So Many Somethings

The Ant Farm Saga

2010-07-15T12:26:00.002-05:00

December 25, 2009 - Jackson finds an ant farm wrapped for him under the Christmas tree. The box is opened to reveal instructions for ordering ants, including a warning that ants will not be shipped in extreme cold or heat. A disheartened Jackson, sets the box in his closet until the warmer days ahead.

January-March - Asking repetitively if we have ants yet. Nope.

March - Send off for ants. $6.95 Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Sigh.

March-June - "Are my ants here yet?"

June - Ants arrive. They are HUGE. Container is sealed and states that these ants will bite. Paralyze in refrigerator for 15 minutes before adding to farm. Sigh. Check.

50% of ants die. Other half still kicking.

July 1 - Screams from upstairs. Ant farm has been knocked over...into a partially opened pajama drawer. I grab the pajamas and shake them out on the front porch, while CT smashes the rest with his shoe (Remember, we were warned that they will bite). Screams of agony from Jackson.

July 15 (That's today.) 9:00- New plan. We're going to catch our own ants. Jackson and I attempt to use tweezers to capture ants in the driveway. We fail. We're squeezing them to death, and they're too darn fast.

9:15 We set a trap. We go with strawberries and Apple Jacks. Fool proof.

9:20 No ants yet. Jackson thinks it's because they know we're watching them and makes a plan to convince them that we are not. "Mom, I think I'll go inside now. Wait. Did I leave a plate of food outside? Nope. Guess not. Must have been my imagination." Smiles sneakily and heads inside.

10:00 Ant city! A bazillion on the Apple Jacks (None on the strawberry, FYI). We dump the Apple Jacks into the farm and success!

10:30 Ants are everywhere! We're thinking that they are so little that they can fit through the cracks of the lid. (Probably why Uncle Milton sent us such huge ants in the first place.) Lid sealed with scotch tape.

12:00 They are still escaping! Locate some air holes in the sides. Yep, they can fit though. Tape over those too.

2:30 Ants aren't looking too good. Probably because they aren't getting air. Sigh.

Moral: Don't buy your kid an ant farm.

Dreaming

2010-06-14T11:08:00.013-05:00

source

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I have some pretty big dreams. One of them is to own a refurbished airstream trailer and drag my children around the country. Mount Rushmore, The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone...the possibilities are limitless.

Source

I would consider myself pretty happy if this were CT and me in forty or so years.

Source

And, lights like these would be hung up out front each time we stopped.

I found this very cool Airstream Penthouse Trailer Park. It's in Cape Town, South Africa of all places.

Graded

2010-06-09T16:53:00.009-05:00

I have now enjoyed one full week of summer vacation bliss, and we are starting to get into our non-routine. The kids are sleeping later, pictures are moving from wall to wall to wall, and I've forgotten what day it is. This is drastically different from the daily hustle and bustle of school year life - rushing, rushing, rushing.

At the end of the year, I have my students take a "confidential" (of course I know their handwriting by now) survey about my class and teaching style. At the end, I have them give me a grade and tell why that grade was assigned. I figured I would share some of the best and worst.

What did you dislike most about the class? Explain.

Reading books because there was a lot of books to read

Describe things that you liked about this class.

I like that we get awards for completting stuff

Do you think I was ever unfair to any student like yourself whenever I kept them for lunch detention, office referral, etc.?

No because mabey we deserve it.

What was your favorite part of the class in regards to content?

I like science because we do lab stuff. (Uh, I teach reading.)

Describe your thoughts on the class procedures...what should be changed and why?

We need free time.
I think that having to raise your hand to sharpen your pencil is a little rediculis.

Describe some hints for improving the look of the classroom.

More food.

Is there anything that happened in class that really upset you and why?

Nothing upset me ecsept [student name] she gets on my nevers
Yes when the sub said a cuss word to a student and that made me mad

What did you like about Mrs. Talburt's teaching style and why?

She wants to help us get out of here.
She teach good because she is alsome.
I liked that she was in comtrall with the students because you need controll for a good class to go on and she did it.

Name 2 things that you could tell Mrs. Talburt that would help her be a better teacher for next year?

More food and drenk if we haft to be in here.
Get through the stuff faster so we can have free time.
Go faster so we can gust get it over whit
She need to be more cooler.
Bring back up.
Only let Mrs. Talburt open the windows.

If you could give Mrs. Talburt a final grade for her teaching of this class, what would you give her, and why?

A+ She done a perfect job (Oh, heavens.)
C because there was some mistakes in there and I count the mistakes and give the grade by that.
C because she was sometimes mean but mostly nice so you get a C
A+ because she was a pretty nice teacher. She was a hard worker and so very kind. If I was person like the principle I would make her the principle. She know how to solve problems. She can also be a counsolor.
A (Erased circle around F) because I love the way she tech and help me understand what I was doing!

I earned a total of 10 A+'s, 1 B, 1 B-, and 2 C's - not too shabby. I really do love these difficult kids. I am certain that they teach me more about culture and matters of the heart than I teach to them. That said, thank heavens for summer vacation!

Dodged a Bullet

2010-03-17T21:23:00.004-05:00

Jackson's Kindergarten class watched a Family Life film today. I had forgotten about it until he told me at bedtime that he learned about "bad touches."

"So... what's a bad touch?" I asked, holding my breath.

To which he responded, "It's when a granny grabs hold of your cheeks and says, 'How ya doin, Sonny?'"

Huh. I'm willing to just go with that for now.

Four

2010-03-06T20:39:00.004-06:00

Four years ago this week, we were blessed by another baby boy. After a long and difficult labor and finally a c-section, Henry was born March 1, 2006 at about 8:30 in the evening, weighing 8 lbs. 9 oz. The next morning, a pediatrician noticed eye fluttering indicating seizure activity and ordered an EEG, which turned out to be abnormal. We were also told of a possible heart murmur and that he would hold his breath when he was in deep sleep. Henry was admitted to the St. John's Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where he would spend his first 10 days of life.

Tears come to my eyes as I remember how scared we were for him. He was immediately given florescent green seizure meds, and no one would tell us what the possible long term damage he might suffer from the seizures or the side effects of the medications. I cannot describe how difficult it was to be discharged and leave the hospital without my baby in my arms.

After what seemed like weeks, we were allowed to stay in the hospital room with Henry, where nurses monitored our ability to take care of him. We had to prove our competencies in measuring and administering his medicine and hooking up and using his monitors. The following day he came to our home, but we still didn't know what his future would hold.

We had a long month of visiting a lot of different doctors, and Henry finally had a normal EEG. He was taken off his seizure medication, and we turned the monitors back in!

This week we have been celebrating this little life! We could not ask for a happier, sweeter boy. We praise God for the healing and favor that He has placed upon him and our family. I learned a lot of lessons while waiting - that I'm truly in control of nothing, He is in control of everything, and that His grace is sufficient. Thank you to all our friends and family who love Henry too, and thank you to those who helped us celebrate this week.

A Note from the Sub

2010-03-04T14:54:00.005-06:00

When I come back to school after having a substitute, it's NEVER pretty. My 6th graders are only occasionally good for me, and someone new is asking for it. Here is what I found on my desk Tuesday morning:

Dear Mrs. Talburt,

This class has been off task the entire time. This has been my worst class ever as a substitute. I am very happy that this class does not represent the school in its entirety. Students Z, Y, X, W, V and U were very difficult to keep on task. X was on her phone and it was taken away. All of these students need professional help. They were unable to follow directions and were very difficult to work with. I hope that this was just a bad day for them and that this is not the way they behave always. I would work with them again, but I would have to deal with them differently the next time. If you have questions, you can call me at ....

Sincerely,

Mr. Substitute

For some reason, it pleased me to find out that he was Jamaican and wore a turquoise vest. This, in addition to his statement that he made to the students at the beginning of class: "It is my policy to never send kids to the office." (Note: In bold print at the top of my lesson plans it reads: This is a VERY difficult class. Please do not hesitate to send students to the office.) I wonder why he had such a tough day?

Storm Troopers and Spiritual Things

2010-02-27T11:50:00.003-06:00

A debate has been happening between two Storm Troopers in my living room.

(Insert sounds of electronic guns and light sabers.)

Jackson: Henry, did you know that we're sheep?

Henry: We're not sheep.

Jackson: Yes, we are! We are the sheep, and do you know who the shepherd is?

Henry: We are NOT SHEEP!

Jackson: Our shepherd is Jesus. (Big sigh) Don't you know Jesus yet? Have you still not asked him into your heart?

Henry: I do know about Jesus, but I can't swim underwater.

(Reinsert sounds of guns and light sabers.)

And, off they go.

May You Feel Loved

2010-02-15T10:14:00.006-06:00

(via @AnnCurry)

This lemon tree was a Valentine's gift from CT. Ten years ago, on our first Valentine's day as newlyweds, my gift was a lemon tree. After about two weeks, leaves started falling off, and all I was left with was a stick poking out of the dirt. I hope this one sticks around a little longer, because I would really like to say that my lemonade came from my living room.

I love these boys. Both Henry and Jackson wanted to make special Valentine's for girls in their classes. This was done about a month ago, and while Jackson gave his away immediately, Henry kept his hidden in his backpack until Valentine's Day. In return, she had also made him a special card complete with glitter and a sun catcher for his window.

Jackson was a hoot at his party. After he presented his teacher with a card and a small box of chocolates, he suggested that perhaps it might be time for her to call his table to the cookie table. She laughed and said that she could not play favorites, to which he responded with a sing-song, "But it's chocolate!" Of course, she let him go next, which only makes his manipulation tactics grow stronger. Then, every time Jackson opened a Valentine from a girl at school, he yelled out a "Whoo-ooo!"

