Today we will celebrate 100 days of math lessons with a few other homeschool families.
Amy J invited us to party at Chucky Cheese.

This was the most delightful invite for little Katie because I have frequently told her, "We are never going to Chucky Cheese. Don't ask me again."

But an invite from one of her favorite little girlfriends and a promise from Amy that it will be quiet (because it's a Wednesday) prompted me to say yes.

And, well, Katie is on lesson 109 of her Calvert math.
And she will remember this as a pretty special field trip, won't she.

I really can be a party pooper.

I mean, I have absolutely NO interest in Disneyland/world.

Zippo. Zilch.

Happiest place on the planet.

Hardly.

The happiest place on the planet is right here, bay-bee!


********


Do you want to talk about American Idol?

I will just comment on the two Chris'.

Chris Richardson is the shaved headed, rapper kid.
I hate rap.
But, I like this boy.
A lot.

He is the only one I can imagine actually having a career in music and being The American Idol.


Chris Sligh is the guy with that (I'm sorry) awful hair.
I like his face and his voice and his personality.
But I just can not stand his hair.

Please cut your hair Chris S.


***********





Pray for me.

Now I remember why I freak about Chuck E. Cheese.

The begging for money.

(We don't do carnivals either.)

Tell me, how many tokens should I buy for one and a half hours?


Encourage one another,
Donna

p.s. I'm really just joking and being dramatic about Chuck's.
Amy and Lynn will be there...
We always have a fun time when we're together!

Portraits


Katie is



happy in the snow.

THE MORE IT SNOWS
By A.A. Milne

The more it snows
Tiddly Pom
The more it goes
Tiddly Pom
The more it goes
Tiddly Pom
On Snowing

And nobody knows
Tiddly Pom
How cold my toes
Tiddly Pom
How cold my toes
Tiddly Pom
Are growing.

Emma can



play the piano again.

"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."
--Johann Sebastian Bach


"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable."
-- Leonard Bernstein


"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossile to be silent."
-- Victor Hugo

The x-ray showed that Emma's body has been busy making a lot of new bone.
The P.A. was impressed.
It's good to be young and healthy and to have a body that works the way it should.

Garfield is gone and the house is filled...
with the sound of music once again.


I'm getting a little concerned with Katie's missing tooth.
I can see little bumpies under the skin.
But, is four months unusually long for a front tooth to emerge?
It sure seems like a long time to me.



Encourage one another,
Donna

Miss Opinions blogs the Oscars


The dresses were extremely disappointing to me.
They just seemed off..
Great neckline...wrong color. (Rachel W)
Gorgeous bottom...ick top. (Penelope)
Wonderful top...bad bottom. (Helen)
Great fit...strange color. (Gwenyth)

How can it all go so wrong?
It seems everyone did wear their best dresses to the Golden Globes.

There were two dresses I glimpsed on the red carpet but they were worn by people so insignificant that no one took their picture. Sad.

Don't they know I'm writing a blog about the dresses!

One dress was a beautiful traditional Japanese jacket.
It was a gorgeous blue.
I wonder if I will ever see that dress.
It's like the Loch Ness monster but in a pretty, mysterious, Oscar sort of way.




But Reese, got it absolutely right!
My very favorite dress.






Congrats on your Oscar, Jennifer Hudson.




Oh no. That must be your lucky Flash Gordon jacket.
Just too ugly.








Tell me true, does anyone like this necklace?

It seems Meryl is only interested in pleasing one person.
Herself.
I am sure, she doesn't care that we don't like her outfit.

I really do admire her as an actress and all I can think is.... that necklace must have some very special meaning to her.
Cause...it's just not pretty AT ALL.


Meryl did, however, said the best thing I heard all night to Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet.

Ryan: Congrats. This is... 14 total nominations for you.
Meryl Streep: Yes...and I'm a size 14... so it matches!

Love her!




Okay, maybe I'm wrong about Rachel W.
I didn't see the back of this dress until this morning.
It's quite pretty.



I still think it would have been prettier in a pale blue or even red.



