Lets Party New Year's "Day" - Day - Day!

I just wanted to let you all know that Brent and I plan on buying the "Wingers" Bucket again this year. I called to check what their biggest bucket was and its a 40 piece. So, after talking to Lauren we think we will get 2 (maybe). However, the wings are about $1 a piece. So I thought I'de ask if anyone would be interested in making a 'tiny' contribution. Either way, they'll still be there. And no, you don't have to slap a dollar on the table for every 'one' you eat - I know you were worried about that Doug! But if we wanted to add mint ice cream again like last year, I suggest we buy that ahead of time (so its cheaper!) along with the caramel and whip cream! Ooh this party's sounding better and better. Please let us know what your thoughts are. Again, Lauren said we'll start around 2, but you can come sooner or later if you want. (And bring snacks!) Can't wait to see you there!

Treat

I made some of these cookies tonight for a few neighbors.

Aren't they just so cute?!

They are super easy and fun (though when you multiply anything by 120, it can be a little tedious).

Anyway, I just thought as I finished my first cookie sheet that they all seemed to have their own distinct expression and character. I couldn't help but feel akin to my cookies as they were all staring up at me.

You can find the recipe here:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Santa-Cookies-103175

It's so fun to find cute holiday treats! I think kids would have a lot of fun decorating them, too. I didn't experiment 'cause I was in a bit of a time crunch. Maybe next year. =)

Playing The "Santa Card"

Twas a few weeks before Christmas,

when throughout every day,

I told all the kids "now you better behave!

Santa's coming to town and bringing you gifts,

You better be good, or you're gonna get jipped!"

Mom giggled inside, in spite of herself.

This works just as good as "The Elf on a Shelf".

If you've not heard of that book, it works just the same.

If the kids misbehave, then they are to blame.

For Santa is watching, if you act like a louse,

Someone will tell him, the elf, or the house mouse!

It works like a charm, for you see, I have tried it!

My kids straighten right up, no, I cannot deny it!

And all through the city, and all through the town,

I hear other mothers do not knock it down!

Its a sweet little secret us moms like to use,

It keeps us from stressing, and blowing a fuse!

And children are happy most of the day.

They are dreaming of new toys

and games they can play.

When that jolly ol' fellow comes bestowing his gifts,

And all through the house, each child's spirit he lifts.

The tool has been used, the deed has been done,

Now what will moms do the next month that's this fun!

Silent monks sing Halleluia

Christmas Memories

Kai has had a cough lately, and yesterday morning I heard him coughing down the hall. He woke up earlier than normal, so I went looking for him to see if he was ok. But I couldn't find him. I could hear him cough, and finally I had to say "Kai, where are you!" And he answered "Right here under the tree". I thought it was so cute.

I figured I knew why he was under the tree, but I still had to ask. He simply answered, "just because I wanted to". Well, duh! We had just got the tree the night before and had put the lights and decorations on it. So it was all lit up and decorated and waiting to be enjoyed.

I guess its a kid thing to crawl in the tiniest corner of something and find security, comfort, and enjoyment from it. What I thought was cute was remembering how many nights I loved to just sit in the livingroom and stare at the Christmas tree when we lived in our home on Greenwich. Something was just calming and peaceful about being mesmerized by the lights. I guess thats the effect of the holiday season. Hope you are all enjoying your holiday season while remembering some Christmas' from the past. I don't want to forget to give a shout out to Dallin and my sweetie, Brent - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I must be the most obnoxious person I know! So what am I doing today you ask? Shopping for everyone else! And I am seeing a movie with Erika and Bre. But first my in-laws, Ann and Brent are treating me to lunch at the new In-N-Out! (That habit will have to end soon - my vegetarian tummy is NOT going to be happy with me!)

