in case you were wondering...

thanks

2008-12-01T04:37:00.001-08:00

after a very trying last couple of months, i am reminded that we have much to be thankful for. our family is happy, healthy, beautiful and growing! this is our newest addition nephew luke. handsome and inquisitive.
i am also thankful that we have a home when so many families have lost their homes in this economic crisis.
i am thankful that i have a family of friends who love and support me.
i am thankful for everything i learned from my dad, and for all the things about him that will always live on in me.
i am thankful for my loving husband and brilliant daughters.
i am thankful for strength, encouragement and support i get from my husband. he makes anything possible.
i am thankful for my health and well-being.
i am thankful for wet dog noses, fuzzy blankets and silver linings.

say cheeeeese!

2008-03-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

we took rhiannon to our new local chuck-e-cheese pizza parlor for her birthday. i was pretty excited because i grew up in san jose, where we had the greatest pizza parlor on the planet - chuck-e-cheese. it had a fun house, characters that wandered around, a real stage with performances, a water show, some video games and things, and the best pizza ever. even grown-ups liked to go there because the booths were plush and there was a real stage with real performers. now that we have franchised america, chuck-e's is a disappointment. it is more like a cafeteria that has styrofoam pizza and an arcade! i am sure the kids had a blast, the photos are evidence of that, but they haven't asked to go back yet...

take your daughter to work day

2008-02-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

i know, it isn't officially "take your daughter to work day," but i took baby g with me to work today. we weren't there too long before it was time to take her to school, but i don't think she could have handled much more! i had discussed with her earlier the importance of bringing things to do, as we had an urgent deadline and i would be very busy. inevitably, she was happy for about half an hour. she drew several pictures, ate her snacks and... well that was it. she urgently needed to be entertained at the same moment when the computer decided to crash!

ikea schmia...

2008-02-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

i am sure i must've mentioned that the kids got me a sewing machine for mother's day last year. i was so excited! i really didn't know how to use it, but was anxious to find out. i have since tried my hand at mending clothes (i replaced a zipper in my favorite jeans), crafting - i have been making purses from old pants pockets, and now i have made a slipcover for this (although adorable, still non-coordinating) footstool from ikea.

snow angels

2008-01-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

exhausted after an afternoon of playing in the snow. we measured 7 inches of accumulation at our house. it is amazing. the most snow i have seen in springfield since i was in first grade! we had so much fun playing in the snow yesterday, i can hardly wait to take buckets and shovels out to build a snow castle today!

girls just wanna have fun

2007-10-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

here are some of the girls and i at the costume party we went to last weekend. we have a cowgirl, beth the bounty hunter, a model from deal or no deal, and me. after tomorrow i can post photos of the kids trick-or-treating!

what are you going to be?

2007-10-18T19:38:00.001-07:00

as we approach all hallow's eve, i am again this year trying to convince the kids to be something fantastic. little hands always wants to be pink power ranger, and baby g always wants to be a witch. that is not entirely true, last year little hands wanted to be a geisha, but dad vetoed that- he thought it was entirely inappropriate for a second grader. so i got her a geisha costume for her build-a-bear. i got baby g a witch costume for her bear, in the hopes that she might choose to be something else for a change, to no avail. this year norm and i are going to a costume party (i have always wanted to go to a costume event) we will either be red riding hood and the big bad wolf- or an asian bride and a ww2 soldier. norm got me a great asian dress while we were in vegas and i don't really know when i will have another chance to wear it.

eeeewwwww- gross!

2007-10-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

our local "science factory" put on an event at the library, where they taught kids how to make snot (of all things) then they made boogers too! pictured is baby g and our neighbor constructing mucous grossology. i guess the whole idea of the thing was to show the kids the relevance of saliva. they had a cracker eating contest to see how many crackers you could eat in 30 seconds. baby g the munch mouth barely finished one! and a collection of bottles filled with things you were supposed to smell and rate the level of salivation. it was yucky but intriguing - as if kids aren't gross enough already!

now i've done it.

2007-10-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

i have officially crossed the line from "weirdo who dresses up pets" to "pathetic weirdo who not only dresses up pets, but obsessively knits for them as well". yes, it is true. i made that adorable sweater, and another, and i am working on another. i have been knitting so obsessively, norm mentioned perhaps he should set up an intervention! clearly roxy is enjoying it. a natural for the runway.

... stays in vegas?

2007-10-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

i wish. i always have such a great time- even on a limited budget. it appeals to me that las vegas is warm (compared to oregon!) and the entire city keeps hours much like my own. i wish we had truly great restaurants at home. i have been dreaming about isla mexican restaurant at treasure island since last year. there is a photo of my best friend and i enjoying a meal there. one of the couples we travelled with got married while we were there. at the same little chapel as nikki hilton.

what happens in vegas...

