Thursday, February 24, 2011

Extreme Week at the Prep

Again, I LOVE the school Nate goes to...worth absolutely EVERY mile driven to get there, even with the cost of fuel! This week is Extreme Week...and they have had extreme intramural sports every day at lunch. Key reminder: seniors are in red, juniors are in blue, sophomores are in orange, freshmen are in green.
 Cheering on the Seniors
 I think this is the one Nate kinda felt bad about...He is a football lineman, and it's so hard for him to get into any other game and not revert to football lineman. This poor little Freshman girl...
 Hit the ball, Nate.
 Due to the aforementioned football lineman confusion issue, Nate is normally not permitted to play any sort of basketball, because he tends to walk up, pick up, and carry off opposing players, which leads to much dismay on the part of his coaches. Here, he is kept at a safe distance, in the right rear of the picture.
 Not sure why so many goalies were needed on the senior team...Nate, the football lineman, and Bryce, the football player who runs very fast and catches the ball a lot (sorry, only know my kids position).
 Now there are FOUR football player goalies...3 linemen and Bryce, the runner/catcher guy. Poor poor sophomore girl.
 And, the guy shooting for the hoop...Nate! Guess he got away, and they got the ball to him. There seem to be no casualties about, so maybe he finally figured it out!


Wednesday, February 23, 2011


I found this here... Isn't it awesome!


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Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Rock Show Really Rocked!

There is a geological gene in the Rice family line that draws them to rocks. (I thought just my hubby and some of my kids were rock nuts, but, after talking to our nephew the other night, we discovered others are suffering from the same genetic defect.) Everywhere Dee travels to, he brings home a rock, and his desk at work is covered with rocks from India and Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, and, well, if he ever loses that job, we may just have to rent a place for the rocks. (He knows I am not a total fan of rocks all over the place, and worries what will happen to his, when he passes...I assured him that I won't throw them away, but he'll have a totally awesome headstone!)

Anyway, he says we NEVER do anything fun, and his friend, Stephen, was staying in Tucson and invited him to see some of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, so he took a Friday off work, and I went with him. Funny, when I said I was going to a rock show, most thought AC/DC would be involved (heck, I'm married to a dj)but it was very interesting. We just visited a very small exhibit...apparently there are exhibitors and sellers all over the city...and it took hours to view each display from all over the world. There were the coolest big rocks from India....looked like huge capsules...like dinosaur eggs...would have been absolutely awesome on my playground...but they were $1500 a piece, and sure would have been way to heavy for the trunk of our car! (Sorry there is no picture. I did take one with my phone, but that got sent to my grandson, Adam) Here are some pictures Dee captured:
Calcite twinning crystals


The silvery mineral on the shelf with the needle-like crystals is Stibnite.
The lovely green mineral behind me (you know me and green!!) is Fluorite.
I had just come in from viewing the display outside...windy...so the hair this time is not my fault.

 Dee met Stephen when he was on a business trip in Ohio in November. They met on a walking trail and have become very good friends. He know so much about minerals. It was really a treat to be able to attend with an expert!
 This display was Russian in origin. And these pyrite specimens were huge!The gentlemen offering information/ selling looked like Russian spies...My limited imagination ran wild at this display. 






The small black mineral is Cassiterite.
Stibnite



 The greenish mineral is Apophyllite from India

The nicest thing: my sweetheart had such a great time! He never has really asked to attend anything like this, and he really doesn't do much for himself anyway, so it was a pleasure to make him happy, and the bonus, I really had a great time...got to make a new friend, got to see beautiful things, he even purchased a heart shaped stone...lapis azul, I believe... that I get to wear on my necklace. Jewelry is always a great bonus!

(Many thanks to Stephen, who graciously looked at the blog and our little camera pics - I forgot the Nikon - and identified them for me! Stephen, you truly are a gem!!!)

Friday, February 18, 2011

Valentine's Day 2011

I am pouting...BIG TIME!I am supposed to be packing and getting ready to head off to Las Vegas for my sweet little granddaughter's first dance recital tomorrow morning (casino's let the community use their stages for no cost...in the morning!). I was going to be loading the car with training wheels, a bucket of wheat, a funny sit up thing we got at a yard sale, a new kitchen faucet (yard sale, too), a case of rice milk (from a sweet and dear friend who wanted to help my allergic grandson), and Grammy Bags... So, Aunt Kayty gets to drop it off on her way to Southern Utah University later in the week...and I continue to pout. (and now I'm starting to cry cuz I just miss them so much and I really really needed to read and watch them play Wii and all that other fun stuff I don't get to do) But, I would much rather sit here and pout, than dare get any of them sick...so...there, now I am smiling again...ahhhhhh happy, healthy grandbabies.

So, I have a few moments, and I'm gonna blog our Valentine's Day. My sweet mother in law has ALWAYS made Valentines Day an event, and it was no different this year. We celebrated on Sunday, the 13th...then the romantic Rices could have Monday to do something special with their "loves" (that gets a bit LOL!) Anyway...

 Doesn't the table look nice!!

