This GED stuff is... often exhasting. I just finished a GED Supplimental Package of Social Studies and i feel... worn out. My brain is so not used to thinking and it is complaining.

No, Brain, you cannot go watch t.v.; you need to study!

I graded the packet a few minutes ago. Out of the 152 questions on Editorial Cartoons, Drawings and Diagrams, U.S. History, World History, Geography, Economics and Civics and Government, i got 133 correct.... which, if i got the math bits right, is about 90.79%, or as i rounded to, 91%. Not bad. And what i assume to be a pass. I was concerned about the U.S. History the most, seeing as not much of it is taught in Canadian schools... and i would assume the Canadian perspective is different.

What i have been finding out about the social studies parts of the GED is that is is very much based on reading a passage and answering questions on it. However, it does assume the reader has some basic knowledge of some key U.S. Historical events. Those gaps are not as big as i thought they were, thank goodness. I am learning to find what the test is looking for, not what i think... oddly enough.

Teach says i might be ready to write the predictor soon, and the GED within weeks.

The process is..

First day of class, i wrote a very short 10 - 20 question test. Then, i wrote a TABE test based on the results of that first test. Then, i was given a score. The score meant nothing to me... what the hell does 12.9 mean, teacher man?! Turns out it means that 13 is the highest i can get. OK, so i did really well on the reading portion. Reading well means doing well on all the other sections, including the science and social studies. Yay. Math, i think i had a combination score of 9 something. They say an 11 is needed to write the infamous predictor.

• note to self -- try to use US spellings... color not colour **

The predictor is, apparently, a sample GED test. The whole deal. The 8 hours sitting in a room filling in dots that correspond to the correct answer to a question.

If that goes well, sign up for the next GED.

Studying daily. Brain complaining....

Can't decide between a Pug and a Boston Terrier?

Well, why not get a Bugg!

I wanted to post a picture from this site, one of the very few i found, but they had some sort of copyright warning. So to not get anyone in trouble and be a nice girl, for a change, i thought i would refrain from posting a picture.

This weekend, we are going to Canada... yes, AGAIN. Sunday is my dad's birthday, so we are going to take him out to dinner Saturday evening. I used to always bake him a blueberry cheesecake, but with his high cholesterol and the difficulty with transporting a cheesecake over the border, i am making him these super duper easy cookies.

First, i start with a chocolate cake mix.


After sifting the mix, adding a stick of softened butter, 2 eggs and used all my muscles, i get this thick batter.


Using an old tablespoon measuring spoon and a couple of spoons, i plop the cookies onto an ungreased sheet, then roll them into wee balls.


It hardly makes any mess at all.


They spread a little, so i am careful not to have more than 12 to a sheet.


After 10 - 12 minutes in the oven, an additional 5 minutes to cool on the sheet, i put them on a rack to cool.


They taste like brownies.... YUM!

I know ya'll might be anxious to see the pictures from the (e:PMT) New Year's Eve bash last night... and some of you may be cringing. But i had other pics i wanted to post too, so i thought i would do them all, for all the holiday, in one big post. So here goes...

The obligitory "godmom" pictures of Kirsten's pets taken over the holidays.

Cute lil Ava in her holiday wear


Elliott borrowed Ava's hat


Ava and Nolan


I must be boring Nolan.



Then there was the holiday with the family. Since they never asked to be stars of my blog, all the pictures of my brother and his family are, well, of them hiding mostly. Which is what the kids did naturally, i suspect.

Nephew Luke


Foster nephew Jamie


My brother, John


My neice, Arianna taking a picture of her Gramps


Arianna taking a picture of their dog, Rosie


Sister-In-Law, Michelle, petting Rosie


Rosie the basset hound


My Parent's dog, Ralphie, scared of all the humans, hiding behind his mom


My parent's little predecorated tree


My mom with her hand up a turkey


The piggie footie massager the kids got me for xmas


Me and a giant 10lb loaf of german rye bread my brother brought for us from the bakery he works for


And now, ladies and germs, the show you have been waiting for -- the (e:PMT) New Year's Eve bash. Thank you, yet again, (e:Paul) (e:Matthew) and (e:Terry) for hosting!

Oh, and before i go any further, thank you thank you thank you, my Secret Santa. I ADORE my gift!


The hosts with the mosts, (e:PMT)


(e:imk2) happy with her secret santa gift


(e:Terry) showing everyone the slight flaw in the design of (e:imk2) 's gift... the hole in the fabric should be down here, i think...


Uhmm... nice bottle, (e:imk2) !


(e:Enknot) 's crime fighting duo


(e:Metalpeter) and (e:Vycious)


The women of AbFab loving on (e:Metalpeter)


(e:Mike) drinking with style


awe, isn't dating cute?


(e:jenks) (e:Ladycroft) and (e:imk2) showing some girl on girl on girl action


Is this my best side, Darling?


From AbFab to I Love Lucy, all in one night


An (e:Jenks) sandwich... with (e:Soma) kicking out the jams

I stuck it in the bottom the freezer we have in our basement yesterday after a wash and a thorough dry. The bowl was ready to go. Since (e:jenks) suggested it, i asked my parents for an ice cream maker for christmas. And now, the eggonog is churning away! The recipe was easy. One quart of eggnog. We'll let you know how it tastes!!

I love my family, but we are so damn disfunctional. I try my best to do what i think is right and not model the behaviour of my parents.

I wonder if it is possible for the group of us to get together for any reason without there being some sort of drama. No wonder i get horrid stomach pains or end up being sick every year around this time.

I avoid the conflicts now, at almost any cost, even when i feel strongly about something. The rights of someone unable to speak for themselves is someone i should stand up for, yet i didn't, so i wouldn't be in the middle of something i had nothing to do with in the first place. I'm torn by having kept my mouth shut. Knowing it would have caused more drama, yet very displeased with the behaviour of so-called adults.

Yet this year, only 2 bits of drama... pretty good for our lot. But, there is always the second gathering of the year, on the 28th. Still time.

I described the 36 or so hours when my brother, his family, my parents, (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i were at my parent's house as "pleasant" to a few friends since we have been back home. Yet when telling of the 2 drama filled incidents, i was met with shock that a time in which both happened could still be described this way.

My friend Mark said it best, "sometimes i am grateful all my family does is talk about the weather and watch t.v."

Menstral cramps are the worst. So is getting up about every hour in the middle of the night to stumble into a cold bathroom to change one soggy bloody mess and change it out for something that will just be the same in another hour or so. I'm tired and drained (perhaps that pun was intended) today....

Well, i gone done did it. Last night, i went to my first GED pre class. Thanks again, (e:Ladycroft) for dropping off that brochure to me.

I called yesterday to see when classes start and i was told Mondays. And that i could come in that night, if i wanted to. I would have to have an orientation and do the prelim tests anyway, so why not do them now. OK, that makes sense.

So, last night, i did a short 50 question test. That was quickly graded and i was given the appropriate TABE test. That took the rest of the evening.

Tonight, i think i will get the TABE results and find out, more or less, where i need to concentrate my energies. I suspect maths will be the issue.. but i think i still need some social studies upgrades.

Having been school in another country, despite everyone here thinking "well, it's only right next door, Canada", we did learn different things. I have no idea, for example, what ANY of the amendments to the constitution are. Or how many ounces in a pound.... i learned metric! I think i only know inches because, for whatever reason, they are still the worldwide standard in hairdressing... wonder why that is?

Teach says i won't need to know some of those social studies things, that it is all in the test, you just need to read it to find it. But i had a math qestion last night i wouldn't have been able to figure out if i didn't know there are 16 ounces in a pound. How else could i know 8 ounces are 1/2 a pound?

As much as i would love to say that i could take that wonderful book you gave me, (e:Theecarey) (thanks once again for giving it to me!) and do it all, i have realized that after over 20 years away from schooling, i need more structure. Else, i think i would already have this damn GED.

So, for now, i will be satisfied by being the oldest one in the class. Perhaps even older than the teacher...

We ate at the Red Pepper on Maple today and i ordered off the menu -- Vegetarian Pho. Damn good. And here it is, after what (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i presume was about 10 minutes of eating.




I didn't realize it was going to be this kind of "tree hunt", but today i went to the sticks with Kirsten to cut down and drag a tree back to her place. It was chaotic and fun and i laughed so hard i could barely breathe.

We had both the dogs with us but saw a no pets sign. It would have been too muddy for them anyway. Thank goodness i had my wellies on.

We managed to tie the tree to the top of the car only to find out that our method left us unable to get into the car since we tied the twine through the open windows. I almost burst a lung laughing...

The dogs love the new tree tying on the top of the car method that involved some door opening. Gave them a chance to try to slip out. With me still recovering from the laughing, i wasn't much help, and Ava dashed out like... well, i guess a dog locked in a car. We got her back in by promising treats.

This morning, (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i went to an estate sale on Grand Island. I just don't understand the appeal of that particular suburb.... but what do i know, i live on the West Side!

So today, i had my usual city experiences, as well as a suburban one and a country one.....

Because it has pictures of your xmas gift.

Every year for well over 10 years i have been making my mom the same gift. The first year i did it, she opened it, gasped and told me i would never again be stuck for something to get her. Also in that first year, i did every single bit of it by hand. Now, done on CorelDraw (i swear, 2008 will be Open Source!!).

You would think a calendar would be boring. Or, that it would be easy to describe to people. Some might also wonder why it takes me so much time, even though nothing but my signature on the back of it and my instructions to Kinkos are done by hand anymore.

Here are pics of my Mom's 3 Month On A Page Calendar, 2007.

Front Page



January



February (those dots are hearts)



March



April



May



June



July and a close up to see the cute lil maple leafs




August



September



October



November



December with another closeup