We Did It!

Last night I accomplished the goal of writing a 50,000 word novel in one month.   Yipee!   Hooray!  It was so fun!  Actually I am really sad to see it end.  It was such a great learning experience!  I'm a bit surprised that I actually finished!  There were many days that I did not type the daily 1,667 words required to finish in a smooth and well paced manner.  At one point I was 13,000 words behind and I despaired of ever catching up.  But I did!  It feels very strange -- almost uncomfortable --  to say that I actually finished a project, and I even did it one day ahead of schedule. Both things  are very uncharacteristic for me.  I can't wait till next year!  Who wants to do it too?  Try it, you'll like it!  

The kids participated in the Young Writer's Program, and they all accomplished their word count goals as well.  It was so fun seeing their ideas and their progress!

Here is a little about their stories

Kadin: 1,220 words.  He told it to me while I typed.  Two boys who are magic have scary encounters with a villain named Mr. Bad Guy.  Of course the boys win.  Kaylee is drawing illustrations so he can have it published.

Madeline: 3,046 words. She started writing a cute story about an inch worm named Mimi and her friend Anna.  After about 5 chapters she got bored, and switched to writing a collection of short stories. One is about a worm who learns to drive a train. Another is about a mouse who outsmarts a cat.  She hand wrote it all, and then I typed it up.  She will also have it made into a book with pictures.

Jillian:  5,000 word goal reached but the story is still going.  It is about a girl from Alaska who moves to a new place, and has to make a new friend.  Jillian got part way into her story, and got a serious case of writer's block. She decided that if she switched to the fantasy genre, she could do a lot more.  So the story becomes an adventure with magical elements.

Dallin: 5,000 word goal reached but the story is far from finished.  It is a major science fiction work, and is full of Dallin's amazing inventions and his wildest dreams. He is hoping that it will be spectacular enough to be published for real and widely read.  His main goal (besides the sheer joy of creating) is to make millions of dollars off it.  Sign up now if you'd like an autographed copy.
                                                        

Our Next Crazy Endeavor

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It starts tomorrow!  The 4 homeschool kids and I are going to participate!  


Here is a blurb from their website:

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.  Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Here is a link to the website in case you want to do it too!  

www.nanowrimo.org

The kids are signed up in the "Young Writer's" division.  They get to set their own word count so it is not so overwhelming.   If they reach their goal, they can send the book in to have it published into a real book (free for the first copy!)  If their books turn out well, family members may receive copies for Christmas!  Wooo Hooo!   They have been working hard preparing their character sketches and plots.  I told them that if they participate, they can get out of their journal, critical thinking and writing lessons for the entire month! 


 Although I have been thinking about this off and on since last November, I have no idea what to write.  Aaaaa!   I have always wanted to be an author.  Back in college, I planned on writing psychology type books that would launch me into a career of being a well-known and respected psychologist, philosopher and lecturer.  (Don't laugh.  I had a higher opinion of myself back then.)    After motherhood and life beat down my career ideals, I switched to dreaming about being the next Erma Bombeck.    I certainly have had enough laughable family related  trials to fill a few books!  Now, my brain has become rather mushy, and I don't think I could even pull off a few short stories with any quality.  Maybe I could crank out some children's books.  You know -- plots where the main characters learn to count from 1 - 10,  talking animals, small words...

Are we normal? Part 2

Kaylee took this picture for our "Are We Normal?" Series.  This is our vacuum cleaner.  A while ago, the cord broke.  I was happy about that, because I did not like the vacuum, and was excited about the prospect of getting a new one.   However.   Frugal, engineer father got an old extension cord out of the garage and wired it to the vacuum cleaner.  Now it works -- good as new.  Actually it is even better than new, because you can go practically anywhere in the entire house without having to switch outlets!  It is rather cumbersome to lug the lengthy cord around, but everyone seems to manage.  We were just wondering:  How many other people in the world have a vacuum cleaner with as amazing of a cord as we do?  Surely this is not normal.

General Conference Snack Mix

I was in charge of a Young Women activity tonight.  Matt had the great idea that I should focus on the General Conference that is being broadcast this Saturday and Sunday.  (Here is a link where you can watch the broadcast.  http://www.lds.org/ )


As part of the activity, I decided to have the girls make a snack mix to munch on while watching General Conference.   My helpful children and I came up with a way to link each of the 12 Apostles and the 1st Presidency members to the various ingredients.  I was going  to write it into a spectacularly clever poem, but my brain just couldn't do it. 

Anyway, tonight, as the girls put each ingredient into a ziplock bag, I told them how it could help them remember the name of that general authority.  They were good about going along with my quirky mnemonic aids, and even revised some of my ideas into much better ones.  So, here is the "recipe" in case you want to use it.  I admit that some of them were a pretty big stretch, and some are outright lame.  But I think we did pretty good for a last minute, off the top of our heads composition.

General Conference Snack Mix
Monson -- one jaw breaker (about 1 1/2 inch diameter). (He is solid and strong, and there is only one president of the church.)

Uchdorf -- pretzels (Lots of people think pretzles are German food and Uchdorf is from Germany)

Eyring -- lemon drops (the oval candies look like eyes  -- EYEring)

Packer -- peanuts (think about "packing" peanuts)

Perry -- popcorn (alliteration)

Nelson -- M&M’s (Russel M) (I pointed out the similarity in the names of both Nelson and Ballard, and how both had an M, so I used 2 scoops of M&M's -- one for Nelson and one forBallard)

Oaks – Corn nuts (Oak trees have acorns which are nuts -- hence the corn NUTS could help them make a connection. (This one was pretty weak -- I know.  Maybe you could find something better.))

Ballard -- M&M’s (M Russel, see above comments)

Scott -- Skittles (alliteration)

Hales – Gold Fish crackers (Hales sounds like whales and the fish look like little whales.)

Holland – Candy Corn (When he was president of BYU when I was there, sometimes he said funny things.  So I told the girls he could be "corny".  But one girl said "You eat candy corns at 'Holloween' which is like Holland."  I liked that too.  Pick your favorite option.)

Bednar – Checks cereal.  (Some people eat cereal before going to BED, or in the morning after getting out of BED.  Then someone else said the cereal squares looked like little pillows that go on your BED.)

Cook -- cookie crisp cereal  (Cook-cookie, get it?)

Christofferson -- marshmellows (the longest names of both the people and the ingredients.  (Hey -- I was desperate!) )

Anderson -- almonds (more alliteration)

OK so that is it.  I hope you are not rolling your eye-balls at my wierd ideas.  Leave me a comment and tell me which ones you liked the best, or if you thought of anything better! 
 
Enjoy the Conference!   http://www.lds.org/
Deanne

Is Our Family Normal? Part 1

It has been a great concern to my youngest child lately, to know if our family is "normal."  He frequently evaluates something we do, and asks, "Do normal families ..."  I'm not quite sure how to answer that question.  

I decided to document some of the things that we do, or that happen at our house.  Maybe you can help us decide if we are normal. 

This happened while I was out of town.  I am not responsible for the condition of the bathroom that you see in the background.  As for the face on the potty --that would be Kaylee's creation.  A bit unnerving to sit on if you ask me...

Triathlon Adventure!

We did it! 
This was a great, fun, wild and crazy week with 14 relatives visiting us -- making 21 people in the house at times.  (The 2 grandmas were smart and got a hotel, so they could retreat for peace and quiet when it got too exciting at our house.)  The reason for this gathering -- besides the fact that we all just enjoy being together, was that 4 of the sisters/sisters in-law got it in our heads that we wanted to do a triathlon.  I am quite proud to say that we all cheerfully made it!  I am also incredibly thankful for Ali who stirred up this adventure, and for our family members who helped make it happen.  I hope that next year we will have even more family members participate!

That is me coming out of the lake, and peeling off my wetsuit.  I'll admit that swim was one of the most terrible things that I have experienced in a long time.  If I had a choice to repeat that or childbirth.  I'd choose labor and delivery.  I have a lot of work to do before I try another 1/3 mile lake swim.  The 14 mile bike ride was hard and tiring, but more like what I had expected.  I was surprised at how hard the run was after coming off the bike. Those 4 miles felt the same as miles 22-26 in a marathon.  I thought I'd do great with the run, as I am currently able to do twice that distance, but I was so focused while on the bike ride that I forgot to drink anything and became somewhat dehydrated.  Now that I have done one triathlon, I know what to expect, and how to train better.  I feel like I fell off a horse, and now I need to get back on.  I'd like to sign up for another one in September.  I'm afraid if I don't have a reason to keep working at it, I might never go swimming again. 

Dallin and Jillian participated in the youth triathlon.  they didn't even train, but just jumped in and did it for fun.  They did well.  Here are a few pictures of them.

Kaylee was a great help in getting bikes ready, helping with younger children, and cheering.  She did not have time to train for the full length one, and was too old for the youth one.  She hopes to do the full length one with us next year.  I'm sure she will beat my times easily. 

My Latest Creative Inspiration

Last night I realized that tomorrow was the last day of the month, and we had not gotten to visit all of the people we are supposed to Visit Teach.  I decided I'd just make treats and drop them off today, in a  feeble attempt to show that we care.  (About the person, and our record for 100%)   This morning when I woke up the first few lines of this song were running through my head.  I didn't even try to make them up, they were just there.  I revised the rest of the song, and felt pretty pleased with myself.  I'll print it on a card and deliver it with a bag of fancy chocolates, or flowers or something.  (I'm not even making treats because I'm so tight on time, and I don't want the kitchen mess!  The dishes mess is the worst part of making treats -- that and the fact that the kids and I end up eating the rest of the batch for snacks and lunch and snacks the rest of the day!)  Anyway, I'm digressing!
Here it is -- just to make you laugh.  I hope no one else needs to use this -- but feel free to if you do. 

The tune is "Your Happy Birthday" in the LDS Primary Songbook.  Pg 283. 

This month was such a hectic one;
It’s summer time, that’s true.
We really wish that we had come,
and spent some time with you.
Zip-a-dee-ay and heigh-dee-ho,
Here’s something we can do.
We’ll drop off treats and next month hope,
We will do better for you!

Bunny Rescue

Background information:  There are tons of wild rabbits in our area.  Since it is spring, there are even tonser of wild baby bunnies running around.  Duma (our 1 year old cat) is in predator heaven.  He has already caught one baby bunny, 4 or 5 birds, a mole and a frog.  All of these have appeared on our back porch steps in varying stages of deadness.  Also, our neighbors have a kitten. Duma has taken it upon himself to teach Farley how to hunt.  Both cats roam freely between our families' yards.

The story:  Over the weekend, our yard was full of small children.  There were probably 10 kids, most of which were age 6 and under.  They were all happily playing, while Duma and Farley hung around as well.  Suddenly Dallin noticed that Farley was attacking something.  Unfortunately, a lot of the small children noticed too.  Upon investigation, they realized that it was a baby bunny that Farley had gripped in his teeth and was shaking it around.  Such violence did not go over well with the young children.  They were screaming in horror.  Fortunately, since Farley was still small, the bunny was too heavy for him, and he dropped the poor thing.  The bunny was in a daze and couldn't make a run for it quickly.  Jillian was able to scoop up Farley and take him away before he had a chance to go after it again.  Dallin got out the leather gloves and went back to retrieve the bunny who had slowly crawled under a nearby bush.  They were all relieved to find that the bunny was still in one piece, with no blood or obvious damage.  The bunny struggled in Dallin's hands for a bit, but then must have realized he was safe, calmed, and retreated farther inside Dallin's grip -- trying to be completely hidden.  Dallin showed all the kids that the bunny was ok, then took him to an area with dense bushes where we know that several bunnies live.  Hopefully it was the right family group.  For the rest of the day, everyone kept a close watch on Farley to make sure he didn't try to go near the bunny hide-out.  Farley has lost an immense amount of favor with the neighborhood children, while Dallin has been elevated to the respectable position of Brave Bunny Rescuer. 

March Point Fun Run

Every year Tesoro hosts a "Fun Run" for the community.  I know some people cannot understand how we could use the word fun to describe the concept of "run", but for us, it is a fun little event to participate in.  Dallin ran the 5 K (3.2 miles) with a friend his age.  Maddo and Bryce ran the 1/2 mile run for kids.  Kaylee captured this cool shot of Dallin sprinting through the air at the end.  He was very tired, but happy at the fact that he ran the whole way.  

