tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11343862576328709912024-03-13T00:08:32.729-05:00AKA JANE RANDOMAKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.comBlogger611125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-84393492530923333092013-04-09T20:02:00.002-05:002013-04-09T20:02:29.186-05:00When in RomeTonight's post is over at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/09/when-in-rome/">http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/09/when-in-rome/</a><br />
<br />AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-40998447911610691882013-04-08T20:46:00.001-05:002013-04-08T20:46:03.845-05:00Preservation Hall...Next TimeTonight's Post is hanging out over a <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/08/preservation-hall-next-time/">http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/08/preservation-hall-next-time/</a><br />
<br />
<br />AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-4622072591446557112013-04-07T21:27:00.000-05:002013-04-07T21:27:03.429-05:00Cypress KneesTonight's post can be found at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/">www.akajanerandom.com</a> or by clicking on this <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/07/cypress-knees/">link!</a>AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-47920972223480554142013-04-05T13:45:00.000-05:002013-04-05T13:45:11.390-05:00Heading to NOLAToday's post can be found at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/05/yes-we-have-to-go-through-tuscaloosa/">http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/04/05/yes-we-have-to-go-through-tuscaloosa/</a><br />
<br />
So, head on over!AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-80321909192297981812013-03-07T22:32:00.002-06:002013-03-07T22:32:10.689-06:00New and ImprovedHey kids! I'm still blogging over at www.akajanerandom.com. So, come on over and read tonight's post. <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/03/07/new-and-improved/">Just click this link!</a>AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-42862025704273801162013-03-06T09:52:00.000-06:002013-03-07T09:53:07.032-06:00Wolf's Coming!I'm blogging at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/">www.akajanerandom.com</a> now! Here is the link to my latest post called <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/03/06/wolfs-coming/">Wolf's Coming. </a>AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-81860829594469457522013-03-05T09:51:00.000-06:002013-03-07T09:51:39.549-06:00What I LearnedMy latest post at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/">AKA Jane Random</a> can be found by clicking the link: <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/03/05/5343/">What I Learned...</a>AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-33184786162064196962013-03-02T09:49:00.000-06:002013-03-07T09:49:59.325-06:00Hot Chocolate HijinksThese days I'm hanging out at www.akajanerandom.com. Here is the link to my latest post: <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/03/02/hot-chocolate-hijinks/">Hot Chocolate Hijinks. </a>AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-81446026886396296232013-02-14T09:48:00.000-06:002013-03-07T09:48:33.335-06:00Sunday Coming SoftlyHi Readers! Stay away! I'm not on this page anymore! Now I'm at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com./">www.akajanerandom.com.</a> My latest post is <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/02/14/sunday-coming-softly/">Sunday Coming Softly. </a><br />AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-16745903289621067332013-02-13T09:46:00.000-06:002013-03-07T09:46:52.691-06:00That Sound!Hey Kids, What are you still doing here? I'm over at <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/">www.akajanerandom.com</a>! Here is the link to my latest post: <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/02/13/that-sound-that-lovely-sound/">That Sound!</a>AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-19160797870885169112013-02-02T19:22:00.002-06:002013-02-02T19:22:11.833-06:00The Season...<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Oh, la, but we've had quite the time this season with our oldest minion.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_8759.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_8759.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5278" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_8759-300x224.jpg" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_8759-300x224.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_8759" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Honestly, At this point I'm at a loss as to what to do with him. James is in the fourth grade and back at the beginning of the winter he decided he wanted to play basketball with his school's team. We weren't super keen on it because we pretty much think that Little League in any form is a gigantic suck of family time but he seemed excited about it so we decided to let him do it. After the first practice we got an e-mail saying that he wasn't good enough to be on the fourth grade team and if he wanted to play he'd need to play with the third grade team. We made the monumentally bad decision to go with that. <a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/11/12/blame-it-on-mr-toad/" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/11/12/blame-it-on-mr-toad/">I blogged about it. </a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Since then, the fourth grade team (the one he wasn't good enough to play on) went on to win the championship and his team went on to lose every game, by, a lot. All this to say that he now feels incredibly alienated from the rest of his classmates who played on the team. Everywhere he looks it's 'Congrats Fourth Graders For Winning the Championship' and the like.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
This is all coupled with the fact that he is having some difficulties amongst his classmates. In December he came home and told me that he was in a club (The Gummymores) with one other person and everyone else was in the other club (The Bananas). I knew then that that was not going to end well. I asked him why the clubs couldn't just join up and be one big club and he said, <em>get this</em>, 'Mom, that would be like walking into Mordor and handing Sauron the ring.' My poor kid. If anything sealed his fate on the fringes that statement did.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Just typical fourth grade stuff but still hard on him. Suffice it to say it's a lot for a shy and socially awkward nine year old to bear.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<em></em>Last week he came up to me and asked if we could cancel his birthday party. <em>Good thing I never got around to sending those invites. </em>He went from wanting to invite every boy in the fourth grade to not being confident enough to invite any.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I don't know...I can't go to school and oversee him making friends. He just has to trudge though this alone. I can't homeschool him. I've got a seven year old that LOVES school. <em>And just between you and me, I've got Math issues - bad ones. </em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<em><br /></em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Two weeks ago I got a babysitter for tomorrow night. The high school team is playing <a data-mce-href="http://randolphschool.net" href="http://randolphschool.net/">my old alma mater </a>and we were excited about going to the game. Then, tonight, I found out the fourth grade team is going to be honored at the basketball game at half time. When James heard that he looked at me and said 'well, that's gonna be awkward.' And then he started to tear up.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3180.png" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3180.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5280" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3180-200x300.png" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3180-200x300.png" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3180" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>"Oooh! James would be mad at you if he knew you were blogging about his business!"</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em><br /></em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
My kid...he needs some wins. And some friends. And some dad gum self confidence. And parents who don't worry about it. But mostly he needs Jesus. As do I.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSCN4704.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSCN4704.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5279" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSCN4704-225x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DSCN4704-225x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSCN4704" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Y'all can pray for us. And feel free to leave some advice.</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-80979424086268463812013-01-25T13:11:00.001-06:002013-01-25T13:11:38.305-06:00The Dreadmill<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Like everyone else in the United States right now I’m freezing. F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G. On a side note, apparently not everyone in the United States is freezing. I know this because my very favorite blogger, <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2013/01/24/the-dreadmill/www.rageagainsttheminivan.com" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">Kristen Howerton, </a>Instagrammed about how it’s a balmy 84 degrees in California right now. So, way to go California. You and your fancy weather.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3359.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5234" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3359-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3359" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em>Not in California.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<em></em>Friday night the temp was holding steady at 24 degrees and I just couldn’t bring myself to run outside. I headed to the apartment’s fitness center and was sorely disappointed. Because, ya know, treadmills, ugh. Number one*, It’s creepy to run on a treadmill alone in a little room. This was compounded by the fact that the TV remote was missing and the only show on was, get this, ‘Serial Killers.’ It wasn’t my finest run.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Since then I’ve been strictly keeping it outside. My brother sent me this quote:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/45968_10151153203656599_2145964686_n.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5238" height="260" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/45968_10151153203656599_2145964686_n-300x260.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="45968_10151153203656599_2145964686_n" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em>Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term** results. </em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
