June 29th

182:366
I am loving this series of books.  It's the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer; this is book 8, The Wake of the Lorelei Lee.  I started this one last night and I'm speeding through it, already about halfway.  I recommend it if you like young adult adventure.


Carus 7days 7

Carus in her new hat and scarf.

Since I had an eye appointment in the vacinity of the mall this morning, we stopped there to Carus's delight where she promptly attempted to spend all of her monies on any and every thing pretty, frilly, sparkly, shoe-y, cute, and especially bow-y.  I was able to restrain her and we found some good deals.  She picked up two headbands with bows on them for buy one get one half off pricing.  And then 3 hats, one pair of footless tights, and a bottle of nail polish in a 5 for $10 deal. Finally, a blue scarf marked down to $5.

I then took the kids out to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, we had never been, which is where this picture was taken.

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June 29 
A picture is worth a thousand words - pick a photo, any photo, that you’ve taken, and describe what we’re seeing as if we don’t know you. What were you trying to take a picture of? How did you end up getting the picture? Did you use any editing effects on the picture? Why did you choose this perspective? etc. 
Kristen


I am losing steam on these blog prompts.

I take lots and lots of photos, for lots and lots of reasons; but my main reason is so I can remember something in particular, something about that point in my life or, more so, in my kids' lives.  And so I can remember them as they are now.  They grow up way too stinking fast and I need something to hang on to.

I'll use what ever camera I have, but I loved my Nikon D40 for 5+ years and now I am loving getting to know my 5100.  I use Photoshop Elements 8 when I edit my photos, if I edit them. I can be a bit lazy and sometimes straight out of the camera (SOOC) is fine by me!

So that is my approach - learn and learn at this hobby of mine, have some fun, and in the mean time, get some images so I can remember 'cause sometimes my memory isn't so great.

June 28th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

181:366
Spent the morning at a lavender farm picking lavender with the kids and a friend.  I will dry it, make lavender wands, and maybe even get to use some in jams, jellies, soaps, and sachets.  The friend we went with has a very delicious peach lavender jam recipe.

It was a lovely, beautiful, good smelling morning.

Oh, and if you were wondering - 30 doesn't feel bad at all.


Carus on her brother's shoulders.  He was kind and was helping her attempt to climb into the tree.


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June 28
Keep It Real Campaign:  Each of us has been personally impacted by photo-shopped beauty.  Whether it's through actually consuming the content in these magazines ourselves, or knowing the influence it has over a loved one, we all have a wake-up call to give the industry.  Use your voice and write down why you want the industry to "keep it real" in magazines, then:
Post it on your blog and on our Facebook even wall so we can share it!
Tweet it to the magazines and post the link on their Facebook pages!
Keep It Real

I don't feel I could eloquently say what I want to say so I'm going to go all out on this prompt.  However, I believe we need magazines (and TV shows and movies, and especially any and all media!) to "Keep It Real" for our girls.  For their mental health and well being.

All girls do not deserve to have eating disorders because they don't think they are pretty enough.

All girls do not deserve to feel they MUST surgically "enhance" their bodies to make themselves more attractive.

All girls deserve to believe they are beautiful just as they are. That they are enough.

Because those girls will grow into women and those women need all those things as well.

June 27th

Carus 7 Days, day 5
Carus would like to bring your attention to her floppy bow.


180:366
My last day this decade.  My last day in my 20s.  Tomorrow is my 30th birthday.  I keep waiting to feel upset about it, or sad, or something.  It just feels weird to say I'm going to be 30...



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June 27
When was the last time you got into a heated argument? What's your conflict style? Avoid, attack, win at all costs, there are no winners?
Kassie

Lately I haven't been really arguing a lot. I have gotten into arguments, but either I "won" because, lets face it, I'm always right or because I just walked away (or cut off contact). I don't have the energy for the "drama" anymore, there was just too much in my past.

June 26th

Showing mom that the giant spider isn't that scary.

(She was totally pretending to be brave, she wouldn't get any closer and she wouldn't smush it. Also, it was totally planning on eating me so yeah, I was scared. I don't like spiders. And they are large spiders.  We call them baby tarantulas.)


179:366

Lunch break:

Toss some clothes in the washer, put some food in the oven, head outside to get some sun while reading only to find it is raining...again... settle for screened porch.  (I'm reading book 7 of the Bloody Jack series, Rapture of the Deep)

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June 26
What is your relationship with water?  (thunderstorms, lakes, rivers, swimming, boating, sprinklers, etc.) Is it good or bad? What do you think caused this?
Amy

I love being in or near water.  The ocean especially, equal parts for the view, smell, and sound; though I've yet to be on or in the ocean (other than wading) and am nervous about being far from a shore (like scared of being stuck in the middle of an ocean with or without a boat).  I can't swim really well, having taught myself in late adolescence and I think that attributes to my unease.  That and I'm sure I would look like a seal and attract a few sharks.  I think they are gorgeous animals and would like to swim with them one day (from the safety of a shark cage) but I'm not interested in being a meal for them.

