Brenda's Family

2009-03-22T18:51:00.001-04:00

"Toad in a Puddle" for baby Holt. Flying geese pattern (triangles). Crib size quilt. Gosh, I hope the ultrasound is accruate!

2009-03-19T22:31:00.003-04:00

The latest quilt: "Toad in a Puddle" I cannot say how bad I wish I had my new machine when I was 20 and suffering from insomnia! Since Augie was born I have no problem sleeping and less spare time.

This is for my step-cousin, Chris Holt and his wife Kris (you can't choose who you fall in love with,or at least their name, can you?). It is a "flying geese" pattern. After finishing it I found some tips for making the corners less bulky in a magazine. I just have the binding to do after machine quilting it myself. I am also going to transfer the signature to the back this time instead of embroidry. Found a really cool poem, so I think that will be my signature from now on.

My mother fell and broke her L arm and R leg last week, so I spent most of last weekend in the hospital keeping her company.

I also have one of those Facebook thingies. If you're on FB, look me up. Or not, it's about as exciting as this blog . . . I am like a pig to a trough with FB. I have even learned to check everyone's status (not that it matters) from my blackberry!

2009-03-19T22:27:00.002-04:00

Happy 15th Birthday Emmerson: He chose cheeseburger in paradise for his birthday dinner with his two buddies. Both Walter and Tyler have their drivers permits. Walter drove himself to our house. Emmerson can get his permit any time, just needs to look over that book. As if being 40 wasn't bad enough, my kid will be driving soon. And if it wasn't bad enough that he's driving, he is taller than his father!

2009-03-19T22:20:00.002-04:00

Solo & Ensamble Results: Both Emmerson & Olivia competed at regional solo & ensamble this past February. Both took gold ratings. Emmerson played a division I solo and went on to state where he also took a gold rating.

Both kids have moved up to better instruments this past year and show marked improvement. Emmerson had an intermediate horn and was growing frustrated with it's capabilities. Olivia picked out a new flute over winter break.

Augie, once again, was a complete monster, growling on the floor. He has one more year until he can start piano with our teacher. Second grade won't come soon enough!

Fiesta del Sol is finally finished!

2009-01-17T22:15:00.003-05:00

It's finally finished! I bought this fabric 6 years ago when we moved to Indiana. I finished the quilt for Olivia today.

This pattern is called "Friendship Star" made for Olivia because she is the friendliest person in our family. When she meets someone for the first time they are instant friends.

2008-11-24T19:23:00.004-05:00

This is what is left of our 4" Carniverous Ass. . .
a.k.a. The pitcher plant. If you look closely, the pitchers are loaded with insects. We have had at least 3 nights well below zero and the pitcher plant still looks great. The venus flytrap has gone dormant, however. We were going to try to take the dormant roots out and store in the garage until spring and try to get it growing again. The problem is that it won't die! It has 13 pitchers and has taken over the whole terrarium.

2008-11-24T19:19:00.003-05:00

Olivia was a vampire in a prom dress for Halloween. She and her girlfriend went out together without us this year. Her costume was complete with lee press-on nails and plastic teeth and fake blood. Emmerson was Dubya and Augie was "SuperAugie" for the 3rd year in a row. Costume won't fit next year. Emmerson received a lot of boo's and hisses except for one old duffer down the street, who shook his hand! LOL Political masks were $35-$50 bucks this year, which would have tripled the cost of the costume. Instead of saying "trick-or-treat" Emm announced,"Hello, fellow Americans . . . the stock market's in the crapper". Luckily, he made it home safely.

2008-11-24T19:13:00.002-05:00

This is Emmerson and Augie over the labor day weekend, riding golf carts with the cousins at Aunt Nancy & Uncle Dave's house. They love going to Nancy & Daves to ride golf carts, and one lawn mower, all over their huge lot and trailer park. On the right, cousin Joel pulls his best friend's son with the mower.

2008-07-12T23:17:00.006-04:00

Top 10 List of Funny Stuff From Augie:

We were having a family discussion last week about some of the great one-liners that come from "the man". Here are a few we aren't too embarassed to share:

1. "Get out of my room, and take that fart with you."

