Our Man in....

We've been checking our mail a little more diligently lately...waiting for a large white envelope with a Salt Lake City return address.  It came today.  Drumroll please....

Alex got his mission call!  He's to report to the MTC in Provo on June 8th...then onward to the California Long Beach Mission.  Evidently he'll be learning Spanish (after three years of Japanese).  Here's a useful phrase to get him started:

Mi aerodeslizador está lleno de anguilas

I'll Show You Mine....

Summer 1995
Nathan broke his arm first...then his foot. Did that stop
me from sending him to day camp?  I think not!

Frankly, I don't think the cast and boot slowed him down at all.

So....why am I sharing pictures of Nathan from sixteen years ago?  Kaith called me up this morning with the sad news that along with his broken wrist (from one week ago) he now has broken a bone in his foot.  He sounded pretty sad and pathetic, but I think it cheered him up some to know that his Uncle Nathan did almost exactly the same thing when he was only a year or two older than Kaith is now.

Dear Kaith,
Get well soon, and try not to break anything else.
Love,
Grandma
p.s. make sure your mom or dad take a picture of you!

A little help here?

New Year's at our house is often accompanied by the pitter patter of moving furniture.  This year was no different. I was able to coerce Andrew and Nathan into doing the bulk of the heavy lifting (thank you, boys!).  That's fine and all, but I'm left with all the little stuff - and there's a lot of little stuff. A lot.

We are moving Danny upstairs to what was my office - it's smaller than his old room, but closer to actual living, breathing human beings. Right about now I'm second guessing my decision to relocate all of my office, craft and sewing *ahem* junk. I'd like to be done - not have the Herculean task of sorting through  

To quote Douglas Adams, "Hercules, on seeing the room, would probably have returned half an hour later armed with a navigable river.

I could really use a small river to help clear out the last of the *ahem* junk from my ex-office.  Anyone?

It's that special time of the year...maybe.

So.  Steve is in Japan for the week.  The good news is that his cell phone works there - so it doesn't cost anything for me to call him.  The bad news?  Umm...figuring out when to call him. Japan is one day ahead, but seven hours earlier.  Let's do the math.  Right now, plus twenty four minus seven (10:20pm[here] + 24) -7 = 3:20pm tomorrow afternoon[there].

My problem?  I was always better at addition than I was at subtraction...and frankly story problems just aren't my favorite thing.  Which is why I called Steve this morning at 8am. (8am[here] + 24) - 7 = 1am tomorrow morning[there].  Sorry hon.

Happy Eyes

First of all, it's really hard to take of picture of your own eyes. Second of all...I think I'm going to like our new eye doctor.  While examining my optic nerve, he told me that 'things look fine...you've got happy eyes."

Yup.  I like him.

Pinecones, three ways.

Sherri called me up this morning and said, "I got the eggs!"  It was a bit of a non sequitur (the only eggs on my mind are the two dozen eggs I need to get for Daniel's campout tomorrow)...but we straightened it out.  She got the styrofoam eggs for making the pine cone ornaments.

So...for the last time, here are some more pictures of the pine cones I made - this time showing the tops. Every one I made is a little different, but most share elements.  For instance, I bought one package of assorted sizes of jingle bells - and used whatever size or amount I felt like.  I purchased one or two fake ferns fronds that were covered in gold glitter and cut them apart and hot glued various sized pieces on, ditto artificial pine branches...for the 'hangers' I used ribbon, rick rack and jute string and attached them with a combination of straight pins and hot glue.

Pinecones...take two.

Now I want to make one with plaid paper.  How cute would that be?  I'm nearly out of pins so I can't make another one until I go to the store...aargh.