bbq index

LOL Oh dear. Have you been to www.accuweather.com lately? If you type in your zip code, you’ll get your local weather forecast. I have ours saved because I like to look at the "Arthritis Index" towards the bottom of the page. For some reason, the arthritis index is usually fairly accurate as to the amount of pain I’m going to experience on any given day. It’s not perfect, but it’s close to 50% accurate, and in my experience anything having to do with weather forecasting that’s 50% accurate is pretty darn good.

I just pulled up our local weather forecast for this evening and scrolled to the bottom to check the arthritis index. Along with the arthritis index, there’s a cold index and an air quality index ~ and their newest addition, the BBQ index. LOL BBQ index??

new ministry director

Congratulations to Eric and Lisa Day! Eric will be the new Children’s Ministry Director at CBF! Cornerstone has been looking for a new Children’s Ministry Director for oh, say, almost a year ~ I’m so thankful they’ve found the right man for the job. Of course, I say congrats to Lisa, too, because as we all know, being in ministry is not something that effects only one partner in a marriage ~ ministry is a calling that effects BOTH partners in a marriage, no matter which one is actually getting paid for the job!

Eric has been in the AF for 22 years. Lisa and I had been talking about when Eric would retire, what they wanted to do, where they wanted to go. Lisa’s answer was always that they were praying for God to show them what to do and where to go. They desired to stay here, but if that wasn’t what God had for them, they would gladly go wherever He directed them. I guess staying here was what He had in mind, too! LOL

stuffed with fluff

While writing my post "readin’ & writin’ " I had a great idea. I’m going to look for an image to put in one of my sidebars ~ a Winnie the Pooh surrounded by a big red circle with a line through it. You won’t find any "stuffed with fluff" around here! LOL

readin’ & writin’

Ever since I signed up to be the moderator of the "Currently Reading" forum on Moms of Grace, I’ve been looking for book review sites. Boy, are there ever a LOT of book review sites on the internet! I finally narrowed my choices down to a few. I’ve selected only Christian review sites ~ I have no interest in reading most of the junk that appears on the bookshelves these days. I was able to sign up with a group that sends out reader copies from publishers before the books hit the shelves so they can be reviewed, and I signed up with another group that actually publishes the first chapter of a new book every month on their blogs.

You’ll find a new book’s review and first chapter on my blog on the first day of every month. The schedule for the next few months looks like this:

May ~ The Heir by Paul Robertson

June ~ Prints Charming by Rebeca Seitz

July ~ Coral Moon (Kanner Lake Series) by Brandilyn Collins

August ~ Bad Idea: A Novel With Coyotes by the Hafer Brothers

On Moms of Grace, we will be reading Redemption by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley for the month of May. The book for May had already been chosen when I signed up to moderate the "Currently Reading" forum. I’m tossing around the idea of listing a "Beach Bag Book" as well as a book that’s a little more intensive (although I’m not sure that’s the right word) for the summer months. I’ve put Brandilyn Collins’s Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series) on hold at the library, thinking maybe it might be a good one for the reading group. I don’t know yet, since quite honestly this whole Christian Fiction genre is fairly new to me. I like to read historical fiction, and every once in a while I’ll find one at the Christian book store that interests me, but for the most part I don’t read a lot of fiction. That’s one of the reasons I signed up for the reading group ~ I need to stretch my wings a bit. I read a lot of Christian books, but they usually fall under the category of Christian Living or Spiritual Development, or something along those lines. I despise the Christian-ized version of romance novels ~ and there are certain Christian fiction authors I stay away from simply because I know from experience that their heros and heroines are going to be "stuffed with fluff" (to use De’Etta’s term).

Anyway, I have no intention of changing my reading habits altogether. I’m just going to broaden them a bit. I hope you’ll enjoy the posts concerning the different books I will be reading and reviewing, as well as the first chapter of a new book on the first day of every month!

readin’ & writin’

Ever since I signed up to be the moderator of the "Currently Reading" forum on Moms of Grace, I’ve been looking for book review sites. Boy, are there ever a LOT of book review sites on the internet! I finally narrowed my choices down to a few. I’ve selected only Christian review sites ~ I have no interest in reading most of the junk that appears on the bookshelves these days. I was able to sign up with a group that sends out reader copies from publishers before the books hit the shelves so they can be reviewed, and I signed up with another group that actually publishes the first chapter of a new book every month on their blogs.

You’ll find a new book’s review and first chapter on my blog on the first day of every month. The schedule for the next few months looks like this:

May ~ The Heir by Paul Robertson

June ~ Prints Charming by Rebeca Seitz

July ~ Coral Moon (Kanner Lake Series) by Brandilyn Collins

August ~ Bad Idea: A Novel With Coyotes by the Hafer Brothers

On Moms of Grace, we will be reading Redemption by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley for the month of May. The book for May had already been chosen when I signed up to moderate the "Currently Reading" forum. I’m tossing around the idea of listing a "Beach Bag Book" as well as a book that’s a little more intensive (although I’m not sure that’s the right word) for the summer months. I’ve put Brandilyn Collins’s Violet Dawn (Kanner Lake Series) on hold at the library, thinking maybe it might be a good one for the reading group. I don’t know yet, since quite honestly this whole Christian Fiction genre is fairly new to me. I like to read historical fiction, and every once in a while I’ll find one at the Christian book store that interests me, but for the most part I don’t read a lot of fiction. That’s one of the reasons I signed up for the reading group ~ I need to stretch my wings a bit. I read a lot of Christian books, but they usually fall under the category of Christian Living or Spiritual Development, or something along those lines. I despise the Christian-ized version of romance novels ~ and there are certain Christian fiction authors I stay away from simply because I know from experience that their heros and heroines are going to be "stuffed with fluff" (to use De’Etta’s term).

Anyway, I have no intention of changing my reading habits altogether. I’m just going to broaden them a bit. I hope you’ll enjoy the posts concerning the different books I will be reading and reviewing, as well as the first chapter of a new book on the first day of every month!

new crochet project

A few weeks ago, Kathryn and I ventured out to the Heights and checked out the whole two yarn shops in Little Rock (how pathetic). At one of the shops, I found some beautiful Jo Sharp aran yarn ~ on sale, and still in the factory sealed bag. It’s 85% wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere, and the color is called "Opal". To me it’s a grey color, unless you get it near something blue, then it become an amazing bluish-grey color. I held it up to my face, and the color complemented my eyes perfectly. So, even though I didn’t have a specific purpose or project in mind for it at the time, I went ahead and bought it (it WAS on sale, at an incredible price, so basically I SAVED money ~ isn’t that how that works?!).

