Anything Agatha Challenge

Anything Agatha Challenge

Here's the list of what I've read:

Poirot Investigates (Collection of Poirot Short Stories)- Agatha Christie
Appointment with Death - Agatha Christie
Taken at the Flood - Agatha Christie
Murder in Mesopotamia - Agatha Christie
The Burden - Agatha Christie writing under the name Mary Westmacott
Cat Among the Pigeons - Agatha Christie
The Mirror Crack'd - Agatha Christie
The Murder at Hazelmoor - Agatha Christie
Curtain - Agatha Christie
The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie
Evil Under the Sun - Agatha Christie
Pocket Full of Rye - Agatha Christie
The Moving Finger - Agatha Christie

What's On Your Nightstand?

Today I stopped by our local St. Vincent DePaul to drop off a bag of cook books. I don't go there very often but occasionally I'll browse through the shelves of books. Lately I've been on an Agatha Christie kick so I was excited to come across two-TWO!-right off the bat. I also grabbed another book that looked interesting (I'm trying to go beyond mere entertainment). When I checked out I was delighted to find that the books were all $.10! Woo hoo. Not that they were much anyway, but a discount's a discount! Yup. So, I got them home, brought them to my nightstand and forgot about them til I came across this topic tonight. I went to grab my stack and lo, and behold....these are the books I have:

Curtain-Agatha Christie (hard cover, 1975 edition)
Curtain- Agatha Christie (soft cover, 1976 edition)

I was so excited I didn't even check the titles! Hohohoheeheehee. Mayhap it was just that I'm so thoroughly exhausted. Hmmm? Maybe.

I also have these on the nightstand:

More Than a Carpenter-Josh McDowell
Crusader Hymns and Hymn Stories-The Billy Graham Team

I love the stories behind the hymns we sing at church so I snapped this one up. I'm hoping it will be something I can share with the kids since they have heard a few of these true stories through Adventures in Odyssey and have shown a lot of interest in them.

I'm suffering though. I have these great books at my fingertips and I can't read them. Yet. I have too much to do before my family shows up tomorrow and Thursday, expecting a 5-star Thanksgiving Dinner. I am so thankful those books will still be here when they have had their fill of food and family and head home.

Happy reading!

Why I'm Up So Stinkin' Late

Ever start a project that you just wish would finish itself?

I have, and I have again.

This painting of my kitchen and the boys' bathroom has officially become noisome to me. I want to be finished by Sunday, as in, not having to paint AT ALL on Sunday. But, unless my kids become totally self-sufficient overnight, this is not going to happen.

Last night, Mike begged me to treat them all out to pizza so we wouldn't have to eat at our overloaded table. Today I just shoved it all aside and made room for the kids...they had grilled cheese and fruit for dinner, hot cocoa and GoldFish pretzel crackers for a bedtime snack. It worked...but it's getting old. For them and for me.


So, I'm half done with the kitchen. Unfortunately, I have finished the EASY half. The rest of it, I have to move the fridge and stove, and all my junque on the counters and above the cupboards to even get to the walls to paint.



The good news is that I am falling in love with the color....I think.

I'll let you know for sure when it is ALL done.



Of course I've thrown in extra projects, like the bookcase to keep me busy in the meantime. Right now I have 4 paint pans going: primer, summer rye (k), rice paper (br), and foam (bc and door).

Fun, fun, fun.

Disclaimer: My kitchen doesn't always look this cluttered. Really! Just sometimes. =)

My goal before I head off to slumber land? The last coat in the bathroom (all but the cabinet doors will be done! woo hoo!). Better get to it..... Night y'all!

A Wintry Tour

This morning, just as I was going out the door to catch the Head Start bus with Riley, it started to snow these huge, beautiful snow flakes.

So I grabbed my camera and on the way back home I took a bit of a detour from my usual route and decided to take you all on a picture tour of my Upper Peninsula community.

These are just a few things my eye caught as I was driving. Sorry, no cows along this route! But lots of hay. I love the round hay bales! Especially in the fall with the long shadows behind them, golden fields surrounding them and a dark, stormy sky with the sun just peaking through to kiss them with a golden warmth. I could go on and on about hay bales.

