CHANGE IN PLANS MUST

Things are going to be CHANGE. But more about that later.  Right now, I am writing my Tales for Tots curriculum for work.  On the schedule for September are... 

Tuesday September 6^th

How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Wednesday September 7^th

Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino

Tuesday September 13^th

Zack’s Alligator Goes to School by Shirley Mozelle

Wednesday September 14^th

Invasion of the Grumpies by Thal Dixon

Tuesday September 20^th

The Three Little Dinosaurs by Jim Harris

Wednesday September 21^st

Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Land Crab Cakes Later) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

Tuesday September 27^th

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

Wednesday September 28^th

What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Ann Schwartz

I am most excited for Zack's Alligator because we will make cute alligator magnets out of clothespins and What Makes a Rainbow? because we are doing MAGIC MILK!  I love magic milk!

Have you ever done it?

Magic Milk

Materials needed:

Whole Milk
Plastic Take-Out containers or Deep Plastic dinner plates
Food coloring
Dawn Dish Soap
Q-Tips

With just a touch of your little Q-Tip Wand, you can make EXPLOSIONS of color!

1. Pour enough milk in the dinner plate to completely cover the bottom and allow it to settle.

2. Add one drop of each of the four colors of food coloring - red, yellow, blue, and green - to the milk. Keep the drops close together in the center of the plate of milk.

3. Find a clean cotton swab for the next part of the experiment. Predict what will happen when you touch the tip of the cotton swab to the center of the milk. It's important not to stir the mix just touch it with the tip of the cotton swab.

4. Place a drop of liquid dish soap (the Dawn brand works well) on the tip of the cotton swab. Place the soapy end of the cotton swab back in the middle of the milk and hold it there for 10 to 15 seconds. Look at that burst of color! It's like the 4th of July in a bowl of milk: mini-explosions of color.

5. Add another drop of soap to the tip to the cotton swab and try it again. Experiment with placing the cotton swab at different places in the milk. Notice that the colors in the milk continue to move even when the cotton swab is removed. What makes the food coloring in the milk move?

How does it work?

Milk is mostly water but it also contains vitamins, minerals, proteins, and tiny droplets of fat suspended in solution. Fats and proteins are sensitive to changes in the surrounding solution (the milk).

When you add soap, the weak chemical bonds that hold the proteins in solution are altered. It's a free for all! The molecules of protein and fat bend, roll, twist, and contort in all directions. The food color molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible activity. At the same time, soap molecules combine to form a micelle, or cluster of soap molecules. These micelles distribute the fat in the milk.

This rapidly mixing fat and soap causes swirling and churning where a micelle meets a fat droplet. When there are micelles and fat droplets everywhere the motion stops, but not until after you've enjoyed the show!

There's another reason the colors explode the way they do. Since milk is mostly water, it has surface tension like water. The drops of food coloring floating on the surface tend to stay put. Liquid soap wrecks the surface tension by breaking the cohesive bonds between water molecules and allowing the colors to zing throughout the milk. What a party!

Repeat the experiment using water in place of milk. Will you get the same eruption of color? Why or why not? What kind of milk produces the best swirling of color: skim, 1%, 2%, or whole milk? Why?

Additional Info

Detergent, because of its bipolar characteristics (hydrophilic on one end and hydrophobic on the other), weakens the milk's bonds by attaching to its fat molecules. The detergent's hydrophilic end dissolves in water and its water-fearing end attaches to a fat globule in the milk.

So, ANYWAYS, things, they are a-changin'. Not just at work. Today I had 2 appointments.  One with Larry the Cucumber at Vocational Rehabilitation and the other with my therapist, Jan Levenson-Gould. My first was Larry the Cucumber.  Very nice, but blunt and informed, man. 

We talked about the job market, how much I could expect to make vs. how much I had taken out in student loans.  I was hoping VR could help PAY for school... apparently they can't help much at expensive private schools like Broadview.  If I was going to a state school they might be able to, like, cover the books that the Pell grant didn't.  And so we talked about that...

Not just because of the money, though.  Because my arm/spine thing, is hurting still and not healing yet.  And vet tech is a really physical major. A really physical CAREER.  And I am the kind of klutzy person who GETS HURT.


So, I might love animals, but maybe it is a bad move for me to be a vet tech.  


And the money is an issue.  Not just the school cost, but the fact that Vet Techs make around 25,000 a year... where as ASL Interpreters are, on average $38,850... but can be much much more.  As in, like $40 an hour. (I currently am at the top of my game at Thanksgiving Point at 8).  If I were to go back to ASL and Deaf Studies (which is what I was majoring in at UVU (then UVSC) back before the headaches began), become a 'terp, well, maybe I would have money to pay for a home of my own, have the pets I want, maybe do some rescuing.

Not to mention even if the economy gets even worse, there is a chance vet tech jobs will be even harder to come by... whereas social programs that need interpreters will still be needed.

The other thing is the education itself.  With the Vet Tech program I get a Vet Tech degree.  Which is good ONLY if I really become a vet tech. It's not a bachelor's degree.  But I CAN get a bachelor's degree in ASL and Deaf Studies.  A bachelor's I can do something else with, if I choose not to be an interpreter... a bachelor's I can continue with to get my Master's of Library Sciences so that IF a Children's Librarian job (ie: dream job) ever opened up, I could actually get it.  If it never did, I'd still have ASL.

So, in the next 2 weeks (because that's the date for UVU) I need to decide for sure, but I think I am going to change.  Change Majors... majorly.  Change majors, change schools, change plans, change identities... okay, so not that last one. ;)

BIIIIG Changes.  Kind of freaking terrified?

