Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Paper Making!

Tear paper in small pieces. Soak in warm water for 2 hours, at least.


Scoop out a handful of wet paper and put in a mixer.


Mix until it's the consistency of thick soup.


Pour water into a shallow pan. How much is anybody's guess.


Scoop out a few handfuls of paper pulp and swish it around in the pan of water.


Evil screen. Take your evil screen and put a frame on it.


Scoop out some pulp and put it on your frame. We used a star shaped frame to make star shaped paper.


The next few steps involved way too much water and wetness for me to take pictures. After you put pulp on the screen, you put the whole frame into water and wiggle around gently to make sure the pulp is spread out evenly. GENTLY, mind you! Then, you CAREFULLY, (not fiercely)remove the frame from the evil screen. Cover your paper, still on the evil screen, carefully turn it over. Then (this is my favorite part) carefully lift the screen off your paper. HA! Good luck with THAT step. If you ever do get your paper off the screen, place it on the press.We started with a star, now we have a circle!



Cover your paper with another piece of dry cloth. Put the lid on your press, tighten the screws and press the excess water out. You should know however, if you have a plastic press and you twist the screws enough to get all the excess water out of the paper, the screws will break. Just so you know.

Anyway, after you've pressed the water out of the paper and broken your screw, remove the broken pieces of your press and the top cloth carefully from your paper. Carefully move the bottom cloth (with your paper on it)off the press and let it sit undisturbed for 24 hours. And then BAM!



There's your paper!!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

And today, class...


OK, so rather than freak out that facebook is temporarily unavailable, I've decided to post here at Just a Thought!

Today, at Roberts Academy we will continue our unit study on The Great Depression. I'm reading aloud to the kids from Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift...a book from the Dear America Series It's historical fiction which means it's fun and factual. The kids are loving it. If you have young kids (8-12) you should check out this book and other books in the series. They are written in diary format by a collection of authors, and each book is about a different signifcant event or time period of American history. If you want to learn more, check them out here.


We also will be making paper, potholders and bead thingies. Yes, paper. We're making paper. Yes, I will take pictures of this fiasco and blog more later.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The Green Light


Well, it's been almost forever since I last posted. I blame it all on Facebook, my latest addiction. If you haven't tried facebook yet, you should. It's big fun and a great way to keep in touch.
Okay, enough of that. I just finished reading the The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I hadn't read it since high school, well...honestly I probably didn't really read it then. I more than likely read the first 10 pages or so and then asked my friends about it and fudged my way through any tests or quizes because I was a horrible, repeat HORRIBLE, student.
So, as I was saying, I just finshed reading The Great Gatsby, and I must say, what a depressing book! I'm sure ol' Nick thought to himself, on more than one occasion, "I am completely surrounded by idiots." Not that I didn't enjoy the book. I LOVED the book....the prose is absolutely lyrical. (Yes, I realize that is an oxymoron of sorts...that's why I wrote it.) The facade of fabulous reminds me alot of today's culture. I'm sure there are volumes one could write about this novel, but for me, it's all summed up in the green light. I'm a bit embarrassed to talk about the green light because when I first read it, I found it to be very poignant, and the poignancy came so unexpectantly, I could almost hear Gatsby suck in his breath as he realized what he has done in telling Daisy about the light. I read the sentences over and over again...
"...His count of enchanted objects had diminshed by one...."

It's comparable to when a magician reveals a secret. The wonder of it all is gone and you immediately regret asking how he did it, because while you have this new knowledge, you can never go back to the wonder of not knowing. And so, should you have left well enough alone?
Anyway.... so here I am, pondering Gatsby's thoughts, along with Nick...did he realize what he just did? Did he loose something or gain something? Shouldn't he feel victorious since he has Daisy with him? Did he realize his illusion was dissolving? On and on and on I thought about that dumb green light. And I kept thinking about it as things progressed unfortunately along..."Green light...he lost the green light!" I tried to forget the green light because I was beginning to feel a bit neurotic about it (and stupid) since the author didn't mention it whenever I thought "green light!" So, as you can imagine, when it was mentioned on the last page, I felt just a little giddy! Told ya....green light.

Read it.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Mother's Day

As you probably know, we school our children at home. Last year, however, we decided to give the Lower Elementary School a try, and Wyatt Henry spent 2nd grade in public school. I recently stumbled across one of his old school papers. It was a fill-in-the-blank mother's day letter. Gosh~ I LOVE THIS KID!

My mom is the most wonderful mom in the world! Her name is Rhonda. She's pretty as a flower. She is 26 years old. She has green eyes and brown hair. She weighs 27 pounds and is 5 ft tall. Her favorite food is sweet potatoes. In the good old days when she was little, she used to play and go to school. I think my mom is funny when she tickles me. But, I know she's really angry when I disobey. I wouldn't trade my mom for anything. I love my mom because she loves me.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Meet Scotty

I would like you to meet another one of my very favorite characters. Her name is Scotty, and you can meet her by reading the "Hollywood Nobody" series by Lisa Samson. Scotty lives in an RV with her hippy mom. She meets glamorous (and not so glamorous) hollywood stars and writes all about it annonymously on her blog.

She's funny and smart and has just enough attitude to be sassy but not obnoxious. Scotty is the best parts of all the teens you know...but she's not perfect y'all! We all know how emotional those teenage years are!!

Anyway, as I said, these books are written by Lisa Samson, one of my favorite favs. I've mentioned her books in the past here at Just a Thought. I've loved everything I've read by Ms. Samson but I think the "Hollywood Nobody" books are the most fun. Why? Because they're about a quirky teen-ager, and haven't we all been quirky teen-agers? I wish I had known a Scotty when I was a teen!

