Brief Update 3/15/08
Life has been too busy lately, today especially so. This morning, both kids had the baseball draft. This afternoon, J was in a program at Johnston Community College as part of the Showcase of Stars. The school chorus did a wonderfuly entertaining song & dance to the theme of 'Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath'. M has an at school performance next week. Today I finished purchasing supplies for the goody bags for their upcoming birthday party. They'll be getting new bikes too. Report card grades were excellent. M made the Honor Roll (again). J almost did. Maybe next time. Both are getting over colds but managed to pass it along to me first. So many people have been sick around town lately. I've hardly had time to write anything but have been in contact with a new publisher who has asked for some revisions to a couple of manuscripts.
Now I have a personal message regarding certain unseemly comments left on my blog. Please keep all comments clean as this is a public website. If there is something on a more personal level that you would like to say, there is a separate page here to contact me directly. Please do not subject the general public to such childish & unprofessional displays.
I have taken screen shots of these harrassing comments and will be going to my local police department since this is considered to be slanderous. liable and cyber-bullying. I feel that with the nature of the numerous amount of comments, a law suit should not be too difficult. I will attempt to make a final request that this come to a stop or I will be submitting all documentation and filing a police report.
December has arrived. M kept asking if we could put the tree up until we finally agreed. Oh what the heck, its only a couple of weeks earlier than we usually put it up. The kids are getting excited. Currently, they each have one gift under the tree & one gift to both of them. Every couple of days, J will ask if they can open just one. We often allow them to open one small gift per day beginning a few days before Christmas.
Our tree may not be the most beautiful tree, or the most perfectly decorated but every item on it's branches has a special meaning or memory. A lot of them were made by my children's small hands. I began a tradition several years ago. Each year I buy one or more ornaments that represent something special that happened during that year. Once, I won a car so there is a Hotwheels Transam to represent that once in a lifetime event. It's not always possible to find the perfect ornament so sometimes I make them myself. Like the ones that represent the children's first fishing catch, made from a clothespin, a picture of them fishing & even a tiny little fish hanging from a string.
The beautiful leaves of Fall no longer shine brightly from the trees outside. Now they cover the ground in a colorful blanket that is quickly turning brown. I miss them already. The days are way too short to suit me for I love the long, long days of summer when it stays light until bedtime. No more sounds of crickets & frogs - one of my favorites for I know when I hear them, its summertime!
We lost our little hamster, Rufus recently. The poor little guy may have passed away in his sleep. That is how I found him, curled up in his bed as though sleeping but cold to the touch. The boys are already asking for another as our family of animals seems to come in pairs but now one is a single. I told them not just yet. Hyper- our remaining hamster, just doesn't seem herself now & worries me for I know she is getting old.
The boys each have a school project due way too quickly. J is to make a lighthouse while M is to make a boardgame dealing with electricity & magnatism. He's decided to call it 'Magnatricity'.
We lost our last hamster, Hyper too. Now we are hamsterless. I talked to someone in the pet store. We'd recently switched their bedding to a softer kind, 'Animal Planet Cozy Comfort'. I was told that sometimes hamsters will eat it & become impacted, often leading to death. Which would explain why Hyper's intestines/bowels came out of her body 2 inches. I felt so bad. I wrote to the manufacter - Kaytee & am still hoping to hear back from them. With a possibility like that, there should at least be a warning on the label!I have been doing research & have determined that hamsters aren't the best suited for our family. I plan to surprise the kids with a couple of gerbils! Plus I'm getting a parakeet very soon. I love birds.
The kids finished their school projects & actually turned one in early! Now M has to build a lighthouse too, oh boy. Thankfully, it isn't due until mid January. Whew!
Recently, on one of our surprisingly beautiful days, I was outside raking leaves & hunting for crickets hoping that I could delay a trip to the pet store to buy them for our frogs. I suddenly had a sweet memory of how the kids use to love to jump in my huge leaf piles. I raked up a big pile & left it for them to find on their return from school. One, with a huge smile of anticipation on his face, jumped in immediately followed shortly by the other & also their neighbor friend. Well worth my small labor just to watch them. Also, when they decided to make the pile even bigger, my whole backyard was raked for free! lol
M had his first basketball game of the year. He's #11. For most of the game, it looked as though our team would win for they held a big lead but as usual, the other team made a comeback & I watched their score climb higher & higher. It ended at 23/19. Still, it was a good game. Maybe next time.
