Kids

Trunk or Treat and Halloween

Here are the cast of Characters:

Willow as Guess Who. . . You guessed it Beetlejuice

Lily as a Pirate Princess

Emma as a Go Go Dancer

Owen as the ventriloquist dummy Slappy from Goose Bumps Night of the Living Dummy

Other Characters include

The Muppet Guitar Player in Animal's Rock Band

Madeline the French School Girl

Cleopatra.

Sir Owen the Lion Hearted

More Cute Pirates

"Dorothy" The Photographer. Gotcha

RAM Off the Wall

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." ~Henry Ward Beecher

I love the arts and human expression of any kind. Sadly, however, over the past 7 years, education has stripped the arts out of it's curriculum. If we parents want our children educated in the arts, we better do it. Luckily,

human expression will never be squelched--we were born to create and as long as we are living humanity will make its mark.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the opening of the Off The Wall sale and exhibit at the Riverside Art Museum (RAM). The museum offers it's walls to aspiring artists or anyone wanting to share their talents with the world. All you have to do is frame your piece so it can be hung and it can be shown and perhaps sold to those who appreciate

it. Prices are affordable for art enthusiasts ranging from $50 - $300. The RAM is a beautiful setting for the show. Once the old YMCA of Riverside it is Spanish Colonial Architecture and full of wrought iron and paned windows. It is just as enjoyable to be in the building as it is to view the art.

I have always liked Riverside for it beauty and for it's support of the arts. The Off the Wall show is an example of this.

My freind Lucile, a happily retired teacher, introduced the event to me at lunch. The happy event of Lucile's retirement opened the door for me to get a job at the high school in which I teach. Since working there, I've noticed that people who retire from my school don't actually leave. They come back to the site for sub jobs or just to visit for lunch. It gives you a good idea about the environment in which I work and the caliber of people who work there. So now that I work away my day in Rm 6, Lucile spends her days having lunch with friends at the Bridge Club, volunteering for charities: The Jr League that support women's causes and improving communities and The Riverside Art Museum. She is a grand lady for sure.

I got to the RAM early the day of the opening because I spied a small oil that I liked. It is a california landscape and have a passion for those and it was only $50. Lucile met me at the door and we waited for them to give out tickets that would designate the order in which you can enter at the opening of the show. I had heard that once those doors open, it is pandemonium. We met our good friend Doug and his son there as well, Doug is the art teacher at our school and a gifted artist, together we planned our method of attack: The show is in two rooms and four of our paintings were in one room and the other two were in another.

We had decided that Cody, who is six foot six inches would go for my painting since it is about 7 feet high on the wall, and I would go for his, since it is on the bottom half of the wall. Doug would go straight for Lucille's two paintings that were in the opposite room and his own favorite, an original illustration from a children's book which was created by one of his students. It was agreed that we would show good decorum and not knock anyone over in our attempts to retrieve our prized paintings. Getting there early and securing the first spot to enter just behind the sponsors of the exhibit allowed for a successful retrieval of all the paintings. Where was Lucile you ask? She was behind the table taking money and assisting the happy customers.

Some of my kids favorites: Lily loves the horse photograph. Will's favorite is actually very similar to the painting that Doug purchased for his son. Very similar painting in size and style. Owen was attracted to the color and the geometry of his abstract painting. Emma didn't seem to have a favorite, but isn't she beautiful? And in fact, aren't they all? Notice will giving the artwork from the Off the Wall Jr. a discerning look. Youth up to age 17 can submit work to be sold from $10 - $30 dollars. He admired some of the work and is confident that he will submit some of his work there next year.

My Snorkeling Buddy

I absolutely love water. I love the outdoors but when water is a part of the equation, my joy seems to be intensified ten fold so naturally I gravitate to the ocean as that is the largest body of water in my area. There are, of course, other bodies of water near me, Lake Perris and Lake Elsinore, but I wouldn't want to swim in them. Heck the fishes don't even like swimming in them, enough said about that. So it is to the ocean I often go to find peace in a busy life and joy in recreation.

I hope to by like my mom. She was swimming in the ocean the summer before she passed away. She was always game for a swim and we all loved that she would join with us. Yes, that is they type of mother and grandmother that I desire to be.

These last summers I have been attempting to acquaint my kids to snorkeling in the ocean. I bought snorkel gear for them last year and they did a little diving w/ the masks and snorkeled in a pool, but were a little afraid to venture into the ocean's open water. It is a little scarey to see what is underneath those emerald waters, especially after "Shark Week" so not many were willing this year with the exception of Will.

Twice he has gone into the ocean with me to see the depths of the sea. This is one of those events. We took the kayak out in La Jolla Cove and he paddled like a little trooper out to the sea caves. He did awesome. It was so amazing to share that experience with him and brought me so much joy. He bravely ventured into the waters and was thrilled to see so many fish. He clung to my elbow as we swam together and explored the underwater structure and fish. I wasn't able to take many photos because unfortunately the water was cold and he got a chill, but it wet his apetite for more and better yet he had bragging right to the experience which makes his older sisters choke down their fears and want to go next time. Nothing like a little positive sibling pressure to get others involved.