2007-09-27T04:20:00.000-07:00

i am busy getting ready for our annual las vegas trip. this year we are traveling with three other couples. our usual traveling companions, my sister and her husband and another couple whom we have not traveled with before. it should be a blast. we are going for a 3 day weekend, and have booked many exciting events. including dinner at isla mexican restaurant and tequila bar (which i have been dreaming about since last year). now that i have overcome my fear of flying, trips will be so much easier. norm is gonna regret making me fly when he realizes it has created a traveling jones in me.

that 1 guy

2007-09-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

it may be difficult to tell what this is due to poor club lighting (although i prefer to call it "ambiance"). we went to see a performance by "that 1 guy and his magic pipe" the other night. i have seen him play a few times, and i am always mesmerized. he has invented this instrument from some pipes and electronic parts. i think there may be a guitar pick-up, a keyboard type of sampler and some electronic drum parts involved, but i can't really be sure- i am not a musician. he also plays a magic boot and a magic saw. his lyrics are pretty clever too.
this is my brother and i enjoying the show.

ra ra ra

2007-09-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

gimme an "r", gimme an "o", gimme an "x", gimme a "y"! what's that spell? it's "roxy"! i never thought i would fall into the weirdo's who like to dress up their pets category, but here i am. baby g discovered that her build-a-bear clothes fit the dog, and spent two days chasing her around the house to dress her up. i tried hard to protect poor roxy, but to no avail. i finally realized however, that roxy actually enjoyed the costumes so i had to give it a try. she is going to cheerleader tryouts next week.

i didn't see you there

2007-09-18T03:44:00.001-07:00

i am finally getting around to adding a photo of the new addition to our family. zero is taking it well- he really doesn't even seem to notice or care! she has been renamed "roxanne the diva"- we call her roxy for "short" ha. ha. it suits her.

to make a loooong story short

2007-08-29T03:36:00.000-07:00

we have a new addition to our family. gracie the dachshund has come to live with us. she is adorable (i love doxies) and great with the kids. she has cried a lot since her mommy left her here, which is getting on zero's nerves, but i think we will all get along just fine. i will post a photo or two this afternoon.

girls just wanna

2007-08-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

the girls had a slumber party over the weekend. it was a blast. we took the kids to the air show, and everyone (except baby g) had a great time. we played in the pool, bar-be-qued cheeseburgers, made 'smores and stayed up all night playing mario party on the wii. on the left you can see some of the extreme acrobatic stunts the pilots did, and the girls (from left to right: katana, rhiannon, gwynneth, keisha) exploring an army helicopter.

s-town ink

2007-08-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

this is the design i worked up yesterday for my next tattoo. norm and little hands are water signs, aquarius and cancer, while baby g and i are both sagittarius, a fire sign. can you find the astrological symbols?

hot hot hot

2007-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

mmmm. i made salsa entirely with ingredients from our garden. at first i thought it was not spicy enough, mom told me to roast the peppers so they would be more mild. after it sat overnight in the refrigerator, it was very spicy! it starts out sweet, then you feel the heat.

by: rhiannon

2007-08-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

an excerpt from little hands' handcrafted book: "poems that save the world and make you laugh."

"i saw an aristocrat
she was at the laundromat
her husband was a democrat
he said his work building went splat
and they both said 'oh drat.' "

i thought it was pretty clever for a seven year-old.

really?!

2007-08-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

i thought the day would never come! oh the joys of motherhood! my baby is doing the dishes now... not only that, but she has made dad very proud too by being obsessive about the efficiency of the placement of the dishes in the dishwasher. i remember being excited about doing the dishes when mom first let me- and we never even had a dishwasher. i just hope rhiannon continues to enjoy it, because i love the idea of the girls taking over some of the chores...

fairly fun

2007-08-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

we had a fairly good time at the county fair this year. it was a little disappointing for all of us, though. "little hands" rhiannon didn't go with us because she had a birthday party to attend. baby g wasn't nearly as excited about going on rides without her. norm (with considerable effort) finally persuaded her to go on this kiddie roller-coaster. that is baby g in the rear car with the very tall boy! it is hard to believe that this is the same girl who two months ago rode the tower of terror at disney world! we heard a band called the darren johnson effort- they were pretty good! norm said they reminded him of death cab for cutie, i think he was right. we didn't see the art exhibits because baby g had an armload of sticky cotton candy. we didn't see the animals because baby g was too tired. but we did see the all-alaskan racing pigs, which was adorable and funny. it was a much better show than i imagined, and the m.c. was great too!

my hero, zero

2007-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

zero is on his way to being a superstar! he is featured on ron an joe's art parts silly pet photos. here he is sneaking the use of the warming foot massager when he thinks no one is looking! autographs by request...

welcome!

2007-08-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

welcome to the world, ronin john hunter! congratulations kyle and celeste!

(insert shameless self promotion here... this is the beauty of a card i created to welcome the baby)

happy 13!

2007-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

happy 13 miss k. you have grown into a very thoughtful, mature, responsible and beautiful young woman. we are very proud of you!

happy holidays

2007-08-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

these are samples of the st. patrick's day cards i made and never sent out... yes, i have a whole drawer full of greeting cards that are addressed and stamped but never made it to the intended recipient. thankfully, my friends and family forgive me because they know i am the girl who has a whole drawer full of sentiments... this is all beside the point. i also have a couple years worth of holiday cards i have designed and produced myself (so they could sit in a drawer wishing my friends and family happy holidays!) i realize the st. patty's cards are a bit out of season, but i think they are the most recent. i am considering a creating a line of greeting cards, and placing them for sale on my website. what do you think of these?

pay it forward

2007-08-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

i know you will probably never read this, but thank you to the blue-earringed guy that helped me with my car the other day! you know who you are, dari-mart, around 9:20 a.m. (monday), you: white plumbing or electrician van- me: silver mini suv. thank you for not letting me leave the parking lot with my car hood open, and thank you for going above and beyond civic duty and trying to fix it! i did get it fixed. i drove 20 mph to the shop to have it fixed. turns out the latch just needed oil! i never even noticed the hood wasn't closed! just goes to show, there really are people out there who care...

photoshop restoration

2007-07-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

i have stolen this photo from my mother in law to restore, it is so cute! that is my honey and his baby sister on her first birthday. aaaawwww!
below you see after i have restored it, what do you think?

