it isn't nice to play favourites...

...but I will. This is me with my favourite chicken. Her name is Star and she is an EasterEgger. She is a beauty! And she is really sweet too. She lays really light pink eggs.

free rice!

This game is fun, you can do vocab, math, grammar, four different languages, and other questions. Each time you click the right answer you will be earning 20 grains of rice which the UN will distribute. It works through some sponsors that Free Rice has. Check it out, click below...and let me know your favourite subject. I like Spanish, it is super easy. I think next time I will try Italian. I did okay with vocab, but it isn't my cup'o tea :) enjoy! I will put this in my sidebar so you can come back and play again....and so I can play when I want!!! Click on either of these buttons to begin.

bungaree speak: cotton candy

Cotton Candy bungaree speak by O.

b: you guys are going to be so excited, I have some cotton candy for you!
J+O: Oh, that looks yummy!
b: You will love it.
I hand them each some pieces of the light pink delight, as they chant in unison: COTTON-CANDY! COTTON-CANDY!
J stuffs it in his mouth as if it is the best thing he has ever eaten. O does the same, and then pulls it out again and spits the rest onto his plate.
b: you don't like it O?
O: no, it is yucky, it is pokey it will "hurtcha".
b: Oh, it is good.
I roll it up into a ball thinking he just was weirded out by the cotton like feel on his tongue.
Then I put the ball of cotton candy into his mouth.
O spits it out again.
O: It is pokey, still pokey mom. It is bad, it will "hurtcha"!
J: O, you have to eat it!
b: He doesn't have to.
I say as I put the untouched remainder into my mouth.
O: You like it mom, you can have it, I will give it to ya.

Who knew? I had never heard of a kid turning his nose up at cotton candy....especially since that is the only think that O has ever not liked! Have you heard of kids not liking something so kid like?

lions and tigers and bears, Oh MY!

	The Passover Celebration in a Jewish home begins when the youngest son asks his father, "Daddy, why is this night different from all other nights?" Then the father tells him of the mighty works of God surrounding the exodus of Israel from Egypt. But what would you say if your child were to ask you about Halloween, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Some people may wonder why children should be deprived of all the fun and excitement of a holiday that is a special time to them. The spirit world is a real world, though, and there are spirits of good and there are evil spirits. All Saints Day is real. On November 1st some people do honor and worship "Saints." All Hallow's Eve, October 31st, now called Halloween, originated in, and today derives its impetus, from the mystical, magical and superstitious — the evil. It comes as quite a surprise to discover that this celebration predates the Christian Church by several centuries. It goes back to a practice of the ancient Druids in Britain, France, Germany and the Celtic countries who lived hundreds of years before Christ was born. This celebration honored their deity, Samhain, Lord of the Dead. Samhain called together all the wicked souls who had died within the year and had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals. The date for this celebration was the last day of October, the eve of the Celtic New Year. It was a time of falling leaves and seasonal decay and seemed appropriate to celebrate death. That is what it was, a celebration of death. It honored the god of the dead and the wicked spirits of the dead. The Druids believed that on this particular night, the souls of the dead returned to their former homes to be entertained by the living. If acceptable food and shelter were not provided, these evil spirits would cast spells, cause havoc and terror, haunt and torment the living. They demanded to be appeased, Look closely! Here is the beginning of "trick or treat!" If they didn't get it, you'd get a "trick". Jack-O-Laterns are a symbol of godless superstition. A man named Jack was unable to enter heaven because of miserliness. He could not enter hell because he played practical jokes on Satan, so he had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day. The black cats of Halloween were thought to be human beings who were changed as a punishment of evil. Scripture is clear in its direction to a Christian in dealing with the powers of darkness that perpetrate evil. Christ's terse statement to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" made no allowance for discussion. And as James stated, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Additional scriptures would only further emphasize how little time we should give to Satan. Yes, we are to be aware of the enemy. "We are not fighting against flesh or blood." We are to put on the whole armor of God for this spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6) There are alternatives to Halloween. Here at Calvary Chapel Corvallis we have chosen to substitute a "Harvest Carnival". You might ask "Why substitute anything?" We recognize that in an effort to guard their children from very real risks, many parents search for a safe alternative to traditional Halloween trick or treating. We have chosen to provide an alternative as a way of introducing non Christian or un-churched families to the good news of the gospel. We provide an environment in which each game or activity is based on a Bible story, where each child who comes gets to hear the gospel, and where people see the love of Jesus in action. Rather than celebrating death, darkness and the demonic, come join us as we celebrate LIFE in Jesus Christ!

For more information on this local Corvallis, Oregon event head to The Harvest Carnival site.

tulips for susan

My mother-in-law, Susan asked me to paint pictures for her. She loves tulips, and she has a golden yellow, sage and a light purple throughout her home. I really tried to match her colour scheme. Painting is fun, and really relaxing for me. I enjoy it.

Lost and Found giveaway! want a book???

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About Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst:

"Parkhurst treats the game show as an opportunity for the contestants to decide, as the producer asks of them, "What have you found?" The answer for readers: heart and wit to spare." —Publisher's Weekly

Summary by the publisher:

A suburban mom, her troubled daughter, divorced brothers, former child stars, born-again Christians, and some young millionaires have all been selected to compete on LOST AND FOUND, a daring new reality show. In pairs of two, they will race across the world to compete for a million-dollar prize.The only question is not only who will capture the big jackpot, but at what price.

Carolyn Parkhurst is also the author of the bestseller The Dogs of Babel.

"[A] deeply affecting page-turner.... Parkhurst endows each [character] with complexity and pathos, even when she doesn't approve of the choices they make. What emerges is less a satire than a straightforward character study—one that we're reluctant to put down even after the last contestant crosses the finish line." —Rebecca Marx, Elle Magazine

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Want to enter???? To enter and for the details: B&b ex libris: Lost and Found Giveaway!
If you comment on this post that is great, but to be entered you need to comment on my book blog :) Good luck!

and remember:

rockets

paint

mamma and son

ellyn love

B's beautiful sis ellyn has been here this week. We have enjoyed (REALLY ENJOYED) having her. I have gotten to spend time with my good friend e, B has gotten to visit with his sister, and the boys have enjoyed their aunt.

She brought them some neat glasses that are straws through which you can drink! The boys love them :) Thanks e!

We are trying to not think that she is leaving soon. We are trying to be extra cute so that she will want to stay, but her love (andrew) waits for her in NY, so I am guessing we won't succeed. Bummer. We'll keep on her.

we love you e (BIG TIME)!

marble home, the boys.

210 people will now have clean water, thanks to you.

Thank you, THANK YOU! There is no way I can tell you just how amazing it has been to see your generosity for people around the world to be able to drink clean water! Thank you for giving to Living Water International. When I set the initial goal of $100.0o I thought that that was high, half way through the read-a-thon I knew that we would break that easy. I then set the goal fund raising target at $200.00. I am excited to announce that we have broken that goal as well. We are currently at a total of $210.16, and not even all the funds are in yet. Check out the sidebar widget!!!

So in raising $210.16 we have given clean water to 210 people for one year!!! Yes, each dollar is enough to give one person clean water for an entire year!!!


Here are my amazing financial supporters, you all are amazing!

Susan
Bill and Diane
Floyd
Ronda
Trish
Dawn
B&b
Ellyn

THANK YOU!!!!