A traveling we will go...

I decided for our trip it would be fun to take a travel journal. Especially since this is Owen's first real road trip. Rather than buy on I decided to make one. I was inspired by a little journal that Ali Edwards made for a trip she took.

I think if you click the picture you can see it larger.

The journal is 7x7 made with scrap cardboard and binder rings I had. I covered the printing on the cardboard with pattern paper. On the inside covered I glued some small favor bags sideways to hold some little cards I stamped on. I can use these to write information to go with photos and use the pockets to keep small memorabilia. Then there are 10 sheets of lined writing paper for each day we are gone. There is an envelope to keep some bits and piece in too. Then there are 10 photo protectors. They are 4x6 size, actually refill pages for a 3 ring binder type photo album but I cut them apart so I could use them in the journal. I just tucked them in the back rather than punching holes because I won't know which way to orient the pictures until I've taken them!

I was feeling like the journal was a bit bare. But then decided that was okay since the point is for it to take shape during the trip! I then packed some basic supplies into a plastic school pencil box. MM Travel Wordfetti stickers, some pattern paper scraps, lined scraps, scissor, pencil, pen, glue stick, tombow adhesive, ruler and small stapler.

Ashton Henry is coming along too. I tucked him into my supply box! He's not been out for a good adventure since the glue factory incident!

Lastly, I wanted to share my new piece of high tech camera equipment. It's a light diffuser. Does it look familiar? It's a film canister! I cut a slot in the side so I can slip it over the onboard flash of my SLR. Now if Morgan would stop messing with it so the super glue can dry I can tuck it into my camera bag! Here is a link to a how-to for it. It looks like it may fit on a Canon better than my Sony. But it does the job.

Why being a grown-up can often suck...

Property taxes: $1445.03 (and that's just the first half for the year!)
New tires: $349.77
New lawn mower: $202.62
Car repairs: $343.50
various utility bills: $289.43
Well fiasco: Priceless!

I did not have an enjoyable time spending any of that money. Owen did. He loved sitting on the riding lawn mowers while we were looking at the push ones. Paying property taxes just makes me mad because our city and school district are floundering but we pay just as much in property taxes as people in cities and school districts that are booming. The new tires were very necessary but would be better if they came on a little convertible!

As for the well fiasco, I guess we'll find out how much that is going to cost when we come back from vacation. We have a well for our outside water. I guess when city water was installed a previous owner decided it would be a good idea to keep the well for just outside water. Now that the well and pump are 54 years old, I think this was a bad idea. Anyway, last week I turned the pump on and it made a squealing noise so I turned it off immediately. I told Morgan about the noise. Today he turned it on so he could spray the weeds and it made the same noise but he let it keep running. Eventually the noise went away. Probably when the water started shooting out the underside of the pump! Morgan has this way of starting a sentence and then taking what feels like a ridiculous amount of time to finish it, while you are hanging there waiting. And he does it at times where you don't want to wait. So he starts to say something like "Uh, oh... it's..." and I say "What?? Is it leaking??" (Ridiculously long pause) "It's leaking". Did I mention we are leaving tomorrow for 10 days!! So Morgan gets a bucket and then starts calling repair people (on Memorial Weekend!) and I start sucking up the water with our tiny shop vac that only holds a gallon at a time. Luckily I only sucked up 3 gallons and the bucket (5 gallon) was only 1/2 full.

The repair guy I talked to said it sounded like a broken shaft seal but he wouldn't be able to come out until Tuesday. He also said that since it hasn't leaked in the past and it has stopped it should be fine as long as it's not turned on again.

So now I'm going to go take my shower and run some errands and I will leave you with a weed photo. Kind of a metaphor for life. Irritating and beautiful all at the same time!

Hooray for Friday...

The weather here has been beautiful all week. The perfect spring weather. Not too cool not too warm. The lilacs and apple trees are blooming. There are lots of apple trees in our neighborhood but the neighbors kitty-corner across the street from us have the most beautiful tree I've ever seen. It's stunning and this picture really doesn't do it justice but I had to share it with you. Friday is quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the week. Mostly because I know that the next day I will have some parenting help! But I also look forward to the family activities we have planned. For us this weekend it will be my Mom's graduation on Saturday and then leaving for vacation on Sunday! So today will be busy day of laundry and cleaning and getting things ready for packing!

