Rightbrained Kitebrained

Love Is In the Air

2012-02-15T11:37:00.003-05:00

We had a lovely Valentine's Day feast last night. Cafe Rio was on the menu and for desert, we had chocolate covered strawberries and luscious chocolate cake. Kaykaroo and I both got flowers from Mr. Incredible. This picture is from the day after. Don't the red valentines look nice against the snow?

The Cat Protection Agency Moves In

2012-02-05T20:17:00.004-05:00

Before Kaykaroo went to school the other day, she left this note for me. (For the record, we don't actually have cats. At least not ones that aren't stuffed with fluff.) That being said, the ones that are stuffed with fluff apparently need a greater portion of care at home while Kaykaroo is gone all day.

Crepes for Us!

2012-02-04T09:21:00.004-05:00

Mr. Incredible surprised us with crepes this morning. DIVINE. I'm very much afraid that I gorged myself on them. Wow. I had no idea Mr. Incredible had so much talent. Although, I shouldn't be surprised. I mean with a name like Incredible. . .

Kaykaroo Cooks

2012-02-03T11:53:00.009-05:00

For Christmas, our dear neighbors across the street got Kaykaroo a chef's kit. It included the hat, the apron and a cookbook. They also purchased pint sized kitchen utensils. She loved, loved, LOVED it.

She's done a few muffin mixes before, but this was her first attempt at making anything from scratch.

Crazy Demin Quilt

2012-01-31T17:26:00.012-05:00

It's not finished. I actually ran out of jeans so I'm waiting for the last bit of material to come my way. But I had a request for an early unveiling. So..., here is one of the latest projects that I've been working on; MY DENIM QUILT, made completely from old jeans.

Yes, oh, yes. With the economy in a slump, why not look for ways to recycle what you already have to make something you don't yet have? Or, better said,
"Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without."

I had a lot of fun doing this quilt, mainly because it was "crazy". In other words, I could make up the rules as I went. My favorite part is the middle square -- the place where things are at their most zany.

The following pictures are more for details in case anyone wanted a closer look.

I threw in a little red stitching to give it some pizazz.

It's a good, heavy quilt and if I ever get it finished, it will be super warm. Perfect for camping or cold winter nights.

And, if one is camping and wanted to keep track of one's phone, there are several pockets available throughout the quilt for convenience.

Dusting off the Old Camera

2012-01-28T20:22:00.010-05:00

As some of my friends know, I burned out in a major way with photography. Mostly, I think I suffered from a severe case of frustration over lack of talent. Anyway, I think I may be showing signs of recovering because when I went to Idaho, I felt the old spark stirring once again. I pulled out my camera and took a few personal pictures, just for me.

This place really spoke to me because it is so similar to the place I grew up. I also feel a strong connection to my Grandpa W in these pictures. He painted landscapes of mountains, fields and houses. I think I'm drawn, like he was, to the sparseness surrounding the subjects of our pictures.

That's one thing I don't like about Michigan, where we live now: lack of "sparseness".

After landscapes, I went to my old love of close-ups. I can't get enough of detail shots.

Cleaning

2012-01-28T19:38:00.004-05:00

Kaykaroo is now officially the caretaker of her own bathroom. It is her job to clean it every Saturday morning. She is a willing worker, but she does not appreciate having her picture taken in her work clothes.

"Don't take my picture!!"

An Old Fashioned Christmas

2012-01-28T19:00:00.023-05:00

We spent Christmas 2011 far from home this year. But before we left, we managed to bake some treats;
Here is my first attempt EVER at divinity. Okay, so I need practice. I'll try again next year. Maybe.

After that, we hit the road. It was a loooooooong two days of driving.

But, at last we made it to Grandmother's House. This year, Grandma's house was in a tiny little town in Idaho. Grandma and Grandpa have moved to a darling cabin in Southern Idaho. This is the view of the house from behind. The swing set got plenty of use, despite the deep snow.

Grandpa purchased Grandma a "wild grown" tree. It was vibrantly green and smelled wonderful! Grandma let Kaykaroo and I help make a paper chain to decorate the tree.

Mr. Incredible go the job of hanging the chain on the tree.

The weather was gorgeous! Not to mention perfect for Christmas. Lots and lots of snow but bright, blue, clear skies.

Mr. Incredible was called upon more than once to do Christmas Tree duty. Here he is with Grandma, fixing lights on the trees in the front yard.

I must say, Mr. Incredible excels at Christmas Decor.

Another highlight of the Holiday was a reunion between Mr. Incredible and the Dually.

Anyone blood related to Mr. Incredible can understand this sentimental moment.

Idaho was beautiful!!!

Christmas morning!

Kaykaroo got a new bathrobe and nightgown for Christmas as well as a new cradle that her dad made for her doll.

From Idaho, the day after Christmas, we traveled south to Utah. Here is Kaykaroo with Uncle TrackStar.'s new dog.

And after so long a drought of decent chain Mexican Food, stopping at Cafe Rio was an absolute must!

It was great to be with cousins. Good times!

And Kaykaroo got a kick out of seeing 3 of her newest and littlest cousins. She even got to hold one or two of them.

The trip home was thankfully uneventful. We did drive through a windstorm, however. It was really, really windy.

Here Comes Christmas 2011

2011-12-12T21:01:00.007-05:00

I think it's officially a tradition; I've been doing a gingerbread house every year since we got married in ten years ago. It doesn't have to be pretty to be a tradition, does it?

It was Kaykaroo's idea to do a Christmas tree on the roof of the house. I admit, we argued a little about how we should fill in the snowy yard, but all's well that ends well.

We picked up a Fraser Pine tree from Lowes this year.

Our little itty bitty star.

Kaykaroo's new Christmas Dress.

My little Christmas Angel.

Fruit Pizza -- YUMMY!

2011-12-12T20:59:00.002-05:00

Mr. Incredible (they don't call him that for nothing) made us a lovely fruit pizza for breakfast the other day. It was every bit as good as it looks in the pictures and then some. Oh so yummy!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-12T20:53:00.008-05:00

It was a quiet but lovely Thanksgiving dinner. Everything turned out delicious. Even the rolls turned out this year. We are enjoying the newest addition in furniture to our house; "The Hutch". It really fills in the blank space along that wall. I can't even imagine our dining room without it anymore. Some people in the ward gave it to us and I love it. So does Kaykaroo. She told everyone about it, including her teacher at school and her primary teacher. I think she even told the crossing guard about it.

Halloween

2011-12-12T20:48:00.004-05:00

Kiddo was a ballerina this year. She was pretty mad that she had to wear her coat over her costume. We let her take off the coat for the picture but insisted that she still wear the sweater because it was COLD that night.

Here's our cutie picking out a pumpkin for Halloween

Better Late Than Never

2011-12-12T20:46:00.002-05:00

This is us last Easter at the ward Easter party. Yes, I realize that I'm posting this in December.

Kaykaroo, if you look close, is wearing a little bunny on her sweater. Some ladies in the ward knitted one for all the women and girls in the ward and made them into pins. Kaykaroo nabbed the pink one before anyone else could get it.

11-11-11-11

2011-11-12T18:04:00.004-05:00

So for Mr. Incredible and myself, November eleventh of 2011 had romantic significance. It was the Eleventh anniversary of our first date. He came home early from work with flowers for me and then we went to a movie to celebrate. So these are my 11-11-11-11 flowers for all to admire.