Here is Bryce headed toward the finish chute.  He also ran the whole way.  He placed 6th in his age group.  

Here is Maddo right after coming in.  She placed 5th in her age group, but didn't think it was fair that she (as a young 9 year old) was racing against 10 and 11 year olds.   She has not learned to pace herself.  She is like a shooting star -- she takes off with an amazing burst of glorious speed, and then burns out and walks.  After a minute, she takes off at comet pace again and continues until she gets some sort of pain, and then walks again.     She still had fun though, and shortly after the race was asking if she could go run some more. Possibly she needs to sign up for the 5 K next year!  

Matt's knee has been bothering him, so he declined running.  He helped with recording runners numbers and times as they came in.  It was amazing to see 2 men aged 81 and 82 years come dashing in ahead of a 28 year old guy.  And that was for the 10 K (6.4 miles!) I hope that we can be like that when we are 80!  Instead of paying $15 and competing in the race, I decided to run from home out to the refinery.  I left early and made it all 6 miles in 1 hour and 7 minutes.  Matt had suggested that I ride with the family to the race and then run home, but I adamantly refused.  The route to Tesoro was predominantly down hill. I didn't want to give up such a great opportunity to run down hill without ever having to climb back up!  It was a great run!  I had forgotten how much I like distance running.  

This was the first truly glorious day of spring/summer, and it was so wonderful to be outside!  I am thankful for the blessing of health, and that we can run!  

Our Personal Lake

It has been raining, and raining, and raining. We have all felt very sunshine-deprived and irritated about all the lovely spring weather that we have NOT been having.  The gray drizzle has dampened (soaked) not only the ground, but our spirits as well.  After more than week of daily rain, the kids were desperate to be outside.  On Saturday they noticed that the drainage area in the front of our neighborhood had filled up and become a lovely little pond.  Shortly after commenting on the fact that we now had a lake in our own neighborhood, they began plotting how to take advantage of the situation.  First, they started asking if they could go look for frogs.  I said yes.  After the fun of that wore off, someone got the idea to get out the inflatable boat and see if they could paddle it around.  I believe I was on the phone, or only half paying attention when they asked if they could do that, because the next thing I knew, there was a great commotion of dragging the boat out of the crawl space, hooking up the air compressor, finding puddle boots, etc.   By the time I really realized what they were doing it was too late.  I was a bit worried about what the neighbors would say.  I wondered if paddling around in the decorative drainage area was allowed in the homeowner covenants.  Then I realized that Matt was involved in the process, and so I happily left it in his hands.  Here are some pictures of their big adventure.

The boat had a slow leak, so eventually they had to come out of the water.  Sadly, by the next day the water had drained away.  Although I do not ever wish for it to rain so much again, I do have the hope that if it does, at least there will be something good for the kids to enjoy outside.  

Do not leave these children unattended.

Matt and I went to the temple yesterday. (a six hour minimum absence)  It is bad to leave our children home alone. Their creativity gets a little out of hand. I know they do naughty things and don't tell us, but the funny thing is that sometimes they are so proud of their creations or adventures that they take pictures. Don't they realize that they are creating incriminating evidence? I am always surprised when I download the pictures on the camera as I prepare to blog. I never know what I will find. Today I found pictures like this one:

I guess I should be glad that they were getting along.  Kaylee said the neighbor came out and comented that Kaylee looked like one of those elephants that provide rides for people.  She thought maybe she should be offended at being called an elephant, but decided to let it slide.  I think she gave a ride to every small child in the neighborhood.   I am thankful that at nearly 15 years old, she is still willing to play with her siblings.  She stays very busy with her teenage life, but will periodically take time to assist her siblings in their endeavors.  Probably that heartwarming fact is what helps me overlook the mess and danger that happens everytime I leave home.

By the way...   Matt just saw this picture, and commented that the Honda in the driveway was in the garage when we left for the temple, and was also in the garage when we returned.  The kids fessed up to giving rides by taking it out of gear and pushing it back and forth.

Announcement: A Name Change

I'd like to announce that Kadin will no longer be going by his name. He has decided that "Kadin" is not suitable. We have frequent interactions with 7 other Kadins in our life, and our little guy is tired of being confused. For a while we tried calling him his old nick name, Hunkey, when other Kadins were present, but he has repeatedly told us that he'd like to be done with that stage of his life as well. So, we were talking about other names that he could choose.  I told him about how when we were in the hospital when he was born, Matt and I could not decide if we should name him Kadin or Bryce.  We were sitting there all packed and ready to go home, but we couldn't leave until we had filled out the birth certificate information.  (Otherwise we would have had to go to the courthouse later and pay $ to make an official change from "Baby Boy Tanner" to his real name on the birth certificate record.)  Anyway, after his siblings and I suggested countless other names, he said that Bryce was what he liked best.  Then we had to show him all the different ways it was spelled, and he chose to spell it with a y, "Because I already had practice writing lots of "i"s in the middle of my name"  is what he explained. 

Not everyone in the family is cooperating with this change, and some of us try to comply, but forget.  I don't know which will happen -- either we will get used to the new name, and it will stick, or he will get over this little whim, and go back to being Kadin.  I'll keep you posted.

Also, as if changing his name is not drastic enough, he has also decided that he wants to grow his hair out.  He has told me repeatedly how he wants it to look.  (All one length and slightly above the bottom of his ears.)  Everyday, Matt askes him if he is ready for a haircut, and Kadin Bryce just ignores the teasing.  He is very determined to accomplilsh this hair style.  In fact, he has started combing it out himself every morning, and is more faithful about brushing his hair again at night than he is in brushing his teeth at bed time.  Matt tells him to go brush his teeth, and then in a few minutes comes into the bathroom to check his progress and finds the child combing his hair.  I'm a bit worried about his teenage years.  He is already very particular about what he wears, and has very definite fashion oppinions.  Kaylee says he is going to be really vain.  I'm just pleased to have a child that actually cares about thier appearance.  I have had to beg and/or threaten the first 4 to shower, wear clean, matching clothes and brush thier hair.  Some of the older ones still couldn't care less about clothes and hair.  It is hard to look like a perfect mother when your children look like urchins.  Maybe Bryce will help to  restore my image.  (But I fear it might be too late.) 

