Lately, we are just marking time off the calendar until Jim comes home and things return to normal around here.  We’ve tried a variety of ways to check off that time.  Jess keeps asking me when we can start the countdown dance again (it’s just a little thing she and I started doing before Jim came home for R/R).  But I keep telling her it’s just too early yet to start that.  Hopefully in another month or so.  Thought I would share with you though a few figures.  As of writing this Jim has been gone:

• 42:18 Weeks
• 295.27 Days
• 7,086.46 Hours
• 425,187.45 Minutes
• 25,511,247 Seconds

He still has to go:

• 9.82 Weeks
• 68.73 Days
• 1,649.54 Hours
• 98,972.55 Minutes
• 5,938,353 Seconds

Until the day comes that he can return home.

He’s completed 81.1% of his deployment and has 19.9% left to go.  Just in case you all were interested.

Strike Update

Two of the labor force workers quickly crossed the picket line, apologized and conceeded that management was indeed in charge.  Honestly, I thought these two would be the holdouts.  Guess they didn’t relish the idea of management not cooking dinner.  The three remaining on the labor force apparently thought it was a game and that management would cave at dinnertime and feed them a fine feast.  When management put peanut butter, bananas, and tortillas on the table and instructed them to make their own dinner while the others dined on breaded chicken, rice, and green beans, those three realized management was quite serious about providing the basics of life but not frills.  We’ll see what today brings.

Around The World In 80 Days - Queensland Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Queensland Australia and is the largest coral reef system in the world.  Moving off the Barrier Reef and onto land, we come to the state of Queensland.  Towns such as Brisbane, Logan City, Toowoomba, Goldcoast, and Sunshine Coast are more to the southeast and contain the majority of the population of the state. Queensland got it’s name from Queen Victoria when she signed a proclamation separating Queensland from from New South Wales.  Known as the “Sunshine State”, the climate is warm and most of the state is considered in the tropics.

Hello. We regret that we are unable to assist you today as the management for this facility is currently on strike.  Oh how I wish I could put that as my voice mail message today.  In fact I AM on strike.  Upper management (that would be me) and the labor party (that would be the kids) failed to come to an understanding as to who is in charge therefore, management (literally) walked away from the table this morning and began their strike.  Our currently featured blog content (Around the World in 80 Days and the Tales of the OSU Nautilus) will return when the strike has ended and the labor party recognizes that management is in fact, the true and rightful party to be in charge.  (it could be awhile)

Beach Swap

The incredibly sweet Debby, sent out this package in July.  It somehow got lost once it arrived at my post office.  Repeated attempts to find the package resulted in a big ole frowny face from me.  Finally upon showing them proof it was somewhere in the office (thank you delivery confirmation) they finally located it yesterday and I left with a big ole smile on my face .  I was in a hurry to get the rest of our errands done so I could get home and open the package.  My Suburban (aka Beauty) has a security feature, that if you are not completely sitting in the seat properly while trying to start the car, the engine becomes disabled for 15 minutes.  Guess what happened?  Yup.  I was in such a rush, that I disabled her engine.  But, hey…it was a great opportunity to open and enjoy the box (divine intervention???)

Included in the box was a cool tropical themed knitting bag, sugar free jolly ranchers (which were promptly opened and shared), sugar free twizzlers (oh yeah), lavender and chamomile lotion and spray (smells awesome), a note pad, magnet, soap, treats for the kitties and the doggie (how sweet was that?) and two skeins of purple Malabrigo silk/wool yarn.  I have never held or petting Malabrigo before but have heard wonderful things.  And I agree….wonderful!  Yummy.  Squooshy.  Thanks again Debby!

After going through the box, the Suburban started right up and we finished our errands.

then perhaps I could think of a good title for this post.  Yesterday was just one of those days I care not repeat.  Kids and I kept facing “challenges” where they just didn’t want to do what was asked, expected, or otherwise requested of them.  I went to bed last night (notice I didn’t say sleep) feeling as though I had been beated down, rolled over, and then hung out to dry.  I got up this morning feeling much the same way.  But the sun is shining, the temps are too bad right now, and our school day is almost over…it’s bound to be a better day.  Isn’t it?

Around The World In 80 Days - A break

We finished the Asian continent and will move over to Australia.  We are taking a break today to catch up on sleep, do laundry, exchange our currency to the local one, and just generally take it easy.  Tomorrow we will begin our exploration of the Land Down Under.

OSU Nautilus (at least Captain Jac is sleeping)

Captain Jac was suddenly awakened from his dream with a revelation and a plan to get the submarine off the island and back out to sea.  Captain Jac was sure the Nautilus needed major repairs but they needed to get back to their home base of Port Daddy’s Chair for the repairs.  In order to get the Nautilus back out to sea, they would need serious muscle power as the high tides alone would not be enough to do the job.  Serious muscle power such as a tank or even a huge mutant Rock Iguana would do the trick.  But, the question was…how to get the creature to agree.  Then it came to him.  His momma always told him that hand made gifts given in love went far to tame even the wildest beast.  So Captain Jac got busy.  Luckily his mom taught him to knit as a youngster and he remembered how to do it.  He fashioned some knitting needles from native tree limbs and used plant fibers from the area flora as yarn.

Can you see where this story is headed?  The conclusion is coming…sometime.

WIP

Yesterday I pulled out my old Bond Knitting Machine that I have had for several years but not used for a long time.  I machine knit some sock blanks and some cotton in hopes to actually do some dyeing this week.  While the machine was set up, I had the great idea to actually knit a sweater using some scraps.  Last night after dinner, I knit up the back of the sweater.  This morning while the kids were eating breakfast, I knit up the front.  While they were working on their school work that didn’t require my attention, I seamed up what I could.  My plan is to get to the sleeves this afternoon and then I can work on the ribbing for the sleeves and bottom as well as the collar during my quiet time tonight.  One thing I learned about the knitting machine…..it’s NOT quiet

Hope your day is a great one.

Yesterday was our monthly get together of our home school and “oh our husbands are all deployed” group.  We were missing a member of our group this time and that was NOT cool, but I am so hoping we can plan it where she can join us next month but that’s up in the air right now.  We have a different theme running each month and last night was Italian.  So we had some yummy toscana soup (like the kind you can get at Olive Garden….yes Jim the spicy sausage soup), baked spaghetti, sloppy joe pizza, salad, garlic bread, and for desert Italian ices.  Oooh so good.  Before dinner was served, all the kids made home made butter.  We’ve done that before, but we added a twist this time.  We added flavorings to make flavored butter.  We had honey butter, cinnamon butter, chocolate butter, mint butter, hot chile butter, plain butter, and Parmesan cheese/garlic butter.  Each child got a chance to sample a bit of the butter on a home made tortilla (made by Chris and Cass for their home ec project of the week).  Some were not so good, some needed a little more of this or that, and some were really good. The hands down winner was the Parmesan cheese/garlic butter.  It was amazing!!!

Poor Doggie

Poor Caleb is back to chewing on his paws.  He actually chewed on it so much the other day, he cracked his nail below the quick and had it bleeding.  Paw problems with Caleb are an on going thing.  Generally means his allergies are kicking up and seasons are changing (which right now, seasons changing is a good thing for us…just not for Caleb’s allergies).  I borrowed my friends Elizabethan dog collar so he would leave his paw alone to help it heal.  He could get under the table with the collar on, but not back out.  He bumped into things and people, but all in all he did well with it.

Around The World in 80 Days - Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is located in the South Pacific and is about the size of California with a population of about 6.7 million people. The terrain is mostly mountainous with some coastal lowlands and foothills.  Papua New Guinea has several thousand communities averaging a few hundred people to each one.  The people are divided by language, customs, and traditions.  These divisions have resulted in some low scale tribal conflicts.

OSU Nautilus (the story continues)

Captain Jac and his crew were fearless in the fight with the Mutant Rock Iguana and fought a good fight. Not one crew member was lost in the battle.  The Rock Iguana retreated with more bruises on its pride then on its body.  Captain Jac and his crew, still run aground on the deserted island, decided to retire to their racks (beds) to settle in for the night and hopefully start fresh in the morning finding their way off the island.  Captain Jac hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since before pulling out of their berth in Port Daddy’s Chair, so sleep was quick in coming.  So were the dreams. Captain Jac immediately began dreaming about overgrown and super sized sheep.

Why sheep?  Perhaps he was counting them before he fell asleep.  What do sheep have to do with the rest of this story?  Stay tuned to the next installment to see what happens.

No, I am not talking about Pink Floyd’s The Wall (yes I listened to Pink Floyd in my younger years), or the famous Wall in Washington DC honoring Vietnam Veterans (which I have been to and it’s amazingly powerful).  No, I am talking THE WALL.  You know, the one you hit when you are just so tired you can’t take it anymore.  The one you hit when you just don’t think you can take another day of this madness.  Yes, with something like 74 days left til Jim gets home, I have hit THAT wall.  I know we’ve made it this far and I know we can make it the rest of the way.  I am just tired and don’t want to anymore.  Can we just pretend it’s November now?

Around The World in 80 Days - Philippines

The Republic of the Philippines is comprised of 7,107 islands in the Western Pacific Ocean.  The Philippines became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and later an American territory at the beginning of the 20th century.  The local climate tends to be hot, humid, and tropical with a median temperature of 79 to 80 degrees (although after another summer here I would relish 80 degree weather ) Filipino and English are the primary languages but more then 180 languages and dialects are spoken on the various islands. The Filipino culture is made up of Hispanic, American, Chines, Arab, and Indian backgrounds

OSU Nautilus (part 3 I think)

When we last heard from Captain Jac and the OSU Nautilus, they were headed towards the bottom of the ocean with a giant sea turtle.  The creature continued to steer the Nautilus through uncharted waters while the crew was helpless to do anything about it.  After, what seemed like an eternity, the Nautilus was released by the sea turtle and drifted in the tide to run aground on a never before seen island.  The crew headed top side to determine the damage from the sea turtle.  They were alarmed and amazed to come face to face with a mutant endangered Rock Iguana.  Captain Jac shouted for his crew to arm themselves and prepare for battle.

Will the crew survive the invasion of the iguana?  Will they figure out where they are and how to get back to sea?  Will this story make sense when it’s over?  Who knows but it’s keeping a child amused if no one else.

Jim insisted on buying me an “Easy Button” before he left.  I am so glad he did. (thanks again honey).  I am LOVING it.  It’s an Easy Button For Parents to be exact.  When you press the big red button it says the phrases “that was easy”, “of course you’re right”, “your house, your rules”, and “because you said so”.  It does say them randomly, but I tell ya, when one of the kids starts acting up or something gets a little hard, or whatever, I press my big red button and instantly feel a whole lot better.

Around The World In 80 Days - Indonesia

Today we travel to Indonesia which is actually made up of more then 17,500 islands.  Indonesia has a population of over 222 million people (2006).  Textiles such as batik, ikat, and songket are created across Indonesia.  The food styles are varied across the islands, however, they are heavily influenced by Chinese,  European,  Middle Easter, and Indian cultures.

Pisang Goreng (Fried Banana Cakes)

6 medium ripe bananas, peeled

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Flour

oil for deep frying

Finely mash bananas and mix with sugar and flour.  Drop a large spoonful of batter into hot oil (carefully) and cook until crisp and golden brown.  You may cook more then one cake at a time, just do not crowd hot oil.  When done, drain on a paper towel and serve while still warm.

OSU Nautilus

The OSU Nautilus made it’s maiden voyage yesterday.  It set sail at sunset and within minutes of submerging, it was attacked by a giant sea turtle.

It rocked the submarine from side to side and amid engine gears grinding at full speed ahead, the creature held fast and caused the submarine to sink deeper and deeper into the dark ocean waters. The turtle would not release the submarine and dragged it further out to sea. What will happen to Captain Jac and the OSU Nautilus crew next?

Jessi had a good day yesterday and asked me to tell everyone who wrote to wish her a happy day, “Thank you.”  We plan to head to the store tomorrow so she can spend some of that money that’s burning a hole in her purse. Josh’s birthday is up next, so that’s all we’ll hear about for the next week and a half I am sure.

Captain Nemo, I Presume

Jacob has (finally) truly discovered the joys of reading.  It’s been a long time coming but he’s finally figured out that you can use your imagination and totally get lost in a book.  He’s read (really read) 3 books since Jim returned back to the land of his deployment.  Yesterday Jac finished reading 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.  After finishing off the book, he went to his room and was uncharacteristically quiet.  When I checked on him, he was building with Legos (which he generally does NOT do by himself).  When he was done building his creation, he shared it with me.  He built his version of the Nautilus.  Of course, it’s the Ohio State University edition just for his dad.

Around The World in 80 Days - Singapore

Continuing our trip through the Asian continent, we head to Singapore today.  Singapore isn’t just one island but more like 50 little islets.  Singapore is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.  The government madated that all citizens learn English and require at least 10 years of school education.  Singapore’s location on major shipping lanes have given it great importance in Southeast Asia.  But to be honest , when I think of Singapore, the first thing that comes to mind is a Singapore Sling created by Mr Ngaim Tong Boon.  If I were to knock one of these drinks back, I know someone would have to pick me up off the floor.  But they do sound yummy, don’t they?  Too bad it’s 0-dark-30 and I don’t drink alcoholic beverages anymore.

May your day be blessed.

Birthday Girl

Today Jessi-girl turns 10.  She was 5 when she came to live with us and it just doesn’t seem fair that she’s grown so much in such a short period of time.  We missed out on everything that happened in her life prior to coming to live with us and I have so many regrets about that.  But she’s grown and blossomed into such an amazing young girl and I am so proud of her.

Jess chose to have an Oreo Cake with Oreos on top along with Oreo ice cream.  She also chose the black and white candles to match the cake.

Let the present opening begin!