That’s a pretty good quote. Except when I don’t do any better than the day before and then it just kind of makes me mad. ‘<em>Small daily improvements, my booty! I’ll give them a small daily improvement!’ </em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Sometimes I run on the greenway and it’s really pretty.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3364.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5236" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3364-221x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3364" width="221" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It follows a river that’s very peaceful to watch.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3368.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5237" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3368-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3368" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Except when this thing is at the river and then it’s not so peaceful.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
The good news is Billy is always willing to keep her while I run. So, go Billy! When it was so snowy and icy in North Alabama last week I fell while running and busted my elbow. It was really graceful, I’m sure. Yep, really graceful.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
But anything is better than the dreadmill, er, I mean treadmill.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
_____________________________________________________</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
*There is no Number Two because of this: <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/03/13/i-stepped-on-a-rock/" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/03/13/i-stepped-on-a-rock/</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
**Did anyone else know long-term had a dash in it???</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-82626555036971903832013-01-23T15:26:00.002-06:002013-01-23T15:26:14.160-06:00The Shaggy Dog<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
In 1959, Walt Disney pictures produced the…um…’classic’ comedy <em>The Shaggy Dog</em>. You’ve seen it, I’m sure. Tim Allen made some sort of remake a few years ago but I never saw it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
The dog, though, looked something like this:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shaggy_dog-16.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5229" height="241" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shaggy_dog-16-300x241.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="shaggy_dog-16" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Now, I’m no expert on appearances but…dead ringer right?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3322.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5228" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3322-220x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3322" width="220" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Me, circa 1980. Clearly, my gene pool includes some Old English Sheepdog. I mean, I wikipediaed it and here’s what it says about the breed:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<em>The breed standards describe the ideal Old English Sheepdog as <strong>never being nervous or aggressive.</strong> The New Zealand Kennel Club adds that “<strong>they are sometimes couch potatoes” and “may even try to herd children by gently bumping them</strong>.” This breed’s temperament can be described as intelligent, social and adaptable. The American Kennel Club adds that the breed has “a clownish energy” and “may try to herd people or other objects.”<strong>With wide open spaces being the ideal setting f</strong>or an Old English Sheepdog, the breed is a natural fit in a rural setting, such as working on a farm; although, with proper exercise and training, they are perfectly comfortable with a suburban or urban lifestyle. Their remarkable, inherent herding instincts, sense of duty, and sense of property boundaries may be nurtured and encouraged accordingly, or subdued by their owners. Old English Sheepdogs should not be deprived of the company and the warmth of people.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Dude. Never nervous or aggressive, couch potato, herder of children, likes wide open spaces - that’s totally me. At four and at thirty six.</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-78165450560236324212013-01-13T20:40:00.001-06:002013-01-13T20:40:48.609-06:00Oh, Absalom...<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I've been running in the mornings for the past couple weeks. It makes me super appreciative of the people that get up early and do laundry. See, I run through a neighborhood and every few houses I pass smell like lovely piles of clean laundry. The vents shoot out this lovely smell and it energizes me.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
The neighborhood I run in has trees beside the sidewalks and I've quickly learned to duck when I run under them. Otherwise, I'm like...oh, what's that guy's name...Absalom. I'm like stinking Absalom out there if I don't watch it. Absalom - he was the dude in the Bible who rode his horse under a tree and got his hair caught in the branches. The next part of the story involves spears or some such. Either way, the first morning I ran I got my hair stuck in branches twice. The second day the trees stole my toboggan three times. Three times!</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Well, the good news is I'm running farther every day. Those flipping trees just better watch out. Oooh! Ya know what else better watch out? These asinine ads that pop up on free Apps! You can get the app, in our case the game, for free and see ads or you can pay the $2 and see no ads - now usually I get the free app because seeing the ads isn't a big deal...But, nothing will teach you to pay the $1.99 quicker than your seven year old seeing these ridiculous ads:</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_32431.png" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_32431.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5215" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_32431-200x300.png" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_32431-200x300.png" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3243" width="200" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>"Hey, Sexy Girl, Why don't you stay away from my minions."</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
Nothing prepares you for the horrifying sight of this, though:</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3250.png" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3250.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5213" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3250-200x300.png" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3250-200x300.png" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3250" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Catify. See? Almost just as scary as the Match.com ads...</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<img alt="mzl.faikeomg.320x480-75.jpg" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="webkit-fake-url://20FCC119-DDE9-43EB-8B73-B62D25B60238/mzl.faikeomg.320x480-75.jpg" src="webkit-fake-url://20FCC119-DDE9-43EB-8B73-B62D25B60238/mzl.faikeomg.320x480-75.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
And definitely scarier than those trees that try to grab me.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<br /></div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-24385133532613991662013-01-13T20:39:00.002-06:002013-01-13T20:39:37.809-06:00Supper Heroes<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Ya'll! We've got a new restaurant in town and <del style="color: red;">the kids</del> we are all super excited about it. It's called...<em>wait for it...</em>Supper Heroes! And it is actually a super hero themed restaurant.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
When I first heard that a super hero restaurant was opening up I had two thoughts:</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
1) The kids are going to love this</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
2) We need to eat there immediately before it goes out of business.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I hate to be negative, but, think about it, when is the last time you saw a local restaurant actually make it. And don't tell me things like 'well, Gibson's has been open since 1956!' I like the white sauce at Gibson's as much as anyone but I mean, when have you seen a new local restaurant open and then survive. Seriously, why would anyone open a restaurant!?<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2011/03/14/no-you-couldnt/" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2011/03/14/no-you-couldnt/"> It's like rocket science, except it's harder than rocket science. </a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3261.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3261.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5205" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3261-224x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3261-224x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3261" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
So, Supper Heroes. The wait staff all wear super hero tee shirts.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3269.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3269.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5208" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3269-241x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3269-241x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3269" width="241" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
Get it? Batman and Robin. Funny, huh.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3256.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3256.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5201" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3256-300x224.jpg" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3256-300x224.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3256" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
The menu is fun and everything has a funny name. Oooh! And they totally have a Thanksgiving sandwich just like Moe's BBQ except it isn't only served on Thursdays. Although, I wouldn't know how it tastes because I'm doing another round of Whole 30 right now.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3260.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3260.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5204" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3260-224x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3260-224x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3260" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
