I have huge plans for the office in our house. We have been here for almost two years now, and I have done nothing to the room except add clutter. But I have plans. Big plans.

The office will be an 18th century study or cigar room. One wall will be bookcases, and one of the bookcases will swing out to reveal another small storage area. The windows and french doors will have elegant coverings of deep red drapes. The walls above the wainscoat will be covered in period paper or fabric. The floor will be hardwood or bamboo. Near the windows there will be two antique-looking sitting chairs and a small table with a chess board on it. I will probably place a bowl of pipe tobacco on one of the shelves for fragrance. The computer will be hidden from view when not in use, and the desk will be full of hidden compartments.

But that has been the plan for almost two years, and the books and papers just continue to stack up. So in an effort to at least organize the mess until I can accomplish these plans, I purchased three of those cheap pressboard bookcases. And you know, they have made a huge difference. They do not look too bad, either. And we are no longer embarrassed that visitors may see the office study.

Tami, Lindsey, and Isaiah have flown back to Ohio for a few days, so it is just Timothy and I here. We had some great friends watch Timothy yesterday and today while I worked, and I have taken Friday and Monday off to play.

Tonight we went to Chuck E. Cheese’s as a treat for Timothy. He has been talking about it all day, and it was the first thing he asked about when I picked him up after work. This is not my favorite place, but he loves it. Besides, Timothy is not into quiet steakhouses yet. Maybe next year.

We had a blast. From the hotdog and fries, to bopping groundhogs, to punching ducks and riding in a Bob the Builder truck, he wore himself out. At the end of the night, he redeemed his tickets for a squishy rubber frog, a dozen plastic bugs, and a roll of Smarties (he said he wants to share the Smarties with Lindsey when she gets back). He also got to hug the Mouse, which was a big deal.

All I got was this lousy picture. And some very, very special time with my son.

I have been hooked on balloons lately. We saw a man making hats for some children the other night, and he inspired me to pick up the pump again and see what I could do.

I have tried my hand at balloon animals in the past, and was not too excited with the basic “dog” that is so common. I did some searching, though, and found some great instructions. Here is a list of my “secret links.”

So I have been making some more advanced creations such as a motorcycle, character faces, and some of my own experiments.

I know it is a fad, but it is one that I hope I can use for our kids and the kids at church over time. There is always more to learn!

Timothy’s shadow lately has been this really cool little robot called a “Program-a-Bot.” He carries it around with him, plays with it, and even sleeps with it. It is a programmable robot that can walk forwards and backwards, turn, and even dance! It can be programmed with over 30 command steps, or will respond to sounds. It avoids collisions with walls or anything else it can see, and even accepts commands from its little wind-up companion robot!

Another cool Christmas gift from Grammy and Grampy.

Giving and receiving gifts at Christmas is really a lot of fun, and when you can find the perfect gift for someone, it is really special. But when a gift is hand-made with a specific person in mind, it is even more special. Grammy has always been so good with making wonderful gifts, and this year was no exception. Timothy received a fleece jacket with a hood, and Isaiah got a great little “jester” hat with bells on it.

Thank you, Grammy!

One of the gifts Timothy received for Christmas this year was a cannon. Yes, I know it is certainly questionable as to whether a four year old boy should posses a device that could dismember small animals, but trust me when I say it really is okay.

Timothy’s Great Grandpa had a Big Bang Cannon when he was a boy, and remembered it well. I see now why he remembered it. We (read that as “I“) played with it a little on Christmas day, and it is rather impressive! It is just over two feet long, black with red wheels, and looks just like an old Civil War cannon.

The science behind it is rather basic, but not what you might expect. Generally a cannon or “explosive noisemaker” achieves its loud report from the burning of black powder or gunpowder. But this nifty neighbor-irritator uses water (!) and calcium carbide. Calcium carbide, when mixed with water, produces acetylene gas, which is highly explosive. Add a little spark and a small chamber, and you will get a blast of flame about a foot long, and a seriously loud boom.

And yes, there is a trend here. This gift follows the same vein as the “birth” gift Timothy received from my parents: a Ruger Bearcat.

A couple of years ago I built and began using my own blogging application. It worked quite well, and we were able to capture a lot about our lives during the time it was active. I still have all of the posts, and enjoy looking back over them, remembering things the kids did or said, or places we went.

Since that time, blogging has become a staple of the internet. One of the results of this is the availability of blogging packages that include features I had never dreamed could be had. One of these packages is Movable Type from Six Apart, and I have been involved in building a couple of sites so far using this tool. I am using a default “out of the box” installation of this package right now for this site, but hope to update the appearance in the near future, after I complete the numerous other sites that need completing.

One of my fears about the whole blogging thing is that there may be those who think folks blog because they have such inflated views of themselves that they want others to see their wisdom and wit. That could not be further from the truth here, and if you are looking for either, you probably will not find them. This blog is, primarily and selfishly, for our own benefit. It is our journal about our lives, made available simply to share some of the joys and struggles with the few out there who we care about. If you are reading this, you are likely one of those few.

If you are so inclined, please check back now and then. I am honored that you have stopped by, and hope that you can find something that will make you smile, think, or be thankful.