Not feelin' it.

Just don't give a damn about blogging lately. Hopefully I will soon. Hope everyone is well!

New Background

Still working out some bugs, so for now, the photos in the posts are a little see-through. Sorry!

Fun new project!

My friend Amber and I have started a fun, new photography project called Two is Better than One. There's an intro on there, but basically we are each taking a photo a week and posting them, without know what the other has taken a photo of. I only see her pic when I go to post it on the blog. It's really fun!

It's nice to have a new project, isn't it? One you look forward to? We're a bit late this week, but I'll have it up tomorrow. :D

Wood Stuff...

I re-listed some painted wood items to my etsy shop (link) that didn't sell originally. Go check them out if you want. Also, let me know if you'd like me to look into some winter/Christmas items. It's too late for Halloween, but the wood shop I go to usually has some cute stuff for year-round decorations.

Also, I'm still working on my fabric stuff. My boys have Axis & Allies set up on the table and that's gotta go. The stuff I'm sewing is WAY more important than world war! Besides, my youngest is winning. Proud or scared??? Not sure.

Peace!

Playing around with the layout again...

Ok, the owl page was bugging me. Not so much the owl, it was cute. But the whole thing was cute. I kinda want something graphic-art-y, but mellow. Cool, but not crazy. I found a really "teenager" skull and crossbones background, but I don't want that either. And I'm sure you guys don't either. Seems like picking a background should be easy. Then I think maybe I'll just design one. Yeah, right. :P

So for now, basic. Autumn colors and white. I call it "Autumn Basic".

Aliens and Babies

Took some photos of this cute little alien my son got from one of those coin-op machine at the gas station. The whole thing is only 1¼ inches wide, so I used a magnifier lens. I put him on an art quilt for fun. So cool how this little thing had so much detail! Like the designs on the outer rim of the ship and there are even little control panels and buttons. So fun! I've been so out of practice with taking pictures, I just haven't felt like it at all. Other than my Polaroids of course. That's just point and shoot, and hope for the best. But that's ok, that's all I needed to do.

I've been watching this little cutie on and off for a couple months, but this past week I've had her every day. This next week too. It's been nice to have a little one around again. She just smiles so big, with one big dimple in her left cheek. She's 8 months old and just so fun! I don't get a lot done at home while watching to make sure she doesn't eat the fish or call Japan on my cell phone. :P

The fam and I have immersed ourselves wholly in The X-Files. Good gawd David Duchovny is ssooo hot! And it has made me wonder, how on Earth did we watch TV with commercials???

It's been cloudy and rainy here for a few days and I love it, except that when the air pressure drops, I get big headaches. The kind that come at night and stay all night and are with me when I wake up. May just be me, but who knows?

Well, here's to another week. Enjoy!

Owls

You know, I'm not into the whole owl thing that's going around, but I do think they are cute. (And if you are into the whole owl thing, that's cool.) Anyway, I really wanted a blog background that's edgy. I like the ones by Marah Johnson, but they are for myspace pages and I'm not savvy enough to figure out how to get just the background image onto my blog. I like the one called "vintage rock". Maybe someday I'll figure it out! Til then...owl eyes. Or maybe owl eyes for just a little while.

That's about it!

OOH I lied. I'm making some things for my etsy shop. I'll post when they're in. I've had several people tell me I should make this one specific thing to sell, and I'm making two of them to sell. Meaning there would be only FIVE out in the world (I have one, my friend Amber has one, and a lady named Kay has one). At least til I make some more I guess. IF I make more.

So keep your owl eyes open for that post...

List Part II

► Feeling so unenchanted about life right now. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is fascinating to me. My life has become dull and routine, except for broken bones. Sometimes I go with Amber to lunch and smack into doors and run into trees and stuff. But bleh.
► My list posts always seem longer than other people's list posts. I'm so chatty. I really should blog more. That way my posts will be shorter. Right?
► I want to make something for the baby but I heard her momma say she had too many blankets already. So what do I do? No idea. Besides, she has surpassed me in her sewing skills, so anything I make she can make much better than I can. The momma, not the baby.
► I like Target's halloween stuff this year.
► I've become addicted to Facebook's Mahjong game. I prefer WordJong. Which is similar in the tile setup, but you have to make words. Fun! And later this month a Where's Waldo game is coming out. And they just came out with PINK Nintendo DSIs. It's like, what do I have to do to get one of those babies?
► Got the boys' school pics back. I must say, my boys are so handsome! I sort of let them down this summer by not doing much stuff, but I seem to burn so easily what can I do? We only went to the pool once. And that's it. I'm an awful mom. Awful. Or at least I feel like it. :(
► I like old school photobooths. A lot. And I can count on Miss Amber to go with me and act like a dork with me in them. I'll post a pic. :D
► Loving this cooler weather.
► Peace!

What shall we post about? A list maybe?

