Life - That's Entertainment

A Step Back In Time

2010-06-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Valhalla Renaissance Faire. One of the best places to people watch. Syd and I went in costume, so this year we were the recipients of the people watching us. Clay and our little guy also went along. I so enjoy listening to the banter that goes on and how so many of the people that attend dress up and really get into their character.

Only bought something at one booth, but what a find - for me, anyway. A lady was selling dyed wool - roving - as well as knitting needles, crochet hooks, wool accessories and spindles. I bought some roving, a mini spindle, and she gave me a free lesson in how to spin. I've been taught before, but it's been quite some time, and the way she taught me I was able to get a much thinner yarn.
**

Some of our babies have hatched! As of yesterday, one baby bird has emerged, and as of today all but two of the butterflies have hatched. They seem to do that when we're gone so we haven't actually seen them emerge.

Spring has Sprung, Welcome Summer

2010-06-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I haven't posted in forever. I know.

Yes, I should catch my blog up with what has happened in the last four months. I know.

But do I really want to spend all that time typing about what has happened in our lives in one blog? I....no.

So I'm posting a few pictures that I took yesterday that make me smile. And today, especially, I need to smile.

We're expecting! Butterflies, that is. Bought the butterfly kit before Christmas last year, sent away for the caterpillars, and this is what they look like today. We should have butterflies in four days or so.

Looks like I won't be using my clothesline for a while. A mother bird decided my clothespin holder looked like the perfect place to build her nest and lay her eggs.

She laid six beautiful eggs! Ouch.

Happy Heart Day

2010-02-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. These are some things that come to mind when I think of things I love:

I love making valentines with my kids. I love watching them open their valentines and reading each one - every one of these valentines are special to them. I was able to go to Adam's class and be there while the kids opened up valentines and got overloaded on sugar by way of cookies, brownies, and rice krispies treats.

Although I can't really say that I love pizza, I like that Papa Murphy's makes a heart-shaped pizza that we can enjoy to celebrate the "love" holiday. What I do love is that Sydnee is able to have the pizza made and can deliver it straight to our house!
*
We ate the pizza on Saturday night, since Clay planned to make dinner on Sunday. That same evening - Saturday - some old friends of ours from out of town came to visit. They live in Winnemucca so we don't see them as often as we should. I have known Candice since Kindergarten. It was a great visit, and we all agreed that we should see each other more often. Did I get a picture for my blog? Of course not. So I'll just have to find something on the 'net and insert it here.

Ha - the inserted picture above is from Kevin's facebook page. Bet he never thought it would land up on a blog!

Of course, I love these kids! I also love the way they get excited over Valentine gifts from Grandma!

I love this little guy, too!(the little one holding the dog) I really wish I could show his picture, he is such a cutie! But privacy laws prevent me from doing that, and I totally understand. This is a little heart doggie that my mom "Gamma" gave him as a Valentine gift. No chocolate for this guy, since he is allergic to nuts and - as we're finding out - lots of chocolate is manufactured in a plant that also processes peanut products. He's sharing his apple with the dog!

Clay and I have been exchanging Valentines since 1983. Our very first Valentine's Day we celebrated I was a poor college student, and so I baked him sugar cookies, boxed them up and gave them to him. He gave me a diamond necklace. In case you're wondering, yes, I did feel a little cheap giving him just cookies, but I had no idea of the gift he would give me back then.

I love these flowers Clay gave me. Even though we talk about how flowers are a waste of money because they just die and you throw them away, I must admit I love getting them as a gift. I love these two colors together - Clay picked the colors out, and I love them.

Whether you celebrated with traditions, or something new, we wish you a very happy Valentine's Day!

Getting Back to "Normal"

2010-02-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

Our little guy has been sick. Probably got it from Adam, who probably got it from the zillions of germs that float around a public elementary school. Only our little guy got it worse. A lot worse.

The past few days I've:

learned how to work one of these

Gotta love Youtube! Amazing how many videos come up when you search "How to use a nebulizer."

I've seen - in my opinion, not his - too much of this

Fortunately, Netflix runs 24/7. Why do fevers always seem to spike in the middle of the night?

Waking up every hour will do this to ya. Take sleep where you can get it!

Goldfish are our friends! For a while, it was the only thing he'd eat :-(

What makes a sick two year old feel better? Why, a bath and his favorite "shoap," of course!

Happy Birthday To You!

2010-02-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's the second birthday in a week that our family celebrated. Can you believe our little girl is now nineteen?!!

When she was little I thought, I love this age. They grow so fast and you see so many milestones so quickly. When she was in elementary school I thought, I love this age. We send them off to school and get to see them learn, to make friends, and to grow into their own person. Middle school is more challenging, but I thought, I like this age. To see her become more independent and more confident made us so proud. Then high school - I love this age, too! She became her own person, and liked who she has become.

Now she is a college student, and I don't see her as often as I used to. She has grown up into a beautiful person. She is independent, and confident, something I have always lacked. I love this age.

Lest I get too sappy, I'm adding this picture! The day after her birthday, Sydnee had some friends over. There Adam is in the middle of her friends. They let him play seeing as he was the one who know how to hook up the games.

Happy Birthday

Syd!

It's The Little Things In Life

2010-01-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

It's always fun to celebrate a birthday, but our little guy's was especially fun. He has come into our lives and found a way into our hearts. We will be forever grateful that we have had this time to spend with him. Happy Birthday, little guy!

Erin decorated the cake and we were all glad she did - it looks great! As I've said before, I am not a cook. We joke that I should be on the show, America's Worst Cooks (see picture below).

I can't even boil water - ha! This WAS supposed to be sweet potatoes. Maybe that part about being on the Worst Cooks show isn't such a joke after all.

We made a separate cake just for our little guy. He managed to put quite a dent in it. The plate was a Thomas The Tank Engine plate. He loves "choo choos" right now.

Surprise, he got a train set for his birthday. He has played and played - and played - with this set. He even wanted to take the train to bed with him. I just love this age.

Celebrate Friday

2010-01-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

It's Friday! Here are a few things we're looking forward to
this weekend:

No homework! Erin had finals this week

so is taking a break from the books. Adam has had enough of

the dictionary for a while. Here is why:

He opened up the dictionary this week to

look up his spelling words

and this is what he found. Eeewww!

Our little guy is turning two!! With nut allergies the choice of store-bought cakes is hard, so we're opting to make his cake at home. I am by no means a cake decorator, so this cupcake is more pleasing to the eye than my cake will be I'm sure.

Adam is having a friend over

for a sleepover. Can you tell he is excited!

Pizza for dinner!

We're going to watch a high school basketball game tonight. Why oh why did our little guy choose today to not take a nap?!

Freeze Your Meals

2010-01-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today's List of

Ingredients:

$60 worth of groceries

Two good friends

Six kids (5 boys, 1 girl)

Six recipes

Two large skillets

Three saucepans

Foil

Aluminum pans

Ziploc bags

Food Processor

Toys

Wii

Snacks

Add these ingredients over the course of the day, and you get:

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Parmesan,

Grilled Pork Chops, Family Chicken Casserole

Cheesy Double Baked Potatoes

Lasagna

As if these great freezer meals weren't enough, we even got to see:

Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Legos, Legos, Legos

Is it really that amazing that five boys can make this much of a mess in a few short hours? Not really. Just so you know, they did pick the mess up before we were done.

