ok, ok, i am totally in love with this new little tablet thingamajig! it allows me to draw things with my own handwriting in photoshop. i feel like a kindergartner in art class! i am giddy. simply giddy.
i’ve been doing a little doodling tonight and here’s my fun creation. i know the girl doesn’t even remotely look like me, but she was fun to create anyway.
there’s a little where’s waldo action going on in this too. see if you can find me. 🙂
nighty, night.
last weekend uncle jerry asked us to help him with a photo shoot. i love watching him in action. i love that his profession is photography. i love that he is an artist.
we took all the boys to a river up the canyon and let them walk upstream.
how fun is that for a bunch of little boys?
i brought my camera along too.
this is what i saw.
to be me.
i think that is my mantra right now. (as you can see by the new banner)
i was trying to think of something to put on the banner and this thought kept coming to mind. after posting it last night, i asked jeff if it sounded weird. he quickly responded, “no way! i’m so glad to finally hear those words from you!”
i am a woman. and i will admit that at times it’s hard to be a woman. trying to get past that constant critic in my head that tells me i’m not good enough or i can’t measure up to the responsibilities or i am dropping so many balls around me. sometimes i feel like there is serious warfare going on inside my mind and that i would need heavy artillery to even step inside.
the goal is to step back and realize what i like about me. what makes me happy about being me?
qualities, habits, attributes, etc.
today, let’s see…
i like the ablility i have to sense other’s needs. not that i have mental telepathy or anything. but i can generally clue in if someone needs a hand, a friend, or a hug. see? i feel better about myself already. this is good stuff! 🙂
so, what makes you happy to be you today?
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. – Cicero
monday was the first day of preschool, folks!
the little man is growing up. off to school. superman backpack in tow.
he was so excited. i was so excited too! i have peace of mind now that my child will not end up a criminal in jail thanks to preschool. (according to the last year’s advertising campaign in california) 😉 😉
when i went to pick him up, i asked him if he wanted to go back again. he said, “yeah, mom! i want to go back six more times.” i guess maybe on the seventh day we’ll have to make other plans. 🙂
let the party begin!
as of tonight, i’m an offical mac user.
and to celebrate…
here we sit in front of this beautiful baby laughing until our guts hurt.
now that’s funny! 🙂
yes.
a loser.
as in, i lose things.
too often. 🙂
the latest thing to escape from my possesion. my cell phone.
gone. kaput. se fue.
somehow i misplaced it while at dallin’s swimming lessons. and after searching and searching, nothing.
but in all of this there was comedy.
some of you may be familiar with the wagon wheel. strangely enough, this is where the swimming lessons are located. for those of you who are not familiar with it, lemme esplain. it’s not the most savory place in town. it’s a motel/bowling alley/corner market right off the 101 freeway. i like to think of it as the hobo hangout. i mean nothing bad by that. just giving you the vibe of the place.
so after asking everyone i could about my cell phone, i decided to go to the front desk of the motel to see if anyone had turned it in. the guy at the front desk sees me walk in and immediately says, "you’re looking for the swimming pool right?"
"no, actually i’m looking for a cell phone. i lost it here yesterday. has anyone turned one in?"
he chuckles and says with a smirk, "maam, this is the wrong place to lose a cell phone. you’ve already had it shut down, i assume?"
i laughed. no checking around. no looking in the back. plain and simple. this was the wrong place to lose a cell phone. and unfortunately, this time i was not a finder.
now, to the not going out in public part.
surely this has happened to many a mother. somehow on monday dallin ended up with a big cut on his forehead. he doesn’t know how he got it and i don’t either. strike one.
then, later that day, ella fell down and hit the side of her eye on the corner of a plastic bin. it looked pretty bad at first and gradually turned into a HUGE black and blue bruise on the side of her face and eye. strike two.
a little embarassed of their appearance, i took them to wal-mart later that day. surely enough, two of the workers handing out carts at the front of the store had their eye on me. they watched me. carefully. checking out my "handling" of the kids. then as i was walking through the store some lady sees ella in the cart and says, "what a cute baby!" then gets closer and gasps, "oh!"
well, as you might guess. i think we’ll just stay in the house for a little while.
’cause you never know…three strikes and i’m out! 😉
hee. hee.
consider this my official graffiti blog entry. rhonna "tagged" me. and i guess i’ll be a sport and play along. beware though, i’m pretty boring, so read at your own risk!
1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
next door to our lifelong friends. wherever they go, that’s where i’d want to be.
2. What’s your favorite article of clothing?
comfy pjs
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
eyes. he melts me with those eyes.
4. What’s the last CD that you bought?
U2. how to dismantle an atomic bomb. always and forever a U2 fan.
5. Where’s your favorite place to be?
snuggling with my lovey
6. Where is your least favorite place to be?
in a hospital bed
7. What’s your favorite place to be massaged?
feet. feet. feet. feet! (do you hear that jeff?)
8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
neither. dang it!
9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
trick question.
first time, around 6:30. and then again every 10 minutes for an hour. heh. heh.
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
where’s the kitchen? 😉
11. What makes you really angry?
paying bills
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
violin. ah, someday.
