tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5303170789163939372024-02-07T01:44:15.869-06:00Kimberly BluestockingBluestocking: A woman with considerable intellectual and literary interests.Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.comBlogger1302125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-91417894473616915572017-01-24T11:09:00.001-06:002017-02-05T22:40:08.107-06:00Ode to a Scoundrel <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">This morning, I ran across some geeky musings I jotted down last year after I watched Start Wars VII...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">The galaxy was a brighter place because Han Solo was in it. He was full of surprises, and he had most of the best lines. He was confident to a fault, and got himself into all sorts of ridiculous scrapes, yet somehow he always got back out of them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">But the scene on the catwalk of the Star Killer wasn't a ridiculous scrape. It was a bridge over a yawning chasm, and in Star Wars, those are serious business, whether it's the epic fight scene with Darth Maul in Episode I, the confrontation between Luke and Vader in Episode V, or their rematch at the end of Episode VI. Bridges are where Good looks Evil in the eye and tries not to flinch. Where people choose what side they're really on. Good usually prevails, but not always. Fathers, or father figures, often get mortally wounded at those junctures. Han Solo seemed to sense all of that before he took his first step onto the catwalk in Episode VII, but he did it anyway because he felt his son was worth the gamble.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">LEIA: He certainly has courage.<br />
LUKE: What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?<br />
(Episode IV: A New Hope)</span>
Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-80732161593365505282016-11-08T22:01:00.000-06:002016-11-11T10:10:35.278-06:00Voting Good, Electoral College Bad<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . doing research in preparation to vote. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. I'm not thrilled about either presidential candidate, but as I read about the people running for local offices I was pleased to learn that many of them seem like good people who share my priorities. And as always, it felt really good to vote, whether my choices win or not. I'm grateful to live in a country where I'm free to raise my voice.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . I've spent the last couple decades voting for Republican presidential candidates in a very blue state, and now that I've moved to a red state, what do I do? I vote for a Democrat for president for the first time in my life. It's an amusing irony, but it also sparks my quadrennial rant against the electoral college. When will we finally abolish that thing? In the presidential race, at least, I feel like my vote has never really counted, and the candidates have little incentive to appeal to my home state because they either have no hope of winning it, or no fear of losing it.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-59395276776748720982016-11-07T23:56:00.001-06:002016-11-08T00:01:17.317-06:00Bikes and Badminton<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . playing badminton in the backyard with the kids after school, and watching Joy lead some of her siblings on bike/scooter tours of our neighborhood. I'm grateful that my kids have safe places to play, and a few toys to play with.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-45698067826274765002016-11-06T23:26:00.000-06:002016-11-07T23:56:09.903-06:00My Guiding Light<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . going to church with my family. I'm grateful to know why I'm here on Earth, and that my Heavenly Father and my Savior love me; and I'm grateful that I can share those wonderful truths with my children when they have questions or doubts.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-72909514144421796142016-11-05T23:40:00.000-05:002016-11-06T00:45:06.519-05:00The Home Stretch and Thankful Prayers<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . watching Joy gently encouraging her little brother Todd on the last stretch of our hike today.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . listening to Anna say her prayers. She always thinks of so many things to thank God for. She's an example to me--I tend to do more asking than thanking.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-30830708198352936262016-11-04T23:39:00.000-05:002016-11-05T00:48:50.092-05:00Gratitude, Gifts, and a Chestnut Smoothie<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . my three big kids all preparing birthday gifts for Todd of their own accord. Daniel and Anna each gave him something from their Halloween stashes, and Joy drew him some pictures of things he likes (i.e. numbers, a train, and his stuffed doggy). The numbers she drew were among his favorite birthday gifts today.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . lately I've been feeling that I need to work on being more grateful. I live a very blessed life, even by American standards, but I appreciate so little of it and am too quick to focus on the little things I wish I could change. I'm setting a goal to post in this blog daily for the rest of this month (and possibly beyond) to write at least one thing I'm grateful for each day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . when I opened this blog tonight, I realized that I promised a month ago that I would tell you whether I found a chestnut smoothie recipe that was any good, then I never reported back on that. I know you've all been anxiously awaiting my verdict so let me just say that blending roasted, shelled chestnuts with pears, bananas, and some water makes a pretty good smoothie, but not so great that I'm not going to run out and buy more chestnuts any time soon.