Random thoughts

I was just checking my gmail and there was an ad off to the side. It's headline was "Date Liberals Now". I ask, why?

Is it that they expire and need a code date to let you know when they've reached the peak of perfection? Or

Is it that they can't find their own dates and need the mercy of an unknown person to pull them from the depths of despair? Or

Will I learn a new set of paradigms that I couldn't without dating them? Or

Are they the new "it" thing and if you're anyone, you'll be dating them, now!

Hah! and I love that the spell check thingy in blogger doesn't recognize gmail as a word. Blogger is owned by google which produces gmail. hmmmmmmmm, think maybe someone ought to update the spell checker!

Just an example of the random questions I ask myself when I read commands randomly put forth.

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The little shack across the tracks

As I travel, I like to read. Making small talk on a plane is not high on my list of things to do. So I always make sure I bring along a couple of books to read while traveling. I usually like to keep it light reading as I am not one for emotion or intensity while trying to relax. This trip I chose two excellent reads.

Amy Tan has always been a favorite of mine. Her Joy Luck Club is one book I could read again and again. That is huge for me because once a book has been read, it usually goes to my library and resides on the shelf waiting for another person to pull it down. I don't revisit books. This time Amy entertained me with her Saving Fish from Drowning. Wow oh wow. I loved it. Her descriptive process always impresses me. I felt as if I was walking along with her experiencing every turn and cobblestone along the journey. Half way through the book, I mentioned to my daughter I never wanted to go to the country Amy was writing about. The story was frightening and thrilling at the same time. At the end there is a twist, a betrayal of sorts. It was surprising and enjoyable. I recommend your time being spent reading Saving Fish from Drowning.

Now the reference to the title of the post. I chose the second book, even though my sister said I probably wouldn't enjoy it. Just the opposite took place, however, I loved it. I cannot really express why other than the author was my voice. My childhood, in a sense. I highly recommend the book. The Glass Castle is an autobiography. Some will say it is a grand exaggeration. Some will saying it is half lies. Others will say she suffered at the hands of mentally ill parents. What I say is yes.

Garbage pit in the yard filled with garbage. Check. Stealing utilities from public utilities. Check. Wondering on a daily basis what will be available to eat. Check. Moving in the middle of the night. Check. Alcohol abuse. Check. I could go on and on. Jeanette Walls and I lived parallel lives. Had I known she was such a short trip away we could have been fast friends. Her life wasn't an exaggeration though. It was just like mine.

With one exception. She had both parents. She knew, in their own messed up way, they both loved her. And that they both felt they were teaching her to survive in the world. They were arming her with the necessary tools to successfully traverse the shark infested waters of the world. She had two parents. I cannot underscore how much different that made us.

I had a mom and a revolving door of men coming in and out. And an alcoholic father who would appear promptly on my birthday each year until I was ten to make sure complete and utter turmoil had been established and then disappear as if he were Merlyn the Magician. I have been the parent most of my life. I have had my friends parents tell me if my parents would just pay their bills things would be better. I have heard the whispers of good people behind my back criticizing our every move. And I couldn't change any of it. I still can't. I just swim my shark like swim and hope it doesn't all come crashing down around my feet.

However, Jeanette and I learned what we needed to learn. The example provided by parents were excellent teaching methods. So wrong, yet so right. Children should not have to worry about clothing, shelter and food. Yet every day children all over the U.S., not just the world are subjected to that tragedy, it is not an exaggeration at all. I made the choice to move away from my childhood in a stable way. My daughters have reaped the benefit of my hard choices. There was still a portion of a crazy parent there, but whose children don't think their parents are just a little weird?

