October Tree Fort Party

A Random Package and a random ramble

I got a delightful package in the mail today. It was ridiculously random and cheered me up entirely. Who else but my dear Kit would send me:

1. felt in great colors
2. (2) comical hand me down t-shirts one "NASA", and one "Silver Dollar City"
3. the boggle game I left at her house
4. paint
5. (2) AMAZING Star Wars shirts for the boys that are going to make her the HERO aunt tomorrow

6. and best of all, these amazing Owl glasses I have coveted for a long time.

The sad part is that this box symbolizes that she is moving far far far away back to Utah, that far far far away place where so many of my loved ones live. . . . . . . . .m i s s y o u a l r e a d y . . . . (*sigh*)

..and..

My dear Emily had a contest way back.. (I have never responded to a blog contest in time yet) and she always inspires me greatly. Reading her blog is like a big refreshing glass of cold water. So, since she is always my inspiration to go a little deeper, share a little more and be a little more real, I have included a few photos I shot of very "real" things in my life this week.

1. Something you need every single day
I think I wash my hands about 200 times a day and each time I do I think how glad i am that I don't have to fetch my own water from the stream or something. If I ever have to really conserve water, I will live a different life. There are so many sticky messes at my house, I don't know how we would survive. One of my great grandpas on my mom's side built an aqueduct that actually has water that runs uphill near Manti Utah. At least that's how the story goes. It's not there anymore. The Indians called him a squirrel because he was so industrious and never gave up. I'm grateful I don't have to build my own aqueduct.

2. Something you once lost, but finally found
this is the coolest shrimp called a pistol Shrimp that makes a loud cracking sound on the glass of the aquarium by squirting water with his claws. We thought he had died, but then we discovered he was still alive to our delight.

2. Something you once lost, but finally found (part 2)
I horded coupons, found candy on sale and then stocked up on Halloween candy, just to have my husband eat it all BEFORE Halloween! When I discovered how much was missing I started hiding the candy. It's been a running joke for a couple of weeks where I get favors in return for pieces of candy. Well, this week I really lost the candy. I hid it somewhere where even I could not remember where it was. When I finally found it, there was rejoicing and much gluttony- (to my dismay)

3. A happy place in your house
Eirik and I read a book from the library about homes mice live in. Since then, Eirik has been collecting leaves, pine cones and shredded paper for his "winter nest." Luckily it is out of site from the front door. (Not that the rest of our mess is!)

4. Something you ate today
how can I have a picture of it if I already ate it?

5. A picture of a picture - huh?

6. A favorite book - I don't read

just kidding, I'll add these later...

7. Something "Fall-y"
This year I printed and cut out a bunch of vintage Halloween postcards that I framed on cardstock. I think vintage Halloween stuff is so cute. There is nothing scary about it. They are sweet and just a bit spooky. They are just my style. I put them all around my house. And we have had lots of candle light dinners this month (at Eirik and Joren's request.)


8. Your favorite color ( yet to come)

9. Something from your childhood
Tattered, torn, no cover and worn. I loved these Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I think they did much to shape who I am.
"If our country can become great in humility, and can work earnestly to solve its own problems at the same time that it carries its share of world responsibilities, it will be through vision of our children, their integrity and idealism, gained in homes like the home in the "Little House" books." -The Horn Book

10. Something from your to-do list
that NEVER gets checked off. Our living space is quite small and my endless projects are quite big. And my kids endless projects are sometimes even bigger. Together we make an endless mess in this small space. Yes, it will probably look like this in some degree if you come visit me. It's only clean after the kids go to bed, but then it's messy again by 8AM.

and here are some categories of my own:

1. something confiscated..
hourly

2. something I made
I have been studying leaves a bit. I labeled the latin name of each leaf shape, border, placement and if it is compound or not. I learned a lot. I would love to take a class on botany and landscape design.

3. Halloween at our house
my "spooky jars (only one is lit) are just mason jars with masking tape wrapped around black construction paper faces. These were fun to make. I'm not sure why, but I saw a vision of the vase with an eyeball and it had to happen.
(coo coo)

4. something surprising
when my outdoor plants were growing out of control earlier this summer I snipped off the tips and threw them in these vases to enjoy for a while. To my surprise the cut ends grew roots and now these vases are full of root balls. It's been months and who knows how long they will grow!


I know this has been a terribly random post. I don't' know why I posted it. I'm trying something new.

Hello,, blogland?