My sweet husband was the first to wish me a 'Happy Birthday'! (Obviously, since we live together!) But mom called me this morning and forgot and I had to call her back and reprimand her! Hello! Later today our family is going to pick out our Christmas tree and take a hay ride for fun 'family time'. Will there be Birthday cake in the middle of all this, hmmm, I dunno! -Maybe for the little kids. (But I'm gonna have to be on a diet after lunch and movie popcorn!)

A Christmas Carol

O.K. I know this Disney movie came out on Nov. 6, but we decided to wait to take the kids until closer to Christmas and so we saw it yesterday. This is just a warning to those of you who may not have seen it yet, especially those of you with younger children. It was a creepy movie. Really creepy. If you want a lengthy explanation of why, please call Merri or Jack, they both have had to discuss it at length. If you find a Christmas movie worth watching, please let me know. Also, we saw Hale Center Theater's "A Christmas Carol" last year and it was great. My kids still remember it fondly. So that might be a better choice if you want to see it!

We're Scheduled

Just wanted to let everyone know that I booked the Outland Pines cabin in Island Park http://www.islandparkidaho.com/OutlandPhotos/OutlandPines.html for July 26-31. Check in time is 4:00 pm and check out is 11:00 am. We can take care of the finer details later. If anyone wants a copy of the terms of agreement I can forward the email to you. (It talks about things like taking out the trash and bringing up your own soap and shampoo. Might be worth reading).

Now... go enjoy your Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Speaking of In-N-Out

I read another librarian's blog, and she was talking about In-N-Out today, and I was amazed at the story she had to tell:




This is where I have to tell a story that is not mine. From the looks of things, everybody in the store was trying to be courteous about the seating thing. There was maybe a tiny bit of circling and hovering as people tried to stake out tables, and people who were eating left quickly when they were finished. So it seemed like everyone was being taken care of. When I told my sister about this, she shared with me the awesome experience that just happened to my friend (and blog designer) Jeri. Jeri and her crew went to In-N-Out, got their food, waited for a table to be cleaned, and then made their way over there. Just before they sat down, a woman behind them threw her purse over their heads so that it landed on the table, then shoved her way past them and sat down, all the while refusing to make eye contact. So Jeri, her small children, and her pregnant sister-in-law just sort of stood there, stunned.

At this point a nearby group of men, who had seen the whole thing, started laughing at that crazy beast and invited Jeri and her family to come over, where they made some room for them to sit. Because they were nice. And not crazy insane people like some other purse-throwers I could mention. Seriously, people. It's a table. At which you are going to eat a burger. Seriously. Do you really want those kind of karma points over a burger? Technically you should never behave like that at all, ever, but it just seems especially stupid over something so small.

Not so bad...

Doug talked to the Dr.'s assistant today and it seems like they are planning on proceeding cautiously. (Yeah.) We were afraid they'd be off doing surgeries again, but he said since Doug's visual scope last week looked so good, and the x-rays they did just in August looked so good, that they are just going to have him do an extra couple of treatments (so 4 total) and then wait until the Spring and do the whole round of checks again. That's probably a best-case scenario for now. Thanks for all your supportive comments and calls!

Test Results

Doug had a checkup with his Dr. last week, and they called today with the results from his cytology (urinalysis). And they said it showed malignant cells. Blahhhhh. So, we haven't talked to the Dr. And we don't know what this will mean. But, instead of having 2 treatments this month, they might do a full course, like six. And then that will probably be followed up with a biopsy--which probably means at least three months off of work. And there might be talk about removing his bladder, which would mean about a year off of work. So that's the news..... We won't really know much, though, until we see the Dr. on the 16th.

Oh Happy Day!

Look whats in MY neighborhood! I drove past this a week ago and didn't even know they were building one! I was having lunch with Ann then and she said it was going to open this week.

This Tuesday I was doing Erika's hair when Ann texted me and said she was eating at In-N-Out! And she didn't even invite me! Hello! So today I decided to take Keala after preschool. (Real quality 'together time' - yeah right!)

