Red Hat Shopping

Cassie and I hit Gateway tonight to find me a red hat. My Red Hat group is gathering this Saturday and I need to upgrade from pink to red. I found one I liked, but not for $58. So, instead, we spent our time trying on various hats and taking photos of each other. We'll try again tomorrow night at southeast Wal-Mart or Goodwill.

Book Display - Digital Photography and Scrapbooking

My current book display is about digital photos - how to take a digital photo in the first place, how to fix it, upload it to Flickr, upload it to your blog, and how to make a digital scrapbook.

Bad Pics Fixed Quick: How to Fix Lousy Digital Pictures Using Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 by Michael Miller

Create Your Own Photo Blog by Catherine Jamieson

Creative Digital Scrapbooking: Designing Keepsakes on your Computer by Katherine Murray (I especially recommend this book!)

Digital Photography: Just the Steps For Dummies by Frederic H. Jones

Digital Photography for Dummies by David D. Busch

Digital Scrapbooking for Dummies by Jeanne Wines-Reed and Joan Wines

Family Computer Fun: Digital Ideas Using Your Photos, Movies, and Music by Ralph Bond

How to do Everything with Paint Shop Pro 8 by Dave Huss

How to Use Flickr: The Digital Photography Revolution by Richard Giles (this is a great book too!)

iPhoto 6: The Missing Manual by David Pogue and Derrick Story

Make Your Own Digital Photo Scrapbook by Roger Pring and Ivan Hissey

Paint Shop Pro 8 for Dummies by David Kay and William Steinmetz

Photoshop 6 in an Instant by Michael Toot and Mike Wooldridge

Shooting & Sharing Digital Photos for Dummies by Julie Adair King

Teach Yourself Visually Digital Photography by Dave Huss and Lynette Kent

Teach Yourself Visually Photoshop CS by Mike Wooldridge

Teach Yourself Visually Restoration and Retouching with Photoshop Elements 2 by Sherry Willard Kinkoph

My Birthday!

Monday, March 24, was my 50th birthday!!!!

I'm so excited. My quilt group is also my Red Hat group and now I get to change from wearing pink and lavender (for those under 50) to red and purple (those 50+). The following poem explains:

Warning by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Cassie's first words to me yesterday morning were, "Happy birthday, Mommy." How nice that she remembered without prompts.

I spent most of the day running errands and doing chores around the house.

No school this week due to Spring Break so Cassie is at Vickie's (her old daycare) this week. I picked up Cassie at 5pm and told her I wanted to eat at Tico's for my birthday supper. At the restaurant I had my digital camera with me and held it out at arm's length to take our own photos, but we spent most of our time trying to block each other's faces. Tico's put a candle in my chocolate mint pie.

My coworkers brought chocolate in many shapes and forms, and some chips and dip. I've enjoyed so many snacks that I've spoiled my appetite for supper. My Red Hat buds are taking me out to lunch on Saturday, and the family birthday party is that evening.

Eli the Cat

Eli needed plaque removed from his teeth, and that's done under general anesthesia. In anticipation of that, we'd run several blood tests during his exam in January to ensure that his liver and pancreas were healthy enough to handle the meds. He passed with flying colors so we scheduled his dental work for one of my Mondays off in February.

The night before his surgery he had to quit eating by 6:00pm but could continue to have water. Keep in mind Eli's nickname is "The Walking Stomach." This guy never feels he's had enough to eat and follows everyone to the kitchen. He also steals any food you have with you in the living room. He likes popcorn, Tico's chips, Fritos, soups, coke, iced tea, milk, juice, chocolate doughnuts, crescent rolls, tuna casserole, chili, potato chips, Cheetos, and cookies just to name a few of the foods he tries to steal (and sometimes he's successful at nabbing a few mouthfuls). We were dreading putting Eli on a fast.

But it went fine. He didn't walk all over everyone all night, howling and whining for food. He wasn't happy that he didn't get his bedtime snack, but otherwise he slept through the night and was a very good kitty. We were stunned.

