kaydub

Trust and Respect

2011-05-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's our parenting mantra. Trust the children to make the right choices and respect their decisions. I'm not always successful at it, but it is certainly the way I aspire to raise my kids. And I really love it when I get to see glimpses of my success.

I'm a huge fan of music of most kinds, as are Claire and Ben. I encourage them to listen to and appreciate music, whose lyrics I rarely censor because I don't believe in censorship. An artist puts lyrics to music in a way that describes what is meaningful to him or her, and I like to choose for myself whether or not they are appropriate. When a song comes on the radio that has a "bad" word in it, Claire just doesn't sing that part. Her choice.

With that in mind, HBO recently aired Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Concert, and neither the kids nor I had ever seen her perform. I prefaced the watching by telling them I did not know what the show would be like, but considering her provocative nature, we might have to turn it off. As the show progressed there were a lot of "wows" and "she's so weird, but I love her music" comments being passed around. I have to admit her whole sexual persona was a little embarrassing, in the way in which, at age 12, your DAD takes you to see Saturday Night Fever because you begged and begged and then you have to sit next to him during the sexy parts. Things were edgy but fairly appropriate until Lady Gaga came out wearing a see-through mini plastic dress, complete with bikini underwear and taped nipples, with a plastic nun's habit on her head. Ben looked at me and said "Okay, that's enough for me" and left the room. Claire and I almost made it through that song too, until we were overcome by gyrating pelvises and decided to shut her down.

Looks like I've been fighting the good fight. Good job Mama. For those of you who question my choice to let them watch Lady Gaga in the first place, just suck it :)

Hello Monday

2011-05-16T11:07:00.001-07:00

And hello May.
And hello 400th blog post!
And hello to my dad, who recently shared with me that he's been missing my blog.
In addition to my regular Mama/Fabulous Wife/House Goddess/Crafting Queen duties, I've been in the job "dressing room" trying on a few and figuring out which one fits me best.
So, a fond farewell to the greenhouses and hello to Paper Pals, where I'll be working and teaching again. It feels good, like a warm comfy glove when your hands are cold.

I've also been spending some time getting to know my iPad. "Someone" (children) broke the hinge on my laptop and Mark convinced me this was the very best replacement. He was so right. However, having never worked with Apple products before, my learning curve has been a little steep. But it is really FABULOUS! We had a little fun playing on Face Time last night, getting versed before Mark heads off to Sweden later this week. Oh yes, you heard right, SWEDEN! FOR TEN DAYS! Lucky, lucky boy. He'll be meeting up with his science cohorts for a pow-wow and a little sightseeing. (You better bring me back something good :)

We're trying to get outside whenever the sun shines, which hasn't been much lately. Sounds like it's a wacky spring all across the states. We're very much looking forward to enjoying some heat next month, when the kids and I will meet my family in Tennessee for a little R and R. Ben has been working hard on his swimming in preparation; he's out of turtles and into frogs!

My awesome book group.
These ladies are a very bright spot in my schedule each month.

An Artist Trading Card I recently made.
I am really feeling the love for butterflies right now.

Of A Friday Afternoon

2011-04-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the first bare feet of spring.

Tales from the Greenhouse

2011-03-30T13:35:00.001-07:00

Chapter 2: Beauty

There's always something blooming at the greenhouses, so I took my camera to work with me last weekend for a photo safari.

Anise

Peperomia

Aristolochia

Tomatoes

Datura

Henbane

A bouquet of petunia, basil and mint

Message In A Bottle

2011-03-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Mark and his friend were floating boats last weekend and they found this mason jar washed up in some grass. He kindly brought it home for me.

These are the contents: a rolled up poem, a sticky pad with a note, a tiny pen. Turns out this jam jar is part of an English project at our college. A group of students sent jars floating around our area. If you find one you're encouraged to contribute and send it out again.

HOW COOL IS THAT?

'Round Here

2011-03-20T13:12:00.001-07:00

Despite our recent illnesses (knock on wood, I'm the only one who hasn't gotten sick), we've been having a little bit of fun.

Mark and buddy Jon have been spending some time oaring on our small, local rivers. Early spring runoff is about the only time there's enough water to actually float on them.

Here's me and my girl before she headed out to play the flute in her Spring concert. I wasn't able to attend, but I saw the video footage and they sounded fabulous.

After recovering from a lengthy illness, Ben rallied on Friday to take home a 2nd place ribbon in his school's first-ever chess tournament. It was also crazy hat/hair day, so he's sporting his favorite zombie cap.

One more week until Spring Break. We don't have plans, but I'm itching to get out and take a long walk somewhere warm. It may be time for a photo safari to spot buttercups and grass widows in the coulee country.

A Little Change

2011-03-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Turning 45 propelled me to get a haircut and and add a little "spring" to the blog.

I Hate This Part

2011-03-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the germ-laden Wildung house, specifically this green chair in our living room where poor sick Ben has been camped out since Thursday afternoon fighting a relentless fever, sore throat, congestion, and head and body aches.

I hate this part about being a mom. I hate the constant worst-case-scenario visions in my head, but as the days go by they increase in volume. There's been a confirmed case of H1N1 in a nearby town that led to the shutdown of their school district.

I know he will be fine. But if that fever doesn't break tonight...

"Mom"oirs

2011-02-23T12:28:00.001-08:00

This kid, he's a funny one.

Claire and Ben and I were shooting the breeze one day after school last week. Claire was telling me that some kids have recently been getting hurt in PE because they've been doing more rigorous activities. I told her that I wasn't surprised by that, that sometimes middle-schoolers challenge themselves too much while their bodies are still clumsy and awkward and they end up getting hurt. To which Ben responded "I have a feeling Claire will get drunk in college." Hmmm.

Tales from the Greenhouse

2011-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1: Things Pertaining to Assholes

This is one of our mint varieties, M. candicans.
Such a pretty name, you'd think it would be sweet.
Such a feathery flower, you'd think it would tickle your senses.
You would be wrong.
The flowers on this mint plant smells like dog shit.
The first couple of times I worked near it, I kept checking my shoes to make sure I hadn't stepped in anything.

