Endings

Swim season is done.
Many, many hours of practice.
Meets in the blazing sun every Thursday.
With some on Saturdays.
So now I'm creating a new photo book to remember the moments.
The focus and intensity of competition.
The fun with friendships.
The thrill of victory.
And the agony of defeat.

She qualified again to compete on the varsity level.
She qualified to compete in the State finals.
She came within 2 seconds of an All-American time in her 50 yd freestyle.
She was 8th in the city in backstroke in her division.
She was 15-20th (sorry don't know exactly) overall in the state in her division.
Great season.
Many goals to achieve in the next year.
Congrats Miss Liss!

Thank You

A heartfelt thanks today to those who fought so that I could have the freedoms I have today.
Many made the ultimate sacrifice.

Our hearts were wrenched this year close to home when one of our own in our ward (local LDS congregation) gave up his life in Alfghanistan two months ago. My heart goes out to his sweet young wife, his little girl, and his beloved parents and brothers. He didn't have to go, he didn't have to be where he was, but because of the kind of man he is, he faced great danger and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Thank you SO much. May God bless your family and bring them sweet comfort this day.


Happy Anniversary to the Standages!

No blogging today

I'm working my own Santa's workshop!
Can't wait to share.......after December 25th!

Of Rocks and all that Stuff

Well, I just got my first bloggie award. Yessirreee. From my bloggie friend, Momza. I love her blog because she has fun stories and always makes me feel better after reading her blog.

So the rules are that I have to spread the love. And because I think my offspring are the most talented and bestest bloggers in the world......and because I check their blogs daily, I hereby pass this "you rock" award on to them....

Jen, the talented photographer.

Jessica, the cook extraordinaire and new mommy

Amy, the most creative person I know

Cassandra, my daughter-in-love, who has 4 children 6 & under, and who has one of the funniest blog titles.

My sis, Louise, whose BIRTHDAY IS TODAY!!!! and is a new Relief Society President.

My sis, Ginny, who is hilarious but HARDLY EVER BLOGS!!!

I also award the "You Rock" bloggie award to my numerous nieces, and Granny J whose blogs happen to be private and so you can't go enjoy them, but you know who you are! So now I guess you accept your award and pass it along......

You girls ROCK!

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!