The Magnificent Seven

We finally had a family vacation over UEA to Disneyland. It was really busy but overall it was very fun. We were pleased to take Grandma and Grandpa with us, and Matthew claimed Grandpa was his bestest friend.

Brandon is still busy working at Authorize.Net. They are trying some new ventures which are expanding his skills. Also, he is now working on rechartering all the scout organizations in the stake as part of his High Council duties. And he is working with the landscaper to finish the yard. We now have a retaining wall, curbing, sprinklers, half of a trampoline pit, a dismantled trampoline pit ring, and half of a yard of grass. Hopefully it will all be in except for the trampoline by Alyssa's birthday.

I have finished a marathon few weeks. With work, vacation, and children's activities I am never home. I am now planning a teacher's appreciation luncheon at school as Education Commissioner.

Alyssa is very busy with school and dance. She is very excited to become a teenager this month and is planning a big shindig (a Jay Woodard expression) for a few close friends. She is working hard since it is quarter-end next week and her first report card. She had her first girls' ensemble concert last week and did very well.

Kyle is keeping busy learning about Egypt this month. He has been spending a lot of time researching canopic jars and we now get to make some using Mom's play dough recipe and some paint. It will be nice to have it done. He is also looking forward to BYU's Merit Badge Powwow on Alyssa's birthday. We signed him up for the space rocket one and citizenship in the world. He is enjoying band (yeah) and the clarinet. His piano teacher thinks we should nudge him toward a jazz band since he is good at pounding on keys. She agreed that a saxophone would be good for him (we hope to do that next year). Megan is still doing a little bit of everything. She is in ballroom dance,

violin, early morning choir, piano, and activity days. (I refused to let her sign up for French because she was too busy and she told me she thought she had a few more hours.) She has turned this year into a year of friends. We were so worried because her best friend was put into a different class and Megan was so sad. But after a few weeks she was bringing home notes from so many girls I had never heard of that we have decided that she is where she should be. Plus this teacher had Alyssa and knows these girls really excel when challenged, and so has pushed Megan to greater heights.

Matthew loves kindergarten. Since I am a room helper, I get to go and help teach in the classroom. He is doing so well. I thought he would be too shy, but he has "come out of his shell" as his teacher said when she told me to talk to him about not being too talkative in class. They are learning letters, simple math, seasons, writing, memorizing poems, etc. There are so many interesting things that kindergarteners learn, I have fun being there.

Rachel is so much fun. She is at that age where each day there is something new that they learn and do that it would be impossible to write about it. She loves when the kids come home from school and she can play with them. She is so cute with her dad. She loves when he is home (which isn't very often) and will follow him around calling him "Mom" until he picks her up. Then she will give him a big Howard grin, lay her head on his shoulder, and pat his back. She knows I am Mom, but she calls everyone Mom, too, even Grandpa, it is really funny.

Just Another Sunday in the Country from Kimberly

You Never Know

Little Tikes Tykes dollhouse Replacement STAIRS (150020326745) This message was sent after the listing closed. grammymyrna is the winner. I will buy them. Thanks so much. Myrna

From: Richard Iverson
Tuesday, 17 Oct 2006 

Thanks so much for your honesty. We are always so impressed by people like you. We can send you an invoice with paypal for it. We also wanted to let you know that we have some Little Tikes Dollhouse items that aren't in perfect shape and altho we don't feel we can offer them for sale, would love to send them your way if you care to cover the actual shipping for them. The items we have are: green roof island kitchen, yellow clothes/hair mom, brown hair/blue clothes dad, green turtle sandbox without lid, red art easel, white dog, baby buggy, and 3 blue chairs. If any of these interest you we can send you pictures so you know what you'd want to ship and if so just add the amount to the stairs. Pls let us know and we can get the pics. taken. We would just like them to go to a good home and thought of you. It's our way of saying thank you for your honesty. thanks so much, Linda

Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 
Myrna,
I hope you don't mind me asking. . . . . since you are from UT. We couldn't help wondering if you were LDS due to your honesty and there being so many in UT. Please disregard if you don't know what we're talking about! lol
The postage depends on which items you would like. Like I said, they aren't perfect. below is a description of them. Parcel post is in increments of 1 lb., so if you are even half an ounce over one pound, you pay for 2 lbs. and the same on up. If you only wanted a few, they may only go for first class postage and we'd just hafta put them on our scale to get the amount. All of them comes to OVER 1 lb., so if you wanted all of them it would be $4.73, $3.95 if they don't go over 1 lb. On the stairs, since we don't have to pay ebay fees on it, we can drop the shipping amount and $10 is fine. We are more than happy to take a few pictures so you can see what the items look like. Just let us know what you think. Pictures really won't be much trouble if you're interested. Just didn't want to bother if you weren't interested.
Green roof island kitchen--looks like it the little "leg" that "holds" up the table part got chewed off at the bottom--we thought you could use a belt sander or metal rasp tool to sand it smooth and it won't affect its ability to stand by itself. Kids wouldn't notice it at all, but we don't feel we can sell it. We normally sell these kitchens for $9.99 and we have a similar one listed right now.
Yellow clothes/hair mom--she has a few faint teeth marks on one hand/wrist (I know, why do kids have to chew on things!?! but she doesn't look bad. Brown hair/blue clothes dad--the paint on his sleeves has flaked off; looks kinda splotchy. You could brush on some paint to make it look just fine, but we don't feel we can offer him for sale.
Green turtle sandbox without lid--the missing lid is the only thing wrong, other than maybe a few minor scratches. We could try to sell this for a reduced price but don't know if it would sell. I do know kids could still enjoy playing with it tho. The lid would easily get lost in play. It's the parents who would actually put the lid back on in real life anyway! lol
Red art easel--has a few scratches on each side to the paint of the "chalkboard" and painting side. not bad, we just don't feel good about offerring it for sale
White dog--these normally sell for $4.99 each, but this one has kinda yellowed on part of it. Not sure why. You could paint it of course, but kids would probably think it was just fine as is. We have touched up the nose/eyes/mouth with black sharpie marker/pen (perrmanent black marker, they also have fine tip ones, as well as colors and you can find them at Walmart, even craft stores)
Baby buggy--great other than the bendable plastic that they have around the handle you would push has split. Still could be tons of fun to play with, especially if you wanted to cover the handle with white electrical type tape very carefully--over the split plastic or with the plastic removed; or you could remove the plastic then paint the handle. Just some ideas. We just don't feel we can offer this for sale.
Three blue chairs--these have some bad teeth marks--I would omit them first if you want to keep it to 1 lb., and I can send a picture. It's too bad on these. They must have been chewed by a pet I'm sure. I don't know if you could kinda smooth them out by "sanding" or something. They don't look so great to be honest. They'll go in the trash unless someone wants to salvage them.
Let me know what you think! Linda
Dear Linda,
I am proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, honesty should be something everyone practices, especially those of us blest to live in the U.S. Most of us have so very much that I don't think any of us should cheat. I have been blest and have a good life filled with loving family and friends. I think honesty should just be the happy way we deal with one another. "Honesty is the best policy." I'll climb off the soap box.

I do appreciate the offer of the dollhouse items. I really think I should be charged something for them besides the postage. Let me know what you think about that. I would be happy to take all of the items. They sound wonderful and, as a mom and grandmother, I know that kids play with toys and love them. It is the love that shows through in worn paint and chewed fingers. I remember that, as a child, I literally loved the stuffing out of a few toys.

Please let me pay something that would be fair for you.

How do you want me to pay? How does PayPal work in a transaction like this one? Do I need to send a check or money order or give you a credit card number? Can we still use PayPal? Please let me know what you would like me to do.

Thank you.

