When the children are TOO quiet... check in on them.

My co-worker shared this photo he found on line.

It makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

Fortunately, this has never happened at our house.

I hope it never happens at you house either...

Stained Glass work

I had the opportunity to take a class on stained glass. I have really been enjoying this new hobby. The only downside has been the piece of glass stuck in my foot and a few occasional burns from hot solder.

I have been making Christmas gifts so some of my pieces will not be displayed until after they are given away.

My first project was a panel with a rose, and since I made some jewelry boxes. Yesterday I made a snowman, it took a little over (6) hours, the candy-cane and the star took a couple hours each.

I use lead-free solder so I had to purchase an 800 degree iron tip.

I'm thinking it might be fun to teach a class at the community center some time.

Visit for Thanksgiving A POEM

We had such a great Thanksgiving Day!
Meshya and my parents came to play.

Dad had Christmas stained glass to work on…
Mom did the big sewing marathon.

Christmas will be a great thrill this year;
With homemade gifts for all to share

We learned a new game called “Curses”;
It makes you laugh at those you versus.

The house was full on our Turkey Day…
Mary’s cooked feast and we sang away!

Christmas carols around the piano;
Some sang low and others soprano.

The puzzle was started on a table;
Pieces were fit by all those able.

Black Friday was peaceful and calm;
We stayed home where it was warm.

We saw Triple Espresso and laughed;
At three guys in the comedy act.

Santa’s workshop was busy Saturday;
Clothes for the Christmas baby were made.

The weather was nice the whole week;
Sunday the snow came in a white streak.

We had such a great Thanksgiving Day!
The thing that came too fast was Monday.

Turkey Trot .... can you believe the gas prices....

We ran in the Chaska Turkey Trot Saturday. Here is a photo of some of the runners in our group, I'm the one holding the camera.

Then Friday when I bought gas I was shocked at the price in a happy way - wow!

The Chase is On! a.k.a. Look out the cops are right behind you!

Slippery roads can be very dangerous, especially when the police are right behind you!

My co-worker sent this, it is GOOD funny!

Welcome to the Elf Workshop

Last night, for our Monday family activity we went to Macy's 8th floor display. This year the display was about Santa's elves. It started with the elves waking up and 10 to 12 other places at the North Pole. The picture was taken between the bakery (left) and the workshop (right). These are family and friends – not elves. The display is created using animated and stationary dolls. In the kitchen two elves drape the table cloth and another tries to catch a mouse. The trees in the forest sway as they sing. The mail comes to the North Pole via hot-air balloon, and elves try to teach reindeer to fly. It’s an amazing 20 min walk through a fairytale land. After, we took a photo with the jolly elf Santa. This is one of our yearly traditions. The display changes from year to year. It has been Harry Potter, Pinocchio, Frog & Toad’s Adventures, and many others. Mary said this year was her favorite. I think we all liked it.

Holy Ears Batman

Ashayl asked me to take her to get her ears pierced this week. We set aside time to do this on Saturday. She waited a year before she was ready. We have told all our girls they could have their ears pierced once they were 8 years old.

I was surprised to see a line at the store of girls getting their ears pierced. One girl had the single hole near the top of her ear, another was getting the traditional single hole (both ears) and started crying once she sat in the chair. She was a year older than Ashayl so I'm thinking oooh this might be hard for my tender Ashayl. I learned long ago it is only as bad as mom or dad make it seem so I kept the jovial face and wispered to Ashayl - she looks like she's afraid, I don't think it's that bad. Ashayl nodded.

Ashayl sat right down when it was her turn, a little nervous but no tears before or after. I held up the mirror right away so she could see everything that was happening up to the spike in the lobe.

She is so proud of herself and likes her earings a lot. She tells everyone to wash their hands (instructions from the person that did her ears) before touching her earrings.

It was special to me that she only wanted dad to go with her.

The World's Best Banana Bread

Mary and Ashayl made "The World's Best Banana Bread" you know it's a good one if it is on the dirtiest page in the cookbook (it's been prepared more than once).

Here's the recipe:

Mix:
1/2 c. oil
1 c. sugar

Add:
1 c. mashed bananas (or 1 c. zucchini, but then you have to change the name of the bread)
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Add:
1 & 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Makes one loaf


Mary and Ashayl made 5 loaves... I am so blessed!

1/2 Birthday and The US Capitol

Happy Half Birthday to Meshya... Meshya made her own 1/2 Birthday cake this year - since she is 1,300 miles away from the family!!! Way to go Meshya! You did a fantastic job baking and decorating your cake, I wish I could have had a piece - yum!








Taft is in Washington D.C. with his school class. He sent this photo for us to enjoy.

Swim Shawni Swim

Shawni did well at her swim meet. She has found that she cranks on her 100 meter but hasn't been able to beat her best time on her 50 meter. She swam anchor (last) in her relay and closed the gap her other team mates created. The team had senior's night and dinner after the meet. It was wonderful to see the friendship and closeness the girls have for each another; Hugs and tears were shared as the five senior girls went down the line of freshman, sophomore, and junior swimmers. Mary commented she hasn’t seen the same closeness in any other team sport. I know Shawni has been rewarded in her opportunity to be a part of Chaska Hawks Girls Swimming – GO HAWKS!

