had to essentially have the waitress hold my hand through every choice. She was very gracious. I asked her one time "well, what do YOU eat here?" she replied "I don't eat here, it's too expensive!" ha ha ha,, you gotta love that honesty!
So the chef (who was named Pablo Martinez and only knew about 50 English words, 45 of which were the names of 80s Hair Bands) was doing his thing, throwing knives in the air, tossing eggs into his hat and all of the cool stuff they do when he laid a large slice of onion on the grill. He reversed the order of the slices with his knife so it formed a little cone, filled the cone with oil and then lit it on fire. The fire was like a little volcano shooting flame way into the air. He threw a knife into the air and caught it pointing at the little volcano saying "HOME DEPOT!!!"
Well, I thought,, I MUST have heard him wrong,, I must have! So we sat there watching the rest of his performance when the table behind us was coming to the same part in the show. I saw their chef light their volcano and exclaim "HOME DEPOT!!"
OH. MY. GOD!!!
Apparently they all misunderstood during training because I think they were supposed to be saying "VOL-CANO!"
Funniest thing I've ever heard.
The food was very very yummy and the sushi was superb. It was a bit on the pricey side but really? you're paying for dinner and a show so you can't beat it!

After dinner we continued shopping. We never did find a shirt and I didn't buy one other thing than shoes. 10 hours of shopping and I didn't find anything to buy. Ridiculous. It's like there is nothing on the shelves and what is on the shelves,, STINKS!
Ugh, an indirect product of stores not having a line of credit I guess. YAY DEPRESSION!!!
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After that meal I could use some weight loss supplements!
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Rick Santelli

2009-02-19T15:57:00.002-05:00

You must watch this. I love this man.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1039849853

Another Busy Week

2009-02-16T19:45:00.002-05:00

I sound like a broken record don't I?
Monday- Band
Tuesday- Skating
Wednesday- Science Club
Thursday- lessons? Appleton? Appleton? Anyone?
Friday- Field trip to the Post Office.
Saturday- big day of shopping and eating sushi. Mmmmm sushi.

None of the above is really a big deal except Wednesday. Wednesday is a huge deal because I have nothing prepared for it. NOTHING. Anyone have any cool science experiments for middle school kids that require very little time and supplies?
Yeah,, no?,, me either.

Our field trip last week to the Power Wagon factory was awesome. They were so excited to have us and we were excited to be there.
The Power Wagon is just a marvel. It hooks up to the back of any vehicle and makes and stores electricity while you drive! It's an amazingly simple idea but took years and years of recalibrating to just the right specifications. The really cool part is that now matter how fast or slow you're going, frontwards or backwards.. it charges the battery. It's an amazing thing and it's going to be huge. I feel really privileged that we got to meet the inventor because some day he's going to be in the history books!
Check out the website http://www.thepowerwagon.com/
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Out of floor space? Need that big TV up and out of the way? Look into a LCD mount .
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Cake Ball recipe

2009-02-12T22:07:00.002-05:00

So, yeah, call them what you want. You can pick a new name if you live with boys or really? men in general, but I call them Cake Balls.
Here's what you'll need:
1 cake mix (and the goodies it calls for, eggs, oil, etc)
1 tub 'o frosting
1 package of white almond bark (it's the chocolaty stuff you melt, Wilton chips will work too)
Some mini cup cake wrappers or sucker sticks.
toothpicks
sprinkles (optional)

Bake your cake according to the instructions. Let it cool completely.
Here comes the fun part....
Crumble the entire cake up in a bowl.
Now, start adding the frosting to the bowl of crumbled cake. You MAY NOT need the entire tub. There's no way to tell this but trial and error. It depends on how dry your cake is. You should be able to form a ball with the resulting "dough".
I used my medium pampered chef scoop to get them all the same size and to keep my hands out of it. If you have hot hands this stuff will become mush pretty quick.
Now,, after I've formed all the balls on a cool cookie sheet I stick the entire thing in the freezer for about 15m.
While your balls are in the freezer (snicker), melt your bark either in a double boiler or in the microwave.
If you decide to do it in the microwave, PLEASE stir it often. It must "temper" or it starts to taste funky. Stir it at least every 30 seconds.
So now you have really cold balls (snicker) and a bowl of melted chocolate. Stab a ball with a toothpick and dunk it in the chocolate coating it completely. Let the excess drip off and either stick a sucker stick in it or plop it in a mini cupcake wrapper. If you want sprinkles, do it while they are wet.
Now if you leave these setting out they will eventually harden and set up but I stuck mine in the fridge periodically because I couldn't wait!
Enjoy these tasty balls! ha ha ha ha ha
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take these to work and you'll have some business insurance for sure!
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Chaos

2009-02-10T22:31:00.002-05:00

When we first came up with the idea for our Enrichment Classes (EAGLE), we were very excited and had big ideas for all the classes we wanted to offer. Our enthusiasm was well received and we now have more students than we ever anticipated. This is a great thing! It really is.
BUT....
You knew it was coming didn't you? It's exhausting. It's a good kind of exhaustion but still. It's controlled chaos. And it IS controlled, very well. I hope that next year I do not have to feel obligated to hold a class in every block of time. Perhaps I can get to know some of the other moms a little better. I'm kinda stuck at my little table from 10am till 1:30pm. I'm even leading the 4H meeting during lunch.
We have an excellent group of kids. Everyone of them are curtious and attentive and as patient as they possibly can be.
Today we had a Valentine exchange and WOW! did the kids deliver when it came to decorating their valentine's boxes! I wish I'd taken pictures of them. They were just super.
We also had a bake sale for the 4H. I made cake balls. OMG,, they are SooOOoooOOOoo good!

Needless to say,, there weren't many left. That's a good thing tho!
All of us dieters have renewed interest in our diets and will weigh in again at skating.
I just can't say enough about the group of mom's we have at EAGLE. I'm lucky to call them all my friends.
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Cake Balls should totally be adopted by one of the fast food franchises!
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Write some stuff.

2009-02-08T15:56:00.003-05:00

Hmmm, write some stuff,, write some stuff. I don't know, I have writer's block I guess!
Let's see, I'll wrap up the events of last week.
Monday- Band, I think everyone paid me, isn't that amazing?
Tuesday- snow, not looking too good for the field trip on Wednesday
Wednesday- snow, no field trip
Thursday- Mom's night out at Cheddars in Ashland. Oh yeah baby. That was GOOD. We had a really super turn out, too. Everyone must have had cabin fever!
Friday- Racina's house. THAT was fun! The kids had a blast and we had the world's biggest hen session. We needed that, we'd all been cooped up too long. Wow,, that's a lot of chicken references. BTW,, she's got the world's greatest dog and I love it and want to steal it.

This week should be very full.
Monday- Band. Early I think, at 3 instead of 4.
Tuesday- EAGLE barring a torrential downpour of snow.
Wednesday- Going to try to take our field trip again to the Power Wagon Factory.
Thursday- NOTHING,, WHOO HOO!
Friday- Project Day.

We'll have to work really hard to get all of our school work in this week. At this rate it will be March before we know it! COME ON MARCH!!
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Speaking of Spring. I could stand to do some spring cleaning, I'd love new office furniture !
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2009-01-28T07:02:00.003-05:00

Oh, the snow was soooo awesome before it started to rain yesterday! The husband and I kept telling the kids legendary stories about how it would snow when we were kids but I'm not sure they believed us. The truth is that it hasn't snowed more than a few inches in my oldest's lifetime. This is the biggest snow they've ever encountered. Not that it was all that spectacular, but it was pretty good.
Before the rain came that is. Man is it nasty out there. We've been hearing trees fall all night and the electricity threatened and flickered many times. So far we've been lucky and we still have power. The sleeping bags and emergency heat are at the ready though.
We're supposed to get another 4 inches tonight and again on Friday. Be careful what you wish for huh?
Many forts were built yesterday. The snow was PERFECT for it. It just stuck together like play dough.

The chickens didn't leave the coop all day. Poor birds.

These days when our schedule is so out of whack, it's really hard on the diet. I just want to sit around, drink hot chocolate and eat cookies. But this is what got me into this mess right? So I persevered I didn't eat a bunch of junk, I stayed on track. Today is day 16 without one flub up. I've stayed within my calorie allowance for 16 days. For quite a few days in a row my weight stayed steady and I didn't loose an ounce. I stuck in there though. I reasoned with myself and said "it's impossible for a woman your size to eat this many calories a day and not loose weight eventually" Well, this morning the scales told the tale. I'm down another 2lbs. Whoo hoo!
Well, it's early and cold so I'm going back to bed! Stay warm and dry!

Stop picking on me! Whaaaa!

2009-01-25T09:33:00.002-05:00

The maker of Beanie Babies can forget about getting a fist bump from the first lady.

Michelle Obama has issued a statement about Ty's newest dolls for their TyGirlz Collection, Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia. The plush pair are named after her and President Barack Obama's daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10.

"We believe it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes," said Michelle's spokeswoman in a statement.

Guess that's one purchase the trendsetting first family won't be making...

story link

Nope. This doesn't fly with me. Barry said "Get over it, I won" Now I say "Get over it, people are going to merchandise your family". It's still a free country I hope. These dolls are very sweet and very well done unlike the incredibly tacky B.O. plates and coins. How is this different? I don't wanna hear any crap about how "it's the children, it's inappropriate because it's the children" Many a candidate has dropped from the running because he knew it would be too much for his family. The Obamas decided that no, it would NOT be too much for their family when they stuck in there. Now,, you don't get to control what people do because it makes you uncomfortable.
Get over it.

2009-01-24T13:44:00.002-05:00

moar funny pictures

Friday

2009-01-23T20:51:00.003-05:00

We had a meeting we the 4H director today about our group. I knew I was getting into a government program when we started so I didn't go into this blindly.
I couldn't help but get a "yuck" feeling when we were filling out some forms.
I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up though because they're providing us with such a fabulous building for EAGLE .
I still feel really icky about it though. Will we agree to anything so long as it gives us something in return? When we become increasingly desperate, how quickly will be cave?

On that topic... Here's some reading for you to ponder this weekend.

$600 million to prepare our country for universal healthcare
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS ^ | Thursday, January 15, 2009 | DAVE OBEY (D-WI), CHAIRMAN
Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 9:24:56 AM by jasoncann

Heard this on Glenn Beck.
Training Primary Care Providers: $600 million to address shortages and prepare our country for universal healthcare by training primary healthcare providers including doctors, dentists, and nurses as well as helping pay medical school expenses for students who agree to practice in underserved communities through the National Health Service Corps.
The document is located here: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/PressSummary01-15-09.pdf

You'll want to check page 10 for the placement of the exact quote. I just want to know how you borrow money for something that hasn't been approved yet? Arrogant?
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I'm happy to say that my diet is coming along fabulously and I've no need for decaslim!
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I don't wanna fuss.

