Do the Next Thing.

Much Ado about Sewing

2012-02-20T03:39:00.000-08:00

It's Crunch week at SMASH. So, I'm just driving and sewing. I drive there and sew, then I drive home and sew. The BIG projects need to be done by Wednesday, if not, Thursday at the very latest. Next week, when Cast B must be fitted into the same costumes that Cast A wore, we'll have more sewing. Here are some of the ladies who helped out on Saturday.

What I've Learned Because I Homeschool

2012-02-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

Jennifer has taught me not to be afraid of messing it up. Just start cutting and sewing...it'll all work out. If not, start again! She does amazing things with tablecloths, drapes and pillow shams. A regular Fräulein Maria who couldn't bear to see the drapes in her room thrown away when they could be used to make play clothes!

Come to think of it, I remember when I used to go to the thrift store, buy a pair of men's dress pants, cut them apart, and make little suits for my boys. It made so much sense. I had to work at it, since I was also making my own patterns, and sometimes the design wasn't perfect, but it still worked and nobody knew! These photos were taken in the spring of 1991.

Now, with Anna in a homeschool play, our budget it small and we are doing what we can with what we have. So, out with the men's extra large silk shirt...probably from the 1990s, and in with Borachio's blouse! I put the xl shirt on the table, put a large women's shirt on top of it, drew lines around it, pinned, and cut!

The stuff I cut off of the side seams became the cuff ruffle,

and the tail of the back of the shirt became the collar ruffle.

Voila!

It looks great with yesterday's red vest! You MUST come and see!

New Construction, Sort Of

2012-02-14T04:43:00.000-08:00

While Micah was doing this in the kitchen, I was sewing costumes for SMASH upstairs.

A red and black vest with red tie-on sleeves converted from a red jacket, (Anna's cohort will wear this.)

A red vest converted from a women's XL to a men's medium, (watch for this on Anna!)

Also tied up some lose ends on four pair of sailor pants, and four pair of soldier pants. One more of each to make once the fabric is acquired.

Today? Convert one Men's XL black silk shirt to a men's medium Elizabethan era blouse. Also convert one men's classic white dress shirt size 16 1/2 to a men's medium blouse.

Kitchen Ceiling

2012-02-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

So, it's snowing outside, and I was sewing inside, while Fran and Micah were hanging drywall on the ceiling. Micah said it was one of the easiest ceiling drywall jobs he's done because of the way he prepped it. Cool!

Here's the first piece up.

They marked each recessed light with blue chalk, put the measured and cut piece of drywall up to it, then took it down and cut out the hole on the blue chalk line.

All done. Next step taping.

Oh, and cleaning....

So, while they continue with this, (and I'm reminded that I failed to acquire a light for over the island counter,) I'm headed out to drive in the snow for the afternoon to sew costumes at SMASH, bring a friend to work, and bring Anna home.

Dishes

2012-02-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today while checking my blog list for updates, I happened upon this post. I scrolled down to see a pretty table all set for tea. I scrolled down more and was stunned to see some very familiar dishes. My dishes! Ok, our first dishes from when we first got married. I think they are called Arcopal, Apple Blossom, and we bought them in a box at Woolworths at the King of Prussia mall a week or two after we got married in 1985. Over the years I've tried to find more pieces, but decided they were a fly-by-night pattern. I did happen upon a few dinner plates at a yard sale several years ago and snatched them up. They were resilient like Corelle, but I packed them away to use Pfaltzgraff for a while. That I found to be too heavy, to bulky, and just a pain to avoid breaking as the boys began to arrive. So, I switched to Corelle in 1996 and haven't really looked back. This post, however, makes me want to take them out and use them. I guess I'll have to wait until the construction is done.

Speaking of construction, the recessed lighting hardware arrived today and Micah is setting it in.

Is it Tuesday already?

2012-02-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's not often in my life over the last year or so,

that I've felt that I am just keeping a bunch of plates spinning in the air...barely.

There are so many things that aren't being done around here while I take care of business for others.

I remember that every time I go into the back hall and see the dirt and dust bunnies swirling along the edges.

My priority in housework these days is trying to keep the house smell good and not bad.

So, keeping food on the table, the trash taken out, the kitchen cleaned, and the laundry done.

The other rooms? Filled with dust bunnies. Oh, and piles.

Every so often I'll skitter around and grab some things and return them to where they belong.

Yesterday I finally put all the cleaners I still want under the new kitchen sink.

The rest went out with today's trash.

The time takers are the Sagadahoc County Republican Caucus, driving to and from play rehearsals, sewing play costumes, meeting up with a friend at her "practice doing my job as a Pampered Chef consultant" show where I bought tools for my trade, wedding shower, (cooking for and shopping for said shower,) and helping Adam with his new volunteer job as Communications Director at our church. That includes web host, which means he's having to learn HTML "real quick".

No news on the kitchen improvements. Micah has decided that the job will be much easier, (and maybe that dining room will be able to clear up a little?) if he builds a work bench in the basement. So, he's down there pounding and sawing away. That's happy.

Everyone needs a little Drama in their life!

2012-02-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

So, my daughter is involved in a bit of drama. Rest assured, it is the good kind! Anna is playing, for the second year in a row, with SMASH which stands for Southern Maine Association of Shakespearean Homeschoolers. This troupe started meeting in August to be cast into roles, then spent September and October being taught the story as they read through this year's script, Much Ado About Nothing. Then they dispersed to learn their lines through November and December. When January began, so did rehearsals. A day or two a week to start, and then this month the 4 day a week schedule began.

For the first time, they have the privilege of acting on the stage of the Theater at Monmouth. What an amazing place that is. Cumston Hall is an historic building plopped in the middle of Monmouth, Maine. I've seen several productions there and it is beautiful!

Anna at rehearsal having a tough time staying in character. "In Character" means a brooding revengeful man. :P

Doing better staying in character:

Dates

Thursday, February 23rd - 6PM (Cast A)

Friday, February 24th - 6PM (Cast A)

Saturday February 25th - 2PM (Cast A)

Thursday, March 1st - 6PM (Cast B)

Friday, March 2nd - 6PM (Cast B)

Saturday, March 3rd - 2PM (Cast B)

Cost -

Adults - $10

Students and Seniors - $7.50

Children 5 and under - FREE

**Family** rates:

4-8 people - $30

9 or more people - $35.

Call and make reservations today! Tickets sell out fast! (207) 370-1393 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (207) 370-1393 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Thrifting Again!

2012-02-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! While reading my cousin Wendy's most current blog post I discovered that she too found some kitchen red to share with me on her recent thrifting excursion! Click the link above to take a look!

Thrifting

2012-02-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Is there anything better than finding a treasure that you weren't looking for, but when you saw it you knew you had to have it? You had no idea what you would use it for, but you knew you had to bring it home and that someday the right use would be obvious, eventually.

Actually, there is one thing better than that; it's when a friend is out thrifting and sees something just perfect for you and brings it to you knowing for sure you need it...and she's right! Neither of you know exactly what it's for or where it will go, but you both know it is perfect!

Thanks, Jennifer!

What's Changed Lately

2012-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

Don't these cookies look scrumptious? They are; I just tested another one to confirm. Chewy Molasses Cookies ala Anna from her King Arthur cookbook.

So, anyway, back to the other things that are going on in the kitchen.

This is where we do our baking.

This is where Micah added vertical storage. He bought two racks for about $7 each. I waited 13 years to do this? I guess the bigger issue was getting the horizontal shelf out. He had to use a saw. I wouldn't have gotten around to that task any time soon myself. ;)

This is where it used to be as I mentioned weeks ago when Micah first built vertical storage into this oak cabinet. Now, however, it is our recycling center. The other door will have an identical container for returnables, (those cans and bottles that have "ME 5cent deposit" on them.)

Micah added the little cabinet to the right yesterday. Next comes the vertical cabinet underneath it so that my mop and broom are stashed.

Micah built this a couple days ago. He built it so that the glass would fit exactly on top of it. He will be raising the outlet up higher. Now the next time we have a gathering and put out crock pots of food, it will be easier. I'm going to hang a curtain in front of everything rather than put doors on it, just for fun!

We remembered that we were storing our griddle in a high shelf in the bathroom, so we thought maybe one more shelf in the cabinet would fit and make good use of the space. So, the next day, he built it in!

Also the other day, I found this perfect chair at the ReStore. I will stay here, while the blue one will go up to our bedroom. We made room in our bedroom by removing a TV from there. Now I need to make a nice cover for the foot stool. I'm picturing it with a pleated ruffle starting halfway down or something.

About That Chair

2012-01-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

So in my previous post I mentioned that I bought upholstery tacks to repair a chair. The chair I got from my Mom. I think she got it from Great Grammie. I can see by looking at it that it has had an interesting adventure. Those snowflakes are stick-on and glow in the dark. Not sure when they got there.

The seat had 15 tacks holding this make-shift seat on. I have three left, and stopped using the chair months ago. It also has joints that need attention. At some point it was caned. I think I'll just restore the most recent fix rather than going back to caning it!

As soon as I get this fixed, I can use it at my sewing machine again, then my dining room chair can go back down to its table.

Chatter on a Snowy Tuesday

2012-01-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

So, I went and looked at those lamps again. I'm just not feeling it...I don't know. I guess I have to decide on something. There is this other lamp there that looks nicer. I can't figure out why I didn't get it. Hmm. Is it because I don't think it is the "right" style, color, shape, scale, era for the room and the house? Hmm. Maybe I should just get it because I like it. I don't LOVE it though....

So this is what Anna was doing while Fran and Micah were running wiring in the kitchen. This is the office, or Den. She was making the icing for the cake she made before they took over the kitchen. I ate the last piece of chocolate cake, with peanut butter filling, and white icing about an hour ago. :)

I think when the kitchen is done, I'm filling the west window with plants. Lots, that need strong western sunshine. Tall and short. The view out that window is a large white sided building. When it's a really bright day, walking into our kitchen requires sunglasses because of the glare. Yes, now that I've managed to remember to water my plants three Mondays in a row, I think it's possible that I can actually maintain houseplants that aren't exclusively desert dwellers.

Today while shopping I bought some curtain clips and some upholstery tacks. You see, I've been reading this blog and she says she can't live without them. Oh, and also glue guns, but I already have those and she didn't have to tell ME that glue guns are amazing. Actually, though, I did learn that my usage of glue guns was very limited; they are WAY more versatile than I ever thought they were. Seriously, I bought the upholstery tacks to repair a chair that was once repaired with them before, but they all fell out and I need to replace them. The curtain clips, though, that idea is solely from The Nester.

It's Saturday!

2012-01-28T04:49:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday and it isn't a drill weekend, so all my guys are around. Fran and Micah will be doing wiring in the kitchen. We shopped all around and finally settled on ordering recessed lighting online. So, they can't put the lights in today, nor can they put in the ceiling since the hardware goes in before the drywall. The wiring should take a while, though. The light switch for the kitchen lights will be moved into the kitchen as well. As for the light for over my island counter, I'm thinking about a make-over plan. The lights I like, naturally, are pretty pricey. So, I'm working on an idea.

I have this light in my dining room. (Yes, construction dust included.)

It's in the middle of the room, not over our table. Never has been over our table. That's a problem for another day. The whole dining room is a project for another time! Anyway, I saw a bunch of pendant lights down at the ReStore that have the exact same glass, but bigger, and just a single glass shade. Maybe I could bring one of those home, and then paint the brass the burnished brass color of the knobs and hinges we've ordered here for our cabinets.