I don't like driving on bridges over water, some bridges are better/easier than others.  But that is a fear of the car driving over the edge and being trapped in the car where I drown.  I have no idea where that came from.

Thunder and lightning storms - I LOVE!  And I think that is from growing up in New Mexico where they are a common occurrence. I love watching the lightening and listening to the thunder get closer and closer. And those storms of my youth not only had that fresh rain smell, but also a little electric tingle to them and I love that.  Now, in Northwestern Oregon, it is very rare to get a thunder and lightening storm, and almost as rare to get that rain smell.

June 25th

178:366
7days, day 3


Playing with the dogs.
Left to right from the top:
1. Aaaahh *bite*
2. Who's gonna win?
3.  Imma gonna get your 'paterpiller.
4.  Throw it already, please.

Carus 7days, day 3



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June 25
Write about a time you got in trouble with your parents when you were younger.
The Book of Myself

Meh, I don't feel inspired to do this one.  I got in trouble a lot - sometimes for things that I really shouldn't have been in trouble for (and that's my opinion as a parent now, not as the person in trouble then) and sometimes for things I definitely should have been in trouble for.  As well as for a few things I got away with that maybe I should not have gotten away with.

June 24th

Today's 7days was a theme day.  The theme was landscape.  We did a landscape of the kitchen today while Carus and I baked. She made Nutella cookies from a recipe I found on Pinterest.  She added peanut butter M&Ms to them. They were very good. I made Roasted Cherry Brownies, also from a recipe I found on Pinterest. They are good, but very very rich.

Carus snuck in shot before our together picture.


177:366


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June 24
List parts of your body or your self that make you feel like "you."
List Your Self

I have always liked my eyes/eye color.  A green that gets lighter or darker depending on what I'm wearing.

I really like the color of my out of a bottle red hair.

My curves. (He-ey)

Smiling.

My kids.

Jokes/smart-assery.

Pets/animals.

June 23rd

176:366
Becca 7 days, 1



I cheated on this one, the timer went off before I was ready - and Robert was all "ooh, look a button" and started clicking away while I walked back to set up again.  I liked this one well enough and so voila!

I was weeding my garden and other garden-y things.  It's beeing doing really well this year and I'm glad for it.



Carus is participating this round.

Carus set up this shot with the self-timer while she was in her room reading this evening.  (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on my Kindle) It did not look blurry on the camera... not sure what happened there.  She is now in bed and not interested in taking another so "C'est la vie" we'll try to get a non-blurry tomorrow.

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June 23
What habit have you acquired that you wish you hadn't?
Bethany


Smoking.

I started smoking young, like really young. Before it was legal for me to do so young. Stupid for that reason alone, but more stupid because I have asthma and always have.

I'm not positive, but I think the reason I started was so I would have control over something.

But I wish I hadn't started - or quit earlier.  I quit when pregnant with both of my kids, easily too, unfortunately starting back up afterwards.  But quitting just for me took forever.

June 22nd

175:366
Phoning it in late Friday night when I was crawling into bed and realized I hadn't gotten a shot that day.  Cell phone camera to the rescue!  I looked down and saw Yoda all curled up with his caterpillar and got a quick shot.


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June 22
Write a memoir of your first date.
Art and Soul


Robert and I met in high school.  My best friend was dating his best friend and we met and we'd all hang out together at school (at lunch, but sometimes while skipping a class).

Once time while all of us (the friends, including Robert and I, were hanging out in front of the school) my best friend grabbed his pager (remember those) and read his number out.  I nonchalantly wrote the number on my hand and then later that day, I paged him.  He had just gotten off work and came over to my house.  We sat on my couch and talked, and sat outside and talked under the stars, for hours and hours.

He was hooked (but of course), and the rest, my friends, is history....  

June 21st

174:366 - Leia playing in the water.  With a bonus rainbow.


And some outtakes.









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June 21
List 5 reasons you shouldn't bathe for a week.
Katrina

1.  You have a newborn/infant/toddler.  Cause, really when are you going to have time anyways.

2.  You have a cast you can't get wet.  I have never broken a bone so I've never had a cast, but I don't know if I could go without bathing.

3.  Camping.  Though if camping that long I would find a way to bathe or at least swim/wade.

4.  Apocalypse/zombie invasion.

5.  If you're swimming a lot.

June 20th

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and couldn't stop laughing.

"Draw eyebrows on your pet and laugh all day."

