JPEG of the Week

~My Word '09~

Several of my bloggin' sisters have also developed acrostics for the

words that are the guiding principals for 2009.  Be sure

and visit: 

Reflecting on Our Words

Faith is…
Freedom to enjoy life’s precious moments.
Acceptance of God’s plans.
Imagining the possibilities.
Trusting that my life is in God’s capable and loving hands.
Humbling myself as I relinquish control.


Joy is…
celebrating
Joyful
mOments
everYday!
Roban @ Moments in Time


D evelop better habits of daily living.
I nform friends of my plans. They will keep you accountable.

S leep at least 7 hours a week night.
C ook 5 days a week.

I mpossible will no longer be a part of my vocabulary.
P lan weekly meals.
L eave the house on time to relieve stress.
I nactivity will not be tolerated.
N ew sneakers will be purchased immediately!
E xercise at least three days a week.

Annemarie@ So I Was Just Thinking


B elieve in yourself.

                                    A llow the positive energy to flow your way.

              L ook, learn, laugh and Love.

                                        A lways allow for a few stumbles along the way.

             N ever give up or stop trying.

                                    C limb that mountain, till you reach the top. 

E njoy the journey.

                           Peggy @ Middle Age Ramblings

 

Atone for your hurtfulness.

Bid farewell to judgment.

Utilize your mind.

Notice your surroundings.

Draw on support from friends.

Acknowledge the gifts of others.

Nullify negativity.

Create moments of meaning.

Embrace the little things.

avtcoach@ This Abundant Life

 

Kissy

Of course we'll eventually discourage this kind of thing so as to avoid a Greek tragedy or a Mississippi love story....


Kissy Twins from Octamom on Vimeo.

...but for now, I think it's pretty darn cute....

(and for those of you concerned about 8 of 8's precarious perch, never fear. The kid has the uncanny balance of a mountain goat...he'll probably be a rock climber, which should do amazing things for my hair color...)

Still Waters....

They say still waters run deep.


And my 5 of 8? Well, he would be some still, deep waters.


He likes to tell people that he is the quiet one of the family, which, frankly, in our cacophonous clan, doesn't really mean a whole lot.


Except that he is. He's the quiet one.


I took him on a mommy/son date recently, chatting to him non-stop as we drove down the road, asking him about his dreams, his goals, his ideas.


After about 10 minutes of monosyllabic answers to his mother's inquiries, 5 of 8 drew a deep breath and said, "Mom, I'm really not into this talking thing so much."


Ah, yes, the strong silent type.


So when 5 of 8 develops a passion, it's a deep one. And for 5 of 8, that deep passion would reside in all things video games. He has a deep and abiding adoration for all things Cube and Wii and DS, Nintendo that is. And this week, I learned how one's passion and one's unspoken emotions can meet.


5 of 8 kept asking me to come upstairs to see something he had made on the Wii. Please understand, I have done my fair share of 'ooohing' and 'aaahing' over the video games victories and ninja moves my children love to show me. I really do try for a level of enthusiasm in my voice, even when I have no clue why it would be so amazing that Mario can now execute the Final Smash. So, I put 5 of 8 off a bit as I assumed I would be seeing more of the same.


But I was wrong.


When I finally made it up to the video game viewing area, I found that 5 of 8 had been busy on We Ski, the t.v. screen his canvas, the Wii his palette.




And Grammy was his muse.


Grammy is 5 of 8's paternal great-grandmother. She passed away almost a year ago at the age of 96. Her birthday is next week and the one year anniversary of her passing is at the end of February.

When she died last year, 5 of 8 never said much. We went through the process, celebrating her memorial, M leading the service. Grammy was adored and is much missed. But 5 of 8 has never said much about it.


Until now.

Because what I found was that 5 of 8 had made a slide show of Miis on We Ski depicting Grammy on the ski slopes. He depicted her zipping down powder covered trails, making a wild jump, hamming it up for the camera, relaxing in a hot tub.

And posing with 5 of 8 beneath a brightly lit Christmas tree.



In life, I don't think Gram ever hit the slopes. She was many things, but a snow bunny she was not. But now, now that she has been released from the confines of this life, she lives anew for 5 of 8. She's his skiing buddy. She makes wicked awesome jumps. She's earning points for style and difficulty.

And for 5 of 8, he's now been able to write his memoir of his Grammy. He's been able to depict her sense of fun and sass.

