Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have pondered this holiday on occassion. There are some obvious counterintuities about celebrating this pagan holiday. However, I have never dressed up on ventures for candy in order to display pagan beliefs. A lot of holidays have deviated from their original intent, and Halloween's evolvement is a fortunate one. I don't like the gory-scary-naughty-unpleasantries that some have come to associate with this time of year, but it's fun to have a night where we can dress up and 'play pretend' for a while. That's worth celebrating, right?
So here are 4 of my favorite things about Halloween (in no particular order):
1. Cute costumed kids. Isn't that the best part? This year Ellie was a dragon, and Amelia a flamingo. CUTE.
2. Pumpkin carving. This is a favorite tradition of ours.
3. Decorating. We hang finger puppet monsters from the ceiling, put home made grocery bag ghosts all over the porch, we've got a bat mobile (a bunch of bats on a mobile I made. Get it? Ha, I know). I always rig the door so when you open it a bat comes down in your face, and this year I rigged a kitchen cupboard so a spider did the same.
4. I used to love scaring people. Not little kids, mind you. Growing up, it was a frequent occurence to hear, "BOO!" followed by, "AAAAIIEEEEE!" We'd all laugh and run to where the scream came from to find out what happened.
Ah, wonderful Halloween. And next comes Veteran's Day, and then Thanksgiving. What a great time of year!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
"Julie & Julia" an overdue review
I promised a review of "Julie & Julia" long ago. Alas, many of you have probably already seen it. So to be brief, I would have loved it, perhaps it would have been one of my favorite movies had it not been for all the foul language. :-( Perfect way to ruin a movie. There were parts I laughed so hard I cried, and it certainly inspired me to read Julia Child's My Life In France. (I loved it, by the way. Highly recommended. The ending was a bit slow, but she passed away before it was finished).
As part of a prize I won, I also received Julie Powell's "Julie and Julia", a mis-adventures-in- cooking book. I thought her idea of trying out all of Julia Child's recipes was ambitious, inspiring, interesting... and documenting it even better. I was very appalled, however, as I struggled through the first chapter and finally threw it down in disdain. It was littered with foul language and filthy speach. So sad. I gave it to my mom and she enjoyed it very much.
As part of a prize I won, I also received Julie Powell's "Julie and Julia", a mis-adventures-in- cooking book. I thought her idea of trying out all of Julia Child's recipes was ambitious, inspiring, interesting... and documenting it even better. I was very appalled, however, as I struggled through the first chapter and finally threw it down in disdain. It was littered with foul language and filthy speach. So sad. I gave it to my mom and she enjoyed it very much.
H1N1 Flu shot Fiasco. Or, my 15 minutes of anonymous fame.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, I drove to the downtown health clinic to dutifully get my swine flu shot. I left about 6:45 a.m. and neared the clinic by 6:5oish. There was an unanticipated amount of activity the closer I got to the clinic. Masses of people were walking towards it, and there wasn't any parking for blocks. Then the chaos started. People started jaywalking major roads against green lights to get to the clinic. Nevermind the risk of getting hit by a car, these people wanted shots! There was also gross violation of basic roadway laws, which tipped me off that this wasn't going to be fun. Then I saw the clinic. There must have been hundreds and hundreds of people in a jumbled line that stretched down the street. Although I had come prepared with a lawn chair, food and water and a newspaper, not to mention I was dressed for the arctic, I realized that there was no way I could stand in that line by myself.
What to do? Well, what any sensible person would. Send letters to the editor! (Just like Gram would).
I came home and fired off e-mails to as many applicable people I could think of, including Dr. David Sundwall, state Department of Health executive director.