I am not a Sark!

(whatever that is, I am not one.)

My new therapist, New-Ivy, who's real pretend name is Jan (as in Levenson-Gould on the Office.  Not JanBrady, my cousin Squall's little girl), wants me to seriously do affirmations in the mirror.  Not "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, people like me!!!" but telling the mirror ways in which I am a success.  Doing that with her, I bawled like she's asked me to murder a puppy.  It was so embarrassing.  So, what I am supposed to to TELL said mirror is as follows:

1. I am going to vocational rehabilitation.
2. I am going to therapy to change my way of thinking.
3. I am going to physical therapy and water aerobics to get stronger and healthier.
4. I am taking my prescribed meds to be well.
5. I have a part-time job that is fulfilling and fun. 
6. I am starting my own small business (Critters 2 Go).
7. I am going back to college to get a better career.
8. I am talented, and keep busy with creative things.
9. I take good care of my animals.

I'll add some more if I think of any other "I am not failing" type of thoughts.  But I don't think that saying it all in the mirror is going to help me AT ALL.

Bird, Business deals, and the Red White and Blue

This past week I was playing mama bird to a little guy I called Pockets.  Someone gave him to the farm to raise... none of whom would take him on, so they gave him to me while I was doing Family Facilitation.  A tiny, bald little thing who I fed every 2 hours for a week before I got really sick.  The parents blamed Pockets. I disagree with them, but regardless of WHY I got sick, I got REALLY sick and was in no position to argue nor to take as good of care of my baby and THEY wanted him GONE. As in they were talking about killing him.  But the Roomie was our hero.  She took him and got online and found him a forever home.  The lady drove all the way out from Nevada to adopt him and just loves him to pieces.  Now called "Phineas," he is doing very well.  I will miss him but am very happy for the darling little starling.

Also this past week was Independence Day.  So yay, family holiday times.  No, seriously, it WAS fun.  Went to Stadium of Fire at BYU on Saturday, which was cool, though I still felt sick. 

Then Monday 2 things... Went to the VERY good Toy Story 3.  I loved it!  But before that? I met with the Marketing Manager of Jumpin' Jacks about doing Critters 2 Go parties there.  The meeting went REALLY well. They were very nice and the partnership seems like a situation beneficial to both of us.  They will link to my website, schedule me THROUGH me, have a specific Jungle Room, and will pay me the amount we talked about, etc.  And I have to admit it was just cool to have a real BUSINESS MEETING about Critters. 

TAD Feb 4 Thurs. and Chicks, Man.

So, I am not really an official Thing-a-Day person like Steph.  Because 1. you have to sign up for that. 2. then I would really have to do it EVERY day. BUT I was thinking it really is a cool goal to try to CREATE something every single day.

But today I made 2 baseball cards.

Featuring DUCK! and CHICKEN! for the 5th grade lesson plan and I was highly entertained, even if they will think we are dumb. Also, found an amazing set of pics to use.  Have YOU ever seen how chicks grow in the egg?  LOOKIE!

And just for kicks and giggles, guys, here is hatching.

Critters to Go [and STAY!]

I haven't been writing for awhile and since then, even my family has grown...
Okay, mostly in the Herp sense. ;)

If you are my friend on Facebook then you probably know that Conference Weekend was also REPTILE EXPO weekend and I went with Jakey and Megs and I brought home a sweet little gecko named Jack. He is adorable. Seriously adorable.

But that's not all. Much of this, or at least SOME of this, you can blame on my new business endevor "Critters 2 Go." You can see the website, a work in progress... here. Let me know what you think though. Because I am still trying to figure it out. But here is my little Furry, Scaley, Slimey, etc. Family up to date:

Lilo, Epiphany, and Heber, my babies, my darlings, aka: my Sugar Gliders


Bratanik, my Russian Tortoise, who's Observed Birthday (adoption day) was yesterday



Tortuga, my Red Ear Slider Turtle



Jack, my new baby Leopard Gecko



Mab and Oberon, my new baby American Green Tree Frogs



Legolas of the Woodland Realm, my new and very very LONG (measured him today - 13.5 inches from nose to tail tip!) Asian Long Tailed Grass Lizard



Edward, Giselle, Lil' Spencer, Jessi Jr., Cynthia Jr., Rooster, and their 24 Unnamed Relatives, my Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches



(Oh... and though I don't OWN her, I still almost always count my friend, Cali

I've Been Clunked... but it's not MY Cash

I recently have become much more environmentally friendly, you might say.

I am pretty conservative, but I have always been the "granola" one in my family. I recycle when I can afford it, I care for animals, I either use reusable grocery bags or take home the plastic ones to use as trash bags.

And, of course I am in education so I am CONSTANTLY collecting and using the following for art projects:

2 Liter Pop Bottles
Toilet Paper Rolls

Film Canisters

CapriSun Pouches

Vegetable Scraps

Cardboard Egg Cartons

Wire Hangers (appologies to Mommy Dearest!)

Plastic Water Bottles
By the way, we need a THOUSAND of the water bottles and hangers soon, so if you have some for me I'd love you and if you have a LOT for me, I'd BRIBE you. Like you're fam could be my half price guests at Thanksgiving Point or something.

ANYWAY, back to the point... my family just recycled something BIG. Ducky, my Jeep. Even though it truly was a "clunker" and had to be towed half way there and then fixed BY the dealer for the deal to go through, I still cried a little.

