summer fun

My niece is visiting this week. Of course we are doing all sorts of fun things while she is here.

mugging for the camera

Yesterday we took a trip to White Sands. The smoke from the Gila fires had made the day quite hazy, but by the time we headed over the pass, it had mostly moved to the north of us. We found a dune for the girls to sled down.

No one mess up my sledding track!

Raine really got into the sand...

Mom, where are my legs?

...Ron did some exploring...

Hello!

...and fun was had by all. I even made it to the top of the dune! The late afternoon was lovely, and peaceful. The kids played and filled their clothes and hair with white sand. Just like they are supposed to. They came home to showers and bed and restful sleep. Lovely day!

it is finally done

School is over for the season. Top of my to-do list at the moment? Enjoy summer!

This week, that means driving up to Truth or Consequences and picking up my niece for a week or so. We'll be having some summer adventures together, like White Sands, the Space Museum, swimming, bowling and game night. Of course I'll sew some for her, and for Raine too. I've several things for Raine all cut out and taunting me with their ready-to-sew-ness.

Oh, sure, there are some chores to tackle as well, and while I may not enjoy doing the chore, per se, I DO enjoy the effects of having the chore done. Even if that means I have to do it myself. *clap-clap Where is my staff?!?!?

my imagination is overactive

...or my printer talks to me.

The one at school, the little HP from I dunno, 10 years ago or so? It just keeps chugging along. And talking to me while it works. Don't judge.

Usually it says Muad-Dib (I probably spelled it wrong) like the character from Frank Herbert's Dune. A fine book, by the way. Today it must have been happy that the school year is almost over, because it was singing a different song. A song with the words Oompa Loompa in it.

I say if your imagination is playing with you, play along.

new direction? new purpose

I suppose if you read this, you've probably noticed that there hasn't been much here this month. Oh, I have the usual end-of-school-year stresses, and some unpleasantness at work that is best (for professional reasons) not shared here. Not that I think anyone would look here, but, you know, it's a public forum, and so we keep our professional manners. Yeah.

Really, though, that hasn't been the reason for not writing. Every evening, I check out those blogs I like to read, think about adding more, or checking out recommendations, and then, when it comes time to click on the "new post"  button, I just don't.

I'm thinking. Thinking about the writing, and the what I want out of it, and the purpose for doing it so other people can see... even if not that many people care about seeing. I'm getting to a new point in the writing. Growing is good, but there are choices to be made, and agonized over, evidently. I'm on that brink of making some connections, and I like it, but.... I'm shy. Well, that isn't it, exactly, but it is the essential translation. Do I have enough to say? Are there people who will care what I have to say? Who will join the conversation? Do I even want to know what all of them will say?

I should plan! I should have something to say ALL the time. Something that is witty, and stylish, and geeky and... well, already, that's a lot to live up to, and my jaw starts tightening. It's kind of like when you are standing at the edge of the pool (or maybe the edge of the high dive), looking into the deep water, scary and exciting, and counting.

1
2
3....

the thing is...

Once upon a time, in the 1980's, John Carpenter made a movie called The Thing. It was actually a remake of a movie made in the 50's or 60's with a huge hulking creature played by James Arness (yeah, from Gunsmoke). In Carpenter's version, Kurt Russel played a cynical chopper pilot in the Antarctic. The team of scientists encounters an alien that can consume, and then replicate any living being... at least for a while. It is a creepy, witty, suspenseful movie, done well enough to hold up, even over the nigh onto 30 years its been around. Ron & I watched and enjoyed it just last week.

Then, we spotted the update in Target this week, and because it was cheap, and we had just watched the Carpenter version, we picked it up. I think we were expecting - hoping? - to revile it. Well, we didn't. It was quite watchable, and not entirely a remake. The newer version shares the title of Carpenter's movie, and the creature, but this is the story of the Norwegian team that encountered it before the Americans did. While this movie lacks the clever, quotable dialogue that Carpenter's version has (I love Wilford Brimley's line as he is ranting while destroying the computer equipment, "...they don't want to be dogs, they want to be us!"). The special effects are - of course - modern and all that, but really, Carpenter's hold up pretty well. This movie isn't a remake, it's a prequel. An alternate, if you will. They figure out a way to tell who may or may not be an alien that is different than the Americans. They still tote some flame throwers, but they seem more reluctant to use them through much of the movie. There are parallels, and it is entertaining to find them. Some of the parallels are in the characters, and others are in the plot twists, but this version definitely pay homage to Carpenter's version. The new version is worth a watch, if you like The Thing, and I'm the first one to be surprised to say it.

