Tuesday Musings #12

Question:

Do you regret anything that you have done in your lifetime and if so what?

I was a nanny in NYC at the ripe OLD age of 18 and my family lived in Massachusetts but had recently relocated 2000+ miles away in Riverside, CA where I told my Mom I would never move to. I was going to live in MA. Fast forward a couple of months & the Mom of the family I worked for says, "We are going to Ireland this summer and you can come with us if you like for the 2+ weeks or you can have time off. You'll need to get a passport if you come but I can help you get it." My eighteen year old mind said " Whooo I can go see my family in CA!" (sarcastically-Because I wasn't ever going to live there or anything! ). If I went to California, then I wouldn't have to watch kids for 2 weeks. Sure, I wouldn't get paid but, whooo CARES???

SO, they go off to IRELAND & I go to see my family in Riverside.

Where I have lived for more than 1/2 my life now!

Ahh the narrowminded-ness of youth!

IRELAND

Been there? Well, I could have toured here(for free). I could have kissed the Blarney stone, too.

I could have seen the only inland salt water lake in all of Europe called Lough Hyne, located in Cork, Ireland. Also, free of cost!

Then I would have ordered this lobster for dinner from the English Market in Cork. Yes, for free!

After eating a type of sealife/seafood or marine animal I would have gone to see the city of Youghal, Cork which was the set of the 1954 film, Moby Dick. I might have seen this town with mediaeval walls or checked out the Clock gate completed in 1777 !!!

So, then to add to my cultural enhancement, I might have visited Saint Colman's Cathedral where I would have seen the architecture of Pugin and Ashlin and the largest Carillon in Ireland with 47 bells! Did I mention this would have been FREE?

So I think you can guess what I regret!

Tuesday Musings #11

Well the question is...

Growing up what extra curricular activities did you get to try? Which activity was your favorite and which was your least favorite? If you didn't have an opportunity which do you wish you could of tried? Pictures Please! :)

I took violin lessons through my elementary school at 4th grade through to the 6th grade. It was on Mondays and there were alot of holidays so it eventually petered out and I stopped playing. I wish I had a picture though because the violins they gave to us in 4th grade were like two peices of board(like the brown clipboards with the metal clip) but they were shaped like a violin and played like one.

Next I took piano lessons and this must have been around the same time I was in the middle of violin lessons I think from 5th grade to 7th or 8th I can't remember but I wiggled my way out of that-wish I had NOT done that. No picture unless my Mom has one! Yikes

In 7th-9th grade I got to be part of a school television morning show and eventually was the director my senior year. It was alot of fun and that's what I thought I would do for college because I got to take another class in High school where we filmed, edited, etc. I just found out at college that it was most likely not a great career if you were going to have a fmily and kids!

So I played Basketball in High School. JV my first year and Varsity my junior and senior year. I really liked playing basketball. I scored 22 points in one game, it was in the paper but usually I just scored like 8 or 10 points a game. One of the funniest things I remember is that I was the oldest of 9 kids and sometimes my whole family would come to my games and the girls on my team called me "brady bunch" ( I think that was the biggest family they knew of at the time). The friends I had playing basketball were some the people I would like to hear about or from to see what theyare doing now because I have no idea but if we somehow ever got together again I know it would be...not the same but easy, know what I mean?

Popcorn!

An oldie but a goodie! Sydney was 4 years old when I took these pictures and I never have done anything with them. Looks like now I know what to do! Enjoy...

I Looked out the window and what did I see?

Popcorn popping on the Apricot Tree.

Spring has brought me such a nice suprise!

Blossoms popping right before my eyes.

I can take an arm full and make a treat...

a popcorn ball that would smell so sweet.

It wasn't really so...

but it seemed to me...

Popcorn popping on the Apricot Tree!!

Tuesday Musings #10

Do you collect anything? If so, what? If not then, why…or what would you collect if you had to start a collection? Pictures please!

I collect Mercer Mayer children’s books mainly, the Little Critter Series.

I got started when I had Jacob. Carrie, a friend of mine from Oregon ,(we met at BYU & have been friends for almost 19 years now) sent me a book- "Mi Abuela y Yo" roughly translated, “Grandma & Me”.

Being that Jacob was my first child and he was a boy, these books fit us well because Hannah came next. I think I have 5 books in Spanish, the rest in English. I love "ME TOO!"

I have 123 books in all and I’m not quite finished.

They fit all kinds of topics:

This may be my Favorite Favorite- Its Little Critter pretending to be a Sailor in his backyard.

