tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36979333765989800772012-01-24T12:40:16.319-06:00Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.comBlogger10071100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-49909846522102349522012-01-22T21:59:00.000-06:002012-01-22T21:59:34.999-06:00

And the open house is over, and so is the farewell talk.  I didn't cry. I'm too excited to cry. Besides, EJ still has 16 more days until he leaves. 16 days until we drop him off at the airport and say goodbye for two years. (still not crying) The open house was last night (Saturday). There are three young men leaving in February and so the party was for those three boys. Lots of people came to

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-20215700721993405902012-01-17T12:44:00.000-06:002012-01-17T12:49:01.989-06:00

I love sites like Pinterest, Tip Junkie, One Pretty Thing, etc... (no links cuz I'm too lazy). I love to look at pretty things people have made with their own two hands (and a bunch of raw materials. Or maybe not so raw) On occasion, I have even tried to make some of these things that the craft sites promise are so cute and easy and amazing and beautiful and designed to make lasting memories....

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-55516071543356325302012-01-15T19:13:00.001-06:002012-01-15T19:13:28.102-06:00

So all of you know that EJ is going to leave us and preach the gospel in Tijuana. He's pretty excited. I can't fathom it because I have NEVER wanted to serve a mission. Talking to people I don't know is difficult enough to do without having the added burden of sharing a religious message. I tend to laugh too much, talk to fast and too high, and agree to whatever the stranger is saying just so I

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-4172222490757473392012-01-14T09:01:00.002-06:002012-01-14T09:02:04.589-06:00

I'm up early for a Saturday but I can spend the morning in my bathrobe listening to the cats whine about not being fed It's not my job but they like me anyway I see a house of opportunity of things to do most I won't do (like feed the cats) Instead of doing I am looking at pretty things like valentines and a clean kitchen counter that I bathed yesterday along with the stove and uploading

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-69175949720992708332012-01-10T08:08:00.003-06:002012-01-10T08:09:14.119-06:00

I had my yearly check-up at the eye doctor yesterday. I was a little worried that the person who knew my 6th grade nickname was going to be there and even if he didn't remember me, his personality was a little too friendly for my comfort. My worries were put to rest though when I got a sales person who was new to me and she didn't try to change my mind about not wanting new glasses or sunglasses

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-12518183990622473472012-01-07T10:01:00.000-06:002012-01-07T10:01:24.380-06:00

Katie's visit is over. We had a good time having her around. There was plenty of happy noise and chatter, and lots of juggling of vehicles (that's a sight to see). Everybody had some time with Katie, and she has left her siblings with a desire to sew pajama pants. Paul and his mountain goat polar fleece pants On the last evening Kate was here, we had cake, an early birthday dessert for

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-56790725561650618712012-01-02T16:46:00.002-06:002012-01-02T16:46:31.118-06:00

I haven't taken as many pictures as I possibly could have while Katie was here; I'm rather just enjoying the time without thinking of a camera. But don't think I haven't taken ANY pictures. Here are just a few, which I may or may not caption. Our Christmas card display method. I like it, but next year I'll have to put up two strings of lights. One wasn't enough. I'll also have to actually

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-10387231897301444282011-12-23T14:34:00.000-06:002011-12-23T14:34:07.211-06:00

Seriously, I'm at 1000. I should have dressed up to blog today. In honor of 1000 posts of meaningless drivel (except for that one week before Christmas 2009 when I blogged daily my thoughts about the Nativity), I'm going to do a ten things list. Ten things for no reason, about nothing in particular 1. I saw a craft idea for a family motto board. The craft itself is cute, but I cannot take the

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-77119772556398795042011-12-22T09:24:00.002-06:002011-12-22T09:25:57.255-06:00

I'd offer points for people who could give me the reference for my post title, but I don't think any of you would get it without googling it. Here, I'll link to it. Singing the praises of pants I particularly like the line near the end: "Dolphins, one of the smartest mammals on earth. Do they wear pants? No, but they wish they did, that's how smart they are." Then there's another episode of

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-72952262648119869082011-12-17T17:09:00.000-06:002011-12-17T17:09:07.554-06:00

We made a run for the MN/SD border this weekend. My office had their annual Christmas party this Friday and I wanted to be there. We brought Hayley and Matt along and they babysat the boss's kids while we went off and partied at Lunker's in Watertown. Bernice, Martha, Mavis, Gladys, Hazel, and Concepcion roosting on a wagon in the barn We decided to make a weekend of the trip and are staying

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-81859702505632808882011-12-14T13:42:00.001-06:002011-12-14T13:42:27.177-06:00

17 points if you can tell me where the post title came from. -2 points if you googled it to get the answer. Just because I'm about to complain does not mean that I want consolation. First of all, you don't know what I'm going to complain about yet, and second of all, I'm complaining in more of a I-wanna-blog-about-something-but-this-is-all-I-came-up-with kind of way. I'm going to complain about

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-48773108043643901182011-12-12T14:51:00.000-06:002011-12-12T14:51:33.838-06:00

It used to be that my husband could be taken at face value. What he thought, he said. And what he was going to do, he mentioned.  Or so I thought. He has carefully crafted this deception over the course of 23 years. He acted like he couldn't wait to give me presents that he had bought so he made me receive them early. He would let things slip so that I would guess surprises.  He pretended that

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-15521472095580522352011-12-10T21:52:00.001-06:002011-12-10T22:02:24.117-06:00