This is beautiful anise, an herb that smells of licorice and is commonly used in the flavor industry.
One would pronounce anise like "ann-iss".
Except one of our secretaries. She pronounces anise like "anus".
I recently received a phone call from her, stressing to me the importance of letting my boss know that her "anus" seed had been delivered.
So when she returned I did just that.
"Your anus is now available in the office".
Or when we walk into the room where the anise is grown someone is bound to say "Sure smells like anus in here".

Art Share

2011-02-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

February Artist Trading Cards for my swap tonight.

A page from my art journal playing with masks, copic markers, watercolors, and a black gel pen.

"Mom"oirs

2011-02-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

I had an upset tummy after a lunch out with my co-workers yesterday, so I decided to sit upon the potty when I got home and read my Art Journaling magazine. I'd been in the bathroom mere moments when there was a knocking on the door.

Claire: Can we take the dog for a walk?
Me: Yes.

Another minute goes by and another knock.

Claire: Where is the leash?
Me: Hanging in the hall closet.

And then her voice through the door.
"Did you know that discombobulated is really a word?"
Are you KIDDING me?

Winter

2011-02-08T16:31:00.001-08:00

These are the days I hate in the Northwest.
Gray and brown. Not a drop of sunshine.
Everyone bundled against the bone-chilling cold.
Temperature right at freezing with fog in the air that I know will make slick driving later on.

So we go to the mall and put $2.00 in a machine so the boy can withstand the winds of a hurricane, as if we're not even tired of the weather.
It's warm in the mall and there's gluten-free pizza to eat.
But thinking of hurricanes makes me homesick.
Yes, we had to criss-cross masking tape on the windows in case the wind got out of hand, but at least we knew the eye was coming and more often than not a wave of beautiful weather when the storm cleared.
I wonder if Ben has the South in his DNA.

"Mom"oirs

2011-02-02T10:39:00.001-08:00

Dear Family,

My sincerest apologies for the garishly green hue of your intimate white underthings.

Love,
Me

Today

2011-01-25T13:34:00.001-08:00

Outside my window is sunshine and birdsong.
I am thinking how good these new caramel Sweet & Salty Bugles taste.
I am thankful for love.
In the kitchen there's a solar-powered dancing flower on my window sill.
I am wearing blue jeans, and a black fleece pullover. And socks.
I am creating artist trading cards with a theme of love and/or red.
I am going to pick Ben up from school in an hour.
I am reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.
I am hoping my job interview will go smoothly next week.
I am hearing the clanking of metal on metal as the guinea pigs drink water.
Around the house are many signs that we are a busy family of four.
One of my favorite things is reading to Ben before bed each night.

A few plans for the rest of the week include attending a lecture by Greg Mortensen and a gathering of artists to learn bookbinding.

Art Share

2011-01-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

Art journal

Artist Trading Card

Dribbling

Ben's 7th birthday party

Outside in January

2011-01-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

A little tree house action going on around here yesterday.
BECAUSE IT WAS 50 DEGREES!
It's just a tease; we'll get snow again by the end of the week.
These kids weren't going to miss an opportunity to snatch some warmth.

Check out these models of cooperation.
I found them playing at my table.
Does anyone know who they belong to?

Playing With Photography

2011-01-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I drew a heart flower in the condensation on the window in our garage. This is the photo I took, enhanced a little with some Photoshop actions. I love how you can see the birch tree across the street where the glass is clear.

Art Journaling

2011-01-10T22:33:00.001-08:00

My one little word for 2011: courage.

This page is based on a challenge to use circles.

I'm finding a groove with the art journal, experimenting with different mediums and playing with supplies I already have. Some of my pages are cut from a watercolor tablet, and others are made from stacked and glued pieces of newspaper that have been lightly coated with gesso. I won't bind them until I feel there are enough to make a nice book; I like to have the pages loose when I'm working on them.

So, to make room for art journaling, I am using Project Life this year.

I love this idea. I like the ease of recording the daily/weekly/monthly details in a handy space.
I want to find a music stand to display it in my craft room.
I'm still going to create layouts, just less quantity and more quality.

I used to bite my nails pretty badly when I was younger.
This picture reminds me of someone who spent some time hiding her hands.
Muscle memory.

Say It Like It Is

2011-01-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

I had a brief conversation with his teacher today and she shared a little story.
It seems that the kids were in line for something and not behaving, so she was giving them a reprimand. To which Ben said "Excuse me. Can we go to art now? I think we've done enough talking."
I love it when I get glimpses of him that I don't normally see.

365 Photos

2011-01-02T17:33:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about this cool project for a couple of years now.
A 365-day chronicle of yourself in pictures.

Isn't it cute how the date reads backwards?
Didn't quite clue in to the fact that I was shooting into a mirror.
Imperfection is definitely a part of my life!

Evolution: Timer and a nifty sign.

I won't be posting pictures of myself here everyday.
Just naming the resolution for 2011.
If you want to see a cool time-lapse video of the project, go here.

This Is Why

2010-12-30T10:26:00.001-08:00

I was on Facebook this morning and I ran across an album of pictures that my cousin posted of my family's holiday down south. The first photo that came up was one of my dad and my heart did a little leap to see him. I was immediately overcome with a longing to go home, to hang with my peeps and make the acquaintance of our newest members. I started to cry because I could suddenly smell the air of the southern landscape cloaked in its own unique winter and see myself riding through the gray light with my family to the gathering.
One photograph took me there.

I was so grateful to my cousin for posting those shots, and that got me thinking about photography, about how much it means to me to have pictures in my life, about how we as photographers sometimes lose our perspective in our quest for the perfect picture. When the photo came up on the screen I didn't even notice most of it, not the lighting or the color balance or if the subject was framed correctly. I just saw the face of my dad and then tumbled into that cascade of emotions. When you point your camera to the action at hand, when you capture those shots of seemingly ordinary moments, you might just be creating a shiny cherished trinket. You can never know what those captured moments might look like to someone else.

This is why I scrapbook.

Enjoying the Season

2010-12-21T09:46:00.001-08:00

Getting together with co-workers for holiday parties.

Firing up the router to complete the "honey-do" list.

Getting to know the world-wide web on her new laptop.

Building, building, building.

Celebrating 24 years of marriage.

