Cranking 'em out...

If you read the blog yesterday, you'll know that it was a trying day. After all the hooplah, I decided to just work on the last two Friday sketches I had in the queue (I'll have a new Friday sketch to work on tomorrow). It turned out that 3 hours of uninterrupted scrapping (an almost unheard of luxury here) was very therapeutic.

So here is the Friday sketch from 4/23/10. I liked the simple one-photo sketch. You may recognize this photo from this past February, when Mika attended her first dance.

Patterned paper (DCWV, I think), scalloped border strips (Bazzill), flowers (Maya Road), leaves (Prima Marketing), chipboard flourishes (Deluxe Designs), crackle paint (Tim Holtz), clear finish (Glossy Accents), ribbon (Offray), alphabet stickers (Pebbles, Inc.), sheer journaling block (Maya Road), rhinestones (Colorbok), marker (Sharpie)

While scrapping, I watched The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Have you read the book? I think it's quite good. There are actually three books in the series (Little Altars Everywhere, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Ya-Yas in Bloom). I've read the latter two and am currently reading the first. I also learned last week that she produced a fourth book last year, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder - which arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. I just can't help myself - once I find an author whose work I enjoy, I try to read all of their books.

She may be whiny, but she looks good in photos

This was the Friday Sketch at YSS from 4/16/10. I love the long flower stems... and thought it was a good time to use some YSS ribbon plus the lovely flowers that Holly crocheted for me...

Cardstock (Bazzill), patterned paper (Making Memories), vine and creme tricot ribbon from YSS, leaves (Prima Marketing), crocheted flowers (made by Holly), flower ribbon (Michaels), rhinestones, buttons (MM)

Murphy's Law - I spoke too soon

I should have known I'd be jinxing myself and that things had been running too smoothly... *sigh*

Who knew that a plate lunch of Hawaiian chicken with rice and oranges would be so offensive to a 5-year old? I asked her if that was okay and she said yes. As soon as the plate appeared, she freaked out. Apparently - she didn't remember being asked about the choice and second - she said she HATES this chicken (never mind that it's one of her all-time dinner favorites). Whining soon blew up into a huge tantrum.

Daddy Dude responded to my email updates and called to talk to her. She refused (see picture on right) but never knew - the entire time - who was on the phone. I'm happy to report that she finally agreed to eat her lunch (no other alternative was ever offered) after we picked up Mika from school. As my dad used to say, "hunger is the best spice!"

So that Daddy Dude can see what has been happening, here's a brief summary. Nothing exciting happened on Monday (Grandma showed up that evening but before that, it was all homework and reading for Mika). Tuesday, Mika had Joggers' Club and I couldn't believe that Marika decided to run again (she threw a couple of infamous tantrums last fall).

I think she may be a sprinter, rather than a long-distance runner like myself. She shot off like a bullet for her second lap - some of Mika's first grade classmates tried to run after her and catch up, but they couldn't. =)

Here's my sweet (at that moment) baby here... "out standing in the field"... =)

And there are those famous Jaguar stamps for each lap run. The big kids have to run with cards that get stamped. They drop them, step on 'em and frankly... it's pretty awkward to run around with one of those things! Unfortunately, it's the best way to keep track of mileage...

Yesterday, too, was the day the kids got their balloons for one of their fundraisers. You paid by the balloon and some supposedly have pieces of paper announcing that you're a winner. The girls have until Friday to pop them. There's something endearing about a little kid holding balloons, don't you think?

Here's Marika on the last day of Mika's softball practice. The adults (and siblings) were asked to play against the girls. Mika got tagged out twice and wailed both times. How embarrassing! Better to have it happen during a practice than a game, though...

So now that Marika is finally happy again (the girls are singing a medly to "Grease" in the kitchen while they snack), maybe I can relax a little bit. =)

As my graduate professor used to say: "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

Halfway there... and I still have my hair intact...

Daddy Dude is out of town for a business this week. We are halfway through his absence and I'm relieved to say that I haven't ripped out any of my hair yet - nor has any child pilfered from the pantry (like last year) and stuffed empty wrappers under the furniture. At least, not that I'm aware of... =)

The poor guy, though - today is his birthday and he can't celebrate it the way he wants. We'll be celebrating Friday after he returns. In the meantime, honey - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

YSS has these great Friday sketch challenges that I've been trying to keep up with. This sketch was from April 9th and was created by Inspired Blueprints.

And here's my take on it...

Mika's come a long way this season - she's really turned into an excellent player with lots of potential. When she comes running into to grab a grounder and make an out... it's just so... beautiful! *sniff* =) Concepts are clicking in her brain and things are happening!

And it's official... both girls have been pre-registered for soccer this fall - to play for the first time ever! Next Saturday we'll stand in line to pay money and make sure they get onto a team. The girl seem excited, I'm glad I'll finally get some soccer pictures to scrapbook and perhaps best of all... we don't have to sell any chocolates! =)

Here comes the rain(bow)...

