I may never be dry again

This week I have been reminded of the time Wyo. Sister came to visit me in St. George one summer. It was sweltering hot, and just before she arrived, the clouds burst and we were hit with a gully washer, which left the town not only hot but humid.
The first words out of Wyo. Sister’s mouth when she climbed out of the car were “But it’s a dry heat!”
Muggy doesn’t begin to describe the weather.
We went to Lagoon on Pioneer Day. My workplace has a tradition of giving employees tickets to Lagoon, and treating them to lunch every summer.
It’s been hotter than hadies, so we thought we were being clever dressing the boys in swim suits and riding “Rattlesnake Rapids” first thing ~ three times. For those of you who don’t know about “Rattlesnake Rapids” it is a pseudo white-rafting experience guaranteed to get everyone in the boat sopping wet. I’m very glad I didn’t take the camera, because my bag was soaked through after the second trip down the river, so I sat out the third ride while DH and the boys went.
We followed this by a trip on the log ride. Apparently the more weight in the boat, the lower it rides in the water and the bigger the splash when you hit the bottom of the slide. DH and I (plus the boys of course) made quite a splash.
In previous visits to the water rides, we have dried relatively quickly because of the heat. Not this trip. The high humidity just kept the four of us in our own personal weather system.
We went home right after lunch to peal off our clothing and change into something blessedly dry.
We ducked out of the Primary Parade by going to the movie “Ratatouille” that evening. It was a fun movie.
Yesterday, after a long day of trying to muster up the energy to do our daily chores in spite of the high humidity, the rains finally came. It was a monster cloud burst. Our street was flooded in short order and our lawn followed. DH was happy because we were getting water on the yellow spots on the lawn.
I was standing on the porch taking photos when the cat came streaking across the lawn yowling. She didn’t stop to go through the front door, but scurried into the shelter of the carport. Ds-8 was terrified by the lightening.
We were just sitting down to dinner when the power went out, so we finished the meal and I cleaned the kitchen in the dark. We had hopes that DS-12’s swim practice, DS-8 Cub Scouts and my town meeting would be canceled, no such luck. The power went on just as I was driving out of town.
It’s much cooler today, but everything feels kind of damp.
I hate humidity, so I am very grateful I live in a desert when the air is usually dry.

Snap shots

1. Take a picture of three things in your home that represent you.


Here are our fourth and final set of Photo Challenges:


2. Take a picture of three things that epitomize the city/town you live in.
3. Take a picture of the three places you frequent the most. (these two did not happen because it's stinking hot outside, DH took the car with air conditioning and I'm not about to go running around with my camera on a blistering hot Sunday afternoon and no air conditioning.
4. Take a picture of all the people around you now.
5. Take a picture of your favorite shoes.

To be fair, these are not so much my favorite as my only pair of shoes. I think I have three pair of shoes in my closet (well, okay, on the living room floor) right now: Black heeled pumps for dresses, these for every day and a pair of those foam clogs for my frequent (ha!) trips to the beach.

Ahhhh, sigh

I finished HP. Yep, I am a fast reader.

I am very happy to have read it, to have all the ends wrapped up, to know what is going on.

But I am very sad to be done reading.

I took a few minutes away from my busy schedule of reading, ordering a pizza for lunch and trying to keep my boys from killing each other to take four more of the five photos in the ST challenge for today.

1. Take a landscape photo. Sorry, missed it.
2. Take a still life photo.
3. Take an unposed photo of someone displaying emotion.
4. Take a photo of a beautiful weed.
5. Take a photo of your favorite hangout.

HP and ST weekend

I have too many fun things to do this weekend.
DH went down to Wal-Mart last night to brave the crowds picking up Harry Potter seven. He bought two books, even though we have one winging its way to us from Amazon even as we speak, because we have three HP fans in the house.
Since he is a elementary school teacher, he can put two of them in the classroom and get reimbursed from the school for the purchase. WhooHooo. Every job has its perks.
But I’m torn between reading and playing on line ~ even though I have a great fear someone will slip a spoiler in somewhere. But ScrappinTrends, is having an on-line crop weekend with prizes.
I came downstairs to have a shower and logged on to find this photo challenge, so I took a few minutes away from HP and went photo hunting.
Grab your cameras ladies! I'm going to be posting some challenges for you to capture with your camera throughout our crop. You'll get 10 points for each photo shared. If you create a layout with your photos you'll receive an additional 40 points!

