Aaron Informs Me Today Is Thursday!

I figure most of you are up on all of your dates, but I live in a perpetual fog!

:::::::::::::Eve Swimming:::::::::




:::::::::::::A Family Reunion Layout:::::::::



My niece, Dakotta, and her icy stare!



Text: Dakotta and Corinna were having a very busy and messy day. This is only one look in Dakotta's arsenal. She will sternly stare at people of any age or gender, so watch out paparazzi!

_{Photo by: Marcus John Taylor
Darcy Baldwin: Rubbed Out Alpha and DJB GINAM1 at The Digichick
Christina Renee: Dirty notes, Glitter Splats, Label alpha, Bookplate Alpha, Just for Fun Doodle
Catrine: Chalked Alpha
Sausan Designs: flower from Needful Things
Shabby Miss Jenn: frame from Tree Trimmin' Party
Natalie Braxton: Things on Strings
Nancy Comelab: Vintage Frame
Tia Bennett: All Taped Up brush frame
Paint The Moon: Freebie flower}


::::::::::::::::::Good Deed::::::::::::::

Aaron heard me coughing at the computer and he said, "Mom, let me fix you some chicken soup!" So in 15 minutes I had a steaming hot bowl of soup in front of me and a hug from my 13 year-old. What a nice "Hallmark" moment. Thank you, Aaron!

::::::::::::::::::First Aid:::::::::::::::

Our next door neighbor, Kristen, was kind enough to agree to teach a first aid course to the Scouts last night. She had them realize that there is more to administering aid then just attending the victim. She explained about being aware of the scene of the accident and that you don't want to create more victims by just rushing in without accessing the situation. Michael was hightly impressed with all of the information and how she demonstrated everything to the young men.

::::::::::::::::::Reading Book::::::::::::

I am on chapter 3 of Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) and have already begun to do my classic paper tearing and bookmarking pages to reference when I'm finished. The examples used by the authors are so appropriate. I analyze what I would do in certain situations and realize that the slippery slope of self-justification is quite a busy thoroughfare with a whole lot of casualities at the bottom. Here are a few excerpts that really had me thinking:

"Self-justification has costs and benefits. By itself, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It lets us sleep at night. Without it, we would prolong the awful pangs of embarrassment. We would torture ourselves with regret over the road not taken or over how badly we navigated the road we did take. We would agonize in the aftermath of almost every decision... Yet mindless self-justification, like quicksand, can draw us deeper into disaster. It blocks our abily to even see our errors, let alone correct them."

The chapter of cognitive dissonance was a real eye opener. In the section called "Spirals of Violence-and Virtue the authors explain that the concept of "catharsis" fostered by psychoanayltic beliefs about expressing anger and behaving aggressively gets rid of anger is patently false. They write, "Actually, decades of experimental research have found exactly the opposite: That when people vent their feelings aggressively they often fell worse, pump up their blood pressure, and make themselves angrier." They go onto say, "venting is expecially likely to backfire if a person commits an aggressive act against another person directly, which is exactly what cognitive dissonance theory would predict." What they relate is that once you have harmed someone you must then justify why you would do such a thing, then it creates a need to reduce your dissonance where you blame the victim of your outburst and you are more likely to escalate your next violent outburst.
In regards to the virtous cycle the authors write about how doing something good leads to changing our thinking of others. For example if we don't like someone, but on a whim do something nice for them we may begin to make the connection that that person must not be so bad, or I wouldn't have done something nice for them. That thought leads to the thought that maybe that person is not as bad as I thought.
Later on the book references an experiment by Benjamin Franklin during his time in the Pennsylvania legislature where there was a man who couldn't stand him. Franklin decided to win this guy over. He asked to borrow a rare book from the man's library, which the man agreed to lend. Franklin returned the book within a week with a note of gratitude. After that the man came up to speak to him "with great civility" and they continued from then on to be great friends until the man's death. Franklin wrote, "...the truth of an old maxim I had learned, which says, 'He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged."

This book is fascinating.


