More Flat Friend Adventures

My flat friends are packed and ready to go on another adventure. As you know from my previous post, they had a blast in Forks, WA; home of Edward and Bella from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. This adventure is no where near as dangerous as hunting for vampires, but these girls do like to enjoy themselves.

Here they are on the plane flying out of Dallas. They had quite and interesting conversation with a young man from Nigeria while I napped. Apparently, they got into a bit of mischief because when I woke up they were looking a bit worse for the wear. Thankfully, I brought along some popsicle sticks and some glue. I was able to fix them up so that they didn't have to miss out on any of the fun.

We didn't land and get settled in until after 2am Seattle time so, I had to drag them out of bed the next morning. Fortunately, we were staying at my sister-in-law's house so the girls had a room to themselves.

Being as tired as we were, our first stop was obviously at Starbucks #1. I mean how can you go to Seattle and not stop at the very first Starbucks? I had my usual, a grande java chip frappuccino with a shot of espresso. I don't remember what the girls ordered, they were so busy chatting with everyone in line about their little adventure and of course they had to get a snap shot to commemorate their experience.

Next, we had to eat! My husband was in charge of picking the place since he knew all the great spots. Here you can see the girls sitting out on Pier 56 at Elliott's Oyster House. They had one whole page of all the different types of oysters they offered. The girls once again gorged themselves on oysters and shrimp. Honestly, it's hopeless trying to taking them anywhere.

We drove around and visited some of my husbands old haunts, but after a while the girls were begging me to let them out and stretch their legs. My sister-in-law was nice enough to snap a picture of me with the girls on the beach.



All in all I'd say we had a great day!

Flat Twilight Adventure Tours

How many of you know about Flat Stanly? If you aren't familiar with the book and the character check it out here. He's this cute little kid that flattens himself out and travels through the mail. Teachers, scouts troops, and even parents use him as an opportunity to teach kids about different places. They simply mail Stanly (a paper doll) and have the recipient take pictures or mail post cards at each location.
As many of you already know, I am one of those TwiMoms. I have to admit I think Stephenie Meyer's did a phenomenal job of speaking to women of all ages when she decide to put her dream down on paper. That being said, I didn't care as much for the movies as I did for the books.
On a recent trip to Seattle, for my husbands high school reunion, my sister-in-law and I convinced our husbands to take us to Forks, WA. Being that I don't think you're ever too old to jump on the band wagon, I flattened some of my Twitter/Twilight friends and took them along on the adventure.

Here they are!

LovesSam, KatieBMundiMom, KatzNi, and KatarinasMama.

They're all buckled up for the trip.

We had to take the ferry over the Puget Sound.


Our first stop was in Port Angeles.




We had to see where Bella ate mushroom ravioli with Edward.

The Bloated Toad where they ate in the movie is located in St. Helens, Oregon according to AssociatedContent.com.

This is Bella Italia where they ate in the book.

After a bit of a drive, we finally made it to Forks.
Population 3,120 humans and 7 vampires.

Our first stop was here at Bella's house.

Don't the girls look disappointed?

This isn't the house we all saw on the big screen is it?

The house used in the movie is actually in St. Helens, Oregon according to AssociatedContent.com and looks like this,

remember.

We discovered that Forks High School had been razed, but as you guessed the movie version of the high school was actually Kalama High School, in Kalama, Washington. The sign seen here is the one that was used in the movie, but was moved when the building was destroyed.

Say hello to my flat friends.

I did not find out any information about the hospital. If you know anything please share.
This reserved parking spot is actually in the parking lot of the Forks Hospital.
My flat friends wouldn't miss the opportunity to get their picture taken with Dr Cullen if they could have, but this is a close as they could get on this day.

The Forks Police Station shown in the movie is actually the Wauna Federal Credit Union in Vernonia, Oregon.
This pictures was taken of one of the actual Forks Police cars at the police station.
Notice the girls didn't hesitate to hop up on the car.

Good thing no one was looking.

Here is Bella's truck in front of the Chamber of Commerce.

This truck resembles the one in the movie. It seems that I read somewhere that it was found by someone in Forks and donated to help with tourism, but I can't be sure about that.

