Now THIS is an amazing story

Confessions Of A CF Husband: New Baby Pic!

A cute quiz

You Are 74% Feminine, 26% Masculine

You are in touch with your feminine side. Sensitive, intuitive, and caring are all words that describe you. And you're just masculine enough to relate to both men and women.

Are You Masculine or Feminine?

Missing the Geography Gene?

My daughter has a problem with US geography. It is no secret. She posted all about it.

However, she didn't mention that her dad has a B.S. from UCLA in Geography/Ecosystems Analysis. And I have an M.S. in Geography/Urban Planning from UCR.

We decided some remediation is in order.

Bought a puzzle at Target to satisfy the tactile learning style.



Now I've found some online sites with interactive puzzles of the USA.






Feel free to quiz her when you see her. Let's help the poor girl out.

I'm praying for her. She's been traveling .... as far away as Chile and Cambodia. She wants to go again.

Let's help her get her own country set into her mind.

A Night Out with my Favorite Daughter*

Every mom has one daughter they love above the rest. Admit it. My favorite of my bunch of daughters is Rachel. That's why I decided to have a girls night out with her instead of any of the others.

She showed me the ropes to a wonderful evening. We were running behind schedule, so our original dinner at Panera was cut back to carry out from Johnny Burgers - that way we could smuggle our food into the movie theatre and not miss the start of the show. Such a smart girl, my Rachel is.


We each had a grilled cheese sandwich, and we split an order of zucchini. Yummy!









Then Rachel traded in the tickets she had acquired at CalBaptist for a low price for some real tickets - and then they scanned her frequent movie going pass. Score! She was given a coupon for a free soft drink. Clever daughter. Now you see why she is the favorite of the daughters that I have. Saves money on movie tickets. Treats her mom to a movie.

The movie: Juno.

All in all, a most enjoyable evening.









*For those who don't know me personally, I love each of my offspring fiercely. I have only one daughter. It's a joke.

New Addition to the Family: Beagle Dachshund Mix

Today we went to the Riverside Humane Society and adopted Hannah, a 4 year old female beagle/ dachshund mix. A doxie mix.

The description on the site said that she is calm and likes to cuddle on a lap.

Yes, she is, and she does.

We think it will be nice to have some doggy loveness around the house again.

Congratulations to the Winner!

This was fun for me.

The winning entry went far beyond the expectations for a run-of-the-mill capture the picture contest- connecting a journal entry about his victorious bowling game against his boss from A-Bomb's blog with the random photos that I took. Although that was not a requirement, it was a nice touch. And the important thing- it made me smile :)

MamaSue- you get the iTunes card. Woo hooo!

Honorable mentions: (each receiving $5.00 cards to *$s are:
MommaLiss and
Jonathan Murtaugh

Unshelved Comics- take 2

I neglected to mention that this is a favorite comic delivered daily to my mailbox-and did the cardinal sin of not providing a reference- yikes! Check out their unique sense of humor over at unshelved. Here is another example of why I love them! (click on the comic to enlarge it)

They sell clever t-shirts- Imagine wearing a "Frequently Asked Questions" one. Most of the middle school kids would not understand it :)

Unshelved Comics

I think we'll implement this policy when I return to Gage.
CLICK ON THE COMIC TO ENLARGE IT

Caption the picture contest.... Winner will be announced Saturday morning.

If you plan to try your hand at the capture the picture contest, do it before 9 p.m. Friday 12/21 --
I've changed the settings so that you needn't have a blogger account.
Have some fun. Make me smile!
Win a $10 iTunes card.

The Meniere’s Game: Endolymphatic Shunt Surgery v. Gentamicin Treatment v Waiting it Out.

Just a short update to let everyone know that there are several things up in the air right now concerning the treatment of my Meniere’s Disease- the best possible case would be for it to burn itself out.

Meanwhile, there’s no place like home for the holidays!

Here is a picture of at Thanksgiving that my parents hosted this year – it was a change in tradition from our home, and it was lovely.

Please pray for continued patience for my family members – I know that I am driving them crazy.

The uncertainty of what will be going on each day, as well as some other adaptations that we are making, are annoying.

Caption the picture contest.... iTunes card for prize

Go ahead, poke some fun at some guys I really respect. Really. I do. The best caption gets a $10 iTunes giftcard.
Post your caption in the comment section.

Addendum:
Rules: Have some fun. No profanity. Maximum of two entries per person. I decide who wins. No whining. Contest ends before the expiration date, which I will announce when I feel like it. ABCDEFG insured. All rights reserved. Protected by national and international copyright laws, as applicable. Winner responsible for taxes. Family members or employees of the wobbly librarian are welcome to enter, but must not whine if not selected as the winner. Same goes for friends of family members. All other rules will be made up as we go. Potential disputes are left to settlement at the sole discretion of her highness the wobbly librarian.

