Trick or Treat!

This year we only have two kids going out, as Zach finally decided that at 14 he's too old to trick-or-treat. I'm a little sad about it, but he's here helping me hand out (cough eat cough) candy and keeping me company while Mike takes the other kids out, so it's all good.

Let's see...we have a ghost pirate with an ax and a blue fairy with a brown wig. They're VERY excited.

We also carved a couple more pumpkins. Zach was in a hurry, so he did the basic smiling face. Drew took his time, carving a whole scene including a house, a cat, and a ghost lighting a candle. He did that for Baylee, by the way. That's what she said she wanted.

And finally, here's a short video I took of the kooks family right before they left tonight. It's kinda dark (Not in mood, but in actual lighting. Three of the four bulbs in the living room are burned out. Have you ever noticed that lightbulbs are one of those things you never remember to put on a grocery list? Anyway, it's the dim and cozy look!), but still fun.

Sue

I Mean for Pete's Sake. What Do They Mean by Harvesty???

So Baylee came home from Pioneer Girls with a flier announcing a harvest party. The catch is she can only dress in a "harvesty" costume. Harvesty? Are they for real right now? What the heck is that? A few weeks ago I bought her a blue fairy costume to go trick-or-treating in, and if I would've thought of it sooner I would've tried to push the idea on her to wear what I already spent money on and then carry a little pumpkin around and say stuff like, "I'm the Great Pumpkin Fairy!" She may have gone for it; she's impressionable that way. But no, we went to Goodwill and this was the only harvesty thing in the whole store. Not seeing any other options, I told her it was perfect.

Someday, when she's about 16 and looks back on this picture, I hope she forgives me.

Sue

PS: Here's a picture of our rooster with the resident pirate ghost. They do look kind of cute, don't they? (I'm guessing pirate ghosts aren't allowed at the harvest party, either.)

18.8 Miles

My goal was 20 miles today, but nope. When I used Google Earth to calculate it exactly I realized I was a bit short. I'm a little grumpy about it, too, truth be told. I need to get one of those thingies that attach to my bike and keep track of my mileage. I guess I shouldn't complain too much, though, because after 18.8 I was pretty much wiped out. I walked into the house, peeled off my shoes, sweatshirt, socks, and sweatpants (I had a t-shirt and biking shorts underneath.) and laid down on the carpet like a dead person. Then the company who happened to come over for a visit while I was gone walked into the room and saw me lying on my face in the middle of the floor. Awesome.

Oh well. Almost 19 miles isn't too shabby, I guess. I went into new territory today on the Interurban and somehow managed. See, here's the thing about the Interurban Trail: Once you get past a certain point it's pretty much the worst trail ever. At different points it peters out to nothing, drops you off in the middle of nowhere and then picks up later several streets away, makes use of very busy roads and intersections, and justifies it all with occasional signs with arrows giving you the general direction of where to go next. Sometimes the signs are turned the wrong way and sometimes they're totally knocked flat on the ground. Now, for someone like Mike, that's fine. For someone like me who can't find my way out of a paper bag under the best of circumstances, that makes for an interesting ride. I felt like Lewis and Clark, forging my way through the uncharted wilderness. Unlike Lewis and Clark, though, I had a cell phone, which I had to use three times to call Mike with, "[sigh] I'm lost again."

Next time will be better. I think.

Sue

Heh heh.

A very fun way to drive your conservative, politics-obsessed husband crazy:

Him: Are you going to vote in the elections coming up?
Me: Depends.
Him: On?
Me: On if Goodspaceguy Nelson is running this year. I'd go to vote for him, but that's about it.

*still giggling to myself*


Sue

The Inattentive Mom Strikes Again

Okay, so I guess there is a downside to shopping at Goodwill. The other day I went and got several winter things for Drew and I thought I did a pretty good job. I even scored this burgundy sweatshirt that says Issaquah Middle School on it. I mean, Drew is middle school aged, right? It fits him perfectly and looks cute.

Then he turned around.

