Hair’s the Scoop

It’s Hairstyle Appreciation Day.  Can you believe they have a day for Hair?  In honor of this day, I thought I would put on a HAIR PARADE!  Exciting, I know.

Hair comes in all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors.  It’s fun to play with (unless it has gum in it; I know!  I got gum in my hair as a kid, and my mom ended up cutting the hair out that was all gummed up.  I looked like this statue, with no hair by my ear.  I think it scarred me for life.)

But enough about my horrific, gummed up hair days.  Let’s get onto the parade!  I know you’re chomping at the bit to see today’s floats.

SOOOOOOO!

LET THE PARADE BEGIN!!!

Spring Cleaning

In honor of Spring…and spring cleaning, I created this dumb song to inspire you (or cause you to roll your eyes; either one’s fine).

Dust the halls with Pledge, by golly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Spring’s the time to clean and be jolly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Dawn and Comet, Tide on apparel

Fa la la la, la la la, la la la

Roll the mop, you’ll make things sterile

FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA LA!!!!

Aren’t you glad you stopped by?

But all joking aside, as you spring clean your house, or office, or garden, or garage…don’t forget to spring clean your HEART as well.  Take a moment to reflect.  Is your life and heart cluttered with junk?

If so, it might be time to do some soul cleaning and rearranging.  Clean things up and put things in order so that there is room for JOY in your life.

Char

Icefall by Matthew Kirby

Intrigue…mystery…and ice!  Everything you’ve ever wanted in a book, except a hand that reaches out of the pages to give you a chocolate every half hour.  That’s what Icefall by Matthew Kirby has to offer (and I suggest you get your hands on it and read it if you haven’t already).

Over the weekend, I attended a SCBWI Conference (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), and Matthew Kirby was one of the presenters.   I used to attend these conferences in Vegas years ago and there were so many attendees that I never got to speak to an author.  So I was tickled pink (or lilac or white like ice) to actually be sitting at a table with Matthew Kirby at the beginning of this conference.

I asked him questions about the research that went into his book and I’m sure he wished I would shut up and let him eat his pastry,

What’s happening HERON Boise

I absolutely love where I live!  I really do.  Boise, Idaho is a quaint, comfortable city that isn’t too big…and isn’t too small.  And it has a cool name that is easy to remember when you’re a kid learning your state capitals; “Boysies and Girlsies live in Idaho.”  Clever, huh?

There are miles and miles of paths and trails that meander along the Boise River, starting at Lucky Peak Dam and going all the way through Boise and Garden City and ending in Eagle.

The Greenbelt has lots of parks along it…and a zoo.  Boise State University cozies up next to it as well (Go Broncos!).

Being a desert rat, I feel like Boise is lush and green (I know Easterners will laugh at that, but compared to Nevada & Southern Utah, it’s a garden paradise.  Trust me).

Things I see HERON Boise are:

Why I love Hiking

I love hiking because I get to see new things, be in the wild outdoors, and enjoy God’s creations.  Since I’ve been focusing on the Sawtooth Wilderness in the last two exploring posts, I thought I would continue on that theme (I have lots of pretty pictures I have to use, right?).

Hiking clears your mind.  It is a great way to unwind and get back on track.  As a teen, I remember doing little lessons in my mind as I trudged along.  It was easy to do, seeing symbolism in every small flower or rock I passed.  God’s hand is visible in everything.

Life is like a Piano…

Many years ago my husband and I purchased a piano, and I have never regretted it.  This is one item in the house that gets used over and over and over, and has probably gained value, not lost it.

Sometimes (like now), when a recital is looming on the near horizon, it is used SO much my husband almost goes insane (a ‘good’ insane; it is nice when recitals are done and we can move on to new songs though).

Music is powerful.  The deepest emotions I have ever felt have been because of music.  In the words of Berthold Auerbach:  Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.  Good music cleanses and makes our spirits shine.

Life is like a piano (and like a box of chocolates, if you remember Forest Gump).  You get out of it what you put into it.  I have heard awful discord come from my beautiful grand, and I have heard

Rowing on Red Fish

Last week I wrote about how amazing the Sawtooths are.  Today I thought I’d post about our Canoe adventure on Redfish Lake.

If you’ve ever sung the song Row, row, row your boat, then you know that one thing you have to do in a canoe is ROW.

What you might not know is that there are certain ways to ROW…and other ways that lead to WAR.

Our family rented canoes and spent a few hours exploring the lake.  I took 2 kids with me, and my husband took the other 2 with him.  I was sad I couldn’t have my husband in my boat, because he knows what to do…and I don’t.

Bent Wrists 11: Crafting Stories

Okay, class!  Zip your lips and crack those bent wrists into shape.  It’s time for another writing lesson.  Today I’m going to talk about STORIES.

Stories are the most fundamental form of communication.  We live by stories—our own and those of others, real or imagined.  It is how we relate and stay connected.  We NEED stories to maintain our balance and identity.  It’s one of our deepest social needs.

Sunday Sense

Sunday is a great day for another C.S. Lewis quote:

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

I love the power of that sentence.  Sunrises and sunsets are some of my most favorite things to watch—and seeing the sun shine through clouds, giving them silvery linings and warming the earth with its golden rays thrill me.

Sawtooth Range–Camping in Heaven

Spring fever is kicking in big time.  With everything finally getting green and temperatures warming up, I am growing very excited for summer camping.  One of my favorite places to go is the Sawtooth Mountains in central Idaho.

This is a picture of Redfish Lake.  The campgrounds here are so serene and quiet.   Get up in the early morning so that you can get perfect reflection pictures before the breeze picks up and makes the lake more rippled.