THE HOST

I just finished this book a couple of hours ago. Mrs. M's new book. I loved it. Right now, I'm pretty bummed too. I want more of the story. I wish I hadn't read it so fast. I really wanted to savor it. But I hit about the 200th page and couldn't stop. I mean, I went out with the kids tonight but too much time had gone by without a fix. I got real ancy. Fortunately, we all wanted to go to Barnes and Noble. So, I sent Jake to grab me a copy, found my place in the book and continued reading. Very satisfying. And though I don't know if it's my favorite book of Mrs. M's just yet, it didn't disappoint either. But I got to agree with those Ian fans. Now I know what they are talking about. Kind of weird, though? I have a major crush on Jacob and now one on Ian. I wish she would stop using the names of my boys. Sort of funky.

THE EYES ARE THE WINDOWS TO THE SOUL.....

What a Saturday it was! Hard to top a book signing with Stephenie Meyer, right?

You know, it was a long day just to get Mrs. Meyer to scribble a "S" and "M" with a black Sharpie, but who could blame her? I would probably revert to an archaic form of my signature when you had 1,000 people (mostly women, with a few men thrown in for good measure) waiting for you to sign not one, but multiple copies of her books. But well-worth it for us. And, hey, I got to spend some QT with not only my mom and sister, but other vampire/werewolf (go, Jacob, go!)/alien freaks as well.

There were some significant moments thrown into the 5 or so hours we spent in Highland High's auditorium waiting for "Group 23" to be called. That meant it was finally our turn to head up to the table.

First, the shirts my mom designed and had made for us three to wear, were a big hit! I thought it so appropriate to place the "eyes" strategically over the bust line. The eyes on my shirt really "popped". JoJo's, on the other hand, were having a flat day. But we got stopped quite a bit for people to look at them (the shirts, not the...um...you know, those thingies) and even take pics.

Then, a photographer from Deseret News stopped to talk to us about what was going on. We caught his "eye" (hah! hah!) because the three of us were wearing the same shirt and we happened to be reading all at the same time (well, what else can you do while waiting?). It was funny...he showed us the email he received from his boss which instructed him to spend 5 minutes or so taking some shots of a few fans who "may" come to Mrs. M's book signing. He did not expect what he found. He was amazed by the crowd. And though he took some pics of us, they didn't make it into Sunday's paper. However, he was kind enough to send us a pic (look above).

Lastly, and most importantly....Stephenie knew who my mom was! How exciting! Though with this recognition, poor JoJo got overlooked. She got stuck in a sandwich and Mrs. M wasn't having any of her! It started with me, who happened to be the first to greet Mrs. M. She commented on my shirt and I told her my mom designed it; she might know her as "Fatty Lumpkin". And she did know her! It was right at this moment for JoJo to have her turn, but it lasted less than a millisecond. It was ALL about my mom. (At least, Mrs. M signed JoJo's books and spelled her name correctly too, but that was about all the acknowledgement she received.). Mrs. M briefly chatted with my mom. As the brief exchange came to an end, my mom gave Stephenie a shirt. This little encounter was quickly followed up by a reporter from Entertainment Weekly magazine who pulled my mom aside to interview. Pretty sweet!

So, all in all, a good day. A very good day.

HAPPY BDAY JULIE!

In honor of my friend and terrific neighbor, I want to wish Julie a wonderful 40th brithday today!


It was quite the event trying to discreetly coordinate a surprise party for her. Thanks to her two sisters, it is what it was meant to be...a TOTAL SURPRISE! It was a warm and fun evening eating take-out from Cafe Rio; gorging ourselves on cookies dipped generously in a dip made with chocolate chips/cream cheese/brown sugar/and other sweet flavors; little eclairs; chips and salsa; funny stories (thanks Jerri for the Classic Skating reinactment); cake and icecream ("older than dirt"); and presents (though nothing could top your copy of the the host. well, maybe the Jazz shirt could)!


So, here's to you, Julie, for forging ahead of us young ones, continuing to pave the way and joinin' the ranks of the...well, you know whom I'm talking about.

200,000 Miles and Counting

Notice the 200,000 on the odometer...how did I do it you might ask:

• Oil changes every 25,000 miles
• No preventative maintenance.
• 4 sets of the cheapest tires walmart carries.

Email me if you want any more car care tips...

OLIVIA'S MIXED MEDIA PROJECT

Inspired by artwork done by some of her friends (with the help of Megan Winborg Gerrard), Olivia wanted to create her very own mixed media collage. She's been the SUPER STAR of the week in her class and each day she has come up with a theme for herself to help her showcase who "Olivia" is. She had a "technology" day, a "fairy" day, a "stuffed toy" day, "Olivia the Pig" day and finally a "purple" day. On this particular colored day, she is taking her purple Jasmine Halloween costume and this Jasmine art piece to show her class. It was her (and my) first attempt at making one of these type of collages. Liv is really happy with it and eager to show her classmates tomorrow. Liv is already planning her next piece. She has already sketched out Rapunzel (in pink for Maggie).

ES CINCO DE MAYO! EL CUMPLEANOS DE MI PAPACITO!

He's 58 years young

and so excited about it!

You're the BEST dad ever!

IT WAS A SUCCESS!

As most of you know, I'm heavily involved at my kid's school, in particular it's yearly fundraiser. Rather than going door-to-door soliciting for money to supplement "extras" the school needs, the school hold an annual art auction.


This year's auction was held on Friday, May 2nd at the Davis Conference Center. For the past 6 months, the auction committee and I have been very busy. Our theme is Vivan Los Libros or Celebrating Literacy Through Art. Though this is our yearly theme, we mix it up a bit by focusing on a particular author, series, subject matter or illustrator. Last year, Dr. Seuss was our inspiration for our marketing and promotional campaign. This year, we chose the author and illustrator, Eric Carle. The items auctioned off at the event include donated business products, class baskets, class art projects and teacher time.


This year I oversaw all the design and marketing as well as three class art projects. I was able to help in both Liv and Jake's classes. Liv and her 1st grade class made a decorative mosaic tile mirror. Their inspiration for the art piece was Patrica Pollaco's The Keeping Quilt. Each kid designed their own tile square with their own chose of color and pattern. I then took all the tiles and assembled them around a mirror. Jake's 3rd grade class decided to focus on the famous Austrian artist (and a fav of mine!), Gustav Klimt. I found a book called Klimt and His Cat, which helped me introduce this artist to the kids. I also spent about a month discussing Klimt's life, his art, his inspirations, and his country to the kids, so they could better understand this artist. We then did an artist reproduction. We chose Klimt's Stoclet Frieze and reinterpreted it onto canvas. Each kid painted a section of the canvas. I then did some touch-up work and added finer details. And the last project I did, was with a 2nd grade class. We took all three of David Shannon's No, David! books and made block prints inspired by images from the three books.









verall, it took me about 2 months to get all these projects done in the classrooms, but longer trying to finish them up at home. In the end, it was a very successful event. We raised a lot of money, which will go directly to the school for upgrades in technology and library resources.


The Klimt painting sold for $425.00; the tile mirror went for $250.00; and the No, David! went for around $400.00.


You gotta know, it's hard not to join in the bidding. Just ask my mom. It can get a bit ruthless at times. I was able to get this "industrial" print in the silent auction and the "Birdies and Blossoms" original mixed-media piece in the live auction. My friend, Megan and her sister create these whimsical images. You can buy a giclee print of their artwork at Pottery Barn Kids. Pretty excited about both purchases.

A SUNSET FOR SARAH

On April 29th, I was on my way to Walmart, just as the day was coming to an end and there was this AMAZING sunset. I have not seen the sun this gigantic in sky in a long time (yes, I know, that sentence sounds stupid. The sun is always gigantic, but for some reason, on this day, it was even more so than normal. Maybe it was it's placement in relation to everything else. I don't know.).

Fortunately, I had my camera in the car, bypassed the store, headed West, trying to find a spot I could pull over and take some shots. The sun was quickly descending past the horizon line. Here are a few that I captured. But, really, you had to be there to truly grasp the amazing scene I was seeing.

Only my sister, Sarah, will appreciate these shots. Do you think they are good enough to make it into a calendar, Peehead? Maybe I'll make you a 2009 special limited edition calendar. I think I have your Christmas present all picked out! Right on!

BOOKWORM

I would like to report that I have been keeping on track with my regulars reads. Above are the ones I've read or are currently reading since March. (And this plethora of titles has nothing to do with National No TV Week.)


Out of the ones shown above, I would highly recommend the ones by Eion Colfer (the guy who wrote the Artemis Fowl series). Very funny stuff. Right now, I'm in the middle of Half-Moon Investigations. I haven't had an author write something so funny, that I was holding my stomach because I was laughing so hard!!


And of course, my fellow desperate-housewives-who-relive-those-lusty-glory-days-of-our-youth, you can't go wrong with picking up Twilight every now and then. Actually, it was after seeing "The Last of the Mohicans" the other week, and weeping uncontrollably when Daniel Day Lewis' Indian brother, Uncas, fights Magua (because he is defending the young lass), dies, and his body is pushed off the cliff, I thought "What a beautiful Native American. He could make a good Jacob Black if he were younger." And I thought about my favorite character (and the MAN Bella should choose) from the series. And I kept thinking about it. And now I'm rereading all the books.

Which reminds me....I need to read a bit before heading off to La-La Land.

A TEENY, TINY CONFESSION

Okay, okay, I can't keep this a secret any longer....I am so in LOVE with David Cook (so sorry, B, but I have to admit it!).

After last night's performance, I was just speechless. I had tingles. I had a smile on my face. I had to immediately call my mother and scream. Oh, it was just wonderful!

Now granted, I didn't exactly get to see the performance live (oh, how I wish I had). If you don't have children in school, you probably aren't aware that it is National No TV Week this week. And the only way my kids would agree to take a break from the tube, was to promise them that I wouldn't watch either. And as most of you know, that ain't easy for me, especially at night. It's my night buddy. It's the only friend I have who is willing to stay up until 4.00am all the time. And he keeps things lively-TiVo, soap operas, Law and Order, infomercials-you know, the good, quality stuff on late-night TV.

BUT, thank heavens to Betsy, I found a loop-hole......the Internet. We all know it's not "really" TV. So after everyone went to bed, I found "rickey's" website and he had the goods!

Just superb! That's all I can say.