The Babbling Brooks

OMG! I am Grandma Nellie!

This...is what I had for lunch today!

Happy Anniversary to Us

The 22nd was our anniversary, 16 years of a perfect life together :) We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory along with Tony and Tonya who were newbies to TCF. We're looking forward to at least another 34 years so we can celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary. Love you, Sweetie!

I-Blog Conference in November!

My bloggy friend, Jody, is hosting the first I_Blog Conference next month. She is the owner of Have Kid Will Travel  and The Iowa Geek ! The conference will be held November 14th-15th at The Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa. There is an awesome speaker line-up guaranteed to help you step up your blog! The hotel is historic and has fun, themed rooms.

Creative Memories signed on as an I_Blog sponsor and will be hosting a pizza & digi scrapping party. They will be giving every attendee to the conference their new StoryBook Creator plus 3.0 software! (It’s worth $65.) Which makes the conference an even better deal!

The details and registration information can be found at I_Blog Conference !

Please vote for Melissa!

I read The Consumer Queen on a regular basis. She finds all kinds of ways to save you money, has some great giveaways, and works really hard to make her blog interesting and informative. She's been selected as a finalist for the Panasonic LiHD Insider program! Please help her out by placing a vote for her. There's no need to register or buy anything. Just click HERE to get to her blog and then click on the button to vote. Her name is Melissa Garcia and she is The Consumer Queen. Thanks for your time and your help! 

Who Let the Blog Out???

Ok, it was me. I've written a whole lot of posts in the last month and they are all safe and sound...in my head where I've left them. I've been working on a lot of projects and really let this slide...my apologies. I'm moving it back up the priority list. There are lots of photos and other things to share...travel, vacation, Oklahoma, friends, family, and more! I've also started a second blog and will share that soon. Stay tuned!!

I am in Montana because.....

No, we didn't trade in the blue SCRPBKmobile. It'll be here waiting for us next spring. It's starting to show it's age and miles, but runs great. We'll be making it our "town car" for trips to the post office, grocery store, etc. We traded in the Dodge pickup. There's not much use for a 2-wheel drive truck in Montana and we can do the same jobs with the Explorer and the utility trailer. Yes, I do have a name for this one. I need to check with the Montana DMV to see if the license plate I want is available!

Why Am I Here???

Some of you know that I just drove solo from Oklahoma to Montana and am now at Mountain Dreams. I took 4 days to get here and traveled through Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. I'd been to all of them before, but's it's been awhile. I'll share pictures later...

So.....why am I here after being here just a couple weeks ago? I'll tell ya tomorrow!!

Celebrate America!

I hope everyone is celebrating their country today and teaching their children and grandchildren what it means to be an American. Be proud of our history, our present, and our future!

We'll be leaving St. George with Legend and heading for a week in Washington. We plan to spend the night in Boise and hope to enjoy the fireworks at the river front park. Happy 4th of July!

Home Visit!

We're leaving this afternoon for a quick trip home to Mountain Dreams! Our homeowners meeting is on Saturday and we really need to be there for this one. We'll have 3 full days to enjoy being home...no internet, no satellite TV...it's all been turned off. I'll be working on catching up on my photos and posts. See ya when we return!

Please Support Team Emma in the March of Dimes Walk!

Resourceful Mom (aka Amy) could use your help in meeting her fund raising goal for Team Emma. They will be walking in the March of Dimes Walk at the end of April. Her family has experienced the wonderful things this organization does first hand and is giving back by helping to raise funds. You can read their story HERE and they will be grateful for any donation you are able to make. You can donate by clicking the link or by using the widget that's posted on the right sidebar. To sweeten your day, Amy is also giving away a VADO pink digital video camera that has been donated by New Baby. You do not have to donate to enter the drawing, there are other ways to win...but I know Amy will appreciate it if you do. Thanks!! (Entries for the drawing end April 10th.)

Childhood Dreams...a lesson for all of us

Wanna come over and try this?

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
by sassiere

Deposition

   From Wikipedia...Deposition is a process in which gas transforms into solid (also known as desublimation). The reverse of deposition is sublimation. One example of deposition is the process by which, in sub-freezing air, water vapor changes directly to ice without first becoming a liquid. This is how snow forms in clouds, as well as frost and hoar frost on the ground.