► The oldest broke his arm. The details are a bit sketchy but the overall scenario seems to be corroborated by the other party present. Some sort of football, E advanced with two hands and pushed the kid in the chest, and pop goes the bones. Yes, bones. Both radius and ulna, about an inch or so below the wrist joint. The kid he hit into didn't even budge! I imagined him flying backward, since the force broke bones. Took him to the urgent care and got him casted up. He was in an immense amount of pain, probably due to the rotating motion as well as the flexing motion. Once the cast was on, the pain was gone nearly immediately. He'll wear this for about 3 weeks and then a re-exam to see how the healing is going. Quite baffled as to why they broke so easily. The doc in the urgent care is an orthopedic surgeon, and he said that this kind of break is the best kind. The bones don't displace or move apart, but rather grind into each other causing a bulge. So he should heal nicely. Green cast. I decorated it today with an alien head, a spaceship with an alien, and a skull & crossbones. Some kids signed it. B drew a rocket. P drew something but he draws so small, he says it's a guy doing a thumbs up sign. Ok then!
► Glad the weather has been tolerable the last while. It was getting confusing...one week nice, one week hot, one day chilly, then hot again. I know Utah has wildly unpredictable weather, but this was extreme!
► Went to Amber's mom's yard sale. Got some super old bottles for my in-laws who collect old stuff like that. Got myself a couple little bottles to do something fun with. Got some geodes (those are freakin cool!) and some fabric.
► My dad and I are talking about going out to take photos so he can teach me the ol' TLR. Old school photography. Amber gave me some film for that camera type so I'm hoping the camera works. What if it doesn't??? We shall see! I'm a little nervous cuz I'm not a good learner of the technical side of photography. I usually just wing it. And hope for the best. The old camera requires calculations and stuff. Gah!
► I should be working on a quilt block swap and I haven't started yet. :( I find it hard to work on creative projects when I don't feel creative. The only creative idea I've had for several months is taking my niece to the park in her fairy costume getup and taking pics of her just being herself. Thought that could be cute. I'll have to ask her momma if I can borrow her for an afternoon or morning.
► My list is too long, so I'll break it up and post the rest in a few days!
► Peace!

Welcome little one!

I'm an auntie again! I've always loved being able to say that. I don't say auntie any other time. This is W. She was born on Aug 26 and I'm completely in love with her of course. Whenever I hold a newborn it feels like the first time, no matter how much time has passed since the last one. I think the last time was was H, her big sis. Many moons ago, but really just 2½ years.

I held little W again a couple days ago. It felt wonderful to just hold her close. I'm always off in my own little world, but more so when I'm holding a baby. I kept her mama from her much needed nap and made her big sis late for her nap. I feel bad about that...my timing is usually pretty awful.

Babies are on my mind a lot. Not just cuz they're around. Something deeper that's hard to talk about, because even after all these years, people still tell us we need to have another baby. Some people who have good intentions. Some people who have no business saying it. Some people who think we aren't a "complete" family because we don't have a daughter. But that's bullshit. Sure, sometimes I feel like someone or something is missing from our family. Not necessarily a daughter. Maybe nothing I can even label. Maybe a couch. I have no right to yearn for more than what I have, no right at all. I know a lot of people who can't have kids at all. Or don't have a car. And I know I'm lucky as hell to be able to not work. I should work, the money would be nice, but I can't seem to find a job that will let me have every 3rd month off cuz my kids are off-track.

I'll admit this right now, I'm jealous of the relationship my sister-in-law has with her mom. I'd say I miss that with my mom, but can you miss what you didn't have? I know, that sounds callous. But this seems to be another undefinable feeling. Or maybe I can define it but know that I shouldn't.

Cryptic much?

For now I'll be content to snuggle a baby when her mama will let me, and follow a 2½ year old as she shows me her room and her sister's room and her toys and I try to teach her some letters with fridge magnets. Cuz in my little world, those things are just about the best things ever.

That's all for now.

Click to see the picture bigger!

Finding Marden...

In my brother-in-law's words. He found Marden Sunday morning.

Well, what do i say? We have all Been looking for my step grandpa. He had gone missing wed afternoon. No one has heard or seen him in a long time. 84 year old stubborn cowboy Marden Stone that has alot of land down south in a small town scipio. He loved it there, lived there his whole life. After a long and gruling search party with well over 250 people, planes, helocopters, 4 wheelers, cars, trucks,horses. After 4 days of searching they called off the search party, I knew my inlaws go riding on sunday so i called up my father in law dennis and asked him if he would come down there and bring the horses. He was happy to come down, kyle and kari came to and brought me a horse to ride. We took off and went up near his favorite spot my step mother told ... about. We found him, and i knew he had passed on his truck had sleed off the side of the road and there he laid peacefully inside of his truck. he is in a happy place now. What a great life that old boy lived and i'll never forget all the great times i had in scipio growing up there as a kid and getting in trouble for tipping over the hay stack or running the horses to hard. Love ya marden and we'll see ya later...

The sheriff held a meeting Saturday morning and called off the official search. At that time he estimated 150 GROUPS out searching for Marden. Sunday morning it was mostly family and extended family searching, and no one wanted to give up. Family of family of family were all involved. On horseback, they took a closer look in the area called Cutler Canyon. They saw where a tire had spun out in the dirt, and shortly after his truck was spotted.

