The Occasional Housewife

Exercise and Cancer

2011-12-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

David Haas, a cancer patient advocate, saw many of my posts about my mom's battle with cancer, and asked if I would consider posting something for him about cancer and exercise. I thought it was a great idea. I am a big fan of exercise and having lost two parents to cancer, consider it an important part of my life and staying healthy. Enjoy this article from David.

Enjoying Exercise Benefits Cancer Patients
Whether you are a concern survivor or currently undergoing treatments, you have probably heard that exercise is one of the best ways to prevent cancer. Instead of thinking it is too late and allowing the fatigue caused by cancer and treatments to take over, follow the exercise advice of numerous cancer experts and organizations. Sitting it out and taking it easy are the wrong approaches, as medical research has revealed that physical activity offers better chances at beating some forms of cancer and preventing recurrence of many types.

Exercise can also prevent or reduce some of the major symptoms of cancer and improve the quality of life in all patients. As an example, consider one of the pitfalls of treating hormone-based cancers. Breast cancer is often treated with hormone therapy and chemotherapy, both of which can result in loss of bone mineral density. Prostate cancer alone increases the risk of osteoporosis in men greatly. Aside from screening and supplementation, the expert consensus recommends weight-bearing exercise for maintaining bone density and preventing fractures.

What Other Benefits can Exercise Offer?

Improving quality of life is medical short-hand for managing the many symptoms of cancer and treatments. Besides maintaining the metabolism and reducing fatigue, the ways exercise is helping patients and survivors include:

~ aiding digestion and preventing constipation;
~ promoting natural and more refreshing sleep;
~ regulating appetite and weight;
~ increasing joint flexibility and cardiopulmonary function;
~ and stimulating the production of natural, pain-killing hormones.

Are Certain Types of Exercise Better Than Others?

No matter the type of cancer or prognosis of the patient, from mesothelioma to bone cancers, there are suitable forms of exercise available. Researchers have not identified a preferred form of exercise beyond the recommended weight-training for hormone-based cancers, though most studies have focused on aerobic routines. A physical therapist consulting with the lead doctor is in the best position to help establish an exercise regimen, though it is up to the patient to put the plan into action. Practically, this means that the patient needs to enjoy whatever form(s) of exercise are chosen.

And there are many to choose from. Bed-ridden and post-op patients will gain benefits from range-of-motion routines designed to maintain joint flexibility, and more mobile patients will enjoy benefits from walking or no-impact exercises, like water aerobics and Tai Chi. Even a passion for dancing or strength training need not necessarily be stifled by a diagnosis of cancer.

Where did the year go?

2011-12-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

It's mid-December and I am scrambling to finish my Christmas shopping, contemplating whether to send Christmas cards, and talking with friends and family to arrange all the traditions that have come to make up this time of year for us. I can't believe that 2011 is almost over.
I feel sad I don't post much anymore, but my life is so busy I don't really have the time. Instead of blogging I publish tiny snippets of my thoughts and pictures of my life via Facebook.
Lately I am busy with work and volunteer stuff, plus I try to keep up on my running. It's almost an obsession these days. I don't know of anything more relaxing than a long run on the Sammamish River Trail. I listen to music and let my thoughts wander.
As 2011 wraps up I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Who knows; maybe 2012 will be the year I get back into blogging. ;)

My watch

2011-04-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

My watch battery died today. At first I thought it was so strange; it seemed like I just replaced the battery the other day. Then I realized it was two years ago that it died. Right about this time of year. I blogged about it here. My mom was diagnosed with cancer and I was going from work to the hospital and home for a bit and then back to the hospital or work, depending on what the day demanded of me. I remember carrying my watch around in my purse for weeks because I kept thinking I would have time to get the battery replaced but never did. Well, obviously I replaced it at some point, because the battery has died again. It's funny how time marches on and such a small thing can bring back such a flood of memories. I reread this post, and I cried a bit. I was right. I do look back at that time with fond memories. It was a bittersweet time. One I'll never forget.
The picture is of Trafalgar Square, from my trip to London this past fall. I sat on a bench and watched the pigeons and thought about my mom and our trip there many years ago. I am so glad my mom and I had so many good times together. Right up until the very end.

On Windows Phone

2011-03-20T18:45:00.001-07:00

Well, I do not have a Windows Phone yet, but after months of a bit of work here and there...I FINALLY submitted my Windows phone application for certification today. I fully expect it to be rejected the first time around, but you never know. My application is a wine-food pairing application. Once you select a wine, you can search for wines on Snooth.com and view more wine details on their website. That's a screenshot of my app on the left.
After doing a bunch of research for the application, I am more in to wine than ever.
Right now I am enjoying a newly released Oregon Pinot Noir, a 2009 Christopher Michael. It's quite good. Good enough I would like to run down and buy a case of it. Maybe I will, but not tonight. I think I'll just stay home and have another glass.

Where does the time go?

2011-03-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

Here it is March of 2011. My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer just about 2 years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago and yet at the same time it seems like the other day.
My blog has been superseded by Facebook and just plain busyness I guess. It seems like my life is flying by even faster than ever. Emily turned 12 this year, which means Tim and I have been parents for a dozen years. Cate is eight and Sam starts school in the fall. Sam still can't get enough of his momma and I wonder how long that will last. I see Emily asserting her independence and I realize that one day I will actually have an empty house. Not for a while though.
I am staying quite busy with work and my volunteer activities. This year I am co-leading Cate's girl scout troop, volunteering as an art docent in her class, teaching Sunday school and working (a bit) on our church Website. In addition, I am still quite obsessed with running and really hope to finish a half-marathon before 2011 is finished. I'll keep you posted (hopefully) on my progress.
Unfortunately I've done no painting and no piano for awhile. Just no time I guess. I did start studying French with RosettaStone in hopes of making it to Paris this fall. We just returned from a family vacation to Cancun, where we had a great time. Really nice and relaxing. I almost hate to admit it, but Emily and I even enjoyed watching some TV together. For me, taking time to watch TV is vacation. Don't worry, we had plenty of fun in the sun too.
Well, here's to 2011. May it hold good things for me and you!

Update

2010-09-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

2010 has been a year of personal growth for me I suppose. Shortly before summer started I started taking piano lessons. Now I can play with two hands, multiple keys, one in treble clef, one in bass clef. My kids are sick of hearing "My Heart Will Go On" (from the movie The Titanic) and other gems that have arrangements for easy piano. It's been fun stretching my brain so much! I am not sure I've ever done anything quite so brain-intensive as piano playing (even programming seems less intense).
Recently I've been really wanting to get back into watercolor painting. The other night I printed out a picture of New Orleans (not taken by me, but a fabulous photographer I met at Tech-Ed (Microsoft partner/customer) who was kind enough to send out his photos to several of us. Here's his photo:
I made the following amateurish painting. It may be amateurish, however, it felt so good to be painting again, I realized I need to try to fit time in for this at least once a week. Also, I watched (or sort of listened to) Glee while painting. I discovered Glee a few months ago, but rarely made time to watch it, so now I can kill two birds with one stone. I can paint and watch a little TV (and maybe drink a little wine) and relax on Tuesday nights! The bottom line is if I am doing more painting, I am sure to improve, right? Right!

Finally, I gotten into running big time. I probably run 15 miles a week these days (okay, not marathon material, but great for a gal who never thought she could be a runner). I've run a 10k, 5ks and am considering a half marathon. Honestly, I am probably in better shape than I've ever been in my life...not the thinnest, but certainly the best shape. I also try to make it to the gym at least once a week for weights. I'll probably never look like Kelly Ripa (my personal fitness hero), but I can keep plugging away.
Maybe I'll even blog more consistently...who knows?

Making memories

2010-07-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, and when we are on vacation, my kids love to pile in bed with me. My husband conveniently gets up very early, and one by one, as they wake, up the kids file in and climb into bed. We all just lay there and talk about the meaning of life or sometimes just nonsense, until they start squabbling. At this point I get annoyed and get up, and of course, they follow.
When you reflect on your childhood, it seems that it is the littlest things you remember. Some of my most poignant memories are ones that were really nothing. On the other hand, I remember going to work with my dad and getting the chance to ride a horse around a racing track. I was big into riding at the time, and it was pretty awesome to gallop around. Another time, I went to a wedding with just my mom and dad (no brothers) and got a bit drunk on champagne. What a fun time I had with them before my dad got sick and things got tough.
I like to think my kids, in their old age, will look back on that special time they had with me, laying in bed with me on a weekend morning and think, "good times". We'll see...check with me in 20 years.

Firehouse birthdays and back from the Big Easy!

2010-06-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

This started as a post about my recent trip to New Orleans, but then I saw these pictures of Sam's birthday party and I couldn't resist posting them as well.

A friend of mine won a party at the local firehouse and gave it to Sam. So him, 5 of his closest preschool friends, his big sisters and cousins gathered to celebrate with him a couple of weeks ago. I made the firetruck cake, which he was very excited about, and everybody (including me) got a chance to spray a firehose at a cone and knock it over. What fun!

This past Friday afternoon I got back from New Orleans, where I attended a conference for work called Tech-Ed. My good friend Margaret and I managed to finagle it so we both went and we had a GREAT time. Margaret and I collaborate very well, so I think we did a great job talking with customers and gathering insights. But since we were in New Orleans, I think we did a pretty darn good job of having fun too. It's funny...I haven't traveled this much since before I had kids. Over the last year we've been to Disneyland as a family, I took Emily to Washington DC and now I've been to New Orleans. All three trips resulted in warmer weather than what we have in Seattle, which is just fine with me. It was 90+ in New Orleans and I didn't mind it too much. Although I did my running on a treadmill and not outside. I think I could easily move back to a warmer climate.

One of the events that we went to because of Tech-Ed was a "jam session" at The House of Blues. This event was limited to Tech-Ed attendees only, and anybody who wanted to participate lined up backstage to wait their turn to play. It was pretty freakin' amazing. Geeks love to play guitar and all that, but I couldn't believe how this rotating group of guys (and one gal) who did not know each other could get up on stage together and play songs. They rotated different folks through base, guitar, keyboards, drums and singing. Two of the guys that sat at our lunch table ended up on stage. In fact, if it hadn't been for one of the guys, the rest of us would never have gone to the event...we didn't know about it (mostly from a lack of reading the conference material)
Seeing them makes me glad I am taking piano lessons. I want to jam too and I am hopeless at guitar.

Happy Birthday Sam!

2010-05-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sam entered my world four years ago. Unlike the girls, I could tell he was going to arrive soon as I could barely sleep the night before he was born. It's been a great 4 years so far; Sam has brought a lot of joy and a lot more boy to our family!

Today makes a year.

2010-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning with my head full of "Gallery Night", an event at my kids' school, which I am heavily involved in. I got ready for work and made it on the road just before 7:00. Then it hit me. It has been a year, to the day, since my mom died.

May 19 last year was also "Gallery Night" and I'll never forget my mom's friend Doug and my aunt Karen helping me finish mounting the art for Emily's class after my mom had passed. They were crawling around on their hands and knees working together to mount the art on big pieces of butcher paper so it would be less work for someone to hang them at the school for me. We all needed to stay busy that morning.

Anyways...mom, it's been a tough year without you. I've missed you so much; our almost daily chats, you're awesome listening ear. You were such a good friend to me.
I was so impressed with your grace and good cheer the last few weeks of your life. You made it so easy to take care of you. I was impressed with your close friends and how much respect and love they had for you. The world lost a good person when you died.

I'm thinking of you today mom.

Birds of Flame by Cate

2010-05-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

My daughter Cate, a first-grader, recently entered the young writers contents sponsored by KCTS, our local PBS affiliate. She was disappointed to find out that she didn't win yesterday, but I am so proud of her and her book, I am posting it on my blog. Enjoy!

It's the little things...

2010-04-29T08:25:00.001-07:00

I haven't been to my mom's place much lately. I've been busy, it's been cold, etc. etc., but I did go up there a couple of weeks ago to get some stuff left over from the estate sale to sell at our church's rummage sale. Well, as always, I brought some more stuff home for us. I looked in the fridge and found the wonderful little nut grinder in the pic. I have many good memories of that nut grinder. I also got a couple of my mom's big cookie sheets. I remember her being so thrilled when she got them, and I am thrilled to be baking some memories with them too.

I sort of have little things of my mom's scattered throughout the house now. It's nice. I never have thought of myself as a "things" kind of person, but if the things come with the right set of memories and nostalgia, I love them.

Moving through April

2010-04-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Easter has come and gone. It was a tough holiday this year because this time last year my mom was at UW Medical Center. When she was released, she was released under hospice care. This year, our day was low-key but fun. It started with Easter baskets, progressed to church, where Emily was confirmed, and ended with our flight to DC.
I hadn't thought about it too much in advance (because I was so slammed with work and other things), but it was especially nice that Emily and I went to DC this year, given where I was at last year at this time. I had some quality time with my oldest daughter and we both had a great time. Really great. It was also nice to see my brother and his wife, but especially nice to spend some quality time with their kids, who are incredibly cute. I know there are alot of adjectives in the previous sentence, but I can't help it.

Anyways, it was back to work today. I've moved, again. This time to a window office by myself. I've had my own window office before, but this time I've really earned it. I can't believe I've been at Microsoft now for almost 6 years.
I came home today and made a Jamie Oliver recipe and the kids ate it. Wow. I guess letting them stay up to watch his Food Revolution show paid off.

Welcome George!

2010-04-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have really dropped the blogging ball these days. My nephew George was born just about 3 weeks ago and I haven't blogged about it. I have no excuses other than I just haven't been blogging much at all. Anyways, George weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz., only 1 ounce less than Sam. We grow'em healthy in this family!

I am looking forward to meeting George in a few days when I take Emily to Washington DC. We'll be staying with Pete and Liz and family, which will be nice. I hope that I don't have too much agenda for a mere 4 day trip. My original goal was to taking Emily to see the sights of our nation's capital, but I am hoping to cram in some quality time with my brother, his wife and kids.

I've posted a picture of a quilt I made for George. I am not very talented when it comes to quilts, but I always enjoy the experience, and the kids seem to like the quilts, which is what matters I guess.

You may have noticed...

2010-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not posting much lately. Sorry about that. You see, we've reached the time of year when things went downhill with my mom's health. It's been on my mind. A lot. For some reason, posting about all the little things going on in my life pale in comparison to where I was at a year ago.
Let me start with Green Bunny. Green Bunny came into our lives this time last year. After my mom's first night in the hospital, when doctors first mentioned lung cancer to us, she came to stay with me and my family for a few days. I went to this little thrift store down the hill to see if I could find a small table we could put her computer so she could have it in her room. While we were there the kids picked out Easter themed stuffed animals they wanted to buy. I am not a big fan of buying used plush toys, but in the interest of getting home in a timely manner, I agreed. Sam picked out Green Bunny, and he has been the stuffy that Sam loves ever since. Every time I look at Green Bunny I think of my mom and that time. The beginning of the end.
Meanwhile, life goes on. We go to choir concerts, Emily's first band concert, Sam hits milestones and I can't help but wish my mom was there to see them.
I've been into running lately and when I run I think about my dad, as I know he loved running in high school.
In the last year I've had issues with my thyroid and my liver and found out I am allergic to a bunch of foods. I think about how much I want to stay healthy so I'll be in my kids' life a long time. I want to be around until they want me to die. I know this sounds morbid, but I think anyone who has lost both their parents can relate.

All that said, you might think I'm horribly depressed or that things are going badly for me, and actually that is not the case at all. I feel great. I've recently run further than I have ever run in my life (7 miles). I am happy that I am on top of my health issues. My family life is good. Tim and the kids are all doing great. We've been busy doing lots of fun stuff, but not too busy. I've included some pictures of us having fun at the Imagine Childrens Museum.

I've got great friends that I am very grateful for. Work kinda sucks, but I am trying not to sweat it too much. It is work after all.
It's just this darn grief. I know it'll fade, but even if it doesn't I'll be okay.

Working as a team.

2010-02-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Lately Sam has become very interested in how things work. We have a fancy coffee machine that grinds the beans and brews espresso a cup at a time; it has a part that allows you to steam milk, another part heats your cup, etc. Sam was asking me tons of questions about how it worked. Finally he said, "All those machines are working together to make your coffee." Yup.
The other day we started bread in the bread machine and we went through some more questions. He concluded that we were working as a team with the bread machine to make the bread, which is pretty accurate as there is a bit more work to be done to start bread then brew a cup of coffee at our house.
The questions, and where Sam is at developmentally, reminds me of my nephew Wyatt last year when he was staying with us. Wyatt and Sam are just about a year apart.
It's so wonderful to see Sam growing up and learning about the world, but so sad at the same time. Some days I want him to stay my cuddly little boy forever.

Beans, beans, beans the magical fruit?

2010-02-18T18:44:00.001-08:00

It turns out that for me, beans are not magical.
I've been seeing a naturopath for a year now, since I started putting on weight despite eating like a supermodel, and was tired, cold all the time, etc. etc. After some blood tests, she diagnosed me with hypothyroid and I've been on thyroid replacement for the last year. I've felt much better and have managed to drop a few pounds, although not many given the amount of exercise I get these days.
Anyways, over the last year one of my liver enzymes has gotten higher and higher and is now much higher than the recommended level. This freaks me out because, well, my dad died of liver cancer, and it started in his liver ducts. Liver duct blockage is one of the things that can raise this particular enzyme level.
In the interest of getting off thyroid replacement, which is probably contributing to this high liver enzyme, I forked over $250.00 for a full panel of allergy testing. I got the results today.
What am I allergic to? Beans of almost every type. Green, kidney, pinto, you name it, it's on the bad list. I am also allergic to eggs and most dairy products, although some cheeses are okay. I should only eat beef, pineapple and tumeric once every 4 days. Interesting results. It's funny because in a quest to avoid gaining weight and trying to lose a bit of weight (which has been incredibly difficult given my hypothyroid), I have been eating a lot of beans, because they are a low-fat source of protein. NO MORE BEANS.
Anyways, I'm off the thyroid replacement for now and we'll recheck things in a few weeks. If the liver enzyme is still elevated, I'll have a liver ultrasound to see what, if anything, is going on.
If I had it to do all over again, I think I would be a naturopath when I grow up.

Thoughts on the Twilight Books...

2010-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

My daughter wants to read the Twilight books. She just turned 11, and the books are supposed to be for teens, so I thought I'd better read them first to see if I felt they were appropriate, before I gave her the green light.
I've heard before that these books are the equivalent of literary crack; cheap but addictive. My thoughts? The first two books are pretty addictive and interesting. By midway through book three I was losing interest and the fourth I am slogging my way through.
Do I think they are appropriate for my 11 year old? Not really, for a number of reasons. Book 1 and 2 aren't bad, but by book 3 the sexuality is definitely up a notch. And honestly, these books make the Disney princess, swept-off-your-feet-by-a-prince storyline look good. How about a girl that has no observable redeeming qualities being swept off her feet by an incredibly handsome, thoughtful, perfect being? This being, who happens to be a vampire, wants to eat aforementioned girl as much as he loves her. Too weird for words.
But don't get me wrong...the first couple of books are pretty addictive...They are essentially romance novels and romance is widely appealing I guess, based on the books' popularity. Personally, I kept reading and reading because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Thankfully, since I am now in to the fourth book, which as I mentioned is pretty lame, I was able to put the book down for large chunks of time and finish some gifts for my niece and nephew.
It will be interesting to see what my daughter thinks of Twilight when she reads the series.

Running

2010-01-27T10:22:00.000-08:00

About this time last year my friend Margaret and I started running and working out on a regular basis, with plans of running the Seattle Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon in June.
As many of you know, I found out in early March that my mom had late-stage lung cancer, so I hung up my running shoes for awhile.
In September, Margaret and I started running again and we both ran a 5K sponsored by Microsoft in conjunction with our annual giving campaign. I was recovering from the swine flu and Margaret was getting over a bad cold when we ran the race, so we were both disappointed with our time...we ran about a 12 minute mile.
We recommitted ourselves to running and started on an "advanced beginner" 5k training program. I managed to keep running despite various distractions, even completing a quick run in Vancouver before I saw U2, and running on our vacation in Southern California. Margaret and I ran our 2nd 5k on Dec 12th, which had to be the coldest morning of the year here in Seattle. We clocked a speedy (for us) 10 min 20 sec mile average. Woo Hoo! My friend Tracy ran with us and managed to keep up some entertaining chat the whole race as she is accustomed to running a bit faster than us.
Anyways, now we are training for a 10K in March, with hopes to do a 1/2 marathon after that. We won't do the Rock N Roll this year, as we are going to Westport for Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze, but we'll find a 1/2 marathon to run, I'm sure. We have also started weight training once a week to hopefully boost our core strength, and improve our time. I'll keep you posted...

Stripes, birthdays and cakes, oh my!

2010-01-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

Cate has been bugging me for about a year and a half to let her get a pink stripe in her hair. Really bugging me. Every we time we got our hair cut she would ask about it, and I would have to tell her no, we just have appointments for haircuts. Jen, our hair stylist, has a pretty busy schedule and can't do something like pink stripes at the drop of a hat. This worked well for awhile but this time around I gave in and made the appointments for haircuts and "pink-a-boo's", as Jen calls them. Emily decided that she wanted one too, so both girls sat around with foil in their hair for awhile.
Here's a photo of Emily at the foil stage.

I don't have a formal after photo, but here's one a couple of days later, and you can see the stripes in their hair.

This photo is Emily opening her birthday presents on the morning of her birthday. It used to be I was always off to work before the kids got up. I wanted them to have something special from me in the morning so I started a tradition of creating a scavenger hunt for them, to find a small present. Now we do it even though I am often home in the morning. I took this pic after the kids ran around the house solving little corny rhyming clues (usually created late at night when I am pretty much brain dead) such as:

You're doing good,
but you don't want to boast,
You will find your next clue
In the toy kitchen,
where you would make toy toast.

They have a blast with it. Anyways, Emily turned 11 this year. I just can't believe how grown up she is getting. Friday night Cate was feeling sick (it turned out she has strep throat) and Emily took care of and played with Sam so Tim and I could concentrate on Cate. What a sweetie!

Here's a pic of Emily's birthday cake:

Emily had a party at this huge trampoline place, so her cake is supposed to be a trampoline. I had the most fun messing around with the little dolls, rock candy and the dog. The cake tasted pretty good though. I made one layer chocolate, one layer vanilla and iced it with homemade cream cheese butter-cream icing. Another legacy from my mom I guess, homemade birthday cakes.

Random Christmas thoughts in the New Year

2010-01-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

This year Cate surprised me by asking for a Rub-a-Dub dolly from Santa. A few days earlier we had been talking about what Santa brought me when I was a girl and I mentioned my Easy Bake Oven and my Rub-a-Dub Dolly. Anyways, she gets on Santa's lap, a week before Christmas, and asks for the aforementioned doll. Fortunately Santa was able to procure one; from Ebay possibly, although we are not sure. Cate speculated that some older elf remembered how to make them. Cate has surprised me by hauling that doll everywhere. She's always been more of a doll person than Emily, but not that into them. I'm glad she's enjoying her Rub-a-Dub Dolly as much as me, when I was that age.

When we were at Hancock fabrics the other day I saw some of the same Pegasus fabric my mom made Cate's last nightgown from. I bought some with plans of making Cate's doll a nightgown to match hers, just like my mom did for my doll when I was little. I typically don't have a lot of spare time so we'll see if I get it done before Cate outgrows her nightgown. I hope so.
I also decided to reteach myself to knit. I have vague memories of knitting little squares when I was a kid, but haven't knit anything since then. I watched some videos on YouTube, got some advice from a couple of friends (which I blatantly ignored--sorry gals) and got to work with my mom's knitting needles. I knitted the hat in the picture for Cate's doll. There was only one small hole where I dropped a stitch. I realized the mistake when I made it, but since the hat was for a doll, couldn't be bothered to fix my mistake.
I also posted the picture Cate drew for our Christmas cards this year; the picture of Santa, his sleigh and the Christmas tree. The quantity of cards that makes it in the mail gets shorter and shorter every year.
If you didn't get a card, Merry Christmas from the Simmons! In addition, I added the note Cate left for Santa. In case you were wondering, Rudolph's nose really is like a flashlight.
Happy New Year everyone. 2010 has got to be better than 2009.

Waiting for the plague of locusts

2009-12-16T11:29:00.001-08:00

In the last few days our family has dealt with the stomach flu and head lice. Yes, head lice. Lice routinely make their way around the girls' school but up until this point had never affected us. That changed on Monday. Luckily, I stumbled on a homeopathic treatment at Rite-Aid that appears to be more effective than Nix and other pesticide treatments. It's main ingredient is anise oil, which apparently is fatal to lice. It also give the treatment a mild licorice smell.
I found a study where the researchers compared an anise-based treatment, the traditional pesticide treatment and another homeopathic method, smothering with mayonnaise, and the anise treatment was more effective then the pesticide, and much more effective than the smothering technique. I learned all of this after buying and using LiceFreee, but it was nice to know I used something that is effective.
The other day as I was combing dead lice and nits out of her hair, Emily said, "You sure are brave mom!" Yup--that's right...bring on the frogs, locusts or whatever. I can handle it. I am a mom!

Secret Spy Cat and Plane Ornaments

2009-12-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today Sam put on this get up and announced he was a "secret spy cat". He's also wearing his "digger jammies" that I made for him. Unfortunately, I forgot about the orientation of the print until I already had them cut out, and so the print on the top is upside down. Fortunately Sam doesn't seem to mind.

Also, after dinner tonight I happened to look over at our china cabinet and I spotted this ornament that I got at my mom's house. She always decorated her Christmas tree with plane ornaments, and this one was always my favorite. Anyways, I'd brought the ornament home months ago and it has sat on our china cabinet since. I just noticed it again tonight. It plugs into a light string so that it is illuminated from the inside. I had to rewire the ornament slightly to fit in our lights, but thankfully Christmas lights are pretty simple. It felt so good to hang the "Polar Air" on our tree!

More pics

2009-11-30T21:01:00.001-08:00

The first three are from Disneyland and California Adventure. Me and Emmy with Goofy, Cate and Sam climbing in the camp area of California Adventure, and Tim and Sam on Autotopia.

I've also included a couple pics from our Molbaks adventure. November was a big photography month for me...I think I have over 200 photos.

Back from California and Molbaks

2009-11-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Southern California this year. Partly for a change of pace since this was the first Thanksgiving without my mom, partly because this was the first Thanksgiving in a long time that Tim was not working the Friday after. We spent three days in Anaheim, at Disneyland and California Adventure Park and a couple of days in Riverside, where Tim grew up.
How was it? Well, Disneyland was crowded and hectic, but it did have its magical moments. For example, the snow fall after the lighting of Sleeping Beauty's castle. The look on Cate's face was definitely worth the price of admission.
Also, Riverside was nice, really nice. We stayed in the downtown area and saw their festival of trees and the lights and decorations at The Mission Inn. In addition, we hung out with Tim's sister and her kids and grand kids on Thanksgiving day, which was a lot of fun.
Yesterday Tracy and I took the kids to Molbaks for our annual photo fest. We both left feeling like this year was the best year ever. Molbaks wasn't too crowded and all of our kids are now old enough to have a good time, and frankly, not cause their moms too much grief. We also got some great photos. I've included one that Tracy sent me, of me and the kids, because I haven't uploaded mine yet.

The changes a year brings

2009-11-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

This time last year I was talking to my mom almost daily. We were figuring out our plan for getting her to and from the airport as she went to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with my brother Pete and his family. I had helped her buy her ticket and was trying to help her out with getting to the airport because it's so much easier to have someone pick you up and drop you off rather than park and walk, hauling all your gear. I was glad she was going to spend the holiday with my brother because she hadn't been to San Diego in the 10 years that he and his wife had lived there. I blogged last year about her picking up a smoked turkey for me and bringing it to our house on the day I took her to the airport.
We are approaching Thanksgiving and although I have a lot to be thankful for, this year the holiday will be a tough one for me and my brothers too, I imagine.

The changes a year brings.

On Boxes and Baritones

2009-11-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

Vintage Reynolds Baritone
$215.00 on Visa

Shipping for Baritone
$45.00 on Visa

Fun had with box it came in - priceless

I wrote a while back about Emily taking up the trumpet. Well, that lasted about 2 weeks and she switched to the baritone, which is fine. Really. But, we needed to buy an instrument. She plays the school baritone at school, but she needed an instrument to practice with at home. I consulted the local music store and discovered the rental price for a baritone is $41/month. Seemed on par with renting furniture to me, so I consulted a former coworker who happens to be very knowledgeable about brass instruments and he found a vintage baritone on Ebay for me for $215.00 + shipping. Well, it arrived and Emily was a little concerned about its dingy appearance and the dilapidated case. When I took it to Kennelly Keys to buy a mouthpiece they actually laughed at it, and said it needed a sonic cleaning. Well, I checked around and took it to a place called Oberloh in North Seattle. They cleaned it by hand, replace a few parts and it looks much better. Ultimately, they said its a well-made instrument for the price and Emily liked its improved appearance.
But the box...oh the box. All three kids have been playing with the box for a week now. It's amazing that we have bought toys for our kids considering the fun they've had with this box.

Baba Yetu-performed by the EPC choir

2009-11-11T09:12:00.000-08:00

I will not win any awards for my video production skills, but here is a video of our church choir performing Baba Yetu at the benefit concert on Saturday. The children's choir, which includes my kids, are lined up along the front and sing part of the song. I don't know why my videos always turn out so darn dark. This seems darker than when I started trying to edit it. Of course, my video-editing tools are a bit primitive. I guess I might need to actually buy something.

Our weekend

2009-11-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday would have been my mom's 68th birthday. In her honor, Cate, Sam and I went to the fabric store Saturday morning to pick out fabric for pajamas and a baby quilt. I have never met a little boy more excited about fabric than Sam. He put about 6 different bolts in the cart, which was amazing considering the weight of a bolt of fabric, his height, and how far he had to lift the bolt to get it in the cart. Then Cate and Sam picked out 4-5 different packs of fat quarters and deposited those in the cart as well. I had to talk them down to one flannel each and 1 set of fat quarters between them. I am not even sure what we'll do with the fat quarters...maybe I'll try my hand at a bigger quilt, but I had to buy them.
Saturday night the girls sang as a part of our church's childrens choir in a concert to benefit Healing the Children. Dr Lori Mercer, an audiologist and member of our congregation will travel to Guatamala to fit children with hearing aids. Due to disease and other factors, the rate of hearing loss in Guatamala is 10 times higher than here is the US. Lori covers all of her expenses for the trip so the money raised at the concert (about $3000.00) goes directly to buy hearing aids. She'll be traveling to Guatamala in January, so there is still time to donate! If you donate to Healing the Children, make sure and mark your check for "Audiology".
The concert was awesome. Sam passed out programs and even "sang" with the kids, which I have to admit, melted many an audience-member's heart. The kids choir performed "God Help the Outcasts" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as "God is Building a House" and then joined with the adult choir to sing "Baba Yetu". Baba Yetu is a version of the Lord's Prayer in Swahili, and was originally created for the game Civilization IV. I love the song and had purchased the music for our church choir over the summer, in hopes that they could perform it sometime. It was great to hear it performed at the concert with my kids singing too! In addition, there was a performance by the Elliot Bay Pipe Band (of which Lori is a member) and some amazing individual and group performances. It was really an evening of wonderful music from start to finish. Per usual, although I took photos and videotaped the concert, I have nothing to post. I'll get to it eventually, I hope.

Some pics from the concert

2009-11-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Cheryl had her camera with her at the U2 concert and snapped these photos. We managed to get ourselves in the inner circle so we were very close...about the 10th row or so. Unlike the concerts of my youth, it was pretty civilized; no pushing, etc. Well, except for the drunk people next to me, but they weren't deliberately pushing...they were sort of oblivious.
I especially like this photo Cheryl got when the band invited me on stage. Wow!
Actually, just having some fun with a great photoshop-like tool called Paint.Net. I recently used it to add in the coach and a missing player to Emily's soccer team photo for the girls' end-of-the year award. I made a frame for each of the girls, and needed a picture that included everyone.

Crazy Pancake Lady

2009-10-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

One morning when I was making pancakes Cate asked me to make her a horse-shaped pancake. So I did. Then I made a helicopter and a plane and a few other shapes. The kids were ecstatic. Now every time we have pancakes they want shapes. Here's a few pictures of the ones I made last Saturday. The first one is the head of a horse. This one is the hardest to see. I resorted to using whip cream to show the mane and forelock. Cate loved this one, although I felt like it was definitely my weakest.
For my second, I took things down a notch and went for a classic. Mickey Mouse.

Finally, in honor of Halloween, I created a ghost and a jack-o-lantern. These ones turned out pretty good. I have to mention that Cate insisted we photograph the pancakes and took these pictures herself.

Confederacy of Dunces at Book-It

2009-10-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend Nicole and I went to see Confederacy of Dunces at the Book-It Repetory theater. Blown away is probably too strong, but I think Nicole would agree that she was very pleasantly surprised at what a great job Book-It did adapting this book to the stage. We both really enjoyed it. I noticed you can pick up a 4-ticket package for Book-It at an auction put on by NW Classifieds for as little as $215.00. If I didn't already have season tickets, I would be bidding on this for sure. Confederacy of Dunces run is finished, but you can still catch Emma, The River Why and Cider House rules with this package.

American Girl Dolls, revisited.

2009-10-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

So I've already posted how I feel about American Girl dolls. We are on their mailing list, due to my previous ignorance. Usually I intercept the catalog at the mail box, but occasionally one slips through and the girls start looking at it. I am happy to report that Cate and Emily are fully on board with my point of view. Emily was looking at the horribly overpriced symbols of American consumerism and wondered where the dolls are made. Guess where? China. Yup China.
In addition she saw an American Girl bike you can buy for your doll to use. The price tag? A mere $80. If I spend $80 on a bike for my daughter, I think I'll put it toward a real one, thank you very much. Here's a pretty nice one for $89.99, with free shipping.
It's interesting to read reviews about American Girl items and comments regarding the news they are made in China. Responses are something along the lines of the dolls are designed to teach history, they are such high quality, yadda yadda. Heck, if you are a frequent buyer, as many of these moms seem to be, you could save your money and take your daughter on a trip to Washington DC and learn about history while visiting some historical sites. You could maybe even hit the Smithsonian and learn a lot about history.
But perhaps buying overpriced dolls and accessories is more "American". What do you think?

It's that Molbaks time of year...

2009-10-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Molbaks --errrrr--- I mean the holiday season has begun. It kicks off every year with the fall play at Molbaks and costume pictures with the fall backdrops Molbaks so kindly provides. These pictures are courtesy of my friend Tracy because Sam was not feeling all that great and instead of taking photos, I was mostly holding him.

The first picture is the girls with the cast of the play, which was totally awesome, BTW.
Cate is dressing as a fairy this year, and Emily is a fortune teller. We pieced the costumes together with stuff we had or picked up at a trip to our local thrift store. You know of course that I am anti-cheap-Target-costume mom.

The next pic is Tim with Knight Sam, looking, well, grumpy!
In addition to the play and pic fun at Molbaks, I picked up some beautiful mums to serve as centerpieces for our church's open house on Saturday...and they were a mere $3.00 each.

The trumpet

2009-10-08T07:55:00.001-07:00

On a fall day, about 27 years ago, my brother Pete headed off to fifth grade toting a trumpet. My parents had purchased that trumpet for him, for his debut in beginning band.

Tuesday, Emily headed off to fifth grade toting that very same trumpet. You see, Pete discovered he didn't much like playing trumpet and about a year later I decided I wanted to be in band. My parents had this newly-purchased trumpet laying around and they "suggested" that if I wanted to play an instrument, the trumpet would be a good choice. I agreed. I played that trumpet through high-school, enjoying marching band, playing at football games and the like. I was even first chair for awhile, despite taking up the trumpet 4 years after some of my peers.

When the opportunity to start band came up for Emily this year, I suggested she play trumpet. First of all, we had one, but also, I always enjoyed the role the trumpet played in the band. Trumpet players always get great music. Despite this, Emily thought she might want to play flute or clarinet and ultimately I told her to choose what she wanted; we would support her choice, no matter what it was.
Imagine my surprise when she came home later that week and announced that she was going to play trumpet. I told Emily she didn't have to do it for me and restated that she could play any instrument she wanted to. You know what she said? She said that all the girls were playing clarinet or flute and she wanted to do something different, so she decided that trumpet was the instrument for her.

Wow! I am so impressed. I guess some of that stuff about not worrying about what other people think of you, doing what you want, yadda yadda, is getting through. Plus, there's the fact that Emily is much more confident than I was at that age.
Too cool!

Nice picture

2009-09-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was going through photos on my computer at work, and I found this nice photo of my mom holding Sam. Sometimes I cannot believe the grief that I feel over losing her. It just knocks me off my feet.
Last night I was cleaning out a bag that I used when we took her to the doctor, and I read over some over her medical records. She was so sick by the time she spent that night in the hospital in Arlington. I realized she was going to die that night and I was worried we only had a few weeks. As it turned out we had almost 2 months, but it still wasn't enough.

Memories of Houston

2009-09-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

This morning on my way to work I heard a story about the gentrification of Houston's Third Ward. This triggered a memory of a Houston adventure I had many years ago.
I was living in Dallas at the time, but had lived in Houston for 3 years previously. My mom and Aunt Audrey were in Houston for the night. I can't remember exactly why, but I think they were on their way back from visiting my brother Pete in Florida or something similar. Anyways, my boyfriend at the time, Patrick, and I decided to drive down and visit them.
I picked my mom and aunt up at the Houston Intercontinental Airport Marriott and we headed downtown. I wanted to show my aunt, mom and Patrick the sights. After driving around downtown, I thought I would look for one of my favorite restaurants, The Strawberry Patch. It's closed now, but it was located off Westheimer, inside the loop. I think it was pretty close to the Galleria. It was owned by the Pappas family. They've gotten pretty big these days, but I believe The Strawberry Patch was one of the first restaurants the Pappas family opened.
It was dark as we left downtown, and I headed in what I thought was the right direction to pick up Westheimer. Both my aunt and mom were surprised when we drove by about 30 people laying around on the sidewalks at the edge of downtown. They were not accustomed to seeing this many homeless people in one place. Then the houses and neighborhoods we drove through got poorer and poorer looking. I was getting a bit worried because I was lost, but I was trying not to convey my concern to my aunt and mom. I knew there were neighborhoods in Houston that the cops avoided, and I didn't want to drive through one of those. Well, we keep driving and come across basically a mob in the street. My aunt innocently asks, "What are all these people doing in the street?" Hmmm...street party? gang fight? I would guess the latter, but I just said something along the lines of let's keep driving and no one make eye contact. Thankfully, there was enough space to fit my car through the mob. At this moment Patrick pointed out how low on gas we were. I assured everyone we were fine on gas, although I don't think they believed me. We were all nervous and anxious to get out of there.
We kept driving and eventually I figured out where we were. I got gas, and we finally ate at the Strawberry Patch. I think we were driving through the Fourth Ward, not the Third, and honestly, I have no opinion on whether the gentrification should happen or not; it just provided a good excuse to tell this story.

Weekend

2009-09-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy one. Friday was Cate's seventh birthday so we took her to....Red Robin, of course. Then we headed to the back-to-school barbecue sponsored by the PTA at the girls' school. We didn't eat the BBQ, but instead loaded up on sweets at the bake sale (put on by the 4th graders to raise money for the Pioneer Farm trip), bought cotton candy, books at the book fair and then I chatted with other parents while my kids ran around like maniacs on the school grounds. There is always a DJ to provide funky music, which adds an additional element of fun for the kids.. The PTA first-aid response team sells glow sticks so as the sun goes down you can watch 200 kids run around with their glow sticks. There is really nothing like it. Wish we had back-to-school barbecues when I was in elementary school!
Saturday morning brought Emily's first soccer game--at 9:00. The girls are playing the full field and 45 minute halves now. What a workout! The girls were tired at the end, but played a great game and tied 2-2.
After the soccer game we rushed over to pick up Emily's friend Maddy and went to a church-sponsored car wash. We washed cars to raise money for a member of our church who also happens to be a audiology doctor to buy hearing aids for kids in Guatamala. Lori will make the trip to Guatamala in January, and some families will walk three days to see her. It's a great cause, and we managed to raise over $500 (2 hearing aids!). I planned on dropping off the girls but ended up hanging around and helping. The next time you are in Bothell, stop at the Dairy Queen at Thrashers Corner for ice cream, because they rock! Not only did they allow us to have the car wash there, the owner/manager made a point of coming out and chatting with us and donating $50.00.
Sunday morning I was up early to meet our housecleaner at my mom's house (rescheduled from Saturday). Carina started cleaning and I tried my best to get any remaining clutter out of her way. Finally back home for a shower and to make final preparations for Cate's birthday party.
We had Cate's party at the Little Gym in Kenmore. Cate usually likes to have a party at home, but I convinced her to have a party at the gym and we all loved it. The kids had fun, and for the first time in years I wasn't running myself ragged, but was able to relax and enjoyed Cate's party. I highly recommend The Little Gym. Highly!

Cancer Patients Teach Nurse Importance Of Love : NPR

2009-08-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

I heard the following story on NPR this morning, and honestly, I was in tears listening to this nurse talk about her experiences with cancer patients.

Eleven-year-old Sarafina Viviano wants to go into the medical field when she grows up. She asks her mother, Dana Viviano, a nurse who cares for cancer patients, what she's learned from her patients and what it's like to tell someone he's going to die.
Full Story

Summer Reading

2009-07-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

I typically do a bunch of reading over the summer. This year I haven't done so well, as I've been distracted with work and things concerning my mom's passing. Recently however, I decided to reread "The River Why" by James David Duncan. I read this book for the first time probably 10 years ago, on Tim's recommendation. I decided to reread it because I saw that the Book-It Repertory Theater has planned a production of it in their upcoming season. (it turns out there is a movie based on the book too). Anyways, the first time I read this book, I loved it so much I wanted to name our son, if we had one, Gus. Unfortunately, by the time we had a son, so much time had passed the idea of naming him Augustine, or Gus for short, seemed silly. I've recently realized the error of my ways. The River Why is a great book. Gus is a great character. Duncan is a great writer.

Water rustlers

2009-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I took Emily and Cate back to my mom's place to pick up some items I had set aside. While I was there my friend Tracy showed up, to pick up mom's grill, and Carter, my mom's friend who has been staying at my mom's place off and on, came to pick up a mirror. After some chatting and goofing around I was in a bit of a hurry to get home.
As I was pulling out of the driveway I noticed the outside faucet was dripping. I put the van in park and hurried to shut off the water, worried we had left the water on, on Friday when we were last there. Since the property has a dug well that can easily go dry, I decided to let all the pressure out of the hose and make sure the faucet stopped dripping. I wanted to make sure the water was off. Imagine my surprise when I followed the hose all the way to the fence line and saw that it ran all the way over to the neighbors' house.
I called Pete to ask him if he had told the neighbors they could use the water. Nope. I checked with Carter. Nope. In fact, Pete mentioned that the neighbor, who had bought Jack's place in November had expressed concern his well would run dry and they spent a few minutes discussing water. Pete reckoned the hose probably ran right into their well. I wasn't able to confirm this, but there is no doubt the hose ran over to their property, as you can see in the photo I snapped with my phone.
We had met the neighbors for the first time on Friday and thought they seemed like pretty nice folks. Considering they began stealing our water the minute our back was turned, I would say, not so much. To take our water they also were using our electricity to run the pump. They had to trespass to set the whole operation up. It's disheartening to encounter this sort of dishonesty. I'm glad we won't be their neighbors for long.

Family reunions

2009-07-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we attended our annual family reunion for my mom's side of the family. Last year my mom and I drove down with my kids and had a great time. I wasn't sure how it would feel to be there this year without my mom, but we enjoyed our day after all. It was nice to look through some of my mom's mementos with my aunts and just reconnect with family that we typically see once a year.
Sunday morning I was going through some of my mom's stuff in preparation for bringing another load home from her place. I found several copies of an article that I wrote for a college journalism class. My mom never met a piece of paper she didn't like, and saved it all these years. It goes like this:

"Around a crackling fire, children played and distant cousins shared cigars and exchanged stock tips before retiring to their tents for the night. Surprisingly, these events did not take place a local campground, but at the Grandmound driving range. This family-owned golf center in Rochester, Washington is not only a good place to hit golf balls, but for the last four years has served as home to the annual Viller/Shorter family reunion. 1999 is no exception. Information flyers have been mailed and preparations have begun for another large gathering.
This family owes their Washington ties to Neoma Shorter and Merrill "Bill" Villers, two adventurous young neighbors from Missouri.

This couple married in 1933 and packed truck and trailer for the long drive west. Their original destination was the Colville area where Bill's father had acquired a parcel of land. Eventually, however, the couple settled in Centralia in Western Washington. Neoma and Bill raised four daughters in Centralia; Audrey, Letha, Karen and Kaye.

These four sisters, their children, and grandchildren form the foundation of the reunion, although Villers and Shorters from across the United States participate in the annual gathering at the driving range.

Last year's 62 participants included travelers from as far away as St. Louis, Missouri and Pensacola, Florida. Family members arrived on Friday and many stayed through the entire weekend.

Friday night starts things off with a spaghetti feed and many introductions. Saturday morning brings an early tee time for the golfers in the group and a jaunt to the Centralia outlet malls for the shoppers. Entertainment starts in earnest late Saturday morning. Games are held for kids and adults of all ages. The sack race, balloon toss, and three-legged race ar only a few of the contests that take place.

About 1:00 pm Saturday the focus turns to food. The spirit of competition continues with a "Golden Spoon" salad contest for women and a "Golden Flipper" meat dish contest for the men present. Last year, Kim Jiminez of Tacoma took first prize in the salad competition for her broccoli, bacon concoction. Rusty Stedham of Rochester took the golden flipper with his barbecued venison. Needless to say, everyone eats their fill.

Activities and food aside, after speaking to several of last year's participants it was obvious renewing family ties was the most important pastime. Lively conversation dominated the reunion. Wade Stedham commented on the milestones the annual reunion enables the extended Villers/Shorter family to take note of. He mentioned his generation had graduation high school, married, and were now raising their own children. Remarkably cousins and second cousins have stayed close through these life events. Chris Swenson, of St. Louis, said he was, "Impressed by the sense of family values that we have, values you don't see very much anymore."

So if you thought it was just a place to hit golf balls, visit the Grandmound driving range the third weekend in July. You can witness family spirit for yourself. As one family member said, "There is no bad blood in this family. We are not here to talk about one another, but to enjoy each other's company." A visitor can delight in all of this and hit a few golf balls at the same time."

It was so interesting to read this article 10 years after it was written. We still get together, albeit in smaller numbers, to reconnect and enjoy each other's company. We held a three-legged race, a

water-balloon toss and food competitions.
Thanks mom for saving my college project all these years.

My new (old) car

2009-07-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

I am not really a car person. That said, about a month ago I bought myself a new (used) car.
I am the type of person who picks out their car based on specs. Once I've picked out what I want I simply need to test drive it and then I buy it. Consequently, I researched a lot before I picked out my car.

I needed a car that seated 8 people, that got decent gas mileage, and was comfortable. At the age of 40 I caved and decided I wanted leather seats, a sunroof and other goodies. I considered both SUVs and vans, but ultimately decided on a van because I like sliding doors. Power sliding doors were a must-have with my new van.
Consequently I purchased a 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L from Honda of Seattle. The "EX" means a lot of bells and whistles. The "L" means leather. The EX-L has a variable cylinder feature enables good gas mileage that is not available on the lower trim levels of the Odyssey. Despite a much more powerful 6-cylinder than I had in my MPV, I get about the same gas mileage. The van I purchased also came with a 15 inch after-market DVD player that the kids are pretty excited about. My van is a certified used Honda, which means I've got a powertrain warranty for another 4 years. We bought the extended warranty as well so I've got bumper-to-bumper coverage for quite awhile. Oh, and it only had 18,500 miles on it when I bought it.

Anyways, fast forward a month and I am loving my new car. The automatic sliding doors are great. The van is extremely comfortable, and I love the 6-CD changer and great sound system. I enjoy how configurable the seating is with a split back row that folds to the floor and removable second row seats. The middle row-middle seat is removable so when you are not hauling 8, it is easy to get to the back row.
To quote my kids, "This car just gets better and better."

Conversations with Sam

2009-06-29T10:15:00.001-07:00

Every few days in the last month or so I've had the following conversation with Sam.
Sam: "Where's Grandma?"
Me: "Grandma died."
Sam: "Why?"
Me: "Grandma was very sick."
Sam: "Why?"
Me: "She couldn't breathe."
Sam: "Why?"
Me: "She had cancer."
Sam: "Why?"
Me (exasperated): "Let's go outside."

Yesterday I took the kids up to mom's house to get her mail and collect some clothes for donation. I unlocked the door and Sam came in with me. After looking around a bit he asked, "Where's Grandma?"
"She died.", I answered.
"You sad mama?", Sam said as he patted me on the leg.
"Yeah, I'm sad."

That's progress, I guess.

Getting back in the swing....

2009-06-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

My mom's service is over. My big work deadline came and passed. Now I am getting back into my routine. I've been working a normal number of hours this week, going to the gym, and seeing a lot more of my husband and kids than I had been the last few months. Sometimes I find myself with no pressing things to take care of and I don't know what to do with myself.
My brothers and I do need to get my mom's place cleaned up, which is a formidable task. Unbelievably formidable. She lived in the same house for 40 years and didn't like to throw things out. My mom was also incredibly sentimental. Edgar, Pete and I spent a day going through papers and my mom saved a lot of our school work, art, and other artifacts of our childhood. She also saved letters my grandpa wrote to my dad, my dad's medical bills and other interesting items.
Maybe I take after my mom in this way, but it's going to be difficult to let some of her stuff go, but I know we don't have room for it, and it seems silly to rent a storage area just to store stuff that belonged to my mom and dad. It will be even harder to sell the property, I think. Dealing with all this makes losing my mom even harder.

Preparing for Sunday

2009-06-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

My mom's memorial service is on Sunday and there are a lot of tasks to be completed; buying the food, putting together a slide show, assembling the program, etc. These are important things, but the task that has weighed most heavily on my mind is what I am going to say, and more importantly, if I can get the words out without totally losing it. So far, I haven't written anything down, I've just been mulling words over in my mind. Simply thinking about saying the words I want to say makes me cry. (On a side note--I have thanked God several times these last few weeks that I have my own office at work)
As often happens with me, I was laying in bed this morning and things crystalized for me; I realized what I want to say, and how I want to say it.
See you Sunday!

My mom's obituary

2009-06-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

From The (Everett) Herald. Check it out here.
It also ran in the Centralia Chronicle--see it here.
It's really nice to read the comments from her former schoolmates. I am realizing that Mom didn't change in some fundamental ways throughout her life. She was friendly to everyone regardless of how they looked or how much (or how little) money they had. She liked to laugh and she smiled a lot. That's cool. Very cool.

A Pioneer for a Day...

2009-06-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Emily and her 4th grade class at Pioneer Farm in Eatonville participating in their "Pioneer Living Experience". We all learned about pioneer history in the Pacific Northwest and participated a bit in the pioneer lifestyle. The kids got to wash clothes by hand, grind and sift coffee and flour and other pioneer activities. The milked a cow and got to pet chickens, ducks and a pig. We all slept in pioneer buildings (in sleeping bags) and used outhouses during our stay. Tuesday night the kids got to hand-crank ice cream and make popcorn over the fire and the evening wrapped up with stories and songs in one of the pioneer cabins. One of the best parts was that the kids were expected to behave like pioneer children, which was a bit stricter than they were used to in some cases. In the morning they did pioneer chores such as mucking out stalls and hauling water. Finally on Wednesday they also got a glimpse into Native American life with a "Seasons Tour". I think it's great the 4th grade teachers at my kids' school take the Pioneer Farms fieldtrip on, as it is quite a bit of work for them, but very rewarding for everyone that goes. Per usual, I'll post my pictures soon...

Random 80s funniness

2009-06-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

One of my coworkers sent me a link to this video, which I found to be laugh-out-loud funny. Were videos really that wacky back in the 80s? I know the hairstyles were; I've been looking a bunch of old photos lately and I must admit, my hair looked like Bonnie Tyler's in a few of them.

Enjoy!

Happy Belated Birthday Sam!

2009-05-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Two days after my mom died, Sam turned three. We took him to Red Robin, which is where all children go to celebrate birthdays, I think.
Anyways, I don't have any new pics handy except these two of him eating his birthday sundae. I didn't get my phone out fast enough to get a pic of the birthday song.
I am not biased at all, but I think Sam must be the cutest (and probably most spoiled) three year old boy that ever lived. I can't imagine life without him, and to think I cried when I found out I was pregnant. He is such a sweetie. I have a good friend who recently was surprised to find out she was pregnant and I could only tell her how wonderful having another baby will be.

Sam is running and jumping and talking up a storm. He is almost completely potty trained now and loves to drop his pants and show his underwear to just about anyone. He is so loving and thoughtful. Almost every morning he asks me if I need some fruit and runs to get an apple or orange for me to take to work. Too sweet.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Mom's service-updated

2009-05-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

It looks like my mom's memorial service will be the afternoon of June 14th, at 3:00 PM.
We'll be holding it at the North Creek Events Center on the UW Bothell/Cascadia Comm. College Campus.
We'll have a short service and "open mike" time followed by food, drinks and socializing. Bring your memories and stories. We look forward to hearing them.

Sharon Kaye Riebe

2009-05-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

My mom lost her battle with cancer yesterday morning at our house, with friends and family around her.

The beginning of the end started about 6 weeks ago when I took her for an MRI appointment because she was having a lot of pain in her hip. When I picked mom up for the appointment, she was having trouble catching her breath after exertion so we went to the emergency room after her MRI. The hospital did a chest x-ray and told us they suspected lung cancer that had spread to her hip. This diagnosis was later confirmed.

Mom spent the last three weeks of her life at our house, with weekly hospice nurse visits. We managed to get her out a bit, and the day before she died, with the help of a rented wheelchair van, Edgar, my mom's sister Karen, and I took her to the Tulalip Casino, which is a place she loved to go. We all had a great time.

Thanks to everyone who helped out and/or visited her these last few weeks. You know who you are, and your time and attention meant the world to my mom.

I love you mom. Rest in peace.

A glass with a few drops of water in it.

2009-05-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

I am typically a glass half-full kind of person. That said; there aren't a lot of upsides to your mother dieing of cancer, there just aren't.
The past few weeks since she's been staying with us, I typically sit in my mom's room at night until she's gotten up to go to the bathroom at least once, so I can help her get back into bed. She usually has the TV on, and although I am typically working on my laptop, I listen to the TV, and depending what is on, do some watching too. Consequently, I've watched more TV the last couple of weeks then I've watched the last couple of years. Recently, I've seen shows that have been on for years, for the first time. I've also seen some shows for the first time in a long time.
Last night, I was laughing my head off at Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs as he tried to catch water snakes, and proceeded to get bit no less than 3 times. We also watched a Seinfeld rerun together. I haven't watched Seinfeld since I was staying with my mom in between trips to Kenya, some 14-odd years ago. Also, I'm more excited about the Mariners than I have been for years. Okay, it helps that they actually win a game or two these days, but it also helps to be hanging out with my mom and watching every game that is on TV.
I know I'll look back on this time with good memories, so I figure I've got a little water in my glass; not a lot, but a few drops for sure.

Just felt a small earthquake

2009-05-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

I am sitting alone in the office and felt a small earthquake a few minutes ago. I kept checking for news about it but didn't find anything for about 15 minutes. Here's the info I found on a UW site.

Magnitude 2.3 - duration magnitude (Md)
Time Friday, May 1, 2009 at 8:14:37 AM (PDT)
Friday, May 1, 2009 at 15:14:37 (UTC)
Distance from Redmond, WA - 2 km (1 miles) SW (221 degrees)
Kirkland, WA - 5 km (3 miles) SE (133 degrees)
Clyde Hill, WA - 6 km (4 miles) ENE (64 degrees)
Bellevue, WA - 6 km (4 miles) N (11 degrees)

Coordinates 47 deg. 39.3 min. N (47.654N), 122 deg. 8.6 min. W (122.143W)

I called my mom and she felt it too at our house in Bothell. I'm glad it was a minor quake.

Days and days

2009-04-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Lately the days fly by. I work when I can; rarely in the office, usually from home or my mom's room at the inpatient hospice place. Today she moved to our house so it will be more from home until I get a caregiver coming on a regular basis. I am so glad she's here. I know it means work for both of us, but it should be much more comfortable for her here. I'll see to it with everything I've got.

My watch battery went dead the day I took my mom for her x-ray appointment about 6 or 7 weeks ago. I took her for her MRI a couple of weeks later, and she ended up in the hospital for the night. Ever since, we've been on this wild ride. Anyways, I've been carrying my watch around in my purse ever since; thinking I'll remember to get the battery changed, but it just hasn't been a priority. Consequently, I rarely know the date and I never know what time it is. Sometimes I think it's 4:00 PM and look at the clock to discover its 5:30. Once at the hospital, the clock was suddenly an hour slow--This is a mean trick to play on someone who has always depended on her watch, and suddenly doesn't have one. I didn't get home until after the kids were in bed, but thought I would be home to read them their stories. I hadn't been seeing them much at the time, and this was a big disappointment for me.
I've thought about handing my watch off for battery replacement to one of my friends who has offered to help in whatever way they can. It seems crazy, but however much I would love to have my watch functioning it is just one of those things I can't deal with right now. Until then the days will fly by; I won't be marking them and I may not even know what day it is. That's the way it is right now.

A beautiful quote

2009-04-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

"For out of nothingness we are not born, and into nothingness we do not die. Existence is a circle, and we err when we assign to it for measurement the limits of the cradle and the grave." - Manuel Acuna

Update on mom

2009-04-23T13:53:00.001-07:00

Note**I want to blog about what is going on in my life; mainly my mom, but I also want to be sensitive to my mom's wishes for privacy. I won't be posting any detailed medical information in my posts, but I will talk about my experiences and feelings as I help my mom with her illness.

My mom is doing so well at the inpatient hospice center, she is being sent home. This is a real blessing but also a complication, of sorts. Unfortunately going home to her house isn't an option for a number of reasons; its isolation and my inability to spend the time I need to with her her there are a couple. Pete and I looked at a couple of adult family homes, and although they were very nice (much nicer than my house in esthetic ways), they seemed impersonal and not the right fit for my mom. Consequently, she's coming to our house. She stayed with us for a bit, between her initial hospitalization and her second one at UW Medical Center. I feel bad that I can't take her home, but I am hoping that she is comfortable with us. We've got a room for her with a TV (the remote is fixed mom--just in case you are reading this), her computer, etc. Tomorrow morning the hospice folks bring a hospital bed and other supplies we need. Tomorrow afternoon she moves in again.

I'm making some calls; hoping to hire someone to help out 4-6 hours a day so I can go in to the office and Tim is free to run the kids to school and the like. Finding the right caregiver will be essential. Mom doesn't need a lot of help and Tim doesn't really want to be chatting with someone all day, so it needs to be someone who is happy to read a book or do crossword puzzles. The crosswords would be nice because my mom loves them too. We'll see.

Losing my mom.

2009-04-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last 3-4 weeks in a bit of a tailspin. My mom is dieing of cancer and is currently under inpatient hospice care. It's hard; probably the hardest thing I've ever been through.
Anyone who reads this blog who knows my mom and wants to see her or speak with her should contact me.

Fun at Grandma's

2009-04-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

My brother Pete has been in town since Wednesday and has spent the last few days staying with my mom up in Arlington. I took the kids up for a visit on Saturday and we went back yesterday with burgers and hotdogs to grill, as the weather was absolutely phenomenal. Edgar and Lisa drove up with Eston and Jonah as well. We laid out a bunch of snacks on the deck table and enjoyed the weather and watching the kids.

Emily, Cate and Eston set about making some memories for themselves pretty much from the moment they arrived. The first thing Cate said to Eston was, "I'll show you how to feed the cows." (The neighbor's cows that-is) They started out by feeding the cows stalks of tall grass through the fence; something Emily and Cate had discovered they could do the day before. Next, they enjoyed the driveway. My mom has a long asphalt driveway so the kids drew on it with chalk, rode their scooters up and down and did some biking.

After that they donned rubber boots and investigated the pond; eventually making their way around the whole thing, even climbing over a fence to complete their journey. They walked around the old pasture, investigating puddles here and there and in general having a ton of fun, akin to the fun Pete, Edgar and I had when we were kids. It was great to watch. Really great. I hope we have more times like that.

All in a day's work for the occasional housewife...

2009-03-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

I am the fix-it person in our house. If one of the kids breaks something, the item gets set aside until I come home. When the kids ask me if I can fix the item, usually the answer is yes.
I love to fix stuff. Have I mentioned I also LOVE super glue?
Here's a picture of one of my favorite brands; Elemer's gel glue.
I guess it was the way I was raised; we recycled, reused and repaired stuff when I was a kid. This sort of flies in the face of our society's dispose-it attitude, but I am proud of my abilities. I also like that the kids think of me when something needs to be fixed.
Today, I fixed a piggy bank and repaired part of Cate's tea set for the 30th time.

In addition to fixing, I do recover and retrieval work as well. Night before last, I retrieved Cate's tooth out of the catch below the bathroom sink, when she accidentally lost it down the drain. I don't have a picture of the tooth, because the tooth fairy has already retrieved it, but here's a picture of Cate with her gummy grin.

Oh, and did I mention I baked a yummy chocolate cake for my friend Margaret's birthday? Well, hopefully it's yummy. We'll see.

The Weekend

2009-03-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Tim and I had a date...dinner at The Purple Cafe and then a movie; The Reader. I didn't know much about The Reader prior to seeing it, and I was blown away. Since Saturday, I've read the reviews and they are mixed, but I really liked the movie. It was very thought provoking and the acting was superb. From Kate Winslet, to Ralph Fiennes, to David Kross, who plays the Ralph Fiennes character as a boy; they were all great. One thing I should mention is the first part of the film was pretty erotic so you should definitely avoid it if this sort of thing puts you off.
Thanks to our neighbor Dorothy for babysitting! It's nice to have someone so close that our kids like so much.
On Sunday I took Emily to get her ears pierced. She was a little nervous, but very excited to have this done as many of her friends already have their ears pierced. Now she's talking about getting her hair cut to show off her earrings. Too funny!

Blog--I am just not that into you.

2009-03-08T18:14:00.001-07:00

It's not you. It's me. This happens periodically. I go through a phase where I am just not into hanging out with you, Blog. You might have noticed this has happened before. I can't think of anything interesting to blog about or lack the energy to type out an interesting idea. I'm sorry.