::::::::::::::::::::::We have Advent Calendars Galore::::::::::

There is an advent calendar in the kitchen and in the girls' room, but Rachel still decided to decorate her dry erase board with a Santa Claus and a countdown of the days until Christmas. Oh, the pressure! The kids think I'm not serious when I tell them there are no presents for them in the house...but I'm not. The only day for us to go shopping is today. Michael and Aaron have a campout this weekend and from what the calendar says I'm out of luck come next week. I may be giving the kids my reading book and explaining them the concept of cognitive dissonance during my self-justification speech on why time just got away and...here kids what a bag of Milky Ways...chocolate makes things better...really!

Smiles and Merry Christmas!

So, Whattya Been Doin'?

,...just curious.

The tree is still not decorated...how lame is that!!! The kids are rotating who is sick and I've been busy painting downstairs, so maybe tonight???!!!


::::::::::::::::::::Perfect Attendance:::::::

is what Rachel had until a fever, headache and sore throat sidelined her, yesterday. She felt crumby today, but she went anyway. She is, usually, my healthy kid. Noah who is my croupy kid still has perfect attendance, surprisingly.

:::::::::::::::Swimming Update:::::::::


The kids' have their last swim lesson with Laura tonight. She has been an amazing instructor. Eve went from only floating on her back with some help from Michael to feeling like a little mermaid swimming under her own volition. YEAH! We need to get Noah into a SCUBA program because he wants to spend all his time underwater.

:::::::::::::::::::::Family Reading::::::::::

The kids are clamoring for me to not stop reading the newest Sisters Grimm book Magic And Other Misdemeanors. It was a near riot last night when I stopped reading at the end of chapter 8. The kids would stop me intermittently while I was reading to postulate who might be the Master of the Scarlet Hand and who was stealing the magic items.

:::::::::::::::::::::Hockey::::::::::::

My stepdad is taking Aaron and Rachel to see a Gladiator's hockey game tomorrow. They all like hockey, so they, hopefully, will have a blast.

:::::::::::::::::::::Lunch with A Friend:::

I was able to grab lunch with my friend Phyllis on Monday. She is so fun and we got to talk and eat, which are a couple of my personal favorite hobbies. We stopped in at a restaurant that other friends have raved about called Los Hermanos. We munched on chips, salsa, jalapeno cheese dip and chicken enchiladas. I threw in some tasty Mexican rice.

:::::::::::::::::::::A Sweet Invitation::::::::

Shabby Miss Jenn who I was a guest creative team member for November has asked me back as a guest for January. I thought that was super sweet of her!

:::::::::::::::::::::Gave Up The Ghost:::::::::

My dear smoothie maker has joined the appliance graveyard! It did, however, go out with a last hurrah by making me a delicious drink of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, bananas, blueberry yogurt, frozen vanilla yogurt and milk. Luckily, there are always a large supply of smoothie makers around.

For now, I MUST GO PAINT!

Smiles!

42

::::::::::::::::::Riding In Cars With Boys:::::

...well, at least, that boy!


Dialogue: Noah: Why do you think the people who made the movie "Transformers" didn't use Hot Shot?
I Mean Hot Shot is a major character! Why did they choose Bumblebee?

Me: I don't know.

Noah: What could they be thinking? Hot Shot was like second in command!

Me: I don't know.

Noah: I don't really want an answer. I'm just asking the question.

Me: Oh! So you are asking a rhetorical question.

Noah: What is a rhetorical question?

Me: It is a question where you don't expect an answer.

Noah: I ask a Lot of rhetorical questions!

Journaling: Having conversations with Noah is always an interesting experience. Sometimes the conversations are exasperating, futile, or just plain silly. Noah has questions that make him seem like a very old soul. It was very enlightening for both of us to realize that some of these are just rhetorical!

_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB MICHAEL, DJB LENA, DJB For ANNIE, DJB CONNORBUCK, DJB TEACHER at The Digichick
Jan Crowley: Comic Junkie
Michelle Coleman: LDD Color Matters, Hand Stamped Alpha
Kate Hadfield: Vehicle Doodles, Animal Doodles, Halloween Doodles, New Home Doodle
Catrine: Chalked Alpha
Two Sisters Design: Label It Alpha
Amber Clegg: Date Stamp
Nancy Comelab: Cluster frame modified
Anna Benjamin: Robot Sticker (Paper Moon)}


The other conversation during the same car ride was about stuffed animals. Eve stated, rather proudly, that she had many more stuffed animals than Noah. Noah, mind you, was sitting with his beloved stuffed pig, Oinky. He tenderly and calmly replied to Eve's boast by saying, "I have Oinky and that is all I need." How cool was that?!