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

My favorite Pumpkin...

Happy Halloween!

Fall Colors, Whistle Stop Marathon, Wisconsin

Mary and Joan - still smiling after running Ashton, Wisconsin Whistle Stop Marathon
Mary took a half-hour off her time. When she came in she was crying (happy) and choked up, I thought she was going asmatic on me.

We stayed at a cabin in Iron River, WI the price was great the beds weren't... they did come with motor boats so I took the ladies for a cruise around the lake.

We stopped at a farm and purchased honey, these Indian Corn were hanging on the side of the shed, the colors were awesome.


Speaking of colors, these pictures don't do justice to the fall display in Wisconsin this weekend. The colors were outstanding and in their peak! It was breathtaking.

A Way to Make the World a Better Place

One of the activities that I find very satisfying is stopping to help strangers who are broken down or stuck on the side of the road. In the past when I have had a four-wheel drive vehicle I have had a lot of fun pulling stuck cars out of the snow bank.

Yesterday I put the pet turtle up for adoption, on the way home from Minneapolis I saw a man and his daughter stopped on the freeway with a flat tire. So, I turned around at the next exit and made my way back. By the time I made it back another man had also stopped. Did I mention everyone (except me) is African (probably from Somalia)? Looking at the beard of the father and the covered head of the daughter they were probably Muslim as well.

I enjoyed being able to be an ambassador and provide service for these wonderful people. It is ironic that the news radio (prior to my stop) was sharing a story about Muslims that had lost their jobs because they wanted to pray for Ramadan.

I wish more Americans put God over all else in their lives, I think the problems we are facing as a nation would be far fewer if we did.

Sharing Information Over the Phone

We all have had to share information over the phone and resorted to spelling a word using the phonetic alphabet.

I have found that not everyone knows the correct words to use when verbally spelling to someone else.

In an effort to reduce the confusion out there I have created a fantastic system to help in these types of situations.

Feel free to use the following words to help your conversations achieve a higher level of understanding:

Mark's Phonetic Alphabet

A as in Aegis
B as in Bdellium
C as in Cue
D as in Djibouti
E as in Eye or ewe
F as in Futtock
G as in Gnome
H as in Hour
I as in Ian
J as in Jalapeno
K as in Knife
L as in Llama
M as in Mnemonic
N as in Ngami
O as in Oesophagus
P as in Pneumatic
Q as in Quay
R as in Roentgen
S as in Sea
T as in Tsar
U as in Ursula
V as in Veldt
W as in Wretch
X as in Xylophone
Y as in Yew
Z as in Zloty

Best wishes in your next opportunity to reach understanding!!!

Hmm, I find this very interesting...

I have been less than happy with our current options for this year's elections.


I was reading Stef's blog and found a link to an interesting idea:

http://satyagraha.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/why-vote-third-party/

You make your own choice but...

The Constitution Party looks good to me:

http://www.constitutionparty.com/

http://www.baldwin08.com/

Follow the links above and let me know what you think.

Thanks, Mark

Minnesota Temple - Arson

We were shocked to hear that the temple in St. Paul, MN had been damaged by arson. Here is the story from the news:



Arson Suspected In Oakdale Mormon Temple Fire OAKDALE, Minn. (AP) ― Authorities suspect arson in an early morning fire at the Mormon temple in the St. Paul suburb of Oakdale. Smoke and fire were reported in the front entry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple shortly before 3 a.m. Fire Chief Jeff Anderson says it was mostly out by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was mostly confined to the front doors, but Anderson says some light smoke got into a front room. Church leaders estimate the damage at $25,000. Investigators found no signs of forced entry, and authorities don't believe the case is a hate crime. Anyone with information is asked to call Oakdale police at 651-738-1022. As of early 2007, there were about 28,000 Mormons and 74 congregations in Minnesota. Mormons typically go to Sunday services at churches near their homes and use the temple for special ceremonies such as baptisms and marriages. The Oakdale temple serves Minnesota and part of Wisconsin and Ontario.



Mary and I were planning to go to the temple last week but the families activities forced us to postpone... now it looks like we will have to postpone much longer...

Memory Class - Joke

An elderly couple had been experiencing declining memories, so they decided to take a power memory class where one is taught to remember things by association.

A few days after the class, the old man was outside talking with his neighbor about how much the class helped him.

"What was the name of the Instructor?" asked the neighbor.

"Oh, ummmm, let's see," the old man pondered. "You know that flower, you know, the one that smells really nice but has those prickly thorns, what's that flower's name?"

"A rose?" asked the neighbor.

"Yes, that's it," replied the old man. He then turned toward his house and shouted, "Hey, Rose, what's the name of the Instructor we took the memory class from?"

