And speaking of games, I found out today that I won a free game from Sandlot Games because I took part in one of their focus tests of a future game that is coming out soon. Yippie me!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Last summer, I posted about how much I was enjoying playing casual games off Real Arcade. Today, I was reading an article online which was an interview with "Michael Schutzler, senior vice president, Games Division at RealNetworks, about everything related to casual games"... The article may be a couple of years old, but I still found it interesting as I am in their target group. I found the following quotes interesting:
Well, we've now begun digging into the question, of why women are buying
casual games in droves. Just to give you a taste of what we're finding out is
that one reason some of these 30+ women are playing is not so much an escape
from work but more an essential part of their sanity management.
Casual games are not about destroying the 725th alien. This is about strategy,
solutions, or clever puzzle manipulations or word games and things like that are
actually good for you.
Ahh, so it's the games that are maintaining my sanity....I can play to my heart's content now!
From my daughter's Abeka Economics book..."Since the moment when, as children, we learned that things can be bought in
little shops or great supermarkets, most of us have been frustrated from time to
time in our pursuit of things. We remember the thrill of discovering that
toys and candy were for sale and the disappointment of finding out that certain
persons in authority insisted on buying milk or bread or clothes until there was
little or no money left to buy nice things for children."
I loved this passage. As my daughter said...it does seem the author had a bit of left over childhood resentment perhaps spilling out there...LOL
Monday, January 28, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
It was "Bath Day" for Bayley, our 8 year old cocker spaniel. He hates his bath. He sees the "bath collar" (old collar we use only for his bath) and his head and tail drops. He knows what is coming. The kids take him for a walk as it does seem to wear him out enough that he doesn't actually fight the bath anymore. Still and yet, he drags along as they walk him on Bath day, knowing what is coming when he has to go back inside. After his bath, he gets a little bit more walking time around our circle and then is put on the front porch for a while until his fur dries some. We try to wait until a warmer day (relatively speaking) in the winter or a cooler day in the summer (relatively speaking) as he is a house dog and is used to a constant temperature for the most part. (Read: spoiled dog)
After he is outside a while he usually will fall asleep in the sun. Often we find him like this:
He is staring at our front door, waiting for us to come and rescue him from the dangers of the outside world...but then!!!"Wait!!!"
"I hear something!!!"
:::head pops up in anticipation:::
"It's my boy! You have come to rescue me!"
"Wait, I didn't hear you right....You mean to say you are only out here to take pictures of me on the FRONT PORCH? You are NOT out here to save me?"
"That's just WRONG dude"
"I thought you loved me"
"I am so distraught I have forgotten how to sit properly on the porch."
"Hey wait, where are you going?"
"Somebody, Anybody else...come on, let me go in THERE~~>"
"I thought you were my buddy, my pal, my friend. I depend on you for food and water and walks. I thought we had an agreement, You feed me and I will also LET you scratch my head and tummy. Now all I have left is to sit on the scruffy sled doormat and dream about my food dish and water bowl."
"I am so depressed"
Not too terribly long after this, a cleaner Bayley regained admittance into the house. My son Christopher, who took these pictures for me, and Bayley have since made up by playing fetch with Bayley's tinkle ball. All is right again with Bayley's world as he knows it. You may recall our Christmas Tree From Last Year. Here is what a year of drought in the South and 100 degree + temperatures did to our tree. This is your warning-it's not pretty.
Plans are to remove it (one of these days) and plant this past year's tree (tree of '07) into the same hole. Right now that tree still sits in the wash bucket in my living room. Oh it's undecorated (except for the strings of lights), but yes, it's still in the living room. The nursery people (ok, Christmas tree lot guy...who we've dealt with the past 4 years) did say that we might have better luck by waiting until March or April to take it outside...but somehow I dont think that would matter much if no rain falls thereafter. Last year's tree did quiet well until the rains stopped falling. In fact all of our trees have done quiet well until the rains stop. (and as a matter of principle-when the rains do not fall and water starts getting in short supply, and we are in the middle of a major drought, I do not water my tree. It's just wrong IMO, and well the water police will cite you too so "they" say.) We've always figured that any extra months we get out of our Christmas tree are bonus months anyhow. We've had one last as long as a year and a half after it's inside Christmas days. (and were even able to put lights on it the year it lived THROUGH Christmastime) Anyway..just thought you would like an update as I know you were on the edge of your seat waiting there to see what became of our tree.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The other day we received the latest edition of the Bob Jones University Press Homeschoolers Catalog. (the ABeka one should be following shortly) I considered briefly throwing it on away. The only thing I'll need from them in the next two years are grammar workbooks. (and I could easily order those online when the time comes to order them for my son's 11th and 12th year of school). This will be a strange year as my daughter finishes her 12th year and we no longer have to buy anything (beyond said workbooks for grammar). It was just a strange moment for me to consider we are done buying much of anything for homeschooling. No more stalking out "good deals" on eBay or the local home school store or the local used book store (where occasionally we've found some very good prices on used home school curriculum)
We are nearing the end of this particular season God set us on many years ago. The kids stood there looking at the cover of the catalog with me as I expressed the above thoughts to them. I just wanted to record them here because it is a milepost for our family.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Today, after my daughter got off work, we decided to take our cameras and go to the park to take some pictures on the trails while there was still some patches of snow. We went to two other parks (which were closed today) before finally making it to this park in Elon.
