The Simple and the Ordinary

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T21:18:00.003-05:00

We started our New Years with our traditional New Years Eve tempura fondue. We followed that with a board game (Chocolate Monopoly - yum) a movie and then watching the ball drop while drinking sparkling cider. No one can say we don't know how to have a good time.

Today we got together to celebrate Christmas and New Years with family and friends . A gathering that was bittersweet due to the number of people who couldn't make it this year, and also because my parents (who hosted the party) are moving out of state next week.

Lots of changes coming.

But it's a New Year full of possibilities.

Happy New Year.

Thoughts from the Weekend

2011-05-31T14:10:00.001-04:00

A few random thoughts from over the weekend.

1) The kids asked to wash the car. We don't have a pool and it was hot. This was their way to get to play with the hose. Since the car hasn't been washed in ages and probably still had road salt on it along with all that pollen, I certainly didn't argue.

After awhile I went out to check on them and they'd been joined by two neighborhood girls. They were all having a blast washing my car. When one of the girls left she thanked me for letting her wash my car. Anytime, sweetie, anytime.

2) Once again we went to watch the Memorial Parade that goes past my parent's house. Since my parents have bought a new house and this one is for sale, this will most likely be the last parade we watch there. All good things must come to an end.

Waiting for the parade:

Waiting for the parade people to throw candy (it's all about the candy):

Funny note about the candy. When the little league kids went by - they were of course tossing candy. All except for one kid who was running around picking it all up and stuffing it in his pockets. I guess he figured there was no reason to miss out on the loot just because he happened to be in the parade.

3) And finally a picture of gratuitous cuteness. My nephew with that look of "Who me?"

Poetry Friday over at Simply Put

2011-05-20T09:19:00.002-04:00

I'm finally participating in Poetry Friday again, largely because my 14-year-old gave me some new poems she wrote. But I'm participating from my other blog. So head on over to Simply Put and check out "Pippi's" latest poem.

The Strike

2011-05-19T09:29:00.003-04:00

I belong to a couple of groups on Facebook that are for alumni of the elementary school and middle school I went to. Recently people have been reminiscing and the subject of "The Teacher's Strike" came up and it got me thinking.

Before I go any further let me say that there were two teacher's strikes while I was a student in this district. One was when I was in fourth grade, the other was when I was in sixth grade. At least one of them lasted a couple of weeks. The one in fourth grade included the first day of school: my first day of school in a new school and a new town. These things may color my perceptions some.

I also want to make it clear that I have no idea what the contractual dispute was about. I do not know if the teacher's were being reasonable or not.

But here is what I do know. During one of the strikes a teacher spit at a child (kindergarten I believe) who was crossing the picket line by going to school. During one of the strikes as remembered by someone on the Facebook group, the teachers would hit the side of the bus (filled with their students) as it crossed the picket line. After the second strike my sixth grade homeroom teacher had to spend several days in jail for being one of the leaders and defying a court order to return to work.

I didn't know what the strikes were about and I didn't care. I knew that the teachers, the people we were supposed to respect, were breaking the law and were being mean. How are you really supposed to command respect of the students in your class if they first see you being abusive toward them?

Remember, students who crossed the picket line were not doing it because they wanted to. It was because their parents still sent them to school. (We had half days, with substitutes and probably learned absolutely nothing.) Most students, if given a choice, would gladly have stayed home and enjoyed an extended vacation.

So maybe the teachers were really directing their abuse at the parents? Not really any better from the young student's point of view.

I respect worker's rights to dispute contracts. I respect that often a strike is the most effective way to make changes.

But I did not respect teachers that behaved that way toward elementary school students.

Was their cause right or wrong? Honestly, I have no idea. But their behavior was wrong and that's the lasting impression that was made on me.

There's a life lesson there. Even if your cause is just and worthy, you can still undermine it by spitting at the kindergarten student.

Forced to Read?

2011-05-18T10:54:00.003-04:00

Today for my post over at YA Authors You've Never Heard Of, I wrote about people bemoaning the lack of the "classics" in high school English classes. But does being forced to read a 100-year-old book, just because others have read it before you, really have a benefit?

From the comments it also seems that simply not being forced to read something specific is what encourages readers.

Head on over and join the conversation!

Procrastination Skills

2011-03-23T10:40:00.002-04:00

Every now and then I see someone online say that they are giving up Facebook, or don't believe in Facebook (which makes me laugh, because it's a communications tool, not a belief system.) Often the reason given is because the found that Facebook was a big time-suck and they are better off without it.

Seriously? Without Facebook they won't procrastinate anymore? More power to them. Because, I tell you, I can procrastinate without Facebook as much as I can with it.

I don't need Facebook to procrastinate. Or Twitter. Or blogs to read. Or solitaire to play. Sure, I do utilize all of those tools when procrastinating, but without them I could still procrastinate.

I am a skilled procrastinator.

And I don't think I'm the only one.

But let me go back to Facebook for a minute. There are people who seem to think that it is a tool for evil, and not that Facebook needs me to defend it, but I've found way more good in it than bad.

I've reconnected with friends from middle school - a couple of whom are writers, too. How cool is that?

I'm able to keep up with friends from college way more than an annual Christmas card picture let us do.

I'm able to stay in touch with relatives I don't see that often and feel like more of an active part of their lives.

And when my brother was in Haiti during the earthquake, Facebook was one way we were able to let family and friends know he was safe.

Sure, it's easy to get sucked into watching videos someone links to or reading an article on something you might not have. But a lot of times I'm glad I did - and wouldn't have come across the information another way.

I'll admit that maybe I play a little too much time playing Scrabble on Facebook. But that's not Facebook's fault. (It's my Mom's fault. Okay, not really.)

And as for time-sucks. Without them we'd all just be way to productive and what fun would that be?

Five on a Friday

2011-02-25T09:43:00.003-05:00

A few very random thoughts to end the week.

1. I'm really glad that this rain we're having is not snow. I've seen enough snow this winter.

2. I think my six-year-old niece has the makings of the next big pop star. Don't you?
3. I've been busy crocheting for the prayer shawl ministry at my church. Here is one of the shawls I made.

4. My son turned 11 this week. Is that really possible?

5. The roses I got for Valentine's Day still look beautiful!

6. A bonus thought: Charlie Sheen's rant this week makes pretty much everyone else in the world look sane by comparison.

Super Bowl. Family Rivalry.

2011-01-24T09:30:00.003-05:00

Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time a little girl (that would be me) had three younger brothers. One day their mother bought three football helmets at a garage sale. One brother grabbed the pretty green one, one the black one and the baby got the plain red one. The baby didn't much care.

The two brothers with the green and black helmets decided to find out what teams their helmets were for. It didn't take long for them to discover that the green helmet had the team insignia of the Green Bay Packers from Wisconsin on it. The black helmet was for a team called the Steelers from Pittsburgh, PA.

