03-31-08

This evening Becca, Diana, and I headed down to the Cedar Hills Powell's in Beaverton to see Jodi Picoult. She is one of my favorite authors (and Becca's too!). She was talking about her latest book, Change of Heart, but we also got to hear her talk about other books, and the movie version of My Sister's Keeper coming in 2009.

And I bought three more books. Because the huge stack of unread books by my bed is lonely...

Hence, the quote of the day:

Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

03-30-08

Each quarter I like to take a photo of the books I've read in the past three months.

This year I've been trying to read less, so that I have more time to work on other goals. I haven't been very successful. First quarter of 2007 and 2008 both logged 17books.

My Favorite this quarter? The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. Wish I hadn't read? Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson. New author discovered? Karen Kingsbury.

Happy reading!

Books are not made for furniture,but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

03-29-08

Remember my resolution to get more family and couple photos?

This afternoon there was a break in the weather, so we carted ourselves, the tripod, a stool, and various stuffed animals to the lake to take photos for the kids MySpace pages. When Anastasia asked for our church as a backdrop, I decided I wanted a couple photo too.

I'm not a big fan of Bruce's hat or Big Dog coat, but I picked them both out (given worse alternatives, in my mind!), so I have to bite my tongue... That's just Bruce, and this is just us... on a spring day that feels like winter...

03-28-08

Spring break started at 1pm today. A week of everyone sleeping in while I trudge to work. But today was my day to go back to bed! By the time we picked up the kids, I had very little to show for my day. Pure bliss.

It started snowing right after I took this photo.

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. -Doug Larson

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. -Anne Bradstreet

03-27-08

This is my second attempt to photograph this cool landmark, I've used every camera setting I can find. I seem to have to choose between the clock being in focus or seeing the building. I decided to go with the different.

My high school could not have been more boring. All the more reason to enjoy the old high school down the street that the kids will attend. I was a jackrabbit, they will be lumberjacks.

This photo is of the auditorium built in the Georgian Revival style, which sports two story Corinthian columns and a big clock tower.

Some quotes for the clock theme:

"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." -- Louis Hector Berlioz

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." -- C.S. Lewis

"The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it, and habit fills up what remains." -- Marcel Proust

03-26-08

This is my primary Bible. My NIV Life Application Bible. A birthday gift from Bruce back in 1995. I like to read other translations and other study notes, but I keep coming back to the first one I read cover to cover and my and favorite. And I love it when I'm looking up a verse and I find that it is already marked up from a previous study or sermon or contemplation.

Tonight in class I learned that Gethsemane means press. We think of it as a garden or an olive grove, but it was probably an olive press where Jesus "sweat blood" with dread for the coming separation from God. A big stone slab that squeezed the olives. Tremendous pressure, a huge weight. Like what Jesus faced.

I'd like to think that someday this Bible will be a treasure to be passed down. I write in it as much as I can to make it more personal. But even if it isn't, it is a treasure to me.

03-25-08

Playing with my little tripod.

I feel like holding a cardboard sign that says "Cold, tired, hungry." Except I don't need money or a job. I need a job that doesn't get me out of bed at 4:15am once a month. I started out my day freezing to death, and I am ending it freezing to death.

Part of why I'm cold is that the remote control to my heather in my Cosmopolis office has dead batteries and we didn't have any AAA replacements in the office. And part of why I'm cold has to do with my quest to not consume a million calories a day. I could have had a maple bar this morning, but I sipped water instead to dampen my hunger. Brrr. I could have had a hazelnut mocha tonight when Bruce and I went out, but I opted for a lower calorie cold drink instead. Brrr.

Started the day scraping ice off the windshield, ending the day wrapped up in blankets and wondering if it is too early to curl up in bed with a good book.