This first picture is of my daughter, ready with here camera to go onto the trail for that perfect shot.
My son was having fun, see?
Here is a shot that I think I took (but who knows, when we put all the pictures on the computer...they all went into one folder)
Another that I think was mine...but like I said..
And one more. We really did enjoy walking through the trail (even though it was VERY cold) and breathing in the crisp winter afternoon air. I love this season.
My kids thought it was funny to just start shooting candids of each other and of me. This was right after one of 'em took a picture of me and the other took a picture of me. My mouth had just formed the word...noooo. LOL
I did get a few good shots of the both of them though while we were there. I've tried to get some pictures of them in the past on this garden bridge at this park before-but they always turned out bad. Today's turned out pretty good though.
The weatherman said there is a chance of some ice tonight into tomorrow morning. I guess we'll wait and see what happens though.Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's been snowing at my house most of the day today y'all. Here is a couple of video clips to share of our pretty pretty snow!
My son below pets our dog, Bayley's head as the fun begins and snow starts to fly.
A night shot of a tree branch covered in snow.
My daughter and Bayley in the snow. It seemed to be a wet heavy snow with little accumulation. (thankful for what we did get though)
BTW, she is feeding him snow. He loves to eat snow...always has.
Another branch with a layer of snow. I love being able to also see the snow fall in this picture.
On my car, I wrote:
And it's the truth!
On my car, I wrote:
And it's the truth!Friday, January 18, 2008
When do you know you truly are living in a small rural town?
When one of the feature stories on the front page of your local (small town) paper is about a squirrel ordinance!
OK first off, I had no idea my town(population in the 4,000's) had a squirrel ordinance. Secondly, I didn't realize the ordinance was troublesome. (even more so says our police chief than the squirrels that are apparently running wild and rampant through our town) I never knew that we had enough of a squirrel problem that would require folks to SHOOT Them!?!!!! Yes folks, this article talks about how an ordinance set up in the 70's allowed folks to go to the police chief to get a permit to shoot squirrels. The article talks about one man standing on his porch swinging his gun around and then telling a neighbor he had the police's permission to do so. (because apparently he was going squirrel huntn'?)
When one of the feature stories on the front page of your local (small town) paper is about a squirrel ordinance!
OK first off, I had no idea my town(population in the 4,000's) had a squirrel ordinance. Secondly, I didn't realize the ordinance was troublesome. (even more so says our police chief than the squirrels that are apparently running wild and rampant through our town) I never knew that we had enough of a squirrel problem that would require folks to SHOOT Them!?!!!! Yes folks, this article talks about how an ordinance set up in the 70's allowed folks to go to the police chief to get a permit to shoot squirrels. The article talks about one man standing on his porch swinging his gun around and then telling a neighbor he had the police's permission to do so. (because apparently he was going squirrel huntn'?) We've had a lot of squirrels in our yard the past few weeks, but we also have a hickory nut tree they LOVE. Easily we can see six-ten squirrels in our yard at one time running around. They are cute and entertaining. With that said, however, I never would think to SHOOT them. I know, I know, some people do find them to be bothersome and some people probably still find them good eats. (it is the south afterall) Either way the story gave me a good laugh and a good reminder of how small of a town I live in and why I love it so.
(To give credit where credit is due, the story was found in the Creekside Chronicle paper that comes once a month in the mai...oh that I had a link to the particular story I read to share with you all so you could see it first hand for yourself!)
(To give credit where credit is due, the story was found in the Creekside Chronicle paper that comes once a month in the mai...oh that I had a link to the particular story I read to share with you all so you could see it first hand for yourself!)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Not terribly impressive-but for me, a person who loves to see snow...it's better than nothing at all. This was what it looked like outside my window this morning...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
No more than I have updated this blog in the past six-eight months, I was somewhat surprised at these results. I suppose what "got me" is that I do read several blogs here and there, even if I do so ignore mine more than I should.
Thanks Hummingbird Mind for the fun link.
58%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?
Thursday, January 03, 2008
How the end of 2007 looked to me...
On Monday morning, I went outside to warm up the car first thing in the morning so that I could drive my daughter to her job. God had textured my car with frost and patterns. I loved the swirls and feathery images that were there.
As I was walking back inside with my camera, my eye also caught the sun shining through the trees.
This is what I found the morning of December 31st 2007. It was a quiet reminder of God at work in my life. I always need the reminders.May God bless you all in the new year.