our joyful life

Inspirational

2011-09-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Kyra's doing a 365 project right now that has really inspired her to take some amazing photos.

the monsters come out at night

the outcasts

Horton and me

flying

shedding my scales

She's an inspiration. You can view more of her work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photopluto/

Abbi's got the moves

2011-08-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

All 3 kids attended ETUSC a couple of weeks ago and had a blast.

Here they are just before they took off.. without me! :(

I wanted to share the dance that Abbi choreographed and performed for the talent show there.

Pretty awesome :)

They had a great week and I recommend it highly!

Drum magic

2011-08-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Here's Alec with a new cover of Unholy Confessions by Avenged Sevenfold.

Comptine d'unautre ete: l'apres midi

2011-06-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

New cover by Abbi. This is "Comptine d'un autre été: l'après midi" - Yann Tiersen - from the movie, Amélie

Queen Anne's Lace and Snowflakes

2011-05-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Kyra and I are home. She's been pretty sick the last week. She started up on antibiotics 2 days ago and now this morning is seeming to feel better. It scares me when she's sick like this, Abbi had something similar a month or so ago and it's awful.

I have to take the dog for her walks alone since Tim, Alec and Abbi are here.

But.. it could be worse-- walk down to the lake, enjoy the woods beside me and check out all the wild flowers along the way.

This is one of my favorites.

Partly because they are new to me, and partly because I have a beautiful bowl with the bloom impression on it. It's a Queen Anne's Lace, and actually a carrot plant. I had never seen them in Minnesota. I think it probably does grow in parts of the state but I wasn't aware of them. The bowl was a gift from a friend and when she gave it to me I thought, "how pretty! A bowl with a snowflake!" :) Yes, I lived in Minnesota, and snowflakes were around quite a bit of the time.

Here's the bowl, I love it.

I do miss snowflakes, but Queen Anne's lace is a nice substitute.

Surrounded Drum Cover

2011-05-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here's Alec's newest and first cover of Dream Theater. This is his favorite band, so he was pretty excited to get it done.

Springtime at Oakwood Cemetery

2011-05-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this picture. It's one of my favorites right now, and my desktop background on my computer :)

It's taken at the historic Oakland cemetery in Atlanta. We visited there last month. As a golfer, Tim wanted to see Bobby Jones' grave. I was quite interested in showing the girls Margaret Mitchell's. The trees and flowers were so beautiful through-out the cemetery.

OK, so I have to share a few more.

Anime Photo Shoot

2011-05-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

A girl gets a new camera. What does she do with it? Of course she takes lots of pictures, but also she would do a photoshoot with her sister as a model.

That's how Kyra rolls. She decided to do a photo shoot of Abbi as a anime loving/anime character. Or in Kyra's words: "A photoshoot about a girl who wants to be in a manga/anime, but in reality... actually is."

They had so much fun.

Here's a few pics and the link to the entire shoot.

Ancient Lit Class Completed and Enjoyed!

2011-05-17T05:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Abbi completed her Ancient Literature class. She really enjoyed it. She really liked having a group of people to discuss readings.

For her final, she was assigned a partner and they asked to compare and contrast 3 books that they read. They had 8 different questions to write answers for: Acheological Prototype (comparing the book's accuracy with real information), Dates, the Role of Merlin, Geneology, Guinevere, Lancelot, Religion, and Arthur's Title. For the last portion of their class they focused on Arthurian Literature.

As a presentation, she and her partner made a poster with the information. She also included some Ogham writings which she's been having a lot of fun playing around with.

Here are some close ups of the Ogham writings:

The first one is read as "Arthur maqi Uther" or in modern English "Arthur son of Uther"

The second one is "Pendragon", Arthur's last name.

As we were leaving and Abbi was saying her good-byes, her teacher told her she had been a joy to have in class and that she hoped Abbi would consider her American Literature class that she's offering next year. We'll see.... :)

Oh Time.. must you keep marching on?

2011-04-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

I have to preface this post by saying that I'm not depressed at all. After writing it I was surprised at how somber it sounded. I think when I look at the kids and see how old they are, a wave of disbelief rushes through me. A thought of, "this can't be!" fills my head.

Anyway, we're having a grand time, no worries.

************************************************

As I watch my three teens playing Magic together, I can't believe how the years have passed by so quickly. Alec is 18. 18 years since I had my first child. 18 years ago I never would have thought that my kids would be staying home with me. Staying home with me instead of going to school. I'm so glad they did.

Abbi is 16. 16 years ago, after I had Abbi I said to Alec who was 19 months old, "you're such a big boy!" Really? Really. Wow, how crazy was I in pushing my baby boy to be a big boy. Did I know at the time that he would grow up so quickly? That he would change our lives when he wasn't enjoying school. Abbi was enjoying school at the time, she was in 1st grade and she thought it was pretty fun. She'd finish out the year but then ended up staying home the following years. I'm so glad she did.

Kyra is 13, turning 14 next month. Yes, 14! 14 years since I had my last child. I remember bringing her home and being overwhelmed with 2 toddlers and a baby. I had a bout of depression which wasn't great and I'm sure that colored some of my experiences a shade of gray. I now wish I knew how quickly those years would go by.

Hold onto each day, know how quickly they pass. Kiss those tiny heads of toddlers and babies; smell their heads, as my friend Sandra says. Before you know it, they'll be playing a game together and you won't even need to explain the rules to them. In fact you'll have a hard time comprehending the game.

Our Gaga-ness

2011-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

We went to the Lady Gaga concert this week. It was pretty amazing. Quite the show.

A few months ago, when we got the tickets, I really wasn't the biggest fan. Kyra was though, so that's what mattered. :) We choked on the price of the tickets a bit, but knew that Kyra really really really wanted to see her. As we got closer to the time of the concert, I was slowly being converted. Lady Gaga would be at rallies promoting acceptance of gay youth, speaking out on stopping bullying and always sending out the message of how you need to love yourself.

How could I not embrace that?

I have a few shots from the concert but only from my phone. We had a great night. Abbi, Samuel, Tracy, Morgan and Melissa joined Kyra and me.

Our bunch at Gaga

The photo below is of the stage from where we were sitting. Don't know if you can see it, but there's a big fish type of monster on the stage. Right in the middle you might be able to see a lit up mouth and eyes. We were supposed to flash our cameras and anything else to help fight it.

Super excited concert go-ers!

A Full Moon and 2 years!

2011-04-16T18:48:00.001-07:00

We are so lucky to be able to look out to the sky from our great room. Look at our view tonight.

And here's the cutest couple of the day. They've been together for 2 years now, wow! Here they are before going out for dinner.

The Sound of Truth cover

2011-04-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here's Alec's new cover, The Sound of Truth by As I Lay Dying

The other day I asked him if he writes down the music to play, or if he looks up music for the songs. He answered me that he just listens and figures it out in his head. So, he plays these by ear. Pretty cool.

Kyra's doings

2011-04-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

You can see more at her photo blog: photopluto.blogspot.com

Abbi the Baker

2011-04-08T13:14:00.001-07:00

Do you know the muffin man?

I don't, but I know the muffin makin' girl! It's Abbi! She's now on a baking spree of muffin baking. So far she's made... let me see...

she's made the Blueberry ones, Lemon Poppyseed ones, and right now there's a yummy banana chocolate smell wafting through the room.

Here's the baking goddess now!

She really loves baking. The other day we were grocery shopping at Publix, looking at all the yummy breads in the bakery section, we asked if there were any openings. We thought it might be a good place to learn about commercial baking . The lady working there said you had to be 18 years old to run the machinery, so Abbi was a little down about that. But then as we were turning to walk away she added that a younger person could probably help with the packaging and other work. Abbi is considering going back in and applying.

Owning her own bakery/shop is a dream of hers, isn't that cool?

Here's today's muffin.. see the chocolatey goodness??

Yum! I'm off to eat!

Alec's Drum competition January 2011

2011-02-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

Alec participated in a drum competition last month.

He especially likes songs that use double bass. We brought in his double bass pedal and he played an excerpt from The Glass Prison by Dream Theater.

He won 3rd place :)

Got work ethic?

2011-02-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

Abbi is taking an ancient literature class at a local homeschool resource center. This is her first class since she left the school system after 1st grade. So when Monday morning came and she had her first assignments due she had some new feelings sweeping over her--pressure, stress, worry, doubt. She had finished her assignments the night before but didn't print them out. That should be easy, just print them in the morning. Yeah, trying to print things out before 8:00 a.m. can sometimes be harder than you think. She now knows that she'll probably make sure everything is done the night before :)

All went well and I thought she wrote out very thoughtful responses to her teachers questions. But the morning was stressful and you could tell she was worried about things. We felt so bad for her that morning, wanting to help, but we knew we couldn't fix how she was feeling. She got her assignments done in time but was grumpy and not wanting to talk about it.

I drove her to class and she went in with a feeling of burden. I was beginning to wonder if it was going to be a good fit for her. Knowing that she loves reading, writing and critical thought, I thought it sounded like a perfect fit but maybe not. After class she came out and said that class went great and that she had worried for nothing. She told me that she felt so much better because she realized that she was taking this class and doing the work for herself. She wasn't doing it for us/her parents, or for her teacher. She wanted to be there and was working for herself. She was so happy and a burden had been lifted.