13. Favorite color?
black. odd, but true. maybe because i think it makes me look thinner. 🙂
14. Which do you prefer…sports car or SUV?
how about a mini van?. yes, i admit i’d finally get one.
15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
definitely
16. Favorite children’s book?
we’ve all got belly buttons by david martin. LOVE it!
17. What is your favorite season?
fall. crisp. cool. changing leaves. football season.
why do i live in california?
18. What is your least favorite household chore?
cooking. i know. my poor family. i stink at cooking.
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
well, see, i actually am a superhero so maybe you’d need to ask my secret identity instead. 😉
20. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
no tattoos for me unless you count the permanent marker that won’t come off after dallin drew on me.
21. Can you juggle?
my kids think i can. we’ll just let them think i’m cool for a while.
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
honestly? it sounds strange but i’d like to apologize to an old ex-boyfriend for really toying with his emotions. i still feel bad about it. (and jeff will probably never let me live this one down. just can’t stand thinking that i’ve hurt someone’s feelings.)
23. What’s your favorite day?
thursday. it’s the weekend-eve!
24. What’s in the trunk of your car?
a boogie board. a blow-up floaty tube. a bag of school clothes from old navy. oh, and a bunch of sand from the beach.
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
hamburger. only if it’s from in-n-out!
i guess i’ll tag krista, sariah, and tara brooks. and don’t worry, ladies, if you don’t want to play along. i’ll so totally not be offended. 🙂 🙂 🙂
or in other words…lots o’ stuff happening.
lots of good stuff.
been loving, oh so loving, getting my groove back with designing. writing. creating.
it’s like letting a little butterfly out of my head that’s been trapped under a rock. ok, silly analogy but you catch my drift. i love to create. to envision something. to work at it. to bring it to life. and then to relish in it. there is something therapeutic about that. yeah, i guess you could say creation is an eternal principle. hmmm, i didn’t intend to draw that conclusion. but as i write, it just makes sense.
so my latest project has me completely and utterly in love.
introducing…the masks. superheroes.
with a last name like mask, i figured it was high time to do something fun with it. and this was the result. liked it so much, i revamped maskfam.com. yeah, baby! whoo-hoo.
other FABULOUS stuff happening as well. after two weeks of everyday classes, THE D-MAN IS A SWIMMER! which is a big thing in our family. huge. positively huge.
because this mommy is not a swimmer. there. i said it. i don’t know how to swim. (big sigh) my embarassing secret is out. you may think it’s not so embarassing. but for a teenager in junior high hanging out at a pool party after school. it is a secret. one of those things where you know you’ll feel mortified if anyone knows. and so you stay at the shallow end hoping. seriously hoping that no one will ask you go off the diving board or into the deep end. the deep end is torture. memories of childhood flood back of hanging on to the side for dear life while people try to pull you into the deep. the treacherous deep.
and so you carry it with you hoping no one finds out for fear you’ll be thought of as weird. and i’m still carrying it. or better said, i don’t offer it up in regular conversation while at the pool. "hey, i can’t swim! how about you?" 🙂
i really do want to learn. i need to. as a mom, i need to. but for now, we’re making progress. this kid is going to be a swimmer if i can help it. he finished his class today. jumped into the deep and swam across.
and do you think this mom was celebrating??????
oh, just a little!
i like good weeks. this has been one of them.
been feeling the need to change something in my life. create a habit. be better.
rhonna has been periodically hosting a challenge inspiring people to break or create a habit in 21 days. i’ve always thought about joining in but there is this little discouraging voice that says, "if you know you aren’t going to follow through then don’t start."
stinky little voice.
but this time i didn’t listen.
i remember august of last year and a challenge i accepted. it was a challenge that changed me. our home. our attitudes. our focus. i recall reading the ensign on a sunday afternoon soon after it arrived in the mail. (which is something i rarely do). 🙂 i read president hinckley’s message. i read his challenge inviting me to read the book of mormon again. i remember being excited to do it. to listen to a prophet’s voice. but most of all i remember his promise:
Without reservation I promise you that…there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of
the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience
to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of
the Son of God.
i wanted that. i needed that. i realized i hungered for those things.
and so i did read. and received the blessings of that promise. and felt a powerful, spiritual, peaceful influence in my life. but when i finished reading…i patted myself on the back and fizzled.
almost a year has passed. and i’ve lost the habit. and sometimes i wonder, how can i let that habit die? a habit so crucial to my happiness? i find myself thinking, where did that missionary in me go? where is the zeal for the things of most importance?
and i am reminded of a wise mission president’s wife counsel, "that was the real you. don’t let satan make you think that was some fluke. someone you are not. or someone you can’t ever be again."
so…
i’m challenging myself. to change. to read. to return. return to the real me. the best me.
and as i do, i realize it’s really not someone i’ve never been before. it’s someone i’ve always been.
and icing on the cake this week…the l.a. temple reopened after being closed 10 months for renovations. talk about feeling like returning home! we took the kids. stayed overnight. and of course, took some pictures.
ah, yes. it’s been a good week.
