my last 2 weeks in pictures

After recover from a wicked sinus invasion I spent the last couple of weeks working side-by-side with Geo on some home improvements.


painted walls and hutch in the dining room



painted kitchen, removed all upper cabinets (for good), and got new counter tops


held our 15th annual Oscars party with ballots, food, and prizes


had our class picture taken for the school yearbook


woke up to a flooded basement bedroom, and while the excavator was out repairing our main water line from the street to the house we had him remove our old cracked walkway


kitchen cabinets went from maroon to white.  can you say "primer?"


quite a few nights out for dinner with the kitchen torn up

Tell Me Who I Am

If you read my blog as a fellow-writer/blogger let me ask you one question.  Why do you write?  

I write so that I have a place to be creative and to express my feelings.  I write to try and create something artistic.  I write to try and figure things out.  I write to tell my own story.

In my left side bar you will see a book that I have contributed to.  It is a collection of essays written by Mormons (16 of us to be exact) about life, families, and identity.  I have read many of the entries in this book, and in doing so I have found myself inspired and connected to other people in a way I never knew was possible.  This book has been put together by my friend DeNae Handy as a real act of love and interest in our culture and in our writing about it.  I encourage you to purchase a copy or two and share it.  



Pre-order your copy by clicking on the paypal link in my left sidebar.


his face

25 years ago Geo made me a pink cake that said "Jé taime, baby".  We were not engaged yet, but there were feelings of real love sneaking in and we both liked it.  A lot.

He is a good man with a warm and gentle manner.  He loves me in spite of my fire (because of it, he would argue), and has helped me to be a better person.

I love being in love with this man.


Click on the title below for my tribute.


The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

some color and some projects

I get real inspiration from color.  Sometimes something as simple as passing out crayons to my special kiddos can be enough to get the little jolt I need.  One of the apps my students like is called Gravitarium 2.  For kids who enjoy a sensory experience this is a very satisfying app.  One finger sends the colors doing one thing.  Add a second finger and the design changes.   And so on, until you are using all five fingers. We use my iPad and my ceiling-mounted projector to have a bigger experience on the pull down screen at the front of the classroom. Here are some screen shots.





I have also been picking out paint colors for a remodel my husband and I are doing in the kitchen and dining room.  In the kitchen we are tearing out all of the upper cabinets and using only the large bank of cabinets that act as a pantry for all food, and the one across from it (think kind of galley kitchen) for almost all non-food items.  We are obviously keeping the drawers for flatware, dish towels, and a few other things.  In the spirit of our great purge we have been trying to complete, we are getting rid of many kitchen items that are old and worn out or that we simply have not used enough to warrant keeping.  Man, it feels good to get rid of things.  Here are some colors we are using in the kitchen (ice blue walls, white cabinets, and charcoal countertops), along with some destruction shots.




I have learned a few things this week that work from this remodel metaphor.  First, that some good hard physical work is good for what ails you.  Second, that sometimes husbands who are not engineers may not know what is holding up what when cabinets are being removed.  And third, that renewal of our surroundings may be helpful in our renewal of ourselves.