Mika still had practice today... there was only a little bit of drizzle, rain and wind. Oh, and a lovely rainbow for a few minutes... =)

Educatin' Young Minds - Take #2

Today, Marika and I took Hissamina (and everything else bug-related in the house) to Mika's class. I'm just going to say... preschoolers were definitely easier to control! I don't know how a single teacher can manage 20 first graders in one classroom. So many little people with so much to say! Whew! I'm wiped out!

On the bright side, Marika was a good helper (at least she didn't throw a hissy fit, since we were lucky the teacher even allowed her to accompany me) and the insect specimens were a big hit for everybody who wasn't traumatized by the fact they were dead. I kept trying to explain that for an insect taxonomy class, you need to collect A LOT of insects and kill them to study/identify them. Some of the children couldn't grasp the fact that the insects were dead (which was puzzling to me, or I suppose I could be complimented that they looked so good...?).

The teacher allowed me to use the entire hour (I was guaranteed only 15 minutes to start with) and I think they had fun (I suppose to them, I was much more fun than math class, though, right?). I'm very glad the insect collection is getting some educational use out of it. It made me wonder, though, where the heck my cockroach/earwig box went... somewhere in the garage, I suppose...

On a bad note, Hissamina refused to hiss again. We should have gotten a male... but it's too late now! Unless... somebody wants 60 baby cockroaches...???

And speaking of bugs... my "Bug Girl" layout was a runner-up in YSS's March sketch contest and I won a gift certificate to the store. Woohoo! She posts a few sketch every Friday, so it's a great way to make layouts quickly.

A Good Weekend

Her sense of fashion makes me smile... =)

One of the girls' best friends had a birthday party today at the local minor league ballpark. The kids could participate in a baseball clinic before the game, led by the players themselves. As Mika is hitting the ball (right picture), the boys in the field in front of her are yelling, "Look out! She looks serious!"). She hit it all the way through them, to the last row of boys. That's our girl!

It was a great party - the group had an exclusive patio area, furnished with food and shade. The kids also got to play in the Fun Zone (jumpy house, batting practice, etc.) and their friend got face time on the stadium camera for his birthday. Bernie even stopped by for a group photo. Afterwards, the kids went down to the field to get player autographs. Who knows? Maybe one of these player signatures will be worth a lot of money in a few years. =)

On a sidenote... I am running again! After a bike ride with Mika yesterday - and experiencing no pain whatsoever - I ran 3 miles. Not too shabby after 4 weeks off! I woke up feeling good (not sore at all) so I ran another 5 miles this morning. I can't run FAST yet (that does hurt), but I am so happy to be running again - the inactivity was driving me nuts. I should be back up to my usual 6 miles tomorrow - and we'll find out next Sunday if I'm able to sprint again or not. It'll be 5 weeks since our last game on that day. Wish me luck... =)

Educatin' young minds - take #1

Today I gave my first bug talk - in 12-13 years - to Marika's preschool class. Armed with several boxes of my graduate school insect collection, some insect nets, acrylized bugs and Hissamina (a very reluctant participant), we trotted off to school. For an entomologist, talking about bugs to little kids is so much fun - they are the best audience! Everybody has a story to tell. The funniest thing to me, though, was having the kids get closer and closer to the insects as I started to show the collections.

Unfortunately, there's always *one kid* who is obsessed with the fact that the insects are all dead. Yes, the sad and awful truth about insect collections is that you really can't identify the small ones unless they immobile. At least nobody cried. =)

Most of them wanted to pet Hissamina (who was none too pleased, but still refused to hiss on command) and thankfully, she remains unsquished. They also seemed to enjoy running around the grounds with the butterfly nets - and at least they all caught (at least) a few flies.

So, hopefully I made a good impression. It's not very often I get to talk about my favorite little critters! Next week, I've been invited to Mika's class. I wonder how different the first graders will be...

Almost Famous?

Daddy Dude told me last week that there was a picture of him up at work. At first I thought he meant he was on a billboard (?!) but he explained that there were a series of pictures of people around one of the construction sites, as part of a "more picturesque setting". I knew I had to get a picture with the girls in it...

And so... here they are! Even the girls thought he looked really handsome. =) I guess this picture is a follow-up to his appearance on their advertising CD. What's next for him, I wonder... ;)

Since Daddy Dude was in LA all day for a conference, I took the girls to a bunch of fun places, one of which was a "Safety Day" at the local museum. The girls were in awe of all the goodies they got, while I enjoyed chatting with the various kinds of personnel (including a SWAT person!). As you can see, there were some famous celebrity mascots in attendance... (regrettably, we didn't get a picture with McGruff).

It's hard being five...

She finally wore herself out this afternoon, after all that whining and groaning. That's a punch ball on her legs... I tried to remove it but she was still hanging onto it - with a death grip!

