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.

Rocky Mountain “Hi!”

Yes! We are now the parents of a school-aged child and I finally understand why cell-phones, in-car desks and car-friendly foods were invented. Convenience and time management! It wasn't enough to have a baby and move at the same time, I had to one-up myself by starting playgroup, preschool, dance, gymnastics, and kindergarten all at once. I feel crazy!! Although I know it's not anything the rest of you moms aren't already doing, it's a killer for me. I understand why people have maids and nannies. Still, life is good. Whitney loves school. Since it's a charter school, there is no bus. Luckily our little neighbor boy ended up in Whitney's class, so his mom drives them to school and I pick them up. Emma doesn't understand why she (Emma) doesn't get a ride a cool school "bus" (Chevy Tahoe) like Whitney (explanation: I take Emma and her friend who lives up the street to preschool, and his mom picks up). What kind of mother am I?!

I have also just experienced my first "my mom is so embarrassing" moment. It was wonderful! Poor Whitney. We all knew it would happen sooner than later, but I wasn't prepared for it to happen in Kindergarten. It also doesn't help that I usually show up at carpool all red-faced and sweaty (in my defense, I only have a one-hour window in which to exercise between pick-ups and dropoffs). I've tried to set up a couple of play dates for Whitney with her new classmates, but it wasn't until last Friday when all the parents had to come to school without kids that I got a positive response (I cleaned myself up and actually got ready that day). Oh well. You win some and lose some.

Ryan is growing very quickly and every time I tell people how old he is, they all say the same thing: "Wow! He doesn't look like a newborn, he's already a big baby." To that, I have many responses, but usually stick with the polite one and say, "Yes, he is big. But we'll keep him." Ryan's surgery for his lip is scheduled for October 25 at 8:30 am at the Denver Children's Hospital. It's usually an outpatient procedure, but because we live in the Springs, he will have to be kept overnight for observation (for the anesthesia). Then he will have stitches for the next 5-7 days and arm splints for three weeks (so he can't rub his mouth). He won't be able to have any binkies or help from his sisters. Somehow I think that will be more difficult (protecting him from his sisters) than the surgery itself.

Emma loves preschool. She is the only girl in her class. I have been informed by the teacher that Emma is the princess (simply because she is so "adored" by her classmates, not because sh  is bossy--somehow I doubt that) and all the boys always want to do what Emma wants to do. I think that is why she likes preschool.

Jared is still "practicing" away. He will be working every Friday in October (I know, "heaven forbid!") except for one: the week we get to go to Todd's. We are very excited and can't wait to impose the Waites on the Ohio Trauntveins!

We thoroughly enjoyed our Trip to Utah. The girl's keep asking why we can't just move there, then we could go to that place with "the rides where we got all wet" and see Grammy, Grandpa, Mary, Megan and everyone else all the time. I explained to Whitney that daddy has a job here and needs to earn money to pay for our house. So now she's constantly asking if items at the grocery store are going to make us so poor that we won't even have a house. I guess it's time to start having more serious financial talks. Allowance anyone? We're taking comments of all varieties on this issue....

Love,

The Waites

Recipes of the Month from Melanie

September reminds me of years of sitting with my elbows on the table, a knife in my right hand, a quart jar to my left and a 9x13 cake pan, placed in just the right place to gather all the drippings and skin from peeled peaches. What a mess canning peaches was, but oh, how sweet

the finished reward! Here are some new recipes taken from Peach 101. The place to call for information on the book is at the end.

I used to "can peaches" until a few years ago. I found that DelMonte sells them in quart jars for cheaper than I can preserve them, but I somehow miss the mess and taste of a warm peach, devoid of skin, juices dripping down my chin, during the September month. Hope these

recipes will bring many tasty moments for you.

I love you Mom!

Mel

Peach Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

One-third cup peach jam

One-third cup white wine vinegar

One-fourth cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey, warmed

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients in jar. Chill, shake well, serve.

Peaches and Cream Pie

1 9-inch pie shell

6 fresh ripe peaches, quartered

1 cup cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 and one-half teaspoons vanilla

One-fourth cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Arrange peach quarters in pie shell. Combine cream, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Beat 3-5 minutes. Pour on top of peaches. Dot butter on top of cream by teaspoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until filling is set and crust is browned.

Susan’s Hot Peach Breakfast

Sliced bananas

Brown sugar to taste

Fresh peach slices

Peach juice

In a single-serve microwaveable baking dish, layer banana, brown sugar, and peach slices. Pour juice over all and microwave on high 30 seconds or until bubbly.

Peach Salsa

1 cup chopped fresh ripe peaches

Three-fourths cup chopped fresh tomatoes

One-half cup sweet red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 green onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Combine peaches, tomatoes, red onion, ga rlic, green onion, and cilantro. Set aside. In separate bowl, whisk olive oil, lime juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Pour over peach mixture and stir gently to combine. Chill. Store in sealed container in refrigerator. Great on tortilla chips or try with eggs, fish, or chicken! From “Peach 101: Recipes Your Mother Never Told You About. “

Halloween Bugs in the Bed

You can make the filling ahead of time and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator until serving time.

4 green apples

1 cup of chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup of chopped peanuts (optional)

1/2 cup of rice Krispies

1/4 cup of raisins

Cut the apples into quarters and remove the core, leaving it hollow for the filling. Mix the peanut butter, chopped peanuts, cereal and raisins. Spoon them into the apple hollows. Looks like bugs, but kids just love it. Serves 14

Halloween Milkshake

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

4 black licorice twists

PREPARATION:

Blender together milk, orange juice concentrate and ice cream in a blender until smooth. Pour into glasses. Cut the ends off the black licorice twists and use as straws.