do you hear that midwestern girl?

Your Linguistic Profile:

Thanks Naomi, for introducing me to all these fun (waste of time) tests!!! You guys know I was a teacher... okay, an art teacher but I still gave tests, so I love being tested... call me crazy! (BTW Naomi... you're IN now!! In my Favorites, I mean!) So here's my results: 60% General American English 10% Dixie 10% Upper Midwestern 10% Yankee 5% Midwestern

Considering I was born and raised in southern Ohio, near Kentucky and I am a midwestern girl, they were right on the money with me!

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

running - day 1

As I wrote the other day, I am RUNNING!!! (can you believe it? anything is possible!) I am reading "Run Less Run Faster" by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss that Linnea recommended and I do too!  Here's some things that make it a little more fun:

My sportsline pedometer which has a stopwatch so I can watch my time intervals! It is as thin as a credit card! I jotted my interval times on my hand so I'd remember. (not so good). I have great shoes... I love my Asic gels. If you wear your running shoes frequently, you should replace them every year because the insoles/cushioning wears down and they aren't effective anymore.

You have to have an ipod! I made up my own running play list and it got me MOVING!

[Beth's running playlist: Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, Tubthumping by Chumbawamba, Song 2 by Blur, Steal My Sunshine by LEN, Unbelievable by EMF, Walk This Way by Aerosmith, Island in the Sun by Weezer, Praise You by Fatboy Slim, I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cuties, and Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant (ha!)] I will change this frequently.

You also have to have a baseball cap or something to cover your hair and to keep the sun out of your eyes (what sun? you just have a bedhead!!!).  {Never before seen photography of Beth after running her 32 minutes and having just rolled out of bed:
If you want to run with me, I suggest you buy the book (you can get all of this here!), check with your doctor if you're old like me, and do some stretching before you start.

The 5-K Novice Training Program

This program is designed to gradually move the inactive individual from walker to runner. It begins primarily with walking, interspersed with short intervals of running during a half-hour workout. Run at a comfortable pace. (Note: W= Walk; R= Run) 12 week program, 3 x per week plus 2-3 days of strength training and flexibility exercises on off days.

Week #1/ Day #1 :  32 minutes total:  

W10 min;  

(R 1 min, W 2 min) x 4;  

W 10 min

Yippeee... we're off to a great start!!!!

Get siked:

Steal My Sunshine (see)(listen)

scary things

 

See my abortion ticker on the right side of this blog! Gianna Jessen appears in this commercial after being burned alive for 18 hours in her mother's womb, but still survived and was born with cerebal palsy. She was adopted. It makes me cry. (the video doesn't have anything scary... just Gianna all grown up, looking beautiful and telling you why it's important to her to stop partial birth abortion!)

This morning Craig discovered this little guy making a web from the porch railing to the bush! I quickly took a photo so I could look him up! He is a Marbled Orb Weaver or Araneus Marmoreus... and NOT poisenous! Whew!  I added my photo here.

Last week before my Dad and Glenda came, Ellie got a good grooming. I went back to pick her up and was greeted by my big doggie with a little purple heart barrette in her hair! I started laughing uncontrollably!!! They put the same clip in the little purse dog's hair which came out before her! Scary!


I found the funniest site on Naomi's blog called Yearbook Yourself! Which year suits me best?

1958

1960

1962

1966 (my birth year!)

1968

1974

1976

1978

1980

1984 (my junior year in high school!)

1994

1998 (the year Nathaniel was born!)

2000

2008

Yeah, I like 2008 best too!

Lastly, after all that scary stuff, I thought I'd show you what Jen sent to me a week or so ago!! The kids adore him and so do I! He's not a scary monster but a pretty cuddly one!

(Thanks for your comments on the last post! I love to hear all sides of the election. Feel free to leave more!!! Olivia is right... chocolate does make everything better! ;) Hope your week is starting off with a BANG!!)

juggling

Life demands a bit of juggling. I would think by now that I would get this under control! It's just that the schedules change and I don't always have the same things to juggle!  

Thank you for all of your comments on that last post! It was just one of those days. I had a great weekend though... we got together with Craig's whole family and his brother shared some interesting stories of people they've met lately. I got to finally see my new nephew! And all the kids are just growing up quickly. I've been thinking a lot lately about what's most important to me and how to fit it all in. And how to eliminate some of it too.