We didn't realize the line to order inside was going out the door! We had to stand in 30 degree cold wind! Keala yelled "this line is stupid!" She was so mad at me! Everyone laughed. That was until a 45 year old lady got in line behind us and yelled "C'mon everybody, cozy up! Its cold out here!" And then people were REALLY laughing. (And I thought Keala was obnoxious!) (Funny how loud mouths make us all instant friends cuz we all starting talking to each other then!)

Waiting in line to order didn't take long, but waiting for our food REALLY did take long! Keala was much more patient once we were inside from the cold. I thought I would be nice and invite Ann, so I ordered for her and we waited for her to come. She got here before our food did!

Fun and Yum! When I told Brent a week ago how excited I was to eat here, he said, "Too bad you are a Celiac whose Lactose Intolerant, and a Practicing Vegetarian! At least you'll be able to eat the lettuce!" Forget that! I ate the whole stinkin' thing, with grilled onions AND cheese! Mmmmm! Delicious! ("Wish you were Here!")

All the workers came up and cooed at the hat on Keala's doll. One of the workers recognized Ann from last week and said "Welcome Back!" We all started laughing. She was so embarrassed. (That woman makes friends with perfect strangers all the time. She always has!) That place was so packed full of people. As we left, the tables were finally empty and it dawned on me that I gone during the lunch hour! Hello! But it hadn't occurred to me because I just picked Keala up from preschool and went straight over. Oh well. (I just got off the phone from Brent before I finished this and he just yelled at me: "Now we'll see whose gonna die from not eating like 'The China Study" says you should!") - He just ate a vegetarian sub from Sub Way! Bwah Ha Ha Ha!

Can You Come?

For Dallin's birthday he wants to go play laser tag at Lazer Assault in Provo. I scheduled a time for him on December 16th at 7:00 pm. He's inviting several friends but he's really hoping some of his Uncles can come too. Will any of you interested in coming just let me know so we know who to plan on?

And, I think I would like to have another New Year's Day party at my house. Just really casual. You can come in your pj's and bring yummy munchy stuff to share. Last year it was kind of like a big "snacking" party. We'll have games and movies and anything else you want to do. I'm thinking sometime around 2:00 pm. Let me know if you plan on coming. :)

Bright side

In case not all of your Thanksgiving dishes went exactly right, at least you can be grateful that none of them turned out like this:

Check out the husband's face in the very last frame.

What's That You Say?

The begining of Thanksgiving meant the end of a 30 day 'meat-fast' that Brent and I endeavored to explore. After borrowing 'The China Study' book from Erika and reading it all in a matter of a week, I resolved to take the 30 day 'no-meat' challenge it suggested. Since Doug complied to join in with Erika, then why not have Brent join me in the fun too! So, yes, he agreed, and we were off to the 'no-meat' races. I was worried at first that I wouldn't be able to keep up the regime, for Brent's sake, not mine. But after having spent the last 6 months teaching myself new vegetarian recipes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had something new to make every day, and they were all successful at satisfying and 'satiating' Brent's appetite. (And mine as well.) So with Thanksgiving coming and going I wondered how Brent would perceive the experience. Last night at Chef Tom's Italian Cafe with the extended family, he leaned across the table from me and said "I think I would like to continue this 'no-meat' thing." "Operation No-Meat": Successful. (Mostly I think he enjoys the fact that he lost 5 lbs.) But the ideal notion is that your cholesterol count should be lowered, blood toxicity levels should be better cleansed, as well as an array of other healthful benefits. I had expressed to a few of you that I wanted to start a 'raw-food-cleanse' but realized with the on-set of the holidays, and so many people in town, that it would be too hard. So I have postponed that till the New Year. But I am finding this experience uncanny as many of our family members think we are nuts for eating vegetarian, which is how I felt about people who ate this way until I read "Original Fast Foods" and now "The China Study". I highly recommend reading these books for those of you who value your health and well-being. I will get off my soap box now. But I have really enjoyed the experience and feel better for it, as I know Erika and Jacque do since they both have incorporated this dietary lifestyle into their homes as well. I am happy to report that I have put away my addiction to chocolate, now I just have to tackle the 'microwave' and 'caramel' popcorn habit!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Kathy and I just want to say, "Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone". We will have Kathy's mom and brother Kevin and Kevin's Girl Friend for Dinner. The house has been cleaned, inside and out, and all the fixin's are in the frig. Temperature is supposed to be 81 tomorrow; about what it was today (hard to tell it's the Holiday Season). We wish you all a delightful day, full of fun and good things to eat. May you be safe, healthy and in good spirits for all the Holidays. With Love, Grandpa Ross and Kathy.