Here's what I wrote:
Dear Dr. Sundwall, October 24, 2009
Today is the first available day I am eligible to get the H1N1 vaccination. I am 6 months pregnant, have asthma, and have a child who is allergic to eggs and can’t be vaccinated. I was astounded when I got to the downtown health clinic at 7:00 a.m. and there were already hundreds of people in line. There was no way I could stand in that line, by myself, and wait to be vaccinated. (I can’t stand for that long, and what if I had to go to the bathroom?! Getting there was hazardous, as well, as there were hordes of people jaywalking and vehicles disobeying traffic laws in order to get there faster). Perhaps there is a better way to organize a vaccination clinic.
I have a suggestion that I feel may help. Pre-registration. It would be nice if people could print out the forms necessary, or pick them up beforehand, and return them to the health department in which they wish the receive the shot. This could be done before flu shots are available. Then, the health department can determine the patient’s priority as far as how soon they can get the shot. The department could take down the person’s name and give them a number. Then, upon determining risk factors, could post in order the numbers representing patient’s available flu shot times. It would be like getting an appointment at a doctor’s office. This would reduce a lot of frustration on both the health clinic’s, and the patient’s, ends. I also believe it would be much more efficient and time saving.
Thank you for your consideration.
-Kathryn
Here's what he replied:
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kathryn. I related your plight in an interview with the SLTribune, ananymously of course, which was published in a front page article today. I'm sure we can do things better, and I wecome your suggestions. David
Hmm. I got this e-mail on Tuesday, yesterday, and had to look up the archive. Here's the link:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13634251?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
I'll share a little of what was written about me:
__________________________________________________________
Sundwall himself witnessed Saturday's vaccination crowd at the 600 South clinic in Salt Lake City, where his daughter was among 500 people turned away. He received an e-mail from a frustrated asthmatic pregnant mother who has a baby at home. The woman's situation places her in three of the five target groups, yet she failed to get vaccinated after spending Saturday morning in line.
"Instead of just whining, she had an idea for pre-registering," Sundwall said. "We're learning on the job here. There has not been a mass vaccination like this since polio [in the mid-1950s]. We're taking notes, exploring ideas like registering so people in high-priority groups will get in."
__________________________________________________________
Yes, I was that "frustrated asthmatic pregnant mother". I was, however, mis-represented in that, as you'll note in my e-mail, I never said I had a baby at home. I have a 2 year old, yes, but I said I have an egg allergic child who can't get the shot. Also, I didn't stand in line nor say that I had. Oh well, I guess the news media likes drama.
We'll see if any good comes of this.
What to do? Well, what any sensible person would. Send letters to the editor! (Just like Gram would).
I came home and fired off e-mails to as many applicable people I could think of, including Dr. David Sundwall, state Department of Health executive director.
Here's what I wrote:
Dear Dr. Sundwall, October 24, 2009
Today is the first available day I am eligible to get the H1N1 vaccination. I am 6 months pregnant, have asthma, and have a child who is allergic to eggs and can’t be vaccinated. I was astounded when I got to the downtown health clinic at 7:00 a.m. and there were already hundreds of people in line. There was no way I could stand in that line, by myself, and wait to be vaccinated. (I can’t stand for that long, and what if I had to go to the bathroom?! Getting there was hazardous, as well, as there were hordes of people jaywalking and vehicles disobeying traffic laws in order to get there faster). Perhaps there is a better way to organize a vaccination clinic.
I have a suggestion that I feel may help. Pre-registration. It would be nice if people could print out the forms necessary, or pick them up beforehand, and return them to the health department in which they wish the receive the shot. This could be done before flu shots are available. Then, the health department can determine the patient’s priority as far as how soon they can get the shot. The department could take down the person’s name and give them a number. Then, upon determining risk factors, could post in order the numbers representing patient’s available flu shot times. It would be like getting an appointment at a doctor’s office. This would reduce a lot of frustration on both the health clinic’s, and the patient’s, ends. I also believe it would be much more efficient and time saving.
Thank you for your consideration.