   

Source: battinasprinkle.tumblr.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

173:366
So I tried it myself with some white chalk on Leia.  She let me and Carus give her a nice unibrow - but unfortunately it didn't show up on the camera too well.  It just looks like her coat is extra shiny... It was still amusing in person.  We also gave Timmy one eyebrow before he decided the pets he was getting wasn't worth the indignity he was enduring.



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June 20
Forget the iPhone and iPad.  What invention would make your life better?
Niki

Forget the iPhone and iPad - sure thing! No problem!  We're anti-Apple products around here so there is no problem ignoring those things.

SO! The invention that would make my life better.  Cloning.  Like in the movies cloning, not like Dolly the sheep cloning.  I need someone to work while I play and sleep in and yada yada yada.  I would be fair to my clone and would work while she plays too.  I just need more time in the day.

Oh! What about a time turner like what Hermoine had?  Though that sounds a little exhausting.

A time machine would be awesome too, for obvious reasons.

But the thing that could actually possibly someday be truly invented - though probably not in my lifetime, are from a TV show.

Replicators and Holodecks (a la Star Trek) have both been on my I-can't-wait-until-they-invent-that! list forEVER!  Especially Holodecks.  The replicators would make everything so much easier - especially the whole making dinner thing.  The Holodeck is for fun.  I could vacation anywhere anytime.

June 19th

172:366
I have TWO itty bitty baby tomatoes now.  :)



Oh, I forgot to add yesterday.  The straw mulch.  Yeah, kinda not a good idea because apparently there were straw seeds in that bale and apparently those seeds are really liking my garden.  I'm still having to weed, though I'm sure not as much as I would have without it.  However, the lack of mud makes it worth it I think.  Also - I haven't had to water my garden in a while.  Yes we are still getting lots of rain and that is part of it, but it does hold the moisture in for days.  Next year, however, I think I'm going to go with dry grass clippings for mulch.

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June 19
How do you define happiness?
Dana


Happiness according to a definition search:  State of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

I think I can agree with that.

Happy is when my husband or kids make me laugh being goofy and witty and sarcastic (except those times when they shouldn't be sarcastic/smart ass-y).

Happy is curling up with a good book or a good movie/TV show - especially on a cold, windy, stormy day.

Happy is sunshine, fluffy clouds, and a nice breeze in the summer.

Happy is the beach and ocean waves.

Happy is having time to work on hobbies.

Happy is having time to do nothing if that is what you want to do.

Happy is a barn full of horses, the musty, dusty, hay and horse smells and sounds.

June 18th

171:366
We found out what is wrong with puggy.  He has degenerative disc disease in his cervical spine, and it's pretty severe.  He now has a prescription for anti-inflammatory meds and a muscle relaxer to use as needed.  After the excitement of getting to go bye byes to go to the vet (he doesn't care where he's going, as long as he gets to go bye byes) he was hurting so he got dosed up.  He is running and playing again.  He's my poor little old man.



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June 18
What's in your garden?
Amy

Oooh, this is right up my alley!  I was already planning a potato tower update, now I can update on all the plants!  (Again, the things that excite me.)

We'll start with the potato tower.  I'm so excited that little potato plants are popping out.  I really hope that means lots of potatoes are growing inside!  There is even a teeny little plant that has popped up on top.  Only one side hasn't started sprouting, but I still have hope for that side.


Strawberry plants.  This bunch came from a friend.  She had too many and had to get rid of some.  I selflessly took some off her hands.  I get a handful of berries from this bunch and the much smaller bunch I had already.


The full garden with all the pretty plants.  My tomatoes already have a tiny baby tomato and many little blossoms ready for more fruit.  The cucumbers have a lot of blossoms too.  The watermelon doesn't look too great.  I think it might be a smidge too cold for it yet. And the celery - I used this method.

Weekend round-up June 16th and 17th

Saturday, June 16

169:366 - Dogwood flower




Sunday, June 17


170:366 - Happy Father's Day.  The candy card from the kids to Robert.


"Hey "Nerd",
Happy Father's Day!  We decided to go on a "Spree".  Your support would help us reach the "Milky Way" and together we are the "3 Musketeers".  All of your jokes make us "Snicker" and bring us lots of "Joy".

Love you "Zotz",
Your "Sour Kids" Adam and Carus"

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Reverb Broads weekend round-up!

June 16
List all the idiotic things you have done for love.
List Your Self

Dude. So much stupid things. So. Much.

Some of them bad stupid things that I shouldn't have done no matter what.  Some of them, totally stupid, but I would totally do them again.

June 17
What three things do you want more of in your life?  What three things do you want less of?
Krissy

Need more of, always:
1.  Good friends and spending time laughing with those friends.
2.  Good food.
3.  Those things together. And probably more money and more time.  Definitely more time - why does the weekend go so fast?!

