Just A Soopr Day

The Amazing Artist

2011-12-22T00:17:00.001-05:00

Lee recently turned 9. For at least the past five years he's produced hundreds of drawings on white computer paper. He's entered his artwork in the Salt Fork Arts & Crafts Festival Student Art Show the past two summers. He's won awards. He's received O's (outstanding marks) in art class at school.

Lee's creativity amazes me. His father, the Old Man, is artistically inclined and still has many drawings from his youth. I am not.

Our oldest son, Christian, 12, was as interested in art as Lee at a young age but sadly he rarely picks up a pencil anymore. Middle son, Will, 11, also likes to draw and exhibits talent but he tends to navigate toward using only wide ruled notebook paper which annoys me to no end.

Lee's artistic ability has surpassed any expectation I ever had for him. I think he's a genius. His imagination is wild. He surprises me every day. And yesterday was another gift.

First we took his Letter to Santa to the post office to mail it.

Then we went to Big Lots to get some big boxes of cereal at big savings and there he asked to buy a cheap set of T-shirt markers - 10 colors for $2. I rarely turn down a request by him to buy art supplies. At the store I told him he could use an old white T-shirt from his pajama drawer on which to draw.

We arrived home and within a half hour he had created a most amazing holiday shirt with a theme of lava and volcanoes.

"don't think about lava

think about Christmas"

***

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

The Last Pumpkin

2011-10-31T20:34:00.000-04:00

Imagine that you are a pumpkin - the last pumpkin in the field. The nights are getting colder and there is snow in the air. Won't someone come and take you home to a nice warm house? You hear voices and see someone coming toward you ...

I'm in a pumpkin patch. I've been dreaming for this day for months. I see a teen-ager with his dog. The dog is a black lab. He is sniffing me. His nose felt so wet and moist. He walked away. His dog didn't want to go. Then he jerked the leash and the dog went with him. I saw him looking at the other ones. Just then I was getting tired. I tried to keep my eyes open. Then I saw him. He was coming toward me. He picked me up, took me to his house, put me on his porch, and lit me.

Written in October 2010 by Will, 9, as part of a fourth-grade writing assignment.

"L" is for Lisa and First Love

2011-08-30T23:53:00.002-04:00

My fifth grade son has a girlfriend. The last week of school, this past May, he announced he was going to kiss her, but that never materialized.

The two did not correspond or see each other over the summer. She lives on the other side of town.

Last week he mentioned her again. School resumed two weeks ago. Apparently they are still “together.” Two nights ago, as he kissed me good-nite, he said he was going to try to hug his girl the next day. Yesterday morning he ate his breakfast and ran upstairs to brush his teeth. That’s when I heard the shower running – 10 minutes before we had to leave for school.

He came downstairs smelling like Axe.

On the way to school he said that not only was he going to try to hug her, but also kiss her and hold her hand. After that I must have lost consciousness because my friend, who was dropping off her child at the school too, said she waved to me but I did not see her.

My son came home from school. He said he did not get a hug, a kiss or a hand-holding session. He said that he and the girl talked at recess. Asked what they talked about, he replied, “Business.”

I believe this girl may be my son’s First Love.

With all of these feelings surfacing from my dear boy, I started thinking about my First Love.

His name was Tim.

Tim and I were classmates. It was the third grade.

I don’t know whose mother made the arrangements but Tim ended up at my house, in my backyard, where we played on my swing set until nearly dark. Then he stayed for dinner. My first “date.” I don’t remember what we ate, all I remember was Tim was at my house and all was good. I don’t know if it was that day but at some point during that school year Tim gave me a present. I’m sure his mother picked it out – it was perfect. The initial “L” on a chain. My initial. Beautiful. I still have that gold necklace. Here it is.

Tim’s mother lives in my town now. Tim lives just down the highway between the town where we grew up and where his mother and I live. My First Love was not a physical relationship. I had feelings. I’ll bet he had feelings too. In third grade we did not act on those feelings.

In fact we never acted on feelings but we continued to be friends. I remember going to my first co-ed party at his house, for his birthday. He lived just on the outskirts of town where his house, located at the base of a cliff, was surrounded by a small wooded area. There were grapevines intertwined among the trees. We swung on those grapevines and I remember this like it was yesterday.

In high school I went to a couple of big parties at his house. We were getting older and the parties were getting more mature. There were no grapevines to swing on then but there were cold beverages consumed. My parents learned about that party and my behavior, and I was grounded for a month.

I see Tim's mother from time to time and we speak – catch up on Tim and his wife, and my husband and three sons. And though I only see him every five years at our class reunion, I remember the boy, my First Love, with fondness.

Fill in the blank

2011-05-25T13:02:00.002-04:00

Will, our fourth grader - the one who nearly two years ago decided that "Old Lady" would be a suitable title for me on our blog - recently received an assignment.

I asked him to fill in the blanks and complete these sayings, or idioms as they are commonly referred.

Anyway, here are some keepers.

You may have seen these other places, but never like this.

Remember, I gave him the first part ; Will's answers are underlined.

Honesty is the best when in trouble.
The grass is always greener when you're good.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
A woman's place is in the house.
It's always darkest before the day.
Crime does not solve problems.
People who live in glass houses should not break down.
You can't teach an old dog how to walk.
Where they're smoke there's trouble.
Never underestimate the power of God.
Love all, trust everyone.
Two is company, three is family.
Don't bite the hand that helps you.
If you lie down with dogs be careful.
No news is fun.
Fight fire with power.
You can lead a horse to water but not a cat.
When the cat's away, stay away.
Children should be seen and not heard.
A fool and his money are funny.

Hopalong Cassidy’s Creed For American Boys and Girls

2011-05-02T23:06:00.003-04:00

Two years after I started working at the paper, I came to know William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd. Of all the cowboy memorabilia I've been exposed to, his "Creed For American Boys and Girls" has appealed to me the most.

I couldn't wait to have children to share this with them.

My sons now have a copy of these good words to live by.

1. The highest badge of honor a person can wear is honesty. Be truthful at all times.
2. Your parents are the best friends you have. Listen to them and obey their instructions.
3. If you want to be respected, you must respect others. Show good manners in every way.
4. Only through hard work and study can you succeed. Don’t be lazy.
5. Your good deeds always come to light. So don’t boast or be a show-off.
6. If you waste time or money today, you will regret it tomorrow. Practice thrift in all ways.
7. Many animals are good and loyal companion. Be friendly and kind to them.
8. A strong, healthy body is a precious gift. Be neat and clean.
9. Our country’s laws are made for your protection. Observe them carefully.
10. Children in many foreign lands are less fortunate than you. Be glad and proud you are an American.

Organizers are gearing up for the 21st Hopalong Cassidy Reunion this weekend at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center in Cambridge. William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd was born in Hendrysburg, in neighboring Belmont County, and went to school in Cambridge before his family moved West and he took up acting. Area resident Laura Bates, in 1991, set out to honor Boyd and started a Hoppy Fest, which evolved into a fan club that at one time had 500 members. The festival has waned over the years and more recently turned into a reunion held at the local civic center. Events start May 6 and run through May 7. For information, Call Bates, (740) 826-4850.

There will be another event in downtown Cambridge this year organized by former rodeo circuit promoter Art Postlethwait, called "Western Days," in which his newly-purchased authentic stagecoach will be featured in a parade in town on Saturday morning at 10. A western street fair with vendors, games, contests, demonstrations and public horseback riding runs til 5 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. For information, call Postlethwait, (740) 255-7052.

Giddy up boys and girls!

Meet Maddie

2011-04-07T23:59:00.005-04:00

Last summer I met Maddie and her family, and I've never been so touched.

A "button" on a friend's blog has lead me down a path I did not know existed. It's a cross-country relationship with people who do not know me.

Welcome to the world of blogging.

The "are you a friend of Maddie" botton shows a picture of Maddie, a bright-eyed little girl in yellow wearing a grin that reminds me of my son when he was a baby. I probably could find a photograph of Will that mirrors Maddie's expression. After several visits to my friend's blog, I pressed that botton and arrived in California, where I read about Maddie on her website - http://friendsofmaddie.org/

It is an understatement to say I was shocked to learn she had died.

No one was home but me. For hours I sat right here and read. I read and read and read and I cried and cried and cried. I was stunned. That day and in the weeks that followed I physically mourned the death of Madeline Spohr.

It's been two years exactly since Madeline Spohr died from complications of a severe respiratory illness.
Her mother, Heather Spohr, and father, Mike Spohr, and baby sister, Annabel, live near Los Angeles.

Yes, I met them on the World Wide Web. Me and thousands of other readers daily follow their blog - http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/

The Spohrs were blogging before Maddie died and have continued, sharing their story along the way.

Isn't that why we all blog? To share a story, a piece of advice or an opinion? Theirs is a sad story, one that has affected me deeply. But it is also hopeful.

Daughter Annabel was born on Jan. 22, 2010, and within the past couple of months has started walking. By all accounts Annie appears healthy and is being raised by wonderful parents who just happen to have lost their first daughter ... parents who are trying to hold it together.

I have never commented on their posts but I think about them every day and especially today as they continue to grieve the loss of precious Maddie.

Maddie was born a day shy of 29 weeks on Nov. 11, 2007.
She spent 68 days in intensive care. Her premature condition left her lungs scarred.

In the days that have passed her family has raised money for the March of Dimes and also for "families of critically ill babies in an effort to help ease the transition into NICU life and to be be an ally until the end of their child's hospital stay," according to friendsofmaddie.org.

I invite you to meet the Spohrs.

Pot o' gold

2011-03-31T22:25:00.002-04:00

LOL

Superhero son, 8, definitely has developed a sense of humor. The Old Man and I got a kick out of this. Tomorrow is April Fool's Day. If the boys come up with any good ones or are the recipients of any good ones, I'll post them here.

The Donner Party, Women’s Lib and me

2011-03-04T16:08:00.002-05:00

My fascination with the Donner Party began a couple of years ago after reading Ethan Rarick's novel "Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West." This book was given to me by a colleague who thought I might like it.

And like I did.

