Aging gracefully

All this talk from Eliza about pixie cuts got me thinking about the pixie cuts I used to get on a pretty regular basis. In fact, I didn't grow my hair any longer until I went away to BYU and my roommates encouraged me.

And I do not necessarily wake up in the morning and get surprised that I no longer look like this.

But I do often get a jolt when I see a photograph of myself - and wonder where the years went!


Anna May and I were discussing this today - how the mirror image is always a surprise to us.

I was reminded of a time many years ago - close to 40 years ago - when Dad and I lived with Helen and Pop for a couple of months the summer after we were married. Grandmother Taylor was living there too, and she usually took naps on the chaise lounge in the sun room. Often I would see her staring at her arms and hands when she awoke. Helen said, "I think she's been dreaming about a long ago time and she's surprised to see how old her skin looks."


I think I can identify with that! (This is Grandmother Taylor holding Karen.)

But my curls have certainly remained pretty much intact!! (I had long hair for most of the time you kids were growing up - and long hair pulls the curls out - the best feature of longer locks I might add!) (Except that doesn't explain why I got perms - at least I don't get them anymore!!)


Those curls just want to have their own way!!

And I think I've lost my eyebrows too!!

Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!

So, after spending a week putting Agnes down for naps twice a day, I started thinking about my own babies and their napping and sleeping lore. (We also have Harry and Dawn's kids here for the weekend while they are belatedly celebrating their 8th anniversary and we are having some more "sleeping experiences" - in fact, I'm not sure if Baby Harry is asleep, but I'm pretty sure Dad is - and Dad's holding him! That's how most sleep experiences are that involve Dad. In his defense, he has been working long hard days since we got back from Oregon!)

Bonny was a fussy baby her first few months - but was always a good sleeper! When she got older, she got up very early - we tried putting her to bed later, but she still got up very early, so I opted to have more time to myself in the evening, since it wasn't going to happen in the morning! But after awhile, Dad thought maybe she was hungry and that's what woke her up. She often stood by our bed and intoned, "I am an hungring girl."

So we started leaving her a little snack by her bed, (the bottom half of an old daybed of Helen's which was a great little bed by the way) usually a banana and a piece of bread. And we "spied" on her a few times - it was just as Dad had suspected - she sat up, ate her little snack, and then laid back - didn't fall back to sleep, but was content to rest for a bit longer.

Harry was not fussy at all - in fact, for the first few weeks of his life, Dad would say, "When do you think he will start crying?" He was a good sleeper too - but wanted to give up naps before I wanted him to - so we had a little routine that always worked: He had a small bear my mom had made for him and I would speak in a falsetto voice and say, "Oh, Harry, can I sleep with you. I'm so tired." And Harry would say, "Yes." And promptly lay back, after patting a spot on the bed for Bear to use - and he usually fell asleep.

I think he's still a pretty good sleeper!!

Phoebe had a habit of getting up after she was toilet trained - she'd walk the length of the house on Lime to get to our room and tell us it was too dark for her to find the bathroom! I started telling her, "Go tell Dad." And she did!! Then he'd say to me the next morning, "Boy, Phoebe's really been getting up a lot at night." (The irony here is that she walked right by both bathrooms to come tell us it was too dark to find the bathrooms.

So Dad made a little trail of night lights leading to the bathroom and that took care of that. She too was a good sleeper.

Eliza, shown here holding baby Maddy, was the first of our kids to sleep in a "real" crib. I worried that somehow she wouldn't do as well - I was convinced that rolling into the mesh of a portacrib was a very comfy way to sleep - but she did fine. She slept well as long as you followed a set routine. I think she's still that way! She loved stories and always wanted lots of them. She has the distinction of sleeping well the first 3 weeks - prompting me to think that I could just jump back into my old routine - and then at 3 weeks, "woke up" and acted more like a newborn!! But everyone thought I was all recuperated, so I had some long, solo days - at least the kids were all in school then!

The moral of this story - even if your baby is Wonder Baby, still act like an invalid for as long as you can!!

Hannah slept with casts and a Dr. Brown Splint - and did fine, in spite of all my worries. And her portacrib was in Harry's room - along with his aquarium - and it never failed to put her to sleep. All the time she lived under our roof, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow!