Yesterday I decided to use this yarn to make a shawl for myself. I’m finding that when I wrap myself in a blanket to sit and watch TV, play on the computer, read, knit, crochet, whatever at night, my shoulders start to feel a little better. I think the warmth of being wrapped in a blanket helps. So, since this yarn is warm, and is a wonderful color to have close to my face, I’m going to use it to make a shawl. I’m hoping that having a shawl I can wear around the house (instead of dragging a blanket around with me) will help with the pain in my shoulders a bit. And, it will be something I can take with me outside of the house as well.

ain’t skeered

I took Jake out for his usual 10pm potty trip last night. I had been wondering when the fireflies were going to come back and start twinkling in the field behind our house. Last night was the first time I have seen them since last fall. Last spring/summer, Jake was afraid of the fireflies and wouldn’t go over to the field at night when he could see them. He would stand on the deck right next to me and baroo-roo-roo at them. Goofy dog. But last night, he either didn’t notice them (which wouldn’t surprise me), or he has gotten over his fear of fireflies. He has been detecting something outside off and on over the past week or so, and every once in a while he’ll do his "danger/stranger" bark (the baroo-roo-roo I referred to), but it’s obviously not the fireflies he’s barking at because he has done it once in the house, and again late this afternoon when it was still light outside. He stood at the edge of our property and barked at something in the field. Roger wasn’t able to see what Jake was barking at, but Jake sure could smell it.

one lord sunday

I heard an interesting tidbit while listening to Christian radio this morning. This coming Sunday will be celebrated as "One Lord Sunday" in Wasilla, Alaska. Approximately 20+ churches are participating ~ the idea is to put the "differences" of denomination and doctrine aside and come together as one body to worship. We lived about 45 minutes from Wasilla when we were in Alaska. The Sunday service will be held at the Wasilla Sports Complex. I wish I was there to see that ~ it’s going to be an awesome sight.

conference semi-finals

Time for the Stanley Cup play-offs update:

In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Buffalo Sabres are playing the New York Rangers; the New Jersey Devils are playing the Ottawa Senators.

In the Western Conference semi-finals, the Vancouver Canucks are playing the Anaheim Ducks (‘Nucks vs Ducks, hee hee hee), and the Detroit Red Wings are playing the San Jose Sharks.

Ugh. In my house, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for debate over who to root for ~ obviously I’m still rooting for the Sabres in the East. In the West, well, I guess I’ll have to root for the Canucks.

moms of grace

I recently found a wonderful website, Moms of Grace. It’s a relatively new site, but I have enjoyed many of the different topics and discussions. Since it’s new, they’re still looking for people to help out with moderating the different forums. I asked to help with the Currently Reading forum as well as the Placed on My Heart forum. Today I went in search of some help as far as what to suggest in Currently Reading. I found a wealth of information ~ I had no idea there were so many Christian book review sites out there! I will be posting more here on what’s happening in the world of Christian reading.

not sleeping……again

Ah yes, the fibro-flare monster has reared its ugly head once again. You know, I can really empathize with my friends who have young children ~ it’s tough when you’re not getting enough sleep!

thinking blogger award

My friend De’Etta has been kind and gracious enough to tag me with the “Thinking Blogger Award.” I had no idea there were “awards” for blogs, but I’m honored that someone thinks my blog worthy of such recognition (actually, I’m surprised there are people out there who actually read my posts!).

These are the “rules” ~ copied from De’Etta’s site:

This meme seems to have originated with the *The Thinking Blog* (A quick skimming of this blog leads me to conclude that though his blog may make me think, I do not necessarily agree with all his conclusions). Here are the rules:

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. I thought it would be appropriate to include them with the meme.

The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post (his original post on the award)so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

So, here’s my list:

The Arkanbloggers (due to some computer difficulties, Mr. Arkanblogger hasn’t been able to post in a while, but he is working on getting the problem fixed, and I’m sure he’ll be posting again soon.)

Maidenology (see comment above ~ two of the girls behind Maidenology are Arkanbloggers) These young ladies are devoting their time to exploring “the science of becoming a lady for Christ.” I personally know 2 of these young ladies, and was acquainted with the third before her family moved out of state. I’m impressed with all three of them.

The Rebelution An excellent site exploring the issues affecting young Christian men and women ~ since I have 2 teenage boys, I find this site fascinating

Reformed Chicks Blabbing I just found this site a couple of days ago, but I’ve enjoyed reading the posts

Damon’s Bunch/31 Hertz Another blog by someone I know personally. Damon is in Jerusalem right now, and his posts reflect the desires of his heart.

As you click through these blogs, you will notice that in one way or another they’re all related to Christianity. While we may not all see eye-to-eye on every issue, I enjoy reading the posts on these blogs as they rarely fail to stimulate my brain and strengthen my faith in one way or another. I hope you will enjoy them, too!

thinking blogger award

My friend De’Etta has been kind and gracious enough to tag me with the "Thinking Blogger Award." I had no idea there were "awards" for blogs, but I’m honored that someone thinks my blog worthy of such recognition (actually, I’m surprised there are people out there who actually read my posts!).

These are the "rules" ~ copied from De’Etta’s site:

This meme seems to have originated with the *The Thinking Blog* (A quick skimming of this blog leads me to conclude that though his blog may make me think, I do not necessarily agree with all his conclusions). Here are the rules:

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. I thought it would be appropriate to include them with the meme.

The participation rules are simple:
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post (his original post on the award)so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

So, here’s my list:

The Arkanbloggers (due to some computer difficulties, Mr. Arkanblogger hasn’t been able to post in a while, but he is working on getting the problem fixed, and I’m sure he’ll be posting again soon.)

Maidenology (see comment above ~ two of the girls behind Maidenology are Arkanbloggers) These young ladies are devoting their time to exploring "the science of becoming a lady for Christ." I personally know 2 of these young ladies, and was acquainted with the third before her family moved out of state. I’m impressed with all three of them.

The Rebelution An excellent site exploring the issues affecting young Christian men and women ~ since I have 2 teenage boys, I find this site fascinating

Reformed Chicks Blabbing I just found this site a couple of days ago, but I’ve enjoyed reading the posts

Damon’s Bunch/31 Hertz Another blog by someone I know personally. Damon is in Jerusalem right now, and his posts reflect the desires of his heart.

