Wii Are Getting Fit!

I just returned from taking the Highly Qualified I/A test and I believe I passed : ) Still waiting for my writing to be graded but I know I passed Applied Mathematics and Reading for Information (even with pneumonia!). Whew ... what a relief to have that behind me! Thank you, to all of you who were praying for me. The only disappointment in taking the test today was having to cancel our "wedding dress" photo shoot with Kim. It would have been a perfect morning. Oh well, we'll soon reschedule and I may be healthier by then too.
Now on with life ... to finally be able to scrapbook, read and blog ... everything I set aside in preparation for the test. Now back to where I left off ... there's much to catch up on.
The guys made Mother's Day so special. They cooked an amazing meal and it was fun to just be together. The kids totally shocked me with a gift of a WiiFit. We had fun trying it out and I was so happy to hear that in my "fit age" I am seven years younger. Whoohooo : ) Me!!! -->The couch potato! Who would have thought?!?!?
I started out strong ... getting up before 5:30 each day ... improving my scores etc. and then ... I was diagnosed with pneumonia. I am anxious to get back at it but maybe not so early in the day.
The guys made our Mother's Day so memorable. Love those guys : )
Credits:
Frame: Mary Giles -Framed 11

Old Technology - New Fun

While I'm home with pneumonia I thought I would catch up a bit on my blog. Since I'm so far behind I will probably do a few posts between naps.
I love these pictures taken of the grandkids on Mother's Day. Even though they have never seen a phone like this, it seems to be one of their favorite toys. Who would have thought that old technology could be so entertaining.


Credits:
Alpha: Shel Belle Scraps -For the Boys Alpha
Template: Linda Roos / In The Making Design -Template XVll
Paper: mkoegelenberg -tropical escape kit 2 solid 005, LDD Vintage Dreams-Retro PP7
Journaling: Lauren Reid -Journal Me This 05
Font: American Typewriter, Pea Neffer, Pea Sarahloo, An Unfortunate Event

Whooooohoooo...

Yes! Kris Allen wins the American Idol title!! I love seeing the "underdog" win. I was not much of an Adam fan -- he's talented but just not my style. He lost me at "Ring of Fire" -- Melney too : ) What fun we had watching our first season from start to finish. Such amazing talent.
I wonder how many hours we invested in this season??? It's now time to move on and get outdoors ... spend more time in the garden and enjoy the fresh air.

Remembering Lori

Lori
(center -wearing lavender)
October 19, 1953 - May 18, 2009

With much sadness our group of high school friends are grieving the loss of our friend, Lori. Sometimes in our busy schedules or life circumstances we are not able to get together or keep in touch as often as we would like. Yet, when an opportunity to gather together comes our way, it feels like only yesterday since we last saw each other. We are united by a rich history ... a common bond ... we shared so many teenage experiences together -- dances, football games, slumber parties, dating etc. Today our hearts are heavy ... our thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Join Me for a Stroll in the Garden

I love to see new life shooting up through the earth ... shouting, "Spring is here!"
The colors are amazing ...




Credits:
Font: BearerFond, Ck Ali's Writing,
ChromosomeLight, Pea Andrea,
Junkos Typewriter
Paper: HPDP In Grunge Brown
Elements: Designs by Sine -o5, 07, 09,10
Template: Miss Cutie Pie -The 80's Me

I Never Thought ...

This week our Ford Taurus turned 100,000 miles ... I was shocked -- but thankful that it made it to this "milepost." As the daughter of an auto mechanic, I was always given advice about Fords ... "Fix Or Repair Daily" so it would have surprised Dad to discover that I have been a Ford owner for years AND that it has survived a decade with very few problems.
So far this is one of the longest running vehicles in our 35 years of marriage. Our VW Bus needed a new engine while under our ownership and our Chevy Astro (Always Something To Repair On) fell apart (died) at 88,000. I guess we have owned several cars featured in the book, "Crap Cars." : )
We are so thankful for the reliability of this great little car ... sorry Dad!

btw ...

It has been a long time since I last posted. I have one steadfast rule about blogging ... never, never write about work, my employer, coworkers etc. Hence, the explanation for my "time to be silent."
The day following my last post I was informed that, due to the economic condition of our state, my position with the district will be eliminated in June and I will not have a job in the fall ... the first time in 20 years! I should be getting my RIF notice in a few weeks and will be joining Oregon's 12% unemployed in June.
I do have mixed feelings ... it will be strange not going back to work in September but a part of me is also looking forward to the break. I am on a twenty-seven month recall if the economy turns around but perhaps not in the same position or building.
I am so thankful for such supportive friends/family and those who have modeled how to graciously walk through this with trust, hope and faith.