2009-01-22T16:19:00.003-05:00

Some friends and I were talking this morning and one mentioned that he passes a cemetery every morning by the interstate. The interstate has gradually grown wider over the years and now one of the headstones is falling into the culvert. He commented on how your eternal resting spot should not be that way.
This prompted me to think about my own relationship with graveyards.
hmmmm.... that was a weird sentence.
Anyway.. I grew up with a large graveyard literally right in my back yard. The cemetery never seemed weird or scary to me. It was like having a huge back yard with a bike track.
We played kickball in "the field" where they had not yet started using plots. There were streets to ride our bikes on that were devoid of traffic. There was even a great hill to sled on when it snowed. They always kept the grass cut and it was nicely decorated! Who could ask for more?
My mom and dad often said we had the best neighbors. They never bothered us! I wish I could say the same for our living neighbors!
When we were a little older, the weather was nice and it wasn't a school night, we'd play spotlight. More than once we were run out of the cemetery by either the security guard or the cops. We'd also dare each other to climb into the freshly dug open graves. Now I never did this. Not that I'm chicken! I just have never had any upper body strength and I can't imagine trying to get back out if one of the ornery neighborhood boys wouldn't help me out. Oh man,, the trouble we'd be in!
There was a more sinister side though. There was a man who worked in the cemetery that we all knew. He was not a horribly creepy person to us children but we still got a "bad vibe" from him and tried our best to stay away from him. As far as I know, all but one of us (a boy on our street) was successful.
There was a strip of wooded area between the interstate and the graveyard that we called "Terrabithia". This was named after the book but LONG before the movie! One day we were exploring these woods when we came across an overturned trailer. It was the type that a construction worker might pull behind his truck. This wasn't an odd sight. There was lots of construction junk dumped in this area. But this one drew us to it. There were weeds all around it except for a beaten down path right to the door.
We looked at each other.
"Dare you to go in!"
"I'm not going,, you go!"
"Not me, you're older!"
"You do it,, I can run faster to get help if something gets you!"
Well, if we had only known how close we had come.
We decided to retreat a bit from our position and throw rocks at it from a concealed location. Nothing came out. No rabid dogs. No snakes. No hobos.
Over the next few days we ventured closer and closer to the trailer. When we finally went in we found that it had been frequented not by animals but by SOMEONE. There were blankets and candles and lots and lots and lots of pornography. At the time, this amazed us but it did not interest us. I wish I could recall how old we were but I would say we were about 12. We knew what we'd found was wrong so we gathered it up and flung it into the River. We also knew that whoever it belonged to would be mad so we staked the place out. Partly to see what kind of person would look at dirty pictures in the woods and partly because we wanted to see him get mad!
It wasn't long until we found out who the trailer trash was. It was The Man. The same man that the little neighbor boy did not escape from that day. Bad things happened to him. As far as I know, he never told anyone except us kids. He and I had both been chased by The Man that day when the bad things happened. I ran like the wind and didn't look back, he wasn't as lucky. I didn't know he wasn't right behind me.
Not long after that, a very scary thing started to happen. Not minutes from my house, women were getting raped. This was the first time I'd ever heard that word. Some of the details make me shiver to this day. I seem to remember that the man hid under the women's cars late at night when he knew they would be getting off of work. It still makes me tense up to walk alone to my car at night and I always try to see the underside of the car from afar.
The Man was convicted of these crimes. He spent 5 years in prison and was later released because of faulty DNA evidence. I cannot say if he did it or not. I do know that the place where the crimes were committed was only seconds from where we saw what we saw. We knew his character.
So, I don't want to be buried in a graveyard. I'd like to be cremated please. I don't want to waste any more space on this planet when my soul has moved on. I've an interesting relationship with cemeteries. On the one hand I have lots of great memories but on the other hand I think the greatest evil I have ever known lurked there.

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Some Goals for the Week.

2009-01-18T11:46:00.004-05:00

This week at Backyard Academy will be a busy one as usual.
Monday- We have Band practice and I'd also like the boys to start a new project for next months project day/speech class. We've been waiting until the last minute on our projects and it really shows. This month *I* will pick because when I leave it up to them they change their mind 40 times.
Tuesday- Book work as usual but then we have roller skating. I'm sorry for those home schoolers that are coming from the far end of town but I'm loving it now that skating is like 10m from my house!
Wednesday- Science Club and Library day. We rarely get any actual book work done on Science club days but come on.... we're extracting DNA!!! that's some good stuff!
Thursday- Blissful nothingness. Lots of bookwork, maybe watch "My Side of the Mountain" since we finished the book. YAY NETFLIX!
Friday - bookwork and we have a 4H meeting at 3pm.

Then you know what? It'll be the last week of January. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I do so HATE winter. I mean, I could list you a bunch of reasons why it's wonderful that we have winter and all that jazz. My brain knows winter is God's design and it kills bugs and etc but I despise it. It's not the cold, it's not the snow, I rather like those parts. It's the MUD and the GRAY and being cooped up. BLARGH!

The diet is going exceptionally well. It hasn't been hard at all yet. If we can get over the crud I'd like for us to start walking/running every day. The guys are trying to eat better too but they're just clueless. I went to the store to get a few of their favorite pizza's last night and they were bragging that they didn't eat the entire thing so that's good right? Well they ate half (each, I bought 2 pizzas) and for this particular pizza that's 1200 cal. and a whopping 60 grams of fat.
HO-LEE MOLE-EE. That's an entire day's worth of calories and WAY too much fat for one setting. I'm not saying I haven't done it, obviously I have but they're going to have to start paying more attention to their portion sizes.
They were stunned. If it tastes really good,, chances are it's REALLY bad for you! LOL

Buckle your seatbelts

2009-01-18T11:41:00.003-05:00

Did you know we needed a NEW Declaration of Independence? Here's some Sunday Morning reading for you. Thanks Robbie!
Link

WASHINGTON (AP) — Invoking hope and history, President-elect Barack Obama rolled into the capital city Saturday night after pledging to help bring the nation "a new Declaration of Independence" and promising to rise to the stern challenges of the times. He kicked off a four-day inaugural celebration with a daylong rail trip, retracing the path Abraham Lincoln took in 1861.

Obama began his day in Philadelphia, where he said the young nation had faced its "first true test" as a fragile democracy. He ended it in Washington, where his own tests await after his inauguration on Tuesday.

The president-in-waiting drew on a grand heritage of American giants as he appealed "not to our easy instincts but to our better angels," an echo of Lincoln's first inaugural address. He took note of the enormous challenges that lie ahead and promised to act with "fierce urgency," a phrase often used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Riding a vintage railcar on his whistle-stop trip to Washington, Obama carried with him the hopes of a nation weary of war, frightened of economic chaos and searching for better days. Vice President-elect Joe Biden joined the journey en route, from his home in Delaware, and spoke for many when he said he was excited and ready for Tuesday.

Then, sobered by the challenges of governing, Biden added: "I think it's Wednesday we need to be ready."

Obama was smiling and confident throughout the day and across the miles, reaching at each stop for history's lessons. In Philadelphia, he noted the risks taken by the men who declared America independent from Britain. In Wilmington, he applauded the state that first ratified the Constitution. And in Baltimore, he hailed the troops at Fort McHenry who beat back the British navy and inspired the poem that became "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Tinfoil hat anyone?

2009-01-16T20:40:00.002-05:00

Please tell me, drop me a comment or an email or whatever if you're browsing my blog from a government computer/ ISP. If you're from the Washington and looking for people in Huntington WV that are concerned about NAIS, please,, don't be a stranger. Click the picture to see the entire thing.

You're freaking me out and I'm starting to look for Black Helicopters. Just sayin.

I'm Mean.

2009-01-15T14:04:00.002-05:00

The boys are signed up for a Running training class. Their assignment this week is to run 1 minute and walk 2 minutes for 30m every other day. This is going to be really good for them if we can overcome a few obstacles.
When we got up this morning, I still felt pretty crappy. It's amazing how much snot a body can produce isn't it? I'm also pretty weezey so I didn't need to be out in the cold that's for sure. I needed somewhere we could get some excersize without having an asthma attack.
So about 8:30am I packed the boys up and took them to the mall. I thought, if it's crowded, we'll just walk really hard, if it's not then I'm make them do a light jog while I walk really fast. Well the place was deserted. "This is perfect" I thought.
Midway through our second lap a mall cop struts up hiking his pants by his belt and says "YOU BOYS WILL NOT RUN IN THIS MALL" real belligerent like. Well, I expected to get some flack from somebody for what we were doing but there was no need for that because I was standing right there with them. RIGHT BESIDE THEM. I put my hand on T2's head and on T1's shoulder and said "They're with ME, I have it under control." Well he "hrrummph"ed , nodded and walked away.
This was just about more than T1 could handle. T1, my child that has an overactive sense of what is right and wrong, a child who I've never caught in a lie, a child who blindly respects anyone in a uniform was devastated that someone with a belt and a badge had yelled at him. He was so embarrassed. A few moments later I told him "Don't you let that mall cop intimidate you, he can take it up with ME" and I thought he was gonna shrivel up and die.
About this time T2 starts crying and complaining that I was killing him. I start getting scornful glares from old lady mall walkers and I even heard one mutter something about torture.
What the heck ever.
I was walking faster than they were jogging and I have a good 170lbs on him! I asked him if he was sick or hurt and he said "no" so I made him keep on amidst the judging eyes of the elderly and pseudo authority.
So yeah,, I'm mean.
Here's the thing,, if I let these kids grow to be like 700lbs people will say "she shoulda made them excersize!" and if I make them excersize then I get scornful glares. I guess I'm just a meanie pants because they're going to keep it up and in the mean time I'm going to get some excersize too!

Day ONE.

2009-01-13T20:55:00.002-05:00

Today was the first day of our new EAGLE homeschool classes!
It was a thing of beauty, it really really was. I'm so happy. We had a spectacular turn out. I counted 40 children.
I'm teaching 2 sketching classes, Spanish and Algebra. The kids paid attention, were curtious, and most of all they had fun.
I still have a massively nasty, vile illness. I sounded like a frog all day and we barely understandable but T1 was in most of my classes and took over when my voice gave out.
Yep,,, my KID helped teach my classes and I couldn't be more proud.
Also today is the day that a bunch of us started eating like normal people in the hopes to win the grand money prize in May! (diet is a bad word)
I think I've mentioned that we've started a Homeschool Biggest Loser group.
We weighed in (scary) had our body fat tested (even scarier) and took some before pictures.
You hide and watch,,, we're gonna look awesome come summer time!

Some Knitting- A Quick Post.

2009-01-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

I have the crud. The really nasty yucky crud. This is probably the most virilant cold I've had in years. I laid in bed for most of the day today. Good thing it was a Sunday. I did get some knitting done while propped up in my death bed. I think I'll send it to my niece,, whaddaya think? The pattern is from the Fall/Winter 2008 Knit1. It was a quick, enjoyable knit but it was hard on the hands.

That's all I know that's new.

Happy Birthday

2009-01-09T23:58:00.002-05:00

To me.
Man I'm old.
I don't guess I really am but I sure feel it.

Tuesday is the first day of my annual diet. I'm not going to be able to get out of this one though. I have a dozen other people doing it with me and watching my every move. They've promised to scorn me and make fun of me if I quit.
.... whatever it takes.... right? ha ha ha
We're going to have what we call HOMESCHOOL BIGGEST LOOSER. Catchy and original, no?
We're going to each put $5 in a hat each time we meet and weigh in. We'll have a cash prize each month for the person with the biggest percentage of weight lost. Not the most pounds. The prize in May will be somewhere around $400. Worth the effort!
I'm going to use the weight watchers plan again. I know it works and it's easy.
Tuesday is also the first day of our new homeschool group classes. (not coincidentally) I'm ready but I'm really nervous about how it'll go!
Today our brown chicken escaped from the chicken yard and made a nest in the snow and laid her egg right out in the yard. That bird is nuts. I think we're going to get her some real fertilized eggs to sit on. She might be ready.
The boys did some a few things for Project Day today. T2 did a survival kit and T1 did a homemade compass. We've been reading "My Side of the Mountain" so this went right along with that.
Other than that,, nothing really to speak of.
Stay Warm!

Awesome Blog, Stupendous Givaway!!

2009-01-05T20:52:00.002-05:00

About 2 weeks ago I came across a blog that really caught my eye. The Fun with Food Storage Network.
I've vowed that this year we will work towards a sustainable pantry system. We will eat what we save and $ave while we eat! So this site was a real Godsend and came right at the right time.
The girls over at Fun with Food Storage are having a launch party this week and are giving away some rockin' prizes!!! Go check 'em out. You won't regret it!
Also, I'm really jealous of her beautiful well contrived web layout. I LOVE it. I'd love to have a site like that!

January 1, 2009

2009-01-01T07:39:00.001-05:00

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. " ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy New Year everyone!

STOP NAIS

2008-12-31T14:15:00.003-05:00

Please. Contact your representatives (you can use the button in my side bar!) and tell them that you want them to stop NAIS.

The USDA’s proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) was originally designed to give big beef producers help in getting export markets which required disease controls. The idea is that every single livestock animal in the United States will be identified and tagged. All livestock animal movements, including horses taken to a training facility across the lane, will be tracked, logged and reported to the government. The benefit is to the big factory farms as they get to do single ID’s for large groups of animals. Small farmers, pet owners and homesteaders will have to tag and track every single animal. There are NO exceptions - even small farms that sell direct to local consumers will be required to pay the fees and file all the paper work on all their animals. All owners/breeders of horses, llama and alpaca, exotic bird, etc. will be required to participate in NAIS. Homesteaders who raise their own meat and grandma with her one egg hen will also have to register their homes as ‘farm premises’ and obtain a Premise ID, tag all their animals and submit all the paperwork and fees. Those who refuse to cooperate with NAIS will be subject to heavy fines and will be denied the right to exhibit their animals at state fairs, 4-H fairs, Future Farmers of America shows, and all horse shows. You can be assigned a premises ID against your will or without your knowledge. NAIS is not legislation but a program designed by USDA bureaucrats with the help of businessmen and manufacturers of ID tags. This program hopes to obtain the billions needed to oversee every single animal in the US by slipping it into the Farm Bill."USDA's proposed program could be compared to a finely crafted blueprint for a concrete blimp." -LivestockWeek

This is everyone's issue. Not just people who want to raise animals. This is worth your time. Go,, do it now.
If you live in the Huntington area I'll make it one step easier for you:

Senators
• Robert Byrd (D)
• John Rockefeller (D)

Representatives
• Nick Rahall (D-3)

Governor
• Joe Manchin (D)

Senate*
• Evan Jenkins (D-5)
• Robert Plymale (D-5)

House of Delegates*
• Kevin Craig (D-15)
• Carol Miller (R-15)
• Jim Morgan (D-15)
• Doug Reynolds (D-16)
• Kelli Sobonya (R-16)
• Dale Stephens (D-16)

All you have to do is say" Please say NO to NAIS". You don't have to be an expert on the subject (but please, do your own research) to call or email your representative and take your government back.
---
Could you use a new TV stand? Who couldn't, right?
---

Soggy but Nice.