About the rest of the show:

Ellen was funny. (She went out into the audience and asked Steven Spielberg to take a picture of herself and Clint Eastwood.
And then she cozied up to Martin Scorsese and gave him a script :o)
The interpretive dance was cool.
The three comedians were a blast.
"We're going home with Helen Mirren and an Oscar too!"



Martin Scorsese won.
Everyone was happy for him.
Jennifer Hudson and Forrest Whitacre remembered and thanked God (uncommon for the Oscars). It made me smile :o)
Tom Hanks had a nice haircut and Emma and I just like to see him.
Jack Nicolson was the life of the party, as usual.
AlGore won an Oscar.


It was a good night for the movies....
But not so good for the dresses.

Look at yesterday's blog for some really fabulous dresses.
(It's so fun to have a blog where I can be so very opinionated! he he)

Happy Monday!

Don't be shy to tell me what you think!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Winter weather finally arrives.






That pile of snow is taller than me.



Pre-Oscar Fashion Show


My favorite designer is Elie Saab.
Either of these dresses would be lovely.










Givenchy, perhaps?




A very pretty dress.
Perhpas too casual for an award show.
But, oh my, it is just about perfect.


The Dress



This dress recently sold at auction for over $800,000.00.


Yum!


Donna

Where are those big boys when we need them?

Oh, yeah, Omaha. (waving)






My husband is shoveling for the third in twelve hours.
He has this thing about getting that snow.off.the.driveway.

I'm actually looking forward to getting out there and burning some calories....
but much later....

We have a huge build up of snow at the end of our driveway from the snowplows.
Seems we get more snow in our driveway than anyone else on the block.
We think there is a conspiracy.
Gak.





Katie's cold pink fingers.



So that's what we will be doing this weekend.
Shoveling.
And watching the Oscars.

I have only seen two of the movies that are nominated.
Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed.

I didn't like either of them enough to recommend them.

Charlotte's Web and The Devil Wears Prada were the only other movies I have seen at the theater this year. I liked these :o)

So I really don't watch to root for a movie.
I watch to see the ladies dressed in their finest finery.
I watch for sentimental speeches and funny speeches.

That's all.


What was your favorite movie this year?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Feast One Hundred & Thirty Two



Appetizer
Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it?

Soup
What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?

Salad
Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves.

Main Course
What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pasketti" for "spaghetti")?

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have always thought ______ was ______.


Fine Art Friday

My sister, Sue, recommended I highlight some of the things we are planning on seeing on our, from now on to be know as, Mad Dash Thru Paris, Florence and Rome.
I hear the Mona Lisa is small and behind glass, yet I look forward to seeing it in person. Art work has a different effect on us when we see it in person, don't you think?

We might do this:

Every Friday from 6 to 10 p.m., free admission for young people under 26. Reduced admission for everyone else!

Leonardo Da Vinci

for close up's and background information go here


Grey's Anatomy

Well...how did you like the show?

For the briefest moment I thought Mer might die.
But it was brief.

How about what Derek said to Ellis? I was glad he said it but also horrified.

zzy is acting like a 3rd grader. "We're friends. (pout, pout) Callie can't be your friend, too"
I personally don't hang around with anyone who acts so childish, so this behavior is odd to me.

I liked the Sloan/Addison deal.
Funny that Sloan doesn't know what a 'ho' Addison has become.

And let me just say, serial infidelity, is a pretty serious flaw.

I liked how Cristina touched Meredith's feet and knew to try again.
"Ouch' was an unexpected and funny first word :o)
I also liked that Burke told her to go back to her because 'she is your person'.

Jeffery Dean Morgan is a very gifted actor.
Did you see his face when he 'felt' Izzy.
I know this might seem corny to the average bear,
but I was 'into' it...
and I knew what he was feeling before he even had to say it.
That is a gift.

I can not wait to her what you all have to say!

Don't forget the Friday Feast. I want to hear about your miracles!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Have you done your taxes yet?
I'm going to HRBlock today.
It makes me nervous, every time I go.
Dealing with money and the government, just makes me nervous.


******

I can save you two hours.
Here is the highlight of American Idol last night.
Lakisha

Janet, Jordin was excellent, too!
She was really confident for one so young!
Beautiful girl.