The worst is people make judgements about you when you talk about how you wouldn't react in a situation like most of the rest of people. The harshest comments being, "well, you are so very arrogant as to think you would not react that way". My feeling is to strike back, recoil and strike again, it takes all I can to not ripped some one's head off and tell them how ignorant they really are. Especially when they live in a dream world I call "perfect parent" world. They've had two parents, the dad worked, the mom stayed home, dinners were always prepared on time, clothes were always washed and clean and ready to wear. They had perfect birthday parties and cupcakes at school and the worst thing that happened to them ever is they forgot their lines in a play at school or farted in front of the class. Then without any knowledge of me or my circumstances they tell me I have no idea of that which I speak. Heh. I have experienced most of it. And I know, I'll survive no matter what. No matter what.

I recommend the book. It will help the "perfect parent" people see a glimpse inside a world they've never even had a clue existed, except the whispered tittering of a few gossips, and see and hopefully learn empathy. It will help those of us who've lived the "walls world" know there are others like us and it wasn't all bad.

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At your behest Lisa

I'm back! What a whirlwind trip! I spent time with the new baby until the very last moment. Can I first gush at how cute the little bugger is??!!? What a little darling. I stayed until I had worn out my welcome almost and then came back for more!

You see, s'mee was in D.C. I talked her into giving me a ride back to the city so the offspring wouldn't have to endure a six hour roundtript drive just to see me off. S'mee is quite the loving sibling and did get me to D.C. She even let me stay a couple of days in their hotel room with them. (it was a clothing optional room until I got there. s'mee said something about having to go buy the husband some jammies prior to my arrival) That said, I'll probably never get to bunk with them again. We saw D.C. in a blurry hurry, the DC Temple first and then historic site after another. These are some of my favorite photos:

The obligatory messing with the monument photo! A favorite to photograph and also to see how unoriginal we all are on how to adapt to the large structure of the monument.



This was a photo taken at an exhibit inside the Hirshhorn Museum. The exhibit was on light and the diffusion of said subject. It was amazing. If you are in the area, for get the other museums and go to the Hirshhorn first!

This duck stole our hearts outside the Smithsonian. He posed for us from every angle and was very patient with everyone who wanted to photograph him.

Then beyond belief was the chance that we would run into Spencer W Kimball in Virginia. But, yep that's him! Well, maybe not, but I think most of you have a pic of him in your baby files too!

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With Mom's permission

Here he is! All pink and cuddly. Many, many, many blessings here.

Update: I forgot the details for you: 9lbs 2 oz, 19 inches long, head circumference 15 1/4 inches. The doctor says he had the cord wrapped around his neck very tight. Doc also said he'd never delivered a baby that had such a big head. But it's proportional to the rest of him.He has a very long torso.

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LIve blogging the birth

Well, not really but close. We are at the hospital. Nothing happening yet as far as a baby though. They admitted the oldest daughter for high blood pressure this a.m. with the notation, we'll figure out how to get this baby out soon. So not quite sure what that means, but I'll keep you updated.

One thing I know for certain. I'm freezing! It's cold here, 29 degrees on the way to the hospital at 8 a.m. Sunny but coooooooold! I am such a SoCal diva. If it's not at least 72 outside we better just stay indoors!

Okay, I'm back! Looks like this one is going into hyper speed! We have a momma that's entering into 2nd stage toxemia at this point so the decision has been made to do a section. Welcome to the club first one! We should have a baby boy here in about 25 minutes they say!!!! Yay!

One funny note. To pass the time we have been watching the ilusionist on dvd. The lead character is Eisenheim. In walks the anesthesiologist to prep for the surgery and introduces himself as Dr. Eisenberg. Yeah, twilight zone music plays in the background.

Ha! I hear brand new baby crying! Maybe its ours! Another grandchild. Two now. It gets better all the time! Yep. There's the tears.

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I am here, waiting......

This might give you a clue as to how it's going. Not a pretty sight. We're heading to the doc this afternoon to see if there mught be an inducement in the future. Wish us luck! And for those of you new to the blog. This isn't my foot!

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St Patrick's Boutonnieres

Years ago Martha Stewart had a "good thing" St Patrick's idea. I filed it away and said someday I'm going to do that. So Thursday I scanned the article, printed out a copy and gave it a go. I decided to use paper rather than cloth because that's what I had close by. It eliminated a couple steps and I got it done quickly.

Step 1. After printing out your example, cut out the template of the clover. Trace it on to the back of the paper you've chosen. I chose three different green papers to make mine.



Step 2. Cut out your clovers, making sure not keep the pencil lines.



Step 3. Fold each clover petal in half from the back side. You want the crease to pull the leaves forward when you're looking at your print.



Step 4. Twist your wire. I used a small screwdriver to help twist the wire around. It wasn't difficult to do at all. Leave about a quarter inch at the top in a v shape for gluing it to the paper.







Step 5. In order to make sure the wire stayed stuck, I added an element to the paper version. I cut a small dot of paper about 3/8" in diameter for the back. I then added a bit of glue, stuck the wire into the glue and topped it with the small circle.





Step 6. Arrange your clover leafs together and add a bow. I tied a knot first hold hold it stable; and then did the bow. Voila!



Hopefully this will inspire you to make your own. I especially made this one for the big guy. He will be all alone on St Patricks day this year. I will be in Virginia with the new baby. I wanted him to know I was thinking about him still.

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Welcome to the party pals!

For all of you visiting here for the first time...

I am a mom of three. All grown and the last was married a year and a half ago. Time flies! I have been reading blogs for five years, blogging for a little over two. I think faster than I type so there are always errors in my typing. I love to spell and it bugs the death out of me when I find a typo!

I love to craft. I am currently working on staying at home and making $$ here instead of "working for the man". hehe. I do fused glass primarily. Then a bit of vinyl cutting and a few odds and ends. My sister calls me the shark, if I stop I'll drop, so I never stop. I have two shops on the net. One for my crafty stuff, glass pendants, plates, etc. And, the second is for my invention the Sunspot. Check out my sidebar for live links to each.

We are (we as in me and my husband, the big guy) currently finishing up our plans for a house we are going to build on our land in Arizona. A few years ago we bought some acreage and it is now time to flee the city! We will have a lavender farm and try to live off the grid with a farm. A few chickens, tomatoes, fruit trees and whatever else we'll need. I am hoping to be able to trade for farm grown meat that isn't filled with hormones!

Well, enough about me! I need to visit the party goers and meet some new friends!

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I'm Partying like it was 1964!

You and I have been invited to a blog party! Yes! I love parties and this one is pretty neat! The ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom have invited us all over to check out their diggs and join the party.

I noticed a banner at another blog and followed the link. 5 Minutes for Mom is a blog that networks blogging moms. It looks pretty neat. So come on, grab your hat and bag and let's go to the party! There's going to be prizes! And all kinds of wonderful links! Come on it'll be fun!

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Some vinyl cutting

I recently was hired by a local women's group to cut some vinyl for them. They are having an enrichment night and one of the projects chosen to do was a wall plaque. S'mee mentioned to the lady in charge that I cut vinyl and could probably cut what they needed. Yay.


So this is what I cut. (yes, i noticed in the pic that I need to weed out the center of that "a") I have given them the decal and they will adhere it to their medium of choice. I am now thinking of doing some things for the shop. Rather than make the plaques, I think I'll cut the vinyl and allow people to choose where they want to put them. Be it their wall, their cars, a picture frame, or even a slab of slate or other stone.

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Set the politics aside

I heard that on Oscar night that an award, the gold statue itself, was awarded to Al Gore for the movie An Inconvenient Truth. AaaaaacccK!

I sit here an old style hippie, raised in the sixties and seventies. Milk fed the pablum of kumbaya and peace. Willing to take upon my share of waste and dedicating myself on a daily basis of greening up the spot I live in and taking care of mother earth.