Breanne's Baby Shower

Breanne had a wonderful baby shower on Nov. 7th. Her mom and sisters worked hard on her beautiful cake, fun decorations, yummy food, and exciting games, because they love her soooo much! (Maybe she can elaborate on some of these pictures if she gets a chance). And I have lots more that I can put on a CD or send to anyone interested.

BANNED IN ORANGE COUNTY

Last night the Orange County Woodturners met and held their annual competition. You may remember a September posting with an attached photo of my Pinecone Bowl. Well, it received top honors in "Masters" Class. This was the largest club competition I have attended yet. I am very happy. But it has been suggested that after having won the Masters Class competition three years running, I might be ineligible next year. I'm good with that. So much wood to turn, so little time.

still pregnant

I wake up everyday, and I'm STILL pregnant. I don't think this is going away, guys. I hope nothing more permanent than this comes along, because I'm pretty tired. It couldn't possibly get much worse... right?

Its that time of year!

Look how beautiful the sky looks against the back of the house. It took Brent 3 days to get all these lights put up, and lots of hours of work! I think he got a head cold as a result of it.

Yes, he got the trees too. All three, two red, one green. And the house is all blue.

Ahhhhhh! So pretty! Don't worry, we haven't turned them on yet. Brent's afraid the neighbors will be mad. I'm just afraid they'll think we are weird. We tried to get them all done while the weather was still warm. About the third day is when it got chilly and windy, hence the head cold that he's been suffering from ever since. Its still beautiful!

Invitation: Christmas Caroling Party @ Sun Dec 13 6pm – 7pm

more details » Christmas Caroling Party Bring a dessert, and have kids bring any Christmas recital pieces to perform. When Sun Dec 13 6pm – 7pm Mountain Time Where Barney house (map) Calendar bhgilroy1.familycalendar@blogger.com Who • Erika Barney - creator • bhgilroy1.familycalendar@blogger.com Going?   Yes - Maybe - No    more options »

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New Hospital Policies

I'm taking a prenatal class at the hospital. Last night the nurse said that the hospitals have adopted some new policies on visitors - no children under 14 for the entire hospital stay, and no visitors that are ill (that one seems obvious). She said that they are pretty strict about it, like not even letting siblings of new babies come. But she works at the hospital in Provo, so at my next doctor's visit I'm going to confirm that this is the case for the American Fork Hospital. That rules out all of my nieces/nephews, but I think I'd really like it if my siblings could find a time to stop by, but I know that involves finding someone to watch your kids, so if it doesn't work out I understand.

Speaking of my prenatal class, last night we also watched some videos of births...

I have decided I am going to give birth by osmosis.

Calendar

What do we think of the calendar? Yes? No?

I tried putting it in the side bar but you couldn't read anything. But if it looks too ugly here I can take it down. Or if it's completely unnecessary.

More "Living" Nightmares Continued!

