I hate to do this...

It's late. I am sooooo beat. I will fill you in tomorrow on my wonderful WOMAN OF PURPOSE!

RUDOLPH'S ROUND-UP!

You are all the most incredible people on the planet! Why isn't the news filled with more of this kind of story? If the world is filled with so many selfless loving people, why is the news loaded with the CRAP people do? You all need to be on the news!

But you all need to stop patting ME on the back! That is just ridiculous. You all stepped up to the plate and almost before you finished reading my post!

I PAT YOU ALL ON THE BACK!

So, you are all patiently waiting for the announcement of PLAN B!

PLAN B has been affectionately named...

RUDOLPH'S ROUND-UP!

I am going to let Mimi hi-jack my blog and tell you all about it! I wish you could HEAR her, she has a cute Texas-French accent! LOL!

Take it away, Meems!

"Well, I want to do a "Cyber Raffle " this time , with one big prize which would include a couple of Juju things , a couple of wristbands , maybe a cancer sucks shirt ( I will figure it all out) then a couple of smaller prizes. I could sell "tickets " thru paypal or $$ in snailmail , like one for $5 and 3 for $10 . Then on a set date do the drawings online , make a video of the boys drawing the winning names. This should raise more money . And it will be for Team Larson. Call it "RUDOLPH'S ROUND-UP!" I dunno... The kids have so many toys (Peggy's and mine!!) that I thought we can still be part of their Xmas and raise enough money for them to maybe go see a show or get a nice meal delivered to their home... Just ideas...Oh and if anyone would be interested in donating a couple of prizes it would be awesome!"

So, there you go! So far she has some great prizes donated:

Creative Memories Fall Kit

Inspirational Necklace

Lap Quilt

Child's Cancer Bracelet

NAMESAKES of COURSE!

Earrings

Cookbooks

Photographs

Fresh water pearl bracelet

and much much more!!

If you would like to donate a prize for RUDOLPH'S ROUND-UP please email Mimi @ myriamtx@yahoo.com

She is hoping to have all the prizes mailed to her so she can distribute them as the winners are chosen! Easy for YOU! Just mail it to Mimi and you are DONE! Easy enough, right!

I feel so honored to be associated with so many AMAZING people! YAY ME!

The main thing I ask is that everynight when your head hits your pillow you pray for sweet Coleman and the Larson family! EVERY night! PLEASE!

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I am off to meet Kate in the morning! Will have pictures for you tomorrow! Will be giving her 8 NAMESAKES for her kiddos! I hope she likes them! Dawn and Mimi have told me that they have bail money scraped together incase Kate calls security on a CRAZED CRAFTY WOMAN wearing a "Kate's MY BFF" T-shirt approaches her with a large gift bag! Relax girls! I am going to be sweaty calm and fidgetting collected!

Until tomorrow! Goodnight AMAZING PEEPS!

Somethin' else...

Head over HERE (then click on Four Diamonds Fund, then click on 2008 Holiday Cards) to order your HOLIDAY CARDS all the while making a donation to The Four Diamonds Fund which is solely for CHILDHOOD CANCER! All the artwork on these cards was done by children being treated for cancer @ Penn State Hershey! And while you are at it....check out PENN STATE'S DANCE MARATHON. My sorority was a part of this event my senior year! It is a 48 hour dance marathon, there are teams and you get sponsors, etc. The 47th hour they bring out the kids! The cancer kids! And they dance with the team that personally sponsored them! Last year THON raised $6,615,318.04 for the kids! You can even hold a mini-thon in your community! Check it out! OK...now I feel better! JOHN DEERE may not help but YOU CAN! And this is just ONE way! I hope the 2,000 people who clicked over to here today, come back and see some options and get involved again! Thank you soooo much to all of you who wrote in to JOHN DEERE! Don't stop the momentum! Plan a Mini-Thon! Donate! Buy your holiday cards!

