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Brain Dump

Emily has these cute little posts she does called “Coffee Chats” which are basically her chance to talk about all the random things she’s been mulling over/doing in her life without having to have a specific post “theme” or title.

Well, that’s what today is for me.

Except I don’t drink coffee. Like at all. I once ordered a hot chocolate and, upon tasting the tiniest sip, immediately knew something was wrong; Lindsay, who is a coffee addict, tried it and said, “Nope, there’s no coffee in there,” but when I asked the barista, he said, “Oh! I think I did add a little shot of espresso.” Mmm hmm. I’m not sure if that means that my taste buds are over-developed or Lindsay’s are dulled, but either way, no coffee for me, thanks.

I don’t drink iced tea either. So, this is not an iced tea chat (but how charming and Southern would that be?).

I do drink HoCho, but the mere thought of something that hot on these blazing Texas summer days is enough to make me shudder. Oh! And Icees. But that might give us all brain freezes.

So…brain dump it is (see above: I think I already got a pretty good start on the concept).

Of course, the thing that’s been occupying my brain the most is the tragedy in Dallas last Thursday.

(If you don’t live in the States, 5 policemen were killed by a deranged sniper at a “Black Lives Matter” rally).

I’ve pretty much run the gamut of emotions–sadness, anger, frustration, futility–and prayed (and talked to my husband) about it a lot.

Ultimately, I know that we live in a sin-ravaged world in which hateful acts are going to be perpetuated by every skin color on the planet. That’s par for the course–as our pastor reminded us yesterday when he pointed out that some of the deadliest race riots in our country happened 100 years ago. Like Ecclesiastes says, there’s nothing new under the sun. Until the Lord returns, we will always struggle to love our fellow man.

I am grateful, though, for reminders that the Lord is constant–that none of this turmoil means that he has abandoned us or forfeited one iota of his sovereignty or his gracious loving kindness. Regardless of the sinful acts of man: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalm 145:8-9).

On a similar note, a black reader-friend contacted me, asking my perspective (as a white woman) on all of the racial turmoil our country is facing, and I was really honored by her trust. She’s a fellow Christian, and we’ve had good talks about various topics via message in the past (definitely the type of lady you wish you could sit down and chat with in real life). Of course, our experiences and perspectives differ, but I think we both agree that the main problem here is sin nature, so I mostly just sent her a link to this article which is so well-written and does such a good job of taking a lot of the emotional factors out of the issue, since it focuses on statistics and numbers instead.

Another recommendation to balance that one out? The Logan Family series from Mildred D. Taylor. Namely Song of the Trees, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and Let the Circle Be Unbroken. I read them with the kids, and even though they are heavy and hard in some parts, there is so much insight (especially for a white person) into the legacy of racism that still taints our nation’s history. And Taylor, who is black, does an amazing job of characterization without caricaturing. She writes with great pathos, while still seeming to lack a vendetta.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering what kind of music you should listen to while you’re scrubbing your kitchen and praying and feeling sorrow over the state of the world…

I highly recommend Ellie Holcomb. Her voice is gorgeous and haunting. Her lyrics are poignant (and often straight from scripture), and her vibe is just so peaceful.

This is my motto in life at the moment. Not because mine is so hard (it isn’t) but just because it’s a good reminder.

hard is not the same thing as bad

It will be available in the Paint and Prose shop soon, in case you also need the reminder.

Oh, and this one too.

I love the verse, and I’m kind of obsessed with those feathers. (Be on the lookout for both of these in the shop soon).

We’re leaving for our wedding trip/vacation to Colorado tomorrow night, and I am in full-on packing mode.

I’ve been shopping and setting clothes aside and making lists and planning snacks for days, but as soon as I’m done writing this, I’m diving elbow deep in suitcases (wish me luck; this whole packing for 8 people business is no joke, especially when you’re all required to look put together and presentable for 5 straight days).

At the moment, I’m trying to plan our food for the drive itself.

I need stuff that’s easily passed out and consumed with a minimum of mess. I’m also shooting for healthy(ish).

So far, I’ve got:

  • homemade Lara bars
  • homemade banana muffins
  • homemade chocolate chip cookies (not healthy at all but sooooo yummy)
  • fruit
  • graham crackers
  • peanut butter crackers
  • fruit leathers
  • nuts + trail mix

Any other brilliant suggestions for me?

Speaking of suggestions, I know I’ve asked you plenty of times before what your favorite books are (I need to go back and look at your answers), but if any of y’all have suggestions of books that are super-engaging for long stretches, feel free to share.

We’ll mostly be driving at night (we did this last year, and, outside of leaving Shaun and me a bit zonked the next day, it actually worked really well). And I find that some audiobooks keep me captivated for long stretches while others require a break every hour or so. I need to download some of the “can’t-put-it-down” ones to keep me awake on those long night-driving stretches.

Thanks for all your hairdo suggestions!

I’m thinking I’ll go with a low chignon/braid combo…if I can get my ultra-thick, ultra-layered (the braids tend to end up with sprigs sticking everywhere when your hair is not all one length) hair to cooperate. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of photographic evidence.

Speaking of pictures…

I’m almost completely out of my Younique BB cream that I love so much and didn’t leave myself enough time to order more before the trip, so I decided to take advantage of my Amazon gift card win from last week and order a new brand because of a friend’s suggestion +  glowing reviews (thank goodness for Prime shipping). I was also thisclose to ordering this pore-minimizing finishing powder to go with it when I read a review that said it should NOT be worn to events where you might be captured by flash photography, since the reflective nature of the powder renders your skin completely white in the photos. PHEW! You’d think they might mention that in the product description! Anyhoo, I’m not sure if you should consider yourself lucky or unlucky that I won’t have any pictures of me as a mime to show you after the wedding, but I know I’m sure relieved.

Aaaaaaand…that’s it. I do believe that I have sufficiently dumped most of the contents of my current brain situation right on this screen.

So, so scintillating, I know. Hope your Monday is off to a great start, friends. I’ll just be packing for the next 8 hours.

Like what you read? Like M is for Mama on facebook (pretty please?):

24 thoughts on “Brain Dump

  1. Long time lurker from Montana… First time commenting…

    I’ve been participating in a reading challenge this year and have been completing some requirements with audio. Books or authors I’ve particularly enjoyed have been
    -Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (amazing history that ties together the development of the wireless telegraph and a horrific London murder mystery- I think any of his books are good)
    -Zoo Station series by David Downing (read so no idea on audio quality/availability, also some language and sex but great story of life in Berlin before, during, after WWII)
    -Call the Midwife trilogy (awesome narration- some very hard stories)
    -Radical by David Platt
    -Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (sooo interesting and convicting)
    -if you like young adult fiction The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan

    Also, I would recommend checking out They have a free audiobook download every month. This month is The Mingling of Souls by Matt Chandler.

    Love your blog and perspective. I’m the oldest of 7 kids and it’s so fun see another “big” family doing life and loving Jesus. I’m also a mama of two so your mama hacks and laughs are great.

    Sorry for the long comment…I love words too.

  2. I don’t know why I’m doing this as trying to convince the ignorant they’re ignorant is like trying to hold water in your hands. But I will say this. The next time you want to cite an article at least google some of the facts that are being cited. Google it’s your friend, remember that whenever you feel the need to throw up an article to prove a point. That article was so bad my husband and I had a good laugh over it. Stick with decorating, hair and thanking God for his faithfullness when your kid doesn’t poop.You really embarrassed yourself with this one.

  3. So someone else may have mentioned it but I just finished “All the light we cannot see”. I tried and tried to read it and it was too much with constant interruptions but on audio it was brilliant. Kept me captivated in the car. Give it a min-it sucks you in. Beautifully written novel about WWII. Hope you have a great trip!

  4. Apples, washed. Or carrot sticks, if you’re going to eat them in the next few hours. Dried cranberries, or other dried fruit/nut blends in little zip-lock bags are my 8 year-olds faves (I just asked him for you). Hope the packing goes smoothly and quickly. Looking forward to seeing the photos from the trip!

  5. All of these events happening in the world are terrible and SO disheartening. I agree that the base problem is sin and we need to continue to fight the fight against hate and violence with our children and in our communities. But I also don’t believe that any of it is new. Sin and horrible crimes have been happening around the world since the beginning of time. What is new is the technology that we now have. We can hear and see every crime that is committed around the world within minutes on our phones. We get updates immediately and can watch first hand accounts almost instantly. Really for me it is all so overwhelming to have it all coming at me at once and I definitely have to be careful to not get too involved or fear starts to rule my life. I am sorry the shootings happened so close to home for you and I hope you and your family have a great time at the wedding. Good luck with the packing!!

  6. I’m in the middle of listening to the audio version of Beth Moore’s book, “Insecurity, You’ve Been a Bad Friend to us”, and would recommend the book. I’m not going to get the quote exactly correct but this thought has stuck with me especially for my mama journey-if we take three steps forward and two back we are still moving forward. She takes awhile in the beginning to prove insecurity can look a lot of different ways so if you listen to the book hang in there if you are like me who wanted to hear about solutions right away. I did the free 30 day trial from Happy traveling!

