Please pray for this MISSING girl . . .

Please study her face:

8 year old Sandra Cantu : missing from Tracy CA (60 miles E. of SanFran) since Friday 3/28 around 3pm when she walked to the neighbors to play with a friend.

She is Hispanic, 4' tall, 45lbs, brown hair, brown eyes & was wearing a pink hello kitty shirt & black leggings.

Please study her face . . . its not impossible to think an abductor might flee to our area with this child.

For more info on this story: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/31/california.missing.girl/

Sweet Home Bamma-Bamma . . .

. . . Darla Diane's signature song since a very young age.

Rainy Day Play Ideas?

1. Make a homemade pizza.....even more enjoyable when shared with friends.

2. Built a fort with an assortment of top sheets & throw blankets.

3. Gather supplies, like fruit rollups, & $Tree clip on book lights.

4. Turn off all the home's lights.

5. Crawl into fort & hang out.

Payton Going On His 1st Date Tonight

Ok so he is sixteen afterall. So not a huge shocker to most of you I'm sure.

Payton & Grace are just good friends. Dont dare suggest otherwise he says. Both are Christians & talk about there shared beliefs.

They are going to a PG13 moving called Knowing starring Nicolas Cage. I will definitely post a photo of Payton all dressed up, fresh new haircut, new hair product & cologne.

Note: His new jeans from Zumies are the same color as his hoody shown above. His shoes are the same color as his t-shirt. It was the most colorful outfit I have ever seen him wear. But he looked adorable!

His grandparents are so ultra good to him . . . when he came home from visiting with them for several days he had the infamous Zumies bag. Now he told me they got him a new pair of jeans. I asked him if they are a different shade of denim . . . since all the pairs he does have pretty much all look the same to me (BUT THEY'RE NOT MOM), and he smiled & said "Yes! They are a different color. They are more of a lighter colored blue." Well a little while he came out of his room to show me the new jeans & I kid you not they are TURQUOISE!!! I was shocked! But I didnt want to make him insecure or doubt his decision but I know he could tell I was not expecting colored jeans. They are cute but out of the ordinary for him. Then he said "Well if you think these are weird, wait till you see my new sunglasses." And I was like "What?!?!" And he said "Well, theyre not really sunglasses . . . they are shutters." I think he said Kanye West created them, but I could be wrong. He then comes out & shows me 2 different pairs of them. White pair & the turquoise again. He told Grace about them, and asked her if she wanted him to bring her a pair to wear tonight and she gasped "I wont wear shutters in public!"

This is definitely a new chapter in my life as a parent of a teenager. Soooo cute. She beat Payton to the punch & got her drivers license already, but I am driving him to the theatre & picking him up. He requested this....yeah!!! Oh one more cute thing....he tells me he asked her "What kind of treats do you usually get when you go to the movies Grace?" And she said "Cookie Dough Bites". . . . . and guess what people??? That is what Payton has bought the last 2 times he went to the movies he says. Say it with me now . . . .
C O M P A T I B L E ??

Ok so here is a photo of Payton opening the door for his friend Grace at the cinema (zoom lense):

Before anyone thinks "Oh Amy, how embarassing for Payton. His mom photographing it." They had no clue I was there. I drove off like I was gone, then circled back around just in time to capture it. I was really this far back when I took this photo:

V is for Victor

When Nolan was a tiny baby we discovered the lil' honey inherited the "V".

This trait comes to us by way of Alan's side of the family, NOT mine. Alan also has a "V" on his forehead when he tucks his chin way in, makes a super firm frown, and raises his eyebrows in an insane looking way. For Nolan it comes much easier... basically he just needs to pout or mildly frown. Without further ado . . . I present the "V". Which we refer to as Victor.

BEFORE

Nolan asking if he can have another popsicle:

AFTER
Mama responding no it's almost time for dinner:

Spring Sprung Right Back To Winter

Well we didnt get to take our Field Trip to photograph sweet signs of spring budding up & blooming all over the Mtn up here because . . .

a) Discovered camera batteries were dead - needed to charge them

b) The weather quickly CHANGED (see below)

Celebrate!!!

Today, March 19th, is the official last day of Winter!
Field trip today - the boys & I will be hunting for miraculous signs of spring on the Mountain.
Will post photos later of our findings!

State of Oregon: Unclaimed Property & Money

http://mscfprod2.iservices.state.or.us/dsl/unclaimed_property/search.cfm

I have found soooo many people I know who's names are listed on this site.
There is a inquiry form to claim the money. Check it out!!!

One mans junk - another mans treasure . . .

Ok so most of my friends & family know that I love garage sales, thrift stores, and overall good finds. I prefer rustic decorative pieces & reusing, repurposing items. I especially love craft items which I can always snatch up at a tiny fraction of a Craft Store pricetag. I love handmade items & art.

Well Beth Twist is an extremely talented artist/stitcher . . . she married a young man I grew up with and they have a beautiful family. For my wedding anniversary gift Im hoping my husband will buy me one of Beth's jewelry pieces she makes & sells online. I tell ya, she is super talented in a multitude of ways! Back to my story . . One day I was randomly looking thru the arts/crafts section of portland's craigslist online and found an ad for 9 reproduction samplers for $75. I immediately thought of Beth & her interest in Ssmplers. I sent her an email & she planned to go check them out. Well, a part of me was a bit worried it would end up being a waste of time & gas money for her, but realized it was up to her whether or not she wanted to pursue. Then . . . I was happy to read this story on her blog today re: this particular find:

http://thetwistfamily.blogspot.com/2009/03/some-things-im-excited-about.html

So moral of the story: Well, first Beth is brilliant for researching. 2nd you never know what you may find buying used items. I love it. New items off of a store shelf have no history, no story. Bring on Spring & bring on garage sales!!!!

Kendra In Heaven Now

Please pray for children Melissa, Jay, & Dianna as they mourn the loss of their mother.


To read about her story: http://barelycontrolledchao-lifeasiknowit.blogspot.com/

Daydream

I am laying in field of tall soft grass.
It is a comfortable 80 degrees out & a soft breeze is passing over my face.
I am at peace & happy.
Looking straight up, I watch a couple plump white clouds drift across the blue sky.
No sounds except the breeze swaying the grass & birds chirping.
I close my eye lids & listen.
I feel my face warm from the sun.
I would love to stay here for hours.

But I need to go make the kids lunch.

Payton Pursuing Permit: On Monday!

After three trips to the DMV for the study manual, and a year later. . . . a weekend at Grandpa Ricky's pays off . . . Payton had a very supportive study partner & he just reported he is 100% ready to go in for his drivers permit exam on Monday.

For those of you, like myself, who have been driving for 20 years you might laugh at trying this online practice test (only 10 questions). I passed but just by the skin of my teeth! Eeeks.

http://www.oregondmv.com/DriverLicensing/knowledgetest.htm

Update: Payton failed the test by 1 point . . . . so he will try again soon. He was frustrated with a question about a guy on a horse who raises his hand. He was asking me "How was I supposed to know what to do if a guy on a horse raises his hand?"

2 months late posting. . . . .

This is partially due in part to the younger photos of my first born being scanned & stored on Darla's MP3 player which was missing for a while.



Part of Payton James 16th Bday Celebration, back in January, was a nostalgic trip thru our old stomping grounds. . . just my boy & I.


The apartment Rob & I lived in in Oregon City when Payton was born 16 yrs ago, our 2nd & 3rd home . . . then Payton's favorite home of all-time was our lil' brown house in the middle of a berry field in Boring, Oregon:
Below is a pic of the private paved drive we had which is where Payton learned to ride his bike with no training wheels. My nephew Lennon also learned to ride a bike with no training wheels on this same driveway.