Now this morning, she was talking with someone about all of it. Telling them that she liked the class but had experienced some stress the first time she had to get assignments done and all that. She said she was so happy to realize that she was taking this class for herself and that if she didn't like it she could quit. The person she was talking with responded with a sarcastic "wow, great work ethic you have". She was kind-of surprised at the response. She replied that she thought she had great work ethic and that this was different from a job. She was paying them to bring something to her, to share it with her; be it knowledge, reading assignments, or a place to gather with others to discuss things. She had in effect hired this learning center. In a work place she would be paid to work so she would have a different viewpoint towards her work.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised when people say this, we hear it all the time. It's a big worry for parents especially.. will kids ever finish anything if they can quit?? I have no doubt that they will and if they don't it's not worth finishing. She's already shown in many different ways that she's not going to just quit things when the going gets tough. But if the tough going isn't worth it to her she'll be OK with changing her path. I'm glad she feels like she can quit if she wants. I think this freedom has allowed her to learn more about herself. There's no muddied water, just clear desire and lots of hard work.

Holiday tunes

2010-12-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

from Abbi:

how does she do it?

Happy Holiday!

Ireland, next week!

2010-10-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

So.. we're going on a trip next week and it's going to be pretty special. We're going to Ireland! Another cool thing is that we'll be going with my parents and my in-laws, so we'll all have some wonderful memories. I've been to Ireland before, as have the grand-parents, but this will be Tim's first time and the kids first time to Europe! We're excited :)

We'll be staying in the west, just south of Limerick, near Adair. Pretty close to where I visited before so I'm excited to share this all with Tim and the kids.

Fingers crossed for some warmth and dry weather... yeah.. I know probably not gonna happen.. but I can hope!

Alec's Rockin'

2010-07-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

Alec attended Rock Camp this week where he takes drum lessons.
At the beginning of the week they were divided up into bands. Then through the week each band worked on a song. He really had a good time. Tonight they had a performance night where they played their songs.

Alec's band played Detroit Rock City.

I think he rocked it!

Here it is:

Now for a little gushing

2010-07-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

Some of the cutest couples :)

Abbi and Tim went to Phantom of the Opera this week. They said it was wonderful.

Samuel's visiting! You think they're happy?

And I'm missing this guy

He's up in Tennessee for the week. Coming home tomorrow though.. phew..

Growing, growing

2010-07-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Remember the sweet potato plants?

Here they are now!

Yeah, I'm thinkin' sweet potatoes like Georgia weather. We were a bit worried as we were putting them in that we didn't till the dirt enough; or add enough fertilizer/compost types of stuff.. but they sure look healthy. I guess we'll see, I'm guessing in September, how they're doing under the surface.

Some other plants that we're enjoying.

This space is right under our deck. It was empty when we moved in.. just mulch, but we decided to put that ground to work.We have some zinnias, tomatoes, sweet bell pepper, cucumber and mint, oh.. and a mum plant that grows all year round, yeah, I'm still amazed at this growing season. :)

Isn't it amazing how many tomatoes you can grow from just one plant?

Here's Kyra's cucumber plant. She wanted a cucumber plant so badly, so we found this at home depot. I didn't really notice what kind it was. We've discovered, now, that it's a pickling plant. She was worried at first that it wouldn't be that great for just eating raw, but they're just as yummy as ever.

We call it the king of all cucumber plants. We're amazed at how huge it is!

And can you guess how sweet this flower smells? So heavenly the magnolia smells... mmmmm.. and right in my back yard. Nice huh?

Planting and Growing

2010-06-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

With summer here, we're choosing to embrace the warmth.. and yes humidity too. It's a great place to grow things so here we go!

Looking out from our deck we have this huge space that only had mulch and a few trees. We figured we could grow some food.

Abbi loves sweet potatoes and we were inspired by our friend's farm.

Here they are going in:

We're also growing some tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, peppers,

and mint! For Kyra :)

We can't wait to pick our produce, it's so cool seeing it all grow! Here's to summer!

A radical thought..gaming is OK

2010-04-26T02:50:00.001-07:00

OK, I need to blather on about video game playing again. :)

People have been responding to the recent onslaught of news coverage that unschooling has received. This is totally understandable with how slanted the first Good Morning America piece was, but now I have a gripe. And it's actually with some of the unschoolers responses.

Unschoolers are coming back with responses like "we don't just play video games or watch TV". Now I know most people need to hear that type of thing, but I really think that that type of thinking just perpetuates the fear.

What's so bad about playing video games? What's so bad about TV? The fear that is generated from those two activities continues to surprise me. People.. think about it. If your child is engaged, don't you think they're getting something out of it? Even if it's more mundane play, don't you think that sometimes people need to relax or unwind?

My son Alec, 17, has played a lot of video games.. and I do mean a lot. He loved the puzzles, the strategy, the humor, the story lines.. even the history included in the games.. (yes, you can learn history from video games) and you know what? He's a smart guy! Really.. you should talk with him. He carries on intelligent conversations and even knows quite a bit about other things that aren't video game related. But, yes.. he played a lot of video games.

I'm asking people to see that our children, just like ourselves, will do other things when they need to do other things. If they don't, and they continue to play; they might end up following that to a career. Really. What are the options? How about computer programming, management, marketing, game creation/drawing, sales.. the list goes on. If they like to play video games, get them lots of games, let them play different types, let them savor the style, the creativity that is there.. or on the flip side, let them see that they are tired of video games and that they want to do something else.

If we continue to badger them or worry, they will never be able to see if they truly like them or not. It might be a passion and it could turn into a career or it might be something they like and then they'll see it as just that -- a hobby. It won't be viewed as something evil or bad. When parents continue to see gaming in a bad light it can turn gaming into a reactive thing -- Mom/Dad don't like those.. I probably need to check it out! ;) Your child isn't doing it for the joy of it. They're doing it because it's such a taboo activity. You know what I'm talking about.

We've spent a lot of time together playing video games and you know what.. it was a great ride. Was it a waste of time? Nope. Are the kids still playing games? Yes, and no.

Alec, our biggest game player, has recently decided that he wants to go to college and then on to medical school. He isn't playing much right now as he's focused on preparing for that. He also loves, loves, loves playing the drums. Figuring out fancy time signatures and tabs is his passion there.

Abbi has also played lots of video games and watched her fair share of TV but is now focusing on learning French. Just last night she was giggling so much over the fact that you can switch languages on Facebook. She now has her language set to French so she can socialize through Facebook while learning a new language! How cool is that??

Kyra, our youngest, who probably learned to read from World of Warcraft, is now considering canceling her WoW subscription because she just doesn't get on there that much anymore. She'd rather be sewing and creating her own fashions.

I don't want people to think that I'm relieved that our kids are moving on to new things....because I'm not. I am happy and excited, but it's more because they continue to find what makes their hearts sing. If they wanted to keep on playing video games I would have been right there supporting them. It's just another interest and who knows, next year we might be right back at it because.....

there's an expansion for World of Warcraft coming out!

Daily Om:Little Gurus

2010-04-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

I really like this DailyOm check it out:

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2010/22993.html

I'm thinking about blogging more :)

And I'll leave you with these pink image. Aren't cameras fun?

The little guru that took the picture

and in action~ this is from my phone camera, but I love action shots so I had to include it!

A Snowy Day

2010-02-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

It started like this.. Saddi loves the snow.

And it continued like this ... Kyra loves it too!

An angel!

Crazy huh?

Really fun!

Some WoW fun

2010-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

We've been having some fun on World of Warcraft again. Alec switched a Death Knight over to Argent Dawn so the 4 of us have been able to run some dungeons. He helped Abbi, Kyra and me get these mounts.

Aren't they cool?

That's Abbi, me and Kyra on our Cenarion War Hippogryphs.

So many books, so little time

2010-01-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

I love books. Love the feel of them, smell of them, love the look of them.. and shelves full of books... sigh.. don't get me started .. libraries.. bookstores.. I'm not quite sure what the draw is.. maybe it's text or the words. I just want to read it all! :) Maybe it's deciphering what's there, curiosity.. perhaps?

Right now I'm reading Dan Brown's latest, The Lost Symbol. It's OK. I've read some of his other books, the more recent ones-popular ones. I like the history and art in them, but now with this one I'm a bit bored. I'll probably finish it to see what happens but I don't know.. I'm not really loving it. Alec, Abbi, and Tim all read it so it'll be fun to talk with them about it.. so that's cool!

My friend, Laura, loves Charles de Lint. I read one of his short stories in Waifs and Strays. It was really good but I wanted a longer story! "no! I wanna read more about that character!" I'll finish that book. I also have The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley calling me and the rest of Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Yes, non-fiction is just as appealing to me. Knitting and crocheting books are so wonderful too.. pretty to look at and also there's that challenge of deciphering a pattern.

What are you reading right now?

It's 2010!

2010-01-04T05:58:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Wow, so amazing how quickly 10 years can go by.. yeah we hear those words all the time, but as I get older I now know why-they're true! I so remember celebrating the year 2000 as it came in.. Alec was 6, Abbi was 5 and Kyra 2. They were all so little! Wow.. again!