The surgery went fine, but the vet cautioned that his teeth and gums might be a little tender. The way Eli attacked his supper when I got him home you couldn't tell he'd had dental work done.

Eli had been vomiting nearly every day during February and I mentioned it to the vet when I dropped him off for his surgery. They took a look at him and thought his throat and glands looked a little red and swollen, perhaps indicating he was fighting a bug. He was prescribed an antibiotic and a steroid. I can't pill a cat to save my soul but I've always had success using the liquid meds that are applied using a dropper.

Until Eli.

I couldn't get the meds into him alone. Mark and I together couldn't get the meds into him. We finally gave up and mixed them into his food. It worked. Eli is the only cat I know that I've been able to hide medicine in his food and had him eat it. With gusto no less. (And the meds worked. He hasn't tossed his cookies for four weeks.)

Lately Eli has been very curious about the outdoors. He loves to sit on the back of the couch and look out the window, or lounge in the foyer and look out the full-length window in the outer door. So I've taken to leaving the outer door propped open a few inches so he can go in and out as he pleased. And he pleases often. The wind today bothered him. He didn't like getting his fur ruffled or the feel of the wind blowing in his ears. But otherwise he's having a grand time viewing the world from the porch.

Quilt Retreat - March 2008

When last we left our heroine, she was not packed and was unprepared for quilt retreat. And it continued that way for quite a while.

This year the planners offered a four-day event but I selected the three-day option. Everyone else in my quilt group showed up on Thursday. The plan was for me to leave Lincoln at 9:30am (HA! Best laid plans...), arrive at the camp shortly after 10am, unload my bedding at the cabin, set up my gear at the lodge, and then Deb H. and I would go to Plattsmouth to browse Seams To Be and redeem our free birthday desserts across the street at The Chocolate Moose.

So Friday morning I got home from taking Cassie to school, but somehow didn't manage to get it all pulled together until 1:30pm!!! Deb H. called at regular intervals and each time she, and my quilt group, were in disbelief at my stalled progress. It was finally decided that Deb would ride to the shop with others and I would drive directly to Plattsmouth. I finally arrived at the quilt shop at 2:30pm to cheers and clapping, and then the lights went out!

No kidding. All the businesses up and down Main Street lost electricity. So we went across the street and got our desserts to-go (we got PMS Pie, a to-die-for chocolate pie) and browsed through the nearby antique shop with my flashlight. We returned to the quilt shop an hour later and shortly after that the electricity returned. We browsed further and headed back to camp in time for me to get set-up and get in line for dinner (Baked Potato Bar!).

Sadly, Diana D. had taken ill Thursday night and her hubby picked her up at 3:00am, so I never got to see her and she didn't get to participate in retreat at all. It's never as satisfying when one of us is missing - last fall we were short Marcia and now Diana.

I was very tired Friday night and headed back to the cabin for my shower and was in bed at 9:30pm. But Saturday morning I was up and at 'em at 7:00am, and at my machine by 7:30am. After breakfast Marcia and I went to The Quilted Moose in Gretna. Then I got to work on my denim quilt.

Wendy, Deb, Marcia and I returned to the cabin at midnight and I hit the shower. We all sat around talking, laughing, and doing stretches, then climbed into our beds with our books and reading lights.

Sunday I began work on a tee-shirt quilt then headed home. I never do get accomplished everything I hope to, but at least I got the denim quilt mostly done. Just need to tie it now.

Level 3 Sex Offender Update

Our neighborhood sex offender DOES NOT have to move.

It doesn't matter that he's within spitting distance of an elementary school/church.

It doesn't matter that the house next door is filled with children. That this neighborhood is filled with children. Children who walk past that house on the way to two schools and a church.

After further digging the police say that what matters is his victim was older than 18 so the Level Three classification does not apply to children so he is allowed to live within 500 feet of a school.

Which in some way makes sense I guess. But still.

In the meantime, I will not be taking over cookies to welcome our new neighbors. We won't be Trick 'r' Treating this house. I will not be taking over my Christmas cookies.