The outing would not have been complete without he and I also visiting our old favorite mexican restaurant in Gresham.

2009:

1998 or 1999:

2009:
1998 or 99:2009:

#1 Song When You Were Born Was . . .

http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Mine was:
1972 "American Pie" by Don McLean

A Short Movie About "Home"

http://www.mthoodterritory.com/impactmovie/

Crombie Cookies Were Sold For $88

Alan & I attended the school's annual fundraising auction for the 1st time this past weekend. Was a blast - the auctioneer is also a natural comedian and unbeknownst to us we were seating front center & were the butt of more than 1 joke.

I was very pleased that during the dessert auction my 4 packages of Crombie Cookies sold for $22 each.

Springing thru the front yard with camera in hand . . .

Here lies the last remnants of our winter snow:

I still sense we will receive another white blanket before Spring arrives, but I wont cry if we dont.


Here one of our Rhody's whisper . . . . "I'm hearty! I bud & bloom even in snow!"

As it's more petite neighbor Azalea responds . . . "I am fairing quite well myself, thank you!"

Men In The Making

Mr. Elijah & Mr. Nolan running around the Mtn paying bills & running errands.

Nolan loves to be the one to return the movie to the rental store:

Well the hardest part was a success. . . . pulling open the super heavy door!

Big boy Nolan!
Now Elijah's turn to deliver the good ol' water bill payment!

After triple checking the envelope successfully went thru the drop box slot he returns to the car quite pleased.

Observation: Blog Lacks Payton.

Well . . . . he is a busy TEENAGER. But I am going to make a more conscious effort to photograph him in his day to day life more often. Here is the great action shot of him in his room, which I captured on film last night after dinner:

And with the special athletic hi-speed function of the camera:

Valentine Exchange Between Spouses

We always exchange handmade cards and this year Alan made a huge deal about the one he received & asked me to put on the blog. I told him if I take a photo of mine & post - I am going to show off the one he made me as well.

The card I made the love of my life is show above on the left. It includes a mini card on the front cover. . . which the written contents I will share below.

Alan's adorable card to me is above on the right & you can read his sweet sentiments inside below.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

So what is your tradition? Hallmark? Handmade? Chocolate or date night?

LOVE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to please
Date: before 12th century
1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests b: an assurance of love 2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion 3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration b (1): a beloved person : darling —often used as a term of endearment (2)British —used as an informal term of address4 a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God5: a god or personification of love6: an amorous episode : love affair7: the sexual embrace : copulation8: a score of zero (as in tennis)9capitalized Christian Science : god
— at love : holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis
— in love : inspired by affection

Warning re: Your Visa/Debit Card

Ok folks this has been a total nightmare waiting & waiting for our new bank cards to arrive. Alan & I's cards were both affected in different episodes of a "potential breach of security", so they cancelled our cards before any fraud could be committed. Well....you'd be amazed at how cashless of a society we have become until you dont have access to your debit card. Soooo frustrating. Finally we have 1 of our cards. They will call when the other card arrives for pickup.

But I wanted to share that this is a nationwide problem & apparently all financial institutions are susceptible to it. They said computer hackers are getting more & more genius. It has us rethinking how we access our monies in the future to be honest. But it took soooo many phone calls & different versions of the same story to get down to the truth. The "visa processing center" in question (w/ the potential breach) our bank reports was all over the news a while back and its called Heartland. Now Harland where many order checks but Heartland. FYI

Pulling my hair out!

Aren't the 2 youngest children the ones you'd expect to pull "should've known better" stunts? Nope - not here, not lately. The two oldest, Payton & Darla, have been most challenging.

Payton : school responsibilities - periodic bad choices add up to monster sized probs.
Darla : struggling a bit w/ honesty re: responsibilities at home.

Maybe I have just had it to easy prior to this - awesome, well behaved kids . . . . now I am entering a challenging season?!? I pray it is short lived. Please?

Yup, I'm Not Young Anymore