And here I thought it would only take a couple of hours! More like almost five!

>**<

Thank you, Mariann, for a

wonderful day!

You are a great

friend!

Catching Up, or Return from the Crypt

2010-01-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

Has it really been four months since my last post?! I am embarrassed to say that yes, it has. So, with the new year, here is a new post with a New Year's resolution to post more often.

This week Syd and I tried out a new restaurant, Off The Hook. It's a little restaurant close to Sparks Blvd. and Prater Way in Sparks. Syd had the coconut chicken, and I opted for the fish and chips, made with the tilapia. You can choose your choice of fish, and how it is prepared. I really liked the fish - the fish was cooked just right, and the batter was light and not greasy. We ordered our food to go, and by the time we got home, the fries had cooled down. I think they would have been better if we ate them while still hot. They make the fries fresh for each order. I REALLY liked Syd's food - the coconut chicken. It's made with coconut milk and real coconut. The chicken is served with rice. Yummy! I believe this is a father and son business, and I know how tough it is in this economy to keep small businesses up and running, so I am writing about this restaurant. This restaurant got varied reviews (see the link above), but if you're in the mood for fish, try Off The Hook for yourself and let me know how you like it.

Off The Hook, 1351 E. Prater Way #102, Sparks, Nevada

Coconut Chicken (they had Coconut shrimp as well) $6

The Fish and Chips - $7.00, included a small serving of coleslaw (this isn't my favorite coleslaw, not much flavor)

Zucchini Brownies

2009-09-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

SERVINGS: 15-18
TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 35 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini

FROSTING:
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yogurt and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in zucchini. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. For frosting, in a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Spread over warm brownies. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

*** Since our little guy is allergic to nuts, I won't be using this frosting, although if it's as good as the brownies are, it will be oh so yummy. I plan on just frosting them with store-bought chocolate frosting. That's IF they last that long.

Ma'am, You Have a Beautiful Baby

2009-08-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, time has flown by! I looked at the last blog post dated June 24, and I am amazed at how much our lives have changed since that time.

Our little guy turned eight

We went camping at our property near Graeagle, California for the Fourth of July weekend.

See the mustard smiley face on the hamburger?

Sydnee with her friends, Alex and Stacie, at the Civil War Re-enactments at the 4th of July festivities in Graeagle.

Good harvest this year!

and...

The biggest change in our family. In July our family became an official foster family. We have a beautiful 19 month staying with us. He is such a happy little guy, he holds such a special place in our hearts. All the training that we take tries to prepare you for this time, and it does in many ways. But I know of no way to completely prepare you for how you will feel for these children that come into your home. It's an overwhelming feeling for me to know that we are trusted enough for a precious child to be placed into your home to love and take care of. Our days are now filled with doctor's appointments, diapers, bottles, and scattered toys. By the end of the day I am exhausted like I have not been in such a long time. I absolutely love it.

Sharing our love of music- which he loves, too.

We went to the state fair last Wednesday. Adam, Erin and her friend were off riding the rides, and I was with little guy. Someone comes up to me and says, "Ma'am, you have a beautiful baby there." They just see a content and happy child. I look down and see a child that is not only happy, but has bonded with our family. I see a child that may have a rough road ahead of him, but has happy memories that we are a part of. I smile and say, "Thank you."

Syd's fair isle hat gets the Grand Champion ribbon in the knitting division

Summertime!

2009-06-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy month leading up to summer. We are now the proud parents of a high school graduate! Syd's graduation was held at Lawlor Events Center. There were around 400 graduates - quite a big difference of 54 for me. I really thought that I would cry at the ceremony. I brought Kleenex, ready to bawl big time, but I only got teary-eyed once. I think there was so much going on, I was busy taking all that in. Plus, I got a lot of crying done the week prior to the graduation.

Can you believe she is graduating?! Seems like not so long ago I was tucking her in to her little toddler bed, and reading her Mother Goose. Life goes by too fast.

That's me, Syd and Adam after graduation.

You can see that Erin has been busy shopping and sewing. The boots she got at Prism Magic, the purse was a gift from Grandma, and she made the skirt. This ensemble makes me think of how different our tastes our. But I also see how creative and talented she is and am very proud of her ability to put together an outfit and wear it proudly.

Syd entered the Reno Raunch-o-Rama "pinup" girl competition. Erin and I made the dress, but I really think the petticoat makes this outfit. What d'ya think?

The same day as the car show was World Wide Knit In Public Day. Soooo, we had to knit in public, even if for just a little bit.

Every year in the winter months before Spring and Summer, I think of how this year I'm going to make the best garden ever. This year we ordered seeds, even planted them indoors to start growing them, but planted them outside a little late. Our poor little plants are not doing so well. Of course, having one of the wettest springs I can ever remember with little sun and very cool weather sure isn't helping them. We're finally getting warm weather but I don't think they had a

Clay put in an awesome sprinkler system for our garden. Now we just have to turn the faucet on to water the whole garden.

Beans and peas,

Poor garden! Maybe it will perk up with more sun.

Ok, so this isn't the garden, I just like these two pictures.

Life Lessons

2009-05-15T11:57:00.001-07:00

Some life lessons I have learned in the past two weeks:

1. I can sew, although I still consider myself an amateur.

This was our kitchen table the day before the dance.

2. I can not do hair.

Usually she has her hair done by a stylist. This time I did it. Next time, back to the stylist.

3. I can procrastinate - very well I might add. I seem to wait until the last minute, then crank it out (whatever I'm working on at the moment), but not without lots of venting and - sometimes - crying (see #1 above).

But the end result is worth it.

4. I can not bake or cook.

'Nuff said. This is supposed to be carrot cake.

5. I can exercise. I've made it to my next "virtual walking" goal up the coast of Oregon.

6. I can not believe that I'll ever like to exercise. Anyone have any ideas on this one???

7. I can be open to new hair styles (I think)

Erin's newest look. Three new colors added - pink, red and blue.

8. I can not imagine life without my kids.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom."

"Some of the petals kinda fell off."

(I think it looks pretty good, since it made the trip home in his backpack.)

Our Vacation - Almost Over

2009-04-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today we left Lincoln City around 10:45 am. Check out time is 11:00 so I considered myself 15 minutes early - ha! We're planning on taking two days to get home, so we took our time and stopped by a few places along the way as we headed south on Hwy. 101.

Went back to the Newport Bay front. Erin wanted to buy a backpack she had seen earlier this week. While she was shopping, we found a cache. This was our second one of the day.

Oregon hides are the best. All that foliage makes great camouflage.

Found this bike parked in Waldport. There was a sign on it that said it was part of the Waldport B.I.K.E.S. Program. These are bikes that are free for people to use. If you are using the bike, you are supposed to tie it up. The sign on the bike said, "If it's tied, don't ride." Basically, you can use the bike to ride around town - it even comes with a helmet - and when you are done you are supposed to park it in a public part of town for someone else to use. Cool idea. This was parked near Whittler's Workshop, which used to be our favorite shop in Waldport. Unfortunately, the artist that made these unique sculptures passed away. Some of his items are still for sale in the shop, but it's just not the same. A red flag comes up when I see a sign on the front counter saying "CASH ONLY." Hmmmm. Funny, the website doesn't say anything about him passing away.

