Save your brain!!! Run...it's a Movie Bomb

O.K. So I think we may have rented this one out of curiosity, but this time curiosity did kill the cat! The "movie" (if you can call it that) was Cloverfield. If you liked the Blair Witch Project, then you will probably like this one. Otherwise, I would suggest skipping it and save yourself some brain cells. We actually watched the whole movie in rapid play, hoping that it would improve. No such luck. We even watched the deleted scenes and commentaries hoping for some kind of redemption. Still no luck.

So, you ask what the movie was about? In a nutsheel, there was a going away party for one guy and during the party this monster attacks New York City (think of a bad version of Godzilla with a new monster). Of course there is mass evacuation and a group of the party goers had to go back to save a friend. And, in Blair Witch tradition, the entire film is from the perspective of the one running around and holding the camera. If you have to know the ending, ask me or rent it (you've been warned!). I don't want to ruin it for you.

Trogdor strikes again...

After some wonderful missionaries introduced our children to Home Star Runner and Strong Bad E-mail, they have been obsessed with Trogdor "The Burninator". The obsession has finally evolved into full fledged tattoos.

The mural:

The artist:

Good-bye March, Hello April!!!

Here is what happened on March 26th:

This is what is left as of April 1st:

(No joke here!)

And the sidewalks are finally clear:

Check out Judd's Handlebar!!!

I am quite proud of Judd for continuing with this process. He started back around Thanksgiving of 2007. I admit there was a few growing pains, but it has paid off in the end. I know not everyone likes the facial hair on their man (or anyone for that matter), but I love it! You just need to get past that 3 or 4 day prickly stage.

I'm dreaming of a white Easter???

Yesterday - virtually no snow left, roads were clear, my gardens were showing, and the grass almost looked like it wanted to be green.

Today:

Five Inches!! (At least we didn't get the 12 inches that Sisseton, SD, received!?!)

O.K. It is only March. But it is not nice for Mother Nature to tease us like that. I guess the Easter Bunny will need to cancel the outdoor Easter Egg Hunt this year....

Hanna's Ice Show

Hanna has taken skating lessons this year (passing level 1 & 2) and decided she wanted to be in the Moorhead Ice Show. I don't know the final count, but there had to be over 125 skaters involved, with 59 of them in the advanced levels. The guest skaters were Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig. He is originally from Moorhead and they are ranked 5th in the nation - very fun to watch. The theme was "Shop Till You Drop" and she was a Bubble from Bed Bath & Beyond. Unfortunately, from where we were sitting, she started out behind the older girl in the red dress. From there on out we were able to see her whole performance. They combined her group with one of the advanced level skaters - you'll see her at the end.

The sound of cold?

There is a sound that cold makes. O.K. - there are many sounds that cold makes. The way your vehicle door creaks when you open it so you can start it and get it warmed up. The loud popping and cracking that the frame of your house makes as the temperature outside drops out the bottom. The way sounds travel on the extremely crisp air. The lack of sound because it is too cold for much of anything to function. I don't think that I have ever heard noises from heat that are so depressing for some people. For me, the sounds are just an indication that I need to turn up the thermostat or put on another layer...

You can breath now.

I think we may have survived. I am thanking all of you who held your breath for your support. I hereby relinquish you of your duty. I, however, am going to continue the constant vigil and keep holding mine for a few more days. Again - "Thank You" to you all.

Hold your breath-really, I mean it.

I am holding my breath and hoping your efforts will help. We had another one get sick last night. I hope it is not a picture of things to come... I also think my previous petition for a change in the rules needs to have its efforts redoubled.

Let it snow...let it snow...let it snow???

With the recent 4-6 inches of white stuff that landed on our area of the world, Judd has been busy helping others move it around a little bit. This is a little piece of Judd's world. (Since he works outside pretty much every day in the winter, this isn't the first time we've seen him like this...)

P.S. This is only condensation that has become frozen ice on his beard.