2008-12-27T12:14:00.002-05:00

Well, it's just lovely out today. About 70 degrees and sunny. We sink to our knees in mud if we go out but beggars can't be choosers can they? ha ha.
I didn't get much when I went out shopping yesterday. I don' t know why I thought that I'd see anything to buy AFTER Christmas when there wasn't anything BEFORE Christmas. blah. Oh,, don't get me wrong,, I still managed to spend some moolah but you can't hardly leave the house without spending something.
I bought some clearance Christmas junk, some clearance candles (our power is going out A LOT lately) a pair of pants, a shirt, and a jacket. Big whoop.
The chicky girls have been laying machines lately. We have a surplus of eggs. Well,, that is until I make potato salad on Monday! Mmmmmm,,, 'tater salad. I never tire of the blue eggs we're getting. They're so pretty! I can't wait to get some more birds in the spring.
Speaking of tasty natural organic food. Please read this article: SWAT team raid on private family's home
I don't generally take WND as actual "news"(too many of their news story's have been later refuted) but this time they are dead on the money. I read the story in the family's local paper (online) about 2 days after it happened. That story has now been edited (content taken out,, not replaced) and then went missing. This is RIDICULOUS. This stuff really happens. The fact that it's not front page news is suspicious at the very least.
I'm trying to follow this story as closely as I can. They are a homeschool family and their means of schooling (in the legal sense) has been confiscated by the authorities. I'm assuming that they use OVA for their children's education since they said that all of their children's schooling was done via the computer.
What a crock this is. The authorities even took their personal food supply.
Ok, I'm just ranting now, you'll have to make your own determinations about the situation.
I'm off to enjoy the lovely day!
----------
I'm so glad that I'm beyond the point where I have to concern myself with engagement rings!
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Shopping!

2008-12-26T08:18:00.003-05:00

I will be going out into the world today by MYSELF!
whoo hoo!
My kids are to the age where they would probably be more fun for me if they were girls (tho I'm happy they are boys) because they've lost their tolerance for shopping.
When they were wee, I could just ply them with candy, pop them in the stroller and we were off but now it doesn't matter how much I bribe them with, they last about 20m.
Now, don't get me wrong, they are well behaved, but they do this subconscious thing where they turn into zombies. They stand about 6 inches away from me. When I take a step, they take a step, when I look up, they look up, when I turn, they turn.

It's very annoying.

When they come out of their zombified stooper, they whine things like
"where are we going next?"
"and then where?"
"When will we be done?"
" can we go to EB, Babbages, ToysRus?"

Now, before I had kids, my genius plan was that I would always take the kids to the toy store FIRST, that way I'd avoid the constant "when are we going to the toy store?" question. What I did not anticipate tho was MY limited amount of energy and their patience taking a nose dive after they've got what they wanted.
So today, I leave the 9 year old and the 12 year old with my mother and I venture out into the land of clearance brasseries without shame or whining.

I can even stop and eat something without it costing $27.00.

2008-12-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

It's POURING here. I went out to let the chickens into the run. I have on my knee boots and I'm carrying an umbrella. The girls have never seen an umbrella apparently because they had a total fit. They all escaped into the barn yard and huddled in the corner while staring at me in terror and cussing me. I had to close my umbrella to get them back into the hen house. Better yet, upon reentering the hen house, Coco started setting in the nest so I'll have to go back out an collect eggs again.
YAY FOR THE RAINY SEASON!

Carpenters. Jesus and the Singing Ones.

2008-12-23T12:43:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas Darling.
The greeting cards have all been sent, the Christmas rush is through.....

Thank Goodness. I bought the last gift today. ( I need an appropriate emoticon for this space, perhaps a dead smiley )
All that's left is the big day.
This year isn't going to be like the years previous. We'll actually still be able to see the Christmas tree. It won't be obscured by the massive mound of gifts. Every year we set back and look at it in utter disgust.
The definition of stupidity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Well, buying all those gifts never made us feel good and didn't do anything to glorify the reason for the season so why do it? Not this year. I'm sure there will be bitterness from the spoiled children but "oh well". I can only try to replace the gifts with a little peace and simplicity.
I don't have all the gifts wrapped yet but I think that's the last thing on the list.

I took the boys up to the Mall today to enter a Call of Duty competition put on by the Army. Yeah, I know it's a recruiting gig but no where.... on ANY of the signs did it say there was an age requirement. It never occurred to me about the age requirement on the game. They were not kind to us and it kinda pissed me off. All the punk kids that were sitting there laughed at T1 and I wanted to go over and grab their "soon to be shorn" heads and bang them together. All T1 wanted was the participation Tshirt. We'll not even mention that he would have kicked all their asses. But I digress.
After that we ran into Walmart to pick up some blank CDs and rent a movie from the Redbox. We're standing there at the Redbox by the front door and we hear the "whomm whomm whomm" go off of the security alarm. We hear a guy scream "STOP" and come barreling into the front buggy area. This is a HUGE guy by the way. Not "good huge" but like 450lb 5ft 8. He stops cold, buckles over and grabs his chest and puts his other hand on his knee. He sits there a second and I start to move towards him to get him on the ground and call 911 when he raises up and says "JUST KIDDIN!"
DIE. Seriously. If you're acting like you're having a heart attack at your size you D*** well better be. I could have smacked him.
I think I'm going to take a nap. I feel a bit moody and unwell anyway and I shouldn't have left the house today. BLAH!
---------
I'm going to need some diet pills after this year's overfeasting!
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Took a little Vacation

2008-12-19T12:35:00.003-05:00

Baked cookies
Christmas shopping.
Still haven't sent out cards
Up to my eyeballs in school stuff

I took a bit of a blogging vacation didn't I? ha ha. I just a bit overwhelmed I guess. Blogging seems to be the first thing that falls off the list.
I went out and made cookies at a friends house the other day. That was fun. It really was. I made my butterscotch no bakes. I thought it would be good not to take up any oven space. Plus they are soo soo easy to make.
I still haven't done any Christmas shopping. Nice huh? I swear, I just have NO good ideas! It's getting down to the wire. Saturday, my mom is going to keep the boys so I can go out and spend tons of money on worthless crap that no one wants. Yay. (That's me in the picture by the way! lol) I just can't get into it this year. Spending money this year seems so irresponsible. Sigh.
I did buy Christmas Cards. I haven't sent them OUT but hey,, I bought them. I have addresses on most of them but I've yet to sign them. Most of the ones that are addressed and signed are setting in boxes that I've yet to mail out. Nice, right?
Then I'm up to my eyeballs in stuff for EAGLE and TESTING. Groan. I'm just a ray of sunshine today aren't I? ha ha.

I'm Tired.

2008-12-09T23:20:00.002-05:00

It was a pretty big day. I mentioned yesterday that our new group was having a registration fair today. I didn't need to do a whole lot to prepare for it but there was still quite a bit to remember.
We had an EXCELLENT turn out! I just cannot believe how many folks showed up! I haven't counted how many families we have involved yet but I think it's somewhere around 20.
Of course it was pretty near pandemonium all day but I don't think we missed anything really. All the "i"s are dotted and all the "t"s are crossed.
I hope.
Today started with me getting up and doing laundry, putting on a roast and loading the car. Oh yes, and checking my email 14 times. I just knew if I didn't, that I'd miss someone that was trying to get ahold of me at the last minute. After that I drove to a friends house and picked up her stuff because she's in Florida (DOG!). Next we set up and discovered we had no change for the cash box. Off to Kmart. I did about 20 different things all day. I felt like one of those 8 armed goddesses. I even got to hold a baby twin! Oh, he was very cuddly. (NOT THAT CUDDLY,, Don't you people get any ideas)
At the end of the day, I helped jump a vehicle and headed home. Not before stopping at Goodwill and dropping off a bunch of junk though.
When we got home, I straitened up a bit and CRASHED. When Chris got home it occurred to me that I have a turkey in the fridge thawing. I'll have to cook that tomorrow. I was out of the stuff to brine it so off to the store.
My Kroger had Cheerios for $1.00 a box! The BIG box! That's just too good of a deal. the trick is that you had to buy 4 of them. No big deal, I can do that! I'm going back tomorrow to buy more! Guess who's making White Trash next week!?! ha ha.
So, the turkey is brining in the fridge as we speak. I hope it's good. It's the first time I've ever tried brining. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe.
Now I'm going to finally hit the bed. Wow... am I tired.
**
I'm supposed to write about home theater sconces. Really? In our house that's called a lamp. LOL
**

EAGLE

2008-12-08T09:52:00.002-05:00

So tomorrow is the big day. Registration day for E.A.G.L.E.. I'm nervous and excited. It's been a lot of work but it's been a labor of love.

Please consider coming out if you're in the Tristate area. We've reduced tuition costs thanks to some generous gifts and reworking of overhead.

Our first 4H meeting will be tomorrow too. It will be the last day you can order your curriculum booklets. If you've considered 4H in the past, feel free to come out and see what it's all about!

Friday Highlights- just one really

2008-12-07T00:18:00.002-05:00

Cupcake Pops

I woke up early Friday with the urge to bake! I've been eyeballing these

They're from the Bakerella Blog, which I love. They are deceptively easy to make and OH. SO. DIVINE. My presentation is very lacking but the they are sooooooo yummy!

This week's dinners consisted of the following:

Monday- Boneless Pork chops and Mashed Potatos
Tuesday- Beer Braised Corned Beef and Fried Potatos
Wednesday- Leftovers + Fishsticks for the kids
Thursday- Mom's night out (NO COOKING FOR ME!)
Friday- Potato Soup and Peppered Bacon Sandwiches

For this coming week, I've looked over the Kroger paper and planned the following:

Monday- Ground Chicken Tacos (shredded cheese on sale 2/$4)
Tuesday- Roast ($2.49lb sale) and noodles ($1.00 off coupon)
Wednesday- Brined Turkey (already in the freezer, used $7.00 coupon)
Thursday - Leftover Turkey + mashed potatoes (coupon for $0.80, makes them $$0.20!)
Friday- Chicken Tenderloins ($7.99 sale)

Most of the sides come from the pantry. I won't have to buy any this week. Hopefully, I'll get out of the store for less than $100.00.

Chris and the boys rigged up a light in the coop today. Hopefully it'll keep it a little warmer in there. It's really cold!!!! I also read today that outdoor lighting will keep coons away. Speaking of that, we haven't caught anything in the trap. I think it's just too daggone cold.

Thursday Highlights

2008-12-04T11:45:00.003-05:00

Spider Graveyard
Mom's Night Out
Heater was messed with again
Kittah Trap

What's up with my house? We have spiders everywhere!! OMG,, I hate spiders so much. I mean really, I panic and get light headed and I have to quit talking about it. (puts head between knees) Our house (more specifically our bathroom) has become the place where nasty creepy disgusting brown spiders have come to die! (and live sometimes). In the summer we see more spiders when it's getting ready to rain but I've never seen this many cold weather spiders before! I looked briefly for a picture to include but I started to see the room spinning so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Tonight was mom's night out. I love Mom's night out so good. It's nice to get to go out and chit chat with other mommies without being interupted 10 zillion times. Not to mention getting something good to eat. Tonight we went to Max and Ermas. I didn't tip my waitress. She wasn't very attentive, my well done burger was medium rare and she stood over me waiting for money and she hadn't given me a bill! Yeah,, no tip for you. I had a good time otherwise tho.

About a month ago, our new heating unit stopped working. We had Chris's uncle come over and look at it. Well they quickly found out what had happened. Someone had sabotaged the power disconnect. Hmmmm,,, very suspicious. No big whoop really. A mild inconvienience. Well, this morning I woke up again to an ultra chilly house. I shuffled around for a while before I went to look at the thermostat. Blank again. Same thing as last time. I went outside to check the box and sure enough,,, it was standing open and the someone had messed with the lever again. It's getting real old. Just sayin.

