~A Year of Color: "Inchworm" Green~

Well, having seen that everyone's interpretation of "lime green" is very different, I've decided to go with a picture that I took earlier this summer.



If I come across a great "lime green" photo op, I have my camera in my purse with fully-charged batteries!

~Creativity~

So many people say, "Oh, I'm not creative, I don't know how to sew." But really, creativity does not mean that you know how to sew, or know how to do any other particular craft. Creativity comes in many different forms.

Consider:
baking
cake decorating
candle making
canning
card making
cooking
crocheting
cross-stitching
embroidery
flower arranging
gardening
home-making
knitting
organizing
painting
quilting
scrapbooking
sketching
soap making
sewing
stamping
tatting
woodworking
writing

Those are a few forms of creativity that I could think of off-hand. If you think of others, post them in my comments, and I'll add them to this list.

Obviously, one person can not do everything on this list. Each day God grants us just 24 hours. Time, money, and talent constraints are upon most everyone. Many of the above-listed forms of creativity can be simple (gardening--growing flowers in a pot or your porch) to elaborate (a yard with multitudes of beds and flowers). It all depends on how much time/money/talent you have! Growing a few flowers in a pot can be just as satisfying as a whole yard full of flowers! In fact, it's more satisfying to do something well in a small way than to half-way succeed in a big endeavor!

Sometimes a class is a fun way to get started, to learn the skill and to see if you want to continue on your own. Many stores offer classes--just keep on the lookout for them. Soon I'm taking a class in gardening at a local nursery. I'm really looking forward to learning more about gardening in this way!

Have fun being creative! Find some way that you can be creative, and you will feel greatly rewarded!

~Christmas: just around the corner!~

As of last Friday, there are four months till Christmas! Do you have any gifts stashed away? I don’t! I need to get busy!

I’m going to share what I’ve done in past Christmases. I’m hoping it will give me some ideas for this coming year, and maybe it will give you some ideas as well!

One year, I made doll clothes for my three little sisters. They had 18” dolls. I was either 14 or 15. My mom found a simple pattern for me, and I used scrap fabric for everything. Each doll got a little ensemble that was packed into a diaper bag.

A few years after the doll-clothes, I made actual dolls and a set of doll clothes for the dolls. These dollies were about 8” high, and I used teeny-tiny rick-rack and lace for embellishments on their clothing. This was a terribly fun project.

Another year I took the approach of making the presents right in front of everyone. I made a doily for each of the girls. It was something I did in the evenings for several months before Christmas. Since I was always crocheting anyhow, nobody suspected that they would be getting them for Christmas.

After I was married, I made aprons one year for gifts. That was also terribly fun. Well, except that I had to make four in the week before Christmas. The joys of procrastinating! *Grun*

Another year, I decided that I was going to buy expensive presents that had been marked down to incredibly low prices. I carefully kept a spread sheet detailing the actual cost versus the original cost. I save bundles of money that year, and got everyone super nice presents. I did my shopping all year long, starting in January.

The last several years haven’t been as well planned. In January I had the thought of making a pair of socks for everyone. But when I thought of the number of giftees times two, I didn’t have the motivation to make that many socks!

So this brings me to this year. Of course, since my family reads my blog, I can’t share what I’m doing for gifts this year. Another reason I can’t share is that I don’t have a plan yet! I want to have a plan in place soon, so that I can get busy. If your family doesn’t read my blog, feel free to leave ideas of what you are doing/planning on doing for this year’s gifts! It may just give me and others some ideas!

~Howdy, folks!~

Lime green? I can't think of anything to take a picture of! That's the color for this week's Year of Color challenge. I'll have to take my camera with me wherever I go, because I don't have anything lime green! Well, not exactly so. I have a lime green jacket. But I don't think that would make an interesting picture!

My flowers! Oh my goodness! I can't believe how well they are growing. (The impatiens in my front yard.) I measured them the other day and they are 24" high (at the highest, some are not quite that high). I'm totally amazed. I never expected them to grow so high! What is so wonderfully nice about them is that I've barely had to weed them. Every great once in a while a gangly weed will make its way beyond the flowers, and I'll pull it out while I'm watering.