The 12 Tags of Christmas

2010-12-16T15:10:00.001-08:00

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Winter Concert

2010-12-15T10:49:00.001-08:00

Despite the call I received to fetch Claire from school yesterday morning because she wasn't feeling well, she made it to her Winter Concert last night.

Who would have thought that sixth-graders could make such beautiful sounds?
Many of these kids had never played an instrument until this year.
I think their band instructor is a miracle worker.
I wonder if I sounded as lovely on my trumpet in sixth grade.

Here's our flutist sitting next to her BFF Emily.
I am so proud of her for working so hard.

Unfortunately, her illness was not the migraine we first suspected.
She returned home and crashed last night and is still in bed this morning.

The principal said they may be able to stream the concert live next year.
How cool would that be?

Hello Christmas Busyness

2010-12-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

Here's my little elf helping me with the Christmas decorations.

And here's my little contortionist.
He's always twisting his body in weird ways and has done so since he was a little guy.
It would not be uncommon in our house to see him playing his DS this way.
This is a yoga pose called Plow.
No problem for him.
No problem for Claire.
Mark came close. Very close.
I didn't even try.

The 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 4.

Day 5.

Day 6.

With all the other crafting going on around here right now, I am unable to keep up on a daily basis (who knew this work thing would take so much TIME!), but I am OK with that. (I'm not REALLY OK with that, but this blog post is serving as a little pep talk to myself to GET OK with it)!

The 12 Tags of Christmas

2010-12-05T12:12:00.000-08:00

Day 3.
I just KNEW there would be some tissue tape involved!

The 12 Tags of Christmas

2010-12-02T20:16:00.001-08:00

Since it's the season of tradition, I've decided to play along again this year with Tim Holtz as he creates 12 technique-infused tags during the first 12 days of December. It's really an amazing endeavor, and I try to stretch my creativity even more by using products I already have on hand. That part is really hard; he has some amazing stuff available.

Here is Tim's tag for day 1.

And mine.

Tim's tag for day 2.

And mine.

So far I seem to have none of the products he's using this year, but never fear. I bought some tissue tape and I just KNOW he's going to reward me!

My friend Wendy is playing along on her blog too. Anyone else playing?

Altered Art

2010-11-30T12:43:00.001-08:00

I recently finished altering this 7gypsies printer's tray.
I used my favorite October Afternoon Thrift Shop papers along with some random little prints that I liked.

I love working on a small scale like this, finding treasures to place in the compartments.
It's a mishmash of significant items, including a penny from the year Mark and I were married , two more pennies for the kid's birth years, some sand from our trip to the Mediterranean, and of course a heart rock!

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap

2010-11-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Look at what showed up in my mailbox.
This is the beautifully stitched felt postcard I received from Tina in the UK.
I love how the hearts are pouring out of the roof.
I love the hand-stitched flowers and the button on the sun.
This swap was so much FUN. I hope there's another one soon!!

Gratitudes

2010-11-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

While I was watering plants this morning, I was reflecting upon a few of my gratitudes:

I am grateful for my amazing partner whom I love and cherish.
I am grateful for my beautiful, brilliant children, who bring me joy and humility each day.
I am grateful for clean water and abundant food.
I am grateful for the visual beauty of art and the auditory brilliance of music.
I am grateful for a respite from cancer for yet another year.

The turkey is in the smoker, the pie is cooling on the counter, and the jigsaw puzzle pieces have been sorted.
From our warm and grateful home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

Hello Monday

2010-11-22T11:52:00.001-08:00

It is snowing. Three inches and counting.
Our first winter storm warning of the year has been issued, with a total accumulation of five to eight inches predicted.
A matinee of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows perhaps?

Who You Are and What They Say

2010-11-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

A little ditty that appeared in my in-box:

If you are confident, they will say you are arrogant.

If you are deliberate, they will say you are too sure of yourself.

If you have a sense of purpose, they will say you are self-absorbed.

If you know who you are, they will ask, "Who are you, anyway?"

If you believe in kindness and compassion, they will say you are naïve.

If you are a dreamer, they will say "join the real world."

If you are a rebel, they will try to shut you down.

The instructions include:

rein it in
slow it down
wait it out

pull it back
take your time
play it safe

But you will know:

They are envious because they want what you have.

They are afraid of change even as they crave it.

They are projecting their own regret into resentment of you.

It's not all bad news: some of them will sort themselves out and end up joining you. Because you are a good person and have had plenty of false starts of your own, you'll understand and welcome them warmly. We've missed you! you'll say. It's about time you made it.

As for the others, well, you will remember what Gandhi said:

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau

Hello Winter

2010-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

Look what we woke up to this morning.
Completely unexpected.
Welcomed with open arms in this family.
Both kids are snotty, so we had an impromptu sick day.
Everyone needs a little rest.

I get to stay home too.
Art and laundry are my mantra today.

ATCs

2010-11-16T10:24:00.001-08:00

I recently joined a local Artist Trading Card club that meets once a month to swap tiny pieces of art. Our theme for November was gratitude and this was the card I created.

And here's a few cards from swaps gone by.

Right Now

2010-11-14T10:36:00.001-08:00

Our beautiful curly-haired Claire.
Learning to play the flute.
She recently finished a season of middle-school volleyball.
Totally loving books right now.
Sassy-mouthed and sweet, this one.

Hello little cute man.
He's all Lego Star Wars, all the time.
Unless it's Xbox 360.
Thinking he might want to give Karate a try.
His mouth is a tangle of too big and baby teeth right now.

My mountain man.
This pic is pretty representative of what he's been doing.
Hunting.
And working hard at the sequencing core.
And getting freakin' amazing at Sudoku.
And turning forty-five. Yikes.

And me, the mama.
I'm just swinging along, working and taking care and making art.
Nesting into my new home.
Experiencing my first root canal.
Steering clear of cancer for another year.

Life is good.

Start With Art

2010-11-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome back me!
This is my postcard for The (great big) Stitched Postcard Swap.
It's being mailed to a fellow artist tomorrow,
but I can't tell you who just yet.
I hope she likes it.
You can view other postcards here.

