How long's it been?

I am just writing a quick little ditty for you all (all three of you) that read my blog to let you know that I haven't forgotten you!

I am not sure how long it has been since I have been on here and posted something. I am sure I can go and look it up . . . I know it has been awhile though because when I went to log on I almost couldn't remember my address and password!!!

I also know it has been a long time because I happened to be looking through the pictures on the camera because we had a birthday party for Hailey today and saw the pictures from Hayden's birthday still on there and some from earlier than that of the kids being lazy on a Saturday!

My deepest apologies! It just seems so busy anymore but I am wondering if it is just that I am getting older and becoming much slower!!!!!!

Enough said . . . it is late tonight so I won't have time to post the things I want to but I will do my best to get you some new material fairly soon!

You do matter to me!

:)

Hailey's First Driving Experience!

Hailey is supposed to be starting Driver's Training within a few months and I thought it would be a good idea to get her behind the wheel a little bit before she started the course. Sadly enough with my "car issues" I knew I wasn't the one to make the introduction . . . this fell onto Kurt's shoulders. After much suggesting, asking and then flat out telling he agreed to take Hailey out for a quick little drive.

I wanted to take a picture before they left when they wouldn't have bumps, bruising or gashes. Kurt was growing a little impatient with me, if you can tell. I made him take the camera so he could help me blog this experience. The neat thing was that I got to stand and watch the whole thing from my bedroom window. I had a great time!

It's good to see a serious look on her face!

Now she feels the speed . . . . ooooohhhh, she likes it!

These next shots were rather random, not sure what angle Kurt was going for but I included them for your viewing pleasure.

Dashboard.

Either he was showing us the look of the road speeding by or how completely close she was getting to the sidewalk . . . .

She was really bookin' it!

Home safe and sound! She said that was the funnest time of her life EVER!

I should have taken Kurt's picture too, I wonder if he thought that was the funnest time ever?

She's growing up . . . nothing I can do to stop it. Argh.

The Speech Project

Kids and school projects, it's just the way it is. I can't recall how many school projects I have worked on with my kids. Everything from posters and dioramas to mini books they have written with full color illustrations! I have also been up till all hours of the night the night before these little beauties were due trying to help my child who chose to procrastinate.
This project took off on a whole different direction.

Hailey's assignment was to write an informative speech and do either a power-point presentation or make a poster but it must be able to be seen at the back of the classroom. We don't have power-point and Hailey was very much NOT interested in doing another poster. She emailed her teacher to see if she could do a diorama. He was excited by her ingenuity in thinking up another type of project but reiterated that it must be able to be seen at the back of the room.

Hailey chose the topic of "Light and Sound Technician" - due to the fact that she has worked with her Dad in this and finds it interesting.

My idea was to use a large box and some BBQ skewers wrapped in Aluminum foil to make a front visual of a truss and we would go from there with my craft staples of glue, construction paper and dress shirt cardboard. . . . I asked Kurt to help cut the big box in half because it was too deep . . . this wasn't good enough for Kurt. He had his own ideas. The cool thing about it was, for the first time EVER I didn't have to do a lot! Yippee!
There was going to have to be a complete replica of an actual stage . . . Mind you, this took TWO DAYS to complete!

Kurt is trying to center a shoe box lid for the main part of the stage.

Drilling holes for the dowels for the beginning of the truss system.

I am amazed at how good of a job Hailey did at building these trusses!

I asked her if maybe she still wanted to be an architect after all! She did all the cutting, fitting and gluing. . . quite impressive!

Kurt is out in the garage with these little wooden biscuit things shaping some speakers that are going to hang from the trusses!

Here he is spraying Hailey's truss setup with metallic silver spray paint to look like aluminum. It looked just like it! Even where Hailey used the hot glue on the edges gave it a soldered look.

Here is Hailey painting the speakers that will fly from the truss.