03-24-08

Today at work we had a chili feed in honor of my birthday. Our work group is fun, they will use any excuse to party. And not finding paper bowls didn't slow us down, we used cups instead. Between the chili and Debbie's Mexican coleslaw, I had tears running down my face, but I was actually warm enough to take my sweater off for a little while! And I'm so proud of myself, I stayed away from the plethora of grocery store bakery cookies. Just a little dab of homemade lemon cheesecake... :)

Today was a good day. I got an incredible amount of work done today. Not all Mondays go that way.

"Monday is the key day of the week." - Gaelic Proverb

03-23-08

This weekend I worked on two different scrapbook projects that made me realize that I don't take enough photos of Bruce and I together and of all four of us together. I'm going to start working on this. (Insert loud groan from the family.) We had to bribe the kids, but we got some good photos today.

Happy Easter! And happy birthday to me! They say Easter won't be this early again for another 250 years...

03-22-08

My day consisted of:
- Reading half of a novel. A very strange, but gripping novel.
- An egg hunt at a neighboring church where the kids got "hunting passes" and went to different activity stations, like making a hunting vest from grocery sacks.
- Lunch at Beaches in Vancouver. They have one of my favorite deserts, mocha ice cream in a homemade almond roca bowl.
- Exploring a free museum I never knew existed in downtown Portland. The Museum of Contemporary Craft. They also had craft day today for the kids.
- Hanging outside in the sunshine at a playground, it has been gorgeous here the past few days. Not yucky like reports I hear from the north.
- Walking to Powell's City of Books while the rest of the gang went to the arcade. Pure heaven, to get to go book shopping in peace and NOT have to go to the smelly arcade.
- Painting eggs. This year we had nine colors to play with.

Enjoying the freedom from my to do list.

03-21-08

Tonight I informed Xander that he was going to help me make rice krispie treats. He wanted to know why he needed to help. It reminded me of that story about the hen who couldn't get any help and then didn't share her bread. He got on board pretty quickly and asked if he could sample the first finished treats. He has never tasted homemade ones, he was pretty excited. He also made a bigger mess than if I had just done it myself. But I don't like to bake alone. If you can consider melting marshmallows baking.

Rice Krispies facts:
-Known as Rice Bubbles in Australia
-Has been produced by Kellogg's since 1928
-They are made of rice grain kernels that are cooked to form very thin walls. When the cereal is exposed to milk or juices, these walls tend to collapse suddenly, creating the famous "Snap, crackle and pop" sounds.

I took a vacation day today, and got everything on my home to do list for the week done today, so now I get to relax all weekend. My birthday weekend. With nothing besides church that we HAVE to do for the next two days. Oh, and paint eggs, I guess, but they are boiled and ready to go. Yippee!

03-20-08

It was fun driving through town tonight seeing the churches lit up, the stained glass shining.

Today is Maundy Thursday. In the Jewish tradition, Passover. In the Christian tradition, the last supper. I learned tonight that Maundy is Latin for commandment. Jesus gave us a ritual to follow with communion, and a commandment to follow to love others as Christ first loved us.

Here I am enjoying rock soup in the fellowship hall before our communion service in the sanctuary. Pastor John talked to us about how the allure of upward mobility tugs at us, but Jesus modeled downward mobility. I'd say that we blurred my table mate to protect the innocent (since she did not want her photo taken!), but really the camera was just on scenery mode! Oops! We'll see how amused she is...

03-19-08

Here I am! This is me! In the middle of my week...

Why? Why not?

This is the view of myself that I see the most, I thought I'd share.

03-18-08

Their fragrance is driving my allergies crazy, but I sure love the blossoming plum trees on our street. They just go on for blocks.

Longview is a planned community. These neighborhoods didn't just sprawl into existence, they were purposefully designed. These trees were planted many decades ago, and are still actively maintained by the Parks Department. The trees are not removed unless there are health or safety issues that are determined by the arborists as being beyond any other alternative.

The City of Longview site says "So, stroll through our tree-lined streets and see why Longview is such a great place to live, work and play." And that is just what we did tonight after dinner, take a brisk stroll around the neighborhood.