These are our knobs and hinges:

Oh, please ignore the square thingy under the knob. It is not part of the knob, just an extra that we are not using that was included in the online catalog for illustrative purposes only. Oh, and the sample hinges and knob that we bought at the store down the road looks just a little darker in person. It's the same item number, so I hope they are the same!

Anyway, the further fun I would like to try is to paint the glass shade. I was thinking red! I picture sort of a stained glass effect, but all red. If I like it, I will do the same thing to this dining room lamp some day...when I get to the dining room.

What's Cookin' in Our Kitchen...

2012-01-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

A photo report of yesterday's happenings!

Ok, first there were these crepes by Anna for breakfast:

But then everything changed!! This is part of the ceiling where you can see that someone tried to clean up after a few conflagrations over the years. The photo doesn't so clearly show the result of "that ketchup incident". The clean-up efforts ceased when it became clear that the effort was just making it more obvious and worse.

This corner shows an investigation from a couple years ago when we took down a piece of ceiling tile to see what was underneath it.

This shows where Micah learned more about what was under the ceiling tile.

This began after crepes...

Here is the Southeast corner mentioned in yesterday's post. See the dip in the tile just behind the ceiling light? After this, Anna and I left the house to Micah's devises.

While we were gone Micah found this, a second ceiling. Alas, the dust...it's plaster...

Oh, and look at this; see the hole. Where the old wood cook stove must have been ages ago. Our electric range and Microwave are where it used to be.

Now we have this...

The new ceiling, drywall, will be a good two inches higher than the old one. The kitchen feels so much bigger this way.

Now these are the things that try men's souls....hideous scary wiring junctions...Fran and Micah will be running new wiring tomorrow.

Then there are the lovely places where they cut out chunks of floor joists to put a heat register in bedroom floor above. Micah floored over that a few years ago when he redid that bedroom.

Plastic removed and to bed for the night.

This shows the cabinet freezer switch. Micah still needs to build in around the freezer. I thought for sure I said a few times that I wanted the freezer to be enclosed by a cabinet door...he doesn't remember that. I want it still...I think. Am I unreasonable?

I can't wait to paint!! The yellow and the blue paint, and the oak cabinet need to come into cooperation with the rest of the tan and white. In the mean time, off to look for that pendant lamp which is waiting with my name on it somewhere......

On the Road Again

2012-01-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

So, today was a day on the road. Out to ReStore to look for kitchen lighting. Notta. So, off to Lowes to look. Notta. By "notta", I mean just the right pendant light to go over my island counter was not there. It did not call out to me. I'm sure it's hiding somewhere. I will find it.

Next it was time for Anna and I to hit the road for SMASH. Micah picked up a few things and then returned back to the kitchen to, um, remove the ceiling! He figured since we'd be gone most of the day, it was as good a day as any. After we returned from theater practice, Micah told us that as soon as he tugged on the southeast corner (I'm calling it "southeast", he just pointed and said "that" corner) most of the rest of the ceiling just came down! Yup, he figures it could have come down at any time without warning. Yikes.

Annnnndddd...of course, there is a lovely wiring junction exposed now that makes us again say, as we've said in other rooms of the house where we've replaced walls and ceilings, "It's a wonder the house didn't burn down!" So, anyway, the heat was down, windows open to let out the dust. Some of the dust. Just a little bit of the dust. The rest of the dust coats most of the downstairs...even though he shrouded the room and doorways with plastic.

Today I got to sew some seams on a wedding dress. Yup, that's right! Ok, it was just for one of the characters in the play....

Photos of kitchen to come in the morning.

Later the Same Day...

2012-01-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

This is what's going on in our kitchen today:

The oak cabinet and the freezer were reversed just ten hours ago! The freezer is deeper, and did not allow for a cabinet door to conceal it, and I just thought it made more sense to move it next to the other freezer/fridge where there is room to build a cabinet around it. To it's left concealed behind a cabinet door there will be a little bit of space for our recycling. Not quite as much as where it was, but we'll figure something out.

Micah is still at it, and the full task will not be done today. He's finishing the counter top over the oak cabinet first. Oh, of course, when we start painting, that oak will become white to match the rest of the cabinets.

A Day in the Life

2012-01-25T05:06:00.000-08:00

Micah is still plugging away. Of course, the work we all do on the house all hinges on something else. You have to do this, but first you have to do this to get it out of the way for this. Oh, but first you have to do that other thing to make room for that last thing. That's hard because that other thing needs someone else to do another thing before anything else can be done. So, the whole place is in various states of repair and construction, while the wallet depletes!

In the mean time, I do know that we're doing up all the permanent parts of the kitchen in neutral tones, and all my accents are going to be red! Now, Anna rolls her eyes and suggests that I can't just use red. Navy blue would be good too, she offers. She also suggested that for the living room. Well, I'm forging ahead with red. I like red. Right now I'm spray painting various jar lids red, and removing labels from the glass jars with Goo Gone. I plan to store kitchen items in them. I have no idea what yet, but I'm spray painting!

Kitchen Adventures

2012-01-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

So, I'm assuming you survived what you saw in my last post. Now I've got more. Again, we're doing a quick spruce-up in anticipation of a full, all-out redo some day. Micah's preference would be to call the local Mom & Pop to design our whole kitchen, then he'd just throw it together like a kit! However, we aren't in a position to do that, so we're just making do. If anyone can do "make-do" work look slick, it's Micah!

This is what was going on while I wasn't cooking supper...I was sewing a costume for SMASH instead.

There isn't any way I could be cooking in here! We bought lunch meat, flipped up the hanging leaf on the island counter, and made sandwiches!

So, yes, there are dirty dishes in that dish pan. Had I anticipated this, even stopped to think at all, I would have banned dishes, and pulled out piles of paper everything!

This is what I found this morning. So, it's somewhat workable; Adam actually made waffles for us this morning! I could get to the coffee pot, so I was all set! I can't wait to order the new hinges and knobs. See that one lonely Antique Brass knob on the far left cabinet door. I'm buying more of those.

I like my red plant pots. They were once red clay that were painted Awana colors, (red, blue, green, yellow,) for a project a couple years ago. Now, they are gloriously, (I read that word in a fb post this morning, then reused it, then reused it again here...I'll try to retire it...I will,) resurrected for my kitchen window plants. I must add that these plants are very kind to me; they just don't die!

Anyway, I think Micah is getting close to handing me a paint brush so I can do my part by painting the cabinets. I'll also need quite a bit of sandpaper before I even get to the painting stage!

"While We're at it..."

2012-01-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

So, I warn you not to look at the photos below if you have a weak stomach. Seriously, it's pretty brutal. We don't know when the design of set in metal sinks changed, but this one is obviously an older model. We figure we've found our leak.

It started with putting a new surface on the counters. Then became, remove the backsplash fake brick. Then became, change out the outlets. Then became, move the garbage disposal switch up with the light switch rather than down in the cabinet. (I think I'm going to paint that switch red as a warning.) Then became, oh, I think we need a new sink 'cause this one is ancient. Then became, we need a valve for the water since you shouldn't have to shut off the water to the whole house to work on the sink.

Micah is out at the store now buying yet another item to help the process.

Now the pictures....

Closer

The "new" sink from the ReStore.

Yes, we'll be changing the flooring too....some day....

Kitchen Fixes

2012-01-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen should have a complete gutting and remodel, but in these times, who can afford such a luxury? So, we're just fixing things up a bit. By "we're" I mean I get ideas, Micah gets ideas, we throw them together and then he gets to work. Until the cash for supplies I gave him runs out, then he waits until I have more to give him and things pick up again. So, here is the latest in photos:

He decided to cover our temporary counter with floor tiles. Works for me. Coffee colored, so they look clean most of the time! However, the fronts kept falling off. Gravity.

So, he got some contact cement and stuck them up again and now they stay.

Since that worked so well, he started on this one. The old red laminate had buckled and glue attempts made, but nothing worked. He went to work.

This is how it looks now. I think we're gonna do the rest of the counters with this.

Good thing today I found this RED dishpan at Christmas Tree Shop, and this RED vase at Salvation Army! I still want RED in my kitchen...I just don't want the counters to be RED anymore!

Then Micah built this...

...to put here.

Like this.

Then he decided to try changing our hinges like these...

...to hinges like these. These are self closing which will be NICE. (See the old paint...)

Then I came home today FULLY intending to cook dinner but found this....

...and this...

...and this. The brick is gone! Nasty to clean, used to be red until I painted it, but even then it was hard to keep from getting grimy. Gone!

So, I won't be doing any scrapbooking after all. Micah is going to set up some tables in the now unoccupied attic so I can start sanding and painting the cabinet fronts. I'm ordering a whole set of those knew hinges and some cool knobs. Cheaper online, you know.

It's Cold Outside

2012-01-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

Yup. Just puttin' that out there. No photos, or anything, just a plain ol' statement. It was 1 degree headed to church this morning. On the way home it had warmed up to 10 degrees. I sat on the couch under an afghan all afternoon. On the way to church tonight it was down to 7 degrees.

Been reading this blog lately. Started at her beginning post and am reading forward. I like her attitude toward her home and family and the relation they have too each other. Homes should be lived in, and not museums. If you've ever touched anything in museum, or gotten anywhere near anything in an art gallery, you've experienced the humiliation of an alarm, or an alarming sounding docent, or both. I don't like the feeling, (insert memory of our family visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Southbridge, MA in June 1998 here. No, it wasn't toddler Anna, nor was it feisty 5 year old Adam, or his older brothers Micah or Erik. It was me. I didn't touch anything, honest, I just pointed...too closely.) So, anyway, who wants to raise their kids in that sort of atmosphere. Don't do it. I like "The Nester's" saying: "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." Go ahead, make it beautiful, but make sure it's not so breakable that your children have to treat it like a museum!

Baking

2012-01-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

I got this idea to bake yesterday. It was to be a snow day. I thought the least I could do was bake for the family. Besides, it was our wedding anniversary, so I should make a cake! We needed bread though, so that had to come first. Then I thought, snow shovelers should have some old fashioned home-made doughnuts!

The bread recipe I found on Cooks.com last year. I typed it up differently into my computer so I could follow it better. Here is their version, and a pdf of mine is here. Feel free to print it off for yourself. This week I substituted one cup of Whole Wheat flour for one of the unbleached white cups. In fact, at the end, I only added a 1/2 of my sixth cup of white and it turned out well.

Then I looked for a new and different yummy cake. I also was feeling nostalgic, so I chose from Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish. Hot Milk Cake with Broiled Coconut Icing. Well, I didn't broil the icing since it was on a cake plate and not left in the pan. Also, I doubled it because I envisioned a two tier cake to put on my "used only once so far" cake stand. Anyway, it might have been a nice cake if I'd set the timer for at least 10 minutes shorter than the listed baking time. It was a bit tough. It also looks a bit wonky, (a word I learned from all the crafter/photographer/artsy bloggers and it seems to fit here). We'll have to come up with something to rescue what's left after five of us had a slice last night...in celebration of our anniversary.

My final kitchen adventure yesterday was doughnuts. The latest edition of Betty Crocker, bought for home ec for the kids, does not have a doughnut recipe in it. So, I grabbed mine printed in 1987 and found the recipe I remembered. Why I thought I could do this recipe again after abandoning it years ago, is beyond me. It was a strange wet dough that I was supposed to turn out onto the floured board. I needed to use a metal utensil because it was so stiff and stuck to everything like glue. I guess adding extra flour to try to make it less wet wasn't the answer.

Oh, and they look a little silly because I don't have an official doughnut cutter. I did find a large flower cutter, and a tiny apple cutter. They worked.

