tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74616328370959079872024-02-19T17:07:04.289-06:00Hazel's House BlogAn amateur attempts artistic abode adjustmentsHazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-73635552401833231352012-05-20T21:32:00.001-06:002012-05-20T21:35:04.175-06:00Peachy's First Camping TripPeachy had his first camping experience this weekend, and Blueberry had her 6th or so. Stanley and I had our 60-somethingth. It consisted of (but was not limited to):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>high winds</li>
<li>lots of rain</li>
<li>oppressive heat</li>
<li>abundant sunshine</li>
<li>mosquitoes</li>
<li>dangling inchworms</li>
<li>butterflies</li>
<li>a ladybug</li>
<li>bumblebees</li>
<li>a hammock or two</li>
<li>the biggest tarp ever</li>
<li>good friends</li>
<li>good food</li>
<li>wine in the shower</li>
<li>general fun</li>
<li>periodic laughter</li>
</ul>
<br />
Now the kids are in bed, the camping stuff is unpacked, the laundry is going, and I should be showering but instead I am blogging. Dumb dumb dumbity dumb.<br />
<br />
The hammocks were a hit with the kids, as always, and featured prominently in photo shoots.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaOTRPW459nci-O2RBqpLO8kM7k7n-eeLVAZSq8Wj4u88af_MJpFTsnF4peJ85D8K8f7ToE-TCUUBHT6QAKKIb-f4l4tmC5sC1ZdCNMGLVwzll6RwRngbKTc59VIe1-HvHPC_Sx-lZy8/s1600/1P1060782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaOTRPW459nci-O2RBqpLO8kM7k7n-eeLVAZSq8Wj4u88af_MJpFTsnF4peJ85D8K8f7ToE-TCUUBHT6QAKKIb-f4l4tmC5sC1ZdCNMGLVwzll6RwRngbKTc59VIe1-HvHPC_Sx-lZy8/s320/1P1060782.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfMQWLbhhMMC7X6I17QR6sy6iGI0AKYmoiHe8ZCehmp5-PT9AwoJKeNp1jLUg6_4p0S782qwPmfIkq5AZ1owLHRW8anTPHCDA1M2j2WFSXEPs9mY6kVVtolVJzNzkowcCqZgHo-G6a5M/s1600/1P1060788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfMQWLbhhMMC7X6I17QR6sy6iGI0AKYmoiHe8ZCehmp5-PT9AwoJKeNp1jLUg6_4p0S782qwPmfIkq5AZ1owLHRW8anTPHCDA1M2j2WFSXEPs9mY6kVVtolVJzNzkowcCqZgHo-G6a5M/s320/1P1060788.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQejw3AHbudftJHGIYE9xrSZqRkjHf2PDyV-jMzZ9uvUXHX9cAGx37VodzAotvr_gbKz0AMhX0DyCZVYe2-oyDL8qhFfmJTZvPFqc_ocz_pHjgTVWeyxR6RHftmcB6EJwmzc6j-mw7tzs/s1600/1P1060792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQejw3AHbudftJHGIYE9xrSZqRkjHf2PDyV-jMzZ9uvUXHX9cAGx37VodzAotvr_gbKz0AMhX0DyCZVYe2-oyDL8qhFfmJTZvPFqc_ocz_pHjgTVWeyxR6RHftmcB6EJwmzc6j-mw7tzs/s320/1P1060792.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Blueberry enjoyed swinging with her friends, whose pseudonyms escape me. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-lsSD7BAachaobcOBDQKRLbc32uNwLDlA7pA56fi3zTiroU4SX3K4GtJKVICxXPi0sXzPiubq9V4pOKioYoAg9L8ZftyapRDsNiNUSiXvU8eG5qkRv-Ao9zldC7-K7tS6pPQHRhNZXg/s1600/1P1060802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-lsSD7BAachaobcOBDQKRLbc32uNwLDlA7pA56fi3zTiroU4SX3K4GtJKVICxXPi0sXzPiubq9V4pOKioYoAg9L8ZftyapRDsNiNUSiXvU8eG5qkRv-Ao9zldC7-K7tS6pPQHRhNZXg/s320/1P1060802.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E1KtU178Z_kd4JZn_B6ablAl3FewIB-gkhyphenhyphenp2rygltLa9doNSyKmkWSvmbwBYNc00lZxDP-3xWYbk51nsF-cbs3kSZra-XeX44WyrC7SO188TMcAZTSfHtVfrlLVqC3aWDsvquwaDSA/s1600/1P1060804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E1KtU178Z_kd4JZn_B6ablAl3FewIB-gkhyphenhyphenp2rygltLa9doNSyKmkWSvmbwBYNc00lZxDP-3xWYbk51nsF-cbs3kSZra-XeX44WyrC7SO188TMcAZTSfHtVfrlLVqC3aWDsvquwaDSA/s320/1P1060804.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
(That white pebbly thing is a yogurt-covered cranberry.)<br />
<br />
Peachy spent a lot of time as a joey this weekend. He <em>enjoeyed</em> it. Ho ho ho. Here he is with our friend Kate*.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfL_hxhS_Ex2jJ42VDLqwyKlf0d50W0TtF6GXZMV8osiWZ3AwpT3RXQBoftPBmS8dW35rPhlgJX61BDUJA6Q6rAA65hQoRx96zugJwSN498ItlOmO6PGUZpzawFxAh_mStby-ecWTaKso/s1600/1P1060818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfL_hxhS_Ex2jJ42VDLqwyKlf0d50W0TtF6GXZMV8osiWZ3AwpT3RXQBoftPBmS8dW35rPhlgJX61BDUJA6Q6rAA65hQoRx96zugJwSN498ItlOmO6PGUZpzawFxAh_mStby-ecWTaKso/s320/1P1060818.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Our friend Lucy* with another of Blueberry's friends. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2bRzi9itTDfFndnU6HJFWWoK5viN-I_-OhOJGHdUUQKsqrPkHaL7S1JLSg9lkoT1OYxHBrL7yhfM0gTV4JSLJp9qafil0xL0p0GyLMnpx7PiJiaDwGEazYfVmFvsgQY0Av0e14hxyxg/s1600/1P1060819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2bRzi9itTDfFndnU6HJFWWoK5viN-I_-OhOJGHdUUQKsqrPkHaL7S1JLSg9lkoT1OYxHBrL7yhfM0gTV4JSLJp9qafil0xL0p0GyLMnpx7PiJiaDwGEazYfVmFvsgQY0Av0e14hxyxg/s320/1P1060819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Enjoey your week! I.e., put your week in a skin pocket on your belly.<br />
<br />
Who needs a good night's sleep? I do!<br />
<br />
*Names changed.Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-41060296870839976302012-03-02T21:21:00.000-06:002012-03-02T21:21:22.245-06:00An Inadequate Update, or Perhaps I Do Dare ThatA lot has happened since my Halloween post. Peachy* was born January 13th.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIQnZcveEy6HhaXo8BLTMiV0UK2v_dQGjn3FUu_B4Ox-vTe6bNPzhHDVGNWIvc20-JpJI5BT2jm0w1sCzvinDaLC0p9V_BrVvlaLvpHUD5rKrukQT5cxRiCnpIndNJSj_4ZgU9got614/s1600/ethan+birth2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIQnZcveEy6HhaXo8BLTMiV0UK2v_dQGjn3FUu_B4Ox-vTe6bNPzhHDVGNWIvc20-JpJI5BT2jm0w1sCzvinDaLC0p9V_BrVvlaLvpHUD5rKrukQT5cxRiCnpIndNJSj_4ZgU9got614/s320/ethan+birth2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
He is happier than he looks. And so am I, for that matter. Also relieved. Thanks to Stanley, there is a 2 min 30 sec video of the birth which I could share with you if you are interested. In the video I look like I'm in a lot of pain but really I am.<br />
<br />
I would write 750 blog posts about how awesome he is and how blessed I am to have Stanley, Blueberry and Peachy and how our lives have changed since Peachy was born and our daily ups and downs but I do not have the time. This is frustrating for me.<br />
<br />
Blueberry enjoyed this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbTYsB0gXWYBHM7YMwFfOo_D0LxIfkLcGvECJlbLm9ngEiw_6lt7r43dyXe2PzLj2AmfP-FOFUj_kuSBWmA4Jah3M0kz6saiTiH9DM5fAmZG2LLzAyp2jEjFxDJdY_ijeTatR7s3Hkp8/s1600/P1060233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbTYsB0gXWYBHM7YMwFfOo_D0LxIfkLcGvECJlbLm9ngEiw_6lt7r43dyXe2PzLj2AmfP-FOFUj_kuSBWmA4Jah3M0kz6saiTiH9DM5fAmZG2LLzAyp2jEjFxDJdY_ijeTatR7s3Hkp8/s320/P1060233.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
and looks forward to more carousels in her future. Stanley enjoyed it as well, and speaking of Stanley, he is doing fine but works too hard. Back to the carousel: There happens to be one within walking distance of our house but it is closed in the winter and last year the Blueb was too little to really experience it, so this summer will be The Summer of Blueberry and the Carousel. I can't wait to tell her she's going to ride it. I'll wait until the day before or maybe even the morning of. Or maybe...hmmm...dare I surprise her by taking her to it on a seemingly routine walk? Perhaps I do dare that.<br />
<br />