My Cool New Desk

2011-11-10T21:21:00.011-05:00

So Mr. Incredible made me a desk. It's so beautiful. I'm in love with it. It's one of the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me.

Look closely at the front drawer. Is that not the sweetest thing in the world? Sure, I'm risking the world knowing our alter egos, but I just had to show it off.

I did play a key part in the outcome of this desk. I stained it English Chestnut. It was fun.

And Lo, the finished product. As I said before, I am in love with it. A beautiful piece of furniture just makes you happy and warm all over. And if someone made it just for you and then marked it with his love, well, I guess it doesn't get better than that.

Lucky Number Six

2011-10-30T19:07:00.006-04:00

Kaykaroo requested a princess cake. The idea of me trying to decorate a princess cake was a little daunting. (I'm the one that can barely spread frosting over a flat cake. Candles and candy are my usual finishing touches.) But I managed better than I thought I could. Kaykaroo liked it anyway, and that was all I wanted in the end.

Aunt Awesome helped decorate for the party. She generously rubbed balloons on her head so that they'd stick to the wall.

Kaykaroo got a Rapunzel doll for her birthday. She also got a new dress from Aunt Awesome, only it still needed a little work, so it flew back to Vegas this morning along with Aunt Awesome. We'll get it in the mail when it's completed. Can't wait to see it on Kaykaroo!

Aunt Awesome Comes to Town

2011-10-30T18:25:00.011-04:00

This last week, Aunt Awesome came to town to hang out with us. We took her to Frankenmuth,the Bavarian town here in Michigan that every tourist has to visit. It was cold and wet which is the perfect excuse to eat too much fudge. We also sampled items from the bakery -- my first experience with a butterhorn stuffed with sugar-cream and nuts was quite enjoyable.

We also stopped at Bronners, the biggest Christmas store in America, (maybe the world). We like to avoid this place during the busy season because frankly, there just isn't enough air in that building when it's stuffed full of people.

We also took Kaykaroo bowling for the first time. She did pretty good, even if her form was a bit rough.

Visit from Grandparents

2011-10-30T18:04:00.005-04:00

We had another wonderful visit with Grandpa and Grandma. They helped us rake leaves, explore downtown Lansing, and eat lots of really good food. And once in a while, they got to relax a little too.

Then Mr. Incredible surprised us gals with new stockings! It was REALLY cold while they were out.

Sunbeams in my neighborhood

2011-10-07T10:21:00.009-04:00

The sun was streaming down through the fall leaves this morning so I just had to get a shot.

Michigan is gorgeous in the autumn.

Right now, the high temps during the day are high seventies and at night, it drops down into the low fifties. I call that perfection.

The Finished Product

2011-09-27T19:52:00.005-04:00

Mr. Incredible finished Kaykaroo's shelves for her closet. The poor kid was still using the cubbies from her baby changing station to store her clothes in.

After searching for a dresser that would be the right color and the right size (and never being successful) we opted to build shelves.

It's a very sturdy piece of furniture. I should know; I helped carry it up the stairs. (Heavy!) But these shelves should last a lifetime.

I'm so proud of my hubby!

Smoring and Shelves

2011-09-17T20:38:00.010-04:00

Mr. Incredible worked on making new shelves for Kaykaroo's room today. He's really on a roll with home improvement. (YOU ROCK, BABY!)

Later that night, we made s'mores. Kaykaroo called it Smoring. Either way, it was great sitting out on a cool evening watching the sky grow dark, singing songs and just talking. We love being a family!!!!

Ooh, I just love Peach Pie

2011-09-11T22:58:00.002-04:00

I don't make many pies a year, but once in a while i get in a wild and crazy pie mood. Not that we were able to eat this all ourselves. Sad to say we had to throw a good portion away. But are we really to blame? I think not. I think we can blame all the family members who never visit us and leave us and our pies to our helpless selves.

New Addition to our Patio

2011-09-11T17:48:00.006-04:00

Mr. Incredible and Kaykaroo got busy one day making our home more beautiful. Mr. Hotstuff got it in his mind finish off a rough spot in our yard with a beautiful addition to our porch. It was a hard job, making all the trips to the home improvement store, lugging bags of sand and loads of bricks to the backyard. But they got the job done and it looks beautiful. I'm so proud of my versatile hubby. He rocks my world.

First Day of First Grade

2011-09-11T17:39:00.004-04:00

We had a variety of emotions on the first day of First Grade.

Mostly, she was excited.

I was just relieved that she didn't insist on wearing the pink pants with the pink shoes and the pink sweater and the pink plaid shirt.

We got there way to early because I always hate fighting for a parking spot, which they are painfully lacking at her school. That's when the suspense began to get to her; after sitting in the car for ten minutes, she began to cry, saying that she didn't want to go to school and that her tummy hurt and that she was going to miss me. That's when I figured it was time to get out of the car. As soon as her feet hit the pavement, she was fine. We found where the first graders were lining up and she found a friend from last year. From that point on, she didn't need me anymore. I lingered for a few minutes, telling myself that I just wanted to make sure she was okay, but then it hit me that the only reason I was sticking around was for myself. I wasn't ready go let her go. So I went back to the car, feeling that wrench that always comes on days like these.

Biking

2011-08-28T21:07:00.006-04:00

Thursday, we took Kaykaroo to Kensington Park and biked the path around the lake. Originally, we thought we'd just go a mile or two, to see how Kaykaroo would handle the distance, but she was going strong so we just kept going. We ended up going the entire eight miles around the lake. Along the way, we stopped at some of the "fit stations" as well as one of the many playgrounds. Next time, we'll bring a picnic lunch and splash around in the lake.

Kensington Park is one of the awesome perks about living in Michigan.

Hooray for Apples!

2011-08-27T12:39:00.008-04:00

First day of apple picking and we were so there. Unfortunately, all that was available were Paula Red Apples. Not our first choice, but we weren't about to go home without apples, so we got on the tractor and picked us some apples.

Of course, eating the apples is half the fun. It's included in the cover price, and the experience is not complete without tasting a fresh apple picked right off the tree.

But the apex of the whole experience, as anyone knows, is the donuts that they sell to you afterwards along with the apple cider. Totally expensive, but totally worth it. We wait all year long to taste these donuts. So yummy!

New Soccer Ball

2011-08-15T19:36:00.005-04:00

So is it possible for us to buy a new soccer ball for Kaykaroo that isn't pink? The answer is no.

Hydrangeas make me Happy

2011-08-15T19:31:00.006-04:00

I love, love flowers. This year, my hyndrageas made their comeback after i nearly killed them by planting them too early last spring. I've put them on my table for the past few weeks. The pink is quite gorgeous but I also have blue, which I love even more.

First Tooth

2011-08-14T20:47:00.006-04:00

Kaykarro lost her first tooth this last week. I seriously nearly cried. I remember when that thing first showed up in her toothless mouth. She was eating her cereal in the morning when suddenly she realized that her tooth was missing. She ran upstairs to tell us that her tooth had fallen out. We asked her where it was and she said she didn't know. A few seconds later, she found it in her mouth. (So glad she didn't swallow it.) After much consideration, she decided she was not going to put the tooth under her pillow but rather keep it for herself. She figures that she has plenty more teeth for the toothfairy and besides that, she feels she already has enough money. Still, I've been trying to keep an eye on that tooth just in case she changed her mind without telling me.

