What do these have in common?  I can't stand any of them.  Especially Baseball.  I promised in this blog an expose of my opinions on baseball so here it is in all of its boring glory.  Pun intended.

Ok, so you go to a ballgame.  You order the nasty dogs, grab some salted peanuts which are only sold to convince you to purchase an overpriced drink, and you sit and wait.

And wait.

Shift in your seat.

And wait.

Then, someone who can't sing, or who can but is possessed by the erroneous idea that our National Anthem must be sung as terribly as possible in order to stick to some unwritten law, stands and butchers the Star Spangled Banner.  Add more vibratto here.

Then you sit again.  At least your bum is circulating again.  No worries, it'll be numb again soon.  I promise.

Finally, the first pitch is thrown.  This is probably the most interesting thing that will happen for a long time.  Make sure you don't miss it.  Then again, it's only ceremonial so don't get too excited.  

So now they warm up.  They stretch, they scratch, they pound their glove with a ball. 

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Finally a guy leaves the dugout.  Oh boy.  We might see some action.  Please note that in a basketball game by this time, there has been at least a few points made.  Probably by both sides.  Yes, I have ADD.  Baseball proves it.

So the guy grabs a bat.  Tosses it aside and grabs another one.  He then grabs another one.  Apparently he can't hit so he needs two to make sure he gets that ball.  Like the umpire won't stop him.   Yep, he throws one aside.  He looks mad.  Can't blame him.  Two bats are better than one I always say.  Maybe he's got bad eyesight.  Probably. 

So, he stands at the plate.  He shifts.  He raises the bat.  He shifts again.  The catcher scratches himself.   The pitcher nods.  He winds.  He spins.  He throws to second base. 

WHY DID HE DO THAT!  The first ball hasn't been hit yet!  Sheesh!

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.  Except for the second base part. 

So then, finally... a ball passes plate.  The guy didn't swing. 

"BALL"

Ok, at this point, we've been sitting in the stand 45 minutes at the very least, the first pitch was twenty minutes ago, and we still haven't even had a hit or a strike!

Finally, after two more balls and a strike, the guy hits the ball.

"FOUL BALL"

Ok, so.  This is why I hate baseball.  It is the most tedious, boring, inane game to watch.  However, I will say, it is more fun to play.    Oh, and I love that seventh inning stretch!

Nelly Kelly the baseball dame

Knew the players knew all their names

You could see her there every day

Shout horray.  while they play.

Her boyfriend by the name of Joe.

Said to Coney Isle dear we'll go.

Nelly started to fret and pout,

And to him I heard her shout, HEY!

Take me out to the ballgame

Take me out to the crowd

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker  Jacks (I thnk she was angling for a prize ring and a proposal myself)

I don't care if I never get back

Let me root, root, root for the home team.

If they don't win it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes you're out

At the old, ball game!

Knights and castles.  Ladies in waiting.  Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot. The stories of romance and chivalry.  I always hated them.  I thought Guinevere was a spoiled shameless woman, Lancelot was a peacock masquerading as a man, and Arthur wasn't worthy of his title of King. 

Jousting didn't thrill my soul.  I'd rather watch baseball.  (For my opinions on baseball, watch for my next blog)  Honestly, I'm supposed to take two men in metal riding at each other with sticks seriously?  At least the Scots threw poles with brute strength and tossed rocks with abandon!  At least they danced!  Honestly, Sir Modred seemed to have more gumption than the rest of the knights put together.

So how did I become a fan of a series of books like The Squire's Tales?   I happened to read a blurb about one (the eighth in the series I think) and it sounded funny.  I was having a bad day and a funny book sounded delightful.  I bought it.  As you can see, this alone should have shown my mental state.  I'm having  bad day today, so I'll buy a book today, and read it on a day when I'm probably having a marvelous day.  After all, bad days don't happen that often!

Well the book, The Lioness and Her Knight, arrived on an afternoon when the house was unusually empty.  Lorna was snoozing in my bed, Ethan was buildiing masterpieces of Lego and the rest were off with friends racing around the desert practicing, I assume, for Jenna's great head injury.  To show why I was so eager to read the book, here is the publisher's synopses and a couple of reviews.