Noah was a good sleeper - although now he claims that he has trouble falling asleep at night - and says he's been that way his whole life. Maybe his whole teen/young adult life, but not his kid life!

He has the distinction of being present for many late - night- home from dates - activities - conversations I had with Bonny - I'd be up with him for a late night feeding and Bonny would come in - it was a good experience.

So now I guess I will go and wake up Dad - so he can go to bed! And hope that it doesn't wake up Baby Harry when I do so!!

More ruminating

This past year has been one of loss - maybe it's the season of life I am in, but it seems like I am more aware of death and tragedy. And it seems like starting with Jim's death last year, there were so many deaths that I was aware of.

Some were older people who were ready to die, but their deaths were a loss nonetheless. A friend from long ago died, a young woman I taught as a Beehive died a tragic death related to alcohol, a good friend's son died young, a favorite aunt of mine died after a brief struggle with dementia, a young boy in our ward who had been severely disabled died somewhat suddenly, an older sister I had interacted with quite a bit when I was Relief Society president died and we were needed to put a service together for her. The losses seemed to pile up -more than I remembered from past years.

And now I am not so much hearing about deaths, but tragic illnesses and accidents. A young daughter of friends of Phoebe has been diagnosed with leukemia, a young couple (who I only know about through blogging) with 4 small children was severely burned in a plane crash last weekend, couples I know are separating - some of them young who don't seem to know better and some of them old enough to know better!! (I don't mean to be judgemental here, but sometimes I think we live in a throwaway world and people sometimes think of marriage as expendable.)

And so I think I shouldn't complain about the hours Harry keeps when he's in the middle of a job, or the amount of work it's going to take to get my classroom in shape, or the weeds in the garden, or the closets that have not been reorganized (were they ever organized??), or the solictors who knock on my door, or the phone calls that come when I'm trying to take a nap or read a book, or the paint job the house needs that I don't see happening any time soon, or the price of gas, or the hassle it is to get subs for my temple assignment, or just going to work each day!!

Instead I should celebrate the opportunity I have to serve others, the fact that we have a house we can call home, the wonderful husband who loves me, the car I have to drive when I need it, the friends who are so willing to listen to me, the great kids and grandkids I have the pleasure of being with very often, the beautiful flowers and trees that line the streets of my town, and the job I have that pays well and is actually not a bad job at all.

Why does it take sorrow and sadness to refocus our thinking?

Late night ruminations

I am working at the temple this week on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday day and Friday night and Saturday day. It sounded like a good idea when I set it up last May!! (I am paying back the woman who worked for me when we went to South America in July - and also working our regular 3rd weekend shift.)

And it sounded like fun for H and I to spend some time alone - well, we are alone a lot, but time alone where the phone wouldn't interrupt us and we wouldn't be bothered about all the undone projects that you see when you are at home.

But like many goood ideas, life got in the way. The job Harry is winding up has not gone along in an extremely timely manner - so he is working the day shift at the temple and then going and working nights with Noah on the job.

Hannah and Robbie came in tonight - I went to LAX to pick them up - got in the bus lane - freaked Hannah out I guess!! So we enjoyed a little late night dinner and conversation before I took them to their own personal temple apartment to spend the night - and then I will take them back to LAX for their flight to Hawaii and then on to Kwajelin - I'm pretty sure I spelled that wrong.

So I'm trying to enjoy this alone time that doesn't include Harry. A bit of reading, a bit of snacking, a bit of blogging, a bit of walking, a bit of working on my talk for Sunday, a bit of catch up with my correspondene - guess I shoud head to bed for a bit of sleeping.

For those of you who think it gets simpler when your kids get older - it doesn't.

For those of you who think working at the temple is a piece of cake, it's work. (Albeit work certainly worth doing!!)

For those of you who think being alone is a drag - it can be, but sometimes it's a little treat.

For those of you who think the temple apartments aren't very glamorous - they aren't. But the weather here is lovely, and once the lights are out and you're lying there enjoying the coastal breeze, it really doesn't matter that it's not glamorous.

For those of you who think the best meal is one you didn't have to fix yourself, that can be true. But sandwiches and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies make a great late supper. Even if you fix it yourself. (And Hannah made the sandwiches tonight!!)