Hello Monday, Goodbye

2010-03-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

I think Mondays are always good for starting fresh.
I had my teeth cleaned this morning.
I crossed all the to-do's off my list that needed phoning or emailing.
And I decided to let go of this blog.
It's been on my mind for a while now.
Updating is starting to feel more like an obligation than a creative endeavor.
I'll still be posting on the Paper Pals Design Team Blog.
And I'll have a gallery at Flikr and/or Two Peas for art.
I might come back. I might not.
I'll just roll with it.
Thanks for hanging with me.
Peace and love.

Art Share

2010-03-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of layouts of my favorite gal.

Tenth birthday in Jena, Germany. Homemade "american" cake, meaning it actually used sugar as one of the main ingredients. German confections tended to be on the milder side of sweet, and one of the little girls at the party couldn't eat the cake because it was just too sweet for her. I wonder how she would have felt about one of those 3-inch frosting-laden creations from Safeway!!

Claire and her BFF last summer. Isn't it fun when you find people who share your passions in life?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Swell Saturday

2010-03-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day puttering around in my studio/office/guestroom, known hereafter simply as my space. Mark just received an enviously-beautiful laptop as part of his new job, so I've moved MY laptop downstairs to my space and I'm sitting here in front of a sunny window listening to tunes and working on photos. I just scored Adobe Photoshop CS4 and I'm eager to take a class here so that I can become a master! Life is good.

How about some holiday-themed layouts to share?

This is the My Mind's Eye "Boo to You" line.
One side of the paper had cool spiderwebs,
so I cut them out and then outlined each strand with copper stickles.
And you'll be seeing a lot more stitching on my future layouts.
My sewing machine is back home and I am a big fan of the results.

Again with My Mind's Eye.
Will it become my Scenic Route replacement?

Hope you're having a swell Saturday.

Back to the Art

2010-03-11T10:09:00.001-08:00

Now that we're pretty much settled and I've had a little time to scrapbook,
I have lots of layouts to share.

This layout was created for Paper Pals Design Team using the Origins line by Basic Grey.
It's been in the store for awhile, but I haven't had a chance to post it here.
Yes, I'm still working on those photos from Europe.

Ditto on this layout.
I really do love boys who love flowers.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

Forty Four

2010-03-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Just another day really, except there's a new picture on my driver's license and a new age to remember; it's harder the older you get you know.

I'm hoping for a gluten-filled dinner of ravioli with alfredo sauce (sorry honey!) and a trip to Baskin Robbins for many scoops of ice cream. I bought my own birthday gift yesterday; four Copic markers, and those of you who know about these beauties will understand my excitement!

Off for a day in the greenhouse, where the sun is always shining...

One Big Awesome

2010-02-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Our new house is awesome.

Here's a shot from the window in my living room yesterday as the sun peeked out right before sunset to illuminate campus after a day of rainy gray.

And these guys are awesome.

They are riding their scooters to school every day now.
And they are both hosting sleep overs with their BFF's tonight.

And this guy is awesome too.

He got to hang (but mostly work) with our cousin Tim, who came from Oregon to help tie up the loose ends of our move. Thanks Tim!
He's spent a couple of days steelhead fishing in Idaho recently.
And he's been offered a new position at WSU and it looks like he's going to accept.

And I'm doing pretty awesome as well.

Here's a layout for Design Team using the new Basic Grey "Origins" line and depicting me enjoying Starbuck's in different European locations.

Balmy, sunny weather on the Palouse today, but I hear it's snowing in Louisiana??

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

Next Chapter, Check

2010-01-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

As witnessed by my photo yesterday, we're "in" our new house. Moving has been a very long process; we have accumulated a lot of stuff during the past 18 years on the farm. We are well-equipped for any adventure in any season, but this does not come as a surprise to those of you who know my guy. Anyway, everything has gone fairly smoothly (if you overlook me walking into the laundry room last Saturday to find that the pressure release valve on the water heater failed and was pouring gallons of hot water onto the floor and me frantically calling Mark in Portland to help me get the water shut off "smooth") and we're all happily exhausted. Tomorrow the moving company will get the piano here and Mark will spend a well-deserved day fishing on the Clearwater, then we'll spend the weekend completely finishing up.

In the midst of all this moving, I started a new job working very part-time in the greenhouses on campus. It's the perfect job for a constantly cold, thyroid-less gal like me. I sit in the glowing warmth (a balmy 80F in the head house) breathing mint and basil, washing pots or harvesting seeds while listening to the radio. Pretty painless re-entry into the workforce really.

Next chapter, check.

I'm looking forward to next week, being finished with the physicality of moving and the start of a new month in our new house. I've got a lot of "sorting out" and "adjusting" still to do, but I'm going to make some time to start using my camera and adhesive again, that is if I can find them.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

A Winner

2010-01-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for playing along. It was fun visiting your blogs and seeing all of your amazing creativity. Don't forget to check out the Paper Pals blog and the Design Team blog to see if you're a winner there too!

Without further ado, the randomly chosen winner of the tagger is Andrea Amu, who said "Ohh, I love that tagger tool and I never got one! Cool!" Andrea, email your vitals to kwildung at gmail dot com and I will get that cool tagger on its way to you. Congrats!

I heard a rumor that the Paper Pals Design Team will be hosting another blog hop in the near future featuring My Mind's Eye, so stay tuned...

Holy Crop! It's a Blog Hop!

2010-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

My friend and fellow crafter Angela Lenssen has been published in the February issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine!! To celebrate, we're having a Blog Hop for you full of giveaways! The gals and I on Design Team at our LSS (Local Scrapbook Store) Paper Pals in Pullman have joined up to host this hop starting today and ending on Monday, January 25th at 8 pm.

So, how can you win these great prizes? Make sure you leave a comment on this and all the blogs listed by 8 pm PST on Monday, January 25. Every stop has a different prize, so visit any or all locations and leave a comment to win! (One entry per person per blog. Winners will be selected at random.)

AND... if you post a link to our blog hop on your blog, Facebook, Twitter or web site, you get an extra chance to win! Let us know by leaving a comment and a link to where you "advertised" us at the Paper Pals store blog. You'll then get the chance to win a Cropper Hopper Photo Case!

I'll give away this cool paper tagger to one of my lucky blog readers, so leave me a comment and then hop on to visit the rest of my crafty sisters!