As you click through these blogs, you will notice that in one way or another they’re all related to Christianity. While we may not all see eye-to-eye on every issue, I enjoy reading the posts on these blogs as they rarely fail to stimulate my brain and strengthen my faith in one way or another. I hope you will enjoy them, too!

coupon

A Barnes & Noble coupon for 10% off any item can be found here. It expires May 6th. Enjoy!

blogging chicks

terminal leave

"Terminal leave" is what the AF calls it when you have 60 days of leave built up, and you want to use all of those days just before you retire. You can keep working up until the day you retire, and get compensated for the days of leave you have built up, or you can take terminal leave. Right now the plan is for Roger to take terminal leave, with a beginning date of February 20, 2009.

That will enable us to take a 20th anniversary trip while he’s still receiving a regular, full paycheck from the AF. When we get back, he can start his new job (that he will already have lined up by then, we hope!), and STILL get a full paycheck from the AF until the end of May. The plan for the 20th anniversary trip right now is a cruise to the Caribbean. Not a bad deal, and it’s something we’re really looking forward to. Hence, the countdown ticker………….

homeschool co-op

I volunteered to remain the treasurer for our homeschool co-op for next year. Kathryn will remain the director, and the co-director will be the same, too. I don’t know yet if Tammera will stay as secretary.

Sawyer will be taking a few classes at co-op next school year. He’ll be using Apologia Science’s Exploring Creation with Biology course, Lightning Literature and Composition’s Early 19th Century British Literature, and he will begin taking Spanish lessons. I love that our co-op group uses Apologia Science courses ~ and I especially love that they do all of the experiments there (especially since Sawyer will be in biology next school year)! The co-op schedule has changed up a bit, and next year instead of just doing the labs, they’ll have an hour of lecture/bookwork, then break for lunch, then have an hour for labs. As far as Lightning Lit. goes, I think it looks great, and the teacher who taught it this year has absolutely loved it. I don’t know how thrilled Sawyer will be to read Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice , but they are on every high school/college reading list, so he’ll have to read them sometime!

We have used a jumble of different curricula over the years; Sonlight was always one of our favorites because of all of the books. My kids love to read. For 9th grade though, I’m thinking I might have to look elsewhere. I’m not really enthused about any of the offerings from Sonlight for ages 14-18. I’ve been looking at maybe going with something from Beautiful Feet Books but I’m really still looking around and exploring. Sawyer had American history at home this year, and The Mystery of History’s The Early Church and the Middle Ages at co-op. Co-op elected not to do history next year because it’s one subject that most people seem to do at home, even when they attend co-op. Doubling up was just confusing the kids, I guess. Sawyer also did The Institute for Excellence in Writing’s curriculum at co-op. He enjoyed it ~ and he learned a lot. IEW seems to have been difficult for a lot of the kids, but Sawyer did really well with it.

As for math, we’ll probably stick with Teaching Textbooks. This is the first year I haven’t been a die-hard Saxon Math user. Once we discovered the D.I.V.E. Cd’s to go with the Saxon Math, I was convinced we would never use anything else. While looking through the umpteen million homeschool catalogs we received last year, I saw Teaching Textbooks and thought perhaps Sawyer would like it better than Saxon. And he has. Sawyer’s a good math student, but it’s usually like pulling teeth to get him to do the lessons. Math lessons aren’t nearly as fun or as interesting as reading as far as my kids are concerned. But Sawyer has done well with the Teaching Textbooks this year, and I don’t want to mess up a good thing. We bought Algebra I and Algebra II at the beginning of this school year ~ Sawyer’s just now finishing up Algebra I (lofty goals thinking we might get through 2 math courses in one year!). Now I’m starting to think maybe we should leave Algebra II on the shelf another year and do Geometry for 9th grade. The Teaching Textbooks publisher suggests doing Algebra I, Algebra II, then Geometry, but the pSAT includes geometry. He’ll take the pSAT in 10th grade, and it would be good for him to have some geometry under his belt ~ at least that’s what my older son says. I’ve heard the same thing from other homeschooled kids and their parents. So, we’ll probably go ahead and get the geometry curriculum and let Algebra II remain wrapped up on the shelf looking pretty for one more school year.  

box bags

Last Friday, my friend Kathryn (also know as Mrs. Arkanblogger) and I went to a warehouse sale. There were paper products from The Inviting Company and other goods such as bags and towels from Rubadub-dub. We had a great time looking through all of the products ~ finding cocktail and dinner napkins with the initial A on them is almost impossible, by the way (and we weren’t very successful). What prompted us to go in the first place is that I was over at Kathryn’s house, and I had my usual paper bag full of knitting and crochet projects. I complained that I was tired of looking like a bag lady, and that perhaps I should make myself a bag to carry all of my projects. Kathryn stepped into the garage for a second, then came back in and presented me with a large tote bag. She said she had been to a warehouse sale the day before, and had purchased the bag with me and all my projects in mind! LOL

I asked her about the warehouse sale, and she said it was still going on. So, we loaded into the Suburban and drove over to Little Rock to see what we could find. These are my newest tote bags, two of them with matching cosmetic/zipper bags:

The colorful stripped bag on the right is the one Kathryn gave me. I love the bright colors, and it’s a fabulous size for carrying big projects, The brown and paisley bags on the left have someone’s initials on them ~ not my initials exactly, but the bag was $4.00 and the matching cosmetic bag was $2.00. Too good to pass up! Besides, the biggest initial on the brown and paisley bag is a P, and technically my name begins with P (for Patricia). I can take out the other initials with a seam ripper (it’s just too bad that the initial on the right isn’t an A ~ then I could just claim that they messed up the order of the initials ~ P for Patricia, D for Diane……..). The small bag in the middle has a T, which is good (T for Trish), and it’s the perfect size for carrying a small knitting project (like a purse) and 2 skeins of yarn. It also has a matching little zipper bag which holds my scissors, crochet hook, tapestry needle and box of stitch markers. Perfect!

So, now I’m stylin’, I can take my projects with me when I go somewhere, and I don’t look like a "bag lady" with my paper bag anymore!

red & green purses

Well, I have 1 1/2 projects done. The green purse has already been washed/felted, the red one hasn’t. Rog and I are doing our usual Sunday afternoon chore of laundry, so when we’re finished with that I’ll felt the red one. It will be a bit larger than the green one even after felting. I’m hoping it will dry quickly so I can send it along with several other to Christine on Tuesday.

red & green purses

Well, I have 1 1/2 projects done. The green purse has already been washed/felted, the red one hasn’t. Rog and I are doing our usual Sunday afternoon chore of laundry, so when we’re finished with that I’ll felt the red one. It will be a bit larger than the green one even after felting. I’m hoping it will dry quickly so I can send it along with several other to Christine on Tuesday.

asmsa prom

Click on the thumbnail to see a fullsize picture:

Patrick and Ariel before prom: Patrick doesn’t like this picture because he says it makes him look short. Well, it kinda does. The person who took the picture was standing on some steps looking down to where Patrick and Ariel were standing…….