 These are "heart beets"...she takes a beet slice, uses a heart cookie cutter, and makes this creation. Valentine's Day just wouldn't be the same without heart beats at Grandma's!
 She gives everyone a little something, and, if we return the "gift bag" she will fill it next year. Well, not really, we just all joke about it!
 Now you see just why I laughed at the "romantic Rice boys"...on their phones...Ethan just got a new Verizon iphone, Doran has .... oh, something not an iphone...but it is a smart phone, and least I think so.
 This is our golfing nephew/cousin, Curtis. Someday, he will be on tv in a big tournament, and I will say "I knew him when..." Curtis is just such an awesome guy! He is staying with Grandma, working here in Phoenix as a landscape/construction contractor for himself, as well as with his dad. Curtis is a guy in his 20's and lived in another state most of his childhood/teenage years, and we all really didn't get to know each other very well, but you would NEVER know that by how he treats us. Every...and I mean every...time we see him, he gives you the absolute biggest hug! Now, I am really not a huggy person, per se, but you just can't NOT get a Curtis hug. He was raised by very loving and wonderful people, and it shows!!! We sooooo notice when Curtis goes back to visit his mom, or is away golfing...just not the same without a Curtis Hug!
 Selfish me...I LOVE salad, and this is the most important part of MY meal. She also had delicious barbequed meatballs, her famous and never to be lived without potatoes and cheese, cauliflower and cheese sauce, rolls, and had made individual cheesecake desserts with cherry sauce as well as heart brownies. I spent my dessert time eating the Valentine M&M centerpiece...my bad...had it not been Sunday, I could have roofed three houses and mowed her acre lawn with a pair of hand clippers...
 This is Nate's dear sweet friend, Jessica. We ALL love her so much!!!! She is the ONLY one that puts up with Nate, and keeps his head from getting to big! She is feisty and sweet and wonderful, and we will miss her like absolutely crazy when he goes on his church mission in a year...we are crossing our fingers that...oops, again, my bad! (There is no way this perfect angel will be able to stay a secret from all the other guys in the world while our Nate is away for two years...we could put her in a box (see Nate's birthday), but that really wouldn't be too nice...and her family would so miss her!!

Valentine's Day means Kayty had to work at Party City, but she was able to come late and share some dessert with us. Notice her tribute to Twilight...(look at the eyes...red!) Now, she swears she loves the werewolf, Jacob, but I'm seeing some definite Edward eyes here....


Now, on our Valentines Day....
The Rices are not always the most festive sort, especially on "minor holidays". Early mornings are busy here...I get Dee up, pack lunch, make breakfast, make Nate's lunch (hey people, I know he's an adult, but either I spend a couple of minutes making lunch, or 30 minutes cleaning up his mess...He's 18 now, and he will be someone elses problem to live with in a year or so!), so no pics of what I did, but Dee had heart shaped fried fresh eggs from our chickens, and I cut Nate's sandwiches in a heart shape (wrapped and put them in his lunch before he could detect...I guess his friends were somewhat amused at his crazy mom during lunch!)
 Dinner: Italian Rosemary Chicken Breast, Bowtie Pasta with Parmesan (I put red dye in the pasta water) and fresh asparagus.
 Awful picture I took with my heavy Nikon while he was eating and talking on the phone...hey, it's been almost 31 yrs. My hair is awful because it's Monday and the house was a mess, I had  a ton of laundry and my creative writing teacher reinforced my new knowledge that I am totally not a creative writer as she stabbed my paper I was so proud of over and over and over so I had to finally come to the reality that the former perfectionist trying to reform is being assisted by the meany teacher!...uhh, sorry...lots of stress right now...anyway...
my cute centerpiece!...and by 9pm, since kids were all gone, and hubby was busy, I had our house de-valentined and newly St. Patricked....I LOVE GREEN, so I am in heaven!



Thursday, February 17, 2011

Happy Birthday To Two

Our babies were sent to our home without our planning on when they would come. They all have been just blessings...blessing that came the day after Veteran's Day, twelve days before Christmas, Two weeks after New Years, the day after Ground Hog Day, near Easter, and right before the first day of school. Sometimes, that made if for late birthday celebrations...We celebrated on, or near on, Nate and Kayty's birthdays, but it was kind of..."tomorrow is your birthday, what cake do you want?" kinda thing..." So, here are some pics...Nate turning....an ADULT...18!

Nano's famous "Nano-blanket" Az Cardinals


 Nate's friend, Jessica, decorated his room, and left this box...with her inside...in the middle. Gosh, it took him FOREVER to finally go in his room and see that box. I thought she was gonna suffocate!




 His friends, Amberly and Pamela, surprised him after seminary class with this lovely car decor! He left it there for a long time! (That car still needs washing!!!)


 Doran and Danyel happened to come by...and Nate was going to leave with Jessica
so we quickly candled his Mississippi Mud cake, with plastic bugs and off road trucks on it.
and Kayty turning...no longer a teenager...20!
 Her favorite Chocolate Costco Cake...I don't think there IS enough insulin to allow for this!