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Review:

Review:

I was looking at some of my kids clothes the other day.  I've never been one to hang onto things for sentimental reasons.  I've not been someone who passes hand me downs down until they are threadbare and just down right ugly.  I'm a fresh and new  kind of gal.

However, sometimes even in their closets I forget that just because I made it this season and I really like it, and it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo cute doesn't mean that it isn't tatty.  I see it as it looked the first time my child wore it.  I see it in all the adorable glory that it once had.  Have you ever done that?  Your oldest daughter had a favorite dress.  Maybe it was bubblegum pink sprinkled with little white flowers and yellow centers.  There was a crisp white collar trimmed in pretty lace.  She loved that dress.  She'd have worn it every Sunday (and Monday through Saturday too) if you would have allowed her to.  However, as all favorite dresses do, this one grew too short.  It hit mid-knee cap and then the top of the knee.  Fortunately winter was almost there so it worked to pack it away. 

A second daughter grew tall enough to wear it a year or two later.  How exciting it was to pull out that beloved dress.  Big sis talked about how much she'd loved it and marvelled at how it now hit her thighs like a long shirt.  Again, the daughter wore the dress as often as she could.  She to loved the happy flowers and developed her own special memories of the dress.  The day daddy took just her out for ice cream after church.  The birthday party where she got to bust open the pinata.  And after a while, mom realized that it was becoming a smidge worn and maybe could be worn for an "every day" dress now that there were other clothes to wear to church.  As it did before, the dress eventually became too short as the daughter grew.

Another daughter grows tall enough for it.  Maybe it's been a year or two or maybe there was a brother or two in between those girls.  The big sisters go though the clothin boxes with mom and pull out their favorite dress.  They're so excited to see that it finally fits their little sister.  They put it on her.  It's so cute!  She wears it.   And wears it.  And wears it.  Mom and sisters see the dress through nostalgic glasses.  They see a bubblegum pink dress with white daisies and yellow centers.  They see a crisp white collar with pretty lace.  It's a perfect length just two inches below the knee.  Long enough for modesty but short enough to make the style perfect. 

Dad comes home from work one day and sees his precious little girl bound up to him.  For the first time, he sees the dress on his daughter as others do.  The pink is pale and dingy.  The fabric is threadbare.  The collar isn't crisp and only faintly resembles the bright white it once did.  The lace is tatty and torn in places.  The pretty flowers look wilted and greyed.  They aren't so pretty anymore.  He doesn't remember the dress.  Like many men, he doesn't know what clothes his children have or don't have.  He knows his family just got home from an outing and wonders why his wife is allowing their child to run around town looking like a street urchin of days gone by.  It takes the fresh eyes of someone who doesn't have those rose (or bubble gum pink in this instance) colored glasses to show the ladies in his family exactly how worn and ugly the dress has become.

So much of our life is like that isn't it?  We don't see that the wear and tear of the years has made our homes look abused or neglected.  We don't realize how limp our hair is from lack of attention.  We don't see the effect of cobwebs on our brains until we are faced with a real crisis in knowledge.  We quit ironing years ago.  Our clothes prove it.  Maybe we quit takign care of our skin, our teeth, our wardrobe, or our heart.  Is your heart suffering from neglect?  Have you taken time to clothe it with the mantle of Scripture?  Are your sheets holely or you curtains filthy?  Is your white shower curtain orange? 

Do we see life as it is, as we want it to be, or do we still see it as it once was?  Is our bubble gum pink dress crisp and fresh, or have we let it get faded, threadbare, and limp?  Is it time to let those old favorites go and find a few new favorites?

Blowing Dandilion pods.  Swinging on a creaky backyard swingset until it rocked in the dirt.  Slides.  Mother May I.  Olly olly oxen free.  Can't you hear it.  Does a crisp fall evening tickle your memory?  Can you hear the leaves crunch under your feet as you rake them into a huge pile?  Do you anticipate the delightful feeling that comes when you sink into the "haystack" of leaves?

Bubbles.  The dog snaps at each one as you blow it through the tiny little wand in your bottle of bubbles.  Water balloons tossed through the air and lobbed hard at your ankles.  Soaked.  It's a good feeling.  The lazy summer evening air is still hot and the water feels good.  Chlorine perfumes the air and mingles with the scent of sunscreen.  Cicadas sing in the trees.  Lemonade stands.  Firecrackers.  Roll out those lazy hazy crazy days of summer...