Cash from Miss Kelly

Gift Card from Grandpa

Hannah Montana CD from daddy and momma

Shirt from daddy and momma

New watch from daddy and momma (she’s been waiting for this one for months!)and then her one brother slipped her some more cash when no one was looking. (The girl RAKED UP in the money thing)  He did try to find her the Hannah Montana book she was asking for but we couldn’t find it so he wanted her to be able to buy another one that she might want.  (Yes, I teared up)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!  I pray that God blesses you with many many more to come.

WIP

Since it’s been so cool in the house this week, I’ve been able to stand having this sweater on my lap while working on it.  I started this the day Jim was flying home for his R/R and then put it away when he arrived home and hadn’t worked on it since.  Here’s what I have done so far.

I really like the colors, which are browns, creams, greens, and splashes of orange.  More pictures to come as I progress.  Some commercially spun, some hand spun.

Weaving….let’s just say that ain’t happening right now.  I got so frustrated with my inkle loom it almost went flying out the window.  Felt it was best to put it up right now.

Around The World in 80 Days -Thailand

In 1949, Siam became Thailand.  When I told the kids we would travel to Thailand and that was formerly Siam, Jac crossed his arms over his chest and in his deepest made up voice said, “Etc, Etc, Etc”.  I looked at him for a moment and then just laughed.  He, of course, was acting out the part of Yul Brynner in the famous musical “The King and I”.  Thailand brings to mind rich color, culture, and spicy foods.

Brain Quiz

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test…

NBPC - The Daydreamer

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

Even though it was rainy and gloomy yesterday morning, and the kids woke cranky and uninspired, I decided to bring a little sunshine into our day.  That’s four bowls of oatmeal (not quite done…needed water, milk, sugar, and butter still) and one mug of sunshine

The kids have requested to use this cup at each breakfast.  We’ll see if the trend continues.

We had a great lesson on South Korea yesterday and the kids were excited to know that there is more to the country then just what they have seen on a TV sitcom.  Thought I would share a quick shot of our dinner of home made eggs rolls and pork noodles.

Around The World in 80 Days - Japan

Today we are headed to the island of Japan.  Many many years ago, I had a friend stationed in Japan and still have the kimono that was gifted to me.  Also growing up, my grandfather worked (in America) for a Japanese electronics firm.  The company would have “exchange workers” and Japanese draftsmen would come work at the US based office for a year or two.  Sometime they would bring their families and sometimes they would not.  My parents always invited the current exchange workers to our house for a real “American Thanksgiving” and we in turn would go to their home for an authentic Japanese meal.  I shall never forget my first time going  and insulting the entire family by not wanting to try some of the foods.  Now they look rather yummy to me.  And I must admit, while perhaps not authentic, our family does enjoy going to a Japanese steakhouse.  Maybe I can convince the hubster to take us to one when he comes home again

The Rain

Is still here.  It’s been neat to watch the radar and just see the clouds swirl around us.  You can tell the Low Pressure System is right over us.  Yesterday we barely made it into the 70’s and the kids were commenting how cold it was.  Today the same is on tap, but by the end of the week we should see a return of the 90’s and sunshine.

Hope your day is an amazing one.

Whew…it’s going to be a long day.  Kitty girl (aka Zippy…you know the one who woke me up the other morning very early) did it again today.  They were out of water (duh! bangs hand to head I check that at night and forgot last night obviously) and she was mad and made at point of waking me up at 4:00 am.  Put new water down, she took a quick drink and she went back to sleep. I, on the other hand, am wide awake. UGH.  It’s raining this morning.  We really need the rain, but it’s supposed to rain most of the day.  Rainy days and Monday’s always get me down.

A Lazy Sunday

Yesterday we headed towards my dad’s and went to church with he and Barbara.  The younger kids enjoy going to “cowboy church”.  I think they enjoy petting and talking to the horses more then anything else, but they asked if we could go there so we did.  Then we went over to dad’s to have a lunch of grilled brats and hot dogs.  The kids played outside while the adults enjoyed some conversation.

When we got home the kids headed outside to play with their friends and I struggled to stay upright.  I was just plain exhausted.

Around The World in 80 Days - South Korea

When I first asked the kids what they knew about Korea, their first and only response was M*A*S*H 4077.  From that response, we I new we had a lot to learn about.   South Korea is known as the Land of the Morning Calm.  Does that just sound so peaceful and relaxing?  There are several US military bases in South Korea.  We will talk about the culture a bit this morning. I found some interesting recipes here.  While not necessarily Korean, taking from our Asian influence so far, tonight we will enjoy a dinner tonight of home made egg rolls and pork noodles (lo mein).  (and of course, desert will be “Milkshake Monday” which is totally an Aunt Sally and a T-man thing)