This hay bale was begging to get it's picture taken.
There is a peaceful loneliness that a snowy day conveys. The snow closes you off from the outside world and all can seem right in the world for a brief moment.

Long, hilly roads (they aren't really winding) connect neighbors that are otherwise separated by vast tracts of forest and field.

If you like the simplicity a red barn conveys, there are many to be had up here. In every state of repair and disrepair.

Never boring, the UP is abound with hills, creating a scenic horizon that, today, was just a hint in the snowy sky.

This little house is a favorite of mine. Of all the run-down shacks that you find up here, the symmetry of this one really speaks to me. So much care put into the building of it, but now it stands empty, only awaiting the ravages of time.

I would love to look in there and see how it was designed. I would love to copy the outside structure, but with my family I'd have to add an addition out back...but in a way to save the symmetry.

These enchanting roads that take my thoughts on flights of fancy can quickly become hazardous during our winter storms. With hardly a landmark to guide you in a dark, snowy storm it would be easy to lose the road and have to trek to the nearest (term used loosely) farm to get help--our cell service is quite spotty out here.

These little out-buildings always grab my attention. One property I passed today had at least 6 out-buildings of various sizes. I wonder what they are all for and if they are all still used. Mike often laughs at me because I rant about the run down shacks out here. Why don't the owners rip them up or burn them down. Our fire department could always use a good practice burn.

Yes, it's a fence post. I like fence posts. And barbed wire. As long as I'm not tripping over it!

This tree is a bit scary.

But I like it.

Here, if I go straight, I will not have enough gas to get the kids after school. So, I'm turning right and heading home. But another day I will take you farther down this road.

What's over that hill? I know what's over this particular hill. But this is the question that keeps me going some days--just wandering the back roads. Ooooh! Just remembered a back road I did that on and I'm definitely gonna take you down that one! Either before the snow gets too deep or next spring. I should've gone while the leaves were still changing. It is a glorious drive!

SEE! It pays to go over that next hill. You never know what you're gonna find.

That's home, peaking through the trees.

The sun decided to make an appearance later in the afternoon. I like how all glowy this picture is. I like this spot in my yard too. Those trees are nice.

I hope you enjoyed our little driving-picture tour.

Ok, I gotta go paint! Have a blessed day. =)

Tea for Two?

Last night I had the pleasure of being invited to a friend's home to try out her new Tupperware tea pot and blooming tea. I so needed this time away from home-I was feeling ignored by Mike (talking to a soup pot would've been more rewarding) and I had absolutely no tolerance for the boys. It was a last minute affair with no purpose but to share some tea among friends. There were actually about 10 of us there. We had blueberry scones, some killer chocolate brownies, and the tea. Oh, the tea! Now I don't know exactly what it is called, but it is from Tupperware and it has lily and jasmine in it. It was the smoothest tea I've ever had and I'm quite the tea drinker. It didn't have a bitter aftertaste or the dryness often associated with teas. If you'd like to try it, the host, Cheryl, sells Tupperware and you can get in touch with her through her beautiful blog, Out on a Whim . We were only there about 2 hours--perfect for a quick visit without overstaying our welcome or getting on each other's nerves. We had a great time of fellowship and I think I can speak for all there that we look forward to another evening like it. What a great way to share the cold, dark and long evenings of the coming winter. Thank you, Cheryl!

2008 Blog Advent Tour

2008 Blog Advent Tour
*******************STICKY POST**************************
In what feels a bit like is coming a Christmas tradition given that this is the third year running that we are doing this, Kailana from The Written World and I thought it would be fun if we had ran the virtual advent calendar again this year. After all, why should the kids get all the fun of opening a box on the advent calendar and finding a little treat in there?Each day anyone who wants to participate could take turns sharing a little treat with our friends here in blogland. For example it could be something about a holiday tradition, or a recipe, or a picture of a hot guy dressed as Santa, or a favourite Christmas memory, movie, book, song...anything you like. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas we would like to hear about what your family does during the holiday season, whether it be celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or anything!We will create a list of links so that as people express interest we will add them to the list, and then we will post a link directing visitors to the appropriate blog. To give people a chance to get organised, we will start on Monday 1 December. If there are more people than there are days that's fine too.....the more the merrier! It just means that there will be more than one blog to visit on those days.In addition to getting to see lots of fun things and maybe finding new blogs there is also a chance to win either a gift card up to the equivalent of $20US, or the book of your choice, if your internet retailer of choice doesn't do gift cards. We will draw the name of the winner out of the list of people who have signed up prior to the blog tour starting, so get in and sign up for your day soon!

