There Really Is No Such Thing As Catching Up

I seem to be in an eternal conflict.  Why recording my life publicly is so important to me is hard to understand.  I imagine it's due to moving often and not having an easy escape with friends to share my events and feelings with in person.  So I turn to the next easiest avenue I have...online outlets.

And why not?  It's a great way to keep friends and family updated as well as creates a record of the happenings of our family.  We have a wonderful collection of stories dating back to 2005 of the funny, momentous, and important activities that happen to our family.  So many of the things I have recorded have ended up being new to me later when my kids read them to me in fits of laughter. My memories are not very reliable, unless I write them down!

Unfortunately, once I started using Facebook, the time spent updating the blog became too much.  I was getting nearly instant feedback on my FB posts, and much more attention.  That was enough to keep me going and eventually my blog was ignored.  But not forgotten!  Facebook is great for short paragraphs, but I have a need to TYPE!  I have missed my blog.  I have also missed story-telling.

Because FB is a little too public and less intimate than I'd like, I have struggled with feelings of guilt due to sharing so much.  I attempted to fix that by limiting my friends lists and only sharing with certain groups, depending on the topic.  However, that hasn't been the best answer and I believe that many people have become upset when I have removed them from my friends list despite their inactivity in my FB life or real life.

So I have decided that I will open up my FB interactions to be more public, but less personal, and return to blogging the many details of our life.  If someone is truly interested, they will find their way here and I will be rid of the guilt of over-sharing!

I regret that I can't catch up with everything that has happened since my last blog post.  But there really is no such thing as catching up.  I would never be able to share all the details that have been since forgotten. I can only start from now and try to keep up with current events.

But I can share some recent photos.  Joseph recently got a cat.  It's mainly to help him with his anxieties that have followed him for a few years.  The cat, an orange tabby, is named Rusty.

He's had all sorts of attention, from the dogs chasing him to copious boxes presented for his cat-like hiding.  Joseph and Sarah made this box in Rusty's likeness.  It looks pretty good, don't you think?  I'm not sure how Rusty feels about it.

And in other news, Nathan and I enjoyed a morning of running errands.  One of our stops was Hobby Lobby.  While I searched and contemplated trims for Sarah's dresses, Nathan found some trim of his own. We call this his rapper chains!  lol  We don't really call them anything, but it's what I'm thinking.  I'm glad he's willing to be silly with me sometimes.  Oh, and during this morning out, we stopped to see ourselves reflected in the window of one of the stores.  I can confirm that Nathan is taller than me now.  2017 has been a good year for growing!

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year!  I'm making another attempt to revive this blog!  This time, I'm setting a goal to post daily.  YEP!  DAILY!  So if there is a random weather report one day, you'll at least understand that I'm trying to keep my goal.  haha

We celebrated the end of 2015 last night with usual Collett pomp and circumstance.  It started with some selfies in the kitchen.

It was a tight enough fit before Nathan photobombed us with a wadded up shirt and blocked Daniel's face.

But Daniel recovered nicely and made up for it with a Maori-like exhibition of his tongue.  GROSS.

Oh, yeah.  These two are in charge of things around here.  That explains a lot!

We started our marathon of activities by giving our time (less than an hour) to wiping down all of the known hymn books in the church building.  Some disinfecting wipes from Target and we were set.

Did you know the current Hymns edition was first printed in 1985?  I can remember when they came out.  I have seen some books that are slightly different in format, but are still the same hymns and the same #'s.  The Church is still translating this 30-year-old version into other languages and has no plans for a newer edition at this time.

While were there with extra disinfecting wipes, we decided to wipe down the backs and sides of the benches in the chapel.  There has been a recent report of hand, foot, and mouth, so it seemed like a good idea.  I understand that Daniel went around wiping door knobs, too.  I'm just not sure if he made the whole trip with a single wipe.  (EEW!)

Joseph may not be approaching this in the easiest of ways!

We'd stopped for donuts on the way to the church and the lady gave me a free dozen.  So we had a donut BEFORE and AFTER we worked!

It looks like Rebekah is pouncing on another donut, but she's really reserving it for Daniel.  I am shocked since those two are usually at war!

After we returned from the church, we set about putting away Christmas decorations.  This activity took longer than the first!  Everyone worked here, and I worked at organizing everything into proper bins.

By the time the house was put back in order, it was after 9 PM.    Only three hours left to go!  Out came the snacks and games.