Angela's "Mom-e-Memoirs"
Paper Pals Design Team
Kristi's "Kaydub"

Anita's "The Cory Connection"

Judy's "A Little of This, A Little of That"

Leah's "Confessions of a Scraplifter"

Suzy's "Life at the Big Red Barn"

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2010.
A new house, a new job, a new car, a new nose, a new blog.
My addition to the Kinks' Do It Again.
The "real" lyrics have been playing in my head a lot lately.

'Tis the Season...

2009-12-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

... of waiting, and waiting some more, and each time we think we're getting closer, more waiting. My irritation in waiting has been compounded by the fact that the farmhouse is really acting up: never-before-seen-problems with the water have arisen, forcing us to run into the snowy yard in our bathrobes to reset the pump to take a shower; lightbulbs are burning out left and right and the heating coil in the dog's water is kaput (I believe these are due to some kind of power surges in the electrical "system", if you can call what's been done to this house in the name of wiring any kind of "system"); the insulating pane on the back screen door, which has been holding on by one last spring for the past many years, has given up, and now each time I open the door I am greeted by an icy whoosh of air. And you know, we're not going to fix anything because we're kind of pissed off, and hey, we're leaving, but we're not exactly sure when, so guess who's suffering from their own spite? There's a lesson in here somewhere.

But we had an excellent Christmas, quiet and family-filled with some very happy children. Claire received American Girl Doll Kirsten, who was the source of many a pre-Christmas meltdown in our home because she was being retired this year and if we didn't have to save to buy a stupid house and if her parents weren't so anti-consumeristic would be hers to cherish forever. I love laughing on the inside at such emotional outbursts; I know I already bought the freakin' toy and it's their bad karma in being so shallow and materialistic that's causing them such torture. But I totally remember being a kid and spending hours drooling over all the toys I had to have in the Sears catalog, so I wasn't totally without compassion for her.

Then we miracled Ben with Lego Star Wars for the xbox, which he was convinced did not exist and would require the purchase of a wii so that he could be a happy boy. Thank you internet. Got out of that pickle for $7 plus shipping and felt a little less pinched at spending the money for his sister's doll! I took him on a hike with me to the mailbox yesterday for a little vitamin sunshine; he's been glued to the tv since Christmas day and I was starting to feel a little guilty. But again I have some compassion. He's on Christmas break and enjoying himself, and I certainly wouldn't want some uninformed grown-up telling me to take a break just when I've gained four light sabers to secure victory in the battle of Dexter's Diner!

We're going bowling today and ringing in the new year quietly at home, although there are a few booze bottles with tiny amounts of liquid in them that we don't want to move. I finished my 12 Tags of Christmas Project and uploaded a photo of them to Tim Holtz for the grand prize drawing tomorrow. If you've got any luck to spare, please send it my way.

Have an excellent New Year's Eve.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

23 Years

2009-12-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Being married to you is most often amazing, sometimes challenging, but ALWAYS worth it, even though you are hauling an elk out of the canyon with your buddies today.....

Happy Anniversary to us.

(p.s. I like elk.)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

12 Tags of Christmas

2009-12-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

I've been doing a lot of improvising on these tags.
There's no supply list and we don't know what the tag will be until the day it's posted, so it's impossible to gather supplies ahead of time.
You all know how far I am from the scrapbooking store, so I've challenged myself to make do or go without in order to make a tag each day.
It's really stretching my creativity.
But we could all use a good stretch now and then.

12 Tags of Christmas

2009-12-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

Day 4

Day 5

A Christmas Pantry

2009-12-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

I ran across this photo while cruising my blog list this morning.

Seriously?
Who DOES this?

Here's a much more practical photo.
One of my decorating elves rediscovering Comet,
the moose or reindeer (we can't decide).

And my other little elf, looking so beautiful and festive.

Have a great weekend.

12 Tags of Christmas

2009-12-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Day 2

Day 3
I am having too much fun doing these tags.
Tim Holtz is a technique master!
I do wish he'd lighten up on the somber colors a little though.

Here's my living room this morning.
As you can see, holiday decorating is in full swing around here.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Monday

2009-11-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

I made it through the Thanksgiving holidays with only three extra pounds under my belt, which is amazing considering I pretty much tried to eat myself to death and spent the better part of the wee hours of one morning stumbling around an unfamiliar house in search of antacids.

This candidly captured moment of cousin Davina is an excellent example of how we all felt about Mark's famous smoked turkey. Thank you Jen for hosting and I will be sending a bronzed plaque to mount on the table proclaiming that I am the QUEEN of air hockey!

Tomorrow I will ring in the month of December with my completed December Daily album. I made it from scratch using chipboard for the covers and spine and then binding them together with Seven Gypsies gaffer tape. I covered the pieces with some Making Memories Mistletoe paper, painted the paper green and then rubbed off most of the paint with a paper towel. Then I gave the whole thing a light covering of clear glitter paint and added my embellishments. I cut the bird from SEI Wintersong paper and adhered it along with a little bling.

Inside pages made from whatever I had laying around.

I'll be adding lots more detail as the days pass and I add pictures and journaling to this base. This is the third year I've done this project and I absolutely love it.

And also beginning tomorrow, I'll be participating in this.
Anyone else?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Monday

2009-11-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

It was such a pleasure to sleep in this Monday morning. The kids are out of school for the week and Mark is on vacation, so there was no alarm clock to interrupt our sleep this morning, although I did lose a little bit of sleep from the squiggly boy who made his way into my bed for a snuggle in the wee hours of the morning. My father-in-law and nephew are visiting for a few days of hunting, so there might be some rooster pheasants in my freezer before long.

We're making our way to the Tri-Cities to meet up with the Jones clan for Turkey Day. I haven't seen most of them since Mt. Rainier in 2008, so I'm really looking forward to catching up and devouring one of Mark's delicious smoked turkeys. Our dinner will be gluten/dairy-free, which concerns me a little, but I'm keeping an open mind!!

I am almost finished with my December Daily album and will certainly be ready to begin recording come December 1. I made it completely from scratch, even trying my hand at book-binding the cover, and I am so pleased with the results. Just a few more details and I'll be ready to share.