:::::::::::::::::::::Swimming Lesson Update::::::::::

Eve is now coming up for breath more frequently. This, as you all know, is a great thing! She is really good about using both her arms and legs to move her through the water. Noah forgets to kick his legs and wants to only use his freestyle stroke. He really prefers just swimming to the bottom of the pool. Laura may get sainthood for her patience with my kids.
Since Rachel was running late from her dental appointment Laura was able to work with Aaron for 15 minutes. His arms look really good, but his kicking is inefficient. He also forgets to turn his head to grab a breath. He is improving, though.
I helped Rachel dress quickly, so she could get in the pool. She practiced her freestyle and backstroke. When the 30 minutes was up for Aaron's lesson Laura asked if she could teach Rachel the breast stroke. Rachel was very excited to learn something new and she found out that she has a natural breast stroker's kick.

While Rachel was finishing up her lesson Aaron helped Eve keep practicing her swimming. He was really good with encouraging her.

::::::::::::::::::::Hang Out At Home Movie::::::

of the day is "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy". Rachel will be a bit sad she missed it, as she is on a "double" sleepover. She is spending the night with a friend from her Girl Scout Troop for a second night. Rachel's favorite character in the movie is Marvin the manickly depressed robot.

Remember...You are Allowed To Breath!

This is what Eve's swim instructor kept trying to get her to remember while swimming across the pool. Eve looked like a cute polly wog swimming under the water, but she didn't want to come up for air until she hit a person, or the wall. She was super lung girl. We all just laughed and shook our heads in disbelief.

When we got home all the kids got a bath and Eve sounded pretty horse. She seems to have gotten what ever Aaron has and hers has taken the form of laryngitis and a cold. Aaron is feeling a bit better, but he gets a cold sore every time he gets sick.

::::::::::::::::::Fun & Games:::::::

A fun time at Colonial Williamsburg on the Fourth of July.








The Wooden Hoop and Stick were considered great fun, as well as, exercise. Aaron, Noah, Rachel and Eve were all "game" for playing with the 18th Century toys. Rachel was able to get a good run on the hoop a couple of times. Eve tried valiantly, but couldn't keep the hoop up for long. Both Noah and Aaron had a good time playing...a stick was involved. That was a good enough start for them.



Shabby Miss Jenn Designs: Old Letter Lil Kit
Darcy Baldwin: DJB Lindy at The Digichick
Jen Caputo: Paper tear template

This kit was provided by Shabby Miss Jenn as part of my November Guest appearance on her team. Thank you, Miss Jenn!

::::::::::::::::::::::::Time Out:::::::

Tomorrow I get to go to Time Out. I really like the concept for adults. I am actually going to her some uplifting speakers talk to the women of our Church. My mom and I are looking forward to hanging out together for a few hours!

::::::::::::::::::::::Christmas is Coming:::

and my mom is doing the coolest thing for me! She is paying for a basic cake decorating class at Cake Art. They use the Wilton cake stuff. It should be fun and the kids are looking forward to the samples when I practice. I'll probably start the class in January.

::::::::::::::::::::The Bourne Ultimate:::::

This book had more twists and turns then Wisteria on chain-link fence! The book completely different from the movie, but I enjoyed them both. The mind games of trying to out guess each other were mentally fatiguing! The interesting character difference that is brought out repeatedly in the book from that in the movie is Bourne's height. In the book he stands out for his tall athletic physic. In the movie, Matt Damon, is average height and build. Not a big deal, just different. The most interesting characters were ones that found a bit of humanity and redemption for their evil ways, but never completely changed their spots. There was an interesting paragraph were Ludlum made the statement about people who ask for forgiveness through their religion for something that they know they are going to turn around and do all over again. That was food for thought...sounds like Mardi Gras.

All in all, the Bourne trilogy by Ludlum (a Fourth book has been written with approval by another author) are suspenceful books. They give a bit of insight into the minds of men who fought during Vietnam and the aftermath of world relations from the eyes of an injured man...mind, body and soul.

:::::::::::::::::::::::Digital Scrapbook Day::::

is November 3rd, so check out some of my links if you are interested in getting some great deals!

I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Mermaid in Training!

Eve's first real swim!


