WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF THE BIRDS

we're just a family of finches making our way in the town w/o a frown.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

banned book week

today begins banned book week 2007. i have a link to the site at the top of my blog page. if you haven't read Fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury this is the perfect week to read it. the title refers to the temperature at which paper will ignite. it is a great book and it warns of the perils of banning books. i don't think that it will get quite so severe, at least in my lifetime, but i want to do my part. practice your freedom read a banned book. if nothing else go check the list out. you might be surprised by some of the books on the list. i know i have read several that are on the list. anywho this is a short blog because i am getting everything ready for our trip to vegas next week. woo hoo.

Friday, September 21, 2007

a blanket for baby

my sunday school teacher had her little girl on monday. she arrived 5 weeks early, but is doing very well. they are hoping to bring her home today or tomorrow. my teacher asked if i could make the wee one a comforter for her crib. here it is finished.

it was nice to have the sewing machine out, so i think i will begin sewing for the family again. hope everyone has a great weekend.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

our house

we have been slowly rearranging and fixing our lovely home. what was once the dining room is now the living room. what was once covered in several layers of funky flooring is now hardwood. anywho, the room is not finished completely, but this is what it looks like.






i also wanted to brag on my hubby. the other night while sitting in the yellowish green chair in the picture above, a giant spider fell from the ceiling. most of you know that i am horribly arachnophobic. anywho, this giant spider falls not two feet from where i am sitting, and i begin to squeal like a little girl. my husband, the mighty slayer of saber tooth spiders, leaps into action. he grabs the bug spray and soaks the fierce creature. then he smashes it, to make sure it is really dead not just faking it, then wipes it up and throws it away. then a day later another saber tooth spider gets into the house and my husband bravely smashes it flat. it is so nice to have someone around to kill the scary spiders, so i can stand on my chair and squeal like a little girl.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

finished

the cakes are finished. i am not entirely happy with the result, but i will deliver them this afternoon anyway. here they are.





the two brown cakes are cappuccino cheesecakes.

Friday, September 14, 2007

love my life

i hope everyone is having as splendid of a day as i am. the baking of baby shower cakes is going well, and the wee one is napping. the eldest of wee finches now to be nicknamed monkey. the youngest of finches will now be nicknamed her highness. monkey took her AR test yesterday on Ramona, and she got a 100. we are so proud that she is doing so well. yesterday afternoon she got the last 3 of her 6 teeth worked on. i went and weighed in yesterday and i have lost 32 lbs. since february. the vegas trip is in 3 weeks. i am getting really excited about it. although her highness has been more attached lately than ever. i fear that pattylicious will not want anything to do with me after 3 days alone with her. speaking of pattylicious, i had lunch with her yesterday. we had subway, and i took her an apple. i thought the humor of taking the teacher an apple wouldn't be lost on her, and it wasn't. when i was getting ready to leave, her class began to migrate in. where i was sitting they couldn't see me until they walked into her office, and i scared several of them that walked in. i didn't intend to, but apparently someone you have never met before sitting in a chair that is usually empty is somewhat frightening. one of the girls asked what grade i was in, and she was serious. i laughed so hard. i hope she gets an A in pattylicious' class because she made my day. tonight is pizza night i am very excited. hope everyone has a great weekend. a quick shout to one of my dear friends who reads the blog "hey bonnie, love you".

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

another one bites the dust

well the eldest of the wee finches has finished another book. last night she ran into the kitchen where i was sitting talking to pattyliciuos on the phone, and she proudly proclaimed that she had finished Charlotte's Web. it has be so amazing to watch her grow as a reader. when you ask her a question about the book she tells the answer in such an amazing way. she acts as though she was in the book. this is so wonderful because when i read i feel like i am in the book, so i think it is great that she feels the same way. tonight she will start the magician's nephew, the first book in the narnia series. she is way excited about it. tomorrow i will go to the library and get her another e.b. white book and another ramona book. i will also go purchase the next 5 of the magic treehouse series. the littlest of baby finches was at home with me yesterday due to severe allergies and looking like Quasimodo. whenever she gets a mosquito bite it swells, and she got one on that little patch of skin between her eye and eyebrow. when it swelled it made her look like the hunchback of notre dam. i also wanted to be a big copier and do a thankful list. i have seen these on a few different blogs and think that it is time that i do one as well.
I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. my God, it is wonderful to be loved unconditionally