He that planteth a tree is a servant of God, he
provideth a kindness for many generations, and
faces that he hath not seen shall bless him.
- Henry Van Dyke

03-17-08

Just call me the Post It Note queen.

Today I had to make transparencies to take to Seaside tomorrow to share financial results with the team. I only do it once a month and our multi function copier is smarter than all of us combined, so I started the hunt for the sticky note with my cheater notes. I didn't realize I had accumulated so many little yellow messages! Payroll system problems, phone conversations, short term things to remember, and... copy machine instructions.

I did organize this pile and the near matching pile at my phone after snapping this photo. But I know it will look like this again soon, because I like to hang on to them a few days to make sure the issue is really resolved.

Happy Monday. Happy St Patrick's Day. Happy Post It Note Day (OK to celebrate every day).

03-16-08

Today was Anastasia's day to shine.

First, she performed with the church choir this morning, and did an outstanding job.

Then we immediately headed to the Children's Museum in Portland, where she entertained the little kids from church who joined us. The kids are way too old for the children's museum now but they were both troopers. We borrowed six year old Archana for the afternoon and three other families attended. Anastasia went the extra mile keeping track of, entertaining, and watching out for the kids. She kept me sane today, without seeming to lose any of her own sanity.

Her gift of singing/performing and her heart for little kids are so special. But it is even more special that she is willing to share them with the rest of us.

03-15-08

We should have more chocolate fountains in our lives.

Today my church hosted the Gorgeous Gals Galleria, an art show and fellowship time for women. There were between 90 and 100 women there. We sipped sparking cider from plastic champagne glasses and dipped yummies in the chocolate fountain. We got hand massages and learned some sign language. We heard a talk about how important touch is and how amazing our hands are. We were challenged to get outside our comfort zone to use our hands for good.

It was a wonderful event. And as co-chair, it is wonderful to have it behind me too. One weekend whirlwind event down, one more to go.


P.S. Our theme was Our Hands... God's hands, and the paper tulips in the photo were made by rolling up cut out handprints. Cool, eh?

03-14-08

I'm sure glad I'm not a food photographer, it is harder than it seems like it should be!

Following the lead of fellow bloggers to post about what we're eating. Well, I guess I am the only one eating it... I've had this recipe for two years, waiting for an opportunity to make it. Knew my family wouldn't appreciate it, Bruce doesn't even know what a grapefruit is!

Grapefruit Avocado Salad
Lettuce, sectioned pink grapefruit, sliced avocado, toasted pecans. Dressing made with orange juice, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, and pepper sauce.

Took it to a friends for a dinner party. It was OK, but not really worth the effort. The evening was great, though, lots of laughter.

Happy Friday!

03-13-08

Continuing yesterdays theme of clothing and spring, does purging your wardrobe count as spring cleaning? It's more than just bringing out the spring clothes, it's reevaluating every garment to decide if it stays or goes. It even means trying some of them on.

On the left are the clothes I will keep. They fit good, they feel good, they are my colors, they are still in good shape, and/or I feel like a million dollars when I wear them.

“Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.” -Tina Turner

On the right are the clothes I will part with. Some are dear old friends that I will miss badly. Some I wish I had never bought. But they are worn out, out of style, make me feel like my grama when I wear them, are uncomfortable, or are so far off my color wheel that I can't pretend any longer.

"Cleaning anything involves making something else dirty, but anything can get dirty without something else getting clean. " -Laurence J. Peter

My closet may be spotless, but my bedroom floor has been a wreck all week! But I'll be free soon!

03-12-08

I asked Bruce to take some photos of me. He clicked about four and was done. But he redeemed himself when I mentioned that my photo shoots are closer to fifty photos, not four. It takes a lot to get a photo of myself I'm happy with.

Lynette has challenged us to find signs of spring. I pulled out my spring wardrobe this week, so I'm wearing some brighter clothes. I'm not going to blend in with this jacket!