During her third swimming lesson Eve was able to use her arms and legs with her face in the water to swim to her instructor, Laura.


_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB Teacher, DJB Doodl E Doo, DJB Karenscript at The Digichick
Kay Miller: The Blue Lagoon
Font: Doorkeeper 41}

:::::::::::::Another Layout from Our Summer Vacation::::



::::::::::::::::Another Great One:::::::

This is too true:

Index Card blog





:::::::::::::::Some Really Neat Artist Links:::

This is a great site: Artist Freebies

Acme License Generator

Smiles 'til later!

A Face Only A Mother Could Love...

and I do!



_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB JENNA, DJB MISH, DJB Doodl E Doo at The Digichick
Corina Nielsen: Background paper from October give away
Lauraskathi: Birthday Bash Add-on
Ida: Cluster Frame
Sausan Designs: Paper Doodle Frame, Doodle Frame, Exclamation point
Powers Sisters Designs: Alpha Label It
Emily Merritt: Word Toppers (modified)
Erica Hite: Dear Diary Alpha
Linda Gil Bildal: Torn edge, Star Bazarr Arrow
Kate Hadfield: Doodle Tape Alpha, Wordy Bits Alpha
Natalie Braxton: Point It Out
Jenn Patrick: Backward Staples}

Rachel loves making faces for the camera.

:::::::::::::Noah Said It So It Must Be...:::

true?

Hmmm... This was an observation Noah imparted to me shortly before bedtime: "Mostly just sophisticated words use 'Q'."

When I informed Michael about what Noah said he quickly come up with several words that weren't sophisticated at all. What a spoil sport!

:::::::::::::Water Heater Woes::::::

Our old water heater has decided to leak all over the floor. It is original to the house, so no real surprise...just annoying. Michael and I will be working to replace it on Saturday.

:::::::::::::Emotions Revealed:::::::::::::

I have some things I will write about next time. This is quite an insightful book. I am learning about autoappraisers and refractory periods. Really interesting stuff.

:::::::::::::Swimming Lessons::::::::::::::

The kids are doing pretty well. Eve is the most enthusiastic and fun to watch. When she knew it was near time to go to practice yesterday she got ready and wanted to sit in the car and wait for us to follow. We still had a half an hour before we were going to leave.

I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Busy Weekend

I like looking at check designs in the mailers. It is always fun to have cute backgrounds to display the amount of money leaving my bank account. Here is a design I came up with to celebrate or semi-cultish following of Doctor Who:



Speaking of Doctor Who fans the dear Kate Hadfield fulfilled a doodle request for me. She created some awesome dandelions for me. I am currently working on a few layouts and hope to have them finished by this evening.

:::::::::::::This weekend::::::::

I baked lemon squares for a couple of sister's at Church and Michael agreed to be my taste tester. I passed with flying colors, so I packaged some up and took them to Church on Sunday.

We took the kids to the Buford Highway Farmer's Market. The store always has little taste testing kiosks. The first one we came across was one making our kids favorite meal. There was a triumphant and spontaneous chorus of "TOFU!!!" from the children. They were so excited! We grabbed 4 boxes of tofu and 4 boxes of Mabu Tofu sauce. We did the obligatory stop at the crabs and eels cases.

:::::::::::::Roller Skating:::::::

Rachel was invited to a roller skating party for a girl in her scout troop. The little girl's mother was kind enough to include the rest of our kids. Aaron chose to use in-line skates instead of the traditional style. He is much more confident with the in-line. I dropped my socks on the way out of the house, so I had to watch on the side-lines for a little bit while Michael skated with the kids. Eve was able to do really well after we traded her skates in for a bigger size and then noticed that the wheels barely turned. She thought she was really skating well when she was actually walking on 4 stuck wheels. Noah had a hard time and decided to give up after 30 minutes and the boots caused soars on the front of his ankles. Rachel was really funny because she stuck her hind end out as a counter balance and remarked that her lower back was getting sore. I was able to skate when Michael offered me is boots. Michael ended up loaning me his socks, too. They were rather sweaty, but I didn't have any so I wasn't about to complain. After skating for a couple of hours might feet weren't sore at all and they didn't feel sweaty. My ever techinical gear oriented spouse explained it was the merino wool of the R.E.I. socks I was wearing.

