Man Beats Toddler to Death

California police shot a man when he would not stop beating a toddler.

I don't know for sure how many people there were there who "attempted" to stop this man. I know that at least two were referred to as elderly. My question is: why didn't they gang up on the guy? Now, I know that I was not there, nor do I have much information. There just isn't a lot of information in the news report.

However, there were "two to three cars stopped". I cannot imagine not putting my own life at risk to save that of a child. If there were multiple people there, why did they not work together to stop this? Why did it take the man getting shot?

Perhaps the man was high or in some other way had "super-human" strength. I don't know. But, why didn't they do more? Why didn't someone wrap themselves around that little boy and take the beating? Why didn't someone or several someones tackle the man and hold him down?

We have become a society that will only interfere when there is no risk to ourselves. We will not call child protective services if it will make the parent of the child angry at us. We will not rescue a child that is being beaten in front of our very eyes, if it means risk to ourselves. We do not understand the meaning of courage anymore. In fact, it seems that people do not think courage is a good thing. They say, "Well, it's not hurting me; I need to stay out of it." "I might get sued!" "I might get hit."

Well, whoop-de-doo. You are an adult. It is your responsibility to protect the young. It is your responsibility to stop things like this. This child, this beloved child, was beaten to death while people looked on. Sure, they called 911. Sure, they 'intervened'. What does 'intervened' mean, anyway? The article says that the guy just pushed them back and got back to doing what he was doing. Well, why didn't they say, to heck with my own safety and get on with the job of protecting that child?

I am sick and tired of people 'protecting the planet', 'protecting the Iraqis', 'protecting the tax base', 'protecting the poor', 'protecting every last "cause" on the planet' except for those things most precious to us--real, live people right in front of their noses. It is all very good to say you 'contribute' to a cause, but when something happens in front of you, get your butt in gear and stop it!

Giving Directions--a Primer

Yesterday, we went for a drive to return band instruments. I called the store to ask for directions. The sweet lady that answered the phone gave me the kind of directions that drive me up the wall. Sometimes literally, since these directions can be so confusing as to cause you to turn into a building instead of a street. Here is the gist of her directions:

Take exit A. (This is the only exit we have in town. It's a small town and we only have one exit.)

Turn Right at the end of the off ramp (You know, it kind of splits at the top and you want to take the right side. You know what I mean? It's like a fork?)

Go through 3 traffic lights. Only, on the third one, turn left. I don't know the name of the road, but it's at the 3rd light. (It turned out to be the 2nd.) You'll pass Pizza Hut, Burger King.....

Go down this road for a couple miles. You'll get into downtown. You'll pass the court house on the left because you're going through downtown. After you pass the courthouse, take your first Left. That's B Street.

Take a left at C street. B and C street are one way, that's why you have to go this way. (Oh, you'll be going around the courthouse. It's kind of a nice little drive. You'll kind of be circling the court house.)

After you turn onto C Street, we're on the right. It's a grey stone building and there's parking in front.

My dad always said this is how women give directions. According to him (a fireman) men tend to say, go northwest on A street. Go East on B street. Go south on C Street. The building is 500 meters down the street on the right.

It has been my personal experience that people who have lived in a place for a long time give directions the first way. Emergency personnel and people new to the area tend to give directions the second way.

Now, let me tell you the correct way to give directions. It covers all kinds of people.

Take hwy ## North to exit A.
Turn Right or Northeast at the end of the off ramp onto Street B.
Turn Left or North at the second light onto Street C.
Go two miles into downtown. You'll see the courthouse on your left.
Turn Left or West onto Street D.
Turn Left or South onto Street E.
The store is halfway down the block on the right hand side. It is a grey stone building and you can park in front.


You'll notice that these directions have both compass directions and physical directions. There are also markers (courthouse & lights) for those people who don't like to read street signs. The markers also give a good indicator whether or not you're getting close to where you want to turn.

HOWEVER, you should NEVER give markers without street names, unless there are no street signs--in which case it is acceptable to give distances. In fact, it is good to give distances, anyway. If you are truly conscientious about direction giving, you'll go out to the street and pace off the distance so that the person you are giving directions to will always have an easy time finding the place. This is, however, unnecessary if the place you are giving directions to is easy to find. If you frequently give directions to a place that people just cannot seem to find, please find out the exact distances.

If you have any further questions about giving directions, please let me know and I would be more than happy to answer them.

Workout Wednesday 6-25-2008

Well, another week has gone by and it was a rough one. You see what I go through in the pursuit of fitness? I smashed my finger between weights and I don't even use weights! Oh well.