  7. Stray braid hairs will add to the beauty of the messy hair look that is so in currently. You will look beautiful to the person that matters most, your hubs, too bad y’all will be going home to 6 littles. Lol. but don’t fret too much you most likely wont have people scrutinizing you, all eyes will be on the bride. So just enjoy yourself and have a great time

    1. Ha! The kind of stray hairs I’m talking about are not the pretty tendril-ly kind. They’re the kind that stick out like straw. :-) also, all 6 kids will be at the wedding, so don’t worry. I won’t be expecting any eyes on me except for the ones that are wondering why in the world we’re making so much noise! LOL

  8. We always travel with cubes of cheese and cubed summer sausage to go with fruits and cookies. My gang also likes baby carrots and sliced bell peppers

  9. I’m disappointed in your views about such tragic events. The article you shared basically said if you are black, you are more likely to commit crime, therefore more likely to be in an altercation with an officer. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how someone can think that, yet not think they are bigoted.
    Crime is higher in low income neighborhoods. Have you ever asked yourself why there are so many blacks in low income areas? If your grandparents were denied an adequate (and equal) education, how could they get well paying jobs? How could they send your parents to college (in order to achieve a better paying job, therefore getting out of high crime neighborhoods)? I am deeply ashamed of the words that have come out of my Christian brothers and sisters mouths in regard to this subject. I pray you can look with an open heart at what you are professing here, and make some changes.
    Lecrae Moore can give a much better explanation for you here, if you are willing to watch:

    1. Actually, the article in no way states (or implies) that being born with black skin makes you more likely to commit crime (that’s ridiculous). It simply states that there currently IS a higher percentage of crime enacted by blacks right now versus other ethnicities. Which, yes, does make young black males especially likely to encounter the police. To acknowledge this data does not make one a bigot.

      Now, I agree with you that there are sociological (and I would go so far as to say familial and spiritual) factors that absolutely do contribute to this high crime rate. And, no, I didn’t have to deal most of those things as a young person. I grew up very poor (like dirt, as we say in the South), but I had a mom and a dad who were there for me in some way, shape, or form every day–something that, unfortunately, many of these young men who find themselves on the wrong side of the law cannot claim to have had the privilege of. My dad didn’t go to college and worked very menial jobs for 13 + hours a day to put very basic food on our table (we joked about the fact that we ate beans and cheese…and at the end of the month, we ate beans without cheese). I got to go to college. I don’t want to ever take that for granted.

      I do not write about this lightly or with the assumption that I know what another culture has to deal with on a daily basis. But I did share the article to underscore that the “Black Lives Matter” movement, specifically, is not being completely honest about the underlying issues that cause some of their angst. As the article pointed out, the movement falters greatly when you consider the heartbreakingly high levels of black-on-black violence perpetuated every day.

      And the author’s numbers about policemen being *less* (not more) likely to use lethal force against black suspects (as opposed to Hispanics or whites) were (rather unwillingly) supported recently by an independent study conducted by a black Harvard economics professor who targeted cities with large black populations in hopes of proving that the use of deadly force by the police was disproportionate to the black population…only to discover the opposite. In Houston, for example, in cases in which a suspect’s behavior made them a candidate for lethal force, the police were 20% *less* likely to shoot a black suspect as compared to a white one.

      Here’s the article link.

      I am in no way trying to say that we don’t still have problems with racism in this country. We do. (For example, the same study shows that there’s a higher use of non-lethal force against blacks as opposed to other races). As I said before, sin nature means sinful actions (on all sides). But neither is the argument quite as simplistic as it is being made to appear. Black lives do matter. So do police lives. So do Hispanic lives. So do white lives. And on and on. May we all take responsibility for the parts we play in ever implying otherwise.

      1. Unfortunately, none of the things you referenced have anything to do with the Black Lives Matter Movement. If you researched the recent killing you will note that the 2 men that were killed were not in any violent act. The first guy that was killed in Baton Rouge was selling CDS at the store when reports that a man with a gun were received by the police. I find it quite odd that they assumed that he was the assailant. He was not. He was given permission to be there by the owner of said business. He should not have been apprehended. The 2nd guy Philando Castile was stopped for a busted tail light. Something that any of use could have. By all accounts he handled everything correctly and was still shot and killed by the police. A busted tail light does not justify the police shooting him.

        With that being said none of the things you are saying even matter. Your assumption that black of black crime is an okay reason to allow police to kill human beings is horrible Please note that it is common knowledge that studies of any kinds are most often altered to results favored. These are not valid because they are subject to human error and manipulation. If a study is your representation of truth then please do not include it. They can be proved false.

        Life experience is the only way to confirm this information. Since you will not have to live the black experience you do not have to understand. But next time you speak on a matter you have no true knowledge of please do your due diligence and research effectively.

        PS. I grew up in a black community. We had very low crime and it was peaceful. I can not say that for all communities but please know that there are always two sides to the coin. I also am college educated and have never been to jail. Many Black people have the same credentials.

  10. I love you even more knowing that you don’t drink coffee either! Anywho I saw on Pinterest/Facebook/some social media don’t remember where, that you can take a small latching box like for beads and put small snacks in each compartment to use in the car for long trips. It gives the kids a choice and latches shut keeping each snack in its own compartment. They come in lots of sizes so you could customize for your kiddos needs.

  11. I am currently reading Matt Redman’s book, Blessed Be Your Name. I read chapter 2, The Road Marked With Suffering, on Friday morning. I couldn’t have read it at a better time. One of my (many) favorite parts of the chapter is this:
    [Talking about the psalmists] “Though they may be stripped of confidence, and though they may be struggling to muster up strength and faith, these worshippers never journey into utter hopelessness. Utter weakness and desperation, yes. Yet even in their most desperate of times, there is always an undercurrent of hope- a knowing conviction that though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, their God is everything He says He is. He is both shepherd and fortress- the God of unequaled compassion and of unrivaled strength…..When our circumstances seem to dictate differently, the remedy is to confess, as urgently as possible, what deep down we know to be true about God.”
    As a Police Wife, this has been a horribly terrifying week. My husband was working Thursday night and when I saw the news after I laid our kiddos to bed, I immediately texted him. It was a long night filled with many tears, prayers, and very little sleep. But God is so faithful to remind us that His mercies are new every morning and when the hard times come, we always have hope in Him. I am in love with your “Hard is not the same thing as bad” print! I can’t wait til it’s available to order.

  12. Love the idea of Coffee Chats, but I’m not a coffee drinker either…maybe Tea Talks?? I always like to pop a bunch of popcorn for road trips and bring it along in baggies; make it caramel popcorn and it’s even better. If you haven’t read The Book Thief, that’s a gripping story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but I also like young adult books, anything by Gary Schmidt or Christopher Paul Curtis.

  13. With the Dallas thing – I live in New Zealand and it was top news. I think no matter where you are you’ve probably heard of it! :P Not just a States thing at all! My Facebook feed was obsessed with the Orlando shooting when that happened, too.

  14. I’m a working mom of 2 and never get a chance to drop everything to get into a good book, but this past weekend, I got engrossed in Me Before You and read the entire thing in two days (I can’t remember the last time that happened). It’s an easy read and an easy one to get sucked into. Also, I recently read Brain on Fire and enjoyed that as well.

  15. You’re brave with the banana muffins! I have a 15 year old and a 2 year old and for some reason my two kids can’t eat muffins in the car. They are too crumbly or they (the kiddos) just too messy anyway. Everything else is about the same thing I pack for my little crew but we always include goldfish. Even Memaw (my elderly mother) loves goldfish!
    On a serious note my daughter (15) has been talking a lot about what happened in Baton Rouge and Dallas. It’s a tough subject to talk about because it is something that she never seen or thought of. We have prayed many times in reference to the violence.

I love comments so much I'd actually consider making them my seventh kid if I could. Seriously. Love. And I read every single one and will do my darndest to respond, especially if you have a question. So, yeah. Comment away! I'm listening!


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Friday, January 30, 2009

Readings 2K9: Past Master

Past Master
by R.A. Lafferty

This is easily the strangest book I’ve read so far this year, and I expect it to remain so. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The basic gist of it is: in the future, men from a colony of Earth bring Thomas More forward in time to be their ruler. The joke is that their world is a communistic utopia, effectively (though unintentionally) built along the lines of, well, Thomas More’s Utopia.

But there’s so much more to the book than that one-line premise. There’s a manic inventiveness that keeps the book moving, in ways that have nothing to do with traditional plot structures. Lafferty was noted for bringing the feel of oral storytelling into his prose, a hellaciously difficult thing to do, and that’s clearly shaped Past Master on a number of levels. Not only linguistically, but also structurally; the book careens from image to image, from event to event, in a completely unpredictable and extravagant way.

Character suffers for it, in a sense; that is, characters become flattened, archetypal. The book works because Lafferty knows that’s what’s happening, and runs with it. More in this book bears little resemblance to the Thomas More I’ve read about elsewhere, but he’s close enough that he collapses into the historical image of Thomas More easily.

The book, Lafferty’s first, was published in 1968, and acclaimed as a classic of the New Wave of SF. Oddly, though, what leaped out at me as I began it was its similarity to classical Campbellian Golden Age stories — the situation of the colony world, travel in time and space, evil robotic intelligences, action scenes, and so on. Then, of course, it became something completely different; but the superstructure of the older stories is still there. The point I’m trying to get to is that, looking back now, I wonder if the New Wave is best considered as an intermediary step; writers like Ray Bradbury and Alfred Bester going a degree beyond Campbell in the late 40s and 50s, then the New Wave making another leap in the late 60s and 70s. Leading to, I suppose, writers like Jeff Vandermeer and A.A. Attanasio — arguably more literary, but also perhaps even more inventive writers. Like most teleological views of historical process, I expect this could be demonstrated to be false pretty easily; still, I find the notion intriguing.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

If you recall the post last week where scientists have figured out how cats drink, the article below (which I just happened to fortuitously stumble across in the NY Times) was written in response.  I'm not sure what point the author is attempting to make, unless it's the old adage that people resemble their pets - lol. I am a dog lover as well, but not at the expense of my feline friends. Insinuating that cats look down on us mere mortals when we are messy eaters is just plain silly. Isn't that right Felix?
"Most indubitably"

Don't blame me - this is the picture that came with the article...!