So, you can find out more about these groovy books by checking out this interview with Lisa Samson my BFF Elysa posted awhile back on her blog.

Don't miss out on these books. They're brilliant.

I'm just sayin'.

P.S. Which one of you has my copy of "Embrace Me."??

Monday, December 1, 2008

Merry Christmas From Sam



For more Christmas cheer, check my christmas blog: www.amerrylittlechristmas.blogspot.com

Friday, November 28, 2008

Advent Conspiracy

My awesome friend Elysa posted this on her blog.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving Day


The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbour by William Halsall

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."
~H.U. Westermayer

Monday, November 24, 2008

Honey Bunches

Yummy, Yummy, YUMMY!....and no sugar.

Honey Bunches

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. coconut
1/2c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. flour
2/3 c. honey
24 walnut halves

Preheat oven to 350. Butter mini-muffin tin. In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine oats, coconut, chopped walnuts & flour. Once butter is melted, add honey to saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Pour over dry ingredients- mix well. Press 1 TBSP of mixture into each mini-muffin cup. Bake until just beginning to brown...15-20 min. Remove from oven-- immediately press walnut half into each honey bunch. Let cool 10 minutes in pan before transferring to wire rack. Cool completely. Store in air tight container. Deliver to 246 East Mountain Creek road.... ;-)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Memories!!!

My girlfriend Elysa tagged me with this Childhood Memory Meme. (I have no idea what any of that means. It's Bloggerese, I guess.) It's much easier to do these things with my sister Robin, so I hope she'll comment and fill in whatever I left out.


1.)Romper Stompers...little yellow upside down buckets with green plastic straps for handles. LOVED 'EM!

2.) Government cheese...awesome. Seriously.

3.) I remember seeing a lobster in the fridge and I PROMISE you it had blue eyes. I screamed and closed the door.

4.) When it rained in the summer time, mom let us play outside in our swimsuits. Until it started to thunder, of course, and then we ran inside and mom then made us sit in the hallway (no windows there) until the storm passed. Both activities were great fun!

5.) Playing cards every Saturday. And losing. Badly.


6.)When I was 2ish, we lived in a tenament in New Bedford. The lady downstairs from us was named Mrs. Borden, and I think she used to babysit us. All I remember about this woman is her vast amount of candy sticks she kept on a sideboard in her apartment. I can still see the rows of swirled colors and remember how hard it was to choose one!

7.)I used to kick my sister when I got mad at her. Or bored. (I was a pesty little sister. I know it's hard to believe.) AnYwAy, she quickly learned to grab my foot when I kicked her, putting me in a very vunerable position while also providing proof to mom that I had been kicking her. One day, I must have really ticked her off. When I kicked her, she grabbed my foot REALLY quickly ...and hard, like she meant it. She put so much into it that she flipped me right off my foot and I *WACKED* my head on the not-carpeted-and-hard-as-a-rock floor. I don't remember it hurting. I just remember opening my mouth to scream bloody murder, and she was on me before i let out a peep, her hand over mouth and whispering, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry....sssshhhhh, please don't tell, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I think I laughed. It was pretty durn funny.

8.)"Freshen Up" gum..it squirted some green goo from it's center when you chewed it. It was supposed to freshen your breath. It was reeeeaaaaaallly sweet.

9.) My favorite soda was Mellow Yellow....I can't find it anywhere.

10.)We used to go rollerskating at Lincoln Park. You rented skates with metal wheels and skated on a wooden floor rink. Boy, you got up quickly when you fell there! Those metal wheels HURT. Everyone was really excited when a new rollerskating rink opened up in the next town. It was called "Hot Wheels" (late 70's y'all) and it had a shiny floor (vinyl, maybe..i don't know) that looked really slippery. The skates had plastic wheels and (gasp!) rubber toe stops. I remember how excited I was skating around that rink with my Shaun Cassidy jeans and shiny red satin Shaun Cassidy jacket!!! wooooo, baby!

11.) Decorating the Christmas tree...there is a right way to do this folks, and you had better NOT throw clumps of tinsel! Mom always played Christmas music (Supremes, Brenda Lee, Dean Martin, Beach Boys...and Elvis, of course). We ALWAYS, i repeat ALWAYS had a real tree. Sometimes it was a little skinny, but it was real and it smelled Gooooooood! Homemade unbreakable ornaments on the bottom and middle, delicate antique ornaments higher up. Be careful not to touch those bulbs because they are HOT once they've been on awhile!(I wasn't allowed to handle the delicate ornaments very often, for good reason. In fact, as a child my nickname was "Crash!") They claim I pulled the whole tree over on myself one year, but I don't remember that.

12.)One year we got a Blue Spruce Christmas tree..we decorated it with blue velvet ribbons and silver garland. It was beautiful. Just don't touch the dang thing because the needles will break skin. We had to wear gloves to decorate it.

13.) My sister had a doll that stood 3 feet high. She had a Laura Ingalls looking dress, petticoats and a bonnet that matched her dress. She stood in the corner of our room. One day, I gave her a haircut...I tried to feather her hair. Nobody was happy about this. She looked HORRIBLE! She only had hair in spots..it didn't feather..it was just gross. I'm still sorry about that. Not so bad that I stopped cutting hair though, as once can see my looking at my baby girl's new "supposed-to-be-a-shag" haircut. It's not a shag.

