Trick Photography

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog about my trip to the local salon and my very first pedicure. I even had a picture of my feet. Here's the picture I used...



I got tickled when I received a comment from my friend, Sherry, about that picture...

Hey...I just realized you are 8 months pregnant and can still photograph your feet! Not fair!

Well, after I received her comment, I had to check it all out for myself, so standing straight and tall, I looked down for my feet. They weren't there!



Leaning a little bit forward, I looked again. Ah! There they were...sort of.



Leaning forward even more--dangerously forward now, I might add--they came into full view!



I guess it was a case of trick photography.

Now, if I could just figure out a way to use trick photography on my "laugh lines!"

Order! Order!

Who knew? Alright, maybe everyone but me. That's O.K.

A couple of summers ago, the kids and I were standing in the dentist's office talking with the receptionist about stuff. We got on the subject of The Chronicles of Narnia and how much we loved reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We were talking about how we were looking forward to seeing the movie when our dentist walked up and asked if we had read any of the other books. I told him that we had read The Magician's Nephew. I also told him how happy I was that we had already read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before we read The Magician's Nephew. He told me, "Wait right there!" and he disappeared into an office.

He came back with another one of the dentists in the office. The other dentist was carrying a little yellow sticky note which he handed to me. He said, "Here is the order in which you should read the books!" He then told me about how C.S. Lewis had written them in a different order (the publication order) than they were numbered (the chronological order)by HarperCollins publishers.

I really didn't understand it all, and I really haven't put too much thought into it until recently. I do think it's interesting that the movies are coming out--so far--in the publication order rather than the chronological order.

Publication Order Compared with Chronological Order

Publication Order
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Prince Caspian (1951)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
The Silver Chair (1953)
The Horse and His Boy (1954)
The Magician's Nephew (1955)
The Last Battle (1956)

Chronological Order
The Magician's Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle


I found this great article about the reading order on Wikipedia. I didn't realize that there was such a difference in opinion among the fans of the series as to what order the books should be read.

As for us, we are going to continue reading them in the publication order since that is how we began.

Another great thing about blogging...now I can throw away this little yellow sticky note that I keep misplacing!

In Mourning...

We are in mourning at our house.

O.K., it's not really that bad.

We just finished reading our 40th and final book of the Left Behind Series for Kids . We've been reading the books since a year ago Christmas. That means that we have developed relationships with the characters. We've gotten to know them--really well! And now it's over. After a year and a half, we had to say goodbye. It was a pretty bittersweet moment. It reminds me of when I finished reading the last Little House on the Prairie book when I was a kid. I just wasn't ready to say goodbye! As I remember, I moped around for a few days until I found another book to stick my nose in.

So today, to help alleviate our sadness, we reconnected with others that we've already met. This afternoon, we began reading Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis. We figured that this was a pretty good choice since the movie will be coming out in May. We love being able to read the book before seeing the movie.




Now, if you ask my older two, they will tell you that we have read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at least a hundred times--it is true that we have read this book many times over. I think the first time that I read the book to them was when Carrie was 5 and William was 3. I had never read the book before, so I just jumped right in. As I read, I worried about whether or not the story would give them nightmares, but instead, they understood much more of the Christian parallels than I could have imagined--and they kept asking for more! Every time we read the book, the story just got better and better.

It was so much fun to go to the movie theater to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was also fun to come home and talk about what was the same and what was different--what we enjoyed and what we were disappointed with. Joshua was pretty little when we went--still nursing, so we took him with us. I remember that he laughed at Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. I once again was afraid that the story might give nightmares--with all the scary creatures and noises--but he fell asleep before the most intense scenes.

Anyway, here we are again, saturating ourselves in the lives of "our friends," Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. In fact, we just popped the movie into the DVD player.

Reunion time...

Sweet William

It's so much fun to celebrate a birthday--especially when it is for one of your children.

William turned 10 on March 16. It's just so hard to believe that it was 10 years ago that he became such an important part of our family. Since then, he has brought so much joy to all of us. It's been so much fun to watch him grow and change. His personality has positively blossomed in the past few years. I am so thankful for this very special boy that God has created and shared with us.

Here, William is doing something that he loves to do...light his own birthday candles. This year he chose these really long, thin sparkler candles. They weren't easy to light--it took a long time for each one to catch fire. He got lots of advice on how to speed up the process, but he decided that lighting each one individually, with matches, was the only way to thoroughly enjoy himself. That's one of the many things I love about William. He knows what he wants, and he is usually able to figure out a way to accomplish it.