Grand Central Pizza is half a block south of Whittler's Workshop. They have great pizza but their garlic rolls are a must have. We stopped and got an order to eat for lunch. Nutritious, wouldn't you say?

Couldn't resist taking another Twilight shot.

Funny story about this picture. We're driving on Hwy. 101 in Southern Oregon. We got behind a truck towing a horse trailer going under the speed limit. Yuck. Even yuckier still - the horse in the trailer was definitely not horse-trailer trained. We were the unlucky targets for this horse until the next passing lane, which was enough for the horse to aim about three times!

Another dinner pick for tonight, and McDonald's was chosen. Guess who picked that one! We'd been driving all day and with only garlic rolls for lunch, McDonald's tasted great tonight.

We landed up at the Best Western in Crescent City. I'm on the computer, Syd is getting ready for bed, Erin is playing Nintendo DS, and Adam is playing with his toys. It's been a great vacation. I love Oregon. I love vacation. I'm ready to be home.

Up The Coast

2009-04-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today we drove up Hwy. 101 to Tillamook. Cloudy, lots of trees and so much green, with fog and a little drizzle made for perfect Twilight weather. We listened to the Twilight Soundtrack CD. As I was driving, I even found myself looking for this:

I would've been content to see even this:

But, no such luck. Instead, we saw lots of these:

After all, we were entering dairy country. Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We took the tour of the workers making the cheese, then proceeded to the sample table, conveniently located right before entering the gift shop. Got some garlic-chili cheddar cheese. Yummy. Had to get ice cream, too!

Cookie dough, marionberry pie, strawberry cheesecake, and blueberry lemon flavored ice cream

From there we stopped at the Latimer Textile Museum. There were lots of quilts on display, and handmade items of all kinds for sale - quilts, knitted and crocheted items, as well as yarn and roving for sale.

At the entrance of the Textile Museum

As we were leaving the museum, we saw this alpaca and had to get a picture. Alpaca wool is very soft. Wonder how this little guy feels???

Tanger Outlet Mall in Lincoln City. We ate lunch at Momiji Express here. Each of the kids got to choose one place to go out to eat. Can you guess who chose this place? Here's a hint: It's Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

One more stop before going back to our place for the evening. We picked up the float that Erin made yesterday. So pretty - great job, Erin! Think you might want to do this when you're in Lincoln City? Check out their website here.

Good Times

2009-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

We're loving the coast! Made a quick trip to Radio Shack today to pick up a new camera chip reader to replace the one I mangled. Since I have two days' worth of pictures to post, I'll keep the writing to a minimum.

The weather has been great. The only rain we've had is a sprinkle tonight. Not too windy, either so we've been trying to do outdoor activities. Yesterday we visited the tide pools north of Newport.

I've just recentlly seen my first tide pools. I never knew that there could really be so much ocean life contained in them.

Yesterday it was sunny and with not much wind, it was warm enough to play on the beach. Lincoln City has what they call "Finders, Keepers." There are several glass floats made by local artists that are put out on the beach every day. If you find them, you can keep them. We looked as we walked on the beach, but no luck.

One Cool Crab - in Depoe Bay. Depoe Bay is supposed to be a great place to go whale watching. We looked for a while, but didn't spot any. Did spot a good place to eat lunch here, at the Chowder Bowl.

If you can't find a glass float on the Lincoln City beach, you can always make one, which is what Erin did today. This is the same place I went to last year to make mine. Can't wait to pick it up tomorrow after it cools to see what it looks like.

On the way to climbing all 114 stairs of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Didn't find any ghosts there, though. We were almost to the top when Adam claims he has "height-a-phobia."

I was really planning to do quite a bit of geocaching during this trip. We've only done two!!

The perks of being 18! Syd buys her first lottery ticket.

Don't know if I call this a perk or not, but she was able, if she wanted, to go in the back room of a magic/joke shop. We were also told she could go gambling at the casino north of Lincoln City. Sorry, Syd, probably not this trip. I mean, really, why bother if I can't take a picture? :-)

No story for this picture, I just really like it.

We're in Oregon!

2009-04-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time beginning. Right this minute, I am sitting in the "living room" of our cottage, watching and listening to the waves roll in. I don't want to do anything else but just sit here and watch. And because I'm on vacation, I can. I think I could live here.

We left home yesterday morning at 6:20. Only 20 minutes off schedule which is doing good for me. On the way we saw:

Snow. This was taking past Susanville. We also hit some on the pass in Oregon.

Sun. Oh, and that mountain? That's Mt. Shasta.

Here's a place I'd have a hard time living in. Can you imagine writing your return address?

After paying this much for gas (in Weed, CA - see above photo) I'll try not to complain when I get home and have to gas up the guzzler.

No real reason for taking this picture. Just liked the name.

Rain, gotta love it. It IS Oregon, after all.

Our first vacation buy - yarn! We stopped at the Happy Kamper Yarn Barn in Florence, Oregon. The lady usually always has a little dog who loves to greet people by barking at you then running under a chair. This time in addition to this little yapper was a 9 week old puppy, and a kitty. Adam loved the cat, followed the cat, then sneezed a few times and started rubbing his eyes and they got all red. Hmmmm, could I actually have a child that is allergic to cats???

This is what we drove all day to see. This picture was taken from the window at our cottage. The window I am sitting in front of right now. I think I could live here.

2009-03-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

I've reached my first destination! Virtual destination, that is. 5.5 miles on Hwy. 101 is Darlingtonia State Natural Site, and I made this stop on Friday. The first time we were there was last year when we went looking for a cache while geocaching up Hwy. 101. I would have never thought to stop here otherwise, but I am so glad we did. This little park has a pathway up to the carnivorous plants. Below the plants is a little grassy area with picnic tables. There are trees all around. Old trees, with their large roots sticking up above the ground. The kind of place you'd imagine fairies and hobbits to be living in. No wonder I'd love to live there.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site is the only Oregon state park property dedicated to the protection of a single plant species. Concurrently, the plants it protects are the only carnivorous flora in the system.This 18-acre botanical park provides parking and a boardwalk trail out into a fen that is home to Darlingtonia californica. Also called a cobra lily, the rare, strangely-shaped plant is the only member of the pitcher plant family (Sarraceniaceae) in Oregon.What visitors see in this little garden of multi-colored horrors (for insects), is a plant with yellowish green hooded leaves that form erect, 10 to 20-inch-high hollow tubes. On top, the leaves are often purplish to reddish mottled with transparent areas. A hidden opening into the stalk is bordered by a large, green, mustache-shaped appendage beneath the curved hood of the leaf. Nectar inside the plant's hidden opening attracts the insects. Once inside, an insect becomes confused by the transparent areas that appear like exits. It's all "downhill" for the insect from that point as it eventually drops into the lower part of the tube, is trapped by downward-pointed hairs and falls into a pool of water at the bottom of the stalk. Bacteria in the water decompose it into nitrogen that is then absorbed by the plant.

