Marye awarded this to me awhile back and I’m such a slacker that I’m just now getting around to posting about it! I received this award on a day that I was feeling…well…I was feeling a little unloved. When I read her post and kind words, my heart smiled…thank you Marye!

I have other awards and memes to do and I promise I WILL do them…I promise, really I do! I love doing memes and tags and such so please keep tagging away…just be patient with me! lol!

Marye has some really neat blogs…and she is quite nice too!! Be sure to visit…

And I have some bloggers I would like to award also!

1. Mo Mhile Gra: I think my dear RL friend Sonya has probably already received this award but I’m awarding her again! Sonya is such a dear, dear person…even if she does have snakes. She is always encouraging to me and I can always count on her to be up at 2am…this is when the best e-mailing takes place! Rock on Biscuit Sister!!

2. Life With Heathens: Jo is sooooo nice. I really enjoy her blogs because they are just chocked full of info about all sorts of things. She also hosts Mad Click Monday which is a very nice way to encourage other bloggers. Jo is just a real neato person!

3. Art by Betty: Folks, this gal is super nice! Betty is a fabulous artist and if I don’t receive some of her art for my birthday…which is October 1st…I will be very disappointed! Great art isn’t what makes Betty so nice though…she takes care of her grown sister who is autistic. Betty has encouraged Rose to create art also and you can see their work several places on the web. I’m thinking that Betty has a HUGE heart for she advocates a lot for those who are autistic. She’s a really inspiring person and I’m so glad I’ve “met” her!

4. I’ve got one more but I can’t link her blog yet….I’ll have to post about her when her blog is live…which hopefully will be soon because you’ll love it. She’s a very mysterious…but nice person! lol!

Thanks again, Marye! You made my day with this award!

Take one old cigarette machine…revamp it and save it from the dump….fill it up with art that fits inside a box the size of a cigarette carton and…voila! You have the Art-o-Mat…and you also have the chance to collect some of the neatest art here on this ol’ earth!

Here are 12 randomly chosen art pieces that you may happen to obtain when you pull the knob on the Art-o-Mat machine…and 1 piece chosen on purpose because it was created by my friend, Betty Refour!

1. Della Nohl from Sheboygan, WI. You can contact Della through e-mail which can be found at the Art-o-Mat site.

2. Jonathon Kimbrell from Irving, TX

3. Rebecca Grantham from Northfield, OH

4. Dhimas Santos Baez from Santo Dominigo, Dominican Republic. You can reach this artist through e-mail that can be found at the Art-O-Mat site.

5. David Powers from Richmond, VA

6. Yoshiko Moon from Honea Path, SC

7. Heather Schmaedeke from Tinley Park, IL

8. Renzi and Lucia Rosano from Milan, Italy

9. Weenerware from Chicago, IL

10. Stephanie Strange from Austin, Texas. You may contact Stephanie through e-mail which can be found at the Art-o-Mat site.

11. Jessalin Beutler from Auburn, WA

12. Took Gallagher from Southfield, MI. You can contact this artist through e-mail at the Art-O-Mat site.

and…drum roll please…

13. Betty Refour from Oklahoma City, OK

Now, tell me…aren’t these the neatest little things??

Visit more Thursday Thirteens over at the TT hub!

Yesterday, Jake and Belle read about sun spots and solar flares.  They also learned about how strong the sun is and why we should never look directly at the sun.  Our experiment was to go outside and burn a leaf using a magnifying glass….leaves only…never, ever would we burn an ant!  Really, if I catch my kids burning ants, it will not be pretty…

Anyway…we postponed the burning of the leaf until today because there was not much sun.  Well, guess what…not much sun today either…sigh…doesn’t the weather know that I’m trying to teach some school here?  Sheesh!!

Check out this neat site with pix of flares: SOHO Hotshots

And this one with a nice overview and several activities:   Sunspots

Maybe we can get some burning action tomorrow….let’s hope…I want to move on in the lesson.  Of course, I can without burning something, but then things are out of order and I just can’t be doing that kind of thing this early in the year! lo!

photo source:  Kitt Peak National Observatory

 Photo by Dad

 Photo by Dad

Check out more Wordless Wednesday photos over at the hub!