We've gone through so many changes, wonderful changes, so I'm grateful for those 10 years.

This year we celebrated the new year with friends up in Tennessee, it was a good time. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so no pictures of that.

I do have a picture of this New Year tradition though:

Burning the holiday tree.

Abbi Pyro Traaseth helping..

So yes we had a nice cozy room while the tree burned.. but it didn't quite compare to this heat... some of you may remember this:

The Bemidji Burn!

And Abbi trying to get it to burn more.. gotta give a girl credit

Hope everyone is having a cozy happy new year!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-13T05:15:00.000-08:00

A visit from the tree decorating elves

Wishes of Holiday Peace and Joy to All

Fall Came and Went

2009-11-18T05:18:00.000-08:00

We're here.. yes we are.

I'd like to start blogging more again, but then I'm not sure where to start. That's what stops me in my tracks. I hate to leave anything out, but then I realize there will always be some things left out. So I'll just stay simple (that's what I shoot for anyway) and post a few tidbits that are present in my mind... or on my memory card...

So.... fall was upon us, as was Abbi's 15th birthday. 15! No way!

And other big news for her... yes, she's a permit driver

Alec and Abbi got to go to a Metallica concert in October and Clint, being the super cool guy that he is, agreed to take them.. (really thank you Clint! I couldn't have handled that group in concert!) They all returned from the concert with raspy voices and .. "IT WAS AWESOME AND AMAZING" eeping from their mouths. If they could have yelled it would have been in caps.

Also in October we met up with lots of friends in Isle of Palms, SC. Qacei Gold, Chloe and MJ Maier flew into the Atlanta area a few days before and so we were very lucky and got to enjoy them a bit before too. Here are some glimpses from those fun days.

Qacei and Kyra decided to get the Lincoln Logs out.. they're so fun!

Chloe was set for the drive to the beach with her Tomato Soup Chronicles! Can you tell we were packed to the gills.. (weird phrase but it fits..)

Beach time

Crabbing

And of course playing Bananagrams is a must!

And cross-dressing ...

Building a sand fortress... before the tide comes up.. hurry!!

Talking with good friends

Going to Where the Wild Things Are.. which we really liked.

And..saying our good-byes is always hard

We all had a great time.

I'm going to end this post here and next time I'll bring it all up to speed with Halloween, ARGH and now we're getting ready for a visit from Tim's parents.

Hope all is well with everyone out there, Life is still good here at the Traaseths :)

She's leavin' on a jet plane!

2009-09-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

Big day here at the Traaseth's, Abbi is flying to Massachusetts today. She'll be staying with the Kream's for a while and also the Biegler/Yablonski crew; then she'll be going to Not Back To School camp (in Vermont). This is her first time and I hope she has a great experience. We have lots of friends who have had great times at this camp so we're pretty sure it's gonna be a good time. Abbi's really excited. She's flying without us, but not without a companion, her friend Logan will be joining her in Atlanta from FL so they'll be flying together (makes a mom's mind a bit more calm :)

While she's there she'll turn 15. Hope it's a wonderful time Abbi-doo!

This is an old picture, but I love it. I think it really captures her spirit :) Nothing like the Terminator motorcycle!

Of course it's about video games

2009-09-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

Abbi brought this to my attention this morning and I thought it was pretty funny.

It lends itself to: "people, get it through your head, video games do not make people violent" it's a game.

Anyway, short and sweet :)

a few kudzu thoughts

2009-08-06T04:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that kudzu blooms? It's still a devastating plant but I was pleasantly surprised by these flowers, and since it's every where around me, it's nice to see the these little flowers.

When we wonder about what we'll do when Tim changes jobs I always say, "well, we could travel around with goats. For the kudzu!" ;) And then I could make some gjetost too! (it's pronounced Yaytoast) Kyra and I love it!

Drum inspiration

2009-08-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

On the last blog post, Laura asked what music Alec was interested in now. I wanted to share this video. He loves this, it's Dream Theater. He still loves Metallica too, and will be going to their concert the beginning of October.

There are 104 time signature changes here, in under 6 minutes. (I think, that's what I read anyway, anyone, feel free to correct me, Alec?) There is also some ragtime music going on in that song, pretty cool. Of course we had to get some Scott Joplin up on YouTube after they pointed that out. :)

And here is Mike Portnoy, their drummer, explaining some of his part.

Another one of their songs is all about mental illness, that also lead to lots of discussion.

Sounds right

2009-08-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

A lot of times when I have lots of things going on I really have a hard time sitting down and blogging. Yes, I'm busy, but mostly I have all these ideas swirling around in my head and I can't pick which ones to write about.

So tonight I'm going to do a simple little thing, tell you about some different sounds I've heard tonight. We've just returned from a trip down to Florida, which was wonderful, but I'm very tired. And when I'm tired I tend to be very sensitive (a surprise right?) I tend to hear, smell, and respond to everything, so here's what's swirling around me right now.

Popping sounds from Abbi clicking on different things on Sims3. She's just found a new challenge for that game, pretty interesting.. it's called the Legacy Challenge.

Snoring from Saddi, she was here in Gainesville while we were in Florida. She played and ran with our neighbors' dogs, she hasn't moved from this spot here by me since she came home, 5 hours ago!

Alec playing the drums downstairs, the real drums, and I can feel the vibration on my butt as I'm sitting in the kitchen. He wanted to start up drum lessons so we called a place and he loves the instructor. I'm so glad.

*blurp,blurp* The kids' cell phone making the noise it makes when a text comes through. Kyra has become the all around pro texter, she can text her best friend Samuel in TN for free, and lots of other friends. (if you're on Verizon, she can text ya!) Oh, and for those of you who didn't know we don't have our home line any more, we've gone to total cell phone usage.

Tim walking this way and that, carrying boxes from the garage, opening boxes and mumbling phrases to himself. Yes! He's getting ready to go out tomorrow morning to sell his new heart med, Go Tim!

And me? A cough. Kind of boring isn't it? But I've been coughing the last couple of days, don't know if it's allergies or just having too much fun with my friends. All I know is it's worth it!

This is a flower I saw this morning, it's a little vining flower, so pretty. I was a bit bummed that I didn't have my camera with me, I forgot it! But then I remembered my phone! Rock on :)

Our 4th Celebration

2009-07-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

We went up to the Chattanooga area last week-end to celebrate the 4th and see some friends. The Haworths hosted us and the Bowmans and Aycocks joined in too. We had a great time.

Here are some of the kids.

We drove up to Foster's Falls on the 4th to swim and hang out in a swimming hole. The water was wonderful for us northerners. Finally cool water to feel refreshed in this warm water. Note: the swimming pool isn't cool anymore (in our neighborhood) and the lake by us feels like bath water! So we loved the cool water.

Walking to the swimming hole is quite the trek. It's down, down, down...

picture by Laura

and it's beautiful.

picture stolen from Laura

I did NOT like this bridge... Alec kept saying, "remember Donkey and Shrek Mom!" And all I could think of was.. "I DO NOT like platforms.. walkways that move.. EEK!"

another picture stolen from Laura

Sweet friends

guess who took this picture!

The picturesque refreshing swimming hole

Kelli took this picture! Wait! or Tim!

At the top again, just beautiful.

Then we went back to the Haworths and had some fireworks fun!

Silas casting a spell!

I love this one!

It was a great day.

The High Museum

2009-06-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the High Museum in Atlanta and had an amazingly great time. Not only did we marvel at the Monet exhibit, but we also were entertained by a jazz band at lunch. Also, while eating and enjoying the music we got the treat of a group of dancers who decided to stop by. I caught a little bit on video (with my new super phone!) You'll also see our friends Jake and Rachel with us. They visited us last week. We had a great time!

Abbi was in awe of the exhibit. The mural of Water Lilies was amazing.

Finding elbow room

2009-06-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

They're still there but I have a feeling it won't be long now.

Look at the guy on the left, he's decided to find a little extra space on the pillar, out of the nest, don't fall buddy! And then look at the 2 on the right, the outside one has his wing around the other one. Close quarters will make you cozy up!

We keep jumping up on our chair that's in the piano room to check on our birds, wondering when they'll fly. We'll let you know when it happens :)

Soon to be leaving the nest

2009-06-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

They grow so fast don't they?

And our kids too. I know people say it all the time and I'm one of them. It's so startling some days, usually when I'm seeing them the first time for the day it really strikes me.. can they have grown up this big already?

Alec is going to apply to Gamestop, I'm really excited for him. I think he'd be so awesome at helping people at a store like that. We've been talking about interviewing, what kind-of questions they might ask, what clothes to wear, those kinds of things. He's been practicing driving too which is a new feeling for me.. and another.. eek, he's old enough to do that??

He came up to me earlier this week and told me that he thought he was there. There??.. hmm.. I really wasn't sure what he was talking about but he told me he was feeling ready. I think maybe he was referring to some talks we had had the last couple of years when he would tell me he sometimes worried about jobs or the future. I would reassure him and tell him that I was pretty sure that he would figure out something and that it would come to him at the right time. I'd tell him that I thought he should keep doing what he loves and that I really believed that what he was doing would lead to something.