We are taking a trip to South Dakota and Montana. Rapid City and Bozeman specifically. My grandparents and some aunts and uncles and cousins live in Rapid City. I have not seen my grandparents out there for sixteen years so we decided to drive through there on the way to Montana this year. It's also the first big road trip we've taken with Owen. So we've tried to gather some fun stuff for him to do in the car and of course videos to watch! We also plan to stop at some sights along the way.

Maureen posed a good question on the blog thread at 2P's the other day and I've been thinking about it but hadn't written about it. She asked "why is creativity important?" I think when was younger I had a pretty narrowly defined idea of what it meant to be creative. Specifically art. And within that what was good creativity. As I've gotten older I've discovered or realized that creativity is very broad and can encompass a vast array of ideas and activities. Simply using ones imagination in creating something. Not just art. Food, clothing, automobiles, new plants and vaccines. Creativity applies to all kinds of industries. Science, manufacturing, technology. It's not just reserved for the arts. When I was teaching I always tried to foster some creativity in my students and help them to understand that creativity didn't just apply to art but everything. It can be a way of living and seeing and doing. And especially a way of thinking.

Random thoughts for Thursday...

I don't really have a topic for today and there's no challenge posted yet so I've decided to do some random thoughts. I'll warn you in advance, it may not be very interesting!

1. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. For a long time I thought I had a brain tumor because I had a lot of headaches. I think that can mostly be attributed to the large quantities of sugar I've been known to consume.

2. At work my face is always flush but the rest of me is cold. I can't figure out why this is. I always leave feeling like I have a sunburn on my face and cold toes!

3. Owen has developed a new avoidance tactic. It's called the limp pancake. If he doesn't want to do something he flattens himself on the floor and becomes completely limp when I try to pick him up. Clever and annoying.

4. Men, boys and dogs cannot live in a clean and tidy house. It's like the universe opposes it.

5. Yesterday a miracle happened at our house. Morgan cleaned out his own car and vacuumed it too. I'm pretty sure this is the first time it's ever happened with this car. One time when I was cleaning out his old car I was afraid the entire time that I'd find a dead mouse because he thought he saw one scurry in but didn't see it leave. I never found the mouse. Thank goodness.

6. I spend a lot of time during the day returning things back to where they belong because someone else has taken them out and not put them back. Like right now there is a dirty cup sitting on the table and the table needs to be wiped up but it wasn't like this when I left for work. I try to stay vigilant but when I leave the house they take over.

7. If I had a longer attention span I could probably be diagnosed with OCD. But since my mind wanders and I don't dwell on things for too long it just sort of clears itself up. For instance germs and hand washing. I don't like germs and I do wash my hands a lot but not as constantly as I might if I focused on the germs constantly. I get distracted by other things. Usually chocolate. Or glitter. Or paper. Or a nap.

8. The short attention span is also what keeps me from being mad for too long or holding a grudge. I just can't pay that much attention to it.

9. I like to laugh and I do it almost everyday.

10. Now that part of my butt is almost asleep I'd better stop.

New tags & photos...

Here are the two tags I've done for May. On this first one I gave Owen some fairy wings in PSE. I've seen this a couple times and thought it would be fun to try out. Morgan doesn't think Owen should have wings since he's a rough and tumble boy. But I don't have a girl so I had to try it on O! This is a macro of one of the lilies Morgan and Owen gave me.

Here are my photos for my May project for the 18th-20th.

Morgan and Owen setting up the tent for our Sunday night camp out. Let's just say Sunday nights are not a good night for camping out!

The lilacs are in bloom in our backyard. The bush is right outside the study window so I can smell them as I type this. Another one of my favorite things about spring. I'm so glad they are blooming this week instead of next week when we will be gone.

Here is Owen having his asparagus yesterday. He just cracks me up.

No thanks, I'll take the asparagus...

