Well, peeps, it's Menu Monday on Thursday this week. What can I say? Here it is:
Monday - Chicken and Artichoke Pasta and salad - What can I say? Bliss? Yes. Perfection? Yes. Mushrooms, tomatoes, and artichokes in one dish? Yes! The fam didn't care for this too much. The reason? Mushrooms, tomatoes, and artichokes. Anybody wanna trade families?
Tuesday - Pioneer Woman Enchiladas - Audrey hated this!!!!
Wednesday - I ran out of sliced ham, so I cooked last year's Christmas ham (thank you, Dwayne's place of employment! I have no idea where they get these hams, but they are so yummy!) I was going to serve scalloped potatoes, but I ran out of time and settled for green beans and mac and cheese. Of course, no one else in this family will tolerate homemade mac - it has to be Kraft. I'M IN CULINARY PURGATORY OVER HERE!!! (BTW - this is one of Audrey's approved meals)
Thursday - Cajun Stroganoff and salad - Audrey hates this
Friday - We're having company, so I'm not sure what we'll be having. Maybe we'll grill burgers and brats (and hot dogs for Audrey). Will Dwayne go outside to do this? Hmmm...it may be George Foreman to the rescue! We'll probably have a salad and maybe tater tots to go with this.
Later!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The one that hit me hard...
Last night I was at the Y when I ran into an old friend. I've known this person for almost 20 years, our social circles merging and separating at various stage of our lives. I hadn't seen him or his wife for a while, so my first question was, "How's your wife?" His response was that she had cheated on him and they were in the middle of a divorce. In those moments it takes a second for that kind of information to sink in. I start off with thinking, "No way! He's gotta be joking!" and quickly follow that with, "No, no one sane would joke about that kind of thing!" I stood there in the YMCA trying to process that his wife, a friend of mine, had done the unthinkable. Now, some of you may know that my own parents are divorced as a result of my father's infidelity, so I have little tolerance for that. As I stood there fighting the tears, listening to my friend tell me what had been going on in his life, I felt the anger rising.
How could she do that after 15 years of marriage?
How could she do that to her children?
Yet, as I thought about the situation for the rest of the evening other thoughts came to me. I have been married 10 years. Five years ago, if you had told her what she would be doing today, what would her reaction have been?
Revolt? Disgust? Denial?
Probably.
Then I wondered, at what point do you cross that line? What boundaries were crossed, little by little, that led to that final plunge? To destroy everything and everyone in your life? To do the unthinkable?
I am reminded of the story of David and Bathsheba. It started innocuously enough - at the time of the year when kings went off to war, David stayed home. Nothing evil. Yes, he wasn't where he should have been, but how serious is that? If I'm typing this blog entry instead of doing laundry, how bad is that, really? Then it progressed. David saw her, bathing on the roof. He had the choice to look away, but he didn't. A little looking won't hurt anything, right? Right? Then he asked about her. Then he sent for her. Then it happened. Then came the cover-up. And finally, the even more unthinkable.
Murder.
As I think about David's spiral into sin, the little, seemingly inconsequential steps, I think about the teachings of a small group leader from several years ago. He was discussing this very incident when he said that God called David a "man after His own heart." If a man after God's own heart was capable of adultery and murder, what are the rest of us capable of?
Now as I think my friend, it is with a little less judgment. I wonder when she will realize exactly what she has done. What she has done to her children (trust me - this will be with them for the rest of their lives). To her husband. To herself. When will she see the shattered shards of her life and realize that she is responsible?
I also think of myself. It's easy to say "No - this will never happen to me!" Maybe I'm starting to realize that no one plans to do this. No one says, "I'm going to take my children's lives and mangle them into an unidentifiable wreckage." I find myself watching.
Watching myself.
What little, seemingly inconsequential steps could I be taking that go even remotely near that path? It only takes one step in the wrong direction.
David simply stayed home when he should have gone out.
How could she do that after 15 years of marriage?
How could she do that to her children?
Yet, as I thought about the situation for the rest of the evening other thoughts came to me. I have been married 10 years. Five years ago, if you had told her what she would be doing today, what would her reaction have been?
Revolt? Disgust? Denial?
Probably.
Then I wondered, at what point do you cross that line? What boundaries were crossed, little by little, that led to that final plunge? To destroy everything and everyone in your life? To do the unthinkable?
I am reminded of the story of David and Bathsheba. It started innocuously enough - at the time of the year when kings went off to war, David stayed home. Nothing evil. Yes, he wasn't where he should have been, but how serious is that? If I'm typing this blog entry instead of doing laundry, how bad is that, really? Then it progressed. David saw her, bathing on the roof. He had the choice to look away, but he didn't. A little looking won't hurt anything, right? Right? Then he asked about her. Then he sent for her. Then it happened. Then came the cover-up. And finally, the even more unthinkable.
Murder.
As I think about David's spiral into sin, the little, seemingly inconsequential steps, I think about the teachings of a small group leader from several years ago. He was discussing this very incident when he said that God called David a "man after His own heart." If a man after God's own heart was capable of adultery and murder, what are the rest of us capable of?
Now as I think my friend, it is with a little less judgment. I wonder when she will realize exactly what she has done. What she has done to her children (trust me - this will be with them for the rest of their lives). To her husband. To herself. When will she see the shattered shards of her life and realize that she is responsible?
I also think of myself. It's easy to say "No - this will never happen to me!" Maybe I'm starting to realize that no one plans to do this. No one says, "I'm going to take my children's lives and mangle them into an unidentifiable wreckage." I find myself watching.
Watching myself.
What little, seemingly inconsequential steps could I be taking that go even remotely near that path? It only takes one step in the wrong direction.
David simply stayed home when he should have gone out.
Monday, October 26, 2009
We interrupt this regularly scheduled life...
We interrupt this regularly scheduled life to bring you one case of the Swine flu. Well, the doctor said the flu and since the kids have had their regular flu shots, I'm assuming it's the swine flu. Audrey's started the Tamiflu, and we are patiently waiting for the next casualty. At least we don't have to decide whether or not to get the kids vaccinated for H1N1 now...On a side note - as an asthma sufferer the thought of catching this bug make me a leeeetle (ok, a lot) bit nervous. I'd appreciate your prayers right about now.
I'll try to post a Menu Monday, but since I don't even have a menu to post it may not happen until next week. I have a feeling I'll be winging it this week!
I'll try to post a Menu Monday, but since I don't even have a menu to post it may not happen until next week. I have a feeling I'll be winging it this week!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The one about my grandmother
These past couple of weeks have been a flurry of craziness for my family. My grandmother decided she wanted to move to a retirement facility. She is, after all, 92 years old. So, the process of moving her began. She had been in the same house for 25 years, so that was a little more involved than the normal move. That, and the fact that she couldn't take everything with her. So, we sorted and packed, family heirlooms were distributed, and the remaining items were left for a moving sale. That sale happened this past weekend.
One day one of my uncles decided to bring my grandmother by for a while. She sat there for a while, and things were fine until *it* sold.
Her stereo.
