Shuttin Detroit Down

I can't believe I just saw this for the first time. I wish I had seen it when I wrote my post about Detroit. I guess I feel a kinship with these people. I grew up with them. The Dads of my friends all worked for the auto workers. In Dearborn we lived in Henry Ford's employee housing from the 1920 and 30's. Who builds housing for their employees anymore? I have never been a huge fan of unions, but what is happening now is wrong.
An era that is dying. How can we sit by and watch? It is breaking my heart.

http://www.joost.com/082w0gj/t/John-Rich-Shuttin-Detroit-Down-Music-Video

Ban the Bunny...Happy Easter!!

I have a confession to make. In our house we have a ban on the Easter Bunny. Here's the story:
Several years ago one of my daughters became frightened the night we had gone to visit the Easter bunny at the mall. At first I thought "Sure, just an excuse to not go to bed and after we spent all the time in line!! How ungrateful!!!"
Then the charitable me (yes, there is one) thought "Wait a minute...a big bunny which may or may not be a man dressed up is coming into our house at night...Yep, kind of creepy!" And so I made a fateful decision.
I said "The Easter Bunny is not real. I put the candy and treats in your basket. See nothing to be afraid of, go to bed!"
Now some might say that I was just trying to get the whole "I'm scared" ordeal over with quickly, but I reasoned it like this.
Easter is really a more important holiday than Christmas. Yes, we celebrate the birth of the Savior, but isn't the resurrection of the Savior even more powerful? Without the atonement and resurrection of Christ there would be no eternal family for us. His birth is beautiful and there are wonderful songs to sing and celebrations to be had, but His death and resurrection are key to our salvation. With Santa Claus at least there is a spirit about him that emotes joy and hope and faith and believing in things we can't see. Santa I can more easily incorporate into our belief in the Savior.
But why do we get caught up in a big bunny? What does he do? He can't even talk!! And he doesn't even have elves!! I didn't want to take the fun out of Easter for my kids (and I definitely still wanted the Cadbury Eggs!) so this is our way of leaving the made up stuff out and concentrating on the meaning of Easter.
So I apologize if my kid is the one who tells your kid "The Easter Bunny is not real!", but because he has been raised to follow in the footsteps of Christ, hopefully he won't be hitting your kid while he debunks the myth. Sorry that's the best I can do.
The gift of His atonement and helping my family focus on that is more important to me. Maybe to you too.


So Ban the Bunny and Happy Easter :-)

My Jewelry For Sale!

All of my pieces are hand made using ALL Sterling silver. I have tried to describe everything, but please feel free to ask any questions!

Gwen—Serpentine Stone and sterling silver links $38

Chloe—Sterling silver and red-orange Swarovski crystals $20

Bryn—Sodalite gemstones and sterling silver $30

Jocelyn—Iolite Swarovski crystals and sterling silver beads w/ dangle accent $32

Pilar—Autumn Jasper focal bead w/ lace agate gemstone and sterling silver beads $32

Montana—Real coral beads with sterling silver accent

beads and charm, also a double toggle for the right fit $38

Cate—Poppy jasper and sterling silver beads $30

Vanessa—Peacock and grey pearls, Swarovski crystals with sterling silver filigree centerpiece $28

The Story of Jesus—All sterling silver with olive wood bead, Swarovski beads serpentine bead, millefiori lampwork heart bead $30

Reagan--Tiny 4mm white pearls with Swarovski crystals and a lobster claw clasp make this beautiful for any baby girl. A portion of these proceeds will got the the National Down Syndrome Foundation's Buddy Walk $20

Wicked the Bracelet--Sterling silver beads combined with olive green and amethyst Swarovski crystals is finished off with a dangle and Emerald City charm. Stunning!! Please check for availability $50

My Story--Here is a one of a kind piece made just for you! You tell me your story and I will create a keepsake that tells your story.

Here's mine:

Serpentine, the California stone--I was born in California

Five rings--there were five people in my family

Irish Conemara marble--my heritage

German glass bead--my heritage

Chocolate truffle bead--I love chocolate!

Petoskey stone--I consider my home to be Michigan

Music note charm--I began performing in high school

Swedish quartz-- I went to Sweden when I was 17

Millefiori heart bead--I was married in 1985

Five birthstone crystals--I have five children

Silver basket--I sold Longaberger baskets

YAYA letter beads--my girl's group calls ourselves the Ya Yas

Hawaiian Kiwi stone--my favorite vacation was to Hawaii in 2003

Acai berry seed--I sell and use Monavie acai berry juice drink

Now let me tell your story or the story of a loved one...Makes a great Mother's day gift for yourself or your Mom.

Made to order $75

Am I crafty or what?!

A few weeks ago in Relief Society we had an activity to make some hooded towels. I wasn't going to do it because Kian is the only kid who would still like it and he has one my BFF Kim made him when he was born. Then I remembered how I tend to be a hermit crab and not get out and DO things so I decided to go at the last minute.
It was so fun and the towel turned out so good that I decided to make another one for Brita's niece Arielle. This time it is a girl monster! Although Kian really does not want it to be a monster so his is a dinosaur :-)


I thought my craft gene was buried somewhere in with all of the Spongebob's and Ni-hao Kailan's I have been watching with my pre-schooler!

