Luke wanted to go to the party too

But, we had fun at home.

Harvest Party

Joe and Lydia went as

Leonard daVinci

And the Mona Lisa

Twins

Click Here to read this amazing story.

I like colorful food

This is:

• Chicken
• Red Peppers
• Black Olives
• Tomatoes
• Onion
• Avocado
  

Yummy!

Apple Picking

We like to go to orchard about 50 miles north of us... and "pick" apples. Should we get Jonamacs? Or Honeycrisp? Or both????

Our dear, darling baby....

The other day I called home in the middle of the day to talk to mom.
Mom answered the phone: "Hi Honey."
Sarah yells: "Hi Becca!"
I was astonished. "Mom, how does she know it's me?"
Mom said: "I have no idea."

So, then last night we were talking about it and Katie had this brilliant idea.
"Maybe Mom only calls you 'honey' so that's why Sarah knew it was you. Stephanie, what does Mom call you?"
Stephanie: "Sweetheart."
Katie: "See? She only calls Rebecca 'honey'. I know how to prove it. Sarah, where is 'honey'?"
Sarah immediately pointed to herself and said: "Me."
We thought this was hilarious and so Katie continued to ask her: "Where is 'sweetheart'?"
Again, Sarah points to herself: "Me"
Katie tried one more: "Where is 'dear'?"
Sarah pointed to herself a third time, then changed her mind and pointed behind her at the man on the couch: "Daddy"

Bedroom

I bought this awesome wall sculpture at Hobby Lobby this weekend. They were having an incredible sale!!! Can you believe I got this for $20!?!

Here it is lit up... I just couldn't resist putting some twinkle lights around it.

Also, here's a shot of my bedroom colors...

This might be a little redundant...

But I couldn't pass up this cute sign.

in my kitchen...

Living Room

Here is my ugly carpet.

Since replacing or tearing it up is not an option we had to work with it.

A lot of our living room furniture is black... And we also had a lot of burgundy things.We covered the rocking chair with the burgundy.

Made some pillows... (yes, I know there are still pins in that pillow...) Actually, it all turned out pretty cute!

Katie also made this darling curtain for the front door. Here's some closeup detail.

More Pirates...

Here's The Modern Major General number from the Pirates of Penzance... with SUBTITLES!!! which is fantastic... especially at the end when he sings it so fast you can't understand a word... but, it's really amazing!!!

Here's an interesting tid-bit. Gilbert and Sullivan wrote Pirates while they were in America involved in a different kind of piracy. Copyright piracy. See America "pirated" their last opera "HMS Pinafore" changed a bunch of things and didn't pay any royalties. So, while Gilbert and Sullivan were over in New York investigating... they penned another opera... on the subject of piracy.

My Peeps...

You wouldn't believe how heavy this boy isSee what happened when Luke let go???

We call it "The Slide"

Our boys think they are super heroes

I think this is the "Buzz Lightyear" pose... but it might be "Superman"...

more house pictures

Bathroom

Sisters

Piano

My kitchen

Steph helped me remove the cabinet doors above the sink so we could have a shelf for cute things
Teeny-tiny stove

Baker's Rack

Pirates of Penzance - With cat-like tread

From Gilbert and Sullivan's ingenius opera "The Pirates of Penzance"
With Cat Like Tread- forte.... :-)


here's the lyrics for anyone that doesn't know them.

PIRATES: With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal;
In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel.
No sound at all! We never speak a word;
A fly's foot-fall Would be distinctly heard--

POLICE: (softly) Tarantara, tarantara!

PIRATES: So stealthily the pirate creeps,
While all the household soundly sleeps.

Come, friends, who plough the sea,
Truce to navigation; Take another station;
Let's vary piracee With a little burglaree!

POLICE: (softly) Tarantara, tarantara!

SAMUEL: (distributing implements to various members of the gang)
Here's your crowbar and your centrebit,
Your life-preserver--you may want to hit!
Your silent matches, your dark lantern seize,
Take your file and your skeletonic keys.