Shoot. Oh well, close enough.


Sue

And the Answer Is...

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

How In the World???

Take a guess: Which kid did this and how?

Something So Cool!

Today was pretty blah for the most part, and then I reluctantly went to my Weight Watchers meeting. I wasn't feeling it, that's for sure, because I knew the news would be only okay at best. (Thai food served family style with a table of great friends at an amazing restaurant is absolutely wonderful for the soul, but not great for the diet.) I sucked it up, though, and went anyway.

I'm so glad I did! First of all, when my leader Linda saw me she made a point to ask how my bike riding is going. That was so nice! I've sat under several WW leaders over the years, and Linda is BY FAR the most caring one of them all. She listens and remembers.

Then during the meeting she opened it up, as she often does, for issues anyone in the group is having with which they want help. Of course, Linda does her best to answer, but she also lets everyone chime in with advice. I decided to get really nitty-gritty honest and talk about a pattern I've noticed in myself. It seems like every ten pounds or so I hit a wall where something in me goes, "I cannot go on. I can't find it in me to keep doing what it takes to make this happen." And I stay in one spot. The first time it happened, after I lost about 10 pounds, I hovered for around a week and then moved on. The second time, at 20 pounds, I hovered for two weeks. This last time, at 35 pounds give or take, it's been me staying in one place for 3 or 4 months now. The good news is I don't really gain; the bad news is I don't lose either. Anyway, so I opened up and talked about this with the group, and I was so surprised by the number of people who said they knew exactly what I meant and have found themselves dealing with the same thing at different points in their journeys. That was good to hear! It was also good to hear that, really, the only way out of it is to dig deep, to make a decision to go for a goal that's not just good, but great. And they reassured me that losing weight slowly and truly coming to grips with each new plateau I find myself on is actually a good, healthy thing. It means I'm owning it as I go.

And finally, the best part of the night happened after I left the building and was walking out to my car. My leader Linda ran out of the building calling my name. She said she wants to go out for coffee! We exchanged emails and phone numbers and talked a bit. She's big into biking and has done several triathlons. She wants to talk with me about getting me ready for the STP and she wants to loan me her bike trainer! (That's a thing you hook your bike up to, which turns it into an indoor, stationary bike. It's so that you can continue to train even when the weather is bad outside.) Another thing that came up as we were standing there talking is that she does drama in churches. Is that weird or what? We have a lot in common.

So! Wow! Tonight was such a blessing all the way around! It was the kick in the pants I needed in more ways than one.

Sue

Autumn from a Bike Seat

I went for a 15 mile ride today. Man, what a great way to enjoy the cool, crisp, fall weather! It was so beautiful out I found myself meandering a bit and stopping to take a few pictures with my cell phone. I did get a pretty good workout, though.

Here's some autumn beauty along my route:

This is one of the signs for the trail along with the rules for its use. The trail used to be trolley tracks back in the day.

It passes this peaceful cemetery. It think it's so pretty.



A lonely stretch. There weren't many people out today.



A sculpture in a park near the trail. I looked at the sign to see what its name is, but now I can't remember. Something about movement.



A quiet little pond with ducks



This is on the street now. It's a picture of the gorgeous red trees in front of our neighborhood elementary school.



And here's another street I snapped just because I thought it was colorful. It makes me miss Michigan a little bit. It was fun riding through the fallen leaves.

Sue

Something Even Grosser to Look at Than That 50 Foot Snake

My poor guy cut his hand with a box knife at work today. No, not Mike. Zach. But Mike was the one who took Zach to the urgent care center where he had his thumb glued back together. It's a 13 mile trip that took them 2 hours in Seattle's Friday night rush hour traffic, and when they got there they had to wait another 3 hours to be seen. Anyway, all's well that ends well. They're home now and Zach is okay. Here are some pictures. I'll walk you through it slowly, because it's grisly.

Just to relax you before we start, here's a picture of a science experiment we're doing on plants and how they're almost completely self-sufficient. They can live in a sealed jar as long as they have access to sunlight.