But I think it turned out quite cute and I actually had a great time being social...

Show and Tell

Kian has a new activity at school...Show and Tell. Tomorrow the Show and Tell Letter is C. I reminded Kian that he has to find something that starts with C to bring to school. His first one was CAT of course, but that's not practical :-)
So at dinner I was asking him again and he said "Castle starts with C".
I said "You're right, Castle does start with C".
"Can I bring my castle? I have one!"
Now I know that Kian can be very talkative and social, but in front of a group he's kind of shy and won't say much. So I wanted to "rehearse" him and I said "OK, so what are you going to share about your castle?"
Without a beat he replies,
"This is my castle, The End!"

Any other questions?

At a loss

After watching 20/20 last night, I became curious. What is the cheapest house in Detroit? I was astonished! I found PAGES of houses for $50. Now granted, these are burned out boarded up and currently unlivable, but I never would have thought there would be so many. Where did all of these people go?
Then I wondered, what is the least expensive livable home? I found some that weren't burned out but were still boarded up at $2000. The boarding up means they are empty and it's the bank's way to keep out undesirables (a word the bank might have once used for the previous home-owners who lost their factory jobs and couldn't keep their homes) now it means vandals.
So I then see a picture of a home with green grass, large trees, no boards. A bank-owned, very cute, $2200 home.


Look closely and you will see what I saw. There is man sitting on his front porch. The front porch of his home. The home that the bank has taken away from him and is now selling for $2200. This home has been cared for. This home is not yet abandoned. This home has an occupant. How heart-broken is this man that he is in such dire straits that he cannot pay $2200 to keep his house? I couldn't help it. I cried. I cried for my own lost house, my lost American dream. I cried because if I had the resources I would buy this man his home and give it back to him. These were once great, lively, friendly neighborhoods. There were families and dogs and cookouts. There was bike riding and sledding and homework at the kitchen table.
Where have these people been forced to go? How long will this last? Will we ever get back that dream? I feel as if a whole city is dying. And yet, we cannot bail out the auto industry with the same gusto and abandon that we bailed out the financial industry? I bet those 450 financial employees who got their million dollar bonus' are not sitting on their porches in the sunshine wondering what will happen to their home. We should be ashamed.

Happy Birthday Calah!!

Today is Calah's 19th birthday...it doesn't seem possible since I have vivid memories of MY 19th birthday :-)
Everyone knows what a great girl Calah is. She is funny, fairly patient, very compassionate and knows herself very well. She has an amazing self-confidence. I thought I'd post some pictures of Calah through the years and add stories along the way.This is Calah and a friend with Scout as a kitten. I got Scout for my birthday from my Mom and Calah LOVED that cat. If you asked Calah at that time "What's the rule?" She would respond with authority,
"Put him down!!" Yep, she heard that a lot!

Calah's third birthday in Oakdale California 1993. She loved Mickey Mouse! We went to Chuck E. cheese for her birthday that night and the next day she broke out with the first of her chicken pox (thanks Miguels! :-) So we are pretty sure we infected half the city of Modesto by that trip to Chuck E. Cheese!

Most of Calah's early years are memoires of times with the Miguels of Oakdale Califonia. They are dear friends to us and we did SO many things together (including chicken pox!) This is Calah with Adam Miguel in his backyard, spring 1994

For Calah's 4th birthday we went to Utah and she had a party with her cousins in Grandma's unfinished basement. It was a Barney party. This is Calah and cousin Kelcey Mecham.


Calah and Mackenzie. She looks cute, but she's probably thinking "Get this thing away from me!" 1995
This was about the time Calah got her black eye. She never walked anywhere. She always skipped, hopped, danced or ran in the house. One morning she was running to get some paper from the printer and as she hurried to grab it, she smacked her eye on the corner of the desk, She had quite the shiner, but she went to school anyway...probably to show off!

Moving to Utah in the summer of 1994 gave Calah an opportunity to get to know her cousins. This is Calah and Meagan Pruden at Vanessa's baptism lunch. It looks like they are enjoying what is to this day one of Calah's favorite meals...Fetticini Alfredo. And I do mean enjoying!!


Calah was baptized in March 1998 in Provo, Utah. Doug's siter-in-law, Lora made her dress for her. She LOVED it, but I think it was the last time she wore anything frilly.
Moving to Indiana the summer or 2000 was a big adventure for us and Calah sure made friends quickly. Here is her friends Amy Anderson and Tara Denkers at her 11th birthday party.


Even though Sarah Spotts was younger they just got along. They seemd to be kindred spirits on some level. Calah and Mackenzie stayed with the Spotts when Doug and I went to Utah one spring 2002 and Calah loved it! That's when Calah was being home-schooled. So she did her school work in a couple of hours and then was free to play with the "little" girls until Sarah got home.


Calah will probably hate this picture but I love that she wore a David Bowie shirt for her junior picture and I love her hair and she still has that Calah smile!
Now she is in her last year as a teenager...graduated on on the road to who knows where. But she will be loved wherever she goes and she is always a good friend and wonderful daughter.
I love you Calah!