This is what I saw this morning when I looked outside...ice crystals forming in the sunshine. There it was in a beautiful shaft of sunlight...like glitter in a snow globe :)

A Quiz For People Who Know A Lot...

I found this in my inbox today (thanks, Dina!). Give it a try! I'll update with the answers in a few days.

UPDATE: I've added the answers!

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends......Boxing

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?......Niagara Fall. The rim is worn down about 2 1/2 feet per year by the millions of gallons of water going over the falls.

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? ......Asparagus and rhubarb

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?......Strawberry

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?......Bottles are placed over the pear buds and wired onto the tree. The pear grows inside the bottle.

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters 'dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them......dwarf, dwell, dwindle.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?......Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, brackets, parenthesis, braces, ellipses

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh......Lettuce

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'......shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts

 

Is Your Stocking Flat?

When I was a kid we didn't have Christmas stockings. The whole Santa thing didn't make a lot of sense because we opened all our gifts on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning was devoid of gifts. Santa didn't stop at our house. That changed when I got married. I had a stocking and my mother-in-law made sure it was stuffed. It became my favorite part of Christmas. What fun to look over all those little treasures on Christmas morning! And it was fun to shop for those things for the rest of the family, too! When I divorced.....my stocking went flat. Santa filled the stockings for my kids so their part of the fun was still there. Now they're all grown up and live on their own, so Santa no longer comes to our house. I miss that stocking fun. I know there are a lot of homes where Santa fills the stockings but somehow forgets Mom. Well, here's an idea whose time has come. Tara who blogs as The Well-Rounded Woman is hosting a stocking swap! Click HERE and join the fun! Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

  

May your blessings be bountiful... 

Now...Go Do The Right Thing!

I had a good time today. John took me to lunch at my favorite place, The Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue (WA). I don't even like cheesecake, but they have a great menu. Most of the time I order my favorite dish. Today I looked at the menu and was going to choose something else, but when our server came to take our order...I caved! Fish tacos,again! Fresh grilled fish with spicy cabbage, fresh salsa, and spicy avocado cream in warm corn tortillas. Yum!! After we finished I went to the ladies room and waited in line (of course, it's a ladies room...there's always a line). And who should come out of the stall announcing, "This one isn't flushing!" It's.....Dr. Laura! I was 99% percent sure it was her, but she was even tinier than I thought. She went over to the sinks and when I saw her backside, I knew for sure. There it was...Harley Davidson in rhinestones and sequins on the back of the jacket and the seat of her pants. I didn't want to create a fuss, so I just gave her a knowing smile as she passed by on the way to the door. We made a stop at The Container Store for a few items, then headed to the Will Call window at the Meydenbauer Center to pick up our tickets for the one-woman show, "In My Never To Be Humble Opinion" starring...Dr. Laura!

   

 We both enjoyed the show very much. She introduced the infamous Benjamin Pratt who does the music on her radio show and he was just as good with her stage show as he is on the radio. She read and talked about some of the e-mails and stories people send her. She shared stories about herself and she answered questions from the audience. No, you didn't have to stand up or raise your hand or ask in front of a crowd. They collected the questions on cards before the show began so that it was completely anonymous...unless maybe you happened to recognize that the person you were with probably wrote that question! This is the last stop for this show. I'm not sure how long she's been doing it, but she is retiring this one and preparing for a new one.

 

 

See ya!

I'll catch this up when I can, hopefully in the next few days. We are leaving in the morning to see Dr. Laura in Bellevue, WA on Saturday and visit family and friends for a week. After that we'll be heading to St. George for Legend's birthday and Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to those Grandma hugs and kisses! I'm off to bed...6:00 is almost here!

Happy Halloween!

Have a boo-tiful day and a haunting evening!                       

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

courtesy of Dr. Laura (We're going to her one woman show on November 8th!) 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

SARAH PALIN:  Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch.

BARACK OBAMA:  The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN:  My friends that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:  When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road.  But then, this really isn’t about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH:  We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY:  Where’s my gun?

