Scraps of Kee

Begin with the End

2011-10-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Quirky~

I have a habit of reading the ending of a book first...I have to because I can't enjoy the rest of it unless I do. :-)
I didn't used to be that way, it is all Nicholas Spark's fault. Good old Nicky, also known as Writer of Stupid Endings Extraordinaire...

It all started with the book Message in a Bottle. I am a reader...an avid reader, nay a devourer of books. I have to read every night before bed, I read while walking, I read in the car (not while driving, but if I could figure out a safe way to do that I would) I read curled up in the chair listening to the rain fall...get the picture?

I was the toddler who scribbled her own nonsense books, the 4year old who learned to read before she went to Kindergarten (which resulted in a spanking at school and a suspension...but that is another story loll) I have a horrible memory for names, but I remember my Elementary librarian, Mrs. Holmes. I was the child who raced through school work so she could read during class, the teen that hid a book in my text books (like the teacher wouldn't notice.) The adult who reads at least 4 books a week...get the picture?

Fast forward to the "Stupid Book" (A.K.A.) Message in a Bottle. I read it. It was wonderful. *Spoiler Alert! Then right at the ending, out of the blue one of them dies...Oh my heck! Can you say seriously rude?

So now, if I start a book that I am really liking, I read the ending to make sure that I am not shocked/disgusted/sad/mad at the ending. I actually enjoy the story more if I know what will happen. Then I read the book to fill in the middle. Now even if someone dies, I am not destroyed. (Okay, a little dramatic)

I just read a great book called Before Ever After. I was stunned by how much I liked it. I laughed out loud when I came across the following quote by Max, one of the main characters.

"Fretting over how life ends, or anything else for that matter, is a complete waste of time," Max said. "I don't know about you, but when I got my hands on those Harry Potter books, I simply had to sneak a peek at the last page."
"Er, Harry Potter?" Jonathan arched a thick silver brow.
Max nodded, "I, for one believe that in order to really enjoy any story, you need to get the ending out of the way as soon as possible--which is why I've brought you all here. You need to learn the conclusion of one family's story so that you may better appreciate how it began and the cast of characters along the way."

Bam! Vindication! That is is exactly how I feel. Now if you will excuse me, I have a book to go read. Ending first of course. :-)

Who is that Mustached Man?

2011-10-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

It has taken me 11 years, but I finally realized that the person I thought was my son Toby is really secret agent...code name T.W.O.

The joke was on us because for all of these years I thought it stood for Toby William Ostler...in reality it stands for Totally Wacky Operative. Through secret sources I have learned that, he is, a Master of Disguise.

Once I realized that the strange man in the mustache was the same person I thought I had been raising...I started thinking back on all of the years past...

when he was a toddler and wore a giraffe (pronounced Hi-Waffe) costume for a week straight...not a quirk but in fact a disguise.

The years he preferred to run around naked except for a superman cape...not a future exhibitionist...but a disguise...

In January of 06 we thought he was obsessed with a show called Lazy Town...he wanted this costume more than anything...He wore it for an entire year...cried when he outgrew it. Little did I know that it was more than a costume...it was setting him up for his ultimate disguise.

Yes, folks, this is what my son wore to school the other day...a mustache. All day long. I can only wonder what his secret mission was on that day......

I am so sad that it is not a real mustache

Nothing going on here...just a man and his mustache enjoying a joke...move along....

You too can be as cool as Agent T.W.O. But only if you have the "Stache"!

Love is Just a Roll of the Dice...

2011-01-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

                                   I would like to introduce you to my new love...Yahtzee.

      Actually, my love affair with this game started when I was a little girl. Nana taught me how to play. My Dad's mum was enamoured with it and spent hours playing, either with partners or solo. We learned early and she even bought us our own dice. I had pink ones. I loved them.

    We then started the search for unusual dice, I still have a couple left. A bone one and a hollow metal die that rattles. A few more stick in my mind as coveted memories, I once found a large clear one that housed a tiny die inside. I loved it so much, but was never able to buy it. The other one had tiny carvings for all of the number markers. It was so much fun, we sewed little pouches for them that hung from our belts. Little felt houses for the treasures that loom so large in childhood.
     I remember laying clothed in ~~lovely~~ 70's bell bottoms on our woven rag rug, elbows perched on a corduroy pillow playing Yahtzee with my little sister...each of us yearning for that coveted five dice achievement...YAHTZEE! We would jump up in a wild banshee dance when we got one. My Nana and parents made sure we didn't play gambling games with our dice, but if we had, my bet would have been firmly placed on my sister every time. Golden Fingers Bobbers should have been her name. One game she rolled 7 Yahtzee's!

     That is the Yahtzee of the past. We still play it as a family. I taught my children at a young age as a tool to help with math. It is still fun to hear the click of the dice and throw them down excited to see what you get. Shon and I love to play it with the two of us as well...

Lately though, I find myself turning to one I stole from one of my children. A small electronic hand held game that we found and rescued during a room ~~excavation~~ cleaning. It fits perfectly in my purse pocket, I play it at night when I am too tired to read, in the car (no not while driving silly) and during the many, many, many times I am waiting for children.

I have a sneaking fear that it might be Mom O's. One she ~~lent~~ lost to my rug rats years ago. You have to understand, I would give this woman anything, after all she gave birth to my best friend. I would and have give her chocolate, time, craft items, laughter and tears, after all she is one of my best friends as well.

    However, I can not, will not give her my new boyfriend....Electronic Yahtzee. loll

Survivor 2010 ~ Alfia Island

2010-09-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Survivor 2010 ~ Alfia Island kicked off in style this year. Located in the wilds of Grandma Joan's backyard in the desolate wasteland of Lehi, Utah, three intrepid souls braved Hurricane Millie, Tornado Toby and dangerous chalk wounds. These hardy souls existed on local delicacies such as twigs, grass, a few flowers known from the genus species "Don't~tell~grandma~we~picked~her~petunias" and rocks wrapped in leaves and baked in the sun. They built shelters using the wide foliage of the "golf~us~umbrella" plant and even adopted a little UT native boy they found running around. Below are a few pictures that our camera woman was able to snap while braving great danger of drowning from the merciless powers of Hurricane Millie and Tornado Toby. Enjoy......

The girls make quick work of building a shelter.

Yum baked rocks anyone?

Apparently the natives of Lehi Utah are stinkin' adorable.

Lissie grinds down the "dangerous" chalk to render it powerless (and messy)

Danger from above! Millie has defected to become "Hurricane Millie" and brought along her buddy "Tornado Toby".

This what happened to the poor souls who didn't listen to the weather warnings. Let's take a moment of silence please......

Let's hear it for the winners of Survivor 2010 ~ Alfia's Island!

I seriously LOVE the imagination of kids! We can learn so much from them. Chalk, leaves and Grandma's golf umbrellas led to hours of fun cousin playtime.

Someday...

2010-03-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Someday I will go on my dream retreat which is here http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/ The scenery is gorgeous, the food looks divine, the projects are right up my alley and I love how they have decorated everything. It is my little "happy place" online. I pore over their website to see the projects and dream about going. The catch? Happy places don't come cheap. This retreat whistles in to the tune of about $1200. Yes you read that right. :-) So for now, it is filed under a someday. Go check it out anyway though, we all need happy places.

Healthy Living...All it's cracked up to be?

2010-03-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."

—Mark Twain

I love to look at ads from the past, a couple of nights ago I couldn't sleep and found these helpful (not) little "gems". Makes it hard to believe that any of our ancestors even stuck around long enough to procreate the next generation! Hmm...Beer for babies, smokin' mamas, arsenic and tape worms, apparently I have been going about this weigh loss and parenting thing all wrong!

Maybe that would have helped Joey sleep through the night.....

One dollar for nothing! Surely they jest! One dollar can buy you white skin, deathly pallor, arsenic poisening...all for 100 pennies, 20 nickels, 10 thin silver dimes or 4 quarters! A bargain!

What is his name - so I can never go to him! Eeeww!

Mmmmm...lard. Does anyone else feel queasy?

Is it my imagination or is mom looking at them like they are crazy?

Or is she just thinking about her "stylin" swimming suit and wonding if she is showing just a little too much skin? What will all of the ladies say at the country club? Silly lady, they won't care because they are too busy smoking and eating lard!

No more toothache, wait, are those children creepy or is it just me?

How can they build a house out of sticks if they are high on cocaine?

Uh, there are so many things to say about this,

I can't even sort and process them because my "smart a**" filter is on overload. :-)

What! You mean I have been killing myself at the gym and all I had to do is this!

Uhg, this is gross on so many levels, and I can not believe that people were really stupid enough to do this. Maybe all of the cocaine and arsenic helped.

All I can say is that I think that Mr. Twain was right on this one. Be careful of advertising - it's a killer.

I can't wait to see what I find on my next sleepless night.

Mirror, Mirror

2010-03-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

My Friend, if I could give you one thing, I would give you the ability to see yourself as others see you . . . then you would realize what a truly special person you are. ~Barbara A. Billings

I wonder at what point in our lives, do we stop being that little girl with the super sized, super-hero type of confidence? Why as women are so down on ourselves? It is amazing to me to watch a little girl walking about the world, without a care, knowing that she looks "fantabulous" in her red and green cowboy boots, red long johns with a tutu over-top and a tiara. She looks great, she feels great and she KNOWS it!

Somewhere along the way, we lose that sense of self. We don't always wear an outfit because it brings us joy; we wear it because it is in fashion. We look in the mirror and see a nose that is too big, instead of a beautifully shaped mouth or tilted blue eyes.

Now, I realize that to an extent is it important how you look, we need to be well groomed and take care of ourselves. We should take pride in who we are, after all, Heavenly Father gave us our bodies ...ah ha ladies, that is what we need to remember. Who we are is NOT reflected in the flat magazine pictures of personality deprived models. It is in remembering that we have a divine source.

I look at women all around me and am so amazed at their creativity, their flair and their beauty. I honestly don't think that I have ever looked a woman and said, "WOW! WHEW! She is beyond hope! GET OUT THE PAPER BAG! Cover this chick up she is making MY EYES BLEED! Puleez!

But what happens when we compliment someone? They usually demur, not out of false modesty, but because they really can't see what I do when I look at them. Sad.

I have to admit, as much as I love that quote above, I fall into the same category...Stupid media. Just sayin' makes you think doesn't it?

I must, I must, I must decrease my butt!

2010-03-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits,
and keeps the mind in vigor. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Fizzbert to Cicero! What was that guy thinking? Did he need a hobby? I have to say that I can think of the many things that lift my spirits ~ and working out on the weight machines is not one of them!

When I was younger, I was very thin, loved to run, could eat like a horse, still had a 21 inch waist.

Grew a little older, had kids, health issues and gradually my weight started to increase. Still, I thought to myself, “well, I don’t like my stomach muscles because after 4 c-sections and two other surgeries, they were basically mush, however I can live with it, if I have to.”

My butt, I can honestly say I didn’t worry about, not because I thought it was a toned thing of beauty, I just decided it was everyone else’s problem because they could see it and I couldn’t. :-) Now, as I get older I find things happening, like the fact my butt is indeed my problem, somewhere along the line, it started to creep its way around my hips one calorie at a time until I do notice it and I am not happy about it!

Since, for some strange reason, whining and thinking about exercising didn’t seem to be melting anything off of my body, I’ve started to work out.

One of my problems was that I don’t know how to exercise. Never did, I didn’t have a weight problem, did the sports I liked, but like many thin, young people, I didn’t have a good idea of whole body health.

Enter Prudie at the Y. Our YMCA does a free 8 week program several times a year. You go and work with a personal trainer two times a week and learn how to use the machines, how to exercise for your fitness level and how to gradually increase what you are able to do. During this time you have a Y card and can go as many times as you want outside of class. If you complete their program of 16 classes, you can join the Y without the initial start up fee. Very cool.

This humorous kicker? For me the only class I can fit in is the one at 5:30 in the morning. Yep me, confirmed card-carrying member of the night owls club, is getting my hiney out of bed, driving to the Y and working out. At first, I could only make it the two days, but I have been gradually increasing amount that I have been going, and working out at home when Shon has the car out of town.

You know what? I hate to admit it that Cicero might be right, I am kind of starting to like this exercise thing….Who would have thought?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2010-03-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

"That is what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason other than sheer enjoyment~Julia in a letter to Dawsey

Sometimes life can change in the blink of an eye by a seemingly random occurrence. We always assume that there needs to be a cataclysmic event for this to happen, something dramatic, something dark. Usually though, it is small acts that set off a chain of events that can be life changing. Many times, changing our life for the better and brighter.

For the main character in this book it was as simple as receiving a letter. The time was January 1946. The main character Juliet Ashton is a British author who along with everyone else in Briton after WWII is simply trying to move forward. She opens her mail one day to find a letter from a stranger with with a simple request that sets her life moving in a direction that she never dreamed of.

This book is written in an epistolary form, usually a style that I find stodgy. However, the characters in this book are vibrant and original, an eclectic mix that somehow works. The writing flowed so well, that I forgot I was reading letters. Juliet learns about the letter writer and his friends, as well as how the war affected the people of the Channel Islands. I didn't have a clue that there was British Territory that was occupied by the Germans in WWII. Somehow, I always thought all the occupation was on the continent.

I found many laugh out loud moments, few sad ones, and several clever quotes that stayed in my mind long after the book was done. If you are looking for a book about bold adventure and intrigue with heart stopping moments, this is not the book for you. If you like a gentler story about the strength of human nature, having a sense of humor and human triumph I would recommend this in a heartbeat.

Below, is a link to the real Channel Islands. It was a wonderful virtual trip, although, sadly I didn't get a suntan. :-)

http://www.visitguernsey.com/guernsey.aspx

Hi there!

2010-03-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

*While taking a break from blogging recently, I took the opportunity to update my blog. I have decided that one blog will cover everything. :-) After all, family, scrapping, creating, reading, photos...they are all part of my life!

*Thanks to everyone who kept emailing wondering if I was going to blog again. It would be so fun to meet some of you!