I just thought everyone would like to know about this important new identity development.  Has anyone else ever been through this?  What was the outcome? 

Kaylee's to do list

Trestle Work

Last fall I wrote about a fire that destroyed the trestle that spanned the inlet, over which Matt daily rode his bike to work.  Well, the comunity rallied and donated enough money to rebuild the burned-out section.  As the professional contractors finished the structural repairs, Comunity volunteers (including some from Tesoro) have been helping to finish up the work.  Matt has spent several evenings out on the bridge.  Last week he took Dallin and Jillian with him.  They were helpful and had a good time.  They were happy to feel a part of the comunity project.  In the top picture, you can see the small space that is left to complete.  Matt and the kids will be out there on Monday, and Tuesday.  I think Matt plans to ride his bike to work on Wednesday!  Hooray! 

One of Matt's Tesoro co-workers drove the kids out to the bridge in the back of this vehicle.  It was an "exploring Africa" style car.  Old. Manual everything. No seatbelts.  Dallin was fascinated with it and has now done enough research on those kinds of cars to write a 50 page term paper.  Although, instead of writing the 50 pages, he has been orating them to me every chance he can get.  He is positive that this is THE car that he needs as soon as he can drive.

Maddo's Triathlon

Saturday Maddy participated in a kid's triathlon.  Jillian could not participate, due to a knee injury, and Kadin was too scared to do the swimming portion.  So, Maddy had the honor of being the first member in our family to complete a triathlon.  She had a good time.  The swim was hard.  She is not fond of the deep end, and had never really swam that far.  She was very brave, and made it. 

She was so nervous and excited about it.  The night before, she asked Matt to help her get her bike ready.  They pumped up her tires, adjusted the seat, fixed the brakes, etc..  Then in the morning when we went to load her bike intot he car, we noticed the back tire was flat.  Luckily, Matt keeps a good supply of inner tubes handy.  He was able to sit in the parking lot before the race and fix the tire.  She seemed to really be struggling during the bike part of the race, but we just figured she was tired from the swim.  After the race was over, Matt was wheeling the bike back to the car, and he noticed that the tension on the back wheel was really high.  When he checked it out, he realized that she had been riding the bike with the brakes partially engaged the whole way.  Poor Maddo.

The run was her favorite part.  We kept telling her to pace haerself, as she had to run 2 laps around the track.  Her idea of "pacing" was to sprint like all heck for 3/4 of the track, and then walk for a while then sprint again.    I think we are going to have to work with her on that concept.  :) 

It was a fun way to spend a quick Saturday morning.  So, now that Maddo has done it, the rest of the family has to get with it and step up our athletic pursuits. 

In Memory of Grandpa & Father John Tanner

I want to write a bit, but have been procrastinating, because it would be so hard. I feel a bit silly sending this to Matt's family. I feel like a unqualified third party documenting the story, but for my extended family and for our personal family history, I do want to record a few details. I hope I do not misrepresent things based on my perceptions.
On Friday, April 23, 2010, Matt's dad, John Paul Tanner passed away. He was 67 years old. This was an unexpected event, although, as we sort through our experiences of the days preceding his heart bypass surgery, I believe that some of us quietly, almost sub-consciously, guessed what the outcome of the surgery would be. Not that it made it any easier to bear when it happened.

After receiving the news Friday evening, our family hurriedly packed and left on Saturday to join Matt's family in Utah. I am very grateful to all the people here who filled in with pet care, took over paper routes, substituted in church teaching assignments and waived other requirements that we had going on here.

The entire week was emotionally exhausting. It feels blasphemeous to admit that it was also a wonderful time of visiting with family and friends. I was amazed at all the people who dropped everything and came for the funeral service. There were people there who were Matt's childhood friends who he had not seen in close to 20 years.

I thought I would write some of my memories and impressions of John, but I can't quite do that yet. Here are some other things that struck me as profound about the whole experience: I have an image permanently recorded in my mind of Sandy and the 5 children standing in a reception line together at the viewing on Tuesday evening. It was a picture of a beautiful, strong group of people bound by eternal ties of love, who were in complete harmony with one another. Their very lives were the most powerful tribute of John and to him. I feel an overwhelming sense of awe at being allowed to be a part of this family.

Another impression that I had, which I have never experienced, is the deep void that I felt in the feeling of our group gatherings. It was more than just missing his physical presence, I truly felt a gap that his spirit filled as patriarch of the family.  After feeling this way for a couple days, one night during the dinner prayer, the feeling in the room changed and felt normal again.  It felt complete and comfortable. I think that maybe his spirit was there with us.  I now believe that each spirit has a distinct essence -- one that can be recognized and felt.  I would use the analogy of how a cook can taste the flavor of each ingredient in a special dish.  The flavors blend so well, one doesn't notice them separately until one ingredient is missing and it just doesn't taste right.  Well, the void is back, but I am thankful for that one moment, and for what I learned. 

I liked how Aunt Becky spoke of John's death in her prayer at the funeral service. She called it a graduation from mortality.  In my opinion, John graduated with honors.  I know he was on the right path.  Although we are sad -- beyond any way of putting it into words -- we also have the hope that he is not gone forever.  Becky's words helped me remember the grand time-line of our total existence.  Knowing this helps me want to try to be valiant as a wife and mother so that we can claim the privilege of being a complete family through the eternities. 

While in Utah, we adults spent a lot of time reminiscing and honoring John, but the grand-kids did not have a formal opportunity to share their feelings and memories.  So, here is what our children have to say about their grandfather:

Kadin -- I remember eating pretzels and drinking lemonade and playing Uno.  When he came to visit us at our house he brought cherries and they were really good.  At his house, it was his job to take out the trash.  He had brown hair that was brushed all nice, and it seemed like he was always smiling.  We set up a table and Grandpa played Sorry with us in that big room at Mill Hollow.

Maddy -- Grandpa was fun and he loved little kids.  I liked playing Uno with him.  When we were at his house I saw him taking a lot of naps.  He liked to hold Sarah and let her play in his toy pocket.  I remember Grandpa on the jet ski in his straw hat at Lake Powell. Grandpa always enjoyed the meals that Grandma made, and he said thank you to her. 