COLIN POWELL:  Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON:  I did not cross the road with that chicken.  What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:  I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY:  Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions.  I am not for it now and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON:  Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL:  The problem we have here is that this chicken doesn’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH:  Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE:  That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:  To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART:  No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going.  I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level.  No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS:  Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA:  In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS:  Isn’t that interesting?  In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart-warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE:  It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON:  Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES:  I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.  Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:  Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS:  Did I miss one?

Unofficial State Mottos

Time for a little levity...I got this from the Koocanusa News which we find around town on restaurant tables, grocery stands, etc. It's a free flyer full of fun facts and stories. Being a former resident of Washington State, #47 is my favorite cause it is oh so true. WARNING: You are about to enter a politically incorrect zone.....

1. Alabama: Hell, Yes...We Have Electricity.
2. Alaska: 11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong.
3. Arizona: It's A Dry Heat.
4. Arkansas: Literacy Ain't Everythang.
5. California: Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.
6. Colorado: Don't Ski? Don't Bother.
7. Connecticut: Like Massachusetts, Only Smaller.
8. Delaware: We Like The Chemicals In Our Water.
9. Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids.
10. Georgia: We Put The Fun In Fundamentalist Extremism.
11. Hawaii: Welcome Mainland Scum, Leave Your Money.
12. Idaho: More Than Just Potatoes. Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Good.
13. Illinois: Please Don't Pronounce The "S".
14. Indiana: 2 Billion Years and Tidal Wave Free.
15. Iowa: We Do Amazing Things With Corn.
16. Kansas: First Of The Rectangle States.
17. Kentucky: Five Million People, Fifteen Last Names.
18. Louisiana: We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos.
19. Maine: We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster.
20. Maryland: If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It!
21. Massachusetts: Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden's.
22. Michigan: First Line of Defense From The Canadians.
23. Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes and 10 Zillion Mosquitos.
24. Mississippi: Come Visit and Feel Better About Your State.
25. Missouri: Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work.
26. Montana: Land of the Big Sky, the Unabomber, Right-Wing Crazies, and Honest Elections.
27. Nebraska: Ask About Our State Motto Contest.
28. Nevada: Hookers and Poker!
29. New Hampshire: Go Away and Leave Us Alone.
30. New Jersey: I Got Yer ##S%##! Motto Right Here!
31. New Mexico: Lizards Make Excellent Pets.
32. New York: You Have The Right To Remain Silent, But No Right To Self Defense.
33. North Carolina: Tobacco Is A Vegetable.
34. North Dakota: We Really Are One of the Fifty States!
35. Ohio: At Least We're Not Michigan.
36. Oklahoma: Like The Play, But No Singing.
37. Oregon: Spotted Owl...It's What's For Dinner.
38. Pennsylvania: Cook With Coal.
39. Rhode Island: We're Not REALLY An Island.
40. South Carolina: Remember the Civil War? Well, We Didn't Actually Surrender, Yet!
41. South Dakota: Closer Than North Dakota.
42. Tennessee: Home of the Al Gore Invention Museum.
43. Texas:Se Habla Ingles.
44. Utah: Our Jesus is Better Than Your Jesus.
45. Vermont: Too Liberal for the Kennedys.
46. Virginia: Where Government Stiffs and Slackjaw Yokels Mix.
47. Washington: Our Governor Can Out-Fraud Your Governor.
48. West Virginia: One Big Happy Family...Really!
49. Wisconsin: Come Cut the Cheese!
50. Wyoming: Where Men Are Men and the Sheep Are Scared.

Happy Anniversary to Us :)

It seems like yesterday that we were married!  It's been 15 years! We had our anniversary dinner at Mambo Italiano in Whitefish last night and shared it with Elaine who is here visiting with us. Today we are headed up to Canada for a scenic drive and lunch in Cranbrook. Perfect way to spend the day...I'd marry you all over again!

Win With Jody!

Here's Jody's giveaway for September. You can win by going to her blog and leaving a comment on the giveaway post...click HERE to enter. Be sure to tell her I sent you! I know it's possible to win...I've won twice in the last year! 