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

THE BAD NEWS: The Director of Public Relations from JOHN DEERE emailed me today with this response: Thank you for taking the time to contact John Deere. Although it is always difficult to learn about the struggles of a young person with serious illness, we were encouraged by the information available describing the strong spirit of Coleman Larson. Deere provides millions of dollars annually through corporate donations and the John Deere Foundation to non-profit organizations that address world hunger, community betterment and education. Each year, John Deere is asked by hundreds of worthy organizations and individuals to help their cause. While it is clear that nearly each request is worthy, we must decline many of the opportunities. Our charitable-giving guidelines do not allow donations to individuals or to organizations in honor of an individual. In addition, our guidelines do not provide financial support to health care research. Through our considerable tax contributions annually, we believe we help support significant government-funded medical research that someday might find a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases. We appreciate the well-intended effort to initiate company support for this family and we hope you understand how our guidelines simply do not allow Deere to assist in this way. We encourage you to help where you can and we will remain hopeful for a positive outcome. I know, I know. You just threw your keyboard across the room and you are pacing and mumbling in a tone that makes your family members back away. ....KEEP READING.... Let's just re-group. Put on a new attitude and move on. There is something out there that can be done for TEAM LARSON! I have always said, "Out of every negative comes a positive." We may not always SEE it right away but at some point you can almost always look back and say, "Ooohhhhh, that's why..." So, JOHN DEERE saying no just means we had to get them out of the way so the REAL idea/event/inspiration can get to us quicker! And Mimi is already in the planning stages of Plan B! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT send emails to JOHN DEERE telling them ....well, saying the words you are thinking right now...let's be growED ups :) and move on...FOR COLEMAN! THE GOOD NEWS: Curt McCormick from WWW.CURESEARCH.COM contacted me also today! He was very excited about what we are trying to do and will be doing what he can to point us in the right direction when we DO (I said WHEN, not IF) find a company that will support Childhood Cancer and donate in COLEMAN'S name! Check out the CURESEARCH blog tomorrow - I think you will like what you see. This was Curt's email: Michelle, What a great idea! This is Curt McCormick from CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation. I saw this on Google alerts, and just had to write in.I'd like to feature your blog today on our CureSearch blog. I hope this helps you with the John Deere initiative, and helps direct more people to sites like yours, which are so innovative and thoughtful regarding curing childhood cancer.You can check out the CureSearch site at http://curesearchnccf.blogspot.com/...and PLEASE KNOW what an inspiration you are to us. Folks in the childhood cancer community are so wonderful. We know who we work for at CureSearch, for you and for all these kids!Congratulations and good luck with your idea. Email me offline if you want to talk more. Best regards, Curt McCormick So, let's keep plugging away! Let's keep smiling! And don't stop PRAYING...FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!

Let's see what JOHN DEERE can do!

**(scroll down and read previous post about TEAM LARSON if you haven't visited in a couple days! They need you now more than ever!)

Alright readers...here is the plan, after speaking with Lori H (one of my readers), Christina M (a friend from church) and Mimi, like SHE needs an introduction (carepage: JuliansWorld) :) we have collectively agreed that although it would be great to bombard TEAM LARSON with oodles and oodles of John Deere merchandise for Christmas, what would make the biggest impact would be this:

LET'S SEE IF JOHN DEERE WILL CONSIDER MAKING A LARGE (like their combines-large) DONATION TO WWW.CURESEARCH.ORG in COLEMAN'S NAME!

FOLLOW THIS LINK and make your voice heard, for Coleman! DO IT NOW! Go tell them how Coleman has touched your life, tell them how you cry for him, tell them how they can help by donating to WWW.CURESEARCH.ORG in his name. Leave the carepage.com link and ColemanScott page name for them to read about him! Then, leave a comment here that you "did the duty" and we will keep track of how many of you pitched in for Coleman!! Now.....FORWARD THIS to everyone you know!! Let's see if we can crash their site! (just kidding) Let's just strive for filling their mailbox! :) Thanks and may you be DOUBLY BLESSED for all you do in spreading the word! Above all PLEASE PRAY FOR TEAM LARSON! WE LOVE YOU TEAM LARSON!

