Silly GIrls

More picnik fun.

A new obsession

Has anyone else played at picnik.com? I am becoming a little obsessed. (And thank goodness for Grandma. Chase's hair is MUCH better, don't you think?)

Are You Kidding Me???

When Chase came home from school yesterday he had a chunk of hair cut off his bangs. It looked so awful I chopped the rest of his bangs off too (do you call them bangs on a boy?). We were laughing so hard. I told him he looked like a little girl with a bad haircut...not even a boy with one. Then we spiked his hair up in an attempt to draw attention away from the unsightly bang area. Hopefully Grandma can get him into her schedule this afternoon to cut it for real. But the poor kid went to school looking like this today!

Its a good thing we love our dogs so much...

About a week and a half ago we put up our Christmas tree. We have always had a real tree, but this year Beau's sister decided to buy a new tree from the Festival of Trees (a charitable event here in Elko where companies donate beautifully decorated trees and the community has a silent auction for them) so she gave us their old fake tree. It is a very pretty one and we had fun putting it together and decorating it. I am amazed that you really can't tell the difference.

Anyway, it was all decorated and a few days later both of the dogs crawled under it. The whole thing snapped and fell over. Ornaments and lights were all over the floor and tangled up. I was in the middle of all my finals projects and Beau was working nights so it lay there for about three days. Finally, yesterday, we found the problem, bought a replacement part (I was amazed they had them for sale) and completely redecorated the tree.

The pictures above are some of our favorite ornaments. When Megan was a baby we started a tradition of buying each of the kids a new ornament every year. They are generally matching if not the very same. If they don't already have the year we find a creative way of putting it on the ornament. I love the cloth ornaments...I usually use DMC floss to put the year on those. Our tree is getting awfully crowded now, but we love it. Then as the kids move out they will take their years and years worth of ornaments with them.

Does anyone else do something like that?

A Little Surprise

I am one that always hooks the whole camera up to the computer to download pictures instead of inserting the memory card. For whatever reason the computer never downloaded the 4 pictures that were saved to the camera memory. It only downloaded those from the memory card. Today I took out the memory card and hooked the camera to the computer and found pictures I didn't know I had from last year in Arkansas. It was so fun to find them. I don't remember ever even seeing them!

Those were the days...

I happen to be a mom that is very thankful my kids are a little older and more self-sufficient...but this is my all-time favorite picture. Doesn't it make you want pinch their chubby cheeks and cuddle up with them!! Love it!

Wrestling According to Chase

Tonight was Chase's first night of wrestling practice. This mom is not sure why anyone (let alone her sweet boy) would want to participate in something so barbaric...but this is what Chase had to say abou the evening:

Mom: Was it as much fun as you thought it was going to be?

Chase: YES! And a lot more painful.

8's Tag

Rules:
1- Post the rules.
2- Answer the 6 "8" items.
3- Let each person know that they have been tagged.

8 Favorite T.V. Shows(in no particular order):
1- Survivor (I'm obsessed)
2- Dateline NBC
3- The View
4- Desperate Housewives (Please don't judge)
5- The Amazing Race
6- American Idol
7- Oprah (Duh!)
8- What Not to Wear


8 Things I did yesterday:
1- Took myself to the doctor (don't ask)
2- Took Megan to the doctor (strep)
3- Tutored at the college
4- Practiced my speech (mostly at the doctor)
5- Went grocery shopping with the whole family (I don't recommend it.)
6- Went to my EDU 250 class
7- Took kids to school and picked them up again
8- Registered Chase for wrestling (he is so excited!)

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1- Machis
2- Sizzler (mostly because I haven't been to one in years)
3- Subway
4- Manuel's El Burrito
5- P.F. Changs
6- Taco Bell (I'm easy to please)
7- Muley's
8- Garcias

8 things I am looking forward to:
1- Christmas
2- Finishing this semester with all my brain cells still in tact
3- Beau's work party
4- Getting the results of the huge Praxis test I took a few weeks ago
5- Buying a new house
6- Taking my kids to Disneyland
7- The Survivor finale
8- Seeing the kids' faces on Christmas!

