You Know You've Been Blogging When....

So I'm working on a mini-album for my class this last Saturday. It was a "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" class, and focused on making an album map for a theme album. Since we didn't really vacation this year, I chose to do my album on the trip that DH and I took to Boston last May. (scroll down for Boston posts).

The point to this post? I'm writing out my journaling, and every time I come to a key place as I wrote, I found myself wanting to put in hyperlinks.....

Let's Create a Personal Day!

Wouldn't it be great if we could have the power to add another day to the week? Or just stop the world around us long enough to get a little more caught up? I'm so wishing I had a day just for me. A day where I didn't have to meet anyone's deadlines but my own. That way, I'd have clean clothes in my closet (instead of in stinky piles around our family office) and I'd be caught up in projects for my classes at Stampin'Cat. (How nice would THAT be? Instead of trying to do my projects in a semi-lit classroom during "rest time", racing to finish it before my class on Saturday, I'd just turn in a finished sample a month before the class is scheduled. Ah, what quiet bliss!)

Or, instead of rushing around trying to get caught up, I'd just sleep all day....and then I'd sleep some more.

And that's the other side.

Back to the proverbial grindstone

So I've started working full time again. I haven't worked full time in about 4 years. I taught preschool 4 years ago when I was pregnant with C. I'm working again for the same company in almost the same situation--a preschool/care center in a local elementary school. On one hand, I'm glad for a job where I don't have to pay extra for care for C. On the other hand, there are a lot of reasons I liked/chose/wanted to be a SAHM. But little luxuries like food and the power bill got in the way of those.

My plate is extremely full right now. We are going to be in transition for a few weeks while we get used to Mom being gone. And I'm going to have to be extra efficient to get everything done that I need to get done. (If there are other mothers working outside the home, you know exactly what I'm talking about). We have a new dog in our home (not the best time to get a dog, but when you are given a bichon frise--purebred--the very dog you've wanted for years, you say "yes!"). I am managing the music for our church worship services, leading the choir, and leading the music at our main meeting. I'm still teaching 2-3 classes at Stampin'Cat a month, teaching my own class once a month at the community room at Ray's grocery store, and getting the kids to TaeKwonDo a couple of times a week, plus homework for a 7th and 3rd grader, plus Cub Scouts, and so on and so on. I've discovered that I need a little more quick things in my pantry so we can still eat as a family each day. I don't have time to make my own chicken broth, I need it in a can.

Still, I feel strongly that this is the right job for me right now. I've been praying that the right job would come along so that I could make a positive financial impact on my family's finances. I didn't want a job working minimum wage where the government would take, oh let's say $2 of my $7.50 an hour wage (the minimum here in Oregon), childcare would take $4 of it, leaving me with only $1.50 per hour to show for my work. This is definitely the job I was supposed to have. We've set a goal to be free of consumer debt in 5 years (just in time to send J to college!). I created a lot of that consumer debt with my different "jobs" (see here and here) so I really feel like it's only fair to help out. Plus the economy right now is killing us. We re-did our budget recently and found out taht 4 years ago, we paid $50 a paycheck for gas for two weeks for two cars--now, with the SAME cars, we pay close to $200 a paycheck for gas for two weeks. Milk is nearly $3 a gallon--and we drink a lot more of it now. It's just harder to make those elusive ends meet. So I've gone back to work, to a job I had before and like, with people I worked with before and liked, and my only real "perk" is that I don't have to pay a penny for C's care. That's huge! I know that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me right now. And I need the help!

Here's to the Mom's out there who work outside their homes! I know what a juggling act you do each day, and I salute you!

The Power of Paper

I had a wonderful "grandma" aged gal take my "Holiday Memories" book last November at Stampin'Cat tell this story at one of my classes this summer. She made the book for her 15 yo granddaughter. Earlier this year (late spring or early summer) this dgd had a big fight with her parents and decided to leave home. She'd made her grand exit, complete with door slamming and stomping off when she suddenly turned around, slammed her way back inside the house grabbed the scrapbook her grandmother gave her (the small "Holiday Memories" book) and then stomped and slammed out again.

"That's when I knew she'd be back" said her grandmother.

I love that a little paper combined with the time to lovingly create something has so much power.

I don't think that counts....

4 yo DS takes all his clothes off and starts running through the house.

Mom sees him and asks, "Are you nakey?!?!"

4 yo covers up in front and answers, "I not nakey, I have hands!"

(enjoy the laugh for the day!)

LOVE this book!

