Welcome Spring!

You know it's spring when...

the kids are on the swings without having to wear coats.

the bulbs are popping up.

the pussy willows are fluffing.

the little garden gnome's smile seems to be wider.

Happy Spring!

Sleeping Beauty

What is it about sleeping babies?

Poll Results

Thank you all for voting in my poll "How often do you where makeup?" Here are the results:

2 votes every day

2 votes a few times a week

1 vote only on special occasions

Since I've been selling Avon, I've been wearing more of it. I used to only wear powder and mascara and once in a while brown eye shadow. But now I'm branching out and trying new shades and new products. However, I still only wear makeup a few times a week; usually if I'm meeting friends or doing business. When I'm just staying at home or if I do some quick errands, I don't bother. Most of it is just laziness, but I also like to give my skin a break from putting stuff on it. Here's a little trivia for you: Women consume seven pounds of lipstick in their lifetime. Kind of gross, huh? If that's not an incentive to take a little break, I don't know what is.

Check out my new poll. (please)

I'm Running as Fast as I Can

You know when you have those dreams where you are running as fast as you can, but you don't seem to be getting any farther ahead? Well, that's kind of how I feel these days. I'm trying to keep up with so many things and as soon as I get one thing done two more things pop up. I hope that I can catch my breath one of these days.

Last Saturday I participated in a craft show at a local gift shop. There were lots of us from Idaho Indie Works, the local Etsy Street Team. It was really fun, but quiet. I got to meet lots of very interesting and creative people. I've signed up to do several other craft shows. I hope they are just as fun.

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Yesterday was Liam's name day. I got him a few gifts, but other than that, it was just another day. I'm glad he is young enough that he didn't realize the lack of festivities. Next year will be better.

Notice the fancy wrapping. Liam took one look in the bag and said, "Clothes" with a lack of enthusiasm. It's started already!

But he did get a sweet new Hot Wheels Ferrari.

Erica's Visit Part II - Bruneau Dunes

Yesterday all ten of us (eleven if you count our dog) drove out to Bruneau Dunes State Park. For those of you who have never been there before, it really is a site to behold. Here is a description of the dunes taken from the information pamphlet we collected:

The Bruneau Dunes are unique in the Western Hemisphere in their formation, and stand in vivid contrast to the surrounding plateaus. Other sand dunes in the Americas form at the edge of a natural basin; these form near the center. The two prominent dunes cover about 600 acres. They include the largest single structured sand dune in North America, whose peak is 470 feet above the surrounding desert floor. 

The combination of a source of sand, a relatively constant wind activity, and a natural trap have caused sand to collect in the park's semicircular basin, called Eagle Cove, for about 15,000 years. Unlike many sand dunes, these do no drift. Two prevailing winds keep the dunes stable, one blowing from the southeast and one from the northwest. 

There is also a seasonal observatory in the park that opens next week.

The biggest attraction to the park is sledding down the dunes. Here are some photos of us doing just that. 

Jake showing off his rock skipping talent.

Hanging out on the dunes. When we first arrived the sand was nice and warm, but then the wind picked up and it got cold. We got sand in every crevice of our clothes and body and hair. It was so worth it. 

Sledding down the dunes isn't as easy as it looks. The sand isn't as slick as snow so it's hard to get going and once you do, it's a slow ride to the bottom. 

North of the dunes. 

Erica's Visit

Erica, Jake, Emily, Caitlin, and Connor arrived Wednesday night for a visit. This is the first time in five years that we have anybody come to visit. It's so nice to have company. The kids have been having a blast just playing together. 

Hot-tubbing in the snow.

Connor and Liam having breakfast together.

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Yesterday Erica and I took the kids to the Discovery Centre.

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The biggest hit of the museum was this kid sized grocery store. 

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Lying on a bed of nails.

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The second biggest hit at the museum was the bubble wall. 




I wonder what kind of adventures we will have today!