...hades

2007-07-25T10:10:00.001-07:00

this is what our stairway looks like (from top looking down) now that we have begun to tear it part. gross. today we take the walls out. i really want that spiral staircase...

stairway to...

2007-07-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

i am beginning to think we should replace our stairs with a spiral staircase kit. i kinda like these, but i still have some shopping to do...

now we've done it!

2007-07-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

well, it finally happened. something went horribly wrong and forced us to begin the remodel of our kitchen, that we have been planning/putting off for years. just in time for the grand opening of our ikea! our water heater exploded. the worst part about it really is that we had been thinking about replacing it, but were planning to get one of those fancy gas heaters that keeps you in constant hot water... we needed a new one today- so we just got a regular electric one. now we will probably never get the one we really wanted. the best part is, we had to tear out a wall of the kitchen to get to the exploded one! i know, "how can that be the best part?" you ask yourself. well, i have wanted to tear out that wall for as long as we have lived here. and now i did. and now we can continue with the plans we had laid for remodeling the kitchen. around here, everything begins with something dramatic. well the new water heater is installed and working properly, so tomorrow i wont have to go to my BFF's for a shower. and i can finish the laundry. and wash the dishes.

another happy birthday

2007-07-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

happy birthday norman (super dad)!p.s. thank you to everyone who showed up at norm's birthday party! we had such a blast and it was so good to have everyone together. also, thank you the wonderful staff at mcshane's, you guy's are great! to everyone who did not end up in the photo, i am sorry- for some reason, we didn't remember to take a lot of photos?!

i know i meant to mention it

2007-07-18T04:16:00.000-07:00

...at least a hundred times! the kids got me a new sewing machine for mother's day. actually, gwynneth said "i did not get you that- i wanted to get you gummy bears!" the old one was too heavy for me to get out and put away by myself, which meant that i put off all the sewing projects i have wanted to undertake. i have been very excited about it, but alas have not had a chance to use it. we have been so busy getting ready for, then catching up from our vacation. and i still have a gazillion photos to download/upload and share.miss k. is coming over today to help out around the house in an effort to drudge up extra mall dollars before the weekend, so i think i may get a chance to do some sewing today! i have been planning on recycling the fabric from this great shirt i once bought for a 70's theme party. i think it will make a perfect stuffed toy for baby io. i envision a monkey...

and pretty little maids all in a row

2007-07-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

i am not sure what kind of peppers these are, but they sure are prettythis one is growing upside-downand these are my baby roma tomatoes

more than meets the eye

2007-07-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

i admit it. i am a bit of a geek. o.k., it is probably more fair to say i am a lot of a geek. i went to see the transformers movie because optimus prime is the other love of my life. next to flint (of g.i. joe fame) and norman (who doesn't seem to mind that i am a geek!). i enjoyed the movie. i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. but really- i was disappointed in it too. the decepticons were hardly anything like i remember. they looked like something out of an arnold schwarzenegger movie, not like the originals. the autobots looked like the originals (for the most part), and they even stayed true to cheesy john wayne-esque optimus prime personality. the action sequences went too fast. and they were too close-up, so it was hard to tell what was happening. i think it was a method of avoiding the complexity of showing the transformers transform in their entirety. there was also some all too blatant advertising. none of the buildings had names on them- except citibank. they spent too much time focussing on the gmc logos on the autobots. and transformed an xbox, and a mountain dew vending machine, and a nokia phone... and the movie was looooong. it seemed like just when you thought it would end, it began again....

independedence day

2007-07-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

we had a great 4th of july celebration. sangria, hot dogs, swimming pool, flame dancers, fireworks...
p.j. didn't care much for the fireworks, but came out later with his hard hat and watched from the other side of the fence.

with silver bells and cockleshells

2007-06-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

i would love to post a photo of my beautiful and thriving garden (perhaps better off, having had a substitute caretaker in my absence), but it is raining so badly here, i haven't been able to take a photo of it yet! as soon as i do, i will post it here for you. actually, it did stop raining long enough since we have been home from our tropical vacation, for me to go out and pick all the radishes. they were done. now i am trying to decide what to put in their place. i really dont know much about gardening, so i dont know what i can put there- but i will find out. oh yes, i will. actually, i dont know when i should pick the spinach either. or how to pick it. or what to do with it. do i cut off only the leaves, and more will grow in their place- or do i cut down the whole plant, and then pick off the leaves? if anyone knows, please let me in on the secrets. i have much more to post about our vacation as well...

addendum: here is a photo from my garden. we cut down all of the spinach plants, and enjoyed a fresh from the garden spinach salad. i have since picked a meal of green beans and some yellow peppers. we have replaced the spinach and radishes with some "rescue" tomato plants. not sure they will survive, but i will try.

fun in the sun

2007-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

the girls and cousins playing on the beach. that is the gulf of mexico. to think, just days ago, i was swimming in the atlantic ocean- and after a few days at disney world, we will be back in the pacific. i will post more-including disney pics, once we get home.

sobb sniff*

2007-06-18T04:35:00.000-07:00

leaving puerto rico this morning. i am a little sad not to have had time to see the rain-forests inland, and i will be sad to leave our hosts, but i am glad to be getting back to my children. and we still have plenty of exciting adventure planned in disney world. i will post more as i have time.