Blueberry likes to draw and I enjoy this immensely.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQKWD-KjvNy0P2DZifItThsfOiBzwDm6pae-YYasCL8gdUrmZ8LoktNV8kaHoCVnuFXilcfDNz5OweP9-15mrnr5QraFZ-r32pC0hZ8L37Gvi8Tc-lCha0XB1u8Rshj-B0rdg2tK-ACY/s1600/P1060297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQKWD-KjvNy0P2DZifItThsfOiBzwDm6pae-YYasCL8gdUrmZ8LoktNV8kaHoCVnuFXilcfDNz5OweP9-15mrnr5QraFZ-r32pC0hZ8L37Gvi8Tc-lCha0XB1u8Rshj-B0rdg2tK-ACY/s320/P1060297.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
I covered one of her bedroom walls with her artwork, and one day she took it all down (what she could reach). That's her prerogative.<br />
<br />
Peachy does a lot of this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJZyfdoeZcci4n-uOnJT_Bqud5-rTFGwDsH7jGvJg2MCnQcVmGf42erDcNEPpALJhWV1wtwHKhCBvFiQ8BN3ZP3iWN1vCC-lEuCho7GWOdiCjYxUJ55KhZufeI4Q6HPcNfHwTPsYbOf8/s1600/P1060331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJZyfdoeZcci4n-uOnJT_Bqud5-rTFGwDsH7jGvJg2MCnQcVmGf42erDcNEPpALJhWV1wtwHKhCBvFiQ8BN3ZP3iWN1vCC-lEuCho7GWOdiCjYxUJ55KhZufeI4Q6HPcNfHwTPsYbOf8/s320/P1060331.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
He's also a champion nurser. I wish you could see him in action. I could say that Blueberry is also a champion nurser, but really she's moved on in her career and is more of a professional nurser.<br />
<br />
Here they are together. In this photo, Blueberry is waiting for me to take a picture so she can look at it, and I haven't asked her to smile yet. Peachy is thinking about taking a nap.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Fnhoy68f8DGkQzLhHZwEANtwBzebczzMgC8VNNSjmKWNBMmAdc3hyphenhyphenYYmL75HTWted8B9E0azO9R0EESFAGX6tQNNCb5mQqjVe3tCodewDTVTOW1GnEt-ku-jrrGQMLrt-CDs4rpaEZc/s1600/P1060342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Fnhoy68f8DGkQzLhHZwEANtwBzebczzMgC8VNNSjmKWNBMmAdc3hyphenhyphenYYmL75HTWted8B9E0azO9R0EESFAGX6tQNNCb5mQqjVe3tCodewDTVTOW1GnEt-ku-jrrGQMLrt-CDs4rpaEZc/s320/P1060342.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Ending it here seems ridiculous because I have so much else I want to write but whatever.<br />
<br />
*Names changed.Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-27473863012255004282011-10-31T20:31:00.003-06:002011-10-31T21:34:42.266-06:00Blueberry's 2nd HalloweenI wasn't going to do a costume this year, yet Blueberry ended up with not one, but THREE costumes.<br />
<br />
Costume #1<br />
<br />
I just recently organized her clothes and fortuitously found this at the back of a drawer just in time for Halloween. Our friend Sally* gave it to her last year, after Halloween, for use during this Halloween, and now it fits her, so this was her first costume of the day. It's a cute costume. How do I know it's a cute costume? Because it says "cute costume".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3-zhmNkmQgz_cFCnTONt2-gxx3DM6pIYi4Ztc8GMu0_XVxxwevrwBcKRJIvOROQ2lo0N6i1UMLhbYmYaByejJOenletto_osMh_9HriPaDBR-gI55d_BYqN57X7P1tpYA4CL2D1mhjk/s1600/1P1050877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3-zhmNkmQgz_cFCnTONt2-gxx3DM6pIYi4Ztc8GMu0_XVxxwevrwBcKRJIvOROQ2lo0N6i1UMLhbYmYaByejJOenletto_osMh_9HriPaDBR-gI55d_BYqN57X7P1tpYA4CL2D1mhjk/s320/1P1050877.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Costume #2<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjKpVRc0REVEZBIfazlHzhAQ8IqA2H9fDlTCDmFc0oCEhZf_eiwUAtQQn-lWEaWYyGFDgbaQwMxBz37Zs7U7yGIhqZiZZ__7acQf99eNdYakVhk9bTHvbEqG7W1OJ-iY32l_K81iW49s/s1600/1P1050885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjKpVRc0REVEZBIfazlHzhAQ8IqA2H9fDlTCDmFc0oCEhZf_eiwUAtQQn-lWEaWYyGFDgbaQwMxBz37Zs7U7yGIhqZiZZ__7acQf99eNdYakVhk9bTHvbEqG7W1OJ-iY32l_K81iW49s/s320/1P1050885.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I knew from trying the cape on her as I was making it that she was not going to want to be dressed up in a costume, and I was right. It helped a lot that Daddy was enthusiastic about it when he got home from work, and there was just enough light left outside to get some pictures. She tolerated the cape just fine, but did not want to hold the basket of food for Grandma. <br />
<br />
Here she is trying to get Daddy to take it off her hands.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFppMTG3gflftUYfl-5bdfdE1DmfWO2iS15fespP6XMxpgaQzTazjfLse1HbzSgcStJGCfN37rdNob1JMFYh4o0-uaW0jy-s03EFH9o7SbTqfeVEYUU7V8wBCSKU5wDPjiqLyVGvNwBq0/s1600/1P1050899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFppMTG3gflftUYfl-5bdfdE1DmfWO2iS15fespP6XMxpgaQzTazjfLse1HbzSgcStJGCfN37rdNob1JMFYh4o0-uaW0jy-s03EFH9o7SbTqfeVEYUU7V8wBCSKU5wDPjiqLyVGvNwBq0/s320/1P1050899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Finally rid of that stinking basket:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D8yZLUf-Ft9PLgRjtlyE5Q-BBBx82tKgDqVcbAiE8n7lFKEtuz5636nqKuY4dCJydWZQ9KCsuXc_xOKND-MOlvrDdD9xHGR4Eg3ify2ezmlXs3DZQDgzpkN4R1_-nMDapQQlqZFqQYk/s1600/1P1050901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D8yZLUf-Ft9PLgRjtlyE5Q-BBBx82tKgDqVcbAiE8n7lFKEtuz5636nqKuY4dCJydWZQ9KCsuXc_xOKND-MOlvrDdD9xHGR4Eg3ify2ezmlXs3DZQDgzpkN4R1_-nMDapQQlqZFqQYk/s320/1P1050901.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
She was fine with pushing it in the sled, so that's how the basket got on its way to Grandma's house.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWLsVwlm7RMqBczgTTy5e4PKJrfA1q5zjMjEgkMM_WqdhGHrbO511cOIXbdlTqbXneIwId6aE_pkFVE110PT6WolwBtuipNzGqGYHww9CgR7cQ_hi0OJD0xtK8qWVxRnbkJZW0d8_3AY/s1600/1P1050918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWLsVwlm7RMqBczgTTy5e4PKJrfA1q5zjMjEgkMM_WqdhGHrbO511cOIXbdlTqbXneIwId6aE_pkFVE110PT6WolwBtuipNzGqGYHww9CgR7cQ_hi0OJD0xtK8qWVxRnbkJZW0d8_3AY/s320/1P1050918.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In a strange plot twist, she stopped to do some digging. Totally off task. No basket in sight. Never send a 21-month-old to give food to Grandma.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgVXm2jTvSuJQ6uX8WzTSncEes18xht_Eq9TSX6TomUdPjpVZrBtgbkgyJmZCH48B-bH8TnCiZhWP9pbv1N8hvgt1XCh9LPyoEze0SkPfapoe8M12rUF1YjNXA6klv7yAJJJVdlN93zE/s1600/1P1050922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgVXm2jTvSuJQ6uX8WzTSncEes18xht_Eq9TSX6TomUdPjpVZrBtgbkgyJmZCH48B-bH8TnCiZhWP9pbv1N8hvgt1XCh9LPyoEze0SkPfapoe8M12rUF1YjNXA6klv7yAJJJVdlN93zE/s320/1P1050922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Costume #3<br />
<br />
Blueberry came up with this one on her own:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP16OAetFwMKL5VGbwAvwfwiv3Dv6D6pVBWXsMPfGQLGtJdZCAtg7l8lLVJ7PNj8hq6cvQ5VOHMze5TLleJ7wKIis3_QFN2po-mRDm_fOcYtOpbub6gw8ylYKc04BJWstUQiD_R2FzODU/s1600/1P1050924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP16OAetFwMKL5VGbwAvwfwiv3Dv6D6pVBWXsMPfGQLGtJdZCAtg7l8lLVJ7PNj8hq6cvQ5VOHMze5TLleJ7wKIis3_QFN2po-mRDm_fOcYtOpbub6gw8ylYKc04BJWstUQiD_R2FzODU/s320/1P1050924.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
It's quite obviously the asylum doctor from the Eifman ballet "<i>Don Quixote or The Fantasies of a Madman</i>".<br />
<br />
