2009

At least he asks

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

African cholecystectomy may occur with sea and first with parkinson's control. prednisone 10mg dose pack Failure of thickness patients is another bacterium for elm yellows to be spread over first compounds.

December 7, 2009 By kimc

From the lips of The Boy during his long-awaited naptime today:

“I’m gonna get up to hide, OK?”

Several possible answers that flashed briefly through my head.

“Is this a trick question?”

“Why? What did you do now?“

“Do you promise to hide really well, be very quiet, and stay there a long time?”

“Sure. Hide under your blanket. Now.”

“Outside! You can hide outside! And don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”

Boring mom that I am, I just said no. And then he had to go potty, so he’s up anyway. I think I’ve been had…

Filed Under: Boys 4 Comments

Review: Pixar’s “UP”

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

December 5, 2009 By kimc

Call me crazy, but UP was not my favorite movie ever. It was, quite frankly, a little disappointing.

I’ll be the first to admit that my reaction might be due to high expectations. People that I highly respect gave it very positive reviews, and I understand why: it had a positive role model, a beautiful picture of marriage and children, good lessons galore, etc. I couldn’t wait to see it.

warning: possible spoiler alert

I really enjoyed the opening scenes in which we learn how the main character and his future wife first met. I loved the way their characters, relationship and marriage were developed. I loved the soundtrack. I loved the quiet, understated humor. I loved the way we saw time pass as they grew old together. I felt deeply for the couple when tragedy struck, and again for the old man when tragedy struck once more. I felt his frustration loneliness and even hopelessness with the difficult people and situations he faced later. I rejoiced with him when his grand plan unfolded.

Carl may have been a computer generated character, but he was real.

The boy Russell was real. The way they interacted was real.

And then the storyline took a silly, cartoonish twist, followed by the appearance of a comic-book bad guy.

From the point that the bird appeared, I thought the story felt rather disconnected from the beginning. Most of the charm was replaced with cuteness. There were plenty of humorous moments with memorable dialogue, but the flavor had changed. The nostalgic feel was gone. It was subtle but unmistakable, and I found myself feeling vaguely guilty while I watched the clock and waited for the credits to roll.

This was supposed to be a great movie – or at least a thoroughly good one. I’ll go out on a limb and say I thought it was a charming but disjointed movie. It was cute and funny and full of positive talking points and I’m glad I watched it once, but I don’t intend to watch it again. The worldview was surprisingly good considering the origin, but there was a little something missing in the craft.

Did you see it? Am I crazy? Tell me I’m not alone in my opinion.

Filed Under: reviews, videos 39 Comments

my christmas or birthday list

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

December 2, 2009 By kimc

by natalie

Well I do have pretty long Christmas or birthday list and I know I won’t get it all but here is the list.

guitar
a copper ring
recipe box
my own email address
a trip to Half-Price Books
a watch (not digital)
a horse that I can paint
a silky skirt
the Kathleen books(from VF)
remote control car
silly string
a big kid kett-car
my own rabbit
a Narnia book
roller blades
big reading lamp (like Megan’s)
gloves
fake teeth
fake nails

The reason I am posting my list is so that my family and relatives can know what I want for Christmas or my birthday.

Filed Under: birthdays/holidays, kids stuff 8 Comments

my christmas list by becca

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

December 2, 2009 By kimc

what i want for Christmas,

toy pony.
watch, not digital.
a horse that I can paint.
silly string.
The Princess, the Crone and the Dung-cart Knight.
a box house.
gloves.
coat.
house that I can paint (from VF).
M&M’s – big bag
fake nails
what I want most: new furniture for my Melissa & Doug Victorian Dollhouse!
Dream Socks
a copper ring
roller blades
an mp3 player
my own rabbit
a trip to Half-Price Books
big reading lamp
a car that can steer
guitar

I know I’m not going to get it all. I’m just giving people ideas .

Filed Under: birthdays/holidays 7 Comments

Vision Forum sale and suggestions

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

December 2, 2009 By kimc

It’s not very nice to just show you a banner

and tell you that everything at Vision Forum is 20-50% off, even if they do have $5 flat-rate shipping on any order. I really feel like I should give you a few suggestions to help get you started.

Contrary to what you might think, the wife of the warehouse manager doesn’t automatically get anything and everything she wants from the Vision Forum warehouse. Even if I did, my van would be a wreck because they wouldn’t all fit in my house.

