Daydreaming Night Owl

Ella Says #6

2013-06-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Remember When
by: Ellafish

Remember when
the waves rushed over your feet
but the cold shocked you
and you ran away?

Remember when
you saw your first fish
and it grazed your leg
so you swam
like an Olympic Gold Medalist?

Remember when
your lips were blue
and you were shivering
like a madman
but you argued to stay?

and now
you Google pictures
and sign at the screen,
wishing you were there
at the ocean.

STEM Camp Completed

2013-06-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ella finished STEM Camp (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
15 incoming Sophomores from 5 local high schools all experimenting and learning at Paradise Valley Community College for two weeks.

The kids lovingly called it "nerd camp".
I'm proud of my nerd...she had a great time!

They learned about pathogens, the human immune system, disease prevention and research, the human respiratory system, a respiratory disease outbreak, pipetting and gel electrophoresis (lab skills), virus DNA fingerprinting to a disease outbreak, food testing protocols, tracking environmental food contaminants from the source to the table and a few other things.

They also learned about the evolution of the moon, crater formations, meteor probability, precision versus accuracy, the standard measurement system, data collecting, projectile motion, energy and power, probability and failure rates as well as doing multiple (fun) experiments each day.

Whew...

Cool surprise, one of the 4 girls at the camp is Ella's good friend from school. Neither knew the other would be there.

There will be another STEM camp for incoming Juniors next summer.
Ella already said she wants to sign up! She really responds to hands-on-learning, so much more than sitting in class and taking notes.

Lately there's been talk of incorporating the STEAM program into our local schools. (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART and Math). Yes! That sounds even better to me.

All photos except the first and last were taken by STEM instructors.

iPhone Cases

2013-06-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

I squeezed in design time and finished my iPhone case.
Mr. Mailman should be delivering it in a couple days!

Lately I'm into beachy colors (hello summer) so my phone will be covered with Ocean Tiles.

Pretty, huh?
I love it.
Makes me want to snorkel.
Totally okay if you don't like this - really, no prob.
My feeling won't be crushed.
I'll still like you.

Ella wanted me to make a cuttlefish cover.
Squishy, tentacled, ink-filled chameleons, they're her fave animal.
I have something in the works for her...
but for now, there's a Glass Beach Crab.

Cute little thing- we found him on Glass Beach in Kauai, Hawaii.
Perfectly camouflaged to fit in with the tumbled ocean glass.

I plan to make a bunch more - drawing by hand, digitally and using some of my photos. I'll list them all in my new Society6 shop.

Covers will be available for iPhones 3, 4, 4s and 5 as well as the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Ocean Tiles and Glass Beach Crab are all that's in there now but if you like, they're offering free shipping until midnight, June 16th.

I can't wait to be able to drop my phone.
I've been soooo overly careful - it feels inevitable.

My last phone was cracked on a hike two days after I bought it.
Replaying it in my head, I'm sure it looked like a Happy Birthday to the ground. Wish I had a case for that one.

SNL short, teeny bit PG.
What's your worst dropped cell phone story?
Please don't say toilet...oh man, you're gonna say toilet right?

Paper Clouds and Windrush Farms Model

2013-06-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Sam is on the Paper Clouds Apparel website.

From June 10-23, Paper Clouds Apparel is raising money for horse therapy sessions at Windrush Farms for special needs individuals.

You might remember the fun photo shoot we did back in April...
Also, an interview with Paper Clouds Apparel CEO and Founder Robert Thornton.

Just so you know,
I'm not getting paid or perked to promote Paper Clouds-
I just really love what they're doing!

They have lots of Tshirt styles to choose from, this is just a sampling.
They also have prints and greeting cards.
Check them out if you get a chance-
Paper Clouds Website
Paper Clouds Facebook

In the past, I've mentioned that Sam is going to create artwork and help raise money for a special needs organization. We still have to discuss as a family who we'd like to raise money for...we're definitely open to suggestions!

(All photos except the photo shoot are from the Paper Clouds Apparel website.)

Canyon Lake

2013-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

No gigs, no summer camp...nothing planned but going to the lake.
Canyon Lake is a man-made reservoir in the Superstition Mountains.
Nah, we didn't find the Lost Dutchman's mine- we were on a mission to swim!

I was camera snappy happy.
I did manage to get one with me too - on my phone.
Our usual car photo.