For those of you who always take the freeway, taking Sepulveda to LAX is way easier. (at least when you are coming from the LA Temple.)

For those of you who think space equals luxury, it doesn't always. A tiny, cozy apartment can seem luxurious - no thanks to me - we are using an actual couple's apartment, so they have "cozied" it up already.

For those of you who are tired of reading this, I'm getting tired of writing too - so buenas noches, as we say en espanol!!

Advice

So, I was reading a friend's blog, and she was offering parental advice. And she referred to another post where she had also given advice. Maybe this is a blogging thing - lists or bullets - maybe because it gives people something specific to comment on.

Much of it was very good advice that I happened to agree with. I disagreed with some of it. That's what keeps life interesting though.

I have been asked to speak in two different ward sacrament meetings with our Stake President. My topic: Keeping Marriages Strong.

So I have actually been asking people what they think keeps a marriage strong. But most of their answers have not been fodder for a sacrament meeting talk.

Seems like parental advice is easier to give and respond to than marital advice. Maybe more is at stake. Maybe it's just too personal. Maybe no one really knows the answers.

So here's some parental advice from me. (I'm usually loathe to give that kind of advice - since my kids are pretty well grown and people can actually see how the advice came out!!)

But I hang out with my grandkids a lot - and I'm around other kids. But mostly I teach middle school, and I can really see what a lot of parents have not done!!

There's nothing wrong with packing lunches and fixing breakfast for your kids - it's a pretty slick way to show them how much you care about them. My mom and my dad fixed breakfast and lunches all the time for us kids - at least when I was growing up - there was something steadying about knowing my world was so well ordered.

If you get a sleeping bag for your kids to sleep in, you can even do away with the bottom sheet.

Good shoes do make a difference. So do good haircuts.

Turn the T.V. and video games off on week nights - trust me on this one. T.V. and video games are ruining the school experience of countless kids. Your kid may do fine with it - but you won't know until it's too late. I'm seeing the impact of a "visual" world on kids in the classroom - they can't connect unless it's visual.

Read to your kids - I think the world has recognized this one - it has become de riguer (that's a French phrase and I'm pretty sure I'm spelling it wrong.) So be sure you are enjoying it - and not just doing it because you have to. Kids can spot a phony.

Don't sign your kids up for stuff they say they don't want to do - and don't suggest it if they don't ask - but be prepared for them to refute all that when they are older - it will then be your fault that they didn't get to do it.

The best advice of all though, came from my mom, mother of 12, shown above with her first 4 kids - (I'm the tow-headed one with ringlets on the right) - who said, "Never do anything when your kids are asleep that you can do when they are awake."

"Wrote a letter to my love and on the way I lost it."

This summer has found me misplacing and/or losing things to a degree that is at least noticeable - therefore significant, yes??

For starters, I lost two of my favorite folding/patio/beach chairs. I left them at Sycamore Cove when we had a family gathering there. I remember carrying them and then setting them down against a tree. It was very dark and we were parked on the street. Stuff was getting put into lots of cars and I just forget that I'd left them there - actually, I asked Noah to go get them and they weren't there when he went back - or at least he couldn't see them in the dark - who could??

I've mostly gotten over that, but occasionally - like when I am sweeping the patio, I notice their absence. I think the blue one, which I liked for its portability and vivid color was actually one that someone left at the Clayton Reunion 5 or 6 years ago - I called my cousin thinking it was hers but she said it wasn't. No one else claimed it, so I kept it. Maybe my time was up - maybe it's like the traveling pants!

Of course, the day before the wedding I lost the key Sue Graham had given me. Spent the day combing the house, the car, emptying wastebaskets, scouring behind everything. Nada, zip - wasted a lot of time fretting. It showed up in my cosmetic bag on Monday as I was packing for our trip. I won't even hazard a guess how it got there.

Then of course I lost my famous black power/peace symbol hair pik in Bolivia - lost is not the right word, it was taken from me - declared to be a weapon!! Alas, I have mourned its loss and actually I'm getting along fine without it - there are lots of combs and brushes in the bathroom drawers - things others have lost? (Maybe they just left them - on purpose!!)