Something BIG for Coleman...

Don't click on anything else on the internet until you read about my precious little friend, Coleman Larson. And, if you have ANY connections to the "powers that be" at John Deere, I emplore you to contact them and see what they can do. PRAY! PLEASE! We all have one BIG contact in Heaven...call on Him. Pray for a miracle! If you do NOTHING else...just pray! Coleman Larson is 4, he will be 5 in early December. His twin Caden has been a trooper for the last 2 1/2 years that Coleman has been fighting a beast known as Medulloblastoma... BRAIN CANCER! Together they are TEAM LARSON! Coleman has endurred brain surgery, chemo, radiation, CT scans by the dozen, MRIs that he no longer has to be sedated for...he is a pro, multiple lines, port-a-caths, a stem cell harvest and transplant and two relapses. His fight is getting harder and there are less and less options for him. How can a doctor look into these eyes and say, "We are out of options."?

I am on a personal mission to bring the BIGGEST SMILE ever to this little face. His beautiful Mama, Peggy, gets some HUGE smiles out of him and so does his Daddy, Scott, and brother, Caden...but if we all come together and see what we can do...I think we can beat them all!

Coleman and his family are in IOWA. But they are "regulars" at the Ronald McDonald house in NYC. I need YOU, those of you who kept reading even though tears are streaming down your face, to help me come up with an idea, give me a connection to make this Christmas one Coleman and Caden will never forget! THE BESTEST EV-A! Cause if TEAM LARSON has taught me ANYTHING it's to NE-VA DIV UP!

Coleman and Caden will tell you exactly what they think of Cancer if you ask.

I did.

This is what they said:

Coleman explains, “It’s hard to be hooked up to a pole all day when it’s a sun-shiny day, ann be in your hos-pita woom all day when yoa don’t wanna be there ann wish ya tould be outside in-said, but NO, ya tan’t. I wish that no more tids would det tancer, tuz it's tewwible to haffa do all-a the suff what ya dotta do. If no more tids dot it, then we tould all yust be no-mal wif no more pokes."

Coleman’s twin Caden chimed in and gave his two cents, “Cancer is the worse day of my wife (life) because you don’t getta pway wif your brudder when ya weally want to. Sometimes the hospital is fun …if ya aren’t froe-in up wike Coleman does sometimes. I wish that no tids ever det tancer, so they tan haff fun all-a their days until they be daddies."

WON'T YOU HELP ME DO SOMETHING?! PLEASE?! DON'T TURN AWAY.

LEAVE YOUR IDEAS, CONTACT ME, FORWARD THIS LINK TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. COLEMAN NEEDS YOU NOW! Thanks for hangin' in there and loving Coleman already!

For more info on Coleman Larson and his family, go to http://www.carepages.com/ and register (it's FREE and takes seconds). Click on Visit and type in ColemanScott (all one word). Be prepared to fall in love. This is ONE AMAZING FAMILY!!!!!

Philadephia Freedom...

Saturday my 11-year old's art class went to the PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM of ART and my husband and I joined them! It has been a long time since we have done anything ALONE with our oldest. So we had a DATE DAY! It was a blast! Of course I got all GIDDY over all the art....makes my fingers itch...I imagine going home and digging out my canvasses and paints, donning my beret and slapping on some hues! Here's our day in a nutshell!

Running the steps, ROCKY STYLE! Not me, I was winded just from walking!

This painting was the very first cubist piece I had ever laid eyes on. It was the cover of my elementary school music text book. It is Picasso's The Three Musicians.

Ahhhhhh, Degas!

Renoir!

Seurat!