2. my family, they love me as unconditionally as is humanly possible


3. my old friends, it is good to be reminded of where i started and how far i have come


4. my new friends, although it seems that i should have known them longer, a few of the chosen few have even moved into the family realm.


5. peace, the kind that only comes from knowing where you have been and that your past does not define you, it simply help make you who you are in spite of it.


6. teachers, be they sunday school or the kind you find in schools. with out the teachers i had i would not be who i am. thank you mrs. goforth, my third grade teacher, for instilling in me the love of math, and for being a genuinely good person. thank you mr. higg, for giving me the love of theatre. there are many more teachers that i would love to thank, but the list would get really long.


7. babies, what a great way to start humans, God really got it right on that one.


8. music, all types. i love music. i love to sing and dance.


9. myspace, with out it i wouldn't have found some of the people that i had lost touch with after school.


10. mail, i love getting and sending mail. how lovely it is to get something other than a bill in the mailbox.


i like the idea of thankful lists, tune in next month for a new one. hope everyone has a great hump day.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

a day to remember

my dear sister in law has some wonderful links on her page. i found this site on the page of real learning. this link is to a children's book about 9/11. the story is beautiful, and i wanted to share it with you. below is the website.

www.abcurtiss.com/graphics/books2/l_chapel/little_chapel1.htm

Monday, September 10, 2007

rainy day

i love rainy days. this weekend was wonderful. pattylicious and i hosted a shower for jaci and it went very well. pattylicious does the best party grub. garlic dip (her own creation, and it is fab), ranch dip, apple berry salsa, homemade cinnamon tortilla chips, veggie tray, pigs in a blanket. it was wonderful. the grandma came to stay with us for the weekend. pizza night was a blast. i tell you what i have a great life. this coming weekend pizza night is at our casa. then saturday i will deliver 2 cheesecakes and a chocolate cake to a baby shower, then on to pattylicious' house for the surprise party. i am way excited. the eldest of the wee finches finished ramona last night. it was so cute she came running into the living room with this huge grin on her face. she promptly proclaimed that she had finished ramona and that ramona was not really a pest, but that girl with curly hair was. for those of you following the drama at her school, she brought home a higher level book on friday. woo hoo. anywho the wee one calls. hope everyone had a great weekend.

Friday, September 7, 2007

been awhile

hello, my loyal followers. i know it has been a while since i updated, but in my defense i have been very busy. as most of you already know we are rearranging the house. we have almost finished the new living room, and only have 3 things left to move. the play room is still being worked on. who knew that the girls had so many toys? this weekend is the baby shower for jaci. i went on Tuesday and helped her rearrange her house. wow, that was a lot of work. i went roller blading yesterday, and it felt awesome to be active. well, mostly awesome i went a little too hard, too fast, and threw up all of my breakfast. i took the next round much slower and easier. the youngest of finches is enjoying mom's day out. she gives me hugs and kisses then says bye and runs off and plays. the eldest of wee finches is doing good in school, but has hit a bit of a snag with the teacher. last night was not pretty at out house. finch took one look at the book she brought home to read and nearly fell out. it was called where is baby bear? it may be a second grade level book, but she is reading Ramona the pest w/o any issue. finch felt compelled to call the poor teacher, have i mentioned that she is a substitute? in order to keep his temper in check while getting his concerns about our little ones education conveyed, he decided to send an email instead. any who things are good and busy here. i am hosting a "Surprise Party" at pattylicious' house next Saturday if anyone is interested. hope everyone has a great weekend.