And finally, I bought a lovely pair of earrings at the market in Chillan - they are nascar - I'm not sure of the spelling but it refers to them as being from seashells. I really liked them and Alejandra said, "Oh they are lovely, you should buy them." So I did.

And when I got home, I wore them every day - until one day I was in Target trying on shirts - and I guess one got lost - because that night one was missing. I went back to Target the next day and asked at the Lost and Found. They were sympathetic but couldn't help me. In fact one said, "They come in with vacuums at night. An earring doesn't have a chance."

Not very encouraging.

Once I lost a favorite pair of sewing scissors - in fact, I lose scissors all the time. And months later they showed up - in fact all the scissors I've ever lost have eventually showed up.

I don't like to lose things. When my kids were little, I'd go through their games, puzzles and Fisher Price people at night to be sure all the pieces and parts were there. Once I was looking for a game piece - I had emptied the family room and it just wasn't there. Months later I found it - in the light fixture.

There is hope, but not for my earring.

The photo does not show me wearing the earrings I lost. I just thought I'd put it in - I'm flanked on the left by Gonzalo and on the right by Arvolo - the 2 sons of the Sierra family. They are charming young men. I miss them.

"Si vas para Chile . . "

The above is the title of a Chilean folk song - and it's beautiful - if I knew how to link so you could hear a song, I would.

But I digress - this post isn't really about the song. But it is about Chile, and our recent experiences there. What a fine time we had - and not in the usual sense. What I loved was all the new "life experiences" I had. One of the areas that was impacted was eating! Here is a shot of Sylvia and me enjoying s'mores - at least the Chilean version we cooked up - after I had told her about camping and girls camp and s'mores. Sylvia was really the only convert to the delicacy.

This is the Sierra's home in Chillan - it is out in the "country" and they have several acres - and a swimming pool and a number of outbuildings. It was winter there, and this shot was taken on a rainy day. Elisa grows flowers, herbs and other vegetables that are included in the meals.

Our bedroom overlooked the pool on one side and the lush countryside on the other. And it was very lovely and comfortable. We had out own lovely bathroom too - with a jacuzzi which we didn't use. I'm not sure I know how to use one!

One day we went out to eat with the extended Sierra family at one of their favorite restaurants. The beef was tender and delicious, and I am a fan of South American mashed potatoes - somehow the seem "heartier" or something - it's hard to describe.

When we arrived, Arvolo brought me flowers and we posed for a snapshot - Diana, Elisa, me, Carla and Sylvia.

We started the day with very leisurely breakfasts and then we'd go do something and then we'd have dinner in the afternoon - usually more than one course - soup, salad, meat, side dishes - and after every meal, herb tea. What a delightful habit - I have been continuing it since I got home. Dad commented, "You've never been a fan of herb tea before." But I discovered that with a couple of teaspoons of coarse sugar added, it's quite delightful. Also, I've discovered many new flavors too!

At night, we'd gather around the kitchen table and everyone would pull out what they wanted to snack on - and we'd talk and snack!! (The afternoon meal was in the formal dining room.)

Like I said before, it was a wonderful

Monday, Monday - where are the Mamas and the Papas when you need them??

Well, here it is Monday morning again - last Monday we were in Iquique, Chile, getting ready to fly to Chillan.

And the Monday before that we were in La Paz, getting ready to go to the Embassy to see Alice and Dale.

And the Monday before that we were running around like madmen getting the detrius from the wedding swept up and packing for our trip to South America.

And the Monday before that, we were running around like madmen getting the details for the wedding in some kind of order.

And the Monday before that, I was reveling in the fact that it finally wasn't a school Monday morning and I could sleep in .

And the Monday before that, it was a school Monday morning, but I was sustaining myself with the fact that the next Monday would not be a school morning.

And if I don't watch out, it will soon be the Monday morning that school starts.

But, lucky me, school starts on a Tuesday this year!!

Ah, "Monday, Monday, can't trust that day!!"

Blogging All Over the World

While the boys visited, Alice and I blogged!!

Have computer, will travel (or should that be will travel and find computer!!)

We are having a fine time, by the way!!

What a "to do" over a "to do!"