Hiding from college wimmin?

I don't see Jacob or Charles in any of the pictures.....

Sam the ghetto hanukkah king

Sam stopped by to drop off a "little" video editing project for Jacob.
We gave him a lesson on how to spin a dreidel.
We love Sam.
And his lovely wife!
They have great kids, too.

Friends are fun!

We used to have people over frequently to have food and play games. It was fun. I would make good food from scratch. Jamaican Jerked Beef with Homemade Confetti Salsa. Roasts and potatoes cooked just right. Salmon and rice. Quiche. Spaghetti with my special cheese topped bread golden brown from the broiler. (I can still manage the bread, but not the coordination of the whole meal on time....) And the desserts. Yummy.....
Over the years this has slowed down..... until now there is nothing much going on.
I think we need some impromptu-stop-on-in-like-folks-used-to-do in the way olden days before phone calls. And then when you stop by, don't be horrified at the level of clutter that you see. Or anything else about our home. I probably won't cook anything (and I might be in my jammies and (may even be asleep) but I would still love to see you!)
We'll just love each other up. We might even have some fun.

Christmas lights and living simply?

I was driving home a couple of hours ago and started thinking about the energy crisis back in the day. You know the one, back in the late 60's early 70's when that wave of people were very considerate of mother nature and the same types of revolutionary things were happening in the church (hey- that might be where I've heard of the conspiracy before..... only now we have this marvelous internet that hurries and magnifies communication and publication.... but I digress....)

Back then, when another group of folks started the environmental revolution/simple living thing, it was very much frowned upon to light up Christmas lights. So why are all these people who want to be considerate of the earth using extra light bulbs this month? Not being true to those posts from the blog day a month or two ago when everybody sat there blogging about how they were going to reduce energy use, hmmm? Just something to think about.
Do folks really want to change the way they live, or do it only when it is convenient? This "going green" thing is oh-so-trendy. But if you need to give up sweet traditions (yes, you are carrying forth non-earthfriendly traditions into another generation) would you be willing to change? Just a little something to think about.

Was I drunk? Am I having surgery?

Sorry, I was just trying to be funny in my earlier post. Was coming out of an episode of vertigo (part of Meniere's) ..... this causes the world to spin so that I cannot walk straight (if at all)- picture yourself alone at home and needing to use the restroom with the floor dropping from underneath you and the walls moving around...... you crawl.... :)

Often I don't think straight or use good judgment. Hence, my post.

Anyway, I don't drink. It's a funny state to be in.... but not too pleasant. That was Tuesday that it started. Now it is Thursday afternoon and I am feeling just a little dizzy but much better. I'll nap off and on for the next day or two, and feel great then. Then another will hit.

Yes, I will have surgery. Just waiting for insurance and scheduling.

Thanks for caring.

Second opinion... and surgery

This is a good thing. Jeff and I talked to another Dr. who specializes in Meniere's to get a second opinion.

We knew that my doctor has a certain course that he recommends. It just was not working. And the next step in his treatment would be destruction of the inner ear. But I still have some hearing left in my left ear, so I was not looking forward to that. So we saw another Dr. His recommendation is a surgery.

Step 1) Simple mastoidectomy: Surgical removal of bone from the mastoid area behind the ear to allow visualization of the inner ear.
Step 2) Either:

• Endolymphatic sac-to-mastoid shunt: After a simple mastoidectomy , one end of a tube or strip is inserted into the endolymphatic sac and the other end in the mastoid cavity, where excess endolymph can drain.

or

• Endolymphatic sac-to-subarachnoid-space shunt: This is similar to the sac-to-mastoid shunt, except that one end of the tube is placed into the endolymphatic sac and the other into the area containing cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain.

This is a simple surgery. I will be in and out in one day. It will not further destroy the hearing in my ear. Recovery time is about a week. It works for about 70% of the patients.

We are waiting for insurance authorization. When that comes through, the surgery will be scheduled. Currently, surgeries are being scheduled for January.

Please keep us in your prayers. We are all learning humility and patience from this. Most of all, pray for my family- they are getting mighty tired of me. I am too.

Also, insurance pays 80%. This has been an interesting year with medical things and expenses. Many things in the family have required medications, then the meds don't work, so we try new meds..... and each time there is a tidy little copay. It is amazing how the money always comes though. Nice how it works out in God's time, isn't it?

Headline: Drunken Librarian Staggers Home Between Sober College Daughter and Friends

Ha. I am sure that is what the neighbors thought yesterday evening.
I had a wonderful evening with Abby- had a manicure and pedicure together, then dinner at PF Chang's.

