September MauldenNews

Ah, September - you were glorious this year. Warm and sunny, but not too hot. I'm sad you're gone now, especially as we went from 80 to 40 degrees and SNOW in the first week of October...it always seems wrong to me when we get snow before the leaves have a chance to change color. Anyway, on to the news.

Started the month with the Salt Lake Half Marathon, thanks to my friend Tammy (who took the pictures). Of course, she blew me away (yes, she walks faster than I run) - but it was fun, and scenic, so who cares?

Then it was off to church camp.

 Sam got to ring the bell to call everyone in to supper.

 I never get tired of watching hummingbirds!

Next came the Top of Utah Marathon - woo-hoo! It was AWESOME, not only because I - of all people! -  actually ran a marathon, but because I got to do it with my brothers Tim and Daniel, and wonderful friend Tammy (who again left me in her racewalking dust). AND - to top it all off - mom and dad came to visit and cheer us on to the finish!

 Tim, Daniel and me - smiling because the finish is in sight! And you can't really tell that our clothes are all wet, can you?

LOVE my moose medal!


Post-marathon thoughts...every time you do something new, you learn some things. Well, I learned two things. Actually, three. One - don't believe the weather report. Two, don't get rid of extra clothing too soon. We started off with a nice cold, drenching shower at the starting line so our feet were squishing in our shoes. Then we had rain, drizzle, rain, clear skies, rain, lightning, thunder, hail, rain, sun. (The course was beautiful though!) During the "clear skies" I was warm so left my wet jacket at the drop box at mile 7, only to WISH I had it at mile 11 when it dumped buckets on us again along with stinging little balls of hail. Luckily, it cleared up again and we made the final push to the finish in the sun. The last 3 or 4 miles were really hard. Interestingly, I could feel my hips, thighs, and feet hurting but not my knees, calves, or ankles. Rounding the last corner to see the finish line, Bryan, and my mom and dad, was WONDERFUL. Crossing the finish line - even BETTER! and finally being able to STOP running - the BEST!!! Really, it was a crazy, awesome experience that I never thought I would have.

The third thing I learned was that after a marathon, I don't feel much like chasing my kids around. I mean, REALLY...do...not...feel like it.  A babysitter should be a post-marathon requirement. Finally - to quote another Galloway runner as she tearfully crossed the finish line of her first marathon: "I've never been so miserable in my life!...and I can't wait to do it again!"

The last bit of news for September - we ended the month in peach heaven. Our lovely peach tree made outstanding peaches this year. Big, juicy, beautiful peaches. Our apple tree also produced decent apples, for the first time in years. We bought a fruit picker (basket w/prongs on a pole) and went fishing up in the trees for peaches and apples with the kids. Wish I had pictures - but don't - so use your imaginations. It was fun to see the kids cheer for each other each time they snagged a fruit. I'm always looking for cooperative, team-building games for the kids - so it was fun to discover another one.

Final pictures: Alle's many talents: pajama biking, tree climbing and monkey-bar-hanging; Sam showing Grandpa how to use a stomp rocket.

This is Our Song - September 11, 2011

We sang this in church today, the tenth anniversary of September 11. I want to share it because to me, it expresses an alternative response to "God Bless America"-style patriotism. It's by Lloyd Stone, written in 1914 and published in the period between the two world wars. The tune is "Finlandia," perhaps known best as the music to the hymn "Be Still, My Soul."

This is my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;

But other hearts in other lands are beating

WIth hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine;

But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.

 I love what this song says...it goes beyond "God Bless America" to acknowledge the hopes and dreams of those in all nations. Even Afghanistan and Iraq. This morning in church I was reminded of the aftermath of September 11 on the world in the past ten years. Of course I am deeply saddened at the losses we sustained and I can't even pretend to imagine the pain borne by those who have suffered personally from that.  But our unnecessary "war on terrorism" has compounded that suffering, caused even greater death and destruction (especially in Iraq and Afghanistan), billions of dollars spent on war instead of a thousand better uses, the revelation of the use of torture and other abuses by our military, and the loss of much respect and credibility in the world's eyes. I found myself wishing I had been more outspoken in the last 10 years about my opposition to more war as our response to terrorism. I don't know exactly what the solution is, but I'm pretty sure this strategy is not it. So I pray for peace, and for justice to be done, and for the courage to speak and act, however I can, for healing and redemption.

CirculMagic Shop is going to Voltron Fest

CirculMagic Shop is happy to announce we'll be sharing the dancefloor at Voltron Festival, Turkey.