8 things on my wish list:
1-Two sisters (Megan and Brooke) and a brother (Chase) who get along all of the time instead of every once in a while
2- A house we can finally call our own again
3- Mary Poppins cleaning magic...the good old finger snapper
4- To be debt-free!
5- I really hope Chase loves wrestling
6- A good children's theater program in our tiny town...Megan loves theater
7- That when we move yet again (probably to a town about 10 minutes away) for the last time ever, that the kids will all adjust quickly and find friends and love yet another new school.
8- World peace, the end of worldwide hunger and for people to respect the beliefs and values of others and just get along already!

8 people I tag:
1- Jana
2- Annette
3- Kareen
4- Misty
5- Dyana
6- Melanie
7- Jenny
8- Gini

How SAD is this???

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

How much are you paying for gas???

This weekend we decided to take a quick trip to Twin Falls, ID to do some shopping. We have been amazed the past couple weeks to watch the price of gas plummet...as I'm sure is happening in your town too. In Elko we are paying about $1.99/gallon. But, both Beau and I had to pick our jaws off the ground when we saw this sign in Wells (a TINY town about 50 miles east of Elko). $1.59 for unleaded???

What are you paying for gas?

From Movies

We Have 2 WINNERS!!

I am currently slowly downloading the video with the winners! Ooh! It's so exciting!!

OK, there is a problem. I cannot figure it out...but the video won't play. My family is itching to get out the door right now though...so I will just type the winners and figure the video problem out later.

1st Prize (CD and blanket) : ABBY
2nd Prize (Dish scrubber) : ANNETTE

CONGRATS!

Just a note

I just wanted to make a note that because I will be in bed at 8 o'clock tonight, I will not draw the winners until tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow morning bright and early I will be taking the Praxis exam-a requirement to get into the education program. But I will video tape the results in case you are concerned about me cheating (ahem, Annette ;).

100th Post Giveaway!!!

To celebrate 100 posts I am following in Melanie's footsteps (and apparently many others) with a giveaway. All you have to do to enter is make a comment and tell me your favorite thing about Christmas! You will have until 8:00 pm Friday, November 14th to enter.

What will the lucky winner get? Well, I thought long and hard about this and changed my mind several times, but I finally decided to share with you one of my VERY favorite things to do at Christmas. At night, I absolutely love turning all the lights off except the Christmas tree, snuggle up with a blanket and listen to beautiful Christmas music. So, the winner will receive a cuddly fleece blanket and a Josh Groban Christmas CD.

Good luck!

One more surprise. I have a second winner prize pictured below. It is a fabulous little scraper for dish scrubbing that will (supposedly) not scratch your pans. Love it!

A Night with Megan and Palin

I am guessing that this post will get rather long. Megan and I had such a great experience at the Sarah Palin rally that I want to record some of that night here for journaling's sake.

We got to the high school at about 8:00 pm to find that there were already a few thousand people in line. She wasn't scheduled to come until 10 pm, so we thought we were doing well. We were a bit nervous that we wouldn't get in (we knew they were going to cut the line off at about 2,000 people...although I later found out there were closer to 3,000 crammed in). Fortunately, after about 45 minutes, we were let in. We walked through airport-like security manned by very official looking officers with "secret service" patches on their shirts.

We had the option of standing by the stage area. There was even room to stand right next to the raised walkway she would eventually come out on. I told Megan that we could stay there and maybe even have a chance to shake her hand there, but we'd be standing for 2-3 hours. After about 5 minutes, Megan decided it would be better to find a seat. It was starting to get late and she was getting very tired.

The seats we got actually ended up being very entertaining because we sat just above where the campaign workers/rally organizers were buzzing around. And, eventually, we were right above Sarah Palin's computer crew. We could read her teleprompter on the laptop of the aide in charge of scrolling it for her. Watching Palin, I would never know that there was a teleprompter going. She seemed very natural and left the script a lot. I never saw her staring in any one direction.

My favorite part of the night was actually before the Palin camp even got to Elko. They didn't arrive until about 11:20 but the local organizers and McCain staff sent ahead started the program at 10:00 as scheduled. They opened with the national anthem sung by a local women. She did a phenomenal job, but what was particularly moving, was that just about every person there was singing with her. Not just moving their lips, but full-out singing. I have never experienced anything like that-at least not with the Star Spangled Banner. Usually you see a few people singing in an audience...but you can't hear them. It felt like being in a choir. No one held back and it was truly beautiful and I had huge goosebumps.