Since then I've been quietly drawn to this group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Having had no memory of this event in U.S. history class, I became engrossed in the story of the Donner Party's ill-fated journey West, particularly the women and children. I mourned those who perished and rejoiced that anyone survived. And still I can’t get over the fact that this all happened in 1846-47 - less than 175 years ago! This is history, yet so near to us.

Earlier this year, via National Public Radio's Book Notes, I happened upon another book, which filled me with more information about the Donner Party, and also gave me a sense of personal peace as a working mother. Gabrielle Burton's 2009 memoir "Searching for Tamsen Donner" gave name to what I’ve been feeling for several years — a yearning to change the dynamics of husband-wife roles.

Until I read this book it never occurred to me that my own desire — to make married men whose wives work outside of the home more accountable in raising the family — may already be part of the Women’s Liberation Movement.

My husband and I more than once have said in jest that we need a wife. To me it is not a laughing matter, however. I REALLY could use some regular help. Animosity creeps in my relationship with my husband when I compare my workload to his. Sometimes the grocery shopping, meal preparation, laundry, housework, children's homework, setting and keeping doctor appointments, etc. overwhelm me, and I ask, "Why aren't husbands sharing equally in these tasks?"

Since hiring a “wife” — a housekeeper, personal assistant, nanny, cook, etc.— is out of the question, I believe sharing half of the responsibilities of raising our family with my husband would make ME happy.

It seems right. I believe ...

Then I realize that there’s a guilt that accompanies my idea, like my loyalties would be divided. If I were to relinquish some of my duties, I would be going against something that all of the women in my family have had to endure for decades. I also cower because my husband does help with some of the chores and the children, and I appreciate that.

So for a while I put it out of my mind. But it always resurfaces.

Our foremothers were expected to carry the burdens of the home and children, while their husbands labored outside of the home. It was hard work then and it is hard work now, for women — especially women who now work outside of the home. Times have changed.

In mid-1977, five years after being introduced to the Donner Party's famed heroine Tamsen Donner, Burton and her family set out on a six-week cross-country trip tracing the path of Tamsen. Burton had become obsessed with Tamsen, making parallels between her life and Tamsen’s. Tamsen was mother to five daughters (three were her husband George’s daughters from his first marriage). Burton and her husband Roger have five daughters.

During that summer and the years that followed Burton's writing trip (that never materialized into a Donner-related book until now) she takes us through a “personal odyssey,” telling how her children’s needs threatened to swallow her, reliving the guilt and personal conflict associated with wanting to have an identity other than a mother and wife. She struggled to be both a writer and a mother "and vice versa, giving equal weight to both, as men do."

Burton, unlike me, quickly identified her dilemma and joined the Women's Movement. She became filled with knowledge and inspiration about what could be.

Burton, in her book, says that women are still fighting the same battles as 35 years ago. "We're still the only industrialized nation not to have government child care; most employers haven't changed to accommodate their workers; and though fathers are doing more parenting, for the most part the bulk still falls on the mothers, employed outside the home or not."

Somewhere along the way, the dynamics of Burton's family's roles changed.

“Roger and my daughters allowed me to be a writer. I don’t mean that they gave me permission, I mean they didn’t consume all my time with their demands … the nicest husbands and children will eat you up alive if you offer yourself on the plate, and they’ll ask for second,” Burton said.

I don’t know yet what I will do with my discovery made through my preoccupation with the Donner Party.

At least I am feeling some peace about my idea — peace knowing that at least one other woman has struggled with the same feelings and survived.

Will I join a women’s lib group? Will I make my husband read this blog and will it make any difference?

For now I think I'll just keep on blogging and reading — my rewards.

Burton has a just-published novel that I am currently reading called "Impatient With Desire," which is written from Tamsen Donner's point of view.

An 8-year-old's Wish for 2011

2011-02-20T23:20:00.000-05:00

I wish there was peace on Earth just like Heaven. No pollution. No devil. No harm. No madness. No revenge.

From superhero son's second-grade January Journal.

Awesome.

Shrinky Dinks for Webkinz

2011-01-15T22:52:00.002-05:00

It's been many, many years since my first Shrinky Dinks experience but tonight superhero son got his first taste of the craft and said, "They're awesome!"
Shrinky Dinks, according to its website (shrinkydinks.com), first appeared in October 1973 and since has created and marketed more than 250 activity and craft kits.
Today the magic plastic comes in large sheets that fit in your ink jet printer, allowing digital or computer images to be recreated.
Shrinky Dinks shrink to about a third of their original size and become 9 times thicker.
I purchased a Shrinky Dinks kit from eBay after trying to find a creative and durable way to make personalized name tags for superhero son's Webkinz.
With some of his Christmas cash he bought Reindeer, which he aptly named Donner, the Barred Owl (Brownie), Tie Dyed Puppy (Rainbow) and an Apatosaurus (Rex) (see picture).
Upon receiving Owl in the mail, superhero son announced he wanted to put a name tag on the bird.
Brownie received a length of jute twine around his neck. Secured to that was a paper tag stating his name with crayon illustrations by superhero son.
This tag lasted about a day.
Next was another paper tag decorated by SS that I laminated and cut to size. SS was insistent that the tag be folded in half like a little book, so it was and then a hole was created using a paper punch and the tag was attached to the twine.
That tag lasted about a week.
During a comprehensive search online to find a solution to SS's tag dilemma, I ran across the Shrinky Dinks and had to sell the idea to SS since he was insistent the tag had to fold like a book.
I simply told him these tags would be better.
Together we watched the Shrinky Dinks curl, shrink and then flatten in the oven. Excited to touch the tags we both burned our fingertips! LOL (not badly)
To complete the project, I purchased toy dog pet collars and attached the Shrinky Dinks tags to the collars.
Now SS's Webkinz have real, personalized name tags.
SS loves the Shrinky Dinks! And so do I.

Unbelievable photograph from 1948

2010-12-20T15:48:00.006-05:00

You’ve heard stories about fate, destiny, serendipity, coincidence, etc. Well here's another one.

Last week I received a gift from my 84-year-old grandmother. It is an old photograph with these words written on the back: “Santa Claus on the Caldwell square Dec. 11, 1948, Sandra Ellen age 4 years.”

Sandra Ellen was my mother.

She is pictured in the front, holding her mother, my grandmother Janice Ilene Day Watson’s hand. Grandmother Watson is 22 in this photograph. She looks so happy.

What’s so special about this photograph, which I did not know existed until I received, is that my father also is pictured in it with his mother.

Fred McDonald is in the back, center of the photo being held in his mother, my grandmother Ruth Frances DeVol McDonald’s arms. Dad was 3 years old in this picture and Grandmother McDonald was 28.

I’m still in awe of this photo, which I think was published in the Caldwell newspaper. Somehow here are both of my parents as little children with their mothers. Here are two families that did not know each other when the photographer captured this moment in time.

It is the split-second creation of an image of two complete strangers during Christmastime 1948 viewed by their offspring 62 years later.

It would be a decade and several more years from 1948 until Sandra and Fred and their families would meet, and everyone would share in much joy and then sorrow in a short amount of time.

Fast-forward to Dec. 20, 1965 – the day Sandra gave birth to her and Fred’s baby daughter – Lisa Lee McDonald – that’s me!

Grandmother Watson tucked two other vintage photos in my birthday card this year. One is of my parents on their wedding day in May 1965, and the other is of me and my parents on Easter morning 1967 at the farm. My mother is ill in the latter photograph, suffering from leukemia. Sandra Ellen Watson McDonald left this world in October 1967.

Thank you Grandmother for sharing with me a glimpse of our past through these wonderful photographs.

O Christmas Tree!

2010-11-28T23:25:00.003-05:00

O Christmas Tree!

Last night we put up our Christmas tree. This year the whole family helped rearrange furniture, bring the tree up from the basement, set it up, put on the lights and decorate it.

And it was good.

We ended the evening by watching one of my favorite holiday films, “Elf,” and I laughed. We all laughed.

I took a lot of pictures of the tree this year and of many, many special ornaments.

From 1971 until the late 1980s, I received an ornament from my grandmother or mother, and these are the ornaments I put on my very first tree and the ones I still hang on our tree every year.

Every year I tell the boys how old I was when I received the ornament.

The first one I received, in 1971, when I had just turned 6 years old, remains my favorite today.

It is a handmade ornament of blue velvet, blue stones and pearls around a satin ball. My late grandmother made it.

Another favorite is a ceramic snowman my mother purchased in 1975, when I was 10. She signed and dated the back, which means more to me than the ornament itself.

A simple snowflake dated 1978, when I was 13, came from Hallmark, which now sells millions of ornaments every year. It was purchased by my grandmother.

The list goes on.

Thank goodness my mother had the foresight to make my siblings and me a list of the ornaments we received, who bought them or made them, and a date, as some of them are without original packaging.

Because I have so enjoyed all of my ornaments, I started buying one or two each year for each of my sons so that when they set up house they will have a box full to share with their families.
This summer Will, who most often accompanied me to yard sales, found a beautiful porcelain angel ornament at one. It had been hanging on a peg rack since that warm day and he found it last night and made me take a picture of it on the tree.

Every year the boys want to put their own ornaments on the tree.

We have all taken ownership of the tree with our ornaments and memories of Christmas past.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, You give us so much pleasure!

The Amish

2010-10-27T21:45:00.004-04:00

An Amish man visited our house on Sunday and we all had a laugh because he is my brother. Matthew, in his Goodwill and costume shop (for hat and real hair beard) getup, also well acted the part and could easily pass as one of these people.

We had a birthday party for the boys. The oldest turned 11 in September and the other two, who will be 8 and 10, share birthdays that are two days apart in November.
November, in the past, has been a month when illness plagues our home so we decided to have a Halloween-themed party in October, which the Amish man attended.

The Amish support their large families by selling all kinds of goods from jams and jellies to quilts and furniture. They live in big farmhouses (one of my fantasies), ride in black buggies along the roadways, and generally attract attention with their simple living and plain dress.

My fascination with the Amish stems possibly from 1985 and the film “Witness” starring my early adult look-a-like, Kelly McGillis who paired with Harrison Ford to bring us an outstanding portrayal of a torn woman, who just happens to be Amish.
McGillis’ next film, “Top Gun” in 1986, landed her acclaim and it remains popular to this day. Three years after McGillis and Tom Cruise steamed up the silver screen at Top Gun Naval Flying School, I was sporting a longer hairstyle and was informed by the managing editor who hired me that I resembled Ms. McGillis.

