Turning Blue - - -

Everyone who lives in Indiana and wants to be a true Hoosier is getting excited about turning BLUE this week.

Colts and Super Bowl finally belong in the same sentence.

I have begun my "blueformation". This is just the beginning!!

Never had blue nails before - - - - but I'm sure it will help our COLTS win. (Ignore age spots please. ;-)

Thanks to my "nail lady", April, for helping me go blue!!!

It's My Party, I Can "Star" If I Want To - - - -

"Hi. I'm Mackinley James and today is my first birthday!!"

"Don't forget me - - - I want a bite of that appetizer too!!"

"Hey Lady!!! - - - It's MY birthday, you gonna take my order or what?"

"I like being the center of attention!"

"Hey - - - what's going' on over there?"

"I'll take my lemon straight up!"

Random Party People Poses - - -

My Mommy and Daddy.

My two handsome uncles - - - wonder what they're talking about!!

Uncle Kelly

Mommy, Papoo, and me.

Auntie Korie's here - - - - let the party begin!!

"Why aren't WE having fun yet, and where's our food?"

Auntie Korie and me. "Wake up, Uncle Kyle!!"

Uncle Kelly - - - pretending to be normal. ;-)

My Daddy.

Uncle Kyle waitin' to eat.

"What you talkin' about, Papoo??"

"What you want me to DO with this mouth full of stuff?"

Kelly and Kyle making a "My Space" pose.

Birthday Cake With One Candle - - -

"Oh what I could do with that candle if Auntie Korie would just let go of my hands!!"


"You guys really gonna let me dig into this stuff?"


"Well, Auntie Korie, if you don't want me to BITE your finger, you shouldn't stick it in my mouth with chocolate cake smeared all over it!!"


"This stuff is yummy!!"


"I think I'll try a whole big chunk at once!!!"


"Look ma, dirty hands!!!"

Goin' Home

Hands all washed. Jacket on. Birthday Moose is goin' home!!

How Do You Like Us NOW?!?

WE'RE GOIN' TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!

Gettin' READY!!!

For the AFC championship game!!!


Here's my chair, complete with Turd Furgeson (trout pillow) AND my new COLTS afghan.


And here's me, ready to get INTO my chair!!

I'm getting EXCITED. We can do this!!!!!

GO COLTS!!!

WHEN we go to the Super Bowl - - - I plan to add BLUE HAIR to this "look."

And the Answer Is - - - -

Victory on MLK Day!!!!! (I'm sure all two of my blog fans were waiting on pins and needles for that announcement.)

For those of you who don't know me well, you have NO IDEA what a BIG DEAL this is!!! First time in my entire EXISTENCE that I EVER took down my Christmas decorations AND put them away all in one day.

(AND furthermore - - - its a very rare thing for me to have done it this early in January.)

Speaking of those decorations - - - -

Remember my Christmas Cat?


Well, look who "THINKS" he's the Christmas Cat now - - - - - little Mr. Gomer. I came upstairs and found him perched right in Christmas Cat's spot, only in "reverse image" like a bookend.

Look Who Made Her Debut - - - -

Little Miss Eily Renee Hawk made her FIRST LCS appearance at the girl's basketball game last night. She was precious and adorable and her mom, Michelle, wasn't half bad either. ;-)

(I MISS you Michelle!!)

Time to De-Christmasize!!!

"Oooooo - - - she's really late undecorating," you say.

"Aux contraire, mes amis!!" This is at least two weeks EARLY. And besides that - - - I've got a plan to finish the ENTIRE MONUMENTAL TASK in this one day.


Ready to pack away the tree ornaments. Greg has promised to take down the tree TODAY (if I strip it naked) AND reorganize the furniture. I think that's a DEAL.

Piles, Piles, Everywhere!!

First I collect all the "stuff" in piles.

Nativity and miscellaneous conglomeri piled on the kitchen island.

Kings piled up on the stairs.

Christmas Moose holding down the tapestry/stocking/pillow pile in the computer room.

Next I transport ALL the piles to the computer room. LAST YEAR - - - that's exactly where they stayed until JUNE when school got out.