Here are the first 5 Photo Challenges:
The only thing I missed was the sunrise. I could have shot a wicked sunset last night. We have wildfires on the mountains across the valley from our town. Last night we went for a drive to the neighboring town, about 10 miles from here, where DH works. It is being threatened by the fires, but they seem to have diverted it back over the mountain.
1. Take a picture of the rising Sun.
2. Take a picture of your favorite body part...keep it clean! lol








3. Take a picture of your craft table..right NOW!






4. Take a picture of your neighbor's yard.








5. Take a picture of yourself without makeup!
I took the photo right after I climbed out of the shower.


Here are the second set of Photo Challenges:

1. Take a picture of the first thing you eat/drink in your day.
I made the muffins to celebrate HP day.







2. Take a picture of what you're most proud of.
I am proud of my whole family, but DS-12 and Djin were the two members readily available.









3. Take a picture of something red. DS-8 in his red T-shirt.







.
4. Take a picture of what's in your fridge


5. Take a picture of something with wings.
DS-12 suggested this. It is not a real bird, of course.

Napping, always a good option

This topic just seemed like a great blog in the making, don't you think? July is National Anti-Boredom Month. So, here are a few questions about boredom that I'm asking as this week's blog challenge.

1.Your entire family has gone away for the weekend. The house is all yours. What are the first three things you do?

1. nap. 2. scrap. 3. repeat.

2. Your bankbook is looking healthy, you have a four-day weekend ahead. What sounds good?

Taking the family to San Diego ~ Sea World, sailing.

3. What do you do while waiting in the doctors office?

Try to keep my children calm.

4.Would you rather spend an afternoon alone in a book store, a mall, napping in the hammock?

Reading in a hammock? Is that an option?

5. You have an unexpected 48 hour stay in the hospital. You're coherent and not in pain. How do you spend the time? Reading? Channel Surfing? Laptop surfing? Calling your friends to come visit? Ringing for a nurse every five minutes? Sleeping?

O no question, I’m sleeping and reading.

6.You have a nine hour trans-continental flight. Get excited about finishing a hot novel? Watch the in-flight movies? Become best friends with the stranger seated next to you? Take three valium and sleep the time away?

Watch the movie, read a book, gaze out the window.

7.You have a seven hour layover in Chicago O'Hare Airport. Do you wear down your cellphone battery calling friends? Read a book? People watch? Shop every store in the airport? Take a taxi and see the city?

Seven hours. Probably shop, eat and read.

8.What do you do when your bored stiff?

Take a nap.

9.Work first, play later? OR Play while you can, the work will still be there when you get home?

Nap.

10. List three times that you are easily bored.

I think the airplane trip would bore me. Any discussion of sports has my eyes glazing over. Gossip about people I don’t know has me yawning, too.

Cat lady for fun and profit

If I were to become a crazy cat lady, I would probably be a breeder because I love kittens and I’m a little bit snobbish about what kind of cat I have in my house. I love all felines, but I want to own pretty, well bred ones.
I have always fancied Siamese, but today while I was looking at Stuff-On-My-Cat they showed this photo of some very lovely cats. Following up on everyone’s comments, I discovered they are bangels.

A Bengal Cat is a hybrid between several breedings of Asian Leopard Cats and Domestic cats.
Males can weigh up to 20 pounds and females between 7-12.
They look like a typical housecat except they are more spotty .
"The Bengal Cat is a distinct, unique breed of spotted domestic cat derived from the ancestral crossing of a domestic with an Asian Leopard Cat'.

I, of course, want one ~ sometime in the future after having lived a long and happy life with Djin, of course.
I have always held ~ deep in my little heart ~ a desire to own a leopard. You know, the kind of cats seen in those movies about slinky Egyptian princesses in heavy black makeup reclining on chase lounges and being fed peeled grapes.
I have come to terms with the realization that I will never be slinky or have servants peel grapes for me, but I have been known to lounge around the house.
So I have a plan. I’m going to be a bangel breeder. Of course this would involve an investment of several thousand dollars, since bangels are remarkably rare. It would also involve finding people willing to pay thousands of dollars for a cat. Ain’t going to happen in Utah, I don’t believe.
Still, it gives me yet another reason to live forever.

MMM now what?

I’ve been thinking about entering Memory Makers Masters, plodding along, putting together some layouts that are quite nice, but I can’t say whether or not they are prize winners.
This weekend I worked on the “I wish” assignment and my DS-12 played in the supplies with me as I figured out some techniques. He helped me set up the computer for journaling and offered feedback on the page.
Today I was finishing up the page (and I think it’s hot!) and mentioned that I was going to have to send it away, never to be seen again.
He was devastated!
The page is not about him, it’s about me. But he really doesn’t want me to enter the contest now, saying things to me like “you are not going to win anyway,” and “why don’t you just throw it in the trash right now.”
Thing is, he is probably right. I don’t have a big chance of winning.
What would you do?

I posted this question on my scrapbook message board and got some interesting responses. Now I'd like to her from you guys.

The rules of the contest are, you can send copies of four layouts but must send in the original of the "assignment" in this case the assignment is scrap about "I wish."