Nutshelling It

1. What time did you get up this morning? 10, which is plenty early, thank you. Cali asked me if she could come in via my window and I let her. Good thing as I was supposed to go to work. I really do love that cat.

2. How do you like your steak? Mooing. No, not rare... literally. I don't LIKE steak, so I rather prefer cows as friends. Not that I am a vegitarian even, it's just I hate getting to KNOW somebody only to have them become FOOD. And this is me and my new favorite cow. She is a calf named Rosebud. She is so cuddly she thinks she is a dog.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Probably Twilight, with the Fam. It's been awhile.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Office, or Heroes, or possibly 30 Rock or NCIS. Sometimes Perry Mason, still though.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? If I somehow was sill allowed the pets I have and want though they are illegal there then back in Hawaii, probably.

6. What did you have for breakfast? SlimFast: The

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Probably Chinese or Italian.

8. What foods do you dislike? My System greatly dislikes spicy things, even when my tongue likes them. Other than that, umm, a lot of stuff really. Because a lot of foods make me sick, so I am pretty picky.

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Possibly Macaroni Grill or China Bowl.

10. Favorite dressing? Depends on the salad. They have to go with the salad. For, like, fruity ones, like Asian salads with mandarin oranges or spiced nuts raspberry vinigaretes or poppy seed. But for, like, a salad made mostly of lettuces Bleu Cheese. I am a big fan of dressings that GO with the salad... like a salad RECIPE, not just "oh, what can I dump on this?"

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Ducky, the Jeep may NEVER be out of the shop, kind of like his driver. SIGH. Most often these days I find myself driving either the Tractor or Super Golf Cart things at work.

12. What are your favorite clothes? This is going to sound so evil, but if I could I swear I would be nude.

Other than that, funny t-shirts.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Australia. I would totaly dig seeing cousins of my babies flying all wild through the trees!

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? It's both... duh.

15. Where would you want to retire? My own little goat farm or something. But I'd ike to do that BEFORE being too old to enjoy it.

16. Favorite time of day? Non-morning

17. Where were you born? Chicago, Illinois-ish... Downer's Grove specifically.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Quidditch ;) (Yup, still answering that that way.)

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Don't care.

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? Don't Care.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Not really doing the Tag thing here. Just writing something other than whining about medical problems for a change!

22. Bird watcher? Yes, a little, though, I do not hang bird feeders in this, the parent's, yard. Because they would just make it a little too convenient for Cali to murder them.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? NIGHT.

24. Pets? 3 adorable sugar gliders. 1 semi-feral neighbor cat. 1 Russian tortoise and 1 turtle, still at my apartment being tended by my Roomie that I don't even live with right now. 3 Bull frogs, in various stages... but I really WILL return them to the wild soon.

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share? I don't like any of the news that is currently in my life. My Uncle Ken has Cancer and they are doing surgery this week. This is Brady's dad... Brady who was killed in 9-11. I don't think that is freaking FAIR is all. *crying*

My mom still can't see. I also may have the same heart defect that caused her stroke, which may be why my migraines are so bad. I will be getting the tests. But they are expensive.


26. What did you want to be when you were little? An astronaut, teacher, vet, paleontologist, mom, zookeeper, artist, author and professional roller skater. Except for the skating, my job pretty much covers it, so that works (except for the salary and benefits).

27. What is your best childhood memory? I have a LOT of them. I can't decide. I had a really awesome childhood. No joke.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Yes. I used to say Dog person, no question. But now, well, I really like Cali, so it turns out I am a CAT person too. Go figure!

29. Are you married? No way!

30. Always wear your seat belt? Always!

31. Been in a car accident? Yes, though fortunately only minor ones. Though I still think they are pretty traumatic! Like hitting that deer that one Valentine's with Mali and Megs and BoyKid? That seriously STILL gives me nightmares, even though BoyKid was highly funny and quotable.

32. Any pet peeves? People who ONLY talk on speaker phone, and walk into rooms doing so, and then are annoyed YOU are being loud. UMMM, YOU walked in, Dad. Go talk in YOUR room.

33. Favorite pizza topping? "Hawaiian"... Canadian Bacon, Pineapple, etc. Mmmm!

34. Favorite Flower? Daisies or Plumeria... or Dandelions!

35. Favorite ice cream? Pralines and Carmel

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Einstein Bagels or Betos... or Sonic just for the drinks

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Zero. Passed it the first time

38. From whom did you get your last email? Ummm... someone in the Red Ear Slider Yahoo group?

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Ummm since I would just have to PAY THE BILLS, none. But if I could just have a GIFT card, any bookstore, thanks!

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Took a picture of a Stegosaurus wearing plastic booties?

41. Like your job? I make cardboard tulips, drive tractors, color pictures, hug baby animals, make a thermometer out of a water bottle, program robots, raise tadpoles, grow wheat in a necklace, make ice cream in a tupperware, make space suits, convince 12 year olds there is such thing as fairies, get free popcorn, snuggle calves, pet chickens, laugh at children, make fossils, launch rockets, and take pictures of a stegosaurus wearing plastic booties...

WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE?!?!

42. Broccoli? It's okay. I prefer Cauliflower, but it is okay. I used to LOVE it when I was little though, with Velveeta. Now, for some reason, I don't love it as much. :(

43. What was your favorite vacation? Probably Hawaii with the fam when we saw the sea turtle or the really random Disneyland trip with Coats and the Deaf club or spring break that was just HILARIOUS with Melissa and Alia and Karalee when we were totally LOST most of the time in Honolulu.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? The fam. :)

45. What are you listening to right now? crickets.

46. What is your favorite color? Purple

47. How many tattoos do you have? a bunch! They are in my junk drawer!

But, umm... none of them are real.