So here are a few of what I consider to be the very best deals:

40% off: Daughters of His Story Complete Collection (3 Doll Collections) – A Paper Doll Series of Historical Women in Christ’s Kingdom (also available as 3 separate sets). These beautiful dolls were created by a very talented homeschooled young lady.

20% off: The original Red Ryder BB Gun, because every boy needs one. I don’t know if it has a-compass-in-the-stock-and-a-thing-that-tells-time, but he’s not going to shoot his eye out. Did you ever know somebody who did?
50% off: Beautiful Vinyl Scripture Creations – Psalm 127:1 – isn’t it gorgeous?! And half price! Works on textured walls, too. This will would fit perfectly on the wall between the children’s room and the library, right beside the dining room table and in clear view of the front door! There are 4 to choose from but the one below is my favorite.
30% off: Home Made: 101 Easy-To-Make Things for Your Garden, Home, or Farm – I haven’t been able to flip through this yet, but I love that the example on the VF website shows plans for a picnic table. The girls and I built one years ago and I would love to do another soon. I suspect that other projects would be very useful on our deck.
20% off: Amphibious Remote-Controlled Tank- not cheap, but 20% off sure helps and you can’t go wrong with this one! Everyone loves it! It really does work on land and in water, and shoots air-soft pellets. And as one reader pointed out, it has cup holders. See? Even a mom can appreciate that.
Want a cheat sheet? Here are the items that are discounted 40-50% for this sale. I won’t take time to list and link them all, but there are quite a few of our favorites here!

Filed Under: Vision Forum 5 Comments

He’s got it covered

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

December 2, 2009 By kimc

Yesterday, The Boy took a long nap in my bed. When he finally woke up, he headed straight for his room and shut the door.

“What are you doing in there?” I called after him.

“Oh, I’m changing my clothes. I peed when I was sleeping.”

“You what?!”

He emerged looking a little sheepish and followed me to my room to survey the damage. I wanted to make sure he understood the gravity of the situation so I dramatically threw my arms into the air. “Where am I going to sleep tonight? There’s pee in my bed!”

“Sorry, Mom,” he mumbled. Then his face brightened and he smiled encouragingly at me. “But I peed on Dad’s side of the bed!”

Filed Under: Boys, gone awry 23 Comments

In which I rant

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

December 1, 2009 By Deanna

Posted by: Deanna

I just want to make sure everyone knows

FREEZING (40′s) COLD RAINY WET WEATHER IS DISGUSTING!

(bleah, shiver, shudder)

As much as I love cool, chilly, or dry weather I am firmly of the opinion that cold, WET weather is

DESPICABLE, PERVERTED, and REPULSIVE, WORSE THAN THE MOST HUMID OF HUMID AND HOT DAYS.

I SPIT UPON RAIN THAT DARES TO INTRUDE UPON MY COOL WEATHER! (ptooey!) I TRAMPLE IT INTO THE COMPOST PILE!

BAH, HUMBUG!

whew. Just had to get that out of my system. All right, rant over. You may return to your normal daily life.

Filed Under: madness 17 Comments

My hardworkin’ man

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 30, 2009 By kimc

I just have to brag him up a bit, because he won’t do it for himself.

He was scheduled to have Friday and Saturday off this year – he and another guy take turns running a crew on either Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving each year. He was still bruised and limping a little from Saturday’s game, but he knew it would be busy so he bandaged his leg and brought the 4 older girls to Vision Forum on Friday and let them help the rest of the Friday crew. This is their idea of fun, and the two older girls get paid.

When he arrived and saw how bogged down they were, he worked for the rest of the day, on his “day off.”

Then he decided to bring in a crew on Saturday morning as well, starting at 7 AM. This means that he and the girls left the house at 6 AM on his weekend off. They worked from 7-3, plus an hour drive on each end.

And then…

He dropped the children off at a cousin’s birthday party and rushed straight to Plymouth Rock Ranch to help our friends with their big project. They worked until 3 AM.

But wait! There’s more! Our friends were in a race against time and still hadn’t reached the finish line.

He arrived home at 3:30 AM, showered and napped for a couple of hours, and we headed to Plymouth Rock Ranch again at 7 AM. I dropped him off and took the children to church. We picked him up at 4 PM on Sunday afternoon. The job was nearly done and relatively fresh volunteers were willing and able to finish it. He finally came home and got some sleep. This morning he was able to sleep in a bit and leave for work at 8 AM.

He never complains. He never whines, or wonders if there’s a way out. He just does it. When I try to tell him how much I admire him for working so hard and so willingly, he always looks just a little puzzled. “What else would I do?” I love that he doesn’t see a second option.

