CelestialFamily

Rachel, Noah and Eve went in for their yearly check-ups last week. Only Noah needed a shot. He got the Chicken Pox booster. I told him he could squeeze my hand if he needed to. I watched his mouth pop open when the needle went in, then he shut it. I looked at him and asked if it hurt? The nurse had the bandaid ready and was looking for the puncture, but wasn's finding it and asked Noah were it was. Then Noah said, "If shots were as painful as they are rumored to be you think I would be able to find it."

Everyone is growing well and pretty healthy. I asked about Noah's ever present bumps on his face. The doctor said it is a hereditary condition called pilaris keratosis. He also has patches on the back of his arms. The doctor recommended Lac-Hydrin. Noah wondered if that meant he could stop washing with the acne wash I had for the kids. I told him no. His skin has a harder time naturally sloughing off cells, so he gets some acne too. Some treatments list Retin-A, but Eve is allergic and so is my nephew Tyler. It leaves red burned patches of skin where the ointment touches, so that idea is out for any of my kids. The doctor said the condition should lessen as he gets older. Noah seemed to get the majority of the attention on this visit. We had him show the doctor how he can pretzel twist his fingers together in a really disturbing, yet interesting way. I wondered if this was a contributing factor to his poor fine motor ability, but the doctor didn't think so. He said that Noah just appeared to have very lax joints. We joke with Noah that he has little paws, and old man ear lobes, so we know his just has lax joints and connective tissue. Hmmm...interesting.



A fun and busy weekend. On Saturday morning I joined Rachel, Julia, Hannah, and Julia's mom, Karen in front of the Wallsmart to sell Girl Scout cookies at a booth sale. It was chilly, but we enjoyed being silly together. Sometimes people would walk out of the store with their carts loaded with different items and we would yell happily about how well that item went with cookies. I made Karen lose her train of thought when I yelled as a man passed by that cookies went great with Bud Light. Later, Rachel told a customer that cookies went well with birdseed. Hey, we worked with what we had. The girls made up a song to the old "Camp Town Races" tune:

C-o-o-k-i-e-s, Cookies! Cookies!
C-o-o-k-i-e-s, Cookies are our friends! Whoo!

We sold most of our wares with just a few dosidos and trefoils left.

Then, we went to Steak and Shake. I called Michael and invited him to bring Aaron, Aaron's friends Jeremy (who slept over) and Shafer. The place was packed so we had to do two nearby booths. Rachel and Julia crumbled a couple of samoas into their vanilla shakes.

The rest of the day I hung out at my mom and Jim's house and kept an eye on my brother so they could go out to a church activity. Michael stayed with Aaron and Rachel. I was able to finish The Lightning Thief by Riordan. Noah begged me to read this book. He gets very animated when he talks about the series and wanted to be able for me to understand what he was so excited about.

I saw the movie before reading the book, which is not the order I like to do things. I was rather stunned as each chapter rolled by that the only thing resembling the book that was in the movie was some of the main characters and the book title. I was less than unimpressed by the movie, but was willing to give the book a chance. The book is directed at the Middle School aged audience, but really hits the mark for the 4th-6th grade set and hovers there. The perils and adventures in the life of Percy Jackson are explained away as the whims and petty jealousies of the bickering Greek gods. I can see why young kids would find this book quite a lot of fun, but I found it rather tedious and am curious its literary staying power.

On a more positive note about this book series, it lit the flame of reading under my reluctant 9 year-old, and for that I am thankful to Mr. Riordan. I find Noah perched (yes, he perches when he reads. I'll have to post a picture of it some time)reading all the time now. He finished every book in the Percy Jackson series and is reading a Mythology book from his teacher's collection. He is also into the ,Animorphs book series.

