Easter 2011

We've had a busy Easter weekend!

Friday night we colored our—raw—eggs.  We only broke three of them!

Yesterday morning we all got up and drove to High Bluff Park for an Easter egg hunt.  They had areas sectioned off for all age groups, so all of my kids got to hunt for goodies.



Jessica hunts



Lindsey and Brandon hunt



What is Ryan doing?

NOW what is Ryan doing?

That afternoon we went to Marilyn and James' house for a barbecue.  We had a nice time visiting with Bruce's family.

And today we took swell pictures so you could see our Easter eggs—or some of them, anyway.  Lots of them went into yesterday's potato salad and tonight's angel-food cake.



Check out Kaylie's long, blond hair!  I didn't notice Jessica sitting in the chair right behind her!



HAPPY EASTER!

  

I might move . . .

Blogger has become very cumbersome and difficult lately. Formatting is very nearly impossible!
I often get one big, run-on paragraph, or ten-thousand spaces between lines.

I'm not very happy. I might even move to a new host—which sounds like a nuisance. We'll see.

Am I the only one having blogger problems?

And the Winner is . . .

Well, today is the big day! The day I announce the winner of Loralee's Fancy Poetry Contest! In the words of an entry from Stephanie:

Today is the day, I can hardly wait!
So please do not procrastinate!
You're going to choose!
No time to loose!
I've been waiting so long for this happy date!

All you poets were quite unexpectedly prolific, and have given me several limericks to add to my collection! I was a little worried at first, because Christine was the only one to enter any poems for several days. I thought that she would win by default—which would be no fun! But then the limericks came rollling in. Yay, you!!

Before I announce the big winner, here is my limerick:

There was an old king named King Fred
Who wore a gold crown on his head.
He lost it one day,
Much to his dismay,
So he wears a felt derby instead.

And now here are this year's many, many entries:

From Christine:

In Utah there lives an old fool
Who never quite made it to school.
She grabbed a balloon
And formed a baboon.
Then children and friends said "How cool!"

An autobiographical limerick (although I wouldn't call her "an old fool" by any means!).

Also from Christine:

Three sisters who can't sing a note
Had practiced a song that they wrote.
 The brothers all cried.
The parents just sighed.
Their voices were worse than the goat.

Delightful! This one ranks with the many, many limericks I already have memorized. Perfect.

Christine #3:

There was a young guy with a pig.
It grew up to be rather big.
He ran out of bacon.
The pig started shakin'.
"Come here, little piggy pig pig."

And, Christine #4:

 I once knew a guy so silly
In summer he thought it was chilly
When it snowed he was warm
He would dance in a storm
He even thought meadows were hilly

Christine did a wonderful job!

Kaylie was the second to enter her poems. They are:

Licks, sticks, licks, sticks, lick, sticks, LICKS, STICKS!
All I get from my dog, licks, sticks!
Not one of his toys
from that naughty boy!
All I get is some licks and sticks!

Kaylie #2:

As I promised, a limerick.
It will probably make you sick.
But no matter what,
please do not say but,
please! I beg of you! Don't say ick !

I liked this one a lot. :-) Kaylie #3, inspired by the movie, Tangled:

Rapunzel dear, now listen here!
Why is your hair so tangled dear?
Tangles everywhere!
Don't you brush your hair?
Brush your hair for goodness' sake dear!

Very good!

Kaylie #4:

That silly little Willy Boy
got too near a goat named Billy Boy.
Billy Boy was blue
feeling so down, too. :(
Such a silly boy is Willy Boy!

Very good, Kaylie!

Rachel also sent me four poems which I really liked a lot, but they weren't quite limericks:
A cat and a dog,
running in the fog.
What a silly sight to see!
An owl in a tree,
watching as they flee
chasing after one another!

Rachel #2:

If you have found
a bone in the ground
and you have a big red hound,
give the bone to the hound
and you'll be safe and sound.

Rachel #3:

With a big full moon
you will see soon
a big gray wolf that will howl
till the gulf starts shaking
from that sound the wolf is making
the bone-chilling
yet thrilling sound.

Very descriptive—I like "the bone-chilling yet thrilling sound!"

Rachel #4:

There was a dog in a bog
who was afraid of the fog
when the fog set in
he found a floating bin
and he climbed in
and went where a
good hound should go.

Yay for Rachel!

