Hello!

I've been asked to direct the Ward's 40's Radio Show! It's exactly what it sounds like, a radio show, done just like in the 40's, but with an audience. Each ward has 20 minutes to perform their show and a commercial. Great fun!

Will be driving a car up to Bethany one of these days soon. She is doing EXTREMELY well. 102% on her written test and 100% on her floor test! Yay! She is LOVING it!

Lauren & Ashley are working on getting their driver's permit. Please hurry girls!

Cameron is almost as tall as me.... Rude!

We are holding strong with 5 chickens and 1 dog. Considering getting a turkey and a pig.

Update

At the end of September, Ashley had her tonsils taken out. On top of having to recover from that, she got this awful flu. Then Lauren had it, then Cameron had it, then I had it, then Ashley had it, then I had it, then Lauren had it.

And here we are all the way into October already!

Trying to catch up from all things left undone because of the flu is the name of the game now! Hope you are all well!

Thomas from St. Thomas

During our vacation to the Virgin Islands, we spent a day on St. Thomas. We enjoyed our time wandering in and out of shops and through the throngs of people. At the end of the day, as we searched for refreshment, we came upon a man carving hummingbirds out of coconut husks. We stopped to watch. We asked him his name. "I am Thomas" was his reply. As we talked we learned that Thomas' dream was to come to America and take art classes. He spoke of his two children ages 9 and 13. Bart and Cameron were more interested in finding that refreshment and left us.



Then, speaking with drunken ease, Thomas asked me, "Ah dese all yuh dau-tuhs, mommi?".
"Yes, these are all mine."
He asked my oldest, "You a cook?"

At this time, Thomas' buddy, who had been standing next to me, began speaking directly to me and in his Caribbean accent said, "I like to cook. I cook for myself and it pleases me that I can cook for myself. As a little child I stood by my mommi learning how to cook. So today I can cook for myself. But, when my girlfriend cooks for me I am filled with happiness. It is good when someone fills you with love by cooking for you."

I agreed with him and turned back to the conversation with my girls - which had gone something like this:

Thomas: "Yoo know how to cook?"
Bethany: "Well, not very well, but I'm learning."
Thomas: "What's your code?"
Bethany: "Um, I don't think I have a code."
Thomas: "Yeah? So, what's your code?"
Bethany: "Really, I don't have a code."

As I returned to the conversation at this point, Thomas asked, "Ah yoo havin' eny mo-uh babies, mommi?"

HaHaa! "No! I'm not having any more babies. Shops closed now."
Thomas: "Why yoo not have mo-uh babies?"
Me: "Because if I have more babies, I couldn't come see you."
Thomas: "Oh! You come to see me!"

At this point he nodded his head toward Bethany who he had been trying to get her phone number (code) and said,
"I likah yoo dau-tuh, mommi!"

His buddy nodded in agreement. My daughters and I laughed and I said, "I like my daughter, too! 'Bye Thomas!" and off we quickly went to find Bart and Cameron!

We laughed and laughed at that for the rest of the day! And now, when we are all together and it has quieted down, one of us will pipe up and say,

"I likah yoo dau-tuh, mommi!"

And the laughter begins again......

Bethany, Ashley, Lauren waiting for Ferry to take us from St. Thomas to St. John

Here She Is

Miss Bethany Marie Child - This High School Graduate!

My Last Three Paintings

Tickled Pink



Hoorah! To the Green End



El Pollo Loco

Wordless Wednesday

Hey Ya'll!

Well, as you know, I had surgery last February. I had been very sick for a long time. But, as soon as I had healed, I was off and running - literally! I still don't run outside yet, but my treadmill and I are pretty good friends now.

Bethany graduated from High School in June! Yay! She was very busy her senior year working as Vice President in student council. She fulfilled all her responsibilities wonderfully. She stayed home through the summer and continued working at Frugo's the Frozen Yogurt shop. She is now up in Provo and will start school at Paul Mitchell Hair Academy on Monday, Sept. 14th!

In August we went to the Virgin Islands! St. John is the island we stayed on, but we visited St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands. We even cruised through the bay where Kenny Chesney's music video was made.

Lauren & Ashley are in the 10th grade on the main campus of the high school this year. Although school is not their favorite thing in life, they are having a much better year this year than last! Amen.

Cameron is in the 6th grade and still at the elementary school. He has lots of friends and is doing pretty well until it's time for homework. And then, well, you know...