The news reported in Science magazine last week of the exquisite timing and elegant physics displayed by cats in their drinking habitshas reinforced once again the obvious truth that cats are superior to sloppy-go-lucky dogs, and no doubt to people as well, at least the ones with whom I drink water (and I include myself). And that very superiority and elegance is yet another reason to have a dog as a pet — if, that is, there is anything wanting in your personal eating or housekeeping habits.
A cat it seems, draws up a column of water with the tip of its tongue and bites off the top of the column just before it drops back (neatly, of course) into the dish. Dogs, well, dogs slurp. I don’t slurp, but I do spill. Water, soup, ham sandwiches — I can spill anything.
Once, in a business meeting I knocked over a full glass of diet soda. My colleague and friend, sitting right next to me, a man with whom I worked closely every day, a cat owner, said with a very audible whisper, “I would be sooo embarrassed.” As for general neatness of the sort that leads to respectable housekeeping, I will say only that once, in the office, after desperately searching various nooks and crannies for what smelled like a dead mouse, I gave up and decided to clean off the piles of paper on my desk. Halfway down one of the tumbling stacks was a dead mouse, apparently caught in a data avalanche.
It is true that if I had a cat in the office, the mouse would not have been foolish enough to risk trekking across the paper mountain. But I would have had to put up with the cat’s disdain. I won’t venture into the argument over the extent of animal consciousness except to say that I wouldn’t trust anyone who doubts that cats are capable of disdain.
I’m not anti-cat. I don’t share the view of another colleague that cats are “agents of Satan.” (He requested notoriety, not anonymity, but I feel I should protect him from himself.) But I do prefer dogs because they are more tolerant of my personal failings. If I spill soup, or a sandwich, or, in a kind of lunch-special combo, soup and a sandwich, on my tie or all over my lap, my dog looks at me and says (I am going to translate her looks and tail wags), “Don’t worry about it. I spill half my bowl every time I drink.”
If you have any doubts about which sort of pet is right for you, watch the researcher’s video of his cat drinking water. Observe the neatness and precision. Drink a glass of water yourself. How do you compare? How does that make you feel?
Then watch my dog, or any other, slurp water and then look up at you with a big happy smile as water cascades from her jowls to the floor. Take a sip of water yourself. How do you feel now?
Pretty good, I’ll bet. I rest my case.

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Clues to cures: ‘Plant detective' expands from NPR radio show to coloring book
Clues to cures: ‘Plant detective' expands from NPR radio show to coloring book

When Lewis and Clark expedition member William Bratton fell ill with back pain and coughing on Feb. 10, 1806, the explorers were down one of their most valuable adventurers.

The disease persisted for months, weakening him slowly as each day passed.

On May 24, Lewis described Bratton as "so weak in the loins, that he is scarcely able to walk, nor can he set upwright but with the greatest pain."

After exhausting the medical resources the expedition had, another crew member, John Shields, suggested a Native American remedy that combined sweat baths and a tea brewed from horsemint, a prolific member of the mint family with a range from the American Southwest to Canada, including Montana.

According to expedition records, Bratton was up and walking the next day, never to fall ill from the disease again.

Horsemint is just one of the dozens of medicinal plants that have been covered over the 11-year run of "The Plant Detective," a Montana Public Radio short-form show aired across the nation. Some of them, such as echinacea, can be found in Missoula's backyard.

Missoula's Beth Judy, the show's producer, as well as the voice of the show's film-noirish personality Flora Delaterre, makes no claims to being a medicinal plant expert. With an English degree from Harvard and master's degree in fiction from the University of Montana, plants weren't exactly her thing.

"When the show started, I didn't even know what a medicinal plant was," she said. "I think about the story and what's interesting to the lay person. That's where not being an expert comes in handy."

The show had its genesis in 1995 when UM pharmacy professor Rustem Medora heard Judy on the air during MPR's Spice Chest. Being a medicinal plants expert, Medora approached Judy with the idea of doing a similar show for the numerous plants with medical uses. According to Judy, Medora provided the science and she provided the narrative.

"I don't come up with the facts," Judy said. "I make up the stories."

The show has changed a lot since its first 1996 airing. According to Judy, what was once a five-minute production that opened with the Peter Gunn theme, is now a pared-down, 90-second show that airs on community and public radio stations from Galena, Alaska, to Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Medora's role with the show ended several years ago and now the facts are checked and provided by four professors from Seattle's Bastyr University, a naturopathic medical school.

With each new plant, the show provides historical uses, current uses, and other interesting tidbits. But, Judy says, the show isn't intended to get everyone to their local herb shop or picking echinacea in the Bitterroot.

"I'm not really promoting use," Judy said. "The boom in phytomedicinals is causing a lot of stress for these plants."

As much as the show is about the panoply of medical plants, it's also about the danger that some plant species are in due to habitat reduction and other threats, Judy said.

"We may not need them now, but we've got to think about the future," she said.

To spread the conservation message, as well as information about medicinal plants, Flora Delaterre moved off the airwaves and into a coloring book for kids ages 7 and up called Medicinal Plants of North America several months ago.

The book, illustrated by DD Dowden of Helena, and written by Judy, features 14 plants and information about their respective uses, ranges, and conservation status.

Judy said she wanted to get kids to know about the useful plants around them as well as understand their importance and the danger that some are in.

"I'd love to make kids into little activists," she said.

According to Judy, natural medicine is very much making a comeback. After years of relying on standard, prescription medication, many people are now turning to alternative approaches.

"The side effects can be huge with magic bullet-type drugs," Judy said. "But you can get a lot of the same positive effects without the side effects with some plants."

Judy said she uses a combination of modern medicine and age-old natural cures and treatments.

"I think the perfect health professional would be a medical doctor that also knows about herbal medicine," she said.

According to Judy, the Missoula area is home to many plants with medical uses. Among them are camas root, willow, stinging nettle, horsetail and evening primrose.

Judy will be giving a reading and coloring party for her new book July 28 at Chapter One Books in Hamilton.

One of the native Montana plants in the medicinal garden is echinacea. According to Judy's coloring book, echinacea is also called coneflower and it "boosts immunity and fights infection."

MARY HAYES/Missoulian

Murphy Woodhouse is an intern at the Missoulian. He can be reached at 523-5241.

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Friday, July 24, 2015

MDC staff forced to euthanize nuisance black bear in Christian County

On July 20, Missouri Department of Conservation staff had the unfortunate responsibility of humanely euthanizing this 250-pound, healthy, adult, male black bear that had become an ongoing nuisance and threat to several homeowners in Christian County. The bear had been previously fed by other people. DO NOT FEED BEARS. As in this situation, a fed bear becomes a dead bear.
DO NOT FEED BEARS! A fed bear often sadly becomes a dead bear.
CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Mo. – On Monday, July 20, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff had the unfortunate responsibility of humanely euthanizing a 250-pound, healthy, adult, male black bear that had become an ongoing nuisance and threat to a homeowner in Christian County -- because someone in the area had been feeding the animal.
The homeowner initially contacted MDC staff to report the nuisance animal and told staff that she had not fed the bear. She then followed advice from MDC to remove any potential food sources for the animal -- such as taking down bird feeders, keeping dog food inside, and keeping trash in closed containers and a secured building -- but the bear continued to visit her home in search of food. The family tried to drive the bear away during previous encounters but the bear kept returning, and unfortunately even began looking for food at a neighbor’s home.
On June 20, MDC staff captured the bear in a large cage trap placed in the homeowner’s yard. MDC staff noted that the bear showed little agitation towards staff while in the trap. This was not a good sign because it indicated that the bear had lost its fear of humans.
MDC staff confirmed that the bear had been ear-tagged in another part of Christian County as a yearling in 2012, and was among several bears that were previously fed by another homeowner.
According to MDC, the bear could not be relocated to a more remote location because once a bear associates people with food, it will continue to seek sources of food associated with people. This often leads to additional conflicts with people, which is what happened in this situation.
MDC staff removed the trapped bear from the homeowner’s property and then euthanized the animal using sedative and lethal drug injections, similar to how pets are often “put to sleep.”
MDC staff transported the bear to the Department’s Conservation Research Center in Columbia where the MDC wildlife veterinarian will examine the carcass to further assess the bear’s condition.
The Conservation Department strongly encourages people not to feed bears or make food available to them. Feeding bears makes the animals lose their fear of being around people and usually results in the bears becoming nuisance animals. As in this unfortunate situation, a fed bear becomes a dead bear.
MDC offers the following tips to avoid conflicts with black bears:
  • Do not feed birds and other wildlife from early spring through late fall, especially in rural areas. This often attracts bears. Bears are much less active during the winter, when supplemental feeding is more important for birds.
  • Keep pet food and livestock feed inside secure containers and buildings. The same is true for barbecue grills and other items that smell like food.
  • Trash should be kept in secured containers and buildings and put out as close to pick-up time as possible to minimize exposure to hungry bears.
  • Campers and floaters should keep campsites clean of food and items that smell like food, pack and keep food in closed containers, place the food containers in secure locations away from the primary campsite, and dispose of garbage immediately.
  • Keep bears wild by making encounters with humans a negative experience for the bear. If a bear approaches, scare it away by making loud noises and throwing objects such as rocks at it to help enforce its natural fear of people.
  • For problems with a nuisance bear, contact the nearest MDC office or local conservation agent.
For more information about dealing with nuisance bears, visit the MDC website