I have finished my Christmas shopping! Just one giftcard left to buy next week. Only two more cards to mail too. Rick took the boys shopping for my presents today. Sounds like they had a good time. Like it or not, today they are getting haircuts!
Last night was the big meteor shower. The boys & I took a quilt & some blankets outside & lay on the ground gazing up at the sky. We saw a lot of meteors & a couple of really good ones but they were such fast streaks in the sky, most were seen from the corner of our eyes. Eventually, the cold became too much (our warm spell is over) & we were forced to come inside but it was worth it.
FALL IS HERE
It's amazing how much beauty one can find in their own yard if they just open their eyes. I took these photos recently around our house. So many bright colors and it happens so fast. This weekend, I was looking out the window at the tree in the photo and watched in surprise as the leaves fell off. In just a few minutes, I watched at least thirty leaves fall so I know that in the next few days, the beauty and color will be gone. Then regardless of the date on the calendar, to me it will be winter. I don't like winter. Its too cold (which I wouldn't mind so much if we'd at least get a nice snow once in awhile). Everything looks so dead and bare to me during those long lasting months and I can't wait for Spring. The best thing about it to me are the holidays; Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm finally beginning to get a little Christmas shopping done too.
Christmas. Now thats a touchy subject. I don't know how you guys feel, but to me a Christmas Tree will always be a 'Christmas Tree' and not some ridiculous Holiday Tree. Look, the event is called Christmas, not plain old Holiday. Christmas (Christ). Though I believe, I won't try to force anyone who doesn't, to believe in my religion but don't try and take away or force me to change my beliefs or what is important and meaningful to me either just because they're different from yours. I will never call it a Holiday Tree!Shall we also change the song, "O Christmas Tree" to "O Holiday Tree?"I can hear it now, "Oh holiday tree, Oh holiday tree. Your branches green delight us." Don't be ridiculous.
And now I'm hearing that in some places Santa Claus can no longer say, "Ho, Ho, Ho" because it reminds some people of a nasty little slang term! Get real people and get a life! What is he supposed to say now, "Hay, Hay, Hay?" Wouldn't that be stealing from Fat Albert?And what about the annual "Christmas Parade?" Must we change that to the "Holiday Parade?" Wouldn't that get a bit confusing as we do have several holidays during the year. Must we also change the name of the Easter Parade and the Saint Patricks Day Parade? Personally, I think we are letting a small group of people have too much say so.
Okay, I'm through venting. Now lets get on to other things.The kids. Big surprise recently, report cards came home. Both kids made HONOR ROLL! Yaaaayyyy, I knew I had some smart boys. Way to go M and J! M.is playing basketball again this year (first game in Dec.) & J auditioned and made the Chorus at school. He does love to sing.
J was too tired to count his loot
Worn out but hanging on to his candy
Halloween (another nasty little Holiday for some people) but one we enjoy very much. As far as the kids are concerned, its a chance to dress up in a silly costume and get free candy so don't go harping to me about the 'True Meaning of it all.' As usual, it was great. Carved the Jack'O'Lanterns a week before and then the rain came. The pumpkins began to rot after a few days and finally turned to mush where they sat.
We're still working on the house. Painting, cleaning out closets, etc. Slow going with so much else to do lately but its coming along.
Pets! Oh my goodness, Pets. My house is turning into a zoo. We now have in addition to our two cats and two hamsters and two fire-belly frogs that only eat live crickets. At first we had the frogs in a plastic cage then I decided they'd like to move to an aquarium where they would have a nice light, filter and pump. Oops, they both escaped. Found one in a boot by the backdoor but the other vanished forever. Copper, the remaining frog was lonely so had to buy another one, Mojo #2. Back to the little plastic cage for them!
Since the aquarium was now set up and empty, we bought fish.Purchased several at Walmart but as usual, most of the ones from there died. Been buying replacements at Pet Smart. Hopefully those, unlike the others, will last more than a week. We had the cutest little fat fish called a Puffer. Lots of character, but he too died. When the kids found out I'd tossed the first one to die (the algae eater) out the door and into the yard, they weren't too happy. Told me I should have buried it. Oops, my bad. I could have taken someone else's suggestion and simply flushed it though. So now we have to have fish funerals each time one passes on to the great beyond.
