Crazy Uncle Dave's Sports Pages
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Monday, July 26, 2010
All Heart
Dave is out helping people today, so I thought I'd take this moment to infiltrate his blog. Shh...don't tell him. Dave is all heart. When anyone needs ANYTHING, he is right there to help out, to give of himself. His dad broke his shoulder this week, so he needed some help on a household project he was working on. Then the Illinois floods came and ruined the basement of his sister-in-law. So today Dave is taking time to shuttle between places to do some grunt work. Dave is not a fix-it man, but that doesn't matter. He is all heart. You need something, I'm there. That's his attitude. While we'll miss hanging out with him today, we are thankful that he's out there, helping people who really need it. We love you Dave!
Amy/HSD's wife
Monday, May 31, 2010
Fun at the Carnival
Our family enjoys going to the carnival every year. When I say, "our family" I mean, the kids. I can't ride rides, as they make me sick. Dave enjoys rides, but this carnival doesn't usually sport rides that interest him. He usually gets a wristband so he can ride the merry-go-round with Lucy, ad nauseum. This year, Lucy was tall enough , so Dave didn't have to spend the extra $20 and ride with her. He is saving that money for me just in case Bath and Body Works brings back Plumeria or Jewel Food Stores brings back Generic Iced Tea. But I digress.
In the past the carnival has come to town in April, but this year, they showed up in May. The weather usually is at extremes, either freezing or piping hot. This year's trip was the latter. The carnival is set up in a local parking lot, about a city block long.
When we first started going, Emma was 2 1/2, and it seemed huge, and we worked diligently to keep a hold of her, and make sure she didn't get lost in this vast area. This year, we followed our 4 1/2 year old, Lucy, around, and the other two fended for themselves. When I looked out for the two fenders-for-them-selvers, I could stand at one end of the carnival, and see Charlie at the other end, waiting in line for his favorite ride. Why did I used to think it was so big? Who knows, maybe it was the fact that I was still a relatively new parent. Maybe I was looking at the carnival through the kids' eyes. Maybe someone secretly performed LASIK surgery on me while I was sleeping, and I can see that much better. Who knows!
(Charlie in action)
We usually scout out the prices ahead of time, so we can prepare the kids: "We're only going from 2-6 because that's the time you can use your wristband." This year, it was a full-carnival-frenzy. ALL-DAY $20! Emma and Charlie were in heaven! Okay it wasn't heaven but it sure wasn't Iowa!
The carnival was ill-attended during the day, so most of the time, they stayed on their favorite rides as long as they wanted to. We usually park the car right next to the carnival and have a cooler with cold water, sodas for adults, and snacks. This year, it was so hot, the drinks were exhausted quickly. So Dave and I took turns sitting in the nearby Taco Bell reading a book and sipping on a cold drink. . Lucy was wiped out around 4:30 pm and wanted to go home. She was bathed and asleep by 7:30.
Dave stayed behind with "the bigs" who had found some of their friends. Dave took Emma home around 8:00, and then Dave and Charlie stayed until after 9. Our family has another tradition, of keeping their wrist-bands on as long as possible. Well meaning church friends will think we were hospitalized. Maybe they just think we should be hospitalized. I think Dave still has one on from Great America last summer. Wait, no, that's his watch.
(Emma and friend)
But enough with blogging already, I want to use my computer for its real purpose in life: watching The Walton's on DVD.
Next Time: It's Dave's blog ask him.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Hitting 300
Tonight's Episode: I'll Take Labels for 300.
I started this blog back in January of 2009. It took me less than 6 months to hit 100 posts. Click here or on my 100th post page to harken back to that time. 4 and a half months later I came in with post #200. Now, I have hit my 300th post.
I have labeled those posts with 71 distinctive labels. A label is a way of indexing the blog, so that it is easier to look up older posts by topics. A post can have many different labels at the same time. Today's post has 3: Blah Blah Blogging (Which is how I describe when I post incessantly about inane blogging practices), Blog Insider (where I talk about different gadgets, apps and tools I utilize) for this blog, and Posting in the Hundreds (Where I commemorate my posts that have multiples of one hundred). In a sense, all of these labels are very similar and there is a degree of overlapping in my labels.