Another Book Review:
I am absolutely amazed by Navajo Code Talkers. Thanks to Noah's teacher, who lent me this book of historical fiction of the invaluable contribution of the Code Talkers during WWII, I was able to learn more about their struggles.
I agonized over the way the government tried to strip the tribal peoples of their language and culture. The Navajo, along with other tribes, were physically harmed if they used their language or ways, then were called upon to use that same banned language to assist the war effort with their unbreakable code. They were unable to talk about what they did for the U.S. and freedom until the lifting of the top secret status in 1969.
I found it fascinating that they were very suited to the strenous life of a Marine, except for the cultural mistrust of water, which they overcame. Their stoic nature made it difficult for them to get help for the post traumatic stress that the horrors of war brought to them. The war gave them the opportunity to prove that their language is valuable and if the government and bigotry had won out, than that same government may have sewn the seed of its own destruction. I think these cautionary tales need to be frequently read. We can use this story into other facets of our life to realize the thing we destroy today, or disregard its value is the very thing that may preserve our lives tomorrow.



This is the first in the series of books set in the dystopian world a few hundred years from now when the "Rusties" have left some of the world in desolation. There are cities that rose from the rubble with advanced technology and the desire to stop future aggression and destruction by making everyone virtually the same. You are an "Ugly" until your 16th birthday, then you get an operation to make you physically attractive and almost impervious to illness. You also become rather docile. This life of perfection is the thing that most uglies desire. Tally Youngblood, the main character, looks forward to her operation, but in the mean time likes to do "tricks" to pass the time. Tally learns that there are people in "The Smoke" that want to live the rest of their lives ugly.

The book is aimed at the young adult group and really hits the mark. I thought the ideas were a great extension of an old Twilight Zone episode. The book is fast paced and interesting throughout. The character of Dr. Cable is a good foil for Tally's character. A good start to the series.




The second in the series finds Tally "Pretty". She finds friends in a clique called "The Crims" who did a lot of tricks during their ugly days. She lives in a world of beauty, parties, limitless food (with calorie purgers), yet is visited by feelings of inadequacy and longing for something she can't quite remember.

This series is like watching a chess match. The interesting thing is that Tally Youngblod's character seems to shift from pawn, to queen, to pawn again. Again the pace is fast and the pretty language is kind of Valley Girlesque, but appropriate. A solid sequel. I look forward to the third book.

The book I'm reading now is, Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell.

*****************
Well, Michael made a yummy late lunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, and sweet potato/russet potato hashbrown, so I'm ready to curl up with a book. Two kids are in timeout for fighting and the other two just got out. There is an air of peace in the house, so maybe I could slip in a nap too?

Later!

Just a few pages of things the family has been doing lately:















Book reviews later. Smiles!

Rachel's Vocabulary Quiz Show brought to you today by the letter S.

So Rachel quizzed Noah the other day, "Noah do you know what scrupulous means?"
Noah replied, "Isn't that a part of the body?"

Noah's response brought upon him hails of derisive laughter. I think we will keep him for the comic relief alone. We did eventually tell him what scrupulous meant after several attempts at coming up with some new anatomical definitions in the form of a sentence.

:::::::::::::Copious Book Reviews::::::::



This book was recommended to me by a very well read member of our book group. She knows what types of books I like and this does fit the general bill for me. Elna Baker writes about her experiences, hopes, and dreams. It is book worthy because of the juxtaposition she finds herself in being a single Mormon in a community largely made up of non Mormons in New York City. Her insights, especially, in the beginning chapters is spot on about Singles dances and attitudes in the church. She comes off as rather neurotic, but understandable in the context of being someone who by nature questions everything, but is in a religion that requires faith. She reminds me of an adrenaline junky that wants a constant thrill, but needs to run back to the comfort of familiar beliefs. She is an actress, so the personality is not surprising. Faith is an intregal part of her life and I had the feeling it was like an imbilical cord that was both a life line and something she felt like she was growing out of and was trying to cut the cord. She is an amazingly sharp witted person, but her inability to make a decision left me feeling somewhat the way I imagined her ex-boyfriend Matt felt, rather frustrated.