io and i

2007-06-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

the spirit of puerto rico

2007-06-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

the barcardi rum factory tour deserved its own entry. here i am with my tour and drink tickets (before what we now refer to as the "bacardi incident"...the trademark bat came from a colony of fruit bats that lived in the original distillery in cuba.a portion of the advertisement gallery. the screens you see here played commercials from the period.

more puerto rico

2007-06-17T04:54:00.001-07:00

a view of el morro from an opposite beachthe streets of old san juanart in a courtyard near the art school

puerto rico

2007-06-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

this is norm and i at the el morro fort in old san juan.the happy family. bo, alex, and baby io.we had cool refreshing beverages at this bar after the tour of the fort.

houston, we have no problem

2007-06-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

the first leg of our trip went sooo good. from portland to houston. the girls and i have never flown before. i was very nervous-not only for myself, but for the girls as well. i had no idea how they would like it. it was fine. i worried for nothing. we flew into a storm in houston and it was still fine. the kids were on the best behavior ever, and we all had a great flight! here, the girls are rewarded at the airport cafe with milkshakes, and i am rewarded with a beer. what?- i am not driving!

o.k., o.k., o.k....

2007-06-13T23:41:00.001-07:00

i know. it is pretty pathetic. i have been on plenty of car driven road trips (in my adult life), but i have never been on a really good trip. in the morning i will fly to puerto rico. i am flying on a plane for the first time. undeniably inexperienced in the ways of the world: yes. after the fun and baptism of our god-daughter - and three days of fun on a tropical island, we will meet up with our children in florida (more flying!) then off to disney world! we have big plans while we are in disney world, and since my own parents never took me there, it better meet my every hope and expectation- it is the magic kingdom right? well, i am taking my camera and my computer, and i plan to keep you posted. believe it or not- there really are people who want to know! talk to you in a few days.

rock on!

2007-06-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

final band concert of the year. final band concert of middle school. moving on to high school next year! nephews make me feel soooo old!

how does your garden grow?

2007-06-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

week 3. it's alive! so far so good. we have had good luck. our seeds actually sprouted, and we haven't lost any of the plants. we have been having such a great time with this, the kids have decided to plant another garden. just corn, although they don't really like corn. i will keep you posted on that endeavor too.

you can't always get what you want- can you?

2007-06-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

this is my wonderful family at crater lake last summer. i have lived in oregon most of my life and never been there before. it is beautiful. fascinating. inspiring. i was inspired to create an agenda of natural wonders for the next few summers but-oh the tragedy. this summer, i am forced to abandon my plans to take the family on a national park tour in exchange for a trip to florida and puerto rico. can life get any worse?! really, i am certain i would rather spend stifling hours in the rv cooking meals and washing dishes, and wiping snotty noses and dirty faces than bask in the glorious sun on a tropical island with frilly drinks and tanning lotion. and i would definitely choose the smell of rv exhaust and bug repellent, along with the pain of being bit/stung/pinched or otherwise maimed by alien insects while begging the kids to enjoy nature rather than be repulsed by it, over the trauma of spending time with distant family, shopping in air-conditioned malls, eating in nice restaurants and exciting adventure at disney world!

sand angels

2007-05-30T04:01:00.000-07:00

not too long ago we took a camping trip to lake marie near the umpqua lighthouse. a little windy, and chilly- this is oregon after all- but we had a great time. before heading home we toured the yaquina lighthouse and baby g stopped to make a sand angel!

mary mary quite contrary

2007-05-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

day 1. i am trying again. the first time i tried a vegetable garden was three or four years ago. this is the same plot, but i had divided it into a flower garden in front, and some veggies in the back. the flower garden was beautiful. the veggies- not so great. i had lettuce that was too bitter, corn that never matured, and the puppy ate everything else! apparently black labs have an affinity for tomatoes and cantaloupe. well, puppy is grown up now, and strangely deterred by the tiny white fencing around the garden. this year we have done only vegetables. and cantaloupe, but we will see how that goes. the marigolds we put in because i hear that marigolds keep away pests and evil spirits. we will see. i will keep you posted.

love it!

2007-05-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

JUSTICE - D.A.N.C.E.
Uploaded by edbangerrecords

don't it make my brown eyes blue

2007-05-01T06:03:00.001-07:00

recently, brenda, erin and myself went on a gals weekend getaway to the beach-house at seal rock. while there, we decided to indulge in the local scene. to my surprise, the undersea gardens was really just a big dirty fishbowl! while grieving over the wasted $10.00 admission, we decided to tour the wax museum and ripley's believe it or not! believe it or not, i had my shrunken head recipe wrong all this time! the disappointment didn't stop there either. we went to the rogue brewery for a sunday brunch pajama party and we were the only ones in pajamas. and they charged us too much for the bargain vodka bloody mary bar. and the staff didn't get there to open the place until at least half an hour after the party was supposed to start. boo hoo. the entire trip was not disappointing however. we had gorgeous weather, delicious food and plenty of great company.

before and after

2007-04-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

here are a couple of before and after shots of our bathroom remodel. on the left, you see me preparing to paint (yes- that bright green, named "absinthe" was the former color of our bathroom) and where we put in the new vanity. the old floor was standard issue rental-type vinyl (like everyones first apartment had!) you can also see that no matter what, it is a very small room. we put in a corner vanity to maximize space. it is actally larger than the old, square one, but the entire room seems bigger now! on the right you see the new wall color, trim, and floor. the colors are a bit off, but they are primarily a sort of olive, grey, rust and chocolate. the background behind the photos is the coordinating curtain.

i'll have 300 of those

2007-04-13T04:22:00.000-07:00

last weekend we went to see 300. it was suprisingly less graphic than i expected. i had been shocked when we saw sin city, and that was a detective story. this was a cg-enhanced battle movie that was less gory. anyway, it was a great movie. the actors were great, the costumes were great. everything beautiful enough to make me want to be a spartan! i do wonder if the handsome chiseled chests of the 300 spartan soldiers were cg...

are wii having fun yet?

2007-04-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

we finally got our wii- maybe two weeks ago, actually. it has been even more fun than i ever imagined! gwynneth is the best wii bowler in our house. she has this amazingly fast and straight ball. anyway, gwynneth and i were playing the other day, 8th frame. gwynneth's got all strikes and spares (i dont remember the score, it was pretty irrelevant). i, on the other hand, haven't got anything! i may have had 50 points. gwynneth says "wow mom- you don't have any strikes or spares or anything, that must be soooo emabarassing!" keep in mind she is 5.

happy easter

2007-04-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

easter went good. the kids had a blast, and the rain waited until we were done with the easter egg hunt. baby j had his first easter egg hunt and it was too cute! at first he seemed disinterested, then someone said the eggs were balls, then he was off!
miss k (now too old for such childish things) must also have had a blast, because her blog says "easter was o.k., i guess." this was the first time in years that norm got to be home for the festivities... he used to have to work all day on sunday.

our goddaughter was born easter sunday! IO Isabella Jane... i can't wait to meet her!

pan's labyrinth

2007-04-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

this past weekend, norm and i took a break from remodeling our bathroom to see "pan's labyrinth". it was phenomenal. i was expecting more contrast between fantasy and reality, but was not dissapointed to find that the two worlds were juxtaposed in equality. moments of triumph and defeat. pain and joy. light and dark. i left the theater speachless.
more about our remodeling efforts once i download the photos...

best gift ever

2007-03-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

i am at a loss for clever language, i really just wanted to share this great lunchbox that norman got me. it will go nicely with the one i got at the house of blues.

recall bill dwyer

2007-02-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

bill dwyer represents me as a lane county commisioner. he was one of the three commisioners that decided to enact a county income tax without voter approval. not only did they do it without voter approval, they did it even though voters denied an identical tax in the last two elections. i want to remind him that he was elected to uphold the will of the people. and the will of the people was clearly to not have a county income tax. not only that, again and again voters in my area turn down tax measures, and i see that as a clear indication to the elected officials, that what voters really want is for them to manage the money we already give them more effectively. they continue to use scare tactics, such as no money for schools, no money for aiding the elderly, and no money for public safety. i say if they take the entire budget, fund those things we care about, then if there is anything left over, fund other things. thats my two cents, and with the cost of living increasing at a much faster pace than our wages, thats all i have! my suggested solution to this problem: to recall the officials who clearly do not represent us, and? i bet if we established a citizen commitee to review the budget each year or even each quarter, officials would be bound to spend the money we give them in ways that we would approve. P.S.: if you happen to read this and know how i can get involved in an effort to recall our county commisioner, let me know!

big brother

2007-02-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

o.k., this is the last time, i promise. well that's probably not true. i can't guarantee that my mind will not wander into realms of the spiritual or political. i have mentioned before that my intention is not to use this blog to espouse my political or spiritual beliefs. and that is still my intention. but really- no one reads this anyway. so i can say whatever i want!
for as long as i have been old enough to vote (and i am going to pretend that that hasn't been but a couple of years!) i have been dissapointed in the system. it seems that every election there are laws the voters enact and repeal that somehow either never actually get enacted or get enacted anyway. if you are from oregon, you will remember the bill that was referred to as the "assisted suicide" bill. voters passed it twice and one judge prevented it from being enacted. this went on for years. or there are the laws that get enacted even without a vote- (in my area:) the smoking ban for example. i have been voicing a concern over the legality or constitutionality of this for years. i am not a lawyer, or someone specifically educated in the area of the constitution, but i was taught in school about the constitution, and what it means. and i am pretty sure that we have the right to vote for a reason.
well, something happened today that has got norman all riled up, so i had to find out more about it. well, here it is: our county comissioners (do they even have the authority?) passed a law today creating a county income tax. that's right, not only did they do it without putting it before voters, they did it even though voters in our area have said no to an identical county income tax in the last two elections! the arguments in favor made these citations: IF congress doesn't renew federal funding... we COULD BE facing a loss of UP TO 40 million dollars annually... they say a 1% county income tax (1% seeems pretty high tp me) COULD raise the needed 30 million (but some say it would raise 2 or 3 times that). additionally, if congress does renew funding the tax will still be there, although they did say it MIGHT be reduced. well, i am all riled up now too! and as i am stewing over writing this, the local news is reporting that the county is considering negotiations to buy a local park area for 26 million dollars! seems to me that's 26 million they don't need to get by raising taxes.

happy valentine's day

2007-02-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

the kids and i frosted heart shaped cookies and i made this cake for norm. red velvet with cherry filling. it wasn't actually very good, but it is the thought that counts - right?

masterpiece theater

2007-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

rhiannon got this great easel an art supplies for her birthday. this is her first masterpiece.

risky business

2007-01-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

board games can be risky! the other night, while playing a friendly game of risk with the boys, i believe i hurt myself. the die were not rolling in my favor for the first half of the game. weather attacking or defending, it seemed i couldn't win. anyway, my luck began to turn. it started to look like norm was nearing complete defeat, and i saw my chance. i needed to take him out. well, the turn went horribly awry. he was defending every roll of the die. finally, i rolled 3 sixes. i was ecstatic- until norms 2 sixes beat me. i leapt out of my chair and shouted "*&#!#$*&@!" well, it hurt. and my throat became more painfull throughout the evening. two days later, i am still trying to recover my voice. maybe its a result of bad karma for shouting expletives over a silly board game.

(i did end up winning though)

are you on the list?

2007-01-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

heroes tonight. what am i going to do for another hour while i wait?

the new "F" word

2007-01-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

by that i mean fun. well, for the kids anyway. would toy companies please come up with less ooooey gooooey ways to have fun? the kids have been begging for this "floam". looked hazardous to me, so i said i wasn't going to buy it, but they could. rhiannon bought a floam critter making kit with her money from the tooth fairy. rhiannon. she doesn't like critters or oooey goooey stuff. when we opened the package, she was sooooo grossed out that i didnt think she was even going to go through with the project. well, after some cajoling, she did try it. the criiters are adorable, but what a mess! that floam is gooey and sticky, and oooey and icky. and i think i will have to spend the next 5 days cleaning up little tiny bits of styrofoam and goo.

other than a dimple in a cute little chin, what is better than a toothless grin?

2007-01-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

were you terrified of losing your first tooth? i don't remember being scared at all. i remember being upset by the teasing of my aunts and uncles who intended to remove it for me- but i didn't rest until i had successfully removed all of my baby teeth. earlier this year, rhiannon had her first and second baby teeth removed by the dentist. although terrifying for me, she was not bothered in the least by the experience. so when her next tooth started to wiggle, then interfere with her eating and speaking, she was terrified of what would happen if she removed it herself. no amount of support and encouragement could get that tooth out. it has been hanging there by a thread for at least a month. she has worked very hard at keeping it in place. we have been very worried about the potential consequences of her leaving it there for so long. well, one of my worst fears as a mother became reality the other evening when rhiannon came running down the stairs screaming and with a mouthful of blood to boot. it seems her sister had accidentally kneed her in the mouth while they played. o.k., a secret part of me hoped she had knocked that tooth out. no such luck. she had embedded it in the gums farther. now, i could not let that tooth stay any longer. what if it began to heal that way? best to get it out immediately! rhiannon agreed and for two hours i tried to get close enough to pull it. i never even got to wiggle it! it's not exactly like i loved the idea of having to pull it, it totally creeped me out, but i am a mom and that means dealing with all kinds of things i never expected. after so long, i had no idea what to do. thank god for aunts and uncles with the intention of removing your teeth. my sister drove across town in the middle of the night to help rhiannon get her tooth out. and you know what- it was even easier than everyone had said. rhiannon cried for a second from seeing a tiny bit of blood, but then laughed and laughed at her fears. she was giddy, and sooooo adorable without that tooth. she called dad at work in the middle of the night to tell him the good news.

from rags to stiches

2007-01-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

i neglected to mention our really great halloween costume party. i would post photos if i thought i could get away with it! the photo above is (from left to right): me, my little sister, and my twin sister. they both had great costumes. i won the adult costume contest. i believe it was due entirely to my clever handmade raggedy anne wig. well, i had a ton of red yarn left over, so on a whim i decided to take up knitting. yeah, funny. i had never knit before, but i thought- how hard can it be to make a scarf? impossible! apparently the weight of the yarn and the size of the needles have something to with the outcome. i was really just guessing at how to do it anyway. well, even multiple failed attempts didn't dissuade me, so i kept trying new yarns, new needles, and i even tried to follow some patterns (which i couldn't even understand). eventually, i discovered that i could use 25mm needles, and 3 or 4 fluffy fancy yarns at the same time, and create a beautiful scarf in about an hour. i was totally excited! in one weekend i made everyone i know a scarf for christmas. i am in love with the process. and now that i am beginning to understand it, i am ready to move on. i have a dozen knit projects in mind, so i bought "knitting for dummies", it promises to teach me how to read knit and crochet patterns. i doubt if i had room in my life for another hobby, but i am so glad i have discovered this one!

go ahead- make my day

2006-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

White and Nerdy

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would the real april please stand up?

2006-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

well, it is time. i have been avoiding the truth about myself for far too long. painful as it may be, it is time for me to admit that among all of my other negative traits, i am overweight. this truth has been nagging me for quite some time. each time i get dressed, i blame the snug fit on running the dryer too hot. i cant even call it "baby fat", since i am actually heavier than i was nine months pregnant- and my youngest "baby" is nearly five years old! i swear that my metabolism retired the day i turned 30. i have never tried dieting in earnest. i have made feeble attempts to starve myself into my favorite bikini, or to pedal away a few pounds. all to no avail. and the "aerobic" exercise my husband promises will melt away the pounds... well, i have seen evidence to the contrary in my ever expanding waistline. i did try an exercise routine at the gym, but since i am really a big sissy, i stuck to the treadmill and the exer-cycle. my butt just kept getting bigger! anyway, my brother in law started the atkins diet last year. it was great for him! i am not sure how much weight he lost, but i am pretty sure he lost a whole average size person. and he has been able to keep it off. when he told me that there was enough carbohydrates in one domestic beer to equal a loaf of bread- i mostly gave up my favorite microbrews. and it hasnt helped. i quit putting those delicious creamers in my coffee. apparently for no reason. i quit fixing scrumptious pasta dishes nearly every other night. also no improvement. well, i am going to try the atkins diet. my sister took pity on me and got me an atkins guide. i was soooo excited that i read the whole thing last night. i started the diet today. i doubt if i will be able to follow the menus very closely, because i must also continue to feed my family. but i will be able to follow the rules. i think the hardest part will be learning to eat three meals a day (and no more wine with dinner!). i am accustomed to occasionally having some toast with my coffee, a light lunch, and a big meal at dinner time. today went well. during the first 14 days, you are only allowed 20g carbs. no alcohol, no caffiene. well, i did have 2 large cups of coffee (less than half my usually daily coffee intake), i had an egg with cheese for breakfast, tuna salad for lunch, and ham with roasted green beans and carrots for dinner. all in all: 14.5 carbs. i also weighed and measured myself this morning, so that next week i will know if i am actually making progress. well, perhaps the svelte and confident april will find her way out of this. i will keep you apprised.

