The happy family!

Thought I would share this recent photo of the three of us. It is truly a momentous occasion to get us in a picture and a rarity that the photo actually came out nice! So, here is a peek at our tiny family taken by my fabulous Father-in-law!

Don't you just love the background? This is the view we have every day, plus the woods provide some great birdwatching. We get cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, tufted titmouse (or is that titmice?), doves and goldfinches. Of course we have an over-abundance of squirrels who love to eat all the birdseed, but they are entertaining so we have decided to let them stay!

This photo is of Mac at the tea room in downtown Raleigh. Her Meme (my Mother-in-law) likes to take us out to tea when she visits. This is an activity that I never in a million years thought I would enjoy, but now I can't get enough! I want to take Mac while we are on vacation and look forward to the next time Meme can come, too!

Amanda

We bought an island!

Ok, so it's not an actual island, but it sure is as big as one....wait for it, wait for it...

Scroll down please!


















Very dramatic, huh?

After almost nine years of sharing a tiny, full (or as some of you call it, a double) size bed we have finally moved up! We've been wanting a king size bed for years and due our current move we were able to afford one. I haven't slept this great in years. I sleep though the night and my back doesn't hurt in the morning. Now, if only I could do something about the noise (snoring) coming from the other island dweller....

Amanda

Summer Reading Challenge: The Lists!

Just like the Spring Challenge, my lists are not very long. This time I am going to list our read- alouds and books I've dipped into. I'll return to the lists to cross off what I have finished in the read-aloud category and books that I want to read cover to cover. I figure that having a pool at our apartment complex and a daughter who wants to swim every waking moment might help me get some of this reading done! I'm envisioning myself pool-side with a stack of books and a great tan...

Cover to Cover List
The Children of Men - P.D. James
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
We're Just Like You, Only Prettier: Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle - Celia Rivenbark
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman - Nora Ephron

Read Aloud List
Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook - Joyce Lankester Brisley

The "I Got My Feet Wet" List



Check back for updates!

Amanda

Yo-yo, look what I can do!

Ok, so I don't have a picture of me actually doing this, but after 32 years I finally learned how to yo-yo! I discovered my talent last week and I was so excited I had to call Tom at work and tell him the joyous news. I have been playing with my yo-yo daily and now I need to get a book of tricks so I can get really good at this "sport." I know, you all are thinking about how lame I am, but really I'm not. Well, maybe just a little bit! Give a gal a break, I just moved and I don't have any friends yet! The photo to the left is one of my actual yo-yo that I've had for years but could never get the hang of. So, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, LOL!

Amanda

Summer Reading Challenge

Well, I guess I am going to give this another shot. As you can see from my previous post, I didn't finish my Spring list. I hate making excuses for slacking, so I won't!

One thing I did discover about my reading habits is that I am a dipper. A dipper is someone who reads a lot of books at once, but not in their entirety. I pick up tons of books throughout the year, dip into them but never finish a single one! These generally come from the non-fiction section of the library, which probably explains why I am a walking encyclopedia of useless knowledge! I don't find this dipping habit a problem, but it doesn't help me cross off the fiction titles I want to complete.
Over the weekend I am going to choose three fiction books to work through for this challenge. I'm going to shelve the Ayn Rand book for a while. I realized that I'm just not ready for that, plus the print is so small in that book I either need a magnifying glass to read it or a large-print copy! I think I will keep a running list of all the books I dip into during this challenge so I can see just how out of control this habit is! I should have the post up by Monday, so check back then.

Amanda

Spring Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Well, the Spring Challenge is officially over. I did not finish three of the books I chose, which I am okay with. My choices were pretty lofty considering I was moving about a month after I made the initial list. Click here to see what I did accomplish!

Amanda

Night Owl

I like being a night owl. It seems that I'm genetically programmed to do my best work at night, especially from 11PM to 2AM. I don't always stay up as late as the latter time in that three hour span. Some nights I crash really early, like last night when I fell asleep at 9:30!

I have been in this habit of staying up late most of my adult life. I have tried to go to bed early, get myself on a schedule...blah, blah, blah. Early to bed, early to rise my butt. The only time I felt it necessary to be on a schedule was when I HAD to be at work. Over at the Well-Trained Mind boards there was a discussion about getting up early. Well, that just isn't happening here. I am in the ranks of other folks such as Amy of The Foil Hat, who like to have a long stretch of quite, productive time in the wee hours of the night. It just feels unnatural to get up at the crack of dawn for those hours of uninterrupted fun. I've tried it and all it results in is a kid who decides to get up, too! So much for peace and quiet! Plus, I just feel so groggy before the sun rises.