And this little gem came from Brandon:

I say you really shouldn't be thinking
That you think this poem is stinking
It's really not that bad
So please don't be mad
Or my heart will probably start sinking.

Brandon's heart can stay in place; this one doesn't stink at all. :-)

Jason's entry:
Some seventy sailors at noon
Each had in their hand, a spoon.
"Give us food!" they cried,
But the cook denied,
And soon found himself a maroon.

I actually did laugh out loud when I read this one. :-)

From Becky:

There once was a girl from Peru,
Who learned how to play the kazoo.
All day she did hum.
Her lips became numb.
Was it really worth to pursue?

Becky #2:
There once was an arrogant jockey,
Who boasted he could play hockey.
 Though his five-foot frame
Made him lose the game,
It did not make him less cocky.

Both excellent—very limericky. S

tephanie's entries:

There once was a little boy.
 He thought he was very coy
He fell on his britches
and had to get stitches.
He then got a brand new toy!

Stephanie #2:

Hey there little miss.
Where's your little sis'?
She went to find money
So she could buy honey
To put upon her dish.

Stephanie #3 (same poem, different ending):

 Hey there little miss.
Where's your little sis'?
She went to find money
So she could buy honey
To give to her poor fish.

Stephanie #4:

There once was bee
Who could not see.
He found a small flower
But thought it was sour
And flew back to his tree.

After a short break, Stephanie entered four more! Aren't limericks fun?

Stephanie #5:

 I really don't mean to impose,
But I have to go blow my nose!
It could be an issue
So please get a tissue.
For it's dripping down on my toes!

Another for my collection. :-)

Stephanie #6:

My poor little Missy-moo.
She didn't know what to do!
She sat there an cried
 Because she had tried
But we didn't want to eat her stew.

 Stephanie #7:

I really am no poet
and now you really know it!
Because I have tried
You sat there and cried,
And tried hard not to show it.

Tee-hee! tephanie #8:

This really is such fun.
But nothing will get done.
My house is a mess
And I could care less
As I think of another one.

Yes, I'd rather write limericks than clean house or run errands, too!

Another from Becky:

Seven little mice in a hole,
Found themselves bunked with a mole.
“Kind sir,” they did cry,
“Must you dwell so nearby?
There is not much food in our bowl.”

And an entry from my sweetheart, Bruce:

 A fine little Lady of mine
 Has asked me to make up a rhyme.
It takes a short while
with a wink and a smile
to make a good rhyme really shime.

That is one shimy rhyme, Bruce!

Lindsey also sent four entries. Isn't it funny how they seem to come in groups of four?

Lindsey #1:
In time of writers block...
 there's something wrong with that clock.
see how it dangles,
from every wrong angles
boy, go fetch me a rock.

Lindsey #2:
There was was a gal in need.
in need of some colorful bead.
 but when she found none
she cried quite a ton
for she was in need of bead.

Lindsey #3:
I once happened to cross
 my very old boss.
and when he saw me
he cried "hee hee hee!"
as he walked across the moss

I like this one. I might say "my very, very old boss" just for the meter, though.

Lindsey #4:
There once was a young man,
who had a splendid tan
yellin' as he walked "look at me!
I'm a better then all ya'll!"
That prideful man, with the splendid tan.

This could be another limerick-collection limerick, except that the fourth line doesn't rhyme. But the idea is perfect. Whoa! Two more from Stephanie:

Stephanie #9:

My life is not a mess;
Although, it's quite a stress.
I cannot say,
So go your way.
I'm going to make a dress.

Stephanie #10:
Happy birthday Jana!
I like your pink bandanna!
You are so sweet,
Please eat a treat.
Enjoy your birthday Jana!

And one final entry from Christine:

A chocolate chip cookie is great
and ice cream with cake add some weight
A pie makes me smile
But once in a while
Mint Brownie's preferred on my plate!

Oh, I got that message loud and clear! And it was funny, too! Can you believe all these limericks? We could write a book! And it was a tough choice. Honorable mention must go to Christine, for the sisters who sang like the goat. Honorable mention to Becky for the arrogant jockey. Honorable mention to Stephanie for the tissue issue. Honorable mention to Brandon for the non-stinking limerick. And Honorable Mention to Lindsey for the very old boss, and the prideful man with the tan [just fix up that rhyme ;-)!] It was a tough decision, but I finally had to go with the one that honestly did make me laugh out loud. So the prize for first place in the 2011 Loralee's Fancy Poetry Contest, in the "everyone else" division goes to Jason for the hungry sailors!

