Old Magazines

I am looking for old unwanted magazines that I could have for a summer project with my kids...
(Good Housekeeping, Cooking, Time, etc.)
Thank you,
Heidi C. (morsyd at gmail dot com)

Babysitting

My daughter Alyssa would love to babysit again this summer to make money for Girl's Camp. We feel more comfortable with her babysitting at our house. Please call or email jsturner1@q dot com. Thanks!!!!!!

Free Swim Anyone???

Summer Swim Free Day Pass for kids....to most pools around Albuquerque, including a few splash parks! You can go to a fire station or a police station to pick them up. They want to keep kids out of ditches, because ditches are deadly, so they give these out early in June. I went last week and they didn't have them, I went today and they did. They run out quickly, but then they are given more, but they told me today that sometimes they don't come for a few days later. I went to the fire station off of Lyons and Paradise...right behind the Allsups! From Andrea R.

Summer movies

Regal is doing $1 movies on Wednesday and Thursdays this summer. Here are the shows playing:
6/7-6/8 (10am)CHRONICLES OF NARNIA TALE OF DESPEREAUX
6/14-6/15 (10am)CATS AND DOGS: REVENGE MEGAMIND
6/21-6/22 (10am)ALPHA AND OMEGA DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
6/28-6/29 (10am)CHARLOTTE'S WEB PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS
7/5-7/6 (10am)FURRY VENGEANCE SHREK FOREVER AFTER
7/12-7/13 (10am)DESPICABLE ME KIT KITTREDGE
7/19-7/20 (10am)GULLIVERS TRAVEL HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
7/26-7/27 (10am)MARMADUKE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING
8/2-8/3 (10am)RAMONA & BEEZUS YOGI BEAR

Go here for more info.

YW Service Project

Support the Young Women as they help homeless Veterans!

The YW will be collecting trial size items for hygiene kits to distribute to Veterans calling the streets of Albuquerque and the surrounding areas "home". NM Veterans in Need will distribute these kits to those Veterans who served so proudly. These kits allow these individuals to maintain their health and dignity, regardless of their housing situation.

We need trial sized hygiene items!

If your family is traveling this summer and have unused items from a hotel, please consider donating them. Maybe you can pickup a few small items to donate in the grocery store. Every little bit helps!

Here are the items we will be compiling into kits on July 20, 2011:

toothpaste

toothbrush

handi-wipes

kleenex

liquid soap

mouthwash - non-alcohol

hand sanitizer - non-alcohol

shampoo

comb/brush

snack crackers

small first aid kits

gallon-sized zip-loc bags

If you have questions, please contact the Young Women’s presidency or Phyllis Shingle at 899-2510.

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Ventana Ward RS Additional Meeting

Hello Ventana Ward Relief Society Sisters,
We will have our next quarterly additional meeting in a couple of weeks to kick off summer and celebrate all the wonderful time we can spend outside!  Here are the details:

Topic:  Gardening
Tuesday, June 14th
Ventana Building
7:00 pm

We will have a panel of expert gardeners/landscapers from our ward.  They all have some great information to share with us about how to make our yards awesome!  Then, we will have them sit as a panel and open up the meeting for questions.  Please be prepared with questions for them about things you would like to learn.

For refreshments, we will be serving fresh garden salads.  We need a bunch of ladies to volunteer to bring a salad!  It can be green/veggie or fruit salad, but just something that is fresh and healthy that "could" be grown in a garden, even if you didn't grow it yourself :)  Please e-mail michechapman(at)gmail(dot)com to sign up!!

Favorite Dr?

Hi, If you have a favorite primary care physician at Presbyterian High Resort, brag now! Our doc(f. nemarium) is knowledgeable, but is ALWAYS scheduled out 3+ weeks. Who wants a husband to wait 3 weeks to get rid of his sinus infection? Not me. So if you have a favorite and want to share let me know. Thanks! Renee' W. runningkitty{at]gmail[dot}com

Ferret Anyone???

A friend of ours has to get rid of her female 3 year old ferret because the apartment building she is living in won't allow them. It is free and comes with everything you would ever need, tall cage, toys, litter box, yes it's trained, even food for the next month. Let me know if you have any interest. Susan T jsturner1@q (dot) com

This picture is not the actual ferret......

Ideas PLEASE!!!!!!!

In July I will be giving a presentation at the Center for Young Adults (CFYA) for Young Adults on "Unique Things to Do in Albuquerque". Most of the ideas (not all) need to be done on a small budget.
However, I am scratching my head for ideas. PLEASE HELP ME. Please give me your input. What do you do? What do you like? Any great ideas or even not so great but just get-me-out-the-house activities. Please email me your ideas at rachaelboyle(at)gmail(dot)com.

