The Jalapeño HotLine

Puppies

2008-11-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

You have got to see these puppies !!!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

First Snow

2008-10-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

Erica took this picture at school today !!

My New Accessory Store!

2008-10-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,

I recently started selling accessories on ebay. My store is called "Cherry on Top Accessories". You can take a look at my stuff here or here.
Let me know what yall think! I'll be adding more stuff soon!

Diane

Halloween 2008

2008-10-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Scenic Road Trip

2008-10-01T19:00:00.001-07:00

As Laura said, our journey to OH through PA was enhanced with a spectacular sunset and rainbow. These pictures were taken through the car window, so don't do them justice. You can only imagine how impressive they were!

Downtown Massillon was quiet as the town has followed the trend of shopping malls on the outskirts, but the architecture and murals were interesting to see.

Stephanie's Dorm Room

2008-10-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

OhiO

2008-10-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our Ohio trip. Erica & Brian were performing in Massillon, with Jeff attending as a chaperone. Mom & I drove out there, and Stephanie flew in to Cleveland to join us. It was fun to have our family re-united, and Stephanie enjoyed getting the spectator's perspective, and seeing some HS friends. Erica & Brian did a great job !!!

Mom & I drove Route 80 all the way across Pennsylvania, with some incredible scenery. On the way West there was a beautiful sunset that lingered on the horizon for hours ! Returning East, we missed all the rain, and instead were treated to the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen. It spanned the horizon, and we could actually see where it touched the ground !!

At one of the rest stops on the way back, I learned about Cherry Springs State Park, which is renowned on the East Coast for its dark skies, and has an observatory. I am hoping to return to take advantage of this.

2008-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

hey everyone, we survived the second week of school, zack is in 7th grade now, and savannah is in 2nd. i've already been to both back-to-school nights, and spoke with savannah's class this morning about her life-threatening allergy to nuts. there were many questions, mostly centered around 1) the epipen needle, and 2) dying. one boy asked repeatedly, what if you don't have the medicine? but we do have the medicine. what if you don't? but we do. but what if you don't? NEXT QUESTION. another little boy said what if he has an allergy and doesn't know it -- he doesn't have the medicine (repeat three times).

i really wasn't trying to freak them out, the reason we talked to them about her allergy was to educate them on how they can help by 1) not sharing food, 2) washing their hands before AND after eating, and 3) never teasing Savannah about her allergy or the epipen.

i can't imagine what their dinner conversations will be like tonight....

Looking for home for cat

2008-09-04T03:14:00.000-07:00

My cat Sneaky is a 6 year old Pixie Bob. She is declawed and microchipped and up to date on her shots. She is really affectionate and talks a lot. I am having trouble because of my travel - she is so lonely. Is there anyone who would be willing to give her a home? Call me at 214-864-2947 if you can help out. She is fixed. Her coat is sort of spotted and she has a short tail.

Waiting For Gustav

2008-09-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

It's Monday morning in Baton Rouge and I'm sitting in Cathie's house listening to the wind and rain from the leading edge of Hurricane Gustav, which is making landfall in south Louisiana as a Category 2 storm. The main worry this far inland is that we'll lose power as the wind starts downing tree limbs, so Cathie and I are plugging away on our laptops while we can.

I left New Orleans on Saturday night to avoid traffic (the city issued a mandatory evacuation order on Sunday morning) and arrived in Baton Rouge with no difficulties. Most New Orleanians were either on the road or finishing final preparations by that point, so most everyone I saw was packing their car or putting plywood over their windows. By way of contrast, preparations here in Baton Rouge seem pretty minimal - biking around Cathie's old neighborhood I didn't see a single house with boarded windows! Cathie's house is a mid-1930's Arts & Crafts bungalow and should be able to withstand the storm with no problems; hopefully the nearby trees will do the same.

So we're here working until the lights go out, and then we'll probably crack a book or two, open a bottle of wine and wait for the storm to blow over. We have plenty of supplies and are about as prepared as we can be. I'll probably try to get back to New Orleans in the next day or two - security there is very high (the LA National Guard is out in force) so I'm not worried about looters. I'll post an update if anything noteworthy happens.

Finally...the Bench!

2008-08-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

It took out about two weeks longer than I thought, but there was really no deadline. After changing my mind several times and redoing certain portions, it probably has more coats of paint than it needs, but it was yet another learning experience and fun to do!

I learned that I don't like to do base coats. I'm too impatient and it shows up in my drips, blobs of paint, and irregular brush strokes (plus lack of sanding in between coats). On the other hand, I'm probably too obsessed with design (I'm one of the kids who had to color within the lines), and I touched those up ad infinitum. (Ralph asked at the first of the week if I ever planned to finish it!)

It hit the backyard yesterday and it immediately started raining. Ah well...it's up to the elements now...I've done all I can do!

A run of good things

2008-07-30T00:06:00.001-07:00

Well, I sold my house in San Antonio - the price sucked, but at least my company covers some of the loss. Also, 3 weeks ago, I quit smoking!!! Right now I am in Romania, and I was worried about maintaining it here because everybody smokes, but really, I just have to inhale and I get a nicotine hit - no seriously, I have no desire to smoke. I took Chantix for 2 weeks, but then I stopped due to headaches and I am having no problems.

This week I am in Romania, where the refinery has planned a big trip to the Danube Delta. Then I go to Poland for a week, then to Spain for a week to see Gaby and Juan Jose. They live in Allariz, near Portugal. I am supposed to return to Romania Sept 8 to live for 3 months but the contract has not been finalized.

Every day here, we work until 4 and then I head to the beach along side the Black Sea for a few hours. The hotel is on the beach. Living here won't be so great though as there is not much to do and it is not easy to travel anywhere else except for maybe Bulgaria.

Anyway,
hello to everybody?!!!
Love,
Val

Frustration and Contemplation

2008-07-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

My current project is painting a bench for the backyard. I planned to copy a design from a book I first checked out of the library and then purchased used from Amazon. It involves suns and squiggles, multiple colors, etc. Unfortunately, the paint I am using, exterior enamel, does not layer well, and my stencils are not sticking well enough for me to get a clean line. That's my frustration. (And, BTW, the pink is the primer). Any suggestions?

My contemplation? Frequently, the NY Times magazine has a feature that involves an interview with an interesting person...a chef, a designer, a writer. Some of the questions involve their daily schedule, their favorite foods, or an item they would never give up. As I sit on my little blue stool contemplating my frustrating paint job, I realize how much I use it.

It started out as one of two chairs accompanying a round child's table that Judi, Valerie, and Laura's grandparents gave to them. No plastic in the 60's; this was solid maple. The only remnant left is this backless stool, which now has Kristin's name carved into it. It has traveled around the US with me, and I use it to stand on to paint, to hang pictures, to wash windows, to reach things that are too high, and now to sit on and think. It seems indestructible. Hopefully, one day it won't prove me wrong and crumble beneath me, but, at least, I won't have far to fall! I could buy a new and safer replacement, but as long as it lasts, I won't give this faithful friend up!

I'm curious. What would you not give up?

Holy Helicopters, Batman!

2008-07-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

One of the cooler things about having a wildfire in the area is the sudden surfeit of emergency vehicles in the area. Fire trucks, airplanes, and helicopters, oh my!

Here we are getting ready to board "Shania", a very large air crane:
Here are Lilli and Michael doing their pre-flight checks:
Toby, with his steady hand and sharp eye, is ready to man the pumps:

Lilli and Michael, taking off from the pond and heading back out to the front line with 2,000 gallons of water:

Way to go, guys!

