Some Water Picture - FROM VEGAS!!!

At DK's birthday party, the kidlets played with a Slip-n-Slide (though the water was spraying the other way, and they wouldn't actually slide down it until the spraying stopped).

Miles' version of playing with the S-n-S

Ella Bella Mozzarella
I think she liked it!
If you know Ella, you've heard of her BFF Ali (seen here). Miles - trying to figure out how to play in the water without getting wet.
A common scene in the pool.
Too cute :)
A rare moment of Mommy-separation.
Ella ordering pancakes :)
Isn't she pretty??

Princess Pictures

Since I'm done with uploading pictures to Facebook, I thought I'd do it here...and then they all posted in random order. Sigh. We'll just have to deal with it.

The party was GREAT! Probably the most popular treat was the Oreo truffle. Mr. Miles had four. Here's his snacking technique - open mouth, shove in food. (Cammie really wasn't grumpy - we were laughing at him, so I'm not sure how I managed to get that shot of her!)

Here's Sleeping Beauty. Did Ella like it? Just peek at that kid's face...

Ella even got to use a magic wand! (On loan to Beauty from Cinderella's fairy godmother).

Opening presents was a hoot - it took her 3.4 seconds to clear through 49 gift bags. Lots of pink carnage.

Miles wanted to join in the fun, too, so he grabbed Ella's "Birthday Girl" crown and proudly wore it. It went well with his painted toe nails (I did Ella's and Sarah's "bubbles" while babysitting and he didn't want to be left out. Amazing how well he sat still for that!!)
My sister will have more pictures - it was SO amazing to watch those little girls with a REAL princess. Each girl came into the house with her own crown and in a dress (though there was some dress swapping). They sang, danced, and posed for pictures. I'm so glad I got to see it all!

Ella Opens Birthday Cards

She'll be four in a couple of days - her counting skills are amazing! (I hope these posted in the right order!)

Too Little Sleep, Too Many Mad-Libs

It's my first night in Vegas. Sarah is spending the night with Michelle and me at Mimi's house. Thanks to Uncle Matt, I brought along a Mad-Libs packet from Wendy's (don't ask). It's late. We're tired. We've had too much ice cream. This is what Sarah, Michelle, and I created.

The first electric trident was invented in 1904 by a tasty young man named Papa Smurf. He and his brother, Percy Jackson, ran a small poodle repair shop, and in their spare time the studied toothpaste. When they started work on their invention, everyone said, "Oh my dogs! You'll never get it off the pillow." But they built a succulent model out of old microchips and a used iPhone. It used up two gallons of V-8 juice an hour, and the top converted into Maryland. They sold the patent to a shabby millionaire for $941 and lived merrily ever after.

And then there's this one...

Tonight my whole family is going to run at Wendy's! I can't wait! My chopsticks always orders the same thing. Mom likes to eat iridescent salad full of Americans. Dad likes juicy cheeseburgers with extra toenails. But what should I order? Maybe I want crispy lightbulbs with lots of pencils on the side. Or fuzzy, semi-aquatic lampshades to share with my Obama. Maybe I'll have a little bit of my dad's fluid horseshoe and my mom's slimy army. And if they want some of my Bedazzler made of gems, they can have some - because sharing Carl at Wendy's is fun for everybody! But I hope they keep their jeans off my pretty fries!

Yeah, we've reached the slap-happy phase. Time for bed!!

The No-Bakes - My Substitutions

No-Bake cookies are just about my favorite cookies ever. Fortunately Shaina is also a fan, so I made some for her birthday this week. Though I used a standard recipe, I made a lot of substitutions. Everyone LOVED them, so I thought I share my secret for gooey, dark no-bakes.

Combine in a sauce pan:

1/2 c. coconut oil

2 c. sucanat

1/2 c. milk

Heat over medium-high heat until it starts a consistent rolling boil. When it's boiling consistently do NOT stir for ONE MINUTE.

Remove from heat. Stir in:

3 c. old fashioned oats

Peanut Butter (I never measure - at least 1/2 c., maybe more)

1/2 c. Dutch processed dark cocoa powder

1 T. vanilla extract

After you mix it together, drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. CHILL!

The coconut oil will solidify at temps below 74 degrees, so during the summer these cookies will need to be chilled to help them set. I'm not sure how they'll turn out in the winter!

So there it is folks - enjoy!!

2010 Air Show

Under the minimal shade of an ornamental tree, Matt and I waited for the show to start. Since we had time to kill, we ate ice cream...

(note the cool new hat)

I'm sure you'll see better pictures elsewhere, but these turned out pretty well with my lil' Sony CyberShot 7.2 megapixel camera :)

Fat Albert (I don't know, so please don't ask)

The stars - The Blue Angels!!!

Thanks to Matt's "spirit-led vacation planning" we had no problems finding parking or a spot to watch, and we got out with no hassles! It was definitely worth it to jump in with the crowd :)

Springfield Celtic Festival 2010

In case you missed it, on Sat. June 26 I attended the 5th Annual Springfield Celtic Festival near Fife Lake, Michigan. It's a small lil' shindig, but quite entertaining if you dig kilts and bagpipes (which I do!). Here's what I saw:

Laura Hassold and Rachel Courville dancing the Highland Fling...

Scottish Heavy Athletic Games - Steve Bliven with the weight toss for height (that's a 20 lb. weight)...

The Society for Creative Anachronism with a display of hand-to-hand combat...

Blacksmith Richard Thibeau, hard at work in blazing heat and ridiculous humidity...

More of the Heavy Athletics (all competitors MUST wear kilts). Jason Cherry with the weight toss for distance (that's a 56 lb. weight)...

And I don't know if this loaded properly, but here's a brief clip of the Grand Traverse Pipes and Drums (I hope)...

Wanted: Experts in Anything

If you're an expert at something (anything) then I need your help!

As you may know, I like to write. I'd like to help support our family through writing (with enough income that Matt can find a less demanding job). I'm taking baby-steps to get there, one of which is the existence of my writing blog (if you haven't visited it yet, click here).

While most of my current writing is non-fiction (articles and essays), my dream is to write novels. With that in mind, I try to incorporate fiction tips on my writing blog. On the 8th of every month I'm going to feature "Tips From The Pros".

