ringing in the new year

The boys and I rang in 2010 with our traditional "bubbly" and episodes of Mythbusters on Netflix after a couple rounds of Scrabble Slam! card game--thanks Grandma and Grandpa:)

just for me

A few moments to myself at the end of the year. I made an artichoke ricotta pizza and lemon poppy seed bundt cake--yummm, while watching "Under the Biltmore clock", an American Playhouse movie which is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Myra meets his family". Very good.

Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade

Here is one of the links to Ben playing in the Edina High School Band parade. He marches two rows in front of the white tubas to the left of the center yellow line of the road. I know they all look alike but that's where he said he was! http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=e5c15fcb-b026-4683-b4a6-69e21501d1bc&src=front

This is why. . .

I'ts that time of year when sales abound and taunt and the desire for a new winter sweater popped out of my closet! So off I went to Macy's and looked and looked for an hour, finally settled on one and tried it on. Something just wasn't quite right so I left it and begged my daughter to come back with me later on that day to see if she liked it on me. I thought her ideas of what looks good on me might help see what I was having trouble with. She wouldn't do it. Farmville, an old episode of Heroes and talking with her friend on the phone was more important. So after dinner Tim and I went out to learn how to use our OnStar from the car dealer and he asked if he could help with what was bothering me. "Just a silly sweater", I said. He drove right to the mall when I had just decided to forget it and 20 minutes before closing watched as I tried it on and then saw exactly what was wrong with it for my body type and then helped me sum up what does flatter my shape in the most perfect way. He even branched out and helped with pants and that is even harder for me to find the right fit. Anyway, it is "New Moon" release week and maybe I am a little love sick but . . . I love him.

Lauren's backyard summer projects

This girl is doing every bit as much as Ben did for his Eagle project! Way to go Lauren:)http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbId=2275448
Remember to hit the button to the top right to view in full screen--easier to read

Reading

I pulled some lower back muscles last week during my body pump class so I decided to get back to reading as I couldn't do much else. I just finished The Help and now I am starting Peace like a River to read along with Ben. Mike and I are into Chet Gecko mysteries. I just finished reading The Hunger Games with Lauren and took her to see a local community play, Wait until Dark.

Visitors after the game

Well this is a fitting way to get back to posting again. These little guys made my day last Saturday, around noon after our first freeze. Lauren had just finished her last high school soccer game of the season. This flock of Eastern bluebirds were on their way through and stayed the afternoon in our backyard Maple and would fly down to the grass and grab something. Their song was so pretty although it was a bit nippy to be out watching them. A guy at the wild bird store thought they were probably grabbing the bugs that had frozen and fallen out of the tree overnight. So here are a few shots of them and one of Lauren at the game.

Going to see my sisters

I love visiting with my sisters. Now that we are old enough to enjoy each other, the visits we get are so fun. Love them! So here is a little preview of gifts I am bearing as I come:) http://www.brittneysscentsations.blogspot.com/ Can't wait!!!!!!!

June is such a busy month

June is always so busy for us. The winding down of school and that busy schedule gets replaced with a more relaxed but still project-oriented busy, esp. outdoor projects. This year Lauren wanted to lay a patio and have it done for Father's Day. My birthday fell in the middle of the two week span she devoted to the project from planning, buying and assembly. So we squeezed some fun in there for that too! So here are some before, during and after photos.

Surrey bike rental and sling-shot for Mike(he wants one of these real bad!!)

The work continues . . . she enlists more helpers!

And FINISHED for lunch on Father's Day.

Ben spent all week putting the grill together:)

Complete with tiki torches that she had drawn into the plans at the start!