Of course, my flat friends still wanted their picture taken on the truck.

As you'll notice I didn't take a picture of the Cullen's house. Why you may ask, because the B&B that was tag as the Cullens house didn't resemble the house used in the movie. The house featured in the move is actually the real home of the Nike Director of footwear design, John Hoke and is located in Portland, OR.

We were so excited on the drive up because there was enough cloud cover to let all the vampires run around town without fear of detection, but as we got closer the sun started to shine through and any hopes of seeing Edward or his family were dashed.

As I had buckled my flat friends in I felt like I was being watched.

I stepped into the edge of the woods and guess who I saw? That's right Flat Edward was watching me. I just gave him a little peck on the cheek before we had to leave.

Please don't tell my flat friends that I met Flat Edward. *wink*

Uncovering Dyslexia

My dear sweet child was not reading on grade level. We started out using a phonics program called Explode the Code, and then we used Hooked on Phonics. We also tried a program call Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I really thought we were making progress, so we started using old Dick and Jane readers, and graduated up to Level/I Can Read books, but we kept getting stuck and worse yet, we were slipping backwards.






Let me back up and say that, our dear sweet little boy had some significant articulation issues when he was younger. We thought it was because he had so many ear infection as an infant. His speech issues were so severe that we had him in speech from the time he was 3 years old.

I sympathized with him because I had speech issues and problems reading when I was younger too. My sixth grade teacher recommend to my parent that I get my eyes checked by a doctor specializing in vision issues, not an optometrist. The doctor said my eyes weren’t focusing together and that I didn’t 'see' the middle of the word. I was given bifocals and my school work seemed to improve.

Fast forward back to my child, I was feeling like a failure in several different arenas. The obvious was that I couldn’t teach my child to read. The other, to put it bluntly, was that I gave him some crappy genes. Being the persevering homeschooling momma that I am, I talked to anyone that would listen and diligently research our problems on the internet.


The program that I decided to last this year was called Reading Horizons. It uses an Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading. Which by the way, so does the local private dyslexia school, DYNAMIC DYSLEXIA DESIGN “3-D” School, which cost over 1,000 a month. You also have to have a number of very expensive test to get the right ruling before you can even be considered for admission. They won’t take any child above 3rd grade and you have to make a two year commitment to the school with full time enrollment. Sorry, there are reasons we decided to homeschool so, that option was out.

Back to Reading Horizons. We, my son and I, started using this very different method of learning to read, and well honestly, there were days I felt like we were making progress and days that I feel like we were spinning our wheels. I noticed that he seems to 'miss' the middle of a lot of words so I scheduled an appointment with a pediatric opthamologist. In the mean time, I went to a dyslexia workshop, present by Susan Barton the founder of Bright Solutions. This is where I finally started to get some answers about dyslexia.

The first thing to understand that there are 5 main points of dyslexia. Most importantly, it’s inherited. If a parent or grandparent had dyslexia, then there is a 50% chance the offspring will have dyslexia. Second, the brain of the dyslexia is different than that of someone without dyslexia (it's bigger). Dyslexics process language differently, in other words it is a language process issue not a reading issue. Next, you will see issues with directionality in dyslectics. And finally, there are two types of memory issues in people with dyslexia 1) sequences that seem illogical and 2) wrote random facts.

Since dyslexia is inherited, it is important be able to identify it in other family members. For so long we denied that anyone in our family had dyslexia because we didn’t have a clue as to what it was to begin with. So, let look at what some of the characteristics of an adult with mild dyslexia may look like. They were probably solid C students, and may have had difficulty taking notes. Their written work was always their weakest skill. They most likely can read, but they are slower, and they probably have to re-read technical things. They dread reading out loud, and are terrible spellers. They are very intelligent, but their written work doesn’t reflect how intelligent they are. They had trouble learning a foreign language, and they probably had trouble with left/rights, up/down, before/after, north/south/east/west. Most importantly, when they are tired, hot, sick or stressed they probable fall back into difficulty with the above problems including confusing b and d and the like.

Did you know that 15-17% of the population is left-handed and that 50% of dyslexics are left-handed and 50% are female? The classic warning signs for dyslexia are that the persons must have problems spelling and 3 or more of the following issues.