Shape Up

For the month of April our elementary school is participating in, Shape Up Across Oregon, a program that provides encouragement for children in meeting daily guidelines for physical fitness and nutrition. Shape Up Across Oregon was originally developed by The Oregon Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in response to an increasing need for physical activity among children. Sounds a bit like a previous post about a program in the 60's called, Chicken Fat : ) but this program is self-motivated -- no one is turning on the phonograph (ooohhh-that sounds ancient!) forcing you to participate. Each day that you exercise (not to exceed 1.5 hrs.) you color in a square of an Oregon map that is provided by the program and "exercise" your way across the state.
My journey across Oregon is looking a little dull. A busy schedule last week kept me from my walks -- thus very few squares are filled in on my map. I've just returned from a fifty-minute walk. It felt good. I had my iPod on and listening to the soundtrack, Walk the Line gave a little lift in my stride. Of course, when the Ring of Fire came on I had to chuckle -- remembering Adam's version on American Idol : ) Anyway, on the last half of the walk I tried running four blocks and walking four blocks. The sudden rainfall gave me the motivation I needed.
Now to finish my day off ... turning on the fireplace, reading my Bible study lesson, and taking a little nap. Gotta love these days off ... the only one left on the school calendar this year is Memorial day. Such a long stretch .....

Easter

We enjoyed a fun day with family and friends. We celebrated the Germer family birthdays -- Walt's and Michelle's. Jason also had a cake for his 29th birthday which is today (happy birthday, Jason!) Both Matt and Tim will be on business trips this week and Brian is busy with tax season so we combined our party with Easter dinner.
What a fun, full weekend!
Credits:
Template: Lina's Layouts -Template 034
Wordart: Choukette -freebie wordart vol. 1 -english
Font: CK Ali's Writing, Lazy Day
Paper: Sarah Bennett -Eat Your Peas, pattern 6
Element: Crystal Wilkerson -Easter Chick

Easter Bunco

A day off work ... a nice opportunity to rest and recoup from the weekend festivities.
This morning I unzipped a new template and wanted to give it a try. I thought our Saturday Bunco night would be a great topic for this fun layout. The news story describes it all : )
What an enJOYable evening!
Credit: SG Newspaper Template

Decimals ... Fractions ... Percentages ... Oh, My!

Many have asked ... where have you been????
My blog has been pretty quiet lately. I feel like I've been in another dimension ... a place where your brain is taxed to the limit ... within the pages of a MATH book.
In May I will be taking the "highly qualified" instructional assistant test in order to meet the qualifications for my position as determined by the No Child Left Behind Act. Since I feel my weakest area is math and considering that my last math class was 40 years ago ... I stopped at the public library and checked out most of the 513 section. If you are looking for any book on this subject, consider its new location on my bookshelf ... at least for the next three weeks. I have been cramming and reviewing until late at night -- then picking up where I left off solving math problems while eating breakfast before heading off to work. Math has been my world -- no scrapbooking ... no blogging ... no reading ... no FUN : )
Anyway, if you haven't heard from me, I probably have my nose stuck between the pages of a math book ... working on one story problem after another!

Down Memory Lane

As I had hoped, I have been organizing a few closets and drawers during the Spring Break. Since it is such a dreary day, it is the perfect Saturday project. It's taking a little longer than I thought because I keep coming across sentimental things. My motivation to complete this project is a movie date with Walt this weekend.
As I have been scanning old pictures and documents, I found this photo from 1959-60. My friends, Sue Waterman and Debbie Pulioff came over to play Barbies and my mom clicked a quick photo in our front yard in northeast Portland. Good memories ... Barbie was extremely popular during that time ... AND still is around our house. Maybe in the future I'll feature my collection with a "Blogger Tour of Barbies." I bet you can't wait : )

Family Game Day

It was fun to get the family together Sunday afternoon for a game day. After playing ScrutinEYES and enjoying a pizza we decided to break in the decks of cards the Dehazes' gave us for Christmas.

Brian was especially excited with his Star Wars deck and found it to be his new "secret weapon" in slowing our Nerts game down. You see, when he puts his cards in the middle, we cannot determine the suit or number due to the Star Wars characters replacing the familiarity of a regular deck of cards.
It was hilarious ... and Brian loved it!

It was so much fun being with the kids ... a great way to kick off the Spring Break.

A Weekend of Fun and Games

My Spring Break started out with a fun-filled weekend.
Friday night was Girl's Wii Night at Heather's. We enjoyed a salad buffet and got plenty of exercise while bowling, boxing and playing tennis. I have to admit that my shoulder was a little sore the next morning after working hard at a boxing knock out. I think it's an age thing! Maybe there should be a warning/caution on the box ... "those in their 50's must play at their own risk."
We spent Saturday night with the Dehaze's. After grabbing a bite to eat we settled down for an evening of ScrutinEYES -The Game of Closer Looks. We bought this game in the early 90's while shopping at one of those Fred Meyer Black Friday sales ... I think we paid $4.00 for it. Anyway, after opening it for Christmas it found a home in our game cupboard while we spent years going from one soccer field to another. Since the Dehazes bought it at the same sale and actually PLAYED the game, we decided to open the brand-new box and give it a try. Oh my, is it ever FUN! I can't believe we let it sit in a cupboard for nearly 15 years.