Instead of offering writing tips, I want to provide tips from other professions - bits of info from your world that will help me (and the writers who follow my blog) create realistic characters. I decided to do this because I'm SO tired of reading novels where the main characters are writers or teachers. These seem to be favorites (probably because their the jobs with which most writers are familiar).

This is where you come in - tell me about yourself. Do you have a job that you've never seen in a book (or on a TV show)? Then tell me about it! I have no idea what city planners, sommeliers, or civil engineers do - what may seem mundane to you will be informative to me!

What about your hobbies or crafts? Do you do something different than everyone else?

Or maybe you do something "normal", but from your own angle? It could be that you're a female lawyer who's NEVER worn high heels to work. Maybe you have a degree in English and are working as a welder - how did you get there?

What I'm looking for is sort of a "Top Ten" list of things that would make a character more realistic. Feel free to take on the stereotypes and set writers straight. Our goal should be to create unique, yet realistic characters and situations, so the more we know about people, the better characters we can write.

If you're interested in this, please email me at kvbwrites(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd like to get this started in July and will schedule people as I hear from you/receive your lists. If you think you can offer some tips in more than one area, let me know that, too! Let me know if you have any questions - thanks!

Printing Problems

This picture isn't entirely accurate because the paper had been resting, but this is what life is like in my overly humid office these days:

I write an article, print it off, and it comes through the printer all curled up. Reusing scrap paper is pretty much impossible - I can't get it to lay flat enough for the printer to pull it through. Yuck.

I'm going to go wring the moisture out of my rugs now...

It's Here! It's Here!

Welcome back Summer! Please, stay as long as you'd like!

No More Excuses

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE movies. I love going to the movies, playing them at home, watching them dozens of times - they're a fabulous way to escape. For as much as I enjoy movies, however, I don't watch everything. I do my homework first.

It started quite a few years ago when my sister and I rented the movie "Confidence". We watched about ten minutes before turning it off (I didn't know it was possible to drop the f-bomb that many times in ten minutes). We were able to swap the movie for another one, but after that incident I decided that I didn't want any more surprises.

Enter the internet.

There's no reason for anyone to see a disappointing movie anymore. If your favorite actor is in a new movie, go the homepage and find the director. Then search for the director and see what kinds of movies he/she's done (you can get a list at The Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com).

If you're still uncertain, you can get the whole scoop at movie review websites. I'm a big fan of Focus on the Families Plugged In Online: www.pluggedinonline.com. The website's focus is to find family friendly movies, so there aren't a lot of films that they endorse; however, I'm not looking for their endorsement. I like that they present thorough details as to what's in the movie (Positive Elements, Spiritual, Sexual, and Violent Content, Profanity, Drugs & Alcohol, and Other Negative Elements).

I've read many reviews for movies that weren't endorsed as family friendly, but that's okay - I still watched the movie because I wasn't looking for family friendly. I've also read some reviews that have made me decide not to see a film (because there was too much swearing or violence). If there's anything listed that I know I won't enjoy, then I simply avoid it.

I say all of this because of an opinion that I recently read about the new Robin Hood movie. The woman was upset and offended because of the sex and violence in the film. It shocked her to see how the screenwriter had interpreted the story and how the director filmed it.

Really??

Lady, it's Ridley Scott and Russel Crowe! Do you remember the film "Gladiator"? Yeah, well, that was them. And have you read the story of Robin Hood? That time period in history - do you know what life was like? Scott doesn't make Disney movies, and I don't think I've ever seen Crowe in a family flick.

I wasn't really interested in the movie BECAUSE I knew Scott and Crowe were involved - they make good movies, but not generally the kind that I watch. After hearing five rave reviews, however, I went...and loved it!

This movie was not typical Scott/Crowe (in my opinion). They had plenty of opportunities to show explicit sex and violence, but they didn't (except with the bad guy who, if you ask me, deserved the ickiest violent scene).

So anyway - that's my plug. Don't whine about what you saw in a movie - there are a dozen great sites online that will help you figure out if it's something you'll enjoy. If it still surprises you, then we'll talk.

Fashionably Matt

My husband, who doesn't hesitate to leave the house wearing head-to-toe camouflage in assorted patterns, has recently become quite opinionated about my wardrobe. I love getting his opinions on my clothes because he's very direct - he either likes it or he doesn't. Recently, however, he's become more specific in his opinions. Here are a few examples:

When asking about my capri/blouse combo for dinner with my parents:
Matt: I don't think that watch matches your shoes.

When asking about my new sporty capris and cotton t-shirt:
Matt: It's nice. Casual, but anal.

Any day now he'll have his own show on TLC, I'm sure of it :)

The Good Life

Midgie knows how to enjoy the day.

Because of my early mornings this week (I woke up with Matt @ 4 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep), for the last two afternoons I've hit the proverbial wall. I tried to move past it, but when the world starts spinning, it's time to surrender.

Since Midgie is an expert in the area of afternoon naps, I turned to her for guidance. With the warm, sunny weather gracing northern Michigan, I climbed onto the bed and invaded the largest sunny spot. At first she and Bucket were a little annoyed with me, but it didn't take long before the curled up next to me and drifted off.

I used to pick on Midgie because she wanders around the house, moving from one sunbeam to the next, but not anymore. She's got it made. I now understand the draw of the sunbeam, and I hope to take advantage of it again soon.

My First Garden!

Today Matt and I planted our container garden - yeah! This is a new experience for me, but I was pretty excited. We started with our tomato plants. We have three varieties: lemon boy, celebrity, and juliet. We planted some marigolds in the right pot (Matt says they're good companion plants. He's the certified master gardener, so I didn't argue).

Then we moved on to my herbs: basil, thyme, cilantro (two of 'em!), and parsley. Matt picked a special container for those ... the front yard.

Kinda grizzly, I know. And not really what I had in mind when I thought of "containers" but, like I said, Matt's certifiable, so who am I to disagree? I did a LOT of weeding, but I sure looked cute doing it.

In the end, we put the herbs by the front door, along with a few random flowers. We also planted some ornamental grass and we moved the hosta.