Also, I must admit, I've really been enjoying the company of Books lately. I've been through a couple thousand pages since Christmas, which is a lot, for me. If it makes you feel any better, I spend some time with a Book, and then it's finished. I don't go back; I move on (unfortunately for you, to another Book).

Then there's Work. I like Work. That said; there's so many things I would rather do then be with Work, but I can't seem to stay away. Also, Work has me writing a whole bunch, which seems to sap my creative juices.

Finally, there's my friend Facebook. My friends I met through Work introduced us, so you can blame it on them. I love to spend time with Facebook when I should be doing other things; like spending time with you, Blog.

I'm sorry I can't be faithful to you Blog. I really am. I'll be back, I always come back.

Goodbye sunny Kauai!

2009-02-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

We've spent the last week at the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu, Kauai. This place is perfect! The beach is awesome. The pool is nice; complete with a sandy play area for little ones and a water slide for the bigger kids, including me. There are nice barbecue areas scattered around the grounds and lots of green open spaces. We have a one bedroom condo, which has worked very nicely for our crew. One thing we've discovered is there are not many casual restaurants around (translate--suitable for a family with small children) so we've enjoyed eating meals in our condo...yes, we've enjoyed it. It's just so much less stressful for everyone. Our condo has a lanai that is about 100 sq. ft, which is totally awesome. The picture at right is from the lanai. I took it with my phone, because of course, I forgot the USB cable for our camera. You can see the ocean between the two buildings...it's closer in reality than it looks in this photo.
Also, we've seen monk seals, humpback whales, sea turtles and a bunch of fish. Totally cool! I'm getting that "wishing I was independently wealthy" feeling again...

Super Sam!

2009-02-13T16:57:00.000-08:00

Lately one of Sam's favorite activities is play super hero. He dons his sunglasses, and has someone tie a dish towel around his neck. Next he grabs his sword (I would never have bought him one, but I got it at the holiday white elephant exchange at work) and runs around the house fighting bad guys. The bad guys are usually Tim or I---we identify ourself as a bad guy and he backs us into a corner with his sword. A few seconds later he gives us a hug. Sam may have super powers, but he is still in touch with his softer side. You gotta love that in a super hero.

Keeping up

2009-02-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

Recently I was sucked into the Facebook phenomenon by some of my coworkers, and I in turn have done my best to suck in my friends and family.

Facebook has been great for reconnecting with folks from high school and folks I knew at various points in my life. I still have yet to connect with any of my friends that I knew from Continental Airlines at DFW. Okay, it doesn't help that I can only remember a few first and last names. I remember Jeannette Browne, Sally Baca, Gia Conner, and Anita Hacker. Any of them could be using a different name and I think Anita and Gia moved to Houston. I don't remember Chris, Ray or Debbie's last name. If for some reason these folks are out Googling their name (or former name), maybe they'll see this post and get in contact. You never know.

One of the things that has amazed me is how old my former high-school classmates' children are. They have kids graduating from high school and some have kids in college. I still have a kid in diapers. (Although he could be wearing underwear if he didn't love the convenience of peeing in his pants). I didn't attend my 10-year reunion and as far as I know we didn't have a 20-year reunion so I was completely out of touch with pretty much everyone until recently. I've contemplated organizing a 25-year reunion mostly because I would like to see something happen before we all start dieing. We'll see.

We could learn a few things....

2009-02-04T06:51:00.001-08:00

The other day Cate told me that her and another girl in her class, I**, are now friends. Cate said I** gave her a hug at the end of the day and always waves to her now. This news surprised me as I had to email Cate's teacher earlier in the year and ask that Cate be moved away from I** because I** had threatened to cut Cate's hair (with her scissors in her hand), and in general was making Cate's life miserable. Yes, for those of you with young girls...this is what kindergarten has in store for your daughters.
I asked Cate how the new friendship came about. She said, "Mom, I was just so nice to her, she had to be my friend." Apparently Cate started waving goodbye to her every day, complimented her work and other friendly gestures and I** finally caved and started being nice back.
Wow! I am impressed.
I've always encouraged my kids to do the right thing, no matter what, but it's cool when they actually do it, and with a good result.

I am woman!

2009-01-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

It only took me 40 years to make that claim.
Today I had quite an adventure with my car. It rivals pushing my car through an intersection, by myself, and jumping into it to steer it off the road, which I did a couple of years ago when the transmission went out.

I walked out to my car after work today to discover I had a flat tire. Hmmm....I called Tim, found the owner's manual and went back to my office to figure out what the heck I was going to do. Along the way I stopped by my coworker Margaret's office to tell her my dilemma. Margaret asked if I had a spare and jack. Yes. Do you know how to change a tire? Unfortunately, no. Despite the best efforts of one of my ex-boyfriends who showed me how, I could remember nothing about changing a tire (in my defense, he showed me a good 15 years ago). At this point Margaret questioned my womanhood. She said every woman should know how to change a tire, and I must say I agree with her. I started looking at the manual and figured I could do it. Margaret kindly offered to help, which boosted my confidence a bit.

Well, Margaret and I successfully changed the tire and I took off, calling Tim to tell him the good news. The tire felt kind of funny but I thought it was just because it was one of those small spares....not a real tire. I hadn't gotten far when I heard a popping noise and since I was stopped at an intersection, I jumped out to take a look. Yikes! The spare had completely deflated. Great. Now I am in the middle of the road, at an intersection, in the rain, with a flat spare and a flat tire. I called Tim in a panic and we discussed a tow truck and other options. After I hung up I started to think a bit more calmly. I figured if I could get the original flat back on I would be in better shape, as I definitely couldn't drive on the spare. I got the jack back out and started working, hoping I didn't get hit by a car. After a few minutes a fellow offered some help, which I gladly accepted. We got the flat back on and I only broke one law getting my car parked in the nearest garage.

I called Tim again and he had already borrowed the neighbor's two-stage air compressor (I think that's what it is--it's a compressor that stores air and doesn't need access to electricity to fill up a tire), and was preparing to load up the kids and head my way. While I was waiting for them I walked back to my office to figure out Plan B. It turned out that there is a Sears Automotive Center right around the corner from me, and they were open until 9:00 pm. So Plan B was put into action: Fill up tire using compressor, drive to Sears to get tire fixed, have dinner with family during tire-fixing period. It worked beautifully. The surprise was that Sears couldn't find a leak. They suggested someone let out the air as a prank, which seems unlikely. They did say the valve stem was a little loose and that might have caused air to leak out. Oh, and they wouldn't fix the spare.

So after leaving my house a little before 7:00 Tuesday morning, I finally returned at 8:00 pm, exhausted, but happy to be home and comforted by the fact that I have fully claimed my womanhood.

I slept well but dreamt about the AutoCompleteBox, a control I am documenting. I woke up at 5:00 am, refreshed, but thinking about a line from The Pretender by Jackson Browne.
"I'll get up and do it again
Amen
Say it again
Amen"

Yeah, thanks Jackson.

Some times it's hard to be a parent...

2009-01-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, there's the obvious stuff like the lack of sleep when your kids are little that makes it hard to be a parent, but yesterday I had an experience, which for me, was really hard.
We needed to get a couple of birthday presents for upcoming parties and since I am busy tonight and Friday, I thought we would go last night. Emily wanted to go and asked if we were going to Target because she had received a gift card for her birthday. I said maybe, and since she was buckled in already, ran in to get it for her. As I handed it to her, I asked her if she wanted me to keep it, as she has a tendency to lose this kind of thing. She insisted she could keep it in her coat pocket and everything would be fine. When we got to the store, both her and Sam stashed their coats in our shopping cart and I didn't think twice about it. Later, as we prepared to leave the store, I handed the kids their coats and Emily says, "It's gone."
"Whaddya mean it's gone?" I ask.
"My gift card is gone." she replied, turning her pockets inside out.
We searched the store and the car and didn't find it. I felt bad and mad at the same time. Why didn't she let me hold onto the card? Why did I let her hold it? Why the heck can't she keep track of important things like this? I was sad she lost it...she went to bed crying on her birthday. As much as I want to fix things for her, I can't. I have to let her be out the gift card and be upset about it. If I don't, what's to stop this from happening again and again? She has already lost coats, books, money, you name it, she's lost it.
Sigh.
It's hard to be a parent.

Happy 10th birthday Emily!

2009-01-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

Today Emily turns 10 years old, which means that Tim and I have been parents for a whole decade! Wow! Here's some pictures throughout the years. The first one is from this summmer. We had a little family party for Emily on Sunday, but I haven't got the photos uploaded, so this one will have to do..I love this photo though!
Here's one from San Antonio when Emily was 2 (and I was 32--sigh)...

This next cluster is Emily's 4th birthday (cowboy hat), one of her in Florida, when she was 6 and I *think* her 6th birthday.

Finally, here's a picture of her 7th birthday. Happy Birthday Emily...With the inauguration and all, it seems like a great time to be entering your 11th year!

Cool products from MS Research

2009-01-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of new products from MS Research that I can't wait to show my kids. One is SongSmith. (please, please don't watch the ad for SongSmith...it is bad. Really bad) You set up a couple of preliminary items such as tempo and then sing your original song into a microphone hooked to your PC. The software creates music to accompany your song, which you can play back, rerecord the vocals, or tweak in other ways. My kids are always making up songs for me and SongSmill will allow them to create background music as well. I can guarantee they could spend hours playing around with this.

The other software I am excited about is Kodu. I saw this demoed at PDC and was excited about it then, and am more excited now. You can program games using Kodu and an XBox controller (which I will need to buy as well, incidentally). The software introduces some fairly complex programming concepts in a really easy-to-understand way. I would love to see Emily and Cate creating their own games on the computer, and not just playing them.

Me and my thyroid

2009-01-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've been on the thyroid medication for about 3 weeks now and I feel fabulous. Better than I've felt for a long time. I was reading Oprah's recent story about weight gain and how she felt her thyroid diagnosis was a like a prison sentence. Funny, my diagnosis felt like being released from prison. I don't know for sure, but I feel like I should be able to eat something other than a starvation diet and at least maintain my weight. I've been exercising lately and I am hoping to actually lose some weight. We'll see. (I've lost 4 pounds, but I had a stomach virus for a week, so I can't really count it)

Also, Oprah links to an article about thyroid problems. The article says says that if your TSH level is over 4, and you have symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about treatment. This is a change from the old days when you got treated when your TSH level was over 10. Holy Moly! Mine was at 3.75 and I felt terrible. I was gaining weight merely by looking at food and I couldn't exist without 4 layers of clothing on, in a room that was 72 degrees. I was having a hard time concentrating and was tired all the time. I was similar to Oprah in that I just couldn't get the energy together to do anything. Nothing sounded fun. If I had waited until my levels were at 10, I think I would weigh 250 lbs. and be in a deep depression. Thank goodness the naturopathic doctor I've been seeing was open to treating me now.

The package arrived!

2009-01-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

Per my last post, I'd given up on my UPS package ever arriving and cancelled it with the shipper (Fat Brain Toys, who refunded me immediately, BTW). Well, guess what? While I was at the grocery store yesterday it came. If I had been home, I would have refused the package, but since I wasn't, we cracked it open. There were two items; one for Sam and one for my nephew Jonah. The kids opened Sam's item (also pictured above) and started having fun immediately. Sigh. I sent an email to Fat Brain to recharge me.

On a totally different note; I noticed that 2008 was my best blogging year to-date with 101 posts. I now have one resolution. Blog more in 2009. Oh, and do a better job with the pictures too.

Resolutions (Not!)

2009-01-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

Well, obviously posting to my blog more was NOT one of my New Year's resolutions. Can't really come up with much interesting to say, which is funny, because usually I am ranting or raving about something.

Okay...here's something. UPS totally messed up this Christmas. Alright...I know we had snow and all that, but we saw the UPS driver on Christmas Eve and he told Tim (their routes have overlapped for years) he had a package for us on the truck, but couldn't get to it because his truck was so full. Here it is January 6th and I still don't have that package. I don't fault the individual driver so much as the UPS management trying to squeeze everything out of their drivers. Once the weather cleared the drivers were working 12+ hours/day. Have you ever heard of seasonal staffing? Heck, a UPS truck got stuck in the snow on a cross street near our house after the driver and his assistant delivered packages to our neighbors on our street, on foot. I've heard folks ranting about UPS and how they want to change shippers. Well guess what? You've got one less choice. In fact, with DHL going down your only choices are Fedex or UPS.

Hey, can you tell that Tim getting laid off isn't bothering me at all?

2008 is winding down...

2008-12-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night is our annual New Year's Eve bowling trip. I can't believe that 2008 is coming to a close. Where did the time go? 2008 brought many developmental changes for Sam; his language took off and he really got into trick-or-treating and Christmas for the first time. Cate started kindergarten and learned how to swim. Emily entered "upper elementary" and is showing a new maturity, at least some of the time. I turned 40 and finally took that painting class I had been wanting to.