Rodin's Thinker and mine!

We didn't even look at the name of this one because we were laughing so hard (a TOTALLY un-cool thing to do in such a sophisticated place). We choose to refer to it as, "I SAID I DON'T WANNA HOLD THE CHICKEN!!!"

Cezanne!

Ahhhhhh Monet!

GASP! (*reaches for oxygen*) Van Gogh!

Picasso!

WOAH! Modigliani! A fave!!!

Jasper Johns! Love him!

A large exhibit which was depicting a war in 11 frames...lotsa scribbling going on here! Can you almost hear what Matthew is thinking, " Well, geez, I could do that!"

OHMYGOODNESSILOVESALVADORDALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jackson Pollock!

Then the boys got their fill of guns, swords and armor...I, on the other hand, was hearing Charlie Brown's teacher...."Waa waa wa waa waa."

Shield from the MADONNA era...*smirks*

A helmet's not a helmet without a little spit-door on the side! WTH?!

I walked up to Matthew who was standing and staring at this part of the exhibit.

"Whatcha thinkin', bud?"

"Mom, they even had to make helmets for babies!" he said with a sad face.

I was shocked.

I looked at the description... and almost burst out laughing but I swallowed it!

I cleared my throat,"Honey, those are the Medeival equivalent to the athletic cup."

BWWWAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAA!

We had a blast and I would LIVE there if someone would let me.

*IDEA ALERT*

I just scribbled down some ideas for a book about getting stuck in a museum after closing.

FACEBOOK allergy...

COMPUTER VIRUSES! (I am JUST making it under the wire for NaBloPoMo....it's almost midnight in PA! And one blog post usually takes me at LEAST an hour!) OMYGOSHIAMSOOOOOANNOYED! So, the other day I am on my computer and I have all of my favorite tabs open. You know, My email My blog Facebook Dawn's blog, and I get this message from someone on FACEBOOK, one of my "friends" that says, "Can't believe I got you on video! Check it out!" So, I click. I am an idiot an intelligent person and because of my involvement in community events, it is completely possible that someone caught me on video. I am an idiot serious. I was just in a parade. My kids are on our church's worship team, my daughter is a cheerleader, and the list goes on... I am an idiot out and about enough that it is quite possible for someone to get my ugly mug on video! So, right after clicking, an alarm I didn't even KNOW existed in my computer goes off...WWEEEEEEOOOOOOOOO WWWWEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOO....like a little friggin' fire truck is running around under my keyboard flipping out! I followed the instructions that were on the screen and it seemingly figured itself out and the little firemen went out to lunch or went back to their little house in my cozy little laptop! The next thing I know, I get an annoyed IM from Steph aka Manic Mommy! asking what the heck the video was that I just sent her b/c it crashed her computer... OH NO! That's when I put it all together, because I am NOT an idiot. I was scammed by a virus on FACEBOOK and so was the "friend" who I THOUGHT I got the video email from! And...that virus was now on its way with its own bad-guy firetruck escort to EVERYONE on MY friend list! I quickly changed my "status" on FACEBOOK to alert everyone that I had been hit and I did NOT send anyone a video! Done. No big deal (although I felt really bad, worrying that if someone hadn't had an antivirus thingie I may have just inadvertently crashed their computer). Five minutes later my FACEBOOK inbox was FILLED with similar videos from "friends" on my list. Some of the titles were...umm....not so nice. "Got your a** on video!" "Ya had too much to drink and I got it all on tape!" "Your mama would be proud of you for this! NOT!" OK...THOSE I would not have believed...none of that goes on during the parades/church/cheer events that I go to....at least not in the room I am in. I deleted them. No harm done. I walk into church this morning and our Youth Pastor calls from his office... "Hey Michelle, thanks for the video!" Can I say, "@#$%^&*()_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" in church?!

Allergic Reactions...