Brent told us that when he got to the truck, Marden looked so peaceful, so he thought he was asleep. Marden had taken off his hat and put it on the dashboard and taken off his boots. He had a very peaceful expression. He didn't seem to be injured. Brent and his in-laws left after the officials arrived so they could do their job in getting Marden out of there. The truck had slid and wedged in between some trees, so they had a big job ahead of them.

Sheriff Dekker personally knew Marden, so this was especially hard on him. My husband Brian helped out in the search and he said he was so impressed by the police's involvement and work. He doubts he'll ever see the kind of care that went into this search in any other city.

The mood back at the house where the family was waiting changed from one of intense worry to one of relief and there were even some laughs. I was expecting a room full of tearful family. There were tears, of course, but there was a feeling of relief and calmness too. And smiles.

My husband called me from the mountain to give me word earlier in the day, and my sister-in-law Kacy, the kids, and I all drove down to lend support and condolences and to gather our husbands for the journey home. We got home about 7:30 or so, and I know Brent and Kacy didn't get home til well after 10 pm. It was a long, rough weekend with an ending that could have been much, much worse.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and wonderful support and caring. I told Grandma she had many people praying for her and she is very thankful. Very thankful.

♥

There are still mysteries in the world.

Case in point: Marden Stone was last seen August 5, 2009 at approximately 1300 hours in Scipio, Utah. Marden is 84 years old and has Alzheimer’s Disease. He is described as being 5’07” tall, weighing 180 lbs, and having gray hair and blue eyes. Marden is known to wear cowboy attire and a dusty brown hat. He should be driving a 2007 white Chevrolet pickup bearing Utah registration 530PBJ. Marden also has bad knees and would probably not get out of his vehicle. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Marden Stone please contact the Millard County Sheriff’s Office at 435-743-5302.

This man is my husband's step-mom's dad, basically our Grandpa. He owns tons of land and cattle in Scipio, Utah, which is a small town about 112 miles south of my house.

My husband and his brother drove down there early today to help with the search. He's been missing since the 5th, when he went out to check out some of his fences and cattle, as is his routine. He just never came back. There's absolutely no sign of him. Family and friends have offered ideas on where he might have gone, and one relative even took a helicopter ride to point out some areas to check out. They've literally run out of ideas of where to search, after searching every possible place. They've had helicopters, planes, a Jeep Posse, friends, neighbors and strangers searching.

The Millard County Sheriff has been very actively involved in organizing the search. He's been at his family's home and has made Marden's disappearance his top priority. The LDS Church's Relief Society has jumped into action, keeping everyone fed, not accepting a "no thank you".

One area my husband and his brother stopped in was the Maple Grove campground, not far from Scipio, to see if they could post a flier about Marden. They were given the ok by the campground host. He also mentioned a worrisome bit: he's been a camp host for 7 years and has never seen one rattlesnake in that time. This year, there have been at least 30 in the campground alone.

Not much more information right now. The Sheriff wants to gather all the volunteers and search members together in the morning, hopefully to make new search plans. Hoping like hell he doesn't change it from a "search and rescue" to a "search and recovery". Nearly 36 hours since Marden was last seen, the latter is a very real possibility. (That's just my theory, nothing official)

We aren't close with Marden and his wife Claris, but we do consider them family of course. It's awkward to call him Grandpa, but he is...ours and his biological grandchildren's.

Update as soon as I know anything.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

SCRABBLE! I've been playing online Scrabble with my sister, and let me tell you, I am LOVING IT! I love how the internet can bring people closer together to do things that wouldn't be possible because of your geographical distance. Even if she only lives 10 minutes due East. :D But I also love it because I love word games, and these people I live with (I won't name names) only indulge me in Boggle like once a month. WTH? And lastly, but not leastly, I have at last found a worthy foe. That game right there mostly just shows MY awesome words (hey, it's my blog) but let me tell you, she makes some kickass words! She's going on vacation next week and I'm not sure how I'll sleep at night...we've been playing late and I fall right to sleep after, something my sleeping pills can't or won't make me do.

I didn't win the Ugly Quilt Contest, but that's ok. The weird thing is, while I was looking at the other entries, I thought some of them were cute! I'm sure there are some deep psychological issues to be examined there, but let's move on.

My boys started 6th and 4th grades. I know, it was a short break. It's because of year-round school. We went to "Back to School" night and met with their teachers. They seem pretty good! Speaking of which, I need to do *my* homework assignment...I need to write an essay about my oldest, for his teacher. Has to be a million words or less. I think I can handle that limit. I am quite chatty.

Well, I guess that's it! Oh, I turned word verification on, I was getting a lot of irritating Chinese posts. I translated some, and I determined that they are indeed spam. If I see one that begins: 我进來和平 I will know it's legit. (It says "I come in peace" according to a translation site). The only reason I've even translated them is that I've had postcard correspondence with some people in China, and I believe they might read my blog. I don't want to be flat-out rejecting all Chinese posts on the assumption that they are spam. Ok?

Ok then! Peace out!

One of these days...

I will make a cute banner for my blog and it won't look so generic. Or not. It's hard to say.