THIS BOOK is one of the coolest things I've read w/my 4 yo in a long time. It's wonderful on so many developmental levels! You can work on colors, animal names/recognition/sounds, as well as short term memory. On top of all that, it's just plain fun! I know what's going under the tree this Christmas! (We found ours at the library if you wanted to give it a test run...check your local library) Or you can follow the link and support an extraordinary Oregon bookstore.

Thank You Laurel Thatcher Ulrich!

12 yo DD reading a bumper sticker as we drive down I-205:

"Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History. *giggle* *pause* I could make history!"

She didn't realize I heard her. I say, "Go For It!"

Oh Max!

Attention all Max and Ruby devotees! This one's for you!

On the table, a pitcher of Crystal Light Lemonade. Four-year-old C asks in hushed and reverential (but excited) tones, "Is that....Lemonade!?!?"

"Yes," I answer, wondering what all the fuss is about. "Do you want some?"

"OH YES!" He sips his glass and then says, "Is that a hint of mint?"

He drinks again and says, "Delicious!"

Happy 99!

Here is Dorothea, Great-Grandmother so fine,

Celebrating a birthday---number NINETY-NINE!

Doesn't Joel's grandmother look good! We had a lovely party for her last week. She's still going strong. We joked that at her 100th's birthday, everyone needed to just bring her $100 bills. Her supper club passed on the rubber chicken, so that tradition was preserved.

Many friends and family members came to pay their respects. She's a lovely, gracious woman, and I'm glad that my children have had the chance to know her and be close to her.

Live long and prosper! Happy 99th Dorothea!

How Embarrassing!

This was my entry for the HELLOmynameisHeather blog candy contest.

I was 18 years old and driving from my Jr. College in Idaho back home to Portland, Oregon. I had bummed a ride with two very nice guys that I didn't know at all, and, in fact, met just before we left for home.

Here's some backstory: my family moved to Portland just after I graduated from high school. I had lived in our new house for about six weeks before I left to go to college.

Well, as we pulled into the downtown area of Portland (I actually lived in a suburb...) I had the sinking realization that I didn't know how to get home. No idea whatsoever where I lived. Of course, it was at that precise moment that the guy driving said, "Okay Dianne, how do we get to your house?" I had to sheepishly admit that I didn't know. Thankfully, they were good sports about it, and decided to just "drive around" until I saw something familiar. A few large circles and a wrong turn later, we made it to my house.

After that, I made sure to have directions.

Still Spinning

July was busy. Really busy. I'm still reeling a bit, and looking for a breather. We had a 4th Celebration, Cub Scout Camp, classes and demos at Stampin'Cat, family reunion in Wenatchee, my 20th High School reunion in Spokane, a small (but miraculous and faith-building) jet-ski/tube accident, Girl's Camp, singing at Girl's Camp, learning to tie-dye and being in charge of the crafts at GC, and finally some out of town company with a few visits w/my parents mixed in to keep things interesting.

We spent yesterday at Splash! after seeing "Shrek the Third" with our visiting friends. Lots of fun. Lots of chlorine. We'll see what the rest of the day brings! Enjoy these pictures of the Stonehenge Memorial we stopped at on the way home from Wenatchee.

Over The River...

I've been dreaming of my Grandmother's house at night. I know that house very well. I know where my father's teenage Chuck Taylor footprint on the sheetrock is hiding under wood paneling, left from when he and my uncle were building the house with my Grandfather. I know the patchwork pattern of the tile my Grandfather used in the downstairs basement shower that became my bathroom shower when I attended Oregon State. I know the heating ductwork where he put his "Hello My Name Is" nametags from the various events he attended as a chemistry professor for Oregon State. I added my own to the collection. I know which rooms my Dad slept in as a teenager. I know the blue room upstairs with its light blue paneling and light blue shag carpet; that was my Aunt Lila's room. I thought it was the most beautiful room in the world when I was a child. I know where Grandma kept her tools. I know the Gardening room, the Wood room, the Bike Room (where I hung my bike on the same bike pulley sysem my Grandfather used to hang his bike--the same bike he once got a speeding ticket on as he raced across the Oregon State Campus), and the tool benches in the garage--left pretty much as my Grandfather left them when he lost his lymphoma battle when I was sixteen.

