Big Blue

Isn't it gorgeous? I can't get enough of these photos. Every time I see them I go right back to that beautiful cove, Laupahoehoe Point on the big island. I see my daughters, plumeria over their ears, standing on the black volcanic rock that guards the shore. I can smell the salt in the air, I can feel the coolness of the day. I can hear the sounds of the crashing waves and the chatter of my girls as they explore and exclaim their excitement and gratitude for being there. It was the perfect moment.

New Blog News! Get in on the Conversation!

O.k. folks, listen up! The Hygienist has a new blog up:
I love smiling! Smilings my favorite!

It's filled with all kinds of great information on daily oral health. I know I know, but hey can't we all brush up on new things? I found out something new...I am sorely lacking in the rinse department, ack! Noted and changed! (feeling rather embarrassed right now)

She'll be discussing all things dental! Well as they pertain to her specialty: hygiene. Got a question, ask away! She's a smart cookie and can probably give you an answer. Do you wonder about this or that, why does the dentist have to do this? or why does my hygienist want to do that? She can explain it. So go on and click away! It's painless and free! When have you ever heard of that at the dentist?

Now we can all have that great smile we've always wanted!

adventures in sewing!

The previous green curtains were atrocious! We found a discount fabric store and searched for bargains. We found too many fabrics we wanted but let the budget make the final decision.

For $3.oo a yard, #5 loved this crinkly semi sheer, at 52 wide, it was a deal and a half! We decided that if we placed the fabric on the horizon rather than it's intended vertical we could get away with about 1/3 the fabric! Too add length and interest she picked out another piece of lightweight, but darker and with a bit of texture fabric at $4.99 per yard. One yard was all we needed. The base fabric is a deep brown with black circles randomly placed all over...really cool!

She wanted to tie the curtains up with pearls, chains, ribbons and whatever else she could find, so I added button holes to the top. Clipped to the cafe rings and between she and the best friend they looked so much better than what she had before. Also, even with the semi sheer weight, they are opaque enough to provide much needed privacy from the neighbors!

Just a reminder of the loveliness that was their love seat! E-gads! We shopped Craigs list and couldn't find a sofa any cleaner or the appropriate size...well actually we did, but the $50.00 they wanted for it was ridiculous! We found a second sofa, but it was in another city, weighed about 345 lbs. and in addition to the $15.00 price tag they wanted another $20.00 for delivery. um no.

So while we were at the fabric store we found a mushroom gray upholstery fabric for (get this!) $2.00 a yard! For $20, we had a nearly new piece of furniture! Can you believe it's the same couch? The small rug was a miracle find at $10.00 and with the exact mushroom, brown and beige we needed! Whoo hoo!
So there you have it. The 5 day transformation!

accessories from a thrift store!

When it comes down to it, you need a place to put your feet up at the end of the day. We went in search of accessories at the local thrift stores and this is what we came up with:

2 pressed tin flower pots, turned up side down and glued (with tub caulking) to the underside of a cupboard door for a sofa table. All recycled, the pots from mom's house, the cupboard $1.00 from the Habitat For Humanity thrift in Provo. The small fish bowl (so long "Soup" we knew and loved thee well!) is filled with button cast offs.

An architectural fleur de lis adds a touch of sparkle on top of the deep brown book case. Recycled from mom.

$1.00 each buys empty frames, mirrors. A few personal photos along side a $3.00 shelf, all from Deseret Industries, Provo. (-except photos, they were gifts from a friend.)

A collection of vintage suitcases and a complete bowling bag! The suitcases were $3.00 a piece as was the bowling bag, shoes and ball inscribed with "Brownie". The suitcases and bowling bag act as a catch all by the door, the shoes and ball are accessories in the book cases. Look for them in the photos!

Doesn't everyone have one of these funky flower vases from the florist? She filled hers with more buttons and set it beside a rusted metal basket found at Urban Renewal in St. George for $5.00.