I entered this Ugly Quilt Contest. Click over and look at the other contestants and their stories and vote on which one you love/hate. All of the little stories are HILARIOUS! If so feel so inclined to vote on mine (which you totally don't have to, unless you want to) mine is called Turd Runner and it's down near the bottom.

Here's a little quilt I made to hang in my living room. It's 12x12 inches. So little. I haven't hung it yet. But the reason is that I redid some wall art/photo groupings and one of them I wasn't crazy about. And the main theme of that grouping is green (ie all of the items have green in them). So I wanted to make something to match. I also did the black border because all the frames in all the groupings are black. I made one of these (similar, but not identical) for my friend Amber and for a mini-quilt swap I was in. The theme for the swap was "Spring Blooms". Not quite on theme, but I guess that's ok. :D Also, it was my first time doing "free motion quilting" with my machine, on the sun and treetops. Nerve wracking. Definitely need more practice on that.

This is the one I got from the lady that drew my name, Jan. Click on that thumbnail and look at the larger image cuz this quilt is AMAZING! The photos don't do it justice at all. Her piecing and quilting are just AMAZING! I've enrolled for the "Good Ol Summertime Mini Quilt Swap" so I need to get some ideas for that.

I have another project to share, but I'm afraid it might be quilt overload, so I'll share that next time.

The boys successfully completed their 08-09 classes. E finished the 5th grade with AMAZING results! I'm so proud! He worked so hard and helped classmates and had some extra responsibilities in the classroom. It's always nice as a parent to go in and hear from the teachers how well your kids do.

P finished 3rd grade and did ok. (I feel bad saying that). He had quite a few "Needs Improvement" marks on his citizenship. Mostly he goofs off with a friend in class. I saw it with my own two eyes when I got there for an "open house" to display posters the kids made. He didn't know I was there yet, so that was interesting to see. I'm crossing my fingers that the two aren't in the same class next time. He was also very forgetful and neglectful of his assignments, especially the big ones that needed lots of prep. Next year I'm going to be in weekly contact with his teacher to get him on track, I really don't want this to continue another year. He's definitely a handful.

Well, poo, I don't want to leave this on a not-positive note. So let's see...I had a really bad sunburn from the pool last week and that's finally healing. So that's good, right?

Peace out!

PS You can click on those pics for bigger versions!

A couple pics for your viewing pleasure

Bowling for E's birthday party. Well, self-portraits at said party. :D Since I *am* ego-centric and all.









Later gators!

2:29 am I must be lonely

Have I used that title before? It always seems to fit though. Finished a quilt top today. I'm calling it Spring Pop. I always name my quilts. Sometimes I can't remember what I name them though. I remember Disco Fever, Lovely, Grannie's Dream, and I think I named one Cherry Chocolate or something. Who knows?

I should be asleep.

Having one of those crappy days where I ponder life and all it's facets.

Our lilies have bloomed. I do love those lilies. We hit the jackpot with those. They are HUGE and make many giant blooms.

I'm so not a religious person, but those of you that are (LDS) will appreciate this: we were invited by our neighbor's to go to the open house of the newest LDS Temple. For those of you not familiar, once a temple is built and after it's dedicated, you need special paperwork to even get in past the foyer. It's a beautiful building with the most amazing chandeliers EVER. I was completely mesmerized by them. And the rooms and fabrics were exquisite. Yes, I looked at it from an architectural and design point of view, but still. I can see why these building would inspire...whatever you want to call it. I mentioned to B that since this newest one is the 13th in Utah alone, they had best be working on building another one. And for funsies, I tried to get B to say in a regular voice (not a whisper) "Praise be to Krishna" (whatever the hell that means), but he wouldn't do it. I just wanted to see what would happen. So irreverant I am. I never claimed NOT to be though.

Other than sewing, watching the fish (7 one-month old babies and some new-new ones, as in the last couple days). We need to get another tank for the male before he knocks up one of the women-folk again. :P The babies are so cute though! I love babies in all forms, except maybe snakes. Or tarantulas. Ok, there are limits on which babies I love. But still! They are cute!

Til next time (hopefully I'll have a picture of my new quilt by then)...peace!
xoxo

Holy crap!

I can't believe it's been that long since I blogged! Especially for a chatty person! lol I've been using Facebook a lot. It's perfect for me since I like to do little "recap" posts. Like bullet points. You know?

-So my oldest turned 11 in April.
-My youngest turns nine in two weeks.
-I should be working on a quilt block for a swap, but I'm not. I'm here instead.
-Went to visit my little sister in Idaho for a few days.
-Boys are off-track. So naturally they are bored as can be.
-My lovely husband is in the process of quitting his job and working full-time for the company he and a friend have started. Scary new chapter, but I think it will be ok!
-What happened to May?
-Saw my friend Amber a couple times. Gotta love mall food. :P

Well, that's about it, I guess. Completely uneventful. I know. What's up with you all?