*The buttons below the header will keep everything organized (and we know how happy that makes me!) That way if all you want to see is tutorials, you can hit that button and not read the rest of the "scraps" that make up my life.

*I had to share these pictures of our winter visitors. They are so cute and not the least bit shy. We are never sure who is going to be in our backyard! It takes every ounce of persuasion to make sure that the kids don't feed them!

Where does the time go?

2009-11-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

Good to be back blogging again! It has been so crazy lately. I am a little loopy while writing this post, just stayed up all night to finish some wooden advent calendars that a friend ordered for Christmas gifts. I love these, I designed them for a class a while back and everytime someone sees mine, I end up making more. Good thing for me, because they are fun to make and how many do I need anyway! There is something about crafting all night long that is just fun! I got in some comfy pj's, brought down a treat or two and some DVD's. Lit a candle and just sat for a little while. It was so quiet. I surveyed my little domain. LOVE IT! That was the calm before the crafting storm! The night flew by, I watched all of my old favorites, then threw in some Monk. Watched it for a couple of episodes, decided that the whole OCD thing was a little to close to home. :-) I am proud to say that unlike Monk, I can carry my own antibacterial wipes, no Sharona for me. All in all, it was a great night, one that was badly needed.

Distance

2009-09-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

I know that we are supposed to be here for a reason and we really love Montana. However sometimes with choices come growing pains and one of those for us is the distance we are from our families. People still love each other, but you start to grow apart. Pretty soon, you become a little more like strangers, instead of the intimate friends you once were. I have seen it happen in our family and it makes me sad. I guess that it is the natural way that life goes, when you aren't hanging out together with those people anymore. It is life, and you deal with it, but it does make you feel isolated.
I am so glad that it hasn't happened with my sister. We can pick up right where we left off. She and I have been such close friends all of our lives, even including the times that I convinced her she was adopted because we found her in the alley behind our apartment building. I know it is a trite phrase, but we have been though a lot together, and just come out of it closer than ever. She has her birthday this week, and I can't believe that she is all grown up. I am glad that at least she has stayed close to us. Happy Birthday Sis!

Good Bye

2009-09-17T22:58:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of smartkids

Good bye old friends...

This almost killed me. I had no inkling of how difficult it would be to go through our children's books. We are firm believers in "pay it forward" and decided to go through our books and donate the ones that the kids had outgrown to our school. We have several teachers barely out of college and thought it might help them build their classroom libraries. They were excited, the kids were excited and I was...until we started. It was hard. Every book we picked up, seemed to have memories attached to it. Of course we kept the favorites, and most of the hardback books. We definitely were not left with a dearth of books, given that we have so many that we have broken more than one bookshelf. :-) But still, slow death by papercuts....

We are readers. My kids love to curl up together and read. We like to pick quirky books to read together as a family,and we all have our own favorites. We try to keep one night a week in the winter put aside when all we do is read our books, the kids and I in the same room, everyone sharing a bowl of popcorn and excerpts from our current reads.

I know all of that will continue. But still...It killed a little part of me.

I know that we kept the kid's favorite books.

I know it was a good thing to do, and hopefully teaches my kids the principle of giving to others.

I know that other little children will enjoy those books and hopefully catch the love of reading.

But still...somehow, super-imposed over that humble little box of books were visions of my chubby babies sitting in my lap learning to read those books. Time moves so quickly. Good bye old friends....

Really!?! Can you say OCD?

2009-09-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just have to laugh at myself. We are getting our house ready for sell and thus painting out some of the stronger colors. I am very picky about how I paint and edge. The previous owner had painted the master bathroom indigo blue. I like color, but it was too much for me. We had painted it out a light oceany (yes that is a word...at least in my world!) grey but you could still see where some of the indigo paint had barely splashed up onto the ceiling. Let's just say, it bugged me. Shon came home to find me painting the blue out with this teeny-tiny make-up brush. The look he gave me was so funny!

He thinks I am getting too OCD about painting the house....OCD...I just think that those are nice letters in the alphabet. Nice letters that are out of order, maybe I should put it on my list of things to organize...then I will highlight it so that I know that it has higher priority...Should I color code them so that they are easier to find, or maybe just file them under alphabet...hmm, maybe, I should do that right after this post instead of sleep...What am I doing still posting? I have to fix the letters! Shon, me OCD? I have know idea what you mean. :-)

Simple Pleasures

2009-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life hands us simple pleasures unexpectedly. Like little gifts we open them and with childlike unabashed happiness...and just plain enjoy them. With Shon-O's new job, he travels the Eastern Montana district weekly. Every couple of weeks, he needs to spend the night up there. We went into the job knowing that. What we didn't know is that his boss encourages him to take me with him sometimes. GIFT! How fun is that? Even better, since it it a work trip, lodging and food is covered. GIFT! We are close enough that we don't have to worry about the kiddos, GIFT! We have great friends and relatives in town who think it is fun to have them for the night, GIFT! Recently, I went with my cute guy to Glendive and Sydney. Guess what? There were several more gifts! I have a handsome man, with arms long enough to take this photo, GIFT!

Beautiful scenery, with that huge Montana blue sky. The building on the right was a really cool old church with weathered boards. I wonder what life stories happened inside? Hmm...firmly placed under, GIFT!

Quirky things you see at gas stations. Glendive had tonnes of things about dinosaurs and a huge dinosaur museum. Apparently someone had a sick (but funny) sense of humor and altered this statue. Laughter, GIFT!

We went to the first annual Tomato festival. It was held in the community center. There was a band, and tables set up with taste tests for all things tomato. (Surprise!) Salsa, sauces, juice and desserts. Who knew? There were also lots of homemade treats and crafts for sale. Sweet and simple fun, GIFT!

Why the key? First off, who sees this kind of key in a motel anymore? It was a clean, simple motel with the most comfortable bed. While Shon-O saw his people, I stayed in the room and....did NOTHING! I worked on some cards, watched mindless TV, and took a long shower. While I wouldn't want it to be my life, sometimes it is just nice to know that your family is happy, your hubby is doing what he loves, and I was just able to sit and relax, GIFT! I will probably go with him every other month, unless he needs me to teach at one of his trainings. Look around you, and it is amazing how many gifts pop out at you.

Paparazzi

2009-08-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

What to do in the car during those long hot rides? On a recent trip to Cowley Wyoming we played a rousing round of a little game mama likes to call "Paparazzi!" I think that they won this round. I have to be a little bit quicker with my picture takin' finger. Next time my pretties...I will win! :-) Toby impersonating the headless horseman

Alex as a rock head

Shon~O couldn't move since his hands needed to be on the wheel. I love a sitting duck target.

Joey is too quick for me....

Lissie impersonates a human pretzel in order to avoid her picture.

Let's see, practice now, 1...2...3..CLICK! Gotcha!

A Scout is...

2009-07-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

A while back in my "Back to Blogland post, I had mentioned the following item with the promise of more information to follow.

4) Many hours of prayer, and discussions, leading to my sweet hubbie following a dream, which means a location change for us ~ More to follow.

It has been a crazy couple of months, after 15 years in the heavy haul trucking industry as a sales broker, thanks to the recession my husband had the opportunity to change his job.

Security is never easy to give up. Never. However, sometimes we take a leap of faith and sometimes we are pushed into it. Regardless of the way we move into it, change can be brilliant.

I hated to be obscure in the blogland post, but we had applied for a job and were waiting to see whether or not Shon was chosen for the post. It was hard to do, because at the time we thought it might entail us moving. We decided to go for it though and were blessed in a way that we didn't expect. The original job was in Missoula, and midway through the process, they asked if we would be willing to stay in Billings. After deep consideration that took all of 2 seconds, our answer was YES! So the process went on, paperwork, background checks, verbal interviews, written tests and finally....(although to give them credit it all moved pretty fast) we found out.....

Drum roll please......Ta da! Shon is the newest District Executive for the Billings Montana Office. What does that mean? I have no idea! Loll! I don't know his exact duties at the moment, but I do know that my husband embodies all that is good about scouting and I am so proud of him. It isn't often we get to live our dream and get paid to do so! Congratulations Honey!

Art rocks!

2009-07-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Way, way, way...(add a few dozen here) back in time, I went to school to become an elementary teacher. My specialty was to be reading readiness and learning challenges. Life changes our plans sometimes though and although I did my student teaching I did not end up in the classroom as an educator. Now, looking back, I am not sure what kind of teacher I would have made. I have been thinking a lot about this because as Toby gets older, Shon and I have talked about me possibly going back to work. Sooooo, 20 years after graduation, the question comes up, what do I want to be when I grow up? :-)

Many thoughts spring to mind, most of them involving either artwork or museum research. One other job appeals, but unfortunately I think that they are a dying breed. Art teacher. I love art. I love kids, I love to see kids get excited about art.

No matter the size of our houses that we have lived in over the years, we have always had a dedicated art space for our kids. I think that is why I can always leave my art supplies out without fear of them being touched.

In this house there is an odd closet type space at the bottom of the

basement stairs. We finally decided to make that the kids art space. There are all kinds of fun things in there. I don't care how messy it gets while in the middle of a project, after all, everyone should get a little messy when they are in a creative frenzy! Afterwards, the kids know that if they clean up, I will constantly restock it.

Here is the cute paper project that Lissie made the other day. Her cousin Natalie was over and they recreated themselves in paper. I know it sounds sappy, but it made my heart happy to see them so content and busy for HOURS making clothes, their dolls and houses. I loved how creative they were with layering paper, and using different textures for the hair, door, rooms etc. It brought back memories of when I used to play with paper dolls. Check it out.

Paper Lissie is going for the smoky eyes and bee stung lips this summer...

Livin' the life in a paper world.

Everything a paper preteen could want! I think that some of these items are not so subtle hints, like the paper laptop, cell phone and i-pod. :-)

Paper Lissie, I think she can only walk in one direction though....she has a huge wardrobe now, and although you can't see them, stylish undies and even a belly button.

A fabulous door.

Time to sleep....zzzzzzzzz....
Time to wake up!

Glue, paper, pipe cleaner, sequins, beads, glitter...doesn't it make you want to come over and play!?! ART ROCKS!

Worth Dying For...

2009-07-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

A wise lady named Eleanor Roosevelt once said,

"Lest I keep my complacent way I must remember somewhere out there a person died for me today. As long as there must be war, I ask and I must answer was I worth dying for?"

A young Sgt. named Terry Lynch was buried yesterday. Only 22, he freely gave his life on June 29 in Wardak Province, Afghanistan when an "improvised explosive device" exploded near his vehicle. Do I know him personally? No. Although I was impressed by the number of medals he had earned in his young (and short life) None of those things moved me to blog. No, when I read about his death, the thought that struck me, was, here was this young hero, who by all accounts was very loved by both his friends and the men that followed him. A hero described by terms such as
"young man who was as serious about serving his country as he was playful and fun-loving in spirit."

"All-American boy"

"Hardworking. Playful. Trustworthy. Sincere. Outgoing. Dedicated."

"loved cars, grease, dirt, firecrackers, paint ball and mischief"

"I wanted to give back to my country," he said in explaining his decision join the Army."

"determination" and "dedication to his country"

Wow, that is pretty humbling. He had already served two tours of duty. He was only 7 years older than my Alex when he died.

After his funeral, the community was invited to be part of a flag processional that would line the streets all the way from the church the funeral was held at to the cemetery. My three younger kids and I went down with some of our big flags to participate. Alex unfortunately wasn't able to go do to health.

I was so proud of my kids, standing tall, my boys wearing their scout uniforms straight backs saluting the cars in the funeral procession. I saw the faces of his honor guard. I saw them salute my boys back. And I saw those men with tears rolling down their faces while smiling to see my children. I took this picture before it started, somehow, it didn't seem right to cheapen the moment and take them during.

Why am I blogging this? I am not really sure except that the poignancy of seeing my children standing there holding the flags so proudly touched me very deeply. I truly hope that I can be someone worth Sgt Terry Lynch's sacrifice.

Dreams of Daring Do....

2009-07-03T14:26:00.001-07:00

Remember when you were a child and your imagination was so vivid that daily life paled in comparison? With distant vision, you left behind the myriad mundane chores that filled your day and created a world, indeed many worlds, peopled with adventure, boldness, color and EXCITEMENT!
*Your bed became a covered wagon with the help of a sheet..(really, who needs them under blankets when they have so much potential!)
*Crackers became the manna that explorers live on...
*A closet was not a place to store clothing and other sundry items, but instead it was a time capsule, a hide out, a rocket into outer space...
*Outdated clothing, carelessly discarded by the older (unimaginative) set, became anything you needed, evening dress clothes, tawdry threads weakly glimmering, shine once again as ballgowns, pirate plunder and medieval finery...
*Cardboard, not a earthly and humble carrier of objects, but instead, the material of castles and playhouses, walls and sleds...

How do you build a dream? A few recovered boards, a few brand new boards, a plan and the imagination of a little boy....

Toby turned nine in June (gasp, my heart just skipped a beat...my baby NINE!) We mulled over many things that we could give him. He is a sweet but quirky child. (Go quirks! They add strength to your character!) Although he gets along with everyone I know and plays well in many different forums, other than basketball, he just doesn't care about many of the things that other little boys do. He already has a hoop...so we were stumped until we thought about how much he loves pirates...and since every little boy needs a place to build imaginary empires, sail through the seas and have adventures beyond measure, that made us think...put them together and you have our birthday hide out designed just for Toby!

Back to Blogland....

2009-06-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

Whew, I am not sure about everyone else, but in our house, summer does not gently creep into our lives. It smacks us upside the head and says triumphantly "Baby, I'm Back!!!!"

