Call and Say Hi!

Here's an interesting article in US News & World Report:

Talking With Others May Make You Smarter

The gift of gab could boost brainpower, new research suggests.

A U.S. team found that talking to another person for 10 minutes a day improves memory and test scores.

They found that "socializing was just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual performance," ...

Do you work from home? Are you home with the kids? Think about giving someone a quick call to chat. Maybe a different person every day.

I think it's good for the soul, too, and I'm trying to make it a habit. As the Bible says:

encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today ...

Rebekah's Poise

Rebekah strikes the perfect catalog model pose.


You can't beat this pose, either.


Ok, one more...

Men's Group

A big shout-out to my men's group!

Here we are at Steve King's place, chillin', solving the world's problems, and getting to know Jesus better. (Um, not necessarily in that order.)



I appreciate you guys a bunch (even though you'd never guess from my attendance!).

Thanks, Mormor!

Mormor enjoys her grandbabies...



Mormor has come in most weekends since Rebekah arrived, pitching in to help at every opportunity.

She's amazing. Kirsten jokes that a whirlwind of accomplishment follows her. That's about right.

It's startling when a pile of clean, folded laundry just appears. Startling in a nice way.

Thanks, Mormor! We appreciate you so much! I can't imagine where we'd be without you!

Luke and Jonathan

Judy and I have been trading watching each other's boys once a week. It's been great fun for us to have Jonathan over and a nice break to have a quiet house to get some things done (like a nice long shower).

Last week I made a couple pans of colored rice and added a pile of frozen peas and let the boys play in it with their little trucks. It kept them entertained for quite a while.

I think my favorite thing is to listen to their conversations and squables. Today I overheard this conversation while they were watching the landscapers clean up the leaves in our back yard:

Luke: Where did all those leaves come from?

JP: They came from the leaf blower. That's why they call it a leaf blower.

Yes, it is a bad idea...

to let your kid eat raw ramen noodles.

It's just too messy and the stray noodles hurt when you step on them.

A Good Big Brother

What a great big brother Luke is...



I'm providing the safety net. After all, he's only three.

A Word to the 17 year old Trick or Treaters...

If you were a trick-or-treater this year, you should be banned from voting in the next United States Presidential election. Period.