I so love my Willow and feel grateful for that time spent with him. Way to go William the Brave Heart!

First Day of School

I have been on hiatus from blogging for really no good reason, but I do have some photos that I would like to preserve because some day I will actually print up the blog for our family records. Although I have a number of summer photos I would like to share, I believe my first blog back will have to be about the first day of school.

Here are the kids on their first day of school They look relatively happy with the exception of Owen who was expressing silent protest. Notice the jackets. This is a reflection of what our summer and early fall was like--cool breeze.

Will and Owen with their dedicated teachers.

Will and Owen are trying their best to look happy at their desks on the first day of school. I guess you could say that they felt that summer ended way to early for them. By the time I was done getting the boys to their classes I swooped around to my fifth grader, Emma Pi. When I ventured in to take a picture of Emma at her desk, I noticed the unrecognizable look of "Don't you dare embarress me by coming in and taking my picture with my teacher all over her panic stricken face. I sent her a smile and a wave and when no one was looking blew her a kiss. I will have to go back with my camera and get a picture with her teacher.

Me looking stunned on the first day of school. This was my first week back to full time teaching. This is the deer in the headlights look, with which you're all familiar. Now that I have been working for nine weeks, I feel I can finally say that I don't feel stunned anymore. I feel very blessed to have a job and such wonderful kids who pitch in and help making the transition easier.

Vital to the Core

"Anyone who imagines they can work alone winds up surrounded by nothing but rivals, without companions. The fact is, no one ascends alone." Lance Armstrong

In The Face of Adversity

When Life's Challenges seem grueling--Live Strong
"Knowledge is power, community is strength and positive attitude is everything"
Lance Armstrong

The View From My Bathtub.

I am wondering if I will ever have my bathroom to myself again.

My tub has looked like this since 1990.

I've decided that I don't mind it so much.

i HATE snails (and I never, ever say the word HATE)

I know your looking at this picture of the snail to my left and thinking, oh how cute, look at those little antennaes and the cute graffiti on it's shell, you may even think that you want to have one for a pet. I know my kids do. My kids actually kind of like snails. In fact my kids have even had snail races on rainy days shouting and cheering their li'l snail champion on as they sluggishly slime their ways across our cement patio. But let me tell you. These little vandals of the animal kingdom are criminals. CRIMINALS! And they aren't as slow as you think they are. They are speedy and focused when it comes to destroying your garden.

Hey, I am a believer. I know that everything on this earth was made for a purpose. I know that God is wise and all knowing and I trust him, but boy am I confused when it comes to snails. I know there must be some reason for snails, besides being a French delicacy (ho, ho, hoooo zey like to eat the escargo), but for the life of me, I can't figure out what it is. They are slimy, creeper, over eaters. Really! they are major breakers of the seventh of the deadly sins -- Gluttony. I mean how many plants can one snail eat in the course of 8 hours? And don't give me that line that it's all greens of little calories so they can eat as much as they want. NO!! No way.

Its about time someone stand up and say enough is enough.

When I put a sweet, healthy dahlia in the ground one afternoon and wake up to nothing but the stems the next morning, I think it is okay to say that that snail over ate. These unwelcomed guests completely took advantage of my hospitality and I say it is about time they hit the road literally, hit it hard, with a crushing blow. I detest these varments so much that when I see one in my garden, I pick it up and hurl it over my house to the street. I don't have the guts to step on it... but I have no problem chucking it out to oblivion...really just over the fence into the street but to a snail that is like galaxy away... haven't you seen Bugs Life? In the past I have had a passive aversion to the snail. I turned my nose up at them, like the french would American french fries (which I love by the way) not giving them too much of my energy but not approving either, in my best french accent"oh escargo, I find you slimy and gross, I don't like you. Poo-poo to you." disliking but not with passion. But after I tucked my sweet dahlias in their beds and came out a couple of days later, to find them stripped down like a cadillac on the south side of Chicago, I have become impassioned, crazed even, like the french love their cheese but only opposite. I curse the snails that munch my plants like Agustus gloop loves chocolate. those snails congregate around my plants like Norm sits at the bar at Cheers sucking down beers. They leave nothing left-- eating my plants like Choncho loves chips. They are relentless, destructive and vandals of the highest order.

How do I get rid of them? There is that deadline poison. You basically poor black tar out of a spout around your plants and when the snail touches it they die. That is effective and kills on contact. But it doesn't get to the root of the problem and it's ugly. If you want to get rid of these pesky snails you need to invest in another snail called a descollate snail. These snails look the same as their cute cousins, but have a conical shell. They eat the eggs and young of the bigger plant eating snails. They are snail assassins and I love them like the french love their wine. oh la la. You can purchase them here. These snails cut down the snail population in my garden ten fold. After a year or so it was hard to find a snail in our yard and when we did they were of the descollate variety. So purchase your little descollate snail army and bounce those unwanted guests out of your garden. You'll be glad you did. I need some new recruits. I am calling in the reserves asap.