And he's been able now to show her how very, very much he misses her.

Still waters.

They do run deep.

So It's Come to This...

Almost two decades of motherhood.

And yet here we are.

I've been able to successfully avoid purchasing a particular item in all my years of mothering...but now, that item has been procured. I have been defeated in my quest to run a fairly open house.

We are now in lock-down.

And all because 8 of 8 has chosen to take my fairly progressive ideals on allowing children to explore their environments, has taken my dearly held theology that toddlers should be taught boundaries through example and not through enclosure, he has taken all that gentle, yes-I-have-my-degree-in-child-psychology thing and has shoved it squarely up my nose.

He is a marauding toddler.

He pillages, he vanquishes, he rearranges many of the home furnishings.

And he has a penchant for dragging his twin sister around by the hair.

Which she responds to by biting the fire out of him.

All while I try to teach multiplication tables to their older siblings.

So I've put them in the Toddler Zoo. We toss them native foods. We include items to stimulate their minds. And we do pin them up separately.

Because I frown on my young trying to feed upon each other.

And I would like 7 of 8 to keep most of her hair.

Should you come while the Toddler Zoo is open for visitors, please keep your fingers away from the enclosures...we never know when one of them might bite...

Rockin' the Super XLT Baby Yards,

More Personal Development Wisdom from 6 of 8

So 6 of 8, our resident five year old diva, is kicked back on the sectional the other day, legs crossed, bobbed hair tucked behind her ears, nonchalantly thumbing through the latest American Girl catalog.

I look over at her, taking in all the posture. She looks as poised as Grace Kelly in the scene from Rear Window, where Grace's character is reclining on the window seat, flipping through the pages of Vogue.

"6 of 8," I say to her. "You are the cutest stinkin' thing I've ever seen. What am I going to do with you?"

She licks her thumb, applies it to the page of her periodical, slides her eyes over to me for a second and says, "Keep me."

She's a cool thing, that one....

Monday Musings...Expectations

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.”

Charles F. Kettering

“Anger always comes from frustrated expectations”

 Elliott Larson

 “The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations.”

Eli Khamarov

So we're entering Day 6 of the First 100 Days...and I'm already hearing the rumblings.  The commentary on MSNBC questioning a key appointment because of lobbying practices.  The concern over the decorator hired for the White House given that designer's ties to the ousted Merrill Lynch CEO.  The debate over the toys being made depicting the names of the president's daughters.  The speedy closing of Gitmo.  The vitriol of the conservative news outlets and the questions and expectations of the more liberal.


Expectations.


It's enough to keep me from running for the office in 2012.


Because when it's all said and done, our new president is going to have to deal with the expectations of people who have set those expectations very, very high, and, ironically,with those who have set their expectations very, very low.  So somebody is going to be disappointed.


And he is just a man.  A gifted man.  A bright man.  A man who clearly traffics well in politics.


But no man can meet every person's expectations.


Particularly the expectations of a diverse and fatigued nation.


Expectations are such an interesting thing.  Without them, we wouldn't strive.  With them, we can pander in unrealities.  And in that pandering can end up wallowing in disappointment.


There are several schools of thought when it comes to the expectations we bring to various situations.  In pyschology, such observations as the Clever Hans effect and the Hawthorne effect describe the performance impact on a subject when expectations are set very high.  Subjects generally rise to the higher standard.  And conversely, people can also perform to the lowest level when that is the expectation, a brutal self-fulfilling prophecy.  It would seem prudent to keep those expectations high.


At the same time, when someone fails to meet our expectations (the forgotten anniversary, the less-than stellar birthday gift, the bad hotel room, the poor service at a restaurant), all the wishing and hoping falls flat and can seem to fall even flatter if our bar was raised high to begin with.


Hence my triple quote header this post--which quote is the right one?  Do we need high expectations?  Do we set ourselves up for anger and frustration because of our expectations?  Or are we happier with life's outcomes if we bring no expectations to the table?


