B is for Bucolic Bike ride.

[C, N & M went to pick up K & J. S is asleep, battling a stomach bug.]

I love to ride my bike. I ride it in my head if I'm not actually on it. My legs are going, "UpUpUpUp."

Sunday C and I rode for about 8 miles. It was so fun -- it is tricky to ride with him though. Don't know why. He is always trying to teach me something and although I DO need to learn a lot more about cadence, my cadence, and strength in general, his lectures drag.

What I need to do is pull out my labeler and note what goes which way & does what. Inevitably I shove the wrong thing at the wrong time and it feels as if I have hit wall. NG. [not good] I am getting more comfortable on my bike, but I learn best when I SEE the message a few times and then I get it. It might also help if I built a bike or two--I don't get the gears, big/small = hard? small/big = easy? Low? High? Yes, I actually know a rocket scientist, mais, il n'est pas moi.

Tonight I rode to OCJH (2 miles w/ a steep but short hill) for the open house (K is in 9th grade!) and then onto deliver an invite to J's party on Saturday, further up a hill. That meant that I could ride down a long fun ways.

Came home, via the tunnel, circled about once in the road before riding on my driveway, rode over the grass and parked my bike in its spot in the garage! -- The garage that I Landed today.

Then, refreshed, in nice clothes, I put on an apron and messed with clay for a long while. Thinking: IF I WERE TO HAVE ART, & NOT CLEVER CRAP, IN MY HOUSE WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? WHAT IS OF VALUE? What has meaning & is of use visually? What could I make 3 times and still find fascinating? What is my personal graffiti? Is there life after wind chimes and fridge magnets?

Cleaned up the table and came inside, with clay covered hands and still in the apron.

Happiness.

A is for Art du Auto.

Recently while cleaning the van I came across this scene.

It is breathtaking in its completeness, elegance, range of textures and random silliness. Silly is a power word.

This image tells a story of the van, the children who ride in it, the grit of childhood -- o.k. perhaps that is going a little over the top...

M (5) loves to undress her dolls--now she is just starting to dress them. I'm not sure if Barbie's negligee is intentional or not.

The composition struck me. Not one item was unnecessary.

Chores? Plan? Organized routine?

• Sunday: Journal, meal planning, couple & family council, personal study

• Monday: Clean bathrooms, water plants

• Tuesday: Create shopping list

• Wednesday: Mend, clean stove and microwave

• Thursday: Sweep and mop all hard floor surfaces

• Friday: Balance checkbook, dust

• Saturday: Vacuum, clean cars

Found the above at a sickening blog via Googling: family fun daily chores... I've had the slip of paper for ages and just finally looked it up. The post is from 2007 -- Vanilla something.

My children do things, just not really chores. I've tried. They are nice sweet young people. Our house is kinda messy, but clean. That is all ok. As I have more time at home, not homeschooling or running people about to 5 differnet schools and not digging out from under business/family/personal papers the house is getting neater and tidier. In the meantime my therapist Vanda visits every other week, with a crew, and washes everything down.

My recent favorite is listening to Radio From Hell x96's podcast of the Boner of the Day. I recommend passing out laughing while washing the dishes, or sorting laundry.

Tough jobs... Make It Fun & Get It Done.

There are some things in life that just seem hard to do. Of course they aren't, and yet... finding the courage to actually clean the fridge can seem monumental.
A pal, who is not reading blogs, along with her mother, is focusing on living... GREAT point. Her mother told her, " Just to go out and play with your kids, AND DON'T TAKE PICTURES OF IT!"

Again, agreed. I'd love to print a copy of this wacky journal of sorts, that robs my real journal. So I must record the cleaning of the fridge. It is a rare chore done about this place. These pics don't show the true story, in all its grime.

D is for Deleted comment.

