Lawn Mower Blues...

This comic reminds me of the trouble with our current lawn mower. In late April we bought a new lawn mower and the big seller was that it had an electric start. Yes, the allure of "turn the key and go" was a powerful one for us. Anyway, it started 4 or 5 times and then would not start again (through the electric starter). We charged the battery and changed the fuse. The fuse worked for one more and then it blew that fuse too! Finally we took the mower back to Kearney to be fixed. The "repair shop" (to save face of the business) told us that maybe it would be done in a week. This is very very frustrating to me becaue I just want my mower back and working! (Comic from Yahoo News - Comics)

Drunk Pelicans, Really?

This article from LA states that the pelicans are being held on the grounds of being drunk!

Today I Learned to Juggle!

Today I was at a workshop called Quantum Learning. The presenter was talking to us about Delta, Theta, Alpha, and Beta brain waves. He was explaining dendrites and how learning is a process. yadda yadda yadda... Anyway, to demonstrate the point of learning being a process, he announced that we were all going to learn to juggle. I thought this meant juggle tasks, but it meant PHYSICALLY JUGGLE OBJECTS! He passed out sets of 3 scarves to each of us and then told us step by step how to do it! By the end of the day, I was juggling. I admit that it was rather rough around the edges and I will need lots more practice to get it right. Nonetheless, I actually did it.

Take Home Chef

Have you seen this show on TLC??? I love it! This chef (Curtis Stone) approaches someone on a grocery store, offers to make dinner for them and their loved ones, buys the groceries, goes back to their place, and makes a meal. Well, a few days ago I saw a recipe for what he called "baked pudding" but the website calls it chocolate fondant. It is like a chocolate cake that when you cut into it, fudge runs out (akin to the Triple Chocolate Meltdown one you can get at Applebee's). When I read the recipe, you mix the batter, pour it in, and bake. So, from where does the fudge come? Is the fudge just uncooked batter in the middle? I am really confused on the science of this dish. I am gonna try it, though and see how it works. I had the volcano cake at Applebee's and LOVED it! If you like chocolate, this is a recipe for you! (You can checkout the recipe here courtesy of TLC)

Talking on the Radio

I have a strong disinterest in radio talk shows. I feel that if I wanted to listen to people talk, I would watch tv, call someone, or go back to school. However, if I turn on the radio, to keep my mind occupied, I am looking for music. Today I had to drive 50 miles north and most of the entire drive was TALKING. I can handle a half an hour or so, if it is something I am interested in, but that is my limit. I purposely kept the radio tuned to see if it would get music going. Growl. I heard a total of one musical selection and the rest was boring conversation between the 2 hosts of the show. Does this bother anyone else or is it just me?

Piggy Bank Pinching

Here is an article from Australia about parents who steal money from the piggy banks of their children! Interesting. I bet this isn't a new trend, though. I am sure parents all around the world have done this on occassion when they need a quarter or something. However, this article states that the parents regularly dip into the child's bank to buy things like bread! Is this really typical?

My Gym Nemesis

Today at the gym was my gym nemesis (term courtesy of Kris). We all have a gym nemesis, you know it's that person that gets to every machine before you do and then if you happen to be next to each other (like on the tredmills), the gym nemesis is constantly trying to outdo you. You speed up, she speeds up, you add more incline, she adds even more incline (Actually, I think I was the one trying to keep up, but I was failing and thus found myself even more frustrated!) Anyway, everytime I went to the next part of my rotation, there she was, running faster, pumping more weight, pushing harder. And the all the while NOT EVEN BREAKING A SWEAT! I, on the other hand, had a red face and sweat marks on my shirt. There she was, working out in her make-up and her fancy schmancy gym clothes making me feel like a sweaty pig. Oh well...Til Tomorrow My Gym Nemesis!