Jillian-- I remember when he would be playing cards with Grandma Lesh, he'd say, "If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried,"  I remember him telling me that even if Grandma Lesh looked like a cute, old grandma lady, she was really mean when it came to cards.  I remember going up on the top of the houseboat at Lake Powell, and we watched the sunrise while he steered the boat.  He was often squinting and he blinked with his eyes shut really tightly.  I remember he fed us a healthy breakfast -- it was gingerbread and ice cream, and then he told Grandma, I gave them bread and dairy!  That is what they need! 

Dallin -- I remember he'd let us play chess on his computer.  He liked to play Hand-and-Foot, or any card game.  He liked playing Uno with us, and we liked to drink "beer" (lemonade) and pretzels while doing it.  He liked to read the Consumer Reports and I always thought it was fun too.  I remember every Christmas he was the garbage monster, and he collected all the trash from the unwrapping.  When we were little, we would run past him in his chair and he would try to grab us and hug us.  It was fun.  He got to drive the house boat and the Jet-skis.  He sat on his red chair a lot and would read the paper or hold the youngest grandchild.  He would always be the one to cut the turkey or meat, and once he used his power knife thing, and it was really cool.  I remember driving to Lake Powel in his car and once we stopped for gas and he looked under the hood, but then it wouldn't close.  But he didn't get mad about it.  When he lived in Texas and we went to visit, he watched us race our remote control cars. 

Kaylee -- He played Uno with us and we had "beer" and pretzels.  This happened several times over the course of a few years.  We always looked forward to it when we visited. The only time I remember him getting mad at us, I was really little.  It really scared me.  We were bouncing on the couch, and he came in and called our names, and then made us sit down on the couch and he talked to us.  Afterwards he played a game with us, but I was scared of him for a while after that.  I remember his chair -- the red one -- that he always sat in.  I remember that when we went downstairs he would sit at the computer and show me all the pictures that he had of the grandkids.  I also remember the bulletin board with all the pictures.  It made me feel loved when I was featured on it.  Several times Grandma would be telling us something "mom-like", and it was something we didn't want to do.  He would come in and say something funny and nice that would help put it in perspective so that we were more willing to do what she said.  But he made it seem like he was on our side, and was our friend.  He was always either in a bathrobe, or dressed up nice in khaki's and a dress shirt.  There was no in-between.  I always found that confusing and funny when I was a little kid.  One more thing: He had the coolest pencil collection.  They were Ticonderoga #2 (which are the best kind.)  He had a million of them and they were all perfectly sharpened and kept in a special place. 

Kaylee's Sunday doodling

A few weeks ago, I brought home some shampoo and conditioner labeled "ocean breeze" scent.  I thought it smelled lovely. Kaylee looked at it and started laughing.  She knew better than to fall for the glamorous marketing due to her many "ocean breeze" experiences.  This cartoon explains her cynical amusement.  I hope you find it funny too. 

Dr. Seuss Birthday Cake

Maddo wanted a "Dr. Seuss" cake for her birthday.  Kaylee created this.  It was not quite how she intended it to turn out, but it was spectacular -- in it's own special way!  The mess in the kitchen was even more spectacular! 

General Conference Joepardy Game

Several years ago, I noticed a post on my Latter-day Saint home school email group list thing. A seminary teacher had made questions about General Conference into a Jeopardy game. It was so clever! We used it for Family Home Evening, and were very surprised and amazed to see what our children had actually remembered. It was way more than what Matt and I thought they were getting out of it. We have gratefully used the updated, posted game after every conference for a while now. However, since most of the questions are very seminary oriented, I have to make up some extra questions that are more kid oriented. Last year, as a Gospel Doctrine teacher for the grown-ups, I had the great idea to play it in Sunday School the Sunday following Conference. It was a hit there as well, and stimulated some wonderful conversation and testimony sharing about the truths that we had just heard. We will be doing it for the third time this Sunday. Last night we used it in FHE and had 3 other families over to "compete" with us. It was a fun evening! Some people have asked me for the questions so they could use them in thier own FHE's. I figured that I might as well put them out for anyone who is interested. In October, I hope to have them posted by Sunday night so everyon can use them the very next day. It seems like if we wait a full week, some of the effect has worn off. So, here are the questions that Matt and I came up with with a few added by another mom who was at our FHE last night. We call it Conference Jeopardy, but don't play it exactly like the TV show. Make up your own rules according to your family style. Hope you like them! (PS we allowed it to be "open notes")

Conference Jeopardy April 2010 180th Annual



New Quotes for the Fridge

100 Uchdorf told about a statue in Germany that was destroyed during WWII. The people were able to restore it, but a certain part was irreparable. What was the statue and what parts were missing? For an extra 100 points, what was the quote that the people inscribed on the base of the Statue? (Jesus, His hands, “You are my hands.”)

200 Scott – was talking about ????????? and said, “The best way to make permanent change is to…..” (Make Jesus Christ your model)

300 In speaking about not being offended, Halstrom said, “Never let an earthly circumstance disable you ________” (Spiritually)

400 Monson said, “The 2 most important words in the English language -- ___________? (Thank You.)

500 Halstrom -- No matter the size of the issue, how we respond can reset____ what? (the course of our life.” ) Speaking about responding to offense and dealing with trials.



Priesthood Session

100 Beck – talked about something new that is coming. (Duty to God)

200 Monson’s – story of the elder who wrote home every week, but never got a letter in return. Monson told him to keep writing anyway. Did he keep writing? And what happened?

300 Rasband told a story about sitting with Eyring as they were doing mission calls. How did it work, and what was the testimony that he gained from this experience?

400 Oaks – three ways of healing the sick – medical science, prayers of faith and priesthood blessings. What did Brigham Young say about seeking blessings with out seeking any medical remedies first? (Not good. It’s like asking the Lord to grow his crops w/o him planting them . Use all sources for help.)

500 Uchdorf was living a principle of the gospel, but as he did endless running in pilot training, he was weary and was passed by people not living the principle. This caused him some concern and questioning. What was the principle? (word of wisdom) and what did he learn? (God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly or in the way that we hope.)