POLICE: Tarantara!

PIRATES: With cat-like tread

POLICE: Tarantara!

PIRATES: in silence dread,

ALL (fortissimo): With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal;
In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel.
No sound at all! We never speak a word;
A fly's foot-fall Would be distinctly heard!

Come, friends, who plough the sea,
Truce to navigation; Take another station;
Let's vary piracee With a little burglaree!

With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal,
In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel.



Another good place to hear this song... if you come over to my house... and all my sisters are there... and if the upstairs neighbor isn't home...

The only thing better than apple cider on a fall evening....

Is HOT apple cider on a fall evening...

Mozarella Meat Rolls

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg
3/4 cup cracker crumbs (or croutons or whatever you have.. I used crushed Doritos....)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce, or salsa, or anything tomato based, actually)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
at this point I suggest adding whatever spices you like. I like Spike. red pepper flakes are good too.... whatever you want
2 cups shredded mozzarella (mozz is really the best, but cheddar works, too)
1/2 cup brown sugar


Combine beef, egg, cracker crumbs, onions, half of the tomato sauce and oregano. Shape on waxed paper (or aluminum foil) into a 10x12 inch rectangle. or something like that... :-) (like a jellyroll) Sprinkle cheese on and roll up into a 10 inch long roll and place in a greased bread pan. (remove the foil or waxed paper or whatever you used.) Pour 1/2 cup brown sugar into the remaining tomato sauce, then pour all over the top of the meat. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 min.

I love The Incredibles!

BOB (MR. INCREDIBLE)

The robot's in the financial district. Which exit do I
take?

HELEN (ELASTIGIRL)

Traction Avenue.

BOB (MR. INCREDIBLE)
That'll take me downtown. I take Seventh, don't I?

HELEN (ELASTIGIRL)

Don't take Seventh!

BOB (MR. INCREDIBLE)

Great, we missed it!

HELEN (ELASTIGIRL)

You asked me how to get there and I told you. Exit at
Traction!

BOB (MR. INCREDIBLE)

That'll take me downtown!

HELEN (ELASTIGIRL)

He's coming up! Get in the right lane! Signal!

BOB (MR. INCREDIBLE)

Not Traction!

HELEN (ELASTIGIRL)

You're gonna miss it!

I stole this from Katie's blog

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Rebecca
2. Jak
3. Becca

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU'VE HAD
1. flowershopgirl
2. ditto
3. ditto

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF
1. physical things???
2. like the way I look????
3. hmmm...... oh well, looks like I used up all the spaces...

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF
1. I only get three???
2.
3.


THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE
1. German
2. Irish
3. Swiss

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU
1. Snakes
2. Loneliness.
3. anger

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS
1. Food
2. music
3. my peeps :-)

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW
1. Jeans
2. blue stone ring (Lia Sophia, yummy)
3. new socks

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/MUSICAL ARTISTS
1. Nichole Nordeman
2. Vivaldi
3. Gershwin

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS
1. I only get three?!?!?!?!?!??!?
2. Almost all of Nichole Nordeman
3. Show tunes, big band, 40s, ok, I'm cheating..

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
1. writing a novel
2. ummm... writing a novel....
3. being happy all the time

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP
1. what kind of relationship???
2. I like when people listen when I talk and actually show interest in my interests
3. When the other person calls/writes me first.

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
1. why would
2. I lie?
3. No lies from me...

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU
1. ummm.... they're not emotional (at least not all the time....)
2. they're stronger which comes in handy when you need to open a jar of spaghetti sauce...
3. seriously... men are the balance to woman and vice versa, so that's a good thing

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES
1. Reading new books and old favs
2. Writing, makes me twittery and jittery and all around excited
3. singing, movies, cooking, being alone, thinking, cuddling with babies... ok, I'm cheating again...