Filed Under: sweet lovin' 7 Comments

Before and After

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 30, 2009 By Kittykait

Posted by: Kittykait

I came across this photographer’s blog recently and have really enjoyed looking at his pictures! I really like the effects he uses on eyes, which is where I got the idea for what I did:

Filed Under: Art/music, photos 6 Comments

Marie Madeline Quilt Giveaway!

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 30, 2009 By Kittykait

Posted by: Kittykait

The Long Ladies are having a new giveaway every week until Christmas! Right now (ends Dec. 13th) they’re giving away a quilt! Actually this time there’s two that you can choose from! I love the one on the right. After the giveaway the one that wasn’t “giveawayed” goes into there lovely store! Hop on over to their website and enter. Be sure to let them know we sent you! You can get up to 107 entries by Facebooking it, blogging, etc. Read their post for more details.

They also have a great Cyber Monday sale right now.

It’s always hard for me not to buy myself Christmas presents…

Filed Under: Huh? Category? Leave a Comment

Why we were late to church

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 30, 2009 By kimc

We left the house for church right on time yesterday morning, but I nearly hit a tarantula.

He was right in the center of the narrow country road, and as I passed him I heard myself yell, “Whoa! That was a tarantula! Did I hit him?!” Lydia looked out the back window and assured me that he was still crossing the road (why did the tarantula cross the road?), so I hit the brakes. We need a male tarantula, you know. Kaitlyn’s pet Shelob is lonely.

There were 2 cars coming behind us, so I had to keep going until I found a driveway to turn around. As I headed back, we rummaged around the van for a plan: styrofoam cup, no lid. Hmmm. No coffee can for carsick kids…empty Burger King bag? We had a plan.

We reached the tarantula again, half-expecting to find him squished by the cars that had followed us but he was still standing in the middle of the road, deep in thought. Maybe he forgot why he wanted to cross and was reconsidering his plan.

I set the styro cup over him and gently slid a notepad under. He obligingly stepped up onto it. I felt myself cringe. He moved! Ugh! He moved! A car slowed and swerved to avoid me and the girls noted the grinning driver and his laughing passenger. I wondered briefly if they guessed what I had gathered in the cup as I held it at arms’ length on my way back to the van.

I felt the cup vibrate gently in my hand. He moved again! eeeek! I calmly climbed into the van.

The empty Burger King bag was behind my seat so I twisted around awkwardly to deposit my new pet, a little unsure how to do it. No kids were volunteering to help. I lowered the cup and notepad into the bag. First, I just slid the notepad out from under the cup, expecting him to drop the short distance to the bottom of the bag. I didn’t feel any movement, so I was suddenly struck by the possibility that he was standing on the notepad in my other hand, which I couldn’t see from my angle. Maybe he was even crawling up toward my hand. I held the cup aside and let the notepad drop into the bag. I peeked in and didn’t see him standing on the notepad. Uh oh. Maybe he had dropped in at first, and I just squished him with the notepad. Nope. Where was he?

IN THE CUP. The one that I was carelessly holding upside down off to the side. I tipped it up and looked inside. Yup. Tarantula. Eeek!

Once I actually knew where he was, it was easy to get him into the bag. We fastened the top with a hair pony and were back on the road. The whole event didn’t take more than 5 minutes.

We were 4 minutes late to church.

Oh, did you want to know the answer to the question? “Why did the tarantula cross the road?”

Female tarantulas live a very long sedentary life, hidden in burrows. Male tarantulas spend their very short adult life tirelessly searching for females. This guy was out hunting for a woman. He met Shelob last night, and they will probably get together again several times over the coming weeks. Maybe we’ll have 50-200 cute little baby tarantulas in a few months. Who wants one?

Filed Under: madness, pets 34 Comments

3 Evangeline Dolls For Sale – new in box $50

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 27, 2009 By Liddybug

posted by Lydia

These beautiful blonde dolls from Vision Forum have been discontinued, but Megan and I found 3 on clearance! They are high quality, made in Germany, with hand-rooted hair that can be styled. All 3 are wearing green checked dresses and are in perfect gift-giving condition.

They are $50 each, including shipping.

