My Two Blessings

Up, Up, and Away. It's Superman !!!!!!

Happy Halloween

Surprise! Daylight Saving Pushed Back One Week by 2005 Energy Conservation Act If you turned your clocks back one hour one hour Sunday morning thinking it was the annual move back to Standard Time, all you succeeded in doing was moving into a new time zone. The move from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time doesn't happen this year until the first Sunday in November, instead of the usual last Sunday in October. That means computer software, cellphones and other electronic equipment that is programmed to automatically change will have to be manually reset Monday morning back to Daylight Saving Time, then changed back one hour next Sunday. President Bush in 2005 signed the Energy Conservation Act, which pushed back the time change in an effort to squeeze just a little more daylight — and a bit of energy savings — into the daily lives of Americans. The legislation also changed the "spring forward" to Dayl...

Fun Monday #39 hosted by Candid Karina “I want to see your security blankets. No, not the kind Linus carries around with him in the Charlie Brown cartoons, although, if you have one of those, by all means share it. What I want to see are the items you just cannot leave home without. What is it that if you leave your house without, you feel naked, incomplete, not quite right? This can be one thing or many things. And since most of us don't live in a clothing optional society, lets just assume we all leave the house fully dressed...I want to hear about those other things...the extras. The things that make women's purses so heavy and men's pockets so messy (I'm going to get grief for this one, aren't I?) What can't you leave home without? Show us pictures, tell us stories...have fun!” Well, of course I can’t leave the house without my purse, but you don't need to see a picture of that. Would feel naked without it, plus has all the essen...

The fall into reading challenge is progressing and a little more than 1/3 over. Have finished half of the books planned and have been making adjustments along the way, adding and deleting books. I did read the whole Twilight Trilogy based on other challengers reviews and suggestions but decided not to do reviews on them. I recently started reading Terry Brooks Genesis of Shannara: The Elves of Cintra and discovered that just couldn't get into it; too dark and bleak and depressing. So, setting it aside and will read it another time. (Maybe) Also going to set aside Bodie Thoene's A River Runs Free and the non fiction book The Other Parent. Found 3 interesting books at Berean's and decided to add them to the challenge. I seem to be veering toward and enjoying reading books by Christian authors lately. A new one by young adult author Wayne Thomas Batson called Isle of Swords . He is the author of the The Door Within Trilogy which totally captivated me and I enjo...

NaNoWriMo Challenge Well, I have come up with a story that want to write about, so am working on figuring out the characters. Currently working on an outline of the story over the next few days, so when November 1st hits, will be ready to start writing. The title and the synopsis of the story are: Seasonings of the Soul Samantha is a 2nd grade school teacher who is recruited by a nun from the Catholic church to teach in a experimental school in Holly River Valley. The school is the brainchild between the Catholic church and home school parents, who are required to be involved in the school, but are not required to be catholic. It is a melting pot of religons and different family types which makes it quite interesting for the Catholic Priest and Nun who run the school. It has been two years since the school formed. Sammie has been teaching there for one year. The story will be about her interactions with the students, parents, teachers and the school staff. ...

We had a pretty good week. I tried to keep it light since James is just about over his cold, but still a little draggy. I'm draggy too but haven't actually came down with anything. I don't know which is worse - actually getting sick or just feeling like you are coming down with something, but don't. Day to Day Devotions was about keep following God. Discussed and memorized Galatians 6:9 Don't get tired of doing good things. Lord teach me to Pray was about uncovering any obstacles that may hinder communication with the Commander in Chief. I think I'm getting more out of this than James. Invested in 3 or 4 of Kay Arthur's adult 28 day studies for moi to start doing. English and Spelling: Completed Lessons 13,14, and 15 of Unit one and practiced writing and putting more sentences together. Completed Lesson 15 in spelling learning about adding suffixes to words. Math: Completed math worksheets for minuends 6 through 9. When doing th...

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho Someone of the Fall Challenge may have mentioned this book and that is why the title seemed familiar when I saw it in the bookstore. I picked it up and read the prologue, the first page of the first chapter and a snippet chosen randomly in the book. The story piqued my interest. Once I actually sat down and read the book, I was fascinated.' From an Amazon Review “Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world, and this tenth anniversary edition, with a new introduction from the author, will only increase that following. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. ...

Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud By Julia Navarro I was having difficulty coming up with an adequate description for this story so borrowed from Randonhouse.com “Marco Valoni, chief of Italy ’s Art Crimes Department, is convinced that a fire in the Cathedral of Turin that leaves a strangely mutilated, unidentifiable body on the scene was no accident. It is only the last in a long line of mishaps, going back over a hundred years, which have occurred in the church – which happens to be home to what millions of the faithful believe, is that authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ. Valoni and his crack team of specialists embark on an investigation that soon leads them into dangerous territory, territory controlled by some of the most powerful men in the world. Not only do they discover evidence of a secret Christian sect that traces its priests to the very disciples of Jesus himself, but also that the Knights Templar – supposedly destroyed forever when Phil...