14. ) Mom's bedroom was OFF LIMITS! It was like the inner sanctum, the holy of holies...you go in there, you die. Now that I think about it, I need mom to come teach my children that about my bedroom. They just barge right in like they own the place. Anyway, my bedroom was directly across the hall from Mom's. When I was banished to my room for smart mouthing (my usual offense), I would take great pleasure in running across the hall into her room, looking into her dresser mirror and whispering, "I'm in your room!!!" and running back into my room. I felt like a spy...sneaking up to the doorway, peaking around the corner...then darting across the hall! Sometimes when I looked down the hall, I could see her...this really made it fun!!! She would be in her Boston rocker, recipe box in her lap, back to the hallway. ZIP! Across the hall, dance in front of the mirror, touch St. Teresa on the head, zip back. I wasn't allowed to touch ANYTHING on mom's dresser, least of all St. Teresa. I only did that once or twice, because I knew my history of breaking things would catch up with me and then I would be in it DEEP!

Man, I'm so dead after mom reads this.


15.) Camping, bikerides, picnics, lots of outdoor stuff. We were not girlie girls, no sirree!

16.) Tuesday nights were my favorite TV nights. Laverne and Shirly and Happy Days. My sister had plastic Fonzy cups!

That's all for now...I'm sure I've left out stuff that my sister will remember. If Mom doesn't kill me for the room thing, I'll post whatevr Robin sends.

*Friday 11/21/08* Robin's Memories

Boy are you going to be in trouble with Mom after she reads the room thing!!! Even I wouldn't be brave enough to tell her about ever entering her room...which of course I didn't...really.

For the record, you didn't pull over the Christmas tree. That was the year we decided to string cranberries and popcorn for the tree. However, since the tree was in a corner, we only put them on the front. Who knew cranberries were so heavy?

Romper stompers were great, but even better was waiting for Miss Diane from Romper Room to look into her "magic mirror" and see us. I waited week after week for her to say "...and I see Robin". I can't remember if she ever did. Maybe Mom does.

Rainy Saturday afternoons were also great for watching Godzilla on TV, playing ALL of Mom's 45 records (and of course singing along, badly!), and hot chocolate. Or maybe the three of us washing each other's hair in the kitchen sink. That was a treat! I still do that for Dani when she's had a particularly bad day.

The Thanksgiving you dropped the mashed potatoes...I'm still not sure what was so funny about that, I just remember we found it hysterical. Maybe it had something to do with the "plop" they made as the whole thing landed on the floor.

There were the summer evenings around the picnic table in the backyard with all our friends from "the village". We would have the radio or record player outside with us and just listen to music and talk for what seemed like forever. And Mom would always have something home baked for all of us to munch on.

The Blizzard of 78. I thought it was going to snow forever. We lost power and had a whole week off from school! I can still see the three of us suiting up and taking Shep for a walk to Apponagansett Beach. There were almost no cars on the road and it was so quiet. The snowdrifts were so high we walked OVER fences without realizing they were there!

Vavo's candy/doll room. We could look and admire, but never sit on or touch anything in that room! It was typical of every Portuguese grandmother to have a display room like that. It was reserved for family pictures, collectible dolls and figurines, beautiful glass and ceramic candy dishes (always filled!), and mementos from the "Old Country". A smart grandchild learned early not to touch! But in the kitchen, nothing was off limits. She would feed us the most wonderful food, until we were so full we couldn't move, even foods Mom would never let us have! With all that wonderful homemade Portuguese food, it was still such a thrill to have soda and Ring Dings. I pretty sure I can still get my foil wrapper smoother than your's!

I could go on forever, but my house isn't going to clean itself. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, it was wonderful. Feel free to post whatever you want. Love you!

Love, Robin


Isn't she great?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I'm Thankful


Here's a picture of the kids a couple of dogs ago. Abby wasn't here yet!

Here's my girlfriend AnnMarie Barnett and here sweet family, plus my kids. The Barnetts are one the main reasons I miss Texas. We're best buddies, our husbands are friends and our kids are friends and although we miss them terribly we usually get to see them once year. The Barnetts vacation east of us (Florida, Gulf Shores,etc.) so they stop in on their way home!


Abby & I when she was still shiny and new!!


I have alot more to be thankful for,but I'm out of time for now!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

In case you need to know...

Only 42 days until Christmas. Click on Santa in the sidebar to view exactly how many days, hours and minutes until Christmas day!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Veteran's Day



My husband made this. He's awesome. Enjoy.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Eat Your Vegetables!!!

One thing I love about southerners is their ability to take a questionable vegetable, add the right amount of sugar and butter and make it dessert. Tonight we had chicken, green beans, rolls and butternut squash casserole. (or "Squad" if you ask Sammy.) The casserole really did double duty as dessert, and if you don't believe me, here's my proof. All, and i do mean ALL, of my children tried it. Four of them liked it, including Wyatt Henry, who asked for more! Ben gave the only "thumbs down", but the boy tried it! Anyway, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Casserole
1 medium to large butternut squash
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 c milk
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp. coconut flavoring

Peel and chop squash, discard seeds. Boil until tender, drain. Mash (you need about 2 cups mashed squash). Combine all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until fimr in center.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Attention Jane Austen Fans!


Wyatt and I watched a great movie last night that no Austen fan should miss.... "Becoming Jane" starring Ann Hathway. Sooooooo GOOD! My only issue was that one of the main characters was James McAvoy, who played Mr. Tumnus in The Lion The With and The Wardrobe. After we recognized him, it was really difficult not to picture him as a fawn.

Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, check it out!

