SPT-Sun

There was a fire just over the hill from our house last week. The sun is going down in this picture and the smoke from the fire blocks what little sun was left for the day.

It's hot here, the sun is not cheery and bright to me, it is oppressive, something I endure for 3 months out of the year. I stay inside with the air conditioner on and know that there are 9 months ahead when the sun is a joy and a friend.

SPT-Something Borrowed

“The spt challenge this [month] is: may means *wedding month* to me. and, no, this challenge is not going to be about weddings (unless you want it to be...) this month's challenge is simply:

• tuesday, may 6 something old
• tuesday, may 13 something new
• tuesday, may 20 something borrowed
• tuesday, may 27 something blue”

So this week is something borrowed. It's a shame I don't have a picture of this. If I can figure out how to get a good picture of it later, I will add it.

Twenty years ago, I was visiting my sister in Texas. She loaned me an embroidery hoop. It's big. Big enought to use as a laptop quilt frame. On the side of it she wrote "This belongs to Inez and don't you forget it!"

I haven't forgotten, but I still have it. I'd like to see her get it back from me. Ha, ha, ha, ha. (evil laugh)

SPT--Something New

“The spt challenge this week is: may means *wedding month* to me. and, no, this challenge is not going to be about weddings (unless you want it to be...) this month's challenge is simply:

• tuesday, may 6 something old
• tuesday, may 13 something new
• tuesday, may 20 something borrowed
• tuesday, may 27 something blue”

In order for you to really understand how much I L-O-V-E my something new, you have to know a few interesting facts.

I am, chronologically speaking, a senior citizen which means certain things don’t work like they used to. One of those things is my eyes. They just don’t cooperate like they used to. Sometimes, they see double and I don’t even drink. Sometimes they see blurred objects and I am not on any drugs (legal or illegal). Sometimes I squint too much, but that causes wrinkles so I just wear glasses.

Now, the next thing you should know is that glasses make my eyes tired. I’ve tried them all. Bifocals, trifocals, soft contacts, hard contacts, 3 different pair of glasses one for reading, one for computer and one for distance. I’ve even used drug store glasses and I have several pair of glasses from the dollar store. Nothing makes a difference, my eyes just get tired.

The consequences of these two things is simple—I quit reading. By the end of the day, when reading is my favorite leisure activity, my eyes are too tired to read.

What does this have to do with something new? You ask.

I have a new Kindle. I love my new Kindle. I have started reading again. No trips to the library, no boxes and boxes of stored books. Just my new Kindle. My new Kindle has my scriptures on it (that was the first thing I bought and downloaded). The new Kindle is amazing. You can purchase and download books onto it without a computer in site. It is completely wireless. Here are some pictures and some of my favorites features:

Here is the cover. Notice mine has a little red dot on the corner. That is so that Tarzan can easily pick up his and not get confused. He liked mine so well, that we immediately bought one for him.


This is what it looks like when you open it. In this picture the Kindle is asleep. The images change each time you put it to sleep.

When I open my Kindle I have it set on the largest font so I don’t have to strain my eyes to read. Yes, I am reading again. In fact I have read more in the past 2 months than I have read in the past year.

Here it is with smaller print. You can adjust the print to fit your vision requirements. Did I tell you I L-O-V-E my NEW Kindle?

This is the Kindle store where you can buy books right on the Kindle and they will be downloaded to your Kindle in seconds. You get a license to share your purchased book with 6 Kindles. I have a credit card on file, so all I have to do is click on the book I want and it is charged to my credit card and I am good to go.


Here is my Google Mail. Isn’t that amazing?








And here is the big bonus, you can make notes and create bookmarks, then, Amazon saves all of that in your account so if your Kindle should die, you can simply download them to the new one. Both of our Kindles have access to all books, periodicals and blogs the other one purchases. It is a simple matter of managing the content to put the items you want on your Kindle and take off what you don’t want. For instance, I have no interest in a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. Tarzan, can’t live without it, so he has it downloaded to his Kindle and I only get it when I want to read something specific.

