Clickbook Update -- It works!

I was going to say I could die happy, now. But no. I have a lot of printing to do, first. ;-) You may remember I blogged some time ago about finding this print manager, ClickBook, and that I wanted to try it out. Being the genetic procrastinator that I am, it is now six months later, and I gave it a shot.

I just printed out the first three chapters of The Baldwin Project's Stories of Beowulf Told to the Children, using ClickBook -- and

I have a perfect little book in my hands!

The first three chapters, including front matter and all the images (a total of 26 pages, with my settings) printed out using 7 sheets of paper. Seven! The best I could do before that would have been 13 sheets! Do you *know* how delightful that is?

And I can have it bound at Staples for about $2.00!!

And it fits in the boys' backpacks! Or, in my backpack. Oh. Oh. This is delightful.

I can make workbooks based on our reading (because I have those offbeat children who clamor for workbooks, as fate would have it).

I can make the church booklets in the blink of an eye! No more brain-straining formatting for me! Hee hee!

Ooooooo, I can make my own day planners! (Alright, now I'm just feeding the monkey. But let me bask, okay?)

Now that I've listed a pro (or three), there are a few quirks:
1) The little second side printing instruction sheet that comes out with your print job? It LIES. Don't believe it, unless you want to print your pages upside down. So, do it the way it says not to do it (at least on my Brother HL-2070N, anyway.)

2) I downloaded the free trial copy, and it prints with an annoying banner in the header and footer of EVERY PAGE. "Blue Squirrel * www.bluesquirrel.com" at the top, and "ClickBook Trial Version * Sales: etc. etc. etc." It seems obvious that the "trial version" footer will not print if I buy the software. I need to confirm that the "blue squirrel" header won't print, either, because it's annoying.

3) Staples is not, for some silly reason, OPEN at one in the morning, and so I cannot toodle on down there right-stinkin'-now to have something bound.

But you know, truly, I can live with most of that. Staples has to open eventually. And if this continues to work this easily, I'm most definitely going to buy the full version. (I have seven days left to figure it out.) And, eh, ignore directions? Not. A. Problem.

Our school year just got a whole lot more affordable. Life is good.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

High School

I stole this from Staci. She didn't tag me, but that's okay. She likes me, anyway. :-)


1. Who was your best friend?
I don't remember having a best friend in high school. I did have several wonderful friends, though.

2. Did you play any sports?
Track my sophomore year, but that was b/c my ride also did track and I needed something to do. I wasn't a sportsy person. At least, not until I became an adult and "backpacking" was considered a sport. :-)

3. What kind of car did you drive?
1971 Chevy pickup. Still have it.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
Hmmm, either at work or out with friends.

5. Were you a party animal?
The mere thought makes me laugh.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
I cringe to even think about it. I didn't think so, but looking back, ugh, probably.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
No.

8. Were you a nerd?
Definitely.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
Oh, no. Nono. That would have been terrifying.

10. Can you sing the fight song?
Too many high schools, and I never learned any of them.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Barbara Harber, the Academic Decathalon teacher.

12. What was your school mascot?
Freshman year - Badger Pups
Sophomore year - Bears
Junior year - Eagles
Senior year - Badgers, then Matadors

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Twice, but not my senior year.


14. If you could go back, would you?
No. I survived, and did it almost solely so that I could live this very life. While it's tempting to go back and undo the stoopid mistakes, that would also undo who I am now. Sort of that whole killing a butterfly thing. Makes me twitchy.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
It was hot. My mother was mad that I wanted to go to dinner with friends and not out with my family (Mom, sister, and niece). I had agreed to go out with family, but Mom pitched such a fit during the actual ceremony that nobody wanted to go. So we skipped it. Niece went out and partied with the kids who graduated. *sigh*

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
I have no idea, but I was on campus somewhere, in classess and all that good stuff.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Um, yes. I worked as a telemarketer. I did a buttload of volunteer work, also.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Jr. year, we went to Dion's pizza. Sr. year, we all walked to somebody's house for lunch. There were four of us all within two blocks of the school that year.

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Not really. I wasn't what you'd call "wispy" to begin with.

20. What did you do after graduation?
Went to see my Dad in the hospital, then back to the hotel.

21. What year did you graduate?
1991

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date?
I didn't actually go to prom my Senior year. Junior year I went with Dale Hester. He put so much into making it such a sweet evening. Good guy. Sophomore year I went with Paul Lee, one of my dearest friends - we doubled with another friend and his girlfriend (that was awkward, actually). Both were great guys, and we had a lovely time.