Poll Results

Here are the results for "Did you watch the 81st Annual Academy Awards?"

2 votes yes

3 votes no

1 vote part of it

I voted for yes and I'm not embarrassed to admit (well, maybe just a little) that the only reason why I watched it was because Hugh Jackman was hosting. I had no idea who was being nominated and which movies were on the list. The only movie that I had seen that was nominated for anything was Australia, nominated for best costumes. The only other movie I had seen all year was The Secret Life of Bees. There were quite a few movies that I had wanted to see, but just never managed to get to the theatre. Part of the reason is the high cost of going to the movies. It's $10 just to walk in the door and another $10 for popcorn and a drink. Another reason is that I have a hard time sitting still for long. Even when one of my favourite shows comes on TV I'm doing other things at the same time. After watching the Oscars, I felt like I had missed out on a lot. I think I'll try to make more of an effort to go to the movies when I see something that I want to see. Maybe then the 82nd Academy Awards will make more sense to me. 

Don't forget to check out my new poll. 

I had a very interesting experience yesterday that I want to share with all of you. For my Mormon friends out there, please feel free to correct or expand on what I'm about to say.

The girls and I were invited to go to a baptism yesterday. I had never been to one before, for any religion, and wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm never sure what to expect out of religion period and I worry about offending. I was really worried about what I should wear. I wanted to look nice, but modest at the same time. I even contemplated taking out my nose ring, but since I often forget that it's even there, I left it in. I worried too about wearing my hat in the chapel. I took it off as soon as I realized that I still had it on. It turned out that I needn't have fretted. The girls and I sat in the last pew so I had a good view of what was going on amongst the spectators. A few minutes after we sat down, a woman and her kids came in and sat in a pew kiddy-corner from us. When she walked past us, I saw that she was wearing a long dark skirt with a long slit up the back, brown mules and a denim jacket. I was way over dressed compared to her. Then I noticed that she was chewing gum in the chapel. Chewing gum!! That kind of thing isn't allowed at school but it's OK in a church? I think I got things all wrong! 

When the event got underway, our friend, Thom, got up and made a speech. I was trying so hard to pay attention, but I kept getting distracted by the other people. Children were crying, parents were talking to each other and shifting in their seats. One boy in front of us was lying on the pew with his feet up against the wall and nobody said anything. I made my kids sit as still as they could and I wouldn't even let them whisper to me. I told them that they had to be quiet and listen. I felt so bad for Thom and I wanted to stand up and say, "Someone is trying to speak! Can't you show some respect?" I felt sorry for him having to stand up in front of all those people and they weren't even paying attention. 

Then, one by one, the children being baptized were called and their friends and family all went into the baptism room. It wasn't a spectacular room by any means. There were metal folding chairs for people to sit on and the baptism pool was just a plain little pool about the size of a dining room table and it was lined with light coloured tile. Nothing ornate or fancy. One thing that I thought was really interesting was that it was Thom who performed the baptism on Emma. It wasn't a bishop or other kind of leader. It was much more personal this way. 

The actual dunking in the water part lasted about two minutes and then we all went back into the chapel to wait for the other children to take their turns. 

After the last song and closing prayer the friends and families of the baptized children all went into separate rooms for the confirmations. The room we went into looked like a conference room. It had two tables set up in the shape of a T with chairs around it. Emma sat in one of the chairs with the bishop's representative and Thom standing beside her. Then there was a call to those who were worthy to stand in the circle. That's when I noticed that only the men stepped up to stand around the chair. Does that mean that the women aren't worthy? I thought that was odd and rather sexist. The men put their hands on her head and Thom proceeded to say a kind of prayer. It mostly sounded like what it meant to be baptized and his hopes for her. It lasted quite a while and I was pleased that afterwards, Terhi gave the ending prayer. 

It was a very memorable event for me. I got to see more of the Mormon church and their traditions. With most of friends here in Boise being of that religion, it's important to me to see more into what their ceremonies are like. It was an interesting day.