2. "Emmerson . . . You're a Democrat!"

3. "He's a hillbilly, but he's an O.K. hillbilly . . ."

4. "Mom, you're the family. Dad is the parents. They're the kids."

5. "We need signs on all the bathrooms in the house to avoid gender confusion."

6. "If America is a free country, why can't I have an orange slushie?"

7. "I want a bloodhound." (He hates our bassett hound and other dogs, generally)

8. "Get your mouth slober off my drink."

9. "Mom, you need to fill up your tea drink." (after drinking my cup dry)

10. "THIS IS MY INSIDE VOICE!" "I DON'T HAVE A STADIUM VOICE."

11."Dad, HELP! The toilet . . . it's leaking from the top!"

Carnivorous Ass . . .

2008-05-27T22:29:00.004-04:00

This is Emmer's second life-long wish. The first one only cost $20 bucks (he wanted to eat a pizza at the top of a parking deck at Purdue Univ). This one was a few more dollars, but well worth the investment. Emmerson has a new hobby for the last 2 years of raising Venus Flytrap. We went to Lowe's and found a small tray of Carnivorous plants. We went to the checkout and scanned the tag and looked at what was on the screen: "4" boxed carnivorous ass . . " Assorted was abbreviated.

We went to Crap-Mart for potting soil and a fish bowl. Then found a much bigger fishbowl at the petstore across the street. Emm couldn't wait till morning, he covered the table in newspaper and had John help him build his terrarium with river rock, spaghnum moss, sand, soil and activated charcoal. His first flytrap died after a few months, which we didn't realize until later that it wasn't dead -- just going into it's dormant cycle! LOL They turn brown at the end of the summer and you must clip the foliage and remove the tubor and store it in a dry place over the winter. Much like calla lillies or other landscaping plants. Once spring starts, you are supposed to get out the hybernating tuber and repot and start over. We didn't have success reviving his second. However, while out shopping for the third flytrap's supplies, we found a Purple Pitcher Plant. Emm has been searching for it for a while. They have a whole section of flytraps and carnivorous plants at lowes in the house plant section. These are perfect plants for people who can't stop loving their plants to death. Flytraps thrive on overwatering, lots of sun, heat and humidity! Now we can't wait until we discover an unsuspecting fly in the house.

Thank Goodness it's Over!

2008-04-19T09:20:00.003-04:00

This is the end of Spring Break. Emmer had been up 48 hours from Sunday thru Monday night. His buddy who came over went straight to the golf course for 9 holes! They had two days off and then an overnighter at Walter's house. Emm came home and wanted to start reading a book, John is holding "The Subtle Knife" to the right. Both Emm and Augie fell asleep instantly. They were ready to go back to school on Tuesday. As soon as I get it cleaned up, I will take pictures of the new paint job in my room. I started a new job this week and also decided it was time to paint. What was I thinking?

Bombdoggie!

2008-04-19T09:07:00.003-04:00

That is Augie's name for her. She did it again! Olivia finally threw our her halloween candy in February. Who saves Halloween candy until Valentines day? Anyway, after the first two episodes of candy theivery, Olivia tossed her slobbery Easter candy in her trash can. I think our problem is that I ran out of can dog food and started a new job this week. Blossy is out-of-sorts. We went to Emmerson's 8th grade recognition ceremony and out to dinner. John and I were putting our bedroom back together after painting for 6 days and I realized Blossom was quiet and not in the room anymore. I went down the hallway and found her like this, looking up at me as if she knew what she did was wrong. She hung her head low and gave us a very reproachful look. Olivia was very mad -- for about 2 minutes. Blossom's adventure was not without reprocussion, however. All night her tummy was gurgling and groaning. And it's too rainy to walk it off this morning.

Carl Sandburg - "Our National Poet".