This is my “claim” post since, for some reason, by WP password was incorrect….who knows….so here’s my post with the link in it so I can get the ball rolling….

Here’s the link to my Technorati Profile

Release the spiders please….

Thursday Thirteen

                                       13 quilts I saw at the AQS show in Nashville, TN

 I love, love, love this quilt!!  I’m going to take drawings from my kiddos and create something similar..I am so completely inspired!!  “Katja’s Owlz” by Kristen La Flamme .

   I really like the multi-colored binding on this quilt…very nice!  “Connecting the Dots” by Joan Haws of the Flying Geese Quilters Guild.

The moon in this quilt is wonderful…very eye-catching!  “The Moon is Blue” by Chris Thorowgood of the Piecemakers Quilt Club of Hopkins County.

This quilt won Quilter’s Choice 2nd place!  “Sushi” by Mary Kay Price of Hinsdale, IL.

Look closely…yep..those are cds!  Very clever!!  “Color My World with the Old and the New” by Brenda Zangre of West Hempstead, NY.

Wonderful!  I usually don’t care for these kinds of quilts but this one is very nice.  It won Best Wall Quilt at the show.  “The Big Apple” by Therese Bliss of Glendale, AZ

I love Van Gogh…I was so impressed with this quilt!  “Van Gogh’s Quilt” by Ann Horton of the Mendocino Quilt Artists .  If you google “Ann Horton” you’ll find some more of her quilts!

This is a small quilt…I love the sparkly accents…”Wild Pineapple” by Sherry Fourez, St. Joseph, IL

     .

I ventured away from all the “brights” and found this lovely quilt…very nice.  “Sparkle Like a Star” by Melinda Bula

This quilt was so cute!  It’s called “Math” by Sheri Zalar from the Gems of the Prairie Quilt Guild.  You can see the rest of the guilds entries at the guild site.

I liked how this quilt was three separate pieces…”Drift” by Aynex Mercado.

I love the pink ball fringe in the inner border!  Fun!!  “Fiber on the Rocks” by Connie G. Brown of the PTA Fiber Artists, Asheville, NC.

Here’s another fun quilt..I love the fabrics!  “Dotty in Pink” by Sharon Brandt of the Flying Geese Quilt Guild.

Visit AQS to see a list of all the contest winners!!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

t’s Tuesday…and I’ve Tackled It!  I decided to tackle my tables in the school room.  My drafting table is where I usually work on my quilts while my kiddos are busy with school work.  Of course, as you look at this picture you are sure to realize that we have been “educating” elsewhere lately! lol!!

Ahhhh…the joys of a clean workspace….I know, I know the area around is not looking too good…but baby steps..remember?

What are you tackling today??

I just found out about a contest being hosted by Mike over at Stay at Home Dad, Geek Style…are you sitting down?  Mike is giving away a digital camera plus a bunch of other prizes from SmugMug.   We are in desperate need of another digital camera because I’ve signed the boys up for a photography class and I really, really don’t want to share mine…I’m selfish like that!

Anyway, this contest is really neat but so is Mike’s blog.  He is a web designer and SEO specialist who has decided to stay at home to be the caregiver for his daughter, Alex.  You will find wonderful photos and posts that are interesting and entertaining.  Don’t miss the post where Mike and his wife, Sarah, are out on a date…the bartender in the photo cracked me up!  I’ve bookmarked Stay at Home Dad because I’ve really enjoyed his posts and I think Pete will enjoy reading this blog too. 

So, head on over and check this blog out for yourself.  While you’re there, don’t forget to check out Stay at Home Dad Digital Camera Give-Away to gather all the details…in case you want to try to win the camera….but remember, I’m GONNA WIN IT!!  I just know I am! Lol!  

Ok chics, here’s another very fun blog party I came across…and just in time!