These two brothers now had favorite teams. For the one with the Steelers helmet the timing was quite good, that team was about to go on a Championship streak. The brother with the Packers helmet had to console himself that the Packers had been great once (after all they had won the first and second super bowls and that was only ten years earlier) and would be great again.

These boys grew up. They not only had favorite football teams, but every team from their chosen city was now their favorite. Vacations and special trips were planned to Green Bay or Pittsburgh. They take their kids to the games. Last year these brothers (and sons) even got together to watch the Packers and the Steelers play in Pittsburgh in early January, with the Green Bay fan flying up from the Caribbean nation he was living and working in. (That nation was Haiti and my brother has harrowing stories to tell about the earthquake and the nightmare that followed, not long after that football game.)

And now the unprecedented has happened. Green Bay and Pittsburgh will meet each other at the Super Bowl. I don't think our family will ever be the same again.

As for the brother with the red helmet. I don't know that he ever adopted a team with the same fierce loyalty of the other two. I do know his wife is a Steelers fan, so I'm pretty sure who he'll be rooting for in the Super Bowl.

And do I have a favorite team? When I was twelve my brothers made me chose one. I picked the L.A. Rams because I liked the color of their uniform. I don't think they are from L.A. anymore. I was never exactly a stalwart fan like my brothers were.

Who am I rooting for in the Super Bowl? I'm rooting for an exciting game with lots of back and forth on the score.

Go Packers! Go Steelers! It's the game my brothers have waited many many years for. I'm just glad it came when we weren't all teenagers and living in the same house!

A New Year's Tradition

2010-12-31T11:39:00.003-05:00

Back in the spring of 1975 my family moved. We moved from a cluster of friends where - as my mom once described it - we grew up in each other's houses - to a town about an hour away.

As New Year's Day approached one of our old friends invited us and another family to dinner on New Year's Day. It was wonderful fun to see our friends again - between the three families there were nine children who at that time ranged in age from about 13 to 2. There were complaints that there were no radishes - or not enough radishes - or something in the salad (this actually became important later).

When the evening was over one of the other families said "Next year we'll do this at our house."

This year it's at my mom's house. That's right. 2011 and a tradition started in 1976 is still going strong.

There are traditional gifts: Radishes for my dad who once complained that there weren't enough radishes. Every year he gets radishes now. It wouldn't be New Year's without them. Bananas from my Mom to the other families because one summer when we were all at the shore she kept pushing bananas on everyone until it became quite the joke. The sailors get salt - because they are old salts. Someone else gets hot pepper jelly.

The players have changed somewhat. Those nine children have grown up; gotten married - one tragically died way too young. Some have moved away so getting to the party isn't alway possible every year. Each year, whoever can make it does.

There's a whole new generation of children. Ranging this year from teenager down to toddler.

There are the millennium boys. New Years 2000 we have a picture of three of us, looking very pregnant. Our sons were all born within the same week of February. Fun for boys of that age to have friends who are the same age - almost exactly.

The woman who started it all, is no longer with us. She lost her battle with cancer over a year ago - and we all miss her terrible. But tomorrow we will gather and she will be with us in spirit and we will remember the way she was always cheerful and always made us laugh and how she started one outstanding tradition.

Happy New Years, everyone!

A Shakespeare Poem on Friday

2010-11-19T20:02:00.002-05:00

No, not a poem by Shakespeare, one about him. You see, my 13-year-old daughter is supposed to be writing a research paper. The topic she chose was about the debate some people go into about who "really" wrote Shakespeare's plays. (For the record she thinks he wrote them, and I agree.)

Anyway, while she was supposed to be busily typing up her paper, she got to thinking about Shakespeare's son, Hamnet and this is what she came up with.

Hamnet Shakespeare
by KRM

Papa comes home, smiling, whistling,
He tells us stories of London
And
Perhaps performs a skit or two
He picks me up
Tells me I’m more handsome
Than the last time
He saw me
Was that six months hence?

Susanna and prissy Judith
Both tease me as we set the places
Mother chides us,
Our father is home, be on your
Best Behavior
Papa tells us he could
Care less, He loves us
As we are
I wonder secretly to
Mother,
‘Why isn’t Papa home more?’
Mother has no good answer. She smiles
Tells me what I’ve heard before
“Work”
Other Papas have work
Here in Stratford.
Why does our Papa
Work in London?
He’s an actor, Mother says
He writes plays,
He’s a player, he acts
For the public, the king, the queen
Sometimes.

Papa and Mother sit before
The fire, talking about
Us
I think.
My twin, Judith
Tells me it’s
Rude to listen, to work on my
Latin like a good boy
I stick my tongue out
At her.
She’s a prissy girl,
What does she know?
Papa and Mother argue
She says for him to come
Home more often
He says it can’t be done
She says others manage it
He says he loves her very much
There’s writing he must get to
She says ‘The children
Need a father’
He says, ‘they more need a mother’
He smiles at me, peering from behind the door
Curiosity getting the
Better of me
Mother doesn’t see me
She’s angry
Angrier than
She is at me
Sometimes, when I
Don’t do my schoolwork.

Papa sits by the fire, writing.
Feather scratches the paper, I wonder
What he writes.
He tells me to come to him, to
Listen to a scene.
He writes other things, too
Things about “Anne”
My mother.
He crumples that up
And tosses it into the fire
I watch the flames envelope
The paper
He tells me about the stage
I tell him about Susanna and Prissy Judith
He tells me I’d be a great actor
Stealing the stage
I say
I want to go with him to London
He says maybe one day, Hamnet.

It’s August,
I’m sicker than sick
Mother says she’s called for
Papa,
But I don’t want Papa
I want to be well
Prissy Judith, and Susanna are
Reverent by my bedside
I think about Papa
Maybe I’ll go to London
With him after
I’m well
I tell Mother this
She cries.
I think about Papa
The way they’d argue
How he’d write about her
I tell her this
She cries again. She tells
Me I’ll be well again
Soon, soon, soon
But by then
I knew
I wouldn’t be

Hamnet Shakespeare died in August 1596 from unknown causes. It's also unknown if his father was present at the time.

Thankful for School Newspapers

2010-11-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

Jillian, a high school student who edits the The Panther Press did an interview with me for her school paper. How cool is that? You can read that interview here.

Thankful for...Warranties

2010-11-12T10:50:00.002-05:00

I'm especially thankful for warranties that I didn't know I had.

Specifically for the ones on my son's glasses frames. The frames that snapped in half when he was cleaning his lenses at school today.

The warranty that means the glasses will be replaced at no expense to me.

It will be a few days before the replacements are available, and he has to wear his old ones until they are, but at least the situation is as positive as it can be... considering it started with a pair of glasses that snapped in half.

Thank You, Veterans

2010-11-11T09:23:00.005-05:00

Really. That sums it up. Thank you to the men and women who are willing to make the supreme sacrifice so that we may live free.

"Thank You" doesn't even seem sufficient. But it's what I've got.

So on Veteran's Day - the anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I - I join with others throughout the country and world to say Thank You, Veterans.

Thankful for ...

2010-11-08T11:17:00.003-05:00

Hmmm, this is a little tough today. The broken microwave is on my mind. And the leaky washing machine. I'm not particularly thankful for either of those things. I mean, I'm thankful for the things, I'm not thankful they are not working properly.

But how can I turn that around in my head? How can I be thankful in light of things that don't make it easy?

1. I'm thankful I have a washing machine and a dryer. Even if it leaks water, it still washes my clothes, and I'm very glad about that.

2. I'm thankful that the microwave is a convenience, not a necessity in my life. I can function without a microwave until we get a new one. It will force me to finish my tea while it's still hot as opposed to constantly re-heating the same cup of tea during the course of the morning - but I really should be able to drink a cup of tea in less than an hour - so it shouldn't be a problem.

3. I'm thankful that if necessary we can replace these appliances. It will not mean less food on the table or some other sacrifice if we have to go out and buy something new. We may not be wealthy, but we don't have to do without. And for that I really am thankful.

What are you thankful for?

Blankets to Give

2010-11-06T10:47:00.004-04:00

Today I'm thankful that I have a skill I can use to help others.These blankets were all made to be donated through our church's Prayer Shawl Ministry.
Mostly they were made with donated yard. And will probably be given to the local Ronald McDonald House.

It's Friday, Therefore Poetry

2010-11-05T09:28:00.003-04:00

What am I thankful for today? That I have a daughter who writes beautiful poems. And she shares them with me and encourages me to share them with the world.

And today I have. You can find my daughter's latest poem over at my other blog, Simply Put.

Thankful for Rainy Days

2010-11-04T09:28:00.002-04:00

It's rainy today - and although I need to go out to the store and get some milk and orange juice, it's pretty much going to be a hang around the house and relax kind of day.

We all need those kind of days. The kids have off from school this week, and while many people in our town take off for exotic locations (mainly Disney World) we stay home. Everyone likes some days when you don't have any obligations hanging over your head.

And rainy days seem to be giving you permission to watch a movie in the middle of the day or curl up with a good book.

So, I'm thankful for rainy days.

Thankful for Health and Family

2010-11-03T07:00:00.002-04:00

Today we are going to the funeral for my husband's uncle. It's difficult to be thankful under these circumstances. But I am thankful that our uncle is now at peace, because he endured a lengthy illness and had not known peace in quite some time.

I am thankful for family that gathers around in time of adversity.

And I am thankful for our own health. It is not something that should be taken for granted.

It's Election Day

2010-11-02T06:57:00.000-04:00

Day Two of Thirty Days of Thanksgiving.

Today, I'm thankful that we live in a country where we have the opportunity - not to mention the responsibility - to vote for the people who represent us in government.

For the most part, when you go to vote today you don't have to worry about bombs or armed mobs blocking your way. There are places in this world where those are the obstacles votes must face on election day. I'm thankful those are not my obstacles.

Also, when the voting is over and the votes have been counted, if a new person is chosen to fill a position, on the appointed day, the former official will pack up his personal belongings and vacate the office so that the new person can take over.

There may be hard feelings. But there will most likely be no bloodshed.

And for that I am very thankful.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 1

2010-11-01T08:46:00.002-04:00

A couple of years ago I did this and I want to try again.

There's got to be at least something I'm thankful for on each of these thirty days of November.

Today I'm thankful for sunny skies and cool temperatures that really make me realize that Fall is here. I'm thankful that the kids have the week off from school and we can relax a bit - and start our NaNoWriMo projects. That's right - both kids and I are all participating in National Novel Writing Months. My husband figures he'll read a novel and leave the writing to us,

What are you thankful for?

Does this Mean They are Growing Up?

2010-10-22T14:47:00.002-04:00

Today I took my son to Party City so we could get him something to wear for Halloween. He stood there, looking bored, while I suggested different things. Finally I asked him, "Do you even care?"

And he said "No."

Hmmm.

So, we left without a costume. For the Halloween parade at school he will wear what he wore last year.

As far as trick-or-treating. He'd be okay if I just bought him some candy. I think his sister might agree.

So it looks like the end of an era.

Why do these things always take me by surprise?

Vacation

2010-08-21T19:43:00.002-04:00

My excuse for not blogging this week? Vacation - and very spotty internet connection. Plus we were very very busy. So, here's a quick rundown of how the week went.

1. Monday: Bushkill Falls.

We hiked the "Red Trail". That's the big one. You can see all the waterfalls, but it takes several hours. We were exhausted when we were done. Well, everyone except my son, so the two of us took a paddle boat for a spin. I don't think my legs will ever forgive me.

2. Tuesday: Dorney Park. No pictures from there, because I didn't feel like carrying my camera around an amusement park. We all managed to get sunburned though. Fun times!

3. Wednesday: The Martin Guitar Factory.

Awesome tour! It takes a month for them to make one guitar from beginning to end. And of course we all know what kind of guitar my son wants now.

After the factory tour we went to Lancaster, PA for some shopping and good eating!

4. Thursday: Gettysburg, PA. It's a very humbling experience to realize how many men were killed or wounded on those battlefields.

5: Philadelphia. Here my daughter tries to get some inside information from the signers of the Constitution at the National Constitution Center.

6. Saturday: We started out the day at Valley Forge and wrapped it up at the PAYA Festival.

This fabulous event was put together by a fifteen-year-old book blogger. And just look at some of the fabulous company I was in! That's me with Amy Brecount White, Jeri Smith-Ready and Stephanie Kuehnert. There were 18 authors there for signings, and there were also writing workshops.

So, what did you do this week?

The T-Shirt Pillow Project

2010-07-31T11:03:00.002-04:00

Okay, admit it, your kids have tons of t-shirts you don't know what to do with. I can't be the only one who feels like I'm drowning in these things. Every sports team, camp, special event all seemed to be marked by a t-shirt. And then the kids grow.

Some of the shirts are not ones I wanted to get rid of. They had a special meaning for us and I didn't want to just put them out in the next clothing drive. So, I came upon a really easy project.

T-shirt pillows.

Material needed:

t-shirt

stuffing

sewing machine

needle and thread.

ruler and pencil

Directions:

1) Turn t-shirt inside out

2) Using ruler and pencil draw a square or rectangle that encompasses the design on the t-shirt

3) Using sewing machine stitch along those lines, leaving a space a couple of inches big for stuffing purposes,

4) Turn pillow right-side out. Stuff sleeves and other extra t-shirt material inside pillow.

5) Use stuffing to get the pillow to the plumpness you want it.

6) Sew up opening.

And that's it. Quick and easy and cute!

(some of the pillows in the picture have not been stuffed yet - which is why they look a little limp)

Five on a Friday

2010-07-30T09:02:00.003-04:00

Okay, if I'm going to get my act together on blogging, I need to blog once in awhile. So, here are five random things on a Friday.