The dark black soil is organic potting soil that we picked up at Lowe's (on sale!) a few weeks ago.

Note the lovely stepping stone? Matt's had it for 15 years - we can finally use it!

The hosta didn't mind moving. It's still next to a purple bush of death (the thorns on those things are nasty!), so it doesn't feel so homesick.

After we finished, I decided to plant Matt. This spot gets a lot of sunlight in the afternoon, so I'm expecting him to grow nicely!

We weren't the only ones who enjoyed the fine weather, though. Midgie and Bucket love having the windows open. It gives them a nice breeze as they sun themselves on the bed.

Stale Mate (and Second Thoughts)

I could probably post this on my writing blog, but I don't feel like it. It's entirely writing related, but I want to post it here. My heart keeps leading me here because this is where my friends are - this is the site that my loved ones visit to see how I'm doing, not how my writing is going.

So here it is -writing is not going well.

I don't have a great reason for it. Matt's been cancer free for two years, so there's no medical crisis. I have two regular gigs, so it's not like people won't publish my work. Truth is, I'm tired.

It's not even Memorial Day (which marks the beginning of Matt's "busy" season), and he's already working 60 hours a week. I expect that he'll do 70-80/week this summer. That means everything else is in my lap. I might be able to handle it if I had the chance to talk with him throughout the week, but it doesn't happen.

This is how it works: he leaves the house at 3:30 or 4:30 am. He gets home at 6:00 or 7:00 pm. We talk on the phone while he drives home (which is about 30 minutes). When he gets here, he jumps in the shower, then sits down to eat. I empty his lunch box and then re-pack it. If I'm lucky, he has 30 minutes before his brain starts to shut down, but after his long day he doesn't have the energy to chat - he usually checks the weather and news online before passing out.

It would be easier if he traveled - then I would have to cook and clean-up after him, but as it stands I get all of the work and none of the benefit of being with him.

So that leaves me doing everything else around the house. Plus substitute teaching. Plus writing for two papers. Plus working on my manuscript, maintaining my blog, trying to keep up with other blogs/writing news, researching conferences...I could go on, but I'm tired.

I love the stories that I write for the local papers, but the pay is meager ($3-5/hour). I don't want to lose the connection with my neighbors, but this type of writing won't replace the money I could make at any other job (including substitute teaching).

I want to research bigger markets. I want to submit articles to other periodicals, but I'm so overwhelmed by the number of magazines that I don't even know where to start. And when I finally narrow it down, I can never think of anything to write.

And my manuscript did not final in the most recent un-published novelist contest. I don't know exactly how I did (I'm praying that I at least improved over last year), but I'm dreading getting the scores back. As long as I improved, I think I'll be okay, but if I didn't (or I did worse) then I don't know if I'll be able to continue.

I really don't know what to do right now. I want to write, but the ERN and GTI won't support me and I don't know if I can find other markets.

Maybe I'm just tired. I hope I'm tired. I need to do something to break out of this stale mate - I need something to let me know that I'm doing the right thing.

I need Jesus.

Chit-chat and Gabfests

Yesterday I was talking to my husband and I realized that I come from a unique family. Here's how the conversations went: (when telling Matt how my sister almost ruined a surprise visit to my parents' house by telling my mom)

"I was talking to Cammie today, and she almost ruined the surprise. When I talked to her this morning she had just gotten off the phone with my parents, and they were still planning to come visit us. I told her not to worry, I had just talked with my dad and he knew we were coming, but he wasn't going to tell my mom. Then I was talking will Cammie after Ella called, and she told me that she accidentally told mom what was going on, and Dad had to cover."

If that's confusing, it should be. The point of that monologue is this: I was on the phone with my sister for the second time that day, who had already talked with my parents twice, before and after I spoke with the 'rents.

On the average week day I'll call Cammie 2-3 times. I call my parents 1-2 times. Michelle's a social butterfly, but we manage to squeeze in a call 2-3 times a week. I always thought everyone was like that ... how was I supposed to know they're not?

I don't remember ever making a conscious decision to stay in touch with my family so frequently - it just happened. I suppose a lot of it has to do with the fact that my mom, sister, and I all work from home (if you consider being retired "working"). That makes it easy to give someone a quick call when I have a question about something. Sure, I could research things online, but when you spend hours in front of the computer everyday, a phone call breaks up the monotony.

For the record, every call to a family member isn't a conversation. I've been known to call my mom just to tell her the theme of an article I'm writing. Likewise, my 3.5 yr. old niece will call me to tell me her babysitter is coming over. It's not necessarily about conversing with each other, it's about staying in touch. And we are masters at staying in touch.

I like that about our fam. It's kind of silly, but it's fun. It doesn't take long for info to travel along the VB gossip line. We may not always like what the other person is saying, and the conversations aren't always spoken in quiet tones, but we always communicate.

And it's not just a girl thing ... my 17 month old nephew is quickly learning the fine art of jibber-jabber. I've got the voice mail messages to prove it :)

Dear Kids*, I love you, but...

...there are a few things we need to discuss. I believe these are things that will help you develop rich, successful lives. They will also keep Daddy and I sane.

1) You sleep too much. It's not the sleeping that bothers us. It's the mad bursts of energy at 5 a.m. that taunt us, reminding us of how much sleep we missed. So please, save your outbursts for times when we won't resent them.
2) You're too curious. It's natural to question how the world works and to seek understanding, but understand this - every piece of food I pull out of the refrigerator is not for you, so you don't need to poke, sniff, or lick it all.
3) One at a time. Yes, it's very cool to have such a large bathroom, and it's awesome that your potty is in the same room as mine...but just because I forget to latch the door does not mean that's an invitation for you to saunter in so we can do business at the same time. Take a number, get in line.
4) Respect my work hours. When I'm typing at my computer and ignoring your continual cries for attention, it's because I'm busy. It's not a challenge to see how far you'll go before I notice you. Trust me, I know you're there, so you can stop putting holes in my pants and jumping on my desk.