Micah came in and taste tested. His solution was powdered sugar to give them more "flavor." So, we did. That didn't make them any lighter, though. Adam suggested we try those "melt in your mouth kind" next time. The yeast kind.

Uh, oh...

2012-01-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

This might be it. I might just be getting ready to turn the table in my den upside down with a project. There are many directions I could go in, but I'm drawn most I think to pick up where I left off in my 2008 family scrapbook. So, here goes. My decorations from my epiphany gathering are coming down, from that table anyway, and I will be blowing the dust off my scrapbooking supplies and getting started at getting finished.

This is the collection I am adding to:

These are some of the supplies I'll be dusting off...

The best way to start is to get organized. I need to set it all up before I even begin. The good part is that everything I use is right in this room. I use my computer and printer a lot for graphics. I believe I did a power sort and stacked them into the power layout boxes. At least for the first half of the year. So, here I go...I wonder how far I will get this time...

A little help in the kitchen

2012-01-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

We're doing work on our kitchen just a little bit at a time. The spot where that little ladder is needed something until we can Strip down the whole room and completely redo it.

So, Micah grabbed this cabinet and a counter for it at the ReStore. You can see the surface of it in my earlier posts; it's the place I put the desserts for the Epiphany Party. Anyway, today since it didn't have a shelf inside it at all, he built some vertical storage compartments. I've never had vertical storage ever, so this is cool!

Epiphany Neighborhood Gathering

2012-01-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last week I talked about planning a gathering. I planned a menu and a decor. On Thursday I began cooking, and then all day Friday I cooked some more and decorated a little as well. Fran did the inviting.

I re-purposed our Christmas tree which was in the backyard awaiting city Christmas tree pick-up day, by sending Micah out to cut off some of the limbs. The snow had been coming down all day, so he shook them off, and I placed them on the heat registers while I cooked so they would dry off.

Wassail. It was a hit.

Crusty Dutch Oven Bread, and Brown Bread. The lighter crusty bread was from the second recipe I linked in my earlier post, and the darker one from the first link. I will probably use the recipe from the darker one again, since it rose much higher, and used less yeast. The Brown bread was a favorite!

Three soups. Black Bean, Corn Chowder, and Chili. Thanks, Dawn for the borrowed Crock Pot; I wish they hadn't called you into work so that you could have been here!

Chocolate Cake with Butter Cream icing, Caramel Popcorn, and Lemon Jelly Roll. Yum. The Jelly Roll I might have to work on. It wasn't an amazing dessert...the cake was very nice, though.

The top tablecloth here is from my Gram's linen closet. Unfortunately it has large tears in two quadrants, so here it is folded to conceal those. I'm pondering making lined valance curtains for my kitchen with the good parts of the fabric. No one sat at this table since only seven people came. We all grabbed chairs and made a lively crowd around the dining room table.

It's Monday, Again

2012-01-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

Mondays are strange around her. Fran works 9-hour days, so every other week he gets a Monday off. That ensures that he works the equivalent of two 40-hour weeks. Add to that the days that there is a Monday holiday, so then he is home that Monday. Then, when you have two Monday holidays in a row, he's off those Mondays, plus one of them he's off Tuesday too, to make up for the Monday that he already would have had off. I can't tell you the last time he worked on a Monday. We've calculated that the next time he will work on a Monday will be January 30th. It makes a week very different at our house.

Calendar Cards...the rest of the story.

2012-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

While assembling my calendar cards, (See my previous post to see more about this project,) I remembered something. Back in 2005 a friend named Carolyn got married. Weeks after the wedding our thank you card arrived, and it was an envelope made from a calendar! It was constructed as a standard personal sized envelope, more rectangular than the one's I created. Interesting that I never thought of doing it myself, and then here I am. I think adding the notecards with the mini sample images are what pushed me over the top!

Here's the batch of them after I got done...or almost done! I will add, I made these into post-card styled cards rather than folded cards...for economy of card stock, (one sheet of paper yielded four cards,) and requirement for words. Sometimes just a quick sentence is all that is needed!

Close-ups of some

Then I took my felt tip marker to a few of them to add an extra touch. I like the dotted border best.

Here you can see the inside of the envelope.

Now the front of the outside with it's corresponding card.

The remaining detail is to add a mailing label to the front for addressing. I think it needs to be cute, and I've not figured that out yet....but I will.

Making Plans to Invite Guests

2012-01-03T14:51:00.001-08:00

I'm going to try this bread recipe for a special event we're hosting on Friday. (Note added 1/5/12: Try this recipe maybe since the previous one seems to be gone today.) I HAVE to try it, it sounds so homey and welcoming and well, just right for an evening with friends and neighbors and pots of soup! Thanks to Alicia for sharing it at her blog in her post about a nice quiet New Year weekend.

What is the evening we are planning? It all started with Christmas. Years ago, the Millers started inviting us to their Epiphany dessert parties on January 6th. What fun we had. They would spend days and days preparing so many gourmet desserts. We met their friends from all over the area and it was just a nice boost to the after the holidays blues. Finally, this year, we decided it was time to try something like that for ourselves. The Millers have moved away and we've missed that event, and them of course. :) In the mean time, we've been trying to come up with a way to meet the neighbors. So, we've invited our friends and neighbors from our town only. We know a lot of people in the surrounding region, but for this night this year it's just close-by folks.

The menu is refining itself, but begins with this first scribbling:
Chili
Corn Chowder
Black Bean soup
Corn Muffins
~~Yeast Rolls~~ Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
Brown Bread
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Icing
Caramel Popcorn
Ginger cookies.
Wassail
Coffee & Tea

Decor might be:
Spruce bows cut from our Christmas tree which is now out behind our house
Various sizes and shapes of candle holders from our son's rehearsal dinner back in October
Candles also leftover
Prints of favorite found images of the Twelve Days of Christmas placed here and there among the bows.

Cards from old Calendars

2012-01-02T19:16:00.001-08:00

So, why throw out last year's calendar when you can play with paper, scissors and glue like back in kindergarten? This blog post (read last night when I could not sleep,) inspired me to try repurposing one of mine from 2011.

Here's the calendar I started with. It's all about coffee!!

I took the staples out, took the cover and cut all those cute little images off of the back.

Then I made a template. I couldn't figure hers out, so I made my own. I sacrificed one of my own unused envelopes to trace and then modify it.

Then I cut this out of cardboard, traced it onto all 12 large calendar images. I cut the first one out, then grabbed white card stock to start making the cards thinking I might use some of the scraps. Didn't like the scraps from this one so I got paper out of my stash. Went random a bit and thought it was ok.

With the next one, I used scraps from the large cut out envelope.

After I did this one I felt like I was getting a little carried away. This was supposed to be a quick reuse of materials so I could send some notes out to friends and family after Christmas. This was fun, but, I do have some other things to do! So, I got out some quick squares from my stash and adhered them and called it a night. I'll make the rest of the cards and envelopes tomorrow, or later.

Don't ask me why this photos is sideways. For the life of me I can't figure it out. It's horizontal in my file.

Christmas Put-Away

2012-01-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

So, I spent the day putting Christmas away. Some years I manage to put out Christmas linens in the kitchen and stash my normal ones for the month. This year while putting my "normal" towels back, I decided that they were tired and so "yesterday." I don't want Green in my kitchen anymore, so I added some red to them and packed them away with Christmas. Red and Brown towels are taking their place in the everyday drawer. They've seen better days, but they'll be just fine for a month each year for the next few years.

This year also needed me to make a new stocking for our collection. My sister made Erik's way back 24 years ago. Here is the new one that will hang next to his from now on! What fun we had filling it this year!

I'm pretty happy with my new idea for labeling my storage. For about a decade I've kept a master list in my computer. A three-page Word doc listing each item in each bin. That's nice and all, but so hard to maintain. This time, I got all the bins in the same general area. Categorized things as best I could into each of the six bins, then grabbed a tablet of paper and scribbled the general items list on each. Then I ripped off each page, stuck it into the bin and then, took a picture. There. Next year when we want to get to things, will pull up the photos and tell the guys which bins to lug down from the attic at certain times! Yay! I hope it works!

(Obligatory) New Year's Post

2012-01-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

OK, I found it. When Anna started a blog here at Blogspot, I thought I'd do the same. I don't know how to manage my other one beyond posting, and my in-house blog tech is no longer in-house, so it's time for me to find something I can figure out on my own. Or, something ready-made, I should say. Figuring it all out on my own is still to be questioned.

I've big lists today. One of which is not, "Figure out how to transfer my archives from the blog started in 2006 to this one." I guess I'm going to have to put that off for another time. One item also not on the list is to, "Make the artwork and design of this new blog the way I want it." Nope, can't do that either. I can, however, start writing, so here I am. (Several Hours later: Well, I've done both. I've stylized this new blog just a bit, and I've transferred my archives from my old blog. Here is a link to my very first post in its new home: http://dothenextthings.blogspot.com/2006/04/joining-fray.html#more)

That said, off I go. That's all I have time for for now, because I have the big list I wrote. Yup, gotta get to it! Wait, let me see if I can load a photo. I want to put photos up a lot....I should start today if it isn't beyond me....Ok, there's the photo. Look at the red text that I added to the image in Picasa. This page has my granparents on it! There is another photo on I think page 35 of my Grampa. Leo Scribner working in the Schusse Cafe. Somewhere else they are mentioned as well.

Well, it's a start, but not great. Let's just try this for now:

These are the bagels Anna made from her brand new gift cookbook from Aunt Laurie!

Going Home.

2011-11-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

So Anna and I were riding along home. Not really home, but to a place that many of us call home. Some of us agree that as we make this trip, the realities of our day to day lives fall away to make room for the memories, and the potential, or almost certainty, of making new ones. Certainty? Well, maybe not. Hope? Yeah, that's it. I drive on with a foot pressing harder the pedal that barrels our vehicle along, as if doing so will get us there faster. Yet, faster won't work, because our thoughts need time to change. Time to transition into the slower pace of the land of our past. For those we visit, it is their home, their current life, their day to day place. For us, it is a page out of a history book and we are adding footnotes by our arriving, staying a bit, then leaving.

In our ears as we traveled, spoke the words of a book. The miracle of technology connecting the words of a book through the speakers. Christy. Catherine Marshall. Cutter Gap. As we meneuvered the last leg of the trip between Kingfield and Stratton, the reader's words narrated as if she were with us, telling us the story that was flying around in my mind. As she spoke of the mountains I saw our mountains. I was lost in the sight of the birches against the deep green of the evergreen, and the muted salmon color of the remaining low growing foliage. A recent snow smoothed things over giving the final touches to that landscape painting that was to our right and to our left. It was familiar. It was mine.

I was going home.

Monday

2011-11-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

Another day of sorting out reality.

Is it possible to be too transparent with those around you? Sometimes I think I say too much about how I feel and regret it. I don't know. Time will tell if it comes back to bite me.

Adam just got back home from another night shift at Bean's....the classic seasonal job for Mainer's who are in between jobs or looking for extra income. They all get laid off in January, with rare exceptions. Adam hopes to hear from more substantial job prospects in the days and weeks ahead.

Christmas is still coming and I don't want it to.

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T00:24:00.000-08:00

I feel the weight of the country on my shoulders. How am I "celebrating" Veteran's Day? What? Get up in the morning, clean the house, do some grocery shopping and forget about that fact that the four men in my life could get deployed at any time and there is nothing I can do about it. I can't wait until tomorrow when the focus is off of the down and dirty reality of my life.

Christmas in my Heart?