This dufus, and yes I mean dufus, is not willing to give an inch. At one point he even said that it is okay to lie about global warming to get people's attention to the problem. That's when I turned a deaf ear to him. And then this news. He gets the statue because people thought it was the best documentary. Please. Iraq in Fragments, or My Country, My Country were worthy of the statue. It's a shame Hollywood couldn't see it.

Today I read this story:

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, issued a press release late Monday:

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

For Further Information, Contact:
Nicole Williams, (615) 383-6431
editor@tennesseepolicy.org

I will continue to be dedicated to caring for mother earth. I will no longer entertain the thought that Mr. Gore knows anything about the planet, or cares to. By their labors you shall know them.

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The Latest Dwell Mag

I picked up a copy of the latest issue of Dwell today. I have spent the better part of two hours going over some of the articles and ads found inside the magazine. I bought it specifically for the article on going solar.

You see, when we build in Arizona we will be completely off the grid. We are about 4 miles from the nearest "pole" and Arizona power wants $32,000 to bring one to us, and then we have the privilege of paying them monthly for their service. I don't think so. We will be using a variety of power sources. Once being a whole house generator. It will cost us about 1/3 of the cost of the pole and once it's paid for it's ours for good. It will run on propane. Then there is the solar panels and the wind turbine that will combine to provide the power we will consume.

Just a quick note to all: we are not wealthy Californians taking advantage of the real estate run up in prices. We cannot sell our home to build the Arizona house because we need somewhere to live. We will be boot strapping this venture and it will be long in coming. I only hope we can do a lot of the finish work ourselves. My wonderful sister has volunteered her husband and one son for the electrical work. The big guy was once a drywaller, so that will get done by him and sons-in-law. (yes if you're reading this, and want to come visit, you will heft a slab or two of drywall, guys) The biggest portion that we will not do is the framing and slab work. It will be something we can be proud of in the future, but we're not building a mansion by any means. We are building to meet our needs. I do not, nor have ever, needed to clean more space just so I can call it big. It will be larger than our current home, but mostly because we will be inviting all family to come stay if need be. There will be room for all of us, eventually.

So back to Dwell. It is a good magazine for information. There are many vendors in the magazine that I won't even be giving a second look. You see, I am frugal. I cannot ever see the value in paying $400 for a plastic chair designed by the next big "designer". I am perfectly happy with knock offs and pure form furniture from good sources. I am just not into "names or labels". In fact, Ikea has some of the best kitchen and bath resources around. Their bathroom designs are spot on and I love the wood counter tops they have available.

Favorite find this month in Dwell: Tex-Cote paint. It is 10 times thicker than regular house paint and can reduce the outside temperature of your home by tens of degrees. That's pretty good for desert dwellers. I would say a coat of that paint on the exterior of a home would pay for itself inside of a year. Good find.

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The Caveman got us

You know that commercial that says "So easy a caveman could do it". Well, I just got our bill for insurance. I decided we had been paying our current insurer long enough without a comparison. We are BYU Alumnus that receive a special "alumni" price with Liberty Mutual. Well, isn't it nice to find out that being a BYU alumni means nothing to the cavemen guys. It still got us a better price than the guys claiming to give us a great deal. How much of a difference?

50% Less!!!! Yes. I'm falling for the caveman. That's what you get when you're an alumnus of a university and believe that an insurer and your alumni group are getting you a group deal. They think you're more educated than the caveman and then take advantage of your devotion to your school. Caveat Emptor folks. The caveman has convinced me to use my liberty and persue happiness with him.

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Magnolia Blossoms

Tree in bloom
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Five years ago, this month, our middle daughter got married. It was in March and we went looking for special flowers for the celebration. We drove down to a favorite nursery in Montebello, CA to see what we could find. This would be the first of three weddings in four years for us, and at this point we were just having fun with the anticipation of the celebration.

We looked around and knew we wanted something quite different. We would be using iris' and tulips for the centerpieces and wall ornaments. We looked and looked and stumbled upon the most unusual tree. It was covered in small little white flowers. I asked the proprietor what kind of tree it was. He said a Magnolia. I had never seen this variety before and was instantly in love. We purchased the tree and it became the welcome portion of the hall.