Need less of:
1.  Bills.
2.  Spiders in the house.  I don't care if they're outside not bothering me, but my house has a no spider rule. STOP building webs in the corners and behind things you bastards!
3.  Cancer, cause we could all do without cancer.

June 15th

168:366 - Timmy kitty


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June 15
Who was your first best friend?
Kristen


I dunno.  I think it was a girl I lived next door to around ages 5 and 6.  I've had a few over the years and they're my best friend until they move away or I move away... or they die (miss you Melissa)(related - don't drink and drive, and don't get in a car with a drunk driver, even if they're not that drunk).

I do know who my best friend now is - and yes, it's cheesy - Robert.  He's my best friend, he's the first one I want to tell when something good, bad, sad, or funny happens.  He's the one I want to share everything with.  He always knows what to say to cheer me up.

June 14th

167:366 - The neighbor hired the kids to help with some barn chores and I took them out and tagged along.


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June 14
In a world filled with more technological distractions than ever before, social networks, smart phones, etc, what strategies do you enforce in your life in order to stay focused on your goals and living life in real-time to the fullest?
Neha


I am sure I spend way too much time online, on Facebook, checking my phone, etc. but I like all that stuff.

I can get off when I need to.  I just step away or put it down and do what I need to do.

Usually, weekends are pretty unplugged.  I rarely turn on the computer and check my phone less often than during weekdays.  Just get busy and don't think about it I guess.

June 13th

166:366 - Just a lovely spring afternoon lazing around in the yard and sun reading.  What am I reading?  Why, I finished The Curse of the Blue Tattoo, book 2 of the Bloody Jack series. A series recommended by my grandma (shout out to gramma - WOO!) that I'm enjoying quite a bit.


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June 13
What was your favorite childhood stuffed animal or toy? Do you still have it? Okay, admit it, do you still sleep with it sometimes?
Kassie

I do have a few stuffed animals from my childhood.  They were passed down to the kids, and are sitting in Carus's room.  If they make it through future toy purges I'll probably pass them on to grand kids.

None of them really really stand out - probably because at a time when I should have been playing with toys I was taking care of my baby brothers.  I do remember having a Rainbow Brite, My Little Ponies (I've always loved horses) and some Barbies.

Instead of a particular stuffed animal, Adam attached himself to a burp rag.  It was his beebee and he carried them everywhere.  Thankfully, there were many so it was easy to keep them clean and him happy.

Carus always had a "baby" in her hands. It varied from actual baby dolls to stuffed animals and back.  She had her favorites.  She had a stuffed kitten toy, that was one of my baby brothers actually, that she named Ming-Na when she was about 3.  She loved that kitty.  I still have it - it will be her babies first toy.

They've both outgrown babies and beebees and soon will outgrow all their other childish toys. *sigh* So is the way of babies growing up.

June 10th, 11th, and 12th

Catch up post!  I was down for two days for my health. (Stupid allergies, even stupider asthma).

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163:366 (06/10/12 - Sunday) - Dehydrating strawberries (Yum) *phone photo/Instagram


Also on Sunday, my mother-in-law (THANK YOU BARB!!) came over with her Dyson and helped me do a really good vacuuming on my house.  Our vacuum sucks (or I suppose technically it doesn't suck) and our carpets were dirty, dusty, and dog-and-cat-hair-y.  I think it's time to invest in a good vacuum. Maybe a Dyson... (The price kills me, they're good but not THAT good.)

164:366 (06/11/12 - Monday) - Oregon, the allergies you're giving me this spring are killing me, but the spring skies - almost make up for it.


I have asthma.  Every other year or so spring allergy season messes with my asthma and makes it hard to breathe.  Last year was a good breathing year.  This year? Totally not! I've already had to call in for a steroid course once, which I finished and was doing good...until Sunday evening. The asthma attack came on suddenly and strongly. And it wasn't my typical attack symptoms so I wasn't sure it was asthma or an allergic reaction to some prickly weeds I had pulled. (My hands were itching like hell. Yeah yeah yeah, I'll wear gloves next time.)  When I still wasn't better Monday after work I had Robert take me to urgent care to get a nebulizer treatment. I'm on another steroid course - and I barely make it to dose times before I'm short of breath.  

165:366 (06/12/12 - Tuesday) - My Yoda puggy has been hurting since Friday.  He jumped off the bed (we have pet stairs for him, which he will use to get up, but not down) and hurt his back leg (which he has hurt before).  The vet advised us to let him rest over the weekend (which works only as long as I'm still - he just HAS to follow me around) and bring him in on Monday if he was still yelping every time he got up.  By Monday he was no longer yelping, but still favoring his leg a bit and still looking all sad - but he was improving so we let it be.  Today he was doing even better.  So much so that he got all silly, monkey-minutes running and playing... and then he was all sad looking and moving slower.  Poor guy over did it.  (By the way, I was not encouraging this play. I was trying to get him to calm down.)  He's not yelping again, just moving slow and looking all sad.  Hopefully tomorrow he'll be doing even better.  Also we are being more strict with the no dogs on the bed rule. He wakes me up several times a night whining to come up on the bed, but I'm holding firm.  He'll learn.