With fall came falling leaves and pine straw making it hard to catch our own crickets. Yes, I put in my time crawling around the yard on my hands and knees chasing those fast little buggers. Now they can hide to easy and we have trouble finding and catching them so must purchase them from the pet store. Ran out of crickets one day and needed them quick so bought some from a regular store. Way too big. As hard as they tried, the frogs couldn't put a dent in them so we took them (the crickets) fishing! As you can see, we did catch some but not quite eating size. lol
I have something special to be thankful this Thanksgiving Day. My children left my mother's with their Dad this afternoon to go with him to his mother's about an hour away. While passing through an intersection they were rammed by another vehicle (T'd). In the other vehicle were a mother and young child around 4. Though both vehicles were undriveable and had to be towed, none of the occupants of either vehicle were injured whatsoever. I didn't know about this until they returned home this evening. My son J told me that their Jeep which was rammed in the side) might have turned over if a tire had gone into a partially open gutter?, but thankfully it didn't. He said that his legs were still shaking a little just talking about the accident several hours later. My other son, M said he bumped his head a little.I know angels are out there and they do watch over us. My boys keep them working overtime!Happy Thanksgiving.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Oh I am sooo far behind! We've been making some changes at home, lots of painting & also doing a lot of stuff like the above; making Jack-O'-Lanterns, Halloween cookies, visiting the Corn Maze & the State Fair. Whew! When we were decorating for Halloween, Rick didn't realize that the boys had put a rubber spiderweb & spider on the window of the backdoor. The next morning, when he looked out the window, he was eye to eye with a huge spider! Very funny but I was caught later that day. I walked through the living room & saw a big spider on the floor. I ran & retrieved my trusty fly swatter & gave it a couple of good whacks before realizing that it was fake!
We visited Ken's Korny Corn Maze near Garner this past Saturday. It was nice with a huge maze the kids never made it all the way through & even a large super slide but I must say that if you do plan to visit, be sure to bring your wallet! For some reason I was under the impression (maybe because nothing said different online or until we got there) that one price covered everything. Nope. $8. - $10. to go through the maze & anything else is extra. Have to buy special tickets at $1.75 per ticket to slide down the slide ($1.75 for twice down), 3 tickets for the Hay ride, etc. We didn't get to do the Haunted Maze as it costs $15. per person. The pumpkins were much better priced at Food Lion too so we waited on those. Still, the kids enjoyed it.
The NC State Fair was fun though of course it chose that day to rain on us twice. Guess our visit brought an end to the drought. lol. We ate lots of good food, kids played lots of games (oh my aching wallet) & enjoyed many amusement rides & we couldn't forget the animals!
We thought the calf had his head stuck but he got it out then put it back again. Lots of people were taking pictures of the goat but he was looking the other way. I said, "Smile for the camera", then he turned to look right at me.I never got to tell you about our trip to the NC Mountains. So let me start there. We didn't get to see or do everything that we hoped but boy, did we give it a good try. We stayed at Lake Junaluska in Maggie Valley as planned & it was very beautiful.
Due to a lack of rain, the waterfalls weren't at their best. This was Bridal Veil Falls which is usually much more impressive. You could walk or drive your car behind it.
We did travel the Parkway though we never found Clingman's Dome. Missed the turn. Thought we'd come out in Tennessee but somehow we missed that too! lol But traveling a seldom used road, we did find a couple of wonderful, unadvertised waterfalls. Its true, sometimes the road less traveled is the best.
Just a nearby barn I liked. I think old barns are fascinating
We did visit Ghost Town
We did visit Cherokee, the Oconaluftee Village & Cherokee Island Park (with River). The kids enjoyed the river but we were a bit disappointed with the village. Though a tourist attraction, we thought it would be more like a real village instead of several small sheds strewn along a path with a guide hurrying us along. We also thought we were supposed to see traditional Native American dancers but there weren't any.
We also went Gem Mining in Franklin which we all enjoyed but we didn't have time to visit the Gem Museum at the historical old jail.
While in Franklin, we'd hoped to eat ice cream at The Chunky Monkey but they were closed due to a lack of help
Meanwhile, back at home again I have been busy writing also. Have been trying my hand at short stories & find it very enjoyable. Recently submitted one to a magazine & entered another in a contest. Still have a few I haven't decided what to do with yet.And as always, don't forget to check out my books:Lucian's Angel (finding romance while stalked by a serial killer) http://www.publishamerica.com/books/12599
Cherokee Lightning (Native American romance & time travel) http://www.publishamerica.com/books/16529
Or check them out on Amazon. Visit my other pages here to read more.
Catch you later!
BOO!