A friend came over to play with, I mean,, watch the kids tonight so his wife and I could go out. He brought a Havaheart trap for the fox. As soon as he went out to set it he said "your cats are going to end up in this!" Well, wouldn't you know it? As soon as Chris came home he found our old fat male cat in the trap. Poor kittah,, he was so so stressed. Keep your fingers crossed that we get a fox!

Wednesday Highlights

2008-12-04T01:24:00.002-05:00

Science Club
Hair Cuts
Yahoo Crashed
More Christmas junk
My Husband>Tom Hanks

Science Club rocked my socks off again today. We have such an awesome group of parents, we really do. Lynda's Mike brought in his kit full of orthopedic hardware and told the kids all about how it was used. There was real bones to touch and examine. We learned about all of our joints, different types of fractures, how screws are put into bones, what happens when you get a plate put in your head, etc. It was REALLY cool. The "impressive" factor will be hard to top on that one!

After we finished up with Science Club I took the boys to lunch and to get their hair cut. Boy did they ever need it. I coulda knit a sweater with the hair that was on the floor. We tried out a new barber. Our old barber retired after a massive heart attack. This guy did a real good job and was kinda funny too. He gave T1 a Peter Boyle!

HA! He spun him around in the chair and told him "welp,, I'm done! Do you like it?" LOL The look on T1's face was priceless.

When we came home I went to check my email and I just about had a small heart attack. Yahoo did not exist! I mean,, it was no where to be found! Google found ZERO results for "Yahoo.com"

After trying about 20 different ways to get to my email and making 12 different calls I was ready to get a brown paper bag and start breathing into it. I tried one more time and a teensey bit of the page came up. I refreshed, a teensey bit more appeared. Each time I refreshed, it got a little bit better. Ok, blood pressure is going down. Eventually it came back up. It was a rude awakening. I depend on it WAY too much.

I ALMOST have all the Christmas junk up. I think there is one more box up there in he attic, somewhere. It took me until 1am to get the mess cleaned up that the 3 boxes I got down made. Little bits of garland, packing paper, random boxes, OH MY!

Do you remember this commercial?

It's a spoof on the movie Castaway. My husband is the FedEx guy. He does his job very very well. Well today he had a package for the woman that killed our best friend. He delivered the package and was completely professional. This was a bigger accomplishment than hanging onto a package for 5 years while being stranded on an island. I'm just sayin. I know his boss knows they have a great employee in him but I don't think they realize just HOW exemplary he really is.

Tuesday Highlights

2008-12-03T00:21:00.002-05:00

Paragraphs
The Handmaid's Tale and Netflix

Today I had T2 do the reading practice for the West Virginia Westest. Part of the test involves writing a paragraph stating 3 ways the 2 parts of the story conflict and agree. The child just cannot articulate himself. I know... he's 9 but wow.... it was really bad. It's definitely something we need to work on. That's a homeschool bonus though don't ya know! We CAN work on it,, we don't have to rush along because the lesson plan says so.

I think I mentioned that I read "The Handmaid's Tale" last week. Great book. I pushed the movie to the top of my netflix cue. I heart netflix, I really really do. I mean, I hardly EVER watch television anymore. I probably haven't turned on the TV on purpose since the last new episode of Lost was on. That was what? May?

Anyway.... back to Netflix and my movie. (speaking of not being able to construct a cohesive paragraph) I'm more of a documentary kinda gal. Netflix is chock full of 'em. My most recent fav is the Natural History of the Chicken. It's a PBS documentary. Watch it, you won't be sorry.

Ok, so someone grind up an Adderal in my hot chocolate would ya? The MOVIE. Good flick. A wee bit cheesy but entertaining because I'd read the book. I'm not sure people who haven't read the book would enjoy the movie. It's also a wee bit graphic, be forewarned. There is lady bits and sex acts. I think it would make a KILLER movie if they redid it today. I liked the way the movie ended better than how the book ended but I liked a lot of the foreshadowing and the details that the book had. The book was a weak 9/10 and the movie rated a solid 7/10.

Deeper still, the book has many feminist undertones but not so much that it ruins the storyline for me. I rather liked it. It is a dystopian setting which if you know me at all you know I'm drawn to. It's the paranoia. (waves at the black helicopter) The speculation about the fundamentalist totalitarianism was also very intriguing to me. It's a quick read. If you like to read a freaky book, pick this one up! It's back at the Barboursville Library now!

Tomorrow is Science Club and house cleaning. Yay!

Monday Highlights

2008-12-02T00:06:00.003-05:00

snow
band
grammar
math
Christmas decor

It snowed on and off today. Nothing stuck. I'll take snow to winter rain any day of the week.

I went early to band today. I wanted to catch all the members of the band so I could be sure they all had a shirt to wear to the concert on the 15th. I think everyone but one person has a shirt. I got a greater precentage of the band fees this month than I usually do, that's a bonus. I did forget to pay the band instructor though. I swear,, sometimes I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached.

Grammar took forever today. T2 was required to look up a bunch of words in the dictionary and write their plural forms down. Well our Giant Merriam Webster Large Print Edition assumes that you're not a mental deficiant if you're using it apparently because if it was a simple word then it didn't give the plural form. Does T2 just flip 1 page back in his book, read the rule and use some common sense when asked to write the plural of "bill" down? No. He sits and fumes and fusses and whines "I can't ffffiiiiNNNNNnnnnndddd itttt". By the time he got to "Blueberry" I thought I was gonna kill him.

T1 did excellent on his Algebra quiz today! He only missed 1 out of 38! The one he missed was just a goofy mistake too. That's fine. He neglected to simplify -3^2 properly in one problem. He said it was -9 instead of +9. He coulda kicked himself. I told him I never once in my whole life got an honest to goodness A on an algebra test so that's quite an accomplishment in my book! There were some doozey problems on it too!

I decided this year that I would get the Christmas decor down a little bit at a time instead of all in one fell swoop. I HATE the mess it makes. It takes me all day to sort through the junk and then another day to clean everything back up! So one box at a time this year. I should have it all out in a week or so. I took all the fall decorations down today and put them back in the attic. Flip me a fish, right?

Just another exciting Monday.

Ever consider putting a turbocharger on the 'ol minivan? Well, look no farther than the pros at turbochargerpros.com!

Something Shiney. Post 400!

2008-12-01T11:21:00.003-05:00

I love Martha. I'm not sorry. I just do. I love all her kitchy crafty stuff, her cookies that no one in their right mind would ever actually bake, her "good things" and the way she adds "ing" to nouns, makes them into new words (like "paper toweling") and of course the way she makes people belive that anything she does is the"end ALL" because she uses "the" in front of it. May I present to you.....

THE Newspaper Christmas tree.

This was too much fun. They are so much cuter in real life too. Plus? Anyone can do this. It was so easy. I made the big one on an old knitting needle and the little one on a ten penny nail. To give you an idea of scale, the star on top the little one is one of those little reward stars.
Here's a link to video instructions if you wanna make one too!
Happy 400th blog post to me too btw!

**
Do you know what else I love? Office Supplies. I love envelopes, highlighters, a fresh reem of paper, hanging folders, and tabs of all sorts. I'm sick that way.
**

Rain.

2008-11-25T09:03:00.003-05:00

Monday's Highlights

Rain

Band

Determiners

YAY FOR THE RAINY SEASON!! not. Oh. My. Goodness. I HATE winter rain. I mean I really hate it. It makes my joints hurt and I despise sinking up to my knees in mud. We got 3/4 of an inch today. If it had been just a few degrees colder it would have been 7 inches of snow (according to Tony Cavalier). Cold rain SUCKS. The cats and the chickens agree. The chickens spent the whole day in the hen house and the cats sat with their furry little knees crossed at the back door all day because they didn't wanna go out to do their biznuzz. When the hens stay inside for the entire day that means that the next day the poop will be EPIC. So yeah,, the boys are out cleaning it now.

It seems we have a few hawks watching the hens now. We're really going to have to build a larger covered run. Dang.... a lot of trouble for a few birds.

Oh, and I hope all the people who thought we were going to get snow last night are enjoying their bread and milk. Dang people,,, it's just snow. It goes away after a day or two, can't you survive without having to make a panic run to the grocery store?

The band is sounding very good. It sounds a lot like music they're playing now! WHOO HOO! Their Christmas Concert is on December 15th.

Joke for you:

A pirate was walking down the wharf and had a large steering wheel attached to his belt buckle. A sailor, feeling more confused than bold ask him "why do you have that there?" to which the pirate replied

"ARggghhhh, it drives me nuts!"

Buh-dum CRASH.... she'll be here all week folks... tip your waiter, try the veal.

T2 came to the place in his grammar book where he has to learn about determiners. I must admit that I do not remember ever learning about determiners. I can tell this seems totally pointless to him but Easy Grammar is such that you must learn it or you won't do well for the rest of the book. It says that you learn these to help you identify the noun. Is this really an issue? Identifying nouns I mean? I mean, I guess it is helpful when you have a sentence like '

"Sally's aunt is staying at her house"

Sally's is not a noun per se. It's a possessive noun determiner.

Whatever... it's just one of those times where he's having a hard time wrapping his mind around the big picture. Maybe I am too , a little.

Off to another day of big fun!

Leptovox? Have you ever heard of it? We'll probably all need a bit of it after Christmas!

New Week, New Book

2008-11-24T07:53:00.003-05:00

Sunday Highlights:

Housework
My Desktop is gone
Started Holes

I told someone the other day that my house is a total rat hole. Well, maybe not but it's "pertnear" close. It seems like such a loosing battle. I get it cleaned up and then all someone has to do is breathe and it's messed back up again. We are too many people and we have too much stuff for this size house. It's just impossible to keep cleaned up. But with the help of my menfolk, we tried to clean up Sunday. It was for not because here I am Monday morning,, looking around and I see that it's right back to where it started. Blah.

My desktop computer is in the hospital. It's been doing all sorts of weird stuff for a long long time now but just recently it started that thing where it locks up completely every 5 minutes. It was driving me NUTS. I think I have a bad spot on my hard drive too because I was getting the blue screen of death like 4 times a week. If I turned it off and turned it back on,,, it was fine so I guess it wasn't total death. But yeah, it's pretty eat up with disease so it's going to spend some time in surgery and recovery.

T2 and I started reading "Holes" last night. T1 came to listen because he's never read it either. We read the first 6 chapters and that lead to them fighting over the book. They both wanted to take it to bed with them and finish reading it. I love it when I have to say I'm going to hide the book so we can all discover it together! ha ha ha.

Here are some learning links for "Holes" by Louis Sachar

Novelinks

Holes reading unit

EdHelper

Do you have a local trophy shop? Yeah, a Trophy shop! No? Do you need a trophy QUICK? Try quicktrophy.com. They do trophies for all kinds of things and can rush ship you one in 24 hours. They even do Pinewood derby trophies!

Christmas Shopping 11/22/08

2008-11-22T23:04:00.004-05:00

Saturday Highlights

Shopping, lots of it

Blisters

German Paper Folding- Stars

Chris didn't work today. I was given a budget and a task to go find Christmas presents, SANS KIDS! This is a task I can get into.

Me and a friend set out today at 11:30am. We stopped at an Estate sale because,,, it was an ESTATE SALE! Wow, I do love me an estate sale. This one did not disappoint in the normal estate sale fodder. There were 1000 books on how to get closer to Jesus, pans that no one should ever cook with again, a bird sitting on a log (inside joke), and old shoes. Just about the time I thought we'd found everything worth having, we went downstairs.

This person had a typesetting business in his basement! It looked like (by the style of the things) that it hadn't been used since the 60s but it was amazing! Such cool stuff to look through.

I ended up coming out of there with a few boxes of envelopes but that's about it. I was overwhelmed! I sent Chris back with more money to get more stuff but it was all gone by the time he got there.

So then we went off to shop. Oh man... did we shop. In 8 hours of scouring every store we came home with a very disappointing amount of stuff. It doesn't help that the boys weren't very helpful in telling us what they want. I made them tell me 4 things they wanted the other day and I was able to find a few of them but it looks like I'll have to order a good bit of it from the internet.
At one of the first places we went I found the cutest pair of shoes. I love them so much. They went perfectly with my shirt so I bought them and put them on.
ARRRRGGGGHHH!
Blisters, swelling, pain. Breaking in a new pair of shoes on shopping day was a huge mistake. I knew it was but did I listen? No. I let the lure of cuteness suck me in. I ended up putting my old shoes back on. Ack.
Here's another issue, there's nothing to buy out there. I mean... NOTHING. It's all just junk. The stuff under the tree is going to look sad sad sad this year. I mean... a MP3 player doesn't really wrap up very pretty,, ya know?