Along with my lemon tree, I got Wii Fit Plus, (when I mentioned to CT that I would like to have it, he responded, "Is this a trap?") and a rose from Jackson and Henry (although he wished to give absolutely no credit to Henry since he wasn't with them when it was purchased). Then we celebrated Valentine's evening, with dinner and coffee with good friends. I couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend!

Shaky Start

2010-01-26T20:38:00.003-06:00

Today. 6:30 AM. Early Staff Meeting Day.

Mornings are my weakness. On a regular day, I'm in the car on my way to school at about 7:00. Usually, the sun is just rising, and I'm slightly functioning when I arrive. However, about once a month, it is an early staff meeting morning.

I stumble through the morning routine. It is dark. Really dark. Pitch black dark. And early. Really early. Did I mention, early? Still in a sleepy haze, with a lunch packed and ungraded papers still in tow, I begin to pull out of the garage. I'm careful to be consistently watching over my shoulder to make sure that I don't run into CT's truck or back over any crazy runner that might be out by choice at this time of morning. As I get to the end of the driveway, I put my foot on the break to put the car into drive, and I am horrified to find a ghastly white, almost naked being, with wild eyes and hair, banging on my car hood!

My sweet, sweet husband, who has been doing his best to get me to like drinking coffee every morning, was rushing a cup to me before I got away.

However, in the still dream-like, quiet state that I was mentally operating in, it might as well have been the devil himself.

A few more hairs turned gray today. My heart had to work a little harder. And, I made it to work, fully caffeinated.

Again? Maybe...I don't know.

2010-01-25T16:35:00.002-06:00

Well, it sure does look like it's been nearly a year since I've posted anything of semi-importance.

My school has started a blog for teachers. I had to sign in with my blogger account, which means my blog will be linked anytime I comment. So...I feel like it's either pull the plug on this whole thing or try it again. We'll see.

In the mean time, the pictures above can catch you up on my life in the past almost year.

Geography

2009-07-13T21:22:00.004-05:00

Henry, while nonchalantly spinning the globe: "Jackson, Where's Gotham City?"

Jackson: "Move over. Let me show you. It's right here. (Beijing)."

Gasp...I have to cook?!

2009-03-23T15:18:00.003-05:00

(I wish this was my kitchen.)

Much like everyone I know, we are trying our best to pinch our pennies. Thankfully, I'm starting the get the hang of couponing and stockpiling. My bathroom cabinets are full of shampoos, deodorants, toilet paper and soap, and I have boxes of cereal running out my ears!

Our most dramatic life change thus far has been to (almost) cease eating out. This has become such a bad habit for us, especially if we have worked all day and have somewhere to be in the evenings. I am not a great cook and most of the time I do not enjoy it much, so I'm exploring the idea of freezing meals. I figure that if I can get all my cooking done at once, it won't be nearly so bad to thaw and heat. So here's my request...

Do you have any recipes that freeze well and/ or any that can be divided and frozen into smaller servings? (Most of the time we throw out 1/2 or more of a casserole since my kids eat like birds.) And, if you are a "freezer," what kind of containers do you use to store it in?

Thanks for sharing!

Rainbow are prettier than shamrocks.

2009-03-17T21:35:00.005-05:00

I made this rainbow cake for dessert tonight. You can get the recipe here. Really all you do is divide your batter into 6 different bowls and color it using gel food coloring. They were the prettiest dirty dishes I have ever done.

It was supposed to be a nice family outing...

2009-03-14T20:05:00.001-05:00

We took advantage of the free admission special to see some exotic animals from the comfort of our car. At the ticket office, we are given our password to open the gate, sign a liabilty waiver and are handed a set of rules:

"If you will follow the guidelines...we know you will take home memories of a lifetime."

Yeah, we really should have read these beforehand...

"Do not roll your windows more than half way down. This will keep a barrier between you and the animals."

No, instead we have all four windows rolled all the way down. We are quickly attacked by a swarm of emus and a camel. CT thinks my shrieking is funny and decides to lock my window controls, so I have no way to defend myself. Jackson also thinks it is hilarious. I do not.

"Do not roll your window up with an animal's head inside. To do so may result in a broken window or injury to the animal."

CT did not think that it was near as funny when the camel was invading his personal space. Thankfully, our window did not break, and the camel seemed fine.

"...(we) are not responsible for injuries to visitors or damage to their cars."

After the stress of firing feeding pellets to keep the emus at bay, we approach some sheep and rams. I begin feeding a black ram, who seems very pleasant. When I've had my fill of feeding him, I turn to see what else is happening around the car. I hear clanking and scratching and look to find my friend the ram standing on two hooves - the other two on the side of the car. Now, the side of the car does not provide great traction for hooves, and as he readjusts his footing over and over, his front hooves bang and carve deeper scratches into Old Burb. CT pulls forward. He falls down. All seems to be mostly okay for the time being.

Literally, seconds later (I don't know how he made it around to the other side so quickly!), he is up at CT's window "clawing" to get our attention. There are now cars right in front and behind us, and we have nowhere to go. CT starts fairly calmly, attempting to "shoo" him away to no avail. He gets louder, tossing the treats at his face. No response. When the pellets are gone, he wads up the bag, knocking him in the face [Insert PG 13 language here]. No response. A very frustrated CT with no other solutions, begins to punch at the ram. He does not even flinch, probably something to do with the strength of the heads, being rams and all. FINALLY, the cars in front of us move, and the ram falls when we pull forward. You can see photos of the scratches on the car doors above.

"Maximum spped through the park is 5 mph. Never exceed the speed limit. "

It is apparently out of the question to drive slowly after being attacked by a ram.

The Dance

2009-03-06T15:27:00.003-06:00

Last Friday night I had the pleasure of chaperoning a middle school dance. Let's just say I wish that I could blog smells. About half of the kids were dressed in their "fancies," the others were in their t-shirts, jeans and Converse. There was only one tuxedo t-shirt, and technically he fit into both categories. One of the boys carried around a corsage in a box, waiting for his date to arrive, for about an hour. Thankfully, she wore it, but I didn't see them speak to each other for the rest of the night.

My job was to keep the concessions coming. I poured sodas and replenished the candy bowls. This is where it gets good.

A Boy: 7th grade, slightly overweight, freckled, sweaty big round glasses. His voice was very breathy and squeaky, as it's the time of change.

I don't really pay much attention to him until it's about his 4th time at my table scooping out candy (handfulls each trip). Keep in mind the music is really loud, so he's screaming at me during our conversations. I'm mostly smiling and nodding.

Boy: "I shouldn't be eating all this CANDY!"

(Next trip) This CANDY is delicious!

(Next trip) The last time I ate this much CANDY, I puked!

(Next trip) My dad's going to be so made at me. He doesn't let me eat CANDY!

(Next trip) WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?! (I had refilled the bowls.)

(Next trip) I really shouldn't be taking this...but I just LOVE CANDY!!!

(Next trip - He's settled down, but still taking candy)

"So, I don't think I've seen you around here before." (Oh, goodness. He's not going to ask me to dance, is he?)

Me: I only teach one class - Title Reading.

Boy: Oh, I'm not in Title Reading, that's why. I have an extremely high lexile. It's 1440.

Me: Wow, that's great!

Boy: Yeah, I just love to read. And, I LOVE CANDY TOO! (Swings his arms frantically and knocks over the fifty or so styrofoam cups filled with soda, domino style).

We attempt to clean the huge mess with those non-absorbent brown school paper towels.

I sent him on his way and dodged him the rest of the night.

Nothing like a rebuke to get the ball rolling...Here's what you missed.

2009-03-05T18:59:00.008-06:00

A semi-spur of the moment weekend getaway to Big Cedar in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Our furnace went out, and we joined the "I've Stayed in the Wilson's Basement" group on Facebook.

A Couple of Snowy Days.

Valentine's Day

After getting a haircut, Jackson asked Chris to borrow one of his ties. This, so he could wear it to school the next day to impress his "girlfriend."

Chris refinished our hardwood floors. Only a few injuries to report.

Henry turned three and finally got to have his pirate party!

Review of Things in 2008

2009-01-01T11:06:00.005-06:00

My new calendar is ready to go. Yesterday I transferred important birthdays from my 08 calendar, which makes me feel ready for the year to begin. I love to look back at the ways that we spent our time over the past year - taking time to notice those who have become most important to us.

2008 in a nutshell:

Rang in the New Year

Grandma Carol's 75 birthday

Chris left for Philippines

Emma's Birthday Party

Maggie & Lucy's Birthday Party

Sam's 1st Birthday Party

Chris Returned from the Philippines

Superbowl Party with College Students

Dodgeball Tournament

Bill's Funeral

Truth Project

Listening Library at DLC

School Valentine Parties

Keegan's Birthday

Leap Day

Bayley's Birthday

Henry's 2nd Birthday

Leadership in Reading

Easter with the Peeps

Daisy is Born!

Spring Break

Missions Banquet

Easter

Max is Born!