Dads at home

Two or three Dads in my neighborhood that I know of are staying home this summer with their kids. Two have lost their jobs in the last several months. These are tough times, but I see both making "lemonade" with their situation. One just had a newborn baby 2 weeks ago and he will be home with his baby. I hope he knows that time will not be a regret. And the other has a 9 year old that just said to me last night that she is looking forward to being around to play with the kids more because she won't have to go to the summer day care program. He also has a 15 month baby. I hope both men know what value that have at home and around the neighborhood too.
My Dad was home with us when I was elementary school age and those are fond memories I have. Some playing around the house and watching Sesame Street together and a few field trip places. All of it are memories of being together with my Dad that I don't think any kid would regret. Maybe I will get a chance to tell them that. I think I have with my Dad. Do they know how just really coool they are! Wonderful times:)

happy day

Lauren and I just went over to the Mall and got ourselves some of these to celebrate my happy news from my doctor. A few weeks ago, my doctor said the words no woman wants to hear, "have you felt this lump?" as he was examining my breast on regular yearly exam visit. That moment was a little surreal at the time and I wasn't shocked until later esp. when I told my husband when I got home and he freaked out! A mammogram and ultrasound later with no definitive answer we saw another doctor to discuss biopsy/removal or watching and waiting. We opted to remove and test so today I found out from my doctor that nothing was abnormal in it soooo big sigh of relief and hence the treat of chocolates!!!!! Lauren was pretty worried like her Dad and I was resolved to deal with what I needed to, but I had a good feeling all along. Moments of contemplating your own mortality in a serious way like this affect people differently. I was happy with everything I have done in my life and have no major regrets. I definitely have more I want to do yet and am grateful for delicious chocolates:)

recitals and concerts

Below are the kids in recitals and band concerts. Some are a little lengthy so you might want to listen while doing something else:).

Ben's 10th grade band concert-May 2009

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/7a9edeb91711e8c1f5

Ben,Lauren,Mike Spring piano and guitar recitals-May 2009

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/7a9edeb91b1ce2caf5

Lauren 8th grade band concert-May 2009

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/7a9edfb51711e7c3f5

gardens grow

Here are gardens that Lauren and Mike planted this weekend. Lauren has herbs, flowers(edible), tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and spinach planted. This is going to be one green-filled 8x8 spot soon:) Mike planted watermelon(his favorite fruit of all), peas and lettuce and carrots. He wanted to plant corn and pumpkins. He told me the other day that he feels like he will be a farmer of some type when he is an adult:)

my favorite

What is my favorite Mary Cassatt painting? I like so many of them because she used my two favorite subjects--women, children in their intimate situations. I love the subjects on the beach or in boats. But perhaps this one invokes the most memories for me.

Gifts

I love gifts. I love to be given them and I love to give them. I also love to ponder and enjoy the creative ones I have been given. I am very grateful for all that I am. Here are some pictures of things the kids and Tim made for me last weekend. I told them last week that I loved all their homemade ideas. Lauren stressed all weekend because she couldn't think of what to do with the pictures of flowers I have taken over the years. She cut them out and made a wind chime with nails and screws! Love it! I absolutely adore child pictures of me and them--so glad Mikey did that for me. And Ben put his cooking skills to order and made me stuffed French toast that I had been craving from a past B&B experience. It was marvelous and done all while I was napping:) And Tim, bless his heart, worked all night and came home to cook me a huge breakfast served in bed that I loved so much I didn't take picture until it was nearly finished!

May Day

I remember making these and filling with flowers and putting on several neighbors doors and running away before they could come to see! That was when we lived on Charles Street in Iowa.

Looking forward to June

I just finished a fabulous read! I was in the library last week browsing in the section of my favorite author when I was 13 years old, Irving Stone. And I came on books by Gene Stratton-Porter that looked interesting. I checked two out and just finished "A Girl of the Limberlost". Loved it! Reminded me of myself as a young girl discovering the swampy North woods of the iron range and the many moths and butterflies collected and pinned in a box my father made for me and the study of nature and all I learned there. Here is a selection of a passage that I love as it reminds me of my favorite month, especially fitting for today:)

"'June is June, not because it has bloom, bird, fruit, or flower exclusive to it alone. It's half May and half July in all of them. But as I figure it, it's just June, when it comes to these great, velvet-winged night moths which sweep its moonlit skies, consummating their scheme of creation, and dropping like a bloomed-out flower. Give them moths for June. ...'"page 319