Damp earth.  Red Light/Green Light.  Jump rope. 

Down by the ocean, down by the sea...

The green is so vivid!  Baby animals are everywhere.  Birds sing again.  Bicycles down sidewalks and the wind in your hair as you fly past the mailboxes.  Wagons bouncing over clod hills.  Springtime afternoons after school hold dear memories...

Frost.  Snow.  Christmas carols and tree lots.  Making snow angels and playing Red Rover bundled thick in heavy parkas.  (they cushioned the fall too!)  King of the Mountain.  Men in Santa suits ringing bells in front of stores.  Hot Chocolate.  Paper Snowflakes.  Real Snowflakes.   Corncob pipes and ice skating.  Mittens, one always lost or left behind.  Heady spices of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Winter days squeeze the heart of my memories.  I love them all.

I read This Blog today and the memories came flooding back.  We did things that children today have never experienced.  I rode a bicycle without a helmet.  I felt the wind through my hair as I raced down streets with my arms crossed in front of me.  No hands!  I played Red Rover, Dodge Ball, King of the Mountain, and tackle football without "gear".  I rollerskated on four wheeled skates and the only one I ever saw injured outside of a scratch or a bruise here or there was me.  Age fifteen.  I broke my wrist in a roller rink.  My kids don't know what it is like to ride a bike down a street and have the wind whiste through their hair.  I feel kind of sorry for them.

You know, the only thing I ever regretted for my children was the lack of games like Red Rover and Dodge Ball and King of the Mountain.  You can't play those games with just three or four kids.  It's kind of hard even if all nine were playing (with one being two and one not even home anymore, that takes away that idea!) to get up a good game.  But now that I know they couldn't anyway, I don't feel so bad.  I think we'll have to try to find a way to alter the games just a bit so that we can play them.  Just once even.  Maybe some day they'll tell their children about the day they played Steal the Flag and jumped rope with grandma.

I think we need that day to be soon.  As it is, tomorrow I'll buy bubbles.  Lorna and I will sit on the back step and blow bubbles.  I imagine Jenna, Andra, and Ethan will join us.  Sergeant will certainly be there and will probably try to eat our bubbles as fast as we blow them.  And maybe, just maybe, someday Lorna will be typing away on her own blog about how she remembers summer evenings blowing bubbles with mom and dad and giggling over Sergeant trying to keep up.

There is an article circulating amongst homeschoolers that discuss the rates in which some homeschooled children are 'abandoning ship'.  It makes some very good points.  One of the points it makes is that many families are on their family ship and instead of having a destination, they're just moored off shore.  Yes, it is away from the temptations and evils of port but what kind of life and existence is it for the children?  They need a destination.  A goal.  Life is about more than avoiding evil.  Life is to be lived!

This made me think of the mid-life crises that men are well known for having.  A man wakes up one morning, walks out on his wife and children, buys a sports car, and takes off on a cross-country road trip with a cute blonde bombshell.  Meanwhile everyone is in shock.  Now "godly homeschool fathers" may not do this.  I've noticed that instead they sometimes become irritable, nervous about money, often becoming fascinated with online gaming with their big game systems, and similar things.  They're faithful to their wives and don't break the bank but they stil do go to an extreme.  Women lose weight, or get a part time job, start baking bread or quit baking bread.  It seems like they want CHANGE with capital letters and many exclamation points.

I wonder, however, if it isn't a similar problem across the board.  Kids jump ship because they don't see that their family is going anywhere.  They don't see a goal, a dream, or any reason to keep plugging along.  They wake up in the morning and their goal for the day is simply not to be sullied by the world.  Whoop-dee-doo.  If you aren't in a position where the world can sully you, this isn't much of a job.  Take pot shots at the occasional flounder that attempts to jump IN the ship and scrub off a bit of sea gull doo and your day is complete.  What a glorious life.  Blech.

Don't get me wrong, days like that are BLESSINGS in the lives of people who are docked in the harbor and mingle in and out of the world on a daily basis.  They need days where the worst they  have to do is swab the deck or scrape a barnacle or two from the hull.  As a diversion from a busy life full of work and striving toward whatever goal it is, occasional maintenance days are a reprieve.