I'm seeing different parts of the house in my dream. The room divider in the living room where my Grandma stored knickknacks. The drawer that housed all of her Pyrex. The drawer that housed all of the cookie sheets and cake pans. Every thing in the kitchen was custom made by my grandfather to her specifications. I see the knife slots for each individual knife, the sections in the drawers for kitchen utensils separated by size and function, the drawers for her linens and tablecloths, the cupboard with the cookie jar and the corny poster that said "My Grandma is the best by far, for she has got a Cookie Jar!" (I loved that poster!) on the inside of the door, the under cabinet fluorescent lights. I see the double closet that still held many of my Grandfather's clothes and also his filing cabinets in what became the boys room. I see the storeroom under the stairs that held the old games and toys my brother and sisters and cousins played when we came to visit, the shelves with my Grandfather's photo developing chemicals, all labeled neatly and out of reach of most children, the cheerleader megaphone he was gifted with at some point in his collegiate teaching career. And even though they were long gone after his death, I remember the shelves where his duck hunting buoys stood in neat rows. I remember the smell of water and the rubber that hung in the air around them. I remember his little office where he refilled his shotgun casings. I remember that was something scary to me as a child, and I didn't stay in that room for long---just long enough to take a butterscotch candy from the dish on his desk. I liked to think he kept them there just for me.

I remember my Grandmother's sewing closet. I remember the beautiful draperies she made for each room of the house. I remember that I thought there was nothing she couldn't make. I now have one of her ironing boards. I've had it for years now. It's heavy and awkward and most current ironing board covers don't really fit it; it's heavy plywood with heavy metal legs. The original cover had a blanket material as it's padding. Sometimes think a more modern board would be better for my needs, but then I remember that her name is written on the board beneath the cover, so it would be set aside for her at the store she bought it at originally. When I use that ironing board, I feel connected to her. Connected to my past.

We moved a lot during my childhood. My father was in the service, and moving often is a part of that life. My grandmother's address was on our luggage as our permanent address, just in case we were ever sepearated from it. That started when we moved to Germany in 1974. I moved into her house in 1989. I lived there until I got married in 1992 (interrupted only by a VERY brief stint sharing an apartment with a friend). During that time I connected with my Grandmother more than anyone else in my family did. This house held my roots and my history; her house was my roots in a very real way. Everywhere I went in that house, I was surrounded by a part of my history; it was one of those houses where nothing every really changed. I like to pretend that it's still a part of my family, even though it was sold per the instructions left by my Grandfather's trust.

We've lived in our house in Albany for four-and-a-half years now. This is the longest period in my entire life where I had the same address. In the 14 and a half years we've been married, we've had 10 different street addresses. That's a lot of moving! In fact, I think I still have at least one box in the garage that was packed a couple of moves ago. (I'm working through them--I just did a couple of boxes last week). Fortunately, my children have settled in here easily. They are planting the kinds of roots I never was able to. I marvel at that sometimes--and I'm grateful that they are building good friendships and relationships--that they are well-known at their elementary school and well-liked by their teachers. It's good for me too--I'm building my own friendships and relationships. We are all making our own roots.

Where are your roots? Do you have friends that date back to your kindergarten years? Or are you having the chance to build your own roots today. Whether we move all over or stay in the same places, we all have the chance to "bloom where we are planted" (to paraphrase Mary Englebreit). We can make our own roots or we can find a way to be content without them. Either way, I'm grateful for the dreams of my grandmother's house. I was happy there. I like remembering all the bits and pieces that make up my connections and my roots. And when I'm exasperating my children by wanting things just so--like my Grandmother did (I used to have to vacuum the carpet in straight lines--and then spend the rest of the week walking around the edges of the room so that I didn't mess up those lines) I remember that I come by my quirks honestly. I have connections to my roots.

Here's to connections!

And that's the other side.

Happy Independence Day!

Love that we have our freedoms! Take a moment today to be grateful for the freedoms we enjoy here in America!

More later!

The Magic Number

C, my 4 year old is AMAZINGLY savvy at recognizing symbols. He calls McDonalds "Ba-Ba" (sing it to yourself---"Ba ba ba ba ba....I'm Lovin' It!) and has for about 2 years now. It was one of the few things he would say that we could understand when he was just forming words. Once he sang it to us, that is.

Nowadays, he recognizes cars that are like Daddy's (Hondas--w/the big "H" symbol. All Honda's are like Daddy's car, even though the big boxy things are nothing like our 11 year old Accord), spouts off random letters when "reading" signs and can choose between Burger King ("cheeseburger") and McDonalds ("ba-ba") depending on which toy is available at the time. Never mind the fact that all he eats are the french fries.

But every number is "Seventeen." Looking at a clock, he'll tell you "It's Seventeen O'Clock!" If he's tired, he'll say, "It's seventeen o'clock--time for bed!" When he wants to go home, it's..."Seventeen O'Clock." He's the proud owner of a Finding Nemo book from Goodwill; one of those fun books where you push the button that goes with a picture in the story and a sound will play to support the action. This morning he came to us pointing at the price tag and saying, "Seventeen Dollars. Look, it's Seventeen Dollars."