The walls are covered with comic books and there are super hero movies playing on TV screens. Oh, and REAL superheroes...<em>Wait just a minute! Spell check approved of me combining the words super and hero. Does it have a space? Have I been spelling it wrong this whole time? Hmmm</em>..<em>.</em>eat here!</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3276.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3276.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5209" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3276-183x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3276-183x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3276" width="183" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
This little dude wasn't the only one in costume. His sister Wonder Woman was also in attendance, although she was feeling a little camera shy.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
So, Supper Heroes Restaurant! We approve and will enjoy it while it lasts! 'Cuz ya know it ain't going to.</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-38981368513611670532013-01-03T22:40:00.002-06:002013-01-03T22:40:51.315-06:00Would you like some foam with that...<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
The day after New Year’s Eve it rained like crazy all in North Alabama. We were at my parent’s lake house so we decided to mosey over to my Grandparent’s place in the country to see if the trickle that normally comes down from <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/12/01/no-sock-november/" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">the Craven Hole</a> had turned into a waterfall.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It had.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3214.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5180" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3214-200x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3214" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
The stream that flows away from the little pond was covered in this icky foam.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3213.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5179" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3213-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3213" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It’s a really clean area, no scary Simpsonsesque factories anywhere around, I promise. So what causes it?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3212.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5178" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3212-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3212" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It was spoiling my view. But…it was kinda fun to poke with a stick. Which, really, shouldn’t that be the measure of fun? Can you or can you not poke a stick at it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I googled ‘what makes a stream foamy’ to see if Yahoo Answers might be in the mood to help a girl out. They were. I didn’t actually read the answer though because once I saw the words <em>molecules </em>and <em>surface tension </em>my brain began to glaze over. <a href="http://www.blackdiamondnow.org/2011/03/what-causes-foam-in-streams-and-lakes.html" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">Here’s the answer in case you’ve ever wondered. </a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Speaking of things spoiling my view if I ever see a piece of glitter confetti again it will be too soon. We kept all the nieces and nephews for New Year’s Eve (sans one) and decided to let the kids throw glitter when the ball dropped.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3191.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5181" height="246" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3191-300x246.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3191" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I kid you not, that stinkin’ glitter ended up in every room of the house. Sure, it looked pretty being thrown in the air…</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3195.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5182" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3195-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3195" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
And the kids enjoyed making ‘glitter confetti angels’…</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3198.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5183" height="180" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3198-300x180.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3198" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
But, trying to vacuum all that business up was on my last nerve.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3204.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5185" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3204-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3204" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It was probably on their Momma’s last nerve too when thy got home and tried to wash it or comb it out.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It’s all fun and games ’til someone looks like a extra from a Ke$ha video.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3201.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5184" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_3201-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3201" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
So, foamy streams and glitter: I’m over you both.</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-68298408526355813542013-01-01T10:35:00.002-06:002013-01-01T10:35:10.497-06:00Confusticate...<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
“<em>Twinkle, Twinkle litte star…”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2954.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5163" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2954-226x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2954" width="226" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
“<em>If you don’t go to bed I’m going to lose my mind.” </em>Or something like that. Two nights ago we were in Montana, last night we were in Huntsville, and tonight we are at my parent’s lake house on Smith Lake. She’s a bit confusticated.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Confusticate. That’s my new word. The oldest minion gave me The Hobbit for Christmas and this word was in it:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3175.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5167" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3175-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3175" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
According to the dictionary it’s actually not even a real word. Sooo…awkward. Way to go, Tolkien.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Speaking of awkward…</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3139.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5164" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3139-200x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3139" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I like to call this picture: ‘Yellow Snow’. Or maybe ‘When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go.’ I don’t know. All I know is that three layers of long underwear plus ski pants is a lot for a seven year old. In his defense, there was an outhouse three steps away but a snow drift was blocking it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Oooh! Speaking of confusticating:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3161.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5166" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3161-300x224.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3161" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Apparently in Whitefish, Montana businesses sometimes have to close to do full moon ceremonies. Crazy, huh. I hope fry bread was involved. Montanans make some great fry bread.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Fry Bread…</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3156.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5165" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_3156-300x224.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_3156" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Not confusticating. Not confusticating at all. In fact, it’s flipping brilliant.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Unlike her rendition of Twinkle Twinkle.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2954.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5163" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2954-226x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2954" width="226" /></a></div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-61128880393270318782012-12-27T07:41:00.002-06:002012-12-27T07:41:13.453-06:00Snow Ghosts<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/11/11/4975/" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">Remember when I was all ‘we should move to Montana!’</a> Oh, how the mighty big talkers have fallen. If being in Montana in December has taught me one thing it’s that I completely lack the ability to live permanently in this state.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Y’all…<strong>it’s flippin’ freezing here.</strong> And I don’t mean ‘hmmm, it’s a little chilly out today, I should have worn a jacket.’ No, I mean ‘hmmm, it’s a little chilly out today, if I don’t get inside soon I’m going to literally FREEZE TO DEATH.’</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.whitefishnewsroom.com/blog.php?uid=wnr6C1525FB0375E8D43" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">These are called snow ghosts:</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo10.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5140" height="225" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo10-300x225.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
They are trees layered in snow and frost. The smaller trees curl over at the top and look like candy canes. They look like, well, they look like something you would see in a Dr Seuss book. Or something from a children’s board game.</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; background-image: url(http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/themes/fabric/images/blockquote.png); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 25px 30px 5px 75px;">