***********


Are you ready to predict what will happen tonight on Grey's Anatomy?
Who will die?


***********

I got sucked into the Anna Nicole hearing yesterday afternoon, specifically when Larry-the real father-Birkhead was speaking.

What can I say, but the judge is a fool and an egomaniac.

Bury Anna in the plot she bought for herself.
Do the DNA tests.
And take that baby away from Howard-the leach-Stern.

~Judge Booshay


***********

Gotta run,
Katie is thirsty and she can not lift the jug of milk.
Motherhood calls.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Bummer.

I broke the Alfredo Sauce.

I have made this recipe at least five times.
And it turned out just perfectly.
But tonight, I let it get too hot and it broke.

That's what it is called, actually, breaking.

Too bad.
So sad.

Hardee Har Har....


I promise you will be astonished at the ugly things people will knit...
Visit Stitchy Mcyarnpants





Oh so creepy.


***********


"From a list of cases heard in U.S. civil and criminal courts, published in the October 24, 2004, issue of the ABA Journal eReport, the online magazine of the American Bar Association. Originally from Harper's Magazine, January 2004."

Schmuck v. Dumm

United States ex rel. Gerald Mayo v. Satan and His Staff

I Am the Beast Six Six Six v. Michigan State Police

Friends of Kangaroo Rat v. California Dept. of Corrections

State v. Big Hair

Billy-Bob Teeth Inc. v. Novelty Inc.

U.S. v. Pipe on Head

Herb v. Grow

Henny Penny v. Chicken Little

Advance Whip & Novelty Co. v. Benevolent Protective Order of Elks

Fried v. Rice

Outlaw v. Commonwealth

Easter Seal Society .for Crippled Children v. Playboy Enterprises

Loser v. Superior Court of Alameda County

State v. Nailer

People v. Fester

United States of America v. 2,116 Boxes of Boned Beef, Weighing Approximately 154,121 Pounds, and 541 Boxes of Offal, Weighing Approximately 17,732 Pounds

Jones v. God, Jesus, Others

Plough v. Fields

Farmer v. Heard

United States v. 11 1/4 Dozen Packages of Article Labeled in Part Mrs. Moffat's Shoo Fly Powders for Drunkenness

Truelove v. Truelove

Klink v. Looney

Hamburger v. Fry

Lexis-Nexis v. Beer

Short v. Long

People v. Booger

************

This just in, from alert reader, Amy;

ABC is surgically removing part of "Grey's Anatomy" to see if it can survive on its own.

In a bold move that could bring in millions of dollars in new advertising income if it's successful, ABC has decided to pursue a spinoff of the hugely successful medical drama. Departing "Grey's Anatomy" to anchor the new show would be one of its most popular characters: Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, a sexy neonatal-surgeon played by Kate Walsh.
~Brookes Barnes

Ah! I spy some foreshadowing.
Addison wondering if she would be missed.
Alex telling her she would be missed.

When I first read this I thought it was hinting as to who would die tomorrow night on Grey's.
But, Addison can't die if she is leaving the show for another show.


*******

American Idol.

I actually enjoyed American Idol last night.
I voted for 5,7,8 and 11.
Only once each.

Unlike the last two years, I think there are some talented singers this year!

The girls will be singing tonight.
I have a feeling the girls will not be as strong.

Except for LaKisha Jones.

Meet LaKisha


*************

One last chuckle...




Hat tip:Lynn


Is anyone else watching American Idol?
What is your town's high temperature today?
We are headed for 45!!!
Woot!


Encourage one another,
Donna

I just can't think of anything to talk about this morning...

It's winter.
I'm not moved to share any of the books I am reading.
My menu is not too exciting.
and how many times do you need to hear about my walks and sledding adventures.
(albeit thrilling for Katie and me :o)

I'm actually thoroughly enjoying my life in it's even-ness and lack of drama.
...Although it is speeding by at an alarming rate.
...and it's starting to freak me out.

Does anyone else feel this way?

How can it be the 20th already.

zip. zip. zip goes life.............

"Time and tide wait for no man."

No indeedy.