Thank goodness it wasn't! And I hope the batteries run out soon. Well, after he's had Seventeen hours of fun.

Before and After

Before:

After:

Still getting used to it. It's the shortest I've had it since I was a Jr. in High School. I've got one uneven chunk on one side I'll be getting fixed this week. So far, I like how easy it is to take care of. I'm still figuring out the rest.

Some of my recent projects

I'm teaching two classes this weekend at Stampin'Cat (well, just one, since no one signed up for one of my classes). Here's some pics:

This is my Coaster Album for my Paper School class this month. Paper School is a year-long series of classes I've developed (well, am developing, since I just had a rough plan for the year after about May) where we combine a mini-lecture about some papercrafting topic (we've done Color Theory, Tools, Storage, and so on) with a MiniBook around that month's theme. In June we're discussing storage/organization of all the papers and stuff our kids bring home at the end of the school year. The MiniBook focuses on some aspect of your child's year at school; in this case this was a Kindergarten field trip for my middle child.

Here's the back:
The other class was an altering class using really ugly coasters from the Dollar Tree. This was fun for me--I punched shapes from product packaging to act as protectors for the photo. I sanded the edges to make them stand out, and then painted them w/my new Ranger Paint Dabber in white. I like things like this; there are a lot of different techniques here--paint, sanding, modge podge, and I used my QK to punch some foam letters. I'm trying to use my QK and Sizzix more to see if I can justify moving up to an electric die-cutter. So far the QK is winning! (and I haven't used either enough to justify the cost. I just don't think of using die-cuts when I work).

That's all for now! Enjoy!

School's Out!

And now the bickering begins! Whew! They've not been out of school even an hour and I've had to send them to their rooms! Time for a schedule! The fact that my oldest DD has entered the wonderful world of pms doesn't help things either.

I leave you w/a picture of my cutie patootie youngest and what he was last studying at preschool.


Are you sure I just can't lock 'em in a closet for the next 10 weeks? (just kidding!)

Has anyone seen Nemo?

We are having a "Finding Nemo" crisis here. C brought me disc two of the two disc set (he's broken disc one finally) sometime yesterday, and now we can't find it anywhere. He REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY infinity wants to watch it. And we can't find it anywhere. Not the disc two, not the copy we made to watch in the car, nothing. He's been asking for this movie since yesterday morning, and it's getting ugly around here.

Please, if you find Nemo, let me know...asap!

Um, yeah. Catching up.

So.

Yes, I'm still here. Things are busy. Aren't they busy for you? I read an article recently in Domino (at least I think it was Domino) about how we are ALL crazy busy, so quit complaining and thinking you are special. That was the gist of it. Made me think about my complaining about being busy like I was unique in the world about my busyiness. Not so, my friend!

My parents have arrived safely. Spent some nice time w/my Mom this week while my Dad was in Portland for training. Now I'm gearing up for a busy week with 3 classes at Stampin' Cat, 2 school concerts (for two different children) a dress rehearsal for my own concert next week at church, as well as a Girls Camp Kick-off for me and DD on Saturday BEFORE two of my 3 classes. Plus my laundry is overflowing, despite the fact that I've been faithfully doing 1-2 loads daily ala Fly Lady. And I have some dishes left over from yesterday. DH did all the cooking and 95% of the dishes. These are some overflow dishes that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher, and I pretty much promised DH when we got married that he wouldn't have to wash dishes by hand if I could help it (since he hated it so, and it doesn't bother me). Plus I still have pound cake, fresh strawberries and real whipped cream I could have as a treat (if I wanted) when the dishes are done.

Tonight, we take our first foray in to the world of Letterboxing. Kinda looking forward to it. Go to http://www.letterboxing.org for more information. Should be fun for all! I want to get more active as a family, and this seems like a nice way to ease into it.

Speaking of getting active, I tried out my Mother's Day shoes this morning and easily walked just over 2 and a quarter miles. I've been barely making 2 miles, and suffering from some ankle pain from an old injury. Not so today! Lovely shoes, and I feel like such an athlete! I'm gearing up for a 5K walk that our church will sponsor in August. Plus I consider it my HBP medicine. I started walking on Feburary 7th--barely making a mile and a half. Now I'm easily doing 2.25 miles in the same time frame. Plus I'm off my meds for high blood pressure and loving having more stamina. I'd love to say that I'm melting away the pounds, but that's not so yet. Probably has something to do with the chocolate I can't stop eating....I've got some strong opinions about the weight loss racket, but I'm saving that for another blog post.

More later! Bye for now!

This is what 37 looks like

Happy birthday to me! (April 30). This is my fav. self portrait for my annual April shoot.

Enjoy!