We are all getting VERY excited for our trip to Orlando.  I admit, I am in need of a little happy right now and this trip comes at just the right time.  I feel like you have to take a Prozac just to watch the news anymore and a total escape from reality is just in high order right now!

After mulling over all the options and searching around, I finally decided that a family suite would be the way to go in Orlando.  The biggest reason for this is that we are all in one place and if will like a real family vacation - which it is.  The other reason is that with a kitchen at our disposal, we will save a ton of money and time by cooking in our room  With 7 of us, that could add up to a LOT of mulah!

I chose the Floridays Resort in Orlando because it has the type of room that I wanted with free shuttels to and from both the Disney Parks and Seaworld.  It is perfect for us! Here are some pictures from their website:

The rooms at this gorgeous resort were cheap! Much, much less expensive than staying at a Disney Hotel - and I consider the $4,000 we are saving found money! - and a much better arrangement than staying at a more traditional hotel. I think the kids are going to feel more at home. I also feel better having everyone all together. When my kids want their Nana or Auntie, they are right there. Everyone will have their own bedroom for some privacy and there will be some space to spread out. I can't see any down sides to this at all - and at $189 per night, it is a win-win in my opinion.

Next stage - to begin the packing!

Hi all!
I just wanted to touch bases with all of you. I have been absent from this forum for the most part over the past week or so - mostly due to the fact that there simply are not enough hours in the day! LOL

Just so you all know, my inconsistent attendance will continue as I have big things on the horizon:

Maya's 6th birthday - which is a big "to-do" ..... again. The entire Kindergarten class, all the cousins, a couple of family friends and the neighbor kids are all attending so I have a lot of work to do. It's a Chinese theme this year and as usual, I cannot stop myself from going all out. I will blog all about it right here!

Our trip to Orlando is in two weeks! I have to get everyone packed - which is a major ordeal since we are in the middle of winter and in Florida, they are not. And, I have to get the house ready for my Dad, who will be house sitting while we are away. I will take my old laptop with me and check in with all of you while we are away - and to make sure my Dad isn't on here posting and pretending to be me! LOL 

I am going to do a post all about our trip plans including the absolutely spectacular resort hotel that we are staying at.  I still cannot believe my good fortune at finding this place for the price I did.  You will not believe this place!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and big hugs to all of you!

Everybody dings the garage door at some point in their driving career, right?

Well, today, I used up my 'garage door ding' .....

I am in big trouble when Mr. Jen gets home.  I already called the garage door company and they told me that only the bottom panel has to be replaced and that we could do it ourselves so that we don't have to pay for a service call all the way out here - which starts at $100 and goes up from there - plus the cost of the bottom panel for the garage door.

All in all, not such a good day, but it could have been much worse....I think!

Finally, FINALLY I had the chance to watch the 2008 BBC Production of Sense and Sensibility! Recently, we have been blessed with access to a PBS channel and I happened across the first of the two episodes last Sunday night. I was thrilled - and the rest of my family were not - LOL! They groan when I want to watch something like this, but in the spirit of true family unity, my husband kept the kids busy playing games while I watched.

Can I just how how wonderful it was? Sense and Sensibility has always been my favorite of the Jane Austen books and this rendering was the very best onscreen telling of it I think. It is impossible not to compare it to the Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet version and though I still love that version, this one was superior in getting the story across to the audience.

The very strongest part of this movie was that the producers and writers took the time to tell the audience *why* Marianne falls in love with Colonel Brandon. That was a serious miss in the feature film version.

As much as I still love the feature length movie version, this one has eclipsed it. The casting was better for almost all of the roles - most notably, the character of Edward. Now, I like Hugh Grant, but the man oozes bad boy from every pore. He can't help it. The actor portraying Edward in this version, Dan Stevens, was much more suited to the role in my opinion.

So, needless to say, I highly recommend this version of Sense and Sensibility if you are an Austen fan or a period drama fan. It is well worth the almost four hours of your time!

*All image icons courtesty of crazed_dreamer

My youngest sister Jill came over and tiled the backsplash in my kitchen for me.

My husband was somewhat skeptical about the tiles I had chosen. To be honest, he was skeptical about my 23 year old sister and I doing such a big project at all.

So, here are the results of all of our labors:

What do you think? When we were all done, my hubby just stood there looking at the finished project and said, "I never would have dreamed that those tiles would look that good in this kitchen!" He was truly impressed. So impressed that the regular outlet covers were not good enough for our new tiles and so he went and picked out these black and copper ones. I LOVE them and think they look great.

