Really?

Is it really November 1st?  I can not believe how fast this year has gone.  And, I am behind on Christmas already.  I get these big ideas thinking I have plenty of time to complete them.  And, really, I do when I think them up.  But then all kinds of crazy things happen and I end up not having any time to complete them.  I haven't even gotten the fall decorations up from the basement yet!  So, yesterday Brother Dayton issued a new calling -- activities committee chairperson.  I need to know what your most successful activities and maybe even some not so successful activities have been. 

Genealogy Workshop

I taught a class in the Genealogy Seminar this morning at the stake center.  The seminar was mainly geared towards the public, but church members weren't excluded.  Anyway, I taught a beginning genealogy workshop.  This is a subject I can basically "wing" for 50 minutes, but since it was geared towards the public, I thought I should prepare a little.  So, I put together a really nice power point presentation complete with pictures, transitions, little bits of glitz and motion.  It was fun!  I haven't really worked on a power point since.... I think it was Shelton Wills funeral.  Anyway, it turned out really good, maybe even impressive.  It was entertaining and people learned a little something too.  Mostly I wanted just to whet their appetites and then refer them over to FamilySearch.org, or Ancestry.com, or the local FHL for further help.  And, it gave a new audience for my family history adventures.  I learned a few new things along the way and enjoyed the experience.  I guess that's all you can ask.

This and that

Yesterday some one flipped the switch.  All the fatigue I had had and the general malaise was just gone.  Vanished.  I feel great once again.  And, to top it off, my stitches came out this morning.  Pathology report says just a benign cyst and no sign of MRSA.  I am good to go!

Napping

It's a little hard to see, but Maddie is using Rumples rump as a pillow.  Some dogs are everyone's dog, and some dog's attach themselves to one person.  Rumples loves everyone and is always glad to see them come, but he is attached to Maddie.  He tolerates her hugs around the neck with goofy grins.  He lets her pat, and rub, and scratch him.  And, he will even serve as a pillow for her.  Even I could not be allowed to use him for a pillow, but apparently, Maddie can do no wrong as far as he is concerned.

Go figure...

I thought I was soooo clever making my own lotions that were solving all my skin problems.  Then, reality check!  Turns out I am allergic to beeswax.  How do I know?  Terrible, horrible, itchy, raised rash everywhere.  And, I do mean everywhere I was using the lotion.  Hopefully 6 days on steroids and steroid cream will calm it down.... if not, more serious treatment will be needed.  Great.  Go figure....

Always a circus.........

Just when I thought life might settle down into a routine..... I'm thinking now it might never happen. 

We're back

We had an unexpected trip to Utah.  This time for a happy occasion, well, happy for us, sobering for John.  Anyway, it was a good trip.  The weather was really good except for one day.  We made good time going out and coming home.  We had a good visit with everyone but Missy.... where were you Missy?  I even got to spend some time with Coreen.  It was much too short as always, but it was very good.  Now back to working on the retreat, my class, taking care of the dog.... he's got a new problem with his leg, and feeding missionaries.  It doesn't take long to come crashing back in.....

School

Yes, after being away from school 37 years, I decided it was time to finish that degree.  I took the plunge, ordered a class and it got here on Saturday.  I opened up the syllabus yesterday morning and nearly had a panic attack!  16 lessons, 8 speedback assignments (quizzes for those from the prehistoric era), 8 papers, 1 book response, a proctored midcourse exam, and finally a proctored final exam.  After a few minutes of hyperventilation, I finally peeled myself off the ceiling and started the positive self talk, "I can do this.  I can manage my time and fit this in.  This is something I am doing for me.  This is doable."  Yeah, right. Anyway, I gave myself 1 week to do the first lesson and paper.  They are now done on day 2.  The paper doesn't get turned in until the very end of the class, but I did get all the questions right on the quiz for an A.  OK, OK, it was an open book quiz, but still......

Vacations

I love vacations.  You get to see things you may not have seen before.  You get to eat great food and don't have to do the cooking..  Someone else makes your bed, cleans your room, picks up after you.  You get to talk to your spouse about mutual experiences.  I think we should get to be on vacation all the time......, oh, wait.  I think that's called retirement.  Hopefully, we'll have enough money to do some of this kind of thing then......

New Computer Monitor

My nice 19" computer monitor died this week.  Dad had some time this morning, so we went shopping.  It was interesting to see who has monitors and who doesn't.  Who want to sell you something and who doesn't.  Anyway, we ended up at Best Buy and got a 22" monitor.  All I can say is WOW!  It's like working on the TV in the living room.  Dad can sit and enter stuff in and I can see it from the sewing center.  Some of the programs don't quite know what to do with all the real estate.  It's NIIIIICE!

