«  November 2009  »

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

BlogBoy
LeviSuarez
DarthYxpu
Boomer
Pickle
BookFreak
NickNitro
Jocelyndixon
BecksyBone
Keziah
heehoo
OceanaJones
AgentLee7
CerealKiller
AnonymousGirl
legolasskywalker

CoffeeGirl
jugglingpaynes
Yoshiyahu
onedaymore
Holly101
Bibleman
haffgrim
Burger
quadguys
Wolfgirl
NoseyNeedle
Tooner
acartooningguy
aliveagain13
onedaymore2
LukeSkywalker
eggs
TrickyNikki
mbullard
Alex
Dawn90
JesusFreakJess
GirlJedi
JCBlogg
ariannajoy
Georgetta
aussiefeller
MonoMan
birdboy
SpartanM203
padawan16
Szion
Hugh
roseofsharon
betzalel

Page 1 of 5
Last Page Next Page

recent entrys

Jewish rock
Snake
Training
Insanity
A tag that has gone around from me and come back again ha ha
Chapter 2 Fat 'n skinny
Graphics
Owl
Pet's point of view
City Slicker test

Amazing Blogger
Aussie Posse
You make me chuckle

Google
Garfield
Snoopy
Newsboys
Your Hobbit Name
Your Elvish Name
S.A.S.
Inspired Faith Radio
MATISYAHU!!!

I'm one of those cool dudes that think they're the only ones in the world that like newsboys, and they're actually not. Me? oh I don't like the city... no way. I like the country, nothing but it. Mad cartoonist also I am. Mad person also I am. I will be intelligent when hell freezes over, and all that sort of thing... ENJOY my blog





Oops. I can't believe I forgot to put the Halloween comic strip on this blog. I've been so busy it's been a bit overwhelming to keep up on dual posting. If I ever forget to post, check my Home Spun Juggling blog for updates!











This is a work of fiction. I was listening to Moonlight Sonata and it just....came. So I hope you enjoy it.

      I don’t know what brought me to visit the old burned out shell of a warehouse that day, but it changed my life more than I can even begin to tell you.
But when I reached the deteriorating structure, I only vaguely remembered getting there. For a moment I puzzled over why I was there, however, the moment I heard strains of the most heartbreakingly beautiful music drifting from one of the back rooms, I knew. I began to shake and fear urged me to run, but the soft melody pulled me in closer and closer as if the notes themselves were animating my body. When I saw him, something inside me broke, and tears began sliding down my face. Though I had never seen him before in my life, he was dear to me; the exotic refrain resonating from the oddly preserved grand piano he sat at washed through my being, making me feel as if I’d known him my whole life; that beautiful street urchin.
I stood there in complete silence as the last measure dissolved into the dusty air, tears dried on my face, watching him in hushed, sorrowful awe.
Suddenly, he looked up and noticed me, shock and embarrassment frozen on his face. He cautiously moved towards me, one hand reaching up to my face, as if he were about to brush my tears away. He looked to be about nine years old, ash and dried blood caked on his face and matted in his hair. But his hands were clean, as if he hated the thought of dirtying those beautiful white keys he had been lovingly caressing just moments before. I also noticed his eyes; shockingly green with flecks of gold and royal blue.
“What is your name?” I whispered huskily.
“I don’t have one,” he answered listlessly, casting his eyes downward.
Without another word, I kneeled and wrapped my arms around his tiny body, letting my tears flow silently again.
“Hush,” he breathed, stroking my hair, “it will be all right.”
We stayed like that for a very long time, and when the sun began sinking behind the crumbling buildings, turning the sky scarlet, we spoke again.
“Where did you learn to play?”
“Nowhere. I can’t read music,” he said simply, in a tone befitting a much older person.
“How do you get your songs?”
“From my head….they’re there. Always playing.”
“You mean you made up that song?”
“Yes. In a way. You see, I AM my songs. They’re all I know.”
I couldn’t answer. There wasn’t anything I could say. It was if all my words, my entire self, was gone. Absorbed by his aura.
I pulled away from him, staring deeply into his vast enveloping eyes when he began to evaporate. Somehow I knew it would happen and I could tell he always had.
He smiled sadly and placed his tiny warm hand on my face, closing his eyes. A pain shot through me for a moment before it numbed and eventually faded, but I could tell there was something different. There was music drifting through my head, echoing off everything; his songs.
      Even now I hear them; all of them, ceaselessly. Sometimes there are new ones. He’s there somewhere, in my head. I dream about him occasionally. But he never sees me. He just sits there at his piano, playing away. And I always wake up crying. Every time I wander the streets I can’t help but check the faces of all the little boys that pass, even though I know he’s not in the world anymore. When I asked him, he didn’t know who he was, but now I do. He was every unwritten song since the beginning of time.