So, I wake up this morning to my husband saying something like this: "I just set a mousetrap 15 minutes ago and now its completely gone!" I looked at him blankly with confused anger setting in. I am thinking to myself, 'how can my husband lose a mousetrap?!' And Maggie (our dog) has been in my room the whole time. Just then he says: "How does a mousetrap get up and walk away!" I start to feel this little blaming emotion set in that makes me think, ' why can't my husband kill a mouse the right way!' But who thinks things like this! This is not reality! But the fact remains, we have a mouse walking aroung our house with a trap stuck to it! So ten minutes later, we remove ALL the books from the bookshelf where he set the trap. We move it to look underneath: nothing. We then look under all the couches: nothing! We then look in other rooms: nothing. We look in cupboards in the kitchen: nothing. Then we look at each other and at the treadmill! Well, the following pictures show the rest of the story.

Yes, it was still alive when we found it. Those darn things are so cute. (Something must be wrong with me!) The trap only caught him by one leg, but he was trying to hide in the treadmill, as you can see, and got caught (thank goodness). Brent took him outside and 'finished the deed'. We had been seeing him run around in the evenings the last couple of nights but he wasn't getting caught in the trap we set under the sink, so thats why Brent put out a new one this morning. I don't know what to do about these things! Its so gross!

Nightmares

Last night I woke up around 2:30 am from a nightmare. I was a little freaked out so I decided to get up and use the bathroom and try a different dream when I went back to bed. I heard this strange thumping sound in the bathroom and tried to figure out if it was windy outside and if the tree was hitting our window. It didn't seem windy, though. As I was walking back to bed I thought that sound didn't make any sense and it really seemed to be coming from inside the house not outside. My heart started pounding as I headed back to the bathroom and turned on the little light over our bathtub. There was a mouse precariously perched on one of the jets trying to jump out. I would have screamed but too many people were sleeping so instead I went to wake up Ryan. I figured he was the tough guy always killing spiders and stuff so taking care of a mouse shouldn't be too difficult.

The man was literally creaping into the bathroom. He did get closer to the tub than I did but he also shouted when he thought the mouse was about to jump out. Obviously it was pretty stuck because it wasn't accomplishing anything with all it's jumping and climbing. So I ran into the kitchen and got a big bowl with a lid. Ryan scooped it up (that took a minute with the little thing running around frantically) and we threw it out the front door.

So now I wasn't just freaked out from the nightmare but was awake for an hour imagining little mice running all over my house. I can't figure out for the life of me where it came in or how the heck it got in the bathtub. But we decided last night Eden's getting a cat for her birthday on Saturday.

Doctor's visit

I saw my doctor the other day and I don't think either of us brought our A-game.

Him: So 24 weeks along!
Me: Yup!
Him: And it's another girl, huh?
Me: Well, this will be my first, actually.
Him: Your first? Really? How far along are you?
Me: 24 weeks. (Didn't we just cover this?) 25 on Thursday.
Him: Ok. And how is your swelling going?
Me thinking: What? Swelling? He's looking at my feet. I look at my feet. Oh, they are kind of swollen.
Me: Oh.
Him: Looks normal. Now have you been feeling your uterus tightening?
Me: ... What would that feel like exactly?
Him: (only struggling for words)
Me: Oh, you mean contractions? Yeah, I have those every once in awhile.
Him: Okay, that's normal, too.

Then he launched into a lengthy description about how if I don't feel the baby kick enough, I should lay on my side and if I don't feel the baby kick 6 times in one hour, I should go to the hospital. I mentioned this to Jacque and her opinion is that he's trying to make me a paranoid crazy lady.

What do you think?

swine flu getting out of control

Since we love to share videos

Adam and I found this interesting:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Lets talk Holidays!

What are you saying? We look weird? Of course we do! I got out the Halloween decorations and Brent made us all take this picture. Kasey yelled at Austin for not getting in (and we had plently more wigs!) But lets get to the point - are we still getting together Halloween afternoon? Because I am ready to partay! (kidding) But I also want to know how we are exchanging gifts for Christmas. Do we want to draw names sometime soon? And we teased Lauren about sharing her Rspberry-Peach Jam... I think a 'Canning-Christmas' is a great idea! (Because I just canned a bunch of tomatoes!) But I also have a whole tree of apples outside staring at me to be canned and Brent debated making applesauce or dehydrating the apples. Or do you want to do your own thing? I know Lauren was already working on something. But if someone would like some of our 'preserves' I would be happy to share. Any ideas?