Camping and Festivals

2011-07-16T17:02:00.016-04:00

This weekend, we went to the Ward Family Camp Out. It was a lot of fun. We played games, we ate food, we slept in a tent. . . that's what summer is all about, right?

Mr. Incredible and Kaykaroo got a little ball practice in while we were there.

Here is Kaykaroo and Sweet Little M.

After we got home, we cleaned up a little and then hurried to the Founder's Festival and got busy helping the ward with our "Discover Who You Are" booth, focusing on family history. Of course, we had to eat while we were there. Hotdogs for Kaykaroo and me, but pulled pork for Mr. Incredible.

Thank Heavens for shade. Can I just say that again? THANK HEAVENS FOR SHADE!

Kaykaroo decided that we weren't being proactive enough, so she took some flyers and started calling out, "Family History! Family History!"

And of course, because she was cute, people stopped and took a flyer.

For working so hard, Kaykaroo got a justly deserved cold treat before we trudged back to the car.

Any Interior Designers Out There?

2011-07-04T13:56:00.007-04:00

Here is my living/dining room. I'm not crazy about the curtains. Also, the corner up here by the window, the one with the two frames and the lamp on the table, well, that drives me crazy, especially viewed from the entry way (see next picture). It's this big white space. The whole wall needs something.

Now, as for the dining room, I need to do something different with
that as well. It looks like we have wall paper in there, but it's actually just stripes painted on the wall. There is a big crack right where the dinning room ends and the living room begins which Mr. Incredible is going to have to patch. Once he patches it, the paint will be ruined in that spot. ANY IDEAS for what I can do? I'm clueless at stuff like this.

Note the 'Big White Void' on the sofa side of the room.

Ah, Oregon. Why are you so far away?

2011-06-22T21:10:00.025-04:00

We had a FABULOUS time in Oregon. We stayed ten full days, but it felt a lot more like thirty seconds.

It was Kaykaroo's first time on a plane since she was an infant. When we told the airplane staff this, they lost no time ushering her into the pilot's cabin where she got the full tour.

Majestic Mount Hood, as seen from the airplane window.

I can deal with wet. Kaykaroo? Not so much.

My hubby. (You're so cute, babe.)

Yes, this is heaven.

We didn't spend all our time bumming around the beach. We took Kaykaroo to the Newport Aquarium where she got close to the local wild life.

And closer.

And then maybe a little too close.

So happy together.

Ten summers ago, we posed for pictures at this exact spot on our Honeymoon.

Newport Bridge is still as beautiful today as it was a decade ago.

Only, our third wheel didn't seem to be so impressed with it as we were.

We left the coast to head inland to Central Oregon where we had some very quiet, peaceful days at Grandpa and Grandmas. We caught a sight of this visitor one morning as he was helping himself to Grandma's bushes. He left shortly after this shot, seemingly offended that we took his picture without permission.

You can't go to Bend, Oregon without hiking the Butte. (Pilot Butte, to be technical.)

And if you hike the Butte, you can expect to hike down it again. Okay, so it's more of a walk, but for Kaykaroo, it was definite hike. She is now firmly anti-mountain, anti-hill.

One of our last stops was Buckingham Elementary, Mr. Incredible's old stomping grounds. Good times.

Cooling Down

2011-06-01T15:15:00.014-04:00

After being stuck in the sixties and seventies, the weather suddenly took a jump to the nineties. Kaykaroo lost no time in enjoying her favorite summer activity.

Riding without Training Wheels

2011-04-16T20:16:00.005-04:00

Saturday Mr. Incredible took off the training wheels from Kaykaroo's bike. I thought this would be the beginning of a long tutorial which could potentially stretch over a period of weeks. Instead, I was very surprised and extremely proud when Kaykaroo took to riding her bike like a fish to water. By the end of the day, she was even popping wheelies, or at least making valiant attempts.

2011-04-08T18:51:00.010-04:00

We had an awesome Thursday with Mr. Incredible's brother, Frozone (AKA Mr. Technical Support). He could only hang out with us for a night and a day, but every minute was fun. Kaykaroo adored her uncle and was heartbro ken when he left. We took him to the Ren Cen, the typical tourist spot we bring all our guests. We went up to the seventy-second floor in the glass elevator whi
ch we've done enough times that it no longer makes me queasy. At the top of the building, you can see a 360 view of Detroit from the restaurant on that floor. And, as you can see from the size of the chairs, the restaurant can accommodate even the largest of guests. Afterwards, we went out to the river walk where Kaykaroo convinced her uncle to hide from us with her. If you watch the video, you can see that Mr. Incredible used his superhero abilities to locate them.

Kaykaroo and Gilbert

2011-04-08T18:45:00.004-04:00

While not action packed, this little snippet does show Kaykeroo and how she's grown, as well as how she sounds now. She and I had a great time at the farm at Kensington Park. We were almost the only people there because it was pouring rain outside. Kaykaroo named the pig Gilbert, after Charlotte's Web. If you're saying to yourself -- Wait, there was no Gilbert in Charlotte's Web -- well, you'd be right. But Kaykaroo can never remember that the pig's name was Wilbur, so there you go.

bonnet

2011-03-10T19:03:00.005-05:00

We have a trek coming up in June,(I'm not going but my YW are) so I thought I'd investigate how to make a bonnet. I found a blog site with a pattern I liked. If anyone gets anxious to make their own pioneer bonnet, I'd suggest you look at this site. http://howtodresslikeapioneer.blogspot.com/2010/01/bonnet-tutorial.html

My model is a bit small for the hat, but she's better looking than I am.

Working Girl

2011-02-25T20:56:00.002-05:00

See Kaykaroo in her first paid modeling gig. She got exactly one dollar for a solid morning's work. What's more, she did it with a fever of 100 + degrees.

http://www.kidbudget.com/

Snow

2011-02-05T18:56:00.003-05:00

The thing about living in Michigan is that it snows. And then it forgets to melt.

Pajama Blanket

2011-01-29T11:41:00.005-05:00

I was going through Kaykaroo's old clothes, most of which we still have (Five Years worth) and I was determined to get rid of half of it. In the end, I couldn't. Maybe when she's ten. Anyway, I started looking at all her winter pajama's which she'd had since she was a newborn and I thought if I can't get rid of these things, maybe I can still make use of them. So I got out my rotary cutter and started cutting.

There are ten sets of pajamas which were used to make this little quilt. I could have made it bigger, but I got tired of cutting. I kept some of the little emblems and pictures too and appliqued those on in random spots. Now we have a soft, cuddly blanket just the right size to travel with. Wherever we go, Kaykaroo can feel right at home with it because there's nothing more comforting than a favorite pair of pajamas. And if you happen to have ten pair, why, all the better.

Gingerbread house 2010

2010-12-27T20:44:00.006-05:00

We waited until the last possible day to do this; Christmas Eve. But we had a good time. This year, Kaykaroo did her very own house and she did a great job. We listened to Christmas music and ate way too much candy while we worked. Each year, we glue a picture of the family (using frosting as glue) inside the house so that if you look through the doorway or the window, you can see us all.

On a slow, dull, Monday evening. . .

2010-12-27T19:40:00.004-05:00

This is the costume that Kaykaroo made this evening. I think, if I recall correctly, she is a superhero wizard. I'm not sure, however, if she is a good wizard or a bad wizard. Watch the video and you decide.

