Max's Dragon Shirt

I have fought it folks...I really have. These rabbits are so stinkin' cute and that's why this is soooooo hard for me say....I. don't. like. these. stories. There, it's out there!

Regardless of my feelings, Belle loves these stories and since I love her dearly, I will lean into the pain I feel when I am reading them. Here's what slays me about these stories.....there is NO MOM!! Where in the world is the mom?? I know, I know, these are just stories...all make believe, but I need for these little rabbit kids to have a mom. Can't. stand. it! Just show me the mom!

In Max's Dragon Shirt, by Rosemary Wells, Max and his sister Ruby head out to buy Max a new pair of pants. Ok, I will have to say that these stories do mention "Mother", but I still need to know where she is. In this story, she has given Ruby money for Max's pants....how generous, how about actually taking your rabbit son to the store instead of dumping that job on your rabbit daughter. All the stories I have seen or read have Ruby doing all the work...again, this may not be true and if I could just see the mom somewhere I would not be so crazy whacked out about this! But I digress....

Ruby tells Max that they can buy a pair of pants but there will be no more money for a Dragon shirt. Max and Ruby get separated and Max proceeds to wiggle himself into a Dragon shirt which he gets dirty. Since the shirt is dirty, it has to be purchased and Max gets his shirt after all.

Cute as cute can be, but like I said, I don't like these books! Ack!

A Talking What?!

photo by d4rmy

As she walked along, there was a cowpat lying in the road, and when the old woman stepped over it, the cowpat said, "Old woman, where are you going?"

O my great googley-moogley! Run! Run fast and far Old Woman....that "cowpat" just asked you a question!!

A few weeks ago, we were reading about ancient India in history. I read several books and reviewed them, but for some reason, this book about an Old Woman trying to get help from the Raja, completely got past me! So here's a quick review of The Old Woman and the Rice Thief retold by Betsy Bang and illustrated by Molly Garrett Bang.

This book is a retelling of an old Bengali folktale. It is incredibly fun to read aloud because of all the different characters...lots of voices to add when you are reading! You'll need to pull out your voices for an old woman, a scorpion-fish, a wood-apple, a cowpat, a razor and an alligator. I'll have to admit the cowpat voice was the most fun for me! lol!! There's also enough repetition with the words that you'll find the kiddos getting involved with the story too.

Honestly, the illustrations did nothing for me or my kids. I did, however appreciate the illustrator including the cowpat drawing on the page where the cowpat was talking. She placed it in the corner of the page...really, it should have been front and center...I mean come on, it was a talking cowpat! Doesn't it need more than a corner spot?? How many talking cowpats do YOU know? Cowpat needs more space...

Letting My Dumb Hang Out...

OK…so I’ve about got Pete talked into getting me a laptop before NaNoWriMo in November.

Now, I need some help here. I want to be able to take my laptop down to our local coffee shop, to the park, to homeschool co-op…..you get the picture. I need to be able to access the internet from these places too. I am a complete idiot when it comes to things like this…I’m a little ashamed but not much. I’m still looking for my “Fix Anything That Deals With My Computer” fairy but so far, I haven’t found her!

So…what do I need to be able to do this…besides actually having the laptop? Does a wireless router take care of this or is it another creature that does this job? Very, very confusing to me folks. I’ve tried reading up on wireless routers online, but it’s all way over my head….HELP!

For all of you that help me with this, I’ll list you on the dedication page of this year’s NaNoWriMo novel….I know, I know, I’m so generous! Lol!!

Cool Chairs!

Tell me these chairs are not completely cool! I bought them at an auction a couple of weeks ago for $5!! They need to have some work done on the legs...as in they need to be secured better. Pete tried to fix them, and I love him for that, but his skills are nil when it comes to these things. I think they would be super easy to cover, but I swear, the more I look at them the more I like them "as is"....but with straight legs!

Auctions are cool!! Next one on my calendar is October 8th...want to come, Sonya?

Happy Happy Birthday, Opal!!

I would just like to wish my friend, Opal, a wonderful and delightful birthday! I met Opal awhile back and she was so kind to help me out with this blogging adventure. She is not only kind and helpful, but she is truly one smart gal! She home educates her daughter, runs a business, takes care of herself by eating healthy....I want to be her when I grow up! lol!!