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-05T13:37:00.001-07:00

Happy 7th birthday to Lillian today!

Sunsets in Mariposa, CA

2008-06-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Science for Kids

2008-06-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Pour milk into a dish, about 1 inch deep.

Add drops of food color.

Drip dish soap into each area of food color.

Presto chango.

The science of it.

Happy Birthday!

2008-06-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Happy (belated) first birthday to Toby!

California is on fire

2008-06-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

California had some interesting weather last Saturday. A lightning storm moved over much of the state. Today, there are still 1,088 fires burning in California. In our area, there are 12 fires. The closest is at 2,200 acres (the Oliver fire).

A couple nights ago, you could see it from the top of our road. Lilli wanted to do something to help the firefighters. So today we took cold water and home-made cookies out to the fire line. We have met firefighters from all over California, and also got to watch the big choppers filling up from a pond.

In the meantime, the smoke in the air is really bad. There's a visible haze, and it's difficult to see the hills just ten miles away. The sun is a brilliant red when it sets. The air quality is the worst it has ever been up here. But we count ourselves lucky - we are not among the 200 threatened homes, and we did not have to evacuate. Let's just hope that the thunderstorms predicted for the weekend don't materialize!

2008-06-17T05:18:00.001-07:00

Congratulations !!

Ralph's 75th ~ June 29

Judi's 50th ~ June 20

Exciting News!

2008-06-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope you all had fun at Aunt Judi's wedding because you're gonna be coming to another one soon! Justin and I got engaged! We don't know when the wedding will be, probably in a year or so, but just wanted to share the good news with everyone!

- Diane

How Low Can You Go???

2008-06-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

hi everyone, sorry to be so scarce, it's been one hectic week after another with 1) wedding, 2) party, 3) roger getting mrsa virus, 4) packing, 5) resolving crises at my house prior to closing, 6) finalizing decisions related to renovating "roger's" house, 7) more packing, 8) end-of-year school stuff, 9) packing, 10) moving.

news at our house -- zack's lacrosse team made league championships, came in second, so he got a trophy after his very first season in his very first team sport ever. Sixth grade graduation was yesterday, all the sixth graders and all the first graders cried (savannah was a wreck!).

alex moved in with us about three weeks ago, he and zack are really bonding, i think zack is relieved to not be the oldest now.

savannah already missing first grade, last day of school is tomorrow -- yay!

btw - -our new address is 8812 southwick street, fairfax, va 22031, home phone (703)280-0790

sorry to miss everyone at stephanie and brian's graduation, we were in moving hell!

love, judi

Congratulations, Stephanie & Brian

2008-06-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Stephanie & Brian's respective graduations, from High School & 8th grade. Friday night we enjoyed a family dinner at Maggiano's. If you've never been there, it's a treat. With a large group, for a fixed price, you get a family-style meal with the choice of 2 appetizers, 2 pastas, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts PLUS you get the leftovers (well-marked) to take home. The mushroom-stuffed ravioli was my favorite and the profiteroles a close second.

Saturday night we enjoyed a catered cookout with yet another great selection of food and on Sunday night, Stephanie's church honored ten graduates with another dinner.

In between eating, there was game playing, a trip to see the new Raider's movie and a little time for hanging out. Unusually for NJ, the temps hit the mid-90's over the weekend!

Pictures!

2008-05-31T17:31:00.001-07:00

My friend Sean just got a great new Nikon D40 DSLR camera. We took it out and about to Coopers Rock and a couple other places on Friday to test it and just have some fun. We took about 350 pictures, uploaded 140 to Facebook, and I've selected 12 to put up here for now. I'm working on getting him to upload all of the pictures to Flickr so they can be viewed in their normal resolution and be easier to share. I'll post a link here when that's done. Oh, you might notice something different about me. Click the pictures for a bigger view.

Bubba Blooms!

2008-05-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

Once Bubba started, he's been blooming for a couple of months. We've seen larger trees that are really spectacular, so can't wait until he's a little older. We're also enjoying the wildflowers, some of which were new to me, such as the "purple horse mint." Kind of neat to see them sprouting next to the agaves and yuccas!

Five Little Swallows

2008-05-27T06:44:00.001-07:00

It's been interesting to watch our resident bird family, but hard to take pictures. These were snapped through the window. With five babies, the nest is a little overcrowded at night. Even when they look sound asleep, five little beaks open promptly when Mama or Papa arrive with a tempting morsel. They're almost two weeks old now, so it should be time for flight practice soon!

It's Bloomin' Time !

2008-05-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

Finally, my gardens are in bloom. It's been a very cold Spring - usually the poppies & peonies bloom around May 1 - This year it was May 24 ! (The bush is a rhododendron)

Today is Memorial Day, so we are going downtown to watch Erica march with the band in the local parade. Then a backyard bbq, and yard work !! The kids have Tuesday off for a snow day give-back, so if it is not raining we are going to the beach !

Brian just got back from the 8th grade Hershey Park trip - Thursday night is a dinner & dance and Friday they spend the day at the park. He'll be back at the park next Friday, when the Wind Ensemble goes there for Music In the Parks.

I am still working on Stephanie's t-shirt quilt - I would like to have the quilt top completed for graduation. That's only 21 days away, so I have to get to work.

Hope eveyone is having a great weekend !!

Prayers for my house sale

2008-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot of traffic through the house in San Antonio and I am also trying to sell the land Juancho and I bought in NC. We have had three showings this weekend on the house and I ask for everyone to please pray that I get an offer. I am desperate and I am still stuck with the house in VA with a 9.5% ARM. I am trying to get out of the financial mess I am in and thank God I sold the house in Houston, so things are looking better.

In other news, Diane is about to get her Realtor's license and already has a job with Keller Williams. Justin is taking a course to get his teaching certificate and should begin teaching in September.

I may have to go to Romania for 4 months or 3 years, depending who you ask - I can sort of negotiate the terms. It sucks, because it is difficult to travel from Constanta, where the refinery is, to the nicer parts of Europe. I could see Bulgaria, Serbia, the Ukraine, Moldovia, and Turkey> Woo hoo. The good news is I would visit the 2 contractor's offices in the Netherlands.

Anyone who has an in with the Big Guy, please help me out.

Love,
Val

NJ Gas Prices

2008-05-14T21:02:00.001-07:00

For some reason, NJ has some of the lowest gas prices. This is from today, on the NJ Turnpike. Most stations are $ 3.59 - $ 3.70, but the Turnpike is only allowed to change prices once a week.

Got gas?

2008-05-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

If not, buy it anywhere but here. Gas prices have finally broken $4/gallon in Mariposa. Unleaded is now $4.09 / 4.19 / 4.29. There are two stations holding out at $3.99, but they have the two higher grades priced higher than normal (usually the grades are priced in 10 cent increments) at 4.19 and 4.29.

ASTHMA UPDATE

2008-05-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this link to a NY Times article regarding the new HFA Inhalers !!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13asth.html?ex=1368331200&en=688716f73ce7e868&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T04:40:00.001-07:00

Mom - you are the best. You've helped me through some tough times. I am glad you are my mother.

And Happy Mother's Day to Judi, Laura, and Kristin!!!

Love,

Val

Schafer genealogy

2008-05-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

Does anyone have any information on the Schafer family tree? I had gotten some info from Grandpa before he died, and I gave somebody a copy but I have lost it in all my moves. I understand many of the Schafers were from Bremen - I travel through Germany a lot and I was kind of curious.