But they have a goal.  Whatever it is, they have a goal.  It might be simple, or it could be complex.  It doesn't matter really, but if every day is just something to be survived and that alone is the success, ittwon't work.  Not in our country.  Life isn't about basic survival here in America.  Life is about dominion in a different realm.  We're here to take the world for Christ.  We're here to be a balm on the hurting masses around us.  We're here to DO and BE.  We're not here to tread water.

And I think this is the problem.  I think we've got families of water treaders.  Sometimes the children get a vision.  Whether it is for a business, a ministry, or  hobby doesn't really matter.  Kids are resilient and adapatable.  Many times, if given half a chance, they'll create their own vision.  I'm thinking of the moms right now.  Yes, the original tale was about the droves of chidlren 'jumping ship'.  But what about moms?  Why are moms burned out?  Why are moms so very depressed?  Why is it that so many wives and mothers are on a hampster wheel wearing out and never getting anywhere?

Is it because we've lost our vision?  Do we need a reminder of the GOAL?  Do we need something besides the here and now to get us through the here and now?  Is it possible that in the middle of changing diapers, scrubbing toilets, doing dishes, and listening to the sputtering monotone of a beginning reader we need something more than just bed time to get us through the afternoon? 

What is our goal?  I'd say we all have different ones.  Some might be a brighter future for their children.  Some might be a heart for the lost or a haven amongst the lost of this worl.  It can be a million different things but if another day under our belt is all we have going for us, we'll eventually quit.  Mentally, physically, or emotionally, we'll quit.  We can't keep up an unsatisfying lifestyle forever.  Eventually we have to rise above and do more.

What is the "more" that you need to do?  Do you need to learn something new?  Conquer an old habit?  Remember the GOAL amid the trenches?  What is it?  I imagine that if you have bad days like the rest of us, there is probably something missing.  Either you need to prune the extraneous to make time for the important, or you need to set goals so that you have tangible evidence for the finish line.  Who wants to run a 500 mile race and not have a clue how many miles you've conquered!  We need to feel the sweet victory that comes with success.

We all do.  Even moms.

Vocabulary.  I've looked for  pre-packaged and affordable consumable curriculum that will give my children an improved vocabulary without a lot of twaddle.  I happen to be one of those boring people who would rather have my children use a word rather than learn about using them.  All of the theoretical knowledge of words won't do you a hill of beans if you aren't comfortable actually using the word in correspondence or conversation.  Hence, my children's new and simplified vocabulary program designed and implemented by yours truly.

It's so simple it's almost embarrassing.  However, on the off chance that I've thought of something that is exactly something someone else is looking for, I decided to blog about it and save them hours of frustration and searching.  This is easy, straight forward, and guaranteed to be twaddle free- at least until the kids get done with it!

First, the books-

and of course... what is inside them.  (After all, they're cute but if cute curriculum was all it took to educate a child, my children would be the most educated kids on the planet!)

I told you it was embarrassingly simple.  Now I've chosen to write the words on the pages myself but you really don't have to.  You could do it all in MS Word, you could have the children write the words, or you could, I suppose, just talk about them daily.  I knew the talking wouldn't happen.  (Stop laughing, trust me, we've got more exciting things to talk about like Andra chasing Ethan with Lorna's unders.  For the full story see www.homeschoolblogger.com/havigs )

I got my list of words from:  http://www.virtualsalt.com/vocablst.htm

It is my intention for us to "do" all of them.  The program is simple.  From A-Z we write one word per page.  The children look them up in dictionaries (dictionary skills are an excellent by-product of this facinating program!), they write down the definition (can you say penmanship??), and then they write eight sentences using the word properly.  Why eight you say?  I'm glad you asked.  For the very scientific reason that ten sentences leaves too little room for some definitions and five sentences wasn't enough practice in my book.

There it is.  Chautona's Quick and Dirty Guide to a More Magniloquent You.  CQDGMMY for short.

Maybe I'll just stick to "Vocabulary".

Oh man, I have arm-chair coaches in this house.

The show typically goes like this...

Morgann: That's just cruel. Swat the child. He'll be happier and so will you.

Braelyn: Cruel? No way, that's child abuse. If anyone is going to call CPS they should call it on parents who let their children get away with stuff like this.

Morgann: CPS should be abolished. No one should call them. Call the police if there is a crime being committed but dont' call CPS.

