School is starting on time today (2nd time this week!) and this will hopefully get the boys out of bed.
Don’t be overly impressed. I had help from the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Yesterday’s footprints and today’s sunshine.
It was a “no footprint” morning:
2 hours late but back to school
Posted in Uncategorized
This is the view looking down our road this morning at 10:53am. The snowplow came through about an hour ago, scraping away some of the ice that fell overnight. I watched a compact car waggle its backside down the street, but I have not ventured out, except to take pictures and drag out the rubbish & recycling bins (hope springs eternal)!
Farmer*sWife has given me blog fodder for today. First, look what the mailman brought in the snow yesterday:
I'm a WINNER!
Okay, I admit it was 2nd prize, but hey, I won something! 😀 Thanks, Farmer*sWife!!
And it was packaged in this cute box (these must have been cute shoes for Lil’Gal) Also, a week or two ago, I agreed to be interviewed. FW has been very patient with me while I attended to “real life” business.
FINALLY, I’ve got a bit of time to post her interview questions and my answers: THE INTERVIEW
1) How did you and your hubby meet originally and what was your very first impression?
I blogged about this once, but here is the short answer: we met at a cross-country ski camp (as counselors) and I was fascinated by this man who looked directly into my eyes with his own denim-blue eyes.
2) When you were pregnant with each of your children, did you find out the sex or wait it out until birth?
Although I had ultrasounds with each of my babies (and several in the last 2 weeks with my first), the older 3 boys were very modest and never showed their gender. The youngest boy was clearly visible on his ultrasound — even his Kindergarten brother could tell!
3) If you could go back six hours in time, once each day. What do you think you would use that ability for?
This one is easy: MORE SLEEP …and maybe some housework
4) What is your favorite day of the week and why?
Sunday is my favorite day of the week. I love going to church for the worship service (as grouchy as I am getting out the door, SuperDad & the boys might wonder about the validity of that statement). In the afternoon, I try to avoid chores (well, okay, I’d like to avoid them any day, but ESPECIALLY on Sundays!) and take time to read or nap.
5) What do you think your boys will choose for their career paths, and why do you think that?
MusicMan will be heading off to college in another 18 months or so (YIKES!!) and will likely major in Chemical Engineering. He thinks math & chemistry are easy subjects at school (!!) and we’ve been encouraging the older boys to think Engineering for their majors. When he was little, we thought he might be an architect. MM can look at diagrams and put things together. I look at diagrams and think, “huh?”
Encyclopedia Blue is a bit of a wild card. He’s super-smart but takes F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to do his work. When he was in Kindergarten, he wanted to be an astronaut. He’s always been interested in science, is a whiz at math, and has a photographic memory–but don’t ask him to discuss how the character in the book is feeling or what he thinks about the character. You will get a blank stare in response. EB has talked of wanting to cross the Amazon at its widest point. He also talks of doing some sort of scientific research in remote parts of, say, Alaska. So he may move far, far away and we’ll hardly ever hear from him, which would be sad. 😦
Humorous-Juniorous is scary-smart and could do anything he set his mind to– doctor, lawyer, entrepreneur. At one point, he was interested in genetic engineering. Right now, H-J is interested in computer programming — specifically, designing his own video games. We’ll still encourage him to get the engineering degree to go with the video gaming. 😉
SnakeMaster has never handled a snake, but he is totally enamored with Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin, and Animal Planet programming. SM continues to be interested in a career where he can educate others about animals. (I’ve suggested he marry Bindi Irwin, who is one year his senior.)
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That’s all I’ve got today. If you haven’t yet been interviewed by someone else (this meme has been making the rounds in January) and are itching to participate, let me know and I will e-mail you a set of questions.
I’ll be posting about our inauguration day party SOON. Because if I wait much longer, y’all are gonna be like, “what inauguration?”
If that number doesn’t bring on the spammers, I’ll eat my hat.
It would be an easy assignment if I was back in my former town where there are a lot of roundabouts; I’d post one picture and be done with the assignment! No, not really. I’m rarely able to stop at just one picture. And while I’d love to make you suffer through a long post (how do you make a slideshow??), this last week has been a really busy one and I am wearily looking through my archives.
TOWN TOURIST archive photos
Choices of 7
There will someday be a traffic circle at the intersection, but for now, you have to wait for a break in traffic.
CIRCLE
bluebird nest amongst the lavendar
The Weekly Words Challenge is brought to us each week by the lovely and talented Tink.
Posted in WWC
So, we finally get some snow … only to be followed by freezing rain (which we know VERY well)… and I want to know, Where’s my 3 feet of snow this winter? Farmer’s Almanac promised snow!
WWC later today. I forgot to take pictures. Lame, I know.
Posted in rants
I’m feeling all *hearts* today.
I woke up inspired to finally take the Christmas ornaments off the tree prepare to decorate the tree for Valentines Day (yes, really).
And then I checked my e-mail and discovered that Jenn at Juggling Life has given me this sweet award:
Isn’t that sweet?
Jenn is a mom of 4 who also manages to work part-time AND go to school! She juggles more than I can even imagine and almost never drops the ball. I keep hoping some of that will rub off on me, although I’m not ready to have one of my boys morph into Grizzly Adams.
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With all the news coverage on Tuesday, I thought it would be the snapshots of elderly black women tearing up that would make me cry. I was wrong… those photos made me smile at the the joy they must be feeling.
This morning, however, I saw this picture of a deployed soldier watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama:
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/interactive.aspx?type=ss&launch=28753038,2&pg=17
Posted in Uncategorized
I was tagged by allmycke over at Teepe’s weblog to post my 6th picture from my 6th folder… you know the routine. Well, that folder only had 2 photos in it, and couting forward brought me to a picture I’ve used before (but taken in December 2005), so I revised the instructions.
