Home Spun reprints #203-205: Photography

The nice thing about having a sister who is great at photography is that she has good ideas for teaching the kids how to take pictures. And she also gives great presents. This year, Sierra got a camera tripod with telescopic legs for Christmas, which she excitedly described as "the best present ever!" She and Chase have been putting it to good use. She uses it to take pictures of herself. Chase has been using it as he experiments with animation. Who knew a three legged stand could be such an impressive gift for kids?

If you haven't seen Sierra's photography, check out her blog, Pictureka! (The link is in the sidebar.) I may be a doting mom, but I think her work is pretty good for an eight year old.

Home Spun reprints #44

We're snowed in, how are you?

Home Spun comic strip #564

Merry Christmas to All!

2010 Christmas Cards

To all of my readers, here are my Christmas ecards for 2010. Thank you for reading my little blog, sharing your thoughts and laughter, and inspiring me to keep on writing my comic strip! I have one more comic to share for tomorrow and then I may take a short break until the New Year.

Merry Christmas!

Home Spun comic strip #563

Carnival at No Fighting, No Biting!

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling: The Homeschoolers 12 Days of Christmas edition is happening at No Fighting, No Biting! Please take a moment to look at some of this week's links.

I know this is a busy week for many, what with Christmas coming, but please make time in your thoughts and prayers for Dana at Roscommon Acres, who suffered the heart wrenching loss of her little boy this December. My words are clumsy in describing the sorrow I feel for her family. All I can offer is my deepest sympathies. My prayers are with them during this difficult time.

Why do we Even HAVE Cats?

Our cats have been making us nuts lately. They sit in our houseplants, tear around the house, climb the Christmas tree, and one of them managed to knock down a tin of cookies, turning them into crumbs. Things always seem worse around the holidays, as I'm sure other pet owners can attest to. I will often cry out in exasperation, "Why do we even HAVE cats? So I wanted to take a moment to think about why we keep these fuzzy menaces...

Rosie is our cozy cuddler.


Hobgoblin flattens the boxes for recycling.


Merlin begs on command.


Dusty is a wonderful neck warmer.


Romeo sleeps on his back. (He's using Dusty as a pillow here.)


And if any of this has caused you to chuckle, you know we keep them around for the laughs as well!

Home Spun comic strip #562

My kids are not charmed by my childhood Christmas specials. I never understood why. I was discussing this with Marina recently and she enlightened me. When she watched one of these specials when she was little, she would become so traumatized by some scene that the movie would essentially end for her at that part. Therefore, Frosty the Snowman ended with him melting. The Little Drummer Boy ended with his lamb getting hit by a horse and cart (or was it because he became an orphan at the beginning?) Whatever the conflict, that is where the character lived unhappily ever after.

I don't remember ever doing that as a child, but I do remember adding scenes to books. This was a bad habit, because it meant that I could never find the scene I imagined when I went back to look for it. Marina does that too. I think we have overactive imaginations!

Home Spun comic strip #561

And the cats. Take the cats out too.

Home Spun comic strip #560

I apologize for putting this up so late. I forgot about it in the whirlwind of busy from setting up the carnival! I may have even done a "know stage" comic before. I'm not sure. I'm not young enough to know everything!

Guess what? We learned a new "42" fact today! As I find them I think I'll report them to you, since they do seem to pop up in the oddest places!
Today's 42 fact: There are only 42 original Faberge eggs in the world!