Just one problem, I hate to call it “my Kindle.” I need a name for my Kindle, any suggestions?

If you decide to buy a Kindle, click on the link on my page to go to Amazon and buy one. If you do I get money :-).

SPT - Something Old

The spt challenge this week is: may means *wedding month* to me. and, no, this challenge is not going to be about weddings (unless you want it to be...) this month's challenge is simply:

tuesday, may 6 something old
tuesday, may 13 something new
tuesday, may 20 something borrowed
tuesday, may 27 something blue

May 6
Something Old

It is hard for me to believe that the oldest thing in my house is me. LOL. So, I contribute a picture of me as a child after falling out of a car.

We had a car that had doors in the back that opened from front to back(and now you will know why they quit making them). If you were moving and the door came open the wind would catch it and swing it wide open. I was sitting by the window and, obviously, playing with the door handle. We were traveling down the road. The door came open, the wind blew it wide open. I had hold of the handle and was thrown out of the car. My Mom says when she looked back, I was running behind the car as fast as I could, bleeding profusely and screaming, "Don't leave me, don't leave me." She said I was very upset that the car didn't stop immediately. This picture has always cracked me up. Don't I look indignant? I was never allowed to sit by the window again.

Where you ever in a car accident?

Scavanger Hunt--My L's are all found at work.

L'Oreal Infallible lipstick stays on all day, even through meals. I put on 3 coats of color and then the sealer and it stays on like magic.

Little things on my desk. The safety triangle blinks, the little green thing is a light rail car (it's an eraser)

Light for the plants in my office.

They didn't bloom this year. We are trying to coax them out.

	Lavender frame around my Stitch 'N Bitch calendar
	Lunch, love the Voss water.
	The guys I work with--laughing.

SPT-Thanksgiving in the shadows

The Challenge: "your challenge this week is to find a quiet moment. give thanks for all that you have been given, all that you have given in this past year. take advantage of a pocket of an afternoon when you can slip away and be thank-full. we can all make time for this very important date with ourselves, with only our shadow along for company."

This weekend Tarzan went on a fishing trip and I had 3 whole days alone to think. I realized that I am thankful for so much that it cannot be put into a simple list. I made a list and it was so silly to read that I deleted it. The truth is it would be easier to make a list of things I am not thankful for, it would be a much shorter list.

For just this weekend, I was thankful for some down time, a great RS secretary, a fantastic Ward Council, old movies, wireless computers, a soft couch, a heater that works, a husband who loves me and the temple.

Life is fantastic and I love this shadow picture, it looks like I have a bun on the back of my head like maybe I have long hair again, sigh.

SPT-Advanced Christmas Preparations

Please don't hate me. When I get my Christmas cards finished the Thursday after Thanksgiving at our Card-a-poluza activity at the Church, I'm done.

You see, we have ten grandchildren and they have twenty-two grandparents. We decided that rather than get caught up in the Christmas hub-bub and have the children not really even know who sent them what, we would give presents all year long. So, beginning in January and continuing through November, our children and grandchildren get presents from us wrapped in Christmas paper. The first year it was really hard to break the habit of sending something at Christmas time, but the second year it was a breeze, this year, I don't even feel worried that the little grandchildren won't understand. A child who receives a game for their Wii in June is far more appreciative than a child who receives it at Christmas in "competition" with a bazillion other gifts.

So, you see, I am finished. Tarzan and I usually make a large batch of something fun to give people who come to our house. One year it was prickly pear jam, one year it was bottled banana nut bread, this year, someone told me they had a margarita jam recipe, I'm trying to get that, but if we don't get it, it doesn't matter, we can just give out a card to anyone who comes by.

This tradition allows us to focus on the true purpose of Christmas and renew our intention to do kind deeds throughout the year.

Self Portrait Tuesday--Comfort Food

When I was a little girl my father was in the Air Force so every time he was transfered to some exotic location we stabilized the family by going to my grandparent's house while he got settled, then we would all pack up and move where he was.