Daniel must always pose for the camera.  We're fortunate his tongue stayed in this time.

Do you watch Studio C?  We are the unofficial Titusville, Florida chapter of the Studio C fan club.  We added them to our list of party activities.

When we got out some glow sticks, strange things began to happen.

And don't forget the 2016 glasses that barely stay on your face.

This reminds me of that creepy Sesame Street segment where wavy, free-floating eyes and mouth helped you count to 10.  At least I don't have fears of nightmares after seeing these eyes!

I tortured some of the kids by making them fill out some reflections on the year past and coming.  Joseph nearly died of trauma.  But it was interesting to see how similar some of ours from last year to this year were.  It seems that I really want to have an organized and clean house!

And then came the traditional New Year's Eve photo.  Not everyone was willing to play along, so it will require more than one photo to see everyone's faces AND signs.

And that is how you ring in the new year in our family!  No one fell asleep early, but I can think of someone who should have.  Thankfully, we were able to sleep in and recover some of our cheery dispositions.

Blogging, or Not Blogging

I started my blog over six years ago as a way to keep distant family updated on my growing babies and also a way to write (something I want to do, but don't really have the time to do).

As I have looked back over my posts over the years and had them printed into tangible copies, I have really enjoyed the vivid recounts of little moments that otherwise would have been lost forever. It helped that I had a real audience participating in my stories through the blessing of the internet. The comments left in response were encouraging and really appreciated, but the verbal remarks were more valuable as they gave me a real connection to people.

In 2010, I hit my blogging peak. I was composing blog entries while I mopped the floor, while I drove down the road and every time disaster seemed to strike. If the kids made me laugh with some little quip, I ran to the computer and recorded it. I LOVE reading through those moments!

Even so, my entries have always been motivated by my audience (real and imagined). My journals are influenced in the same way, though writing by hand is much slower and the pictures don't load very easily. I write for an audience, though I expect that my journals will be read after I am gone (at least I hope that I can trust those around me to respect me enough to never pry without permission).

Lately, my real and imagined audiences have decreased. The motivation went with them. It troubles me some as I think of the moments I am no longer recording, but it does seem a blog without an audience is really only a public journal. I no longer consider it worth my time to prepare and upload pictures and tell stories.

As I have thought over the demise of the blog, I have considered how different variables have affected it. The first problem was that I joined Facebook. If I put on FB, it seemed to ease the urge to blog about it. Plus, I was getting way more response that way!

A second problem is a family problem. I have struggled with this for years now. I claim much of the blame, but have little to be proud of in any resolutions. The truth is, I don't speak with one of my sisters. She made it clear enough how she felt and I finally gave up trying to fix it. Another sister is too busy. I know she doesn't read the blog. She has admitted it to me. My brother interacts with me via FB and I have appreciated his efforts to connect. Even so, he's a guy and the connection is different. I haven't spoken to my mother since February 2nd. The few times before that I attempted to talk with her were cut short. She says she doesn't have time to talk. I guess she prefers indirect contact. She recently started commenting on my posts more, but nothing in real time.

The distant relationship with my family has taken a toll on the blog. Sometimes I don't want to blog because I don't want them to know what is happening in my life. If they were to call, I don't know if I would answer the phone. So what is it? Do I want contact or not? I don't even understand what I am thinking!

On the other hand, I have regular contact with my Dad. Usually, we don't even agree about the things we discuss, but I know he is interested in what I am saying. The blog does help us in keeping the conversation fresh and moving. Our conversations can last 2 or 3 hours. And then I have to charge my phone!

A third factor is a trend I have noticed repeats itself way too often: I keep losing friends. I have pondered on this endlessly and cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. The friends that used to comment on my blog are now silent and their absence causes me to lose confidence that I am blogging about something of value.

The last reason for the decline in my blogging (that comes to mind) is the struggle that I have with being proper and avoiding topics too controversial. The times I did relax and share strong emotion seemed to cause greater tension. Well, if I can't be honest about how I feel, what the heck am I doing? My life isn't all flowers and sunshine...sometimes it's tornadoes and stink weeds! If my sister doesn't want to accept my multiple apologies or my mom really isn't interested in what happens in my life or my friends can't remember the 7 digits that make up my number, why in the world should that dictate what goes into my blog?