This thing must have been from the '60's or '70's. It had a receiver and a record player - after all, that's all a stereo would have had back then. I remember that record player. Listening to Scheherezade and Bolero as a child. As it was being sold we looked at my grandmother and she was crying. This stoic woman, whom I had never seen cry before and my mother had only seen cry once or twice, was silently crying. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever seen. I think it was more that the relinquishing of a beloved item -- it was the relinquishing of part of herself, of her independence. My grandmother is a woman who evokes a myriad of emotions for me. Emotions such as
Frustration - Growing up in the same house as her was not easy. She would hide her favorite measuring cups so we wouldn't use them. After all, they might be dirty when she needed them. She would also count everything. Cups, bowls, plates, spoons, forks, knives...everything was counted regularly. Often life would come to a halt so we cold find a missing spoon. (Did I mention Obsessive Compulsive Disorder runs rampant in our family?)We also had to leave the second church was over. No chatting with friends. I remember that I couldn't wait to be able to move out and use whatever measuring cup I wanted and never, ever count another spoon or plate again. Oh, and the poetry! We had to listen to her poems all the time!
Anger - I remember once when we both had subscriptions to Reader's Digest (yes, I was *that* child who had her own subscription to Reader's Digest...). Her copy was missing so she took mine until we found hers. Turns out it was high up on a piece of furniture, where only she and I could reach, and I (having my own copy) wouldn't have been the one to put it up there. Yet I was responsible for finding it.
Amusement - Growing up in our home, there were two topics you quickly learned to avoid. Sometimes you even went so far as to warn guests to avoid these topics AT ALL COSTS!! They were certain to incite a tirade of words that could continue for some time. What were these taboo topics? Politics? Somewhat. Liberalism was a vehemently hated viewpoint, but it wasn't one of the top two. Religion? World peace? Calvinism vs. Armenianism? Oreo vs. Hydrox? Quilted Northern vs. Scott? No, none of these. The taboo two were: The Kennedy family and the ACLU. I can still hear her at the table, "They called Jackie Kennedy our queen. Well, I have no queen!!"
Admiration - This was a woman who had gone through two divorces, raised three children alone, watched one of them battle alcoholism and the other two go through divorces of their own. This woman had unhesitatingly taken in her daughter and her three young daughters after a divorce. While my mother, at times, worked three jobs and went to school to get her Master's degree, my grandmother took us to school, to piano lessons, to church. She cooked for us (yes, we would have things such as potato soup and vegetable soup - aka "throw-whatever's-in-the-fridge-into-the-pot" - for days on end and to this day I can not stand either of them), and let us all live with her for a lot less than we could have lived on our own. As my uncles had difficult times in their lives she would take them in, too, leading to a very full house at times.
As I watched my grandmother cry over her lost stereo, her lost independence, I felt something new. I felt compassion. Sorrow. For the first time, I saw her frailty. How fragile she has become. This woman who has been a rock in my life (albeit, at times a rock I felt was more in my way than a support) is fading. She will soon be gone. And that fills me with an incredible sadness.
Before the sale, I went to her house a couple of times to help sort and price. That's when I found this:
This mug. Her mug. I can't count how many mornings I wanted her drink her coffee from this. My mother was surprised that she had chosen to place this mug in the sale. Even Nathan knew that this was Grandma's mug. And I knew I had to keep it. With all that was being sold, I couldn't let this go to someone else. In the grand scheme of things, it's probably just another mug. Nothing special or valuable. But to me it is a reminder. It is a reminder of this remarkable woman, an artist and a poet, who could infuriate and inspire, frustrate and frazzle, sacrifice and support. A reminder of what family is. And a reminder of how quickly even the strongest among us can turn frail.
Thank you, Grandma, for always being there.
One day one of my uncles decided to bring my grandmother by for a while. She sat there for a while, and things were fine until *it* sold.
Her stereo.
This thing must have been from the '60's or '70's. It had a receiver and a record player - after all, that's all a stereo would have had back then. I remember that record player. Listening to Scheherezade and Bolero as a child. As it was being sold we looked at my grandmother and she was crying. This stoic woman, whom I had never seen cry before and my mother had only seen cry once or twice, was silently crying. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever seen. I think it was more that the relinquishing of a beloved item -- it was the relinquishing of part of herself, of her independence. My grandmother is a woman who evokes a myriad of emotions for me. Emotions such as
Frustration - Growing up in the same house as her was not easy. She would hide her favorite measuring cups so we wouldn't use them. After all, they might be dirty when she needed them. She would also count everything. Cups, bowls, plates, spoons, forks, knives...everything was counted regularly. Often life would come to a halt so we cold find a missing spoon. (Did I mention Obsessive Compulsive Disorder runs rampant in our family?)We also had to leave the second church was over. No chatting with friends. I remember that I couldn't wait to be able to move out and use whatever measuring cup I wanted and never, ever count another spoon or plate again. Oh, and the poetry! We had to listen to her poems all the time!
Anger - I remember once when we both had subscriptions to Reader's Digest (yes, I was *that* child who had her own subscription to Reader's Digest...). Her copy was missing so she took mine until we found hers. Turns out it was high up on a piece of furniture, where only she and I could reach, and I (having my own copy) wouldn't have been the one to put it up there. Yet I was responsible for finding it.
Amusement - Growing up in our home, there were two topics you quickly learned to avoid. Sometimes you even went so far as to warn guests to avoid these topics AT ALL COSTS!! They were certain to incite a tirade of words that could continue for some time. What were these taboo topics? Politics? Somewhat. Liberalism was a vehemently hated viewpoint, but it wasn't one of the top two. Religion? World peace? Calvinism vs. Armenianism? Oreo vs. Hydrox? Quilted Northern vs. Scott? No, none of these. The taboo two were: The Kennedy family and the ACLU. I can still hear her at the table, "They called Jackie Kennedy our queen. Well, I have no queen!!"
Admiration - This was a woman who had gone through two divorces, raised three children alone, watched one of them battle alcoholism and the other two go through divorces of their own. This woman had unhesitatingly taken in her daughter and her three young daughters after a divorce. While my mother, at times, worked three jobs and went to school to get her Master's degree, my grandmother took us to school, to piano lessons, to church. She cooked for us (yes, we would have things such as potato soup and vegetable soup - aka "throw-whatever's-in-the-fridge-into-the-pot" - for days on end and to this day I can not stand either of them), and let us all live with her for a lot less than we could have lived on our own. As my uncles had difficult times in their lives she would take them in, too, leading to a very full house at times.
As I watched my grandmother cry over her lost stereo, her lost independence, I felt something new. I felt compassion. Sorrow. For the first time, I saw her frailty. How fragile she has become. This woman who has been a rock in my life (albeit, at times a rock I felt was more in my way than a support) is fading. She will soon be gone. And that fills me with an incredible sadness.
Before the sale, I went to her house a couple of times to help sort and price. That's when I found this:
This mug. Her mug. I can't count how many mornings I wanted her drink her coffee from this. My mother was surprised that she had chosen to place this mug in the sale. Even Nathan knew that this was Grandma's mug. And I knew I had to keep it. With all that was being sold, I couldn't let this go to someone else. In the grand scheme of things, it's probably just another mug. Nothing special or valuable. But to me it is a reminder. It is a reminder of this remarkable woman, an artist and a poet, who could infuriate and inspire, frustrate and frazzle, sacrifice and support. A reminder of what family is. And a reminder of how quickly even the strongest among us can turn frail.
Thank you, Grandma, for always being there.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Menu Monday
OK - things are crazy busy. We just moved my grandmother into a retirement facility, and are having a moving sale at her house this weekend. Add to that our other stuff, and well, you know the drill. This week's menus are all screwed up thanks to someone I happen to be married to. Well, that and the fact I haven't been to the store...
Monday - Pot roast - I differed from my usual recipe. I used 2 envelopes Au jus, 4 c. water, 2 Tbs. cooking burgundy, and salt. Yummy. However, hubby came home and was disappointed it wasn't chili. I'm starting to wonder if, after 10 years of marriage, he's ever going to figure out that I don't have telepathy...