I find truth in all three quotes--I know, I know, how bipartisan--or should I say tripartisan--of me.  But perhaps all three are true in this way:  the first should be applied mainly to ourselves.  Setting high expectations for ourselves creates momentum, goals, drive, a high personal standard.  The second could serve as a warning against judgment of others: when we find ourselves disappointed in the performance of others based on expectations, would we ourselves be willing to be judged by the same measure?  And the last quote rings true to me from experience:  the most joyous moments, the most brilliant beams of happiness have come on the most common of days, during the most common paces of daily life--the unexpected bouquet of flowers, the unexpected encouraging card, the unexpected hilarious antic of a child, the unexpected treasure of a book happened upon in the library, the unexpected declaration of love.  Heady magic in a scheduled, planned-out, high expectation world.


So which is your pick? Which quote reads most accurate to you?  Where do your expectations lay?  Are they from within, from without? Write your own post on this topic and put the url of that post and your name in the Mister Linky's box below or leave your insights in the comment box.


I expect you will.....


(I crack myself up...)

Sunday Selah

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

 even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you. 

Psalm 139:8-12

We are so, so tiny.


And the universe is so vast.



And we grow tinier in the consideration of it.



Satellite images were made this week of the crowds that gathered on the Mall in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. The dome and roof line of the Capitol was discernible, the peak of the Washington Monument in sharp relief.



And then there were the tiny dark specks carpeting the grassy lawns, visible only because of the sheer numbers gathered.



People.



Tiny flecks comprising a great crowd. Every pinpoint a beating heart.



Crumbs of humanity.



And as I gazed at those images captured from the stratosphere of the heavens, as I tried to visually comprehend the very being of each one of those people, that overwhelm of our tininess was humbling.



We speak of 'big personalities', 'big hearts', a 'big girl' and a 'big boy'.



But we are tiny.



Infinitesimal when viewed from on high. Microscopic when viewed from just a few parsecs in space.



We somehow matter to a very big God.



He gazes at us from the heavenly realms and somehow keeps us all straight. He somehow knows and numbers each hair follicle. He captures each tear and keeps them warehoused with each of our names printed on our own bottle.



And He has written each of our names on His vast hands.



And He holds the whole world in those inscribed hands.



An infinite Creator.



An architect of universes.



A portrait painter of miniatures.



The vast vision of a telescope and the focus of an electron microscope.


He has made us of tiny bits of matter. And then He tells us we matter to Him.


We are tiny.

He is immeasurable.

And He has made it an equation of infinite love.




Selah.

JPEG of the Week

~Warning!~

~A Posse of Unsocialized Homeschoolers~

Vulcan of the Treasury

Now I don't claim to be really well versed in what needs to happen next in the country.  I don't know how we're going to resolve all those mega-gig overdraft issues with banks.  I don't know what we're going to do with all those houses that are in foreclosure and I haven't the slightest idea as to how to get investors to quit trafficking in hysteria.


But maybe this Timothy Geithner guy is the man to lead the fight as Secretary of the Treasury.


I base my theory not on his experience as president of the Federal Reserve Bank, not in his failure to pay his taxes, not actually based on any of his career moves or tax avoidance.


It's really just about one thing.


The man has got to be part Vulcan.


It was 1 of 8 who first noticed the telltale signs of his origin as we watched some of the confirmation hearings on his appointment.  He cocked an eyebrow, brought his hands together in a classic mind-meld posture and lowered a frosty gaze at the senator who was posing a question to him.


Total Vulcan.


And I found the pictures to prove it.


Exhibit A:

 

(photo from Bloomberg)

And our favorite Vulcan, Spock, at some sort of Star Trek confirmation hearing...

(Link Location)

Don't forget to notice the ears...not trying to be cruel, just pointing out the similarities...

in the national interest, of course...

                                                     (From NY Mag)          (Image Link)



So hopefully I have done my part to quell your fears about the economy and the tentative confirmation of Mr. Geithner.  Because it's looking like to me that it's gonna take a non-emotional, pragmatic, cool Vulcan to get us out of this present economic mud pit.


And we could be heading where no man has gone before....


Don't I sound cryptic?


I'm very dimensional like that...

Lost and Found

I had to go back to the island.


I wasn't sure I should go.



After all, I had been doing okay since I returned stateside. I'd re-entered civilian life, gotten back into the rhythms of new routines.



But it was their faces that I couldn't get out of my mind as I went about my daily routines. Their faces would appear to me and I would wonder.



I would wonder how they were doing, how they were handling their challenges, their difficulties. I wondered about their relationships and if they were able to work through some of their issues.



So last night, I just had to go. I had to return.



I knew they needed me.



