A Little More Confusion

When I wrote the part of my odds and ends entry earlier about my mother I knew there was something else that I wanted to add but couldn't remember what it was.  Well, it just now came to mind, and I had to get out of bed and boot up the old computer before I forgot about it!

After Mom told me about the sweet potato/pumpkin pie thing, she said, "And yesterday Lois came in from work and got a Hershey's chocolate bar with almonds out of the refrigerator, and I thought 'Now that looks good.  I'm going to have one of those.'  I went to the refrigerator, got one out, sat down, opened it and took a bite, and I thought, 'That's not right!'  And it was a Reece's Cup!"

I could hear my sister, Lois, laughing in the background.  She told me later that she heard Mom say, "Aww, shoot!"  And when Lois looked up, Mom was sitting there frowning at a Reece's Cup.  She said, "I meant to eat a Hershey bar, and now I've already taken a bite out of this thing."  My sister, Barbara, grandly offered to finish it for her so she could have her Hershey's with almond.

Poor Mom!  We love her to pieces!  I still say she is remarkable for someone her age, and I think that the seven of us are secretly to blame for her more amusing moments of confusion.

Goodnight!  I think I can go to sleep now.

Revisiting January 2007 Again

I have one last trip of nostalgia for January -- and that is an entry I made last year about getting stopped in my tracks by a question from Eler Beth.  I think it turned into rather a nice essay on the value of working moms versus stay-at-home-moms.

All I Ever Needed To Know . . . .

In case you've never read this and wondered (if you read the "Mrs. Emily" entry I linked to a couple posts back) what it was, here is the link to the text, "All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum.

Tags: Robert Fulghum

Susan Juby

I mentioned Susan Juby and ALICE, I THINK two entries ago and wondered if she had written any other books.  Apparently she did, and now I need to find them!  Check out this link to get a good since of who the lady is, and this link to see all her books.  I think I've found another favorite author.  I did a little review in my other journal.

Tags: Susan Juby

Revisiting January 2006 Again

I like to go back and re-read old entries, and I started doing this at the beginning of the month.  Then I forgot and didn't keep up with it.  But here are a few good ones, in my opinion, from January of 2006 if you missed them the first time:

Eler Beth did a little bit of Private Eye work on this day, and it wasn't the first time for her, either!

Then I was reminded that she comes by it naturally, as Thomas has also been known to catch a crook or two.

And I missed a very important anniversary on the 14th; the death of Andrew's and Eler Beth's elementary school principal.  I really thought a lot of the lady and wrote a little tribute to her.

(Mostly Odd) Odds and Ends

I think I need to get out more . . .

I went to a laundramat yesterday.  I have some comforters, pillows, and quilts that require a larger washing machine than mine, so when I feel it's time for them to be cleaned I take them to a local laundramat to use the big triple load washers.  I usually go to a large, quiet, clean laundramat on 10th Street.

But there is one closer to my house, and yesterday I decided I'd just run them down there.  I took a book along with me to keep me occupied.  When I pulled into the parking lot I noticed there were no other cars there, which I thought might be a nice sign.  I parked right in front of one of the doors, and I noticed this interesting sign:  No Shoes, No Shirt, No Pets, No Service.  Okaaay.  Did that mean that if I didn't have a pet with me I would get no service? 

When I went inside I realized that no vehicles in the parking lot didn't necessarily mean no customers inside.  There was a lady at one end with about a week's (or two) worth of laundry that she was sorting in the middle of the floor.  She would pick a few items out of her pile, drop them into one washer or another, and then go back for more.  This didn't bother me personally until I discovered I didn't have enough quarters for the machine and had to change a couple of bills in the bill changer.  Her sorting was taking place right in front of the bill changer.  I said excuse me, I need to get to the bill changer, and she never even looked up at me, so I just stepped over her things.  There was no attendant, by the way.  There used to be a counter in the front where an attendant would take in clothes for drop-off service, but that is gone now. 