$1.50 for three antique bottles, a small paper mache globe, black with light tan lines and markings, a small silver tray, $2.00 and arranging books by colour on the shelves. (Notice the bowling ball in the right corner on the floor?)

Very difficult to see in the photo, but on top of the left book case is a pendant, a small painted piece of glass with the Eiffel Tower and "Paris!" written in script. On the other shelf are her bowling shoes, a small ceramic vase, and on top a glass bowl (recycled from mom) filled a new unnamed as yet fish, and the fleur de lis.

recycle!

#5 is an English Major with a French minor. Between you and me, she is a book snob. She has particular tastes and anyone who reads "fluff" just make her crazy. Part of her education required her to study "Romanticism" -which she abhors. She would rather sit through a Lawrence Welk revival than to ever have to read and or discuss romantic poetry again.

When I saw the state of one of her bookcases (wobbly!) I thought the best thing to do would be to try to somehow secure it. Limited tools and finances led me to recycle! She handed me a stack of poetry books and there you go! I started the project without her knowledge and got one side completely done before she came home and discovered my creative side. We needed to leave and gather some other things before the stores closed, so her best friend said she would stay behind and work on the book case. She had it almost finished by the time we got back home! I love the way it turned out, it was really cool and for an English major, well, what more could she want than book shelves full of words?

Thanks D! What a great friend!

Click on the photos for a closer look!

the Art

#5 loves contemporary and abstract art. She found some pieces that spoke to her and asked her best friend who was also visiting and myself if we would join her in making some art for the walls in the living room. The walls as shown in the post prior, were empty. The only art in the house was a poster print of Jesus and another of a temple, both green from too much sun exposer, one placed in the kitchen and the other in the hallway.

The first photo is #5's first attempt at painting. She was disappointed in it, although I really liked it. To me, it seemed somewhat cosmic and it makes me want to look at it for a while to see all the things moving in it. I liked it and so did the other girls in the house, so we talked her into keeping it and putting it up.

The second one is an abstract of the First Vision. She wanted something religious in the way of a painting, so this is what I came up with.

The third painting is just another abstract using a combination of elements that were in some of the other pieces we were doing. I wasn't sure she would like this, as I did it while she was working. Turns out she thought it was great. Who knew?

This fourth one turned out to be her favourite however, again, I wasn't sure she would like it at all. Later on I will explain how we changed/recycled/converted an old bookcase with poetry books, but with that in mind I made this collage using pieces from the books she had and also a bit of paint, a photograph from National Geographic, and ink. The quote on the base says: "de gustibus non est disputandum" or " there is no accounting for taste" in Latin, which she thought was hilarious.

The next one is based with text poetry from the books, with small pieces flying up and away into the light stream. This one got approval as well. I guess I should say there was one painting that needed to be reworked to make the cut, I thought so as well, and also one painting (ugh, that I neglected to photograph!) that she chose to hang in her room instead of the living area.

The last one was done by her best friend. It's a copy from one of #5's favourite artists, and although I do not know the artist's name the title of the painting was "Temple". Her best friend took almost two entire days copying this to almost perfection. I am sure the artist would be hugely flattered. It was amazingly close.

Before

yikes. This is what I have been up to the past week. Seems #5 needed some changes in her life. Part of those changes meant dealing with a less than responsive (or responsible for that matter) landlord and manager for the small BY-U approved housing. Took a bit of doing but I think we are making some head way.

Then there was the matter of the condition of the interiors. Not being allowed to paint over the dead flat bright hospital white walls that have been neglected (for several years by the look of them), we opted for the things we could change.