This photo has nothing to do with this post - other than being a photo of the author. I just hate to post without a photo!!

We are leaving tomorrow early a.m. for Bolivia via Lima, Peru. Since we just finished a wedding here, you can imagine the chaos that surrounded me. Food stuffs, paper goods, missing shoes, toys, dirty laundry, the chaos of living, all needed to be taken care of. And bills had to be paid, a dress had to be returned, notes needed to be written and sent, dry cleaning had to be picked up - it was endless.

So last night I made a list of everything that had to be done and vowed to get up and get right at it.

So I got up in a timely manner and started doing things! I just got dressed - left my shower for later - and didn't even get breakfast until about 9 a.m.

So you can imagine my chagrin when I checked my list after 3 hours of being up and working - and I had nothing to cross off!

I need to take a refresher course in list making - either that or be discouraged!!

Needless to say, it's 10 p.m. and every item on the list is crossed off.

I will have more to say when I return in 18 days.

But it won't be about lists.

When you have to do list a mile long, it must be time to blog!!

When I have lots to do, I tend to do extraneous stuff that really doesn't need to be done - like blogging!! (And you all know what I should be working on these days - although in my defense, much of the wedding stuff can't be done until right before.)

But while getting the house ready for the flood of visitors to arrive, I have been putting over the door hangers on all available doors - to keep stuff up and out of the way - and to keep my stuff that's usually in the room where Theo is sleeping more accessible!! (As in during nap times!)

As you can - or maybe you can't - imagine, it's driving Dad nuts - but he's wisely not saying anything!! It's not like he's not used to it!! I've been an over the door hanger person my whole life I think!

When we were first married, I don't think they had BED,BATH and BEYOND or over the door hangers, so I used to hang stuff up in doorways or on window-curtain rods. That really drove him nuts.

One time I came home and he'd taken all his shirts out of the closet and hung them all over the house - a kind of in-your-face statement about what he thought about my proclivity for using odd places to hang clothes!! To my credit - and his - it turned out to be a great joke and we laughed about it - together!!

But I come by all this honestly. And I have been thinking about it while stashing stuff all over the place in preparation for the descending hordes!!

When I was a young girl growing up, we lived in a small, converted garage - while my dad built the "big house" next door. When he started, it was going to take 6 months. And it ended up taking 6 or more years!

I don't remember feeling deprived at all - there were two bedrooms - one for the girls and one for the boys - my folks slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room. I actually remember sleeping on an overstuffed chair in the living room - I remember hearing a rooster crow in the morning. I must have been 5 or so. It wasn't uncomfortable - it was a big chair - and I was a small girl!

The house had one closet - which was quickly overwhelmed by the needs of the eventually 10 people who lived in the house before the "big house" was done. And so clothes were hung on curtain rods at the windows - and soon the curtains disappeared and the clothes provided all the privacy we needed.

So why should I think it odd - or even not sensible - to hang stuff on over the door hangers??

Besides, it adds texture to the decor - and I don't forget what clothes I have and keep wearing the same ones.

And I have options when I forget to take stuff out of the room before Theo goes down for his nap!

The perks of teaching SPED

So the school year is winding down . Today we had the 8th Grade Awards Assembly - three of my kids pictured here got awards - I am really proud of them. And a half dozen other kids who are on my caseload but not in my classes - some are what we call "watch and consult" so I just do yearly IEP's on them - got awards too. I was the presenter for two of the awards.

Another winner you would have recognized at the 6th and 7th grade awards assembly was Keanna McGlone!!

And Molly got a Science Achievement Award - Ashley said she was texting Robyn throughout - they are long assemblies - about all the people she recognized from high school who were there as teachers and parents!! (Phoebe, do you know Tameika Carter??)

Here we have Harry and Dawn's neighbor Melanie - and her brother got an award too.

You will recognize a Gutierrez family member and Kelly Shaw's niece Bailey - I tried to nab Kelly, but I missed her!

Here's Kelly Synold - to make you old babysitters feel really old!

A set of triplets got Perfect Attendance Awards - and so did two sets of twins!

Here's Ricky with his mom and dad - I will miss Ricky's ready smile and wonderful attitude as he heads off to the high school.