Early in my career I had the opportunity to visit an Amish schoolhouse in Noble County where I took notes and also took photographs (of Amish children’s hats hanging on peg rails in the mudroom at the entrance to the school, which was heated by a potbelly stove). I did not photograph the Amish as they do not like to be photographed. It was one of my most memorable feature stories, not award-winning, but interesting.

Through the years I have followed the Amish stories, near and far. I have read about the Amish man, from the burb of nearby Birmingham, who was tried and convicted of crimes that I will not disclose here. I have watched the story unfold on national television of a man who carried out an even more horrendous crime involving the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

In August I again visited Amish County, located in Holmes County just over an hour north of here, and purchased their goods and ate their food and remained intrigued by their ways, despite their tragedies.

A co-worker - who is equally allured by the culture as I - liked the photos I took of two Amish boys, eating watermelon and selling baskets. We were not surprised that the one boy, who finally became aware of my camera – pointing at him - covered his face with his hat. Another co-worker, who is easily annoyed by our Amish commentary, suggested we might just as well visit our own Guernsey County - more specifically his Quaker City - to see the Amish doing Amish things.

Ironically, a new situation has developed in my family which involves the Amish. The Old Man has recently taken a job as a timber buyer and his competitors are the Amish. He says Amish have “raped” the landscape, especially in Noble County, gathering precious oak and cherry trees for their hand-crafted furniture.

It is a small world in which we live … with the Amish.

The Relapse

2010-10-19T23:37:00.009-04:00

Since I blogged about my smoking cessation, I’ve got to tell about The Relapse.
Yes, I’ve started smoking again … temporarily.
Everyone is disappointed. More people are finding out each day.
I’m really stupid.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I know that.
I want to blame someone but there’s no one to blame but me.
It’s a sad situation.
This Old Lady with emphysema/COPD is smoking again.
This Old Lady who just received a clean bill of health from her doc is again smoking.
It’s ridiculous.
Last week’s obituary for one of my favorite newspaper columnists, Mike Harden, lists the cause of death – cancer.

Then tonight these words found.
Read.

Words written by Harden and published June 30, 2010, in The (Columbus) Dispatch – within days of this most-talented man learning his C-word diagnosis.

“Before you think I'm deserving of either sympathy or compassion, you ought to know that I consumed a steady diet of cigarettes from my draft-card days through my first Social Security check. I quit for seven years after the casket lid was closed on my 54-year-old father, leaving him without so much as a single Pall Mall to sate his three-pack-a-day habit.

“Seven years I was clean. But in the midst of a divorce, I picked it up again.”

Sigh.
This is what I needed to see.

So what do I do now?
I’ve thought about that a lot. I’ve been preoccupied with that question because it’s not like I can lay down the pack without planning.
Yeah, I have to have a strategy.
I learned a couple of things during my nearly year-long relationship with Shana, a professional health coach, who weekly picked my brain trying to find ways to help keep me smoke-free.
The first thing I have to do is set a quit date.
My quit date is Oct. 28 - one month to the day from when I took that first drag that nearly sent me dry heaving.
The second thing I need to do is remember the urge will pass – if I let it - during times of high anxiety.
Smoking doesn’t take away the stress – ever.
I’m smoking and I still have it.
So what lead to this decision to even light up following eight months of being clean?
The Slip followed an evening of inconsolable crying because I needed to talk with my late aunt - the same aunt whom I talk about in my Overcoming my addiction blog in April.

The Relapse occurred when I continued to smoke.
This is an awful addiction. If I didn’t know any better I’d think it worse than any drug my aunt ever took.
Go into any store and the clerk will sell you a pack of cigarettes and a lighter too. She may know you’ve quit smoking but she’s still gonna sell you that pack of smokes.
It’s too easy.

The most important thing I need to do now is to do something for me.
For me that is losing weight.
And the replacement for smoking will be exercising.
I need to get my body moving.
Since quitting smoking in February I have packed on nearly 25 pounds. Add that to the 10 or so pounds I gained from last November to February following two rounds of steroids due to respiratory illnesses.
I weigh more now than during each of my three pregnancies.
I don’t want to gain any more weight and quite honestly, smoking these past few weeks has allowed me to lose several pounds – without exercising.
I have no appetite.
I’m feeling better about my body but I know smoking should not be used to lose weight.

This summer I started walking.
That has ceased.
This summer I bought a couple pieces of exercise equipment at yard sales – a Tony Little gazelle and a cardio glide.
So in the next week I plan to get my butt in gear and learn how to use the equipment, set up the unpackaged Wii Fit Plus, purchased in June, in our new TV room in the basement (see the Where we’ve been blog posted last week).
I don’t think it would be wise to continue to smoke to lose weight and I really want to lose weight.
So that’s my plan.
I’ll let you know what happens.
Thanks for listening.

Mike Harden died from throat and chest cancer at age 64.

UPDATE: Tomorrow is Oct. 28 and I've pushed my quit date back a couple of days.

Where we’ve been

2010-10-15T00:54:00.000-04:00

I haven’t blogged in forever, and I miss it. I have a lot that I want to write about but today I will focus on my family.
So where have we been?
The first weekend of June, two days before the children’s last day of the 2009-10 school year, our basement flooded. Rather, six inches of sewer (and water) backed up due to a clogged line along our street following a torrential rainstorm.
It was absolutely horrible. And gross. And not the first time this has happened.
It took days to get that basement clean. Because we do not have attic access, the basement is used as a storage area and there’s also a bedroom and a bathroom down there.
After we got all the crap – literally – out of the basement a professional cleaning crew came and did some demolition of drywall and carpet and then sanitized and left six industrial fans for nearly a week. They also took away tools to be refurbished and bag after bag of contaminated clothing that was cleaned and returned.
It’s been stressful for me, getting this vital part of our home back in order.
Most of the boys’ clothes are second-hand. We have 30 some Rubbermaid totes full of clothing in nearly every size for each boy. The younger ones wear hand-me-downs so those also are stored in the plastic containers. When the basement flooded those totes had to be moved to our enclosed front porch, foyer and bedrooms. There are totes all over the house. Among other basement projects, I’m working on getting them back down there since the Old Man is done with all of the new drywall.
We are just now getting our basement back. We’ve redone both the bathroom (new shower and toilet too) and the bedroom, which is now a play/game/TV room for the boys. We have an exercise area and we’re working on putting an office area in the basement for the Old Man who is now buying timber.
The week before the flood we had purchased a new front-loading washing machine. Thank God it was not damaged.
After this last incident, a backflow preventer was installed on the sewer main so I’m praying this never happens again.

In mid-June we saw "Toy Story 3," which I already blogged about – and not too nicely. Interestingly enough the boys haven’t asked when the movie comes out on DVD.

In early July we attended my mother’s wedding – Ha. That sounds funny. Well she married her beau of a decade, but he’s not my biological father. LOL. My mom and dad were married for nearly 30 years (they married when I was 5 years old), but sometimes people change. I am happy for my mother and my stepfather. I also enjoyed their party.

Later in July we took a trip to Columbus to visit COSI, which the boys liked. And stay overnight in a ritzy hotel, which the boys loved. They got to go swimming and use the gym in the over-priced abode. I got to go to some Goodwill stores in the city, which was the highlight of my trip. LOL

In August, Superhero son entered two drawings in the longtime Salt Fork Arts & Craft Festival.
He is a talented artist. A pencil and crayon piece called SpongeBob & Friends captured third place and he came home with a $10 check.

School let out very late last spring because of all the snow we had last February and March. And, it started early too – Aug. 18 because Ohio schools will only receive three calamity days this school year. The boys are into routines now. A couple days a week we’re taking advantage of free breakfast at school. Everyone is doing OK academically. The first grading period wraps up tomorrow.
Last year the now 11 year old (he celebrated a birthday on 9/11) was on the principal’s list. He is working hard but not to his potential this year. He has some organizational problems, like missing papers, books, etc. The 9 year old has finally found a series of books he likes – Magic Tree House – and has started reading for pleasure. Yes!
Today he read 40 some pages.
Superhero son has started receiving peer tutoring in reading before school three days a week. One of the 9 year old’s classmates – who is a teacher’s son - is Superhero son’s tutor. I think that’s great. A lot of days Superhero son brings home work that he did not get done in class. I don’t care that he brings work home but the boy is frustrated. I have met with his teacher to come up with a plan to help him stay on task and succeed in second grade.

This week everyone got their flu vaccine except for the Old Man who doesn’t believe he needs one.

This is where we’ve been.

Magic Bullet

2010-08-26T17:16:00.002-04:00

Thank you Magic Bullet.
Letting the boys turn the TV on this morning after breakfast proved very beneficial.
Ten hours prior the Old Man and I had viewed another gluttonous episode of "Man vs. Food" so it wasn't surprising there was a blender infomercial on the channel that makes you want to eat even if you're not hungry.
Today's product - The Magic Bullet
The boys were mesmerized.
No. I mean really, really mesmerized.
"Ohhhs" and "ahhhs" and "yummy" were all that came out these three mouths during a time that tends to be very stressful for the Old Lady.
Six-second Chocolate mousse.
Four-second Fruit sorbet.
One-second Cheese dip.
10 minutes of peace and quiet.
10 minutes of no fighting.
10 minutes of a prayer answered.
And then a rare deep-belly laugh by the Old Lady as we're headed out the door.
"Mom, guess what I want for Christmas?"
"The Magic Bullet."
LOL

A Juice Milk Shake Recipe

2010-07-13T22:19:00.004-04:00

Yuck.

Sometimes my kids come up with the oddest concoctions. The Old Man has a juicer that has proved beneficial with the children. They love juice made from all sorts of fresh fruit from the fridge. This is a good way to clean out the produce drawers.

The family loves ice cream too.

Tonight Superhero Son, who will enter second grade later this summer, made up a new recipe.

3 apples juiced
3 scoops of chocolate ice cream
3 cups of milk and 3 ice cubes
Blend it

Love the illustrations.

We did not try this. I refused. Yuck.