Last year at a specialty crepe restaurant in Philadelphia we found out our oldest child is quite allergic to Buckwheat. One bite of his first Buckwheat crepe caused us much concern as his tongue and throat became so itchy he could barely sit still. Then came the chest pains, the rash around his mouth, severe nausea and hives you would not believe. We now have a tanker of epinephrine and a truck load of Benadryl that follow us everywhere like that “network” you see on the cell phone commercials. Needless to say, allergic reactions have been in the forefront of my brain since then. So much so that I felt the need to identify a few of my own afflictions, their symptoms and my self-prescribed cures. I urge you to search out yours as well. Allergy #1: BAD ATTITUDES Symptoms: When coming in contact with said attitude a mild rash-like aversion may occur and will spread almost immediately. The “rash” begins to spread and before too long, it is an all-consuming power that overtakes one’s day. Soon even the most trivial of events or happenings brings one to a new height of frustration. If not treated, one’s attitude could be shot for the rest of the week. This allergy is quite dangerous to one’s well-being and those well-beings around them. Prescription: A long chat with a positive influence in one’s life. A good, uplifting book/article – preferably a spiritual one. A bare-it-all prayer with the Man upstairs. Allergy #2: CATTINESS Symptoms: Feelings of superiority and judgmental behaviors come on quickly. These feelings can escalate quite rapidly to the point of nose-held-high-in-the-air-itis. Like any addiction, this sense of entitlement can become quite habit-forming. For the most part these feelings erupt when one’s self-esteem is at its lowest. Dangerous levels of self-praise actions and impulses can spike at any time. Prescription: A long look I the mirror and a quiet afternoon with a pen and a journal. Self-searching to the point of brokenness and a huge box of tissues. And, of course, a bare-it-all prayer to the Man upstairs. Allergy #3: FEAR Symptoms:

Severe sensations of lack of control (LOC). The need to hold onto a person or a habit that only appears to be solid as one’s world forms a downward spiral. A tragic craving for something unidentifiable to hold it all together and the search to find it. Feelings of doubt, disconnect and paranoia may subside but the initial LOC sensations will remain. Prescription: The admission that something bigger is ultimately in control and the surrender of that control. A change of focus to all that is good, healthy and clean. The acceptance of one’s short-comings and the resolve to make a change for the better. And, once again, a bare-it-all prayer to the Man upstairs. The diagnosis: Your allergies may react to different triggers. Your symptoms may be more or less severe. But one thing remains the same…a prescription can only be determined by the person suffering the affliction. You can only hide under the covers for so long. It’s a brand new morning and the perfect time to stand at the mirror, look yourself right in the face and resolve to live your life to the fullest. Align your life with God’s Truth we find in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Swallow a bottle of self-esteem. Take a few teaspoons of healthy pride. Rub some new focus into your sores and watch your life start anew. Of course, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t also prescribe a boatload of love…take two and call me in the morning.

I found my son's journal...he's on to me!