I'm Walking the (Virtual) Oregon Coast

2009-03-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

So, I got this cool idea from a cool friend off of her way cool blog.

I'll be the first to admit that I do not enjoy exercise. Never have.

Chances are that I never will.

Jamee is riding her bike all the way from her home to Chicago.

I, on the other hand will be traveling up the

Oregon coast.

I am starting in Florence, and finishing up my

virtual journey in Lincoln City.

Today is Day One. I rode exactly one mile.

Woohoo.

I am still in Florence, but I am imagining that

I am very near the

Happy Kamper Yarn Barn

which is in north Florence. This is an awesome yarn store.

I know because I've been there -

really.

Jamee, thanks for this

awesome idea!

Maybe one year I WILL be the

biggest loser

Florence, Oregon

One of the town's most complete mercantile stores, located in the Kyle Building, was built in 1901. Bulk goods, farm tools, hats, boots, and other items were sold here, providing residents necessities for life in what was a remote part of the state. The town's vital link across the Siuslaw River was provided by ferry boats until 1936, when the picturesque Siuslaw River Bridge was completed. The ferries were soon made obsolete, overtaken by the growth of the automobile.
Today the town's legacy is still going strong and its history is well-preserved. Historic buildings line the narrow streets and picturesque waterfront of Old Town Florence. The Kyle Building can still be found along Bay Street, where it now represents a perfect example of early Central Coast commercial architecture. There are even a few remnants of the old Siuslaw ferry service on the south side of the river. Finally, there are a number of historic lighthouses left along the Oregon coast, including the one located at Heceta Head, 12 miles north of Florence. The Heceta Lighthouse stands out as one of the most-photographed lighthouses in the nation.

We're Irish for a Day!

2009-03-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day is the day to celebrate being Irish, even if you're not. We make sure to wear green - well, most of us - and eat corned beef, cabbage and potatoes.

Last weekend was the production of Journey With Joseph put on by the youth in our church, with the help of many wonderful adults. Syd was in the choir and danced; Erin helped the pianist.

2009-03-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago in the morning, as Adam was getting ready for school, he came up to me and told me he needed to make some gold and bring it to class. "Today?" I ask, already knowing what the answer is going to be. "Yes" was the simple reply. Well....uh....hmmmm, let me think, and think fast. I've only got about 20 minutes before we have to leave for school. I've got it! Adam, hurry and run next door to Grandma's and get some rocks from her front yard. He does, and we made gold in record time! (Seriously, I really think I should work for the Treasury Department) I could easily have been grumpy about this, because I certainly am not a morning person, and we are rushed more often than not to get to school on time. But my thoughts on it were how our children think of us. Adam didn't doubt that I couldn't do it, even pushed for time. How special it is to be so trusted by a child that he just assumed that I could make him gold. Kinda a big deal when you think of all that trust wrapped up in one child, and that you're holding it and shaping it into what they will become. He never did tell me what it was going to be used for, but I found out a few days later when I went to his classroom. The kids all made a map of South America, and the rocks were glued on to the map.

Recently we had Chinese take out for dinner, and got a big laugh. I always have said that I want the job of naming paint colors, but I think making up the fortunes that go in fortune cookies just may have to top that. The top fortune is Clay's, the middle one is Erin's, and the bottom one is yours truly. I mean really, If The Table Moves, Move With It???? What kind of a fortune is that?!

Catching up

2009-03-07T23:06:00.001-08:00

I promised myself I would get caught up on the pictures I wanted to post, so here they are.

Last month we had Clay's brother and his wife, and some special close friends of ours over for Bagna Cauda (or Bagna Caulda - I've seen it both ways). It seems we just don't get together as often as I'd like to with friends. As I write this I seem to recall one of my New Year's resolutions was to get together with friends more often. Hmm, looks like I get to mark that resolution as one I'm working on. We had lots of fun eating and spearing our food with the skewers. Good food, good friends, good conversation.

Syd's JA dance also took place last month. What a great looking couple! Of course, I am a little biased - only a little! They went with another couple and had a lot of fun.

We got a good deal on the dress at Dillard's, and Syd knit this little shrug to go with it.

Today we had a break from the wind and rain and snow, so we got out and went geocaching. I had four on my list - found two, couldn't find one, and the other one we decided to wait to find for another day. Adam found the first one, and I found the second one. Some of the caches are so small!

I am guiltily admitting that when we got home from geocaching we were very lazy. Erin isn't feeling too well, and wanted to just rest and watch a movie. Hey, I'll go along with that! So we kicked back on the couch and did nothing but watch tv. Too bad I didn't have bonbons to go along with that.

They Said Yes, She'll Say Yes!

2009-03-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

I know there have been lots of pictures I have taken in the last two weeks, meaning to post them on this blog. There was Syd's JA dance, school open house, bagna cauda at our house with friends, and there I was, camera in hand. Without attempting to overload on too many pictures with one post, I'll just post the memorable moments of today.

I think today we can officially call ourselves Foster Parents. We received our signed foster license, although we still have to sign the contract, which they are drawing up right now. Every time we finish another step in the process, I'm always asking, "What's next?" So far, I've heard what the next step will be, i.e., fingerprinting, homestudy, getting licensed, etc. Today when I asked, "what's next?" the reply was, "as soon as you sign the contract, your name is on the list." Wow. Now I think it's starting to sink in. We've done it! It's exciting, but I am so nervous.

Today when I got home, I was greeted by this on my front lawn:

When I saw this, I had a pretty good idea what it meant and who it was for. A little background information for you: Our church has a formal dance coming up, what the kids affectionally call a Mormal (Mormon+formal=Mormal). Syd is not shy when it comes to asking guys to go to a dance, so I thought she had someone in mind. I was pretty sure this same person was the one who put all the tickets on our front lawn (he's known for creatively asking her out on a date - see my previous posts). When I came in the house, the rest of my family (except for Syd, she was at work) showed me this:

He also had given her a key in case she couldn't figure out the words, but I won't post exactly what it says, because if you're like me you'll want to figure it out yourself. Ok, how cute is this?!!! I am sure her response will be:

Syd already knows how's she's going to reply back. But that's another post.

Nighttime Geocaching

2009-02-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

Right now, at this moment, as I type, it is Monday evening, 9:31 to be precise. I was not one of the lucky ones who had the day off, but my day at work was still enjoyable. Clay took the kids out shopping during the day. Tonight I didn't really have anything planned to do together as a family, but then Syd suggested we go geocaching. Seriously, to myself I am thinking it is just a little too chilly outside for me to be going geocaching at night, but out loud I say, "Sure, let's call Grandma and see if she wants to go, too." We all climb into the Suburban (ok, the kids race to get the very back seat, fight over it, then climb into the middle seat - you get the picture) and head off toward Wal-mart. A friend of Syd's has shown her a couple of caches so she actually knows exactly where to go to find two of them. The first one is near Wal-mart, and the second one is near Best Buy. Warning: the following pictures contain spoilers, so if you go geocaching you may not want to see these pictures until you find them yourself.