I counted back 6 folders from the end, and then counted back 6 pictures from the end of that folder. This is the photo I landed upon:
It was taken during the Children’s Christmas pageant at church last month. This little boy was soooooo cute! He spoke clearly and emphasized his lines with childlike aplomb. I couldn’t decide whether to watch him or watch his mother. I did both.
Instead of tagging 6 of you, I put out the challenge for any interested to find your 6th photo from your 6th file (either from the end or the beginning) and tell us about it. Let me know in comments or linky-love if you’ve done it!
And if you don’t already visit Teepe’s weblog on a regular basis: GO! She takes wonderful photographs.
Posted in Christmas
Just when today couldn’t get any more exciting (it’s INAUGURATION DAY, y’all!!), I popped on over to Tink‘s place and discovered I’ve been awarded A GOLDEN SPORK !!!!!
Tink gave me this beauty for being a
“Social Butterfly”
She thinks I could make friends at a funeral. Um…why, yes, I think I HAVE done that! LOL
The Weekly Words Challenge is officially beginning 2009 on this inaugural morning (sorry, taken from the grocery store, not from the crowded train station)
Inaugural Sunrise
Brrrrrrr…..it’s cold out there today! (15F when I took the picture)
“B” is for….
BUTTERFLY
BLUE-EYED BOY
and BREAD
BASEMENT
(a.k.a., BOYLAND) and Lego BRICKS
UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE:
viewing a Lego tower from BELOW
The Weekly Words Challenge is brought to us each week by the lovely and talented Tink.
And now I am off to my neighbor’s 2009 Inauguration party
(not to be confused with a 2009 Inaugural Ball).
Catch up with you later! 😀
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the 2nd half of his famous speech:
So I say to you, my friends, that even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed – we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day, even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places shall be made straight and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith we will be able to hear out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to go to jail together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning-“my country ’tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride; from every mountain side, let freedom ring”-and if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that.
Let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children – black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants – will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
Photo and words of MLK, Jr. (above) and Medal of Freedom Citation (below) can be found at www.medaloffreedom.com/MartinLutherKingJr.htm
Medal of Freedom Citation:
Awarded by
President Jimmy Carter
July 11, 1977MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. My first experience with racism was in middle school, when I heard the father of a friend make a disparinging comment about black people. I was shocked. I was wounded; I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. To this day, I can still remember the feeling in my gut when I heard those words and that tone of voice. Sadly, I heard it again last week. I have never become used to it; I will never become immune to such venom.
Tomorrow we observe the American “changing of the guard.” It is done in a truly amazingly orderly fashion, with somber respect and great celebration of peaceful democracy.
No matter what other feelings you have about the outgoing or incoming President, I hope you can celebrate with me the important piece of The Dream that has been realized.
The 44th President of the United States of America
imagine this full of 2 million people (note the teeny-tiny cars off on the right-hand side)
At supper tonight, I continued my self-torture agonizing over “to go or not to go.” Finally, my family wearied of my blather and intervened.
First to stand in the intervention lineup was SnakeMaster. He said, “I guess I’ll go.” Of course, I had to talk him out of it –he would be miserable: cold, tired, unable to see anything but elbows and backs, no place to sit down, etc., etc. Give me a break, he’s only 9 years old and I’d have to spend all my energy taking care of him and trying to not lose him in the crowds.
Then the other boys reiterated that they didn’t want to go. I tried to convince H-J that his teacher might give him extra credit (he’s taking US History this year) but he pointed out that he already has an A+ in that class.
SuperDad stepped in at this point and said I should go so he would have bragging rights (“My wife was there”). Mostly I think he just wanted me to shut up about it. His voice was convincing, but… I started making excuses. I believe it was MusicMan who said,
Geez Louise, Mom, just DECIDE!!
Humorous-Juniorous grabbed pencil and paper and began to make a list of Pros and Cons about going into The City for the inauguration of our 44th President.
On the Pros side were things like “if you go, you won’t feel guilty later” … “One and Only Chance” … Carpe Diem … personal bragging rights (“I was THERE”) for the rest of my life.
On the Cons side were things like “it will be very crowded” … lineups for nasty port-a-potties … “will be missed at home” (Awwwww) … no one was willing to massage my aching feet and legs for the next 3 weeks.
Finally, SuperDad said, “Do you want to know what I really think?”
“Stay Home You Silly Meatball”
Yes, he did say that. I had to shush the boys from laughing so I could hear the rest.
SuperDad went on to talk about how flippin’ cold it was at the train station last week, how the seats are narrower than my hips (oh yes he did), how hot it would be on the packed train, how crowded Union Station would be. How I’d “be waddling like a penguin” (oh yes, he did!!) in all that cold-weather gear. He pointed out that Union Station is on the wrong side (behind the Capitol Building) and I’d have no way to get to The Mall (in front of the Capitol Building) except to battle my way through that crowd on a very long walk.
He finished by saying, “Under the best of circumstances, it will suck.”
I concur. And according to my unscientific polling in the comment section of my previous post, half of you agree with me; the other half of you think I am denying myself the opportunity of a lifetime.
So, call me a wimpy party-pooper if you must, but I’m going to stay warm, with comfortable seating, where I can ensure that my children also see & hear the inauguration of our 44th President (their first time, since it is not a school day for us). My family needs me at home.
Oh, and one final word: BATHROOMS
all photos from Google images
Posted in Family, life at our dinner table, SuperDad
Kcinnova's World 
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