11-30-08

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

and I don't mean the warm and fuzzy lovey-dovey side. I'm talking the tear your hair out pulled in a million different directions side.

I was reading in Real Simple magazine that the average person:
- Spends 10 hours shopping for gifts
- Uses 6 rolls of wrapping paper
- Spend 3 hours wrapping gifts

I know I go overboard, but I would like to meet anyone over college age who fits this mold. Are they averaging all the kids and guys who do nothing with us insane women, or what?!? It's not even December yet, I better pace myself.

Today's photo of Katie and I was taken at our Santa's Helper Workshop event at church this afternoon. I was helping folks decorate chocolate bars big and small.

Hey, at least I'm having a good hair day! :)

11-29-08

Spending the weekend in downtown Seattle, we got plenty of opportunities for coffee.
When Bruce asked me what I’d like to do while we were in Seattle, I remembered a blurb I read in the AAA magazine about coffee houses that add art to the foam. I wanted foam art.

We went to coffee three times in less than 24 hours. None were Starbucks, but we did get photographed for the red program (with a coupon for a free drink!) at Westlake Center.

We also took in the tree lighting ceremony at Pike Place Market. Pigs & all.

“No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.” ~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir

11-28-08

We dropped the kids off with the grandparents and headed to Queen Anne. The main goal was rest and relaxation, and our old funky hotel was perfect. We watched a few movies, watched a few Battlestar Galactica DVDs, and walked down memory lane from our college days. Our hotel was right on top of the first Chopstix dueling piano bar, so we took that in too.

And since the admission price for Experience Music Project dropped, we explored that too. I love most museums, and the music and science fiction themes made it palatable to Bruce. This photo doesn’t do it justice, but here is Bruce in front of a huge funnel shaped statue of guitars, some of which are rigged up to play themselves. Way cool. I would never characterize myself as a science fiction fan, but I knew a lot of the material in the Science Fiction Museu.m & Hall of Fame

“I just read this great science fiction story. It's about how machines take control of humans and turn them into zombie slaves! . . . HEY! What time is it?? My TV show is on!” - Bill Watterson author of the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes

11-27-08

Happy turkey day!

I like to take photos of the kids plates on Thanksgiving. But, I should have taken a photo of my own plate instead. It had a lot more food and a lot more variety…

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

11-26-08

Can you hear the Christmas music playing in the background?

Normally we decorate the house for Christmas right after Thanksgiving, but this year right before fit our schedule better. SO tons of boxes were hauled upstairs, the tree was assembled and decorated, the village was set up on the bookcase, both nativity scenes were arranged, and our other Christmas stuff was put in it's proper spot.

Let the festivities begin!

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. - Norman Vincent Peale

11-25-08

Today I drove up to Tacoma for our annual log count.

Our log inventory procedures say that a count has to be done during fourth quarter, at minimum, and a finance or accounting rep needs to be present. I have direct oversight for three yards (Tacoma, Olympia, and Longview), and today was the day for Tacoma. Tacoma is a small yard and their inventory is really low right now (about 380 truck loads), so we were done in a few hours.

If a log deck has less than 200 logs, we count the logs. But for big decks like this, we measure the length and height of the deck. It's really more of an art than a science.

This deck is nice and straight and on dry asphalt, but they are not all like that! My jeans are full of mud.

11-24-08

Xander saved me from a bad day at work with a 3pm parent-teacher conference.

We know Mr. Bixby well, this is our third year with him. He has the kids lead their own conference, which is part painful but mostly cool.

well dones: awesome writer, #2 in class for reading AR points
opportunity for improvement: strive for more than coasting through

Dad's reward is a treat at BK.

11-23-08

What a glorious day! Wish I was outside in it more.

This is my artistic shot. The sun was shining behind our flag in the front yard.

The flag caught me eye. I thought Bruce was a bit early changing to our Christmas flag, but I'm still coming to terms with the fact that next week is Thanksgiving! We walked through Macy's yesterday with the youth group and they were playing Christmas carols. Time keeps marching, whether I'm ready or not...

"Only 5 more churches until Christmas!" - a five year old from my Sunday School class

11-22-08

Our seats were incredibly close. So close that I’m glad Shannon shared a pair of earplugs with me.