2011-11-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

I want to do Christmas differently. The thought keeps going through my mind, "There must be something more." That seems like a Hollywood quote. How many movies have you seen where one character or another voiced those words? Speaking of Hollywood, I fear I might be taken for a Scrooge or a Grinch, just by saying the words. Yet, you must remember that they both turned into nice guys in the end. You can also admit that you have thought the same thing a time or two, but have squashed it...like I always have. This year, however, I want to mean it....

Some tell me it's because our family has changed. Some tell me it's the economy. Others tell me I'm just a little tired and burned out from a crazy year. I just keep wondering if I'm too selfish to exert myself beyond me. Whatever it is, I think it has merit. Determining that something has value is the first step, but it seems the harder task might be sorting out how to pursue the idea. I searched the internet for articles or bloggers who have said the same thing, and found very few. I think it was three, but one of them was filled with vulgar language, so I didn't even read it; I'm not angry about the dilemma, just thoughtful about it!

Have you figured out how to do Christmas differently?

What's a Mother to do?

2011-08-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

My oldest child, a son, is getting married. The engagement took place just over a week ago and I've already found myself on the floor in tears. It seems tradition requires the grooms parents to be more disengaged and unconcerned about the wedding than the brides' parents. What's up with that? Help me figure out how to do that.

What I didn't say...

2011-03-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

What I didn't say at tonights local meeting held by the Democrat Senator of my state district. The meeting was supposed to inform the masses about the Republican Governor's state budget proposal, and the dangers it contains.

"I'm happy to tell all of you here today that my husband and I have taken it upon ourselves to carry the burden of educating our own children so that you don't have to spend your money, time and effort on them. We are almost done privately funding the KI-12 education of four of this state's future citizens. We shopped the market and determined that the best bang for our buck was for me to sacrifice potential income and stay home with them. We have payed for, or borrowed, or bartered for all of our curriculum, extra curricular activities, private lessons, tutors, field trips, etc. with my husband's paycheck, our own creativity, and God's grace. It wasn't always easy. Sometimes the strain on our early married years of meager income required resourcefulness. It built character in all of us.

I know what you are thinking. Never fear, we did indeed pay every dime of the property taxes due from us as property owners in Bath these past 12 years. Even the 55%, give or take, that went exclusively toward the education of everyone else's children.

Now, I've heard a lot tonight about things in the new Governor's budget proposal being "so unfair". I don't exactly believe that our household paying twice for education is exactly fair. We have not expected a refund, however, because we know life is not fair, and we realize that it never will be. Life is hard; it always has been, and it always will be.

We've gotten over it.

Saturday

2011-03-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up to snow falling today. It does cover all the dirty snow with a fresh coating. It also reminds me that winter is long in Maine.

Today Fran is traveling to Fort Jackson to deliver a care package to Adam, and to try to snap a few photos. I hope he has a successful trip. It's only an hour away from where he has been going to school for the last two months. Adam will be there until May 12th. Fran will be leaving his school in Georgia on Tuesday and will be home sometime that night.

Micah received an Army Achievement Medal in a ceremony in Iowa yesterday. Micah returns home tonight from his two week Advanced Training with his Maine Army National Guard unit.

Today Anna and I travel to Winthrop for her SMASH cast party. It's a long one, lasting from 3:00 to 8:30. Should be interesting. Lot's of teenagers, and lots of food...hmm....

It's a Monday

2011-03-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Friday and Saturday Anna and I attended the homeschool convention in our state. It's an annual event, and it's more of a reunion then anything else. Anna gets to swim in the hotel pool and hang out with friends inbetween attending workshops. I took a lot of photos of convention goers in between workshops. The speakers were inspiriational as they usually always are.

When we got home we returned to our first letter from Adam at basic training. He's doing fine but has run into some of the same frustrations that his brothers did. Why do some of the trainees think that "no talking" doesn't refer to them? The order to "give me 20" certainly does.

Tried to do taxes today. It's the same software program I've been using every year since 2006. Why does it seem so much more complicated this year? Didn't it used to auto-fill some demographic and other information from old returns? Whatever, I had to stop and save my work; I'll tackle it another day. I'm pretty sure we're paying, so I'm not in a hurry.

There is this lingering comment waiting for my approval to a post I put up a week ago. I don't know the person, and I'm not used to getting comments from strangers. I'm aware of only a few people who ever even read this. Usually if they are strangers, they introduce themselves, and say what made them read and comment.

Sipping coffee because I'm tired.

Random

2011-03-10T05:51:00.000-08:00

Today I cleaned out Fran's car. The thermometer said it was warm, (40F), but the wind chill revealed otherwise. When that task was done, I looked up today's gas war prices in town on mainegasprices.com and then drove over to Puffin Stop to fill up. I know, on FB this is gas strike day, but, whatever. Anyway, I don't know if the gas cap is broken, or someone siphoned and was alarmed and interrupted, but whichever the case, the gas cap fell off into my hand. It doesn't seem to screw back on tightly.

Mountain Dew cupcakes? Anna's latest food adventure. This was a test run for the batch she's been asked to bake for the SMASH cast party on the 19th.

HOME Convention tomorrow. Ok, it's starting with its first workshop right now, but really? It's hard enough to rationalize the money for one hotel stay up in Rockland, much less two. We'll leave here bright and early tomorrow to attend what always used to be a two-day event. Of course one of the workshops I most would have liked to attend is happening now, but I'll get the cd, (has anyone ever listened to the free cd you get with your paid registration? I haven't.)

Still no letter from Adam. He said he wrote one. I believe him. When the rest of the guys went to BCT they sat them down and made them write a letter home saying they arrived safe and were doing fine. I expect no less this fourth time around. Soon enough it will arrive.

Five Hour Energy commercials. Silly commercials. They try to sell their product as if the only reason people ever drink coffee is for the energy. As if! I like coffee. I like the taste of it sweetened and creamed. The reliance on it for the morning wake-up and the afternoon restart was a side effect.

Simply thoughts

2011-03-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

So, I've seen it but have never done it; list random thoughts that sum up my day, week, or whatever. Here goes.

I'm looking for a very skinny pouch to tuck my Kindle into so it will be protected from any mishap like my hand lotion opening in my purse. This has never happened to me, but it would be disappointing if it suddenly decided to happen while my Kindle was tucked "safely" away. I'm looking for the thinnest plastic sleeve similar to some CD sleeves I used to see when CD's were more, um, seen.

I won my Kindle in a contest. I wrote about how YNAB software helped our family get out of debt. One of the six prizes went to me and it was this cool Kindle; I've read one book on it, and listened to one other book on it so far. FB has robbed me of most of my random reading time. It's all my fault, I know.

I received my new Tracfone today. I was able to transfer my phone number and my minutes, but not my contacts or pictures. A conversation with Fran tells me not to start reloading it manually yet....one of the boys might have a SIM card reader that would do it for me. Interesting. Today's Tracfone guy was Spanish; he would have chosen "1" for Spanish when calling for tech support.

I got a new Tracfone because my old one stopped working. Too bad, cause the tech on the phone who tried to help me for at least a half hour last week spoke clear American English and even understood my humor, frustration and sarcasm. I don't try any of that, oh, except the frustration, when I'm the phone with a foreign sounding person.

Anna made some yummy macaroons today. Another friend suggested they'd be even better with chocolate. She might be right. Isn't everything better with chocolate? She used the cream that separated in a can of coconut milk. There is still some of it left so I have to figure out what to do with it. I know, Google. I'll get to it.

I like watching Kitchen Nightmares. I've just finished Season 1 and started with Season 2, all on Hulu.

There is still a lot of construction dust around here. It's mostly all around the edges of the floors...we've walked the rest of it onto our socks and washed it away in our laundry.

Micah just emailed; he has a sim card reader with him...in Iowa. He'll help me do the task when he gets home...in two weeks.

The recent rain washed about two feet of snow away. Now there is only about a foot left.

It's hard to read posts on Facebook by people who miss their husbands because they've been gone for a week, (or less.) I know that's a looonnggg time to them, so I refrain from commenting, but I do sigh or scowl just a little. We're at six weeks down, two to go. For this round. Then we start it all over again in July. Incidentally, I know that anyone reading this who has a husband gone for a year-long deployment would wonder what my problem is since Fran's only been gone for six weeks. I know. I get that too.

Now I need to go up and strip the bed. Anna told me that the cat threw up on it, and while she cleaned up most of it for me, (she is amazing,) she said I'll still want to wash the linens. That was this morning, and I forgot about it and here it is 8:19pm. Guess I'll be using my back-up quilt........quiltsssssss.

That was fun. Bye. Maybe next time I'll add photos.

Giving the Boys the Boot

2011-03-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

While I trip over yet another pair of tan Army boots, I sometimes feel like kicking myself! Should I have made Adam pack up his room before he left on Sunday for Boot Camp? Should I have made Micah do it last year, or Erik two years before that? 'Cause I did.

Reality is that our big old house is 110 years old and we are always renovating. This makes bed accommodations tricky. It's not like we're just emptying their room over a weekend so we can do a Heroes Home Makeover for them to return to or anything cool like that. They don't get to be like the college student who just goes away and comes back to the same Red Sox posters, trophies and cds still where they left them. We keep rearranging what we do with the rooms, while in the process of trying to make them more functional and finished. In 2008 Erik's room became Micah's, making Micah's and Adam's room just Adam's room. When Erik came home for holidays we threw an extra bed into Adam's room. When Erik left again, the bed went back to the attic. Then, when Micah left in 2010, his room became the computer repair depot, (if you know our family, you know whay we need such a thing!) When Micah and Erik both returned, they set up beds in the now half-finished attic.

This week, with Adam making his trek to Boot Camp, Micah and Erik are moving into Adam's room. It's time to get back up into that attic and finish it. All the walls are drywalled, but only half have been taped and primered, and the storage system has to be installed into the knee walls. Anyway, I checked in on Micah while he was setting up in the room above the kitchen. Micah commented that Adam left one knick knack shelf intact, and another pile on the bureau. I said, "Yeah, there is an emotional element to packing up your whole life, (wrenching,) and going off to boot camp. Combine them and it can be tough to handle." Then after lingering a few minutes while he worked, I walked away wondering if I should have "done that" to each of them; made them reduce their childhood to plastic bins.

I remember when I left for college. I packed boxes for "College", and also boxes for "Maine". We lived in MA at the time and once I left for school, my Dad moved our family to Maine. Actually, my Mom and sister had already moved up ahead of my Dad....so it was all a very non-traditional "Send your oldest daughter off to college" experience. In fact, my friend's Mom took me shopping for school. I think of both of them whenever I see my old steamer trunk. That is a precious memory, and a foundation for the years the followed when I wasn't afraid to let other older women play a role in my life. At times I really needed it.

Later that day, when I dropped in on Micah again during his moving in process he said, "I'm just going to leave that shelf and Adam's stuff there on the wall; it won't hurt anything." It was so comforting to know that Micah got it. I wonder if when I mentioned the emotional stress that might have caused Adam to not pack some things, Micah started remembering back to last year when he did the exact same thing. He packed most things, but there were still things for me to take care of so that the room could be used for it's next purpose. I bet Micah just remembered and decided it was ok.

I tear up now and then at the thought of how they have all grown to be men who care about each other and don't barrel through life recklessly heedless of others. By God's grace, He has led us through and sometimes despite the emotional struggle, allowed hard things in their lives that make them who He wants them to be. God's plan for each of them needs some very specific experiences, and if we shelter and protect too much, we'll be denying Him the training that He has in mind for them.

Now, to figure out whose Army boots are in the hall...