112 degrees in Phoenix, the lake was an amazing escape.
Plus, at only an hour and a half away from the house- perfect day trip!

A cooler full of snacks.
A bag full of swim suits.
An enormous amount of sunscreen.
That's all we needed.

Hawks and ducks were everywhere.
The heron (I think that's what it is) was fishing at the marina.

Exhausted and happy, both kids fell asleep on the drive home.

Do you have lakes or the ocean close to your house?
Growing up in Michigan and Alaska, I was always by the water.
Going to a lake, even if it's man-made, feels like home to me.

Summer Vacation in Phoenix

2013-06-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation.
Right now, summer vacation feels more like
summer stay-indoors-and-go-crazy!

We're going to the lake (about an hour from us), we're going camping "up north" and we're going to Michigan for three weeks. We'll be doing the usual summer library events, making the rounds at the museums, going to movies and splash pads...anything with air conditioning or cold water.

Today, we'll hit 112 degrees.

Ella usually does tennis and swim camp, which ends by noon.
This year, she's in STEM camp at a local community college too.
Yay Ella!

The rest of us...we're turning into chickens, haha, feeling very cooped up between activities. Over-heated and under-stimulated. It happens every summer. It's part of living in Phoenix. We like to prepare ahead of time by planning as much as possible. And the rest of the time, we try to adjust.

Mu and I went for a run at 10:30 last night. That was awesome, we'll be doing that often. Now I need to figure out how to squeeze in design time - alone. I really need to work on some cell phone covers. There are a lot of ideas swimming around between my ears I need to get down before they swim away.

You ever get that cooped up feeling in the summer?
Wait, probably not, you probably live somewhere with amazing outdoor summers - right?
So great! Soak it up!
We can't wait to roll in the grass, run through the trees and jump in the lake when we get to Michigan. Counting the days...

Sam Says #9

2013-06-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

At the grocery store,
Sam, Ella and I are looking for Sunbutter Crunch Bars.

A mom with her son and daughter pass by.

Sam sticks his arm in the air and gives them a long, wide wave
as he tells them, "I will always love you."

Sam's Bird Stew recipe:

2 crow bones
1 reptile scale
1 spider head
2 dragon feet
1 lantern
1 Manta ray body
1 glob of pee
1 glob of oil
2 white wings
1 black wing
1/2 caterpillar body
2 1/2 cups of octopus tentacles

Put in a pot and stir.

The Rug

2013-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

It's here.
The rug.
The rug I've been looking for for five months...and haha, it doesn't look anything like what I originally wanted.

If you follow Daydreaming Night Owl on Facebook or Instagram,
you may have seen this hint:

This picture is all filter-y and yellow.
The rug is actually a really pretty green.
#dognose

Green rug, greenish sofas- I know, looks weird now.
Hopefully what I'm seeing in my head will happen and everything will be comfy and stylish soon.

100% wool pile with a cotton backing,
8'x10'...it definitely defines the space.

I'm in love. Sam told me I should "marry it".

Why did I veer from the original plan of a whimsical floral rug?
New plan, the stars of the room will be interchangeable things, like pillows and accessories. The rug, since we'll have it quite a few years, will be something I can mix with a variety of styles.
Because I emptied the room, I have a million directions I can take this...most likely sticking with an eclectic cottage style.

Oh, and it was in our price range too!

Marked down from $1056 to $323.34 + free shipping on Amazon.
I'm sure no one buys this for over a thousand dollars.
Most likely the original price is there to make the buyer feel like he/she is getting a deal. BUT, I did have this rug bookmarked months ago...when it was listed for $700 on sale and it's wool...I feel like we got a fantastic deal.

It's going through it's shedding stage. Most wool rugs will shed a lot in the first few months. Of course, Mu understands and sympathizes.

I'll share more as the room comes together.

As far as your living space, do you sit on ideas and wait for things to come your way or are you a spontaneous buyer? I'm a bit of both. The rug is definitely the longest I've waited...hopefully this room redo can speed up a bit now.

Quick Spicy Mushroom Pho

2013-06-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

This soup is so easy.
It sort of feels like cheating...
I bought everything pre made and put it together in under 10 minutes.

Spicy Mushroom Pho.

I made a similar soup from scratch with potatoes and other assorted veggies awhile back...
this time I was craving mushrooms without all the work.