Val

Almost SummerTime

2008-05-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

We all had a great time in Virginia, and now I am getting ready for our big event - Stephanie's HS Graduation and Brian's 8th grade graduation !!

Stephanie is taking some AP exams this week & next - hopefully, after all that, the work is over - just Prom, Graduation, & Summer Time !! We'll be driving her out to St Louis on Aug 20. The challenge is to fit everything in the minivan - which is probably equal in volume to her half of a dorm room !!

Brian is looking forward to lots of camp this summer - he's attending a CTY camp in PaleoBiology at Franklin & Marshall College, a 1 week church service project, as well as Y Camp at Speers-Eljabar. And a new one this year - he will be in Band Camp with Erica the last 2 week of August.

Erica is having a great year with Marching Band, Jazz Band & Key Club. This summer she'll be working as a Camp Counsellor at the local Girl Scout Camp. She's taking a week off to go on the church mission trip. Also, she'll be "Sweet 16" in July - she'll get her permit, & we'll spend some time cruisin'. She's looking forward to returning to Band & School as an upperclass Junior !!

Last year we had a great time travelling to Rome, Venice & Yellowstone - this year we're staying closer to home. After school is out we're camping at Assateague for a few days with a bunch of friends. Then it's a relaxing summer at home - quilting, local beaches, cleaning out the Aegean Stables (aka the basement).

I really enjoyed spending time with everyone !!

Love,
Laura

NoVa

2008-05-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great time - Here are my favorite pictures...

Toby in VA

2008-05-01T13:22:00.001-07:00

A trip to No. Va. isn't complete without a shopping spree at Tysons Corner!
Hanging out with Aunt Val while Mommy shops.

Glad they followed the instructions!

Makes sense, doesn't it?

I'm at home anywhere!

More Snaps

2008-05-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

After the vows

Judi & Roger on the
dance floor AND Brian & Diane

Congratulations, Judi & Roger

2008-05-01T07:17:00.001-07:00

What a great weekend. It was wonderful to have all of you together! Here's a few pics from Val and me. Let's see more!

The New Family...Welcome, Roger, Brian, and Alex!

Mark, Valerie, and Diane

Erica, Laura, Stephanie, Brian, and Jeff

Kristin and Toby

Valerie and Rob

West-Wentz Wedding

2008-04-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hello. Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome, and for helping to celebrate this wonderful event. This wedding marks the beginning of a great adventure. The ceremony was beautiful and I’m just so excited to welcome Judi, Zack and Savannah into our family. I thought I’d share some photos with everyone. Feel free to get in touch with me at "Mr.BrianWentz@gmail.com"

Brian Wentz

the West tribe

Alex and Zack

the happy couple, aren't they cute

thats my dad

New Residents

2008-04-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

Ralph and I both noticed a lot of debris on the front porch and could not figure out from whence it came, until we looked UP and saw two barn swallows laboriously constructing a mud nest in a corner of the porch roof. If you're in the garage when they're working, it sounds like a buzz saw in action.

Where do birds go during the day and what do they do...aerial exercises, cavorting with other birds, gobbling up worms? The birds are usually gone from mid-morning on until nightfall when they fall peacefully asleep.

A Little Bit More of Texas

2008-04-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

I recently had a friend visiting from VA. After doing the obligatory Alamo/River Walk, we traveled south to the King Ranch, which is larger than the state of Rhode Island. There we saw lots of Santa Gertrudis cattle, some beautiful quarterhorses, lots of mesquite and prickly pear cactus, but, unfortunately, no working cowboys.

From there we continued to Port Aransas on Mustang Island, a typical beach town. Had a great seafood dinner and heard some live country music. The next day we drove back through Corpus Christi which has a beautiful waterfront. There's a walk (similar to the malecon in Puerta Vallarta) with sculptures along the way. Our visit coincided with a Festival of Arts and we saw a performance by future flamenco dancers (average age, 8-10).

My friend also wanted to tour the LBJ ranch. It was an interesting tour; the docents came just short of referring to Johnson as "Saint LBJ," but what would you expect in Johnson City? The horns of the cattle are still branded with "LBJ." Here's a picture of the "Texas White House," as it was referred to during LBJ's term.

We also visited Wild Seed Farms, which specializes in native plants and wild flower and native grass seeds. It had a lovely gift shop with many items featuring the Texas Bluebonnets. I bought a rock there, which seems sort of ludicrous, since our yard seems to be mostly limestone from about two inches down. However, this one was carved out to serve as a planter. We sowed wild flower seeds last fall and our bluebonnets are up and blooming.

Spring is in the air

2008-04-09T16:50:00.001-07:00

Lilli got some Painted Lady caterpillars as part of her 4-H Entomology project. The butterflies were very cooperative about emerging from their chrysalises on a day we were home to watch them. Here are two of them on the day that we released them.

Another 4-H project of hers has been very informative - in the Vegetable Gardening group, the kids got to make a "lasagna" garden bed. So with the kids help, I now have a lasagna garden, too! It was very easy to do. We used cinder blocks as a border, laid down wire mesh (to keep the gophers out), cardboard, peat moss, straw and compost. As soon as I finish the fence (to keep the deer out), Lil can plants the seedlings she's got - cabbage, lettuce and squash. I'll post pictures when we've got something growing.

2008-03-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kristin !!

April 3

Shawn in the paper

2008-03-25T13:38:00.001-07:00

Shawn got his picture in the local paper last week!

This week is a slow week for us. We're back from camping, so now the sorting out and washing of clothes and dishes begins. The schools are on spring break, so our schedule is empty. Yay! Now that we're back I can get back to my other current project: the bookshelves.

Camping was fun. Lilli was out running around with her friends most of the weekend. Michael doesn't remember camping two summers ago, but quickly warmed up to our friends. Both of them got a pile of eggs in the Easter Egg hunt that was held on site. The weather was nice - very warm and pleasant for so early in the summer. Toby was fussy - he had two (!) teeth come in over the weekend. He was also very tired by the time we got home - it's hard to nap when there's so much going on around you.

Carnegie Hall

2008-03-19T05:01:00.000-07:00

***************Although the city was under seige by giant M&M's, we had a successful journey into New York. Jeff, as a chaperone, left early with Stephanie and Erica to make the trek in by bus. Laura, Brian, and I followed by train later.

There were only five High School Wind Ensembles invited from across the US...Allentown, PA; Missoula, MT; Brooklyn, NY; San Jose, CA; and Bridgewater-Raritan, NJ plus the Bridgewater-Raritan HS Symphony Orchestra. Erica plays clarinet in the Wind Ensemble and Stephanie is 1st Chair in the Bass section of the orchestra. Selection for participation in these are through auditions.

The only downer was that we could not take pictures or record. We had heard the orchestra the night before in the school gym. Needless to say, hearing them and seeing them on stage in the Hall was thrilling. Bridgewater-Raritan came home with two gold medals and Brooklyn with one.

And, as a bonus tonight, as part of the Spring Music Festival, I also got to hear Brian play the baritone horn with the 8th grade band.

I have always been impressed with the quality of the music program in this school district. Over the past three years, the wind ensemble has sent 17 music majors out into the collegiate ranks. They graduate from Bridgewater-Raritan sounding like professional musicians. No squeaky clarinets here. Congratulations to you all!

Books, Books, Books !!

2008-03-16T14:57:00.001-07:00

Hey,

Does any gal out there want a box of random romances ?? Let me know....

2008-03-14T15:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Diane & Brian !!