Wednesday, I did a fun workout that Gary found for me. It went like this:

15 sit ups
15 jump ropes
15 sit ups (at this point, I'm thinking, "Man, this one is easy!")
15 walking lunges (15 steps)
15 sit ups (I'm thinking maybe this isn't so easy.)
15 burpees (Okay, did I mention that these killed me? WOW!)
15 sit ups (I didn't think I was going to make it.)
Wow, that was a tough workout. Naturally, it was supposed to be 50 of each, but 15 was enough for me!



Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I did nothing. I know that I was not supposed to take rest days those days, but I was exhausted. I fell into bed each night and I decided that it was more important for my body to have the rest and recovery time than to work out. It's the decision I made and I'm glad I did. Granted, it was mostly PMSing, but that's the way it is.



Sunday, I got back to work with Angie.

25 each:
pull ups
sit ups
push ups
squats
This is supposed to be 100 each, but I'm not complaining. I have improved my ability steadily. When I first started, I was struggling to do 15 each. Now, I can do 25 without having to use a wheelchair the next day. Yay!



Monday, I did what was formally known as no-name. It is now known as Annie.

This time I started with 30 reps. Basically, you do a certain amount of reps for jump roping and sit ups, then you reduce the amount of reps for each. The 'real' workouts calls for reps of 50-40-30-20-10. I started out doing 20-15-10-8-5
This time I did 30-25-20-15-10.


Tuesday, I did Cindy. I did it for 9 minutes. I was able to get 7 rounds in. This is an improvement from last week's 5 rounds. For Cindy you do:

5 pull ups
10 sit ups
15 squats
These you do over and over for the time limit. Cindy is supposed to last 20 minutes. Right now, I am just trying to get my 9 minutes going well.

I am extremely pleased by my progress. My body is amazing me by its ability to adapt and grow so quickly.

Now, for the pictures from our family walk. We are trying to walk every night. It is something we enjoy and it really helps me to get moving.





Aren't they adorable?



My measurements:

arm- 10 1/2" (same)
bust-37" (same)
waist-28 1/2" (down 1/2")
abs- 32 1/2" (down 1")
butt-37 1/2" (same)
thighs 20 1/4" (down 1/4")

Again, I'm not much impressed by the fact that I lost inches. After all, I was PMSing last week.:)

So, how was your walk? Leave us a comment, or a link to your post about your family walk!

Review Tuesday 6-24-2008

Do we have any woodworkers in the crowd? What about wanna-be-woodworkers? I fall into the latter category. I can put a table saw together. I can do just about any mechanical project you throw at me, but I have as yet to tackle a real woodworking project. Instead, I live vicariously through websites, other people's projects and magazines. I recently discovered Wood Magazine and, through it, Woodmagazine.com. I'll be discussing both. I'll also introduce you to my favorite wood project, and if someone wants to build me one (or just find me the plans and I promise I will tackle this one), I'd really appreciate it!

Woodmagazine.com:

Wood Magazine's website has lots of cool features. They have forums and materials guides. They have free woodworking plans and woodworking plans for sale. They have tips and technique advice. They have tool advice. But, my favorite part is their Idea Gallery. This is a brag site for anyone and everyone. Basically, people post pictures of their projects for other people (me) to drool over. This is such a cool area. I have seen pictures of wooden Tommy guns made for play. I have seen pictures of amazing bird houses. There are pictures of tables and benches and shelves, and vases. There are pictures of toy trucks and checker boards, cribs and toy tractors, toy boxes and cranes, rocking horses and toy tankers, bassinets and a rocking motor cycle. Can you tell I like the kids' area? These guys have got some amazing stuff.

Besides the brag pages, you can check out the latest issue of Wood Magazine and view some of the articles. This is such a cool site. It is totally worth checking out!

Next up, that special project. I was first introduced to these when I went to Maine for the first time. I am sure other people have been aware of them for a long time. I, however, was in awe the first time I saw one.



This is a really nifty glider rocker that both seats and the table rock in tandem. This means that those people who like to rock and play checkers or have a glass of tea can sit facing each other and chat while they rock and do those other things! I love this idea. My father-in-law made one for someone while he was in high school. I would love to have one. I think every back yard should have one. It is the ultimate in social equipment.

Wood Magazine:

I consume woodworking magazines like the non-exerciser does fitness magazines. We sit and hope that by reading them, we will suddenly morph into this super-fit/super-woodworking person. That's not how it works, but if it was, this would be the magazine to do the job.