2008-04-12T08:22:00.003-04:00

At least that is what one famous writer calls him. I am ashamed to say that I lived my whole childhood in Illinois, just 40 miles from Carl Sandburg's birthplace of Galesburg IL and never read any of his poetry. I have even visited Carl Sandburg College. After reading "The Brain that Changes Itself", I have been reading Augie poetry at bedtime -- puts him right out. Then I got a few books for myself. I never realized how cool Carl Sandburg was, for being a poet with no serious mental illness:

Bricklayer Love, by Carl Sandburg

I thought of killing myself because I am only a bricklayer and you a
woman who loves the man who runs a drug store.

I don't care like I used to; I lay bricks straighter than I used to and I sing
slower handling the trowel afternoons.

When the sun is in my eyes and the ladders are shaky and the mortar
boards go wrong, I think of you.

This made me laugh out lout, read it twice to my family. Sad, you just want to tell this fella to move on and find a nice "honky-tonk" gal or something. sheesh! Clearly not his best work, we all have bad days.

Circles of Doors, by Carl Sandburg -- (my favorite)

I love him, I love him, ran the patter of her lips
And she formed his name on her tongue and sang
And she sent him word she loved him so much,
So much, and death was nothing; work, art, home,
All was nothing if her love for him was not first
Of all; the patter ofher lips ran, I love him,
I love him; and he knew the dors that opened
Into doors and more doors, no end of doors,
And full-length mirrors doubling and tripling
The apparitions of doors; circling corridors of
Looking-glasses and doors, some with knobs, some
With no knobs, some opening slow to a heavy push,
And some jumping open at a touch and a hello.
And he knew if he so wished he could follow her
Swift running through circles of doors, hearing
Sometimes her whisper, I love him, I love him
And sometimes only a high chaser of laughter
Somewhere five or ten doors ahead or five or ten
Doors behind, or chittering h-st, h-st, h-st, among corners
Of the tall full-length dusty looking-glasses.
I love, I love, I love, she sang short and quick in
High thin beaten soprano and he knew the meanings,
The high chaser of laughter, the doors on doors
And the looking-glasses, the room to room hunt,
The ends opening into new ends always.

I like it because it's not so obscure that I can't understand it. There are poems about Neponset IL, Joliet, IL, Keokuk, IA and other small towns in Illinois and Chicago; many places I've lived or visited. I only wish I had read Carl Sandburg earlier! These came from "The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg Revised and Expanded Edition".

What I am looking for now is audio book of poetry. I'm sure all this would sound better if read by someone who knew how to read poetry aloud. I usually read shel Silverstein to the kids at night half tired and trip up a lot of the lines. Some of Shel's poems freaks Augie (and me too) out!

Bunicula!

2008-03-30T10:35:00.004-04:00

Here is our annual n'hood Easter Egg hunt. Emmerson was the Easter Bunny, making naughty comments all the way to the park! Emmerson is a very "politically minded" 14 year old! His little brother had a difficult time not calling him Emmerson. Later, we came home and Emmerson got his Darth Vader Voice Changer out and put it under the bun bun's head! Made another YouTube video with Augie.

Hunt went well, despite the 40 degree temp and wind. Augie won one of the door prizes and we went home for hot cocoa and tea! We are very much looking forward to spring. We keep getting a taste of it for a day or so and then back to chilly and windy.

Spring Break is over -- what a long, miserable week. Kids were ready to go back on Tuesday. I had a job interview, while trying to work from home. Blossom got into Olivia's candy stash and ate her fill (thankfully she couldn't get into the M&Ms, she just licked the paper rendering them indeible). We came home from the grocery store to find her lying on the kitchen floor, starburst wrappers stuck to her belly, skittles in her ears. Olivia ran up to her bedroom and 5 minutes later yells: "BLOSSOM, darnit girl!" We had to take her for a walk, like trying to sober up a friend who has had too much to drink!

Big Green Egg is here!

2008-03-16T21:29:00.002-04:00

This is our St Paddy's day dinner. It's a little overdone. We just got a big green egg and we love it. So much easier to control the temp than a smoker. This got done in 4 hrs at 250. I had the vents almost closed. We're learning. Chickens turned out great. We put two big chickens on together and smoked them in 90 minutes. They were so juicy and the skin was not charred to oblivion. I think we're doing a pork roast next.

New Tea Cake!