There was also a little girl seated at a round plastic table, having a tea party with several stuffed toys, with whom she kept up a conversation the whole time I was there.  Very cute.  Her brother, about 11 years old, was emptying washers.  There was a man with them, apparently the boy's step-dad or mother's significant other from the way they spoke with one another.  The boy used unusual words like "extract", as in, "This machine didn't extract all the water."  The man, who honestly did look like he fell off a turnip truck, said, "What??"  And the boy kept saying, "This machine didn't extract all the water."  After repeating this about three times the man said, "What the h--- does THAT mean?"  And the boy said, "It didn't get all the water out!"  At other times the man would announce his feelings in a very loud voice, while looking around to make sure that sorting-lady and I were paying attention, about having to be there doing laundry.  He couldn't BELIEVE he was spending his afternoon doing laundry!  When their mother got back, HE was going out for a smoke!  He couldn't imagine where she was, anyway!  She should have been back by now!  Next time SHE was going to stay there and do the laundry!  It looked to me like the boy was doing it all, anyway.

Then there was the older couple who came in while my things were drying.  The older man couldn't hear anything the woman was saying, so she repeated everything she said, but not any louder or more clearly than she'd said them the first time.  And her voice!  I have no idea how to describe it.  Several months ago Scalzi featured a video of some cop show where the woman arrested had a very screeching, country-accented, hoarse-from-smoking-all-her-life voice that was practically unintelligible, and that is what this woman sounded like.

I never did read any of my book.

When I left, sorting-lady still had four dryers and three washers going, and there was still a big quilt on the floor in front of the change machine.

Next time I'm going to the big laundramat.

 

Ever Have That Feeling?

I talked with my mother by phone yesterday.  About halfway through her first sentence she paused and demanded, "Am I talking into this thing right??"

She said for some reason, all of a sudden as she was talking she just had this feeling that she had the phone upside down or something.  It just didn't feel right.  She said, "I've been really feeling old lately."  I said, "Well, you ARE  84 years old, although I've always felt that we (the kids) were aging faster than you."  And she said, "No, I've REALLY been aging lately.  I do the dumbest things!  This morning I said I was in the mood for a sweet potato pie, so I went and dug out the recipe.  Then when I was getting the ingredients together I glanced at the recipe and thought, 'well, that's not for sweet potato pie, that's a pumpkin pie!'.  I was starting to put it back when I glanced at it again, and sure enough it said 'sweet potato pie'.  I don't know why I thought it was pumpkin for a second!"  I say, she's 84 years old, was married for 55 years, and raised seven kids.  If she gets a bit confused now and then, well, she's due.  I still say she's in better shape physically and mentally than most of us!

 

Dig a little deeper . . .

Gas, as of this afternoon, is now $3.06 a gallon!

 

A Good Book . . .

I just finished the funniest book.  It is called ALICE, I THINK and was published in 2003, written by a lady named Susan Juby.  She writes with wit and wry humour.  This was her first novel, so I'm off to look her up to see if she did any more.  If you look for it in your library you'll find it in the Young Adult section.

 

 

Tags: Alice I Think, Susan Juby

Catching Up (Because I Can't Think Of Any Better Title)

We had a very pretty day here, weatherwise, for most of the day.  It was very sunny this morning, but clouded up in the afternoon.  Now it is trying to sprinkle, and we are expecting showers overnight and through the day tomorrow.

We had a busy weekend.  Eler Beth hosted (or would that be hostessed) a slumber party Friday night.  She and two of her cousins, M and H, had planned on getting together to watch a new Disney Channel movie, Minute Men, premiering that night.  What started as the three of them watching a movie, with perhaps pizza and popcorn, turned into a slumber party with five other girls invited.  Oh my!

They had a blast,though.  We ordered pizzas, had plenty of chips, dip, and popcorn, and went through gallons of non-caffienated and sugar-free drinks!  Two of the girls made it to 2 a.m., Eler Beth konked out about 4 a.m., and the other girls were still awake at 6:00!  She had gotten little gifts for each of them, too, and presented each with a very carefully selected gift bag full of little goodies.  I think they enjoyed that as much as anything else.  The movie was cute, and the girls' conversations were priceless!  They are already planning on doing this again at L's house in June when another Disney Channel original is premiering.

Eler Beth's cousin, H, confided in Eler Beth Saturday morning that some kids at her school make fun of her hair.  So Eler Beth got out her comb, brush, some hair oil, and some gel and went to work on it, and the result was very pretty.  H and M are bi-racial, also.  M's hair is pretty easy to care for, but H's hair is a big mass of beautiful, natural curl, that stands out from her head most of the time.  She is eight years old and doesn't like anyone to mess with it, doesn't let her mother do much with it, and I guess her mother doesn't feel it's a battle worth fighting.  But I guess it's different if you're an older cousin.  When Eler Beth was finished H had a head full of controlled, beautiful, long curls.  Eler Beth told her that if she just "worked with it every day" it would look nice and no one would tease her about it anymore.   Later she and another girl got busy braiding M's hair. 