BTW - it took Audrey over 1-1/2 hours to eat her portion, and she only did that because there was an ice cream bar for her when she finished.
Tuesday - is now chili. Audrey hates it.
Wednesday - ham, mac and cheese, green beans - Audrey likes it!!!
Thursday - Beef 'n Bean Enchiladas - Audrey hates it
Friday - Garlic Lime Chicken, baked potato, salad - I think Audrey hates this one, too. We were supposed to have this last week (?), but didn't get around to it.
Well, that's all for today. The timer for my soup is going off and I have to be somewhere in a little while.
Bye!
Monday - Pot roast - I differed from my usual recipe. I used 2 envelopes Au jus, 4 c. water, 2 Tbs. cooking burgundy, and salt. Yummy. However, hubby came home and was disappointed it wasn't chili. I'm starting to wonder if, after 10 years of marriage, he's ever going to figure out that I don't have telepathy...
BTW - it took Audrey over 1-1/2 hours to eat her portion, and she only did that because there was an ice cream bar for her when she finished.
Tuesday - is now chili. Audrey hates it.
Wednesday - ham, mac and cheese, green beans - Audrey likes it!!!
Thursday - Beef 'n Bean Enchiladas - Audrey hates it
Friday - Garlic Lime Chicken, baked potato, salad - I think Audrey hates this one, too. We were supposed to have this last week (?), but didn't get around to it.
Well, that's all for today. The timer for my soup is going off and I have to be somewhere in a little while.
Bye!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Menu Monday (ON MONDAY!!!)
Wow! Will wonders never cease? Menu Monday...on an actual Monday!! Don't get used to it, though.
Monday - Spaghetti, garlic bread - Audrey usually likes this
Tuesday - Fish sticks, mac and cheese, green beans - Audrey won't like the fish sticks
Wednesday - Pizza - Audrey likes this
Thursday - Taco soup - Audrey hates this
Friday - Garlic Lime Chicken, baked potato, salad - Audrey will hate this
Some of you may wonder why some meals get repeated from week to week. Those are the meals that we didn't get to the week before. Maybe we needed to use up leftovers, maybe Papa John's had a 13 cent pizza deal, who knows!
P.S. You can find some of my recipes over at http://maybemartha.blogspot.com/
Monday - Spaghetti, garlic bread - Audrey usually likes this
Tuesday - Fish sticks, mac and cheese, green beans - Audrey won't like the fish sticks
Wednesday - Pizza - Audrey likes this
Thursday - Taco soup - Audrey hates this
Friday - Garlic Lime Chicken, baked potato, salad - Audrey will hate this
Some of you may wonder why some meals get repeated from week to week. Those are the meals that we didn't get to the week before. Maybe we needed to use up leftovers, maybe Papa John's had a 13 cent pizza deal, who knows!
P.S. You can find some of my recipes over at http://maybemartha.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday Menu (on Tuesday...)
Yes, it's hard to believe it's time for another installment on Menu Monday. And, of course, it's posted on Tuesday. This was because I actually didn't have my menus planned until today. Barring any changes, the next week will consist of:
Monday - BBQ pork sandwiches, tater tots, baby carrots (Audrey hated it)
Tuesday - tacos (Audrey hates them)
Wednesday - spaghetti (Audrey *usually* likes it - SHOCKER!!)
Thursday - grilled chicken breasts (grilled a while back and stored in the freezer), baked potatoes, and salad (Audrey will hate it)
Friday - creamed chicken, salad (Audrey will probably hate it) - this was supposed to be on the menu last week, but things got shuffled around.
On to life at our house - this whole past week has been a blur. Last week I was desperately trying to finish my 100 page scrapbook of our Hawaii trip. Winkflash was having a sale (that ends today) on their 10x8 books - 100 pages for $19.95. Considering that would usually be a $59 book, we decided I should take advantage of it. Of course, I'm too obsessive-compulsive to use unedited pictures, and I didn't regularly edit them 4 years ago, so I had a lot of work cut out for me. I did it, though!
Nathan started his vision therapy yesterday. Our insurance won't cover in-office therapy, so we're doing it at home with a computer program. It's not hard, it's just setting aside 20 minutes every day for it (along with homework, his reading proficiency paper, spelling words, and guitar practice). Well, it's time to go make the tacos. Bye!
Monday - BBQ pork sandwiches, tater tots, baby carrots (Audrey hated it)
Tuesday - tacos (Audrey hates them)
Wednesday - spaghetti (Audrey *usually* likes it - SHOCKER!!)
Thursday - grilled chicken breasts (grilled a while back and stored in the freezer), baked potatoes, and salad (Audrey will hate it)
Friday - creamed chicken, salad (Audrey will probably hate it) - this was supposed to be on the menu last week, but things got shuffled around.
On to life at our house - this whole past week has been a blur. Last week I was desperately trying to finish my 100 page scrapbook of our Hawaii trip. Winkflash was having a sale (that ends today) on their 10x8 books - 100 pages for $19.95. Considering that would usually be a $59 book, we decided I should take advantage of it. Of course, I'm too obsessive-compulsive to use unedited pictures, and I didn't regularly edit them 4 years ago, so I had a lot of work cut out for me. I did it, though!
Nathan started his vision therapy yesterday. Our insurance won't cover in-office therapy, so we're doing it at home with a computer program. It's not hard, it's just setting aside 20 minutes every day for it (along with homework, his reading proficiency paper, spelling words, and guitar practice). Well, it's time to go make the tacos. Bye!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The one where I introduce a new feature...
Well, I have succumbed again to the agonizing condition known as "blogger's block". Well, maybe it's not really known as that and I just made it up...anyway, it is real and I have it. So, as I've been lurking around other people's blogs I've noticed a couple of regular features. One is Favorite Friday, the other is Menu Monday. Seeing that I have a serious deficiency of originality, I've decided to try the Menu Monday. Of course, it is aptly fitting with the chaos in my life that I begin this feature on a Tuesday...
Monday - Cajun Stroganoff with salad (which ended up, due to time constraints, being green beans instead) - Audrey hated it
Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan, Rice, Salad - Dwayne and Audrey will hate it, possibly Nathan as well
Wednesday - Baked Tilapia with adobo seasoning, mac and cheese, green beans - Audrey will hate it
Thursday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches, tater tots, carrot sticks - Audrey will hate it, Nathan might
Friday - Creamed chicken over rice and salad - Audrey will probably hate it
I'm sure you can see the pattern. I love my children, but it gives me immense satisfaction that, after 6 years, someone ELSE gets to deal with my daughter for at least 1 meal a day.
On a totally random and unrelated note - I'm feeling relieved this afternoon. Nathan had an eye appointment today. It turns out he has convergence insufficiency, which is a tracking disorder. Now, usually finding out something is wrong with your child is not relieving, however I was worried that we wouldn't find any answers for some of the problems he's been having, so this is a good thing. (Was that a run-on sentence?) We're looking at eye therapy, but we may be able to avoid the nice and pricey dyslexia testing if this starts to help him. We're just waiting on insurance to let us know what they will and will not cover.
Well, that's all folks. Well, not really, but you don't really need to read all about the guitar lessons, gymnastics class, Awana, football, worship team, PTO, birthday, moving my grandmother to a retirement center, putting up a basketball goal, my kitchen is a total wreck schedule. I should probably go start the dishwasher so I have dishes for dinner...