Ingredients:
32 oz Pho Starter
(I used Pacific Organic- they have beef, chicken or veggie)
6 oz kimchi
12 oz fresh rice noodles
1 large carrot, sliced into carrot coins
8 oz shitake mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 large leaf of kale, washed and torn into bits
Crushed red pepper

Put broth, mushrooms and carrots in a pot with a lid.
Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer.

In a separate pot, bring water to boil, add noodles for 2 minutes.
Drain and rinse.

Add noodles and kale to soup, bring to boil again.
Voila, done.
If you like spicy, serve soup topped with kimchi and crushed red pepper.

I found all my ingredients at Sprout's and/or Trader Joe's.
I'm sure most of the ingredients could easily be found
at an Asian market too.

Ella woke up this morning asking if there was more soup.
Sorry kid, it was gone almost as fast as it was made.

Do you use pre-made foods in your cooking?
We're used to making everything from scratch because Sam and Tyler are gluten/dairy free. It's awesome having an easy alternative.

Instagram

2013-05-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Voicemails and texts would come in hours after they were sent.
Apps no longer worked or synced.
The battery went from IIIII to RED in less than an hour.
It was definitely time for a new phone.

So, embracing everything that is Apple, I went with an iPhone.
Cute, sleek little thing.
I can already tell it's going to become an extension of my arm.
Design work with the Wacom will still be on the computer, but pretty much everything else can be done in my hand.

I know, late to the party.
You've all been working this way for years, huh?

Instagram...oh man, I've been admiring you from afar.
Now I can snap and share too.
Don't get me wrong, nothing will replace my very loved camera...
but this is going to be fun.

I'm still figuring everything out.
Hmmm...what does this button do?
If you want to follow, I'm daydreamingnightowl.
Or, if you're not on Instagram and want to check out my shots-
I'm pretty sure you can follow HERE.

Are you Instagramming?

Watching Now

2013-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Me:
Crime + psychology + love.
Whip-smart, super confident and flawed lead character.
Perfect break from documentaries, zombies and Downton Abbey.

Ella:
Oh my gosh, it's so good. All my friends are watching this too.
It has David Tennant in it. Did you hear me?
David Tennant...from Harry Potter? It's soooo good.

Sam:
Kratt Brothers. They go on adventures and rescue animals.
How big are giant tortoises?
Why do giraffes have long necks?

Tyler:
Well, Fringe isn't on anymore so I guess Game of Thrones is my favorite.
I used to really like Game of Thrones until I read the books.
I like the books way better.

I agree, we're all pretty geeky.
Some a little more than others :)

What are you watching right now?

Challenging the Core

2013-05-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

The May Plank Challenge started out great but soon fizzled.
Most who accepted the challenge dropped out by the second week.

Stephanie J. and Sarah H. - you're both challenge rockstars!

Yeah, the plank is an excellent exercise...it's tough and effective...especially when planking for more than a minute.

BUT- staring at the floor is so boring.
At least to me.
I need to move while working out.

My max time was 3 minutes. Could I have done more? Oh yeah, I didn't push myself to reach 5 minutes at all. I gave up. I'm done with just planking.

Michelle I. sent me a fantastic link from Tribe Sports.

Maybe this will be fun?
Still planks but a lot of movement. I think I can do this.
How about you?

trophy image source

Sad Moon on the Rise

2013-05-28T10:08:00.001-07:00

I feel like a jackass.
I've been ignorant.

While Sam was in Structured Autism Kindergarten, I assumed your children with autism were attending the same types of classes around the country.

When we found out Sam was accepted into the 2e - Uniquely Gifted program, I told my Facebook friends how excited we were for Sam and his new adventure (and how sad we are to leave his old team).

A great friend from California, who has taught Special Ed for 10 years, didn't recognize the name of Sam's new class.

I thought, huh, weird...
don't you have the same classes in your Special Ed department?
Nope.

Hmmmm...that doesn't seem fair.
What about our federal laws for a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities (FAPE) and the Individuals with Disibilities Education Act (IDEA)?
What about all the children who need those specifics in their IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) to have a positive learning environment and experience?

Turns out, after a little research, Arizona is one of a few states who provide the needed services for children with autism to learn and progress. From what I've read so far, only Massachusetts and New York provide the same classes.