-family history

-not speaking by 12 months

-used multi-syllable words out of sequence

-r & l, m & n articulation issues

-slower auditory processing

-smaller auditory memory

-significant auditory discrimination

-chronic ear infections

-problems tying shoe

-problems differentiating between left and right

-late to establish a dominate hand

-problems saying/writing the alphabet (memory & sequencing issue) and includes spelling the last name, address, phone number, remembering abbreviations, letter names and the sound they make, days of the week, months of the year, multiplication tables) -poor spelling and inventive spelling because there are often no vowels they don’t see the letters in the middle of words, often times looking at patterns to decipher the word.



-poor penmanship (dysgraphia) odd pencil grip, inconsistent slant to letters, odd beginning points, inconsistent spacing, can’t copy from the board (this is related to problems with fine motor skills, fading visual memory for two dimensional objects)



Keep in mind that normal style reading test are NOT accurate test. To determine if there is a problem, have them ‘cold read’ from individual word list because they will use picture and context clues to help them decide on a word.

Some of the most common types of mistakes are as follows:

1) girl – gril, form – from, first – fast (same shape)

2) was – saw, who – how, (not backwards reading, it’s sequencing)

3) big – dig, may – way, big – pig (L and R confusion)

4) needed – need, shoulder – should (up/down confusion)

You may also notice that when reading in a book they switch out prepositions because they are more focused on the big words. They may also switch out horse for pony, small for tiny because they are using context clues and not looking at the word.

Be aware that a person with dyslexia can’t break down the individual sounds they are hearing. This is the core and causal factor that separates normal readers from disabled reader. It is an auditory issue to hear and manipulate sounds with in a one syllable worked in your head. Rhyming is an essential pre-reading skill that dyslectics lack.

Remember when I said that dyslexic had bigger brains? Well, they do! The left hemisphere of a normal person in 10% smaller than the right hemisphere, but not so in the dyslexic person. Their left hemisphere is 10% larger than the normal person. They are talented in graphic design, architecture, landscape design, athletic ability, and vocal and instrumental ability (but do not require reading of sheet music). They have wonderful people skills, they are highly intuitive, are creative, global thinkers that are extremely curious. They have mechanical skills; they think logically and often excel in science, medical, and computers or as engineers.

Being dyslexic is not a curse, it is just essential that the problem be recognized so that it can be properly treated. Here is a list of what won’t work:

- Hooked on Phonics

- Reading Recovery

- Reading Naturally

- Accelerated Reader

- Vision Therapy (or colored overlays)

- Brain Gym

- Sylvan, Score & Kuman Centers

- Fast Forward - Ron Davis’ Gift of Dyslexia

- Special Diets

Keep in mind that is better to do nothing that to do the wrong thing.

Here is what will work: Orton – Gillingham (if they are ready for it)

Approved programs include:

- Slingerland

- Alphabetic Phonics

- Project Read

- Wilson - Language!

- Barton Reading & Spelling System

There is an Educational system called Kurzweil that offers comprehensive reading, writing and learning software solution for any struggling reader.


I also recommend reading Overcoming Dyslexia by /Dr Sally Shaysitz. If you want to know more about dyslexia check out the International Dyslexia Association or contact your pediatrician. I am not an expert; this is just some information I've gathered. So please feel free to give me feedback, ask questions, or just tell me your story.

What happened to Christmas?

I am so sick and tired of the buy, buy, buy mentality that so many people have.

George Carlin does this great bit on people and their stuff.



Honestly, is that what Christmas is all about? Our church did a sermon series on

Unwrapping Christmas. Before the service started they played this video:




It's from the Advent Conspiracy web site where they pose the question,

What happened to Christmas? I encourage you to check it out.

Our minister spoke on Beyond the Feast. He brought up that fact that we all get caught up in buying products and services because of the promises that are made, but when the gadget, food, movie or other object doesn't live up to the promise we are back out there looking for more.

Those promises are never truly going to fulfill us; we gorge ourselves asking the question: is there something more? The answer is yes! There is something more, but we can't find it at Target or the grocery store. We need to use our sight, not our eyes, to guide us, to change our hearts so that we can move into action and make lasting changes in our lives. So that we can

find that lasting hope.

