I'm getting Christmas cards every day, and they are beautiful! The lights are on all around my neighborhood, it's even been somewhat chilly here. Yes, Christmas is just 23 days away. My tree isn't up, no decorations about- what do I have going on here? I love Christmas! I love to decorate, there are 14 big boxes of decorations in the shed anxiously awaiting their turn to shine. There's a Christmas letter dancing around in my head, hasn't actually made it to print yet...
Well, there are 5 men dancing, no stomping around on the roof today, that's kinda like Santa, isn't it? Last week the south side of the house was de-shingled, all 4 layers. That exposed a few problems, like several soft sheets of plywood that have to be replaced, along with a 3 pallets of new shingles and a pallet of rolled roof felt. Although I'm very very happy to have the roof redone, and prevent further damage, it puts a bite on the Christmas budget. There is such a mess outside, along with the huge dumpster, that outside decorations are out. Although, the dumpster's green, so that's kind of Christmasy, right?
Hopefully we can put up the Christmas tree this weekend, I've been waiting until Dakota can come over and help. Gina will be here too, so I'll have lots of assistance, at least I hope so! Even though our house is a construction zone that puts a damper on decorating, I love Christmas, and I'm enjoying getting ready. I have to take pictures of the things I've made before they get wrapped, then I'll put them on here after Christmas. Don't want to ruin the surprise!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
My handwriting deciphered?
http://www.handwritingwizard.com/analysis.php
Check this out! This is a good site to have your handwriting analized- here's mine. I included the whole banana- good and bad, now you know more about me than is even comfortable...
Elaine is moderately outgoing. Her emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, she can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. She has the ability to put herself into the other person's shoes.
Elaine will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes she will be happy, the next day she might be sad. She has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because she is in between. Psychology calls Elaine an ambivert. She understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, she will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." She doesn't sway too far one way or the other.
When convincing her to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to her. She puts herself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet she will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Elaine is an expressive person. She outwardly shows her emotions. She may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story.
Elaine is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. She weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when she finally has to. She basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Elaine doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Elaine will be candid and direct when expressing her opinion. She will tell them what she thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want her opinion, don't ask for it!
According to the inputted data, Elaine has a stinger shape inside the oval of her a, d, or c. This might be hard to visualize, but if this little hooklike shape is present, then Elaine has an unresolved "issue" with strong members of the opposite gender. An occasional appearance of this stroke could indicate a simple "loves a mental challenge" which can manifest in playful linguistic conversations and being attracted to a lover who isn't always available. However, if the stroke is severe, this means the individual has unresolved anger at the oppostive gender - which usually started with the person's childhood relationship with the opposite gender parent (Mom or Dad). If the writer is a woman she will be attracted to strong challenging men. If the writer is a man, he will find the woman who is "hard to get" the most attractive. In a nutshell, people with stingers in their writing tend to have challenges in their romantic relationships.
For more information about this "stinger" trait, visit this webpage. Remember, it is only negative if the traits occurs often and is quite pronounced. An occasional stinger can be no problem.
In reference to Elaine's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Elaine slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project.
She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Elaine can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Elaine is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Elaine basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.
Elaine is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Elaine has a temper. She uses this as a defense mechanism when she doesn't understand how to handle a situation. Temper is a hostile trait used to protect the ego. Temper can be a negative personality trait in the eyes of those around her.
Elaine has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Check this out! This is a good site to have your handwriting analized- here's mine. I included the whole banana- good and bad, now you know more about me than is even comfortable...
Elaine is moderately outgoing. Her emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, she can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. She has the ability to put herself into the other person's shoes.
Elaine will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes she will be happy, the next day she might be sad. She has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because she is in between. Psychology calls Elaine an ambivert. She understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, she will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." She doesn't sway too far one way or the other.
When convincing her to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to her. She puts herself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet she will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Elaine is an expressive person. She outwardly shows her emotions. She may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story.
Elaine is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. She weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when she finally has to. She basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Elaine doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Elaine will be candid and direct when expressing her opinion. She will tell them what she thinks if they ask for it, whether they like it or not. So, if they don't really want her opinion, don't ask for it!
According to the inputted data, Elaine has a stinger shape inside the oval of her a, d, or c. This might be hard to visualize, but if this little hooklike shape is present, then Elaine has an unresolved "issue" with strong members of the opposite gender. An occasional appearance of this stroke could indicate a simple "loves a mental challenge" which can manifest in playful linguistic conversations and being attracted to a lover who isn't always available. However, if the stroke is severe, this means the individual has unresolved anger at the oppostive gender - which usually started with the person's childhood relationship with the opposite gender parent (Mom or Dad). If the writer is a woman she will be attracted to strong challenging men. If the writer is a man, he will find the woman who is "hard to get" the most attractive. In a nutshell, people with stingers in their writing tend to have challenges in their romantic relationships.
For more information about this "stinger" trait, visit this webpage. Remember, it is only negative if the traits occurs often and is quite pronounced. An occasional stinger can be no problem.
In reference to Elaine's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Elaine slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project.
She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Elaine can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Elaine is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Elaine basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.
Elaine is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Elaine has a temper. She uses this as a defense mechanism when she doesn't understand how to handle a situation. Temper is a hostile trait used to protect the ego. Temper can be a negative personality trait in the eyes of those around her.
Elaine has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. She lets new people into her circle of friends. She uses her imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Scraping by
Well, we have done our part to assure rain here this week- we have the shingles scraped off the south side of the house, awaiting a new roof. If that doesn't bring rain, nothing will! We had the soffits and facia boards replaced last month, and now it's time to redo the roof. There were 4-5 layers of shingles, so just slapping down a few more isn't an option.
My neighbor Danny brought his little 2 year old granddaughter by to see the chickens yesterday, and Bucky dutifully crowed his head off to impress her. He's become a big beautiful rooster, and struts around like he owns the place.
My camera battery died, and since it's a rechargable type, I haven't been able to take pictures for a while. I have to remember to get one tomorrow, I can't be without it during Christmas!
My neighbor Danny brought his little 2 year old granddaughter by to see the chickens yesterday, and Bucky dutifully crowed his head off to impress her. He's become a big beautiful rooster, and struts around like he owns the place.
My camera battery died, and since it's a rechargable type, I haven't been able to take pictures for a while. I have to remember to get one tomorrow, I can't be without it during Christmas!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy (rainy) Thanksgiving!
Today was great, we drove to St. Johns, AZ. to spend Thanksgiving with the family. There were lots of people and lots of food, we laughed, we ate, had a great visit.
Hah! I lied-going to St John's was the plan, the reality is that I spent the day sleeping on the couch, fighting a sinus infection, a cold and maybe strep. I had a Dr.s appointment yesterday, and while there told Olga (the PA) that I've had a sinus infection for weeks. I've tried everything to treat it myself; taking garlic tablets- (David loves that smell!), XClear, then nasal washes. Yes, they are as awful as it sounds, you can feel the tides inside the sinus cavity for hours afterwards. Well, that's what it feels like to me, everytime I tilt my head, leftover saline solution ebbs and flows. Nothing was working, so I finally decided it was time for antibiotics. She said my throat and nose are very inflamed, my glands are swollen and I didn't need to go anywhere, let alone drive halfway across the state.
By last night, I knew I wasn't going to make it through a 3 hour drive to St Johns, let alone talk to anyone, my throat hurts so bad. Waah! I was really looking forward to seeing my sibs, Mom and the rest of their family, but such is life. David is a doll, he went down to Safeway and bought a roast turkey breast, mashed potatoes, even a vegetable mix and fruit salad. So, we had a nice turkey meal, David got to watch football all day long, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll feel that survival is an option.
Heather and Jared drove to Vermont, in the rain, but had no problems in the drive. Nic drove to Utah and wasn't so lucky. He hit a snowstorm north of Kanab, and it slowed the traffic down to 25-30 mph for about an hour. Once he made the summit, the snow slipped into rain, and the rest of the drive was uneventful, but he didn't get there until 9:45 last night. I'm glad they all had friends to spend the day with, and I'm glad I got to just sleep, watch the rain and be grateful for all of my many, many blessings.
I'm grateful for my faith, my wonderful family and friends, and for this great country. I love my home, and living in the desert. I love being back in Arizona. My husband is an amazing man, I love him and I'm very grateful for him being in my life. We've known each other for almost 35 years now, my how time flies!
Hah! I lied-going to St John's was the plan, the reality is that I spent the day sleeping on the couch, fighting a sinus infection, a cold and maybe strep. I had a Dr.s appointment yesterday, and while there told Olga (the PA) that I've had a sinus infection for weeks. I've tried everything to treat it myself; taking garlic tablets- (David loves that smell!), XClear, then nasal washes. Yes, they are as awful as it sounds, you can feel the tides inside the sinus cavity for hours afterwards. Well, that's what it feels like to me, everytime I tilt my head, leftover saline solution ebbs and flows. Nothing was working, so I finally decided it was time for antibiotics. She said my throat and nose are very inflamed, my glands are swollen and I didn't need to go anywhere, let alone drive halfway across the state.
By last night, I knew I wasn't going to make it through a 3 hour drive to St Johns, let alone talk to anyone, my throat hurts so bad. Waah! I was really looking forward to seeing my sibs, Mom and the rest of their family, but such is life. David is a doll, he went down to Safeway and bought a roast turkey breast, mashed potatoes, even a vegetable mix and fruit salad. So, we had a nice turkey meal, David got to watch football all day long, and hopefully by tomorrow I'll feel that survival is an option.
Heather and Jared drove to Vermont, in the rain, but had no problems in the drive. Nic drove to Utah and wasn't so lucky. He hit a snowstorm north of Kanab, and it slowed the traffic down to 25-30 mph for about an hour. Once he made the summit, the snow slipped into rain, and the rest of the drive was uneventful, but he didn't get there until 9:45 last night. I'm glad they all had friends to spend the day with, and I'm glad I got to just sleep, watch the rain and be grateful for all of my many, many blessings.
I'm grateful for my faith, my wonderful family and friends, and for this great country. I love my home, and living in the desert. I love being back in Arizona. My husband is an amazing man, I love him and I'm very grateful for him being in my life. We've known each other for almost 35 years now, my how time flies!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Valley of the sun
Wednesday was awesome! I drove to the Valley- first to Sun City to visit family, Sharon, Bob, Shawn and Don. Sharon had surgery 10 days ago, and I wanted to see her and meet her daughter Shawn. We were talking about how we're related, and it goes something like this- Sharon's married to Bob, and is Don's sister. Shawn is her daughter, so she's Don's niece. And me, well, my Dad is Sharon and Don's first cousin. That makes me their 2nd cousin, and Shawn's 3rd cousin. We were laughing about it, and later it reminded me of that old joke- "Who's on first".
Evidently Shawn and I met at a Balmes' family reunion that was held at our ranch in Prescott, somewhere in the 1960's. We lived up in the mountains then, and Shawn's main memory is that her brother Roy got lost. It created quite a concern, he was only about 7-8 at the time. I vaguely remember looking for him, wondering why everyone was so worried, it was only a 60 acre pasture, and the whole darned thing was fenced, he could just follow the fence back down the hill. OK, I was only 9, and I'd grown up on that mountain. I didn't realize that they were from the valley, where everything is flatter and more wide open. Looking back, that had to be so scary for their family, who had spent little or no time in the rugged, mountainous country we called home. Anyhow, in general the reunion was so much fun, there were actually 3 girl cousins my age: Shawn, Gini and Robin, so we played and ran all over the apple orchard. I lived so far out of town, it was a real treat to have girls to play with!
After I left Sharon's, I stopped by my friend Julie's and met her new husband Ken. Actually we went to school with Ken, back in the 70's, in Prescott. They reconnected last summer, and now they're married. They took me to the local Costco and helped me load the truck. The nearest Costco to Cottonwood is 50 miles away in Prescott Valley, or the one just off the 1-17 and 101 freeways in north Phoenix. If I'm going to the city, I usually can't leave without at least one errand, it's too far to drive not to. I loaded up the truck, braved the evening traffic and headed home. Luckily the traffic was only bad for the first 1o miles or so, after that it thinned out and speeded up nicely. All in all, it was a great day, and I love my family and friends!
Evidently Shawn and I met at a Balmes' family reunion that was held at our ranch in Prescott, somewhere in the 1960's. We lived up in the mountains then, and Shawn's main memory is that her brother Roy got lost. It created quite a concern, he was only about 7-8 at the time. I vaguely remember looking for him, wondering why everyone was so worried, it was only a 60 acre pasture, and the whole darned thing was fenced, he could just follow the fence back down the hill. OK, I was only 9, and I'd grown up on that mountain. I didn't realize that they were from the valley, where everything is flatter and more wide open. Looking back, that had to be so scary for their family, who had spent little or no time in the rugged, mountainous country we called home. Anyhow, in general the reunion was so much fun, there were actually 3 girl cousins my age: Shawn, Gini and Robin, so we played and ran all over the apple orchard. I lived so far out of town, it was a real treat to have girls to play with!
After I left Sharon's, I stopped by my friend Julie's and met her new husband Ken. Actually we went to school with Ken, back in the 70's, in Prescott. They reconnected last summer, and now they're married. They took me to the local Costco and helped me load the truck. The nearest Costco to Cottonwood is 50 miles away in Prescott Valley, or the one just off the 1-17 and 101 freeways in north Phoenix. If I'm going to the city, I usually can't leave without at least one errand, it's too far to drive not to. I loaded up the truck, braved the evening traffic and headed home. Luckily the traffic was only bad for the first 1o miles or so, after that it thinned out and speeded up nicely. All in all, it was a great day, and I love my family and friends!
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