Don't get me wrong, we love summer. May and June are just psycho months. Here is our life in a nutshell,
1)We went to Utah for Mother's day~more to follow
2)Cub Scout Day Camp preparations including, paperwork, set up, painting a 20 foot long pirate ship, day camp itself, take down, more paperwork ~ more to follow
3) Some fun and cool crafts squeezed in here and there including, cards, jewelery, canvases, and a fun mannequin that my s-i-l Colett gave me. (No C, it didn't end up with Lissie lol) ~more to follow
4) Many hours of prayer, and discussions, leading to my sweet hubbie following a dream, which means a location change for us ~ More to follow.
5)Challenges and fun with my church calling.
6)Building a pirate fort for my 9yr old's birthday ~ more to follow.
7)Looking up the meaning of sleep, since we aren't getting any! :-)

One of the projects I have been working on was sparked by one of my best friends Wendi. She showed me a site where words are spelled out by architectural elements. I am trying to spell out Ostler. Here are the letters I have so far. Not loving the T, any ideas?...Everything else my friends will have to follow in further posts. Happy Summer!

Sanctuary....Aaaaaahhhhh......

2009-04-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life doesn't go the way that we plan it. Usually when we look at the big picture, there is a rhyme and a reason to it. The hard part is looking at the big picture. There are many ways to deal with this. Prayer, scripture study, talking things out with someone you trust. I also firmly believe that you need a sanctuary. Just a little spot that you create that is totally you. My craft room is that place. When we moved into our house, the laundry room was designated as mine. Not just for the massive amounts of laundry that my family produces. (Really, I thought I had just 4 kids....) No, I picked it because it has a built in wall to wall desk, linoleum floors that were already a bit trashed (now I feel less guilty about paint) and lots of cupboards. It was cream and kind of a tomato soup red. It was cute and totally suited the personality of the friend who lived here before. Not my style though, so I have been working to transform it to my taste. I knew I would have to compensate for it being in the basement and not having a big window and having to get ALOT of craft stuff in a small space. I also wanted items that inspire me. Oh yeah, and it has to be done without spending any money. Hmm...tall order.
Here is what I ended up with. Starting with the walls, mixed some paint I had left over and came up with a grey/blue that is the perfect foil for any other color. Painted the cupboards white as well as the shelves for the wall. Hung some funky indigo blue curtains that I have had kicking around for years across the back wall to deaden the sound of the washer and dryer. Now comes the quirky fun factor...These pictures were taken standing in the middle of the room turning counter clockwise (skipping the door ~ boring!)

This shelf used to be in a florist shop as part of a hutch. They were throwing it away and a friend claimed it and gave it to me. I love the bird picture painted by my sister in law Colett, she is an amazing artist. Her blog is linked to mine...you should check out her art. :-) The rest are items that inspire me, either things I have made or found. Check out the sweet vintage table runner that I put on top of the dryer.

The drawers are actually the plastic ones you find at Target that I added paper to. They are sitting on a shelf that had five spaces on it with vertical dividers that Shon's Grandpa Howard used to have in his shop. He made it, which makes me love it even more. I added the wood medallions on the bottom and painted it. The items below are sitting on a narrow table that is desk height which is ~ not white! But it will be when the weather gets better. :-)
I added some peg board to hang the things that I use a lot. My scrapbook paper is kept close at hand, sorted to my own whimsical filing style. Easy access for those spur of the moment decoupage or crafting urges! The fun little wooden statue of the African woman is something that my Nana brought back from one of her trips before I was even born. I love the clean lines of it.
A few changes since this picture was taken, I was in the middle of a project so it was messy. I have rearranged the top, and put stuff away. I like things to be handy, but you also need room to work. BTW, is that not the cutest desk chair ever? Thanks to Aunt Betty, several years ago, she was getting rid of it and wondered if I wanted it. She told me I could recover it if I wanted to...don't want to. I love it just the way it is. (plus it is so comfy!)

Lots going on in this picture. I know that visually it is busy, but I have found that if things are not out and labelled, I forget to use them. I found these cute wooden shelves at the Robert's outlet for a $1 each. Sweet! I want to paint them white. They hold lots of little things in clear paint cans.

Wayne-O made that wonderful orange shelf for my 30th b-day. Yay way cool father in law! It didn't start out orange, but in it's current life, orange it is! I love the pop of color! The big white shelf is one that Shon hates, but I won't let him touch. When we were first married, someone gave us a gigantic water bed. We had a different bed that we liked. We didn't have money for wood to make shelves, so my sweet hubby cut up the waterbed and made me a bookcase. He did this with barely any tools. Just a saw and a drill. He looks at it and sees it's imperfections, but I look at it is and see his love. :-) Sigh. I like that boy!

I love this cupboard! Seriously someone threw it out! The kids and I found it on the side of the road. Made a few changes, there were country duck curtains instead of the metal and I changed out the knobs...Believe it or not, it was the same color as the indigo curtains I already had!

Little bits to spark creativity....The bottles are vintage food coloring. Some of the food coloring has dried into powder and is still in there. The little porcelain girl statue is one that my Nan and Papa gave me when I was 4. The owls just crack me up. They look so satisfied with life. The cute little shelf that they are in is actually an old cardboard box that was filled with mini-jam jars. Repeat after me...spray paint is your friend!

Sadly necessary, but not cute...maybe I should spray paint them orange? ;-) I don't usually want everything to match, I just like things to look like they are "friends" with each other, but in this case the room is so small that I have chosen some things as basics, like the white, grey and indigo. Then it was fun to branch out with pops of color. Welcome to my sanctuary.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

2009-04-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished this book and absolutely loved it! I am fascinated by that time period in history anyway, but this book really brought out the simple dignity of the Japanese people during WWII in the US while the internment camps were being filled. There was such a fear of the unknown, and it is so sad to think of these hardworking citizens being judged by who their ancestors were. The racism was heightened by the negative feeling between many of the Chinese and Japanese immigrants. That being said, there is the "sweet" to the "bitter" and that is the way that children can see through the color of our skin, shape of our eyes and weight of our ancestry to what is truly important. Dignity, honesty, music, love and laughter. I almost never read books more than once, but this is one that I will read many times over. The joy outweighed the sorrow in it. The characters had many layers, so that you were able to understand the "why" of certain behaviors even if you don't agree with them. This would make a wonderful book group book. If anyone reads it, let me know what you think!

Disturbing signs....

2009-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

In my head, I am not turning 38. When I think about age (which is rarely) I still feel like a young adult. However, reality can be cruel and truth can be brutal as I am reminded in small ways of getting older...wrinkles around my eyes, being "creaky" from arthritis when our weather changes, having a son old enough to drive and being called Ma'am. Sometimes, these reminders can be funny as well as brutal. I walked into my bedroom the other day and found these two items sitting side by side on the table under my window. (Thanks again for those cute curtains as a housewarming Colett...Love them!)

Hmm...sometimes looking good needs a little more help than just foundation! Made me laugh. We are fixing up our bedroom and I hadn't put everything back in the garage yet.

Gettin' it done...Joey style!

2009-04-03T20:28:00.001-07:00

I wonder what it is about 12 year old boys that makes their rooms so incredibly toxic?
*I know that my sweet child bathes...and when forced to he even uses soap!
*I know he wears clean clothes, I have learned from having an older son, to make sure to inspect his feet, and to reiterate that clean clothing means clean socks too. Socks were not designed to be worn until they can stand alone and aloof from the world~driving the rest of us away from their previously white cotton goodness by the rank scent emanating from them. *Bedding is changed and washed often ~ probably even more often than most bedding because of his asthma.

All of that being said, I want to let you in on a little truth.....

Boy's rooms are SCARY!

There are little bits of wire, string and tape. Creations line the dresser, items are stuck up on the board. Little collections, precious to the mind of a 12 year old, dot the room, roosting in odd places, an open drawer, on the desk, under the bed...clothing slips unheeded from hangers to puddle on the closet floor. When encouraged to hang these back up, it provokes a stare and an eyeroll when your son thinks you aren't looking. Written on his expression you can read his thoughts like a book...really mom! Only the mindless masses hang their clothes, I want to be an original!

It is amazing how many things there are, washers, crazy glue, clay, pencils that are worn to the nib...the silly eraser on the end is longer than the wood. Encouraging a 12 year old to throw these out provokes a wounded look and the timeless protest, "I have plans for that! It is part of a _______!" (fill in the blank)

I was unsure if I was making any progress convincing my son that he needed to clean his room before it was deemed unsafe for human habitation. Apparently he came around to my way of thinking. I sent him in to clean his room the other day. He called out that he needed to prepare first. Here is what he had in mind......A helmet, safety glasses, gloves and a mask....I think I agree!

Picture Challenge

2009-03-29T01:37:00.000-07:00

A while back my mother in law challenged several of us to go to our 6th folder on our computer and pick out the 6th photo. I was wondering what kind of photo it would be and assumed it would be one of the kids.
I was pleased and surprised to see that it was one of one of my favorite men! I love this picture of Shon. I think that he is a hottie and even after almost 16 years of marriage, he can make my heart beat faster just by smiling at me like that. He has the most beautiful eyes (sorry honey if that isn't a manly enough word). His cheekbones would make any model green with envy and I love that his hands are in the picture.
They are the most perfect hands in the world. His hands are large, when I hold mine up against his, my fingers barely reach the end of his palm. His fingers are long and slender...but very strong. I love that they are the hands of a working man, calloused, scarred and tough, yet they have a gentle touch when needed. I have watched Shon use his hands to build things for our family, fix our cars, work in our garden to grow food, play ball with his sons, make crafts with his daughter, fashion costumes and props for Scout Camp, rest on a young man's shoulder while he was giving him counsel, play computer games with our children, bless others, fold reverently in prayer, cradle babies and tenderly touch my face when he kisses me.
I think that Shon is pretty amazing! He is my best friend and I couldn't ask for a better husband. Oh, there is one other thing in this picture that I love...You can't see it though because he is sitting on it! I think that Shon has the cutest little booty...but I didn't think you wanted to see a picture of it. :-)

Time for change

2009-03-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Whenever spring is around the corner, I get restless. I want it to be warm, I want to be able to go outside and not freeze, I want to be in my yard! Since I can't do any of those things, I start looking at things in my house that I can refresh and change out. I love the challenge of taking something old and reusing it to make it new, different and my style. Like everyone else, we also have to add cheap, cheap, cheap into the mix. Any changes I make right now, pretty much need to come from items I already have. I looked around, hmmm, I want to finish my mural, but thanks to Montana weather, it is way too cold to have my windows open and since I am using latex wall paint, that needs to wait....Let's see.....Mmmm....I know! Let's get rid of the off white carpet! Oops, guess not, that definitely wouldn't be free. :-) Looking around, my eyes came across the chandelier over my kitchen table. I actually like the shape, but someone in the 80's gave it a weird faux stucco, stone type finish, in beige, ivory and white. Now I know that taste is subjective, but I will file that one under E for Eeeewww! Besides, it has always driven me crazy because no matter how much I clean it, it always looks dirty. Upon closer inspection, I actually like the texture, it reminds me of wrought iron. That made me think of the 87 cent bottle of black craft paint I had in my craft room, so I got up on the table and it only took about an hour to paint it and change it completely! It probably would have been faster to spray it, but this way I didn't have to take it down. I love the results! Sometimes, change is good...especially when you can do it for under a buck!

2009-03-09T12:34:00.001-07:00

Toby loves to play basketball. Whenever the weather permits, he is out there. After school, I forget and start to pull into the driveway, he asks me to move the car so he can "shoot some hoops". He is really good too, easily sinking 7 out of 10 shots.

Come out, come out where ever you are....

2009-03-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

Spring has hidden from us, playing peek a boo once in a while by teasing us with a couple of 50 degree days and then smacking us upside the head with snow. Yesterday was 50+ degrees of spring like beauty. LOVED it! Today was okay, kind of cool, but since I was creating wall art for Lissie's room in my craft heaven, I could ignore it. Tomorrow is the day that I need to run all of my errands and wouldn't you know it? SNOW! Seriously, it is becoming a four letter word. :-) I love the snow, when I can stay at home and watch it, but not so thrilled to be on the roads. I thought I would pull some pictures of my flowers out, dust them off and remind us all what warmer weather looks like!

New Beginnings

2009-03-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, we had another milestone in our lives. In our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) our children leave primary at the age of 12 and enter either the young women's or young men's organization. Each year in YW, there is a ceremony called New Beginnings that helps welcome the girls who are turning 12 and spotlights the girls already in the program. Shon had scouts with the boys, so I went with Lissie. We enjoyed a wonderful program, and I watched with bemusement as my little girl grew up before my eyes. She was easily the tiniest one there, even with among the other 11yr olds. The older girls were so welcoming and Lissie was perfectly comfortable with them. Her YW leader is Sister Myrna Hammer, we have worked with her in other callings and she is so nice, I know Lissie is in great hands.

Modern technology, latter day miracles

2009-02-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

This last year has been a difficult one in part because of our two oldest son's health problems. Joey has had severe asthma since he was a toddler, resulting in over 20 hospital stays, some of which have included numerous days in ICU. Thank goodness we live in a time where we are able to have many of the machines used for treatment in our home. Alex's health troubles are a year old. He has ulcerative colitis, a very painful condition that results in brutal bleeding ulcers in his entire digestive tract. He is one of the small section of people that get it when they go into puberty and the body starts to grow and change. Every time he has a growth spurt, it sets it off. He gets horrible cramps, throws up and when it is severe he bleeds internally. He can't eat many foods and has lost a great deal of weight. Our goal is to get him through the next several years of growth. When he gets out of puberty, things should level out and he can lead a more normal life.

As a result of all of this, both boys miss school. I have been able to tutor them thus far, and they have great attitudes, but they are both getting to the age where I can't help with their math. Joey will have missed a month of school, both due to being sick (with reactive airway disease, he can get pneumonia in about 36 hours from a bug that will cause us a minor chest cold) and the fact that they decided to paint his ENTIRE school in February, yes February in Montana....hmmm....who thought that was a good idea? Needless to go into detail, but he reacts very badly to the fumes and can not be around them. Alex has been too weak and ill to be able to cope in a regular school setting. We also run into the problem that two of the medicines used to control his disease, compromise his immune system. Due to his illness, we have had to pull him from school for the entire spring semester. So, all in all, things in that aspect are kind of sucky. It makes me angry that I can't make things easier for my kids. I know that I can't get depressed about it, they mirror my attitude when it comes to their illnesses. Sooooooo........