John, Syd and Adam open the log sheet for our first find of the night

This is the most creative cache I've found! A close up pic of the cache near Wal-mart

I believe this is a hole that was drilled by the founder of this cache. I actually contains a holder (see pic below). Another very creative cache.

Cool cache, Adam got to trade treasures!

Our third cache of the evening! We almost didn't find this one, but John and Adam figured it out.

It is tradition to have dessert on the nights of our family evenings, and Adam will never forget to remind us about that. While Syd and John went to the store to buy some treats, the doorbell rang. Clay went to get it, then tells me it's something for me to see. Well, it actually was for Syd so we left it for her to "open."

This was tied to our front screen door. When you opened it all the way, the little firecrackers on a string popped! Then out on our sidewalk was this sign:

Too funny!
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This picture doesn't have anything to do with tonight, but since so few pictures are taken of Clay and I, I wanted to post it. This was taken by Adam on Valentine's Day. Love you, H.B.!

2009-02-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have one of those weeks where nothing goes right? You are usually super busy that week, and no doubt one of the kids is sick, or gets sick, and you wish you could just stay in bed? Well, this week was nothing like that. There was nothing super spectacular that happened - we didn't win the lottery, or find a gold mine in our back yard, I didn't lose 25 pounds in one week (although that would surely be a blog entry all by itself!). Things just happened that really put a smile on my face, and isn't that what it's all about?

Superbowl Sunday. I really am not a football fan, but I do enjoy a good commercial. A halftime commercial for an upcoming movie had us all wearing 3-d glasses.

Someone told me once (jokingly) that even though you're not doing something together, as long as you're in the same room with family members, it still counts as Family Time! I love the purple laptop I got for Christmas. Purple is my favorite color, and if you didn't already know it, I'm a big Donny Osmond fan.

This week I went out geocaching. I don't go out often enough. When I go I realize how much I miss it. This time I took Aslan to get some much needed exercise. She's our hyper dog and loves to go out running.

You never know what you're going to find in the dryer. I put a load of clothes in to dry and heard a bunch of clunking. I opened it up to find one of Adam's plastic toy knives going around. Isn't doing laundry exciting?!

Our dogs aren't spoiled or anything d'ya think? Really, our son is on his bed....somewhere.

I received two special phone calls this week, and they both happened on Friday. The call we've been waiting for weeks finally arrived. We have been assigned a social worker, and she is coming out to our house on Tuesday to start our home study for foster care. Whew, I finally put it in writing, and that is cool. Clay and I started the foster parent process back in November. I'm not known for doing anything quickly, so it's taken us this long to get to where we are. That means all our paperwork has been filled out, cpr classes attended, tb tests taken, fingerprints done. Now comes the daunting task of getting our home ready. I'll be posting more on this I'm sure.

Another special call we received came from a wonderful lady we met at our last foster class last Saturday. Her and her husband were taking the classes because their grandchildren were in a foster group home and they were in the process of having the kids come to live with them. Well, she called me last night and the kids are with them! She said they just celebrated Christmas yesterday. They had left their Christmas tree and the decorations up until the children could be with them and they could celebrate together. Even though I know they may have difficult times ahead, I am so happy for them!

So, what's new in your neighborhood?

Happy Birthday To You!

2009-01-29T22:40:00.000-08:00

Well, our little girl turned 18 today. Where did all the time go? It's funny, when they're small you joke about the day they will be 18, and an "adult." You think you will have so much time with them. You watch them grow, watch them blossom and know that they will grow up, but when the time comes that they are grown up, it just doesn't seem like there was enough time. Am I ready for her to grow up? Am I ready for her to move out on her own when she goes off to college? Am I ready to not see her every day, and know where she is every (well, almost) hour of the day? Ok, I can tell by the way my tears are falling that right now I am a selfish mother, I do not want her to grow up. I want her to stay and be my little girl forever. I know very soon I will need to let her go, and although it will break my heart, I know that I will.

She found these on her car early this morning before school

Dinner and Dessert at Olive Garden

More cake (which we saved to eat) and presents

See the resemblance?

Dinner - Rachael Ray Style

2009-01-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to try a meal that Rachael Ray says is only 30 minutes. I got on the Food Network website, picked an episode out (the Simple Three Course Italian Episode), went grocery shopping Friday morning and Friday evening at exactly 5:00 pm Erin and I got to work. I laid everything I needed for the recipes out on the kitchen table before I started timing myself.

Before I show the pictures and link to the recipes, here's a little "insider" scoop. First, Rachael Ray's menus may be quick and - she claims - only 30 minutes, but they are not easy on the pocketbook. For our family I budget around $400 per month on food, and this trip cost me almost $100.00. Granted, I did buy other things, but that $100 usually gives me enough food for about a week.
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Here's something else. Surprise, Surprise, it did NOT take only 30 minutes to cook this meal. It took me 50 minutes, and that was with help. 50 minutes of rushing around trying to get the meal done in 30, and I was left with a HUGE mess in the kitchen, probably another 50 minutes of cleanup time. Ugh.

The final kicker - the recipes weren't even all that great! Adam and Clay didn't even eat them. But at least I got to play the part of Rachael Ray, even if it was only 50 minutes!

Click on the name of the recipe to get the link:

Orecchiette with Crab - Couldn't find orecchiette pasta, so I used mini bow ties

Mozzarella Salad

Italian Hummus

2009-01-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday. Monday is the one day of the week I work until 5:00. When I come home in the evening I can look forward to never a dull moment. Today, I got to see:

You need to do your homework. Really, you need to do your homework. You need to do your homework and I mean it. DO YOUR HOMEWORK NOW!

How's the studying for finals going, Erin? Helloooo? Erin???

Look, Syd's cleaning her room! I warned her I would post this picture.

As of 9:30 tonight, Adam did finish his homework, Erin seems to be ok with her studying (finals in two days), and Syd's room is...well, Syd's room.

FHE - Carter Style

2009-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

I'll start the new year off right, I thought. Tonight we will have Family Home Evening. I will make it special, and light the candles for dinner. I will make learning the scriptures fun for the whole family. Bring on the Legos! Your challenge, should you choose to accept, is to build something with Legos that relates to the scriptures. You will have three minutes in which to complete this challenge, and then you will show them off to all. Ready, Set, Go!

Syd works hard to find just the right pieces to make her masterpiece - all two of them. What thought, what finesse! However, a cross is something scripture-related.

Erin made Moses on the mountain. Very creative, and great use of those Legos. Great job, Erin!

We look over at Adam, and with a face like this, we know he's up to something. This kid can play with Legos for hours; he can put pieces together to create things we never knew existed. This is what he chose to make tonight:

A guy reading scriptures in a "gun thing." "But Mom, you said to make something about the scriptures, and that's what I did." Hmmmm, he's right, you know.

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that it is 2009 already. A new year - time for resolutions, if you make them. This year, in addition to the resolutions almost every one of us puts on our list - I admit, every year I vow to eat healthier and exercise more - I will add a few more to my list. Here are just a couple:

1. I will spend more time with my family, and time spent cleaning the house won't count. Time goes by so fast and before you know it, your oldest daughter is graduating. Just ask me. I know.

2. I will make a special point of getting together with friends. Too often I say, "let's get together," and it never happens. I realized there are some friends I haven't seen all year.