Talked about life, liberty, and the pursuit of seeking God's will.

Had a lovely time, and drank not a bit of alcohol.

Dropped beautiful Abby off at Lancer Arms apartments, and was driving through Cal Baptist (which you all know is not all that large). Realized that things were not quite right in my head. Pulled into a spot in front of the cottages, called for Rachel and her friends to drive my car home and follow in another car to take themselves back to CBU.

When we got to my house, Rachel and Jillian propped me between them. It was all laughter as I was just like a drunken sailor weaving my way up the walkway and barely staying upright. Had a real fun spin cycle all night... and a slow recovery this afternoon. I'm typing like crazy, thinnking it might me coming on again.

Seriously, though, this is getting a little inconvenient. And that episode came on a little abruptly. Thanks goodness for friends to help. And for laughter to make things more cheerful.

Another "into the spirit of the season" post

It is over on Blog-casting from the 951's place. Makes me smile.
(I hope that I am not on her "immediate family" list.)

And I had some majorly swell news from another family member yesterday. Major decision for change in life; this took a lot of courage to make. I am *oh* so happy!
My heart is rejoicing over the "intangible" gifts that are arriving. So much more significant than anything money could ever buy.
Anyway, read RayChill's post. And rethink if/how you're planning to spend your money....

Many people really need things. Give things to those people, if you want to give things away this season. If you have the money to be giving, go out and buy some gift cards for food, Target, or phone calls and give them to the homeless that you meet on the street. Carry food items, gloves, hats, and blankets to give to the homeless. It is cold out there....

There are others all around having tough times- ask me, I could tell you a few that would love to get a few things so that they would have enough to make ends meet... (or just take the money to your church and ask that it be given to someone in need.)
Find someone on a fixed budget. Mail them a gift card to a grocery store. (You could do this anonymously..)
Drop a basket of goodies on someone's porch if you know they are down. Leave some laundry detergent in the laundromat (the folks there usually are excited to find extra left behind). While you are at it, go to the laundromat on Magnolia, leave laundry detergent with some gift certificates to the Dairy Queen. The moms with kids there look so tired- the kids would love a treat while the clothes are spinning.
Get into the spirit. Give. And don't just do it this month.

Into the spirit of the season

Post over on EPIC BEAT called A Doll Named Emma caught my eye. Love this family and the way they live. Love the things they've taught others, including my children.

Anyway, I've called him a genius since he agreed to talk to a class at Gage middle school (his wife is one, too.) Love them both. Go read about the doll and think about the season ,,,, Might make you sigh.

New Conspirators. This would be fascinating to attend

From the site: "We are racing into an increasingly uncertain global future, in which the middle class, our poorest neighbors , and our planet will face daunting new challenges. In this festival of imagination, we will invite you to create innovative ways to engage these challenges that reflect something of God’s new order…with the new conspirators." The blog talks about compassion and creativity. I love it!
Not sure that I understand (or would agree with) the wording "God's new order" terminology, but the rest of this resonates with me. And why does it have to be a conspiracy? (Great gimmick). But the fundamentals (social issues and environmental sensibility) make sense. Conference is the last part of February in Seattle--I love Seattle.

Tattoos and piercings on librarians

Thought this would be entertaining for some: "Welcome to the web page of the Modified Librarian. Here we will discuss the concept and practice of body modification as it relates to librarians as persons and professionals. On this page we will provide a forum for the discussion of body modification in the context of librarianship. All library professionals and paraprofessionals alike are invited to contribute pictures of their tattoos, piercings and other modifications along with their stories."

Other modifications? Yikes!

P.S.
I had my first piercings done when I was somewhere in my 20's, I think (I'm sure my sisters will chime in here to correct my fuzzy memory). Didn't have the means to support earrings when I was growing up. Didn't really want them when I was growing up, either.... remembered kids talking about the needle with the potato, and then they would show up with this dirty braided string-loop through the ear lobe which kept crusting over. Yuck!

My sister took a risk

Yes, she did. She shared a little about what happened to her on your not-so-typical Mother's day last year. Oh, won't you please click on over to Blackberry Blessings and show her some blog love by posting a comment of encouragement? It's all about caring for each other...

A smooth holiday song about a library....

Recently happened upon a cool Teacher-Librarian's blog. He had this to share. Thought it was so good..... here it is for you!

Crazy times and fun, too!