This year I am DETERMINED to have them all packed away TODAY!!!

Stay tuned for the next installment. Will it be "Victory on MLK Day" or "Confessions of a Harried Science Teacher/Housewife?" CAST YOUR VOTE in the comment section.

Do You Remember The Saying - - -

"There's more than corn in Indiana?"

Well - - - there's also more than Ole in Greg. There's also Ross, as in Bob Ross. Yesterday Ross returned after years of "sabbatical."

Unfortunately my photos do NOT do his work justice. There is much more richness of both color and texture in his paintings than what these pictures indicate.


Mixing paints on his palette with a medium sized brush.


Sketching in details with a tiny brush.


Softening and adding reflections with a large brush.

This technique also uses knives and fan shaped brushes to add texture and detail.

And the Finished Product - - -

"Dinghy Bay"


"Covered Bridge on a Snowy Day" (This is one he painted pre-sabbatical.)

What Was I Worried About???

COLTS ROCK!!!!

Hey pundits - - - - - how do you like us NOW?????????

Got Blue???

Colts Blue.

I've got mine on - - - - #29 Addai jersey.

Yes Deb, I AM nervous about this game.

GO COLTS!!!!

Names

Earlier today I read something on someone's blog about a name. It got me thinking about unusual names.

Well - - - there's KEETHA for starters. I used to think I was the only one in the universe - - - - but lately I've googled my first name and been quite horrified at the results. Perhaps I am not as unique as I formerly thought.

Then there's my mother's family. The names of my mother and her siblings form a poem - - - just by listing them in chronological order. WHO does that??? Did they KNOW they WERE doing it, or was it an after discovery??? MOST of their names are WAY off the charts. Check it out:

Mamma, Papa, Ferol, Aileen,
Vetra, Guida, Doris, Verneen,
Beulah Mae, Clinton,
And Janet Doreen.

It Was Horrible

For all of us who believed Ohio State would win.

Big Fat Chicken - - - - WHAT HAPPENED!!??!!

Last Few "Minutes" of Freedom

Two weeks, two and a half days.

That's how long my Christmas vacation from school was. All I have left of it are tomorrow and Sunday.

Then it will be back to the proverbial grindstone.

I can't even begin to say how much I have enjoyed my freedom. I've had time to read, to sleep in, to watch a plethora of bowl games, and to do what I love best - - - - blog. All that will come to a screeching halt in about 54 hours and 59 minutes. Arghhhhhh!!!

Oh, I will still read - - - a few minutes before I fall asleep each night. I will still blog - - - a few minutes at 4 a.m. and a few more before falling into bed. I'll watch more football, but I will pay the PRICE for it in exhaustion the next day at school.

All good things must come to an end - - - - even Christmas Vacation. But I shall miss it.

For Elisha

I enjoyed seeing your trains so much today, I thought maybe you'd like to see mine.
I only have two - - - and they aren't as big or fancy as yours - - - mine don't even have any tracks!!! But here they are, JUST FOR YOU!!


The first train is a wooden toy which "lives" under my tree every Christmas.

And the second is a little china Christmas Train parked on my coffee table.

Here's What We Can Do - - -

Jaena and I got our blogging heads together this morning to come up with a plan that we could do to help JoEllen now that the triplets have come home.

Here's what we came up with: frozen main dishes and restaurant gift cards.

JoEllen's parents will be traveling to Ohio on Thursday, and they will take the first batch of meals with them then. If you want to participate please contact Jaena or myself and let us know. We will try to ensure there is a variety of types of casseroles/main dishes.

Main Dish Guidelines:

1) Make them in a disposable dish which won't need to be returned.
2) Clearly label on the outside what kind of dish it is.
3) On the label indicate cooking instructions.
4) Either freeze it yourself or get it to us by Wednesday morning.
5) Deliver the finished casserole to Jeana - I don't have a freezer.
6) If you want to participate, but can't make this deadline, we will send another batch later.

Gift Cards:

1) The purpose is to give the Hummels some dining options.
2) You may mail them directly to the Hummels.
3) You may deliver them to Keetha or Jaena and we'll see that they get delivered.