48. Coffee drinker? Just a coffee smeller... were it not for being Mormon though, I think it would SURELY be a one of my DAILY vices, though. Because I LOVE it.

49. How many children do you have? depends on the day! But I don't take them home with me. ;) Unless you count the furry or scaley kind.

50. How many siblings do you have? 2 (and I'M from Utah, TOO, Kami! :OP).

My Heart: FOR SALE

I got a call today. Josie is being sold. Many of the babies were sold together, cheap, and maybe as meat. WeatheredLeatheredFarmLady called to let me know she had saved Josie aside for NOW to offer her to me first.

I said yes. I will buy her.

YOU guys know I can't have her.

Where would she go? She is so loud... and so, well, ILLEGAL. But she is MY LITTLE GIRL. I can not let someone take her who will not keep her as a pet.... preferably a wonderfully SPOILED one. So here it is. The KSL ad for my "daughter"... it's like giving her up all over again.

Oh, and also, speaking of Josie, this cracked me up... I was looking for something about work (Oh, about Rinny. Because she is on TV for a few minutes every other week at least right now. Wednesday Mornings every other week on channel 14 at 10 am I think... and then on Good Things UT on 4 or 5 whatever channel that is, randomly. But Yeah.) and randomly saw a picture in some strangers blog of Josie Pie. Made me proud of her.

p.s. look at the pictures on my ad. The captions are awesome. They are for Josie. Because SHE is awesome. The best goat EVER.

Cutting things short

A Few Short Notes:

*My ulcer makes my stomach hurt so bad today I could cry.

*Got my hair cut short today. I may also do highlights. But for now, a bit shorter.

*I loved playing with my silly little goat on Tuesday. I miss her. She is so dang cute.

*I WASN'T disappointing with the Season premier of Heroes. BUT I understand those who were. I mean, How can you not feel a little let down after a build up like that? A freaking COUNT DOWN SHOW?! Geez! But still... yay! Heroes!

*I am going to be driving Tractor rides a ton during Barnyard Boo this month. SIGH.

*I will be seeing a rheumatologist in Salt Lake soon. Maybe, finally they will figure things out. Sed rate things... and help my Fibro more... maybe.

*BoyKid is completely hilarious. I mean, you know, his letters. I miss him.

*I need to go to bed. Night.

Spoiler-Free Zone, Madam.

Today was... long. Work was more than a little arduous and I am feeling it. However, Josie is doing better and healing well. She seriously is so funny. But weaning is hard. She cries and cries and it is hard not to give her a bottle. She gets so frustrated. So do I. She is going to have to SLEEP at the farm soon... Like, as in, next week. That is the cut off. I am going to bawl. She is so spoiled... she is going to have a hard time adjusting to sleeping outside with no bed or even a rug (I took away her fluffy bed last week to get her used to it. She suffered.) and mostly, without Mama 15 feet away in my room. But I know it is harder on me. I hate hearing her SCREAM like that... like I am starving her. <:O( Poor baby.

Oh! Today I had her out at the pen to see people and this SUPER cute family were asking about her. I think they were from India and they had the most BEAUTIFUL British accents and SO proper. The little boy kept asking me things like, "May I pet her head, Madam?" MADAM? I mean, Ma'am, sure... but Madam? hee hee hee! They were awesome.

Today I had to leave part way during work because I had an appointment with my neurologist, Dr. FTW. She wanted to follow up on my headaches (better... well, less frequent anyway) which was fitting considering when I LEFT the office I happened to be working alone with all the lights off trying to stave off a bad one. Nothing much new. I am still weird. I still hurt. I'm still something like a walking pharmacy. I am still depressed (OH. BUT something HAS changed with that. I forgot.).

Because I finally got some Medicare I can pay for myself going to a Psych IF I go to an approved one (Wasatch Mental Health)... but not if I still see Dr. Apparently. So last time I told him that I MAY come back but that I was going to try to go there. I am nervous about that, big time.

Other than that I am engrossed in the book.

Yes. I am one of those. But I pre-ordered and they only just delivered it so unlike all the others I have not finished... so in order to not see spoilers I am avoiding all blogs about the Twilight series. AND as I said, I have been crazy busy at work. So I have not been able to read as much as I want.

I am in the middle and so far like it, but am scared to death because I have heard this from so many people about hating it. I don't WANT to hate it... does the hating it happen right away? If I am in the middle, still in love, am I safe from hating it? Or will I suddenly hate it after 2/3? Just THAT little hint would help me brace myself, you might say.

Fringe on the Farm

I miss the Fringe! It was so funny to see Parker and Risa! Like I think I even talked to Risa as much as Parker! Yay for Fringe-in-Law and yup, Mini-Fringe. HellBaby is now a little girl not a baby who whines a lot and apparently only likes things that are girls. LITERALLY "Don't worry, Helen! It's a GIRL pony." "No, Helen, it's not scary, these are GIRL goats." She still whined a lot. On the other hand, the baby, Tommy, is really smart and talks quite a bit for a 1 year old. And WASN'T whining the whole time. Boys are cooler.

But Hell WAS obsessed with SUE, a particular dinosaur at the Chicago Field Museum. (You may have heard of her. Sue is FAMOUS. I knew about her, anyway.) And so we had to relate all of the dinosaurs to her. "This is Sue's friend..." But then when she realized it was a DIFFERENT T-Rex at OUR museum she started to cry and got really homesick. This is their first family trip. *rolls eyes* ANyway, had to give her SOME props for being into dinosaurs. hee hee!