Monday - Cajun Stroganoff with salad (which ended up, due to time constraints, being green beans instead) - Audrey hated it
Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan, Rice, Salad - Dwayne and Audrey will hate it, possibly Nathan as well
Wednesday - Baked Tilapia with adobo seasoning, mac and cheese, green beans - Audrey will hate it
Thursday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches, tater tots, carrot sticks - Audrey will hate it, Nathan might
Friday - Creamed chicken over rice and salad - Audrey will probably hate it
I'm sure you can see the pattern. I love my children, but it gives me immense satisfaction that, after 6 years, someone ELSE gets to deal with my daughter for at least 1 meal a day.
On a totally random and unrelated note - I'm feeling relieved this afternoon. Nathan had an eye appointment today. It turns out he has convergence insufficiency, which is a tracking disorder. Now, usually finding out something is wrong with your child is not relieving, however I was worried that we wouldn't find any answers for some of the problems he's been having, so this is a good thing. (Was that a run-on sentence?) We're looking at eye therapy, but we may be able to avoid the nice and pricey dyslexia testing if this starts to help him. We're just waiting on insurance to let us know what they will and will not cover.
Well, that's all folks. Well, not really, but you don't really need to read all about the guitar lessons, gymnastics class, Awana, football, worship team, PTO, birthday, moving my grandmother to a retirement center, putting up a basketball goal, my kitchen is a total wreck schedule. I should probably go start the dishwasher so I have dishes for dinner...
Monday, August 24, 2009
The one where I need your help...
Well, I officially need your help. I am going to enter the East Wichita News annual photography contest, and I need help deciding which photos to enter. There are 4 categories. I'll go in the order that the pictures are in this post, since they are pain in the rear to move around.
The first category we come to is Landscape/Seascape. I actually have already decided which one I'm going to submit. This is my favorite picture. What I feel is my best work (haha! "work"! don't I sound important!) I could use some help coming up with a title for this one, though.
The second category is Animal Kingdom. Our contestants are:
#1 - Brothers
#2 - The Kiss
The third category is Celebrate Wichita. I really don't have much for this category. Actually, it's just the same picture edited 2 different ways.
#1 - Old Town (color)
#2 - Old Town (B & W)
The final category is Human Interest. This is the hard one. My possibilities include:
#1 - Rylee
#2 - The Path
#3 - Logan
#4 - Audrey
#5 Nathan (I have to admit - he is slightly out of focus. But I still love this shot)
#6 - Fishing with Papa
#7 - Feeding Frenzy
#8 - Surfin'
#9 - The Runner (again, my subject is slightly out of focus, but I like this one, too)
#10 - Fishing #1 (I'm thinking I should even out that horizon...)
#11 - Fishing #2
#12 - Papa's Hands
#13 - Batter Up!
#14 - Summer Splash
#15 - Preston (of course, this entry would be dependent on his parents allowing me to submit a picture of their son...)
I would do a poll, but I don't think I could do such a convoluted thing, so please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Thanks!
The first category we come to is Landscape/Seascape. I actually have already decided which one I'm going to submit. This is my favorite picture. What I feel is my best work (haha! "work"! don't I sound important!) I could use some help coming up with a title for this one, though.
The second category is Animal Kingdom. Our contestants are:
#1 - Brothers
#2 - The Kiss
The third category is Celebrate Wichita. I really don't have much for this category. Actually, it's just the same picture edited 2 different ways.
#1 - Old Town (color)
#2 - Old Town (B & W)
The final category is Human Interest. This is the hard one. My possibilities include:#1 - Rylee
#2 - The Path
#3 - Logan
#4 - Audrey
#5 Nathan (I have to admit - he is slightly out of focus. But I still love this shot)
#6 - Fishing with Papa
#7 - Feeding Frenzy
#8 - Surfin'
#9 - The Runner (again, my subject is slightly out of focus, but I like this one, too)
#10 - Fishing #1 (I'm thinking I should even out that horizon...)
#11 - Fishing #2
#12 - Papa's Hands
#13 - Batter Up!
#14 - Summer Splash
#15 - Preston (of course, this entry would be dependent on his parents allowing me to submit a picture of their son...)
I would do a poll, but I don't think I could do such a convoluted thing, so please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The one where I should have gone to bed...
The Kiss
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Well, I'm resorting to an old standby when I don't know what to post - I post a picture from my Flickr account. I took this picture at the zoo earlier this month. I'll probably be posting more pictures in a few days. I'm planning on entering the East Wichita News Photography Contest. I need feedback on which pictures to choose. Well, I know at least one of the pictures I'm going to contribute, but I need some help selecting the others. I also need to post pictures of our vacation, and of Audrey's first day of kindergarten.
I feel like I am really struggling with worry right now. I am co-president of the PTO this year and am starting to freak out a little bit that under my co-leadership things will implode into a chaotic and strife-filled mess. No, I don't tend to over-dramatize, why do you ask? N is seriously hating school and has been in a little trouble this week, and I am worried about him and some concerns I have with his academics. I have been having pains in my knuckles and my doctor says I have the beginnings of Heberden's nodes, which is a sign of arthritis. I am wanting to find a Bible study to join and am unsure where to go. I have tried some community-wide ones in the past and have found them to be lacking the personal connection I'd like to find. There are a couple of churches I can try, but I always feel awkward coming in as an outsider. I feel like an intruder. Add some possibly painful decisions that D and I are trying to make regarding some of our involvements, the near-beginning of World War III at the kids' showers tonight, and a healthy (or, more accurately, un-healthy) dose of spiritual apathy on my part and you have a recipe for stress. And worry. And a pointlessly rambling blog entry being made well after I should have gone to bed. I debate whether I should post this or delete it and wonder if being transparent is all that bad. I know I don't do it often enough - not even with myself. Maybe I just feel like I need a little prayer. So I will post this and probably regret it, even though I just discovered how to delete a blog entry after it has been posted (I've been trying to figure out how to do that for some time now...). Maybe I'll leave it, or maybe I'll chicken out tomorrow and delete it.
For now, I'm just going to bed.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The one where I laugh my rear off...(part III)
Sorry for the technical difficulties of the previous post. It published the post with the font the same color as my background. Did you know I have been unable to find a way to delete a blog post? Anyhoo, here's another try...
This is from this site.
This is from this site.
AND HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN HE RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM HIS GYM....
From:Jeff Peters
Date: Wednesday 8 April 2009 10.22am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Membership Renewal
Dear David
This is a friendly reminder to let you know your gym membership expired last week. Your membership is important to us and we would like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation by offering you a 20% discount on your membership renewal. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
All the best, Jeff Peters
From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 April 2009 1.37pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Membership Renewal
Dear Jeff,
Thankyou for your friendly reminder and the kind offer to reduce my membership by twenty percent. I own a calculator but I could not work out how to do percentages on it so have estimated that I save around $372.10 off the normal price of $420.00 - Please confirm that this is correct and I will renew my membership immediately.
Also, do I get a Fitness First sports bag with towel and drinking bottle included in the price? I own my own legwarmers and headband.
Regards, David.
From: Jeff Peters
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 10.01am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Hello David
How did you come to that amount? Our half year membership fees are actually $460 but with the 20% discount as an existing member your renewing membership fee would be only $368 for the six months saving you almost $100 off the normal price. We are not Fitness First so do not have those bags.
Cheers, Jeff
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 10.18am
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Dear Jeff
Do I get free shipping with that?
Regards, David.
From: Jeff Peters
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 12.48pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Free shipping with what? The $368 covers your membership fees for six months.