2008-02-29T21:39:00.011-05:00

I just rec'd a new order of tea from Hou De Asian Arts, an internet tea seller I've never ordered from. I bought my first Pu Ehr tea cake. I was very surprised at how big it is! Now I need to decide what to do with it. I wasn't very impressed with the flavor, so maybe it needs to age. Or maybe I'll try it again tomorrow and it will tast much differently. . .

http://www.houdeasianart.com/

New Face!

2008-02-27T13:22:00.003-05:00

Emmerson got his braces on Monday! They're a little tight, but he's slowly getting used to them. Practiced his horn yesterday afterschool with no problem. I don't think Augie has noticed just yet!

I just bought a really great book that I highly recommend, even though I am only on chapter 3. "The Brain that Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge MD. It's very fascinating and tough to put down. Doidge follows a number of neuroscience researchers who are pioneers in the field of neuroplasticity (the ability of your brain to adapt and change the way it's mapped). Years ago, scientists believe that there was a map of our brain that corresponded to sight, hearing, each body part, etc. Which explains why stroke victims have trouble speaking and using one side of the body. However, neuroscientists now believe the brain can "remap" itself and pick up activities that were associated with another part of your brain. I can hardly wait to finish it.

1.0 is 14!

2008-02-19T21:20:00.002-05:00

I am not going to cry about how old I am though! When I was 8, I came home from school to find my mother curled up in the fetal position in the living room. I thought something horrible had happened, thermal nuclear proliferation perhaps. "No", she says to me. "You can't possibly understand . . . Mommy is an old lady now . . . Mommy just turned 30" So, right then, I vowed never to get upset over my age. It's better to save your negative emotions for something important you can control but failed to . . . like loosing a big battle in Guitar Hero!

John got me Guitar Hero for Valentine's Day this year. Along with a lovely boquet of flowers. I bought him a new sourdough starter and some green M&Ms, since moving killed the old starter. I have played GH a grand total of 5 times and now the boys are fighting it out in the living room. We have the TV hooked up through the stereo receiver, which makes a big difference.

World Traveler Quilt

2008-02-19T21:14:00.004-05:00

I can't believe I sent this to it's new home before taking a decent picture of it. The other picture, with me, is so blurry you can't see what each block is. This is a "World Traveler" quilt made for my MIL, who is being treated for cancer and having a difficult time with side effects from radation treatment. Kids all helped along with dad. It has blocks of gold coins, pictures from different locations, wine bottles, stamps, maps, etc. . . Anyway, there were leftover squares, so Olivia made a lap size for herself. And, being that there were still more squares left, I made another lap size for John's aunt & uncle who recently celebrated their 30 anniversary with a whirlwind trip all over europe. Fortunately, my family is poor and doesn't have the cash to travel because I am out of world traveler fabric. Next time I'll check the camera before mailing off another quilt to a new home. I am getting an abundance of ripped jeans again. I think it's time for a denim jean quilt again. My other problem is that I was entered, somehow through no fault of my own, in a dresden quilt show. So I absolutely have to get the dresden profesionally quilted! No more excuses.

Solo & Ensamble Update

2008-02-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

Both Mannin kids take gold rating in solo & ensamble at Avon, IN contest. Olivia on Flute and Emmerson on his new French Horn. Both were thrilled and look forward to the Young Artist Solo competition on Tuesday of this week. Both middle school students will compete for two $400 scholarships to band camp over the summer. It's rather sad that they have the competition for scholarships. They should award the scholarships to econimically disadvantaged children who are serious about their music. Most of the kids in the competition last year were assisted by private tutors. If you can afford a private teacher, you could cough up the $400 for a week of summer band camp. Unless you're going to interlochen arts academy. I couldn't even find the tuition schedule on heir website.

UPDATE: Emmerson won 8th grade Young Artist Solo Competition last week. He was awarded a $400 scholarship to the summer music program camp of his choice. He is excited about going to camp and Olivia is already planning a girls overnighter when he is gone.

New Teapot!