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Trebuchet MS'; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
“And then when you get to the white candy cane cane forest roll the dice and pick a card.”</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo11.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5142" height="188" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo11-300x188.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It’s intensely cold and wonderful and beautiful and harsh. Maybe I’m just not used to skiing in the winter. We are spring skiing kinda people. So all this bundling and binding up is new to us. Ya know what I usually ski in? Jeans. I know it’s redneck but it’s comfortable! Now I have three layers on plus my ski pants.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo6.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5134" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo6-300x224.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
We went to Glacier the first day we got here and it was lovely. And cold. Have I mentioned the cold yet?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo3.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5137" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo3-198x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="198" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
The minions don’t mind it as much as I do. They basically have one goal while we are here and that is to <strong>wallow</strong> in the snow as much as possible.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo2.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5136" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo2-199x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="199" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
The lake at the lodge at Whitefish is about to freeze over.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo4.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5141" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo4-199x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="199" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Apparently, as soon as it does they ice skate and play broom ball on it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It’s a strange place, Montana. The sun doesn’t come up until around 8:15 each day. Can you imagine dropping kids off at school in the dark? The good news is that this causes all my late sleepers to sleep even later – which is nice on vacation.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Last night we went on a sleigh ride and honestly the less said about it the better. It was cold. And my youngest was nightmarish and the older two were horsing around and broke an expensive table. People…it was bad. Bad, bad, bad. Oooh! Oooh! And as an added bonus both sets of parents are here to watch us parent ineffectively. Well, it keeps us humble, right?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
For real, Stella never hit the terrible twos and I was just starting to think that we had managed to avoid that stage. And for some reason she decided to begin acting like a…a…a dang neanderthal on this trip. She grunts, throws tantrums, cries anytime she doesn’t get her way…it’s all very troublesome. And by troublesome I mean it makes me want to pull my hair out.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Stella, age 3:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo5.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5143" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo5-199x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="199" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
Serene and sweet</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Stella, age three and three months:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/images.jpeg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5144" height="205" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/images.jpeg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="images" width="245" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
True Story.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Well, at least we are in Montana.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<br /></div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-11865031496238172992012-12-26T20:49:00.003-06:002012-12-26T20:49:57.823-06:00Spongebob Icicles <br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Friday morning we went to my parent’s house for Christmas. We tried to be all family bondy and play board games before the rest of the family got there but my troublesome middle child completely lost his mind and stormed off in a huff when he lost.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Poor Hank…Henry does not like to lose. I mean…DOES.NOT.LIKE.TO.LOSE.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
As usual the only thing to be done when tantrums and tears prevail was to send him to the woods. The woods can cure almost any ailment.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Hey You! Kid! Get thee to hiking!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5123" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo-231x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="231" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em>“Tantrum? What tantrum?”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
We walked up to <a href="http://www.burrittonthemountain.com/" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">Burritt Museum </a>and explored around. There is a cave on one of the trails that is always of much interest to my minions.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo1.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5124" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo1-300x224.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
The opening is just wide enough to squeeze through. I’m sure deep within the cave is buried treasure and gold and what not. Unfortunately outside the cave all I could find was an old Sponge Bob bandaid.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo3.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5126" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo3-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
Darn it. <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2011/04/08/log-cabin/" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">It’s like that dang cheetoe in Arizona.</a> Every time I see trash in the woods I hear my Outward Bound counselor saying ‘leave a place better than you found it’ and I feel this moral obligation to take the trash with me. I saw Spongebob lying there and said ‘Well, I guess you’re coming home with me.’</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
Henry looked at the cave and said “I am not going in there.” I asked him why and his response was simply “Bears.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo4.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5127" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo4-217x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="217" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
I’m pretty sure that no bears live in this neck of the woods but he would not be persuaded.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<em>Oooh! Oooh! I highly recommend hiking with a seven year old boy – especially if you are way out of shape. See the good thing is that curiosity gets the best of them every few minutes and they stop and ask questions. So…you get to rest while you pretend to know the answers to their questions. </em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
He did manage to snag an icicle from the mouth of the cave.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo5.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5128" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo5-217x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="217" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
It made it back home more or less in one piece. You would have thought it was gold the way he came carrying it. And the way he was checking on my progress when I took over carrying it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
And we did make it to the top of the daunting Monte Sano Mountain.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo2.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5125" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo2-241x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="241" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em>“We have conquered the mountain. All 1,621 feet of it. </em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
The moral of the story is don’t play board games with this kid – unless you want to end up carrying icicles and Spongebob bandaids down the mountain.</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-1320614788936759792012-12-10T18:58:00.001-06:002012-12-10T18:58:47.508-06:00Merry Christmas, I Got You a Snake<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Sunday afternoon we had Christmas with my Mom's people. Shrimp, Spinach Dip, Summer Punch - ya know, the usual Christmas fare. The littles were out playing when we began to hear loud shrieks from the front yard. An investigation was clearly neccessary.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2914.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2914.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5098" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2914-231x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2914-231x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2914" width="231" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
What could be behind that shrubbery?</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2917.png" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2917.png"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5099" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2917-300x200.png" height="200" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2917-300x200.png" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2917" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