The magazine always includes at least one easy project. Usually, that project can be done with tools most wanna-be-woodworkers have laying around in the hopes of someday actually doing a project. This is the picnic table in the most recent issue. Did I mention I subscribe to this magazine? I really do love it and have a full list of projects waiting to be done. This table is on my list.

There is also, usually, a project to build for the kids. This month's was a neat safari puzzle. Wouldn't some kid you know just love to have this?

Each issue of Wood Magazine has multiple projects laid out in easy to follow step-by-step instructions, many with full patterns.

Also included are reviews on tools and tips on using them. They have tutorials on how to pick out the best tool for you and how to use it and maintain it one you've got it home. They also have articles about purchasing supplies. This month, they had an article on how to buy, work and finish oak.

They have a lot of tips on techniques. They teach you how to use a router and troubleshoot problems you're having with your technique.

This is an excellent magazine and I hope you have the chance to check it out someday.

Menu Monday 6-23-2008

Since Gary's home, I have to get more creative. He eats a lot! That man burns through a massive amount of calories a day. Thanks a lot, Cross Fit! No, really, thanks!

Breakfasts: (I try to include a grain, a fruit, and a protein. The proteins are usually bacon and peanut butter. If the kid doesn't like bacon, they eat a spoonful of peanut butter. It's a quick cheat.)

Biscuits
Pancakes
Muffins
Cold Cereal
Oatmeal
Bagels
Various Fruits

Lunch: (I am not nearly as good at planning lunches. This is my next area to work on.)
Mac & Cheese
Hot Dogs & Baked beans
PB & J
Left overs

Tea:
Blueberry Scones
Cinnamon Rolls
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Poppy seed Cake

Supper:
Mom's Macaroni
Enchiladas
Hamburgers
Grilled Chicken
Chuck E. Cheese (Birthday celebration!)
Spaghetti
Left Overs

I know that I promised a cinnamon roll recipe last week. I will post it. But, first I have to cook it! I should be able to do that tomorrow or Wednesday. Then, I'll post it.

Mom's Enchiladas (The other Mom)

You'll need 1 lb hamburger, 1 32oz package of Velveeta, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 packet of enchilada sauce mix (and ingredients listed on back), and 16 'raw' corn tortillas.

Cook the meat and drain the fat.

Lightly cook the tortillas. You can put a little oil in the pan or just cook them. They don't need to be crispy, just starting to brown.

You can use cheddar cheese, but processed cheese just tastes soooo good!

Cut the block of cheese in half width-wise. Then cut half that in half, then in half again and again until you have 16 pieces. Use the left over half to make cheese sauce for chips and pouring over enchiladas.

Combine the sauce ingredients in the meat and cook according to the directions on the mix.

When all the parts are ready, put 1 piece of cheese in each tortilla and put a scoop of sauce over the cheese. Be careful, if you've just finished cooking the sauce, it can be hot!

See if you can fit all the enchiladas into the pan.:)

Put left over sauce on top of enchiladas and add shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 until shredded cheese and the cheese inside the enchiladas is melted.

Enjoy!

Mom's Macaroni

First, have your son D.J.

Next, gather your ingredients. You'll need about 1/4 c chopped onion, a can of tomatoes (or tomato sauce--I usually use sauce, but didn't have any!), shredded Cheddar or mozzarella cheese, 2 cups macaroni, and 1 lb hamburger.

Cook and drain the meat with onion. Cook the macaroni.

Then, combine the macaroni, tomato sauce and meat.


Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted.

Space - The Final Frontier

I know I'm not the only person who dreams of traveling to and settling a different planet. I know I'm not the only person who wishes they were born perhaps 50 years into the future in the hopes that they would be able to do this type of thing. I know I'm not the only person to consume massive amounts of science fiction as a teenager and wish, every day, that we could really just get on with it.

Slowly, but surely, scientists are getting on with it.

A trio of planets called super-Earths has been spotted orbiting a sun-like star, astrophysicists announced Monday at an international conference in France.

The implications are that we will find Earth like planets once we have the technology. I always expected that. I also believe that there could be life on other planets. After all, I believe in both evolution and creation (in other words, I believe that God created through evolution). I also believe that just because God didn't see fit to tell us that he put life on other planets doesn't mean that he didn't.

Anyway, I am very enthusiastic about this line of research. I would love to see exploration and settlement of other planets. I just wish I was young enough that when they get the technology, I'd be able to go.

Gary's Homecoming Week Day 3

Monday's outfit. Yes, I know it's dressy. But, it's one of his favorites and he deserves it.

CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, and Meijer Deals 6-22-2008

Please remember that I only post about deals that I am planning to take advantage of. (I copy and paste my post to print for my grocery shopping trip.:) If you would like to view more deal scenarios, please visit Money Saving Mom. Thank you.

CVS: 2 Transactions (I have chosen to assume that you have not earned ECBs before and that you do not have any coupons other than the printable ones.)
Transaction 1
$8.97 Colgate Total (3 @ 2.99 ea, 3 $1.50 coupons-- (I have 2 from inserts) there are also $1.00 coupons.
-3.50 coupons Get $2/ea ECB) You can do this ECB deal 5 times.
_______
$5.47 Total OOP / Get $6.00 ECB


Transaction 2
$2.99 Aleve ($1.00 coupon)
$3.99 Sensodyne ($.75 coupon from insert or $.55 coupon)
$4.00 SoyJoy (4/$4.00, Get $4.00 ECBs--$1.00 coupon)
______
$10.98 Total Before coupons
- 2.55
_____
$ 8.43 Before ECBs
- 6.00 ECBs Earned in Transaction 1
_____
$ 2.43 OOP / $4.00 ECBs earned

Walgreens:
$7.00 Honey Nut Cherrios (3/$7.00, 1 $.65 coupons, 2 $1.00 coup. get $2 Register Rewards)
-2.65
____
$4.35 Total out of pocket (Get $2.00 Register Rewards)


Rite Aid
$11.99 OptiFree Replenish (I'm guessing at the price, this is about what it runs. $3.00 in ad coupon. $1.00 man. coupon)
$2.99 Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste ($2.99 rebate, $.75 coupon)
Also, Rite Aid has a coupon for a $30 gift card with a transferred prescription.

Kroger
$7.96 Choice Beef Shoulder Roast $1.99/lb--4 lb?
4.54 Ben & Jerry's (2 @ $2.27, $1.00 coupon)
1.00 Hunts Ketchup ($.20 coupon)
$1.25 Cattlemen's Barbecue Sauce ($.75 coupon)
$1.00 McCormick Sea Salt Grinder (I love these and this is a good price)
____
$15.75
- 1.95 coupon
_____
$13.80
- .20 coupon double
_____
$13.60 Total Out of Pocket

Meijer
$5.00 Milk--2/$5.00
1.76 Barilla Pasta (2 @ $.88, $.50 coupon)
2.00 Aunt Millie's Hamburger/hot dog buns (B1G1, 2 $.35 coupons)
5.00 McCormick Sauce Mixes (10/$5.00)
____
$13.76
- .85 coupon
_____
$12.91
- .85 double
_____
$12.06 Total out of pocket

Thanks for stopping by.

Gary's Homecoming Week Day 2

Sunday's Outfit

This was my fair outfit, but with a change of shoes.

Aren't those shoes hot?!!!

Groceries for the Week of 6-15-08

I went to Kroger twice this week.




This was $8.87.


This was about $28. I had lots of coupons, but I can't find my receipt. I'm sorry!


CVS

I did 4 transactions at CVS. Since I didn't make it to CVS or Walgreens until last night, they were out of a lot of the stuff I wanted to buy. I knew that was going to happen.

Anyway, the first transaction included 2 Oral-B toothbrushes and 1 box of bandages. The total was $13.97. I used $8.33 in coupons and $3.49 in ECB for a total of $1.94 out of pocket. I got $7.99 back in ECBs.

My 2nd transaction was 2 Sally Hansen Quick Dry Fingernail polishes. The total was $15.98. I had $3.00 in coupons and 11.99 in ECBs. My Total out of pocket was $1.23. I got $10.00 in ECBs.

My 3rd transaction included bandages, 2 sets of razors, and 1 bottle of Emerald mist shower gel. Thet total was $15.11. I had $2.00 in coupons, and $10.00 ECBs. I got $2.99 back in ECBs. Plus, I'll get $2.94 in rebate.

My 4th transaction was for 6 Pure Protein bars, 2 packs of batteries, and 1 Brut deoderant. My total was $16.88. I had $7.50 in coupons and $8.99 in ECBs. My total out of pocket was $.39. And, I got $6.00 back in ECBs. (The Pure Protein bars spit out ECBs.)

Meijer

Total- 50.35 Coupons-$6.30 Total out of pocket $44.05 (This included a few things unplanned because the hubby's home and needed some things that I didn't plan for.)

Walgreens:

4 boxes of Smart Start for $10. $6.00 in coupons. $4.00 OOP. $2.00 back in Register Rewards.