Counseling Parents of Exceptional Children

Matt's 30th Birthday - Surprise at McSalty's

Shannon's Shower

Luncheon to Welcome Daisy

Sophie's Birthday

Chris' Birthday

Trike-a-thon

Cooper's Birthday

BBQ to welcome Max

Mother's Day Program

Ian's Birthday

Britton Wedding

Mother's Day

Graduation Parties

My Birthday

St. Louis

City Museum

Train Museum

Zoo

Bartley Wedding

Father's Day

Practicum in Lebanon

Tutoring at Pipkin

Tutoring at Carver

Lotz Wedding

Shower for Violet

Silver Dollar City

Jackson's Birthday

Olympics

Quit job the Library

Teacher Work Days DLC

Log Cabins

NOGs

Lake Day

Vollees

Oliver's Birthday Party

garage sale

Down by the Creekbank

1st Day DLC

Mandy's Shower

Soccer

Interview at Pipkin

Capstone

Request for Research Due

fingerprinting

Tucker Wedding

Missions Conference

Pie Auction

Progressive Dinner

Jordan and Nikki's Shower

Pumpkin Patch

Roy's Chili Cookoff

Costume Party

Vote

Foundations

Final

Presentation

Thanksgiving

Craft Days

Breakfast with Santa

Ornament Exchange

Christmas parties

Christmas programs

Rehearsal for graduation

Party

Graduation

Christmas

8th Anniversary

New Year's Eve

I am looking forward to 2009!

Eight Things I Should Have Done Differently Eight Years Ago...

2008-12-29T10:28:00.005-06:00

1. Pre-lit trees.

2. Registered for white towels - not purple.

3. Gotten a thank you gift for our flower man (aide to our flower girl).

4. Had Chad take some candid shots - although he probably would have been twelve or something.

5. Taken ALL the pictures before the wedding.

6. Had a reception at a secondary location, despite the threat of winter weather.

7. Open all gift boxes before writing thank you notes - as pictures on the boxes can be deceiving.

8. Asked more questions about the location about our snorkeling destination...(It was "clothing optional" apparently.)

Happy Anniversary, CT! I've loved these past eight years with you!

A Merry Little Christmas

2008-12-28T21:29:00.006-06:00

Christmas was fun this year! It was the first year that Henry really "got it," and every time he opened a gift, he said, "It's what I wanted!" Despite being a little under the weather, Jackson enjoyed the festivities fully too!

Jackson's favorites:

green bike

the bat cave

interactive globe

Henry's favorites:

"blue ship" (Veggie Tales Pirates Who Don't Do Anything)

lots of playmobil pirates with tiny swords

pirate tent

Hustle and Bustle

2008-12-24T12:45:00.003-06:00

I am one who gets totally "wigged out" about the holidays. I stress over all the details and can totally lose sight of the things that are truly important. We have had one of our busiest seasons this year, and there is really much to blog about. Even this morning, I was in a frenzy making chocolate mint candy, making sure the house looks nice for Christmas pictures, finding the kids new matching pajamas to open before bed...busy, busy, busy. When we finally sat down to lunch, Jackson asked if he could pray and truly blessed my heart.

"Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for this food and for coming to our town as a baby boy. But that's not all...we know you grow up into a big boy and so now we believe in you still.

Amen."

Merry Christmas to you, Blog Friends! May you be blessed by God's love and protection this coming year!

Santa

2008-12-01T21:22:00.002-06:00

Pictures with Santa can be the worst experience of the season - long lines, impatient kids, price gouging... Not so this year. Tonight we visited Santa at Bass Pro, who has created a flawless Santa system. At Santa's workshop, you are greeted by a friendly old elf, who hands you a pager if the line is too long. While you wait, there is plenty to do. Besides visiting the boats, turtles, fish, ducks and snakes, they have provided pictures to color and letters to santa, complete with his own mailbox. If you include your contact information, Santa will send your child a holiday email too. There are also stations to try out remote control vehicles and rifle target practice, and the kids got tattoos and stickers for playing. Best of all, the pictures were FREE! Santa took a picture with the boys together and with each child individually. They gave us a free 4 x 6 of each pose for free, and we can order more prints on-line. They really took their time with each child, and we are so happy with the whole process!

Thankfulness

2008-11-28T13:59:00.001-06:00

Turkey Lurkey

2008-11-24T16:40:00.003-06:00

Let the Thanksgiving preparations begin! We are serving Thanksgiving dinner at our house for CT's family and will go to my mom's in the evening to eat their leftovers. We are off to the store tonight to purchase the staples for our "must have" traditional recipes.

Our "Must Haves" (or I think mutiny would ensue):

Nana's Cranberry Salad

Nana's Easy Hot Rolls

Nana's Crockpot Stuffing

We'll also be cooking the turkey, and CT has bought enough to make SEVERAL pies!

What are your Thanksgiving "must haves" and traditions?

A Peek at the Week

2008-11-15T13:19:00.007-06:00

Today was my final day of seated class. It is kind of a weird feeling. I've spent parts of the last decade at

Drury, and now it's just over. Today my professor spoke about our accomplishments, etc. But he also asked that if the school buses pulled up in front of our building, and the students were told to go to any classroom that they wanted for the day, where would they go? They're not likely to go door to door and ask if you have a Master's degree or x number of teaching experience. They are going to go where they feel important and cared for. Anyway, that was food for thought for me... We were asked to defend our papers to the scrutiny of our classmates, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. I have turned in all of my drafts for my capstone and am awaiting its approval. Then it's off to be bound and sent to the library, which is sure to see circulation increase. I keep thinking of that Friends episode, when Ross says, "You're the person who read my book?!"

We have convinced to boys to let us dry their hair after their baths each night by giving them crazy hair. They love it, and it falls down by morning.

I decided that we needed new stockings this year and found some cute ones on ebay. They are still in the original packaging and are made from felt that has turned a little smelly. As soon as they air out, they will be perfect. CT's only comment was "Why did you buy five?" To which I replied that they were sold in a lot of five, but we have an extra just in case!

Yep, that's pie...

2008-11-10T15:45:00.002-06:00

Holly, this must break some kind of law...

Fond Memories

2008-11-08T14:47:00.005-06:00

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but it seems as if it is Christmas time once again. (Didn't we miss a holiday?!) I do love this time of year. I love it when stores put out their ornaments and start playing holiday music. I've even bought a few Christmas gifts. CT reminded me yesterday of all the decorations that I purchased last year after Christmas at 80% off, which I totally had forgotten about, so I'm excited to see what awaits me in the attic.

About this time each year, stores would hold an "open house" to show off their newly holiday decorated store. My mom would always look for these announcements in the newspaper and we'd spend a Saturday morning or two traveling from store to store, drinking their free cider and sampling their cookies. We could not touch ANYTHING in many of these fancy places, but I loved going. Wickman's was one of our "must stops," and I forced my own family to go along with me today. We drank the cider and coffee and ate their free popcorn. They gave rides on their bucket train for 50 cents throughout their greenhouse, and the boys received a free plant half way through. There were also pony cart rides and llamas dressed as reindeer, which is hard to beat. I'm crossing my fingers that I win the $100 giveaway!

The Best Night!

2008-11-02T17:03:00.003-06:00

We had an amazing night last night! First, we ate dinner at Rosie Jo's Cafe in Ozark. They have the BEST fried chicken tenders, and their fried potatoes and onions aren't half bad. Saturday nights are family nights, so our kids ate free! Then, we went to Silver Dollar City's opening night of an Old Time Christmas for the year. The temperature was in the 70's, and we never even had to put on a jacket. We thought that it would be packed, but there was hardly anyone there. We didn't have to wait for any rides, and our kids rode many of them more than once. We poked our heads into Santa's workshop and were 2nd in line to see Santa.

2008-11-01T16:18:00.001-05:00

Miscellany

2008-10-22T21:35:00.004-05:00

I was slicing these apples the other night to dip into some caramel, when I nicked my finger. Jackson came to my aid with a Bible verse that he remembered: "Mothers, do not cut your fingers...unto the Lord...for justice." So saith the psalm.

This is my classroom at Pipkin. Some days are okay, and a lot of days are not. One of my students is a "non-reader," 5 read on a second grade level, and 5 read on a third grade level. They have failed so many times in life thus far that they have already given up on themselves. When I collected an assignment the other day, one of my students only responded to one out of five questions, and that response was "we hate you so bad," although I'm pretty sure most of those words were spelled incorrectly. I am praying each day that God would give me love for them - that I would see them as He does. And, I'm trying to be faithful in what He has called me to do. But, it's pretty hard...

October is birthday month! We celebrated Hayden's and Hillary's last Thursday, my sister, Sarah's birthday on Saturday and my mom's on Monday. Tomorrow is my dear friend Amanda's day, and I know Laura, Jen and Brittany just celebrated theirs. Our fridge is also holding a few invites from kids from school, and poor Henry is STILL waiting on his own "pirate cake."

Guess Who...

2008-10-16T16:24:00.001-05:00

"She needs feather bows and tights,

because sometimes she wears tights..."

Now that's service...

2008-10-05T21:56:00.005-05:00

What did you do in your small group?

This what I woke up to yesterday morning...

2008-09-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Six inches from my face. It's quite frightening when you're just coming out of the drowsy stage.

Ever since we received the Oriental Trading Company catalog a few weeks ago, Jackson has been ALL about Halloween. He started circling things and is determined to host a Halloween party. We got what decorations that we had out of the attic, and he is quite disappointed that our house does not look haunted - We still need "skeletons and creakies on the steps."

He wants to be something different almost everyday. Today it's a "kind vampire." This, only after I told him that a vampire isn't really a very nice costume. I'm trying to use my powers of persuasion to talk him out of the whole vampire thing, although I have no great costume ideas. I'm afraid that this might be the last year that I can choose his costume for him...Anyway, I'm now accepting costume ideas, specifically duos.

Herding Cats

2008-09-20T20:57:00.001-05:00

Today was Jackson's first soccer game.

(You can see him yawning on the sidelines above.)

He was totally distraught over the size of his uniform and still a little tired from the pneumonia. But, all in all, I think that he's going to like it. Even if there isn't a Coach Crystal...