By the way, Opal....that's a vegan cake up there! Only the best for you dear friend!!

Opal's Blogs:

Vegan Momma
The Raw and the Cooked
Ferrets Haven
The Mac Diva
Weightloss Diva
Healing Yourself Naturally

graphic source: Webweaver's free clipart

Ford Blue Oval Scholars Logo Design Contest

Calling all designers…young and old! Well, actually calling all designers 16 and older!

Ford Blue Oval Scholars is a web-based initiative that will provide Ford Motor Company Fund scholarship winners a place to network, share ideas about careers, learn about different jobs plus more.

To kick off the launch of this program, Ford has decided to hold a logo design contest. This contest is open to both amateur and professional designers and you must be 16 or older to participate. (Rats! That leaves us out…well, not me, but I’m not good with logos! Lol!)

First, there will be ten different logos chosen to compete in the first round. Those ten logos will be posted at the Ford Blue Oval Scholars site where scholarships winners will vote on their favorite logo. Of course, there can only be one first place, but just let me say that making it to the top ten means you a winner too! The first place winner will receive the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium which retails for around $1700!! Second place will be getting a $300 design software package of choice and third place will receive a $150 design software package of choice. Fourth through tenth places are not forgotten though because those winners will be getting $50 music download cards!

I think this is a great opportunity for all you design people out there. If your logo wins, not only are you going to win a pretty cool prize but your design will be the official logo and tell me that won’t look good on a resume or in a design portfolio!

You need to hurry though…no time to waste! This contest is ending November 1^st.

Milo Cornbread

Jake caught this shot of Milo the other day....when he was trying to jump up onto our school table! I guess some dogs dig learnin' too!!~ I wish we could teach him to not escape out the front door...

Digital Camera Love

Jake is taking a photography class this fall at Co-op. He is thoroughly loving all the different tips and challenges that his teacher is giving him. I love to see his excitement and I can’t wait to see some of the photos he’s going to capture! Wouldn’t it be neat to have a digital photo frame to showcase his work in…what a way to boost his self esteem. I just know he would be thrilled!

Now, Belle is not old enough to take the photography class, but I still let her take my Kodak digital camera out in the backyard to catch some nature shots. She will often come running in the house searching for the camera so she can “capture some nature”…that’s what she says! Lol! I would never had let her do this with the old type of cameras….that would be wasting film, right? Lol!!

Anyway, I love having a digital camera. It has given my family a neat way to be creative and appreciate the world around us!

Dogs in Art

I love art...I especially love dogs in art! That is why I'm going to start featuring "Dogs in Art" on Mondays. If you know of an artist that creates wonderful dog art, please let me know and I'll do a feature post.

This week, I am featuring William Wegman and his weimaraners...



William Wegman is a photographer who has become quite famous for photographing his weimaraner dogs. He has created some wonderfully funny photos of his dogs in clothing with props. Many of you may remember seeing Wegman's dogs on Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live.

Man Ray was Wegman's first dog he photographed. Later he also photographed Fay Ray, another one of his weimaraners. In 1982, Man Ray was given the title "Man of the Year"!

Weimaraners were originally bred in Germany as hunting dogs. Royalty would use these dogs to hunt large game. Over time, large game hunting became less popular and these dogs were used in small game hunting.

This breed is named after the Grand Duke of Weimar, Charles August, who loved hunting. Several nicknames have been given to this dog breed: Weim, Silver Ghost and Grey Ghost are the most common.

Fast, powerful and high-strung, weimaranaers need to be played with and need a lot of exercise. Since these dogs are incredible hunters, it is important to know that they are not very social to strangers and should be trained early to tolerate smaller family pets. They are very territorial and loyal to their "people"!

Weimaraners have two known behavioral issues: separation anxiety and aggressiveness. It is not uncommon for these dogs to suffer severe separation anxiety and often the anxiety will be manifested in drooling and panicking to get to the owner. Of course, since they are hunters, they do have a tendency to show aggression toward smaller animals and strangers. Weimaraners are very intelligent and with careful early training, these dogs can be trained to not respond in such ways. They are eager to please and love to receive praises and treats! But really, who doesn't...right?!