Sister Sue went to Arizona to visit Nancy, Janice and Janet last weekend.
Read about it at Janet's blog and see a great picture!
Janet's blog
Love you!
Oh, how I wish we did not all live so far away from one another.

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?


Encourage one another,
Donna

On day 50 of my exercise streak, I walked outside in the blinding sun and snow.
My eyes started to water and I could barely go on.
But continue on, I did.

My shoes squeaked, which I also didn't like.
(I bought walking shoes(Keen's) to take on our trip to Europe and I could only imagine walking thru the quiet Louvre with my squeaky shoes.)

I wasn't sure if it was my corduroy pants making all the racket. So, I walked with my feet a yard apart to see if it was my shoes or my pants.

It's the shoes.
Bummer.

Once the sun (and the wind) was at my back, I enjoyed the quiet air and listened to two different birds singing in the distance. I heard them but I couldn't see them.
But just hearing them made up for the uncomfortable start to the walk.

I'm glad I got out in the fresh, bright air.
And I'm really glad I stayed out there,
cause if I wasn't streaking and walking the Iditawalk...
I would have turned right around and come home to sit on the couch.

You see, I am not a big fan of being uncomfortable.

But the streak gives me incentive.
It has a life of its own.

I don't feel like this exercising/walking streak is a habit yet. You have all heard of the 21 day rule. Well, I don't feel that at all!

It doesn't seem to fit me.

But this does;



I meant what I said, and I said what I meant:
An elephant's faithful one hundred percent.

Be like Horton :o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do?
Marlin: No I don't wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
Marlin: Dory, no singing.




Swimming lessons start this morning.
These will be Katie's first swimming lessons...other than my summertime coaching.
She is thrilled to go and is in her swimsuit already.

Kick, Katie, Kick!


And if anyone asks, the answer is;

P. Sherman, 42, Wallaby Way Sydney!


Have a really great weekend!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Feast One Hundred & Thirty One


Appetizer
What sound, other than the normal ringing, would you like your telephone to make?

I would like a song. Something that made me smile and boogie a little when it rang.
That Gnarls Barkley song...yes, that's a good one. But I think I would love to have the song, Until You Come Back to Me by Aretha Franklin.
That song always makes me smile!



Soup
Describe your usual disposition in meteorological terms (partly cloudy, sunny, stormy, etc.).

Sunny with a high probability of laughter!

Salad
What specific subject do you feel you know better than any other subjects?

Blogging.

Main Course
Imagine you were given the ability to remember everything you read for one entire day. Which books/magazines/newspapers would you choose to read?

Oh, I would read the Bible.
My address book.
The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence.

I can't wait to read your answers on this one.

Dessert
If a popular candy maker contacted you to create their next confection, what would it be like and what would you name it?

It would be Chocolate and Amaretto and it would be truffle-like and it would be perfectly delicious and it would have no calories!
It would be called Heaven.


Fine Art Friday




Distant Poplars
~Monet

Friday already.

Where does the week go....

Thanks for spending a little time with me.
Sincerely.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Let's get right to the Grey's Anatomy talk,

Is she or isn't she?
Will she or won't she?

Here is a clue.

The title for next week show is....

Some Kind of Miracle

You heard it here.

I hope we get to see a long conversation between Meredith and Denny and the Bomb Squad Cutie.

I hope Denny gives Meredith a message for Izzy.
(Even tho she was a jerk to George)

I think Meredith will live...but be brain damaged to some degree.

What do you think?




Gratuitous McDreamy Photo.

Six Degrees




of Separation


John Mayer was in town last night.

Recent John
Vintage John

Emma and her friends threw themselves a 'Valentines Party for girls without Valentines.'
They would have liked to go see John Mayer, but the tickets were pricey for high school girls.
So they ate Chinese food at Happy Wok, giggled and screamed in the basement (about what, I don't know) and ate sherbet and ice cream right out of the containers.

Their friend, Dave, was fortunate enough to work as a temp roadie for John Mayer last night.
He was sweet enough to bring the girls....t-shirts.

They were hoping he would bring John.

Emma and Candace are making the face they would make if they got to meet John.