1) I've decided to start a new story. I have no outline, no plan and no title. Only the vague idea that it should have a quest and supernatural elements. The file is very originally called "new" and so far I have 7000 words.

2) Took my daughter to the doctor to see if we can pinpoint the cause of her wrist pain. X-rays weren't conclusive, so we had to schedule an MRI. Fun summer activities to be sure!

3) Went to Runaway Rapids with the kids and their cousins. The kids had a blast!

4) Yesterday we made a stop at the library. My daughter said she would return a couple of things, but wouldn't get anything out. She took out Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty, Maureen Johnson's Scarlett Fever, The Lord of the Rings and a graphic novel of Robin Hood. Good thing she didn't want any books.

5) And I've begun making a quilt.

Have a great weekend!

Blogging Again

2010-07-28T09:20:00.001-04:00

Summer is a time to kick back and relax, right? And I guess you could say that kind of relaxing spread on over to my blogs where there has been less than little activity going on. But that is going to change.

Starting with today.

And today I'm blogging over at YA Authors You've Never Heard Of. It's a great new venture put together by Christine Norris. So if you head over there you can find out why I'm not famous even though I had a book published (It's because Oprah doesn't have my number).

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-05-25T06:53:00.000-04:00

He who trusts in his riches will fall, but like green leaves the just flourish. (Proverbs 11:28)

Five on a Monday

2010-05-24T09:26:00.008-04:00

1. On Friday night I took my daughter to see her friend in a stage production of Grease. It was super fun and very well done. The teens who were in the show had a lot of talent and enthusiasm. And of course the songs from Grease just kind of make you tap your feet and feel happy.

2. While we were at the show I put my son and husband in charge of making some rhubarb/strawberry ice cream. We'd found the recipe in a magazine. I'd picked and diced the rhubarb and purchased the rest of the ingredients. They did a good job of cooking it up and making it into ice cream. To go with that, the following day I made rhubarb/strawberry cobbler. Yum!

3. Two baseball games this weekend. One on Saturday and a make-up game on Sunday. I think the first game ended in a tie, but there is apparently a dispute about that. We may have lost. Sunday's game was a definite win though.

4. While I went to my son's baseball game on Saturday, my daughter and husband were busy volunteering scoring archery targets for the tri-state Wheelchair games. I'm very proud of my daughter's enthusiasm for volunteering whenever the opportunity arises.

5. We introduced the kids to Gone With the Wind this weekend - watching part of it Saturday and part of it Sunday (that is a very long movie). My daughter loved it, my son didn't seem to quite get it (I also don't think he tried that hard). It had been ages since I'd seen the movie, and I'd forgotten just how good it is. Gotta love Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara.

Words of Wisdom on Wednesday

2010-05-19T09:15:00.002-04:00

Hey, I don't know if I have any thing particularly wise to share, but I thought I'd try a new blog feature and see where it takes me.

1. Always look on the bright side of life.

2. Think about How Lucky You Are.

3. Don't be afraid to fail.

(I saw this video first over at HipWriterMama)

If you

4. If you look for the bad, that's what you'll see. The same is true if you look for the good. Quick story: I was in the supermarket the other day rooting through the bin where the sale yogurt had been dumped. There was an elderly woman doing the same thing. Making small talk I mentioned there wasn't a lot of variety, since there only seemed to be two or three flavors. The old woman agreed and then went on about how the whole country was falling apart because it didn't use to be like this and what were we coming to. Her only consolation was that she'd be dead soon. Um. Okay. But I looked around at this huge grocery store full of an outstanding variety of fresh and prepared foods and couldn't find the end of the world in the fact that the sale yogurt wasn't the best organized. It's all a matter of perspective - so have a good one!

5. Have a happy Wednesday!

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-05-18T06:51:00.000-04:00

He who seeks the good commands favor, but he who pursues evil will have evil befall him. (Proverbs 11:27)

Poetry Friday - The Anniversary Edition

2010-05-14T09:59:00.002-04:00

In honor of our sixteenth anniversary today, I'm going to share a love poem for Poetry Friday.

How Do I Love Thee?

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love three with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love three with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

And just to show that after sixteen years, we're still on the same wavelength, I gave him a new desktop computer for an anniversary gift and he gave me a new laptop! (Our kids are really happy about that, they get use of the old ones now.)

The Poetry Friday Round-Up is at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup. Check it out.

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-05-11T07:50:00.000-04:00

Him who monopolizes grain, the people curse-- but blessings upon the head of him who distributes it! (Proverbs 11:26)

Played Paddleball

2010-04-29T09:23:00.002-04:00

No, not me. I didn't play paddleball. I had the honor of being on a committee to select 20 high school seniors to receive $200 scholarships. There scholarships in various categories - and the number of applications varied, so sometimes the decision was easy, sometimes difficult.

But I learned a few things.

1) If you have the opportunity to fill out a scholarship application - even if the scholarship is a small one - take it. Three students won scholarships because they were the only applicant in their category.

2) Well-rounded is good. The kids who had a variety of activities and jobs really shone through as being active and interesting. Sometimes there would be an application filled with events and honors - but they all had to do with one thing, for example dance competitions. And that's great, but I found myself wondering "does this student do anything else?"

3) Don't be afraid to sell yourself. Some of these kids took what would be a simple or minor activity and made it sound pretty stellar. More power to them for being able to present themselves in a positive way.

4) If you have been doing biological research on a molecular level and are creating new organisms (and you're still in high school) chances are you'll win lots of scholarships.

5) If all you've done in your four years of high school is "play paddleball", maybe it's better not to bother filling out the application at all. (Which goes against "thing I learned number 1", but still...). Honestly, we had one application where the only things filled in were that the student had made the honor roll (these are Gifted and Talented scholarships, so honor roll is pretty much expected) and was in the paddleball club where his/her (identities were shielded from us) responsibility was to "play paddleball."

I don't believe in stressing my kids out with dozens of activities, but I do hope that by the time senior year of high school rolls around they have more to put on an application than "played paddleball."

And to apply that to a greater life lesson. If you were filling out an application right now - would there be more than one thing on it? Has life outside of high school continued to be well-rounded? Or do you just "play paddleball"?

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-04-27T21:25:00.001-04:00

He who confers benefits will be amply enriched, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Bragging on the Kids

2010-04-20T15:28:00.002-04:00

The past few months my kids have garnered a few honors that make me mighty proud, and I feel like bragging about them a little.

1) My daughter was chosen to represent her grade at school at the Young Writer's Night.

2) My son's art work was chosen to represent his school at the Young Artist's Night.

(These are both events in our town).

3) My son was nominated to attend a Young Scholar program over the summer.

4) My daughter is receiving a Mayor's Youth Volunteer Award.

I'm very proud of both of them!