He also went on to say that he thought he was probably going to quit WoW, wanted to apply to Gamestop and he wanted to work on his handwriting. Wow! He said he's been thinking a lot and planning. He was excited and happy in telling me these things. What a cool kid :)

I did make a suggestion and say that he could keep his character around so he could play it casually if he wanted to, or .. maybe.. he would like to transfer over to the realm where the girls and I play! hehe...

I love these little realizations that our kids have, I feel so fortunate to be a part of their experience.

Need more shoulder room!

2009-06-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

We were gone for the week-end and I wondered if our baby birds would be gone when we got back, but they're not! They do look like they'll be taking off soon though.

And... there are 5 up there!

We've discovered some interesting facts about these birds. Both parents feed them and sat on the nest when they were tiny or hatching. And the more interesting/gross fact -- the parent will keep the nest clean by grabbing birdy poo and flying away... efficient, but we were kind-of in a ... ewwww stage while watching.

Last week I was worried that they were going to fall out because they looked so unaware of their surroundings, kind-of wobbling around; now they seem to know right where they are, they even turn around when they have to do their duty, as to not get it in the nest.. only on my porch.

I think these 2 adult birds are BUSY..

Here are the babies wanting more food.

Daily Birdy Pics

2009-06-09T05:34:00.001-07:00

You can almost see all 4

Feed ME!

Off to get more food.

And 2 of my babies. A sea of legs!

Baby birdies

2009-06-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

The little family we've been watching. A little blurry but still so cute. Babies' heads resting on the edge of the nest, see them?

The nest is on the top of a post on our front porch.

I love watching birds. These ones are bluebirds, and that's new for us northerners. We didn't see many of them up in Minnesota.

Waiting for momma or daddy to return with food. There are 4 babies.

2009-06-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Early Saturday morning, Tim, Abbi and I trekked up to Helen GA. Helen is a town about an hour north of us that was built to resemble a German alpine village. Check out the buildings in the pictures, it's really fun visiting there, like a quick visit to Germany :)

But we weren't visiting Helen to look at the buildings or check out the quaint shops, we were there to see hot air balloons. The Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race was going on and fortunately for us it had rained Thursday and Friday so the balloons were taking off on Saturday morning.

Abbi loved this group of balloons.

It was really cool to see.

After we got our fill of balloons we found a German cafe and had a yummy breakfast. I had fried battered apple slices that were so yummy.

Kyra funness!

2009-06-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

How fun is Kyra?

THIS FUN!

Now it's time for Sims 3

19 Years it is!

2009-05-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

Tim and I have been married for 19 years today, wow! Time sure does fly :)

We've actually been together for a lot longer than that though. We met in gym class when we were 15. That's the first we talked anyway, I remember him from 8th grade Democracy class, he doesn't remember me though :P

We became friends then but weren't really that interested in each other. I thought Brian Stone was cute and he had nice legs. He was in between Tim and me, in our squads (group thingies). Tim had made a decision that he wouldn't date anyone until he turned 16 and could drive. So we knew each other but were just friends. We'd talk, but not a whole lot, I'm not much of a flirter and I wasn't much of a talker to boys.

So how did we get together? My friend Mindy was quite, let's say assertive :) I think she'd talk to Tim or have someone talk to Tim and say "you should ask Kelli Storsved out" and she'd say to me "I think you guys would make a great couple". I even remember laying by her at her house for a sleepover at that same time and get this.. I say "I think Tim and I would have really cute kids!" And she replies "Yes!" I'm crazy aren't I? Not even dating the guy but having his kids???

Well, needless to say, we were right, I think my kids are pretty ding-dang cute.

So I'm thankful to Mindy and to Tim for asking me out. He made the move :) although he wasn't the one to make the move for our first kiss!

This isn't our first, it's at our groom's dinner. Aren't we cute?

Happy Anniversary to my honey, I'm so glad you're in my life.

Ready, Set, Goin' to MN

2009-05-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

We're getting ready to go to Minnesota. We'll be flying up there tomorrow afternoon. It's been almost a year since we've been back, more accurately, it'll be a year the beginning of July, a long time anyway, for us to not see a lot of our family and friends.

We'll be flying into Minneapolis, visiting with friends and family. So excited to meet my new great niece.. or is it grand niece? Anyway, my niece and her husband had a baby girl so that's one priority we have.. SEE.. NEW... BABY! :) Then we'll head up to Grand View Lodge which is a resort in Brainerd MN, and hang out with most of Tim's family. We're all anxious to see family and enjoy the lakes in that area. There's also a very cool pool house that we enjoy too.

Memorial Day we'll head over to the Fargo-Moorhead area to stay there through the week. Hopefully we'll see more family and friends while there too. Fun fun!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone and it's back to packing for me!

Time to Drive!

2009-05-15T12:47:00.001-07:00

We're pretty excited. Alec passed his permit test today and we're about to go out and drive! Wahoo!

Kyra's 12!

2009-05-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Birthday to my fun lovin', colorful headed, creative, inspiring 12 year old Kyra!

We're all so happy to have you in our lives! We love you and your pixie horns too!

Mother's Day at the Renaissance Festival

2009-05-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

I had a great day yesterday. We decided to give the Georgia Renaissance Festival a go. I love festivals but sometimes it ends up being too hot, since many are held in the summer, or too crowded. Well, yesterday ended up being neither, it was a great day :)

Tim was excited to be there too!

I'm not going to write much because Abbi wrote about it last night, and quite eloquently at that! So go check out her account of the day.... here.

Hope all you mommas had a wonderful day!

May Birthday Bash

2009-05-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

We went up to Tennessee this week to celebrate some birthdays. Quite a few fall in the same weeks so we decided to gather together for a happy birthday time.

Here are the birthday peoples getting ready for cake!

Sierra, Samuel, Karina, Kyra, Sadie

We had lots of fun.

Just hanging out and talking is always something we like to do.

In fact, when I asked Kyra if there was anything in particular that she would like to do at this party she said, "hmm, not really. I just really like being with my friends." They really are happy being together.

I think they like making faces.

Hanging... done with style, right? Or this could be titled "expressions"

We brought some canvases to paint on for each of the birthday people. Here they are being worked on.

Ren shared her gift of make-up artistry.

Just beautiful.

We also celebrated this wonderful couple's anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Clint and Wendy!

We feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends. It was a great time!

Just me

2009-05-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Madeline tagged me and you're supposed to take a picture of yourself.. right NOW! No primping, no nothin'. I don't usually wear make up so this shouldn't be too bad now should it?

Hmmm, and here I am, right after watching On Golden Pond and telling Abbi and Tim about this tag.

Look at that cool necklace.. made by a certain talented artist... and I'm gonna tag her, cuz she'll soooo love it.... *cough*

Taggin' ---> Rue, Gail, Ronnie, Abbi, Kyra

And this girl can SEW

2009-04-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Kyra made this shirt.

She got the inspiration from a dress of mine. She's sewn several things now and never used a pattern. I think it's really cool that she doesn't let that stop her from sewing. She thinks about what she wants and gets to sewing. Pretty awesome.

A Rainy Sunday

2009-04-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Abbi asked if we wanted to play The Mystery at Hogwarts Game. Which is just like Clue but with a Harry Potter theme. Abbi, Tim, Kyra and I played it a couple of times. (Alec was still sleeping since it was early afternoon) As we sat there waiting for each others turns to go by we started spelling words with Bananagrams which was sitting right by us on the table. We decided it would be fun to just spell words that had to do with Harry Potter. We worked on it a bit while playing the Hogwarts Game but then we had enough of the Clue thing. So we moved Banagrams to the living room and popped in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone.

Tim had work to do for Monday and Kyra wanted to work on leveling her character on WoW, but Abbi and I decided to do this:

We knew we had to find homes for the z and x first or we were going to be in trouble. Azkaban came in handy as did phoenix and expecto (part of a spell) The only liberty we really took was JK, we thought that was OK ;)

It's fun bringing together some of our favorite things.

**oops, Alec just got up and pointed out that we spelled Gryffindor wrong.. back to the table!**

A Monday afternoon blurb

2009-04-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Some random Monday thoughts:

We had wind from a storm this morning that was so strong that the umbrella from our dining set on the deck blew up into the air, pulled the table to its side and the broke the glass top. We also had a branch from some tree stuck javelin style into our back yard. I had to really tug to get it out. It was lodged in about 6 inches.. eek!

I'm worrying about Saddi, she's breathing heavy and the vet we saw doesn't think there's anything to worry about.

Alec is just starting his day, he's on more of a night schedule again.

Abbi is running upstairs on the treadmill after watching the last 2 episodes of Bones Season 1 with me.

Kyra has decided to learn some French and is reading through my French book from college.

And a here's a quote that I just came across, I like it:

"'Always' is never true; reality isn't a vast, fixed scheme trapping you without choice. At any moment you have the choice to break out of what is really trapping you--your automatic reactions dredged up from the past."

- Deepak Chopra

Family Resemblance? A clue, yes!

2009-04-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Grandma Jan, Abbi, Aunt Betty

Just for your information, Abbi looks a bit like Tim's mom and aunt.

They like spelling things.

