Swiped from Janet. The highlighted items are the ones I have done. This was a fun walk down memory lane, that's for sure!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - this totally humiliated my mother, five of her children giggling like 2 year olds at *her* mother's funeral. - HOrrible
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest - actually it was 2nd and I was dressed as a fajita
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children - working on it anyway
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - when my appendix ruptured - I was drugged heavily
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ - in my dreams. Back in the days when MTV actually showed music videos all day long it was my dream to be an MTV VJ. Sad and pathetic, I know.
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Things I have not done on this list that I would like to do:

Swim with wild dolphins
See the Northern Lights
Visit all 50 states and an equal number of countries
Ride a gondola in Venice
And, even though I've already done it, I wouldn't mind lounging in bed all day again sometime. Oh, and the bath...maybe on the same day ;)!

Let me start this post by saying that my life is a very good life. I love my husband dearly, though he drives me nuts sometimes. My children are really amazing kids who are well-behaved and clever. I would not choose to spend my days any differently than I do now. That said my life isn't perfect.

I have a couple of pet peeves. First, I can't stand to hear anyone badmouth her husband. I have a rule to never speak badly about Bud to anyone. I really feel that if you have a problem with your husband you need to take it up with him, and taking it outside of the marriage only weakens your relationship.

Secondly, I try not to speak about my children in a negative manner to other people, unless I'm truly seeking wise counsel for parenting. But the common talk you hear from parents, usually in a joking tone, about dreading summer vacation, or can't wait till Monday gets here so they'll be off to school again, really bothers me and it has to be hurtful to the children. I am so blessed to have my children, and I can't imagine not missing them terribly if they were away from me most days of the week.

The upshot of this, I'm afraid, is that I come off as the woman who has it all together (or the woman who's trying to seem like she has it all together, but is actually a neurotic mess) - perfect marriage, the sinless children we all dream of when we're pregnant, beautiful well-kept house, and all that jazz. I recently confided in a friend about some issues I've been having with Peyton. She told me she was relieved, because it made her feel guilty that her daughter is in school all day and she has struggles with her, and yet my kids are home all day long and I never seem to have issues with them. The fact that I never seemed to have these struggles made *her* feel less adequate. Not what I'm shooting for when I decide to keep my statements about my family positive.

I know that this is what happens on blogs, too. People see the perfectly together (or charmingly quirky or intellectually superior) side of other bloggers and feel less than. So, for today, I thought I'd share what I am not, to make anyone out there who is feeling "less than" get a bit of "more than" in their day today.

I AM NOT...

...a good housekeeper. My house is pretty much a balloon. You can squeeze one end, but the other end gets bigger. Clean the kitchen and the bathrooms accumulate filth. Catch up on the laundry and you better put on sneakers because I wouldn't walk across the room barefoot if I were you.

...organized. I'm convinced I have some sort of ADHD, because I've attempted to be organized since Mrs. Henson was my Algebra teacher in high school and I idolized her perfect, organized, mathematic mind. I can't seem to find a system that works, so I just pile everything on my desk and then when it's expired, past due, or out of date, I throw it away. Bud pays the bills here.

...a healthy eater. I manage to feed my family fairly well, but I eat like crap all day long. It's terrible. I go on kicks where I get healthy for a while, but then I fall off the wagon.

...in shape. I exercise sporadically, and while my weight has been as much as 15 to 20 pounds more than I am comfortable with, I've been blessed with the genetic ability to stay relatively close to normal weight. My cholesterol levels, however, do not reflect that. In order for me to have normal cholesterol, I need to be in marathon-runner shape. So, I am trying again to get in shape, for about the 113th time.

...patient. While I think I'm a pretty good mom, and my kids generally like me, I lose patience too easily, especially with the girl as I tend to be less tolerant of "girlie" issues. This is something I am very consciously working on, and it's not easy.

...sure of myself. I question myself daily. Am I a good wife, mom, teacher? Did I handle that well? Should I have said that? Oh, I just sounded like a buffoon! You get the picture.

...a great Christian. My days are full of sin. And, being a suburban housewife, they aren't the big nasty sins you go to jail or get divorced over, they're the sneaky, insidious sins that often no one else even knows about. Ugly thoughts, snide remarks, laziness, procrastination, pride, envy and their ilk.