I was going to participate in a menu posting thingy (not sure exactly what you call it, I don't think it's considered a "meme". But anyhow, I couldn't find my notebook. I used it last night when I went shopping. Each week, I write my menu on one page, and my shopping list on the next page over. Then the next week, I'll page through recipe books, my binder, and my notebook for menu ideas. I've looked all over the house and can't find it. I tend to have a bad habit of forgetting things once they are written down. That being the case, if I don't find my menu notebook, I'm going to have to think harder this week. Grrr...

A big cyber hug to my friend from church who stopped by my blog today. :D Thank you! And also, a big thank you to my readers. You're the best! I do try not to be controversial, but even so, sometimes I think after I write. So thank you for being loving and kind, and for all your warm, heartfelt comments every day. I appreciate them so much!

I hope everyone has a great day!

~Just had to post this picture...~

Aren't these roses gorgeous? My husband came home from errands and brought them home for me.

~Busy as a Bee!~

Today I canned some peaches, peach jam, and tomatoes. I got the peaches from a produce stand, and I picked the tomatoes from my garden today.



I got 5 pints of peaches, 6 8-oz. jars of jam, and 4 pints of tomatoes.

When I went to the grocery store this morning to get my jars, the lady who checked me out muttered the whole time about how she didn't have time to can and how she was thinking of quitting her job. Grumble, grumble. I didn't mention the fact that I work full time as well. You make the time for what you want to do. And leave out the stuff you don't want to do. Like laundry. Or dishes. LOL I'm just kidding...for the most part!

~Magazine Subscriptions on the Cheap~

I’ve always wanted magazine subscriptions, but since I didn’t want to pay the hefty price, I’ve usually forgone subscriptions. Then, Lindsey posted about getting magazine subscriptions off e-bay. I decided to give it a try!

I found a seller that had one year Reader’s Digest subscriptions for $6.99, no shipping and handling. I bought it, and got the first issue in the mail yesterday. As with any magazine subscription, it takes 6-12 weeks from ordering to get your first issue.

To find a subscription on e-bay, just do a search using the magazine name + "subscription".
DO: make sure the seller has many positives.
DON’T: pay shipping and handling!

~How do I...~

How do I find a book that I don't know the title of, nor the author?

When I was in 3rd and 4th grade, my dad was the principal of the Christian school that I was in. We had one car, so this meant that I often stayed after school until my dad was finished with his work. I entertained myself in varying ways, but one of my favorites was the very small library (which was pretty big to me then!).

I read, and re-read, a book about a little girl whose parents and she lived in a canal boat that they pulled with a donkey (or horse). The little girl's job was to ride the donkey down the canal. She had to wear pants, because the only saddle they had was a normal saddle. While she rode the donkey, she knitted a blue sweater for herself. She couldn't wait to wear it! Then someone saw it and wanted to buy it from her for their daughter. She made the decision to sell it because she would be able to buy a side saddle and then she could wear a dress every single day!

I'm sure it's a pretty old book, but I don't know when it was published. I was browsing through the library a few days ago, and saw a book by Louis Lenski called Houseboat Girl, and that got me to thinking of that book. (This book is not the book I read, I'm sure of it.) I'm pretty sure it was a "Canal" boat and not a "house" boat, but it could have been called a houseboat.

Ahhhh...now I just want to find that book!

~Finding Clothes...that fit~

Last Saturday I went shopping at Kohl's. I had a great coupon, and they had a great sale, so everything should have been fine and dandy. But not really, because I walked into the dressing room with a cart full of clothes, and yet everything was "TOO". Too tight, too loose, too big, too small, sleeves too long, sleeves too short.

I could make my own clothes, but by the time I buy pattern, fabric, and notions, I could have bought three of whatever I'm making from a store. Oh, and when it comes out "TOO", it's enough for me to yank all my hair out and become a lunatic. Well, maybe not that drastic...but I think you get the picture.

I used to do alterations for a lady. I am convinced she went shopping with me in mind. Instead of trying to find things that fit her, she found things that didn't fit her, and invented a way for me to alter them. So maybe I should do alterations on my own purchases. Now that's a novel idea...