British

2008-09-16T14:42:00.006-05:00

Jackson has pneumonia ("memonia") and bronchitis. He's had a cold with a cough for a couple of weeks and started running a fever. I took him in yesterday, and the doctor couldn't hear anything but ordered a chest x-ray to be sure. He entertained his nurses with his british accent ("Would you like another cup of tea?") that he's picked up from Charlie and Lola. Our doctor called just before 11:00 last night, reporting pneumonia and bronchitis in his lungs. He thinks that antibiotics should do it, and we started early enough today that we might try school tomorrow.

In a nutshell...

2008-09-11T14:58:00.007-05:00

I've been a bit of a blog hermit lately...Here's what's been going on with me...

1) Adjusting to DLC. The teachers and families have been terrific, but early childhood is HARD. It is starting at the very BEGINNING. You have to think about how simply to do something, and then take is down another level or two. To be honest, there have been a few times that I have thought that I have made a huge mistake. On one of my first days, one of my students with clear physical disabilities (Cerebral Palsy) starting exhibiting some severe behaviors. After many conversations, days of frustration, and a few tears, he is going to remain in my class with a full-time aide. We've had two really great days together, so I am thinking positively about the rest of the year. My other class is going really well. We are "gellin,'" as they say. Other than that, a new job means lots of paperwork so I've been reading manuals, getting a TB shot, finding my Social Security card, getting my background information, and on and on and on...

2) Reacquainting myself with the kitchen. I typically worked evenings at the library, so there wasn't much opportunity for me to cook supper. Now that I am home in the afternoons and evenings, I'm trying to cook as much as possible. I've dusted off my Sassafras and High Street cookbooks, and logged on "The Recipe Box" many a time. Here's what we've been having:

- Green Pepper Steak

- Easy Tortellini Carbonara

- Cashew Chicken and rice

- Strawberry Salad

- Becky's Snack Mix

- Mounds Cake

- Ham Rolls, and

- Green Enchiladas, to name a few.

3) Working on my Capstone. The capstone is the final class for the Graduate Program and is mostly independent study, working on a huge research paper. I've been

- searching for and lightly skimming 30 scholarly reviewed research articles

- getting permission from a principal to use her school as a case study

- filling out a "request to conduct research" for SPS (I'm currently in the process of tracking down my advisor, so he can sign it, so I can make 7 copies and send it to the research office...)

- Reading (Okay, skimming) our text, The McDonaldization of Society, which might actually be an interesting read if I wasn't busy, to be ready to discuss it in a couple of weeks.

- Formulating research interview questions.

4) Interviewing for an unexpected job. This is a long story, but here is the short version:

- Summer: Applied to Title 1 to see if any part-time reading specialist positions were available for this school year. Director said, "budget cuts, no jobs this year." DLC Director calls and offers position, accept said position.

- Last week: Title I Director calls says "have a part-time position."

I say, "Sorry, bad timing, DLC."

He says, "I'll call next week."

- Yesterday: He calls and says, "Interview tomorrow."

I say, "Wait, what?"

He says, "We'll talk tomorrow."

- Today: Go to said interview. Interview goes well; they say here is your classroom. Think about it. Call you tomorrow.

5) Planning for our Foundations group. I am so, so, so excited to have students back in our home! We don't know who we will have yet, but I am praying for them anyway!

6) Wanting to wallpaper the dining room. I'm looking for something yellow.

So that's it. It was a big nut.

First Days of School

2008-09-03T13:43:00.002-05:00

We're halfway done with the first week of school. Yesterday when we were talking about going Henry said, "No, Henry's all done with school" (I guess the Meet and Greet was enough for him!) But he did fine getting up and getting ready and had a great day! It's all old hat for Jackson, but he is loving his new teachers.

I am getting acclimated to teaching the Green and Yellow rooms. I'm coming home exhausted, but there are sure some sweet ones. At Circle Time we were going around the circle and each child told me something that they liked doing at school today. One said, "I like doing the puzzles." Another said, "I used my new scissors." Another, "I like to read books." When we got to this red-headed (and kind of naughty) little boy, he said, "I think I love you." Made my day.

Meet the Yellow Room.

2008-08-27T14:24:00.006-05:00

This is where I'll be Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll be in the Green Room, which is really just the same but the accessories are green. I met most of my students yesterday and today. I seemed to click better with the parents and students of one particular class but we'll see how it all shakes out. Two parents told me their children had "potty mouths." One student colored me a picture of fireworks, and another one wanted to give me a kiss. I suggested a hug or a high-five, but we settled with a kiss on the cheek. I don't do well with small talk, and I think that Meet and Greets are awkward. One of the parents today was in conversation with another parent about whether they are "doing" public or private with their older children. He was thinking public because "kids need to know that all daddies don't drive a Mercedes." I see his point.

We've spent the last few days getting the rooms and curriculum ready to go. When I taught at Sequiota I would spend weeks having things just so so. It's really different at DLC because I am in two classrooms and share each of them with two other people. It's a little weird not having my own space, but also great because everyone helps out. We also share the rooms with the church for their services. This means that all of our stuff (toys, books, puzzles, centers, supplies) must be packed away and locked up every Wednesday and Friday afternoon and dragged back out every Monday and Thursday mornings. So my room is very moblie, and I am going to have to be super organized to make it all work.

Half of each class will come next Tues-Friday. That way I'll only have 5 or 6 each day. It's sure to be interesting!

Good Summer...

2008-08-27T13:26:00.001-05:00

(The Picasa collage chopped this one to bits, and it's one of my favorites.)

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils...

2008-08-21T14:00:00.007-05:00

School supplies have been purchased and labeled. The only item missing is the Crayola 8 count paint set that seems to be out everywhere. Jackson will be a part of two classes next year, as there is not a 5 day morning class at DLC, so he needed two sets of supplies. DLC asks that the students' names be written on each supply, including every crayon and marker. That's 73 times I wrote Jackson's name and 18 times for Henry - the only part of the "getting ready for school" process that I dislike. It takes skill to keep them from rolling while trying to neatly print with a sharpie. "Meet the teacher" is next Thursday and Friday, and I am excited to meet my new students and their families, as well as introduce Ms. Jana, Ms. Debbi and Ms. Beth to my kids.

Here are some school supplies that I wish were on my list:

Crayon Rocks
Made from non-toxic soy wax and tinted with natural mineral powders, Crayon Rocks make vibrant colors and beautiful textures. The pebble shape crayons are easy to hold and encourage the use of tripod grip to develop fine motor skills. They are specially shaped to allow small fingers to color in large, wide strokes, promoting confidence in creating art. Used by occupational therapists and teachers to develop skills that promote handwriting practice. From Stubby Pencil Studio

Smencils

Gourmet scented pencils made from 100% recycled newspapers. Each Smencil comes packaged in its own (recyclable) Freshness Tube. Made from recycled newspaper wrapped around #2 graphite and soaked in environmentally-friendly fragrance liquids.
Also from Stubby Pencil Studio

Girls With Big Hair Sticker Pack
Ah, the days of the AquaNet 'do – gone, but not forgotten. Commemorate that bygone era with this pack of stickers. These stickers are made from actual pages of old high school yearbooks – no photocopies! Each pack features 5 different -- you guessed it -- girls sporting big hair. From Etsy

Jocks Sticker Pack
What strapping young men! Show your love for all things manly and sportsmanlike with this pack of stickers. These stickers are made from actual pages of old high school yearbooks – no photocopies! Each pack features 5 different sports-loving men.
Also from Etsy

Reusable Sandwich Bag from Etsy

Kid parade tapeAdorable tape by Japan’s Shinzi Katoh boasts almost 50ft of happy friends to add to your next wrapping, packing or decorating project. Enjoy an entire roll of ring around the rosie! From Fredflare

Yesterday's news colored pencils Extra, extra… write all about it! This set of twelve colored pencils manufactured using recycled Chinese newspapers will surely make headlines. Environmentally friendly and packed in a handy tube for artists on the go! From Fredflare

Fantastic! (The Dad and the Day...)

2008-08-20T15:48:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Thanks for sharing it with us!

Lake Day 08

2008-08-17T17:06:00.002-05:00

We enjoyed a beautiful day, a great group of kids, and terrific hosts. Thank you, Wilsons!

10 years...

2008-08-15T22:00:00.001-05:00

My 10th high school reunion is this weekend. I'm planning to go to Lake Day instead but wanted to take the opportunity to post a few pictures - senior prom (Wasn't teal the perfect choice?!), graduation day, and the HSBC Varsity Class of '98.

Farewell...A Few Things I'll Miss and a Few Things I Won't

2008-08-14T17:59:00.018-05:00

Miss:

My sweet, sweet librarian friends: Tracy, Michelle, Jen, Gail, Julie, and Chris. You are some of the most patient people I know.

Won't:

The tights. 'Nuff said.

Won't:

Finger Poppin' - Although I do appreciate the new lyrics, Gail.

Miss:

Seeing all the brand new picture books and recommending my favorites.

Won't:

Having to fix all the books displayed featuring the wrong holidays. Seriously, every day.

Looking for Hannah Montana and Star Wars chapter books. Where are they anyway?

Miss:

The staff overdue fine waiver.

Miss:

The kid who dresses as either Charlie Chaplin or a Union soldier.

Won't:

Dewey and his maddening system.

Thank you, library friends, for a very blessed year.

Phelps Phan

2008-08-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

From the bathtub to the cube...

As much camping as I like to do...

2008-08-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

We've just returned from our stay at the Wilderness cabins, where the smell of Cedar overwhelms and the screen doors are the squeakiest. We had a quaint little cabin with plenty of modern ammenities, including air conditioning and a bathroom. This winter, we'd like to go back and rent one of the bigger cabins that has a loft and fireplace. We also threw in some fishing and pirate mini-golf for good measure.