Missing you




Friday, November 7, 2008

A Few Good Posts

Over the past few days, I've read several different articles about the outcome of the election. Here are some links to my favs:

http://www.thewardrobeandthewhitetree.com/2008/11/day-after.html

http://russellaroberts.blogspot.com/2008/11/president-obama-and-daily-distribution.html

(this one makes a really good point re:daily distribution. A must read for "nail down your stuff" scaredy-cats.)


For the record, I didn't vote for Obama. I'm not doing the Obama dance. But I'm pretty durn sure he's not the antichrist.

I'm just sayin'....!!!!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Hymns, Tozer and Stirrings in My Soul.

I recently read a book..ok I'll tell ya, it was Zora & Nicky by Claudia Mair Burney...that talked briefly about the meaningful hymns that are being replaced in our churches by choruses. Shortly after that book, I saw a comedy act where the choruses we sing were compared to cheers...Our God reigns, sis boom bah, lalala Our God reigns. This got me to thinking and browsing my hymnals. I came to know the Lord when I was in my early 20's, in September of 1992. I was attending an Assembly of God church. I grew up a non practicing catholic. I'm not someone who sits in church and thinks, "I miss the hyms we used to sing." because I've not ever really sung anything in church except choruses, and more recently, contemporary praise and worship songs. Except for Christmas, when we might sing "Joy to the World" or "Hark! The Herald Angel Sing." But after reading a few hymns, I think maybe we're missing out a bit. After all, the hymn writers weren't trying to win a Dove award. They were serious.
A few nights ago, I started reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. Listen to what he said:

"Hymnody is sweet with the longing after God, the God whom, while the singer seeks, he knows he has already found."

I love that! Continuing to seek God after you've found him. Which brings me to another point. Tozer goes on to say:

"Our fathers sang only a short generation ago, 'His track I see and I'll pursue", but that song is no more heard in the great congregation. How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of 'accepting Christ' (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the bible)and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls."

I wonder how true that is of churches today. I know it's not true of my church, but my church is not the norm. Let me just encourage you to keep seeking God, even after you've found Him.

Election Day

Okay folks. I admit it. I'm not excited about the choices of candidates this year. The man I want to vote for is already running the show. He's seated at the right hand of God the Father and he's got a much better view of things than me. So I can't cast my vote for Him. But, I can cast my vote for SOMEONE! And so can you. Good night nurse, would you rather go back to Egypt? Are either one of the candidates Hitler or Saddam Hussein or Musselini?? Man, people are crying and feeling nauseated and freaking out and getting depressed. I'm not feeling depressed, which is saying something because I am a depressed person! Plus my candidate is probably going to lose. C'mon now people....GO VOTE! Be happy you can do it without being threatend or killed. Be glad you can do it at all! If you want, I'll give you one of my prozac. I know it's serious, but sheesh!!!

Go, be mavericky. Then rest in His love and perfect peace. And some chocolate, of course.

Monday, November 3, 2008

What are little boys made of?

Our 3 year old son Sam was eating breakfast and watching TV this morning. Sid The Science Kid was on. The following conversation took place between Sam and my husband:

Sam: "Sid the Science KID!!! Sid is made out of clay!"

Wyatt Sr: "Are you made out of clay?"

Sam: "No!!"

Wyatt Sr. "Well, what are you made of?"

Sam: (very proudly) "I'm made out of PEOPLE!"

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Changeling


Wyatt and I had a date (gasp!) last night. We went to see Changeling, starring Angelina Homewrecker Jolie. (Great date movie, right?)As you may have guessed, I do have some issues with Ms. Jolie, but I think she's a great actress. I really wanted to hug her.
Anyway, it was very moving flick. Not the feel good movie of the year and really hard to watch. But we were intrigued, so we checked it out. Like I said, she was great. Jeffrey Donovan(the police captain)was good too, because I really needed to slap him.
Anyway, if you're looking for drama, check it out. But don't say I didn't warn you!

FALL BAAAACKK!!!!

Don't you just love falling back? It's yet another reason to love Autumn. We were actually EARLY for church this morning!!! Let me tell you something folks, that is something to mark on your calnedars. It probably won't happen again till next year.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Is it over yet?

Some days I feel like I deserve some kind of award if I have made it through the day without hurting someone. Or myself. Today was one of those days. I won't go on and on about the details, I'll just give you some background info and let you paint your own picture of what today looked like here at Roberts Ranch.

1.) I've been off my beloved prozac for 2 weeks and 6 days. I can assure you there is NONE in my system. My kids and husband will testify to that. This is a big adjustment when you've been taking it for 5 years. That's right, 5. One year for each child.

2.)I still have a head cold, although it's MUCH better now than it has been all week.

3.)One of my children, who shall remain nameless, has apparently gone deaf and hears NOTHING I say to him/her unless I scream it at him/her.

4.) For some odd reason, my throat is raw. hm.

5.) Combine all this with the regular women/hormone thing.

Get the picture? Here, let me make it clear for you.

Rhonda on the outside:















Rhonda on the inside:

















Thankfully, I'm married to a very, VERY funny man, who loves me deeply and rolls with the punches.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

WOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!!!!



GUESS WHAT CAME IN THE MAIL TODAY?????
Oh, happy, happy, Happy day!
School's over kids. Go play.

p.s. I'm almost finshed...i was up with a cold till 2ish, so why not read, right?

Monday, October 27, 2008

Out of the Mouths of Babes.

Got this from my sweet friend Mary. Enjoy!

A wife invited some people to dinner.

At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,

"Would you like to say the blessing?"

"I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.

"Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said,

"Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Hey!! I know that guy!

These pictures aren't anything exciting to most people reading this blog. I, however, was really excited to see them. Why? Because I know that guy! No, not John McCain, the other guy off to his right, our left,with the black coat and McCain tag. That's Walter Peterson...he was the president of the my alma mater, Franklin Pierce College. Man, I LOVED Wally P.! He's a super friendly guy. Actually, I think this is the first picture I've seen of him when he wasn't smiling. He's a really cool old guy.
But that's not all that's cool (to me) about this photo! Oh no, friends, there's more! After getting over the weirdness of these 2 guys in a photo...(well, it's really not as weird as I thought, but I'll get back to that)...I noticed that their surroundings looked pretty familiar. Well, SURE THEY DID!!!

That's the Peterborough Diner!! I lived in Peterborough for a year or so after I graduated college. Man, I LOVED the Peterborough Diner!

Anyway, I found this photo online a while back. I wanted to blog about Peterborough because I LOVED living there. It is, after all, a good town to live in. Most of you won't get that, but that's ok. So, back to my story, I googled "Peterborough, NH" to find pictures so I could show you some of my fav spots. I wasn't too thrilled with what Google had on the first few pages, so I went for "Peterborough Diner"...and BAM! John McCain and Walter Peterson. "How odd!", I thought, "What are the chances?"

Well, pretty good actually, because as it turns out, Wally P. was the governor of New Hampshire from 1969-1973. Before that he was the Speaker of the NH House of Representatives, and a State rep. before that. Busy guy, Mr. Peterson.

I had no clue. Although I'm sure at some point in my college years, someone may have said to me at a party, "Dude! Did you know that like, Peterson was the (blankety-blank) Governor of New Hampshire? The (blankety-blank-blank) GOVERNOR, Dude!"

My roommate Shannon probably not only knew this but told me a few times herself.
It would've gone like this:

her: "Hey, there's Wally. He's the former Governor of New Hampshire."
me: "Cool. Didn't know that."
At this point we would both smile and she would say, "Hey President Peterson." And he of course would already be smiling (he smiled ALOT) and would say, "Afternoon, Ladies." This situation is likely to have repeated itself many times because I had NO idea about such things, and my groovy roommate did.

So...that's it.

Educational TV...is it working?

The following is a conversation I had with my 7 year old daughter and 9 year old son.

him: "Are we watching a movie tonight."

me: "Probably not."

her: "You mean we didn't watch TV all day today...for NOTHING?"

me: "Not for nothing. It's good for you to skip TV for a day or 2."

him: "You mean it's not good for us but you let us watch it everyday?"

me: "It's ok to watch a little. Sometimes it's fun to do something just for fun. But too much TV is not good for you."

him: "But what if it's educable? Then it's ok, right?"

me:"...???.."

him: "Right? If it's educable, it's ok."

me: "um...no...apparently not. And I believe the word you're looking for is 'educational', not 'educable'. Educable is not a word."**

him: "Oh. I meant educational."

**I have since learned that "educable" is a word. It means "able to be educated." A brilliant wordsmith pointed this out me. He could've posted a comment telling me so, but he chose to tell me privately, because he's great.

Friday, October 24, 2008

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!



THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I'VE HAD IN DAYS!!!!

I'm preordering mine TODAY y'all!!!!

Right after I do the mair dance.

p.s. Heeeheee...I ordered it! heeeheeee...AND Zora and Nicky. yay!!!I'm giddy.

Nevermind

As it turns out we will be home this weekend. Abby is throwing up.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Headache Hints


For the past few days I've had a dull headache that seemed to slowly get worse. I didn't think much of it since I've had cold/allergy syptoms as well. Yesterday, however, came the headache from hell. It started out like a bad sinus headache...you know, the kind that feels like your brain will come crashing through the front of your skull if you bend over. During this stage I received the following advice from my oldest son, (who is 9 today, by the way):

"Mom, whatever you do, DON'T SNEEZE!"

Good advice. I also have more things you should avoid doing when you have a killer headache.
1.) Coughing
2.) laughing
3.) being around a barking dog
4.) bouncing (especially in a vehicle)
5.) grocery shopping with 5 kids
6.) turning you head too quickly
7.) getting up too quickly from a chair

If and when your headache progesses to migraine pain and beyond, here is more advice.

1.) Call your doctor. Explain that you're skull is obviously much too small for your throbbing brain, and get him to call in a prescription to the pharmacy. Get someone who loves you to get for you. If you explain that you're at migraine level pain, they'll do it.
2.)NO ice packs on the head. My niece warned me this didn't work, but i was desperate and tried it anyway. The theory is that the cold will contract the blood vessels in your head and relieve some pressure, bringing you comfort. This is a LIE from THE PIT OF HELL. I don't know who came up the this idea but I'm quite certain they NEVER had a headache and tried it themselves.
3.)Don't be near people who are funny on a regular basis.
4.)Don't even think about funny people or things.
5.)Lay on a bed in a dark room, close your eyes and DO NOT MOVE YOUR HEAD.
6.)Don't raise your eyebrows.
7.)Don't smile. But don't cry either.
8.)Breathe through the pain like you're in labor, and NO, I'm not kidding.
9.)Don't wonder if you're dying if you are an emotional person. This will lead to crying which will cause enough pain to convince you that you ARE dying, thus causing more crying, more pain, and so on.
10.)Massage a littl peppermint oil onto your forehead. Sounds dopey but it smells great and the tingling sensation is relaxing. It by no means takes the pain away, but it does relax you. Be sure to wash your hands after you're though.
11.) If whatever medicine your doctor gives you isn't working, call and ask if you can take some ibuprofen with it. If he says yes, take the MAXIMUM amount he says is safe.
12.)If you are getting depressed or bored laying motionless in a dark room, try putting on a dark hoodie with the hood pulled over your eyes, turn on a dim light, and listen to soothing music softly, or interesting talk radio.
13.)Recite poetry, favorite quotes or scripture verses to get your mind off yourself.
14.)PRAY!!!
15.)Be thankful you're not homeless, addicted to drugs and going through withdrawal, or living in a third world country where you would have NOTHING but your lousy migraine.
15.) Sleep, if you can.
16.) Get someone who loves you to write down every time you take a pill and what time you took it. If they go Med Nazi on you and refuses to give your pills until the very VERY minute you can take it, kick them out. For the record, my husband is NOT a med nazi. He is the personification of awesome.
17.) If none of that works, call your doctor again. Do whatever he says, unless he recommends an ice pack. (evil lie)