Just getting ready to immerse myself deep into the worst part of this Meniere's thing. But it is just silly, and not life threatening. Thankfully, now I know how to predict the episodes of vertigo - and there is one coming. Woke up rather on the late side this morning with the knowledge, so made the pumpkin muffins for my home-from-college daughter; washed some fruit, threw in a load of kitchen towels, napkins and such; did a few e-mail things, and got myself comfortable. (PocketPC and Cell phone with MP3 files...... loaded with praise music, inspirational books, and downloaded sermons, because I'm in and out and can't follow a plot...)

Now I'm ready to settle into my 8 to 20ish hours of vertigo--can't predict how many. Whirly, twirly spin cycle, I'm almost ready for you. Reminds me of the song "The world is spinning, spinning, spinning, its all for You, my all for You.....). Gotta download that one for the next time.

Just need my ginger ale and saltines.

Last time was Sunday, today is Friday. They are too frequent, and last too long. (My doctor is very impressed with me :) ). But I'm getting plenty of beauty sleep. And this one will be over in time for tomorrow's neighborhood cleanup by the homeless shelter. Yay for good timing! Boo for missing our planned family excursion to Long Beach today to check out Little Cambodia. But I guess that will still be there the next time we get together. Yep, just enjoy today for what it is. A time of whirly twirly spin cycle.

From the pen of a great poet

...shamelessly copied from the blog of one of my sisters....(Blackberry Blessings)
here are some words for Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends
by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

We had a peaceful day at my mom and dad's home with Jeff's parents and Aunt Nanette.

Should I be on restriction from grocery shopping (or any shopping?)

I've scared myself again. Those of you who are close to me know that my life has been changing lately. I keep saying that "this is just silly" or "it's just annoying" and "it's not life threatening" and then laugh and go on and talk about something or someone else.
But seriously. I had my detailed store list, as well as a list of errands to run. Just a few. Pharmacy - drop off for me, then return and pick up for me and one other family member after doing other errands. TJs to pick up some groceries and some flowers (the flowers were the ones that Jeff's mom is giving my mom tomorrow at dinner). Gottschalks to return a pair of shoes- did not really need them, and can use the money to buy some books to send to the Lewis family in Cambodia. Grove Grille to pick up Banana Cream Pie that I ordered when I read an e-mail a couple of days ago about the great pies that were going to be there. -- Okay. Not such a long list of errands. I even had the list of groceries in hand because I tend to be forgetful these days.

Dropped off the prescription. Shopped at TraderJoes. When the clerk said the total was $238 and some change, I was very surprised and said so to the friendly guy totaling things up. Like, almost- falling- down- we've-never-spent-over-about-120-if -we- are- feeding- the- entire- clan- how- could- the- total- be- twice- what-I-thought-it-would-be" surprised. He remarked that I had sure purchased a whole bunch of duplicates of things. And he's right. Look at the picture. These are just some of the things that I felt I needed more than one of.

Everyone does need three bags of premade pizza dough, right? Or how about 3 boxes of pumpkin baking mix, 2 -3 pack strips of yeast......

I called Jeff at his work when I was loading things into the car to tell him. He was a little puzzled (that is much more than we've ever spent at that store..... twice the amount. On a month that we have friends and kids and no worries). He asked if I meant to buy duplicates and triplicates. The thing is, I do not know. He did not get mad. He just reminded me that I have not been feeling well, and am forgetful sometimes, and that we can always give the extras away. He also reminded me that a good friend raided our refrigerator for another friend who needed food a few days ago, so maybe that will happen again so we'll have plenty to give away. I'm blessed to have Jeff.

But I don't want to be a crazy old lady. I had always pictured myself growing old gracefully, with a certain air of decorum about me. Not having people worrying and hovering. This is also taking a toll on my self confidence. I came home. I guess I need to venture out to finish out the list before the traffic gets too bad. Perhaps I'll head up the hill for the pie first. Repeat after me, we only need one pie.

Play a game on your computer, rice is donated to feed the hungry

If you click on the pretty picture on the left,
you'll go to the free Rice site and play a vocabulary game. For every word you get right, 10 grains of rice will be donated to the UN food program.

Who pays for the donated rice?

The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry).

Life is full of books and chocolate... both free!

Yes, we are having a great time at the CSLA conference........
some of our favorite things are here.

Need we say anything else?

Librarians gone wild

What could be more fun than 1000 librarians gathered in a convention center?

Hard to imagine more fun than that, but I'd say to throw in books and authors and computers and gadgets and gizmos and friends and food.

Finally, A quilt for my daughter's bed.

It started when we are in Cambodia in July; Jordan and Hailey vacated their bed and slept next door on the floor (totally wrong, but don't let me get started on a rant about the "me-centeredness" of the trip....... -Groveites- this is something that needs to change big-time for any future trips..... broke my heart.... )

Anyway, Jordan and Hailey had a lovely quilt on their bed- made by Kim, the mom of this amazing family. I may not have mentioned that the Lewis family of 8 lives so far from large towns that they must hike in to their lovely home during non rainy seasons, or take canoes if it is raining. Or just wait if it the weather is bad. Electricity by generator.