M is the one who is diabetic.  She's two years older than Eler Beth, but maturity-wise, they're about the same age.  They've been spending a lot of time together lately, and it is nice to see Eler Beth paying attention to M's physical clues as to whether she's having a tough day, physically, if her sugar is too high or low, etc.  I think it's good that she is astute enough to notice.  If, when they are older, they go places together, like the mall or the movies, she'll be able to tell if M's in trouble.

Saturday afternoon Eler Beth fell asleep for a couple of hours on the sofa, and I would have taken a nap too, except I had so much cleaning to do!  I made up for it Sunday, though.

Andrew went to see "Meet the Spartans" on Saturday night and came home saying that he was sorry to have wasted $8.50 on it.  It is a parody of the movie "300".  I commented that some of the previews seemed kind of funny, and he said that they were the only funny parts of the whole movie.  He saw "Cloverfield" last week and liked it, but I don't think it's one that I want to see.

Sunday I was just bone-tired all day.  My brain was dragging, my butt was dragging, everything was dragging!  I took a nice three-hour nap, and that seemed to help a lot.  Today I felt pretty spry.  I made homemade chicken and rice for dinner, and that went over very well.   I had it early because Andrew was looking forward to it, and he was leaving around 5 to go to Jason's.  They are finally recording a CD of their music, and they're holding a practice session tonight in preparation for it.

Well, that was my weekend and my Monday, part of it, anyway.  I hope that everyone is having a good start to the week.  If I could think of something witty to leave you with, I would, but I can't, so I'll just say "take care" and "see you soon".

The beautiful graphic by Donna

Economic Woes, Part Two -- Across The Pond

Guido has more than once reminded us of how much gasoline costs in the UK, and I just got a comment from Joan in my last entry with the perfectly horrendous prices she has to pay for the grocery items I mentioned in that entry.  I have wondered this before, and I'll wonder it out loud now (sort of -- you know what I mean):

Are other "costs of living" in the UK lower than in the US, like electricity, housing, etc.?  I have to wonder because how can they pay so much for things like these without living in poverty?  Wages must be higher over there or something.  If we had to pay $9.00 for a gallon of gas we'd be up a creek without a paddle.  Are there more people who take public transportation, walk, or ride bikes most of the time in the UK?  Because here, for the most part, and for most people, those aren't options -- we have to drive.  Is it a case of scale?  In New York I would pay three times what I pay in mortgage here for something comparable to our house, but I'd be making more money an hour, so it would probably still be the same in ratio.  Can we really compare costs of living in the US with costs of living in the UK without everything being equal?  Do we have some sort of scale to go by?  Do I even make any sense?  I know what I'm trying to ask, but don't think I'm doing a very good job of asking it.  Someone help! lol

Tags: Economy in UK vs US

Economic Woes

I did some grocery shopping this morning.  Then I came home and took some Excedrin!  My goodness, I'm really getting tired of paying a fortune for basic things!

Here are the prices of three fairly basic grocery items in my neck of the woods.  How much are these in your area?  I'm curious to know.  Write an entry and leave me a link in my comments section.  Let's do a comparison across the country, shall we?  I live in Southern Indiana, and as of January 28, 2008 here are the prices in my area for milk, eggs, orange juice, and gasoline.  These are non-sale prices:

Milk, 1 gallon - $3.89

Eggs, 1 dozen large - $1.89

Orange juice, 1 gallon - $3.99

Gasoline - $2.92 per gallon (actually a little cheaper than last week!)

And for a bonus, I'm going to tell you what I paid for some yellow Summer squash (out of season, admittedly): $2.88 a pound!!!

Want to play along?

Tags: Cost of living, economy

Overheard Today

Andrew:  I can't play right now.  I have to get ready to go to Jason's.  We're practicing tonight.

Eler Beth, with a sigh:  I guess that's what happens when you have a brother with an awesome band!  You have to learn patience and be unselfish!

 

Yep, I'd say she's their Number 1 Fan!