The other side of the fence

2010-12-19T00:23:00.000-08:00

If I'm having a bad day, someone else is having one that's worse. If I'm sick, someone else is sicker. If I'm frustrated by an obstacle, someone else is nervous about a bigger one. If I have too far to drive, someone else has a longer trip. If I don't like my weight, someone else is frustrated that they more lbs to lose. If I have too much housework, someone else has a larger house to clean. If I don't feel I have enough room in my house, someone else fits more people into a smaller one. If I'm in a tizzy about a relational problem, someone else has one that is more dramatic.

So, since my problems are smaller than other peoples', I should consider myself blessed, smile every day, suck it up and be happy.

Not.

I still have frustrations. Anything that can be deemed a challenge or obstacle in my world is just that in my life. Others might want to tell me that my "problems" don't matter because they have bigger ones. They seem to think that since I don't have their circumstance, my life is carefree. No, it just means that they can't see my life through my eyes. They aren't walking in my shoes.

"I should consider myself blessed, smile every day, suck it up and be happy," simply because God is there and knows all about the issues in my life, not because I'm better off than someone else.

Just because I know that, doesn't make it easy.

"Like Son, Like Father"

2010-10-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

I just have to link to today's article in my local paper! It's what a wife and mother must do!!!

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The Magic is Gone

2010-09-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

So, it was right around the time of the 2008 general election that I changed my blog header design. The country had taken a turn for the worse, and I was more than depressed about it. I changed it to a freaky blah set of colors and plain text.

I used to have this cute coffee beans with a coffee cup thingy on the top. I don't know if I can ever get it back. Back in 2006 when I started this thing, I was way into it. Erik showed me a few things and I was off. I kept doing all sorts of things to it. I was finding my way around HTML and making cool things happen. It was like magic. Now, the magic is gone. I can't remember anything about changing things up. All I've been able to do is change the colors on the header...still so blah.

So, in case anyone stops in here, know that I don't like it, but in time I'll put something there that I do like.

Religion and Politics

2010-09-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

I remember the saying, "Don't talk about religion or politics with friends." This wasn't spoken during a teaching moment while our family was gathered around the dinner table. It wasn't stated with our family all gathered around the TV when Nixon was resigning. It wasn't even the stuff of conversation with us when we were on one of our long road trips between Illinois and Maine. It was something I overheard someone say while my parents had friends over to drink and play cards at the dining room table. It wasn't necessarily meant for my ears, but you know how children hear everything. It's a voice I hear regularly in my head when I run through "Rules to live by in polite society."

Hogwash. I hear that and I know why our country is trashed. Too many in my parents and their parents generation didn't talk on these topics. They buried their head in the sandbox and decided that the political questions and concerns were too contentious and made pinochle games and coffee clatches too uncomfortable. Would that we instead just talk about Joe's fight with his wife, or Ed the bar owner falling down the stairs and never being quite the same again.

It is quite possible that those who spoke that night, and those who've said it over the years, had very valid reasons. Looking at where I am today, I wonder about those who went before me. Maybe they tried to be involved but burned out because it seemed hopeless, or because they were doing more than their share of the work. I can understand that. Did they run into a mini political culture within the campaigns they worked? I get that. I've worked for ten years, but today find myself throwing my hands in the air. It seems too far gone. Let the 30 somethings with the energy have a go at it...

Yikes, am I any different than the generations that came before me?

On being not well

2010-09-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

Depression is not a treatable malady. Ok, maybe medically it is, but it isn't one sanctioned by care groups or kind hearted people. They, the kind hearted, don't know what to do with someone who is depressed. Someone in that state shatters their peace. Confuses their set of cause and effect rules to live by. Let a woman announce she is pregnant and terribly sick with morning sickness, and they bring meals for the rest of the family. Hear of someone breaking a limb? Ladies dive in to do laundry for the household. Lose a job, invite them over for dinner so it helps lighten the burden on their finances. Maybe get them some money from the church, too. Move? An Army of folks show up to pack up and/or unpack the house, or both. Let someone declare that they are depressed, however, and everyone says they'll pray, and they probably do, and then they keep their distance. Someone who is depressed, after all, is a mystery and a drag. Especially if that person has little in their life that would construe them to be down in the dumps. From the outside everything seems to be in shape: Job? Check. Health? Check. Marriage in tact? Check. Good kids? Check. Bills paid? Check. Nice house? Check. What would anyone do for someone like that, anyway. There really isn't anything, I guess.

Blogging vs Facebook

2010-09-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

The contest is for sure and for certain. Facebook has won that challenge. If only I'd known they were in a race for my time and creative energies. I've succumed to sometimes creative one liners in my status bar rather than writing about the times of my life here. Hmm. What to do....every new direction begins with the first step.

A couple years ago an old college friend suggested I write more. He was then blogging for Townhall.com. Now he's hunting down acting gigs; I'm not sure if he is still writing. I told him then that I was into a lot of things and I wasn't sure which direction I was supposed to go in. I didn't know where my energies were supposed to be funneled. I chose to stick with the things I'd already obligated myself to, and the writing went away. Except for snippets on Facebook.

Today I find myself without all of those other responsibilities. I actually have time that I can choose how to fill. I've filled it lately with sprucing up our upstairs bathroom. That has led to the hall which is my current project. I've documented it all...on Facebook. Photos and everything. It is easy and far reaching. Face it, hardly anyone knows about my blog. Me even; I forget that it's here, and has been since about May of 2006.

So, will there be a continuing battle, or can this blog and Facebook peacefully and productively coexhist. Time will tell.

Erik a Pilot, Technically

2010-04-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

It has occurred to me just a minute ago that I am no longer in a position to document Erik's life in photos. With him in Alabama at flight school, and me up here in not so sunny Maine, (I know, is the sun really germane to the discussion? bear with me...it's gray outside today!) Anyway, I went to his Facebook account to find a photo to post here, and I found one. Yup, one. Ok, just kidding, he's actually go a whopping six photos on that account. Three are of him...sort of. So, here is one:

It's pretty indicative of his life...a self portrait.

Anyway, another one I like:

Don't ask. I know his caption mentioned something about that out his windshield indeed being a cloud.

So, yesterday he posted on his status that "94 is a good score." That begged a phone call from Dad which yielded the fact that Erik got a 94 on his "check ride" and so he is technically, if not officially, a pilot.

Woo Hoo!!! No, that doesn't mean he's done. Graduation isn't until fall, but he might come home for a visit this summer between sessions.

Maine's Next Governor??

2010-03-26T01:54:00.000-07:00

I'm leaning toward Paul LePage for Governor. His site is the clearest on issues I value. Bill Beardsley doesn't share his thoughts about all the issues on his site. Bruce Poliquin has conflicting opinions about gun control and like Mr. Beardsley doesn't speak to social issues on his site. The others I've set aside easily long ago for other reasons.

March already?

2010-03-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I've been absent. Seems my 5 minute blog entries end up on Facebook rather than here! Maybe it is time to paste a couple things from there to here! This is the latest quote I heard on the radio then pasted in my Facebook Status. It seems to have gone viral! I guess it speaks very loudly about what's going on right now:

"So...they passed a health care plan written by a committee whose Chairman says he didn't understand it, passed by a Congress that exempts themselves from it, signed by a President who smokes, with funding administered by a Treasury Chief who didn't pay his taxes, all to be overseen by a Surgeon General wh....o is obese... and better yet it is to be financed by a country that is broke."

It's January Again...

2010-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

...and another son has signed up for the Maine Army National Guard. We are so proud! He ships off to Basic Training at Fort Jackson in May.

We all made it down there to see him swear in!

Simmler Christmas Greeting "2009"

2010-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Simmler Christmas Greeting (PDF)

Christmas time is here...really?

2009-12-16T23:51:00.000-08:00

Well, every so often I think Christmas and remember that it is coming. I think it's the decorated tree in our living room that reminds me. Or, the repeated times that I've found myself at Walmart this week and the parking lot is filled and the lines are long. Oh, yeah, it's Christmastime. Besides that, here, "Christmas" amounts to that tree I mentioned, and a black plastic garbage bag in my bedroom labeled, "Christmas." It's labeled as such so that after the pest guy comes and goes and I wait 48 hours, vacuum the whole house, thoroughly of course, I can find it quickly as I begin to open the 50+ black and white trash bags and put our lives back in order. Depending on how things go, I may just open that bag. Or not. It doesn't have enough in it. Ok, it has my little family covered, and Julie's as well. That's it. I missed the craft fair where I was going to pick up the cute little thank you gifts for all the special, faithful people who do little or big things that we benefit from. Then there were going to be cute new cool things that I was sure to find at that annual event for my wonderful aunts, Gram, Mom, Dad. Yeah. Right. That didn't happen. Coming out of the fog of recovery from falling my down the stairs on the morning of the craft fair, I was well on my way to finding those boot straps and planning a walk down Front Street in Bath. Of course, whatever day I chose for that it was going to snow soft big flakes and the quaint shops would have yielded all the types of things that I didn't get to look for at the craft fair. Well, my week has gone, and that hasn't happened. Who knew that my Christmas gifts and White Elephant tradition might morph into one as I've been forced into this clean sweep. Goodwill is happy. The Bath landfill will receive it's share, too. Last night I commented to Fran that we're all set for the movers to come. No, of course we aren't moving, but it is reminiscent around here of moving prep. The difference is that our life has been packed into black and white trash bags rather than banana boxes. So, while doing this big purge, to the sound of the washer and dryer turning non-stop, and one visit so far to the 24-hour laundromat, I've found a few things I think I'll wrap as gifts for at least one of those whom I've done no shopping for.

So, what's going on at the Simmlers' anyway. I'm laying it all out there to tell you we have been fighting the blight that has embarrassed and humiliated me. Bed Bugs. Seems our frequent travels south and stays in hotel rooms yielded more than we paid for. After a two year long battle that we thought we had licked, we've finally called in reinforcements, (read $$$,) and they will be here at 11:00 today to treat the house. Then they will be back quarterly for a year. I write this to tell you that if you ever think you have them, don't try to fight them yourself with concoctions from the internet. Call in the professionals right away.

What Can Happen BC (Before Coffee)

2009-12-06T04:37:00.000-08:00

It was Saturday morning, (yesterday,) at 7:00am, BC, (Before Coffee.)

My heel slipped, and next thing I knew my feet kicked out from under me, arms were flailing and about the 6th step down my hands/arms finally found and atached themselves to the balusters of our stairs. Too late, my tail bone is probably fractured. Fran was at National Guard Drill, Micah was on the way out the door to a building job, and Anna was expecting a ride from me to her table at the craft fair. I had a million plans for the commencement of Christmas prep.

Micah transported Anna, and the other ladies at the fair were there for her. Adam, fortunately, got his learners permit on Wednesday, so after confirming that the chiropractor was indeed coming to town on errands, he agreed to see me. He didn't adjust, but ordered xrays. Adam drove me from place to place with me coaching him as it was his first time driving the van! (Funny, he couldn't drop me off at the door because he can't drive alone on a permit!) The chiro later called to say he'd viewed the xrays and that unfortunately it wasn't a dislocation that he could treat; he saw nothing out of place. He would call me when the tech had read the images to confirm his suspicion that it is a hairline fracture. I'm now waiting.

Once I sit, I stay a long time because its the transition of sitting or standing that hurts. Once I'm in place I'm ok. Bending to pick things up HURTS. So, I don't do it.

Anna has assured me that I don't have to advertise for elves to set up Christmas here...she said she'll take care of it. She's almost 13....can you believe it?

Diane

Let YNAB 3 Tame Your Financial Woes

2009-11-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

I found YNAB in late December of 2006. We were well on our way in the process of paying down our debt. I knew we needed a plan to make the job of tracking our spending easier and faster. I dreaded those days of flipping paper pages balancing accounts. A Google search brought me to You Need A Budget. Well, I already knew that, in fact I already had one. It was just a bear to manage.