I call you into action, make a difference this holiday season and stop

buying all that stuff.

more green ideas

Just a quick review, for the sake of, I don't know, saving the planet. Beth Aldrich and Airwear are teaming up to make sure everyone knows that there are greener choices out there.
Some of the choices we have made are to buy locally when ever possible. If you have a fresh market in your area, you should find out what local farmers are growing. I promise that you will find a lot of healthy choices and you will also be supporting your local growers.
Another greener choice is to use cloth grocery bags when you go shopping I wrote about it here. If you will just buy one bag every time you go to the store, before you know it you won't have to use any plastic bags and you will be saving money. Yes, that right! Many local stores will reimburse you whenever you use your cloth bags.
Most recently, I wrote about using filtered water instead of bottled water here. Plastic bottles aren't not only bad for mother earth, the chemical are dangerous to our bodies too!
Another "environmentally friendly thing we do around here is to recycle.
Any and all of these choices are great. And don't forget that Airwear is using environmentally conscious practices. For example they use 100 percent recycled water and 100 percent recyclable packaging.
Oh, and for those who are plagued with noxious paint fumes, the University of Southern Miss's
polymer science department had developed an environmentally friendly paint. You can read more about it here.

Young Adult Books for Not so Young Adults

When I discovered I was pregnant with my first child I put down the books I read (mainly Anne Rice's vampire chronicles) in favor of those on pregnancy, child development and later, children's books. Several years passed, when quite by accident I happened across a blog that opened the door for me to start reading a genre of books I never would have thought I'd read, much less enjoy. I'm sure you've heard about Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. Since reading her books, I have found myself reading a number of young adult books including The Mortal Instrument series, by Cassandra Clare.

My sweet daughter decided to dress as the one of the main characters, Clary Fray, for Halloween.

Well, as you might of guessed, I didn't stop there. I have read more than a couple of young adult books that would be considered to be urban fantasy/paranormal romance in nature.

Apparently there's quite a debate over what to call this new genre of book. Urban fantasy books are supposedly set in a modern day time period and contain supernatural elements where as, paranormal romance books have to do with mythical, supernatural or what-have-you love stories. Personally, I don't care what the books are labeled as as long as they are well written and entertaining.

I have provided a list of authors and book with links so that you might find a book or two that you would enjoy reading. I would also appreciate any suggestion of books you've enjoyed.

I recently read Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. Shiver is a wonderful book about a girl saved from a wolf attack by one of her attackers. As she grows, she becomes more and more interested in the wolf who saved her. She has an opportunity to return the favor by saving his life. That leads to having to take a second look at her own reality. Maggie has also written several books about fairies, a topic I never really found interesting until I read her first book, Lament. It has a basis in Celtic folk lore that I found interesting. You can purchase it here. I am currently reading the second in that series called Ballad.

Another book that I fell in love with was Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Hush Hush was just released last month. It is a truly a phenomenal story! I promise that Patch will make you question anything you've ever read about fallen angels. She will soon publish the second book in that series; it will be named Crescendo .

Note: There is a wonderful give-a-way going on over at Books Gardens and Dogs where you can win an ARC of Hush Hush so go forth and tell everyone you know to sign up to win!

Sarah Rees Brennan, an Irish author, wrote a wonderful book called The Demon's Lexicon that is a must read in this genre. It's about two brothers whose father was murdered and their mother was driven mad by magicians. While they are running from the demons and their magic, Alan finds himself marked by a demon. As Nick began to question his brother's honesty his world unravels. You really don't want to pass this book over. The second book in this series will be The Demon's Covenant.

Another good author to read is Holly Black. She is best known for her collaboration with Tony DiTerlizzi on the best-selling Spiderwick Chronicles. You can access her web site here. She has also written Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside, a faerie series.

Lisa McMann has a paranormal series which I found very intriguing. The first in her series is Wake, followed by Fade and soon to be released Gone. Janie has the ability to enter into the dreams of others. It's not until she starts working at a local nursing home and befriends an elderly women with similar skills, that she learns to how she can use her unusual talent. Lisa has a contest going on here where she is giving away copies of Gone. You really don't want to miss out!