Flood relief

We traveled this past weekend for the maiden voyage in our RV we bought at auction last Fall. We went to help out the residents in Fargo, ND area remove sand bags that were around the homes. Ben's church scout troop and other members were organized to go in groups to help out so we geared up to go along Fri after school and spent most of Sat loading sand bags on to trailers and being part of human chain in passing bags(no pictures of that because we were all working). Mikey was even interviewed by local FOX station as they came to see what the large group of yellow t-shirted(Mormon Helping Hands)people was doing. The bags were heavy sometimes and wet and muddy but it was a beautiful Spring day and felt good to be helping people that definitely looked wearied after the past month. On the way home Mike said "I will remember this the rest of my life!" Love to hear that and see concern for others:)

Hawaii videos

Not sure if anyone but family will want to see these but here is some footage of whales breaching and jumping (the zoom is on all the way and they are probably about 2 miles out in the bay). And some video of the boys doing hula at the last luau we went to.
http://www.motionbox.com/videos/3097d6b91a15e1c1be?type=sd
http://www.motionbox.com/videos/3097d6b9161be6c4be?type=sd

Hawaii ID contest!

Ok, here it is. The fastest scrapbook I have ever put together! Now if I could just tackle those boxes and boxes of printed pictures with the same speed:)http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbId=1704103
(easier to see if you hit the button upper right that says View Full Screen)

Can you ID these pictures I took before I do? This one is a rare poppy that a ranger told us about growing in the lava bed at La Perouse Bay. And the next one is a bird at the Maui tropical plantation.

Blasted comprehensive exams

This week and next the kids are taking the tests the state requires. Sooo many notes and emails have flooded me with paranoia about getting the kids to bed on time and off to school on time with a good breakfast. Yesterday I finally felt good, coming out of the jet lag, and I had everyone off with hot breakfast and then today came! I stayed up one hour later than I need to to get 6 hrs of sleep before up to take oldest to seminary(studying the New Testament at church with other high schoolers at 6am-7am). And that's all it took. Then I "napped" for half hour stints between getting the other two to school. I did fine on the middle one but then slept over the half hour on the third. I got him to school just as the bell was ringing but he knelt down before going in the door and I thought, "hurry, get in there" but he had stopped to help a girl get her scooter unstuck so she could fold it up to put in her locker!

Here is picture of my new dew and I am halfway done with Hawaii scrapblog so stay tuned!

Promised pix

Fam, here are pictures I promised to post. Lauren in her dress I picked up at Marshall's in 15 minutes flat--didn't I do good picking out the layers?!! Quite proud of myself as I am the sibling with the least amount of fashion sense:) And here is Mikey with his science fair project. I should have him blog about what he learned about periscopes. And I am going to try to attach a clip of Ben's band concert from last week. I wonder if Kai recognizes the song?!!!! Feel free to add the basic head bob as you listen along with Ben:)












http://www.motionbox.com/videos/3098ddb6181de7c6be

Addicted

When we were visiting the eagles, Michael begged and pleaded for a puzzle. He said it will be great fun to do together and we will bond while we do it. The little bonder has put maybe two pieces in, always has something else to do plus it is a little difficult. BUT he loves to buy things and played on my weakness for a good puzzle! I don't know why I like them so much--challenge, satisfaction, discovery? I like to do them while talking on the phone, little time filler when needed. So here it is almost done. This one I think I will frame for his room and he can think of me!

The great North American flyway

It's that time of year when the birds start to migrate back up north and we live in a perfect spot for viewing! The month of March can be cold but I brave the cold and wind to snap as many shots of birds as I can. Last year I took several days at the pond close to our house right smack in the middle of the city as we are and got several great shots of loons dancing and several different species of ducks.



This year Michael and I started the bird watching(he is my bird watching wing-man and fishing buddy) by taking a trip to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. We had a great time driving down listening to several mystery books on tape and we got some shots of some eagles!

Unscripted birthday fun!