::::::::::::::::Swimming Lessons:::::

Round One: Noah and Eve
Round Two: Aaron and Rachel

A young lady from our Church is the swim instructor for all of the kids. She was great with all of them. Her hardest obstacle was getting Noah to listen. He is a little story teller. She also would correct them firmly, but nicely when they did something wrong. She was trying to make sure their mechanices were sound before moving on to anything else. Michael and I were super impressed with Eve for her positive attitude. She would do what she was asked and put her face in the water for as long as she could and then come up sputtering. She would flash us a thumbs up sign to let us know she was fine. They were all happy to get into the water and learn.

The kicker was the fees to get into the pool for each lesson would be $27.00 and if we wanted to get in and swim with the other kids times the basic 8 weeks of lessons was a tall order. We bit the proverbial bullet and bought a year pass. Someone in the M.L.E.U. called our house and talked to the dryer. What is the M.L.E.U. you may ask...even if you don't I'll tell you anyway...it is the Murphy's Law Enforcement Unit. The dryer blew the thermal fuse, AGAIN! I hate doing laundry, but I hate more piled up dirty laundry. Michael is scattered, covered and smothered with things to do this week. His brother and family are invited to dinner tomorrow, so hopefully he will be able to get home in time to inspect the dryer's element to see if that might be the culprit and then go downstairs to cook a great dinner.

:::::::::::::::::Dinner for Tomorrow::::::::::

Hmong eggrolls

1 (10 1/2 ounce) bag bean thread noodles
24 rice paper sheets
1 (10-12 ounce) package coleslaw mix (or 1 sm cabbage & 2 carrots shredded)
1 medium yellow onion
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch cilantro
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
1 egg (xtra 1 for sealing egg rolls)
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Red pepper dipping sauce
5 Thai red chili peppers, chopped (birds eye)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (bottles fine)
1 dash msg
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons water

::::::::::::::::::::Public Service Announcement:::

A friend of mine sent this video containing a warning about how easy it is for thieves to steal your identity while you are at a gas station:



Smiles!

More Stuff and Things

We all got soaked to the skin, but it was worth it for our amazing tour of the American Falls at Niagara.


_{Font: DJB JANELLE by Darcy Baldwin at The Digichick
Two Sisters Design: Funktastic Backgrounds, Label It Alpha
Sande Krieger: A Traveling We Will Go
Jenn Patrick: Backward Staples
Christina Renee: Proof Sheets, Glitter Splatters
Lauren Reid: Crazy title
Weeds and Wildflowers: Doodles
Amber Clegg: Date Stamps
Kate Hadfield: Paper Swirls}

::::::::::::::::::More Goofy Stuff About ME::::

21. If I have a car with air conditioning I will leave it off and roll down the windows because I love the wind whipping through the car, but I don't care for convertibles because it is a bit too much wind whipping for me.

22. The last time I had a working watch was about 1998 when I had a job at the Credit Union. I don't like watch sweat...you know the build up of perspiration under your watch. I had one with a leather band and it was nice a flat-faced. I tried fancy linked ones and the spinning and clasp adjusting was quite annoying, so I just gave up on the whole watch deal. I figure their is enough people who do like watches around, or have their handy dandy cell phones that they like showing off to give me the time. That way everybody is happy and I'm on time.

23. I have a severe nickel allergy. I discovered this when I got my ears pierced at 21. I bought some lovely silver earrings and 14k gold ones. It was fine at first and then my ears would feel hot. I put antibiotic cream on and let them heal, then put my gold earrings in and within 5 minutes my ears were hot and swollen. I also bought a pair of glasses that had nickel under the top coating. Once the coating wore off the nickel was against my skin, which caused my skin to die. Lovely...so lovely:( Rachel wants her ears pierced, but I have to have her take a nickel allergy test first to see if she's like me.

24. I don't care to wear jewelry. Notice the "wear" part. I think jewelry is an amazing form of art and I find it attractive, but I don't have the same affinity for it as most people. I think of gems as beautiful rocks, but I have no desire to own them. I find the way people value them above the lives of others reprehensible. Michael is aware that I never would like a piece of jewelry as a present for any occasion. Most people see diamonds as symbols of love, affection, purity, and constancy, but for me they are just pretty rocks.

