I Just Can't Seem to Stay Home

Since the day the youngest son moved back to Arizona, about a month ago, he has been wanting to take a trip back to California. I didn't encourage him too much because I thought it wasn't really necessary. When I realized he was going to go whether I encouraged him or not I thought, "that's OK. He can go if he wants to, but I just saw the grandson and the oldest daughter for a week and I don't need to see them again". We are planning a trip to California in March for Spring Break and that isn't that far away. I was decided.

However, as his departure got closer I just couldn't think of a good enough reason to stay home, so I asked him if I could tag along. He was happy for my company, as long as I agreed to pay for some of the gas. So...

Once again I find myself in San Diego and I'm happy to be here.

Who wouldn't be happy to see this cute, smiling face?

Tonight, after the grandson went to bed, we played Scattergories and then the oldest daughter and I put a puzzle together. It is a Dowdle puzzle of San Diego. It was fun to work on and had some interesting details.

The grandson's favorite part was the temple.

I am embarrassed to say my favorite part was the buff surfers.

We had a hard time figuring out why there were legs waving out of the top of one of the buildings, but once we completed the scene and read the words we realized they weren't legs but elephant and giraffe heads poking out of the zoo.

There's lots of exciting things to see and do in San Diego and I'm excited to see and do them for the next few days.

Today I am thankful for

one on one time with the youngest son.

Sunday dinner that I didn't have to make.

an amazing Gospel Doctrine teacher who loves the scriptures and makes me want to love them more.

The Passage of Time

So,

here it is.

2012.

Am I the only one that feels like the year 2000 DID NOT begin 12 years ago.

It seems like last year.

Or maybe 2 or 3 years ago,

but not 12.

Things have changed a lot since then though.

Now all the kids that were wild young 'uns then

are starting to have young 'uns of their own.


They think they are old enough to put OUR puzzle together


and don't leave us any room at the table.

It was actually kind of fun though,

to have our daughters want to do puzzles with us.

It meant they were close by

and not hundreds of miles away.

My mom used to always say

that the person who put the last piece in the puzzle

was going to have the next baby.

That is another good reason to start

including the daughters in the puzzling.

The last piece in this puzzle was missing.

The oldest daughter spent some time

under the table seriously searching for it.

At this point she is trying anything that might get her a new baby.

She did find it

so we're still holding out hope

for a new member of their family in 2012.

We missed our friend that got to welcome the arrival of 2012

in a hospital bed facing a new challenge along with a new year.

Here's praying that her cancer disappears

as quickly as the past 12 years have.

Free Zoo Trip

The first full weekend of every month in 2009 Bank of America customers can get into the Phoenix Zoo for free if they show their Bank of America Check Card and a photo ID. I found out about this deal at the end of September, but chose to watch conference in October rather than go to the zoo. This month I was anxious to take advantage of the free deal, because as you know, I Love Free and there's only one more month in 2009. The only drawback of this deal is that only one person can get in with each Bank of America card, but since every member of my family except the youngest son and the grandbaby have their own BofA card this wasn't a huge problem. When it came right down to it only the oldest daughter, the youngest son and the grandbaby were interested in going with me. It just so happened that the oldest daughter still had one day left on her year long zoo membership and so she and the youngest son used that to get in. I used my Bank of America card and the grandbaby was free just because he was free.

It's a good thing that we didn't pay a lot of money to get the baby in because he didn't even open his eyes the entire three hours we were there.
It's been a while since I have been to the zoo (because I am too cheap to pay to get in) and a few things have changed since the last time I was there. They have added a new path to the children's area.

This was a really dumb addition, in my opinion. You use to walk down a short hill. Now you switch back and forth on a path that has 5 or 6 turns. There is nothing to look at, just a concrete path with wood railings. We decided this is the zoo's attempt to increase the patron's physical exercise.

Here is my token picture of some animals at the zoo.


I liked these javelinas hairstyles. They all looked like punk rockers.

I kept wanting to get the baby out of the stroller to take his picture, but the youngest son didn't think he wanted to wake up. He decided he could pose for pictures in his place. Here he is pretending to be Ariel.

I thought this was a really cool Saguaro slide.


The son said it was a tight fit.

This is the picture I turned around to take while the stroller continued to move on down the hill. The daughter was screaming, but no babies were injured in the process.

Now the two of them like to look at this picture and laugh at how dumb I am.
The oldest daughter and I both agreed that we needed a picture so the baby would know he went to the zoo, so here it is.



I'm sure we'll come again when the grandbaby is a little more interested. Maybe the first full weekend in December, since it's free.

Today I am grateful for

kids that are willing to do things with me.
a daughter who likes puzzles as much as I do.

a husband who washes my van while I just play.

The View

The hubby has had several evening meetings this week so I decided this was a good time to put a puzzle together. I love to do puzzles. There is something so intriguing about looking at the small details of a puzzle piece and figuring out where it belongs in the larger picture. Tiny color variations or subtle patterns, that you hardly notice at first glance, become so apparent when you really look at each individual piece. I am always so excited to watch the complete picture come together.