Over all, the tiles cost about $130, the other materials we needed like grout and trowels came to about $50 and I paid my sister $150 for doing the job. She did most of the work - I was merely the assistant tile-er ..... lol. So that makes the whole project about just over $300, which I think is money well spent!

Thanks Jill!

I have the flu. A really, horrible nasty flu.

So, I have been laying on the couch watching daytime television - which I have not done in I can't remember when. I have discovered that I have not really been missing all that much, have I?

Currently, I am watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I have never watched this show all the way but now see what I have been missing. What a great show! Right now, the makeover team is in Stagecoach, Nevada where a preacher and his family are getting a new home and new recreation center for the kids of the community.

Owen is at home to today and taking care of Mom. He came by earlier when I was laying on the couch to tuck me in and kiss me on the cheek. Sweet little thing!

So, I am off to the couch to watch television with Owen. Hope all of you are better than I am today!

Yesterday, I went shopping for something to wear for our upcoming family portrait. I actually got the rare opportunity to go shopping all alone and actually made the extra arrangements to go to the closest really large town in Montana - about 100 miles away - to make sure I got the very best selection.

So, you would think it would be an enjoyable day. No kids, lots of stores to shop in, no schedule or time table to stick to as my hubby was taking care of picking up both kids from their schools.... Not so.

The first problem was that I was limited color-wise. Photographers, when you have portraits made, want you to stick to having a color scheme - mine was red and white - and the clothing items should be fairly plain in pattern....so, no plaid, wild stripes, shiny stuff....

You would think that red or white would not be a problem, but I was not happy with the limited selection of things in those two colors. Even at the most expensive department stores, there was not a whole lot to choose from. The sales lady in Dillards, bless her, pulled every single red sweater from the ladies department and I tried every single one of them on. I actually did purchase a sweater in Dillards - to the tune of $150 - that I am returning today. I like it, but not enough to pay $150 for it! It is cashmere - and gorgeous - but honestly not my style at all so it is going back.

Finally, after scouring several stores, I went to one store that I never go to anymore - Eddie Bauer. Right in front, folded neatly in a pile, was the perfect sweater and it was white. Now, I had been looking for red for myself, but I ended up with white and that is fine. As long as it fits well, which it does, and didn't cost $150 - which it didn't. $50 is way more reasonable, don't you agree?

By the end of the day, I was disheartened though. Shopping used to be fun, but yesterday it was a chore that I didn't really want to do. Not sure why I felt that way, but I did. Now, the real chore begins.....getting my family all to sit straight, smile and co-operate for these portraits! LOL

After a visit with the orthopaedist, Owen's foot was pronounced 'very unlikely broken' and he is free to walk around without a splint or cast as long as he takes it easy and it doesn't hurt. I am VERY relieved that his foot is not broken. I was scared to death that something was really messed up and that we were going to be weeks getting him up and mobile again - not to mention that the poor kid would have to miss trick or treat!

I am happy to report that Mr. Owen has been a very good boy keeping to the Doctor's orders of easy walking only - no running, jumping, climbing, twisting, stomping, etc. Of course, this is only the second day ;)

I am just glad he has been cleared to return to school!

We have been snowed in for the last couple of days. The snow started to fall on Friday and the National Weather service said that it was supposed to stop on Saturday. So, my hubby plowed the road all out and all was fine.

The minute he left to go game bird hunting with his friends, the snow started falling and did not stop until last night! I tried yesterday afternoon to see if we could get out so that I could get both kids to school this morning and to their flu vaccination this afternoon.

I promptly got myself stuck in the drive way and spent 45 minutes on my knees in the snow with a shovel getting my SUV out. I had no choice but to get it out - you can't plow the road if there is an SUV stuck in the middle of it. So, finally, I succeeded in getting myself unstuck and resolved that the kids were not going to be able to go to school today.

They, upon returning to the house, I was taking a break and my kids were upstairs playing in their rooms. I heard Owen jumping off something up there and had just yelled up the stairs for him to quit and was headed up there when I heard a thump that sounded a bit off.

Sure enough, Owen had jumped off the blanket chest at the end of the bed - backwards - and sprained or strained the top of his right foot. Thank goodness my good friend is an RN! So, I had an ACE bandage and a bad of frozen peas - which is all I needed - which I used to wrap up Owen's little foot. I have him some Tylenol and put him into bed with me last night because it was hurting him. This morning, he is hobbling around on it, but it is still swollen.