Live	MAIN STAGE LIVE ACT .................................. AKÉS (Hellchedelic Records) - Portugal ANTAGON (2to6 Records - Damaru Records) - Germany ATOMENTAL (Shakra Records - Karmatic Records) - Switzerland AUDIODIDAKT (Alice D Pro - Wild Seven Recordz) - Israel BOMBAX (Free Radical Records) - Germany CALYPTRATUS (Bionic Instinct Records) - Germany COSMIC IRON (Sonic Tantra Records) - Israel DARK WHISPER (Alice D Pro - Shaman Films Media) - Italy DEMONIAC INSOMNIAC (Active Meditation Music) - Macedonia FAREBI JALEBI (Parvati Records) - Australia FRANTIC NOISE (Dark Prisma Records) - Argentina GIDRA (Acidance Records) - India JAHBO (Parvati Records) - Denmark KARMATIC SKULLS (Karmatic Records) - Switzerland - Portugal KASATKA (Bionic Instinct Records) - Germany KASHYYYK (Kamino Records) - Mexico LOOSE CONNECTION (Catawampus Records) - Wales (UK) MAGMA OHM (Shaman Films Media - Tremors Underground) - Brazil MEGALOPSY (Dark Prisma Records) - Argentina PARANDROID (Manic Psycho Pro - Dharmaharmony Records) - Germany RAWAR (2to6 Records) - Portugal RED (Mighty Quinn Records) - Russia SETH (Bhooteshwara Records - Active Meditation Music) - Macedonia TECHNICAL HITCH (Insomnia Records) - Israel -Z- (alpha & antagon) (Moondrop Crew) - Germany All of these artists are %100 confirmed and sadly the Main Stage Live Act line up is closed.. Thanks for understanding about not offering us to be added the line up..
DJs	MAIN STAGE DJ SET ............................... ABBYSS (Full Om) - Turkey ABSOLUT (2to6 Records) - Sweden ALPHA (Interzone Pa) - Germany ANKUR (Seres Music - Acidance Records) - Germany ANT (Mind Expansion Music) - Germany BLUB (Karmatic Records) - Austria CANNIBAL CROW (Psycrowdelica) - Germany COOPER (Cosmic Plasma) - Romania CORIOUS (Lycantrop Records - Urban Antidote Records) - Germany DEPTHCHARGE (Industraum Records) - Turkey EKO (Mind Expansion Music) - Italy FILTRO (Dark Prisma Records) - Argentina GIUSEPPE (Parvati Records) - Italy HYPERWATT (Noise Poison Records) - Switzerland - Austria IGNIS (Damaru Records) - Germany IKEN (2to6 Records) - Austria LILL’ LI (Dharmaharmony Records) - Denmark LLOYD POZITIVIST (Damaru Records) - Wales (UK) MILOWATT (Noise Poison Records) - Austria MADEMOISELLE CHAOZ (Pixan Recordings) - Germany MITRA (Damaru Records) - Germany NAIMA (Acidance Records) - Austria PHILOSO (Free Radical Records) - Austria SPACE FREAK (Freak Out Pro) - Turkey TILAKA (Karmatic Records) - Switzerland UNTERWEGS (Industraum Records) - Turkey All of these artists are %100 confirmed and sadly the Main Stage Dj Act line up is closed.. Thanks for understanding about not offering us to be added the line up..
Chill	Alternative Stage Live Act and Dj Set line ups are waiting the offers and presentations of international artists and djs. Please feel free to let us know about your music or sets for the Alternative Stage by sending your infos to: 01depth.charge@gmail.com with the subject headline: "Voltron Fest Alternative Stage". Voltron Fest 2012 Alternative Stage's line up was started to be designed and thought by Baran Elitez (Depthcharge - Industraum/Fall From Cloud - Turkey) .. Please feel free to contact him in case you are about Alternative Stage of his thoughts..
Deco	FARBENSPIEL (Industraum Deco) - Turkey + MORE !!! .. The Decoration Design Idea of Voltron Festival is waiting to hear nice, new intelligent ideas from international deco teams and/or individual deco artists to be able to create real nice psychedelic village!.. Please feel free to let us get infos about your artistic ideas, especially "deconstructively articulated organism designs" of yours if you have or are able to create, mapping and other visual designs for the whole or fragmented part of the festival, by sending your infos to: industraum@live.com with the subject headline: "Voltron Fest Spatial Design".
Location	Tba near Antalya..
Entry fee	You will be able to get your earlybird tickets of Voltron Festival according to the schedule below: Jan 2012 -- 40 € -- limited to 250 Feb 2012 -- 45 € -- limited to 250 Mar 2012 -- 50 € -- limited to 250 Apr -- 55 € Ma -- 60 € Jun -- 65 € Jul -- 70 € Aug -- 75 € 23 Aug 2012, at the festival door: 80 € How to buy presale tickets will be announced in December 2011..
Infos	23-24-25-26-27 AUGUST 2012 VOLTRON FESTIVAL in TURKEY