So the question I have pondered is, what is the purpose of my blog? Obviously, it's not to keep my family connected, but Chad's family is gracious and comments occasionally. Apparently it's not to give my feelings a voice. I'm not someone with hundreds or thousands of readers (if I have 20, I'm surprised).

I am not posting any of this to cause a firestorm or get a bunch of sympathy comments. Things are what they are...I've only stated what I consider to be facts, without emotion. However, I would like to know if there is any reason to continue this blog. Does it serve a purpose, other than giving me a record of my family's activities? Is there anything here that can't be shared via FB? Maybe I should go private and really know who my audience is. I appreciate any insight.

Pictures? Not in this post

OK...I have to say that part of the reason I haven't been blogging lately is that I have pictures to upload (don't you want to see us cutting down our Christmas tree?). But Blogger is so incredibly slow that I have avoided it.

I just spent 15 minutes of my life trying to upload pictures, with no results. My patience is thin, my time is limited and Blogger is in my cross-hairs!

I have Plan B, but you'll have to be patient while I work at it. Thanks for your understanding. (Is there anybody left out there, or have you all abandoned me because I abandoned you?)

Checking In

I know I am so far behind. It is not only my blog that is suffering. I found myself busy with Christmas and the new year, Leah's birthday and now her baptism. My church calling is still a little demanding as well as the family. Not to mention my house is a mess and only a few rooms get clean at a time.

I am checking in to let you know I'll be back...hopefully soon. It would be sooner if I thought Blogger would be fast at uploading pictures.

And maybe I can find a way to make my family more mad at me. I'm on a roll (apparently).

WoHoo! Happy New Year, Everyone!

Multi-blogging

I have been working on a post for our Relief Society blog all afternoon and evening. I finally got enough pictures uploaded and everything typed. I checked the spelling and as I was adding labels, I realized that I was working in my personal blog!

I may not be the best person to be holding this responsibility. And you all would have been wondering why in the world I thought you'd be interested in what happened at the church this past Wednesday night!

(But if you are interested in checking it out and finding a few new recipes, you can check it out here.)

Hold your breath

I'm coming back...soon. My desktop computer returned today from a 3 1/2 week round trip to New Jersey to be fixed. That was a major factor in my blogging neglect. Plus, life...wow. It's been keeping me busy.

So I have plans for tomorrow. And some of them include playing a little catch-up with the four of you that have been wondering what happened to me. (Some of them also include getting a hair cut and taking a nap.)

And before I sign off completely, I'd just like to announce that Sarah is 20 months old today. Four months until her second birthday. She's still not saying anything...unless you count "uh-oh." She is quite a little stink and gets into plenty of premeditated trouble! So I guess she's on par with that.

Stay tuned for April Fool's Day pics as well as Easter and anything in between!

Up and running again

The computer went to the doctor and came back resurrected. (That's some doctor!) It has a new power supply, CPU fan and CD rom. Apparently, you really are supposed to use that canned air stuff. Great...more work.

Anyway, it hasn't shut down on me yet. That's handy. We got the computer back on Tuesday but were leaving town on Thursday, so I didn't have any time to blog. We got back yesterday afternoon and now I have even MORE to catch up on.

So the next post is Chad's b-day. It will be the third attempt. The first two times I tried, the computer shut down while I uploading photos. It must be because Chad is so old and the pictures somehow overwhelm the system. (Or it's because I was doing other things at the same time and the computer couldn't take the stress.)

P.S. Computer time has become more difficult this past month partly because Sarah discovered the printer and the pretty blue glow the power switch makes. Now she is drawn to it whenever I am in here and turns the printer on and off. I spend a lot of time picking her up and swinging her over my lap to get her away from that darned button! And if it's not the printer, it's the modem and all the pretty lights flashing on that. I'm glad to know she can see so well.

On the summer express

I feel like I'm on a runaway roller coaster lately. And that has meant that my blogging has been neglected. I have several things to report and hopefully, I will do that soon.

I need to sit down for a while, anyway, because I have a sore heel that refuses to heal. (haha) It's been hurting for several months now, but it only has gotten worse. Now I can't hide it and I get funny looks from people. Unfortunately, I can't do much of what I'm supposed to do from a chair.

So, just hang on there, all you valiant readers; I'm working on it!

Thank You!

I have recently been organizing all my 2009 blog posts to prepare them for printing. I am happy enough with the first two books that I'm looking forward to getting a 3rd one done.

