A Trip Around the Blog World

In addition to the blogs on the left under "KT's Faves," I also read a handful of other blogs that I'd like to share with you. Let me preface this list by saying that the owners of these blogs couldn't be any more different than me. I think that's why I like reading them -- opposites attract. Most have young children, some are artsy-craftsy, some are religious, and they live all over the country. I find these blogs refreshing, as they expose me to other ways of life and views. So, check them out!

Here they are (in no particular order):

• marital-bless: I found this blog via the Decorating & Renovating (D&R) board on the Nest. Leah (owner of marital-bless) was a regular poster on that board and shared her blog address. Recently she's been writing about living by the financial principles of Dave Ramsay. I'm envious of that; not sure I'd have the willpower to go without in a lot of situations.

• Leslie G: The Diary of a Half Black Woman: Similar to the previous one, I also found this via the D&R board. Leslie is a great DIY'er. I love the posts where she sees something in a Pottery Barn catalog she'd love for her son's room, but decides to take on the project of making it herself. The best part? Her projects look just as good as those in PB (if not better!) Mine would end up looking like a preschooler made them.

• La Buena Vida {The Good Life}: Another find from the D&R board. Meredith is a great photographer! She share photos that she takes for clients and those she takes of her own family, including her adorable daughter Lizzy. I remember being blown away by the beauty of Lizzy's nursery (seen here). Meredith also has many BQOTD (Big Questions of the Day), which have made me think about issues that I might not normally consider.

• Musings of a Farmer's Wife: Yes, another blog I found my way to via D&R. (I swear I'm not a D&R stalker!) Kacie lives in the South and has two children under two. Phew, I'm tired just typing that. As the name of the blog says, Kacie is married to a farmer, meaning that she does a lot herself -- which I really admire (and am not sure I could do myself!)

• Steece's Pieces: Prayed for One, Blessed with Four!: I found this blog from a link on Kacie's blog above. It had a "cool" name, so I thought I'd check it out. Wow. Just wow. Suzanne and her husband have QUADRUPLETS! This single post in which Suzanne describes finding out she's having quads is HILARIOUS!!! Suz balances 4 almost 4 year olds, works, and is part of a strong network of moms of multiples. She's my hero! (P.S. The potty training posts are pretty funny, too. Funny when I'm not the one trying to potty train four kids at once!)

• going w e s t: leaving massachusetts. going to california. be wary of that greyhound: I found this one via Twitter. When I joined Twitter, I searched for greyhound and found Lima Bean the Greyhound's Twitter account. (My parents have two, soon to be three, greyhounds and I think they're the most beautiful majestic dogs.) Lima's hilarious. On the right side of the blog, check out the posts under "boston to san francisco road trip." Seeing Lima Bean in bed in various motels is pretty darn funny.

Blue is the New Green

Yeah, so that didn't last long. The green was NOT growing on me. I felt like I was surrounded by pea soup (which I really don't care for). The blue's a bit more soothing. Let's see if I can stay with this one for a while...

“Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the deity to be a source of delight.”

-- John Ruskin 

Green Machine

No, you crazy kids, I'm not talking about this:

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I'm talking about the Blogwagon being a Green Machine! What do you think? Minty fresh? I kind of like it, but knowing me, I'm sure I'll get sick of it eventually and change it. I really wanted a three column layout and this one was OK, so I went with it. I welcome your thoughts...whether it makes you green with envy, green at the gills, or just feeling like the Incredible Hulk threw up all over the blog.

Signs 'o Summer

 So, I really really wanted stone ducklings in my yard (like "Make Way for Ducklings" on the Boston Common), but all I could find was this one lonely duck at my local Building 19 (I refuse to pay a lot of money for anything going in my yard!)

Hard to see, but this is our long-awaited bird feeder. John wants to be able to sit at the dining room table and watch all sorts of colorful birds flock to our feeder. So far we're just trying to fend off squirrels.

Our new umbrella, which thanks to matchy matchy sense of decor matches our house.

And lastly...

This has been our major project this summer thus far:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Again, we didn't want to spend a huge amount of money or have to hire someone to put in a concrete/cement/brick walkway, but I really hated the fact that there was no path to our front door. So, we found these paving stones at Home Depot and I think it came out rather nicely! (Big thanks to my Uncle John & Aunt Carol for the Home Depot Housewarming gift card!)



Snapple "Real Fact" #855

This one was in the cap of my Raspberry Iced Tea today and made me think of my parents and my friend Rachel:

Oregon has more ghost towns than any other U.S. state.

Spooky.

Per Travel Oregon (link here), there are officially 18 on the map. Who knew? Just make sure that if you go in, that you come out...(unlike this melancholy visitor...)

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Aaron *Bleeping* Boone WHO?

I just finished reading Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch by Tim Wakefield.

In case I haven't made it clear, I'm a huge Boston Red Sox fan. I also tend to cheer for the underdogs or the undervalued in the sports world. Hence, I'm a huge Tim Wakefield fan. He's 44 years old (making him the oldest active player in Major League Baseball) and he's been with the Red Sox for the past 16 years. Yes, I said 16. When I see professional athletes like LeBron James making a three-ring circus out of choosing to play for another team, I am so thankful that someone like Wakefield is on the team I cheer for. Tim's taken hometown discounts and stayed with the Sox -- for better or worse....and there's definitely been plenty of "worse."

As the name of the book says, Wakefield's signature pitch is the knuckleball. He's one of only a few throughout history that have made it their life's work to understand and attempt to master the knuckleball. For those who aren't baseball fans, you might be saying, "The knuckleball just sounds like another pitch to me." It's another pitch, but in its own league. Once it leaves the pitcher's grip, it's anyone's best guess as to where it will end up. This has made Wakefield's job of being a professional athlete even more difficult than it already is.

Go back in time to the late night of October 16th, 2003 and the early morning hours of October 17, 2003 in the Bronx. It's game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the dreaded Yankees and the Red Sox. Pedro Martinez, Boston's ace, was pitching against the former Sox ace Roger Clemens. Could there be a more apropos match up?

Clemens got knocked out of the game early.

Martinez threw over 100 pitches late into the game.

Red Sox were winning into the 8th.

Sox manager Grady Little decides to leave Martinez in the game.

Guess what happened next?

You got it -- Yankees tied it up.

We go to the 10th inning still tied. Tim Wakefield, the elder statesman enters the game. He pitches a scoreless tenth. He comes back out for the 11th. I remember it like it was yesterday. It happened so fast...Aaron *Bleeping* Boone steps to the plate for the Yankees and hits a towering homerun off of Wakefield.

Game over.

Season over.

Can you imagine the pressure, grief, anguish, anger that Wakefield felt? He cried. He had let his team down. He had let his manager down. He had let himself down. He had let Red Sox Nation down. Would he go down in Red Sox history as the latest Bill Buckner?

No -- he wouldn't. Why? Because Tim Wakefield is one of the most lovable, genuine, caring, selfless individuals. THIS is why I love Tim Wakefield:

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This picture sums up Wakefield. Often stepping away from the spotlight to let others shine, but always steadfast in the background, doing what matters. Working hard everyday and keeping it "real" no matter what knuckleballs life throws at him.

Thanks Tim.