'Toy Story 3' disappoints

2010-06-22T21:34:00.007-04:00

Spoiler alert!
If you haven’t seen “Toy Story 3” yet and you plan to, turn away now!
The first thing I am going to share with you, for the record, are definitions of Motion Picture Association of America film rating system.
A “G” rating - General Audiences, means all ages admitted.
A “PG” rating - Parental Guidance Suggested – means some material may not be suitable for children.

Within hours of seeing “Toy Story 3” on opening day, I posted on Facebook: “It’s good and probably better in 3D, which we saw. I’m not sure how it got a G rating. A little intense … dark … I nodded off once …”

An event I’ve waited years for, the third installment of one of my favorite movies ever – “Toy Story” – hit the big screen last Friday.

My family bought tickets online the night before, anticipating a full house at the nearby movie theater that has comfortable stadium seating.

We were the first to enter the auditorium. The five of us. Two 40-somethings and three boys under the age of 10. We were all excited about Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s new adventure.

What happens to Andy’s toys when he goes to college?

I love the first two movies, equally. I can’t pick a favorite, but I know without a doubt the Birthday Party and Yard Sale Toy Stories will remain my favs.

Overall I enjoyed “Toy Story 3” – how can you not like a Disney and Pixar film?????

But honestly, I was disappointed.

I waited to express my displeasure, here, so as to not ruin it for a co-worker and well-read blogger who I just know would’ve snuck a peek at my blog had she known about it. And that would have been devastating to Firemom (stopdropandblog.com) who saw “Toy Story 3” with her family yesterday, has already blogged about it, so I’m good to go …

My biggest complaint about the film was that it should have been rated PG. There was a bit too much adult reference about it. And though these parts probably went right over my kids’ heads, I felt uncomfortable. Too many innuendos for G.

I despised the gambling scene in the top of the vending machine where Buzz is brainwashed (his switch is turned to Demo and then he’s Reset). During this scene a Fisher Price See ‘n Say serves as the poker table and there’s a nice supply of Monopoly money and other props used in a social situation that was simply not necessary. Gambling is not necessary in a film seen by first graders. Sorry. What was the purpose of that scene?

I was surprised by the use of the word SUICIDE by Woody. And because of this I lost a little respect for the famous cowboy that day.

And, Newcomer Lotso’s “Godfather” script was unappreciated by this mother. Thank goodness I don’t have to deal with that scented bear another day.

I thought the ride to the incinerator was way too long and very violent. Seemed more like a highway to hell to me than an eventual escape route during a G movie.

Big Baby, a clever addition to the cast of toys, nearly sent me over the edge with its cry. The sad doll’s story made ME cry. I love Big Baby.

In addition to the aforementioned factors, there was something that felt disjointed with this film. The first two films are all about teamwork and while there was some teamwork there was a lot of division in the finale - separating Woody didn't make sense to me. Maybe there were too many characters "Toy Story 3." There were 302 to be exact.

My eyes watered at the end but not because I was really enjoying the interaction between Andy and Bonnie. Andy’s known Bonnie how long and they’re playing like preschool pals??? Ughhhh.

I teared up because I was thinking about my three sons leaving home and what it will be like when we say good-bye.

Overcoming my addiction

2010-04-28T22:08:00.003-04:00

I finally reached a goal I set for myself following the death of my aunt a year ago.
I’ve quit smoking, and apparently just in time.
Today I was diagnosed with “mild” emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

My aunt, an educated professional who was 12 1/2 years my senior and more like my sister, was an addict.

For years she toyed with recreational drugs and alcohol (excluding her pregnancies). Then her husband died when her children were 8 and 12 years old. After that she was diagnosed with depression. Her addictions became more pronounced. Her physical and mental health deteriorated. Prescription drugs (written by numerous local physicans!) consumed her up to her death.

Her dying had become a real possibility to me but her death was still unexpected. I had prayed for God’s will to be done. I was working toward an intervention that might lead to her long-term rehabilitation, the only treatment for her, I believed.

I did not expect this kind of intervention.

I really miss my aunt with whom I spoke on the telephone many times a week. I hated her illness but I still loved her.

My life has changed in her absence.

To fill the void, perhaps, I started a blog – which you are reading - and tuned into Facebook and reconnected with people I haven’t seen since high school. What a place!

Plus I wanted to do one thing ….She couldn’t overcome her addiction but certainly I could. I had to try. Again.

My addiction for more than a quarter of a century has been nicotine, in the form of cigarettes. My parents don’t know this but I started smoking occasionally in high school. (My parents are proud of me for quitting).

I smoked in college. I smoked after college. I smoked when I started my job at the newspaper 21 years ago. I smoked at my desk! Crazy.

A health scare on Sept. 9, 1998, and a trip that night to the ER revealed I was asthmatic. (I know this date because I found the ER discharge papers in my files over the weekend). I’ve used an inhaler ever since.

And I continued to smoke … until last summer.

Through my workplace I entered a smoking cessation program that has been a godsend. Four months after my aunt’s death, since August and one time a week, I have spoken with a professional health coach – “S” - on the phone.

When I became ill last Halloween and ended up in the ER with severe respiratory distress, I had been smoke-free for a couple of months. I relapsed on Nov. 20 but thanks to “S,” got back on track in February when I became ill again and vowed I did not want to leave my children motherless (like my aunt) if I could help it.

This past weekend I shredded more than a decade of medical information - reaffirmation for my non-smoking brain. I examined every doctors office and hospital bill and prescription receipt. Seems every year of those 12 - sometimes two or three times a year - I’d visit the doc and be diagnosed with bronchitis.

And still I smoked.

I am pleased with myself and my effort to stay quit. It’s not been easy and I’ll tell you the truth, I came this close to smoking last night after an argument with my husband – just hours before my appointment with my pulmonologist. But I didn’t. It’s a huge hurdle.

Now I am focusing on weight loss through exercise because I’ve got more to do to make me well.

Today I think of my aunt and thank her for helping me to stop smoking before it’s too late.

(Those struggling with an addiction or those who have a loved one struggling with addiction are encouraged to watch “Intervention” on A&E and to visit the Web site -http://www.aetv.com/intervention/index.jsp)

Drawing and writing

2010-04-26T20:47:00.005-04:00

We got some "new" Mercer Mayer books today from our favorite yard-saling kindergarten teacher who probably wants to remain anonymous.

Lee and I love Mercer Mayer's Little Critter characters and books. So much that's who we named our blog after.

Lee is an artist. Tonight he drew another Little Critter character (I hope Mercer Mayer doesn't mind) that he called "Little Critter Boss of Clown."

Lee is a writer. Today he said he learned from his wonderful first-grade teacher the rules of a "super sentence." There are three rules: 1) Don't write sloppy; 2) Start with a capital letter at the beginning of your sentence; 3) Put a period at the end of your sentence.

I think Lee may be the next Mercer Mayer!

Our cats

2010-02-20T16:49:00.007-05:00

Last September I told you about our kitten Whiskers and the painful accident that caused him to lose a leg. (see Compassion for a Cat). I also said I would post a picture of him in a couple of months.

I am posting several.

Whiskers and his brother Stuart will celebrate their first birthday next month. The cats were part of two litters of four kittens each born to identical all-white cats named Lovey and Dovey on the same day - March 11, 2009.

The cats were owned by a couple in Caldwell, which is where I am from, and featured in a newspaper story in The Daily Jeffersonian, where I work. They may be brothers or they may not. In the days following their births the mothers each nursed and cared for all of the kittens and by the time we arrived to pick them up in very early May they were for the most part separated from their mother(s) and weaned.

Stuart is a black cat – the only one in the two litters - with just a small patch of white on his belly and in the areas of both underarms (front legs). He has black whiskers, a black nose and black foot pads. He has yellow eyes.

Whiskers is a black cat riddled in white. He has white whiskers and eyebrows (giving him the appearance of a mischievous old man), a pink nose, and black and pink paw pads. He has yellow eyes.

The cats look a lot alike but are very different.

Whiskers and Stuart are the best of friends and routinely clean each other, sleep near each other and antagonize each other.

Whiskers’ disability has caused him few problems. He is slow to bat at toys on the floor although I have seen him use his head to push things along. His litter box manners are messier than Stuart’s in that he can’t deposit all the litter from his paws before he exits the box. Therefore we have tracking areas that contain the litter at both boxes and that has helped. Aside from those two factors, Whiskers continues to run around the house, up stairs and jump on beds and furniture. He is not declawed; having one “deadly” front paw might save him if he ever escapes.

Stuart is declawed (front paws only) and it’s a good thing because he’s active and very ornery. Stuart escaped the house just yesterday and Will just about bawled me out. (Hey, I didn’t leave the front door open.) Will, having found a cure for cabin fever by trying out his Razor Spark kick scooter he got for Christmas, found Stuart on our front steps. The cat might have been outside 5 minutes.

Stuart typically sleeps all day and some of the evening and begins his romping about midnight just as we’re drifting off to sleep. Stuart likes to collect toys from the carpeted living room floor and carry them upstairs to begin batting them around on the hardwood floor in our bedroom. In the past month I’ve collected a TechDeck tool, Playmobil dog, Imaginext sword, plastic nut and screw, pirate costume earring, plastic tree, pet rock and plastic Wendy’s spoon.

Whiskers is more laid back than Stuart and it shows. He weighs a whooping 14.5 pounds compared to Stuart’s 12. Both Stuart and Whiskers are neutered.

Whiskers is more vocal than Stuart and is a cuddle dud with all members of the famly but especially Will, who early on shunned the poor cat after he came home from the animal hospital. Will has come along way.

Whiskers and Stuart both have a fetish for string and have even eaten (and digested) a shoelace. The Old Man last night observed a string (from the boys’ magic kit) hanging from Stuart’s mouth. Similar to a yo-yo string Stuart snacked on a couple of weeks ago, The Old Man instructed the oldest son to get it away from him - but not in time. Gulp.

I haven’t cleaned the little box yet today.

The costume kid

2010-01-31T23:43:00.001-05:00

For the past four or so years Superhero son has sprinted around the house, outside the house and even on errands incognito.

He’s been our costume kid.

Neither of his older brothers have enjoyed the costume box as much as Superhero son.

The Old Man and I have enjoyed his escapades but realize most cute things sometimes come to an end.