-Kathryn
Here's what he replied:
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kathryn. I related your plight in an interview with the SLTribune, ananymously of course, which was published in a front page article today. I'm sure we can do things better, and I wecome your suggestions. David
Hmm. I got this e-mail on Tuesday, yesterday, and had to look up the archive. Here's the link:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13634251?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
I'll share a little of what was written about me:
__________________________________________________________
Sundwall himself witnessed Saturday's vaccination crowd at the 600 South clinic in Salt Lake City, where his daughter was among 500 people turned away. He received an e-mail from a frustrated asthmatic pregnant mother who has a baby at home. The woman's situation places her in three of the five target groups, yet she failed to get vaccinated after spending Saturday morning in line.
"Instead of just whining, she had an idea for pre-registering," Sundwall said. "We're learning on the job here. There has not been a mass vaccination like this since polio [in the mid-1950s]. We're taking notes, exploring ideas like registering so people in high-priority groups will get in."
__________________________________________________________
Yes, I was that "frustrated asthmatic pregnant mother". I was, however, mis-represented in that, as you'll note in my e-mail, I never said I had a baby at home. I have a 2 year old, yes, but I said I have an egg allergic child who can't get the shot. Also, I didn't stand in line nor say that I had. Oh well, I guess the news media likes drama.
We'll see if any good comes of this.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Random Recent-ness (or just plain current stream of conscious thoughts)
1. It's a girl! (Come February). Hooray! I really am pregnant!
2. Yay!
3. I have finally admitted to myself that, yes, I am a news junkie. How did this happen?
4. Ellie + brand new box of Cheerios = huge mess. Did I not see this coming when I heard her in the kitchen? (Oh I wish I could post pics).
5. My posture isn't so great. Any suggestions? I am even more aware of this seeing as my youngest sister has the "posture of a queen gliding into the room". (Yes, she was told this recently. I was witness. And it's true. I got the slouchy gene).
6. I don't like to tell people I don't know well that I'm involved in the Republican party. I'm not into cataloguing, preconceived notions, 'so this makes you this' type of stereotypes. I just want to help my community, and for me this is a good way to get involved.
7. Myanmar! Free Suu Kyi!
8. Isn't Elizabeth Smart the dearest? Bless her.
9. I can't wait for General Conference. Matt and I believe conference should be like the Mormon Superbowl (in that we should put on a spread of lots of yummy food in accent to the great event. Although we have held this belief for many years, we have yet to actually do the necessary prep. Alas for frugality and a touch of poor planning).
2. Yay!
3. I have finally admitted to myself that, yes, I am a news junkie. How did this happen?
4. Ellie + brand new box of Cheerios = huge mess. Did I not see this coming when I heard her in the kitchen? (Oh I wish I could post pics).
5. My posture isn't so great. Any suggestions? I am even more aware of this seeing as my youngest sister has the "posture of a queen gliding into the room". (Yes, she was told this recently. I was witness. And it's true. I got the slouchy gene).
6. I don't like to tell people I don't know well that I'm involved in the Republican party. I'm not into cataloguing, preconceived notions, 'so this makes you this' type of stereotypes. I just want to help my community, and for me this is a good way to get involved.
7. Myanmar! Free Suu Kyi!
8. Isn't Elizabeth Smart the dearest? Bless her.
9. I can't wait for General Conference. Matt and I believe conference should be like the Mormon Superbowl (in that we should put on a spread of lots of yummy food in accent to the great event. Although we have held this belief for many years, we have yet to actually do the necessary prep. Alas for frugality and a touch of poor planning).
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Blessed children
So - Ellie keeps us pretty busy.
She is a dive-right-in-grab-it-quick-and-figure-it-out-herself type of girl. This energetic curiosity can definitely mean overtime parenting.
Today at church just before sacrament Ellie was running up and down the ramp by the primary room with about 7 other little kids. I was chit-chatting when suddenly I heard a few other parents say, "Oh no! ELLIE!" I look up, and to my horror see 6 or 7 little tykes running out to the parking lot through the door that Ellie was holding wide open. !