Well no wonder why I'm constantly hearing horror stories about IEP meetings and kids being kicked out of school AND parents being encouraged to drug their children to keep them "normal" in class. So horrible, so sad.
I'd love to help change this...what can be done?
First, more research....

Of course, I (we) feel extremely lucky to be in a state where Special Ed is tailored to the needs of the students. But I also feel super guilty...it must seem that I've been bragging or showing off how wonderful our schools are when really, I didn't know how bad some of yours may be. I'm so sorry if I've come off in a "hey, look at how great we are" kind of way. I honestly thought you were all able to participate in the same classes and receive the same services if needed.

I'm not sure why AZ, MA and NY have these programs while the rest of the county goes without. I'm guessing it's probably because of school budgets/politics? Whatever it is, I'm loving Arizona all of a sudden. Seriously, I was first in line to bash this heat...not anymore.

Moon pictures?
From the other night, when it was full.
The title? A play on CCR's Bad Moon Rising
(I always thought they were saying "There's a bathroom on the right".)

Uniquely Gifted Salmon

2013-05-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Sam requested homemade salmon jerky.
He's never had salmon.
To see if he likes the flavor, I made oven-baked salmon for him to try.

Ella was eating in the last post, it's Sam's turn.

Small portions means no waste -
they can always have seconds and thirds!

Quick glaze:
Drizzle of sesame oil in a sauce pan (or olive)
Saute 2 cloves minced garlic
Add 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce, if you like)
3/4 tsp ground ginger (fresh would be better, ground is all I had)
1 tsp honey
Heat until bubbling, stir constantly,
let it reduce until it begins to thicken - a few minutes.

Spread the glaze on your salmon.
We had 2 filets, 10-12 oz total.
Bake at 400 (on parchment if skinless) for 12-15 minutes or until flaky.

EASY.
We almost always eat our fruits/veggies raw.
Carrots, green beans and mango were his requested sides.

I told him salmon is brain food, filled with omega-3 fatty acids.
As he gobbled it up he said, "Oh, I can feel my brain growing bigger and stronger!"

Which is good, he's going to need his big, strong brain next year in first grade. He's been accepted into the Twice Exceptional (Uniquely Gifted) classroom. New school, new teacher, new therapists, new team, new friends. It's an exciting adventure for our whole family...and at the same time we're very sad to leave the people Sam has been with through kindergarten.

If any of his kindergarten teachers/therapists/aides/team are reading this, we are truly honored, grateful and lucky to have had you in our lives. Many of you taught not just Sam, but our entire family valuable lessons, new perspectives and tools for every day life. Your sincere encouragement and love for Sam is something we'll never forget. It was incredible to see the progress he was making each week and I know you were all working over time to help him/us succeed. Thank you. Huge squishy hugs for all of you.

Captive Camera

2013-05-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I are so connected.
It's like I can almost read her mind.

Okay Ella, I'll just take a picture of
my delicious fake-blackberry-sugar-water-juice.

All love though, really.
She's a fantastic girl.

It just, she's so still and captive while eating...
how can I resist?
Heehee.

Last day of school today!
Summer vacay officially starts now.

We're thinking about going to Michigan.
Maybe climb some trees, swim in a lake,
eat wild raspberries (which I'll photograph) and love on some family.
Are you making summer plans?

Rain Drain

2013-05-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've entered a Spoonflower contest.
This one is for wallpaper.
They're looking for something Mod, "influenced by the modernist subculture of the late 1950s and early 1960s".
Oh, and it's limited color...
We can use up to three colors with white or black as a fourth color.

I reworked a design I already had...
Yeah, that's supposed to be me, loving the rain.

Day

Night

From the Spoonflower mock-ups of what my wallpaper would look like :

The designs can also be printed on fabric
so I made my usual 20x20 pillow mock-ups too.

Ella and I like Day better (it's beachy-ish).
Sam and Tyler like Night.
Thanks to some Facebook help, I entered Day in the contest.
I'm pretty sure it starts on Thursday.
What do you think?
If you like this pattern, did I enter the right one?

Summer Hair

2013-05-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Summer.
100+ degrees.
Easiest way to keep Sam cool (besides vacations and AC) -
chop off all his hair!

His last haircut was deceiving, we thought he was getting used to the routine of regular cuts from Tyler.
Hahahahahahaha...little monkey....
What could have been a 5 minute buzz cut turned into a two hour bargaining debate.

