Trying to figure out how to post from my phone.

D is for Dolls -- 1880's Victorian Paper Dolls

http://www.victorianornaments.com/Dresden%20pictures/MakeOrnament%20pix/3dollsheetlargeAcrobat.pdf

Wish I could show the picture...

Click on the link, print the page, cut out, fashion clothes, assemble and marvel that you took time away from your yicky dirty dishes, grocery buying/putting away/cooking, laundry washing, kid totting, podcast listening, FB reading/writing day to make something so lovely.

I've been cleaning up the entry way. Cleaning out the house. What a huge job. Found all sorts of important things that I've stashed away on those shelves since February. Lovely new discoveries.

More loud music and Boner of the Day (x96 radio) podcasts to help make it fun and get it (all) done.

A is for Art du Auto.

Recently while cleaning the van I came across this scene.

It is breathtaking in its completeness, elegance, range of textures and random silliness. Silly is a power word.

This image tells a story of the van, the children who ride in it, the grit of childhood -- o.k. perhaps that is going a little over the top...

M (5) loves to undress her dolls--now she is just starting to dress them. I'm not sure if Barbie's negligee is intentional or not.

The composition struck me. Not one item was unnecessary.

Chores? Plan? Organized routine?

• Sunday: Journal, meal planning, couple & family council, personal study

• Monday: Clean bathrooms, water plants

• Tuesday: Create shopping list

• Wednesday: Mend, clean stove and microwave

• Thursday: Sweep and mop all hard floor surfaces

• Friday: Balance checkbook, dust

• Saturday: Vacuum, clean cars

Found the above at a sickening blog via Googling: family fun daily chores... I've had the slip of paper for ages and just finally looked it up. The post is from 2007 -- Vanilla something.

My children do things, just not really chores. I've tried. They are nice sweet young people. Our house is kinda messy, but clean. That is all ok. As I have more time at home, not homeschooling or running people about to 5 differnet schools and not digging out from under business/family/personal papers the house is getting neater and tidier. In the meantime my therapist Vanda visits every other week, with a crew, and washes everything down.

My recent favorite is listening to Radio From Hell x96's podcast of the Boner of the Day. I recommend passing out laughing while washing the dishes, or sorting laundry.

S is for Sale.

Lovely very recently reupholstered funky love-seat sofa

$900. 00

Antique child's school desk

$30.00

Leather chair, from Evan's Gatehouse 2008, with storage ottoman

$500.00

C is for Cochlear Camp.

That's our M! On the front page of Logan's Herald Journal!

Read all about it here!

L is for Landing.

Made this pen and gave it to C's scout leader who was in the hospital. I keep visiting the craft outlet for more birds but Noelle probably beat me to them! Sigh.

√ = LANDED/DONE. Marie Ricks says that projects have 3 parts: Launching, Doing and LANDING. Most people forget to land. They make a list, go to the grocery store and then don't get around to putting all the groceries away, all the way. {I'm guilty.} Since I finished the tops of the iSpy quilts I have been concentrating on Landing all the unfinished, uncleaned up piles around this house -- creative & business relics. Soon I hope to remove the Project List on the sidebar. Summer is a great time to Land.

√ Fix huge pile of clothes on chair. Marie Ricks says this is a good evening project: wind down/boring. Don't waste good daytime hours.

√ I Spy quilts for SKJNM. Assemble.

√ The New bathtub is ordered and installed, well, almost installed. Need to order a tub filler.

√ Garden tilled

[] Garden 100% planted

√ Home-y garden for a Gnomie planted. Used clay remnants &

√ Bunny pen! Complete with lovely new floppy eared Coco, seen here with M & M, her adorable KV friend. Thanks C! It is perfect!

[] Photo albums!

√ Clean/organize up toys/fabric/quilt scraps in guest room, music room, dining room. Oh please, just make them "tidy."

[] Clean up toys, guest room, music room, dining room. Does this kind of job ever land?

[] Studio, make it work. Work in it.

[] Clean up & USE clay area. Magnet board stands, more small sculptures. Play.

√ M's Stick Horse!!! Her's is the one with the big white mane. Each child has one and there is one for a friend, made by a friend.

√ Messed with some BEEs! (reference to favorite movie the Point) We have a lovely bee hive. Now I have to land registering with the state.

F is for Fed-up with Frustrating Facebook/LoTD blog links ...

This is a test -- to see if a new post shows up on Facebook. 

It would be lovely to write in my blog  for a more select few...

It would also be lovely to print it ... on paper. ?!