A snake, that's what! A snake, in December! What's wrong with this picture - well, besides there being a snake in it? I mean, I want to believe that on October 1st snakes pack up their bags and retreat to their little snaky houses where they stay well away from people until May 1st. Thats the deal, snakes! I do not want to see you in December.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2912.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2912.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5096" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2912-225x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2912-225x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2912" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Some preliminary attempts were made to capture the snake.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2913.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2913.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5097" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2913-219x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2913-219x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2913" width="219" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I'm not sure what would have happened if the snake had been captured. Ya know: <em>Merry Christmas, Here's a snake </em>just doesn't really sound right does it? But I guess when it's 70 degrees on December 9th you just gotta take what you can get.</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-6206571280400199212012-12-06T18:59:00.000-06:002012-12-10T18:59:45.335-06:00Santa in the Park<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Saturday night our family had the opportunity to visit Christmas in the Park in Arab. I first learned about Arab City Park during a brief stint living in Arab, Alabama. <em>You should google how it came to be known as Arab, it's actually a fun story. </em>The park is really beautiful with multiple play structures, gazebos, trees, historic buildings and walking trails. It's close to the Arab library so when we were living there we would go most every week. I used to love going to the library, I gotta say though it's way less fun to try and 'shush' a toddler while looking for a book with another baby on my hip. A post library trip to the park was necessary to let the minions blow off steam and caterwaul to their heart's content.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Here are said baby and toddler now:</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFKJThEZN1EHQXPINIYhD7CN_R_jKGsYssDdMDK9GucY1PYMTbO4b-7cKMMe6xfwxYzc5yt47iGuQoJX-h9vB2RNqZgcAxwo2MJFkjggQHZFa1VwoduJQ8ImqwVRg0XpeNiMlRvT9Fk0/s1600/IMG_2715.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFKJThEZN1EHQXPINIYhD7CN_R_jKGsYssDdMDK9GucY1PYMTbO4b-7cKMMe6xfwxYzc5yt47iGuQoJX-h9vB2RNqZgcAxwo2MJFkjggQHZFa1VwoduJQ8ImqwVRg0XpeNiMlRvT9Fk0/s1600/IMG_2715.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFKJThEZN1EHQXPINIYhD7CN_R_jKGsYssDdMDK9GucY1PYMTbO4b-7cKMMe6xfwxYzc5yt47iGuQoJX-h9vB2RNqZgcAxwo2MJFkjggQHZFa1VwoduJQ8ImqwVRg0XpeNiMlRvT9Fk0/s400/IMG_2715.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFKJThEZN1EHQXPINIYhD7CN_R_jKGsYssDdMDK9GucY1PYMTbO4b-7cKMMe6xfwxYzc5yt47iGuQoJX-h9vB2RNqZgcAxwo2MJFkjggQHZFa1VwoduJQ8ImqwVRg0XpeNiMlRvT9Fk0/s400/IMG_2715.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="337" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
You can go on and insert a sappy statement about time passing and little acorns becoming big trees and enjoying them when they are little. Either way the park was always a welcome respite from the super quiet library.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
The Arab City Park is laid out really well. Christmas in the Park and Santa in the Park are put on by the city and private sponsors and is manned by hardworking volunteers.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC8ciwgsPTky1PcoFoi3Y5UWPDM4gD4lrr3ai3YPgEsnoBEQ4xaiOIxN5pC-sPPTBJWTHUds4fWsK0m8RszeBG5avIp6unrUZE9QwQE37ULG5Y_c9uuU98Qytg42UHE9zOmZZy8BzuE4/s1600/IMG_2746.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC8ciwgsPTky1PcoFoi3Y5UWPDM4gD4lrr3ai3YPgEsnoBEQ4xaiOIxN5pC-sPPTBJWTHUds4fWsK0m8RszeBG5avIp6unrUZE9QwQE37ULG5Y_c9uuU98Qytg42UHE9zOmZZy8BzuE4/s1600/IMG_2746.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC8ciwgsPTky1PcoFoi3Y5UWPDM4gD4lrr3ai3YPgEsnoBEQ4xaiOIxN5pC-sPPTBJWTHUds4fWsK0m8RszeBG5avIp6unrUZE9QwQE37ULG5Y_c9uuU98Qytg42UHE9zOmZZy8BzuE4/s400/IMG_2746.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC8ciwgsPTky1PcoFoi3Y5UWPDM4gD4lrr3ai3YPgEsnoBEQ4xaiOIxN5pC-sPPTBJWTHUds4fWsK0m8RszeBG5avIp6unrUZE9QwQE37ULG5Y_c9uuU98Qytg42UHE9zOmZZy8BzuE4/s400/IMG_2746.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="395" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Over two million lights are strung from the trees and throughout the park. The best part is it doesn't cost a dime to walk through the main park area.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx_16TpuzX-pq8vgBU8EKUgC_EFR-2fXyZgrDc5b02j42e8wwIGKUZKOyv_KJ9XI2192AWnz-yLCeJ5KC-qbXJZV7qpoc7L0RUcaB7B_oqujv0sXL5a1tRmR6mWRMFMlMDgkgLRhr0p8/s1600/IMG_2738.JPG" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx_16TpuzX-pq8vgBU8EKUgC_EFR-2fXyZgrDc5b02j42e8wwIGKUZKOyv_KJ9XI2192AWnz-yLCeJ5KC-qbXJZV7qpoc7L0RUcaB7B_oqujv0sXL5a1tRmR6mWRMFMlMDgkgLRhr0p8/s1600/IMG_2738.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx_16TpuzX-pq8vgBU8EKUgC_EFR-2fXyZgrDc5b02j42e8wwIGKUZKOyv_KJ9XI2192AWnz-yLCeJ5KC-qbXJZV7qpoc7L0RUcaB7B_oqujv0sXL5a1tRmR6mWRMFMlMDgkgLRhr0p8/s400/IMG_2738.JPG" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx_16TpuzX-pq8vgBU8EKUgC_EFR-2fXyZgrDc5b02j42e8wwIGKUZKOyv_KJ9XI2192AWnz-yLCeJ5KC-qbXJZV7qpoc7L0RUcaB7B_oqujv0sXL5a1tRmR6mWRMFMlMDgkgLRhr0p8/s400/IMG_2738.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
The kids loved seeing the lights but I was having visions of ditching our minions and spending a nice date night with my husband wandering through the park without them.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgA3U6JOrn0ECi0tXyr9vCr4ncUEaa6qc8k1tQZZbx43TfbClpLCx7SzSma4X53n264yPfIwRekQmitYfbazgbKGyimrY_s9jhNL_o1SJriRQ3lvsACqQFfbBK_J6uINeLmDhB8rt5Tk/s1600/IMG_2712.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgA3U6JOrn0ECi0tXyr9vCr4ncUEaa6qc8k1tQZZbx43TfbClpLCx7SzSma4X53n264yPfIwRekQmitYfbazgbKGyimrY_s9jhNL_o1SJriRQ3lvsACqQFfbBK_J6uINeLmDhB8rt5Tk/s1600/IMG_2712.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgA3U6JOrn0ECi0tXyr9vCr4ncUEaa6qc8k1tQZZbx43TfbClpLCx7SzSma4X53n264yPfIwRekQmitYfbazgbKGyimrY_s9jhNL_o1SJriRQ3lvsACqQFfbBK_J6uINeLmDhB8rt5Tk/s400/IMG_2712.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgA3U6JOrn0ECi0tXyr9vCr4ncUEaa6qc8k1tQZZbx43TfbClpLCx7SzSma4X53n264yPfIwRekQmitYfbazgbKGyimrY_s9jhNL_o1SJriRQ3lvsACqQFfbBK_J6uINeLmDhB8rt5Tk/s400/IMG_2712.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="306" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
"<em>Really, Mom? Ditching us?"</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<em></em>The lights were quite mesmerizing.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK68igvSFeY35L5fZaJDi-hedL5bfQOan8MVZxVDDw0omGpI5PpWiWNvWxVROWswtDdnUCt2XreuagdczA-aTMBVCILI6-cFYCHvI02od738r771VnfRyBjF4paXhyphenhyphen-L1CzeTpRCvkJQ/s1600/IMG_2744.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK68igvSFeY35L5fZaJDi-hedL5bfQOan8MVZxVDDw0omGpI5PpWiWNvWxVROWswtDdnUCt2XreuagdczA-aTMBVCILI6-cFYCHvI02od738r771VnfRyBjF4paXhyphenhyphen-L1CzeTpRCvkJQ/s1600/IMG_2744.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK68igvSFeY35L5fZaJDi-hedL5bfQOan8MVZxVDDw0omGpI5PpWiWNvWxVROWswtDdnUCt2XreuagdczA-aTMBVCILI6-cFYCHvI02od738r771VnfRyBjF4paXhyphenhyphen-L1CzeTpRCvkJQ/s400/IMG_2744.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK68igvSFeY35L5fZaJDi-hedL5bfQOan8MVZxVDDw0omGpI5PpWiWNvWxVROWswtDdnUCt2XreuagdczA-aTMBVCILI6-cFYCHvI02od738r771VnfRyBjF4paXhyphenhyphen-L1CzeTpRCvkJQ/s400/IMG_2744.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="352" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.hsvbg.org/index.php?mainID=4&subID=10&subID2=&type=calendar&viewMoreType=festival&typeID=8" href="http://www.hsvbg.org/index.php?mainID=4&subID=10&subID2=&type=calendar&viewMoreType=festival&typeID=8">The Galaxy of Lights in Huntsville is great</a> but unless you go on a walking night you don't get to get up close and personal with the lights. Christmas in the Park allows you to wander to your heart's content. And I did mention it's free, right?</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhf4vJoKM_h2QYkcwDDQ8dmcH_t3imesUdZ67jZKjfclN-38opKh94Nyw439KZ8wf1s-jQFOyUO3nbtpN2nf308Dr1voOXe9LfgqBWofCyZJfeLAHnifWuLPoRZY7VASXrXpWu2m4o04/s1600/IMG_2789.JPG" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhf4vJoKM_h2QYkcwDDQ8dmcH_t3imesUdZ67jZKjfclN-38opKh94Nyw439KZ8wf1s-jQFOyUO3nbtpN2nf308Dr1voOXe9LfgqBWofCyZJfeLAHnifWuLPoRZY7VASXrXpWu2m4o04/s1600/IMG_2789.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhf4vJoKM_h2QYkcwDDQ8dmcH_t3imesUdZ67jZKjfclN-38opKh94Nyw439KZ8wf1s-jQFOyUO3nbtpN2nf308Dr1voOXe9LfgqBWofCyZJfeLAHnifWuLPoRZY7VASXrXpWu2m4o04/s400/IMG_2789.JPG" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhf4vJoKM_h2QYkcwDDQ8dmcH_t3imesUdZ67jZKjfclN-38opKh94Nyw439KZ8wf1s-jQFOyUO3nbtpN2nf308Dr1voOXe9LfgqBWofCyZJfeLAHnifWuLPoRZY7VASXrXpWu2m4o04/s400/IMG_2789.JPG" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Santa in the Park is a part of Christmas in the Park and isn't free but <strong>IS </strong>totally worth it. It costs a measly $5 to get in and for that you get to decorate a cookie and wander around the Arab Historic Park. There was a blacksmith shop, a grist mill, an old country store, a museum, a building to decorate cookies and make crafts, and of course, Santa's house</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
We watched corn being ground up into 'Reindeer Food' at the grist mill.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy25_O-H0pPqgLGACNhIXvKinS_h2WLG0KeXNILO0tlTmipecjemvYapWrr45xbm4vLIUSlv2fVUo7fef4IjEblyRYx767rtRkxqDLo4vmSxcGhywOzHeffRhhV7A06l5Jotz9vjMRp0Q/s1600/IMG_2753.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy25_O-H0pPqgLGACNhIXvKinS_h2WLG0KeXNILO0tlTmipecjemvYapWrr45xbm4vLIUSlv2fVUo7fef4IjEblyRYx767rtRkxqDLo4vmSxcGhywOzHeffRhhV7A06l5Jotz9vjMRp0Q/s1600/IMG_2753.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy25_O-H0pPqgLGACNhIXvKinS_h2WLG0KeXNILO0tlTmipecjemvYapWrr45xbm4vLIUSlv2fVUo7fef4IjEblyRYx767rtRkxqDLo4vmSxcGhywOzHeffRhhV7A06l5Jotz9vjMRp0Q/s400/IMG_2753.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy25_O-H0pPqgLGACNhIXvKinS_h2WLG0KeXNILO0tlTmipecjemvYapWrr45xbm4vLIUSlv2fVUo7fef4IjEblyRYx767rtRkxqDLo4vmSxcGhywOzHeffRhhV7A06l5Jotz9vjMRp0Q/s400/IMG_2753.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="303" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>Good gravy, is there anything more beautiful than an old person's hands? </em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfQ6K_Hw3rE-wOp6q8zZZxv7T_5o5Uxdmf8SYGBsmUrO9eKljrjjSrkkc2tEZ9nYbgzyHCBn7AigfQFaRwDGfxFkiyQqTj9T1UFaWWBW3CampGorT_MmTC8my7qqX-1NHq12Nne_t19I/s1600/IMG_2754.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfQ6K_Hw3rE-wOp6q8zZZxv7T_5o5Uxdmf8SYGBsmUrO9eKljrjjSrkkc2tEZ9nYbgzyHCBn7AigfQFaRwDGfxFkiyQqTj9T1UFaWWBW3CampGorT_MmTC8my7qqX-1NHq12Nne_t19I/s1600/IMG_2754.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfQ6K_Hw3rE-wOp6q8zZZxv7T_5o5Uxdmf8SYGBsmUrO9eKljrjjSrkkc2tEZ9nYbgzyHCBn7AigfQFaRwDGfxFkiyQqTj9T1UFaWWBW3CampGorT_MmTC8my7qqX-1NHq12Nne_t19I/s400/IMG_2754.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfQ6K_Hw3rE-wOp6q8zZZxv7T_5o5Uxdmf8SYGBsmUrO9eKljrjjSrkkc2tEZ9nYbgzyHCBn7AigfQFaRwDGfxFkiyQqTj9T1UFaWWBW3CampGorT_MmTC8my7qqX-1NHq12Nne_t19I/s400/IMG_2754.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="313" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