Where did this kid come from? :-)
And she's so innocent. I'm sure plenty on her plate is pre-meditated, but she doesn't do things to be bad. She just wants to see what will happen. Busy, busy girl. She's a good exercise plan.
Anyway...
Amelia is having a great time at school and loves her teacher. She really lucked out and got a fabulous one. Just now she said, "Hey Momma, guess what! I was the first one at my school to have laser eyes!"
I asked what that meant.
"I don't know, my teacher just said, 'wow, Amelia, you are giving me laser eyes!'"
Not sure what that means. I take it as she was paying good attention. ?
She's so cute with her little pink back pack and braids. Aaw. I still can't believe she's in kindergarten. She seems so grown up - until she gets around the 1st graders. ;-) (She is the youngest, and probably shortest, in her class).
She is a dive-right-in-grab-it-quick-and-figure-it-out-herself type of girl. This energetic curiosity can definitely mean overtime parenting.
Today at church just before sacrament Ellie was running up and down the ramp by the primary room with about 7 other little kids. I was chit-chatting when suddenly I heard a few other parents say, "Oh no! ELLIE!" I look up, and to my horror see 6 or 7 little tykes running out to the parking lot through the door that Ellie was holding wide open. !
Where did this kid come from? :-)
And she's so innocent. I'm sure plenty on her plate is pre-meditated, but she doesn't do things to be bad. She just wants to see what will happen. Busy, busy girl. She's a good exercise plan.
Anyway...
Amelia is having a great time at school and loves her teacher. She really lucked out and got a fabulous one. Just now she said, "Hey Momma, guess what! I was the first one at my school to have laser eyes!"
I asked what that meant.
"I don't know, my teacher just said, 'wow, Amelia, you are giving me laser eyes!'"
Not sure what that means. I take it as she was paying good attention. ?
She's so cute with her little pink back pack and braids. Aaw. I still can't believe she's in kindergarten. She seems so grown up - until she gets around the 1st graders. ;-) (She is the youngest, and probably shortest, in her class).
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I'm all verklempt! Talk amongst yourselves.
My little girl has embarked on her scholastic career.
And I don't know what to say about it.
I was pretty surprised I didn't cry when I dropped her off. She was so interested in the butterfly chrysalis her teacher was showing the class that she almost didn't see Matt, Ellie and me waving goodbye.
Amelia is now officially a kindergartener. !
I'm very impressed with her teacher, her school, the principal, the PTA, the programs... we really are very blessed to live where we do so she can attend the school she is at.
After we dropped her off, the school hosted a breakfast for the parents. Matt and I chatted with friends we saw there while Ellie chowed down on bagels. (They were good. Yum).
Matt was so cute this morning. He really wanted to be there for Amelia's big day, and luckily things worked out. He looked as excited as Amelia. He gave her the sweetest Father's Blessing last night. I am so grateful for him, he is such a wonderful husband and father.
After dropping Matt off at his lab, I decided to take Ellie to the library. They were having book baby. I wanted to keep her busy because I knew she'd miss Amelia. And so did I. It was strange walking away from the school with Amelia still there. It was strange walking around the library without her. It is strange to think that I will be dropping her off and picking her up at school for the rest of the year. And, strangest of all, she will be in school for at least the next 13 years. No wonder growing up happens so fast.
And what did Amelia think of all this? She was beaming when I picked her up. She told me all about the things she learned, the friends she made and her all about her wonderful day. And a few minutes ago, so came in and told me in her sweet little voice, "Mama, I can't wait to go back to school tomorrow."
And I don't know what to say about it.
I was pretty surprised I didn't cry when I dropped her off. She was so interested in the butterfly chrysalis her teacher was showing the class that she almost didn't see Matt, Ellie and me waving goodbye.
Amelia is now officially a kindergartener. !
I'm very impressed with her teacher, her school, the principal, the PTA, the programs... we really are very blessed to live where we do so she can attend the school she is at.
