Our Year 2007

With every photo I see here, I see blessings, a year that held many changes.
A year of moving towards the future, a year of self-reflection and growth.

A year that I am thankful, I got to see.
A year I am thankful you shared with me!

Here's to seeing those changes bringing only the best to all of us!

Christmas Clean Up

As, usual at this time of year, I am cleaning up the ol'computer system. John got me a MyBook for Christmas and it has done WONDERS for the speed of my computer. All of my photo's and music (and Johns crap that is twice the size of mine)it stored there now, between that and the memory Valette gave us, I am ZIPPY. I can't believe the difference. I still have this quirk on start up, I think I partitioned my drive or something. It needs to see a professional...

Anyway, what I really wanted to say is I am now able to finish some video projects that I found (the slow computer is not holding me back anymore)....While sorting and backing up photo's early this year I found these....

This one was taken with the "Gateway" camera in 2003, we had 30sec of sound option and it had to be recorded separately from the video. I don't know how I was going to get her the message but...with time... I think it will finally get there.



Closed captioning brought to you by...ME!!

"We love and miss you Grandma Jeanette...oh, you messed it up"



Here is baby Lou ...also taken in 2003.

Some low life scum stole my baby Jesus, right out of the manger, and on Christmas Eve! What is this world coming to?

Joyous Holiday Cheer

The gifts are wrapped, still searching for bows,
A day full of cooking,we watch as it snows.
Visions of Christmas dancing in my head,
keeping me up, keeping me from bed.

Childlike anticipation, like a little girl,
dreaming of bows and the ribbon's curl.
it's time to enjoy, slowing the pace,
each surprise, the look on their face.

The spirit I see, seeping in rather thick,
not of getting, but giving, that is Santa's trick.
He reminds us of sacrifice, like the one on the cross.
to spend his days thinking of nothing but us.

The giving, the caring, lets reminisce,
the thought of people we will miss.
with egg nog-n-grog, I raise to the new the year,
wishing you all, the most Joyous Holiday Cheer.

I took my younger GS Troop to Bean's Cafe, yesterday, we volunteered to help cook Christmas dinner. It was a success and I couldn't be prouder of my girls. They were respectful and helpful. Even with so many of us there, it was not a circus, even with the staff having to dance around us.
I was impressed with Bean's new kitchen and office space, from United Way. We learned that Bean's Cafe only employees 6 people (some are past clients), everyone else is volunteers or is a person they serve, a Beany. They serve breakfast and lunch, and they act as a day shelter. If a Beanie (what they call their clients) helps in the kitchen they receive a "Beanie Bag" filled with snacks. They serve an average of 600 meals a day, use 50 rolls of toilet paper and 12 pounds of coffee in a day. I didn't realize but Bean's was named after a little girl, her and her mom started Bean's in the '70's.

We were the last of the groups of volunteers for the day, for a total of 63 outside volunteers, so Christmas dinner was already done. We helped clean up the kitchen, Midnight (the cook) was thankful he would be able to go home a little early.

Because there were so many of us, we were assigned to different tasks, we cleaned the serving area, I noticed several eyes getting good looks at the dining area and seeing how many people were eating (we were not allowed to go out front), I should have asked what the girls were thinking. We cleaned the bread carts, with the nicest lady who taught them to speak pig Latin, she could even do it in Spanish. I cleaned those carts, last spring, not an easy task.

We also got to stuff the "Beanie Bags" full of sweets and yummy goodies... yogurt, chocolate muffins, sandwiches, chocolate bars, life savors, rice crispy bars, gum....everything a kid could want. Before we left we were offered some goodies, some girls accepted, some girl felt someone else needed it more...I did encourage the girls to take the "unhealthy stuff", figuring the protein and good carbs should be left to the Beany's.

Here we are with out hairnets.

On the trip home I heard many girls wanting to go back, Thank You BEAN'S for such a great experience.

When John got home that afternoon, he took on the rest of the Girls Scout waiting to go home and I got to get my sister out of the house alone. I have decided the best place to shop is the 5th avenue mall. Here's what you do....You swing into Sullivan's and order a $10 Martini, then head up stairs for food from every place in the food court, when you are over stuffed, you wander around EVERY shop pretending you are the only one there. I got little shopping done.

Yesterday, I also found something I never realized I missed, reading to young kids. I read Melissa and Warren their "bed time" stories...the excitement over a book they probably have read millions of times....I LOVE IT!! It's those little things that make life worth it!!

LOVE LIFE, LIVE IT WELL, and BE THANKFUL for EVERYTHING!!