On crafty fronts... Do you need a rainy day activity? I've taught T2 to make German Stars. He's getting really good at it! I think I'll string these and make a garland or maybe make Christmas cards. You can find a tutorial HERE.

Thursday/Friday catch up

2008-11-22T07:52:00.002-05:00

Thursday Highlights

catching up on bookwork

4H Leaders meeting

Let's talk about math. Both boys are very very math minded lately! They are doing so well. T2 and I have been concentrating on multiplication and division since September. Yes, I know this is a 3rd grade skill and T2 is technically in 4th but he didn't really grasp it fully last year. This year I decided that we would immerse ourselves in it until he "got it". Well I think he finally has. He can get 50 multiplication/division facts in under 2 minutes. I think it's almost time to get back to the books for him! We've been using manipulatives and drills until this point.

T1 and algebra. He's seeing the light. He's doing very well. I know I mentioned wanting to get the Teaching Textbooks math but I never seemed to be able to come up with the money (it's really pricey). A good friend gave me the entire "Key to" series and we LOVE IT! He's really getting it and is doing algebra problems that make him feel so proud of himself. I asked him the other day, " If I'd shown you that problem 2 months ago, would you have believed that you could not only DO it but you UNDERSTAND it?". He just grinned from ear to ear. For the first time ever he's been getting 100%s on his work. I'm proud of him!

Thursday night I went to a 4H leader training meeting. Good stuff. We learned how to help the kids keep track of the money and how to record the meetings. We learned how to put on a "Skill-o-Thon" which were kinda cool. I got to meet some of the other local 4H leaders. They gave me the skunk eye, btw. I'm not "one of them" LOL. I'm so glad I went though because they were having the first Rifle Team meeting too and I got the boys the last 2 slots on the team. Now you'd think my kids would be just overwhelmed with excitement over this... right? Not so much, they're whining about it. I think they'll have a blast once they get to practice. They have to now,, they have tshirts. ha ha. We'll have our first meeting on December 9th. We're officially a 4H club now!

Friday.

Made a turkey
Took the kids Christmas shopping
Finished a book
Foxy Brown is back.

I cooked a turkey Friday evening. Now I generally cook a pretty rockin' bird. It's not hard and if you loosen the breast skin up and ram about 10 pats of butter under there,, how can you go wrong?

I'll tell ya how.

Forget about it. Yeah,, I kinda forgot about the turkey cooking and over cooked it. It's still yummy, just a little... tough? ha ha ha. That's what mayonnaise if for right? Geeze, it's no wonder we're the fattest people in the country. I'm not talking about Huntington,, I'm just talking about my family! ha ha ha.

The kids have no idea what they'd like for Christmas. Not only is there nothing big that's a must have this year, my spoiled rotten brats have everything they want! I told them to think of FOUR things they really really want. No dice. They couldn't come up with anything. After much window shopping they finally came up with 4 things each.

T1:

An Iron Maiden "A Matter of Life or Death" Tshirt
A video Mp3 player
A professional Yo-yo
Zelda for the Wii

T2:

Lego Indiana Jones for the XboX
Lego Indiana Jones legos
Nerf Vulcan Gun
A Metallica/ACDC/Aerosmith Tshirt

I finally finished a book I was reading. I've been reading it for well over a month. It's a GREAT book I just haven't had time to sit down and commit to finishing it. It's called The Legend of Mammy Jane by Sibyl Jarvis Pischke. Just an awesome book if you love reading about the old ways. It wasn't the deepest or the best written book I've ever read but come on... it's spectacular considering the woman who wrote it is a hairdresser!

It's the semi-fictional account of the history of the Jarvis family in Oka, WV (just past Charleston). More importantly it's a tale of how good sense and hard work will always prevail over any situation. I think a few people in government should read this book. I think a few people that think they're going to get something for nothing should read this book. I'll get off my soap box.

It's a great book. If you can get your hands on a copy, read it! The Cabell Co. Library has it (or will soon) but the cheapest you can get it on Amazon is $30.00. It's just not widely available.

Fox.

Our fox is back. He is crafty, that's for sure. We've seen evidence around the hen house of fox infiltration. Unfortunately, I'm never ready for that fox when he shows up so we'll have to trap him. I don't want my girls being "Triple Delight" for that fox!

On the upside of this though,, T2 has been feverishly researching foxes. He wants to do an entire presentation on foxes. I've never been more grateful for the laptop! He can sit in the same room with me and do his internet thing while I keep a watchful eye on him. I had to make a potty run and as I was coming back down the hall I heard him say "I'm going to w w w dot FOX dot com" and I was like.... "NNNNNNNNNOOOOOoooooooooo" Thank goodness it's just Fox Network's website but you just don't know do you? ha ha.

Well, now I'm caught up. Don't you feel better now that you know all the exciting stuff that is going on here at Backyard Academy?

2008-11-19T15:09:00.004-05:00

Highlights from today?

Our last Spanish Class

Science Club

A trip to the bank

I finished a hat.

The chickens are alive

So our Spanish tutor has decided to discontinue our classes. The kids are a little disappointed but I think they'll get over it. It was starting to be a little hard on the pocketbook anyway. What I was paying out a month for lessons almost equaled a weeks worth of groceries and you know how I'm feeling about that!

I started her a hat last night as a thank you gift. It was a quick knit and I think I'll definately do it again but I may work it out so it can be knit in the round instead of the 2 needle way the pattern called for.

Ravelers can find the pattern

HERE

I have no idea what yarn I used. I just know it's some lovely GGH stuff that I got on clearance at ACMoore a long time ago. The pattern says less than 2 50g balls but I didn't even come close to breaking into the second ball. It only used one. This hat looks really smart if you have hair. My model there doesn't really do the hat justice.

Anyway... I finished it up this morning, stuck it in a gift bag... and VIOLA!,, gift.

Science club rocked hard today! I mean really, it could not have gone better! Last time we learned about how electric current worked and there were so many great hands on activities. This time Mrs. Racina dumped out a bunch of supplies and said "Now, take what you know and make a flash light!".

And you know what?

They did! So cool. I just love it when everything comes together!

I made my third trip to the bank this month. Hmmm,,, lets see,, it's the 3rd week so yeah,, 3 trips. Band monies are due on the first Monday of every month and I inevitably get checks every single week. This annoys me and is hard to keep up with.

ok,... griping about that is over. Just had to get it off my chest.

Last thing,, it was COLD last night. Really cold. When I got up this morning the chickens coop door was hanging open on the side.

I was TICKED.

After I yell at and guilt my children to almost tears I go out to investigate the coop myself. Not only was the door open all night but there is NO BEDDING in the coop! Poor poor chickie hens.

This is not the end of this rant.. let me tell ya. They are alive though,, as I knew they would be but it's the principle of the matter you know?

Snow

2008-11-18T09:47:00.002-05:00

It snowed a bit last night. Nov. 17th. Just as a matter of record, we had a bit of accumulation on Nov. 16th last year! I love this blogging thing! Now I can really see the benefit of keeping a diary. I can see why so many have done it for so long. It's really cool to look back and see when the first snow fall was on the previous year or how motivated you are to start school.

Today we have a smidge more than a dusting. It's supposed to snow/rain all day today. We also have schoolwork to complete and many errands to run.

I have to get my glasses tightened, go to the store, and take the kids skating.

If we're going to do all of that, we better get at it! Just had to make a note of the weater for today!

Festivus

2008-11-17T19:20:00.003-05:00

For years now, I've been a proponent of not celebrating commercial Christmas. Oh sure,, the birth of Christ is always first and foremost but he really wasn't born on Dec. 25th anyway so why not just forget the whole thing? I'm sick of padding corporate pockets. What in the world would happen if people stopped going on a spending spree the last month of the year?

Black Friday is the day that stores hope to quit operating in the red and move to the black (financially). So if everyone decided that they were not going to buy a bunch of dumb crap that no one needs between the dates Nov. 28th and Dec 24th, what would happen to all of these stores?

I say, let 'em fall.

Perhaps after the initial shock wears off, small businesses will start to thrive and value for your dollar will be restored. I don't know,, it's just a theory. I don't have any financial models to back it up or any articles to point to, I'm just thinking out loud.

Instead, I want to celebrate Festivus.

Festivus is traditionally held any time between December and May but it can be held at any time in response to family tention. It begins with the annual Airing of Grievances. This can be done in any way you like. This is an opportunity to create your own family traditions. Legend has it that one family wrote their grievances on the refrigerator with black magic marker every year. Feel free to not deface your appliances.

During this Airing of Grievances, a celebratory dinner is served. Nothing like your family telling you where you've failed in life during dinner huh? The Festivus dinner traditionally consists of Meatloaf or Spaghetti with Red Sauce, and is followed by a Pepperidge Farm cake decorated with M&Ms. Acceptable beverages are Bourbon, Rum, Beer and Wine. The only unacceptable food are bagels.

After dinner and the Airing of Grievances, Feats of Strength are preformed. The head of the household chooses someone to challenge in a wrestling match. The chosen one may decline if he or she has something else to do, such as pull a double shift at work. Festivus is not over until the head of the household has been pinned to the living room floor in said wrestling match.

Festivus Miracles have been known to happen. They generally consist of minor coincidences like running into your drunken neighbor at the liquor store or getting a phone call during an uncomfortable conversation. (see Airing of Greivances). These can also be recognized year round.

As for decorations, there are few. A festivus pole is the centerpiece. It should be made of a heavy gauge aluminum with a "high strength to weight ratio". Nothing should adorn the pole and serve as a distraction from the Feats of Strength and the Airing of Grievances. When not in use, the pole must be stored in the crawlspace of your home.

In lieu of buying gifts for other people, you donate money to the Human Fund. This often involves going out and purchasing yourself something or just withdrawing money from your bank and putting it in your pocket.

Doesn't this sound like a better holiday? I mean, it's frugal, not fussy, you get some excersize, and your mental health is clear.

Festivus! A holiday for the Rest of Us!!!

Groceries

2008-11-15T23:19:00.002-05:00

Seriously. Who can afford to eat these days? We did our grocery shopping today and it was insane. We spent half as much as we would have on gas but we're spending more on food. The food is about to break the bank.

I won't even tell you what we spent today and last week and the week before, it's totally embarassing. I'm ashamed. I will tell yo that I am resovled to do better.

The first thing I need is a plan. I need to know what we're eating that week.

The second thing I need is a list. No "oh wow! it's on sale, let's get it" purchases.

The third thing I need is an organized coupon system.

The fourth thing I need is time to go to the store ALONE. The shopping should not be a family project. The family feels like they need to go so they don't miss out on any prime snack food. This is costing us.

The next thing I'm thinking about is TheGroceryGame.com . Does anyone do this? I saw a lady on the local news the other night who is feeding a family of 6 on $50 a week. I investigated our area's offers and the only one I'd really use was Kroger. I'm not too thrilled with the price either. There is a monthly fee.

I'm trying to console myself with reminders that we eat every meal at home. I cook at least 16 meals a week. That's a lot of groceries. The boys are eating more than ever too.

*sigh* I don't know. I just know something has to give.

How am I ever going to be able to afford vacation rentals at this rate? LOL

A Report by T1

2008-11-13T22:28:00.003-05:00

Ok, so Project Day kinda snuck up on us this month. Not really snuck up on us so much as I have been oober busy and hasn't had time to do any extra cool stuff with the kids. I mean, we're getting in the basics but nothing they can show off. So T1 threw together a quicky report tonight.

Maurtis Cornelis Escher was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. He is one of my favorite artists because I like his creative three dimensional drawings. They look really cool.

M.C.Escher was an illustrator as well as an accomplished artist. Like Michaelanglo and DaVinci he was left handed. Over his lifetime he created over 2500 original works of art.

Escher was born in 1898 in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. He was the youngest of four sons born to George Arnold Escher and Sara Gleichman. “Mauk”, as he came to be nicknamed, was a sickly child and a very poor student. He actually failed the 2nd grade. He eventually left school in 1922, having gained experience in drawing and making woodcuts. Woodcuts are carvings that are used to reproduce artwork by inking the block and pressing it to a piece of paper.

Escher met and married Jetta Umiker. Together they had a son named Giorgio Arnaldo Escher, after his grandfather. 1937, the Escher family moved to Ukked, a small town near Brussels, Belgium. WW2 forced them to move again in January of 1941, this time to Baarn, The Netherlands. They lived there until 1970.

One of my favorite of his works is called Waterfall. His most famous work is called Metamorphosis III. It is large enough to cover an entire wall! Metamorphosis III uses a type of mathematical art called tessellation. Tessellation is using a shape over and over again to cover an area without any gaps.
Escher's works remain as popular today as they were during his life. Chances are that everyone of us has seen a piece of his art at one time or another. Mr. Escher died in March of 1972. He was 74 years old.