Brian - March 17

Diane - March 20

Rabies in Romania

2008-03-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got bit by a wild dog near the hotel - When Ceauçescu became the communist dictator here, he destroyed all of the townhomes and built apartments and he made the people turn their dogs out on the street. There are crazy dogs everywhere, some quite agressive. Anyway, the bite was small, and I cleaned it well but to make a long story short, the company doctor here in Romania insisted that I must have the rabies series, so I had to go to a hospital today where they gave me a shot and I have to go back for 4 more shots.

I asked if I could just be bit many times once I've had the shots but it doesn't work that way. The first time, 5 shots - after that, for the second bite, 3 shots.

The worst thing is that they told me no caffeine - coca cola, coffee or chocolate for the whole 28 days I have to have the shots - I find that hard to believe, so I will have to Google it. Over here, all there is to eat is pui, piept de pui, şi mai pui (chicken, chicken breast, and more chicken.) Therefore I eat a lot of bread and cheese and chocolate.

Other than that, everything is great! I am learning to speak a lot of Romanian and I bought some tight Romanian jeans and some bottles of Romanian wine. For me, it is more fun to see a grocery store in a foreign country than to see a museum!!!

Val

PS: Here are the things I have read that people have been told not to do while having the vaccine: no caffeine, no alcohol, no garlic or spicy food, no exercise, no sex for 4 months, no lying in the sun, no swimming. Actually, the first two appear to be true.

magic underwear

2008-03-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

hi all...guess what, zack has taken up lacrosse. this is a "contact sport." he has spent the first few practices learning where he is allowed to whack someone. zack is a lot shorter than half the team, so keeps getting hit in the face -- he thinks they're trying to hit him in the chest. i had to buy him sports underwear for the first time, you know, it has a "cup" in it. we call it "magic underwear." first game is on march 29. i hope he doesn't get his teeth knocked out, or his, you know.

as for me, i gave up and ordered the next size up dress for The Big Day. having an issue with the side zipper, which keeps bunching up. backup plan is to wear jeans.....

i love reading everyone's blogs, sorry to not comment, barely have my head on straight. am getting ready to list house, am sure it will go like a hotcake in this market! (that was a joke!)

hope all is well with everyone! love, judi

Conversations in Russian

2008-03-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

Some guy from Kazakhstan IMed me on Skype - I read that there are a lot of Germans that live there since WW II. He saw my last name and thought I was Kazakhi! I had a whole conversation with him using freetranslation.com.

Whenever I fly Luftansa, they also speak to me in German. Too bad I do not understand a word!!!

Да (Da) means yes
Нет (Nyet) means no
Валерия is Valery in Russian

Вячеслав says: привет!
Valerie Schafer says: Поздравления! Я - 48-летняя женщина. Прямо сейчас я работаю в Румынии над очистительным заводом, который принадлежит Kazakhstanis. Сколько вам лет?
Вячеслав says: Мне 34
Вячеслав says: Я тлько что с Вами разговаривал. Но вы говорили по Английски... Да
Valerie Schafer says: Да http://www.freetranslation.com/
Вячеслав says: Что это за сылка. У нас уже ночь а у вас???
Valerie Schafer says: да, мы говорили
Вячеслав says: Вам наверно тяжело со мной разговаривать? Вы по русски не говорите? Valerie Schafer says: Я нахожусь в Румынии, это - ночь
Вячеслав says: Вы через переводчик меня понимаите? да?
Valerie Schafer says: Нет, я не говорю на русском языке. Вы говорите на любом другом языке?
Вячеслав says: Нет...
Valerie Schafer says: Да, я могу понять Вас
Вячеслав says: Как вы меня нашли? У вас наверно очень много работы на сегодня и вы очень устали ?
Valerie Schafer says: Я не находил Вас. Вы нашли меня

I wouldn't normally ask this....

2008-03-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

But please check out this page at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association and click on the red box to sign their petition. The courts in Los Angeles have rendered a ruling that finds homeschooling to be illegal (there is a link to the court opinion at the bottom of the page above if you want to read it yourself). Currently homeschoolers in California can either register with the state as a private school or can enroll in a public charter school. This ruling finds that these families are violating the law if the child is not being taught by a credentialed tutor. If this ruling stands, California will have the most regressive laws in the nation vis a vis homeschooling.

Slight Correction....

2008-03-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well, the democrats had a caucus after voting on Tuesday and the Republicans had a "Convention"...I'm not sure what the exact differences are but it was really cool. I was the youngest one there. The precinct President was an old Texan man wearing a Texas-flag vest that said "Don't Mess With Texas" so I was sure I wouldn't like him, but to my surprise, He's a RON PAUL fan too!

Anyways, I talked to alot of people there and they couldn't believe a 22 year old was at the convention. So they called the meeting to order and the first order of business was nominating and voting for a permanent Precinct Secretary for the Repub. Committee. They unanimously nominated me and I won the vote!

The next order of business was nominating delegates to go to the national republican conventions on March 29 and some other one in Minneapolis or something...all I know is, its a pretty important thing and guess what? THEY VOTED ME AS A DELEGATE! There were only 7 chosen for my precinct!

So I'm Secretary of my precinct and Delegate of the GOP. (i think) I kind of don't know what I got myself into, but hey - it seemed like a good idea and a cool experience. Perhaps you will all see me on Fox News battling it out with Bill O'Reilly!

All of that stuff was cool but the real victory...Grandpa voted for Ron Paul! That was a mission I have been on for months! Oh, and I voted for RP too. And there were a heck of alot of Obamacrats at the polling place...they are RUDE and UNHELPFUL. just wanted to put that on the record. Every Obama supporter in Precinct 3099 and 3101 can kiss my Republican Elephant!! HAAA!

Oh..and for the record...I am a Constitutionalist and a Libertarian, but that wasn't an option on voting day. haha.

p.s. looks like Brian and I have birthdays coming up *wink wink*

Happy Republican Mom

2008-03-05T16:16:00.001-08:00

Well, Diane participated in the Republican caucus in Texas and was selected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention!!! She's a Ron Paul supporter. I'm just excited I raised a Republican!!!

Busy week ahead

2008-03-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

We finally have a DSL line. Wahoo! I was beginning to think we'd be the last people in California to get one ;) Lilli has been enthralled by the Sir David Attenborough clips on YouTube. Me, I'm just loving how quickly pages load now. Hmmmm, I bet photos will upload better now, too. Here are some obligatory cute kids shots just to check. Yep, pretty quick. Wahoo!

We have a busy week ahead of us. Luckily the kids are now well again. Just when I had been getting smug about us having missed getting the nasty flu that was going around, whammo! Lilli got it first, then Michael, then Toby. Now, God willin' and the crick don't rise, we're on the way to snot-free living.

Tomorrow we have grocery shopping to do. A major event that takes most of the day. Half-an-hour drive, big store, three kids. Joy joy fun fun. There's a reason I only do this once a month ;) On the plus side, while we're in Oakhurst, we can stop by the consignment store for the $1 sale to stock up on winter clothes for the kids, and maybe stop at the park for a while. Then back to town for a 4-H meeting (Poultry). Tuesday brings another 4-H meeting (Vegetable Gardening). Thursday I'm babysitting a friend's two kids at her house. Friday is School Day at the Sonora Celtic Faire. That will make a good start to our SCA camping season. On Sunday, the Sierra Foothill Conservancy is hosting an Open House at one of their properties, so a friend and I are going to try and go hike with the kids. Should be interesting ;)

In the meantime.... I'm sorting through our camping gear and SCA clothes. So a bunch of it that had been moved down to the shed last summer is now back in the house. That wouldn't be so bad, except that the space that this stuff could live in (my closet) is currently over-run by our books, which got ousted out of the spare room when Lilli moved into it. So I'm building some bookshelves to go in the dining room, and working on making more SCA garb. Can we say over-scheduled!?

