Posts

How do you travel to and from work - personal vehicle, bus, subway/train, pedal power? What does it cost you per week in gas or fares?
Submitted by Jan.

I have to make the grueling trek from my bed to the kitchen. To the computer upstairs. Downstairs to make breakfast. Outside to bring the dog inside.

No gas used. Such is the WAHM life!

It went very well! J went with me even though he really wanted to stay home and watch the other boys (NM and a friend) play Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. He's a good boy :D

When he saw her, the vet said she reminded him of his favorite patient. I mentioned to him that I didn't think she was a full-blooded corgi and that, he said, was intriguing. I told him her father was a herding dog and he said that she's probably just like his favorite patient, a heeler/corgi mix because of Sprocket's markings. His favorite patient's name? Widget. Tooooo funny.

She did well with the shots, not even a whimper because she was going gaga over the treat instead. She had two of them since the vet wanted to help her get over having to take two jagged pills. Normally, they get one but since I told him we have NM and chemical sensitivities, they opted for a pill instead to help rid of fleas.

We go back in a month. In the mean time, I will get her a leash and collar so we can go hang out with neighbor dogs to help her learn how to be social. Supposedly, that will help with all the biting and nipping since the other dogs will help her learn by putting her in her place. We'll see! The boys like to run and jump and get her to chase which is, of course the exact opposite of what they're supposed to do to prevent the nipping-at-the-heels.

"But it's fun!"

"Mama it's so cuuute!"

I wonder how much longer the fun will last?

Made for someone at church and knit up very quickly. There's something to be said for mindless, easy, no-pattern knitting :D

Lily Sugar n' Cream cotton confetti colors in blue (400 g, one BIG skein)
Lily Sugar n' Cream cotton 2 oz. skein in denim for border
Size 8 needles

I almost used up both skeins. I may have had a yard of the small skein and maybe three yards of the big one left over. Unfortunately, the yarn had a knot in it. Boo! But otherwise it's ok. I would go for 2 small skeins for the border next time.

Speaking of border, I just did 4 rows of garter stitch and then a picot bind off (cast on 2 using cable cast on, then bind off 6 stitches).

Directly lifted from Alton Brown, published on Foodtv.com.

Cocoa Syrup Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Show:  Good Eats Episode:  Art of Darkness II: Cocoa

1 1/2 cups water 3 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons light corn syrupIn a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil and whisk in cocoa, vanilla, salt, and corn syrup. Whisk until all of the solids have dissolved. Reduce sauce until slightly thickened. Strain and cool to room temperature. Pour into squeeze bottles. Squeeze into cold milk and stir for delicious chocolate milk or serve on your favorite ice cream. And, hey, it's fat free! I made some yesterday and it's a hit. It thickens quite a bit upon standing and even a little more upon cooling so it's thicker than the stuff in the brown bottle. We've had it on ice cream (yum) and yogurt (not so yum) and later I'll make chocoberry shakes with lots of strawberries. You need to make sure you really like the cocoa you're using because its taste will become more pronounced in the syrup.

I just found out that a former coworker passed away. She was diagnosed with cancer and had a stroke a few months earlier. I have great memories of working with her. I will never be able to look at American primitive paintings or see anything hockey and not think of her. Or brown carpet. Or New York. Or Patsy Cline (real country).

She left three grown kids and a husband. I have an idea of how they feel.

LK, I missed my marzipan pigs at Christmas time.

What was the best thing about your weekend?

Just hanging out with friends and family. Saturday, I got to attend a baby shower for someone at church while the boys hung out at the pool together. Sunday, NM played a game and they lost horribly but they all still enjoyed themselves. While that was going on, J and I went shopping for a present and later in the day we went to the birthday party of someone from church who was turning three. Poor J was so tired because he's catching a cold.

You know, it's a great thing to hang out with people  who love God. That kind of attitude spreads and---I hope---rubs off on me.

Oh, I forgot: we also had strawberry ice cream shakes. My hands smelled so strawberrylicious for a long time afterwards. Yum!

She's noticeably bigger than a week ago when we brought her home. She no longer has to lean on her "elbows" to eat or drink from her bowl.

We're going to have to teach her how to play in ways other than "nibble body parts and socks" because her bite is getting stronger. Soft part under upper arms and puppy teeth don't mix happily.

The boys play hard with her. J still carries her around and she will calmly let him as if resigned to such a fate. He's good, though, and is gentle. I wonder if it annoys her or if she's happy to get the attention?

ONE WORD ONLY!

Not as easy as you might think. Now copy and post this, change the answers to yours and pass it on. It’s really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? none

2. Your significant other? hubby

3. Your hair? chopped

4. Your mother? gone

5. Your father? gone

6. Your favorite thing? crafting

7. Your dream last night? none

8. Your favorite drink? water

9. Your dream/goal? live

10. The room you’re in? techno

11. Your ex? none

12. Your fear? fear

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? heaven

14. Where were you last night? here

15. What you’re not? awake

16. Muffins? thanks

17. One of your wish list items? steamvac

18. Where you grew up? tropical

19. The last thing you did? read

20. What are you wearing? dress

21. Your TV? off

22. Your pets? sprocket

23. Your computer? on

24. Your life? good

25. Your mood? tired

26. Missing someone? friends

27. Your car? truck

28. Something you’re not wearing? bouffant

29. Favorite store? target

30. Your summer? hot

31. Like(love) someone? hubby

32. Your favorite color? blue

33. Last time you laughed? earlier

34. Last time you cried? sunday

35. Who will re-post this? bored

Of course, it's a little over J's head but he lets me read it to him in big chunks anyway. NM told me he likes the real life stories of things like this. It's making me rethink curriculum and wonder if we should do world geography for a bit before we tackle history/US history.

It's almost cliche to us because we hear these facts thrown at us often: most of the world goes hungry at night, most families have little in the way of education if any, very few material possessions, the average American family is exceedingly wealthy compared to most people, there are thousands of people groups who have never heard of Jesus Christ.

But will that information go beyond just trivia to stuff in our minds? I hope that taking the time to read this book with my boys will plant seeds in their hearts and that the Lord will grant them the desire to reach out to the lost in this world.