Tasra from Lessons from the Scrapbook Page is hosting a end of summer blog party and there are a gazillion prizes to be given away.  You have to hurry on over though because the party ends on August 31st…you know, all good things must come to the end…sigh…

I can’t wait to go a-visiting later this evening….I love to find new blogs!

Ok, scrapbooking buddies…you know that scrapbooking season is just right around the corner for me and that’s why I’m excited to share this neat contest with you.  I debated about even letting you all know about this because I WANT TO WIN but I changed my mind because I could just not let you all go on living without knowing about Three Wild Monkey’s blog.  This gal is an absolute hoot!!  I mean really, she used the phrase “residential enema” and “feral children”….and those are the ones I’ve found so far.  I’m sure there are more…I just hope I don’t pee on myself like I almost did when reading these!

Anyway…click on the button and then scroll down for the contest.  Neat! 

I am so completely bummed because I just realized that my camera is in the van that Pete just drove to work…ack! I only have the before photos. I’ll have to update with the “afters’ tomorrow…

Here’s what I tackled and took down today…

My buffet needed to be cleaned out and since I told Marcia I was going to do it, I thought I better get on it! It is now cleaned, organized and all is lovely. I know how many cloth napkins I have and I know where my candles are—I see lovely table settings in our future….

These, of course, are the before photos. I’ll update with the after photos and I know you all will coming rushing back tomorrow to see them! ha!

  And then I tackled and took down my Command Central.  No longer is my Command Central followed by the words “of Chaos”!!  it’s nice and orderly, crockpot is stowed away, clothes are where they are supposed to be….it’s all good!

 Remember to check back for the “after” photos…those are always the best!  And also, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom to see what other folks have tackled today.

I wasn’t going to use this uh…well…this uh…uh “screeching mummy” but I decided that it perfectly depicts how I feel today. Really, I feel like this mummy looks except for the skinniness and I’m not anywhere near that. But the look and the mouth and the hair…perfect match! Thank you Michael Scheltgen for taking such a great mummy photo and allowing me to share it with everyone…you’re nice!

So, now that I’ve established that I look and feel like an old screeching mummy, I’d like to share some neat links with you all. Keep in mind as you are reading these links that I am bringing them to you in my screeching mummy voice…use your own imagination ’cause I’m too lazy to record myself!

Onward!

• How to Make a Mummy — National Geographic interactive-coolness!
• You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Mummy– Neat book…scroll over the people to see what they are saying…
• Mummy!–Oh yeah, baby! This one is cool, cool, cool! I got to shove a pick(brain removal hook) up a dude’s nose so I could break apart his brain into more manageable pieces and then I pulled them out with the pick!! I could soooo be an Egyptian embalmer…(except for the fact that I’m not Egyptian and I don’t have one of those cool picks…)
• How to Make a Fruit Mummy–Step by steps for making your own adorable apple mummy using a cup in stead of your tupperware container that you wished you had not used!
• Canopic Jars–Straight forward explanation of canopic jars, what goes in them and whose “heads” are on top and why!

Enough of all this serious learning…here’s two links to fun Mummy Goodness!

• Mummy Wrapped Hot Dogs! –

Be sure to make the Green Goo dipping sauce!

• Make a Mummy Mask –Be prepared Pete…you’re the first victim!!

Enjoy, folks! And please feel free to leave links of mummy goodness you’ve found out there…the more links the merrier!

So…we didn’t mummify a chicken like we planned!

I found a really neat book at the library that had an alternative to the chicken mummy project. It involved an apple…no actual flesh! WooHoo!! My stomach is no longer reeling and flipping over on itself!~

Here’s a quick overview of what we did:

We placed two apple halves in a mixture of our version of natron….salt and baking soda.

The apple halves were completely covered with the mixture and then we topped the container off with a lid. We’ll be checking the apple mummies in 4 weeks and then in 6 weeks. Easy Peasy! Just remember to use a container that is not one of your “staple” containers…I use this Tupperware container several times a week, however, since I now have some mummy-action going on in it I will not be able to use it…sigh…

I’m eager to see how this turns out. I’m sure it won’t be as stellar as Dawn’s project but I can continue to strive toward that awesome coolness she possesses!