2008-01-31T06:17:00.000-05:00

This is a Tokoname teapot from Japan. It's a type of stoneware from a specific region/kiln. This came from o-cha.com. I am having the problem that regular tea in bags doesn't taste as good as loose leaf tea. However, the small, plastic infuser I bought to brew tea at work is absorbing flavors from other kinds of tea! Yuk! I have been drinking Pu Ehr (pooooor) tea, which is very good for your digestion. It does, however, have a very strong flavor some don't care for. It also has imparted it's flavor in the plastic infuser. I tried brewing green tea after a couple days of drinking pu ehr and I nearly gagged! I had to air out my infuser for a few days because my Houjicha picked up whatever was already in the infuser. A lot of serious tea drinkers collect teapots for each kind of tea they drink. I have seen pictures of collections of 15-30 different kinds of Tokoname, tea bowls, cups, gaiwan and yixing. I have seen yixing for upwards of $500 - which I am not in the market for. I'm just not sure that I want that much "stuff" and I know I don't have the real estate on the kitchen counter to accomodate it! However, over time, the yixing (especialy) and tokoname will absorb the flavors of the one type of tea brewed in them and it is said that after a number of years you can just put hot water into a yixing and make tea with no leaves! How cool.

Tomato Phyllo Pizza

2008-01-04T06:20:00.000-05:00

We also repotted some Aloe plants on New Year's Eve.

This is also known as "The Frances Pizza" at our house because it was given to me by a woman named Frances.

seven 17- by 12-inch sheets of phyllo, stacked between 2 sheets of wax paper and covered with a damp kitchen towel.
7 Tbsp butter, melted and kept warm (we add 2 cloves of crushed garlic to this - optional)
7 Tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese (Parmigiana Reggiano is best!)
1 cup coarsely grated mozzarella (1/4 lb, but who measures)
1 very thinly sliced onion (we use red onion, have used green onion bulbs)
2 bls tomatos (about 5) cut into 1/4" thickness - I use roma, recipe calls for regular.
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled - I use fresh from the produce section
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 tsp dry

Brush baking sheet lightly with some of the butter/garlic mix. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on the butter and brush lightly w/more butter! Sprinkle that with Parmesan cheese. Cover that with a new sheet of phyllo and pat flat and repeat the butter/parmesan process until you have 7 layers.

When you get to the top layer sliced tomatos and onions onto the phyllo, add cheese and herbs. Then salt and pepper to taste. Finally, sprinkle with a couple tsp parmesan cheese over the whole pizza.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges and cheese are golden to your taste. This serves 8-10 as a first course.

Shibata notes:
one pkg phyllo makes about 2 recipes.
we like more cheese: used about 2Xs mozz. and the fresh stuff from the deli works best if you can slice thin or grate.
You can also add dry or fresh basil if you like.
Ideas from the 8-31-03 New York Times Magazine: add goat, feta, Stilton cheeses and Calamata olives. (feta and Calamatas were awesome when we added)
Mannins also added prosciutto and pancetta sliced hams. Pancetta is salty enough that you don't need to add extra to this recipe.

Will add picture later. Kids took it off the memory stick.

New Year's Day

2008-01-02T08:01:00.000-05:00

Augie as Guitar Hero. Emm's buddy brought over his Guitar Hero for PS2 on NYD. Tyler is pretty good at it after several days practice. Emmerson got kicked off stage. Augie just likes wearing Emmerson's wig and holding he guitar. I'm ready to go out and buy it. Has some good old classics in addition to Slipknot, 3 days grace, Disturbed, and others.

Our New Year's Dinner was Tomato Phillo Pizza, which I will publish later. We also had ice cream drinks until 12:15, at which time Augie gave us a lecture for staying up too late. Then he passed out. New Year's Day we enjoyed pizza soup and cleaned our house. Today i am back to work and John is keeping the kids one more day. Happy New Year to all!

Finishing Christmas Presents

2008-01-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

December didn't go as we'd planned. So I am finishing Christmas (actually New Year's) cards and a few gifts while I have some time off from work for the Holidays. These are gifts for music teachers. I filled them with Starbucks gift cards and some tissues with music printed on them. The lining of the bags are sheet music. When the weather has been nice, we have been driving up to North Suburban IL to take Grandma Mannin dinner. She is still recovering from surgery the second week of December. Olivia and I decided to make her a quilt, although she doesn't need anymore stuff in her house (do any of us, really). I still haven't quilted the Dresden I made before I got sick.