I am however, blessed with the gift of God's grace, the gift of His Son. So I know that whatever my shortcomings, God can use them - God can use me - for His glory. Maybe in small ways, maybe in big ways. And that's what I remember on the days when I'm feeling "less than".

I have a new internet friend and his name is Craig. I've never met him personally, but I have just visited his website for the first time ever. Wow! I was able to unload an old grill for $50, an old coffee table with a huge scratch in the top for $150, and a ginormous sectional sofa, complete with children's Tylenol stains and duct tape for free. I actually had over 50 people who wanted the sofa, sending me emails begging me and telling me their sob stories about why they should get the sofa. I felt bad I didn't have more sofas to give away - some of those folks really needed it!

And the people who took these things were nice, showed up when they said they would, paid in cash, did all the heavy lifting themselves, and were thrilled with their goods. I HEART Craig's List.

I am now in the market for a game table and chairs. Now that the ginormous sofa is gone, the upstairs *gameroom* is being converted into a gameroom! Well, actually a library/gameroom. One wall of shelves full of wonderful books, two big mushy chairs to sink into with said books, and a game table for jigsaw puzzles and Blokus will totally have the place outfitted. I hope to find the gametable set on Craig's List. Sharing the love, you know.

I've noticed a couple of school roundups around the blogosphere lately, most recently over at Dy's this morning. I love reading these, they always help me in some way. I know better than to compare my children or our homeschool to anyone else's, but I do think it's important to have some mile markers on this journey. Even if all you do is say, "Wow, we should have been to this mile marker a long time ago, but that trip down the dirt road was so worth the delay," or, "Let's just blow by that marker, it means nothing to us," the mile markers do help you keep your bearings. So, in case my travels may be helpful to someone else, and because putting things in writing often helps clear them up, I offer our homeschool round-up. (I obviously have travel on the brain right now.)

Peyton turned 6 in August and Luke turned 8 in August. They would each make the cutoff to be in 1st and 3rd grades respectively by only a couple of days here in Texas. So we say Peyton is in first and Luke is in third, but in my mind, Peyton is between K and 1st and Luke is between 2nd and 3rd. I tell myself this so I don't push too hard, which I have an unfortunate tendency to do in life.

Luke is working very hard this year. There has been a big jump in writing requirements for him, which is challenging. He's working on Spelling Power, Rod and Staff 3 Grammar, Writing Strands 3, and cursive handwriting. We've settled on alternating between a writing project and working on grammar lessons which has made him happy. He can handle them both fairly well, but doing both at the same time was too much writing for him.

In math, Luke will be finished with MUS Gamma by Thanksgiving. We'll take the time after that to work on speed with multiplication facts, because that is slowing him down on his multiple-digit multiplication. Then we'll move into Delta after the first of the year. The kid likes math, and he'll often save it for last on his list of assignments for the day, because it's a fun way to end the day!

Now, reading is an entirely different animal. Luke does not like to read. It kills me. I've read to this kid since before he could hold his head up - good stuff, too. And he's always enjoyed being read to. But now when he has to read, the moment the required minutes are over, he is done. He says he likes the books he's reading, but he just doesn't want to read any longer than he has to. It makes me want to cry.

Peyton is chugging right along. She has a great attitude about everything, and takes nothing too seriously. She has just finished Veritas Press Phonics Museum K, and will continue to do Phonics Museum 1st. You can just see the reading lights turning on with her, which is really fun. She is going to be my reader.

Peyton is also working on First Language Lessons and couldn't love reciting poems and grammar definitions more. In math she is finishing up MUS Alpha. She enjoys math, but like everything else in life, takes her time with it. We will take a bit of time off before starting Beta to work on speed with her add/subtract facts. We'll probably wait until after the holidays to start Beta. For handwriting, we aren't using a program anymore. She learned italic, and I just give her a few letters to work on each day. After the holidays we'll turn to copywork.

Together, Luke and Peyton have started Prima Latina, which is a party for everyone. This is such a mild introduction to latin that they think it's a treat to work on it. They are also (still) doing ancient history, but we've moved into the Veritas Press cards which have been a big hit. We're reading some of the supplements, but at this point staying away from most of the myths and focusing our reading on quality children's literature. I'm just a lot more comfortable with that approach.