Dr. Carson was brought up in poverty by a mother who had episodes of depression that had her checking herself into the hospital. He had a brother who was a good example and got him involved with ROTC. Dr. Carson's ability to analyze his life and work past his intense anger issues and early poor study skills to become the skilled pediatric neurosurgeon he is today he attributes to his faith in God who gave him the talents to begin with. He tells off the long hours of studying and internships, which tired me out just thinking about all of the hard work. His ability to think spatially has helped him see how the parts of the body, specifically, the brain works in all its varied parts. I enjoyed the stories of some of the specific cases he has encountered and how they have effected him, as well as, the patient. I appreciated his emphasis on procedures as being a team effort realizing that one person can't get it done. He has kept his humanity in the face of the opportunity to be a celebrity. He acknowledges his talents and achievements, while remaining humble. I was impressed by his wife, who is an accomplished woman in her own right and maintains their family amidst her husband's long hours.


This is not just a book of eye candy. You might think bugs aren't eye candy, but the photographs in this book are outstanding. I might not want to meet these bugs in person, but I loved going over and over this book and looking at the variously hued insects and their funky appendages. The introduction is very well written and a definite solid beginning to a fabulous book.


If looking at freaky cool bugs isn't your thing, then maybe photographs of freaky cool plants and their bits might just be. Pretty colors that are worthy of any lsd trippin' Timothy Leary types (that is purely a guess on my part...about the lsd...I mean...I think the hardest thing I've done is Nyquil for a cold back in 1990...but I digress). This book is so cool. It even has words, which explain the photographs...BONUS I highly recommend this one.


This was a solid sequel to Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper. The effects of the octopus dna in the kids was really fun. I love the characters of the narrator, and Ms. Fanstrom from the Historical Society. I even think the Books from the different orders are very intriguing. I could have used less running about finding and fighting folks and had more of the cerebral stuff regarding the Books and how they interact. I'm hoping for a sequel that gets more into the scientific and less about the physical Fight Club aspects of finding out the mysteries of the Board of Administration.

Peace out my Peeps!

The torrential rains bring this song to mind:


::::::::::::Book Review::::::::::




The story of an ordinary girl with busy, unaware parents, in an extraordinary house. Coraline is brave and loyal and realizes getting everything you want isn't really what you want at all. The book is creepy, yet endearing. I was especially fond of the black cat with no name. He didn't need a name because he already knew who he was. My daughter, Rachel, recommended this book to me and I really enjoyed it.

::::::::::::::Another Oldie, but Goodie::::::::


:::::::::::::::Conversations with My Kids:::::

On Thursday Noah and Eve were having a discussion and Eve mentioned something about me being mom. I must preface this with a prior conversation that Noah and Eve had where Eve told me to get her water because I was the maid. Noah, vehemently, defended my position in the family as "mom". Eve finally relented and had to ask politely for assistance. Back to Thursday...Eve asked me something and I sarcastically asked, "Oh, I thought I was 'The Maid'?"

Eve replied, "You're THE MOM!"

Noah said, "You were demotted."

Mom: "So, being a mom is a demotion?"

Noah: "No...well yes. A maid gets paid."

Warm fuzzies...people...do you feel them?

:::::::::::::::Chad Vader:::::::

Rachel, Noah and I watched a show I found on HULU.com. Chad Vader,Day Shift Manager, is about the brother of Darth Vader. Chad works at the Empire Market, which is a grocery store. Each show is about 5 minutes long and completely nuts. Check it out if you are a sci fi geek.

Off to read.

Comment from Aaron for the day:

Aaron: "Hey, mom. You know I've been kinda of paranoid making Ramen noodles ever since I forgot to put water in the pan and almost burned the house down..." "Good times."

Mom: "Yes, Aaron. I remember."

:::::::::::::Fun with Friends:::::::::

I drove Miss Daisy (mom and Carol) to Suzanne's birthday party at Maggiono's at Ashford Dunwoody. We had a great time talking with everyone and the food was excellent. I loved the fried zucchini we had for an appetizer. I ordered the eggplant parmesan with the side of spaghetti with marinara sauce. No ice issues on the way home, which pleased me greatly.