This software is more than software; it teaches and guides you through the murky turbulent waters that often occur in our financial lives. The reality is that life happens. No budget can be a cookie cutter copy each month. What worked in December might not work in January. This is a reality that I knew, but just couldn't fully embrace because my budgeting system didn't allow it. This one did!

Two years later I still mention YNAB to whomever I can. The stress of running the checkbook down to pennies each month until the next paycheck is gone. The guilt from overspending the budgeted figure on clothing or food here or there is gone. Not only did Jesse's plan help me fine tune my goals, it provided navigational tools that helped me making adjustments when life throws you financial challenges.

A great part of the plan is that it takes you from where you are, no matter how bad your money situation seems, and encourages you into believing that conquering your debt is a possible task! Our debt is down from six digits to a low four digit number and there is a light at the end of the tunnel! I can't wait to try YNAB 3 to see how much more work Jesse and his team have done to make it even more user friendly!

The Brain Meanderings of a Driver's Ed Parent Ride-Along

2009-11-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

"Sure, I'll go the whole two hours."

Hey, that new store they put in where Reed party used to be on Pleasant street has two flags out front. A British flag (I think) and a US flag. The US flag is on the right and is lower. I'm thinking that might not be the right presentation, but I'll have to check.

No, not Maine Street Brunswick parking! I avoid on-street parking most all the time. Backing out into that traffic is stressful. Maybe the student driver sign will help....oh, he's making him do it a second time? Even when I used to drop Adam off at Chemistry class above Keith Field Classical Goldsmith, I parked in the Tontine Mall parking area to avoid the backing into traffic thing!

We head up Route 1 toward Bath. A car passes with a familiar yellow bumper sticker. Hmm, Fran has that sticker. Hey, that guy's wearing a hat like, wait, that's probably Michael Pajak. Safe passage, Michael!

Hmm, Adam barely fits in this car. His head is about an inch from the ceiling. When he looks left he ducks to see under the top of the door trim. What is this car, anyway? I'll have to find out and make a note.

We keep going up to Wiscasset. Good thing it isn't summer time, or we'd spend Adam's whole 2 hour driving stint between Woolwich and Edgecomb! Wonder if they'll ever decide to build a bypass. We take a left. Wait, Pegeen McConnell lives on this road somewhere. We were there once, I should recognize it, but I missed it. Isn't there a campground somewhere down here? Downeast or something. That was a long time ago with the Grovers. My first taste of bacon wrapped scallops, fresh from the sea and cooked over a camp fire.

We eventually turn left in Dresden. Ahh, I know this route. To take a right you would go to the house the Horsman's rented for a while. Hmm. The river looks high, I guess from the rain we got on Saturday.

We're near the intersection of 127 and 197; oops, there's a "Yes on 1 sign." Jacki or Jonathan, can you go get that so Stand for Marriage doesn't get fined? Couldn't very well ask the driving instructor to let Adam pull over for me to get it.

Ouch, I am reminded of Jeff Foxworthy's redneck. Has he been to Maine? Yikes. Does my yard look like that? I now resolve to do whatever is in my power to fight redneck curb appearance in favor or modest or invisible curb appeal. Tomorrow. Maybe.

Oh, I didn't know this road cut over. We're headed back to 197. I remember the day we were in that cemetery. Mr. Russell. I think of your Dad every so often, Jacki.

There's Jacki McKeen's road. Oh, good thing it's not flooded. I didn't hear that it was, but with all that rain it could have been. Good thing Diana McKeen only had to worry about frogging her Fair Isle today and not a flooded driveway!

Wait, we're crossing to Richmond. Before we know it the Coast Guard Icebreakers we'll be here on the Kennebec to usher in spring. Ok, yeah, winter has to settle in and freeze it first. We could have brought the meal Anna made for the Horsman's after all. Then it wouldn't have been so fun for Anna and Micah to visit them and their new baby Emma, though.

It was fun eating at the Railroad Cafe with the ladies back in October. I wonder how Susan Trott is feeling. Too bad we didn't get to see her in the Monmouth play since the accident was two days before.

The library is there, so that means that the Horsman's house is.....there. There it is; that is sooo cute! Just like the picture they showed me when they stopped by a couple months ago. God really blessed them with just the right home at the right price at the right time! Welcome Baby Emma!

Onto the highway, moving back into our stomping grounds. About 30 more minutes to kill. Whoa, I hate getting off of 295 toward Lisbon Falls. It's a tight spot and there are always cars with the right of way. Just like getting off in route 1 in Brunswick. Well, he did fine. Shiver.

Hmm, glad he knows this area is strictly 40 mph. Oh, look, case in point, policeman with lights flashing talking to someone who didn't know it was strictly 40 mph.

Ivanhoe. I'm pretty sure the Sprague's still live here. I remember seeing Carli at the polls on election day. Maybe she lives in Bath now.

Whew. Ok, it wasn't as grueling as it could have been. I didn't fall asleep. Adam did well driving.

I applaud you if you got through this whole monologue of my mind. Your reading this is what it was like for me to ride in the backseat of a driver ed car for two hours. My mind just wandered, wondered, and remembered.

Gerrish Reunion 2009

2009-08-06T05:01:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our trip to Stratton/Eustis now just a memory. I'm so GLAD we have pictures!

Belaboring the point...

2009-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Teresa took this photo of our family (minus Erik who is in Alabama doing Army things,) after the ceremony.

Graduation 09

2009-06-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Another Simmler has made his way through the maze of schooling. Micah graduated on Saturday with three homeschooling friends. The ceremony and cake reception took place at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Topsham, Maine. Many friends and family members joined in the celebration.

An Impasse

2009-05-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

LD1020. The debate is over, really. One side is firmly rooted in a premise and assumption of Biblical truth and a moral foundation. Their arguments all match their premise. The other side is governed by axioms like “Live and let live,” “Love is all you need,” and “Whatever feels right, do it.” Their arguments match their premise. How can the two sides ever agree? Neither will give in. It’s an impasse.

The latter lends itself to the confines of emotions and heartfelt tableaus. The former holds to right and wrong; it stands on scriptural principles that speak about the heart being deceitful if you try to trust in it alone. For those on both sides, it’s a no-brainer. On both sides there are tears for the future of the children and grandchildren. On both sides there is mourning for the happiness that would be if the others would only stop arguing and accept “the truth.”

All the wrangling for new angles and scraped up rationales are just vain attempts to out clever the other. Despite that, the discourse will continue because it is seen on both sides as a right and a duty.

What it all comes down to is a perspective of worldview: God and salvation vs Living for now. As the world continues on its course, and its people choose between virtues and feelings, there is one side that has peace. No matter what governments decide and despite the adversity, the only final victory will come when the gates are opened and all will answer for the choices they make here on earth.

Marriage and Family Threatened in Maine

2009-03-17T01:26:00.000-07:00

“An Act To End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom” LD 1020 Sen. Dennis S. Damon, D-Trenton Do not let the title of this bill fool you. This piece of legislation is far from an affirmation of religious freedom. Instead it is an attempt to take a religious concept, secularize it and put religious people and their practices into a box. “Being religious” does not make our opinion less valid or inferior. The secular factions of our society are once again attempting to keep our opinions and beliefs within our four walls. They would rather that “religious” citizens did not remind them of our views and the reasons behind them. They know that allowing us this freedom brings to light the truth that same sex marriage confuses children, ruins families, and tears apart the very fabric of our country.

Contact your legislator to let them know how you feel about this bill.

Three Months later...

2009-03-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, shameful that I haven't updated in almost 3 months. Was Christmas Eve the last day I really had any thoughts of activities of value? I wonder if a few bullet points will bring things up to date. Ok, just finished writing an update. It is packed with links to photos and information about the things mentioned. Take a look around!

January:

Wedding Cake was the first objective of the month. Justin and Bethany were "finally" (to quote Sven,) married and Fran and I did the cake. It was a success, and Erik even pitched in by taking more than a few pictures and creating this very cool video.

Anniversary: 24 years and counting!

Baby Shower: I threw a church shower for Mom and Baby, Amanda and Samantha Stoddard. It was a pink and brown blast of dots and butterflies.

Inauguration: I'd rather not talk about that. Ok, let me just say this: It's not the fact that we've elected a socialist Marxist president that is so alarming to me. It's more the fact that over half of our country's people think they want to convert our country to socialism. That is the scary part.

February

Awana Quiz: Cornerstone joined churches in NH for quiz and our teams all took first place. Additionally Anna received the Highest Honor award for getting every one of her questions right. This was not only her last year to participate in Awana Quiz, she was the last of our four to take part. Erik first quizzed in February of 1997!!

Pasttimes

I've done a bit of knitting, a bit of scrapbooking our 2006 album, and a bit of scanning in negatives from 2001.

Things to Come

The homeschool Convention in Rockland this weekend where I'll take photos for HOME.

My nieces graduation from college and the fanagling to find a weekend that I can go visit so we can celebrate with a party.

Erik leaves for 15 months in sunny (read hot and sweltering in summer time,) Alabama at Fort Rucker for Warrant Officer School and helicopter pilot school!

TeenPact for Anna and I the week of April 20th. Her first year as a 4-day student! None of the boys are doing it this year. They've done it for many years.

Micah's High School Graduation with 3 other friends on June 20th.

Joe the Plumber, Meet John Doe

2008-12-24T01:10:00.000-08:00

I watched the movie "Meet John Doe" a couple weeks ago. I saw it a few years ago then bought a copy to keep. I thought how startling the timing was to be hearing such a speech and realized it was timeless. I've pasted this from americanrhetoric.com and am so grateful that they had it all typed up for me!!!

Read and be inspired; Merry Christmas!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the man you all know as John Doe. I took that name because it seems to describe -- because it seems to describe the average man, and that's me -- and that's me.

Well, it was me -- before I said I was gonna jump off the City Hall roof at midnight on Christmas Eve. Now, I guess I'm not average any more. Now, I'm getting all sorts of attention, from big shots, too -- the mayor and governor, for instance. They don't like those articles I've been writing.

Well, people like the Governor -- people like the Governor -- and that fella there can -- can stop worrying. I'm not gonna talk about them. I'm gonna talk about us, the average guys, the John Does.

If anybody should ask you what the average John Doe is like, you couldn't tell him because he's a million and one things. He's Mr. Big and Mr. Small. He's simple and he's wise. He's inherently honest, but he's got a streak of larceny in his heart. He seldom walks up to a public telephone without shoving his finger into the slot to see if somebody left a nickel there.

He's the man the ads are written for. He's the fella everybody sells things to. He's Joe Doakes, the world's greatest stooge and the world's greatest strength.

Yes, sir -- Yes, sir, we're a great family, the John Does. We are the meek who are -- who are supposed to inherit the earth. You'll find us everywhere. We raise the crops; we dig the mines, work the factories, keep the books, fly the planes and drive the busses. And when a cop yells: "Stand back there, you!" He means us, the John Does!

We have existed since time began. We built the pyramids. We saw Christ crucified, pulled the oars for Roman emperors, sailed the boats for Columbus, retreated from Moscow with Napoleon and froze with Washington at Valley Forge.

Yes, sir. We've been in there dodging left hooks since before history began to walk. In our struggle for freedom we've hit the canvas many a time, but we always bounced back! Because we're the people -- and we're tough.

They've started a lot of talk about free people going soft -- that we can't take it. That's a lot of hooeyl A free people can beat the world at anything, from war to tiddle-de-winks, if we all pull in the same direction.