Science does not get done nearly enough around here and I'm trying to remedy that. We're finally getting close to finishing Apologia Astronomy - it took us forever. I think when we're done we're just going to spend time doing fun, random experiments and then discussing the science behind it. At this age, I just want them to be engaged by science. It really doesn't have to be systematic yet.

We listen to classical music and talk about it. They like the Classical Kids CDs, and we'll be seeing Beethoven Lives Upstairs and the Barber of Seville performed locally this year.

We haven't been doing a lot of formal art instruction this year, but art gets done daily around here. We'll probably pull out Drawing with Children again sometime soon and work a little bit more through that, but I'm not stressed about it.

And that's our homeschool situation as of today. Tomorrow it will be different, I'm sure. But for now it's all good.

Before I get started on the meat of this post, let me just say how much I love yellow legal pads.

Now, the disappointing news. I have been thinking for about a year now that we would take a big month-long road trip in 8/2008, ending up in Canada to see the solar eclipse. However, when we saw where we would have to be to view it, well, we decided that waiting till 2017 is not such a sacrifice after all. Heck, in 2024 we can host an eclipse party in our backyard. So that's settled.

But, all those wonderful stops we had planned along the way were still dancing in my head. And, in 2007 I turn the magical age of 40. Plus it will be Bud's fifth year in business, and everyone knows you get a sabbatical after five years. So, we're talking about doing a road trip in August 2007. Hooray!

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. -- St. Augustine

So here is the first pass at an itinerary. (Numbers indicate day of trip.

Day 1 Depart home, drive to Albuquerque.
2,3 Stay in Albuquerque with my brother and his family
4 Drive to Grand Canyon (Janet????)
5,6 Stay at the Grand Canyon
7 Drive to Bryce Canyon National Park
8 Bryce Canyon
9 Drive to Zion National Park, stay overnight
10 Drive to see Hoover Dam, overnight in Las Vegas - somewhere with a really good pool
11 Drive to Sequoia National Park
12, 13 Sequoia NP
14 Drive to Lake Tahoe
15, 16 Lake Tahoe
17, 18 Drive through Nevada/Idaho on the way to Yellowstone - not exactly sure of route or stops here
19, 20, 21, 22 Yellowstone NP
23 Drive to Estes Park, CO
24, 25 Estes Park
26 Drive to Northern NM - Taos or Angelfire
27 Stay in NM
28 Drive home.

Now, mind you, this will be totally subject to change if we find a rabbit trail that intrigues us along the way. But you can't change your plans if you don't have them, right?

So, dear readers, time for you to jump in. Am I missing something on this itinerary? Do you have suggestions for places to stay along the way? We'd like to stay in cabin type environments as much as possible, staying as close to nature as we can but not camping (except in Las Vegas, obviously).

Also, do you know anything about satellite internet service for your car? While Bud will technically be on sabbatical, being the sole employee he will still have to get some work done. We may also stay in Lake Tahoe longer and let him fly home for a couple of days to take care of his business, then have him rejoin us there. That seems like a good place for the kids and me to stay alone and flights are easy from there to Dallas.

Please share your experience and travel tips!

I've settled on an make Apple Pie that I love to make. I made two for Bible study last night and quickly disappeared.

1 pie crust***
4 pie apples - Granny Smith or Cortland are great
sugar
cinnamon
flour
butter

Slice your apples nice and thin. Sprinkle with about 3/4 cup of sugar and some cinnamon (I don't measure it - just shake some on there). Stir the apples up till they are nice and evenly coated. Pour the apples in your pie crust.

Mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar together. Cut in a stick of (real)cold butter. Quickly mix with your fingers until crumbly. Pour crumb mixture over the top of the apples.

Bake at 425F for 45 minutes. Top with a thin slice of cheddar cheese or a scoop of ice cream if you like.

***I've never been able to master a good pie crust. I don't want to use Crisco, which I understand will give me a flaky crust. I want to use real butter. But when I do, it comes out crumbly after baked.

It is my goal to learn to make a good pie crust, with butter, this holiday season. My poor family will have to suffer through my various pie experiments.