Packing up for the summer!! I am ready!!

You will recognize Scott Card - helping me box up books.

The school year flies by every year - and so does summer - so I'm going to try to enjoy it!!

Locks of Love

Lynnel D. is a teacher at my school. She teaches Social Studies and leads the choir. She's a card-carrying SAG member. I like her and enjoy working with her. She's good about accommodating my kids with disabilities.

So when she decided to finally cut her hair to give it to Locks of Love, she came up with a great plan - students and teachers could buy a raffle ticket for a chance to cut off her pony tail. The money went for ASB activities.

I bought a few tickets - but didn't win. Here she is with her shorn pigtails. She got a free style job at a local salon afterwards.

And who says public education is on the skids??

We aren't a California Distinguished School for nothing!!

"Be of good cheer."

There was a quote in the back of a woman's magazine I perused recently. It said, "Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen."


The speaker was American writer and philosopher James Russell Lowell. I don't remember much from that era of literature - I can remember my professor's face, but not his name!! Apparently the material we read was forgettable - I don't remember much of it anyway! And I'm afraid that was the year of Cliff Notes for me - probably why I don't remember much!

But I thought of how my mother used to always say, "Don't borrow trouble." And how I have a tendency to do just that!

I'm the one who says, "What if we encounter traffic?" "What if no one comes?" "What if it rains?" "What if the Internet is down?"

We've been stuck in traffic, sometimes not a whole lot of people have shown up, it has rained, and the Internet is down now and then. And we have survived - we are here to tell about it!

In spite of the traffic we've made it to wherever we were going and usually had a good time. Some of the best events are intimate gatherings. Rain keeps the grass green and my lilies blooming. And when the Internet is down, I seem to get a lot of other stuff done!

Especially with this big upcoming event, I'm trying hard not to borrow trouble. Trying hard to make lists of things to do that are doable. And committing to making lists of things to have other people do when they ask if there is something they can do to help!

And if it rains, I guess we will pack ourselves into the Cultural Hall!!

"What's that you're reading?"

So, Clifton Middle School adopted a "Study Hall" in February. We took 5 minutes from every class period and the previously designated "Sustained Silent Reading" minutes and combined them into a 40 minute Study Hall at the end of each regular class day. (Wednesdays are minimum days, so we don't have it then.)

The motivation for this was the disturbing news that almost 20% of our students were below a 2.0 gpa. We have lots of interventions in place - after school tutoring, study skills classes for struggling students, special counseling sessions to address issues surrounding poor academic progress, remedial classes in math and language arts and regular meetings with parents to update them on what is happening.

We can only do so much - ultimately it is up to the student and their parents to turn things around - but we have to do something. So we started this program. It was the principal's idea - not every teacher was in favor - but it has been used successfully in other places, so she wanted to at least try it.

The way it works is every teacher gets 25 kids - alphabetical by grade level - and those same students will stay with the same teacher for all three years. Students are graded daily on having their reading log correctly filled out, having their Binder Reminder (a planner that each student is required to have) listing all of their assignments, and circling the assignment they plan to work on that day.

Since I teach RSP students all day long, it was certainly different to have a room full of regular ed students - many of whom are also honors students. It was also different to have 25 kids - my biggest class has 12 students in it! Because I usually teach such small classes, my room couldn't accommodate 25 kids - so my aide has half of them in the room next door.

On Friday, it was the Clifton Mile Run for 8th graders. Arvin W. has left Clifton so the Clifton Mile as the Terrill kids remember it is different. For one thing, it's run during the Study Hall period. (The period is also used for assemblies and other events that might disrupt the academic day - which is a plus - any teacher will tell you how disruptive it is to have your classes chopped up by an "assembly schedule.") For another, it's run by grade level on different days.

We had the option of going to the run and sitting on the field while the kids who had signed up ran. It was my day to work in the temple on Friday, and I leave from work so I had to be a little more "dressed up" than usual. Sitting on the field in a dress and pantyhose didn't appeal to me. I also had a significant amount of work to do before the end of the day and had planned to do it during Study Hall (the group I have is good about working independently, so a little bonus for me has been the ability to get work done on the computer during that time.)