I think you'll find that a few minor changes in each of these areas will help us all enjoy a happier, more peaceful hope. Thanks for being so understanding!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

(*Kids = cats)

What A Difference A Drive Makes

I love small towns. While my sisters thrive in the five lane, 24 hour-a-day, neon glow convenience of Las Vegas, I schedule my life around the 8-12 hour days of most businesses in my community. They are just two people in a city of 1.8 million. I, however, am one in 1,700, and I like it that way ... except when it comes to grocery shopping.

I try to keep a tight grocery budget: $40/week, plus we set aside $10/week for buying bulk purchases as needed. For a while it was really easy to keep. I shopped the sales, brought my coupons, and often had a few bucks left at the end of the week (which went into our bulk fund).

Since we've moved, however, that's changed. It's been a constant struggle to get everything we want (and need) without going over budget. I'm not willing to sacrifice on a lot of things, so buying certain generic brands or processed food isn't an option (which means it isn't cheap). Granted life's been busy and I haven't been able to watch the ads like I used to, but it was really getting ridiculous. Try as might, though, it never seemed to work out.

Then last week Matt and I ran some errands "in town". Some of those errands took us to larger grocery stores. Holy price drop, Batman! I'm not talking about 10-20 cents ... we found three different items that were at least $1 cheaper at the supermarket. Just looking at a few items we found over $5 in savings ... imagine if we'd done ALL of our shopping there??

I'm still not comfortable doing my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart (no offense to anyone who does - I appreciate the low prices for those who truly can't afford other options), I'm okay with Meijer (a Michigan based store), as well as our locally owned Spartan stores (Tom's/Oleson's).

I decided to hit Tom's (10 miles away) instead of Meijer (20 miles away) this week. I grabbed my sale flier and my coupons, then headed out. While I still don't save the way my sister does (her sales put mine to shame), I was FINALLY able to get all of the fresh fruits, vegetables, and lunch foods that we need for the week, PLUS I bought laundry detergent, toilet paper, and razors (it'll be shorts weather here in another 4 months ... gotta get ready!).

Overall, I was very happy. It got me excited about grocery shopping again. Now that I know I can get more than two bags of good food for my $40, I'm looking forward to the challenge of seeing how many bags I can fill!

If you've got any advice you'd like to share, I'm willing to listen!

Fight the Good Fight!

Since I promised not to talk about the new government "health care", I won't. Instead, lets talk about ways in which we can keep ourselves healthy!

It really is disgusting that the government allows French Fries to be served in school lunches as a vegetable option! Really?? You're going to tell me that a 1/2 cups of marinara, or steamed broccoli, or mixed greens have the same nutritional value as DEEP FRIED POTATOES??

I've been subbing in the schools. I was there the day when the main lunch option was three cheese stuffed white bread sticks with a little cup of dipping sauce. I don't know how, but that was considered a balanced, nutritious meal appropriate for middle school kids.

Since Matt was diagnosed with cancer we've been more diligent about what we eat, though I've been getting lazy recently. But after I saw how school chicken nuggets are made, I realized that we need to get more serious.

I signed the Food Revolution petition because I adore the kids that I sub for, and I'd love for them to have a better chance at health. I'd rather my tax dollars pay for their homemade 7-veggie spaghetti sauce than their diabetes and ADD meds.

If you haven't seen the show, check it out. You can sign the petition here. There are also tips for shopping/cooking better, how to get involved, etc.

Here's to your health!

Matt Discusses Auntie Pastas

In the recent Val-Pak coupon pack, we received a BOGO coupon for Auntie Pastas restaurant in TC. For those of you who've never been there, you won't get this. For all of you northern Michigan residents, this was Matt's honest reaction when I showed him the coupon:

"Come visit Traverse City's only restaurant that's never been remodeled. Sit down and enjoy layers of dust on our pink ceiling. But our view of the river and coupons more than make up for it."

I told him not to forget the fish shaped oil bottles on every table, but he likes those :)

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

April 15 - tax day. Two years ago, it was much more stressful - it was surgery day.

On 4.15.08 Matt and I were Indianapolis while he had part of his lymphatic system removed. It was a long procedure, but it went smoothly. Though he required months to heal, some pretty awesome things happened because of it:

- We really got to know our pastors better. They've become such important people in our lives; we're so grateful for the time we got to spend with them.
- It reconnected me with my first college roommate, Beth. Even though Matt was in the hospital, I had a great time getting know Beth all over again (and yes, I introduced her to Facebook)
- Even though he was recovering, Matt and I got to spend more time together that summer than we have since we've known each other.
- That surgery represented that last treatment Matt would need to get rid of the cancer - he's been cancer free ever since and is now down to one CT scan a year with an oncologist visit every six months.

So as you groan about getting your taxes in today, you can smile in knowing that because of this date, Matt's still here :)

I love you, Honey!!

Our First Seder

This is what my first Seder table looked like! While this wasn't the first time I've participated in a Seder, it was the first time I'd ever hosted one. Notice the fine hodge-podge of service ware :) We actually got to recline on the ground because I don't currently have a dining room table large enough for more than four people, but that's okay! It worked out well!


After the celebration we had a lovely dinner, then lots of chatting, and some of us even hung out long enough to watch at movie. It was a wonderful night!

This is definitely something I'd like to continue doing. It saddens me that it ever stopped being part of the Christian life, but I'm excited to bring it back into ours.

Next year in Jerusalem!

I caved...I'm on (shiver) Twitter

I'm not sure I can adequately explain WHY I've fought this for so long, but I have. Maybe it's the limited number of characters (that promotes bad spelling and grammar). Maybe it's the fact that I know very few people that I care enough about to want to know when they're picking their belly buttons. Maybe it's just another way for me to waste time when I should be writing.

Whatever the reason(s), they didn't win today. I joined the site of shameless self-promotion, the place where self-centered individuals can bask in their own greatness while their followers hang on every mutilated sentence. Ugh.

But it's also the place where every major publisher and agent says a writer should have a presence, so I did it.

Please don't expect much from me right away. It'll take me a while to learn the ropes. In the meantime, I'll check in once a day. Feel free to follow me. I'm really hard to find - search for "karin" and "beery"...if I'm not there, let me know.