Linnea is a runner (and an illustrator!) and suggested that I read "Run Less Run Faster" if I want to actually take running seriously. Now my family would giggle at this point because as much as I used to run when I was younger, it was never very well or fast or serious. It basically allowed me to sprint down the basketball court or work off stress from teaching. I have very long legs which grew very quickly when I was young and that put some stress on my knees and ankles. Regardless, running is something I've always wanted to do and wanted to be decent at. I have always wanted to do a 5k marathon but thought it was impossible for me. This book is hopefully going to prove me wrong! 

I also noticed on Linnea's blog, a very interesting link to Zen Habits and an article called "Attack Your Limitations: Turn Your Weaknesses into Strength". When I actually wrote down what I thought my weaknesses were, I could start to see how to view these as potential strengths. It was fascinating! It mirrored what Craig's brother was telling us about in his story of the power of words, which we all agree is very powerful indeed. When I was complaining on Friday, I could have turned some of those situations into something constructive. Understanding myself and what my strengths are allows me to focus on doing them well. It also made me anxious to try to start running! I challenge you to just read that article and see if it doesn't make you see things in a slightly different way (or maybe a completely different way!!).

Becky was right, too, that I do need to vote. I watched the debates on Friday night, which I'm very glad they held. I knew Barack Obama was a superb orator so I wasn't sure if John McCain could explain himself as well. I did learn something from each of them. I do have to state that it would be presumptuous to say that I understand the ins and outs of all aspects of government so well that I can tell them what should be done! John McCain definitely does understand foreign affairs by the breadth of experience he has. This reminds me a lot of when Carter ran. I do remember that! We did a mock election in fourth grade and only my teacher and the teacher's pet voted for Carter. The rest of us wanted Gerald Ford. Of course Carter won and I remember little Amy Carter going to the White House! As you know, Jimmy Carter is a good man with a great heart for people. He just was terrible at foreign policy. I see that a bit with Barack Obama except that Obama isn't a committed Christian (at least, he doesn't attend church nor does he support the belief of all life being important.) That's his decision but that's where he differs from Jimmy Carter. I just don't understand why Barack can't see that "choice of insurance" is better than "government run insurance". I think that we could actually have both. It would make sure that everyone is taken care of and also keep the system at a high quality of care by allowing people to choose their own physicians. He also doesn't see that corporations' profits are what allows them to offer benefits to their employees. They pay the taxes that fund our schools and the programs in the cities they are located. When you increase their taxes, they have to be able to pay their employees, continue to grow their business, pay for healthcare, so they will just raise the prices of what they produce so that they can stay in business. Who pays for that? Us! Profit is an important part of capitalism. It's not evil. That being said, I don't think we should be spending trillions of dollars to bail out failed institutions. There should be regulations on banks as well as monopolies who control our utilities and whose impact on the rest of the economy is felt within every aspect of business.  We should make decisions keeping our children's futures in mind and the world they are to be stewards over. We should regulate the use of science in our natural world before we allow companies to be creating unnatural species that take over all natural things. (Monsanto!) We should help those who can't take care of themselves, but give education and opportunities to those who can so that they can get on their feet again independently. We should call apples apples. Our Social Security tax is just tax... not a retirement fund that we can expect to pay for our living expenses after age 65. We should have a CHOICE in how to save for retirement. A CHOICE for healthcare. A CHOICE for education. A CHOICE of who to hire and who to let go when they aren't performing their responsibilities well. A CHOICE of raising children without fear of being hurt or exposed to things like sex education when they are too young to understand it. A CHOICE  of saying "no" to birth control because it's against my belief in harming life. A CHOICE to stay home to take care of my own children because I can afford to live on my husband's income and not have to depend on two salaries just to cover a mortgage and food. People shouldn't have to work so hard just to get by. I get tired of hearing about choice but it only pertains to killing a fetus. (To me, it's no different than choosing to kill a neighbor or someone in my family. They are all living and it's premeditated murder whatever the case.) Give me real choices because that's what American life is based on: freedom and liberty! I respect both candidates' passion for making changes in our government to benefit our country. You can't argue with that on either side. One last thing:  anyone who ever has had children and been involved with any sort of responsibility will know that when a job needs to get done efficiently, creatively, and with kindness... the best "man" for the job tends to be a woman. She asks for very little in the way of thanks or recognition, she keeps the greater good in mind which usually involves the futures of our children, and she knows that there is always something to do and some things take precedence but with a bit of juggling, anything that is important and valuable, can be accomplished! People question Sara Palin's abilities. She is a mom of five children and a woman who has accomplished things already in her time in office. She is no different than the many woman I work with every day who keep our communities running smoothly. There are men who do this too. It's just that I would never doubt a mother's ability to do a great job. 