I bought this puzzle at a thrift store. I chose it because it reminded me of my home. I grew up on the outskirts of a small Utah community nestled in the Wasatch Valley. The home that I lived in for most of my childhood was located on the crest of a hill looking out over this valley. My front porch had a wonderful view that extended all the way to Mt. Timpanogos and Deer Creek Reservoir. Although there were a few homes and buildings to be seen dotting the landscape here and there, the majority of what we could see from this vantage point were fields. Lots and lots of fields containing various crops and livestock dissected by dirt roads and fences and streams. Depending on the season these fields would be green or gold or brown or white or a mixture of many different hues. They often resembled a huge patchwork quilt just as this puzzle depicts. What beautiful and precious memories this puzzle brings to mind.

Today I am grateful for

thrift store puzzles that end up still having all the pieces.
the opportunity to grow up in the country.
memories.

One year ago today - Crying on the beach

Oldest Kid in the Nursery

Most of the kids in our ward nursery are just barely two or younger. However, we have one little boy who is almost three. I feel kind of bad for him because he has to hang out with all these babies. He also has two younger siblings at home (along with a four year old sister) so he spends most of his time with babies. When last year's nursery group moved up to Sunbeams we got rid of the play dough, the puzzles, the stringing beads and some of our books that the new group weren't quite ready for, but that leaves this little boy sometimes bored with all the baby toys. He comes up with new and unique ways of playing with the available toys. Some which aren't necessarily safe or appropriate.
The other day when I was at the thrift store they were having a sale on their puzzles and they had a Noah's Ark floor puzzle that I thought this child might enjoy. I brought it to church today and he was excited to put it together. Unfortunately, our nursery princess (our only girl) was equally excited to pull it apart. One piece in, one piece out. We finally got it all put together and I went to grab the camera to take a picture of our accomplishment. When I came back he was guarding his masterpiece from certain destruction.


She looks innocent, doesn't she?


But as soon as she thinks no one is watching, out comes a piece.


We do have rules against sitting on the table, but this child was determined that he was going to get in front of the camera.

We put the puzzle away and our big boy decided he might enjoy reading books. This child isn't a big talker. He can talk a lot, he just chooses not to. It was fun to listen to him read this entire ABC book - A, apple, B, ball... complete with the entire ABC song as a finale. He is a great singer.

This is his little brother. In 4 months, we have yet to hear a word out of his mouth.

This little guy got all of his curls cut off this week and has grown from baby to toddler overnight. It's amazing the difference a haircut can make.

We only had 5 kids in nursery this week. It was so quiet at times it was almost scary.

This would actually be the oldest kid in our nursery, but his mean mom makes him go to his Sunday School class every week. He even promises to play nice with the babies and she still makes him leave.

Today I am grateful for

food. It always tastes better after fasting.
nursery children.
patient boys.

Puzzling Trips to the Doctor

My mom doesn't look forward to her daily trips to Provo for her cancer treatments, but I actually have a hard time not getting a little bit excited. The radiation waiting room has a puzzle set up between the rows of chairs and I quite enjoy the time I spend there. The first day was a long visit and I worked for quite a while on a puzzle with lots and lots of snowmen on it. It was close to being finished and all that was left were the harder pieces, but I was able to fill in quite a few holes. The next day I was looking forward to working on it again, but it was gone and a new one was in it's place. This was a Charles Wysocki Winter Scene with houses and people. It was just barely started which made me happy because I knew I would get a chance to work on it for a few days.
I am not much of a border person. I am happy to let someone else work on the border while I focus on the easier parts of the puzzle. I like to work on places where there is a distinct difference in color and the buildings on this puzzle were just up my alley.
I didn't see too many other people who had an interest in the puzzles while I was there. The first day there was a man working on it when I got there. He told me he has to do one piece every time he came and then he could sit down and read his book. He was looking for one specific piece, with a unique shape, and it took him awhile to find it and then he was content to stop. Stop?! I even have a hard time stopping when my mom comes out, ready to leave. One day a lady came in and asked the receptionist at the counter if she could please work on the puzzle. Her husband was waiting for an appointment in a different office, but their office was boring and she'd rather wait in here. We had fun handing each other pieces for the part of the puzzle each of us were working on. Her husband came to look for her at one point and she said "I'll be right here." He asked if she wanted to go into the appointment with him and she said, "No, I'll be fine right here." I don't know if that was the answer that he wanted to hear, but he didn't seem to be too surprised by it.
One day while I was plugging away on the puzzle a woman approached me and asked me if I could do her a favor. They were making a brochure for the medical building and they needed some subjects to be in it. I tore myself away from the puzzle long enough to sign a wavier and get taken on a fun ride in and out and in and out and in and out of the sliding doors to the parking lot in a wheelchair carrying on a pretend conversation with the pretend employee who was pushing me. It was my one moment of fame and I'll never even know if I made the brochure or not. The photographer told me I did such a good job he was going to make a poster and put me smack dab in the middle. I think I'd rather be working on "my" puzzle than plastered on a poster.