After he was done with his report we gave Tessellation a try. This was fun and easy too!

T2 is going to show off some of his Lego Stop Motion videos.

Happy Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T18:02:00.002-05:00

Today was a really busy day and I'm BEAT. A successful day but it took more effort than I'm used to expending, ya know?
This morning I had to head out the door to our first EAGLE meeting. This entailed loading the SUV to the hilt. Food, decoration, paperwork, and supplies.
I made a tastey cranberry chicken salad, cresants, cornbread (my recipe, sorry, no link) and Taco Soup.
The day went wonderfully. It's going much better than I ever imagined. I think people are excited now which makes ME excited! And as if it couldn't get any better?
We got a ROAD grant for $500 for our group today! YEAH!! Wow, it's really a shot in the arm and boy do we need it! Just another sign that we're doing a great thing by starting this group!
We also had a 4H meeting today. I think we'll have a LOT of fun with this group. There are so many great things that you can do under the 4H umbrella. We're going to use it for all it's worth!

So, after all of that, I came home and found a taker for my little rooster. He's going to live with other mini chickens and hopefully be very happy. YAY!
The boys thing this day is full of win because COD 5 (Call of Duty 5) came out. They're at the store now picking it up. Oh yes,,, it was prepaid! LOL
Tomorrow? Spanish.
Friday? Project Day.

Happy 233rd Birthday USMC

2008-11-10T01:40:00.002-05:00

During the American Revolution, many important political discussions took place in the inns and taverns of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Marine Corps.

A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on shore.

The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines.

As the first order of business, Samuel Nicholas became Commandant of the newly formed Marines. Tun Tavern’s owner and popular patriot, Robert Mullan, became his first captain and recruiter. They began gathering support and were ready for action by early 1776.

Each year, the Marine Corps marks November 10th with a celebration of the brave spirit which compelled these men and thousands since to defend our country as United States Marines.

Our "Hen"

2008-11-10T01:38:00.001-05:00

Is an imposter. Listen for yourself.

I think we've found a home for him tho. He really is quite sweet.

Meet Chicken Little

2008-11-08T15:32:00.003-05:00

When I came home today from picking up the boys at the slumber party, I had a message on my answering machine. One of the mom's in our homeschool group had called and asked if I knew anyone who wanted a small hen.

uhhm, no,, I don't know anyone like that! LOL

She said that it was just randomly clucking around in her neighborhood in the West End of Huntington. She didn't know if it was a small breed or just a baby chicken but I told her to come ahead and bring her down, we'd take her in.

She's a sweet little hen. Very docile. I don't know if the big girls will like her or not so we put her in the little run and let the big girls out into the yard. The big girls have been talking to her all afternoon. I think it was a good thing to put her in the small run. The pecking order might be a little hard on her.

She was so thristy! She drank and drank and drank. She appears healthy, just a little stressed.

I think she's a White Leghorn Bantam. She has a cute little cluck. I hope the girls adjust to her and welcome her to the flock!

Week in Review

2008-11-08T08:34:00.002-05:00

This week went surprisingly well, considering how poorly I was expecting it to go.
Election Day could have been very depressing but it hasn't gotten me down. I have a sense of peace about it.
Nov.6th came and went and I didn't collapse into too many puddles of tears. Although, I may have just made a little puddle just thinking about it again.
Wednesday went wonderfully. Ms. Racina presented a SPECTACULAR lesson on electricity for our Science club and it totally rocked my socks off. I can't thank her enough. I'd put a picture up but my camera is mysteriously MIA. That happens almost every time I hear "MOM? can I use the camera?"
Thursday brought mom's night out and that was fun as usual. We went to Outback. We griped, commiserated, enjoyed a glass of wine and ate wonderful food and cheesecake. Doesn't everyone deserve that every once in a while? It really was lovely.
Friday- Took the kids to Tarahs and dropped them off. Ahhhhh, the noise level is drastically reduced in my house!
As for the week ahead?
It could prove to be very hectic.
Monday is band day and I'm supposed to go to my house cleaning job but I may have to once again scoot that to another day. We may or may not have a 4H meeting on that day. I'm sure my employers have just about had it with my scooting the days. I usually clean on Tuesday but this Tuesday is
E.A.G.L.E's Homeschool Parent Luncheon! So I have lots to do to prepare for that.
Wednesday we are free. Yay. Thursday also looks blissfully free. I'm sure that both of these days will find some way to fill up with some task or activity as they always do but for now... they are free.
Friday is Project Day. YAY PROJECT DAY! We love it. It's one of the best things that we do.

Congratulations

2008-11-05T13:36:00.001-05:00

The views expressed by the current political administration do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of myself, Crystal Newman, my immediate family, my friends, Christians, Conservatives, Americans, Liberals, Democrats, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, the Founding Fathers, Dogs, Cats, Goldfish, or any subgroup therein. Any laws, police actions, bills, or subversive take overs are solely the responsibility of the Marxist Party. Any member of the above groups and subgroups shall assume no responsibility nor accept liability for the downfall of freedom. By electing this administration, you agree and adhere to the terms of this disclaimer.
Jus' sayin.

Foxy.

2008-11-03T22:49:00.002-05:00

Foxy.
But not like you'd think. We were doing algebra on the back porch today when T1 yells "FOX!!"

This is not something that I hear the kids yell every day. I darted out the back door expecting to see a teensy little red fox or possibly a very large squirrel scampering away but no.....

This guy was big and very very VERY determined to get my chickens!

I was barefoot but I grabbed the pitchfork and ran towards him yelling "GIT!! GIT!! GIT!!!" The fox just stood there and even came towards me a few times. Then he bared his teeth. I've never encountered a mean fox before. Heck, who am I kidding?, I've never been that close to ANY fox before. I'm thinking Copper from the Fox and the Hound. This guy's name was not Copper, let me tell ya.

This guy kept coming back for more. He had no fear what so ever of us. His eye was on the prize. The prize was a triple chicken dinner.

Not today foxy.... not today.

Do you see my poor stupid hens checking out the fox on the other side of the gate? They're all like "Hey! You wanna play?,, you wanna come join our flock?" and all the while Foxy is licking his lips. We don't live in the woods people! It may look like it from these pictures but we live right in town!

Ugh, now we can't let the hens out in the "barnyard". We have to keep them in the coop. They are not going to be happy.

Halloween at Carter Caves

2008-10-31T09:50:00.002-05:00

We spent last weekend camping at Carter Caves. It was so much fun. I can't wait to do it again next year. They have a Trick or Treat weekend. All the campsites are decorated to the hilt! There are pumpkin contests, site decorating contests, costume contests, ghost stories, scary (ish) movies on the big screen, and more!
Let me just say,,, it's REALLY hard to get a good shot inside a cave without the proper equipment! In Cascade Cave they set up a stage and had two marvelous story tellers sing songs and tell ghost stories. That was a blast and would have been even better had the audience not been incrediably rude. What's up with that? The red blob you see is one of the story tellers dressed up as "The Devil's Daughter". She was great.

I gave the kids the carving equipment and told them to "go to it" this is what they came up with! They had a lot of fun doing it.
The light and the leaves were just perfect.

T2 Dressed up as "A Halo Guy". He and daddy made the costume. Homemade costumes are the way to go aren't they? I mean, anyone can BUY a costume, but it takes more imagination and skill to come up with one on your own!
Oh, and T1 decided he didn't want to dress up but at the last minute he decided he wanted to Trick or Treat. So he went as "average pre-teen boy" ha ha ha Isn't that scary enough?

We'll definately go again next year. That was the best Trick-or-Treating ever!

2008-10-31T09:27:00.002-05:00

The legend of Stingy Jack

In old Ireland, there was a drunkard named Jack. Jack was so stingy that he only ate turnips. He spent most of his days and most of his nights at the pub.

On one of these nights he said he'd trade his soul for a shilling for just one more drink. Well the ol' Devil heard this and asked Stingy Jack if he meant it. Jack replied

"oh yes, my soul for another drink".

So the Satan turned himself into a shilling and spun 'round landing on the bar. Kinda gives new meaning to "the love of money is the root of all evil" doesn't it?

Instead of buying a pint with that coin, Stingy Jack put that devil of a coin into his pocket and headed home, munching on a turnip. He kept it there for some time but Old Scratch whined and carried on and made such a ruckus from inside that pocket that Jack struck a deal with him.

"If you'll agree to not come back for my soul for 10 years, I'll let you out"

Well, reluctantly, the devil agreed and Jack took the coin out of his trouser pocket and flipped it into the air. The coin sprung to life, turning back into the Devil. Now you'd think that with such an experience that you'd mend your ways. You'd try to be a better person but being who he was and generally just being human, Jack continued being Jack.

Ten years to the day, Jack was walking home after being at the pub. The 'ol Devil appeared in his path. Jack wasn't surprised but was a little dismayed. He'd hoped the devil had forgotten but he DID strike a deal with him so he said,

"I'm ready to go with you, I am, but first, as my last request, may I have one of those apples from atop that apple tree. I'm so hungry"

The Devil thought this was a reasonable request and was frankly a little thrown at the lack of fighting and opposition on Jacks part. The devil climbed up the tree to get the apple. As soon as he was at the top, Jack took out his knife and cut a cross on the trunk of the tree.Now you and I know that the devil can never come across the sacred symbol of Christianity! Oh but he wailed and cried and carried on. Finally Jack was ready to strike a deal with him again. He said

"I'll get you down but you have to promise to never try and come for my soul again!"

The Devil baulked at this, he did not want to agree to it but he had no choice! Jack threw him up a rope. Satan tied it to a tree limb and Jack tied the other end to the base of a horse hitching post. Together they made a slide of sorts out of the side of the tree so the devil could get down.

Well, Jack went on living his life. Never amending his ways. One day, as all folks do, Jack died a natural death. Since the Devil could not claim his soul Jack went to the Pearly Gates. St. Peter said "Jack? What are you doing here? You were selfish, drunken and unrepentant your whole life, I cannot give you entry into the gates of Heaven!" "You will have to go... DOWNSTAIRS"In an instant, Jack found himself in Hell. The Devil said "Jack? What are you doing here? You know I cannot claim your soul!" Jack explained that he had no where else to go to which the devil replied "GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" But the way back was dark and windy so as a final gesture a coal from the pits of Hell was thrown to light his path. Jack scooped up the coal and placed it in a hollowed out turnip he had been eating to keep it from burning his hand. Ever since Jack and his "lantern" has been traveling over the face of the earth looking for a place to rest. The Devil doesn't want any more dealings with that tricky old Jack so be sure to place a Jack-o-lantern on your stoop tonight!

Why it's important to vote.

2008-10-30T12:27:00.001-05:00

Well, Today Was NOT Good

2008-10-28T23:37:00.007-05:00

Today was "one of those days". I kept fighting "chance" all day and "chance" kept winning. When will I learn??

It started when I woke up late. I hardly ever sleep late anymore. I kinda wake up automatically at 7am or earlier. Today I woke at 9:02am. That's not terrible except we were supposed to be downtown at by 10:00am.

This is when I should have given up.

I persisted though. I looked for some clothes and realized that the majority of the boys clothing was still dirty from our camping trip. I'd thrown some in the washer the night before but they were still wet. I ran in and threw 2 pair of pants in the drier. If I could get them dry-ish by 9:30 we could still make it. I ran back into the bedroom to find myself something to wear and it was like aliens abducted me and I had lost time. It was now 9:25! EGAD!!!! I hadn't even bathed. I gave myself a spit bath and yelled at the kids to get up,, QUICKLY!

(yes, the kids will not get out of bed unless I yell at them)

We managed to get it together and headed out the door at 9:50. We were going to be late but we were still going to make it... kinda.

As we were getting off the exit at 16th st. , I hear THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP

and I thought "when did they put rumble strips in here?"

Then I got a sick feeling, there are no rumble strips, it was my tire.

Where was I going to pull off? I found a RiteAid and pulled towards the back of the parking lot.

Getting out of the car, I hear a loud hiss. T1 also heard it and pointed at the front passenger tire.

"There it is!"

Looking down, I saw this:

Some giant chunk of road trash was lodged in my tire. It was loosing air fast. In just a few moments the tire was almost completely flat. Great, I'm going to have to change the tire. Now I'm no stranger to changing tires, I've done it many times but never on the Pathfinder. I know it makes no difference how big the car is that you're changing the tire on but jacking up that beast made me a little nervous.

First things first though. I had to find the supplies in the back to do it. I located the jack tools pretty easily and then I found the jack. The jack was BOLTED DOWN to the back of the car! Now this seems like a pretty simple obstacle to overcome but nothing is ever simple right?