I wouldn't recognize him...

if I ran him over! Would you??? It's hard to believe that the voice comes from this young man. I am waiting as patiently as possible for him to do another concert tour. He was in Calgary last summer, but it was a Wednesday and we were in the middle of building the house and just couldn't get away...

 

Blog virgin from Josh Groban on Vimeo.

Is it just me? (Updated 9-22-08)

Am I the only one that thinks these people are candidates for the stupidest bunch of humanity on the planet? Going to the beach bar (the "Poop Deck") to drink out the hurricane makes them deserving of whatever happens to them. No, I'm not saying they deserve to die. But when you are told that staying means you are facing "certain death" and you choose to drink yourself into oblivion, I guess you get what you get. I hope none of my tax dollars will go into helping these people out of the mess they put themselves in. I believe I heard that those who choose to stay will not see rescuers coming in to get them. I say "Hooray" to that. First responders should not be asked to put their own lives on the line for people like these. (For the full story go to FOX News .

The Poop Deckers seem to have made it. Fox apparently got a lot of inquiries as to what happened to these idiots. The building is still standing, the owner who was laughing about whether she'd be alive to laugh about it the next day is still laughing, and several of the "locals" had stopped by to tell her they are okay. The patrons left the building and went who knows where when it started to get really bad. The owner and her husband stayed there in a building on the sea wall of Galveston and listened to the sea and the wind all night. I'm glad no one was hurt, but I hope they know to use better sense next time...

Barking Dogs and a Black Eye

I like dogs. I miss Licorice. I want to get a dog. We just need to find the right one. I do not like dogs that bark at night and bark and bark and bark. Well, it's not their fault. They're barking at deer or coyotes or raccoons or bears or whatever else is moving around out there when it's dark. Our neighbors down the hill have 2 (maybe 3) dogs. They must be hunting dogs cause we don't see them out and about with the family. When the family goes camping, the dogs stay home. When the family is gone for a few days, the dogs stay home. They have a large kennel with a nice doghouse to enjoy. When we first moved into our house at the end of January, we'd hear them now and then. I guess they were spending most of the time in the doghouse (literally) to stay warm. But then the weather improved and we started hearing them more and more. Thankfully, they do not bark much during the day. John called them a few times in the middle of the night and they did whatever they do to quiet the dogs. It happened that one day after one of those phone calls, the lady of the house came over on some homeowners association business. She mentioned that they have bark collars for the dogs, but they forget to charge them or they forget to put them on. She promised to do better and they have. But...still they forget a couple times a week, last night was one of those times. After 45 minutes of barking, I got up and called them to take care of it. I turned out the light and started back to bed. You need to understand that when we turn the lights out, unless there is a full moon it is pitch black. After several minutes your eyes will adjust and it is usually possible to move slowly about. Well, I made the call, hit the light switch and headed directly back into the bedroom. As I made the corner into the room I swear the cabinet that's there must have jumped directly into my path cause I smacked into it hard and here's the result...

 Within 2 minutes I had a golf ball size bump and the bruising started.I put an ice bag on my eye and went back to sleep. The ice seem to have helped the swelling and bruising, but you can tell where the ice didn't stay put. I guess I'm lucky that I'm not a half inch shorter or the cabinet a half  inch taller or I'd probably have damaged the vessels in my eyeball! The dogs??? Yes, they quieted down...I think he put them inside somewhere cause I heard them once after all this and it sounded like maybe they were in the barn. We'll keep working on this barking dog thing...along with all the other covenants they are violating.

I'll try to keep my head from swelling...while I'm smiling...

The 2008 Lincoln County Fair ends tomorrow. I entered 17 photos this year and am totally pleased (and surprised) at the results. I received 12 first place blue ribbons, 2 second place red ribbons, 1 third place white ribbon, and 2 Honorable Mention green ribbons. But, here's the best part. There are 6 Special Sponsor Awards awarded for amateur photography...Best Photo of a Child, Best Photo of a Live Animal, Best Black & White Photo, Best Photo of a Bird/Insect, Best Photo of an Adult or Group of People, and Best Color Photo. All 6 were awarded to my photos! I was totally surprised to see that!