So, as soon as hubby gets here and clears the road, I am headed off to urgent care to see about Owen's foot.

A foot and a half of snow in October!!!! Grrr.....

Jen Returns!

After major computer problems, numerous outings and one family disaster, I am back to blogging! It has been one He** of a month and I am quite frankly glad to have it behind me for the most part.

Right after the 4th of July, I started having trouble with my computer. It starting acting very strange it became harder and harder to get online. Thinking it was my AOL browser, I downloaded a couple of other browswers to try them out. Doing so only made the problem much, much worse. So, I took my Gateway computer - that I custom ordered and paid big bucks for - to my local computer repair place. They called me a couple of days later saying that the machine was working fine - and it did for a couple of days - but they they whole computer became totally unresponsive and will not work at all.

I felt at first that I ought to try and have my Gateway fixed. It was quite expensive afterall but my husband encouraged me to just go and buy another one. So, yesterday, he took me to Best Buy and I chose a Sony - and purchased the extended service plan. So far, so good. Even the Windows Vista is not what I thought it would be and all is well!

In the meantime, we had planned a trip to Yellowstone Park. It was so hot that we decided at the last minute to change our plans and head to Couer d Alene, Idaho to visit Silverwood Theme park instead. In the end, I was glad we went to Couer d Alene because as soon as we had made our plans, my 92 year old Grandmother passed away and my Dad was a wreck. After all sorts of drama that I don't care to recount, I finally ended up in Idaho with my family enjoying cool weather and having a great time riding some rides and eating everything that I should not!

We also had Owen's 4th birthday party. He had a wonderful time and is thrilled to be a big boy now. Of course, all of the boys that we invited we on vacations with their families so it was Owen, his sister, all of his cousins (who are all girls) and Owen's friend Lindsay. All the girls did a great job of being really excited over toys meant for boys and had a great time trying on Owen's Batman wings and playing with the remote control cars and Transformers. All in all, a great day!

So, now things are beginning to wind down and we are getting ready to settle in for the school year. I am getting the paperwork together for Maya's Kindergarten registration and going through all of her clothes and shoes to make way for the new wardrobe! She is very excited and I am scared to death. My baby girl is going to ride the bus with all those other big kids and eat lunch without me. I have resolved NOT to cry about it, but I am not sure I will make it

I give all of you my word of honor that I will visit blogs very soon. I hope all of you are well! Take care and enjoy what is left of summer!

It is Owen's one month anniversay for being potty trained! Whoo Hoo!!!

I have not changed a diaper in a month and our trash has been reduced by a quarter. So, I am free of diaper changing duties and a bit 'greener'! LOL!!

Springtime is finally here and we have all been outside for the past two days planting all of our plants in our flower beds and pots. The kids are now old enough to actually help with the planting and have had a wonderful time digging in the dirt and tucking the plants into their new homes.

Last night, we got so wrapped up in planting and watering that we forgot about the time and did not even come into the house until 6:30PM. Supper was not even started and the kids were both covered in dirt. So, it was a late night last night which made my Maya a bit of a grump this morning. If that one misses out on any sleep, everyone pays!

So now I guess it is time to unveil my list of projects for the Summer. Last year, it was to build and furnish our new room. This year, the list is not nearly as daunting:

** new front porch - or should I say...front porch since we haven't got one!

** island for the kitchen - what a project this is. I have never had an island in any kitchen I have ever had and have absolutely no idea what is the 'most desireable' in a kitchen island. I am working on this - slowly - so that I don't just do the first thing that comes to mind. Since I am clueless, any suggestions would be most welcome.

** stone veneer for the house foundation - this is the project I am really stoked about. Stone veneer on our foundation is going to look gorgeous - even if I have to do it myself. Sweat equity you know ;-) Tomorrow, we are going to pick out the stone so please pray that there is not a major disagreement over what to choose. I know what I want and am determined to have it!

That's it. Only three relatively small projects. Can you believe that?!? The big idea girl only has three ideas for the ENTIRE SUMMER! LOL!

So, what about all of you? Any big projects planned for the summer?

Hello All!

Sorry for my absence. We have had a lot to do these past couple of weeks and have several projects going - as usual. In addition, the weather has been very strange and we have been dealing with a small flood. Not to worry because all is well now and the sunshine is out today! I would post some pictures of the flood, but I cleaned my desk and now cannot find the USB cord for my camera.

