we had to cut our cable TV down to the "Family Package."  The "Family Package" is pretty horrible, but we are stuck in a contract until February, when i will gleefully call Direct TV and cancel my service.

gleefully.

i have been trying to talk DH into a "no cable, just netflix" scenario.  it isn't going all that well, and to be honest, since i am VERY lonely while he works nights, i would probably go a little bonkers if i didn't have The Weather Channel.  i like the weather channel.  yes, i know that is lame, but i do.  he also says i don't watch enough movies.

ha!  yes i do!

well, okay, i kinda watch.  i have a short-movie-attention-span.  i like "kid length" movies.  once we start pushing past an hour fifteen, i am getting bored and antsy.  there are a few exceptions to this, but usually this holds true.  and right when i am usually reaching my limit, is when the Big  Explosive Car Chase or Final Ultimate Fight Scene just starts.  at this point, if i were a toddler, i would probably do that thing where you sliiiiiiiide out of your seat like you have no bones.  but i am NOT a toddler.  so i just sigh and eye roll and make comments, which we all know is MUCH more mature.

in any case, these are the movies i have watched recently, and what i thought of them:

Vantage Point - i watched this alone, as i just happened across it on one of the Starz channels.  it was okay.  i can't say i love the way they did it, but it was a little different, and that was nice.  i hate when characters i like are bad guys.  got antsy about half-way thru, so multi-tasked by playing on the Sonlight Forums while watching.

Star Trek - (you know, the one with Sylar as Spock?)  liked it.  liked it IN SPITE OF the time travel aspect.  i hate time travel, it never makes sense.  i chose to not think about it.  every time my mind started to try to piece together the time travel issues, i told my mind forcefully to be quiet.  wish it had NOT had the stupid scene with the green alien (i know why they did it, but still...) because then i think ds11 could have enjoyed it too.

Elf - i have avoided this movie, since i can not stand Will Ferrall.  But this movie was cute, and will go into the Christmas rotation in coming years.

Doubt - i had fully planned on hating this movie.  annoyingly, i did not.

Angels & Demons - did i mention i hate when characters i like are bad guys?  (i almost feel like i am dooming them.  i always feel the same way with books - if i like a character, i figure he must be bad, or going to die.  )  this movie was...well....i don't know what it was.  not quite boring.  not quite good.  just kinda there.  (eye roll to the "are you anti-catholic" lines....)

2012 - Very Cheesy Disaster Movie.  however, i love disaster movies.

New Moon - this could have gone longer, and i would not have gotten antsy at all.  Much better than Twilight, and much truer to the book.  but my goodness, the movies are not kind to Edward.  and what?  did Jasper have more than 3 lines?  LAME!!  and....what did they do to Rosalie HAIR?  and why were the trailers different than the movie?  okay, so there are issues, but it is Twilight, so it gets a pass.  fair?  nope.  but it's my blog.

Two articles about the same subject:

One from a Catholic site

and

One from a secular source

it is about the Anglican-Roman Communion.  and some good news on unity.

but now i wonder....

since Anglican priests will be able to be married...

and Eastern Rite Catholic priests are already allowed to be married...

will this mean that the Latin rite will also begin to allow married men into the priesthood?  since it is a little "t" tradition to begin with, and since other rites within the church allow it, i just wonder if a celibate priesthood is going to (or should?) continue in the Latin rite...

We got a dog!

She's a beauty!

We rescued her from a local shelter.  We are all getting settled.  She's a good dog.

She is a mix breed, but is mostly Basenji.  She's just about a year old.

Basenji's are an ancient breed of dog, originating in Africa.  They were a favorite of the Egyptian Pharaoh's, and there are statues and art picturing them that date back thousands of years. They are also one of the very few natural breeds of dog - the breed was not designed or manipulated by humans.

Like I mentioned, our dog is a mix, so she does occasionally let out a single, strange  bark (pure basenji's are a barkless dog - although NOT mute by any means.  check out this video to see what a purebred basenji sounds like!  it is crazy!)

We also started training lessons on Saturday - and we will be doing that for the next 8 weeks.  Even our highly-skitterish-with-animals son with autism has really taken to her.

If the last few days are any indication, she is going to be one spoiled pup.

Although it still feels like Summer outside, Labor Day has passed and school is in session at The Whimsical Academy!

Beginning of the New School Year pictures- this year that includes 5^th grade DragonBoy and a 2^nd grade FaerieGirl – then I can head on over to Homeschool Buyers Co-op to get a Free Student ID for each of them.

Then - School Cones! Technically, this German tradition, called Schultuten, is for children entering Kindergarten and/or First Grade.  Cones can be any size - I have seen huge ones and tiny ones - and are filled with school supplies, candy, or any other little treasures your child might like.   My children just love this tradition and look forward to it each year, so I see no reason not to keep on doing it! They especially liked their books - Fairies from A to Z and Bionicles! (...okay, I especially liked their books, they especially liked the candy...)

This year, they also got special handwork tools – a lucet, a knitting spool, and a "learn to knit" kit. Dad began teaching DragonBoy how the lucet works – and making a bunch of really neat cords and bracelets for me in the process.

We also hung up our Weather Tree. There are 365 leaves on this tree (thank you, Dad, for tracing it all out for us!!!) and each day a leaf is colored a different hue reflecting that day's weather. At the end of a year, children can easily see the change of weather through the seasons.

After the crazy summer, filled with laughter, tears – and a Wedding! – the simple rhythm of our school days is a welcome relief.

a little online community i am a part of has experienced such deep sorrow recently, worsened now as a third family has just lost a child.

please, pray for those who are hurting, and hug your own children tight.

...the required What-We-Are-Doing-For-School-This-Year-Post.

i have been trying to write it for a few days. but i am also waiting on a box to show up, so i can include pictures...

yeah, i know, 'excuses, excuses...'

your little swash-bucklers might like this, mine sure did!

Pirate Cootie Catcher

i love Autumn.

i love the colors - the warm, earthy golds and reds...

i love the food - pumpkins, butternut squash, cranberries.....(and the hallowe'en candy, that is always a plus!)

and, with September just around the corner, i had foolishly started thinking about Fall - started playing with our weekly menus in my head, thinking about hot and hearty soups, etc.

and then, it was 110 (yes one-hundred-ten) degrees here today.

guess we'll be eating cold sandwiches awhile longer...

i can "officially" start talking about it in just 12 days!

hooray!!!

Official Start of the Holiday Grand Plan is Sunday, August 30th.