oh yes i did

Raine and I ran a quick shopping errand this evening. You know, those 3-4 things you know you will want to have in the morning before you're ready to go anywhere. Before you're ready to THINK about going anywhere. I bribed her with the offer of ice cream, and she went for it.

Then, in the store, we picked out these...

look what the May showers brought!

They were pretty , and cheerful, and just the thing for Mother's Day. They look especially pretty in the crystal pitcher that my mom left me.

The table may be boring, but at least it's clean...

Happy Mother's Day!

may rain

We have had a couple of lovely, cloudy days. Complete with occasional rain, even. It has been lovely to walk outside, and smell the freshness. I'm not sure it even hit 70 degrees today, and since we've been getting close to 90, that was lovely. Right now, I'm listening to the splatter of water falling off my roof, as the current cell starts to move off. I am so looking forward to sleeping through some of this lovely, cool, rain tonight. It's gonna be good.

The lawn is going to be greened up and wild by the weekend. I think there will be lawn mower parties on Saturday, all over town. Not bad for the desert.

sort of productive sunday

Left to my own devices, I move from one project to another during a productive day. Clean a little something here, cook, craft a little, maybe spend a little time at the computer and then on to another project. I find it fairly relaxing, as I'm not working at a breakneck pace. I usually find it reason satisfying becuase, for all the puttering around, I do actually get things done.

Today I did some ironing and worked on a little sewing. I need to pin the skirt of my t-shirt dress to the t-shirt, and then attach them, and it will be done. It is a casual enough garment that I went ahead and hemed the skirt before attatching it. It was easier to deal with the fabric that way, I think. If I were concerned that it would hang perfectly, I wouldn't have done it that way, but what the heck. I'm also experimenting with safety pining the skirt fabric to the t-shirt. I did that with Roxanne's as well. I pin it a little below the sewing line, and avoid sewing over any of the pins. The safety pins don't fall out as I'm turning the bodice here and there, and measureing halves, and halves again. I think this may be my new pinning a skirt to a bodice technique for gathered skirts on adult - especially plus sized - garments.

I also worked on the bag I had started on before I got busy with several fabric baskets. I think I'm going to cut out a few more of those as well. I really like them, and thought they came out well. It doesn't hurt that it is a pretty quick and easy project, and fun to embelish besides...

Besides all that, I made some tomato soup for take-to-work lunches, and chicken and rice for dinner. Both turned out quite tasty. A good way to finish up the week, and be able to look forward to the next one, I guess.

science fair

One of the things about being a working mom is that you don't get to spend time with your child at school. Oh, sure, we go to parent/teacher conference. I speak with or e-mail Raine's teacher if there is a problem. We encourage (read insist on) the completion of homework. We participate in fund raising, and after school enrichment. When her class is performing, we're there in the audience, cheering her on and waving like crazy people. We just don't get to school with her often. It kind of hovers around the to-do list as I know I would LIKE to do it, but I don't see how it will work well.

This past few weeks, Raine has been working on her science fair project. She knew from the start that she wanted to use the microscope that she got for Christmas (thank you, Aunt Carrie & Uncle Shannon!), so we talked about what she wanted to look at through the microscope. She decided on plant cells. We looked through the very helpful booklet on science fair projects, and the steps of scientific discovery and built her project. When in doubt about what to do next, back to the booklet we went. This week, we put it all together and packed it up and took it to school this morning.

Tomorrow is the science fair, and I want to go see it. So, I took the day off, and volunteered to help out during the day at the fair. I'm actually kinda excited to do it, geek that I am. Will Raine win? (Does anyone "win" a science fair? I don't even know...) I think she did an age & grade appropriate project. I think she did her own work, with a little guidance. I think she did all right.

I still want to see what the other kids came up with.

Science Fair, here I come!