Kaylene: Did you see that? It's ok for the kid to pitch a fit if they're on the naughty spot but no where else!

Morgann: That's why it's called the naughty spot. Here is the only place you can be naughty.

Nolan: Those kids should be glad they don't live here.

Braelyn: No, those kids should be sad they don't live here. They'd be happier.

Jenna: Not at first!

Nolan: Nah, they look like smart kids. They'd figure it out fast.

Andra: Is that ceiling purple? (in her mind this is a logical question that relates to the topic at hand. She's a tow-head, what can I say?)

Morgann: Take your sunglasses off Andra.

Andra: Oh, I see. It's Green. Why is that kid screaming again?

Ethan: Because his mom doesn't love him.

Andra: Oh. That's sad.

Morgann: And Ethan sums it up well.

Braelyn: You can say she doesn't love him, that's mean.

Morgann: She doesn't. She feels affection for him. She wants to love him, but she doesn't love him in the true sense.

Kaylene: She loves him as best as she can or she wouldn't let cameras in the house and embarrass herself like this.

Morgann: My point exactly. That kid is going to be mortified in 15 years when his girlfriend says, "Weren't you that brat on Supernanny?"

Braelyn: She has a point?

Jenna: The mom loves her kids but she doesn't know how to show it right.

Morgann: I concede to Jenna.

Nolan: (Incredulously) DID YOU SEE THAT?

Andra: I think they should just spank the kid so everyone is happy.

Ethan: They can't, it's TV. IT's not real life. In real life they will.

Morgann: If only...

It sounds like kind of a crazy thing to consider worthy of a blog entry.  Small houses are like big ones only smaller.  There are less walls and floor space so do the same things with less right?   In some ways, this is true.  Then again, decorating to fit your specific home (and I am going to prattle about small ones since that is where my areas of expertise lie) makes sense.

First, really let yourself look at your house.  Don't just focus on the parts you love or hate, give it a real once over and be fair about it.  Is it a 'cottage'?  Is it a contemporary bungalow?  Is it a cape cod salt box?  Is it a saltine box with a shoebox garage?  What about the houses around it?  Are they all adobe haciendas or ranch tracts?  Are they eclectic or uniform?

My house is a crackerbox.  My 'shoebox' garage is actually detached and 20' behind our house.  We also have another shoebox added onto the back of the crackerbox but from the front our house looks like one of the original mobile homes.  I've hated the outside of my house for years.  I love the inside, but the outside is just boring, ugly, and uninspiring.  It always was.  But, because I live inside my house rather than outside of it, I chose to go with an interior that called to me.

Ok, so our lists.  I'll make one too just for an example.  (and it'll thrill those who are sick of me raving about my house)

Pros:

• Size-  I love that this house is small and cozy.  I love that we can't get too far from one another and escape into our own worlds but that we do have room for privacy when necessary.
• Sturdy-  This house is built to last.  It is structurally sound even if it needs some TLC in areas.
• Location-  I love that we are centrally located.  I can literally walk to anywhere in this town.  People are able to stop by without having to go out of their way so we see people more often.
• Bedroom sizes-  I love our big bedrooms.  Most small houses have tiny little rooms but ours are nice 12x14 rooms and the back room is bigger still.  We don't feel cramped in there.
• Storage-  I love that there is plenty of room here for all of our 'stuff'.
• Huge backyard-  I love our huge, dirt filled back yard.  My kids have dug holes deep enough to swim in that back yard and they loved every minute of it.
• Hardwood floors-  I love that we have no carpeting.  I love that our floors are beautiful and clean up so easily.
• Vaulted ceiling-  This gives the 'feel' of a bigger house.  It's less claustrophobic and also allows for book shelves to run along the top of thedoorway without feeling cramped.

I could go on forever but you get the idea.  Ok, the cons.

Cons-

• House Facade-  There isn't one.  The house has no 'oomph'.  No curb appeal.  I avoid the front because it is so boring. 
• The kitchen and bathroom have to be redone.
• The yard needs something done and we need a new tree.
• The storage is there but it isn't always convenient storage.
• East/West exposure isn't optimal in the desert.
• The one bathroom is something that most think is crazy but it doesnt botther us.
• The garage-  If it wasnt detached it'd definitely be more convenient.
• Christmas trees make things interesting.  A place where I can put one up without a hassle would be a BLESSING.