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-79760229711916241082016-10-05T23:48:00.001-05:002016-10-05T23:56:43.865-05:00Squirrels and Chestnuts<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . verifying that orange peels really do seem to be deterring the squirrels from digging up parts of my veggie garden.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . ever wondered whether Google would return any results for the search "chestnut smoothie"? I can now tell you from personal experience that the answer is yes. My tai chi teacher gave me a big bag of roasted chestnuts (which I've never tried before today--funny how Americans sing a Christmas carol about roasting chestnuts by the open fire, but few of us have ever tasted one), and I'm not really loving them by themselves. Phillip suggested I could put them in smoothies, and as it turns out, the good ole internet has lots of suggestions to make that happen. I'll report back tomorrow.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-61617497716202173852016-10-04T21:01:00.000-05:002016-10-05T11:08:48.394-05:00Eating (or Drinking) Meals with My Kids<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . sipping a green smoothie for breakfast with Todd, while he says cute things like, "Thanks for the smoothie, Mama," and, "Guess what! I'm two!"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . eating lunch with Joy at school. The kids' school lets parents come and eat lunch with their kids, and I've started doing that once a week, with a different child each week. I'm finding it's a good way to have one-on-one time with my big kids (since each grade eats at a separate time, and Todd doesn't talk much), and to learn about their school experience. They're much more inclined to talk about the ins and outs of their school day during lunch, maybe because things from class and recess are still fresh in their minds.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-21399079710257186982016-09-26T23:03:00.000-05:002016-09-26T23:10:15.372-05:00Music and Mushrooms<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . watching the presidential debate tonight. I'm not enthusiastic about either option, for different reasons. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . playing catch with Todd, and counting with him to twenty-two, or seventeen, or whatever his favorite number of the moment was.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . listening to my playlist of favorite songs. If only it were longer. Every time I look at the run time and see that it's only an hour and forty-six minutes, I think, "There really must be more five-star songs out there that I can add to this list. If only I could think of a few." Any suggestions?</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . I recently learned that the white button mushrooms they sell at the grocery store are actually immature portobellos. And crimini mushrooms? They're the stage between white button and portobello. I had always assumed they were three different species. What's more, the mature mushroom's name can be spelled four different ways: portobello, portobella, portabello, portabella. All four spellings are considered correct, depending on who you ask.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-50925818079375492392016-09-01T23:28:00.001-05:002016-09-01T23:31:47.442-05:00A Few Minutes Late<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . taking too long at the grocery store, and arriving at our house a few minutes after my big kids got home from school. You can bet they gave me the business about leaving them locked out. Mom fail.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . snuggling the giant teddy bears in the kid section of our library. Todd loves to frequent that area, and I confess, cuddling those bears was one of the best parts of my day.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-5091599727159579522016-08-30T22:43:00.000-05:002016-08-30T23:28:43.493-05:00Tired Mama, Buggy Kitten<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . waking up tired again. It seems that the more firmly I commit to getting a full night's sleep, the more the universe conspires against me to prevent that. Late night + 5.5 hours of sleep = tired Mama.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . Daniel and Anna getting a kick out of <i>Kitten's First Full Moon</i>. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">Their favorite part is when Kitten gets a bug stuck on her tongue. They read that part over and over, giggling every single time.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-55354780459907950132016-08-18T22:30:00.000-05:002016-11-05T00:57:59.514-05:00British Omelettes and Rejected Toast<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . my child asking for some toast then deciding they're not hungry when I set it on the table a few minutes later.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . Todd imitating Jamie Oliver's British accent as we watched his YouTube video about making </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3597590145&feature=iv&src_vid=Ow9pGXT3KwY&v=SIBlZZJGzPM"><span style="color: magenta;">silky omelettes</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">.</span></span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . Anna told me that the girl who sits next to her in kindergarten is her best friend in the whole wide world . . . but she can't remember her name.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-65032748323510118982016-08-16T23:03:00.000-05:002016-08-17T00:26:28.031-05:00The Persistent Veggie Cook<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . that awful, sinking feeling when I'm about to put a nourishing, flavorful dinner on the table, and I realize my kids won't be willing to eat it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . the kids </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">surprising me by actually eating what I served tonight (some of them more than others), even though it had things like red bell pepper and bok choy swimming in a red curry sauce. Maybe I'm wearing them down with my stubborn insistence on putting vegetables in meals.