That's all I have for now. This is the voice of experience ya'll. I was so certain I was dying of a brain anuerism that I had my husband's future wife picked out for him. No, i didn't call my mom because she would have freaked out if she heard how pitiful I was. I figured if I was dying, I would wait until the people at the ER reveiwed the pictures of my brain and told me I was dying. THEN i would have called her. It's not good to get your mom all freaked out when she's about 150,000 miles away, only to say, "Ooops! Sorry mom, false alarm. It just something I ate."
It wasn't something I ate by the way. AlthoughI don't think it was migraine either, since it covered my entire head, my ears, and at one point blurred my vision. (That's when I picked out my husband's next wife. (She's very pretty and sweet..you all would like her.)
ANYWAY, we think that it was reaction to a combination of St. John's Wort and Fluoxetine(prozac). Did I intentionally mix these two? Nooooooooo. I'm no doctor, (or herbalist) by a LONG shot, but I did check out St. John's Wort online and every article I read said to be sure the antidepressant was out of your system before you start on the herbal supplement. What I did NOT do was check to see how long it takes for Fluoxetine to leave your system. Why, you ask? Well, sometimes I'm an idot.
So, although I did wait 5 days after I stopped taking fluoxetine to begin on the St. John's Wort, I should have waited 14 days. BIG difference in those numbers.

By the way, my doctor (who I think may be an angel) prescribed Cephadyn to me, which is a combo of acetaminaphen and butalbital, and is supposed to be "pretty strong stuff." uh-huh. Can't prove it by me baby, because it didn't even touch the pain. It wasn't till I had taken 3 doses (at the right time, mind you, so I had been on the stuff for twelve hours)that I got a little relief. An hour after the third dose, I took 600 mg (3 pills) of ibuprofen, and then I started to feel better. 6 hours later, I skipped the cephadyn and took 4 ibuprofen and finally was comfortable enough to sleep. Today I woke up at 6:00 am, took 3 ibuprofen and went back to bed. I woke later at 10:00 and have felt MUCH better all day today. In fact we're still going on our camping trip this weekend. With ibuprofen, of course. And no St. John's Wort for at least another 4 days.

So, that's pretty much it.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

When Your Hut's On Fire

I received this from a girlfriend of mine. Enjoy!

When Your Hut's On Fire

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited
island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst
had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief,
grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching
the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?'
asked the weary man of his rescuers.

'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

NO warning!

Wyatt Jr. hit us with a sneak attack vomit missile a just a few short moments ago. Damage was minimal due to hardwood floors and Wyatt Jr.'s keen sense of vomitousness that unabled him to sit up and lean over the bed before impact. Thankfully, no one was in the line of fire.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fair Warning

ImageChef.com - Custom comment codes for MySpace, Hi5, Friendster and more

Wyatt Jr., Ben and Lizzie are all sick. Wyatt Jr. had chest pains and accelerated pulse. Ben was having trouble breathing and is now being treated for pneumonia. Wyatt and Lizzie have 103.0 fevers. So, stay away y'all.


UPDATE: Wyatt and Ben are much better. Jury is still out on Lizzie. Mom may be going down with the ship.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Need to Know Info

My mom sent this to me today. It's very useful information for you men out there. It just may save your life one day. It will help you understand women a little better.

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) "Fine!": This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) "Five Minutes.": If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch TV before helping around the house.

(3)"Nothing.": This is the calm before the storm, particularly when it is used as an answer to the question, "What's wrong?" Nothing means something and you should be on your toes.

4) "Go Ahead.": This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually not a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) "That's Okay.": This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. It is soooooo not okay. "That's okay" means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) "Thanks!": A woman is thanking you. Do not question, or faint. Just say "You're welcome." (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "You're welcome" ... that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) "Whatever.": Plead for your life. You’re as good as dead.

(9) "Don't worry about it, I got it.": Worry. Alot. When you hear this it means that a woman has told you to do something several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Anna Frances



BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Baby Update

Anna Frances Smith is here! 7lbs. 14 oz.....20.5 inches long...some time around 7:30 pm. She was delivered by C-section, and she and mom are doing well,Praise God!

Little Jesus, wast Thou shy
Once and just so small as I?
And what did it feel like to be
Out of Heaven, and just like me?

- Francis Thompson "Ex Ore Infantium"


No pictures yet. More news later.

Fair, Kittens and Labor

As it turns out, bringing 5 children to the fair was not the stupidest thing I've ever done at the fair. It was GREAT! But, I don't have pics yet. Patience, y'all!