Gary's Home

And, in honor of that, I've decided to wear a dress...
makeup, jewelry, and heels every day this week. So, come along with me as I plan my wardrobe.
This is Saturday's outfit. The welcome home outfit.

Are You a Good 1930s Wife?

83 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Protecting our Children From Themselves

Tonight, our dinner table discussion was about this. Essentially, a 12-year-old girl was grounded from going on a school trip after chatting on websites her father tried to block and then posting inappropriate pictures of herself online using a friend's computer. The girl sued her father and the judge 'overturned' the grounding.

We started out our conversation talking about the punishment itself, trying to decide whether it was a just punishment or not. Gabriel was, at first, prone to say it was not, because it didn't fit the crime. He thought she should not be allowed access to the Internet. Xavier thought that it wasn't fair because the girl should be allowed to go on a 'field trip' because there wasn't any trouble she could get into. (See my son's limited knowledge of what can go on during a 'field trip?)

We talked about some of the reasons her father might have chosen this punishment. Perhaps, he felt the girl had shown poor judgement and might cave to peer pressure. Gabriel thought that she might do drugs if someone offered them to her. I'm assuming this was an overnight thing since it called it a 'school trip' versus a field trip. But, the article gives no specifics, so we were just going based on our own hypothesis. Xavier then opined that perhaps if her class went to the Grand Canyon and someone said, "I'll give you $100 to jump." that she would jump. (Xavier has no middle ground between safe and dead.) I personally was thinking more along the lines of sexual contact. Since that seems to be what was going on online, I could see where her father would be concerned about that. But, I certainly wasn't going to say that to my kids.

Gabriel and Xavier talked it out a bit more, coming up with more thoughts as to why her father wouldn't want her on the school trip. They both decided that she had exhibited poor judgement and probably needed close supervision that would not happen on a school trip.

Then, I told them what the court had done. Gabriel's first reaction was, "You can't sue your parents!" Then, they both thought that it was stupid for the court to take away the ability of the parents to raise their children, because, "If children tried to raise themselves, it would be a disaster." Finally, after much discussion between the two of them about the idea that children need parents so that they'll know right from wrong, have protection, food, clothing, love, etc., they decided that they will never move to Canada.

I love those boys.

Is Race Important?

For a while, not much has really set me off. Hence the reason my soapbox had been a bit bland lately. Sunday, I read an article that pushed me over the edge and I decided to drag out the old soapbox.

The Courier Journal, the main newspaper in Louisville, KY, posted an article about Kentucky students declining to reveal their race on college forms. To me, this could be indicative of three things.

This could meant that students are having a hard time deciding what race they are. After all, more and more young people are of mixed race. It must be hard to decide if you are of one or the other of your parents' races. Or perhaps you think that race is not dependent on skin color. After all, I am technically Native American (got the card to prove it), I look white, and I grew up in a predominately black neighborhood. So, what race am I? What race do I consider myself? For a long time, I always checked that Native American box, even though I did not grow up in a Native American 'culture'. For a while, I checked the Caucasian box. For a while, I checked the 'other' box. Now, I just don't check any of them.

Students could also be afraid of the consequences of racial profiling. This could go for both minority students and for white students. I imagine, though, that more students who are white would not check that box for this particular reason. After all, colleges are looking to fill quotas. Students may be afraid that if they check the box as white, they will not be accepted.

The final reason I think might come into play is that many young people just don't care about race. They don't think skin color plays a part in who they are. They think it just doesn't matter.

I actually think the trend is probably a combination of the three. There are some students whose race does not fit in a clearly defined area. There are some who don't want others know their race. And, there are those who think it just doesn't matter.

What made me mad is that the overall tone of the article is saying this is not a good thing. I thought we wanted our children to stop defining people by race. It is starting to happen. That is a good thing! Race needs to become a non-issue in this country. Right now, we have a lot of people who grew up in a time when there were not equal rights for blacks. However, our young people are growing up without that immediate consciousness.That is a good thing. We want people to focus on the person inside, not their skin color. That will only happen through the evolution of coming generations. Those generations will understand that there is no reason to care about the color of a person's skin. The only thing to care about is a person's character.

Unfortunately, people are falling into the trap of 'I went through this struggle and they need to know it, too' mentality. It's similar to the idea that because I went through something, my children must also go through it. It's really a 'it's-not-fair' attitude. After all, how can the young people really appreciate all the older generation went through unless they go through it, too? They can't just be appreciative that they don't have to go through it. Oh no, they have to go through it, too. Perhaps, some day, the people that want to continue dragging us back into debates already won will understand the maxim "If I learn from my mistakes, good. But, it is even better to learn from other people's mistakes." We're learning and we don't want you to drag us through the same mire that you were dragged through. Can we please allow there to be peace among the races? In the meantime, we have to put up with idiocy that thinks this is not a good thing.