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-32053601750052642152016-08-14T23:23:00.000-05:002016-08-14T23:23:09.638-05:00School Blessings and Lunches<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . realizing that I have to pack three school lunches nearly every day for the next nine months.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . Anna being super excited to start kindergarten tomorrow.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . the three oldest kids receiving priesthood blessings from Daddy tonight to get their school year off to a good start.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . it's supposed to rain every single day for the next week. We're definitely not in California anymore.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-81927260109823700932016-08-02T22:26:00.000-05:002016-08-03T10:31:19.742-05:00An Exotic Reptile on Our Porch<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . spotting one of the little geckos that like to spend the evenings hunting bugs on our porch. For some reason it feels fun and exotic to me to have geckos living around our home. It's probably because the only other time I've seen wild geckos was when my family visited Hawaii many years ago.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-70873653113458003672016-07-27T23:47:00.001-05:002016-07-27T23:57:04.120-05:00Zeus and Alaska in Arkansas<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . glancing out the window just in time to see a big bolt of lightning strike a mile or two away. That was a little unsettling. I'm still getting used to the fact that we've moved from dry-sky California to Zeus's playground.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . introducing myself to someone who said my name was pretty. I don't think anyone has ever told me that before.</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . I met a mom today who named her baby girl Alaska because she thinks the name sounds pretty. She says some people get really upset when they learn her baby's unusual name. I'm not inclined to give my kids names that make people do a double take (I think kids have enough to deal with in life without having to explain or spell their name over and over), but I feel baby names are a very personal decision and I wouldn't criticize someone else's choice. I might try to talk them out of it if I thought the name was a magnet for playground derision, but once the baby is named I don't think there's any benefit to making a fuss about it.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-32441557333884876182016-07-26T23:12:00.000-05:002016-07-27T00:17:10.998-05:00Shrimp and Scritchies<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . buying raw shrimp to cook for the first time in my life, and discovering that I had inadvertently bought the kind with their shells and legs still attached. I opted out of dissecting things in my junior high science class, but decades later, after a quick internet search for how to shell and devein shrimp, I gained more firsthand knowledge of shrimp anatomy than I ever cared to have.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . saying, "Here you come!" and hearing Todd reply, "Here comes me!"</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . poor Joy has a couple bothersome bug bites right now. I sympathize deeply, but I also think it's kind of adorable when she calls them "scritchies" ('cuz they itch and she wants to scratch them).</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-54678747155574394222016-07-20T22:28:00.000-05:002016-07-24T22:30:14.169-05:00Golden Dragonflies<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . looking out across a meadow in the late afternoon, and seeing dozens of dragonflies flitting about in the golden sunlight. Daniel said they looked like flying coins. I thought they looked like pixies. Either way, the effect was magical.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-40044264638774955682016-07-15T21:26:00.000-05:002016-07-15T21:34:16.636-05:00A Triforce Kite and Cake<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . reading a book about healthy, whole-food, plant based diets the day my kids decided to make s'mores and cake.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . my kids starting a club to do activities together. It probably won't last more than a day (they never seem to), but it's sweet to see them having fun together.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;"> . . . helping Joy construct a </span><a href="http://mathandecon.ncee.net/35/visuals/lesson7_activity.pdf"><span style="color: magenta;">tetrahedron kite</span></a><span style="color: #333333;"> out of straws, string, and tissue paper. I made one like it in grade school many years ago, and it was fun to build one with my daughter today. She and Daniel agreed it looked like a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triforce"><span style="color: magenta;">Triforce</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">. Now if only there had been some wind outside so we could fly it.</span></span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-23561253772162373252016-07-03T21:46:00.000-05:002016-07-03T21:46:25.984-05:00Hugs, Fights, and Sunday Sundaes<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . my two youngest kids being the age where they play-fight-play-fight-play in rapid succession. The dynamic is so fluid that there's almost no point in intervening, so I usually do it just when I sense that someone is about to get clobbered.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . meeting new people at church. One woman said, "I'm a widow, so I hug a lot. I need all the hugs I can get!" So I gave her two hugs. :)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . eating Sunday sundaes for dessert tonight. It's a family tradition that we started back in California on the weekends when we weren't visiting grandparents, and it's one more thing that makes our new house feel like home.