WFMW: The Sock Basket: Part II

I'm a bit... unconventional when it comes to housework, and I come by it honestly: I am my mother's daughter. My mother is the unashamed originator of the sock basket concept within our family, and I improved upon the idea, as outlined in my WFMW: The Sock Solution of three weeks ago. So when I had someone ask, "Where do you keep your sock basket?" I knew futher explanation might be required.

Now, I am very fortunate to have a large laundry room- in fact, it was a prerequisite for us during the Great House Hunt a few years ago. Inside my laundry room, my wonderful husband built lots of shelves for me, which I have filled with baskets, boxes and containers, because I'm a little obsessive about baskets, boxes and containers... But that's a post for another day. Anyway, part of the Sock Plan is that we now have one large sock basket, into which I throw all the kids socks. It worked great... until the boys found out it was much easier to pull the basket off the shelf and dump it onto the floor before getting their socks.

As an aside, I need to explain that my sweet grandmother from Tennessee passed down more than her quirky sense of humor, thyroid problems and Angel Biscuit recipe: we got her all-purpose exclamations of shock and/or disgust too. Choose one, depending upon the circumstance at hand:

a) Well, I'll Swahnee!
b) For Pete's Sake!
c) So help me!
and
d) My Foot!!!

In this case, upon finding the laundry room floor scattered with clean socks, some of which the cat has managed to drag into her litter box, the correct phrase of shock and/or disgust is c) SO HELP ME!!!! And it was in one of those moments that genius struck me:
Yes, I have knotted that basket to the shelf. In three different places. Then I threatened to replace all the boys' white socks with pink and purple socks if I ever see clean socks on the floor again. And that works for me.

A Book Meme

I'm in my annual February Frenzy, and when that happens, one of the first things to go is my blogging. I only have so much mental energy, you know? I really admire people who can keep it going day after day... maybe it's because they're better at small talk than I am. Anyhoo... I thought I could at least redeem myself with a meme. I was tagged by Karen about a million years (or a couple of weeks) ago, and I thought, "How hard can this be??" Here are the rules:

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3. Post the text of the following three sentences.
4. Name the author and book title.
5. Tag three other people to do the same

Since I am surrounded by books almost anywhere I go in my house, step 1 should be easy enough... the problem is which book is actually closest? I choose a book and open to page 123, find the fourth sentence... Ten thousand troops broke and ran; within 10 minutes, half that number were dying, writhing in pain. Yikes! It goes on to describe the chemical warfare (chlorine gas in this case) that was used in WWI. (The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20th Century History by Alan Axelrod) Let's find another book...

Next book, page 123, fourth sentence: The Erythraean Sibyl lived in the town of Erythrae in Ionia (in what is now southwest Turkey). There were many others, such as, for instance, the Egyptian Sibyl. (Sister Wendy's Story of Painting by Sister Wendy Beckett) Ugh.

Things are not looking good here... I am passing up Scholastic Children's Dictionary, US History Little Books Famous People, another history text, War, Peace and All That Jazz, and Sew Any Fabric. And a phone book. Cheating slightly, I grab the top book off the book shelf against the opposite wall and read: George enlisted on his eighteenth birthday, June 12, 1942. "I was a scared, nervous kid," he recalled. He was ordered to report for training in North Carolina two months later. Prescott Bush saw his son off at New York's Penn Station.

Not terribly interesting sentences, but I really enjoyed the book: Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley, about the naval aviators who fought in the Pacific during WWII. Very interesting if you like that sort of thing. I admit it... I am a geek :-).

Maybe you'll have better luck with Janice, Sara, or Lisa.
_______________

American Idol tonight and a school matinee performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tomorrow with the kids!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a big deal in our family... not only because I know my honey loves me (he sent me these flowers while I was at co-op yesterday!), but also because we were blessed with a little girl, a Valentine's baby. Yesterday, she turned twelve.

I love you, Becca-girl!

DONE!

4-H Demonstrations are over!!! Three blue ribbons and only a few minor mishaps. I wish I had pictures to share, but John is in Texas again and I was trying to dash from room to room to see all three kids in their various categories, so... no pictures. We'll get them at Area Competition in March.
And now... I'm going to bed!

Coming Up For Air...

Wow... my brain feels frizzled. I'm coming up for air and a break from 4-H Demonstration prep. I know a lot more than I ever intended to know about polymers and probably not quite enough about computers. I know cool new words like thixotropic and BIOS. Fortunately, Becca's demonstration is on sewing, and that is at least familiar territory. And for better or for worse, this will all be over tomorrow night. Whew!

