More cool sunsets

Chad stopped and snapped these pictures on the the way to the hockey game last night. I've only seen one other sunset like it in my life. It's kind of eerie and beautiful at the same time.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I hope your day keeps you "hoppin' "!

Things that make you go Hmmmm...

Kids With High IQs Grow Up to Be Vegetarians
December 15, 2006 08:40:46 PM PST
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter


FRIDAY, Dec. 15 (HealthDay News) -- As a child's IQ rises, his taste for meat in adulthood declines, a new study suggests.

British researchers have found that children's IQ predicts their likelihood of becoming vegetarians as young adults -- lowering their risk for cardiovascular disease in the process. The finding could explain the link between smarts and better health, the investigators say.

"Brighter people tend to have healthier dietary habits," concluded lead author Catharine Gale, a senior research fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre of the University of Southampton and Southampton General Hospital.

Recent studies suggest that vegetarianism may be associated with lower cholesterol, reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This might explain why children with high IQs tend to have a lower risk of heart disease in later life.

The report is published in the Dec. 15 online edition of the British Medical Journal.

"We know from other studies that brighter children tend to behave in a healthier fashion as adults -- they're less likely to smoke, less likely to be overweight, less likely to have high blood pressure and more likely to take strenuous exercise," Gale said. "This study provides further evidence that people with a higher IQ tend to have a healthier lifestyle."

In the study, Gale's team collected data on nearly 8,200 men and women aged 30, whose IQ had been tested when they were 10 years of age.

"Children who scored higher on IQ tests at age 10 were more likely than those who got lower scores to report that they were vegetarian at the age of 30," Gale said.

The researchers found that 4.5 percent of participants were vegetarians. Of these, 2.5 percent were vegan, and 33.6 percent said they were vegetarian but also ate fish or chicken.

There was no difference in IQ score between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but who said they ate fish or chicken, the researchers add.

Vegetarians were more likely to be female, of higher social class and better educated, but IQ was still a significant predictor of being vegetarian after adjustment for these factors, Gale said.

"Vegetarian diets are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk in a number of studies, so these findings suggest that a such a diet may help to explain why children or adolescents with a higher IQ have a lower risk of coronary heart disease as adults," Gale said.

"The evidence linking vegetarianism to good health outcomes is very strong," said Dr. David L. Katz, the director of the Prevention Research Center and an associate professor of public health at the Yale University School of Medicine.

"Studies, for example, of vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists in California suggest that they have lower rates of almost all major chronic diseases, and greater longevity, than their omnivorous counterparts," Katz said. "Evidence is also strong and consistent that greater intelligence, higher education, and loftier social status -- which tend to cluster with one another -- also correlate with good health."

Christmas Pictures

Finally got the pictures back from Walmart.
What a cutie, even if I do say so myself!

December Sunset

Chad snapped this photo from our back yard just as the sun was setting.

Happy 3rd Birthday

I've been holding tight a little secret

Been sneaking around the halls,

And now the day's arrived It's time to tell them all.

Unwrap it right now before me

For I filled it with hugs and kisses sweet,

Press them close to your heart

And smile big and wide inside

You are, yes you, are today's perfect treat.

- unknown author

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAYA JANE!!

Thanksgiving Birthdays

Every year we celebrate Chad's niece's birthday at Thanksgiving dinner because her birthday is November 27th.


This year because of work schedules, not every one could make it to Maya's party, so we decided to combine the girl's parties together since their birthday's are only 5 days apart.


Maya's loving the idea of getting three sets of presents: Chad's family at Thanksgiving, our family on her birthday and then her friends party on the 9th. And two weeks later comes Christmas! That girl knows how to party!

31 1/2 weeks

8 months give or take. I'd rather give I think...

Seventh Anniversary

"This is my beloved, and this is my friend..." Song of Solomon 5:16




Happy 7th Anniversary Hunny...May we make it seven more just as easily!

Redecorating Part 2

Step 6: Finish taping all the silly little diamonds. Yes, all that blue stuff is tape. Thousands of 10 inch strips of tape that have to be precisely cut with a razor blade to make those nice little points.

Redecorating part 1

I know it's been awhile since I posted. No I haven't died or gone into labor. At least not labor that results in a baby. We have been laboring over Maya's room however. We are in the process of redecorating...which of course I had to make as complicated as possible. I think it's the art major in me.