Easter celebration

And here is the last of my three posts for today...


This cartoon was posted at cropchocolate.com on Saturday - I thought it was pretty funny!

On Easter, we joined our wonderful friends and her family. We've celebrated Easter with Holly for the past several years and we always have a good time. Here are the girls in their Easter outfits - Holly made Mika's dress and Marika's top, as part of their birthday presents. Don't they look adorable in them? It really struck me how big Mika is getting... she is looking like a young lady now...

Here are some action shots from the exciting Easter Egg hunt... the best eggs were "talking" eggs that Grammy brought over. They chattered loudly so the kids could find them.

Here are the kids with their big scores...

And here are the kids breaking into their loot... they were so funny - all of them separated their goodies into categories! Their Easter was sweetened even more by Grammy giving them chocolate easter bunnies... yum yum!

Thanks so much for having us over! We all had a great time!

Another busy birthday week...

Last week, we celebrated Mika's birthday. It was a super busy day, since she had had softball practice in the evening. Afterwards, we went out to dinner and then came home to enjoy her birthday cupcakes. Of course she had to blow out a candle...

Afterwards, we were delighted to learn that Uncle Ken and his family had called to wish the girls a happy birthday and Mirei sang to them. We had a video chat a few minutes later and had a great time visiting with their family. Those girls are so cute! It's so fun to see everybody "in person" on a more frequent basis via Skype.

The birthday week was topped off with a visit to Toys R Us. Marika got a crown and balloon, too, even though she has been unable to find HER Toys R Us birthday card and gift card. *tsk tsk* They got to pick something out (we now have 2 more bunnies and 2 lambs in our house) and of course, Daddy Dude got to pick something out for himself, too... =)

Besides Mika's birthday, it's been another week for more milestones. Marika will be registering for kindergarten next week (*gasp* where does the time go?!) so she had to have her pre-registration physical. She looks like such a good patient, doesn't she? I love this picture with her taking the hearing test...

And last but not least... Mika is improving steadily as a reader and seems to be enjoying it more. She finished the Super Reader level (AR system), which includes the first series of chapter books. Now, she's finally reading "good" books (in my humble opinion). The first book she tackled - for the next level - was "Socks" (by Beverly Cleary) (why doesn't Blogger let me underline anything?!). It took her 3 days (we were kind of busy this week) but she passed the book quiz with flying colors. And she loved the book! We're going to see how she likes reading her first "Ramona" book this week (it's a bit above her level, though)... or maybe it will be "B is for Betsy"... does anybody else remembering reading those books?

And here's a little bit of trivia - did you know Beverly Cleary is a Cal alumni? GO BEARS!!!

If you have any reading recommendations for Mika - for her reading level - please share them!

Remembering Grandpa for Easter

My father loved to celebrate holidays, whether it be Halloween or Christmas. Anytime the flag was supposed to be displayed, there would be one flying outside our house. Easter was no different. When I was about seven years old, my father decided to go the extra step (the house was always well-stocked with yummy chocolate eggs in a little basket for easy access) and teach me how to make "re-usable" Easter eggs.

The girls dyed Easter eggs for the first time last year and Mika didn't seem to really enjoy the experience. Marika liked doing it but it seemed so wasteful to dye all those eggs and not want to eat them (the dye is rather off-putting, don't you think?). So, I thought this year was the perfect time to celebrate the memory of my father by making his re-usable Easter eggs.

Of course it wasn't his original idea - I found a few websites on the internet describing the process - but it was the fact he spent a couple of hours making them with/for me, that was so touching. I'll never forget that. So here's how to make them...


My father used a pin (I don't know how he managed that!) to break a hole in the egg, but I had better luck with a special knife we had (an "As Seen On TV" knife - it will cut aluminum cans!).

After the hole is big enough, insert a skewer to break up the egg matter (otherwise, it will never come out). Some websites suggested making two holes and others suggested one - we tried it both ways and it didn't seem to make a significant difference to me. Daddy Dude diligently helped to shake the eggs... I kept waiting for him to grouch about it and when I casually mentioned, "Hmmm... I see now why Dad only did this once with me..." he groaned and said, "this is taking forever!"

Once the hole is big enough, you have to let the egg drip out (or shake it gently). The key is to break up the egg matter.

After the eggs were emptied (we used all the egg matter for dinner - so no waste!), I rinsed them out and baked them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Personally, I think these holes are pretty big. With some practice and patience, they could have been smaller.

I covered the holes with a layer of tissue soaked in watered-down Elmer's glue. They dry within an hour on their own, but I speeded up the process with a hair dryer.

I then gave the girls a pack of fine-point Sharpie markers and told them to go to town. I love how intense and focused Marika looks here!

And here is what they came up with! I think I'll write the date on these eggs and perhaps we'll see how their artwork improves over the years...