Thanks, I really appreciate it!
Rachael B.

children's performance

Come and support the Ventana Ranch Kids ...

Children’s Performing Group... Sunshine Generation

Family & Friends Show

6:30 p.m., Friday, May 27th 

At the LDS church at: 4500 Seven Bar Loop NW Albuquerque, NM  87114(corner of Seven Bar Loop and Ellison Road/McMahon Road)

Come Watch Us Shine!

Your kids will love watching!  A free outing with the kiddos! :)

Many of your kids will know the performers from church, school, and neighborhood!  Light refreshments at the end! :) 

Andrea R.

Impromptu Guys Night Out 5/26

Brethren,
This is an open invitation for Guys Night Out tomorrow night (5/26). Plans below:

Meet at Buffalo Wild Wings at 8:15 pm.

Go watch Thor in 3D at 9:35 pm.

Thanks,
Allen Frost

Singing, Dancing, Performing Anyone?

Sunshine Generation

A Nationally Known Children’s Performing Group

Summer Camp 2011

in Ventana Ranch Community

June 27^th July 1^st (9:00 -11:30)

 *Singing, choreography, showmanship, confidence and fun

*Non-auditioned boys and girls ages 3-11

*End of week performance and participation in 4^th of July Parade

                                        

Includes student cd and camp t-shirt

Ask about sibling rates and referral program! 

To register and for more information

contact Andrea at 715-2841 or email

albuquerquesunshinegeneration@gmail.com

Spaces will fill up quickly!  Reserve your spot today!

Andrea R. from the ward is the director! All friends get a discount...so call!

                                  

the joys of reusable shopping bags

This will probably be the dorkiest post on the blog so far but I feel so strongly about this that I will forgo my pride and dignity to post this.

There are not many more wonderful things to me these days than tools that make my life easier. This is why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the reusable shopping bags. You've seen them at the store for $1 or so. They are wonderful because:

1) you can shove WAY more groceries in them than those cheap bags they give you at the stores. I can get our entire family's groceries for 2 weeks into 10 bags. (That's saying something- there are 7 of us). This $10 investment has brought me more smiles than a lot of other servings of chocolate ice cream for the same price. You can bring in your groceries in far less trips from the car and the long handles are so much easier to carry than the plastic hand held ones.

2) I use my bags for hauling EVERYTHING. I even pack the kids clothes in them and throw them into a large suitcase for trips. Things stay organized in the luggage because everyone has their own bag but I'm not hauling 7 bags in and out of the car, plane, bus, etc.

3) Smiths will give you 5 points (5 cents) for each bag you use for your shopping. After 20 trips to the store your bag has paid for itself.

4) They last longer than a plastic bag and are more friendly on the environment. Less use of the earth's resources= less waste, happier everyone. If you're handy with a sewing machine they will last even longer. I've had mine for a year and they're still hanging in there.

Sorry, I told you it was dorky but they truly are the coolest thing since sliced bread......
Melissa

Father's Day gifts

If your dad is anything like my dad, he is hard to shop for and already has everything he wants. This makes Father's Day not so fun for the gift givers. However, we came up with some cool gifts that my parents have loved over the years (these could be altered to work for anyone special in your life- mother, grandparents, etc.) I thought I'd share these now since they take some leg work to prepare and father's day is a few weeks away.

1) a favorite memories book. Have each person giving the gift contribute a few of their favorite memories, stories or lessons learned from or about that person. We did this for my dad years ago and each of my siblings and mom wrote 5 or 6 stories down about dad when he did that crazy thing on that vacation or how he always did our hair in dipsy-doodles when he gave us baths as kids or how he taught us the value of work that summer when we put in our backyard, etc. We added photos and made it on shutterfly or some other website that makes books. Everyone pitched in a few bucks and we all read him our stories on Father's day out loud (by phone or in person as a group) as we gave him the book. He LOVED it and it really told him how much we loved him and how much he had impacted our lives.

2) a "Things I love about you" book. Have each person write down 5 things they love about the person and make a similar book above (you don't even have to include pictures.)

3) a testimony book. Have everyone write down their testimony and include a picture of themselves. Make a book and bind it. (We liked doing it via shutterfly because these were so precious that more than 1 person wanted copies and they were easy to add to the order with not much more work.) Easy family history work made fun.

Happy gifting.
Melissa

Another lunch for Mom's w/o kids at home during the day

So, Monday works better for some women without kids at home during the day, so I have planned another one. Those who can will meet on Monday at noon. Lunch on Tuesday will remain at 11:30 unless I hear back that everyone is better with Monday.

favorite piano tuner

I know it's been posted before but in case you don't want to go digging through the archives, here is the name and phone number of my favorite piano tuner here in town. He is ultra thorough and goes the extra mile in doing a really great job.
Jean Luc Matton
259-2368

Sports Camp

WELCOME

To the 4^th annual

Summer sports CAMP!