FLOOD UPDATE

The good news is, after hours and hours of back breaking work, everything is working great, and there isn't really any bad news. The washing machine began working of its own accord once we flushed out the resin (tons). A few faucets got plugged a second time but by then cleaning was second nature. The shower heads all had to be taken apart for cleaning; but that's done. The people who sold me the Super Duper Water Softener charged me $309 last December to repair the broken valve unit on the softener (that's what went bad this time). That was two weeks after they charged me $255 for an annual inspection of the softener (deeming it "fit") and changing the water filtration cartridges. These same people told me I should have the resin changed after only 5 years of service at a cost of $700+ (that was in 2006). I refused. So, I knew they would be charging me BIG bucks to fix it; and of course it would NOW need NEW resin! So, I went 'online' and decided that the cheapest Sears softener ($379.99) was the way to go (best reviews). I picked one up Sunday about 4pm. Monday I had to do a rather extensive modification of the softener plumbing and build up a level slab underneath the new softener. That done, I finished the job today, regenerated the new softener, and flushed resin out of the water heater. Only one last problem remained. The guest bath tub has a very fancy valve that prevents scalding if the hot/cold water gets interrupted. It was plugged. Took me a couple of hours to disassemble, figure out how it was supposed to work and where the problem was, fix it, and finally put it all back together (without leaks). I lost four of my precious days, but the satisfaction of figuring out multiple problems feels pretty cool. One side effect. The old softener was a "screamer". We had to regenerate in the afternoon it was so loud. The new one doesn't make any noise at all. Big Smile on My Face - even if my back IS killing me.

ANOTHER FLOOD OMG

Yes folks, it really happened again, in the same place, from the same source. The cause was different and also the outcome. Kathy and I were busy this AM and just before lunch we took a nice walk. When we got back I sat down in front of the TV to cool off, while Kathy went to shower. We had places to go, people to see, and things to do for the afternoon. Suddenly I heard Kathy yelling that the water in the shower had stopped flowing despite her efforts to keep it going. At the same time the washing machine seemed to be refilling for a rinse just fine. She said something about granules on the floor of the shower. I had a suspect in mind but since she needed to rinse I directed her to the guest bath. I went to check our shower. Sure enough it was plugged with something. I grabbed a wrench from the garage, then decided to redirect the water past the water softener. As I headed through the laundry room towards the water softener I was wading in water. The washing machine which had been filling just fine was still filling, and filling, and filling - right over the top and onto the floor. So I turned it off and opened the back door to let the water out. Meanwhile Kathy's second bath has terminated abruptly. So, I mopped up the water in the laundry room and finally got to the water softener to bypass it. Now what to do. I called a plumber I know. His machine says he'll call back and reminds me that after hours and weekends are double the cost (very nice). Five minutes passes and he call from Timbuktu, says he can't come. I answer his questions with what I know. He says, "your water softener is broken, the resin in the tank has invaded your pipes and is clogging up all the valves and washing machine fill sensor". He adds, "you'll have to purge all the lines, clean the sink aerators and disassemble all the valves that are plugged and won't purge. But I can't help you." So I began purging lines and cleaning out aerators in sinks; which is a whole other story. A couple of hours later I got the bright idea of turning off the water to the house to allow the resin to retreat from the valves. Then turn the water back on to see if some resin would purge. After repeating this many times, with Kathys help, I was able to purge our bathroom shower. I wasn't so lucky with the guest bath. Then there's the washing machine to deal with - tomorrow. Not so sure I can fix that one. Anyway, the resin appears to be out of the pipes and we're able to function, even if there isn't any soft water. Kathy will go to the laundromat tomorrow. Only one towel was used to dry up the laundry room. So why do these things always happen at night or on weekends?