What happens when kids get tired of eating glue

2008-08-05T19:06:00.005-05:00

The fair was fair...

2008-08-03T22:04:00.000-05:00

except for the fares.

We can say that we "did" the fair this year. Rachel was right - the birthing center was the place to be - clean, cool, free, and lots of farm oriented activities for toddlers. They each chose a ride, and Jackson loved the bumper cars. However, he was just as impressed with the golf cart ride to the car provided by a friend in guest services. Ask him to show you how the Pineapple Whip lady dances. Henry wanted to walk down every row of livestock, especially the pigs, and he told the baby calf "I love you, cow!" We left home with about fifty dollars and were digging for quarters by the end of the night. Here's were our dough went:

Parking $3
Admission $16 (ouch...maybe I should get a job in the grand stand next year...)
Ice Cream - Free, Thank goodness
Corn Dog and Root Beer Jug $7
BBQ sandwich from Rudy's $5
Duck Pond $6
Sarah Steelman stickers - Free
A variety of stickers, pencils, fans, and reading material - Free
Bumper Cars $4 (Jackson's pick - they let CT ride for free)
Choo Choo Charlie Ride $10 (Henry's pick - Jackson got a "freebie" ride with CT's extra tickets)

Thank goodness it's only once a year...

Partied Out...

2008-08-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Jackson's birthday on Wednesday morning with his friends from school and church. They created their own superhero capes and masks and joined us for lunch and cake. In the evening we got our families together to go roller skating at Skateport. Since Wednesday, Jackson has taken on the identities of The Flash, Batman, or Sportacus, and he's convinced that none of his clothes fit now that he's five.

Happy 5th Birthday, to my super little man...

2008-07-31T17:23:00.001-05:00

You're Killin' me, Smalls

2008-07-28T15:40:00.006-05:00

Perhaps we have watched The Sandlot one too many times...

Today while we were at the pool, a heavier set boy about ten years old walked in. He had red curly hair and his face was covered in freckles. Jackson was staring at him with wide eyes and mouth agape. I asked, "What are you doing?" To which, he replied in an amazed whisper, "It's Hamilton Porter!"

For the rest of the morning, I had to play Wendy Peffercorn, while Squints (AKA Jackson) faked drowning over and over and over. He'd say, "I can't take it anymore!" and do that weird giggle as he walked around the edge of the pool before jumping in.

"Michael Squints Polodorus walked a little taller that day. And we had to tip our hats to him. What he'd done was sneaky, rotten, and low...and cool. Not another one among us would have ever in a million years not even for a million dollars have had the guts to put the moves on the lifeguard. He did. He had kissed a woman. And he kissed her long and good. We got banned from the pool forever that day. But every time we walked by after that, the lifeguard looked down from her tower, right over at Squints, and smiled." Narrator - The Sandlot

In other Sandlot memories...Last year before a t-ball practice, Jackson was playing on the jungle gym. A kid twice as big as him said that he was too little to play with him. He replied, "You better shut your mouth, Phillips!"

Proud, proud, proud.

Henry is jumping on the Sandlot bandwagon too. He tries to insult us with the "You play ball like a girl!" but only "You play ball!" makes it out. We'll say back, "Henry, you play ball!" He replies, "No, I don't play ball. YOU play ball!" and laughs and laughs, thinking that he is so tough.

Hodge Podge

2008-07-24T20:12:00.002-05:00

Nothing to say really…

I finished my last class in Lebanon, so now I have all the requirements to apply for my Special Reading Certificate with the state. This will add Reading (or Communication Arts) for grades K-12 to my Elementary Certificate. What this means for me? Nothing, right now. But, later it may open the doors to work in Title I or Reading Recovery or just make it easier to get back into a classroom. I’m also interested in working in a Literacy Lab. I guess I could also teach high school English too, but I think that I’ll leave that for the other Jenny. To get the hood, all I have left is the Capstone, which is a 50ish page paper on what poor fluency reveals about other areas of reading, specifically comprehension. Riveting, no?

My days are winding down at the biblioteca. I’m sure going to miss the overdue fine waiver. Speaking of books, there’s an interesting ditty posted on Shelftalker’s Blog. Apparently, the UK is going smoke free in public places, and some booksellers are cashing in by repackaging their books in…um…cigarette packs. The tagline is "As one habit dies hard, another takes hold." It may be a little weird that I think they’re kind of cute. Maybe we could do the same with eyeglass cases...

Jackson is going to 5 next week. It’s a little monumental for me…hard to believe that he could possibly be that old. He was sitting on my lap the other day and I said something about him growing so tall and turning five. He looked at me with horrified eyes, grabbed his chin, and asked, “Do you see any beard?!” Henry thinks that it’s his birthday too. He’s planning a pirate party complete with a pirate cake, pinata and “pretty presents.” I think that he may be disappointed that March is so far away.

Yep...I've Got a New Job

2008-07-18T15:51:00.003-05:00

Beginning next month I will have the pleasure of teaching at Developmental Learning Center. This is where Jackson has spent the last couple of school years, and it is such a neat place. I think that this is going to be great for our family, as Jackson and Henry will be able to come with me to work each day, and we're done by 11:30.

When we talked to Jackson about Mommy teaching at DLC, he said, "Mom, do you know all your months, because you're going to have to know all your months." Apparently, he is worried about my ability to handle the rigor of the preschool curriculum.

I will be working at the library until mid-August, then taking a week off, and finally settling into teachers meetings. I need to buy some new crayons.

Incidentally, have you ever seen a purple mountain's majesty crayon?

A Little Vintage High Street

2008-07-12T12:28:00.002-05:00

These came from "The Trumpet," the yearbook for the High Street Teen Trumpeters in 1962-1963.

These were a few of my favorite pictures.

I saw a giraffe born at the zoo today...

2008-07-08T13:39:00.004-05:00

Not to be too graphic, but it stayed halfway inside the placenta for a long time. I expected zoo staff to help the baby and the mother and clean up the process right away. Instead, they just let nature take it's course and watched with the rest of us. It took the baby about an hour to stand and then take its wobbly first steps.

Toy, I wish you could have been there. I've always enjoyed waiting at the birthing center with you. Sometimes we find our more information than we've bargained for...

When we first arrived, a docent was standing there with the tiniest owl that I've ever seen. He was letting kids pet it, and we were next in line, when a little toddler cut in front of us. He reached up to pet the owl, who spun his head around and bit into his hand. The boy was screaming and holding his hand, and my children were horrified. However, neither the mother nor the docent batted an eye.

He said, "Yep, you'll have to watch out for her."

[Speaking to his younger brother] "Would you like to pet her too?"

He declined, as did we.

4th of July

2008-07-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

Another Day, but no Dollar

2008-07-03T17:38:00.001-05:00

Today was the last day of my middle school teaching career (Please, knock on wood!). The kids decided that they wanted to have a party, so each student brought a different snack. We have a very round little boy with glasses to match who brought his mom’s crockpot full of Rotel. His focus of the entire morning was stirring it and making sure it was hot. So precious.

The kids also make thank you cards. I got one from a student that said, “Dear Mrs. Talburt, Thank you for coming and helping me read storys and proofread my storys.” written entirely in small pieces of Scotch tape. It must have taken forever.

The kids that made up the class are students that read significantly below grade level (middle school kids reading at 2nd-4th grade levels). All the kids raised their scores at least 200 points, and two are reading “proficiently” at their grade level. One of these chose the following article to put into her portfolio. I think that it’s very telling.

Top Tens by a Seventh Grade Student

Top Ten Things Guys Like About Girls:
How they smile
How they always smell so good
How they laugh
The way they take so long to get ready
The way they dress
How they put their make up on
They way they say I love you
How their little hands fit perfectly in the guys hands
How guys can put their arms all the way around her waist
Their sweet personality

Top Ten Things Girls Like About Guys
The way they try to act so tough.
how they write girls letters
The way they smell
How they feel so safe in their arms.
When they aren’t afraid to admit things.
The way they say I love you.
The way they go shopping with you
When they call you to make you feel better
When they bring you something when you’re feeling down
How they always seem to want to love you.

HD Circle O Care

2008-06-30T13:05:00.002-05:00

Caterpillars and "Likey Bugs"

Cows and Bats

Ammo and Earplugs

Tractors and Hay

Sparklers and Snappers

Hamburgers and Cookies

A Delightful Evening

Thank you, Shiremans!

Teaching Middle School Day #2

2008-06-23T12:56:00.006-05:00

One of my professors told me that middle schoolers are just tall first graders. Today, I learned what she meant.

In past years, I would facilitate conversations with my first (or second or fourth) graders, and it would inevitably lead to who could tell the "best and baddest" story. If a kid was raising his hand and you call on him and he starts out with "One time...," you know you're in trouble. Janet, the best example I can think of was when Megan told us about how she was kidnapped and thrown in a van and tied up with rope but she had a cell phone so she could call her mom to let her know where she had been taken:)

So today, one of my students was giving an artifact presentation. The instructions were to bring something from home that was important to the student and give a brief description of the item as a quick presentation. The rest of the class can then ask questions. We were doing pretty well in a student brought an arrowhead. He and his grandpa had found it, etc., etc. One of the kids asked, "Have you ever found any other artifacts?" And the following is what ensued:

Presenting Student: "Nope."

Student A: "Once I found an arrowhead and it was still attached to the arrow and there was still blood on it."

Student B: "Once I found a piece of coral in Oklahoma. It was probably there from The Flood."

Student C: "One time I found a chicken finger bones in my garage. My house is really old, like from the Civil War. And, we think that they might even be human finger bones, like from soldiers from the war."

