Christmas Dancin'

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Christime time is here

Hello friends. For your viewing pleasure . . .

Diva #2 Sings

We've been busy the last few days.

Well, actually we always are . . . but this week was PARTICULARLY busy.

Miss Ems had to record her BYU audition, which was a stressful experience to say the least. We went to the university and had it professionally recorded. When the technician walked in with a camera that was about the same size as ours, we said, "Uh, is that what you are using?" We were expecting professional sound and video equipment. Thank goodness her teacher was there to insist they upgrade to something better.

So, Diva #2 sang and sang.

And sang . . . Isn't this an attractive picture?

Why is she #2? Well, here is Diva #1

I played, of course.

And here is a sample. Juliet's Waltz.

What's on your nightstand?

I like to read. I don't always have enough time to do it, but finding a good book and immersing myself in it is one of my favorite activities.

Here are some of the books I am slowing digesting.

The choices may surprise or amuse you.

Here's the first one:

A friend of mine had this and lent it to me. I am hoping it will inspire me to make some changes. I have just read chapter one. I'll let you know how I do. So far I've gained two pounds.

Isn't this interesting? I have a piano student who is a computer expert. He suggested I read this. Here's a closer look:

I REALLY want to be able to take care of my own computer. Actually, I think I should develop a company that simplifies computers. There are so many things on mine I never use or need. I could put 5 big icons on my desktop and that would be enough. I should finish this book in. . . about 5 years or so. By that time it will be obsolete and I'll have to start over.

This is actually ON my pillow. I am halfway through chapter one. This one will take me awhile. It is an interesting read.

So, what's on your nightstand? What are you reading? What have you started and never finished? What have you read more than once? I want to know!

Eek!

As the weather cools, we invariably find creatures that make their way into our house. On warm days, like today (nearly 70, yahoo!), the Japanese beetles invade my front room. One year there were so many I think I vacuumed up over 100. This year wasn't as bad.

We have the spiders, the box elder beetles, crickets and various other annoying pests. Those don't bother me much. However, this knowledge did not prepare me for what I saw as I tripped down the stairs with a load of laundry in my hands.

One of our traps, which we always have set (just in case!), clipped this little guys toes. I didn't see him until I was nearly on top of him, ugh!!
Here's what happened to the laundry:

I was on the stairs above, shrieking and shaking.

Now I was stuck with a dilemma. What should I do? Would it stay put until DH got home?

Not a chance.

It was up to me. So I did what any woman who is good at preserving would do. I canned it.

Put my Kerr jar to good use!

Goodbye little mouse! Tell your friends to find a new home!

Violated

I've been hacked.

It is not a good feeling.

Someone got into both of my email accounts, wrote emails in my name and stole all my addresses. I didn't know it until I got a bunch of return mail and people writing me back wondering if I was in a new venture of some sort. Many recognized that the style of writing was different than my own. Some didn't. I don't know how many took it seriously and went to the website.

Scary.

It reminds me of an incident when I was in high school. Our home was robbed. I came home to a distraught mother and a house that had been picked over. I went to my room and saw my drawers open, my clothing on the floor (my fault) and felt this creepy feeling that a stranger had been in my room, touching my clothes and going through my stuff. And taking my stuff too. Whoever it was, was good at it. They didn't waste time looking in obvious places. They took only the most precious things.

We couldn't touch anything until the police came. All I wanted to do was to clean up my room, restore it to order, remove the reminders that made me feel violated.

Now someone has been into my private email account, looked at all the names in my addresses book (took them too!) and sent messages out impersonating me. I have that same creepy feeling as I did 30 years ago.

It's my one month anniversary

Okay, I'm back to blogging. For now.

Sorry I have been quiet. You know, life has been a bit tough in our family lately. I just didn't feel like writing about trite things like purses, trees, and the like. When sadness hits, it is hard to be inspired to be interesting or uplifting or funny. Just couldn't get up the energy to do it.

I'll try to do better. I'll try not to have another one month anniversary of not blogging.

Even though I haven't been writing, I have been thinking of things to share. I have some in mind. I'll get to them soon.

This week is a big one at our house. Ems is preparing her audition for BYU. It has to be a DVD and it has to be sent in soon! We are scheduled on Thursday to perform in a nice hall at the university. Because it is a one shot deal, we are practicing at home with our camera. I'll try to figure out how to get one on the blog so you can see it. She sounds amazing to me, but of course, I'm her mother. My girls always sound amazing to me. My biggest fear is that I'll botch it on the piano and mess her up. I debated about hiring someone to take my place, but it is a rite of motherhood for me to play for my children. Gotta keep doing it no matter how bad I sound. Remember that when you hear it--listen to the voice, not the piano!!!