Beautiful fabrics were everywhere in this poor country - the women wore them for skirts, and we had then at every meal as table cloths and napkins. The bed was covered with a lovely quilt, so I suggested to Rachel that she might like a similar one for her bed at CBU to remind her of our trip. Kim gave me the general directions, and we purchased the fabric in Phnom Penh on the way back home. It really should not have taken me so long to complete...... boo for Meniere's!
But Yay for friends like Susan Miller. Encouraged me and saw me through many a dizzy evening when I had double vision and insecurity. Rachel texted me to say that she was warm and cozy. All is well.

Dare to Care- something special to do after Thanksgiving

I love it when someone gives me a camera with pictures on it.....

Nice shots of pretty ladies from Riverside at the beach in the summer thinking about going to far away places together.

Slobbing around together

Yeppers.
That's what we often do together for our sabbath rest. None of this running around to public places seeing what new and wondrous thing we can do in our our time together. This time we had a guest dog on hand to add extra slobberiness- Chloe. She was an evacuee from the mountains. With us for a week. Went back a couple-a days ago. Kinda miss the little bundle of energy waiting-to-dart-out-the-front-door between our legness of her.

Fires evacuees... and new housemates

Had a call from my much older sister yesterday (just joking!) (Six kids in the family, three sisters all born less than 2 years apart - at this stage, we are all the same age :) )

She and her 2 adult sons and their pets were in a line of cars snaking down the mountain from Lake Gregory. Asked me to sleuth out some motel options for them. She had done this before, so they had the drill down. Did not wait until the mandatory evacuation. Knew that insurance would pay for a room. Knew that motels book up. Knows that it might be weeks until things are sorted out up there and they are able to return to whatever is waiting for them. Has a good source of local information - NOT the sensationalist TV drama-ramas that are blasting the airwaves right now. Good girl. That's the way to take care of business and yourself.

Here is an email that she sent to her contact list today:
We are still very comfortable and happy that we are able to stay in an Inn instead of an evacuation shelter. I feel for those people over at the shelter in San Bernardino. And, our dogare happy. My rat terrier, Chloe, is at my sisters house being pampered. Rigly, Matt's dog, is being boarded at an Animal Hospital in Riverside. Yvonne is also caring for our Parrot, Anthony.

Today we had the bad news that several of Will's friends lost their homes in Running Springs. I am sad for them, especially Josh Switzer. I have attached a map showing where the fire is in relation to our home. We are about a block from Lake Gregory. We think that the fire is about a mile and a half from us (as the crow flies.)

I am continuing to get well and I appreciate your prayers. I am not anxious about our house, just happy that we are safe and comfortable. Pray for the firefighters who are working so hard all over Southern California....Take good care of yourselves."

Ahem. Pampering?
I think I need to paint Chloe's toenails or something. She is a sweet dog. And the parrot just sits in the cage and makes a little noise every know and then.

Why I Love Power Outages

No electricity means that kids emerge from their electronic music and/or gaming sessions to climb Pachappa Hill. If the outage lasts long enough, they raid the cupboard and play board games. They enjoyed themselves.
Hooray for simpler times.

(The puzzled expressions on some faces were in response to my statement "I want to take a picture for my blog" .... seems that not everyone in the younger generation knows what a blog is.)

22 hours

The vertigo was 22 hours by my reckoning, over 24 by Jeff's. Then it took a day to sleep and rest up and regain my balance. By Saturday night I was walking around normally and felt much better, and by late Sunday afternoon I could drive again. I'm still pretty tired out, just as you would be after having the flu for a number of days, and feel dizzy, but the confused feeling and memory loss is much better. My next doctor's appointment is Tuesday, so please pray about wisdom for the proper treatment. The next treatment that this doctor wishes to do will destroy the semicircular canals in my left ear permanently.

