Learning to Drive

Learning to drive is super great - when you are 15!!!

I'm a bread maker

One of my favorite childhood memories is coming home from school & smelling mom's home made bread. Before I even opened the door, I knew I was in for a hot buttery treat. The best part was ripping the bread apart - no time for slices. Somehow that hot, buttery chunk of fresh bread was better than anything! Mom made bread in bread pans in the oven and lots of it. Well, I don't have hot bread ready after school, but I do have a counter top bread maker and after 3 hours I have (drum roll, please!) one yummy hot loaf of bread! I found this picture of my bread machine online. Then I realized something is definitely wrong!!! If only I can figure out how to get the yeast to do its thing so I have a puffy bread top like this picture...

My bread looks like this when it is done. (Picture of actual loaf of bread I made)

But it sure smells and tastes like home in spite of it's less than picturesque appearance. Inexperienced bread maker or bad yeast?! OK, the yeast is new - so it's not that. Yum. It still tastes good to me.

What will I do with those old bread pans now? Maybe a new home for my cactus...

:) My Camera is Fixed

Fast repair shop! Woo-hoo!!!

:( My camera is broken

The button that I push to take pictures fell off. I should figure out how many pictures I have taken in the past 6 years. Then I will know the life of the new button. New Button??? That's right. It's getting repaired right now. I also found out that the fact that my shutter sometimes does not open is a recall item which canon will pay for. Crappy Sony part. The hitch is that it must be exhibiting the symtom when sent in for repair. Will it do it again??? If you have a Canon Power Shot A70 and the shutter won't open. Take it to a camera repair shop and ask them about the recall.

Trampoline

Jumping on a trampoline: She really was jumping. She was not photoshopped in nor was the background a green screen. The flash just lit her up and caused a weird shadow around her. Crazy fun picture. I've always like it. Below is no flash. Also a fun picture.

08 08 08 Galaxy Zoo

Cool galaxy I've been able to view & classify

Happy 'eight' day. I felt I must post something on this amazing date. In the spirit of the comment I heard on the radio this morning pointing out that an 8 on its side is the sign for infinity I will post about a favorite hobby of mine. If I had made it to work by 8:08, I would have posted then & I fear I will forget or not be home tonight at 8:08 - so here goes.

On my list of sites to visit is the phrase: 'classify galaxies with me'. I think it is completly addicting to classify galaxies & easy to do. It's like getting that universe tour preview before we leave this mortal existence. It also gives me more questions to ask when I get there. Apparently asking questions is a perfectly normal thing to do. Curious? Click here. Go for it, sign up! A dutch school teacher discovered a strange object & it's made quite the buzz in the astronomy world. Who knows what may be seen next?

Another cool galaxy I've classified

"for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless? And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease."

Mr & Mrs Vacation

Too bad summers almost over.
These folks will have to put the 5th wheel on blocks for the winter.

Family History

While I am not currently looking for any dead ancestors... I am scanning pictures of dead ancestors (and living). Sometimes I have to figure out who they all are (that's where the family history part comes in). Here is a picture of people I know. I no longer take for granted that when half of us are dead and the other half live who knows where, someone will be burdened with this fine photograph and wonder who most of the people are. Not long ago, I finished scrapbooking all of my printed photos (a blog post for another time). I fretted over the mass quantities of pictures I had. In going through 'grandma' boxes, I have discovered that collecting unlabeled pictures in boxes is a hereditary disease. I am trying to break the cycle by cataloguing and labeling as best as I am cablable of doing. Hooray for scanners! Hooray for photoshop! Hooray for digital camera's! Hooray for technology! Hooray for a project for me to work on. So - get out there and crack open those dusty boxes and get your pictures organized!!! You will feel oh so much better having the satisfaction of finishing an unfinished something.

Photoshop

BEFORE

AFTER

I didn't darken or lighten or change the overall color of the photo. I noticed when I pasted the before & after pictures the after picture looks lighter overall. Maybe it is because it does not have all of the contrast of the 'noise' on before picture. Prizes worth up to dollars to the person who can identify who is in the picture & where it was taken. Extra points for the year it was taken. Seriously, identify them all or all you get are points.

MORE AFTER
I adjusted the highlights & shadows on this one...
I think I like it best

Roma Tomatoes - Gardening

Note to self: Try this when the Roma Tomatoes are ripe.

Aaron - Cartoon

This cartoon has a story. There is a little boy at church... we shall call him Aaron, for that is his name. His dad plays the organ. His dad plays the songs for sacrament meeting. That is until Aaron finds the plug to the organ. "No, no Aaron - don't unplug the organ."

Our singing does not sound so good acapella.

Girl & Dog - Cartoon

Girl & Dog - Yo

How To Exercise Early In The Morning:

If I were to write this 'how to' guide, it would be: 1. get up early 2. go exercise
This philosophy is obviously not working. Luckily, I ran across this useful advice...