This morning Owen discovered a bag of marshmallows in the baking cupboard that just happens to be down low enough for him to get into. He brings the bag to me in the bathroom and because he's done this I know he wants some. (I'm amazed at the mother/child communication system!) These are the BIG ones so I take one out and show him that he needs to take bites not just cram the whole thing into his mouth like he would if it were a smaller one. I also tell him this so we are clear that I am showing him something he should do. He proceeds to eat the marshmallow and gesture to me that he would like another please (grunts and grabs). So I give him another one. This also keeps him occupied while I change his diaper and his clothes. During marshmallow #4 we are in the kitchen and he starts to have a little fit. (This is probably fit #10 for the day and it was only 10:30am, which is probably why I gave in to the marshmallows in the first place!) He wants to put the marshmallow on top of the stove. I presume he's finished with it and try to just take it from him to throw away which only perpetuates the fit. IT NEEDS TO BE ON THE STOVE! (Which is what Owen would say if he could put all those words together! I so wish he could put those words together!) So I put the marshmallow on the stove and he stops the fit. Owen moves to the fridge. I presume he wants milk so I ask him if he'd like some milk to which he replies the standard "no". Which is frequently the answer given even if he does in fact want something! He proceeds to "shop" in the fridge. Checking things out, looking around, seeing what's there. He decides on a container of leftover asparagus and pulls it off the shelf. He peers inside to see what it is. Shakes it. Looks at it again and then goes to the table. So I ask him if he wants to eat the asparagus and he nods yes. I'm still skeptical of this but I lift him into his chair and open the container and he proceeds to eat the cold asparagus. Yes, my kid gave up a marshmallow in favor of asparagus. He sits happily eating the asparagus until he decides he's done. At the same time he's deciding he's done I am calling Morgan at work to ask him something. Morgan answering the phone also coincides with Owen throwing the asparagus that he's not going to eat on the floor as I'm yelling "stop!" "STOP THROWING THAT!" So I have to tell Morgan to hold on while I pluck the little asparagus thrower out of the chair and check that he's clean enough to leave the room. And I get to pick up the discarded asparagus!

And this is how it goes. Life with a toddler. The word toddler invokes the idea of a slowly toddling child. This is not an accurate description of a toddler. At least not my toddler. He does toddle a bit but it is anything but slow. Despite the CP and the weakness on his right side Owen is NOT slow. He's fast. Very fast. And somedays I am not. I think the toddler stage should be changed to the "hell on wheels" stage because destruction and chaos will rein wherever there is a toddler. I'm lucky he's not much of a climber!

Now I hear him waking up from his nap and when I go in he will start chantting "side" side!" "SIDE!" The poor kid was cooped up in the house yesterday while it rained. So we must go outside today and fling some sand. And play in the tent. Which is another story... No wonder Little Debbie's are my best friend.

More flowers for Friday...

It's another day of pictures! Maybe I just don't have as much to write about recently! Yesterday evening Morgan planted some broccoli and cabbage in the garden. Owen helped. He loves to help in the garden. He kept looking at me and saying "dirt" "dirt".

I have a few pots of pansies that I planted for Owen's birthday party. I've been trying to keep them watered so they don't die. I have a problem with keeping up on that! Here's one of them. They are a bit tricky to photograph. They are pretty small, violas more than pansy, and I have to get very close and with the macro lens the closer I am the more still I need to be. The breeze and my own movement make it trick to do it. Today maybe I'll get out the tripod.

Here are more lily pictures. For all of these I used the tripod. I also took them outside for better, natural lighting.

I apologize of you are tired of seeing them! I just think they are beautiful. Probably the most beautiful flowers I've ever gotten. And as I mentioned the other day they smell divine!

Our lilac is starting to get buds on it so maybe I'll take some pictures of those today. We are going on vacation in a couple weeks so I hope they bloom before then. I love lilacs.

I was reading a great post on Emily's blog yesterday. She was talking about realistic drawings, which she does. But also how there is some perfectionism involved in that art form. When I was in high school I did a lot of drawing of flowers and it was frustrating for me not to get them exactly the way I saw them. Eventually I stopped drawing. Which brings me to why I love photography. It is always my goal to capture with my camera what I see with my eyes. While that may sound simple it's actually quite a challenge given the greater range of light and color our eyes see in comparison to the camera. There is an art to using a camera as well as all the technical aspects of it. I can use my hands and my knowledge of my camera and my image editing software to capture what I see with my eye and my mind's eye and it satisfies my techiness and my creative side!

Oh, and Owen has started saying his name! It sounds like Ooowinn. Long o sound at the beginning kind of drawn out. I also have a cute video of him dancing that I need to edit so I can post.