Wordless Wednesday With a Twist: Vintage

Andrea was the winner of Wordless Wednesday with a Twist last time. As a result, she got to pick the theme for this week. She chose vintage. This was not a surprise to me, she loves vintage. I was very excited because I've been wanting to get involved in this and this was a good theme for me to join in on. I have a lot of things I'd like to share with you. Without further ado, my inheritance:

My grandmother had enough stuff in her house to provide sentimental things for 50 grandchildren. Since I'm a sentimental grandchild, I took some of it. First up is the picture that hung above her piano my entire life.

I can remember lying on the floor in her living room staring up at this picture, the light filtering in through the window, and imagining all kinds of things about this girl. I have loved this picture for as long as I can remember. When I found out the story behind it, I loved it even more. My grandmother and a friend worked together when she was a teenager. Her friend's mother bought this picture and told the girls that the first one to be married would be the recipient of the picture. My grandmother was the first one married. This was a wedding present. I am so happy to have this in my home now.

This is a picture of a conglomeration of things from both my grandmothers, one of Gary's grandmothers, Gary's grandfather, and Gary's baby cup.

The buffet belonged to Gary's grandmother. I feel blessed to have possession of this and hope that one of my daughters-in-law will cherish it as much as I do.

This is the 'infamous' dog. This dog is made of metal. It is heavy. It is probably made out of lead. It has been used as a doorstop. I carried this home on the plane, but I had to pack it in my carry-on because it was too heavy to check. My grandmother had this in her living room and I can remember 'riding' it as a child. She repainted it numerous times throughout the years and probably has 20 layers of paint on it. I think every child and grandchild wanted this dog. I'm not sure how I ended up with it, but I'm extremely thankful for it.

My sister and I have argued for years over who would inherit my mother's china. It is beautiful and I love it. (This is, by the way, good natured arguments. Kind of like the ones about who the favorite child is. I am, but we won't tell her. Shhhh.) My grandmother had promised her that she could have her china. I, of course, wanted it too. However, there was no way I was going to actually fight over something with my sister. Sitting there staring at the silverware, I looked up and saw the china. I asked her if she would be willing to split the two. She would get one and I would get the other. She thought that was a good idea. Because I am a wonderful and benign older sister, I allowed her to choose which she wanted. She chose the china. So, I have the silverware. Isn't it beautiful? My grandmother even still had the little booklet that came with it about entertaining.

In the silverware case was this silver. It is much older than the set. I believe that it belonged to my grandfather's Aunt Rodie.

My grandmother was a prolific quilter. Some of my most treasured possessions are the quilts that she gave me. This was a baby quilt made for Dominic. In her later years of life, she was afraid that she would die before all her great-grandchildren were born and they would miss out on having a quilt. She was, of course, right. During those last few years, even though she was nearly blind, she made baby quilts like it was going out of style. She tried to make a quilt for each grandchild to have for their babies. She also made full size quilts for grandchildren to have when they grew up. I am amazed and humbled by her need to give.

My grandmother was a prolific sewer, period. She made doll clothes, tea towels, doilies, quilts, slippers, and more. These are some of the tea towels she made. I am so happy to have them. They are something I can use everyday and think of her.

As I mentioned, my grandmother had a lot of textile items. At least 50% of them were doilies. A lot of people don't use doilies anymore, and my family is no exception. However, we didn't want to get rid of them. So, when I saw the pattern for this quilt, I knew I had hit on something good. I called my aunt and she sent me all the doilies that had holes in them. I cut them up and put them on quilts. My mother had a handkerchief that was her grandmother's. I added that to her quilt. I had one of my grandmother's and added it to my quilt. This is my mother's quilt. I gave all the girls in my family these quilts for Christmas. I think it was a good use of the doilies.

My other grandmother collected teacups and this is one from her collection. When she died, her husband gave one teacup to each of her female descendants. I don't have a tea set. I've been wanting one. Perhaps I should try to match this teacup.



This was Gary's cup when he was a baby. I love having things that belong to my husband. My boys love seeing his name on it and knowing that he was little once. It has his birth date on the back.


Gary's grandfather collected brass. This spoon rest is one of the items we inherited.