:::::::::::::::::::Ice Skating:::::::::::

Our teacher for Georgia Virtual Academy organized an outing to the Ice Forum. Aaron had never been ice skating, but after I showed him how to lace up his skates he got right on the ice. He likes in-line skating, but thought ice skating was too fast. We skated around for 45 minutes. He went around a couple of times without me, while I adjusted my lacing. I fell once, which was okay. Aaron told me that his feet hurt and he wanted to stop, so I congratulated him on getting out on the rink and trying. We stopped by Steak and Shake for lunch and had steak burgers with fries (and onion rings). I ordered one of their half and half malts with banana on one side and chocolate on the other. Aaron ordered a chocolate milkshake. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, but it was tasty. Aaron used the time we waited to get our orders to show me all the different Pokemon on his new Nintendo DS he recieved as a birthday present from Granny Alice. It was fun just to hang out with him for a few hours.

:::::::::::::::::::Think of Others::::::::

is a trait I try to foster in the kids and I was so proud of Evey. Her pre-school teacher's birthday was yesterday and she was very adamant that we should give the teacher a gift. I suggested flowers and she approved of the idea. When I woke her up for school on Friday and got her dressed and seated for breakfast she said, "It's my teacher's birthday today and remember, I get to pick out the flowers!" I had forgotten...hey it had been almost 24 hours! I hurried her through breakfast and we all loaded into the car and ran by the grocery store. Eve wanted some cut flowers, but I suggested a potted plant. She chose a beautiful purple orchid and helped me check it out, then held it all the way to school. She and the orchid were almost the same height and it was so funny watching her try to back into the classroom to surprise her teacher. The smile on Eve's face was radiant as she got a hug from a very appreciative teacher. I hope this act of kindness is just the beginning!


::::::::::::::::::::::Blood Diamonds::::::::


Description from Amazon.com: Long a symbol of love, affection and faithfulness, the diamond is now increasingly linked with war, blood and brutality. In the diamond-rich West African nation of Sierra Leone, rebels used the precious gems to bankroll a violent ten-year insurrection, leaving a terrorized population and a ravaged landscape in its wake. National Geographic correspondents follow the trail of illicit diamonds from their origin in the muddy pits of impoverished Sierra Leone, to the pristine cobblestone streets of Antwerp, Belgium, to their final stop in the glittering display cases of New York's finest jewelry stores.

Aaron and I watched this as our supplemental history of the day. We were struck mostly by the sad state of people in West Africa who were maimed during the 10 year insurrection. There were children Aaron's age and younger missing limbs. We discussed why people put so much value on this piece of carbon. It was an, often times, frightening journey for those making the documentary. The journalist showed the shot up rusted vehicle of a fellow journalist on the way to where he was headed. It amazed me that large groups of people would spend 365 days a year digging for diamonds in these huge holes scarring the Earth to find diamonds to statisy the world market. They had rich fertile earth they could plant crops and feed their families, but these have been abandoned for the diamond mines...actually much more of their humanity was abandoned when their focus shifted to follow the vanity of the world.

::::::::::::::::::Swim Lessons::::::::::

...start today. I'll let you know how the kids do.

Smiles,

Victoria

Will Haunt 4 Candy!

I don't know how many of you remember Adam Sandler's bizarre Halloween sketch where he would say stuff like, "I'm crazy pickle arm! Give me some candy!" He would use other inane objects and then demand candy. I thought it was hilarious, so I present to you...Crazy Purse Head!


<sub>Sausan Designs: Oogelie Googelie
Needful Things 1 & 3
Brushit Up Striped Alpha


Darcy Baldwin: DJB Pookie Doo at The Digichick on sale today!
DJB ADEE1


Nancy Comelab: Vintage Frame grunge


*Ashley Olson's Doodle Word Frame modified to use only the doodled edge.</sub>


:::::::::::::::::::::::ATC::::::::::::::::

It has been about a year since I made in Art Trading Cards and I really miss making them. What made me want to jump right in and create some more are found on Sandra Evertson's blog. I love the time elements she used. She also had a great art idea shown on her site that you could do yourself and get your kids involved too. She used ink blot art to make Ink Blot Characters. I thought this was so funky.

