Great Teachers

We've all had them; the great teachers who stand head and shoulders above the rest. My favorite was Mrs. Williams. She was a black activist in the early '70s. She helped me to write the perfect 5 paragraph essay that has carried me through to this day. Dalleen is blessed to have Mr. Alves. He has his heart immersed in his students. Why?? Because he has his heart immeresed in God. He is awesome!

Go Vikings!

These pictures were taken tonight at Jordan's game. They won 19-8!

He had a couple of unassisted tackles (whatever those are) and played most of the first half.

Dalleen and Brittany looked adorable in their cheerleading outfits!

Bliss

Just look at this picture...it is the picture of bliss to me. A nice soft, comfy chair and more books than I could ever read in one sitting! Notice she is sitting away from distraction, toward the wall. Maybe that is what we should all do when life crowds in on us. Let's all find a nice comfy spot to just focus on relaxing and slowing our heart rate. We will all be better for it :-)

Brain Jogger

Here is a riddle for you to solve. Think about it. It will keep your brain working...



I drift forever with the current. Down these long canals they've made. Tame, yet wild, I run elusive. Multitasking to your aid. Before I came, the world was darker. Colder, sometimes, rougher, true. But though I might make living easy, I'm good at killing people too.

What am I?

Feng Shui

I had to move the furniture around tonight. I could pass it off as "feng shui" but if truth be told...Bella has chewed the back of the couch and I don't want that to be the first thing you see when you come into our house! She is really going through something lately. It could be that I've gone back to work or Tyler is not home during the day...who knows?? If she doesn't stop being destructive you may see pictures of our living room on the roof!!

Blakers

Here is little Blakers in his hospital gown. Lizzie took him for a wagon ride this morning. She said surgery went great and he is able to talk and move his neck more this morning! They are just waiting for the culture to come back to find the best way to treat the infection.

Blake

Little Blake is still in the hospital tonight. He sleeps most of the day and only takes sips of water. Lizzie and Trey don't leave his side. He told the ambulance driver "My Nana lives far away". I wish I lived around the corner so I could be with him tonight!

Useful Answers

What good is useless trivia without useful answers? So, here you are:

1. True

2. False

3. True

4. False

5. True

6. True

7.True

8. False

9. False

10. True

Useless Trivia

This quiz comes under the heading "Useless Trivia". Sure makes for good conversation while in line at the bank!

#1 Male cardinals are a brighter shade of red than a female cardinal.
True False
#2 A Komodo dragon breathes fire.
True False
#3 A lion and tiger have been bred together while in captivity.
True False
#4 Geese live in a group called a pod.
True False
#5 A giraffe's tongue is so long that it can lick its eye.
True False
#6 Mammals are warm blooded.
True False
#7 A chicken was reported to have been born with four legs.
True False
#8 A cat was reported to have given birth to puppies.
True False
#9 Male cows have udders.
True False
#10 Alligators have the strongest bite of any animal in the world.
True False

Answers Tomorrow!

Pumpkin Roll

I have a new job. I have been hired as the yard duty/teacher's aide/after-school program coordinator at Tyler's school. By the time 3:15 rolls around these kids have had it with school and just want to relax. Problem is, they have homework. I thought it might be nice if, once a week, we could have a craft day (after homework of course). I came across this easy, cute idea using a roll of toilet paper and some fabric. Who knew? These are really cute!

Stock Tip

Yesterday I made the traditional Sunday dinner--roast chicken, stuffing, green beans...

This morning I made chicken stock from the bones and meat to make into yummy soups and chicken pot pies. I had enough stock to make three quarts of inspiration for future meals. Doesn't chicken noodle soup sound good right now?

Presidents and Cities

We have been having some discussions lately about the state of affairs in the United States. I asked Al if the withdrawal from Iraq is a calculated move. Hmm...

Anyway, I was thinking of one of my favorite quotes by John Winthrop (1630):

"for we must consider that we shall be as a city on upon a hill, the eyes of the people are upon us...therefore let us choose life, that we and our seed may live; by obeying his voice and cleaving to him, for he is our life, and our prosperity."

That was our foreign policy in 1630.

The Toddler Years

Does this image look familiar to the mothers of toddlers out there? This is the puppy equivalent to "The Terrible Twos". Close the door, put locks on the cabinets, gates on the stairways...puppies and toddlers will find a way to get into mischief!

Change of Seasons

I took a trip down to Fairfield today to spend the day with Carol, Alyssa and Kiah. I could have taken the "easy" road through Lower Lake, Hidden Valley and Middletown but I chose to take the more scenic route through Cobb Mountain. The colors are just beginning to show at this time of year. It's really hard to appreciate too much as the driver because I had to keep my eyes on the road (most of the time). The vineyards are getting ready to harvest also. The scent of ripe grapes is in the air. The only thing that marred the trip was all the crazy drivers. On the way home everyone seemed to be in a big hurry coming up the mountain. I just let them pass. Funny thing is, we all wound up in the same place around the same time!

"A Tree Grows in Lakeport"

I was doing some research on the trees in our backyard so I would know how to treat them through the fall and winter. It seems that they are essentially the "weeds" of trees. They grow even in the worst of conditions--even gravel if that is all they have. Just look at our "weeds" all decked out in lights! Just goes to show you, if you have the right outfit, you'll look marvelous!!

Clouds and Lights

We had storm clouds in the sky today so Tyler and I decided it was time to take down the paper lanterns from the wedding. We left the trees wrapped with lights (and all the candles in votives) Wouldn't you know it? Tonight the sky is clear, the clouds are gone and tomorrow is supposed to be warmer. Go figure!

Farmstand Beauties

I visited the farmstand today and cut these beautiful flowers. The green and white striped ones are called "snow on the mountains". When I brought my bouquet up to the owner (the whole thing cost $2.00) he warned me not to get them in my eyes because they would make my eyes "burn like crazy". I assured him I wouldn't put any of the flowers in my eyes!

The Dirty Dozen

No, not the old movie by the same title! Here is a list of twelve popular fresh fruits and vegetables that, if you have a choice, you should choose the organic version. Why?? Because they are consistently the most contaminated with pesticides.

*apples

*bell peppers

*celery

*grapes (imported)

*nectarines

*peaches

*pears

*potatoes

*red raspberries

*spinach

*strawberries

Now It's Time To Say Goodbye

Jenny's family will be moving up to Spokane this Wednesday :-(

This picture was taken the night of the Rehearsal Dinner in our yard. As you can see, Caleb wasn't too thrilled to have his picture taken. Or maybe he knew I was going to post it in my blog as a farewell!

Happiness is...

Happiness is a new bride and groom and two sisters that love them!

Happy Couple

Here is the happy couple just minutes after the wedding ceremony. Just look at their faces...the smiles tell all.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..."

Blake took his role as ring bearer very seriously. When he saw that we had a microphone for the sound system he couldn't wait to make the BIG announcement! He said "Ladies and Gentlemen" and then stopped! I have many more pictures but I don't have them downloaded yet. Check back soon.