Winter Wonderland

Hello!

Happy Valentine's Day yesterday!

For our special V-Day outing, we all went to the "mountain" (no offense to New Englanders, but the term is used very loosely here) and enjoyed a day of skiing!

The kids took lessons for about an hour and a half, on the bunny slopes while Frank and I remembered what it is like to be up on skis. I think it's been maybe 3 or 4 years since we went.

I couldn't get their attention during the lesson, so you don't see their faces. Here is David, then Teresa and Kara's backs as they wait to ride the painfully slow "Magic Carpet" (moving sidewalk up the hill) for beginners.

I say "painfully slow" because it all but crawls upward.
The kids were a little bored near the end of the lesson. We upgraded their tickets to include "all lifts" and they were able to do some bigger runs, greens and blues, in the afternoon. That was a little more exciting for them.

Here is David on the lift, with an "Unknown Hero" he rode up the mountain with...(ok, it was really Frank...)
The weather was beautiful, but pretty cold in the morning with the wind. (That's why Frank has the face protection on.) In the afternoon there was less wind, so it was pretty nice.

Here was the view from one lift:
...that's a lake in the distance, by the way...
and our view from the lift, looking straight down:
...those are our skis, by the way...

The kids came away in tact, no injuries, and smiling at the end of the day. Success! Teresa, of course, wants to go again tomorrow.

The kids get this whole week off, and another week in late April. Kind of a "winter break," and a "late spring break." That's why we go to school so late into June here.

Happy President's Day tomorrow! Kari

Thanksgiving Post

Hi!

I'm kind of looking around, wondering what to blog about today...how about things to be thankful for? Yes, this can be a Thanksgiving Blog, even though it's February.

I am thankful for...

computers




donuts

sunshine

transportation





warm clothing

washing machine

running water

inspirational speakers

talents of others



music


piano

flute

cameras

dark chocolate

a comfortable bed



Frank






good friends

email

blogs

the telephone

online shopping



great kids





good books





drivers who let you in

people who show up on time to appointments

fresh snow

snow gear that lets you have fun in cold temps

elliptical machine

motivation to get ON the elliptical machine: 24



electric lights

board games

A daughter who still asks, "Mom, will you play a game with me?"




biographies

our Founding Fathers



Just a short list, and far from comprehensive, but a good reminder for me! Hopefully it reminded you of some things YOU are thankful for, too. Have a great week--Kari :)

You May Not Believe This But...

The KITCHEN is FINALLY FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yesssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The project that officially started the beginning of September, and would probably last "5 or 6 weeks" actually took 5 MONTHS, but who is counting, right.

We have not been without a kitchen for that long. We've been using it for a long time now.

Last week, the final trim and replacement wood panels and cupboard doors came in. They HAD arrived earlier, of course, but they were DAMAGED, so they had to be re-ordered...you've heard the sob story before. Any home improvement project is a long and dreary soap opera just begging to be dramatized. Usually by very poor actors. (You'd most likely turn it off to go do something more interesting.)

So, since I love "Before/After" pictures, here is the "Before/After" Kitchen Blog Post.

The kitchen, as I mentioned months ago, was in pretty good shape "before." It was just TINY. I'll group pictures of the same area, "before" and then "after."

Here is the wall with the window and door, before we filled those in:

"AFTER" it became a wall, stove moved to the middle, cabinets and countertops added:


Please note: "BEFORE," there was a mini-window you could peek through into the dining area.

"AFTER" a peninsula was created, opening up that wall.


Here is what you USED to see, looking from the kitchen into the dining room:

Here is today's view:
I have to say, I do love the kitchen. I go in, look around and appreciate the counterspace and the openness.

Icing on the cake for me is the granite of the countertops. It is fascinating to me that this stuff comes right out of the mountain. Unbelievable.



So, there is your "Good News for the Day!" Of course, the list is endless on what COULD be done to/for an older house. There is always something more to do!

It is also healthy for my mental state to just look at what has been done...and be happy about it.

Kari

P.S. For these pictures, I took a BOATLOAD of stuff off the countertops: dish drainer by the sink, fruit bowls, bread, small appliances. I can only dream that it always looked this way--! But I still like it, even full of our "stuff!"

David Whitesell, Eagle Scout

Here is my chance to brag about David. This post is about him.

David has been doing scout activities for the past few years. He started with Cub Scouts in about the 3rd grade, and Frank and I participated in different ways with his troops: weekly activities, Pack Meetings, and summer camps.

Then he got into Boy Scouts, and Frank was lucky enough to be the leader of his troop or participate as an adult leader volunteer for many activites, for a couple of years. Campouts, scout camps, merit badges. David had a buddy in his Mexico City troop who had a goal of getting his Eagle (highest rank in Boy Scouts) by the time he was 13. David picked up on that, and set his own goal as the same.

Last spring it became apparent that it really might be possible to do just that...could he get his project organized and finished, paperwork turned in and the Board of Review happen, before his November 1st 13th birthday?

Hmmm...add to this the poor timing...Frank had already started his job in Boston while the rest of us stayed in California, so it would mainly fall upon Mom to push through with the project... we were split across the country as a family, preparing to move to Massachusetts and trying to sell our CA house in a really cruddy market! Mom's sanity level was questionable, at best...