Umbrage and moments of chagrin

DH, the boys and I went to the Harry Potter movie yesterday. It was great fun. Here are a few of my thoughts.

I loved Luna ~ her soft voice, combined with that spectacular hair reminded me a bit of Holland.

I did have questions about Umberage at the beginning of the show but by the end I loved to hate her.
Beatrix and Tonks were also great characters. I had a really time fixing Tonks in my mind while reading the book, the movie actually helped fill out the character for me.
If you did not know anything about the book, the move was spectacular. It flowed well, the special effects were stunning, it was just cool.
Having recently read the book, however, I will admit to being a bit confused on occasion.
That being said. Yes, we will be buying the DVD.

Today, in the aftermath of the movie, I have found myself busy once again.
I didn’t bother to shower, change out of pajamas, even eat breakfast this morning because I had two stories I needed to write and file.
DS-12 had a dentist appointment at noon, so at 11:30 a.m. I quickly finished my stories, put on some pants and clean unmentionables and hurried off to the dentist where I waited for 90 minutes.
Afterwards I took the boys to Wal-Mart. My plan was to pick up pop and photographs. Alas, they couldn’t find my photographs, so we settled on a brownie mix instead.
It wasn’t until after we climbed in the car to go home that the oldest son mentioned: “Mom, you shirt is on backwards.”
Tuesday I wrote an editorial about the lame condition of our community library. When I asked my boss this morning if he had any comments about it, he said nary a one. But when DH returned from a day of classes with other teachers, he said several liked it. Their only problem with the commentary is it wasn’t harsh enough.
Feeling please with myself, I went to the Pine Canyon Planning Commission meeting. Afterwards I went up to one of the commissioners ~ a fellow newspaper correspondent who I had seen waiting in line for Harry Potter 5 ~ and asked her what she thought of the movie.
A second commissioner asked me my name, I told her, and then she commented. “I work for the library.
*rut row*
We had a civil discussion in which I reiterated my point of view and she defended the lame excuse of a local library.
She didn’t convince me, but it was another “my shirt’s on backwards” moment that could very easily left me embarrassed.
Instead I found it amusing.
The moral of the story? If you are going to go out in public, be ready to be observed doing so.

Famous kitty

Look who is on Stuff on my cat!
http://www.stuffonmycat.com/index.php?itemid=4140

Yesterday I was called by one of the employees of my local scrapbook store. It was a good news / bad news call.
The business owner is going to the doctor today in hopes of being able to deliver her son. She is a week or so away from her due date, but she usually has her babies very early and going full term has been a challenge for her.
Unfortunately, the surprise of this pregnancy along with the expense of running the business has left her making the decision to sell the business.
I'm heartbroken. I love her store.
Another scrapbook store moved into town in May ~ which helped seal the deal on her decision to step down. Alas the "new" business is full of old themish, cartoon-like paper.
It is really not my style.
On a related, but different subject, the employee called to ask me to be on her scrapbook team for a competition in SLC. She and the store owner, as well as I and one of my Ya-Ya Scrappers are going to be on the four-woman team. (I am assuming the Ya-Ya will say yes.)
As part of the competition we have to come up with a team name, a logo and have a photo taken of our team.
I was pondering this last night while I was sweating and wishing for the bilssful escape of sleep.
Here are a few of my team theme suggestions:

Team Tulies
(a play on the word Tooele) I picture a photo of us in the middle of a field holding sunflowers
Salt and Paper
This plays with us being so close to the Great Salt Lake ~ but it can also be a cooking theme, with all of us wearing black and white (with touches of red) aprons. Photographed in a kitchen, of course.
Commando scrappers
Again, identifying with Tooele and its military history, I like this because I can see us wearing camo T-shirts. We could be photographed at industrial depot.
Area 31
Not quite as secret or far out as Area 51, but still the undiscovered scrappers ~ which could be another team name. I envision a “Men in Black” photo shoot here, on the salt flats, of course.
The Undiscovered Scrappers
We could have secret identities!

If only I could be so inspired with my page layouts.

It's hot here

Seriously, stinking, putrid hot. The air is grey because Utah is burning. But I could be one of the firemen on the lines trying to battle the wildfires in this misrable heat. I'm not, so I'll pray for those who are.

My children are restless.
Seriously, stinking, beat up on each other and scream restless.
But I get to stay in my house away from the heat. It could be worse.

Apparently I am in charge of the entertainment.
Not only for the children, and the husband, but also the cat. I am also in charge of the meals, the laundry, working part time, and painting the living room. But at least I am not working two full-time jobs.

Clearly I am cranky.
But I'm trying very hard not to be. So I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and pray for rain. Won't you join me?