Unprepared for Quilt Retreat

I kept Cassie home from school on Monday and Tuesday. Her temp was down to 99 Monday morning but back up to 101 that night. By Tuesday late afternoon she was feeling better and I sent her to school on Wednesday. She is still coughing, her sinuses are full, and she tires easily but she's doing much better. Thankfully I was off Monday and Tuesday since I'd worked the weekend, so I didn't have to use leave time.

But nursing a sick child put me behind on my preps for quilt retreat. I got some bedding washed, but I haven't begun to pack nor gather my projects. I leave in the morning and I'm not ready to go!

Tonight we had our Parent-Teacher Conference. I took off work an hour early, picked up Cassie from her After-School Program, and we hit the Book Fair before having our conference. We both selected several books. Mark had extra chores to do tonight so he opted to go straight to his part-time night job and skip the conference since we don't have issues to discuss with the teacher (Cassie is still doing very well).

By the time conference was done at 7pm, Cassie was rubbing her eyes. She wanted to go to Tico's Mexican restaurant for supper, but I said no and she began to bawl. She was so tired she cried all the way home and in my arms on the couch for 10 min. I tossed her in the tub and got her bathed and her hair washed (while she cried), then made her some chicken noodle soup for supper along with grapes and a slice of toast cut into small squares. We watched Wonder Pets and Blues Clues on Noggin while eating. And she fell right to sleep.

But I'm too tired now to do an adequate job of packing. Tomorrow morning will be very busy as well. A neighbor gave Cassie some McDonald's gift certificates for her birthday and I told Cassie we'd use them tomorrow for breakfast. I wanted to be on the road by 9:30am and after I drop Cassie to school I'll have only 30 min to do a 90-min job!

Partied Too Hard?

Very early Sunday morning I had a sick girl on my hands. By 6:30am she had a temp of 102.1, body aches, tummy ache, and stuffed sinuses. She felt so bad that she was lying in my arms crying. Got some Motrin down her and within a few minutes she was content to lie in bed with me and watch dvds all morning.

We started with Dora but after 10 min she decided against that. So we watched Harry Potter #4 (Goblet of Fire), and Shrek 1 and 2. By 11:30 she thought she wanted some breakfast. But the toast, oranges and water that she asked for mostly went uneaten.

I had to work and when I returned home her temp was up to 102.5. Gave her more Motrin to make her comfortable during the night.

Thank goodness this didn't happen a day earlier or we'd have had to postpone her party - and that would have been a major disappointment to her.

What will happen now is I'll catch it in time for my quilt retreat this weekend!

Cassie's 6th Birthday Party

This past Saturday evening we held Cassie's birthday party. Six candles were on her cake, not including the special Elmo and Sleeping Beauty candles.

Generally we have the birthday person open their gifts, we light the candles, sing "Happy Birthday," they blow out the candles, then we eat cake and ice cream. Cassie insisted on doing the cake thing first and opening her gifts last. She asked for chocolate cake with purple frosting topped with chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Her favorite gift was from Grma - a pink rolling backpack with the Disney Princesses on it. She needed a new backpack because the old one (a blue "Hello Kitty" backpack) had been used so much the zipper teeth were not staying closed. I like this one because it's a little smaller and my little packrat can't cram as much stuff into it.

She also loved the Hannah Montana music cd from her cousin, Paige; the stuffed monkey from Uncle Scott; the hair ribbons, bows, and stick-on earrings from Aunt Betsy; and the Harry Potter bookmark, Harry Potter musical card, and Shrek 1 and 2 dvds from her mom and dad.

