Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Masterpiece.....or Forgery?

Acting is a help in this game, but not if they all want to act like clowns! This is serious business.
Megan and Victoria won!

This is a game my family used to play together as teens with mom and dad. I found the game is no longer on the store shelves, but I could find it on Ebay..... I love Ebay! We have had a great time with it already, come on over and play.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Bags!

Victoria made this!
Victoria and Lisa made tshirt and Duct tape bags....yes you heard it right, after meeting yesterday.

Fine needlework not included. Victoria used red and white duct tape for a striped effect on the inside, and Lisa's bag was made with a shirt that has a zippered pocket on the outside and it turned out real cute also. It was fun, now we will see if they use them.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Who said snowmobiling is for lazy people?

This is a little cabin the guys found.
Pretty water falls, looks awful steep...I will not ask if they went up here.

This picture is remarkable in the fact that it is taken with both snowmobiles on the road!


The snow covered rocks look like puzzle pieces don't they?

One of many dig-outs! This is where the addiction began. I think they later found a cure.
And again...
A beautiful bowl, this time made by mother nature.


The stump debacle...
Again?

Really? Again? This one looks a bit deeper, I am getting tired myself.

You are kidding right? It could all be the same hole -they all kind of look the same but from the stories told it is not.

I had to throw this one in here to give myself a break from looking at work.

Don't stop....You know what happens!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Raku Haiku


Simple, glazed, formed bowl,
Fired: intensely burning kiln
Blackened, changed, striking!


Grant and I went to a Raku firing for his piece of pottery. It had been formed by hand, fired, glazed, and then placed into outdoor kilns, until the kiln was around 1800 degrees, the red hot pieces were brought out pinging and placed in metal buckets filled with newspaper. When the newspaper started to burn, and all the peices were in, the buckets were closed, and wet towels placed on them to keep the smoke in. Areas where the clay did not have any glaze turned dull black, a beautiful contrast to the dramatic glazes. I can't wait until next year when we do it again: after dark! Too Cool!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Sideways Stories

Grants play was a huge success. Based on the books "Sideways Stories from Wayside School." There were so many great and funny moments I could not pick a favorite, except to say that Grant's parts were done very very well. He played Calvin and one of the Eric's (there are three). He was in two dances, and I couldn't believe how much more willing he was to express himself during the play than what I saw at the beginning. I didn't go to the rehearsals except at the beginning, so I was totally surprised and entertained. I laughed so hard, especially the first go round. Lots of surprises. The play is copyrighted so we were not able to take pictures of the actual play, I hope we can get a video of it sometime though.
These pictures were taken during the curtain call.

Grants costume- he really didn't like it but they were not allowed to complain. Smile. It worked well for his part anyway.

Shouldn't he have a bigger smile? He was a bit nervous I guess. The kids were so supportive of one another and it really bonded this group of home schooled kids in a really nice way. As you can see the age range is quite large. Fun, and a great educational experience. Special thanks to all who came and gave Grant support!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Friends

Gentry took my camera so I don't have any pictures to post. We were so privileged to have Bonnie D. stay with us a week. She was supposed to go to T and B's for part of the time but they were feeling puny over there. I enjoyed her so much and we had a great time together. She reminded me of my mom with her wit and her common sense. I listened closely to her wisdom so I hope it will start to show. Our generation makes things so complicated and we second guess our every move, it was refreshing to have someone around who thinks so straight forward. She labored in Vietnam, and in Malaysia. The stories she told are so encouraging, that hope is hope and love is love no matter what the land or clime. We are such a priveleged people.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Green Machine

Grant has been crazy about riding this new Green Machine that he earned by helping his dad spend a day trimming trees and doing other yardwork. He likes the way that he can spin around 360 the most. Victoria's first try landed her on the pavement but she has it down now. So since it is St. Patty's day, I thought I would show you something green.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Bright, Starlit, Moonlit, Night

This photo makes it look like it felt to us, like we were walking around in a painting from the Romantic Period. The stars overhead were dim compared to that bright yellow moon, even though the man in the moon had his head turned a bit to the side. At our feet were little dwarf shadow people flapping their arms and toddling around in the snow that had been covertly covered with iridescent glitter. Overhead Orion the hunter was patrolling the sky, moving from the east to the west. It was a magical evening. Gentry took this photo at about 9:00 that night, the moon was to the east. and it was much brighter than this photo shows. We went for a walk down to the river and did not need any other light but the moon and stars.

Is this cozy or what? It cracks me up, and yes, I can't help but like it.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Good Friends, good times

Can you believe this? We have more snow today...at home! So it doesn't seem like such a stretch that they got a couple feet of new snow up in the mountains. Up to 5 feet again.
It was so much fun to be up there when it was snowing....hard at times.

We drove the snowmobiles up to Fish Lake, after we went over Scatter Creek (still running across the road, that was exciting to go through on a snowmobile!) the roads were no longer groomed and it was a "You likey my trackeys? I make ye somemore!" (In case you're not familiar with that tale I will tell you. A little indian miss was walking along in the snow when she looked behind her and there was a large black bear, sniffing her tracks and following her. She tells the bear..."Oh! You likey my trackeys? I will make you some more! ....and fast.) It felt like we were on a boat going over all those drifts on the road, but it was very very fun, and so pretty.

Turn around at the campground. Turning the snowmobile was very interesting in that deep fresh snow.
Better proof of the landmark was the little cabin right at the edge of the campground. That was some very deep snow, and Conrad disappeared one time, made my heart jump, but it was just a dip.
Lonely tracks.

Falling hard. Both boys did a great job, driving the snowmobile that far wore them out. It was very hard work, but fun!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

This doesn't seem right somehow....I wonder who corrected my paper?

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm an
Extroverted Self-Knowing Believer

View from an Upstairs Bedroom

I have always enjoyed waking up my daughter with a snuggle and a kiss. Gentry decided recently that I am too soft with the kids and letting them sleep too long so he is now the waker-upper. His approach is more the overly happy, overly loud and obnoxious style- he could wake up the whole neighborhood. The good part of this new arrangement is that he can now appreciate the view from Victoria's window. She has the best one in the house! The mountains, the trees and the sunrises are all there out the window.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Fun Images

The bell still tolls.
The spring water created its own bottle.

Pours right into the top.

Heart shaped wash out.