2009 will bring changes for our family as Tim's last day at DHL is January 9th. Because of this, we say goodbye to Maggie and Logan and wish them well on their next adventure. (I reserve the right to try and lure her back if Tim gets another job right away)

Emily will enter the double-digits on January 21st, when she celebrates her 10th birthday. This means that Tim and I will have been parents for a decade. Wow!

I can't help but notice the cost of the bowling trip has crept up from $40 to $50 to $60 this year. On the flip side, there is a house for sale around the corner from us for $225,000. The house is old and needs some updating, but we haven't seen prices like that in years. It's weird economic times we are living in. I wonder what 2009 holds for all of us?

Holiday fun

2008-12-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

Friday before last the kids and I met my brother Edgar, his wife Lisa, and their boys at the Bellevue Botanical gardens to see their Garden D'Lights. The lights were spectacular, but we could've done without the biting cold, rain and wind. Also, I took the kids to see Santa before all the bad weather hit. Sam surprised us all by volunteering to be the first one on Santa's lap. Sam pronounced Santa a "nice guy". Emily decided she was too big to sit on his lap this year, but consented to a group photo.
We made the gingerbread house that I bought on the ill-fated trip to Safeway Wednesday night. (Thankfully, Tim was able to get the van home) I had this great idea of making some helicopter cookies and sending them to my brother Pete, who is a helicopter pilot. Well, the cookie cutter was too hard to use, but I managed to get once decent helicopter out of it. We all decided our little gingerbread guy needed it. Also, Sam just had to get his head in this photo.

Finally, here's a picture of Sam getting pulled down our road (by Tim) in a sled. This was before we got more snow, which then packed down in a solid sheet of ice. After that you could sled down the hill in front of our house without any assistance. We probably have another 6 inches of snow this morning. Crazy!

Validation

2008-12-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

I haven't been myself lately...I've struggled with being sensitive to cold, fatigue and constipation off and on for my whole life, but lately things have been worse. What's been even harder for me is that I have been gaining weight, despite eating less and less. I felt like something was wrong, but also felt that if I went to a doctor, they would pooh-pooh my concerns and suggest anti-depressants or something similar.
At my boss's suggestion I went to a naturopathic doctor a couple of weeks ago. I told the ND my story, she ordered some blood tests and I went for the follow-up visit yesterday. The results very clearly indicated to the naturopath that I am suffering from an under-active thyroid, which can cause all the symptoms I have been experiencing. What's interesting is that to an MD my TSH levels probably wouldn't be high enough to require treatment. In addition, the thyroid condition is raising my cholesterol (again--would a visit to an MD lead to a prescription for Lipitor?). It's pretty clear from my triglyceride levels the high cholesterol is not coming from my diet. I eat healthy and always have. I can't begin to express the validation I feel from these results. I am also excited that maybe I can eat something other than fruit and salad and Lean Cuisine dinners and stop gaining weight.
Also, my vitamin D level is off-the-chart low and I am slightly anemic. I started my thyroid medication and extra vitamin/iron support today. I'll keep you posted on how it works out.

Mother Nature has the last laugh....

2008-12-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

I've been sick so I spent much of the afternoon dozing on the couch. I woke up, read a chapter of The Horse and His Boy to Cate and then realized that it was 4:00 PM and Emily was supposed to be at a Girl Scout meeting a few blocks away, in downtown Bothell. We scrambled to get our shoes on and get in the car. I grabbed Sam out of his bed (he was still napping) and put him in his car seat, grabbing his coat and shoes to take with us. It was hailing when we got outside but it didn't seem like a big deal. We dropped Emily off and I thought I would go to Safeway, another couple of blocks further, and pick up some food and supplies for a gingerbread house in case it snowed. We were in the store about 40 minutes and when we got out I was shocked; a blizzard had hit. There was a bunch of snow on the ground, more was falling, and the roads were very slick. Unfortunately every road leading to my house is a hill. I wasn't sure which way to go, but decided to stick to the main roads. Well, this did not work out at all. We turned off Bothell Way towards our house and couldn't get any traction up the road. I had cars behind me and my tires were just turning. A couple of people offered to push and I thought I might as well try to get into a nearby parking lot as I was blocking a major road where I was--and I was very nervous because the kids were with me. Also, we were close enough to walk home from there. With help, I finally eked my way into the lot where I just started squirreling everywhere. I do not know how to drive in the snow as I spent many years in the South. Plus, it doesn't snow enough around here to get any good practice in...I mostly just prayed we didn't hit anybody. Well, I got parked and the kids and I were getting ready to walk home when the kind lady who pushed my car stopped by and offered us a ride. I was hesitant because I didn't realize her car was a 4-wheel drive. I didn't want her stuck, too (remember the part about the hill...there was still a large hill to ascend). Her car, an Acura MDX, made it just fine. I didn't get her name I was so stressed at the time...but thank-you kind lady in the Acura MDX who works at QFC. I think I am going Acura shopping...when the snow melts, that is.

Polar Blast '08

2008-12-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

I love it when all the news stations start talking about "Winter Storm", "Polar Blast" or some similar dramatic name for cold and snowy weather. It almost always means we get no cold and snowy weather. It has been cold at our house, and we got a dusting of snow on Sunday, but currently, although its snowing hard a little further north, we've got nothing. The kids will be sad when they get up because they love to play in the snow.
Snow is rare enough in the Seattle area that when it happens, it is a big event. When I was a kid, I remember jumping out of bed and running to the nearest window to see snow on the ground. My brothers and I were thrilled when we found out school was cancelled. We would bundle up and head over to the neighbor's pasture to sled down the hill. We would later come in to warm up with homemade hot chocolate (thanks Mom). When we get snow I take the kids up to the school where there is a hill for sledding. Not as good as the neighbor's cow pasture, but it works. Oh, and I usually make the hot chocolate from little packets, but the kids don't seem to mind. I have a feeling their memories will be similar to mine.

Christmas cards

2008-12-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

I am slowly sending out Christmas cards this year, but in case I don't get to yours, I wanted to post this picture that Cate drew. I'm making Christmas cards with her illustration this year. Usually I get the Costco photo cards, but I thought I'd try something different. Using a piece of the kid's art for our cards might just be our new tradition as I think the cards turned out really cute. Since I got sucked into the stamping phenomena a few years back, I've got paper, stamps, a paper cutter and many other supplies to make cards. In fact, it feels pretty good to be making use of my investment.
(I'll apologize in advance for the parental bragging to follow...) Cate, at the age of 6, is quite a little artist. Emily's a great artist too, but she is not as interested in drawing as Cate. Emily is more into drama and performance art. For example, Emily will be one of the stars of the church Christmas pageant. She'll memorize lines and do a great job acting. In contrast, Cate has been drawing pretty much since she could hold a crayon or a pencil. I have to mention that this picture was just something she drew to entertain herself while we were listening to a speaker at a church event. It wasn't like I sat her down and asked her to make something for our Christmas cards; this is one of many awesome drawings she's made. Anyway, Merry Christmas from the Simmons house and keep checking your mailbox...that card might actually arrive before Christmas.

Something to think about

2008-12-08T08:56:00.001-08:00

I occasionally read the blog for the pastor of a church we no longer attend...and the blog writer wasn't the pastor when we we did attend. Wacky? Maybe...but I appreciate what I think are his true Christ-like views on life. Anyways--he posted this video on his web site, which I found to be pretty thought provoking, and a good reminder that people aren't always who you think.
Check out this post for the back story about the video.

On Cookie Press Obsessions....

2008-12-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the kids and I were making cookies for our church's annual mission project; a Christmas party for the Makah Indians at Neah Bay. We were making cream cheese wreath cookies that my mom made when I was a girl so I pulled out my Mirro Cookie Press collection. I got started with the collection when I lived in Dallas, which was about 15 years ago. I found the cookie press at the Salvation Army in Farmers Branch and bought it because it was just like the one my mom had when I was a kid. The one at the right is just like my moms. She made wreaths and Christmas trees every year. Around Valentines Day she made the hearts. Ahhh....the memories...
When I moved my stuff back to the Seattle area I somehow misplaced the star plate that I need for the wreath cookies. I also removed the press and plates from its original box and put the plates in a ziploc baggie, something I deeply regret (yes, I am obsessed). Because of the missing star plate I bought another smaller press on Ebay about 5 years ago, which included 4 plates, one of which was the much-needed star. Finally, at our church rummage sale a couple of years ago I bought 2 (yes two) more cookie presses, one of which I gave to my friend Tracy. The one pictured here is just like the one I kept from the church rummage sale. Notice the nice wooden rack for the plates. Pretty fancy huh?

Anyways--fast forward to yesterday when I decided to try out the smaller cookie press for the first time, because I thought it would be easier for the kids. (on a side note--back in the day, you could buy this small press and 4 plates for $1.00 and some butter proof-of-purchase) I opened it up and the original cookie press cookbook fell out. You cannot believe how excited I am. These are all the recipes my mom made when I was a kid. Also, the Mirro cookie press is awesome. I've used many other cookie presses, including the Pampered Chef one, and they are all pretty much crap compared to the Mirro Cookie Press. Pick one up at your next rummage sale; you won't be disappointed. Oh-and let me know if you need recipes :).

Kenya Pics

2008-12-05T07:35:00.001-08:00

I scanned some photos yesterday in the hopes that I would get around to painting them soon. I print them in a larger size so its easier to sketch them out. I apologize that my scanner sucks so much--the resolution is pretty poor. The scanner is old, but I hardly use it so I don't really see the need to replace it. Also, I took these pictures with an ancient SLR that I *think* my uncle gave to my brother Pete who passed it on to me.
This picture of a cheetah is one of my absolute favorites. I also love this picture of a kingfisher. One of the times I was on safari we were with a guy with a great eye for photography so he would find the shots and I would just shoot along with him.
Topis (shown in this photo on the right) are beautiful animals. This picture doesn't do them justice. They have the most amazing coloring. Finally, here's a picture of a wildebeest under an acacia tree. Looking at all these old pictures makes me want to take my kids on safari. It would give them memories to last a lifetime.
All right-so much for the trip down memory lane. Wish me luck in getting some paintings done!

Thur 3 Dec

2008-12-04T06:57:00.001-08:00

140 lbs. (argh--most I've weighed since I was a pregnant whale), alcohol units 0, caffeine units 3, Christmas presents purchased 1, calories 1100 (g),

10:00 Realized I made a a mistake in my insurance selection. The benefits tool is beyond confusing...desperately emailed benefits and called them. Got a message saying they were out for the Thanksgiving holiday until Dec 1st. Argh! Am beginning to wish that Tim gets laid off so I can fix benefits selections.

2:15 Just finished watching the most ridiculous, but funny movie. Was sitting next to boss's boss and boss's boss was cringing at various inappropriate parts; one of which involved a bagel dog. Ate my main meal of the day, which consisted of a large bucket of popcorn shared with Margaret and a coke.

3:00 Benefits returned my call. Crying, pleading, complaining did no good. Tim needs to lose his job.

7:00 Emily and I went to Costco. We played around with the karaoke machine and I did my best not to laugh at Emily's rendition of various songs from my youth such as Material Girl by Madonna. Although Emily was upset by my snickering, luckily she didn't notice that I made no attempt to sing along. As we were leaving Emily wanted a berry parfait from the snack bar...bought one berry parfait, one vanilla-chocolate swirl frozen yogurt and one churro, but ate none of it (vg)- gave it to Tim and rugrats.

9:15 Finished reading Bridget Jones Diary. Too funny. Made resolution to start my own diary.

Giving Thanks.

2008-12-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. My cold never really developed into anything serious, and our meal went off pretty much without a hitch. I did forget the stuffing in the oven and it got all dried out, but even that didn't seem like a big deal. The kids: Cate, Emily, Sam, Eston and Jonah all had a good time, and I appreciate that Lisa, my sister-in-law, got dessert going while I played with the kids and a parachute outside. We did miss my mom, who visited Pete and Liz this year, but it was nice that she could get away.

I am so thankful for a healthy and happy family. I am thankful for a warm roof over our heads and ample food and clothing. I am thankful for opportunities my kids have to make memories with their cousins on holidays like Thanksgiving, because I still have wonderful memories of time spent with my cousins (Kasey, Kimmy, Kathy, and Kristie) on Thanksgiving and Easter when we were little.

I am also thankful for times spent with good friends. On top of the Wednesday Molbaks trip, on Saturday Tracy and I took our girls to see The Wizard of Oz at the Seattle Children's theater. The play was great and the kids had a great time running around the Seattle Center afterwards. The weather was almost balmy; cloudy, but not rainy. It also occurred to me that we have been going to Molbaks every year for something like 9 years.

Life is good.

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving...

2008-11-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for the cook!