I decided to try and look for silver linings and found a huge one. Alex works with tutors everyday. The Skyview high school set it up. Two teachers work with him, the goal is to keep him caught up so that when he is well enough he will be able to stay in the same grade as all of his friends. Strangely enough, his tutors are men that were a teacher and the vice-principal when Shon was up at Skyview 20 years ago. Small world! Here is Alex with one of them.

Joey's school set up UVOO. I don't know what it stands for, maybe hallelujah I don't have to teach math!! Well, maybe those initials don't add up. :-) It is a web cam that links Joey to his classroom. I still teach his other classes, but twice a day he logs in, and can interact with his class and teachers.

The right side of the screen is what Joey's friends see, and the kids on the left are some of the one in his group. There is no lag time and they can adjust the volume or tilt the screen for ease. Wow! Miracles come in every shape and size!

History and Gratitude

2009-01-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

I just watched Barak Obama sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Regardless of political viewpoint or party affiliation, this was an amazing moment. Many thought that we would never see an African American man sworn in as president. I am always glad to see movement forward when it comes to outdated prejudices. My concern is less with his color, indeed, I am half amused and half appalled when that continues to be mentioned. My concern is where our country will go from here. I think his speech was brilliant. President Obama is gifted in rhetoric and his delivery would earn high marks in any speech and debate tournament. :-)

I applauded his insistence at including God and faith repeatedly in his speech. A movement brave in the current fad of opposition of faith as an outdated and ignorant tradition.

I smiled when he reminded America that so much of success here depends on working hard and making your own success and not having that handed to you. Indeed, something that many Americans needed to hear.

I grinned to see the excitement of his young daughters, taking in the sight of their father taking the oath and recording this moment on their little digital cameras.

I cried when I listened to Elizabeth Alexander's poem. I hope to get a copy of it. It was simple, gritty and real, with hope threading it's way through.

I thought it was interesting how there was a hard edge running through his message to other counties, promising to hold to ideals and still fight for freedom. I wonder how that will impact our troops.

I was saddened and disappointed in those small minded individuals that booed former President Bush as he walked in. Regardless of your feeling, it was tacky and inappropriate.

I was untouched by the awkward, pre-written prayers during the invocation and benediction. I felt that they were less prayers from the heart and instead a platform for them to express their political views.

I am eager to see where our country goes from here. I am glad that my husband and children are American citizens and look forward to one day soon, taking my own oath as a citizen and moving forward towards being able to vote and take part in this amazing gift. The gift of democracy.

I think that today, was an historic day for many reasons and I am glad that I could watch it unfold, in a free country. Gratitude fills my heart.

Pollyanna

2009-01-17T13:30:00.001-08:00

This post is dedicated to a pretty cool lady! I happen to have the best mother in law in the world! I wish the rest of you could be as lucky as me. :-)
I consider her one of my best friends. Shon and I lived in AK when we were married. I was able to get to know her a little bit through letters and phone calls. One year after we were married, we decided to move to MT. Shon was driving down and I was flying with Alex who was only about 4 months old. Because of ferry schedules, I ended up in MT about a week and a half before Shon. From the moment I stepped off of the plane, Joan made me feel welcome. By the time Shon-O arrived, we were fast on our way to becoming firm friends.
This is something that has grown stronger each year. She is funny, talented and truly blessed with a happy nature. I love how firm her testimony is and how loving she is with her family. I've learned a lot from Joan.
Although I was happy for her daughters, I was heartbroken when she moved to UT. (Still not sure I've forgiven that one. :-) !! ) I've joked with her that I would have to make up a mean mother-in-law story, because she and I like to be with each other.

Happy Birthday you wonderful person you! Hugs on your special day, I hope that Wayne-O spoils you! You deserve it. I miss you, and can't wait to see you on our next trip!

Bouncing Baby Blog!

2009-01-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

For several months now, I have been asked to start a blog that focuses on cards, scrapbook pages, projects and tutorials. I have had it ready, but kept chickening out when it came to posting the link. So in 2009, I am trying to get over the fear of sharing my work on the web. Silly really, I love to teach classes and do demos, but putting it out there on the computer was hard. I decided to get over myself and get it done. Shon-o gets the credit for the name, it makes me laugh when I try to say it. So, I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to share it with your friends if they are interested. Although most of the crafts will have some sort of paper base, it is not just scrap booking. There will be bead work, ink, painting, etc. Pretty much any "kee-rativity" that pops into my life! :-) Here's the link. I hope you enjoy!
http://keerativity.blogspot.com/

The smell of gingerbread....

2008-12-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

When I think of Christmas, one of the things that comes to mind is baking...the smell of gingerbread filling the air, aromatically heavy with molasses and cinnamon. Of course we can't eat everything that we bake, so what should we do? Let's build houses out of it! It all started with a kit. My friend Sidona gave it to me. VERY cute with a little book, cutters, piping bags ~ the whole shebang! My friend Teresa and I decided to have a house building party for family home evening. I baked the gingerbread and provided the candy while she brought pizza and pop.

While the kids ate, Randy and Shon started to assemble the houses. Instead of trying to get them to stay together with frosting, we used liquid sugar ~ created by melting it on the stove. (Thanks for the tip Sidona!) It works so well, no walls or roofs sliding off at in inopportune times. So, the concept was simple, but there was a great deal of hilarity involved as Teresa and I challenged Shon and Randy to see who could build the better house. As a team Teresa and I were great, but the one I build on my own, pretty much insured that Shon won't ask me to do any house repairs. :-) .

Let the contest begin boys!

What do you think? Mine is the one on the right, yeah, the one with the hole in it...I was going for the air conditioned type...That's the one Joey gallantly insisted on using. He thought it looked kind of like a lemon aid stand. Good try honey. The sugar is hot, but really is slick for getting the houses together quickly. Kind of like edible hot glue! :-)

After that it was all about the candy. We left the kids to it while the adults visited in the living room. It was funny to see all of the different creations they could come up with by using the same materials! First up is Joey. (12) His was sort of a space age creation...

Next is Ben (7) His gingerbread man is hanging on for dear life....

Lucy (3) managed to eat pizza, use frosting (pink of course) and decorate all without getting anything on her fancy dress!

Alex (14) went the traditional route, using lots of gummi's and dots.

Toby (8) used Necco's and M 'n' M's to create a tower...

Lissie (11) went with the popular theory that "more" is more when it comes to gingerbread houses and piled it on! :-)

Natalie (10) made both a beautiful pattern and a family! All in all it was a great way to start Christmas vacation!

No Peeking!

2008-12-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today while everyone played with new toys or relaxed, I decided to relax in my own way and create the first set of pages for our 2008 Christmas album. I like to do a mini-album for each Christmas. I chose a 12x12 for this year. Not so much a "mini" :-) but a fun size none the less. Last year my mother in law Joan made this darling Christmas card with Toby on the cover. Of course I had to keep it, because it was way too cute to throw away! I knew it was perfect for my layout containing Toby's Christmas letter. When we asked Toby what he wanted Santa to bring him this year, he replied, "It's okay, Santa knows!" We pushed to no avail. Finally, we lucked out when he wrote us a letter. My favorite moment was when Toby looped his arm around my neck and read it to me. He still struggles with his "r"s and it was so endearing when he was reading. Can Christmas get any better? Anyway, I wanted to make sure that I preserved that sweet letter and those amazing eyes peeking over the edge of the card. Merry Christmas everyone!

Things that make you go Huh?

2008-12-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

We were shopping the other day for Christmas presents and stopped by the Littlest Pet Shop toys. They are these big eyed, big headed animals with little bodies and accessories that you can play with. There are several different kinds, and all sorts of scenarios, surfing, Dr., holidays, sporty, groovy, baby etc. A toy for everything...including one that comes with it's own poop! We couldn't believe it! Shon just shook his head, but for some weird reason it cracked me up. I can not believe that some one seriously designed this toy. It must have been thrown into a design meeting as a joke...the person waiting for someone to wake up and go huh? But instead of that happening we had an Emperor's New Clothes scenario where everyone said, "How brilliant! We will teach children how to be responsible by selling a cute little pooch with it's own plastic poo and a scooper! We will be responsible for the next generation of geniuses!" What they needed was someone to stop texting during the meeting, look at the design board and say, "What?!? You really want us to sell a big headed dog with it's own crap? Why not! The American public will buy anything!" There is probably a tracking device in it, so that they can chortle and mark another one up to blind consumerism every time a pooch 'n' poop combo is sold. :-) I know this is a strange thing to blog about, maybe it was low blood sugar, but I just found the whole thing funny. I found a picture of it on the Hasbro website. You tell me what you think. Be nice, or a poopy pooch might be in your stocking this year!

Brr! Baby It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

Current conditions:

Snow Showers
Select temperature units:

Fahrenheit Celsius
Snow Showers-15 ° feels like
-15 ° -7 High

Wind Speed CALM 0 mph Today
Bitterly cold. Snow showers will become more widely scattered for the afternoon. High -7F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%.

What is up with this weather! All I can say is I am thankful I was not a pioneer! I don't mind this weather if I can stay in my nice warm house, but when we are doing carpools, getting gas and shopping it sure is cold. Lets keep our fingers crossed that the wind won't pick up. On a brighter note, as I am sitting here at my desk typing this, I am able to look outside and see how beautiful the yard looks. Last night, I was working on a story and saw something out of the corner of my eye. We have several deer in our neighborhood, they wander where ever they want. I've spotted a buck and two does. The buck was the one that caught my eye, he was standing in the moonlight on our front lawn looking magnificent and....very puzzled. I would not have thought deer have expressions, but this one looked befuddled. Shon put wire lawn ornaments out for Christmas. They are white deer that are lit up. The larger one is also animated, it moves it's head back and forth. The real deer couldn't figure it out and was just watching it move it's head. It was pretty funny to watch. Hope all of you stay warm!

Crazy Cat!

2008-12-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

We love having our little cat. She makes us laugh all of the time. When you look at her forehead, she has a perfect M on it. We joke that the M is for Meer Kat. I don't know if any of you saw Meer-Kat Manor, but the top photo is from that show. Next is our cat. You be the judge. When she is really curious (which being a cat is uhm...ALL of the time) she will stand up completely on her hind feet with a straight back. I have never been quick enough to catch her though. This one was totally by luck. I was taking pictures of the ice on the plants outside and she was trying to see what I was doing. Funny cat!
Here is another MeerKat pose, this time trying to see what the neighbors are doing in their yard. Below shows how she "helped" me while I was trying to unwrap the ornaments for the tree. Now she has discovered them, PS (Toby named her Pumpkin Spice) keeps stealing them off of the tree and hiding them.

2008-12-10T09:45:00.001-08:00

Christmas Concert

2008-12-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

Lissie and Joey had their Christmas concert on Monday. I didn't take any pictures there, because gym pictures don't turn out on my camera. For some reason they are always blurry. We decided to goof around and take some at home, to mark the big day. They were supposed to wear Christmas colors, so Liss wore this cute shirt with rhinestones on it with her cammos (the cammo is made up of flowers and butterflies ~ so cute!) and we wrapped her up like a package with a bow to finish things off. Joey humored me by putting on his red tee with a green shirt over it. :-) Behind them you can see the start of my mural on the living room wall. It is just sketched in right now. Our weather got cold and with the boy's asthma, I can only paint when I can leave the windows open. It was fun to see how the kids had improved since the beginning of the year. The 5th grade band played, then the orchestra kids, then the 6th grade band. Other than being proud of my kids and how they played, my favorite part was watching the drummers. I don't think that they remembered that we could see them the whole time since they were standing. My friend's son was making the funniest faces I have ever seen while the orchestra was playing. There were a lot of squeaks and growls coming from them and he was pretending that he was dying, and then opening his eyes and crossing them etc. He was doing it for the benefit of the other drummers, but we all enjoyed the show!

The Game

2008-12-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

This box with the stylishly dressed gentleman is not just any old game...In Shon's family, this box represents an excuse for some good old fashioned legal bloodshed. To say that they are cutthroat is an understatement! Pirates who gleefully and fearlessly plunder the sea, would quake in terror when the plotting and take overs start. I don't really get this because I don't usually play games in any form...computers, cards, board games...but I'll give explaining it a shot. Basically this is a game where you try to Acquire a majority of the hotel shares on the board to make money. (Shon is so seriously in love with this game, that he just got heartburn from reading my carelessly stated, inadequate description!)

This is my sweetie with one of his favorite games ever! A couple of years ago, Shon found a 1970's copy of Acquire at a garage sale, still in the shrink wrap. You may not believe that it is so, but a 6 foot man can dance gleefully like an elf if he is happy enough. He was happy. Very happy. He was so happy that I am not sure that the good folks who held the garage sale have recovered yet. :-) Sadly, since I enjoy being married, and I am not a cutthroat person, I refused to play the game with him. Did you know I could be that heartless. Quite frankly, he scares me when he plays games. Can we say VERY focused on success? Can we say just a little bit competitive? As a result of his mean wife's decree, the game lived on a shelf, in vintage condition for years until Kelli and Darren entered the scene. Kelli is Shon's cousin and she and Darren are as into the game Acquire as he is. It was a special moment when he slit the shrink wrap and they broke apart the tiles. I wanted to take a picture, but I was afraid to "break" the moment. Did I tell you how focused they all are?

Kelli and Pumpkin

Darren practices his evil mogul look, while Kelli threatens to beat him up if he looks at her tiles. Shon, Kel and Darren taught me to play, patiently explaining rules and strategies until my head spun.

I told you they were serious about this. Every move was well thought out....I took all of their advice when it was my turn and filed it away. I thought about using logic, but it is a fairly foreign concept in my life, so I went with what was tried and true. I picked my hotels by the colors I liked the best. They humored me because it was my first game....

Shon plots and plans...ponders and counts....At the end of the game.....

Yep! that is right! Pretty colors win the game! Doesn't Shon look happy for me!?! :-) I know that I resisted playing Acquire, but we had a great time. Competitive or not, all of them are great sports. I don't think that they will give me any advice next time though....