It was neat seeing the corn go into the hopper and come out as fine meal on the other side.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUIdho37u-crm5X6y7prCSWjt9n3obj3nGwPoz_w5i2qxGdrfOAkYVW0nCBhdPxlonthSBKE0qZDZ9vXfzJ5qpvVp95fPVLks6OqF-RipjVQ9_wkD-lRPr9J6jjxOeqUAHfdoeWTRYIk/s1600/IMG_2758.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUIdho37u-crm5X6y7prCSWjt9n3obj3nGwPoz_w5i2qxGdrfOAkYVW0nCBhdPxlonthSBKE0qZDZ9vXfzJ5qpvVp95fPVLks6OqF-RipjVQ9_wkD-lRPr9J6jjxOeqUAHfdoeWTRYIk/s1600/IMG_2758.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUIdho37u-crm5X6y7prCSWjt9n3obj3nGwPoz_w5i2qxGdrfOAkYVW0nCBhdPxlonthSBKE0qZDZ9vXfzJ5qpvVp95fPVLks6OqF-RipjVQ9_wkD-lRPr9J6jjxOeqUAHfdoeWTRYIk/s400/IMG_2758.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUIdho37u-crm5X6y7prCSWjt9n3obj3nGwPoz_w5i2qxGdrfOAkYVW0nCBhdPxlonthSBKE0qZDZ9vXfzJ5qpvVp95fPVLks6OqF-RipjVQ9_wkD-lRPr9J6jjxOeqUAHfdoeWTRYIk/s400/IMG_2758.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="337" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Each patron got to take home a little bag of the 'Reindeer Food.'</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXQgnkcQ0Lzb4YGq7abKv49eWFNoPIqZpHG-pIzcjdOj0oP9lRSxMra6NUcchyF5bhIXC9NyRfDxV53TXUxKpNOR4oMRAt4S_LedzlzLczhtPx2k6LGy22oX3E6zc3ota3t6U3Vo14nI/s1600/IMG_2755.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXQgnkcQ0Lzb4YGq7abKv49eWFNoPIqZpHG-pIzcjdOj0oP9lRSxMra6NUcchyF5bhIXC9NyRfDxV53TXUxKpNOR4oMRAt4S_LedzlzLczhtPx2k6LGy22oX3E6zc3ota3t6U3Vo14nI/s1600/IMG_2755.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXQgnkcQ0Lzb4YGq7abKv49eWFNoPIqZpHG-pIzcjdOj0oP9lRSxMra6NUcchyF5bhIXC9NyRfDxV53TXUxKpNOR4oMRAt4S_LedzlzLczhtPx2k6LGy22oX3E6zc3ota3t6U3Vo14nI/s400/IMG_2755.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXQgnkcQ0Lzb4YGq7abKv49eWFNoPIqZpHG-pIzcjdOj0oP9lRSxMra6NUcchyF5bhIXC9NyRfDxV53TXUxKpNOR4oMRAt4S_LedzlzLczhtPx2k6LGy22oX3E6zc3ota3t6U3Vo14nI/s400/IMG_2755.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>Is this the part where I need to admit I photoshopped my kid's hands to make them appear less dirty? It's true. I did.</em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
After we watched the corn being ground we went to the craft house. Some of us were super enthusiastic about making crafts:</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBIJqKWem5-42OoMWZLhmYfhIdn4XfjfqT_F3e0_jMyLKn1BcW3ZVwyktCXOhcbJSyAY9ZBuU2wKFKtiY5i61zBWFPnuIfia65_Rxf_40DKR3mNLwQg5WpZQFAtfUyXD3IYNpybHknTU/s1600/IMG_2764.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBIJqKWem5-42OoMWZLhmYfhIdn4XfjfqT_F3e0_jMyLKn1BcW3ZVwyktCXOhcbJSyAY9ZBuU2wKFKtiY5i61zBWFPnuIfia65_Rxf_40DKR3mNLwQg5WpZQFAtfUyXD3IYNpybHknTU/s1600/IMG_2764.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBIJqKWem5-42OoMWZLhmYfhIdn4XfjfqT_F3e0_jMyLKn1BcW3ZVwyktCXOhcbJSyAY9ZBuU2wKFKtiY5i61zBWFPnuIfia65_Rxf_40DKR3mNLwQg5WpZQFAtfUyXD3IYNpybHknTU/s400/IMG_2764.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBIJqKWem5-42OoMWZLhmYfhIdn4XfjfqT_F3e0_jMyLKn1BcW3ZVwyktCXOhcbJSyAY9ZBuU2wKFKtiY5i61zBWFPnuIfia65_Rxf_40DKR3mNLwQg5WpZQFAtfUyXD3IYNpybHknTU/s400/IMG_2764.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="287" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
Some of us were not:</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq2ics_KLK0DiPEnFJErk1FAuRzBCuoZ2oCdwc5d4nFGasyiozKlIDQ4Z_yDv3nrawJvMi6QUffeF0t6w4OV74RMOrzK63OoC7QNqtn-oFzOuAKP6gqTjEptQLfe35Y9YmFmGau4QxE0/s1600/IMG_2761.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq2ics_KLK0DiPEnFJErk1FAuRzBCuoZ2oCdwc5d4nFGasyiozKlIDQ4Z_yDv3nrawJvMi6QUffeF0t6w4OV74RMOrzK63OoC7QNqtn-oFzOuAKP6gqTjEptQLfe35Y9YmFmGau4QxE0/s1600/IMG_2761.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq2ics_KLK0DiPEnFJErk1FAuRzBCuoZ2oCdwc5d4nFGasyiozKlIDQ4Z_yDv3nrawJvMi6QUffeF0t6w4OV74RMOrzK63OoC7QNqtn-oFzOuAKP6gqTjEptQLfe35Y9YmFmGau4QxE0/s400/IMG_2761.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgq2ics_KLK0DiPEnFJErk1FAuRzBCuoZ2oCdwc5d4nFGasyiozKlIDQ4Z_yDv3nrawJvMi6QUffeF0t6w4OV74RMOrzK63OoC7QNqtn-oFzOuAKP6gqTjEptQLfe35Y9YmFmGau4QxE0/s400/IMG_2761.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="298" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>"I'm makin' it, woman."</em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Next came cookie making...</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqJEJch3w2_mdINh-hs3x11avj-_UsQHd8W8R8ge5lDMYsCNKZZxHwpLhd2gLURLO0_gpnPuDG4oOt-SpIoTQ0oQ9OLX7-b0j3iz3CEk154k2jso_pAQnV5hn70dyIVmGVMdQd2a6w7o/s1600/IMG_2780.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqJEJch3w2_mdINh-hs3x11avj-_UsQHd8W8R8ge5lDMYsCNKZZxHwpLhd2gLURLO0_gpnPuDG4oOt-SpIoTQ0oQ9OLX7-b0j3iz3CEk154k2jso_pAQnV5hn70dyIVmGVMdQd2a6w7o/s1600/IMG_2780.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqJEJch3w2_mdINh-hs3x11avj-_UsQHd8W8R8ge5lDMYsCNKZZxHwpLhd2gLURLO0_gpnPuDG4oOt-SpIoTQ0oQ9OLX7-b0j3iz3CEk154k2jso_pAQnV5hn70dyIVmGVMdQd2a6w7o/s400/IMG_2780.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqJEJch3w2_mdINh-hs3x11avj-_UsQHd8W8R8ge5lDMYsCNKZZxHwpLhd2gLURLO0_gpnPuDG4oOt-SpIoTQ0oQ9OLX7-b0j3iz3CEk154k2jso_pAQnV5hn70dyIVmGVMdQd2a6w7o/s400/IMG_2780.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="331" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
checker playing....</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe6Du7OKC3hNEp9i9Jttm5ST1XJZ9zdhXXxjrU7x8po-izEzMBkLIWhYvBUymA0fmO2XqrLDiFdeNuTytsCd0OjMr5B3Gip8kLiZX78AQQihEM6ZEwyQzYrcLc854qs2ym8cUQDOuO0U/s1600/IMG_2766.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe6Du7OKC3hNEp9i9Jttm5ST1XJZ9zdhXXxjrU7x8po-izEzMBkLIWhYvBUymA0fmO2XqrLDiFdeNuTytsCd0OjMr5B3Gip8kLiZX78AQQihEM6ZEwyQzYrcLc854qs2ym8cUQDOuO0U/s1600/IMG_2766.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe6Du7OKC3hNEp9i9Jttm5ST1XJZ9zdhXXxjrU7x8po-izEzMBkLIWhYvBUymA0fmO2XqrLDiFdeNuTytsCd0OjMr5B3Gip8kLiZX78AQQihEM6ZEwyQzYrcLc854qs2ym8cUQDOuO0U/s400/IMG_2766.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDe6Du7OKC3hNEp9i9Jttm5ST1XJZ9zdhXXxjrU7x8po-izEzMBkLIWhYvBUymA0fmO2XqrLDiFdeNuTytsCd0OjMr5B3Gip8kLiZX78AQQihEM6ZEwyQzYrcLc854qs2ym8cUQDOuO0U/s400/IMG_2766.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="311" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
and last but not least...</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
A visit with Santa!</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlX2yG_0y_NQyrVizTnq33X69GCqFUdrfrC_vG0pIAwrBdqNE-o8fGMtcc_3sJufYmdUR8HBV-tBfhxffSYjZd6mwYKS3WG_ST6-F07HY367U6JQZRTVP8Y33efGU6o8NfZ8PPCGElPU/s1600/IMG_2785.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlX2yG_0y_NQyrVizTnq33X69GCqFUdrfrC_vG0pIAwrBdqNE-o8fGMtcc_3sJufYmdUR8HBV-tBfhxffSYjZd6mwYKS3WG_ST6-F07HY367U6JQZRTVP8Y33efGU6o8NfZ8PPCGElPU/s1600/IMG_2785.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlX2yG_0y_NQyrVizTnq33X69GCqFUdrfrC_vG0pIAwrBdqNE-o8fGMtcc_3sJufYmdUR8HBV-tBfhxffSYjZd6mwYKS3WG_ST6-F07HY367U6JQZRTVP8Y33efGU6o8NfZ8PPCGElPU/s400/IMG_2785.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlX2yG_0y_NQyrVizTnq33X69GCqFUdrfrC_vG0pIAwrBdqNE-o8fGMtcc_3sJufYmdUR8HBV-tBfhxffSYjZd6mwYKS3WG_ST6-F07HY367U6JQZRTVP8Y33efGU6o8NfZ8PPCGElPU/s400/IMG_2785.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="292" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>"and a magic wand and a pony and a surprise and a new washing machine"</em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
That last one might have been mine.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd4K6C2rXh7FjxggIMHOUE9Rm-seP0zC4CjfZ4Xd51WzizKL2H2RKC7ud1swk5seyYKtnSChQoB6JKLLfp7i0BhkergptrFhVrztBo_8krsSBiQx-G_A0j-fJzAJFWNY1y8G0a52xr60/s1600/IMG_2787.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd4K6C2rXh7FjxggIMHOUE9Rm-seP0zC4CjfZ4Xd51WzizKL2H2RKC7ud1swk5seyYKtnSChQoB6JKLLfp7i0BhkergptrFhVrztBo_8krsSBiQx-G_A0j-fJzAJFWNY1y8G0a52xr60/s1600/IMG_2787.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd4K6C2rXh7FjxggIMHOUE9Rm-seP0zC4CjfZ4Xd51WzizKL2H2RKC7ud1swk5seyYKtnSChQoB6JKLLfp7i0BhkergptrFhVrztBo_8krsSBiQx-G_A0j-fJzAJFWNY1y8G0a52xr60/s400/IMG_2787.jpg" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd4K6C2rXh7FjxggIMHOUE9Rm-seP0zC4CjfZ4Xd51WzizKL2H2RKC7ud1swk5seyYKtnSChQoB6JKLLfp7i0BhkergptrFhVrztBo_8krsSBiQx-G_A0j-fJzAJFWNY1y8G0a52xr60/s400/IMG_2787.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="292" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Ya know how at these type events you have to pay the fancy photographer to take the picture? Not here! You use your own camera - so don't forget to bring one.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
And don't forget to go to Santa in the Park in Arab. For $5 per person it's a total Christmas steal!</div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-36271603375016820972012-12-04T19:00:00.000-06:002012-12-10T19:00:44.350-06:00A Love Gift<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Candy Houses...It's just not Christmas without them. Don't even mention decorating them to Billy, though. Due to the Great Candy House Fiasco of 1997 its just not so fun for him anymore. The fiasco involved my incredibly detail oriented/perfectionist grandfather hovering over Billy and I as we shaved millimeters off of chex cereal to meet my Grandfather's standards for hours. Hours, I tell you! He barked out orders while standing directly behind us. It was like he thought those candy houses were going to have demanding little Smurfs living in them; '<em>Yer gettin' off center' 'Move it to the right a millimeter.' </em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/208982_10100874411823561_1023527754_n.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/208982_10100874411823561_1023527754_n.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5079" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/208982_10100874411823561_1023527754_n-300x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/208982_10100874411823561_1023527754_n-300x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="208982_10100874411823561_1023527754_n" width="300" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
"<em>Well, I reckon it's about time to teach these kids how to build an accurately scaled roof."</em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