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
I'd wanted to go, but the date conflicted with Corona Days. I'm glad we went to Corona Days, with family, instead. Those are the people who mean so much to me now, and that was good. Maybe I'll catch the 20th?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Back to a small family

Oh, it was so good to see Kris and David today. They look good. Tired, obviously been on the road this week, but good. Contented. Happy. Enthusiastic. You know, *good*.

I think getting their wee ones back under their wings did wonders for the enthusiasm level.
It was helpful to be able to get all the paperwork, filing, searching, loading, shipping, etc. done without worrying about the boys, and that was good. But once a mama, always a mama, and it just feels better to have your chicks back in your own nest.
We had a fantastic visit, and then they headed out. We'd planned to get right back to work on the windows, but...

it was over 100' today...

and that ceiling fan on the porch sure is nice...

combined with iced tea...

and uber-friendly butterflies...


well, the windows can wait.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Did you know...

You can tape a glow stick to a water rocket and extend your shooting time by a good two hours? Good to know, huh?

I might have put a twitchy, stammering halt to the firing of the rockets after yesterday (muttering something about eight thousand gallons per launch), but the boys discovered that the rockets fly better using *less* water than they'd begun with. So, one 8oz. cup of water gives you ten minutes of pure entertainment. (Set up, priming, pumping, countdown, ooohhhh-ahhhhh, and then -- search and rescue.) That's really not a bad ROI.

Today I cleaned. Not the daily swish 'n tidy clean, but a gooooooddddddd clean. Zorak took the older four to the ball field. The younger two slept until ten. It was blissful to get caught up. Also (the highlight of my day), I can once again use the bathroom without my feet and/or legs sticking to some random surface. Yes, I know. The inside scoop on a home with six males in it.

Ahem.

So, then. Let's see, what else is going on? Oh, random Em shot: I love those little fat arms, that expressive face, the duck fluff and wisps of hair.

It's hard to believe James used to have duck fluff and fat little arms and cheeks. He takes off his helmet now and reveals a head of wet, thick hair atop the flushed and browning face of a young man... young men don't have duck fluff. And I didn't take the camera to practice. But I need to. If he doesn't see me, I might be able to get a photo of him where he isn't making a silly face. (The missing teeth on either side of the front teeth aren't helping my case, either. It's just too easy to suck in your lip and do a gopher-smile right before the shutter clicks.) And yes, I know that one day I'll look wistfully back on the gopher-boy shots, so I take plenty in preparation for that time. I'm just not there yet.

The boys' parents arrive tomorrow to fetch them back to their new home. We'll be sad to see them go, but glad that they'll be getting settled in. And they'll only be a few hours away, which will be nice. It's been such a good two weeks in so many ways. I feel guilty for saying out how absolutely exhausted I am, because it sounds like I'm pinning it on the kids. It's not. Well, it's not those kids. It's the small, somewhat parasitical one at the moment that's doing me in. But all-in-all, I think I've been able to hang with the herd okay. And I hope the herd has had a good time, too. We've got to try to get to the Wildlife Refuge in the AM for the sketching we weenied-out on this afternoon, and back by ten. Can we do it? I have no idea. But we'll give it our best shot.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Still Hot!

We went to the Space & Rocket Museum yesterday, all prepped and ready for a full day of exploring in the air conditioned building. We made it one hour before two of the children decided we didn't really mean it when we said not to wander off. They wandered off. I felt a blood vessel pop in the back of my head. And we left.

Eventually, children grow up and learn that you mean what you say. (As long as you really do mean what you say.) But honestly, sometimes consistency is no fun, even for the grown ups. I wanted to ride on the motion thingy, too! Ah, well, I do look forward to going back sometime. And I'm willing to bet there will be no deviation from the rules when we do. So, there's that to look forward to.

We had the pretense of a storm come through this afternoon. It toyed with us, hovering above us with its impressive Black Clouds, hammering all sorts of thunder at us. We quivvered with anticipation, and got... more humidity. *sigh* Oh, well, it was exciting while it lasted.

The guys did get the new ladder up on the barn. It's now Smidge-accessible. Yay! Looks great, too. (From what I've heard - I haven't actually gone down there. It's hot, don't you know?)