After we dropped her off, the school hosted a breakfast for the parents. Matt and I chatted with friends we saw there while Ellie chowed down on bagels. (They were good. Yum).
Matt was so cute this morning. He really wanted to be there for Amelia's big day, and luckily things worked out. He looked as excited as Amelia. He gave her the sweetest Father's Blessing last night. I am so grateful for him, he is such a wonderful husband and father.
After dropping Matt off at his lab, I decided to take Ellie to the library. They were having book baby. I wanted to keep her busy because I knew she'd miss Amelia. And so did I. It was strange walking away from the school with Amelia still there. It was strange walking around the library without her. It is strange to think that I will be dropping her off and picking her up at school for the rest of the year. And, strangest of all, she will be in school for at least the next 13 years. No wonder growing up happens so fast.
And what did Amelia think of all this? She was beaming when I picked her up. She told me all about the things she learned, the friends she made and her all about her wonderful day. And a few minutes ago, so came in and told me in her sweet little voice, "Mama, I can't wait to go back to school tomorrow."
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Snippets of life
So many blog-able things have happened lately, but getting on-line on our computer is a big pain! I mostly just read e-mail and other people's blogs.
Blog-able Story #1
On Monday morning the girls and I went to the library and had a hard time finding a parking spot. The place was packed! I pulled into a spot next to a VW with a woman in the passenger's seat. The spaces are narrow, and as I was getting the girls out of the car the VW woman got out, pushed her way past me and moved my door.
"I knew it! You dinged my door! I heard it from inside my car."
I felt terrible and apologized profusely. She was terse. I looked at the ding and rubbed away the dirt to find a tiny little spot, smaller than the size of this o. She told me it was very unfortunate. Again, I profusely apologized and tried to give her some money for a touch-up kit.
"Oh, that spot is too small to bother with a touch-up kit. It's just very unfortunate."
I promised to be much more cautious in the future. Just then, her two boys came out to their car, so I moved to the other side of mine so as not to be in the way. One of her boys was driving. As I looked down to buckle Ellie into her stroller I heard, "SMACK CRUNCH!"
Her boy had just smashed into the car behind them, and the huge dent on their car was much worse than a ding in the paint. :-( Very unfortunate. I left before I could hear the aftermath.
Blog-able story #2
So about 3 months ago I started feeling very ill. I knew that I was pregnant, but this just seemed to be much worse than in the past. I just seemed to feel much more terrible than I had during the last 2 pregnancies. I figured I was just getting older and it would be harder to be pregnant now that I wasn't in my 20s anymore.
I lost my appetite, and one day during dinner I remarked to Matt, "It feels like there's a rock in my stomach." And then, the grand epiphany moment. Matt said, "Kathryn, you say that every time your ulcers came back." Oh, duh to me. You'd think after all those ulcers I would recognize when they come back. I guess the pregnancy symptoms closely mock some of the ulcer ones. Thank heavens I just take some medication and three months later voila! I feel much better.
We've been able to see an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat. We are very, very excited and grateful. We were told we probably wouldn't be able to have any more children without expensive medical intervention. I'm glad Heavenly Father's plans were different.
Blog-able Story #3
This story also occurred on Monday. Matt came in early, he had started new classes and is gone almost the entire day. He couldn't find his keys and had looked everywhere. This was a problem, because there were keys to our apartment, Matt's lab, and our car on them. I said a quick prayer asking where I should look. I got the impression to go out to our front door. I went out, opened the door, and there they were, sticking right in the handle.
We were very blessed and lucky for several reasons:
1. Those keys had been in the door since the previous day at 5:00.
2. We live on a busy, high pedestrian street where those keys would have been visible from the sidewalk.
3. There have been no less than 3 cars stolen from the 2 houses across the street from us.
4. Yikes! Strangers having the keys to our house? Yikes!
So thank Heavens for prayer. Yet another testament for it's wonderfulness.