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-74191951997837288042016-06-30T23:37:00.000-05:002016-07-01T20:34:26.349-05:00Costume Party, Watermelon Pizza, and Massive Dinner Fail<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . serving what turned out to be an utterly vile concoction for dinner tonight. When I was young my mom sometimes served us Chinese food from a can, and I recall it being pretty good. I saw that same can in the store this week and decided to serve it for dinner some evening when I was short on time. Either the brand's recipe has changed drastically in the last twenty years, or my childhood memories of food are not to be trusted. In any case, the kids decided they'd rather eat plain quinoa-rice or wheat bread than the ill-tasting mess in the pan. I supplemented (and kind of apologized for the dinner fiasco) by serving extra dessert tonight.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . Joy hosting a costume party for Daniel, Anna, and their favorite stuffed toys. Coincidentally, a package from Red Grandma arrived right in the middle of the party. It contained some patriotic shirts for the kids, red and blue glow sticks (which are also whistles, but it might be better if the kids didn't notice that), and a big bag of red, white, and blue Skittles. We're saving the glow sticks and most of the candy until July 4th, but we decided that a few of the Skittles would make a nice addition to the party.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 20.7833px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . discovering that our new town has the coolest public library ever. They offer free weekly classes in yoga and tai chi, and they have a community garden out back that donates produce to a local food bank. They also have a little garden-related class for kids each Thursday (we happened to arrive right before it started), and my kids got to go out and pick blackberries and blueberries to use as toppings on a slice of watermelon "pizza." Then they went out and helped the teachers water the crops (except for Todd, who decided to stay inside where there was air conditioning).</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-46780975861465833862016-06-29T23:41:00.000-05:002016-07-01T00:20:26.467-05:00Kittens and Nuts<span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . getting bitten by a cute little kitten at the local animal shelter. In the kitten's defense, it was a little keyed up from being held by three separate children who have no clue how to cradle a cat.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . learning that a seven-foot alligator was recently spotted in a nearby lake. Note to self: don't let family members swim in the lake.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;"><br />Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . receiving a sweet note from a friend in the town we just moved from.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . spotting a variety of almonds at the store which my mom is fond of. I texted her a picture of it, along with the caption, "Wish you were here."</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3366ff; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">And another thing . . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;">. . . while playing Balderdash this afternoon, Joy and I came across a reference to <a href="http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/francesco-lentini-the-three-legged-man/">Francesco Lentini</a>, the "three-legged soccer player." You can bet we Googled that guy when we were done playing. Apparently the "soccer player" part was just a stage name, but the "three-legged" part wasn't.</span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-4938550638021959352016-06-29T23:32:00.001-05:002016-06-29T23:36:35.634-05:00Simple Treasure and Helpful Joy<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . finally finding my can opener after days of unpacking in our new home.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . my oldest daughter offering to help me haul a bunch of boxes in from the garage. Thank you, Joy.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-9055681713196580392016-03-30T23:55:00.003-05:002016-03-30T23:55:53.077-05:00Hamming It Up Over Cereal<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . watching my three oldest kids and some of their friends be filmed for a spoof cereal commercial by a friend of ours. Joy and Anna felt a little awkward in front of the camera, but Daniel followed directions like a natural and said some pretty hilarious things.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-530317078916393937.post-6723695291559067512016-03-27T00:22:00.003-05:002016-03-27T00:22:54.772-05:00Joy Notes and Easter Eve<span style="background-color: white; color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.7833px;">Today's favorite moments included . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . taking Joy to dinner, and then watching the semi-annual LDS Women's Broadcast together at our chapel. I'm always kind of amazed that my boisterous nine-year-old daughter looks forward to sitting on a pew for over an hour listening to grown-ups talk about faith, love, and service. She even takes notes. I'm so proud of her.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7833px;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;">. . . watching a touching little </span><span style="color: magenta;"><a href="https://www.mormon.org/easter/hallelujah"><span style="color: magenta;">Easter video</span></a>.</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"> It was a sweet way to spend Easter Eve.</span></span>Kimberly Bluestockinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18437063911115422205noreply@blogger.com0