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW
1. Write
2. watch my house clean itself
3. Read

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING
1. not really considering anything... but if I were...
2. something in design
3. ok, now for the real truth. Homemaker. it's a career. I promise

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION
1. Australia
2. Seattle
3. England

THREE KID'S NAMES
1. Melody
2.Felicity
3.Havilah

THREE THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE
1. Get married and have children
2.write something and have it published
3.make a difference.

THREE WAYS I'M STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL
1. I cry at movies and books
2. I like to fuss over my hair, makeup, clothes, etc.
3. I'm hard to read, I think... very girly, right???, I LOVE to take care of people, I'm fuss over other people's injuries, hurts, etc....

ok, cheating again... I'm very stereotypically a girl

THREE WAYS I'M STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY
1. um, I'm not
2. ditto
3. ditto


ok, well, what do you all think??? anyone want to play this game with me???

Miss Potter

"You see, we cannot stay home all our lives. We must present ourselves to the world and we must look upon it as an adventure!"

Amelia: "I have decided that you and I are going to be friends."
Miss Potter: "Have you?"
Amelia: "Well, Noman tells me that you're unmarried, as am I, and that you're not unhappy about it. And I can't tell you how much that pleases me."
Amelia's Mother: "Why can't you talk about the weather like other girls?"
Amelia: "Well, all the other unmarried daughters in our circle-and believe me there are a great many- they sit around all day gossiping and unaccountably bursting into tears. But YOU have done something. You've written a book. I warn you, I am prepared to like you very much."
Miss Potter: "Well, in that case, I shall have to like you too, Miss Warne."

needless to say, I finally saw Miss Potter. I LOVED it.

Busy!

Hi!! Dear faithful (or maybe not so faithful) blog readers

I think life may be getting a little back to normal for me... I have big plans to take pictures of my new house to share with you all... in fact I was planning to work on that this morning, BUT my sister borrowed the camera for the weekend. So, I'll do that for you next week.

This weekend we have another football game to go to at our local U. Plus, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa! And a pile of work to finish here at the house.

I'm just glad the computer is working again!!! Beware!!! it is possible to get a really bad virus in the first hour that you have your internet connected!! It may requre 3 hour phone calls with your tech service guy... btw... THANKS DAVE!!!

all right, well, I gotta get to some things. I'll talk to you all later!!! have a great weekend!

Last night...

We had our first dinner guests in our new house!!! Just three sisters, but they seemed to like it.


A friend of mine always says: "You're only a guest the first time."



But, in the case of sisters... they aren't even guests the first time.

They came in, rolled up their sleeves and helped us cook!

Toy Story

AKA: "Buzz and Woody" Luke's birthday movie.

"Buzz Lightyear Mission Log. Stardate 4072: My ship has run off course en route to sector 12. I've crash landed on a strange planet. The impact must have awoken me from hyper-sleep.on the squishy surface of the bed. Terrain seems a bit unstable... No read-out yet if the air is breathable... and there seems to be no sign of intelligent life anywhere --"







ALIEN #1 A stranger!

ALIEN #2 From the outside!

ALIENS Oo-o-o-o-o-o...

BUZZ Greetings! I am Buzz Lightyear! I come in peace!

ALIENS Tell us! What is it like outside?

"The Last Sin Eater"

An old Welsh tradition. The people's need for a savior. Instead of turning to Christ... they appointed one man among them to live forever as an outcast, only coming into their midst when one of them died. He performed a ritual. And for a price, "ate" their lifetime of sins. Took them upon himself. Pawned his own soul for theirs. He was the scapegoat, so that they could come before God with a clean soul.

This book The Last Sin Eater is the story of a people that adopted this practice. It's about the man that became the Sin Eater.

I highly recommend this book. It caused me to look at salvation in a whole new way. Jesus Christ was the ultimate sin eater.

It's a little spooky in the beginning... but tough it out... you'll be so glad you finished!!!!

Today....

Is my little brother's 6th birthday.
Yippee!!!!!!