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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Missouri River Eagle Day at KC on Dec. 12

Eagle Day will feature live birds of prey, exhibits and boat tours on the river
Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a chance to learn about bald eagles oft seen soaring over the Missouri River during winter months. A Missouri River Eagle Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, at LaBenite Park in Sugar Creek, just east of the Missouri 291 Bridge. Sugar Creek is a suburb in the Kansas City metro area.
    The Missouri River flows through the geographic heart of Kansas City. Migrating eagles often frequent areas along the river with large trees that offer perches. The eagles catch fish for food from the river or pursue migrating waterfowl that also utilize the river.
   MDC’s Missouri River Eagle Day program is free and all ages are welcome. The on-shore portion will include a live eagle program presented by the Dickerson Park Zoo. Injured raptors such as eagles are rehabilitated at the zoo. Those that are unable to be released back into the wild are used in programs promoting conservation. The programs give visitors an up-close look at eagles. Also offered at the event will be conservation discovery stations and activities.
   The event will also offer an eagle viewing boat ride on the Missouri River. Registration is required for this portion of the program, as seating in the boat is limited. Registration opens Dec. 1. This activity is open to those ages 8 and older, and all youths ages 8 to 17 must be accompanied on the boat by an adult.
   For information about the event or to register for the eagle viewing boat tour, call 816-228-3766. For information about all Eagle Days events throughout Missouri, and possible places to view eagles during winter, visit


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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

No-poo Recipes

So I'm about three years late to the no-poo party--at least, most of the blogs I have read regarding no-poo are about three years old. What? Oh, No-poo? It means not using commercial shampoo on your hair. Like, ever. I haven't used shampoo on my hair in over two months now. And I don't ever plan to again. Here's a little known secret:

You don't need it.
(Shyeah! I do!)
No you don't. And if you can get past the idea that you need a head-full of sudsy bubbles to make your hair clean, you can live perfectly happily without shampoo.
( But...but...)
See, here's the thing. Shampoo completely strips your hair of its natural oils. (Sidenote: It's called sebum, but I hate the word sebum, so instead of saying sebum over and over, I am going to say natural oils). So there is your hair without its oils, and it must needs produce more to compensate, until at last you have trained your scalp to over-produce it. Ick.

That's the point I was to. A lot of no-pooers are granola, hippies, and tree-huggers, and while I am concerned about our environment in a non-commital kind of way, saving the world of a couple shampoo bottles and keeping chemicals off my skin had less than a one percent effect on my decision to go no-poo. I wouldn't mind being a little more granola, but I'm just not. Don't judge me.

So why did I? I had three main reasons for giving it a try. #1 The over-production of oil thing. I've always had really manageable hair, but the last few months it's been lifeless and flat with build up, and even after I washed it, it did not look that great. The shampoo got more and more expensive, but it seemed it was only a few hours until my hair wanted to be washed again. In a word, blech. #2 I have always had manageable hair, like I said, but I've also always had a lot of fall out when I wash it. While some of this is a result of genetics and diet, it occurred to me that some of it could be a result of the topical chemicals I was putting on it every day. #3 And finally, I was starting to get a lot of flakiness around my hairline. I naturally attributed it to sun exposure, make-up residue, etc. But it couldn't be my shampoo, right?

So I saw a baking soda and vinegar hair clarifier on the Pinterest (yes, I waste some of my time there) and stumbled upon No-poo when I went back to find it. Ultimately, I think I was bored with my summer, and starting the no-poo gave me something to think about and puzzle out.

Because while it is very simple to do, it can be puzzling and take lot of trial and error to get the concoctions right for your particular needs, preferences, and hair-type.

And speaking of a trial, there is a, gross trial period. But it's fun! It's like an initiation you must pass to be a no-pooer. It only lasts about two weeks (that's two weeks of pony tails, braids, hats, and head scarves), and it might be lessened if you cut down on shampoo before you cut it completely out--but I didn't. Still, it wasn't too bad.

Results? I can now go about three days between washes. But I have so many recipes I still want to try, I never make it that long before I am experimenting again. Fun! The flakiness went away after about two days and has not returned. And the fall out. Well, some things make it fall out (ahem, lemon) and sometimes I have none (a true miracle).

Anyway, I guess you're here for the recipes.

Now, just a disclaimer. I gleaned all of these from other blogs and have tweaked them based on how well they worked for me. It's an ongoing process. I have little knowledge of the chemical makeup of these products and very little inclination to put in the effort to find out. Pretty much the knowledge I have is based on my own experimentation, which, did you catch the part where I said I was bored? Alright.

Most no-pooing consists of a wash and a rinse, sort of like shampoo and conditioner. It's a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo about cleansing, resetting the pH, and changing the polarity of the ions. Or something. So here 's the basic wash and rinse.

1 C water
1 tsp-1 Tbsp baking soda

Mix and pour over pre-wet hair. Let sit 30 seconds. Rinse thoroughly.

When this is done right, your hair will feel slippery, almost slimy during the application. Some have suggested boiling the water first. I put the baking soda in distilled water. I think softened water may need less baking soda, because all the baking soda really does is soften the water anyway. It's the same thing you would do for eczema with a baking soda bath.

1 C water
1/2-1 tsp vinegar

Pour over hair. Rinse immediatly. I don't need a lot of "conditioning" so I don't like the feel of the vinegar. I use a very weak solution and rinse quickly. You can just leave it in with no rinse. When done right, you can literally feel the strands of hair separate from the other strands, like putting the same poles of two magnets together.

Anything you read on No-poo will have some variation of these recipes. Some people use water bottles for application, some use ketchup and mustard bottles. I use a cup. Some people scrub the baking soda in dry hair and then rinse out. Some scrub the baking soda in and squirt it with a bottle of vinegar.

Vanilla Buttermilk Shampoo

1 egg, beaten
1/4 C buttermilk
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix together. I let it sit out on the counter so it's not freezing when I apply it, although it does help to have it cool so you can tell where you put it. Cover hair, scalp to ends. Let sit 1 minute. Rinse with COOL water (or you'll have scrambled eggs in your hair).

Washed and dried, this feels the most like a shampoo wash. Very clean. Very conditioned and soft. To deter tangles, do a finishing rinse with the basic vinegar rinse.

Banana Peach Shampoothie

1 banana (great use for old bananas)
1/2 peach
1/2 mango
1/4 c buttermilk
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp honey

Beat in blender until there are no clumps. Apparently the clumps are very hard to rinse out. I didn't have any problems with that. Apply to dry hair, cover with a bag or towel, let sit 20 minutes, rinse and follow with baking soda routine wash.

This was very moisturizing. Smelled great. The cocoa is great for brunettes and red-heads, but it made my blond highlights very brassy.

I have to thank Crunchy Betty for this one. This recipe is totally tweaked to my preferences (and to what I have on hand!) Thanks!

Cucumber Lemon Wash

1 cucumber
1 lemon

Peel and blend until smooth. Apply to hair like shampoo. Rinse. This was very conditioning, but I have noticed that when I use lemon, I have more fall out, which I am particularly against, but you might not be. The smell is better than vinegar, but only during application because the vinegar smell goes away when the hair dries (I know you were worried about that). Also, this had a lot of pulp in it. Lots of combing that out. I tried it with just lemon/lime juice, but still, the fall out. Really liked the cucumber though.

Other things I have tried:

Lately I have been using Borax instead of baking soda. It is not as messy, easier to rinse out, and have you seen what it does to grease on your stove? I've read the pH is totally wrong for this, but it works and it doesn't make my hair fall out. It gets that slimy result you are looking for during application, and all around, I like it better than the baking soda.

Green Tea. This is supposed to work like the vinegar rinse, but I don't like the feel of it after the hair is dry, so I use it, but rinse it out with the Borax solution. The caffeine in the tea is supposed to discourage fall out and puts a nice tint in for brunettes.

Camomille Tea. This is supposed to be a good tint for blonds, so I didn't try it at first. Then I read that it takes the brassy out of your blond, so Iused it after the cocoa fiasco (don't get me wrong, I loved the cocoa) to pull out some of the brassiness I introduced into my highlights. I think it worked and I'll use it again. It really brightened up Kammi's blond after only one application. Tea. Who knew?

Yogurt mask. I think you're supposed to use a boring plain yogurt, but I didn't have that. I used a flavored yoplait and it smelled awesome! I tried this early on, so I was really missing the good smelling shampoo and this filled that temporary longing. This was quite conditioning too, similar to the shampoothie, and I felt that I would like it better after the adjustment period. I can't wait to try it again. Slather on dry hair, cover, sit, rinse.

Whey. Yes, I actually had whey in my fridge. Great rinse. Packed with stuff like protein and if you ever have the hankering to make cheese, well, you now know what to do with the whey.

Quinoa rinse. Quinoa (it's a seed, like a grain) has an outer coating that has to be soaked off. Save the water and use on hair. Again, protein and all that good stuff.

Okay, this is the longest blog post ever. Anyone want my abandoned bottles of shampoo?

Heather said...

Those sound interesting. I always wondered what people did before shampoo was invented! I mean, you look at movies about the past and their hair always looks great! (I know, I know...the actors used shampoo, but still...!) I'm pretty sure the pioneers didn't run around the prairie with grease dripping down their hair. (Although maybe it was so full of dust and dirt that it didn't matter?) I'm not quite brave enough to go without my suds. I have, however, never worn deodorant. (Well, I guess I can't say never, but a stick of deodorant can last me for years!) It's interesting...I worry if I start using it, then I'll start needing it! :) I would, however, like to try using coconut oil on my hair. I'm intrigued by coconut oil lately! Have you tried it in your hair?