And just as I suspected, Hurley was having a tough time, Kate and Jack had some serious unresolved problems, John was still seemingly walking on a different plane of the time-space continuum and Ben was up to his old tricks and Sayid is having some serious anger issues. Juliet and Sawyer have been kind of thrown together in all the chaos, but they might have some possibilities. I'm proud of Sun; she's really working hard on the mommy thing.



I was so thrilled to see their familiar faces. I was so glad to know how they were doing, so pleased to see their progress and so distraught to see their troubles.



And I think they were glad to see me too.



Lost.



Ah.

I'm so glad I came back.

Watching History

I gathered my students to watch the news coverage of the Inauguration of our 44th president.
It was striking again to watch the peaceful exchange of the office, the history, pageantry, the traditions and the new energy. To see so many Americans lining the Mall, to see the faces of the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement, to see my children watch the unfolding of such a historic culmination was powerful.















And already, the influence and impact of the Obama family was felt amongst the Octamom crew. I happened to look over during part of the news coverage and saw this...






Uh, yeah, that would be 4 of 8 and 5 of 8 playing Nintendo DS during the historic event. I squawked and squealed and insisted they put away their electronics as we prepared for watching the President take the oath of office.



And within a couple of minutes, it happened.



Because that's when the news cameras focused in on the Obama's oldest daughter, Malia. And held in her hands was....



"Malia's got her DS! She's got her DS! So can I have mine back?" 4 of 8 was just about beside herself.



I kept staring at the screen, looking at the little metallic rectangle in Malia's hands. If the First Daughter was allowed to take her DS to the Inaugural platform, I supposed that 4 of 8 should be allowed to bring hers to the Inaugural Viewing Couch.



But futher media coverage revealed that, in fact, Malia was carrying a camera. Now there's a girl after my own heart.



I think the twins really took in all the importance of the day as well.











Don't they look like pundits?



And a big. big congrats to Janet at Confessions of an Ag Major, the winner of the PhotoCaptiva giveaway. Hey Miss Janet, send me an email and we'll get you in touch with Rosie to claim your prize! Many thanks to all of you who entered!  And be sure to visit Rosie at her family blog about her crew of seven kiddos at Telling Mom.



In case you're wondering how winners are selected for Octamom giveaways, I use a highly technical random generator schematic. It goes like this:

"Hey, 3 of 8, pick a number between 1 and 50!"

3 of 8: "Um, okay....27!"

I then count down the list of commentors until I reach the 27th commentor. I realize this is a highly technical system...

A Prayer For a President

Whether you voted for him, voted for his opponent, were thrilled at his victory or concerned with his election, today we welcome a new president in our country. Today we as Americans watch again an amazing transition, the highest office in our government peaceably and willingly handed over as the march of democracy ambles on. Today, we watch Barack Obama take the oath of office and take the helm as we ride out the storms of this season.


And we have a responsibility.



For whether you are thrilled or concerned, he is the man the Lord has allowed to guide us in this time. And we owe him, ourselves and the generations to follow a call to prayer. An active purpose of covering the man, the office and the country in a blanket of prayer.



Because in the end, it's not about the man. It's about the God he follows. It's about how well he listens. And it's about our prayer cover offered in his behalf.

May He Walk in Wisdom

All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.

2 Chronicles 9:23

  God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
1 Kings 4:29

May He Traffic in Peace

He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.
2 Chronicles 14:5

Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future [a] for the man of peace.
Psalm 37:37

May He Uphold the Cause of Jerusalem

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
May those who love you be secure.
Psalm 122:6

For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
Psalm 122:8

May He Advocate For the Downtrodden, the Poor, the Oppressed, For Those Without Voice

Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name.
Psalm 74:21

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
Psalm 103:6

May He Please the Lord

When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD,
he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7

 

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 111:10

 

May He Uphold Justice

Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 16:20

Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.
Psalm 106:3

The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth should not betray justice.
Proverbs 16:10

He will be a spirit of justice
to him who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

Isaiah 28:6

May He Be Exemplary in Integrity

In my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
Psalm 41:12

Righteousness guards the man of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
Proverbs 13:6

May He Have the Protection of the Lord


I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;
Proverbs 3:23

May He Follow the Lord As He Blazes the Trail


Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 22:31

And may God bless America.

Monday Musings...Canine Commitment

Passion is the quickest to develop, and the quickest to fade. Intimacy develops more slowly, and commitment more gradually still.