The aide next door offered to take the whole group - which was not very large, since about 8 of the kids were running. I offered to stay with those who didn't want to go.

I bustled around getting my classroom ready for Monday morning, and then typed up the pages for the 2 IEP meetings I have on Monday. The 4 girls who had opted to stay sat quietly in their chairs - reading!! I decided to walk around and see what they were reading.

The results - Twilight, The Host - both by Stephanie Meyer, a book called Feast of Fools and I don't remember the author, and the 4th girl was reading her History text book. (apparently Feast is about vampires too though.)

The last few minutes of the period I asked them how they were enjoying the books they were reading. The two Stephanie Meyer girls said they were "loving " the books. I told them I had read Twilight but didn't think it was very well written. Since I never want to discourage reading, I suggested that it all depends on whether you are reading for pleasure or want to identify something as good literature.

We had an interesting discussion. I told them about The Historian and suggested that if they enjoyed the vampire concept, they might enjoy this long, but well-written and critically received novel even more.

I also told them that I had graduated in English from BYU - just like Stephanie Meyer. One girl said, "Then you could write a book." (That would be a whole other post - how often we say, "I could write a better book than that" but we don't! Writing is work - hard work - and even poorly written novels take time and effort.)

But what a treat to discuss books with 4 lovely young ladies. I love my students, but by and large they struggle with reading. And even if they read well, many of them don't like to read - it represents all things difficult to them and they don't like to "go there."

Just letting you know how things are on the literary scene in my little corner of the world. I don't ever recall a teacher talking to me about books he or she had read - do you?

Wednesday Night Ruminations

I'm not real clear on all the particulars, so don't quote me. But the Pasadena Ward is moving into the Foothill Building. I know that there are some construction issues at their building - there was some damage, etc.

Anyway, the upshot of all this was that we had to move our Stake Relief Society stuff out of the room they had allocated for us in that building.

Into 4 cupboards at the Stake Center on Duarte Road!!

We had "purged" that room a couple of times already, but we had way too much to go into those 4 cupboards. And I didn't want any of it in my house!!

You may ask, what did we have?

Lots of old props from previous Stake Relief Society events - conferences, programs, leadership meetings - some of them looked suspiciously like roadshow props too!

Leftovers from a number of Humanitarian projects.

Lots and lots and lots of fabric! Does everyone who purges their own house of fabric just assume that the Relief Society can use it?? (The answer is yes!)

Way too many white paper plates, plastic cups, knives and forks (where are the spoons??) and a veritable rainbow of colored napkins in many sizes.

A nice box of equally nice dish towels - these I think we can use - I can quit hauling mine to every event!

A fair amount of ziploc bags - but where are they when we are trying to find containers to send left over food home with people??

A lot of colored paper - in a variety of colors and weights. Pens, scissors, labels, and miscellaneous stationery items.

Batting - some of it attached to fabric - ready to go!!

An incredible number of white lace tablecloths of less than acceptable quality.

Lots and lots of bud vases. Where do they come from??

Floral wreaths, American flags, straw cornucopias, tiny baskets - "But we can use them as favors." (there are always either too many - or not enough!) Some big vases and some flower pots.

Old videos. No books though!

What to do with all this stuff?

Lucky for us the DI bin is in our stake's parking lot - I put a lot of the stuff there. I think my counselors were slightly aghast - but I said, "The D.I. will know how to get this stuff where it can be used. If we keep it here, it will languish on the shelves for another couple of years and then someone will throw it out because it's old and doggy looking. Let's give it away before it gets old and doggy looking!!"

I'm the president, so I got to have the final say!!

Of the piles of fabric - they are in the trunk of my car - and on Sunday I am taking them around to the wards - and women there can take what they want - and the rest will go in the D.I. bin.

Our little shelves in the stake center are full of the paper goods - the consumables I like to call them. And I think we need to rethink our next Women's Conference - our theme can be "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" and we can eat on the paper plates and drink from the paper cups - and bundle up the rest in nice gift bags - because everyone has a drawerful of them at home - and give them out as door prizes!

And run off our programs and flyers on different colors - since we have a few of every color there.

And I put the props in the "go to the dumpster" pile - but I bet someone rescues them.

I wish it was so easy and quick to purge around here!!