As it is only 10 weeks away from Christmas, I have plunged into meeting my goal of making my blog into a printed book. I have been blogging for 3 1/2 years and I get week in the knees thinking of how I would feel to loose all the work I have done if someday I turned on the internet and I could not pull up my blog. So, this giant task has come upon me. It would seem easy enough to just slurp my blog into a pre-chosen layout on blurb.com and do a little reworking here and there and then press "print". Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is not that easy. First, in the beginning of my blog I did not include any details at all, so I have been perusing my journal to add all of those all important details. I have also found my camera and photo skills from almost 4 years ago utterly unacceptable and not print-worthy. However, something must be printed, so unworthy as it is, I proceed. Also, as I try to make this permanent printed record I waver so unconfidently about what to include. It's not really a journal, it's not really a scrapbook, but it can be more than a blog because it's more personal.. or is it? Which makes me wish my blog were more personal. It has become a file to record the events and growth of life and I find it lacking the emotional, passionate touch that is present in many of the blogs I admire.
I find I tend to say less rather than more when it comes to recording things since even my dear husband, who loves me, finds my journal far too wordy to actually read.
So I guess my request I send out to the universe of blogland tonight is that I need a little incentive. Is it worth my effort to record all the details. Do you believe someone will really read my record? And if no one reads it, is it still worth making. I am compelled.. and not exactly sure why.

Underwater Wonderland

Many of you have been holding your breath for pictures of our fish tank. (At least you would have been if you had known how cool this was going to be. :)

I know it's hard to believe that all of this amazingness is in one fish tank and it is all in our dining room. I am astounded by its beauty everyday. Paul really has a "wet thumb" so they say. This hobby suits him and we have collected some amazing specimens.
If I can get him to add the names of things, I will.

Cardinals, fiji leather

Duncans

Clown Fish, polyps, Torch (middle front)

Fish: Blue Tang, black and white; Cardinals

(Blood shrimp: I bough this for Paul for Valentine's day and he named it Luv Bug.)

shroom, pallys, pulsing xenia

Candy Corn

mushroom on an old clam shell

a couple of orange monte's at the top, green mushrooms, a red anemone bottom left, feather worm (not open); middle

nice ricordias

Frog Spawn

Mushrooms/ my favorite (cingulara in background)

SPS birds nest

Pulsing xenias, monte, polyp

E at 3 1/2

In conversation with E I said, "Pumpkin cream cheese rolls are one of my favorite deserts." In response E said, "you've got to be kidding me, everything you just said is my favorite thing to do Every DAY."
Yes, my 3 year old can use Nacho Libre movie quotes better than I can in everyday conversation. At least that's what Paul said when I told him the story.
After watching Nacho Libre the other day E said, "Mom, Heavenly Father helped Nacho win!"
And that's why I let him watch it.. and so he can pick up some sweet fighting moves he can use on his punk friends. Just Kidding (Erin).

E says he doesn't really like to play outside or go to other people's houses for that long. He gets bored so fast. He wants to watch movies ALL DAY LONG. I used to limit to 1 hour a day screen time, but now it is 2, just for sanity. I can't say no that much. In the winter I might make it 3. I have only let E watch Star Wars like 5 times total, but I swear he lives in a perpetual Star Wars fantasy world. I am always Leah. He tells me he is Luke 100 times a day and won't answer if I don't address him right. He won't wear the white Luke tunic I made for him because now he is the Luke that wears black every day. I had to buy him new black clothes because I couldn't get him to take off his too small hideous black sweat pants. He has a black T-shirt with flames on it, but he wears it inside out and backwards so you can't see the pictures.

Most of his shirts he likes inside out and backward (see previous post for backward example.) I am astonished at how absolutely consuming Star Wars is to him. He will come up to me when we are at home and say, "do you have a bathroom." I'll point to where it is and then he will say, "Thanks, I've never been here before. I live in an igloo that is not made of ice with Aunt Baroo and Uncle Owen." Often he tells me that I am not his mom, that his dad killed his mom, and he lives with his aunt and uncle. I'm sure one day he is going to say this to an unsuspecting stranger and it's going to cause some awkward seconds.

He is incredibly obstinate and bossy. We have had to get very stern about bossiness lately. The kid is telling me what to do all day long. He says he doesn't like or want something just because he knows I would like it if he had some. He is so clever. He doesn't miss a beat. Because he understands everything, corrects me when I'm wrong, and remembers things like he has a photographic memory, it is hard for me to remember that he is only three. I often expect way too much from him. I really feel like we have our hands full with him.

His favorite books are Hardy Boys and Dinosaur Cove chapter books. He gets into these stories and roll plays them for hours.

Despite his obstinance, he really loves to choose the right, has a high moral character and knows what is right and wrong. He reasons so well. I heard him say to his friend tonight, "hmm, we both want this sword. What do you think we should do? How about I use it for a while, and then you can have a turn. Would that be ok with you?" Is he an adult?!

We started a preschool group with a few other kids his age. I'm really glad he will have a learning and social time 2 times a week for the winter. I know it is going to save us from ourselves. We went to a nature center for our first field trip. THese kids were so cute learning about the eagle!

The first preschool that I got to teach was about water creatures. It was handy that we have a pond in our backyard. The kids enjoyed it, and I had a great time too.

This one is from a long time ago, but still funny:
E: "Mom, guess what? Once there was a big big scary giant."
Mom: "you sure like to talk about that giant. I think that's about the 18th time you've told me that story today."
E: "Yeah, I talk 40 miles for hour. I talk fast like a race car and run fast like zis, see!"