Granner always made homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies. It is the homemade bread that brings me comfort (and inches on my waste I might add). She would bake 8 loaves every week, always kneaded by hand. The first loaf was cut open right down the middle while it was still so hot you had to hold it with a dish towel while you cut it. Any children in the house were allowed to dig out the middle of the loaf of bread, roll it in as much butter as they wanted and treasure each morsel. Granner then ate the crust. She always made us feel like she was taking the left over and giving us the best. It was not until I was an adult that I experienced the joy of a hot crust of homemade bread. She was getting the best part. But I digress.

There is no time or place in my life that fills me with more comfort, security, peace of mind and joy than the time I spent in Granner's kitchen where I learned to make bread by hand, kneading it in the large round bread pan, punching it down after the first rise, eating raw bread dough.

Granner's kitchen was red and white. It was so small, I don't know how she could stand it. The table was built in with a bench on 3 sides. If you got stuck in the back at the table and needed to get out before the meal was over, you had to crawl under the table.

The kitchen was small, the table inconvenient, but this we all knew, when we were at Granner and Gramp's house, we were loved.

Old Fashioned White Bread Recipe

3 packages yeast
3/4 C. warm water
1/2 C. sugar
2 T. salt
2 C. milk
1 C. shortening
1 1/4 C. water
2 eggs
10 -12 C. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 T. sugar in a small bowl. Warm milk and butter in a pan until the butter melts. Add water to cool to lukewarm. Add 2 beaten eggs and salt. In a large bowl have ready 10 C. of flour. Add milk mixture and yeast. Mix well, adding enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on a floured board about 10 minutes until smooth and satiny. Place dough in greased bowl, cover and set bowl in a warm place to rise until doubled.

After it has doubled punch it down and let it rise a second time.Divide dough into 4 pieces. Shape into loaves and place in 4 greased 9x5x3 inch bread pans. Let rise until doubled again. Place in oven to bake at 350°F. 35-40 minutes.

When bread is baked, if you tap on the top of the loaves it should sound hollow. Remove from pans immediately, brush the top with butter and cool on racks.

SPT Orange

When I was in the 6th grade someone told me that you can't wear orange on St. Patrick's day and that if you did you were gay. I dismissed that as something stupid, but those things tend to stay with you. Then in High school I had the cutest orange and black plaid dress, it was really full and I wore two crinolines under it with little jingle bells sewing on them. It was very kewl. As an adult, I was ready to say I had NOTHING orange in my closet and then I went to look, I have 3 things in my closet that or some shade of orange. None of them are designated for the month of October only. The lastest was a find at K-Mart, $1.50 I bought one in every color and orange happened to be one of them. Sorry, about the date, I keep forgetting to reset it. Notice the pink shirt in the background, that is my real color. I am a red/pink kind of gal.

SPT Getting Ready for Fall

When I had children at home and even when I had grandchildren in town, I decorated for holidays, things on the windows. Things by the door. Dishes full of treats. However, at this stage in my life having been there and done that on so many things, I find it just as pleasing to simply make my computer festive for the occasion. I have a feather boa of every color they make, so for fall, here ya go. My fall decorations.

SPT I've been meaning to do that for the longest time

My whole life I have hated to miss out on anything!!! I hate to leave the room because you will have fun when I leave. I hate to be sent to bed early because you will have fun as soon as I fall asleep. I hate to miss church because they will have the best sermon and the best music on the day I miss. I hate to be left out when someone has a party, they will surely have a good time without me.


My mother jokes (to my embarrasement) that when I was a little girl and we lived in Germany, no matter where we were you could find us by asking if anyone had seen the American family with the little girl who has her hands between her legs. She will then demonstrate what a little girl, needing to go to the bathroom, does.


Nothing has changed, I will put it off until I am miserable and when I finally give in, I am so glad to complete a task I have been meaning to do for the longest time.

When to Wash Your Hands. SPT

Ignore the date, the battery died on my camera. I need a pedicure! Don't you think washing your hands after handling your feet is a good choice here?