So what do you think? Do you think I like to shop? Nope, not me! How about you?

Image from allposters.com

Meme...me, me, me, me!

Once again, I was tagged twice! LOL

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4:
"Have you ever seen a midget, wheezing vampire fly?" --from Called or Crazy (a Practical Manual for Youth Workers and Parents of Teens)by Michael Ray

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can:
Air...

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
I was flipping through channels...nothing on.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is:
10:32

5. Now look at the clock.
10:28

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
TV...my hubby found something to watch. :D

7. When did you last step outside?
We were sitting outside on our porch for a bit after we got home from church.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
I was reading blogs on my bloglines.

9. What are you wearing?
Flowered t-shirt and a brown skirt.

10. Did you dream last night?
I'm sure I did, though I can't remember exactly what I dreamed.

11. When did you last laugh?
When my husband and I were sitting outside on the front porch.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
BASEBALL decorations!

13. Seen anything weird lately?
Well, let's see...nothing I can think of off hand!

Where did #14 go?

15. What is the last film you saw?
Skylark.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Overnight? Not possible! LOL

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
I'm really tired right now!

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
That every single person would get the chance to hear the gospel!

19. Do you like to dance?
With my hubby! :D

20. George W Bush:
I voted for him!

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Wee little thing =)

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Little man =)

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
If God called me, yes!

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate?
Well done!

~No time to write?~

I know what it feels like! Ahhh...these last few weeks have been a little hectic for me! Could you tell? I have hardly been posting/commenting! I think things will slow down for me a bit sometime soon! At least, I surely hope so!

As I read blogs today, I read three different blogs whose author gave the announcement that they are either going to be sporadic in posting, or leaving the blogging world all together. I honor their decision to give up a fun hobby and replace it with activities that are more important.

Blogging sure is fun, but unless one is making money off it (and there are some bloggers out there doing just that), it's something called a hobby. And, according to Webster's dictionary, a hobby is "something that one likes to do or study in one's spare time". On the other hand, riding a hobby means "to be excessively devoted to one's favorite pastime or subject."

In the almost year that I've been blogging, blogging and reading blogs has bounced back and forth from "riding a hobby" and a "hobby". Right now I can say it's a "hobby". Of course, I say that, but here I sit at 11:20 p.m.! :P

Ok, so this sounds like a preachy post. Please know that these are just some rambling thoughts I jotted down, so please don't think I'm pointing my finger at you. I learned in 4th grade that when you point, three fingers are pointing back to yourself. (That's why my 4th grade class all pointed with our whole hands, not just our index fingers! ROFL)

Have a good day!

~Photography~

I had some very lovely comments under my post for the Year of Color challenge. Thank you for all who made such nice comments! It warmed my heart!

There were also several questions. I know that *I* hardly ever go back and read posts that I've asked questions on, so I thought I'd just write a post. :D

O.K., Tammy, I want to know if you have ever taken a photography class!
No, I've never taken a class. It sounds like fun though!

What kind of camera do you use? (Yes, I'm being a bit nosey.)
I didn't think you were being nosey! :) Good cameras take great pictures! My camera is a Canon PowerShot A410. My husband gave it to me for my birthday last year, and I've been very happy with it!

Any tips for an amateur?
Seeing as how I'm an amateur as well, I'll just share what I've learned along the way.

*When I see a picture I like (taken by someone else), I look at it and try to figure out what I like about it. I've mentioned Yarnstorm before. The author of Yarnstorm is a great photographer. I also gain inspiration from Dawn and Rachel. I've also enjoyed being part of the Year of Color, and looking at all the other photographs submitted each week.
*I take a lot of pictures. Like, practially every day. The grand thing about digital cameras? You aren't wasting film! *Delete* is an often used feature!
*I've fiddled with my camera and figured out what it does. (Hmmm...it would have helped to read the manual that came with it! LOL)
*Natural lighting is much better than using a flash, especially on a small "point and shoot" camera. I turn off the flash whenever possible.
*Many digital cameras have "macro" settings. Use this setting for close ups. My camera denotes this by a little flower symbol.

That's what I could think of for right now. Have fun with your photography!