He's on the living room floor (past his bedtime) enjoying a "nacho picnic" as his reward for finishing the cut. There was also some late 90's Yoshi video game playing going on. Win-win?

Sam Says #8

2013-05-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Sam formed one of his blankets into the shape of a scorpion.
He was using his toy hand drum to drill holes into the scorpion.
Tyler: What's that thing?
Sam: It's my equipment spucker.
Me: Haha, what's a spucker?
Sam: It's a thing that spucks!
(Maybe he meant "inspects"?)

Mother's Day, Sam is in bed next to me as I eat my special breakfast.
Sam: Tomorrow will be Brother's Day so I can have breakfast in bed. I want turkey bacon.

Sculpting his playdough.
Me: What are you making?
Sam: It's a Michelinoceras. I'm about to perform an autopsy.

My Mother's Day lily bloomed so I showed it to the kids.
Sam: I need to eat that flower so my insides can be beautiful too.

Office Chair - Revived

2013-05-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

So much better.

My office/desk chair was in sad shape.
After a couple years of daily use, the cheapo fabric was falling apart.
It's not an expensive chair to begin with, I think we paid $100 bucks,
so it wasn't built to last a long time (in our house).

I didn't take a before pic,
I tore it apart when my camera lens was decapitated.

My chair looked like this, but not sticky leather.
Add a bunch of small holes and runs through the fabric too.
Oh, and the arms are different. So, not exactly identical...close.

I found the upholstery fabric at JoAnn's for $9.99/yd.
40% off coupon. Sweet.
(They have an app - coupons on your phone.)

The original fabric became a pattern for everything
that needed to be sewed. The arms and underside of the seat
were stapled and I didn't staple myself at all.

Big mess- that's me when I'm trying to make something pretty.
I had chair pieces all over the house.
All day, the sofas, our bed and the kitchen counters/table were mine.

After 3 yards of fabric + batting,
this little makeover cost just under $27.

I'm not loving the black parts though...
If it doesn't grow on me by the end of summer, I'll paint them white.
We're in the 100's (Phoenix), spray paint won't work until it cools down.

Ella needed a desk for her room, so I gave her mine.
While I'm living room shopping, I'll be checking out new desks too.

image source

Bye Bye Book Shelves

2013-05-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Seven years with books as the focal point of our living spaces.

We bought Expedit shelves when we lived in a downtown loft space.
They looked fantastic against the brick wall and bamboo floors.

You can kind of see them on the left.

When Sam was born, we went down to one income
and squeeeeezed into a tiny two bedroom apartment.
Man, we were jam-packed!
The shelves were nice for all sorts of storage,
even food, as we didn't have a pantry.

Our silk furniture didn't survive the ~~apartment~~ toddler,
but the shelves did.
So we brought 'em to the house we're in now.

A couple weeks ago I lightened them with paint,
to try to make them less hulking and dominant.
But the paint was more of a bandaid than a fix.

Reassembled and randomly filled-
nope, no way, not what I was looking for.

I love them but...
I'm okay if I don't see our ~~mess~~ abundance of books all the live long day.

The shelves will be in storage until we move again.
The next place we go, we plan to have an art studio and the shelves will be perfect for supplies.

Now that they're gone I'm inspired to finish putting the room together.
I removed all the artwork and photos- right now, the room has two large sofas, a ridiculously huge flat screen (I also want to get rid of that but Tyler would freak) and the dresser that's waiting to be refinished.
It all feels so much lighter.
Much more intimate.
Clean-slate!
Time to start shopping again!
Oh, and thanks to YHL forums, I finally have a great lead on a rug.

Any DIYing happening at your place? Have you ever tried to make something better but really, it was never right to begin with?

Ella Says #5

2013-05-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Jason (Ella's Dad), Sam and I were treated to ear-candy + choreography
from 186 kids at the last choir concert of the school year.
(Tyler had a gig.)

The kids were, as usual, so much fun to watch!
The choir teacher was errrrrg....still a diva.
Spot light, tuxedo, talked for an hour- not kidding.

One of the kids even said (not to him),
"See Mr. XXX, this is why we can't have nice things!"
There was a lot of sighing and yawning from the audience.

I asked Ella if anyone ever says anything to him and her eyes grew wide-
NO WAY! He'd be so mad at us!

I guess it's not all Glee up in there.