Anyway... PICTURES.

Yes, that is MommyDearest, PARKER'S mom with us. DON'T ASK.

I want to KEEP my Foster Kid but I can't afford a damn farm.

I was explaining this to Steph earlier who got it so hopefully this won't sound stupid to everyone else either. The reason I haven't been writing lately is I feel like a hypocrite and I don't want to feel like a hypocrite. ("Doin' the Hypocrite Rock rock!" Yeah, I still like Scripture Scouts. I AM a dork.)

I am having a particularly hard time emotionally right now. We have been adjusting my meds, continuing therapy, and working on it from other directions (I am on "meal time" shots, too, now)... but I still mostly feel like I am only half living, and am not "correct thinking" sometimes, which means 1. I finally got approved for one of the lower plans on Medicare (Yay!) and 2. Have been living at my parents' house and under their supervision since January. This week I moved back in to my own home with The Roomie and my critters! Unfortunately the reason I convinced everyone I could go back home WASN'T because I was doing so well, but because I had PROMISED the roomie I would tend the birds (and my own critters) for her big week long hike to Havasou which is now.

Right now the dealio is I HAVE to check in with my parents everyday. Which works since my mom babysits Josie the days I am in charge of day camps. But I am getting ahead of myself. Anyway, they think maybe after The Roomie comes BACK from her hike I should come back to the homestead, but I am negotiating. ;O) hee hee!

So, yeah, struggling. HOWEVER, the crazy part is I have been DOING super fun things! WHY AM I SAD?! It's not fair to be sad when things are good! That's screwed up! Besides being screwed up it makes me sound stupid and fake and hypocritical! "Life is so good! I want to die! Yay fun! I hate myself!" (Wow, that was a LOT of exclamation points.... bugger it. I meant them. They equal emotion, I was being emotive.) Grrr...

But anyway the good things, and I mean REALLY cool things. 1. Parkerisa and the Mini-Fringe HellBaby and new baby, Tommy came from Illinois to visit! 2. I got a foster kid and fell so in love with her it may rip my heart in to pieces to give her back when the time comes... oh, that last part is not so good. But Yeah.

For those of you worried that some deluded child services worker has given me the care of another human being, I mean LITERALLY, a KID. Josie is a baby goat. A Nigerian Pygmy goat to be specific and she is adorable. Her mama rejected her, now she thinks I'm mom. I bottle feed her every 4 hours, let her potty inside my house when we don't make it outside (though we are trying out diapers), worry about her sniffles, and laugh at her hysterical antics. I will have her till she is weaned and then I think I may die. I am so attached. She is horribly spoiled. She is also, unfortunately, every ounce AWARE of how cute and tiny she is and pushes every rule.

I am worried for her. She was a very tiny preemie and not expected to live, so some things are developing GREAT, others she is coming along, others she is behind. I can NOT get her to lick water from a bowl to save her life, though she loves to chew everything in sight. She loves to play and butt and jump onto EVERYTHING, but has major attachment issues when I leave her. It is back and forth. I want to keep her so bad, I have looked into houses with land and SHOCKINGLY (HA!) there are no small farms for rent for under 400 bucks with in commuting distance of work.

For now just trying to enjoy the moment... and learn to heat up bottles faster, change a GOAT'S diaper one handed, and cover the bruises my baby gives me by LITERALLY walking all over me.

Many MANY pictures to follow (of Josie, the wonder goat, not my bruises) as soon as I can find my dang connector cord that said housegoat has probably dragged away to hide and chew. Naughty little brat.

So, yeah, THE FRINGE WILL REAR AGAIN!!! At least Parker (and Risa and HellBaby and Tommy) and Me. And I will finish THAT story later because it is late and I WAS in bed till Josie woke me up and I decided to hold her and blog a little. TA DA! More later about Parker and Sue and MommyDearest and day camps and Stewie's baby shower and my awesome friends etc.

I got tagged... but just kept on running...

Yeah. Missed this. Woops?

10
Things
that
Make
Me
Happy
(Not necessarily in this order... though not necessarily not in this order either... just to keep ya guessin'!

1. Spell check through Firefox. If makes me look smarter than my own brain might do (For instance, on words that I have struggled with forever... like "necessarily"... for instance.)

(more cat pictures?)

2. Water Aerobics with my mom. Because some days it is the only time I actually feel able to MOVE.

3. New baby goats at work. Just freaking adorable.

4. Cute with Chris. Adorable animals. Sarcastic hilarious commentary via video. Cute guy. Win+win+win.

5. Watching my sugar gliders turn on wild hunter mode to stalk live crickets (a rare treat. Mine usually just get mealworms) in the reptarium. They swished their tails like little cats and lept at them and Lilo was a lazy butt and just tried to steal Heber's kill every time he got one but they just cracked me up the whole time. Made me glad I was a lot bigger than them though. My babies are darling and beautiful... but it reminded me they are also ferocious and anything but domesticated!

6. Fun books to read, either curled up in bed, on a swing, or in the tub (don't worry, Public Library! 1. I ONLY do this with my OWN books and 2. I have never dropped one anyway!). Right now it's The Host. And yes, I like it.

7. My new glasses. They are Transitions and while they may look weird and scare the kindergartners ("How did you do that?" "Do what?" "Make sunglasses!") They help not to trigger so many Migraines because a lot were triggered by changes from dark to light as I go from the classroom out to the farm. Not that all of my headaches are gone, but at least a FEW of them are lessened! YAY!