Read more about Weimaramers over at the Weimaraner Club of America!

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. maybe we can stay and play until bedtime..., 4. FIFO!

Dancing with the Stars

So…I made Pete watch Dancing with the Stars tonight and he just about died five times! He endured only because it was my birthday! Lol!

Anyway…I was really impressed with the dancers. I didn’t get to see everyone dance, but I did really enjoy the couples I saw. This was my first time watching so I was a little confused that one couple would dance the Mamba and then the next would do some sort of ballroom dance. Is this how it is each week? Does every couple end up dancing all the different styles by the end of the competition?

And one more question…is Wayne Newton really only 65?? I thought he was much older….

Dog Quotes

Photo by bobmarley753

I've been collecting quotes of all sorts for years now. I really need to put them into some kind of collection...I would love to handwrite the quotes in a book but that would take forever!

These are some of my favorite dog quotes. Hope you enjoy them and feel free to leave your own favorites in the comment!

• "Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length that a child cannot do much harm one way or another." - Robert Benchley

• "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion" - Unknown

• "I used to look at [my dog] Smokey and think, 'If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking,' and he'd look at me like he was saying, 'If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to.'" - Fred Jungclaus

• "I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

• "In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." - Edward Hoagland

Social Bookmarking for Investors

Are you a member of a social networking or bookmarking site? I had no idea what these creatures were until just a few months ago. I’m not sure how many I have profiles at but there are a few and I really enjoy meeting all those neat people out there. I wouldn’t have met these people or found their neat blogs if it were not for social bookmarking sites!

There are quite a few different social networking sites that are geared for a specific group of people. MyWallSt.net is one of those sites. If you are interested in investing then this is the site for you! You will be able to make some new friends who can help you with financial and investing decisions even stock picks. This is a great way to gather the most up to date information. Magazines are great, but they are sometimes outdated before you even open up the front cover…especially when it comes to stocks!

At MyWallSt.net, you’ll find it very easy to add your profile and to start making new friends. You’ll also see how quick everyone is to help each other out with information! That’s one of the things I love about social bookmarking…the community created is fantastic!

Dog Leash Tutorial

Photo by Jon Gos

Check out this really neat dog leash tutorial over at Anna Maria Horner's blog. It looks fairly simple to make and it would be fun to use a neat fabric. I'm going to make Milo, my dachshund, a red print one. Hopefully he won't eat this one!

Let me know if you make one!

Reading Dogs

We all have different learning styles. Some of us are auditory learners and some of us are visual learners....some are kinesthetic and some tactile. Some of us are wiggly and have a hard time focusing long enough to actually learn something!

Today I came across this article about BARKS which is a program that goes into the schools and helps students who are struggling to read. I think this is a brilliant idea and so much fun...it really takes the pressure off the child who is struggling and that is wonderful. Learning should not be traumatic for anyone and this program seems to be a huge help!

Pedro and Pablo Plantain , a Surgeon and an Unknown As of Yet

Well, folks it’s October first and you know what that means….not only is it my birthday, but it’s the official start date of costume hunting for Halloween! Wooohooo!! We have several ideas floating around but we haven’t settled on one specific theme yet. We won’t do that until the eve of Halloween when all the costumes are gone! Lol!!

If you are one of those people though, that like to stay ahead of the game you will start looking for Halloween Costumes right this very minute …or at least right after you read this! I only wish I could be like you and not procrastinate so much!

So what ideas are we tossing around in our minds? Nik and Jake have mentioned that they would like to dress up like Pedro and Pablo Plantain. Very creative ‘eh…what this really means is that we’ll have to actually make these costumes. Not a big deal if we start right now, but remember, that’s not how we roll around here! We have to wait to the last minute…

Now, there is some good news on the Halloween costume front. Belle is going to dress up like a surgeon and we were able to pick up an el cheapo costume at Dollar Tree. In fact, I bought two in case there was an accident…a rippage accident since the costume really is el cheapo.