2009-04-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Playing Bananagrams yesterday I realized I have my own personalized spell checkers right beside me. Yes, Alec and Abbi have surpassed me in spelling skill. I've always been a pretty good speller, but they can by far remember words better than me. Maybe it's an age thing, maybe not, all I know is that they're good and they have fun doing it :)

Alec had maybe 1 1/2 school years of spelling tests, Abbi had 1 year (1st grade... I can't believe 6 years olds have tests...) Testing did not make them good spellers; learning about what they think is interesting did. (And their grammar is better than mine too ;)

Cool, huh?

Metallica Mania

2009-03-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

Alec was a happy camper this weekend. Bet you can't guess what came out?

His drumming callouses are forming again.

What did you do in March?

2009-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things we've done this month:

See friends

Drive through the mountains (a couple of times)

Explain why we love unschooling

Attend ARGH

Play Bananagrams

Listen to new fun music

Watch movies

Do henna tattoos

Color hair

Make ATCs

Sew

Play WoW

Crochet

Play Pokemon together on the DSs

Celebrate birthdays

Read mangas and comic strips

Play music together

Tell jokes

Play Yu-Gi-Oh

Plant flowers

Walk by the lake

Build

Do yoga

Skype

Sing

Play Mario Cart

Play table tennis

Paint

Just Be

The Merciful Shredding Condor

2009-03-12T15:17:00.001-07:00

Heck yeah, give me wings and a machete...

Why don't you super hero yourself?? I know you wanna. Make me a superhero!

2009-03-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

The girl can crochet.

A girl and her dog

2009-03-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

March 2009

March 2008

Of course this was taken before we got the 30 or so more inches of snow that fell in April of last year.

What a Wonderful World

2009-03-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

I finally added Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's (or IZ's) Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World to my Ipod, I love this song. Why did it take me so long to get it on there? On that note, if you've never seen the movie 50 First Dates, you should because it has a breath taking scene in it with this song playing, love it. The movie is really funny too, Adam Sandler humor ;)

Oh! Just for fun I want to share the scene: Just a warning, it is the last scene so there are **spoilers**. View at your own risk.

We had a nice day yesterday, celebrating Alec's birthday. After he got up, he opened a few gifts and did some Yu-Gi-Oh dueling with Tim. Then the family played Mario Cart (- me, because Saddi was crazy for walk)

For dinner, Alec requested that we go to Osaka's which is a Japanese Steakhouse. He loves the Hibachi style dining and their filet mignon. We then returned to the house and played some more on the Wii and he finished his day by joining his guild for a raid.

This is Alec's happy face, can't ya tell?? It was a good day.

And now I'm off to start priming the walls of the downstairs bedroom that my talented husband has finished. Yay! Guest bedroom is soon to be completed!

16 Years Old!

2009-03-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet son.

You Rock! I'm so glad you're on this journey with us.

We love you!

A New School for Digital Kids

2009-03-03T04:31:00.000-08:00

This looks interesting. It's a new school opening in New York this fall.

The school model is based on game like learning.

My father-in-law saw that the school, Quest to Learn, was being featured on Future Tense. Future Tense is a daily radio journal for the digital age. There's a short little interview with one of the school's administrators. I liked what she said about how the kids will be learning, she mentions some things like "things are all connected".

Check out a day in the life of a student, how a day could look.

It's not unschooling but I can see how this might work for kids who are in school :)

A March Birthday Party

2009-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

We joined forces this weekend with the Lovejoys, to celebrate Alec's and Duncan's birthday. They each invited a few friends join in the celebrations and Kelly and Ben were gracious enough to host the festivities :)

Here are the guys! Happy Birthday Duncan and Alec!

Most of the Bowman crew were there (minus Scotty who had to work) and they furnished the bunch of us with glorious hats.

Here's Duncan... pimpin' out

And Kelly

Alec doin' the Top Hat thang

Happy party goers

We played games and hung out for a good time. I don't think Duncan got to play quite as much nerf gun action as he wanted because it was rainy but they sure took advantage of breaks between showers.

Here he is with Logan and Bo. They were awesome! Alec was telling me that they were doing "mods" with their nerf guns. I thought that was really clever.

Kyra looking like a perfectly adorable gift

On our way home we had a treat.

We thought "treat" as the snow started falling. It was so pretty, big fluffy clumps of snow. But then we got to the interstate and it was less than a treat and more like a threat. How quickly we forget the dangers of snow and speeding cars. We saw 5 accidents all within a 1/2 hour of time. 2 before we got to the interstate and 3 on the interstate. Not so fun. We did get home safe and sound, thanks to Tim's experienced driving skills and we were then able to be excited about the snow again.

March '09 Blog Carnival on Video Games

2009-02-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

Since gaming has been a big part of our lives, especially Alec's, I felt like it was important to participate in March's blog carnival over at the Radical Unschoolers Network.

Also, for anyone who is reading here for the first time: Tim is my husband and we have 3 children-- Alec 15, Abbi 14, and Kyra 11.

How are video games a part of you and/or your kids lives?

They're just like any other interest in our house. At certain times they are being played more than others. Specifically right now, there isn't a whole lot being played, but there were other times where there was a lot. Currently, Alec is working on completing Persona 3, which is a RPG (role player game) and he'll usually play some drums on Rock Band each day. WoW (World of Warcraft) has gotten lots of play in our household the last couple years but right now it isn't so present. Kyra will be on quite a bit for roleplaying and Alec will be on 3-4 nights a week for raids with his guild but that's the extent of that right now. Abbi used to play WoW quite a bit with leveling her characters and roleplaying but right now she's doing other things.

How do you support video gaming in your household?

We get the games that people want and we've been able to get most of the game consoles that are out there. Like I said in the above answer, it's just like any other interest. We nurture each other's passions and sometimes video game playing is it. We've also made sure that there were places and TVs to play, if certain locations weren't working we'd figure out places where it would, for example, Tim just finished a media room in the basement so there's one more place to play. If Alec is up at night and others are sleeping he can play down there. We also keep our eyes open for new games and for resources to help with the games that we have. When the kids were younger we had to do that a lot more than now. Now they all know how to look up guides on their own and research different things about the games that they are playing. I still keep my eyes open but they are all really independent that way.

if you haven't always been supportive how did you "get there"?

We weren't always in this place, as far as gaming. I remember when I said I'd never buy a game system. I said if they (our kids) bought one, that would be fine, but I wasn't going to support that. (eek!) How did I change? I remember reading on unschooling lists about how to support our children in their learning and that it's great to support what your kids are interested in. Well... Alec was totally interested in gaming, so we got him a game system (and he bought one himself with money he earned :). Just looking at his face when he's into a game is so telling, he's involved, thinking, figuring things out. It wasn't him not thinking or just rotting his brain (as some people would think) it was him being challenged intellectually. (and if you know him you know how hard it is to challenge him!) I truly think, in these last years, that video games have been about the only thing that has been a challenge to him, really. He doesn't play just any game either, he's quite particular with what he delves into. If there's not enough in the game he usually doesn't play it very long. In school, they really couldn't bring anything to him that would keep him challenged, and he loves figuring things out. Gaming has been his work and it's been good.

Do you play video games as a family?

We have and do when there's a multi-player game. Rock Band and Guitar Hero have been great for that. Also we've played WoW that way too, we could adventure, quest and just have plain fun together. It's been an amazing bond, I'm so glad it's in our life. When I think about it, even 1 player games can bring about a bond if the other person who isn't playing is willing to watch and learn. A lot of times the kids will take turns with a single player game and then they can talk about the game, comparing strategies or experiences. That's very cool too. I think this is key for the parents too, you can hang out with your child and watch what they're doing. Ask questions, learn why it is interesting to your child, I can't stress how important it is to be part of your child's life that way. Don't look at it as isolating, it doesn't have to be... be part of it :)

How do you deal with your mainstream friends ideas about video games?

They know Alec is a big gamer and that we've all played video games. It's not usually an issue.

What do you say to your kids when their friends aren't allowed to play V's because of restriction?

We haven't had that issue a whole lot. I do remember there was one time a mom to one of Alec's friends didn't like him playing Halo at our house because he'd come back to his house too excited.... that was different. I guess when our kids are excited about something, we are too! And there was one other friend who couldn't play video games so Alec would do other things with him. They would play board games or they would go outside and play. They'd find other things to do. When my kids have heard about parents not allowing gaming they feel bad for the kids, especially if the kids want to be playing, but they've always honored the parent's wishes.

Thoughts on violence and VG, or learning through VGs.

As far as violence and video games, I truly don't believe that a violent game will make a person violent. Not allowing someone to do something will have a much worse effect on the person than a game with computer generated images. I've seen how feeling powerless and limited can make a person be more violent and angry. I know a lot of kids who play video games and usually they are the most gentle and non-violent individuals.

We've learned a lot through video games-- from reading to typing, to comparative math reasoning to history. It goes on and on because games can have so much in them. One point I do want to make though is that I'd never advise someone to get video games because of the learning opportunity. I'd advise someone to get them if there was interest being shown.

How does VG system or console sharing work in your house, how has it evolved?

We've all had to learn to have patience with this since so much of the time you can't just get off a game instantly. Who ever that is playing may be working toward something and very often you have to get to a save point or you lose your progress. Just understanding that has really helped with the sharing of consoles. They know that they like to be on so they'll allow the others to have a turn. Also, right away we got 2 different consoles and had a couple of TVs so if there was an issue we could offer another alternative.

how much is "too much"?