Candor by Pam Bachirz provided an interesting look into what I already suspected about all these ideal neighborhoods popping up in Florida. Oscar appears to be the perfect teen, but he knows how to fight "The Message." Now he must save Nia or lose himself trying.

Other authors/books that I have on my 'to read' list include Carrie Jones' Need, Immortal by Gillian Shields, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, Melissa Marr's Fragile Eternity, and Evermore by Alyson Noel.

But most importantly Beautiful Creatures by Kami Farcia and Margaret Stohl is to be released December 1, 2009. Now, if you want to win a signed ARC and a plethora of other goodies you can go here and enter the contest!

Irish Beef Stew

When the weather starts to cool off I get a hankering for stew. My favorite is Irish beef stew. I have the ingredients listed below with a rough estimate of how much to use since I'm not really one to measure.

Ingredients

1/8 cup olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces coated in seasoned flour
6 large garlic cloves, minced
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
3 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut (about 7 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons flour

water
Optional:
1 cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of red wine

I like to season my my beef with salt and pepper before I dust with a little flour. Next, I heat my oil in the skillet and brown my meat adding the garlic right at the end. Then, I add the beef stock simmering the meat for an hour before I add the potatoes, onion, carrots, and additional seasonings. I add several cups of water bring to a boil before I turn the heat down, cover, and simmer all afternoon.

Serve with sour cream and crusty bread.

Bottled Water Versus Tap Water; What's Your Choice?

Many times what is right for me and my family isn’t what is right for you and your family. And yes, it is difficult to make the right choice, but I am going to try and forgo convince for the sake of the environment. I drink a lot of water, all bottled. There are so many different thoughts on bottled water. Many people talk about the cost of buying water verses just simply drinking tap water. According to this article here “Commercially-bottled water costs $.25 to $2/bottle…[while] Municipal tap water costs less than a penny to fill a gallon jug! This article here talks about the rise in tooth decay due to the lack of fluoride in bottled water. But, I am only going to focus on two issues; one the chemicals in the bottle that may or may not harm you and two the concern for the environment.

I’m sure you’ve heard the discussions about the chemical bisphenol A (or BPA) but, if you haven’t you need to know that BPA’s a chemical found in soft/flexible plastics that has been found to leach into the food or liquids you drink when heated. Environmental Health News has an article here that explains the side effects of BPA including heart disease and diabetes. The main concern is said to be when the plastic is heated in the microwave or left in the car, but now there is a Harvard study that says BPA is also leached into cold liquids. If BPA is as dangerous whether the food/liquid is cold or heated makes me just a little nervous. If you are concerned about the BPA's in other products, the Green Guide has a great article here about what to look for when purchasing plastic containers.

Being concerned for the environmental is another reason to stop purchasing plastic drinking water.I didn’t feel so bad about my use of plastic bottles while we were collecting them to recycle, but as we found out while living in central Arkansas, no one would take our plastic for the purpose of recycling and we were forced to throw away several large garbage bags of plastic bottles. Now I don’t know what your local recycling center accepts, but you may want to find out before you dismiss the issue. Just click here and enter you zip code to find a recycling center near you.

According to this article only 12% of plastic bottles were recycled in 2003. In fact, I dare you to keep up with ALL the plastic your family uses in a week, including what you use outside the home. Put it all in a garbage bag then at the end of a week look at how much plastic your family has throw away. Now I want you to multiply that by the 112 million families that live in the United States. That’s a lot of plastic; what do you think happens to all of that plastic?

I'm a realistic individual; I know our family won’t be able to give up plastic all together. I'm just talking about taking a small step toward reducing our carbon footprint. So, we decided to buy a PuR water system.

We picked this one up at Sam's Club. It was very reasonably priced and will hold up to 18 8oz cups of water, it even came with 2 aluminium bottles. As you can tell it doesn't take up much room in the fridge.

Okay, so who's up for the challenge? Let see how many plastic bottles we can keep out of the landfill this year!

Exceptional Grace

Remember in school when you learned all the rules. Do you also remember that there are exceptions to rules; like -i before -e except after -c.?

Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament, contains the laws; including dietary restrictions and rituals of worship, as well as details of ritual cleanliness. Many fundamentalist, people who believe in a strict adherence to the Bible, follow these laws. They live by the rules. Now, that sounds like a very reasonable thing to do; but is really?

In Acts 10: 9-16 Peter is told in a vision to not call anything impure that God has made clean. Now understand that Peter lived by the rules of only eating food that has been cleaned according to the law and now he is being told to eat this food that God has made clean. The story continues in verses 17-28 when Peter is ask to go to a Gentile's house. Jews viewed Gentiles as unclean . For Paul to enter Cornelius home he was saying the he would not call any man impure. Paul was living by the exception to the rules.

The choice is the same for us. Will we be bound by the rules of being friends with people who believe just as we do or will we be more interested in the exceptions. It is not always easy to lay down those rules that we have spent a life time following, but isn't that exactly what God is asking us to do?

I have to believe that God is up to something, and that I should ere on the side of grace. So ask yourself; are you the type of person that lives by the rules? Or are you the type that lives by the exceptions?

How Do You See The World?

When you go to a 3D movie, you have to wear special glasses or you will miss out on the special effects. No one wants to sit in the theater and watch a fuzzy picture while everyone around them is reaching out or dodging the spear aimed at the audience, but don't we do that every day?

Have you ever tried to look at a situation from someone else's perspective? It is not an easy feat. I know I usually think I'm right and everyone else is wrong, but is that really the case? Is it really possible that I am always right and everyone else is just missing the big picture? I have to admit that it is very unlikely that I know more that everyone else. I am like the individual who sits out there without the 3D glasses on wondering why everyone isn't seeing what I'm seeing.

Our sermon was about seeing things differently. Now I'm not much of a Christian praise band music lover, but the band performed Brandon Heath's song Give Me Your Eyes.

The chorus goes something like this:

Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

Ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see

In other words, he is asking to see through the eyes of Jesus. If you did try and do that, would you change the decisions you make? Would you change your behavior? Would you still curse that guy who cut you off in traffic if you knew that his son was being rushed to the hospital? Would you refuse to leave a tip to the waiter who spilled your soup because he was distracted by the because he's being evicted for not being able to pay his rent? Many times we miss the opportunities that are right there in front of us. Then we are faced with living with those regrets. I for one, do not want to have a life filled with regrets.

There's a '98 Gwyneth Paltrow movie titled Sliding Doors . After loosing her job Paltrow's character, Helen, has her life take two different paths because of a very small jester. In one story, her life goes on as if she made the tube. Where as in the other version, the door slide closed causing her life to take a very different path.

It can be just that simple for us too. One small event may cause our lives to take a very different path. Or better yet, we could be the one who changes another's life. We could let that guy in front of us so that he can get where he needs to be, or give that deserving waiter a decent tip and allow them to be able to pay their bills. I would like to be able to change my perspective. I want to look at those around me with love and understanding, instead of with a selfish insipid sense of entitlement.

I am going to change the way I see the world....

Sam Bradlley Live

After listened to Classic Rock for the past IDK how many years, I finally broke free of the Grateful Dead rut I was in and started listing to more modern Indy Rock music. May people who haven't known me for very long would be surprised that I had such narrow musical taste. Others, that have known me for years, can't believe how eclectic my current playlist has become. I can't contribute my recent open-mindedness to any one event, but I am enjoying the freedom to download copious amount of music on my Zune.

I have written about Sam Bradley and my love of his music before. I have also seen YouTube clips and downloaded free MP3 songs from ReverNation. I've known that he puts on shows in the Vancouver area where he lives, but being here in the deep south I seriously doubted I'd ever get to see him.




Then it happened, I read on his MySpace blog, that he was going to be in Nashville. Well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to drive a mere 350 miles to see him perform in the intimate setting of 3rd and Lindsley.

Yes, the show was incredible. Sam got on stage at 8p and played non stop for an hour. He was funny, charming and very personable.

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

I was also able to see him in NOLA at the House of Blues several month later, and he was just as gracious and wonderful as he was in Nashville.

tattoos are addictive!