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Now on to catching up with Reverb Broads posts!

June 10
What was your hardest parenting or partner moment?
Dana

Oh lordy.  This is subject to change with the next doozy the kids throw at me cause it has changed several times over the years.

There have been struggles to get enough sleep, dealing with really sick babies (Adam was hospitalized once for pneumonia as a newborn and once for RSV at about 6 months old) (Carus like to keep me up for days with really high [like 105+ degree] fevers), going from one kid to two kids, moving, being a stay at home mom, school at home mom, work at home mom, trials on my patience, 2 year old or 3 year old or .... year old temper tantrums, first school bullies, crappy teachers, amazing teachers, puberty (TWICE! and continuing), birds and the bees talk (TWICE! and continuing), equality discussions (it can be hard to explain why things are not equal when they should be equal), pornography, cell phones acquiring, Facebook account having, and more and more and more and it will continue.

BUT! The hardest parenting moment - not freaking the frack out that I am making the wrong decisions and totally ruining their lives.

Hardest partner moment - every time I feel like I want to give up and not actually giving up.  Sometimes it's hard to not give up.

June 11
If you were to play hooky from work today, what would you do instead?
Krissy

If I was to play hooky tomorrow (I worked today already) I would take a nap, go get a pedicure, work on my mystery quilt, read, and maybe watch a movie.  Not necessarily in that order.

My ideal hooky day though - beach for the day.  Like all day.  Up early to drive to the beach, watch the sunrise on the beach. Do some seashell searching, then some relaxing and reading on the beach while the kids play in the sand, off to get some food for lunch, back to the beach where we stay and play until evening where we BBQ some food and watch the sunset.

You know what would be fun?  Planning a hooky day with a group of friends.  Just don't make it a group of coworker friends; boss-man might get suspicious.  I'm taking applications now!

June 12
What was the best decision you ever made?
Niki

Oh my, my, my.  I'm not sure.  I've made a lot of good decisions.  I've also made a lot of bad decisions, but that's not the question so we'll just not talk about that.

If you asked Robert, he would say marrying him.

But I don't know how to answer that.

I just asked Robert:  I was right.  First thing outta his mouth was "Marrying me."   (Did you have any doubts? If yes, tsk tsk. Learn now, I am always right.)

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OH OH OH! I almost forgot!

Lookie lookie lookie!

My potato tower is sprouting - we have two so far.  Not much, but still - IT'S GROWING!  (The things that make me excited...)

June 9th

162:366 Carus and I went and got hair cuts today.  I haven't had bangs in about 5 or 6 years and thought it was about time for a change and what bigger change than bangs.  Carus has been asking for a cut for about a week or two.  I love it, so cute.  And it makes her look a little older too I think.  She's been doing that a lot lately, looking older.


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June 9
What skill have you learned in the past year that you are proud of?
Bethany

There are a few things in the past year or so that I've taught myself.  Here are a few:

--This year I have not used the auto setting on my camera for any of my 366 shots. I'd say I haven't at all, but there have been a few times where I was more interested in getting the shot then trying to figure out the settings fast enough on my own.

--I taught myself to knit. Actually, this skill might be more than a year old now. I'm not sure.  I'm incredibly slow and only know one stitch - but I'm proud that I've been able to teach myself something.  (Good lord, the internet is awesome.)

--I'm learning to make jams.  I say learning because that batch was a little bit tart so proof I need practice.  Strawberry season is starting and I'm going to give it a go soon.

--There are many other little things I'm learning and/or perfecting.  Recipes, gardening, horse stuff, work related... the list goes on and on and changes all the time.  Gotta keep learning new things.

June 8th

161:366 - I did a recent portrait of Carus so I figured it was Adam's turn.


Even though he has had a few problems with turning in his school work this year, we found out today he made the honor roll.  Mostly As with a few Bs.

I got Carus's final end-of-the-year test scores for math and reading back the other day.  She is above grade level in math and at the upper limits of grade level in reading.

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June 8
What are your favorite decorative items/pieces of furniture/household features?
Kristen

I love our dining table.  It's rather beat up right now, covered in scratches and stains and carvings from kids (some mine, but most not mine), but it came from my Granny and Gramps.  I remember holiday meals being held around that table at her house growing up.  I have my holiday meals around it now, and it makes me happy.

I hope this summer I will have a chance to refinish it and bring it back to its prior glory.

I also love our entry way bench.  It was a lucky find for Robert and I and fit our vision for our entry way almost perfectly.  It makes me smile every time I come in.