This bottle opener is another piece. I like the fact that we are able to use these items daily without concern that they will be ruined.

Gary's grandfather adapted this old welding gun (I think) into a lamp. Gary's parents gave it to Xavier and, since he is a mechanical kinda kid, he loves it.

Gary's mom made the shade to go on this lamp and gave it to Gabriel. This is my favorite lamp. I like the way you use the pump handle to turn the lamp on and off.

So, that's it. If I could, I would completely decorate my house with stuff handed down through our families. It just means so much more than new stuff.

Go check out the other posts for Wordless Wednesday with a Twist!

Workout Wednesday 6-18-2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting.... Workout Wednesday!

In an effort to spread out my posts over more than one day, I'm making Wednesday workout day. In fact, I'd like to invite you all to join me in becoming healthier. At the end of this post, you'll find a challenge and an opportunity to win a prize.

First, the workouts:

Last Monday, the 8th, I told you about the Angie. Throughout the week, I also did the Cindy and something else that I can't remember the name of! Here goes.

Tuesday-Cindy--5 pull ups, 10 sit ups, 15 squats--do this in a round for 9 minutes. I did 4 rounds.
On Wednesday morning, I could barely lift my arms above my head after all the push ups and pull ups from Monday and Tuesday. It's hard to hang clothes on the line when you can't lift your arms!

Wednesday-no name--Sets of jump roping and sit ups back and forth for counts of 20, 15, 10, 8, and 5. Yes, that is not a great amount. Yes, my muscles were straining by the end of those counts for sit ups. I could have done more jump roping, but I had to allow for my sit ups to be the same amount.

Thursday-rest day

Friday-unplanned rest day

Saturday-Angie-20 pull ups, 20 sit ups, 20 push ups, 20 squats (See, I improved! Plus, the push ups were easier for me. And while I'm still doing a modified push up, I am encouraged that soon I won't have to.)

Sunday-Cindy--5 pull ups, 10 sit ups, 15 squats in rounds for 9 minutes. This time I did 5 rounds. So, I improved again!

Monday-no name--25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 this time. That's 17 more reps than on Wednesday! Also, I'm not near as sore this rest day as I was on Thursday.

Today, I get back to work. Gary has found me a new workout that includes 50 sit ups, 50 jump ropes, 50 sit ups, 50 walking lunges, 50 sit ups, 50 burpees, and 50 sit ups. He's got to be joking. The jump roping and walking lunges I can handles. Maybe I can handle the burpees, although I doubt it because of the push up factor (I haven't done these since I was in the Navy. They were my favorite exercise in boot camp, though.) The sit ups. Well, he knows I want to work on my abs, doesn't he.

Now for the measurements.

arms-10 1/2" (up 1/2 "-yay!)
bust-37" (up 1/2"-yuck)
waist-29" (same)
abs=33 1/2" (up 1/2")
butt-37 1/2" (same)
thighs-20 1/2" (same)

So, I pretty much stayed the same in my measurements with a few slight ups. That doesn't really bother me. Measurements and weight fluctuate on a day to day basis. That is why you should probably only measure once a month.

I, however, am happy because I have noticed a marked improvement in my ability to do the exercisers without being in a lot of pain afterward. I also know that if I want to lose weight, I'll have to add more cardio to my plan. This would also be good for my heart. And, that leads us to the challenge.

Now, for the challenge. I would like for you all to exercise more. While I doubt my husband need to exercise more, I know that a lot of you, like me, probably do. It helps to have accountability to someone else. That is why I am sharing this all with you. It is helping me. This is going to be a very simple, but specific, challenge. I want you to go out and take one (1) walk with your family one night in the coming week. Take your camera if you want. Enjoy yourselves. Don't make this about exercise. Make it about being with your family in the cool of the evening. Watch a sunset. Play at the park. Watch your children master riding their bikes. Hold hands with your spouse. Talk. Walk. Walk. Talk. You get the drift. This can be a leisurely walk. We're just trying to move!

Then, next week, come back for Workout Wednesday and let us know you took your walk. Each week, I'll post about my workout for the week. You can comment and let us know you took your walk. If you would like to participate in Workout Wednesday, you can post about it on your blog and leave a link. We would love to see pictures! Then, in 4 weeks, I'll draw a name from all the comments and links. That means if you participate all 4 weeks, you'll get 4 entries. The winner will receive a $15 gift card to Sports Authority. Hope to see you here!

Social Spark--Take Two

In an earlier post, I introduced you to Social Spark. I wanted to do an update based on how I feel about it now that I've been 'using' it for a while.