We hadn't quite started dating yet but my Grandad was making poor Billy sweat over that roof.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Most people think of gingerbread houses when they thing of decorating but that is WAY too much trouble for us. We use little wooden houses made out of a lightweight plywood. Or something like that. My Dad makes them every year - so really who they are a lot of trouble for is him. I once had my Dad make 300 of those suckers. It's true! 300.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2669.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2669.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5057" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2669-300x224.jpg" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2669-300x224.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2669" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Cute, huh?</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Any sort of candy will do. Gumdrops, M & M's, Mike & Ikes...Whatever.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2655.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2655.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5047" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2655-277x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2655-277x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2655" width="277" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
A word to the wise: if you are going to save the candy from last year year to use let the kids know they aren't allowed to eat it. Because for the kids, eating the candy is half the fun.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2661.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2661.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5050" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2661-235x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2661-235x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2661" width="235" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
Sure, kid. Go ahead and eat it straight from the tub. <em>What's that you say, Aunt Carol? These have been in your basement since last year? Spit it out kid. SPIT IT OUT.</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2658.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2658.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5048" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2658-217x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2658-217x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2658" width="217" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>Alright, fess up lady. How many gumdrops is that?</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em></em><a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2662.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2662.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5051" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2662-207x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2662-207x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2662" width="207" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
"<em>It's better not to ask those type questions"</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2673.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2673.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5060" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2673-281x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2673-281x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2673" width="281" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
Some people go a little more...um...freestyle than others.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2672.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2672.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5059" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2672-224x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2672-224x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2672" width="224" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
And some people spend hours getting it just right.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2668.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2668.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5056" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2668-228x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2668-228x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2668" width="228" /></a></div>
<blockquote style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
Usually I'm too busy wrangling a toddler or jetting off to another Thanksgiving to sit and make a house. This year I was determined to take my time and enjoy it. Enter Operation Love Gift. <strong>Ya know how there are some things you do in marriage not because you enjoy them but because you want to 'gift' the other person with it</strong>? Well, here's how I set it up this year:</div>
</blockquote>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
'Billy, it would be a HUGE love gift to me if you would take Stella home after lunch so I could make my candy house in peace.' Poor Billy...no leftover turkey, no small talk with the cousins, and no tossing the football. All so I could make a candy house without Stella being all up in my business.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2664.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2664.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5053" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2664-224x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2664-224x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2664" width="224" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
"<em>And then I heard her tell Daddy that she wanted him to take me home and make me take a nap!"</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
Oh, the humanity. I made the heck out of that candy house though! <a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2659.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2659.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5049" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2659-277x300.jpg" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2659-277x300.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2659" width="277" /></a></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">
<em>"Can you believe how much my Mom is bragging about her candy house."</em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
Love Gift accomplished. My candy house rocked it.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">
<a data-mce-href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2671.jpg" href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2671.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5058" data-mce-src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2671-300x224.jpg" height="224" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2671-300x224.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2671" width="300" /></a></div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-49760396650296035032012-12-02T23:20:00.001-06:002012-12-02T23:20:39.509-06:00When Death is on the Line<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
After a particularly intense game of Sardines in the woods on the Friday after Thanksgiving I woke to find that my face, MY FLIPPING FACE, was covered in poison ivy. I blamed my minions and my nieces – they prompted me to play. So I sent this text to my oldest brother detailing his daughters complicity in my poison ivy.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5071" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo-230x300.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="230" /></a></div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; background-image: url(http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/themes/fabric/images/blockquote.png); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 25px 30px 5px 75px;">
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Trebuchet MS'; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
His response: ‘Sardines in the woods=One of the great blunders along with fighting a land war in Asia and <strong>going against a Sicilian when death is on the line.’</strong></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Oh, The Princess Bride! How I love you.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWW6aDpUvbQ" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;">When Death is on the Line</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I’m not sure if you’ve heard but a little thing called the Iron Bowl was played over the Thanksgiving weekend.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2724.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5063" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2724-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2724" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
“<em>I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about it.”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
Yes, yes. One minute you’re buying a cake that says ‘War Eagle’ and the next you’re…</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2726.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5064" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2726-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2726" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
…well, the next you’re watching your kids photobomb each other to get their pictures taken with said cake.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2727.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5065" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2727-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2727" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
After the game went very, very south we loaded up the kids and headed to Arab to go to Santa in the Park. As we were trying to decide where to eat we passed by this restaurant:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2729.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5066" height="189" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2729-300x189.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2729" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
I immediately thought of the earlier text with my brother and how getting annihilated by your most hated rival feels just a bit like death. So, I took a pic of the restaurant and sent this text:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo1.png" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5072" height="183" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo1-300x183.png" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="photo" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