While we waited and waited, the campaign handed out posters, flags, pompoms and bumper stickers. In the beginning, people would see the new goodies and wave their arms frantically like, "Pick me! Pick me! I want a sign! I want a flag!" It soon became apparent that there were more than plenty to go around though. Being the last campaign stop, I think we were the lucky ones to get all the leftover stuff from months of campaigning. It kept things interesting for the long wait though.

Finally, a little after 11, we got word that Palin's plane had landed and they were on their way to the high school. Elko is one of those towns that you can drive all the way through in about 5 minutes and on a long trip,if you aren't paying attention you wonder, "Did we just pass through a real town?" so it didn't take long for them to make their way from our little airport to the gathering.

I say "them" because she had a huge entourage with her (two busloads to be exact-we saw them pull out as we left the building). Most of the posse was national media. It was an almost surreal thing to see them file in hurrying to set up before Palin made her entrance. If someone had asked me before this night if I thought big city north easterners would stand out in Elko, I would have said, "nah." But, I stand corrected. These people were SO obviously not from Elko.

I looked around the gym at the people of my new home to see the mullets, Wranglers, cowboy hats, mine-company sweatshirts, women with permed and died hair that starts half-way down their backs and families dressed up in their Sunday-best that looked a little more like "Little House" folk than modern big city folk. This is not a dig. I truly love this little town and I include myself in these criticisms (if you want to see them that way). But, it was almost like not realizing your house is a mess until company shows up unexpectedly, when the big-city press walked in. Women who had been travelling (to 5 different states) all day long behind Sarah Palin were in tailored skirt-suits and fancy high heels and men with polished Italian (of course I'm guessing here-very expensive looking anyway) leather shoes, designer jeans with sports coats and chichi scarves elegantly folded around their necks. If an Elko man walked down the street with a $200 scarf wrapped around his neck, he'd be thrown out of town...or at least mocked. We were literally only about 20-30 feet away from the press area and it was fun to watch them.

I thought it was very interesting that no homemade signs were allowed through security. I already mentioned that signs were handed out by the ton. These were pre-printed signs. Directly behind the stage (I'm sure for TV's sake) homemade-looking signs were handed out by the campaign. And all my life I assumed all those people on TV had made their own signs. Not so. My favorite of these said, "Todd 4 second dude."

Another favorite moment was when Sarah's dad spoke. He only talked for about 45 seconds but his last words were something like, "When Sarah was a little girl I taught her how to field dress a moose. Tomorrow, she will learn how to field dress a donkey!" This got a huge positive reaction from the hunter-filled audience. However, my sister, Kim, who lives in southern California later told me that as she watched him say this live on CNN or one of the other big networks (filmed by the frufy dressed press I spoke of earlier) she cringed to think that the rest of the world could hear him say that. I never even thought that it might be offensive to other people not so accustomed to "hunters-speak". Hopefully, Sarah's fathers remarks didn't cost them any votes the next day.

I also want to mention how gorgeous Sarah Palin is. You can see from the video how far we actually were from her, but even from that distance (actually we walked much closer to her as she was leaving) you could tell that she has a perfect cute little body. I know this is really not important in the grand scheme of things, but it was almost shocking how beautiful she is in person.

Last, I just want to mention how cool it was to be a part of something that felt like history. I watched the Elko High School band members and the cute cheerleaders who all performed and wondered if they could possibly understand the significance of not only a national politician coming to this tiny town (I have mentioned many times before that many have come here) how rare that really is for small-town America, and the fact that it was a woman...who nearly became the vice president of the United States. There was truly a remarkable spirit there. The fact that so many people (almost a quarter of the population of Elko) stayed with their young children until midnight on a school/work night really says something and I am thankful that Megan and I had the opportunity to experience it with them.

I am Inspired

I know so many of you are not fond of Obama-or what he stands for. There are a few fundamental things that I disagree with too; but, to me he is inspiring. We are witnesses of a truly amazing time in history. Every day since the election I have found myself in tears just thinking about what having a black president means. We have come a long way. I don't pretend to know what it could ever feel like to experience racism. Until I lived in Arkansas I really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. I know that racism was never tolerated in the home I grew up in and didn't see it in my community. The past few days seeing the reactions of so many black Americans has touched me deeply. I love this clip of Sherry Shephard on The View and the Will.i.am (from the Black Eyed Peas) montage of Obama's New Hampshire speech at the beginning of his candidacy.

