Just some representative pictures of the past few weeks for the kids...  

 

Anna at the Spam museum in Austin (MN).  Yes, they use chain mail there.  :) 

Spam workers of the world, unite!  



Anna's lemonade stand.  Funny, but most of the people who bought lemonade paid MORE for it than the sign asked for.  Must be the overpowering cute vibes.  :)  



No, we did not put our son out on the curb for garbage pick-up.  He's just hanging out until we get the thing inside.
(It's not new -- just got it from my 'rents who don't have room for it anymore)



The kids (and Addy, daughter of great friends of ours) are reenacting the 3 little pigs.  
Anna is the wolf.  The third pig is an inert pink pillow that is not in this scene.  :)  



Here we see the heretofore missing third pig.  (It's the brave one, standing up to the wolf, in front)



Anna (helping Kevin, son of *different* great friends of ours) and Lukas out enjoying
some of our fabulous fall weather.  

Yes, Anna got a haircut.  Mike went out with her while I was in Australia (hem HEM!) and cut about *8 inches* 
of her hair off!  She loves it, but it was still hard for her Mommy to let go...  :)  

1. Nero Wolfe, detective and food connoisseur extraordinaire
2. Lizzie Bennet, awesome heroine of the beloved Pride and Prejudice
3. Laura Ingalls, childhood favorite
4.  Ender Wiggin, of Ender's Game fame (still a top 5 book with me along with #2)
5.  Ayla, from the Earth's Children series
6.  Mara, Daughter of the Empire
7.  Talia, first fantasy heroine I fell in love with (Arrows of the Queen)
8.  Jane Eyre, lovely Jane. 
9.  Jupiter Jones, the first of Three Investigators
10.  Stanley Yelnats

Now answer the following questions, based on the characters you wrote down above. Absolutely no going back to change the characters you've chosen!

Characters 4 through 10 are on Survivor. Who gets voted off the island first? 
Ooohhh...  Well Ender and Ayla are obviously the top contenders for the title of Sole Survivor, but I think poor Jane is voted off first due to damaged sensibilities.  She wasn't so good at surviving when she left her money on the post chaise...

What are the chances of characters 1 and 8 falling in love with each other?
Nero Wolfe and Jane Eyre?  About zero.  I can't imagine Nero ever falling in love, and Jane already has the love of her life.  :)

Character 2 and character 3 get into a cat fight. Who wins and why?
Lizzie Bennet and Laura Ingalls.  I think Laura simply due to the fact that she has more physical strength from working hard on the farm, etc.  Lizzie is probably not in top form, even if her spirit is rather scrappy.  :) 

Of the other nine characters, who is character 7 most likely to have a crush on?
Well, there's not much to choose from, as most of the character's are girls, but I think Talia would go for the older Ender.  She'd definitely empathize with the sensitive part of his nature, and is realistic enough to understand the motivation behind his reputation for violence.  She'd respect his intelligence, as well.  *I*'d have a crush on Ender if *I* knew him. 

What would happen if character 4 got turned into a vampire?
Oh, fun.  Ender the vampire.  He would be one kick-ass vampire in the Angel tradition.  Sweet. 

Two of the characters are twins separated at birth. Which two are they?
Fraternal twins Mara and Ender.  Conniving, extremely intelligent, very good at achieving their goals.  It seems like Ender is my answer to all these questions.  Can you tell I like the kid?  :) 

Characters 1, 2, 3, and 9 are stuck in an elevator. What do they do to pass the time?
Nero, Lizzie, Laura and Jupiter.  Well Jupiter would gravitate toward Nero as a fellow "detective," but Nero would be annoyed and want to be left alone.  Lizzie would want intelligent conversation, but be disappointed, because Laura would be busy marvelling at the technology of the elevator.  Either that or they'd hit it off as they realized the strong personalities they have in common.  
(If Ender werer there, he'd figure out that they weren't really IN an elevator at all, but that it's simply a hologram/alternate reality designed to test their reaction to the situation...)

What would happen if character 8 and character 5 were roommates?
Jane Eyre and Ayla.  Jane could learn a LOT about living off the land (in case she needs to run away from Rochester again -- no more starving on the moor!).  Ayla would love learning all she could from Jane the governess.  

What do character 10 and character 6 have in common?
Stanley and Mara?  Almost nothing.  Ummm...  Oh, I know!  Their ancestors were both very important to them.  (I'm proud of that one!) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY waywalker !!

As Pooh would say:  "Many Happy Returns of the Day"!  :)  



Pooh scratched his head, being a little puzzled by all this.
"But is it really your birthday?" he asked.
"It is."
"Oh! Well, Many Happy Returns of the day, Eeyore."
"And many happy returns to you, Pooh Bear."
"But it isn't my birthday."
"No, it's mine."
"But you said 'Many happy returns' -- "
"Well, why not? You don't always want to be miserable
on my birthday, do you?"
"Oh, I see," said Pooh.

http://www.startribune.com/1244/story/938433.html

 http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/16468813.htm

Again, with thanks to Teri, because she finds all the cool blogthings. :) 

Your Birthdate: August 13

You're dominant and powerful. You always need to be in charge. While others respect your competence, you can be a bit of a dictator. Hard working and serious, you never let yourself down. You are exact and accurate - and you expect others to be the same way. Your strength: You always get the job done Your weakness: You're a perfectionist to a fault Your power color: Gray Your power symbol: Checkmark Your power month: April