Stories

100 Uchdorff told a story about 2 brothers who individually snuck out to the field in the night to add to the other’s pile of the harvest. What principle was he trying to illustrate with this heart-warming example? (Having a spirit of compassion and seeking for each other’s happiness)



200 Martino told a story about a little boy who dreamed about hitting a super grand slam. He went out to practice, tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed. This happened a few more times. He became very discouraged. Suddenly he brightened and declared….(What a pitcher!) What principle was he talking about. (Facing adversity.)

300 Eyring told a story about his son who decided to walk home, but lost his way. What did the boy do and how did he get rescued? (Pray, 2 young people helped him – looked up in the phone book and called the parents.)

400 Foster – talked about a father telling a story to his child and the child kept correcting his choice of words because it was different from what the mother had told him. The father became exasperated and asked him who was the final authority in the house. What did the child respond, and how did he know that? (Dad is, because mother said so.)

500 Hale’s grandchild took his grandfather’s face in his hands and asked, Grandpa, are you in there?” Tell the story and the point of it.



Themes

100 Someone mentioned a mother and daughter did this together, then later Hales recommended that we as parents do this with our youth. What was it? (Work on our duty to God and personal progress goals.)

200 Packer said We have done well with distributing the authority of the ___ but that we lag in the power of ______? The ____does not have the strength that it should have, and will not have until the power is firmly fixed in what? (priesthood, families)

300 Ballard said he spoke last time to fathers and sons. This time who did he speak to? (mothers and daughters.)

400 Scott what is the most important calling in the church from which you will never be released? (Parenthood)

500 Who was Dear Ruby? What topic did he introduce with her picture, and how can we participate in this subject? (great-grand daughter, family history)





Imagery

100 Holland said, You don’t have to serve them tea and crumpets.” Who or what was he talking about? (bad thoughts.)

200 Uchdorf talked about a lady who said she felt worn and crumpled and battered like what? But then what was the positive thing that she declared? (20 dollar bill, she was still worth the full value.)

300 Foster talked about ranching and trying to round up 3 baby cows who would not come. How did they finally get the babies back on track? What was the point he was trying to illustrate. (got the mothers to come lead them)

400 Monson described a painting he saw in a museum in England. What was the title, and/or describe it. (Hopless Dawn)

500 Christoffherson told a story of William Tyndell, who was executed in England in 1536. What was his crime? (Publishing the Bible in English)



Church Stats

100 Name all 12 apostles and the first presidency

200 How many church members are there? (13,824,854)

300 How many missionaries? (51,736)

400 How many temples in operation? (130)

500 Name any of the new members of the new Primary presidency (Rosemary Wicksen pres, Stevens, 1st, Asey 2nd)  (spelling on all names???)


Here is the link to a place where you can listen to the talks.  Text will be posted there by Thursday. 
http://www.lds.org/

A new blog with encouraging content

I just discovered a neat blog which is geared toward homeschool LDS families.  However, it has lots of good content that applies to all families who are trying to raise thier children in righteousness.  It is a nice place for a weary parent to be refreshed.  Here is a link if you want to check it out.
 





3 more days until the first official day of spring! 

17 more days until General Conference!  (I am excited for the talks, the kids are excited for the candy blow-out tradition and the quiet craft projects and puzzles!)

The newest addition to our collection

We seem to be growing a collection of musical instruments. I heard Dallin telling his siblings, "Dad is a sucker for outdoor athletic equipment, and Mom is a sucker for educational things, espcially books and musical instruments." He was right.

Slightly before the beginning of the school year Kaylee joined the highschool marching band with her flute. Her enthusiam spread to Dallin and Jillian, and so when the opportunity arose a few weeks later, they joined the elementary, and middle school bands. Jillian on the clarinet and Dallin with a trumpet. They have had so much fun, and gained an incredible amount of musical knowledge. Every day Dallin comes home and says, "I love band." He tells me about the different songs they play, who is best on what instrument and about the annoying antics of some of the other children. He has also been talking a lot about the cool trombones that he sits next to. While his love for the trumpet has not decreased, his fascination with the trombone has continued to increase. Finally this weekend he managed to acquire one of his own.

He has been saving for a couple months, but was still far short of what he needed. In desperation he turned to his siblings. Somehow he managed to convince each of them that they should help pay for it. Kaylee, Jillian and even Madeline donated various ammounts, but that was still not enough. Next he turned to his Mother. "Mom, you just spent a lot of money on Kaylee for all her school clothes. Don't you think that a trombone would be far more EDUCATIONAL, and would last a lot longer than silly fashion clothes. Can you pay the same amount of money that you used on Kaylee to help me get a trombone?" Well, he had a point. He even volunteered to not have me buy him any clothes for the rest of the year. I started to cave in. I checked with Matt, and he actually agreed to do it. I think it reminded him of the time that he and his siblings pitched in together to buy a motorcycle. He was also relieved that Dallin was not asking for the latest video game contraption, a skate board, or any other brain or body killing devices.

Matt took him to the store on Saturday, and the instrument has been in almost constant use since then. Maddy loves it and has declared that when she gets to 5th grade, she will be playing the trombone. The cool thing about the trombone is there are no fingering positions to memorize. It is all based on how far one moves the slide in or out. To play the right notes, you have to just know by ear where the exact position is. It is excellent ear training. Today Kaylee was playing through the hymbook on the piano and Maddy was sitting beside her picking up the melody on the trombone as they went along. It was quite unique to hear the hyms being belted out of a novice trombone. I wouldn't recomend it for a sacrament musical number, but it was fun for a Sunday afternoon.

So here is our list of instruments. Piano, electric keyboard, guitar (bought on Deanne's impulse for Dallin that he never plays, but Kaylee picks it up every once in a while) flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, fife, recorder, alto saxaphone, and a mini steel drum. Kaylee has been asking for a piccolo to use during pep band season. I am fine with acquiring more instruments -- just as long as no one gets it in thier head that they need a drum set!

Another book I am going to write.

Perodically I have a flash of inspiration about a book that I could write. If I don't write the idea down, I forget it, and I never remember it again. So, I just have to write this so I will have it for future reference. And, just in case I don't ever write it, at least someone might still get a laugh out of the idea.



