PJ's Notes

Stuff & More Stuff

2011-08-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been neglecting my blog. Sorry about that. I started this as a way to express myself and keep a record of our family's doings, but it's really hard sometimes. I think of things I want to say and I just have a hard time putting them down on "paper." Today at work we had an exercise where we created a "dream board" that's supposed to represent what we love, where we want to be, what inspires us. Mine's kind of pitiful ... but I brought it home to work on some more. So in the meantime, you're stuck with my ramblings and ditzy thoughts at 1:30 in the morning. Maybe tomorrow I'll have something inspiring ... maybe not!

(This has been a thoroughly useless post. But I felt like writing it, and it's my blog ... !!)

Long time, no post

2011-02-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. It's been a long road with the wrist surgery (see my Facebook page!) and job hunting. I do intend to update this blog in the next week or so, hopefully with job-related stories and pictures of my wrist surgery.

A Favorite Blog

2010-12-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Is this one http://latterdaychatter.blogspot.com/. I'm a stalker!!

Argentine Tango

2010-10-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, I just LOVE this dance! My newest favorite routine from DWTS Season 11, Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and Derek Hough performing the Argentine Tango. Love it! It got the best scores of the season from the judges (so far).

Crochet Patterns I love Part 1

2010-09-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love this little tawashi. I've made several but unfortunately I can't sell them on Etsy unless I make my own pattern. Working on that! http://www.craftstylish.com/item/43848/how-to-crochet-a-tawashi is the link, and here's a picture I snagged from her website (since I can't find the picture I took of mine at the moment).

Isn't that cute? These are little scrubbies you can use to clean dishes, etc. I want to find some acrylic yarn and make some for bathroom cleaning since I abhore sponges (germs! ick!!). While browsing for more tawashis, I rediscovered this one: http://crochetpatternsonly.blogspot.com/2009/06/spiral-scrubbie.html. I've tried it before but I must have had brain fog, because I can do it now. LOL. Of course this YouTube video did help!

And this website (Naztazia.com) has a ton more videos and patterns. Darling!

So that's my current obsession ... er ... hobby. Just sharing!!

9/11

2010-09-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

Every year at this time I think back to 9/11/2001. My mom called me in the morning (early!) to tell me she'd heard on the news about New York City being attacked. I was so half asleep I don't think it really registered for a few minutes. Then I turned on my television and watched the events of that dreadful day unfolding. Every year at this time I think of the lives lost in the attack, the lives of our military that have been lost, the lives of the rescue workers who have died because of the effects of being at Ground Zero. I think a lot of us have forgotten the way we pulled together on 9/12. I love that Glenn Beck has a 9/12 organization. We were all Americans that day, not Republicans or Democrats or Liberals or Conservatives. Americans! I know that I'm not 100% on this, but it's my hope and prayer that we'll remember our heritage as Americans and let that be our guide.

I really like this video that was put together. It's a bit more partisan than I'd like, but hey, it was there and I liked it!

And I found this the other day. It's our national anthem being sung at St. Paul's Cathedral in London as part of a memorial. You can tell who the Americans in the crowd are, they don't have to look at the words!

First Day of School 2010!

2010-08-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Time for first day of school photos! First up, Sarah, who is now a junior in high school!

She's taking three AP (advanced placement) classes this year. Yikes.

And Spencer, now an 8th grader!!

He's in honors classes, and taking Spanish, and wants to play soccer this year.

Another Dance I Just Love!

2010-08-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

This one's from Dancing With the Stars. I know, I know. We love it. Especially when Donny was on ... *sigh* ... (okay, no drooling on the keyboard). This is probably my very favorite pro dance ever. I just love it. I have it on my iPod too. This is from Season 7, week 1 results show.

Playlist -- Figured It Out!

2010-08-17T13:40:00.001-07:00

Woo-HOO! Figured out how to get into Playlist (finally they sent me the password reset, after the THIRD time I emailed them about it -- grrr), and switched around my playlists. I'm in a rockin' kind of mood so I put the rock playlist on, and it should NOT autostart ... enjoy! Just some of my current (and recent past) favorites.

Another Favorite Show and Video

2010-08-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

Because Alisa has inspired me ... another couple of favorites from So You Think You Can Dance. The first one is probably my all-time favorite, Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura dancing a lyrical hip-hop by Tabitha and Napoleon. This was done week 3 of season 4.

This one is by Katee Shean and Joshua Allen. It's a Bollywood number (the first they had on the show), done in week 5 of season 4. The choreographer was Nakul Dev Mahajan.

I LOVE THIS SHOW!

2010-08-15T00:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it, I'm a Gleek. Love Glee! Love it, love it, LOVE IT! Thought I would hate it, but I LOVE IT!

One of my faves? This medley from the season finale. LOVE IT!

Of course the BEST part, when Finn tells Rachel he ... well, you know! isn't there. Sigh.

This is awesome, too.

And this one made me cry!

That was then, this is now ...

2010-08-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

We went to the Oregon Coast the last week of July (I'll post more pictures from that trip later). One day we went to Cape Meares to see the lighthouse. We go there nearly every year because we love the view and the little short lighthouse. Unfortunately, some numbskulls shot up the lighthouse last winter, and the actual lighthouse is still closed due to the damage. But we were able to look around the outside and enjoy the beautiful view.

While we were there, we walked to the Octopus Tree. It's a huge, beautiful tree that has a fence around it to protect the tree from harm. A few years ago, I took a picture of Sarah and Spencer on the fence by the tree, and I wanted to update that scene this year. Here's the result! The first picture is from 2005, when Sarah was 11-1/2 and Spencer was 8. The second picture is from this year, 2010, and Sarah is now 16-1/2 and Spencer is 13. They look like the same kids, but different. It's amazing to see how they change and grow over the years!

Sarah's 16th Birthday

2010-06-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

So very late, but still posting some birthday pictures from Sarah's 16th birthday.

Sarah with her balloons (courtesy Grandma Noakes).

Eating Chinese takeout from Mandarin House. (Yummy!)

Alan and his mom (Grandma Noakes).

Spencer doing his best to hide.

But I found him anyway.

Sarah and Grandma Jean.