I've been a little preoccupied with this litter of kittens that we found under the AC vent. There were about 5, we have 2 now. The momma moved the others. One we have we had to rescue from the jaws of Darcy, our rott/shepherd mix. The other I took to the vet today...it had a wolfworm. NASTY! They are both calico kittens, female, one named Peeka, one name Boo. Each are worthy of their own blog post someday.

But not TODAY!!!

Today, my little neice Anna Frances Smith arrives. She's on her way now. She's got about 6 centimeters to go. Maybe even less by now. I'm very distracted today and want desperately to be there but she's in silly ol' Mobile Alabama. sheeeesh! So, I'll have to wait till Saturday. She'll only be about 5 days old. Still fresh from Heaven! Gotta go get some coffee. I'll keep you posted.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Big Day!

Tomorrow is Fair Day. I LOVE fairs. I missed it last year....and the year before that too. I went the first year we moved here and I'm really looking forward to going again. When we lived in Texas we went to the State Fair once. As are most things in Texas, the State Fair was BIG. (say hello to Big Tex!)I don't remember anything...it's all a blur. Well, actually,I do remember seeing a sign for fried twinkies. (groan...hurts just thinking about it)
When I lived in Austin, I went to the rodeo. Now THAT was fun! I went once with my friend Shannon...i think we saw McBride and the Ride...although I have no idea who that is. I wasn't into country music then. I also was sweating ALOT because i didn't realize how hot October is in Austin. But the rest was fun.....rides, funnel cake, barrel racing, pole bending, games and fried everything. I could still eat fried fair food without getting sick then. Plus I ate a ton of fudge and pralines.A few years later when Wyatt and I first started dating, we went to the rodeo. We saw Steve Warner and rode rides and ate fried fair food. Fried zucchini spears, I think. That was the last time I ate fried anything at the fair. It was also the last time I rode an upside down ride.
We rode "The Zipper," a truly awesome ride that I will never get on again. I haven't done anything stupid at the fair since then.

But tomorrow is a new day in Fair History.

Tomorrow I will bring all 5 of my children to the fair. With my girlfriend and her 7 kids, plus even more silly ladies and their kids. Tomorrow may turn out to be the stupidest thing I've ever done at the fair. But it'll be fun!!!!

But don't look for a new post until at least Saturday night. I'm sure I'll be exhausted till then, if I'm not catatonic. When I do blog, I'll actually have some pictures of the Mississippi State Fair, which will be nice, since that's where I live now.

And I even have the license plate to prove it.

Lizzie's Treasure


My daughter Lizzie found a sweet little kitten under the air conditioner duct that connects to the basement. She was all tangled up in the ivy and weeds. This is NOT her,but presently do not have a digital camera, so here's a pic I found online that looks just like her....except our kitten doesn't have any tan coloring. Just white and gray. She's the sweetest lil' blue eyed kitty you have ever,ever seen!!! Chances are that we won't be keeping her, but I still think she needs a name. Any suggestions?

p.s. About and hour after this post, we found the momma and a few more kittens, so the first was returned to her family.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Yummmmmmmm!!!


Try it...you'll LOVE it!!!!

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Name Game

Hey,guys. Guess what I learned today? If I was born to Sarah Palin, my name would be...Steam Fangs Palin. What about you? Find out here:

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Modesty

Each decade brings with it a new style of clothing. You had the hippie style of the 60s, the disco style of the 70s the the...well...whatever of the 80s.....wait, hold on here. What DID happen in the 80s? I remember alot of neon colors, funky hair, shoulder pads, blazers or sport coats with pushed up sleeves, the flashdance sweatshirt, and REALLY BIG t-shirts...everything was oversized. What do you call all that??? Of course their was the preppy thing going on, but that's sort of always their anyway.
Anyway, back to decades...90s were sort of hip hip, sort of hippies revisited with alot of grunge. Skateboard has been around for awhile. I'm sure I missed alot of styles...I'm no fashion diva ya'll. (shocking confession, I know) But when, exactly did less become more as far as clothing goes? Somebody please tell me why it is now socially acceptable to wear your clothes so big (if you're guy)or so skimpy (if you're a girl) that you underwear shows. Guys, look in the mirror. Pull up your pants and straighten that stupid looking cap. You look like a toddler. It's not cool, it's ridiculous. Girls, skimpy clothing is NOT attractive. It's trampy. Trashy. Cover yourselves. Their are parts of you that should be a SECRET!!Sssshhhhh!!! No showie!!! I say all that to say this: Let's try a little modesty, shall we? NO, you don't have to wear a canvas tent to be modest. You don't even have to dress normal. Just get dressed before you leave the house!
A few days ago, I stumbled across The Modesty Survey. If you are not familiar with it you can check it out by clicking here or on the link in my sidebar. This survey was done in an effort to show Christian Women that the way they dress(and behave!!!) is a BIG Ol' stumbling block to their male peers. Their are some results that were pedictable, okay... you can't prance around in Daisy Dukes and spaghetti straps, and then feign surprise when your youth leaders are blushing. But there were also some things that I found to be surprising. For instance, 46.3% of men surveyed agreed, and 25.3% strongly agreed that lines of undergarments, visible under clothing, are a stumbling block. A little odd, don't ya think? I mean, are we talking about panty lines? yucky. I just don't get it.
BUT... check THIS out, 38.6% men surveyed strongly agree and 37% agree that they have less respect for a immodest woman than a modest one.(see? trashy, not attractive)
In any case, check out the Modesty Survey. You might be suprised.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