2 am Easter

Been a long time...my apologies! On Aprilo 1st, my lovely friend Amber and I went to the Postsecret event in Logan at Utah State University. Postsecret (link at right) is a fascinating phenomenon where people artfully decorate a postcard and include a secret, all anonymously. It has to be a secret that you've never ever told anyone before. (Or that's the idea, I suppose there are a few that don't follow that rule.) You then mail the postcard to the creator of the project. The idea is that once you've gotten your secret off your chest, you'll feel better.

Anyway, I digress. The event was a little less that we expected. The dude got up and told a little about secrets, how the project got started and whatnot.

The fun part for us was the drive up there. Neither of us had ever been to Logan. After the even, Amber bought me a book and we waited in line to have it signed. My very first signed book! (I think!) No, actually, not. But still cool.

We decided to stay overnight at a hotel there, so we wouldn't be driving back during the night. We had lots of laughs. Told each other lots of secrets. Lots of laughs. Some unfortunate mishaps, which led to more laughs. Reading the books we got. Talking about the ones we could identify with. Talking and more talking. Til maybe 4:30 am. Finally we fell asleep and woke around 11:30, missing the breakfast by a longshot. Went to find food in town, ended up at a really cool place called Angie's. Delish! We had planned to take pics around Logan, since there are AMAZING buildings and stuff there. But we ended up at this bookstore/scrapbook store/toy store. Found lots of scrapbook stuff we didn't need. And then we had to go. More talking, laughing, talking, etc.

So basically, the event that brought us there kind of stunk, but the rest of the trip was a blast!

It was nice to get away for a night and have some girl time. Amber's so easy to talk to that sometimes I monopolize the conversation. I'm working on not doing that.

The whole thing got me thinking though. I wondered if I have a secret I've never told anyone before. And I don't think I do. Is that possible? I know I have things I haven't told everyone that might affect them, but is that really a secret? I'm going to keep thinking about it.

Anyway, check out that site. Every Sunday they post twenty of the most intriguing cards he's received recently. It's interesting to say the least. Who knows, maybe one of my reader's will be inspired to share their secret.

Peace out!

So...

I guess I'll switch back to the legible template. The other was pretty, but I needed my husband, the computer programmer, to help me with some code and he doesn't have time for such trivial matters. Oh well. I guess I can make a cute banner. Yeah, I'll do that.

I just wish blogger would make some more stylish layouts, you know? Theirs are so boring!

I'm enjoying my new Scentsy waxes. I mixed Sunkissed Citrus and Vanilla Cream and they smell SSOOO good! The citrus is such a delicious and fresh scent! I love it! I tried the Watermelon Patch but it was a little too strong. I wonder if I mix that with a vanilla it'll be more mellow.

I guess that's all for now. Back to your regularly scheduled blog templates.

Peace out!

Bear with me please!

Making a couple changes. All by myself. And since I don't know html it's going to be trial & error til I get it how I want it. :D

I have been blessed...

with hilarious children! Seriously, the lay these whoppers on us and kill us! We had just come from their parent-teacher conferences (raving reviews by the way!) and we were talking about various things. Somehow we got on the subject of Einstein. And they drop this gem on us:

Einstein. The ultimate math geek and hobo.












See what I mean? So succinct and so astute. And so freakin hilarious!

And I'm pleased to announce, I have FIVE confirmed blog readers! Woohoo! I think it could be SIX but I'm waiting to hear back on that last one. ;)

Sorry I made y'all feel bad. I'm a dork. And famous for not thinking before I speak (or type, as the case may be).

Love you all, blog peeps!

11:39 PM

Yep, should be in bed. And yet, here I am, on the stupid laptop tapping away about I have no idea what yet. Might be a list. Let's try that.

☼ Have you seen that show Parenthood with Steve Martin? I got a bite/nightguard a couple weeks ago to keep from gritting my teeth and clenching my jaw and all that fun stuff. I've pretty much been wearing it 24/7 since. It's definitely helping! I've only had one headache in that time. Anyway, I wake up this morning and I'm like "Oh shit, where's my mouth thing?" It was not in my mouth! Which means at some point during the night I took it out. When I was younger I had retainers after I had braces, and sometimes I'd take those out in my sleep and put them under my pillow. So of course, that's where I checked first. No go. So begins the great search. I started crying, because I couldn't believe I'd lost that thing! It was $500! I was NOT looking forward to that phone call to my dentist either. B was telling me it was fine, if we didn't find it we'd get another one, cuz it's helped so much! Anyway, after everyone had left for work or school, I looked around again. Under the bed, I spied one of the metal "tines" that hold it in place on my teeth. I was so relieved I just sat there and looked at it for a long time after I got from under the bed. The whole thing reminded me of the kid on Parenthood when he loses his retainer in that pizza place. The horrible irony is that while I was looking for the stupid thing, I was grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw. Lovely!

☼ I found my long lost friend on Facebook the other day. Or maybe she found me. We'd been friends since like 1st grade or something up until high school. And then she was in my wedding, and I went to her wedding, and from there it gets hazy. But anyway, so funny! Just chatting about the things we used to do and laugh about. I preferred being at her house more than mine. For lots of reasons, but one is that her house was so laid back. She might disagree, but that's sure how it felt compared to my house.