We also had our cousin Spencer over for several days between Christmas and New Year's Day. John and the kids went to the Indiana State Museum and went to the IMax theater to watch "The Polar Express" (Augie's favorite movie) in 3-D. Then they spent an hour in the Lego exhibit before being thrown out of the museum. We also took the kids to Cheeseburger in Paradise, where Spencer enjoyed the macaroni & cheese plate off the Little Parakeet Menu.

It's finally finished!

2007-11-11T19:53:00.000-05:00

The TOP, I should say! Now I need to get it quilted. This is called "Dresden Bloom". I took a class with Lee Ann at the Quilt Box in Kewanee, IL (my lovely hometown). The class was scheduled from 10-3, however Lee Ann, myself and one other die-hard stayed until we were bodily thrown out at 6:55 p.m.! When I left I had the center bloom done and applique'd and all of the other bloom pieces made. I applique'd two more 1/2s at mom's house and finished the rest this weekend. The finished quilt looked so hard, but the toughest part was trying to understand the dang instructions to prepare for the crazy class. Ugh. Once I got there and talked to the teacher, the pattern company could have worded their instructions better. Anyway, move your mouse over the picture and double-click to enlarge for a better view -- if you dare. . .

Halloween Night

2007-11-11T19:44:00.001-05:00

Olivia was a purple princess and her girlfriend was the polar opposite (red princess). Augie was "SuperAugie" again. Emmerson was Neo (Thomas Anderson) from The Matrix, his buddy was a "Chick Magnet" with Barbies and Bratz stuck all over him. His brother is the bloody skull in front. They had a great time, weather was absolutely perfect.

Next weekend is area honor band, which Emmerson was chosen to take part in. He has been working on his music with his private instructor and will practice all day Saturday before their Sunday afternoon performance. We are all very much looking forward to hearing "The Great Locomotive Chase", which is a very modern band piece. He just got a new professional Conn D10 and is improving with his new horn and it's new abilities.

2007-10-08T21:42:00.000-04:00

We're gearing up for Halloween. I made the kids treat bags with the new machine and Olivia's purple princess costume is ready to run the neighborhood. Emmer and his buddy Tyler are making Halloween Videos on You Tube. Both kids are making plans with friends and ploting their route around the subdivision. Emmerson still hasn't nailed down his costume, however I am thinking he is either going to be a vampire or maybe Neo from The Matrix.

Holy Cow, it's October already!

2007-10-08T21:32:00.000-04:00

I just realized I haven't updated since vacation (JULY). We had a Bailleu family reunion again during Labor Day (or Hog Days if you're from kewanee IL) weekend. Cousin Joel Bailleu brought his best friend Dave for a high school reunion. John and Jacki Bailleu came from Texas with a little "Cash": their newest toy poodle. We sat in the shade and visited and ATE! I am still waiting for pictures and copies of photos and momentos that Aunt Frieda brought. I found out my Great Grandmother was confirmed right here in Indianapolis! And, I think I have been to that very church!

Anyway, I am posting a picture of my latest creation. A cowgirl quilt for a sassy young cowgirl in Texas, Miss Kacie Faith. I saw the kit at the Quilt Box in Kewanee and my sister-in-law bought the actual quilt. I had no idea right away who to make it for until I remembered my trip to Texas the year before.

Bassett Rescue

2007-10-08T21:23:00.000-04:00

I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention Guardian Angel Bassett Rescue. Link is under the cool links section. We adopted Blossom in January and couldn't be happier. Don't buy an expensive, overpriced pet-store dog from a puppy farm! There are plenty of sweet, family-friendly Bassett Hounds awaiting adoption. Not all rescue dogs are physically abused, abandoned or neglected. Our Blossom was raised with a very loving family who obviously took excellent care of her. I can tell she has had a dog trainer work with her. She doesn't bark, howl, get up on furniture, is crate trained and loves the kids. Bloss is a senior, excuse me, "mature" bassett. A few people have told us that we shouldn't have taken her because of her age. However, she is a real cream puff and we couldn't have asked for a better family dog. She loves going to Dairy Queen in the summer and taking long walks in the snow in the winter. Now that the weather is cooler, she is up at the crack of dawn with us, ready for her morning walk. She has lots of neighborhood buddys including 2 other bassets, 2 dashounds and a blood hound. Please consider adopting a bassett (or another breed of dog if you don't care for bassets) from a rescue organization.