Love to you all -- I'll be back!

Sunset Trees

I was out one night and the glow of the sun was so pretty on the foliage and trees in my area. These plants are not yellow--it is just the effect of the sun. Cool, huh?

Our long lonely driveway

Trees made orange by the sun. In a week they will be orange.

Bah Handbag!

I am not a fashionista . . . even though I would like to be.

Take my purse, for instance. I really don't like purses. Is that weird for a woman? Who wants to lug around a 20 lb purse on their shoulder while shopping? I've always envied men who can just slip a wallet into their pocket and have their hands and shoulders free.

So purses are not high on my wish list. I usually pick one that is on the smallish side, so that it is lighter. I really don't care if it looks good with my outfit. My purses last years.

So, about two years ago I bought this little number. Cute, no?

I like it and it was 85% off, which made me like it even more. It wasn't heavy and fit over my shoulder nicely. The problem is . . . my stuff doesn't fit inside.

It took me many minutes to find my keys once they slid into the depths. How could such a small purse swallow up stuff? And my wallet was one size too large, always sticking out. Ems was embarrassed by me. She is the fashionista in the family and insisted I buy a bigger purse.

Three months later I finally found one I liked, that seemed the right proportion and fit on my shoulder. It was only 50% off, but after looking for months I wasn't going to argue. Cute? Yes?

And, hallelujah everything fits! There is even a pocket for my cell phone, which was always disappearing in the old purse.

I have to admit, though, that I have a hankering for a little red one. You know how I am about red. Someday I might just give in and get a sassy red purse. Just for fun.

A letter from afar

Received this in the mail today:

they look like they could be brothers, don't they?

Here are a few snippets from his letter:

"I have made it safely to Taiwan. I have been amazed by the city here. The temple is absolutely beautiful. I am here in the mission home which is right across the temple which is next to the stake center. This morning we ran to a memorial place . . . and looked out across the beautiful city of Taiwan . . . when we went by the park there were a lot of older people doing exercises. I think the people here are really loving and will be receptive to the gospel. There are 4 native Elders that are here with us. They are 18 years old because at 19 in Taiwan they must join the army. It was fun to try and talk to them. . . On the plane there was a lady from Taiwan that sat next to me. She had lived in America for 20 years. She knew of the church in America and missionaries had knocked on her door before. I used Chinese about half the time talking with her and it was pretty fun. She was impressed that we are going to serve for two years."

Love Huang Zhanglao

Freak Out

Every once in a while something happens in your life that gives you pause and makes you think. Or sometimes just freaks you out a little.

Such was the case with me yesterday. A piano student left the local paper here for me to read. I was glancing through it last night and my eyes fell on the obituary section. Sometimes I read the obituaries just for fun. As I was reading a name caught my eye. It was familiar but I couldn't think why. The woman was 55, fairly young by my standards. As I was reading it dawned on me that I had just spoken to this woman last Thursday about an elderly lady that I visit teach. My elderly friend was receiving aid for meals and trips to the store, and the deceased woman was her social worker. She had called last week because my elderly friend had not answered the door when meals were delivered. We chatted at length about her situation and I told her I would check on her the next day.

Friday I called and left her a message about my friend, that she was ok, and that they could still deliver meals. Saturday the social worker was dead, from injuries sustained while falling off a horse.

The irony of the situation still sits with me. My elderly friend wants to die. She wants to be with her dead husband. She is sick but won't go to the doctor. The person assigned to help her has 3 children, a husband, and a grandchild, and a pretty happy life. This was not the way it was supposed to turn out.

"For every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."

A Mini Vacation

Every fall we attend a conference in Traverse City, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to visit. There are beaches, shopping, bike trails, good food, nice places to stay . . . I could go on and on. Usually DH and I go by ourselves, but because he had already been gone so long we decided to take Ems with us. Here is one place we stayed:

We also stayed at Great Wolf Lodge.

What a neat place for kids! I highly recommend it, if you can find one in your area. We felt a wee bit old there, but once we rode down a few waterslides, we got over it. There is a huge bucket that fills up and tips over every 5 minutes.

Fun, fun.

DH and I went for a walk along the beach.

The water wasn't too cold. I think I could have gone swimming, actually.

Ducks were EVERYWHERE. Not the least bit shy around humans

While we were strolling on the beach, Ems was . . . .

The next day we took a drive to the lighthouse.

I always look for opportunities to try my hand at a few senior pictures of Ems, so here are a few. She got her hair cut a few weeks ago, isn't it cute?

He's Baaack!

My DH has finally returned home.

Actually he has been home for a few days, but we had to immediately leave town to go to a conference. Now we are back again. Confused yet? I am. Where am I, anyway?