☼ I've also reconnected with some of my cousins. When we were young, we were close with some of the family on my mom's side. Mostly her sisters (my aunts and their husbands of course), and their kids. It's been fun reminiscing with them and seeing them all grown up in photos, since we haven't seen them much since we were kids. Now I need to find and scan pics of them when they were little and show them. Even way back then I was toting my 110 camera around and begging for another roll of film.

☼ Today I returned two items to two different stores. For some lame ass reason, neither place would just give me cash. Oh no, it had to be a gift card (ie store credit). WTH??? One of the returns was some Clinique makeup, my last attempt at makeup before giving up completely. And yes, I was indeed allergic to even Clinique. I don't foresee needing any Clinique ever again, but thanks for the store credit. ::insert eye roll here:: The second return was Franklin Covey, to return an unopened hole punch for a size of organizer I thought I might start using but decided against. I have a punch for the size I do use. And I have a whole year of calendar pages. What on Earth could I possibly need a store credit for? I rolled my eyes and got a cute pen and some cute mechanical pencils. Seriously, he couldn't just give me the $30? (It was a metal punch, very strong and nice. Also doubles as a weapon.)

☼ I didn't get much done today. Folded some laundry. Went to the library and those other places. Exciting times I live. I got a quilt back from the shop, so now I need to sew on the binding, and it'll be done. I'll post a pic when it's finished.

☼ Wednesday is Parent-Teacher Conferences. A little nervous about P's review. We've had some problems with him getting his work done, but I feel like we've made progress, so we'll see what his teacher has to say.

☼ We're all finally done being sick ::knock on wood:: so maybe that will be the last for a while, other than allergies of course. It was so windy today! It made the whole valley look so gross, all dusty and bleh.

☼ I've been meaning to do a "Favorite Lyrics" post, but I keep forgetting what song I want to do. I'm thinking it's another Jewel. Or Joshua Radin. See? I forget. Or maybe it's a song from Garden State. I'll do my best, cuz I know everyone is waiting on baited breath for that. ;)

I guess that's it! Peace out!

And special thanks to my sweet friend KimmyK, if it wasn't for her comments I would be certain no one reads my blog. Well, sometimes I get comments from other people, but not very often. Also, Kimmy just had surgery, so send some healing vibes her way!

OMG! Even when I post more often my posts are crazy long! Yikes!

Pickle

I've finally started editing more of my photos from our 2008 vacation. We went to B's friend's ranch in Montana, then through Yellowstone, and then down to Victor, ID by way of Jackson, WY. It was an amazing trip! I made an album on my flickr account for this trip. Click here to see the album. It's been fun going through the photos. I plan to start my scrapbook for the trip soon, so going through them is bringing back the memories.

I know I've mentioned my fall on the mountain in Montana. And I have no idea if anyone wants to know more about it. Looking at the photos is bringing back that part of the trip too. I was talking to B about it last night and I wondered if my recollection of the fall, and the fact that I think I could very well have died on that mountain, was accurate. Or if my brain was tricking me into thinking it was worse. He said no. He said he saw the whole thing and he definitely thought I was going to die.

Basically, I'm still trying to coming to terms with it. I know I'll blog about it eventually. At least I think I will. I know it's not nearly as dramatic as someone who has been shot or has been in a serious car accident, but does that matter when something possibly deadly has happened to you? I think not.

So anyway. More cheerful things. I went scrapbooking with my friends Monica and Amber. It was so fun! I made an absolute mess with some glue and pink glitter. Sheesh! So much for trying new things. lol I was actually *really* bummed out about it, like bordering on pissed. But I tried not to show it. I didn't want my peeps to see me get like that about glue and glitter. Seriously. It seems like the dumbest stuff sets me off. It took me ages to do that page, and I did one other one. I took like 30 photos with me, in the hopes that I could start that vacation album. Oy! But other than that, it was fun.

Hopefully I can go again at some point during my boys' off-track time. Home for 3 weeks straight. So I will definitely need a break.

Well, that's it for now. Gotta go get the kidlets. Homework. Haircuts. Dinner. Showers. Sleep. Fun stuff, no?

Peace out!

PS You can click on that little photo at the top to go to the big picture.

Zwa!

Two posts in a scrunchy amount of time! It can't be! But it is! I'm actually in a sort of good mood. I finished piecing the top of the quilt that shall be named "Lovely", for it is done in the motif of love and heart and pinks and reds and all things lovely. I was going to take it to be quilted today, but alas, it was not meant to be. So shall it be another day.

No clue why I'm typing like that.

Tomorrow I'm planning to have lunch with my friend Amber. Months of "we should get together for lunch" turned into me saying "we're going to lunch on the 18th". lol I should bring my camera and Polaroid. And film. A Polaroid camera is NO good without film. Essential.

I began working on my next quilt while the quilting mojo is a-flowin. It'll be various flower prints made into flowers on the quilt. It should be beautiful! I've been saving these pieces of fabric for just such an occasion.