And Ben ran in his school's annual Turkey Trot, receiving, along with everyone else, the coveted popsicle stick at the finish line. So important, that popsicle stick, but I totally get it.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Challenge

2009-11-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

The word was STOP.
So, in the spirit of keeping with the challenge, that's what I'm going to do.
Who was I to imagine long days of leisurely crafting leading up to Christmas?
I'm no Martha Stewart and I hear there's a shortage of elves this year.
So I'll STOP.
And pick it up again after we're settled in our new home.

Hello Monday

2009-11-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping this week will bring less anxiety and more calmness to our lives. The holiday season last year was spent in the throes of cancer and preparing for Germany. This year will be spent preparing to move. So be it.
I can groove to any beat.

We're touring some houses in Pullman this morning. I LOVE doing that.

Christmas crafting is in full swing around our house. I LOVE that.

Claire and her schoolmates will be performing their winter musical on Thursday. I LOVE that too.

Both of my kids are turning out to be excellent spellers. I REALLY LOVE that.

I spent the afternoon yesterday in the company of women, making art with my friend Shawna and our daughters. Lots of stories and laughing and painting and gluing going on. I was finally light-hearted after spending last week pumped on adrenaline. It felt so good.

Embracing Change

2009-11-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

It's not really my favorite thing to do, changing. In fact, it's really hard for me and I usually try to avoid it, choosing instead to stick with what I know. But inevitably change comes and rears its ugly head and I am forced to embrace it.

We are moving. Not something I expected to have to do right now, but things have gone from bad to shit here on the farm and it is no longer our home. It turns out that despite the words people may choose to say to you, you can never really know what's in someone's heart. And some people have really hard hearts. Now, I am in no way completely innocent here, I got fed up and said a few harsh words, but they were true and real. It's not the first time that speaking my mind has gotten me into trouble, but I just can't live inauthentically. The current adjective for me around here now is "difficult", but I prefer to view my actions in this situation as bold and passionate. It is my story, after all.

So I am ANGRY and SAD and HURT. But I am also EXCITED and RELIEVED and so very GRATEFUL for the outpouring of support from family and friends and our community. We will be moving back to town as soon as we find a place we can call HOME. And good luck to Box 4 Ranch, they're going to need it.

In the words of coach Eric Taylor from one of my favorite TV shows:
"Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose".
Good way to live, don't you think?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Go visit Mark,, I'm too sad to post today.

Tuesday Challenge

2009-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

My take on "GO".

Next Word Up: STOP.

Have a great Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Mark

2009-11-09T08:17:00.001-08:00

May the next year of your life be as magical and fortuitous as the last.
I love you babe.
Have a great day.

Words of Wisdom

2009-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

When our lives become pageants, we become actors.
When we become actors, we sacrifice authenticity.
Without authenticity, we can't cultivate love and connection.
Without love and connection, we have nothing.
-Brene Brown

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

One Little Word Challenge

2009-11-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

There is a blog I love called One Little Word. For the past couple of years they have been posting words on their blog and asking readers to link the art that the word inspires. They have completed 50 word prompts; I played along for the first 25 and then petered out, although I continued to visit and admire. I recently learned that they are calling it quits and it really saddened me because I always assumed I would have time to join in again. Well, I've decided there's truly no better time than the present, so each Tuesday I will post a word from the archives of One Little Word, starting at the beginning and continuing for 50 weeks. I'll share my layout the following week along with the new word. Anyone want to play along with me? Just share your layout (whatever size or shape or color you want, it's your art) as a link on the challenge post.
This week's prompt: GO
I'd love to see where you "go" with that.

Hello Monday

2009-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Unlike many people, I like Mondays.

It's my "gown down" and catch up on blogs day.
It's the day I make my grocery list.
It's the day I usually bake bread.
And on Mondays, there's a little bit of quiet at my house,
that is until I crank up the music,
which I inevitably always do.

Here's my girl with her pumpkin.
It turned out to be a cute kitty cat.
Not an ounce of horror in that one I tell you.

And here's the crew before heading to town.
We met up with some friends for trick or treating.
The boys ran full throttle to each and every house.
The girls walked nonchalantly far behind and talked.
We combed two neighborhoods and have plenty of chocolate.
And I've had my fill of Reese's Peanut Butter cups.

First Graders Are So Stinkin' Cute

2009-10-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today I helped out in Ben's classroom for their Halloween party. The teacher let each student take a turn sharing what their costume was and why they chose it. One little girl stood up and said
"I am Robin Hood and I chose this costume because it was the only one for $9.95."
I love the brutal honesty of first-graders!

I'm mere hours away from the Design Team crop at Paper Pals tonight. It's been well over a year since I've scrapbooked with a group and I am giddily anticipating basking in all that creative genius. I'll (hopefully) be finishing my albums from Europe. And me, little thyroid-less, tired girl will be out past midnight. Woot! I hope I don't have to stop for a nap!

Happy Haunting!

It's Still Fall, Right?

2009-10-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's a balmy 32 degrees and SNOWING on the Palouse this morning. Granted the ground is not frozen so it won't be sticking around, but need I remind Mother Nature that it's not even Halloween yet? I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about this little winter preview; girls without thyroids and cold weather are not the best of friends.

Crazy busy around here. We've had to turn the shop over to the new farmers, so we are in the middle of a forced reorganization that has left no part of our house untouched. And it's parent-teacher conference week, so the kids only attend school in the mornings. Seems like we just get them dropped off and it's time to pick them up again. They are so ready for Halloween; Claire is going to be a pirate and Ben will be a ghoul with a "screamer" mask. We've already made an agreement about Mama's share of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which is that if I have to stand out in the cold while they ring doorbells, I get them all.

I get to spend a couple of hours visiting with my friend Jill today, then watch Grey's Anatomy with my friend Laura tonight. And tomorrow night I will be cropping at Paper Pals with the design team. It's been way too long since I got my "scrap" on!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Angela features Wordless Wednesday on her blog, and as I go about my Wednesday mornings I find myself wondering what photo she will post for me.
I'm totally stealing it.
Thanks Angela.

A Little Bit of This

2009-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

From a basket of these

To jars of this

And a pan of this

And then there's this

Have a great weekend!

Art Share

2009-10-15T11:13:00.001-07:00

Riding the laufrod full throttle down a steep incline and around a 90 degree corner without a helmet or any other protection. He's a maniac. Please don't turn me in to CPS.

Good friends visiting and laughing together in Olympia last summer.

What are you creating?