You can get all the exact details for this experiment by checking out this very cool book by Linda Honan, Spend the Day in Egypt: Projects and Activities That Bring the Past to Life.

I was reading to Belle this evening and look what Chapter 4 brought us! A pig and a big steamin’
pile of poo! lol!! Belle said, “I think it’s a fire, mommy.” Yep…I can see where she would think that but nope…it’s poo! What a neat book!! Nothing like pigs and poo right before bedtime!! Be looking for Belle’s full book review sometime next week….

Monday: Low Fat Creamy Enchiladas, Spanish Rice

Tuesday: Vegetable Lasagna

Wednesday: Easy Crockpot Beef Stew

Thursday: Sandwiches with Paprikosh

Friday: Low Fat Mini Meat Loaves, Skinny Faux Pataters, Green Beans

Saturday: Kid’s Choice…TBA

Sunday: ????

Visit more menus over at Laura’s!

This is the ginormous Do Follow BlogRoll from Tricia’s Musings. If you would like to be added to this BlogRoll, visit Tricia for all the details. While you’re there you may want to look around because she has a very nice blog!

*go get global news & views
*Window Shopper
*The BenSpark
*Ravens Roads
*Flight of The Eaglehawk
*TodayGadgets
*A Peculiar Blog
*Off The Cuff
*Blank Canvas
*Blogozine

*Just for Today
*Dilithium Crystalworks
*The Den of Iniquity
*ForumFinderBlog
*Losing It

*Pink Poison Store
*Chimeric Daydreams
*Call Me When You Get There
*I Think Therefore I Blog
*Gothic-Peach.Net

*gimme a break
*Good Enough Mom
*The Wired Kayaker
*In A Class By Itself
*gone shopping!

*Women Mumbles
*Pegs AZ Life
*PAULA NEAL MOONEY
*Lifeslackers
*Advertising for Success

*Lifecruiser
*Its Write Now
*Christy’s Coffee Break
*Endangered Spaces
*The Sun-Flower Family

*Thoughts Out of My Head
*Craft Blog
*CoolAdzine for Marketers
*Nanashi-Inc.net
*Blogging with Cents

Lep’s Lair
Celebrity Scoop
Living Life Abundantly at Marenda.Biz
RetroMental: Time Capsules
Just A Touch of Sweetness

Pointless Drivel
Big Bucks Blogger
FullosseousFlaps Dental Blog
Gator Byte
That’s what she said

krissy.nu - life.unscripted
Pipsnet Technology
ShowMeMoneyBiz.com
Step away from the cake
RoCaBaP

Slobokans Site O Schtuff
BenSpark 2: Electric Boogaloo
Ferrets Haven
Home Office Women
Healing Yourself Naturally

Flos Place
Musings at Windyridge
Electric Venom
Picture Clusters
Life Passion Travel & More

She Rambles On
Debt Free Living
Midlife Musings
Down Memory Lanes
pamibe

Raw Vegan Momma
Odd Planet
Rebas Run
Public Speecher
A Mothers Horizon

Life With Heathens
Tricia’s Musings
You are in My World Now
Daisy the Curly Cat
As the Garden Grows

Adventures in Hong Kong
Colloquium
Dragonhearts Domain
girls day out
Pfunksfoolosophy

Wanders World
Kalamaf Drackonsbane
Shadowscope
Bonnie Writes
StandAlone

Income Opportunities and Website Reviews
How Can I Do That?
The Official Mrs. Rugged
Learn Spanish Now
my daily snippets

Culture Shiok!
Guitar Licks
A Saxy Girl
TotalDismay.com
Miles Business Blog

Telling It Like It Is
LittleAmerica.us
Prudence and Madness
ONwebCHECK
Simplify Every Obstacle

Life in the Fast Lane
Ask Jason
Work At Home Musings
High Strangeness Altoona
Listening..Learning..Living

Chubby Mommy
The Chronicles of My Life
Dons Theatre
The Millionaire Secrets
A Strange Life

Wampago - Music Videos and Entertainment Database
Live Life Organics & Your Health
Lisa Reviews
House of Freebies
Scuttlebutt Pipeline

Luna Tail
My Wanderings
Beautiful Minds
What a bald guy told me about technology
My Muddled Mind

Blogging made devilishly simple
Wild in London
Ask Laane
Ask Jason Business
Tip Tail - From Agility to Zen!