Christmas Card

Well, some should have gotten our Christmas card, if not it will be coming (or I don't have an address and its sitting on my desk), I am sorry if I am ruining it for any of you but I feel like I should have explained in the card.

I wanted the project done, so I set my girls out to get the photo for the card, I needed some inspiration, and they needed a project. All I asked was they take lots of photo's, they all three need to be in it, and I get one traditional photo in front of the tree. Well they used the tree....

Charlie's Angles

Real Life

Speak-Hear-See no evil
(note the Manson shirt purposely worn)

Sending you our love,
Merry Christmas

Have you ever peeked?

I was 10 or 11 it was Christmas and the presents were stacking up under the tree. One day the prettiest box showed up and it had my name on it. It was a small box, bigger then a jewelry box but smaller then a shirt box. It was wrapped in bright paper, yellow maybe, with lots of colors. The most beautiful bow was attached. The package was hidden in the back of the tree, but at that time packages were inventoried daily, so of coarse it couldn't stay hidden for long. I looked at that package for what seemed like weeks, shaking it. It didn't make a lot of noise just kind of a swish, it was light and airy. It left me wondering.
Day after day of shaking led me to (subconsciously) plan a way to open it without anyone knowing. By the time I made up my mind to open it, it was already strategically planned out. It had to be, for I had very sneaky parents. I just new the had memorized what tape they used and just how many pieces and god forbid if a ripped something they would for sure know if I had to re-wrapped it.
I knew the fist step would be making sure the tape detached itself perfectly from just the lower layer of paper, so I would be able to use the original piece of tape to repackage it once it was open; and making sure it did not attach it self elsewhere.
The next step would depend greatly on the "wrapper" if the wrapper taped the paper to the box then the I would have to be very careful to peel the tape off both ends of the box and the back where the paper meets. This day I was lucky in that way, I had peeled the first piece is tape so slowly it probably took me hours. When the tape was finally loose, I was able to slide the box out of the paper that was holding it.
I had a plain white miniature shirt box in my hands, the package was soft and filled with tissue paper. I knew tis was going to be good, like jewelry, the stuff that costs some mayor money. Then it came to me, how will I react when I really open it on Christmas day? or how could I handle putting something so great back under the tree once I knew it was there? But I would live with my actions and I moved forward. I pulled the top away to confirm my instincts, the box was full of tissue paper. I knew something expensive was nestled in all that tissue paper, for tissue paper was reserved for special gifts only. As I peeled the tissue back I started to see colors, many colors, rainbow colors. When the gift was finally revealed, I found the box was full of rainbow colored ribbons, attached to a ...
hair clip. It was a filler gift. One of those ones when you childrens number of presents do not total the same.
When Christmas day came, I acted surprised told my mother I loved it, and I probably would have meant it if I had not spent that one afternoon peeking. I never did wear that hair clip.

The moral of this story....My Ladies...I learned from my mother....the good stuff doesn't come out until Christmas Day.

3000 pounds...

of frozen corn on the cob.
Tonight or Friday night I took my older troop to the Food Bank of Alaska for some good doing. They really have a great operation going. To simplify it it is just a big network. The food bank warehouses the food for the 100 to 200 different churches, soup kitchen, and distribution centers all around the state. They also act as a middle man with a Federal program.Who also pays the shipping costs to the bush, for the distribution centers there.
The food comes from the fed's, state grants, cash donations, local business, food drives, and just personal food donations. .The manufactures give large donations or cuts on cost on food with out dated promotional packaging. We were show several pallet's of canned pears, the pallet's were damaged on the barged coming up to Alaska. The whole pallet was going to be thrown away because a few cans had popped open damaging the packaging. How wasteful.
When deciding to do this project the girls wanted to help the homeless, you know those people one the corner. We learned something tonight, the homeless is very small percent of people that are using the program. The largest demographic profile is our seniors. If you know of anyone out there that is going hungry there is food out there.
In the case of the mass amounts of corn it was a trade somewhere in the lower 48, a state had too much corn and we had to much salmon, so we did an even trade. Fruit, Veggies and Protein (peanut butter, tuna, canned chicken) are alway a big need and Alaskans can only do so much salmon.
Tonight we were handed two pallet's of frozen corn. Our goal was to package it into produce bags, in family size portions. With 15 kids we packaging 3000 pounds of corn. They each packed an average of two hundred pounds of corn. I am still amazed at the team work, the problem solving, and the speed of the act.