Patrick and Ariel at prom (sweetheart shot):

Patrick’s roommate Ethan, friend Morgan, and their dates:

There should be more pictures to come. These are just a few from the initial set Patrick sent me on threat of death should I not receive SOMETHING before 4pm today (he beat his deadline by and hour and a half, by the way!).

home alive

Roger and Sawyer made it home from their camping and float trip just fine. Well, mostly fine. Sawyer has a pretty nasty gash on the bottom of his foot. He chose to do his own thing and not listen to his father; he decided to wear his flip flops into the river and on the canoe instead of obeying his father and wearing an old pair of tennis shoes. Roger chalked it up to learning a lesson the hard way. We’ll just work on keeping it clean, and put some antibiotic ointment on it for a few days. The cut is on the ball of his foot, so it’s not in a real great place for walking, but it could be worse. It doesn’t need stitches. I’m praying that it won’t become infected and will heal well and quickly.

nasty

Well, that was ugly. I’m referring to the end of the Detroit Red Wings/Calgary Flames game this afternoon. No one would consider hockey a "gentleman’s sport" (like, oh, say golf) but the unsportsmanship that was displayed in the final minute or so of the game today in Detroit is certainly not how hockey is usually played. I know, a lot of people think hockey players are big ugly brutes with their front teeth knocked out who fight every chance they get, but that stereotype isn’t true. Sure, there are some pretty ugly guys, but there are ugly guys in every sport ~ and in hockey there are a surprising number of quite good-looking guys, actually (the pads they wear add the illusion of an additional 30 pounds or so ~ these guys are lean and extremely fit ~ and have you ever known anyone who looks good with helmet head?). And sure, quite a number of them are missing a few teeth from being hit with a puck in the mouth (there are these people called "dentists", and they can and do fix that problem). Fighting is usually a tool used during a game to stir up one’s own team, but fighting is not the "norm" in hockey, despite what you see in the highlight reels and in the movies.

All in all, hockey is usually a very exciting sport. We don’t appreciate the game of hockey in America like they do in Canada. The people I know who aren’t hockey fans don’t watch hockey because they don’t understand it. Versus and NBC are trying to change America’s perception of hockey as a brutish sport with no real strategy or skill. Today’s display by the Calgary Flames’ back-up goalie won’t help that perception one bit. His actions were inexcusable, and I’m certain he will receive a long suspension from the league. As well he should.

If you watched today’s broadcast on NBC, please remember that the game of hockey is not supposed to be like that. The playoffs are always intense, and there’s usually one or two buttheads (please excuse my French) who mess things up and act like idiots. There was quite a bit of acting like idiots going on down on the ice at the Joe Lewis Arena today. Be assured, the league (the National Hockey League) will address it, and those involved will be made to suffer the consequences of their actions. Don’t base your opinion of hockey on what happened today ~ keep watching, and you’ll see some amazing displays of athleticism and skill, and you’ll be amazed at what some of these guys can do with a skinny stick and a small disc of vulcanized rubber. Besides, when’s the last time you tried just sprinting up and down the ice rink for even 30 seconds? Not as easy as you may think!

my son’s countdown

Patrick, Sawyer and I all have GoogleTalk. Whenever I’m online, I’ll see their avatar (picture) pop up if they’re online. Last night, just as I was shutting things down to head to bed, Patrick’s picture popped up. On it, he had written, "Prom in 18.5 hours!". Don’t think he’s excited about it, do you?!

Speaking of Patrick’s prom, I decided not to go. Ariel has been very sweet in encouraging me to come, but I think this year I’ll sit out. I would like to go next year for sure. But, since I’m not going this year, I have made sure that Patrick has his camera and is prepared. He has 2 sets, count ‘em ~ 2 sets ~ of extra batteries for the camera. There will also be an official photographer there ~ I told Patrick to go ahead and get the best package, and we’ll give half of them to Ariel. I also told Patrick that he has until 4pm tomorrow to send me an initial set of pictures from his camera (prom itself ends at 12am, the after-party ends at 4am, 8 hours of sleep is 12pm ~ I think 4pm tomorrow is plenty of time). After that, I will become a royal nag and call him over and over until I receive some pictures!

camping trip

Roger and Sawyer are on their way home from their camping trip and float trip down the Buffalo River. Rog called to ask me if we have any hydrogen peroxide ~ uh oh. I didn’t ask ~ apparently Sawyer has a cut on his foot, but it must not be too bad since Roger’s waiting to get home to take care of it.

home ed prom

Here are a few pictures from the Home Ed prom last weekend: click on the thumbnail to see a fullsize pic;

And my personal favorite ~ two of the moms chaperoning the after-party at the ice skating rink:

Kathryn’s looking a bit sleepy, but Tammera looks as though she’s had enough caffeine to run on for a week! LOL

(Thank you, Paige, for allowing me to download the pictures in your camera onto my computer)

playoffs

Today’s update:

Buffalo Sabres beat NY Islanders ~ Islanders are out

NJ Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning, series 3-2

NY Rangers swept Atlanta Thrashers, Thrashers are out

Ottawa Senators beat Pittsburgh Penguins, Penguins are out

Detroit Red Wings vs Calgary Flames, series 2-2, game 5 tonight in Detriot

Anaheim Ducks beat Minnesort Wild, Wild’s out

Vancouver Canucks vs Dallas Stars, series 3-2, game 6 tonight in Dallas

If you’re not watching the playoffs on Versus, you’re really missing out on some GOOD hockey!

fruit

One of the very first scripture sections I memorized was Galatians 5:22-26 which reads:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I’ve had a couple of what I consider serious emotional blows in my life recently. You know, those bricks that come out of left field, hit you square in the back of the head, and you never even saw them coming. God has given me a lot of opportunities for growing my fruit lately, that’s for sure. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s the fruit.