Hope you all have a great Friday. Our weather has been beautiful here so I'm planning to open up all the windows again and let the fresh air and sunshine in!

Thoughts for Thursday...

First a photo.

We spent part of Wednesday with my mom. We took O to the park. He had a great time. He's so funny. He loved running around and climbing and having us try to grab him through the holes in the tunnel. I had to pick him up and haul him to the car but he didn't pitch a fit. We had lunch at my mom's and Owen played and messed with the cat. She isn't so into him. While we were there I took some pictures of these huge dandelions in my mom's yard. I think if you click on it you can see it bigger. There's a lot of detail in this photo. I wish I could figure out how to make the pictures larger in the post. I just love all the things that I find when I upload pictures after using the macro lens. All those little curlyques are so neat.

The challenge posed for today by Maureen is: What are the values you cherish even though they run counter to societal values?

Well, first and foremost I'm a follower of Christ. I believe in doing what is right and good and treating people as best I can. This is sometimes very hard and I struggle with it often. But I believe it is important.
What is the opposite of materialism? I value that. There are tons of "things" I'd like to have but they won't make me happier or a better person. I try to be happy with what I have and what we can afford and live within our means. This is tricky sometimes because our income is significantly less than what it used to be and there are lots of things that just aren't options for us right now. But it's important to us that I stay home with Owen and that always comes first. In relation to this, we live debt free. At least bad debt free. We have a mortgage and I have a student loan. This took work but it's cheaper to live this way than to carry the baggage of interest on credit cards and the stress it can have on a relationship and an individual. This is not to say we are experts in managing money. We continue to work on that! These things seem to be counter to our American culture. For example the economic stimulus check we got! Money given to people to go out and spend. Many of whom have thousands of dollars in debt. Doesn't seem right to me.
Being a stay-at-home-mom seems to be counter to our culture too. It's not supported or encouraged in anyway by our government. Many countries encourage this by providing some kind of incentive. Not the US. Here everything is about BIG, BETTER, BEST and MORE.
I also believe in putting garbage where it belongs. I don't like litter. Apparently lots of other people are okay with it as evidenced by the amount of trash all over public parks and roads. Yuck.

Eye candy...

Today Morgan and Owen came home with these. One of the things I wanted for Mother's Day was flowers from Trader Joe's. My favorite place to get flowers. They are always beautiful and always reasonably priced.
I used my 90mm to do some macro shots. I'm not the least bit influenced by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe!

Here's both bunches. They got tulips and lilies. I wish my blog had smell-o-vision because the lilies spell wonderful.

Today I had Owen pose for me. This is what posing looks like when you are two! I said, "stand right there and let mommy take your picture." He laughed in between shots but NOT while I was taking the picture! My sister made the cute Elmo shirt he has on.

On Friday Morgan plopped O into this little wagon my mom gave O for his birthday. It's just a little wagon intended (or so I thought) for his sandbox toys. But they both thought this was a good use for it. Yesterday he emptied all of his toys out of it and climbed in for my sister to pull him around! Surprisingly it CAN be used for children. But only up to 80 pounds!

And here is Morgan with some of the equipment for his latest hobby. Roller hockey! I'm not a huge fan yet, but he's enjoying it!

Finally, here are the photos for the last 4 days of my May project.

Oh, and I got a gift certificate in the mail for a massage! I do have great boys!

HOORAY Mom!!!

I just talked to my mom a little bit ago and got the good news that she passed the dissertation part of her master's program!! She had a little editing to work on this past week and was nervous about the meeting today. But she PASSED! I have not read her dissertation, I actually haven't read my own all the way through, but I'm sure it's great.

I am so proud of my mom. She worked very hard during this program (counseling and psychology) and we are so happy for her to finally be finished!

So Mom, who's up for a PhD???

Hello Monday!

I don't have much to say today and I don't have any photos to post right now. I've been taking them in RAW format so they all have to be processed before I can post. While I like the idea behind RAW format, it's a bit more time consuming than I'd like.

So I'm going to do the challenge Maureen put forth today. You can only keep five things you have. What will they be?

I'm going to presume that people are not things so my family and friends don't count toward the five.

