New Orleans!

I've finally found where Cody & I will spend some days volunteering in New Orleans.

lowernine.org

Check them out and donate to them if you feel the desire, they sure do need it!

We will be going down for a few days during his spring break from high school. His break is a couple weeks off from the rest of the kids. I'm hoping that next year when Graham is at the same high school I will go with Cody & Graham.

I am still planning on what other things we will do while down there - first on the list is driving by the home where my family lived when I was born. We moved two weeks after I was born, so I don't recall it at all. The group that we will volunteer for also do some sight-seeing with volunteers. They have some guides, etc.

Baby, it is COLD out there!

I just have to post that it is -14 degrees out today.

That is really cold! The wind chill is something you don't even want to figure out.

Luckily we don't have any plans for the day, sounds like a good day to stay inside and make soup!

Shack Nasty

This is an invite to a party we have not been able to attend the last few years we have been up here.

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10, 8, -1, 3, 10...these are the highs, without wind chill, forecasted for the next 5 days. At these temps, the Shack Nasty Disorder reaches the spinal canal and brain stem...it's gonna get scary out there among the nasty...make your reservations for treatment now...before its too late (its 25% sold out)...before you become one of them (you know, like those freaky tweaked humans Will Smith battled in I am Legend).

The 6th Annual Shack Nasty Costume Ball
Starts
March 1, 2008 at 8:00 pm CT
Ends
March 2, 2008 at 2:00 am CT
Location
Varsity Theatre
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Hosted By Minnesota Department Of Mentalists
Dedicated to eradicating winter-induced churlishness since 2003.
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Doesn't it sound like a good party to attend? We are really going to try and attend this year.

Here are a couple pics I took yesterday as the boys came home from school. I got my camera working my laptop again!



Seby and Zane in a winter daze.



Cody is shining a laser pointer at Zane's chin. That doesn't sound very good does it?

Argh!

I still can't post pictures. The laptop is back from getting fixed, and it is really great that it isn't running in safe mode anymore, nor does it turn off on it's own. BUT, I can't get it to recognize my camera when I plug it into either of the two USB ports. So, back it will go tomorrow. Must take advantage of the warranty work.

Yoga and Shrubbery Hunting

I did my Day 2 for the daily yoga blog. It was awesome because Erika and I went to a class at a nearby non-profit studio. It is a great space and lovely to do yoga in. It was the biggest class I've been in there. At least 15 people. Usually there are 7-ish. January -- time for busy exercise classes. Well the kids are home from school, so I guess this is the only posting.

Oh, I have pics of Graham & Sam collecting large branches for the set of A Midnight Summers Dream. Graham is playing Francis Flute. My computer is ready at the fix-it shop, so if I pick it up tonight I might be able to post some pics!!!!

Back from Chi-Town

Still no pics. My laptop is STILL at the shop, needs a new logic board, or something. Still under warranty so I don't care what it is they need to do if I don't have to pay. The part is backordered thru Mac. Cody's laptop went in also and I can't believe all the stuff they replaced, also under warranty. He got a new keyboard and all the outer plastic - they said it was so dirty. I wouldn't think that is a good enough reason to replace it, I didn't even ask - but we will take it.

Chicago was more fun than I thought it would be.

It was good to meet all the tenants and get everyone on a lease, and even up the rent a bit. We haven't been raising rents for the last few years - don't ask me why, I really don't know. It was good to attempt to take control of this beast. I do think it would be much easier to have a rental building in Minneapolis/St. Paul - but I'm begining to think we should wait and see how this goes. It is so close to go for a weekend, and fun to catch up with friends and family.

Thanks to all who hosted me in their home for the shelter and the food!

I (finally) started the daily yoga blog thing my mom and sisters are doing. http://woyopracmo.ning.com/profile/Michelle

Yoga is something I really need to do for my MS. It seems more so in winter. And since I stopped taking my western meds I need to stay on top of the alternative ones that work. Of course no wheat/gluten is another.