Caffeine Hangover

There was a time in my life when I tipped back a few too many adult beverages (on a regular basis). It wasn't exactly the high point of my life, but I did it. It was always fun to let loose and relax...until the next day. Tired, dehydrated, fuzzy-brained, nauseated - hungover. Today is so much worse - tired, dehydrated, fuzzy-brained yet jittery, headache, weak muscles.

No, I didn't have alcohol. It was much worse - caffeine.

Many, many years ago, while I still lived with my parents, they switched to a caffeine-free home for health reasons. I didn't mind. I had always rationed my caffeine in college - I never drank it until the second half of the semester so it would still keep me up for finals. Then I'd quit when I got home, have a headache for a couple of days, and get back to normal.

Since then, I really only drink caffeine in emergencies - on a Friday night at 10 pm after church when I've averaged 5 hours of sleep a night and still have a 35 minute drive home. I can handle some coffee then and it won't bother me. Generally, however, Matt has a rule about me and caffeine - whoever gives it to me has to keep me over night (that rule is the result of one fateful night when I kept him up until 4am because I was bored being awake alone).

Staying caffeine-free isn't usually a problem. We only have decaf coffee at our house, the majority of our tea is herbal, and I RARELY have a soda, so I've maintained my heart-friendly beverage routine. Every once in a while, however, I venture into public alone. I wander into a coffee shop. The aroma embraces me and invites me to the counter. I pick my flavor and order a latte. Yummy :) After the cup is drained and my belly is full, I relax...usually.

Twice in the last five years, my body betrayed me. Instead of relaxing, my legs got to twitching. My arms spasm. The skin across my chest and back tightens, begging to be ripped off so my heart and muscles can break free to run without restraint. And that's when I know...I forgot to order decaf.

This isn't a minor inconvenience for me - it's a 24 hour sentence.

Yesterday I accidentally drank 8 oz. of regular coffee at 1pm. By 3pm I wanted to do jumping jacks. By 4pm, I needed to jig. By 5pm, a half-marathon, two hours in a weight room, and 500 stomach crunches sounded good.

None of this would have been a problem, except I couldn't do ANY of it. I was at the oncologist with Matt (he's healthy!), then at dinner with friends, then getting ready for church. NOT the places to release the energy of a three year-old (unless, of course, you're three). I had to hold it together and stay in my seat, but the caffeine needed an outlet! It found the only muscle that could work while keeping my butt in the chair - my tongue.

Yep. As if I don't talk fast enough already. Pump a measly 8 oz. of coffee into my system and you might as well have a conversation with an auctioneer. I felt AWFUL for our friends at dinner! We hadn't seen them in so long, and my jaw wouldn't stop yapping.

Fast-forward through the night - I was up until almost 2:30 am, then had restless dreams about people running around like they were on speed. When I finally forced myself out of bed...it was 10am. My morning was wasted.

It's now 2:45 pm, and I'm starting to feel a little bit like myself again. My arms stopped shaking. My heart isn't on the verge of exploding. I can sit still for more than five minutes at a time.

Say what you want about the effects of alcohol, but I'll take a bottle of wine over a cup of coffee any day.

Health Care: My End

Over the past week I've had some interesting exchanges with people regarding the new health care bill. In fact, I've spent hours researching it online, listening to podcasts, watching interviews...I'm trying to be informed.

But it's now 11:00 pm and I'm still wide awake. I need to get up in six hours, but I'm not even close to being asleep. As I laid in bed praying, I know why.

If I had spent 15 seconds a day in prayer for every 1 minute I spent thinking about/arguing about/researching the health care bill, then I could have had some amazing time with God :)

I've let my focus shift - I've stopped looking at God and have left myself look at the world. Don't get me wrong - I live here, so I need to know what's going on, but it can't be my focus. When it becomes my focus, it displaces God.

I looked these words up tonight -
Exalt: to enhance the activity of
Worship: to regard with great devotion

Wow...if you look at the activity and devotion I've given to understanding and debating the health care bill, it's pretty obviously become the object of exaltation and worship in my life this week.

God, forgive me.

Scripture is clear - love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Have no God before him.

While I've definitely not been singing praises to the health care debate, nor have I been admiring it, what I HAVE been doing is waiting for others' responses so I can share my side of the story. I've been thinking of ways to explain myself. I've been mulling over it for hours. By doing that, I have NOT been giving God all of my mind.

When it comes down to it, this bill won't affect me at all. It doesn't matter if it keeps me in the poor house, gives me $5/month insurance, saves or crashes this country's economy. None of that will affect me, because I'm a child of God, and this world is not my home.

God has proven over and over again that HE is my provider - not Matt, not the State, not the Feds, not insurance. Through His perfect timing, Matt was diagnosed with cancer and treated. During that time neither of us worked full time, but we tithed and gave faithfully. We also paid off our debts and saved money for a down payment on a house. When you try to figure it out logically, it doesn't work - there's no way for two people on our low wages to have accomplished that much. But when you put your understanding aside and put your faith in God, it works.

It doesn't matter what happens to this government. It doesn't matter who fails or who succeeds. None of this really matters because this is just a short part of our eternal lives. What really matters is your faith - where have you put it? Is it in man, or God?

My faith is in God. He loves us, cherishes us, provides for us in His perfect way, in His perfect timing. Matt and I have believed that since we were married, and we need to cling to it today.

I've spent so much time arguing health care - people know EXACTLY where I stand regarding it. But do these same people know where I stand with God? Instead of arguing about laws that will someday cease, have I taken the time to share the truth of the One truth health giver? Instead of worrying about our freedom within this country, have I shared with them the truth of freedom in Christ?

No, I haven't, and that's what's keeping me awake, because it doesn't matter if this bill fails or succeeds. Eventually we will all end up in the same place. Whether rich or poor, black or white, young or old, the cost to maintain our physical health doesn't matter if we've allowed our spiritual health to deteriorate.

I'm not just speaking about being a spiritual person. I'm talking about our eternal spirits which will survive the fate of our physical forms. And the Bible is clear about our spiritual fate - there is one way to heaven, and that way is Jesus Christ.

Some people will be confused by this, others will be offended, some will cheer, and some will ignore it. Honestly, I don't care how it is received. What I care about is that I said it. It might not be the most eloquent statement of faith, and I doubt that it's grammatically correct (at 11:30 pm), but it's my statement of faith in God. It's my decision to stop focusing on the health care bill and to refocus on my Lord and Savior. It's my determination to be informed, involved, but not consumed by this world.