Turning The Pages

A few months ago someone, and I don't remember who, directed me to this site called Turning the Pages, which is part of the Online Gallery of the British Library web site.  I had saved it to look at later, and about a month ago was "later".  I was very enchanted with it, so I thought I'd share the info with you.  I really enjoyed reading through the Jane Austen's The History of England in her own hand.  This is a scanned copy of the book in her own handwriting, complete with little vignette sketches that she did.  You can "turn" the pages, using your mouse, just as if you were holding the book in your hand.  If her handwriting proves to be too hard to decipher, you can choose to read it in text or you can choose audio and listen to it being read as you read along.  You can also magnify portions of the text.

There are several very interesting pieces on the site, including a personal notebook of sketches of Leonardo DaVinci, Diamond Sutra -- the oldest printed book, and the first atlas of Europe, compiled in the 1570s.

So check out Turning the Pages when you have a moment.  And if one my readers is the one who first suggested it to me, then I apologise for taking so long to try it out!

Tags: British Library, Online Gallery, Turning the Pages, Jane Austen's History of England

Saving For Posterity

There are probably few out there who have not already done, this, but just in case, I'll pass the word:

Dan at Slapinions has asked that all journalers who would like AOL to come up with a way for us to print our journals, to please leave a comment on this entry he wrote, which would count as a sort of online petition.  I have done so, as have close to a hundred other journalers at my last count.

Bea wrote an entry on this subject here, and also made reference to Staci's (Monponsett) comment, #18 of the comments in Dan's original entry if you're interested in reading it, where she says that she foresees a day when AOL will simply decide to scrap the whole journal thing without any warning to us, and she has accordingly been copying and pasting her entries into another blog space.

So if you haven't already done so, please leave a comment on Dan's entry, and check out Mon's comment (#18) and Bea's entry as well.

Tags: AOL Journals Features,

Pumpkin's Meme

Dawn's Pumpkin has constructed a meme for us, and I have joined the ranks of delighted meme-takers:

Pumpkin's Meme - Who are you?

1.   What is your name?  Lori

2.   How old are you?  41

3.   Where are you from?  Kentucky, but I currently live in Indiana.

4.   Do you smoke?  No, never have.

5.   Do you drink?  No, never have.

6.   Do you have a family?  Please explain, if yes.  I have a husband, a son, and a daughter.

7.   What are your hobbies? Reading and writing.

8.   What is your favorite ice cream?  I don't like ice cream but sometimes I crave Spumoni, which is a frozen ice cream dessert.

9.   What is your favorite animal?  Cats

10.  Do you wear glasses?  No, never have.

11.  What nationality are your ancestors from?  Scottish, Scots-Irish, English, and German

12.  What color is your hair?  Blonde

13.  What are you wearing now?  Gray sweats, pink shirt, and grey sneakers.

14.  What is your favorite color?  Blue

15.  What teacher do you remember most from your childhood?  Mrs. Powell, High School English.

16.  What are your pets and their names?  My dog is named Scout and my cat is named Freedom.

17.  What is your favorite food?  Potatoes.

18.  What is your job?  I am a stay-at-home mom.

Tags: Meme

Just A Brief Pop In

I just thought I'd pop in to say "hello".  I don't really have anything interesting or scintillating to write about, though.  My cold is getting much better.  It wants to hang on, as they tend to do this time of year.

Yesterday morning Eler Beth got up with a fever of 101°, but after some Motrin and juice her temp went down and stayed down.  So she and I stayed home again yesterday morning, and she rested all afternoon; missed her play date at her cousins' house.  But she got to go to the skating party this evening, and that's what she really didn't want to miss.  We suspended lessons for today.  I needed the day to get organized for the week anyway.  Tomorrow we start back in for real.

It is snowing a bit here, but nothing is accumulating.  It is bitterly cold, though, because of the wind.  I'd rather it be cold than unseasonably warm anyway.  Maybe we'd all get better then.

I am still catching up with journals.  I have re-organized the way I read them, so maybe that'll help me get caught up.  I hope everyone is having a great week with no severe weather in your neighborhood.

Oh yes, thank you to all who complimented my stint as Journals Editor.  I really did enjoy doing the picks, but it is hard to choose just a few.  Maybe I should highlight a few each month on my own.  That could be fun.  I think Dawn (Carpe Diem) is Editor next week, and I look forward to seeing her picks.

I hope I have something a little more interesting or funny to write about later this week!

