Halloweens of Yesteryear: 2005

Many years ago, I heard from Japanese friends that there was a O-Bon Matsuri in Salt Lake City* every summer. In 2005, I finally found out when it was being held and planned to take my family. I pictured street vendors selling yakisoba and taiyaki, and everyone coming out in their festive yukata, like at the festivals in Japan. I made yukata for Jane and Zuzu to wear and was excited for them to experience a taste of Japanese culture.

What we found when we got there were a few sparsely attended booths advertising various products and companies. If you were hungry, there was a stand selling overpriced burgers and fries. The only people we saw dressed up besides my girls were the performers on the little stage that was set up between the booths. We did get to see a little bon odori performance, and if we'd come at the right time, we could have caught some taiko, but perhaps you've picked up by now that it was, on the whole, a disappointment. We walked through the exhibit on World War II Japanese Internment Camps inside the Buddhist temple, then drove back to Utah Valley for some dinner at a Japanese restaurant.

And the girls' outfits got put to good use again when Halloween rolled around.

"OK, give me your most natural smile."


"Let's try again."


Hey, at least they're both looking at the camera at the same time. That's a small miracle.

*Apparently there was a small but thriving Japantown in Salt Lake City, starting from the turn of the 20th century and up until the Salt Palace was built in 1967 on the land where it had been. Now Salt Lake's Japantown has dwindled to one small stretch of 100 South, where the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple and the Salt Lake Japanese Church of Christ are located.

Halloweens of Yesteryear: 2004

The Littles: Red Riding Hood & Bo Peep

We didn't get good pictures of Jane's and Zuzu's costumes on Halloween that year, so we dressed them up again and tried for a photo shoot in December. They were far too entertained by their hilarious joke of throwing down Bo Peep's staff to hold still, so eventually Peter gave up and resorted to video. We recycled Jane's Goldilocks dress from the year before and Peter's mom made the red cape and Zuzu's costume -- all except for the vintage pinafore. (Amy Moore, are you out there somewhere? Do you recognize the pinafore?) Bo Peep's staff was a giant plastic candy cane from the dollar store that I spray painted. It may have been the only time in my life I was happy that the Christmas merchandise was already out at the beginning of October.

Halloweens of Yesteryear: 2003

Baby Bear Zuzu, Papa Bear Peter, Goldilocks Jane, and Mama Bear Me

Halloweens of Yesteryear: 2002

Speaking of when we went as Wizard of Oz characters, click on the picture below to see an album of the EIGHT costumes I made that year. It still kills me that after all that work, the only documentation I have are these half-decent snapshots.

Wizard of Oz Halloween Costumes 2002

*For some unexplicable reason, if you're using Firefox as your web browser, some of the pictures might show up as blank boxes in the album. Try using Internet Explorer or Safari instead.

Don't Tell the Emperor, But I Think My Backyard Might Be the New Rebel Base

Ewok sighted in my backyard yesterday morning:

Luke Skywalker was there too. Leia and her friend the giant turtle were off at school.


Did you know that Luke's eyelashes are amazing in real life?


Durn it, I already redid the ears once and they're still too big. When my sister's family and mine went as characters from the Wizard of Oz for Halloween 7 years ago, this fur suit was 15-month-old Molly's Toto costume. I didn't think it would work because it was too small for Ellen, but it turned out to have wide seam allowances and hems, and once I let them out, we were in business. I took off the little terrier ears and cut up the tail to make new ears which I meant to look like an Ewok's, but now I see are more like Mickey Mouse's.

I Have Good Excuses For All of the Other Days Too

I'm still here, I'm just taking the day off from blogging because it's Columbus Day.

Actual Breakfast Conversation

Zuzu: Jane, did you know Han Solo is Indiana Jones!?
Jane: Oh yeah, yeah. It's the same guy.
Zuzu: Only when he's Indiana Jones he's not as cheeky as when he's Han Solo. But he's really good at being cheeky when he's Han Solo.
Jane: I think I'd be good at that too. I can be really cheeky.
Zuzu: Yeah, you're good at being cheeky too.

The Exchange That Took Place When I Decided Hair Spray Was In Order For School Picture Day

Jane: That hairspray doesn't smell delightful.
Me: It's pretty stinky stuff, isn't it?
Jane: It's stinky dot com. Did you buy it from Amazon dot stink?

Sew, Very Old One, Sew Like the Wind!

Today was the birthday of a little neighbor friend, so I made her a little shoulder bag during Ellen's nap. I thought she would like something frilly and girly, and she did.

Most of the time when I get to sew now, it's a bit of a mad dash. Today was no exception. I put Ellen down, stuck Adam in front of Star Wars, raced downstairs, cut it out as fast as I could, rushed through each step, trimmed the last threads, held it up, and thought, "Oh. I wish I'd centered the print." Ha. I kind of miss the days when sewing was a slow and contemplative activity.

OK, truthfully, I was no stranger to mad-dash sewing even in pre-kids life. I'm still grateful to my mom for taking over and putting the zipper into my prom dress for me back in 1990 so I could have time to jump in the shower before my date arrived. (Thanks, mom!) Then there was the time I was doing the soprano solo in a performance of Handel's Messiah and decided the day of the concert that I needed something lovely to wear and that I could probably somehow squeeze a fancy gown out of that piece of red velveteen my grandma gave me. Several hours later, dressed in red velveteen and costume jewelry, I was lucky to hit enough red lights on the way to the show to get some make up on. I was also lucky that no one freaked out when I didn't show up until moments before curtain time. If I hadn't resorted to gluing up the hem of my lovely new dress, I wouldn't have made it even by then. (I did stitch up the hem properly before the next time I wore it.)

By the way, the little triangle sticking out from under the ruffle on the front of the purse is the button loop. It's a little fussy to open it with the ruffle in the way, so I'd probably do a snap instead next time. I used this pattern. I added the ruffle, plus a bit of topstitching, since I couldn't be bothered to hand stitch the opening closed. I avoid hand stitching at all costs.

The following is to provide the necessary background for anyone who didn't "get" my post title:

Wayfaring Stranger

This little guy was discovered last Monday crawling across our neighbor's front yard. Let me tell you, nothing this exciting has ever happened in our cul-de-sac before. From the urgency of the knock of Jane's neighbor friend on our front door to alert us to the turtle's arrival, I was sure I'd be opening the door to news of a dire emergency.

He turned out to be an escapee from a pond at a house the next street over. Fortunately he came out unscathed from both his trek across the road and from the attentions of a bunch of enthralled kids.

Soundtrack to My Saturday Morning

Today Adam is marching around the house playing The Imperial March, on kazoo.

By the way, that tune was the first one that Ellen ever sang recognizably. I should try to get that on video.

Undeniable Talent

"I am a genius at drawing!"

-Adam to Ellen while they colored with crayons

"I am so. dang. good at this."

-Adam, spoken quietly to himself while blowing bubbles

We Need a Beach Vacation. For Educational Purposes. But I'll Pass On the Crocodiles.

"This is the ocean, mama," he insisted.

"It is the ocean. It has waves. See those waves?"

He really believed it.

However, when he told me next, "And there are crocodiles in there, mama. Really. There really are," he had his tell-tale grin and a glint in his eye. He likes to try to trick me.

Yes, I Took a Picture of This For You. You're Welcome.

As you may know, I hate to see things go to waste. You know how sometimes the little tab gets ripped off an otherwise perfectly good diaper? I hate that. But when it happened today, a thought popped into my head:

I mended a disposable diaper. Laugh if you must. But let's do some calculations. I saved $ .25 (the cost of the diaper) in 30 seconds of my time. If I could save $ .25 for every 30-second increment of a 12-hour day, that would add up to $360. And over the course of one year?: $131,400. Who's laughing now?

You, still, hopefully.

This is the way I like my math. Simple, ridiculous, and on a calculator.