French Toast for breakfast.... more excitement to follow....

Lincoln

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

-Abraham Lincoln

moving

tonight I moved all of the rest of my things into the new house. my room is very empty. it's very sad. like a ghost town. tonight, i'm sleeping on the couch.

The young girl passed...

... And in passing she looked at him.

She looked at him steadily, with a sweet and thoughtful look

which made Marius tremble from head to foot.

It seemed to him that she reproached him for having been so long without coming to her,

and that she said:

"It is I who have come."

Marius was bewildered by these eyes

full of flashing light and fathomless abysses.

He felt as though his brain were on fire.

She had come to him, what happiness!!

And then, how she had looked at him!

She seemed more beautiful than she had ever seemed before.

Beautiful with a beauty which combined all of the woman with all of the angel,

a beauty which would have made Petrarch sing and Dante kneel.

He felt as though he was swimming in the deep-blue sky.

At the same time he was horrible disconcerted,

because he had

a little dust

on his boots.

-Les Miserables

Victor Hugo

answers

I got some questions from my Big News post, so I thought I'd answer some questions here.

Two of my sisters and I are moving into a little house by ourselves. It's turning out to be quite an adventure!!!! First, I have to say that we have the full support of our parents, in fact the house we are renting belongs to my dad... so he is our landlord. We are moving about a grand total of 1.3 miles from mom and dad's house, so we can stop over anytime we want.

We're excited about having our own place to decorate and take care of. We're also a little anxious about being on our own though. It's all very bittersweet.

In all my lo0king ahead to the future I never imagined that I would live away from home before I got married. But, God's plans are much different, I guess!!! I'm trusting Him totally. I know that this move will be good for us.

Well, I'm busy, busy packing and trucking stuff over to the new house so I better scoot.

One piece of advice. Spring clean. It's very good. And then maybe you won't have so much to do when you have to move.

All right. I'll try to keep up with this regularly this week. We're getting internet at our new house Wednesday!! Now, to get the computer over there... Actually, first we have to get something to set the computer on....

Cranfest

Big plans for the weekend!!! You can click on the link below to see where I'm going this weekend!!

I hope it will be relaxing... I know I need a break from all the painting/organizing/ packing/moving, etc... but, I really want to get it done!!!! Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Cranfest WEBSITE

Weird....

Only great minds can read this.This is weird, but interesting!



fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!





so... did you get it?

Brave

The gate is wide

The road is paved in moderation

The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in

Welcome to the middle ground

You're safe and sound and

Until now it's where I've been

'Cause it's been fear that ties me down to everything

But it's been love,

Your love, that cuts the strings

So long status quo

I think I just let go

You make me want to be brave

The way it always was

Is no longer good enough

You make me want to be brave

Brave, brave

I am small

And I speak when I'm spoken to

But I am willing to risk it all

I say Your name

Just Your name and I'm ready to jump

Even ready to fall...

Why did I take this vow of compromise?

Why did I try to keep it all inside?

I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame

Every storm will start with just a drop of rain

But if you believe in me

That changes everything

-Brave, Nichole Nordeman

Big News!!

I'm moving into a new house! A teeny, tiny little house, but I really don't mind...

I've been super busy, painting and organizing stuff. It's gonna be great once it all gets done, but right now it feels like a mountain that I'll never get over!!

Also, my family got some new computers and switched things around and the grand total is that I dont' have a computer to use! Well, I have to beg time on Dad's office computer or the kids school computer. (right now, Lydia is standing over my shoulder "um, are you almost done? I have to get on there for school.")

So... until we move I may not be able to get on here much. Sorry! I'll update whenever I can. Hopefully, I can still manage to update at least a few times a week.

I'll do my best! I love blogging! It's my creative writing outlet everyday. You can sure bet I'm not going to give it up altogether!

*giggle*

MIAMI, Fla. -- A bold thief was grabbed by a grandmother after trying to run off with her purse.
85 year-old Marta Suarez may have looked like an easy target... But she wasn't.
Suarez is a former track star from Cuba.
When the would-be robber tried to run off with her money, she chased him down. An officer who was in the area saw the chase and took over.
The officer arrested the suspected purse-snatcher who was wanted for an attempted break-in nearby.

Krispy Kreme

I may have to admit that I have never had a Krispy Kreme donut...
Click on Donut Boy
Donut Boy



After seeing this report... I think I'll have to make it a point to try one!

On Aging

I deliver flowers to lots of people, in lots of different situations. It's quite an experience. You just never know what you're going to walk into.

The other day I drove to a retirement home and climbed a flight of stairs lugging a *heavy* vase of 2 dozen pink roses. I knocked on the door and a little old grandma answered the door. She was small, approx. 5'2", 100 lbs maybe soaking wet, 85-ish... I carried the flowers in to her apartment and set them on the kitchen counter, per the customers' request. The little "grandma" was just delighted.

"Oh, aren't they beautiful! Thank you so much!!!"

Then, with a sly look at me and a little elbow poke in my rib... "It really pays to get older."

I couldn't help giggling a little. "I'll remember that!"

"Oh, honey," she said "I wouldn't try it."

Uh... I'm not sure how I can avoid it....

Just Because

I love Sarah Beth!

Princess Bride

Inigo and the Dread Pirate Roberts are having a duel....

Inigo: I admit it, you are better than I am.

Dread Pirate Roberts:Then why are you smiling?

Inigo: Because I know something you don't know.

Dread Pirate Roberts:And what is that?

Inigo: I am not left-handed. (switches sword to right hand and resumes fighting)

Dread Pirate Roberts:You're amazing!

Inigo: I ought to be after twenty years.

Dread Pirate Roberts:There is something I ought to tell you.

Inigo: Tell me.

Dread Pirate Roberts:I'm not left-handed either.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!??!

The band welcomes the home team

Friends

Little fans

Trouble

Leona Helmsley left $12 million big ones to her dog... nothing for the two grandchildren. I wonder how the dog will spend the 12 mil???

You can read all about it
here

New Profile Picture...

Old one

New one

Votes?

Memories of 9/11

Septeber 11th, 2001.

Yes, I remember where I was when I heard. I know what I was wearing.

I remember how it felt to realize the enormity of what was happening.

The tragedy.

The hopelessness.

I felt so helpless.

My first emotion was denial.

Then horror.

At that moment, as I watched the footage on TV

As I took in people screaming, crying,

The death

The despair

I knew that if I could have prevented this massacre

I would have

parade

Marching Band

Historic People

Children and their Cows

Sorry...

Our internet has been AGGRAVATINGLY slow all weekend. I do have lots of pictures to show but I just don't have the 3 hours it would take to post them all!

Our local festival was this weekend. Complete with vendors, amusement park rides, and, of course, a parade.

Being the "business-owning-community-supporting" people that we are, we were in the parade. And at the fairgrounds. And we (Dad) sponsored a "Dilly-Bar Eating Contest" and a "Hot Dog Eating Contest."

I have pictures of all that but I'll have to share them later. When the internet decides to work a little faster...

I have big plans for the weekend

I'm planning to catch up on my sleep.

Bake some cookies

Take some pictures

Watch a parade

NOT participate in an eating contest

I plan to get into a sewing project

Re-organize my room

Spend quality time with the babies

Clean the whole house

Make some life desicions

Sing at the top of my lungs

Learn some new songs

Mix a new CD

Watch a new movie (if I can find a decent one)

Read a whole book

Relax

Get lots and LOTS of writing done

Find a new Blogger background

Learn something about history

Get inspired

Think I can do it? All of it???

why do we try to squish everything into 2 days off a week?

No wonder I'm so bummed on Mondays

Sarah Beth...

...has discovered slides. She loves them!

Sisters

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Steph, Kate, Lydia, Sarah Beth, Rebecca, Susie, Debbie.