Saturday rambling thoughts

Social-networking sites share breaking news - did you know that minutes after the US Airwaves crash this month into the Hudson river, a photo of the plane floating in the river was uploaded to twitter? We live in such an interesting, changing age; our ways of getting news and even socializing are being changed. I'm wondering readers, do you use social networking sites such as facebook and twitter? Do you think our generation is slower to jump onto new modes of communicating?
-And, do you view these social networking sites at the modern version of the watering hole...or as the beginning of societal demise?

I am a facebook loser over at Motherwise cracks

The blog of 'Unnecessary" Quotation marks - it just feeds "something" in my soul...ha!

Finally, we have finally joined the ranks of '24' viewers...and we finally understand what all the excitement is about. We started episode 1 this week, we are renting from netflix..and I have to say, we are addicted. Too many nights up late watching this, blogging friends...

And, no, I am not getting a 24 shirt...

weather report

We are having some crazy weather here in Southern California! You won't believe it, but it was actually 90 degrees here in Orange County. We live in an area that experiences an event called "The Santa Ana winds", these winds are pretty blustery and blow in from the desert, bringing warm, dry air with them.

I have always lived here, so I am used to them...but as an adult I don't find them as fun as I did as a child. Now, I go to bed and listen to things bang around and worry. As a homeowner I worry about fences falling over and trees falling on my car or house. They pick up in intensity at night, making it hard to sleep.


They blow in for a few hours, then stop for a few hours, then pick up again. The hours in between are kind of nice, but strange.

Sky and the kids went bike riding to Barnes & Nobles on Sunday. It is so hard for my mind to wrap around the fact that much of the country is locked in snow right now...

Yesterday I took Josie to the Orange Circle for a bagel and to sit outside. It was actually too hot to sit in the sun... Here is one of my favorite buildings at the circle, it is a bank building and has a Starbucks inside, though I've never been inside...because there is another Starbucks across the street! Chapman college is down the street, hence the many coffee shops. The orange circle has been used in several movies, off the top of my head, "That thing you do" -my mil's favorite coffee shop from her youth was featured in it...and "First Daughter" had several scenes done here.

Stay warm bloggy friends!

company is overrated

Fish and company may spoil in three days; but company in general, and company of the male, large-shoe/big of voice variety in specific- brings out all the disdain that our cat, Oliver can muster.

When we have the college boys over for dinner on Sunday nights, Oliver hies his way outdoors.

Company during the winter Bible conference is specially unappreciated.

This year, Oliver hid out in my room. We placed his favorite blanket on my bed to invite him to bide...


On this particular day, Oliver appeared at the back door for breakfast around 8 A.M. and then made himself cozy on my bed.

3 hours plus later, at 11:30 A.M. found little change.

2 P.M. we found a change in position


4:00 P.M. he is still contemplating world affairs deeply.

My flash finally caused him to lift an eyelid...

he decided it was time for supper...

and then he went out for an evening constitutional.

I might not have believed it, if I hadn't chronicled it.

He blinks upon the hearth-rug,
and yawns in deep content,
accepting all the comforts
that Providence has sent.

Louder he purrs, and louder,
in one glad hymn of praise
for all the night's adventures,
for quiet, restful days.

Alexander Gray

Action!


Okay, first order of business...isn't my new camera awesome?! This is a shot I could not have captured with my old camera...the shutter was one of the delayed ones.

Did I tell you all that I looove my new Nikon D80? Thank you Sky!!

So...how is your New Year's so far? Have you broken any of your resolutions? All of them? Canceled some of them and made new ones?

I ignored all of mine for a few days, because as a Bridgette Jone's homeschool mom...my New Year didn't start until Monday- that would be January 5th. And, I have to confess that this is my second New Year's, because as a homeschool mom...in my mind my New Year is the new school year in the fall. So, for a procrastinator like myself, it works out rather well. I start my new year in the fall, and then in January I get a do-over!