I've warned them that this is the year of pies and soups. That's what I'll be making a lot of this fall and winter.

Care to share your favorite pie and soup recipes in the comments? I'd love to have them.

Have a golden day!

Martin Driscoll



I came across his art the other day and I'm in love. Please go visit his website and see some of his wonderful work. (Click on his name above.) You'll find weathered old men and tweed-clad children in an Irish countryside. Mr. Driscoll's studio is in Wimberley, Texas. We used to live very near there, and it's a neat little town with some great shops and places to eat. I see a road trip in the near future.

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We have a busy weekend of Bible study, soccer games and an Indian Princess campout (Bud and Peyton only).

It looks like the weather is going to start getting very pleasant this weekend, which means I'm going to try and do some landscaping projects that have been on the backburner during the heat. They are heavy labor type of projects, so I'm kind of dreading them.

What's on your agenda for the weekend?

Tonight I was leaning over to kiss Luke goodnight, when he jiggled the back of my arm, and said, "Wow, Mom, that's pretty jolly."

I've got pictures I'll use to embarrass him someday, so it will all come out in the end.

That's today. According to Donna, it is officially Nosy Day. So, you may ask any question you like, and I'll answer it in the comment box.

Of course, this is my blog, so I may not answer it if I don't want to. But that's unlikely, I don't mind sharing.

So, what mystery has been haunting you about me? None? Okay, then think of something. Anything.



Be Nosy!

Why is my house always a pit on Monday morning?

Why don't I ever remember to clean out the fridge on Sunday, so the stink-producing foods can go away with the garbage truck on Monday?

My 8 year old son still writes the letters c, s and f backwards. Should this concern me?

I think it's cute that Bud's Jersey accent gets really heavy after we visit his family there.

Is is wrong for a 39 year old wife to call her 45 year old husband cute? Shouldn't it be charming or dashing - something more mature?

I have fallen back into the old habit of going to the grocery store daily to pick up dinner fixin's. Somehow I think I need to plan better.

Hunky dory, poppycock and filibuster are words of Dutch origin. I learned this at Ellis Island. I think I like that language.

You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip. - J.M. Barrie

Have a golden day!

Hi out there! A quick update on things here: Jacob is doing just great - back to normal life as a high school senior. Praise be to God for that!

We are all doing well. We just returned from a week in New Jersey and New York City. We got to visit Bud's grandparents who are in their 90's and still live in the house Grandma lived in since she was 6 years old! They are a treat to be around, although Grandpa has declined a great deal since we saw him last which is sad for us.

Bud's brother has a lakehouse about an hour outside of NYC, so we got to enjoy the beginning of the New England fall by the lake. We picked apples, visited a sheep farm/creamery, and fished. Peyton caught her first fish ever! Bud's brother is a deputy fire chief in the city they where they grew up, so we got the VIP tour of the department. The kids even got to spray the hose! One of the nicest groups of guys I've ever met. And there is no uncle on the planet like Uncle Greg - he's the best.

In NYC, we saw The Lion King on Broadway, visited the Empire State Building, wandered a street fair, saw Ellis Island and Lady Liberty and ate at our very favorite restaurant in Little Italy - Joey's Paesano (we said it the first time we went there fourteen years ago, and I'll say it again today - the baked ziti will make you cry). We grieved at Ground Zero. It was my first trip since 9/11, and it really blew me away. My heart breaks for those people who watched part of their home destroyed and saw their friends and family perish. New York is truly an amazing city and I will always love it. We bought 7 "I 'heart' New York" t-shirts. Hee hee.

Oh, and my new favorite way to see the city is at night, from the Hudson River. The skyline lit up is incomparable! Wow!





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In other news, we saw Facing the Giants on Friday. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. You will cry and laugh, and generally leave feeling that entertainment in this country might not be doomed altogether. Luke said it was his favorite movie ever. Seriously, when's the last time you thought you could walk into a movie theater in the U.S. and see God glorified? And, it's about high school football - what's not to love about that?!

"Is there anything our Lord cannot do?" Nope. We do serve a great God!

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This morning we had family worship. We sang this song:

"I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed what God has planned,
I only know at his right hand,
Stands One who is my Savior."

That's all I need to know.

Enjoy your Sunday!