It's here again

I've refrained from making this a diary or an update of my health....has led me to realize that some don't understand what is going on. I don't share this so you'll feel sorry, because I'm not in bad shape. It's just a nuisance. This might be interesting for some folks to understand why I am off work when it seems that I am looking so very fine. Last night, for example, I was at church and saw someone from my school site who mentioned that how great I was looking, would I be back soon? I'll provide some details about my day for those of you who are interested.... (nothing gross or too personal), but I want to put this down while still capable of typing straight. I'll probably need to come back for serious editing later, since this silly affliction wreaks temporary havoc with my thinking.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a grand day. We will be having Rachel and some of her friends from college home Saturday evening for a home cooked meal and games. I'm looking forward to this, and trying to catch up a little on things around the house- and cleaned up one bathroom and the living room - even had Jacob around to help move furniture and do some heavy vacuuming and cobweb chasing. Not completely finished, but it looks so much better. Went to help with jr high (got there early since Jacob is working on a little video project which will be shown this weekend). Went to be early. I know that I was feeling great in terms of balance (was not using the walker) but my left ear felt very strange and I could not hear anything from it. There were more tinnitus sounds inside my head obscuring sounds that I could hear from my right side. When this is happening I usually just smile alot and do not participate in converstations - the constant need to ask for repeats drives me and those around me crazy :) .

This morning I dropped Jacob off and did some errands, picked Jacob up at lunch time and we visted my Dad in Magnolia convalescent. I mentioned to Jacob that I when I walk, the ground was shifting under me. He offered his arm for support, but things were not that bad. I was able to drive us home. By the time we go home and I walked to my bedroom, I was bumping into walls. Now I am on the couch. I can type one sentence at a time, then I need to close my eyes to rest them and refocus. When I open my eyes, the room spins for about a minute before settling down. I cannot walk - and if things progress as they have in the past, in a little while I will be in the middle of a full blown episode of vertigo. This means that the room constantly spins around me whether my eyes are open or closed. The last episode lasted from the time I woke up in the morning at 5:30 to when I went to sleep at 10:30 pm. Using the restroom is fun.... crawling if no one is around because I can't balance to walk, or if one of my big men is there, they half lean and carry me. Good thing my men are strong. Makes me sick to the stomach at times.

So that is why I can't be at work. Not safe at any speed. And takes a few days to get myself back in shape.

I spend the time listening to nice praise music or audio books and thanking God for the things he has blessed me with. The time to be with family and friends. Reflection time

That's all i can stand to type. It it now 2:25p.m We'll see how long this lasts.

Some facts....

Great posts about taking care of the environment! Here are some things to consider as we continue to care for the earth:

It takes about 35% less water to use the dishwasher than wash the dishes by hand. So do not feel guilty when washing a full load of un-rinsed dishes. (Of course, DO NOT stand there with a faucet of running water and pre-wash all of the dishes. Sheesh - that is why you are putting them in the dishwasher. Don't waste food by making too much and loading the plate too full and having to throw a bunch away in the first place, and if there is quite a bit of waste (like the watermelon rind corn cob stuff during the summer you should be putting that stuff in the yard waste bin or your own compost bin/pile).

And here is something easy - did you know that it takes less energy to bake with glass pans than with metal ones?

It is not that difficult to use cloth napkins. The key is to have napkin rings- a different one for each member of the family just like the historic use of the napkin ring. That way, one napkin can be used all day long (unless, of course, the mess is too great). This is one of the many things that my husband and I constantly quibble over. I love the cloth napkins, and he loves the el-cheapo recycled product paper napkins that stick to your fingers. It depends on who is setting the table and whether the laundry is up to date which one we use....I've kept my eyes open over the years at Target and other stores for the clearance clearance sales and pick up 8 or more when they are down to about a dollar a piece. If you keep a napkin ring for each member of the family, and make sure that the napkins are a variety of patterns which complement each other, all you need to do is toss them into the laundry. Not too much to do there. And they sure feel great.

My first mother-in-law was mother earth herself. Drip irrigation, compost pile, organic gardening, recycling, yada yada yada. My mom and dad taught us to do all sorts of environmentally friendly things because we could not afford to do otherwise (who in the world would have thrown away a paper towel when they could use cloth over and over again?) And my dad always told us that we did not own stock in the utility company. He also built one of the first methane digesters that anyone ever heard about from waste in our backyard, and was very pleased when I majored in Environmental Science, built a parabolic solar stove in college using grant funds, and had some other good times rallying around alternative fuels and other ec0-things back in the 70's.......) We only rode bicycles around the first 2 1/2 years of marriage (including when I was 8 months pregnant) because we had no car. Also took the bus to work. Whew. Three kids and many washers full of cloth diapers later, I've become a little lax. When our old faithful VW camper vanagon burned up, we bought a mini-van to schlep our kids and their friends around (and are very glad that we did that. Always had plenty of room, and the kids and their friends knew they could count on us for rides). Compost bin in the front yard hasn't been re-loaded in quite a while. I take the lazy way and just put things in the yard waste container. It still ends up as compost, I just don't use it as an amendment in my yard. And I don't like fluorescent lights in my bathroom- does everyone else really have them there? I've also been very involved in the community in environmental issues..... but that is another story. Right now, it seems like my heart is more into serving the people that are needy while I continue to try to not impact the earth unnecessarily. But just the fact that I had three kids instead of 2 means that I overstepped the limits of my replacement footprint here on earth. But I would not trade any of the three in to save the earth.