I never posted a sampling of Paul's senior pictures. Would you care to see a few? Jen took these pictures WA-A-A-A-AY back in July when it was close to a million degrees outside. We were uncomfortably hot during the photo session, Paul most of all, because in a couple pictures I made him wear his heavy wool letter jacket. But now that is all a distant and faint memory, hardly worth recalling.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-46692003630294304672011-12-06T17:47:00.001-06:002011-12-06T17:54:59.644-06:00

Hey, I was just looking at my blog overview and noticed that I am closing in on 1000 posts. I'd better make my mille post a special one (or not). I would post pictures from last night's Honor Band concert, but Matt sits in the back of the band, is very short, and sits behind a very tall girl. So no pictures of him in the band. Mr H, one of the directors, mentioned that this is the 5th year of

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-51527519461531586402011-12-03T06:06:00.001-06:002011-12-03T06:22:25.815-06:00

It's just past 6 a.m. on a Saturday...and I've been awake for an hour. On a Saturday. Younger me would have said, "THIS IS SO NOT FAIR!!!" Mid-40s me says, "Meh, I had my sleep. I'm fine."  Besides, it's kind of fun to be up when no one else is. I can do what I want without worrying that I'm getting in the way or hovering or whatever. Yesterday was a busy day at work. I'm still not quite used

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-31195033261230828232011-12-01T10:14:00.001-06:002011-12-01T10:35:50.216-06:00

Every so often, I'll drive by a chain fast food venue while hungry, and an argument will break out. Me: Mmm, fast food! I wanna stop and get some. Other Me: I don't. Me: But the food is so yummy! Other Me: It is not! The last ten times (at least!) we've stopped there have been incredibly disappointing, remember? We pulled out of the parking lot all the while kicking ourselves for having gone

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-4779272736985562982011-11-30T17:46:00.001-06:002011-11-30T17:49:59.967-06:00

I am still here, people. I'm just popping in to tell you that I saw a headline of a blog post on a blog I occasionally pop over to read. The title was, "Who cares about the Periodontal Ligament?" I want to go on record by saying: I care! I care deeply about the periodontal ligament! There. I said it. Thank you for listening (reading). Back to everyone's regularly scheduled evenings.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-54533672264182388212011-11-26T06:24:00.001-06:002011-11-26T06:46:40.068-06:00

I'm up again at an unholy hour of the morning, although sleeping until 5:19 was technically sleeping in. Thank you, seminary, for skewing my perception of time.  If I had told my college age self there would come a time in my life when sleeping until 6 a.m. would be enjoyed and even considered heavenly, I probably would have shot myself for thinking future me was an alien in disguise. As a teen,

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-64428092220131227762011-11-25T09:24:00.001-06:002011-11-25T09:32:54.475-06:00

This year I get two Thanksgivings. Yesterday we ate with friends. Today we eat with family. No, I don't celebrate Black Friday.  All the pushing and shoving by the thick angry crowds repel any thought of even setting foot in a non-food related store on the Friday after Thanksgiving. EJ got home from his shift at Boxmart and said it was a people-filled night shift. The customers were cranky, and

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-31480003964593070482011-11-24T08:41:00.001-06:002011-11-24T09:22:13.977-06:00

Ten things I am grateful for (and I'm gonna try to be honest and serious, instead of being silly, like being thankful for children who misbehave because then I can meet the recommended daily allowance of yelling for 10 minutes at 110 decibels, which allows a parent to operate under the illusion that they are really in charge) 1.  ........... It's hard to be serious. Really. Everything I come

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-65399032222222440022011-11-20T08:42:00.001-06:002011-11-20T09:10:53.416-06:00

There were no board games on our anniversary overnight because we forgot to pack them. But Friday morning, I saw a link on one of my favorite websites (Satellite News--which is a fan site for MST3K). The site announced that two of the guys from MST3K would be appearing on a radio show on MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) called Wits and that John Hodgman (the PC guy from the Mac commercials) would be

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-24551833844140056552011-11-18T11:46:00.001-06:002011-11-18T11:58:00.741-06:00

Hey, Paul just came home in the middle of school. He says this quarter he has an open period and lunch right together AND a hybrid class that meets only three times a week. So on Mondays and Fridays, he has classes until 11:30 and then not again until 2. Lucky dog. He came home with a big old smile on his face, saying, "It feels really good to not have class for a few hours. I'm gonna go for a

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-89466626386896968052011-11-17T07:28:00.001-06:002011-11-17T07:44:29.492-06:00

...and counting. It's almost anniversary time here in the shoebox castle. On this Saturday, Jim and I will have been married 23 years. In 23 years, we've: Lived in 5 states Lived at 13 different addresses Had almost as many landline phone numbers Raised 5 children Bought three mattresses Had 4 dining room tables (all used, by the way. We don't go buying new dining room tables left and right)

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-14930968209389627602011-11-15T21:02:00.001-06:002011-11-15T21:05:58.566-06:00

I was feeling curmudgeonly this morning, if not downright cranky. But Hayley has the ability to turn a phrase just right to make me laugh and forget that I was feeling mean and poor and lowly of spirit. Taken out of context, the words she uttered seem so preposterous, which is why I laughed. She said: "When I talk to him, I talk to him facing the chickens." and most recently, she said: "

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-61837737757294992392011-11-12T16:37:00.001-06:002011-11-12T17:03:34.056-06:00