Wordless Wednesday Not so wordless, after all! Wordless now, but come November 1st, this notebook will be filled with words, words and more words. I was thinking about and finally decided that I was going to challenge myself and join in on the National Novel Writing Month ( NaNoWriMO ). The picture of the notebook: You see - I can't think and type at the same time (most of the time). I have to write my thoughts down, then type them out. Once I know the gist of what want to say, then my thoughts flow freely and my fingers follow on the computer. Hence, the notebook. National Novel Writing Month challenges you to put aside your internal editor and write a 175 page, 50,000 word fiction novel. Chris Baty started the concept back in 1999 with just a few friends and the movement has grown to 79,000 strong as of last year. 79,000 people worldwide committed to try and write a novel within 30 days. People are still signing up on the site, so they don't have wha...

ILLUMINATED BY MATT BRONLEEWE This was a very interesting, fast paced suspense thriller that held me spellbound for the entire book. The story follows August Adams, his wife April, and his son Charlie. Hidden within the Gutenberg bibles are clues to finding a treasure and two secret organizations want that treasure, but first they must get their hands on the Bibles. They have been following August and know he is transporting one he had just bought and that April works for a museum housing one of the Bibles. They hold Charlie and his grandmother hostage while forcing August to decipher the hidden messages with the illuminations in the Gutenberg Bible and forcing April to steal the one at the museum. "According to Amazon “the clock ticks, the suspense mounts, and the body count rises as August pits his knowledge and his love for his family against the clock, secret societies, and even Johannes Gutenberg himself.”

SILVER TOWER BY DALE BROWN This was one of my used book store finds. Dale Brown actually lives here in the Sacramento Valley and is a very prolific writer. He writes high tech military thrillers which are rich with detail. I happen to be into those types of books and find the technical part of the stories fascinating. Dale is a former U.S. Air Force captain and has participated in numerous air war scenarios. I know what those are like because my dad attended the air war college in Alabama for one year and it was quite intense for him. Silver Towers is an older book published back in 1988; Pre Dreamland series and pre Middle East crisis. It is set in 1992 and the United States is allied with IRAN . The Soviet Union is about to launch an invasion against Iran and we have to protect them. Our only hope is Silver Tower – America ’s first permanent military space station with high tech laser defense system. The only gripe I have is with the characte...

PROMISES TO KEEP BY CHARLES DE LINT Promises To Keep is about Jilly Coppercorn and her life pre Widdershins. De Lint gives us flashbacks into her life as a teen runaway and how Angel helps her get off the street and introduces her to Geordie, Sophia, and the others. The book deals with some serious subjects: Abuse, drug abuse and death.  Jilly had a pretty depressing life and the book is more gloomy than anything.   It is a short book of 173 pages and a short read. In the story Jilly runs into Donna, an old friend from her days on the street. Donna leads her into an alternate world where 95% of the folks are dead, but happy living their lives, and coincidentally are being given whatever they need to make them happy: House, food, money, jobs, etc. Jilly has worked hard to fix her life and the alternate reality is just too easy and doesn’t seem right for her so she tries to find a way back into the real world. If you are a Charles De L...

Fun Monday # 38 This week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Willowtree at A Dingo's got my Barbie. He wants to see some clothing art. That's tee shirts, baseball caps, hoodies, sports uniforms or any bit of clothing that you or your kids own that has interesting, funny or artistic graphics. This is my most favorite shirt! Most people who see this shirt will give me a huge grin and a big thumbs up. There have been a few times, I have been on the receiving end of a rather baleful glare, in which I just flash them a sweet smile and keep moving. This one leaves most people puzzled Have you figured it out yet? I have fallen in love with Edward Gorey shirts My most recent acquisition since decided to actually do it. Cute Christmas find from Wireless Catalog and one well worn and laundered shirt that gets worn a lot Got this one while visiting sister in Texas at the local Walmart. The only and one big store in the little town of Gun Barrell City, Texas.

I know, I know! I am supposed to be working on my midterm, however I came across NaNoWriMO and am having the INSANE notion to give it a try. What is it: National Novel Writing Month which runs only from November 1st through the 30th" "National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30" I am only contemplating it at this point, but seriously considering. With every thing else I have to do, it would involve writing at least 1666 words per day for 30 days. Do you think I can do it! Would you?

You Are Cookie Monster Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you live your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE http://www.blogthings.com/thesesamestreetpersonalityquiz/ ******************************************************* This is interesting because way back when working for the Sacramento PBS station, I was THE COOKIE MONSTER. We were having a special event and they needed one person to be cookie monster and one person to be big bird. I don't remember if my boss volunteered me or I volunteered. What does silly me do the day before I am supposed to do this event. A friend came over to my apartment and we laid out by the pool sunbathing. Except, instead of using sunblock, I used suntan oil. I was freshly baked. So, I had to pour my sun...

It's midterm time for my Science and Religion Class. I have 5 essay questions to answer and post by Monday October 22 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern time. The Midterm Provide clear answers to each question below. Include a defense of your answer by appeal to the specific passage or page number from one of the required texts of this course. As always, write clearly and coherently . What were the three broad types of responses (approaches) within the Christian tradition of biblical interpretation to the Copernican models of the universe? How exactly is the movement known as “Deism” motivated by the scientific discoveries of Isaac Newton? That is, precisely what aspects of Newton’s mechanistic worldview offer support to advocates of Deism? How exactly did Darwin’s theory of evolution challenge traditional Christian teachings about the origins of life? Based on the doctrines of logical positivism, does the state...