********

I asked Dave what special requests John Mayer had for his food.
(You know rock stars are notorious for crazy requests of specific brands of water and only green M&M's)

JM had to have chocolate chip cookies with exactly five pieces of Ghirardelli Chocolate in them.

The tour came with it's own portable kitchen which they rolled off the bus like Amps.
(Now, that is interesting!)

They made chicken for dinner. (Dave helped with this)
And John wanted something different than everyone else.

Jessica Simpson was with John Mayer.

She was not fussy about the food.

********

What would you "demand" on your tour?

Don't forget, you get to bring your chef...and your own kitchen.


I think I would bring an elliptical machine, so I would not break the streak :o)

I would have Evian Water.
Clear ice cubes.
Diet Dr. Pepper.

And a chef that could make delicious salads and Chinese food.
Chicken Salads from Whole Foods...all flavors.
Lobster and Filet Mignon.
Fresh strawberries and pineapple

And since I'm the boss.
No sweets or chips to tempt me.


Ah, the perks of being a rock star.


How was your Valentines day?
What are your 'rock star whims'?


Encourage one another,
Donna

Warm wishes.





A little wool yarn makes everything better :o)

Who, being loved, is poor?
~Oscar Wilde

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.
~Henry Van Dyke

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
(1John 4:7-12 NIV)

Wishing you a little extra love today :o)


Encourage one another,
Donna

Show us your pets!





Here is Maggie. She is allowing me to scratch her in her favorite place.
She visits me when it is quiet and I am blogging.
And she needs a scratch.
And I oblige.

She hides most of the day from Katie and me.
We are too loud for Maggie.

I know this because when I sing 'The hills are alive with the sound of music' in my loud fake opera voice, the cat tears out of the room.
This makes every one laugh.
Except Emma.

She doesn't understand why we bother her cat so much.

Emma is the quiet cat-like one in the family. (So is her dad, now that I think of it)
The rest of us are just like puppies.
"Play with us"
Romp
Romp
"Come and wrestle and play with us!"


But Maggie is smarter than we think. And I think a little passive aggressive.

Nearly every day, when I am in the bathroom, in a precarious position, she pushes open the door.

Wide open.

And there I sit.

Exposed to the world.

Because Maggie was dying to see me.

And the thing about cats is that they can't close doors.
They can only open them.

"Katie, come and close the door for me, please!"
I shout!

I am learning to close the door til it clicks.


Thanks to Maggie.


***********


The Westminster Dog show is on tonight.
USA channel.

My husband is softening on the whole dog issue.

There is a dog in our future.

I can't wait to see what a puppy would do to Maggie!

ha!


*********

Thank you for your thoughtful, kind comments, yesterday.
I savored every one as food for my soul.

It was a hard day, but I got thru it.
With a little help from my friends.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Tell us about your pets!

Click Pic.


Helen Miren wearing another gorgeous gown last weekend while picking up another award for The Queen.
She really can do not wrong in the style department!
Has she worn her best dresses already?
Or can she find another beauty for the Oscars?

I'll bet you didn't know this...
I am easily discouraged.

I try not to let on here on the blog because I feel like my job is to encourage others.

And how encouraging in a discouraged Donna?

Not at all.

But I just got off the scale.
(I weigh in on Monday.)
And I am up two pounds.
And in the last seven weeks I have worked so hard to lose...and I just don't lose.

I am counting my calories, walking every day, drinking my water, and not eating after 7:00pm at night.

And I am not losing.

As you know, I lost on the Fat Flush.
But I also lost my hair and hated the no bread diet.


But, I think I have come to the conclusion that I can not eat bread products and lose weight.

I don't understand it.

But, I am going to cut out all but one starch a day and see if I lose.

I have to have one starch a day.

I mean. Come on!

Why doesn't limited calories + exercise = weight loss for me?

I have been told don't eat too little or I will put my body in starvation mode.
So I have been careful to eat the required "points".
Still no weight loss.

So no carbs for me, baby.
And it makes me mad.
And it makes me sad.
And I really don't want to eat like this(low carb) for the rest of my life.

But I really, really, really do want to lose weight.
And boy, I get discouraged when I work super hard on something...
and it doesn't work.

