Messages from the Frozen North

We got a memory card yesterday from our Alaska Boy! Whoo-hoo! So here in a nutshell are a few tidbits of his life for the last 1 1/2 months:

Provo MTC:

On the way to Fairbanks....I THINK this is Mt. McKinley from the airplane (highest point in North America):His trainer.....Cold pictures:It looks like he has enough clothing....

And finally for your viewing pleasure....(if you can stand it).... a video. Two minutes of snow. Which, if you are from the desert, is a great novelty.

Mystery Question of the Day

What is this?

Not my lunch.

It's my secret to growing carrots.

It's the little carrot sprouts I thinned yesterday morning. Please have a moment of silence for these little guys....................

I figured out that in order to have carrots, there has to be space for them to grow, and in order to have space, well, unfortunately some of them have to be sacrificed. I guess I could plant one seed at a time 2-3 inches apart, but I'm not organized like that. I usually wait for the sprouts to get large enough to grab easily and I pick the ones that get to stay based on their growth and sturdiness of the plant.

It's also the secret to growing beets, thinning that is. Except this is my beet patch:

Mostly dirt, no plants. Any gardeners out there reading this? I'm having a tough time getting beet seeds to sprout. Any suggestions out there??? Is it because I'm the only one in the family that likes beets? Revenge of the Beet Seeds?? Bad seeds? Anyone????

But on a happier note-my cilantro is finally sprouting!!! Hooray. I can't live without cilantro in my fridge.. It has been a tough one to sprout too. Any suggestions out there in blog land?

Thank you very much for your time.

Memory Keeping-Another Obsession

It's probably no secret.

When I get my hands on something interesting, I'm pretty much obsessed with it.

I can't leave it alone.

I think about it all the time when I'm not doing it.

The latest?

Digital scrapbooking.

I started fooling around with Photoshop a few months ago.

And I haven't looked back since.

No more paper stuff for me.

Which is sad, because I LOVE paper.

But digital paper isn't messy.

And you don't have to have shelves to store it.

Recently I joined an on line publishing company called artscow.com

Then they sent me credits for 7 free 8 x 8 books.

Well, you know what happened next.

I've got two done and sent in to be published.

And I'm having a jolly good time.

At the expense of anything else that needs to be done (OCD remember?)

And also my neck (it's in the perpetual spasm mode)

So here's a few downloads of what I've been working on:

Our San Diego trip.

October 2009 activities
And this is one I created from all the artwork I had saved from my kids....well, not ALL of it. You know how much stuff they bring home? Well I scanned my favorite stuff and then printed it in this little book. At least half of my brood is represented here. The other half needs to be volume 2.
You can find all sorts of templates and stuff so that you don't have to sit there and think about being creative. It's super simple!

Now I'm going to give my spazzing neck a rest.

And think about what my next obsession will be.

P.S. Happy Anniversary to the Brooks!

Why my Life is Never Dull, Part 3

One of the cast of characters that showed up to my house the other night. Note the admiration in Steve's eyes. He's wishing he had come up with the idea.

Again, I have no words.

Insert hysterical laughing.

Part 1, Part 2

Let's Play a Little Game

The name of this game is called,

"How many people can we cram into the Madwoman's House?"

Mmm, probably not enough yet.

Getting there....Uhh, probably getting closer.This is the food line. You don't see the end....or maybe the beginning either.

Oh, it doesn't matter anyway because we're all family and we were here together for these special people..

Happy Blessing Day little CMB!

We love you!

Good Luck

Miss Liss is in Regionals today (and yesterday)
Trying to qualify for State next week.
She cut 1 second off her times yesterday!
You go girl!

Lunch!

First harvest yesterday!

Lookee!

Fresh lettuce, red pepper.

Omygoodness.

How yummy are fresh greenS!

It's not too late to plant some transplants or seeds!

If you don't live in the frozen north.

Or have a greenhouse handy in your back yard.