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY Third Tooth Flea Bath

Fun Monday # 37 is being hosted by Janet FROM THE PLANET OF JANET Janet wants us to "Describe your meeting with your spouse/significant other. I especially want to hear "meet cute" stories. And it doesn't have to be your actual current sig/other. Perhaps the "meet cute" story is a former boy/girlfriend... or even a best friend. Illustrate with photos, of course." I never thought I would find my soul mate .... through a want-ad. That's right, a want-ad. At the end of 1991 whatever the reason was at the time: silly, dare, bored, curious or what, I placed an ad in the Sacramento Singles News Magazine. It said Ward Cleaver, Where are You? SWF, 32 seeking a 1950's type of guy. A gentleman with sense of humor and the gift of gab, affectionate (i'm addicted to hugs and backrubs), physically fit, intelligent, catholic. I am 5'2", 115 lb., multifaceted southern lady who is educated, intelligent, stubborn,...

Twilight By Stephenie Meyer Monday the 8 th , while we were still in New York we were all tired. James was sleeping, Father was sleeping and I had finished the two books I had brought. While my two guys were resting, went over to Borders at Penn Station. I found Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and just had to get it. I started reading Twilight as soon as got back to the room and couldn’t put it down.  Many people, starting with Mental Multivitamin had read the book and said it was a delightful, enchanting book. I couldn’t agree more. They just left out the part about it being a thrill ride with many ups, downs, twists and turns. It held me breathless with anticipation as few books do. It is a story about a 17 year old girl Isabella who has just moved to the small town of Forks to live with her dad, the town sheriff and go to high school. At the small high school, she sees Edward, the most beautiful boy, she has ever seen. She is entranced by him...

AL GORE You either love him or hate him. Me - I can't stand the man and think he is a complete and total blathering idiot. He is the Democrats Dan Quayle. However, father likes the man and hopes he runs for president and knocks Hillary out of the ball park. In a way that would be good and we can be assured nothing would be accomplished during his presidency. Hmmm! My brother in law just appeared on NBC news a couple nights ago as the spokesman for Draftgore.com , a movement by Democrats to get Gore to run for president. They are hoping to get enough people to sign a petition that will entice Gore to run. Check out the website - it is very well done. (good job B - proud of you) I got myself into hot water on the WTM board because I disagreed with Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize. You really aren't suppose to bring up political stuff, or rather, you are asked not too. However, I had to say something and vent and the result was not pretty. What I said was " I h...

OCT 4 th Day One: On our way to NEW YORK !!!! Thursday we took off for New York . I wasn’t able to get a non stop flight from Sacramento so we are going through Denver , then on to New York . We will be arriving in New York at 11:30 p.m. their time. When we got up, all we had to do was finish packing up essentials, my laptop, do the dishes, sweep the floor, last minute litter box clean out and throw out the thrash. At least that is what was on my list of things to do before we left at 12:00 p.m. for a 2:55 p.m. flight.  When father got up, he had a different list of things to accomplish – he needed to call and make arrangements for a circuit board to be printed up, email it to them, then call his AES associates. I asked him to finish three things before any of that: get his shaving kit and whatever else needed and pick out ties to be packed, and get the cash. I had packed all clothes and other stuff the night before. We are packed and ready to hit t...

Oct 5 Day Two: Plan for the day -- The Empire State Building  We finally all wake up about 12:30 p.m. New York time. James never eats cereal for some inexplicable reason and only eats toast for breakfast, so we decide to go try and find someplace that is serving breakfast. According to the hotel information, they only serve breakfast til 11:00. So….we ask the bell hops who advise us that the restaurant is no longer serving breakfast. They kindly point us in the direction of café “Whozits” a couple blocks down the street in Korea town. We get there and nope, they don’t serve breakfast in the afternoon, but a kindly customer directs us to go to café “Whatzits” two blocks down and to the left. We get to café “Whatzits” who also doesn’t serve breakfast, and again a kindly customer says go to café “Wherezits” two blocks over. At which point it is now 2:00 p.m. and I am tired of the who, what, where game. I hungrily and huffily advise the boys that we are going back to the hotel and e...

Oct 6: Day Three: Plan for the Day American Museum of Natural History We all wake up around 11:30 or so New York time, got our showers and headed down for a late breakfast. While we are having breakfast, there was an annual Korean American day parade and we have a good view out the window of the restaurant of floats, marching bands, Korean traditional dancers and martial arts. They actually shut down the street down outside the hotel for the Festival, but we were off to the museum so missed that. We ask the concierge what subway to take to get over to 81 st street and he tells us the best route is to take subway C from Penn Station; just turn right out the door and down three blocks. We exit the door and look down the street and see Penn Station in the distance. Wow…I didn’t know we were so close. We walk across the Avenue of the Americas , down to Penn Station which is surrounded by Madison Square Gardens . We take the escalator down into...