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 April 2009 2.26pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Dear Jeff
By the power of Greyskull that is a lot of money but I admit to being in desperate need of increasing my body strength. My ten year old child often turns the taps off in the bathroom very tightly and I have to go several days without washing.
I feel bad constantly having to ask the lady from next door to come over and loosen them for me, what with her arthritis and limited wheelchair access to my apartment. To be honest, I originally joined your gym with full intentions of attending every few days but after waiting in vain for someone to offer me steroids, I began to suspect this was not going to happen and the realisation that I may have to exercise instead was, quite frankly, horrifying.
My aversion to work, along with the fact one of your employees, Justin, was rather rude, telling me to 'lift this', ''push that' dulled my initial enthusiasm of becoming muscular and I stopped attending.
Regards, David.
From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 9.17am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Hello David
Not sure how to take your email, nobody here would offer you steroids, it is illegal and none of our staff would do this. Justin is one of our most experienced trainers and if you found him rude while he was trying to be helpful and just doing his job then there are plenty of other gyms you could look at joining instead.
Cheers, Jeff
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 10.02am
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Dear Jeff
Yes, I have noticed that there are many gyms in my area. I assume the low qualification requirements of fitness trainers means that there is an over supply of these buffed but essentially otherwise purposeless professionals.
I knew a guy in high school who couldn't talk very well and collected sticks, he used to call the teacher 'mum' and during recess we would give him money to dance. Then sell him sticks to get our money back.
He went on to become a fitness instructor so I view gyms as kind of like those factories that provide a community service by employing people with down syndrome to lick stamps and pack boxes. Except with more Spandex obviously.
Regards, David.
From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 10.32am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Go f$*k yourself.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 11.38am
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Dear Jeff
I was, at first, quite surprised at your response; one minute you are inviting me to renew my membership and asking me for money, the next insulting me. After doing a little research however, I have learnt that mood swings are an expected side effect of steroid abuse.
As another side effect is a reduction in the size of your p#$%, this gives you understandable cause to be an angry person. I have also learnt that Spandex contains carcinogenic properties so this does not bode well for yourself and your shiny friends.
If I woke up one morning and my p#$% was a quarter of the size I would probably take my anger out on those around me as well.
There are probably support groups or websites that could help you manage your problem more effectively and picture based books available on the subject for people with limited reading skills. When I am angry I like to Listen to music by Linkin Park. The added angst and desire to cut myself works similarly to the way firefighters fight forest fires by burning off sections, effectively canceling each other out and I find myself at peace.
I understand that you guys usually listen to Pet Shop Boys or Frankie Goes to Hollywood so this may be worth a try.
Regards, David.
From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.04pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.15pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Ok.
From: Jeff Peters
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.25pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
Is that you being a smartarse or agreeing not to email me again?
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 April 2009 1.32pm
To: Jeff Peters
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Membership Renewal Due
The middle one.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The one where I laugh my rear off...(part II)
This is posted from http://emailsfromcrazypeople.com/.
From the same school of thought that brought us the “Seven Legged Spider”, I now present the latest in circular crazy logic. The goal here is to convince the antagonist, in this case the landlord, that you are so crazy as to not be worth their time. And it all began with this seemingly benign letter…
…which then led to this hilarious email exchange:
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 21 May 2009 10.16am
To: Helen Bailey
Subject: Pets in the buildingDear Helen,
Thankyou for your letter concerning pets in my apartment. I understand that having dogs in the apartment is a violation of the agreement due to the comfort and wellbeing of my neighbours and I am currently soundproofing my apartment with egg cartons as I realise my dogs can cause quite a bit of noise. Especially during feeding time when I release live rabbits.
Regards, David.
From: Helen Bailey
Date: Thursday 21 May 2009 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Pets in the buildingHello David
I have received your email and wish to remind you that the strata agreement states that no animals are allowed in the building regardless of if your apartment is soundproof. How many dogs do you have at the premises?
Helen
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 21 May 2009 1.52pm
To: Helen Bailey
Subject: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDear Helen,
Currently I only have eight dogs but one is expecting puppies and I am very excited by this. I am hoping for a litter of at least ten as this is the number required to participate in dog sled racing. I have read every Jack London novel in preparation and have constructed my own sled from timber I borrowed from the construction site across the road during the night. I have devised a plan which I feel will ensure me taking first place in the next national dog sled championships. For the first year of the puppies life I intend to say the word mush then chase them violently around the apartment while yelling and hitting saucepan lids together. I have estimated that the soundproofing of my apartment should block out at least sixty percent of the noise and the dogs will learn to associate the word mush with great fear so when I yell it on race day, the panic and released adrenaline will spur them on to being winners. I am so confident of this being a foolproof plan that I intend to sell all my furniture the day before the race and bet the proceeds on coming first place.
Regards, David.
From: Helen Bailey
Date: Friday 22 May 2009 9.43am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDavid, I am unsure what to make of your email. Do you have pets in the apartment or not?
Helen
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 22 May 2009 11.27am
To: Helen Bailey
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDear Helen,
No. I have a goldfish but due to the air conditioner in my apartment being stuck on a constant two degrees celcius, the water in its bowl is iced over and he has not moved for a while so I do not think he is capable of disturbing the neighbours. The ducks in the bathroom are not mine. The noise which my neighbours possibly mistook for a dog in the apartment is just the looping tape I have of dogs barking which I play at high volume while I am at work to deter potential burglars from breaking in and stealing my tupperware. I need it to keep food fresh. Once I ate leftover chinese that had been kept in an unsealed container and I experienced complete awareness. The next night I tried eating it again but only experienced chest pains and diarrhoea.
Regards, David.
From: Helen Bailey
Date: Friday 22 May 2009 1.46pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingHello David
You cannot play sounds of dogs or any noise at a volume that disturbs others. I am sure you can appreciate that these rules are for the benefit of all residents of the building. Fish are fine. You cannot have ducks in the apartment though. If it was small birds that would be ok.
Helen
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 22 May 2009 2.18pm
To: Helen Bailey
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDear Helen,
They are very small ducks.
Regards, David.
From: Helen Bailey
Date: Friday 22 May 2009 4.06pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDavid, under section 4 of the strata residency agreement it states that you cannot have pets. You agreed to these rules when you signed the forms. These rules are set out to benefit everyone in the building including yourself. Do you have a telephone number I can call you on to discuss?
Helen
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 22 May 2009 5.02pm
To: Helen Bailey
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDear Helen,
The ducks will no doubt be flying south for the winter soon so it will not be an issue. It is probably for the best as they are not getting along very well with my seventeen cats anyway. .
Regards, David.
From: Helen Bailey
Date: Monday 25 May 2009 9.22am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Pets in the buildingDavid, I am just going to write on the forms that we have investigated and you do not have any pets.
Helen
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The one where I laugh my rear off...
I am going to post a series of three of the most hilarious things I have ever read. They are from http://emailsfromcrazypeople.com/. Enjoy!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The one where I try to get back in the groove...
IMG_7435_edited-1
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Whew! We're back from our vacation. I know - you missed me and my incredibly regular posts!! It was 2-1/2 weeks of cool craziness. Here are some of the stats:
Days gone: 18
Miles traveled: over 3000
Hours spent in a car: over 52
States driven through/visited: 8
Vehicles involved: 4
Shuttle launch attempts: 2
Disney parks visited: 5
Pictures taken: over 1700
Places we stayed in: 3
Blindingly torrential rains driven through on the 1000 mile drive home: 3
Making it through all that with no child puking: priceless
I'll post more as I get the pictures edited.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The one where I try to win a new lens...