Summer Vacation

2007-08-02T21:55:00.001-04:00

Although we have been back for several weeks now, we had another great vacation at the Wisconsin Dells. Grandparents Mannin joined us this year -- they were thinking the Dells were still the same as their last visit during the summer of '78! What a shock. We skipped Cheese Chalet this year and opted for more outlet mall shopping instead. Kids enjoyed 2 days of floating their boats and John kept his shorts on! Quiet, relaxing, vacation for having one's mother-in-law tag along on one's 18th wedding anniversary! Emm and Olivia enjoyed a week of YWCA bowling camp (they were the oldest kids there who were not behavior-disorder). We are very much looking forward to the start of school in just 10.5 short days!!! Augie just completed his Kindergarten interview. Olivia will be in Middle school and Emmerson is in his final year of Middle school. We have been enjoying our neighborhood pool late in the afternoon along with our neighbors. Kids have last weekend of summer vacation bashes planned with their friends next weekend before having to haul out of bed at 5:45 a.m. on August 13th.

Standardized Test Rant

2007-07-04T19:55:00.000-04:00

Standardized tests are the biggest waste of tax dollars and classroom time. My school-age kids have taken the ITBS tests and have Lexile scores over 1000. Last week, while cruising through Barnes & Noble to look for summer reading material, a book caught my eye that looked interesting to me. Yellow was in the title, it was a fictional story based during the yellow fever epidemic of 1900 & something. I asked the kids if that looked interesting to them . . . oldest says, "no, we can't read that . . . it's only an 800 lexile and I have to look for books over 1000". Forget the fact that it looks good and we might learn something. So, I decided to look up the Twilight series books we've been reading (which are written for 12+ years old) and their lexile is in the middle 700's! So, I looked up Peace Like a River and it's Lexile is 900, still short of the target. Maybe we can have a word with their teacher about allowing it. Lexile measures text & structure difficulty. However, there are many other factors such as how age-appropriate the story is, interest level of the child to the subject, and the reader's background that cannot be measured. My son's teacher says he can read lower lexile books for his enjoyment outside the classroom, but for class projects he must read at or preferably above his lexile. My son had talked to kids in 7th grade who intentionally answer questions wrong on standardized tests to lower their lexile and read books that interest them. Kids who are involved in sports will also intentionally throw the test to be placed in math or english classes that are below their level to be able to keep up their grades during the sports season. What will these kids do when the football scholarship thing doesn't pan out after goofing off for 4 years in high school? My biggest concern, as a mother, is that this sucks what little joy there is out of school. When kids read something they enjoy and understand they are more likely to retain the information. I worry that they are just learning to be good test takers and honing skills so they can "play the game". Is reading a good book you like 3 times a waste of time? No. I understand the need to motivate lazy kids to read at their evel, rather than picking easy books way beneath their level just to ensure a good grade. The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner is 870 lexile, but my 11 & 13 year olds would not likely understand it. No matter, they wouldn't be allowed to read it for a school project anyway.

New Moon is as good as Twilight and as soon as we read the last Harry Potter book we are going right to the bookstore for Eclipse!

Two new books to recommend

2007-06-24T23:45:00.001-04:00

While in the car this summer we are listening to several books. Cesar's Way is a great book, not just about your relationship with your dog but people and work as well. John and I learned a lot about handling and taking care of our dog from this book. We also learned some things we were doing right, without knowing!

"Penny from Heaven" is a fantastic girl book. Although, I think Emm enjoyed listening. It's a very funny book for a girl 8+ and parents too. It gets a little suspenseful/perilous in the middle, by the author ties up the loose ends nicely. It takes place back in the '50's, about a girl named Penny and her disfunctional family.