There were more candle-lighting pictures, but I think you get the idea. I couldn't stop taking pictures of him lighting candles--the whole things just struck me as funny! He was so determined!

And finally, he is able to enjoy the fruit of his labor! I'm not even sure if he remembered to make a wish or not.


The rest of the day was spent opening gifts, playing and just enjoying the family from far and near who came to celebrate William's life.



Happy Birthday, Dear, Sweet William! I love you!

Nicky...This One's For You!

The possibilities for naming this blog were numerous, but I decided on this one, because my friend Nicky has twittered recently about highlighting her hair. I also thought that since I have posted about the boys' trip to the barber shop, I should be fair and post something about a trip to our local salon.

So, laying all pride aside, it's the girls' turn!

Here I am with foil in my hair. Carrie really enjoyed taking this picture and made me promise that I would post it.

Lovely, huh? Well, just wait until you get to the end of the post. Just a warning if you don't like pictures of feet...



But first, here is Carrie patiently waiting for her turn in the chair. Just a trim for Carrie--no beautiful foil pictures. No foil because no gray to cover.



And don't forget the recently added "coffee and refreshment bar." Now tell me that this isn't better than the barber shop?!



And now, the feet. I had to put this on as a warning to anyone who has never had a pedicure. As you can probably tell from the first picture, I do not take care of my feet. No lotion, no filing, no buffing, no nothing.

My hairdresser talked me into having a pedicure before our baby comes. I decided to give it a try.



The warning? If you do not want to get hooked on something new, don't have a pedicure! It could become extremely addictive! Sitting with my feet in a whirlpool tub and having them buffed and lotioned, filed and painted was just too wonderful. It is an addiction that I just cannot afford right now! I'm hoping that this once will tide me over for a long time. In the mean time, I'm trying to be good to my feet by putting lotion on them everyday.



Now, I do have to tell you that Joshua will still tell you that the barber shop is better than the beauty shop. Just yesterday, he decided that he needed to take another trip to the barber shop for "new hair and a sucker."

The ultimate pedicure: $40, plus tip
Trip to the barber shop: $10, no tip--and don't forget the free sucker
Sticky 2-year old sucker face: Priceless

Aaahh!

When it rains, it pours.

I really shouldn't put it that way. Rain is associated with overcast days, a chill in the air, and being soggy. That is not at all an accurate picture of how the past 3 weeks have been.

In fact, all of the activity has been fun activity...basketball games and end-of-the-season celebrations, William's 10th birthday and all of the birthday fun, Easter and all of its anticipated traditions.

There were also the daily activities...schoolwork, chores, and making time for everyday family life together.

Then there was the "out-of-the-ordinary" activities...playing piano for worship service, hair appointments, and doctor appointments.

So, the blog had to be put on hold. I had to tell myself that it was O.K., and that eventually, life would slow down again.

Well, that time has come. And all the activity has left me with lots of things to blog about!

So, if your curious as to what we've been up to, stay tuned...

Meet Jack

This is Jack.
He is a Walker Coonhound.
We've had Jack for several years now--I think almost three.



When I was a little girl growing up on a farm in northern Indiana, we always had a dog or two around. Usually my dad chose German Shepherds or German Shepherd mixes. There were a couple of mutts along the way too--my favorites. But we never had a hound dog.

We began getting lonely for dog companionship after our hound dog mix of 9 years, Duke, died. So, it was no surprise when one evening Paul came home from work and told me that a friend of his had a hound dog that he was needing to find a home for. This dog, he said, was a Walker Coonhound--a hunting dog. In fact, he had been out on several hunts already. I asked if he was a good hunting dog, and Paul said that he was a "me too" dog. I guess everytime he went out with the other dogs to hunt, they would tree something and start howling, and Jack would throw his head back and howl, "Me too!" That alone made me fall in love with him before I ever saw him. So, one Wednesday afternoon, we went to meet Jack and ended up bringing home a dog, a bag of dogfood and a leash.

There are times that I wonder if we did the right thing--getting another dog. Like when I look out and see him digging yet another hole in the backyard. Duke used to catch the moles, but Jack just digs for them. Like I said, his hunting instincts aren't very strong. Or when I see that ring in our yard where the grass has died, because that's where he runs. Or when I see him do his bathroom duty right in the middle of the backyard. Or when I see a snake too close to the house--one that a dog should be scaring away.