It's like 29 degrees out and I'm totally not dressed for 29 degrees because,, oh,,, I don't know,, it's OCTOBER? My hands were freezing. Like icicles I tell you!

It is unclear where it is bolted down because it's embedded into the frame.

It's never been removed before and it's REALLY in there.

(not my trunk btw)

I did finally get it unscrewed and I learned stuff I guess. The kids learned a few new curses, too.

So then I stand there and say "Where is the spare?" I seriously didn't know! T1 and T2 both simultaneously pointed under the car.

UNDER THE CAR???? WHAT?? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDIN' ME!!!

So I have no idea how a person is supposed to get to that so if all else fails? Follow directions. I pulled out the owners manual and you will not believe this.

Really.. you won't. Get this, You have to assemble the jack tool in an unnatural fashion, blindly feed it down a long narrow hole in the bumper, and then imagine how to fit the "T" end of the jack tool into the key slot and then crank the tire down.

Again with the cursing. Really people, this is tricky.

So I get the spare off and by now, I'm FILTHY. That tire is GROSS. I move to the front of the car to put the jack under the frame. I'm laying on the ground trying to determine what is the car, what is the frame and what is fiberglass. It's not as cut and dry as one might think!

About now I hear "YOU NEED SOME HELP?"

The nicest old guy came over and helped me. As he was getting down on the ground to look under the car he said "I just had knee replacement 3 months ago, I better take it slow!"

Oh my goodness. I begged him to let me do it but he wouldn't hear of it.

We worked together and had that tire off and the spare on in no time flat after that. Such a nice guy. I was happy for the help. This also is not the best part of town. 16th St. is known for it's shady company. I knew immediately that this guy was decent. We missed the class at the library of course. This is quite a long and convoluted tale and I could regale you for hours because this is not the end.

We came home and I got a real life shower. By this point, bathing was NOT an option. I was gross. I called my mom to see if she needed a ride to work and she did indeed need a ride. That gave me just enough time to run up to the mall and get the tire fixed.

It's now about a quarter till 12 and I'm at National Tire and Battery. They've always been really good about fixing our tires. We seem to have the worst luck picking up nails in our tires. Pretty sad considering how infrequently that car leaves the driveway.

I tell the tire guy that I've picked up a LARGE piece of metal in my tire and he says that it'll be at least 2 hours. Great. So the boys and I went to wander about the mall for a while. We had lunch and mooched some magazines at Borders. At 3pm I still hadn't heard from NT&B. They were supposed to call my cell when they were ready for me to come pick it up. I decided that we'd walk back to NT&B and wait there. We wait in the waiting room for about 10m when I decide that we have to go. I have to get mom to work by 4. When I step back out to the counter the tire man says "OH, I was just getting to yours!"

Really?

So I told him "how 'bout I leave the tire with you, I have to go" He says... (here's the kicker people) "oh! yeah, you can do that"

Really?

So he goes out to get the tire and comes back in without it. He was gone like 3 minutes? He lets me in on the news

"yeah, that hole is too big, we can't fix it"

Oh. My. God. You couldn't tell me this almost 3 HOURS AGO? I wanted to throttle him. I get to buy new tires. JOY.

So I whip over to Mom's house (which is fortunately right around the corner) and take her to work on 5th St. I got NOTHING accomplished today. NOTHING. No school, no class, none of my other errands and chores. Such a failed day. I didn't get home until 4:30 and I was really feeling my blood pressure rise. So what do I do? Eat Ruffles chips and dip for dinner. Real good for the blood pressure huh? I think I need some orovo.

Now I'm setting here at 1:46am and I realize I didn't turn the chicken light off. My poor birds are trying to sleep with a 45watt bulb shining in their face. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Slow. I like slow

2008-10-23T20:41:00.003-05:00

Not a lot to report.

T1 cracked his head at the roller rink on Tuesday and we had to take him to the hospital. He had/has a concussion. How do you know when you no longer have a concussion? When it stops hurting? That was a nice unexpected expense.

We were supposed to go to Fort Boonesborough on Wednesday but we had to stay home and watch his head do nothing. Yay.

Today we didn't do jack squat. Well,, we did go to Lowes. I had to price some PVC pipe and wood for room dividers and shelves.

I finished a scarf today of my own design. I'll post a pattern soon. I think I'll try to write the pattern down and then test knit it myself. It was a quicky so no big whoop.

We're supposed to go camping this weekend. The weather is going to suck but oh well,, it'll be an adventure.

I haven't done laundry or anything else for that matter for days.

I did cook a turkey and made turkey soup. Yippee.

Wow.. I'm just a bundle of fun aren't I?

Oh,, I did finish a Truly Tasha Tudor Shawl on Sunday. Ravelers HERE.

That's a friend of mine from Knittin' Kittens modeling it for me. That's awful yarn is it not? BLECH! I ran out and was only able to put the trim on one side but it turned out very cozy and nice just the same. I donated it to the Oncology Center at Cabell Huntington. I wonder why that one spot looks so messed up? eh,, no matter.

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This Tshirt and other funny t-shirts are available at http://www.roadkilltshirts.com/.

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Yogurt

2008-10-23T00:37:00.003-05:00

I'm a little to into my chickens. I've mentioned before that they are "my girls". They make me really happy. One day when we have a lot more room we'll raise some meat birds but My Girls will retire and live as long the Lord lets them.
I've been reading about what things I can add to their diet to keep them healthy and keep their egg production coming at a normal pace. Over and over again, I read that plain unsweetened yogurt was really good for them and they LOVE it. I had to run right out and get them some. It was on sale this week at Kroger. BONUS.
The directions for feeding chickens yogurt are:
1. Put yogurt in a bowl.
2. RUN!!
HOLY MOLY did the yogurt fly! They are crazy for the stuff! Oh we laughed and laughed. So much pleasure for $1.99.

That's Miss Prissy by the way. She's the one who had the egg problems a while back. She and I have a bond now.
Ok,, so it's a weird bond and it's probably only me but whatever... humor me OK?

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What would be the best diet pill for me? One that made white chocolate covered Oreos look gross to me! OMG,, they make me salivate like Homer Simpson. Oreos... tastey Oreos... beautiful white chocolate covered Oreos.

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Hovercraft

2008-10-19T10:44:00.001-05:00

All da plumbers in da house, pull your pants up!

2008-10-19T00:36:00.007-05:00

Ok, I have no idea how long they'll let this stay up but I captured this with my camera. This is one of the best things I've seen yet. Pure gold.
Here's a direct link to it. LINKY

Oh,, the music player is on the right hand side,, just click the square to turn it off.

Ok,, this is nice!!!

2008-10-16T18:24:00.002-05:00

For anyone who tunes in here regularly, you know that I complete little assignments and I generally tack them on to the end of my usual posts about my every so boring life in general. I rarely ever identify with any of the products but I say a little something about it and move on. Everyone's happy right?
Today's looked no different but I checked out the link to see what I would be writing about and what a breath of fresh air!! Funny republican baby tshirts! There are always such funny liberal T's and that's cool but rarely do you see any good Libertarian or Republican stuff!
Oh,, and this site has cute baby clothes, too!

Sometimes you just can't help it.

2008-10-16T18:13:00.001-05:00

You just loose it, ya know?
So today T1 and I were reviewing exponents and variables. Reviewing mind you.... meaning he should already kinda have this down.. right?
I ask him to simplify -3xrrxxt
Now the right answer is -3 x^3 r^2 t (sorry, I have no clue how to type exponents otherwise)
He says -3x to the "r" to the "t"
Ok,, I'm gonna kick his B to the U to T SQUARED if he doesn't start using his BRAIN!!!

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Do you think some digital signage with math rules on it would help? Yeah,, me neither

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My Hiney Hurts

2008-10-16T17:55:00.002-05:00

Because I sat on it all day.
I'm not kidding. I got really into working on a project and I didn't get up for hours!
I really wanted to get it done while I was motivated to do it,, ya know?
A group of us homeschool parents wanted to create a place where everyone could get together, take classes, socialize, hold meetings (scouts, 4H, project day, etc) all on one day. We're all really tired of keeping the roads hot every day of the week. Sure,, sometimes it'll be a really long day but then it'll be OVER and we can sleep in the next day! ha ha (like that'd ever happen!)
So we're getting ready to have the grand kick-off for E.A.G.L.E Education and Group Learning Enrichment. We also wanted to launch a website so I guess this is it's "soft open" as it were!
Check out Homeschooleagle.com.
I made it all by my lonesome! I used real life HTML and everything! It even has a message board! Be sure to check out the links page because that took me FOREVER! ha ha. Now some of the tabs are really lacking content but it's only because I have no content to put in them yet!

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I have to write about acne. Acne stinks... big time.. so there

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Some Updates

2008-10-15T20:08:00.002-05:00

Monday the 13th- My meeting with other moms about the Homeschool Enrichment Program went exceedingly well. Afterwards I went out and mooched a bale of hay and got a bag of apples. I made apple butter from them that night and canned them the next morning!
Tuesday the 14th- Went to my housecleaning job and I didn't feel like I made any progress. I hate that. I really want to do a spectacular job and sometimes no matter how hard I work, stuff just doesn't show. Oh well, I do what I can do,, you know? That evening we went to a skating birthday party. Fun stuff!
Wednesday the 15th- Spanish class, my kids are dorks, I'm going to leave it at that. After that we came home and got our hovercraft for Science Club. I can't wait until someone sends me some pictures of that contraption because it ROCKS! Really, it was so cool.

OK,, so I have a few complaints about stoopid people.
The Walmart Lady
I ran down to Walmart the other night to get a bit of 5mil plastic for the skirt on our hovercraft. I asked the lady if I could get about 5 feet cut. She grabs her yard stick and scissors and follows me to the rolly rack that has all the plastic and flocked back table cover and the like.
She's trying to measure this 60in wide plastic off the roll with a YARD STICK. She didn't act like she wanted me to help her at all! She kept on giving me that "I'VE GOT IT" huff when I'd offer to hold it taught for her.
Ok,, whatever,, except it's imperative that I not come home with less than 55 inches of the stuff. If she cuts it wrong then I'm bringing it back.
She awkwardly cuts it and takes it to the desk to remeasure it.
I'll let you guess if she did or not.
Answer: No.
48 inches.
She says "I don't know how I did that!" and "I'll just have to try again!"
So we saunter back over to the rolly rack and she pulls out more plastic. Now the roll that I want is all the way at the bottom. I start to mention to her that she should pull it all the way out and then measure it when another walmart lady walks up. They both start to struggle with the measuring of this plastic when I say
"you know,, the tiles on the floor are exactly 12 inches"
WML #2 says "No they aren't"
and by now these women had started to make me nervous because I could see that there was very little plastic left on the roll so I said "Yes they are!"
I grab the yard stick (from the floor, not out of her hand) and measure a tile on the floor
"see, they are exactly 12 inches. If you pull out the plastic, line the bottom up with a row of tiles, and then count up 5 tiles, you'll have 5 feet and the piece will be exactly plum"
They both looked at me like I was an alien.
WML#1 handed me the scissors. I KID YOU NOT.
So we take the piece back over to the table and she acted surprised that it worked!
This is not rocket science people.
Then it gets really good. This stuff is sold by the foot, not by the yard like everything else in the fabric department. She looks over at her conversion chart and says "5 feet isn't a yard and 2/3rds" and I said "sure it is".
She argued and argued with me AND the conversion chart!
She finally charged me for a yard and 2/3rds. Here's the kicker....
It's $1.97 a foot, not a yard. She charged me $2.60 for the entire piece instead of $9.85.
Pure genius.

Fire Station Lady
We needed a slick spot to test our hovercraft. I never imagined when I conceived of making this thing that it would be SO LOUD. I didn't want to run it in the library, you know.. the Shhhhh factor.
So I walked up to the fire station to see if they would let us use the garage floor for about 15 minutes. I talked to a little guy and he said he didn't think that would be a problem, just go upstairs and make an appointment.
Fine.
I go up and talk to the secretary. I tell her what we're doing and why we need the floor.
You'da thought that I was asking to disenbowl kittens or karate chop kindergartners. Every time I pleaded with her she would say "oh no, I don't think so, someone could get hurt, we can't have things floating in here"
"It DOESN'T FLOAT LADY", "you get farther off the floor when you walk!"
"oh no, there's too much liability with that"
OMG. Omg omg omg omg.
I shoulda just showed up and and asked for forgiveness later. I really want to show the boys that to follow procedure and be nice but seriously,, it's really REALLY difficult when people are idiots.
We ended up doing it at the library btw. They are SO good to us!