Ok, now if I was going through each room and being incredibly specific I would mention things like the wall heater being a pill... forced heat under the house would be nice but not nice enough t make that much difference since that heater takes up wall space right in front of a doorway so you can't really use it for anything else anyway.  I might talk about how they should have done the closets in the living room/our room differently but it's not that big of a deal either.  Now, to the specifics.

When you step inside, does your choice of decor scream at you or welcome you?  What I mean is that sometimes our decor fights with the house it is in.  If you have a strong Spanish style to your architecture and you try to make it a Victorian dream, you may end up with a nightmare.  (And I've seen the above done in a large home.  It wasn't pleasant as a guest anyway.)  I don't think that bungalows can't be old-fashioned or that farmhouses can't be contemporary but I do think  one or the other fights for dominance if you aren't careful how you do those things.

Find rooms that you like and find out what 'style' they are.  Will they work in your home?  Will you walk in and feel at home or will things seem to fight for dominance?  Try to avoid taking certain styles to extremes.  Shabby chic looks great in little houses but it's very easy to have too much.  With things like shabby chic, country, victorian and similar styles, go for the less is more approach.

Everyone knows that mirrors create the illusion of space and that strategically placed, you can make a room feel larger and less claustrophobic by simply placing a mirror opposite a window or  on a wall in a narrow room.  What people tend to forget is that walls themselves can create the illusion of space.  One of the worst things that can happen to a room in a small house is the 'wallpaper of furniture'.  We've all seen houses where there is a nice dark wallpaper along the bottom of the room, wainscoting above that and a lighter paper or paint above that.  It's a nice look but in a small house it often looks cramped.  Wall-to-wall furniture gives that same illusion.  Your eye needs a place to rest.  If you don't leave open lower wall space, the room will feel packed and cluttered.  A row of closed light colored cabinets along one wall avoids the cramped feel that a row of book cases will give in the same room.   (Remember that I'm speaking in generalities.  Every home is different, and like people some like to defy average rules of behavior)

Try to avoid filling shelves.  The nicest way to have a bookcase not look cramped is to leave room for 3 or 4 more books on at least one shelf in the bookcase.  Put a small trinket there or lay two or three books on their backs at the end of the row to protect the books from cracking from 'leaning'.    For those like me who LOVE books and have way too many,  consider non-traditonal storage.  Boxes under a bed for rarely used reference materials, totes in a closet for daily school reference books, the top shelf of your closet with risers for maximum usage for antique books you don't want the neighbor's toddler to destroy anyway, and deep dresser drawers are just a few small ways you can store books without buying a new bookcase (and using up that prime wall space!!!) 

Finally, for book fiends like me who have no shame and lots of books, don't forget the area around your ceiling.  (over beds in earthquake country is probably not a good idea)    For example, the first picture is of my bedroom. 

The second runs along each side of the top of a doorway in my living room

And, this works over windows too.  I've got great shelf space just waiting if I run out of book space.  ;)

(You can see the large picture in the corner.  That is a picture I loved but frankly was too big for any of or wall spaces so I forced myself to find it a new home.)

If you like the 'little details' that seem to make a house a home, try adding them into the structure of your home.  I did this recently, as you can see above in picture 2, when we added new windows.  Instead of a simple window  and sill, I added molding, rosettes, and window shelf toppers to every window we have done thus far.  It's AMAZING what kind of difference just that one move made.  I'll try to find some before and after pictures to show in the next blog.

As for tonight, I'm tired, and I have sewing to do for a couple of dear friends so I'll say adieu.

Wow!  When Dell said she nominated me for 'thinking blogger' I was stunned.  Probably because the stuff that passes for brain activity in my head is rarely worth the paper  I would write it on if I was using paper!

Dell said that she and her predecessor were a week behind in their acknowledgements so prayerfully I can be forgiven for beign over TWO weeks behind in acknowledging mine!  Shows that neglecting my favorite blogs can have consequences.

My Nominees:

Kendra of PreschoolersandPeace

Barbara of  hippiechyck

Beverly of Beverly

Jennifer of momatpeace

Susannah of SusannahCox

How it works:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Positively Plaid!

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