HEY KIDS I’m Larsen your coach. ARE YOU READY TO ROCK? THEN LET’S GET STARTED!

HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOUR PARENTS NEED TO KNOW.

*When: June 13-17   3:00-4:00 (for ages 4-5) and 4:00-5:00 (6-8)

           July 25-29 3:00-4:00 (for ages 4-5) and 4:00-5:00 (6-8)

*Where: My house 10223 Ventana Oeste Dr. NW

Monday: water games

Tuesday: mini Olympic games

Wednesday: sports (soccer, basketball, kickball…)

Thursday: run, run, run, relay games.

Friday: Summer camp celebration-Classes combined-awards

We will be providing water and snacks for the kids at the end of each class. The cost is $20 a kid for the week, if sibling is in the camp it’ll be $10 for the week. The assistant coach is my dad, Brad. the last 10 minutes of each class we will cool off, so please have your child wear their swimming suit.

Well kids lets get ready to rock.

Camp will fill up soon.  So call Larsen

If your child has allergies please let me know at sportyrogers(at)gmail(dot)com or call.

Stake RS Activity - TOMORROW!

Hey Sisters,
Don't forget - head to the stake center tomorrow morning (Saturday, the 21st) for an awesome guest speaker in the chapel and Cafe Rio-style lunch afterward.  10am to 12:30pm.  See you there!  Oh, and it's Sunday dress too :)

Addicted to Apps?

Okay, maybe addicted is a little too strong. If you enjoy finding apps that your children can play, check out this web page: http://momswithapps.com/

Every Friday they review apps and offer them for free or a discount. I love being able to see what other parents think of a particular app. Have a great day!

Book club tonight

Ladies,
We'll discuss "Zeitoun" tonight at my house starting at 7:30. We'll meet indoors since this weather is no so lovely (what is up with this gross weather?)
Melissa S.

CHANGES to Summer Art Classes

***** Ok, that was weird. I reposted some changes for my art classes and somehow my changes vanished. They were there one day and gone the next... Anyway, I erased my old post and here are those changes again - sorry for the near novel on art classes. But please take note because something in almost every class has changed (times, dates, descriptions, and prices). Thanks, Rachael! *****

Doot da da loo! Here is this summer's schedule of art classes that I will be teaching from my home. There is a "register by" for each class. This means you need to let me know if your child will FOR SURE attend by this date, however, you may pay me on the first day of class. Also, there must be a minimum of 5 children per class otherwise the class will be canceled. Please bring your own cover-up for each class!

If you are interested, call Rachael B. or email me at rachaelboyle(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

(I've learned that the atmosphere can pretty stale for the first few classes because the children are quiet and reserved about their artwork. It always takes a few classes for the kids to warm up to each other and then the class is over. To make the children feel more comfortable and to create a more exciting atmosphere I like to play music in the background and serve some simple snacks and drinks AWAY from our work area. THE KIDS LOVE IT! If your child has any allergies please let me know when you register. Thanks.)

Gouache (rhymes with "squash")
Dates: May 31 and June 1 @ 4:00 - 5:30pm
June 7, 8 @ 10-11:30am
Cost: $40
Register by: May 24
*Open to children who are 7 years old and older (5 and 6 year olds can come if you feel like they can handle more instructions and details) and are interested in learning art.

Gouache is very popular among illustrators. During our four classes I will teach you how to gouache on hot pressed paper. In addition, you'll learn the basics skills of cartooning and you'll learn how to paint a realistic looking piece of artwork. Maybe one day you'll be an illustrator, too.

A fun example of gouache is from the author and illustrator, Chris Van Dusen's work. He uses gouache in almost all of his work. Check it out: http://www.chrisvandusen.com/

Still wondering what gouache is? Gouache is a painting technique and it also refers to the type of paint. Gouache is opaque watercolors mixed with gum (but not like the Bubblicious type). "Typical" watercolors are transparent and are more mild in colors. Gouache still uses water to thin it out like regular watercolors, but it acts more like acrylic paint because of how it covers. Yet, it has the smooth flow as watercolors and can be very bright. Some gouache work is typically mistaken to be done on a computer because it can be so smooth and even textured. Confused yet?

Color Crazed
Dates: June 23, 24, 27, 28
Times: 10am- 11:30am
Cost: $45
Register by: June 16
*This class is geared for younger children ages 4-6.