It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve shed a LOT of tears over the past few months (those of you who know me fairly well may be surprised by that, but it’s true), but…………..I have a heavenly Father who I can run to with every tear, every emotional hurt, every disappointment. Every time one of those hurts begins to bubble up in me, I can crawl into my Father’s arms, and He comforts me. He reminds me that “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, (and) selfish ambition” are acts of the sinful nature. He reminds me that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature………keep in step with the Spirit.” It doesn’t mean that the hurt is completely gone, but what that gentle reminder helps me to do is to forgive, and every time that same hurt comes bubbling up again, it’s easier and easier to just let it go.

I don’t know why God has chosen to allow these hurts to come into my life recently. It’s like everything was going along so well and so smoothly ~ and then, all of a sudden, bam! things that I thought were solid, secure, and sure in my life come crumbling down. But I knew exactly where to turn ~ basically from experience! Bad things happen to all of us at one time or another in our lives. My experiences have taught me that the sooner I take that hurt, or that situation, or whatever it is that’s making my stomach churn, the sooner I take that to the throne of God, place it before Him, and admit that I have absolutely no recourse but to forgive and seek forgiveness, the better off I will be.

When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, it was pretty much a relief to know what was wrong. It was a relief to know what the problem is, and even though fibro is a life-long chronic illness, there are things that can be done to lessen the pain, lessen the fatigue, and lessen the effect this disease has on me and my family. Flare-ups happen; sometimes the reason for the flare is obvious ~ I overexerted myself, did something that was too physically punishing for me, or maybe I scheduled too much in one day. At other times the reason for the flare is a mystery. But I know that with the proper amount of rest, physical recovery, and adjustment in my schedule, the pain and fatigue will eventually lessen back down to a managable level, and I can resume my “normal” life.

When things hit me out of the blue, I know from experience the only way I’m going to recover is to lean heavily on God. My day-to-day, minute-by-minute relationship with Him is the foundation from which my recovery begins. He reminds me that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all a part of my inner being now. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I fully, freely and very quickly admit that I am nowhere near perfect at it ~ but everytime something like this happens, I know exactly how to begin the healing process.

Trials will come in all of our lives ~ that’s just the way it is. Remember that old song that said, “I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometime.” ? That’s what it’s like; along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain ~ the rain is important. It helps the roses to grow. In fact, they won’t grow without a little rain sometime. I can’t say as I enjoy the emotional pain, hurt, disappointment, feelings of rejection and betrayal, and the destruction of the trust I once had, but by golly I know that in the end what I do with all of these things will determine how fruitful I am. And let me tell ya, right now I feel as though there are some mighty beautiful roses being grown in my life ~ they’re labeled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!

stanley update

Today’s Stanley Cup playoff standings:

Buffalo Sabres vs NY Islanders, 3-1

NJ Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-2

NY Rangers swept the Atlanta Thrashers

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1

Detroit Red Wings vs. Calgary Flames, 2-1

Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild, 3-1

Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars, 3-1

Nashville Predators vs San Jose Sharks, 1-3

Tonight’s games: Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, Detroit @ Calgary, Minnesota @ Anaheim, and Dallas @ Vancouver

Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Dallas are all facing elimination tonight ~ hopefully there will be several nail-biters going on at the rinks!

fruit

One of the very first scripture sections I memorized was Galatians 5:22-26 which reads:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I’ve had a couple of what I consider serious emotional blows in my life recently. You know, those bricks that come out of left field, hit you square in the back of the head, and you never even saw them coming. God has given me a lot of opportunities for growing my fruit lately, that’s for sure. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s the fruit.

It hasn’t been easy, and I’ve shed a LOT of tears over the past few months (those of you who know me fairly well may be surprised by that, but it’s true), but…………..I have a heavenly Father who I can run to with every tear, every emotional hurt, every disappointment. Every time one of those hurts begins to bubble up in me, I can crawl into my Father’s arms, and He comforts me. He reminds me that "hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, (and) selfish ambition" are acts of the sinful nature. He reminds me that "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature………keep in step with the Spirit." It doesn’t mean that the hurt is completely gone, but what that gentle reminder helps me to do is to forgive, and every time that same hurt comes bubbling up again, it’s easier and easier to just let it go.

I don’t know why God has chosen to allow these hurts to come into my life recently. It’s like everything was going along so well and so smoothly ~ and then, all of a sudden, bam! things that I thought were solid, secure, and sure in my life come crumbling down. But I knew exactly where to turn ~ basically from experience! Bad things happen to all of us at one time or another in our lives. My experiences have taught me that the sooner I take that hurt, or that situation, or whatever it is that’s making my stomach churn, the sooner I take that to the throne of God, place it before Him, and admit that I have absolutely no recourse but to forgive and seek forgiveness, the better off I will be.

When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, it was pretty much a relief to know what was wrong. It was a relief to know what the problem is, and even though fibro is a life-long chronic illness, there are things that can be done to lessen the pain, lessen the fatigue, and lessen the effect this disease has on me and my family. Flare-ups happen; sometimes the reason for the flare is obvious ~ I overexerted myself, did something that was too physically punishing for me, or maybe I scheduled too much in one day. At other times the reason for the flare is a mystery. But I know that with the proper amount of rest, physical recovery, and adjustment in my schedule, the pain and fatigue will eventually lessen back down to a managable level, and I can resume my "normal" life.

When things hit me out of the blue, I know from experience the only way I’m going to recover is to lean heavily on God. My day-to-day, minute-by-minute relationship with Him is the foundation from which my recovery begins. He reminds me that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all a part of my inner being now. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I fully, freely and very quickly admit that I am nowhere near perfect at it ~ but everytime something like this happens, I know exactly how to begin the healing process.

Trials will come in all of our lives ~ that’s just the way it is. Remember that old song that said, "I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometime." ? That’s what it’s like; along with the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain ~ the rain is important. It helps the roses to grow. In fact, they won’t grow without a little rain sometime. I can’t say as I enjoy the emotional pain, hurt, disappointment, feelings of rejection and betrayal, and the destruction of the trust I once had, but by golly I know that in the end what I do with all of these things will determine how fruitful I am. And let me tell ya, right now I feel as though there are some mighty beautiful roses being grown in my life ~ they’re labeled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!

photo albums

I’ve opened up several of the photo albums so you don’t need the user name and password to view them. A few of them are still user name and password protected, mainly because they contain pictures of other people and other people’s kids. But, at least now you won’t have to try to remember the user name and password if you want to see the pictures in "trish’s creations" or several of the other photo albums. Enjoy!

before & after

Here’s a picture of my newest purse before felting:

And after:

I know, I know ~ composition of photographs is important. Please forgive the background mess ~ after my purses are done felting, I stuff them with plastic bags to give them shape, then I hang them in my garage from the handles of the bicycles that are hung from the ceiling. That way they dry with their handles standing up. Hence, the cruddy background.