A box of love heading to New Mexico

My little blond guy on the left is turning 30 tomorrow.
I baked up a batch of brownies (triple chocolate) with peanut butter chips and sent them out via UPS 2 day to his office a couple of days ago.
We'd already showered him with a little birthday gifting...

I'd also sent him something else along the lines of what moms think of (no, not socks) because I'm a mom, and moms do that.

But I wanted to send him something that would smell a little like home and love.

So a box went out.

I love you, Jonathan. I'm proud of you. Happy Birthday!

I enjoyed baking for you, and thinking of raising you.

We had such interesting experiences- Amtrak trips across the country stopping at all the tall buildings as well as Glacier National Park and Seattle. (Do you think anyone other mother/son team in the U.S. has traveled as far on rails in in the last part of the 20th century?)
Trying to spot the LA Lakers in the airport but seeing the Celtics instead. Creating treasure hunts for your gifts. Going to watch the women's basketball game at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Watching you with the our first Macintosh computer way back in '86 (remember me getting freaked out by the loud noise that the floppy disk made when you shoved it into the slot? "Mom, that's what they are supposed to do") Me taking you to MacWorld Expo in SF back in 1988 and touring the exhibit halls together.
The time we went skiing for the first time on Christmas Eve. Shooting model rockets with Jeff. Sitting in the jacuzzi and watching the stars. Watching our favorite shows (TPIR and Little House on the Prairie). Buying the cello and taking you to concerts. Watching plays with you in them at Poly High. Going to the hill at UCR to eat dinner.
The times that you were so very ill (in the hospital with pneumonia in 6th grade, and with chicken pox in 8th).
We had a mixture of times in our life. Most of the hard times were (and are) much too difficult and personal to post on a blog for the whole world to read about. Wouldn't want to do that.
I love you and are glad that you are my son. I would not trade you for anyone else.
I wish you the very best for the next year.

Hope the brownies arrived in shape and that the love spilled out of the box!

Another blog action day, and so soon.

I wonder if these things make a difference. There is one coming up about the environment. I wonder if people will learn something new and then change behavior because of the blogging.
Did folks hear about this one back on September 27..... the challenge was "Bloggers Against Abuse" Did it have an impact?
Get out and take some action. Now, there's an idea.

Just in case anyone is interested in helping with our local environment on 10/13, we'll be doing some general cleanup in a very important area of our community from 8-10 am. And then you can head on over and drop off some sweaters and socks for some homeless folks. The nights are getting a little chilly.
Take some action! Help the world and... and don't forget some of the "least of these" who are in it.

Everybody loves their own kids.... so stop saying yours are the best.

There. Got that off my chest.

I've enjoyed looking at some photos from the last few years. Here are some recent ones from Cambodia.

Rachel was great in Cambodia.
She has a heart for kids. Spent so much time with the children in our group..... and she connected with the Kui kids in a way that the adults on our team did not - because we could not.
Here are Patrick, Jordan, Rachel, Austin, Colton, and Hailey at Angkor Wat.


Rachel tried fried tarantula
for a snack on her 19th birthday.

Yes! Fried Tarantula! No, the Lewis family members do not eat these every day.

We just happened to be traveling from the big city to the little village and stopped to have lunch.




















These lovely ladies are Jordan, Rachel, Hailey, and Jacqueline. Just having a little hairstyling fun in the bedroom. A little break from the morning of painting the medical building.

It was also a break from various other games that they played with the kids inside and outside. Uno. Phase 10. Catch Phrase.

Yes, I love my kids. I love Rachel for who she is. Caring, compassionate, with a heart for lost people. And she is willing to spent time with them, even when it is uncomfortable and hard to do that.
I love each of my children. As I am sure all bloggers do. So no need to say yours are better. We can all love our kids and see the good qualities in them. No shortage of time and space in our hearts to love kids. Our own and others. No limits.

Ode to My Necchi

Purchased for $35 in 1977 at a yard sale from a man whose wife was away for the day, this machine is a marvel. I was expecting my first child, and had thoughts of sitting at home with a child quietly playing at my feet. Said child would, of course, be happily playing for hours on end while I stitched up lovely little baby clothes and decorative items for home. (The second of six kids, how in the world did I have that picture in mind?)