Tutorial 2 - cutie de lemn cu cercuri quilling pentru bijuterii, agrafe, clame

 

De ceva timp ma tot gandesc cum sa reconditionez o cutie de lemn, simpla, in ceva dragut si util. Dupa mai multe idei prea complicate, m-am oprit la una simpla. Am vopsit cu uleiuri cutia in doua nuante de albastru. Una mai deschisa in interior si jumatate din exterior si un albastru inchis pentru baza exterioara a cutiei. Apoi pentru ca recent am descoperit puterea cerculetelor de hartie m-am apucat de urmatorul proiect:



Nu ai nevoie de multe lucruri.
-o cutie simpla de lemn
- un lipici de hartie
- fasii lungi de hartie, oricat de inguste, oricat de colorate. The choice is yours!
- o unealta de rulat pentru quilling. Dar le poti rula si freestyle.
- un lipici pe baza de rasina
- lac de hartie si o pensula.

Am uitat sa mentionez ca vei avea nevoie si de rabdare si un pic de dexteritate. Cerculetele se pot face dintr-una sau mai multe fasii de hartie. In orice combinatie de culori. Eu am ales doua nuante de albastru pe care am incercat sa le combin cat mai variat...Cercurile se lipesc intre ele sau direct pe cutie. Si apoi se dau cu lac.

 ...Dupa ceva timp:

Cutie de lemn pentru bijuterii, clame, creioane, agrafe de birou sau pentru posts, carti de vizita, rujuri, brichete cu cercuri din hartie in stil quilling.
Pret: 20 ron

Brosa Quilling Pe Suport Metalic - Nuante de albastru

Brosa quilling pe suport metalic- Nuante de albastru - sau cum o pata de culoare iti schimba ziua.
Pret: 25 ron

Quilling Brooch on metal handle with hues of blue
Price: 25 ron 

August 2011 MauldenNews

Hello all,

I hope you're all well. Here's what we've been up to...

Alle (the girl formerly known as Alex) turned seven! She and her friends had a great time at the Kangaroo Zoo - a big room full of inflatable slides, bounce houses and glow-in-the-dark mini golf.

We also celebrated Sam's 5-year anniversary with us. We went hiking in the mountains. Even though Sam has a lot of energy, he still needs a ride now and then.

Other hiking snapshots: Albion Basin, at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. The lower picture shows some glaciers in the distance.

 "Back to school" day was August 22 - Alle is in first grade, and Sam is in preschool 3 days a week. First day pictures:

I saw Sam's teacher the evening after his first day, at the school's welcome picnic. "First he tried to take over the class. Then we sat down and explained the rules. He didn't like them. But then he got into cutting and pasting and he did great. He knew the names of all the sea creatures, even the manatee! Does he know how to read?"

As for me, August meant more marathon training - I completed my longest two runs EVER at 20 and 22 miles. (!) After each long run I've been taking ice baths (helps recovery, decreases inflammation and prevents soreness). I'm not sure which is harder, running for 4 hours or sitting in an ice-cold tub of water for 20 minutes, but I admit both activities qualify me as officially NUTS. Alex watched me entering the ice bath one day and got a great laugh at my screams and gasps. Then she wanted an ice bath too, but sticking her feet in was enough. Overall, I'm really, really happy with my training this summer. I am so lucky to be able to do it - I enjoy the scenery, new friends, time outdoors, time to myself to think and reflect, and tougher legs. :-) HOO-YAH! I highly recommend the Galloway program. Looking forward to running the Top of Utah marathon with Tim, Daniel, and Tammy on September 17.

Bryan took a trip to Kansas City to visit family and check out a job opportunity. We haven't made a final decision yet, but we'll let you know...stay tuned.

And finally - my book report for the month:

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn - haven't finished it yet - but definitely a gripping read. Written by a husband and wife Pulitzer prize-winning journalist team, it draws a detailed portrait of the issues women and girls face in much of the world - kidnappings, forced marriages of children, sex trafficking and slavery, maternal mortality, infanticide of girls, denial of education, honor killings, etc. It's very hard to read at points, but also enlightening and hopeful in some accounts of progress being made. One reviewer states that it "should be required reading for every global citizen" and I agree.

Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner - not surprising that I enjoyed this because I already like to keep journals. But there were some new ideas and writing techniques I appreciated, as well as some stuff that was a little too weird for me.

Collapse by Jared Diamond - explores the question, "Why do societies choose to collapse?" Fascinating accounts of ancient and more recent societal collapses and the factors that lead up to them. Pretty eye-opening! If you're not already concerned about environmental issues, you probably will be if you read this.

And that's our news 'o' the month! Hope you are well and as always, let me know what you've been up to.

Brosa Quilling Pe Suport Metalic - Red Circles 2

Brosa quilling pe suport metalic- Red circles - sau cum o pata de culoare iti schimba ziua. Pret: 12 ron

Brosa quilling pe suport metalic- Red circles - sau cum o pata de culoare iti schimba ziua.
Pret: 25 ron

Quilling Brooch on metal handle with red paper circles
Price: 25 ron 
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Puterea terapeutica a culorii rosu este datorata asocierii sale cu prima chakra, lotusul cu patru petale, Muladhara. Aici, Rosul reprezinta forta generata de increderea in sine, dragostea fizica, vointa de a supravietui si stabilitatea in plan fizic.Chakra este localizata la baza sirii spinarii si este forta ce ne conecteaza la energiile planetei si ale universului. Forta acestui punct energetic din corp este simbolizata, in hinduism, de elefant si zeitatile Brahma si Dakini.

Nu sunt multi oameni care poarta rosu cu incredere. Nici multi nu sunt cei care poarta rosu excesiv. Fiecare atitudine arata un dezechilibru, al primei chakre si al nivelului de incredere in sine. Fie ca esti convins de existenta centrilor de putere din corp, sau ca preferi o explicatie bazata pe argumente stiintifice, e clar ca omul este in acelasi timp fascinat si speriat de puterea pe care o inspira rosul. O arata simplul fapt ca nu sunt foarte multe persoane care au rosu puternic in garderoba, sau daca il au nu il poarta. Rosul arata intotdeauna stabilitate, putere, siguranta, convingere in fortele proprii si viata.

In India, femeile care se casatoresc poarta de obicei un sari rosu sau rosu cu alb. Rosul reprezinta aici fertilitate, inceputul unei vieti noi si prosperitate si puternica legatura dintre femeie si pamant.

Accesoriile rosii sunt un inceput foarte bun in a observa cum oamenii reactioneaza la culori, fara sa realizeze macar. Dar sa gasesti un accesoriu rosu care sa ti se potriveasca din prima, uneori este destul de dificil. Intotdeauna rosul te va scoate in evidenta, de aceea e mereu indicat sa alegi o nuanta care se impaca perfect cu stilul tau de a te imbraca, cu personalitatea si aspectul tau fizic.

Our 5th Sammiversary!

Celebrating 5 years with SAM! Woo-hoooo!!!

So grateful - today and every day- for the gift of Sam. You are our sunshine.

seven

Today Alex turned SEVEN. And, she wants to be called Allie now.

She chose the Kangaroo Zoo, with glow-in-the-dark mini golf and the Bug Room.


Happy birthday, Allie. You are our miracle.

Tablouri Quilling / Quilling Canvas - Colorful Tree

Colorful Tree - Tablou Quilling Circul Magic

Cea mai recenta si colorata creatie a Circului Magic: un minunat copac colorat realizat din cercuri de hartie in stil quilling, pe fundal rosu. Copacul este pe suport de tablou patrat imbracat in panza, colorat in rosu. Are un strat protector de lac ca sa fie mai durabil.

The most recent creation by Circul Magic: A wonderful colorful tree, made from many paper quilling circles, on a red background. Comes on a red canvas and it features a protective layer of varnish for durability.

Quilling canvas size: 20 cm x 20 cm

Colorful Tree - Tablou Quilling Circul Magic

Colorful Tree - Tablou Quilling Circul Magic

Colorful Tree - Tablou Quilling Circul Magic

Creando una empresa

Sí, estoy creando mi propia empresa.

Llevo con ello más de un año y ha supuesto mucho sacrificio, aunque he intentado no dejar de pasármelo bien.

Mi experiencia emprendiendo es que lo que tú no hagas o consigas por ti mismo no te lo va a dar nadie. Ni dinero, ni ayudas, ni contactos, ni nada. Además frente a un trabajo normal de 9 a 5 en el que, en mayor o menor media, sabes lo que tienes que hacer, cuando creas tu propia empresa sabes que lo tienes que hacer tú TODO.

Tener que hacerlo todo es algo a lo que no estamos acostumbrados, pero no hay más remedio. Cuando me refiero a hacerlo todo quiero decir que al menos tienes que encargarte de que todo sea hecho por alguien. Es muy fácil caer en el error de querer hacer todo uno mismo. Hay que dedicarse a lo que sepas hacer y lo demás subcontratarlo. Sí, pagar a alguien para que te ayude. Esto hay que tenerlo en cuenta para el plan de negocio (muy importante) y si pides un crédito al banco tener en cuenta el coste que esto conlleve.