Are Superhero son's days of role play over?

He wasn’t too excited to receive one of Aeromax’s latest costumes earlier this month, the white Jr. Astronaut Suit, though he had requested it – but that was a year ago. The new costume has a cap, not a helmet (sold separately). And a really cool space backpack, space gloves and space boots also are available!

The first costume I remember him wearing - possibly inspired by watching episode after episode of “Thomas The Train” - is a Jr. Train Engineer uniform by Aeromax with cap, gloves and red bandana.

A couple of years later a firefighter’s costume aided in conquering his fears after our babysitters’ house burned down (on a weekend while the children were not there; no one was injured).

Aeromax Jr. Fire Fighter Gear w/Helmet comes in three colors – tan or black (or yellow-the newest). We have the black one. The costume - which is so authentic that I was tempted to send Superhero son to his preschool wearing it when they visited the firehouse – features bib overalls with pockets and knee patches, adjustable suspenders, a coat with buckles, zipper, pockets, authentic gauntlet cuffs and reinforced elbow patches. Plus, it comes with an awesome adjustable hard helmet – there’s no breaking this helmet!

And then there’s the Aeromax Jr. Police Officer Suit – a one-piece shirt and pants ensemble with official looking patches and a cap with a badge. Ours also came with a duty belt with radio, a baton (confiscated by the Old Lady), hand-cuffs (confiscated by the Old Lady), a whistle (confiscated by the Old Lady) and ID wallet.

Last summer just before the H1N1 virus became so widespread in many of our communities, our neighbors observed a new professional riding his bicycle up and down the sidewalk. The Aeromax Jr. Physician costume is perhaps the most real to me. It includes the white lab coat, real working stethoscope, scrub top and bottom, and hat, mask and shoe covers.

What I like best about Aeromax’s costumes are that they don't fall apart even after the 10th washing; the stitching and other details make these costumes stand up to plenty of wear. They have very cool accessories. Kids can be kids in them. They are kind of pricey so consider if your kid will wear the costume more than just a couple of times.

Now Superhero son will tell you that although he enjoys role play by dressing up in real-life costumes, he much prefers superheroes.

After all, Superhero son got his name honestly.

He loves Spider-Man - and the appeal of ripping off the Venom costume (black Spider-Man) and putting the blue and red one back on, plus Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Not to mention Ben-10.

The most difficult costume I had to create - because the costume makers apparently don’t know that kids want the villain costumes as well as the heroes’ - was Sandman from “Spider-Man 3” movie.

In the movie, Sandman, played by Thomas Hayden Church (previously best known to me as Lowell Mather on the TV series “Wings”), wears khaki pants, which were easy enough to find, and a navy blue and kelly green wide striped short-sleeve T-shirt.

Do you know how hard it is to find a blue and green striped T-shirt in a size 4T?

Are Superhero son’s days of wearing a mask coming to an end?

We’ll have to see if “Spider-Man 4” ever comes to pass and if Superhero son has a new villain to conquer.

To check out the huge selection of Real Gear costumes by Aeromax, visit Aeromaxtoys.com

Keep scrolling to see some photos of Superhero son.

Gumby

2010-01-09T20:17:00.006-05:00

Isn't it ironic?
One of the first things I saw today when I turned on the computer was that Art Clokey, 88, died Friday.
Friday. The same day we bought Lee his first Gumby and Pokey.
Clokey, an animator, was the creator of the bendable dolls Gumby (1955) and his friend horse, Pokey.
Gumby grew out of a student project Clokey produced at the University of Southern California in the early 1950s called "Gumbasia."
I played with Gumby and Pokey in the 1960s. I watched the TV show.
In fact last night I went into detail with my husband about how I used to play with Gumby and Pokey - on my grandparents' cypress knee lamp (similar to the one shown here), which also was popular in the 1960s.

I loved that lamp, and Gumby and Pokey.
Gumby's TV debut was on "The Howdy Doody Show" in 1956. That year he appeared in his own NBC Saturday morning TV series, The Gumby Show.
Eddie Murphy revived Gumby's popularity in the 1980s on Saturday Night Live, which is where David said he first became acquainted with the clayboy.
Lee's Gumby and Pokey were purchased for $4.99 each at Cracker Barrel.

My passion

2009-12-29T00:11:00.007-05:00

What started out as a symbolic gift to my husband on Father’s Day 2004 has turned into a passion for me and just recently a visual aid for learning for our three young sons.

I collect antique Lord’s Prayer chromolithographs, most of which were created in the late 1800s.

Sunday night the boys were watching a 2006 version of the “Ten Commandments” on TV with their father. They were very interested in the movie so I took the opportunity to tell them they could see pictures of the Ten Commandments right in our own living room.

A wreath of vignettes illustrating the Ten Commandments surrounds a center oval of the Lord’s Prayer in three of my lithos.

All but one of the six lithos are beautifully printed with bright pastel colors and gold, and are displayed in antique frames. A lone print, which I’ve not framed yet because I’ve misplaced it, is a vintage greeting card size black and white print of the Lord’s Prayer written in several languages (very tiny print).

My favorite chromolithograph – the largest - hangs above our fireplace mantel in a stunning ornately-carved, high-gloss wooden frame that belonged to my late grandparents, Fred and Ruth McDonald, who lived in Caldwell, Ohio.

The first one I bought for David because he prays the Lord’s Prayer every night with the children before they go to bed. The 16-by 22 litho has an 1892 copyright and was published by Standard Supply House, Chicago, Illinois. I found it at an area antiques/garden store and later I was excited to learn, via the Internet, there are lots of other lithos of the prayer out there!

At least two that I’ve acquired were printed by Geis & Co. Buffalo, N.Y. with copyrights of 1877 and 1881. The former also states it was “Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1877 by M. Yauck, 18 University Ave. Rochester, N.Y. in the office of the librarian of Congress in Washington.” That one was published by S.T. Buck, Milton, Pa.

One hangs in a Victorian Adirondack frame - the same kind of frame in which you may find paper punch and cross-stitch samplers from the same era.

I also have three old cross-stitch Lord’s Prayer samplers though one is just a phrase from the Lord’s Prayer: “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” and appropriately hangs in our dining room. I even have a Lord’s Prayer sampler in our bathroom, because the thread colors match my shower curtain!

The Lord’s Prayer is the most widely recited prayer by Christians. Two versions of it appear in the New Testament of the Bible – Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

It’s “just a soopr day” that I can finally share one of my passions with the boys.

“For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever. Amen.”

Merry Christmas

2009-12-10T19:50:00.005-05:00

Do you remember the story about the four adult siblings, all adopted as children, who were reunited live on TODAY on Sept. 23?
Earlier that week brothers Randy Joubert and Gary Nisbet appeared on the show to tell the story of how they met in July when Joubert took a job at the furniture store in Maine where Nisbet had been working for years. After being told repeatedly how much like brothers they looked, Joubert confirmed in September they were indeed brothers who had been taken from their abusive mother 35 years ago and adopted by different families.
When their story hit the local media, a half sister Joanne Campbell came forward and reunited with the pair.
The three appeared on TODAY and announced there was one more sister.
That sister turned out to be Kathleen "Kat" Cooper who the next day met her siblings on TV.
Kat's blog was mentioned in one of the online stories I read. Curious about this woman I spent hours reading her blog and in the process learned she is a non-believer. At that point I felt compelled to send her an e-mail:

ME: “ I just spent too many hours reading your blog after seeing the link the national story (TODAY) about your long-lost siblings. I think you are blessed but just don't know it. I'm disappointed you don't believe in God … take care and think about what has happened in your life in the past couple of days and consider that God played a part in this.”

KAT’S response in italic(which is posted on her blog; she did not reply to my e-mail):
“ I really don't want to offend anyone, but I'm getting an overwhelming amount of emails from a lot of people who believe in the big dog up in the clouds, every single 1 of them is saying that this is proof of his existence, that they followed the story here, read, read my blog, and were extremely disappointed to learn that I am an atheist.

take care and think about what has happened in your life in the past couple of days and consider that god played a part in this
Sorry, no.
It's all just coincidence, just the way it goes, it's totally awesome, but completely random events.
No religious miracle, no god did it or god chose this time of our lives to reunite us, none of any of that mumbo jumbo holy man nonsense.
It would take a whole lot more than this to make me suddenly fall to my knees and believe in a magical dude in the universe.
I appreciate all of the comments, I really do, but this was nothing more than random events, super awesome terrific random events, but completely random.”

I am saddened that Kat doesn’t believe but I was pleased to see part of my e-mail on her post and to know so many believers contacted her like me to tell her they are “extremely disappointed.”

I am also saddened by Godless billboards that popped up across the U.S., including those in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, last month.
They say “Don’t Believe In God? You are not alone” and were placed by chapters of and funded by the United Coalition of Reason – an organization of nontheistic (atheist and agnostic) groups.
Apparently this organization wants believers to be aware there are people who don't believe in a god.

"The point of our national billboard campaign is to reach out to the millions of humanists, atheists and agnostics living in the United States," explained Fred Edwords, national director of the United Coalition of Reason. "Nontheists sometimes don't realize there's a community out there for them because they're inundated with religious messages at every turn. So we hope this will serve as a beacon and let them know they aren't alone."

In response to the billboard being erected in Columbus, media there interviewed random people on the street who all appeared to be believers.
Now the purpose of this blog is to remind believers that in the end times the Bible says these kinds of things will happen so we shouldn’t be surprised.
It is also a request that believers continue to spread the Word of God – in any way they can – and to celebrate the birth of Christ – a real “religious miracle” that was not a “random event” - this Christmas.
Merry Christmas!