I hope your Halloween was terrific!Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-8382423639268648342011-10-16T17:01:00.000-06:002011-10-16T17:01:19.991-06:00News and Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What the Spupspes are up to:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past Friday we bought a new (to us) car. Our Honda Civic is terrific - 40+ mpg, and runs great. But it has only two doors and Hazel was getting tired of squeezing herself in and out of the back seat to get Blueberry in her car seat. Our Chevy truck is also terrific - you can put lots of stuff in it and take the stuff from one place to another. It gets 9 mpg. Or maybe I'm remembering wrong and it's 16. Nine is in the Hummer range and I don't think it's that bad. Let's say the truck gets 9-16 mpg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So we decided to buy this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxaTk2YY2DKXPcIgwxkxD8zT_ETh0tvT5rwH4BdyiDnR1tU8yfRlddIS1eGH8Eti1vyZLMIlNGcozLBLf3HFpH_Hi-8BIpVofVtBTsRxW3gv_fYnd_ziVxyDEGCVmJtra-sEYRCjHiClk/s1600/mazda.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxaTk2YY2DKXPcIgwxkxD8zT_ETh0tvT5rwH4BdyiDnR1tU8yfRlddIS1eGH8Eti1vyZLMIlNGcozLBLf3HFpH_Hi-8BIpVofVtBTsRxW3gv_fYnd_ziVxyDEGCVmJtra-sEYRCjHiClk/s1600/mazda.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mazda 2005 MPV LX <br />
6 cylinder with tow package.<br />
109,000 miles<br />
3rd row<br />
New transmission, battery and water pump 2009</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And we love it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Does anyone want a mid-90s white Chevy S10 pickup? Then you can be the truck people. We enjoyed being the truck people for a while.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's Blueberry giggling with her friends in the hammock on a recent camping trip:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKh3WHVijqGkRvsfgc9omekJISLmXCynfFBrzDyui-Y4EDe_mLY1Oq1GRjQ2GO8B26SYu_rDSV2TTJWF8QJruZEhCPAqlRRy8R6PX_g3kK1dsRjeekG0Rt8emXhjMDgcLRCQXboZdJKXg/s1600/1IMG_8454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKh3WHVijqGkRvsfgc9omekJISLmXCynfFBrzDyui-Y4EDe_mLY1Oq1GRjQ2GO8B26SYu_rDSV2TTJWF8QJruZEhCPAqlRRy8R6PX_g3kK1dsRjeekG0Rt8emXhjMDgcLRCQXboZdJKXg/s320/1IMG_8454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I love watching her enjoy the company of her peers.<br />
<br />
Here she is again, an especially sweet pic taken by my friend Lucy* (as was the above shot). I think this was a couple of months ago. I could photoshop out the graham cracker goop on her chin but I will not.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOsBvD1rNcC6ybDqv4LTZUjJVxvk4wIOmLtov2KkN_CVq8K5fuOSCFvz8f-9N_ktiu-rZO_WfUIV3c5ZxEua4LosEdBGdHu7Izd0qlScsMCxON0V2bYBIs_J1G76qZrkdsm7Hb_0wLiA/s1600/IMG_6002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOsBvD1rNcC6ybDqv4LTZUjJVxvk4wIOmLtov2KkN_CVq8K5fuOSCFvz8f-9N_ktiu-rZO_WfUIV3c5ZxEua4LosEdBGdHu7Izd0qlScsMCxON0V2bYBIs_J1G76qZrkdsm7Hb_0wLiA/s320/IMG_6002.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All is going well with the gestation of Blueberry's brother. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My friend Kate* visited today and while she played with Blueberry I baked a butterscotch applesauce cake to have with our tea. It was scrumptions. Yes that's a typo but I like how it turns scrumptious into a noun so I'm leaving it. The cake is a perfect way to celebrate fall and it's quick and easy and ready in half an hour. <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/butterscotch-applesauce-cake/detail.aspx">Here is the recipe.</a> I left out the pecans, raisins, and white sugar and I think it was better this way - still pretty sweet but not overly so. Sorry no photo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Other news: last night was Blueberry's first night in her toddler bed, which she can get in and out of it as she pleases. It was not an uneventful night - I think we will leave her bedroom door closed from now on so she doesn't wander around the house crying when she wakes up at 3:30 a.m. But for naps, it will be nice for her to be able to wake up and come out to see me rather than call me and wait for me to come get her. She likes her new bed and didn't give me any trouble when it was time to lay down and go to sleep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope you are all </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">enjoying your fall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If not, that's a shame.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This poem is lame.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-91799935386935998902011-10-09T13:03:00.001-06:002011-10-09T13:04:26.453-06:00First Pics of PeachyLast week Hazel had her first ultrasound for this pregnancy. Unlike with Blueberry, Peachy gave us a good face and profile view:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkSvR4MQryBCAvsM6KzozQMZKPa7DPErqP5fZ1JW0TTsudoI3WLXWRHzjsAMAG1msQvcdG7HwdDelQI9lRfMQWpy8tvYP3s3aEAFpj9zNe446M5tUQa1EtVLJ0npr64ud3zKplwu_ksw/s1600/peachy+face+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkSvR4MQryBCAvsM6KzozQMZKPa7DPErqP5fZ1JW0TTsudoI3WLXWRHzjsAMAG1msQvcdG7HwdDelQI9lRfMQWpy8tvYP3s3aEAFpj9zNe446M5tUQa1EtVLJ0npr64ud3zKplwu_ksw/s320/peachy+face+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmydetR64-Ud0hgnSmfSBRh3HMYiZGHCwthwhNLUtU-8punDSosQFVclPf2vI_yKRr66jPSYhc_eEZ-KLJBg5s90bCmMuNjMlVHdrrbynYfmXudmjBgGHHvk6iGN2NHBQxpgOZJiadC1k/s1600/peachy+profile+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmydetR64-Ud0hgnSmfSBRh3HMYiZGHCwthwhNLUtU-8punDSosQFVclPf2vI_yKRr66jPSYhc_eEZ-KLJBg5s90bCmMuNjMlVHdrrbynYfmXudmjBgGHHvk6iGN2NHBQxpgOZJiadC1k/s320/peachy+profile+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cute, huh? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The ultrasound tech, like all medical techs I have ever met, said she wasn't allowed to say anything about what she saw, but did anyway. She said Peachy looks older than we thought by 5 weeks. I had suspected all along that this might be the case, due to various things, and stated this to the doctor and her assistant repeatedly, but my doctor was measuring her as due in mid February. So I feel justifiably smug.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We asked the tech to put the boy/girl image in an envelope, and the next day we left Blueberry with some dear friends and went out to breakfast. Stanley opened the envelope and announced that we're having a BOY!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_p0av2iC8sUZxRYeArcFYQLK3Da4i2gBG-6WAsIspPom25ZTl2d6wDYbVKNjlsJxcoAtZLUKvpRCX5iY8w6KCruA9-Iv2Kl9wfacLCywa-mVScqNMr2gM0Jf_fA1qYxL_2BmqqBq9Jw/s1600/peachy+boy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_p0av2iC8sUZxRYeArcFYQLK3Da4i2gBG-6WAsIspPom25ZTl2d6wDYbVKNjlsJxcoAtZLUKvpRCX5iY8w6KCruA9-Iv2Kl9wfacLCywa-mVScqNMr2gM0Jf_fA1qYxL_2BmqqBq9Jw/s320/peachy+boy+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That day the doctor left a message saying that everything looks healthy (HOOORAY!!!) and then sounded mildly flabbergasted as she told me the new estimated due date is January 9th. It must be frustrating for her.<br />
<br />
Assuming the ultrasound measurements are accurate, I'm happy to have more of the pregnancy over than I thought. I totally skipped my 5th month of pregnancy. Actually heading into the third trimester. Hard to believe. He could even be here for Christmas!<br />
<br />
In other news, we're shopping for a car (minivan or station wagon) and it will be so nice to have more space than our 2-door Civic currently offers.<br />
<br />