Living With Kids

2009-10-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Beside the noise level and the obvious "little people" contraband strewn about the house, I often find other small clues that children live here. I find that these little clues are welcome day-brighteners.

A can of homework pencils become weapons for Ben's robots after he finishes his work. This was a favored activity for a few days last week and I loved stopping to admire his formations on the kitchen table.

A little someone left a cache of chestnuts on a shelf in my office for me. These little piles of "things" that I find around the house are such indicators that Claire has been there. My little squirrel; she's always been a collector of "things".

Here's a sneak peek of this month's layout for Paper Pals Design Team, inspired by my children who love to wear santa hats and pose beneath the Christmas tree each year. If you're a scrapbooker, Anita is all about challenges right now over on the blog.

It's raining and I'm so relieved. It was a long, dry spell and I was starting to get cranky with all the static electricity. Fall is certainly exerting its influence around here: a fire in the wood stove, a bushel of apples waiting to be sauced, a deer in the freezer and steelhead running in the rivers (those last two make for a very happy guy, which makes for a happy me).

The Best Way to Have Horses...

2009-10-09T16:46:00.001-07:00

... is to have horses who belong to someone else.

This is Snowball. He and two of his buddies, Royal and Count, are spending some time in our lower pasture, eating down the grass and being cute.

How would you like to be this ten-year-old? She loves these horses. And she's a natural. She helped brush and saddle Royal and was very easy around him.

This one is a little more timid, but also in love. He's trying so hard to take the riding seriously, but he wants to burst out and laugh.

I did get upon the horse and Mark gallantly lead us around the pasture, but I'm definitely the most timid of all. I'm getting used to them, feeding them apples out of my hand and scratching their noses, but I wouldn't call it easy.

You never know what new things you might have to learn in a day.

Feelin' Stronger Everyday

2009-10-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

The "yuck" has moved on down the highway and let me just say how sorry I am for the next folks who catch it. It's times like these when I realize just how much Mark and I each do around here; it's so very hard for both of us to be down at the same time.

I did finish up my Big Picture Scrapbooking class with Cathy Zielske (on time) and I am so pleased with the results. It was a lot more work than I expected, but well-worth the effort and now I have this great little piece of me at this time in my life. I don't usually spend the money to take classes, but there was really no other way for me to do this project. I tend to leave projects without a timeline unfinished and I needed the parameters of the class to get it done.
So very glad I took the plunge.

My album, a 3-ring binder courtesy of Target.

My title page. I used patterned paper from the Early Bird line by Cosmo Cricket.

And the guts. All the pages followed this format, so once I completed the journaling it came together really quickly.

Trivia: does anyone know the band whose hit song is today's post title?

Hello October

2009-10-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

(cue whining)
On this first day of October, all four of us are sick.
Can't remember the last time we were all sick together.
Mark returned to work today.
He's been sick since Sunday and is missing his deer season.
I spent yesterday sleeping and reading in bed with a headache, chills and coughing.
The kids are both home from school today with sore throats and body aches.
I think I might be able to muster the energy to go to the mailbox.
There are movies from Netflix waiting there.
Looks like we'll be spending the afternoon cuddled up on the couch.

Have You "Scene" It

2009-09-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Because if you haven't, hurry up, it'll be gone soon.
That's right, my favorite paper company, Scenic Route, is calling it quits.
My friend Shawna tried to tell me it was coming, but I refused to believe it until I received an email from the company this weekend confirming the rumor.
In commemoration, I hurried to make this layout with some of the old Metropolis line I had laying around.
I lifted it straight off the cover of the October issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine because I loved the title across the upside down tags.

This company's paper was my "turn to product" when I was scrapbooking.
I'm sad that they're folding, and I'm even more sad that this seems to be the recent pattern in our industry as so many scrapbookers go digital.
I don't want to go digital.
My computer skills are minimal at best and I'm a very tactile person.
I need real paper to help me create.

I guess the job of my favorite paper is open until filled.

Since When Does the Tooth Fairy Take Orders?

2009-09-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Claire lost her first molar a couple of days ago, eating a Bit 'o Honey.
Now that she's aware that the tooth fairy is really Mark and me,
she feels like she can put her order in for what will be left beneath her pillow.
She wrapped her lost tooth carefully in an envelope and wrote on the outside
"Claire's Tooth. (Keep safe 'cause it's my first molar)".
Then she wrote us this note stating specifically what she thought was an appropriate gift for a molar.
Since when did the tooth fairy start taking orders?

Here's Bionicle Boy.
He loves them and he's getting very skilled at building them.
He recently waited 2 weeks for a Bionicle he ordered from Amazon with his birthday money.
Our order qualified for free shipping, so we had to wait extra long.
Horrible, horrible stuff for a seven-year-old.
You should have seen his beaming face when he and Mark finally brought it home from the mailbox. Priceless.

We're expecting Mark's Aunt Nancy from Arizona for a visit tomorrow.
I so enjoy spending time with her. I'm really looking forward to it.
And she's also gluten-free, so bonus.
I'm planning on baking some chocolate chip cookies.

Reading

2009-09-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Looks like I've got myself some readers.
That makes me so incredibly happy.
It's one of my parenting wishes, to have kids who grow up to love reading.
Claire is a very good reader and hates to ever miss reading a book before bed.
Ben is learning to read and I think he's getting a glimpse of the many fabulous places reading can take him.

Here's a couple of passages that struck me in my reading adventures lately.

That's when I came to know that to be left, sent off, abandoned, was not of the moment, but a black ditch to the side of the road of your life, a pothole that went down to China.
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich

It was as if marriage had been a long, complicated meal, and now there was this lovely dessert.
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Hope you're finding some time to read something good.

P.S. This is not a normal bedtime scene in our home. Usually someone's eyes are red from crying because they didn't get the sink on the right when they were brushing their teeth and they are professing very loudly how they are never, ever, going to play with the other person again let alone read them a stupid book. You've got to take your pleasures when they come.

Writing

2009-09-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've been writing about myself all day
I fear I may have nothing left to say
I think I'll go out tomorrow and play.

Working diligently on my class at Big Picture Scrapbooking with Cathy Zielske.
I've completed the journaling through the letter P,
sans the letter I, because it's eluding me right now.
I'm amazed there are people posting completed pages in the gallery already.