OK - here's the deal. Jodi over at MCP Actions Blog is having a giveaway this week. She's giving away a 28-300 mm lens. In order to enter, you have to post a link on your blog to the contest. So, this is my entry (not that I think I'll actually win, but you never know...). Since you're here, you might as well click on the link above and register to win, too!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The one where A takes a water balloon to the face...
picnic-029
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
This was at the church picnic last week. This was just too good not to share!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Overheard...
Tonight at dinner, A asked, "Mama? You know at church - is it Palm Sunday or Pom-pom Sunday?"
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The one where I beat my head against a brick wall, then call my realtor...
The saga of the crazy rental house continues...
There is a rental property in our cul-de-sac. When we moved here 6 years ago, there was a "hermit" of sorts living there. I think I saw him 2 or 3 times in the first 3-4 years we lived here. No real sign of him, except his truck with the open trailer he hauled behind it filled with various tools, or the occasional beer bottle and used condom in the island.
After he moved on a family moved in. Our kids were getting old enough to enjoy playmates, so I was glad to see toys in the yard shortly after I saw the moving truck. It was a family comprised of a Middle-Eastern man, his American wife (who had converted to Islam and wore the hijab), their 2 kids (ages 5 and 3) and her 2 kids (ages 11 and 12, I think...). As we got to know them, we found out the oldest boy (aged 11) had tried to commit suicide, was bipolar, and had been hospitalized for mental/emotional problems. While they lived there, the 12 year-old girl tried to commit suicide and was diagnosed as bipolar. It was not uncommon for the 5 year-old to come to our house and ask if we had seen the 3 year-old, since they hadn't seen her in a while and they wanted to know where she had gone. Because I'm not busy enough - I need to help my neighbors keep track of their preschoolers.
After they moved out, the house was rented to 2 single men, their girlfriends, and one of the girlfriend's brothers. Oh, and the guys each had a kid from a previous relationship who visited occasionally. After a few months I didn't see too much of them, either.
Last month, a new family moved in. They have 4 kids, who for the most part are sweet and our kids (usually) get along fairly well. They came from North Carolina, where they had been for a year for his job, which had been lost (not sure what happened, probably the economy). Last week, the kids were excited, telling us they were getting a puppy. According to one child, the puppy was a $300 puppy. Imagine my shock, considering the oldest girl has a black, rotted stump of a front tooth. I'm completely serious. That, and the back window in their pickup is broken out. I will be the first to confess I'm not that great with money, and am extremely prone to impulse shopping (thus the reason I try to avoid Hobby Lobby and Michaels like the Swine Flu...); however, I have enough sense to know that if your child is in serious need of dental care, you don't buy a $300 puppy, which will need to be fed and be a continuous drain on the budget!!! Last night the kids said some people were coming by to get the camera and some rings from their mom, which I can only assume meant they were being sold. To top it all off, today the oldest sister pointed a REAL LIVE BB GUN AT MY KIDS!!!!!!!!!! The mom was sleeping at the time, and the oldest boy freaked out when I told him (something about her finding the key when she wasn't supposed to, which she vehemently denied, blah, blah, blah). AAAAACK!
The moral of the story - always find out from your realtor if there are any rental houses near the house you want to buy. If there are, RUN! RUN FAR AWAY!!!
There is a rental property in our cul-de-sac. When we moved here 6 years ago, there was a "hermit" of sorts living there. I think I saw him 2 or 3 times in the first 3-4 years we lived here. No real sign of him, except his truck with the open trailer he hauled behind it filled with various tools, or the occasional beer bottle and used condom in the island.
After he moved on a family moved in. Our kids were getting old enough to enjoy playmates, so I was glad to see toys in the yard shortly after I saw the moving truck. It was a family comprised of a Middle-Eastern man, his American wife (who had converted to Islam and wore the hijab), their 2 kids (ages 5 and 3) and her 2 kids (ages 11 and 12, I think...). As we got to know them, we found out the oldest boy (aged 11) had tried to commit suicide, was bipolar, and had been hospitalized for mental/emotional problems. While they lived there, the 12 year-old girl tried to commit suicide and was diagnosed as bipolar. It was not uncommon for the 5 year-old to come to our house and ask if we had seen the 3 year-old, since they hadn't seen her in a while and they wanted to know where she had gone. Because I'm not busy enough - I need to help my neighbors keep track of their preschoolers.
After they moved out, the house was rented to 2 single men, their girlfriends, and one of the girlfriend's brothers. Oh, and the guys each had a kid from a previous relationship who visited occasionally. After a few months I didn't see too much of them, either.
Last month, a new family moved in. They have 4 kids, who for the most part are sweet and our kids (usually) get along fairly well. They came from North Carolina, where they had been for a year for his job, which had been lost (not sure what happened, probably the economy). Last week, the kids were excited, telling us they were getting a puppy. According to one child, the puppy was a $300 puppy. Imagine my shock, considering the oldest girl has a black, rotted stump of a front tooth. I'm completely serious. That, and the back window in their pickup is broken out. I will be the first to confess I'm not that great with money, and am extremely prone to impulse shopping (thus the reason I try to avoid Hobby Lobby and Michaels like the Swine Flu...); however, I have enough sense to know that if your child is in serious need of dental care, you don't buy a $300 puppy, which will need to be fed and be a continuous drain on the budget!!! Last night the kids said some people were coming by to get the camera and some rings from their mom, which I can only assume meant they were being sold. To top it all off, today the oldest sister pointed a REAL LIVE BB GUN AT MY KIDS!!!!!!!!!! The mom was sleeping at the time, and the oldest boy freaked out when I told him (something about her finding the key when she wasn't supposed to, which she vehemently denied, blah, blah, blah). AAAAACK!
The moral of the story - always find out from your realtor if there are any rental houses near the house you want to buy. If there are, RUN! RUN FAR AWAY!!!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Overheard...
In my car CD player there is a song with the lyrics "I was speeding down the subway...". After hearing this, A told me, "He just said he was speeding to get to Subway!"
Gotta love those $5 foot longs!
Gotta love those $5 foot longs!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
'Nuff said
Just what I've always wanted!
Does anyone else find this as funny as I do? Place your vote on the right!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Art, Schmart!
This week is staff appreciation at N's school. I, being co-chair of the Staff Appreciation Committee, am co-coordinating Wednesday's Italian-themed luncheon. (That's a lot of co-ing...) My partner in crime for said meal is Natalie, a fantastic lady who has recently come to our school. As we have discovered, Italy is a little harder to decorate for than, say, Mexico, especially considering that today is Cinco de Mayo and all the stores are teeming with cute party favors. Part of what we decided to do was to get some pictures/clip art, project them on the wall and trace a large "abstract" version to put on the wall. We decided on the leaning tower of Pisa, the coliseum, and Michelangelo's David sculpture. As I was scouring the internet for these items, I came across the above picture. Well, the above picture without my tasteful editing. Um, I guess that by going to a Christian high school I must have only seen waist-up pictures of our boy there. I was, uh, amazed by the level of detail in the sculpture. Indeed, some hilarious reference was made regarding the "cauliflower". Yeah. When we projected the image on the wall, he was tall enough that we had to do it in 2 sections. As I was tracing Mr. David's lower half, his...manhood...was inches from my face. I know that this is a feeble attempt to convey the hilarity of the situation, but let's just say Natalie and I were about to bust a gut from laughing! That and we were quite concerned that someone, say, the principal (or worse - a student!), would discover us in a dark room with a naked man projected on the wall with his jewels inches from our faces.