Me. I hate pictures of myself but this one's halfway decent.

Sarah and her Owl City CD.

Sarah and her new camera.

She wanted the Harry Potter cake!

Family picture that we used for Christmas cards.

That's it! Finally posted birthday pictures, only nearly six months later. Sorry about that! More updates to come ...

More Food Adventures

2010-02-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

I tried another new recipe on Monday night. It was not as huge a hit as the Spinach Chicken Penne, but still went over pretty good with at least Alan and Sarah. Spencer only ate plain noodles with butter, after trying and dramatically rejecting the version with sauce. I liked the dish, but apparently any type of tomato sauce is now on my NO WAY list. I've had esophagitis problems ever since, and the only thing I did differently in the whole time was eat this dish. I even made my own fake marinara with tomato sauce and some spices, hoping that it would be less of a problem. Nope. Oh well.

Here are a couple of pictures of the dish:

I found it here: http://www.iamamoneymagnet.com/2009/10/easy-baked-ziti-recipe.html . I do recommend trying it, especially if you like something similar to a lasagna. It is quite good, just not on my remake list (and I have a pan in the freezer, so that will have to just get eaten by the family).

Spencer's Broken Toe

2010-02-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Some of you will already know that Spencer broke his right big toe on Tuesday 2/9/10. He tripped on a plastic grocery bag containing the items that needed to go in the freezer. Go figure. Five more minutes and they would have been put away, or if he'd taken it a bit slower bouncing into the house from the garage (he went to get a pop), he might not have tripped on the sack. At first I thought it was a bad toe stubbing, or maybe a sprain, but when he was still in a lot of pain on Wednesday I called the doctor. We went in, the doctor said looks broken, and we got an X-ray and went right back up to the doctor's office. It wasn't pretty ... Spencer has a growth plate fracture and essentially dislocated the toe. Went to the orthopedic specialist on Thursday; they reset the toe and told him to stay off it for a week. He's 12. So far, so good, but I'm not looking forward to school tomorrow!

For the not-faint-of-heart, here are pics of the X-rays. Before ... the big v-shaped gap is where the growth plate broke. Oh, and his toenail was popped out of place also.

And after being set. No more big v-shaped gap, toenail back in place.

Much better, huh?

Trying New Recipes

2010-02-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Because of these ongoing health issues of mine (3 ulcers and chronic esophagitis), I have been trying some new recipes with no red meat, more chicken, etc. This one is a definite keeper! I love Rachael Ray, and this was featured on the January 25, 2010, episode of her TV show. It actually has artichokes, spinach, and chicken as well as the penne, but I eliminated the artichokes because nobody in the family is much of a fan (well, I like them but I wanted the rest to eat too LOL). The recipe is found here http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=3180 ... not sure about the rules of reposting on my blog, so I'll refrain. The only change I made was eliminating the artichokes, and I did use 2% milk rather than whole milk or cream because I didn't have those.

Here's a picture ... sorry, it's just of leftovers that I rewarmed, but I'm sure you can see the deliciousness!

I give this 4 stars!

Digital Scrapbooking

2010-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

I really do like digital scrapbooking. I'm woefully behind on ALL my scrapbooking, and one of my goals this year is to try to get a page a week done. Ha ha. Don't fall off your chairs laughing, now! I must admit, only one page done in January, but it's beautiful (I think anyway). I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of PSE 7.0, which I'm fairly new to. I have all the photo organization and editing down (or most of it anyway), it's the bells and whistles that I'm not 100% clear on! So without further ado, here is the layout I finished in January.

As explanation, each fall our church has a Young Women in Excellence Program. This past fall, a member of our ward (Charlene Hardy, website http://chardyphotography.squarespace.com/) took glamour shots of the young women which were then displayed on tables along with their interests and hobbies. She then gave the parents a CD with the pictures on it, so that we could get prints for ourselves. These are some of my favorites of Sarah, age 15 (then, 16 now).

Memory Lane

2010-01-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

This is my little trip down memory lane. Thirteen years ago this month, Alan was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Twelve years ago this month, we were sealed as a family in the Seattle Temple. Here are some pictures from that night.

Here is a family shot at home before the baptism. Yes, I was pregnant with Spencer at the time ...
Here's a picture of Alan and I at the post-baptism dinner. We went to Cedars Pier One, I believe. Alan would remember but I will check that detail later.

Here is Sarah with my mom and dad at the dinner. My dad died not quite four years later, so this picture is special to me.

I will post more later ... after I get them scanned into the computer. These are all from "back in the day" when we used film in cameras!

I solemnly swear

2009-12-12T00:17:00.000-08:00

That on Saturday (or maybe Sunday) I will get pictures posted of Sarah's birthday (last Saturday), and of the kids' piano recital tomorrow. Sigh. I've been a bit under the weather so that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

100 Things I Have or Have Not Done

2009-12-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

Copy and paste the words. Bold the things you have done... [comment if you wish...]

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii (for our honeymoon; only visited Kauai though and I really want to go back and see more islands)
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain (does the little mountain outside of West Richland count?)
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables (when I was little; maybe I'll start again next spring)
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you're not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language (it was Esperanto and I was pretty good at it for a while)
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo's David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted (in chalk at Disneyland)
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (on honeymoon and at St. Thomas/St. John/St. Maarten on a Sea Trek cruise)
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter (on the honeymoon; scared SPITLESS too!)
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar (it was gross)
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job (does laid off count?)
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper (first time was when I won the "What Christmas Means to Me" essay contest. I think I was 7; then when we got married, the requisite wedding picture)
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I'm counting fish)
Had chickenpox
Saved someone's life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee
Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own (only the items, not the comments!)

Star Trek Movie!

2009-11-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

In about a week, I will have my very own copy of Star Trek! Yes, I am a Trekkie. Those who've known me a long time already know this. DH and I went to see the new Star Trek movie twice over the summer, the only movie we've seen more than once in who knows how long?! The first time was opening night; we were lucky enough to have a member of Elders' Quorum at church working at a theater locally, so he arranged a late night showing for those who wanted to come. Fun fun FUN! First time I'd been to an "opening night" of a movie in a LLOOONNNGGG time! (I can't even remember the last time. It was probably either a Star Trek or a Star Wars [original trilogy] though.) I loved the new movie. Great action, great way to reinvent the franchise without losing anything of the original series or any of its sequels. *Squee!* We might have to have movie night in the bedroom (we record shows on the DVD recorder/player in the family room on Friday night) next weekend!

More cute Halloween Pics

2009-11-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some more cute Halloween pics of the kids. The first batch is from 2001.

Here's Sarah by herself; she's almost 8 in these pictures.

And Spencer by himself. He's 4-1/2.

And here is a picture from 2002. Sarah is almost 9 and Spencer is 5-1/2. This was obviously the Toy Story year, LOL.

Halloween Past - 1997 to be exact

2009-11-03T23:11:00.000-08:00

I have to thank Lisa S. for this one. She posted pics of her girls on Halloween past, and one of the costumes was a pumpkin. So it reminded me of the pumpkin outfit I made for Sarah when she was not quite 4. Spencer was almost 6 months old in this picture, wearing the same baby pumpkin outfit that Sarah wore when she was a baby.

Alan and the kids. Alan has much more and darker hair in this picture than he does now! What 12 years will do to you!! (Including me in that statement!)

This is what Sarah calls her "aren't I so cute?" pose. She did this pose a LOT for several years. Age: 3 years almost 11 months.

And the baby pumpkin, Spencer. Age: 6 months. Cute little turkey ... er pumpkin ... isn't he?!

(If anybody's interested, Lisa's blog is here http://donaldandlisasorensonfamily.blogspot.com/ . Check out her post from November 2 with her darling girls!)

Spencer's Halloween Costume

2009-11-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

I think this is Shadow Link? From The Legend of Zelda video games. We don't have any, so I don't know. LOL. But he wanted to do this for Halloween so here we are. Cute kid, eh?!

Luney Lovegood

2009-10-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

Sarah wanted to be Luna Lovegood for Halloween this year. She went to a Seminary party/dance on Friday night, and here she is all dressed up. Turned out pretty cute, I think!

The whole look (including Ravenclaw badge) ...

The craziest earrings and non-matching headband we could come up with on very short notice ...

And the shoes ... not red, but hey they ARE Converse! (And notice the purple tights ...)

Happy Fall!!

2009-10-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

I know, it's not Halloween yet ... we're NOWHERE near ready at our house either! But I loved this background so I decided to get in the mood anyhow! I love the crispness in the air at this time of year. I love the breezy days. I love the way the trees on our street start to turn and are so beautiful. I am resolving to take MORE PICTURES of this beautiful time of year.

Spencer's first Boy Scout awards

2009-09-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night was a court of honor at church, and Spencer got his first Boy Scout awards. He earned four merit badges, his Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class patches. We're very proud of our little guy! Plus he looks so darn cute in that scout uniform! Here are some pictures. The first one is Brother Shannon giving Spencer his merit badges. The second one is Brother Shannon, Spencer, me, and DH (who came in from his Webelos group for a few minutes) (pardon DH's filthy jeans. He worked hard and didn't have a clean pair to change into -- bad wife moment LOL.). Of course Spencer didn't want to pin the pins on me, but he did anyway. He also didn't want to kiss me (LOL), but I did snag a hug!

In Honor of 9/11/2001

2009-09-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

I changed the blog background. Just for a week or so, so people who might visit won't forget. And so I don't forget, in the hecticness that is my life right now.

I love this country. What's happening to it scares me. A lot. That irritates some people, I know. Sorry. But this is my blog and my feelings and it's important to me to document them. If you're my friend, you'll understand this about me. If you don't understand, then ... the answer is pretty clear to me, anyway.

Always remember how we got complacent and what happened as a result. Always remember that people got complacent again, and we made some choices as a country that are frankly very very scary now. In time we'll be able to fix them. Pray that it's not too late. I do, every day.

Wow ...

2009-08-24T23:13:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. Sorry about that! Been a little busy here what with vacation prep and the actual vacation. Back home now and SO glad to be! Apollo missed us terribly even though he was fed and loved by Emily (thanks Emily!). We went to Lincoln City, Oregon, for a week (8 days, actually) with the Noakes clan. Love 'em but sometimes 13 people in one house for that long is a bit much for me. Sigh.

We picked up Sarah's class schedule today. She has a full plate (see her Facebook announcement), but she'll do great. We are very proud of her!

In other news, I see the surgeon on Wednesday regarding my pesky gall bladder. I will update with the news once I get some.

And just because I want to post a pretty picture, here's one of the sunsets from the beach below the house.

My Babies are Back!

2009-07-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Both my babies are home now. Sarah got back Friday about 1:30 pm. She had a blast. The 4th years went on their own hike and campout and she really had fun. She was ticked off when they got back to camp because the younger girls had basically tossed everybody's stuff in the tent and then walked over it to get to their own things. Sigh. Her glasses case got broken; luckily no glasses were in it, and her gray flip flops went missing. She's cranky about those, they were her favorite. But she lived and had fun, so that's great.

Spencer got back Saturday, around 2. They said 5 pm originally, so we had canceled dinner with Gma Noakes thinking he might not be up to it. He was actually pretty bouncy and lively. Talked about the merit badges he worked on and seemed to really have a good time, eating issues aside. Said he had a couple of days where he didn't feel very good. I'm actually thinking from what he said that he might have had some heat issues like his mom. He said he had a headache and queasy stomach and just felt bad. That's what heat does to me. Plus Sarah had a bad cold the week before camp so he might have had a touch of that too. Spencer does colds like Alan does. Two days and then he's done. I hate that. Sarah and I have colds and they last eons. Anyway, he got over it and had a great time, it sounded like. He had money left over and actually did eat better than the scout leader initially thought. There was a camp store and it had snacks so Spencer spent some money on those. Not the best diet but he didn't starve. And he got three merit badges done and a couple more worked on. Pretty good I'd say!

We went to Applebee's for dinner to celebrate them being home, and they both plowed through their dinners. Then we went to McDonald's for shakes, ice cream, and a McFlurry, then came home and after showers we all watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. And Spencer had popcorn and a baked potato. LOL.

And today we went to church and Spencer actually passed the sacrament again. The counselor conducting made a point of saying the deacons had been to camp and it was great to see them all there at church to pass the sacrament. Spencer did ask to go home before priesthood, though, so Alan took him home. When we got home he hadn't been to bed yet, so we made him go lie down, and he conked out. We had to wake him up at 5:45 to go to Gma Noakes's house for dinner! So the little guy must have been tired, after all.

And Just Because

2009-07-17T03:16:00.000-07:00

And just because it just doesn't seem like a great week unless there's a new Apollo picture, here's one of him in his favorite window spot. Notice the, "I am so tired of you BUGGING me" look on his face. LOL. He has had a reprieve this week with the kids being gone. He is in for it starting Friday though! Sarah gets back first, then Spencer on Saturday.

Explanation of Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-17T03:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is Alan, wearing a really trashed shirt after working on the Taurus and getting the starter changed out. Yay! I really really appreciate that he knew how to do it and we didn't have to fork over the money right now for a mechanic! He did change his shirt before eating dinner on his birthday.

The second picture is of one of my set of Rachael Ray pans. I LOVE THESE PANS! They are SO easy to use, they heat SO evenly and well, and best of all -- NOTHING STICKS to them! I made sesame chicken with a teriyaki and honey sauce, and you can see nothing stuck to the pan. Love these, love 'em, love 'em! And love that Alan told me they were at Costco and to buy them for myself for Mother's Day!

Wordless Wednesday (late!)

2009-07-17T03:09:00.001-07:00

And they're OFF!

2009-07-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

I now have NO children at home. For the next FOUR DAYS, then Sarah gets back from girls camp. Spencer doesn't get back until Saturday, though. Wah! I am having a hard time letting him go. I guess because he's the baby? He's never been away from home for this long and I got home from taking him to the scout leader's house and BAWLED! It didn't help that the car wouldn't start and I had to hitch a ride home from one of the other parents. Luckily she'd stayed to say goodbye to her son also. (Thanks Deena!) Alan thinks it's the starter (again), and says it's an easy fix. I hope so. I can't handle hard (or expensive) this week!

I am headed to bed as soon as I publish this post. I'm exhausted (basically NO sleep last night), and my head is threatening a full-fledged migraine. Bleck. Night all ... earplugs are going in and the nightgown is going on!

Blah Blah

2009-07-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not having a great couple of days. I'm tired, stressed out (who knew preparing a 12 yo for his first Scout camp was such HARD WORK!?!), tired ... did I mention tired? I haven't slept very well for the past what, three nights now. I'm headed for a serious nap in a couple of minutes. Alan's home and I'm gonna crash for a bit. He and the kids can handle Papa Murphy's for dinner and then they can wake me up for Jeopardy! (maybe ... maybe I'll tell 'em to DVR it and wake me up for Eureka ... sounds good!). One thing I've accomplished is making the invites for Mom's 80th birthday celebration. I'll put one below so you can see what I've done. I have to get the envelopes addressed and mail them this weekend. One more thing!

Lavender Farm

2009-07-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'd read about a lavender farm outside of Walla Walla (about an hour away) and wanted to go to it this year before all the lavender was gone. So we went today since Alan had the day off. It was very nice! It's called Blue Mountain Lavender Farm and they have a ton of lavender that you can pick, plus plants you can buy and sachets and dried lavender, all sorts of wonderful things!

After the lavender farm, we drove to Hat Rock and then to McNary Dam to see the fish running. Not any great pictures of the fish, but here's a couple of Hat Rock and one of the viewing area.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

Spencer's Rash

2009-06-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

And in other news, Spencer has a weird rash that broke out yesterday. He was grumpy all day, finally after his shower he came out and said he had a weird bumpy rash. I sent Alan to the store for Benadryl and cortisone cream (yeah, bent the Sabbath a bit there but we had no liquid Benadryl and Spencer can't swallow pills yet). It looks a bit better today, but here are a couple of pics of how it looked last night.

Organized Linen Closet

2009-06-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I love the organized linen closet! Kudos to Sarah and Spencer for doing this on Saturday for me. Kids can be GREAT when they're in a helping mood, LOL! Here's a couple pictures of the nice, organized closet. Still a lot of stuff in there, but the closet is VERY small, so we're stuck.

.

Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T16:09:00.001-07:00

Michael Jackson died. Wow. I am almost his age (well, give me a couple of years). Alan's older than MJ. Kind of freaky when your generation starts dying off. I have to confess, I didn't love MJ's lifestyle or personality, but his music was terrific. Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean ... too many more to mention. It's just a sad thing.

Dentist Followup

2009-06-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I went back to the dentist yesterday and they filled the tooth that had the root canal. Apparently the endodontist put in some packing or something, and the dentist took that out and filled it like a regular filling. I will have to get a new crown on that tooth; that crown is 7 years old and with the drilling and such will probably not last too much longer. So I went ahead and scheduled that for September, after the kids are back in school (assuming I'm not working). I really hope that I can stay home and get some home-based earning going on this summer and fall. I so do not want to go back to an office environment, but I think that's where my best money would be if I do have to go back to work. Sigh.

Apollo the patient cat

2009-06-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

AAnd just for kicks, here's a picture of Apollo enduring the indignity of having Spencer put string around him. LOL. He's a very long-suffering cat. Ignore the weedy backyard, if you can see it. Well, now you know it's weedy even if you can't see it! Forget I said that!

2009-06-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Spencer left for a two-night scout camp tonight. They're going to Trout Lake, near Mount Adams. *Sniff.* First time he's been gone more than one night, and those have pretty much been to a grandma's or a friend's in town. I'm not sure how many boys are going; there were about 5-6 that I know for sure were going to be othere, including Mark, my niece's son. When we pulled up, Mark said he was claiming Spencer for his tent, because it's a two-person tent and Spencer's skinny. LOL. Here are some pictures from the packing up of the trailer at the Shannon's house. Mark is in the second picture with Spencer. The dog is the Shannon's, named Bogus. Cute, huh?

2009-06-18T01:12:00.000-07:00

We had chicken enchiladas tonight for dinner. I found a couple of recipes that looked interesting but I didn't 100% like either of them, so I took what I thought would work from each one. Here's what I came up with, if anybody's interested.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded finely
1 can refried beans
1 pkg cream cheese
1 cup salsa

Put the above ingredients into a saucepan or frying pan, melting the cream cheese and blending together. When well-blended, put filling mixture into a 9x13 pan that has a layer of flour tortillas on the bottom. Top with more flour tortillas, grated cheese, and bake until cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes at 350 F.

Pretty easy, huh?

2009-06-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a confession. Well, a couple. I am addicted to Fox News. There, I said it. Sue me. LOL. I love Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity. I referred to them in an email today as my Trinity. In fact, I just bought Glenn Beck's newest book, "Common Sense", that just came out TODAY! I didn't even wait to go to Costco. Bought it at Walmart.

Second confession. I love trashy novels. I said it. My favorites right now are the "In Death" series by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). Love 'em! They are a fast read, but interesting, and I decided to start at the beginning to see how the relationship between Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke has progressed over the series, as well as how the other featured characters grow. I just really have liked this series, in spite of some rough language, and I am saying I think it's fine! I look at blogs that list all these esoteric books that the bloggers read, and I think REALLY? What ELSE have you read that you're not putting on the list because you think it's too trashy or political or whatever? There. I said it. It is that kind of day, I guess. Having a root canal will do that to you!

2009-06-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the performances!

2009-06-06T22:58:00.001-07:00

The kid had their piano recital today. Shirley does such a great job with her students! Sarah played Fur Elise, and Spencer played the theme from Stargate SG-1. I recorded their songs with the camera, and of course took pictures!

2009-06-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

I think I wrote that we went to 3 Margaritas for dinner after Monday's jury duty marathon. We had a good time. Spencer sat by me (sometimes he loves his Mom), and Sarah sat with Alan. The boys are shaggy in this picture, but they did go for haircuts after dinner.

2009-06-02T01:41:00.001-07:00

I had to report for jury duty Monday. Ick. I believe in serving and all that, but really. The juror assembly room was at least 80 degrees, and humid, and stuffy, and full of 100 or so hot, cranky people. (Me included.) I woke up with a tired headache (Alan decided to spend half the night rolling around and making the bed move like it was in an earthquake. I love him, but he can be really restless some nights and I wish for another bed for me! Sigh.), and my IBS was beginning to show signs of acting up, so it wasn't an auspicious start to the day. But after 3+ hours, getting the enviable #47 (not my age anymore), and being told to go to lunch and report back at 1 pm, I got to go home to my nice air conditioned house. I was a little bit frantic because I hadn't heard from Alan and didn't know what his work schedule was yet, so I didn't know if I had to rearrange kid pickup or not. Finally talked to him, he had run Sarah's keys up to Kamiakin for her, and Emily (bless her!) had texted her mom and made arrangements for them to give Sarah and Spencer rides home. Bless Susan! Long story short, things worked out fine. No drama after school today so Sarah and Spencer entertained themselves until I got home around 4-4:15 ish. I was hot, tired, cranky, still had a mega headache, and took an hour's nap. Alan got home and then around 6 we went to 3 Margaritas for dinner. I like that place. Family friendly, the meals are reasonably sized and priced, and best of all Spencer ate ALL of his cheese quesadilla! Proof I went to the courthouse follows.

2009-05-28T21:29:00.001-07:00

I don't really have anything to post about. Just thought I would post for a change more than once a week/month. LOL. We're watching So You Think You Can Dance and I'm shaking my head at some of the dancing!

I did learn something new this week. I learned to put videos on my iPod Nano. Woo-HOO! Love learning new stuff like this. I refuse to let technology defeat me.

2009-05-17T13:43:00.001-07:00

Since I got Easter pictures up, thought I'd better do Mother's Day as well. We went to Gma Noakes's house and Alan fixed lasagna for dinner. Mom went to Diane & Sam's, so after we were done at Gma Noakes's we went over to Mom's and gave her a card and hugs from the grandkids!

2009-05-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted Easter pictures yet (sigh), so here they are. First off, DH and I. Aren't we handsome and gorgiferous? (LOL) Then, we have Sarah and Spencer. At least they don't act like they hate each other.

Next is a picture of Sarah and me, and then Spencer and Alan. This was just after Spencer's birthday (he turned 12), so he was ordained to the Aaronic priesthood on this day. *Sniff.* We went to Diane and Sam's for Easter dinner, and got to spend some nice time with them. We didn't do an egg hunt this year, and nobody seemed to miss it. Well, Sarah did mention it, and did a fake pout when I said she was too old for it, but other than that nobody cared much!

(You know, I really hate it when pictures don't go in the order I put them in the silly post! ARGH! The picture of Alan and I should be first, but it decided to go in second. Go figure.)

2009-04-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I didn't see ALL of General Conference. I did see 80+% of it, though, and it was wonderful. I DVR'd all the sessions, so I am going to go back and watch the talks that I missed. I am so glad that we have this opportunity to hear from our prophet and apostles and others in leadership positions in the church. The Gospel is so important, and I take it for granted so often. It's something I'm trying to resolve to be better about!

2009-04-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

Xina from HNH Family sent this great website the other day. It lets you make "motivational posters" using your own words and photos. I made a couple for the kidlets. The site is http://www.bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php . It was fun!

2009-03-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

I rediscovered a great site today. http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/ This site tracks the construction of LDS temples worldwide. The big news is that the Vancouver British Columbia temple got its Angel Moroni yesterday. Wonderful! I had forgotten there was a temple being built in B.C. Cool.

2009-03-05T22:48:00.001-08:00

Sarah and I had fun on the 28th attending "101 Quilts in a Day", the Kennewick East Stake's Enrichment activity. The goal was to put together at least 101 quilts for charity. At last count (that I heard), we had 138 or some astounding number. A local TV station came and shot some footage, and Sarah is on it! I'll put in the link here: http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?s=9924473 . Sarah is shown in the green top and black pants at about 60 seconds into the story. You have to watch a couple of other short reports first, but we're on there. You can't see Sarah's face (darn it), but it's definitely her. Her back is to the camer and she's walking toward the back of the cultural hall. The lady that is shown sitting down and talking is in my ward and is the stake's enrichment counselor. She's a real go-getter and has coordinated our ward's charity quilt making for several years. I'm posting some pics too, just of Sarah because I had the camera (haha) and didn't want MY picture taken.

2009-02-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

The kids brought home really good report cards again this time around. Sarah got a 3.716, if I remember correctly. Not bad for first year of high school and honors classes. Spencer got a 3.76 and got on the Principal's List for good grades in middle school. I'm very happy with them both! They are great kids and we are so blessed as parents. The small quarrels and battles we have with them could be SO much worse!

2009-01-31T20:55:00.000-08:00

I really stink at blogging. I don't know why, I just find it difficult to find new things to say, I guess! DH went on a cleaning frenzy the past couple of Saturdays so now the countertop by the stove is nearly completely clean (nearly being better than not at all LOL), and we got a good start on the kitchen table which has masqueraded as the piling paradise for the past while. I need to make some folders for things on the table (taxes, insurance, etc.), but it's much better than before. I do appreciate it, he just drove me a bit batty and just now I had to tell him to knock it off. LOL

2009-01-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to us! It is our 17th anniversary today! And it is Alan's 12th baptism anniversary. He was baptized into the LDS Church on our fifth wedding anniversary. Easy for him to remember that way (and for me, too!)!

2008-11-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

Here are the school pictures! We got Spencer's today ... handsome boy! ... and so I decided I should probably post them both, what do you think??

2008-09-16T01:50:00.000-07:00

*ALSO* in family news, Sarah got her braces off! She was very excited and so were Mom and Dad! She has to wear a retainer on the top, and there is a bonded wire retainer on the bottom, but much easier than trying to floss and brush with the braces!

2008-09-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

The kids are into their third week of school now. Sarah is a freshman in high school now, and Spencer started middle school. I can't believe they are growing up so fast! Here are some first day of school pictures ... I hope they upload this time. Last time something hiccuped and nothing saved *or* uploaded. *Stomp!*

2008-08-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

This little video was taken at the Benton-Franklin Fair Parade on Saturday. Sarah is the blonde swinging around the flag a little bit (7-8 seconds) into the video. Don't blame me for the wobbliness; DH took this one!

2008-08-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, now Sarah is cranky because I posted the post-Trek picture of her for all to see. Well, at least the all the reads this blog (5?). It's the most horrendous picture of herself that she's ever seen. LOL.

2008-08-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sarah returned from Trek on Friday. She had a wonderful time and learned a lot about herself and what she was capable of doing! She came home very dirty and tired (see picture), but enjoyed herself a lot. I have such an appreciation for this opportunity and what she learned from it! There was a nice article in our local paper, the Tri-City Herald, about the Trek. Some of the comments make it sound like Mormons are too weird for words (LOL), but you really do have to understand the pioneer experience to really "get it." http://www.tri-cityherald.com/901/story/258613.html is the link to the article. There is also a gallery, and there's a good picture of Sarah's boots on p. 73 of the photos. Sarah is on several pages since her cart was second in line that day. On p. 37, Sarah is right behind the guy doing the "thumbs up". She's in a plaid dress (blue primarily) with apron and bonnet. The guy doing the "thumbs up" is actually somebody she went to school with the last few years, although he's in another ward.

2008-07-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd also post pics of the afghan I'm making for Christmas. Won't say who it's for, but I'm making two, with different yarn. Maybe a clue?? This is called a Monet Afghan and the pattern is by The Crochet Dude (blog here http://blog.thecrochetdude.com/ , and pattern page here http://www.lulu.com/thecrochetdude ). These are very easy squares and are pretty easy to make while in a car or watching TV. You don't have to memorize complex stitches, it's all just single and double crochet in a pattern, also easy to remember. I like that!

2008-07-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

My sweet Sarah left on the Trek reenactment on Tuesday morning. I keep checking her bedroom because it's too quiet. LOL. I have no doubt that I will be this way when Spencer goes, too. The kids are at Bing Canyon, about 20 miles or so south of us. There was a nice writeup in our local paper about it, here http://www.tri-cityherald.com/901/story/258613.html . I took a pic of Sarah in her pioneer dress before they left and am posting it here. Yes, it was windy, but it hasn't been unbearably hot as it often is this time of year, so hopefully they aren't totally miserable!

2008-07-29T01:37:00.000-07:00

We made our lightning trip to Utah this past week. We left on Thursday and went as far as Boise; stayed overnight there with one of Alan's cousins. Had fun talking and really appreciated the opportunity to stay there overnight. Then on Friday it was off to Utah! We ended up staying with Suzan and Randy in Sandy, Utah. Thanks!! They put us in their basement, which is lots better than it probably sounds, LOL. We had a nice cool room, kitchenette, bathroom, and TV to entertain us when we weren't out gallivanting around.

On Saturday, we went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day Concert. The special guests were The Osmonds, finishing up a year-long tour celebrating 50 years in the entertainment industry. It was a wonderful experience, and if you have the opportunity to watch the show on BYU-TV, please do! I will remember it forthe rest of my life, and enjoy the beautiful music in my brain!

Here's a picture of the Salt Lake City Temple, taken from the Conference Center on Saturday night. Also a pic of the choir in their seats after the show (we weren't allowed to take pics during the event). Tons of fun, and so glad we went, even though I think I had heat stroke or heat exhaustion from the 101+ heat and humidity. It was well worth it and we loved it!

2008-07-21T23:42:00.001-07:00

Finally! Thanks to Constance (THANKS!!) over at LDSMoms for posting the links to these great blog backgrounds! I had no idea!! Call me naive ... but isn't it FUN?! I am gonna have to blog more, I have to try all these great backgrounds out now (LOL).

2008-07-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

We are well into summer now. And the a/c on the Taurus went out on Saturday night. Fun, fun, fun! (Not really!) It is in the shop right now getting looked at. Prayers for an easy and relatively inexpensive fix would be great!

On another note, here are some of the latest projects I've been working on. I joined a crochet group and have made two Go Green Market Bags (from http://suzies-yarnie-stuff.blogspot.com/), and am working on a third. Go me! These are easy to make and I'm hoping maybe I can sell some and earn some cash. We could surely use it! The first one is made from Red Heart variegated yarn called Fall. The second one (longer handles) is made from RH variegated also, and is called Painted Desert (I think; couldn't find the label after I took it off!). If anybody wants one, let me know!

2008-05-26T23:54:00.001-07:00

Your Spelling is Perfect

You got 10/10 correct.

Your spelling is excellent. You also have a great memory and eye for detail.

How's" Your Spelling?

2008-02-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

Good grief, I do not even know what to post about first! We got through Christmas, only to have snow days hit us ... oh, and the flu! I got vaccinated but apparently we got the strain that wasn't in the vaccine (our run of bad luck continues!). Sarah came down with it first, with a high fever and runny nose and coughing. Then she shared it with me and Alan, then Spencer got it. Luckily Spencer only missed 2 days of school , what with the snow days. Here are pics of Sarah and Spencer in the snow. Sarah's on "Mount Noakes", whch is what we call our snow pile after DH gets done shoveling the driveway ...

2008-01-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone and I still have the tree up in my living room. Most of the ornaments are off, we just have to repack them and put them away. I haven't been very motivated, to be honest, but I've got it on my agenda for this week! Thought I'd post some pics of what I gave my SIL Caroline for Christmas. We draw names on hubby's side of the family, and I got Caroline this year. I made her a table runner that is basically made from charm squares, and 8 matching coasters (they have 5 kids so I figured they needed at least 8 coasters!). She really liked the gift, and MIL said they spent part of the time figuring out how the coasters were made. They're quite easy, just a basic 4-patch but you don't sew the patches together. You lay them in a grid and sew around the edge, then turn from the middle. Voila!

2007-11-20T22:32:00.001-08:00

A group of us at church are taking Spanish lessons every other Tuesday night. It's a lot of fun! I am remembering more Spanish than I thought I would. I really hope to become proficient enough that I can use it at work. I'm subbing as a paraeducator (teacher's aide) at one of the local elementary schools. I really like the school and the teachers and other paras a lot. I'm hoping to go permanent, but the job I posted for (which is the job I'm doing at the moment) is probably going to go to the son of one of the teachers there. That's a whole 'nother story that I'm not really happy about, but oh well. So far they haven't told me that the job is gone yet, but then again they never told the other sub who posted for it that it was gone either, until she asked the principal outright. *Anyway!* I was going to post about Spanish. I am really having fun with this. I took basically 3-1/2 years of Spanish in my junior high/high school years, and really liked it a lot then. I wish I'd been able to keep taking courses at college, but I dropped out and didn't get back into the swing of things here at the local college. I'm really glad for this opportunity, though, and hopefully will be able to keep my momentum up this time around.

2007-11-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

I really do need to get better at this. LOL. I thought I'd post the Halloween pictures. Sarah went as an "80's chick" and Spencer was, of course, a pirate. Actually, he wanted to be a Star Wars character but the only costumes we found for that were horribly expensive. So he compromised on his character choice and went with a pirate. Isn't he cute?! You can't tell from this picture but Sarah has tights on and leg warmers, too. The side ponytail was cute, she crimped her hair and we pulled it up into the ponytail. (I never did get into that look. My hair was always too short, I guess. Plus the 80s just weren't "me".)

2007-08-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Argh! I really hate blogs. I can't get the text to go up by the pictures. It worked the time before. Go figure. Bleck.

2007-08-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

The kids are OFF to school! Sarah started the 8th grade today, and Spencer started 5th grade. Wah! Next year I'll have a high schooler and a middle schooler, yikes! They were both raring to go and excited. Sarah gets to take high-school level geometry because she got a high score on the MAPS test (an assessment test given in Washington State), and Spanish, which she's excited about. Oh, and science. Not sure how excited she is about that one, LOL. Oh, and another year of honors English. Spencer has a teacher that Sarah had when she was in 3rd grade and just starting in the gifted program. Mrs. Devine moved up to teach 5th grade two years ago and seems to be really good with the older kids, too. Here are the pics: the kids chose their (new) outfits, both have new backpacks, and Spencer has a new lunchbox. Sarah wanted to have lunch in a plain brown sack this year because she has to carry her books around the whole time after lunch, and the actual lunchbox was awkward. That's okay by me ...

2007-08-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

We are back from the Oregon Coast trip. Tired, cranky, and I'm sick. Sinus infection, ear infection, and bronchitis. Lovely! I didn't sleep much the whole time we were at the coast. The bed was too squishy and Alan's every movement made it shake. LOL. Oh well! At least I got into the doctor and hopefully will be feeling better soon. I certainly have enough to do to keep me busy without being sick on top of it all! Apollo (the royal cat) missed us horribly. Emily came over and kept him fed and his litter box cleaned out, but still, he missed his people! (He owns us, don't ya know.) Sarah is off to Beehive Camp at Ensign Ranch for the whole week. I miss her already and she's only been gone one night! Hope she's okay. I think the whole week long vacation and leaving the day after we got back was a little much. I tried to convince the gang to leave on Saturday so we could rest a day but I was overruled. Figures!

Oh, and the picture is of the kiddos on our last day at the beach! They had a good time, so I'm glad for them. Me, that's another story, but oh well. Save that for another post!

2007-07-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

I am so horrible at this blogging. I really need to do better!! My sweet kids are out of school now, have been for a month. When does it start again?!! I love them but they are not doing exactly what *I* had planned for the summer. Here's a picture of Spencer with his teacher on the next-to-last day of school. They were pretending to be grumpy! We will really miss Mrs. Bales, she's been a great teacher to both Sarah and Spencer! She and her husband are taking a year off and having a sailing adventure up the Canadian coast. I'm just so glad I got to know her better this year when I volunteered in the computer lab. She's a great lady!

2007-03-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

My sweet Sarah got glasses late in February. Here's a picture of her in them. I think she looks pretty cute ... older too! Which I'm not all that happy about, actually. But she's doing great in school and church and is turning into a great young lady!

