Oh, what a beautiful day!

I was going to go on another walk today, but decided to start transferring the food storage into the storage room from the garage. That was enough of a workout for today! It is good to see food starting to fill up those shelves.

I spent the evening just sitting in the back yard enjoying what I would consider perfect weather. Not too cold to sit in the shade and watch the dogs and the cats frolicking in the back yard. Yes, I said frolicking! Pepper has only recently been allowed to go outside now that he is over 6 months old. He is so funny to watch. He 'stalks' the other animals, then pounces. With the dogs, he just races up to them and swats them on the nose. I guess this is because, being dogs, they don't know the proper response. When Tigger gets "attacked" he wrestles with Pepper. I suspect that this is the response Pepper was hoping for in the first place.

Here is an update on Helena's portrait. I know it looks funky, but you have to remember it is a work in progress. My students love to check on it to see if it has changed from day to day. I even had a little girl (3rd grade) ask me why I was painting it these colors. She was tickled pink when I told her that was a very good question and told her that these are the colors of my daughter's room and that is where the painting will be going when finished. I am enjoying working with oil paints. I haven't done any oil painting in 20 years, so I think it is turning out fabulously considering my complete lack of experience in the medium!

Personal reflections

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon listening to Conference and painting high gloss paint on the shelves of the basement storage room. Yes, I know how ironic it is that I was breaking the Sabbath while listening to the Prophet encourage us to choose the right!

Anyway, I knew the fumes were bad, but I didn't realize how bad until I started wheezing and coughing that night! I realized that part of my illnesses all winter were probably paint fume related! This morning I coughed up a lot of phlegm before being able to start my day. Still, I am excited to start loading those shelves with all the food storage scattered all over the house and garage!

It was a beautiful day today! I wanted to get up at 6 am and go 'jogging', but once again, I lacked the will power to make myself get out of bed! I determined not to let that be the end of it, however.

Helena has ballet every day from 3:30 to 6 or 6:30 in the evening. Today it was 6:30. Will had Lacrosse practice today from 5 until 6:30. That left me unencumbered for about an hour!

I decided that I would use the hour of alone time as 'me' time. I put on some exercise clothes and went! I took Bill's new mp3 player (that I got him for Valentine's Day), but discovered that the cat (Pepper, of course) had chewed on the earphone cord and they no longer work! Aurgh. That cat is going to electrocute himself one of these days!

I started at a jog, sans music, but quickly realized that would be a sure way to prevent further expeditions. After all, I will have an hour of alone time tomorrow and Thursday, too! So I settled down to a brisk walk.

It was wonderful out! I could smell flowers in bloom and I felt better about myself than I have in weeks! I also saw an old acquaintance from years ago. She said I looked really young for how old my kids have gotten and that I look just the same as she remembered. That was great to hear since I have been feeling old and run down lately.

So, hurray for Spring!

The dentist and the economy

Last month, when I went to the dentist, the hygienist apologetically told me they were out of toothbrushes and that I was "welcome to drop in next week to pick one up".

I told her not to worry about it.

Bill went to the dentist this morning and was not even offered a toothbrush at all at the end of his cleaning. He was offered the extra cost fluoride treatment, however.

It seems that the economic slump is hitting our dentist, too. When I was there and told them I had a teeth grinding problem at night, he got all excited for a moment talking about casting a mold for a custom fit tooth guard for me to wear at night. He looked quite crestfallen when I said I would prefer to try one of the inexpensive over the counter varieties first. After assuring me that he understood the economic reason I had given him, he then told me that he has had a decline in patients lately. It seems that even with their dental plans, some people are simply neglecting dental work to save money.

While I sympathize with my dentist's dilemma, I am also very thankful for my family's good teeth! My kids have never had a cavity in their lives (because they got their father's teeth), and I haven't had one in years due to diligence!

Sunday morning thoughts

Friday, Bill and I went on a date. We try to do this as often as the budget will allow. In fact, it is a family tradition. The kids get pizza, sodas, and a movie at home while Bill and I go out to eat. A couple of years ago, Helena complained that we were always going out without them; which we didn't do before. I pointed out to her that we didn't use to because they were too young to be left without a babysitter back then, and we couldn't afford to go often. Now, with a house full of teenagers, we are able to have more freedom. That is how they ended up with the pizza and sodas. The 'treat' dinner became compensation for being left behind.