So this is Hawk Nelson. That is the name of the band, not the person, he pointed out. I saw them perform at Luis Palau, but this weekend it was fun to see the girls so excited about them. I enjoyed seeing Natalie Grant more, but for the girls it was all about Hawk Nelson. It’s hard to capture the energy in a photo- the swaying arms, the lit cell phone screens, the girls flocking o the stage area, the cries of “I love you” often.

“I’ve never seen so much yarn. I had no idea girls carried yarn.” – The security employee who searched bags at the Rose Garden, after Traci asked him about the strange things he sees in our bags.

11-21-08

This weekend about 7,000 of us headed to Portland for the Revolve Tour. This is the teenage version of Women of Faith – nine and a half hours of concerts, skits, and speakers wrapped over two days. 10 of us adults took 24 of our youth group girls to the event. Plus, a slumber party at a Portland church.

Some themes of the weekend were that you are the only you there is (embrace your uniqueness, get comfortable in your own skin) and let your life be your message (be available, act now to be the change you want to see). Something that spoke to me where I am is that God knows that life is hard and he is here to carry us through.

I took a ton of photos this weekend, but I was disappointed that the teenagers were getting better photos that I was. So here is Anastasia right before the program started.

11-20-08

Took a break from the work insanity tonight to work on my home pile. It can grow to insanity quickly too with no attention paid to it. My scrapbook room is as messy as Anastasia's bedroom!

Took a break from it all to play a family card game after dinner.

“If life doesn't offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one.”
Anthony J. D'Angelo

11-19-08

Do you like protein?

Protein is a big part of my life. I feel so much better on a high protein diet.

This weekend I'm going on my first youth event, and I'll be packing the protein bars so I don't get crabby.

Last weekend I had my first visit to Whole Foods. Bruce encouraged us to step in for a few minutes when we were in Portland. As soon as we walked in he said "Wait a minute, this is a grocery store!" LOL! But, a grocery store with a good selection of protein bars.

I did discover the hard way that adding a protein boost to a Starbucks coffee is not money well spent. I guess you have to draw the line somewhere...

11-18-08

Hail to the cocoa!

Bruce and I both love to mix hot chocolate with International Coffee for our morning java. Normally I have mine at 8:45 after working an hour, and usually Bruce puts the kettle on as soon as he wakes up in the morning. On the weekends I like to hover around the kitchen and add the water as soon as it starts to boil, Bruce likes to walk away form it and wait for the kettle to sing. He likes Hazelnut (and currently Pumpkin Spice), I've been stuck on Orange Cappuccino for years.

I'm currently trying to kick my two cup-a-day habit, but old habits die hard when it is cold and dreary and a long afternoon stretches before me.

11-17-08

This is the entryway of my scrapbook room. Where all my junk from work, miscellaneous mail, incoming packages, notices from school, receipts, half done Sunday School preparations, and anything Bruce doesn't know what to do with lands.

This my brown purse that is not much of a fashion statement, but is the best purse I've ever had for finding things. And magnetic closures!

And this is my book that I have resorted to carrying around with me in hopes that I will actually have it done soon so I can ready the thread on my reading group yahoo group. At night I seem to be too exhausted to keep my eyes open, and during the day I seem to be too frantic to get the bare minimum accomplished...

11-16-08

Here's an unusual glimpse at my home office from the front porch. Guess what I did this weekend?!?

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.”
Henry Van Dyke

11-15-08

Today we made a trek down to Portland for two things: to get Anastasia shoes for jazz class at Lloyd's Center, and to drop off the shoeboxes.

I was hoping my blog photo today would be a huge pile of shoeboxes, I love going to the drop off sites and seeing all the generosity. But, we had a bit of a peculiar experience, with an unmanned drop off site. The Baptist church was unlocked so we had a great time exploring it. They had beautiful bright stained glass windows in the sanctuary, I was thrilled to find a restroom, and Anastasia was awed by the full game court in the youth area. But no towering pile of shoeboxes to be seen.

11-14-08

What do you get when you get 4 tweens together in Wal-mart? I lot of chaos, some peeved fellow shoppers, and some hilarity. My favorite moment was when they tried in earnest to get all the Elmo's to sing at the same time.