I am not sure if you will be able to make this picture larger to read the print but it says:

I stand watch on the bridge. Then: Uh oh. A storm is coming up.

Each book has a tiny grasshopper, spider & a mouse that you can use to play "I spy" with.

IF you look at each cover above you can find them.

This is a link that tells a little about the author who is also an illustrator. You may have seen his illustrations in A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog; Frog Goes to Dinner ; The Great Brain Series.

http://www.littlecritter.com/about_mercer_mayer.html

Well, this is the first and possibly the only time I will be early in posting for Tuesday Musings!

I hope I've shared something worth your interest because I love to share what I love with others.

Hannah's 4th Grade School Year

Sometimes I am late with posting things but I want more variety in my blog so who cares if I post things from a few weeks ago? Anyone? Anyone?

Hannah's challenge group at school did a skit called the "Pirates of Grammar Island". It was really cute as you can tell from their captions on their hats.

(Far left "We be in a jam" Hannah's "We be wrong" Far right "If 's a curse")

Hannah had a teacher who loved dance and taught them at least 10 different dances, then they were assigned a specific one or two or three to do for a preformance at school. This is fourth grade which she just finished a week or so ago. I took some pictures.

Also, Hannah was chosen by lottery to be in an afterschool play cast. She ended up being in the first act and the closing because she was the sound/stage coordinator. Here she is with one of her best and oldest friends from school who actually got chosen by lottery also. Their group was called The Patriot Players.

She had a good year with alot of friends and fun and she got to go to school with her cousins too!

Tuesday Musings #9

“Imagine your life is now a book. In 100 words, write the blurb for it."

In Yikes! My Children are on Summer Break, K.L. Meza’s third book of the I’m the MOM Chronicles.

“Can I buy ice cream when the ice cream truck comes?” “Mom, can Paige and I go to the movies?” “Mom, can you take me to practice? “Are we doing anything Tuesday, dear, I have a meeting at 6:30?” “Mom, when are we going to the beach?” “Mom, I’m bored, can we go somewhere?” “How about we go to Utah to see Nelson and Cullan?” “When is Aunt Angie coming to visit?” “We get Jordan first, right Mom? “Mom, where is my bathing suit?” “Mom, did you wash my football shorts?”

Ahhhh, another relaxing summer in Riverside. Jacob is 15, Hannah, 10 going on 14 & Sydney 8 ½. What adventure awaits this summer? Will they return to La Quinta, head for Sea World or try Yosemite? As Kristin & her husband Mike regroup and plan another exciting summer for the family…which questions from the children will actually get answered???

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day. Sydney woke up and was so excited to give Daddy(Mike) his Father's Day present she made at school before they got out. On the way to church, Mike tells me that she made him some coupons. There were a couple that had "expired" already!

Take a good look at the "Yard Work" and "Clean the house". (Smarty Pants)

This is one of the funniest Father's Day gifts Mike has recieved.

Tuesday Musings #8

Who was the last person you prank called? What did you say?

This is me NOT doing a prank call! I tried like most of you to remember the last one I did but I can't think of it I must have been in Junior high(now called middle school).

I do remember a few times when I was younger and they were the usual:

Me: "Is your refrigerator running?" Prank call victim: "yes" Me : "Well you better go catch it!"

Me: "Hi, Is Mary there?" PCV: " No there's no Mary here" Me:"OK thanks" (then I hang up and call again) Me: Hi, Is Mary there? PCV: "No, you have the wrong number" Me: "Oh Sorry" (then I call again) Me: "Hi, Is Mary there?" PCV: "No What number are you trying to call?" Me: "555-0000"(whatever # was closest to the one I was dialing) PCV: "Well this isn't that number" Me: "Ok, I guess I'll try again" (then I call one last time waiting about 2-3 minutes this time) Me: "Hi, This is Mary. Have there been any calls for me?" (wait for a response while dying laughing)

I do know that today I prank called Amy while at work and changing a dirty diaper inside the house while my cell phone was outside, supposedly on the table! I didn't know til Amy called and said she missed my call and I said "Oh I haven't called you today but maybe I called you for something yesterday". She said "well, it says you called 10 minutes ago". OH that explains why my cell phone battery cover was off on the table and the phone turned upside down! (one of the kids had prank called AMY! Ha ha ha

Response to my Tuesday Musings #2

The letter below is the response to my Hot Dog Bun letter. I sent it to the wrong place but its ok, I will resend it! I got 2 coupons out of it so far ($1 off van de camp seafood item & .35 cents off a duncan hines product). We'll see what happens when it really gets to where its supposed to go! Have a great weekend-