We spent New Year's Eve with some wonderful friends of ours. We ate dinner, then played games (WII, pool, and MadGab) and visited until midnight. We stayed up until around 1:00 am (even us "old" parents). Bill and Melanie live near Virginia City, so we decided to stay the night rather than face the windy road down and the roads with lots of people, many of whom had been drinking. Bill and Melanie were great at letting all five of us stay with them. Thank you so much for such a fun time! We plan to spend a relaxing day at home to welcome in 2009.

Adam learned to play pool, and found that he really enjoyed it

Rack 'em up, Dad

It's just as fun to watch the people play as it is to play the WII Fit

Dinner time! Spaghetti and roast chicken

Happy New Year!

C'mere and gimme a smooch!

Reminder NOT to buy the hats/crowns with elastic string at Walmart. They were too small.

Midnight

The kids blew their horns and got the dog singing/howling

2008-12-26T18:55:00.000-08:00

Whew! Another Christmas is behind us. We actually had a wonderful Christmas, made complete by having a White Christmas as well! We had my cousin and her husband, my brother and his family, and my mom over for Christmas Eve dinner. All evening long the kids were tracking Santa on the internet, so it was fairly easy to get Adam to bed early. It is a tradition of ours to look for Santa's sleigh in the sky on Christmas Eve after dinner, but since it was so cloudy we weren't able to see him, although Adam thought he saw a light below the clouds. We put out magic reindeer food to make it easier for the reindeer to spot our house.

Traditional Christmas Eve dinner - Mexican food

Necessities for a college-bound senior!

Can't forget the carrots for the reindeer - this year Santa got eggnog

After reading " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" the kids all piled into one bed

Adam was the earliest riser on Christmas morning - 3:30 am!!! He was so excited about Christmas, which of course makes it all the more fun for us parents.

Clay tries out the WII Fit

We spent Christmas Day as we know how best to spend it - enjoying family and being grateful for all we have. We remember the reason for the season, and know how blessed we are to be able to have days like this.

2008-12-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

What a week! And am I ready for Christmas? Well, mentally I'm so ready, but every time I think I'm ready I remember another gift I need, or present to wrap, or another thing to add to the list, or....well, you get the picture.

Mornday morning was a very slow drive to work. The good part about snow is - the snow! But the down side to all the snow is driving in it. This is what it looked like on my way to work Monday morning:

Thursday in Adam's class they had sundaes and watched cartoons. I got to go in a help out. Whew, that is a busy class. When I think of sundaes I think of ice cream, hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream, all the classic items. These kids had brought really fun things for their toppings: sour balls, gummy worms, peanut m&m's, to name a few. They had a great time, and with all that sugar the kids had, it was enough for me to want to take a nap when I got home! It's so cool when the kids start to know me a little better. One girl even drew me a picture - so sweet.

This morning we went to our church's Christmas breakfast. 8:30 is a little early for me on Saturday. We brought a chili relleno casserole. It's very tasty and really easy to make.

CHILI RELLENO CASSEROLE

2 (7 oz.) cans whole green chile peppers, drained (I used 1 27-oz. can

8 oz. Montery Jack cheese, shredded

8 oz. Cheddar cheese, shredded

2 eggs, beaten

1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

2 T. flour

1/2 cup milk

1, Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I had to turned mine up to 375). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Lay half of the chilies evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the jack and cheddar cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the egg, milk and flour and pour over the top of the chilies.

3. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake another 15 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!

Erin brought her knitting along to the breakfast to try to finish a Christmas gift.

Syd snuck some chocolate while watching the program.

A special guest - Santa!

Tonight Clay and I went to a Christmas party. I must admit, I am really tired right now, and I have caught quite a few typos in this post, so I am trying to make an excuse for the ones that I won't see before I publish this. Tonight we saw friend's we hadn't seen in some time. The family that had the party used to be neighbors of ours and we have known them for 19 years. This was a fun party. I even remembered to bring my camera and take pictures. We ate lots, and got to open presents for the gift exchange. Too fun. We love you Gayla, Roger, Amber, Haley and Mike! It was a great time.

Their "Blue" Christmas tree. They've been decorating with blue since I can remember.

2008-12-14T22:14:00.000-08:00

It is now 10:15 pm, and everyone is in bed except for me. I even think they are asleep. After a weekend at home it just seems a little quiet. Still working on my Christmas cards. I really think next year I'm just going to buy all of them and not worry about making any. Do you make your own cards? Do you ever wonder what happens to them? After all the time spent on making those cards, do you think they get thrown into the trash with the rest of the cards after the decorations are taken down? I don't think I want to know.

Found this really cool pair of glasses and couldn't pass them up. The store had a couple other pairs but I chose this one. Syd wore them to her Christmas party she attended last night. The down side to these is they don't fit over my own glasses, so I'd have to wear my contacts. At my age I'm more about comfort than fashion, so I guess I'll stick to my own glasses and put these on just for the photo.

It is supposed to snow tonight, the weather man says 4-8 inches. The kids are hoping for snow and really hoping for a snow day or at least a delayed start. I am hoping the snow won't make the roads too bad, as I have to go to work tomorrow. Right now it is snowing just a little, and it is cooooooold.

I need to go to bed. Really. So I will leave you with these two pictures - both of which I am sending out as our Christmas card photo. You can see that it was a little difficult getting all five of us to take a good picture, but we had fun.

Where were you on Black Friday?

2008-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, I did get up early, early, early on Black Friday. Syd and I got up at 3:30 am, got ready, then hit our local coffee shop at 4:00 am for hot cocoa and a muffin, and went to stand in line at Old Navy. All for a MP3 player they were giving away (with a purchase, of course). We stood in line for 45 minutes, and were so proud of the "get-your-free-gift" bracelet we received because we were one of the first 50 people in line and got that cool MP3 player! Actually, I haven't even opened it up yet; I am giving it away as a gift, but ssshhhhh! From there we went to Michaels and stocked up on even more Stuff, and that's with a capital S! Got some baskets to put more yarn stash in. You know, that yarn stash that I promised myself I would never accumulate? Yep, that one. Now we're working on getting our Christmas cards out. This year they come with pictures of the whole family, and you know how it takes time to Photoshop us old people, aka Clay and I in the picture, so it may be a while. Here's fun pictures to keep you occupied until then:

Syd and I at Klunker's, with our hot chocolate, ready to face the morning, uh, I mean the night - about 4:00 a.m. here.

Standing in line at Old Navy. We were the 10th and 11th person in line. It was around 4:15 a.m.

around 4:40 they showed up with coffee and hot chocolate for us. Too bad we already got ours!

Yep, we were in line for the freebie!

We met our friends Lee Ann and Deidre at Old Navy, then went to breakfast at IHOP when we were done with our early morning shopping

What the heck is Cervical Lymphadenitis????

2008-11-30T19:34:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's a big word. I had never heard of it until Wednesday when I took Adam to the pediatrician. Seems that is what he had. Here's the definition of it that I found on the internet:

Lymphadenitis is the inflammation of a lymph node. It is often a complication of a bacterial infection of a wound, although it can also be caused by viruses or other disease agents. Lymphadenitis is marked by swollen lymph nodes that are painful, in most cases, when the doctor touches them. In most cases, the infectious organisms are hemolytic Streptococci or Staphylococci. Hemolytic means that the bacteria produce a toxin that destroys red blood cells.

Seems he had strep in his tonsils but made it to his lymph nodes. I noticed the night before that his neck looked swollen and that he had a fever, which concerned me. The next morning (the day before Thanksgiving, my luck!) I got him in to see our pediatrician (love that guy!). So, with some antibiotics and a little Motrin our little man is finally back to normal. This poor guy has been sick off and on all month. It's so good to see him feeling better.

You can just see his neck slightly swollen from the front.

You can see how swollen his neck is from the infection.

2008-11-16T22:42:00.000-08:00

Big highs and lows this weekend. In November we have several family birthdays to celebrate, one of them being Clay's. We (just the two of us) went to the Outback for dinner to celebrate his birthday. It's so nice to know that even after all these years, and three kids later, we can still enjoy one another's company, just the two of us. Makes me feel better knowing that, especially when the kids are growing so fast and before you know it all three will be living on their own. I have really been thinking about that a lot lately, which I think I've even mentioned here. I either have to accept that graciously or just add more kids to my house - and no, I'm NOT pregnant, nor do I plan to be :-)

Happy Birthday, H.B.!

On a sad note, Xena, one of our little guinea pigs died. We took her in to the vet on Friday and found out that she had pneumonia. They gave us antibiotics and pain medication and sent us home to do what we could. Saturday she was worse so it was another trip to the vet to get food and a syringe to force feed her because she wasn't eating. Shortly before noon, our little guinea pig passed away. That's the hardest part of having pets.

Xena Mighty Warrior Muffin Pig

2008-11-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday Syd participated in a Pinewood Derby Race for BOTH young men and women. She has always said she wishes she could have been a boy scout when she was younger because they did more exciting things than girl scouts. Of course, she never went on past Brownies. She received the prestigious award of "Most Muscular" car. Hmmm.

After much running around these past few weeks I have to say: I am sick. There, I admitted it. I wanted to deny it for so long but after three weeks I had to suck it up and go to the doctor. My family - and myself - are tired of hearing me blow my nose and cough, cough, cough. Yuck.

2008-10-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

One thing about our family, like most families, you never know what to expect from day to day. Adam lost one of his top front teeth last week, and the other front tooth was really loose. So loose, in fact, that Clay and I kept bugging him to either pull it or have one of us do it for him. He refused, but kept asking us if we thought it was ready. At one point I even bribed him with taking him to Wal-mart with his money from the Tooth Fairy. Finally he had taken enough of us, he made a face at me and said, "That's it!" and promptly went into the bathroom and pulled out his tooth all by himself. He proudly came out of the bathroom, tooth in hand with a trail of toilet paper and announced, "I did it for Wal-mart!"

The excitement of this morning didn't end there. Clay had let the dogs out earlier in the morning, then as he let them back in asks me if I've noticed anything different about Nestle (our oldest dog). No, should I ? Once I saw it I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before since it was practically a neon green. Yep, it was our "Breaking Wind" slime/flubber stuff. This slime stuff is supposed to go into a container and when you push on it it sounds like a bodily function, thus the name "Breaking Wind." Apparently it never made it into its container, but landed on the back side of Nestle. Yuck!

Tonight the family went to Ferrari Farms to go through the corn maze. We let Erin lead the way. We thought we'd go slowly, to get our money's worth. Remind us not to let Erin be the leader if we want to take our time! She found the exit in about five minutes. Clay led us through the maze again and tried to let her find the exit again, this time hoping for it to take a little longer. Erin must have an amazing sense of direction because she quickly found it the second time. We all got a good laugh when Clay hid behind the corn stalks and really scared the girls!

No need to buy pumpkins this year - we finally grew our own

Happy Fall!

It Was Bound To Happen

2008-10-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sooner or later, I figured he would need glasses. With both of us wearing glasses (I got my first pair in second grade), I knew the odds weren't in our kids' favor of having perfect vision. So here you have it, his first pair of glasses. I had to bribe him with a toy from the treasure box so he would let me take a picture of him. But I think it was worth it!

Peace Offering

2008-10-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

So, today I received a present from Erin's boyfriend. A peace offering, you might call it. So, take a look and tell me what you think.

Homecoming

2008-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

We are now home thawing out from an evening sitting on bleachers. Actually, it wasn't too bad; warmer than I thought it would be.

Tonight was a special night - Homecoming. Normally that would not be a big deal in our household, but tonight both girls would be "performing" out in the cold. Erin is in Marching Band, choosing the "easy" instrument - bass drum. Syd also took the field - she was nominated for Homecoming Queen. There were six girls total, each of them drove in riding a convertible, with their fathers escorting them. All six of them braved the freezing weather (including snow flurries) in their dresses. How exciting to be nominated! But, she was not named Homecoming Queen, although I think she had just as much fun getting all that attention just walking up to the middle of the field even if she wasn't chosen. Our girls are growing up.

At home, before getting out in the cold and snow. This is a vintage dress she borrowed from a friend, and we made a matching shrug.

Halftime with the big bass drum

Father and Daughter - where's the princess wave?

Halftime performance. It was soooo cold

Syd with her escort, David

October Snow!

2008-10-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it snowed today! Apparently I didn't watch the latest weather report because I heard there was just a possibility of snow flurries. We got 2-3 inches out here! It is already starting to melt, which is a good thing because we are going to the football game tonight. It is homecoming night. I'll be posting more on that soon.

Opening Day at Pyramid Lake

2008-10-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 1, was opening fishing day at Pyramid Lake. Clay and I both had the day off and Clay asked me to be his "fishing partner" for the day. After we got the last child to school, we loaded up - made sure we had fishing supplies, snacks, drinks, and of course, knitting! - and headed for Pyramid. We only live about 20 minutes away so it's the perfect spot. Clay had been working for weeks on the boat to get it ready for this day. He repatched, sanded, and painted. It looks great! This boat is older than I am; it used to belong to my grandfather. We not only got to enjoy the day, we also enjoyed each other's company. It's nice to spend time just the two of us. We both agreed we need to do this more often.

On our way to catch fish! The weather was perfect. Clay catches a fish.

Took the picture of this while waiting for a fish to bite.Clay made this purple pole for me. Have I mentioned I love the color purple?

Oh look, Clay caught another fish! I work on my knitting....

You guessed it, that's Clay's fish (I'm still knitting)

We're getting ready to bring the boat in and Clay catches yet another fish.

How many did you catch, Clay? Four! Apparently that was considered a good catch for this day. A lot of people were only catching one or two. Let's see how well I did.....

Yes, I caught absolutely nothing.

But look how much I got done on my sweater. I need to go fishing more often!

2008-09-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today the weather was finally starting to feel a little cooler. I really think I felt a touch of fall in the air. The sky was cloudy, and the wind blew a cool breeze. The weather man says this is only a teaser; the temperature is supposed to get back up in the high 80's soon. I think I really am done with the heat. Maybe, just maybe, if I just act like it is fall weather it will turn into fall weather - d'ya think? This newly acquired pumpkin certainly can't hurt. I love this! My mom and I were shopping at Walmart and my mom spotted it. We picked out the best two - I know because I think my mom went through each one of them!