Robert Sternberg

My children developed a passion a couple of years ago. It was deep. It was pervasive.


It was puppy love.



Literally.



They desperately, desperately, desperately wanted a puppy. They begged, pleaded and promised. They wept, researched and bargained.



And finally, after months and months of such persuasive behavior, their father relented and allowed them to adopt two litter mates.



We call them poma-weenies, a nod to their mixed parentage of a Pomeranian father and a dachshund mother.


We brought home a boy and a girl and named them George and Katie.



They were adorable.



They also came with a heavy set of conditions. They were to be fed by the kids. They were to be taken outside by the kids. They were to be brushed by the kids. They were to be bathed by the kids. They were to be maintained, monitored and mothered by, you guessed it, the kids.



Are you detecting a theme here?



It was a provisional adoption for sure. I had declared that I would not become the keeper of the dogs. M had declared that he would not be the keeper of the dogs.



And the kids vigilantly assured us that they would be the canine caretakers.



It was a short honeymoon.



Puppies pee. Puppies yap. Puppies won't wait until you complete your next level on Nintendo in order to be taken out. Puppies chew. Puppies don't pick up their own mess.



Puppies are work.



And puppies become dogs.



One provisional item that M and I overlooked in all of our pre-puppy bargaining was the need for a No Whining Clause, as in "You are not allowed to whine when the puppies need to go out," "You are not allowed to whine when you have to clean up a puppy mess," and on and on. It was a critical thing to overlook in our negotiations.



And so as kids grew into disenfranchised owners and as the puppies lost their novelty, so began the litany of complaints, frustration and blame shifting as the dog ownership continued.



And M and I became quite disenfranchised ourselves with the way it was all working out. We began to threaten that if attitudes did not improve, we would find another family for the dogs to live with, that we would rather give Katie and George the opportunity to live with an appreciative set of owners over whiny ones. The threats would work for a bit; tears would commence, more promises would be made, new attention would be paid to the poma-weenies. But then, the attitude would creep back in.



To our shock one day, the kids made the decision that they would agree to the dogs finding a new home.



We began the process.



But something began to gnaw at me, something that simply wouldn't let me go. While I believed whole-heartedly in making sure the pups found a loving family, I felt that at some level, I was going to be teaching my kids that it was okay to bail on a commitment when the going got tough. It seemed the lesson would not be really about finding Katie and George the 'right' family, but rather that we could somehow excuse ourselves from becoming the right family for them.



And it just kept chewing on me.



Ultimately, we called another family-puppy quorum. This time, M and I began with an apology. We told the kids that we needed their forgiveness, that we had opened up an inappropriate option in threatening to put the dogs up for adoption. We told them that we had erred in allowing them to think that tossing away promises and duties and vows was acceptable. And we told them that we all had a responsibility to become the family Katie and George needed, M and I by leadership, the kids in keeping their pledge.



Because today, this is about puppies. But tomorrow it's about business agreements, interpersonal commitments, personal integrity, character and growth. It's about being willing to be inconvenienced to keep a word. It's about being the kind of people who make good.



And we're learning that lesson, together, in the classroom of canine commitment.



You've got your stories too, I know. Those times you did the right thing even when it was tough. The instances when you stayed late, worked harder, ran one more mile, went back to make it right. Write a post on your commitment and put the url of that post and your name in the Mister Linky's box below or tell us in the comment box. Let's all encourage each other with those times that keeping a commitment has meant more that convenience!

Sunday Selah

He defended the cause of the poor and needy,

and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know me?"

declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 22:16

Have you ever had a verse that just keeps coming back to you and coming back to you and coming back to you?


Jeremiah 22:16 has been one of those for me.


With the recent unrest between Israel and Gaza, I find myself pulled more and more to the books of Jeremiah, Haggai and Zechariah. They are books full of prophecy, strong imagery, warnings and consequences. The book of Jeremiah recounts the rise and fall of both great and terrible kings and Haggai and Zachariah record Israel's struggle to return home after exile to Babylon.



I just keep turning to the pages of these tomes.



And somehow, I continue to find myself reading again and again the above passage in Jeremiah.



They are words to the son of Josiah, a man named Shallum, also called Jehoahaz. Josiah had been a powerful king over Judah and had brought reform and faith back to his people. Shallum decided to turn his back on his father's legacy, disregarding the compassion and faithfulness by which his father ruled. Within three months, Shallum had lost the throne of Judah to an Egyptian Pharoah and was led into captivity. He was the first king of Judah to die in exile. And the words above were spoken to him by Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord.