We started the spring off with 12 baby chicks. We now have 6 chickens and 1 duck. Eventually that story will be posted. We average about 2 eggs a day. We have no idea which of the chickens are laying the eggs, but we are bound and determined to find out!

We started 3 garden boxes filled with onions, peppers, carrots, lettuce, squash, beans, cantaloupe, and watermelon. We harvested 3 squash. Amy got 2, and we still have one sitting on the counter, just to look at.

Our very old in-ground fiberglass pool got really gross! Well, it's always been gross, but we would swim at night and pretend it wasn't gross. But, it got even too gross for that. So we are having it re-built. We went through lots of company's trying to find out who would be the best fit to build the pool and that's all I'm going to say about that; except that the guy that showed up drunk the first time he met us, is the guy that came most highly recommended. We didn't hire him.

The pool was supposed to be finished in July so we could give Bethany a Big Good-Bye Party. Didn't happen, but we had fun anyway.

When we took Bethany up to Provo, I got really sick. I hadn't told Bart yet that we were supposed to meet with Lana & Mickey so he didn't know to call her. Someone at the hotel took an impression of our credit card and charged $15,000+ on our card. Yeah, that's what I said, too!

I started back to school, 3 classes at a time, this semester. They are online/TV classes so I only have to meet on campus a few times each semester for each class. Which is ok with me. I enjoy learning, but wonder why Philosophy was ever invented. So many of the questions just don't make me look cute when I have to think about them. They need to just go away!

I've taken lots of pictures and painted a few pictures.

Several months ago Judy took me for a ride to Twitterville. She dropped me off there and hasn't been back to pick me up yet. So I've made some friends; some really awesome people from all over the world that are really just like you and me. And Heavenly Father really loves them too, so I pray for them occasionally - Like when David Sandum from Sweden needed to sell his art work to clear space in his studio. And when a friend I will not name wrote a humble and sincere post that on that day he felt so unlovable. I said, "Ah! Yes, I understand. That feeling is a lie!" And it made his day better. And when Winston Starling was creating a logo for my 'Cookies By Delivery' business, I prayed he wouldn't get his feelings hurt when I told him to make the boobs smaller. It would have been interpreted I had a different kind of milk for sale to go with the cookies. He did a great job and is still my friend.

I have missed all of you, but feel like I've been around the world on an Anthropological quest! It's been great fun, but I kind of want to come home now. It's time to dust the cobwebs out of the corners and open the curtains and be with my family and closest friends again. I love you all. You make me who I am.

And who I am was just asked by the Bishop to be the ward director for the '40's Radio Show' Activity that is going to be held in November. Yikes! I have two days to find my 'team'. Double yikes. We have to submit our show and commercial thoughts by Sunday. Triple Yikes!

I guess I better go! Caio for now! Oh, but I do get to go to dinner with Judy this Saturday and we are going to eat and laugh and play with our iPhones together! Expect pictures!!!

I Haven't Abandoned You...

...Completely; I promise!

I've been up to some fun, and some not so fun, stuff that I will be posting about shortly!

(P.S. I got an iPhone!!!!!!!!! :) LOVE it!)

My First Book Review

I chose to read "The X and Y of Buy" by Elizabeth Pace for a few reasons. As a small business owner I am always interested in learning better marketing techniques to draw consumers to my products. The title itself made me realize my current understanding of marketing had everything to do with personality, and nothing to do with gender. I wondered if I could utilize this new perspective. Pace, who has spent 20+ years in business, proved to me that her success, and the success of any salesperson, directly depends on the understanding of the differences between the two genders brain activity, perception, and purpose of action with many references to up-to-date medical research. In using graphs, illustrations and photos she ensures understanding of this throughout her larger audience. I recognized my own purchasing style within her examples and I enjoyed learning about the differences in structure and power of each genders brain. I would recommend to anyone they read this book. Along with the medical information, Pace also offers simple, step-by-step processes that teaches clear communication between the genders that can be utilized not only in business and sales situations, but in any human relationship.

I wrote this review as a member of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program - http://brb.thomasnelson.com - Thanks Janet Patrice Neville Nordine!!! :)

My Morning Journal Thoughts

It is cool in the garden this morning on my bench. I watched the chickens, ducks, lizards and birds from there.

Breakfast wanted me to eat it so that is what I am doing now; sitting at my desk eating breakfast. St. John is sitting on my mind. I've never been there before. We leave tomorrow. Nine hours on a large airplane plus 1 hour in a small airplane plus 20 min on a boat will get us to St. John.