The things I do for my kids...
***edit***
I realize that some of you may be wondering why we would trace a naked man to display in the teacher's lounge. Our theme for the week is a cruise around the world, so we made a cruise-ship shaped modesty patch to cover his "parts". And no, we didn't trace any of those parts!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Well, at least she was close...
Audrey: Mocha, do you know about your vines?
Mocha (my mom): Vines?
Audrey: Yes, Mocha. The vines in your body?
Mocha: What vines in your body?
Audrey: You know - the vines that carry your blood?
Mocha: Oh - you mean veins?
Audrey: Yeah, veins.
Mocha (my mom): Vines?
Audrey: Yes, Mocha. The vines in your body?
Mocha: What vines in your body?
Audrey: You know - the vines that carry your blood?
Mocha: Oh - you mean veins?
Audrey: Yeah, veins.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
snow day
snow day
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Oh my! I have been a rather naughty blogger. Nothing too exciting to report. Or maybe it's just me - feeling sort of blah. I'm thinking of revamping the morning routine for the kids next year. I'm trying to escape that hell known as breakfast-with-a-five-year-old-daughter. And the other hell known as trying-to-get-an-easily-distracted-seven-year-old-boy-dressed. About this time of year you should all avoid my house before school. Avoid it like the plague. If not, you're apt to see smoke coming out of my ears and my head spinning completely around, a la The Exorcist. (Well, I think that's the movie. I've never actually seen it. I did see the first Scream movie, and that confirmed my extreme loathing of the genre. But I digress...) Next year we will try getting up, brushing teeth, getting dressed, then eating. Because they can go to school hungry if it is their fault for goofing off or REFUSING TO EAT THEIR WAFFLE BECAUSE IT WAS CUT THE WRONG WAY!!!!!!!!! (yes, this happened last week), but they can't go to school in their jammies. Sorry - had to vent there. This year the routing is get up, eat, brush teeth, get dressed (while mom is screaming at you "THE BUS IS COMING AND YOU'RE STILL IN YOUR UNDERWEAR!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" Ahhh- I feel better now).
I've been taking a photo editing class online and I'm really enjoying it. I'm learning a lot, although I think I may be going a bit too far and tweaking the pics excessively. I'll have to post some and get opinions. The picture above is from the back fence after the snow/ice storm last week. It's a good thing I got this when I did - a few minutes later the kids noticed the icicles and said "Lunch!" You see, they LOOOOVE to eat snow and ice. I figure why fight it, especially if it doesn't come from directly on the ground, the car, or the garbage dumpster. Last year we also got the "yellow snow" lesson when the neighbor's dog came out, so I feel fairly confident they'll avoid that. Next week I'm starting a 4-week basic digital photography course at City Arts. Maybe this summer I can take the advanced one. I also ordered a zoom lens for my birthday. I can't wait for it to get here. Every day I check the mailbox with baited breath. (Stupid ebay merchants who don't email you and let you know when they shipped it!!) That will be great fun, especially for soccer games.
Hmmm...that's all I want to say today. I need to do the next lesson in my photo editing class before going shopping with my sister for clothes for the kids' pictures. Three kids, one toddler, and two infants in one picture. Yeah. That will be an adventure. I think it's a really good thing that I don't drink. Otherwise, I'd have a problem.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ramblings
How's that for a title? I almost just titled it "February 18". Creative, huh? It's been a busy week. The screen died on our laptop, so we've been transferring files and programs to a different computer. It's been going fairly smoothly, except for my Photoshop Elements catalog, which took me one evening (until 1:00 a.m.) and most of the following day to figure out. I'm not sure I did it right, but it's done. I've also been getting my "ducks in a row" to possibly start subbing at a preschool. I figure it will be a good part-tine job that will let continue to be involved in the kids' school, too. I've had to round up references (a little tricky, considering most of the directors/administrators I've worked under have either retired or moved out-of-state), get a tuberculosis test, fill out an application, and take a childhood illnesses/abuse recognition class (done last night) and a first aid/CPR class (will be done on Saturday). I've also had my first cold of the season, which is good (good that it's the first), but it has been holding on FOREVER!! I'm ready to be done with coughing. I am constantly amazed at the amount of mucus one human body can produce.
Anyway, I've discovered an absolute gem of a website for those of you who use Photoshop or Elements. She has *FREE* actions that are awesome! If you use Elements, you know actions for that program are fairly rare. I'm trying to upload a series of edits to show you, but my computer/internet is being retarded right now and not cooperating. I'll keep trying.
As I wait for the upload, I'll tell you that A is reading! Just small, short-vowel words, but she's sounding them out. She read a lot of Hop On Pop by herself yesterday. A couple weeks ago she had a dental appointment. They usually go well, but this one was pretty cute. When they went to take her x-rays, they got the front one just fine. When they tried to do the back one a look of terror came acrosee her face. She then told the hygenist about how she had choked on a carrot (over 1 year ago) and had to have x-rays. The hygenist showed her the x-rays they took when she was 4 to show her she'd had it done before and had been fine. When she heard that, A asked, "Was I brave when I was 4?" How cute is that? Anyway, the rear x-rays were a no go. Maybe in August. The craziest part of this is the carrot incident didn't faze her when it comes to horsing around at the table, which was the cause of the whole ordeal.
Ok - the upload is (finally) finished. The first picture is the original. It was extremely underexposed.
Here I made several screen layers to lighten the image.
Then I took the image and ran several of the coffeeshop actions.
I have no idea why it put a square on her head.
Anyway, I've discovered an absolute gem of a website for those of you who use Photoshop or Elements. She has *FREE* actions that are awesome! If you use Elements, you know actions for that program are fairly rare. I'm trying to upload a series of edits to show you, but my computer/internet is being retarded right now and not cooperating. I'll keep trying.
As I wait for the upload, I'll tell you that A is reading! Just small, short-vowel words, but she's sounding them out. She read a lot of Hop On Pop by herself yesterday. A couple weeks ago she had a dental appointment. They usually go well, but this one was pretty cute. When they went to take her x-rays, they got the front one just fine. When they tried to do the back one a look of terror came acrosee her face. She then told the hygenist about how she had choked on a carrot (over 1 year ago) and had to have x-rays. The hygenist showed her the x-rays they took when she was 4 to show her she'd had it done before and had been fine. When she heard that, A asked, "Was I brave when I was 4?" How cute is that? Anyway, the rear x-rays were a no go. Maybe in August. The craziest part of this is the carrot incident didn't faze her when it comes to horsing around at the table, which was the cause of the whole ordeal.
Ok - the upload is (finally) finished. The first picture is the original. It was extremely underexposed.
Here I made several screen layers to lighten the image.
Then I took the image and ran several of the coffeeshop actions.
I have no idea why it put a square on her head.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
bucket of love
bucket of love
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Ah, if only the contents of my laundry basket were always so sweet!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
25 things about me
October orange
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
I thought I'd post my Facebook list of 25 things about me . I may add to this list as I think of things.
1. I had hoped to avoid compiling one of these lists. However, in the last 14 hours I have been tagged in 3 other lists.
2. I wish I had done this when it was only 16 Things About Me.
3. I cannot stand repetitive banging noises (kinda funny, since I have 2 kids).
4. I love sauerkraut.
5. I can't stand sausage.
6. I don't like the taste of alcohol. Why anyone would spoil a perfectly good pina colada (nature's perfect drink) with rum is beyond me...
