School Names

The name suggestions are in for the new school. Our local paper had some of the suggested names. I guess there were a total of 278 submissions with Bakerview being the top submission. That is no surprise as the school is being built to take advantage of the view of Mt Baker. Who cares about the academics or the facilities? I did like the submission of "Pinnacle" as a name. Some of the others such as "Top of the World', "Cloud's Peak", and "Galaxy" just seemed a little out there. Of course, my previous suggestions were not included in the list. As you can tell from the picture, it is finally starting to look like something. It probably the tallest building around here.

Sometimes

Sometimes, you just got to go swimming in the middle of the day. Who cares if it is in your own tub. Sometimes, I forget to be spontaneous with my kids. Everything doesn't need to be a planned activity. So with nothing better to do this afternoon, Chuckles decided that it was time to go swimming.

The quote below was found on Ali Edwards blog and is worth reposting.

Earl Nightingale : Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.

Never too old

This is pappy enjoying his first drive through coffee or in his case - Hot Chocolate. We had a great visit with Pappy and Nonna. Ignore the giant man child sticking out his tongue. No respect, I tell you. When I grow up, I hope I am never too old for an adventure. Now it is time to get back to our routine. Is there such a thing?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from from our turkey's to your turkey's. We feel so blessed this year to host Thanksgiving at our house with Pappy and Nonna. Above is #1 son and Nonna showing off a Turkey that they put together. Here are some more turkey's for your viewing enjoyment.

Pertussis, Anyone

I have learned more about Pertussis (whooping cough) in the last few days than I care to know. Do you realize there is actually a website http://www.pertussis.com/. #1 one son was sent home on Thursday because he coughed so hard he threw up. This was a one time occurrence. On Wednesday, he had been to the doctor and the doctor listened to him cough and proclaimed it was a common cold virus. Basically, took my co-pay and sent me on my merry way. When I picked up my son at school on Thursday, I was greeted by the principal who wanted me to know about pertussis and that there had been a child 2 weeks ago who had whooping cough and suggested I call my doctor. I called the doctor and they reassured me that my son probably didn't have it but rather this nasty cough virus that was going around. Today, I got a call from the school nurse asking me about Cody and explaining Whooping cough and telling me again to speak to my doctor. At 5:30 tonight I got a call from the Public Health Nurse explaining whooping cough to me and going through the checklist of symptoms. The Public Health Nurse explained in great deal what Whooping Cough was and we agreed after two calls he probably doesn't have whooping cough. After all this , the main gist is we don't really know. To determine whether a child has whooping cough is inexact science but evidently you need one doctor to say no, a principal, and two nurses to say yes.

New Day

This the beginning of a new day.

You have been given this day to use as you will.

You can waste it or use it for good.

What you do today is important because

you are exchanging a day of your life for it.

When tomorrow comes this day will be gone forever,

in its place is something that you left behind ....

let it be something good.

Amby Nic Montage

I saw this quote on sandlian.blogspot.com and thought it was worth passing on again.

Sunrise

It was a long night. Son #1 spent most of the night trying to donate a lung. Somehow, this picture doesn't really do the sunrise justice. It was much more pink. I haven't master the art of the sunrise picture. On a more random note, I don't know if you have seen the haunted gas station video. It is very strange. There is a link on www.dscshow.com.

Happy Birthday to Me!

It has been a most excellent day so far. The sun is out for right now which is a welcome sight after those 62 mph winds and rain. I thought I would show off my most recent completed rag quilt in honor of my Birthday. It is very purple. It is me hiding behind the quilt.

Thank You

On this Veteran's Day, I want to say "Thank You" to all those who are serving and all of those who have served. To all the special veterans in my life thank you - Hubby, Dad, Pappy, Bud Graham, Spermy, and Handsome Dick. A special shout out to our dear friend, SFC James Trent who is still serving and Shannon A and her hubby and the Stilwell family. Stay safe my friends. The picture above is of Pappy my hubby's grandfather who served in the Army Corp of Engineers.
This is me as a highly trained killer typist. This was taken during a large field exercise called Reforger in the early 90's. I was assigned to 32nd AADCOM which at the time was located in Germany. I worked in their headquarters in the mail and distribution section. Don't let the get up above fool you. Most of my time was spent making copies and delivering mail in Germany.