It's more fun to watch

I had a great many titles planned for this blog. Perhaps I might call it “It’s a long way, to painting Sagey” or even “Ready, Set, Paint!”
But after spending the last 24 hours indulging my wild hair and painting the living room, I have settled on the above title.
Yes, it is much more fun to watch “Trading Spaces,” “Property Ladder” “Flip that House” and “Designing Cents,” than it is to actually paint.
Perhaps that is why it has taken me the better part of a year to work up the energy / courage / nerve to actually apply the Sagey paint I purchased for my living during the Labor Day weekend ~ 2006.
Yesterday the wild hair hit and I decided the time had come to paint. I have a long weekend because of Independence Day, and DH didn’t work Wednesday or Friday. He is going in to work today at 2 p.m. I think I have found something he likes less than working for Flying J. … working for me.
DS-L is also impatient with my methods. He want’s everything painted and put back into place right now. If it can’t be right now he want’s a detailed timeline right now.
DS-A just wants to be part of the fun, but he had a hard time remembering he can’t put his hands on the wall.
The cat is simply confused.
I will continue with my Sagey saga later. Right now I have been informed by DS-L that I have to cut my afternoon nap down to 30 minutes because he want’s to get to that second coat so we can put the furniture back in place.
He was not pleased when I told him he was going to have to put up with two boxes of books in his bedroom for another day … or three.
I am gaining a new respect for my Mother, who had five young helpers.
BTW, Mom, Happy 80th birthday!

Small town fun

First let me state that I am deeply, passionately patriotic.
I love my country.
Independence Day, however, doesn’t really do it for me.
Parades, eheee, don’t trip my trigger, even though I have memories of my Father heading up the VFW display in his Army uniform. I also have memories playing clarinet and marching with the band in those horrid, hot uniforms with the plastic lined caps or stuffing napkins into chicken wire until my fingers were raw top make parade floats.
What's more, you've seen one parade, you've seen them all.
Every parade features the same entries.
“Beauty” queens giving the elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist wave.
Politicians in convertables.
Fire trucks with hoses to spray the crowd.
Horses crapping in the street to the disgust and delight of young boys.
And for a really good time, everyone chucking salt water taffy to the same young boys with plastic grocery bags poised to collect the loot.
But we went to the parade, anyway. Instead of going to our big city, we drove to the town where DH teaches school. The parade started later in the day and we were able to watch from the lawn of the school, which happened to be in the shade.
Hooray!
We went back to the town for the fireworks display. This time we settled down in the middle of the soccer field. I think we were the only ones there since most folks had staked out a spot by the park ~ the site of the great launching.
We lit some sparklers and smoke bombs then played with light sticks. I found a deal on the skinny little light sticks usually used for bracelets. I bought 50 of them, along with 50 connectors, for three dollars.
When the fireworks started we realized our blanket was not ideally positioned for viewing, so we loaded everything on top of it and dragged it to a better spot. We were able to settle down for about five minutes of fireworks before the whole thing was over.
The traffic jam drive home was complicated by a crew of firemen dousing a lively blaze that had broken out along the side of the road.
We didn’t actually see the fire, except from a distance. When we got to a place where we could turn off we took a back road home.
It was not an earth shattering day of fun, but when I asked the boys what they liked best, DS-12 said he liked that we were able to spend the time together as a family.
Good point!

Help please

I’m kicking around ideas for this MMM scrapbook challenge and I need some input. Which of these photos do you like best?


<---hand one






hand one bw--->






<---hand two







hand two bw--->







<---hand two bright bw







hand two low sat--->






I also need left handed family members to send me a sample of their handwriting. Maybe you could write down a favorite saying or scripture? The page deadline is July 30, so I need handwriting samples ASAP.
Thanks!

Pity the praise hog

I got a wild hair and decided to try to put together five layouts for the Making Memories Masters competition.
This is a big event. Scrappers from around the world compete for the MMM in hopes of landing a lovely prize package and a chance to work for Making Memories magazine for a year.
I basically have a snowballs chance to win. But I thought I’d give it a shot anyway because I need another reason to bang my head against the wall.
I came up with what I thought were brilliant ideas for layouts while hanging around the pool in St. George last week. I took some photos, did some sketches, bought a few items of chipboard, and even collected some red blow sand for one of the ideas.
But I am vastly disappointed in how the page turned out. If I wasn’t making it for MMM, no doubt I would be pleased, but I just don’t think it is a prize winning page.
I finished up a second page today. I’m a little happier with it, but again, I don’t think it’s going to win prizes.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about it is I can’t post my pages ~ if I did I would be disqualified.
I still have about a month to come up with some prize winners. The contest doesn’t close until the end of July. But I’m just not seeing myself doing my best work.
Now if I hadn’t posted the Djin in the flowers page, or a couple other pages I really like, I might be able to use them.
Alas, I’m a praise hog,