I do a lot of clearance shopping, so most of my clothes have to go in the closet until it is that season again. This is the first time I've worn this jacket, but I bought it last August for $13.

A few quotes about clothes that I found:
"While clothes may not make the woman, they certainly have a strong effect on her self-confidence - which, I believe, does make the woman." Mary Kay Ash

"I'd much rather be a woman than a man. Women can cry, they can wear cute clothes, and they're the first to be rescued off sinking ships." Gilda Radner

Happy spring!

03-11-08

Today was shot day.

Once a month, sometimes more, Xander and I have mother-son bonding time at the allergy clinic. We usually get in right away, but then we have to wait for 20 minutes to make sure we don't have a reaction. Xander gets a sucker if he doesn't cry, and he hasn't cried in ages. It helps that he is down to only one shot now. I however, have three injections each visit, because I seem to be allergic to MORE things every time I get tested. I've been on allergy shots for 15 years, so it is just a way of life for me.

"Physical ills are the taxes laid upon this wretched life; some are taxed higher, and some lower, but all pay something." ~Lord Chesterfield

03-10-08

This is what I saw when I pulled into my parking space on our street tonight after work. It's Monday, so I tried to take a photo at work, but I didn't put my memory card back in the camera yesterday. Oops!

Two things struck me - that it is much lighter, and that the trees have turned pink almost over night. I love the plum blossoms, I don't mind the mess they make all over my car when they are in bloom. The extra light is good, but I would trade it all in for not changing the clocks twice a year. I could barely function this morning. I'm going to have to go workout in the basement tonight, because I went back to bed this morning.

Oh, and a follow-up to yesterday. Xander is now about 30% through the game. He's decided that playing with Anastasia works better than playing with dad, because she doesn't get as frustrated with him when he does bonehead things that gets his partner killed. "Anastasia's used to dying!" he quipped.

My weights await...

03-09-08

Bruce was at GameStop last night at midnight to pick up our reserved copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This was part of Alexander's Santa gift, an IOU for the game when it came out. I don't understand the fascination, but the guys think it is pretty darn cool. Xander commented that he can't beleive how many characters he has already unlocked.

In 2 1/2 hours the guys played 18% of one section of the game.

But, yes, we did get outside to enjoy the sunshine today too!

03-08-08

Where's Waldo? I mean, where's Anastasia? Can you spot her?

She has been practicing to sing in the Western Washington Honors Choir for two months, but today she sacrificed her whole Saturday to practice and perform. They all did a great job, singing nine songs for a packed auditorium. I don't know very much about music, I got kicked out of glee club for singing badly. I'm so glad Anastasia has talent and enjoys singing.

And maybe one day she will play the drums, which is what she really wants to do.

hint: she's in the middle of the third row. white turtleneck, brown vest.

03-07-08

This is a wall in our church. it is the stairwell down to our youth room, and it is plastered on both sides with record covers.

I don't get down that way very often, but when I do, I really enjoy the wall, and I am shocked and amazed that I actually recognize several of the artists. Third Day. Jars of Clay. Skillet. Kutless.

While I am far from hip, I owe any coolness I have to WAY FM, the local Christian radio station. I enjoy listening as I drive around town. The kids and I sing to most of the songs. And I drag everyone to as many concerts as I can.

Besides the fun (repetitive) music, the dj's are entertaining too. Jeff and Stace are outrageous on the morning show, and on Total Axxess last night Wally and intern Zack were talking about their bucket list, and it was pretty funny.

Today's Word on the Way is Psalm 139:1: O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

03-06-08

The more I plan what my daily photos are going to be, the more God laughs in my face. I've been trying to take nighttime photos, with daylight saving change coming this weekend. Last night I could not capture the stained glass on the chapel at church. And tonight I was in too much of a rush to do justice for the clock tower. And I want to get the fountain on the lake lit up at night too.

