November 19

Have I mentioned how abslutely slow this computer is? I swear it moves backwards!
My typing is at this moment almost an entire paragraph ahead of what is showing up on my screen! Not kidding. Sigh.
I don't know what in tarnation is going on.

Today was a very nice day.
We managed to get to Teri's at a decent time - we were only about fifteen minutes later than the appointed time of 11am. Course, it helps that we live about three minutes away, but still.
Have I mentioned that? most of the Mama's live less than fifteen minutes away from my house. How great is that??? Three of them live within walking distance - Julie, Teri, and Aubrey.

Aubrey and Teri had decided to help us and inspire us with these gorgeous beaded ornaments - Aubrey had mastered this dragonfly that is so lovely that I think some of us may make some for holiday gifts. If I could, I'd show you, but alas, I cannot! (I really did try, friends, but this pc doesn't even see its own usb's at the moment. :/ )

Anyway - Monday craft days are for the Mama's, the babes play and holler and frollick while we get to chitchat and visit. Today was so beautiful and warm, the babes were outside much of the time - some, as mine, were launching off the balcony onto the trampoline! I was worried at first, but Teri said hers (including the youngest Willow) do it, so I figured, well, ? No harm came. (I was mostly worried about him landing on a babe, and also didn't know how loose her springs were, and didn't want Trev to hit the bottom. But Teri has teenagers, so when I found out hers jump from the balcony, I was alright with it.)
We also have our monthly Art and Craft Circle, still, which is for the babes to create really wonderful things. For December we'll make glass ornaments, glue and glitter snowflakes, and Sun King crown for Yule/Solstice.
Anyway, it was lovely to spend the afternoon with friends!

Oh! I milled some soap tonight. I made one with lavender (flowers and oil), and another with grapefruit, lemon, and orange essential oils. I'm so excited about the soaps! Tomorrow I really must get my house in order, and maybe I'll have a few minutes to mill another few bars of soap. I'm so pleased that my first batch of basic (vegetarian) soap came out so well. No lye bubbles, and it seems to be behaving just as it should. Woohoo!

I've added my friend Steph to the Mama's list, she's known all of us for a long time (well, long time in our circle of unschooler friends - 'bout two years), and pops in here, but her blog was a secret :) but now she's ready to be included. She says that no one would be interested but her and the grandparents, I say "Well, yeah. That's true for all of us!" :) It's just life and growin and learnin and loving. Many things are noteworthy if you take the time to notice them, I say.

Anyway. Just wanted to say hey, and that I had a really lovely day. Thursday we're off to Eric's mom's, Pat, and her husband Bill's place, then Friday we have a playdate with Ari and Mina and Melissia if Melissia is feeling better.

Life moves along at a friendly clip.
'Night.

aaaah.

I think it's taken me four hours :) to track down the blogs I read - I think I've finally found them all and have my favorites folder in working order!

I would like to mention my gratitude for a few things that have happened lately -things that don't really have much to do with luck or happenstance, but things that have made a difference in my thinking (and therefore my life), none-the-less.

First of all - I am so grateful for my carpet shampooer! It is so lovely to be able to get my floors clean whenever I feel the need!

Secondly - I am grateful that we fixed our furnace! (it needed a new motor)

Third - remember how I said we (Maddie) lost three pairs of keys in the last few months? Two sets were mine, and then we (Maddie) lost Eric's work set. Well, the other day I found Eric's set. And when I was at Home Depot the other day trying to track down lye for making soap, I decided to have a new set of truck keys made for myself. We were living on just one set, Eric's, as both of mine had disappeared. I must say, I feel much better now, I feel more normal and in control of my life, somehow. As silly as that seems.

And fourth - sheesh, :) I almost forgot to mention this one! I am thankful that way back in 1996 I bought a decent computer for a staggering 2 grand and that I was able do dig it out of the garage, blow the spider webs and dirt off of it (though not very thoroughly, admittedly) and get it up and running enough first for Trevelyn to be able to get back to his computer games, and now for me to be able to do just the basics online - ie look stuff up, view my emails, publish -sans pictures- my thoughts into a blog, and of course read about what the inspiring souls around me are up to.

And one more really great thing about the computer - we now have a desktop that works just fine with our printer, and can print out all sorts of interesting things for our timeline! Woohoo!

And now I really must get up and get busy.
My house is in sore need of attention.

It's good to be back!

Hot damn!

Well, then!
We're back.

Er... sans pictures for a while, though. Don't think this sputterin' and smokin' old war horse could take that...

pat, pat.
You're a very fine pc, hippy d/dino, you done us proud!
woohoo!

can it be?

while it appears that I have internet access, my little dinosaur computer - rather, Trev's dinosaur computer (it's very ancient and it's decked out with dino paraphernalia, so it seems fitting, I was thinking of giving it the name of hippy-D, but perhaps Dino -think flintstones- is more appropriate) keeps shutting down when I demonstrate that I wish to do more than twelve (well, actually, more than one!) thing at a time.
So I'm very tentatively -I think!- back online, as long as I allow six hours for a thirty second post.
:)
Damn! Just dropped a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn on the floor.