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-04-20T09:14:00.000-04:00

One man is lavish yet grows still richer; another is too sparing, yet is the poorer. (Proverbs 11:24)

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 5

2010-04-16T10:07:00.002-04:00

Once again it's Poetry Friday and I have yet another installment of my daughter's original poem Tessa in Wonderland. The first four parts can be found here, here, here and here.

Tessa in Wonderland
by KRM
Part V
Horatio’s paws balled around
The reins,
“Spade? Under the rule of…
of…”
He couldn’t say it.
Queen Heart.
Queen Heart.
“Queen Heart,”
There. I’d said it.
Horatio’s furry face twisted
Into a grimace
“The only Province
Unclaimed
Is Diamonds…
Diamonds who actually
Likes Heart,
But is unwilling to give in.
They’re willing to fight, though.”
He hissed.
“Is there anything
We can do?” I asked
“Sell these Carrots in town,”
Horatio said.
“And then go home.”
There’s nothing we could do.

Carrots sold,
And we rumbled
Down an empty road to
Horatio’s home.
It was almost peaceful,
And I leaned against the
Rabbit as he drove along,
Silently, yet tensed.
A scream
Pierced the lazy twilight.
“NO!
DON’T LET THEM!
NEVER!”
And then…all was silent.
Horatio handed me the reins,
A look of horror on his furry face.
“That was my
father’s voice,”
He whispered,
And got out of the
Cart.
“Straight down the lane,”
He told me.
“I’ll be faster on foot,”
And he darted away.
I stared at the reins,
And gently urged the animals
On.
When we reached the house,
It had been ransacked.
“My father,”
Horatio whimpered,
Coming out
And helping me out of the cart
“I can’t find him.”

The Poetry Friday Round-Up is at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Check it out.

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 4

2010-04-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

Once again it's Poetry Friday and I have yet another installment of my daughter's original poem Tessa in Wonderland. The first three parts can be found here, here and here.

Tessa in Wonderland
by KRM

Part iv
Spadedeck.
It’s wonderful
Hustle-bustle of city rhythms
The Frogs selling chocolate covered
Worms and Flies,
Giant Butterfly Messengers
Zooming around,
The thieves,
Patrolling the streets,
Asking for things,
The little shops
With amazing displays in
Their windows
The town square and
Clock Tower
The Theaters and
The restaurants
And the Castle
Looming in the distance.

Horatio drove right by,
Pointing
Landmarks out
Telling me who
To avoid
As if I’d need to know.
The rabbit brought me
To his house
And told me that I could
Stay there till
I figured out how
To get home.
I told him I wouldn’t be
There long, then.

Spadedeck.
The card soldiers
Marching in,
The Megaphone bird
Proclaiming that
Her Majesty, Monarch
Of the Heartlands,
Queen Heart,
Had officially won
The cold war
Against her sister Province,
Spades,
And had conquered.
The only Province
Unconquered
Was New Club.
The war was
Almost over
Tyranny,
Complete dictatorship,
Was now
The unfortunate
Future.

The Poetry Friday round-up can be found at Paper Tigers. Go, check it out!

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-03-23T06:50:00.000-04:00

The desire of the just ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked is wrath. (Proverbs 11:23)

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 3

2010-03-19T07:14:00.004-04:00

Tim Burton may have his vision of Alice in Wonderland, but my daughter has her own. And in time for Poetry Friday here is part three of her original poem: Tessa in Wonderland.

Tessa in Wonderland
by KRM
Part III
“Spades?”
I said.
“As in the shovel?
Or the card?”
The rabbit had helped me into
His cart,
And I was sitting next to him.
It was weird,
He was as big as I was.
“As in the Province.”
The rabbit said.
“By the way,
I’m Horatio,”
“And I’m Tessa,”
I said,
Tucking
A strand of loose
Hair behind my
Ear.
“Where are we going?”
I asked.
“To my home.
It’s
In the outskirts of
Spadedeck,
Capital
Of the Spade Province.”
I nodded solemnly,
Looking down
At my sneakers.

I wished
That mom knew
Where I was
So that she
Could come get me,
Or that I hadn’t
Left my phone at home.
I wished
I knew
What would happen
Next.

Parts I and II of her poem are here and here.

The Poetry Friday round-up can be found at Some Novel Ideas. Go check it out!

Great Contest for Writers and Readers

2010-03-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

To share her joy at her big news with as many people as possible, Beth Revis is having a contest with two prizes. One for writers and one for readers. Go check out her blog and enter to win some awesome prizes.

But if They Don't Buy it, There will be Less Revenue

2010-03-16T09:25:00.003-04:00

I was listening to the radio this morning and the politicians in NY discuss the importance of a tax on sugared beverages. Basically a soda tax.

It was put forward that NY needed the money this tax would generate. And if this tax wasn't passed then that multi-million (or maybe billion - I wasn't listening that closely) gap would have to be made up another way. So it was imperative for the financial health of the state that this tax be approved.

But these same politicians seemed to have a secondary reason why it was so important to pass this tax. People are fat. And getting fatter. And soda isn't good for them. So a tax will help to keep them from drinking as much soda. It will make them healthier and thinner and the world will be a better place full of rainbows and unicorns (okay, I added that last bit.)

Now, is it just me, or is there a problem with this model? If you desperately need the money, but your tax is going to alter behavior so that not as much of the product is sold - won't that eat into the proposed tax revenue?

Good thing I'm not a politician or an economist. I think my head would explode!

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-03-16T06:47:00.001-04:00

Like a golden ring in a swine's snout is a beautiful woman with a rebellious disposition. (Proverbs 11:22)

The Storm is Passing - Five Things on a Monday

2010-03-15T09:52:00.002-04:00

And I don't mean that in a figurative sense. The storm that pounded the Northeast this weekend is now just cloudy skies and light rain. But I figure I can come up with five things to say about it on a Monday morning (and that will keep me from railing against losing an hour of sleep this weekend.)

1) There are a lot of trees down near us, but none hit our house. A neighbor's garage does have a large tree lying across the top of it though.

2) We did not lose power. Though areas of our neighborhood did. The most we lost was for about a minute and then we simply figured it was easier not to reset the clocks until later when we had to reset them for DST anyway.

3) The sump pump almost always went on when needed. Yes, the rug in the basement is soaked. Yes there were times the pump didn't go on. But for the most part it worked - and the electricity staying on was a big help there.

4) The pounding hail and thunder on Sunday morning helped wake up our sleepy daughter in time for church. :)

5) Boiling drinking water is a pain in the neck. Just saying. But if that's the worst of our inconveniences I guess we're doing pretty good.

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-03-09T06:46:00.000-05:00

Truly the evil man shall not go unpunished, but those who are just shall escape. (Proverbs 11:21)

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-03-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

The depraved in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those who walk blamelessly are his delight. (Proverbs 11:20)

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 2

2010-02-26T10:31:00.003-05:00

This snowy Friday, I bring you the second in a continuing series by my 13-year-old daughter.