We set the tree in its pot on a stand next to the guest sign in area to block off a hallway. It was beautiful. The celebration was a success and memories were made to last an eternity.

The little tree joined our collection of plants at the front door. In five years, I think we have had 5 blossoms. It has been frustrating to see this gorgeous little tree go without blooms. It is always covered in leaves but no flowers.

Until this year. We have had quite a cold snap this year. It has been below freezing several mornings and several of the neighbors are stunned at the amount of plant death is in the neighborhood. Then as a small miracle the tree has chosen to blossom! It is full of beautiful white multi-petaled flowers! I guess we needed a good freeze to get this tree blooming. I am so glad, it has brightened my day for a couple of weeks now.

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The farm, Arizona

The farm
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

So we went on a weekend out to the farm. It looks as though we should be building this year and getting a bit of lavender in the ground. Yay!

Along the way out there we spied a few interesting things:



This is a scorpion statue in Mesa, We stopped there searching desparately for a Starbucks. I need hot chocolate! The statues line Main Street. Very cool.

We then moved on to take some shots around town and ended up at the Mesa Temple. There were some very nice photos waiting to be captured all over the grounds.



Proof that sping has not yet sprung in Arizona.



They have two really great reflecting ponds on the grounds. This is just one great reflection. I love palm trees!

We then hit the road to traveling 3 hours northeast. This is what is on the way:



They were everywhere in one part of Arizona. Other parts had Elk and pine trees but before you reach those, you pass through the cacti.

The farm is pictured above. Once you get there, you can drive another 15 minutes up the 80 and find the entrance to the Petrified Forest. Our land is covered in petrified wood. This picture is from the forest:



We don't have logs this large laying about on the farm. We have not yet turned the earth so you never know we may stumbled across a large log or two. We do have lots of small pieces though. If you've never seen it up close or would like a piece let me know, I could probably send you some.

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They really know how to to party

In Arizona! We were there for the Pesident's Day holiday (not at the cabaret). A good time was had by all. ;-)

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Medication that makes you go huh?

I have been watching a bit of daytime tv. I have been working on some new items for the store and have had the tv on while creating. Yesterday there was a commercial on a few times that I finally had to say "how dumb is that?" After listening to the commercial extoll the virtues of this wonder drug I began listening to the disclaimer. "This medication should be taken after 48 hours of your first symptoms. You may expect to experience side effects of nausea and vomitting..."

Okay yeah, I have nausea and vomitting. I think I'll take something to give me more of that!

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Sending Love

Here's wishing all of you out there in blogland have a nice Valentine's day. It's not just for couples you know. Go to the airport, sit in the terminal and you'll find love is really...
all around you!

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Just a little heat

We went for a drive a couple of weeks ago. We decided to see the effects of the Esparanza fire had on the property we almost bought about 6 years ago. The drive took us along the path of the fire. It stretched for miles and miles. I am amazed at how much acreage the fire covered in such a short time period. We finally came upon the street where the land was located. It had been consumed. Not just consumed but burnt to a crisp. There was one home completely lost and a few others that had been in direct harms way. If we had built a home there it would have gone in the fire as the land was completely burned. This is a picture of our would be next door neighbors' home:
The fence was melted. It was one of those beautiful no maintenance fences made of vinyl. I wonder if the fence was sold with a disclaimer about fires? The fence illustrates the heat in the area and also gives you an idea of the rest of the area's destruction.

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Winter's back!

It's a cold and blustery day here. I have been baking and enjoying the indoors. The cat has been in and we're having a white trash dinner. Green beans and tuna casserole. Not my favorite, in fact, niether one of us could remember that last time we had it. It must've been when the girls were all at home. That was a good 10 years ago. Don't ask me why we're having it tonight.

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