Its been an somewhat unbearable week, we’ve about 7 full days of smoky weather, with over 700 fires burning around the area, Sacramento seems to be where all the smoke decides to hang out. We’ve had bad air quality alerts consistently through out the week.
Here’s what we’ve had to deal with for a week.. this is the freeway just before my exit…
but this morning… what a wonderful Monday that it is… is the first blue sky we’ve seen in days, its beautiful.
The kids will be able to play outside, I will be able to sit by the pool and relax on my last few days of sabbatical, and we are happy 
Its
Today not a lot planned, got a quick doc appt this morning, then i think I may tackle some clean up work… with a laundry list of what needs cleaning, the decision may be the hardest part… sigh.
toodles for now!
Smoky El Dorado Hills
June 30, 2008 at 7:36 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: smoke, sunny
not exactly as planned
June 26, 2008 at 7:46 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: craft, pottery, project
I saw an item in a catalog… MacKenzie Childs, way before sabbatical, and I just had to have it.. it was a mere $950, but it was beautiful. 
might you agree? So i thought, well, Im going on sabbatical, maybe there is a way I could make it. I was talking with my friend at work, Diane, and she too liked it, and agreed it was something we could make together. Well its 13 days before my sabbatical ends, and that didnt happen, just to many conflicts and too busy, so… last Friday, I pulled out the raw product that I had bought 3 months ago, 
sat it on the kitchen counter and started painting.
I had no idea where I was going with this, i just knew it was not going to sit un-done when I went back to work.
Once i did a few colors of paint, I added some mosaic pieces of tile, I had bought, in a very orderly fashion, and that was just looking too, well… orderly and I really wanted to get the chard ceramic look. So, I ran to Michaels to get the broken plate pieces… but my goodness for a bag, of say, 8 pcs. it was 6.99, andto even cover a 4″ strip around the urn was going to cost me $56. So i went next door, to Marshalls, a discount store , and found some mismatched plates, for $1 a pc. and went home and took a hammer to them (ok, so that was fun ).
I definitely need to take a class in this, as I had NO IDEA what I was doing, I first tried gluing the pieces on, but they were not staying, not only were the pieces not flat, but the urn is not flat… so I decided to glop a bunch of mortar onto the urn and just bury the plate chard into that… ok so that seemed to work. Well I made it all the way around the urn… and realized that was enough, i was not going to go all the way down to the bottom, so I pulled out the paint and painted the 2nd 1/2 of the urn.
it might not have turned out the way i imagined, but it turned out well enough to be called art, in my house, and i will display it with pride in my formal living room, where the colors will match perfectly. Ha… another project complete (except i will run out and buy a beautiful artificial assortment of plants/flowers to reside it their new home 
What a nice day…
June 25, 2008 at 7:05 pm (Uncategorized)
Today was a bunch of nothing and a lot of little things I did all the things on my list i wanted to make sure i took care of before I go back to work, and i tried to finish my pottery project. Its not turning out quite the way I wanted it to, its definatly going to be an indoor pottery peice, as water would kill it I think. So… that’s find, the colors are perfect for the living room, now I’ll just need to work on a space.
I got a ton of reading in, all the magazines that have been sitting around, and I even read this article in the Real Simple magazine that helped me organize my time when I go back to work, to have more time for myself! (impeccable timing!)
And the Eating Well magazine had a fabulous recipe for berry cobbler that I wait to try. Kids had a great day, M2 is still in her art class, and loving it tremendously, she cant wait for the big reveal on Friday! Whereas M1 was so excited to go to extended day this week, becuase of all the fun activities the director plans, Im very lucky to have such great programs in our district!
reposting this picture, people are asking for a pic of M1 since his haircut
KTWD today (Kid to work day)
June 24, 2008 at 8:02 am (Uncategorized)
Yes I know, Im on sabbatical, what am I doing going to work. But, I know how much the kids enjoy going, and I have taught the same class at KTWD at Intel for 6 years now, and I just didnt want to give that up. So I said I would teach 3 sessions, and go home. So i will be there for a 10, 11 and 12 o clock class, and then we’re off to who knows where after that. Should be fun. It is always amazing to see the little minds work.
I teach the “Create the 2009 artwork for KTWD” where the kids make a drawing that we may use for promotion of the next year’s event. They get so excited when they see their art the next year, and I always have the winners, in my class again, trying to challenge themselves to win again. Its a lot of fun.
Plus heck… its something great for the community… and I wanted to do that during sabbatical too!
2 weeks left, I really feel this time has gone by slow enough, I dont feel as if its raced by, or that I havent accomplished things I wanted to do. Im actually amazed at all that I have done, and all that I have mentally accomplished! Im in a good place, and in 2 weeks will be ready to return, with a fresh mind, fresh perspective, and ready for my 5 1/2 year countdown till my next sabbatical (europe here we come !!
toodles!
Total Relaxation day
June 22, 2008 at 11:28 am (Uncategorized)
Its been so hot, hard to even relax, but today its finally cooled off and we are all able to relax. 
Not alot planned with 16 days left of sabbatical.
but that is good, i really want to just thoroughly relax!
Thank you
June 21, 2008 at 8:12 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: heat, kathy, kids
Kathy Hurd is doing better, she had surgery yesterday and is awake, and glad it over. she will be accepting visitors today and I might stop by later this afternoon, i will update you after that.
thanks again for all your prayers and positive thoughts, you can direct those to Kathi Sturgen who is still in critical condition, as she had a head injury which is causing her coma. Please follow her progress here and pray for her recovery as well.
on a higher note…
Yesterday was a lot of fun, they kids had a blast, it was super hot even at 10am at Mini golf, so they did get a little impatient to just finish. But they had fun, and Max won the game
We headed over to JOhns, the arcade/pizza buffet, where we were practially the only ones in the building, so that was fabulous, it was super cool in there, and the kids had a blast!!
Then back to the house for a lot of swimming.
Today, should cool off a little, but this morning it is already hot, I have the whole house fan running just to cool the house inside. Lets hope that works.
M2 has an event with her friend tonight, and M1 and D will probably go to the Movies. which would then leave me time to go visit Kathy in the hospital.
will chat with ya all later.
Prayers needed!
June 20, 2008 at 8:43 am (Uncategorized)
My very good friend, Kathy Hurd, was riding her bike with her friend yesterday at 10am down El Dorado Hills Blvd. as she always does, being an avid biker; when a drunk 19 year old girl ran them both over. Kathy’s friend is in critical condition with major head injuries, Kathy is also in critical condition with a broken collarbone, 4 broken bones in her back, and several other broken bones.
It is so disheartening to hear this incredibly sad news, and to read the blog on the news channel, support the gal who hit her.
I am going to visit her later today and will post after that.
I am still going to take the kids as planned, to mini golf and john’s pizza fun.
thanks.
links… Story of Kathy’s accident
picture of all of us at our christmas party, Kathy is the one on the far left.
Home… and its HOT
June 19, 2008 at 6:25 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: johns incredible pizza, minigolf, pottery, sister
Drove home last night from my sister’s, it was bittersweet, nice to get home, but we miss the relaxation and commoraderie of our cousins. Its always nice to spend time with family, there is always such unconditional acceptance… there was a bit of bickering when the kids were tired, but all in all, they got a long fabulously. The pool was finished and we were all able to enjoy it… especially the hot tub after the kids went to sleep (which was quite late each night) which might explain why my kids went to bed at 9pm last night and woke up at 8:30 this morning… a bit of catching up I presume.
Today was errand day, ran out to shop for a needy family who lost their house to a fire in Oroville, and I got a note from a friend asking for help. Kids really appreciated the help we were giving the family.
We went to GNC where we buy Inositol for M1, and usually the two workers there give the product to me for 1/2 price, because it will expire soon. But this new gal, was not budging. So I walked out. 1/2 price is worth waiting for, as the big bottle is $119.00… i will go back tomorrow and see who is working.
And lastly we went to Leslie’s pool to buy a new net for our pool cleaner. Kids found some inner tubes for $3, and they were happy (and so was I, becuase he blew them up for me )
Got home at 1pm, ate lunch and Mommy took a nap very nice! (Kids watched a bit of TV)
at 4pm we went into the pool, perfect time, still hot but the sun is not directly on the pool. Water was at 86, perfect pool temperature!
Just had dinner and am waiting for D to come home. All’s well.
Tomorrow taking the kids, and 1 each of their friends to Sunplash MiniGolf, and then over to John’s Incredible Pizza
I’ve been promising that during my sabbatical.
Next week is another “me” week, as M2 has art class and M1 is in extended day.
So, I will be making my pottery project. Something like this
until later!
Hollywood Lunch… we saw movie stars
June 17, 2008 at 2:44 pm (Uncategorized)
see…………
we decided to venture out of the house today… after 4 days in the house. We went to the movies to see KungFu Panda, it was very cute… Jack Black did a fine job!
Then we headed over to HubCaps for lunch, it was fun and the food was pretty good.
Now we are back home, and beleive it or not the kids are not even intersted in swimming.
toodles
Nana…
June 16, 2008 at 9:24 am (Uncategorized)
Nana, such an interesting word, so much comes to mind when you hear this word…
in my world it means a yellow squishy food that appeared on both my children’s first 5 words spoken, as babies… for banana, it truly was one of their favorite foods, and favorite words for that matter.
For others, it means grandmother, a warm hug, just a great loving woman.
but for another… my brother in law to be exact… it means a whole different thing, something he is so proud of, something he can call his own, something he will talk about to just about anyone who walks up to the house, and in length… up to an hour if you let him. And his version of Nana is probably something none of you have ever heard of…
Its a NanaWall… an accordian style window, which will be the only thing separating him (the bartender) and the party goer on the other side of the Nana.
This Nana will serve as a retractable window, to serve delightful drinks from inside the poolhouse kitchen, to the outside guests, at his next party, and every one after that.
I’d say he’s a proud new papa of a Nana.