This is one thing I've learned from having video gaming around our house; "too much" for one person isn't always "too much" for another. Some of us like physical activity and that's what energizes us, others get totally jazzed from figuring out a solution in a puzzle. I'm not going to tell anyone to stop doing what they're doing. We'll do other things and some times they'll choose to stop playing and join us; other times they'll choose what they're doing. The big thing here is that they have the choice to do what they want so it in turn gives them the freedom to choose not to play. It's not in limited quanity and that's been only positive.

Bringing video games into our home has only been a good thing.

Some Happiness

2009-02-23T06:04:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Gail and Laura for this meme, and I like it.

6 Things that make me happy:

My family - what can I say? They are my number 1 in so many ways :)

laughter - hearing the glorious sound

walking - especially near bodies of water and being surrounded by trees

creating - it makes me happy in a calm peaceful way

music - lifts my spirit

There are so many more but here are six that come to mind. I'm not going to tag anyone but if anyone would like to do this, feel free :)

Happy Monday!

Movie watching Oscar time

2009-02-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

Abbi and I had a great day yesterday, we attended this with Madeline.

We're all big time movie lovers so to be able to watch these great movies in one day was a dream. Sometimes it was an intense dream, but we still had a great time. We didn't stay for the last one Frost/Nixon so we'll maybe get that later on DVD.

My favorite was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a bit Forrest Gumpish, so I don't think it'll win Best Picture, but I think with it's visuals it may win something there. Milk was superb as was Slum Dog Millionaire. Slum Dog was really intense for me, almost painfully so. The Reader was interesting, really got you thinking about the grey of good and evil.

Tim, Alec and Kyra weren't interested at all in the movie extravaganza so they had a blast together playing different games and going out for dinner. It was a great Saturday for all.

Now we're all ready for tonight's Oscar show and Abbi and I are totally ok with watching Hugh Jackman for a couple of hours ;)

2009-02-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

A yummy hot drink for rainy days.

Earl grey tea , brewed quite strong
Steamed milk
Vanilla coffee flavoring/syrup (We love Monin brand)

I love the smell of bergamot... mmmm, off to drink my tea latte :)

Coralicious

2009-02-14T04:18:00.000-08:00

Just to wig out my girls, (cuz they'll so like this)

To Abbi and Kyra:

"Your Other Mother"

The Coraline.com site is really fun, thanks Deanne! Of course the buttons I chose were designed by the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The girls and I went to Coraline this week and really liked it. The one we went to was the regular one, not 3-D, but still good. The animation in it is amazing, stop-motion if you're wondering. Just makes me want to run out and create! Of course there are swirls all over in the movie. There were some creepy parts, but not too much for us girls. Alec didn't go, we/he knew it wouldn't be one for him, he hates The Nightmare Before Christmas and it had that kind of feel to it. Abbi has read the book and said the book is much scarier. I'm glad it wasn't too bad (scary wise), for my sake! ;)

I have one happy exploring song going on my playlist from the movie but below is a creepier sounding sound. I really liked the music from it, I love soundtracks.

Oh! And Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Do you know the history behind Valentines Day? I didn't, until Abbi was wondering about it the other day. Here ya go!

Staying Conscious

2009-02-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

10 Things that I think are wonderful to do for yourself. (I know when I remember these, I'm a much happier person.) These are from the DailyOM:

Staying Conscious
Staying Grounded in a Big City or Busy World

1. Live simply and live deliberately. By choosing not to get caught up in the details of this fast-paced world, you are doing your part to slow down the . You will also discover that you have more time to enjoy being alive.

2. Stay in touch with yourself. Soul searching, meditation, and journaling are just a few of the many activities you can take part in to stay aware and learn as much as you can about your emotions, reactions, likes, dislikes, dreams, and fears. Having a solid sense of self gives you a firm foundation for living in this world.

3. Support or teach others as often as you can. This can help you form connections with people while also giving you an opportunity to make the world a better place.

4. Consciously choose what you will allow into your being. The media bombards us with visions of hate, war, and pain. Be judicious about what you read, watch, and listen to.

5. Acknowledge the beauty that resides around you. Whether you live in a sprawling metropolis or a stereotypical suburb, there are natural and man-made wonders just waiting to be discovered by you.

6. Nurture your ties to your tribe. If you don’t have one, create a community that you can belong to. Modern life can be isolating. When you have a tribe, you have a circle that you are a part of. Its members – loved ones, friends, or neighbors - can be a source of support, caring, guidance, and companionship.

7. See the larger picture. Remember that the way that you choose to live is not the only way to live. Widen your perspective by exploring other modes of being through research, travel, and discussion.

8. Embrace the challenges that life presents to you, and challenge yourself often. After a time, even the most exciting jobs or lifestyles can seem routine. Never stop assimilating new knowledge about whatever you are doing, and your life will never seem dull.

9. Move your body. In this busy world, it can be easy to live a sedentary life. Movement reacquaints us with our bodies and connects us to the earth in a visceral way. It also restores our vitality.

10. Make time for stillness, silence, and solitude. The world can be noisy, and we are subject to all kinds of noises nearly every waking hour. We are also often "on the go" and unable to relax. Being alone in a peaceful place and making time for quiet can help you stay in touch with yourself.

Happy Friday!

oh my stars... (can't believe I typed that)

2009-02-11T09:11:00.001-08:00

Wish we could get pictures like this from our telescope.

I found my galaxy! This is Messier 101. These photographs are taken with infrared-light used on the light coming from the stars and other things out there (sorry I'm not very technical ;) by the Spitzer Space telescope.

check out this one:

Stars being created and all that. wow.

Now to trying to figure out our telescope, we'd be happy with a good view of the moon!

Our interests as of late

2009-02-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

The music that you hear is the song that Abbi is working on right now. I worked on it when I was 17 or so and had taken piano lessons for about 10 years. Honestly, I think she knows it better right now than I ever did.

It's been chilly here the last couple of days, as I write this it still hasn't gotten above 20 F, and it's 10:00 a.m. That's cold for Georgia! So as we stay inside we've been enjoying some nice inside cozy activities.

Abbi's been working on the piano, working out, baking wonderful cookies and watching Buffy and Angel.

Alec's been playing Persona 3, drumming every day and still enjoying raids with his guild on WoW.

Kyra's been leveling her druid on WoW, she's up to level 50 now! She loves talking with friends over the computer and watching Buffy and Angel.

Thank you Kimi who borrowed us the whole Angel series, we can watch to our hearts desire :)

Here are 2 of our favorite cookies recipes, we have a hard time keeping any of these around!

Ginger Snaps from my mother-in-law Jan

Cream: 1 1/2 C shortening (we use butter flavored crisco)
2 C sugar

Add: 1/2 c molasses
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
Mix, then add:

4 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt

Chill dough for a couple of hours (or not, sometimes we're in a hurry and they're still good ;) roll into balls and sugar

375 degrees for 10-12 minutes

and our Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix in this order:

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
1 cup crisco (we use butter flavored crisco on this too)
1 cup butter
2 eggs
4 Cups flour
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
4 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon vanille
1 package Chocolate chips semi sweet is what we like or chocolate chunks are good too.

350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Enjoy!

oops.. a little angel/David on the brain. Yes I have also enjoyed the shows.

I meant, enjoy those cookies!

American Pie

2009-02-03T15:20:00.001-08:00

With Ronnie reminding me.

50 years, wow, the day the music died. I wasn't around, but it always held even more sadness for those of us who lived where they were heading.

Damn winter.

My Carpet!

2009-01-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

I got it today! It's the magnificent flying carpet.

And here's Abbi and me. This is her epic flight form for her druid.

Mother and daughter flying together, nothin' like it.

Playing is good

2009-01-27T05:14:00.001-08:00

I missed my girls the last month with them both off on adventures. First Abbi for 2 weeks in Maryland and then Kyra for a week in Tennesse. Now they're both home and we have a friend staying with us. So the fun continues :)

Kimi is here playing

And we're expecting Christine and Shawn to arrive tonight.

Ren shared about Kyra's stay but I just can't help but put these pics up.

The joy in these faces.

I just love it!

And the fact that she got to enjoy the snow... well, what a treat for us Northerners :)

A couple of reasons why she had a great time.

Imagine that.. even the parents have fun!

Thank you sweet friends!

In case you missed it

2009-01-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

This is why we love Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and John Williams for that matter. All of these musicians are amazing, of course. Can you say chills?

And watch Yo-Yo Ma's face, awesome :)

A Great Day

2009-01-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

Our hope, our dreams, and our spirits are rekindled.

I, for one, am excited for the next 4 years of our country.

Good luck, Barack Obama, we're thinking of you on this day.

Last week

2009-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

What we've been up to:

We went to the Atlanta History Center. There was an awesome Jim Hensen exhibit there, love Jim Hensen :) There were lots of other things there too but the muppet king was our main point of interest this time... oh, and Madeline and her boys. And I met another unschooling mama that I've been wanting to meet! Kimba, from Atlanta, she has beautiful pink hair!