We are all doing well. Hope you are, too! Let me know.Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-25354668563662892872011-09-30T06:23:00.004-06:002011-09-30T06:23:00.319-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 30!!!!!30. List everything in your purse right now.<br />
<br />
I was about to list everything in my BIG purse but that's more of a diaper bag containing mostly things for Blueb. My actual purse is a little wristlet so let's take the easy route.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>A wallet, which is a simple handmade fabric pouch with a snap that came along with a gorgeous handmade diaper bag that my friend Giggles Murkowski* gave me when I was pregnant with Blueberry. We usually use that diaper bag as a library book bag, but sometimes as a diaper bag when I want to streamline our trip and impress people with my wonderful style. </li>
<li>medical insurance cards for me and the Blueb</li>
<li>driver's license</li>
<li>stamps</li>
<li><a href="http://javatraincafe.com/">Java Train Cafe</a> frequent diner card</li>
<li>debit card for our old bank (must cut up!)</li>
<li>debit card for our new bank</li>
<li>$50.25 cash</li>
<li>Herberger's receipt</li>
<li>Visa card</li>
<li>cell phone (the old kind, not a smartphone)</li>
<li>car key, house keys, and keys to unknown locks</li>
<li>lower case "e" keychain</li>
<li>green glass tile keychain</li>
<li>Rainbow grocery card</li>
<li>library card</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nelsoncheese.net/">Nelson Cheese and Deli</a> frequent buyer card</li>
<li>key to the truck with a big green ribbon tied to it (must return to key box!)</li>
<li>pen</li>
<li>tin of Altoids smalls</li>
<li>bareMinerals lip gloss in Sangria - the only reason I ever go to Sephora and the most I have ever paid for a makeup item ($15). It's quite similar to the lip gloss I bought from a shop in Mendocino and wore on my wedding day. I asked the associate at Sephora to match it as closely as possible, and she did great. I love it and this is my third vial.</li>
<li>Kohl's credit card (must activate!), $20 Kohl's cash expiring this Sunday, and several "15% off entire purchase" Kohl's coupons which expire at various times, plus a coveted "20% off entire purchase" which expires next Wednesday, all wrapped in a rubber band. I plan to shop as soon as Stanley prints out and brings home the "$5 off purchase" coupon that arrived via email. Kohl's is going to pay me to take their merchandise.</li>
</ul><br />
Hooray! Done with the challenge! That was fun. <br />
<br />
Things I gained from this challenge:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>I forced myself to write less than I wanted to, which was good because I was able to get the posts out on time without too much stress.</li>
<li>I got into the habit of blogging and thought of a few topics I want to write about soon. We'll see if these posts materialize. For example, a sonogram should appear soon. By the way, we'll find out if Peachy* is a boy or girl next weekend!</li>
<li>I got to hear from many of you in your comments and email replies, and that was nice.</li>
<li>I got to think about myself a lot. I love thinking about myself.</li>
</ul>*Names changed.Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-6858275835983085192011-09-29T06:52:00.002-06:002011-09-29T06:52:00.389-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 2929. Someone’s Facebook status you can always count on to annoy you. <br />
<br />
Well hell-O downer question! I already mentioned the types of Facebook statuses that annoy me as part of my answer to Day 1's question, and I see no point in picking on a particular person (it wouldn't be you). So I'm going to hijack today's question and instead write about a subject that I find much more positive and uplifting. It's a nonprofit organization directed by my friend Kate* called <a href="http://www.godsspiritinaction.org/">Spirit in Action (SIA)</a>. SIA gives money to people in Africa to help them start a business. Check out that link for a great website and especially the blog that Kate writes about the good things that are being done with the donations. You can also <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/spiritinaction">like SIA on Facebook</a> for inspirational quotes and updates.<br />
<br />
At a Spirit in Action party/benefit this past Saturday Kate asked me to tell everyone why I chose to give, and this is the gist of what I said:<br />
<br />
There are four main reasons that I give to Spirit in Action.<br />
<br />
1. <b>Long-term approach:</b> Spirit in Action goes beyond feeding the hungry to planting seeds in communities for future development and prosperity. The grants are given to the poorest households in a community who have the most skills and potential for success in business. <br />
<br />
2. <b>Freely given: </b>It's wonderful that these are grants, not loans. I also like the stipulations that go with the grant. It makes good business sense that a certain percentage of profits gets reinvested in the business, and that the business owner pays it forward in their community when they are successful. It's yet another way to spread prosperity in the community.<br />
<br />
3. <b>No preaching:</b> I really like the non-evangelical approach to passing the spirit of God through good works. The grant recipients aren't required to express or change their religious stance. <br />
<br />
4. <b>Bona fide:</b> I feel like it's an advantage that I know Kate, and that she has firsthand knowledge of where the donations are going. Sometimes I worry about other nonprofit organizations because I can't see behind the scenes to know for sure that my gift is being used for good. <br />
<br />
In short, I get a strong positive feeling about Spirit in Action every time I talk to Kate or read about it, and that's why I felt moved to donate. You can donate by going to my blog (if you're not there already), and finding the Spirit in Action donation form on the right side of the blog. Or, donate through the <a href="http://www.godsspiritinaction.org/">Spirit in Action website</a>.<br />
<br />
*Names changed.Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-84767912055315377462011-09-28T05:39:00.000-06:002011-09-28T05:39:14.539-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 28<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">28. Five things within touching distance of you right now. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">A cup of Taylor's Irish breakfast tea with milk and sugar</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">A red box of kleenex</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">Blueberry's comb</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">Blueberry</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">This mousepad that I made from a photo I took two Springs ago:</span></li>
</ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lH00tYujFFNH5eTrrIEtl0QFA8Ld2mYW2JdTIgndzZqg5tdkTSQyqiFA9Pqlbt6pE9INoZWvBRYlmn7RctaGHy_s-NPwh8YkQwFIDBCboNIaBCD59AF6KGfaz5n1FeTvAItFlEf52RE/s1600/mousepad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lH00tYujFFNH5eTrrIEtl0QFA8Ld2mYW2JdTIgndzZqg5tdkTSQyqiFA9Pqlbt6pE9INoZWvBRYlmn7RctaGHy_s-NPwh8YkQwFIDBCboNIaBCD59AF6KGfaz5n1FeTvAItFlEf52RE/s320/mousepad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"><br />