Tessa in Wonderland
by KRM

Part II
When I awoke, I immediately knew
It was NOT a
Dream.
The headache
I’d acquired from my
Run-in with the tree
Was real enough
The scrapes on my knees
Were real
I pinched my arm
And felt it,
This was no dream.

I propped myself up
Watching a cart or two
Filled with
Human-sized frogs
Card people
Walruses and
Things like that
Pass by.
Wondering if
Maybe they noticed me.
I never realized
That they were trying hard
Not
To.

“What is this place?”
I asked passersby
Who ignored me
Completely
Like the others.
I kept asking
Until a
Chocolate-colored
Rabbit
Slowed his mules,
Reigns held tightly in
His brown paws,
One ear was flopped
Over his right eye
And it twitched slightly.
“Where am I?”
I asked.
He stared at me.
“You’re an otherworlder?” He said
In awe

“I guess.” I said,
Rubbing my scraped knees
“Well, Otherworlder
This is
The Spade Province
Of
Wonderland.”

MsMac is hosting the Poetry Friday Round-up over at Check it Out. So go and check it out!

Thursday Thoughts

2010-02-25T08:19:00.003-05:00

It's snowing here.

Again.

But there have definitely been some bright spots in my week.

The sump pump not working as expected and causing a couple inches of water in the basement was not one of them.

But seeing my son's face as he got the bright-yellow 21-speed mountain bike he's been wishing for as a 10th birthday present was definitely one of them.

(I would post a picture of my son with his bicycle, but it appears my camera decided it wasn't necessary to save those pictures. Hmph.)

Another bright spot was the review I discovered yesterday at Not Enough Bookshelves. Go ahead and read the whole thing. My favorite line was:

You know when you've had a rough day and you just want to curl up on the sofa and devour a whole bar of chocolate, but you can't because of that pesky diet? Well, When Mike Kissed Emma, is the perfect alternative.

On the writing front, with one book ready to send out in the hopes of finding it a publishing home, I've started revisions on another story. This one is a time-travel Civil War story and should be a lot of fun to really dig into.

Lent has gotten off to a good start here - though birthday celebrations during Lent are always a challenge. Unfortunately with a birthday at the end of February my son will be celebrating during Lent more often than not.

And as a final thought, I leave you with a picture of my 10-year-old.

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-02-23T06:11:00.000-05:00

Virtue directs toward life, but he who pursues evil does so to his death. (Proverbs: 11:19)

Poetry Friday - Tessa in Wonderland, Part 1

2010-02-19T07:24:00.003-05:00

Knowing that I like to showcase her poems on Poetry Friday, my 13-year-old daughter has written me a series of poems specifically for Poetry Friday. Here is the first one.

Tessa in Wonderland
by KRM

Part I
I remember falling
Out of that tree’s
Strong arms,
The ground crumbling
Beneath me
As I fell into that
Sinkhole.
At least, that’s what I thought
It was at the time
Everyone
Told me that I had
Had a bad dream
But I knew it was anything but
A dream.

I fell through the hole
Yelling as loud as I could
Limbs flailing,
Then I hit the ground,
And I continued to yell
As I rolled
Down a hill,
Scraping my knees
Ripping my grass-stained overalls
My tumble only stopped
When a huge oak tree,
Ironically the same kind that I had
Fallen out of
Stopped my journey
After that
It was only
Darkness

Wonderland was a scary place
No one trusted the other
Rabbits talked
Flowers sang
Trees indulged in meaningful conversation
A girl from the otherworld,
Like me,
Is regarded like a freak
Because we hardly ever make it down there.
Wonderlanders had their own
Troubles,
It was surprising I made it out
Alive.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

The Poetry Friday Round-Up this week is by Irene Latham at Live. Love. Explore.

These Forty Days

2010-02-17T07:45:00.001-05:00

I saw this video in a few different places and thought I'd share it too, for Ash Wednesday.

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-02-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

The wicked man makes empty profits, but he who sows virtue has a sure reward. (Proverbs: 11:18)

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-02-09T06:05:00.001-05:00

A kindly man benefits himself, but a merciless man harms himself. (Proverbs 11:17)

A Review to Brighten my Day

2010-02-05T13:55:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like a nice review to brighten up a gray February day. And I found that today over at Bookworm Nation where Kathy gave a sweet review to When Mike Kissed Emma.

My favorite line:

This was a fun romantic read to help get you in the mood for Valentine’s.

That puts a happy end to the week! Bring on the snow!

Poetry Friday

2010-02-05T08:25:00.003-05:00

It's Poetry Friday once again, and luckily I came across another poem my 13-year-old daughter wrote (I'm very lucky she likes to write poems or I'd have nothing to put up on Poetry Friday!)

Odd and Queer but not Strange
By KRM

Isn’t it strange
How
In stories they never tell
About how
The character
Flunked Civics
Because he was fighting
Crime?
Or how so and so
Fell asleep in Math.
Or how the hero
Couldn’t open his locker
When Evil Character was
Dropping books
On His head?

Isn’t it Weird
How
Fairy tales conveniently
Have villains and
Princesses in stock?
Or how Princesses
Hate to sew…
And get locked in towers?
Where do they find these towers?
I’ll bet they make
Great
Detention and
Suspension rooms.

Weird, isn’t it
How they completely
Skim over the structure
Of government in
La-La Land
Except to say that
It was
Ruled by a dictator
King or Queen
Everyone loved….
Why didn’t Everyone fight
For
King and Queen
Instead of going against them
When they were overthrown?

Strange how
You think about this stuff
When you should be
Studying.

The Poetry Friday Round-Up is at Great Kid Books.

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-02-02T06:05:00.000-05:00

A gracious woman wins esteem, but she who hates virtue is covered with shame. (The slothful become impoverished, but the diligent gain wealth.) (Proverbs 11:16)

Soup on Saturday

2010-01-30T15:29:00.002-05:00

It's not always easy to organize meals so that we can all eat together - and there are times - especially during baseball season - when it is just not possible. And Saturdays pose another problem for us. My daughter became involved in an archery league. It meets Saturdays from five to seven. It is forty-five minutes away. My husband takes her there. This means they are gone from about 4:15 until 7:45. Which of course leaves me with the question... um, when should we eat?

I solved this problem with soup on Saturdays.

I use my slow-cooker and whip up a batch of soup. And I try to make some fresh bread too - if I get the chance. My husband and daughter have a bowl before they leave and another when they get back (with the bread the second time). My son and I eat when the bread is done.

This has been working great in the fall and winter. We'll see what happens when the nice weather comes. Soup might not be so appealing then.

And if anyone is interested in my super easy soup recipe here it is (adjust as you see fit.)

1 lb ground beef browned (sometimes I chop up onion and garlic and cook it with the meat - other times I just use my trusty spice bottles).

1 28 oz can of tomato sauce, tomato puree or crushed tomatoes - any one of these work.