I was reading an article in the paper that said blogging and e-mail were out of style and that Face Book, Twitter and texting were now the standard form of written communication -- especially among the younger generation. The article was condeming this modern attitude that all communication has to be expressed in 140 characters or less. How sad it is that long letters and journal entries and descriptive narations are becoming a thing of the past. What cultural and intellectual degeneration. I began thinking of some of the wonderful books that I have read where the story was told solely through these "old fashioned" forms of comunication. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is a great example of this. There are various children's books as well, that are written as letters back and forth between the characters. So, I thought, "I am going to write a book where the entire format is done through status updates like on Face Book." It would be new, novel (pun intended) and funny to be the first to utelize this modern writing style. I could be famous! Then I wondered what to call it. I thought about the other funny parodies I have seen using the Face Book, or Twitter or My Space names, and I came up with the greatest one yet. I am going to call it "Twitt Book - a novel for those who can only comprehend prose in 140 character status updates or text formating."

However, I would need someone to co-author it with me, as I have not really gotten into the whole world of texting or Face Booking in depth. I would not know the proper form or what would be funny to people who use that method a lot. I need to find someone who is really into all that. I don't even know what all the abreviations are when people use text messages! So, there you have it. If anyone would like to be famous with me, let me know.

The Cat -- Chapter 3

Well, this is old, but I should at least finish the story.

The mystery cat stayed around on our back porch sleeping and eating for a few more days. Matt and I finally gave in and decided to make the thing a part of our family. We took him to the vet to have him fixed, and get shots, etc. When I came to pick him up the next day, the nurse told us that they hadn't done the sugery because the cat was not doing well. He was very lethargic, and would not get up, seemed to be in pain in it's back end, was vomiting and had bloody diarreha. Of course we were very worried about "our cat" and kept him in our prayers continually. He stayed at the animal clinic for a couple more days. All I could think of was the bill that we were probably racking up by keeping a sick stray cat in the hospital. I called to say nevermind, we'll just bring him home and see what happens to him. However, the nurse said that he was better, and that they had done the surgery and he was healthy and good to go. When we picked him up the nurse explained that they had run blood tests on him, etc. But they did it for free because he was such a magnificent cat, and they just wanted to see how to help him. Turns out he had tape worms which they treated free also. Additionally, they gave him a flea treatment. They had been feeding him a couple cans of wet food each day, and brushing him and really spoiling him while he was there. He had loved all the attention. We happily brought him home -- delighted that our prayers had been answered. For the rest of the day, he hung around in our yard, playing near the kids and sleeping on the back porch in his usual spot. Early that evening he disappered -- which he had done a few times in the past, and he always returned by early the next morning. So that evening he did that, and like usual returned the next morning, meowing to be fed and let in. After staying inside for a few hours he wanted out, and we went off to church. We have not seen him since. Maddy thinks she saw him a little ways away a few days later, but we could not be sure. We can't figure out if he went back to his real home (and can't help but laugh at the people's reaction when their cat went missing for 2 weeks and then came back neutered.) Or possibly the coyotes got him, or maybe he found a new house to torment. Everyone who we have told our story to has a story to tell about a cat that they knew that lived at 4 different houses, or lived one place for a coule months then went missing for a couple then showed up agagin... It is very baffling. At first the kids prayed that he would come back, but then that changed to just hoping that he was safe and happy wherever he was, and hoping that he'd at least stop by to say hi once in awhile. I'm peturbed at the $87.00 we spent on him, but if it was a good deed and helped a poor cat in need, then I guess I am ok with that. Jillian claims that he was sick and Heavenly Father sent him to us, because He knew that we would help take care of him, even though we didn't get to keep him. I'd like to think the we can be called on to do helpful things for God, but I don't know if that is a true interpretation of this event. I have sent the cat a few subliminal messages to let him know that if he wants to remain flea free, he needs to show up on the 15th of this month in order to get his next dose of flea medication.

Anyway, I just thought I'd write the rest of the story.

It was not Baxter!

Here is chapter 2 of our stray cat story.

We left off with "Baxter" returning to his place on our back porch, shortly after the kids returned him to his owner -- the next door neighbor. The cat spent the night at our house, and this morning was again begging for food and acting desperate to be let inside and loved. As soon as we noticed our neighbor returning from work in the afternoon, Kaylee took the cat over to see why they had been so negligent with him. He laughed and explained that it was actually not their cat. He called his cat to come, and sure enough, a cat looking almost identical to our stray appeared from their living room. He told the kids how funny it was when, after he had brought the cat inside, the true Baxter had come into the room to check out who the new visitor was. Of course, when Marty realized his mistake, the imposter was promptly put back outside.

So now we are still stuck with an alpha male cat, who periodically tries to push Duma around. The kids have visited yet another neighborhood -- going house to house. We checked the newspaper for adds about lost cats. Nothing. What are we going to do? I think I am the only one who truly wants to find the thing his real home. Everyone else is back to discussing suitable names, and asking when I 'll take him to the vet. Although I wouldn't classify this as a "trial" it is definitely a distraction that is taking up time and brain power that I had not planned on allocating for such a use.

Keep your fingers crossed for us (and the cat) that we can find a happy end to this story soon!

Another Mouth to Feed

I never wrote about this, but in October, for Jilian's birthday, we got her a kitten. A friend who lives on a farm had a barn cat who had kittens. We got it with the hope that it would become a predominantly outside cat, and that it would provide territorial protection against rodents. So far so good. His name is Duma (after the movie about the cheetah named Duma) He has even quit using his indoor litter box and goes potty outside most of the time. (Much to the relief of the person in charge of emptying the kitty little each week!) He loves to be outside.

Last week another cat started hanging around our yard and was menacing Duma. We tried every way we knew to scare it away, but it kept coming back. Finally the 2 cats got used to each other, and have quit fighting. About 4 days ago it started really whining by our back door and was insistent about coming in. We felt sorry for it and fed it and laid out a blanket for it on the back porch. It stayed there the entire day sleeping like a log. It gobbled up the food frantically whenever we fed it. The baffling thing was that it was obviously well cared for. It's fur was clean and soft, no fleas, etc. It loved to be petted and held by the kids and would readily purr. After 2 days of this the kids named him and decided we would consider him ours.