My faith is in God for all things. He has never left me nor forsaken me. He has always provided. His promises endure, even through dramatic governmental changes.

So...no more health care debate for me. I'll probably ignore the conversations about it. I might "like" something on Facebook, but that's it. I don't want to spend another minute defending my believes. I want to refocus. I'm going to refocus. It starts now.

Dorothy LIVES!!

Not Dorothy Gale...Dorothy Hamill. This morning I saw a lady with the Dorothy Hamill haircut. Not the newer, updated style. I'm talking 1970s. It made me giggle.

Stop Segregation - The Census

Did you know: the Census is taken every ten years to determine the number of seats each state should have in the House of Representatives?

That's it. That's the ONLY reason you should answer the big question - how many people in your household.

But that's not what the Census form asks. Oh, no...they want to know your gender, your age, your race, and, very importantly, whether or not you own your own home.

Why? Will it effect the number of seats in the House? Nope. Will it change the number of seats in the Senate? (If you don't know the answer to this question, then stop now, retake Government 101 and realize that you will always hate the government as long as you don't understand it).

The ONLY reason government wants to know these things about you is so they can use you as political pawns in their great battle for unlimited power.

95% of John Smith's constituents are Hispanic
47% of women dislike Bill Jones
Only 22% of people in New York own their own homes - disgraceful! Let's give them all loans they can't afford so they can default on them later.

This information isn't about US...it's not for our benefit and will in no way help US. It's for THEM - politicians. They want to play the numbers, but they need to know what those numbers are first. They want to figure out as much as they can so they can separate us into groups.

It's not about being American. It's about being the right age, race, and gender to help Sen. Ima Krook raise money, manipulate emotions, and get elected to another year of the good life.

If you're all about women's rights - don't answer the gender question.
If you're all about racial equality - don't answer the race question.
If you're all about keeping politicians honest and bringing the power back to the people - tell them how many people live in your house, then close the mailbox.

**And please, PLEASE remember - if anyone comes to your door and says they work for the Census, ask for identification and don't give them ANY other inf0. There are people working hard to report for the Census...and people working hard to steal your social security number and your identification.

Capitalism - The Liberal Conundrum

Capitalism: (noun) an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Tomorrow Michael Moore's newest movie will be released on DVD. It's the story of how capitalism failed America. I have not seen it. I will not see it. I know lots of people who have different opinions on that, some of whom, I'm sure, are chomping at the bit to get their hands on a copy.

Here's your problem: if you rent this movie at Blockbuster, you're participating in and supporting our "broken" capitalist system. If you buy it, you're a capitalist. In fact, do you realize there's no way for you see this movie, which Moore shot in a capitalist country, using capitalist means, and by which system he'll make a hefty profit, without yourself being hypocritical.

Does Moore A) find his own seeds, plant them, grow the food, harvest it, and cook it himself, or B) does he go out to eat? If B, then thank capitalism.

Does Moore A) grow his own cotton, harvest it, turn it into cloth, then make his own clothes, or B) does he buy clothes at the store? On behalf of those who don't wish to see him naked, thank you capitalism.

It goes, on and on - if you are enjoying any goods purchased from retailers, wholesalers, or directly from the craftsman, thank capitalism.

And if you want to rent or buy this DVD so you can revel in the evil that is capitalism - thank capitalism for making it possible.

Class of 2000

Early this morning I had some weird dreams. Just before I woke up I was dreaming about a vacation in Hawaii. Sure, that sounds great, but here's what happened.

I had just landed at the airport, which doubled as a busy train station, and couldn't find my group. When I finally did, we were all sitting around in the station because one of my sister's bags was missing. Instead of going to the hotel to wait for it, everyone thought it would be a good idea to stay at the airport (huh??). After two sweaty hours, I decided to go to the hotel, and most of the crew came along. The hotel, however, was cylindrical and spun every few minutes. Not only was I getting dizzy, but I could never find the room because the hallway was always spinning away from the door.

Weird.

But that's not what hit me - it was the people in the dream. My college classmates.

I can't believe it's been 10 years since we graduated from college. Our senior year we took a trip to New Orleans and had so much fun that we agreed we should do something every five years...and then reality set in :) More than half of us have kids (not me...you!), less than half of us are still in Michigan, and do any of us have a "vacation fund" we can tap into for another fun trip?? Not here...I need a new car!

And then there are those pesky schedules. Planning a vacation was a great idea when we were in school, but who really gets spring break or summer vacation anymore? Not many of us. And during the one annually schedule get-together (Homecoming), I usually have plans (how about you?).

I'd love nothing more to jump on a cruise ship with my gals from Hillsdale, but how easy would that be? We'd need 12 state rooms for six girls because some of us (I'm looking west to California) are regularly breeding :) Unless we wanted to leave them at home, there would be a lot more testosterone going with us. And no matter how hard I tried, there's no way I'd be up at noon and out until 2am. Put me on the Senior Citizen deck, because I'm in bed by 10pm.

My...how things change. And for as much as I'd love to join my sisters on another trip, I have to confess that I like where I am - with my honey and my kitties in my little yellow office. I love you and I miss you, but I'm also very happy where I am.

Online Swap Meet

Matt discovered this fun site last week - you can go online and trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games! I know there are other similar sites (i.e. Paper Back Swap), but I've never much been interested in trading my books. I never seem to have any that I don't want!

But Swap Tree lets us trade a variety of media source, and THAT I like...because Matt and I buy cheap movies, watch them once, then decide we'll never watch them again. Like when Blockbuster went out of business and we had $200 in gift cards :) Now, instead of tossing them or donating them, I can actually trade them for something I might use, all for the cost of postage!

This excites me very much. I can hardly wait until I can swap my first DVD - good-bye Station Agent!

Hey, I'm published again!

Check it out at the Christian Examiner, here.

I love my house :)

I didn't set foot outside of my house yesterday, and I have no plan to do so at any point today. Both days it has been in the high twenties with over a 70% chance of snow. I don't like the cold, so I prefer to avoid it as much as possible. That mans I spend most of my winters inside.