Feeling okay? Good. Now we'll add a person to the mix. Not Zach. You're not ready for that yet. This is Baylee doing cursive. She's good at it!

Still with me? Wow, you're a trooper! Now we'll ramp it up a bit. Here's Zach's smiling face and his glued hand, but the hand is seen from a distance.

Deep breath. Here's the hand up close.

How are you doing? Not sick yet, I hope? Don't feel like you need to lie down? Great! Because those of you who are squeamish should stop reading. Seriously. This next picture is gross. I'll even scroll down to give you a chance to get away unscathed.






Are you sure you want to see this? It's not too late to turn back!







Okay, you asked for it!

I told you it was disgusting!


Sue

It Happened in Church

Someone posted this on a forum I'm a member of and I think it's too good not to share.


At the Sunday morning church service, the minister asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express praise for answered prayers.

A lady stood and walked to the podium. She said, "I have Praise. Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was terrible, and the doctors didn't know if they could help him."

You could hear a muffled gasp from all the men in the congregation as they imagined the pain that poor Tom must have experienced.

"Tom was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every movement caused him terrible pain. We prayed as the doctors performed a very delicate operation, which lasted for over five hours, and it turned out they were able to piece together the crushed remnants of Tom's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it in place."

Again, the men in the congregation were unnerved and squirmed uncomfortably as they imagined the horrible surgery that was performed on Tom.

"Now," she announced in a quavering voice, "thank the Lord, after six weeks, Tom is now out of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should recover completely."

All the men sighed with relief.

The minister rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to say.

A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium. He said, "I'm Tom."

The entire congregation held its breath.

"I just want to tell my wife that the word is sternum."

The World's Largest Dead Snake

Mostly Drew

Something funny from Facebook.

Drew's pumpkin lit at night.

You know you're addicted to the guitar when you're playing it while you watch TV. Or is it you know you're addicted to the TV when you're watching it while playing the guitar?

Drew borrowed an electric guitar. May God have mercy on our souls ears.

Sue

A Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY... October 12, 2009

Outside my window... it's chilly and gray.

I am thinking... that I need to clean the house. It's a mess after a crazy, fun weekend. Drew was gone to Patty's all weekend, Zach spent Friday night at Jacob's house and Saturday night at Brannon's, and Baylee spent Saturday night at her friend Lily's place. That meant Mike and I actually had one night with no kids. It was wonderful! But somehow even with fewer people around it's still a disaster today.

I am thankful for... seeing old friends unexpectedly at church on Sunday. Mike and I have friends from our old church in MI who happened to be at our new church here in WA to raise money for their next 3 years out on the mission field. It was fun to catch up with them.

I am wearing... jeans, blue and cream rag socks (Love these. They're my new favorite kind of socks.), and a white t-shirt under a yellowish orange hoodie that says "Seattle Public Market" on it.

I am remembering... the night we played Sardines at my old church, and I was hiding in a pitch black furnace room with Dan and Mary Sue, the missionaries we saw on Sunday. LOL Good times.

I am going... out for dinner with Mike and two other couples on Saturday night. I can't wait.

I am reading... Drums of Autumn, the 4th book in the Outlander series.

I am hoping... to get new contacts in the next day or so. I ripped one, so for now I'm back in glasses.

On my mind... the STP! I've been researching it quite a bit and the more I read the more excited I'm getting.

From the learning rooms... we're taking the day off, because Baylee has a cold and Drew was gone half the day. I asked Zach if he wanted to do school alone and for some reason he wasn't interested.

From the kitchen... not sure. Maybe pork chops?

Around the house... there's the sound of the dryer doing another load of weekend laundry.

One of my favorite things... caramel apples.

From my picture journal...

Drew made this!

To see the Daybooks of others, join Peggy at her blog here.