Then we decided, eh, what's five liters of water when the meter says we've already gone through 400 gallons today, and ran a test launch of the newest water rocket design. Good stuff. Sadly, it seems I am completely incapable of using the video feature on our camera. So, all you get is this:



The boys were quite proud of their work, and really thrilled with the end results. Good job, everyone!! The cousins don't know it yet, but we'll be sending this puppy home with them. It's nice to have a little something to show off what you've done over the summer, right?

They're all at the quarry right now. Hopefully, heading home so that James can eat, change, and make it to football practice. Smidge and EmBaby are out. cold. Poor little things. It's like watching miniature dachsunds try to keep up with Great Danes. The nap should do them wonders. I know it's reviving me considerably. (And oh, momanna98, I *do* get tired. I've been a walking zombie all week. We won't speak of the cranky part, though. That's, um, classified information. *grin*) The kitchen is clean, whites are sorted, food is ready, and I'm going to curl up on the couch with a fresh cup o'joe and a book!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

An Outing

Outings are such fun!

Wednesday we hit the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. In spite of the heat, the children all had a very nice time. We bought cheap birding glasses for five bucks, and a handful of arrowheads for a quarter a piece. Not authentic, but certainly a whole lot of fun!

We picked up a tree identification pamphlet, and the boys figured out quite a few new-to-us trees. We also experienced the joy of having this little guy show off his kill by landing on several of the kids.
We got there a bit late in the day to see much bird activity, I think. There was a Small Blue Heron out on the water, and a few up in the canopy that we could hear, but couldn't find.

We hit the observation building -- which is beyond fascinating, and a place we will be frequenting this fall and winter! WOW!

We stopped for a picnic by the water.

Then we hiked the trail through the cypress grove and around through the fields. It was a good outing. The boys all wanted to spend some time sketching Hawkeye, the red-tailed hawk who lives at the Refuge, so we headed back that way. Isn't she a beauty?
EmBaby and I hung out in the shade of the trees for a bit, wandered back inside, wandered around... all the while, four little boys sat in front of this bird, drawing, drawing, drawing. They sat for a good half hour, and would have continued on for a long time still, but EmBaby was done being hot, sweaty, and *up*. It was time to go.

Promises all around that we'll go back to do more sketching before they leave. (Mental note to take more food next time. I got hungry.)

A good day. A very good day.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

This is a rush, man. Just wild.

This is why God gives me one child at a time. I don't do exponential increases well. I mean, we had a great day, but it was =fast (see the streaks? See how fast that was?) And it was loud. And it started with an earth shattering ka-boom. They all emerged in one large, hungry, talkative group this morning, wanting food and teaching and conversation. (I'll shoot you straight, camp cooks and counselors are now among my most revered heroes. Those people can face larger hoardes at six in the morning, and do it with a smile! Wow. Truly. Wow. Because it's scary when they all start moving toward you like that...)

So, we did Latin, math, and a little reading. Then, being out of fruit (all of it), milk (why don't we have a cow yet?), and creamer (seriously, how did I let *that* happen?), we called it good and headed to the store. Stores. Fruit, milk, creamer, yogurt. Man we really do need a cow. And then, oy vey, where was Charles when it was time to buy the football stuff? (Oh. Yeah. Heh. At work. That probably has a lot to do with why we could buy the football stuff.)

You know you didn't get the brightest employee in the store - the locally owned sporting goods store that caters to the local teams, and the very one everybody shops at - when the clerk asks what you need, you list four standard items... and she completely crumbles. Fell apart and looked at me like I wasn't even speaking English. Like we weren't the hundredth family to come in asking for exactly the same things: padded chin strap, good mouth guard, practice jersey, and socks? Seriously, I could see a path worn in the carpet that followed our exact journey from the mouth guards to the checkout. Evidently, it was worn there by the other employees. The ones who didn't look lost when their customers asked, "Are these the good mouth guards, or is there really a difference?" Or torqued when their customers paid with a debit card, causing the employee to get off the phone to dial the transaction in. *sigh* But we made it, and DangerGirl managed to not crack anybody in the head with the bat display. Yay us.

Then, Zorak vetoed most of the things we bought. I've been informed that James was the only kid on the field tonight in "a white jersey and black socks". This, it seems, is a huge factor. A huge factor for a group of boys running about in fishnet crop tops. Riiiight.