Image from http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a410-review/index.shtml. I learned some stuff about my camera just reading the review! :)

~Summertime on a Front Porch~

...cicadas
...a cardinal's trilling song
...a goldfinch off in the distance
...the whir of hummingbird wings (coming to my feeder!)
...the click of knitting needles
...ah...summer

...and jarring me out of my reverie...an occasional motorist who thinks that I would enjoy his music too!

I found this bench marked way, way down from it's original price! I praise the Lord for the good deal! I know I will enjoy sitting on my front porch now (much more comfortable than sitting on the top step!)

~A Year of Color: Orange~

This week's color was fun. I already had this shot, from some flowers Kevin gave me earlier this summer:



And this shot, which I took a few days ago:



And since the same flower was still in bloom, I went out and took some more shots. I got the idea for this from Mrs. B's picture she uses as her profile picture.



And just for fun (I didn't submit this shot, since I altered it), I used Photoshop to add "paint brush strokes".

~Show and Tell: Recipe Boxes~

Deb over at Mountain Musings is having a show and tell for everyone's recipe boxes. What a neat idea! Thank you, Deb, for hosting it!

Here is my recipe box. Not very glamorous!


However, here is where I really keep all my recipes:


Our dining room and kitchen are separated by cabinets that face the dining room. This little niche in the kitchenis the perfect spot for this shelf (which I had previous to moving here).

I have quite a collection of recipe books, and then I have a binder which has all the recipes I've printed from online, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas. I usually use the binder every week when I make out my menu.

~Layers~

A street near us. I wonder what is under the brick?

~Four More!~

Today I picked four more tomatoes! We ate two for dinner. Tomorrow I will get down to business and do something with them! I'm thinking of freezing them. Thank you for those who left that idea in my previous post!

I am so very thankful that the Lord has blessed my gardening efforts with a bountiful crop!

~Uh Oh~

I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my tomatoes. I picked these this afternoon, and when I came in, I realized I had two more in the house. What else could I do, but eat one? They are just so good! Somehow when you grow it yourself, it tastes all the better!

While I was out in the garden, I also picked my green beans. They stopped producing a few weeks ago, and I was wondering if they were done. But I left them, and they started blooming again. Hurray!

I also pulled all my onions out. I must have missed something in Onion Growing 101. Oh, wait, I never took that class! Well, I'll have to figure out what I did wrong. They didn't really grow that much.

My red pepper is turning red, and more are growing on the plants. I've figured that the tomatoes are going to give me the most "bang" for my buck, and the peppers the least.

Doesn't this just make your mouth water?

~The Heavens Declare~

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19:1



A gorgeous sunset on our way home from church tonight. My sweet husband stopped so I could take a picture.

~Proverbs 31~

Last night I finished my Proverbs 31 “challenge”. I read the chapter once through each day for a month. I wrote earlier in the month how the Lord had used the verse about the tongue to speak to me. This portion of the Scripture is an oft-studied chapter by women. I can get down the part of burning the midnight oil, but the part of getting up before the sun…well, I have to work on that one!

I’m really glad I was able to accomplish my goal. I hate to admit it, but I had become a little lax in my Bible reading, and knew that I needed something to get me back into the habit of daily Bible reading.

My next plan is to read the New Testament in a relatively short amount of time. I’m not sure if I’m going to go for one month, or two months. Kim and her daughters over at Life In a Shoe just finished reading the New Testament through in one month. It’s a good way to get the “whole picture” instead of just reading bits and pieces here and there.

What are you currently reading for your daily devotions? I’d love for you to share!

A Year of Color: Hot Majenta

I took these pictures at the beginning of spring, so this week was a breeze for me! I will probably look for more pictures throughout the week though.

~Recipe Swap: Summery Salads~

Enjoy the rest of the summer with succulent salads!

Deb shared a Marinated Vegetable Salad that sounds delcious!

Courtney posted a jello salad, revised from a recipe from her grandmother.

This Fruit Luncheon Salad by Susan Godfrey sounds fabulous!

Wanting something a little different to try? Chryll posted a recipe for Fruited Chicken Salad.

Allison shared a recipe for Antipasto Bowl. It sounds very good!

Spinach salad is a simple favorite! Hope posted her recipe here.

Mrs. U's spinach salad is quite different from the link above. Both sound so good!

Want yet a different spinach salad? Give Susan's Spinach Salad a try!

The Three Sisters posted a recipe for Frosted Orange Salad. Mmmm...the name alone sounds good!

Since I have tomato plants that are producing tomatoes "left and right" I am working on using my tomatoes as I pick them. I posted a tomato-basil recipe here, and a fresh salsa (not really a salad, but it's all fresh!) here.

Thank you all for posting your recipes! If I missed one, please e-mail me and I'll get your link added!

Fresh Salsa

I don't have an official recipe for this salsa. A sweet Mexican lady taught my dad how to make it.

Tonight I used:
5 medium tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro
8 tomatillos
3 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper
1 small can tomato paste
salt
1 teaspoon vinegar

Chop about half the tomatoes. The pieces don't have to be too small, but not too large either.


Process the other half in a food processor. The goal is to have crushed tomatoes, not juice. Mince garlic and add to tomatoes.


Here's a picture of tomatillos, in case you aren't familiar with them:


Chop about half of the tomatillos.


In the food processor, put 1/2 bunch cilantro, the other half of the tomatillos, and the jalapeno. To prepare the jalapeno, wash and cut down the middle lengthwise. Remove the seeds (this makes it less hot), and chop into smaller pieces. Process until everything is all chopped up.


Add tomato paste, salt and vinegar. Mix. Enjoy!


One of the things I enjoy about Mexican restaurants is the chips and fresh salsa they serve before the meal. This salsa is very similar to that served in Mexican restaurants.

Four Things Meme

I was tagged twice for this...so I guess I better do it. ;-)

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Church secretary
2. Front desk/assistant in an eye doctor's office
3. Administrative assistant for a large company
4. Teacher in a Christian school

Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Anne of Green Gables
2. Ever After
3. The Shop Around the Corner
4. It Happened One Night

Four Places I have lived:
1. South Carolina
2. Illinois
3. Ohio
4. California

Four things I like to do:
1. Knit
2. Crochet
3. Blog and read blogs
4. Read

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Hawaii
2. Chicago
3. Monterey Bay, CA
4. Disneyland

Four websites I visit daily (or almost daily):
1. My online mail accounts
2. Blogging friends
3. My library's online catalog...I'm always putting holds on books and checking to see when my books are due.
4. Weather site

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Garlic Mashed Potatoes
2. Subway's "Veggie Delight" sandwich (I'm not vegetarian, but I love, LOVE, LOVE vegetarian sandwiches!)
3. On a cold day, a nice big bowl of homemade soup
4. On a hot day, a lovely salad

Four places I would like to be right now:
OK, how can you be four places at once???

Four friends I think will respond----I tag:
YOU! Consider yourself tagged!

Summer's Symphony Cacophony

The cicada choir is quite active now. Their insistent, shrill chorus is hauntingly beautful. The first summer we were here in the midwest, I didn't know that it was a bug making all that racket! I thought that the neighbor had something that was making all that noise. LOL The next summer I learned that the noise was the cicada.

Just recently, I read a magazine article about them. It states that the male cicada is the loudest insect alive, his call coming in at up to 106 decibels--which is louder than a chain saw!

I looked up cicada in wikipedia.com, and this is what it has to say:

Male cicadas (and only males) have loud noisemakers called "tymbals" on the sides of the abdominal base. Their "singing" is not stridulation as in many other familiar sound-producing insects like crickets (where two structures are rubbed against one another): the tymbals are regions of the exoskeleton that are modified to form a complex membrane with thin, membranous portions and thickened "ribs". They rapidly vibrate these membranes with strong muscles, and enlarged chambers derived from the tracheae make their body serve as a resonance chamber, greatly amplifying the sound. Some cicadas produce sounds louder than 106 dB (SPL), among the loudest of all insect-produced sounds. (This amazing sound has frequently inspired haiku poets in Japan to write about them.) They modulate their noise by wiggling their abdomens toward and away from the tree that they are on.