Dear Journal, I think I have an Octo-mom. There is no other explanation. She is always getting more done than seems humanly possible. The woman’s got tentacles, I just know it. I haven’t caught her using them but it is just a matter of time. I need to gather more evidence. ------------------------ Dear Journal, me again, I am hiding under the covers supposed to be going to sleep. Minutes ago while she was helping with my math homework, my mom also fed the baby, painted her toenails and paid some bills. I was sitting right there for crying out loud! I saw nothing. She is one sneaky cephalopod! ----------------------- Dear Journal, Today was my mom’s birthday. I drew her an underwater picture at school. When I gave it to her she said, “Thank you, I love the ocean!” Hmmmmmmmmmmm. And, if that wasn’t enough, Dad took her out for dinner … THE SEAFOOD BUFFET! She smelled fishy when she kissed me goodnight. (Yuck!) I can only imagine how much an octopus can eat. ---------------------- Dear Journal, I am setting my alarm for 6am to try and get a peek at how my mom gets her chores done every morning. Maybe I will catch her in the act. Maybe an extra arm will slip out. Maybe? ---------------------- Hi Journal, I hit the snooze button this morning and almost missed the bus so I didn’t have any time to spy on my mom. But when I got home there was a new flowerbed planted by my playhouse. My mom said she had some “help.” I am picturing that – I bet her helpers had suction cups! ---------------------- Dear Journal, I am freaking out about his Octo-Mom thing. I was just thinking…if my mom is an octopus…what am I? What about my dad? Oh dear, I think I am going to need another journal. --------------------- Just Me, Journal, She outdid herself today but not a single suction cup was spotted! We had company for dinner and the dishwasher broke. My mom washed all the dishes, took time to have tea with the guests, checked my homework, bathed my brother and put us to bed. I am tired just thinking about it. I guess octopuses have a lot of energy. Ugh! Good Night. ---------------------- Dear Journal, My mom wore a poncho today. She’s not really all that stylish so I am a little more suspicious than usual. She’s definitely hiding something! (or somethings) ---------------------- Dear Journal, Today my class went to the library and browsed the non-fiction section. I picked an ocean book and read that octopuses change color and shoot ink when they are mad. Whoa! Ink. My mom turned bright red when I showed the mailman where I got my shot but I didn’t see any ink. Nope. No ink. ---------------------- Dear Journal, Today I fell off my bike. My mom dropped the groceries to come help me up. She carried me inside and bandaged my knees. With eight legs you’d think she would have gotten the groceries put away, too. Hmmmmmmmmm. She’s slacking. ---------------------- Dear Journal, My teacher asked my mom to make cupcakes for the bake sale. I watched her put it on the calendar. she realized she was also making granola for my soccer snack the same day. She smiled and grabbed some ingredients from the pantry. I guess it’s not a difficult task…if you’ve got eight extra arms! ---------------------- O.K. Journal, This is hard work. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever prove my mom’s an underwater sea creature. She hugs like she has eight arms but I have only ever seen two. ---------------------- Dear Journal, Today at school I read that octopuses are completely deaf. I am stumped because this is not the case with my mom, she hears everything! Even when she is talking on the phone. Gasp. I wonder if her friends are octopuses, too. ----------------------- Dear Journal, At dinner my mom told my dad that while the baby slept she dusted the whole house “from floor to ceiling.” My human mom can’t reach the ceiling but I guess an “octo-mom” can. ------------------------ Dear Journal, My mom and I just read a book together. Snuggling with her makes me feel sleepy. I think I read that Octopuses are cold blooded but my mom felt cozy warm. I didn’t see any tentacles either…and I was looking. ----------------------- Dear Journal, This is the last page and I still haven’t solved the mystery. IS MY MOM AND OCTOPUS? I guess it doesn’t make a difference. She is still my mom. Even if she is an octopus – she is MY octopus and I love her, all of her! P.S. Wait aliens could have lots of arms. Could my mom be an alien? Oh no! Now I really need a new journal!

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OK, it's not REALLY my son's journal...just one of the picture books I have written that has gotten enough rejections to wallpaper a room with. Oh well. I have about 30 more where that came from...back to the drawing board!

I'd like to thank the Academy!