We celebrated Ben's 16th birthday last night. I wanted to do a little something I haven't done before and I got him four helium balloons. Well, I am glad I made them wait until I had downloaded movies so I had extra disc space. I almost didn't film and would have missed this spontaneous bit of fun. The fam will enjoy. I didn't know how to edit out the 30 sec at beginning and end to polish it up a bit but will be amazed at myself if I actually accomplish uploading it!

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/309bdfb01610e3c6be

OK two days later and a steep learning curve re: AVCHD video and applications needed to upload large HD files like this and wallah you should be able to see this on motionbox. Sometime I will figure out how to embed the vid directly. Until then,ENJOY!

Vegas vacation

We had a wonderful time in Vegas this past weekend! Tim and I had a nice get away retreat for Valentines Day. We shared a fabulous tapas meal and a couples massage. We hiked and saw the Hoover dam and the strip, of course. We saw a couple shows and the kids got to do some disco bowling with their cousins. Kailer(2 1/2 yr) and Meili (5 mos) were the highlight of our trip!

Here is a scrapblog we made for fam and anyone else interested.

http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbid=1493595

Birds and Bees

Well, I hit THAT milestone with the youngest this weekend. He was shown a video on puberty on Friday in 4th grade. Lots of questions erupted, his brain was a movin' all weekend long! "When will this happen to me? How many sperm will I have? What does it look like when it comes out of me and when will it? So did you and Dad just have S-E-X three times? (I was ready for that one because I've done this before!) What is the purpose/reason for pubic hair? When will I get hair on my chest? When is puberty done? What do sperm look like? How quickly do they regenerate? What causes them to die? What age did Dad start puberty, because the video said that is when I will too? Have humans ever had S-E-X with animals?(my eyeballs just about popped out of their sockets on that one!) What are hormones and how do they work? Yes this was only a few of the questions and many were asked multiple times as he was trying to grasp it all and luckily his Dad got home toward the end of the 2 hour inquisition and he could answer some of the more technical ones. Why do girls have all the eggs when born but boys don't make sperm until puberty? How many will I have and how many will come out at a time and what happens when they are malformed?" He does approach life with a scientific outlook so I should have been prepared for the deluge but alas I was a bit overwhelmed with the intensity.

ANYWAY, that's what my weekend was about! And other than that late night intersection I haven't been able to reconnect with Tim as he is working solid until we leave for Valentine wknd(no that's not too much info, I didn't mean THAT!) Looking forward to this weekend!!!!!!!!

My neighbors live in Africa during the school year. The house across the street is empty for now but in the summer they come back and I love to hear about how my neighbor lives over there. She told me about how she goes to the market each day. That's how I like to plan for dinner more often than not. But it is just not the same going in to a grocery store or Let's Dish store. I want to peruse the outdoor market looking for what I feel like eating that day. Doesn't this picture look warm and colorful and yummy? She talks about the bartering she does as well and that part I would not be good at yet. But I sure would like to give it a try sometime. We often think about going to Australia and working in the outback sometime when our older kids are gone. I wonder if we will make that a reality. I could really see us doing it. At least for 6 months or so, which are the advertized job positions currently that Tim sees available.

Couldn't wait, had to take it NOW

Well I couldn't wait any longer so I just prepared the kids Friday evening and declared January 31st as a Mother's Day. And I have to say it was wonderful and a great thank you for making it a happy Holidays for them and all the busy sign up times for summer stuff that all has to be done in January. I hate planning that far ahead and really hate planning at all but I was on top of things this year and so I deserved a big thank you day. And they obliged, the sweet things! The 9 yr old started the day by giving me a chocolate heart from the bowl of my own supply which was wonderful, thought that counts. Then they each proceeded to clean up around the house and I got to have some free time, which is normally unheard of for me on Saturday. I read my BYU magazine on the couch in the sunlight for a half hour and I got to play some more on creating a card I have been working on for my card club. (Allison, tell the girls I think the theme should be "go green"! My new favorite designer-fabric and paper- is Heather Bailey. Check her out on-line and her blog is fun too.) Then I got sick, oh well, it was good while it lasted and I feel better today. Stupid cold viruses, hate em.