Celebrating 80 Years Young

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

A Halloween Who's Who

I haven't put out holiday decorations since moving to St. George; the only exception being a $5 dollar 1 foot tall lighted Christmas tree from WalMart. This year as Dad was looking for black cloak he discovered these Halloween figures. I know we did these as a family, but I can't remember who painted what. If you recognize your little critter please let me know so I can write your name on it. It was such fun when we did these and I want to make the memory more complete.

Day of the Dead

My 3D class is doing a huge Day of the Dead display. It will involve all the students and take up the entire foyer of the art building. These 5 terrariums are my donation to the morbid cause. The Spectrum is supposed to do a story on our project. (I know, we are a small town).

I had a 3D assignment to create something from pop cans. Because I have been studying Medieval Manuscripts and have done significant reading in the Aberdeen Bestiary, I decided to make a phoenix. Following is a definition from Wikipedia of what a bestiary (best-ee-ary) is and a quote from the Aberdeen Bestiary describing a phoenix. Enjoy your history lesson for today.

“A bestiary is a compendium of beasts. Bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson. This reflected the belief that the world itself was the Word of God, and that every living thing had its own special meaning. For example, the pelican, which was believed to tear open its breast to bring its young to life with its own blood, was a living representation of Jesus. The bestiary, then, is also a reference to the symbolic language of animals in Western Christian art and literature. The earliest bestiary in the form in which it was later popularized was an anonymous 2nd century Greek volume called the Physiologus, which itself summarized ancient knowledge and wisdom about animals in the writings of classical authors such as Aristotle's Historia Animalium and various works by Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, Solinus, Aelian and other naturalists.” Wikipedia

“The phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird that lives for upwards of five hundred years, and when it observes that it has grown old, it erects a funeral pyre for itself from small branches of aromatic plants [frankincense and myrrh], and having turned to face the rays of the sun, beating its wings, it deliberately fans the flames for itself and is consumed in the fire. But on the ninth day after that, the bird rises from its own ashes.”

“Our Lord Jesus Christ displays the features of this bird, saying: 'I have the power to lay down my life and to take it again' (see John, 10:18). If, therefore, the phoenix has the power to destroy and revive itself, why do fools grow angry at the word of God, who is the true son of God, who says: 'I have the power to lay down my life and to take it again'? For it is a fact that our Saviour descended from heaven; he filled his wings with the fragrance of the Old and New Testaments; he offered himself to God his father for our sake on the altar of the cross; and on the third he day he rose again. The phoenix can also signify the resurrection of the righteous who, gathering the aromatic plants of virtue, prepare for the renewal of their former energy after death.” Aberdeen Bestiary

If you are interested you can access the Aberdeen Bestiary at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/index.hti

Homework

All right - so it's not quadratic equations or Aristotle's ethical theory, but this homework was something you don't find at college every day: FUN!!! My classes this semester are time consuming but on the lighter side. Last week for 3D art we were to make an organic sculpture. This week we are working with pop cans. I will let you know how it goes. I get to play AND get a degree. Bet you wish you were me!

Pass the Textbook, PLEASE!!!

Good thing school starts next week. This summer my kitchen has been WAY too accessible.

Friday Adventures

I am getting my wisdom teeth removed in less than two hours. This is a picture of how I expect to look next week - except not so cute and a tad older.

Thompson Photo Shoot

Too good not to pass on.

Grace and the Caterpillar

I found this cute little caterpillar in our flowerbed. I love him and kiss him and take him with me everywhere.


My mommy says that someday he will be a beautiful butterfly.


I bet you wish you had a caterpillar like mine.


Maybe we could find you another caterpillar in our flowerbed and then we will all play together.


But you know what? After you have played with them for a while, caterpillars like to sleep,sleep,sleep. Mommy says that then you have to put them in a little dirt bed and come in for dinner. Goodnight Mr. Caterpillar.

Friday Night Pizza in Salt Lake

Last weekend we got together with the "Wasatch Brood" at Grandma and Grandpa's house for pizza. We thought Grandma and Grandpa were going to be at the sand dunes with Ralph, but their trip got canceled at the last minute. We were a little chagrined that we had planned a party at their house, so we felt obligated to let them come. It was a glamorous night and everyone who is anyone along "the front" was there.

We had the house-owning, party-crashing host and hostess. (Is that a halo around Grandma's head?)



Along with some foxy gals (We just gave Sadie her cheesecake. A true woman in the making!)



And macho guys (Where did Richard go???)



And two little girls too cute not to show twice. (Austyn and Sami are pretty cute too)




Even Grandma was feeling the effects of her pizza. (This was not staged. She actually went for a ride. She probably felt - with the halo thing - that she better live it up while she could)



There is nothing like family when paired with Papa Murphy's Pizza, motorcycles, and cheesecake!

Our Vernal Weekend

Saturday night we all got together in celebration of Mother's Day and Grandma and Grandpa's 59th anniversary. We did a lot of talking, laughing, eating, and loving - what more could you want.















On Sunday we went out to see Chantel and Bryan's new house. I noticed that I didn't get a picture of her living room. It is lovely - trust me - right down to the white carpet (brave girl). The horses in the distance are theirs. We stopped by Ron and Wendy's and saw a deer grazing in their yard. Tammy said that there were about 10 the morning before. Beautiful to see but hazardous to gardens.







After church we drove home and arrived about 11:00 pm. The only exciting thing that happened along the way is that a bat smashed onto our windshield. I decided not to blog the remains.

A Thompson Glimpse

Amber sent me these and I had to share. I included the cats so you could see their summer "do." Enjoy!