Finding the Christmas Tree for 2010

2010-12-12T20:17:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, we took a drive to a Christmas Tree Farm. We got to ride on a wagon hauled by an old Ford tractor. Then they dropped us off and we started wandering. And wandering. And wandering. . .

Does it look cold? Because it was.

Kaykaroo started off fresh, as you can see, but it wasn't long before she was asking to be carried.

At long last, we came upon a tree. There was no sunbeam marking this "The Tree", no heavenly angels singing "ahhhh", but by this time, we were getting tired, so when we saw it, we said, Sure. Why not?

Mr. Incredible let Kaykaroo help with the sawing. Together, they had that baby down in under thirty seconds.

By now, we were in need of refreshment, so we went to the Warming Barn and got some hot dogs and cocoa. This is the 'before' picture of the cocoa-- that is to say, the picture of it before it spilled all over the table. But the lady selling the food was really nice. She gave us a bundle of paper towels and a free refill.

Here's my handsome man, eating his hot dog, complete with jalapanos. Yeah. That will warm you up quick.

Then, home at last, we decorated the tree that very afternoon.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-10T20:29:00.005-05:00

These pictures were taken by my fabulous sister-in-law, Wonder Woman. She and her husband, Neo and their two beautiful daughters came to visit us here in Detroit for Thanksgiving. We had the best time! Only now we miss them like crazy!

Man, am I really that short?

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:40:00.003-04:00

Kaykaroo was a musketeer from Barbie and the Three Musketeers (a movie). Yes, I too am no big fan of barbie, but the movies are clean and are a lot less scarier than most Disney flicks, so I'm okay with it. And since Kaykaroo didn't insist on carrying the sword, most people just thought she was sleeping beauty, which was the original plan for the last nine or ten months anyway.

Hilarious

2010-10-30T10:23:00.002-04:00

We really love Autumn at our house. Raking all our leaves is hard work, but so fun!

One Fine Fall Day

2010-10-30T10:05:00.011-04:00

When the grandparents came, we took them to the Farmer's Market.

The place was decorated with a scarecrow contest entries. Frankenstein was my favorite.

Dad bought us some delicious raspberries. There were seriously yummy.

Mom let Kaykaroo pick out two tiny pumpkins for her own.

It was hard to choose.

After we got home, Dad and Mom grabbed some rakes and went to work. Kaykaroo only waited until the piles were big enough before demolishing all the good my parents had done.

Mom looks pretty good in my jacket.

100th Post

2010-10-30T10:02:00.003-04:00

Wow. 100 posts. Shouldn't I get some kind of certificate or reward or something? Seems like it.

Well, here's to One Hundred more posts.

Family History

2010-10-27T20:50:00.008-04:00

This October, my parents came to visit our family. While they were here, I took them out east to the Grand Rapids area where my father's ancestors once lived. We drove for three hours to get there, and then we had to drive up and down lonely country roads to finally find the two cemeteries we were looking for. It was really cool to be that close to people who had lived so long ago, and yet are still connected with us. Kaykaroo surprised me with how good she did. She loved the whole experience (except for the three hours of driving both ways.) It turned out to be a blessing that we had brought her -- I was tempted to let her go to school that day instead. But since she came, we had brought crayons and paper to keep her occupied. It was the crayons that proved most valuable. Some of the tomb stones were totally illegible. The only way we could see what was written on them was to do a crayon rubbing on paper over the stone. The names and date then appeared like magic.

I'm definitely going back sometime to look for more cemeteries. We found at least two graves of people we'd never heard of - Rose and "Little Willie". We figured out that Rose was a niece, even though her grave stone said 'adopted daughter' but Willie remains a mystery. So far, there is zero information about him. But somewhere out there, the answer is waiting to be found.

Birthday Time

2010-10-27T20:28:00.007-04:00

Here is Kaykaroo, running in the room to see her presents and birthday dinner.

Here she is, standing beside her cake and flowers. In the princess gift bag is a package of animal cookies.

Her Cake.

Deep Breath. . .

And after only three or four tries, she blows out the candles!
(Don't worry -- she already got her wish. That would be the princess phone in her hand.)

Never Make The Bed Again

2010-10-03T19:57:00.002-04:00

Kaykaroo's solution to avoid making her bed; just sleep on top of the blanket at night.

Lake Michigan

2010-09-29T19:19:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we hopped in the car and went camping. We threw in the tent, some sleeping bags and some extra clothes. The only edible thing we took were marshmallows and granola bars. The last time we did anything this spontaneous was when we up and went to California to buy the Grand Am from Mr. Incredible's brother J.

We drove across Michigan to Muskegon, a town that sits right on the shores of Lake Michigan. I saw Lake Michigan for the first time this summer in August when the Young Women took a little trip to visit our Bishop's cottage. I was amazed at how much the lake looked like the ocean, only somehow more tame and less rugged. Part of it was the absence of the cliffs I'm used to seeing. And again, part of it was the absence of the sharp smell of salt water. But maybe it was just the absence of tsunami hazard zone signs that really made the difference.

We love Apples

2010-09-11T14:16:00.004-04:00

Okay. Summer's over and life is getting back to normal. Today we went to Erwin's Apple Orchard. Yes, we were crazy to go on a Saturday, but what can you do? Even though it was packed, we still had a blast. The wagon ride is always fun, and picking your own apples is fun. But in the end, the real reason we go is is for the donuts. Oh, those yummy, yummy donuts!

Here is a picture of my hot, hot husband.

Here is a picture of my darling, darling daughter.

James

2010-08-04T19:38:00.010-04:00

The first child in my family that I ever took a professional picture of was my nephew James. He was born only months after I began my sojourn as a portrait photographer. Since then, I've been able to watch him grow up on printed photographs. In some ways, he's very different than that adorable red haired baby boy so many years ago. But even back before he was one year old, there was just a hint of mischievousness in his smile. I am happy to say that it was still there when I took his picture again this summer. Also still present were his perfect freckles. And best of all, his eyes still turn to half-moons when he really smiles.

2010-07-25T21:11:00.012-04:00

I know. I know.
It's been forever since I've blogged. But sometimes life suddenly takes a turn and you're all -- Hmm, I think I'll pursue different interests for a few months, or maybe even a few years. You know how it is. Suddenly everything that used to interest you is now so yesterday. (oh, and by the way, Kaykaroo took this picture of my mom and me.)

But the truth is, blogging is a good way to preserve history and memories, and so I'm going to make an effort to back track and record some of the things we've been up to.

This last June, my mom came out for a visit. It was a short visit, but we tried to make the best of our time.

We went to some local gardens. My mom purchased Kaykaroo a notebook and encouraged her to draw the flowers we saw. Kaykaroo in turn thought this was a great idea.

We also went to Greenfield Village, which according to my mom, is better than Disney Land.

Here we have mom and Kaykaroo in a hat dresser's shop, sporting the latest styles of yesteryear.

When in Rome, do as the natives do. When in Greenfield Village, try out the stilts.

And of course the highlight of the day for Kaykaroo was riding the carousel.

Gardening

2010-06-05T18:58:00.015-04:00

We've been busy working in the yard;
planting,
transplanting,
trimming,
whacking,
pulling
. . . Here are a few of our results.