Just this past Saturday our church and some other friends went to the Estabrooks' Apple Gala!
It was really fun! (the Estabrooks hold an Apple Gala every year) We mainly played outside games like, Ultimate Frisbee, Capture the Flag, Freeze tag and Football. (there were probably....at least 50 kids there)
Mr. Estabrooks made apple cider with his 100 year old apple machine thing. It was really good! 10 or 12 of the people brought pies for a contest. (It was the "Best Pie Contest")
After it got dark, and everyone went inside, we all (the kids) played card games! We played Uno and Rummy. (from what I saw)

Sunday, we went to the Marcums' house for our friend, A.J.'s Birthday! He was turning 21!
Mrs. Marcum made a huge rib and pot roast  feast. They were the juiciest most tender ribs I had ever had.
After we ate, Paulie, Luke, A.J., Mike, A.J.'s sister Emily and her husband Josh, and I went outside and played Football and Ultimate Frisbee. It was really fun!!
Mrs. Marcum made 2 big German Chocolate cakes! (A.J.'s favorite I guess)
After everyone left (except us and Mike) Mike, Paulie, Luke and I played Rummy for like.....2 hours or something. We had a great time over at their house! Thanks, Marcums!!

Beav

Pride and Prejudice rehearsals have gotten so crazy... I still enjoy it and I don't regret that I auditioned.  The whole cast is like a huge family (like fifty people, okay?).  They are all so crazy and I love hangin' with them. :)

Oh, and the little boys got their costumes done. They are so cute!

Okay, we weren't practicing at this time... the ensemble wasn't needed... this is (from left to right) Rachel, Tim, and Will

Chris and one of the Ensemble's little brothers

Joy (of my heart :) and Kylene

Many of us practicing

Maggie (the gal who plays Jane) and Hannah J. (who plays Mary)

Bekah (who plays Lizzy) and Jessamine (who plays Lydia) LOL

The kids playing around in the sound booth

(from left to right again :)  David (who plays Mr. Hurst and Mr. Collins), Katie (who plays Kitty), then the guy in the back is Scott (who plays Wickham) and the gal in front is Hilary, one of our peeps who takes care of some technical stuff.

Mrs. Funke (who plays Mrs. Bennet) and Mr. Newton (who plays Mr. Bennet).  Geez, I need a family picture, don't I? :)

Luke (who plays Bingley), Hilary (again :), Jasmine (who plays Louisa), and Anthony, an ensemble guy.

Bekah, Miss Carmen (our music-director-lady), and Jeremy (in the cool hat who plays Mr. Darcy).

More practicing...

Well, that's all for now folks :)

<3

Katy

Every year I get three pumpkins. Three kids, three pumpkins. No complaints. Well, some complaints. Someone always has the better shaped pumpkin, or the best stem. I would get very excited helping to scoop out pumpkin guts and helping them decide on designs and carve them.

But as they get older, they do a lot of the work themselves. Marina has been carving her own pumpkin for years. This year Sierra did most of her own carving. They all make their own designs. Which leaves me with very little to do other than scooping pumpkin guts. Which isn't exactly fulfilling, creatively. You all know from my cakes and our edible models how much I love playing with food.

This year I bought an extra pumpkin. I had to get Sierra to agree to allow me to carve one (she gave me the littlest) but it was worth it. I didn't realize how much I missed carving pumpkins. It satisfies my inner sculptor.

If you want to satisfy your own inner sculptor, but without the pumpkin guts, this is a cute site for virtual pumpkin carving. Don't tell the kids until you've had some time to play with it.





Today is the "Little Woman"s birthday. She is 10, though she wants to be called "1-teen".

Classic Sara.

This is a photo from her party. In this photo we have Sawyer(from Cats Dont Dance), Maid Marian(of Robin Hood fame), Cinderella (the Ever After one), Captain Jack-ette and Annie Oakley.

Happy 10th Birthday Sara!

onedaymore







Chase has always loved his superheroes, movie and cartoon characters. As I write this, he's playing with Star Wars action figures with Sierra. I like that he is 13 and still enjoys some imaginative play with his little sister. Unfortunately, it's always been hard to find the superhero/character of the moment when he wants a costume for Halloween. They never seem to have his size. The stores always seem to assume that kids will move on to more sophisticated costumes when my son still wanted to dress up as Yu-Gi-Oh. After my last endless search for his favorite character in the right size, I put my foot down. From now on, he has to make his own costume. Last year he was "Death's Door." This year he's going to be Skulduggery Pleasant, the skeleton detective.

I should have put my foot down a long time ago.







This was one of those weeks where I would have loved to wear pajamas all day. But alas...

Monday found our cupboard bare, library books needed to be returned and Marina had work.

Tuesday was supposed to be my easy day. Just bring Chase to religious ed. in the evening. So of course, I chose that day to take the kids apple picking. Marina also had a meeting at the library about impending cuts to the budget. She's getting quite an education there.

Wednesday was our monthly storytelling group, the Homespun Storytellers, at the smaller library, followed by playground time. Then I had to bring Sierra to tap dance class and get milk. Why are we always out of milk? I need to buy a cow.

Thursday was a homeschooling get-together. "Old timers" and new homeschoolers, as well as some families who are just thinking about homeschooling. I've been to a few of these get-togethers, so you would think I wouldn't end up missing the exit. I guess I was more tired than I thought. Then I needed to stop at the pet store (Sierra's lizard needed crickets) and since the pet shop is so close to the gravitational pull of a bookstore...well, resistance is futile. I was then home long enough to check email and head back out to...anyone? Anyone? That's right! The library! Marina had a teen book group to go to.

Today is Friday.  So far, all I have planned is taking Marina to work. We shall see what happens...