Making Tamales

I'm trying to post this as a video but I'm not sure if it will work straight from Picassa. If it's just a picture, come back tomorrow and I'll have it fixed

Having fun with my playlist

We found our old 40's music on a computer file that we forgot. I've been looking up songs for my playlist. It's a big adventure cause usually they're not there since it's fairly modern. But, every once in a while I find a great one.

Only the british can do this

FAIL

http://failblog.org/tag/g-rated/

Have you seen this? It's a really funny blog. This particular link takes you to only G rated posts.

My cute family

Cake Wrecks

Copied from "Cake Wrecks" I read it all the time but some strike me as more funny than others...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

But Where are the Blue Birds?

So Dawn W. was throwing a Wizard of Oz cast party, and she knew better than to order anything as complicated as a Yellow Brick Road cake. So instead, she simply asked for a cake with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on it.

Now, if you've read this blog for any time at all, then you're probably expecting the same thing I was - an inscription that looks like this:

"Some Wear"
The Rainbow

I'm pleased to report that's NOT what happened. No, Dawn received something far more...colorful.


At first I thought the decorator was just being clever, but then I noticed the "Somewheres". Yeah. Well, there went that theory.

I'm finally done with Ana's book

I don't know if you all can understand this so I may seem strange but hey, I usually do sound strange so no worries here.
I didn't want to make a photo book of Ana until the adoption was finalized. I just couldn't bear it if we had it all done and she had to leave.
So, I finally started on it and I finished today. It's a book of her story of how she came to our family. I really wanted a picture of her birthmom but we had only seen her twice and we weren't able to get one either time. Maybe she'll show up eventually so we can have a picture.
I did the best I could to fill in her story in an age appropriate manner.
If anyone wants to see it just let me know your email address and I'll send you a pdf.
It feels like another huge part of this is complete now.

What a day...

Ahhh, what a day...I'll be happy when everyone gets up here to distract us a bit. I love Christmas and we don't stress out over it cause we don't buy many presents. But, we're going a little stir crazy here. Maybe tomorrow we'll go sledding and make use out of some of this snow.

My new favorite Christmas song

9 words women say...

(1)Fine:*This is the word women use to end an argument, when they are right and you need to shut up.
(2)Five Minutes: **If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3)Nothing:*This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
(4)Go Ahead: **This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It !
(5)Loud Sigh: **This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
(6)That's Okay: **This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: **A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - then it is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' ... that will bring on a 'whatever').
(8)Whatever: **Is a women's way of saying S.C.R.E.W.YOU!
(9)Don't worry about it, I got it: *Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Christmas decorating

Our holiday decorating. None of my pictures of the boys turned out...they moved too fast...did you notice our tinsel monster tree? It's their goal every year to see how much tinsel they can possibly get on the tree...as well as themselves.
Little Ana loved the jingle bells and kept trying to put them down her shirt. I think she got 10 in at once.

A real Christmas

Thanks Erika

Pics

And so as not to have Andrew outdo the others, here's a pic of Alyssa and Adam at the concert. They rocked! Well, actually I guess they clasicalled.

The concert

So much for cameras...I got a recording of Andrew's class but the SD card was full before I got the other kids. So, here's Andrew. He's playing the cello.

An inspiration

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Chores

Oh how often we either say it or hear it … “Too much to do, not enough time!”? I hear it and say it quite often. How do you manage all the tasks you have to complete in just 24hours? There are a lot of different methods on how to get chores and organizing done. Some have a strict schedule others just kinda wing it.

THEME:

This week I would you to share how chores are done in your home. How you order your day with school and getting housework done. How do you decide which chores should be done by which child, of which age? I’m looking forward to hearing them!

All right HOMESCHOOL BLOGGER...here's my thing...I am terrible at organizing chores.

We tried managers of their homes and I love the thoughts but every day is so different from the next that I can't figure out how to get the schedule in with it.

I did love the nametags that were worn with the MOC system. The kids just took the cards out and lost them so they did no good!

Our system now consists of me waking up and thinking of all the things that get done, then telling the kids to do them. Great system huh?

OK, at least I can give you an idea of what they do most days...

just turned 8 boy...

Feed and water the dog, put away silverware in the dishwasher, swiffer sweep (when the floor is mostly clean and just needs dog hair up), vaccum (lightly), watch the baby in her childproofed room while I'm in the shower, wipe the table and counters, light clean the bathroom.

soon to be 10 boy...

all of the above plus feed and water the chickens, raise the baby chicks, help with the goats, put away the lower rack of the dishwasher and help load it too, light clean the T.V./sewing room, watch baby in her childproofed room while he reads while I'm helping the younger son with school.

12 1/2 year old girl...

all of the above plus watch baby and other kids when needed, all goat chores including milking, processing, and making cheese, baking and cooking (a batch or two of cookies, bread, and muffins each week), empty top dishwasher and load the rest, do the remaining dishes.

That's the basics and then we do other stuff here and there.

My stuff for sale

I'm posting this here in case anyone from the lists wants to look...

Babylock Protoge serger, I can't figure it out, my mom gave it to me...$150

Men's diaper bag/Messenger bag. Huge, too big for me. Sold normally for $115. This is a totally new bag. I got it and don't need it.

Saxophone, pro Sax. Just ask me about it if you have an interest

A Christmas Carol

My Camera

The Camera is a canon A590. It was only $109 on Amazon. I have bad camera history...I started with a new one on sale for $50 about 5 years ago. It was terrible. Then I bought another for $150 and was so excited to get it...a poleroid...and it took 10 pictures to get 1 non-fuzzy picture. Then I finally bought a $200 camera, a pentax, and thought my troubles would be solved...nope. It still took a couple of pictures to come up with a non-fuzzy one and the colors always seemed off.
I borrowed my brother's Canon for our cruise and LOVED it. It was so easy and the pictures always came out right. Well, the pentax bit the bullet after only 2 months and it was too late to return it so, I decided I'd just get one like my brother's and it had to be good.
IT IS!
There are more expensive, newer Canons but I wanted one with the handhold part, not flat, and a good optical zoom as well as digital. I also wanted normal batteries instead of rechargables cause I hate it when your rechargables are out and then what do you do?
It works great.

Because I think she's cute

I just got a new camera so I had to try it out a bit...isn't she cute?

A great day

Well, a week has passed since the adoption. I'm trying to complete baby's life book. We have pictures of so many places that baby has been in her short life. We are putting them in a book that she can read any time along with captions that explain her story, the love her birth mother has for her, and the love that we have also.
It tells about her hospital friends and milk donors as well as the whole adoption process.
It's my hope that she will be able to understand the process a little bit better if she can see her whole story.