Sharon Rose said...

I like to dye my hair different colors and I have dreads will this still work and can I add tea tree oil or pennyroyal extract so I can stay lice free? I would love to try this permanently but want to keep my cool color and dreads and still be pest free BIG PLUS!

Sharon Rose said...

Did it publish my last comment?

Misty Moncur said...

I've read that no poo is great for dreads. But I still have a bit of trouble preserving my lighter highlights with no poo. I've resorted to a sulfate free shampoo for that. Lots of no poo recipes call for tea tree oil. Honey and witch hazel are good cleaners too.

Hallie G. said...

What is the best alternative to the vinegar? Even though it is diluted i don't want to take the chance of it stripping my hair. And what is the order that you use the rinse cleanse and shampoo/wash?

Misty Moncur said...

The vinegar restores the pH after the baking soda, so I really don't think it would strip your hair. It really does take only a tiny amount of vinegar. I'd be more concerned about the baking soda personally, and more concerned about commercial shampoo stripping your hair, but that's just my opinion from my experience. I had trouble with this combo stripping the color from colored hair, but it is actually really good for fallout. I use the soda first, then the vinegar.

Trisha said...

I have knee length straight but tangly hair. I've been going back and forth between kirk's castile soap, baking soda, and egg yolk as my shampoos followed by acv rinse. During the summer it worked pretty well, but now that the weather is colder my hair was static-y and tangled yet looked kinda greasy and limp. I tried a bit of coconut oil on the ends, but it seemed like it was sticking together. So I tried egg yolk followed by a borax rinse. It seemed to make my hair really soft and fluffy around the face:) I still have some issues with my ends being tangly. do I need a conditioner? Can I wash with borax every few days or will that hurt my hair?

edes said...

If the baking soda and water solution doesn't make my hair feel slippery, does that mean I need more baking soda, or less? And do I use the entire cup per wash? Thanks!


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Choice Cut Steak House - Novotel Al Bustan, Abu Dhabi

Diners are becoming more and more spoilt for choice when it comes to steak houses or  restaurants where one can get a lovely piece of beef. However, most of these places are at the high end of the price scale, and one is left with American style chains in malls to enjoy an affordable, albeit unsatisfying,  piece of steak. There is, therefore, a void between high end options and the bottom ones. That was until now.

Choice Cut at the fairly recently opened Novotel on Airport road, part of the Al Bustan complex, intends to bridge that gap.

This picture gives you a sense of the openness.
when I visited Choice Cut recently, I was warmly greeted by the hostess on my arrival. The first thing that made an impression on me was the spaciousness of the restaurant. In its present incarnation, it holds 112 diners, but this can easily be taken to 130 because there is ample space left for tables. On being seated, I was offered a lightly scented warm, damp hand towel. For those who follow my blog, you will know that I am a  big fan of the little things in restaurants, and when an evening starts off like this, it often bodes well for the rest of the experience.

The salad bar
The concept at Choice Cut excludes starters in the traditional sense. The idea is you choose the salad you would like and then your main which includes vegetables, potato and sauce. Interestingly, they also offer, at a very reasonable additional charge, foie gras which can be served with your beef as a course.

The menu, despite being unwieldy, offers tremendous value for money with options that include Australian Angus beef grain fed, French Beef grass fed and also Irish Beef Donald Russell. Finally, on the menu you will also find Australian Wagyu Grade 5 beef. Considering the prices you are paying for your dining experience, it is a nice surprise to see Grade 5 on the menu, again showing it is a perfect fit for the gap between the expensive steakhouse and the shopping mall. There are also a  couple of sea options, with Chilean sea bass and salmon fillet available.
Interesting amuse bouche.
To get the evening going, I am offered an amuse bouche of mint, yogurt and orange sorbet beautifully presented on ice. I enjoy it. I like the freshness and the coolness of it all. The mint, especially, is a delight. However, I can't help feeling this works more as a palate cleanser than an amuse bouche. .

Foie gras - a nice surprise on the menu
Next, I have the foie gras topped with cherry tomatoes and with pomegranate jelly on the side - all on a pomegranate juice, honey and balsamic sauce. While my first impression is one of scepticism, I can understand what the chef is doing - the subtle sweetness from the tomatoes balancing out the liver taste of the foie gras. Unusual, but it works ok.

The mash and truffles were so delicious.
Australian grain fed Wagyu

For my main the chef brings me the Australian wagyu tenderloin on asparagus. It is more rare than medium rare, but I must admit, I lap it up. The glorious pinkish colour reflects the tenderness as I put  apiece in my mouth. On my plate I also have mashed potatoes with truffles. The consistency is just right, and the taste of the truffles makes it even better. The asparagus, finally, lightly sauteed, has an appealing crunchiness. Overall, a good dish.

Three berries and meringue.
Having a sweet tooth, despite the lovely lingering beefy taste in my mouth, I go for dessert. I opt for the trio of fresh berries. The chilled berries shot is quite sour - I love it. The contrast with the sweet meringue is obvious. Texturally though, the meringue is not as crispy as it should be, but it is still a nice dessert with a tasty berries compote in the centre.

The service is very attentive, at times too attentive, but I will rather have waiting staff err on this side. Staff are very engaging and friendly and I am looking forward already to my next visit.

As for the wine list, Choice Cut has some decent wines in the 155-235 Dhs price range including a La Grand Chapelle Bordeaux 2012 as well as a very reliable South African Nederburg Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. But if you want to spend a bit more, there are some other  wines as well in the 300-500 Dhs range. like All in all, there are 10 by the glass options, more than adequate for a 4* hotel restaurant.

Choice Cut, in conclusion, is an exciting steak house that plugs the gap between steakhouses offering cuts for 200-500 Dhs  in 5* hotels and restaurants in malls. For significantly less money, you can get a dining experience with some nice beef, service that really aims to please -  in a stylish and relaxed setting.

The low down

Choice Cut
Novotel Al Bustan (Airport Road)
02 5016444

Mains 85-380 Dhs
Desserts 24-42 Dhs
Sides 22 Dhs

Brandon Stoltenkamp

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About Me

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I am far from perfect. I fear a lot of things; most realistic, yet all irrational because the only thing I should truly fear is God. I find myself fearing the little things and being afraid of God. I fall every day: I have cursed, I have judged, I have neglected to do God's Will, I have put my foot in my mouth countless times and I have given up. It is obvious that I cannot live life on my own. It is utterly impossible. I am dependent. I am needy. I am selfish. I am sinful. I am human.. However, the most important thing about me; I am forgiven.

One, Big, Massive, Impassable, Impenetrable, Enigmatic, Bubble..

I don't even know..  I'm writing in this fictional tone and I can finally picture and tangibly see what I've been feeling now. Well, sort of. But then there is so much, this could probably just be only a portion of it and this "fictional prose" can be misunderstood and then my thoughts would only be proven as insane and attached.

Which they are neither.

I am a woman. I speak. A lot. And in riddles.. especially to myself and I never am able to decipher what I mean. So how can expect you to understand? Anyone really.. so I don't.

It makes me slightly angry to know that God knows exactly how I feel and why I feel what I do.. and I don't. I want to not have annoying stupid thoughts, emotions, ideas, fears, doubts.

I've been crazy emotional wreck. Instead of just little things, like a few months ago, everything sets me off into an uncontrollable (for me at least) anger. I have sympathy, to the point where, guess what, I sometimes become angry and spend the rest of the night crying because I feel I don't deserve sympathy. I know a billion other people who are going through much worse than just an emotional breakdown.

I feel completely selfish because this is what I've been dealing with lately and I don't know how to get control of myself so I can be selfless, be helpful, be wise, be bold, be brave, be happy.. without being so negative because of these emotions.

My blogs have become venting instead of the thoughts God has given me.

I haven't had one positive conversation without a major doubt on my God and myself go through my mind.

All I feel I do is complain about why I don't know why I am not positive with my days and I know if something doesn't change.. in me.. that it'll get old. I'll become stagnant and I'll be tossed out, ignored, like stale water left out at night. Maybe that is just a 'doubt' i mentioned..

I've been careless, a little, with my money and I'm stressing out on if I'll ever learn how to manage my money well.

But mainly, what has made me angry, and angry not just because its there, I could get over that. But because I am angry it is there and I'm angry with myself for being so angry. I'm not very forgiving of myself.. I give others second chance after chance that I've been walked on as a person because, partly, I couldn't stand up for myself but really because I needed to go the extra mile. But myself? Noo.. I rarely give myself a second chance. Honestly. I'm really hard on myself.

I feel there is a bubble in front of me. A big static-y, living, breathing, bubble in front of my path. And I can't get through that bubble, around that bubble, or near that bubble without an enormous static-y flux of emotion in myself and or a strong brick barrier to keep me completely away until the bubble pops. I keep trying to run away, or at least be ale to stand firm, from the emotions the bubble launches towards me. Yet the bubble is also a spinning-out-of-control vortex and sucks me back towards it. I have no control as to where I go, except towards the bubble. I break bricks from hitting the wall because of the force that propels me towards it.

When I see this bubble in my minds eye, I see a fuzzy golden-yellow light in a ten/fifteen-foot-diameter, orb, half way in the ground, so it's unmovable. It's ten/fifteen feet wide, and ten/fifteen feet tall. I can semi-see around it to know what is on the other side, yet it's so fuzzy and full of unknowing, that I know I can't even comprehend what is over there.

