The Life of Mrs. Miles

download

Gee Louise! (see, now you got ME saying it, Beans!) You folks are just amazing. Mind-blowing. Do you know that over 1800 of you visited me over the past two days? Thats like ½ the entire population of the community I live in. I'm exhausted just thinking about it! I'm flabbergasted – I think I am, erm, let me just check the meaning of that word, as I often SAY I'm it, but now I better be sure. Can't lead you all astray. Hmmm... lookin... yep, 'pears I am for the dictionary says it means 1. As if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise, and 2. Overcome with amazement. Not only this, it 'pears I'm also boggled, bowled over, dumbfounded, dumbstricken, stupified and thunderstruck. Fanks everybuddy!

layout by blog reader Senati

(who requested this overlay specifically for this project)

Thanks for sharing Sen, and what a beautiful moment to celebrate!

Having a great visit with my folkses so far – course they've only been here for 8 hours or so, so if we hadn't been to this point it would mean a looooong road ahead. Actually, my In-folks are the most amazing. I would even feel ashamed to know in-law jokes as truly they were cut out of an entirely different mold! Is there something wrong with us, or what? We have such different interests, for instance, they are techno-phobic in the third degree – the closest they will ever come to using a computer is to use the microwave, and they watch a LOT of tv. See, polar opposites. I guess its because we both have one same interest – my husband, their son. I love them soooo much for all the time and love they invested in this wonderful man who shares my life, and I'm sure they completely appreciate that we have a great marriage, they see this girl taking care of their precious. That can cover a lot of distance between us, and the rest is just details.

should I open a florist shoppe? or Not!

I bought a beautiful and unique vase at the thrift store on Tuesday, and I was eager to create my own fall centerpiece from flowers and dried plants from right were we live. I forayed out into the fields and chose what I thougth would go good together in a big bunch. You must know, I've never done this before and I was not exactly sure what I was doing. I had a bit of that green floral sponge stuff that I picked up three yard-sale saturdays ago and so I put that inside the vase, then, after soaking it well, I began to randomly stick blossoms and greenery in here and there. It came together pretty nicely, I think, what do you think? I know it's definately not up to a florists standard, but it doesn't look half bad gracing my table! (and sure a lot cheaper, too!) (oh, and Martha Stewart won't be calling on my for my talents, snicker!)

Well the students are back at the Learning Centres and so my husband is away. This would usually be a completely sad and wierd time for me – after us being together 24-7 over the summer, that is unless Mom and Dad were not here to fill that gap somewhat. Are you like me, when fall hits it seems like we ALL should be going back to school? I still can feel the excitement of having Brand New Clothes to wear (in a family of 8 kids this was a Big Deal) and new school supplies and going into a New Grade. I long to recapture that feeling of having a fresh, clean slate and to begin to learn new things. THIS year I would get better grades. It was sort of like a New Years for kids!

Well, I'm seriously thinking of taking some more courses at the Centre. I'd love to take a course on Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw. Are you taking courses? Would you take some courses if they were Free, you could do them at your own pace, and they were online? Well good news to you, my friends, as CNET has just that. Its very powerful, you can subscribe to the courses you want. You will recieve emails letting you know about new courses as they come along too. I've been looking over the photo courses and they look very helpful. But thats not all, they have all sorts of courses, including one on Vista Basics. Click here to enrol!

I found two interesting sites to share with you as well. I love Google Earth and Maps sites, and these are two more. The first is a Daylight map, so it shows you what parts of the world are currently in night or daylight – gosh as I'm prewriting this blog entry I'm in light, and You're in dark, Kim B! Hard to imagine, really! Just check it out by clicking here.

The other neat site, linked from this one allows you to see the clouds – right where you are. You KNOW how I love clouds. Last night as Mom and I had just started out on a walk we saw a cloud that looked just like a cat... I quickly scampered into the house to get the camera, but by the time I got back he was 'sans' ears and looked vaguely like a fish. See your own weather from above! The view at right is a mosaic of satellite cloud images taken within the past 3 hours. To see the clouds above you, click here.

Do you need a good excuse to celebrate an otherwise boring 'ol day? Well, I can't gaurantee that there's a Whacky reason for each and every one, but there are some Whacky days in the near future. For instance, how 'bout Comic Book Day, Good Neighbor Day, Name Your Car Day or Late for Something Day? How do I know these are Whacky Days? Why, I go to Crosscards and they tell me it's that day, AND they provide neat e-cards to share that day with my friends! Why not send your friends and family a way to celebrate in a way out way! Just click here to view these fun (and many other wonderful types of) cards!

Its the time of year to be careful of bears, they're out and about, intent on filling themselves up for a long winter's sleep. Make sure you don't leave any 'incredible' edibles out to tempt them. I watched an article on the news yesterday about a small community here in BC where the bears are actually brave enough to break into homes! Have you ever wondered why bears rub themselves on trees, other than assuming they all have itchy backs? Well, turns out there is probably a good scientific explaination for this! To find out more, just click here.

I thought this was an interesting site to share with you – it's put together by South Florida Catering and this is what it's about:

“I was thinking recently as I watched some of these "lifestyles of the rich and famous" type shows, what would really be the ultimate in extravagant, unnecessary opulent indulgence? After some thought, (maybe because I was hungry) I put together the "The Most Expensive Days Worth of Food Possible"

Got your curiousity piqued? Just click here to find out how they do it!