Guest Editor's Picks

I was very honored to be asked to be the Guest Editor this week.  My picks have been posted at the Magic Smoke journal, so please stop by and take a look, and check out the Friday Blogplugs while you're there.

It is so NOT easy to pick a half dozen journals from all the good ones you read, but it is fun to introduce them once you've got them picked. 

Tags: AOL Journals Magic Smoke, Guest Editor's Picks

Marking Their Calendars...

Wednesday night I overheard Andrew and Eler Beth comparing schedules, trying to find a mutually free day!!

There is six years' difference in their ages, and, believe me, it shows at times.  They can bicker with the best, but most of the time they get along quite well.  Especially now that eighteen-year-old Andrew is coming out of a lot of his teen-grouch persona, and twelve-year-old Eler Beth doesn't seem quite as immature to him as she has in the past.  They play a lot of games together and watch some of the same TV shows, even listen to a lot of the same music.

On Wednesday night, even though they didn't literally have day planners open in front of them, I imagined that they did as I listened in on the following conversation:

A:  What about Thursday afternoon?

EB:  No, I have Crochet Club at the library at 4.  What about Friday?

A:  I'm playing laser tag.  Saturday?

EB:  I'm free Saturday.

A:  No, wait, the band's practicing Saturday.

EB:  Well, I'm going to Meghan's Sunday.

A:  And I'm going out Sunday.  Monday?

EB:  Monday's good.

And then both at the same time:  No wait, we're going to that skating party Monday!

I think they finally settled on Tuesday afternoon.  They're so funny sometimes.  I don't even know what they needed to synchronize their schedules for, but I think Andrew is going to be teaching her how to play some game or work some computer program.

I've been rather sick this week.  Nothing serious, just "crud".  Allergies, sinus, and all the fun stuff that goes along with them.  So I'm still playing catch-up with a lot of journals.  Hope everything has a good weekend.  I mean everyone!  Must be the Benedryl kicking in!

This and That on a Boring Tuesday

I have been having trouble sleeping.  On Saturday night I went to bed at a decent time, but just couldn't turn my mind off.  I was really dragging Sunday morning.  Thomas actually had to work Sunday; I guess they had a lot of things to catch up on because of the holidays.  I stayed home by myself Sunday morning.  Then Andrew was busy with friends Sunday afternoon, and Eler Beth spent the afternoon with her cousins.  Even with having the house to myself most of the day I still couldn't sleep.

Our weather has been unseasonably warm, in the 60s and 70s for the past few days.  We are getting rain tonight, and it has been very windy.  I think a cold front is moving in, and by the weekend we should be back to our normal temperatures.  It was nice enough yesterday that I opened a window and let the breeze blow through the house.  I am suffering some head congestion which I attribute to the warm weather.  I don't think we're ever going to get any snow!

Well, this is a boring entry, isn't it?  I'm still trying to get to everyone's journals.  It is taking time.  If I haven't been by lately, expect to see me in the next few days.

Ta Ta for now.

This wonderful tag by Donna.

Heapin' and Whoppin'

Eler Beth just asked me for directions to make some hot cocoa.  I told her to heat a cup of milk in a pan.  Put a heaping teaspoon of cocoa and two teaspoons of sugar in the mug.  When the milk is hot pour a little over the cocoa and sugar and mix it well, then pour in the rest of the milk.

She came to me with the can of cocoa and a big serving spoon that was HEAPED with cocoa.  I shrieked, "Not that much!"

And she said, "Well, you said a whopping spoonful!"

Tags: Hot cocoa

This And That On A Thursday

I am slowly getting caught up with reading journals and leaving some comments.  I still have to give myself only a certain amount of time a day for journals or I lose track of time and nothing else gets done.

I had planned to start back with school yesterday, but Eler Beth got up with a sore throat and a stuffy head and nose.  So I doctored her up and I let her sleep in.  She felt better today except for a headache this morning, but I'm just going to put off lessons until Monday.  Andrew doesn't go back until Monday, anyway.

My new journal has gotten off to a good start.  The beginning entry was well-received.  I offered a general invitation in that entry to anyone who would like to contribute posts, and I have to admit that I had a few people in mind in particular.  Guido was one I had in mind, and he took me up on the offer.  If you haven't already been by to read his entry, Language, please do so!  I was impressed as well as amused!  I think this can be a fun journal, as well as being informative.  If anyone has an idea for a post or would like to make an entry, just email me.