I have this wooden bowl/plate thing that sits on our coffee table. I found it at Target on clearance.  It holds remotes (as well as other things).  It too makes me smile every time I see it.

June 7th

160:366



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June 7
List 8 reasons it's okay to lie.
Katrina

1. You do not ever tell a woman her baby is not cute - all babies are cute. Period.  No matter what. Or a friend's haircut is awful (or maybe you should, the mullet had to start somewhere) or their outfit is horrendous.  Basically, if it will make you look like an ass, don't say it.

2.  To protect someone, especially your kids.

3.  Santa Claus, Easter bunny, tooth fairy, etc.  Yeah, I think those are okay fibs.  They enhance magic of the holiday/occasion.

4.  For compassion.  (Thanks for your help Robert)  Telling a very sick person, that isn't going to be fine, "you're going to just fine."  But only up to a point.

5. Politics, to some people.
In usual cases beliefs should be stood up for, but occasionally you will come across some fucktard (excuse my language Granny and Grandma) that will attack you - full out verbally (and possibly physically) attack you for your beliefs. I've had this happen to me with strangers at a party who called me all sorts of bad names, but chalked that up to a fluke experience.  Recently, however, I had this happen to me and my kids (and oh boy was that person LUCKY he didn't push too far with my kids and also that he was family) so now I have the stance - politics are a nod and walk away situation with those kinds of people, and you can spot them a mile away.

6.  Playing hookie.  Not that I condone that (or ever have done it with my current job in case any of my coworkers are reading this, which I don't think they know I have a blog), but occasionally (seriously, occasionally is like once every 6-12 months; not every week) we all need a day to ourselves.  A day to unwind and take a nap or get some errands done or just some time to ourselves.

And now I'm stuck and I'm polling my facebook.

7.  It's okay to lie if you're The Doctor.  Thank you for the reminder Bonnie!

8.  And this one comes from friend/coworker Erin - to help a surprise.  Like for gifts or a surprise party.

Any I missed?

June 6th

159:366


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June 6
Share a recipe or meal that is a summertime favorite.  
Amy

Our go-to meals during the summer is anything grilled/barbequed.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, chicken, ribs, vegetables (though this one is new for us so we're still experimenting with that).

And the things that go along with grilled meat and summertime staples for us - salads.  Potato salad, macaroni salad, garden salad, summer cucumbers...

The recipe I'm going to share is my macaroni salad.

1 lb macaroni noodles
2 hard boiled eggs
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Miracle Whip or Mayo (depending on your preference)
Lowry's seasoned salt, garlic salt, pepper to taste

Put eggs in pot of water large enough to add the noodles to and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add noodles and cook until done (still firm).  Drain and rinse. Remove eggs to bowl of cold water.  Cool both the eggs and noodles.  Peeling the eggs sometimes helps them cool faster.

Peel your cucumber and chop both the cucumber and tomato.

Once noodles are cooled at least to room temperature, put in a large bowl with cucumber and tomato.  Add 1/4 cup of  Miracle Whip/Mayo, sprinkle the salts and pepper and mix.  Go light at first, it's easy to add more - not easy to take out.  This is the hard part for me to describe.  I eyeball the amount of Miracle Whip/Mayo I use.  You want it moist and very lightly coated, not swimming in it.

Lastly, dice up the boiled eggs and mix those in.  Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

We like it best with BBQ pork country style ribs or BBQ chicken legs and thighs.

June 5th

157:366 (06/04/2012)
Just a simple, quickie shot of Simba


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June 5
Come up with a new Constitutional Amendment.
Art and Soul 

Um, nope. Not going to do this one. I will not get political up in here, it is a hot topic and I get chewed out for what I believe.

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158:366 (06/05/2012)

Garden progress!

Top, left to right: Potato tower (idea found via Pinterest at this link) and my pea tee-pees (found via Pinterest and inspired by this link).  After showing Robert the potato towers he insisted on making a frame for it since he didn't feel just wire alone would be sturdy enough.  It does make it much more sturdy and I'm very excited to see how many potatoes we get out of it (please, let there be a lot!).  We planted golden Yukon.

When putting in the pea tee-pees, while cutting the notches at the top of the wooden poles for the string to lay across, Robert nearly cut his finger off.  The saw jumped from the wood to his finger and he got a good stroke in.  It bled profusely and while he thought he felt it hit the bone he still refused to let me clean and bandage it, let alone take him to the hospital for stitches (which he only needed maybe MAYBE one stitch for it anyways).  He did let me get him a clean rag to wrap around it to stop the bleeding.  After awhile, I finally stopped pestering him to come inside for cleaning and bandaging and he finally stopped playing in the dirt and went inside and cleaned it up.  I still wanted to take him for a stitch (and it wasn't long enough for more than one if that, just deep) but he wasn't having any of that.  I then went on to have dreams that night of his finger becoming infected and having to be amputated.  This happened Saturday, it's now Wednesday and the cut looks great.  The neosporin and band-aids are working just fine.