Just like it's easy to spend other people's money, it's easy to get rid of other people's junk.

But I do feel inspired!!

Mother of the Bride Dilemma - solved!!

In case you were worried about it - I did find a dress for the wedding reception. Now I just have to find shoes. Found the perfect ones online - so of course they were sold out!!

And just like you shouldn't tell people what you are going to name your baby - because then they will feel free to offer an opinion - I don't think I will post a photo!!

Besides, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on - 216 photos worth in fact!!

Suffice it to say, I was thrilled that I had to send the size ten back for a size 8!! That alone will make me feel like a million bucks!!

But it's comfortable, flattering, and I won't have wear a tight girdle to make it fit!!

See you there!!

This is the weekend that was!!

It's been crazy around here - Friday was hotter than blazes and the a/c went out in my car - the drive to LA that afternoon was reminiscent of scaling the Baker Grade!! Not pleasant!!

Saturday was a scorcher too - I spent it indoors making floral tote bags for the YW Transition to R.S. - "Blossoming in Relief Society!" Jennifer Menlove was our guest speaker and she did a great job!! She was one of my Beehives back in the day and I couldn't be prouder of her!!

We had 4 of the 5 senior girls in our stake attend with their parents and the ward YW and RS Presidents. It was a nice way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon - these young ladies will do us all proud!!

Then I raced home and finished putting together the dinner for Noah and Dawn's belated birthday celebration - at their house, since it was still very hot! Porter and Eve enjoyed the candle blowing!

And then my good friend Pam was in town, so on Monday afternoon - after she drove me to pick up my car - with repaired a/c function - we managed to squeeze in a nice visit!!

Now I'm racing around trying to get things in order for the arrivals of Hannah, Eliza and Theo!!

It's pretty crazy at school too - 11 IEP's to go - and got requests today for 2 more!! How can I call a halt to all this madness??

But Monday is a holiday!! And we are going to spend the weekend with some pretty special people - watch for photos - I know how to upload them - just don't have scanning capacity at the moment!!

Not sure when the anniversary posts will resume - it is a millstone around my neck, a to do item I'm itching to get checked off!!

Let's see how we do.

What is the world coming to??

So I posted on our family book blog about the new movie coming out based on the best selling novel Twilight.

I'm not sure why I stress over this so much. Maybe it's because I teach school and am reminded more than once a day that we have a culture that is driven by the media - for good or ill - and sometimes it seems more like for ill!

And maybe it's because the author is an LDS, BYU English major grad - and you know you should be happy that a "clean" novel is popular. But I'm really not.

There is a running dialogue in the world of the arts in the LDS Church that says that a Mormon can't really produce great art because an active, practicing member cannot dedicate his life to art and still be an active, practicing member. (I assume this refers to the fact that service in the church is a large part of an active member's life. And that such service would preclude having time to dedicate your life to art.)

Just looking at the life of Minerva Teichert negates the viability of such an argument. And there are probably other artists we could cite too.

But I'm really more concerned about the fact that the public continues to embrace mediocre writing as "great" writing. As if they don't really know what great writing is - and they probably don't.

I read Twilight - and it was tough - it was pretty badly written in my opinion, and I resented spending time on it - and even reading the ending first didn't clear things up for me, so I had to read the whole thing - I did skim, but it's a thick book!

The scene with the baseball game was pretty good - and the "stalking" in Phoenix was the best written part of the book - but the rest was pretty dispensible!

I usually like to read the stuff that is popular with the students at our school - and the whole series is very popular at my school - but I'm passing on this one.

Besides, the virtue of a predictable plot is that they are so - predictable!

FHE at the Temple

Tonight we attended a special session at the LA Temple for those who work the Friday shifts. The temple presidency officiated at the sessions. We had a chapel session beforehand that was inspiring. It was a pretty great experience!

And we had a potluck afterwards in the temple cafeteria, which was also pretty great!

And I ended up sitting next to a man who joined the church in the Monrovia East Ward back in the 60's. His first bishop was Claude Adams. And his wife is Betty McMaster's older sister. So we played "Walk Down Memory Lane" - which means I throw out names and she tells me if she remembers them.

I love reminiscing!!