Castle in the Clouds

I'm quite a bit older than my sisters. When I was a teenager, they were still in their adolescence. As they approached their pre-teens, I was moving out and getting married, starting a life away from the home we had shared. As you can imagine, our age difference meant while I was playing with barbies and running through the woods playing "fort" or whatever other imaginary scenario we could devise, they were kept close to home under the watchful eye of our parents. When they were finally ready to go traipsing through the 10-acres, I was too busy worrying about the boyfriend and the after-school job at the small grocery store/pizza place/video rental place. However, I do have one memory in particular that I hold dear of the three of us bonding. I don't remember if it was spring, summer, fall or winter, but I spent several weeks reading the Anne of Green Gables series to them. We shared a room and, for the few weeks that it took to get through the six books, we'

My mom moved to California a few weeks ago. Because space was rather limited inside the moving truck, she had to pick and choose what to take with her. When the last of the boxes were tucked away inside the semi, she had a collection of boxes that needed a new home. If no one took them, they'd end up in the trash. When she told me the boxes contained pictures and other bits of memorabilia my great-grandparents had left with her, I volunteered to come pick them up. It took a few days. Sometimes our lives get so busy with work and school and the boys' sports schedule, that I forget about the spontaneous obligations that spring up. I'm glad I didn't forget this one. Taking time out of my busy schedule to drive over to her old house and bother the new tenets was worth the effort. I ended up with six boxes and you cannot imagine what treasures I've uncovered. When our Team-Up Thursday assignment was announced - nine - I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I pulled

On the way home last night I had a topic for a blog post. Really, I did! However, by the time I got home and decided I was too lazy to make myself dinner (the family had eaten while I was sitting in class), I completely forgot about this lonely, little blog. Poor thing. It's been sadly neglected of late. Mostly because I get tired of talking about my rather mundane life. Not that I'm complaining! Other than the occasional irritation or minor speed bump, things are good here. Car has to have new brakes, but do you really need or want to know that? No, probably not. Just like you won't care that I have to finish my first paper for my Lit Theory class. Although, you may be interested in the fact that I am completely enjoying Alice Munro's short stories and will be recommending her to anyone who enjoys artful writing that doesn't feel contrived. See, I'm rambling in hopes that you won't realize I don't have a topic! No focus. Just blathering on abo

Love Originally uploaded by Krheiser Earlier this week (or was it late last week?), I signed up for the Team-Up Thursday photo challenge. As you may have guessed by the name alone, this challenge requires a partner. One I didn't have. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who signed up without a clear idea of who I'd be working with. Looking through Kari's Flickr stream was a bit intimidating. She takes beautiful photos. She's artisic. While my photos tend to focus on people (mainly family members and friends), hers seem to highlight the beauty of a snow-hugged river or the fabric of a woven scarf. Gorgeous stuff. I tried to imagine how our two styles would mesh in the world of diptychs. I hoped I wouldn't disappoint her. Well, today is our first entry. The theme for the week was love. Since my little guy was in the middle of filling out his Valentine Day cards for his school party on Friday, I decided to focus on the cards and candy (pixie stix...yum!) cele

I don't think I'm one of those parents who live vicariously through their children. Really, I don't. Oh, sure, I get excited and might yell a few encouraging things throughout their games or meets, but I know they're the ones doing all the hard work and I have nothing to do with their failure or success. I must admit, though, that I want them to succeed and I'm happy when they win. No apologies for feeling this way, either, because I love watching their little faces light up with pleasure. I love the delighted smiles and the sense of pride they embody for those few precious moments after they realize they've been victorious. Of course, there are days when they don't do as well as they'd like. Days like Sunday. Now, let me be clear. They did well. In fact, they did so well that they both brought home second place medals. That's not too shabby! In fact, it's darn good and I'm continually amazed at how well they're both doing. Espe

Which expensive electronic device do you most often let your older children abuse or your baby drool on? The kids aren't allowed to abuse anything I consider "mine". I'm a bit selfish that way. However, in my defense, my boys are incredibly spoiled and have expensive electronics of their own that they most definitely abuse; namely, their Nintendo DSs and games. How many take-out restaurant numbers do you have programmed into your phone? I used to have the pizza place down the road from our house pre-programmed but that was three or four phones ago. So, in truth, none! How many hours of television do you so totally not let your kids watch a week? Well, they sleep and go to school. So, if we add those hours together, I'd say they get about an 17 or 18 hour break from television. Of course, if we're talking weekends, I'd say they get more time in front of the television than I do. Do you think people who say “we don’t watch television” at play dates bu