Only males produce the cicadas' distinctive sound. Both sexes, however, have tympana, which are membranous structures used to detect sounds; thus, the cicadas' equivalent of ears.

End of science lesson. *Grin* The cicadas signal that summer will soon be drawing to a close. August will slip into September and it will be fall before we realize it! I've enjoyed my summer so much--I don't want to think of the cold months ahead just yet!

Picture from wikipedia.

My Wish List

I discovered Froogle today. Once you set up an account (all you need is an e-mail address and a password) you can add items to your shopping list, then to your wish list. I am looking forward to using this! It is a great tool for two purposes: to remember what I want to buy, so that when I get extra money (birthday, Christmas) I can choose from that list. Secondly, it will help my family out. Around my birthday and Christmas, I get a few calls from family members.

The conversation goes somewhat along these lines, nearly every year:
"What do you want?"
"I don't know, I haven't thought of it."
"Well, think about it, and let me know."

The next day, repeat above conversation.

Finally, after a few such conversations, I think of something. Without fail, it won't suit the person calling. It's too cheap, too big, too little, too expensive, too hard to pick out, etc. So then they go out and get me something they think I'll like, since *I* can't come up with anything! I just don't spend a lot of time thinking up gift ideas for myself! I'm content with what I have (OK, for the most part! I'm not going to lie and say I've never been discontent!). Generally speaking, I am happy with what I have. Therefore, giving other people gift ideas for myself can be somewhat hard! When I saw this, I knew that it would be perfect!

I've only put a few things on my list so far, but click here and you can see how it works.

Go to froogle.com and make your own list!

~Knitting~

Yesterday I posted about knitting, and how it isn't hard. It isn't, really. There are complicated patterns, yes. It takes a bit to get your hands used to the motions, yes. But when all is said and done, it doesn't take long to learn. In knitting, there are two stitches: knit and purl. Once you have those two stitches down, then the world of knitting opens up to you!

I don't want to make myself sound like a pro, either. The scarf my husband wanted me to make? It took me three years. Obviously I wasn't working on it diligently! I have been actively knitting for over a year now. I've made three pairs of socks, and I'm working on a sweater.

Oh, and Annecourager asked whether knitting is the same for left-handed people. I have read several places that you knit the same no matter what. Knitting involves two hands, so nothing changes for the left-handed knitter. At least, that's what I've read!

~Fun Thrift Store Find~

I do not like to go to thrift stores. I don't really like shopping anyhow, and then add a whole lot of smelly clothes and miscellaneous junk, and I really don't like shopping!

However, tonight I was out running a few errands, and I was close to a thrift store and decided to stop in.

I found this:


A brand new scrapbook! Instead of pages with plastic sleeves, it has nice quality paper. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do with it! I've been taking pictures of my garden all summer long, and now I'll have a place to put them, along with notes.

Oh, it cost $1.99! Pretty good deal!

~The Pleasures of Knitting~

Knitting is fun! Knitting is "in"! Knitting is relaxing! Knitting is not hard!

When I was 16 years old, an older lady in my church wanted to teach me how to knit. I went over to her house and learned how to cast on, knit, and purl. However, that was all I learned. I didn't know how to follow a pattern at all.

I kept my needles, and when I was first married, I made myself a scarf, of quite odd proportions--very wide and very long. Then Kevin wanted me to make him a scarf. I didn't want to just knit back and forth, so I went to the library and looked around. All the adult books were just too complicated looking!

So I went to the children's section and found this book:


I brought it home and learned so very much! It was so easy to follow, and easy to understand.

Tonight I stopped by the library, and quickly browsed through the children's section. I found another book that is very good as well:


If you would like to knit, but don't know where to start, both of these books are great starting places! They aren't in depth, and the projects are geared towards children, but like I said, they are both great as a starting point. Don't be afraid of making mistakes! I've "frogged" many a project...(rip it, rip it).

Click here for a nifty website that has video clips to teach you how to knit.

Picture of books from amazon.com.

My pick for tonight...

I asked for suggestions on what YOU would like me to blog about--Not because I couldn't think of anything to say! I don't tend to run out of ideas for posting! I just thought it would be a fun change of pace.