But not tonight. I'm done running around, my slippers are on.

Bruce and I have been taking a short walk after dinner when our schedule allows. He says it aids in digestion. So does eating less.

Tonight on our walk, I brought the camera along, just in case. When we walked outside the sky was lit up funny. Like it couldn't decide whether to pour down rain or to be a beautiful sunny evening. It landed somewhere in between, but I snapped this photo of our block first.

I also ran outside and got a cool photo of the sunrise this morning. Some days I have nothing to choose from, some days it is hard to choose.

04-05-08

I'm tired today. Tired of three bad days at work. Tired of being slave to a to do list. Tired of not having as much energy as I normally do. Tired of the daily grind. Tired of caving in to the donuts at work.

If only life was as easy and peaceful as it looks for this Willow Tree. Maybe if I didn't have a face people would leave me alone. Maybe if my hair was curly and pretty I'd be more content. maybe if my sole purpose was to make the alcove in the fireplace look pretty I'd feel like I was doing the right things. Maybe if I had angel wings I would feel like I was reaching out to the unloved.

But then again, maybe I'm just tired!

03-04-08

Here he is, just clownin' around!

This clown nose has been hanging around the house for the past week, showing up at the strangest times. It's hard to kiss Bruce with such a big nose! It is supposedly belongs to Anastasia, but I have yet to see her sporting it.

I took 28 photos of Xander jumping around the living room in the clown nose, playing around with close-ups. I got a lot of cute expressions, but the eyes are the same in all of them - the "acting for the camera because mom asked me to" eyes. Oh, well, he's still my favorite little man.

03-03-08

Another Monday. And this one was a real doozie.

At 8:45 my ergonomics software pops up with a reminder to take my morning break. Like I need any reminder that it is time for my cocoa laced with orange cappuccino! I am so disappointed when I am on a conference call or at a meeting at 8:45. This is my morning bliss. I'm locked out of my computer for almost ten minutes anyway, so I drink it slowly and enjoy every sip.

I've had these mugs forever (one at my Longview office, one at my Cosi office), I'm actually on a quest to find a more modern vessel for my liquid sunshine. The otters remind me of college, of point defiance zoo, and of Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Anything but the fact that it is Monday morning. Again.

03-02-08

I love cows.

They aren't my favorite animals, but I am fascinated with them. When I see them along the road, I have to watch them. I wonder what is going through their mind. What their day is like. Cows just seem to have less purpose than other animals, and their simplicity draws me right in.

Bruce thinks I'm silly for thinking a house with a view of cows would be cool. Especially since I am a city girl, have no desire to live rural. I remind him that cows have been a thread for a long time; when we were honeymooning in Maine, we drove out of our way to track down the belted Galloway cows. Seeing those cows that are also called Oreo cows was one of my favorite memories of that trip.

Driving to and from Yelm this weekend via the back roads, I saw a lot of cows. I just couldn't resist pulling over to photograph them. This light brown one stared at me the entire time I was pulled off. What was he thinking?!?

03-01-08

What's in your purse?

I've never been the type to be overly embarrassed by the contents of my purse. Probably because it's not my special personal space, it is just a necessarily evil that half the time stays at home.

There is a lot of spare change and small scraps of junk in the bottom. But my essentials are:
Calculator (never ever use it, but still pack it)
Checkbook (for paying my hairdresser and the pottery store)
Several pens
Wallet (Anastasia likes to say M for Michele and Mom)
Various meds when I'm under the weather (or just forget to pull them back out), but always the allergy meds
Address book (dragging my heals on entering the digital age)
Nail clippers, hate jagged nails
Allergy shot clinic hours (even though we ALWAYS go on Tuesday afternoon!)
Epi-pen for Xander and I in case of severe allergy reaction
Blackberry
Post-it notes for jotting things down
Misc hard candies for cleansing my palette (like the strawberry ones the best)
Badge to get to work