Feeling Crafty

I can't help feeling crafty. I fell off the cleaning horse. The first step is admitting you have a problem, right. Today is a new day . I assure you that some kind of cleaning will happen today. Hope springs eternal. This is the result of my creative burst of energy. This is my version of the letter art craze. The frames are a kid project that they give out free at Home Depot. My kids were no longer interested in them once they were completed. The pearl "R" is from M's. It was in the $1 bin. The stencil "R" is not glued down yet. Sorry, I know it is crooked and not centered. The giant man child didn't care for that one. I thought it was artsy. What do you think? It all part of my vision for a wall upstairs.

Early Birthday Present

I received an early birthday present. I got a sewing and cutting cart. My sewing machine has been various places in my house. It was stored upstairs but I always sew downstairs. Now, my cart has a shelf for it. I can wheel this cart to where I want to sew and I will have everything at my fingertips. Best of all this cart can be moved into my coat closet when I am not sewing. There is a large fold out cutting surface and drawers on 1 side and shelves on another. I have been having a tremendous burst of creativity energy but my focus is on getting my house in tip top shape for Thanksgiving. It is going to be extremely hard not sit down and sew. I so excited. The giant man child spent a couple hours putting this together. Thanks :)

Did you Vote?

Have you voted yet? It is election day. We are a vote by mail state so technically I voted a couple weeks ago. The picture above was taken during our summer vacation. As you can see our Governor had the same problem as I did a unsightly honey bucket. I know she probably could only have seen it from her 2ND story guest bedroom but still inappropriate honey bucket placement is a problem even for those with political power.

Back to deeper politics, our local race for city council is clearly a race between those that have been in local politics for a long time and the newbies. It will be a vote for new ideas or to stay the course. It will be interesting to see how things turn out. May the best man or woman win!

Art

We are having lots of art this morning at my house. We have artists at different levels in their careers. I love how each approach it differently. #1 son is heavy into tracing and cartoon like characters. Chuckles is into early stick figures and uses lots and lots of marker. Sometimes he has more on himself than the drawing. The diva is the most advance but what most impresses me today it is it isn't a princess. She is definitely branching out. I have no artistic drawing ability. My sister, mom, and grandmother are excellent at drawing. I am in awe of those that can draw. My vision never matches my ability. That sums up so much.

Me vs the wild men of Borneo

I was watching Man vs Wild on Discovery channel last night. If you have never seen it, the guy is dropped off in some remote location and has to survive. That guy is a bit crazy or a lot insane. You have to think his camera men are eating a snickers while he tries to eat ant larvae. They are definitely staying at the motel 6 while he sleeps in a snow cave. Today is a typical rainy November day in the Pacific Northwest and me and the wild men of Borneo are just trying to survive the day. It is really hard to keep perpetual motion locked in a house. Part of me is tempted to drop them off in some remote location and have them fend for themselves while I eat a snickers. Is that wrong?

Wrong Way

Before the Giant Man Child left on his trip he hung this sign in my laundry room. I bought it in the Halloween Section in Walmart. It perfectly sums up laundry for me. Laundry is the chore that keeps giving and is never done. There should also be a Danger sign too. You know "watch for falling socks."

Little Ghouls

We are recovering today from Halloween. The mummy costume got done without me burning my fingers and I lost no digits in the carving of the pumpkins. But best of all, we were home from trick or treating before it started to pour rain. My friend, T, out did herself on making a sensational robot costume for her son. The costume had wires, lights, and gadgets . I wish I had a picture to post. He created quite a stir when trick or treating with us.