And I don't understand it.

If you can tell me why eating bread makes me not lose weight.
Tell me in Kindergarten terms.

Cause I have read all the books and I end up thinking they are hooey and I really don't believe the hype.

And actually, if I combine the suggestions from all the books I have read,
the only things I can eat are vegetables and olive oil.


Now, because I love food.
That is just depressing.




So starting today, it is the low carb diet for me.

I am not happy about it.

But I fear I don't have a choice....

if I ever want to lose weight.

So long, evil friend.







Tomorrow, I'll be back to blogging the good parts.

Encourage one another,
Donna

Media Meme




Action – Favorite action movie?
Indiana Jones

Beautiful – Most beautiful performer?
Grace Kelly




Comedy – Favorite comedy (TV or movie)?
Parenthood with Steve Martin

Drama – Favorite drama (TV or movie)?
To Kill a Mockingbird

Event – Historic event that kept you riveted to the TV?
September 11, 2001.
Princess Diana car crash Aug. 1997

Favorite – If you could only own and watch one DVD the rest of your life, what would it be?
Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth.

G – Favorite G rated movie?
Heidi

Head over heels – Which star were you in love with when you were younger?
Rocky. (Stallone)


Ice – Did you see the “Miracle on Ice” live (tape delayed) in 1980?
Yes. Live.
It still brings me to tears.

"Do you believe in miracles?"

Justice – Did you watch any of the famous O.J. Simpson chase down the freeway?

I watched the OJ trial with much interest.
A friend of mine testified against him.
Her name is Candace Garvey...aka Candy Henderson.
We went to high school together and we cheered together at Wheaton Central.
Candace got on the stand (now very blonde, I might add) and said that OJ was acting strange at the dance the night of the killings.

King of the Thriller – Favorite Hitchcock movie?
Rear Window

Laettner – Did you see Duke’s Christian Laettner make the winning shot against Kentucky?
I don't remember.

MP3 Player – Do you own one?
Nope.

Never get enough – Which movie have you watched the most times and how many times have you seen it?

Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz.
Yeah. It has got to be The Wizard of Oz. I must have seen it 40 times.

Opie – Opie or the Beaver?
Opie. I loved him as a child and I admire him as a director.

Pride and Prejudice – Do you prefer A&E or 2005 release?
NO CONTEST WHATSOEVER.
A&E

Quality – Best TV show of all time?

Oh man, this is really hard.

I have fond memories of Northern Exposure and St. Elsewhere.
Designing Women still makes me laugh and I will watch it any time.
Regis and Kelly are long time friends and I adore the first 20 minutes of that show.
And well...I have loved Jeopardy the longest.




Remote control – Who is in charge in your house?
We take turns.

Super Bowl – Game or commercials?
Commercials

Television – How many in your house?
Three.

Ultimate – Who is your favorite movie star?
Gary Cooper
Hugh Grant
Cary Grant
Tom Hanks

Victory – The best sporting event/game you’ve watched live on TV?
Packers winning the Super Bowl.

Walkman – Did you ever own a Sony Walkman?
No.
I like my music best...in the car.

X – Movie you wish you had never watched?
Platoon

Yesterday – How many hours of media did you consume?
I'll never tell.

ZZZ’s – Best music to fall asleep to?
The drone of the fan or the splash of a lake.

From Laney.



Feel free to borrow this and fill it out on your blog.
Or share your faves in the comments!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday Feast
One Hundred & Thirty


Appetizer - Have you been sick yet this winter? If so, what did you come down with?

Nope. Healthy as a race horse.
Knock. Knock.

Soup - What colors dominate your closet?

Pink, black and white dominate.

Salad - How would you describe your personal "comfort zone"?

I'm not sure what this question means.
Enlighten me.

Main Course - On which reality show would you really like to be a contestant?

This is hard.
If I could wear a brown bag on my head and have my family near by, I would go on Biggest Loser.

The Amazing Race would be the least embarrassing, but it would probably kill me!

Dessert - Do you take vitamins?

I always intend to take vitamins but I forget to take them.
Same with makeup.
I love the idea of makeup...but I just forget to use it!