The Tree

2008-11-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, little moments of unexpected beauty can make you breathless. At first glance, this may seem like a naked cottonwood. That glance would be correct. :-) At second glance, it turns into a living painting. One that looks too painfully beautiful to be real. The color of the Montana sky, a blue so intense and so crisp I wish I could break a piece off to store away for a rainy day. Next, I see the delicate feathery branches, supporting the sky, twigs, so fragile looking, but strong enough to hook the heavens with its tendrils and link itself to the earth down to the roots. I love to look at those branches against the sky. They are so different from sunrise to dusk. In the morning they are lit with a light that reminds me of honey dripping off of a spoon. Lazy, golden and sweet. At night each branch is in stark relief against the sunset. Inky black against layers of color ~ so defined and deliberate, reminding me of a Chinese brush painting. I have tried and tried to catch "The Tree" against this rich backdrop only to fail miserably. Looking down from the branches you reach the trunk. Huge. Rough. Myriad shades of cinnamon, chocolate, sienna, buff, grey. Visual depth that makes me itch to draw it. "The Tree" is at the top of a hill I travel several times everyday completing the tasks that make up my day. Each time I start to drive up the hill I look eagerly for my friend. Those little bits of beauty shore up my soul. I know that a God who chose to create a simple tree as a masterpiece, is an amazing Creator indeed. I wonder how people can doubt that God is real when there is so much attention to detail and beauty in our lives. Each time I "shore up" my soul it feeds my testimony just a little bit more and I am so grateful for my life. "The Tree", a friend indeed.

Down with the "MAN"! Protest Baby! Peace!

2008-11-24T22:54:00.000-08:00

As much as I love my children and love to have pictures of them...can we say 600+ from Disney alone? There is one type of photo that drives me insane. The school photo. Now, that being said, I absolutely love to get them from my friends...so don't be offended, bombard me with emails and hurt feelings and cross my name off of the photo-sending list forever! Take a breath...now if everyone is calm I will continue. With four kids, finding the right photo package is very difficult. I don't want one that has 1 8x10, 1 5x7 2 3x5's 42 wallet sizes and a bonus of one billion little photo stickers of themselves that my children will stick everywhere. The right package does not exist. Luckily for me, there is the option of add-ons. For the price of a small country, 1/2 of a college tuition and a leg (volunteers anyone?) we can create a package that fills the needs of every one's photo frame. Of course, you still have all of the leftovers.

When we moved I discovered roughly 5 million packets of half used school pictures~which was interesting since my children have only been in school a combination of 26 years. I chose to paint a mural in our new living room, but had I been moved by the muse in another direction, I could have easily papered the walls with my children in various stiff poses, cheesy grins, glassy looks and usually one of them in an outfit that I did NOT approve for the "picture day" (imagine grim muzak here) Lets not forget the ones where they decided to restyle their hair with the new black picture day comb which they are given before they get their picture taken. Now really, whoever thought that one up was NOT a mother!

We are well conditioned by society to get these pictures, so as fall brightly colored our lives and summer drifted to the ground I prepared for the inevitable picture day. Until an flyer came home and I discovered that the prices had risen AGAIN! There was only one answer. I may look like a soccer mom on the surface, but on that day, my hippie roots reared their tie-dyed banners and said BOYCOTT!

An organized protest crossed my mind, but seemed a little extreme for the circumstances, so we just decided to take our own in the backyard. Here are the most updated photos of the kids. Alex (14), Joey (12) {He opted for his serious look} Lissie (11) and Toby (8). Enjoy!

Ugh!

2008-11-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Seriously! What is wrong with people? I recently read an article in the Telegraph from the UK that made me shake my head. (And shake in my boots! I am so scared of snakes. I don't even like earth worms, they are too snake like!)

By Urmee Khan Last Updated: 6:57AM BST 22 Oct 2008

The treatment consists of six non-venomous snakes massaging the client's aching muscles and joints.
Ada Barak's snake spa, in Talmei Elazar, northern Israel, uses California and Florida king snakes, corn snakes and milk snakes for the massages, which cost £40 ($70).
Miss Barak believes that physical contact with the reptiles can be a relaxing experience. She says that she was inspired by her belief that once people get over any initial misgivings, they find physical contact with the snakes to be stress relieving.
"Some people said that holding the snakes made them feel better, relaxed," she said "One old lady said it was soothing, like a cold compress."
The size of the snakes depends on the type of massage - the larger ones are said to alleviate deeper muscle tensions and the smaller ones create a 'fluttering' effect. All are the snakes used are non-venomous.
Miss Barak began offering the service at the Talmey El'Azar tourist attraction in 2006 and now most of her income comes from exhibiting plants at her carnivorous plant farm, which eat everything from insects to small mammals.
She appeared on Tyra Banks Show, an American chat show, in April for an episode entitled "Beauty Tips Around the World".

Antiques Show

2008-11-13T20:15:00.001-08:00

With four kids it is sometimes hard to make time for just one of them. This time is was easy. It all started when Alex won tickets on the radio to the Huff's Antique Show.

We took off on a sunny day to have a good time. We both love picking through piles at second hand stores, antique stores and garage sales.

There were some amazing things there. One of them was this toy circus. It was huge, covering a whole table top. The animals were all jointed and hand carved. Each of the tiny flags were hand painted.

I like to try and imagine the children that played with this. Some of the animals look really loved. I wonder if they all had names?

Crap! Run for your lives!!! There are really freaky scary evil clowns taking over the circus! Don't be fooled by the fancy piano playing...he wants your soul! (I hate clowns!)

I loved the vintage Halloween items. The clapper was amazing. She was called the "Beautiful Witch". The candy basket and the owl were pressed out of paper. The cat looks like it wants to eat the plastic turkey cake topper. Don't look now, but there is another scary clown...red this time to try and blend in with Santa.

Alex and I loved this Santa and sleigh. We loved how the whole things was painted with such attention to detail...until you got to his mustache. You can't see it very well from this picture, but his mustache is just a dotted outline. Not painted in or anything. I wonder, did the artist get bored or was it a protest against Santa's luxurious facial hair?

Confession time. Alex has a wild side. Playing the antique slot machines. We loved the painting on the drums.

What a fantastic day. I love hanging out with Alex. He is so much fun and not only puts up with me taking pictures to blog and scrapbook but comes up with ideas for them and poses! I know that in just under 5 years he is off on a mission, so I'll store up all of these dates that I can. Next year we are looking forward to going back!

2008-10-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Shon is working evenings out at a corn maze this year. The theme is Pirates of the Cornibean...appropriate for my pirate! Sorry Colett, we couldn't match the pig picture...lol :-) but did attempt the "scary pose" which didn't turn out to be that scary. Cute, but I don't even think the sheep were afraid of Lissie and Toby! Joey turned out to be paparazzi shy and we couldn't get hardly any photos of him.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Why am I up?

2008-10-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Recently we took a foray back into baby world. Don't worry, not a human baby, this one has decidedly more fur, sharp teeth and little claws. She also has a wonderful personality, creates laughs by just walking into the room and filled a hole we didn't realize existed in our home. As the boys have gotten older, their allergy to cats has disappeared. Dogs (except for Fozzie) we still have problems with, but unless it is a house filled with cat hair we are fine. Just to be on the safe side, she came on a trial basis. Shon and I love cats. We do not love houses that smell like cats, or cat litter, or cover you with hair. But we do love cats. We had cats our entire marriage, (starting with a very young kitten we rescued while dating) until Joey developed asthma as a toddler. The Dr. discovered it was Reactive Airway disease which is immune system based. Not sure if he was allergic to cats but to be on the safe side and allow his lungs to develop we sadly found new homes for our pets. (Thanks Lenny and Kathy) Even though subsequent allergy testing found only a mild allergy to cats, we still refrained from adopting one in order to give the boys time for their lungs to strengthen. Even with RA outside irritants can irritate their lungs.

Recently Shon and I have been talking about getting a kitten again. The boys have stayed in houses with cats and played with them without reaction. We planned to get one after Christmas. A week ago Saturday, Shon surprised us with this little cutie! She is 7 weeks old and litter trained (yahoo!) Someone had left her at the Heights Veterinary Office in a little carrier, with food, her kitty litter and water. She was still warm so she hadn't been there very long. Our friend PD called Shon and they arranged the whole surprise. Toby named her Pumpkin Spice and she is a great little cat. She hasn't had one accident and is very loving and playful. We love having a cat again! After this week, without any allergy outbreaks or asthma attacks, we decided that we will be able to keep her. Yay!

2008-09-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

When we are in UT I love to go to this store. It is great for inspiring ideas with it's funky, slightly crazy eclectic style. (All things that I love in decorating) My style tends to be a little simpler than the way they merchandise, but I find little pieces in there that I just love. My sister-in-law teases me that I always pick "little" things. I don't know if it is still a hold over from living in our townhouse for 12 years or if my OCD with "little details" comes into play. :-) At any rate, she is right, it always seems to be the little things in life I am drawn to...a single Gerber daisy, a great ribbon, a candle, an iron bird...on this trip I found a small metal vase with metal flowers. All of these little things come together and add a great big pop of eclectic interest in our living room. Joan was naturally drawn to the "royal" things in the store...which is totally fitting for our reigning Ostler matriarch. We even found her a crown. :-)

This is the top view of the vase I bought. I could make the flowers, but I just loved this.

A ribbon, a buckler and a fun little flag add a punch of fun above, while below the bird and the finial just make me happy.
These ceramic balls were fun, they actually had a hole through them so you could use it like a giant bead on something. I loved the hand hooks too.
Such a simple touch, a little bottle, a little graphic and a little ribbon. Hmm, even I notice a theme here, Colett, Amy, do I need an little intervention? :-)

These crazy dolls cracked me up. I didn't buy one but for some reason they make me smile.

I fell in love with the pink flower vines. It is hard to tell in the picture, but they are actually little lights. If we were in England we could call them "fairy lights".
Joan found her scepter and a tag that says "Queen of the World". Like she needs a label, her royal bearing tells the story. :-)
That's better, every Queen needs a crown.....

This is the till. I think that it is fun how they left the ceiling open to warehouse space. There are great little (there we go again) chandeliers everywhere.

Does this go with my crown?

This was a lot of fun. Can't wait until next time...

Friendship

2008-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

One of my very best friends, Wendi, called tonight. I was so happy to hear from her. She moved back to Utah two years ago to be closer to family. I only see her a couple of times a year now, but the phone is a marvelous invention. It is strange how we can be just talking away like we saw each other yesterday, when in reality it may be anywhere from 3-12 months since we really were together. Wiping tears away and serious one moment and then having to wipe away tears from laughing so hard, we finished our call tonight and discovered that almost two hours had flown by! Friendship is such a precious thing. I went to Utah in August for a scrapbook convention called CKU, where I took roughly a billion pictures (give or take a few). Surprised anyone? After talking with Wen tonight, I was thinking about that trip. The whole thing was great, but one day stood out in particular because I spent the entire time with not one ~ but three of my best friends! Combine that with one of my other favorites (scrapbooking ~ surprise again!) and you have the making of a fabulous time. Wendi, Rachelle, Joan and I took a combo scrapbook tour/shopping trip. All of the places gave us tons of amazing freebies and opened up their warehouses at huge discounts for shopping.

We started out at this store in Tremonton (sp?) The owner was the one who arranged the tour. The store was in the basement of her house. The dynamic was a bit strange, but there were some really cute things for sale at large discounts. The only bummer was that we waited in line FOREVER because the computer till was very slow. Luckily, we just talked and had fun.

Next stop was Carolee's Creations, which is also known as Adorn It. She was one of the first ones in the scrapbook business. Her start was with tole painting patterns, which she turned into paper. Those were the beginning ones that lots of people liked, but were a little too cute for me. I like a lot of their stuff now though. She has great boy paper. It was really fun to hear the process that she went through. After the history, Carolee (who is a sweetheart) showed us how they create their papers with a combination of painted pictures and computer graphics. We also learned how her company is almost completely run by family~which I thought was cool. One of the things that they specialize in is wood home decor shapes and letters that you can scrapbook, then display. Carolee helped me find a few of the sets that I have never been able to find here in MT, then instead of charging me 18-25 dollars for them, she sold them to me for 8 each! She also gave us the most adorable large box to store the handmade cards you make until you use them. Thanks!

These were some backboards from a CHA trade show. Rachelle was doing a little modeling ~ showing the Fall 2008 Happy Scrapbooker look that is so popular right now. :-)

Next was SEI. They make a wide range of product. I love their lines. We went on the tour where we were given a full size of their spray dye and one of their iron on designs. One of my favorite parts was when we went into the board room and were taught how they design new lines. First they showed us the mock up boards where they pin all of their inspiration pieces. The next boards showed the paper lines that were designed from them. Then came a surprise. We were asked to vote on our favorite 3 out of 5. The winning 3 paper lines will be printed this spring. It will be exciting to see if any of ours were picked! If all of this wasn't enough, a couple of people struggled in with bags at the end. In the bags were decorative boxes filled with two albums and all of the paper, embellishments and ribbon to create them! Wow!

We had to rush to get to Bo Bunny, eating on the run. We came in the back, so I am not sure what their sign looks like, but the first sight that met our eyes was a huge aisle of ribbon! I could have stayed there looking for a long time, but the girls at Bo Bunny had an awesome mini class prepared for us. Thankfully they had some snacks and bottles of water for us. They even took the time to wrap each bottle with a sticker that thanked us for coming. They also tied an adorable pink ribbon around the bottle neck. Refreshed and sugared up, we then took a tour and saw a ton of cute projects. At the end of the tour we went into the warehouse again, where they had laid out a sale table, almost everything was a dollar, cards of ribbon, packages of brads, rub-ons...there were some bigger ticket items too, but everything was priced very low. It was very fun, I am a sucker for ribbon and brads. As if all of this wasn't fun enough, they packaged our purchases in the cute lime and green bag Joan is holding in her picture. So fun! I use it for a church bag now. They also gave us rub-ons as a thank you for coming. Joan won the prize so we all were happy about that! Go Joan!!