7. I graduated from high school when I was 15.
8. I skipped grades 3, 8, and 1/2 of 12th. (see #7)
9. I had a substantial head wound and subsequent infection at birth. I was supposed to be blind, deaf, retarded, or some combination of the above.
10. I was born in a military hospital in Germany (see #9)
11. I was the WSU Woman of the Year in 1995.
12. I wish I had chosen a different major in college.
13. When I tried to get a copy of my birth certificate a few years ago (the original had been lost) I discovered that the state department had lost the record of my birth. Fortunately, I had a photocopy of the original so I could get another one issued. And, after all that, my mother found the original.
14. I hate ketchup, except in meatloaf.
15. My first crush was Benji Hillhouse in 4th grade. He wore a skinny tie...
16. I REALLY wish I had done this list earlier so I could stop here.
17. I have had surgery twice: wisdom teeth removed in 1990 and gall bladder removed in 2007.
18. I have been addicted to Carmex.
19. I have not seen a chick flick (with the exception of Pride and Prejudice, Phantom of the Opera, and In Her Shoes) since 1999. Incidentally, that is the year I got married...
20. I am starting to get into photography, especially since I got my cool new camera for Christmas.
21. I hate fast-food hamburgers. Wendy's McDonald's, Burger King, Spangles - all nasty!
22. I am a game nazi. I can't stand having game pieces out to get lost or destroyed. The strict rule in our house is you don 't get another game out until the first one is put away. No exceptions, or else it's "No game for you!"
23. I am a Sci-fi junkie. Star Trek (all except the first few seasons of Voyager - yuck!), Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, Firefly. I love 'em!
24. We don't have cable, so don't ask me about Battlestar Galactica. Haven't seen it (see #23)
25. My best friend is Tracy Booker. We became friends on the way back from New Life Ranch, probably in 1986 or 1987.When I saved her a seat, my friend Rebecca told me she wanted to sit with the "popular people" (I'm serious - she actually said that to me!). So, I sat with Tracy and we shared McDonaldland cookies and endured the several hour "ride from hell". Giant tour bus, no working air conditioner, no opening windows, July in Oklahoma and Kansas. Yeah, it was hell. The bus ride, not the friendship. ;-)
26. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
My sense of humor
I got this in an email today and was cracking up. Yes, I find this sort of thing hilarious!
Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
Here are the winners:
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near
future.
6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido : All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
And the winners are:
1. Coffee , n. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted , adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate , v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4 esplanade , v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly , adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent , adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. Lymph , v. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle , n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence , n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash , n. A rapidly receding hairline..
11. Testicle , n. A humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude , n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon , n.. A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster , n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism , n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent , n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
Here are the winners:
1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near
future.
6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido : All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.) : Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.
And the winners are:
1. Coffee , n. The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted , adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
3. Abdicate , v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4 esplanade , v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly , adj. Impotent.
6. Negligent , adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.
7. Lymph , v. To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle , n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence , n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash , n. A rapidly receding hairline..
11. Testicle , n. A humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude , n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon , n.. A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster , n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism , n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent , n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Oww!
flower girl
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Nothing much to post today except that my calf muscles want to die right now. Walking is extremely painful. I think we might have pushed a *little* too hard during Monday's PT session. These are the days I really don't care for living in a house with 4 levels and 3 sets of stairs. Today's PT session skipped the exercise that induced my agony, but replaced it with several other crazy activities that had me wanting to pass out. Note to self: when going to therapy DO NOT wear a sweater!! I was sweating so bad I wanted to lose my top. I don't think they would have appreciated that...
Well, I need to hobble downstairs to get meat out of the freezer, then hobble up 2 sets of stairs to get to the kitchen to start dinner. Anybody got any morphine?
Monday, January 26, 2009
He makes it!
He makes it!
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Not too much going on here. Oh wait, yes there is! Nothing monumental, though. Mostly working around my physical therapy, which is 3 times a week. My ankle feels more stable when I walk without my brace, so I think it's helping. I'm finishing up my class this week, and need to seriously clean my house for the Superbowl party. Yuk! I think there must be a secret dust manufacturing plant in my house. That and getting ready for the Valentine's parties at the kids' schools.
N made a basket last week during his basketball game. It wasn't his first one, but it was the first one when I had my camera ready...He is the blue shirt #4 in the video. As I type this, A is loving her Dora movie from the Library.
"Swiper, no swiping! Swiper, no swiping! Swiper, no swiping!" " Oh, maaaaaaaan!"
"I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map... I'M THE MAP."
"Backpack! Backpack! Backpack! Backpack! Yeah!"
Sheesh! Who comes up with this stuff? Although I must admit, it *is* better than PeeWee's Playhouse. *shudder* Well, the bus is here and I must start dinner.
Cheerio!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Jump!
100_0631
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Well, here's another trip down memory lane. This was the day N finally realized how to keep himself upright in his "super suit" (I called it that because that's my favorite part of the Incredibles, when Frozone needs his super suit and is wife won't tell him where it is...that is hilarious!). He must have gone off the diving board 50 times in a row, all while holding the green turtle thermometer. Where have the last 4 years gone?
Anyhoo - I started PT for my sprained ankle, which is 3x a week for a couple of weeks (dr. ordered 4, therapist thinks 2 might cut it, so we'll see). I'm also in week 2 of another online class for me recertification. One more week to go! This week N brought home a joke book from the library. Who needs waterboarding as a torture technique when you have a barely literate 7-year-old butchering jokes NON-STOP? It wouldn't be so bad if he could read better. I get things like, "What...did the...sp...sp....sp...spingle...say when he got...murred...at the...g...g...gostel?" Don't get me wrong - I'm glad Mr. "I don't really like school" is having fun reading, but does it have to be so painful? A lesson in patience, I guess...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Big girl
Big girl
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
Well, I'm not sure what to post, so some days I may just travel back in time and relive the good old days (as opposed to the good new days!). Enjoy!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
This is only a test...
Megan's party-1
Originally uploaded by jen_lancaster
...to see if I have truly fixed my Flickr settings. This was taken at a birthday party A attended last weekend. Let's see if it worked!
Woo-hoo! It worked!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Tale of Two Cameras
I wanted to show you a picture of my new baby:
This is my Christmas present: A Canon Rebel XSi 12.2 mega-pixel DSLR camera. Yes, I have graduated from the point-and-shoot to the grown-up camera world! Today I have had it for 4 weeks and I have taken 1500 pictures. Needless to say, I've been *slightly* busy editing all those pictures...I wanted to show you some go-kart pictures I took.
OK, it might be hard to tell, but I had a hard time focusing on this one, and once it did focus it took a moment to actually take the picture. Very difficult with a fast-moving target.
See how much more focused this is? And I'm still figuring out how to use it! Anyway, I really stoked (haha - there's a word you don't hear much anymore -thank goodness!)! And having too much fun!
This is my Christmas present: A Canon Rebel XSi 12.2 mega-pixel DSLR camera. Yes, I have graduated from the point-and-shoot to the grown-up camera world! Today I have had it for 4 weeks and I have taken 1500 pictures. Needless to say, I've been *slightly* busy editing all those pictures...I wanted to show you some go-kart pictures I took.
OK, it might be hard to tell, but I had a hard time focusing on this one, and once it did focus it took a moment to actually take the picture. Very difficult with a fast-moving target.
See how much more focused this is? And I'm still figuring out how to use it! Anyway, I really stoked (haha - there's a word you don't hear much anymore -thank goodness!)! And having too much fun!
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