1 large potato diced

1 large or 2 medium carrots diced.

But it all in the slow cooker with one can of water (a good way to get the extra tomato out of the can). Add spices to taste. Stir and cook on low until dinner time.

Poetry Friday

2010-01-29T08:36:00.003-05:00

For Poetry Friday this week my thirteen-year-old daughter is allowing me to share another one of her poems. Though, let it be noted, this poem is not going to get her out of cleaning her room.

Why Cleaning your Room is Bad
by KRM

Six inches High
Standing on my desk
Chubby hands on hips
Looking Fierce
“What did I tell you?”
He asks
“Why didn’t you listen?”
I sat at my desk,
Staring at him,
Confused, Scared.
“Well, human,” He snaps
“Now this is WAR!”
He jumps down
Onto a bed of s
Stuffed animals
Back to his
Tribe under
A heap of doll clothes,
Binders,
And Bags.
I should’ve known better
Than to clean my room
And disturb
The gnomes.

The Poetry Friday Round-up is being hosted by Anastasia Suen over at Picture Book of the Day.

An Interview

2010-01-27T12:58:00.001-05:00

Eleni, over at La Femme Readers, has an interview with me up today. Go and read find out all kind of obscure facts about me, like why I don't go to horror movies.

Tuesday's Proverb

2010-01-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

He is in a bad way who becomes surety for another, but he who hates giving pledges is safe. (Proverbs 11:15)

Poetry Friday

2010-01-22T10:00:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted in almost a month. I'm going to try to remedy that. In the meantime it's Friday and my daughter wrote a new poem last night, so without further ado here is our contribution to Poetry Friday.

Jack
by KRM

I was no fool
The man paid me
Plenty more for that
Cow than it deserved.
And then he handed me
The beans.

Grinning, decaying teeth
Exposed,
He said, "Keep the change,"
Then he vanished,
With my cow.

I stood in the middle
Of the road for a moment,
Staring at the
Leather pouch
of coins, and the
Five beans in my
Palm.

Then I scampered home,
Tossed my mama the money
and planted those beans.

I never expected it to take one night,
But when the stalk grew
I had every intention
Of being foolish
And seeing what
Was beyond
The clouds it grew
up to.

The rest of course,
Is history.
And yet, I can't help
But wonder
Who would want a
Sickly cow
And part with
Magic beans?

The Poetry Friday round-up is at Liz in Ink.

Poetry Friday - Happy New Year

2009-12-31T14:23:00.003-05:00

My daughter has kindly provided me with a New Year's poem just in time for Poetry Friday.

Happy New Year
by KRM

December 31st,
Trying to plan a time
For friends to get together
When
I looked at the calendar
Only to find that after today,
There were no more days!
The calendar had ended,
The Friday and Saturday slot were empty
The year was apparently no more
To my horror, I surmised,
That the world would end
Upon this day
December 31st.

How to plan
For the end of the world?
On facebook
I hollered,
“THE WORLD WILL END TONIGHT!”
The authorities were alerted,
The world sat in terror and fright.
Those lucky enough not to have heard,
Went to Times Square to watch the ball drop,
While the smart ones,
We who knew the world’s
Oncoming plight
Scurried to find
A good hiding spot.

December 31st,
The day the calendar ended,
The day that would not be followed by a new day
The day that people hid in terror and fright
The day that ended with KABANGS!
And POPS!
Of champagne bottles and fireworks,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Those who hadn’t heard rejoiced.
I crawled out of my hiding spot,
Confused.
What?!
The world was not over?
We were not dead?
Heck, I’d watched 2012,
I knew how this was supposed to work.
But…
I watched my mom hang up a
New Calendar.
“Happy New Year, hon,”
She smiled.
I flipped through the new pages.
And realized that,
Hey! There was a New Year ahead of us!
I felt fairly ridiculous,
Until,
I saw the end of this calendar-
December 31st!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!

The Poetry Friday round-up is at A Year of Reading.

Things that Made me Happy on a Monday

2009-12-21T20:13:00.001-05:00

1) Gingerbread houses and villages made by my own little decorators.

2) Finding When Mike Kissed Emma on this list of last minute gift ideas. I probably should have suggested it myself as a gift idea. And if it's too late to order it in time for Christmas, than it would make a great Valentine's Day present!

3) This review of When Mike Kissed Emma totally made my day. My favorite part:

the writing has clarity and sparkle and I can't wait to read other books by this author.

Go read the whole review!

Now back to baking and cleaning and wrapping and whatever else has to get done this week!

Disappointment

2009-12-21T18:25:00.001-05:00

From this weekend:

Can you tell someone wasn't too happy this past weekend's performances of "Annie" had to be postponed due to the weather?

Thanksgiving - Day Two

2009-11-29T21:13:00.001-05:00

The pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving with a multi-day feast, so why shouldn't we? Day two was at my cousin's house and featured pigs in the blankets, a roaring fire, sing-alongs around the player piano, old home movies, and lots of great company.

Fun at the Rochester Museum & Science Center

2009-11-29T21:05:00.001-05:00

Instead of shopping on the day after Thanksgiving we headed to the Rochester Museum & Science Center with friends and cousins (okay, one of the friends did hit some early sales first).

We were at the museum for seven hours, mainly enjoying hands on exhibits. We also got to see a visiting Titanic Exhibition which was very interesting. They give you a boarding pass with information about a particular passenger - at the end you find out if your person survived or not. I think the only one in our group who had the card of a survivor was my daughter. It's a very sobering experience.

Most of the time at the museum, though, was spent 'doing' things, including digging for dinosaur bones, scaling a rock wall and learning how things like combination locks work.

Thanksgiving - The Aftermath

2009-11-29T20:57:00.001-05:00

Ah, a good time was apparently had by all, and now the kids have collapsed on their cousin. The sure sign of a successful day!

Ordinary Time and Advent

2009-11-29T20:36:00.001-05:00

About a year ago I had an idea of making table runners that would correspond to the liturgical year. I finally got around to making the first one about a week ago.

One side is green - to correspond with Ordinary Time.

Today I got to turn it over to the purple side, because Advent starts today!

That Holiday Time of the Year

2009-11-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

It's getting to be that time of year. It's The Holidays. Actually, if you look at sales fliers the entire year is some sort of Holiday season - there always seems to be some reason to have a sale. But the big Holidays, the one that get an entire season named after them are the winter holidays.

Honestly it seems as if it starts with Halloween - anything after that is part of the Holiday Season. And there are a lot of different holidays: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali and of course Christmas and New Years.

Because of the variety of holidays and the various cultural traditions I don't have a big problem when people say "Happy Holidays" to kind of incorporate the whole season. Especially in an area like ours where you can never be too certain which holiday people are celebrating - if any at all.

I do have one complaint though. And that is when the generic use of Holiday is used not in a way that incorporates all of the seasonal holidays, but to replace the word Christmas.