My only complaint about the books is the binding. The pages are not attached to the spine of the cover. Actually, the only thing holding them on there is the paper glued to each cover. I'm thinking of dropping some hot glue down the spines to give them some strength before any of the paper rips from the covers.

As I go over my past posts and try to get them into a layout I like, I can't help but read some of them and reminisce. And here is where I must say a big thank you to all of you out there that make positive, helpful comments on the posts. Because I have such a great (and small - though growing) bunch of readers, I am encouraged and sometimes inspired to write with detail and humor that rarely makes it into my personal journal each night. If I had a private blog or didn't have any feedback for my writing, I would probably write a lot less, have less detail and possibly quit altogether.

As it is, I have a treasury of family stories that now spans over 4 years. Sometimes the funny things I post are posted within minutes of their occurrence and then I just go back to what I was doing.

So thank you for helping me keep up this blog and giving me a reason to return often. And thank you for putting up with the self-centered stories. After all, it's a blog about my family...and some of you don't even know some (or any) of us.

Where the heck did she go?

Good question. I have been a little short on time. I tried to upload some pictures earlier this week, but it was not to be. I have a list of things to at least mention, but I also have a messy house, 4 more days of Valentines and another night of Visiting Teaching interviews tonight.

breath

So all is not forgotten, just pushed aside temporarily. My apologies to the faithful readers who depend on me to get them through their day. You may have put too much faith in me.

I just want to be popular, don't I?

While I don't blog just for the recognition, I've learned that can be a pretty nice perk. The whole thing started out as a way to keep distant family members in touch with our goings and comings. Eventually, friends near and far started reading and then I picked up a few new friends that only know me through my writing. (I know there are some regulars out there that have never made themselves known.)

So while this adventure started out as a quiet and personal outlet, it grew and I actually liked it. Then, as time went by and I browsed other blogs, I began to feel like the last kid picked for a team during gym class. All these other "Mommy bloggers" had TONS of people following them. I wanted to be liked, too! What was once great was no longer good enough.

Luckily, I kept thinking about it (OK...I was dwelling on it...I'm pathetic), and I realized that I didn't really want the pressure of entertaining the masses. I don't have any great wisdom to share and my stories of poopy diapers or burned bread don't have great appeal. I have been fortunate enough to be spared from any great tragedies that would turn me into an inspirational example for anyone. My kids are normal and just as frustrating as the kids down the street (this is NOT referring to anyone that's REALLY down the street) - who really cares about that? Does anyone really want to know that Daniel was grounded yesterday because the scripture quad falling on Sarah's little head was the last straw? (Too bad if you didn't.)

I also thought of the possibility of someone recognizing me in the store; that was a little unsettling. I'm usually at my worst when I'm shopping and figure that would be a bad place to meet any kind of "fan." Then again, I don't know if that hasn't happened already because I know there are some local readers (who think I don't know they're reading - yes, I see you!). Oh well, I hope they weren't too disappointed.

So, even though I don't have thousands of people following my daily trials and tribulations, success and triumphs, I do have the occasional, "I read your blog" or "You are so funny" said in the halls at church or over the phone. That's good enough for me. Those are the people I know and love (not to mention they already know I'm not perfect)!

Lurking Contest Winner

I have the results of the random.org number generator. Only 9 of you were honest enough to admit you lurk. All five of Chad's sisters made themselves known. I know several of my readers are part timers and may not have checked in during the week.

I guess they are excused. But the rest of you (you know who you are) should at least say hello!

I have been considering bringing back the Mystery Pictures. Some of you may remember those. I haven't posted any in over two years, but I think of them on occasion. Maybe you'd like a chance to prove how smart you are in that area! I've been trying to decide if I want to do prizes for those, too. Too bad I'm not rich...that would actually make the prizes attractive.

Anyway, the winner of the delurking contest is #9...the last to comment...Melissa! :) Let me know which of my fabulous prizes you'd like most (so glad I didn't offer anything heavy).

To all you Lurkers!

Apparently, it is National Delurking Day. This means it's time for all of you to shed your cloaks of invisibility for just a moment.

There might be one or two of you out there that don't know what a lurker is. It's someone who reads the blog, but never/rarely comments. I don't know how many of you read the blog regularly, but I know how many of you comment. First place goes to Kristy S (you are my most faithful commenter). Last place goes to most of the rest of you.