Cosmo Cricket was hard to find..but one of my constant favorites. I really like their paper and chipboard. I finally found their Cogsmo line for little boys that I have been searching for. All kinds of neat robots and gears in happy colors. They opened up their warehouse too, with below wholesale prices. They have one of the cutest scrapbook company websites I have ever seen. The Jon the Warehouse Guy videos are very funny. We were given snacks, water (very welcome ~ even for the Diet Coke girl) and a very cute lacing card home decor kit. I have been eying those kits forever so that was very exciting!

Rusty Pickle was even harder to find. A thousand thanks go out to Rachelle for all of the driving that she did while we were down there!!! Rusty Pickle also opened up their warehouse, with their paper that normally cost 60-89 cents marked down to 10 cents! They had big boxes of chipboard to go through for only 5 cents each! So much fun! Then when we checked out we were given a bag filled with at least 2 inches of paper as well as being stuffed with other goodies like alphabets and embellishments!

This was such great day. I loved spending time with my friends! All of us live in different towns now, and don't get to spend very much time together so this was doubly treasured. Joan and Wendi were our models for the goodie filled trunk. I think that the car was riding low by the time we were finished! We were all exhausted, but we couldn't believe how fast the day flew by.

Bebop time!

2008-09-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

I am very proud of Joey and Lissie. They tried out for the Venture theatre play "Bebop with Aesop". It is part of the program, "Venture into the schools". I knew that Joe planned on trying out, but Liss wasn't sure. When it came down to it though, she and her twinner tried out together. As fate would have it, Patrick (the director) had them read lines together. They have always been close and when performing, tend to magnify each other. Joey got the part of the Boy who cried wolf and Lissie is the wolf. She's happy because she is able to speak and dance in it, and Joey is excited because he has quite a few lines. Liss really cracked us all up. She was enthroned on her favorite place (daddy's lap) wrapped in her pink princess blanket, looking very angelic as we discussed how fun this was going to be. Joey explained his role and showed some dance moves. He moves very easily and is enjoying the whole experience. Shon then asked Lissie who she played. She looked up at him with huge blue eyes and dimpled saying, "I'm the wolf. I get to eat Joey's sheep. They are my friends." Just her delivery had us cracking up. We are looking forward to the whole experience. The music is so catchy and fun. The play is well written. I'll post pictures as soon as I have them.

http://www.scrapsofkee.blogspot.com/

2008-09-19T21:30:00.001-07:00

Just a minute or 30! of your time...

2008-09-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

Below is a perfect example of fun, useless things that you can waste time on. I sat down to update my blog and somehow ended up playing on this site...

http://scrapsofkee.blogspot.com/

2008-09-19T19:56:00.001-07:00

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Homesick

2008-09-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

I love Montana. There is a beauty to the rims, and the sky can be the bluest I have ever seen. However, these pictures show the kind of country I grew up in and I think that there will always be a part of me that misses the ocean. These pictures are literally of my Dad and Annette's backyard. They live in an area called Deep Bay in British Columbia. I love the wildness of the water, somehow it seems to calm me no matter what mood I am in. I love the smell of the ocean (except at low tide) and the sound. I don't like crowded sandy sunbathing beaches very much. I love to be able to climb on a rock and watch the sea. Feel the spray on my face and laugh at the seals playing. More often than not, see an orca flip it's tail. Sea gulls wheel and complain, they are sort of like the Woody Allen of the bird world, constantly fretting. Never bored, I could wander for hours listening to the nature filled silence, turning the occasional rock over and smiling at the antics of frantic little sand crabs. Every once in a while I would see a glint, a hint of color ~ blue, maroon, green or even a frosty white ~ bending down to look ~ I would score another piece of beach glass for my collection. Once just a hobby, now each piece is my own little ocean in a bottle, trapped, just like the homesickness that sometimes threatens to overtake me. Most of the time it is fine. I love Montana, I can see how for most people it gets in their blood. I call it home. But sometimes when I see pictures like these, I miss the ocean it so much. For just a moment I take the lid of my jar of beach glass memories off and I hear the scream of the gull, I feel the spray of the sea and I am touched by the pull of the tides. For just a moment. Then I put the lid firmly back in place. I have to, this is my home now.

2008-09-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

Fear. There is nothing like the fear that grasps you when your child staggers into the room clutching at his throat. We had a very frightening experience Monday night when Joey choked on a piece of meat. Terror and panic were in his eyes and he expected me to be able to fix it. That's what mom's do right? They fix things. Everything felt as if it was happening in two parallels. One slow as molasses and the other in double time because I knew he couldn't breathe. When he first came in and gasped water I handed him my glass, he couldn't swallow it, then in the next few seconds, he couldn't cough or make noise. It is a very strange experience when adrenaline takes over. Once I knew he was really choking on the obstruction and it couldn't be coughed out, I flipped him so he was facing the opposite direction and preformed the Heimlich maneuver. It took two strong thrusts and the meat literally popped out like a cork. We looked at each other in shock and then he understandably started crying. Shon was in the room by this time and we just sandwiched him in a hug. I was trying to be strong for him so I kept my head up so he couldn't see the tears in my eyes too. Kids recover quickly, although he really stuck close to me the rest of the night. We let him stay home yesterday, he was pretty sore, both his throat and stomach muscles. I think he was pretty shook up.

I literally want to thank God for the scouting program. Those of you that know us well, recognize that the scouting program is a huge part of our lives. As leaders in this program, Shon and I have both taken First Aid and CPR classes. I've also taken the Citizen Emergency Responder Training. The ironic thing is that I have always worried that I wouldn't remember what to do in an emergency. In fact, if we had been sitting visiting on that very Monday, I would have told you I had only a hazy recollection of the Heimlich Maneuver. What an amazing thing our long term memory is. What a crazy thing adrenaline is, I didn't consciously think, I didn't consciously expend the physical energy, but it happened and so very quickly. Both Joey and I were sore yesterday, I didn't even realize I was using those muscles.

I wavered about whether or not to blog this, I didn't want to come across as bragging. But after some thought I decided to post it because I feel like this saved my child's life on Monday. It is such a simple thing to do, to set aside time for the training. One day. That's all it takes. Every town has First Aid and CPR/Choking training. These can be taught in a variety of settings. Hospitals, civic classes and Enrichment meetings. The American Red Cross estimates that more than 3000 people a year die from choking. A day doesn't seem like a high price to pay to keep our kids safe. Below are some diagrams of what happened to us. It is important to try and actually get the training because if it is done improperly, on someone who is too young (very young children have a different technique) or if the person is not actually choking, it can cause physical damage. You will have to use your imagination when you look at the diagrams, apparently Joey and I have taken the time to get killer tans! loll. :-)

Choking

An acute upper airway obstruction is a blockage of the upper airway, which can be in the trachea, laryngeal (voice box), or pharyngeal (throat) areas.
Symptoms vary depending on the cause, but some symptoms are common to all types of obstruction.
Choking
Gasping for air
Wheezing, crowing, whistling, or other unusual breathing noises indicating breathing difficulty
Agitation or fidgeting
Panic

The universal sign for choking is clutching his or her throat with both hands. If the person can cough get him cough until the choking piece comes out. If the material is not coming out and person cannot talk or cough any more and becomes pale he or she needs immediate help. The current well accepted practice is to perform a Heimlich procedure on the choking person. Do not perform this procedure unless you are sure that the person is chocking. Because choking cuts of oxygen to brain, the victim needs immediate help. Heimlich procedure is performed as below:

1.From behind, wrap your arms around the victim's waist. 2.Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim's upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel. 3.Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands. 4.Repeat until object is expelled.

2008-09-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

2008-09-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

Little Girls are made of...

2008-09-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well if you are my little girl you are made of big blue eyes, imagination and attitude! Hollie Lissette may be Daddy's girl (as it should be) or "The Girl" according to Grandpa Wayne, but she is most definitely my buddy. She has always loved to dress up. I distinctly remember a solid month when she was three when all she would wear was a purple set of long johns Papa Bill gave her with a tiara and red and green leather cowboy boots. I would have to sneak into her room and get the long johns to wash them at night. Lissie loves both writing and pirates and creates entire pirate plays which she and her friends act out. Stories don't stay in the pages of her books, but instead become tangible. I can always tell what she is reading by the games she and her brothers are playing. Her enthusiasm for these wholesome innocent games is contagious with the kids around her joining in her imaginary worlds whole heartedly. She made me smile tonight. Her friends Monica and Olivia Moss are visiting from Utah. Within minutes of arriving dress up clothes were flying left and right. They went through many outfits, asking me to photograph them all. We ended up with wonderfully fun pictures but these were some my favorites especially of Lissie. Some were from a sort of Harry Potter-ish ~ pirate game they were playing. (Don't ask me, I am just the humble photographer.) The others are from their "scary hunter elves" game. I think the close up of Lis is a crazy photo, but for some reason I thought it was cool too, the way she did her makeup and just the way it turned out. Every once in a while I get an idea what she is going to look like when she is older. According to her mom who already thinks she is cute, I have the feeling that she is going to be a beautiful girl.

Boys and Icky things

2008-09-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up I was pretty adventurous. My best friend Dwayne and I would take off on our bikes, play in the mud, climb trees and come home pretty filthy. My sister and I loved to have campfires, had the BEST fort in the world, (remember Berry Island ~ Bob? And the swing?) We were always exploring, rock climbing and otherwise giving our parents more grey hair. I especially remember our "soap box" race cars that we built out of the beautiful large metal doll carriages that our Nana and Papa sent us. They were deep purple metal, had great springs and man could those babies fly down the highway once we rebuilt them! Lets just say Mom was less than thrilled with our ingenuity! All of this experience became handy when I had not one, not two but THREE boys. (I still think that Heavenly Father is laughing!) So with the boys, most of the things they do don't freak me out. I am not saying that I GET what is going on in their minds ~ other than the words IDEA and ACTION become one word IDEAACTION....but I can handle most of it. One things I will NEVER get is the love that boys have for snakes, bugs, salamanders and other creepy crawly NASTIES! Cody Marchant (our boy's cousin) found this snake at scout camp and all of the boys were just fascinated with it! Alex and Joey tried to convince me we needed one, but this is one thing I will NOT give in on. Geez...Boys and icky things. Guess that should be one word as well! By the way, I absolutely LOVE Shon's Grandma Leta and she found out that the boys had brought the snake into the house is the first time I have ever heard her yell! I took this picture of her as I was laughing about it...and she was telling me to stop laughing.

Super Heroes and Seminary

2008-09-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

My younger kids were teasing me about my post on Alex and wondering where the one about their first day of school is. I think these were my favorite first day pictures.

Watch out world, the Super Ostlers are ready to take on Sandstone!! After the angst filled post about Ali's first day of HS. (Which thus far he loves) I really don't have a drama ridden story about these three. I know all of their teachers and love each one of them. They are all teachers we have had before and if I could have picked, it would be who I would have chosen. Each of them was eager to go back to school, I saw them out the door without a tear or a sigh...sorry guys. Toby is in 2nd grade, Lissie is in 5th grade and Joey is in 6th grade. They all have goals set and love school. Incidentally I was looking at these pictures and I don't think I could have picked a worse looking place in my yard for them. We actually have a very cute yard, but the sprinklers had just shut off and everything was SOAKED. I guess I should have manipulated that "spontaneous" memory and shot the first day of school the day before! loll. So far in the five days we have been back, everyone loves it. Alex started seminary this morning. GAK!!! Man 6:30 comes early! Today was a devotional with the parents. It was very cool to go with him. I am glad that I am not the one trying to think that early. I guess that there are 19 active freshman in the stake and 10 of them are from our ward. Cindy Bennion is his teacher. What a wonderful beginning to seminary. Now I need a nap. :-)

Letting Go

2008-08-27T20:28:00.001-07:00

Today was probably the hardest first day of school for me since Ali started kindergarten. Somehow the thought of him starting Highschool at Skyview just made my heart ache. Mostly because he is changing very fast. When Alex was so ill this spring, and home for 5 weeks, we were able to spend alot of time just hanging out. While I fearfully prayed everyday for him to get better quickly and resume his life, I also cherished each minute spent with him. He has a offbeat silly sense of humor. I learned that Alex is much tougher than I realized, emotionally he is in a very mature place. His laid back attitude masks a strong resolution to not get "caught up" in the social games most kids his age play and go towards the goals he has set. He shaves now (and will kill me for telling all of you that) and actually has very blond, but rough stubble when he doesn't shave for several days. He hugged me good bye before school and when I felt that roughness on my little boy's face, I didn't know whether to tease him or cry, so I just kidded with tears in my eyes. I didn't go to the Highschool that morning, partly because of time and trying to get kids four different directions, but I think that the real reason deep down it that I couldn't bear to see him walk through that front door dwarfed by the size of Skyview. I asked Shon if he seemed nervous, lonely or even a little bit scared. Of course what I forgot was that those are all mom emotions, or momotions as my kids call them. In real life he hopped out of the car and walked into a new phase of his life confident and expecting the best. A great attitude for life in general I think. One more first step down and one more step closer to adulthood. Highschool...wow!

Super Alex!

This is the pose I will use to fool my teachers....

When is this photo shoot going to be over?