Some seventy sailors at noon

Each had in their hand, a spoon.

"Give us food!" they cried,

 But the cook denied,

And soon found himself a maroon.

(Wild applause here)

I only had two contestants in the children's division; and that was a really tough decision for a mom to make. Rachel definitely gets Honorable Mention for her poems; but since she didn't quite follow the rules of a limerick, I chose Kaylie's Rapunzel limerick:

Rapunzel dear, now listen here!

Why is your hair so tangled dear?

Tangles everywhere!

 Don't you brush your hair?

Brush your hair for goodness' sake dear!

(More wild applause here)

Jason and Kaylie will be receiving their treats and their certificates within the next couple of days. And their limericks will be posted in my sidebar.

Thank you all for playing with me!

Not of the world

The kids at school make me sad. Yesterday I discovered that a young girl who is in lots of my classes, Miss B, smokes. I'm pretty sure it's a new habit she's taken up. It made me genuinely sad when she came in late, smelling like smoke. (And yes, it was her and not a friend she was hanging with; she said today that she's smoking "for now.") She's 18 or 19 years old.

Last week, Miss B announced—as if it were a big joke—that her roommate (same age) was pregnant. Some other girls asked Miss G, "Really?" And she said, "Oh, maybe. I'll know in a couple weeks." as if it were no big deal. Miss G is also around 18 or 19.

Another day I heard a conversation between Miss B and Miss R; they were talking about getting drunk and how much fun they have. Miss R said that once she was with a group of friends, and she got "sooo drunk," and they took "drunk pictures" that she had to delete from her camera later. I can only imagine. Well, no; I probably can't (and I'd rather not).

Today young Mr. F was talking about how the guy he's interested in is in a relationship with someone else, and how his mother worries that one of the male teachers at school might be interested in him. (Not worried about a relationship with another guy, as far as I can tell; just that it could be a relationship with a teacher.)

And they all compare their "pretty" tattoos (everyone), and the girls talk about the boyfriends they are living with but don't know if they could marry. And my friend who is nearer to my age, talks about her awful ex-husband all the time, and makes it sound like men are just vile. She says she'd like to remarry, but her consensus with another divorced classmate is that you just can never know if you can trust a guy.

If we took a vote I think the majority of my classmates would say they don't want to get married, they certainly don't want to have children, and I know for a fact that at least two of my class members think abortion is OK and every woman's right.

They are all nice people—I like them. So it makes me sad to hear them talk. At first I was just kind of shocked; I thought these attitudes were only on TV and in movies—pure Hollywood stuff. But these kids really think this way and do these things. It brings me down to hear them.

I hadn't realized how sheltered I have been. Thank goodness I've been taught to be in the world, but not of it.

Crazy-Busy!

School is keeping me extremely busy right now. Every week I make a new pattern of some kind—right now we are working on sleeves, so I make two different sleeves and a bodice to put them on—and then I have to cut them out of muslin and sew them all together. Yes, I do something like this every week for this class. I'm working on a jacket for Adv. Sew, my coat for Tailoring, and three more patterns for Pattern by Measurement. The P by M patterns are finally drawn; now I have to cut them from lovely fabrics and make them to fit me (and hope that they really look nice enough to wear).

Plus all my school and all the kids' school entails a lot of running around, and our van has been out of commission for three weeks. Ben and Tami have been far, far more than extremely generous and kind to us, and have let us use their van all this time. (I think a catered dinner with a lovely dessert is in order for them.) Hopefully our van will be out of the shop tonight—or tomorrow morning.

On top of all that, we have BIG family things in the works that are . . . a little stressful. But I'm not ready to divulge more than that right now. It's just that things here are crazy, crazy-busy!

p.s. Send me a poem for my contest! I could use the break. ;-)

Any Takers?

While I have received four entries for the poetry contest, they are all from the same person! Is no one else going to take up my challenge? :-(

March's Good News

Here's the good news of the day:

March 1

It's Michael's Birthday! Happy birthday, Michael!

March 2

It's our 21st anniversary! And we went up to Logan for an over-nighter; had a lovely dinner; had a lovely time. I love you, Bruce!