New Shoes

Ever since we got Maggie, I have had to buy the kids new shoes every other week! Well, we finally learned to hide all our shoes, so after buying school shoes, I thought we'de be good for the year! I thought wrong! One month later, Kai's cheap Walmart shoes sharted to separate. But with the additional use of a new bike and scooter, you can already tell the toes on the shoes have been used to stop the recreational toys.... So, no wonder!

So, today we bought Kai new shoes, and the smiley faces returned. (As you can tell by the poses.) I still remember mom crying while she was cleaning dog poop out of Adam's shoes one afternoon after she had just bought them that morning. (And because he went through shoes just as fast as any other boy.) Now I am the crying mom!

Of course, whatever Kai gets, Keala gets! So she got new shoes too. (And some church shoes because those are Maggie's favorite to chew!) Keala's feet have been growing so fast this year. (And Lauren probably knows this better than anybody because of Eden!) But Keala is a size 10 and Kai is just an 11. Almost the same size. I think Keala's grown 3 or 4 sizes in the last year!

Of course, she saw Kai pose with his frowny face, so she had to pose too! Posers!

Song of the Day

Give me more lovin’ than I’ve ever had,Make it all better when I’m feelin’ sad,Tell me that I’m special even when I know I’m not,Make it feel good when I hurt so bad, Barely gettin’ mad,I’m so glad I found you; I love bein’ around you.
You make it easy, it’s easy as 1,2- 1,2,3,4There’s only 1 thing 2 do 3 words 4 you- (I love you) I love youThere’s only 1 way 2 say those 3 words and that’s what I’ll do-(I love you)I love you.
Give me more lovin’ from the very start,Piece me back together when I fall apart,Tell me things you never even tell your closest friends-Make it feel good when I hurt so bad, Best that I’ve had,I’m so glad I found you, I love bein’ around you.
You make it easy, it’s easy as 1,2- 1,2,3,4There’s only 1 thing 2 do 3 words 4 you- (I love you) I love youThere’s only 1 way 2 say those 3 words and that’s what I’ll do- (I love you)I love you.(I love you) I love you.
You make it easy, it’s easy as 1,2- 1,2,3,4There’s only 1 thing 2 do 3 words 4 you- (I love you) I love youThere’s only 1 way 2 say those 3 words and that’s what I’ll do-(I love you)I love you.“

for Nikki

This is the song I had stuck in my head yesterday. Do you recognize it now???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSyeto050ZU

PS I couldn't post the video because it's restricted.

Its 'Hunting Season' - Again!

I actually wanted to title this post as 'Killing Season', but that sounded so dark. So I thought I'de change it to something that wouldn't shock you all. On the other hand, Hunting Season does start the 3rd week of October. I am now better informed of these things by the 'hunting pro' ...my husband. (And yes, he has informed me that there will be an 'excersion' that weekend with his 'dudes' -as Kai says). Brent wants to bring back some 'deer' since I have my new dehydrator (gross)! He wants me to try to dehydrate some for him - like I've done that before!? I think the 'buck' stops here and will not pass the doorway of my house! Women - we have to put our feet down on some of these things!

But I didn't want to talk about real 'Hunting Season' ... I want to talk about 'Killing Season'. Yes, friends, its THAT time of the year that we start setting out the mouse traps. (Its a very sad thing ...being that they're so cute and all!) But anyways, Brent set out the first trap last week and nothing happened for days. I took it as a good sign... (And we check it every day!) But then we forgot to do that after a while until ... the smell! Yes, there started to be a very distinct odor under our kitchen sink, and yesterday I came home to see my husband cleaning 'IT' out. Its almost a romantic 'tail' to tell. The trap caught one mouse and yes, it 'gave up the ghost'. But in the meantime, one of its buddies stuck by his side and 'gave up the ghost' right alongside him. And he wasn't even caught in the trap! Its bittersweet my friends!