8. My brother. I miss him but just seeing his stuff, like looking at his room or whatever, totally makes me smile. Because he rocks and his letters are awesome. I am very lucky to be in possession of one of the few BoyKids who actually writes decent letters!

9. I went upstairs yesterday to find my mom watching the new Weezer video, like just watching it by herself.

Then she turns to me and says, "okay, so, I want to get ALL the jokes. Can you find all the links?" I told her that a lot of them she would NOT find funny, that some of them swore a lot, etc, but she insisted. So we sat there for HOURS watching the kid tell us to leave Brittney Spears alone (and then Seth Green to leave Chris Crocker alone which was freaking hilarious. I *heart* Seth Green), Kelly shop for shoes, the Star Wars kid, the Sneezing Panda, the dramatic prairie dog, etc. I basically watched EVERYTHING "important" on YouTube with my MOM. Some I had sent her before, of course, but yeah. It was so Bizzare. And my mom is the coolest.

10. People who value inteligence (and entertainment value) over waist size.

P.S.

Okay, so, check this out. The Host VIDEOS! I didn't make these. Nor am I in them.

But I DID hang that pirate flag in our office window!





Why? Umm... Because I was bored.

And I like Pirates. And the Education department of TGP are sort of like pirates... the rest of the company tends to hate us, we are all over their territory, we say Arrrgh...

We are the Pirates of Education!
We won't stay in our place we roam around
and if you if ask us to do anything!
We'll just tell you...
Ask Rinny because that's prob'bly not Educaaation!


I freaking Love my Job.



Oh, AND, somebody totally got a clip of Ginger's trick on YouTube!!!



The funny thing, is the voice is familiar... I think it was a dad filming DURING the same field trip I took that last picture of her! Not that she hasn't done it many times, but I am still pretty sure I am JUST off to the right of this little video talking to his kindergartner about Nubians, Pygmies, and Boers. HA!

And really, who knew how many of videos of TGP, by the way? Granted most are Concerts (a couple of those I WAS at because they were from the Jamboree) or Little Bobby on the Ponies or something but still, kinda fun going, "HEY! I know that Donkey!" or whatever. Maybe that's just cuz I am a dork... and think of the animals as my coworkers. hee hee! "Yeah, I know her. Her name's Daisy and she's 15 years old... She's a Jersey Cow. Nice gal. Gives us a couple gallons of milk everyday."

Anywhooo... on with life...

Friday with Fanpires and Fairies to Sunday No-Shows

It has been a CRAZY weekend!
WORK was hilarious.

So I get to the barn for my first field trip; Kindergarteners at Farm Country means emphasizing the 5 Senses. I especially love how we say "do you notice it smells different here than at your home?" and I am thinking gee I HOPE it does unless you happen to have cow poop all over YOUR house. We are full of that Teacher-ese, usually with this OVER enthusiasm that I really ONLY can must AT work with my kiddlets. In real life it is just NOT natural to be THAT chipper. "Let's say hi to our friends, Amazing Grace and Annie Oakley. They are Belgians." Or "Oh, this is our little bunny friend!" Occasionally a child asks something like "is this animal your friend too?" "Yep!" But THIS time a more logical and frustrated and confused kid raised his hand and said incredulously, "Umm, how come a horse is your FRIEND?" "Because they work so hard and help us pull our wagons and we love all the animals on our farm!" "But they can't TALK. FRIENDS can TALK." "Well, these are just... Animal friends." "But TEACHER! A horse can NOT be a friend because..." "Lets go see our peacock friends!" Other fun stuff happens at the farm, too. I LOVE Kids. There are kids and then there are kids....

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) /kɪd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kid] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, kid·ded, kid·ding, adjective –noun

1.	Informal. a child or young person.

2.	(used as a familiar form of address.)

3.	a young goat.

