It's been a long week since Christmas and an interesting year.
Wishing you all a wonderful end to 2008 and a very Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Ready for Christmas
Our plans changed at the last minute this year, and due to the flu bug making an untimely appearance at Grandma and Grandpa's house (where we were supposed to stay), we are having a small just-the-three-of-us Christmas here at home. So we braved the Christmas Eve crowds at Walmart, went grocery shopping and got a few food items to make it through the next few days and had a nice quiet day here at home. We watched the classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" movie (we rented a couple) and then the three of us stood around the cake below and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. Em blew out the candles.
Here is Emily, posing with a slice of the Jesus cake and a cup of milk for Santa. (He probably likes the variety from all the cookies!) If you look closely, you will see that Emily decided to stick the fork in the cake for Santa. Such a helper!
The gifts are ready and Puma the cat decided to check them out.
Hmmm...something in that stocking sure smells good....
Merry Christmas to all....and to all, a good night!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
O Christmas Tree 2008
This year, we bought a real tree (a Frasier Fir, if you care) for the first time in our little family.
We finally got it decorated on Saturday, sans the beaded garland, but it is decorated!
Below is the view of the entire tree.
This is the top of the tree. I didn't think the star would fit or stay on, so I went with a bow this year.
The reason for the season. I have a nicer porcelain nativity, but I have discovered that real tree branches aren't as strong as artificial ones...so this one will have to do.
Some of the random ornaments we've collected over the 8+ years.
I must say that I highly recommend the satin ribbons to hang ornaments instead of the more traditional metal hooks. It takes a little more time the first time you use them, but then they are ready to go for all the following years. You can make your own or find them in some stores, pre-tied. Very kid-friendly too!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
BRRRrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!
Short and Sweet:
Today's actual temperature: -2 degrees F
Today's wind chill: -15 degrees to -30 (Currently around -23 degrees)
Don't you wish you lived here?
Today's actual temperature: -2 degrees F
Today's wind chill: -15 degrees to -30 (Currently around -23 degrees)
Don't you wish you lived here?
Friday, December 19, 2008
Weird People and Women's Intuition
So I need some opinions here...and rather than take up space on Skyepuppy's blog (go check it out, it's good!) I thought I'd post the whole story here.
Today, Skye posted about a book that basically tells women to trust their intuition in situations where they feel uncomfortable. I think I'll probably check out the book when I get a chance, but it immediately brought to mind a particular person that I've run into in our local mall too many times to count. So here's the whole story:
Emily and I frequent the mall, especially in the winter, because there's really not much else to do in town, and because the play area there has always been a good place for her to socialize. We haven't been going as often now that Em has preschool and plenty of friends with which to play, but we still occasionally go just to let her run around and play.
So starting either last winter or spring, I began to notice a frequent visitor to the play area. Now, and I know this is prejudicial but if it means keeping my kid safe, I will profile, if this person had been a man, I'd have reported him in a flash, but instead, I noticed the same woman hanging around inside the play area, with no children of her own. Ordinarily, this wouldn't bother me because there are rows of padded benches and lots of older people in particular like to sit and watch the kids play, but something just didn't feel right with this woman. She looks a little odd...hard to explain, just odd, and most importantly, she didn't just sit there and watch, she was usually standing right where the kids were playing and often trying to engage them.
Now, this wouldn't be so unusual, but she seems to pick Emily out every time we go. Sometimes she will go over and sit beside her on one of the benches and read books to her or other times talk to her, but it started to bother me a lot that she was always around. Even when we would leave the play area, I would notice that she would suddenly be in the same store we were in, and again, she would try to engage Emily.
Now for those who don't know my little darling, she is not shy. She will talk...and talk...and talk...to anyone and most of the time, knows no strangers. So at first, it was easy to believe that she might have initiated the contact with this woman, but time and again, it started to bug me. At this point let me say that Em was never, even for a moment out of my sight, so nothing could happen, and I always block the entrance to wherever we are so no one can snatch her and run without me seeing.
The day that put me over the edge was more recently. We were shopping in the Gymboree store. They have a kids tv area in the back of the store where kids can sit and play and watch videos while mom is shopping. I let Emily go back there because again, she can't get out without me knowing. Well, apparently while I was shopping, this woman must have either been in the store already and I missed her (she's very short) or she came in while I was turned away from the entrance, but when I went back to check on Em (I could still hear her with no problem....she's very loud) there was this same woman talking to her. Frankly, it just freaked me out. She had no reason to be in the store...and why is she always around?
So after this, as soon as we were out of the store, I pulled Emily aside and asked her what the lady was talking about. Of course, I got the usual, I don't know answer. So I point blank told her that if she saw that lady again, she should come find me and that if the lady ever tried to get Em to come with her, she should come get me immediately or scream as loud as she could. I didn't want to scare her, but this lady really gets under my skin.