Student D: "One time I found a set of human bones in the woods."

(A brief discussion follows about the liklihood that bones you find in the wild belong to animals. However, if there is a concern, it should be reported to authorities.)

Student E (and this one is my favorite): "I knew this guy who cut off his foot with a mower or something but he wanted to keep it so he put it into his BBQ grill. Years later, he sold the grill in a garage sale, and my grandpa bought it. When he brought it home, he found the foot and called the guy. And the guy said, 'Oh, that's where my foot went to.'"

Presenting Student Again: "One time I was walking at the Nature Center with my mom and we found a skull on the trail. It was huge and it belonged to a Sasquatch. My mom hid it in her purse, because you can't just take stuff from the Nature Center, to ask my uncle because he knows about that kind of stuff. It had hair on it and everything."

My question is how come he brought an arrowhead, when he could have brought us a Sasquatch skull?

I think that Jackson has been missing the point of his Sunday School lessons.

2008-06-22T20:36:00.002-05:00

We have been getting an update on the life of Joseph after church for the last several weeks. Last week, Jackson came home and told us about his mean brothers who threw him in a pit. He also mentioned that they put blood on his nice coat...with blood-shooters. After church today, Jackson asked, "Do you think we could throw Henry in a pit and sell him?"

A priest, a Subway manager and a librarian walk into a tornado shelter...

2008-06-19T22:44:00.002-05:00

Today marked the start of my hectic summer. I am having to spend 60 hours working with middle and high school students to complete my reading certification, as well as continue working at TLC. I have been placed at Pipkin, working with students struggling with Communication Arts. These are a few of the things that I've learned today:

In general, middle school kids are smelly.
Kids that have already failed language arts do not want to spend time with me in summer school talking about the proper usage of to, two, and too and their, there and they're. In fact, they're pretty grumpy as an entire group.
The bell system makes me a little "jumpy." Someone should do a study on its effects on anxiety and student learning. (I smell a Capstone idea!)
Subway supervisors apparently do not eat fresh.
People do and say crazy things when trapped in a small room and care nothing about their safety, especially the 70 Subway supervisors.
It's not okay to wear your swimming suit to the library.
People who were SO WEIRD in high school may turn out to be not so weird. I dare say, even normal. They can grow up, marry someone cute and have cute kids.
Some people still think that the library is "not a place to play. It's a place for checking out books and learning new things."
There are seemingly infinite numbers of adults who try to lie and cheat at the Summer Reading Program in order to get free stuff...unbelievable.

Blue Berry Pickin'

2008-06-16T21:02:00.001-05:00

We found ourselves on the North Side this evening when we saw the sign for Pappy's U Pick Blue Berries. Fifteen dollars bought us a heaping gallon of berries and an evening out of the ordinary. The man who drove us around on his golf cart was just like Matthew McConaughey, that is, if you could see past the red ZZ Top beard and red bandana wrapped around his head. He told Henry in that southern-like drawl, "Now, you eat these berries until your fingahs turn b...lue." Muffins are planned for the morning.

This is my favorite picture.

2008-06-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Wilson Rutledge Farm

2008-06-07T15:15:00.002-05:00

We got the chance to play at the farm this morning. I believe that the man who owned this farm left it to the city of Springfield to be used as a public park when he passed away. The city has built some really cool barns and play equipment, has farm animals for viewing and offers the park free of charge. For $3 per hour you can also fish in their fishing pond, and that includes your pole and bait. Pick a cool day to go, as there is not much shade and so that the farm animals smell a little fresher. Next weekend they're hosting Dairy Days for National Dairy Month and promise "an exciting weekend of dairy discoveries!" which includes carriage rides, scavenger hunts, and bluegrass music. They're also planning for a corn maze this fall.

Putting the Fun in Fun Acre

2008-06-07T15:09:00.001-05:00

The kids loved it! Although we didn't exactly play by the rules and Henry fell in the water pit, the acre is still fun. If you are need of a cheap summertime activity this is it: 18 holes for adults - $2, for kids 5-11 - $1, for kids 4 and under - FREE! No need for fancy ammenities or go-karts and they're open until 11:15 each night!

Flora

2008-06-07T15:02:00.001-05:00

1. Newly constructed windowbox
2. Hanging plant, turquoise basket :)
3. Kitchen herbs: Garlic Chives, Cilantro, and Oregano
4. Flower Pendant
5. The theme is red.
6. Planters on either side of the front door.
7. Vegetable Garden: A variety of tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers.
8. The proud pepper.
9. Back porch window boxes.

Flowers, Emacks, and the Version

2008-06-04T21:26:00.003-05:00

We have been trying to "get around" to planting flowers in our yard since Mother's Day. Last night was the night. Chris is building a windowbox for our front window and planted a vegetable garden (pictures to follow at a later date). I worked on filling the pots and boxes. (As a sidebar, I have never been so dirty. I had a dirt mustache and had to wear my jellies in the shower so I wouldn't get mud all over the bathroom floor.) We were working hard trying to beat the sun on its way down, and the boys wanted to go inside to play. When we came inside awhile later, I found them wearing Chocoholic Emack and Bolio's goatees, sitting at the table with two bowls, two spoons and a bib. Jackson said that he tried to put it on Henry but couldn't fasten it. There were also wipes and napkins where he had tried to clean him up. Although I was frustrated that he was sneaking my good ice cream, the fact that he was being so sweet to share and help Henry was redeeming in and of itself.

I spent some of my birthday money on a new Bible. Mine had seen better days it was missing the entire back cover. I purchased "The Sanctuary," which is a devotional Bible for women. It is very pretty and had turqoise lettering and plenty of room to write in. My semi-concern is that it is the New Living Translation, which I don't know too much about. I have NIVs, KJVs, and New American Standard Bibles already. So, I think that I am prepared if something doesn't make sense to me. I haven't written in it yet, so I am still thinking about whether to take it back or not. Know anything about this version?

Sugars

2008-05-30T16:27:00.003-05:00

Henry is talking so much more now, and it's funny what he picks up on (ooh - a preposition - ouch). Last night when I was putting him to bed, we read a story, and before leaving, I told him to give me some sugar. After giving me a kiss, he said

H: "Give me some muffins." (and leaned in for a kiss).

H: "Give me some Kool-Aid." (kiss)

H: "Give me some Mac Cheese." (kiss)

H: "Give me some Scooby Snacks." (kiss)

Precious.

Thanks, Neil Diamond

2008-05-27T12:05:00.005-05:00

I'm probably the cheapest person you know. We left for St. Louis on Saturday with a stack of coupons in hand. I had been sending off for Visitor's Guides/ Packs for weeks.

Buy one get one free admission to the Transportation Museum
Buy one get one free Safari Pass at the zoo, which included the train, sea lion show, admission to the children's zoo and carousel ride. It did not include the $3.00 bottle of water.
Free rootbeer float from Fitz's
Free shark's tooth at the City Museum gift shop (that I FORGOT to redeem...ugh)
And a variety of others that I did not have a chance to use

Imagine my excitement when our hotel gave us our room half off because we could hear every word to "Sweet Caroline" that the band was playing three floors above us at midnight.

Here's the Transportation Museum. They had Christmas ornaments 75% off. I bought a bag full.

For being "free," the zoo is expensive.

The City Museum was very cool. Jackson loved everything, including the world's largest underpants. We quickly learned that Henry is afraid of small, dark spaces. But he got a pirate eye patch from the art lady and a bag of m&m's and was plenty happy watching the turtles swim. Thanks for the recommendations Lisa, Rachel, and Tracy. We loved it!

2008-05-27T11:56:00.001-05:00

Cousins

Super Brothers

They boys got new pajamas, and now going to bed is a challenge. Jackson has named himself "Super Boy" and Henry "Super Baby." A lot of running around and the showing of muscles is involved.

It's the 24th. Eat some cake today.

2008-05-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Cakes by Duff

Jane is Job

2008-05-22T19:03:00.003-05:00

Just finished reading The Book of Jane by Anne Dayton.
A retelling of the story of Job from a modern day perspective.
Loved it.
Chick lit at its finest.
Light enough that you don’t have to think too hard.
Written well enough that you don’t feel dumber for reading it.
Good for sitting by the pool.
Next, Emily Ever After.
Same author.
Retelling of the story of Esther.

Oh, there he is...

2008-05-20T11:22:00.002-05:00

The cubbies workers did a nice job putting together a scrapbook of pictures from the year. At the end was this picture. I couldn't find Jackson and thought maybe we missed church that night. Then I found him: top row, last kid on the right, right in front of Ms. Cathy. Huh...

Crazy, Daddy-O!

2008-05-18T15:50:00.001-05:00

These are some of the results from a contest to advertise modern technology via vintage ads. You can see them all here, although I cannot endorse all products.

Also, here's a link for some 50's slang. I prefer that any comments should include at least one.

Nothing like a good chalk drawing for the ole' self esteem

2008-05-14T15:49:00.001-05:00

Apparently, I keep my weight in my ankles...and thighs...and knees...and hips.

Wow...

2008-05-13T09:37:00.009-05:00

These are the people who's check we found in our yard on Sunday.

Oklahoma photos found in Springfield
Jack and Rayma Redden of Picher, Okla., escaped tornado with just a few scratches.
Wes Johnson • News-Leader • May 13, 2008

Two photographs that fluttered into a Springfield couple's front yard hint at the terror that Jack and Rayma Redden went through Saturday evening.