Last year, however, I was in our little 900 sq. ft. house during the blustery, blizzardy winter. For most people at 900 sq. ft. house is just fine. It would be for me...if I wasn't married to a man who owned 2000 sq. ft. of 'stuff'. Trying to squeeze all of that 'stuff' into a tiny house (with no garage or basement) darn near made me crazy. In fact, by early January I was claustrophobic that Matt shipped me out to Vegas for ten days so I could get out without being miserable in the cold.

This year, things are different :) Matt and I are spending our first winter together in our own home. Here are some of the things that I love about this house:

1) It's 1400 sq. ft., including three bedrooms. That's important for me for two reasons:

a. One bedroom is being used for storage. I'm amazed at how long it's taking to get unpacked, but I don't have to worry about it (too much) right now because we have all of our still full boxes stacked in the guest room (out of sight, out of mind!)

b. I have my own office! It's not acting as Matt's closet or the keeper-of-the-camping-gear. It's just MY office. I have it set up for optimum writing production, and it's working (I wrote 1300 words yesterday!)

2) It has doors. Technically our last house had three doors, but they were pretty irrelevant.

a. For one thing, because we had so little space, we had a lot of over-the-door storage units. By the time you have one hanging on each side of a door, it makes it hard to securely close said door. That means you can see everything from anywhere.

b. You can't really close out the clutter when the clutter is in every room (see previous description of my last office)

3) It doesn't leak. I'm not talking about water, but air. In our previous home, I was always cold. It was built in the 1950s and still had single pain, drafty windows. We added 18" of R60 insulation (that's a lot of the good stuff) when we moved in, wrapped the windows inside and out with plastic, kept the heat at 60 during the day/55 at night, and still paid $100/month (usually more) to heat the tiny place.

Our house doesn't have as much insulation in the attic, but it's only 30 years old and has new windows. We keep the heat at 65/60 now and our heating bills are averaging $95/month! There's nothing better than being warmer for less money.

There are dozens of other reasons why I love this house (I can walk to the market and school, it has a garage, I can workout in my living room without having to rearrange the furniture), but those are the biggest reasons for right now. Maybe in a few months I'll tell you about my favorite summertime aspects of my house!

Firefox vs. Chrome (vs. IE)

The only reason I even included Internet Explorer in the title is so it didn't feel left out, but I'll admit right now that I never use the browser. I find it as useful as belly button lint. My real debate is between Firefox and Chrome - what do you think?

I've used them both, and they each have their good points, they also have their bad points. I'm not sure what to do...

Firefox:
I've been using this for years, so I'm used to it. I understand its quirks and bobbles. I'm okay with that (no one's perfect). But it's usually Firefox that forces me to use Chrome - when it freezes, I close down the browser, and then try to reopen it I get the message "Firefox is already running". Really? Where...in a marathon? Because it's not running on my laptop! That's when I go to Chrome.

Chrome:
I just started using this because of the aforementioned Firefox blip. It really is faster (even with my lightning quick 3 Mbps DSL connection). I don't know what makes it faster, but I like...when it works. I'm not kidding when I say that about 20% of my URLs come up at "Oops! That link appears to be broken!", which it never is - I hit the refresh button and it will connect. So is it really any faster if I have to refresh 1 of every 5 searches?

Anyway, that's my debate. I don't have an answer (I'm not even sure if I'm looking for one), but it's been on my mind a lot recently (as Firefox freezes and Chrome can't find things). Some day I'd like to try Safari, but until Apple lowers their prices, I'm just not willing to make the switch.

I tried...REALLY!

Okay...I've been feeling pretty crummy about not subbing as much as I used to. In all fairness, I'm writing a LOT more than before, but I still feel like I should be subbing. My biggest hindrance is the last-minute job. I don't mind if it's a classroom that I've been in before, but I'm NOT interested in subbing for Mr. P's kindergarten class at Crazy Elementary for the first time with 90 minutes notice. Pass, thanks.

Since I'm not subbing today (articles to write...Monday and Tuesdays are NOT the best days for me to sub), I decided to open my on-line sub finder page and see what I could find. I logged on and - TA DA! Two high school English/Language Arts classes - one for tomorrow and one for next week. PERFECT! I selected them both, but then I heard that awful BLEEP!

Both jobs were being held for other subs.

WHAT??!!

Well, I can't really complain. Other teachers do the same thing for me...but those are math teachers and chem teachers (Hi, Kim!). While I like the work, it's not ENGLISH! And yet the English teachers don't want me :( But they don't even KNOW me!!

(Deep breath...exhale)

Anyway, I tried. That's my point. I made the effort...I can't help it that I'm not wanted. But that's okay with me...there's NEVER a lack of things for me to do at home. I just wish it paid better.

Where are we headed?

Today I subbed in a high school classroom. It doesn't matter where; it doesn't matter what subject. After four years of subbing, I've noticed one disturbing trend - students are incredibly lazy. If kids can't look online or ask a friend, then they don't know how to find an answer.

Today was an easy assignment - chapter review. Not only that, but the teacher gave the page numbers of the indices that would help them answer the most questions. The kids' first reactions were to ask the smart kid. When I put a stop to that, the whining started:

"This is too hard!"
"I don't know this!"
"We can't do this!"

Not ONE of those students had opened his or her book.

It does worry me that even with the page numbers given to them, a large number of students don't know how to look up an answer. It always surprises me how many students look at me like I've got a 3rd eye when I ask them if they've checked the glossary for definitions.

The what?

Granted I think it's wonderful that kids know how to use computers and research online, but at what expense. So a 10 year-old can create a power point. Fabulous. Can he use a dictionary? Kids are learning to be dependent on technology, but what happens when their phones lose reception?

I do a lot of reseach online because it's convenient, but before I had the internet I used the library (you know - big building, lots of books).

Techonology is a great TOOL, but I'm not so sure we should be promoting it as THE tool. I'm not convinced that it makes kids smarter, but it sure does make them lazier.

Multi-tasking

I got paid twice today: once for subbing, and once for finishing an article. Technically I won't get paid for the article until the end of the month, but the point is that I had the time to finish it today. It's times like this that I LOVE subbing in high schools!