Let your creative juices fly in this wackiest of wacky art classes! You'll explore with different materials everyday to create a new art project (or be the project). I'll supply the out-of-this-world materials, teach you the art skill, and then give you the outline. ...The rest is up to you. You'll make, create, sew, and paint. You'll wear, tear, squish and squirt. You'll sponge, stamp, peal and wipe. This is your not-so-everyday-art-projects with your mommy-never-lets-me-use-those-at-home materials. Everyday will have a theme. However, not every project relates to the theme - it just adds to the zaniness.

Thursday: Spots N' Dots - Come dressed in spots and dots!
Friday: Big Bang - Come dressed like a mad scientist!
Monday: Wet N' Wild - Wear your bathing suit under your normal clothes and bring a towel!
Tuesday: Crazy hat or hair day!

Lettering and Calligraphy
Dates: July 5 - 8
Times: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Cost: $35
Register by: June 28
*Open to children who can read, write and have a good command of their own handwriting and are interested in learning art.

Join us for some seriously original artwork. Lettering is all around us and is a real skill used for art, signs, letters, banners, invitations and so much more. (This skill has personally been the most useful to me. At BYU I worked as one of the college's artist. I mostly made signs and painted windows. I've continued painting windows and using my lettering skills to earn extra money to this day.) Getting anyone to print outside of their normal handwriting is difficult. Coming up with their own font is even harder. But once you grasp the concept you'll doodle on everything.

In four classes you will learn and create several writing styles from funky and fancy fonts with everything in between. Boys and girls will both enjoy it. This is more than just using a pen to write, we will use other media to create real artwork using real art skills.

Mixed Media
Dates: July 11, 13, 18, 20
Time: 10:00 -11:30am
Cost: $45 per child
Register by July 4
*Open to children 5 years old and older who are interested in learning art.

In this session you will learn out-of-the-box art skills while exploring a more contemporary flare to art by using several media for one piece of artwork: paint, paper, sealers, glue, pens... This will push you to create what is not "typical". The goal will be to produce 2 or 3 pieces of artwork that you are proud of. We'll use brushes, sponges, fingers and fabric to apply our media. It's gonna be fun and super messy so bring your own cover-up and wear old clothes.

Black and White
Dates: August 8, 9, 10, 11
Time: 10:00 - 12:00am
Cost: $50
Register by: August 1
*Open to children 7 years and older. (5 and 6 year olds can come if you feel like they can handle more instructions and details.)

Each day you will learn a new art skill while using a different black and white medium with only a miniscule amount of color. Working with only black and white makes shading more easy and simplifies contrasting. However, and most excitingly, black and white artwork has a hip, crisp, and contemporary attitude to it. Just to give you a glimpse of the fun, one of our super exciting projects is going to be a silhouette landscape painting only using black, white and grays with acrylic paint on canvas. (The last class I taught thought this project was awesome!) Other media will include charcoal, chalk, oil pastels and pens. Because we will do something different each day the class will be 2 hours long to give us enough time to complete each project. It's going to be awesome so come prepared to learn and create!

Krispy Kreme card?

I need to buy several boxes of donuts for refreshments for the Stake Concert on Sunday night. We're doing donuts and I was wondering if anyone has a Krispy Kreme card that lets you get a free box of originals for each box of assorted that you buy. Let me know if you have one of these that I could use. melissa dot lee dot spencer at gmail dot com.
Thanks,
Melissa

Ladies Without kids at home during the day lunch

O.K. ladies without kids at home during the day, for most of you, your kids will be coming home during the day soon! Let's do lunch to prepare. Tuesday, May 24th at Sweet Tomatoes 11:30! Please spread the word 'cuz I won't be able to call everyone.

Park Days!

Hi all,
We discovered recently, that no one is heading to the park on Tuesday mornings as they've done in the past.  We think it's because no one has "said it."  So, let's say it!  There's not much of the school year left, but let's start the park days up again.  Tuesday mornings, 10am, Ventana West park at the rotary.
All are welcome.  Bring your neighbors too!

Memorial Day BBQ!

WHO: Anyone and Everyone (that RSVPs in time)

WHAT:  BBQ and lots of FUN
WHERE:  The large park off Kayenta
WHEN:  Memorial Day, Monday 30th @ 3:30
Matt and I always feel most homesick on Memorial Day and Labor Day because we miss having the BIG BBQ!  Not this year!  We are taking matters into our own hands and throwing a Memorial Day Bash!  
It will be BYOM and D (Bring your own Meat and Drinks) and everyone will be assigned to bring a side to share.  
RSVPing is a MUST! We want to be able to have a few (maybe lots) of BBQs there for grilling and some fun games to play and in order to plan we need the numbers in advance!  Please email, facebook, call me by Monday,  May 23rd!  

Can’t wait!
Matt and Chelsie L.