Madeline, Gillen and Jesse met us at the Mall of Georgia where Kyra always has to ride the merry-go-round, Yay! and we went to the movie Tales of Despereaux. We really enjoyed it, just beautiful animation. Afterward, they came home with us and stayed the night.

Here are the boys watching Alec while he's raiding.

Alec was so cute. (he'll love me saying that ;) He got both boys all set up with laptops right in his room so they could all play. I've loved watching Alec with the younger kids, he was talking with me about how excited Jesse was about WoW. How he'd go on and on about it, (kind of like someone else we know ;). Madeline and I saw how patient Alec was with Jesse while we were at the museum earlier that week too. It was very cool.

After Madline and the boys left, Alec, Kyra and I then headed up to the Chatanooga area to see another family. Yep, we then visited with Mindy and family. We love visiting them up on their mountain :) They're set back in the woods which makes me feel like I'm right at home. Mindy brought me in to Chattanooga and showed me around. I had never been in to the heart of the city before. It was very cool. She was very excited to share the coffee roasters right there and we had fun checking out the fair trade store! It's a funky downtown and I like it a lot! Later we played games and talked WoW and just enjoyed hanging out with our friends.

Friday afternoon we returned from Chattanooga, did a few things around the house and then early Saturday morning Tim, Kyra and I headed up to the Johnson City area. It turns out that Steph, Nic's mom was making a trip down to Bristol, VA with a friend; so we were able to meet her and get Abbi! yay! We missed her so!

She had a wonderful time up in Maryland. She snowboarded, visited the new Newseum in Washington DC, played games, met new friends and showed us all how wonderfully independent she is. I'm learning how to handle kids being gone, do I call? do I not call? Am I worrying too much?

Oh, and now Kyra is away. She's staying with Ren's family and gets to see Laura's too. Several other families live up in that area and they've been wonderful in sharing their lives with us.

Life is good.

It's winter? and blog talk radio

2009-01-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

More weather talk from me... (sorry) It's cool here this morning, 31 I think. I put Bemidji in my yahoo weather search just to see what the temp was there... -32.

Wow.

and on an unschooling note~ Ren and Laura were guests on a blog talk radio show yesterday. If you'd like to listen to it you can right here and also at Ren's blog.

Great show you guys, it was amazing the range of topics that were covered!

Goings on around home

2009-01-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

I have perennials greening up! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. I was out looking around the yard and my mums have new growth at the bottom. Crazy.. but cool. I've been told that I'll get 2 blooming times with a lot of my perennials. Wow! Nothing like flowers growing in January!

Tim's been busy. Besides going back to work after a nice long vacation in December he decided to kick it into gear in regard to our basement.

I have a handy husband. He decided to do all of this himself. This is his first time dry walling and all that. It looks pretty darn good and will only get better.

He's really excited to dry wall the extra bedroom that we're going to finish because he found new tools that really make fillin' in those gaps between the dry wall a piece of cake. And they were on clearance! (and if you know Tim you know how excited he was about that ;)

If you look past the Foosball table you can see the bedroom that's next to be finished.

I helped some, picking out paint and painting.

Here's the room in progress. Can you guess what it's going to be? Do you see the platform he built? Clue: there aren't any windows so it'll be perfect for ......

We can't wait!

Alec and Kyra have been keeping busy and enjoying some time home. Kyra is done with her art class and was very excited to get all her art supplies home.

She promptly drew this elf riding a dragon fly yesterday. She really likes pastels. I love how she blended the colors and I love the water behind the elf.

Alec has been playing some new games that he got over the holidays and what's really cool is that some are for x-box live and they're cooperative. So not only can he enjoy a new game but he can play with his cousin back in Minnesota and with Abbi and Nic up in Maryland. All four of them were playing the other evening and having a blast. Alec's also still playing drums with Rock Band, he reconfigured the set and working on getting the brain working. It's a little complicated because how you have the cymbals and drums tilted affects the sound. The brain I'm talking about is an electrical unit that makes his drum set that he got to play Rock Band sound like a real drum set. So you can play it without the game also.

And, of course we're all missing Abbi. She had a first last week, she learned to snowboard! She enjoyed it but said she was bruised a lot. She sent us a picture of her knees over AIM and we all collectively said ..... "OW!"

A visit and gone to visit

2009-01-06T04:56:00.000-08:00

When you hang out with friends, what else would you do but

write on each other

and

braid your boyfriend's hair!

photos taken by Abbi Smith, Thanks Abbi!

The Smiths (Abbi's boyfriend's family) stopped by on their way home from Florida. The Haworths had wanted to visit with them too so they joined us for the fun. We had a really nice afternoon. Drawing on each other, doing Nic's hair, watching football and lots of talking were some of the goings on.

Then around dinnertime we said good-bye and Abbi went with them! She'll be gone for about 2 weeks. They live in the Maryland/DC area so lots of stuff to do around there! She was so excited. (me on the other hand....I'm happy for her, but I'll really miss her and I don't know what to do with myself.. all these independent kids!)

Happy New Year Sun!

2009-01-01T04:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not much a night owl and having some flu/cold sickness circulating through the house lately doesn't help. I did stay up long enough to say Happy New Year to the fam and see the peach drop (on TV).

Bringing in the New Year here in Georgia was a little different from what we were used to in northern MN. The peach drop I mentioned was supposed to bring in 100,000 people... gulp. I first asked Tim, "was it 10,000 people that are going to be in downtown Atlanta?" as I watched Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's and Atlanta's Peach drop. He informed me it was more like 100,000! Wow. Pretty much the population of the 2 cities where I grew up... crazy.

Then as I was closing my eyes and laying down to bed I could hear the fireworks going off across the lake. Opening up my blinds I could see through our trees multi-colored lights flickering in the distance. That was cool. Also cool were the happy sounds I could hear downstairs.

Alec talking to his cousin on X-box live. And Kyra and Abbi typing happily away on their computers.

I didn't get any photos of the fireworks last night but I did snatch some snapshots of the New Year's sunrise.

Where's that sun? There's the lake. (and it's not frozen, which I know you all know but I have to keep telling myself that!) These are taken from our back deck.

There it is! Happy New Year Sun!

I'm much more of a sunrise girl.

New Year's Resolutions?

2008-12-31T06:07:00.000-08:00

This morning I was thinking, should I do a blog post about resolutions? Or my lack of making resolutions? I was wondering why I don't ever really do those and I opened up my e-mail.

The daily Om was there and made me feel better about my feelings toward them.

I like this. It's written by one of the co-founders of Daily Om.

************************************************************************

New Year's Resolutions: The Two Lists
A Message from DailyOM Co-Founder Scott Blum

I was fortunate to spend time with an enigmatic man named Robert during a very special period of my life. Robert taught me many things during our days together, and this time of year reminds me of one particular interaction we had.

"Now that you are becoming more aware," Robert said, "you need to begin to set goals for yourself so you don't lose the momentum you have built."

"Like New Year's resolutions?" I asked.

"That's an interesting idea," he smirked. "Let's do that."

By then I was used to his cryptic responses, so I knew something was up because of the way his eyes sparkled as he let out an impish laugh.

"Tonight's assignment is to make two lists," Robert continued. "The first is a list of all the New Year's resolutions you WANT to keep, and the second is a list of all the New Year's resolutions you WILL keep. Write the WANT List first, and when you have exhausted all of your ideas, then write the second list on another sheet of paper."

That night I went home and spent several hours working on the two lists. The WANT List felt overwhelming at first, but after a while I got into writing all the things I had always wanted to do if the burdens of life hadn't gotten in the way. After nearly an hour, the list swelled to fill the entire page and contained nearly all of my ideas of an ideal life. The second list was much easier, and I was able to quickly commit ten practical resolutions that I felt would be both realistic and helpful.

The next day, I met Robert in front of the local food Co-op, where we seemed to have most of our enlightening conversations. "Tell me about your two lists," Robert said as the familiar smirk crept onto his face.

"The first list contains all the things I SHOULD do if I completely changed my life to be the person I always wanted to be. And the second list contains all the things I COULD do by accepting my current life, and taking realistic steps towards the life I want to lead."

"Let me see the second list," he said.

I handed him the second list, and without even looking at it, he ripped the paper into tiny pieces and threw it in the nearby garbage can. His disregard for the effort I had put into the list annoyed me at first, but after I calmed down I began to think about the first list in a different light. In my heart, I knew the second list was a cop out, and the first list was the only one that really mattered.

"And now, the first list." Robert bowed his head and held out both of his hands.

I purposefully handed him the first list and held his gaze for several seconds, waiting for him to begin reading the page. After an unusually long silence, he began to crumple the paper into a ball and once again tossed it into the can without looking at it.

"What did you do that for?!" I couldn't hide my anger any longer.

Robert began to speak in a quiet and assured voice. "What you SHOULD or COULD do with your life no longer matters. The only thing that matters, from this day forward, is what you MUST do."

He then drew a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to me.

I opened it carefully, and found a single word floating in the middle of the white page:

"Love."

*************************************************

So, on that note, wishing you all Love in the New Year!

Heroes?