and BOTH crack me up. We've just had quite a few new babies born, too. The newest pygmy ones look like kittens. I love holding the little graham cracker colored girl (and her little black twin brother) most right now. Even my own little Ambrosia participating in a favorite naughty goat past time RIDING SHEEP! The sheep hate it. They fall asleep or wander by a box and those little goats who are tiny enough to slip under the fence between the sheep and goat pens climb onto those soft woolly "blankets" to nap... OR just to stand up while the sheep go nuts while the babies entertain themselves being, though is still just a year old and you can tell she's still young, though she WASN'T chosen as the "official" Birthday Party Goat. Right now that is Ginger. The bottle-fed trouble maker shown here Mutton Busters riding around the pen. IT IS HILARIOUS! Goats are funny and smart. Sheep... not so much. (Though, actually I really like that sheep in the photo. He's friendly. He's a Rambouillet named Cherokee.) Next field trip was 1st Grade at the Children's Discovery Garden which is about Bees and Pollination in plant growth. It is a fun one. However it was HOT outside, and I was an idiot who forgot my hat. So I am once again sunburned... but still hurting from frostbite. Oh AND they were supposed to do rubbings of plants with crayons then label what part of the plant it was? Well the crayons were little pools of wax when the second group got there! (Fun to have the kids practice Fanning like the bees do so their combs don't melt though!) They loved seeing our real bee hive, though it has become disturbingly sparse this year. That whole mystery honey bee sickness or something is... bad. (And right now I am actually learning a bit from a site about ICE CREAM, randomly. But they let you make a bee. And it IS informative. Coolio. AND totally adding some of this INFO for next time.) AFTER a couple field trips at the garden I was headed to the office. The problem? The education office is in the Red Show Barn. It was only 2 or 3 in the afternoon or so but already the line to the Red Barn stretched far out into the hot sun. They were waiting for Stephenie Meyers to come and talk about The Host, at, like 7. In fact, some tried to camp out but security freaked out and kicked them out last night. So they came back this morning. And these are some GOOD tailgaters! They don't just have pizza and chairs and card games. They were making ice cream in a home-made ice scream maker and vegetable kebabs on a butane grill under beach awnings while watching videos on their laptops. It was hilarious! We could not get to our office with out stepping on blankets and asking people to move chairs and such. Truthfully, those Twilight novels are my girlishly guilty pleasure and I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting Breaking Dawn due to come out in August. I AM a fan. But I didn't know about this sold out book talk event until my Aunt L called and asked if since Rinny and I worked here did we have anyway to get in anyway. (We told her no. But that didn't stop ME from later that day attempting to get in under the pretense of working the event. You know, I thought maybe I could be all "Oh, pardon me, employee coming through. Ms. Meyers, can we get you anything? A fresh pen? Here's MY book to test it out on..." Yeah, well, Borders brought their OWN hosting peoples to sort of, uhh POLICE the door. So I failed. Hee hee!) The funniest part to me, though, was Rinny's reaction to all this when I left to run an errand. She called me all panicked. "They were fighting!" "What? Who?" "People in line! There was fighting! Security had to be called!" "SHUT UP! THAT is too funny! PLEASE tell me they were fighting over liking Edward or Jacob more, because that will SO make my day!" "Who? What? No, someone, like, butted or they were squishing closer to get more shade or something..." "Oh." "But THEY WERE SWEARING!" "Okay...?" "I was afraid and couldn't leave my office because there was fighting and they were swearing and I had to call security and..." "WAIT. YOU called security?" "I COULDN'T LEAVE MY OFFICE!" "Why?" "THEY WERE SWEARING!" "Rinny! SWEAR WORDS are not, like, jack knives! They can't actually hurt you! The people in line aren't GANG members! They are NERDS! Bookworms!" "They are KIND of like a cult... and they ARE VAMPIRE books!" I seriously almost crashed my car I was laughing so hard. My sister is such a dork. I love her to bits. But OH MY HELL what a pink and fluffy world she lives in. Anyway, yeah. AWESOME. Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!

ANYWAY, I DID end up SEEING Stephenie Meyers, by a weird chance. She and 2 hostess looking girls in yellow sashes were taking a BREAK behind the barn as I drove by and she seriously looked like she was ready to cry. I don't think she had anticipated the THOUSAND people in that barn STILL wanting her autograph and her hand was probably ready to break off. It might have been PLANNED to end at 9 but I would be totally shocked if she got out of there before midnight, poor woman. I mean GOOD for her, because that means more books sold and thus more fame and fortune, but I just looked at her and thought she can NOT be having a good time! She looked a little overwhelmed. But hey, good for her, and congrats for making it big, you might say. :O) Since she seems like a nice person and at least SEEMS like she really does live her faith. Kudos. And I am a dorky dorky fan. So pathetic. SIGH. And yes, I gave in and had to buy The Host, too. JUST started it. (It is for ADULTS, though, not teens. So even though I actually AM 28 rather than 18 it will be slower going than my usual literary candy. Hee hee!) SO, after I gave up trying to schmooze my way in with out tickets and enjoying the hype by proxy I went the OTHER direction on that Thanksgiving Point/Cabella's road out to the sleep doctor place. Because earlier that day they called and asked if my study could be changed from next Thursday to THIS Friday. Yay? My room was decorated in fairies which was kinda fun.... except it seemed a little incongruous when there were cameras in the ceiling and all kinds of monitors and machines on the nightstand. Not shockingly, I didn't sleep much being all trussed up like some sort of robot... (this was NOT all the wires and tubes I actually had to wear when they put me to bed (Oh, and at 11 because they "let me stay up"... as if I EVER COULD sleep that early anyway. They also let me "sleep in" TILL SEVEN. UGH. As they say "Seven has an a.m.?"). Nope, there were more. Like stuff IN my nose. Yeah, as if I could sleep comfortable with THAT. Good Gordon. Well, I don't have the OFFICIAL results but the unofficial ones seem to suggest I will be placed on a CPAP machine for oxygen after all. I am, ahh, Under-Joyed. I know everyone says it will be worth it, to sleep better and stuff. That I will get used to sleeping in a mask. That it won't make me even MORE of a long shot to ever finding love. That if I need it, then that's that. I NEED it.

But I still can't help but feel impending doom about the Mask.

SO, when I was woken up (after such a comfy and relaxing night and sleeping in SOOO late *rolls eyes*) I headed home and did my best to wash off the glue and red markings from my skin before a bridal shower in Brigham City. (Bleh. Showers.) My cousins are getting married... NOT TO EACH OTHER, MIND YOU. We are not polygamists nor are we from Texas, thank you very much. ;O) (Yeah, many of my family are LDS... but I don't think any of us FLDS) One cousins' son's fiance and another cousin's daughter had a joint bridal shower and yes, it was as cool as it sounds. hee hee! Made me feel OLD, too since now it's all the cousins' CHILDREN getting married and having babies instead of the cousins like me and Rinny. It's hard because we are sort of closer in age to the great grands anyways since Dad and mom are both second youngest of sevens in their respective fams, but also because, well, we are not MARRIED right out of missions or highschool, but of course THEY, those baby cousins, ARE.

I miss my baby bro.