Well, I was told to get black socks. Coach said so. (My new excuse for anything I botch, for the record. I'll let ya know how long I can milk that one.) And they were out of black practice jerseys in James' size. The entire rest of the team, I guess, had purchased them all, with the help of the other clerks in the store. Oddly enough, he loves the practice shirt -- the one item I nearly didn't get. (You know, on that point, could NOBODY have warned me that they are holey and see-through, and... look like that? Seriously, I thought she was joking when she held that thing up. Like some kind of newbie hazing thing.)

We got the super whomperdine padded chin strap with small guard dogs, a proximity alarm system, and a GPS receiver. Zorak said it's something-something too something-or-other.

There also was some issue or concern with the mouth guard, but it eventually passed muster. For now. (Although I have been informed they have mint scented guards. You know, just FYI.) I did get snapped at during the molding process. If you haven't done it before, evidently you simply haven't got the right amount of empathetic encouragement to offer. Yes, that's right, I'm an unsympathetic meanie, and was told to GO. NOW. But it's molded, and Zorak and James have created a shared, (evidently rather painful) experience between them.

Then, James practiced. First practice in pads. One of the hottest days of the year, so far. It was pretty harsh. He told Zorak after practice, "You know, I'm just not sure I'm seeing a return on expending so much energy." (Ah, the beauty of genetics - that boy is all ours!) This is going to be a very interesting season, indeed.

Kiss those hot, sweaty babies!
~Dy

Fear

Fear is seeing a "what's for dinner" thread on your favorite forum, and realizing you have no. idea.

Thank heaven for pasta!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

To Cousins! To Friends! To Life!

I am a horrible host. We have been having so much fun with the boys, and I haven't taken hardly any pictures. Their mother is going to want to strangle me for this. But there's so much to do, and we stay so busy that I forget we didn't hire the professional photographer to follow us around. :-D

The boys have settled into the fold so well. We're really proud of them, and are enjoying them so much. We looked forward to it, but in a different way. What we're getting out of this right now is just a whole lot more. I'm so glad they got to come be with us.

Today we went back to church. Our church. The church John asked about two weeks ago. The church Smidge asked about last week. When the cousins said they'd brought church clothes, I figured God was done whispering to me and about ready to thwack me in the head and we'd best get back to it. We never found anything closer, but that's okay. The final decision is that we'll go on Sundays, and if we do decide we need a Wednesday activity, we will look for something local to fill that niche. Weeknight activities aren't usually heavy on doctrine, and so I don't think we'd have difficulty joining in with some place for that. Fellowship doesn't know doctrine, and that's what the Wed. night activities usually are -- fellowship. Community. Good stuff. OH, MAN, it felt good to be back "home", too!

Yesterday, the guys all worked on projects. Me-Tae and Me-Wah came out for the afternoon. We enjoyed supper together, Me-Wah toasted their anniversary that day. (HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, GUYS!) It was neat to have three couples together for the celebration: Me-Tae and Me-Wah, celebrating 23 years together; Zorak and I coming up on twelve; and T. and P. soon to wed. Things like that warm the heart, and foster hope all around. Just very encouraging.

"The men" went to the river to fish and ride the boat. The girls (aka - those of us who just didn't see the allure of sitting on rocks a hot 'n sticky bank, covered in mosquitos, trying to keep the Small One from getting sucked downstream) stayed home and visited. T and Me-Tae helped me switch out EmBaby's clothes to *sniff* 2T. Smidge was tempted to stay with us, until it dawned on him...

"OH! The mens is going. The girls is staying. *pause while he digests this news* I is a man! I's going!"

And off he went, without a backward glance.

All the kids had a fantastic time. No fish were caught, but that didn't dampen the boys' spirits. There were frogs to catch. Lightning bugs to chase. They came back just as happy and exhausted as young boys should at the end of a warm summer day.

They've been busy with projects and interesting things. Reading good books. Making up stories. I look around and think, "OK, this is really good stuff." I mean, it's challenging, particularly for one with perpetual stamina/motivation issues, but not challenging-in-a-bad-way.

Tomorrow we start back to school. Fourth grade for James. Second grade for John. Maths for Smidge. I've been gathering books and lesson ideas for the cousins - Cousin M. is starting third grade, and Cousin S. is starting 6th. (Wow. Ok. Sixth grade has a lot of stuff in it!) I hope they enjoy it, and I hope they get some good stuff out of it. And I hope I don't really mess up something important and end up making things harder for them. (Ohhhh, talk about guilt! Do they make a card for that? "Sorry I confused your kid this summer.")

But, if I have any hope at all of getting up before they do, I'd better get to bed ten minutes ago! :-)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy