Spot Spud! Contest

Sarrazollas in Smurfville is proud to announce our newest and latest (and thus far, only) contest.

SPOT SPUD!

Before we begin, here are the contest rules:

This is our mascot, Spud...

Hi Spud!

If you can spot Spud in the official SSP (Spot Spud Picture), you can win a "Made in Idaho" prize shipped directly to your door.  There are two ways to win...All you need to do is correctly identify Spud's location in the picture, post where he is by using the blog comments below this entry (or write the location on my Facebook wall) and your name will be put in a hat.

This is the hat to be used...

Why, yes, this is a roasted turkey hat...
and I will be wearing it on Thanksgiving because that's just the kind of person I am.

Two winners (one from the blog and one from Facebook) will be drawn.  Winners will receive not only a "Made in Idaho" gift, they will get their 15 minutes of fame, right here on "Sarrazollas in Smurfville." There will be runner up prizes, too.  Tell your friends!

The fine print:  Nice try, but members of my immediate family (that means Carl , Nate, Damien or Sierra) are exempt from this contest and may not play or win.


And, now, without further ado, here's the official Spot Spud Picture:

Since this is the very first contest of what I hope to be many, this one's easy.

Don't forget to tell me where Spud is in the comments box below or on my Facebook page!  This contest ends on All Souls Day (November 2nd).  Good luck, my easily amused friends! 

Before and After, Vol. 1

As I finish the unpacking and the setting up of home, I hope to share some of the before and after pictures of 4169 North Desertbreeze Pl. Here is the first installment...The Family Room:

BEFORE

AFTER

For the record, I am not sure I am all that happy with the wall color I picked.  Too neutral.  But, because the walls in this room are 20 feet high, I will be sticking with this color for a very, very long time.  Oh, and, this room isn't entirely finished...We still have to redo the fireplace surround and I plan on painting the hand rails on the stairs, like I did in our Carlsbad house (as if the tedium of that project wasn't enough to kill any desire to paint again).  


By the way, lucky for you, what you don't encounter in the before pictures is the smell from the previous owners cats (yes, they left presents in and on the carpet) and the scratch marks on the wood floors and walls from the cats' sharp little evil claws.  Nor do you see all the bugs who met their demise on the window sills...bugs, I'm sure, who were hopefully looking for an escape from the smell).  Nor is there a picture of the 1/2" thick layer of dust (I am not exaggerating) on the ugly, yet functional, ceiling fan.  I am eternally grateful for the painters who, when on their ladders giving a coat to the ceiling, cleaned the blades for me.  

Smurf Turf

Did I actually get this close to the legendary smurf-hued turf at BSU?

Why, yes, I did...close enough to even smell a hint of the chemicals used to process those colors.

Colors of Fall

The leaves are turning...warm, vibrant hues of autumnal happiness.  Here's a sampling of the colors that arouse a longing for all things fall:  crisp air, apple pie, trick-or-treating, pumpkin patches, turkey dinners, college football...you get the picture.

Oh, and by the way, none of these pictures underwent color enhancement...what you see in the photos is what you'd see in Idahoan nature.  

Busy, busy, busy!

We've only been in Idaho for 3 1/2 months and it astounds me that I could become so busy in such a short time.  I went from knowing two people, twiddling my thumbs, wondering what I was going to do with myself in our new community and actually looking forward to being anonymous for a while.  I didn't have to wonder long.  Having kids makes it much easier to insert yourself into a new life.  For example, because there was a deep discount for participating parishioners at Damien's school, I quickly joined the choir at our new parish and became a psalmist.  Nate is being confirmed this year so, not to be ones to sit on the sidelines, especially since we used to run a Confirmation program, Carl and I are teaching weekly Bible studies to teens and presenting one of the Confirmation classes in November.  Nate's interest in scouting has Carl volunteering with a new troop.  Assistance was needed at Nate's high school with a project that will have all student records (from the time the school was begun in 1964) digitized, so I signed up for that task.  Oh, and the BK Band mom  needed help, as did the school Mass choir director, so I'm taking on some duties there, too.  The only extra thing that didn't require us having kids to get involved in was getting an Trojan alumni club started here in Boise so we had a community of people to watch the games with...but, as Carl says, USC is family so I guess it's kind of like the same thing (and, yes, from that USC connection comes another volunteer opportunity with the American Heart Association at their November luncheon).

I'm not sure I like being this industrious (I'm gone from home so much that in fact that Sierra is starting to wonder who I am)...but it's what I do best.  I get bored so easily and just can't sit still for too long.  At least when the weather turns ugly around here, I'll be glad for the slow down.  :-)

Fall has arrived!

After many decades of seeing advertisements for cute clothes designed specifically for the cooler temperatures of fall and longing to be able to wear them I can finally say that sweater weather has arrived!  Here, as I sit and type this entry, I am clad in corduroy pants, a turtleneck, a long cabled sweater-coat which I just recently purchased because coming from beach country in SoCal, I had nothing of real value in my closet suited for a dip in temperatures.  The only selection from my wardrobe I'm wearing at the moment that I moved from California to Idaho is my favorite pair of UGGs (boots, by the way, I purchased several years ago and should have been worn out by now, if I had lived in a place where I could wear them more often).

It is just past noon and the temperature has risen to a "balmy" 44.8 degrees Fahrenheit.  Just two days ago, the air conditioning was running.  Today, the heater has kicked in.  Sadness abounds at the dissipation of summer here and I am in the distinct minority. I absolutely love, love, LOVE this weather, rain, wind, cold and have had no qualms in letting everyone know that a change of seasons, albeit a rather subtle difference, is much preferred to the drudgery of constant nice San Diego weather.

(You can't really see the rain or breeze or even the puffy gray clouds but if you look closely enough, you can see the tips of the trees starting to turn orange in anticipation of more cool nights.)  

Funny thing, though...this storm that brought autumn to Idaho also traveled far south, bringing the same sorts of weather to SoCal.  Hmmm...maybe I didn't have to move so far to see distinct seasons?  Naw...just checked the weather in Carlsbad.  It's over 60 degrees and there is some sun poking through.   Looks like Meridian has the better fall weather after all...well, I suppose it does depend on your perspective.

Los Caballeros del Fuego

In Idaho, they don't know how to pronounce Bishop Kelly Marching Band's name...Los Caballeros del Fuego.  Coming from a border town, I take it for granted that Spanish pronunciation is as easy as taco, burrito or El Camino Real (would've said "pie" here but I didn't want to confuse you with a foot).  Luckily, though the announcer called the marching band something like "carport day foo-go", the judges weren't confused and named BK the winners of the 1-A Division at the Caldwell Marching Band Competition yesterday.  This band, only 16 members strong, not only won their first competition in their division (and I'm told, maybe even ever), they beat out four other bands that were at least three times their size.  Way to go, Los Caballeros del Fuego!  You were truly Knights on fire!