Here is an example of my ATCs that I have posted over time, but digging through the archives is a bit of a pain, so I will place them all in this one convenient spot:









::::::::::::::Swimming Lessons::::::::

Hopefully the kids will start swimming lessons this Saturday, but I haven't firmed up all the details, yet. The young lady teaching them was part of the lifeguard team that one a competition in our county.

I hope y'all have a great day!
Smiles!

Painted Turtle(Chrysemys Picta)

_{Primitive Scrapbooking and Primitive Art by Mo Jackson, background from Arti-bytes (Hunibuni), note paper from BYOBB Kit by Gina Miller, Painted Alpha by Rhonna Farrer, Arrow by Katie Pertiet, Date Stamp by Jenn Star, Dragonfly by Jen Wilson, Fonts: Pea Girly Girl Script, Pea Lis, Artistamp Medium, Pea Jenny Script.}



Identification: Shell hard, smooth, somewhat flattened; bright yellow lines on head and limbs; lower shell orange or reddish, with dark markings (most conspicuous in juveniles); upper shell often with narrow yellow lines (less yellow in larger individuals), less often with network of dark lines; upper jaw notched at tip; upper shell of female up to about 25 cm (9.8 inches), though rarely more than 21 cm (8 inches); males much smaller.

Mature male: Vent located beyond rear edge of upper shell carapace when tail is extended; claws on front feet very long; lower shell flat.


Habitat: Permanent ponds, reservoirs, marshes, river backwaters, slow-moving streams, and nearby temporary waters such as those that are seasonally flooded. Favors waters with a soft bottom, abundant aquatic vegetation, and partially submerged logs or other places for basking. Often many bask on a single log.

:::

We had a hot, yet nice time at a lake near my parent's home. I took the kids out in the canoe, while Grandpa Jim and Michael took the kayaks. Their was hardly a breeze to be had, so we got uncomfortably hot pretty fast. We got to see some really cool painted turtles sunning themselves on a protruding tree branch. We got home just as the rain started pouring down in torrents.

I looked up information on the turtle I saw and found out that it was a male. I also noticed from my photo that he had a reddish plastron, which keeps it from being an Eastern Painted Turtle because, as I understand it, they have yellow plastons. Anyway, he was quite handsome!

:::

Good News for Aaron. Thanks to a great family in our ward, the Frost family, Aaron will be able to achieve his Second Class scout rank. He was afraid to swim the required length of the pool. He will jump in the 10 foot section off of the diving board, but rushes instantly to the side, so he didn't have the freestyle stroke techinique. Karen Frost and one of her sons, Mark, helped Aaron work on the stroke he needed and to work up to the requirement in increments. Karen used to be Aaron's Den leader and he really trusts her. Michael had mentioned Aaron's need of help to the Frosts at our ward Luau just last Saturday, and on Monday afternoon I got a call from Mark setting up a time at our local pool. This family is such a blessing for Aaron, and us!

Trust Me!

Text: We stayed at the Best Western Cavern Inn during our stop at Carlsbad Caverns. We were only a few yards from the road to the Caverns. To cool off before we left we swam in their pool and Michael worked with Eve to get her to trust him and learn to kick and float. She preferred to hug his neck.

_{Layout Credits: Sketch template by Jen Caputo, Alpha by Shabby Princess, date stamp by DebF, papers from Jen Wilson's Worn Comfort Collection
Fonts Used: Pea Alisha}

Our stay at the Best Western Inn in Carlsbad Caverns was surprisingly pleasant for what I thought would be a hole in the wall place at the entrance to the National Park. The place was clean, efficient and the vouchers they gave for breakfast provided us with quite a big, delicious meal. So, if you are heading out to National Parks Carlsbad is a must see. I do offer you a word of warning...DO NOT GO 1 mile over the posted speed limit. I was pulled over after having driven about a mile into the park. The very gruff officer demanded to know why I was speeding. I told him honestly, "This place is so cool, it looks like Dr. Suess decorated it! I wasn't paying attention to my speed I was looking at all the cool stuff!" He kinda glared at me and went to run my tag and license information. Apparently he got a call up at the main facility because he gave me all of my stuff back and told me to watch my speed, and that the didn't have time to give me warning.

Later in the evening when we went to see the bat flight he was there telling everyone that if they took any flash photography he would remove them from the park. It is at this point that we christened him with the nickname: "THE ENFORCER". So, don't say I didn't warn you!