I know a lot of you are saying "What can I do? I'm just a little punk. I don't count." Well, you're dead wrong! The little punks have always counted because in the long run the character of a country is the sum total of the character of its little punks.

But, we've all got to get in there and pitch. We can't win the old ballgame unless we have teamwork. And that's where every John Doe comes in. It's up to him to get together with his teammates. And your teammate, my friend, is the guy next door to you. Your neighbor -- he's a terribly important guy that guy next door. You're gonna need him and he's gonna need you, so look him up. If he's sick, call on him. If he's hungry, feed him. If he's out of a job, find him one.

To most of you, your neighbor is a stranger, a guy with a barkin' dog and high fence around him. Now, you can't be a stranger to any guy that's on your own team. So teach down the fence that separates you. Tear down the fence and you'll tear down a lot of hates and prejudices. Tear down all the fences in the country and you'll really have teamwork.
I know a lot of you are saying to yourselves, "He's askin' for a miracle to happen. He's expectin' people to change all of a sudden. Well, you're wrong. It's no miracle. It's no miracle because I see it happen once every year. And and so do you -- at Christmas time. There's somethin' swell about the spirit of Christmas, to see what it does to people, all kinds of people.

Now, why can't that spirit, that same, warm Christmas spirit last the whole year around? Gosh, if it ever did, if each and every John Doe would make that spirit last 365 days out of the year, we'd develop such strength, we'd create such a tidal wave of good will that no human force could stand against it. Yes sir, my friends, the meek can only inherit the earth when the John Doe's start lovin' their neighbors.

You better start right now. Don't wait till the game is called on account of darkness.

Wake up, John Doe. You're the hope of the world.

Why do we volunteer?

2008-12-10T01:53:00.000-08:00

It’s good to see that those in which the spirit of charity and helping has “lain dormant for these last eight years” (Keep the poor in your hearts Michael Tucker-Friday 11/21/08) may finally have someone to inspire them! It will be great to have new folks join those who have already been so inclined for many years now. If a leader can do that, there is hope for us after all. The value of a volunteer is unsurpassed!

I hope, however, that this impetus to volunteering and self sacrifice remains a product of inspiration and personal responsibility. Heaven help the country that institutes service via mandate, regulation or obligation. If volunteerism and sacrifice take on that quality we will lose a foundational facet of our free society. If that happens, our country will be in danger of losing its heart.

Let us watch closely to be sure our volunteering doesn’t follow the path most valued in a previous writers letter, (Changing U.S. Policies, Rosalie Paul, 11/14/08.) Her belief states that most volunteerism should come not necessarily in the form of feeding the hungry in our midst or trash picking from the sides of the roads but more importantly in the form of promoting and demanding policy change. To wish that all or most volunteerism should revert from caring for the basic needs to changing policies is to create a mob of debaters while the hungry are left looking for someone else to help them.

(To be printed in the Wednesday, 12/10/08 Opinion page of The Times Record newspaper.)

Euphoria?

2008-11-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

About that Euphoria. The media seem to believe that the election result was greeted with overwhelming, unanimous glee. Where did they get that idea? No, we aren’t protesting in the streets like the folks in California who once again lost their shot at allowing same sex marriage. That doesn’t mean, however, that we are sitting back contented and appeased by the visions of Camelot painted on the front cover of every magazine.

While 67 million Americans may be euphoric, catatonic even, there are a good 58 million Americans who wanted a different outcome and are downright unhappy. Fortunately our resolve is strong and many of us are coming out of our grieving process about now. We realize that there is still a lot of work to do and there’s just no time for crying.

We are also starting to be honest with ourselves, and those of us who dare, are becoming honest with each other: McCain wasn’t really our guy anyway. We actually, for the most part, wanted someone more conservative!! If you can fathom that. So, anyway, have a heart. Reach across the aisle. Give us some time to heal. Peace and love and all that.

Happy Birthday, Micah

2008-11-21T01:09:00.000-08:00

From 18 months to 18 years; where does the time go?
Happy 18th Birthday!!

A cry of anguish and a song of praise

2008-11-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

"Sometimes one has to get very low before he is in a place where he can look up and see hope for a purpose and a place for his life and work. Once he gets to that place, he is the most desperate to make a change inside his heart and to make the strongest attempts at influencing outward change through the gifts and skills that have been bestowed upon him by God. When one is very, very low, the light from above is at it's brightest."

I was watching Amazing Grace yesterday afternoon. I had to pause it to get a piece of paper and write this thought down. I've been waiting for the movie and the quote and the Sunday sermon teachings to gel into a coherent philosophical treatise. I'm not there yet.....

I now check my notes from my church evening service, however, and see a note I jotted, "Psalm 22:1 prelude...A cry of anguish and a song of praise." Read that Psalm from beginning to end.

Hope?

2008-11-17T02:37:00.000-08:00

The preceding post was printed in our local paper on the opinion page as a guest commentary. I preceded to receive calls from people in our region. Even yesterday an 82 year old woman called to thank me. (Her daughter's neighbor reported her daughter to the neighborhood watch because she had her flag hung upside down...a sign of distress. The watch officer rightly told the nosy neighbor that this woman was within her rights.)

Fundamentally, they were all surprised that such an essay would be printed in a undeniably left publication. They all stated that they stopped writing or didn't bother to write letters to the editor because they didn't believe such a liberal paper would print the "other side." They were encouraged to know that there were others out there that thought the same way they do and they felt some hope.

Now, I figure today or this week at some point my metal will be tested. The rebuttals should be scathing and I must remain level headed and kind as I engage in the printed debate. If you live local to me, go ahead and chime in if you are so inclined.

I daydream of statesmen

2008-11-06T01:39:00.000-08:00

We’ve dropped our guard down. We’ve chosen to abandon virtue and to ignore knowledge. Stopping our ears like school children chanting “I’m not listening.” all the way to the voting booth. We’ve become apathetic and held our heads in the sand for too long. When things started to get a little tough, the heads popped up. They looked around, saw hope and change, panicked and voted for it without counting the cost. Without even finding out what that change would look like! We are about to be enslaved by a new breed of government and society. With a president who feels that there are fundamental flaws in the Constitution; brace your selves.

It’s a sad day in the history of our country. Right is wrong and wrong is right. The good have been mocked and the evil have been praised, worshipped and now elected. True heroes have been picked apart and connivers couched and protected by teams of media elite.

I daydream of statesmen who once stood for truth and honor. I long for the day when men stood for right because their integrity required it of them. Their decisions might not make their life easier. Their choices might even walk them into their own private hell. Yet down deep inside they knew they were doing the right thing for the good of the country. They knew that there was a supreme God that would provide peace to their souls because they were doing the right thing, despite the trials that were: hunger, discouragement, cold, injury, torture or even death. Their determination and courage brought us a land of opportunity and freedom.

We have now chosen a future of mystery and uncertainty all in the name of hope and change. As flowery as his words sound to all who have voted democratic, our president-elect’s “values” are an abomination to our American ideals. Those who have been researching and learning the truth realize that this contest’s outcome is the first step toward converting our democratic republic to communism. Wait and see. You’ve unleashed an unknown force that even you will tremble from in days to come.

We have a choice. Will we worship this new leader who has promised so very much at our own expense or will we instead choose to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and resolve to resurrect that America that our national anthem refers to? Land of the free and home of the brave.

“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” --Thomas Jefferson

look out america

2008-11-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

You don't even know what you've gotten yourself into do you? You don't even get it.

I'm sick to my stomach.

I'm battening down the hatches for hell on earth and in mourning for an ideal of what I thought America was but realize it really is not.

there is no america anymore

Netflix Tear Offs?

2008-10-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Don't worry about the election. Join Netflix and watch a good movie, and make origami out of the tear off sheet that comes with the DVD.

Oh, For a Statesman

2008-10-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

It’s a sad day in the history of our country. Right is wrong and wrong is right. The good are mocked and the evil are praised, worshiped even. Heroes are picked apart and connivers are couched and protected by teams of media elite.

I daydream of statesman who once stood for truth and right. I long for the day when men stood for right because their integrity required it of them. The decision might not make their life easier. It might even walk them into their own private hell for a time, but down deep inside they knew it was the right thing to do, for the good of the country. They knew that there was a supreme God that would provide peace to their souls because they were doing the right thing, despite the trials that were, hunger, discouragement, cold, injury, torture or even death. Their determination and courage brought us a land of opportunity and freedom.

That all appears to be going away; we are now at a crossroads where we will choose between our democratic republic, and a socialist society.

What Matters

2008-10-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

Today I lost a friend to breast cancer.

We knew her time was drawing near, even if she didn't want to admit it. I was pulling my thoughts together on things to say to her to honor her and who she has been to me. When I went to visit her in the hospital today, I didn't want to deliver empty, pithy thoughts or phrases. I wanted to tell her how valuable a friend she was to me. I wanted to let her know that who she was for the 10 years I've known her was someone who's lessons and words I would carry with me for a very long time. I wanted to tell her that as long as I've known her she has been an example of peace and quiet strength.

Then the phone call came. I never got to tell her. How many times have we been told to tell people how we feel about them before it is too late? She and I did always have conversations, however, when we would agree that we just knew what each other was thinking. I'll take refuge in that, and in the fact that I know she is with her Lord. God in heaven has welcomed His child with open arms and will grant joy and peace to those she has left behind....in time.

She was 42 and blessed with a loving husband, and two beautiful children who now will find their way without her. She was a picture of gracious and unconditional love. She listened well. She was confident and passionate about sharing her faith and her love for her Lord through music and caring for others. You knew you were valuable...because she told you you were.

Socialism

2008-10-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

from wikipedia:

"Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital, and creates an unequal society. All socialists advocate the creation of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly, although there is considerable disagreement among socialists over how, and to what extent this could be achieved.^[1]"

Obama wants to spread the wealth around...here is a conversation he had with a plumber:

"Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?" the plumber asked, complaining that he was being taxed "more and more for fulfilling the American dream."

"It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success too," Obama responded. "My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody ... I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

We might be in trouble

2008-10-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

John Adams famously said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Planting

2008-10-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

So, we went outside and dug up the old daylilies from one part of our house, and pulled them apart and spread them around a new part of the house. As I covered the root balls, I imagined them sprouting in the spring. Then I realized that despite everything, there is still hope for the future rooted deep in my heart.

Pulling out

2008-10-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

I'm done.

There are no heroes in our country.

There are no statesmen.

There are no champions of liberty and freedom.

There may be folks who share the ideals of liberty and freedom but they lack the integrity to champion that cause.

I'm getting ready to read Revelation again...it's been a while....

Good Movie, "Fireproof"

2008-10-06T03:21:00.000-07:00

This one we had to drive down to New Hampshire to see. It is safe, clean and valuable. Marriages need this type of advice and support and advice.

Bad Movie,"An American Carol"

2008-10-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

While I anticipated a few laughs at the expense of left wingers who live among us, this was not the ticket. Besides being disjointed and not funny, it was crude beyond the limit.

Please don't waste your time watching it. I have this urge to watch Mr. Smith goes to Washington so that I can counter balance the offenses with pure patriotism and courage.

Reenergized

2008-10-03T01:23:00.000-07:00

So, since the pundents' immediate reaction was that Palen and Biden both did well and nobody won the debate, my conclusion is that Sarah won and they just don't want to say it.

Now, can McCain become more like Sarah and help pull this out?

Resigned

2008-10-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Had I posted earlier, this might have been titled "Fuming."

It's insane the way our government has gotten so out of hand, out of touch. It isn't a government for the people or by the people, but instead thrown in the faces of the people.