Easy Bake Oven for boys too

2009-11-29T23:00:00.006-05:00

A while back Will and his older brother Christian said, "Girls get everything!"
I know first-hand that is not true, but I sympathized with them when they explained they meant cool stuff .... like the Easy Bake Oven.
A trip through the toy section with the boys recently revealed the oven comes in a sea-foam green color. I had thought it was pink. Has it ever been pink?
I showed Will the oven and he perked up but then scoffed saying it wasn't blue enough, and there was a girl on the box.
Nonsense.
Boys can bake too.
So I told my mom and she bought him the oven for his birthday, which was earlier this month. Will is 9.
The "appliance" is still operated with one standard 100-watt light bulb - a bulb that CANNOT be long life, soft white or high efficiency - that really narrows it down!
I bought a pack of daylight bulbs.
Yesterday we baked two pans of brownies.
Will allowed his brothers to participate. The boys stirred the 1 1/2 teaspoons of water into the mix and "poured" it into the pan, which had been sprayed with non-stick spray.
The directions said to bake the brownies for 8 minutes. Maybe that daylight light bulb isn't as strong as a good old-fashioned regular 100 watt bulb. But since they apparently don't make those anymore the brownies went back in the oven for a few more minutes.
Now boys are not as attentive as girls and while the brownies baked they continued their horseplay in the living room building a fort using blankets draped across the sofa and loveseat.
When I announced the treats were done, not really to my liking - they were still gooey - they fussed and I caved and they wolfed down the first pan.
I doubled the cook time on the second pan and that seemed to help. The boys shared that pan with their dad at dinner. Mind you the round pans have a diameter of 3 1/2 inches and they cut the brownie into fourths so everyone got a bite.
I cleaned up and put the oven away thinking "Will really didn't enjoy that."
Today I read his Christmas list - which he revised after we baked the brownies - and he wants an Easy Bake Frosting Pen!

Rap sheet

2009-11-22T22:38:00.005-05:00

It's unusual for me to post two blogs in one day but I just have to share this with you.
The boys stayed overnight at David's parents' house last night (see previous blog). Lee, in addition to a portfolio of several new drawings, came home with a rap sheet on his brothers today (see image).

Translated:

mom and dad
christian hit me in the nose
with a baseball
will gave me a sidewalk burn
christian dragged my face in the
grass
From Lee

God Bless Us, Everyone!

2009-11-22T21:36:00.008-05:00

We celebrated our wedding anniversary this weekend, and for the 11th time it was during the famous Ohio State vs. Michigan football weekend!
We were married on a Friday late afternoon (so as to not interfere with the huge game on Saturday) in Mt. Ephraim, Noble County, at the United Methodist Church there, just around the bend from my late mother (Sandra Ellen Watson McDonald) homestead and across the road from the cemetery where she's buried.
More than a decade and three kids later, David and I are still learning how to raise a family. It's hard. We know we are blessed and we are glad our God is a forgiving God.
We had a nice dinner out on Saturday without the boys. They stayed overnight at grandma and grandpa's.
This morning I went Christmas shopping - online!
This afternoon we collected the children and went to the movie theatre in Zanesville (closest stadium seating theatre around) to see Disney's A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey (his first role in a Disney film).
Carrey stars in a multitude of roles including Ebenezer Scrooge as a young, middle-aged and old man and three of the ghosts who haunt Scrooge.
We saw the 3-D version and it was awesome!
David said he wanted to reach out and catch the snowflakes.
The boys looked so cute in their 3-D glasses. Lee is pictured here in his pair. He is going to draw a picture of Scrooge which I will post after he's finished.
What a nice kickoff to the holiday season.
God Bless Us, Everyone!

Courthouse holiday light show

2009-11-13T21:52:00.006-05:00

The Guernsey County Courthouse holiday light show started running Thursday night and we've seen it twice already. We went back tonight to get some video to share and capture Lee conducting the "orchestra" and in this case "the choir" which he did last night too. An added element of excitement tonight was the cop car that zoomed up the Parkway. My kids love the light show. So do I. It's a great tourism tool for our tiny town. It brings bus loads of visitors to Cambridge in November and December. Oh, and did I mention the light show is secondary to the Dickens Victorian Village. But I'm not so much a fan of these heavily-clothed mannequins as I am the light show extravaganza. Unfortunately our camera (Nikon CoolPixL3) doesn't take very good video (video removed due to poor quality). Lee is conducting all the while but you can hardly see him there on the left. For more on Dickens and the light show, visit downtowncambridge.com

E-mail address

2009-11-08T23:38:00.005-05:00

I've created a new e-mail address to allow readers to send correspondence. You can check out my profile and send an e-mail from that page under CONTACT, or add me to your address book: justasooprday@hotmail.com.

Scents

2009-10-23T00:13:00.004-04:00

The 10 year old said it smelled like Christmas the other day.
It was cold outside and the furnace, which had kicked on a few days earlier, was running around the clock.
I remarked at Christian’s association of the cool outdoors and warm house and apparently some other comforting smells.
Likewise, his 8-year-old-brother a couple of months ago told me, “You smell like Aunt Peggy.”
I was taken back and shocked at his Will's senses.
My aunt, Peggy Ruppel, died unexpectedly at age 55 this past April and I brought home some of her favorite perfume “Opium” that I had not worn until the day Will said I smelled like her.
At that moment we all remembered Peggy and it was sad but comforting that something so simple like a smell could incite a fond memory.
Maybe I get emotional when it comes to the senses.
So many smells trigger certain places and certain times.
My grandmother Ruth McDonald wore - more often than not - a perfume by Evyan launched in 1945 called “White Shoulders.” Grandma’s been gone for 20 years now but I still smell her occasionally like when that woman pushed her cart by mine at Riesbeck’s the other day.
My grandmother Janice Watson’s signature scent is “Youth Dew” by Estee Lauder. She smells wonderful, and always will.
What I really wish is that I could bottle the way Grandma Watson’s 1800s farmhouse smells – like radiant gas heat mixed with clean laundry, hot tea and orange slices.
Bedrooms and bathrooms each have their own radiant floor heaters. There are fireplaces aglow in the office, parlor and living room. In the kitchen at least one burner is continually lit on the gas stovetop. And so in the wintertime the house envelopes me with its warm historic smell that will always be remembered as grandma’s house.
I loved the way the house I grew up in smelled too, which is a compliment to my mother, Judy McDonald given she had four children and a husband and all of their smells to deal with. Mom and a lot of her friends used Claire Burke Original room freshener. It contains roses, lavender and spice mixed with patchouli and vetiver. For a while Kroger marketed a spray air freshener that rivaled Burke’s trademark scent and I remember grocery shopping with mom and stocking up on canisters.
I have an affection for patchouli and enjoy wearing perfumes containing this mint that originated in East India and yields a fragrant oil. I’m always checking out Bath & Body Works latest scents to see if they contain patchouli.
I started wearing a new fragrance this week called Angel by Thierry Mugler, which contains patchouli.
I love the smell of Gerber’s Grins and Giggles Oatmeal Baby Wash, which we’ve been using for 10 years, since Christian was born.
This scent is no longer manufactured but I bought nearly a case of it at Odd Lots this past summer because I just can’t let it go.

We have maybe 12 bottles left.
Smells are like music they take you back to different times in your life and for a little while you remember ....

Best reads ever

2009-09-15T22:42:00.002-04:00

I’ve just finished a wonderful book I want to share called “the Package” by Glenn Crabtree.
I won’t give the story away but this 2008 novel is about being lost and finding real joy, which is only possible through our Heavenly Father.
It is near the top of my Top 11 list.
Few books incite emotion in me so great that I cry real tears.
This is one of them.
This book blows “The Shack” out of the water.
Find a copy, read it and and share!

My Top 11 reads of all time:

1. Desperate Passage: The Donner Party’s Perilous Journey West by Ethan Rarick
2. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
3. Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg
4. The Package by Glenn Crabtree
5. Night by Elie Wiesel
6. The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes
7. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
8. Under the Lake by Stuart Woods
9. Perfect Victim by Christine McGuire & Carla Norton
10. Light on Snow by Anita Shreve
11. The Shades by Betty Brock

The Shades, published in the early 1970s, was possibly the first chapter book I read of my own free will.
I think I bought it at a book fair at Caldwell Elementary School on the hill on North Street.
It might have been third grade.
I still have this tattered paperback now wrapped in Saran Wrap and tucked away.
Since having children I’ve purchased three copies of the book, long out of print, online so each of my three sons can have their own copy.
I shared my excitement about The Shades with the oldest boy a couple of years ago.
He hasn’t touched it.
That’s OK. He’s finding his own way through books.
And he’s loving it.
Christian just turned 10 and has read several of the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia novels already and is on a Goosebumps kick right now.
I am a proud momma that so far at least one of the children has taken after me and his father and enjoys reading for pleasure.
Anyone who has any good adult reads up their sleeve, please send me a note.

A reason to celebrate

2009-09-11T23:54:00.002-04:00

(Originally published on 9/11/06 in The Daily Jeffersonian.)

I'm celebrating today.
I've celebrated Sept. 11 since
1999. On that day my first
child was born.
Last Sunday, after company
departed following an early
birthday party for Christian,
my husband and I were watching
"Inside the Tower" on The
Discovery Channel. A plane
slamming into the World Trade
Center was being played,
which caught Christian’s attention.
I asked him if he knew what
was happening.
His response was elementary.
"That plane crashed into that
tower."
A lot of people died when
that happened, my husband and
I told him.
Interested, I decided to take it
a step further.
"That plane crashed into the
tower on Sept. 11."
"Oh. Last year?" he asked.
"No, the year you turned 2."
So now he at least knows the
date the planes crashed into the
towers was Sept. 11, which he
knows is also his birthday.
That's enough for a 7 year
old.
There are too many disturbing
aspects of 9/11 to tell a
first grader.
I don't want to shatter his
innocence by discussing something
he’ll eventually learn.
In the five years since 9/11,
Christian has gone from being
our only child to one of three
sons.
He grew a mouth full of teeth
and then lost 3 of them.
He learned to talk and backtalk.
He learned the alphabet.
He learned to ride a bike.
He started school.
He made some friends.
He doesn't need to know
about 9/11 yet...
In actuality, 9/11 is not a day
I think about until it rolls
around.
As the years go by, I return to
it just like everyone else when
the images reappear on the television
and news stories are
printed and broadcast .
Even executing this assignment
has been difficult because
I've not really thought a lot
about 9/11 for a while.
I watched an "Oprah" episode
a few months ago about a 9/11
widow who is suffering from a
shopping addiction in an
attempt to replace the loss of
her husband. How sad.
Something else negative post
9/11.
While my medium of work is
print news and most of the stories
I've come across have
intrigued me, I am drawn to
the visual. It's the still photographs
that I pour over like the
ones on the cover of this special
edition.
I recently purchased LIFE’s
Fifth Anniversary Expanded
Edition of 9/11 and it is filled
with lots of commentary (little
that I have read) and lots of
photographs (awesome). I will
keep it for Christian for his
9/11 "capsule."
In this business I see hundreds
of news stories unfold
every week and more than half
of those are tragic. After a
while it gets to you. There are
so many problems in the
world.
9/11 was an historical event,
but what about the situation in
the Middle East? Have we forgotten
about Iraq and
Afghanistan? And what about
the woman from Ohio who was
sentenced for cutting off her
baby's arms?
Evil lurks everywhere.
So I thank God for a distraction,
a miracle amidst the
chaos, and I focus on the good
stuff for a while.
I retreat to age 7.
Reading, writing and arithmetic
... riding bikes ... friends.
Thank you Christian for
being my calm reminder of
9/11.