Mom and I stopped off at the health food store for some avocado oil for Eve's eczema. My friend, Elizabeth, who also happens to be a nurse recommended this as something that would ameliorate Eve's symptoms. All the other creams we tried (and they are most of the brands on the shelf) caused a mild burning sensation. The doctor recommended all-vegetable Crisco. The Crisco was okay, but the avocado oil has no odor and soaks in quickly. It can also be used for cooking...BONUS! The avocado oil has been a great help...not a cure...but a soothing help for our lizardy lady.

::::::::::Snow Day:::::::


Okay, it was LAME on the scale of Snow Days, but the kids had fun with the neighbor kids. I made a ton of hot water and mixed several cups of hot chocolate and popped a mess of popcorn. Here are a couple of photos:

Rachel:


Evey

Smiles!

The kids are preparing the "Ding Dong Cobbler":

It is made with yellow cake mix, Ding Dongs, marshmallows, and hot cocoa mix.



Michael cooks the Cobbler and a Chicken Gumbo concoction:


Eve with one of the ropes:



Eve plays with her shadow:





Aaron belays Rachel and Michael gives some climbing suggestions:



Aaron lets his feet dangle for fun when he gets to the top:



Noah found a handprint his size:


Eve plays on the rocks:


We all think stickbugs are so cool:


I went up on two routes. I didn't top out on the second, but I got pretty close for being so rusty. No photos because Michael was belaying me and the kids were exploring the rock formations.

***The Noahism from the trip:
***edited (Noah was misquoted by me...thanks for reminding me, Michael)
We were sitting in the tent and Noah piped up, "You know those books by that comedian..."Are you sure you're not a redneck"? We all busted out laughing. We told him they were called "You might be a redneck". His matter of fact title just seemed a heck of a lot funnier. I can't remember the point he was trying to make, but this was great for the rest of the day.

******Book Review*****



The voices are distinct for each character. Growing up in the South I hear these voices and their is some familiarity. The voice of Aibleen is one that I particularly enjoy. Kathryn Stockett does help crack the veneer of Southern gentility. There was more than one occasion when I was younger when a relative of mine would be friends with a specific black person, but whisper under their breath that they didn't want a black person to be seated next to them in a restaurant. I always found that odd.
Each of the stories were woven together so well about this community where secrets were kept, while so many people seemed to know everybody elses business. I wanted to hug Aibleen and Louvenia. I wanted to listen to Minny talk about life. I kept wanting Leroy to man up and stop drinking. I wanted Stuart to pour out all of the bourbon. I bristled at the horrors and indignanties that human beings who happened to have a different skin color had to endure by people professing to be morally, spiritually and mentally superior. Her message of mutual respect is one that, unfortunately, needs to be retold.

p.s. the story about the word Crisco is priceless.

Later, gators!

My sister, Katherine, called me last week and asked if I would make a topsy turvy cake for her daughter, Jessica's, 21st birthday. I said sure, so she and my stepmom, Alice, drove up and we shopped for the ingredients. We purchased French Vanilla cake and Strawberry cake mixes. We also got pink petal dust and rose gel coloring to use with the fondant. I mixed up the buttercream frosting for the cakes on Saturday. I put seedless raspberry in the middle of the French Vanilla like I did for the last cake creation. It seems to be popular.
Rachel and Eve wanted to help so they got to apply the luster dust to some of the stars and all of the fondant ball border. I spent the time quite amiably by listening to Pride and Prejudice playing on the television. Rachel wanted to watch it and I love the Kiera Knightly/Matthew McFadden version. It was great reciting lines from the movie while rolling, cutting and applying fondant decorations.
This is Eve helping put petal dust on the dimensional stars:



This one is Rachel putting petal dust on the balled fondant border:




This one is me making the pink bow to go around the top tier:


Rachel requests a slice of cake:


Michael says that it tastes good:

Jessica, Rachel and My sister Tracy:

My funny and cute niece, Haley:

Did I mention funny?