Well, my exercise "intentions" are going well- I have been walking/running almost everyday, and to further my intention of taking my yoga practice to a 5 day practice, I signed up for a membership at a local yoga studio. It was a really, really good deal- I would save money by only going once a week. Yesterday I went to a yoga class. I have to say..."ouch".

Amy over at Amy's Humble Musings is hosting a 12 week challenge group...go on over for some encouragement, I think she is going to start up a separate blog for the group. I've lost a 1/2 lb so far..but I keep losing and gaining the same couple of lbs, so I am not celebrating yet. I have this problem with Sky and I liking to go out for dinner once a week...which we did last night, not good for one's dieting efforts!

Homeschool rocked yesterday! It rocked because I wrote out a plan of what I wanted to cover this week, and then I wrote out a plan for the day. And I didn't get onto the computer at all yesterday...that helped, too- not that I want to contemplate that much. Very much.

I was amazed that it rocked so much, even after I had to take out a chunk of time for my yoga class, and then a chunk of time to take Teddy for his meeting with his special ed teacher. I think it rocked because I knew I had to accomplish much in between those two appointments.

How is your New Year going, bloggy friends?
(going to sign off now, so I can keep on with the rocking thing..)

around the house


We began the week before our week-long Bible conference with our house-guests arriving on staggered days. I took the home-school gang out for skate-board-park-day, which we wrapped up over at Border's bookstore.

House-guests Phillip from Boston and Erin from Oregon like to read, too- so it was all good, all around. Our bonus student, Teddy is front and right.

Christmas Eve found us at the ice-rink!

Here are Demi-Sky and Amie.

Sigh, the photo is a little blurry, still trying to learn how to use my new awesome camera...

Demi was the natural out on the ice, Amie was just plain determined, as usual!

Late night Inn & Out Burger run!!
It is after 10 p.m at least, when everyone returns from the meetings. We then all proceed (even the kids) to stay up too late talking, snacking, playing fooz-ball, facebook-booking. Our friends Jona and Paul determined that the nearest Inn & Out from their town in Washington State is roughly a 15 hour drive...so they had to get it all in before they left. Our house-guests, Jonah, Paul, Phillip, Jenna, Erin and Evan.

Meals were a big consideration, we had breakfast at 8 followed by a study time from 9 to 12...sometimes we would have extras for breakfast and study time. We would take a study break in-between, then resume and have lunch. Because we have to take a sack-dinner to the meeting, we reversed the big meal to lunch time and had sandwiches for dinner.

Here is sky working on the sandwiches
for everyone to take to the meeting.


Sky's Grandmother celebrated her 90th Birthday this month, and Sky's mom planned a surprise party for her. Here are all the relatives waiting in the front yard for Grandma to arrive. We are a big bunch!

The week was very jammed-packed for us!

Beauty school drop-out

I headed to the mall today. The mission: to buy some Clinique moisturizer. I had to have a mission, because I avoid the Christmas-time mall like the plague.

The winter weather is doing a number on me..I like clinique, it's a little un-exciting, and yes, I've been using it since high school..but it gets the job done, and is not alarmingly expensive. A girl on the other *cough* side of 20...or 30...*cough*, does need to start paying attention to her upkeep; sooo, I decided to purchase a night cream, or whatever extra special stuff they have for this dry weather, and maybe a jar of that nice eye cream I had a sample of months ago.
Upkeep girls, gotta invest a little in the upkeep...!

The man behind the counter (yes-man!) corralled together my dramatically different lotion, ($24) and then found the night cream I requested and then the "anti-gravity eye cream"
...with a name like that, how could I NOT get it?!!

....and then he rung up my purchase and it came to:

-One hundred and a few more dollars.

Now, the Clinque man already had me a little disarmed, he was not the petite, dressed in black, guy-friend- wearing some eyeshadow-make-up guy I see quite often at the M.A.C. counter...you know that guy, he's fun and your best-friend, and given the chance he will give you advice or even a make-over to make you bee-u-ti-full, 'girl-friend'! No, the Clinque man was quite tall, and had a beard, and no eyeshadow. I'm trying to re-evaluate our relationship here and adjust myself to getting moisterizer recommends from a guy with a beard. He has a beard!!