Anyway, I like the way this latest purse turned out. I’ve been experimenting a bit with the pattern ~ I made this one a little larger, and the handles a bit longer. Christine has requested that I made some more purses with a flap (like those I sent her last year), so I have one of those on my needles right now. I’m thinking about using this pattern again for my next purse, and maybe adding a loop and button closure. I really like this particular pattern ~ I can whip one of these babies out in a day. The purse with the flap takes a little longer ~ not much, but just enough to be frustrating to me because I feel like I’m spending too much time on it.

I’ll try to remember to take a picture of the purse with the flap when I’m finished with it.

before & after

Here’s a picture of my newest purse before felting:

And after:

I know, I know ~ composition of photographs is important. Please forgive the background mess ~ after my purses are done felting, I stuff them with plastic bags to give them shape, then I hang them in my garage from the handles of the bicycles that are hung from the ceiling. That way they dry with their handles standing up. Hence, the cruddy background.

Anyway, I like the way this latest purse turned out. I’ve been experimenting a bit with the pattern ~ I made this one a little larger, and the handles a bit longer. Christine has requested that I made some more purses with a flap (like those I sent her last year), so I have one of those on my needles right now. I’m thinking about using this pattern again for my next purse, and maybe adding a loop and button closure. I really like this particular pattern ~ I can whip one of these babies out in a day. The purse with the flap takes a little longer ~ not much, but just enough to be frustrating to me because I feel like I’m spending too much time on it.

I’ll try to remember to take a picture of the purse with the flap when I’m finished with it.

hockey & hotties

Just to prove that hockey fans come in all shapes, sizes, and walks of life:

That gorgeous woman on the left is none other than Christie Brinkley. Christie turned 53 in February. 53, and she looks like THAT?! Not fair. Then again, the first time I saw a picture of Christie my reaction was pretty much, "So not fair!" As far as I’m concerned, taking into account only physical beauty, Christie Brinkley is the most beautiful "super model" to ever grace the cover of any magazine. Even if she is an Islanders fan………………(beauty doesn’t always influence taste!)

There’s lots more info about the Stanley Cup playoffs on nhl.com .

(added later)

Today’s standings, before any games were played:

Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Rangers, 0-2

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1

Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars, 2-1

Buffalo Sabers vs. New York Islanders, 2-1

New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 1-2

Detroit Red Wings vs. Calgary Flames, 2-0

Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild, 3-0

Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks, 1-2

hockey & hotties

Just to prove that hockey fans come in all shapes, sizes, and walks of life:

That gorgeous woman on the left is none other than Christie Brinkley. Christie turned 53 in February. 53, and she looks like THAT?! Not fair. Then again, the first time I saw a picture of Christie my reaction was pretty much, "So not fair!" As far as I’m concerned, taking into account only physical beauty, Christie Brinkley is the most beautiful "super model" to ever grace the cover of any magazine. Even if she is an Islanders fan………………(beauty doesn’t always influence taste!)

There’s lots more info about the Stanley Cup playoffs on nhl.com .

(added later)

Today’s standings, before any games were played:

Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Rangers, 0-2

Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1

Vancouver Canucks vs. Dallas Stars, 2-1

Buffalo Sabers vs. New York Islanders, 2-1

New Jersey Devils vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 1-2

Detroit Red Wings vs. Calgary Flames, 2-0

Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild, 3-0

Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks, 1-2

just for sawyer

LOL ~ I just couldn’t resist!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: His Eminence the Very Lord Sawyer the Weird of Giggleswick on the Naze Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

not his favorite thing

Jake is a happy dog. Usually. Unless you put him on a trampoline and then bounce. I give you exhibit 1:

  As long as Sawyer’s lying or sitting on the trampoline, everything’s fine and dandy. But as soon as Sawyer stands up……………exhibits 2, 3, and 4…….

First, Jake tries to tackle Sawyer……….

then Jake tries to nip Sawyer……and lastly,

Jake bites him in the behind. In short, Jake doesn’t like to bounce on the trampoline.

Editor’s note: No dogs or humans were harmed during this demonstration!

a bit jealous?

Why yes, I do believe I am. Just a bit. Only a tiny bit. Well, ok, maybe more than a tiny bit, but not much more. Not really.

Of what would I be jealous, you ask? Well, all in all, basically, my friend De’Etta’s blog (which you will have noticed I’ve referenced a couple of times in the past week). Who knew she was so blog savvy?! I could, well, actually, I confess, I have spent hours clicking on the different links, and staring at the blinkies and all the doo-dads she has going on. I think I have "blog envy "!!

De’Etta, you continue to amaze me. You’re nearing the "all that AND a bag of chips" point! Wife, mom, homeschooler, mentor, counselor, hostess, blogger extraordinaire, and more on top of all of that ~ you go, girl!

(Someday I might have to emulate you and put all of those really cool links, blinkies and doo-dads on my site. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? )

peculiar aristocratic title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Venerable Lady Trish the Purple of St Winifred by Winchelsea Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Well, ok then. I saw the link on De’Etta’s blog, and like De’Etta (who saw it on someone else’s blog) I couldn’t resist. Not sure what it all means exactly ~ it’s just an exercise in "funnery"!

sellin’ like hotcakes

I shipped 8 of my felted purses off to Christine last week. They went out Monday, she received them Thursday, and by the time I called her on Friday afternoon she had already sold 5 of them. Wow!! I’m working on getting a few more made so I can ship them to her before the last weekend of this month. She has a vendor show that weekend. And I’ll have to keep working on building up my stock of purses because Christine has signed up for 3 craft fairs this fall. I honestly didn’t think my purses would sell that quickly ~ Christine just showed them to a few of the ladies who were at her house for Stampin’ Up stuff.

When I told my massage therapist about making the purses, how quickly they sold and that I would be make a lot more of them, she suggested I look into getting a knitting machine. LOL I think she was trying to tell me something!

prom & a canoe trip

ASMSA (where Patrick goes to school) will have its prom this coming Saturday. Patrick is taking Ariel ~ they went to pick out his tux last weekend. They took along a color sample of Ariel’s dress and matched (as best they could) Patrick’s vest and tie to it. Patrick’s take on the whole thing is that next year the dress will have to be matched to the tux, not the other way around. LOL Yeah, good luck with that one, Son!