But I point no fingers. I often read and run, too; I am a great lurker.

In honor of Delurking Day, let's have a contest. I will offer a prize to one of the commenters for this post (and hopefully, you will feel it is worthy of that distinction). I'll pick randomly through random.org and let you know if I need your address. I'll create a list of choices to pick from and get back to you on that (look below).

You can sign off as Anonymous if you don't have a registered name, just type your name into the post so I know who you are.

I will pick the winner from all the comments received by next Sunday.

I look forward to knowing which friends are old and which are new! Which one are you?

Here are the prize choices (exciting, I know):

1 - a set of 8 note cards, with envelopes, 4 different colors
2 - a set of 24 recipe cards and matching stationery
3 - 2 crocheted dish cloths (yet to be created)
4 - a crocheted bookmark...not pictured (yet to be created)


I'm trying to stick to things that are easy and economical to mail. :)

Finally getting published!

I ordered my blog books today. There are a combined total of 356 pages, spanning 3.25 years of blogging. It cost me $91 for the two books. That's the discount price as they have a coupon for the next 4 days.

So, regardless of my fame as a writer, I can always say I was published. It just came out of my own pocket.

It reminds me of some books I recently checked out of the library. They were based on LDS converts in England - the writer's ancestors. The writing was so bad (immature and unpolished) that I couldn't even get through the first 10 chapters of the first book. (And now I sound like a book snob.) I wondered how the writer even found a publisher for his work. Then I read the book flap and publisher info. The guy is a publisher! He publishes several magazines. He must have figured he'd break into the book world since he had the right "connections." We can't all be so fortunate.

So, I may or may not be a gifted writer (if this guy can get away with that level of writing, we should all try to write), but I am published - or will be. The difference is one copy compared to 100's or 1000's.

I am curious to know what the photos will look like. Many of them were flagged for quality in printing. Since I was focused on my blogging and not necessarily the pictures that were included, I let them all slide. They may be really grainy, but should support the text well enough. We'll see in about 3 weeks.

Blogged! and Self Reflections

That's the title I've chosen for my books of blogged posts that I'm formatting ("Blogged!"...not the 2nd part). I recently discovered a website that uploads your blog (including the pictures) and lets you have it printed (for a price, of course). The website is Blurb and they have a lot of great ideas for books. I guess they are one way to get yourself published if you can't find anyone else interested in your work.

Anyway, I don't imagine that my book of blog posts is going to hit the market anytime this century. I'm only ordering one book of each. But if any of you ever wanted to create a memory book or similar, they have it set up that other people can order the book if they want it.

I am putting my posts into books by year. Since I started in October of '06, the first volume will have 2006 and 2007. It has 200 pages! 2008 is a bit shorter. As I was going through the first one, I came across several little things the kids had said or done that I'd forgotten all about. I look forward to the kids reading about themselves years down the road from now. We'll have our own family scrapbook!

I figure between the blog, my journal and the scrapbook pages I print, we'll have a fairly decent record of our family's adventures.

I've decided that it's also going to be a bit humbling as I look back at my writing over the years. I don't imagine there is anyone that reads my blog that doesn't understand I'm a bit opinionated. In some ways, my blogging has been a valuable outlet for my frustrations and angry feelings. Sometimes I haven't used it in the best way and lashed out at others under the protection of the computer screen.

I've been thinking of this for a while now. I've finally decided to let go of the grudges and attitudes that haven't been doing me any favors. It's going to be a little difficult to change life-long habits so abruptly, and I imagine I may struggle a bit, but I hope it will lighten the mood I often let myself brood in. There are a lot of things that have happened in my life that I might have the right to be upset about, but I've done a lot of things that aren't so great as well. So I'm trying to be a better and nicer (to be around) person.

I know many people won't believe I'm sincere or that I can do it. Those are probably the people I've offended the most. I don't blame them for being skeptical. And I can't do anything to make them change their opinion of me, other than try to be better. I hope that they will eventually forgive me and allow damaged relationships to heal.

All I really want right now is a lighter heart, a happier family and an increased testimony in spiritual things. Those things only come from me, though. So I'd better get to work!

New Blog Address

If you're reading this, you've got the new address! If you're reading this 3 months late because you finally learned the new address...sorry. But I did try to get everyone notified and not a lot of people sent in their e-mail addresses.