And what about the little wiener dog….as much as I hate to do it, I think he needs a costume. I have no clues for this one....and no, don’t suggest a hot dog because that’s been done before. We need something very creative and something we can have a complete meltdown over the night before…remember, that’s how we roll!~

Sigh…one day I will have everything in order. (I hear you laughing…)

No More Shrimps For Me!

Photo by AbbyLadyBug

I had Buffalo Shrimp, Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Fried Popcorn Shrimp....endless shrimps....and I was completely sick as a dog for the rest of the evening!

I knew better, really I did! Yesterday, Pete, the kids and I met up with Liz and Sophie at the Dead Lobster. This is an annual event...the All You Can Eat Shrimp and Then Go Home and Pass Out On the Couch and Moan the Rest of the Night Because You Ate Too Much Shrimp Bonanza!! YeeeHawww!! I was sick, folks....wasn't sure I would be able to keep the little shrimpers down, but my will power to do so came shining through...well, I wouldn't say shining since I was looking rather gray...

Anyway people, take it from me....enjoy your shrimps, but in moderation, really....ack! I will never ever go "Bubba Gump" on myself again!!

NaNoWriMo Links

It's almost time, folks! One more month until the start of NaNoWriMo 2007!! Registration is this evening at the NaNoWriMo site. Due to my giddiness about all this NaNoWriMo ramp-up, I thought I would share some links pertaining to this cool event! Enjoy!

Hal Spacejock has a printable word count sheet that you can use to keep track of your daily count.
Little Nuances tells us about POV
Character Questionnaires from the Gotham Writers Workshop
At Feath's Bookcase, you can find all sorts of generators!
Lots of goodies at the Scriptorium

Now...all I need is a laptop and I'll be set!

Creating Travel Guides

You all know how much I love to travel…and you also know that there is no way I can actually go gallivanting around the world right now since Pete is in school. When he gets out though….watch out world ‘cause here I come! You see, Pete is in nursing school and he plans on being a travel nurse for awhile…and you know I will have to tag along.

So, what am I doing to feed my desire to travel? I’ve been researching different places both here in the US and abroad. I just finished a book about a gal who creates these marvelous itineraries but never gets the chance to travel. I think that’s what I’m going to start doing except I’m going to actually travel to these places at some point….at least I hope to do so! Really, with a travelling nurse for a husband I think this is possible…

Now, I’ve been visiting the actual tourism sites for the different places, but what is absolutely best are the sites where people give their own opinions about what you should and should not see. Really, this is the only way to find those places that are off the beaten path. RealTravel is one of those sites….you can create your own travel guide based on the travel experiences of other people. I love this!

I’ll certainly be bookmarking this site! Neat!

Top Female Bloggers List

Well, folks...I'm not really sure how my name ended up on the Top Female Bloggers List but you're not gonna hear me complain about it! When the list first came out, I was at #28...now I've dropped down to #61 but hey, I'm on the list and that's pretty cool!

Oh...I meant to say too that it was my NEW Up the Hill Gang blog that was submitted to the list.

Smorty Is A Gooder!

Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I have been blogging for pay since the beginning of summer. I started doing this because I wanted to be able to buy our homeschool curriculum and all the extras without asking Pete for the money. He would have gladly given me the money, but our finances are tight right now since he is in school full time and working a job at the hospital (telemetry dept) that doesn’t pay great, I wanted to provide the money and lessen the stress.

I was able to do that and more! So far, I ‘ve been able to buy our curriculum and replace our computer that crashed a few months ago. Right now I’m saving money for a laptop for our school and Christmas presents. I have been writing through several different “blog for money” sites and so far, I’ve been paid by all! That was a huge concern for me at first…

One of the companies I like to use is Smorty. In fact, I believe this company was the first one I signed up with….if not the first, it was certainly one of the first! I have found that their platform is easy to use and that the specifications for writing the ads are very clear and concise. I do use another company where this is not the case and it drives me nuts! I know with Smorty, I will be sure of my task.

I’ve also noticed lately that Smorty has been posting more opportunities and ones that I think are quite appealing and easy to write about.

If you would like to get paid for blogging then Smorty is one company you will want to check out!