A lot has gone down in the last couple of years I've been off the radar.   The biggest change is that I'm an atheist.   I like to say humanist, but there ya go.    No more wishing I was a deist.  No more hiding behind the more socially acceptable "agnostic" label.    

No imaginary friends for Swampy!    Well, except Samwise...  I'm trying to figure out how to delude myself into thinking he's still hanging around.  No luck yet. ;-) 

 Sam, my basset hound, died today.   He has been sick for two months.  It was mistakenly diagnosed as a stubborn abscess, but turned out to be cancer.    We helped him today end his pain.  

Sam has been my best friend (and online avatar) for years.   He was 8 years old.   He has a facebook page haha   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002276632214  

I know I haven't been here in ages.  But Sam represented me here for years.   I wanted to tell everyone here.   Cheers.

Swampgirl's (and hopefully VS's ) favorite basset hound  is 7 years old today.    

Cheers!

Hey guys!    How's it going?   The site is off the hook!  Wow, I don't even know how it works anymore LOL

Dag, still no coffee mug? ;-)

I've been a member here for over three years this summer.     I know I don't show it much these days, but I still have plenty of affection for this place.

 Good luck w/ the upgrade tonight folks

hmm, I don't remember changing the settings yet the background is all super sleek and black. 

 Sifty making a tribute to the MJ memorial going on today?

 Nah, I'll just assume it's my computer telling me its ok to take a lunchtime nap.

.....is over.   A special thanks goes out to my dog Nami, my feet, and the stairs. :-D

I LOVE the blackberry I got a few weeks ago.. I can play everywhere w/ all my favorite thingies.. except Videosift.

 The screen is just too small to be able to sift.   

 My wishlist for the next upgrade is to have a streamlined app for Videosift that includes the top 15 sifts, sift talk, comments, blogs and my profile.

 How bout it Lucky Claus?

When can we start talking openly about the movie so as to not spoil it for anyone?   I'll just say the casting was genius.   McCoy is by far my favorite. 

 I'm glad Shatner wasn't in it at all.   It'd be like your didn't-quite-get-over-him ex-husband showing up to your wedding...   Ok maybe that's just how'd it be for me.. you get the idea.

 I love how they handled we TOS continuity  police.  You'll see what I mean.   

"Mommy, Daddy wake up.... Skittles had babies!!!!!"    "What?  Babies??? ...But Skittles is a boy!"   My son has the biggest grin on his face.  "Yeah, we were wrong!"   

13.  Thirteen babies this little critter had.   Needless to say Twizzler (aka Daddy Hamster) has his own bachelor pad now.    Damn the pet store said they were both males.    

The babies look like boiled peanuts.  

Videosift..my friend, my pet, my hometown...my middle child.   I have not given you any attention lately.   I broke protocol and had a drink tonight just for you, my friend.    I've missed you.   Why am I supposed to be so busy?   I seemed to remember being quite happy when my evenings were just between the both of us.

That's it.. quality time just for you and me ok?   Let's go outside and toss that football.

Every year or so I go through this phase where I don't think I'm doing anything right.   Of course I do some obvious things... clean the house well enough for an in-law visit, organize some things, improve our diet, shop and plan home improvements ...   

Those are great and all, but for our actual day to day routine.. we've just been in a rut!   So I sit down and read tons of self-help and information books and articles and realize a plan for action.

 I've been neck deep in obsessive reading and planning now for days.   Trouble is, there are so many great ideas and helps that it's hard actually nailing down a great routine.  This week we're having a little break so I can regroup and improve our lives by getting more productive things done and make time for more fun outside the home.  

 For example...our day routine from 8am to 2pm (that would fall under homeschooling)

 I've always been a little eclectic here.  I pretty much use traditional methods, but some are considered classical.  I've always admired Charlotte Mason's principles on education, but I never knew how to pull it off... it all seemed so vague and unstructured.  

 I think schooling has become boring for us over the winter.  I'm loving the whole nature study thing Mason writes about so I've decided to give it another look.   www.amblesideonline.org  has been a site of great interest to me of late, and I'm just about ready to kick off a new plan.

I'm the type of homeschooler that can never fully embrace a completed curriculum... so I'm trying to make a happy blend of some classical educating in subjects of grammar, math and science along with the "living books" approach as Charlotte Mason recommends in other subjects. 

There's a chapter in her books that describes what she calls "masterly inactivity"    Pretty much you're to give your children freedom after their lessons to pursue their interests, but give them just enough materials and direction first to spend that time wisely.   That means no plopping down in front of the tv or xbox, but to either run and play outside, work on projects, care for pets, journal, cook, handicrafts, read... you get the idea.    I believe we do that for the most part.   I do indulge in some tv w/ them and occasional videogames, but never excessively.   Balance is the key right?  

 Miss Mason was a brilliant lady.  How to make her method work in my homeschool?  I'm working on it

Ain't bourbon great?  Pour a beverage of your choice and have a drink... on me!    Have a fun weekend folks

 Love, 

SG

Frodo likes to stand on the Wii Fit board.  Maybe because it gives him a little height?  I dunno.  Cute eh?

 What is your favorite hot beverage?

  I've recently bought a glass tea pot w/ infuser, and we're really enjoying the whole hot tea thing.   Still there is no replacement for smelling freshly ground coffee in the morning.    Though with tea I'm not feeling the crappy jittery weirdness you get when the coffee wears off.  

Well, which do you prefer and how do you prepare it?

p.s. Dag..coffee mug. 

heheheh

I think it was the first day this year the temp was above 50 F all day.   The sun was bright, and I had windows and doors open with fresh air coming in.   The kids couldn't wait to get outside.

The kids and I shared a pot of tea before I kicked them outside to play.   Through the sounds of my washer and dryer's death rattles, I could hear light sabers, bike tires being pumped, wagons rolling, shouting, laughing... and I thoroughly enjoyed my quiet mundane domesticy chore filled afternoon.  

 I baked, I browsed, I ebayed, I sauted, I folded, I brewed and I did it ALL ALONE.    Come spring COME!!  Free our couped up youngins!

Some really good friends I've had over the years are ones I got off on the wrong foot with.    Always be willing to give somone another chance.  

 If you spend your time working your gut up in a knot over someone doing you wrong, what good are you doing yourself?   Choose to enjoy your life why not?   You only get one  of em

Ever since my husband bought me this lovely starter set of Lenox china for Christmas,  I can't stop shopping for china!   I have bags of the stuff sitting up against a wall... I don't even have own a china cabinet!   We've always been a very informal family.

Winter madness?

This was my Christmas present that started it all.

 It's rapidly becoming an addiction!   I can't stop browsing antique shops, I've had shippments from Amazon and Macy's coming in daily.     I've freakin lost my mind.    

This my confession and cry for help

  During the winter, it's soooo easy to become obsessively addicted to this site.   Even when I'm not posting videos.. the ravenous appetite for sifter's witty comments alone can keep me reloading for hours.

 I've really enjoyed the last two days online here.   It felt like old times, when I lived in the middle of nowhere and you guys were my only connection to sanity.  

 With my own personal party over today, I'm going to cold turkey it for a while so I can concentrate on getting some work and projects done.

 Weird, I thought we could turn our email notifications off.. but I only saw a box to uncheck for bookmarked comments.

 Oh well, I'll just have to be strong and resist your emails Siftbot    See you in a few 

 All my love...