1 December - Alabama Bookworm/Joanne from Lost in a Good Book
2 December - Louise from Lou's Pages/Penelope from Life's Sweet Passions
3 December - Booklogged from A Reader's Journal
4 December - Ladytink from Ladytink's Neverland
5 December - Vickie from Scrapbooking and Tidbits
6 December - Andrew from The View from Arizona
7 December - Becky from Becky's Book Reviews
8 December - Amy from Passages to the Past/Alyssa from By the Book
9 December - Raidergirl3 from An Adventure in Reading
10 December - Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise
11 December - Chris from Book-a-rama
12 December - Bigsis from Through the Eyes of the Creator
13 December - Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot
14 December - Emily from Dreaming on the Job
15 December - Natasha from Maw Books
16 December - Strumpet from Strumpet's Life / Chris from Stuff as Dreams are Made on
17 December - 3M from 1 More Chapter
18 December - Alex from Daemonwolf Books
19 December - Laclau from Conversacions de Cafe
20 December - Jessica from The Bluestockings Society/Naida from The Bookworm
21 December - Rhinoa from Rhinoa's Ramblings/Melissa from Remember to Breathe
22 December - Think Pink Dana/My Friend Amy
23 December - Jane from Janezlifeandtimes/Memory from Stella Matutina
24 December - Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings / Kailana's Written World


Signing up is easy! Just leave a comment either on this post, or the similar one at Kailana's blog! If you want to post on a specific date then please mention that date in your comment as well, otherwise we will allocate a date for you.
If you want to see what other people have done during the last couple of years, then this link will lead you to all the posts over the last couple of years.A very special thanks to Alex from Le Canape for the lovely button! When I asked her to create a button for this year's tour, I didn't really give her much to go on other than the ones from the previous two years. She came back with this one, and the reason she gave for the design was "to do something like a small part of an envelope and a stamp, since this must be the time of the year when people send more letters to each others." Perfect! Thanks Alex!

Veteran's Day

Today Mike, Riley and I went to the boys' school for their Veteran's Day program. This is the first time I've been able to make it so it was a treat for me that I did not want to miss.

First the Mr. Stockero, the principal welcomed all the veterans and visitors and then turned the program over to the students, who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and the band played "The Star Spangled Banner" beautifully.

Each of the veterans there were presented and then the grade school children sang their songs. It was very cute and moving. They did an excellent job. We watched especially to be sure our boys were participating and were proud to note that they did with enthusiasm. After each class group sang, the entire grade school sang "If you love your country, thank a Vet". I was very near tears by the time the song was done. A slide presentation of the Vets' pictures from their time of service was played while the children sang.

Afterward, the State Chaplain for our Am. Leg. Post closed the presentation with a very moving speech that encouraged our young people to take pride in living a life of decency and honor. The program was closed with the playing of "Taps" by 2 students from the school.

I am so thankful that I took the time out today to attend that program and that my children are learning to respect those that have served our country not only at home but also at school.

"Thank You!" to all that served and are still serving our country that we might have freedom!

Giving Up Control

The problem with being a leader for so long in something is that when you finally relinquish that control it is so hard to deal with how the next leader does things.

I am having that issue in regards to our Parent meetings for Head Start. This year was the first time in 7 years that I did not volunteer to be an officer. I have been the Chairperson for 4 of those years, the secretary for 2 and the treasurer once. I've also been the Council Rep once.

I decided that this year I'd let the newer parents have a shot at leading. The problem lies in the fact that some of them don't know what they are doing but don't want suggestions either. So, I just sat back and let the meeting flounder. We didn't accomplish much besides setting dates for our next 2 meetings.