Chimney Rock

Last week we were happy to have family here to visit. The main reason they made the trek out here was to re-roof our garage. (Thanks Todd, it looks GREAT!) Anyway, as part of their visit here, we traveled west to see Chimney Rock and Scottsbluff National Monument. These national oddities are a sight to see. I tried to capture them in photos for you to see here. On the way to our destination, we ran into one of the famous Nebraska storms. As we reached Chimney Rock, the storm had subsided, the clouds were clearing, and it was sunset. It was beautiful! Chimney Rock was important to the pioneers because it was a landmark that signified that they were still headed the right way. There is a museum and an old grave yard to visit. It truly is a wonder to see.















Then, Sunday Morning was GORGEOUS. You can see the clear blue skies that often grace our Nebraska sky. Scottsbluff Monument is another important landmark to the travelers as they passed on to the west. As travelers passed by, many of them carved their names into the rock along with the year. It is also the site of Mitchell Pass where the 2 mile wide wagon trail had to converge to single file to pass through.

Personality Test

I took a personality test today...here are my results!

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||||| 46% Stability |||||||||||| 46% Orderliness |||||||||||||||||| 73% Accommodation |||||||||||||| 56% Interdependence |||||||||||| 43% Intellectual |||||||||||||| 56% Mystical |||| 16% Artistic |||| 16% Religious |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Hedonism || 10% Materialism |||||||||| 36% Narcissism |||||||||| 36% Adventurousness |||||| 23% Work ethic |||||||||||||||| 70% Self absorbed |||||| 23% Conflict seeking |||||| 30% Need to dominate |||||||||||||||||| 76% Romantic |||||||||||||||||| 76% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 70% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth |||||| 30% Dependency |||||| 23% Change averse |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||| 70% Individuality || 10% Sexuality |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Peter pan complex |||||| 30% Physical security |||||||||||||||| 70% Physical Fitness |||| 17% Histrionic |||||| 30% Paranoia |||||||||| 36% Vanity |||| 16% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||||||| 76% Female cliche |||||| 30%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Well, there you go. It says I am overly organized but gets along with others fairly easilly. I think that is true of me (Frances).

link courtesy of Becca

Garter Snakes -1 Frances -5

Something I really enjoy doing is lawn work, namely mowing the lawn. There is something about the straight, clean lines and the smell of a freshly mowed lawn....it entrances me. When Drew and I moved into our current home, we became aware of the pronounced "snake problem" in the neighborhood. We found a nest in the corner of our garage and immediately had to deal with the snakes. (Well, Drew dealt with them!) Then, last summer I was mowing and I saw the grand-daddy of all Garter snakes (At least, that was what it looked like to me.) and I decided I needed to run over the snake. As I closed my eyes and hurriedly mowed over, I heard the distinct sound of a snake hitting the inside of the mower. *Thwump* (Come on, you all know that sound!) Then I felt something hit my hair. I put my hand on my head, only to realize snake bits had gone flying and landed on me! I let go of the lawn mower and sped inside to remove all the snake bits from my hair. From that moment one, I declared war on the Garter snakes in my lawn. I hadn't seen many this summer, until yesterday. I saw 6, got 5. One lucky snake got away to the safety of the neighbor's fence. Until next time, Mr. Snake.

Fifth Grade Freak-Out!

I (Frances) am making the move from kindergarten to fifth grade next year. I have been teaching in the same classroom, in the same school, for 7 years now. Next year, I will be transferring to another grade level and today I had a FREAK OUT SESSION! I began looking at the materials, curriculum, and the testing and at first, I was okay. As the pages kept turning, I began to question my ability to do this! Crazy thoughts started to parade through my mind such as "Fifth graders are bigger than me!", "Fifth graders have body odor!", and "Fifth graders have to learn mathematical functions!" Then, I realized that a challenge awaits me in August. I am always up for a challenge and I am confident that I'll be okay. Freak-Out session is now over and I can move on.

And We're Off!

So many of our family and friends have joined the blogging world that it seemed inevitable, so here we are. Welcome to our site!