I'm behind with the blogging. Again I have to blog about events from last weekend. The kids participated in a church activity called "Saints on Broadway." Each group did 1-4 dances to songs from a Broadway musical. Our ward picked "West Side Story." The 12-13 year old boys got to do a dance all by themselves to the prologue and I found it very entertaining to watch Matt "dancing." Paul

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-29482865455598220792011-11-11T19:30:00.001-06:002011-11-11T20:09:23.305-06:00

Let's get in the ol' time machine and travel back to last Sunday. Why? Because that's what I'm gonna blog about today. Nevermind that I did not actually witness what I'm blogging about. The reason I was not in attendance at this particular event was that I went and signed myself for a work-related conference the next day without consulting my calendar. When I realized that I would be traveling to

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-54731245442494420162011-11-05T11:26:00.000-05:002011-11-05T11:26:07.602-05:00

I have two lasts to post about: Paul's last high school cross country race, and his last first high school band concert of the year.  The start of the last race. I like watching the start of these races.  All the boys are in one mass, like migrating birds. It's cool to watch them undulate across the golf course. Then they spread out a bit as they move through the course. This is Paul at

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-44066162641791687442011-10-31T07:50:00.001-05:002011-10-31T17:11:11.391-05:00

Another cheesy B movie title! It's the story of a young woman who goes to a carnival and makes two wax hands at a booth. Unbeknownst to her, the wax hands were made from cursed wax. Her parents wake one morning to find her strangled in her bed.  Her distraught boyfriend realizes the wax hands are gone. He hunts them down and melts them with the very last match in his pocket that he'd been saving

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-66900255031180902852011-10-29T21:44:00.001-05:002011-10-29T21:44:49.480-05:00

Just got home from the ward chili cook-off and costume party. Hayley worked hard all morning and afternoon to finish up the costumes in time. Matt helped for about 5 seconds. I refused to do any of the real work of the costumery, except for the hoods. I did those. But the eyes and nose on the dog costume were mostly by Hayley. Princess Bubblegum, Finn holding Peppermint Butler, and Jake

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-61810901675550390062011-10-28T17:17:00.001-05:002011-10-28T17:17:33.345-05:00

Hayley came home from school today with the news that there is a viola in her band class. She said, "I wish we had orchestra in our school. Then we could combine the two groups into a big group and call it bandestra." I tried to tell her that there already exists a combination of band and string instruments and it is called orchestra.  And then I laughed.  And then things just got silly.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-23357659855106122612011-10-25T09:22:00.002-05:002011-10-25T09:25:24.767-05:00

This has nothing to do with school. I don't go to parent/teacher conferences anymore because (at least at the middle school) the teachers are not part of the process. Seriously. In fact, there was an email recently from the principal at the middle school that read: "To best accommodate the greatest number of parents with concerns, we suggest that you consider only visiting teachers in whose

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-18260563865242237042011-10-21T21:40:00.002-05:002011-10-21T21:40:51.977-05:00

Hayley has been bugging me to put pictures of her Halloween costume on the blog. She finished it last week and we got a wig to go with it. This is the cartoon character she is trying to look like: Princess Bubblegum from "Adventure Time" And here is the dress: She's trying to be pretty Here is Princess Bubblegum Hayley with the wig and crown and the stuffed Peppermint Butler she made a

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-12414147647223770432011-10-21T08:27:00.002-05:002011-10-21T21:41:21.637-05:00

I have plenty of words in my life. I like most of them ("moist" is one I do not like. My children know this and like to use it whenever they can to annoy me. Matt's friend, Colton, even likes to use it around me just to see my pained reaction). I like to say them, write them with a nice pen on nice paper, type them on a keyboard that makes little clickity sounds. I like to turn them inside out,

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-91343526721469538532011-10-19T20:08:00.002-05:002011-10-21T21:41:34.807-05:00

One of the perks of my job is that I have a sewing machine in my office. If I'm facing my desk and I want to get a bit of sewing done, all I have to do is swivel in my wonderful office chair and say the magic word and my office chair turns into a sewing chair and I am seated at my machine. I haven't done much sewing until Monday, when I began on EJ's Halloween costume. He had gone to the local

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-2659430165672012842011-10-16T16:54:00.000-05:002011-10-16T16:54:05.378-05:00

I can't let October get away from me without posting something related to my favorite holiday. Matt was home by himself for a little while on his birthday while I was at Paul's cross country meet. Matt saw that I had forgotten to take my camera with me (I felt naked without my camera during the whole race. I had to tell myself that I have LOTS of pictures of Paul running and I should just enjoy

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-37280810240228200042011-10-15T20:39:00.001-05:002011-10-15T20:39:39.900-05:00

Poor Mattie is still suffering from a fever (four days and counting). He was ok yesterday, but he didn't have much of an appetite--he was not in the mood for eating cake, but he did enjoy blowing the candles out and making faces. Jim took Matt to see the pediatrician today and all she said was that he has a viral infection and that it should go away in a couple of days. He had blood drawn

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-37646022725447539212011-10-14T09:59:00.000-05:002011-10-14T09:59:47.036-05:00

I don't even know how I got to calling him Lovey; maybe it was a bastardization (yes I can say that. And type it) of Lurvy. Or maybe Lurvy was the bastardization of Lovey. I can't remember. In any case, no respectable teenage boy should be called Lovey. I can still call him many other things: Smack, Smacky, Squibb, Squibber, Smatt, Batt, The Budgie, Scrufty, L'il Man, Boy Wonder (although Boy is

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-36500278286250972752011-10-13T09:00:00.000-05:002011-10-13T09:00:45.138-05:00

(Although I could post a lot about EJ's preparations) 1. Matt is home sick for the second day in a row, although he doesn't have a fever anymore. I'm keeping him home because last night at 10 p.m. his fever was 102, and I want to make sure it's gone for good. He's still looking a little peaky and he says he has a sore throat. 2. Jim took the day off work yesterday 3. so he could drive me to

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-78059674156568036262011-10-10T18:32:00.000-05:002011-10-10T18:32:21.201-05:00

EJ is excited to start preparing for his mission. He has started listening to some Spanish lessons on his iPod. He let me listen to what he has chosen to familiarize himself with the language....and I had to do a little forehead slap. He found a radio program from SCOTLAND that supposedly teaches Spanish to listeners. Yes, there is a thick layer of Scottish brogue mixed in with the Spanish. Oh

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-69518850959796013962011-10-08T22:04:00.000-05:002011-10-08T22:04:45.142-05:00

I have been too busy waiting with Other Jim for his letter that I haven't blogged (plus not much has happened round these parts). Well, we don't have to wait anymore. The letter came when Jim and I and Hayley and Matt were at my mother's house for piano lessons, and OJ--although perhaps I should start referring to him as EJ (as in Elder Jim)--and Paul were home by themselves. OJ said he was a

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-41660269232016932552011-10-02T10:38:00.000-05:002011-10-02T10:38:22.311-05:00

I had a good time hosting the pasta dinner on Wednesday. Too bad this was my last time, because I think I have this pasta-dinner-hosting down to a science. We had plenty of food and the cross country kids are good kids with good manners and a lively presence. The parents are friendly too.   Thomas and Paul. Yes, Thomas is wearing swim goggles and a kerchief. Thomas, as a rule, makes

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-83081443520456986862011-09-30T14:59:00.000-05:002011-09-30T14:59:16.245-05:00

Matt and Hayley have been working hard on new projects. One kid did it for a school assignment, the other is ignoring school assignments to work on her own personal idea. Remember the post I wrote about Matt looking for bugs for an insect collection? He finally finished it (a week early, so technically he could still find some more bugs and add to his collection, but he was tired of all the

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-52643262863061480292011-09-28T05:40:00.000-05:002011-09-28T05:40:51.970-05:00

I have very limited time today because a) I'm teaching seminary in less than an hour, b) then I have to go to work, c) and make one more lasagna for the d) pasta dinner tonight that we are hosting here and my house and e) I have to still bake the 6 lasagnas that I made yesterday and f ) cut up several pineapples snf g) clean this messy house AND 7) I teach seminary tomorrow too. So time...not so

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-24506579356975073882011-09-25T11:14:00.000-05:002011-09-25T11:14:15.521-05:00

I said I was going to post pictures of the fall drive trip Jim and I took after Paul's meet, but I'm not. I found a picture on facebook that I simply HAD to put on here. At home, Paul is very quiet; he rarely laughs, and almost never joins in games. He does have a subversive personality because I hear from Matt and Hayley constantly about all the times Paul is "mean" to them. I hardly ever catch

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-70562769716570319902011-09-24T20:58:00.000-05:002011-09-24T20:58:33.568-05:00

and around, and around again, and over another hill and behind some trees and finally into the chute at the finish line. Can you STAND more running pictures? Because here are more. The 2011 CC Varsity team Paul wearing some items I have not seen him ever wear before. This is not a Paul I am familiar with.  Here is Paul's back. I get plenty of front-on or side-on pics, I thought I'd

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-73444950012747052852011-09-22T11:39:00.001-05:002011-09-22T11:42:11.238-05:00

Yes, it's just a piece of nonsense. But I do hear hints of red, yellow, and orange in the breeze. Fall is coming, and I am eagerly waiting for a Saturday drive through the leaves of Minnesota. With my camera, and with Jim, of course. Speaking of Jim, he and Other Jim are at a Twins' game. One of the last games of the season. They left without tickets, but with every confidence that there will

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-36145827510603517372011-09-19T11:53:00.000-05:002011-09-19T11:53:06.503-05:00

Other Jim has officially submitted his application to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The above picture is of him doing the actual submission. The last part of his submission was the photo to upload. He had to dress like a missionary. All he's missing is the name tag. Jim and I kept saying to each other all day, "Can you believe it? He wants to serve a

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-73451840789280647472011-09-17T07:57:00.000-05:002011-09-17T07:57:11.024-05:00

Another last yesterday. Paul ran his last Lakeville meet at Aronson Park. Fun story about Aronson Park: Couple years ago, maybe the first time Paul ran in the Lakeville meet, I drove to the park to see him run, but it was jam packed and I didn't know where to park. The Lakeville police were directing traffic, and, as I missed the turn into the crowded parking lot, I glanced at the cop. He looked

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-73927164217337655162011-09-16T09:23:00.001-05:002011-09-16T09:24:10.014-05:00

I have no title for this post because I haven't thought about what I'm going to write. I guess I'll start off with a big ol' hug 'n thanks to Jim. Not my Jim; his dad. Hugs for coming out all this way to visit us. Hugs for enduring getting in and out of cars, Hugs for not pointing out my lack of organization and lack of attention to household matters. Hugs for coming to Paul's race.  And thanks

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-48051667191264330662011-09-09T21:13:00.002-05:002011-09-09T21:14:51.860-05:00

The dreaded 7th grade science project known as the insect collection is upon us for the last time. Matt came home from school yesterday moaning that he has to collect bugs. I don't know why he's moaning about it; he loves bugs and fiddling around in the grass, which are two main components of collecting insects. I guess doing it for fun is one thing, but being graded on what is normally something

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-91489244751522736152011-09-07T13:28:00.000-05:002011-09-07T13:28:58.154-05:00

From work. For a few minutes. Although if I get a call, I'll have to go right back to work. Two feet away. So I haven't blogged. Here are Ten things I didn't have time to blog about: 1. The return to school. No I didn't take pictures. You know what my kids look like. Imagine them frowning. That's what they looked like as they walked out the door to the bus/car. 2. Jim's dad is here til the end

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-53612888347103028812011-08-28T12:56:00.003-05:002011-08-28T13:50:55.978-05:00

And thus begins the end, the end of Paul's high school running career. You have only 9 more months to read my posts and look at pictures of Paul running, so enjoy them (or not) while they last. Friday was Paul's last time trial for the high school Cross Country running team. One of the mothers, Julie B, walked over to me, shedding a little tear along the way, and said, "I'm gonna be a mess all

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-50765495621723987082011-08-25T20:54:00.001-05:002011-08-25T20:55:34.714-05:00

Cheeky as in Hayley. I took my little baby girl who used to like to dress up like Pikachu and wanted me to draw "thundershocks" on her cheeks to the HIGH SCHOOL today for pictures and to find out where her locker was. The little girl who once (when she was 2) posed for a picture wearing only striped tights and 3D glasses posed for this picture wearing slim black jeans, a dressy red shirt, a

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-79712113912962199092011-08-19T18:36:00.000-05:002011-08-19T18:36:34.963-05:00

(Or if you are one of my brothers, the last part of that line is "dear Iva Saliva," said with a slight lisp, I believe. And no, I don't know why. But that's how we as kids sang it OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER...........all the verses.  By the way, whoever is holding that darn* bucket is a complete and utter bonehead for his inability to solve his own problem) Uh.... Anyway(s) Oh

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-14382126599275158312011-08-18T08:41:00.000-05:002011-08-18T08:41:45.444-05:00

Many Point is the Boy Scout camp that our boys (and my my brothers) have gone to lo these Many years. Jim took Many pictures while Matt and his Many friends were there (Jim was there too, for not Many days).  Matt had Many fun adventures and learned Many new things.  When he came home, he had Many good things to say about his time at Many Point. Matt is on the right, playing "greased

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-78860775306454452272011-08-16T22:25:00.001-05:002011-08-16T22:27:08.587-05:00

I took Hayley to the eye doctor today (luckily they have late appointments on Tuesdays so I could take her after I finished work). I'm always a bit nervous going to the eye doctor. You wouldn't think I'd be nervous because #1 this appointment was for Hayley and not for me, and #2 even if the appointment was for me, I actually enjoy getting my eyes examined, except for the part where the dr puts

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-1676923319419227012011-08-12T19:40:00.000-05:002011-08-12T19:40:00.444-05:00

Yes, I meant to type "Gir."  You'll get it in a little bit (if you keep reading). So the little Cheeky girl has been a-crafting lately. She likes to get into my yarn and leave yarn poop trails through the house. (no, she doesn't really poop the yarn out, but it is her mess. She is a yarn-cutting-leaver-arounder) So this most recent craft had her making black pompoms (with my help), and

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-20357673634881678462011-08-12T11:29:00.000-05:002011-08-12T11:29:44.077-05:00

Do I have to apologize for not posting on my blog over the last week? If you require an official apology, write me a letter (yes, with a pen and on a piece of stationery. If you need stationery, request a sheet from my mother who has plenty) requesting the apology. Send your request, along with $5 shipping and handling, to: Shoebox Princess PO Box NA Never-neverland. I've been in South Dakota (

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-66276936049515549922011-08-04T18:33:00.001-05:002011-08-05T08:46:18.622-05:00

Ten things about Katie 1. She is just finishing up doing Wizard of Oz in a community theater. She played a crow, a poppy, and a citizen of Oz. It's been nearly 7 (7???) years since she and I did the same roles with PL Players, and she had heard about this opportunity and decided to audition. She has had some fun doing it and met some cool people. 2. She is moving to Provo in a few weeks... 3. ..

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-64687554094505287092011-07-28T20:24:00.000-05:002011-07-28T20:24:27.641-05:00

The children's paternal grandmother, aka Grammy, has a convertible. She let some of the younger drivers in the world drive it.  Yes, they both drove.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-34070617327498675232011-07-27T20:07:00.000-05:002011-07-27T20:07:20.925-05:00

Matt and Katie. Matt looks like he's the same size as Katie Hayley and her baby blanket. Seriously, that's the blanket she had as an infant Other Jim is capable of sleeping with a baseball cap on his head These were sent to me by Jim while he was driving around the middle/west part of the country. All four were asleep at the same time. And Paul was probably asleep at home.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-23621075111640104472011-07-24T09:09:00.006-05:002011-07-24T10:10:33.417-05:00

I have nothing to post about today so I'm gonna post pictures that Jim emailed me from the road.Here are Hayley and Matt at the entrance to Yellowstone. The sun was shining brightly. Hayley and Matt were both impressed that Yellowstone is 90 years older than their father to the day.Here is another Yellowstone entrance arch.I thought this was a fairly boring picture when he sent it to me.Until he

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-90518742526790662092011-07-23T20:33:00.007-05:002011-07-23T21:06:48.325-05:00