OH and yeah, did we get to talk to him Sunday because remember how we were supposed to get a call for Mother's Day? NO. He had to take another 8 hour train ride. WHAT IS HE, a missionary, or Mr. Conducter?! GRRRRR!

Only in Utah...

could work cause me a sunburn on my front and frostbite on my back!

Okay, fine, so I got the frostbite from the icepack. The icepack I used for my horribly sore back after work and lifting kids off and on ponies, including the world's HEAVIEST 4 year old. I don't mean FAT, either. This kid looked normal, but it was like the child was made of lead! Or solid hydrogen. Or Osmium. Like when Jack Jack is getting kidnapped by Buddy in The Incredibles and turns into metal during his tantrum.

So, no, when the icepack started to NUMB my back, I didn't mind. I wanted to cry, I was hurting so bad! But then, when I tried to MOVE the cold pack, it was STUCK... like a tongue to a flagpole. ("I Double Dog Dare you!" Ehu, that's for you. Heh heh!) It hurt to pull it off, but then things got much worse. Because I realized it was... weird. Kind of whitish? And... frozen hard? I got scared. Wrapped up in a blanket... put it against my back to warm it up asap. It was an hour and it was warm again, but my back was still... bad. Looked like a burn. A really REALLY bad burn. In fact, it looked like someone had pressed an IRON onto my back.

It was NOT good. I showed the padres and they confirmed what I thought... frostbite. Pretty serious. My skin is blistering and puffy and, yeah, I am not well. At least they aren't going to, like, cut off my toes.

Because that would be a little weird since it's not my toes that were frozen. It's just usually digits that get it. hee hee!

SO, in conclusion I am on heavy pain meds, spending all my time miserable, laying on my stomach, and topless. I KNOW that's disturbing... try not to imagine it too much. hee hee hee!

Geez... look what my blog has sunk to!

Blatant Narcotic use!

Rampant nudity!

I should TOTALLY get famous now. ;O) hee hee!

Pajama Church notes again

Basically these (because of this) continued. Notes. Thoughts (even random ones that I felt like writing down). Etc. with all who spoke today.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor

"He went about doing good" applies to both Christ AND President Monson.

Faith of our Fathers... "The Faith of our Father in HEAVEN has been consistent since the begining of time" -Pres. Uchtdorf

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, the new member of the 12

Oooh he seems a very intelligent and verbose speaker... though not quite as big of a fan of alliteration as the late and very awesome Elder Maxwell. Still, I like it. Elder Maxwell and his hilarious intelligence was one of my favorites. I was SO sad when he died. It is hard to see things change, even though the WORK, the pattern, never does.

Remarkable not typical! Being born again, a true spiritual rebirth, is more a process than an event.

Sheldon F. Child, of the 70

I admit, even with all my 4-H work at work I still can't really understand how those kids can raise a baby animal like a pet, then sell it to be killed. I understand selling animals for food, I am not a full vegetarian (yet)... but not after raising them in such an intimate way. I couldn't do that. Anyway, tangent.

Ugh. I hate breadfruit. Though if you NEEDED it for your family, that is still cool. I'm just saying...

"...you will be blessed in dollars and cents. You will be able to pay your debts." You can't get much more clear than that, can you? PAY YOUR TITHING.

Susan W. Tanner, just released as the YW President

Delight in the things of the Lord

Boyd K. Packer, President of the 12

Good tie... a positive tie, AND a power tie. nice. ANYWHO...

"These are the dead apostles... we are the living apostles." Wow.

"My life is like my shoes... to be worn out in service"
- President Spencer W. Kimball


President Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

It is a good thing to remember that the decisions made in the Temple after President Hinckley's death and the Solemn Assembly yesterday were connected. WE were pledging our OWN devotion to those divinely directed choices of the prophets.

Jeffrey R. Holland, of the 12

We are Christian!

The Bible is true and holy... but is NOT the answer to everything.

The Bible is NOT what makes one a Christian... scriptures POINT to God, they are NOT God.

Elder David A. Bednar, of the 12

Ask in Faith... to ask with intent to ACT

Meaningful Prayer Requires Holy Communication and Consecrated Work!

Praying for missionary opportunities... and NOT expecting the full-time missionaries to do OUR work ("They are full-time TEACHERS, we are full-time FINDERS!")

Elder W. Craig Zwick, of the 70

"Do we recognize temptation when it's so well camouflaged?"

Paul said not to be MEN-PLEASERS!
"BE NOT ASHAMED!"


Robert S. Steuer, of the 70

How to get Light inside you
1. learn true doctrine
2. gain pure testimony
3. live courageously

The Light of Christ!

Elder Dennis Nuenshwander, of the 7o

"the crowd came to see... but the woman came to be healed"

Elder Lance B. Wickman, of the 70

Ummm... was that a joke at the beginning? If so, nobody laughed. If not (or if so) I didn't get it at all. Huh.

Okay... not a joke.

Yeah. Um.

Craig C. Christensen, of the 70

The Book of Mormon is a book with a promise

M. Russell Ballard, of the 12

Do not OVER SCHEDULE your kids!

It is hard because, like he says he hopes none of us women, married or not doubt our value in the church... and yet, the family is central to the church. That's awfully hard to balance sometimes, you know? It's like, you are valuable... sort of. I know that's NOT how things are meant at ALL. But sometimes that's how it feels.

President Thomas S. Monson

Just... random information off the top of his head, it seems. Good stuff, but random. But it is somehow good to see him not always so polished (and not ALWAYS about widows. hee hee!)