But then I notice his loyalty. I notice how he stands nearby as William goes out in the early morning hours to sled, protectively watching his boy and wondering what fun he has up his sleeve.


Or how gentle he is with the kids. How he wants to be with them no matter where they are...or what they look like!


And how it doesn't really matter if they are actively engaged in playing with him. Just being near his people is enough.



Isn't that what true friendship is all about? I guess I can overlook the many, many holes and the dead grass in our yard. Especially when I hear the kids praying to God every evening to bless JackDog.

Me Too

Too funny. One evening, Josh came up to me with William's math book and a marker and said, "Me do my maff." As seriously as I could (I didn't want to discourage him!), I showed him where he could write in the book.

Just days before, he had come to me while I was cleaning the bathroom. I asked him what he had been doing, and he said, "Watching Mr. Demme." We use the Math-U-See curriculum, and Mr. Demme is the teacher on the videos. He had been watching Mr. Demme with William.



Later that evening, he sat down at the table with me and said, "Me do mine homework." Homework?! Where did he get that word? I don't think that I ever use the word homework. Everything we do is "home" work, so I don't ever use that term. He must have heard one of the kids talking about homework--or caught it from a TV show that we were watching. I don't know.

Anyway, here he is, sporting my reading glasses.




O.K. Funny story about the reading glasses. I decided last January that after many years of not having an eye exam, I would have one. Well, the doctor told me that I might benefit from having a pair of reading glasses. I tried them for awhile but never thought that they did all that much for me. They didn't even make me look smarter. See?



So, the funny part is that the glasses just disappeared. I figured that it must have something to do with Joshua. I looked and looked and never did find them. Well, back in October I got the box that holds our hats and gloves out of the attic. The kids were digging through it to find what they needed and low and behold--there were my glasses! Josh must have stashed them in there back in March, and then I put the box up in the attic.

It makes me wonder what else is hiding in my house. Paul would tell me I have too much stuff. I don't even have an arguement for that one.

It's a "Guy Thang"

Here he is. The boy who's hair gets so shaggy. Or should I say, "The boy who's mommy lets his hair get so shaggy!" Well, being way overdue for a haircut, Daddy decided that it was time that Josh join the men on a trip to the barber shop.

As you can probably tell, Mom got to go along to take pictures. I was a little nervous about entering the barber shop. I've never ever been in one. When I was in high school, my best friend's dad was the town barber. Even then, I never entered the barber shop. And I've seen how welcome women are in Floyd's Barber Shop on "Andy Griffith." So, I asked Paul if it was O.K. if Carrie and I went in or if there was some man code that kept us from going in. Paul just smiled and shook his head.



It's amazing what the barber shop does to a boy. Paul always told me that William would sit so still when he went to the barber. I had to see this one for myself. After all, I have taken Josh several times already to get his hair cut. He wiggles and squirms. He wimpers and puts his hands on his head. Well, I was amazed. He sat as still as could be, moving only to peek at William in the next chair.





William has been going to the barber with Paul since he was about Josh's age. Dave has always been his favorite barber, but he gave up the chair to Josh this time. All the boys had lots of hair to lose on this trip to the barber, but I think that William was the biggest loser this time. He went for a "short fade with no bangs"--whatever that is.




Josh got "a nice little boy cut--short around the ears." I still sit here in shock as I look at this picture. He let Dave use the clippers on him for most of the haircut! I think the only time he used scissors was to trim his bangs and around his ears. He sat completely still--as if he knew there was something really special about this haircut.


Josh is all done! And what spoils went home with the conquerer? One cherry Dum Dum, one piece of Dubble Bubble, a handful of Chicklets and the Certificate of Manhood, signed and dated by Dave, along with a tissue square full of hair from his first trip to the barber shop. And you wonder why guys keep going back to the barber!




And here's William! A look of complete relief is on his face. You can just imagine that he must feel so much better now that his hair has been cut. I think, too, that he was pretty excited to be able to show the barber shop to his mom and sister.


And last, but not least, here's Paul getting his hair done--wait--I don't think guys say that their hair was "done." Here's Paul getting his hair cut! He wasn't as excited about getting his picture taken--I even think that Dave ribbed him a little about it--but as I tell him, someday you and the kids will be really happy for these pictures! O.K. Someday the kids will be really happy for these pictures!

Narnia

It began yesterday afternoon. The freezing rain and ice began hitting the ground.

We could tell that the rain had changed over to ice, because it sounded different on the roof and against the windows than it had just minutes before. When we looked outside, we could see little tiny balls of ice.