The address comes from a favorite poem of mine. I thought seeing the address often might inspire me to be better. (I am in need of some good, constant inspiration.)

The title: Sixlets - All underfoot, came from my current state of overwhelming mommy responsibilities. It was kind of a quick thought that I just typed. The address and title should probably be the same, to avoid confusion, but that would go against everything else "normal" in my life.


Glad you're still following along with me.

I'm here...sort of

I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth. But I may be teetering. The summer fighting is draining me, or at least taking from me what the pregnancy doesn't.

I know I've neglected my 3 fans out there. Sorry. I'm trying to find the motivation. I have some pictures and a guilty 4th of July story to share.

This past week in particular I feel like I'm on autopilot. Maybe I can recharge this weekend and catch you up on some things.

500...Finally!

Well, the big one is finally here. I'm a little short of my goal, but it's more important to finish (even if it's not the best).

Five hundred posts! I don't think I ever expected to keep up the blogging. It was a slow start. After all, I was a new mommy to baby #4 and my oldest had just started school. Incidentally, going from 3 kids to 4 kids was my hardest adjustment. Adding #5 was hardly a difference. I expect #6 to be the same.

Honestly, if I didn't think some people were enjoying keeping up with our crazy little family, I likely wouldn't continue. I do keep a journal, though that isn't nearly as colorful as my blog. And many of you have been quite encouraging. So I feel like maybe I make a few friends through my blog. I'm a little surprised some of you keep coming back...especially since you don't even know me or my family outside of Blogger. I guess real life does have a bit of comedy in it after all. I'll have to try to notice it more.

It took me 3 1/2 years to blog my way to 500 posts. I don't have any plans to reach 1,000. If I get there, great. If not, it means other things are guiding my life. Hopefully, I'll be able to share most of them and keep the blogging up. I mean, don't we all want to know how Joseph's potty training goes? And Leah starts Kindergarten in the Fall, with Rebekah starting the following year. And of course, we'll want to see the new baby when she starts crawling. But I hope that Joseph starts talking long before any of that. THAT will be a major post!

Now enough sentimentality. Did you want news? It probably does not come as any surprise that Chad's mini van did not win any races at the Pinewood Derby last week. Unless you count coming in last. But it was a winner. It beat out a Rolls Royce for Most Unique. That earned our family a little package of Almond Joys to share. There were some pretty competitive men there that night. We were just there for the fun...lots less stressful. Oh, and the root beer floats. Yummy.

I let Nathan take the pictures, so we've got a lot of pictures that need to be deleted. But it was very difficult to get a picture of the action. ZOOM! Here's a shot of all the cars that were there.

On Saturday, there was a Baby Animal fair. The kids had fun going from baby to baby. Leah touched everything she could get to...including the giant boa(?). It was a little chilly, because we got there early, but we beat the crowds (most important).

We worked in the yard on Saturday. I mowed the lawn. It was the first time this year. What a difference it made! And what a sunburn I had on my arms. (I got a lot of attention for that at church yesterday.) Chad tilled the garden and we planted our small selection of plants. I expect about half will make it. Good old gardening in Eastern Idaho. It froze that night and the next.

Sunday was Mother's Day (as I'm sure you all knew). My kids were not well behaved for the occasion. They made sure I knew I was a mother. I held a short choir practice, despite the holiday. We had a pretty fair turnout. We sing next week - otherwise, I wouldn't be such a task master! But our choir sounds great. It's obvious they are working hard.

Today was my monthly doctor's appointment. We did another sex check on the baby...since the doctor was only 80% sure last month. While he was looking at the screen, he asked me what he'd said it was last time. We both saw something completely different this time. I saw the girl parts before he said anything. (Did you catch my hint a few paragraphs ago?) So I have a beautiful pale blue baby afghan nearly finished. It will be a fun thing to joke about...I guess! He said he'd look in two more months, but I don't see much reason to...it was pretty clear.

And while I was sitting here, ignoring my children's pleas for this and that, Joseph came up to me looking like this! Good thing there aren't any pictures planned.

Sweden mystery solved!

Thanks for checking in, Laura! I do remember the regular visits from the Ukraine, too. I never even thought it could be you since you are such a silent lurker. Not even a hiccough from you!

It's funny that since trying to figure it all out, there have been two new Swedish ISPs that have started visiting. It's a strange world we live in. Things just happen in waves, don't they?

Any other countries want to jump into the game?