This first photo is of the front door as you face the street. Note that the t.v. is placed on a dresser. Normally I would think, "O.k. clever. We can use the dresser as extra storage and as a t.v stand." Alas, no. This dresser has been held together by unknown forces for far too long! The drawer fronts actually just balance on their frames, one small move and the whole front falls off! (The collection of odds and ends on the floor were my fault...thrift store bargains, more on them later)

This second photo shows the lovely thin to thread bare curtains, broken windows that cannot be secured and are directly in line with the drive way and walk way access to the back house. Neighbors, the mailman, and any visitors have a direct view into the house at any time of the day! How convenient! It also shows the best of the two couches, this one actually a love seat with holes in the seats, thus the yellow sheet, which as most throws or slip covers has a tendency to shift during use. Note the small foot stool. There are two of these, I think they are cast offs from a glider rocker, as they both glide. The good thing is they are surprisingly comfortable, the height is good and the cushion is bearable. Behind the love seat are two book cases. The one on the right holds two of the girls' dvd collections and on the base shelf, one gal's nursing books. The other shelf on the left houses #5's books, well some of her books. That book case it also very wobbly and whenever you remove a book the entire shelf lists one way or the other and you need to steady it, lest it collapse in a heap. There is a "Medusa" lamp, which the girls bought together because there was no lighting in the house prior to the purchase. They didn't really like it, but for $20.00 it was a deal. In the left corner, not shown, is another bookcase #5 brought with her, also filled to the brim with her books; and a hanging wind chime that belongs to her roommate... the one thing said roommate insisted stay exactly where it is, all else we could do what we would.

The third photo shows what I dubbed the SLC Airport couch. It had a very firm (read hard) and very shallow seat and all it was lacking was baggage claim and/or the pleather roping to guide you to your terminal. That was our beginning.

The last photo is one final look at the love seat for later comparison. We decided something had to be done about the seating in this house. No one ever sat on the Airport couch because of it's complete lack of comfort, so the girls dismantled it and stored it inside a hall closet.

Can I buy a vowel?

I have been busy lately. But I took some time to make something for a new baby girl. The letters in the photo will help to spell out the new little girl's name in coordinating colours and patterns used in the crib bedding.

I purchased the letters in raw wood form, spray painted an acrylic base and then used acrylic paints to make the small designs.

White, beige, tan, pink, and a very light celery green painted with florets and "lace" with textured details and a bit of glitter. Eventually they will hang from pink satin ribbons and compliment the French Country look of her nursery.

Love on the rocks...

Do you see it? Yup, right there in the middle... a rounded heart! Interestingly enough, but even more so when it is surrounded by the frozen water of the Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.

Thor and I took a QUICK trip up to the BY-U to visit with #5. While we were there we took the mandatory pilgrimage to the canyon. This time of year it was a mix of frozen and liquid water, depending on the time of day and where the sun was hitting. Really fantastic!

"We can help, but YOU have to make the call..."

Ahh, kids. Back in the day I would gather up all of my 5, and a couple of other kids, and we'd pile into the minivan and head out for school every morning. I was the Kool-Ade Mom on the block, so I got a lot of kids hanging out at the house both before and after school. I loved that.

This was the day before law required seat belts. Yes there used to be a havoc in the streets and people just threw their offspring haphazardly into the back of whatever vehicle they owned and off they went. Let me tell you, a kid understood the laws of physics much faster back then.

We had the first Caravan off the line! It looked like a small white refrigerator on four wheels. Yeah, we were stylin'! We had bucket seats in front a 3 passenger bench seat in the middle, which did have a baby car seat, and the third row consisted of two folding lawn chairs. Heck, those third seats were EXPENSIVE! Ingenuity! Thor went down to Thrifty's and picked up to lawn chairs for a total of $12. When the kids complained about not having a seat belt, Thor took two of his old belts and wove them between the plastic webbing and TA-DA! seat belts! It was really fun to watch the boys tip over when you took a turn a little fast...they loved that. (You should have seen the face plants when you had to brake fast!)

The morning routine was:
1.Everyone in the neighborhood who needs a ride to school meet at the house.
2. Have neighborhood prayer. (It used to be just family prayer, but the kids began to protest so that circle on the living room floor got rather big.)
3. Everyone pile in the car. Leave the car seat for the youngest; and find a seat, or just stand, whatever... it's only 6 or 7 blocks.
4. Grab my hot chocolate travel mug.
5. DRIVE!
6. Unload everybody and their duck.
7. Drive home.
8. Do this all again in reverse at 2.