Bloggityville Newsflash: BooMama and Friends have begun a new Book Club, and the first book is Beth Moore's Get Out of That Pit! Straight Talk About God's Deliverance . You can find more information at BooMama's or at Robin's. That's on my to-read list, so I'm looking forward to some good discussion!

Happy Monday, Ya'll!

Overdrive

The gerbils that turn the wheel of my brain will be running on overdrive the next few days and since I have to conserve brainpower for really important decisions like "chocolate or strawberry" and "do I wear these sweatpants for a third time or do I give in and do some laundry", I have to take a blogging break. The kids have their 4-H demonstration competition on Tuesday night, and this is the least prepared we've ever been (in part because we've been sick non-stop in this house for the last 6 weeks- Ugh!) But on the bright side, when I come up for air again, I'll know more than I ever wanted to know about polymers and the inner workings of my computer (is that a bright side?)

Anyway, in attempt to redeem my blog for the day, I'll share some links we've been using and which the budding science geeks in your family might also enjoy. This first one is a great website for kids all about (you guessed it!) polymers. A professor at the University of Southern Mississippi has created the polymer science learning center and has really done a great job with it. It's a large site, with information, activities and experiments for all ages from elementary school up through college. This second link, "What's Inside a Computer?" is a great starting point if your kids are interested in computer "innards", as we say in the south. It has three different levels of complexity so you can choose a level that suits your child's understanding. Great photos too!

And now, as my oh-so-hip high school students would say, "C U l8er"!

Works For Me Wednesday: Love Edition

This week, Rocks in My Dryer is hosting a special Love Edition of Works for Me Wednesday. I thought I'd share my all-time favorite books on marriage!

1. For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn

Shaunti's book is short enough to read in one sitting, and she offers real insight into the inner workings of your guy! I reread this at least once a year or so. Shaunti and her husband Jeff have also written For Men Only, which I also recommend. They were able to put into words things about women I had never seen in any other "marriage" book, and which I couldn't begin to explain to my husband.

2. Always by Betsy Holt & Mike Yorkey

A collecion of inspiring real-life stories by couples who have struggled through some of the worst things life can throw at a marriage (incompatability, illness, adultery, financial difficulties, the death of a child). I liked these stories because the people in them are real- not the "perfect Christians" you sometimes find in this type of book. Although it has been a long time since I've read this book, I still find myself thinking back on some of these accounts and thinking, "If God can do that, then he can certainly do this!"

3. Becoming One: Emotionally, Spiritually, Sexually by Joe Beam

Hands-down, the best book I've ever read on marriage. Joe goes way beyond "treat your husband with respect" and "give your wife affection". One cornerstone of his advice: "Have Hotter S~x" (sorry... don't want my blog to get visited by those kind of spammers...) Joe rocked the boat on The Today Show last fall with this message (apparently, Christians have a reputation for being fuddy-duddies. Can you imagine?) Check out this article on MSNBC to see what Joe has to say!

4. His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley

It changed our marriage when we read this 13 years ago or so. It's become a "classic" now, and well worth the read!

5. Letters to Karen by Charlie Shedd

This is the first "marriage" book I ever read; I discovered it on the family bookshelf when I was a teen, and adopted it for my own. It's a collection of letters from a father to his daughter as she is preparing for marriage. Oh, it discussed s~x, and a lot of other things as well (but in a way you probably wouldn't mind an older teen reading). It formed a good bit of the foundation for my views of marriage, and helped me know what to look for in a mate (and clearly, it worked! :-) It's still a wonderful read.

What books have had a positive impact on your marriage?

Reason #97 That I Began a Blog

Our homeschool co-op's Pioneer Celebration was in full swing, and everyone was dressed in their finest prairie apparel. My four-year-old son was particularly proud of his faux fur hat with the raccoon tail, just like Daniel Boone's. Upon noticing his fine chapeau, one of the other moms teased: "So, did you have to kill a 'coon to get that hat?" Nathanael gave her a long, perplexed gaze before patiently explaining: "Coons don't wear hats!"

Superbowl XLI

In the interest of recording Very Important Events in Our Family, I need to make note of this one:

Colts Win Super Bowl 29-17

It may never happen again, but today, my Indiana-born husband is a happy man.