Mornings in a Van

As I spend this week babysitting my friends' kids I've found the most entertaining moments to be on the drive to school - all five kids at the same time.

The 15 yr. old just wants everyone to be quiet - it's too early for him.

The 5 yr. old is in the far back, and she's the boss of everyone. Yesterday I kept hearing, "Don't make me come up there!", and she's even telling me how to get from point A to point B, "NO! Go that way! Momma goes THAT way!"

In the middle sit the 3 yr. old boy and the 11 yr. old girl. He brings Superman, she brings a Barbie. Most of what he says sounds like gibberish, but she is easy to understand. Yesterday her Barbie used super powers that she stole from Superman (in the crystal box from Superman II) to make him marry her. Today she asked Superman if he kissed her cell phone; Superman asked Barbie how she knew. Barbie answered, "Because my phone has a tracking device".

And the last child is the 9 yr. old girl who tries to help keep the peace...unless she has something better to do, like sing the National Anthem :)

The drive to school is really my favorite. I have so much fun listening to these guys. And they really know how to love each other: the older kids shared their candy with the little kids, the baby carried his sister's backpack (and wanted to carry my groceries), and the boss took time out at school to make a card for her classmate who had a birthday yesterday.

These kids are my favorites (next to my nieces and nephew, of course)

Slap-Happy Matty: Extreme

Poor, poor Matt. He didn't have to go into work until 5am today, but he didn't get home until after 7pm. We had very little time together, so he wanted to help me in the kitchen. Oh. Joy.

It started when I asked him to make some salads for lunches. He was putting grape tomatoes on them. As I washed dishes I heard:

"Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to. Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to."

Then Matt leaned over to pick something up. The skinny dude was wearing his large pajama pants, so I got to see a whole lot of crack. I pointed that out to him. As I washed dishes I heard:

"That's because I get up at the butt-crack of dawn. The hairy butt-crack of dawn. Butt-crackage. Butt-crack-a-mungus. Butt-crackular."

And then the cat walked by...

"We don't have to take it anymore. Cats should be able to lick their butt-cracks in public - lift your leg high!"

It was an interesting night...he was asleep by nine.

Read The Fine Print (and other shopping secrets)

Yesterday Matt and I spent the day relaxing (Borders and a movie) and shopping (Kmart and Lowe's). I am already a big fan of Kmart (the one in Acme). They keep a clean store and have great customer service. We've shopped there a few times when an employee forgot to pull a sale sign. When we were checking out and the prices didn't match the cashiers always honored the sale price (while another cashier ran to remove the sign).

We had the same experience last night at Lowes. They had three types of storage units for sale on an end cap: A, B1, and B2. A and B1 were the same price, even though they were different brands. B1 and B2 were the exact same things, but with different prices (B2 was more expensive). So we looked at the signs above the units. It had the sections listed as A, Clearance A, and B. Obviously, it didn't match what was actually on the shelf.

Long story short: the price tag on B1 was for the price of A, but it was on the "clearance" section of the shelf, so we figured it might actually be on sale. Having had the experiences at Kmart where the honor a wrong price, we gave it a whirl. Sure enough, they honored the price!! (52% off the original price - yeah!)

When we go home, Matt looked at the Lowe's ad from two weeks ago. On ONE PAGE it said that the sales prices were good until 1/10/10 (even though the rest of the ad expired on 1/3/10). Lo and behold - on that page there was a picture of the unit Matt bought last night. The sale: buy the unit, get a smaller one FREE!!

Matt took the ad and his receipt back to the store. The manager double checked everything and gave Matt the free unit (while another cashier ran to the back of the store to double check all of the sale signs). Matt now has two high quality garage storage units. What should have been a 30% savings ended up being a 67% savings!!

So make sure you read the fine print and don't be afraid to show a store their mistakes! It can definitely work in your favor :)

"The star, Jimmy! Get the star!"

Do you remember which great (great = cheesy) movie that's from?

I was just sitting here remembering the good ol' days (I have gray hair now...I can have good ol' days). There were some great movies back then. I remember when my dad used to rent a VCR from the appliance store so that we could watch movies (which we also got from the appliance store). My sisters and I must have watched "Wild Blue Yonder" and "Space Camp" fifty times.

What were your favorites? (And who knows the quote? My money is on Bob C...)

Nothing, really

I don't really have a topic, but I'm not ready to start on my article yet, so I thought I'd swing by and hit the keys for a while.

Matt and I watched "Barnyard" tonight. The only movie I've ever seen that's worse than it is "Highlander". I mean, I'm a movie collector and watcher. I'll even keep a disc in the player all day and let it keep repeating. But I'm tempted to use those movies as coasters. Or maybe I'll just put them in with my collection of toys for when kids come to visit...

Matty-Matt-Matt was sick today. Actually he was sick all last week, but today it kept him home. The cough kicked his butt last night, and he was still awake at midnight (not good when you have to get up at 3am). I finally caved and gave him some prescription cough medicine. It worries when Matt takes prescriptions. He's never been a pill-popper (not even aspirin), so he's incredibly sensitive.

The cough meds said to take every six hours, and that it could cause drowsiness. I had my concerns about him taking it at midnight, but he'd been coughing for so long that we had to do SOMETHING. Sure enough, he got up at 3am to be to work at 4am. We live a solid 30 minutes from work. I woke up at 3:45 and his was still sitting on the bed. I asked him if he thought he should try to go to work.

At 4:05 he was STILL sitting there! He was so drowsy and incoherent that he couldn't figure out what to do. Um, was there ever really a question?? Prescription cough meds and heavy machinery?? Yeah...he stayed home. Poor baby :(

On the plus side, we found out tonight that he gets two weeks paid vacation on his four year anniversary - that's this May!! We're so excited about being able to have to whole weeks together! Since we've been married the only time that's happened has been when he was sick - this should be fun and exciting!

And for something completely unrelated, I get to do laundry tonight! I'm so totally in love with my new washer and dryer :) I think I might swap chores with people - if you hate doing laundry, then bring it on over! I'll wash your clothes and you can clean my bathroom. Win-win!

Okay, enough procrastinating - I've got articles to write.