Yes, I occasionally over-react, why do you ask?

Bottom, left to right:  Garden fence now and just coming up garlic.  Robert shortened it about 6 inches and cut down the posts.  We just need toppers for the posts and then to decide if we are painting or leaving au naturale (leaning towards natural). The garlic I planted from cloves that had sprouted on my counter from store bought garlic I apparently wasn't using fast enough.

June 4th

156:366 - Sunday - Playing at the barn with a friend (and her horse), working Wynston.

My neighbors are awesome.  We have been incredibly lucky getting such great neighbors.  They don't throw loud parties that keep us up all night.  They respect our property.  Shoot, they even help protect it.  We were in the store shortly after moving in and I received a call from my neighbor letting me know about someone snooping around our house.  She went and ferreted out who they were for us even, the insurance people.  Not to mention, they also watch our pets and house when we vacation.

One neighbor has really become a friend. She is our dog sitter. She is awesome.  She also has a couple of horses - Wynston, a Fresian and Starlette, a Tennessee walker.  She even lets me tag along often to the barn where she boards them to help with horse related chores and occasionally to help work the horses.  I really enjoy tagging along, a lot. I don't mind mucking the stalls, and might even go as far to say I enjoy it, though I know that sounds crazy.  The sites and smells of a barn full of horses just make me happy.

Last night I got to work Wynston by myself, a feat I'm pretty proud of since I'm still learning about horses and such.  I've always loved them, and have always wanted one, but now that I'm older and not as naive, I am learning how expensive owning them can be, as well as how to actually take care of them.  One day I will own horses and when that day finally comes, thanks to G, I will know how to properly take care of those horses to keep them healthy and happy.

G and her husband are looking at moving, hopefully to a place where she can have her horses so she won't have to board them anymore.  I'm excited and happy for them, but I don't want to lose them as neighbors either.  So, I'm going to just hope and pray that they find their new home close by (don't move to Warren G!!) so I can visit often.


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June 4

What did people tease you about growing up?
Niki

A little of this, a little of that.  Probably some of the most common things about getting teased about.

The only things that really stand out in my mind:

3rd/4th grade - being one of the few kids whose parents weren't divorced (they divorced the next year)
Grade school somewhere in there - the clothes I was wearing weren't good enough...
7th grade - for thinking girls were beautiful (thought that was really stupid thing to get teased about, still do)
8th grade - being the new girl
9th grade - for getting knocked up
10th-12th - I remember being teased, but don't really recall what for...I think weight for a little bit.

None of it really bothered me.  Yeah, I would get embarrassed but I didn't really harp on the teasing and I didn't really try to change anything.  I guess that was good of me.  But don't get me wrong, it wasn't be conscious decision to not let it get to me, I was just caught up in my own little world and felt loved by who I loved.

Well, now - way to go me!

June 3rd

155:366 - Saturday - Playing with Leia at the dog park.


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June 3
Who are your role models?
Dana

I don't have a traditional role model.  I don't look up to celebrities or other famous or notable people.

There are qualities in some people that I respect, admire, and I want to have in myself but I don't have one or more persons that I try to model myself after.

I look up to me. I try to be a person I can be proud of, one that stands up for herself and others.  One that loves and cares for everyone, not just those that care back. And one that is a good person to everyone.

A good mother, wife, daughter/granddaughter/daughter-in-law, sister, cousin, neice, friend, and stranger...

I really hope I am succeeding.

June 2nd

154:366 - June 1st


A bee on the peony out front.

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When talking about yesterday's prompt with Robert, I asked him if he agreed with my Phoebe-ness, and he does kinda.  He agrees in that I will do anything for a friend - sometimes to the detriment of myself.  And sometimes I do.  But anyways - we're not going to go there.

I asked him who he felt he identified with and after just a little bit of thought he came up with MacGyver.

Robert is so MacGyver. He can take things apart and put them back together again either fixing what ever was wrong or creating something new.  He definitely could do the whole wilderness/stressful/extreme situation survival bit.  It fits him very well.

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June 2
What gives you nightmares?
Kassie

So, um. Thanks Kassie. I don't want to think about what gives me nightmares. But that's the prompt.  Okay, let's get started.

1. Spiders.  But only awake time nightmares.  I don't ever recall having a bad dream where spiders were coming after me to eat me.  They only do that when I'm awake, in real life, when I have to scream and have someone else kill them.  Or, more realistically, when I'm the only one around to fight against their tyranny and I have to be brave and put the longest hose attachment on the vacuum, hope it doesn't fall off when the spider is halfway through the tube because it doesn't fit well, and suck that thing up.  Then leave it running for 20 minutes to make sure it is a) to damn dizzy to find its way out or b) actually dead.  Guess what I did this morning?!