Thursday Thirteen #3

I love music! I guess that would be a given, seeing that I was a music major. I enjoy lots of different music and most other people do as well. But I've noticed that a lot of people seem to be intimidated by classical music, like they think they might enjoy it, if they only knew what to listen to. So, for today's Thursday Thirteen (and in honor of the fact that our music fix for the day, children's chorus, was canceled due to the tiny amount of snow we received) here are my personal favorites. Enjoy!

Thirteen Favorite Pieces for the Classically Clueless

1. Symphony No. 6 Pastorale (1808) by Ludwig van Beethoven
A gorgeous symphonic depiction of a walk in the country- including a thunderstorm! My favorite of all the five moments is the fifth- Shepherd's song. You can listen to excerpts of all the movements here.

2. Overture to The Marriage of Figaro (1786) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This overture to Mozart's comic opera is short (4:49), fast and lots of fun!

3. Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) by Modeste Mussorgsky
This musical suite depicts several different drawings and paintings (and rather strange ones, if you ask me) created by Victor Hartmann, a friend of the composer. Each "picture" is a musical depiction of one of Hartmann's works, and the final picture in the suite, The Great Gate of Kiev (excerpt) sends chills down my spine! The suite was originally written for piano, but the orchestral setting by Maurice Ravel is most familiar.

4. Fanfare for the Common Man (1943) by Aaron Copland
This brief piece was commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra during WWII as a musical contribution to the war effort. Copland later remarked, “I sort of remember how I got the idea of writing A Fanfare for the Common Man -- it was the common man, after all, who was doing all the dirty work in the war and the army. He deserved a fanfare.” Scored for a brass ensemble, timpani and percussion, this fanfare gives me a thrill every time I hear it.

5. Prelude to An Afternoon of A Faun (1894) by Claude Debussy
Debussy was the creator of French impressionism in music and this piece gives me the feeling of walking through one of Monet's ethereal landscapes. Debussy's Clair de Lune (Moonlight) is also gorgeous.

6. The Planets (1916) by Gustav Holst
OK, Holst was a little weird and he had a peculiar fascination with astrology, which led to the composition of a suite of 7 works based on the planets (Earth was left out, and Pluto wasn't discovered yet, which, I suppose, is just as well...) Anyway, these pieces are great listening, and Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity is one of my favorite themes of all time. Here's another excerpt, from Mars, The Bringer of War by the Dallas Symphony

7. 1812 Overture (1880) by Peter Tchaikovsky
This unabashedly patriotic piece is often played at 4th of July celebrations across America, which probably leads many Americans to believe that it has something to do with the American War of 1812. In reality, the piece was written to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon's invading armies during the Napoleonic Wars (which eventually ended with Napoleon's defeat by the British at Waterloo). So why is it so popular in America? Because cannons are cool!

8. Trumpet Concerto in E flat (1796) by Franz Joseph Haydn

Because I really like trumpet music. And the classical period. And this is the best of both!

9. Water Music (1717) by George Frederic Handel
Handel is baroque at its best! The Water Music suite was commissioned by the King of England to accompany a ceremonial procession down the River Thames in 1717. Many of the themes will probably sound familiar; #10 Hornpipe is my favorite!

10. Polovtsian Dances (1869) by Alexander Borodin
Borodin was a Russian doctor and scientist who wrote music in his "spare time". Polovtsian Dances comes from a ballet sequence from his opera, Prince Igor. Older people might be familiar with one of the themes because it was made into a Broadway song called Strangers in Paradise. I've loved it ever since we played it for competition in my first year of Middle School Band.

11. Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" (1930) by Howard Hanson
A contemporary American composer, Howard Hanson described himself as a "neo-Romantic", and the themes in this beautiful symphony reflect all the drama and passion of the 19th century Romantic composers

12. Symphony No. 5 in C# Minor (1902) by Gustav Mahler
Mahler had the good fortune to have a name that begins with "M", meaning he often gets paired with Mozart in symphony programs because Mozart and Mahler has such a great ring to it. But I think Mahler is great all by himself! Just listen to this excerpt from the Rondo-Finale...and turn up the volume!

13. Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Major by Johann Sebastian Bach
J.S. Bach, who lived during the baroque period, is arguably the greatest composer in history. The Orchestral Suite No. 3 is one of his most famous works, due to the familiar second movement, nicknamed Air on the G String. Absolutely beautiful.