Well, it's my last year to be involved in this aspect of BHK so I guess I won't complain too much. Maybe I'll hint around during classroom hours and give our newbies some tips. Or maybe I'll just shut my mouth and accept that I'm no longer in control. =)

100+ Reading Challenge 2009

The 2009 - 100+ Reading Challenge

I've decided to sign up for a few of these reading challenges hosted by my fellow bloggers. First of all, it won't take any more of my time than I already use for reading and since I read so much I might as well challenge myself! Check out the other challenges I'm doing on my sidebar.

Here are the guidelines:
1) You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading your books prior to 2009.

2) This challenge is for 2009 only. The last day to have all your books read is December 31, 2009.

3) You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

4) If you don’t have a blog, please join our Yahoo Groups.

5) When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your 100+ books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.

6) All books count: children’s, YA, adults, fiction, non-fiction, how-tos, etc.

7) Feel free to post in the comment section or on Yahoo Groups your monthly progress as well as your favorite books that month.

I'll list my books here:
1. Beside a Burning Sea - John Shors
2. A Father's Law - Richard Wright
3. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
4. The Shack - William P. Young
5. Vampire in Moscow - Richard Henrick

Snow is Inevitable

The snow has found us again this year. Hope as we might that the snow won't come, it always does. The kids were so excited. They kept telling me it was snowing. If it stopped for a moment one of them would ask if it was going to snow anymore. Then when it did start again, they'd get excited all over again. Who needs Christmas? Just dump some snow in my yard and that takes care of my boy's wants and wishes....for all of 1 week or so anyway. It won't be long and they'll be longing for the spring thaw as much as I do if not more so. I have to admit there is a certain hush and beauty to the snow that I do enjoy. I'd have taken more pictures but I was NOT wading through that wet stuff any more than I had to at this point. I'll tote the camera with me tomorrow when I do the bus runs and give you all some of our UP "eye candy".

How not to spend 1 1/2 hours....

Next time I want to waste a perfectly good evening, remind me that I do NOT need photos of my children from Walmart photographers! lol First of all, I bribed the boys to cooperate, "Smile and cooperate and you can each have your own 20 oz pop." See, I took their holiday photos last year and I was close to committing myself to the psych ward at MGH before I was half done. So I was really hoping they would do better with a stranger--with the encouragement of decent school photos for once. Well, nope. It didn't go any better. Try getting 4 boys to sit up straight, look where they are directed and smile without looking deranged at the same time. If you can do it, I will scrub your bathrooms for a month! You may say "oh, that's a cinch!" Now let me throw in a half-wit photographer (using the term loosely) that hasn't the slightest clue of a good composition for a photo. She had the boys sitting so scattered that Mikey and Samuel seem to be the background instead of the subjects! At least she had good taste! When she showed us the pictures, she choose our favorites for her portfolio.

I was actually surprised by the time we were done. After the disaster of the group photos I figured we'd go out of there with the basic $5 pkg and nothing more but we fell in love with their individual shots.

The one thing I can say is my boys are darlings. I can't wait to show them off. Be on the look out in 2 weeks.

Until then.....Blog On!

PS. Auntie Kim we look forward to our photo shoot with you!

The Bus Stop

What a gorgeous day it has turned out to be. Last night we had rain and lightning and this morning we had a bit of fog but it's dissapating and the temperature is rising. I'm not delusional though...I see that snow is in our forecast for the weekend. Bummer.

Once it gets colder the chats at the bus stop won't be as comfortable. The past two days, four of us mothers have let the kids run the loop around the vehicles as we stood out and waited for the bus. It's nostalgic of how things used to be. And how things still are in small farming communities.

Yesterday's topic of conversation was lice and presidents. LOL Today we talked about antsy kids and frustrating family members. Yesterday afternoon I chatted with one mom about our eldest sons. They are 2 peas in pod. Now I don't feel so alone with my difficult child. She has one too!

I'm almost thinking that after the weather cools off and the snow flies so that we can't stand out in the weather I'll just invite them over for coffee right after the kids get on the bus. It's funny, we all live so close together, we could actually car pool but I think we all look forward to seeing and talking to one another.