Last Day of School

J sings a song... I'll add that once the bum wakes up. It is the last day of "home school" as well.
Jules thinks home school was the right thing to do. Me? I'm not so sure. Home school works if ALL the children are at home. That means NO ONE has parent teacher conferences, no one has field trips, projects etc. that take the home school's teacher and principal away all the time.

The above is a multi-armed elephant that K did for his Spanish ? class. Also is his LATE note. I will miss Linda, in the front office. She has a file of my notes. I have fun with glitter and markers...

I is for I like Ice & I love hand lettering.

I'm jealous of the artist that painted this sign!

From our last trip to CA ... Elko? Winnemucca? Lovelock?

N is for N is 8 = Painting by Lee Bennion!

Latest news: Lee is working on N's painting. Can't wait to see it. He loved sitting for her! LOVES attention.

Q is for Quote, for S's iPod.

NEW iPod Quipps: [28 May 2009]
I am that I am
See Stop.
Let it be. Let it go. <-- Nah, that sounds like she holds a grudge.

Happy Birthday S! xxooxx

Be grateful

Be smart

Be involved

Be clean

Be true

Be positive

Be humble

Be still

Be prayerful

President Hinkley

Eat more escargot?

Sing more!

Eat cake! Especially Stephanie's!

Be grateful.

Keep being smart and fun and a hard worker!

Wednesday was S's 17th birthday! Wow oh Wow. She is so marvelous! Too marvelous for words, so glamorous, so amorous! -- I should write a song about her! :)

On Monday J and I went though all sorts of machinations to get to SLC to buy an iPod for her. (If you turn in an old iPod, at the Apple Store, even a yellow one that "suffered water damage" (Hmmm, was it the washer/dryer treatment by an 11 year old?), they give you a 10% discount on a new one.) Here is what we found:

Bummer. Closed for REMODELING?! It will reopen May 29th.

Now we are going to order one online, where we can have it engraved for free! Free! (Ha.)

Trying to find the right short quote...

Let go. Go on.

Make Peace.

Increase peace.

Dwell in possibilities. Emily Dickinson. [?]

Dream with your eyes open.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~~ e.e. cummings

a poem

Read this on Writer's Almanac
Leisure
by William Henry Davies

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

o is for o wow.

• clothes washer broke. 13+ gallons of water on the floor, again. SOAKING clothes, on the floor. C put them on the clothes line (now up) and they froze.
• the fix-it man fixed the dryer door too.
• s left at 4:45 this morning for CA. i'm already missing her.
• on the way home got a flat -- found out on the driveway. C replaced it. {Hero award is at the shop too, will be back soon)
• subaru needed fixin' and pickin' upin' -- a mysterios metal bar was hanging of of it. Thanks Terrific Uncle Doug for the car collection tour! wow o wow.
• worked in the garden. our yard is waaaaay too big.
• cello A string went north.
• s's shoe broke, in the shoe shop. her shirt had a hole. her vest had a hole in the back. it apears she chipped her front tooth?
• ever have one of those seasons where all sorts of things go bonkers at once?
--> Yes, as a mattter of fact my life is a comic strip.

Bunny Duet

J is for Jealous of Rob Ryan's art.

Oooh. I'm jealous. Man, oh man I wish I had created this. The book is available via Chronicle Books.

This world is full of artists, craftspeople, athletes. Everyone is one.

Y is for Yum! Strawberry Shortcake

Chocolate Shortcakes with Strawberries, or other Fresh Fruit

Preheat oven to 400ºf. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper

Prepare lots of strawberries by washing, cutting into quarters and gently cover with about 1/2 cup sugar (not too much). Allow strawberries to macerate in the sugar and the water.

Combine in a large bowl and then whisk to blend.
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add:
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter,
cut into 1/2-inch cubes

When mixture resembles coarse meal, mix in:
about 1/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl beat together:
1/2 cup chilled whole milk
1 large egg

Gradually add milk mixture to dry ingredients, tossing until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently knead 5 turns to combine. Be careful not to over mix or else dough will be tough.

The short cake can be served as one large and dramatic cake or as smaller individual ones. To make smaller cakes gently shape into 8-inch-long log. Cut log crosswise into 8 rounds; shape each into 2 1/2 x 3/4 inch round. Arrange rounds on prepared baking sheet.

Bake biscuits until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack

Cut warm biscuits horizontally in half. Place bottom halves in shallow bowls. Spoon strawberry mixture in middle and spoon cream over. Cover with biscuit tops. Also very pretty with a little powdered sugar on top (skip the cream).