Today, the girls went around the neighborhood asking everyone if it was their cat. After about 20 homes, they decided they would try the next cul-de-sac over. As they were walking there, they saw our next door neighbor pull into his driveway. "Do you know whose cat this is?" They asked. "Baxter!" The neighbor exclaimed. It turns out that "the stray" belonged next door. He was an exclusively indoor cat. Apparently he had gotten out right before they had left town for a week. They didn't know he was outside, and just returned today. The kids returned him to his proper family. Maddy was really sad. The funniest thing about it, is that about an hour after they took him back, we looked outside, and Baxter was back in his spot on our back porch. Maddy was delighted. The kids hope the neighbor will continue to let him outside from now on! I am glad that we don't have to continue feeding him.

Caution: The following post is a steam vent release in proportion to Old Faithful. Stand back 50 feet while reading.

I will now proceed to rant about USB type cable connections:

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT ALL THE USB CABLE CONNECTIONS BE ONE STANDARD SIZE?!!!

I am positive that the makers of all the cell phones, cameras, mp3 players and every other computer linkable device are in a giant conspiracy to never use the same fitting shape twice. It is so dang aggravating to have to search through piles of cables to find the right one. I also believe these cables, like metal hangers, multiply their tangly little selves while we are not looking!

Now, least you think, "Well, you should just be more organized with them." Let me tell you that we ARE organized. Matt has used the handy dandy label-maker that Mark gave us, and he has nicely rubber-banded each cord into a compact little bundle. The trouble is that there are 50 million little bundles. Some of them are to devices that we don't even have anymore. And in the last month or so we have added a few that are not labeled. The one that I want -- the one that YOU should want me to find -- is the cable for the new camera. We have taken a lot of wonderful pictures and now I can't find the cable so I can download the pictures onto the computer! I wanted to spend a nice Sunday evening blogging with photos. Instead I am searching for a cable that I don't even know what it looks like! (besides black and USBish)

So, how can I solve this problem? Maybe I should write to my congressman and ask them to pass legislation on regulation of USB cable connections. Here in our lovely state of over regulation, I'm sure someone would be willing to clamp down on this out of control situation. Can't they fight against corporate greed by forcing cable makers to comply to a specific, uniform model? If I start a petition will you sign it and pass it around the internet to all your friends?

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG! Where is that cable!!!!!!!!

I will now go search some more. When I find it, I will super-glue it into the computer so that it will always be were I can find it.

Cross your fingers for me. I don't want to have to write 1,000 words to take the place of every picture I could have posted. You probably don't want to read 1,000 of my words.

End of explosion.

Deanne

A Fun Combination

Kaylee is not happy at me for publishing her Sunday doodlings unfinished, but I needed something as a focal point for my writings. I think it is done enough for y'all to get it.

Anyway,

This truly happened at our house a few days ago -- but Jillian didn't really have roller blades, it was only a chair that laid a miniscule scratch. Kaylee used artistic lisence to make it more clear. I don't know how Dallin thinks up the funny things he says. Between our crazy family life, Dallin's astute assesments of it, and Kaylee's artistic rendering of his comments we could make a really funny comic strip.

Today Dallin came home from church and shared his thoughts as he sat in his Sunday School class.

"...So today we looked up this scripture in Isaiah and the teacher commented that he had a hard time understanding Isaiah's writings. Then Hugo* (who is very outspoken and has Aspberger's and says reallly off-the-wall things sometimes) piped up and said, "I understand him!" So I thought, "Well, maybe Isaiah had Aspbergers!"

*name changed

Are you laughing? If not maybe I should explain why I thought it was so funny. I think I should be an honorary member of the Aspberger's club. One day in sacrament this kid's Dad was speaking and mentioned that he too had Aspbergers. In the course of his talk, he said something that I thought was hilarious, but no one else in the congregation laughed. That was not the first time I have felt like I was a bit off from the mainstream of humor perception. I looked up the symptoms of Aspbergers, and although I don't fit all the descriptions, I can definatly relate to some of them. Having an odd sense of what is humorous is one of the symptoms. So now maybe telling this whole story is displaying some of those eccentricities. Hee hee.

Subconscious Knowledge

A few days ago I was helping Dallin put sheets on his bed. I got a set out of the closet. "Not those!" he complained when he saw them. "What's wrong with these sheets?" I asked. "They smell like static electricity." he replied. I was about to tell him not to be ridiculous, but then suddenly I had this flash of subconscious memory, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. Does anyone else know the smell of static electricity? Kaylee thinks we are nuts. Dallin and I need some support on this.

"Jock Walk" mystery solved by Kaylee

Background info: Kaylee is very observant. She will notice a pattern in the way the birds move as they peck seeds off the back porch, or the way the cat's whiskers tilt when he has a certain attitude. She notices lines and shadows and other things that I just glaze over. I guess it is the artist in her.

The story: This year Kaylee has a weights class for PE. Surprisingly, she likes it. I don't know what the work-out plan is, but Kaylee has ended up doing 3 days in a row of leg work. She says they also have no time to stretch afterward. Then she sits at a desk for the next hour. This combination has made her legs really, really sore in the last few days. She walks around the house saying, "Ow!" with every step, and tries to cajole her siblings into bringing her the things she needs so she doesn't have to get up. I enjoy seeing her suffer. It reminds me of the good times I had while working out and being continually sore when we lived in Alaska.

Today she had an epiphany and came happily limping over to tell me about it. "Now I know why all those athletic kids walk so funny!" She declared. I had no idea what she was talking about. She began describing a peculiar gait pattern that she had noticed in all the football players. As she talked, I burrowed deep into my memory (like 25 years ago) and realized, that yes, subconsciously I had noticed that the athletic kids that I knew did walk like that. What a weird feeling, to recall images from that long ago, and realize I had perceived something without ever consciously acknowldging it. Anyway, I'm digressing. Back to Kaylee: She explained that she noticed that she had been walking wierd today and just now made a connection. "I'm walking this way because it doesn't hurt, but it makes me look like a sports dude. The "jock walk" must be because they are in pain -- not because they are trying to look cool. Wow."

So, next time you see a sports kid walking with that funny style -- I'm sure you'll recognize it if you think about it for a minute -- just know that the poor kid is probably in pain...