Dear sweet Rachel over at Once Upon A Miracle gave me this award! Yay! I am so excited! You can tell by my sidebar that I LOVE blog awards! I almost have 10! I feel so loved! I will keep the list growing as long as I get them! A SCRIBBLER AWARD is a big deal for me because I scribble both in word and sketch! I have been working feverishly on NAMESAKES for the Gosselin 8! I feel so honored to be able to give them a piece of ME! I finished Kate's book and I think she is even more AMAZING now that I have a peek inside her heart and not just a peek into the chaos they show on TV. Can't wait to personally hand her the NAMESAKES for Cara, Mady, Collin, Leah, Joel, Hanna, Aaden and Alexis! I hope they like them! These NAMESAKE recipients loved theirs... and I couldn't be happier!!! Once again HONORED to give them a piece of my HEART! If you haven't had the HONOR of meeting TEAM LARSON, please head over to http://carepages.com/, register (it's free and takes, like, 2 seconds!) Click on Visit and type in ColemanScott (all one word). He will be your new boyfriend! Promise to pray for his healing! OK...I am off to re-do the Gosselin NAMESAKE that took me 4 hours to do yesterday...it just wasn't right....but I think I got in now! Trying to finish 4 a day! Wishful thinking, right? I need some cheerleaders, please! ;) Oh, I pass the Scribbler Award onto: Kim @ Bugs & Bunnies because she is an AMAZING writer in the same stage of this "Getting Published" Game as I am! Peter @ Stellar Cafe because he is an AMAZING author/illustrator and great friend! One of my biggest CHEERLEADERS (only he doesn't wear a skirt! LOL!)! Dawn @ Because I Said So because she is an AMAZING friend and another of my biggest CHEERLEADERS (and she's dang cute in a skirt!) and...and...and...she received her BOOK in the mail yesterday and has been giggling ever since!! Go over and check her out...pre-order your book! It's gonna be a GOOD ONE!!!

What's YOUR story?!

We called it the “Playhouse.” The small saltbox shack elevated by a rotted tree stump eventually grew into a child-sized home on the firm ground built with love by the strong hands of my father and grandfather. The small roughly-sided brown house had screened windows and an antique paneled door with a large clear glass jewel-like knob that I was sure had mystical powers. Gray and green speckled shingles protected our play from the forces of Mother Nature. Our little home squatted among tall maples like a toad who sits protected under a sombrero-like mushroom cap waiting for the rain to cease. A leaning staircase led to a child-sized porch not quite big enough for a chair but certainly ample for looking out over the ground brush hoping to see a glimpse of the wildlife that lurked below. The skeleton key that granted my entry into the humble domicile wore a hole in my pocket. With a click and turn of the key the world of imagination opened before me. Two bunk beds strategically fitted with rectangular make-shift mattresses were carefully wrapped in satiny fabric that curiously matched the fire engine-esque lips of my seamstress grandmother. A lonely second hand table sat in the corner piled high with books and magazines my sister and I pretended to read. The very narrow windowsills were display shelves for the myriad of crafts that ensued in this mini mansion. Dried and crumbling play-doh creatures and pressed flower shapes cut with cookie cutters lined the cross beams between the exposed wooden studs of the walls. As night fell and we met by lantern light at the crooked table for a snack, my sister and I acted unaware of the wildlife that was surely watching us through our curtainless windows. The dim light shone on our feast of stale Girl Scout cookies and warm milk. A continuous cutting draft whistled its way through the gaps between our picture windows. Our teeth chattered between bites as the milk washed down the sweet flavor of chocolate and peanut butter. Our intension was to stay all night. We said our ‘good nights’ and climbed into our not-so-comfortable beds trying to stay warm beneath the thin red sheets. I lay so still that I could hear my pulse. The rhythmic thumping in my ears would have lulled me to sleep had I not heard a curious sound. Between gusts of wind and flailing branches, the sound of leaves crunching beneath weighted feet made my heart skip a beat. The hairs on my neck stood at attention as I watched for the mystical knob to turn. One, two, three steps up the creaky stairs. I couldn’t bear to see who or what would enter. I threw my head over the side of the rickety top bunk and let my eyes adjust to the dark only to see the whites of my little sister’s eyes glowing like two small bird’s eggs in a nest of tussled auburn hair. A moment later the knob turned and the rusty hinges creaked as the shadow of a fluffy beast stretched across the floor. Our tiny-framed mother put down the fur-lined hood of her parka and offered us more blankets. We jumped from our bunks and raced with her back to the comfort of our real beds in our real house. Now, almost 30 years later I still remember the damp smell of this “home away from home.” I can close my eyes and feel the rough hewn siding and hear every branch scrape the carefully shingled roof. I have told its story over and over to my wide-eyed sleepy ones as I remember being enthralled by the stories my parents told me about their childhood. I am certain that our minds call us to relive specific memories over and over as a means to spur us on to tell a story. Once again, I am reminded of the “front porch” as being the stage for such yarns. A warm, comforting place to listen as friends and family tell the stories what built a legacy. Fragments of childhood that may seem as insignificant as a play house in the woods beg to be brought to life through spoken word. What stories are you holding back? Who is waiting to hear them?