I personally wash my hands all the time. Since I was treated for HCV, I am a nut about it. Also, I work on computers and it is SO GROSS to work on someone's computer when the keyboard has enough food in it to feed the hungry and you can tell they never wash their hands because the keys are so filthy.

End of Summer Self Portrait--SPT

It's the end of summer and it's still hot and I have a scar on my neck and feet from having moles and warts removed and I haven't lost any weight because it has been too hot to move and we went a couple of weeks with an air conditioner that limped along and Tarzan got bit by a snake which put me into an ice cream eating frenzy and sleep deprivation. But now it is going to be fall soon and the weather will cool down and everything will be better.

I am a Geek not a Nerd (spt)

Expanding on Lelly's definition--

Geek: Someone who knows a lot about computers, but also has other interests about which she can converse, such as sky diving, grandchildren, crochet, cooking...

Nerd: Someone who can only talk about computers.

Am I a Geek? Yes, and proud of it (definitely not a nerd).

I asked my friend SteveE what makes me a Geek and he said, "He couldn't use that phrase because it has a negative connotation." He said, he thinks I am more of a "guru." I love computers. I love all parts of them except that I think printers are the devil. I teach computer classes "fabulously." (I am stealing that word from Amberly.)

Some times I wonder how we got along without computers, but then I wonder how we got along without microwaves, pens, cars, cell phones and Jolly Ranchers. Somethings are just meant to be. Computers are among the necessities of life.

On our trip to Germany, Lee and I both commented that we felt disconnected because we did not have access to a computer without going to the library.


Notice the Geeky stuff around me. There is a thumb drive in the laptop, and a pink document holder. What you can't see is the second computer on my desk, the headset for my phone, the headset for my computer, the wireless mouse and keyboard, the stack of CDs on my desk and the case I carry around with 3 more thumbdrives. Oh, yes, and I just went to Google Reader and subscribed to updates of all my favorite blogs.

Yup, I'm a Geek.

4th of July (SPT)

When I think of the 4th of July, I always think of my mother. Every year she opens her home in the mountains of northern Arizona to the entire family and their friends. We eat, go to parades, eat, play in the water, eat, go to rodeos, eat, watch the fire works, eat, watch movies, and eat some more. My husband once said when he goes to my Mom's house he just sits down in the recliner and opens his mouth and she puts food in it.

I wish I had pictures of all the crazy things we have done together. I would love to have a picture of all the moms and grandmas marching in a parade for the children because we missed the parade that year. We all had newspaper hats and various pieces of decoration as we marched and sang "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Another picture I wish I could share with you is the picture of my sister-in-law, Nan's, face the first time we had a chocolate sheet cake and one of us ate a piece out of the middle before it was cut and then everyone just sort of took a little here and a little their until it looked very unappetizing. She had never seen that before, it was totally unstructured fun.

And then there is the inevitable water play. Children of all ages in varying stages of dress, mud, dogs, water guns, buckets of water and lots of laughter.

The sad part is that as we all grow and our children get involved in other things, fewer and fewer of us are able to go and join in the fun. Every year some of us join with Mom, but it seems to be a different bunch every year. We hope to go this year for a weekend.

However, to finish this spt, I will tell you that we live on top of a hill with a 360 degree view of the Valley. We can see fireworks all over the place from east to west. We always have a dessert party at our house, open to anyone who knows about it. So, if you are in town, as soon as it begins to get dark, come on up and bring a dessert and enjoy the view. We will take your children up on the roof for the best view. They will love it. We will try to get some pictures and I will add them later.

God bless America.

Friends (SPT)

Having been raised in the Air Force, I have grown up with the mentality that you make friends while you are there and when you leave, you leave everything behind, including your friends. Consequently, I have 4 women who come to mind when I think of good friends (outside of my family). Becky, Connie, Gwen and RoseAnn. None of them are on the computer like I am, so our friendship must be sustained by letter and phone. I am terrible at that. However, every time I get together with one of them, it is like time never passed.