Servo here. I'm the cute gray fluffy longer-haired feline at the Shoebox castle. People get me mixed up with my bro Magic all the time. But I'm way more buff than he is. He's a tub. Madge, you know I love you, bro, but face it. You are, um, on the hefty side.My human--I call her "Large Human with Long Fur on Head,"--didn't want to blog today. She's being lazy. The smaller humans that she usually

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-73325046859616627732011-07-22T07:16:00.004-05:002011-07-22T07:30:05.847-05:00

Jim left this morning to pick up Other Jim, and he took Matt and Hayley with him. He's been looking forward to this trip for months, and has spent a lot of time with maps to plan it out. Jim loves maps. And long drives.It'll be a quiet week without them; such intensity of quietude that this house has never experienced, for it will be just Paul and me in the house, and Paul goes mute the minute he

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-90506284730399197142011-07-20T14:04:00.008-05:002011-07-20T16:27:25.613-05:00

Before I get into what my new office/sewing room/pantry looks like now, I have one more picture of the before end of things to share.Cluttered, innit?And if you can't remember what this room used to look like from another angle (assuming you want to remember or care what is happening in this room), just find the post from July 13.After some cleaning and reorganization and installation of three

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-35904750271281876692011-07-19T17:28:00.007-05:002011-07-19T17:54:41.471-05:00

Budgies fly, although this one in particular had to fly via a Piper that looked more like an origami table decoration than an actual flying machine. I've seen dragonflies bigger than this thing.Our scoutmaster arranged this outing as the conclusion to the Aviator merit badge that the boys have been working on. A local airport provides a service where they will take up groups of kids in little

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-4080256111352868272011-07-15T18:43:00.004-05:002011-07-15T18:56:53.731-05:00

Paul: 17 years old as of todayDinner: Steak, mac 'n cheese (naturally), canned pears, broccoli, and rainbow jelloExcitement: Harry Potter 7.2 at midnight (with friends, not family. H, M, and I went at 1:30 today), sleeping until Aunt Jenni called, and a church danceBirthday dinner out with Mom and Dad: lunch tomorrow at Burger Jonesand.................Cake:It is a compilation of Paul's most

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-16089741080766591902011-07-13T21:11:00.007-05:002011-07-13T21:33:11.380-05:00

I am now going through the third major room remodel in as many years. Holy carp (yes, the fish), it is tiring. I have all my canned food on my kitchen counter at the moment--it looks like I went nuts at Sam's Club. I really should take a picture.Jim got three new bookshelves set up in my new office/sewing/pantry room and I am slowly going through all my craft stuff and....ahem....it pains me to

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-40847016765725910792011-07-10T21:17:00.002-05:002011-07-10T21:50:58.341-05:00

In all the hubbub of a new job, I didn't post about Katie's trip to New York and DC. Our little girl ventured into the Big Apple and the nation's capital as a tourist. She's been planning this for a year with a friend. Katie researched tourist spots and she and her friend made an itinerary for their trip. From what I gathered from her texts throughout her trip, she and her friend stuck by their

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-31197721218537062932011-07-09T12:03:00.004-05:002011-07-09T12:24:29.665-05:00

I am still here. Somewhat. I have been learning how to integrate a totally new job into my life and it has been fun/interesting/difficult/strange/nerve-wracking. But since it is bad form to blog about one's job, I'll not say much about it here at the shoebox castle.Because it has been awhile since I posted last, I have kind of gotten out of the blogging mindset. To ease me back into it, I am

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-62433155943194112372011-06-30T21:52:00.003-05:002011-06-30T22:38:20.554-05:00

I don't know how much of this blog post is going to make sense (Heck, I don't even know what I'm going to write yet!) so if you like well-thought-out discussions of issues that plague/terrify/enlighten/amuse, you have come to the wrong place.I have been a working woman in a dental office for a nearly two weeks now. I have subsisted on food-in-a-box (frozen dinners), cereal, bagged cut veggies,

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-63492684335866870292011-06-25T11:18:00.002-05:002011-06-25T11:27:26.831-05:00

Paul ran in the Dan Patch 5k race this morning. I'd been pestering him to do it for a few years, but he was always at scout camp or EFY or something. This year, he was home and said he wanted to do it.Registration was at 8 a.m., which is the time I rousted Paul from his deep sleep to get up. He clambered out of bed and stumbled into his running clothes. Jim took him to the starting line and

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-12559884366769682012011-06-24T17:55:00.002-05:002011-06-24T18:08:33.106-05:00

I have a new boss. He's a pretty cool guy. He has a dog that he brings to work. He eats my cereal that I brought in to the office. To make up for eating it, he took me out to dinner at Goss's and showed me the stuffed elephant head and a panoramic picture of some bison.He's an endodontist, which means he treats the roots of teeth. He's also my brother....I am now back from 5 days in South

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-73746327189084020862011-06-17T09:45:00.004-05:002011-06-17T10:13:42.199-05:00

Before school ended, I told Jim that I wanted to do something fun with whatever children we still have lying around the house before I had to start my new job. I wanted to do something that would get me out of the house and into the sunshine (but not directly into it. I am not a fan of being hot. Or sunburned) (and only into sunshine and not directly into nature. Because even the nature in my

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-3286706408966445942011-06-15T09:37:00.002-05:002011-06-15T09:45:09.642-05:00