Digamos que eres un genio haciendo magdalenas rellenas de chocolate, te encanta hacerlas y quieres montar una tienda y venderlas. Dedícate a hacer las mejores magdalenas de chocolate que existan y que otra persona que sepa se encargue de diseñar la tienda, otra te lleve la contabilidad, (muy importante y barato), otra monte el local... Además estamos en época de crisis, la gente está deseando trabajar y las tarifas tanto de alquileres como de servicios se han reducido mucho.

No hay que tener miedo al fracaso. En algunos países el fracaso es un indicativo de que se tiene valor ya que al menos has intentado hacer algo y has aprendido en el proceso.

En mi caso llevo todo este tiempo viviendo con poquísimo dinero y dependiendo de la familia como si fuese un adolescente. Al parecer es un panorama similar al que se tienen que enfrentar muchos emprendedores en este país, pero lo voy llevando.

Es importante tener una meta clara. Desde luego no del tipo económico, no puedes decir: quiero tener una empresa para ganar 20000 euros al mes. Tienes que decidir qué quieres y encaminar tus esfuerzos a alcanzarlo. Algo como: quiero irme a vivir a Bangkok y poder vivir de mi empresa trabajando sólo 2 horas al día. O quiero poder trabajar desde cualquier lugar del mundo con un portátil y cambiando de país cada 6 meses. O quiero poder dedicarme a estudiar esto y lo otro dedicando sólo las tardes a trabajar. O quiero que mis hijos puedan irse a estudiar el idioma que les de la gana a tal país...

Una vez tengamos la meta definida hacemos un plan para conseguirla, nos ponemos una fecha y trabajamos para la consecución de nuestro plan o sueño. Siempre con la ayuda de otros.

Ya os iré actualizando sobre el estado de mi empresa y dando algunos consejos para quien quiera dar el paso y montarse algo, pero sobre todo espero poder escribir sobre mis viajes y desde logares exóticos que es la razón por la que estoy metido en este lío empresarial.

Besos

MauldenNews July 2011

The notable book of the month was One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. It's a good reminder to practice mindfulness (and gratitude) in the midst of ordinary life, and I must give kudos to this author for being able to do this with six kids AND write a book about it. So, in the spirit of acknowledging the gifts I've enjoyed most recently, here are a few.


For friends old and new...

For time alone with nature...

For the fun of making a big splash...

For a man with the remarkable patience and skill to set 2 fishing lines - and untangle them repeatedly...

For the beauty of the earth...

For snow in July!!!

For more beauty...

I'm grateful.

Other notable events of this month -

- We really enjoyed "stay-cationing" in Park City for our 20th anniversary. The cool mornings and evenings and clear, crisp air brought back memories of summers at Donner Lake. We explored new hiking and biking trails, soared above the trees in a gondola, swam in a pool with a waterfall and soaked in the hot tub. The kids went fishing for the first time and we got a few nibbles, but the only thing we snagged was Sam's shirt. I went poking about with my wildflower book and discovered alfalfa, Utah sweet peas, Showy Milkweed, Woolly Mullein, Nootka roses and Wasatch penstemon, among other things.  Bryan managed to eject himself over the handlebars of his mountain bike on a difficult trail and banged himself around on some rocks, but he's OK. (Hey, another reason to be grateful.) We reached our goal of >10 for our "critter count": squirrels, dragonflies, butterflies, ladybugs, hummingbirds, turkeys, cows, horses, dogs, cats, magpies, quail, California gulls, and turkey vultures. Didn't see any deer there, but there were two in my backyard this morning, and I often see them on my morning runs in the neighborhood.

- 3 weeks before her 7th birthday - Alex lost her first tooth! She's pretty happy about that. Her classmates kept losing them all year and she waited a long time for her turn. She left a note for the tooth fairy asking if she could keep her tooth, and the tooth fairy obliged and gave her a golden dollar coin.

- Speaking of Alex, she has decided she wants to be called "Allie" (spelled "Ali"). I wonder if this will be permanent, or how many other variations of Alexis she might experiment with.

- Sam smacked a bee with his bare hand and it stung him on his palm. He didn't complain too much, but I hope he learned from the experience. We shall see.

- Last but not least - my run/walk log shows 96.5 miles in July - the highest ever! I think I'll go eat some chocolate-covered blueberries.

Write me and tell me what you are grateful for. :-)