   

End of Summer Scrap Bribe!

Jump on over to the Iowa Geek's blog and leave a comment for a chance to win her monthly scrap bribe. Here's the link...

August Scrap Bribe at the Iowa Geek

Remember to tell her in your comment that I sent you and I'll get an extra entry! While you're there, be sure to spend some time looking around. She's always got some interesting things to say and useable information on her blog!

Editor's Note: Thanks to all of you that entered and mentioned my name. I won on an extra entry!

Another Tag...

This tag comes from a friend's blog. I know these things are floating around all over the internet, but this one has different questions than I've seen elsewhere. Here's my answers...

1.What were you doing 10 years ago? Mostly working and dreaming of retirement day. At work I was on the Display System Replacement (DSR) Test Team and was working crazy shifts. We had hoped to vacation in Australia, but because of the DSR transition that summer we couldn't get enough time off to make it worthwhile. We vacationed in Europe instead and took Brad with us. (Chris elected to stay home.) Brad chose our destinations. We ended up seeing Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, and Italy.

2. What are 5 things on your To Do list today?

Turn in my photo entries at the county fair!
Start catching up this blog from the middle of July!
Enter the Scrap Bribe over at Jody's Iowa Geek site (watch this blog for how you can enter, too!)
Save my July photos to CDs
Upload July photos for printing and sharing

3. What snacks do you enjoy?  Fresh cherries, grapes, Tosttitos Light tortilla chips, ice cream

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire? See a tax attorney...pay off our home...buy a seaplane, helicopter, P51 mustang, and whatever other aviation toys John wants (maybe we'd need a bigger hangar, too)..travel to China, back to Australia, and a whole list of other places...fund IRAs for our kids...replace my Beetle with a new one, heck I'd get two including a convertible for summer driving.

5. What are 3 of your bad habits? wasting time,overeating,not exercising

6. What are 5 places you've lived? Centralia, Seattle, Auburn, Bonney Lake (all in Washington), and Eureka (Montana)

7.What are 5 jobs you've had? air traffic controller, photo printer (the old fashioned way in a lab with film!), communications operator, inventory taker, gift wrapper

8. What is currently playing on your IPOD? It's off. When I turned it off yesterday Carole King was singing "Will You Love Me Tomorrow".

9. What are the last 5 books you've read? I haven't been doing much reading this summer...The Obama Nation, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, How I Became A Pirate, Why The Rope Went Tight...those last 2 were read with Legend.

10. Who do you want to tag? Tracy WB, Alisha, Gail, Teri

Yep, I'm still here.....

I know some have you have wondered if I've left the planet! I made a quick 4-day round trip to St. George to return Legend. He and Grandma had a fun road trip that included playing in the hotel swimming pool, one of his favorite things to do. Wish we could have kept him longer, but he needed to get back and get into his routine for the school year. He is starting Kindergarten on August 12th and is so ready! I'd hoped to get some photos and stories of his visit posted, but I've been busy getting other things on the catch-up list done. Look for those later! We'll be leaving again in the morning to meet the Puget Sound Antique Airplane Club at the Bull Hill Ranch in NE Washington. Yes, there is a private airstrip there, so John will be flying the Champ and I will be driving the Beetle.  Wednesday we'll be headed over to western Washington to pick up Trevor for a visit. (We'd hoped to have him here for part of the time Legend was here, but it just didn't work out with his other summer plans.) We'll leave the Champ somewhere, drive over, and return on Saturday. I don't think I'll have internet access till Wednesday night when we arrive in Auburn (WA). See ya then!

Happy Independence Day!

Hope everyone has had a bang-up day!

We'd planned to go to the fireworks show at Dickey Lake this evening. Things have changed and John is on his way to Washington to pick up his grandpa's rocking chair at Wendy's. She has been borrowing it to rock Zachary and Jacob. Now they are moving and won't have room for it. I decided to stay home and catch up on a few things as we'll be leaving for St. George very early on Tuesday. I may still go to the lake tonight...today's thunderstorms seem to finally be over.