Awww….my text got a ‘ha!’ And during that vile game no less. I’m kind of a rock star to get any Auburn fan to laugh during this season.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2731.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5068" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2731-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2731" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em>“Can we just stop talking about the game and eat these breadsticks?”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2733.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5069" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2733-268x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2733" width="268" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em>“I love these breadsticks…</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<em></em>…<em>and the Princess Bride.”</em></div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-91612846632535873762012-12-01T17:45:00.001-06:002012-12-01T17:45:18.657-06:00No Sock November<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Over the Thanksgiving holiday we went to the Craven Hole just off County Road 222 in Crane Hill, Alabama. There are multiple explanations as to why it’s named The Craven Hole. The first is that it’s such a pretty spot that people get a ‘cravin’ for it. The second is that it’s named for the Cravens, some locals. So, just choose whichever floats your boat.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2506.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5036" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2506-235x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2506" width="235" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
We wandered up to the top and walked across the falls. Well, to be more accurate we should really say ‘we walked across the trickle.’ Henry, the seven year old, wanted to take his shoes off and wade through.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2512.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5040" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2512-257x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2512" width="257" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
‘<em>Tra la la…wading in the creek…tra la la’</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2511.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5039" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2511-256x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2511" width="256" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
Oh, to be a boy and have a creek.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2510.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-5038" height="807" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2510-786x1024.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2510" width="620" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
“<em>It’s November. It’s flipping freezing. What was I thinking?”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Socks would have been nice at this point. Ya know how everyone is doing No Shave November? Weeelll, we’re kinda doin’ No Sock November.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I’d like to say it’s because the winter has been so mild but it’s really because I’m not so good with keeping up with ye olde laundry.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2516.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5041" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_2516-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_2516" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Even the littlest minion isn’t wearing socks these days. Just ask my Mom. Last night she had a minor freak out because Stella wasn’t wearing socks and it was forty degrees.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_9403.jpg" style="color: #c4a549; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5043" height="300" src="http://www.akajanerandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/IMG_9403-224x300.jpg" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;" title="IMG_9403" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: center;">
“<em>Have whatever is in this box. And a great big heaping of guilt.”</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
Yeah, I need to step my Mom game up. So…no sock November is over! Socks for all! Socks forever!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #084fa6; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left;">
Dang it. It’s December. Of course No Sock November is over. So, really no big win here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1134386257632870991.post-39450182560285962482012-11-29T21:07:00.001-06:002012-11-29T21:07:45.735-06:00Another Day Another Outhouse...There's a little <a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2011/04/08/log-cabin/">old log cabin</a> deep in Winston County that my Dad used to reside in. We went there over the Thanksgiving holiday.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJsZ_A1ZyW99LOs4fpGfeRJKpuyxxemOVWfj9ndUM4t3xoInyHD1KcVmKWLrwTdc1Mg0FQhETnRiUiTRBFQPs9-KyOSaNzJkLTGeOewyC2L9MMB_D9DCuqrD1fQEmhyphenhypheneo3tEkeZk85iA/s1600/IMG_2688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJsZ_A1ZyW99LOs4fpGfeRJKpuyxxemOVWfj9ndUM4t3xoInyHD1KcVmKWLrwTdc1Mg0FQhETnRiUiTRBFQPs9-KyOSaNzJkLTGeOewyC2L9MMB_D9DCuqrD1fQEmhyphenhypheneo3tEkeZk85iA/s400/IMG_2688.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The kids drew water from the well like they always do. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet0W3uoMg-jmdQChO788-KQIspCYqW6D6V1-SF1xwAUC2Egi-kExt5mmY9hPp911toNxHAerj6Wj-NnLJ4eigcrrU4ELGE3owD9Q4uSH2HwE5YPK82jJ7pZzebvGz_0PJ-s8V731rou0/s1600/IMG_2689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet0W3uoMg-jmdQChO788-KQIspCYqW6D6V1-SF1xwAUC2Egi-kExt5mmY9hPp911toNxHAerj6Wj-NnLJ4eigcrrU4ELGE3owD9Q4uSH2HwE5YPK82jJ7pZzebvGz_0PJ-s8V731rou0/s400/IMG_2689.jpg" width="391" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's a group effort and takes multiple hands. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFq8mFkUUuk9qLQenibt-muqubG3-b3sDcxsnVo74xNHngmZeMyA6bmnCf0mnXEqL5io8vr8jTiS8xiFD6WgNG2XfhqIMozshTGuXbar_guvuMadpiyaRLEhmLTxzYMCaMQWj7-d0cI0/s1600/IMG_2690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFq8mFkUUuk9qLQenibt-muqubG3-b3sDcxsnVo74xNHngmZeMyA6bmnCf0mnXEqL5io8vr8jTiS8xiFD6WgNG2XfhqIMozshTGuXbar_guvuMadpiyaRLEhmLTxzYMCaMQWj7-d0cI0/s400/IMG_2690.jpg" width="348" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>So, kids...</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Who wants to take the first sip of that delicious well water?</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fkyykCAXmqjGGxMboTyjtCpVoV8iftOewwdFVra1jx3Ij5d8pZiaXPSnfoyk-LS_uOaw5NblNZdUerkmKXb9POxFdGQjRkqxt3cbhsqoL2gVdUre3RACn1uauG4_3ZZJkw2tGxJzz5g/s1600/IMG_2692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fkyykCAXmqjGGxMboTyjtCpVoV8iftOewwdFVra1jx3Ij5d8pZiaXPSnfoyk-LS_uOaw5NblNZdUerkmKXb9POxFdGQjRkqxt3cbhsqoL2gVdUre3RACn1uauG4_3ZZJkw2tGxJzz5g/s320/IMG_2692.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Is it you, child?</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8D7tvk7s7t_mNQgF-nSYeAdOfn0WOeLOEwNW0XkdjMQu16PYpQZrD2GqfWd_B29a0LInm78aXHEntrPMPZ22ICt62POWYCtbCfxbaRjaco3gIagpwHjvmf1y2JUoJVEyurgb1urjqSQ/s1600/IMG_2693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8D7tvk7s7t_mNQgF-nSYeAdOfn0WOeLOEwNW0XkdjMQu16PYpQZrD2GqfWd_B29a0LInm78aXHEntrPMPZ22ICt62POWYCtbCfxbaRjaco3gIagpwHjvmf1y2JUoJVEyurgb1urjqSQ/s320/IMG_2693.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>No?</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>I can't imagine what about that water doesn't appeal to you...</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9j8XgoHuPE9yKzzSdjFLmBhTJtqVRs80V201Fg7g-NB9AyMXDY_Cc_QC0zpFtauE8CXU6cEEvJVmUIqCFefjJRFePYpv5RUQz7UJNEGYDnQHGOq4R3bTnN9wtSI3MOBV8BFaahOEou8/s1600/IMG_2694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9j8XgoHuPE9yKzzSdjFLmBhTJtqVRs80V201Fg7g-NB9AyMXDY_Cc_QC0zpFtauE8CXU6cEEvJVmUIqCFefjJRFePYpv5RUQz7UJNEGYDnQHGOq4R3bTnN9wtSI3MOBV8BFaahOEou8/s400/IMG_2694.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Clearly that water is very...um...refreshing.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Okay, so maybe you wouldn't want to drink the water. Which is kind of a bummer because that log cabin was going to be one of my 'go to' places in case of apocalypse. Actually, the more I think about it the more I think it would be a really bad idea. My Grandmom once told me that they left that cabin and moved to the city because they <i>'liked to starve to death'</i> there. The cotton crop failed etc. I'm pretty sure if my grandparents couldn't make it there I couldn't either. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Blast. It's quite unfortunate because my Dad recently put in outdoor plumbing. Yes, you read that correctly, outdoor plumbing. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhUuBX2o4-VMalcO6mSnswXXIrGgJ_bD8dO5aHZJDXCj8dSocOYIAgTIn6fBHh9TmM14puzUXbOwCpz7SFQqGCES3BGzBqPQZ79s7wq2dvVNiZ27X6c3r6nwdBPqR5gAJUKJXtygIJ48/s1600/IMG_2682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhUuBX2o4-VMalcO6mSnswXXIrGgJ_bD8dO5aHZJDXCj8dSocOYIAgTIn6fBHh9TmM14puzUXbOwCpz7SFQqGCES3BGzBqPQZ79s7wq2dvVNiZ27X6c3r6nwdBPqR5gAJUKJXtygIJ48/s400/IMG_2682.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.akajanerandom.com/2012/06/16/you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/">I mean...I've only been blogging for a couple years and I've <strike>had to</strike> had the privilege to write about outhouses several times. </a> I promise, everyone in Alabama doesn't have access to outhouses. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrIY0ztvj1P3hjy7rmw-2xn4vd_IItwT__rWIFDhVwovnKwTezbgtiHSIAJhHhbjR9X5ZgL-j5JP42b6vrmWb4w1FDfZOgpRsutnLBjpYtzogk0jhEur6a08RifItJyF7UCr3d4AK9uY/s1600/IMG_2684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrIY0ztvj1P3hjy7rmw-2xn4vd_IItwT__rWIFDhVwovnKwTezbgtiHSIAJhHhbjR9X5ZgL-j5JP42b6vrmWb4w1FDfZOgpRsutnLBjpYtzogk0jhEur6a08RifItJyF7UCr3d4AK9uY/s320/IMG_2684.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Look at the fancy writing my Dad put on the toilet paper holder!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VL4J4xLJDReFREgHKi9Hhc3lWKRFb85rAuLTOA3V0-hEOTLnG7kaqL5U5wOdCFToKTQbum-s5qt0txWH1vXSM3ub6Lw4m0V3a6a8yNkOmVQCZfFlDGqX1SxrrCkqdAx0-MFyshcnxNo/s1600/IMG_2685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VL4J4xLJDReFREgHKi9Hhc3lWKRFb85rAuLTOA3V0-hEOTLnG7kaqL5U5wOdCFToKTQbum-s5qt0txWH1vXSM3ub6Lw4m0V3a6a8yNkOmVQCZfFlDGqX1SxrrCkqdAx0-MFyshcnxNo/s400/IMG_2685.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And, of course, no outhouse is complete without the moon cut out. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc0QIsSoW90YK4JyrBQIOwaQJJPKcfulGd0T3Ssvi-RJPubat35GSlqVYlmQdL5TMmm1rVK9ZpHRWwrbMyupiuVMmeH7FCkCLxWRb_yIn6CEAnGo0FAXYkxZGT2_CfS-W4VfFTFRmEs4/s1600/IMG_2686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc0QIsSoW90YK4JyrBQIOwaQJJPKcfulGd0T3Ssvi-RJPubat35GSlqVYlmQdL5TMmm1rVK9ZpHRWwrbMyupiuVMmeH7FCkCLxWRb_yIn6CEAnGo0FAXYkxZGT2_CfS-W4VfFTFRmEs4/s320/IMG_2686.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Man, he kinda cheaped out on the Lime box. I don't know much about Science but I'm pretty sure Mrs Van Bebber would say that Lime and Laundry Detergent shouldn't mix. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Kinda like me and living off the land shouldn't mix...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />AKA Jane Randomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15500912959718307691noreply@blogger.com0