This past Saturday one of the homeschooling groups in the Little Rock area held their prom. Several of the juniors and seniors from our co-op group went. I can’t wait to see the pictures! I know the girls put a lot of time and effort into finding just the right dresses (I overheard their moms talking about the endless search for a modest prom dress ~ no easy task, that).

Roger and Sawyer will be going on a camping/canoing trip with a group of dads and kids this weekend. Sawyer’s pretty excited about it. They’ll be canoing and camping on the Buffalo River. Cornerstone does this kind of thing every year ~ up until now Roger hasn’t been able to go. Work has always gotten in the way. But this year, the only trip Roger has scheduled so far isn’t until May (lucky dog, he gets to go to Montana for that one).

So, I’m not sure what I’m going to do this weekend. I’ll have all kinds of time on my hands!

edited to add:

ASMSA has scheduled a day trip to go canoing the Friday after prom. What’s up with the canoe trips? It must be an Arkansas favorite I’ve failed to notice before…………

prom & a canoe trip

ASMSA (where Patrick goes to school) will have its prom this coming Saturday. Patrick is taking Ariel ~ they went to pick out his tux last weekend. They took along a color sample of Ariel’s dress and matched (as best they could) Patrick’s vest and tie to it. Patrick’s take on the whole thing is that next year the dress will have to be matched to the tux, not the other way around. LOL Yeah, good luck with that one, Son!

This past Saturday one of the homeschooling groups in the Little Rock area held their prom. Several of the juniors and seniors from our co-op group went. I can’t wait to see the pictures! I know the girls put a lot of time and effort into finding just the right dresses (I overheard their moms talking about the endless search for a modest prom dress ~ no easy task, that).

Roger and Sawyer will be going on a camping/canoing trip with a group of dads and kids this weekend. Sawyer’s pretty excited about it. They’ll be canoing and camping on the Buffalo River. Cornerstone does this kind of thing every year ~ up until now Roger hasn’t been able to go. Work has always gotten in the way. But this year, the only trip Roger has scheduled so far isn’t until May (lucky dog, he gets to go to Montana for that one).

So, I’m not sure what I’m going to do this weekend. I’ll have all kinds of time on my hands!

edited to add:

ASMSA has scheduled a day trip to go canoing the Friday after prom. What’s up with the canoe trips? It must be an Arkansas favorite I’ve failed to notice before…………

has spring really sprung?

It has been an interesting spring in Arkansas so far. A couple of weeks ago, it was sunny and warm (almost hot), my dogwood trees were blooming, the grass was starting to green up, my bushes were all blooming, and my delicate flowers (lillies, irises, daffodils) were coming up. Then, all of a sudden, the weather turns cold ~ I have frost damage on my bushes, my grass all turned brown again, and my poor flowers have all wilted and died. We got some rain a couple of days ago, and that’s good because we needed it. Now, I’m not one to wish for hot weather, at least not in Arkansas ~ and until someone comes up with a way to lower the humidity level you won’t find me wishing for hot weather ~ but I do wish it hadn’t turned cold and damaged my pretty bushes and delicate flowers!

not2many

My friends Mike and De’Etta are expecting their 10th child! Congratulations guys!!

We met Mike, De’Etta, Breanne, Krista, Josiah, Jamin, Jared, Arielle, Nolan, and Alexander when we were living in Alaska. Mike is an AF chaplain. De’Etta and I actually met on the internet <gasp!> ~ a homeschoolers forum. We emailed back and forth for a couple of weeks, then decided that since neither one of us seemed to be too much of a freak, we’d try meeting in person. We lived in the same town, and it was really easy for us to meet at McDonald’s ~ the kids could play, and it would give us a chance to talk. I decided immediately that I liked her. De’Etta is a lovely lady, easy to talk to, very down-to-earth, laid back (it’s hard to homeschool 8 kids if you’re not!), and has a very evident, real walk with Christ.

De’Etta and I maintained our friendship the entire time we were in Alaska. We would get together whenever we could. I got her hooked on doing ceramics at the base ceramics shop, and we would plan times to get together there, or we’d take the kids to the pool on Ft. Rich, or have a girls’ lunch out at a favorite restaurant, or just get together and have coffee at one of the umpteen dozen coffee shops in Eagle River.

Mike received a new assignment just about the same time Roger did. By then, De’Etta was pregnant with their 9th child. Stacia was born shortly after they got to their current assignment in Texas, so I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her in person (I did get to "see" and feel her while she was still in De’Etta’s womb, though!).

Some people would say that having 10 kids is silly, or irresponsible "considering the current condition of the earth" (whatever that means), or nuts for whatever reason. I think it’s admirable. What’s more, they’re doing what God would have them do ~ and in today’s world that’s a rare and awesome thing. Their family is an amazing group of people, young and "old", who take the Word of God and the will of God very seriously. I have so much respect and admiration for them. De’Etta is an incredible woman (wife and mom) ~ she handles her children well, disciplines appropriately, maintains high standards AND a sense of humor, weathers Mike’s TDYs (both in-country and overseas) with grace, continues to homeschool all of her children (2 have graduated from high school and gone on to college, a 3rd will graduate next month), and still finds time (and energy!) to be a gracious hostess, counselor, Bible teacher and chaplain’s wife. How she does it is beyond me ~ it HAS to be only by the grace of God that she has the energy to even get out of bed in the morning, much less continue to do everything she does, do it well, with a smile AND continue to have more children!

God bless you, De’Etta ~ I continue to be amazed by you. Your testimony is incredible. I wish I had a dozen more friends like you ~ then again, I’m not sure there even ARE a dozen others like you! Blessings on you, Mike, and your increasing "quiver full" of children.

sir stanley

Just incase you don’t follow the sport of hockey ~ it’s Stanley Cup Playoff time again. The Colorado Avalanche somehow managed to knock themselves out of the running ~ they didn’t even make it to the playoffs this year! So, while I’m not ordinarily an Eastern Conference fan, this year I’m rooting for the Buffalo Sabres. I’m a huge fan of their co-captain, Chris Drury (who used to pay for the Avs, but Pierre, being Pierre, saw fit to trade him………don’t even get me started!).  Chris, by the way, was the winning pitcher in the championship game of the 1989 Little League World Series, but I digress. In the Western Conference, I’ll root for the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild, and whoever’s playing against the Detroit Red Wings (Roger says he’s a fan of only 2 teams ~ the Colorado Avalanche and whoever’s playing the Red Wings….also known in my house as the Dead Things). The hard part about rooting against the Red Wings is that they’re playing the Calgary Flames, which is the team the Avalanche were battling against in the Western Conference for the last playoff spot (the Avs never should have been in that position ~ competing for the #8 slot ~ again, just don’t get me started…..). But, I would still rather root for the Flames and see them beat the Wings in the 1st round than have the Wings advance to the 2nd round.