We're Back...

from our trip to Hardin and from the Never Never Land of the Internet. We had a huge storm Tuesday night. We must have gotten 6 months of rainfall in a few hours. The good news is that the dry wells John built to catch the runoff worked.  Wednesday morning we couldn't get online. After phone calls to our ISP, changing the modem, a visit by the phone company, etc. it appears the maybe our router took a lightning hit. It still works but the internal settings were lost and we needed to reinstall our Montanasky (our ISP) static settings. It seems to be working now, but I just had to reinstall them again a few minutes ago. Perhaps there is a new router in our future.

We had a fun trip to Hardin for the Battle of the Little Big Horn Reenactment. I'll be sharing photos here later.

The Scrap Bribe @ The Iowa Geek is a NON-Scrap Bribe!

For those of you that are non-scrappers...Jody has a non-scrapping bribe this month! You can win your choice of a one-year Flickr Pro Account (for online backup photo storage) or a one-year Premium Picnik Account (for photo editing). But wait!!! There's more!!! She's also including a $25 gift certificate for Shutterfly (so you can print those photos you just edited and backed up). Head on over there now to enter by leaving a comment in the Non-Scrap Bribe post...and be sure to tell her I sent you!!! Here's the link: June Bribe

Thank you, Mr. Kelby!

If you take a lot of photos like I do, you've probably had this experience. You've forgotten to change the settings on your camera back to where they should be. I took a few photos indoors one evening where there were incandescent lights, so I changed the white balance setting to avoid a color cast. The next morning we went to Glacier Park and boarded the 9:00am boat at Lake McDonald. The water was calm and was reflecting the peaks, a beautiful day at the park. I happily snapped away taking photo after photo. After we got off the boat I looked at the photos and....Ackkkkkk! My photos looked like this...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful shade of blue, but not so good for photos! I didn't know if they could be saved or if we'd be making a point to come back to the boat real soon. Just last week I had ordered "The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers". With a little research and a little trial and error I was able to change those blue photos to this...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Scott Kelby and his book I was able to save my photos :) If you use Photoshop Elements it's well worth the dollars. Be sure to get the one for your PE software version!

Attention Starbucks Addicts!

Check this out! You can now have a personalized Starbucks card! Here I am in the Montana mountains with my cowboy hat...camera in one hand, mocha in the other. There are lots of choices for making your own card. No, it's not free...it's $29 for the personalized card, but it has $25 credit loaded to the card. So, consider it $4 to dress up your wallet and have a little fun. To get yours, go to www.starbucks.com and click on "customize a card" to the left or click here. Whether you have a personalized card or use one from the stores, be sure to register your card(s). Not only can you check your balance online and report a stolen or lost card, but they are now including freebies when you use a registered card! Things like free added syrups or alternative milk choices, a free beverage when you buy coffee beans,free refills on brewed beverages, and free WiFi!I'm shouting "YeeHaw" on that last one. When we are traveling where we don't have internet access in a hotel, I've been signing up for WiFi at Starbucks and paying for a month...won't need to do that again! Need a gift for someone??? This may be the perfect answer!

It's an even smaller world after all.....

You may remember that on Christmas Eve, 2006 John and I were with my sisters and brothers-in-law in Hawaii. We attended the luau at the Old Lahaina Luau and in a later post I told you about the newly married couple that was seated at our table with us. Their last name was also Brooks and the luau staff had assumed that we were related and seated them with us. No problem, they were nice people and we discovered they were from Libby, Montana...practically our neighbors.

Fast forward to this evening...my sisters have been visiting and Corki brought the recording of their swim with the dolphins in Cancun, Mexico in February for us to watch. As the tape (or in this case the DVD :) started to roll Corki said "Oh, that young couple there is from Libby." Yep, it was James and Jean!!! She and Fred hadn't recognized them, but John and I were certain it was the same couple. I got out my luau pictures to be sure. Fourteen months later and 4000 miles away there they are again. I am just bowled over, what are the odds????? John and I are thinking we should get hold of them and find out where we're going next!

Wise Words from Dottie...

It's been two and a half months since my friend, Dottie, passed away. Today I found something she'd sent a month before she died and wanted to share it with you.

Posted by Dottie (February 6, 2008) 

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life!