*shrugs* Well, that was the highlight of my morning. On the agenda for this afternoon? Parent-teacher conferences. I'm sure I'll have plenty to vent after that! =)

Have a good day everyone. Love ya all!

Two Topics Today

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

#1. The election. Well, Obama is in. I did NOT vote for Obama. BUT. I am a proud American that will support my elected president. I do not like the attitude I've seen, heard and read from the Republicans. The fact that they boo'ed Obama's name while McCain gave his speech last night was mortifying. While Obama spoke of McCain there was not a shout or interruption and that is as it should be. Weren't they both running a race that technically had the same goal? So, now, rather than fight amongst ourselves, we need to work together. I'm not saying that I agree with Obama's policies or even that I like the man himself (although I don't have an opinion on his character as of yet). I can disagree and still support my country.
I stayed up late watching the results come in on my laptop. Even after Obama had won at 11pm, I was still curious about those states that had not submitted their decisions yet. The problem is that the key states were won for Obama before the election even took place. McCain did not stand a chance. I'm proud of him for trying. And I hope that in 2012 we have a strong campaign, with a dynamic leader, that will win the election. But until then, we shall see what we shall see. The other thing I was disappointed in was that MI voters passed the proposals for stem cell research on embryos and medically used marijuana. There were many tears shed on my pillow last night.

#2. Have any of you been following the posts for the Compassion, International trip to the Dominican Republic? Please do if you have the time! Very moving, heartbreaking, inspiring and thought-provoking stuff there.

Alright. I think that will do for now. I'm still tired after my vigil last night and I am on the more emotional side today. Love to all!

Election coverage

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 ELECTION DAY

I am a proud voter as of 4:20pm today. I took Eli and Samuel with me to the polls. Mikey choose to stay at home. The pros to living in a small community like I do is that there are no lines 1/2 mile long and 500 people deep. There was only one gentleman in there when I got there and there were four more as I left. I had the chance to explain what I was doing as I voted and the boys asked several questions as I filled the ballot in. I explained what a political party was, why I could vote for more than one nominee for certain positions and what the initiatives were. We talked about write-ins and why some positions only had one nominee. I hope they will remember this day come next election and then that they recall it when it comes time for them to vote their first time. Now as I've been sifting through the articles about the voting on the internet and we are less than 3 hours from receiving the first results from the east coast I just want to crawl into bed, bury my head and cry. I get very emotional over these things! I know that I am basically useless for the rest of the night. I'm sure I'll be up until midnight to see Alaska's results come in. I just can't wait til tomorrow to know the direction our nation will be headed.
Well, Happy Election Day everyone! I hope you all did your duty as a citizen of this fine country and voted. If not, please make sure to register and become informed before the next election in 2012.

Election '09

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY. I was going to do my usual and hit the polls early but this year I've decided that the boys should go with me to cast my vote. First of all, they are very informed and interested in what's happening. Not just the election...Mikey has been following all the gas/oil news for over a year and usually knows before I do what the price/barrel is. I don't remember being that informed as a child. I remember the race between Bush Sr. and Dukakis (?). But I didn't really pay much attention until the day of the election and watching the votes come in on national TV. The boys have been voting in their classes and today it was McCain-100/Obama-86, with 300 more students to cast votes tomorrow. Also, whoever wins the presidency tomorrow will be making decisions that will directly affect the lives of my boys. Why shouldn't they have a part in this momentous day? I have some friends and aquaintances that don't vote for whatever reason but when I went to vote for the first time at the age of 24 I became a voter for life. You may think we don't have a say in who becomes president. But don't we have a say in our local, regional and state governments? And when we become informed about the individuals running we are empowering ourselves. One of America's leading problems is that we as a people have become complacent--accepting any and everything that happens. Change is NOT always a good thing. Please stand up for your beliefs tomorrow......

Get out there and vote!

