Glad you all (well, all of you that commented) like the new design.  At first, there were a whole lot more witches, but that made me all "Whoa, my mother is totally going to freak out if she sees that many witches."  Because, you see, the witch in the design is more of an accent witch, not a real witch.  She just wants her sister's shoes back, and hey, don't we all?  But yes, Mother, I'm still a good Lutheran. I swear.  Even if I'm $76,000 behind on my pledged offerings for the last five years.  My heart, it is in the right place.

I came up with the design to play off both the title of the blog and my vision of YOUR vision of Kansas City.  I think most people on the coasts believe Kansas and Missouri and all the other states in the Midwest are just sort of a large field of wheat or other starchy vegetable or grain product, maybe with some religious fanatics and a little smoke going up somewhere.  The title of this blog actually didn't mean to come from the Wizard of Oz - I started this blog when the little angel was about a month old, and at that point, I was ready to surrender to the first person who offered me a two-hour nap, even if that person was Osama bin Ladin.  I was a little crazy then.

So I talked to my friend L. today about the toddler.  It was very sad.  I also learned that my friend N.'s nana passed away a while ago, but she's just now gotten up the energy to tell us.  That's the third I've heard this week now, after the daycare teacher's husband.  I'm hoping that will end this week's streak of horrifically painful emotional experiences for those for whom I care deeply.

And because I now need something about which to feel good, I present you with this for your Friday - my husband's version of sidewalk chalk art: