Mojo in a box

I’m just posting a quick little blog today because I received my Crate Paper for the scrappintrends.com design team and I have some mojo going. As you can see, my package not only had Crate Paper, it also had the 3 Bugs in a rug Spice line, some fun paper from Rusty Pickle and a few other fun odds and ends.
I am going to be in my scrap room all weekend.
I have been back and fourth about rather or not I should enter the 3 Bugs in a Rug design Team competition. I had all the work done for my scrappintrends.com DT in February, and I am really proud of some of my work. But still I hesitated.
So when I read on the message boards this morning that they had pushed their deadline back to today I just took the plunge and sent off my entry. I understand there are hundreds of people competing for DT spots, so I’m not getting my hopes up. But by golly, you can’t win if you don’t enter.
Now I’m off to create with Crate ~ tra la, tra la, tra la!

It's raining, it's pouring, my newspaper job is boring

It’s a good thing I don’t live in the northwest where it rains all the time, because rain makes me feel a bit melancholy. (I can’t believe I spelled that word right the first time!)
We went to the soccer practice last night. It had been drizzling off and on all day long, and it didn’t stop just for soccer.
It wasn’t bad at first, just damp and cold. But as the evening progressed it became damper and colder until rain was pelting on our poor little soccer players and the gung-ho coach finally decided to call it a day.
A has a good coach because he works really hard to teach all the little tikes how to be athletes. But sometimes he’s a little over the top enthusiastic about a sport that ultimately I view as just something to do to give my kid a little exercise. I’m afraid I don’t have the competitive spirit, as least as far as sports go. Give me some paper and photos on the other hand …
L and I spent most of the time in the car and amused ourselves by taking photos of him wearing Daddy’s glasses sitting behind the wheel of the car. He’s 11 years old. Yikes. Only five more years and he will be driving for real.
We came home and watched LOST. I am totally addicted to the show.
Totally.
I’ve been anticipating this episode for days, weeks even. It was advertised to be the one where we find out what happens in the hatch.
Of course we didn’t. But it was a cool show anyway. More questions. Locke had his legs injured. The hot air balloon and parachute question. It was wonderful.
But, just as the show started the phone began ringing.
The first call was from a friend who wanted to borrow something for a party she is planning tonight.
The second was from a work colleague who called to inform me another colleague had completely re-written a story and wondered if I wanted to read the changes.
No. I don’t. I want to watch LOST!
But I said I trusted the reporter and I’m sure it would be fine. Then I worried about the changes for the rest of the evening.
Now I realize I haven’t written a good story (as in a remarkably boring or difficult subject, not as in I haven’t been able to write it well) for most of the month of March. The last story I was excited to write was the Red Hat Society feature, and the ladies came to me asking specifically for my to author it for them.
This month I have written about art students and dealt with a pi$$y art teacher, I have written about the Silver Beaver award winners, and am currently in the process of writing a story about elementary age school children participating in an educational program.
Next week I have been assigned to write about a young man who makes sculptures of tissue paper and Elmer’s Glue. My editor said I could appreciate it because I scrapbook.
I’m beginning to feel like I get the stories no one else wants.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m willing to take my share of the snoozer stories, but give me a break and send me something interesting now and then.
This poor story selection has added to the general malaise that has come from drippy weather and a desperate need for a vacation. I realized last night it’s been nine months since I have been more than 50 miles away from my home.
Fortunately, I think the tide is about to turn. I have a three day crop planned with my Ya-Ya Scrappers in a cabin above Park City next week. The week after is Easter weekend and the family is planning to visit my mom, sister and brother in Wyoming.
I can’t wait to see everyone. But be warned, I have a camera and I’m not afraid to use it. (Particularly on the nieces. I need more girl photos!)

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test

Just a little something fun.

Just a few random photos

I have had a rather boring, work related day today so I don't have much new to post in the way of photos or news. I did an interview, blah, blah, blah. Went grocery shopping, yawn, yawn, it's raining again, whawww, whawwww, whawww.
So I'm going to post some of the spare POD shots I have taken through the month.

Katie loved the swing almost as much as the kids did. She is a climber, is our Katie. If she doesn't get outside to climb the tree she literally climbs the walls. But she was highly entertained when we put a rope in our tree and started swinging on it, because it made the rope twitch in a most entertaining way. She likes to catch birds, so we put a bell on her. Unfortunatly, on Sunday she appeared in livingroom sans collar. We don't know if she lost it outside or somewhere in the house, but we can't find it. Now she can stalk birds with her usual stelth.

The side of the marina of the Great Salt Lake is rimmed with these giant rocks. My kids love rocks, but when daddy suggested they crawl into the hole they declined. Maybe because I mentioned the possibility that snakes would love these little hidie-holes. L had a great time picking up rocks along the shore until he turned one over and found it covered with spiders. Even so, we ended up bringing several specimines home with us.

A has long since outgrown these yellow boots, but I keep them around because I love them. On Monday I took them outside and put them in the rain so I could get some wet day shots. I know, I'm a freak, but I am in good company.

Paper dreams

Some people dream in color, I dream in paper.
Yesterday I received word that my http://www.scrappintrends.com/ design team assignment for April will involve Crate Paper, and the paper is in and ready for shipment.
So I started designing pages, cards and projects in my head. I plan to use some of it with my March POD photos for a layout and mini-album. But since I have paper from both the Hampton and the New Garden Collection winging its way to my house, I’m not sure what I am going to use where.
Now I understand this is where Wyo. Sis is surprised and confused by my blog. Why would I be obsessed with paper? But scrappers know whereof I speak.
Before going to bed I watched the news and heard of yet another storm heading our direction.
I went to bed early for me, 10 p.m. but I spent most of the night dreaming I was hip deep in snow, waiting by the mailbox for my paper to arrive.
This morning it was raining, not snowing, a refreshing change. But it is still the kind of day that makes me want to bake chocolate chip cookies and curl up with a good book.
Alas, now that I have sons, it is also the kind of weather that heralds the beginning of soccer season. The coach called on Sunday, A has his first spring practice on Wednesday. Team pictures will be taken Saturday at 8:45 a.m.
Soccer in itself is not that bad. The theory that the family will get together under spring skies cheering on one’s child and enjoying the outdoors is great ~ in theory.
But the theory neglects to mention rain soaked blankets, or scorching sunshine, or wind raw enough to sandpaper the first three layers off your skin.
The theory neglects the reality of two months spent running back and fourth to practices and games, grabbing meals from the drive up window and eating in the car.
Sometimes soccer is great fun. Mostly it isn’t.
Ah well, it will give me something new to photograph for the March Photo of the Day.
BTW Wyo. Sis. I lifted Abby photos for a layout. You can see it here. http://www.scrappintrends.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=726&limit=recent

Milking it

Did anyone else watch “Desperate Housewives,” last night? The show is a complete soap festival, and I love every minute of it.
One of my favorite story lines from last night was the woman who was breastfeeding her five year old son. She spouted all kinds of arguments in favor of this decision, it’s good nutrition, women in third world countries nurse their children until they are six years old, she wanted the child to make the decision.
But when it came right down to it, she had a hidden agenda. As long as the child was nursing she was expending extra calories on milk production and didn’t have to hit the gym.
Ah, if only it had worked that way for me. I gained a minimum amount of weight when I was pregnant. I only gained 11 pounds with A, and 10 of it was during the last week when I was retaining water because of my toxemia.
But after giving birth I sat around stuffing my face with both hands and rested on the excuse. “I’m breastfeeding.”
My sister taught me this little trick. See, if you are breastfeeding you can get out of all kinds of chores.
“Honey, can you just start dinner, A’s hungry and I need to nurse him.”
“O, I’d love to help with the school program, but A’s nursing and he won’t take a bottle, so I can’t really leave him with a babysitter.”
“Teaching in Primary? It sounds like a great job, but you know I’m still nursing …..”
You will notice in my sister's reply to my reply to my blog yesterday that she’s onto me milking the dentist visit for extra naps.
“You know the dentist said I should take it easy for a day or two …”
I was raised by the champion long suffering heavy sigh, queen of emotional blackmail. But DH mother was no slouch in that department, either.
So milking it around him usually results in a stalemate.
My boss, however, apparently was raised by an emotionally generous woman. He volunteered to let me “take it easy” this week.
This should make me happy. Instead I’m wondering “is he trying to let me down easy.”
“Is he happy I’m not working this week?”
“Will I have a job when I get back?”
Hummmm, maybe my boss is better than he appears. Maybe he’s milking it, too.

POD ~ I woke up to snow again Sunday morning. It was beautiful, so I was out with my camera at 7:30 a.m. shooting the trees. It was gone by this afternoon, but weather reports tell us there is another storm on the way. On Saturday I had the children out climbing around on rocks by the lake, by 10 that evening snow was falling. Enough of the lamb and the lion weather already, let's bring on some April.

I'm feeling fine

I’m not really feeling bloggish, but since I’ve missed a couple of days I decided I had better update so you all know I survived my visit to the dentist.
Actually, the gentle extraction went very well. The tooth was at a 90 degree angle and had some funky roots, but the dentist plucked it out like he was snipping the heads off a daisy. I didn’t even feel the tug, and I did fill the tug with all of my other wisdom teeth.
My dentist is also my Stake President and he told me “you must be living right.” Since I was on the gas I could have started confessing, but he didn’t seem interested in any dentist chair confessions.
(I should probably explain the title of Stake President. The LDS church is primarily a lay-ministry. Congregations are made up of geographical areas called “wards” and a grouping of approximately 12 wards is a stake. Ward leaders are called Bishops and usually serve about five years. Stakes are led by the Stake Presidency they are usually in office from five to ten years.)
I haven’t been too nervous about getting the tooth pulled, which is out of character for me. I am a total dental phobe. But I have wanted to sleep all day.
Friday I went in for my appointment at 8 a.m. and by 9:30 a.m. I was home climbing into bed. I slept until about noon, and then wrote a news story. Apparently I was still a little loopy from the meds, because my editor called a couple of hours later and pointed out the story had some huge gaps in the information.
But she has given me until Monday evening to finish the story. By then I should be playing with a full deck.
Today we went into town to buy a set of luggage on sale at Penney’s. The luggage we currently use was given to DH 25 years ago, and then carted around Mexico before he married me and we used it for our trips north and south.
On the way home we stopped by the Great Salt Lake and I took some photos for the March POD. The weather was warm, but the water was choppy as a storm was blowing in of the desert. It’s still blowing outside, and forecasters are predicting wicked weather.
I did manage to get several nice shots, though. I’ll be using them until I’m over my nappish phase and want to join the living again.

Lookie, Lookie!

Look what I found in my garden yesterday!
Yes indeedie do, I have crocuses. Maybe it really is spring, after all.
I have a busy day of work ahead of me and I'm drooping because I stayed up late after returning from a meeting at 10 p.m. to watch LOST.
It wasn't worth missing the sleep, which makes me sad, because it was a new show and I really want to know what the heck is going on with the island folks.
But previews for next week look exciting. Why oh why am I hooked on another television show?
Tomorrow is my dentist appointment. I'll be getting a tooth pulled, so you may not be hearing from me on Friday. We'll see how it goes.
A did not do well with his appointment. He liked the gas. He really liked the gas, and he was nice and high because when the hygienist came in to take his x-rays she sat him up in the chair and he said "wheeeee!"
But when she put the film in his mouth he struggled and gagged and shoved it out with his tongue and thereafter refused to open his mouth again. It looks like we will be paying big buck for the pediatric dentist.
Oh joy.

Housework, Grrrrr!

I don’t have much to say today. I spent most of the day yesterday doing chores. I have been reminded why I prefer scrapping to doing chores.
(1) Chores are not any fun.
(2) Chores are never done.
(3) The second you finish, you have to start all over again.
I had just finished cleaning by washing off the kitchen counter and headed into the living room to read until DH came home. As I walked into the room I saw his car drive past the window. I sat down for less than a minute before I had bottle caps, opened mail, and assorted other items scattered across the counter.
Grrrrr!
I’m taking A to the dentist today to see if we can get X-rays without him gagging on the film. I passed this wonderful gag reflex on to my child. He’ll gag if he hears someone clearing their throat in another room, poor little monkey.
Right now he is fairly cheerful, I hope the gas helps him relax for the dentist.
I played around with depth of field for my photo of the day yesterday. I think I prefer the photo that focuses in on the plant. I like the water drops on the leaves.

I sense something missing

DS-7 finally had a chance to play with his friend yesterday and they had a splendid time. His mother and I are both scrapers (I am much more enthusiastic than his mother is, but then again, I am much more enthusiastic than most people). So we set up a photo shoot the second we had the kids together in the same room. I caught some great photos and I am sharing them here.

I have recently lost my sense of smell ~ recently being a relative term, because I’m not exactly sure when it happened. I noticed it in November when I was lighting scented candles and everyone remarked how nice the house smelled. I couldn’t smell it.

I asked the dentist if it could be related to the work he has done on my teeth and he said it wasn’t likely. He also recommended I talk to my doctor about it. This now has me wondering what terrible disease or ailment I might have.
But that’s not the point. This loss of my sense of smell (unlike my ability to smell, because I am sure I still stink mightily, I just don’t know it anymore) has left me to ponder all of my senses.

My sister was born with nerve deafness. She can hear somewhat with the use of a hearing aid, but there are many sounds she simply misses. There are so many sounds offering comfort to my life, I can’t imagine being without them. So I have been thinking about my top favorite sounds:
~ A purring cat
~ A train whistle cutting through the night
~ My washing machine and dish washer going about the business of doing my work
~ The hum of the furnace fan kicking in, banishing the cold
~ A crackling fire
~ My children talking, laughing and playing together
~ My husband’s heartbeat
~ The cry of a newborn baby
~ Crickets or frogs on a warm summer’s night
~ The click, pop fizzzzz of a can of pop being opened and poured into a glass
~ Being told “I love you.”

My photo a day challenge has also made me more aware of the world around me, as I see things I might not otherwise notice.
I am now seeing details, lines, patterns, shadows, and reflections in the world around me.
When I was a child I never understood why my Mother was so stressed about all the work she had to do. Most of it was self-imposed chores like laundry and weeding the garden. But now I know what it is like to have so many things that need doing and so many things you want to do you just don’t know where to start.
It is almost impossible to keep up with the demands. I must make stew for the church party, take the children to the dentist, mopping the bathroom floor (it probably stinks, even though I can’t smell it) and do research on long term effects of Settlement Canyon pollution on our water. I forget to notice the sound of robins singing in spring and the daffodils trying to poke their heads up through snow.
Sometimes I wonder how long I went without the sense of smell before I noticed it was missing. How sad it is I didn’t appreciate it until it was gone.


Happy birthday (yesterday) ReNae.
I tried to call but you didn’t answer your phone. I talked to mom this morning and she said you have been having problems with your phone.
I’m going to make you a card and layout like I did for Lisa. It won’t be the same card and layout, of course, but I’ll post it when I get it done and bring it up with me at Easter.

Where can I turn for Spring?

While today may be the first day of spring, we are up to our ankles in snow, with more expected throughout the week ~ month ~ foreseeable future.
The weather reminds me of the song from the movie “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”
In this song they are morning the long winter with the words “April showers will come so they say, but they don’t, and it’s May.”
I’ve been singing that song in my head all morning.
Everyone is home from school today for a teacher prep day. Since my DH teacher is already prepped, he went with L and I to the dentist for our six month check-up. I dread these events and I have been worried about it for at least a month.
When I know I am going to the dentist, my teeth start to hurt and I’m sure he is going to tell me all of my teeth need to be filled or yanked out.
The good news is I only had one cavity, in the last remaining wisdom tooth that I have not had removed. So on Friday the tooth is going to be pulled. While the dentist and I were talking I said something like, “So we are going to have to yank it?” and he replied, “”No, we are going to gently extract it.”
Yah. Whatever.
DS-11 has a cavity too, but it is in his last baby tooth and it isn’t deep so he decided not to fill it in hopes the tooth will soon fall out on its own. After the last tooth is gone we have to take the child in to get braces.
We won’t be driving a new car any time soon.

My POD includes shots of the “spring” weather we are having and a photo I took of DS-11 in the dentist waiting room. I was interested in the reflection on the table, so I had him sit by it. He think’s he’s too cool for photographs, but I love his expression in this shot.

DS-7’s friend is coming to visit today and I plan to take a bunch of photos of the too of them plus his little sister. She is such a cute little stinker, I need her photograph so I can scrap some girl pages.

Hail, Hail, the gang's all here

It’s been a crazy weekend. Friday night we went to the hockey game. This has become something of a family tradition with my DH siblings. One of his sisters gets cheep seats at the Utah Grizzlies game once a year and everyone in the family is invited to buy tickets and attend.
This year we had cousins from Idaho and cousins from southern Utah as well as our family attending the game. I think the total was 21 family members, including six children under the age of 12.
Since we know very little about hockey, we miss most of the subtleties of the game. But the point is we all get together, eat $1 hot dogs and $5 nachos, yell at the players and watch a few fights. This year the older couple sitting behind us was able to explain things like “icing” to us so we could better understand the game.
A now wants skating lessons so he can join a hockey team. L wants to buy a hockey pick he found in the internet from the Torino games.
Yesterday I was invited to crop with some of DH teacher friends. I don’t know them at all, but I have a stack of pages I need to get done. My friend has commissioned me to do her scrapbook pages for her, so I have been working on them whenever I get feeling less inspired ~ since we have already picked out the paper and sorted everything in packets.
So I grabbed the box full of pre-sorted packets, threw in some adhesive, tools and embellishments and went to the crop.
I was there for about six hours and managed to get five pages done, unheard of in my house with all of the interruptions. They are not prize winners, but they are good, solid work.
As I was assembling my supplies DH yelled down the stairs and told me to grab my camera. I went upstairs and found everyone outside dancing around in the pea-sized hail pelting the ground. I did get some photos, but not too many are POD worthy. I posted a couple of them.
While I was scrapping, DH and the boys went into town to eat dinner with his family.
I’m ready for a quiet Sunday of puttering around and napping. But tonight we have an “It’s Great to be Eight,” program for A who will be turning eight in December and getting baptized in January.

Act like you love each other

I have been working on this page for ages!
Yesterday I spent most of the day trying to scan and stitch it without success. *I finally resorted to photographing and cropping it.

Happy Birthday Lisa! I told you I had a layout in the works for you.

Journaling reads: Lisa had Abby, mace and Jake all dressed up for Jakes bsptisim but in order to get the perfect photos she put them together and said,"Act like you love each other."

Product list. pp from Rob and Bob slab. Heidi Swapp Ghost letters Primas assorted brads from SEI, Queen & Co. Ric Rack.

POD ~ just a quick shot of Utah's state bird, the California Seagull, demonstrating the gluttony that made them famous in Utah.

Your Hidden Talent

You are both very knowledgeable and creative.You tend to be full of new ideas and potential - big potential.Ideas like yours could change the world, if you build them.As long as you don't stop working on your dreams, you'll get there.

What's" Your Hidden Talent?

Just a fun little game.

A series of events

Last night at bedtime my DS-7 came out of his bedroom holding a toy and crying. The toy was a Fantastic Four action figure, and it had broken from all the action. Now A is quite a sensitive little soul, but I admit I was a little exasperated by his reaction to the broken toy.
So I took him to bed and tucked him in and he just started sobbing like his heart was broken. I was puzzled, because I had no idea he had a particular attachment to the toy, but I sat and talked to him and eventually he told me.
“My best friend gave me that toy for my birthday.”
Then I understand the deepness of his loss, because I remembered K had come to play with A for his birthday. K and his family moved about an hour away last summer to be closer to his father’s job. They now live on a military base (although his father is a civilian, he works for the base). Since both parents families live in this town, they come back frequently, but not often enough for A who would like to be able to play with K once or twice a week.
K was in A’s kindergarten class, and I think the friendship helped my son, who is quite shy.
I had no idea A was still mourning the loss of this friend, although he frequently asks if K can come and play. It’s so hard to get the families together; I usually just change the subject. But I guess my son was nursing a greater loss than I realized. So last night I prayed for help finding a friend for A.
This morning, out of the blue, K’s mother called, “just to talk.”
I haven’t heard from her in probably three months. I told her the story of A’s heartbreak and she agreed to bring K for a visit on Monday. The kids are out of school for a teacher prep day, and although K lives 50 miles away, he is in the same school district and will also have the day off.
It may seem a small thing, but to me it is a miracle that a loving Heavenly Father cares enough for my 7-year-old boy to prompt his friend’s mother to call me. True, I was planning to call her this morning anyway, but she called me first.
During our conversation I was able to help her with something she has been struggling with, as well.
The morning’s events has reinforced to me how important people are to each other, and how much we can help each other in small and great things simply by following our heart, the promptings of the spirit, or whatever you want to call it.
POD today is the last of my funky house photos. (I have more, but they are less interesting.) Tonight I am going with my DH family to our annual hockey game event and I hope to bring home photos from the game. It is a professional game, and I’m not even sure if they will let me in the building with my D-Rebel, but I am going to try.
Do any of you have tips for shooting in an arena? I don’t plan on taking much in the way of sports shots. I am going to be more interested in taking shots of the faces of the family members watching the game.

No TV? Freak out!

I freaked my kids out last night, I turned off the television.
DH went to bed early, really early, like 8 p.m. At about 8:30 I realized there was nothing on television I wanted to watch so I turned it off and started reading.
Shortly thereafter the boys started circling.
A was first. He tends to want to sleep early too so he began asking me if it was bedtime yet. I told him he could go to bed before the appointed time, but he had a hard time figuring out that concept. Before bedtime? No, that’s just not right.
But he eventually became bored enough to go to bed without a fight.
L was a little more concerned. He wanted to know if I planned to turn on the television after he went to bed. Or did I plan to play on the computer. Certainly I wasn’t planning to go to sleep too?
When I went to tuck him in he confessed he find’s it easier to go to sleep if I am awake in the basement.
After reading for a while, I went to bed and had just settled in when I heard L talking. “Where’s A---?” Since the boy is prone to sleep-walking I told him everything was fine and to go to bed. Then I heard him run/fall down the stairs. The lights were out, and the basement is plenty dark at night.
DH and I went in to check on him and he wandered up the stairs, still asleep saying “I wanted to … I was checking.”
Then he went back to bed.
When I asked him about it this morning he said the only thing he could remember was knocking on A’s bedroom door.
L had a real problem with sleep walking. He tried to leave the house one day, but we caught him before he escaped. I understand I was a sleepwalker too, and I still talk in my sleep. I heard a story on television the other day about a woman who binge eats in her sleep. That sounds like something I would do.
Too bad I can’t convince my unconscious mind to do something useful like fold laundry, wash toilets or run on the treadmill while I am slumbering. Heaven knows I’m not going to do it while I am awake.
POD viewers, I’m still using photos from the funky house. Today I thought I would ask you opinion on my black and white conversions of some wrought iron work. I was fascinated by the shadows cast on the snow. Thoughts, cc welcome.

Kitschy clutter in the snow

It was snowing again this morning. The big, fat snowflakes that would normally make me all excited for Christmas came sifting down on a quiet world. There’s only one problem.
It’s March!
I’m not talking the in like a lion first part of March, either, but the smack-dab in the middle Ides of March.
I’m sure my Wyoming family members will tell me I’ve been spoiled by all my years in southern Utah. They are probably true. But I was lulled into a false sense of spring in February. Now it’s snowing to beat the band and the daffodils are sending up leaves as if they expect to be blooming soon.
I’m getting rather bored with taking snow photos. But today when I went to the vet to pick up cat food, I discovered a treasure trove of inspiration in the business next door to the veterinarian’s office.
In one word, this business is “funky.”
It was one of the first things I noticed when first drove into town checking out the possibility of living here. Frankly, it was one of the things that sold me on the place. Any town that has this eccentric building on its main street is a town with people who understand me.
I have no idea what is behind the doors of the peculiar building, but the yard is crammed with an odd assortment of novelties one might put in their yard, if they had very little taste, a keen sense of humor or both.
I, or course, have both.
I love the place.
But I have never actually shopped there, I’m not really sure why.
In the summer the business hangs plants and rugs depicting the Virgin Mary and Elvis on racks in front of the store to attract visitors. I’m not sure if they close for the winter, but the assortment of baubles remain in the yard proving by their very existence that they are well suited for the heat and cold of Utah weather.
Today, after the snowstorm, the sun came out and the sky turned a brilliant blue. This kitschy clutter covered in snow was more than I could resist.
But I didn’t get a lot of close up photos because I took all of them from over the fence. I was afraid the owner might chase me off with a garden stake if she/he didn’t want me to be there.
I’m planning to post a few photos a day from this place until I get something better.

Happy Pi Day

Today is my DH birthday. A few years ago he discovered his birthday is on Pi day ~ Pi being some mysterious mathematical equation using the numbers 3.14. and something else I can’t remember. (I think it has something to do with circles, but I’m not sure)
Anyway, as an elementary school teacher he likes to make a fuss about the pi day and pie day, and serves students pie on his birthday.
At some point today I am planning to go and buy him a pie for his birthday treat. We have already bought The Big Chair for him, although we all love to sit in it. And I have shrimp to put on the barbie for his supper.
Our family tends to be a little low key about birthdays, but I still want to send a shout out to the big guy.
Hey babe, I love you. Thanks for making my life so wonderful and have a great day!
Today is also my niece Lisa’s birthday.
Lisa, I made a card for you and I'm working on a layout. (well in my head at least) Look for it. Are you planning to go to Wyoming for Easter, if you are, I can give them to you then.

I failed to clean anything yesterday. But I did spend six hours working on a story for the newspaper about three men in our community who received the “Silver Beaver.” The highest award an adult Boy Scouts of America leader can be given on a local level.
While I did a competent job of it, I don’t think it was my best work because my heart wasn’t in it.
Today I need to continue pursuing the story about local high school art students. I was treated to some snotty behavior on the part of their art teacher yesterday. Last week I did a story about the students painting a mural on the wall of a local cell phone business. I thought it was a nice “atta boy” story. Remarkably dull, but it gave the students some kudos.
The painting was a cartoon depiction of people around the world using cell phones. The phone company representative was telling me about the painting and said one image showed students using their cell phones to cheat on their tests.
I mentioned this in the article.
The art teacher came unglued.
Apparently she called my editor with her panties in a wad because I had written that the high school art program condoned cheating. Um, no, I’m just quoting the cell phone company representative.
My editor is completely supportive of me as a writer, but he agreed to run a correction in the paper saying the art teacher is not pro cheating.
I would let the whole thing roll off my back if she wasn’t standing in the way of my writing the next assigned article.

Since I had such a nutty day yesterday I didn’t get any photos taken, so I am using some shots I took the other day while we were in the living room waiting for it to be time to go to school. The first is our cat, Katie, sunning herself. The second is my oldest son reading the newspaper.

We've got cabin fever

I guess I’m ready to start another week.
I had funky dreams last night because I need to be writing a story and I’m having a hard time getting in touch with the people I need to interview. They are high school students, and high school students are difficult to interview under the best circumstances. But last week I interviewed the same group of kids and their art teacher took exception to something I wrote in my story, so she is not precisely cooperative.
I would much rather be cleaning my house.
Yes, that tells you how reluctant I am to be doing the interview. It also tells you how desperate I am to have a clean house. Last week was grey and snowy. We all kind of holed up in front of the television with bowls of popcorn. The place looks like a cave.
But A has been entertaining us during our winter seclusion.
He started with a long discussion about his “pooping reindeer.” One of DH teacher friends gave us a plastic reindeer that “poops” jelly beans. A insisted we buy jelly beans and told us “it’s fully loaded,” when it was ready to go. The first jelly bean out of the toy was a black licorice, a flavor no one in the family likes. So A said “I’m not going to eat that poop.” Finally he managed to work out a tasty jellybean and announced “Finally! A good poop!”
This morning he dropped his toast and said “dang, butter side down.” I guess you had to be there. He was just so matter-of-fact about it I couldn’t stop laughing.
My photo a day selection today illustrates our family’s retreat. The first is a shot of snow on the deck. The second is L looking through a scrap book my mother gave me a couple of years ago. He has been studying genetics and family history in school.

View from the road

We drove into the big city yesterday so I took all of my POD photos from a moving car. DH offered to stop the car so I could shoot, but I declined. I wanted to see what I could get while the car was moving.
It was a really grey, overcast day, and the drive from T to SLC is not really pretty, particularly when you go the way we did. We didn’t go past the Great Salt Lake; instead we drove past a steel factory and mine tailings. It is all very industrial. So here it is, on the road to Salt Lake City.
And back again, of course. These photos are put in chronological order, not order of importance.
CC always welcome.