The overwhelming sentiment of "the people" is that this bailout bill is too much to fast. Senators didn't even have time to read it. They certainly haven't had time to read all the mail flooding into their inboxes begging them to vote against it.

McCain dares preach on the evils of earmarks, then comes to Washington to vote for a bill packed with them. If I vote for him, I'll be voting for Sarah, cringing at the heavy baggage she'll carry with her that is called McCain.

What ever. I know now that I have no influence. I don't know why I even try.

Relief

2008-09-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

So, they managed to withhold their approval of the dangerous bill.

Let's see what they come up with for a real solution.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

2008-09-29T03:01:00.000-07:00

Bailout.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

We are about to lose the very fiber of our being as a country. Hearing Pelosi speak of the government taking over ownership of mortgages gave me chills. I'd rather rent than have the government own my house. Yikes.

It sounds like even a barrage of phone calls and emails from constituents would not sway our legislators at this point.

So, where are we now? Got me.

We are headed for Marxist/Socialist government.

Land of the free and home of the brave.

Give me a break.

I like Sarah

2008-09-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

I like Sarah Palin.

Yup, even though she is a working Mom and I'm not. In fact, in my early years of motherhood, I pompously judged others for not following the same exact methods I was choosing. The only way to raise a child is to stay home with it, or them, I chanted.

Over the years, I've fought my own guilt about my mothering. Some might say Sarah is wrong to leave her children for the day and go to the office. Some might also say that I am wrong for not cooking every meal for my children. Some might also say that I should always do their laundry, drive them to jobs wherever they can get them, or read a book to them every day. Besides, what else does a mother who is not employed have to do? That is her life, isn't it?

With 21 years as a mother, I've learned a few things. God made us all different. What a revelation, huh? No, seriously, you hear it all your life, but society, the public school environment I grew up in, taught me something different. Eventually I launched into homeschooling. I studied the theory and the method and the tactics and the catalogs. I learned that children are born with an inate personality and learning style. We are to try to find curriculum that fits them.

Then one day I realized that those children will grow up and have the same basic learning styles and personalities. Even as adults. Huh.

Maybe it is ok that I choose a different method of parenting, homeschooling, and housekeeping. (Ok, so that last one is still a work in progress, but you get my point.) I soon realized that the children that God gave us, are the children He wanted us to have. AND, the parents he gave to them, are the parents He wanted them to have.

We all have a unique calling in our lives. We all have a purpose in God's great design for our homes, our families, our communities, and our nation. Sometimes God needs to use a strong woman to fill in the holes where a man, or several of them, have mucked up the works, or is afraid as Barak (no kidding, that was his name,) was in the story of Deborah in the book of Judges.

It may not be God's perfect design, but Adam and Eve took care of that a long time ago.

Funtown Splashtown

2008-08-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

Anna, Fran, Erik and I went to Funtown Splashtown. I hadn't been to an amusement park in years. Anna won four tickets, so we went. I rode more rides than I'd planned. Most of the photos are taken of things I didn't ride! The only proof that I was there is that there are no photos of me!

Daily Stuff

2008-08-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, life is more than one milestone after another. Sometimes it's about the every day! I'm here just plugging away at the things that require me. I set up all the paperwork for Awana, tweeking and twisting it every day here and there! Then I peruse my school planning. Log books, book lists, shopping lists. School starts at our house in a few weeks, so I have a little time to pull it all together. For now, I'm out of paper, so I can print nothing in preparation.

Erik will start a temporary job for the Guard in Augusta in a week. We hope his car will be out of the shop by then. This job should hold him until he leaves for his next training school.

The weather is nice today. Moderate temps and a nice breeze.

We are happy to report that the old 1960s doublewide that used to be next door has been removed. One sheet of metal at a time. The man who lives across the street from it bought it because it was an eyesore. He plans to plant a field there! We are more than delighted!

Well, there you have the first every day ordinary post from me in quite some time.

Erik's Home

2008-08-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here he is with some of the guys he went to school with. Back right.

Flying in to Augusta

2008-08-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

So, they're letting Erik come home today after all. He'll arrive at the Augusta airport at about 9:10 pm tonight!

August Stuff

2008-08-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

So, Erik graduates from AIT in a few minutes down in VA. We aren't there, but wish we were. Especially since he just told us yesterday that when he went to pick up his travel arrangements, they told him they didn't buy him a plane ticket. All last week they told him to check in on Monday...........Now he is told he must do kp for 4 or 5 days until "they can get him a flight." Yeah.

So, we don't know when he'll be home. Last night I considered getting into the van and heading down there. He'd get home quicker. Yet, because he has no tickets, he also has no orders releasing him. I'd sure like to have a little chat with them...........

Micah and Adam are currently up at Moose River Outpost. Our church is having a "church family camp" this coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and our teens are there now planning the events and activities for it.

Anna is hoping to go to the beach today since it promises to be the only fully sunny relatively dry day in a month-long span of summer days. Seriously. Rain has graced us every day for weeks..........

Happy 21st Birthday, Erik!

2008-07-22T01:23:00.000-07:00

Back in Arizona high on a mountain somewhere it was a water gun fight. Today you are out on a field exercise that probably looks just a little bit different than this one. Oh, the days of innocent childhood. At least we have the memories. For those peeking in, Erik is front left, Adam is in the middle holding Anna, and Micah is far right! Oh the days.....

“The only thing necessary...

2008-06-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

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CIMG3256, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

...for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”

This quote was on the back of the Tshirts issued to students this year at TeenPact. It really stuck with me. I'd heard it before, had never pondered it all that much previously. This year, however, I was struggling with figuring out my place. In my wildest dreams as a young girl wondering what my future held for me, I never pictured myself campaigning or having anything to do with politics. I saw marriage, children, and a quaint little house with a white picket fence and flowers and a simple uncomplicated life. That picture was idyllic and sweet, but I'm guessing it wasn't all that realistic. We do have a house and some flowers, but I really don't have the time to plant more and maintain them they way I would like them....I'm just too busy with other things....

...I feel compelled to do other things that might make a difference. To me it seems that that role is right where I am working with teens who are learning about government and citizenship. Sometimes that takes us into the world of campaigning. So, I forgo another year of pruning my lilacs while I drive around southern Maine trying to do my part to fight the "triumph of evil."

In the midst of this past week, every so often my mind would wander....what if we lose? What good will have come of this? Will my week have been wasted?

While winning is a great thing, doing what you know God would have you do is even better. Win or lose, it is right and worthy. God's timing is His own. His answers sometimes come not as yes or no, but in wait. This is a process. What we did last week is part of a puzzle. Only God knows how and when he wants to use Dean Scontras, or any of us for that matter.

For now, all of those I worked with this week, especially the teens, are my heroes. Each of them as individuals did the work of many. They did it with heart, sacrifice and good humor. They were amazing and I tip my hat to them!

Erik at Fort Jackson

2008-05-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

Well, four of us are down here in sunny South Carolina visiting Erik! We took him shopping at the PX, NEX to you Navy friends. The size 36 and 34 pants and shorts have given way to size 32! We had a nice day checking out the base, but really wished we could have taken him off base to relax by our hotel pool. Instead we got him the first pizza, coffee, soda, and Chinese food that he has had in months. As we bumped into buddies, I grabbed photos of him with them. Go to flickr to see a few more of today's photos.

Three Alumni Tied for Top

2008-04-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

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Three Alumni Tied for Top, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

TeenPact happened again here in Maine. Micah and Adam have been doing this for years now. This year they tied for 1st amongst the alumni with Harrison Otis in their score for the week.

It was a fun and yet challenging week. Let's just say we saw government and partisanship in action more than in any other year.

It was our first year at our new Residential camp in North Turner. The students and staff had a blast learning and growing in the area of citizenship and stepping outside their comfort zones.

Yay for year 7 here in Maine!

From Boot Camp

2008-03-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

Erik has written three letters so far. He's getting along just fine. He's being brave in the face of "okra disguised and falsely advertised as something else that would actually be edible...."

No, seriously, he seems to be doing pretty well. He appreciates Icy Hot and Sundays when he can have sleep in until 6:00! He stashes Sharpies when he finds them laying around, 'cause he's sure that his just walk away when he's not looking. Sharpies a valuable commodity....who knew?

He's deduced that they get "roughly seven minutes from the last platoon member sitting down" to eat their meals...he's says thats "still about four minutes more than I need."

He adds, "By the way, they had a nutritionist come in and speak one of the days in reception. There were actually some helpful specifics, but the best part was where she talked about their research into "recovery beverages." Apparently the result was: chocolate milk."

He also mentioned that we should write the number "3" on the back of our envelopes when we write to him.

If you would like his address, just email me or leave a comment and I will send it to you. Notes and letters are great....packages are frowned upon!

A Goodbye

2008-03-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

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With Extended Family, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

This photo was taken in July of 2006. Fran's Parent's and Aunt Marlene came out here to see Fran while he was home between training in Mississippi and deploying to Kuwait. It was a somber time of uncertainty. We didn't know what the future held. We knew one more group photo was in order. We had to document the family all together.

Today Erik is in basic training in South Carolina. No doubt trying to enjoy the early spring, while hefting a pack heavier than he's experienced before.

Fran's parents are in Israel for a few months sharing time with friends and learning the language. Today they mourning the loss of a dear one, while at the same time, I'm sure, rejoicing that she is with God.

Aunt Marlene is Home. She went to be with her Lord a day or two ago, (depends who's calendar..ours or Israel's.) Her days here on earth were shorter than we'd all expected. Still, God knows the number of our days and when he wants to take us Home.

When a believer passes on, those who are left must wrestle with their loss of a friend, sister, mother, aunt. They also must wrestle with their own mortality.

What is my purpose here? Am I doing what God put me here for? If not, how can I do that better?

Anna

2008-03-13T02:58:00.000-07:00

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CIMG2525, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

Anna enjoyed all the talks by Mike Snavely, whom I simply kept calling "The Science Guy." Ok, I know there was another long ago known as "The Science Guy," but at THIS convention, Mr. Snavely was it! I went in to catch pictures of one of his first talks, but I came upon him with a large spider in his hand, so I snapped one, but then made tracks to a different lecture. Ok, yes, the big hairy thing was fake, but I can't even stand photos of spiders! In fact, to see one of my experiences, those with a Xanga account can read this!
I wrote about 10 entries in my blog there last year. It is a serial of sorts telling my drama with an Arizona tarantula!

Touch Tank Favorite

2008-03-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

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Touch Tank Favorite, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

At the homeschool convention in Rockland, there was a treat for the kiddos. Upstairs in the Samoset Resort facility someone set up a tank with water critters. They could handle the water creatures for fun! This photo is one of over 40 that I printed up and pasted into scrapbooks that will be landing on the desks of our four legislators in Washington DC this week.

Erik Departs for Basic

2008-02-29T04:54:00.000-08:00

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CIMG2447, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

Here they are all together while they're still, sort of, our "children." Ok, it's a stretch to call them all children, but Moms have their privileges!

Church Men Praying for Erik

2008-02-27T04:12:00.000-08:00

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Church Men Praying for Erik, originally uploaded by Midcoast Mainah.

As Erik prepares to leave for Basic Training, he can't go until the church is committed to praying for his well being and success. We take him down to Portland tonight and he ships out tomorrow!

Just in case you are wondering, it's Fran and Pastor to Erik's right in Hawaiian shirts! We had a Hawaiian Fellowship and called it Cabin Fever Sunday to brighten things up mid-winter!! Erik even donned a festive shirt for the occasion! Only the beginning of wearing what others "recommend" he wear!!