Things You Will Need:
Alarm clock
Exercise plan
Workout gear
Discipline

Step 1: Choose an alarm clock with a pleasant wake-up call. If your alarm scares the pants off of you every morning, then you might be waking up grouchy and uninspired for a very good reason. Test-drive clocks in the store and look for a sound that suits you.

Step 2: Before you go to bed each night, lay out your workout clothes, gym bag or other gear. Include a variety of items in case the weather changes overnight.

Step 3: Wake up at the same time every day (and ban the snooze button). Even if you choose to sit on the couch and read the newspaper instead of exercise, at least you are teaching your body to rise and be semi-alert at this hour.

Step 4: Don’t leave enough time to dilly-dally. The more you are standing around in a dark, cozy house, the less likely you are to leave it. Wake up, get dressed, and get out the door.

Step 5: Experiment with your pre-workout food. Figure out how little you can eat and still fit in a solid workout. Can you run 5 miles on an empty stomach? Can you ONLY run on an empty stomach? Some quick-and-easy foods that are usually gentle on a pre-workout stomach: banana, cereal bar, toast or yogurt. If you are doing an especially tough workout that requires ample fuel, give yourself enough time for your food to digest before exercising.

Step 6: Find a friend or group to keep you accountable and motivated. If you are meeting outside for a walk or bike ride, establish weather-related guidelines. (For example, if the weather drops below X degrees or it’s thundering outside, hit the gym or stay home.)

Step 7: Explore different activities, then alternate your workouts to keep things fresh, but consistent.

Step 8: Create an exercise plan or fitness goal so that you know what you’re working toward. Once you start seeing results, you will be more motivated to keep that alarm set on EARLY.

Happy Pioneer Day

Standing L to R: Phebe, Rhoda
Seated L to R: Mary Jane, Phebe Campbell Atkinson, Sarann

Today is pioneer day. I have been going through and reading lots of my ancestors histories lately. I have learned many pioneer stories that I had forgotten about and some I had not heard before. I am grateful to my pioneer ancestors for the sacrifices they made so that I can enjoy the life I now have. I am grateful for their faith in and love for God and for passing that that down to me. They came in different ways at different times. If I could say thank you to them today I would. Pioneers of the past - my hat is off to you!

Alphie Cluff, Julia Cluff, Rebecca Cula Langman Cluff in front of Moses Cluff Home

Hiker With Map - Cartoon

A cartoon for those who have voted so far to see more. I have not added a cartoon for the one who would rather not see more.

Hiking to Stewarts Cascades

A lovely 2 mile hike brought us to this:
(When I say 'this' I mean the waterfall. When I say 'us' I don't mean the 4 guys in the picture - we don't know who they were or why they wanted to be in our picture. We never saw them along the trail on the way in - until that moment, and we never saw them again. We only know they were willing to take a picture for us & wanted to be in our picture. I shall refer to them as the 5 amigos. It is a strange tale, but it is true.)

Yellow Flower along the trail

Pretty Waterfall

In The Waterfall

Man going to work - Cartoon

Joke 2

I heard this on the radio:

An older gentleman was hard of hearing & his family pestered him to be fitted for a hearing aid. Finally after months of prodding, he went to his doctor & got his hearing aid. A few months later he returned to his doctor for a check up. The doctor said his hearing was perfect and his family must be very pleased. The old man said, 'Oh, I havn't told my family. I just sit and listen to everything they say. I've changed my will 3 times.'

The moral of the story... be careful what you say about other people, you never know who might be listening.

Star Gazing...

One of the highlights of the vacation was the star gazing. I brought my telescope & one night, we set it up in a field. We couldn't wait to see Venus which we had noticed for several nights... when the telescope was focused on our bright neighbor, to my surprise, I saw that it was Jupiter & the 4 largest jovian moons were visible. Wow! I had never seen Jupiter so bright before. Bryce is a super place to see the stars. They like to talk alot about the lack of light pollution. This is probably true closer to the canyon. From where we were, the lights of Ruby's Inn were on the Northern Horizon & it was interesting to see what a difference it was to look North vs. South. We also checked out a million stars all over the sky. The evening came to an end with a delicious treat of dutch oven peach cobbler & vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmmmm. When can I go back?

Bryce Canyon

Entrance to Bryce Canyon


Looking down "Wall Street". Yes, I went down, which also means eventually it lead me to a path that came back UP. These hikes really commit you - its down hill to get in and you have no choice but to come back up to get out.

End of the Hike to the "Hat Shop"
(I would have loved to seen it although the hike there & back was quite beautiful)

We had an awesome vacation to Bryce Canyon. We hiked down, we hiked up, we got tired, we had fun. The weather couldn't have been better. Looking for a camping, hiking vacation? Go to Bryce.
---SCROLL DOWN FOR AN AMAZING SLIDE SHOW OF THE SIGHTS AT THE CANYON---