Sue

Just a Quickie

I want to check in really quickly to say that Baylee got the part of Gabrielle in The Three Trees! I'm really excited for her, as this will be her biggest role to date and it includes a solo. Actually, I've known for a week that she got that part, because...ahem...I gave it to her. I did the auditions and handed out the parts. It was a little awkward; I won't lie. When Baylee decided she wanted the part of Gabrielle I naturally helped her with it, then she went into the try-outs and did the best job of any little girl who tried for that role. Even though it seems sort of logical and obvious that she would get the part, it wasn't that easy for me. For several days I wrestled with it, in fact. In the end I realized she earned it on her own, and she can be proud of herself and I can be proud of her, too. The show is in May!

Sue

The Ice Caves!

Today Zach, Mike, and I went with our good friends to see the ice caves up in the Cascade Mountains. It was such a gorgeous fall day for it, too! Drew had to miss it because he's spending the weekend with Gramma, and Baylee decided she'd rather hang out with her friend Lily than go traipsing around on mountain trails. (She's not really the hiking type. She's more the, "Daddy, give me a piggyback ride!" type.) Even with half our family gone we had a great time. We saw the most gorgeous, remote lake called Lake Kelcema, and I was able to take Scott and Angie's family Christmas card picture there. Then we had a picnic lunch and continued on to the ice caves. These are caves formed when water melts a hole in the bottom of a glacier.They're pretty darn cool. Unfortunately, they're also unsafe, so it's against the law to climb on or in the caves. I got some neat pictures from near the mouth, though.

I think the thing I like the best about these pictures is they capture the type of friendship we have with Angie and Scott. Angie and I are chatty and we laugh a lot, and she's always game for the dumb ideas I have for her to do (like pose for a picture on an outhouse toilet or climb under a fallen tree), while Scott and Mike are both quiet, calm, in charge types. They just shake their heads at us a lot.

Check it out!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wow.

I just stumbled upon a blog called Production Not Reproduction, and this is the entry she has up there right now: Boundaries.

Wow. That has got to be the best treatment of the subject of privacy and blogging I've ever read. I can relate to everything she said, except maybe the part about respecting "first families" of adopted children. I totally get writing as if everyone I know is or at some point will be reading, and I have to tell you it makes me think twice. There's much I choose never to discuss, which you'd think would make me feel very safe, but in reality makes me feel a little...insecure. It makes me wonder if what I do here is in some way "less," when the blogosphere as a whole values openness. There's a general feeling out there that the more you're willing to share, the better your blog is.

The thing is, somebody has to pay for that openness. It might not be the author of the blog; it might be her kids or someone at her church or her great-aunt Gertrude. Somewhere along the line discussing real life comes at a cost to someone's privacy at best, and someone's pride and good name at worst. I admit, sometimes I walk on the edge. Maybe sometimes I even put a toe over the edge. Respecting privacy (my own and that of others) while at the same time writing anything worth reading can be a hard balance to strike.

This has been on my mind lately for different reasons, one of which I talked about a couple posts ago. Another reason is that among some blogging circles there's an award being passed around for honesty. Yes, I know. Those things are silly and don't mean diddly squat. It got me thinking, though, that I'll probably never receive that particular award because I don't think I'm what some would consider honest. I'm not an open book here. I don't share the good, the bad, and the ugly. There's a lot you don't know about me if all you know is what you see here. That's the way it has to be and I get that. This isn't an anonymous blog, so writing it comes with certain responsibilities. Still, it rankles a little that I may come across as superficial. Oh well. I guess somehow I'll survive not getting that award and being able to thank the little people who made it all possible.

I do suggest you go read the post I linked. It's a good one.

Sue

The Day in Pictures...Sort Of

It's not really the whole day. It's actually just the morning.

Today, out of the blue, Drew told me a story about something that happened during his brief stint in charter school in third grade. One day his teacher assigned a big home project: All the kids had to do a special...something....whatever sort of presentation they wanted...on an animal of their choice. I remember Drew did dolphins and he made a diorama. Anyway, according to Drew's story, about two weeks after the teacher first gave the assignment she went around the classroom asking all the kids to let her know which animal they'd chosen. One kid announced he was studying ligers. At this point Drew had to stop because he was laughing so hard. I love it when he laughs like that; it's so genuine and infectious. Needless to say that poor kid had to pick a different animal. I guess old Mrs. Cottingham didn't have an appreciation for the fine cinema that is Napoleon Dynamite.

