Smart Instincts on Not Purchasing the Class Picture

I really wanted a class picture of Becket's kindergarten class and I was bummed to learn that it was only in the yearbook that I would have to buy. Instead, I took a peek at my neighbor's yearbook and found that coveted class picture:


Good thing I didn't buy the class picture!

In Memory of Kathy (The Lady of Santa Clara Parkway)

I can't seem to wrap my mind around the passing away of my neighbor. We were neighbors in Santa Clara for 13+ years before I got married and left home for college. Her passing was sudden and it has heavily consumed my thoughts ever since I learned about it Saturday.

When my family moved to Utah, I was a little back woodsy, tom boyish, scruffy-looking, and not at all as fine tuned as Kathy's daughters. Living by the New Mexico Reservations, I knew no other environment or way of life. I really felt my family had moved up in the world when we moved to Santa Clara and that is where I started to observe Kathy.

I would go over to play with her daughters frequently since my age was conveniently sandwiched in between her two daughters. I started to notice things that I liked about her house and mostly the feeling in her house. I liked her fresh vacuumed triangles in her pale blue carpet in the front living room. At one point, I asked her how she got her carpet to look like that and she said she vacuumed everyday. Vacuumed everyday? I don't vacuum everyday, but I do know how to get nice triangles in my carpet and I think of her every time I do it.

At Christmastime, she made a big homemade gingerbread house at the beginning of the month of December. It sat on her end table as you walked up the stairs to the left. As I would go over to play, I would notice the gingerbread house slowly disappearing. I didn't understand why you would want to destroy a beautiful work of baking art. I now make a big homemade gingerbread house not only for our family, but for each of my kids. We don't eat it throughout the month of December because I like the neat look of them to last the whole month, but I think of her diminished gingerbread house every time I spend hours making them.

On Easter, she taught me how to dye Easter eggs like the pioneers using beet roots and grass. The eggs were so pretty and simple. In fact, this year I was looking for homemade dyes to make for my kids, but when it came down to it, the cost was much more than the $1.89 Paas dye. I opted for that, but I thought of her before I put the Paas in my cart.

I am sorry I can't be there to honor you. I hope this is some way that I can say thank you. Thank you for fine tuning me and letting me observe you. Your house was safe, calm, and clean. You were safe, calm, and pure. You will always be the Lady of Santa Clara Parkway.

Henry Fonda is pleased to announce his marriage to Susan Sarandon

Inspired by Kelli, I decided my productive Sunday afternoon would involve me morphing my pictures into celebs.

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

In another photo I matched Beyonce Knowles. Take your pick Henry.

And their children:

I always thought he would have made a pretty girl

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family search - Pedigree

PS If you have ever wondered if your child looks like you or your husband, there is a look alike meter. You plug in a picture of you, your husband, and the child and it will scan the faces and telll you. Interesting but depending on the picture you could get different results.

Here

Now that I have completely wasted away my Sunday afternoon on trivial stuff, I better get productive, fo real!

The Weekend Top Ten

We made a visit to Columbus to visit the other Harrises and to attend the youngest member of our family's baby blessing. Here's a peek of the top ten.

10) North Market in downtown Columbus offers a lot of markety eats. From mango and lavender ice cream to Mediterranean food.







Pointing out the chicken feet behind the glass case. Becket: "People eat these?" Mic: "Yup. So don't complain about my food!"



The pure meditative state you fall into when you watch some one spread a crepe. It's like watching a fire burn.



9) The sugar crusted Belgian Waffle with strawberries, mangoes and cream. Mat's carefully caressing it in the palm of his hand.



8) You get to sit at the bar with THE COUSINS and you have it all to yourself.



7) Watching Sequoia climb further then the rest of 6 and under and then waiting 20 minutes for her to make the frightening plunge down. Special thanks to rock climber guy standing next to us for letting us borrow your rope to go fetch her.





This is Gretchen attempting a whole 2ft on the rock wall and then freezing



6) Being able to play in the mud while the parents aren't watching



That isn't what it looks like folks, it's mud.


5) Checking out Mat's calves while he climbs.



4) The tramp with THE COUSINS. FYI, THE COUSINS don't have names they are just known as THE COUSINS.



3) The weenie roast. Surprisingly, no one was burned, poked, or lit on fire.





2) Getting to hang out with this lady a little longer


2 1/2) A bike ride on my smooth like butta bike


The electronics on our bike ride calculated our every pedal. I love that my husband is a geeky wiz, and I'm more interested in smelling the flowers and taking mental images of the barns.



1) And Miss Ruby Ann of course (photo taken by Mat). I enjoyed holding her and I made sure I held her frequently to be sure I shouldn't have another one. And, it was confirmed, we are happy with our three.

Because our camera is out for the holidays...

Wispy:



Bubbly:



Silly:



Crazy:



Excitedly:



Continuously:



Grotesquely:



Uniquely:



Our Family:



Now sleepy:



Happy Easter.

Happenings on Hopscotch

This is an older post on Hopscotch, but it was touching so I thought I would share.  It meant me even more to me when I found out that it was my sister-in-law telling the story. (Also, check out my mother-in-law on today's post, she got featured today on Hopscotch) Remember, anyone can submit.  If you've got a story, tell it. These stories make me laugh and sometimes inspire me. Click the link below.

Wonder(ful) Women

Hee, Hee, Just Foolin' Around

It's Spring Break in the home of Harris and we have had a lovely time doing what we do. Tuesday was wear your most comfy clothes day, yesterday was chocolate for breakfast day and Superheros in the park day. Today is stay in our jammies until noon day and our beloved practical joke day, which I'm sure it is for many of you.

We decorated eggs for starters, fun!



Micah's practical joke, dump the dye down herself, and then her stool, and then the wall, and then the cupboards, and then the floor, and then the grooves of the floor. Ha, ha, very funny.



On with the practical jokes, we did the classic JUST MARRIED sign on the trunk to our out of town neighbors. Easy and rather boring, but it works.



My troops in training came up with this joke to pull on their friends. I call it "Bunnies Multiplied." A little novice, but funny to jokesters under the age of 6.



Then I took the troops to Dad's work. I decided to decorate his bike as if he were a pizza delivery guy. I was going to tape the tacky sign on his bike with a small cardboard box for tips. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, I missed him by seconds as he took off for surgery and it was almost as if this joke was meant to happen, except, I couldn't find his bike. I had seven different secretaries helping me look for it. They were eager and cute. That's the spirit secretaries! NO BIKE. I waited until the resident's got out of lecture to ask them and still NO BIKE. Harris hid it well so I taped the sign and tip box up by his desk and took off. Minutes later,REALLY, I just missed him by a hare! (No Easter pun intended) I get a text reading "Good thing I hid my bike so well!" Boiled and foiled, I decided that this was not over. I found his bike--it was on the other bike rack in front of the hospital, you know, the one that I didn't walk over that far to look? And, I did this:





I personally like this one a little better than the pizza delivery. I said to Mat yesterday how I wanted a basket on my bike to carry my groceries in. His reply, "YOU ARE NOT PUTTING A BASKET ON YOUR ROAD BIKE. It'll look stupid." Stupid schmoopid! I'm not talking a frilly basket, just something practical and efficient. Well, well, look who's sporting a basket on his bike now! I like your colored eggs!