Alan Keyes for President, 2008

http://www.alankeyes.com/

I just spent an hour watching videos on Alan Keyes' website. I didn't write this, it is a form letter, but I figured my blog was a good place to post it:

Because the 2008 election is one of the most important in our nation's history, we can't afford to let the elites who control the political process dictate our choices for president. Instead, grassroots Americans need to step forward and support a true conservative leader who represents the values and priorities most Americans share.We need a proven statesman, constitutional authority, and national moral leader to lead and unify our country in these difficult times! We need ALAN KEYES!

I encourage you to SIGN THE PLEDGE supporting Alan Keyes for president -- and FIND FIVE OTHERS who will do the same: http://www.alankeyes.com/pledge.php I'd also like to invite you to join the Keyes Team and get involved in the movement to elect this superbly-qualified, courageous advocate of moral principle: http://www.alankeyes.com/join.php

You can view streaming videos of Dr. Keyes at www.alankeyes.com -- to see, firsthand, Alan's inspiring speeches and interviews, and to learn more about his moral-based positions.

Alan Keyes -- who served as Ronald Reagan's Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, and who wrote his Harvard dissertation on the Constitution -- is unparalleled among the candidates for president. Please support this outstanding statesman.

Singing the night away

I was an hour of entertainment for my kids tonight, singing and acting out every disney song I knew - especially the princess songs. That was how I used to entertain the kids I babysat. I can remember countless children in different families who would dance with me as I sang about dreams, wishes, and far away lands.

The girls decided we should be Disney Princesses. Abby suggested we make our own movie! The story line so far is that I'm the queen (surprisingly, a good queen) and they're the princesses and we get separated. Nathan is going to be the knight that saves us. Maybe he rides in on his princely electric train set? :) I don't know where the story is going, but Abby's composing the music and Katie's doing the dancing!

I just love singing that kind of music. We watched "Barbie and the Island Princess" tonight. I just don't think I'll ever outgrow a good romantic fairty tale. I thank God every day that he gave me girls to enjoy this with!

Anyway, there's no real reason I'm sharing this, except that maybe one day we will all be singing together in something - even if it's a movie we make ourselves. I love seeing their excitement, especially in something I enjoy so much too!

Good night, and sweet dreams!

Photo Painting

I have a new hobby - painting - and it isn't messy! I'm learning via online tutorials how to do it in photoshop. Here's my first attempt.

First, here is a picture of my friend's little girl Kate. Isn't she sweet?




Then she asked if I could put Kate on a yellow brick road. Turning the sidewalk into a yellow brick road was very hard and didn't look very good, so instead I super imposed her into a picture I found.



And then I painted it.



What do you think? I like painting because it doesn't have to be exact! And since I'm not a perfectionist, I think it's perfect for me :) I think you can click on them to see the images larger.

The emerald city looks a little like it's melting, but I like the landscape better, especially the cliffs.

The ultimate story

I need to write the ultimate story for my kids. It needs to include puppies (or other animals), a prince and a princess, and lots of trucks, trains, tractors, or cars. That would cover all three of my children! Here are some ideas:

- A Prince and a Princess from a faraway land get mysteriously transported to the future, with flying cars, trains, etc and they get separated. Only with the help of the magical talking puppies do they get reunited.

- A poor boy saves up all his money to ride the train - his dream. He does it by raising puppies and selling them to good homes. While on the train, he meets an unexpected person - a young princess, running away so she doesn't have to live in the palace. After the train ride, he brings her back to his farm and his family teaches her about farm life. She rides tractors, milks cows, collects eggs. After her adventure, she decides it is time to go home, only she's stronger and has learned to appreciate her family and what she has.

More to come...

Meow

When I was in high school we had a cat named Monti. He was an orange and white cat that acted more like a dog. While getting ready for school in the bathroom at the top of the stairs, I would throw down Q-Tips. He would fly after them and "fetch" the Q-tips, bringing them back to me.

At first we wondered where the Q-tips went when he tired of the game, but we later discovered he had buried his treasures under the hallway rug! What a great cat!

Monti slept with me for awhile, but that ended when I threw him across the room accidentally. I awoke, suffocating, with a cat on my head, and I sent him sailing with out even thinking. I lost my bed-mate after that!

My parents thought I might be allergic to Monti so they gave him away. I always missed him. I did, that is, until now!!

Have you heard of Webkinz? I bought one for each of my girls, and I had so much fun playing, I bought one for myself! (To play with them, of course...) I chose an Orange and White cat and named him Monti. I let the girls play with the stuffed animal, but I can now see my beloved cat again online whenever I wish. I can even buy him clothes, decorate his room, and give him a bubble bath. It really is cool...

I'm glad I have little girls so I can enjoy things like this!

Here he is, sleeping in the little bed I bought him. :)

Butterfly or Moth?

Have you ever wondered how to tell the difference? I have. So today I looked it up with the girls. We caught a bunch in their butterfly net and then brought them to the wonderful world of Google. Here's what we found:

1.) Antennae: All butterflies have small rounded clubs at the end. A moth's can be thin or thick, but are usually feathery with no club at the end.
2.) Color: A butterfly's colors are usually brighter than a moth's.
3.) Resting: A butterfly keeps its wings closed when resting. A Moth's are open.
4.) Sleep: Butterflies are active during the day, but moths are active at night.

Here's one of the butterflies we found:


And do you want to know how to spot a little boy? His feet are muddy...

Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location... that saying is true when buying a house, but it is also true when playing Barbies.

When I was a girl, I loved to play Barbies, but I rarely played them in my room. There were much cooler locations! The table in the hallway was a great apartment. The couches provided plenty of space to spread out. My closet, with all of my stuff removed, provided room for an entire town to be set up!

And the same is still true today. Although my daughter does like her Barbie House, the dolls do end up vacationing frequently in other rooms. They go to the family room for the ball, the loft for picnics, and on and on it goes.

So we have Barbie paraphernalia all over the house. I'd like to stop it and make a rule that all Barbie stuff should stay in the play room. It would be easier to keep track of all the little pieces, and we'd probably do a better job of keeping both pairs of the shoes.

But the thing is, I remember vividly how exciting it was to be somewhere different - so for now I'll keep quiet. Besides, it won't be long before they'll be boxed up again until she one day has a daughter. And hey, maybe I'll even play with her and show her a new location or two that she hasn't thought of yet.