We didn't get much snow yesterday -- probably less than an inch total -- but it was very cold.  It was still cold today, but this afteroon the temps did get above freezing, and there was sunshine.  It will be progressively warmer over the next few days with a little bit of rain over the weekend.

Not much else going on here, I'm afraid.  I'm off to read and comment.  I hope everyone has had a nice week!

Invitation To A New Journal

Because I didn't have enough journals already I have started a new one, and you are invited to read it!  Lucky you!  Here it is:

I Stand Corrected

I hope it is well-received, and I hope I can do justice to my original intentions.

Tags: New Journal

Jerome Murat and Pee'ing Standing Up -- Also From January 2007

I bet THAT title got your attention!!

In January of last year I was directed to this video of Jerome Murat.  It is a brilliant performance art piece.  If you didn't watch last year, please take the time to do so now.

And in a Rambling entry I passed along a cute story that my niece told us while she was visiting about competing with her male cousin...(that would be the "pee'ing standing up part!).

Revisiting More January Entries

In December of2006 I posted the Symptoms of Inner Peace, and in January of 2007 I made an entry titled Centeredness Within, about the first one of those symptoms and asked for comments and opinions.  I had intended to write about the rest of that list in depth and never did.  One of my goals this year is to do so.  Please read that 2007 entry if you haven't already and let me know what you think.  A few of the comments I received from that were very well thought out and I'd like to re-post them along with further discussion of this list in the near future.

Also in January of 2007 I posted a link to this site that gives you A Word of Praise When You Need It.  I'd forgotten about this place, and I LOVE IT!  I need to bookmark this and visit it several times a week!

 

Revisiting January Entries

I started this journal in March of 2005, so I only have January entries from 2006 and last year so far.  Yesterday I was reading some of them and thought a couple were worth revisiting, especially since there are those who read my journal now who didn't back then.

My January 2006 entry had to do with a saying of my grandmother and a New Year's Day back around 1980 that I'll never forget.

There was a Frantic entry that would still fit my world, even though I was working full-time outside the home at that time and now I'm not.  I still see potential for improvement in 2008!!

In A Matter Of Conscience I recalled a conscientious, four-year-old Andrew moongazing with his father.

On Different Wavelengths . . .

 

Eler Beth and I were each lost in our own thoughts.  Mine were on the dogs – I don’t remember exactly what I was thinking, but I know it had something to do with the dogs.  Her thoughts were apparently on her recent Spanish lesson.

 

Eler Beth:  Mom, I forget -- what sound does The U make?

 

Me:  I don’t know, “Baaa”, I guess.

 

Eler Beth:  Huh?!?

 

 

Yeah.  It gets kind of weird like that around here sometimes.  (Hey, I heard “ewe”!)

Show Me. . .

 

Show me a 24-hour period in which were cooked three roasts, six pies, three batches of bread, and three cakes (as well as various side dishes and casseroles) –

 

And I’ll show you a 24-hour period in which I could turn the thermostat all the way off!

January 1, 2008

We are getting a bit of snow to welcome in the new year today.  It is a pretty snow, but I don't think we'll get much accumulation, and the temps are well below freezing.  I think it's 20° right now with a wind chill of 7°.  Thomas goes back to work tomorrow, but Andrew doesn't have to go back to school until next Monday.  Eler Beth, however, will have lessons tomorrow.

Where have I been lately?  Oh, I've been around.  I can't support reading, commenting, or writing much in December, but I have skimmed entries almost daily to keep up with everyone.  I was saddened to learn of Lahoma's and Kim's passing, and gave my condolences to their families.  I made a comment here or there where I thought it necessary to comment right away instead of waiting.   But now I plan to really catch up with everyone, and I have several entries planned for my own journal.

We had my sister in from Florida last week.  She flew in on Christmas Eve and left this past weekend.  Her divorce is final now, and I think she really needed to get up here to see Mom and just relax for a while.  We also had the opportunity to see some friends that we hadn't seen in several months.

Things are getting back to normal.  The kids have been busy with new games and several parties and get-togethers, so I've actually had some time in the past few days to do some REAL writing (you know, as opposed to journal writing :).  The deer total for the year is seven -- four for Thomas and three for Eler Beth.

I hope everyone had a great January 1st!

Tags: New Year's Day