This Day in History

On October 1,
in the year 331BC... - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
In the year 1207...- King Henry III of England was born
In the year 1730...- Richard Stockton, American attorney, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born.
In the year 1800... - Spain cedes Louisiana to France via the Treaty of San Ildefonso.
In the year 1811... - The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orléans, Louisiana.
In the year 1869... - Austria issues the world's first postcards.
In the year 1880... - First electric lamp factory opened by Thomas Edison.
In the year 1881... - William Boeing, American engineer was born.
In the year 1903... - The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series.
In the year 1908...- Ford puts the Model T car on the market at a price of US$825
In the year 1910...- Bonnie Parker, American outlaw, was born.
In the year 1924...- Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, was born
In the year 1943...- World War II: Naples falls to Allied soldiers.
In the year 1946...- Nazi leaders sentenced at Nuremberg Trials.
In the year 1949...- The People's Republic of China is declared by Mao Zedong.
In the year 1957...- First appearance of "In God We Trust" on U.S. paper currency.
In the year 1969...- The Concorde supersonic transport plane breaks the sound barrier for the first time.
In the year 1971...- Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida, United States.
In the year 1975...- Thrilla in Manila: Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines.
In the year 1982...- Sony launches the first consumer compact disc player
In the year 1985...- E. B. White, American author, died.
In the year 1989...- Denmark: World's first legal modern same-sex civil union called "registered partnership"

October first is also Children's Day in Singapore, Teacher's Day in Armenia, World Vegetarian Day, AND...International Day of Older Persons.

So celebrate something. Or mourn something. You choose.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Giving Thanks

From a book I'm reading...

Mary leaned closer, "Son, let me tell you a little secret I've learned in these long years of mine. Tomorrow never comes. You either have it today or you don't." She waved her hand around to take in the room. "I'm not talking about possessions, I'm talking about what counts. The things of the Spirit. Love, patience, kindness, compassion. And a thankful heart. A body's got to take time each and every day to thank their Lord for all that's theirs. Plain and simple, son. It's got to start today, no matter how busy you are, nor how much is still left undone, nor how many problems are piled up on your head and heart. Giving thanks is one thing that can't wait."

From "The Quilt" by T.Davis Bunn

What if I stumble...

The quote in the beginning of this video is actually from Brennan Manning, not DC Talk. Anyway, I love this song.

Friday, September 26, 2008

From Another Fan of Fall

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Call me shallow...

Several of my sweet grilfriends often have deep and meaningful posts on their blogs. Some post about serving the poor, other share the depths of their soul. My husband often writes articles exposing those who smear the name of Jesus with false doctrine and teaching new age garbage, and my brother-in-law authors lengthy and thought provoking articles about the interpretation of scripture, occasionally accompanied by an equally provocative picture. I, however, in an effect to NOT succumb to peer pressure, am posting a very excellent video of a young woman who is HUGE here in the Roberts house. All of the children sing her songs. Yes, even Abby, the almost 2 year old. She strolls through the house mumbling, "Drew looks....at me..." in her little voice. Sigh. Anyway, I just finished watching this video and thought I would share it for several reasons. 1.) I believe she is truly singing during this performance. 2.) I saw an interview on CMT when she is credited for the creativity of this performance. 3.) She is just too cute at the end when she realizes George Straight is in the front row and standing up, clapping for her. So enjoy Taylor Swift. Then go back to praying for starving children, loving the homeless and dying, exposing the bad guys and teaching the Word of God.

Monday, September 22, 2008

HAPPY AUTUMN!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, my friends, is one my very favorite days of the year. Today is the first day of Fall. It's going to be about 85 degrees today, and yes, that's cooler than it has been. That counts as Fall here in Mississippi. We also have love bugs floating around, another sign of Fall. And, my allergies are just tormenting me, yet another sign of Fall. But allergies and love bugs aside, Fall rocks. It smells good, it feels good and it's beautiful just about everywhere you go. I posted an article last year about the greatness of fall...here it is again. Enjoy!

Favorites of Fall
Burning leaves * orange * flannel shirts* quail calling to one another * pumpkin pies * football games * cinnamon & nutmeg *scarecrows* pinecones * crunching leaves * candy corn * s'mores *hot apple cider * spider lilies * hayrides * Canadian geese * Wyatt's chili *cranberry nut bread * Monarch butterflies * denim jackets* crows* Thanksgiving Dinner * harvest festivals * State fairs * sweaters* homemade apple pies* vanilla candles* campfires* walks in the woods

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Can you BELIEVE this?????

I took a quiz to find out if I would be a good wife in the 1930s. Here are my results:




You Would Make a Horrible 1930's Wife



You are way too non conformist, independent, and sassy to be an ideal retro wife.

You may be so wild that you aren't even considering marriage!

Good thing we don't live in the 1930s anymore!



Oh, so funny, "Good thing we're not in the 1930s anymore!" ha.

Apparently I'm too wild to even think about being married in the present decade. yep- that's me...Wild woman...ask anyone.

In case you were wondering.....


click here

That's for my sister! Merry Christmas Rob!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Crazy Days...

My husband is out of town, the baby covered herself and my comforter in Vaseline, the dog is in heat,(ever try putting a diaper on a rottweiler?) my 8 year old fell (roughly 4 ft.) out of a tree and knocked the wind out of his lungs and now insists that his foot, which is not swollen,bruised or in any way deformed (he landed on his chest, by the way)is broken, my 3 year came in screaming "I'm DYING!" when he scraped and bloodied his hand and 3 of us (and my MIA husband) have gross colds. So... see you in a few.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

God Bless America