Tom, in a past life (one that ended at the beginning of 2007!) was a night owl, too. He worked late and would come home to find me online having an adult beverage and join me. We would watch late night TV; you know, stupid infomercials and reruns of our favorite shows. Sometimes we would pop in a movie and just veg. Other nights, we would spend hours talking about anything and everything. Now, I am a lone night owl once again. Tom hit the hay over an hour ago and here I am blogging about nothing important. I am actually contemplating going to bed now, because I am a bit bored...but maybe something good is on HGTV???

Nighty night,
Amanda

We have arrived!

Well, Mackenzie and I have safely arrived in Raleigh. I've basically relaxed and slept for the first two days here, so not much happening in the unpacking department! Thankfully I have the worlds best husband who decided to unpack and set up a big portion of our apartment. Speaking of the apartment, it is quite nice and the location is really great. The complex is nestled in a wooded area and we can see nature all around us, especially out on our large deck.

I'm impressed with the quality and quantity of stuff to do in the area. I am thrilled to have a Trader Joe's nearby, where I have already spent a considerable amount of money on groceries (as did Tom before we got here!) We went to the North Carolina Museum of Art last evening to see the (free!) opening of Temples and Tombs, which showcases treasures and art from Egypt. They also had belly dancing and crafts for the kids; Mackenzie made a really cool necklace at one of those stands.

This morning, we went to a farmers market near Chapel Hill and bought a GIANT basket of strawberries, bacon, sausage and soap! Quite a combo of items, huh? I want to go back next weekend to get some herbs so we can start a little garden on our patio. We will spend the rest of the afternoon chillin', arranging stuff, doing laundry and just enjoying being together again.

Monday is back to school for Mackenzie, although I am not quite sure if I will find all our stuff by then. It may be what some of us homeschoolers call "school lite" for the next week! Anyway, we are all doing well and getting settled.

Amanda

Spring Reading Challenge Update

As promised, I quickly finished my library books (mostly because they had to be returned before I moved!) I discovered that I know quite a bit about etiquette upon completing Excuse Me, But I Was Next! and I happily give credit to my mother-in-law for that knowledge.

I decided to wait until getting settled in my new home in Raleigh before I start Atlas Shrugged and the H.G. Wells choices. To avoid feeling guilty for not reading those, I had the movers pack them! Out of sight, out of mind I guess. I did bring Brave New World along on our trip and have read about one hundred pages thus far. Not very impressive, I know, but after reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince aloud each evening (for a least an hour!) I don't get too far in my leisure reading before I get sleepy. But, boy have my dreams been bizarre lately with that combination of fictional characters swimming around my brain whilst I sleep!

As I finish books on my list, I'll cross them out on the original post below. At this rate, it may turn into the Summer Reading Challenge! All is not lost, though. I have been reading almost daily and that is truly my main goal!

Amanda

Introducing....News for Blondes!

Ok, first let me cyber-apologize to my brother-in-law for not posting this sooner-SORRY! I hope he understands that moving is a bitch and that I am about to loose my mind. Well, it may not be lost, but it could be packed up in one of the 100+ boxes surrounding me at this point.

Anywho, I want to tell you all about News for Blondes. Well, actually I'm going to let Sib do the talking (or writing, whatever!)

What is News for Blondes you ask?

The daily perky fix provides interesting odd-news and insights from around the world (Did you hear about the two Norwegian boys who risked their lives for a young moose? How about an introduction to the teen idol Tiffany Milagro? Have you ever seen a Noggin Knock-Down?). Tune in Monday through Friday to blonde host Bonnie and her Happy Weatherman cohort, Jeffrey, for a bit of a tickle.

You don't have to be blond to watch, but watch you must, so enjoy. To go to the shows archived videos, click here. But before you do that, view the video below. I am especially fond of this one since my nephews are the hosts!

My BIL is also working on a political campaign of the wacky variety (aren't all campaigns wacky???). Here are the results of this funny business, Bonnie For President.

The host of News for Blondes makes a farcical run for President. The show, which releases about one episode a week, pokes fun at how outlandish Presidential candidates (the political debate) become during that crazy cycle known as the campaign. The show is currently in the second round of judging for a Webby. The show is currently looking for volunteer bloggers, press campaigners, letter writers, etc. ("We're trying to run this just like a political campaign," explains farcical campaign manager, Sib. "Only, we're doing it for the fun of it!")

Please check this stuff out. If you like it pass it on to a friend, if not pass it on anyway. Somebody you know is bound to get a laugh out of it! Plus, the more viewers they get the more exposure they get and so on! Just trying to be a good leetle in-law, ok? Thanks!

Amanda

Adios, Texas! The Food Edition

I love food and Texas has some really great restaurants that I am going to miss. Obviously, there are some great Tex-Mex and delicious BBQ joints, but what I am going to truly miss are some really unique places that I have frequented.

