The Library Shelf

WHAT? Two posts in one day? I'm bored........ Not really. I don't get bored. I'm just taking a break from cleaning and working (yes, on the weekend). AND, I haven't posted here since last month and that's just not right.

I finished reading "Amazing Grace" by Danielle Steel last night. It's written in typical Danielle Steel fashion. (I never noticed before that she ends a lot of sentences with prepositions, and she has several misplaced modifiers. Hmmmmm....she'd better speak to her proofreader about that. - Can you tell that DD and I have been working on Grammar lately?)

Anyway, this is the story about what happens in the lives of 4 people who were at the same benefit concert during an earthquake. They all now share the unique bond of those who go through a catastrophic event together. It follows each of them through the year that follows the quake, through their triumphs and struggles.

A nice, easy read.

The Grand Performance

F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.
That's how DD's 1st concert performing with the Community Band was last Sunday afternoon. Fabulous!

It was held in the theater at the local high school. They played everything from Beethoven to Glenn Miller. And, they were GOOD!!!!! It was like going to the philharmonic or the symphony (only without the string section). They even got standing ovations. It's a long way from Mary Had A Little Lamb that was played at the Elementary and Middle School band concert held last year. That's For Sure!

And, at intermission, there was all sorts of goodies (cookies, brownies, etc.). YUMMY!

Now, the band is taking a 3 week break from rehearsals, and DD is beyond SAD. She had to turn in her music after the concert. She has been going through the music that she has here, and she says it's all WAY TOO EASY. She is counting the days until she gets to go to band again and get the new songs that they will be playing for the summer concert in June.

The Library Shelf

I just finished reading "Mother Warriors" by Jenny McCarthy. (What? You're in the middle of moving and you've got time to read? Hey....I've ALWAYS got time to read.)

Anyway......From the front jacket cover, "When Jenny McCarthy's son was diagnosed with autism, she refused to give in without a fight." This book tells a bit about her journey to help save her son and "how she ultimately healed him through an intense combination of behavioral therapy, diet, supplements, and other biomedical interventions."

The book also shares the stories of several other parents who navigated through many therapies and roadblocks to heal their children.

The stories that are shared indicate that these children all became autistic after receiving well-child vaccines (most from MMR and Chicken Pox). I had no idea! It seems that babies/toddlers which are given vaccines when they are already sick, have weak immune systems or other factors that their little bodies can't fight the live viruses that are in the vaccines, many times become autistic. These parents (and doctors) are saying that vaccines CAN trigger autism. It could be preventable if babies and children were tested BEFORE they were given their shots. WOW!

So, this book brings to light two things: Autism might very well be preventable (in a lot of cases) AND many children can be healed from autism instead of left as having "no hope at a normal life". Very interesting read as there seems to be an epidemic of autism diagnoses among this country's young people.

It is a very inspiring book and shows just what determination can accomplish when the whole world is telling you "it can't be done".

On the moving front.....DD and I packed up the last load, swept out the garage and drove down the gravel driveway for the last time today at noon. We're finished! (On that end anyway). We went for shakes at Jack in the Box to celebrate!

Hanging Mini Blinds

That's exactly how I felt when DD and I were hanging mini blinds this morning!

You see, there is this 72" window in the bedroom of the old house that had broken mini-blinds that needed to be replaced so that I can get my full deposit back. I didn't want the landlady charging me $100 when I knew that I could get them for less than $25 and do it myself. Well, I thought I could do it myself. Why not? How hard could it be?

DD and I took off the old blinds. Took off the old brackets because wouldn't you know it they were a different size than the new ones. So, we put up the new brackets. Dropped the little screws I think about 8 times! Go up and down the stepladder to retrieve the screws. Try to put up the new mini-blinds. Try to open the new mini-blinds. Crash! Down they came. Try again, and again, and again. OK, when all else fails, let's read the directions. Hey, I always read the directions, but I tried to win it this time. WRONG MOVE! Read the directions. Moved the brackets to where they were SUPPOSED to be hung. Snapped the new mini-blinds in place and VOILA! They actually look like a professional did the job.

OK......now onto the vertical blinds in the dining room.......Actually, after the bedroom mini-blinds, the vertical blinds were a piece of cake except that they were 104" long! And, I'm only 5 foot nothing!

Oh, and we took out the trusty glue gun and glued a knob back on the closet door. Secret weapon that glue gun of mine! Shhhh.....don't tell the landlady.

So, yes, we are still moving. It takes a LONG time when you move all the boxes in a Chevy Malibu trunk. I think we have two more loads and then we'll be done. And, it's a good thing because DD's teenage attitude is beginning to show.

P.S. Because I know that at least one person that is related to me is going to ask if that is Bently....No, it's not.....I don't know whose cat that is. I "borrowed" the picture from Google Images. (It's not our window either.)

Oh What Fun!

Wanna help?

We've been moving. We didn't ACTUALLY move the house, but it sure did feel like it last Saturday as DS and I carried furniture up the stairs to our new home.

We're still moving boxes from the old house and still need to finish cleaning there too. Hopefully, we'll be all done by this time next week so we can start concentrating on setting up our new nest.

Don't forget to watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition this Sunday to see the episode that we saw being taped.

A New Dress

What are two girls supposed to do on a cold Valentine's Day? Sew a new dress of course. DD and I spent the afternoon making a dress for her to wear to her upcoming band concert next month. We took a T-shirt with some smocking on the front bodice that she already had. We bought some print fabric a couple weeks ago - it has little music notes and instruments all over it - CUTE! She normally wouldn't pick black and white because she hates black, but for band concerts everyone must wear black and white so she had no choice in the matter.

Then, using a pattern from youcanmakethis.com (LOVE that site!), we put this dress together lickety split. (I have no idea why she has that strange look on her face like her lips are superglued together. Or, why the dress is looking sorta potato sackish. It's probably the way she is standing. I guess we need some modeling practice. The dress really is cute in person.)

Here's the fabric up close:

Now, we have to get some new shoes!

It's Snowing! It's Snowing!

Well, it's actually stopped snowing now. But it was snowing all morning. We got about 3 or 4 inches of the white, fluffy stuff. Not much for some people, but for here - that's alot. DD has been out sledding with a trashcan lid for hours. She's thrilled!