We had a great turnout for our shoebox mission event- 30 people, 8 families, and we filled 15 shoeboxes. The kids each filled a box with very little adult supervision and they only went a total of $3 over budget. One kid paid attention and was aware of being overspent but knew that 18 washcloths for $4 was a good deal, the other just threw endless $2 items in the box and was clueless. Any guesses?!?

“We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know”
W. H. Auden

11-13-08

"There's a queue to log in!" - Bruce

"It takes a million XP to level!" - Xander

"Now we need industrial strength rope" - Bruce
"Where do you find that" - Xander

"It took me forever to get past that place when you were following me." - Xander

"Ok, that was an easy quest!" - Xander
"Well, it was a one person quest we did with two people, it should be easy." - Bruce

"Oh cool! Did you see that?" - Xander

"Now we're going to do some fun stuff. Harpoons." - Bruce

"I've died three times!" - Xander

"Oh, I hear fighting, that's not a good sign." - Bruce
"What the heck, there's two of them?!?" - Xander

"They need to make these things faster." - Xander

Last night Bruce was at Game Stop at midnight to get two copies of World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King. And he stayed up until 4:30am playing. And now I get to hear these odd snippets of conversation around me. Party on!

11-12-08

The result of an impromptu photo shoot, due to not clicking a photo earlier today.

Hard to see here, but she wore a tiara all evening.

A little wound up? Yep. Wish I could transfer some of that energy over to me!

11-11-08

I started participating in Operation Christmas Child (AKA shoebox ministries) when we lived in Aberdeen. I would order small trinkets from Oriental Trading Company, raid the dollar store, and involve the kids in packing at least a dozen boxes each year.

When we moved to Longview and started coordinating church social events, I started hosting an annual mission night where we all go to Wal-mart together and see if we can fill a shoebox for $20. This event is coming up on Friday, and tonight is my prep night. Gathering shoeboxes, sending out e-mail reminders, printing off labels and letters to tuck inside, thinking through the logistics for pizza and Minister's Delight. It will be an extra challenge to fill it for $20 this year, prices seem to be rising fast.

But this shoebox here has a funny story. Bruce found it the other day. It was in a movers box that had not been opened since we moved from Aberdeen. In 2004! The candy needs replacing, but otherwise it's ready to turn in this year!

11-10-08

Wandering around the house tonight looking for a blog topic.

I'd like to get some photos of our log yard at work, but I am too busy to take the time right now. I took some photos of my laptop, since I packed it home again tonight, but it is pretty boring. I photographed a Noah's Ark tapestry because the rains are supposedly coming to Cowlitz County in storm warning levels.

But this photo won out. Some people keep dishes in their cupboards, but our dining room built-ins are full of photos. These photos of the kids are my favorites. I think they are both about 9 months. Anastasia tolerated hats very well. Xander tolerated little of anything, but you sure can't tell in this photo!

“Nostalgia: A device that removes the ruts and potholes from memory lane.”- Doug Larson

11-09-08

I had every intention of getting an outdoors photo today, since it is now too dark to click outdoor photos after work.

But I'm a slug.

So here is an interesting indoor shot. I was trying to capture both the mosaic lamp and the kids, and I warned Anastasia that she wasn't posing in the right spot, but it is still my favorite.

This was taken at the new Taco Time in Kelso.
Thumbs up for an elegant atmosphere.
Thumbs down for no sour cream on the soft tacos.

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”Stanley Horowitz

“Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end.”
Alice Paul

11-08-08

Guess where we went tonight?

Guess!

This is Tom-o-hawk, the mascot.

Yep, we were at a "hawkey" game.

The Portland Winterhawks lost to the Red Deer Rebels. Two of the worst teams in the league, battling it out. The seats were empty and the playing was pitiful, but it was fun with friends and there were some good fights. A guy behind us was explaining the game to his buddy, so I learned a lot.

Obscure hockey fact: There is a tie in the back to secure the jersey. If the player fails to secure his jersey, he gets a 2 minute penalty for "improper tie down". This wardrobe faux pas comes to the attention of the referees when a member of the opposite team tears the jersey over your head during a heated fist fight. And that's another penalty.