Making Scriptures

Our latest Family Home Evening lesson was given by Hanna and was about our favorite scriptures. Our treat was to make our own "scriptures". Rice Krispie bars were the base, and we used frosting, sprinkles, and gummy ropes to decorate them. The kids, Judd, and I had a great time, as you can see...

Hungry for the scriptures, Judd?

...and it happened...

I got sick. Not as bad as everyone else, but enough to incapacitate me for a day and a half. So now that I am feeling better, I am dealing with the aftermath of the house. We have all been busy and/or sick and not much was done around here. It's a good thing that the kids are off of school the rest of the week and they can help out. Now...back to the house.

That's it, I quit!

Now Brigit and Cooter (the dog) have been sick. I have gone a whole week with only 3 days rest from washing bedding. There is something seriously wrong with that! I think the only reason I got the 3 days is because Judd was sick for two of those and in true Judd form he didn't get it as bad as the rest. Cooter's illness was because she got out of the fence for a few hours last week, and I'm sure she got into something. So, logic says that I am the next one to get sick, but I know that won't happen because I am The Mom. Mom's can't aford to get sick and it doesn't fit into my schedule either. As far as washing the bedding goes - I quit! .... for now.

Winter in Minnesota

Brigit spent most of her time outside trying to do what she likes to do in the summer - sidewalk chalk. After a few tries and being only mildly successful at getting anything to appear, she decided to go and help Hanna and Xander with their snow fort....after a quick and very short ride on her trike...

When it came to the snow fort, there wasn't much for snow - at least anything that would stick together. They resorted to the hard packed snow chunks that the plow pushes up. It has been just too cold to get any good snow this year. We haven't even been able to build a snowman without creating the snowball on the spot instead of rolling it around. Needless to say, since there wasn't much in the lines of progress with this method, the snow fort project has been postponed ... until the next outing or the next sticky snowfall, whichever comes first.

And the bottom drops out...

At the end of last week, the Risdal children were revolting. They all lost their hearing and then thought it would be fun to push every one of Mom and Dad's buttons. A confession: We have been lax on the chores since school started, thinking they needed to concentrate on their school work. The TV and computer times have been watched, but not very closely.

Now they have a chore or two to do every day before they use any of their TV or computer time. They each have an hour a day, with chances to earn more time. O.K., it sounds a bit like prison. However, there has been a significant reduction in the amount of whining and complaining when they are asked to do something (yea!) They are also learning to budget their time. This is a skill I hope they learn to master sooner than later. Life only gets busier.

By the way, the jobs are to vacuum and sweep various parts of the house over the course of the week. They need to pick up the room so they can do their job. Thus, the house is staying pretty picked up!

Laundry...check...

Horray! We have gone three nights in a row with nobody getting sick! Hey, after four nights in a row, I feel I have the right to celebrate. The upside - come laundry day (Wednesday) I only had three loads to do instead of the usual 5-6. Pretty cool.

Candid Shots & Consequenses

This is what you get when the kids want to take picutres. Thank goodness for digital cameras! At least we get an idea of who the culprits are - no denying a picture (at least until they figure out photo shop).

After their "photo session", the camera mysteriously ended up broken. To their benefit, it was fixed. However, there is now a strict set of limits as to who can operate any of the electronics in the house.

Just one more...

I want to thank Patti for inspiring me to blog - a.k.a. ramble, encourage, vent, babble, share, inspire, brag, whine, chat, complain, motivate, wander, jabber, etc. Hopefully this will help cure (or at least subside) the cabin fever!!

Inaugural Posting!!!

After the last three days (and looking at a fourth) of washing bedding from sick people, I feel the need to follow in the footsteps of many others and share our joys and miserys with you. O.K. - so maybe I just want to vent. I think there should be some kind of alarm that goes off telling you that someone is going to be sick. You can then at least put them to bed in the bathtub, since that's where they'll end up anyway! Argh!!! Anyway, the bedding calls and I want to finish setting this up before I get up to my elbows in crud......