It's fun every day to walk up to the puzzle and see what has been accomplished while I was gone. I wonder about those other puzzlers who come each day and put pieces into this community puzzle. Who are they waiting for? What kind of cancer is their family member or friend fighting against? How many puzzles will they work on before they stop coming? I was a little sad as I left the waiting room today. I won't be back to work on the puzzle anymore. I wonder when this one will be finished and what the next one will look like and who will come to take my place?

The Sudoku sickness has spread

A couple of years ago my eldest and I discovered Sudoku and I became a little addicted for a while. I got a calendar for Christmas 2006 with a Sudoku a day and I pretty much did one a day for most of 2007. My kids keep me in puzzles now and I go in phases where I Sudoku a lot and then not so much. My habit, at the moment, is to do the puzzle in the paper every morning in pen, which as I have mentioned before is a challenge for me. My oldest son caught the sickness sometime in 2007 and usually has to do one a day. He likes to Sudoku in bed and his brother likes to complain about it. My husband has never been that interested, but on a plane trip to Seattle last December he actually tried to steal my Sudoku book from me. My daughter bought him his own easy Sudoku book for his birthday in April (at his request) and a monster was born.
Now it is hard to find him at home without his Sudoku book in hand. He even took notes for a funeral talk in it because it was the closest paper he could find. If he makes a mistake he says "Oh, I ran into a road block." I try to tell him there are no road blocks thrown into Sudoku puzzles, but the easiest way to start a fight in our home at the moment is for me to comment on his Sudoku ability. He received a few more books for Father's Day along with some special race car pencils to Sudoku with and he was a happy dad. Last night I went into our bedroom and actually caught him doing online Sudoku on the computer. Who would have thought?? Even I haven't got the sickness that bad. Well, today he comes home from work and begins to share his lunch time near catastrophe with me. Guess what it was? He got his lunch, pulled his Sudoku book out of the bag, opened to the page he was on and ... here it is... HIS PENCIL WAS MISSING! I am happy to report it was only a near catastrophe because he managed to finish the half done puzzle in pen without making a mistake. I bet someone would have lent him a pencil if he would have asked, but it probably wouldn't have had race cars on it. Actually, I'm glad he has something to do while I write on my blog. However, this online stuff has got to stop before it interferes with MY computer time. What's next? Is he going to want a blog of his own sometime soon too?

Happy Hour(s)

I had a fun day today. I've had a few too many of those lately and my house is beginning to show the effects, but that is beside the point. My oldest daughter felt bad that she missed out on the puzzle-putting-together party, since she was on her belated honeymoon, so she brought a puzzle and came to visit. She and I spent a couple of enjoyable hours completing it.


I wonder who the first person was to print a picture on cardboard and cut it into little pieces just so someone could put it all back together? For anyone who cares, I checked into this on about.com and found out that the first puzzle was created by an Englishman named John Spilsbury in 1767. He was an engraver and a mapmaker. The first jigsaw puzzle was a map of the world. Spilsbury attached a map to a piece of wood and then cut out each country. Teachers used his puzzle to teach geography. Another invention created for a valuable purpose that somehow got turned into a distraction. Puzzles really are kind of silly things and a waste of time, but a whole lot of fun. I'm sure there must be some mental value in putting them together. Don't you think?

Speaking of Happy Hour, I went to Sonic yesterday for my favorite diet coke with whole cherries and they charged be full price even though it was 3:45 PM which should have been Happy Hour - half price drinks. I bought other stuff for the kids so I didn't really realize it until later, but I was really sad that perhaps Happy Hour was a thing of the past. My sons were more than happy to go check it out today and I am pleased to report that Happy Hour is still happening! Puzzling is much more exciting with some liquid refreshment.

Fun with the ladies

My mom and sister-in-law have been visiting here this week while my brother attends a convention. It is so much fun to have people to join me in my favorite activities such as finding bargains at Goodwill, eating Apple Spinach Salad at Crackers, putting puzzles together, looking at pictures, reading, and talking. We have really been enjoying ourselves. My sister-in-law left her 5 boys home alone. Three of them are technically adults and therefore supposedly responsible and they have been managing quite well. While we were at Goodwill today she got a phone call from her youngest, who is 9. It started out with "We have an EMERGENCY!" followed by a dramatic pause. Worried, she asked what was wrong. "I have chapped lips." "And?" "I can't find any chap stick!" The emergency was quickly taken care of and hopefully that will be the biggest crisis they face for the rest of the week.


This was the puzzle we put together. I did all the easy pieces and I made my sister-in-law do all the hard parts. She was nice and didn't complain. The edge on this puzzle was curvey instead of straight which made it a bit of a challenge, especially when some of the pieces we needed were hidden under the table. My mom put all the people together and found the missing last piece that had jumped off the table, into the living room and under a chair. Lucky thing she dropped her cane right in the right spot!