See, the thing is, I know what is on the other side. I was given what was on the other side. I accepted it. Grew with it, even.

But the bubble was strategically placed, right there, in my way, right now. And I know it won't pop.. yet.

This bubble, as I've explained above, has placed me in a position where I can't physically walk away, yet I cannot physically move towards it. The thing is, I do not want to walk away, even if I could. I desire what is on the other side. But I know I have to be patient. But when something is ten feet away, can you really hear any sound it makes, any at all? Can you see it, even when if its blurry? Touch it, even with a long stick, can it reach through the forcefield that pushes you away?

No.. you cannot. It's difficult to love, live, or touch anything that is being placed behind an impenetrable bubble.

.. this is where I'm stuck.

I want to worry about what's on the other side. But all I feel I'm capable of doing, literally doing and able to handle doing, is to just hope. Just trust. That it'll be okay and one day it'll be right again.

I don't know if I'm comforted knowing that it could be similar on the other side. I want it to be better. I want it to be nicer and easier and relaxing even, on the other side. I'd rather have it hard than knowing it was worse on the other side.

Thats the truth.

So.. after writing all this out. Spending days because I've been stuck as to how to write it out, figuring out if I want the world to know any of this.. I'm exhausted. I feel I've been selfish, ignorant,.. ect. But I'm wanting to change.. I just don't know how to move. I don't know how to stand. I don't know how to think right now.. God knows how I feel. He knows what I need and right now.. I just don't know why I can't see what I need. Why I could possibly be unwilling to see it.. I don't know my thoughts. But God does. Honestly, that is how I walk each day. Knowing, even though, I'm having such a difficult time breathing while the sky is falling, that He has it.

But maybe that's just me and I'm just being too hard on myself..

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

Child loop

If you have a movie clip on the stage with multiple objects inside of it:
(for example a square movie clip named boxContainer with smaller squares inside)

for (var i:int = 0; i<boxContainer_mc.numChildren; i++) {
var thechild = boxContainer_mc.getChildAt(i);
trace (;

 If the parent has a property, for example a boolean property that you want to change,
sometimes it can't find which parent you are referring to so you have to tell it like this:
 nameParent(boxContainer_mc.getChildAt(i)).myProperty = true;

In this example boxContainer holds a bunch of boxes. Boxes has a boolen property (inside the file):
public var myProperty:Boolean = false;
In the main file:
Boxes(boxContainer_mc.getChildAt(i)).myPropery = true;

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Wednesday, January 31, 2007

FBI uses immigration sting to net racketeers

An FBI undercover operation involving an immigrations officer who gave the appearance of being on the take has resulted in the arrests of 11 alleged members and associates of the Gambino and Lucchese Crime Families and two alleged associates of the Sicilian Mafia, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The operation reportedly began when Joseph Orlando, alleged Gambino soldier, approached a family associate, believing him to have connections to corrupt government officials. Orlando allegedly sought to pass a bribe through the associate to an immigration official in order to acquire legal residence status for his girlfiend. The associate was unable to deliver, was allegedly threatened and contacted the FBI for protection. Through the associate's cooperation, the Bureau arranged for Orlando to meet with an undercover agent, posing as a corrupt official.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, "Orlando told other members and associates of the Gambino family of the cooperating witness’s purported contact with corrupt government officials; this in turn led other defendants to contact the cooperating witness in attempts to further other criminal schemes."

Those schemes reportedly included the smuggling of gold bars into the U.S. from the Philippines and the release of a reputed Sicilian Mafia associate from U.S. federal detention.

FBI Assistant Director-in-charge Mark J. Mershon seemed especially pleased at the arrest of George DeCicco (right), 77, reputed captain in the Gambino Family. Mershon designated DeCicco the "Cal Ripken" of the American mob.

"George DeCicco has operated continuously for so long that his arrest today is like the end of Cal Ripken’s consecutive-game streak," said Mershon. "The difference is that Ripken’s streak ended when he voluntarily took himself out of the lineup."

A story by Stefanie Cohen in today's New York Post called DeCicco, "the last of the Gotti gang." The story noted that DeCicco was the only member of Gotti's inner circle who had never been busted.

(Several DeCiccos have held important positions with the Gambino family since John Gotti's reign. Frank DeCicco, brother of George, allegedly lured Gambino boss Paul Castellano to his death in 1985 and served as Gotti's underboss until he was blown up by a remote controlled bomb outside of a Brooklyn social club in 1986. Joseph "Joe Butter" DeCicco, another brother, reputedly served the family as an associate for many years.)

Officials noted that the undercover operation revealed the close working relationship between American and Sicilian Mafiosi.

The 13 individuals arrested were:

Joseph "Joey Boy" Orlando, DOB March 19, 1949
George DeCicco, DOB March 20, 1929
Robert DeCicco (George's son), DOB July 27, 1950
James Avalone, DOB Aug. 3, 1943
Jerry DeGerolamo, DOB April 1, 1971
Steven "Rigatoni" Famiglietta, DOB Feb. 14, 1962
Michael Fichera, DOB Sept. 14, 1962
Richard Juliano, DOB March 26, 1940
Richard J. Juliano, DOB Jan. 15, 1975
Francesco Nania, DOB Jan. 19, 1967
Vito Rappa, DOB Oct. 15, 1967
Kurt Ricci, DOB Sept. 15, 1965
Joseph "Joey Zack" Zuccarello, DOB April 24, 1954

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Editor/publisher of crime history journal, Informer. Publisher of American Mafia history website Moderator of Mafia-related Google+ community and Yahoo discussion group. Author of Wrongly Executed? Coauthor of Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia and DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime. Contributor of American Mafia history to Australian-published Mafia: The Necessary Reference to Organized Crime. Writer/co-writer of crime history articles for Informer, On the Spot Journal, Cigar City Magazine, Tampa Mafia Magazine.


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Monday, September 7, 2009

I've Moved!

It's been months and I am finally back to blogging.
I thought my change of everyday, scenery, and pace warranted a change of web address too.
You can follow me here.

I would definitely love to get reacquainted.
see you on the flipside! ♡

Talisa said...

really cute blog :)

Panda said...

I love your blog :) The new header is so gorgeous. OUt of inttrest why did youmove??

Panda xx

yiqin; said...

Ah cool :) Going over now!

Acai said...

You moved? Oh, that's why I haven't had any updates from you.

Expat said...

I love this blog, will def follow you to the next one.


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Sunday, June 5, 2016

#936 Menswear Fashion Week 2016 - Press Release

Hello Everyone,

Siren Productions & SCALA along with Designing SL, Dope Magazine, ECLIPSE Magazine, L'HOMME, MENStuff, ModeLS Magazine, SL Live Radio welcome you to Menswear Fashion Week 2016 June 10th-19th, 2016! Menswear Fashion Week has been around for 7 years now bringing great men's fashion, exciting shows, fun parties, and well dressed men to the forefront of the grid. We have some very exciting this planed as we jet set off to the capital of Haute Couture Paris France..

We are bringing you the brightest and best of Mens Fashion in Second Life! We are so proud to have so many wonderful designers back with us to bring you the finest Gabriel, Akeruka, Vitamen, United Colors, D I R A M for Men, ^^Swallow^^, and Zibska to name a few. Having booked their ticket and joining us this year are some hot new designers ODDITY, Outlier, Breath, White City, and F.A.T. There will be a little bit of everything from new skins and charming accessories to wonderful new clothes all being featured at this years wonderful event.

This will be our third year participating with Relay for Life. We are so excited! We wanted to raise 150K last year and we managed to raise 173K. This year we want to shoot for 175K We know we can get there. We have some fun stuff planned including a model funk tank, dance party, and a live event all in the works. Not to mention all the designers are creating releases just to benefit RFL!

That is just the beginning though we have some fabulous themed shows including a visit from Mount Olympus and visiting the temples and ancient ruins of the home of the Gods. We have a few more prizes in store that we will be announcing soon. To follow us check out the website as we develop more details about the parties and calender. You can find info at You can also follow us on Facebook at

To See all the hot new releases join our flickr group:

If that is not enough there will be tons of new sensational clothing for the fashionable man about Second Life! Each and every designer is debuting fabulous new releases at the event! Some are even debuting entirely new collections. This will be the first place to see them and purchase them! Get them while they are hot and fresh!

We hope to see you all at Menswear Fashion Week 2016!

Yours Truly,
Lexie Jansma & Team
Siren Productions

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Nude Lips (Peach/Orange based)

Eva since Heidi did her 'Let's Get Naked' post I've been thinking of how I would handle my contribution to the subject. Looking through my collection I realised that I gravitate mostly to one type of "nude lip". As Heidi so rightly said, the key is figuring out what best suits your skin tone.

The tail end of last year saw women of all skin tones embracing the '90s lip' aka brown toned lip products. This trend is sure to continue especially since 'Marsala' was named the Pantone colour for 2015. In that same adventurous spirit I encourage you to give different shades a chance. Hopefully, this series will give you a little insight into how different tones look on our complexion.

I wanted to start the series with my least favourite category. I always shy away from peachy/orangey nudes but even I have to admit that when mixed with a brow lip liner they ain't too bad. None of these lip swatches have been done with a lip liner.

Jordana Matte '42 Terra Cotta'

M.A.C 'Pander Me' LE

Wet n Wild '903C Just Peachy'

If you want to see how this looks with a brown lip liner check out this post.

Nars Audacious 'Jane'

OCC Lip Tar 'Melange'

p.s. Logan is having none of this selfie business.

