Check out Jonathan’s page for the scoop on his four-month checkup and other developments.
Another New Look
UPDATE: I just pulled up my site in IE 6, an ancient, substandard browser with security problems that for some reason is still the standard browser at work, and discovered that my site looks terrible. Apparently IE 6 can’t handle cascading style sheets correctly. This is yet another reason for you NOT to use it. If you haven’t switched yet, try Firefox, Safari, or Chrome instead.
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You know how some people have this strange urge to rearrange the furniture, paint a room, or in some other way modify their homes every so often? It took me a long time to understand those people. Then I realized I’m the same way with my blog. It’s not so much that the old way is bad; it’s that the process of changing is fun, and the results make us happy, too.
I changed the “theme” a couple of days ago partly for technical reasons, partly aesthetic, and partly my own amusement. WordPress makes it really easy, just a few mouse clicks, to completely change the look of a blog. However, each theme doesn’t necessarily make everything look exactly how I want, so I always have to make a few tweaks. In the process I might find that some of my bells and whistles don’t play nicely with the new theme. Then I shop around and find new bells and whistles that do. In the process, my brain gets a bit of exercise, and you get a fresh look to enjoy (I hope!).
You might not have noticed yet that the photo at the top changes each time you load a page. I think there are 5-10 different pictures. A certain family member has complained about a picture that looks like the Japanese flag. I assure you that I am not turning Japanese or packing up for a move. I don’t fully understand how the picture rotator works yet. When I have time, I hope to learn and replace the pictures with some of my own.
Please share your thoughts on the new look. I even gave you a new comments plugin to make comments a bit easier to post and read.
Thoughts on Garage Sales
We are planning a garage sale for Friday and Saturday. If you’re into that sort of thing, come on over and clean us out. This should be a decent sale. Along with us, Jenny’s parents and sister and some of our friends are selling furniture, light fixtures, clothes, baby stuff, and other assorted things.
Some people love garage sales. Others hate them. I have mixed emotions:
LIKE:
- Reduce/reuse/recycle. Instead of tossing an unwanted item into a landfill, you can let someone else use it for another few months or even years. Stuff stays out of the landfill for a while longer, and the buyer doesn’t need to buy a new item (yet). Very green. You might as well plant a tree outside your garage and give it a hug. Maybe we could sell some this weekend.
- As a seller, instead of throwing something away for free, you can obviously get money instead. You won’t get rich, but small money > no money.
- As a buyer, you can get stuff you need or want for MUCH cheaper. Garage sales are great for kids’ stuff such as toys and clothes that have a high turnover rate.
- They are a great motivator for you and your people to declutter their homes. Just tell your people you’re hosting a garage sale, and they’ll get busy digging up stuff. Some of them don’t even want the proceeds; they’re just happy to get rid of their stuff.
DISLIKE:
- Garage salers, if that’s the correct term, often expect to negotiate. Some LOVE and DEMAND to negotiate, even if you’ve already tagged an item with an extremely low price. Jenny’s mom is a pro. That’s why I’m glad she’s coming over to help run the sale. She will make sure we don’t get hosed. I HATE negotiating and have volunteered to
hidewatch the boys instead. - For reasons I fail to understand, many cities require you to get a permit for the garage sale. Seriously?
- As a buyer, you never know what you’re going to find. Advertised items might be gone by the time you arrive. The sale might offer nothing but thirty-year-old yellow vases and dusty eight-tracks. When I buy something, I research it nonstop for three years and then buy the EXACT thing I want, generally online. However, for the hardcore garage salers, the unknown-ness is part of the fun, transforming the trip from a mundane excursion into a treasure hunt. You never know when that beaten-up table you buy for $10 might be a 1780 Federalist end table worth tens of thousands.
Bottom line: come to our house Friday or Saturday with a wad of cash and a trailer. We might have a treasure that you never knew you needed!
Blog Love
A couple of my friends have started their own blogs, and I want to share them with you.
Stomping Weasels – My friend James (Mad Bomber, as you might know him from his comments on here) writes this one. The name comes from Stomping Weasels for Jesus, the band that our home group plans to start someday. He’s still kicking around ideas, but so far he’s commenting on things in popular and/or Christian culture that are just wrong or unintentionally amusing.
Generic Mom Blog – My friend Ashley is a stay-at-home mom and part-time writer. Her blog focuses on the wacky and amusing world of momhood.
Thanks to all of you who blog. If you’re interested but not sure how to start, check out Blogger.com or WordPress.com for free hosting and lots of technical help (they do most of the work for you except for the actual blogging).
Run the Jailbreak
Since many of you know I have a thing about being dirty, my next scheduled race might surprise you. It’s called The Jailbreak, and it’s 3.8 miles through military-style obstacles, urban wasteland, and lots of MUD. Yep, I’m going to get really, really dirty, and I’m OK with that. It’s a stretch assignment. Therapy, if you will. It will be good for me, and a lot of fun!
Our friends Jon, Amber, Lacy, and Amie plan to brave it with us. Due to the thousands of participants and the many obstacles, the runners go in waves every half hour or so. We’re in the first wave at 9:00am. Our brother-in-law Phillip is putting together another group that will run that afternoon. If you want in, sign up NOW because it’s almost full.
Even better, this race benefits Sower of Seeds, an organization like Water is Basic that drills clean water wells in India. According to the race website, they can drill one well for every 1000 participants.
Cruising!
Jenny and I have booked our first “real” vacation since Brenden was born! We’re planning a four-night cruise to the Bahamas for the last week of October. Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas will depart from Miami. We are soooo excited! The boys will stay with their wonderful grandparents so that we can have some time to relax just the two of us. Our itinerary can give you more details.