1. The blanket my grandma made when I was a little girl that I still have on my bed. As Owen would say "Mommy's Dee-dee".

2. The journal I keep for Owen.

3. My camera. I have two though. So I think if pressed, I'd keep the little one. It's more portable and takes video.

4. My MAC. I'm attached to it. Even though I'd love to upgrade.

5. Teddy. My ratty old bear.

I'm sure if I thought more about this I'd change my mind. I didn't include my wedding photos, which are on my list of things to grab if there's a fire. And that list keeps getting longer. I'd probably go up in flames trying to "grab" stuff!

Oh, a little fun fact. I was reading Ali Edwards' blog today. She got to meet Barack Obama when he was in Oregon and posted photos from this. Did you know he's a lefty? Just thought I'd share.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of you fellow Mother's had a wonderful day and got to do something on your list of enjoyable activities. This morning we went for a skate. We had lunch with my mom and sis this afternoon and then spent sometime relaxing with each other the rest of the day and ended with the evening service at church. Morgan's out getting ice cream right now!

On Friday I bought myself a Mother's Day present! I got a new bra! (Mag, Lori & Nik, I know you are so proud right now!) It's a Bra-llelujah! by Spanx. After Owen's doctor appointment we went to the mall to kill some time before meeting Morgan for dinner. I decided to go to Von Maur and check out bras. The very helpful sales girl measured me and brought me a selection of bras. None of which were right. I mentioned I wanted something that would slim my back a bit and she said she had one that might be good and that she thought was very comfortable. She returned with the Bra-llelujah! It IS comfortable. Even with underwire, which I had sworn off! The straps are self adjusting and here's the best part (well, one of them) I FILL THE WHOLE CUP! A "C" cup even! Turns out I was wearing the wrong size (imagine that)! So I dropped $62 on a bra and left a happy girl! The whole experience was great. Even with Owen along. (he had a few cars to play with). Except for the teenage girls who were cussing in the fitting room. I would have said something but I was in my bra and jeans and it was enough for me to let the sales girl see me that way. Owen didn't seem to hear/notice the cussing so I let it go.

Well, Morgan is back so I'm off to eat a little Ben & Jerry's and finish celebrating my day!

Just photos...

Random thougths for Wednesday...

1. Why don't some people wash their hands after they use the toilet? Yuck.

2. Why do public toilets splash so much when you flush them? Yuck.

3. Why can't vaccines be given orally?

4. Why can't women get PAID to stay home with their children?

5. Is it really that difficult to obey some laws? Like don't steal, don't kill?

6. Do sleazy people really enjoy being that way? Or are the missing something inside of themselves?

7. Is it too much to ask that ALL children be loved and cared for?

I'll stop with 7. It's a nice odd number.

Today Owen had his 2 year check up. I really like his doctor. She's a nice woman and a good doctor. O didn't get upset when he saw nurse Deb. This was good! In the past when she's come out and called his name he's gotten very upset. Today he follwed her in and went to the scale and stood to be measured. I think he was very happy not to have to undress to do this. I was too! He wanted to sit on the swiveling doctor's chair but I told him that was for the doctor to sit on when she came in. And then he said "doctor". Clear as day! Another new word.

He got a shot. Which he was not happy about. He was also not happy about the bandaid on his leg. But I left it. Then we had to have blood drawn for a hemoglobin and lead check. I thought this was going to be another ordeal but he sat on my lap and let the nice nurse poke his finger and draw the blood. NOT A PEEP! He watched with fascination the entire time. He didn't even jump when she poked his finger. I do not have this done. I hated this as a child. Well, back then they used razor blade, but I've had the poke with the little gadget once and that is the last time. The anticipation is just awful and I can't stay still. I pull my finger away. Which isn't smart. But I can't help it. He is brave like his daddy.

And speaking of words. I made a list of the words that Owen says in the journal I keep for him. I got up to something like 65 and couldn't think of anymore. But that's pretty good for a 2 year old.