We could see the effects of the ice on the row of arborvitaes in the backyard. They had begun to bow to the icy weather.

I always worry about the arborvitaes during heavy snows and icy weather. They look as if they could snap in half. Sometimes, they are so loaded down with snow and ice, that they actually lay flat on the ground. But they are so sturdy, and they always surprise me at how they bounce back. When they were small (the trees and the kids), the kids had one that they used to sled right over--accidentally, of course. I was sure that I would have to either replace it or leave this strange-looking open spot in the row. But guess what! It bounced back!


Once again, evening events were cancelled, and we enjoyed an evening
"trapped" at home. I'll say it again--there's just nothing better than being "trapped" at home!

At one point in the evening, the electricity sputtered and made us think that it might go out. The kids love it when the electricity goes out. I can remember being a kid and loving it too. Mom would light the oil lamps and we would sit and read. Now, as an adult, I find that I don't love it as much as I used to. Back then I didn't think about not being able to flush the toilets or not being able to run the water or not being able to open the refrigerator. I would just read. I used to think that it would be wonderful to be Amish. Or a pioneer. (I may have to share more of that in another blog.)

Speaking of adult worries. I used to just love an ice storm. They really are beautiful. But now that I'm an adult and live in a house surrounded by very old and very tall trees--some of which reach way over the roof of our house--many of which need to be trimmed--I don't tend to love them as much. I tend to sit and wait for the creaking and snapping of big limbs, wondering where they will fall. We did lose lots of branches yesterday afternoon--but thankfully, no big limbs on the house.

And what a treat this morning as the sun came up! The ice on the trees just sparkled! When we stepped out the front door, Carrie looked at the neighbor's dogwood tree (below) and said, "This reminds me of being in Narnia!" I just had to take a picture of the tree. Doesn't it look almost pink?

By the way, I just love this tree. I love to watch it as it changes through the seasons. It sits up against our neighbor's house, as if protecting it. It is one of the most beautiful trees I've ever seen. I've decided that I really need to take seasonal pictures of it. And maybe even name it. Some name pets, I name trees and bushes. Remind me, and I'll introduce you to Billy Ray later on in the spring.


Now, as I sit here typing, I can hear what the sun is doing to the ice. Chunks of it are hitting the roof and falling around the house. The melting of winter has begun, hopefully making way to sunnier, warmer days! Aslan is on the move!

I know--this is Indiana!

In Like a Monkey...

The news report Saturday morning said that March was coming in like a lion without teeth. I'll take that, in the hopes that March will be going out like a lamb--even if that lamb has fangs. How bad could that be?

At our house, March came in like a monkey! Paul didn't have to work Saturday--he took the day off so that he could go to the kids' last basketball games. These two facts made it a special Saturday at our house, so we had Monkey Bread. If you like cinnamon rolls, I think you would like Monkey Bread--and it's so easy! You'll see once you've finished it, why it's called Monkey Bread. You actually pick your pieces off--I guess like a monkey would. We also found out a new reason it might be called Monkey Bread. When Josh put a piece in his mouth, he would say, "Mmmm" and push it to the front of his mouth--up in front of his teeth--making him look like a little monkey. I wanted to take pictures of it--and of Josh's monkey face--but my camera wasn't in an easy-to-get-to place, and I knew I would miss the moment. Plus, the Monkey Bread went very fast. And now it's gone!

Here' the recipe, if you would like to try it. It's so good with a cup of coffee!

First: 4 packages of refrigerator rolls (store brand work best), cut into fourths. Roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Put in greased 13x9 pan...glass works best.

Second: Bring to boil: 1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 3 T. water

Third: Pour over biscuits. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool for 7-10 minutes. Invert on cookie sheet.

I don't have any Monkey Bread pictures to share, but I do have "The Last Basketball Game of the Season" pictures to share! I will miss going to Saturday games to watch Carrie and William play, but it will be nice to have those Saturdays and the weeknight practice nights free again.

This is a video that I happened to catch of William making a basket. He's the one who is standing under the basket. I hope this shows up. It's the first time I've tried putting a video on here.

The other picture of William is while he dribbling the ball. The ball looks like it's lying flat on the floor.

















And here are some pictures from Carrie's game.
The picture directly below is of Joshua and Grandma cheering on the team.
Under that is Carrie sitting the bench after getting fouled out for the period. Uh-oh!
It was a pretty good Saturday!