Events of the Week

2008-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

This "Charlie Brown" tree in my Zen garden is actually a Desert Willow, species name "Bubba." It is supposed to produce orchid-type flowers in the spring. The lady who sold it to us last fall instructed us to water it when we planted it and then never water it again. Rainfall was scarce in the fall, and I watched mournfully as leaf after leaf turned brown, but I steadfastly keep my hand off the nozzle. (I remember the sad effects of over-watering plants in Sacramento). I was almost resigned to replacing it, but hope springs eternal, and after a week of 80-ish temps, the first new leaves have sprouted. Bubba lives!

That's my exciting "event of the week." Ralph is looking forward to the important Texas primary on March 4 when he plans to vote for Ron Paul. Diane, you will be proud!

Back in Romania

2008-03-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Well if anyone thinks travel is glamorous, this sucks. I was up half of last night due to jet lag, I felt like I had been hit by a truck.

I toured Bucharest today with Andreea, the daughter of one of my friends from the refinery. She is a college student there. She talked non-stop in perfect english that she said she learned from Cartoon Network. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, which she was very excited about. We saw the Parliament Building, which was built by Ceaucescu and is about the size of the Pentagon. Strangely, even though Ceaucescu was a horrible person and was overthrown by the people, you can still buy buttons that have his picture.

March 8 is International Women's Day, a very big day here. During March 1-8, women are given flowers and they sell many charms. Andreea gave me a chimney sweep, it looks like a snow man with a ladder, but it is a very big good luck charm here.

In the summer here where I am staying, in Mamaia, the parking lots are full of Ferraris, Jaguars, Bentleys, and Rolls Royces. Even in Bucharest, you see many fancy cars. That is probably the leftovers of Communism, where there was a rich elite.

Tomorrow, I start a 3-week meeting, we have a lot of pressure to solve a big problem for the refinery. The president of my company is coming tomorrow.

Once

2008-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

We watched the Oscars on Sunday night...partly because my back hurt and I didn't feel like doing anything else...partly because, hey, I like the movies and I enjoy seeing the dresses. Nothing outrageous this year, either in dialog or dress.

We signed up for NetFlix a few weeks ago. One of the first movies I requested was "Once," which I had read about a while ago. It was a sleeper movie, made in Ireland, concerning a street musician who bonds with a Czechoslovakian musician. I was surprised when one of their songs was nominated for an Oscar, and they won! They appeared in person and were not dressed in designer togs and jewels. Glen's guitar looked pretty beat up. The movie was made in three weeks at a cost of $100,000. As Marketa said in her acceptance speech, "It was hope for independent musicians everywhere."

Check them out!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc

2008-02-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Last night there was a great full lunar eclipse. it was the last one until 2010. I thought i'd post some pictures that i took for extra credit in science class, i don't know if anyone else caught it. It went from about 9-11 EST (6-8 west coast time). it looked like something was taking bites out of the moon, until it was all gone and it turned blood red! I read on the internet that it's because of the suns rays going through Earth's atmosphere and striking the moon. Apparently there's even going to be a solar eclipse in early august, except i don't think it'll be visible from America. The pictures aren't too good because i just took them with my digital camera, but still, enjoy!

2008-02-15T06:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday !!

2/18 Roger

2/21 Stephanie (18th Birthday !)

2/26 Valerie

Weather & Taxes

2008-02-15T05:41:00.000-08:00

Well, what a great post already !! Weather & Taxes. In a feat of super human cunning & strength, I finalized our taxes by 2/13. This will never happen again !! (Until maybe next year when we have to file college forms again !!) Of course, I want Stephanie to get in everywhere she applies, but I kinda wish the colleges had a fast reject button if there's no hope. Then we wouldn't have to file FinAid forms with 6 schools. (One of her friend's applied to 10+ schools - imagine that !!)

And, I have posted a picture of our Almost Snow. Four hours of beatiful fluffy snow, followed by 15 hours of steady rain. And of course, the ground is frozen, so lots of localized flooding. The kids did have a 2 hr delayed opening because of ice. Panther is making me crazy - she prowls my office, and occassionally steps on my keyboard with interesting results --- cabin fever !! (As of this minute, Panther is hiding behind the printer after growling at Oreo !)

All is well here. I stupidly volunteered at a Career Day on Saturday, which conflicts with my sewing time. Work has picked up a little, which is good. The homeowners here seem to be suffering from the Lake Woebegone effect. You know - It's so sad all the OTHER people are having such problems with value - In OUR neighborhood, well, prices are still increasing...

Kids are well. Report cards came out - mostly okay. Just don't ask Stephanie about Multi-variable Calculus...Stephanie is still working at Stop N Shop. Erica will be working at GS camp this summer - she's looking forward to that. Brian will be at camp most of the summer.

Jeff is in a training class these 2 weeks, which he says is really boring....

So, off to work for me.

Rob Sighting :o)

2008-02-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

hi all, roger & i just got back from new orleans, he had his annual convention there, and he was nice enough to bring me with. first night, roger & i ate dinner at petunia's, walked up bourban st, then had beignets at cafe du monde. next day, i ran up st. charles, took street car back, then spent 2-hour detour back to hotel at bcbg (every other year i seem to get in a clothing rut -- needed help bad!), then hit reception and dinner (Brennan's) with rog. Second day, went on bayou tour with two other "girls" from the group -- saw 6 alligators, a snake, and numerous turtles. That night, another reception, and dinner at arnauds with a small group that included congressman oberstar (MN) and his wife. roger knows him quite well, and introduced me in french. Congressman O replied in french, and was very excited, because he thought i might be french...so all those years of high school french finally paid off, i was able to tell him in french that i don't speak french. last day for me, hung out with rob...had bbq shrimp and grits for b'fast (grits for first time, tasted great with the shrimp), went to sculpture garden, shopped in french quarter, bought tee shirts, drove by sites of famous Rob gigs...a great day, with a great brother! another reception and dinner at maurey's in the quarter hosted by a japanese firm...i talked the guys at our table into joining roger and me in crashing a invitation only party down on bourbon street, so we ended the evening drinking wine on a balcony, watching some girls who apparently love "negative" attention show their breasts (i mean, common, it was a work function!) while their husbands looked on approvingly, and throwing beads on the passerbys below. monday it was home for me, to ice, cold, and rain. :o(

SkyDive, AZ

2008-02-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of our visit to AZ was driving out to SkyDive where people come from all over the world to train. We watched about four planes take off, each loaded with 15-20 participants. All of a sudden, after a lull, there would be a cascade of skydivers landing right in front of us...some solo, some in tandem. Ralph said he would if I would, but neither of us would go first!

We also had the opportunity to watch a balloon being inflated and launched. Nice to have front row seats.

Let the baby-proofing begin!

2008-02-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

Now that the weather is warming up, I'm starting to look into getting the summer clothes out. Because Toby is so much larger than Michael ever was, I'm weeding clothes out left and right. I've never had so much credit at the consignment store! For perspective, here's a picture of Toby that I took last week. And a picture of Michael taken in April of 2006, when he was two years old. Same shirt.