</span></span>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-44460853932003074602011-09-27T06:37:00.002-06:002011-09-27T06:37:00.058-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 27<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">27. The last person who texted you. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was last May. I'm not a texter. We cancelled our unlimited texting to save money so now we only use it under special circumstances. It was from my niece, Terri* who lives in CA. We were in CA, driving up from the bay area to visit them and I had texted her to let her know we were close to their house so they could have the gate open for us. So she texted back, "Yeah! Do u need directions?"</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At first I thought, nope! Then I thought, might as well call her just in case. Then I talked to her and learned to my horror and mild embarrassment that we were COMPLETELY on the wrong side of town, heading down the wrong 2-lane highway, in the opposite direction of their house. I just got it mixed up in my head and I was overconfident because we had been there before and I grew up in that tiny town, for pete's sake. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Names changed.</span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-18678485952948355722011-09-26T06:21:00.005-06:002011-09-26T06:21:00.538-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 26<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">26. Your first celebrity crush. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">These questions were not designed for me. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">When I was little we watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonanza">Bonanza</a> re-runs - I think it was on Saturdays after cartoons but I may be remembering incorrectly. I had a crush on Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1aZv6dZTT-wHruWSWp3mlGkr3zvHixtPqNuztIzEuzT-YBEdDMJHLZ8Y4qtARKTrB9dmMTMfC4Me1PA6Phsi8OkVNPZjm6LqxHrdsyfcfQ27ik-c2FLEpkIJ5tHAH0hyuFC57HVZk0U/s1600/pernellroberts3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1aZv6dZTT-wHruWSWp3mlGkr3zvHixtPqNuztIzEuzT-YBEdDMJHLZ8Y4qtARKTrB9dmMTMfC4Me1PA6Phsi8OkVNPZjm6LqxHrdsyfcfQ27ik-c2FLEpkIJ5tHAH0hyuFC57HVZk0U/s1600/pernellroberts3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">I found out that Pernell Roberts was guest-starring on some other show so I was all excited and made a special point to watch it. I was surprised, disappointed and a bit horrified to find that he looked like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC_CQTX8pSRV_gUHAmDtwp0ip8z_VarZltaIrL2-0ZvlKLJzMM5xoj5jTPvs75MHqq_ok_6Q5-v9XPbbpU43Ol0Ebk1cphyphenhyphenrMRz5WQFZkDukR-rPFpMAf9Ng9qcRCe53ySXQ9oo5s59c/s1600/pernell+old.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC_CQTX8pSRV_gUHAmDtwp0ip8z_VarZltaIrL2-0ZvlKLJzMM5xoj5jTPvs75MHqq_ok_6Q5-v9XPbbpU43Ol0Ebk1cphyphenhyphenrMRz5WQFZkDukR-rPFpMAf9Ng9qcRCe53ySXQ9oo5s59c/s1600/pernell+old.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Thus I eventually pieced together the fact that Bonanza was an old show and the man I had a crush on no longer existed. It was a valuable lesson, I guess. Not really.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-43506275195715278142011-09-25T06:59:00.001-06:002011-09-25T07:07:13.317-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 25<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">25. Talk about your siblings. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Don't get me started!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">My sisters are Janis*, Jasmine* and Lotus* and my brother is Wyatt*. I share a mother with Janis and Jasmine, a father with Lotus, and both with Wyatt.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Janis is 13 years older than me. She is the accountant for a county district attorney's office and also enjoys gardening and raising animals such as goats, sheep, chickens, and turkeys. If not for her, I probably wouldn't have gone to college, because I was lacking a sense of direction at that time and afraid to fill out the applications. So she gave me one application for a nearby school and a pen, and made me sit at the table and fill it out. Thus began a long, long education. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">My sister Jasmine is 12 years older than me. She is a draftsperson for a construction company, and also helps to run her local chapter of Slow Food USA (link). She's a food and wine lover and often sends me packages with very very random objects in it, such as a parrot flag, some yummy olive oil, and a penny. She has given me fond memories of camping trips on the coast, yard sale and thrift store shopping, and helping me repaint and decorate my bedroom when I was a teenager. We painted it a soft dusty pink, and put in a futon with fushchia flowers on a gray background. It was stunning.** <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">My sister Lotus is also 12 years older. She has the distinction of being part of my first memory (see a recent post), and also taught me to put carob in my mouth and then cough to send a puff of powdery fun all over the place. Lotus is very organized and thoughtful and is always giving me information that I didn't realize I needed but ends up being very helpful. She is involved in the Nonviolent Communication philosophy which is based on determining your own needs and the real needs of your partner/friend/coworker/opposition/enemy and attempting to reach a solution that fulfills everyone's needs. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Wyatt is 2 years younger than me. He is intelligent, strong-willed, and has a good sense of humor. He is going to school for accounting (last I heard) and is piling up the awards and accolades. He was somewhat surprised to be elected president of his fraternity, but it reminds me of how my mom was always chosen to be the leader of any organization that caught wind of her. I'm grateful to him for giving me one important piece of advice when I was complaining about grad school. He told me straight up that I should not quit - I should finish. It was surprising to hear this from him because it seemed out of character. So it stuck in my head and may have played a part in my eventual graduation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">*Names changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">**I'm not being sarcastic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-72271342908403792692011-09-24T06:38:00.001-06:002011-09-24T06:38:00.466-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 24<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">24. Your favorite movie and what it’s about. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyHnGD9dDQ7Ql9ws_4ePoZoZkIPrYb-BbSydv04Vc-s_VlgNaY88oFaisa9im9cZLTiiHRhCvLYOioh4O7or7SJKKMPAxIDpLw6xOvGE7NrwVqZsNCEdDlxzOfqen5y-ZBoucQfV-Nkc/s1600/orlando.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyHnGD9dDQ7Ql9ws_4ePoZoZkIPrYb-BbSydv04Vc-s_VlgNaY88oFaisa9im9cZLTiiHRhCvLYOioh4O7or7SJKKMPAxIDpLw6xOvGE7NrwVqZsNCEdDlxzOfqen5y-ZBoucQfV-Nkc/s1600/orlando.