2007-02-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

You Are From Neptune

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability.
You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea.
Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion.
You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone.
If you don't get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

What Planet Are You From?

2006-09-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

I really do mean to post more often than this. Just isn't happening right now! It's been a busy summer and the start of school makes it worse, I think. Plus today the kids are both sick. Well, Sarah went to school, but Spencer started throwing up last night and so I kept him home. He's had it the other end too, lovely huh? Plus I don't feel really great either. I was up with him most of the night and got about an hour's sleep, maybe. Bleh. He seems to be doing a bit better. He hasn't thrown up for about 4 hours, so fingers crossed this is the end. He's really pale for him, though, and that worries me. But I've been giving him Pedialyte and some Sprite to drink and so far he's kept it down okay.

Other than that, same old same old. Sarah started 7th grade and Spencer started the 4th grade. They are growing up so fast! I don't want my babies to get so grownup! Here are some pictures of them on the first day of school.

2006-07-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted! It's July 2, and I am so far behind it isn't funny anymore! The kids got out of school on June 9 and it seems like we've just been going and going since then. Next week they're due to start swimming lessons (a 3-week session), then we're going to the Oregon Coast for a week on the family vacation. Then Sarah goes to girl's camp for the first time, and then school will be starting shortly after that! Where does the time go?

2006-04-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely POURING here today. Reminds me of the weather on Saturday when we drove back from Seaside. Thursday and Friday in Seaside were absolutely gorgeous, warm, sunny, wonderful spring break weather. Saturday morning we woke up to weather that made me wonder when Noah was going to pull up with the ark. But we had fun anyway. We went to the aquarium which is just a small aquarium but it was neat to look around. The best part was the opportunity for the kids to feed the seals! Then we went to Pig n' Pancake (a local restaurant that I can't say enough good things about!) and had lunch, then headed home. It was good to get back, to see Apollo (the king of the household) and to sleep in my own bed. Hotel beds are really horrible!

2006-03-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Here I am, back again. Lots of things going on around here. I've been sick (still!), had a bad cold and possible sinus infection but I'm trying to fight it off without a doctor's visit. We've had a winter storm sweep through and have had winds gusting (today) up to 35 mph. Lovely. But it's a fact of life living here. Years ago when the Hanford Site was first operational, the workers used to call these winds "termination winds", because so many of the workers would quit after the first big windstorm. Of course back then there was much less development so there was a lot more dust and dirt that blew around. I admire the women who stuck it out, I really do!

I'm a scrapbooker, trying to organize myself. I'm also a quilter, sewer, crocheter, and cross-stitcher. Do I have too many hats on? (Probably.) I really need to get cracking though on some projects that I have started for gifts. I have a ton of things in progress (unfinished objects aka UFOs) that just need a touch more work to be done. Maybe I'll use this blog as my motivation ... Here's a digital layout I did of my daughter Sarah and her cousin Kathryn. We were at one of the local cemeteries on Memorial Day last year and the girls just spontaneously posed for me. Cute kids, huh?

2006-02-25T22:08:00.000-08:00

This is the year of mysterious illnesses, I guess. I ended up in urgent care last Sunday after two days of itchy scalp, swollen glands, and high fever (up to 104 F at one point). I don't normally even hit 98.6 F for my "normal" temperature. Turned out I had TWO things going on; I had a bad case of seborritic dermatitis on the scalp. Something irritated the scalp and the itching was a result of the irritation. The doctor gave me a prescription strength shampoo (Nizoral) and told me to take two Benadryl every 4-6 hours for the itching. Good news, it's much better. Bad news, Benadryl does *not* help me sleep through the itching. I had several sleepless nights until the irritation went down. The second thing I had was the swollen glands and fever, unrelated to the itching as far as we can tell. I just got really lucky (insert sarcasm here) and got two for the price of one! Anyhow, after nearly a week on antibiotics I am finally feeling better (finally!)

Went to lunch with my sister Diane on Friday. We went to this sandwich place called Brucchi's. Yum-OH, as Rachael Ray would say (my favorite TV chef)! We both had the manager's special which was a marinated chicken caesar sub, with the most delicious fries, and drinks. Really, really good! Diane knows all the good places to eat. Funny that I've lived here for 14+ years (well, really in the area all my life, just in this city 14+ years), and she and Sam have been here since what, October, yet they know all the good places to eat. Tells you what a boring life I am living, LOL.

2006-02-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

I don't think I mentioned it yet, but both my kids are smart little buggers. Sarah is in the 6th grade and is in the enrichment program, which means she's in higher-than-grade-level courses in English, Reading, and Math. She got a 3.90 on her semester report card that came out a week or so ago. Before that, she spent three years in the elementary school gifted program in our school district and did great there as well. Spencer tested for the gifted program last year, and started this year (third grade). His latest progress report says he's doing well both academically and socially. We worried about the social aspect because he went into the program without knowing anybody else there. (Sarah had a good friend from church who was there already so she had somebody to hang out with.) But he's acclimating well, and has been invited to a "boys movie night" this weekend at one of his classmate's house. Should be *very* interesting. LOL. Better her than me, I say! All those BOYS!

2006-02-14T01:07:00.000-08:00

I would hope I post more often than this, but things have a way of ganging up on me lately! Thought I'd write a short bit today about our beautiful cat, Apollo. He was named by the animal adoption group we got him from in August of 2004. The woman there told us they named him Apollo because he was the most handsome kitten in the litter and he knew it. LOL. He still does, by the way. He's quite a character, and quite the mama's boy too. I'm his favorite human in the house. I think DH scares him (big, bad man, you know), Sarah is pretty good with him but he's not altogether sure about her sometimes. Spencer, well, he's an almost 9 year old boy so you can guess what his priorities are! Nice and gentle and kind to the cat are not high on his list. Here's a pretty recent picture of Apollo on one of his favorite chairs (note the towels providing extra cushioning. They were clean before he decided to plop on them.).

2006-01-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

Our Family - This is the picture we used for our Christmas cards this year. Taken in late November 2005 at MIL's house.

2006-01-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my very first blog post. Yikes! I don't really know where to start. I guess I will just say that I am excited to venture into this new world and hope I don't make a fool of myself, LOL.