Tagged

2008-08-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that we have all done a million of these, but they are still fun to read. Now it is your turn! I like these to read everyone else's so be a sport and play!
1. Do you like Blue Cheese? Yep, not sure if it is the taste I love or they way that Shon throws a fit when I eat it because he thinks it is gross.
2. Have you ever smoked? Tried it when I was young and crazy, but I think that it stinks and isn't worth it.
3. Do you own a gun? Nope, I can shoot them, my Dad was in law enforcement, so my sister and I were crack shots when we were younger, but I don't like them in my house. Now I doubt I could hit the broad side of a barn. Wait, Shon-O has some for hunting and do all of the rubber band guns, squirt guns and Nerf weapons that my MIL has bought for my kids count? LOLL
4. What do you think of hot dogs? Not my favorite, but I do like them if they are BBQ-ed. I just try REALLY hard not to think about what they might be made off.
5. Favorite Christmas movie? Easy, I am such a sap, I love the old musicals like White Christmas and Holiday Inn. oh, I like How the Grinch Stole Christmas too...Want to know the one that I HATE? Hands down, Miracle on 34Th street. I saw it so many times as a kid I want to rip every one's decorations down...oops, do you think Santa heard that?
6. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Well I should be drinking water like Colett, however since I lack her will power, I have been drinking Diet Coke, with a ton of ice. Santa, can I have a fountain machine for Christmas...pretty please?
7. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I love jewelry, but I like funky pieces that I either make or find. I really like strings of beads from the 60's that are a gazillion miles long so you can wear them as bracelets or wrapped around your neck, Bakelite jewelry and crazy rings. My problem is that my wrists are small so I can't wear bangles. Always silver never gold. BTW, Colett, Shon and I hardly wear our wedding rings either. I take mine off to paint and then never remember to put it back on.
8. Favorite hobby? For those of you that know me, this is no surprise, I like to design scrapbook pages. I love teaching card and page classes, I like to paint, read and draw. I also love to bead and make jewelry. I am almost never bored.
11. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Physical trait: Used to be my stomach, after four c-sections and three other surgeries it will never be flat. I never used to worry about my hind end, (I figured that I couldn't see it so it was really more of someone else's problem...) now as I get older, my hips and butt are expanding and have become my problem too...sigh. Personality trait: I worry about what people think too. Shon is good about not caring, I wish I could emulate that. I also hate it when people are mad at me. 10. Middle Name? Judith after my Dad's sister
12. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: ooh this is deep, unfortunately my thoughts aren't ;-)
1) My beautiful Diet Coke is almost empty. (Come on Santa!)
2) I need to finish school shopping and the kids start tomorrow. (yikes)
3) I can't wait to finish some of the pages I just sketched out.
13. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
1)Diet Coke
2) Water with lots of ice (Yes I do drink more of that than DC, especially since we bought our new fridge and it has an ice maker and water in it)
3) Biglow's herbal orange tea. I love it because it isn't sweet like a lot of herbal teas. Just a good basic flavour.
14. Current worry? Easy, the job market, Shon's business relies of gas/deisel prices and we all know how they are right now.
15. Current hate right now? Same as Colett, Gas and grocery prices eating up all of my spending cash! We haven't gone to UT as many times as we like because gas is so expensive.
16. Favorite place to be? my scrapbook room.
17. How did you bring in the New Year? We have a party with our friends, eat a ton of crab and prime rib and then go home in time to bring in the New Year with our kids.
18. Where would you like to go? Italy. I would love to paint there.
19. What shirt are you wearing right now? A plain black T.
20. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I've never slept on them but it sounds dangerous. I could see sliding right out...
21. Can you whistle? Not effectively, it is more like spitting with sound.
22. Favorite Color? This evolves all of the time, Turquoise and brown or Turq. with lime green would be my favorites. I also love the colors grey and black.
23. Would you be a pirate? No, but my daughter is convinced she is.
24. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't. have you not heard me sing? I try to avoid it since we have glass doors in the shower.
25. Favorite girl's name? Well, Lissette obviously. But I also love the names Sophie and Emma. 26. Last thing that made you laugh? This is corny, but my kids, every single day. They are just plain nut jobs. (They get that from their Dad)
27. Worst injury you've ever had? A benign ovarian tumour that really did a lot of internal damage. The Dr.'s didn't think that we could have more kids, but luckily Toby had other ideas. Our OB said he was a miracle baby.
28. Do you love where you live? Yes, except that it is too far from both of our families.
29. What's your favorite book(s)? I read too many to narrow it down, I am an addicted reader, who needs sleep?
30. What is your favorite candy? I am not a huge candy person, but I do love really good quality chocolate. I have found that if you buy crap chocolate from the grocery store you end up eating 5x's as much just to satisfy a craving. Buy good chocolate and one piece takes care of it. I don't like fruit and chocolate mixed but I love it with nuts. (besides, Shon won't touch it if it has nuts in it. hee hee)
31. Favorite sports team? I hate sports, I love which ever team is the closest to ending the bloody game.
32. What song do you want played at your funeral? Never thought about it, I don't care.

Trying again...

2008-08-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Oh Brother!

2008-08-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what it was about this summer but it was over before I blinked! I have a long list of things to blog about, Cub Scout day camp,(lot's of cute stories and pictures) Boy Scout camp (Lots of cute pictures and not so cute, make a Mother's blood run cold stories), Cowley's Day, my trip to Utah (Could my neices and nephews be any cuter !?!) going to CKU (let's shout out for creativity), painting my bedroom (yay! finally!) Getting ready for school, (I have a high schooler - yikes!) the list goes on. However that list will just have to be a teaser for what is to come when the kids go back to school and I can actually breathe. :-)

When I sat down at my computer today, I was supposed to write the Primary program for sacrament meeting. Of course like that children's story "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" it went something like this;
1) If you give Kee a calling she will have to write the program...
2) If she has to write the program she needs to use the computer...
3) When she uses the computer, first her email must be checked...
4) When she checks her email, she discovers a smart aleck remark about her blog not being updated...
5) In order to update her blog she needs recent pictures....
6) When searching through pictures she finds these old ones of her boys...loll

Well you get the picture, or as my kids would say, "Pun, pun! You mean 3 pictures! I needed some pictures for a layout to display on the wall of a LSS about two years ago. The theme was Brothers, so I grabbed Joey and Toby and started snapping pictures. I made the layout and downloaded the pictures. I really loved these three in particular, but had forgotten all about them until today. So, I did update my blog, but not about Scouts, Cowley, Utah or School. That was my intention, but hey, if you give a mouse a cookie, you don't know what will happen! loll :-)

I wondered where to get one of those!

2008-07-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I loved Aunt Betty so much. I really enjoyed getting to know her. One of the things that would make me smile was the generation gap between us. I know that I am a saver, but she NEVER threw stuff away if it still had a use! Now, as a number cruncher, she was incredibly organized. Her house was not overrun with junk, but the things that she saved were filed, labeled and put away. When she passed away it was very sad to go into her room at the nursing home and clean things out...I did smile though when I opened her drawer and pulled out this wrapper filled with cups. You see, she hated using the cups from the nursing home because she thought they were filled with germs, so I would bring her disposable cups. In order to keep them neat in her bedside drawer she would take a few out of the big package and put them in this little plastic sleeve from a smaller package. I started laughing when I actually read the printing on the plastic and knew I had to share this fun memory with you. Look at the printing.....at first, nothing strange...

Okay, excuse the fact that I took the picture upside down, at first it looks like a normal plastic bag.....Then look at the corner below. I wondered where in the world I could still get those! :-)

Yay! Now I know what to get y'all for Christmas...Who wants Rick Springfield? And under the Dora Hall section what the heck is tramping?

Dreaming of Dragonflies

2008-07-21T20:22:00.001-07:00

While taking out the garbage the other day, Joey made a new friend. He came back with a little hitchhiker on his shirt. We couldn't get her to leave. I don't know if it needed to rest or just wanted to hang out with a cool guy, but the dragonfly stuck around for a photo shoot before she left. We actually had to go outside and shake his shirt before she flew off into the sun. She was so pretty with those jewel tones and those delicate wings.

You can't see it in the picture, but her wings were moving so fast that they seemed to hum.

Isn't the detail amazing. We kept thinking that she would spook and fly away while we were looking at her, but apparently she was a diva dragonfly as well as being a beauty queen because she basked in our admiration.

Time to fly away home little friend.......

Changes

2008-07-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have been having a hard time dealing with my weight, and was appalled the other day when I was folding my jeans and saw the size of my hind end. So I decided that something needed to change. The weight is a long term change and will take a while to show any difference, I am working on it, but a short term change was in order! Two things were decided...one I will no longer fold my jeans since it is WAY too depressing lol! Two, I can can chop off my hair and and have fun. I may be the short chubby chick, but I will be the short chubby chick with attitude! ;-)

Before the haircut...feeling frumpy.......

After the haircut...feeling sassy......

2008-07-13T21:00:00.001-07:00

2008-07-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

2008-07-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Twinners

2008-07-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures of Joey and Lissie when I was looking through some files on the computer. It made me think of the special friendship that they have had from the beginning. Joey was only six months old when Lissie "surprised" us. Even before she was born, he would "wrap around" my stomach and coo to her. She would kick back and they would have long "conversations". When she was born, he was always gentle with her and they would still coo back and forth for a minutes at a time. She was a very happy baby, but seemed even more content when he was around. When Liss was old enough for a crib, we had to place it next to Joey's and they would fall asleep holding hands through the bars. Early on, the two of them developed their own world and language, much like twins. The look so much alike and have the same build that we have been asked if they were twins ever since they were toddlers. Even as pre-teens, they are still the best of buds. I think it is really cool that they are such good friends and very tight, their friends have quickly learned to not come between them! I hope that they retain this friendship!

Beautiful Things Tag

2008-07-12T16:43:00.001-07:00

Amy came up with this challenge, so armed with my camera I explored our yard and came up with the following things that I love.....

1) the light through my lilac bush in front of my living room window.

2) The gate leading into our backyard. A gate always seems like it leads to adventure....

3)I love this frivolous little metal plate by our gate. I think that it is really pretty and love the fact that it serves no other purpose that to make you happy.

4) For the first time in our married life, we have been able to put in a garden. Who knew that lurking under Shon's computer guy exterior was a farmer? He spends many happy hours out there, spurning all help with weeding (no complaints from us there) and watering. I think he may even talk to them. We tease him that my DH has turned into a SOS (Son Of the Soil). He has done a great job. Here are a few things I love about the garden.

We have several tomato bushes, all of are looking forward to fresh tomatoes!

Look at that row of corn! So straight you'd think he was a professional!

Mmmm....yummy raspberries, and so pretty too!

5) I love flowers and have derived great joy in being able to fill our house with flowers from our yard. We moved in while everything was hibernating, so we had no idea what was planted. This spring and summer have been a time of discovery.

There are roses, which remind me of my Nana, who loved to garden. When she lived with us on Vancouver Island we had roses planted all over the yard. It was so beautiful and fragrant!

I had no idea that a peony bush was hidden in the corner of the yard! It has a really intense scent. Only two blooms this year, but now we know it is there, we can take care of it!

This little bush was the scrubbiest, ugliest dead looking thing until a few weeks ago. We woke up one day and it was covered in little white flowers. Hmm, maybe we have to think twice about it now.....

This is the tree right in between our driveway and front walk. I have no idea what it is, but I love the leaves and flowers, Shon hates it and wants to cut it down. The negotiations continue....

Last but not least is the numbers on our house. Not because I like the style of those lovely chunky 80's wood things, but because of what they represent, a place that we have dreamed about and saved for what felt like an eternity for....a home of our own. (yeah I know it is sappy ~ what did you expect? I may be a Wednesday, but every once in a while a Pollyanna-ism slips through...must be the company I keep!)

Joey is 12!

2008-07-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Time for another sappy post! The amazing Joto is 12 today! I am blown away by how quickly this all happened. It probably went by in a flash since you have kept me running since the day you were born! You were such a cute sweet little baby, with a huge smile and who also HATED to sleep! The only way you would sleep is when you were either in the car, in your swing or in our arms! Since it isn't advisable to drive the car while sleeping, we quickly went out and bought a swing we could plug in. I really enjoy your sense of humor and quick wit. You are such an inquisitive person which started at a very young age. (Every screwdriver in the house had to be locked up) Even with all of your health troubles with asthma your bravery and charm made every nurse up at St. V's Hospital your fan. I used to try everything to keep you safe when you were younger and your skin was so fragile, but you still showed just the sweetest nature even while in daily pain. What a blessing now that you have outgrown that and your skin is so healthy. I love that you still come up and say "I haven't gotten my daily hug" no matter where we are, and even at Scout Camp whenever your patrol walked by you would break away and tell me what you were doing and give me a hug and kiss without making me beg. It takes a strong man to do that. I am so proud that you are going to receive the priesthood on Sunday and start passing the sacrament. I love you Joby. Happy Birthday!

Toby's Baptism

2008-07-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

We are a bit behind in our blogs, so look for several over the next few days. Toby was baptized on the 22nd. I can not believe that it was our last one! His little friend Emma was born on the same day and they wanted to get baptized together. Our families are friends and so we thought it would be great organize it togther. Bishop Wardell gave permission for them to be baptized on their birthday. Toby and Emma were so cute, I will post a picture of them that we took after the baptizm that her Grandfather took when I receive it. Here is a picture of Toby that we took right before we left for the church. What a cute boy! Lots of friends came and it was a wonderful way to celebrate!

Teresa and Randy's Wedding

2008-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Teresa and I have been friends for a long time. Over time, we have become even closer than just friends, it feels just like the best part of both friendship and being sisters. We joke that if we had a dollar for every time someone asked us if we were sisters, we would be very rich. Apparently lots of people think that we look alike. We have a hard time seeing it, but don't mind that people think that we are sisters. I really love my friendship with her and the laughter that we share. Today was a gorgeous day, except for the heat. It hit 90 degrees which kept Brandon (Teresa's brother) running for more ice. Teresa and Randy were married in their backyard. We had a buffet out there and enjoyed hanging out and visiting with everyone. Randy's kids are Alex (13) Nicole (11) and Austin (10) Teresa's stair step in there with Natalie (10) Ben (7) and Lucy who will be 3 in August. We were cracking up at the challenge of getting a family photo with all 8 of them looking the same direction and smiling all at once. I think that we finally gave up but it was really funny. The large group picture of kids is all of the cousins that were at the wedding. I think that both Randy and Teresa are great people and I wish them the best of luck. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

2008-06-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

2008-06-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

2008-06-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

2008-06-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

2008-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

2008-06-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

2008-06-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

No, we haven't disappeared! Starting in May and ending in June we tend to be swallowed up by Cub Scout Day Camp. Most people don't realize the size of this camp, it is the largest Cub Scout camp in MT. This year we had about 360 boys come through in one week with just over 110 of those boys and a parent/guardian spending Friday night. It turns into a family vacation for us, all of our kids involved, Shon as the director, I do the paperwork/t-shirts and Alex works as a Junior guide out there. We ended camp on Saturday. With such a large camp, clean-up takes several days and many u-haul loads to return things to normal. Shon and I decided to have a fajita fest with the crew that showed up to help out. One of the things that we love about scouting is the families that we have become so close to. Since it was Father's Day, the gals and I decided to surprise the guys with cakes. The theme of camp this year was Knights of the Big Sky which led to many Monty Python jokes from the staff. We kept calling them the Knights who say Ni, so that was a very natural thing to put on the one cake. When I went to order it, the teenager who took my order gave a blank look and made me write it out. He must not have watched the movie! ;-) I love my husband so much. He is such a good father and role model, and I have had to privilege of watching him be that not only to our kids, but through his calling with the young men at church and the hundreds of Cub Scouts he is in contact with. I am proud of you honey!