So, my husband and I have been working on our wills - and all the details about who would care for the kids if something should happen to both of us. All unpleasant things to think about, but necessary to deal with.

In doing that, I came across an article that says if you are 30, you will need to put away about $450 in your retirement account every month in order to retire a millionaire. Who doesn't want to be a millionaire, right? But $450? Who has an extra $450?

So, here are some of the things the article suggested in order to save that $450 per month.....

* Pack your own lunch to take to work and save about $100 per month. Not much help for the SAHM crowd, but *someone* in every family has to go to work, so I guess hubby will be brown bagging it! LOL!

* Have one less 'dinner and a movie' night out per month to save an average of $80. Eating out one less time per month is definitely something my family and I can do. We don't usually go to movies all that much at this stage, but even $40 saved is $40 saved.

* Fast food lunches. I let my kids have a fast food lunch ever week - but if we cut that in half, we could save $20 per month and if will be better for all of us.

* Buy some generic or store brand products rather than brand name. Some things are just not worth the extra price. I try to buy all of my cleaning supplies at Costco or Walmart and buy the biggest quantity I have room for - and generic is often the way I go with cleaners. They work just as good I think.

* Convenience store drinks like bottled water and soda cost significantly more that if you had purchased a larger quantity and then brought your own along. If you buy a bottled soda every single day, odds are that you are spending about $1.50 on it - which is $45.00 per month!

* Extended warranties on small appliances you buy are almost always a waste of money. Skip them!

* Lotto tickets - gambling is a total waste of money - period.

* Junk food - especially those snacks at the Convenience store that you are likely buying to go along with that bottled water or soda - are huge money suckers. Those cookies, crackers, candies and chips could add up to another $45 per month. At that rate, the convenience store owner will be retiring when he or she is 50!

* Energy drinks cost over $2 each and are just not good for you. Skip them!

* Starbucks. No explanation needed. A much needed treat once in a while is not something I am willing to give up. Once in a while though means just that - once or twice a month for me from now on.

* Organic produce goes bad very quickly usually so use your organic produce right away and try not to overbuy!

* Buying that huge bag of pre-made salad at Costco is likely a waste of money. Most families will not eat that huge bag of greens before they go bad. Buying large quantities of perishables at wholesale clubs usually costs more in the end.

* Maintaining those acrylic nails will cost you about $500 a year! Yipes!

* Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are a waste of money in two ways - they are a huge money drain at about $5 per pack. $5 per pack per day is $150 per month - if you only smoke one pack per day. I know lots of smokers who smoke more than a pack per day. In addition, smokers and tobacco users pay higher health insurance premiums - and they are high enough as it is!

So, I can see about $130 from this list alone that I can save - not to mention that if I made one less trip to town per week, I could save another $80 per month on gasoline. Once I call the satellite company and cancel the HBO that we never watch and start using my Library card rather than my Amazon account every time I want to read a book, I estimate that I could be putting about $250 per month - which puts me over half way to the $450 mark. And, yes, I know that I am slightly older than 30, but I already have a started on my retirement account so I think that should make up for it. I am not sure I will ever make it to millionaire status, but it's worth a shot!

Springtime has finally come to the Rocky Mountains and that means mud. Lots and lots of mud! I am eternally grateful for the mud room we added on to our house when we built our new room last year. It really keeps the yuck out of the house and contains it to one area. This year, we plan to build a deck out on the front of the house and do a bit of landscaping including planting some aspen trees to take up some of the water. I am really looking forward to working on this project. It is just the kind of thing I like to do and it is going to put the final, finishing touch on our house!

Meanwhile, the hubby and I have purchased a camper trailer and are both looking forward to taking it out with the kids. My hubby is more of tent dweller and is therefore not as excited as I am, but he will get over it when he sees how much fun the kids have. Our first trip will be to Canyon Ferry lake for some fishing and fun!

And.....it has been 5 days since I have changed a diaper! Owen still wears a pull-up diaper for sleeping, but he actually changes that himself in the morning. I am so happy to be done with diapers - and I am about $40 or $50 dollars richer every month as well!

To add to the fun stuff....my sister and her family have just come back from a very fun vacation to Southern California. Here is a couple of Happy Kid Pics:



These girls has a blast at Disney - eventhough the oldest one was afraid she would be bored - LOL!



Look at the look she is giving Alice! ROFL!!

And PRAISE THE GOOD LORD! I can officially pronounce my Owen potty trained - for daytime anyway. We will still be working on staying dry at night, but I am thrilled to bits to have him potty trained for the most part.