Hours later! After the first 'mess' was cleaned up and a new trap was set ...I am sitting at the dinner table going over Kai's homework with him and SNAP! I heard the next trap spring and then thump thump, thump thump. (He was a fighter!) Austin was in the next room and I was yelling at him "its got one!"..."he's thumping around" ..."its gross!" Austin is just laughing. And then we all go to survey the situation ...poor little guy...right over the top of his head! This is one reason I am not looking forward to this 'time of year'!

Leeches Anyone?

While we were visiting with Lynne last week she mentioned she had sent an email to someone with questions regarding our "leeches" experience. She later sent me this email with their response (thought it was interesting and good to share):

Amy Canning wrote:

Hello Lynne,

I apologize for the delay in responding to your questions about leeches.I checked with one of our biologists, George Oliver, and here are his thoughts: --There are perhaps about a dozen or so species of leeches (maybe as many as ~15) that are known to occur in Utah. --Some of our leeches are blood-sucking parasites, but others (most of them, I think) are not parasitic and do not feed on blood at any point in their life history. --I'm not entirely certain, from Ms. Gilroy's description, that the animals she described were in fact leeches. Her description fits some other aquatic invertebrates, and the fact that only one animal out of approximately 200 "was reported to have blood in it" does not suggest that a blood-sucking species of leech was involved. Even the "one [that]was reported to have blood in it" may not have been a leech. So-called bloodworms are common aquatic invertebrates, of several different,unrelated kinds, that get their English names from the appearance of red "blood" in their bodies; none that I know of is parasitic.

--Even if the one animal was a leech, I would not be at all concerned about it. I've been "attacked" by hundreds of leeches, and I've never experienced any discomfort, infection, swelling or any other negative effect (except for the painless, slow leak of some blood after the leech dropped off---that was just inconvenient and a bit messy). --Our agency doesn't actually manage or oversee leeches. The only invertebrates we monitor and manage are mollusks (e.g., snails,bivalves) and crustaceans (e.g., brine shrimp, crayfish). --APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), a federal agency, has a local office. Their telephone number is (801) 975-3315‎. It ispossible that they have someone who could address Ms. Gilroy's questions better that we can. (APHIS does have some excellent entomologists, but I don't know whether they have a leech expert.)

I hope this helps address some of your concerns, Lynne.

Thanks again foryour patience!

Amy Canning
Technical WriterUtah Division of Wildlife Resources
(801) 538-4824

Another view

I forgot to tell you the best part! When I got home last night I told Kathy all about the exciting event - I was very happy. I decided to celebrate with a dish of ice cream. When I reached for the ice cream container in the freezer the smile on my face disappeared. It was not frozen. I checked a few other items and then the frig. It was obvious that the compressor was not working (just like before). I got behind the frig and took things apart, found the switch, remove it and shook it. It's not supposed to rattle; but it did. I got on the internet and spent a few hours working out the puzzle of which part I really needed and then this morning called a parts place. By 9:30 I had driven across town, then back with the part. We were up and running by 10:30. I was sure we would loose everything. But we checked items in the freezer and they were still 36 degrees. The frig was warmer and a few things were tossed. But all in all not too bad. Kathy and I have been wondering "What Next?"

Pinecone Bowl

This is the Pinecone Bowl that gave me so much trouble. It is not a uniform material, and only by the use of lots of Epoxy glue, Cyanoacrylate glue, and lots of Lacquer was I able to make anything of it. Sixteen pinecones plus one in the middle make up the bowl. Last night at the club meeting we had the largest turnout of the finest quality pieces I've seen. The judges were very courteous and explained the features of each piece and suggested that several should be given first place. But they ended up judging this one best. That was pretty cool. I think when I do projects that no one has seen before that tips the scale in my favor. Everyone liked the woodpecker too.