Now What?

So...now that I have this what do I DO with it?
I guess I could have made these letters myself and it would have been totally homemade (oh, except I couldn't have "made" the tree the blocks came from).
But really, I have no idea what to do with the machine. Any clues?

Happy Birthday To You... My Brown-Eyed Girl

"So hard to find my way,

Now that I'm all on my own."

Today is this girl's birthday.

"I saw you just the other day,
My how you have grown..."

"Do you remember when we used to sing,

Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da?"

She doesn't usually like her picture taken. That's why she's usually the one behind the camera.
Who is it? It's my oldest daughter, Karen, of course.
I hope you can find something a little tastier than a healthy salad to celebrate your birthday today!

May all your wishes come true, today and always.

Oh, and thanks for this boy, by the way.

I love you so so so much, my brown-eyed girl!

Go Local

I received a newspaper article from a patient in the mail today. Seems random, I know. But it was about eggs, and we'd just been talking about hens and chickens and such a few days ago when she was in the office. Did you happen to see the article in the Sunday paper (sorry, I don't know if it was the Trib or Deseret News) about eggs?
Now I feel like I never want to buy eggs from the store again! Here's what I learned (read on at your own risk!).
Commercially produced eggs come from hens which are tightly packed in cages and never see the sun or grass. They're de-beaked to avoid pecking injuries, they're fed low quality feed and pumped full of antibiotics. The eggs aren't laid in tidy nests so they must be washed in a chlorine bleach solution that strips away the shell's natural protective coating and can also allow bacteria such as salmonella to enter the egg.
After reading that article, I looked into some possibilities for buying local from a farmer who has free-range chickens. I came across a page of local businesses that I thought would be fun to support now and again. If you're not local to where I am, I'm sure you can pull up local folks to support in your area as well.
Is there anyone out there that wants to defend the commercial egg farmer? Have I been given only one side of the story and am now judging unfairly? After all, I've eaten store-bought eggs all my life and don't seem too much the worse for wear for having done it. I still think I'll check out the local guy.

A Deal

Last weekend we went to St. George for Pioneer Day. While there, Bud stopped at Albertson's so he could get some cherries. He told me they had some sticker books on sale for 50% off, so since we'd eaten almost all the cherries anyway, we went back. But by then, they only had 2 sticker books left (Caleb and Agnes, they're coming your way since you have upcoming travels in the next month or so). They also had kids' books and I picked several out that I wanted to add to my kids' library at home. After I checked out, I noticed I'd been charged full price for the most expensive book ($8.99). Because they charged me incorrectly, I got the book for free! I was so excited! What a deal.
So here's the rest of the deal- if y'all don't mind if I go to an occasional blogging status, I'd like to come back (seriously, I was starting to get really stressed out trying to think of something to blog 6 days a week). And, if I don't have to post a picture to go with every post, that would really be great too (sorry, Nora).
Thanks for being so understanding :)

Taking A Break

Do to reasons currently unexplanable, I need to take a break from this blog. Perhaps in a few weeks or months I'll be back. Be happy, stay healthy, and keep a good attitude about you. Hugs!

How Are You?

How are you feeling today? Here's how I'm feeling.

We were supposed to have the morning off so I could prepare for a family dinner/double-birthday party this evening for two of Bud's children (we'll have about 20 people there).
It didn't work out that way, and here I am at work, getting nothing done. What's making me grumpy though is the number of people who don't pay their bill. For instance, the week before last, a guy came in and we did his work. He gave me a credit card number to take care of his portion of the bill, but would I please wait until Monday to run it? I waited. It was declined. He doesn't answer his phone, and the mailbox hasn't been set up yet, so I can't leave a message to yell at him. He said he was moving shortly, so the address I have on file will probably not work either (mail forwarding? I can only hope).
Well, since I'm stuck at work, I can't make the dessert I had in mind for tonight. Looks like I'll be stopping on the way home with something store-bought. That isn't the way I like to do things.
Thanks for listening. I feel better already.