One suggestion given was to tell something about growing up in a homeschool family.

And so, I give you:

RUSTY NAILS
My mom, sisters, brother, and I used to sit around the table, usually at lunch time, but sometimes dinner, and make up names for people. They were names that could feasibly be real names. We would sit and make up names, and laugh and laugh and laugh together. One of those names was "Rusty Nails". Some others? Bobby Pins, Fanny Pack, Ima Pig; oh, my mind is drawing a blank right now. We had a whole long list of names.

The object was not to make fun of real people. That wouldn't be nice at all! :D

We were having a good time together. Yeah, we kids fought and argued. What humans, when brought to live together, do NOT argue at some point in their lives? But you know what? When I look back at my years with my family, I remember with fondness how much laughing we did together. We laughed over the silliest things. Someone could say one syllable of a word, or say a word in a particular way, and our whole family would burst out laughing. Of course, others may have thought we were looney...

It is vitally important for families to spend time having fun together. My parents never did the Disneyland thing. (A side note: when my husband and I went to Disneyland a few years ago, I saw many, MANY kids crying everywhere we went! You can't buy happiness for your kids!) But we could have a blast together! I remember running through the yard with hoses/buckets/water balloons/watering cans/anything that could hold, water having a giant water fight. Now, that's the fun stuff! (Yes, our neighbors all stared as they drove by!)

I guess this post hasn't really been about homeschooling, but it is a lesson that I learned, all the same. My husband and I laugh together over our own set of jokes. We were both laughing quite hard over something just this evening. My husband tells me I'm "fun to be with." Lesson well learned!

~You tell me~

What should I blog about?

Just leave a topic in my comment box, and I'll pick through them later on tonight. And if you see this after tonight, you can still leave suggestions, and I'll save them for later!

I was inspired by Mrs. Blythe, as she has done this recently. (Doesn't that sound so much better than "I was a copycat!"???)

A Year of Color: Chestnut Brown

When I learned of the color for this week, I was sitting at my computer, wondering where I would find something chestnut brown. Then I looked up, and noticed the baseball stuff on the wall!

In color:


In sepia:


I think I like both pictures equally! I just discovered that my camera will take pictures in sepia, black and white, and many other ways as well!

The framed picture is of a baseball team that Kevin's great-grandfather was in.

Recipe Swap: Summer Salads

Summer is in full swing! Summer is the perfect weather for salads of any kind! If you have a favorite summer salad that you would like to share, post the recipe on your blog sometime this week, and e-mail me a link or comment in this post with your link. I'll be posting all the recipe links next Saturday evening!

Here's a salad I enjoyed tonight:
~*~ tomatoes from my garden ~*~ feta cheese ~*~ sweet basil from my garden ~*~
~*~ a small amount of vinagrette salad dressing ~*~


I got the idea for this salad from Lindsey. Thank you, Lindsey!

~Bowling Fun!~

We went bowling after work today. We happened to have a coupon for a free game, and we got in before 6 p.m., so each game was only $1.50 after that. We had a fun date together!

A question for you

Does anyone know of a good, wholesome magazine for pre-teen girls? One of my sisters is wanting to subscribe to a magazine. It's fun to get things in the mail! If you know of a magazine/newsletter, please post it here, or send me an e-mail. Thank you!

Is THAT good for you? A look at creamer

I normally don't post about "health food". However, food is an important part of our daily lives! It is vital to know what is going into our bodies! I wrote this post almost two months ago.

I had gotten into the habit of drinking coffee and tea with creamer and I realized after several months that I was feeling quite dull, headachy, and listless during the day. I started to wonder why I was feeling this way, and then I looked at the ingredient list on the creamer container!

Here are the ingredients in non-dairy creamer (just plain, no "special" flavors)
Corn syrup solids
Vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated coconut or palm kernel, canola, hydrogenated palm, soybean, cottonseed or safflower)
Sodium caseinate (a milk derivative)
Dipotassium phosphate (moderates coffee acidity)
Sodium aluminosilicate
Mono- and diglycerides (prevents oil separation)
Artificial flavor
Annatto color

There are only 10 caleries per serving, but the flavored varieties have many more ingredients and the caleries jump to 60 per serving.