Sarah Palin in Elko

With a little encouragement from my friend Amy (thank you Amy...your on the internet...does that make you famous?) I decided to take Megan to the Sarah Palin rally. It was really incredible to be there. Despite the late hour (she didn't arrive until around 11 pm) the place was rediculously packed! There was a great energy and you really felt like you were part of something historic. I have a ton of pictures and things I want to journal about the event, but it is almost 1 am now...so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Sarah Palin is Coming!

Sarah Palin is coming to Elko tonight! She is scheduled to speak at the high school at 10 pm. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to make it. Megan it dying to go, though. But, 10 pm on a school night for an 11-year-old? I don't know. As we have learned here in Elko with all of these political big-wig appearances, their schedules are very packed and they are often late. So, 10 pm could turn into 11 or even midnight. What do you think?

I just have to mention one more thing. I almost didn't put the little gadget on my sidebar that says, "Find Joy in the Journey." That is not a play on my name. I just saw it and it struck me. I think that is really where I am at in my life. I am finally realizing that I have spent too much time looking forward to this or that or wishing something were done already (i.e. school), but the whole point of life is to find joy in each moment, isn't it? Be happy where you are. Anyway, I love that message and I decided that I need to be reminded of it often regardless if it makes me look like a cheese because it includes my name. :)

Too Cool for Their Mom! Whatever!

Yesterday I went to Brooke and Chase's school for their Halloween parties. They had a costume parade first out front for parents. So, I watched as Chase's class came by. I waved and smiled and he waved and smiled back, "Hi Mommy!" Then, a few minutes later, Brooke's 4th grade class came by. I know she saw me but she turned her head away really quick and pretended I wasn't even there! What??? She has always been the kid that begs me to come to every field trip and practically jumps into my lap when I do show up. And, even Megan doens't mind her mom at her school (she's in 5th grade) so I have never experienced this kind of "too cool for my mom" attitude.

When the parade was over I took some treats to Chase's classroom then hurried to Brooke's. I got there before her class returned from the parade and decided I wouldn't go in because she was so embarrassed. So, I called her over by her door and said something like, "Do you not want me to come in?" She snatched the treats out of my hand, said, "NO!" and turned around and ran into her classroom!

So, in the car on the way home from school I told Brooke that I understand if she doesn't want me in her classroom but she does not have any reason to treat me with disrespect or be rude. (Here is the whole point of this long story....) To which Chase says, "Yeah Brooke! I was embarrassed that Mommy was at school too, but at least I talked nice to her!"

WHAT????

Ah, the sun!

I took these pictures the beginning of September. I keep looking at them and love them more every time I see them. The day I took them, I was driving home from dropping the kids off at school and had to pull over when I saw how these sunflowers were literally basking in the sun. I could just imagine tiny smurf-like voices sighing, "Aaaah! We love the sun!" Every one of them was pointing right into the sun leaning back to catch all of its rays. It makes me think of Laura Ingalls in the "Little House on the Prairie" opening credits when she is leaning back with her arms open, taking the sun and the beauty of the day in. The carefree life of a sunflower.

Birthday Girls!

Tuesday, we went out to dinner to celebrate Megan's and Beau's Mom's birthdays!

Happy 11th birthday Megan! Happy __rd birthday, Kathy! (I figure if I publicize my mother-in-law's age I may lose my status as her favorite daughter-in-law...so I won't.)

(Just to clarify...I am her only daughter-in-law.)

Thank goodness hunting season is OVER!

If you know me, you know how I feel about meat and blood and guts. Ew! So, I am very excited that hunting season is finally over. But, my kids had a blast and so did Beau. There is not much in life that they love more than hanging out with Daddy in the mountains looking for deer. Megan was the very brave one this year, staying in a tent for 5 days in the freezing cold. They did have a tent heater and insisted over and over that they were toasty warm the whole time. Not my idea of fun...but I love that they have such a great time with Beau.

OK We'll do a little Halloween Too

How great is a blog template without losing your sidebars??? Much easier to change your background with the seasons now, right? I think I am pretty much the last one to catch on to this, but if you haven't seen how to do this, go to http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/backgrounds.php?cat=39

and follow THEIR directions! Super easy!