pity da foo

2006-09-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

wow. i thought i was quite the pop culture trivia buff, untill i took mr. t's culture fool pop quiz! print magazine had great things to say about the comcastic! website, so i thought i would check it out. it is great fun. there are many clever and addicting games to play, a world's fastest mouse competition, a virtual puppet show that you create with a marionette, and the culture quiz. i did miserably on the quiz the first time (i scored 65, i believe there are 300 points possible)- so i tried again. my second score was worse! i have a pop i.q. of 59! i may have to give up my career and family and envelop myself in everything that is pop culture, so mr. t wont have to bust through my walls and berate me for my foolishness.

rise of man?

2006-08-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

i can't pretend to be particularly clever, or eloquent. nor can i pretend to be enlightened. additionally, i don't want this blog to be about religion or politics. i don't want or need to use this forum for the purpose of demonstrating my beliefs, but this particular subject has been on my mind for a couple of days, and it might touch on those subjects (to some people's thinking). i have mentioned in previous blogs that i am i documentary junkie. i even like the ones i call "fake-umentaries". they are the ones rich with computer generated illustrations, maps, animations, scientific "footage", costumes, re-enactments, etc... you can spend an hour "walking with pre-historic beasts", or re-live the explosion of "krakatoa: volcano of destruction". i really love the graphics. i am fascinated by the animations that are so realistic, if i didn't know better- i might believe there are dinosaurs roaming the earth today. anyway, the other night, i watched "rise of man" with my family. i was dissapointed. there was much more speculation than actual information. in fact, on one spot, they presumed to know the details of the exact moment in pre-historic history that homo-erectus discovered emotion and spirituality. they even hinted that at that moment, homo-erectus invented god. well, i got to thinking about all the potential... if you were a corporate "fake-umentary" production company, you have the power to create and/or reinvent the reality that people accept and embrace. that line of thought led me to george orwell's "1984", and the ministry of truth. led by big brother, they actually rewrite history to accomodate and elevate the present. as i was composing this entry, i heard on the very early CBS morning news that the bush administration is removing official information that has been public knowledge for decades. that information will cease to exist. yeah, i thought so....

at the fair

2006-08-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

wow. i hope i was a good kid when my parents took me to the fair. talk about overstimulation! it seems that no matter how many rides the kids go on, or how many games they play, or how many treats they have, it is never enough. we ended up leaving with two broken-hearted girls. one child devastated over a lost balloon, the other because we didn't go on all the rides, or play all the games. i suppose it is an improvement over last year (except to the wallet). now both the girls are big enough to go on the same rides. and last year gwynneth the daredevil was not tall enough to go on most of them, while timid rhiannon would try them and cry. this year i was content to sit and watch as the kids (including norman) went on the rides. i must be getting old. the girls had a blast on all the rides they went on, but as you can see from the photo- gwynneth is not all the daredevil she pretends to be, and rhiannon has abondoned her fears. surprise.

scandinavian festival

2006-08-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

a few days ago, my family and i enjoyed the 46th annual scandinavian festival, a local event celebrating the food, culture, and crafts of denmark, sweden, norway and finland. this year was particularly enjoyable.

pfloose teethfp

2006-08-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

"dear tooth fairy
the dentist took these teeth out.
i hope you like them.
they are my first.
love rhiannon."
i am phobic about the dentist. terrified. petrified. anxious. i procrastinate. i have been working very hard at overcoming my fears so that my children might not pick up the same ridiculous anxieties. i am very proud of the girls. about 6 months ago, we were all in for a cleaning, and rhiannon came running into the room where i was, shouting "i have a loose tooth!" i mumbled in response, due to the hygienists hands in my mouth: "fpyou arep ftoo wlittle for pfloose teethfp." The dentist came in and patted my shoulder. "sorry mom, she's growin up, that tooth is ready to come out soon." my baby is growing up. well, six months later, that tooth had not gotten any more loose. it did not come out by itself, nor did it's neighbor. so the adult teeth began coming in behind. i love our dentist. he even makes me feel comfortable in the chair. so when he said he wanted to give them a hand coming out, i thought- of course, and scheduled an extraction for rhiannon. for two weeks i stressed about it. rhiannon would ask questions about the procedure, and i did my best to make it sound easy. i was dying over it! i was going to put my baby through an extraction! when the day came, i hadn't slept. i was nervous. rhiannon was great. she actually seemed a bit excited. she was so brave. she didn't stress or cry or anything. i think she really didn't feel a thing. she was such a big girl about it. not a single tear. in the end, our first (and second) lost tooth memories will be a little different than most, and i doubt if i will get away with crying at the dentist again!

death cab for cutie

2006-08-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

norman and i went to see death cab for cutie at the secret house vineyard on thursday night. i was a little bit sad because it took us so long to park we actually missed the entire first band, mates of state. from what i could hear through car engine noises, they sounded great. death cab for cutie is a seattle-area band that has actually been around a lot longer than i thought- nearly a decade! it was a perfect night for an outdoor show, not too hot, not too cool. nearly full moon, beautiful setting. great music with clever lyrics. actually, norman called it "magical"...