A satisfying outcome and a lot of laughs with my sisters. BTW, Katherine refused to be allow her photograph on the blog. She is beautiful, too. Her story of the homeless man that stopped her in traffic got funnier with each telling. Life is truly an adventure and isn't it lovely that cake is a part of that!

Smiles!

Hey, just been busy doing other things, like everyone else. Michael and I did our own version of Food Network's Challenge. I was volunteered to make a surprise birthday cake for my stepdad's mother's 75th surprise party. The request was a topsy turvy cake covered in fondant. I didn't know how to use fondant, so Michael signed me up for the class at Cake Art. Michael also volunteered himself to help me. The theme idea for the cake came from the many trips that Nancy and Jim take to Tybee Island, Georgia. With Peggie's okay on the theme the many drawings and ideas were put to paper. Here is the finished product:


The lighthouse was created from Rice Krispie Treats (Michael did the whole thing). He also created all the sea stars, sand dollars and horseshoe crabs from fondant. I did the middle tier from Devil's Food cake, then covered the layers in Chocolate Ganache. I did the bottom layer in French Vanilla cake filled with seedless Raspberry's and iced with buttercream. To create the effect of waves we tinted and rolled out the fondant in blue, created ripples, then Michael took an offset spatula and used white royal icing to create the white caps.





This is a layout of Michael breaking into song. It was quite late at night:






I finally create a couple of layouts of my final class project from Cake Art:




::::::::::Book Reviews::::::::::
I've been reading a lot for my book club and just for my own enjoyment. Here are a few reviews.

The State of Jones (This one just interested me)


A fascinating look at the lives of a group of Jones county Unionists who initially fight for the Confederacy due to conscription. The people had voted for remaining with the Union, but underpressure, their representative voted to seceed. The resentment of this fact and the belief that everyone is equal in the site of God kept Newton Knight fighting for the Union. Fighting from the woods and swamps, while trying to avoid the Rebel army and the dogs they used to hunt men down made for years of separation from family and friends. The separation wasn't complete, though. Newton fell in love with a slave who was owned by one of his family members who believed in slavery. He goes own to have childred with her and has both a white and black family. He ends up feeling more comfortable with his family with Rachel. She ends up converting to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because of their beliefs of families being together after this life. Newton doesn't convert, but doesn't stop Rachel either.

The history of the Civil War from the perspective of a Southerner who never wanted to secede and didn't believe in slavery is a compelling read. Mans inhumanity to each other is boundless. Newton Knight stood against those who would enslave others for their own enrichment and base desires. A sad, yet fascinating read

***

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Book Club)


Flavia de Luce is a chemistry loving 11 year-old with a bit of macabre since of humor. She lives with an aloof, philatilest father, one vain sister and the other with who loves books. a cook who isn't a very good at it, and a the kindly, but shell shocked gardner named Dodger. The book has great tidbits about poisons and their antidotes, as well as, some history on the Penny Black stamp. The book was an interesting mystery and I look forward to the next in the series.

His next book is available for pre-order at Amazon. The title is: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Hand
***

Lost Christianities (Another just because I wanted to read it books).


Another well researched work by Bart Ehrman. Fascinating book.

***
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society (Book Club)


An enthusiastic thumbs up! I am fond of characters that you find in small villages. There is so much quirky, yet lovable goings on in such places. This book reminds me of the characters from one of my favorite television shows, "The Vicar of Dibley". You quite quickly come to care about the people in Guernsey along with the main character, Juliet. I also love history, so learning about what the Channel islanders had to deal with during the German occupation was of keen interest. I really like the literary device of using letters, so the authors' writing style worked for me, as well.