So with all these things I'm juggling lately, I'll turn my weaknesses into strengths, I'll try something new, and I'll quietly take care of the little details and jobs that somehow get done at our local school, behind the scenes, with hardly any recognition... I'm a mom, a woman, and a pretty awesome person!  So are you!

randomness

1- I am teaching myself to crochet... ever so slowly!

2- What I've Done by Linkin Park

3- When people hear "organic" they think of the 70's and cardboard tasting food. It is SO opposite of that! The kids at school turn their noses up at my kids when they say they eat organically, but then they end up asking for one of their homemade cookies or a bite of their sandwich at lunch!

4- Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park. I think this is my favorite song. Will they use it for Twilight?

Currently I am obsessed with Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Possess Your Heart" too

5- I'm thinking about not voting in the election. Besides being my birthday, I don't necessarily like any choices. No one has any good answers. I fear for my children's futures.

6- I am working on some things for my [shop]. I have no idea what to call it or when it will be done. 

7- My stomach is really upset today. 

8- I usually draw cute little doodles on my kids' napkins and stick them in their lunches. So I AM drawing every day! I even doodle in the car. Usually it's around the note I jotted because I heard a good song on the radio.

9- If you've shared a struggle with me lately, just know I'm thinking about you and your loved ones! You know who you are. 

10- I told Kathy that I baked thumbprint cookies with orange fig jam in them. I used to make them when I was a teenager. They were good. And they're gone.

11- Some lady yelled at me in the street today for no reason. I am the nicest person ever but I wanted to punch her. Don't mess with me!

12- I ended up talking to the nicest lady at my grocery who took over the organic aisle. Her daughter is going to college for sustainable agriculture. There are cool people in this world.

13- It's raining today.

14- I have hundreds of lion drawings to scan in...still.

15- We're going to visit Craig's family to celebrate his parents' 40th wedding anniversary. It's bizarre to think that it's a rare day in these times to celebrate long anniversaries. I still am in mourning over my parents' divorce which was 23 years or so ago. Don't tell me that divorce doesn't ruin a kid. I am happy that they are both remarried. But the family was destroyed by it.

16- Sanrio makes a Hello Kitty pen/pencil combo that is awesome. I had a Chococat one for 10 or so years that Caroline took to use. It finally ran out of lead and I found a new one, but then realized they're refillable. And they have an eraser at the end. I never knew it. Leave it to a kid to figure that out! (My first tax-paying job was at the Rainbow Shop... we sold Hello Kitty stuff!)

17- I dreamt last night that I was playing the piano with a rock group. Everyone else was playing guitar. I started playing guitar too and they all stopped and just looked at me. I said I just couldn't do the piano part... I stunk! We breaked for lunch and I woke up. I have no musical ability whatsoever. What did THIS dream mean???

18-  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

matryoshka love and woodland dolls

I found this free pattern on knitty for Matryoshka mittens via Alicia's blog! She posted about some new nesting Matryoshkas that she found at an Oktoberfest. 

I've been in a folk art/nature inspired mood lately. I want to set up an autumn tableau on my dining room buffet server (which I got specifically for that, and also serving food I guess!!!) but I can't find my book on Nature Corners! I have books all over my house, so it's got to be here somewhere. I also found this cute etsy site, and with all the acorns in our yard during the fall, I want to make something like this:

Little Woodland Twins by dream child studio

 Caroline and I made fairies a couple years ago, so I know it wouldn't be difficult. We could even put them in something like this!  I have been contemplating doll making lately and folk embroidery. Did you see Alicia's felt ornament kits? Completely adorable!!! I want to live a life like Karin Larsson, filling my home with beautiful handmade things.

family, fun and some lions

My Dad and my Stepmom came in to town to visit with us on Friday through this past weekend! We hadn't seen them since Christmas so it was really good to catch up! We ate too much of course. We watched Nathaniel play soccer (they won!) and Craig coach.