Toby also had his second tooth come in. And, he started crawling today! I've been saying for a while that he's really close to figuring it out. Well, all he needed was for me to take his slippery sweat pants off. Now that he's bare-kneed on the floor, he has traction. Let the baby-proofing begin!

Lil and I met with her new teacher last week. We dove into her "OLS" (online shool) work and I have been pleased with how the courses are laid out. The user interface is also very easy to use. Her computer arrived on Friday, and the rest of her materials should arrive tomorrow.

On a much sadder note, Lilli's dear cat, Gaia, is no more. Lilli found her dead yesterday behind the house. After many tears, we made a little coffin and headstone for her and Shawn helped with the burial. Here's a picture Lilli took, and got a blue ribbon for at the County Fair.

Word Challenge

2008-02-06T11:41:00.001-08:00

Kristin had discovered this site on my last trip out there and I had forgotten about it. One of my friends forwarded it to me the other day and mentioned that I might "hate" her for it, as it's addictive. And yes, it is! Check out www.freerice.com.

Super Sunday & Super Tuesday

2008-02-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Stephanie - she has been accepted at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. She's excited to get that first college acceptance.

Hey, what about those Giants !! Go Eli & Plaxico !! Now, the next big thing is Super Tuesday. I have been ignoring all the political issues, since in the past the NJ primary/caucus was too late. Apparently, it was moved up, so now I have to vote tomorrow. So I'm playing catch up.....I have 24 hours to become an informed citizen !! It is confusing, because some of the guys that have dropped out are still on the ballot here.

Transcript

2008-02-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

I sent for my transcript as requested by the staffing employee at the temp agency. She assured me that my college would still have it available. Sure enough, it did, but not in the computerized format she had probably expected. It took two weeks to get it and it still looks like the original typewritten page (complete with strike-overs instead of corrections). How archaic this seems now!

I visualize someone wandering through a dark musty basement, prowling through stacks of cardboard boxes, and wondering why the h... a 73-year-old lady needs a transcript!

New Chinchillas!

2008-02-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday, Erica, Mom (laura) and i went to go pick up our brand-new chinchilla! We got her from two college students, who have been breeding chinchillas in their laundry room. It's a female, and we named her 'Zodiac'. We bought her an enormous cage, (which is now residing in Erica's room) but the people who sold us the chinchilla told us that we needed to replace all the plastic in it with wood, because chinchillas like to chew. In the beginning of march, we're going to get a companion for her. Right now she's still to young, but at the chinchilla place they still let us hold and pet her. Sorry the pictures so blurry, she just won't stay still!

I just can't resist....

2008-02-01T00:37:00.000-08:00

I'm a sucker for cute baby pics. So here you go.....

We'll weather the weather....

2008-02-01T00:17:00.002-08:00

no matter the weather, whether we like it or not..... Here's the view out our front door a few days ago... I seem to have inflicted weather karma on us. In return for mocking our school's snow day last week, we had snow on Thursday, Friday, and Monday. Saturday was nice and sunny. Yesterday and today have been colder than a witch's toes in a snowstorm. It's also raining again. Brrrrr....... Now I know we have nothing on places like North Dakota, but usually we get one piddling snow per winter here at our elevation (a mere 2100'). But we've had 4 good snows thus far, and more winter to come. Brrrrr.........

2008-01-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Northern Virginia...this was my hippie kids pic from xmas (they've since had hair cuts)...my big accomplishments for the week were selecting a tub and faucet fixtures for the new master bath at roger's. this was easier said than done, i must have looked at 500 tubs, all the wrong size. kids get report cards today. i have guitar lesson tonight. am learning wild horses by the stones. my kids think it's pretty, told zack this week it's about heroin addiction. he told me he learned in family living class (sex ed) that drinking mountain dew kills your sperm. savannah spends most of her spare time creating paper sculptures, go figure. i'm looking for a class in this, she's really good. also, she is very serious about cuttin her own hair, so i'm about to throw in the towel on that one, and get her a "tutor" so she'll at least know how to do it right! nice to see everyone's pictures and posts! love, judi

The "After"

2008-01-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

Here it is! It looks a lot more cozy now and we sleep a little later with less light!

We've always been leery of hanging something heavy over the bed. Who knows what natural disaster might strike and send it descending upon our heads. I was inspired by a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a headboard constructed of 12x12 squares of several wallpaper designs mounted on foam board. The catch was that the wallpaper they selected was $150-$200/roll. I don't know how you would attain just a 12x12 square, so I was prepared to order some decorative paper from a paper store I like (www.hollanders.com). Then I was browsing at Target and found a packet of scrapbooking paper that matched the "theme." Voila!

Happy Mardi Gras Week, Rob

2008-01-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hope the weather is cooperating and that you will be able to enjoy the parades. Will miss being there. What's your costume gonna be? We Want Pictures!

News from Romania

2008-01-27T01:04:00.001-08:00

Well, not so much to write about here, we are staying in Mamaia, where almost everything is closed for the winter. There are so many stray dogs running around, the story is that after the fall of Communism, people couldn't feed their dogs so they turned them out into the streets. Doesn't seem to be any concept of fixing the dogs.

Yesterday, we went to the city of Constanza, in general everything is so bleak here - the economy is not so good. The mall has a Sephora and a Body Shop. Haven't seen a Starbucks, though!

The Black Sea is beautiful - no one here now, but it will be wall to wall people in the summer. That's me in front of a wooly mammoth tusk. There are alot of Roman ruins here.

The TV has 3 or 4 channels in English with Romanian subtitles, including HBO. I could watch the Spanish telenovelas if I wanted, with Romanian subtitles, but I don't want to strain my brain.

Anyway, I am keeping warm, the food isn't too bad, and I have adjusted well to the time zone.

Valerie

New Jersey News

2008-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

Hello !! This past weekend Erica, Brian and Jeff went on a church retreat for the youth group. The theme was "Calm the Storm" referring to Mark 4:37-40. Erica is Secretary of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. Brian is a member of the Junior Youth Fellowship, and Jeff is an MYF advisor.

While they were in South Jersey, Stephanie and I flew to St Louis on Thursday evening to visit a college. We had a great time - the temp was still in the 30s on Friday so the college tour was not too cold. After that, we drove to Lafayette, Indiana to visit some friends. Lafayette is the home of Purdue University, so we caught a Big 10 basketball game - the Fighting Illini vs the Purdue Boilermakers. It was a great game !! Stephanie was very interested in the Pep Band and the halftime antics. The mascot "surfed" over a bunch of college students. Basically, they lay down on the court, and as they rolled over the surfboard progressed. It was really cool. Then it was back to Indianapolis for a Sunday night flight home.

Now that we are back at home, it's back to reality. The kids did not have school on Monday for MLK day. Stephanie & Erica have midterms this week. Brian does not have midterms, but since it is the end of the semester he has a bunch of tests anyway.

I am frantically working on getting my taxes done before the 31st. Most of you know I usually file an extension and finish it all ...later....However, for college purposes, it all has to be done by 2/1 -- this is a huge challenge ! Especially since I had a hard drive crash in July !

Budget Decor

2008-01-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

The hushed tones of the Interior Decorator were almost reverent as she described the offerings of her shop...custom measurements and window treatments, assistance in arranging furniture if you bought from her, etc. I had wandered in idly as I thought it was a home accessory shop and I always enjoy browsing for ideas. As the saying goes, "if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it." Sure enough, when I admired a sample of custom draperies and she quoted a price of $1000 per window, I clutched my purse even more tightly and departed hastily.