Myrna

The Old Folks At Home Addendum

I am adding and addendum on Sept. 25. I just wanted you to know that I am, officially, one beat up person. I was helping Dad, Shawn, Dane and Toren put up the trusses on Dad’s shed on Saturday afternoon. Dad accidentally knocked a 2X4 and it fell with some force and smashed my right pointer finger. It is PURPLE and has been bleeding quite a bit. Dr. George said it looked as if it were broken on the tip but it will grow back. It is covered with a few layers of protective bandage. Then on Monday, I was scheduled for another procedure, called a sacroiliac joint injection. By placing numbing medicine into the joint, the amount of immediate pain relief helps confirm or deny the joint as a source of pain. Also, time release cortisone (steroid) helps to reduce any inflammation that may exist within the joint. The patient is placed on the X-ray table on their stomach so that the physician can best visualize these joints in the back using x-ray guidance. The skin on the low back is scrubbed using 2 types of sterile scrub. Next, the physician numbs a small area of skin with numbing medicine. This medicine stings for several seconds. After the numbing medicine has been given time to be effective, the physician directs a very small needle, using x-ray guidance into the joint. A small amount of contrast (dye) is injected to insure proper needle position inside the joint space. Then, a small mixture of numbing medicine (anesthetic) and anti-inflammatory (cortisone/steroid) is injected. One or several joints may be injected depending on location of the patient’s usual pain. The legs may feel weak or numb for a few hours. This is fairly uncommon, but does occasionally happen. Well, they did my left side and today, all day, I have had to have Dad help me walk, Dr. Gordon Petty George said to find a place to park and stay there. But I have had to use the bathroom from time to time. I have had a completely dead left leg. It should have feeling by morning and I am counting on it. But, because I had rheumatic fever as a child, I had to have an intravenous antibiotic. The nurse nicked the vein in my hand, left side, and so the back of my hand is swollen and bruised. Yes that is a smashed finger on the right and a swollen hand on the left—oh, joy! Besides that, I cut my thumb on the left with a knife the other day, and, at the campout, caught my pointer finger on the left in the trailer door. It has been a FUN weekend. I will no longer complain. I am done. Now I will smile and be pleasant.

The Photos Are Submitted

I sent them on and they have not, yet, replied. I guess they are either OK or they will let me know. I am sorry you have had so much trouble trying to find them. It is a good thing you had negatives. Love, Myrna

Donnette's Sad Tale

I hope the scans I sent are ok as I have continued searching to no avail. I did find Richard's war pictures but Claude and Raymond's aren't with them. I told my children the sad tale. No one has even laid a hand on any of my pictures.

Donnette

The Magnificent Seven

Since I haven't written for a while, I will give a lot of information this time. Hopefully it won't sound like those letters people send at Christmas that don't sound like real people.

Brandon is enjoying being on the high council. He is already going to move up one chair next month because someone is moving. He thought he would not have to do Friends of Scouting when he was released from bishop, and now he is in charge of it for the entire stake. The Stake President holds meetings every other Wednesday for a few hours, which is better than every week for a couple hours. The ward he is over meets at 6 or 7 am for meetings, and then 9 am for church. So we still see him at our church until January. Work is still extremely time consuming, but it pays the bills so we shouldn't complain too much.

I am still on the scout committee over awards and advancements. I am also education commissioner at school for the next two years. I will also be classroom helper in kindergarten on Tuesdays. Work is really busy right now. I have a rape trial I am doing which will happen the first of December, another DUI jury trial for October, and I am co-chairing a solicitation to commit murder case for Utah County (they had to give Juab the case because one of their deputy attorneys was the proposed victim). The last case is happening October 2, 3, and 4, so watch the news. And this is still part-time.

Alyssa is doing well at the middle school. She is learning that the key to A's is organization (only because her dad and mom keep telling her that over and over and over). She is very involved in dance still and is going to a convention in Las Vegas this weekend. She is also enjoying sewing and girl's ensemble at school. She doesn't like math too much because it is advanced math, but if she sticks with it, then she won't have to do so much in high school (that's our selling point). 

Our neighbor has decided to teach the oldest three piano (she used to teach in California for 20 years) so she is involved in that again after a month hiatus.

Kyle is enjoying being in 6th grade (they are the seniors of the elementary school). He was going to play the trumpet in band but we are now thinking he will do the clarinet and work into the saxaphone for next year. He is on his way to getting his Tenderfoot soon and will attend his first merit badge pow-wow at BYU next month with our scouts if there are any classes left. He is in piano again, and hopefully will have a piece ready to play at 6th grade graduation. He is also in advanced math and somehow catches on to it even when he is sent into the hall for talking (reminds me of someone I knew once).