14 and growing up fast

2008-05-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my "baby"turned 14. I had joked about crying, but I surprised myself when I really did. Alex came into the world in a fairly dramatic fashion. We were alone up in Juneau, Alaska, my Mom and Sister were fogged in, in Haines and were waiting either for a ferry to come or the fog to lift. My Dad was on Vancouver Island, and Shon's family were in Montana. We had had a very difficult pregnancy anyway, a great deal of preterm labor, and several hospital stays with bedrest in between. I joined the LDS church while pregnant with Alex and the poor missionary who baptized me was terrified I was going to have him during the baptism! My water finally broke on May 23rd, but labor was going nowhere so the Dr. started pitossen (sp?) It was after being on that in very hard labor without any painrelievers (Dr.'s choice not mine) for 13 hours that Alex and I both went into shock and they did an emergency c-section. I was pretty out of it, but I remember being really worried about Shon, because it was the middle of the night and he was there alone. Somehow, I knew Alex was okay. As for me, I just wanted to be out of pain. I could not wait to hold that little baby. Turns out I had to since they used a general anethesia. :-) My first memory of Alex is a very precious, tender one. I was back in my room, groggy from the anethesia, I turned my head and saw my sweet husband exhausted, asleep in the chair beside my bed. The curtains were open just a little bit and the sun was rising. I saw Shon's hands craddling a little bundle, tucked up under his chin. Held safe even while his slept. Alex's little face with it's big blue eyes was turned towards me. He was awake and just looking at the light. Not crying, just checking out the world calmly. That first memory is very indicitive of his personality. Sweet, calm and laid back. He has a natural charisma that draws people to him. I have been so proud of him, especially this year as he has navigated being ill, his priesthood responsibilties, his calling in the Deacon's quarum, being an amazing big brother, wonderful son and a very strong friend while navigating the perils of Junior High. Both adults and kids like him very much. His laid back aproach to social groups - judging people for who they are and not who they hang out with- is a strength that I (and his teachers at school) aplaud for it's maturity. While he was out of school for five weeks, his teachers told me that while they knew he was well liked, they were amazed at the variety of kids from every social group that asked how he was and when he was coming back. I don't know what he will end up doing with his life, he has plenty of time to decide, but I do know that I am proud of him now and love the fact that we can hang out, play around, goof around, but he is still a repectful, reponsible boy. All of this being said, he is still human, not perfect and I am afraid to go into his room without a Haz-mat suit. Alex, you are amazing, yes I am bawling like a fountain as I write this. Honey, if this was a movie we would all stand up and applaud you. (Pan camera out to imagine all of us in your life, standing and doing the "slow" clap!) :-) All in all, I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe the room.

2008-05-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

At 36 "Eye" am
A mother
A wife
A princess
A daughter
A sister
A friend
An artist
A comic
and
sometimes
a
brat

Old Blue Eyes

2008-05-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I used to hate the color of my eyes, I thought that my eyes were boring, boring, boring. I would have loved to have hazel eyes like my sister or brown eyes like my mom. I thought that there was nothing that stood out about regular old blue eyes. As I have gotten older I have learned to like my "boring old" blue eyes. I don't wear much makeup, but when I do buy new make up it is almost always eye makeup. It is fun to blend the shades and make them stand out. One of my favorite eyeshadows is the color ginger-ale by Jane. It is kind of a golden yellow and worn with brown eye-liner and brown mascara, those blue eyes aren't so boring anymore! :-)

Baby Mine

2008-05-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

There is a song by Bette Midler that I just love called "Baby Mine" from the Beaches sound track that I sang to all of my kids. The song starts out, "Baby mine, dry your eyes..." The other song that I always sing to them is another one of hers called "Wind Beneath My Wings". This is one of my favorite pictures. Joan took it in the hospital after Toby was born. I don't thing I even knew that she was taking it. You can't see the rest of the quote but it reads, "You do no become a Mother, Motherhood becomes you." Motherhood gobsmacked me (to borrow a phrase from my English friends) I had always vaguely thought about it, putting it firmly in the "someday" category. I never thought of my self as maternal and when Shon and I found out we were pregnant with Alex two months after we were married my first thought was a sickening mixture of fear and panic nicely seasoned with nausea. The nausea stayed, but the feelings of fear and panic gave way to amazement and awe. Although I never was able to get the hang of normal pregnancies and ours were peppered with many hospital stays and preterm labor, each one was testimony building to me. When you are privileged to be nurturing that little body and spirit, I felt as if the veil to the Heavens was just a little bit thinner. I worried about bringing a child into this world. I remember just getting a calming feeling that if we raised our children in the LDS church that we would be comforted. I had always loved their family values and really liked that "template" for raising a family. For us it as been a wonderful thing. I was never naive enough to think that things would never be hard, we do seem to have our refiners fire of medical issues. But tempering all of that is this thread of love and joy that is a direct boon from our Father in Heaven. There is also the life changing realization that I LOVE being a Mother! I know that I make many mistakes, and sometimes I swear I can hear God laughing, but I would never, ever change this for anything. Shon and I were talking this morning about our kids and how cool they are. I love that they are so close. They don't like to be separated, and they hang out with one another without prompting. I don't know how long that will last, but I'll take it while I can. I have a feeling it will last though. My sister is one of my best friends and Shon is very close to his sisters too. I love that our kids are so huggy and affectionate. My older boys will still reach out to hold my hand unprompted in public...amazing for a 14 year old and an 11 year old. I think that the bottom line is that my children are teaching me what joy and charity truly are....Motherhood. While I may whine sometimes or be dramatic, I am humbled and would never change a thing.

This one is for you Polly :-)

2008-05-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

I was told to update my blog....This cracked me up so I thought I would share. Click on the picture if it is too small to read. Have a freakin' great day everyone! :-)(Yes that was sarcasm) LOL

TGIF!!!

2008-04-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, some weeks just take you by the tail and leave you a little wild-eyed! I am shouting Thank Goodness It's Friday!! Even though our weekend is just as nuts, it gets me one day closer to a day when I can just laze around. I love this goofy looking glass cat. It is only about an 1 1/4 inches high. It is so ugly that it endears itself to you. At least it makes me laugh. I keep it on my desk to remind myself to laugh and not take everything so seriously.

Wax Museum

2008-04-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Ah, you can always tell when 5th grade rolls around. Parents sitting calmly, enjoying a rare moments rest on a Tuesday night, when out of the blue "someone" (we won't mention Joey's name) urgently says, "Mom, I need to look like Abraham Lincoln on Thursday morning! I need black hair, a suit, a background poster and oh yeah, I told Kris you could help him with his costume and Lane that you could make him a half bald Benjamin Franklin wig." First order of business. Repeat in a monotone with a modicum of panic...I love my child, I love my child....Then get down to business. Call in a favor from a friend, I helped turn her daughter into Annie Oakley at last years wax museum, surely Ranae has a suit jacket. Dig the magician's top hat out of the toy box...wonder where the rabbit went to? I am not an American citizen yet, but I am pretty sure that Abe didn't need a rabbit so we are okay. Add church pants and Abe is looking pretty snazzy, except for the fact that my child is blond and has not started growing facial hair yet...Joey is REALLY attached to his hair. He wanted to dye it black until he realized that he would have to buzz it afterwards. As he and I were scrubbing paint off of my kitchen floor, cabinets, counter and the stove hood (don't ask me) I realized that we have tons of powdered tempra paint. So we mixed up some of the black and gave it a go. It actually worked! I wish that I had taken some on the first day of the museum, it was black. Then the second day it faded (which is a good thing)I had to laugh at him and Colton (his vice-pres)With Joey's hat pushed so far back he looked like a slightly derelict president, you couldn't see Colton's feet, but his shoes were off and he was wearing crazy socks. They both received an A+ though. I wonder who Lissie will be next year? By the way, it has been several weeks and even though I am obsessive about clean hands, my nails and cuticles are still black. Joey's hair is back to blond though!

President in the family

2008-04-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Why we do this thing called motherhood

2008-04-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Oh mama!

2008-04-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is totally tough, you wonder if you can do it, and then you turn around and have your heart melted by huge blue eyes and a sticky kiss. I used to think that being a mom was very hard when they were little, four of them close together, hard pregnancies, Shon-O travelled all of the time and asthma. Then they started to grow and thrive like we prayed and a whole new set of fears crops up. Will they be liked at school? Will they understand their work, play dates, friends coming over...I would think, man! This is the hard part. Now, I have my little baby who is turning 14 next month and he and his friends, still come over, but now they are all legs and hair in their eyes, getting old enough for dances and wanting to go to movies by themselves...driving soon and even worse, getting in the car with other teenagers who are driving and I think man! This is the hard part. Luckily, they still give me kisses, not so sticky, but just as sweet. Their eyes are just as big and melt your heart blue, beautiful and without guile, which I pray they stay that way. You wonder, am I teaching them properly? Will I be strong enough to trust their agency and let them go? I love the poem below, I don't know who wrote it, but it makes me hope I can be strong enough to be a mean mom.

I just hope I am mean enough....

2008-04-20T23:00:00.001-07:00

Someday when my children are old enough to understand
the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them,
as my Mean Mom told me:
I loved you enough
to ask where you were going,
with whom, and what time you
would be home.
I loved you enough to be
silent and let you discover that
your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over
you for two hours while you cleaned
your room, a job that should
have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to
let you see anger, disappointment,
and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you
assume the responsibility for your
actions even when the penalties
were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough . . .
to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles
of all..... I'm glad I won them,
because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children
are old enough to understand
the logic that motivates parents,
you will tell them.
as my Mean Mom told me:
I loved you enough.......

Pollyanna and Wednesday

2008-04-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

My mother in law is truly blessed with a sunny nature. I however, am just a "little" more moody. :-) Sometime, about 12 years ago, we were joking about it and decided that she was just like Pollyanna, happy, looking for the best in everything and everyone. We thought that Wednesday Adams was a little bit more like me. One time we were on a double date and were calling each other Wednesday and Polly like usual. Shon and Wayne wondered why, we explained and then as they were laughing, they asked when we had started doing it. We said, "oh, only about 6 years ago!" Boys! We sure love them! Lately, I have discovered traces of Pollyanna "ish" behavior creeping in to my personality. Oops! Time to turn up the theme song to the Adams Family! Care to snap your fingers along anyone?

oops!

2008-04-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here is the other view of the backyard!

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-12T22:10:00.001-07:00

Shon and I have prayed and saved and hoped for our own home for so long. In October we were very blessed to move into our first house that WE own! Today we spent the whole day in the yard, exploring, planning, trimming, pruning and dreaming. We are trying identify some of the bushes and other plants and decide whether or not to keep them. Here are some "before" pictures, as we progress, it will be fun to see how things change. The back yard is nice and big, so we are excited about making it a place to hang out. We pulled out the swing set and gave it to a friend for her little girls. Our kids were getting too big and hanging from it like monkeys. It was a broken leg waiting to happen. This is so much fun, we love our sweet house!

Sweet Girls

2008-04-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I love living in Montana, but one of the sacrifices that I ended up making was being so very far away from my family. I am very close to my sister. She is one of my best friends and I just love my nieces so much! I just wish that I could live closer to these beautiful, smart funny girls and be a bigger part of their lives. These were taken on Haile's 14th birthday. She and Uncle Shon share the same birthday. Bobbi and I were pregnant with Haile and Alex at the same time and thought that Haile was a boy too. I went up to Whitehorse with her to watch Savannah while she would be in the hospital. Bobbi wasn't due for a week so we were going shopping. When Bobbi asked Shon what he wanted for his birthday he told her a niece and a red tool box. We went shopping for a red tool box, she went into labor that night and delivered a niece! When we called Shon to tell him, he was thrilled, but couldn't talk long because our cat decided to start having her kittens in our bed. Truly a birthday in every sense of the word! My gorgeous nieces are left to right, Sara (11) Haile (14) and Savannah (15) I love you girls!

Alex Update

2008-04-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

We finally have an answer for Alex's troubles. He has IBD inflammatory bowel disease. Worse than irritable bowel disease, this actually causes his digestive tract to bleed inside and his body treats his own digestive tract like it is allergic to itself. It is a chronic condition. He lost 45 pounds in about 2 1/2 months, something I would like to do, but not through those methods. He has been out of school for weeks now, having a home bound tutor while he regained some strength. Now for the good news. There is medication, he is on four different kinds now, and should be able to drop down to two that he will have to take for his lifetime. The Dr wants him to gain a few pounds back, but not too many. If we can get him to a healthy place, he actually looks great! It should be interesting what the girls will think when he goes back to school part time on Monday! Here is a weird coincidence. The two tutors that were assigned to Alex were Mr. Wirtela and Mr. Sandler. Oscar Wirtela was the vice-principal when Shon and Colett (and maybe Amy?) were up at Skyview. Bob Sandler was an English teacher up there at the same time. There are at least 50 home bound tutors...what are the odds we get those two? Here are some updated photos of what Alex looks like.