Here's Drew not doing a project on ligers.

Here's Baylee at her desk, the toilet. She wasn't kidding when she said she wanted to work right by me as I was putting on my make-up and doing my hair.

A little later she went outside to hang up the birdfeeder she made at Pioneer Girls. I just thought she looked cute out there.

And finally, here's Zach making a model of a DNA molecule. I forced him to smile. In all honesty, he's frustrated and fed up with beads and pipe cleaners. Crafts aren't his thing (They're not mine, either.), but the science book insisted he needed to make a model in order to fully grasp the intricate double helix.

Somehow I have my doubts about that.

Sue

Fall Is...

Snuggling with a sibling early in the morning, trying to decide how to decorate a pumpkin with your cool new carving kit.

I feel like a sailor in a boat with a leak.

Slowly but surely I'm coming to realize that for the most part Bob Jones curriculum doesn't work for Zach. It's nothing against BJU, either. (Well, except for that horrible American history.) I really like it for my other two kids. It's just it doesn't work well at all for Zach's unique needs. So...

Today I decided to toss English overboard. It makes no sense to keep on doing something that he's just not getting. I don't know exactly why he's not getting it, since we covered all the same stuff last year in Easy Grammar Plus, but the fact is he's acting like it's a foreign language. The wasted money aspect of this is seriously bumming me out; then again getting to the end of the year and having nothing to show for it in terms of what he's learned would be worse. Today I literally chucked the BJU consumable workbook in the garbage and ordered Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum, English I. It's meant for 9th graders, but I figure we can work through it slowly this year and next. From what I read on the PAC website, this might be (I hope!) just what Zach needs. I'm not usually so flaky once I decide on a curriculum and start using it, but there's a lesson to be learned here: Don't make a decision based on someone offering the free use of their old books. Ugh. Lesson learned.

Speaking of unique needs and other delicate things, sometimes it can be hard to write a family blog, because sometimes the things you want to talk about, the things that really matter, are too private. Zach has asked me not to talk about his dyslexia anymore, and for as long as he feels that way I'll respect his wishes. This will probably be the last time I ever mention it here. I do want to say, though, that as of August we've stopped using the Learning and Language Clinic. It wasn't our decision. The powers that be at the clinic decided to drop all of the students who either received financial aid or were on an extended payment plan, and we were one of those families on an extended payment plan. I'm sad, but I don't blame them at all. The economy is bad and they have a business to run. Luckily, in the year Zach was able to be there he learned a ton, so we have that solid foundation upon which to build.

Sue

Are You Smarter Than a Fruitfly?

Because apparently I'm not. The little guys aren't dying in my homemade trap. They're going in, swimming around in the apple cider vinegar awhile, then crawling out and leaving. What's up with that? I think I need to go back and reread that getting rid of fruitflies website. I seem to vaguely remember it saying something about dish soap that I totally ignored.

In other news, Mike and I decided to do something HUGE. We decided to enter the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride 2010! It's a 200 miles trip done over 2 days by 10,000 participants. I can't believe we're going to attempt it, but we have until July to get ready. For me that means several stages of work:

1. Get down to the bottom of my healthy weight range. For quite awhile now I've been hovering in the middle, but for this I'm motivated to push forward. I mean downward. Whatever. I just need to be carrying around less junk in my trunk weight on my bike.

2. Start exercising regularly, like pretty much every day.

3. In March start a biking regimen where I build up mileage.

And finally, totally beside any point, isn't this a nice picture? It's so fall-ish.

Sue

One of Those Things I Shouldn't Admit

What do you get when you have a boy and a girl about three years apart? You get this:

"Baylee, you're my BFF. Butt face forever."