Our lawn is conspiring against me. It has joined forces with THE ENEMY. After walking across our yard--a yard that has until now seemed friendly to us--Jim found a wannabe-ninja tick on his shoe, no doubt trying to assassinate my poor defenseless husband. If its mission had been successful, I'm sure the heartless marauder would have come after me.I will now be spending the rest of the summer

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-29364292670291897262011-06-14T09:18:00.005-05:002011-06-14T09:43:49.214-05:00

(subtitle: I'm cleaning my room)Did you know keys can multiply? If left alone to their own devices in containers on your dresser, two keys can turn into several dozen. I know this because I recently cleaned off my dresser, and in the process of going through two containers that held odds and ends, I came up with enough keys to outfit several janitors.I have no idea what the keys unlocked, so I

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-54026074262234152302011-06-12T11:22:00.003-05:002011-06-12T11:50:14.548-05:00

Most of the pertinent pictures of my trip have already been posted by my sister but I thought I'd share maybe a few behind the scenes photos. I don't have many of me, but that's ok. Hopefully it's ok with my sister that I am going to post pictures of her family.Travis is learning the art of the photobomber here, or he's REALLY happy that his daughter graduated.This next photo is a little

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-91854333090304781872011-06-09T09:02:00.003-05:002011-06-09T09:17:43.443-05:00

Last day of school and work.After today, I'll have yet another senior, and a freshman, and a 7th grader. Hold my horses, my baby will be in 7th grade!It is also my last day of work for a little while. It may very well be my last day of work at my particular job. I don't talk much about my job on this blog for privacy reasons, not my own privacy obviously, since I talk way too much about myself on

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-77669343958539504942011-06-05T21:39:00.004-05:002011-06-05T21:56:50.092-05:00

I am in Florida for one more night. I thought I would blog more, but it turned out that I spent my time doing more important things.So my list for tonight is Ten things that are more important than blogging while in Florida visiting my sister and her family for my niece Morgan's graduation.1. Bake a cake. And when I say I baked a cake, I really baked 8 cakes. 8 layers to make 3 tiers. Picture

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-75103320077878920502011-06-04T09:42:00.002-05:002011-06-04T09:45:09.229-05:00

and I am overheating.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-26894202858042130782011-06-02T16:25:00.003-05:002011-06-02T18:45:29.349-05:00

But Delta tried their very best to prevent me from getting there.When mom and I got to Memphis, we rushed to the gate to catch our connecting flight. Not a minute after getting there, the gate attendant announced there would be an indefinite delay. A few minutes later, another person got on the intercom and said, "We have a maintenance problem. This plane is broke."I had a giggle at that. Either

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-74000753210833516332011-06-01T09:12:00.005-05:002011-06-01T10:27:15.811-05:00

But I'd rather blog.I have RUNNING pictures. I didn't take them, though. They were taken by another track team parent. So thanks, Julie!I couldn't go to Paul's track meet because (sigh) I had to work til 6 p.m. So I missed Paul's new personal best. He ran the 3200m in 10:31. I have a hard time backing the van out of the garage in 10 1/2 minutes!He's temporarily airborne:He makes it look

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-25442828612470646882011-05-31T07:34:00.004-05:002011-05-31T07:49:12.176-05:00

Yesterday, I took Matt shopping for some new summer clothes. He has grown over the past year, which is good. So he is actually growing, albeit slowly. So we walked into Kohl's and then into the boys section. I told him to find some shorts to try on. He found a rack of gym shorts and pulled a red pair off the rack and said that he'd like to try these ones on. We grabbed a few other things to try

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-40392674013233292722011-05-29T07:45:00.006-05:002011-05-29T08:15:04.397-05:00

I was in a T-shirt redesign mode yesterday. The gray shirt cost me $3--clearance rack happiness! I bought two. I had beads on hand, so no cost there.Here is what I did to the gray shirt.I call this picture "Robbing the Peter shirt to make the Paul shirt look prettier." Here are three of the circle piles I cut out. I cut out a total of five. They are going to be flowers.I hand-sewed them on the

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-5890995743226262072011-05-28T18:32:00.005-05:002011-05-28T18:47:17.815-05:00

This time with a coral-colored T-shirt from Target. I'm amazed there was anything as colorful as coral in the plus-size section. On the clearance rack, no less.I fiddled with the shirt at my mother's while she gave piano lessons to Budgie and Cheeky (yes, Cheeks is back on piano lessons after 8 or 9 months off during school--it was at her request too. She said since Honor Band and jazz band were

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-35419333701906483492011-05-25T11:50:00.004-05:002011-05-25T12:16:37.845-05:00

Folks, I am mighty tired. Seminary has been a huge chunk of my school year and I am eagerly awaiting next Wednesday--the last seminary day of this school year! (it's also the day I leave for my Florida trip)Tomorrow is my last day of teaching seminary for the year and I have just spent the last two hours making up a round-robin, puzzle-and-quiz lesson for teaching the Articles of Faith. I used

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-51713402433534663652011-05-20T20:01:00.002-05:002011-05-20T20:11:36.401-05:00

I have coughed a lot the last few days. I have coughed enough to tone my upper body in ways it has not been toned before. Yesterday was the worst; my cough and I duked it out over control of my lungs til both of us were weak and weary. I won though, today, my cough is languishing and my muscles are not threatening to burst.I was able to work today, even though while at work, I was unable to do a

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-87971060388324929562011-05-16T10:41:00.003-05:002011-05-16T10:48:18.603-05:00