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Orlando, 1992, starring Tilda Swinton<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A description from </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">IMDB, slightly edited by me: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Orlando, a man of ideal nobility, starts his search for love, poetry, a place in society and the meaning of life in and around the court of England in the late 16th century. The blessing of eternal life from Queen Elizabeth I enables him a long and deep philosophical quest, accompanied by the features of "noble" English life with a good taste for irony. Both sides of the coin are shown when Orlando, fed up and disgusted with how men think and act, returns from his ambassadorship in the Far East as exactly the same person, except for his sex. Orlando, a woman of ideal nobility continues her journey to realize the truth about life, love, and approaching one's own sex in the late 18th century England. Sally Potter's adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Orlando not only tells the story on film with brilliant visual design, but also attempts to extend the plot as Woolf would have, had she lived to the end of the twentieth century.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-7319706357208796612011-09-23T06:18:00.000-06:002011-09-23T06:18:00.115-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 23<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">23.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Give pictures of five guys who are famous who you find attractive. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">The obvious source for pics for a question like this has to be the blog <a href="http://bangabledudesinhistory.blogspot.com/">Bangable Dudes in History</a>. Thanks to Kate* for bringing it to my attention.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">It was hard to choose from such hotness but here are 5 who made the cut (pics are straight from the bangable dudes blog and includes their nifty "why" pie charts):</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqjn5b4gMyNa5xRJwGt6xXZ4RioKN-zc_Ssr9NIlemInunHSi3QN1ysXT5moEYPHpNfDnNxTw52hIwYqHI8Y2nkca4yOoXhFtGzV7FtAcb5kPLBYh8SzCBFr8yQEC8sNNiNtsgUG8Xk4/s1600/robert+cornelius.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqjn5b4gMyNa5xRJwGt6xXZ4RioKN-zc_Ssr9NIlemInunHSi3QN1ysXT5moEYPHpNfDnNxTw52hIwYqHI8Y2nkca4yOoXhFtGzV7FtAcb5kPLBYh8SzCBFr8yQEC8sNNiNtsgUG8Xk4/s320/robert+cornelius.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Cornelius, American chemist and pioneer in photography<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cGLHILmnOSGNdiCD6qH_IfdGhP6e-t7NMZtaPH-YjefnT-JlL5oAcddoQ2Zlxgc-xRHrjlhjR2Yh3nDG-mZZY3VaFtrGQCOaRo3q9Lm-NqzERtdgDkfo5OVLym8Zy_uU4QzOCM1oEgs/s1600/tesla.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cGLHILmnOSGNdiCD6qH_IfdGhP6e-t7NMZtaPH-YjefnT-JlL5oAcddoQ2Zlxgc-xRHrjlhjR2Yh3nDG-mZZY3VaFtrGQCOaRo3q9Lm-NqzERtdgDkfo5OVLym8Zy_uU4QzOCM1oEgs/s320/tesla.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikola Tesla, inventor and engineer<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAze0xAnH-s7WaE7sq0h2-_7gN2oazrceL7EKt8v7xz8e1phJewekvZyybAhcsbUeUfe-taKlzDV1U3hkigxLBMULEK126kxWjGSW-mUUdNRYZpH-OmgyTCbbIGRDtsWge-JBS_jRud0/s1600/kings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAze0xAnH-s7WaE7sq0h2-_7gN2oazrceL7EKt8v7xz8e1phJewekvZyybAhcsbUeUfe-taKlzDV1U3hkigxLBMULEK126kxWjGSW-mUUdNRYZpH-OmgyTCbbIGRDtsWge-JBS_jRud0/s320/kings.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George V and Nicholas II, Eurasian monarchs (not as objectively hot as the above but HELLO - they are kings)<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Okay I can't bring myself to choose any more from the available options. There was one possibility but the very fact of who he is makes me put my foot down. I would rather have a picture of a chupacabra than that guy. I am okay with only having 4 even though 5 was required. I will sleep just fine tonight. If I can get these images out of my head.</span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-10408438405216042422011-09-22T06:43:00.001-06:002011-09-22T06:43:00.251-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 22<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">22. The last movie you saw in theatres.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I could be remembering wrongly but I think it was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/">Avatar</a>. It was great. I was not depressed about my own boring reality after seeing the movie, but apparently many people were.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-30375797701850954532011-09-21T06:41:00.002-06:002011-09-21T06:41:00.321-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 21<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">21. One of your favorite shows. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9xK5xUHLPvPvltrPqoIdlp4IreXg5WhQS461hdydgFh9vDmLUmJGZuEvBDnggq8u72qMFvb-u9-82MuDd0KzdVpfE1mDGD4EeQt8SkHvqaQg9Gq-gAXqbcFJFNZmgEXhk6_yWKOWdjM/s1600/heroes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9xK5xUHLPvPvltrPqoIdlp4IreXg5WhQS461hdydgFh9vDmLUmJGZuEvBDnggq8u72qMFvb-u9-82MuDd0KzdVpfE1mDGD4EeQt8SkHvqaQg9Gq-gAXqbcFJFNZmgEXhk6_yWKOWdjM/s1600/heroes.png" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">Stanley and I are watching Heroes on Netflix. It's entertaining. We've completed 2 seasons and have 2 seasons to go. It's starting to get a little repetitive so we might have to make a hard decision about whether to continue watching or spend our time on more practical things.</span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-51078450847799305062011-09-20T06:07:00.002-06:002011-09-20T06:07:00.398-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 20<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">20. How important you think education is. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">It's not important at all. We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom!* Education should not be funded by taxpayers. If our parents didn't play their cards right and couldn't afford to send us to a privately funded school, we can learn everything we need to know from the school of life with an advanced degree in the school of hard knocks and an optional certification from the school of rock. Then, when we are having trouble finding a job that pays enough for our basic expenses, we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">*But plenty in this post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-77480405968922087992011-09-19T06:05:00.004-06:002011-09-22T06:58:53.988-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 19<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Camping was terrific! Check out my <a href="http://hameradventures.blogspot.com/2011/09/day-camping.html">friend Lucy's* blog post </a>- they joined us for the whole day Saturday and she took some great pics.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">19. Your favorite music. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">A few random favorites that pop into my head just now are:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Aaron Copland, esp. Appalachian Spring and Fanfare for the Common Man but I generally like all I've heard from him. I mostly mention Copland because I recently heard one of his symphonies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Eminem, but I have to be in the mood for it, and honestly I haven't been in the mood for that music in years. Plus I don't really want to have that music playing with Blueberry around since she is learning new words all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">I'm going to stop there because these days, if the house seems too quiet, we just put on some classical or jazz from iTunes or Pandora and have it in the background. I'm not really a big fan of any particular musical artist or band right now. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">*Names changed.</span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-3919532180175855162011-09-18T06:51:00.004-06:002011-09-18T12:50:25.864-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge - Day 18<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">18. Name the thing you are scared of most. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">My original plan for this post was to have the word: "CHUPACABRA!" and then a picture of a chupacabra. However, this plan was cancelled when I looked up images of this beast and found that it was indeed really effing scary. I couldn't bring myself to post an image like that on my precious House Blog.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">So, the new thing that I am scared of most is:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;">ANGRY CHIHUAHUA!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Oq_DimqOMp3dn74vj2Em1EV1PbaP61uonTbqEFlM8wh065Jako6eGeVCB-768CMb8QEB_zOGSD8UByYpPUgxVwXOMi_Md1mArnni4wfyFKN9vfxeDtbZFlUVP6aiR31Llx7auQU2S4/s1600/7121151-close-up-of-angry-chihuahua-growling-2-years-old-in-front-of-white-background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Oq_DimqOMp3dn74vj2Em1EV1PbaP61uonTbqEFlM8wh065Jako6eGeVCB-768CMb8QEB_zOGSD8UByYpPUgxVwXOMi_Md1mArnni4wfyFKN9vfxeDtbZFlUVP6aiR31Llx7auQU2S4/s1600/7121151-close-up-of-angry-chihuahua-growling-2-years-old-in-front-of-white-background.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-40653296089928276992011-09-17T06:48:00.004-06:002011-09-17T06:48:00.271-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 17A few mentionables before we get to today's challenge question.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Today is Stanley's and my 6th anniversary. </li>
</ul><ul><li>We are camping right now, at Willow River State Park, Wisconsin. To minimize my stress I've been writing most of these entries several days in advance and scheduling them to post every morning. Just wanted to get that out in the open.</li>
</ul><ul><li>Crap there was something else...oh yeah! I made a new banner for the top of the blog because the old one felt too busy. This one helps me breathe better. Hope you like it. </li>
</ul><br />
Okay, on to the important issue of the day.<br />
<br />
17. Things that make you instantly happy. <br />
<br />
<ul><li>When Blueberry smiles at me from her crib after she wakes up from her nap.</li>
<li>When Stanley arrives home.</li>
<li>My first entry into a hotel room than I've rented. I love hotels. Motels, too.</li>
<li>When something makes Blueberry happy, e.g. swinging in a swing, or receiving a new toy, or sharing a joke.</li>
<li>Seeing a postcard, personal letter, card, magazine or package in the mailbox.</li>
<li>Realizing that an object is unnecessary and that I don't like it and getting rid of it.</li>
<li>Tiramisu.</li>
<li>Sushi.</li>
<li>Finding a yard sale bargain.</li>
<li>Feeling my unborn baby kick me (he/she is not kicking very hard yet).</li>
<li>Reserving a campsite.</li>
</ul>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-15593080805534808662011-09-16T06:22:00.001-06:002011-09-16T06:22:00.591-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1616. Talk about your family. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">My husband Stanley is kind, loyal, hard-working, loving and strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">My daughter Blueberry is super-smart, freaking adorable and has an excellent sense of humor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">My unborn fetus Peachy moves around a lot, and is growing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Come to think of it, each of these qualities apply to all of them, except that Stanley is not growing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this family.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">The rest of my family (siblings, etc.) are equally superb and are likely to be mentioned in a separate post.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-52904470873900138882011-09-15T06:34:00.001-06:002011-09-15T06:34:00.773-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 15<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Halfway there!!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">15.Your favorite blogs.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Please see my blogroll (titled "These Blogs Are Great") in the right-hand column. If you are reading this from an email, click on "Hazel's House Blog" at the top or bottom of the email, and then go to the right-hand column.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-81028021017018804832011-09-14T10:50:00.001-06:002011-09-14T10:51:51.120-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 14<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">14.Your earliest memory. </span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">I was 2 years old, playing in the dirt on the side of our apartment building in Santa Monica. My sister Lotus* came around the corner and said "come on Hazel*, we're moving". So I followed her. This is when we moved to Sylmar.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">I think I've remembered this event all these years not because it's especially memorable but because of it's special status as my first memory, it's been reconsolidated each time I bring it to mind. I sort of wish that it was common practice to recount more than one earliest memory, such as five, so that I could have held onto more memories from when I was two years old. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">*Names changed.</span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-79770027850441893732011-09-13T05:35:00.002-06:002011-09-13T06:03:52.231-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 13<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">8. Somewhere you’d like to move or visit. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Mendocino, California or the surrounding coastal area. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzIm6vuo0d57BQgmIBVu60MDApbH8MNRpe0ZdHYCozJg5Y6zQcghyphenhyphenCtTLdDuv2pvGsqawQvsI8Cxs559t2gA6zfSdV2jcQgJobIhXSnzAK9V8L6nir1ds_mymUpbLoa6vBC_OeScePUM/s1600/mendo1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGzIm6vuo0d57BQgmIBVu60MDApbH8MNRpe0ZdHYCozJg5Y6zQcghyphenhyphenCtTLdDuv2pvGsqawQvsI8Cxs559t2gA6zfSdV2jcQgJobIhXSnzAK9V8L6nir1ds_mymUpbLoa6vBC_OeScePUM/s320/mendo1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEuTOh6LTK7RSiZ1mdn-u7MJiwFJ0fOlU13Iqdid37TCpNcZkykIJWIi0CJdJs_8VOZNdECqNmD-BJD34jdwcyE1a3HqUVLzZUDRIio9uBfVuXmMLWR7KAt1JCsZth7_IkEfStJO5JkI/s1600/Mendo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEuTOh6LTK7RSiZ1mdn-u7MJiwFJ0fOlU13Iqdid37TCpNcZkykIJWIi0CJdJs_8VOZNdECqNmD-BJD34jdwcyE1a3HqUVLzZUDRIio9uBfVuXmMLWR7KAt1JCsZth7_IkEfStJO5JkI/s320/Mendo2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWDx_re71qYZJdZO7CWfYZQaYUY5H0KS79NbAl26_UtKr-NXpWlulfIjuLSD-rz-JuQdzDU9O5O_4KgMsFtEV5N-Qakq3drMJiY1-td3WMl2YXt1iLnNdsP5ShqJgPn2TZras8T0QpoE/s1600/Mendo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJWDx_re71qYZJdZO7CWfYZQaYUY5H0KS79NbAl26_UtKr-NXpWlulfIjuLSD-rz-JuQdzDU9O5O_4KgMsFtEV5N-Qakq3drMJiY1-td3WMl2YXt1iLnNdsP5ShqJgPn2TZras8T0QpoE/s320/Mendo3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">It's 3-4 hours from my hometown and I've spent many fun weekends here camping and staying at beach house rentals. Stanley and I got married in Mendocino. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">In addition to the proximity to the ocean, I love the fern/redwood forests, many state parks and campgrounds, awesome glass beach, shopping, charming inns, wine festival, terrific restaurants, and the general hippy/artsy vibe. It would be a great place to be an artist, if I wanted to step up my painting.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">I'd like to visit there more often (I think I've been back once since the wedding in '05) and if I could move there, that would be great. A home on the cliffs overlooking the ocean would be amazing but I would also be thrilled with a house less than a mile from the water. There are a lot of question marks about how this could come about, but I feel that if we really make it a priority, it will happen. But if it doesn't, that's okay with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-13291707617812151642011-09-12T07:21:00.001-06:002011-09-12T07:21:00.616-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 12<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">12. Bullet your whole day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Here are the highlights of a typical day. Hope you're sitting down because it's super exciting:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Around 6 AM, I wake up to sounds of Blueberry calling "Mommy? Mommy?"<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Change a diaper, usually Blueberry's<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Breakfast<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Say goodbye to Daddy. After he leaves, Blueberry asks "Daddy?" and I say "Yeah, Daddy went to work." She says "Bye Bye" and I say "yep, we said bye bye to Daddy." Then she makes snoring noises, which means, she thinks he's going to sleep at work. Maybe she knows something I don't know.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Get myself and Blueberry dressed. This takes FOREVER.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">10:00 Snack<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">Go somewhere (the park, the zoo, run errands) or greet a friend for a playdate<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">12:00 Lunch<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">1:00 Nap (often for both myself and the Blueb. If I have the energy I sew books instead of nap. Hoping to get some energy back soon so that bookmaking can speed up again)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">3:00 Blueberry wakes up from her nap. We have a snack and then play in the house or in the yard if it's nice, or run errands if necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">5:00 or 6:00 Daddy comes home from work/sleep and makes dinner. Blueberry asks if we are having chicken, then asks if we are having noodles, then asks if we are having ham. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">6:30 Dinner<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">7:15 Bath<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">7:30 Post-bath dance performance by Blueberry<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">7:35 Read books or play with Daddy<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">8:00 Bedtime for Blueberry. Stanley and I usually watch TV and I sew books<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13pt;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">10:00 Bedtime for grownups. Okay, 11:00. Okay, 11:30.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461632837095907987.post-53726692740792538812011-09-11T06:50:00.001-06:002011-09-11T07:56:42.282-06:0030 Day Blog Challenge: Day 11<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">11. Put your iPod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up. </span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 19.2pt; margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;">So far the questions have assumed a) I have a tattoo or I want one and b) I have an iPod to put on shuffle. I used to have an iPod which I got for free when I bought a laptop but I rarely used it so I gave it to Stanley. So, rather than a list of 10 songs I'm going to list fewer than 10 random things that Blueberry has brought into my life lately.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHLYiMG2aomQnHteQPdbZJrs3qZ8qQ8dpihT1oIZ6QvDHG01zTyKGwqZPx6-8RuCD7fSbaxvTDkkGTI9KooHSLvTGM7Kd9FjxKQvqChcXl_mZprDW-si3falfddONfK0SZPfX9F4kaAU/s1600/washcloths.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHLYiMG2aomQnHteQPdbZJrs3qZ8qQ8dpihT1oIZ6QvDHG01zTyKGwqZPx6-8RuCD7fSbaxvTDkkGTI9KooHSLvTGM7Kd9FjxKQvqChcXl_mZprDW-si3falfddONfK0SZPfX9F4kaAU/s320/washcloths.png" width="320" /></a></div><ol><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">This set of 8 cheapo washcloths from Target. She pointed at them as we walked by and I said "washcloths". Then I remembered that I need more bibs that tie on (Blueb has mastered removal of the velcro kind) and I wanted to make some out of washcloths, so I bought them. $3.49 for eight of them. Great deal. Thanks Blueb. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">She likes to pull random books off the shelves at the library and then run away as fast as she can, so once I catch her and look at the book, and if it looks at least mildly interesting I put it in the book bag. The first one, a couple of weeks ago, was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wednesday-Night-Witches-Red-Dress/dp/B003A02RAS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315534957&sr=1-1">Wednesday Night Witches by Lee Nichols</a>, in which I lost interest after a couple of pages. It just wasn't resonating with me - the protagonist seemed weak, melodramatic and overly quirky. Unfortunately the book has been misplaced.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">The next book she picked, just today, was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Dress-Bruno-Maddox/dp/0142000485/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315525849&sr=1-1">The Little Blue Dress by Bruno Maddox</a>. I have high hopes for this one, although the reviews suggest I will either love it or hate it. Maybe I'll let you know how it goes. It's a bit of a problem these days finding time to read but if I get myself to bed at a somewhat decent hour, I can afford to read for a few minutes each night.</span></li>
</ol>Hazel Spupspehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07598836420920284516noreply@blogger.com2