#7 on my list above came from a thought I had the other night during O's bedtime routine. I had this overwhelming sense of sadness while I was watching Morgan hug and kiss him. There are lots of children out in the world who are not loved like O is. They weren't wanted. They aren't cared for. They are not loved. I hate this about our world. I hate that defenseless children are mistreated, abused and neglected. I know there are lots of people doing something about this. But the solution to the problem lies at home or with the parents or gaurdians of these children. During one of the parenting sessions of our ECFE class we touched on this. How these classes are available for all children and their families. But the ones who attend aren't the ones who can benefit the most. The mothers in my class consist of well educated, older than 25, married, stay-at-home moms. We could all make it as mothers without these classes. So how does a school district target a market with greater need? Just think of all the positive things that can result from a child being raised with love, respect and discipline. Adults who can love, respect, and be disciplined. There would much less violent crime and people would be respectful of each other.

I know I'm a total idealist when it comes to society. I know there are big, huge problems. But I also know that there are some real easy answers.

Happy Birthday Week!

Yesterday was Owen's birthday. He's embracing being two with both arms! Which is to say he goes from happy to crabby in a very short period of time and he wants what he wants RIGHT NOW! I'm trying to keep my cool and be consistent. I think he's learning a lot right now and gets frustrated easily. I know how he feels!

Sunday we had a backyard BBQ birthday party. There was one other child, my best friend's daughter, and she and Owen played very well together. It was just the right number of children!

This is the invitation for Owen's party. I forgot to post it earlier when I sent them out.

We had a great time. The weather was perfect. Owen enjoyed having everyone here and playing outside. I love this picture of my mom and Owen. It's my photo for the 4th in my 31 days project.

This is my May 3rd photo.

As for the title of this post, I believe that everyone should get a week to celebrate their birthday. So this is Owen's birthday week. He doesn't really know it now but he'll get it later! Morgan always feels like he doesn't get his own week because our birthdays are 4 days apart and my birthday upstages his. It's rough being a man.

A funny little video...

Here is the video I took of Owen in his costume the other day.


Have a great weekend!

Rainy Friday...

1. Pink Rain Brings Pink Days, 2. After the rain has fallen..., 3. After the rain I, 4. Still Raining, 5. *P*ier*, 6. hiroshima umbrellas, 7. diary: raining today..., 8. rain stroll, 9. babbling stream

It's rainy here today. Possible storms later. The grass is greening up like crazy though so I don't mind the rain today. I also put down fertilizer on the front lawn two days ago so hopefully that will kick in! We are not great at taking care of our lawn, even though I'd love to have a lush green carpet of grass for Owen to play on.

Owen got up very early today and was in a ripe, foul mood. He spent a good 20 minutes wailing and howling. Finally he settled down to eat something and then came downstairs hollering for me. Now he's watching Jonah.

Owen's birthday party is on Sunday. Which turns out will be the best day of the weekend. Hooray! We are having a little BBQ and I was hoping we'd be able to be outside. I've not yet decided the set up or decorations but it will all work out.

Sarah C. bestowed a little award upon me. It's called the Arte y Pico Blog Award. And she gave it to me for my "amazing photography". Thank you Sarah, for your kind words and the award! Now I am supposed to put together a list of 5 people to give the award to. So I will do that in the next few days!

Happy May Day!

Hooray for May! May is one of my favorite months. It rates right up there with November. And since I only have two favorite months I guess it 's one of the two.

And in 4 days my baby is going to turn 2! I can't believe it. Two. We've been practicing saying "two" but he will still hold up 5 fingers when asked how old he is! When you are little it's hard to hold those fingers down! I can still remember labor and delivery so you can safely determine that I am not pregnant!

While I was putting some of Owen's too small clothes away yesterday he saw his Halloween costume hanging in the closet and had to wear it. I didn't argue because I knew it would be a cute photo opp!

The Peek-a-Boo Mouse.

We don't have a full length mirror upstairs so he was in the kitchen looking at himself in the stove and dishwasher. I did turn on iPhoto so he could see himself on the computer. And I also did a little video of him. I think I'll cry when this costume doesn't fit anymore.

I decided a couple of weeks ago I needed a project for May. So I'm doing a little photo journal called 31 days in May. I found this little 4x6 album at Target one day on clearance for like $1.50 and knew it would be perfect for a little project.

I designed the sticker in PSE and printed it on clear sticker paper so it looks like it was printed right on the cover.

There are more pages inside so maybe some of them I will do a little writing about the photos. May promises to be a good month for photos. Owen's birthday, Mother's Day, spring flowers, and our trip to South Dakota and Montana.