Step 1: Chad painted everything purple. And then it had to dry.















Step 2: I spent 4 hours measuring and marking off harlequin diamonds on the lower portion of the walls.

Step 3: I spent the next 3 hours taping and cutting away the excess to perfectly mask off the said diamonds. After 7 hours my back could handle no more...I quit.
















Step 4: Chad painted the walls I had taped. Once again, drying time was needed.

Step 5: Remove tape and peel off several large patches of old paint that revealed the plaster beneath. (Needless to say step 14 and 15 will probably be repairing of the wall and touch up paint)















Stay tuned for Steps 6 through 6 million which will involve taping of the remaining walls, repair and touch ups, hand stamping of accent colors and designs and the application of the adorable wallpaper border which will bring it all together. Maya picked it out, it's pink with fairies and potted flowers.

Yes, I know...most people would have been content with the purple. Possibly some would have ventured onto the wall paper border. But what kind of psychopath would spend days putting hundreds of diamonds on the walls of a 3 year old that asked for a purple room?

Yeah...that would be me.

R.L. Burnside Quote

Every month I have my piano students study a new songwriter/composer. Sometimes I pick classical composers, but often I try to choose more modern songwriters from varying styles and eras. We discuss the style of music and the composer's background and then start each class of that month listening to a song by that composer.

This month we are discussing R.L. Burnside, a blues musician who died just last year. His music is unlike most that you've heard, but excellent. I laughed out loud at this quote, which obviously, is not fit for children...but I just had to share with someone.

Burnside claimed to have been convicted for murder and sentenced to six months' incarceration for the crime. Burnside's boss at the time reputedly pulled strings to keep the murder sentence short, due to having need of Burnside's skills as a tractor driver.

"I didn't mean to kill nobody," Burnside later said. "I just meant to shoot the sonofabitch in the head. Him dying was between him and the Lord."

Trick Or Treat

I tried to get the slide show to load onto my site, but for some reason photobucket isn't co-operating today, so you'll just have to go through the extra effort to click on the link. It's worth it!

http://s54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/shadylane_00/?action=view&current=1162396491.pbw

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

This scary guy spent quite a bit of time crawling across the sidewalk in front of our sliding glass door. I think he was trying to wish us a Happy Halloween. After some research I found that it's called a Shamrock Orb Spider. Now having spent an hour looking at spider pictures I feel like my skin is crawling. Just thought I'd share the creepy crawlies with all of you!

Halloween Costume - Mine, not Maya's

Here is my costume this year. I couldn't think of anything to be, so I made a t-shirt for my little "pumpkin". Goofy, yes, but fun to make!

7 months

5 months6 months7 months

At least the clothes are different... I think the baby's hiding behind my kidney, or maybe I'm missing a kidney and don't know it. Anyways, went for the 7 month check-up. All is well. The Dr. let Maya crawl up on a chair and help her find the baby's heart beat. So cute!

First Snowfall

I hate snow. If only it felt as nice as it looks, soft and warm and fluffy.

But what I really hate is the fact that I had to say "I hate snow," in October.

Blah!

Quote for the day

Maya is always saying weird, off the wall things, and I try to remember them but they usually slip away. Last night while I was sewing my Halloween costume she was sitting next to me watching.

In the middle of some nonsensical babble she very casually said, "Everything you do is just moments." And then went on to talk about apples. It was all very zen and deja-vu at the same time and it just kept running over and over in my head.

"Everything you do is just moments..."

How profound a statement to be made by an almost three year old. And I didn't even know she knew the word 'moments'.

Pumpkin Carving

It has become a sort of tradition to go over to our neighbors house and carve pumpkins. I say "sort of" because this is our second year in a row. I think it may take more than two times to become a tradition...correct me if I'm wrong. The kids were slightly more into it this year than last, but the attention was still short lived, and the adults took over as usual.





















Ewww...it' s slimey!















Maya's pumpkin design...for some reason reminds me of Wilson from Cast Away.















The carving master.



















The finished product.

I'll Be Back...

You Are

A Robo Pumpkin Face You would make a good pumpkin cyborg.

What's Your Pumpkin Face?