Does this sound odd to anyone else? She just raises my radar, even from the first time I noticed her. I know it could be totally innocent, but I don't like the feeling I get. I think the next time I see her around Em, it's going to get reported. I don't want to make her life miserable, especially if she's just someone's mom or grandma who loves/misses her kids, but I will not put Emily in a dangerous situation either.
Thoughts? Am I just overprotective and nuts?
Today, Skye posted about a book that basically tells women to trust their intuition in situations where they feel uncomfortable. I think I'll probably check out the book when I get a chance, but it immediately brought to mind a particular person that I've run into in our local mall too many times to count. So here's the whole story:
Emily and I frequent the mall, especially in the winter, because there's really not much else to do in town, and because the play area there has always been a good place for her to socialize. We haven't been going as often now that Em has preschool and plenty of friends with which to play, but we still occasionally go just to let her run around and play.
So starting either last winter or spring, I began to notice a frequent visitor to the play area. Now, and I know this is prejudicial but if it means keeping my kid safe, I will profile, if this person had been a man, I'd have reported him in a flash, but instead, I noticed the same woman hanging around inside the play area, with no children of her own. Ordinarily, this wouldn't bother me because there are rows of padded benches and lots of older people in particular like to sit and watch the kids play, but something just didn't feel right with this woman. She looks a little odd...hard to explain, just odd, and most importantly, she didn't just sit there and watch, she was usually standing right where the kids were playing and often trying to engage them.
Now, this wouldn't be so unusual, but she seems to pick Emily out every time we go. Sometimes she will go over and sit beside her on one of the benches and read books to her or other times talk to her, but it started to bother me a lot that she was always around. Even when we would leave the play area, I would notice that she would suddenly be in the same store we were in, and again, she would try to engage Emily.
Now for those who don't know my little darling, she is not shy. She will talk...and talk...and talk...to anyone and most of the time, knows no strangers. So at first, it was easy to believe that she might have initiated the contact with this woman, but time and again, it started to bug me. At this point let me say that Em was never, even for a moment out of my sight, so nothing could happen, and I always block the entrance to wherever we are so no one can snatch her and run without me seeing.
The day that put me over the edge was more recently. We were shopping in the Gymboree store. They have a kids tv area in the back of the store where kids can sit and play and watch videos while mom is shopping. I let Emily go back there because again, she can't get out without me knowing. Well, apparently while I was shopping, this woman must have either been in the store already and I missed her (she's very short) or she came in while I was turned away from the entrance, but when I went back to check on Em (I could still hear her with no problem....she's very loud) there was this same woman talking to her. Frankly, it just freaked me out. She had no reason to be in the store...and why is she always around?
So after this, as soon as we were out of the store, I pulled Emily aside and asked her what the lady was talking about. Of course, I got the usual, I don't know answer. So I point blank told her that if she saw that lady again, she should come find me and that if the lady ever tried to get Em to come with her, she should come get me immediately or scream as loud as she could. I didn't want to scare her, but this lady really gets under my skin.
Does this sound odd to anyone else? She just raises my radar, even from the first time I noticed her. I know it could be totally innocent, but I don't like the feeling I get. I think the next time I see her around Em, it's going to get reported. I don't want to make her life miserable, especially if she's just someone's mom or grandma who loves/misses her kids, but I will not put Emily in a dangerous situation either.
Thoughts? Am I just overprotective and nuts?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Christmas Pictures-Casual
The size of these pictures is really annoying me, but at least you can get the idea. This was Em's casual, playful look!
Christmas Pictures-All Dressed Up
We had Em's Christmas pictures taken at the Picture People. I don't know why the pictures are so small here (copyright protection I guess) but here are her dressy photos.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Racial Divide
Well, we just elected a black man to the highest office in the land, the Presidency, but I guess even that does not prove that the races are equal.
While "surfing the net" this evening, I ran across this delightful little article about an internet browser designed and marketed for blacks. You can read the full article here, but I thought I'd give you the gist with just a few quotes.
About the "Blackbird Web Browser":
"For African-American Web surfers who just can't relate to their browsers, there's hope: the Blackbird Web browser.
Billed as "the Web browser for the African-American community," it's a modification of Mozilla Firefox with a different color scheme — black and earthy shades of green and brown — as well as certain built-in features meant to appeal to black Americans.
These include "Black Search," which brings up results tailored to what its backers assume are African-American interests; "Black News Ticker," which does more of the same; and "Blackbird TV," which is "the best of Black video on the Web."
Reaction to the browser is mixed:
"Wait, why do I need a special Web browser?" asked Gizmodo writer Adrian Covert. "Last time I checked, I don't physically browse the Internet any different than anyone else."
"The way this browser is marketed, the language, and the very idea that Black people somehow need a different piece of software to deal with the Internet all rubs me the wrong way," wrote K.T. Bradford of Laptop magazine."
But there are some who feel differently:
"The BlackWeb 2.0 blog was more supportive.
"There is a Black culture and a Black Experience, and this naturally translates online and into any other medium since we are all a part of the human race," regular poster "Markus" wrote. "In 2008 it is not wrong to want to identify with your culture regardless of what that culture may be or how you choose to identify with it."
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by stories like this anymore, and yet I still am. I mean, it's late 2008. We just elected a black man as the President of the United States of America. Slavery ended a LONG time ago. Black men and women have every single right that white men and women have, and due to affirmative action, sometimes have more job opportunities. The civil rights movement is over. I believe we are equal. So why are we still dealing with this nonsense? Why are some still determined to create a racial divide? How much more equal can we get, folks?
And finally, I saved the best for last. The last quote in the article was too good to pass up. I have a feeling that, other than the man's poor choice of language, he and I would agree on this topic.
According to "Cordfucious the Unbuntu Walker", a poster on the blog "Gizmodo",
"I am offended at this," ... "As a Black man in this country I don't need a browser to help my kids find culturally relevant material... it's the damn WORLD WIDE WEB... not the Black Web, or White Web or Yellow Web. ... It's s--- like this that burns me up. I need to tell my wife (who is Hispanic) that the[y] need the BlackBean browser for the Hispanic community."
AMEN!!
While "surfing the net" this evening, I ran across this delightful little article about an internet browser designed and marketed for blacks. You can read the full article here, but I thought I'd give you the gist with just a few quotes.
About the "Blackbird Web Browser":
"For African-American Web surfers who just can't relate to their browsers, there's hope: the Blackbird Web browser.
Billed as "the Web browser for the African-American community," it's a modification of Mozilla Firefox with a different color scheme — black and earthy shades of green and brown — as well as certain built-in features meant to appeal to black Americans.
These include "Black Search," which brings up results tailored to what its backers assume are African-American interests; "Black News Ticker," which does more of the same; and "Blackbird TV," which is "the best of Black video on the Web."
Reaction to the browser is mixed:
"Wait, why do I need a special Web browser?" asked Gizmodo writer Adrian Covert. "Last time I checked, I don't physically browse the Internet any different than anyone else."
"The way this browser is marketed, the language, and the very idea that Black people somehow need a different piece of software to deal with the Internet all rubs me the wrong way," wrote K.T. Bradford of Laptop magazine."
But there are some who feel differently:
"The BlackWeb 2.0 blog was more supportive.
"There is a Black culture and a Black Experience, and this naturally translates online and into any other medium since we are all a part of the human race," regular poster "Markus" wrote. "In 2008 it is not wrong to want to identify with your culture regardless of what that culture may be or how you choose to identify with it."
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by stories like this anymore, and yet I still am. I mean, it's late 2008. We just elected a black man as the President of the United States of America. Slavery ended a LONG time ago. Black men and women have every single right that white men and women have, and due to affirmative action, sometimes have more job opportunities. The civil rights movement is over. I believe we are equal. So why are we still dealing with this nonsense? Why are some still determined to create a racial divide? How much more equal can we get, folks?
And finally, I saved the best for last. The last quote in the article was too good to pass up. I have a feeling that, other than the man's poor choice of language, he and I would agree on this topic.
According to "Cordfucious the Unbuntu Walker", a poster on the blog "Gizmodo",
"I am offended at this," ... "As a Black man in this country I don't need a browser to help my kids find culturally relevant material... it's the damn WORLD WIDE WEB... not the Black Web, or White Web or Yellow Web. ... It's s--- like this that burns me up. I need to tell my wife (who is Hispanic) that the[y] need the BlackBean browser for the Hispanic community."
AMEN!!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Fun Accent Quiz
I am originally from Delaware, considered neither north or south, but a "mid-Atlantic" state. People from where I grew up definitely have accents. Some are decidedly southern, some are more typical north-eastern (think New Jersey/New York/New England). Some are not really that defineable, but they are definitely present. I would say that the rest of my family have variations of a southern accent, but I do not.
I don't say this just from my own judgement, but when I moved to Indiana for college, I noticed the Mid-western and Northern accents, but no one could ever guess where I was from, and then when I would tell them, they would always say that I didn't have an accent. My husband agrees.
So when I found this little quiz, I decided to take it and see how accurate it was. It was quick and I found it to be right on the mark. Take it for yourself at the link below and see how you rank. It only takes a couple minutes. I posted my results below the link.
Have fun.
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have
My Results:
What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Midland
"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
I don't say this just from my own judgement, but when I moved to Indiana for college, I noticed the Mid-western and Northern accents, but no one could ever guess where I was from, and then when I would tell them, they would always say that I didn't have an accent. My husband agrees.
So when I found this little quiz, I decided to take it and see how accurate it was. It was quick and I found it to be right on the mark. Take it for yourself at the link below and see how you rank. It only takes a couple minutes. I posted my results below the link.
Have fun.
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have
My Results:
What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Midland
"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)