I am Ready for Christmas

I figure if stores can start pushing their Christmas goods on us the first week of October, I can enjoy some Christmas tunes now too (and push them on you :). Besides, I am ready for Christmas...I think this is because of the craziness surrounding Christmas last year with the move and everything.

Tag: I'm A Cheater

Melanie tagged me. But, I am a cheater. I have a good reason for being a cheater, though...I have three tests to take today, a speech to write, 2 papers and 2 midterms to study for (and, yes, I will milk this excuse for as long as I can :). So I am cheating. None of these pictures were taken by me. I have not been any of these places or seen any of these things. But they all seemed refreshing and clean and nice and right now, in my oober crazy life, that is all I have motivation for (not my own messy closet or dish-filled sink).

1. (Not) my laundry room...but isn't this one cute?

2. (Not) my main bathroom...
3. This actually does look just ike my fridge...but, again, it is not really mine.
4. (Not) my favorite shoes, but maybe someday they will be...
5. A place I'd like to visit...this is actually the most real of all of the pictures. It is one of Aviano, Italy, where our good friends, the Giffords moved from Arkansas. It would be fabulous to escape there and visit!

6. Definitely NOT my closet.
7. Favorite Room (not) in my house. This is actually a picture of the kitchen in a model home from a builder we are thinking about using though...I really do love this kitchen:
8. Self-portrait (not) of me (actually of an artist named Eisuke Sato)...but this is about how I feel at the moment.
9. Beautiful clean kitchen sink, again, not mine, but doesn't it look refreshing?

I did these out of order, mostly because I still have not found a good way of predicting which order Blogger will put my pictures. (Does anyone know how to do that well?)

Oh My!

(No. That is not me in the picture. Quit your snickering.)

So, I am buried in my schoolwork again. In my Nevada Law for School Teachers textbook, there is the following list of "Rules for Teachers" from 1872. Lets all be thankful we weren't school teachers then.

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.

2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and scuttle (?) of coal for the day's session.

3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.

(Here's where it gets good.)

4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.

5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the bible or other good books.

6. Women teachers who MARRY or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.

8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls or gets shaved in a barber shop (HUH?) will have good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.

9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the board of education approves.

OK, Maybe this is Beau's first love...

Chase

A cool tree Beau found on their mountain adventures. I love trees!

Brookelynn and Pilot

A while ago I said softball was Beau's first love...but I think I missed the boat on that one. Hunting definitely takes the cake as his absolute favorite thing. He takes the kids out one at a time. Monday, he and Brookelynn took Beau's sister and brother-in-law's bird dog, Pilot and shot some blue grouse. It is all completely disgusting to me. I rarely eat any meat at all, as most of you know...and certainly not little forest creatures killed by my family, but my kids love it. The bird Brooke is holding is actually the one she shot. Ew!

Chase and Beau went up a different mountain on Saturday to look for deer. Beau is revving up for deer season that starts in a few weeks. He is like a kid that can't wait for Christmas. I really don't get it. But he and the kids love it all. Megan gets to go next deer hunting.

This is how RUMORS start...

Here are a few pictures of Obama here in Elko. I love that secret service guy in the last one.

Anyway, this is a very small town, so, like the airport furniture story below, any tidbit if interesting information spreads quickly. My speech professor told us a story about the last time Obama was here in Elko. (Yes, he's been here 3 times, can you believe it?) Apparently, he and his staff had arranged to have lunch catered by a cute little restaurant here called The Flying Fish. They serve sushi and other shi-shi fare. Anyway, the story I heard was that at the last minute, employees of the restaurant were racing around town trying to find square plates to serve Obama his sushi on (we only have about 3 stores that would carry such items AND they are all within about a 2 mile radius...so raced around town should be thought of in that limited context). The funniest part to me was that they finally found the plates at the dollar store! What a riot! Anyway, I think what was being implied by the person telling the story is that Obama or a member of his staff had requested the square plates, sending the restaurant in a frantic tizzy. This is why I named this post the way I did. I hope that it was just a last minute fabulous idea that the employees had at the Flying Fish..."wouldn't it be nice to serve the man that could be the next president of the United States, his sushi on square plates (from the dollar store)" and not that the "rockstar" demanded square plates (from the dollar store). However it came down, I love that story.