Last Chance to Catch Deseret Chamber Singers Summer Concert

Utah Valley Locals: The last of Deseret Chamber Singers' summer concerts is tomorrow, Sunday, August 30. We'll be singing at the Springville Art Museum at 5:00 p.m. If you like choral music, you'll love this concert. Same program as our previous concerts at the Assembly Hall and the Cathedral of the Madeleine, including David Zabriskie's stunning "Lux Aeterna," works from Palestrina, Brahms, Eric Whitacre, Moses Hogan, and more. Free admission!

Important note: Exit 260 is inaccessible due to construction on 400 S in Springville. Here's a detour map.

Jane Keeping Her Chips Away From Ellen

The struggle began at floor level, then moved up onto the table. When I went for my camera, Ellen was standing on tiptoe, but by the time I got back, she had shifted to this seated position.

You can't see it well in the picture, but Jane's outfit features a belt she made from cutting up an old men's tie (one left over from the Easter egg project), fastened with a safety pin. There was much crying and negotiating with Zuzu before school to ensure that she was able to wear just the right white t-shirt (because the other 5 white t-shirts they have between them just wouldn't do) for the ensemble.

You Dear, Funny, Sweet Little Nut

Dearest Ellen,

I came in from helping Adam outside to discover you filling paper cups with small servings of Frosted Mini Wheats. The count of filled cups was already up to 15. I wish I could know whether to you this was just a creative activity to pass the time or part of a larger plan.

Anyway, you crack me up. And I think you're ready for chores.

Or Leave the Knot Off the End of the String, and You'll Have a Perfect Metaphor for Housework

Here's a little bead lacing toy I put together for Ellen:


All I did was buy some large wooden beads and some shoelaces and make a little bag to keep them in. I thought I'd post it as a cheap & simple gift idea. Tie a bead onto the end of each lace to keep the others from sliding off.

Of course, these beads would be too small for a baby still in the choking hazard stage. And of course any toy with loose, small parts is fatally flawed, but we'll see how it goes. I thought putting the clear window in the bag might make putting the beads back in more appealing. Yeah, wish me luck with that one.

So far, Adam and Zuzu are more interested in it than Ellen. Adam spent a long time carefully filling his whole shoelace, asked me to tie it for him, and proudly marched out to show off his new necklace around the neighborhood.

I wish my camera handled lower-light conditions better. For these pictures, auto mode turned on the flash, which looks like this:


The focus is sharp enough, but the lighting is totally unnatural. So I always wind up turning the flash off. And then I get images like this:


Now the lighting looks much better -- just like it really did in the room -- but the shutter has to stay open so long to collect enough light that the subjects come out blurry. This is the clearest one I could get out of dozens I tried with the flash off:


So I set it back to auto and let the flash do its thing:


Not bad, but still the lighting looks so different from what my eye sees. So, let's turn the flash off again . . .


And so on, ad nauseum.

Somebody should design a camera that interfaces with my eyeballs. I've got some sweet lenses in there. You should see how well my eyeballs handle all kinds of light conditions.

The Back of My Head is Famous

Peter's mom brought to my attention that a picture of Peter and me and Tiny Ellen is on the main page of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival site. It's the third photo that auto-loads in the main box -- or if you're too excited to wait that long, you can see it immediately by clicking on the second thumbnail from the left. It must've been taken at the City Volunteer Appreciation Evening in 2007, which would have been when Ellen was 18 days old. It was probably the first time Peter and I had been "out" since her birth. Please note the ponytail.

Conventional wisdom says your best chance of getting photographed at an event is to sit in front, but it turns out that positioning yourself for a speedy exit in case your newborn needs feeding can work in a pinch.

Funny thing -- my invitation to this year's City Volunteer Appreciation Evening just came in the mail today.

The Force of Her Older Brother is Strong in This One

At Adam's preschool open house this morning:

Adam's teacher to Ellen: And what's your name, Little One?
Ellen: Princess Leia.

Princess Leia insisted on wearing all of her birthday bracelets today.