Fine Art Friday










Learn about Pierre-Joseph Redoute here



Grey's Anatomy

Hum?

Oh, Meredith.

Yoohoo.

Swim to the light, honey.

*******

What did McDreamy say to Meredith? About the 'knight in shining something'?
I know one of you will remember.
McDreamy's hair looked especially fine last night.
And the Cheif and his darker hair was funny.
Mark had the funniest line of the night.
"Highlights, you need highlights."


That's all I can think of this morning.

I'm a little fuzzy.

What are those vitamins that help with memory?


Encourage one another,
Donna

This was taken out my back door just a few moments ago.
Isn't it pretty.
Click to pic to see it larger.
So nice.

I still feel the cold around my shoulders from opening the door.
It's winter in Wisconsin
and I'm glad.

From December to March, there are for many of
us three gardens -
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind's eye.
- Katherine S. White

February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March.
- Dr. J. R. Stockton

A sweet poem.



If apples were pears
And peaches were plums
And the rose had a different name.
If tigers were bears
And fingers were thumbs
I'd love you just the same.

Wishing you beauty in it's many and varied forms.

It's all around.


Encourage one another,
Donna

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6


I thought it was a promise.

Last night on Focus on the Family I heard that this verse is not a promise it is a probability.

For example, if you do this it will probably come true.

Do you believe the Proverbs are promises?

Or as Dr. Charles Stone says, probabilities?



***********

Not a prodigal.



But, a birthday boy!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!
We love you!

I wish you love and laughter and courage and a little more faith in yourself.
You are a great guy with tons of potential!

Love you,
Mom


***********


Encourage one another,
Donna

I blog surf when Patrick watches football.
I can't read with the t.v. on....but I can listen out of one ear to the t.v. and visit websites to my heart's content.

Here are a few cooking blogs I found this weekend that I really liked!

Recipe Journal

101 Cookbooks

Smitten Kitchen


What else am I doing besides walking at the mall and teaching Katie to count money and read?

I am reading a good book called The Samursi's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama.




And last night I started knitting...

Fetching




Katie couldn't stand the idea of not being in that picture!


*********

I recently tried a new recipe that you all might like, it was called Ravioli Casserole.

Ravioli
Spaghetti Sauce
Mozerella Cheese
Parmesean Cheese

Cook the Ravioli. Rinse it and put in 9x13 pan.
Pour Spagetti Sauce over the top.
Sprinkle on the cheeses.

Bake 350 until warm.

I think I would mix some cheese in with the raviolis instead of all of it on top.
But this was extremely easy and could be very good.
(We had some issues with the sauce I bought and the ravioli. But with the right ingredients this would be fantastic!)

I found it at Kendra's site Preschoolers and Peace


Have you tried any good recipes lately?
Do share!

Encourage one another,
Donna

O, wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Weather conditions:
-16
-31 with the windchill

Those numbers have scared the school systems all over Southern Wisconsin out of holding school today.
A bus breakdown would spell disaster.

I am so thankful for pipes that don't freeze,
a car that starts,
and a trusty furnace.

I have been sheltered living in this country of great abundance.
Sheltered from the daily hardships of the truly poor.

Mornings like this remind me that I need to do more for others.


************


I'm back.
I just went looking for a picture of Siberia. Thought it might be interesting to see what Siberia looked like. I mean, don't you think of Siberia as a cold, desolate place.

Well...it might be.

But I found something much more interesting.

Look at this big hole!





Wow!

If you and your children would like to see more pictures of this big hole in Eastern Siberia, visit this blog


But before you go...guess what was inside that big hole?

I'll tell you in the comments.


Encourage one another,
Donna

The Idita-walk and the Iditarod start today!!!

Who would ever imagine that it would be 30 degrees warmer in Nome Alaska than it is here in Wisconsin!

Today: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 4. Wind chill values between -14 and -19. West wind around 14 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around -11. Wind chill values between -16 and -26. West wind between 7 and 9 mph.

Ah well...I have nice big mall to hike around two or so times.
In Nome, I think all the walking must be done outside.

My Time Sheet is up and I'm reading to walk while the doggies mush!