I've never spent a lot on window treatments. I've made curtains out of burlap, muslin, and even sheets. Happily, online shopping has made it easier to find great fabrics for great prices. For instance, I first saw a Waverly fabric I liked for the kitchen at $16.99/yd. After Googling the pattern, I snagged it for $7.99/yd. Another company I liked was selling its website and offered a 70% discount. There I grabbed fabric for my office and a guest room. I splurged a little on the dining room because that's my Blue Dog room and I wanted something nifty and contemporary.

Saturday I made my biggest score yet. We have a 3-windowed nook in the Master Bedroom that is perfect for Ralph's desk. There he can study his Spanish and listen to Rush and Laura out of my hearing range. I needed 13 yds. of fabric and wanted to coordinate it with lamps left over from a former life. At Hancock's I found an 8-yd Waverly remnant for $3.60/yd (formerly $13.99/yd). They also had 5 yds. left on a roll and sold it for the same price.

I'm sure it would feel luxurious if I could walk into a shop and say, "I'll take this, and this, and that," but it probably wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

I promise...if my stock-picking expertise ever matches my success in finding fabric deals, I'll send everyone a year's supply of Godiva chocolates!

(Here's the "Before"; stay tuned for the "After").

Snow Day

2008-01-23T08:59:00.001-08:00

Um, yeah. Sure looks like a "Snow Day", doesn't it? The phone calls from the District started at 6am (!!) to tell us not to bring Lil to school today. Um, yeah, sure. She's already *at* school, thanks. Note to District: take homeschool kids off phone list! I'm sure it's snowing somewhere. Just not here.

A "Snow Day" is good, though. It clears up our day for other things. No speech therapy today. So we'll go to the library instead. What do we do there? Read books, you say? Nay, say I. This is the library of the new millennium. Where kids play computer games. Most of which don't work, because the librarians do not understand new millennium networks. (Hey, Mark, want to come fix their computers for them?) But because they're not our games, they must be better, right?

We also need to fax in a gazillion forms to...... Virtual Academy. A "cyber school". Lil is more than done with my lame attempts to explain place value and multiplication. Time for some computer-based intervention. Lil is actually really excited about it. She also did really well on the math assessment yesterday. So here's hoping they accept her for enrollment and that I'm not making a drastic mistake changing curricula mid-year.

Zack grew a mustache!

2008-01-22T07:38:00.001-08:00

in addition to letting his hair grow long, zack has decided to sport a mustache and goatee! here he is participating in a revolt against the teachers at his school...my weekend in short: painted the dining room, cleaned the mid-level of my house (basement looking worse each time i do this), analyzed tub choices for new master bath in roger's house, delegated tub selection to contractor, got hair highlighted, toured the construction at roger's house (pics to follow), ate a lot of "fat" food, watched a lot of t.v., and slept in. bad thing -- i did not exercise once (temps were in the 20s, too cold for me!).

have a nice week, everyone!

A Debate. Who are you voting for?

2008-01-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

This post is probably only going to be interesting to me and Grandpa....

but I wanted to know.....Who does everyone endorse for President in 08?
(Grandma is trying to sell me her Hilary shirt---that ain't gonna happen!!!!!)

I'm voting for RON PAUL....because I personally enjoy my civil liberties and I think the constitution was written for a reason...and i think we should get the heck out of Iraq as soon as possible!

as much as I would love to see a woman president, I sure as heck don't want it to be a member of the Clinton family.

Presidential primaries in all of your states are coming up soon! Alot of them are on Feb 5th ("Super Tuesday")...you all better vote!

Busy week in Mariposa

2008-01-17T10:07:00.000-08:00

We're having a busy week this week. Lilli has joined 4-H this year, so we had our Club's business meeting, the "Cloverbud" project meeting, and Poultry project meeting all this week. 4-H is really neat - the kids are the officers of the club and run the meeting. They also practice doing presentations to groups of people, starting with their project groups and working up as they get older. Lilli has really matured in the last year in terms of her self-confidence and her ability to interact and converse with non-family members. I'm hoping that 4-H will help her to hone those public speaking skills. Our 4-H club did a fund-raiser at a local Christmas craft fair - selling mistletoe and small wire angels. I was very proud of Lilli when she was able to go with a friend around the craft fair selling these items out of a basket. She helped our club raise quite a bit of money.

Our current hot debate is over whether to continue Michael's speech therapy. Once Michael turned 3, we lost funding to cover his private ST in Fresno. He loved his ST, Maria. Whenever we go to Fresno, he asks if we can go see her. Now he has ST with the school district. I don't know who decided that schools should have the responsibility of providing therapies to special needs children. Whoever it was should have been tarred and feathered. In theory, each child should have an individualized plan, based on their needs. In reality, our school district is short on money, facilities, and staff. So each child gets a token amount of therapy. Michael's ST takes place in a room smaller than our laundry room (which is not big) that also serves as his therapist's office. The District provides no material for the therapist, so any toys or manipulatives are what she has left over from her kids or picked up at a yard sale. The therapist herself persists in presenting Michael with worksheets and flash cards. After 5 months, he still will not work with her. Just last week she gave us a 145 page workbook solely on the /k/ sound. A workbook written for grades K-3. Sigh. She just doesn't "get" preschoolers. Since the District-provided education is not appropriate for Michael, we could have him re-evaluated, initiate a hearing, and get the District to pay for private placement. Or we could pull him now and in a couple of years, if he still had speech delays, we could enroll him in the neighboring District's homeschool program and be eligible for ST in the neighboring county (which has a larger population and income base, hence, better services). Decisions, decisions.....

2008-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

hey all, greetings from the east coast, south of jersey. kristin, can i borrow some dog and cat pics from you for next hunt? we only have pics of furry the gerbil, may she rest in peace. here is a picture of me at the castle we built in the backyard last spring. i have gained 10 pounds since then, all in my waist, of course, so i'm trying to lay off sweets and alcohol until "the wedding" in april (can't believe that's me that just said that) so i can lose it again and fit into the dress i bought. if this doesn't happen, i told roger i'm showing up in jeans....

this week, my life is all about: fine-tuning contract with jammin java for wedding after party, nagging zack about practicing the clarinet for his "exam" on friday (good luck, zack!), taping the dining room so roger can paint it this weekend, nagging savannah about cleaning up her room, logging in some hours at work so i can pay my mortgage, ordering savannah's dress for wedding, mailing remaining "save the date" cards so people actually get them before party invites go out, getting my hair cut and highlighted (yes, there is a reason it is a different color every time you see me), making a list of things not to forget to do for wedding, checking out progress on construction at roger's house (building a castle in his backyard).

question: how far in advance do we need to send out wedding after-party invites? A) mid-march (when judi wants to send them out), or 2) mid-february (when roger wants to send them out). anyone whose answer i like will get a box of godiva chocolates from laura! :o)

have a great week!

Chocolates for Kristin - Scavenger Hunt Champ !

2008-01-17T05:12:00.001-08:00

Coming to you soon.....

Time zones and weather

2008-01-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Speaking of weather, Romania looks realllly cold. I have bought snow boots, thermal underwear and lots of gloves since I am going to lose my thumb and forefinger on the left hand if I am not careful.

Here is a website with the time zones in various places:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/personalapplet.html?cities=70,58,141,49

Poland and Spain are in the same time zone, Romania is one hour ahead, or 8 hours ahead of Dallas or something like that, why isn't time on the metric system?!

The Dallas real estate market is continuing to slide, the longer I put off buying, the better.