Compassion for a cat

2009-09-05T01:40:00.005-04:00

Our family learned a lesson in compassion this week on the heels of a heart-breaking accident that cost our family cat one of its legs.

Whiskers, a five-month old calico, had his right front leg amputated on Monday. He is home now and recovering from the operation. A full recovery is expected. He had three days of pain meds and will continue on antibiotics for a week.

We are not absolutely certain what happened to Whiskers, but last Sunday one of the boys reportedly “twirled” him in the air and he landed with a thud, made a louder than usual meow and retreated under the bed. Later in the day I noticed he was favoring one leg and the other was limp. A couple of weeks ago one of the boys dropped Whiskers from the upstairs banister onto the stairs below. David observed the cat land on its feet but in retrospect said he believes this could have been the first injury.

I am disappointed in the children’s behavior and have thought a lot about that this week. We try to teach them right from wrong and we certainly don’t condone animal abuse. Aside from this incident I keep reminding myself that they will probably continue to disappoint and we will continue to be forgiving parents and hopefully everyone will learn some lessons along the way. I don’t believe my sons are animal “abusers” but I do think this has been one lesson that they will never forget. They now realize you can’t treat your pets like stuffed animals.

The boy who “twirled” the cat is the same one who upon running home from a friend’s house dropped his tree frog on the sidewalk, accidently stepped on it and entered our house crying hysterically that he’d killed his pocket pet. We buried the frog in the backyard.

The boys were shocked to see Whiskers in his carrier - one leg missing, though they were told what was going to happen - when I picked them up at the babysitters after picking up the cat from the animal hospital. I was glad of this. I told them that day that I hoped they would love Whiskers even more than they did when he had four legs. When we got home the boy who “twirled” the cat and stepped on the frog exited the van crying. “I shouldn’t have done that to Whiskers,” he said. I hugged him and replied, “I forgive you and so does Whiskers.”

I never dreamed a week ago we’d have a three-legged cat. A friend from high school, who is on Facebook, reassured me last Sunday that her cat had broken its leg and pins and plates were used to put him back together again, and that was seven years ago.

An X-ray showed Whiskers’ leg was shattered, said our veterinarian on Monday morning. It would be a tedious operation to repair the leg and it was not guaranteed he would regain full use of the leg. The recovery would require weeks of isolation and little activity. If he didn’t recover, the bum leg would have to be amputated. She then recommended a consultation, perhaps, with an orthopedic animal surgeon. All I saw after the vet's latter comment was dollar signs.

In the half hour I had to decide this cat’s fate, I rationalized that Whiskers' personality would probably change if he had to be confined to a room without any furniture and crated for 6-8 weeks post-op. Whiskers might turn into our last cat, Meg, who not once during the 8 months we had her (she was adopted in March by a Caldwell woman who has no children) let the children pick her up. I also couldn’t fathom the care Whiskers would require for these two critical months. And would the surgery even work? Even after David told me to “put him down,” I decided I could not have Whiskers euthanized. “There is nothing wrong with this cat except a broken leg. He is a wonderful companion,” I told myself over and over again.

So I asked about amputation. Can a cat lead a normal life with three legs? Yes. Have others resorted to amputation in lieu of surgery? Yes. Actually, the vet who performed the amputation said he learned in vet school that dogs and cats “have three legs and a spare.” Before being dismissed from the hospital the doc said Whiskers’ initial difficulty could be with the litter box and learning to bury his waste differently. I’ve not noticed any difference except that maybe there’s a little less litter on the floor (and that’s a good thing). The doc said Whiskers would be able to jump up and down and run like before, and he has.

He’s still slower than his brother Stuart because of the medicine, I think, and the big blue sutures, which come out in a week or so. There is no bandage or other compress to limit his activity. He sleeps a lot but he’s more friendly than he’s ever been – I believe. He is a vocal cat. Whiskers and I had a nice conversation last night in bed, where he rested next to my uncovered feet for a bit. I am keeping him isolated for hours at a time when we are sleeping or not home so Stuart does not tear a stitch before Whiskers heals completely.

Whiskers was shaved from the neck to the stomach but after his fur grows back I think his coat will be just as beautiful as before.

I will post a picture of Whiskers in a couple of months.

Kelp Shake

2009-08-25T19:03:00.005-04:00

Lee came up with a Kelp Shake recipe today after recently viewing an episode of "SpongeBob SquarePants," in which the Kelpshake restaurant was featured where they serve Kelpshakes, a popular soft drink made of kelp juice.

Lee's Kelp Shake has four ingredients: Kelp, milk, ice, chocolate chunks. These ingredients are "blended up in the blender," says Lee.

Lee starts first grade tomorrow.

Lee's recipe - above - translated: kep (kelp), mic (milk), uis (ice), chocit chcs (chocolate chunks) blibd (blended) up (up) in (in) the (the) blibd (blender).

Tooth fairy

2009-08-24T22:23:00.004-04:00

Well, it's official. The youngest son doesn't believe in the tooth fairy who in the past has taken two days to arrive at this house because there are so many other children who have lost teeth.

Lee, who turns 7 in November, lost another tooth tonight - at dinner.
I thought the white speck on the tip of his tongue was a chopped onion.
"Spit it out if you don't like it, Lee," I said.
"It's not an onion, mom. It's my tooth," he said as it landed on the table.
"Well I think the tooth fairy will be visiting our house tonight," I said.
Long pause.
"I don't believe in the tooth fairy," he said.
"What?????? You don't believe in the tooth fairy?????"
"My mom and dad bring me money when I loose a tooth."
"Oh."
"Dad told me that ... but maybe he's lying."
Pause.
"Lee, do you believe in Santa Claus?"
"EVERYONE believes in Santa Claus."
"OK."

Vampires

2009-08-10T21:31:00.008-04:00

Tonight Will announced that the Black Raspberry Jam on his PBJ sandwich looked like blood.
“It is,” I said, “And I’m a vampire!”
Seconds later the comeback kid, Will, added, “It’s not peanut butter mom, it’s blood butter.”
The conversation, though probably not appropriate for little ears or from little mouths, resulted from the fact that I had just finished reading a story in The Daily Jeffersonian headlined “‘Twilight’ wins 11 Teen Choice Awards.”
I’ll admit, I’ve shamefully been “sucked” into the “Twilight” series.
I am not proud and tell few very people that I’m now reading the fourth and final book, “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer.
My desire to read the first book stemmed from all the hoopla about the film. I wanted to see for myself what it was all about.
I loved the 1987 comedy-horror film “The Lost Boys.” I couldn’t resist the irrestible head vampire Michael (hunky Jason Patric) and his beautiful Star, played by Jami Gertz. The soundtrack to that film also rocked.
I have not seen the movie “Twilight,” now offered on DVD.
I may watch it some day when I’m home alone.
The trailer for the upcoming “Twilight” sequel “New Moon” played during the previews when we saw “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince” in Zanesville on Saturday.
I had already seen the vampire trailer online and was a little apprehensive about the boys and David (despises horror films) seeing it.
The boys said nothing.
“Wow,” said a sarcastic David as Jacob Black, the teen-werewolf transformed on screen when love-interest Bella Swan was confronted by a thirsty vampire.
I wonder how many of these teens who voted on the Teen Choice Awards have read the books?
The “Twilight” and “New Moon” film images online and on TV are disturbing to me, and yet, I am still a participant in this freak-show, albeit a passive follower.
No one sees what is in my head when I read the stories.
The burning question: Would Bella become a vampire?
I had to keep reading to find out!
Lead character vampire Edward Cullen (actor Robert Pattison) does nothing for my hormones.
Edward and Bella’s relationship is risky in more ways than one even before they are married.
SPOILER ALERT:
Bella does turn into a vampire.
Edward and Bella parent a half-human, half-vampire baby.
Jacob “imprints” on baby Renesmee. Whoa!!!!! Enough already.
I’m nearly finished with the last book and still can’t understand the attraction to this series.
What are these teens thinking?
Do their parents consent?
Will it ever end ...

Train ride and the Wilds

2009-08-07T22:08:00.008-04:00

We're taking a little vacation this week.

Since they were little boys my three sons have loved trains and we've taken rides on scenic lines in Byesville and at Dennison, Ohio.
Thursday we departed a restored depot in the downtown Elkins, W.Va., historic district on a four-hour, 46-mile round trip ride on the New Tygart Flyer.
The air-conditioned streamliner twisted and climbed along the cascading Shaver's Fork of the Cheat River. The ride featured two separate mountain grades, a spectacular "S" curve tunnel - with just a 2 inch clearance on either side of the train - and mile after mile of unspoiled mountain wilderness.
We had a buffet cold-cut lunch on the train. Our cars were furnished with tables and chairs. There were flush-toilet restrooms aboard.
The boys liked the ride.
I was a little disappointed with the train route itself - a lot of woods, and little narration and interaction. While there were a few children aboard, a majority of the riders were "older."
The highlight was unboarding the train at the the inspirational "High Falls of Cheat," an 18-foot high, 150-foot wide waterfall in one of the most remote and pristine setttings in the eastern United States.

We spent about 45 minutes here and then headed back down the track.

Today we took an Open-Air Safari at the Wilds near Cumberland, Ohio, and I loved it but the boys said they liked the train ride better.
The Wilds is one of the largest and most innovative wildlife conservation centers in the world, and it's in our backyard!