Noelle wrote a great post about getting her children to help around the house. After reading it I ranted... not so cool on her site. Thought I'd post my rant here:

Amen Sister! I have the same &#&$%9248y!!! problem in my house. My new mantra is: HOUSE OF ORDER. I am just so $&^%#T*Y#(*%!!! fed up of doing everything for everybody. I sound an alarm, sort of a funny "Ohohohohoh!" when they drop trash, coats etc on the floor, leave dishes etc. They aren't getting away with anything. I stand over them while they finish a task and chirp, "Once a job you have begun never stop until it's done..." It is making a small difference. And often I am making myself sick and tired; this is not my natural style, but that wasn't working either. :P

S is for Star Mill Antiques fire.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7655704

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695233686,00.html

Last night my sister-in-law MVL told me that she saw on the news that there was a big fire the Star Mill Antique store in American Fork. My heart sank. Daniel Copper is a friend of ours, he has always been very kind to our children, us and very generous. What is he feeling? What will happen to his store? How is he doing?

I read that the main building, the mill itself was not harmed. Yet... smoke is an insidious neighbor. I will go visit today with some fruit and a note from all of us. K especially loves Daniel's place! It is a treasure trove of beautiful old things, lots of wonder and great combinations. In one corner of a warehouse he might but a collection of globes, hanging upside down from the ceiling. One room is white. Doors on doors on doors. Jars of old bottle caps, pennies, rubber balls, random mystery relics of past simple consumer goods.

Daniel Copper is an architect and a very nice man. He reminds me of a starling (the bird). Simple and practical on the outside and then with closer look you see all the colors and depth, talent and grace, strength, and the fragility of a bird. He has restored the mill and several of the surrounding houses. I was also saddened at the possible loss of another historic structure in Utah, especially one so cool. Old buildings are torn down here like the owners/cities are swatting flies... witness downtown Provo in 2007.

Another reason my heart sank: What about the 15th? A while ago I bounced into Daniel's store and told him that I was painting our living room purple! and our handrail red, and our entry green, a bathroom yellow, the kitchen gray, the outside blue... Without a pause he said, "Then you'll be on our Christmas home tour right?!" I said, "Sure!" before I knew what I was getting into. Every few years he hosts a home tour of/for friends of the store, of homes that decorate with antiques, or "junk" as he sometimes calls it -- especially "junk" from his store. I prefer Nanette's reference to my "authentic" style, a combination of Daniel's style of junk and my sense of humor & history. The house is shaping up into a glittery house of ORDER! Complete with cupcakes, and gingerbread, on the 15th.

For Daniel, who has told people if you only go to one house go to [ours]... I have been dolling (literally), lighting, glittering, gingerbreading this place up. My studio, with a large shelf from his store, is even scheduled to be cleaned up for the tour! And I'm serious about the cupcakes. Until he tells me otherwise I am still planning on an open door on the 15th, it might be a good way to help him out.

Since I don't know who is reading this blog, the good, the very good, the bad and the ugly, I'm not posting the details (addresses) here. The other homes are far flung about Utah County. If you want more information leave a comment or contact me.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to include Daniel Copper in your prayers.

C is for Crappy Children's Books. :P

Been spending lots of time going through crap, crappity crap crap. This afternoon was no exception.

Back to the pile of crap children's books. I have several friends who post delightful bits about fine children's books. This is not one of those posts. Don't buy anything. Especially not children's books. Read them at Barnes and Noble. It is a racket! The kids don't need ANY books from the Scholastic Book Fair, no matter how excited they are about a paperback that they will read once in less than half an afternoon. Get to a LIBRARY! It is a consumer myth, designed to make you buy MORE, that children need to own bookS.

One part was organized (pictures to follow) and then I looked at the HALL WAY! MORE!!! More, more, more books. We do have favorites; the list is short:
Elmer the Elephant
Woway for Wodney Wat (I'm not sure about the spelling)
Red Hat, Blue Hat
My Monster Mama Loves Me So
Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
Hand, Hand Finger Thumb
Flat Stanley
Red Fish Blue Fish ...
Dr. Suess' Sleep Book (It is soooo good! True confession: I didn't finish reading that book, (kept falling asleep,) until I was at least 12.)
It's a Spoon not a Shovel
anything by Sally Mavor (even though her stories are kinda weak.)
So You Want to be President?

Do we really need books about Science Fair projects? Pumas? even Sardines, for Pete's sake! No toys and no books this Christmas! Ah, ah, ah!!!

By the way, I am hoping to donate many of these unwanted books to schools, especially Utah School for the Deaf, HOWEVER: so many of these books are simply crap that they are not even worth donating!