I have a few "recurring" dreams.  They are only slightly recurring in that the scene/situation changes, but the end result is always the same.

2.  I'm always floating away.  I start out like I can fly and I can get back to the ground, control how long I'm up in the air and how far I go up.  It quickly turns into me not being able to stay on the ground, going higher and higher each time I leave the ground, and eventually I can't get back down and I'm floating away.

3.  I'm running from someone.  Sometimes it's zombies, and then it's more amusing then scary, but I will still wake up in that nightmare panic. And hello, have you read the news lately. Zombie-ish-ness popping up all over the place.  Though usually, I'm running from a bad guy or guys.  A traditional bad guy, someone who wants to harm me.

I wonder what those dreams mean... I have my theories, especially with the running from someone who wants to harm me one, but it would be interesting to see what an "expert" says.

4.  Something bad happening to the kids or Robert.  I think these might be the worse because once I'm finally awake (and I will know it's a bad dream and try to wake myself up but can't until just the right moment - probably when they're about to die or have died in my dream) I will lay awake analyzing the dream, trying to convince myself that the situation will never happen, OR, worse, trying to plan the what-ifs it did happen. Because that makes sense.  Something horrible happens to my kids or husband and it's okay because I have a plan on how to handle it. Ugh.

June 1st

153:366  - Mmmm watermelon



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In other news, Carus finished all of her coursework, testing, etc. today for the school year.  She is done! And done early!  She still needs to do some on her own learning stuff to be able to log attendance for state requirements, but she is still done done done.  I'm relieved just as much as she is.

In her year with K12 we've both learned a lot. I think the biggest plus she got out of this was her self confidence being built up.  She was able to see just how brilliant she is.

She would like to go back to traditional brick and mortar school next year, and because it is a new school where we won't have to deal with poor and insensitive educators, we are going to go that route. I think. I'm still freaking out over - What if we make the wrong decision and ruin her life forever! - stuff, but I know (mostly) that it's just nerves and she will be fine.

Adam is considering K12 for his next year after some issues with him getting grounded for not turning in his work/teachers losing his turned in work.  Robert and I are both fed up with one particular teacher that takes 3 weeks (WEEKS!) to post his grades to esis (where we can view assignments and grades online) BUT YET insists that we can best help her help him get his work done by monitoring esis. BEYOND frustrating.  I just wish I had started the she must sign a note saying she received your work thing a little sooner this year.  It would have saved Adam having to redo 3 assignments (assuming he didn't lie and he did do it in the first place).

Ugh, I feel like I'm ragging on teachers. I have the most utmost respect for teachers, I really do.  The kids have had some AMAZING teachers and far more good ones than bad.  I'm just frustrated with recent experiences with not so good teachers - teachers that are preoccupied by their own college coursework (don't teach honors full time to middle schoolers and go back to school for your doctorate in the same year) or teachers that pass off their job to student teachers who try out new methods of teaching the same thing each week for 3 months (seriously, why don't you confuse the children!) and that dismiss bullying with "but she picks on him too".  Those teachers.


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Reverb broads prompt time!

June 1
With what fictional character (book, movie, TV, etc.) do you most identify?  Why?
Kristen

Okay, at first I thought this one was going to be easy. I can easily feel part of a book or movie or show.  Feel that I actually know the characters, that they are my friends, but at the same time feel separate from them, and that I would just need to pick the one that I most identify with.  Then I started thinking about it and I don't really identify with them.

I feel I know them, they are friends or something, but they don't fit me exactly. Don't fit my life completely. Maybe I'm just too unique - HA!

I don't know.

Thinking of my favorite books (Outlander series - HOLLA!), movies I've seen in the past week (Letters to Juliet, Men In Black III, Bruno), or some favorite TV series currently on my docket (including, but not limited to Fringe, Bones, Doctor Who, Vampire Diaries, Big Bang Theory) and I don't see or feel myself in them - gladly for a few and unfortunately for some (I would totally run away with The Doctor).

My brain keeps coming back to the show Friends. I have no clue why because I don't feel like I identify with any of the characters - but I did/do love them. I always wish for friends like them.  Friends that close, that love each other so unconditionally and wholeheartedly.  I love all the characters, especially Phoebe.  She's my favorite, her quirkiness and acceptance for everyone. And her willingness to do and be exactly what her friends need her to do/be at any given time.

Huh.  Maybe that's why I keep going back to it, and to her. Maybe she is who I identify with, or, more truthfully, who I hope to be for my friends.  I want to be a good friend and while I know I fail often, more often than I would like, I do try.

How about you, do you identify with a fictional character?