1.) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
2.) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3.) Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4.) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to________ today.'
5.) Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6.) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7.) Always pray and make time to exercise.
8.) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of Six.
9.) Dream more while you are awake.
10.) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.
11.) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12.) Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13.) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14.) Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15.) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class ... but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16.) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17.) Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18.) Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19.) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20.) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21.) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22.) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
23.) Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24.) Ladies - Go on and burn those 'special' scented candles, use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear our fancy lingerie now. Stop waiting for a special occasion. Everyday is special.
25.) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26.) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27.) Forgive everyone for everything.
28.) What other people think of you is none of your business.
29.) Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!
30.) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31.) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.
32.) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
33.) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. God provides remember?!
34.) The best is yet to come. (in Heaven)
35.) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
36.) Do the right thing!
37.) Call your family often.
38.) Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for __________.' Today I accomplished _________.
39.) Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
40.) Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH. LIFE'S A GIFT ... UNWRAP IT! Have a Blessed day. Please share with friends!

Those of you that knew Dottie know that she lived by these words. She blessed us by passing them on...let's remember her by living that exceptional, superb, and powerful life she wanted for us. Miss you, Dottie!

Scrapbribing! You have to enter if you want to win!

Jody, the Iowa Geek, has posted her newest scrap bribe. An all-inclusive scrapbooking kit...yep, even the album. Hop on over by clicking here and leave a comment to win...be sure to tell her I sent you! While your there, look for her link to her travel blog where you'll find a link to a fun puzzle and a chance to win a trip to France!

Mothering Instinct

by Baxter Black as published in the Tobacco Valley News.....

For years, New Mexico State University managed a ranch on the Jornada, running Santa Gertrudis' cattle. One of the vivid lessons I learned was the intense protectiveness of the Braymer-blood mama cows.  If you stepped into the high-fenced corrals with the mothers and their youngin's, you were asking for trouble. They were big, dark red, rangy and high-horned. When one turned her head and locked you in her gaze, you knew how it felt to look down the barrel of a cannon and see Darth Vader peekin' back!

In genteel terms, in the cow business that behavior in called "good mothering instinct." That's like describing my teenage son's socks as "making a bold statement." The instinct is characteristic in the females of most species, with notable exceptions in the seahorse, the penguin and certain celebrities.

A strong mothering instinct insures the propagation of the species. Couple that with the male instinct to pollinate frequently and it's no wonder there are so many jackrabbits and rich child support lawyers.

But, back to Braymer cows. My Canadian friend Don has raised rodeo bucking bulls for many years. He selects his breeding cows and sires from practicing-proven good buckers. Cow number 19-L was a black brockle-face Braymer with the face of a gargoyle. Don weaned her calf last fall and put him in a corral to precondition half a mile away.

Gargolita (19-L) went apoplectic! She could not see her baby - he was gone! She ran the fence line in the pasture in a bawling frenzy. Other, more mature cows tried to explain why this was done, how weaning was a natural process and when she could expect the soreness in her udder to abate. All to no avail!

Gargolita crashed through the north fence and raced toward the barn. She leaped a Texas gate (cattle guard in Alberta), took the pavement into Black Falls and turned south. Through a stop sign, the school zone, road construction and the constables having coffee, she followed her nose! On Road 189 she turned back west and ran the two miles back to Don's place, jumped another Texas gate and found her baby at last.

He had been munching a starter feed-mix and hangin' out with other "teenage" calves, griping about their parents. Suddenly he heard his mother bawling! "Where have you been? Why didn't you call! I've been worried sick! No more salt lick for you! Clean your room! Pick up after yourself! Moo, moo, moo..."

Of course, Don never heard all this. He just found 19-L standing outside the corral and her calf cringing in the opposite corner.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY (From Cindy)!

Two Weeks Later....

We have been busy, busy, busy and there's a lot to catch up on! We spent most of last week in Washington. We needed to return for our rescheduled dentist appointments. This time we stayed with Elaine and had a nice visit. Her little doggies and the kitty keep us entertained, too! The first night we were there my laptop blinked to the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). It did it several more times over the next couple of days. Elaine found an HP laptop on sale at Office Depot and it had a $200 rebate. John and I stopped in to look at it. It didn't quite fit my needs (loads of memory and a huge hard drive), but I did spot a nice little Sony. It was on sale and because it was the demo model, it was knocked down another $150. So I now have a very girly little pink notebook computer. So far, I love it!