If I could direct you to the label section of my blog you will see that instead of all 71, I have only 26 listed. This is because in celebrating my blogging longevity I plan to post about my 25 most popular labels in the weeks and months to come. There are 26 because there was a 7-way tie for 20th place. Instead of making a label for these labels, which would seem superfluous, I will be creating a page that will link to these homage posts. Until I have completed all of these I will have the label list show only the top 26.
Not listed in the top 25 are some of my favorite labels like: Hockey Lessons, An Open Letter, A Poem and FAQs of Life. But the 25 labels listed do give a pretty good insight to the kind of blog this has been the past year and a half. I hope you will enjoy the closer look behind the blog in the posts to come.
I plan to finish my D.C. trip remembrances before unpacking these labels, but as usual, prepare yourself for the randomness which is me.
As I bring this post to a close, I just want to give you links to my favorite posts of 4 labels that just missed the top 25:
Amy Roller Guest Blogger with Trudi's Garden.
Awana Scouts featuring Turtle Cake is Best.
The Labels Lincoln and Our Kid's Write are both featured in the post: In praise of Home School Kid's Write.
Next Time: Washington D.C. Day 8
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Dave Roller, Daddy Extraordinaire!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Amy Remembers Keith Part II
Keith really looked up to his big brother Dave. Whenever Dave would tell a joke, Keith would chime in that he was thinking the same thing, or try to get in on the laughter. Keith was such a smart man, he had a brain for facts and figures and dates. He and Dave and their mother would often try to outdo each other with what they knew, but always in good fun. They would mistakenly ask me one of their questions, and after getting a blank stare, move on to someone they knew would answer…each other. Our family spent quite a bit of time with Keith’s family and you could always tell that Keith looked up to his big brother Dave, and with good reason.
Amy Remembers Keith Part I
Keith loved his kids. He never considered it stepping down when he had to get on the floor and do a puzzle with the kids. He loved games as well and would fully engage in whatever he was doing with one of his kids. He loved reading to them, playing games with them, taking them to the park, etc. Keith loved his kids.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Guest Post by Amy Roller - Book Review
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Newspaper Chicken (Fried Chicken)
Place coated chicken on a tray (I use my pampered chef "stackable cooling rack" laid on top of a cookie sheet.) Once all chicken is double coated, let the tray sit in the fridge for another hour. This ensures the coating will stick to the chicken. **Sometimes I do have to make another bag of flour mixture. This double coating is messy, but it really makes for nice, crunchy chicken. After an hour, get a frying pan ready with enough oil to be 1/2 way up the sides of the chicken. I fry it over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, place a few pieces of chicken in the oil. If you're doing it right, as the hot oil is cooking the food, the salt water is coming out of the chicken, therefore, making it a nongreasy affair. Love it. So you fry it on one side for about 4 minutes (try to leave it alone here, don't check it a bunch of times), and the other side for about 4 minutes more. This, of course, varies according to size. Using bone-in chicken will take longer. Now, this is important: do not try to keep the chicken warm to try to serve in an hour or so. Either serve immediately, or allow to cool and either serve cold, or microwave to warm it up. If you try to keep it warm in the oven, it gets gooey, and nobody likes gooey chicken! This chicken also freezes quite well. I usually have enough for a meal right away, leftovers in the fridge, and then some in the freezer for a later meal.
Ingredients at a Glance:
5 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 cup salt, water to cover chicken
2 cups milk plus 2 TBLS vinegar (or buttermilk if you have it)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt, garlic powder, chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper and dried mustard
oil for frying
Thanks Amy. She also does a great impression of Jimmy Stewart saying chicken. She is certainly a woman of many talents. To see all the other recipes in this special edition of WFMW go to We Are That Family.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Guest Post by Amy Roller - Adoption
We were advised by some prison ministry workers not to follow through with our idea of helping prisoner's children maintain contact. So, we kind of let that thought go, and just went into the regular foster care system, where you get a call at any time of day or night to come pick up some kids.
Despite many challenges in our lives up to that point, foster parenting is the toughest thing on earth, it just is. Maybe not for everyone, but for Dave and me, it was the hardest thing we've ever been through. The hard parts included, but were not limited to: the amount of time to attend to each foster child's needs for parent visits, counseling visits, doctor and dentist appointments, school appointments (since you can't homeschool foster children in Illinois) etc.; the implact of the foster childrens' behavior upon our children; the significant emotional turmoil the foster children go through, and dealing with that on an almost hourly basis.