Design and Discovery

2006-08-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

This week, I had the privledge of joining the Girl Scouts of the USA for an event. We were recently asked to come up with a fresh and new look for the Design and Discovery Destination Event. This is an annual event that partners the Fairplay chapter of the Girl Scouts with Intel, to promote non-traditional carreer paths for young women. The focus is on Engineering and Design paths.
I was not involved with groups like the Girl Scouts, Brownies, or Bluebirds when I was growing up, so it was great that the girls at the event welcomed me, and let me be a Girl Scout for a day. Well, summer camp has changed a lot since I was a kid. During free time, the girls wandered around in the surrounding trees, looking for a private corner that also had a cell phone signal, or they busied themselves with catching up on emails in the computer lab, chatting on myspace, or putting together powerpoint presentations.

We had a delicious meal and watched as the Girl Scouts presented the ideas they had developed on a foray into town that afternoon. They identified products with good and bad design, and considered how they might utilize or improve upon them. It was fascinating, and great to see young people considering these things.

identity crisis

2006-08-03T03:47:00.000-07:00

thank you to everyone who helped me through my identity crisis (and put up with me in the meantime!) this is the new business card. it is a relief to be over this process, for now anyway. when the time comes to define myself, it is always very difficult to do. on a daily basis i work and play in my own way, according to a core set of values, beliefs, and aesthetic principles. when i was in college, my instructor said to me on many occasions that things always worked out the best for me when i followed my heart, regardless of what my peers (and sometimes "the rules") said. i try to keep that in mind, and work accordingly. so, when designing for myself, i am emotionally invested in every thumbnail, every composition, every success, and every failure. it is difficult to be objective when you are designing for yourself as well. i suspect that everyone sees things differently- so a persons own representation of themselves is not even going to be interpreted by their audience in the same way. i had come up with around 40 designs i just LOVED!, but were they right for me? the hardest part of all of this was finally having to let go of my favorite designs because they weren't. hopefully a client down the road can benefit from those great ideas. and next time, i will probably let someone else have the job of suffering through my identity crisis.

at least my morning coffee is the same...

2006-07-31T04:15:00.000-07:00

i am not much of a morning person. o.k., it is more fair to say i am absolutely not a morning person. however, i do love my morning coffee, and the morning news. this is a deeply ingrained ritual i learned from my mother and my grandmother. when i was a very little girl, my mother and grandmother would sit at the table, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes, and talking about the news, the weather, and kids. i loved the smell of the coffee and couldn't wait untill i was old enough to drink it. i wanted to sit around the table and visit. sometimes, my mom would fill a cup with warm milk and a little sugar, then a dash of coffee, and let my sister and i in on "talking about our kids". we had a lot of great times at that table. bread and butter sandwiches folded over. pretend restaraunt. secret fort. and board games. we often played board games. masterpiece, sorry, clue, and my favorite: monopoly. early this morning as i was sipping my coffee (i drink it black now that i am old enough) and watching the news (hopefully my grandmother is watching with me) i saw the new monopoly game on television. they've taken away the paper money, and replaced it with debit cards. the banker swipes cards in a little machine to complete transactions. the prices of things are higher. they took away the iconic shoe, car, and hat pieces, and replaced them with more modern things, like an airplane and a cell phone. worse, they replaced the "you've won $50.00 in a beauty pageant" community chest card with something about winning a reality t.v. show! i wonder if they have a starbucks yet...

to my post post-modern man

2006-07-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to the greatest husband and father in the galaxy! i love you!

but why is the rum gone?

2006-07-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

we abandoned the 100+ degree temperatures and thick air in the valley, and headed for the coast this weekend. great idea. it was a bit overcast, but the air was fresh and clean. we had a beautiful sunset on friday night, and the temperatures were dreamy compared to home.
i want to give a public "thank you" to the woman who helped my sister in what could have been an emergency situation. as my sister was driving, some crazy winged insect landed on her back and began stinging her. she managed to pull off the road, where fortunately there was another car stopped. the woman driving the other vehicle was knowledgeable in natural healing and trained in first aid. she took control of the situation, making us all feel a bit better (particularly my sister). she administered first aid and applied a handful of mud from a snake hole to my sister's back. the snake-hole mud pulled the stinger out as it dried. genius.
anyway, the woman who helped us said she was headed to the capitol to begin a walk across america, healing a nation in need (or something like that), and to watch for her on television. i am pretty sure she said they would be heading out in early august. so keep an eye out. i am going to.
well, my sis was o.k. after some benadryl, and we survived the rest of the trip with no further injuries.
while we were at the coast, we decided to take a tour of heaven at the "roguesonian cultural heritage interpretive center and beerquarium" (the rogue brewery). we missed the guided tour, but did wander beneath the brew kettles, and got our official rogue nation tattoos. later we dined at the rogue inn on the bayfront, and sampled many tasty beverages. i had the chipotle ale, very nice. i picked up a bottle of rogue rum, in true pirate spirit. if you are a fan of quality beers, you can learn more about the rogue nation at: www.rogue.com/nation/index.html.