The picture is the link if you wish to see it full size.

I’m not sure whether I’m happy with this one or not. Without the transparencies it’s too bare… but I’m not sure I like the floating head effect, either. Opinions?

*****
Is this version better?

Or this one? (This is actually the original.)

P.S. I’m not posting full size versions of these two; there’s just no point doing multiple versions.

I’m probably the last one to figure this out but just in case I’m not, here it is. If you’re going to roast a chicken for dinner anyway, you might as well roast two or three at once.

Why? Well, firstly, it’s the end of the fight for the drumstick. There’s one for everyone who wants one! But more importantly, after you’ve had your fill you can package up all that nicely roasted meat and use it in quick and easy meals for the rest of the week.

For example, tonight we had roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and salad. Tomorrow, we’re having Holiday Chicken Salad on croissants. Later on in the week, we’ll have home-made chicken noodle soup. (The stock for which is simmering away right now.) And, since I did 3 chickens I also have some to go in the freezer because there’s more than we want for one week. Next week, I can just pull out the package of cooked and chopped chicken meat and make a nice chicken pot pie.

So much easier not to have to cook from scratch every night! Why didn’t I figure this out sooner?

Ray got me a new computer. He got some of the parts as salvage and some of them new — and all my peripherals are the same. But this one, he tells me, should be able to run all my software without getting bogged down. Also, it’s got ‘mirrored’ hard drives which means that I have 2 copies of everything and therefore less chance of losing any of my precious documents (ie pictures of my babies).

He also got me the trial version of PSE 8.0. I know he’s itching to get me hooked on it so he can upgrade it for me. I don’t know why but he just loves to do that. He asks if I want it, and I always say, “Nah, what would I do with that? The one I have does everything I need it to do.” And he says, “This new one has features that you’ll like. You know how you always wish it could do…” (whatever) and then he just keeps reminding me of the inadequacies of my current system until he convinces me to try the new one. And then, of course, I get hooked on it.

He also changed my operating system so that I could have more RAM. Apparently, the old one limited the amount of RAM available.

So, I’m getting used to a new operating system, playing with a software upgrade, and feeling a little bit lost on my own computer. But it’s also fun and exciting.

Maybe he’s just trying to make sure that he’s indispensable as my computer guru. Maybe he doesn’t realize that he’s completely indispensable anyway. Don’t tell him, kay? Or he might quit getting me new toys.

Look! My baby has finally got some teeth!

And look at this spikey-looking frost…

From a distance it looked like the fence was fuzzy. Up close it looked more thorny. Very pretty, though.

The pictures are linked but you have to be logged in to the gallery site.

I’m thinking about quitting the blog. I’m not saying that I’ve decided to quit, but I’m thinking about it. I’m wondering whether if this is essentially nothing but a journal why don’t I just keep it on paper instead?

The advantage of the blog is obvious — it’s an opportunity to get some feedback on what’s going on. I love getting a response; suggestions, encouragement, sympathy, etc. from the people who read.

The disadvantages? I never know who is “listening” for one. Here I am, talking away. I might be talking to myself or I might be overheard by… anyone.

And I don’t know if it is this way for everyone else but I speak differently depending on who is around. Am I speaking to somebody who shares my faith? Am I speaking to some one who knows the person I’m complaining about? Am I speaking to somebody who knows where I come from? Etc. And not knowing the answer to those types of questions is starting to get to me.

I’ve recently had the experience (not for the first time) of revealing too much of myself to somebody in real life, and I regret it. It makes me worry about what may be revealed in this context, too.

Because God knows I don’t really want anybody to see me.

Ha. So, here’s the thing. I’m out of time, I have to go and get Jessica from school. Do I hit publish on a post like this one?

This time, I will.

This overview page (which is not quite finished for obvious reasons) is going to be near the beginning of his scrapbook. I can’t believe there’s only one more month until this album will be finished. Seriously. I know I always say that, but honestly I can’t believe how time flies.

The thumbnail is a link but you have to be logged in to “Afton’s Virtual Scrapbook” — not the blog — to see it. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Sarah just won her school’s spelling bee, qualifying to participate in the regional spelling bee. I’m very happy for her.

That’s 2 out of 4 pages done for the month. This is the best “New Year’s Resolution” that I ever made. I should have stuck with just this one, though, as the others aren’t going nearly as well.

1) lose at least 5 pounds — I’m not seeing any progress so far. But I’m not panicking yet; my weight has a tendency to fluctuate some and the fact that I haven’t seen a loss in the first week may not prove much. I am going to have to be more strict about my day-time eating, just to be sure, but I can do this.

2) no snacking after the kids are in bed (8:00) — We cheated on this once. I say “we” because Ray is supposedly doing this one, too. Actually, it was his idea. But he’s the one who gave us permission to make an exception that one day, which I regret, so I will be sure to do this one for the rest of the month whether he does or not.

3) at least 90 minutes of exercise per week — Ugh. This one is so hard right now. It’s not that I don’t want to, or that I’m not trying to make time. I am. So, I only got about 45 minutes in for week 1. But it’s supposed to be warmer this week. Maybe warm enough to put Sam in the stroller and walk? That’s my hope because if I have to depend on him sleeping long enough for me to exercise without him I’ll probably do just as badly next week.

4) complete 4 scrapbook pages — I’m right on track for this one.

5) spend less than 1 hour per day on facebook — I’d been trying to log-in no more than 4 times/day. That didn’t work. I’ve been on less, but not enough less. But, I think I’m going to switch to using a timer instead of counting log-ins. I think that I’ve actually been pretty close to meeting this as far as time spent but I’ve still been checking in too often. Since the goal was really about time, I think it’s fair to change the way I’m measuring it to better reflect that.