New Century Politics
Selenas Musings About Travel and Culture
Pipsnet Entertainment
The Ruff Draft
Opinionated

ShowMeHealthBiz
Stacys Book Reviews
Musings of a Learning Wife and Mother
Bisnis-Net.info
Cats

Texas RV Travel blog
The Tech Inspector
Scribble On The Wall
Confessions of an Everyday housewife
Ask Jason Marketing

Eliots slant on entertainment
Journal of My Simple Life
Into the Bit
Chief Prognosticator
Selenas Musings About Life

The Article Writer
Breath of Life Photography
***JOIN - DO FOLLOW BLOGGERS ***
Aaron Roselo
Surviving NJ

Mom’s Chatterbox
Ramblings Of An Undisturbed Mind
WebStyle
www.sandrafirebird.com
Eliots slant on technology

Free For All
Movies of My Life
Eco Shopper
ah ok lah - the blogosphere and life
RavensBarrow.com

Skeets Stuff
By the Sea
PBriscoe.com
Laurigami.com
Table for Five

Dont Fear the Truth
My Home Recipe
SQKIKs Simple Tech
Shopping Flavor
Open Road Biker

A Writers Words, An Editors Eye
Candid Quips
No Average Mom
Pencil Thin
Sophistishe.Org | Personal Blog

Cheffin’ It!!
Genki!!
Buy better - Have a Better Life
My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings
The Fibromyalgia Experiment

Magical Rose Garden
DorisGoShopping.com
JMH Techtronics
chonksworld
The Web Files

Flatwater Tech
The Pond
Winding Threads
My Road
MomReviews.net

Whats All This Then!
The Knitting Fiend
My Opinion Counts
The Sassy Southerner
Elements of Fishing

Aylee bits
Chief Prognosticator 2
Ask Jason Personal Tech
Selenas Musings About Raising Children
tales from the ballpark: 2007

The passionate ailurophile
Adapt, Adopt, and Improve
Internet. Serious Business
Ordinary Folk
My Happy Place

MomCooks
JT Music Review
Xillys Blog
I am Who I am
Simple PC Talk

chilli*music
chilli*movies
chilli*technology
Smart Marketing Ideas
NickQueen.com

Callias Pixels Blog
The Raw Review
The Raw & The Cooked
Shellis Sentiments
The Way It Is

Sysadmin News
www.IT-Everyday.com
Not just any ordinary blog
Rinsems Rink
A Prairie View

The Talking Fingers on the Web
Life in General
Up the Hill Gang
Advanced Wellness Solutions
Callias Food

OnTheWebEd.com
Musings Of A Manic Mom
SEO Expert - Adam Ok
A Problogger Mom
Writer’s Reviews

Fanaticspace - Blog
Successful Blogging With Random Shock
Forever Parents
pinay g-spot
Total Web Review

Is It So?
Just Not Martha
Bloggers for Dollars
Pixie Tail
Molly-Coddled.com

Chanceless
Gadget Girl Accessories
Tinas Treasured Thoughts
Blog Avenues
cyberst0rm

The Birds & The Beads
Muffin Mumblings
Infektia.net
Cactuus
DRiNK . a . MOChA !