Now, God, who has adopted us, does not go through these things. Even though Ephesians 1:5 says he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—, he does not have time constraints, love constraints, mercy constraints, or wisdom constraints. We do, and we don't. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
This past Saturday, we received a letter from a case worker in Pennsylvania, asking us to give an account of a sibling pair we had back in 2002, so they could have this information when they were adults. The letter broke my heart. The last we had heard from these children, they had been returned to their home and their mother and older sister. Apparently, that is no longer the case.
Dave and I both, separately, had the same inclination...get those kids back! Let them know they were missed, and loved, and can have a home here. So, we decided to pray for a month for the Lord's wisdom and guidance about this weighty matter. We took out a pile of photos we had taken of them with our family, and will send copies of those along with the paperwork.
Having three children of our own, and seeing how much they each depend upon us for love, acceptance, learning, daily needs, etc., it's heartbreaking to even think about a child who does not know the stability and love of a permanent home with their parents.
But then again, this is not our permanent home. Philippians 3:20-21 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Still, the Lord allows us to have earthly homes and wants us to love and teach our children. So, in Christ, we are adopted, and this is a saving adoption, a redeeming adoption, a life or death adoption. The other kind of adoption, human to human, should be no less saving, redeeming, or life affirming. The only way to do it is through the power of God. James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
So, stay tuned to see how the Lord leads us in this matter…and pray, please pray.
Next Time: Our Reverse Garfield
Monday, February 16, 2009
Guest Post-by Amy Roller: Perspective
Many hours of training produced little result. "Okay, Emma, we're going to play at the library. When we're all done, we will stand by the lady and wait our turn, and give her the books, and she'll give them back." What? I have to give the books to the librarian? I just spent hours picking them out, listening to you read them to me, and planning how many book parties we are going to have at home, and NOW, you want me to GIVE them to this lady with the long blond hair? She might TAKE them, hide them, put them away, mom, I'm quite sure, I'll NEVER see them again. No, I won't do it. Screaming ensued. Every. Time.
Okay, finally after a year or so, Emma gets the idea. Then comes Charlie, who tended to be calmer than Emma. Same thing. Crying, tears, shrieks, etc. Couple years down the line, Lucy does the same thing, but to a lesser extent. She watches Emma and Charlie's reaction to handing the books over, and discovers that they always give them back, that nice blond lady, especially.
Flash forward to today. I spent my day at the library working on some reports for work. I was tucked away in a far corner, but I could still hear those two year olds shrieking. MOM! I need that book! I LOVE that book! NOOOOOOOOOO! Now, give it to the nice lady, and she'll give it right back, dear, like we practiced at home. Why mom? Why can't I just keep it? I promise I'll bring it back next time? Sorry honey, like I told you at home, I....MOMMMMMMMMM!!! I didn't chuckle, exactly, so much as, said a silent "thank you" for being past that stage...
Next Time: WFMW
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
For reluctant writers!
Is your child a reluctant writer? Do they have great ideas when speaking, then are barely able to write one sentence? I learned about this idea from Diane Craft (http://www.dianecraft.org/necraft.org/) at a homeschool convention a few years back. Other educators have called it "Brain Gym" (Paul Dennison.) Occupational therapists have used it, psychologists have used it, teachers and parents have used it.
The purpose of this activity is to transfer writing from the paper and pencil, physical activity, to the creative writing process. It helps the brain's two hemispheres to work together. The left side of the brain is where the beginning of learning new things lies, and then it is transfered to the right side when it is fully leared, and no longer in need of thought (i.e., driving a car, tying your shoes, etc.) We have seen a significant improvment in our childrens' writing skills, and I have seen improvements in the school setting as well.
I sat down with my daughter Emma to demonstrate this method for you. She has demonstrated it for me to general and special ed teachers at the school where I work:
The sideways 8 activity it works for me. If you click here, you will be sent to Rocks in my Dryer to see what works for others.
To see what other home school moms and dads are up to click here to go to the current carnival of home school being hosted this week by topsy-techie.
Thanks Amy
Next Time: My Music A to Z
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