One place is Freebirds. This place makes the best burritos I have ever had the pleasure to eat. Not only is the food wonderful, but also each restaurant's decor is a sight to see. The Freebirds mascot is Libby, who is none other than the Statue of Liberty herself. Instead of wielding a torch in her right hand, she carries a giant burrito in all its shiny glory. If you decide to dine here, plan on not eating anything prior to going (or after for that matter!), especially if you decide to order a Monster! Of course you can get smaller sizes, but come on you're in Texas and everything is big here!

Next stop, Lupe Tortilla. The Sizzling Fajitas are the only thing I have ever ordered here (along with a Margarita on the rocks). These yummy strips of beef (or chicken) carefully marinated in lime and pepper will rock your mouth! To warm you up for the big event, you get the traditional basket o' chips and side of salsa. But it doesn't end there. They also give you this warm pinto bean, bacon and cilantro concoction to dip chips in, too. Tom and I always playfully fight about who has eaten more and then just end up asking for a second bowl since we like it on our fajitas as well. So, yes the food is wonderful, but that's not all. If the weather is cooperating and you have kids in tow, sit on the patio and let them frolic in the giant sandbox. When we go it feels like we are on a pseudo-date, since we are alone for most of the meal!

Last, but not least is Niko Niko's. I'm really gonna miss this one, folks. I can't tell you how many times in the last year and a half that I have gorged on the Greek, fast food served here. To get an idea of the possible number of times, I have been three times in the last 30 days alone! (last night was my most recent visit.) Yes, it's that good. I have become obsessed with Greek food so I have been trying out different menu items at various restaurants any chance I get and hands down, Niko Niko's is the best! Hey, they've got to be good to have won an award from Marvin Zindler. Even though they describe the food as fast, it doesn't taste or feel that way. Sometimes the line is out the door, but you'll always get that Greek-salad lickety split, which BTW is my favorite part of the meal because of the giant slab of feta cheese on top. The menu has a lot to offer, so you will surely find something to make you happy! And, don't forget to stuff that last spot in your stomach with a gooey piece of Baklava, OK?

Amanda

Adios, Texas!

Seeing as we will officially be leaving the great state of Texas in two weeks, I thought I should give the Lone Star State a proper farewell. I have actually been pretty sad the last few days about the upcoming move; crying unexpectedly (oh, that ‘s probably just PMS!), struck with nostalgic moments where I stare off into space and generally having my thoughts muddled with all things TEXAS! Over the next few days I will be sharing with you some memorable moments from our many years here. When you see that cool Texas picture above, you will know it’s time for Adios, Texas!

Many folks wonder what possessed us to move here, 2400 miles away from our home state of Pennsylvania. I always describe it as putting up a map and throwing a dart, very random. As newlyweds, we felt the need to escape family and friends (sorry guys, please don’t take offense!) and to start a new life together. The experiment has been a complete success, in my opinion. Granted, our families have suffered because of the distance between us, but all in all it was the best decision Tom and I made.

I expect by the move date I will be a total basket case. I will probably need a new laptop because the waterworks I’m about have will ruin it! Luckily, Tom is able to fly back here to watch over creepy movers and sign a bunch of paperwork, so I can relax just a little.

Amanda

Book List Meme

I snagged this fun post from Trivium Academy. Go on and give it a try!

Look at the list of books below.
+ Put a cross in front of the ones on your book shelf.
Bold the ones you’ve read.
Italicize the ones you want to read.
(Put parenthesis around the book if undecided)
Cross out the ones you won’t touch with a 10 foot pole.
* Asterisk the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. (The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown))
2. (Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen))
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. (Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery))
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. (A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving))
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. (Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte))
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. (Dune (Frank Herbert))
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. +Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. *The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. * The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. * I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. (The Red Tent (Anita Diamant))
40. (The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho))
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. (The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini))
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. (The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas))
48. (Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt))
49. (The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck))
50. * She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. (A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens))
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. (Great Expectations (Dickens))
55. (The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald))
56. * The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. *The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. * Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. (One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez))
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. *The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. (Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez))
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. (The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett))
76. * The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith))
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. * The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. (Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck))
83. *Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. (Emma (Jane Austen))
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. +Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In the Skin of a Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. (The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck))
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. (The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton))
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. *A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. (The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield))
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Well, as you can plainly see, I haven't been reading much! I also felt bad crossing out so many of these, but you should know that it's not because I really don't like those titles. Rather, I've seen the movies made from some, so I can't imagine reading the book after seeing the movie. This is why I am so adamant about reading any book before it is made into a movie. Take the new movie, Bridge to Terabithia. I've never read it, but my daughter wants to see it and I said, "No way! Not until we've read it!" So I'm either going to have to read it aloud or get the audio CD for our long drive to North Carolina.

Amanda

Working hard or hardly working?

Look at that smile. I can't imagine a smile so big and bright while doing math, but as you can plainly see she is a happy camper.