OCC Lip Tar 'Interlace'

Yes, I only bought it for the name. Yes, you most definitely need a lip liner with this. A lot of YouTubers actually recommend this one for mixing with other lip tars.

If you don't prefer pigmented lip products but still want to give this type of shade a try:

NYX Butter Gloss 'Apple Strudel'

(L - R): Jordana Matte '42 Terra Cotta', M.A.C 'Pander Me', Wet n Wild '903C Just Peachy', Nars Audacious 'Jane', OCC Lip Tar 'Melange', OCC Lip Tar 'Interlace' and NYX Butter Gloss 'Apple Strudel'

What are your favourite lip products in this shade of nude?

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I gotta be honest wid y'all, so far I like I ain't too fussy wid sheet masks yuh.

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Game the Game: Retrostar Design Blog #1: Embrace the Cheese!

So, Spectrum announced Retrostar awhile back. The intention of it is to emulate the sci-fi shows of the 70s: BSG, Bionic Man, Buck Rogers, etc. Not the films of that era, but specifically the TV shows.

I have taken it upon myself to dissect this “genre” and my goal is to come up with a game the forces the GM and players into an experience that feels like a 70s sci-fi series, with all that implies.

Instead of designing a core mechanic that allows players to punch, and shoot, and pilot, I am starting someplace else.

What makes these shows special? What makes the 70s sci-fi experience unique? There are lots of systems out there that let players fight and shoot and pilot. I want the play session to feel authentic. Steve Austin doesn’t solve every problem by just using his bionics. The scenes with bionics are the highlight of the show. To use a cinematic example (I know this is about TV shows, but bear with me, this is a great example), we don’t see lightsabers in every scene.
Why? SFX budget.

So, one of my design goals is to have each session have an SFX budget.

Secondly, frequently these shows had some real 70s-isms in them, stuff that makes them feel dated and topical (and in this situation, usage of these terms is a positive). So, I want some way to bring these sort of 70s-isms into play, whether it is a discussion on race, or divorce, or a cheesy disco scene. We want to embrace these things and make it so that a session of Retrostar feels unlike any other sci-fi game out there. We do not want folks saying “man, this system is awesome, I can’t wait to run a hack of Retrostar for my hard sci-fi campaign.

Third, TV shows have certain tropes. An most episodes of BSG will have a dogfight, Steve Austin will have to run fast or jump high, etc. So, any series being played with Retrostar should have this built in.

These are my three primary goals for Retrostar, and I have been taking notes, and jotting down ideas how to make these be an integral part of the game. Referring back to Intention, Mechanics, Setting: I want them to mesh perfectly together. It’s a big challenge I have set for myself, and I really excited thinking about the possibilities. Will there be a core mechanic for fighting? Absolutely. But I want these three design components an integral part of the game, so I am starting there as opposed to having them be a secondary concern.

To give a teaser and peel back the curtain a little, one idea I am toying with is a card based mechanic that helps control the flow of the game, ensuring that each BSG episode would have a dogfight or two, and so on. It is an idea in the early stages of germination no doubt, but some neat ideas are coming out of the design process.

Please feel free to comment with your thoughts and suggestions! And know that I am not adverse to letting you on the design process as well! For now, my internal tagline is:
Science fiction- take a scientific principle; pose a question or hypothesis about that principle; and then explore the effects of that principle on society/culture. Now, add disco!

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Friday, May 9, 2008

ModernGear Food: We're jammin'

Culinarily (is that a word?)-speaking, there are some products that just should not be:

But I'm more against the actual constituents of the above products (Cool Whip is NOT whipped cream but rather a petroleum by-product, and what in the world do you have to do to cheese to get it into a can that can sit on a shelf for years and conceivably still be used? ) than the packaging.

Sometimes the same thing in a new package can be a real conversation-starter. Imagine, for instance, being invited for brunch to your friend's house and being served a cappuccino, fresh fruit salad, a croissant, and...jam in a tube. I can imagine you'd have something new to talk about.
The Gouash Strawberry Spread is from Montreal's La Tomate...oh those crazy French! Their online La Tomate Boutique features the categories of "products in jars" and "products in tubes".

Now, you might think jam in a tube is a just a gimmick but I can personally attest to the wonderfully flavour of the Strawberry Spread. Less jammy than my favourite Bonne Maman...

...the spread is more fruity than sugary sweet, and would be equally nice on ice cream or brie as that brunch croissant.

They also offer a few savoury options such as Spicy Tomato and Pepper Jelly, and Sundried Tomato and Port Jelly.

The only problem I can see with these products is that they might become yet another thing to bicker over with family members as the "Who's squeezing the tube from the middle again?" debate carries on from the bathroom to the kitchen.

Gouash Strawberry Spread

Gouash Raspberry Spread

Gouash Pineapple Spread

Gouash Cherry Spread

Gouash Apple Spread

Apple Spread

Spicy Tomato and Pepper Jelly

Sundried Tomato and Port Jelly

Soapylove said...

I think I would just want to display these in my kitchen! I would hate to use them! :)

ModernGear TV said...

I know! The strawberry one I bought to test was so delicious but I felt terrible to squish the tube - so pretty!


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Friday, September 10, 2010

Foodie Friday-9/10/10

Chicken Corn Soup

So my kids love three things.....corn, chicken and soup!  So I set out to find a recipe that included all three and found this recipe.  As usual, I added my own flair and changed a couple of things.  I used a chicken breast I had plus left over chicken from one of those grocery store roasted chickens.  I picked off all of the meat from the bones and had enough for the soup.  In addition to the onion I added a clove of garlic.  I didn't measure the corn; just used a whole can of corn.  I also didn't have any cream of celery soup so I used cream of chicken.  I also added some matchstick cut carrots for color.  As far as the dough balls go, try to make them as big as possible.  Pea-sized or a tad bit bigger is a good size.  They are quite tasty in the soup.  My six-year old was a  bit weary of them floating in the soup.  Other than that, it was really good and everyone had seconds!

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Sunday, April 01, 2007

A History of Fansubbing

Part 3: Early Digital Subtitles.

This April, we continue a series of articles on the history of fan-subtitled anime in the English-speaking world, with a discussion of the almost forgotten early days of digital fansubs. In the early- to mid-1990s, growing fan dissatisfaction with analog media for exchanging anime, such as Video Home System (VHS) tapes and crude homebrew laserdiscs (LDs) fashioned from Tupperware and aluminum foil (see Part 2) led a small group of pioneers to experiment with distribution schemes for digital video. The internet did not exist as such at the time, however, and existing technology such as magnetic core memory proved too bulky and unstable to physically ship between fans. A high-tech solution for the distribution problem was offered by the invention, in 1992, of the punch card (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Legendary fansubber Bryce Carson edits his latest project (ca. 1993).

Punch cards are light and able to store large amounts of data, up to 6 kilobytes in a standard 25 kilogram carton of cards. Early fansubbers, often impoverished college students eager to save on postage, created an innovative compression method called American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) art, in order to pack as much anime as possible into a shipment of cards. Sophisticated subtitling groups such as the Urusei Yatsura Project (UYP) drew full-color ASCII art representations of every frame of animation, by hand, then applied nearly professional-quality subtitles, based on translations by members who had become fluent in Japanese by listening to weekly Nippon Housou Kyoukai (NHK) news broadcasts on shortwave radio (Fig. 2). Dialogue, music and sound effects were represented by rich, life-like 3-bit digital sound.

Fig. 2. Frame from the 1994 UYP subtitle of Top o Nerae! Gunbuster, ep. 3.

Other fansub groups, such as Polar Animation, focused less on the technical excellence of their subtitles, and more on translating large amounts of anime. Polar was able to release full runs of several dozen series, including Kimagure Orange Road (Fig. 3), by employing a cutting-edge automated program to rapidly generate ASCII video. This program ran on top-of-the-line Amiga computers, reported to be on loan from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Early Polar subs were subject to some artifacting from the ASCII compression process, and sported translations that were often less literal than hardcore fans demanded, but most observers feel that these difficulties were adequately addressed in the group’s later efforts (Fig. 4).

Fig. 3. Earlier Polar Animation subs lacked refinement. (Frame from Kimagure Orange Road, ep. 17).

In spite of advances in compression technology, distribution of digital subtitles by mail remained relatively expensive and slow. A single 25-minute TV episode, which could be stored on about 80 kilograms of punch cards, would have cost $1.25 to ship from Utica to Bangor in 1994, or approximately $420.00 in 2007 dollars. With a shipping time of 3-4 business days, the postal method achieved transfer rates of only 0.000000088 kilobytes per second (kbps).

Fig. 4. Sample frame from a later Polar Animation subtitle (Maison Ikkoku ep. 62).

Resourceful fans living near estuaries developed a clever method of transferring fansubs via laminated punch cards, carried by the ebb and flood of the tides (Fig. 5). Multiple fans could take part in distributing a video file, with individual users retrieving cards from the water, duplicating them, and returning cards to the current for others to share. This method was called bit torrent (BT), and could reach transfer speeds of nearly 0.00000046 kbps. A related technique, direct download (DDL) was even faster, but was practical only in urban settings, where cartons of punch cards could be gravitationally transferred from a sender on the upper floors of a building, to a receiver (or “leecher”) at ground level. New York University students, in December of 1996, used DDL to transfer the entire Patlabor TV series—on 11.4 metric tons of punch cards—from the top of the Chrysler Building to viewers at street level. The students managed to record, at the moment of file receipt, a data transfer rate of 438 gigabytes per second, which is impressive even when compared to the speed of present-day cable modems.