Okay, back to my main point, I wanted to share some of his highs and lows from his trip. Here they are:

High Points:

1. Getting a brand new truck!
2. Surfing in the ocean
3. Seeing lots of family members, some he hasn't seen in years
4. Finding the Haun's Mill location and remembering his ancestors
5. Receiving a box filled with his late mother's memorabilia. That was worth the whole trip.

Low Points:

1. HAVING to buy a brand new truck (in 8 hours or less)
2. Wrenching his back while surfing in the ocean
3. Driving long hours to see family members
4. Wading in thigh deep water to get to Haun's Mill
5. The long, lonely hours between Missouri and Michigan.

We are glad to have him back. So is the dog and the goldfish. Next post will be about our weekend up north.

The Snake Saga continues . . . .

My story isn't finished.

After looking under clothes . . .

Under school paraphernalia. . .

I had given up trying to find sir snake.

So, when Ems got home yesterday she immediately asked me if I had found the snake. Earlier on her way out the door she said it was wrapped around a picture frame. Since I was in a sleep induced fog at the time I didn't quite get that message. So back in her room we tiptoed.

"Mom! See, it's by the picture frame!" Oh! Duh! I was looking for something, uh, slightly larger. He's not so bad!

I leaned forward to snap a picture. That's when . . .

He started moving! I'm sure you can imagine our reaction. Screams were heard through the house.

Now that I had found him (or is it her? How can you tell?) I wasn't about to lose him/her. So I got my trusty salad tongs (they work great in a pinch, heh heh). I was still screeching, by the way.

And put sir snake in a bag.

He was unceremoniously dumped outside where he belongs. Goodbye sir snake! Don't come back now, ya hear?

Things that go bump in the night

We are country folk. I like living in the country. It is quiet and beautiful. We are close enough to the city that it doesn't take long to get there when we need to, yet far enough away that we feel we have our own little paradise.

However, that peace comes with a price. Little critters like to live in the country too. Around our house. In our house. This time of year they start searching for a warm place. They know that winter is coming. Smart little buggers.

Whenever we have heavy rains, little frogs find a habitat in Em's window well. They annoy her at night by repeating jumping up on her window. Thump. Thump. Tha thump. All night. So last week we decided to fish some of them out. I use the term "we" loosely. It's mostly her, not me. I'm not touching any slimy frogs!!! Just ask my kids. They know.

So in the process of seeing how many were down there, we spotted a little tiny snake poking its head out from a hole in her window. YES, A HOLE IN HER WINDOW! He was just the right size to fit. "Don't worry, Em," I consoled. "There is no way that guy can get in our house. That window is sealed tight." Little did I know.

Fast forward to today. Ems pokes me this morning and says, "Mom, there is a snake in my room!" "Mmmph?" I reply. "MOM, there's a SNAKE in my room!"

"How big is it?"

"Not too big. I think it is the same one we saw last week."

Argh. Where is that DH of mine????

So, I finally pulled myself out of bed and sometime later went down to investigate. I haven't found it yet. I am gingerly picking up odd pieces of clothing, homework, books, with great trepidation. Nothing like a snake to get your heart moving in the morning!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with it when I find it. I'll keep you posted!

Did you know . . .

That it is 10:37 pm in Taiwan at this exact moment?

Precisely 12 hours ahead of my time zone.

It is also 81 degrees with passing clouds and humidity of 74% percent, for you weather fans. A bit warm for late in the evening.

Elder H arrived in Taipei approximately 3 hours ago. Just in time to go to bed. I think he'll need it after a 17 hour flight.

He called yesterday. It was a bittersweet experience. He is very focused and very excited about the next 21 months. He spoke in Mandarin to us and it sounded like a mumbled mess. I don't know how he does it. All I have to say is:

YOU GO ELDER!

love, mom

Well now!

I proclaim today . . .

GOOFY PICTURE DAY!!

Now please don't think I excuse myself. I am prominent in some of these pictures as the downright goofiest of them all. And, boy, there were so many to choose from! So, let's take a stroll down memory lane. You may notice some similarities between family members. Such as . . .

THE WIDE OPEN GRIN

Hmm, definite family resemblance there.

I JUST WOKE UP DON'T BOTHER ME


A DAY AT THE BEACH . . .

A girl ready for a swim

Buried heads

My gosh, who is that? I want those legs back.

Gettin' down . . .

On the way to cross country ski. My kids were WAY excited to go!

Looking ghoulish for Halloween. Love the black lips.

This isn't a goofy picture. Just darn cute. I miss those days.

Hey, how did this one get in here? Very attractive, eh? The shower cap adds a touch of elegance, don't you think?