I’ve given a great deal of thought to getting another tattoo. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I used to say that I was only going to get one tattoo. When I was younger I got a tattoo on my left shoulder of a shaman. Ever since then I've wanted another one. I ended up putting flames around the shaman. It looks like the figure is dancing in the fire. I thought be adding the fire I hadn't actually broken my oath to only have one tattoo. For a while I considered adding a tattoo of the earth behind the fire so that it looked like the world was on fire. Then the reality of the size the earth would have to be, to be recognizable, set in and I decided against doing that. Now I’m back to the point where I still want a tattoo. If my mother is reading this her mouth is wide open and she’s saying, “NO!” but come on Mom, get over it.

Anyway the whole point is to get your input. Please help me decide which tat I should get and where I should get the it. I especially like the "tribal" type tats. The one above is the symbol for Gemini, which is appropriate. I also like the idea of something Celtic in nature.



As for location, I want it to be seen, but not all of the time. My foot maybe? Or my ankle? The nape of my neck? Any other suggestions? Some of the ideas I have are probably out of my budget, but they are so cool! Please look at the ideas below and let me know what you think. You can pause the slide show and read the label by moving your mouse over it. Remember I need an idea of where to get it and which one you like. Thanks for you input!

Moonlight

I recently posted a video of one of my favorite musicians, Sam Bradley. If you haven't hear him sing you really should. His voice is soulful and sexy. The exciting news is that he is currently in Paris cutting an album.

I also posted about a current favorite book series just last week. You must put Clarissa Clare's The Mortal Instruments books on your library list. I promise you will enjoy both of these books and don't forget book three, City of Glass, comes out this March.



Now I have to tell you about my all time favorite TV series, Moonlight. No not Moonlighting, just Moonlight. It was last seasons most highly rated show on Friday night. Sadly, CBS did not commission a second season. I understand that fans had started an internet campaign to try to bring back Moonlight. Hopes have been raised and dashed several times, but it doesn't look like we are going to see Mick St. James anytime soon.



I didn't start watching Moonlight until the second to the last episode. After watching it for the first time I about fell out of my chair. The acting was sensational and the plot line was exceptional. I can't say anything bad about this series. The DVD from the first season was release recently. I had it on the top of my Netflix query and have spent the past two weekend transfixed by Mick and Beth's relationship. There are 4 disk in the collection so give yourself time to sit back and watch. You can also check your local listing, I believe the SCI-FI is showing re-runs every Friday night, but I recommend starting from the beginning.

The Mortal Instruments Series

I know, I know I haven't posted in a coons age. Sorry but I've been a bit burned out what with NaBloPoMo and the the holidays, but I promise *fingers crossed* to make an effort.


I thought I'd take a moment and post a books series that I recommend reading. Like the last series that I read, an on-line friend recommended this book and I'm hooked. The first book in Cassandra Clare's series of The Mortal Instruments is City of Bones. I would describe this book as a science-fiction urban fantasy with a twist. Here we meet Clary a 16 year old artist going to an all-ages club with her best friend Simon. While there she witnesses three shadowhunters; Jace, Isabelle and Alec, kill a demon boy. Since she is the only one who can see the shadow-hunters, Clary begins to question her whole world. This ability to see through the glamour, and her missing mother lead her into a life she never could have imagined.



As much as she wants her life to go back to the way it used to be, the magical world of the fairies, werewolves, vampires, and shadowhunters has its hold on the young Clary. In the second book, City of Ashes, Clary continues her search for her mother, who she now knows was once a shadowhunter herself. All the enjoyable characters from City of Bones are there, ready to give you the ride of your life. And it is a ride you will truly enjoy!



The third book in the series, City of Glass is due to be released this March. I have so many questions I want answered which I won't voice since I don't want to give any spoilers away. I did, however, read a review that blew my socks off and thought I'd pass the link along to you here.

Too Far Gone

I have a new favorite song that I wanted to share with everyone. I realize my favorites change with the breeze, but this guy is really worth a listen.




If you like him you can download this song and one other here.

FEMA moving at government speed

In August of 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Three years later FEMA's trailers still sit in Hope, Arkansas. Now there's government bureaucracy at work.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all a wonderful day full of love, hope and thankfulness.