We took them to a local winery for a wine-tasting. Unfortunately Pennsylvania wine doesn't compare to California. But it was fun anyways! I wasn't supposed to post this photo of them, so pretend you don't see them!
We played miniature golf and Glenda got 3 holes-in-one and won us a free game! Nathaniel got two holes in one! The LPGA should be calling soon! Time always flies when you're having fun. Caroline beat her Opa's bowling record on Wii. It was a sportsman's weekend, with football games on Sunday.

Then the kids came down with colds and sore throats and were home on Monday and Caroline was home again today. I haven't accomplished a whole lot in the last couple days. I started my project of scanning in lion drawings for our Elementary school's directory. Here's a Kindergartener's drawing:

They are always my favorite because they are so fun! 

I am hoping to get back into some creative things. I cut more quilt fabric blocks today.  And I have three more chapters to read in New Moon before I'm done! My friend Stephanie borrowed Twilight and is now becoming a fan too! I was telling Stacey that we should be planning an online Twilight party for the movie in November! Anyone have any ideas about that? ;)

teachers...

And anyone else who works in a classroom (or home!)-- Holly Alonis asked me to tell you about a FABULOUS free site called Creative Park which has paper crafts to print of all kinds to use for different subjects in the classroom: for art, science, play, scrapbooking, gift-giving... you name it! It is definitely worth checking out! Click here and sign up free!

my bookstore

painting by Chase Chen

 

Well, after a year or so of Craig saying, "I wish you could make money with your blog" I discovered a way that I possibly could (Is he saying I spend WAY too much time blogging??). Since I have an addiction to books (you may have noticed that), and I have to start earning some money to support my habit, I decided to open my amazon.com bookstore!  This is a great way to hightlight the books that I talk about and if you do choose to buy one also, you can purchase it through my bookstore straight from amazon.com.  I am still planning on opening an etsy shop but for now, Red Yarn is opening doors at amazon!  I did always dream of owning a bookshop... too bad I can't set out coffee and tea, and greet you in person! ;)

Here's the Red Yarn Book Store Link. Or you can go to my sidebar and click on that. Thanks and you're welcome to come visit with me over there...

xo~Bethany

more california dreaming (part 2)

the bug 

Actually this is where our trip began! I flew in Thursday and Friday morning (on our Anniversary) we were up and ready to drive to the Sonoma Valley! Craig rented one of my most favorite cars! I had my favorite skirt on and was with my favorite guy... what could be better? (maybe some chocolate and peanut butter thrown in there somewhere, but that's coming later!)

not in Kansas (or Lancaster) anymore

While we were driving to Santa Rosa, we saw an awesome 1950's corvette. The lady knew I was taking a photo of it!  I also knew I wasn't in Lancaster when I saw a shop for Vespas. Ah, to be in Europe right now would be the only thing better!

While driving down the street in Santa Rosa, I noticed the prettiest greenhouse and we stopped to investigate. It ended up being the home and garden of Luther Burbank, the famous horticulturist who brought us Shasta Daisies and the Russet potato as well as other varieties of plants. It was a beautiful spot to visit and was free to the public as the city takes care of it now.

California celebrates his birthday as Arbor Day!  I loved this quote by Luther:

"Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water-bugs, tadpoles, frogs and mud-turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in, water-lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of his education."

wine, wine, wine

After having lunch at a wonderful deli called Mac's in town, we drove up to Alexander Valley because we had a date with a vineyard!  Driving through the hills was so different than the Pennsylvania mountains. The climate is much more arid and they were having a heat wave. There was vineyard after vineyard after vineyard! We stopped in at Jimtown Store in Healdsburg which is a must-do when you're out that way! You can see their big red pickup truck out front! They sell all kinds of cool things... even antiques, and their cafe is wonderful.

do you have your hafner?

