Travel Update: Cosmosphere

It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed! A maid screamed! Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon.....

That was quoted at least four times today. I'm too tired to take pictures, but I got a nifty little wristband at the cosmosphere today. It reads "Failure is never an option."

That's true. I spent the majority of the day looking at rockets and the history of the rocket and at space race stuff. And I really think it would be awesome if they could get larger crafts into space, ones that you can actually walk around on.

Its sort of put my head in the clouds. Astronaut clothing needs a make-over design wise. I'm going to go put my head on a pillow so I don't have to worry about tripping over stuff when I'm not watching where I'm going. I hope to have the video journal edited and up soon. You might end up with one huge one on like Monday. :P

Night!

No Room at the Inn: Making Something out of Nothing

I grew up in a round house (think soccer ball), so there were always odd corners that just didn't fit anything. I NEED more room. Extra space is a must, not an option. But where to find it? As many of you know, I've been cleaning for the last few days, hoping to get into a better semblance of order than I am right now. Again, I'm facing the classic American problem: too much stuff, too little room. I'm reminded of The Poisonwood Bible, where, at the ending, one of the aunts has to explain to her young nephew, who is from the Congo, why there can be so much stuff that people don't need. Really, we have so much that we don't need. We are far past subsistence levels. We have food, we have clothes, we have shelter. And so we collect more stuff.

I'm still feeling cold hearted about throwing out or giving away childhood toys and clothing. Today, I found an old bear backpack. Its cute. It was fun as a little kid. My purse can hold more. I still want to keep the backpack. BUT IT IS GOING TO GOODWILL. And all of the paper that I feel required to save and use as scrap paper will be going in the trash, and I will not feel bad about killing trees.

Then, of course, what to do with the remaining items? A while ago, a friend of mine sent me an interesting article about nooks. Since nearly every available spot in my home is filled with some sort of book, bauble or piece of junk, this was an inventive piece that made me wish I had the money to put some in. My two favorites are the reading nook under the stairs (above) and the Wardrobe that leads to a secret room. If I ever build my own home, I want both of these. Both are fun space savers. Why put in a chair where you can put a shelf, and put a reading nook under the stairs? Why make a play room where you can put an office? These are delicious cozy places. Like the window seat, they offer an extra little bit of comfort without taking up much room. In fact, they don't take up room. They give more space.

For more interesting nooks, you can look at the original babble article here.

Mixing Stories: Chronicles of Narnia, the Mousehunt Way

Okay everybody!!! Its time for story time with Auntie A!!!! (:P)

The Magician's Nephew brings the reader back to the very beginning of Narnia where we learn how Aslan created the world and how evil first entered it. Digory Kirke and his friend Polly Plummer stumble into different worlds by experimenting with magic rings made by Digory's Uncle Andrew, encounter Jadis in the dying world of Charn, and witness the creation of Narnia.

Four ordinary children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia, where they meet many different creatures, like Centaurs, and talking beavers and foxes..... The Pevensie children help save Narnia from the evil White Witch and her armies full of creatures like Cyclops and hags and goblins, who has reigned over the kingdom of Narnia for a century of perpetual winter. They know this winter is breaking when Father Christmas appears. The children become kings and queens of this new-found land and establish the Golden Age of Narnia. They grow up in Narnia, and soon a nearby prince, Rabadash, shows interest in Susan. She refuses to marry him, however, but during that time, Shasta and Aravis escape Calormen with the help of Aravis’ friend Larsaleen. Soon the Pevensies must return to England, where they are children once more.

Not long after, the foursome are drawn back into Narnia by the power of Susan's horn, blown by Prince Caspian to summon help in his hour of need. Narnia as they knew it is no more. Their castle is in ruins and all the Dryads have retreated so far within themselves that only Aslan's magic can wake them. Caspian has fled into the woods to escape his uncle, Miraz, who had usurped the throne. The children set out once again to save Narnia, and with the help of many Narnian creatures, including brave mice like Reepicheep, put Prince Caspian back on the throne. At first, they seem to be outnumbered, but the Dryads soon awake, and save the day. After they finish this, they are once again returned to England.

Peter and Susan are not able to come on the third trip, as they are now too old, but Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their priggish cousin, Eustace Scrubb, are drawn into Narnia. Once there, they join King Caspian's voyage on the ship Dawn Treader to find the seven lords who were banished when Miraz took over the throne. This perilous journey brings them face to face with many wonders and dangers, such as water that turned one of the lords to gold, sea serpents, kidnapping pirates, and kind mermaids and Nyads. At one island, poor Eustace is turned into a Dragon!!! After they find all the lords, the cousins must return home.

Instead of calling the Pevensies back to Narnia again, Aslan calls Eustace back to Narnia together with his classmate Jill Pole. There they are given four signs to aid in the search for the enchanted Prince Rilian, Caspian's son, who disappeared after setting out ten years earlier to avenge his mother's death. Eustace and Jill, with the help of Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, face danger and betrayal before finding Rilian, and are forced to defeat the Lady of the Green Kirtle, who eventually reveals her true nature when she turns into a snake.

The Last Battle chronicles the end of the world of Narnia. Jill and Eustace return to save Narnia from Shift, an ape, who tricks Puzzle, a donkey, into impersonating the lion Aslan, precipitating a showdown between the Calormenes and King Tirian. Aslan arrives, and the world ends, but not before Aslan takes all the good guys to go live with him.

Come back again soon for another Storytime with Auntie A, and see what happens when you put Lord of the Rings to the tune of Mousehunt!