Filed Under: Vision Forum 8 Comments

Vision Forum sale

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 27, 2009 By kimc

We’re not big Black Friday shoppers, but we’re meandering out the door to catch one particular sale and be amused by all the frantic shoppers stuck in traffic. Hey, quit laughing. We’re not like them. Not, not, not…not listening…la, la, la…

Anyway, my hunney thought I should take a quick moment to point you toward the Vision Forum special this weekend, just in case, well, you’re one of those people looking for a good deal this week. Unlike those of us who wait til the last 3 days before Christmas. Don’t be offended that I’m amused at you this weekend. You’ll get your turn to laugh at me soon enough.

I won’t give you all the details, but in a nutshell you automatically receive up to 5 gifts worth $215 when you place an order of $95-$395. There’s no coupon necessary, and you don’t have to remember to order your freebies – they’ll just be added to your cart. You also get free shipping on every order over $95.

Go ahead. Amuse me. I do it for you all the time.

Filed Under: Vision Forum 1 Comment

On Thursday’s menu

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 25, 2009 By kimc

For dinner:

Brined turkey, our first ever – defrosting now; will put it in the brine tonight. Anyone want to recommend a recipe?
Gravy – We always do this from scratch anyway, but I hear that drippings from brined turkey make the best gravy ever.
Homemade whole berry cranberry sauce – Our third year to make this. Easy and delicious, made by Megan again this year and already chilling in the fridge. The jellied stuff in the can doesn’t even sound good any more.
Smoked turkey – not really necessary, but tis the season for special treats.
Buttery crescent rolls – done, courtesy of Deanna, and waiting for their turn in the oven.
Dressing – a combination of bread and corn bread, since we can’t seem to decide on a favorite. Megan made the cornbread; I’ll assemble the dressing in the morning with cornbread, dark rye, homemade whole wheat and whatever else comes into my hand.
Mashed potatoes – maybe with cream cheese and/or sour cream, to make them special.
Mashed sweet potatoes – just because we love them. Already done and in the fridge because we needed to cook the sweet potatoes for a pie, below.
Rudy’s style creamed corn – because there’s nothing more special. If you don’t live near a Rudy’s, you probably don’t know what you’re missing. Try it homemade. We’ll be assembling this tomorrow.
Homemade applesauce – Yesterday we made our first batch of crockpot applesauce. Easy and delicious, with no sugar added. We used a combination of granny smith for tartness and rome beauty for sweetness. Just peel, core and slice, add a bit of water and cook on high til soft enough to mash. We actually made 2 full batches so there’s plenty to go with tomorrow’s dinner.

For dessert, to be shared at my parents’ house:

2 apple pies - handcrafted by Lydia, with granny smith apples to make them sweet/tart and flavorful! Done and waiting.
Sweet potato pie – partly because I forgot to buy pumpkin, but it worked out beautifully because a friend just happened to send me a link to the recipe she was planning to use, and because we were already cooking some for tomorrow’s dinner. Megan made this. Waiting for its turn in the oven.
Pecan pie - a tradition we would never dare skip, even the year we’re bold enough to forgo the green bean casserole. Made by Lydia. In the oven as I type.
Layered Turtle Cheesecake – a new one for us. With chocolate, caramel sauce, pecans, and 4 packs of cream cheese, we can hardly go wrong! This one is in the oven right now.

I’m so thankful for all my kitchen helpers! What’s on your menu? How much are you doing ahead?

Filed Under: birthdays/holidays, food 15 Comments

Football

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 24, 2009 By kimc

If you follow us at all on Facebook, you might have known that some of the guys from Vision Forum had a friendly little showdown with some of the guys from College Plus.

It took the form of a football game. My Incredible Hulk played center – the guy who hikes the ball to the quarterback and protects him from oncoming traffic. He’s #61. In case you can’t tell, the good guys are wearing white shirts and the bad guys are in red.

Consulting with the quarterback…

…and tackling every moving object that tries to get past him:

The nemesis, Tommy Funcle. He’s the children’s Fake Uncle Thomas, since they already have a real Uncle Thomas.

Little cheerleaders:

The front of their signs:

Even littler cheerleader:

Let’s all run this way!

One player performs the highly advanced Grande Jete

Later, the same guy nearly had his shirt torn off:

Big spectators

and little ones:

Who’s got the ball?!

Dog pile!

One guy was just MEAN.

Well, maybe more than one:

They may have ended the game 4 points down, but they sure look like winners, don’t they?

There were quite a few bruises, one guy said his jaw was popped out of joint and back in again, and Hubby’s nose got broken on the top of someone’s head. There was blood everywhere but he wiped it away and went right back in for more.

In the end, the score was 18-22. See more pictures posted by the Bad Guys here.

Filed Under: friends, madness, photos, Vision Forum 8 Comments