2008-12-29T04:53:00.000-08:00

We've been watching Heroes this last week and loving it. Did you know that if you have x-box live and netflix subscriptions you can now stream thousands of movies and tv shows instantly? No, I'm not an advertisement but we were able to watch Heroes episodes back to back! Quite awesome :)

This morning I was sent a video from my father-in-law that got me thinking along the lines of Heroes. If you aren't familiar with the show there is someone in it who can fly... (and of course I suggest that you watch the series because the first season is incredible *g*)

Check this out... flying

this is in Norway. My dad's family is from Norwary, so yes I am Norwegian, but I don't think I could do this...

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

It must be that time of year again...

And what else can you do while assembling the Death Star?

But watch The Star Wars movies

Other goings on during our gift openings:

The girls singing a song Logan taught them. I don't know what it's called but it has some lyrics like..."Hi my name is Joe. I've got a wife, 3 kids and I work at a button factory." It's hilarious. You end up singing and acting out pushing a button with different body parts. OK, so it's hard to explain, but fun to photograph.

And you must have dancing...

drama

and... Taa Daa!

Even Saddi got a new toy!

Content puppy

Kyra posing in her new Qacei hat that Santa brought. Nothing like your hair matching your hat! Awesome!

And Abbi made us Aebleskiver this morning with her new Aebleskiver pan.

Aebleskivers are danish round pancakes and oooh so good!

We like them with maple syrup, or berries or powdered sugar or just plain. They were yummy!

Joyous holiday wishes from our family to yours!

2008-12-23T05:45:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the most recent house concert that the Lovejoys hosted:

These are a few of my favorite things...

just hangin'

Danny and Carrie

Yes, a bit of swimming. It was close to 70 for a bit :)

teen happiness

fun with friends

sweetness

lights

We all had an awesome time.

A bit of White Christmas

2008-12-17T05:48:00.001-08:00

Guess what New England gave me for Christmas?

Just in time too, we're heading home today.

Paahk yah cah in Hahvahd yahd?

2008-12-15T04:55:00.000-08:00

We're in Boston right now visiting with friends. We've been having a great time and will be returning home on Wednesday.

We thought we might see some snow while up north but that hasn't happened, just rain. And today we're supposed to have really warm temperatures. So that will be nice for site seeing in Boston. We're planning on visiting with Tim's niece and nephew today who are both going to school here.

I love the ocean so we had to go to the beach, and it was C O L D! Rue also loves the ocean so she brought us to the beach that she went to when she was a kid, and still visits. I just love the water. I remember sitting on my parents dock at the lake when I was a child, it was wonderful. I often would listen to the loons. There weren't any loons here but there were plenty of ocean sounds to make me happy.

I didn't take many pictures, (we were freezing!) but this is one of Alec and Tim walking out near the beach. We were glad we brought out Minnesota winter coats :)

Yesterday we made the trek into Boston for these specials guys.

We loved them. Great comedy, music and interpretive art. Right up our alley.

The theater looked like this for part of the show, it was awesome. The colors were just amazing, neon glowing colorful light.

These pictures are off of google since they ask that you refrain from taking photos while in the theater.

Hope everyone is having a great time getting ready for the holidays and doing what most warms your heart at this time of year.

Let the holidays begin

2008-12-02T05:19:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Laura's wonderful writing, I will quiet my self enough to also contribute to the blogosphere this morning ;)

I've had some writer's block going on, don't know why... it's just there.

Although my blog has been quite slow and uneventful, life has not been. I know you're relieved aren't you ? hehe..

We seem to have some wildy busy crazy days and then the calm rushes over us like a comfortable blankie. You know what I mean right? Didn't we all have or still have a blankie? (baby blanket if I'm confounding everyone) OK, so I'm an introvert :)

Right now we have Tim's parents visiting. They are out on an adventure right now. They traveled over to Alabama for an overnight and will be back here this afternoon and returning to MN tomorrow. We'll miss them.

While they were here they had the pleasure of meeting some of our closest friends. A bunch of us gathered together in Atlanta and got our holiday spirit going with a Mannheim Steamroller concert. We had a wonderful night. Enjoyed Italian food first at Baraonda and then sat in inspiration after. Not only inspired by great holiday music but the fabulous Fox theater is just a dream to be in. Especially the balcony... oh my! The ceiling is done so it looks like you are sitting outside on a starry night... just magical.

Here are some pics from the evening.

Delish Desserts

Fantabulous Friends

Wonderful conversings

Lots of happiness

I think she's happy...

And now the show

More happiness

and sweetness

or Love and Joy?

And the fabulous Fox Theater

These are shots looking up. The blue looked just like the night sky. Just amazing. More amazing than my pictures can convey.

As you can see the architecture and lighting in the theater is just beautiful. I loved these hanging lights. This picture is quite dark but I had to include it anyway.

We had a wonderful night and then enjoyed each other's company for a couple more days. The Lovejoys and Higgins bunch stayed the weekend. We played, talked, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

Life IS truly Good

It's Everywhere!

2008-11-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.foxtrot.com/

Alec is level 76, Abbi is 75, I'm 71 and Kyra is 38.. but don't worry we are eating and sleeping :)

For those of you that aren't in the World of Warcraft know or (Warcrack as my brother calls it ;) there was an expansion released last week and we've been having a blast.

It's so much fun!

It can't be November

2008-11-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

It must only be Semptember!

Out our back door..

And front..

Pinch me...

ARGH: A Gathering

2008-11-07T06:10:00.000-08:00

We went to ARGH ( Autodidactic Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers) this last week and it was great. Thanks to Ren for putting it all together.

Lots of fun things to do and fun people to see.

Some moments from our 3 days...

We hung out

We climbed Roan Mountain

And reveled in the beauty

We shared our passions

And we bonded

Yes, Steph (Nic's Mom) was so wonderful as to put dreads in my hair. I kept them for 3 days. A sensitive head and dreads do not go well together. Thank you Steph and Olivia for making my dream of having dreads a reality. Love you guys and miss you already!

The dread heads together

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T10:05:00.001-07:00

Abbi and Kyra Style

Wicked

2008-10-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering if we liked Wicked...

It was AMAZING! And let's see, what else comes to mind?

FABULOUS!

We all loved it.

If you ever have an opportunity to see this awesome musical, DO IT! Here are locations of where it's playing.

My Birthday

2008-10-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Look what I got for my birthday.

And my other gift is tomorrow night.

I'm really excited.

Save the pie man!

2008-10-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

Say it isn't so...

The pie man can not be in trouble!

http://www.tv.yahoo.com/falltv/photos/shows-in-trouble/370

We love this show! When the first season got cut short with the writer's strike we thought we were going to die. Now the second season finally got going and viewing numbers are down!! eeek! Honestly it's one show that we have to see.

You can even watch full episodes right online:
http://abc.go.com/player/index?pn=index

Watch Pushing Daisies!! Please... check it out...

Wednesday nights!

Going with the flow

2008-10-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

A daily OM (from dailyom.com)

Enjoying the Ride
The Flow of the Universe

The flow of the universe moves through everything. It’s in the rocks that form, get pounded into dust, and are blown away, the sprouting of a summer flower born from a seed planted in the spring, the growth cycle that every human being goes through, and the current that takes us down our life’s paths. When we move with the flow, rather than resisting it, we are riding on the universal current that allows us to flow with life.

Many people live their lives struggling against this current. They try to use force or resistance to will their lives into happening the way they think it should. Others move with this flow like a sailor using the wind, trusting that the universe is taking them exactly where they need to be at all times. This flow is accessible to everyone because it moves through and around us. We are always riding this flow. It’s just a matter of whether we are willing to go with it or resist it. Tapping into the flow is often a matter of letting go of the notion that we need to be in control at all times. The flow is always taking you where you need to go. It’s just a matter of deciding whether you plan on taking the ride or dragging your feet.

Learning to step into the flow can help you feel a connection to a force that is greater than you and is always there to support you. The decision to go with the flow can take courage because you are surrendering the notion that you need to do everything by yourself. Riding the flow of the universe can be effortless, exhilarating, and not like anything that you ever expected. When you are open to being in this flow, you open yourself to possibilities that exist beyond the grasp of your control. As a child, you were naturally swept by the flow. Tears of sadness falling down your face could just as quickly turn to tears of laughter. Just the tiniest wave carrying you forward off the shores of the ocean could carry you into peals of delight. Our souls feel good when we go with the flow of the universe. All we have to do is make the choice to ride its currents.

**************************************************************************

In some parts of life it's easy to go with the flow, in other parts it's hard. I like how unschooling has shown me that the flow can lead to good and wonderous things. I'm glad my kids are living a life where this isn't a foreign concept to them.

Creative flow

2008-10-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Man I love creating things. It's interesting though, if I spend a lot of time not making or creating things I start questioning my abilities. I start having doubts about my creativity.

I had been thinking that I wanted to participate in a Day of the Dead art trade that is being held at our ARGH get together next weekend, but I hadn't settled myself down enough to do anything. Do you ever feel like things are just moving too quickly along to sit and create? :) I guess that's when it's time to breath.

So... yesterday I must have finally breathed because the girls and I sat together and felted wool. It was a great afternoon.

I made this for the trade:

I really like it and it was really fun working on it. Plus.. Corpse Bride came on TV right as I was making it so I had perfect inspiration :)

Abbi made some cups

And Kyra made a house