We will live together for 7 days with our friends from Georgia. We don't see them often so when we do see them I laugh at their accent and tease them. But at the end of 7 days we will be the ones whose speech will have changed to be more like theirs. They don't change to be like us.

It's not just their accent that doesn't change. Their hospitality doesn't change and they take care of our every need. Or, I should say they facilitate the fulfillment of our (needs) wants. This is the Southern culture. We, on the other hand, are from California - the land of up & coming, trends, and shifts in perspective. We are needy...

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On my desk is a painting I started for a friend of mine. It is patient with me. After laying color down I liked it. The next day I added color and I didn't like it - so I started to white it out - then I stopped whiting it out. I am pleased that I stopped.

Each day since then I considered that maybe I don't want to paint this picture. Then I answer myself in a very firm tone, "Yes, you really do want this picture to be painted and you are the only one who can paint it. My friend might have something to feel about/because of the painting." And then I think to myself, "Just remember he will know your weaknesses through this work." -- Well, that's okay. --

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There are two windows to the left of my desk that I watch the day through. Roses and birds, an occasional cyclist, the field and hills and valley below are there - always. These things I have no responsibility towards. I don't have to do anything with or for or because of them. They are my pleasures...

To the right of my desk is my house filled with my people and my things. Beyond my house is the yard, pool, garden, chickens, dog; interpreted, my life and my responsibilities. I wouldn't care as much for the things to my right if I didn't have the view to my left, or the almost whited out painting on my desk.

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Did you know that the only thing I'm an expert at is being the wife to my husband and mother to my children. Yes, I am an expert at those two things. I became aware of that fact the day after I made some mistakes with one and two of my children. The mistakes were made as I was acting in the name of mothering these children in the most correct way I knew how. But it wasn't what was correct for these particular personalities. I think it will be of great benefit that they saw me putting forth effort to care for them, even though it was not right for them, and that I told them I was sorry and I see their point of view. Even though it was 'wrong' it was done with expertise.

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Our algae growing pool is almost completely drained now. The dragonflies vacationing near it are going to have go back to where they came from. It was nice to have them here. I watched them while they were here. I like the way they dance.

But they have to go because the pool will be rebuilt and filled with clean water and this will bring the bats back. In the summers past, at night, I would swim in the pool with Cameron. We enjoyed the cool water and the fear of sharks below us. We watched the moon move across the sky and behind the clouds. The bats would quietly flit down to drink from the pool but only when we weren't in the pool. They would let us watch them in the sky when we were in the pool. The stars & the moon & the bats and the fear of sharks is what made our summers great. The occasional spotting of an owl moving through the night made them unforgettable.

Good-bye dragonflies.

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200 words are waiting for me to write them. 1 perspective is waiting to be chosen to hang those 200 words on. I'm emptying the thoughts in my mind I won't use for the 1 perspective, and then I will re-arrange the 200 words that are left. Thank you computer and mom and dad.

Will I ever write another review?????????????????????????????????????????

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These were my morning thoughts today.... I'll see you all after the first week of August!

Tight hugs and sloppy kisses!

Rock, Paper, Scissors

This is a simple child's game of choice, chance and risk. Many people know how to play this game. However, when I asked a friend of mine to collaborate with me, and asked her to play rock, paper, scissor to decide who went first, she told me she never knew how to play the game. I told her that my girls and I would teach her! So, here it goes:

There are three items represented by the hands: Paper, Scissors and a Rock



The first thing you are going to do is make a hand into a rock and place it on your second outstretched hand.



To begin the game, you first decide in your mind what item you are going to "be". Then someone says something like "Ready, set, go" or "One, two, three" to signal it is time to start. To start, you raise your rock hand and hit it into the outstretched hand three times. The first time you hit your rock hand down, you are going to say "Rock", the second time you hit it down you are going to say "Paper" (all the while keeping your rock hand in the rock position) and then, on the third hit, you are going to say the name of the item you chose to "be". You also change the shape of your hand to that item, as shown in the first picture.

Now, as you look at each others hands to see what has been chosen, the power and weakness of each item is revealed. For example:

The Rock can be covered by the Paper,



but it can crush the Scissors.



And, the Scissors can cut the Paper.



Should you both choose the same item, that game is considered "cat's" game, or null & void. Also, to make it fair, the game is usually played three times to give someone a 2 out of 3 win. It is as simple as that!

Brother's Pederson

The last time these three brothers were together was 13 years ago at their Mother's funeral.