This OId House

Today I am determined to get somewhere in the upkeep of this old house. When we bought it, I was strictly against living in a trailer. Mike didn't mind because he had once lived in a very tiny one in the outskirts of Menominee. The only positive thing about this one was that it has a very large addition on the backside. So plenty of room for growing boys. The price was right and it came with a nice chunk of land. We bought it. Nine months later, our exceptional addition was exceptionally wet! The previous owner had no idea how to build an addition obviously. So after much work and more work, 3 roofs and 8 years later, we still can't use the addition for anything more than storage. Last spring we still had leaking around the doors. Hopefully, that was fixed when they put up the flashing that the contractor FORGOT! So...now I'm on my way down there to clean up. It's not pretty and it's cold but I'm determined to have it decent before snow flies. I figure I have a couple hours! =) LOL

Wish me luck and send in spelunkers if you don't hear from me in 24!

THAT picture.....

My previous blog has a picture of Mikey on the shoulders of our friend Tim, who is on the shoulders of our friend Erik. Bryan is gallantly spotting them for any mishaps. Well, they actually had a mishap! I'm not sure if it started on the bottom, middle or top...but someone lost balance and in their quest for the perfect balance, Tim and Mikey fell from Erik's shoulders. Now, Erik is not a small man by any means. He is big and he is TALL. And Tim's got some height on him as well. To put it into perspective, Bryan is 6'4". Mikey is WAY up there. I just watched horrified as they headed for the ground...it seemed to happen in slow motion. And as Tim hit the dirt and Mikey's face was just inches from the ground, Bryan dove under him (this is what they tell me as I had covered my face by that point) and saved him from kissing the dirt. Everyone told me I could look, that he was okay. So as I looked for myself and saw that my baby was indeed in one piece without any disfigurements to his lovely visage, I broke into great sobs of pent up horrification! It took me a few minutes to regain my composure. Erik, Bryan and Tim felt horrible that it scared me so badly but I did not blame them for it at all. I allowed Mikey to get up there...I was party to the fun! So, although Mikey was fine, Tim did suffer a wrenched back from rolling off Erik's shoulders with a 100 lb brick on his shoulders as he hit the ground. All for the sake of my baby's safety. Awwww. So he bought a stick. That's another story for another time!

Michael, Michael, Motorcycle!

This is my 'big' baby, Michael (up on top). He's my rough and tumble, 100% boy, boy. But don't let him fool you. He is VERY sensitive. VERY. He likes to dish the teasing but don't you get too close to his tender areas. He's quick to help a need (as long as it's not mine or his brothers'), has a mind full of 11yo thoughts and dreams, and a mouth that can't keep up with it all.

Michael is a reader. When I homeschooled, that was like my key subject. You learn to read, you can do ANYTHING! Well, he reads. In the car, in the school bus, at bedtime-under his blankets with a book light til all hours, at Gr'mas and at church (if he can get away with it). And he isn't content with elementary library books. He's into the 'more mature' reading now. Like the Alex Rider series, Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr from the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. He eyes my books and I have to hide them. I taught him the joys of Reader's Digest just recently while he waited to see the chiropractor. His all-time favorite books that he has with him all the time and almost everywhere he goes are The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden from which he gets his ideas for forts and learned how to make a smelting net, and Biggest Ever Book of Questions and Answers by Parragon Publishing. Now if I could just get him that excited about his Bible, he'd have all the tools a growing boy needs.

Michael also plays clarinet. Now, he's been teased at school by the sax and trumpet players that clarinets are for girls. But we went on the internet and showed him how the clarinet is a key jazz instrument and lots of well-known jazz musicians (MEN) play the clarinet. He takes pride in his musical abilities though that doesn't necessarily mean he likes to practice. This year his school had to do some downsizing because of finances so the Superintendant ended up taking up the band classes. At the beginning of October he called and asked if we'd mind Mikey playing with the high schoolers this year. His school has 3 lvls for band--4th graders, 5th and 6th, and High School (7th-12th). He said Michael was bored and needed a challenge. So that's what Michael is doing. And he really enjoys the challenge. He went from 2 practices a week to 4 and lots of new music that entails more skill and talent. I'm really excited to hear him play at the Christmas concert.

Michael's hero right now happens to be a tree climber, much to our chagrine. So that's where you'll find him if there's a good climbing tree around--up amongst the squirrels. As you can see, he's not afraid of heights, though we would prefer that he was!