BUT. He talked to the proper school officials over the course of a month, and they figured out what he could do to help his middle school, for the project. He would paint parts of the school auditorium: closet doors under the stage area, and all the closets across the back wall.

We worked for 4 days (during the 2 weeks after school was out, when the building was still open during the days), 3-5 hours each day. David organized volunteers and supplies, and asked for donations to help the project along. Church members stepped up and volunteered their supplies and time...it was really inspiring to see!

Here are project photos: Before...


during...




and AFTER...




Now, fast-forward the summer. We moved, sold our CA house, found a house in MA. David completed and turned in paperwork (the paperwork should have its own merit badge, BTW), and COULD have had a Board of Review before his 13th Birthday Nov. 1st. Other scouts were ahead of him, however, so his was pushed out a month. he had his Board of Review November 19, and passed! YIPPEE!

His Court of Honor was last Tuesday. It was neat to see it culminate, his efforts acknowledged. We are really proud of him. Here are some photos from that night:












pinning on my "Eagle Scout Mom" pin...
















his cake...








and a flag Frank ordered for him. This flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol building, on David's birthday, last November.



(We may be a little biased, but we think David is pretty neat. We're glad he's in our family.)

Kari

Moving Boxes and Mom visitor!

Hola!

(You can click on the photos to enlarge.) I wish the movers had been a little more careful, but...here is a photo of the boxes they delivered.












Didn't anybody read that yellow SIGN on one of them?Well, you would THINK we could have some closure on "moving..." but I'm afraid the reality is, we never, ever will... :)

For the past 12 weeks, besides babysitting contractors, I have been ever so S-L-O-W-L-Y emptying boxes. I put them out on the deck when they are empty. The problem with that is, while it gets them out of my sight for the moment, it is now winter here. These boxes have been rained on, snowed on, sleeted on, blown this way and that, and yes, gone through some pretty low temperatures!

So when we called the moving company last week, and requested that they come get these boxes and take them away, their instructions were: "Have them as DRY as possible." I just shook my head. DRY?


These boxes were basically covered with snow, or frozen SOLID to the deck. (They want them "DRY?!?") All 5 of us worked on them: we dug them out of snow, melted ice and pried them off the deck, and put them in the driveway all in a group, so they could just back up the truck and load them in. Easy, right?


Well, no. I was gone all day, very excited to know that when I returned, there would FINALLY be NO more boxes in the driveway. But what do I see? THEY LEFT THEM ALL. Oh, dear. 5 of us worked a total of 4 hours to get these in the easiest possible state to be hauled away. What happened?


The message they left was, they couldn't take them away (are you ready for this?) "BECAUSE OF HEALTH REASONS." Oh, that's right, I forgot about the disease-carrying rodents that live in there...my mistake...(?!?! (Sarcasm, of course! We really do NOT have rats!!)

So...NOW what? Frank calls our trash/recycle guy and asks him if he'll take them. "Sure, no problem." Whew! He came the next day.

Now we have full use of the driveway again. Yippee!


VISITOR :)
Now, to the fun part of the weekend. Grandma Kay (my mom) came to visit! Why Boston in January? So she could go to David's Eagle Court of Honor. It was awesome--that will be a blog for NEXT week.

Meanwhile, we crammed in as much activity as possible. We even had a 6-inch snowstorm while she was here, and we went sledding. Here are some photos, including the science museum,

sledding

and some sugar cookies she and Kara made. (Life is so much better with sugar cookies...) Have a great week! Kari

Flames and Resolutions

Hello and Happy New Year!

Well, it is the 4th, so maybe the year is old already...? Our neighbors had a New Year's Eve dinner for 5 or 6 families close-by. This was the first time in years that I actually stayed up to watch the ball drop on t.v.!

(FLAMES.) Then of course the next-generation "Evel Knieval" (his son or something) did a motorcycle jump.



Through fire.

He kept on practicing, making us THINK he would do the jump, then... it would just be a practice round.

Then they had a video-game-like simulation, of the catastrophes that MIGHT happen..."If he doesn't make the jump," the announcer says dramatically, "he will crash into this wall!" And then you watch this video game guy crash into the wall. They were really stretching it to fill time.

Of course he jumped, and made it, and it lasted all of 5 seconds. No wonder they dragged it out. :)

(RESOLUTIONS)
January is often a time of resolutions for the coming year.

I have made the very same New Year's Resolution for the past 5 years or so. Just one word...it's easier to remember that way..."simplify."

It was reinforced by Henry David Thoreau, who spent 2 years living on Walden Pond. He recognized that when you get right down to it, your list of needs is very short.

Another reinforcement of this New Year's Resolution came from L. Tom Perry, whose wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness. They spent many quiet, conversational hours away from all the distractions of daily life.

A few months ago in an inspirational talk, he said, "In our search to obtain relief from the stresses of life, may we earnestly seek ways to simplify our lives."


So that is my resolution, the same New Year's Resolution I have made for the past few years. Maybe this year I can recognize and nurture the valuable people and relationships in my life a little more. Maybe I can pay a little LESS of my attention to the many daily details...ultimately, they just add up to a lot of noise.

Have a great week! Kari