30 minutes a day for 35 days. (The dogs run 30 miles a day for 35 days)

This increases my streak commitment from 20 min. a day to 30 min. a day.

Baby steps. But good healthy steps!

Eleven days after the Idita-walk ends, we fly to Europe.
After our mad dash around Paris and Rome, I hope to come home and start a running program. (Couch Potato to 5K) It will be Spring...and I'm already getting myself mentally ready to try it!

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-three today and we don't know where the hell she is. ~Ellen DeGeneres

ha ha ha


Stay warm!

I wish you robust heaters and wool socks,
cords of wood and cars that start!

Oh yeah.

Big football news!
No, not the Superbowl.

Our hero, Brett Favre, is coming back to play another year.
All's right in our world!


Encourage one another,
Donna

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Nine


Appetizer
What was one of the fashion fads when you were a teenager?

Soup
Name one thing you think people assume about you when they first meet you.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how hard do you work?

Main Course
If you were given a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl to sell anything you currently own, what would you advertise?

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I love to ________ when it is _________.



Fine Apparel





This is our mother's coat. I took a picture of it for Wendy yesterday because she just finished knitting a swing coat with a fur collar. I thought she would like to see our moms.

I'll bet Janice and Janet do not remember this coat.
It is suede and mink. It is from Marshall Field's and Co.
And the size. Well, the size is not to be found. But Emma weighs under 130.
Can you imagine our mother of seven fit this coat!?

We must get our zaftig figures from Dad's side of the family :o)

But I digress.

It's so beautiful.





The button as art.


******

Anything to discuss today? Grey's Anatomy perhaps?

Here are my impressions.

There is no way a Clinic could be put together in a little over a week.
Just so completely unbelievable I was driven to distraction.

Burke is manipulative and they are the most ridiculous couple on television.
But, she can send me that ring.

Is it really possible to become lucid for a day?
Poor Meredith. What a mother. ick.

George and Calliope Ifegenia Torres married in Vegas.
Smart! Not!

I'll stop there.
Take it away.....


Encourage one another,
Donna

IN ACCEPTANCE LIETH PEACE

He said, ‘I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places,
They shall be filled again.
O voices moaning deep within me, cease.’
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, ‘I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood cease.’
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavour lieth peace.

He said, ‘I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life’s riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease.’
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, ‘I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?’
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, ‘I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God tomorrow
Will to His son explain.’
Then did the turmoil deep within me cease.
Not vain the word, not vain;
For in Acceptance lieth peace.

~Amy Carmichael

I guess I can pass this on....

I would be very happy if one of you won $25,000. to makeover a room in your home.

Happier still, if I won.

But what are the odds. So I am gonna share the information and hope for the best :o)

So here is a link to Kimberly-Clark's Room-A-Day Giveaway.

Room a Day Giveaway



BTW, I can assure you that I can fix more than just ONE room with that amount of money!

Hardwood floors, fresh paint, a little wainscoting here and there....
Yeah.
$25,000. would go a long way!

Good Luck friends! I hope one of us wins.


(The contest runs until Feb. 16th and you can enter every day. They announce a winner on the View every day. I'm positive you don't have to watch to win :o)


***********


Now, I am going to tell you what Katie and I learned yesterday.

We are using Jessie Wise's book First Language Lessons.

Katie is learning about the parts of speech.
There are poetry selections and narration sections.

It is gentle and repetitive. She is learning and remembering.

Yesterday, WE were taught;

"The subject pronouns "I," "he," and "she" should always be used in the sentence pattern, "It is...." or "This is...."
The child should never say, "It is me!" or "It is him!"

So then we practiced.

Instructor:Let's pretend that you're knocking on the door. Go knock on it!
Now I'll say. "Who is it?" What will you answer?
Child: It is I.

Instructor: Now I'll go knock on the door!
Child: Who is it?
Instructor: It is I!

First grade material.
Well...that explains it.

I was little and looking out the window in First Grade.

But, why I never picked up that bit of information in my 40 Something years is rather amazing!

It's a good thing I home school my children.
I've learned so much!


Encourage one another,
Donna