Lisa Zahn

I just thought of something! My favorite number is six. Maybe that's why I've always wanted a family of 6. I've lately come to accept (hopefully) that the dog and cat are the actual fulfillment of my wish, as they must suffice for the two other babies I wish I'd had but won't. Hmmmm.... Just wanted to jot that down! And no, I'm not drunk this Friday night. But I am sitting at the Corner Bean coffee shop in the neighborhood, and it's full of people listening to some college guy singing in a funky voice about, you know, the usual. Unrequited love. It must be putting me in a strange mood. A mood that loves my new blog look! Is anyone besides Crunchy having a hard time reading it? Because if you are, I'll change it I promise...

Thanks, Mon , for the link to Cutest Blog on the Block , which has a lot of great free blog backgrounds. I'm going with a "vintage" look for now, and it will probably change. I have to be ever mindful of my color blind husband and mother-in-law, neither of whom can distinguish red from green. I'll see what George thinks later today!

(click to make it bigger, and to go to the Wordle site.)

I've changed my blog look, but it's still boring. Any suggestions? How do you create your own template? Or how can I use some of the cool ones I've seen, like Holistic Mama's background? Maybe it's just the February blahs, but I'm ready for change! I suppose I could Google the question, heaven knows Blogger is not going to tell me easily... I also mentioned recently that I hate my blog title. The Zahn Zone. I thought it was clever way back when I thought having a blog would be just a little computer journal I'd do. But then I started getting readers, and quite a few. (Which is a lot of pressure, btw!) And I realized my blog name is just kinda dumb. Speaking of February blahs, the kids and I went to the mall today. We've gone for two Wednesday afternoons now, as one way to get out of the house and get some exercise. I make the kids do two laps around the mall with me, and we get a treat either at Pretzelmaker or the Target cafe. I like walkin...

Called Groundhog's Day in America, February 2 is the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. The Celtic holiday is Imbolc and the Celtic-Catholic holiday is St. Brigid's Day. It is also Candlemas, and we celebrated the day by making candles with our homeschool co-op. With our group of friends, we rolled beeswax sheets around a wick to make candles. We cut tiny shapes out of colored beeswax to decorate plain white pillars. And a few kids even dipped wicks into melted beeswax to make tapers. Another good thing to do on Candlemas is take all your old, burned down candle stubs, melt them and then make new candles either in small milk carton bottoms or in the snow (I've never tried the snow option, but it's supposed to be really neat). You can also make firestarters by pouring melted wax over pinecones with a little dryer lint stuffed into the spaces, or just in egg cups filled with dryer lint. We've been saving candle stubs and dryer lint fo...

I got a meme from Judy over at My Freezer is Full (what a great blog title, Judy! I hate my blog title...) Here are the rules: Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. 1. I drink English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast (or, in a pinch, Lipton) black tea with a little sugar, 2 large mugs a day. 2. My husband is my best friend and I love watching him play his Irish whistles on stage. 3. My favorite summer ever was in 1994. I lived with my dear, funny Grandma and spent a lot of time with a college roommate who lived nearby, and made a bunch of other great friends that year. I had just broken up a long-term relationship and felt so free! For the first time in, like, forever. I was also doing my student chaplaincy (C.P.E.) unit at the nearby St...