Cabbages from Outer Space

2010-06-05T18:52:00.007-04:00

So we planted cabbages this spring. We hadn't planned on it, but our good neighbors, seeing that we had made a planter box, brought us over cabbages to plant. So we planted cabbages. Little did we know. Our cabbages are GIGANTIC. We call them alien cabbages because they are taking over the garden. The most interesting part of this whole story is that we eat cabbage four times a year. Sometimes less.

My Garden Box

2010-06-04T11:38:00.001-04:00

Here is my amazing husband and the planter box he built for me. I'm a little late with this post. This picture was taken back in April. Needless to say, the box looks vastly different now.

More to come. . .

Daisies

2010-05-15T20:47:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to do new portraits of Kaykaroo forever (or so it seems). As usual, it just happened one afternoon when I said, Okay Kaykaroo, go get your dress on and lets take some pictures. The flowers she is holding are the ones she (with the help of Mr. Incredible) picked out for me for Mother's Day. Kaykaroo did a fabulous job and in return, I let her pick out some pink daisies to keep in a vase in her own room. (I'm not above bribery when it comes to pictures. There was a granola bar in the deal as well.)

Moving On

2010-05-12T20:49:00.005-04:00

Today Kaykaroo "moved on". They had a little ceremony and a party afterward. All the kids sang songs for the parents and then they showed a dvd of pictures of the kids throughout the year.

I don't know what came over me but I was really sad it was all over. Kayaroo has had such a wonderful experience at her preschool that it really feels like a loss to lose this experience.

We will miss her friends, her teachers and all the wonderful activities that Kaykaroo got to participate in throughout the year.

Kaykaroo, with the help of her teacher, filled out a little questionnaire about her mother. The answers cracked me up. I have to share. I put Kaykaroo's answers in parentheses.

My mom is _______ years old. (14)
My mom is _______ tall (40 inches) and weighs ____ pounds. (13 or 40)
My mom really loves _________. (*Kroger)
My mom always says ________. ("Clean up your room")

*Kroger is the grocery market we go to every week.

Happy Birthday Mr. Incredible, 2010!

2010-05-07T08:20:00.010-04:00

Thursday we celebrated one of the best days of the year -- MR. INCREDIBLE'S BIRTHDAY!!!
We started the party with a lasagna dinner, complete with Root Beer (Although, sad to say, they don't sell Henry Wienhard's Root Beer out here. We had to settle for Stewarts, a second-rate fill-in, but what can you do?)

Afterward, we had Mr. Incredible's favorite birthday treat -- brownies topped with heath bar bits, topped with chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream.

So good.

And as the festivities wound down, Kaykaroo discovered that when you eat a smiley face sucker, the smile sticks to your tongue. That's our girl.

Kite Flying

2010-04-27T21:15:00.004-04:00

It was freezing out here on the day we went to fly Kaykaroo's new princess kite. Mr. Incredible gave Kaykaroo his jacket to wear, just in case you were wondering what in the world she was wearing.
Daniel got this beautiful shot of the sky. In fact, he took all these pictures.

Rock Star

2010-04-09T19:51:00.002-04:00

We couldn't pass up this green screen opportunity for Kaykaroo to be in a music video. She had no trouble performing in front of complete strangers.

Michigan in April

2010-04-09T18:09:00.023-04:00

This week for Spring Break we got a rare treat. CD-the-Great came to visit us. It was cold and wet, but that didn't stop us from having fun! CD-the-Great flew all the way from Utah just to visit us in Michigan. And while April isn't the ideal time to vacation in Michigan, one can still find things to do, providing one dresses in layers and carries umbrellas.
Frankenmuth, Michigan's Little Bavaria, is fun anytime of the year. Especially if you like Fudge. Which we do.
CD-the-Great pointed out that the statues on top of this building are green for the same reason the Statue of Liberty is green. Apparently, when copper is exposed to the air for long periods of time and without anyone handling it, it turns blue-green. (Did I mention that CD-the-Great is a school teacher?)

Downtown Detroit is a must, even if it is FREEZING. Here we are beside the Detroit River, standing beside the RenCen with Canada on the right of the river.

CD-the-Great got to sit in BumbleBee, the yellow Camero from Transformers in GM World. So Cool.

Kaykaroo is looking suave in front of the Renaissance Building, the world head quarters for General Motors.

A good rainy activity is to visit Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
We had to stop at the Detroit Temple, of course.

Here is Kaykaroo, who because of her paternal DNA, has no fear of driving massive machinery.

Hey, you don't need a driver's license to look good behind the wheel of a car.
You can't come to Detroit without seeing one of the original Wienermobiles at the Henry Ford Museum.
And of course, here we have the Human Hot Dog. Not coincidentally, we had hot dogs for lunch that day. Not the human kind.

Easter Eggs

2010-04-09T17:55:00.003-04:00

Even though it was raining and I offered Kaykaroo the choice of searching for eggs inside the house, Kaykaroo was insistent that we do it outside. She remembered that last year she hunted for eggs outside so this year had to follow suit. Besides, she has a brand new umbrella that she was itching to use. It was the ideal opportunity to combine the fun of Easter Egg Hunting all while carrying a brand-new-first-time-umbrella. Of course, it is legit to give the umbrella to mom to hold if you end up needing both hands to find eggs.
Hours later, Kaykaroo came to me in tears. It had just only occurred to her that she hadn't been wearing her Easter Dress to find the eggs. Her little heart was broken. The good news is that we got invited to dinner the next day at a friend's house at which Kaykaroo just happened to be wearing her new dress. They surprised us with another egg hunt. Sometimes, life really does work out the way you want it too.

Chalk Pictures

2010-03-31T16:57:00.007-04:00

It was a beautiful day today, so we were outside working and playing. Then Kaykaroo had the great idea to get out the chalk. Here are some of the results.

Goodbye Big Tree

2010-03-29T11:15:00.005-04:00

Our big tree is coming down right now, even as I type. It's always heart-wrenching to see a tree go down, but we decided it was the best thing in the end. It was dropping leaves summer and fall and gumming up the gutters and damaging the roof. I'll be sad to see it go, but I'm really hoping that we can plant something exceptional to replace it.

We're also taking down two of the pear trees in the backyard today. One--because we were planning on getting rid of them one day anyway, but two-- because they were in the way of this tree coming down. So our backyard is getting quite the face-lift today. I just hope the scarring isn't too bad.

Easter Dress

2010-03-28T18:30:00.007-04:00

This was the first dress that I've made since high-school. (And the ones I made in high-school were hideous.) So I approached this project with a bit of trepidation. Being a Right-brainer, I'm one of those people who prefer to do things without directions. This makes following a pattern hard for me. For example, when I get to step 13 and the words read like Greek to me, my first instinct is to skip to the step 14. I was laughing with my friend Evelyn the other day because we both found out we don't like to start projects -- her reason? She's she's afraid she'll make a mistake -- my reason? I know I'll make a mistake. The closer I got to be getting done the more nervous I became. I was certain the "big" mistake was looming. Well, long story short, I did make mistakes. Fortunately, they are mistakes that are hard to spot. So while it's not perfect, at least its a far cry from hideous. And besides, Kaykaroo thinks its the best dress I've ever made. (Fortunately, there are no existing pictures of the ghosts of dresses past.) But even more important, she also thinks it looks like a Sleeping Beauty dress. Score for the Right-Brainer!