One Wednesday, (I know it was Wednesday, because in our house each kid was assigned a day. This part of the story is about #3, and the third day is Wednesday...see how this all works out?) Anywho, #3 is in the front seat crying as we leave. Everything went well until we start to pull out of the drive and she just began crying....hard.

I inquire to her distress and she burst out with, "YOU NEED HELP MOM! I LOVE YOU, BUT YOU NEED HELP!" I am even more curious so I ask why I need help? "BECAUSE YOU DRINK AND DRIVE ---EVERYDAY! AND NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO DRINK AND DRIVE!" I tried (not to laugh) to calm her down and she begins telling me that "there are hot-lines" and that I "am not alone", and that "there are people who can help " me, but that I "have to make the first step". "And while we're talking about it, THE BABY NEEDS HELP TOO! SHE ALSO HAS A DRINKING PROBLEM!" and the crying reaches an almost fever pitch. She is completely undone.

Now, in the back seat and the lawn chairs, other children are beginning to come undone also, only with laughter, which doesn't help the situation up front.

I finish the drive to school and drop off the minions but keep back screaming Mimi. I try to calm her down. She finally gets to a point where she is sounding more and more like Mary Richards, with a very high pitched staccato voice. "The. Ba. AY. BEeeee. Has. A. Drink. Ink. Ing. Prob. Lem!" (Oh Mr. Grant!) "Ev. REeee. Time. She. Drink. Inks. She. E. SPIIILLLLS!"

After a long talk I convince her we'll get the help we need; and resolve to never allow her to watch t.v. again.

I am sad to report, that after all these years, I still drink and drive.

Saturday, in the house....

The house is quiet. Thor got up early to accomplish his duty cleaning the church building. every third month we get an three week assignment: High Priests, then R.S., then Y.M./Y.W. It stinks living where one has multiple callings! lol. S'mee is ditching this week due to still having the lower left quadrant owies.

I can hear the snore of #2 on my couch. He spent the night after visiting well into the night with us and #3. His wife and the baby boy are on a small Aunt J. funded vacation (daddy had to stay home and keep working, : I ) and expected home Monday. Until then we get phone calls that begin with giggles, a sigh, and then a hello to whomever picked up the phone. Short visit with the baby boy, who informed gramma yesterday he "wen swimmmming with mommy an shopping an swimmmming!" He likes the water, it's a genetic thing. They were headed out to the Farmer's Market and then the State Fair. #2 informed us last night that "mommy" was licked by a llama and booted in the tuchus by a friendly and amorous goat. "Mommy" wasn't too keen on the affections, but baby boy thought it was a hoot (as did Auntie J.).

As he is want to do, #2 sprung another "While You Were Out..." (Last year he organized such an "episode for S'mee and Thor, repainting the house exterior and laying wood flooring while we picked up #3 from her mission.) This time he is surprising "mommy and baby" with a back yard redo. The dirt slope that used to be is now level and a retaining wall has been set in. This enabled #2 to lay sod and place a small wood patio for a barbecue. Today, to finish the project, a small exercise trampoline will be placed at ground level, a small 4'x4' sand box installed to keep baby boy happy (but mostly to give mommy a break; providing b-b a place to play while she "gets things done" without constant interruptions.) Mommy will be most happy to have a place to read while baby boy covers himself with outside dirt and grass. A three ring rubber pool will also be purchased this morning in an effort to pacify baby boy of his water requirements, and to cool off mommy when/if possible. All this being accomplished in an apartment back yard! You gotta love that man.

#3 is still asleep after a late night. She went and saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". (movie review later) She had a great week. It started off by taking her sissy, #5, back to the BY-U on Monday. The move from first apt. to 2nd was canceled because she moved during the week. Cousins were involved and a good time was had by all. Anywho, The drive was fun and without having to move they were able to do fun stuff sisters do. One being a Jack Johnson concert.