I'd be mad, but it reminds me a little too much of how it was with my brother and me, also three years apart in age.


Sue

Such a Gorgeous Saturday!

This is my favorite kind of weekend: The kind that's both relaxing and constructive at the same time. We've got two extra kids here, which is both fun for our kids and nice for Mike and me, because it's a chance to pay their parents back. (They watched Drew and Baylee overnight when Mike had to drive me and Zach to the airport so early a couple weeks ago.) So far the five kids have played video games, gone swimming at the community pool, had a movie night with popcorn and rootbeer floats, played kickball outside, gone to 7-11 for Slurpees (Zach's treat even! He's Mr. Moneybags now that he has a job.), and gone to the park. I think they're having a good time. Meanwhile, Mike and I are mostly home all weekend, so we've been able to hold down the fort and keep it pretty neat and clean in here, despite the extra goings on. Not to mention it's fall and the weather is crisp and sunny and gorgeous!

Oh, and one more cool thing. The book I ordered from the library to look at as a possibility for Zach's American history this year came in. It's the first book in the A History of Us series, called The First Americans. I love it! I'm so excited to go through this series this year! It's extremely engaging, very readable, and it seems to really bring history to life. Plus I'm happy because each book in the series comes with a list of other related books you might want to read, both fiction and nonfiction. I plan to have Zach take advantage of that, and have already put a few good ones on hold for him.

Hope your weekend is going well, too!

Sitting on the couch eating rootbeer floats and watching Inkheart.

You want to see something cute? This is a picture of all those same kids (except Baylee), taken 6 or 7 years ago.

Sitting on the couch eating dry froot loops and watching Arthur.

Sue

"Getting Lost"

Today in school Drew had to write a "personal narrative." He chose to talk about the time he almost gave Mike a heart attack. Here's what he said:

"Getting Lost"

One time I was at my grandma's for a visit and I decided to go hiking, so I did with my cousin, Alex. We found one cool trail, which led to another, which led to another and so on. Eventually we wanted to go home, but we couldn't find our way back. Woods surrounded us and we couldn't see very far. We went tons of ways. We thought we saw a house, but it was nothing. We were lost and thought we were going to die. We were in no man's property, we were getting hungry, and were very, very scared, because we were miles away from home. I said to Alex, "I wish we were home," and then I decided to go just one direction that would lead to something if I was careful not to let my dominant foot make me go in circles. I decided to take the risk.

Alex and I were losing confidence and we had to walk through sticker bushes almost the whole way. It was terrible. We got cuts everywhere and were soaking wet and crying, but the crying stopped when we saw a fence. We climbed the fence and noticed horses everywhere. I went over the gate and Alex went under it, and we walked down a big alley. We found houses and went door to door until we found someone home. We said, "We're lost and we need to use your phone." We were so dirty that the man used it for us instead. I told him my dad's cell phone number and he called it. We went inside and sat down and eventually my dad picked us up. He was happy because he was about three minutes from calling the police, but I was even happier. I learned not to wander off ever again.

I made him write that last part. The truth is he couldn't think of a single thing that he learned from the experience. And what's up with that whole "dominant foot" thing? I'm picturing him stumping around in circles, like the time I tried to use a rowboat. Anyhow, he's very eleven and very boy, and sometimes he drives me crazy, but what the heck. He makes me laugh.

Sue

Experiments in Craziness

Today was an experiment day for both Drew and Zach. Drew's was on making solutions. It went great. In the end he had an egg floating both on top of a salt water solution and at the bottom of fresh water at the same time. It made it so the egg hung suspended halfway down in a mug.

Zach's experiment was on oxygen and fire and...well...you can see for yourself how it goes. In my defense, I couldn't see well during the grand finale, because the label of the pickle jar was blocking my view. I thought the whole thing was a dud, when really it worked as well as it was supposed to. It just goes to show, though, how crazy things can get around here sometimes. There are two videos, as the experiment has two parts.

Sue