Beautiful Hair Day

2010-03-26T16:59:00.002-04:00

There was something intriguing to me the way Kaykaroo's wild hair looked in the spring sunshine. After swimming lessons, it was a bit disheveled. I did comb it, but she's apparently inherited my scraggly hair. Nevertheless, there was something attractive about how it framed her face. I had to get out the camera.

Flowers in March

2010-03-25T16:36:00.004-04:00

Kaykaroo was browzing her most recent Friend Magazine (April) when she spotted these flowers. She asked if we could make them. I thought, why not? We cut out the cups from an egg carton and painted them. The project also called for tissue paper, but we didn't have any of that. Instead, I took the scraps from the paper of a new dress pattern and we painted these. When they were dry, we glued them inside the flowers. Our flowers didn't turn out as pretty as the ones in the magazine, but we were both pretty pleased with them. It was also a good rainy day project.

Frames

2010-03-18T14:28:00.004-04:00

For weeks now I've been wondering why I haven't done anything creative. Then, a few nights ago, I was talking to my mom about it, and then I realized why. I've not only started Kaykaroo in preschool, but I've also started a new exercise program. These two combined have kind of thrown a wrench into the normal schedule which allowed me time to create. Well, today was the first day in weeks where we neither went anywhere or had anyone come to our house. I put these frames together, first, just to make something, but second, to cover up some mean holes in the wall left over from the previous home owners.

I didn't actually make the frames themselves, but I painted them and added the flowers. Eventually, I'd like to learn to make my own frames. Let me rephrase that. Eventually I will make my own frames.

And the Winner Is. . .

2010-03-03T20:54:00.018-05:00

So we all went to the church tonight for our ward's first annual Mouse Trap Car Derby. Above, you will see Mr. Incredible's entry. For the record, I supplied the wheels. ANYWAY. The competition was stiff. I was most worried about the two engineers who I knew were plotting to win. One of them was even a champion mouse trap car racer in his home state.

Here's Kaykaroo with some of the other racer's children. As we got on our coats to head over to the church, she said, "Oh I hope my daddy wins!" She had been watching Mr. Incredible work on his racer for the past couple of days, and she knew that the stakes were high.

It begins.

Mr. Incredible takes the lead!

A rematch takes place. Mr. Incredible is the clear winner!!!!

And then, to make things doubly sweet, a final competition is held to decide which of the cars has the best design. All the cars are lined up, side by side. A secret vote is cast. Mr. Incredible wins!!!!

Watch the excitement right here!

And to celebrate, Kaykaroo dunks the b-ball.

Kaykaroo's First Fieldtrip

2010-03-01T21:44:00.018-05:00

Kaykaroo and I went to the Cranbrook Science Museum with her preschool today. She had an awesome time. We had a special presentation about dinosaurs which was followed by actual digging for bones. (Not dinosaur bones; cow bones. Still.) And of course, we thought about Grandpa Weiskoff when it came to the Rock Room.

As you look through the pictures, you might notice the rather odd hairstyle that Kaykaroo was sporting. It seemed like a good idea in the morning. It now would appear that she was attending a Star Trek Convention rather than an educational outing with her classmates. Poor kid. Oh well, you can't win them all.

But what really stood out to me today was the fact that Kakaroo looks totally different now. I literally didn't see it until I started taking pictures at the museum. I'm all -- When did this happen? Who is this kid? She's tall, lanky and her face is longer.

Note the heart shape opal in the picture above. It might have been one of the smaller rocks in the room, but it definitely caught her attention.

This last picture reminds of the movie 'Roman Holiday' and the Mouth of Truth. So classic.
The movie below is nothing exciting, but it does give our Western Relatives an idea of how much she is growing and changing. She doesn't look like the same kid she was two years ago, or even a year ago. Or even yesterday - sniff.

Logger Girl

2010-02-24T17:48:00.004-05:00

Kaykaroo helped her carry wood from our woodpile last week. It's the way she's wearing her cap all the way down to her eyes that cracks me up. She looks like a little Pink Alaskan Logger.

Afterwards, they had a friendly snowball fight, in which Mr. Incredible came out the clear winner. (Don't adjust your sound -- I shot it through the window so there's not much to hear.)

More Snow

2010-02-22T13:24:00.004-05:00

"Snow is falling all around, on the tree tops on the ground. . ."

That song is stuck in my brain now. I've shoveled twice today and it's only one in the afternoon. In a few hours, I'm going back out to do it again. Part of our circular drive way I haven't even touched. That's the steep side that we don't even try to use in the snow anyway. (Well, you can try, but you won't make it very far.)

In the video below, you see Kaykaroo climbing up Mount Neverbeenclimbed, trying to obtain the rare branches need to fortify her snow castle. She wasn't too successful. Funny, the deer don't seem to have any trouble breaking them off.

I Love Flowers!

2010-02-15T19:38:00.009-05:00

I haven't had time to photograph these in the proper manner, but I couldn't wait to show them off. They're from Mr. Incredible for my Valentine Gift. He loves me so much.

Everyone Loves Recess

2010-02-15T19:32:00.004-05:00

If you ask Kaykaroo, "What's your favorite part of school", she'll answer the same thing I did as a kid -- RECESS. Never mind the music, the snacks, the books, the crafts. . . It's all about the outdoor time.

This picture to the left is a good example of Kaykaroo's new "cheese" grin.

Getting Ready for School

2010-02-14T20:47:00.002-05:00

I couldn't resist posting this picture. It reflects my daughter so well. Yes, it was taken two years ago, but to me, she'll always be my little darling girl.

I'm feeling a little sentimental because this week it finally dawned on me that she won't always be my little girl keeping me company every day. On an intellectual level, I understood this, but emotionally, it was like cold water in my face. Kaykaroo started pre-school this week. Most people wondered why I've waited so long to start her, but the truth is, I just loved having her with me. When I realized that this fall, she could be gone from 9 to 4 every weekday, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. I felt like someone was trying to take her away from me. And then I realized that she isn't going to be my little baby girl for always. She's going to grow up. And there's nothing I can do to stop it.

If there was an emergency stop button on the wall, I'd be hitting it for all I was worth right now. You see, I thought I'd signed up to have a baby who I could keep for always. In the back of my mind I knew that someday she was going grow up. It just never occurred to me how fast someday would come.

New Tote Bag

2010-02-11T20:37:00.003-05:00

This is Kaykarro's new tote bag for school. In real life, it has a different name written across the front, but here in the virtual world, her alter-ego title will have to do. But I really liked how the hearts turned out so I thought I'd share.
(Oh, and I didn't make the bag itself -- just in case anyone out there thought I might be trying to be over-ambitious.)

The Queen

2010-02-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

All over our house, from the top floor to the basement, you will find pictures taped to the wall. This is one of my personal favorites.

Put Your Shoulder to the Shovel and Push Along

2010-02-10T18:49:00.004-05:00

I am suffering from what is commonly known in the medical world as Snow Shovel Shoulder. No, I'm okay, I just wanted to complain a little about all the shoveling we've been doing in the last 24 hours. But as Mr. Incredible pointed out today, last winter there were days when we'd shovel 3 or 4 times in a 24 hour period.

This has been our first major storm of the season so I had to do some grumbling. Here's our little Kaykaroo, bulked up with winter gear. She's still wearing last year's mittens which don't quite cut it. I'm hoping to find some gloves on sale, now that the stores are full of shorts and t-shirts again.

Happy Birthday Carrie!