There are a lot of things I like about Social Spark. I like the fact that anyone, user or non-user, can view profiles and money making opportunities. This allows both users and non-users the ability to see what other bloggers and advertisers are doing.

I like the fact that you can find new blogs that you like. I like Hillbilly Willy's sense of humor, although it may be a bit much for some people.

I like the fact that all advertising is so openly advertising.

Now, what I don't like.

There don't seem to be many things that I want to post about. Since I won't post about something I don't want to, this could hurt my bottom line. On the other hand, that's not the main reason I blog, so I don't mind.

There always seems to be a waiting list by the time I see something I do want to blog about. I understand that this is partly because I don't hang out at the site.

The last thing is that I am really not blogging to make 500 new friends. 20 would be nice. In order to really make use of Social Spark, you need to be very proactive. I'm just not interested in that much time spent on one thing. I've got ADD, don't ya' know.

So, those are my updated thoughts. I still recommend checking SocialSpark out if you're interested in making some money blogging. It might work better for you. I know that if I were a different type of blogger, it would work great.

This post, ironically, paid for by Social Spark.

Review Tuesday 6-17-2008

*Editor's note: I have found numerous references to Crest Pro-Health Rinse staining people's teeth. Crest, in fact, has put a warning on the rinse. As a result, I do not recommend you use it, and if you do, please understand that you may have tooth staining. Thank you, Sunshine, for your heads' up.

Today's website is Test Your Geography Knowledge, where you can build your geography skills. We'll be taking a look at Crest Pro-Health Rinse, and giving you fresh morning breath! Finally, I'm hoping to convince you to read How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer.

Test Your Geography Knowledge:

This is an awesome website that recommended to me by another mom. Thanks, Erin! This website has quizzes available for lots of different geography information. They've been adding stuff to it. They have tests for the world, continents, countries, and cities.

After you choose what you want to take a quiz on, it takes you to the quiz:

It is a very simple quiz format. It asks you where something is and you click on it. For instance in the above quiz, it asks where Europe is. You click on Europe. You get 3 tries, but each wrong answer reduces your score by a point. If you need help, you can click on the help button and it gives you a "cheat" sheet. After playing this multiple times, your child (and you) should see noticeable improvement in their geography knowledge.


Crest Pro-Health Rinse:

I am specifically talking about the night version, because it is the kind I have used. I have very bad morning breath. On the other hand Gary's is worse. So say I because, although I imagine that I can, I can't smell my own breath. Brushing my teeth before bed does not make a huge difference in this department. But, this rinse has! In the morning, I don't wake up with that nasty morning breath taste in my mouth. Instead, it still tastes similar to the way it did when I went to bed at night. Considering my senses of smell and taste are very strong, this is a good thing. Gary is much more likely to get a good morning kiss.

This is how it works:

Crest Pro-Health Rinse is an anti-gingivitis/anti-plaque mouthwash formulated to kill germs that can cause plaque, gingivitis and bad breath. Crest Pro-Health Rinse contains a clinically proven bactericidal agent, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), that's attracted to bacteria in your mouth. CPC interacts with the bacterial membrane and weakens it. The cellular pressure disrupts the cell membrane and effectively kills the bacteria. Now you can fight plaque, gingivitis and bad breath, without the burn of alcohol. (Taken from the Crest website.)

I am all for anything that will make my breath smell better. Forget that it is good for your teeth and health. I'm all about the smell, baby! Crest was nice enough to publish coupons for this on their website. They also frequently print coupons for this in the newspaper. Did I mention that this has been on sale a lot recently and I believe it will be again? It is currently at CVS.

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer:

I checked this out from the library tonight. Yes, I broke my 6 month boycott of the library. I have to take advantage of their summer reading program. While we were waiting for our pizza to be ready, I read this to Dominic and Xavier. It's a great read. It's a little funny (which the kids love) and it introduces Ben Franklin in a very nice way.

It talks about many of Ben Franklin's inventions, starting with fins and hand paddles for swimming when he was 11. It also talks about other areas in which Ben Franklin was a pioneer, such as starting the first library in America and delivering mail to people's houses. It talks about a lot of Ben Franklin's famous sayings. On the end pages of the books are Ben Franklin's drawings. There is a lot of great information in this book in a great format for children ages 4-10(?). It also has great illustrations.

I have included links to Amazon for this book, as well as Barnes & Noble. Amazon only has this available from sellers, not Amazon. That is okay with me, since the used price is much less. However, for those people who want to buy a new book, Barnes & Noble does have it available.

Have a great week!