Finding the Spirit

I have been trying to absorb the Christmas spirit in me since the 3rd of December, I have been subjecting my self to the carols, in hopes that the process would start to seep into my veins.
Life outside the home has tried to pry the spirit into me.... spending the week decorating the office; it's kind of hard to tell but our (her) tree is decorated with pencils, pens, 3.5in disks, tax software CD's, and tax documents folded into swans and cranes. Very creative, but only makes the need for the spirit stronger.
I tried to find it by shopping around for the perfect gift for Johns party, attending the party, and feeling the first anticipation of opening my first gift, the Christmas CD of the "red green show" and then I sadly watched it get taken
from me to open a...

Elmer Fudd Chiah Pet which thankfully was taken from me
after Joe opened his gift which I was able to take.

None of this helped me soak up the Christmas Spirit, I now believe you cannot steal a Christmas Spirit and still feel good about it.
I tried the liquid form of the Christmas spirit, but I think the bartender was against me, 4 sunrise's, three comicazi's, and a who knows how much wine, left me feeling sober by midnight.
I searched under the house for some spirit, and felt the start of the osmosis process as I decorated with a cup of eggnog and my mommy. But by the time we were done I was to exhausted from the emotions of the the day and the previous day, to sit and enjoy. Watching someone leave state is never easy and reminds all of my family of what we have lost when the younger's leave state to find themselves. We are sending lots of prayers, be safe!
Maybe if I get some Christmas cards done I would feel ready to start shopping for the Christmas Spirit, maybe, if I figure out what I am shopping for I will find the Spirit, maybe if I start cooking I would find the Spirit.....
....maybe if I would just RELAX and enjoy my family and friends, the Spirit will find me.

I'm running and not getting anywhere, splitting my day up in some many small periods of commitments is making me feel my wheels are spinning. Especially when a big block of time is spent sitting and waiting for the clock. Yesterday at least I got to sit in the company of people who actually talk, the waiting room at the dentist.
It was quit the active day, first thing in the morning I was on-line buying a birthday present for my youngest birthday party, that night, lucky for me they emailed it to me. Saved me an hour trip downtown. After, two of the girls set out for school, Rosey and I hit the stores in search of the perfect company Christmas party gift. We found some thing but for other people, I am not ready to do my Christmas shopping.
We then headed to Party World where we picked up a few more odds and ends; it all could turn into something right?
We then dart across town to the dentist and we wait a half hour for them to get Rose, later she tells me the doctor didn't see her until an hour after the appointment time. Like I don't have better things to do, we would have come back!
As I sit waiting for her to be one, an Older man strikes up a conversation. Turns out, he was a blast from the past, I spent many Saturdays with him working on little adjustment in the developing some spectacular prints of photography. I learn an awful lot from this man...so much I have forgotten most of it.
He had cleaned up quiet a bit and even looked sober, that is why I didn't recognize him. We had a nice little talk about the people I worked with, and what he was doing now. We even talked a bit about a few more photographers that we both know now, dead and alive. It is truly a small world.
He was there selling some photographs to the staff at the dental office, I got to check out some of his new work, which is still amazing. We had just gotten started on an amazing discussion about digital vs film, and the fact that film photography is going to be a dieing art, when Roseys doctor came for him, now I know why I sat in the waiting room for so long...the doc was shopping for art.
I would link you up and introduce him but he is one of the only photographers, that I knew/know, that is still doing things the way he always has...with an old school SLR, a pocket full of film, trading film developing for product, and surviving by selling photos out of the back of his van down by the river in Somewhere, Alaska! It kind of makes me wonder what ever happened to the other Furgi not Fergi?

After Gene left, I sat and knitted, when an older women asked me what I was knitting. In a very nice, helpful, and interested way told me she has never seen anyone knit the way I was. I guess I am doing it backwards, upside down,inside out, or something. I had to explain I was self taught, with a little help from a left handed knitter, and a Learn to Knit Book. I may have to do some research!

After we left the dentist we finished put shopping for Byrd's birthday, nothing like the last minute to get things done. Picked up another kids and rushed home to clean for the party. Which was a success....many kids (girls and boys), lot's of dancing (girls), video games (boys), and eating (all). She had a great 10th party!

After the last guest was BROUGHT home at 11pm, John and I sat down to figure out this gag gift thing.... check it out!! John Christmas party is to night I better finish up so I can get sexy!

Today, I found the Christmas spirit...just had to get past the Birthday's. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I am alive...

...I am doing it...life...that is, hanging out going through the motions...need details ...try the archives, I am sure I am doing the same things.

A few new artist...

...a few of you might enjoy!

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