Holiday cookies? I don't know, I guess the other holidays can all benefit from some cookies, but I don't know how many of them traditionally have lots of baked goods as part of their celebrations.

Holiday lights? That one actually works for a bunch of holidays - especially Diwali and Hanukkah.

But a Holiday Tree? Come on. It's a Christmas Tree. Really. Just say it. Don't be afraid.

And on December 25tth. When the newspapers put a banner headline up above the title that says "Happy Holidays" I always feel a little cheated. Especially on a year when it does not over lap with another holiday, we all know what "Holiday" is being celebrated. Just go ahead and say it already.

Now, I'm not going to boycott stores who say "Happy Holidays". After all - Holiday does come from "Holy Days" but I do feel that if you're going to make a lot of money when people buy stuff for Christmas, you could at least call the giant candy canes and decorated trees Christmas decorations.

Two thoughts in passing to end this mini-rant.

1) One time the Jehovah Witnesses stopped by our house shortly before Christmas. As they were leaving I wished them a Merry Christmas. The cold look they gave me reminded me that not everyone celebrates Christmas - and some are rather strict about that non-celebration. (oops - any insult was totally unintentional.)

2) Once during the "Holiday season" I was in a store and heard a woman complain - and I quote: "I hate when they shove all this religion into Christmas."

I didn't say anything to her, because my brain didn't work fast enough to come up with something, and I doubt it would have made a difference anyway. But I do try to remember that while the people I know might decry the commercialization and secularization of Christmas, there are always people who hold quite different views. I hope they all have a very Happy Holiday.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 11

2009-11-11T07:22:00.002-05:00

I'm thankful for our veterans: people who are willing to put their lives on the line to help preserve our way of life. Even if they never saw combat, they were still willing and that makes them special.

Ninety-one years ago, at the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month the armistice was signed that ended the "War to end all Wars." Would that it had really ended all wars, but I'm not sure anything will actually do that. And because war continues, we continue to have veterans.

And I will continue to be grateful to them and their service to this country.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 6

2009-11-06T23:24:00.001-05:00

I'm thankful that it's Friday.

Is that corny and trite? Who cares. I'm still thankful that tomorrow is the weekend and my husband won't be at work and everyone will be healthy and things can get back to normal.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 5

2009-11-05T21:52:00.002-05:00

It's not that I wasn't thankful for things on the 3rd and 4th of this month, but I find myself much more open to being thankful now that my fever is gone (and I'm able to stay awake past 8 pm), and my son's fever seems to be on the way out.

So, what am I thankful for? Recuperation. I'm thankful for returned health. And I'm also thankful for the fact that the biggest worries we tend to have health-wise are the occasional bad cold and other run of the mill sicknesses - even if that does sometimes knock me for a loop.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 2

2009-11-02T14:24:00.001-05:00

I am thankful that my kids still enjoy playing with toys we've owned for going on seven years. On their day off today, after doing the computer thing and x-box thing they opted to get out the trains and play with that. I love to see their imaginations at work when they play with this.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 1

2009-11-01T22:20:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago I did a post a day for the month of November, highlighting something I was thankful for.

I'll see if I can do it again.

I have lots to be thankful for - but sometimes it just gets a little lost in the day to day craziness of life.

So, today - November 1, I'm thankful for kids who love to read.

When they're caught up in a book, nothing else matters. And they quote from books, and like to share parts of books with each other, and share book recommendations with each other. It's a great thing!

Halloween Parade

2009-10-30T15:10:00.000-04:00

Today was the Halloween parade and party at my son's school.

There seems to be growing controversy about Halloween every year.

It's satanic, it's pagan, it glorifies death. Young girls wear costumes that are too sexy. The coersion involved in saying "trick or treat". Sugar is bad for you.

Yeah, okay, I'm sure that depending on how people celebrate Halloween you can find all of those aspects. In fact, depending on people live their lives, you can find all of those aspects. You don't have to wait for a specfic day.

You know what I see in Halloween around here? I see kids who have fun getting dressed up in costumes (and yeah, some of them are kind of ghoulish - but not most, and some may be skimpy- most aren't - and let's face it, it's October in NJ, how much skin is a kid going to show?)

They get to dress up for part of the school day and act silly with their friends. They get to go door-to-door (and let me just say, I very seldom see groups of kids without one or more parents with them) and get candy. And lets face it, for most of these kids - the candy is the thing.

Today in one of our local papers there was an opinion piece about how adults are contributing to the ill health of children by distributing candy on Halloween. Give me a break. It's one day a year. I'm sure that some kids gorge themselves to the point of making themselves sick. But kids aren't going to become obese based on one day a year. That has to do with a whole life-style that involves not enough activity and too many empty calories.

For the kids, Halloween isn't about pagans or the occult or spirits rising from the grave.

It's about the candy.

And I'm okay with that.

Tuesday's Proverb

2009-10-27T20:30:00.000-04:00

For lack of guidance a people falls; security lies in many counselors. (Proverbs 11:14)

Blogtoberfest over at Jeri's Place

2009-10-21T09:33:00.001-04:00

This month Jeri Smith-Ready is celebrating her blog birthday with Halloween themed guest posts and book give-aways all month.

Today is my day. So go over and see what I had to offer in the way of a ghost story and comment for a chance to win a signed copy of When Mike Kissed Emma.

Points for Honesty

2009-10-11T08:47:00.002-04:00

Harry: My goal in life is to make people happy.

Me: Does that include your sister?

Harry (without missing a beat): No. Not usually.

Side note: this is post number one thousand. I should have thought of something fun and exciting to commemorate the event!

National Walk Your Child to School Day

Off to Go Fly a Kite

2009-08-14T08:44:00.001-04:00

Okay, not literally - in that I won't be flying a kite, but it is time for the theater camp's production of Mary Poppins. My son has a small role, unique to this production, and my daughter is a helper this year - having aged out of this camp. Pictures later.

Tuesday's Proverb

2009-08-11T01:06:00.000-04:00

When a wicked man dies his hope perishes, and what is expected from strength comes to nought. (Proverbs 11:7)

Talented Kids

2009-08-09T21:57:00.002-04:00

On Friday I watched the talent show at the theater camp my kids go to. Neither one of my children opted to perform, so I just sat back and watched the other people's kids.

Things I learned.
1) There are a lot of talented kids out there.

2) Kids are brave.
Some of these kids weren't particularly talented, but they got out there and did their thing anyway. Good for them. You need to take that chance and make that leap.

3) Kids have fun working together.
Groups of kids did little dance routines together and you could just tell that they had as much fun getting together and practicing during the past week as they did performing on Friday.

4) There are lots of different talents in the world. Some kids can sing, some can dance, some can tell jokes and others can make strange noises with their mouths. But it's all good. It's all a way of getting up there and saying "Hey, look what I can do!"

Just so you know, my kids have participated in the talent show every other year, this year they just opted out.