The little rhyme above is a tribute to the talented Dr. "Z"uess,
whose books have graced our bookshelves for many years
and who is featured as one of my entries under the letter Z.
I really liked Mike Meyers as The Cat In The Hat.
I'm grasping here people.

Whimsy

2009-09-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

My husband is sometimes overcome by whimsy
It's one of the things I love about him.
So he built a gigantic slingshot.
Just because he's always wanted to make a giant slingshot.
It is now the centerpiece of our garden picnic table.
It's actually quite beautiful.
He's using it to shoot apples into the barnyard.

H1N1 has left the building.
It was pretty mild, although Ben did puke 11 times.
He says he's sure he made it into the Guiness Book of World Records.

I am reading Olive Kitteridge for my book club.
I am writing for my class with Cathy Zielske.
I am planning a ton of layouts.
I am savoring the last sweet days of summer.

The First One Bites the Dust

2009-09-11T08:12:00.001-07:00

The flu is in da house and its first victim is little Ben, who is running a low-grade fever and puked and puked until 2:00 this morning. Poor kid; he'd sleep for about 15 minutes, then cry and and writhe and whine "Mama" for about 30 minutes, then vomit, and then we'd start all over again. For those of you who don't know, our little community is leading the nation in flu cases, and our infectious disease doctor says this is only the beginning, that we won't even peak until mid-October. Our clinics are no longer seeing patients with flu-like symptoms in an effort to slow transmission.

I don't think we'll be going to the fair this weekend. Any wagers on who's going down next? I hope it's not Mark. I do so love my boys, but sorry, you are the biggest babies when you're sick!

I Think I'm Satisfied

2009-09-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Enough messing around, sometimes you just have to say good enough.

Feeling a lot of love for the blue. I hope there's not someone out there who gets a headache looking at my page though.

Super busy today. Orthodontist, eye doctor (Ben does not need glasses), a stop at the scrapbooking store, grocery shopping, and lunch at McD's all this afternoon. Homework and baths now. We skipped dinner. Seems like just a few days ago we had absolutely nothing to do. Funny how things sneak up on you.

Tomorrow I'm back in Spokane for a routine ultrasound, but there's a solo trip to Target in there for me, so feel no pity. Plus I get to listen to music as loud as I want. And it won't be Wee Sing.

Pardon the Dust

2009-09-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling inspired to make some changes to the blog.

Life Is Good

2009-09-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Did I tell you we bought a cuckoo clock while we were in Bavaria, the home of the cuckoo clock industry and Black Forest Cake, which wasn't worth all the hoopla if you ask me?
Each hour a gong rings and a little bird comes out and chirps the time to us.
It is a mechanical clock, handmade by a Black Forest artisan, no batteries required.
Whenever it chimes, we pause to listen and smile.
It's a good memory of Germany.

My first batch of pretty darn good gluten-free pumpkin muffins.
I'm slowly studying a new cookbook on baking this way.
Once I got past the fact that it will never taste like it was baked with wheat,
I gave them an 8.
They were very pretty.

I recently joined the Design Team for Paper Pals, my local scrapbook store.
This is a tiny peek at one of my layouts using the fab new Earth Love Line from Cosmo Cricket.
Go on over and check out our blog here.
I know you'll be inspired.
There are some truly talented gals on this team.

Mark is out working on the pasture fence, pre-functioning for Labor Day.
Earlier this week we had a fishing date in the middle of the day
while our kids were at school.
While we were out on the river, he said
"I'm the luckiest man on earth."
Wow.
It appears that I might be the luckiest woman on earth.

Welcome September

2009-09-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

I love turning the page of the calendar to a new month.
September is one of my favorite months;
the weather begins to cool down,
our back-to-school routine is in place,
and it's usually a month during which I begin new things.
Cathy Zielske's class begins this Thursday
and later this month I'll attend the first meeting of my new bookgroup.

Here's that mulit-generational photo I was able to get on Saturday morning.
Grandma Lee is 86, soon to be 87.
Isn't she beautiful?

A recent layout of our cat.
The kids loved to dress her up in doll clothes.
She disappeared while we were in Germany.
This page is a small remembrance of her.

I've been spending a lot of time in my studio:)

Just the Details

2009-08-28T08:08:00.001-07:00

Everyone had a good first day back at school. A little hungry, a little tired, but bubbling with details about their respective days. And the cookies were a huge hit.

We've got a plague of grasshoppers on the farm. Now I appreciate the beauty of nature and I'll sometimes go out of my way to help a creature in distress, but these guys? They're just plain ugly. When I look at them I think of the movie "A Bug's Life", where the grasshopper leader is an evil guy named Hopper and he's a beer-drinking, motorcycle-riding asshole (not that I'm against beer-drinking or motorcycle-riding, just the asshole part). And they make me so mad, leaving their huge bug guts all over my car when I hit them on the highway and literally stripping my plants to nothing. I'm almost ashamed to say that we have great fun using them for target practice with our BB guns, but just almost.

Now who doesn't love a little light saber battle on a beautiful summer evening?

A layout of my sis and me at Mt. Rainier last summer.

Yesterday I signed up for this class with Cathy Zielske.

It's based on the book "Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life" by Amy Krause Rosenthal, which I read and enjoyed a few years ago. I think it will translate nicely into a scrapbook.

And I am hooked on this show. Thanks Dad.

Mark's mom and grandma are coming for a visit this afternoon. I love an opportunity to get some good pictures of the generations.

Have a great weekend!

There They Go

2009-08-25T14:41:00.001-07:00

Does everyone have one of these pictures about now?
The first day back to school.

My crew heading out this morning.

The fifth grader.
Mark hung out with her on the playground until the bell rang.
New school and all.
We met her teacher yesterday and she is fantastic.
Claire will shine.

The first grader.
Mark said this guy jumped out of the truck at drop-off this morning and never looked back.
His "real" teacher is still on maternity leave, so he's got a Mister Teacher for now.

Waving goodbye to the mama standing on the porch.
It was a little too quiet for me after that so I turned the music way up.
The parakeet and me did a little dancing.
Then I grocery shopped and kitchen mopped and it's almost time for them to come home.
They will be warmly welcomed with gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.