AP:UPDATE: Tuesday evening, 10-ish, Phone rings. There is no reply to "hello" other than the sounds of "woooowhooo!" and Jack Johnson singing in the background. S'mee listens for the entire rendition of "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" and then realizes that off spring are returning in favor what they have learned from their parents knee (or at least telephones): "When having as much fun as possible, call the family and brag that you are there and they are not. As in, "Hey! We just thought we'd call and tell you we are standing on the beach and ....." or "Hey! We just thought we'd call and tell you what the glacier looks like....". Thor and each of the siblings were treated to a song, pretty cool!

Two being that her school of choice called (not only her work but) her cell phone to tell her she was in! Oh joy, oh rapture! The only down side was the cost of said school, about 50k. But then Thor rationalizes that he has seen several kids that drive around in the cars with the wheels and paint jobs that add up quite nicely. In five or six years those cars will be junk or at least devalued and if #3 gets into a 50k debt with school loans, at least it will be for an education; something that will last and increase in value over time. So she is ready to dive in.

That's it for the Saturday morning report. All is well in the S'mee household. Life is good. : )

It's a cruel, cruel summer....

Yeeeowwwch! Did you feel that growing pain? (That's gonna leave a mark.)

After working her first job, #5 has learned a few things. Taxes aren't fun. "Training" and work is fun, but being paid less for the same work is not. "Bosses" fudge, stretch the truth, or otherwise flat out lie to you so that they appear to be your advocate when in reality they are just trying to get the best deal for the(ir) business, too bad you got the not so truthful end of the deal. There are no 40 hour a week - even during the summer- minimum wage jobs in Utah. There are no such things as promises from management. Good luck getting 20, those ahead of you will be grabbing all the hours they can because they have already learned these truths. Paying for a uniform can reduce one's earnings to a check that is embarrassing to cash: one penny. After you work next week for the same "training" pay scale, "the rest of your uniform monies will be taken out", thus a huge possibility of you receiving another embarrassing check. (There is a reason everyone has worked for this company and now does not.)

She has also learned that girls who have parents who pay their bills have no idea how much their bills are, they "just send the check to Dad and he takes care of it... your share is on the table..." and then they forget all about it. Thus the inquiries on said bills before signing on is about $80.00 more than anticipated. Living in the basement, your room gets neither heat nor cooling due to the layout of the venting situation. So when it gets warm enough up stairs they shut it off before you get it and the same is true for cooling. Whether or not you want cable or will use it, you will be charged for it; even when we asked you if you did or did not need cable and told you it was o.k. that you didn't and would be excluded from the agreement.

The really good friends who share the room above you aren't really that good of friends and now you know why they say "good roomies are hard to find". You have become the sounding board.

Life as a grown up is different than anticipated. (But still fun.)

(Let's hope that second job working for the MTC is a tad better. Or at least a more true picture of what the management painted prior to hiring.)

Who says teenagers are bad these days?

Today my #5 came home absolutely exhilarated from school. It seems a random group of her friends and acquaintances conspired with each other and decided that today was "National #5 Appreciation Day!" When she arrived at school a small group met her at her first class with a bouquet of mixed flowers and hugs with the above celebratory reason. As she proceeded from class to class teachers chimed in and announced to each class that #5 was being celebrated and appreciated. (Two of her teachers added other positive remarks - which lately- she really needed to hear) She exclaimed that other kids in the hall also would shout accolades and "yo!" and she felt quite loved by the end of the day. So tonight we party!

What's on the menu? Well prior to knowing we are entertaining -Gramma's Goulash is in the making. We are preparing a salad so that when her guests arrive later this evening they can munch on choices of Euro greens with almonds, craisins, and apples with a balsamic vinaigrette; fresh citrus salad ala Aunt Chronicler; fresh strawberries and blue berries; Aunt H's famous baked cream cheese cake; and "maybe some popcorn". (I still make it on the stove, which none of these kids knew you could do until they came over - progress!) An odd snack menu at best, but hey, it's not totally without merit considering it is feeding teenagers with the munchies.