My children have all had their turns sitting on my lap in of the machine (when they were young enough to be sleeping in a sling or old enough to know not to grab the knob or stick precious fingers in the fascinating needle). We’ve made projects together with it. An LA Fakers shirt for Jonathan. Matching dresses for Rachel and friends in elementary school. Costumes for history; sweatbands for mission trips, girl scouts, and the library. A toga for Jacob last year for the homecoming parade. I’ve mended and dreamed with the machine. I am so very glad that the kids did not play at my feet; it was much more rewarding to have them involved in the dreaming and making.

Current project: coverlet for bed using fabric from Cambodian trip.

Inside Joke....

Spied some candy at the checkout counter - it fit into the theme of our lives. I couldn't resist buying a couple.

Won't eat them because of the flavor (hey candy manufacturer- we love chocolate, but it can bring on an attack, or so they say. Mine are random.)

Jacob and Jeff also rented one of Alfred Hitchcock's classic movies for us recently. Trying to keep to the theme. My silly supportive guys. Gotta love them!


The movie was interesting, but did no justice to the title. Come on, Jimmy Stewart's attacks lasted only 10 seconds. Where's the fun in that?

Now I am expecting Jeff to find some old music to have on an endless loop..... something about "I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning...." I'm sure he just hasn't thought about it yet. We'll see what other clever things they cook up. Pinwheels? Hmm. My family can be creative.....
I'm waiting....

Trail Signs, and the man who is my hubster.

My wonderful hubster blazes trails for a living. Figures out where new ones should go. Helps find money to acquire property. Assists with design. Arranges for crews to help. Connects with community members. Gets the folks with bikes, horses, strollers, and running shoes to play nicely together.

When he goes to conferences, he sees signs.

I love my hubster.
He helps our world go around smoothly. He cares about people, our kids, and God. He has lived his life that way for our entire marriage. Always has been just as involved with parenting as I. Always wants to be the one to do things with and for me and the kids when things need to be done. When he has had to miss things because of work, he has truly felt bad. Hasn't used his job as a place to spend lots of time just to get away from home. Does just as much housework as I. (Probably more, since he is much more organized than I am about such things.) He has also encouraged me to try new things. He has never told me that I can't do anything. (Although he did think that I was kidding the first time that I mentioned the trip to Cambodia...... but he caught on quickly....). Sometimes I have had some ideas that we've kicked around and then we decided were not the best for us or me, but he has never said, No, you can't, just because I said so, or given some lame excuse. I'm very fortunate to have him. Blessed.

He loves me. Despite of who I am. He is awesome, and he is my hero.

BookArtRecycling

Another great way to recycle old books. But not for the common folk.

Artist Brian Dettmer uses books, cassette tapes, and maps to create works of art. Intricate. Ingenious. His works of art are displayed on a couple of art gallery websites:

KINZ, TILLOU + FEIGEN in New York

I also enjoyed the titles listed on the articles in the biography:
"Spine Surgery." " Cut to the chase." " Digging into a Good Book."

Recycling Books......

Gotta love the way that Jim Rosenau's decided to recycle old books.

You know, those encyclopedias that are 30 years old and you just can't part with because they look so nice there on the shelf..... never mind that most of the geopolitical data is so out of date....

Some of the creations are funny, like the one here. Book lovers, recyclers, artists....check out This into That.

"Must Remain Absolutely Still"

Virtual Meniere's.

This guy is amazing. Probably not as brilliant, compassionate, tenderhearted, and servant-minded as our own resident celebrative arts genius, but the product that this guy produced is impressive.

I bought his DVD and watched it today. Its pretty darn good. Made me feel comforted, in a sicko sort of way.

The Wall

Saw a notice for an author/illustrator/artist signing by Peter Sis. His new children's book is called The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.

Some of his bio: "In 1982 he was sent by the Czech government to Los Angeles to produce a film for the 1984 Winter Olympics. But the film project was canceled when Czechoslovakia and the entire Eastern bloc decided to boycott the Olympics. Ordered by his government to return home, Peter decided to stay in the United States and was granted asylum."

Illustrator/painter/artist. Illustrator of books by Jack Prelutsky, George Shannon, and Sid Fleischman. Writer and illustrator of his own books. Artist (subway stations. films with Bob Dylan. Pieces in the Museum of Modern Art. Awards all over the place)

He had long been thinking about writing the book, but decided to go ahead and do it after seeing our freedoms being taken away as a result of 9/11. My thought: this is a pretty powerful viewpoint from someone who sought asylum in America and enjoyed our freedom. I need to buy the book.

“Peter Sís’s book is most of all about the will to live one’s life in freedom and should be required reading for all those who take their freedom for granted.”
—Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic

Go here for more information: www.petersis.com

The author speaking engagement/book signing is free to the first 100 librarians who sign up. Sigh- but it is in Northern California.