The Reddens and five relatives huddled in two closets in their Picher, Okla., home as a tornado ripped it apart.
They escaped with their lives and a few scratches -- and with only the home's bathroom walls left standing.
Their photographs fell to the ground in Springfield, 93 miles away.
News-Leader employee Robyn Bates said her husband, Alan, found the two photos while doing yardwork. They were stuck together back-to-back, wrapped in storm-shredded photo album plastic and spattered with bits of mud and leaves.
One shows the smiling Redden couple wearing matching sweaters on Christmas Day 1971.
Another shows a happy young girl sitting with her doll from Easter 1972.

Rayma said she remembered them both.
"Those sweaters were matching Christmas gifts," she recalled. "We were married in January 1972, so that photo was taken just a few weeks before, at my mother's house in Picher."
And the photo of the girl and her doll?
"After we were married, I baby-sat for that little girl," she said.
And not just their photos landed in Missouri. Rayma said a Springfield TV station reported someone found one of their canceled checks from 1978.
"I can't believe they went all the way to Springfield," she quipped.
Ironically, the Reddens, their grown daughters Rayma Lee and Amy, Amy's husband Travis, 7-year-old granddaughter Macy and grandson Luke, 2 1/2, had fled the home in their cars as a nasty-looking cloud approached from the west.
But Rayma said they heard a report that the twister might be heading for nearby Columbus, Ks., "so we turned around and went back to our house in Picher."
With tornado sirens blaring, the families took cover in a utility closet and a bedroom closet.
"Then we heard things ripping apart and knew it was going to be bad," Rayma recalled. "We heard the 'train,' yes we did. We were all praying, in both closets."
As the house blew apart, Rayma was buried beneath sheetrock panels. Her husband and granddaughter "were half in and half out of the debris."
"We looked up and it was gone, the whole house was gone and you could see daylight," Rayma said. "There's only one outside wall left standing. Then the hail came."
The families were pummeled by ice slightly smaller than golf balls.
For now, the Reddens are focusing on retrieving what they can from the wreckage of their home as they figure out what to do next.
"We all got out with just a few scrapes, and we're all sore," she said. "It's absolutely amazing we survived."

Trying to find owners
The Reddens' photos weren't the only ones that landed in the Springfield area.
Residents in Battlefield reported finding canceled checks, photos and other storm-related items.
The News-Leader is trying to help reunite storm-tossed mementos with their owners.
If you find photographs or other items that might have sentimental value to storm victims, mail them to the Springfield News-Leader, c/o Robyn Bates, 651 N. Boonville Ave., 65806.
The photos will be scanned and placed on the News-Leader's Web site for people to view and perhaps help identify who they belong to.

Mother's Day is a pretty good day...

2008-05-12T14:47:00.002-05:00

1-4: Lunch at Sunshine Valley Farms

5: Mom

6-8: The kids and the horses

9: A gift from Jackson (something about how the lines tell you the temperature)

Chris also found this returned check from Oklahoma in our front yard. It may have blown in from Saturday's storms. I'm thinking about mailing it back to them.

Happy Mother's Day...

2008-05-10T20:53:00.009-05:00

to my wonderful mother.

I'm sorry for the ugliness of Jackson's homemade gift. You only have to set it out when he's comes over, and he'll probably forget about it in a few months anyway. I love you!

A MOTHER'S DAY GAME...

Identify these famous or infamous sitcom moms by naming at least one of their TV children.

For example, #1 would be Wally and the Beav. Enjoy! I'll try to come up with a fitting prize to the winner.

Priceless

2008-05-08T18:28:00.002-05:00

DLC's Mother's Day Program did not disappoint. Jackson had been saying that he was going to be the loudest singer, and he was...for at least the first song. His teacher said, "Thank goodness he lost his steam!" By the second song, he was asking her if they were done yet.

The Farmer's Seat

2008-05-06T20:47:00.001-05:00

Jackson has been trying to learn to tell jokes. He almost gets the concept.
For awhile we heard this:

“Knock, knock?”

“Who’s there?”

“Apple.”

“Apple, who?”

“Apple who–ney-head!” (Followed by out of control laughter.)

We think that this might be a derived from the “Orange you glad I didn’t say banana” joke we we’re trying to teach him.

Anyway, CT decided to teach him a new one. It goes like this: “A duck walks into a pharmacy and asks for some Chap-stick. The pharmacist says, ‘That will be $2.50.’ And, the duck says, ‘Put it on my bill.’”

So, Jackson has been trying it out, although all he says is “A duck walks into a farmer’s seat,” and uncontrollable laughter again follows. Hours later he might follow up with a “Put it on my bill.”

The next time you see Jackson, ask him about the duck and the farmer’s seat. It is bound to please.

Sam's Day at the Library

2008-05-05T13:34:00.005-05:00

Yesterday at closing time, Jen and I were tidying up the children's department at the library and found some amusing notes left by an apparently bored adolescent. We found them at computers, in the stacks, and stuck in those little boxes of scrap paper with the tiny pencils. They read as follows:

"Once there was a girl stuck in a library next to her favorite coffee shop with no money for three hours. So she hid notes around a library. Can you find them all? Accept the challenge."

"Sam was here."

"Check everywhere. Did you get them all? Note after note after note after note after note..."

"Look for the girl with the pencil. Find me."

"Sam was here."

"You can find notes. But can you find me? We'll see. I could be anywhere. Sam"

"Sam was here."

"Follow the imagination of a bored child as she hides notes of her passing around a library. How man;y are there? How many can you find? Sam"

"Sam was here."

"Bet you can't find my other notes."

"1..2..3..4..10..64...So many notes, so little time. So few who can find them all. Can you? Sam"

I wish that I could reproduce the drawing that accompanied these. They were great. Too bad all the patrons were gone when we stumbled across them. I would have loved to have found Sam and made here feel her efforts to prevent boredom weren't in vain.

So cute.

When the teacher pops a test and I know I'm in a mess, 'cause the dog ate all my homework last night...

2008-05-01T20:40:00.008-05:00

Ridin' low in my chair, she won't know that I'm there. If I can hand it in tomorrow, it'll be alright!

Look what I found on ebay! (My birthday is coming up you know...)

Saved by the Bell was the Friends of its time. We watched as Jessie was “so excited and just so sc..a...r..e..d,” Big Bopper save the Bayside radio station, and Zack weasel his way out of one sticky situation or another. Good times. The College Years could never quite measure up and our favorite cast stars went down some rocky roads. (On a sidebar, I did enjoy watching AC Slater host “America’s Best Dance Crew.” Jabba was cool, Kaba Modern was robbed, and Breask8 was incredible but wasn’t dancing.)

Take the quiz to see which SBTB character you are. I'm most like Kelly, kind of.

Some classic one (or two)-liners:

Zach: "The three worst things that can happen to a kid are measles, mumps, and midterms."

Jessie: "Slater, haven't you heard of the Women's Movement?"

Slater: "Sure. Put on something cute and MOVE it into the kitchen."

Zach: "In one word, would I do dope? Nope."

What are your favorite Saved by the Bell memories?

Baby or Big Boy?

2008-04-30T15:45:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but most of my friends have just had or are getting ready to have a new baby. This has led to many questions about our future plans. I'm always a little stunned by the question, thinking, "What do you mean? I have a baby." However, as I have been spending time around these new little ones, I have come to the realization that perhaps Henry is no longer a baby. We're planning the move to a "big boy bed" and selling a lot of our baby wares in a sale this weekend (Thurs-Sat). It has been a difficult process, sorting through the baby stuff and choosing what to keep. Who gets emotional over pea stained bibs? I cannot believe the things that have accumulated over the last few years and hopefully some new moms will find themselves a bargain or two.

Speaking of bargains, the Friends of the Library are having their booksale at Remington's this weekend too.

The Saddest Thing

2008-04-28T15:39:00.003-05:00

It's a pretty sad day when your kids understand and can articulate that they no longer consider you one of their friends. Yesterday afternoon, I had been working hard getting our house cleaned up for “the big kids” (aka Truth Project) and saw Jackson playing in his room by himself. Feeling like I was being neglectful, I set my laundry down and sat down to play with him. He was having a sleepover party for Superman, the Flash, and Wonderwoman. (We couldn't find Batman.) After talking with me for a couple of minutes, he make an unusually long pause.

Then he said:

Jackson: “Um, this sleepover is only for people in the club.”

Me: “Can I not be in the club?”

J: “No…it’s only for me and my friends. You have to be like four years old….Why don’t you go to your room and be in Daddy’s club?"

M: “Daddy’s sleeping. I can’t go in there right now.”

J: “Mom! Quick! Did you see it? Quick, out the door! Go! Go! Go! Try to catch it! You better be fast!”

A very nice tactic - pretending to see something out the door and needing me to catch it immediately, so that I'll forget all about this so-called club. Hmmm...I wonder if I've ever tried that with him before.

Happy Birthday, Sophie and Cooper!

2008-04-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

Lucky Dogs

2008-04-25T14:11:00.002-05:00

First, I really wanted this...

He's a Corgi . I love their pointy ears and stumpy little legs.

Instead, we got this...

He's Bentley, and this is what he does.

Things were good for Bentley when he was our only child. We use to take him to the lake to go swimming or camping or trick-or-treating. Joel would feed him Doritos and entire hamburgers, and he would sit at the feet of Chris and Charles who were making homeade ice cream on the porch in the middle of a work day. And then we decided Bentley needed company.

And so we got this...

This is Abner, and he is my dog.

The result of browsing on adoption day at Petsmart, we bought Abner because he was such a sweet and docile puppy. Little did we know that he was on death's door, and hundreds of dollars spent on puppy pedialyte later, he is neither sweet nor docile. We've lost many things to the jaws of Abner: shoes, undergarmets, books, toys, pacifiers, birds, squirrels, decking, a gutter downspout... He once ate a tube of industrial strength glue on our front room carpeting. He's terrified of storms and won't leave your side if it's raining or even thinking about thundering. He's also scared of puppets, whistles, harmonicas, costumes, being talked at through a wrapping paper tube, and any toy that controlled with a remote.