Megan is taking a year off from dance and is enjoying soccer. She will likely try basketball next and then soccer again in the spring. She is still taking violin lessons from the BYU professor at lunchtime. She is also doing piano from our neighbor after school, and concert choir at the school very early in the morning. She has been placed in advanced math since her math scores were above 95%.

Matthew has come out of his shell. I have already been told by his kindergarten teacher to tell him that there are times for talking and times for quiet. He is a very affectionate boy. Every time his soccer coach bends over for a huddle, we can count on Matthew to run and jump on his back. He hugs our friends the Burnsides all the time, his primary teachers, and his kindergarten teacher. He is a bright kid, but he needs to learn to wiggle less and listen more. 

Rachel is still a lot of fun for us, except she has also emerged from her shell and is everywhere. She is like a little hurricane leaving a path of destruction in her wake. Last week she drank vinegar at Mom's house when Alyssa was watching her (which surprised all of us because she makes us hold her cups and bottles when she drinks) and spent the next three hours with a tummy ache and the next several hours making some very startling belches (Kyle was so proud). I couldn't help but laugh even though it was quite scary. It burned her throat a little and she was very upset for quite some time because she couldn't breath well (she must've inhaled it a bit). But it all came out in the end, literally. She says some fun words that will make us all giggle, and we are totally enjoying having her.

Pictures at 35 mm

 Donnette wrote: I only have the 35 mm negatives of those two pictures. You go ahead and sign for the family. I have searched through all my files and can't find any of those Mexican border pictures. I tried to put everything in big boxed files when I did the CD scanning. I can't imagine what happened to everything.
Donnette


Myrna wrote: The 35 mm is the best resolution you can get. If you print it and then scan the photo, it should work. Or, if you follow my directions on the other response to your other e-mail, that would be best. The 1200 dpi would be the very best result. If all else fails, I am certain your son-in-law, who seems to be a computer guru, can figure it out. I found out that we have until the end of the month to get this done and submitted so I am not quite so panicked. Love, Myrna

Pictures from Donnette

In rereading this I did have those original pictures. Now I can only find the negatives. I have a scanner that does negatives but have no idea what the dpi is. I just can't seem to be able to find the pictures. I have gone through all my boxes of pictures.

Maybe I'll have to have the pictures printed up and then - 

I only have the 35 mm negatives of those two pictures. You go ahead and sign for the family. I have searched through all my files and can't find any of those Mexican border pictures. I tried to put everything in big boxed files when I did the CD scanning - I can't imagine what happened to everything.

Oh dear. I have spent two days now looking for those pictures. I realized, too, that Richard's war pictures are also missing - they must be together. I have gone through every envelope in every file drawer and in every box I have filed pictures in. I am at a loss.

My scanner that I scanned pictures with could scan at different dpi and I usually used 300 except for the very small pictures when I switched to 600. But my little HP Photo Smart is older and while it does a good job with 35mm films and slides it doesn't really tell what the scanning scale is. I scanned it on the largest it had. I hope this will do and I will still wrack my brain to find the original pictures.

Donnette 

DPI

In rereading this I did have those original pictures. Now I can only find the negatives. I have a scanner that does negatives but have no idea what the dpi is. I just can't seem to be able to find the pictures. I have gone through all my boxes of pictures.

Maybe I'll have to have the pictures printed up and then -
Donnette


Myrna wrote: DPI (or lowercase "dpi") is an abbreviation of dots per inch, which indicates the resolution of images. The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution. A common resolution for laser printers is 600 dots per inch. This means 600 dots across and 600 dots down, so there are 360,000 dots per square inch.

However, the most common resolution of images is 300 dpi. Most computer photo scanning systems have a setting called scan resolution. That allows the scanner to be set at the desired resolution, usually somewhere between 100 and 1200 dpi. Many people scan at the lower resoultion, say 100, 200 or 300, because the lower the resolution, the smaller the file.

You should be able to scan the negative at the higher resolution. They want it at 1200 if there needs to be cropping done or at 500 if no cropping is needed.

Love, Myrna

PS: I am sorry. Of course you know what DPI is. You just don't know what your scanner is copying at.