I'm leaving Saturday around 5 pm for Romania, I'll be in Bucarest Sunday evening, then 2 hours to Constanta on the Black Sea. That's the great thing about refineries, they are always on beautiful bodies of water. Well, except my next trip, to Chicago, where the refinery is on the Des Plaines river.

Here is where I'm staying in Romania, I think it is right next to a castle. The history goes back 2500 years.
http://www.turism.ro/english/black_sea.php

I'll be traveling to Romania at least 2 weeks every other month. I have the option of flying coach and essentially the company will give me the money for an extra ticket. Anyone want to join me when it gets warmer?

Love,
Val

2008-01-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

Mark,

Thanks for reprogramming my HDTV to eliminate the gray shoulders and replacing them with black ones. What a difference it makes.

It was great seeing you again. You've really grown into quite the mature young man. After you finish university, I hope we can see you more often.

My Turn!

2008-01-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't look at the blog for like 2 days and I missed a whole scavenger hunt! I want a do-over!!!!!

Nothing exciting here in Texas - the real estate market is starting to pick back up again...a little bit. The problem that we are having is that all of the mortgage companies are SO strict now because of all the credit problems and foreclosures. I had 2 deals fall through the week before closing...
It seems like all of the lenders are just looking for reasons not to give people loans now, it used to be the other way around!
Aunt Laura, is the real estate market affecting your appraisal business? I know several appraisers here who keep doing appraisals, then the deal falls through, and they never get paid...same for inspectors.
Two of the big-name builders here in San Antonio had to sell most of the land they had because the market has slowed so much and they can't get rid of spec-homes that they built...but we're still the number 3 housing market in the U.S. so I can't imagine if I was in the real estate biz anywhere else....that would be horrible!

How's everyone elses real estate markets? Sorry i don't have anything more interesting to write about, but all I do is eat, sleep, real estate, repeat.

Job Application Woes

2008-01-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Harcourt Brace has a scoring center here similar to McGraw Hill. They've advertised on Craigs List for Readers/Scorers, so I thought that would be a neat thing to do as a means of meeting people here. The location is very close to our house. And hey, I have a resume documenting my experience at McGraw Hill. I had to go to a temp agency in downtown SA to apply and from there the circus started. I've never applied for a lot of jobs and most of them have been easy, well, relatively so. I did, initially, flunk the typing test at the Washington Post because I had never typed on an electric typewriter. (Amazing how fast that carriage dropped down as opposed to a manual typewriter. But, did any of you ever type on a typewriter)? My solution was to rent one and practice.

At McGraw Hill, I just wrote a letter and went in for an interview. They handed me an essay to score and I was in!

Yesterday, they informed me that the ad I had printed out a few weeks ago had been revised and I should have come at 1:30 instead of 10:30, but they weren't busy so agreed to go through the process anyway. I spent an hour filling out and signing forms consenting to drug testing, acknowledging that I was aware of sexual (and other forms of) discrimination, would adhere to their safety standards, verifying that I was not a recipient of any government-sponsored subsidies, etc., etc., and going through a criminal check. They were not at all interested in my resume.

However, my "original" Social Security card was crucial. I only had my MediCare card with me and that wasn't sufficient.

I also needed an original transcript. Considering that I graduated from college in 1956 as a Music major, I didn't think it was relevant, but I know they have to follow the guidelines. Today, I went back to take my SS card and I actually had found a faded, yellowed transcript. However, she could not make a copy; it has to be an original. I went online to my college website and since I am not a recent graduate and don't have a student ID, it will have to be acquired through snail mail.

I've probably been written off now as a "Klutz?" Can I claim discrimination??

Scavenged

2008-01-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

OK, it's truly painful to upload pics via dial-up. But, here you go:

1. Our dog, Griz, taken on a family hike on New Year's Day this year.
2. Our cat, Saturn.
3. Sunset on Chincoteague.
4. Sunflowers at the pumpkin patch we go to every year.
5. Lilli in a silly hat (Thanks for the hat, Judi!)

Scavenger Hunt

2008-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

How about a photo scavenger hunt - I'll mail Godiva to anybody who can manage a picture of -

1. Dog
2. Cat
3. Sunset
4. Flowers
5. Somebody from the family wearing a silly hat

This is on the honor system - it has to be a personal photograph - not something grabbed off the Internet !!

Weather

2008-01-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, How's the weather out there ? Today in NJ, it is in the high 30s, cloudy and overcast, with minimal precipitation. We were supposed to get a winter storm on Sunday night, but instead it rained !! The kids were hoping for at least a delayed opening - no such luck !! So far - only a few inches of snow this year !!

Brian's First Fencing Medal !!

2008-01-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Brian has been fencing Foil for several years now. He just placed for the first time in a tournament. He was 3rd at the East Coast Challenge. (He's the one on the left)

Riding the Dog

2008-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

I love sunny winter days. Our house is on a south-facing hill, so we got some beautiful sunshine and a chance to spend several hours outside. I cleaned up the yard a little - raking leaves and pruning our mulberry trees. The kids renewed their acquaintance with the sand box and Lilli's "nature trail". Toby got his first taste of dirt. Here he is, riding the dog:

Cook Book

2008-01-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

Now that we've gotten the blog underway, don't forget my next resolution, which Kristin reminded me of today, when she forwarded several recipes. It's definitely time to do an update of the Family Cook Book, and, by the way, if there's a recipe you think we should eliminate, send in your votes. I'm sure there are some that are not still viable. Just like cleaning out your closet, if it hasn't been used in a year (or more), do we really need it?

Mariposa update

2008-01-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

The storms last weekend were good to us. Lots of rain, but no damage of consequence in the local area. Maybe this winter we can break the drought.

Lilli and I have started up her schooling again after a much-needed holiday break. She's in first grade, and this week we're working on reading (short vowels and silent e), roman numerals, and life in the arctic.

Michael is doing well with his speech and is our little techno-whiz. We've had to password protect the computer to keep him from "exploring" too much. He is becoming more and more independent (and outspoken) these days.

Toby is a master of "oozling". He doesn't crawl, quite, but somehow he can wiggle his way across the floor, in hot pursuit of whatever enticing item Lilli or Michael may have left just out of reach. He also has cut his first tooth. Next week he has his first well-child doc appt, so we'll see what the official weigh-in is. I'm betting he's right around 23 pounds.

I'm currently trying to keep one step ahead of Lil with our curriculum planning. I have the utmost respect for PS teachers who have to keep 20+ kids all on track and behaving. It's very time consuming with just one (well, three, since the boys are here, too). I'm also decluttering our storage shed. I have a whole car load ready to leave the house tomorrow - yippee!

Amazing video - graphical analysis of data

2008-01-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

You have to see this video - the graphics are stunning. I heard about it at work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUwS1uAdUcI

The name of the software used to create the presentation is Tableau. It was voted Application of the Year for 2007.

Welcome!

2008-01-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about our HotLine. It will be a fun way to keep up with family pictures, special occasions, and upcoming events. You all know that I can never remember "to whom I have told what!" (It does not, however, take the place of phone calls and emails).

Hope that everyone (including the grandkids) will post something quickly so we can get started "keeping in touch." How about a picture from each of you?

We're still working on the page setup, so any suggestions are welcome. Thanks to Kristin who came up with this name.

Happy Birthday to the January celebrants: Mark on the 2nd, Laura on the 6th, and to Jay and Murray, who share a birthday, today, the 9th.

Looking forward to many "posts and pictures."

Love, Mom (aka Grandma Ginny)