:::::::::::::Yearbook:::::::

I've been working on the yearbook for the kids' elementary school again. The kids call me "Eve's mom!", "Hey, your Noah's mom", or "You're the Yearbook Lady!" I love having the SLR. I'm going with quantity of photos to get the diamonds in the rough. Kids move fast! It was fun to take pictures for "Crazy Hat Day" and the Wildlife Wonders show. The lunchroom ladies even smile at me now. I was able to strong arm the school's custodian to send me her photo for winning the county honors for her excellent work. She is a super lady, but hates to have her photo taken. I have been tinkering with the layouts and learning some of the new software offerings.

::::::::::::::Room Mom:::::::

I'm also one of the Room Moms for Evey's class. The other mom, Kathy B., is so cool. We will be working with Eve's class for the Fall fun centers. Kathy is doing a game like the one the used to play on The Bozo Show with the ping pong balls and the buckets. I will be working with the kids to put their handprints on some aprons with the date. Another mom will be helping the kids put together apple foam frames with photos that Kathy will be printing. We even have some things ready for the Christmas party. The theme is gingerbread. We will have the kids decorate gingerbread cookies and making foam gingerbread boy/girl ornaments with their photos.

::::::::::::Rain:::::::::

Rain has come to Georgia in abundance. Many neighbors have moderate to severe damage from the rain. We live high enough and on a slab that we had no water damage. The Great Flood of 2009 was the title for what happened at the end of September. My mother and I were in Columbus, Ga. for my Great Uncle Dewey Posey's funeral during the worst of the rain. We were able to make it back safely. The kids will make up the 2 days they missed in February, I think.


:::::::::::::Chorus Performance:::::::



Rachel had her first choral performance for 6th grade. The shirt was wayyyyyyy to big and the shoes I found for her were too small. The poor girl has 4 quad e feet. I bought 5W shoes. I sat in the chair trying to force the shoe on her feet like the guy in Cinderella. We had 30 minutes to exchange the shoes. We ended up buying 6 1/2W. They were a bit too big. I gave her tissue paper to stuff in her heels. She waddled into school with a bit miffed. The performance went well. I carried her on my back to the steps that led to the parking lot. She said she would walk the rest of the way. one of her friends asked her to join her family at Steak and Shake. We asked a couple of more friends. Rachel ended up sitting with Lauren S., Julia B., Brenna M. and Julia's brother, Jack. I enjoyed a chocolate/banana malt. Rachel loves the chili cheese fries. Any excuse for Steak and Shake is a good one.


:::::::::::Halloween Prep.:::::

So far, the kids want to be:

Aaron- Samurai, Rachel- Rubik's Cube, Noah- a molecule, and Eve- a bioluminescent jellyfish.

Well, have a fabulous weekend!

This is one of the things we learned at Dialog in the Dark. Even our guide said he didn't know that one. Michael, Aaron, Rachel and I found the experience amazing. We explored a park, a grocery store, took a boat ride, crossed the street, went to a cafe and sat down for a Q and A...all in pitch black rooms. We were provided with walking sticks. All our belongings, including eye glasses, went into a locker. I found the sounds from tapping things were the most helpful due to the different timbre of various objects. If you get the exhibit in your town give it a whirl.


::::::::::::The Grim Reaper Philosophy::::::

Michael was talking with Rachel and me about how time speeds up when you get older and closer to death. Rachel's response was immediate, and classic, "Sounds like somebody needs a Happy Meal!"



:::::::::::Digital Layouts from Scout Camp:::::::










:::::::::::::A Walk::::::::

I took a walk today and watched what happens when humidity doesn't let the sweat do anything but pool up on your arm. I looked like a white, freckly, wet tarp. Yeah, me!

I did get to listen to some great podcasts from Brian Dunning's Skeptoid site. I was really impressed by the one about Sarah Palin and others. The title is "Sarah Palin is Not Stupid". He talks about avoiding ad hominem attacks when people don't agree with your view, instead be polite and present your evidence. Otherwise, you just come off looking like a petty jerk. Really thoughtful piece.