And to catch up, Amelia starts school in a few weeks. Sob. I'm really going to miss her while she's there. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. She is so sweet and cute, and she says the darndest things. Her laugh is so fun.
Our lives suddenly got much busier, and much more hectic, when Ellie figured out how to hop over the gate to the kitchen. I didn't really have to baby-proof it that much for Amelia. She never got into things or made big messes. Ellie likes to do things on her own, explore, dive right in and grab anything she can find. So I find myself ever more occupied with safety. Admittedly, it is cute to see a tiny, petite little two year old climbing up the side of the food storage shelf so she can "eat gum!" Still...
Blog-able Story #1
On Monday morning the girls and I went to the library and had a hard time finding a parking spot. The place was packed! I pulled into a spot next to a VW with a woman in the passenger's seat. The spaces are narrow, and as I was getting the girls out of the car the VW woman got out, pushed her way past me and moved my door.
"I knew it! You dinged my door! I heard it from inside my car."
I felt terrible and apologized profusely. She was terse. I looked at the ding and rubbed away the dirt to find a tiny little spot, smaller than the size of this o. She told me it was very unfortunate. Again, I profusely apologized and tried to give her some money for a touch-up kit.
"Oh, that spot is too small to bother with a touch-up kit. It's just very unfortunate."
I promised to be much more cautious in the future. Just then, her two boys came out to their car, so I moved to the other side of mine so as not to be in the way. One of her boys was driving. As I looked down to buckle Ellie into her stroller I heard, "SMACK CRUNCH!"
Her boy had just smashed into the car behind them, and the huge dent on their car was much worse than a ding in the paint. :-( Very unfortunate. I left before I could hear the aftermath.
Blog-able story #2
So about 3 months ago I started feeling very ill. I knew that I was pregnant, but this just seemed to be much worse than in the past. I just seemed to feel much more terrible than I had during the last 2 pregnancies. I figured I was just getting older and it would be harder to be pregnant now that I wasn't in my 20s anymore.
I lost my appetite, and one day during dinner I remarked to Matt, "It feels like there's a rock in my stomach." And then, the grand epiphany moment. Matt said, "Kathryn, you say that every time your ulcers came back." Oh, duh to me. You'd think after all those ulcers I would recognize when they come back. I guess the pregnancy symptoms closely mock some of the ulcer ones. Thank heavens I just take some medication and three months later voila! I feel much better.
We've been able to see an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat. We are very, very excited and grateful. We were told we probably wouldn't be able to have any more children without expensive medical intervention. I'm glad Heavenly Father's plans were different.
Blog-able Story #3
This story also occurred on Monday. Matt came in early, he had started new classes and is gone almost the entire day. He couldn't find his keys and had looked everywhere. This was a problem, because there were keys to our apartment, Matt's lab, and our car on them. I said a quick prayer asking where I should look. I got the impression to go out to our front door. I went out, opened the door, and there they were, sticking right in the handle.
We were very blessed and lucky for several reasons:
1. Those keys had been in the door since the previous day at 5:00.
2. We live on a busy, high pedestrian street where those keys would have been visible from the sidewalk.
3. There have been no less than 3 cars stolen from the 2 houses across the street from us.
4. Yikes! Strangers having the keys to our house? Yikes!
So thank Heavens for prayer. Yet another testament for it's wonderfulness.
And to catch up, Amelia starts school in a few weeks. Sob. I'm really going to miss her while she's there. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. She is so sweet and cute, and she says the darndest things. Her laugh is so fun.
Our lives suddenly got much busier, and much more hectic, when Ellie figured out how to hop over the gate to the kitchen. I didn't really have to baby-proof it that much for Amelia. She never got into things or made big messes. Ellie likes to do things on her own, explore, dive right in and grab anything she can find. So I find myself ever more occupied with safety. Admittedly, it is cute to see a tiny, petite little two year old climbing up the side of the food storage shelf so she can "eat gum!" Still...
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