Fig. 5. Bit torrent file transfer in progress at Hell Gate, New York, ca. 1996.

But even at the height of the first digital subtitle boom, the days of watching anime recorded on punch cards were numbered. Production of new digital subtitles was dealt a serious blow in February of 1997, when the entire Polar Animation staff died in a tragic Feng Shui-related accident, while attending a party in a dormitory lounge furnished in a catastrophically unharmonious manner. VHS tape, despite markedly inferior video quality, made a temporary resurgence. The final blow to punch card fansub distribution was delivered by the internet, which was invented on March 4, 1999, by Al Sharpton.

Please look forward to part 4 of A History of Fansubbing, titled “HD-VCD: The Future of Anime?” It’s coming soon, and will be made available on bit torrent.

Alex said...

After switching to DVD I was glad I didn't sell all my old punch cards on eBay right away--burning them helped us survive during the blizzard of '97.

Matt said...

Ah, those were the days, to the best of my recollection.

Andrew said...

I'd like read part 1 and part 2 of this article... where i can find it?

Thanks ;)

Matias said...

I can´t find the first too parts of this article. Hope i can get to read it soon.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I have never read such thick satire. Took me way too long to realize...


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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Naruto Uzumaki

11:09 PM 2 comments

Naruto Uzumaki (Japaneseうずまき ナルト HepburnUzumaki Naruto?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto created byMasashi Kishimoto. The main protagonist and title character of the series, he is a young teenager who becomes a ninja affiliated with the fictional village ofKonohagakure. The villagers ostracize Naruto because the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, a malevolent creature that attacked Konohagakure, is sealed within his body. To gain recognition among his peers, Naruto aspires to become the village's leader, the Hokage. He maintains a cheerful and boisterous personality, allowing him to befriend several other Konohagakure ninja throughout the series, as well as ninja from other villages. Naruto appears in all of the series' films and in other media related to the franchise, including video games and original video animations.

When creating Naruto in the initial part of the series, Kishimoto wished to keep the character "simple and stupid", while giving him many attributes of an ideal hero. However, Kishimoto also added a harsh past to give him a dark side. Naruto's initial design has been changed several times by Kishimoto, providing the character with different clothes to make him more appealing to Western audiences, and to make him easier to illustrate. Kishimoto also changed the design at the beginning of its Part II of the storyline, which starts two-and-a-half years after the conclusion of Part I. The character was voiced by Junko Takeuchi in the animated series and Maile Flanagan in the English adaptations.

Several anime and manga publications have expressed positive views of Naruto's character. Although some view him as a stereotypical manga and anime protagonist comparable to those in many other shōnen manga, they have praised his personality as well as his development in the series as he avoids stereotypes. Naruto has remained popular with the Naruto fan-base, placing high in several popularity polls. Merchandise based on Naruto has been released, including figurines and keychains.

Source : Wikipedia

  1. I like Naruto too! Tapi bila dorang da besar dlm Naruto Shipudden tu, sy dah tak catch up story dia... huhu. Haruka Kanata! ^^

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Printable: Meal Planning Made Easy

parentinghome management

Putting a meal on the table is not always an easy task. I am a busy working mother of 4. If I don't know what I am making for dinner by noon, the chances of my family having a home cooked meal are slim. I recently went to a meal planning class, and the woman teaching it told us that she plans out meals for her family for a whole month. She said that meal planning not only saves her money, but reduces the stress of deciding what her family is eating for dinner day after day.

In the Mom It Forward Organize eBook, we have included a Meal Plan Printable. This printable helps you create a weekly meal plan and a shopping list to go with it. Make meal planning a part of your week and before you know it, you will not only be saving money, but putting a great meal on the table for your family. Here are some benefits of meal planning.

  • Saves you money
  • Provides your family more nutritious meals
  • Saves you time
  • Creates less stress
  • Serves a variety of meals including your family's favorites

To download the Meal Plan Printable, click here.

What meal planning tips to you have to share?

For access to all of our Organization printables, subscribe to our free, weekly eNewsletter and receive our Organization eBook as a special gift.

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Jill Greenlaw

Jill Greenlaw has a banking background. She gave that up 17 years ago when she got married and started having kids. She loved being a stay-at-home mom while raising her four beautiful children. A few years ago, Jill went back to work in sales. She is now working for the Mom It Forward team as their Community Manager. She loves her job. Her interests include camping, motorcycling, boating, photography, reading, cooking, and traveling. Put her in flip flops anywhere warm and she is happy.

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Brooke's Family Bday Party

Saturday we had a family birthday party for Brooke. We had everyone come over to the house, had some snacks, and cake, and then she opened her presents. She had picked out a princess cake that I ordered for her, and they said they wouldnt be done with it until 2:30 and her party was at 3, so thankfully Arnold's parents were able to go pick it up for us (thank goodness for Grandparents, right?!) And it turned out really cute! Anyway, she got a lot of great gifts. Some new clothes for school this fall, including an owl outfit i had seen at Childrens Place and loved! So i was excited about that ;) And she got a Tangled doll (which she just had to take to church with her the next day!) and the Tangled movie (which Caleb wanted to see more than her!!) And a new Leapster Game--a Kindergarten game, which is actually really fun to play, ive already tried ;) And some other odds and ends. We then did the pinata, she had a cindrella pinata that i had ordered on clearance a long time ago and almost forgot it was in my closet! The kids had a blast with that.. we made Arnold hold it up and they went crazy trying to bust it open :) Then everyone hung around for the afternoon and the kids all played with the new toys and watched "Cars" movie, and the adults talked. It was a great time. And I LOVE birthdays, but I am glad we are done with all the kids bdays for the year.. seems like we've been partying all summer long, and Im on cake overload! Not to mention im always exhausted after a kids' party ;)

Brooke with her new Leapster Game

The Princess cake

Blowing out the candles

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Friday, November 13, 2015

Life Lately!

The girls' cheerleading team had a banquet to celebrate their past season. The football players were there too. It is actually their thing, and they invited the girls this year. The girls wore cute dresses (and Brooke even borrowed one of my necklaces ;) And we had a fun evening, even thought it was rainy and cold outside, and the place was packed full of people! They didn't anticipate that many people showing up, I think.

The girls were awarded these cheer trophies with their names. They were so exited. Rachel carried her's around for days. So cute. For now they are in the living room because I'm afraid they will somehow get broken in the girls room. funny how that happens.....

One of my sweet little girls in my class on Sunday just turned 3.. and when the kids turn 3 they move up to the big kid class :( Which is great for them, but I miss them! Anyway, her mom brought in a gift for me on her last Sunday in my class, that Harper gave me herself. A beautiful blanket they had monogrammed for me! And a sweet card that Harper had drawn in too. I absolutely loved it and it was so thoughtful. The blanket is so soft and everyone at home has already been trying to steal it from me ;)

Harper and I got a quick picture that morning. I am going to miss her!

We took the kids to see the Peanuts movie! We had been waiting all year to see it! We took Brooke's friend Zoey along with us too, because Brooke always does so much with her. The kids all had a blast. They had a picture opportunity before you went in. I'm glad we got there early because the place was packed! We even saw a few families we knew. We took some boxes of candy in my purse because dang those prices. But crazy me caved and got big drinks and popcorn and at the end of the day Arnold was like WE CANT SPEND ANY MORE MONEY TODAY!! Haha. Crazy how it all adds up so quickly with kids. After the movie we went to dinner at Chick Fila. It was a cold, rainy day, but we had a fun time!

My friend at church told me about a lady she uses to make her kids their "special occasion" shirts and so I sent her a message and she made Rachel this beautiful Thanksgiving shirt! I just LOVE the colors! so cheery and bright! She will wear it on Thankgiving dinner day to my parents' house. She is the only kid I still do this for. I even showed Caleb the turkey shirts for boys and he said "no way.. lame." really?! When did he grow up?!?! Haha. Oh well. Anyway, the lady was so nice and she did an awesome job on the shirt. I am already planning a Christmas shirt for Rachel too ;) Gotta do it while she will let me! ;)

I snapped this picture at church the other day. Rachel is wearing a new dress.. and we found it at Once Upon a Child of all places. Sometimes you can find cute stuff in there for cheap! Brooke recently got her expander in her mouth and she is doing ok with it but it is hard for her learning how to talk and eat again with it in. We have to turn a key every night to tighten it and it causes her some discomfort.. so I feel guilty. But I know it will be worth it!

My sweet little niece Ava turned 6 months old! I can't believe shes been here in our lives for half a year now! I wish I could see her, but I am counting down the days til Christmas!

I picked out my ornament for this year! I got this at Hobby Lobby. An owl.. no surprise there ;) My friend pointed out that the owl looks very angry. Hmmm I see it now! Haha. The picture doesn't show it very well, but the glitter can be shaken around inside and it is very pretty! The kids also picked out a new ornament. It's become a yearly tradition for us.

This time of year can only mean one thing-- white fudge oreos are back! OMG these are delicious! They finally started carrying them at the Food Lion down the road from us, so now I am in even more trouble. We don't even share them with the kids. we eat them in bed after they are asleep. Is that evil?! Haha!

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Friday, July 02, 2010

You are an Investor

INVEST: to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value. (

How are you investing your money? Are you spending frivolously or carefully? If you need a little help in this area, try reading blogs from other homemakers, such as or

Are you letting your money work for you or are you just socking extra cash away under the mattress? Learn more from a trusted financial planner (we love ours!) or read some of the resources.

To whom are you giving financial resources? Back of your passions with financial gifts to your church and your favorite nonprofit groups.

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