Okay, I have it all figured out--blogging friends only know the side of you that you want them to know. That makes these friendships kind of like being a grandparent. Why do grandchildren love their grandparents so much? Because we have no issues, we don't need to correct them, we don't need to monitor them, we just need to listen to them and love them and spoil them and send them home to reality. They only see the side of us that we want them to see.

But seriously, have you read Bryn's post today? http://thebestofdays.blogspot.com/2007/05/when-boys-are-away.html. This is who my truest friends are. I love my daughters and my daughter's-in-law. If I could spend a day doing just what I wanted to do, I would want to do it with them. They truly are best friends.

Mother's Day (SPT)

I did not have a normal childhood. My mother is crazy. Now, don't get the wrong idea, she is crazy in all the right ways. She is full of life, full of energy (even at 84), full of opinions, actively seeks education. She is a compassionate person giving the last she has to help someone who has less. So, why do I say she is crazy?

When I was in high school, she woke up one morning and decided we needed a day off in the middle of the week. She took my sister and I up in the mountains for the day. We didn't do anything spectacular or amazing, we just drove up into the mountains, had a picnic and took pictures of each other. I love those pictures (mom is the one beating her chest like Tarzan). Then she wrote an excuse for the Principal which my sister and I gleefully took to school the next day. When the Principal read the note, the sparks flew--the Principal just knew my sister and I had written the note and signed our mother's name, surely a mother would not just take her children out of school for no good cause. She had to go to the school and he had to apologize to us.

We have wonderful stories in our family about Mom with a broken leg, Mom with a bowl of moist candy in the living room, Mom leaving the car keys in Dad's pocket and how she got them back when he had flown off on a mission for the Air Force, Mom put in jail in Germany, Mom getting a speeding ticket for going 120 mph and refusing to pay, Mom stealing chickens from the Bishop, Mom with her toe caught in the bathtub faucet (oh wait, that was Lucille Ball).

Whatever, was going on in her life or ours she wanted to participate. I remember hurting her feelings one time because of her innocent exuberance to join in the fun. We were walking home from Church. There were three or four girls and my Mom. We were all talking about bleaching streaks in our hair and doing it for each other. Mom, said "I'll do it for you, Sandi." I said in the typical teenage voice, "Oh, not you." Immediately I could see she was hurt. I don't recall any more of what happened about that incident, but I do remember that my Mom bleached a spider in the front of my hair and I don't recall any of the other girls being allowed to do it.

Once Mom was in a shopping mall and she walked into a piano store. The salesman walked up to her and asked her if she would watch the store while he went to get some lunch. Caught off guard, she said "okay." When she retells the story she recounts how silly she felt standing there and that she can't figure out why she stayed. Luckily no one came in and soon the young man returned with his lunch in hand and she went on her way.

I can see my Mom when I was a little girl and we were traveling all over Europe in a little car with no air conditioning. She always wore a nylon dress (they dry fast when you sweat). She would roll the window down, pull her dress up around her knees, let the breeze from the window billow her dress, fan herself and start to sing. We learned every song she knew.

Mom taught me to love my elders and treat them right. She taught me to be honorable. She taught me to be kind, loving and forgiving. She taught me to love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She taught me to be creative. She gave me exuberance for life.

In fact, if I had to choose one word that described my Mom, I would choose exuberant. I love you Mom.

dieciséis de septiembre (cinco de mayo for real) (SPT)

Googled Cinco de Mayo (so I would be sure to post my first SPT properly) and found that it is much like St. Patrick's day. Celebrated in America but no so much in Ireland/Mexico. "A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day; Mexico's Independence Day is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish)." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo)

The discovery that it is simply a celebration for the sake of celebrating allows for this celebration. I bought the tickets to go to Germany for 12 days--June 2-14. Whoohoo!

This is a birthday present for my husband.



Did you know you have a golden birthday? It is the day when the age you turn is the same as the day in the month you were born. My golden birthday was December 31, 1977. When was yours?