Huge thanks go to Elaine for teaching me how to share files across a network! With her help I was able to move all my photos and files over to the new machine without transferring them to a billion disks. And my old laptop? I've been expecting it to go, it's over 4 years old and I was really overtasking it with all my photos and editing. But, I've now had it plugged in and running for almost 48 hours without seeing the BSOD. I think the secret is to not overload it. I took most of the files and programs off of it and am hoping that I can use it for cutting to my Wishblade.

Brad celebrated his 26th birthday on April 22nd and we were able to take him to lunch and give him his gift in person. He'd asked for a Jack LaLanne power juicer and that's what he got :)

We decided to stay an extra day to travel to the Skagit Valley to see the tulips. They usually bloom earlier in the month, but the weather in western Washington has been colder than usual, so the end of April was perfect for enjoying the flowers!

Back at home it looks like we are getting some new neighbors. There is an organization here that counts and cares for bluebirds. There are hundreds of bluebird boxes all around the valley. We now have three. One of them can be seen from my studio and I noticed one going in and out of it a couple days ago. I also saw a pair of bluebirds on the tree outside our bathroom window. They were there a long time and kept flying up near the window into the theater. I went upstairs to investigate and discovered that they were trying to get in...that pesky glass in the window was keeping them out. Anyway, they are beautiful birds. The ones I've seen around the house are Western Bluebirds. We've also seen Eastern Bluebirds in the area that are a brilliant blue. I'm hoping I can catch a photo of one, but those things are fast!

The New Ride....

We've realized we need a vehicle that can carry more than 2 adults comfortably, here's our solution! We can put 7 people in this tourist-mobile.

A Bigger New Toy...

Here's a little peak at our new toy! We couldn't pick it up today cause John was flying the Champ home to Eureka and we needed to get the Beetle home, too...I just couldn't figure how to get this thing in the trunk! We'll be going to Whitefish to bring it home on Tuesday...more photos then :)

Memo to Al Gore...

It's Day 6 of spring! (This global warming thing is really something).

My New Toy!

John brought this home for me yesterday! I've been wanting one for quite awhile and we finally have a kitchen with room to use it :) I made gingerbread tonight...loved that I could dump everything in, turn it on, and do something else while it does it's thing. John will be trying it out for pizza crust soon!

Scrap Bribe for March!

Quick! Clink HERE to get over to Jody's Scrap Bribe! Be sure to leave a comment and mention that I sent you for a chance to be the March winner. This month she's put together a package of spring scrapbook supplies from Archiver's.

Free to Fly :)

We returned from our trip yesterday (stay tuned to hear about our fun time with friends at Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo!). John found his renewed medical certificate in the mail after being grounded since July 31st when he had his heart surgery. He'll be flying the Champ to Ferndale (near Big Fork) tomorrow for it's annual inspection. He's grateful the FAA didn't take too long with all the paperwork!

February Scrap Bribe by Jody!

Jody over at The Iowa Geek is giving away a cute "Paris" bag filled with spring scrapping goodies. For a chance to win, click HERE and leave a comment on her scrap bribe post....and be sure to tell her I sent you (which gets me an extra chance :) Check out a few of her offerings below!

"It's A Good Thing"

In anticipation of moving and finally getting into my studio, we visited The Container Store in Bellevue while we were in Washington. I found these acrylic drawers to house my Making Memories foam stamps. I am so glad to be rid of the silly packaging they came in, what a pain to put them away. As Martha would say...."It's a good thing!"

Jody's Got Chocolate! Go Enter Now!

Jody the Iowa Geek has some great Valentine goods and Godiva chocolate to give away this month. Click HERE to leave a comment for your own chance to win, be sure to tell her I sent you! And while you're there clink the link to her new blog, HKWT (Have Kid Will Travel)...it's full of fun travel information (even if you don't have a little one in tow!).