Mslovelys Blog Palace
On the Horizon
Im Blogging That!
Blacksheep Speaks
Up Scheidt Creek

The (Other) End of the Internet
Polliwogs Pond
An Unschooling Life
My Happy Place
the so called me

The Sewing Mom
Google Adsense Article
Learn Spanish fast: vocabulary tricks and visualization
Yourmoneyinfo.com
Healthy Living

Laane on the World
homemadehealthypetfood.com
That Bitchy Chick
Casual Blogging
TutorialsPortal - Photoshop Tutorials …

My Adventures into The Street
A Geek Mom’s Net Journey
pinay.ws
Twas Brillig
Julies Journal

UtterlyGeek.com
campingcoop.org
Dew Knight
THE THINK LINK
La Vie de Laurie

ToastTheTrends- Fashion
ToastTheTrends- Entertainment
ToastTheTrends- Home Decor
ToastTheTrends- Electronics and Gadgets
ToastTheTrends- Life

ToastTheTrends- Financial
StyleMeltdown
Suzanne Says
Vegan Videos
Weight Loss Divas

HOTOs BUSINESS SPOT
Crabbie Tail
sweet and spicy life
Raspberry Patch Soapworks
Baby First Year

AskaX World
Info4BeingRich
Scented Soy Candle Making
Slightly Mordant
TinselTown Trash

The Alligator Pit
Kooks In Suits
Talk Of
MissMeliss: Escribition
Laura Lohr

Wannabe Writer
Bibliotica
Mexico Musings
Laura Lohr
be my accountant

Agents Heaven - Real Estate Blog
Monomuse
Silkenhuts World
Writers Bloggage
The Confessions of a Desperate Housewife

Happy Nutritionist’s Nuggets
Dorannes
Reality Wired
Accentuate the Positive
Bits Of Dust

Wild & Crazy Ride
I Was Born2Cree8
genki desu yo
Marisas Dandelion Patch
HerBulletin - Herb of the Week

I received these lovely note cards a few weeks back but I’m just now getting around to posting about them. I won these during the Dog Days of Summer Giveaway.

Rose is an autistic adult with an awesome sister! You see, Betty, her sister, is a huge advocate for autism awareness. Her blog features not only her own art work (which is wonderful also!) but also Rose’s artwork. It’s obvious that Betty is a huge influence on Rose and I bet that Rose feels so loved to have such encouragement from her sister. There’s so much to take in when you visit Betty’s blog….I suggest a cup of coffee and a chunk of time!!

I’m heading out this afternoon to my Mom’s house.  We’re catching a bus to Nashville to go to the AQS 2006 Quilt Exposition
Pappy has chartered a bus and we’ll be heading out tomorrow morning around 6…is there such an hour as 6 in the morning??  Geez….I’m not going to be too pretty on this trip! lol!!

Hopefully I’ll be able to get some pictures…

Appetizer
If you could have a free subscription to any magazine, which one would you like to have?

I would chose an wonderful magazine called “An Encouraging Word“.  This mag is published quarterly by Wisdom’s Gate and it is chocked full of wonderful encouraging articles for women of all ages.  Right now it’s time for me to renew my subscription and I see on their site that when you do this you can also have a subscription set up for a friend for FREE!  How neat is that!!

Soup - Describe your living room (furnishings, colors, etc.).

Well…I’ve turned our “formal” living room into the school room so it doesn’t look anything like a living room!  The walls are yellow, there are several bookshelves, a reading nook, drafting table, dining room table, my sewing studio ( I know…that’s sad isn’t it?  An artist needs her own space right?!) and an armoire.  I decorate with miscellaneous books, papers, lesson plans, and projects!  On the walls I have been hanging the kids’ art work.  Here’s some pictures… School Room

Salad - What does the shape of a circle make you think of?

A wedding ring!

Main Course - Name 3 things in your life that you consider to be absolute necessities.

Only three???  Gee whiz that’s tough!!

The Bible

Coffee..Mocha Frappuchino from Starbuck’s to be exact!!

Mary Kay Endless Performance Mascara

Dessert - What was the last really funny movie you watched?

Napolean Dynamite is the first one to come to mind.  I love this movie!!

Studying the Nile River area this week has been interesting and fun! This is a model of the Nile River that we made….we are going to be flooding the river in order to water the grass seeds (the huge amount of grass seeds!) on the banks of our Nile.

Read the rest of this entry »