Why does she have to enjoy math? Why does she choose to do well at something I've loathed most my life? Why does she understand multiplication, fractions and other math-related junk that sometimes I can't wrap my small mind around? Why, oh why couldn't she just be a book nerd like me? That I can grasp, but this math stuff...

Positive side to this is that due to homeschooling her, I am learning and seeing math in a whole new light. Even though that light is dim and hovers around a 2nd grade level, it's there! So here's hoping that this crazy journey will continue to benefit the both of us.

Amanda

This is a test, this is only a test...

This is a test of my blog. Well, not really as I have been testing it all dang day! I don't know if what I did will fix the problems I have been experiencing, but here I am posting with all the lovely little buttons to help me out!

See, for the last 24 hours, I haven't been able to post/edit anything here. All those fab little buttons that help me create my thought-provoking posts disappeared! I've been going bonkers trying to solve the issues. I asked my all-knowing pals over at the Well-Trained Mind boards, but apparently they don't know everything! I am a DIY'er at heart, so I did some poking around online to see if I could remedy the problems myself. After some virus/adware/spyware scans and cache clearing, it seems that I am okay for now.

So folks, keep your fingers crossed that I stay in this happy land of carefree posting!

Amanda

My Reading Plan and Stuff Related to the Spring Challenge…

As promised, I have devised a way to tackle Atlas Shrugged. It is probably not foolproof, but hopefully it will help me get more out of the book as a whole.

Here is the plan:

I have decided to read 2-3 chapters a week. I could probably read more than that, but I don’t want to commit to more, because I go insane when I can’t stick to a schedule. The book is thirty chapters long, so I’m looking to be done in 10-15 weeks.

I’m going to bite the bullet and get the Cliffs’ Notes on this one. I may even see if I can find an audio version, but since we’re moving I can’t count on that. I also plan to do what was suggested at Seasonal Soundings with all the books I’m currently reading and that is to make a list of vocabulary words in which I am unfamiliar.

I also plan to write a short summary of each chapter as I complete it, which ought to be interesting! Since completing college, ahem…ten years ago, I realized that I do no writing whatsoever. Except for the occasional letter and a blog entry here and there, there seems to be no reason to write. I am not a writer by any means, which you can probably deduce by reading my gibberish! My grammar at times can be horrible and my use of punctuation can go a bit overboard!!!! (See?) At least there is spell check, so you shouldn’t see too many misspellings. Now, don’t get too excited folks, I’m not going to post my writings because I don’t need you smarty-pants real-life writers out there to critique me!

I think that my other choices for the Challenge are not as hard as I think, so I’m just going to try to plow through those. Speaking of plowing through, as promised I am making great headway with Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Shank! I think Ms. Rivenbark is a hoot, because the way she writes is the way I think. Now, if only I could get my thoughts out on paper like she does…

Amanda

I'm taking the plunge...

I will start out being completely honest: I have lost my desire to read. Typing those words actually makes me nauseous, so I have decided to take some action. I felt I needed to do something because I am afraid I am making an impression on my child, which could ultimately turn her off to reading as well.

That beautiful photo of daffodils indicates my commitment to return to reading in a purposeful way. I have chosen six books to start, but may add more along the way. I have to take into consideration that I may not even finish these since my family is in the midst of a major move.

I want to say a few words about the books I chose, before I post the list. Two of the six, I have previously started. For one reason or another they didn't get finished, so I am attempting them again. One reason I think they didn't get completed was that I was checking them out from the library and couldn't get them finished in time! Instead of incurring hefty library fines, I decided to just buy them! And, with a 20% Barnes & Noble discount I probably saved $, LOL. Two of the books I chose are library copies, but they are light non-fiction that I can whip through in a few days (at least before they are due in two weeks!)

That said, here's the list....drum roll please!

Hard Stuff!
Atlas Shrugged-Ayn Rand
Brave New World-Aldous Huxley
The Time Machine & The Invisible Man-H.G. Wells

Easy Stuff!
Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank-Celia Rivenbark
Excuse Me, But I Was Next...-Peggy Post
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (rereading and reading aloud to dd6!)- J.K. Rowling

Well, that's that! I have a few ideas on how I plan to read the "hard stuff", which I will post later this week.

Amanda

It's alive!

Ok, I failed this blog experience the first time around so I am giving it a second chance. I decided to bring it back to life due to the lack of adult interaction I am currently dealing with. See, my wonderful husband decided to leave me and our crazy six year old daughter to fend for ourselves while he "lives the sweet life" (words from the kids' mouth!) to start his new job in Raleigh, North Carolina. So, I need an outlet for the wacko thoughts that go through my head daily and also a place to share the mundane events of my life. I'm still learning how to set this up the way I want it, so don't get frustrated when you see changes over the next couple of weeks.