Right now we started a book called "Twilight", about a teen-age girl who is in love with a vampire . . . It's a long book (11 disks) with 2 books that follow and possibly a movie. So far it's a great book with 1 major flaw: the main male character, Edward. This is a dangerous read for young women/girls. Edward is extremely attractive but down-to-earth, highly intelligent, wealthy, perpetually 17 years old, has an awesome car, an awesome body with super sharp reflexes, and an extremely polite and thoughtful date. The only real men who are like Edward are either a. Vampires; b. gay (or gay vampires); or c. abusive to women. The author, however, does refer to this story as "fantasy" . . .
Update: after reading on we find out that Edward is over 100 years old and never been with a woman before . . . that explains quite a bit.
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html

Augie's Kids are Back!

2007-06-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

We visited Brickworld in suburban Chicago IL on sunday. Kids were positively in heaven. While we were there we bumped into my cousin Eric and his family -- small world. Augie has been spoiled while they older 2 have been at the "Grandkins" house. He can't sleep at night. Evenings are very difficult for him. He keeps asking, "where is Emmerson, my best forever friend?" Very sweet boy. He missed Olivia the first week, missed the Emmer the 2nd week. We found some rare Lego parts that the kids have been looking for and got some ideas for building. Emm has a rather large collection going, but nothing near what some of these folks have.

2007-06-11T20:57:00.000-04:00

Augie showcases our new downstairs powder room. We have one of those "production homes" that comes in builder white. John & I find white walls very disturbing. I wanted to paint the downstairs 1/2 bath black, or maybe a dark aubergine. This caused much discussion and I compromised on this faux finish. It's the covered wagon from upstairs hallway with cinnamon stick 50/50 glaze over the top. I hated it, so I went out and bought a star stencil and copper paint. Then John got horribly sick with the flu (4th time I've seen him that sick in 21 years). So, we had the work lights set up in the hallway and paint stuff in the bathroom for a week. Once the glaze dried it looked much better, now I'm a little disappointed with the stars. Painting has been my new hobby for the last 3 years. We lived in a 1000 sq ft mobile home for 18 months (should have started the blog then) then bought a new home. Painted 2/3 of it when my parents decided to "pair down" and we helped paint a lot of their new home. After we finished that we found out John was transferring to Indy and we bought another new house and are over half way painting it. If you ever need help painting, you know who to call! We have an extension ladder, cat walk, 2 paint ladders and halogen work lights. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is on and it's time for another cup of tea!

New Family Member

2007-06-11T20:49:00.001-04:00

No more Mannins, we have baby robbins on our front porch. Next to their next is another nest their mother shoved aside to make herself a nest for her babies. The other nest belonged to a set of House Finches that have come 2 years in a row. Mom goes out for worms, returns, and vomits worm goo into their mouths. After 2 weeks, they are standing, stomping their feet and spreading their wings to fledge soon. I don't know what will happen when both Finches and Robbins both nestlings imprint on our house and try to return next spring. The house finches hatched the day we moved in last year (May 24), but came a whole month early this spring. I wonder if the robbins tossed them out? Right now I am enjoying a cup of Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong tea that John enjoyed 2 infusions from before returning to work to run more samples.

2007-06-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

I bought a gaiwan last weekend. I started drinking tea this past year and found that I don't drink nearly as much soda as I used to. I also hate restaurant tea, especially the bag-in-box stuff. Gaiwan is used to brew larger, loose leaf tea. It also makes smoother, better tasting tea. First time I used it I burned my fingers, but I am getting the hang of it. It does make much better tea. The purple pot is a regular infuser. I thought it looked cool and didn't expect much from it, but it does a good job brewing also. I need to post my collection later.

2007-06-10T00:42:00.000-04:00

Blossom is going to be a very lonesome dog for a few days.

3 Kids and a Hound!

2007-06-10T00:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday, June 10 12:31 a.m. This is my first entry. Our children are off at Grandma B's house to spend some time with their cousin, whom they dearly love. House is exceptionally quiet.