What strikes me is this is not a tongue lashing by Jeremiah telling Shallum his governance was faulty, his spending extreme, his military preparedness vulnerable, his behaviors too provocative. What is said is that his father Josiah knew how to defend the cause of the poor and needy and by this marker showed that he knew the Lord. Shallum does not uphold these causes and therefore proves that he does not follow the Lord.

It is by what Josiah did for the least of these that marks him as a man of God. It is the neglect toward the poor and needy by his son that marks Shallum as one who does not follow God.



And Shallum ultimately pays the price for that oversight.



As a youngster, I thought that my faith was all about the things I didn't do.  I thought that my avoidance of certain 'secular' behaviors would mark my identity as a good church-going little girl.


But it falls a little flat, doesn't it, when the sum of your life's light, when the definition of all that guides you, is only known by those around you as what you won't do.


If the only way people know that I follow Jesus is because I don't ________________ (fill in the blank), then where does that leave us?  If the only way the world has of understanding my walk is through what I avoid, then how does that show a life of transformation and journey and growth?


What I want people to know is that I know the Lord.


And how He defines my knowing Him is pretty simple.


It's how He identified Josiah as a child of His.


It's how He knew Shallum was not.


It's in what we do do.  It's in defending the cause of the poor and needy.  It's in walking in love.  It's in visiting the sick, giving a cup of water, going the extra mile.


It's about what we do.  Not just about what we avoid.


It's about love in action.


Doing.


Selah.

JPEG of the Week

~Why You Should Always Label Your Pictures...~

6 of 8 next to a picture of 2 of 8 about the same age--can you say 'Twinkie'?

Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!

Excited?

Uh, yeah!

My precious blogging friend Rosie is just a phenom of a photog, along with her husband. They have such an eye, and I absolutely love looking at their photographs. When Rosie offered to let me host a giveaway for their photography site, I jumped at the chance...

Check this out...



How gorgeous is that?

And take a gander at this!



I know. Awesome.

So here's the dealio. To celebrate the opening of Rosie's new online store, she is offering one lucky Octamom reader the chance to win a framed 8x10 of their choice! Now how cool is that?!? All you need to do is go to www.photocaptiva.com, go to the 'Store' tab and peruse the collection. Then come back here and let me know your favorite. I'll be selected a random winner next Wednesday.


So head on over, expand your artistic experience and leave a little comment love!  Can't wait to hear about your favorites!!

A History Lesson from 6 of 8

Many of you have probably been waiting for more kernels of wisdom from 6 of 8, given her recent missives on psychology, philosophy and theology. So it is with great pleasure I'm able to bring you yet another brilliant facet from 6 of 8's perspective of the world.

1 of 8 loves old typewriters and has developed quite a beautiful collection. Her typewriters are artistically displayed in her room, each one highlighted. 6 of 8 was chatting with 1 of 8 in 1's room last week when the following exchange took place.

6 of 8: "You sure do love typewriters!"

1 of 8: "Yes, I do!"

6 of 8: "Once they get too old, can I have one?"

1 of 8: "That's the great thing about these typewriters. The older they get, the cooler they get because they are a part of history..."

6 of 8: (eye roll, exasperated...) "Tsk, no, 1 of 8, history was when the world was black and white..."

I suppose that's how you can know if your antiques are truly old...if they're still in color, they apparently are not all that old...

Extreme Home Makeover...

Ty Pennington, look out.

8 of 8 has some serious skills when it comes to changing the terrain of household decor.

He has a unique ability to walk into a room, and by the time he leaves, 8 of 8 is able to leave his own unique mark.

Take, for example, the way I have set up our family room...

And then there is the way that 8 of 8 rearranges it to his liking...

He will literally scale the walls to give things their own unique twist...

There's the boring way I chose to place the pillows on the couch...

And then there is 8 of 8's vision...

I created this look for the master bath...

But I suppose it was too pedestrian for 8 of 8...he prefers a layered look...

He prefers rooms that looked lived in...

He's pretty much a one-man cyclone at the moment, spinning through rooms and leaving a tide mark in his wake.

So memorize this face...this may be the future host of Extreme Home Makeover...

He's certainly getting in his fair share of practice at the moment...