Don't get me wrong, we do lots of family things and the kids aren't neglected at home, at all!


Anyway, this Friday, when dinner was done, Bill and I went to Deseret Book in search of a particular book.

I had seen this book in their mailing and thought it might be good for the kids. It is called "Why; Powerful Answers and Practical Reasons for Living LDS Standards".

Bill and I know our kids are good kids. Yet, we see so many go astray! Recently, one of Bill's nieces crossed path with the police. We heard about it first from the local news media, who released her name because she is now 19 and is standing the charges as an adult.

Oh, what grief and heartache for her parents! Truthfully, though, such things don't happen in a vacuum. She has been making poor choices and thwarting her parents' efforts on her behalf for years.

In light of that, we thought this book might be a good addition to our family library. It is written directly to teens and is highly entertaining reading. Helena was pleased to see we had bought it for them. I had shown her the ad to see her reaction to it before proceeding, I am not going to throw money away, after all!

It is full of practical reasons why we should remain morally clean, chaste, chose friends and media with care, and dress appropriately.








Recently, I installed a white board/bulletin board in the kitchen. We keep chore lists on it, and the shopping list grows on it each week.

Last week I decided it could serve another valuable purpose, too.

You see, the kids are always asking for stuff. "Mom, let's go rent a movie." or,
"Can I go to ___________ (fill it in with whatever event or leisure venue you can think of)?"
I try to keep life fun, but sometimes it is just not in the budget. When I tell the kids there is no money for it, they get frustrated, because they really don't know what the budget is.

Therefore, one column of the white board posts the current balance of the checking account, and itemizes all expenditures for the week. I explained to the kids that the savings is off limits and that wants can only happen when there is money left over at the bottom of the column after bills and needs are met. Also, I remind them that some of the events they want to participate in require substantial money and need to be planned in advance, so if there is money left over, it can be saved over time to meet those wants.

Boy, the requests and complaints have completely died out! I watched Will stare at the column in dismay on the day I received my paycheck. My check comes once a month and is used to pay for the mortgage and other 1st of the month bills. My entire check gets consumed in one day meeting those bills. I could almost see his thoughts...

"That's a ton of money! And it is all gone! We really pay that much each month for this house?!"

Our mortgage is actually pretty small, as such things go. But that would seem like a huge pile of money to a 12 year old.

I think it will be a valuable lesson in money management for them.

Stealth he is not

Bill refilled the bird feeder this afternoon. He left the window open so that the cats could hear the birds, then he waited.

Both cats were intently focused on the birds, but only Pepper acted on it. He tried to be all stealthy and silently leaped up on the counter.

For a while the birds either didn't notice him or ignored him, I'm not sure which. The moment he crossed "the line"...

... they were gone!

I can tell you, I am so very thrilled (not) that the cats now have another reason to jump up on my kitchen counter!

Co-Director of the ADULT section of the art show!

Oh. I thought she wanted me for the children's section. I am a children's art teacher, after all!

No. I am in charge of the adult division. I went to an arts council board meeting tonight and found that out.

Okay, then.

Sure hope I can at least LOOK like I know what I am doing!

SUSPENDED!

When I picked the kids up from school this afternoon, Will handed me this paper. I glanced at it long enough to see the word "Suspension" and set it aside so that I could kill him at my leisure and without Helena as a witness.

When we got home, as soon as Helena left the car, I turned to Will with murder in my eyes and he said...

APRIL FOOLS!

The little punk! :) He had gone to the Principal and asked for the suspension paper to prank me! The Principal agreed, but asked Will to keep it quiet because he hadn't planned on doing pranks and didn't want to get swamped with kids requesting it. The Assistant Principal was giving out prank in school suspension notices, that is probably what gave Will the idea.

I swear, his devious little mind was inherited from his father!

Tigger and Pepper

Every night, almost without fail, Tigger and Pepper get in a brawling wrestling match. It is so funny to watch! Tigger is very vocal about it and sounds like he is complaining the whole time. He is actually having a good time, though, if his swishing tail is any indicator. It is funny that Tigger is so vocal and Pepper is nearly silent all the time. I have been told that Siamese cats tend to be quite vocal. Not Pepper! I can't tell you how many times I have tripped over or stepped on him! I am his favorite human, of course, so he is always under my feet. Every morning he attacks my legs until I pick him up and cuddle him. He does the same thing when I get home from work.