Because five minutes is how long I have before I have to leave for work.1. Matt gave his first talk in church yesterday. As he walked up to the podium, it began its descent to match his height. He watched it lower itself and said, "I dream of that not taking so long." Ever the comedian.2. I have to give a talk next week AND play the organ. Let's see if I can screw both tasks up!3. That will make

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-43981500751412878902011-05-14T18:22:00.004-05:002011-05-14T18:30:35.015-05:00

It's a drizzly day in the neighborhood, but that didn't stop several teenagers from getting dressed up to go to Prom.Paul and his date NicoleThe bunch of lovely young ladies and dashing young menThe boys try group shoulder massagesPaul and JimAnd once again, Paul and NicoleMy advice to Paul was "Your job is to make sure she has a good time."I hope they both enjoy the evening.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-10461783277156195532011-05-13T14:12:00.005-05:002011-05-13T14:23:03.004-05:00

The prom prep is swinging into high gear here.The corsage has been ordered, the suit picked up, the vest and tie procured, and the hairs cut.Last thing to do?Polish the shoes.I didn't realize people actually polished their shoes anymore. We've become such a disposable society--if things break, we toss 'em rather than fix 'em. If shoes look scuffed, we get new ones. But Jim sat down with Paul and

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-1343263377712895682011-05-11T09:40:00.006-05:002011-05-11T10:10:22.928-05:00

Their selection of plus-size clothing SUCKS ROCKS. Big giant boulders. Big giant boulders covered with algae, oil slicks, and bird poop. It's bad.As I wander among the racks of clothing for juniors and misses, I see all manner of cute tops with ruffles and patterns and in lovely colors.I go to the four racks dedicated to the more generously proportioned, and everything is grey or black and blah.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-74170483013473819632011-05-09T21:51:00.002-05:002011-05-09T21:54:40.343-05:00

Can I blog from my phone?If you are reading this, the answer is yes.If I am reading this, it means I've stayed up way past my bedtime.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-27417450769660841882011-05-08T17:42:00.002-05:002011-05-08T18:00:54.653-05:00

The topic of the short talk was supposed to be "How I know my mother loves me." Hayley was one of six youth speakers at church to share their thoughts on this topic.Her thoughts:"I know my mother loves her children because she hasn't forgotten any birthdays that I know about.""She goes to band concerts and track meets, time permitting."And my favorite piece of evidence:"I know my mother loves me

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-5694745259179653062011-05-07T14:16:00.006-05:002011-05-07T14:51:37.042-05:00

Jim and I met Mike and Jen at my mom's house for our trip to Mike's new office in Watertown, South Dakota. Mike invited me along so I could offer any opinions regarding the decor of my future place of employment. (Yes, I am planning to accept Mike's offer to work for him. A while ago, Jen asked me if when I was young would I have ever considered working for Mike. I would have said, "HECK NO."

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-73298069242988985362011-05-06T08:15:00.002-05:002011-05-06T08:22:45.590-05:00

I'm on the road with Jim, Mike, Jen (Mrs. Hawleyfocus), and UV (owner of large eyes and a very cute dimple).I'm on the road AND I'M BLOGGING.I can blog because I have the internet in a little 3" x 3" black plastic square. I love technology.We are going to South Dakota to pick out paint for Mike's future endodontistry office. I might take pictures even.

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-957077206870564202011-05-01T19:07:00.004-05:002011-05-01T19:23:59.190-05:00

Mom and I went to a book signing on Saturday. It was given by an author who also happened to be in my 10th grade English class and Math class. At the time, this future author, and future college professor of English, was a rebellious punk rocker. He had a band with a bad name even. And he wrote bad things in my 11th grade yearbook. (But I thought he was cool)Too bad my name didn't ring a bell for

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-2781337574542942312011-04-29T11:46:00.002-05:002011-04-29T11:57:58.628-05:00

I was at a band concert last night (another one!) (I'm trying to resist the urge to post pictures) (help me) and as I was leaving the building after I left (I had to leave early because I was dead tired and a little sick) (don't worry, I didn't miss Hayley's big part--a duet feature with a flute player during the song "Into the Storm") I caught of whiff of something non-native to this area.I

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-42731799955104551212011-04-27T10:31:00.004-05:002011-04-27T10:43:56.373-05:00

Seriously, how many of these am I going to post about? Well, all of them. Because I have nothing else to post about. The lilacs are not in bloom yet, so I can't post about that. Matt didn't say anything funny because he's too busy asking me if he can play Angry Birds. And Hayley's tooth Evelyn is just sitting in her mouth.So we're back to band concerts.You might have to click on this picture to

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-25527159222683209942011-04-26T09:47:00.004-05:002011-04-26T10:03:39.378-05:00

In two weeks Paul is going to Prom! Not at our local high school; he's going to the school a district or two over to the east.I was resigned to a Prom-picture-less spring because Paul said he wasn't going. But then a friend convinced him to ask someone.And this is how he did the asking:He dyed the egg himself on Easter Sunday morning, then texted a picture of it to the girl.I had to get pictures

Shoebox Princesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130504662561785845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3697933376598980077.post-75465772154663419902011-04-25T12:58:00.003-05:002011-04-25T13:07:01.263-05:00

I'm just popping in to say:I AM SO DANG BUSY TODAY.So you will have to wait until tomorrow to read about Paul's upcoming prom date with accompanying picture (or two).I went grocery shopping this morning, but I still haven't brought in the grocery bags. I hate bringing groceries into the house. It's anti-climactic. I already BOUGHT them, now I gotta drag them around? Sigh.....Now I have to prepare

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