Random this-is-all-I-had-time-for's

So, because I am moving, and because I have misplaced my camera, I am posting some random images that I like. Most are from
http://givingmirth.blogspot.com/

See you in NC.

This is so my cat, Gadget, but she mashes boobs, not noses.

Homeless Robot

This last one is from Maddie's blog, a sweet and talanted 14 year old who, after moving half way across the country a year ago and making new friends, has recently learned that she and her 3 sisters must do so again. I'm sorry Maddie.

I L O V E S P R I N G ! ! !

(I hate spring...Aiah, me itchin' eyes)



But you all know that spring is here. My new and latest love is Chicago. I didn't see much but it was a nice drive along the shore line and some great shopping and pizza in a fun but snooty mall...(at least till we had to drag the Daddy (Richard) out of the American Girl store. You'd think he was the one who wanted the doll)

I went to see my Sandra and her family over the weekend. It was so nice. I think she enjoyed it too....even if I did wreck her diet. I got to make carmel popcorn for her two littlest girls and I made baked french toast for a breakfast and a taco ring bake for one dinner. She said she hates to cook but then I made stuff that wasn't on Joni's weekly diet rules. Sorry Joni. I also took the family out to dinner and they chose Italian. We also went to the mall and got 3 of the girlie's hair cut, the Young Women's General Conference, stayed up too late and gabbed, and took a trip into the city. We drove along the shore line, shopped at the mall, got some really good Chicago pizza, bought too much chocolate at the Lindt store (they kept telling me I could get 13 more for just $.50 more and then a bar with the buy 3 get one and another one with the card.....). I ended up with twice the chocolate I intended, but hey, we will eat it if forced. I already know I should have gotten more raspberry ones. We sampled some weird gel soaps and large bath balls at Lush and then Sandra got a makeover in the makeup chair at Macy's, I think we were, and Richard schmoozed the lady at the fragrance counter for some samples. He is good. On the way out of town we drove past the bean, the large mirrored.....jelly bean landmark. I so enjoyed getting to know her girls and spending time with everyone. I would love to do it again and take Miranda this time. Maybe next year.

As for our move, we are gearing up for projects at both houses. At the Greensboro house we need a gas line, a short water line, paint, and a dog run, as well as a stove purchase and delivery. The current house just needs paint and some caulk repair. I tried to do it myself, cleaning the area really well and drying thoroughly but a month later it looked moth eaten so I don't know what I did wrong. If anyone is a tub caulking expert, let me know any tips or secrets you have. I need to dive back into the sorting and shedding process as well. Joy. No really.

Da Projects

Ok, now that my big dig is somewhat accomplished (as in excavating the storage unit and basement and closets and taking everything to the ward recycling event including all my baby gear (bittersweet, almost as much bitter as sweet) (that was soooo hard, but I have known it was coming for a few years now)) I have a little time to catch up the blog.

I wanted to document a couple of projects Miranda and I had done over the past couple of months. The first one was a school project, the Pizza book report.

We started with a salt dough crust and tomato paste.

Then we rolled salt dough cheese shreds.

Then we made the peperoni and dotted it with brown marker.

Here is the finished project. She laid the writing slices on top for the report portion. I dried it in a warm oven (sans the report). It was the most fun of the projects she has come home with.

The second one was cupcake pops from the Bakerella blog. These were time consuming but a lot of fun. I wanted a project Miranda and I could do together. When she bakes with me she likes to break the eggs and then wander off, coming back when yummy smells start coming from the oven. She loves art so I thought this would combine two of our favorites and inspire her creative side. Other than some gravity issues with too large pops and wet icing we both had a good time. I am realizing that the last few precious dregs of childhood are slipping quickly out of the cup and I want to make fun memories for her while she still enjoys spending time with mom. That door is already closing.

You start by baking a cake. We enhanced a cake mix with the cake mix doctor cookbook.

Once it is baked, you crumble the whole thing into a large bowl.

I added a cream cheese frosting. You can used the canned stuff but I made fresh. Tastes a whole lot better. Start by adding some and then some more till you get a play dough consistency. (loose play dough).

Then roll them out into balls. You can also shape them in little hors'dvors cutters but we went simple. The Bakerella website has a lot of great examples of what you can do.

Don't make them too big or they fall off the stick.

I melted two colors of candy melts. You dip the bottom half then add the stick dipped in a little of the melt. When that is dry you dip the top half. It doesn't take long for the "chocolate" to set up

Next decorate to your little heart out. We used colored sugars and sprinkles as well as squeezie frosting tubes. We zig zagged and polka dotted, sprinkled and swirled.

We set them in some floral foam which I have since spray painted purple. (Purple, of course purple, you wondered????)

It was a really fun project that I recommend as a great way to spend an afternoon with your kids. Even little ones.

Some other recent family fun, other than a movie, was a trip up to Wilkes Barre, about an hour and a half, to a Hockey Game. We all had fun, but I didn't realize that the score horn would be quite so loud. Miranda is sensitive to loud noises anyway and the first one caught us off guard and upset her. I think one of Miranda's very first unpleasant experiences in life was a loud noise. A few weeks before delivery they were doing fetal stress tests and she was sleeping peacefully. But they decided they wanted to see more variance on her heart rate so they woke her up with a loud buzz. It was the strangest sensation I experienced the whole pregnancy with 4 little limbs flying in 4 directions as she startled. As a baby she always used to cry if I blew my nose.

But I digress. The hockey game was fun and the home team won. Like most kids, she liked the zamboni and it was dollar hot dog night. We want to hit one more and then we will head for some Iron Pigs games, our local ball team, in the new ball park, opened last year. Pigs and corn, a great night. The Aw Shucks booth (zippy spiced corn on the cob) is our favorite booth, and the games are cheap. We like baseball.