As always, the playoffs, and the Stanley Cup Finals, will be fun to watch. I’m sure I’ll have several interesting events to post about over the next 2 months or so. (And if you’re interested in watching a game or two, I think Verses (channel 608 on DirecTV) will be braodcasting some of the games.)

felting

I have been working on my felted purses for the past few weeks. I was looking into possibly getting a booth at the big craft show held in Little Rock every November ~ it would be a great place to sell the remaining inventory of Cachet Candles as well as my felted purses. It would be great, that is, if the booths weren’t $975 or more! Sorry, can’t do that one. So, I called my friend Christine (in Anchorage). She’s doing at least 3 craft shows this fall, and has a vendor event set up for the end of this month. She readily agreed to sell my purses again. I packed up 8 purses and sent them off via Priority Mail yesterday (I neglected to take pictures of the purses before I mailed them off ~ I’ll try to remember to take pictures of the next batch). They should reach her by Saturday I would think. Christine has a thriving Stampin’ Up! business ~ she holds classes at her house frequently, and already has 2 stamping clubs set up for this summer. She said she would set the purses out in her dining room (the room she has set up to hold Stampin’ Up! classes), and they’ll probably all be sold before the end of the summer. I’m working on more purses to send her!

I have also just started a wedding afghan for our niece who is getting married next January. Angie and Ashley (yes, his name is Ashley) will be getting married in Costa Rica ~ they’re having a very non-traditional wedding on the beach. Roger and I are still debating on whether or not we’ll be able to go ~ they’re not inviting very many people, only immediate family, and the fact that we received an invitation is huge to us. The problems mainly stem from the cost of traveling to and staying in Costa Rica, even for a few days. Patrick will graduate from high school about 4 months after Angie and Ashely’s wedding ~ we would like to be able to have a graduation party for him (which won’t be cheap). Plus, since Roger will retire in 2009, there’s always the looming need to be somewhat sufficiently financially situated before that happens. And, we’re planning a 20th anniversary trip in 2009, and that won’t be inexpensive either (especially if I have something to say about it! More info on that trip to come later.). So, taking into account that we’re saving for the graduation party, an anniversary trip, and retirement from active duty, adding a trip to Costa Rica would really put a strain on things. We’re still tossing around the idea though ~ maybe just Roger and I could go to Costa Rica, or maybe even just Roger could go (Angie is his sister’s daughter), maybe we could call it our anniversary trip, etc., etc. Ultimately though, what I think we’ll probably do is settle for attending the reception Angie and Ashley will be having in February of next year in Denver. Since they’re only inviting close family to the actual wedding, they’re having a reception in Denver for everyone else. It’s a great idea, and it helps to ease our guilt about possibly not attending the actual wedding. Roger has been keeping track of our "points" on our American Express ~ we already have enough points to "pay for" a full day’s ski package at one of the ski resorts in the Denver area. If we keep that up, both boys would be able to ski while we’re there, and we might even have enough points to earn a couple of free night in a nice hotel as well.

Last week my hands and arms were hurting so much that I had to take a break from knitting and crocheting. I can’t just sit around and do nothing though, so I got on the internet and started looking at cross stitch patterns. I decided I wanted to do something Celtic. I found a beautiful pattern on Clare’s Celtic Cornucopia called "Winter Cross" ~ I started working on it a couple of days ago. I think my next cross stitch project will be "Rose Cross" which I will purchase from Clare as well. I have no idea when that will be, but at least I know I have something else to fall back on when I get too sore to knit or crochet (or if I just get bored with them and need a change for a little while!).

neighborhood speed bump

(think The Wizard of Oz……………)

Ding dong! The speed bump’s gone. Which speed bump? Kings Road’s speed bump!

That’s about it for my lyric adaptation abilities ~ but the stupid speed bump that was put in at the entrance of our subdivision has been taken out (finally).

The story goes something like this: about 2 years ago, three brand new houses were built in our neighborhood. Now, our neighborhood/subdivision was established about 25 years ago, with the "newest" houses built more than 20 years ago ~ until the summer of 2005. At that time, someone "sold out" and decided to sell the approximately 5 acres they owned which were as yet undeveloped. And so, 3 brand new brick houses were built. They met the minimum requirements for our subdivision ~ no lots smaller than an acre and a half, and a minimum 1800 sq. ft. home (not including the garage, screen-in porch, attic, or any other uninhabitable area). To be honest, they stick out like a sore thumb. They’re not ugly houses, they just don’t fit our well-established neighborhood. They don’t have the old trees that everyone else has, and they just look out of place. Anyway, the owner of the middle new house, who also owned a restaurant in Cabot he recently sold, decided to throw his weight around and get a speed bump put in. He went through back channels, and the speed bump no one but him wanted was installed. Illegally. A few weeks ago, our next door neighbors, Betty and Richard, who built one of the first houses in our neighborhood and have lived in it for 25 years, rang our doorbell. They had a petition to the city council to take the speed bump out. Everyone in the neighborhood, except the guy who originally requested the speed bump, signed the petition. Richard was going to take the petition to the mayor’s office and hopefully get the blasted speed bump removed.

A few days ago, Roger heard that the petition actually wasn’t even necessary. Apparently this guy’s back channel way of manipulating the system was discovered, and it had already been decided that the speed bump was to be removed.

Today that action was carried out. Hip hip hooray! That speed bump was a royal pain ~ and it certainly wasn’t helping the alignment on my Suburban. My thoughts on the whole thing are that if the guy is worried about his kids getting hit (his teenage kids no less), then he should teach them to stay out of the road, put a fence around the backyard and keep the kids there, have an adult supervising the kids while they’re outside, or take some other measure of responsible parenting. Our subdivision is off the beaten path ~ really the only people who come back here are the people who live here. The speed limit is 25 mph, and as far as I can tell most people abide by the speed limit. Besides, you can’t build a brand new house in an established neighborhood then act like you’re the boss ~ it tends to make your neighbors a little cranky and unpleasant towards you. That guy certainly didn’t make any friends by having that speed bump put in ~ even the people who live at the beginning of the street and weren’t affected by the speed bump wanted it removed!

So, that’s my good news for the day.