11-07-08

Anastasia and I have planned this shopping spree all week. She even gave up time with her friend to tag along with me. It's not easy to find time when she is available (with ballet two nights a week and church another) and when Bruce is around to watch Xander (he is no fun to shop with!).

We went to two cities, nine stores, and I hate to add up how much we spent. We didn't have perfect luck, but got quite a few things taken care of. One of my missions was big chocolate bars for a Santa's Workshop craft day at church. I finally found them at Safeway on sale 10 for $10, so I bought their whole inventory. The clerk didn't even ask why I had 20 candy bars and some cornstarch...

I appreciate Anastasia's help. She keeps me grounded in our task, offers suggestions, and helps me find things. She talks me into extra things too. Tonight it was boots, holiday flavored hand soap, and she tried pretty hard to get me to buy an extra package of candy cane Frangos.

“If men liked shopping, they'd call it research.” -Cynthia Nelms

11-06-08

Are you ready?

Retailers are ready for you! With fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and falling retail sales, they are trying to jump-start the gift-giving season. I always try to get an early jump, I have purchased several items this week and have some people on my list complete.

When we walked into Starbucks tonight, it was already decked out for Christmas. I opted for the salted caramel coca, but next time I'll try their new Peppermint Mocha Twist - a peppermint mocha with peppermint whipped cream and curls of chocolate on top.

Only 49 shopping days until Christmas...

11-05-08

Part of my weekly ritual is gathering in a circle in the fellowship hall to pray before we have our simple supper. It was baked potatoes with ham and chili and other fixins tonight. I've always wanted a photo of the circle, Bruce offered to take one tonight. Do you see me?

Then we scatter. I headed off to budget class, Bruce to Senior High Cookie Company group, Anastasia to middle school youth group, and Xander to Kidmo. The topic in budgeting class was debt - you can wander in, but you can't wander out.

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

11-04-08

Tonight I watched the expected shift in balance of power, as Democrats win the presidency and more senate seats. I didn't watching it non-stop, but we flipped between Fox and CNN and watched the electoral votes creep up. McCain's concession speech was an elegant exit. Obama telling his girls they earned a puppy to bring to the White House cracked me up.

Xander had a homework assignment to mark the states, so he added O for Obama and M for McCain to his map as states were called.

We're making history. The first African American president. Record voters taking to the polls. Global economic crisis. Now to see if the US can really reinvent ourselves.

"I know it's become a catchphrase, 'hope and change,' but when you are trying to pay your bills, what is wrong with hope? Hope provides motivation. Hope matters," said Ross Brickman, 38, of Greensboro, N.C.

11-03-08

I didn't like the way my bangs looked, so I cropped them out. And this is why we gals have so few photos of ourselves. We just delete, destroy, or otherwise modify the ones we don't like. And we don't like any of htem.

I could whine about things falling apart at work, or about having a hard time adjusting to the time change, or about not having the self control to stay out of the candy, but I am feeling very blessed. We're all healthy, I was able to walk away from work at quitting time, and tomorrow is a new day for eating right.

Happy Monday!

11-02-08

From 7am Saturday to noon today, Anastasia had no food as part of a 30 Hour Famine fast. She could have water, unsweetened juice, and chicken broth. As a sixth grader she was encouraged to have a Subway six inch halfway through, but she declined. She feels a little yucky today, but has held up incredibly well.

22 youth group kids participated. They spent the 30 hours together at a lock-in at church, except they left to help out at a shelter in Portland and to do an Amazing Race style scavenger hunt. They collectively raised about $3,000 for World Vision to support starving children in Africa. Anastasia was number 3 in fundraising.

We're proud of her, and pleased that her and Xander are looking forward to participating next year.

"Yay, food!" - Anastasia, when Dad got home with Hart-C's Thai takeout dinner

11-01-08

With Anastasia and Bruce doing the Famine event for 30 hours, Xander is bound to be my blog topic today. I like hanging out with the guy who is content to stay at home and do nothing and to go downtown to a real restaurant for lunch.

Our day today took several unexpected twists and turns, but Xander made his goal of getting his World of Warcraft character up to level 70. Just in time for the new expansion (Wrath of the Lich King) that is coming out soon (I saw a receipt for the pre order hit my in box), offering levels 71-80.

Congrats, dude!