It was simply impossible to get the three of them looking at the camera at the same time because: Gene had grandchildren using him as a jungle gym, David wanted to thank everyone that passed by for coming to the funeral, and Paul, my dad, just wanted to know which of the two was the most handsome.

Yes, I know there are three men in the picture.

*sigh*

They are impossible...

...to not Love and Adore!

Downtown Disney!

Yesterday, we took Four Fabulous People to a Fun Place,



that had Two Latin Dancers ready to Entertain,



a store full of Lego's to choose from,



and a large theatre to watch a long anticipated movie!



In the evening, we enjoyed dinner, drinks,



and dessert



on the outdoor patio of one of our favorite restaurants.



We had a most enjoyable day together. Happy Birthday, Son! And Yes, I do have to take your picture again!

Happy 11th Birthday Cameron!

This morning after eating his breakfast of a scrambled egg sandwich and juice, Cam sat staring expectantly across the kitchen bar at me. I decided it was time to give him some useful information. I said to him, "I want to tell you something." He replied with 'Go ahead' by blinking once. I continued, "Today is your Birthday!" His stare did not break so I continued. "Usually a person spends their time wondering what they are going to get for their birthday. And at the end of the day, no matter what they have received, they are unsatisfied. So I decided long ago that on my birthdays I would serve someone. If you will find a way to serve someone today, then after you have received all your gifts, you will feel satisfied, content and that you had a Great Birthday. Ok?"

A single nod told me he knew I was done talking. I turned to the sink and off he went. I left the kitchen and went to my bedroom to clean it up for the day. When I walked into the room I saw my bed was partially made and a note had been left on the bedpost. Cam is mostly obedient. Today was no exception.





Of course, in order to stay in the 'Good Mom Club' I fulfilled its number one requirement by photographing evidence of his behavior! He was nowhere to be found to include him in these photos. Eventually he showed up again and I hugged him and told him I Loved him and that I Like him a lot, too. I imagined he winked at me. He squirmed out of my grasp to find his Dad so they could do what he wanted to do today - "Spend some special time with Dad and stay up really late and go to the movies with him and just two friends."

Happy Getting Cam!

In Memory - Gregory David Pedersen

Alone
In my thoughts
Comes the day you lost

Smile again
Come again bearing gifts and then
Share your laughter and stay, or

Take me there
To that place with you
Far away

Tell me where to find you
Tomorrow
At Home

Emily & Amy!

Apple Pies Made by Lauren & Ashley!

Watch Out Betty Crocker!


They have a Plan to take over your Empire!

I Believe In Fairies

And the Winner of Feet Series, pt 1 is...

Photo #3!



It was great fun photographing this little girl throughout the night because she was so enthralled with her own outfit. She would watch the tips of her boots as she walked on her heels. She ran from here to there and back again swishing her skirt around her ankles. My favorite was when she would walk deliberately from heel-to-toe, as if in an effort to get the loudest sound from her boots. Quite a character she was!

(Thanks for taking the time to look and vote! The results come from a combination of votes from my two blogs, "I Am Micalanne" and "Mom, I'm Hungry".)

Feet Series, pt 1

The other day, I took my son to the End-of-the-Year Bash at his school. As he ran around with his friends, I people-watched; and took pictures of their feet. Yes, their feet. This began my year-long quest for pictures that will become my first series of feet.

Out of 292 shots, I have narrowed it down to about 16 favorites. The following are some of my favorites and, because I'm curious, I would like to know which of these are Your favorites. Don't be shy and leave me a comment. I will post the results on Friday, June 19th.



















Oh, and I would love to hear if you happen to come up with any fun captions!

Watch Out World, Here She Comes

Bethany Marie...

First Day of Kindergarten


Last Day of High School

...You Are So Awesome!!!

Not the Usual "June Gloom"

Yesterday morning we awoke to a dark cloudy sky. It is not unusual for us to have a bit of overcast weather in June; however, the grayness we were experiencing came from clouds like I have never seen before. They looked similar to quilt batting and, at times, moved like the waves on a stormy sea.


As the day progressed, the gray turned to black causing the relentless clap of thunder, strike of lightning, and...


...Fire! Miraculously, and in an instant, buckets of rain dropped over our valley; then ceased just as quickly.


Because I was safe in the comfort of my home, this storm was entertaining. It afforded me time away from the workload of the house, garden, and chickens. I enjoyed its distraction. In time, the storms fury relinquished itself and the sun began to shine again.




As always, Nature's Show never disappoints.