:::::::::::::Cake Art numero Tres:::

I'm looking forward to my class tomorrow.

Later, gators!

Michael, Rachel and I watched the movie 9 to 5, today. They had never seen it, but it is one of my favorite movies. One of my all time favorite movie lines is, "You're a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot!" The dream scenes of how to kill Mr. Hart are so bizarre. My favorite character is played by Dolly Parton.








::::::::::Back to School Shopping:::::
We are mostly done shopping. The boys were, surprisingly, easy to shop for. The girls are in transitional sizes. Inbetweeners, so to speak. Rachel is being pumped with estrogen and her hips are making fittings hard. She is petite and should fit regular size, but she gets pants high-centered on her hip bones. We decided to skip jeans until the fall.




:::::::::::Sleep Overs and Scout Projects:::::

Aaron had two friends over last night and first thing this morning he had a clean up day at the Scout Hut. He kept falling asleep. After the clean up finished he took a very long nap at granny and grampa's house.

::::::::::Another Layout from the Gulfshores Trip:::



::::::::::Book Review:::::::::



This was a very enlightening book. I found it interesting to know what happens to our bodies after death and the choices available to you for what happens to your body. The author uses spots of humor to alleviate the awkwardness most of us feel when talking about death. I tend to laugh at inappropriate times simply because I'm uncomfortable with the situation. I laugh more when the feelings become more intense, so the tone of this book worked for me.

Mrs. Roach gave information on organ donation, body donation for scientfic research, plastination for display and education, cremation, freeze drying to become organic compost and bodies used for folk medicines. One injury analyst who works with the FAA on some cases gave some interesting information on where it might be safest to sit on a plane. "He says it's mostly common sense. Sit near an emergency exit. Get down low, below the heat and smoke. Hold your breath as long as you can, so you don't cook your lungs and inhale poisonous fumes. ...Prefers window seats because people seated on the aisle are more likely to get beaned with the suitcases that can come crashing through the overhead bin doors in even a fairly mild impact." (p.127)
Men tend to survive because they are stronger and can push others out of the way and make it to the exit doors. The analyst stated that he preferred to fly in First Class whenever he flew.

The author shared the point of view that you should state your wishes to your family, but if they find it too abhorrent, or hard to deal with emotional to let them know they can change your burial plans. They are alive and have to deal with the emotions, but you are not. I'm rather ambivalent. I think I like the organic compost idea. I find that when our pets have passed away we bury them under our favorite tree. It is nice and shady and the kids can play and climb on the other side. I would like to be parted out, if there is any usable stuff, first. I'm all for the idea that if I'm not going to be using it it might help someone else.

I thought this book was well written and add just the right bit of levity to something that will affect all of us at some time.


:::::::::::::::Volunteered:::::::::

I have been volunteered for a project that is coming up the first week in October. To try to be ready for this event, Michael drove me to Cake Art so I could sign up for Cake Art III. I will be learning to use fondant. I will also be learning how to make tiered cakes. The class starts in 2 days. The same instructor for my first 2 class will be doing this one. She is pretty cool. I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques.

:::::::::::::::Fundraiser for Scleroderma Research::::::

I was very excited that I got to fill in for my mom at the fundraiser in memory of Kathleen Basile. I sat with Jim's family, the Towheys. They are such a hoot. Kathleen's family put together an amazing evening of entertainment, food and prizes. I participated in the Silent Auction and won tickets for "Dialogue in the Dark".Dialogue in the Dark. Here is a blurb from the site, "DIALOG IN THE DARK’S visually impaired guides lead visitors on a journey through a series of darkened galleries created to replicate everyday experiences. Without familiar sight clues, visitors learn to “see” in a completely new way with their non-visual senses." Michael, Aaron, Rachel and I are going.
The Basiles have decided to make this fundraiser into an annual event. There will be options for people to golf at Chateau Elan, purchase dinner tickets, raffle tickets and participate in the Silent Auction. Keep your radars onfor this one.