Using picture cards you need to find/list as many objects in an area of the picture that begin with an assigned letter of the alphabet within a one-minute time period. The lower portion of the "S" card has over 1,000 objects that begin with the letter "S." You can look for hours and not find all the answers. There's just one catch ... if your answer matches our opponent's, you don't score. I can't believe we ignored this fun entertainment for so many years.
AND ... to top off our evening the Dehazes brought a bakery box filled with desserts from St. Honore's. Life is GOOD : ) Thank you, friends for such a fun evening.
Oh, but the weekend filled with fun and games continued. Check back for the next post -- our Sunday Family Game Day. Who needs to travel for Spring Break??? I have amazing friends and family right in my own backyard.

Happy 50th Birthday, Barbie

Check out what the grandkids surprised me with Friday ... a new Barbie celebrating her 5oth birthday. I can still remember the day I got my first Barbie ... the box she came in ... the plastic smell ... the black-striped swimsuit and plastic high heels. I picked out one with dark hair and my dear friend, Paula had one with blonde hair. Oh, the hours we spent playing with those dolls.
Of course, after a half-century Barbie still looks fabulous ... ready to capture the hearts of a new generation of little girls. However, the "original" owners have aged and are now eligible to be card-carrying AARP members!

Touring Italy

Ah, yes ... another "time claimer" in our busy life. In my distracted mode I have also been touring Italy -- just a quick glimpse at Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples each evening.
A few Saturdays ago Walt was talking to one of our neighbors about our dream of vacationing in Italy for our 35th anniversary. Several minutes later he came out with a shopping bag full of books and Rick Steves' videos for us to borrow ... and dream!
Now we can sit back in the recliner and catch the sites, sounds and flavors of our dream destination. Just makes my mouth water for a good pasta dinner : )
Ciao

Totally Girl Weekend

What a fun beach getaway we had several weekends ago. The weather was perfect for a walk on the beach Saturday ... warm and no breeze. It was hard to believe is was the end of February.
There are usually many activities included in our stay ... good food, good talks, good movies and this time we added "beading therapy" led by Shelley. We each made a bracelet with one common bead and check out how many looks came from each "jewelry artisan." (Mine is second one on the right) What patience Shelley possesses ... she crimped every bracelet ... and we each made more than one!
It was time for a much needed "retreat" ... it was nice not having a schedule, staying in jammies most of the morning and just hanging out. What a blessing it was to spend time with such fabulous friends.

Where Have We Been?

Seems like I've had fewer posts lately and it's probably due to a new obsession ... American Idol! Can you believe this is the first season we have watched from the very beginning? It took eight seasons to get me hooked : ) Since this is a time commitment of sometimes two nights a week ... I also juggle two weekly Bible studies, digital scrapbooking, knitting, blogging and reading ... I have been pretty "distracted" this winter. Blogging has dropped a notch or two in priority on my schedule. I'm thinking the season will end by May and I will be back to my normal routine. Anyone else hooked????
In the meantime, I will try to post more often.
P.S. My vote is for Danny!

Wii Are Having Fun!

Last weekend we had the opportunity to share in many new "firsts." Donna & Pierre took us to a Junior Hockey League game to watch their nephew, CJ play for the Jaguar's. And I was not disappointed watching my first hockey game. There were bodies slamming against the plexi-glass, sticks flying and even a fight where masks, pads, and gloves flew and so did fists! Wow ... what entertainment.
Then came the real competition for the evening ... playing Wii Sports and Wii Fit @ the Dehaze arena. Since this was a new experience for me ... it was also very entertaining for my teammates and spectators. There were plenty of "belly laughs" and many "you can do its." Probably the event I enjoyed most was bowling -- perhaps because my score was much higher than when I am at the alley. Although, had you been a "screen" spectator you would probably be wearing a neck brace as I kept releasing the ball behind me into the crowd. Same with tennis ... many little green balls smacking over the spectator seating area leaving injury and mayhem behind.
I think Wii Fit would be a great motivation to exercise ... but could end up stacked next to the elliptical. It's the same as a gym membership ... I'm a great card-carrying member / make the payments but my enthusiasm dwindles after a few visits. Hhhmmm ... but the Wii might be different -- something to consider.
What a great evening ... those Dehazes know how to have fun. But next time I'm bringing my workout clothes!

Layouts ... a Long Time Comin'

Well, finally I'm working on May of 2006. I thought I would share my progress since the last time I posted. My album is filling up ... Nice to have 16 new pages.