He rings me up, the total of which makes me feel a little dizzy...and then he goes in for the kill:

Looking at my face, he squints and asks, "do you need some lip moisturizer, too?"

And yes, my lips are a little bit cracked. But I don't need Clinque- man, who throws me a little off-kilter, to comment on the sad state of my lips. Was that a sales ploy or a veiled critique? I truly don't know. And now I am slightly paranoid. Does bearded Clinique-man think I look bad? Does he know some beauty secret I am bareft without? Will he recommend the lip moistureizer that will solve all my problems?

But, thank-you-very-much...after spending One Hundred and a few dollars on moisturizer;

One Hundred and a few dollars...

I will stick to the Burt's Bees lip gloss in my purse.

And, "umm-mmm, don't you be going there with me, honey...umm-mmm!" (insert sassy finger wave in the face here)

I only thought that part, I am after all, crispy white toast girl and have never actually tried that move.

I did attempt it for Sky when I told him the story.

"nice finger wave thing, Jen!" he said with admiration and surprise...

ummm-mmm, don't even go there with me...

I'm so busy I forgot what I was going to say

I have been so busy this week, but then again, I'm sure all of you have been really busy, too! We had our annual Bible conference (called the Winter training)-it's a week long conference, kind of a mini-intense-Bible school, and people come from all over the U.S. and from all over the world to attend. We had 7 people stay with us this year. This time, they were all recent Bible college graduates we know through having them in our home for dinners. We had a wonderful time with them, we only have 2 left with us today, but the house is strewn with mattresses and bedding and laundry!!!

Sky's mom hosted a very big surprise birthday party for his grandmother's 90th birthday. Most of the grandmother's children went on to have very large families (Sky is from a family of 7 kids) so we were a very big group, I don't even know how many great-grandchildren were running around. It was really neat to see all of the cousins that we only see every few years. Most of them arrived in time for Christmas Eve, when we enjoy Grandma's home-made tamales...it was really a nice week.

We went ice-skating at a birthday party on Christmas Eve, the kids had a blast, and I even got out there. Meg went on a trail-ride that day.

I have taken lots and lots of photos with my new camera...but I don't know how to upload them yet!! Photos coming soon...as soon as Sky has the time to show me what to do...

It has been unusually cold here in Orange County, a few evenings ago I noticed it was 42 degrees as we were driving back from (where else?...) Barnes & Nobles. For us, this is very cold- I never see it dip lower than the 50's(and that at night). I went out and ran/walked...(more walked) in it, which wasn't bad for only a few minutes and all bundled up, but I am really glad that I do not live where it snows. I'm a wimp, I know...

I just finished reading Guinevere's gift by Nancy McKenzie, which is part of a series. (Meg received the book as a gift and I promptly high-jacked it.) It was really a superior book, very well written and a very good story with very like-able characters. I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Last but not least, how could I forget? Our credit card number was stolen about a week before Christmas!! Someone charged $15,000 on it -in one transaction!! The card company caught it right away and froze our account, we actually spotted a problem a week before with 2 small transactions in another country and called them about it right away.

So, they froze our account...a few weeks before Christmas. We only keep one credit card.

Even though we don't celebrate Christmas, we still do quite a bit of celebrating with the grandparents. I am a procrastinator. You can see where this is going..., I still had most of the gifts I was planning to buy, un-purchased. Since we also usually have a lot of company during that week, and we need to buy an obscene amount of food...we like to keep our checking account unfettered and put the gifts on the card to deal with later. It was all just a little bit messy and very annoying. We ended up taking the gift money out of savings and we will just put it back next month. Which, philosophically is wiser...but it was still annoying.

My new card arrived yesterday...can't wait to break it in (insert evil grin here...)!

Wishing all my bloggy friends much peace and joy this week!