Yes, that would be me. I have a pie in the oven that needs to finish baking before I go to bed, and I am exhausted.

Per usual, I've come down with my every-other-year Thanksgiving cold. I don't know if it's the stress or what, but I always get sick when I host Thanksgiving. Currently my body is aching and as I mentioned earlier, I am exhausted.
It probably didn't help that this afternoon Tracy and the kids and I went to Molbaks and did our annual photography extravaganza. We had planned the trip a long time ago otherwise I never would have gone. Good thing I rested a bit earlier in the day.

We did get some pretty good shots. I've realized I need to break down and get a digital SLR because I just can't do the kind of photos I want to do without one. Of course, even with the camera I want, it's possible I won't be able to do the kind of photos I like, but that wouldn't be the camera's fault.
Enjoy the photos!

On a lighter note

2008-11-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to report I have secured a smoked turkey for Thanksgiving. I wasn't having any luck finding one at Costco or any local store. My mom suggested I try Silvana Meats, which I successfully did; I ordered one last night. Silvana meats returned my call just after I found one pathetic smoked turkey at Fred Meyer that I wasn't really crazy about buying. The turkey looked like it had been there since last Thanksgiving. I am excited because I think the turkey from Silvana meats will be fabulous; much better than the frozen Fred-Meyer alternative. Since Silvana meats isn't exactly around the corner, I've now got a typical crazy-Cheryl scheme set up. My mom will pick up the turkey on Monday and head to Bothell, with turkey, to spend the night at her friend Kathy's house. She'll bring the turkey to my house on Tuesday morning, early, and I will take her to the airport. Smoked turkey? Check! The other Thanksgiving meal ingredients? Not so much, but I'll have it sorted before the big day. Really. I will.

Change is in the air...

2008-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

From the Seattle Times, "DHL, which is abandoning its air and ground delivery service within the U.S., plans to lay off 255 employees at five King County facilities, according to the state Employment Security Department.

The company alerted the state that on Jan. 18 it will lay off 68 employees at its Marginal Way facility and close sites in Kent, Bothell, Bellevue and Fife that employ 187, a spokeswoman for Employment Security said."

Tim has worked for Airborne Express, and then DHL, for a total of 17 years. By Jan 18th he'll either be out of work or commuting to Seattle for one of the few remaining jobs left at DHL. Fortunately, I earn enough to support our family (good thing I am an occasional housewife I guess) but it still means some change and adjustment for our family.

Also, if Tim is out of work, our nanny is out of work. I know I can help her find another nanny position but this affects her family as well as ours. Maggie's son Logan has been coming to work with her since he was a little over a year old. I guess I don't worry about the grown-ups so much--we can deal with the change, but I do worry about our kids.

There are something like 8000 DHL employees in the US faced with losing their jobs; some in much worse position than us, I am sure. On the various news stories reporting these layoffs I've seen comments about how much DHL sucks and good riddance, yadda yadda. Even if it wasn't personal, which it is, I want to say, "Hello you friggin' idiots--the DHL employees are real people with real families. Up until now, they had real cash to buy whatever goods and services your company is hawking, either directly or indirectly." For the Seattle area, it's another blow. We are already losing all the WAMU jobs. What's next?

Keeping me young

2008-11-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

On Halloween night I headed to the store to buy a bottle of wine...imagine my surprise when the checker did a double-take and said, "You are 21 right?"...I cracked up..."Yeah", I said, "I turned 40 yesterday". Too funny. Well, if I seem young it's from living in the Seattle area (not too much sun damage), hair color, and having kids.

Last night Tim and I found ourselves outside roasting marshmallows, making smores and telling stories around our portable campfire. Tim had trimmed some of our trees recently and after playing with the branches for awhile, Cate decided we should use the trimmed branches to build a fire and roast marshmallows. Building the fire was a little challenging because of the green wood, but ultimately, it was fun, spontaneous, and something we would never do without kids.

Paintings and Halloween

2008-11-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

This first picture is of our Halloween gang. Emily, Sam and Cate plus their friends Camille, Sparky (or William as he prefers to be called at school), and Cooper. You gotta love the "rock on" signs or whatever it is that Sparky (Batman) and Cooper (ninja) are up to. We took this shot in front of their house before we walked to Main street.
Next are my #2 and #3 paintings from my class, which alas, is now finished. I've learned lots of good techniques. Now it's just a matter of carving out some time to practice.
I love the Moroccan one...the flower I am not so crazy about. I missed the class when we finished the flower so I don't think it's as good as it could be.

Flash forward

2008-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Cate and Emily were the acolytes at church. Acolyte is a fancy way of saying they preceeded the choir into the sanctuary and lit the candles at the start of the service. Emily has lit the candles many times before, but this was Cate's first time. Cate is a little on the shy side so it was a big decision for her to decide to do this. She was very excited though; the girls had their name in the program and Cate loved the "candle training" she recieved from one of the other gals in the congregation. Anyways...because it was Cate's first time lighting the candles and the girls' first time lighting them together, I made a point to turn from my seat in the second row to watch them enter the church. This caused me to flash forward to their wedding day when I might also be turning to watch them enter a church. Holy Moly! (pun intended) I almost burst into tears. This might seem a little extreme, but time does fly. I can't believe Emily will be 10 in January.

History.

2008-11-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

History was made in the US yesterday. We've elected our first black president. There is a renewed energy and hope in the air.

Emily was aware of the election for the first time in her life, and I was glad the race was called before she went to bed. The bottom line was history would be made no matter who won, and I am glad she had such a momentous election to form her first memories of politics in the US. I still have memories of seeing election results on TV for the race between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford in 1976, when I was 8 years old.

Home, sweet home!

2008-11-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

I am so happy to be home. My flight back was very routine and we actually got in 40 minutes ahead of schedule. I flew Virgin America for the first time. I loved their entertainment system, and managed to get hooked on The Real Housewives of New York on the way home. I think I watched 3 episodes. It's one of those shows you want to hate, but can't.

On a side note--I participated in a slightly more intellectual activity on the way to LA; I read a good portion of "A Thousand Splendid Suns". This is an awesome book, even better than the Kite Runner I think. I started it on Sunday and finished it Monday night. If you have a chance, read it.

Since my friend Tracy picked me up, I made it back to the house before the girls went to bed, which was very nice! For my birthday (in addition to the ride home), Tracy gave me a scrapbook she had made of all the various adventures we've been on with the kids; a very special gift. I've had lots of fun looking through it.

Friday, of course, was Halloween. I took the day off and we headed off Country Village for pictures as soon as Emily got home from school. Later we went trick-or-treating with some friends in downtown Bothell, and then came home to hit a few of the neighbors. Sam was really into it this year. He started saying "Happy Ween!" to folks midway through the night, which I thought was unbelievably cute.

Happy birthday to me! Goodbye LA!

2008-10-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today is my fortieth birthday. I feel a little older and wiser, I guess, but I think it's amazing that no matter how old I get, I still feel like a kid inside.

I am still in LA at the PDC, which has been enjoyable, but tiring. I am always trying to be an ambassador for my company and since this thing is mostly attended by introverted guys, it takes a lot of energy sometimes. The weather here has been awesome; too bad I barely made it outside! The event itself is pretty amazing. The main keynote room is huge and features 10 huge screens. It's like a rock concert without the band. The quantity and choice of food is also a little amazing. Luckily I've been walking miles every day to help with the extra calories. Everything has been delivered without a hitch. Hat's off to the LA Convention Center and all the other folks that help put this event on.

Tim's sister Talli drove from Riverside, CA and spent the night with me last night. We enjoyed a bottle of wine, some pizza and a lot of chatting. It was so nice to see her and hang out. I really appreciate her battling LA traffic to visit.

Anyways, my flight is at 5:00 tonight and my best friend will pick me up at the airport. Hopefully I'll get home before everyone is asleep tonight.

It's Molbaks season...

2008-10-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tracy, Mark, Tim, me and kids all headed to Molbaks Saturday for the free play and some photos with their fall backdrop. The play was very good and we enjoyed wandering around. I don't know what I'll do if Molbaks ever closes. They still have a weekend left of performances, so if you have a chance, check it out. You'll notice in the photo that Cate is dressed as a leopard and not a fairy. I got out a costume I had made for Emily a few years ago and Cate decided she wanted to wear it instead of her fairy costume. This was fine with me as her fairy costume wasn't done yet. Sam didn't want to wear a costume at all until his friend Logan brought his costume over and Cate dug through the dress up clothes and found another old costume, this one a Dalmation, for Sam to wear. He wore it the rest of the day and most of the next. After Molbaks we went to Red Robin where we surprised Tim with a birthday song.

On Sunday I will head to LA for PDC, otherwise known as The Professional Developer's Conference. It should be a great learning experience and a real treat to go. I'll fly back on Thursday, which happens to be my 40th birthday. The pressure is off Tim to have the surprise party as I don't get in until 8:00 pm.

My first painting-sort of

2008-10-16T19:07:00.001-07:00

This first painting was all about learning to do various washes and elements such as clouds and trees. I think it turned out pretty good, especially if you don't have the teacher's to compare it to (ha ha). I am having a blast in my class and learning a lot.
I said this is my first painting sort-of because I did a fair amount of painting when I lived in Kenya and when I first came back to The States. I've posted pics of a couple of those as well. I was working with pretty crappy materials and didn't have a clue as to what I was doing, but I sure enjoyed the painting.
The first one is a wild dog, which I have to confess I never saw when I was in Africa...I painted it from a book, but I was in the Masaii Mara at the time, so hopefully that counts for something. I painted the lion from one of my photographs.

Pics

2008-10-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

We went down to Edmonds beach a couple of weeks ago with Sam and Cate while Emily was on an overnight trip to the Great Wolf Lodge. It was getting close to sunset and I got some great pics of the two of them playing on the beach.

Oh, and here's one of our cat Oden relaxing on Cate's bed.

Where is the green sheep?

2008-10-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Sam and I attended a performance of The Green Sheep, put on by the Seattle Children's Theater. We sat in a "sheep pen", while the actors performed the play around the perimeter. At first Sam didn't know what to make of it, but he got into it, laughing and enjoying the play. It was fun hanging out with Sam. We typically don't get a lot of one-on-one time. I've included a picture of Sam with the "sun sheep" that I took with my camera phone. I couldn't get Sam to stand still very long so it's kind of blurry.
Next week all of us are going to the free play at Molbaks, and the following week I'll take the girls to see Bluenose at the Children's Theater. I just love exposing my kids to theater!

Halloween Progress!

2008-10-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

We are making progress in the costume department. Yeah!
Yesterday I finished Cate's fairy dress. Now I need to make her bolero jacket that has this sparkly butterfly trim and poofy shoulders. Despite the fancy trim, the jacket should be pretty easy as it is sleeveless.

On Saturday, Emily decided she wanted to be a pirate for Halloween so yesterday we went to Value Village to look for something suitable. Our goal was to put together something more realistic than the store-bought costumes. (Okay, I have to mention I also wanted something a bit less sleazy) We had great luck and found a long velvety jacket that buttons at the bodice, a large collared white blouse with sparkly buttons to go under and a (new) pirate hat. Combined with her black gauchos and orange and black striped halloween socks, she looks very pirate-y.

I'll be lucky if I can get Sam to wear anything resembling a costume on Halloween. He doesn't seem to like dressing up much. He might just end up trick or treating in his pajamas or something. We'll see.

No time for typing....

2008-10-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's the busy fall season, which follows the busy summer season, which follows the busy spring season. I think you get the picture.

In reality, fall is busier than any other time. School has started along with Girl Scouts, soccer, art docenting and the barrage of meetings and training that accompany each activity. For the record, it's Emily that plays soccer and participates in Girl Scouts (hopefully Cate will join a Daisy troop this year as well), but it's mom that enables these activities. Emily's GS troop is a co-op troop and requires quite a bit of effort on my part. Cate's troop has yet to form, but I am praying there is some mom out there that wants to lead her troop, as I don't think I can take on anything else. Also, I've recently started teaching Sunday School one Sunday a month and this is yet another activity to plan and prep for. Luckily I have the K-3 group, which is a little easier than an older group, I think.

On top of these volunteer activities, I am taking the painting class. I had class last night and we are almost finished with our first real painting. I look forward to posting a picture of it when it's done. The class is great but almost enough to push me over the edge in terms of stretching me a little thin.

Did I mention I am trying to make Cate's Halloween costume? I say "trying" because although I know exactly what needs to be done, carving out time to do it has been a little difficult so far. It'll come together. I know it. You can look forward to a picture of her costume as well.

I am almost so busy I could ignore what's going on with the economy, but not quite. I am surprised at how quickly and far things have fallen. My employer has hunkered down, which is a pretty bad sign given they have millions in the bank. I am glad Tim and I have a savings account.