There they finally are! These are probably the only flying speakers that our friend Tanya won't be afraid of!!! Kurt is starting to install the "lights".

Wooden blocks made into Mains.

Lights are on and ready to go!

Here it is finally all finished . . .working lights, canopy, backdrop. Stage and drum riser have fabric skirting. There are toothpick mic stands and little wooden monitors for each musician!

You can't see that they also made a Monitor Board that sits off to the side of the stage.

Now where are those musicians . . . They are never on time!

Sure can't beat that with construction paper and BBQ skewers! It looks great! In case you wanted to know, Hailey and Kurt got an "A" on their project!

Snowtastic, Take 2 - later that day . . .

This was what happened a little later after the kids got home on that snowy day! They had a lot of fun. If you pay close attention in some of the pictures you can actually see the snowball. And, you will also notice that Tyler doesn't really play. He just eats!

Hailey was trying to build a face on the garage . . . I wasn't too happy with that idea!

There is snow right by Hailey's mouth - this started a whole lotta fun!

Hi Ty . . . whatcha doin'?

Hailey and Hayden are still at it . . . revenge is sweet!

I love this! You can see the trail of snow from the snowball that Hailey is throwing. You have to look really close to see the snowball though.

Tyler with the neighbor . . . probably telling him all about how tasty the snow is.

Just a few shots of the yard as the snow is melting. You can compare these pictures to the shots taken previously in my last post, Snowtastic.

Snowtastic!

I don't know when my fascination for snow started but I have always loved it!
The weird thing is I don't really like to do things in it I just like to look at it! I don't really ski, don't snowmobile, cross-country,snow shoe, ice skate or even really go sledding. I don't like to get wet or be hit with snowballs but I could just sit and stare at it all day.

Whenever I see snow my mind conjures up scenes of sitting by an all glass bay window while the fireplace is crackling in the background. I am sitting on a cozy chair and covered with an antique quilt holding a cup of steaming hot chocolate while a book rests on my lap waiting to be read!
And when has that actually happened to me . . . um . . . never!
Chances are if I take a look the person in the scene is either not me or is me when I am 80 and my hair is all gray and just off to the side out of the picture is a sleek, steel walker!
Anyway - we had a beautiful snow last night even against Kurt's discouraging comments of how it really was only going to rain and I couldn't help snap a few pictures to share.


I love the contrast of the red twigs of this Dogwood against the freshly fallen snow!

On my Virginia Creeper by the front walk!

Oh to have one of those beautiful spendy professional cameras to get a much closer shot of these beautiful little red, tear-shaped berries on my Rose Glow Barberry. It is really rather stunning close up. . . again, the red and snowy contrast!

The trampoline!

When there was a little bird sitting to the right of the feeder the snow on the left was taller than the little guy. So cute -

My wonderful Honeysuckle that never gives in to the weather. You can always find little birds hiding inside! I am glad I can provide them with some shelter and food!

The butterfly bush that I didn't trim down yet.

Look at how amazing these little puffs of snow are! They are just sitting daintily on the top of these little flower seed heads left over from their profuse flowering this summer. These are a beautiful daisy like flower with a wine red and yellow coloring.

The stark beauty of a leafless tree - amazing how snow can take something so drab and dismal and make it beautiful!

Front yard before wandering pets and kids destroy the peaceful blanket of snow!

Don't ask me why but I found this little snowbound plant to seem so serene!

This tree has so much character - the bark is just gorgeous and it seems so statuesque alongside the porch! I can't wait until a little bird decides to build a nest in it!

Well, if it would be possible it would be wonderful to live up in the mountains during the time of snow! To be surrounded by wildlife, beautiful evergreens and mountain plants all covered in an unbroken blanket of snow, well, until you would need to run to the store for something and it would take you three hours to go a mile!!!

Hope you enjoyed my winter wonderland trip through my yard. It is supposed to rain in two days and all will be changed. At least I can refer back to this and relive the serenity!