We ROCKED THE VOTE!

Sing it with me!

(to the tune of Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother's House We Go)

.

.

"Over the river and past the fields...

...and through our little town...

My van knows the way to where I have the say...

...to how this election goes do-o-o-wn!"

WE ROCKED THE VOTE IN PENNSYLVANIA, DID YOU?!

Call the paramedics...

No, I am not being lazy. And I am not just vying for your attention. (OK...maybe a little bit!) I am a MESS today! So, yesterday afternoon we were all outside - all 5 of us. The big kids were playing hide and seek with the neighbor girls and our little guy was just running behind everyone trying to look like her knew what he was doing. It was sweet and they tolerated him! Then he got bored and was riding his big wheel. I decided I was going to throw all caution to the wind and tell him I would race him. I try not to run in front of anyone older than 6 but I was in one of "those" moods. I didn't care. So, I started shuffling alongside of his Diego big wheel pretending to run...I may have even squealed, "I'm gunna get you...I'm gunna get you!" In an attempt to look "hot" to my onlooking hubby (who is older than 6), I did the ole' "hot chick hair flip." And with that, my hair flung in front of my eyes, I couldn't see where I was going and my right foot went off the side of the driveway and DOWN I WENT. Just call me Grace! There was NOTHING graceful about it. When I hit the ground, my right knee took the brunt of the fall and smashed against the same black-top edge that I had just turned my ankle on. I tried to do a delicate roll out of my body-hurling escapade but I am sure it just looked like I hit an invisible wall and collapsed head over heels. My husband quickly asked if I was OK and if I heard a pop. On his way over to me (I wasn't even TRYING to stand up, I have had this ankle injury MANY times and ya just need to sit it out) he was sincerely concerned but I am not sure in an "I hope you are OK" way. It may have been more like a "Could you have been skiing or running a marathon instead of chasing a big wheel when you break your legs?" way. My ankle was sore and there are a couple chunks of my knee missing. There was even a blood stain on the OUTSIDE of my jeans. I can't remember the last time THAT happened! So, I didn't sleep very well b/c I had an injury on BOTH sides of my body. I have a bad back so there are only a handful of positions I can sleep in that won't leave me crippled in the morning. Unfortunately, all of those positions require a bent ankle or a knee touching a sheet. Grrrrrrrr. So, this morning I woke up with a sore back, a stiff ankle, a very tender knee and (weird) an ulcer on the tip of my tongue! WHAT THE HECK??! Mr. Monkey decided that TODAY was the day he would teach himself to climb the gate to the laundry room which leads to this... So, I raised the gate to save me the headache (because I didn't need ONE MORE pain in my body) of wrestling him every 10 minutes. Quite honestly I was in enough discomfort, he may have won!

So, we took the big kids out to the bus and on our way back in and over the gate....

I forgot I raised it and jammed my right forefinger into the wall at the same time my right big toe got stuck in the lattice weave on its way over....

...tonight I found a deer tick on my arm (not IN my arm, just climbing on it)...

I am not going to even count the number of injuries that was in a 24 hour time frame. Disgusts me!

I am just gonna wheel on over

to some other blogs and see what is happening over on NaBloPoMo! Come join me...but no I am NOT racing you...walk slowly, I hurt!