Displaying quilt photos

I never thought of displaying quilt photos on the blog until I read Tara's blog this morning.  I bet I have made close to 500 quilts over time and I have very few pictures of them. This is certainly something to think about.  Usually I am late getting the quilts to someone for some event, and I'm pretty much sick of them by the time they are ready to go out.  But, I do wish I had taken photos of them if only to see how my style, technique, and preferences have changed over time.  Well, maybe I will start with Ruthie's quilt.  It's nearly basted and quilting will most likely start tomorrow.  And, then on to the next one..... there are two more ready to quilt, one being cut, one that is all planned out in my head, and 2 more that I'm still thinking about for this year.  That's about it, unless someone comes up with a baby I don't know anything about yet, or get's married..... it would be OK if some of the children want to get married......

Ugly, Bad Trend

I am really hoping that this isn't the way our lives are going to be from now on, but you have to admit, it is a bad trend.  Monday morning, 3:00.  The phone rings, Dad is on call, they've been paging him, but we haven't heard it.  Big problems at Kaleida.  Big problems.  He is basically up the rest of the night and I don't get much sleep either.  Then this morning.  Even earlier.  2:30 the phone rings, I know he's not on call, so I assume something with Church. (For the 1st time in a long time, I don't assume it's any of the kids.  Am I a bad mother, or is this a new stage in my life?)  Well, it is something at church.  Church headquarters are calling from SLC to inform him that the door alarms and motion detectors are going off in the building.  They will turn off the alarms, but it's up to Dad if he wants to call the police.  We're 18 minutes away.  So, we call the police on the way down.  They finally show up, and there has been a break in.  Not much damage because the alarms scared the stuffing out of them.  They left behind a broken window, glass in one of the the classrooms and blood here and there.  The police aren't going to do much -- they say it was probably a bum.  I don't blame them really.  What are they going to do?  The chances of catching someone from the forensics in a building where nearly 200 people come to church is next to none.  So, back home by 4:30ish.  Dad is hungry so I fix breakfast and we are off for a walk before 6.  Finally back in bed by 6:30, but the sun is up and shining through the window.  The crazy robin is back fighting phantom predators, the baby squirrels think everyone should be up, and Rumples is at our door crying because his world has turned upside down.  We gave up on sleeping shortly after 10.

Sunburn?

Does anyone know if you can get a sunburn through your clothes?  I was wearing a t-shirt and I swear I got sunburn on my upper arm.

Rest now? Probably not....

     Stake conference of over. Whew!  I really don't mind all that much speaking in stake conference, but I would like to get assigned a subject, especially when we are having a general authority.  I'm not really hopeful things will quiet down, it's just wishful thinking.

Mother's Day

Thank you for all the phone calls, cards, gifts, and dinner.  They were all muchly appreciated.  And, may I also say, snow for mother's day, however little it is, is not amusing.

In Honor of National Hamburger and Pickle month

I just want to say that in honor of national hamburger and pickle month, we went to Fuddrucker's for lunch and had the 1/3 pound bacon cheese burger with dill pickles.  It was mighty tasty.  I'm sure the doctor would be highly disturbed -- not conducive to weight loss, not conducive to lowering cholesterol, not within the guidelines of a diabetic diet.  But it was mighty tasty!

Birthday Over

Whew!  Another birthday come and gone.  Lisa invited us over for dinner on Friday to celebrate Maddie's, Dave;s and my birthdays.  She fixed chicken parm and made lots of really cute cupcakes.  Thanks Lisa!  She also got me a gift card to JoAnn Fabrics, very nice.  Mom sent a beautiful planter basket.  The plants are really pretty and the basket will be a nice addition to my collection.  I heard from most of the kids -- thanks for the birthday wishes!  I still haven't heard from a couple of them and quite frankly, I'm disappointed.  I try to support them from far away and always remember them at birthdays and Christmas.  It shouldn't be so hard to remember to call your Mom on her birthday.  On the flip side, I got to hear from several friends and that was really nice.  Rod let me buy a new sewing machine.... and not just any sewing machine.  It's a Baby Lock Espire.  It has an onboard computer, it's updatable via a USB cable on the internet.  You wouldn't believe the things it can do.  It will probably take me the rest of the week just to read the manual that comes with it.