Located on nearly 10,000 acres, it is home to rare and endangered species from around the world living in natural, open-range habitat. A newer carnivore compound features the cheetah and the African Wild Dog and Dhole (an Asian wild dog).
David said, "It's a money-making machine. I was disappointed we didn't get to see more animals."
We didn't buy any $6.50 hamburgers but we got to see some other unusual animals, several of which you won't see at the zoo. There are special kinds of antelope, birds, deer, sheep, goats and relatives, wild cattle and zebras and wild horses (the Persian Onager - a wild ass is pictured above) in addition to rhinoceroses, giraffes and camels.
I agree the prices are a bit steep but would still recommend at least one visit to the park.

This was my first "real visit."

When the Wilds opened to the public more than a decade ago I wrote a story for the newpaper on the endangered rhinos there. The paper's photographer and I got to go behind the scenes to see the rhinos, which were the only animals at the facility then.
Our guide today, a college student, seemed knowledgeable of his employer's mission and the interaction with the 30 people in our safari vehicle was nice.
For the three to four hours you spend at the Wilds I guarantee you'll forget you're in southeastern Ohio.

Our vacation is coming to an end.
Tomorrow we plan to see the latest "Harry Potter" film and do some back-to-school shopping.

Mp3 player

2009-08-04T12:06:00.006-04:00

The 10-year-old got a new mp3 player yesterday and it's going back to the store today.
Either the $24.99 player is defective or I'm technically challenged.
Made in China, the 2GB Element player looks cool. It is neon red with an LCD display and has seven backlight options. It has a voice recording and lyric display features, plus it came with the USB cord and ear buds.
So what more could a 10-year-old ask for ...
A mother who can transfer songs from the computer to the player.
Christian is so funny.
He couldn't wait to get it out of the package and tore the thing open in the van.
He said, "Man this is so light. Maybe when I put some songs in it it will get heavier."
Ha!
I explained the electronic miracle of transfering music to him, which even I don't comprehend.
Later he commented, "It is heavier now" (with the AAA battery installed).
We sat for hours copying music from CDs onto the computer. I am determined to turn him into an '80s music lover.
I have a three-disc collection called Hits of the 80s (original hits by original artists). We downloaded that. Then we gathered some more. A few songs (the ones I could remember that had no cuss words) from Def Leppard, and some Journey, The Cars, Bryan Adams, U2, Foreigner, and The Police. Finally we added Clocks by Cold Play, and McDonald's CDs called Kids Bop 1 & 2 (kids singing catchy, popular songs).
Incidently, the 8-year-old who gave me the moniker Old Lady, Will, decided after the parental screening of music lecture that I probably learned all the cuss words I know from listening to Def Leppard. Ha!
In all we had nearly 80 clips saved on realPlayer ... five hours and 21 minutes of music.
The problem surfaced when I tried, repeatedly, to add the mp3 player device to realPlayer. I never figured this out.
So, I burned the music onto CDs - FOUR of them - and I had to delete songs to get all that music to fit. That shows you how efficient and convenient mp3 players are, even a 2GB player.
I just wonder what is next for our little boys who are every day liking big boy toys more and more.

UPDATE: This afternoon I downloaded a newer version of realPlayer, found the device and successfully transfered the music clips to Christian's mp3 player!

Cambridge Area Yard of the Month

2009-07-26T22:55:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the Old Man's green thumb, we've got one of the best-looking landscapes in town, and we've again received the Cambridge Area Beautification Council's Special Recognition Award.
This is the second time we've gotten the certificate in the 10 years we've been working on the house and yard.
Our newest flower bed was completed today, almost a week after our names appeared in the paper.
Everyone in the family helped make this bed and everyone loves it!
The bed is the focal point of our new on-street parking pulloff and widened driveway. The concrete for these new areas was poured last week (the day of the choking incident).
The new bed features a huge sandstone boulder which was retrieved from my grandparents' farm in Noble County. It was a cornerstone from the foundation of a wash house on the century-and-a-half-old Watson family homestead. Another accent in the bed is a sandstone address marker that David carved when he worked for a local stone yard.
A professional landscaper for more than two decades and gardening enthusiast, David knows his plants and tonight we made a list of all the perennials, bushes and trees in our yard.
Our newest bed - full sun - features lemon balm, red cardinal flower, China girl holly, Asiatic lily, Stella de Oro daylilies, coral bells, variegated liriope, mums, bells flower, hibiscus (annual), whiteconeflower and blanketflower.
Other perennials around our yard include autumn joy sedum, hens and chicks, purple aster, red and yellow daylilies, purple coneflower, green liriope, at least 10 different varieties of hostas, double knockout rose, old-fashioned yellow rose, Fourth of July rose, Pom Pom Scot's Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce (tree), Cherokee Chief red flowering variegated dogwood (tree), rhododendron, dwarf burning bush, blue sedum, Indian paintbrush, Mimosa (tree), iris, black-eyed Susa, lilac, spiderwort, zagreb coreopsis, hydrangea, oriental poppy, dianthus, green and white euonymus, green and yellow euonymous, lamb's ear, red yarrow, clematis, loosestrife, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Alaska daisy, crimson pygmy barberry, wand flower, lamium, blueberries, Ravenna grass, sedge grass, mock orange, Texas scarlet quince, ostrich fern, and blanket flower, Little Princess spirea, and Creeping Jenny.
We have lots of annuals too including geraniums, petunias, marigolds, verbena, salvia, dahlia, bacopa, million bells, coleus, lobelia, begonias.
Plants are like clothes for the yard and I think David and I both are always looking for new places to put plants ... but we've run out of closets!
Our backyard, though seldom seen by the passerby, rivals our front yard. So if you're in the neighborhood, take a walk around the house and enjoy!

Choking

2009-07-20T19:26:00.005-04:00

This morning one of my worst fears came true. One of the boys was choking and I was the only adult at home.
My kids are bad at the breakfast table. Lately I've been making them eat in shifts so they have no one to entertain. They tell stories, make jokes, yell and scream and laugh, laugh, laugh and sometimes it gets out of control. Today it got out of control.
In addition to uncontrolled laughter, today's cereal time included snorting like a pig, which is another blog for another day.
Just before the choking incident, I warned them to Stop Laughing. No More Snorting. Someone Is Going To Choke.
I warned them I would use the spray bottle on them (for the cats), and perhaps even the wooden paddle, if I heard another outburst.
I ran upstairs to exchange one blouse for another.
When I came downstairs I headed to the table and noticed Lee was acting like he was choking, then I realized he was really choking.
Will and Christian were still.
I stood Lee up and thought "OMG, he's choking!"
I performed a poor imitation of the Heimlich Maneuver. I think I was too high on the chest.
As he continue to suffer, I became worried I would need help.
Three men were pouring concrete outside our house.
I guided Lee to the enclosed front porch, within a shout of the men, where I tried again and he expelled one of the chocolate balls (as in Cocoa Peanut Butter Spheres) and some other goop.
I was relieved I didn't have to call on the concrete workers' help but I wasn't afraid to.
Lee says he told his brothers, just before he choked: "I'm gonna cough up a blueberry!"
He must have been thinking of blueberries.
Lee is alright.
Thank God!

I am going to look into taking a Red Cross CPR class.

God

2009-07-20T19:06:00.005-04:00

Just came in the house and found Lee (superhero son) looking at a book called The Beginners Bible "Jesus Walks on Water." This story facinates Lee, who through a really cool nightly routine, is learning about Jesus and God.

For as long as we can remember, David (the Old Man) has prayed nightly with the children. Christian has his own room and just before bedtime, the boys and their father gather in Lee and Will's room for some conversation that sometimes turns silly but always ends in David asking the boys: "What do you want to thank God for today?" Their answers are simple and sometimes awesome. A lot of times they thank God for material things like Nintendo DS, PlayStation, skateboards, etc. but a lot of times they thank God for the sun, moon, stars, grass, trees, food and water, mom and dad, and Mary, Joseph and Jesus!

This routine is followed by The Lord's Prayer and Now I Lay Me prayer.

Anyway, today, Lee announced, "I'm going to draw a picture of God," after I asked him if he was going to draw a picture of Jesus because he was eyeing the cover of the book.

Here's what Lee says God looks like.
He has fiery eyes, white hair and a white beard, and he has white hands.
He is wearing a white robe with a golden belt.
"He has powers," says Lee.

Lee's picture of God is posted here.

Yard sale kitty

2009-07-14T18:21:00.003-04:00

We're having a yard sale Friday.

Aside from marking all the merchandise is having a yard sale kitty ready to start the sale. I obtained this monetary list in the late '90s from from a library book. I wrote the information down and have kept it in my yard sale folder for reference.

The $50 kitty

-15 one-dollar bills ($15)

-3 five-dollar bills ($15)

-1 ten-dollar bill ($10)

Plus $10 in change:

-15 dimes ($1.50)

- 10 nickles (50 cents)

- 32 quarters ($8)

A kitty this size will allow you to immediately break that $20 bill that someone hands you for a 50-cent item.

I keep my money in a lidded coffee container. As the sale progresses I take big bills in the house for safekeeping.

At one sale this summer I saw a woman wearing tube socks. After I paid she folded the money and slipped it into her sock for safe keeping.

When adding up the profits from your sale make sure you subtract $50 from the total so you have an accurate record of your earnings.

Happy yard saling!

Beauty salon

2009-07-09T22:26:00.001-04:00

Today I got my hair cut and highlighted at my favorite beauty salon in town. This is the first time in many, many years that I've splurged and let the shop do the highlights. Usually I buy the box at the local department store and pull it through the cap at home.
When I picked up the boys from the sitters they immediately noticed my golden locks.
Everyone agreed that I looked stunning.
Later, the oldest son announced that I looked like an "old lady."
I can't seem to lose that title.

Mercer Mayer

2009-07-06T21:53:00.002-04:00

The inspiration for our blog name came from my superhero son who loves to draw and read Mercer Mayer Little Critter books.

Superhero son illustrated his own Mercer Mayer book recently, which he titled Just A Soopr Day... thus the name of our blog. His "Superhero" Critter character (an original) also appears here.

Our blog will be a place where you can come for useful news and where the Old Lady will seek parenting, cooking, homemaking, laundry advice, etc. from others.