March 3

Bummed around Logan, visited Stephanie and kids, had a nice drive home together. I went to P by M and started on actual clothing patterns. Then back to my lovely family. :-)

March 4

Bruce had the whole day off today—no Granite School Dist, no Office Depot, no marriage classes. :-)

March 5

Today we had a taste of "normal life." Bruce worked 9 to 5, while the kids and I cleaned the house, went shopping, and made dinner—which was ready by the time Bruce got home. We watched a movie together, talked, and went to bed by 10:30. Nice.

March 6

We celebrated Michael's birthday. Lasagna and then chocolate cake. Yum! And I made some good headway on my coat (all the hand-sewing) for my Tailoring class. I could even be caught up with the class by Wednesday!

March 7

Sewing, sewing, sewing. Getting caught up on missed homework. And, I made quite a fabulous—although simple—dinner tonight.

March 8

Got a lot of homework done and was still able to make it to the Relief Society birthday dinner.

March 9

I think I'm going to get my Tailoring project all done before the end of the semester. I think I'm going to pass my Patterns class.

:-) I got 300 out of 300 on the vest I made for Lindsey in Adv. Sew; next project is a jacket. Bruce took me pattern/fabric shopping tonight.

March 10

Got my shirt pattern made for P by M. Bruce picked me up after school . . . I like that!

March 11

Went window-shopping with Michael and Jason this morning.

:-) And Melanie came by to visit this evening.

March 12

Melanie and I went shopping and out to lunch today. :-) And while I was gone Bruce fixed our unexpected drain problem all by himself, saving us hundreds of dollars, and saving me a big headache. Bruce is awesome!

March 13

My Relief Society lesson went well—don't know why.

Bruce and I sent the kids to bed on time (the kids thought it was early) and we talked and talked tonight. I love it when we actually get a chance to talk to each other!

March 14

First day of Spring Break! I should have worked on homework, but I didn't do a scrap. :-)

March 15

I straightened up my bedroom and finished a Pattern assignment. And I went to Bruce's "Newlywed Bootcamp" class with him and then we got milkshakes.

March 16

I suppose the upside to spending a gazillion hours stuck at Walmart with broken cars is that I got myself a new pair of jeans, and I got new jackets (on clearance for $3 each) for all my boys.

March 17

I made chocolate cupcakes with green, mint, buttercream icing (new recipe—yummy!). And stuck a piece of gold (chocolate coin) in each one just for good measure. Made the family happy! Yay!

March 18

I'm looking forward to snuggling up with my sweetheart tonight and watching a movie together. And then we will snuggle up in bed. Nice. Very nice.

March 19

Oh, busy day. Busy, busy day!

Got through a lot of my schoolwork—yay! But before all the busy-ness I enjoyed a sweeeet morning with my sweetheart.

March 20

Tonight we got online (5lovelanguages.com) and learned the primary love language for everyone in our family. (This did take a while).

Bruce: Words of Affirmation;

Loralee: Acts of Service;

Michael: Gifts, tied with Quality Time;

Jason: Words of Affirmation;

Lindsey: Physical Touch;

Brandon: Quality Time tied with Gifts;

Ryan: Words of Affirmation tied with Acts of Service;

Kaylie: a three-way tie— Acts of Service, Quality Time & Physical Touch;

Rachel: a tie—Physical Touch & Words of Affirmation;

Jessica: Gifts & Quality Time.

March 21

Oooooh! My new mint brownie recipe (my creation!) is excellent!

March 22

Good day in school today.

March 23

I got all my late work—from missed school days—turned in today. What a load off my mind!

March 24

It was student-led conferences today. I like hearing every teacher—without exception—tell me how smart, and well-behaved, and helpful, and just great in general my kids all are!

March 25

I went shopping and out to lunch with Lindsey today. :-) And then Bruce and I had a late-night date at home—dinner and a movie.

March 26

I think I may have finally figured out how to make my coat sleeves for Tailoring (long story). And I went out with Bruce tonight. I love that man!

March 27

We had a yummy dinner tonight. We hung out with our family tonight. I played the piano tonight. I should practice more. :-)

March 28

I got ALL my homework done! I am all caught up!

March 29

I had a lovely day in school. :-) And tonight I got to see Ryan and Kaylie perform in the Entheos Discovery Recital (4th — 6th grades). Kaylie did a great job singing her solo!!

March 30

I posted my annual Poetry Contest rules today, and I already have four entries!

March 31
I got a new grid ruler today. It's become my favorite tool.