And speaking of food, its so beautiful to look out over our valley this time of the year. The apple trees groan under their rich bounty of fruit and the vineyards are laden lavishly with grapes. It's a time of harvest, and a time to be reminded how God provides for us.

You crown the year with your bounty,

and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the desert overflow;

the hills are clothed with gladness.

The meadows are covered with flocks

and the valleys are mantled with grain;

they shout for joy and sing.

Psalm 65:11-13

Song of birds and hum of bees,
Fragrant blossom on the trees,
Promise of a harvest fair,
Apple, cherry, plum and pear
Ripened by the Summer Sun,
Abundance there for everyone;
Earth's countless gifts are everywhere,
Enough and more for all to share.

By Dorothy M. Loughran

***

make your OWN comim strip- just go to

www.ComicStripGenerator.com

A cute couple of farming jokes to share with you:

On a rural road a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?"

To which the farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"

A very zealous soul-winning young preacher recently came upon a farmer working in his field. Being concerned about the farmer's soul the preacher asked the man, "Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord my good man?"

Not even looking at the preacher and continuing his work the farmer replied, "Naw, these are soybeans."

"You don't understand," said the preacher. "Are you a Christian?"

With the same amount of interest as his previous answer the farmer said, "Nope my name is Jones. You must be lookin for Jim Christian. He lives a mile south of here."

The young determined preacher tried again asking the farmer, "Are you lost?"

"Naw! I've lived here all my life," answered the farmer.

"Are you prepared for the resurrection?" the frustrated preacher asked.

This caught the farmer's attention and he asked, "When's it gonna be?"

Thinking he had accomplished something the young preacher replied, "It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day."

Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping his brow, the farmer remarked, "Well, don't mention it to my wife. She don't get out much and she'll wanna go all three days."

***

I just stumbled on a nice FREE online magazine you can subscribe to. It's called Notebook and it's filled with some wonderful articles, ideas and recipes. To sign up, just click here.

***

Today in History:

1522 - Juan Sebastian Del Cano completed the first circumnavigation of the world.

1666 - The Great Fire of London ended after destroying much of the city in a conflagration that began on September 2. Ninety-seven churches burned to the ground, including St Paul's Cathedral.

1813 - The nickname "Uncle Sam" was first used as a symbolic reference to the United States in an editorial in the Troy Post of New York.

1819 - The lathe was patented by Thomas Blanchard of Middlebury, Connecticut. Blanchard said he invented it for manufacturing gun stocks. The lathe did the work of 13 operators.

1837 - Oberlin College, Ohio, which had been the first United States college to accept women, became also the first college to grant equal status to both sexes. Mary Hosford, Mary Fletcher Kellogg, Elizabeth Smith Prall, and Caroline Mary Rudd were accepted into regular courses with 30 men, beginning coeducation at the college level.

1869 - The first major coal mine disaster in the US occurred at Avondale mine, Pennsylvania, when a fire broke out in a mine shaft, cutting off the miners' escape route and their only source of air. The death toll was 110 miners, a number of them young boys. Recovery of all the bodies was possible only three days after the disaster.

1901 - United States President William McKinley was shot and mortally wounded by Leon Czolgosz while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Czolgosz, a Polish citizen associated with the Anarchist movement, fired two shots at the president as he greeted the public. He died eight days later. McKinley was the third US president to be assassinated.

1937 - On Victor Records, Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded "Sugar Foot Stomp". The song was arranged by Fletcher Henderson.

1958 - On "The Ed Sullivan Show," Georgia Gibbs sang "The Hula-Hoop Song". It gave the first national exposure to the Hula-Hoop craze. Many people covered the song in recordings to capitalize on the trend, including Teresa Brewer and Betty Johnson.

1959 - The Mattel Toy Corporation sold the first Barbie Doll. The original Barbie and her friends; which were not produced in 1959, Ken and Skipper, are now collectors items.

75 - Glen Campbell hit #1 "Billboard's" pop music chart with the song "Rhinestone Cowboy".

1984 - Ernest Tubb, country music star, died at age 70. Tubb was from Crisp, Texas and was called the "Texas Troubadour". He styled his technique after Jimmie Rodgers. Tubb recorded "I’m Walking the Floor Over You" of which he sold over three million copies. "Blue Christmas", "I Love You Because", "Missing In Action" and "Thanks a Lot" were also made famous by Tubb. He recorded with artists as diverse as The Andrews Sisters, Loretta Lynn and Red Foley recorded with Tubb. "The Legend and the Legacy", his 1979 album, was a top-ten hit. Since 1943, Tubb was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and in 1965, was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales', funeral at Westminster Abbey was a historic event, with several touching moments. People were sobbing and throwing flowers as the funeral cortege wound through London's streets. Diana's sons walked behind her casket with their heads bowed. During his oration at the funeral, Diana’s brother, took aim at the media, who he said made the princess “the most hunted person of the modern age.” Elton John sang a rewritten version of his song "Candle in the Wind" to “England’s rose”. Origianally the song was a tribute to film legend Marilyn Monroe, whose life, like Diana’s, ended at the age of 36.

fly away, little seed!

Barb's Handy Tip #305

A Fun Time-Waster...

I keep finding new little features of this game... I think so far I've found twelve different things it can do, and wasted several valuable hours doing so...

Feed The Head