2010-02-08T16:44:00.002-05:00

Since we're so far away, we wanted to send you a message you could still see and hear. Here goes!

"Powdered Blush"

2010-01-29T09:19:00.007-05:00

So do you remember in the movie, "Steel Magnolias" where Julia Robert's character wants the flowers at her wedding to be "blush" pink? And then after the church is covered with "blush" pink roses, her mother says "That sanctuary looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto-Bismol"?

That being said, we went to Home Depot, Kaykaroo and I, and we picked out a tasteful, light color of pink by the name of "powdered blush". And in truth, during the day, it's a delightful, airy color and very pleasant. However, once the sun goes down. . .Pepto-Bismol. So I'm hoping that once we get the furniture moved in, it won't remind me of the color of indigestion.

I'm also painting some of her furniture white, since I love the crisp contrast of white against a pastel color. I think I'm driving my husband crazy, however. He may be Mr. Incredible, but he's also a man who does things right. And he's a married to a woman who is working largely on Right Brain power. When I do a job, I want to barrel through and get it over with. I don't like to sit down and anticipate problems, nor do I like to clean up as I go. I'm all about -- get it started now, get it down soon, let the consequence follow. (I am not endorsing this philosophy. On the contrary, I'm trying to reform.) Still, old habits will prevail.

A new room for Kaykaroo

2010-01-29T09:05:00.003-05:00

Well, it's still the same room, but now it won't be decorated for a baby boy. So I tore down the wallpaper. . . and chipped and scraped. . . so that we could paint the room and start decorating the place in a more suitable color.

Anyone who knows Kaykaroo knows that her favorite color is pink. She told me the other day that she wished the whole world was pink. Never having been that big of a fan of pink myself, I couldn't agree. But I was willing to paint her room pink out of sheer devotion to her.

When I took this picture, most of her things had been moved out. She's now currently residing in my office, which she loves. That is until bedtime. Apparently there are monsters in my office. Strange, I've never noticed them before.

Playing in the snow

2010-01-01T15:16:00.007-05:00

Mr. Incredible and Kaykarro were busy yesterday making good use of the snow. I've been feeling under the weather so I showed up to document the occasion.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-27T17:37:00.003-05:00

Oh, Christmas Tree

2009-12-11T11:40:00.006-05:00

We got our Christmas Tree last week at Home Depot. We thought about going to a Christmas tree farm and cutting our own, but in the end, convenience won out. At the store, the tree seemed perfect. But when we got it home, a transformation seemed to have taken place because once inside, it seemed all misshapen. So Mr. Incredible did a little pruning and saved the day.
I decided on white lights this year, even though we've had colored lights for years now. Kaykaroo helped me decorate and now she's taken on the official job of turning on the lights in the morning. Also, if we leave to go anywhere during the day, she never forgets to unplug the lights. I love having a four year old.

Like Grandmother Like Grandaughter

2009-12-10T19:20:00.006-05:00

It always cracks me up when I hear Kaykaroo say something like, "Double Drat". I have no problem blaming my mother for this. We always did tease mom for all her odd sayings, but now I get it from my daughter too. If anything get's lost, Kaykaroo will simply shrug her shoulders and say in perfect mimicry, "It's a mystery."

Kaykaroo loves it when Grandma and Fampa come out to visit, but it's her with her grandma that she becomes attached at the hip. My mom was Kaykaroo's first visiter in the hospital, and it's also my mom that I think Kaykaroo most looks like. And if Grandma calls, she knows that she needs to set aside a good 15 or 20 minutes for Kaykaroo to prattle -- Grandma doesn't even need to say anything because Kaykaroo is perfectly content to do all the talking.

Oh, that kid

2009-12-06T13:22:00.003-05:00

I don't know how it all started, but as we were driving in the car yesterday, Mr. Incredible and I started teasing Kaykaroo that when she turned five, her skin would start to wrinkle and her hair would turn gray. We totally thought she knew we were teasing, but she thought we were serious and burst into tears. Poor thing.

Then the other day, Kaykaroo was in the bathroom when she noticed that I had cleaned up her toothpaste tube. "Oh-my-goodness!" She said with emphatic pauses between each word. "What an amazing mother I have." I'm still laughing about that one.

Today she gave a talk in Primary. Everyone was most impressed that she did it without any help. I missed it because I was teaching, but Mr. Incredible was there to see it. She told a story about how she lost her ring (which she brought and held up) then prayed to find it. After finding it, she said another prayer to tell Heavenly Father thank you.

If it aint pink. . .

2009-12-02T15:10:00.006-05:00

Kaykaroo finished her first three month session of gymnastics yesterday and in honor of the day, her coaches held an award assembly. Of the two classes, the first class got pink ribbons, the second class got purple. Guess which class Kaykaroo was in. Yeah. She got purple. And yes, there were tears. A lot of tears. "I'm going to be sad about this for the rest of my life." She told me weepingly in the car.

But fortunately for us, the day was not over yet. We went over to a friend's house who happened to have some extra shoes on hand to give away. Two pair even had sparkles on them. And while neither pair were pink, well, they had sparkles. Smiles were restored.

So all's well that ends well.

And, as Kaykaroo pointed out, the white shoes do have just a little bit of pink.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T10:57:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving was like everything this year--GREAT!! It was just the three of us, which was a first for us, but we still had a beautiful day. My favorite part? When Olivia said to me at the table: "Mom, your mash potatoes make my hips go boom-boom!" (Thank you Dancing with the Stars)

In the picture you see our table just before we sat down to eat. I was wearing the apron I made in Relief Society. It isn't beautiful, but very functional. Apparently my mom has stumbled onto a really pretty apron pattern -- I'm hoping that can be one of my next projects. Oh-- and the canister on the corner of the table? That was Olivia's contribution. Kind of wish we'd taken it off before the picture.

A lesson in drawing Crowns

2009-11-25T10:45:00.005-05:00

Today Kaykaroo and I sat down at the table for a lesson in drawing crowns. She was the teacher and I was the student. "First you draw a head," she said to me. "You can do that. It's just like a circle."

She continued as she demonstrated:
"Then you draw the eyes with the eyelashes. Then the nose and the smiley face (the smile)." When she had finished to this point, she passed me the paper and said, "There, now I've got you started-- you do the rest." I proceeded, under her direction, to draw "long hair" and legs and a dress. She then took the paper back and drew the crown. I asked her who taught her to do crowns and she answered, "I just figured it out myself."

I didn't include the picture we did together, but I have posted two of her recent drawings. As you can see, there is a princess and a prince. The notebook was a birthday gift from Kaykaroo's Oregon Grandma. It get's used nearly everyday. The nifty colors in the picture are all from one special rainbow pencil, also from the same Grandma.

Artisan Graham

2009-11-24T12:25:00.005-05:00

So here's my plug for my brother-in-law who specializes in handcrafted leather merchandise. He lives in this cute little house in the middle of Montana and it's here that he is living out his dream by creating and selling his art. His work is amazing. Above is a shot I did for him when he was just getting started, in which we illustrated both the quality of the materials he used as well as the fact that it was all done by hand, rather than machine. If you want to check out some of his stuff, follow this link http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisanGraham and take a look.

Peace to go with the Plenty

2009-11-19T22:23:00.006-05:00

It took me awhile, but I've now got peace with my plenty. I posted "Plenty" earlier on, but now I present "Peace", its new partner in the dining room. Someday they might even have their own frames.
Oh- and the flowers on the table? They're from Mr. Incredible. He brought them home on November 11th in honor of our first date nine years ago. I just love that guy.