Monday reflections

Here is a photo of Will rushing into the fray on Saturday's game. It is a photo that Helena took and I tweaked so you could easily see which kid is Will.

This morning we woke to 3 inches of snow. Ugh. Heavy sigh. Skiers loved it, though.

Now that April is staring us down, I am starting to get anxious for the end of year school art show. The Principal made the art show into the '9th day' professional day, which means that now all the teachers are required to attend. I've asked them to all submit an artwork to display. I got mixed strong reviews on that! There are several teachers that probably wish me to the devil for it, and several others who are just planning to turn in a scrapbook page, or something.

I, of course, also need to finish my artwork for the show! I think I'll go in on Saturday and work on it.

Oh, Sydney from the American Fork Arts Council called and asked me to teach summer art classes in July at the community rec. center. I always like doing that because the classes are only one week long and I get paid to do it.

Never volunteer too long at any one venue! I have been asked to be the assistant director of the Steel Days Art Show this year. The director, Heidi, wants to be in charge of the children's division and is looking for someone to spearhead the adult division. Looks like that will be me. I haven't heard back from her, but Sydney said that was just because Heidi was out of town for a while and she should be calling me soon. I was kind of hoping that the reason she hadn't called back was that she had found someone else to do it. I have never done anything like this before and I'd hate to mess it up!

Will's first Lacrosse game

The first Lacrosse game of the season was held yesterday at Oak Canyon Jr. High in Lindon. Will is on the AF 'B' team because this is his first year ever playing. They played against Lone Peak's 'C' team ... which are newbies, too. It was an even match, as you can well imagine. They ended up losing by only one goal.

Here are some videos of game play...

Will is wearing red shorts and a red jersey and holding a long (defense) pole.

Some recent Helena moments

Here is a video of Helena playing with Pepper...

And another video of Helena when she was supposed to be doing the cat litter...

And, finally, Helena driving the car!

A Sunday morning waking

Last night was full of awful dreams! In the first one, Bill was driving and all of us were in the car (minus Matt, of course, because he is in California). For some bizarre reason, Bill decided to ignore road closed signs and drive out onto an on-ramp that was being demolished. We got stuck on these precarious concrete pilings. As usually happens in dreams, at this point there is no more car and we are all on foot clinging for dear life. Suddenly, the rubble under Helena shifts and she falls TO HER DEATH!!!! At that moment, the agony and grief are too much for me and I abruptly wake up. I spend a few minutes reassuring myself that all is well, everyone is safe and sound in their beds, Helena is healthy and happy.

When I went back to sleep, I was walking into my classroom. There was absolute CHAOS! One class of first graders was in the chairs, loudly working. Another class of first graders was on the floor, also being loud. There was a class of fifth graders standing by the front white board. Meanwhile, all there teachers were trying to get them to do stuff! In the dream, I yelled/screamed for all of them to SHUT UP! I told the teachers off for disrupting my classroom and ordered them to be quiet so I could regain control of the classroom. Then the Superintendent was standing there and I was apologizing for my harsh words and he said "oh, that's alright, I probably would have done the same thing."

What a weird night!

This morning I woke to an incredibly peaceful, warm, soft bed! I lay there for a while, enjoying the feeling of soft breezes wafting against me (we had the fan above our bed on all night).

Suddenly, at 9:00 a.m. (yes, I was sleeping in on a Sunday morning) a wall of sound hit the side of our house! It was the wind. It had arrived as though someone had suddenly turned it on. As the house creaked and groaned like the senior citizen it is, settling onto its foundation, the wind rolled across us reminding me of storm waves crashing on the shore. In fact, I lay there another 30 minutes just listening and enjoying the ocean temporarily outside my window.

Then, of course, I got up and discovered that my 'ocean' was actually wrecking havoc on the neighborhood! One of our neighbors has lost his shed and another has lost some shingling off his roof. This is blizzard wind with some snow in it, but not a ton, so I don't expect much accumulation of white stuff on the ground... just a littering of all the stuff the wind managed to shred! Fortunately, our new fence seems to be holding up so far!