We have bought wine from this favorite little vineyard through recommendations from friends and Craig arranged a private tour as they are not open to the public. They only sell online and to restaurants. Hafner makes Chardonnay and Cabernet Savignon, and it is excellent! It is run by two brothers: Parke and Scott Hafner, and Parke's wife Sarah. She does all the design work and helps make the wine. She gave us our tour. We learned SO much as she really went in depth with how this all came about for them. They trained in France and every year they have a French student come out to work with them for a year. They hold their wines longer than most of the local wineries. Put it this way-- I never liked Chardonnay until I tasted theirs! Get the tasting package if you'd like to try it. It's phenomenal! (And please tell them WE sent you!!!)

  
Of course being us, we forgot to actually plan our Anniversary dinner, so we drove into Healdsburg which is quite nice and looked for a restaurant. I was starved because I was still feeling 3 hours ahead!  We couldn't get in places without a reservation. A local antique dealer we met recommended a restaurant in Geyserville called Santi. We never would have thought to go to this little town but it was one of the best meals we had!!! The chefs had trained in Italy and we had everything from Rabbit Pate to grilled peaches wrapped in prosciutto, an heirloom tomato soup, veal and a wonderful (free) chocolate dessert to celebrate our day! The wait staff was perfect and the wine recommendations were fabulous! Californians know their wine in the Sonoma Valley! I couldn't ask for a more wonderful evening. We took a long drive back to the hotel with the top down and the crickets chirping. It was perfect!

my first love

On Saturday we planned to do more site-seeing. We started at the Charles M. Schultz museum, the first artist I ever loved and especially Charlie Brown, who was waiting for me and Snoopy! Craig and I both loved the Peanuts and this is a wonderful museum which is geared more towards adults than children, yet it is for both. They had a special exhibit about Shroeder and his muse Beethoven. I learned more about Beethoven in the couple hours we spent there than I ever did in music appreciation! Did you know that Charles Schultz drew the scores to movements by Beethoven into his comics that actually had meaning to the nature of that particular day's cartoon? I didn't. If you're a musician and a lover of Beethoven, you might have known! I think I have a few things from my childhood that the museum might want also! We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. The building reflects the strip in it's architectural elements. 

was that sasquatch??

We drove on to Armstrong Woods where we got out and hiked along the trails. It is a Redwood forest, just like Muir Woods. The paths turned our shoes red! The oldest tree The Colonel Armstrong, named after the guy who preserved this woods, is thought to be 1400 years old! These trees are so huge! We could fit inside of them and still have room. It was a hot walk though. And then we spotted what seemed to be a large figure sneaking through the trees... was it big foot? Sasquatch? Or some girl from Pennsylvania trying to get back to the car and find water!!!  Those clover were really huge too! I was looking for a four-leaf clover but to no avail. I already own one anyways. That's why I'm so lucky! ;)

 

the pacific almost ate me!

We drove out to the shore, to Goats Rock Beach where you can see that famous rock that's in all the movies!  It was a scary drive, with no guard rails and the cliffs just plunged into the ocean! The roads were narrow and curvy too. People actually live all the way out there... the Verizon man can not be heard here!!! There was no cell phone bars there! We saw a cool house being built (it's California after all). Craig told me to go put my toes in the Pacific Ocean so I could say I've had my feet on both coasts. The water was slightly coming up. Of course as I went down and turned around for him to take my picture, a big wave came up and soaked me to my knees!!! We sat out on a piece of driftwood and watched the kids play in the water while I dried off a bit. We headed to the nearest town for some seafood on the water.

 
Well, that's the first couple days. I already posted about what we did on Sunday and then we went back home on Monday. I'm ready to go again. Anytime. I left my heart in San Francisco!!!!

more intermission

 Thanks Stacey for actually being the first to tell me about Twilight!!!  Now here's something I found that you might like:

 

 
"Strange and Beautiful" by Aqualung

Enjoy!

intermission

Have some pretty chocolate that I picked up at Market this morning while you wait for me to visit you! I'm starting alphabetically, so if you're near the end of my list, I might not get there for a bit! But I wanted to catch up with all of you since it's been too long!

Look for more photos from San Francisco soon :)  I've downloaded them... now I need to put them into collages to show you!

Have a delicious weekend!

xoxo~ Bethany