Curls never go out of Fashion

2009-11-19T11:43:00.020-05:00

I bought a pack of curlers on a whim two years ago. They were on clearance and I got all giddy about the time when Kaykaroo would want to have curly hair. But they've been sitting at the back of the drawer unused all this time. That is until last night. It was totally Kaykaroo's idea, which surprised me because I don't think she's ever seen anyone use curlers before. She was even fine sleeping in them, which surprised me even more. And of course, she looked darling in them.

And this morning, when we took them out, I was surprised yet again -- at how well her hair took to the curl. I was worried that her straight hair was going to reject the curls and that we were both going to be disappointed. But as it is, I think those curlers I bought on clearance are done sitting around. But the real person we have to thank for this is Briar Rose (AKA Sleeping Beauty). Kaykaroo told me that she wanted Sleeping Beauty hair; straight on top and curly on the bottom.

Now if only I could have shiny, wavy auburn hair when I woke up in the morning. . .

(Mr. Incredible took the before pictures, I took the after picture.)

What to Wear for Family Photos

2009-11-16T09:03:00.011-05:00

So I was looking at an ad in Meijer and spread over the front cover was a "typical" family gathered around the table at Thanksgiving. But what made the family anything but typical was the fact that all of them were wearing solid, corresponding colors. If this was an actual family, there would be stripes, logos, polka-dots and more. No matter how many times I get asked the question -- "What should we wear for our family pictures?" Very few families manage to take my advice. (This is mainly due to their free-thinking children who refuse to conform.) BUT, if you can manage to finagle your family into dressing for a successful family portrait, here are some suggestions:

Solid colors are a must
Black really does slim and white really does make a person look heavier
Skin draws attention to itself -- so if you want people looking at your legs and not your face, by all means, wear shorts. But for me, faces are the focus of the portrait. So draw attention to the true life-blood of a photograph by avoiding shorts and skirts. Personally, I also prefer long sleeves, or three-quarter length sleeves.
Think of the room where you want to display the portrait -- what themes do you have there? What colors? What kind of wood is dominant? Is it a formal room or a casual room? Talk to you photographer and plan a location or backdrop that will enhance, not detract, from the room's overall feel. If it's a formal room, your portrait should also be formal- in posing, dress and location. Likewise for casual. Also, pre-planning the photo can help you find (or match) the right frame for the room as well.
Think color. If you're going to the beach for your portrait, avoid heavy jewel-tones or blacks. Your clothes should reflect your surroundings. When at the ocean, wear the colors of the beach. On the other side of the coin, if it is Fall in Vermont, wear those crimsons, deep greens, and dark blues. The clues for your apparel are all in the scenery.
Don't get so caught up in what you're wearing that you forget about your feet. Choose shoes that are as dark or darker than your pants. The exception is for those casual pictures. Drop the shoes on the beach. No, I'm not going back on rule number three. Feet, like hands, can look perfectly natural in the nude -- as long as it goes along with the theme.
And while we're on the subject of feet: Don't wear white socks. Just don't.
Necklines-- the forgotten detail. Wide necklines can make your neck look thick, while necklines close to the neck are the most flattering. V-necks and turtle necks are popular choices for photographers.
Don't expect the photographer to tell you if your hair looks right. Unless she's your best friend, she won't know what you intended for your hair when you woke up that morning. Hairstyles are too varied and individual for the photographer to know which look you are after. Better just bring a mirror.
And lastly, if you wear glasses, wear your glasses in the portrait. People know you with your glasses. If there is a problem with the glass glare that is out of the photographer's control, then, and only then, you might want to take them off for one or two shots.

Now this image is a bit extreme for numbers, but all the more telling for its size. See how the few people wearing different colors get all the eye's attention. Now imagine if every person in this picture was wearing a different color, or worse- PATTERNS. Also try to picture if the front row subjects were in shorts? Half their bodies would be skin. Their heads could never compete.

Now this picture is at the opposite end of the spectrum, but the principles remain the same. The clothes do double duty, accenting the background and drawing attention to the faces.

My First Stake Dance (Kind-of)

2009-11-15T21:43:00.002-05:00

So I went to my first stake dance last night. Well, the first stake dance, that is, as an adult. I was a chaperone. As we were driving to the dance, I told the two girls from our ward that the last time I went to a stake dance was before they were born.

But you know what the funny thing was? The moment I walked into that gym, I felt exactly the same way I felt half a life time ago when I was a teenager going to a stake dance. It was crazy! I had to keep reminding myself that I was an "old" person, but it felt more like being trapped in an old person's body. I looked around at all of the other "old" people in the room and it dawned on me-- We're all seventeen year olds stuck in old people's bodies. (I mean, everyone else looked old but me--I still look seventeen. In fact, I'm including a picture that was only taken a few months ago. Give or take.)

On the Other Side of the Hills

2009-11-11T11:38:00.003-05:00

I was driving home yesterday evening, and in the distance, the clouds on the horizon were piling up on each other until they looked just like hills. And I got so homesick. I've heard some people complain that mountains and hills feel like walls to them, and even (in rare cases) can create a sense of claustrophobia. But I'm the opposite. A hill in the distance has always been an invitation to me, tempting me to come see what is hiding on the other side. The opposite-- living in a place with no hills -- makes me feel like I am living in a bubble. I can see no boundaries so I can imagine no lines to cross.

So among other things from the Western Half of the United States, I miss seeing hills. One day, while living in Utah, I was looking at the blue hills in the distance. The next thing I knew, I was in my car and driving until I found myself on the other side. That's where I found these horses. They were living contentedly some thirty or forty miles from me in a place of dust and heat. But I would have never guessed them being there had I not answered the invitation to cross into their country.

So I continue to adjust in this beautiful, albeit flat part of the country. My boundaries, for now, must remain in my imagination.

How To Balance A Thumbtack On Your Finger

2009-11-09T09:11:00.008-05:00

Okay, so the intelligent viewer will figure this out fairly quickly. The biggest clue is that a thumbtack is not so heavy as to make an impression in your index finger. So if you try this trick at home, (if you are really, really bored) you can remember not to push quite so hard on the tack.

So here's the secret. The flash is located above and slightly to the side. The rest of the room must be void of light. The tack is then placed on a black, smooth surface with the pin pointing towards the ceiling . Gently place your finger tip on the pin and take the picture.

The final part of the trick is to use any art computer program, upload the photo and rotate the image so it is upside down. Use this to impress your friends and family if you are lacking in any other useful skills. They might even pat you on the back and gently say, "Good job."

Ten Reasons for Raking Your Leaves

2009-11-06T16:03:00.003-05:00

So your neighbors don't mutter complaints under their breath everytime your leaves blow in their yard.
It's community service -- the value of the neighborhood is higher when everyone keeps up their yard.
Your yard looks nice from your window when you're eating breakfast.
Great for people who like instant results -- Presto! Grass appears and leaves are gone!
It's a great work-out.
It's fun!
When you make a snowman later on, it's not covered in leaves -- nobody likes a furry snowman!
It's a wonderful way to enjoy the Autumn weather and revel in the beauty of the earth.
When you're done, you get to jump in the piles.
Hot cocoa tastes ten times better when you've finished raking ten bags of leaves in forty degree weather!