Date Ideas

I was searching the web for date ideas and came across these ideas for a date with my wife…

How about:
- A picnic? Surprise your spouse with the foods they enjoy.
- A walk in a park?
- Go someplace where you can watch the sunset...
- Offering to go with her to her favorite store?
- Roller-skating? Its fun, its exercise and you get to hold hands!
- Enjoying nature and just being together.

- Rent a canoe and go float the lake or river

- Hiking, boating, mountain biking or snow skiing…

- A local bookstore and searching the "local/regional interest" shelves. You are likely to find books on things to do within one day of driving.

- A tour of old churches, a local creamery, a local historic battle site, an old plantation, the beach...

- Visiting museums, historic sites, zoos, churches, local nature preserves, and other things of local interest provide a wealth of ideas for "dates".
- A hobby together-- be it cooking, recreational tennis, joining a league, etc.
- Miniature golfing- Bowling- Hiking and/or camping at a state park

- Horseback riding

- Archery

- Buying a dart board set
- The art gallery

- A Flea market or used bookstores...

- Joining the local Little Theatre?

- Ice skating, salsa dancing, a few ballroom dancing lessons, a how-to class at a local home improvement or cookware store, a trip to a local big bookstore to browse the shelves

- Are there any decent comedy clubs in your area? A murder mystery can be fun as well.

- A drive with no particular place to go...

- If your town still has an open air street market that makes a great Saturday morning. You can pick up rolls, deli meat and cheese etc for a grab n go snack.

- Take an unfamiliar bus route, follow it to the end, find a place to eat and come back again.
- The zoo or a conservatory. Bring camera and take pictures of beautiful flowers or fuzzy bear cubs.

- Bird-watching

- Drive down an unfamiliar road, you get some great suprises this way: historical sites, parks, rivers, lakes, little shops and cafes, outdoor art and sculpture, a little league game or tournament, carnivals and small-town celebrations and festivals

- College or high school sports

- Craft shows

- Railroad excursions

- Fishing

- Driving range or mini golf, or go-carts, and other games.

- Historical sites such as living history villages or farms

- Cross country skiing

- HS or college student art exhibits

- Old-fashioned hardware stores, great to browse, you find some unique unexpected stuff, one had an antique toy collection, another had a superb depression glass collection, another had works by a local artist who has since become famous as an illustrator.
- Play scrabble and order a pizza. It's a great game to sharpen your vocabulary.

- Go browsing in an antique shop.

- Go to a concert.

Just enjoy being together ...................

Seth is doing fine now that Gustav has passed...

We received a phone call from Baton Rouge (Seth had been in Houma - and was moved to B.R. before the huricane arrived). Seth is safe, there was a lot of damage in the area and the power is out; so no emails. No damaged occured to the home Seth is in, but the neighborhood has many fallen trees and debris all over. Seth has been helping with clean up.

Labor Day!!!

We started Labor Day in the garden picking tomatoes, peppers, onions, and squash... We have enough to can some tomato soup and sweet & sour sauce.

We went to the beach and buried our kids...Sorry about the lady at the top of the photo... I took the picture with my cell phone and it was so bright out I couldn't tell what was in the picture.

We biked to McDonald's for ice cream and a Family Night treat. It was a good day.

Up the mountain - Timpanogos

Welcome to Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Timpanogos Cave is up high in the Wasatch Mountains. The cave three spectacularly decorated caverns. Visitors climb up to the entrance of the cave, on a hike that is over 1,000 ft in elevation. http://www.nps.gov/tica/

Here is a photo of Taft and Ashayl from the trail with a view of the moutains behind them...

We had tired legs and feet after the hike; it was worth it.

The caverns were awesome and beautiful!!!

Seth Rides Again...

(A.K.A. How to spin wash your laundry)

See Seth.

See Seth ride his bike.

See Seth ride his bike and wash his clothes.

Go Seth go.

MEMORIES

Everyone needs to play...This is Fun!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember--it can be funny, weird, awkward, random, etc.!...(but hopefully not bad!)

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you

Tag:

Name:





First job:




Current job: Manufacturing Engineering






Bad habit:


Maybe you didn't really want to know... I guess I'm not the only one.


Favorite animal:
LiGer ~ well cats anyway





Past love:
Woodcarving



Where I was born: San Fran,




Favorite color: Red




Favorite city:

Traverse City, MI where I ran the 2006 Marathon

3 hours 153 min.



No TAGs back!!

Big Stone Sculpture Golf Course

Mary, Taft, Ashayl and I had a terrific time at the Big Stone Mini Golf and Sculpture garden in Minnestrista, MN.





http://www.bigstoneminigolf.com/
This is the most amaging golf experience ever... Sitting on a dragonfly. Beautiful day outside.
The first hole is like golfing in a forest of tree trunks after hitting the ball into a hollow log...

Off the ROCK and onto the green...









Stand on the platform, shoot through the hole in the log, hope it makes the gap to exit near the flag.

7th Hole inside
and out...

Concrete pumpkins - steel leaves and vines.
Your ball drops into the lazy stream of water; the stream moves your ball to the hole in the rock...
Picnic anyone??