I'm thinking of making little sets of drink coasters with the leftovers from my quilts. They are super cute and of course they coordinate. I will probably sell them in my etsy shop. I was also thinking of making some baby-size quilts (to start, and nothing super fancy) to sell. And maybe some handkerchiefs. Or I guess they could be used as table napkins. Just random stuff to use up my extras. I actually had enough fabric leftover from the quilt I made for my sister-in-law that I made myself a decent-sized square quilt.

Speaking of my sister-in-law, she and my brother-in-law are expecting another little one! I'm so excited! I think she will be due in August.

Meanwhile, this little doll is going to be TWO this weekend! She's a bundle of energy and sass and I couldn't love her more! Last time we watched her here, she wanted to goof around with B (her uncle, my husband) more than me, so I just hung back and watched. When she was younger she wasn't crazy about him. He's tall and I don't think she liked his voice or something. But now they get along. In fact, my 8 year old P was a bit (or a lot) jealous of the fun H was having with his dad! He pouted and whined and as soon as H's mom & dad came to pick her up, suddenly he was in a good mood. I'm sensing he's used to being the youngest, although I don't think we pay more attention to him compared to his brother. But add a spunky 2 year old, and things get complicated. I also think he's a little scared of her. She's knocked him around a little while trying to play and I am sensing he didn't like that at all. It's a funny dynamic to watch. Mostly because he usually loves little kids and babies!

Ok, this was supposed to be a short post. But alas, it's not anymore. I guess I better get to bed.

PS. I'm having a Scentsy catalog party, so if you want to order something, let me know! Check out their website and email me if you want more info or to order. jocelynne at desertrealm dot com.

xoxo

Thinking of winter | Your name is a splinter inside me

It seems like most of my posts these days begin with some sort of lame apology or excuse for not blogging. And here's another one! I guess part of the problem is deciding what's blog-worthy and what isn't. is it better to post a bunch of boring stuff frequently? Or wait for something cool to happen and write about that?

I don't know either.

But I will tell you where I've been. I've been over on Facebook, my newest time-waster. I update in these little blurbs, which is way more succinct. You only have a set number of characters, and you really have to think about how you can word your thoughts in that number of characters. I try not to resort to things like u=you, 2=to or too, b4=before, ur=you're, your, or you are. Same with Twitter. You really have to cut things down for your updates to fit there. It's very frustrating, because I can be can long-winded at times.

Facebook rocks though. I have found my long-lost cousins. Some of them anyway. So that's been fun catching up with them. See, we've never been super close to with our cousins or aunts and uncles on either side of the family. The cousins I've found on Facebook are the ones we were closest to, even though one family lived in Delaware. But we have cousins aplenty, I'm sure, but have no way of knowing how to find them, where they are, or even their last names. I envy families that are close-knit. I've always wanted to have that.

My attempts to draw my own siblings together has failed. Two of my sisters and I speak often, my brother is close with my younger sister, my oldest sister doesn't return phone calls or emails. It's a lost cause for now. I know, I know. I've dug down deep and obsessed over my decision and it's basically that I can't do it anymore. I just have to hope that at some point they will get over the past and come forward and realize that we need each other before it's too late. My Grandma died recently. Right before Christmas, some sort of freak medical thing. I don't think anyone really understand what happened. I surely don't. It really didn't affect me much, maybe I'm a robot. Or more likely the lack of emotion is due to the fact that she barely tolerated my siblings and me. My point is that I think the hospital and funeral were the first times in a zillion years that my mom even saw her own siblings, other than two of my aunts.

Early in December I had disagreements with some of B's & my family. It may not seem like it on the outside, but I'm extremely sensitive and I took both of these things very hard. There were times (even now as I type this) that it feels like my heart will break in two. One of the situations involves someone holding a grudge against me for 13 years, and analyzing everything I said or did during those 13 years. Somehow even the good things I did were turned into negatives. I can't do it anymore. I can't do the little nice things I liked doing, because I know now that no matter what, they will never be seen in the light I hoped they would be.

The other incident involved a series of misunderstandings and inaccurate retellings. This one especially hurt. It came out of nowhere. The other people involved had been harboring these angry feelings towards me for I have no idea how long, and all the while saw everything I did after the initial misunderstanding as rude and careless. Anyone that knows the real me (which I am gathering at this point is very few) knows that I agonize over every little thing I do or say. Any decision I make that involves other people has been carefully obsessed over in my mind, trying to see things from all points of view. If I go ahead and do the thing, it's because I've determined it to be the right thing. Why do I do this? Thirteen years of being relentlessly judged by the family members in the previous paragraph. Another reason it cut me to the core? I was not given the benefit of the doubt. They didn't say "hey, maybe she didn't mean that" or "let's talk it out and see what's going on". It was automatically assumed that everything was the truth. That felt like a knife in my heart.

Anyway, I better move on or I will cry about these things again as I have done about once a week since December.

I have been doing some sewing. I finished a quilt for my sister-in-law Kacy. I was nervous as hell to give it to her, for fear she might not like it. But she did. The quilt is just so her, you know? And now I've moved on to a quilt I bought the supplies for last February, which consists of many Valentine-themed fabrics. I LOVE hearts and lovey things. I already love it and I've only done some of the pieces. I fell in love with the finished sample at the quilt shop, and was tempted to just bribe them to let me take it, but I decided to just make my own. I cannot WAIT to just wrap myself in this and have already decided to name it "Lovely". I name the quilts I make. Laugh if you want.