Well I must go do my Day One of yoga, but I've posted now and nobody can yell at me for taking too long to post!

i can't post without pictures

sorry dear sister, that i haven't posted. it is hard for me to post without any pictures to share. i feel much better, i think my cure was going to the chiro and acupuncturist yesterday. the chiro did this pressure point stuff in my mouth/jaw/ears, then she did this crazy adjustment to my neck. of course as she is doing it i'm thinking, how does she know she won't choke me? i followed that up with jalla (the amazing acupuncturist) doing an amazing lymph massage with essential oil and then the usual needles. she did some extra ones in my foot that were related to the sinus crap. well, it all did the trick. during both treatments i could feel the congestion moving around, several hours later while making dinner the nose started running. more than you really wanted to know, huh? this morning i am so clear it is shocking to me.

my laptop is at the fix-it shop. along with cody's who has had a weird problem with this "h" key. he mentioned it months ago, but it wasn't until Slade and I both used his laptop that we knew how bad of problem it is. i explained to cody that he shouldn't put up with it acting that way, unless of course it costs too much to fix. we will see.

so, no laptop will mean no posting for many more days. some people will just have to live with that. i promise to post again after I return from Chicago.

i'm going to Chi-Town tomorrow to do some apartment stuff. Slade & I (and his mother) own an apartment building that needs some attention. i have ignored it long enough (we bought it right after zane was born). at the time i recall telling my darling husband that if he bought it i wanted to have nothing to do with it, not even my name on one piece of paper. just having our fourth child i felt it was the last thing we needed in our lives. he kept telling me someday i'd feel differently about it. well i guess that time has arrived. now i feel perfectly happy to have to deal with it, mainly because i get a week-end in chicago. so, yes slade you are right, i do appreciate it. we bought in a not so great area that has become quite hip - so it will be fun to see what neighborhood changes have taken place.

so, since i'm on graham's laptop i had to scrounge around to find some pics from him. aren't i lucky i didn't come across anything i'd be upset by? he is 13 after all. but no, just these:


(christmas money from clip clop and papa)

Christmas Eve

Here are some thoughts to go with all these photos (so many days later!)

Christmas Eve 2007

The kids were home and were so excited they were kind of bouncing around. They kept asking about the rituals that we have done for the holidays, going over everything they could think of again and again, asking the same questions, again and again.

Can we open a present because it is Christmas Eve? Yes.

Can we pick the present? No.

When can we open the present? When Dad gets home.

Same questions every year, same answers every year.

When they weren't thinking of the present they get to open, they are double and triple checking about our plans.

Who is coming over?
When are they coming?
What are we having for dinner?

Well Slade worked a half-day and picked up Phil who had flown in for a few days from Chi-town. Auntie Jill & Asher were coming, and Erika. Erika came over in the early afternoon to help make the meal. We made boudin (the traditional chicken-veal sausage), some kind of red-meat roast thing, Erika made an amazing mushroom sauce that we had with polenta, and other stuff i can't remember. Jill arrived with so many hors d'oeuvres we couldn't even put them all out. She gave us this amazing dessert wine that was amazing. We had it every night after that until it was finished. Just a few days. Yummy.

the kids were thrilled to open Rock Band as their combined x-mas eve present. actually we needed to give zane a present to open because he couldn't do the rock band. the kids really wanted slade and i to the the rock band with them and it took until this past weekend for us to do that. it was really fun actually. our first song slade was lead singer, i was bass, graham guitar, cody drums. then we switched a few times. the drums was the hardest for me. luckily the songs are all very good. maybe some of you don't know what Rock Band is? It is a "game" that is played with their Xbox. It is two guitars, drums, mircophone, You are your own band. It is really fun to hear people do the lead singing. Slade was really rockin'.

We had a great x-mas eve spent with Phil & Jill, who we have spent many holiday meals with, but not many in recent years. It was nice to add Erika to our holiday time! We were so thrilled to have Phil come up and spend a few days with us during this time. it was also great for me not to go to mid-night mass. jesus and i aren't the best of friends.

slade and i were happy that we didn't have any elaborate toys to set up before going to bed, and when we turned on the tv to fold the clothes that were piled high on the bed - Miracle on 34th Street was just starting. it took almost the whole movie to get everything folded (but not put away). it is one of my favorite holiday movies, and i love watching a good movie late at night, so a perfect ending to the day.