Packed house.
The kids sang and danced their butts off.

After the concert, we made our way to Tyler's gig.

Jason had us dying laughing,
performing one of the concert songs in the parking lot
(including the moves).
Ahhhh, such a dork.
If I wasn't sitting, I would have fallen on the floor.

Sam and I hung out in the car
while Jason and Ella went in to check out Tyler's last song.

After they were done, Ella dorked out in the parking lot too.

Imagine she has a cowboy hat in her hand.
Video is from Jason's iPhone.

Ella Says is a once a month post,
where Ella gets to express her creativity with poetry, songs and drawings. This month she's showing off her dork side :)

Happy Day, Happy Lens

2013-05-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all who celebrated!

Mine was pretty chill.
Very much like last year...I'll take it!

Breakfast in bed.
Gorgeous fresh flowers.
A homemade macaroni card.
Cool presents.
Time alone and with the fam.
Awesome.

We tried to recreate one of my favorite pictures.

Last year:

This year:

Tickle fight and more natural light.
Man, I love those kids.

If you're wondering, yes...my camera has been fixed!

The part showed up.
I followed the youtube video (to repair a broken bayonet)
and cursed irrationally at the screen.
Total temper tantrum.
The screws are so tiny and I was getting frustrated.
I just wanted to chuck the whole thing and buy a new lens.

Lucky for me (and that lens), patient and thoughtful Tyler was home.
He calmed the situation,
went to the hardware store for jeweler's screwdrivers
(I was using the wrong kind)
and he fixed everything.
Thank you Tyler! mwah xo

How did you spend your weekend?
I know some of you got hit with more snow...in May.
Was anyone getting mad at gadgets and eating bagels in bed, like me?

Clean Puppy Love

2013-05-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

I gave Mu a shower and a blow dry.
Best workout of my life!

Maybe the shedding won't be as bad.

Yeah, right.
He's wearing a fur coat in the desert.
It's like the fur is jumping off his body and turning into dust bunny tumbleweeds just so it can blow across the kitchen floor...
and taunt me.

Good thing he's so cute.

She's pretty cute too.

I'm so happy Ella and Sam have such a sweet pooch to grow up with.
He loves them as much as they love him.

I always had pets growing up.
Little Guy was with me for much of my adult life.
I can't imagine being without furry
(or fishy/feathery/scaly/etc) family members.
Did you have pets as a kid?

Spooning with Dumbledore

2013-05-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

A big spoon makes everything fun!

-------

Because my computer is ~~misbehaving~~ dead,
I'm posting from Tyler's Mac.
Dipping my toes, getting my feet wet with a new system.
I grew up on PCs but Illustrator and Photoshop are definitely the jelly to Mac's peanut butter.

Some things seem bass-ackwards (totally a MidWest word- heard it growing up all the time), but I think I can get used to this.
Sorry PC, I'm dumping you.

Okay, so my PC quit on me- I was dumped.

Now I'm going to go date his hotter, younger brother Mac.

Still waiting on my lens part too.
I'm in a gadget stew.
Most likely I'm going to drop my phone in the mall fountain.
Everything in threes, right? Ha!

No computer, no camera, almost no phone....
maybe I'll watch Harry Potter again.
It's been awhile.

Computers and Birds

2013-05-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

We've been up to a bunch of stuff
and I'm in the middle of it all with no clothes...
I mean, no camera.
See, I feel nekkid without it!
Ella's last choir concert, Sam's testing results, the Expedit experiment, new furniture shopping,
(all stuff I'll catch you up on soon)
plus my computer is burning up again.

I'm waffling, I think I want to go Mac this time.
Fine, yeah, okay I'm hard on my computer.
I expect it to run huge programs at the same time.
And do it fast, damn it!
I'm told a Mac is probably better for me.

While waiting on the lens part to be delivered,
I've been using the zoooooom lens.
Whoa baby, I need mucho practice with this lens.
It sat in it's cute little pouch until my regular lens broke.

It's not super easy to use in the house-
so I take a lot of bird pictures...neighborhood wildlife - usually pigeons.

Pomegranates are getting big.

What do you use?
Mac, PC, tablet, abacus, fingers and toes?
Laptop, desktop or mountain top?
I wonder if there's a place I could say-
Hey, this is what I need to use it for- what's the best thing for me?
And by the way, do you have any chips and salsa?