Hurry Sicknes

Are you suffering from Hurry Sickness? You can diagnose yourself quite easily.
Are you constantly focused on getting things done?
Are you preoccupied with escaping?
Does it seem that time is passing too quickly?
Do you have a constant sense of urgency?
Do you desire a simple life?
Do you have little time for love?
If you answered yes to most of these questions then you have Hurry Sickness, not to be confused with being busy. Being busy is an outward condition. Hurry Sickness is and inward condition of the soul having to do with competing priorities
So here are five thing you can do to cure what ails you.
1) slow down
2) say no
3)declutter
5) use leisure in life giving ways
To be content is not having all you want, but to want only what you have.

Are You Suffering from S.A.D.?

With Thanksgiving upon us it's the perfect time to examine what we have to be thankful for. As Americans who live in a country where we can worship freely and voice our opinions without fear of retribution, why is it that we are always complaining? I think the we are just down right ungrateful.

What does it mean to be ungrateful? The dictionary says it's being thankless. I feel like we are blind to the the blessings, we always want more I wish I had this or that. Our pastor calls that condition S.A.D. The S stands for stressed, the A for angry and the D for depressed. Look at 2 Timothy 1:3 tells us

"I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers."

If we have poisoned ourselves with S.A.D. Then what we need to do is stop blaming others and make a decision to change our attitude. Yes, it is a choice and it is up to us to stop magnifying the bad. When we put the negative parts of our life under the microscope they get distorted and we are not able to look at the big picture. So many times we say if God would just speak to me, tell me where to go or what to do, well, guess what He is speaking to us. In Ephesians 5:20 He says,

"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

To give thanks in all circumstances, this is God's will for us. Not just when things are going well, but all the time we are to give thanks. When we focus on God's blessings we will be blessed.
If you don't believe me just look at this study here. Dr. McCollough and Dr. Emmons conducted a study on gratitude. Basically, people were divide up into several groups. One group was instructed to focus on everything that is wrong in the world while another group was instructed to focus on the goodness. The results were outstanding. The gratitude group was less angry, more energetic, determined, joyful, they exercised more and had fewer illness. I think that says a lot for what ails this country, myself include. We are all suffering from Eeyore syndrome. As you know from the old Winnie the Pooh cartoons, Eeyore was always under a cloud of misery. Let us remember that when we choose to live like that we won't be able to see sun shine through.

Have you ever wondered why people who have been raised in some of the worst circumstances rise above all of that? It's because of their outlook on life. The choices that you make not only have an effect on you, but the effect those around you. I want to use this up in coming holiday to focus on the blessings in my life. To have an attitude of gratitude. I think this simple choice will make a big difference in my life, anyone else willing to give it a try?

Beloved Pets

As I was looking through old pictures the other day I saw one of a dog I used to have. She died shortly after my husband and I were married. She got me to thinking about all the other pets I've had and how they have effected me throughout the years. I remember my parents telling me that I was afraid of dog as a little girls. They would encourage me to pet friendly dogs we encountered until I wasn't afraid anymore.

The first dog I brought home was part German Sheppard and part Collie. We named him Trouble. Now I don't know if his name was a self fulfilling prophecy or if it was just his nature, but he was trouble. I remember that he would grab hold of my shirt sleeve and lead me around the yard. He dug holes everywhere. Eventually, we gave him to someone who could handle big a dog.

One birthday I got a first poodle. She was black, but turned silver over the years. I named her GiGi after the Gayfer Girls at the old Gayfer's department store. Being an only child, that dog became my best friend and I was heart broken when she died.

The next dog I got was a poodle too. She was white and tiny as could be. I named her Giggit after the Giggit movies. She was there with me during some of the worst times of my life. She's the dog that died after my husband and I were married. I think he loved that dog more than he loved me.

We adopted Ayla shortly after Giggit died. We named her after a character in the book Clan of the Cave Bear. She's a sweetheart. Don't get me wrong, there have been times I wanted to toss her out the door. Like when she'd bark and wake the baby up or pee on the carpet. That's probably why my husband and her have such a close relationship now. He wasn't there when I had taken such care to get the baby to sleep only to have her screaming in her crib all because the dog was barking at a squirrel in the front yard. I know that she will die one day and that there will be another dog in our lives, but I just can imagine life without our Ayla.