This is one of Miranda with her new scooter. It is a zippy little thing. She crashed it once before realizing that using one foot as a brake can throw off your balance.

And this is a sleepy Rusty stretched out between my shoes. And my apologies to Joni, but in my defense, there were lots more pictures of my child. ;)

And if I have the dog I have to have the cat. This is Gadget. Aint she cute?

Spring is blowing a nice warm breeze today, 68 degrees. Miranda's skorts and scooter are coming out. We love spring. And now that we are going to North Carolina, I hereby bequeath my snow shovel(s) to the northern most (or highest elevation) of my relatives. So let me know who you are. Neener neener.

Ok, so I haven't posted in awhile. I have felt like death warmed over for the last week and a half. Bronchitis has stolen both mine and Miranda's good moods. I am so glad that David doesn't have it, which is unusual as he usually gets it twice as fast and twice as bad as us. I am looking forward to the temperatures rising and this bug burning itself out soon.

In between coughing fits I am trying to get our belongings sorted through. Not only does it need to happen for our move but our ward is having a recycling event so we are hoping our goods make it to the hands of those who really need it. There are so many in our ward out of work right now. It is really scarry. We feel so blessed as we are still doing quite well while so many are not. We want to share and hope that our stuff makes it where it really needs to be.

I so appreciate all those who blog regularly. While maybe not really productive, blog checking really helps me feel connected to other women. So thanks to all of you.

My big fun at the moment is looking forward to a few days in Chicago with Sandra in about 4 weeks. I haven't seen her since our kids were all small, and she only had two. I am so ready for a couple girl days. Thanks for letting me come Sandra.

Here is hoping that all of you are enjoying better health than I am. And here is to an early spring for all of us.

My facebook 25 Random things about me list

1. I have had 33 addresses in 7 states, including Alaska, in 3 out of 4 corners of the US since I was 19.
2. I have seen a shepherd on the Mount of Olives and crossed the Sea of Galilee.
3. My favorite jobs were part time Nanny and parking toll booth operator at the University of Utah.
4. I once owned my own business. It failed but I loved every minute of it.
5. I love to cook but hate cleanup. I have an automatic dishwasher yet oddly my dishes are never automatically washed.
6. I usually wake up between 4 and 5:30 even on my days off. I was a night owl all my life until about 5 years ago. Some cosmic switch was flipped and now I am a morning person.
7. My favorite color is, was, and always will be Purple.
8. I want to retire on a Harley.....a purple one. Parked at a small home near the Oregon coast.
9. I grow tomatoe JUNGLES...in big red pots. I have a 3 tiered herb garden. Except for the bending and weeding and bugs, I love gardening. There is nothing better than eating a tomato you grew yourself, or a raspberry, cherry, pumpkin etc. Last year I grew 5 pumpkins. Well, they grew themselves out of my compost pile.
10. My favorite smell in the whole world is a campfire.
11. I own a hooded black and red velvet Wiccan Priestess robe. It is heavy and luxurious. It keeps me warm on cool Halloweens. The Purple one came out the next year, D___it.
12. I have bungee jumped off a bridge in Canada.
13. I am a netflix junkie, which is what I do between 4 and 7am.
14. I have a tattoo (yes, get over it) that I got in my wild impetuous 30's. I am quiet and conservative most of the time and I don't seem like the Harley tattoo type but she is under there somewhere. She is also the one with that Red Headed temper which doesn't rise to the surface very often.
15. The first boy I dated and the first boy I loved live 25 and 3 miles from our new house respectively. One of them will be in my ward. My husband is certian that he will be our new home teacher. That would be very wierd for me.
16. I inject white goo into pink puckers (among other orifices) for a living.
17. I have the funniest, sweetest, and smartest cat and dog. Gadget and Rusty (Long haired minature daschund).
18. My first marriage lasted 3 days, which was also my age (In years). He broke up with me in sunday school.
19. My first crush, if you don't count my first marriage, lasted longer than most of my adult relationships. 1st grade to 4th. He is a resteraunteur in Moab now.
20. I once lived in a dairy barn (converted) and had dolphins in my front yard. Real, wild ones.
21. I saw a whale in the wild on my 30th birthday.
22. If I could travel anywhere it would be Italy and Greece, then New Zealand and French Polynesia.
23. I love off shore fishing. I have caught salmon, halibut, and rock fish among others. We were on a party boat last year with a loud obnoxious bragging group of young men who were boasting that they were going to win the boat pool for the largest fish caught and that we could all just hand them the money right then. They were very quiet when the captian handed the money to me. ;)
24. I love flowers. I have so many favorites it is ridiculous to call them my favorites.
25. My proudest accomplishment is my sweet, considerate, big hearted little girl, who isn't so litlte any more.

Our New President

Our new President has many challanges ahead of him. Let's hope he is more than pretty speeches.

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation...... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...... and lower its costs. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.MR. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's knowledge will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet.We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those...To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by nine campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it." America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Greeting Cards have all been sent......

Almost.......

I have a few left to get out and my rush is far from through. But I am trying to enjoy the holiday preperations, something I don't do very well.

I do it because I have a little girl and want to make Christmas memories for her like I had, but I find the work extensive and a little tedious. But enough bah humbug. I am just tired and a little under the weather. Someone brought something unexpected to the Ward Christmas party. You don't want the details.

I do love Christmas, the day, and I honor the reason we celebrate.

I love the preperations that other go to so much trouble to make.

I love watching a kid (usually mine) on Christmas morning, when all the preperations are worth it.

Oh, and the food is good.

Short and sweet. I am going to bed now. The bug is winning.

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday preperations.

Happy Christmas Rush.