Book Display - Musicals

The Academy Awards are over, but after the book display about movies, it's so easy to segue into musicals:

The Amazing Story of The Fantasticks: America’s Longest Running Play by Donald C. Farber & Robert Viagas

Chicago: The Movie and Lyrics by Bill Condon

A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett by Ken Mandelbaum

The Complete Book of Les Misérables by Edward Behr

The Complete Phantom of the Opera by George Perry

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: A Celebration of the Broadway Musical by Donald Frantz with Sue Heinemann

Down the Yellow Brick Road: The Making of ‘The Wizard of Oz’: The Complete Story Behind the Creation of the Best-Loved Movie of all Time – With Many Photographs Never Published Before! By Doug McClelland

Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida: The Making of the Broadway Musical by Michael Lassell

Kurt Weill: The Threepenny Opera by Stephen Hinton

The Making of the Wizard of Oz by aljean Harmetz

OK!: The Story of ‘Oklahoma”: A Celebration of the Anniversary of America’s Most Loved Musical by Max Wilk

Oklahoma!: The Making of an American Musical by Tim Carter

The Sound of Music Companion by Laurence Maslon

Sunset Blvd: From Movie to Musical by George Perry

Wicked: The Grimmerie: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Broadway Musical by David Cote

Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical ‘Rent’ by Anthony Rapp

A Year with the Producers: One Actor’s Exhausting (But Worth It) Journey from Cats to Mel Brooks’ Mega-Hit by Jeffry Denman

Music CDs
Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Sunset Blvd
Chicago: Original Cast Recording
A Chorus Line: Original Broadway Cast Recording
The Sound of Music: An Original Soundtrack Recording
The Wizard of Oz: Selections from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

On The Street Where You Live - The Sex Offender

A Level Three Sex Offender moved into the neighborhood. Right across the street. Someone classified as a Level Three means there's a strong likelihood that they will commit subsequent sex crimes. Re-offend. Do it again. And again.

I know he moved into the neighborhood because Family Watchdog warned me. I'm enrolled in their email program that alerts me anytime a sex offender moves into the area. It's a free program - you give them your home address, email address, and they do the rest (at their website, click on "get free alerts"). I get updated emails every week or so. This is much easier than trying to keep up with the address changes that are listed in the newspaper.

My jaw dropped when I read this guy's address. I had seen new renters move into the house across the way. They'd sit on the porch and watch Cassie and me as we'd leave the house, or when we'd return home (but all neighbors do that). I waved to them one morning. I was going to take over cookies to welcome them to the neighborhood. Gulp.

I weighed the right of a person to begin anew versus the classification of Level Three.

I hit the archives of the local newspaper to see what news articles had been written about him. (This link only works if you have a Lincoln City Libraries library card.)

I checked to see if he'd served time in a Nebraska penitentiary. Or in a federal pen.

Had he been convicted of a crime in Lancaster County?

I looked up the list of people with current arrest warrants being sought by the Lincoln Police Dept or Lancaster County Sheriff.

I checked to see if that address was too close to the nearby Catholic church and school. And then called the Lincoln Police Department. According to Mapquest that address was about 400 feet from the school and a Level Three cannot be closer than 500 feet. But the officer ran his own software and informed me that it's not address-to-address that counts, but property-line-to-property-line and this fellow is actually less than 200 feet away. He thanked me and said they'd get this taken care of right away.

I gave a heads-up to a neighbor, who informed me that the landlord showed up there the next day. I don't know if Mr. Level Three must vacate immediately or if he's allowed a certain length of time to move, but he's still hanging around the premises. I'll be keeping an eye on this.

First Lost Tooth

Cassie lost her first tooth Thursday night. She was preparing for bed and while brushing her teeth it had fallen out. I was worried that her tooth would fall out at school, or go down our bathroom drain, but we were fortunate.

She was so excited that she couldn't stay in bed and sleep. So I let her get back up and she bounced around the living room talking about it. I tried to take a photo of her toothless grin but the flash kept hurting her eyes. Finally, she covered her eyes and let me get in really close for this shot.

Cassie called Grma M. to tell her, and also Mark on his cell phone. When Mark got home shortly after that she couldn't wait to show her daddy the toothless hole in her mouth.

We carefully folded the tooth inside a tissue and placed it beneath her pillow. Cassie awoke during the night and at 3:00am Friday this insomniac mommy, who was actually asleep, was awaken by an excited child who wanted to show me the quarter left by the Tooth Fairy (and I'm the one who left it there!). I've placed her tooth in a baggie and have hidden it away.