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Appetizer recipes. Now THAT is right up my alley!

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The Best

2008-10-14T06:11:00.002-05:00

The best sound evah?
Pop..........pop..............pop. pop........... pop.......pop.................................pop....pop.
I just put up 8 pints of apple butter!

I mentioned to a friend yesterday that I was going to stop and pick up a bale of straw for the chicky girls on the way home. She said for me to come out to her house and pick up a bale of hay, she had plenty.
Well,,, YEAH! No problem!
So while we were out there, I picked an apple from her tree. She promtly handed me a bag and an apple picker and said "go to town!"
So I did! YAY FOR FREE APPLES!!!
I'm amazed that I got eight jars out of that little shopping bag full of apples.
I'm also amazed that I didn't eat it all before I got it in the jars!

An Afternoon Hike on the Farm

2008-10-12T21:55:00.002-05:00

Egg Bound

2008-10-12T21:28:00.004-05:00

Today was total chicken fail.

Just about every thing that went wrong today had something to do with chickens. Our big plan was to pick up a few new hens at the Lucasville Flea market. So we set out this morning with a big box full of straw in which to bring them home.

In the past we've gone up and there have been literally thousands of chickens for sale. Well, there were chickens,, that's certain but every decent chicken that didn't look like it had one talon in the stew pot was a rooster. We decided that we didn't need new birds that bad so we cut our losses and headed home.

When we got home, we noticed that one of our hens was looking poorly. Now, chickens are all new to me, I don't know anything about chicken illnesses or chicken cures. I set a lawn chair out beside the garden and watched her for about an hour.

She wouldn't walk, wouldn't feed, wouldn't stay in the flock, and she had her back all hunched up. I brought out my laptop and googled some stuff. It didn't seem like she had a virus or a parasite but she had all the symptoms of egg binding.

Egg binding happens when a bird is trying to lay an egg that is malformed or too large. Apparently this can kill a bird pretty quickly.

I was panicky. I know I'm not supposed to be attached to these birds but I am. I love my chicky girls. The cure for egg binding is not a pleasant one. I'll spare you the details but it involves a glove and vaseline.

After the invasive procedure I put them to bed. I came out a few hours later to check on her. That poor hen passed two, horribly mishappen, malformed large eggs. That poor ol' girl!!!

I hope she's ok and she goes on to lay another day. Occasionally, from what I read, this means the end of their laying career.

Chris said that we're not running a retirement home for chickens!

PLEASE GET BETTER PRISSY!

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Perhaps Prissy could use some time in reno hotels to relax!
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Another Busy Week Behind Us,, Another One Ahead.

2008-10-11T11:11:00.004-05:00

This week hasn't been too bad. Next week will be busier, as will this weekend. You know, I've kept many planners and calendars in the past but I always set them up and then never write anything in them. Not so much this year! I swear there is NO ROOM left in October. Well, I take that back. I intentially leave Thursdays clear, that's my catch up day.

Monday- We had band class. We had to be there early this week because of the monthly parent meeting. Not too bad of a day.

Tuesday- Blissfully slow. I went to my housecleaning job for about 4 hours, came home and recuperated, we did school late in the evening. No big deal, we're all sharper in the evenings anyway.

Wednesday- Spanish class and school work

Thursday- NOTHING! whoo hoo! We did run errands, school work, and rehearsed the boys Project Day presentation.

Friday- Project Day. We ended up being there too early and had a nice lunch with Steven and Glenna. More errands.

Saturday- Need to go to the Home Depot and get some wood for science club and then we're going on a hike at the family property.

Sunday- Lucasville Flea Market! Gonna pick up a few new chickens.

Monday 13th- Lunch meeting with friends. Band class at 4pm.

Tuesday 14th- House cleaning job and then a Birthday party.

Wednesday 15th- Spanish Class at 9pm and then Science club at 11:30

Thursday 16th- NOTHING! Woot!

Friday- The Corn Maze 11:00am.

That weekend of the 18/19th I have 2 knitting groups to attend. I'd say that's too much but wow.... I really need it.

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Need a tv lift cabinet? Yeah, me neither.

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Science Club

2008-10-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

Re-usable Shopping Bags

2008-10-07T22:30:00.002-05:00

How do you feel about re-usable shopping bags? Love the idea? Hate it?
I hate it.
Yup, I'm a hater I guess.
Here's why:
1. Inconvenient. I don't want to have to guesstimate how many bags I need to lug into the store with me! Listen people, I'm not shuffling through a street market with bare feet, wearing a dashiki, looking for exotic fruits. I'm bringing home pizza boxes, cereal, gallons of milk and juice, a ton of 2 liters and 6 packs and all other matter of odd shaped heavy stuff. I hit the Kroger HARD.
2. Green-ness. I love birds, and air, and mountains and yes.... even trees. I dig fresh water, warm days, and pretty flowers. I GET IT. But if you're trying to convince me that I'm going to save the planet by using these bags,, you are totally full of crap.
3. Customer Service. Anyone remember what that is? You know, an actual cashier to check you out, a bag boy to help with your packages, BAGS FOR YOUR GROCERIES? I'm sorry, I'm paying HUGE bucks for groceries these days,, don't you tell me that you can't offer up 5 cents worth of flimsy plastic bags for my things.
4. Making me buy something I don't want. Oh yes, it'll happen. Soon you HAVE to buy these deplorable sacks of fail. Are you short one or two bags? No bother,, pick up a few for $1.00 a piece. Did you forget your bags? No bother,, pick up one. Pretty soon, you have 46 reusable shopping bags in the back of your car and you don't know how it happened!!! Now, explain this to me,, we have to pay for the bags that we once got for free? (or the bags that they rolled into the price of my food?)

There are a few reasons I should LOVE reusable bags.

1. I love bags, totes, sacks, storage containers, purses, etc. You'd think I'd jump at the chance to have a wide array of cute reusables.
2. I knit and crochet. There are a ton of great patterns out there to make your own. I've avoided making these. I will NOT CONFORM! LOL
3. I don't like waste. I really don't. I'll reuse anything that is within reason. These bags really piss me off though.

At Kroger the other morning, they forced a bag on me. Yes, I now own one. At the self check out, all they had were reusables. They were free, I didn't have to pay for it but it was a promotion by some pet company. The companies logo is on it.
VERY CLEVER.
I can see this happening a lot in the future. That's another thing I hate. SUBVERSIVE ADVERTISING!! I am not a billboard!!

Ugh,, I may have fought as long as I can though, it may be time to give in.
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How do people on used Harleys do their shopping?
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2008-10-03T23:22:00.002-05:00

Ok, it's really hard to get a decent picture in the dark. But these pictures are.. Ok.. bad and I'm going to get my eyes clawed out for posting them but I love the first picture. It cracks ME UP! We have a lot of good conversation and the food at Chedders ROCKED! Yummy. Oh my goodness I had such heartburn but it was totally worth it!!!

WV Pumpkin Festival

2008-10-03T23:06:00.004-05:00

Drying Chilis

2008-10-03T21:43:00.002-05:00

I love chilis. They are by far some of the prettiest plants that I have in the garden. They are also prolific producers. I think next year I'm going to plant my chilis in pots on the front porch. They pretty enough to use as landscaping and it'll free up space in my garden spot. I've dried chilis a few times this season and I'd had just about enough of it but when I went out the other day and saw how many more had ripened I just couldn't let them waste so I settled myself in to dry another batch.
Let me tell you something that you undoubtably already know. Please wear gloves if you handle peppers. Yeah yeah, I know,, you're tough, you can handle it. Yeah yeah, you won't touch your face or scratch your ear or go potty until you've washed your hands. I hear you but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE,, not only should you wear gloves but put on a do-rag and even sport some goggles if you're doing habeneros. I have a latex allergy and I was out of vinyl gloves. I was very well behaved and very very careful and I still got very bad chemical burns.
DON'T TAKE THIS RISK. COVER YOUR HAIR, EYES AND HANDS.
Ok,,, public service announcement over.... aren't they pretty?

First I cut the icky parts off and this also opens the pepper up.

If you are after heat, just roll the pepper between your fingers and most of the seeds should come out. If you want every last seed out, cut them open and scrape them.

Again.. sooo pretty. These are the Habeneros.

I had a few left over Jalapenos so I seeded those too.

I saved the seeds and spred them in my flower garden. Maybe I'll have some volunteers next year!

Next I spread them out on my handy dandy baking stone. Yes, I know, it's black and gross and perfect. I love that thing.
I put them in the oven at the lowest temp (on my stove it's 170 degrees F.) and propped the door open a smidge with a big metal spoon. Excuse how gross the side of my oven is. It's old. Now at this juncture you may want to open a window and a door and put a fan blowing out for the next 6-8 hours. It REALLY spices up the house!Seal them in an airtight container and they will keep for AGES! I grind mine into flakes but I don't do it until I'm ready to use them. It helps them maintain their potancy and flavor. Also,, should I need to reconstitute them I can.
------------------------------------------free acne treatment-----------------------------------------

The Boys' Newest Hobby

2008-10-03T21:02:00.003-05:00

They've been going out to The Man Cave and playing microarmor with Dad. I know nothing about this except they like doing it. I sat here and asked dad to explain it to me so I could write about it but the TV was on so he completely ignored the fact that I was talking and claimed that he didn't hear me. Now he's begging me to ask him again. I dunno,, if you know what it is then enjoy the pictures. If not,, google it.

Here's a link to one of Chris's friend's blogs about gaming.

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Delsey Luggage

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One thing right after another.

2008-09-30T19:45:00.003-05:00

You know you're doing too much when the kids start begging to stay home. We will slow down. We must. Just not for a few more months. This week has been especially busy.

Monday- Cats to the vet, phone calls, and band

Tuesday- I worked for about 5 hours for a friend then we had a meet and greet at Chick-Fil-A.

Wednesday- Spanish Class at 9am, Science Club at 11:30am, Baseball at 1:00pm

Thursday - is blissfully slow, only Mom's night out at 6:00pm.

Friday- Pumpkin Festival!

and... we have to get school in every day. It's only Tuesday and I'm already beat. I am glad that I decided to go the the Meet and Greet tho, it was a lot of fun and I got to meet people that I wouldn't have met otherwise. Good stuff.

I hope that Science Club goes over well tomorrow. I've got 4 stations set up to do hands on experiments with air pressure. Maybe I'll post a little on that tomorrow if I don't collapse from exhaustion.

Thursday I wouldn't miss for the world. We always have a great time.

Friday I could probably skip but it's cheap entertainment so I guess we'll go. Plus.. I've already paid for it! LOL

I tell you what though,, my house is paying for this business. I'm going to have to declare a Clean All Day day.

I guess none of this will matter when the country falls to ruins and the economy collapses, right? Ugh,,, that's another post entirely.

Mary Draper Ingles Living History Trail.

2008-09-27T22:24:00.002-05:00

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Have any need for moving trucks?
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A few quick thoughts on the Debate.

2008-09-26T21:02:00.002-05:00

1. Obama said "We should take Pakistan out" Then in the same breath he said "I want to make sure that no other mother has to loose a son"
2. Obama said "We need show decisive force against Afghanistan" Then he said "We need to withdraw all of our troops"
REALLY? Did no one hear this?

3 When asked where he stood on the bailout he says "We need a national preschool program" Ok,, seriously? We could wake up tomorrow to rotting food because Kroger went out of business but you're worried about socializing 3 year olds? I don't mean preschoolers making friends, I mean turning them into socialists.

4. Ok, Ahmajinadad is hard to say but has the opposition EVER picked up a history book? Hello? Perestroika? LOOK IT UP.

5. Mr. Obama? Poland is not a fledgling democracy. Again... pick up a history book.

6. He suggests that we need to treat Russia with kid gloves so we can secure a good relationship because they depend on our petrol dollars??? What???? we get ZERO oil from Russia!! It's Europe that is being held hostage by Russian fuel. PICK UP A PAPER.

7. He says that he's talked to veterans that can't get treatment for PTSD??? REALLY?? No,, that's the only ONLY thing they want to treat you for at the VA. Trust me,, We are intimately familiar with the VA.

8. T1's observation-- Obama likes to make a LOT of quick points. LOL!!

9. I have one good thing to say. Nice of B.O. getting Tim's,, I mean Jim's,, I mean Tom's,, I mean JOHN'S name right there at the end.

I'm just sayin'

2008-09-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

The stock market crashed in 1929.
Televisions became commercially available in the late 1930s with the first commercial broadcast being in 1941.
Just for giggles,, here's another quick fact that any 7th grader should know. FDR was the president during the Great Depression.
Explain to me please how no one is giving Joe Biden a hard time over this?