Amazing!
We got an amazing view of the Boeing Rocket launch a few minutes ago (4:50PM EST) from Cape Canaveral. Bonus: we were lucky to see the rocket zooming it's way up to the heavens via telescope. We are falling more in love with the telescope day by day.

Now, we gaze at the moon. :o)

Ok, .:A:. emailed asking if I could post some sketches I was working several days ago. I don't have a scanner, but pictures usually do the trick. This sketch is something I've been working on over and over, and once I get it right, I'll take it onto a big ol'canvas.

[ click on image to embiggen ;o) ]

comes alive at Museful. Go ahead, read Stolen.

My daughter cried when the light in the room went out. Weird, because she knows I can change a light bulb. Still, I wonder what it is she thinks she lost, the way she cried.

I'm losing my mind. I cannot find my special bookmarks and pens, and it's driving me crazy. I never forget where I put my things, thanks to the obsessive compulsive within me.

Grinded some ink yesterday, and did a couple of little sketches in charcoal afterwards.

Did some cleaning in my closet yesterday. Found two big, warm sweaters, and washed them... I'll be needing them in this weather.

I've predicted it will snow in Florida this year. My husband looked at me like I'm crazy; I guess he was trying to figure out if I was serious or not. He's usually afraid of my predictions. Sometimes, so am I.

Was rummaging through some pictures, and found a couple of Falkor. I cried. I miss him so much.

I'm off to grind some more ink.

I can't seem to get enough of it. ;o)

I'm blaming Jen on this one, she's the one who posted a quiz tonight, and yes, I wanted to take the quiz, too. But what happened was I took several, and below was my favorite one for tonight. They all seem very accurate, which is cool.

She made it so it doesn't feel like we're so far away. :o)

Love you, Nessa!

I never really told you guys about the Twinkies, right?

They get me in the mood. Don't know why, they just do. :o)

How did I come about this personal discovery? Well, I went to BJ's for grocery shopping, and first time there, this big box of Twinkies catches my eye. Next thing I know... yup. It got hot, and yes, it was just me. Amused, I notify my husband of my 'sudden state', you know, FYI... I thought nothing of it.

So, a month later, we're shopping at BJ's again, and I see the box of Twinkies. I'm into healthy foods, so I immediately dismiss the idea of purchasing the box. I go around the isle, and suddenly feel aroused again. And that's where it hit me: It's the Twinkies!!! Leave it to me to make this kind of association.

Any of you had a similar experience before?

BTW, two days later, guess what my husband brings home?

via Masked Blogger and Belle's suggestion via email. ;o)

Rings around Saturn.

It's quite one thing to grow up loving science, learning all kinds of details of the planets. It's even better to be able to share this love with your children, better yet, see their faces light up in awe and wonder and amazement and pure joy as they realize that that there is more out there than just us, than just our Big Blue Marble, and that even in such a simple way, we can touch it.

However, I must say, nothing compares to actually seeing a planet through a telescope. I'm in awe.

I'm also quite shocked that when I tried to wake my son up to share the view with him, he just turned the other way and said "Mom, I'm sleepy". Oh, he's going to be very upset when I tell him tomorrow morning.

Mommy gets busy painting, daughter gets busy painting, too. She can go on from now to 7PM, taking now breaks. I find that incredible for a 5 year old. Just don't ask her to practice writing her ABC's. You'll be lucky to get 5 minutes out of her then.

    

Nothing but morning dew and fog. Well, we didn't get to see the Moon Eclipse Jupiter. All that could be seen at 4AM - 5AM was clouds and fog. A mere glow where the moon should be shining. :o(

Now the Moon has continued it's trek across the heavens. This is where it is now:

Anyway, I didn't wake up my son, and let him rest. To my surprise, he wasn't as upset as I expected he might be - he said he had the best sleep ever. :o)

It was good to be up, just contemplating, all by myself.

Last night, I went hunting for our lat and long. Here's a shot of where we live (taken in 2002, via TerraServer-USA). So our house wasn't built yet, but you get to see the lay of the land, and how close the school is from our home. "Home" marks our spot. *grin*

It's a lot nicer now, greener, no too busy, with nice neighbors and that nice great spot in the back, trees filled with birdsong, butterflies and bees. There's even horses! Ducks to feed, kids to enjoy playing, sun, moon and wind. There's the perfect morning spot for tea, watching the wind leave it's path as it ripples over the pond.

If I'd live any other place I think it would be in the country, with a farm, lots of flowers, herbs and animals, close to water in any form.

:::
Note to Jennifer (fluttergirl.net): I hope you get this ping. I can't post to your blog; says you aren't subscribed to TypeKey when I try to log in. :o(

No, no, no... not that kind of fun, freaks!

My son and I are getting up at 4 AM to watch the Moon Eclipse Jupiter. Been ready for it since November, hehehe. Next week, it'll be the Geminid Meteor/Asteroid Shower, so you'll know where we'll be come the 13th. You're more than welcome to stop by. :o)

I'm not geared up to take pictures through our telescope (yet!), so if you want to see what it'll look like, you'll have to get up in the wee hours of the morning with us. Menu to be served: Hot cocoa with marshmallows, and Twinkies (click here for the recipie).

[I'll talk more about the effect Twinkies have on me in another post.]

Stargazing again, and it was wonderful. Found a sturdy chair my son could use, extended the legs on the tripod, and went on a tour of our universe. My son can tell you more about that. We just walked in about an hour ago.

I can top yesterday night's double shooting star with tonight's event: I caught a shooting star while looking through the telescope. Now THAT was amazing.

Just came inside from some stargazing. Tonight's sky is excellent! Really, really cool outside. :o) We exchanged the telescope because the angled mirror part kept sliding out, the screws weren't doing their job, and we found a better telescope elsewhere, and the view through this one is amazing! You tell the telescope what you want to look at, and it find it for you (after you align it properly, that is).

Didn't do much stargazing, personally; it's still painful to bend forward, and sit down, so I'm either lying down or standing -very taxing for my hips, legs, and feet. Extending the tripod legs would have meant having to prop my son onto some kind of stool or chair for him to get a good view. Until we get a stable stool, that's out of the question. No need to go chasing down any additional injuries for this household. So, I just downed a Darvocet for the pain, which is on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate a 9 right now. Always worse at the end of the day, particularly in the lower lumbar region, my hips, and of course, coccyx. I know my body is over-compensating, shifthing the weight elsewhere, trying to avoid the pain, but that just give you more pain somewhere else. Thing is, as a mom, it's almost impossible to take time off. Yes, you moms out there know exactly what I mean.

Still, it was awesome to be outside, and I was extra lucky, I saw 2 shooting stars. Cheered me up right away. I go to bed really happy, and in my dreams I hope to travel the stars.

Yeah, I know, nice way to avoid sitting down and avoid the pain. I'm painting, I get tired, lie down, then get back on my feet and paint some more. Promise I'll share soon. :o)

I did get some writing done, I'm not saying it's any good, but I was able to make my Alchera Project submission for this month (due date tonight!), and it is up at Museful. Who knows, it's something I might continue working on.

Orthopedic doc said he will not operate. I'll have to endure the pain and let the bones heal on my own.

The X-ray taken today looks SO much different than yesterday’s. I’m having my doctor request today’s to compare with his, because the one today wasn't as clear as yesterday’s –very, very cloudy- and where my doctor and I could clearly see two fractures, the Orthopedic doc today saw only one. Hmm, eh? Also, the degree of inclination from the lowest fracture to the tip of the coccyx was much different, a lot less. More to wonder about. Of course, my pain level now is 9, mostly due to having to lie down on that darn table to get today's X-ray done. Why they couldn't do it with me standing up, like yesterday, is beyond me. Maybe that may account for the difference? I should've bitched harder about that. Now it hurts all the way up my back, up to the thoracic area.

So it's time for alternative therapies. I usually only visit doctors when I’ve used all other resources available to me in the natural/holistic/alternative health realm -but I dared not try massage due to the pain. However, after giving myself a good rubbin' and wailing in the shower yesterday (mainly due to being freaked out at my doctor mentioning I’d probably need to get operated), and seeing such a pronounced difference in the X-rays, I’ve come to think maybe that helped. There are of course other therapies I engaged in, but my 10 yr old reads my blog, so I’ll leave that up to you. I will however research to see if THAT is an 'alternative therapy' I can market. ;o)