It was SO DIFFICULT to get him to even co-operate with us. He was resistant at every turn so I finally did what I promised myself I would not do....I used a chart with reward stickers and prizes. I did not want to to stoop to bribing my own child, but I honestly tried almost everything else I could think of. Owen himself just did not see the point - so we had to find a way to get him excited and engaged.

It has only been two weeks with the charts and stickers. They have worked like a charm and the prizes have been minimal. A couple of rubber sea creatures, a plastic lobster and several Matchbox cars was all it took. I really am very proud of him for getting with the program so quickly. It has gone much faster than I was expecting and I know we are not 100% there - but I will take what I can get!

Gosh - it has been over 2 weeks since I posted here? It truly does not seem like that long.

I have been really busy working on various projects and trying to keep everyone in my house healthy. It seems the ickies keep coming back for round after round. Today, everyone is well except Owen says that his throat hurts. It has not stopped him thus far though.....

The weather here has been absolutely atrocious and we have basically been stuck in the house for the past couple of weeks. We are all suffering from a bad case of cabin fever. Unable to take it anymore, I have booked us all into a hotel in Bozeman tomorrow night and am packing the swimsuits and so extra money for room service. We are going to get out of here - if only for a day or two.

Last week, my Maya went to the Kindergarten for pre-registration. The Kindergarten teacher was totally taken aback by my demand that she give a run down of the entire curriculum and then, I requested to see her lesson plans book. She answered every single question I had and I was satisfied that she knows what she is doing and that my child will not spend two hours a day taking a nap and coloring. After I was finished with her, I introduced myself to the principle - a woman about 10 years my junior. While I was impressed with her 'air' and the way she spoke - it remains to be seen how she will handle real discipline problems. I am not going to judge her in advance though - she will likely do quite well and I hope she does. The Superintendent of the school - a woman as well - I liked a lot. I have worked in more than one school and never have I had a Superintendent be out and about in the school - let alone be working in the office helping students and visitors. Her - I like.

Yes, that's right - I spoke to every single person in authority. I think every parent ought to do that. I want Maya to be able to go to public school - but I want to be involved. That is why I accepted the invitation to be a parent volunteer in the Kindergarten next year ;-) I truly am not being controlling - I just want to know that my child - the child I prayed for and had to wait so long for - is safe and happy. That's all I want. If I make a nuisance out of myself in the process, then I will have to ask for forgiveness afterward - and that will surely never stop me!

I have a major dilemma.....

A group of my online friends are having a Convention in the UK - Blackpool it be exact - in June. I had already resigned myself to not being able to go. My kids are too young to be without me for long and also too young to travel overseas.

So, the other night, out of the blue, my hubby says that he can rearrange things and - that if I want to, I ought to go to Blackpool.

If not for the kids, I would have already bought my plane ticket - but I am feeling really guilty about even thinking of going, let alone actually doing it. First of all, I am having a hard time justifying spending the money for airfare to only stay in the UK for a week. Airfare costs the same whether you stay one week or three and I, frankly, would rather stay for three but that is absolutely out of the question. I cannot be and do not want to be away from my kids for that long. Secondly, if I spend this money on this trip, that might mean we cannot go to DisneyWorld and take my Mom and Sister with us next year. While that is not certain, I am having a hard time risking the chance for my kids to spend some time at DisnseyWorld with their Auntie and Nana.

On the other hand, I have given up almost everything I like to do - job, travel, several hobbies - to stay at home with my kids. A small get away would be Heavenly!

Ugh!!! Any pointers??

I have had one of those days. I have tried off and on all day to get here so that I could sit down and blog about this week's episode. It has been a comedy of errors the whole way through.

First off, I had to repaint one of the walls in my dining room. I started on this early this morning because I had to prime first and it takes awhile for things to dry in between coats. First thing that I discover is that I had purchased two different types of primers the other day and so I had to go to the hardware store and buy new primer.

So, I got the primer up on the wall with no problems what so ever. I then put at second coat of primer on without incident and waited for that to dry.Once again, I sat down at the computer and tried to get out a blog entry only to be bombarded with other things more pressing. So, I gave up and ordered the gift baskets from Harry and David that I always send out. At least I got that done!

With things settled a bit, I went out to my car to get something I had left out there only to discover the soda I had purchased when I went to the hardware store had frozen - and exploded - in the back of my Toyota. %$&@! That took a while to get cleaned up but went easier that I thought it would, so I returned to the house, fully determined to finish the painting in the dining room before my son decided to "help" me.

Upon returning, I noticed there were a few places that needed a touch up, so I did that, cleaned all the brushes and go ready to apply the paint. Lunch time - or actually way past lunch time. Right. Gotta feed the kids. So, chicken noodle soup warming on the stove, I grabbed something that was in the bottom of the bag I had brought in from my car before I discovered that the soda cans had exploded. I no sooner got the jar in my hand when it slipped out, hit the edge of the countertop and shattered into a hundered pieces.

The good news is that I did not cut myself and the kids were wise enough not to get near the mess. The bad news is that it was a 12 ounce bottle of pine infused essential oil that was to be a Christmas gift for my Dad. Double %$&@!

My entire house - all 3,000 square feet of it - reaks with the nauseatingly strong smell of pine along with paint and oil that I fried the fish in for supper. My dining room wall has two coats of primer and no paint.

Somebody get me out of here! LOL!

Halloween!!

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Owen was finally big enough to keep up with his cousins and not tire out so quickly. Maya was particularly excited as she had been planning her costume since June. She is a planner, just like her Momma!

Owen went as a great white shark. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a great white shark costume in a size 3? I finally did find one online and it cost me a goodly sum - but he wore it all day long and loved it.


Maya went as Fiona from Shrek. The kid has such an eye for detail as you can see from the pose! She was very upset because the dress I bought for her was not purple like the one is Shrek the Third. Finally, she relented and was satisfied though she let me know that Fiona wears a purple dress too!


After getting their bucket full of candy, it was time to get started home. Their buckets full of candy are sitting in the dining room as I type - hardly touched. For my kids, it is all about the getting of the candy rather than the snarfing and hoarding of the candy - for which I am eternally grateful!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving!

Because I have not been feeling well for the past little while, I have watched an inordinate amount of television. We recently got the Documentary Channel on our satellite system and my DH told me there was a documentary on that he was sure I would like.

It turns out this particular documentary was about Celtic music in Canada. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed watching it. It told the story of an area in Canada that was settled almost soley by Scots and how they brought their language, music and dance with them to the New World. Music and storytelling are a central part of Celtic culture. It has been intregal to the preservation of their culture and to be a musician or storyteller is highly respected by the Scots and the Irish.

Because of the lack of influence from most other cultures in this particular area of Canada, the music has remained much more pure than it did here in America. In American, the Scots-Irish settled in the South but their music was influenced by African slaves and their musical styles. The result is Bluegrass - which all of you who know me personally know that I know a little something about.

My family on my Dad's side has played music since before I was born. My Dad and all of the males in the entire family with two exceptions, are musicians. My sister Julie was the first 'girl singer' on my Dad's side of the family. It was a big leap for some of them to get used to, but my Grammy nominated sister has gone further in the music industry than any of them have and she actually makes her living full time by playing and teaching Bluegrass music.

And so, when I was watching this documentary and saw this Canadian family, sitting around their living room playing instruments and singing, I suddenly made a new connection. For years, I had no idea of the origins of my family. We really had no idea where my Dad's family came from or from what nationality they had descended. We still do not know for absolute sure, but it is safe to say that my Dad's family is of Scottish and Welsh descent along with a bit of English. So, without knowing it, my family were carrying on the traditions of the Celtic culture without even knowing it. In Gaelic, these musical events are known as ceilidhs, but to us, there were always know as jam sessions or a 'get together to pick'. 'Pick' being a term meaning to play the banjo or guitar.

When I was a kid, at least once a month and sometimes more, we would either have company or would go visiting with some other families who were from Kentucky or who were musicians. There was always lots of food and, of course, music and singing. People would come for miles to be there and listen. This is where I learned to cook. This is where I learned how to flirt with boys. This is where I learned who was dangerous and who was a friend and how to recognize that. I did not realize until just the other night how important those times had been to me as a kid and how much I wish that my own kids could have that. They cannot have that influence and it makes me a bit sad. Those Saturdays spent with that music playing in the background while I helped with the cooking or played are a huge part of my identity now.

Incidentally, my Mother's side of the family is very musical as well. My Mother's side of the family is distantly related to Loretta Lynn. I also have a cousin on my Mom's side of my family named Dale Ann Bradley who is a noted Bluegrass musician. I do not play, but always wanted to learn to play the flute - the Celtic flute to be more specific. Something to put on my To Do List!