On that note, we'll "publish" and see how it goes.....


ps Thank Goddess blogger and yahoo remember all my stuff for me, and I can access it anywhere!
gotta love that....

here goes...

#78

Make handmade bar soap.

My friends Aubrey and Melissia are interested in this one, also, and Aubrey actually wanted to be in on the lye process, not just the fun make-it-smell-good and hand-mill-it process, so I invited her over on Friday (I'll tattle on her, I told her I had to go get the lye and beeswax, and that I needed to clean up my messy house, and she -gasp- showed up a whole two hours early!! Okay, maybe an hour and fourty minutes, but still! big kisses to you Aubrey!) Still, we had a good time in my very messy house.
And we made soap! I am happy to say that it is curing in my kitchen - well out of reach, of course. Even for my little flying squirrels.

I was spurred into action the other day when I had to pay $16.99 I think it was for Doc Brenner's soap. And then $13 for Jason's bath soap. And then $1.79 for the little round bars for the sinks. Sheesh.
I'm thinking a citrusy one of orange, lemon, and grapefruit essential oils for the kitchen, maybe rose into a liquid soap for my bath, and one more that I'm not yet decided upon. We'll see.

Anyway! One more down. fun fun.

How are you doing, Dear? (pat, pat)

I'm okay.
Really, I am!
It was a near thing there for a minute, admittedly, but it's not so bad being cut off from the big wide world. Most the time.

Maybe it's because I got my house mostly clean. Phew, but you should see it today! I left it in shambles this morning when I head out a few minutes before nine, and I cannot imagine that it improved it's state since I have been away.

Maybe it's because there have been a few get togethers with the Mama's. Though I missed out on some due to forgetfulness.

Maybe it's because I dug the 10 year old computer out of the garage, and got it up and running for Trev. Er, and Maddie, she's been playing on it, too. (alas, the modem has bit it, I guess.) It's Windows 98, so most of his cd programs work pretty well on it. And I'm quite relieved that I can sit down and write with Word if I feel the need. So far I haven't - but that may have to do something with the fact that I told Trev loud and clear "This computer is yours" and whenever I see the accompanying chair empty, and think I might want to sit a spell he beats me to it, and says "Just give me 10 minutes, Mom!" Cheeky kid.

I haven't sent either computer in yet - need to find a box for the desktop, and need to find a dhl office (something to do here at work today) for shipping the Dell notebook. I'll do it very soon, though!

The Mama's have decided on a once a month get together - evening hours - and we had our first one at Melissia's house on Thursday night. I took my camera, as I thought I may get adventurous and take pictures of shiny earrings, forks full of goodness, glasses of wine, and lipstick (well, if any of us took the time to put some on), but I didn't. Next time though!

We're also having weekly Monday crafts - a couple of hours in the afternoon for the babes to play and the Mama's to create.
Also a few of us are interested in an unschooler's coop - I hosted on Wednesday, and we just played, but I think we're thinking sort of a themed exploration - bring your tools (or blocks, or books about it, or magnets, or bubbles, or whatever) and we'll see what comes of it. We haven't really decided yet exactly what we're doing - as we haven't set down formally with the children and brainstormed. -These are wild unschoolers, remember, and when we're together (ages one to six) there's lots of runnin' and hollerin' and whoopin' and jumpin'. So sittin' down and discussing what might be fun instead of just living it seems pretty silly to them, I'm sure!
Anyway - it's on the burner.
This week (crafty Mondays) we're invited to Teri's house for making beaded ornaments. Thursday it's to Grandma's house we go - not quite over the river and through the woods, but at least it's in the next county fourty-five minutes away, and we get to see our favorite Christmas lights house on the way back home. We're taking a green salad and pie -probably pecan, Eric and I detest pumpkin pie! Friday we have a playdate with Ari and Mina - Melissia's girls. That should be pretty great.

I tell ya, though, I'm missing out on the magic. It's sorta passing me by, as other things are filling up my time, and I'm not taking pictures and notes. I'm a bit worried that I'll be back online, and not know what to do!!

I'm getting pretty antsy for snow.
Every year I hang out a garland with big red velvet bows on my front fence, and I just can't wait to take a picture of that bow and garland with a couple of inches of snow on it! And icicles!
And maybe even footprints in the snow if the lighting permits. very exciting stuff!

Funny - as I sit here and write, I think - dang, I gotta get that modem at home working.... maybe I'll look at it tonight to see if I can see any loose connections.... :)

Anyway - I have a couple of things to do, so I'm off.
Hope my friends who visit here are well and happy - and hope you're still visiting!!
Much love to everyone, and a most Happy Thanksgiving to you!

offline

Maddie spilled applejuice into my notebook so I think I'm out for a while - except on Saturdays when I'm at work.
See you on the other side.

Surprise!

Look at this gorgeous thing.

My dear Sam brought it over yesterday - it's my birthday gift from her.

How lovely.

Whatever am I to do with it???

:)