Well, I guess I better end for now. It's late, I'm sick, and I probably need some rest. I promise promise promise to blog more so that I don't end up with epic blog posts like this one.

Click on the pics for larger versions if you so desire.

And a parting thought:
Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
and try to love one another right now

Deep thoughts...

Not really. Just felt like saying that. The boys are playing My Sims Kingdom on the wii. What language are those Sim kids speaking? All I know is that I hate having to read what they are saying. I got the My Sims game for the Nintendo DS sometime last year, and that was my first experience with the Sim kids. Kinda fun at first. But all the demands the other Sim-folk make on you gets annoying after a while. Like on the Kingdom version, first thing you have to do is help some mean lady round up her pigs. And she really is mean. She's all irritated that you don't already know how to do it. Or that the pigs got out in the first place! Then the King's dumbass messenger drops all his notices he's supposed to pass out to people, and he makes you find them and pick them up! Of course the wind blew them all over the place. And he just stands there while you do all the work! WTH??? It's like "DUDE! You dropped them, come help me pick these up!" I tell all this to the TV too. My lovely husband and boys just laugh.

I went to the scrapbook store to do some scrapping with the hilarious Monica on Saturday night. It was just us and four other ladies, who I think were sisters, or at least related. It was hard not to eavesdrop, so we got to hear their thoughts on many things. For example: gun rights, milk and lactose intolerance, what they allow to be posted about them and their families in blogs, and how they should split the cost of gifts on family birthdays, etc etc. I know there's more. It's not that Monica and I weren't talking, but the other women were talking so loudly that when we did pause, we got caught up in their conversations. I really don't think they were trying to be quiet. What can you do?

I have an appointment at the chiropractor in a bit. I have gotten up the last few mornings with excruciating pain in my lower back. Today, however, it's lasting longer than normal and it's hard to breathe. So needless to say, all I've done today is shower and get dressed. Literally. Anything else hurts. I'm glad my chiropractor can usually get me in the same day. This cycle repeats every few weeks since my fall in Montana in September. Oy.

So I guess that's about it! I have projects to start and more to finish. Plus I need to brush my teeth. :D

Comment reply:
**Kimmie, I can't believe what a small world it is! I've been a fan of pinkie style for a while. That's how I know her! It's foreign to hear that she has a real name! One of the pitfalls of creative usernames, I guess. lol**

Peace out!

all things girl dot net

So about a month ago I was asked for permission to include my photo in an online magazine called All Things Girl. The theme this time is "Journeys" and there are some amazing submissions on that topic. Here's a link to my photograph on their site, but please do look around at the other amazing contributions.

A funny side-note: The photo underneath mine is by a photographer I've become friendly with online named Olivia Kjellander Hook, who does some amazing "through the viewfinder" photography, which got me interested in that form of photography. The title of my photo is "For Olivia". Yes, the same Olivia. The reason it was for Olivia? We were going to team up to do a photo duo with the little globe, of which she also has one. And it was my very first "through the viewfinder" photo ever. So it's kind of cool to see that she's also in the article, though I didn't know that before now.

"Through the viewfinder" photography is a method in which a digital photo is taken through the eyepiece of another camera, usually an old twin lens reflex like mine, named Minnie. I do believe some people use other types of cameras as well. But Minnie is what I use.

So anyway, just wanted to share! Go check out allthingsgirl.net if you feel so inclined, look around, have fun.

Peace out!

The year of JOCELYNNE!

I'm a copycat of Elizabeth and declare this year to be The Year of Jocelynne! But as Oscar told Michael on The Office, you can't just declare it and expect something to happen (or something like that). So I also followed Elizabeth's advice and checked out Numerology: The personal year. After doing the complicated math required, I have decided I'm a 4, which reads:

Hard work and slow, but steady progress
This is a number 4 personal year for you. The previous year frivolity will now be truly forgotten, as the facts of life are clearly spelled out. This is a year of hard work and effort when one must knuckle down to the task at hand. A year of digging in and hoeing, a reestablishment of self-control. In many ways, however, it is a frustrating year, when considerable effort fails to produce dramatic results. One step forward and two back may seem to be the case most of the time. This is an organizational period and you must look at your current and past performance in a very hard light. It is a time to get organized and bring yourself down to earth. Responsibilities will increase, magnifying the effort and hard work needed to maintain a reasonable level of existence. Health and diet should be carefully scrutinized this year, as physical resistance is low and you may become more susceptible to ailments. A tidying up of affairs is now in order, as you must make ready for a very hectic year ahead.

So, this is what I have to look forward to. I'm a little scared. But I think it'll be ok, right? Right?

Comment replies:
**Kimmie, baby steps is right! I get overwhelmed so easy, even just getting out of bed to face the day. But I stop and literally think to myself "one step at a time" it becomes do-able. Even just getting out of bed.**