The last time I visited our local health food store, I looked for a healthier alternative. I found powdered cream.

Ingredients:
Fat free dry milk
Vitamins A & D

There are only 7 caleries per serving.

Which sounds more appetizing to you? I made the switch from "fake" to "real" a few weeks ago, and I feel more alive and alert during the day!

Note: I've looked at the grocery store, and the only healthy alternative available is cream (liquid, in the refrigerator section). I don't wish to buy cream each week, so the powdered cream works the best for me!

And another note: Most of the time "fake" costs way less than "real". And yet, "real" is so much better for you that it's worth the extra cost. I noticed an immediate change in how I felt when I switched creamers!

How fast can you type?

I found this free typing test here, and took it recently. You have several options for the test. I did my best with the 1-minute test--76 words per minute and pretty decent accuracy. It's funny--I type all the time, and I thought I would be typing faster by now. In years gone by, I have clocked in at 90 wpm (forget about accuracy though! LOL)

So how fast can you type? Try it, it's fun!

Mmmm...Frappuccinos!

Caramel Frappuccino

Creative and expressive, you tend to match your Frappuccino flavor to your mood. And a flavored syrup is always a must!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

~A Year of Color: Sky Blue~

For this week's color challenge:

My bottle brush:


Our church steeple with blue skies and puffy white clouds in the background:

~Say what?~

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

10% Yankee

0% Dixie

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

So maybe some of the midwestern language is rubbing off on me but I will go to my grave saying "soda" NOT "pop". LOL

HT to Tori

~August already?~

Wow, this year sure has been flying by fast!

Today was hot, hot, hot! I'm so glad I didn't have to do anything out in the heat!

Because of the home tour I participated in, there were a few questions about my home, and I thought I'd answer them/comment on the comments tonight.

Is that your house in the header, too?
Yes, it sure is! The house on the very left is ours.

Mrs. Blythe, I thought it was funny that you commented on my blog without knowing it was me. :) You really went through a lot of houses that first day, because every house I "tour" I see a comment from you. :)

I love your sweet kitchen. It begs for pies to be made in it!
Besides pumpkin pies last Thanksgiving, I haven't made any pies. My kitchen usually begs me to just get the dishes finished before I go to bed. ;-)

I'm jealous! Your house is so clean and crisp! Please tell me this is just because you knew we would be stopping by for a visit!
Well, we had company the Saturday before, and I had gotten the house in tip-top condition, and had consciously kept up with the every day clutter. If you had visited my house about 10 minutes before I took the pictures, you would have seen a few things out of place and a few dishes on the counter. I try really hard to keep the living room and dining room clutter free any how, but it doesn't always look so tidy! Trust me. If you want proof of the fact that my house isn't always neat, go look at the pictures of me in my photo album. They are almost all outside - that was for a good reason! LOL

Is that a stained glass above your couch?
Yes, it is. There is an awning over the window that I would like to remove, so that the light will come through the window during the day. I do like it, but it makes it challenging to put pictures on the wall!

There were many comments about our wood floors. That was one of the selling points for us: that, and the front porch!

Picture above taken at work today.

~Hello~

Here's a button I made last night, using Adobe Photoshop:



Fun stuff! I made use of the "Help" index frequently!

It's located on my blog sidebar as a header for my project list...just scroll down if you want to see it again. *Grin*

I'm still enjoying the tour of homes, hosted by Boomama. My goodness, so many homes to see! Right now I'm on home #68, and there are 234 posted!

When we were looking for houses over a year ago, our realtor told us that the most houses he wanted to show us in one day was five. Otherwise, he said, they all blend together. I'm enjoying these home tours so much, and getting some lovely ideas and all, but I have to say a lot of the houses are blending together in my mind! I'm still planning on visiting them all though. It's way better than Better Homes and Gardens! These are real homes, not decked out by a photographer to look perfect!

I've resisted the temptation to add a "million-gazillion" blogs to my bloglines. However, one blog from the tour did make it onto my bloglines! *Grin*

I'll be back later on today! Have a great day!