There you have it.

People seem to be a little surprised when they find out that we have dogs. But, we do. They are not Corgis, but they love our kids and live in our house.

Potholes are Personal.

2008-04-23T13:28:00.003-05:00

My parents had a wreck the other night while riding their bicycle built for two. They were trying to share the sidewalk with an oncoming pedestrian, hit a rut, and over they went. My dad separated his shoulder and will see a surgeon on Monday. My mom has a slight head injury but is doing okay and says she's taking Tylenol. She is getting her teeth x-rayed today as she thinks that they have been knocked forward.

A bicycle does get you there and more.... And there is always the thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive. Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become personal. And getting there is all the fun. ~Bill Emerson, "On Bicycling," Saturday Evening Post, 29 July 1967

Green Things

2008-04-22T10:40:00.002-05:00

What are you planning to do to "go green" this year?

We are replacing our lightbulbs with the energy rated ones and started a compost pile in the backyard. I'm trying to turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth and using water left in glasses to water the plants. I'm feeling a little guilty about not having a recycling bin, but CT hires people to sort through trash at the landfill and pull out recycleables anyway. We were watching a show the other night where "energy professionals" went through a fraternity house and showed them how to save money and energy and reduce their waste. It was pretty interesting. She talked about how unplugging unused appliances and power strips save money. I always thought that if they weren't running, they weren't using energy. But this is not the case. Apparently, unplugging big things like your dryer when it is not in use will save you a lot on your utility bill each month.

It's Almost Time..

2008-04-20T16:33:00.016-05:00

for yard sale season to commence!

I love going to garage sales - The joy of finding the most perfect something – and it’s only a quarter! There is nothing like a neon posterboard sign stapled to a telephone pole to make my heart go all aflutter. What else can you do to enjoy a full morning of shopping and only spend 10 bucks?

I stumbled across a few blogs that put me in the garage saling mood. Check them out and you won’t be disappointed. They might even make you want to go and buy some turquoise and pink spray paint.

Jane's Aprons

Picnic by Ellie

Little Pink Studio

Posie Gets Cozy

Has anyone heard about Beverly Hills’ spring sale dates? It is the best neighborhood sale around. There are even people who sell corn dogs and funnel cakes on the street – for real.

Happy 29th!

2008-04-15T14:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, CT! You have brought so much joy to our lives!

Okay, people. I know you've got them. Let me hear your favorite CT story.

Eight Letters

2008-04-14T15:55:00.008-05:00

I really love this show. You should check out their amazing cakes at the Charm City Cakes website. The people that work there are so interesting. I would love to spend the afternoon with Geoff, Anna, and Katherine. We'd paint fondant flowers and talk about arbitrary things using our dry wit, all while wearing cool retro duds.

I think that if I had a knuckle tattoo, it would say BOOK WORM. Or maybe NERD HERD or PINK SNOB or HSBC ROXS.

For the fainter of heart, (yeah, like I could really get knuckle tattoos) check out these gloves.

What would you say with eight letters?

Blackberry Cobbler Baker for Hire

2008-04-13T17:04:00.003-05:00

CT's birthday is Thursday, and he has requested a blackberry cobbler (with homemade crust) instead of cake. Peach cobbler is an option, too. Know of anyone skilled in baking?

Find the Birthday Girl

2008-04-13T17:02:00.003-05:00

(CT is in there, too!)

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

Following in his brother's footsteps...

2008-04-11T08:51:00.004-05:00

Chris and I were reminiscing about the story about Jackson and Crystal's keys the other day. Here's the recap: Crystal was Jackson's 10th inning coach last year. After one of the games, Crystal realized that her keys were gone, and she was pretty sure exactly where she had left them. We frantically searched the field and the parking lot and tried to catch all the parents before the left. Then we went back and forth between the field and Steph's office trying to get a hold of Crystal's dad who was in town to pick her up, etc. (Mind you, Jackson is helping us the entire time.) We all just knew that it had to be this one kid, who had kind of an attitude and whose parents came to a game dressed as the Simpsons, complete with a Sharpie zigzag around his bald head and an blue beehive on top of hers. To no avail, Crystal's dad picked her up, and we headed home. Hours later, I walked through the living room and noticed a set of keys on our coffee table. Horrified, I asked Jackson about them, and he said that he picked them up so that they wouldn't get lost.
"Don't you remember us looking all over for Crystal's keys?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't know I had those keys."
"Where were they?"
"In my pants. It was pretty itchy with them in there."

Needless to say, Crystal was very gracious, we were very humbled, and I think we can laugh about it now (right?).

Fast forward 9 months...
Henry loves rooting through bags and purses (and anything really: cabinets, drawers, closets, the garage...). Yesterday I left for my dinner break, after ordering spring rolls and rice "to go" from Tasia across the street. When my order was ready, I went to pay, to find only my driver's licence in my wallet. Luckily, I had some reinbursement cash in envelope, so I could still pay without being too embarrassed. I quickly called my mom who was home with the boys and explained the situation: I had either been robbed and the thief was kind enough to not steal my identity or Henry had all my major credit cards. Here is the list of things that my mom recovered from Henry's stash:

US Bank Debit Card
American Express Card
Library Card
Chick-fil-a coupons
Visa Gift Card
United Healthcare Insurance Card
Blockbuster Movie Card

It appears that everything is now in its place. How he managed to swipe them without leaving a trail, I don't know. A word to the wise: Watch out for the Talburt boys! They are petty thieves!

Time for Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

2008-04-10T19:35:00.003-05:00

I'm so glad it's baseball season! Things are looking pretty good for the Cards - tied for 1st in the National League with Arizona. This comes as major excitement after our not-so-outstanding performance last year. We were pleased to see President George Bush, Sr. and Barbara behind home plate last night at the Cardinal-Astro Game. Really, we spent most of the game trying to figure out which in the crowd were secret service. They left before the top of the 8th. Where do you think that they go to use the restroom? Surely they don't use those nasty stadium bathrooms!

Anyway, we're off to a good start, although I don't recognize half of the team. I have been missing some of my favorites: Spezio, So, and Jimmy Baseball. Chris was listening to Ned Reynolds' sports radio broadcast the other day, and a caller wanted to know where Shoji Tabuchi (meaning So Taguchi) went to. Of course, Ned told him that he was still in Branson playing his fiddle!

The Circle

2008-04-08T19:37:00.004-05:00

I'm am just finishing The Circle Trilogy. It's written as an allegory of the Christian faith. The author, Ted Dekker, dedicates each work to his children, "that they might always remember what lies beyond the veil." The first book, Black, tells of the wonder of life before sin, the fall of man and the entrance of sin into the world. The sequel, Red, is the story of redemptive blood. And, finally, White is the conclusion, the courting of the bride of Christ.

These books are like John Grisham meets the Lord of the Rings. Fantasy is not my genre, but the symbolism was so powerful that I continued to give them a shot. They are long, and I don't recommend them to new Christians. They are an allegory, not a perfect comparision, and some have argued that they create nothing but confusion. But as for me, they have reminded me of truths that I sometimes forget to see along my daily routine:

the overwhelming love of a Savior

the struggle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places

dieing to sin and the change that takes place within us at salvation

the need to look beyond the disease of the lost and love the person inside

Wikipedia, the librarians' worst nightmare (I still like it) has some more details, if your interested.

Yep...I know, I'm like the last one to join Facebook.

2008-04-08T18:17:00.007-05:00

I am officially all OVER the internet. I don't understand it all really. "A social utility that connects people with friends and others..." It seems to me to be one more way to waste time on the Internet, other than ebaying, blogging, and googling. But I did it anyway, just to be a part of the cool group. I have found a few things interesting in my first few days of Facebook:

There are no photographs of me. I must always be the one ever taking pictures. That, and I'm pretty good at croping myself out on Picassa.
Lurking around profiles of people you went to high school with is very interesting and addictive. It's like going to a reunion to see what everyone became without actually having to go to a reunion.

It just feels good when someone asks you to be their friend. Kind of like in elemetary school, when a boy would send you a note about going together, even if you didn't even like him. It felt good just to be asked, that someone noticed you and thought you were okay. I think that the whole Facebook friend thing is kind of a funny process. Once they accept, "You are now friends." Like, ready, set, go...friends.

Some people's Facebook pages do not reflect who I once thought that they were in real life.

LOL is totally overused.

Some people must be on there all day!

So, we'll see how this goes. Thank you to those who have already decided to be my friend.

Now this is traveling...

2008-04-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Little Tokyo would rather not let its customers take salad to go.

2008-04-06T20:57:00.001-05:00

Ding, Dong!

2008-04-01T17:47:00.005-05:00

The library gift shop is selling a very cool poster called the Doors of Springfield. You can find it in this season's Bookends on p. 5, and it features prominent and/ or historical doors of Springfield businesses, churches and libraries. It sells for about 10 dollars.

So, here's a fun little game of our own famous doors-

Name the bloggers who call the doors pictured above home

(Sklyah, I wish that a few were pink, too).

Answers need to be posted in logical order and numbered for easy reference.

The game will end in one week. Enjoy!

Brought to you from your favorite local library...

2008-03-31T13:24:00.000-05:00

Complete with underpant headbands!

(to the tune of Hokey Pokey)
You put your right foot over your left,
Left foot over your right.
You put your knees together,
And you hold them really tight.
You tiptoe to the potty
And you do not spill a drop
That's what it's all about!
Potty Time!