Tomorrow is Saturday. That means a soccer game, and getting caught up on laundry, or at least trying to. Tonight we have only one child here at home. One is spending a night at a friend's house and the other is in California with a friend and her family. It is so quiet here tonight., almost too quiet. Tomorrow night we're planning on going out to dinner with some good friends of ours. I'm looking forward to that.

Our piano is getting a lot of use lately. I was going through some church music and came across one entitled Count Your Blessings. There are many times when I think of the glass as half empty instead of half full. I know I need to change my way of thinking but there are days when I just wake up being one of the seven dwarfs - Grumpy. Today I was looking at a rubber stamp blog, Missy B Designs, and she had a link to this blog. Reading this story really puts things into perspective. Why should I complain about having always being the one to replenish the empty roll of toilet paper when I have a healthy family. Does it really matter who emptied the trash last? Granted, I really don't think I was put on this earth to stay in the kitchen all day, but I was given this family to nurture and care for, and instead of taking them for granted, I need to see how much I really have. I need to Count My Blessings.

2008-09-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

Clay and I took a quick drive out to Pyramid Lake today. Clay wanted to check out the supposedly new boat launch at Warrior's Point. No such luck, there is no boat launch. I haven't been to Warrior's Point in years. Clay remembers when it was built up - they had showers, bathrooms (not just sani-huts), and picnic tables with shade canopies. Now all that's left is what appears to be the roof of the building, but it could be the floor of it, jutting out from the shore. There is also a building that possibly was from the county (?) which is nothing but a pile of rocks and boards. I guess you know you're getting old when you keep finding yourself saying, "back in the day...."

We also went geocaching. Our first cache we went to we were able to find. This is a really cool place we want to take the kids to. The description of this cache was that it was located among some calcite fossil beds.. The beds are the remains of ancient Lake Lahontan and contain fossilized leaves from trees and plants that no longer appear in the Great Basin. We took the dogs out to run, and while they exercised, we looked for fossils. Even found a couple. This cache made up for the other that I could not locate. Got the coordinates, but was unable to find the cache. I hate it when that happens. Oh well.

South of Pyramid Lake

First cache of the day

Quiet night tonight. Syd and I are gearing up for the holidays. In September I usually get excited because I know fall is (or should be) right around the corner. I love Fall, my favorite time of the year. It's tradition for me in September to start making my Christmas gift list. This year Syd will probably help me make gifts. This year will also be our last Christmas with her living at home. Oh, I'm going to miss her. Have I mentioned that once - or twice, or ten or twenty times - already???

2008-08-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Monday was the first day of school for the girls. So I cried just a little bit. Monday was probably the last time I will take a picture of Syd in front of our house - a yearly tradition. It was the last first day of school that she would drive Erin to school. They are both taking the 00 period of Seminary, so it was still a little dark when they left. But I did get up early and make them breakfast. Worthy of mentioning since I don't do that every day. I admit, I am not a Martha Stewart, nor does she live at our house. It was also Erin's first day of high school. She made it through just fine and yesterday announced that she can now find her locker without getting lost in that maze they call high school.

We got our first tomato yesterday! I cannot believe August is almost over and we have only had one tomato. These plants are huge, with lots of little green tomatoes. Today I'm going to search hard for more red ones. I also picked more green beans to freeze, a squash, and a cucumber that had been overlooked.

The Wool Contest is Over

2008-08-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Make It With Wool Contest was held today. All those weeks of knitting and sewing for Syd are behind us. She had never participated in this contest, and so it was a learning experience for the both of us. The girls (and women) model their garments in the morning for the judges, and then later in the afternoon for the public, where the prizes and ribbons are awarded. Everyone did such a wonderful job. There is an amazing amount of talent these youth have. There were times when I thought I was more nervous than Syd was. Poor girl, she didn't finish knitting her sweater until 4:30 this a.m., then had to get back up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for the judging. All the girls were awarded gifts, which came as a pleasant surprise to us. Congrats, Syd!

Right before modeling in front of the judges.

Close up of the cable work on the sweater

All the prizes - including those awesome Fiskars scissors (that I may steal), and a $35.00 gift certificate to a local fabric store. That is one tired girl!

Busy Day

2008-08-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that school starts in a couple of days. I took the girls school clothes shopping today. Hey, nothing like waiting until the last minute. We decided on a whim to have Erin's hair cut and add color to it. She's been wanted to add color for a while. What a change! But I like it - it's so her.

Tonight Syd is frantically getting ready for the Make It With Wool Contest which is tomorrow (Saturday) morning at the State Fair. Yes, one more trip to the fair. She is finishing up a skirt she made, and a sweater she knit. The two pieces are gorgeous; she is more than a little nervous, and then being really tired on top of it doesn't help.

Quick Dinner Recipe

2008-08-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Found this great mix. Just made the Chili Tomato Macaroni recipe, and it was a hit with the family. I've posted the mix recipe here, and you can get recipes for the mix at this website.

Hamburger Helper Seasoning Mix
1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/3 cup instant onion
3 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 1/2 Tbsp. beef bouillon granules
Yield: 5 1/2 cup servings

Beans and Rice vs. Taco John's

2008-08-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today I drove right by Taco John's on my way back to work from my lunch hour. Taco John's was practically screaming my name out loud. Oh, how a taco bravo and potato ole's with cheese sounded sooooo good. I knew that I had packed my lunch this morning, and that I had vowed to eat a healthy lunch, but it's so easy to pull into a fast food drive in. My willpower was strong enough today that I passed it. So now here I sit at my desk staring at my green beans and wild rice. Oh joy.

2008-08-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

For the first time this summer, we had green beans from our garden. With the hot weather we've been having for so long this summer, I really thought we would be having a big crop. So far I've only picked a couple of zucchini, a couple of yellow squash, and these beans. We do have a pumpkin growing, and lots of little green tomatoes, but by this time I thought we'd have squash coming out our ears. But the beans were great!

Easily Entertained

2008-07-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

When you see this picture, you may be asking yourself, what's so great about a clothesline? For the seven years we have lived at this house, I have been wanting a clothesline - specifically, an umbrella clothesline. I asked for one on my birthday, Christmas, and Mother's Day. Clay searched for one, but had been unable to find one. Eventually the need for one got lost in the shuffle of other needs and wants. Recently I called up a friend of mine and asked what she was doing. "Hanging out clothes on my new clothesline" she replied. Clothesline?? Where in the world did you find a clothesline?? Seems her husband had been able to find one for her, and she would ask him where he got it. Fast forward a couple of days later, and her husband calls me up and says, "I hear you're looking for a clothesline." Yes, oh yes, where did you find it. "Ernst Hardware," he replies. Now, I'm thinking to myself I haven't heard of Ernst in a while, and didn't they go out of business? Not wanting to sound too dumb, I didn't mention this out loud to him. Wouldn't ya know, later that day he drops off a new clothesline to my husband at work to bring home to me!!!! Yes, Ernst Hardware is no longer in our area, he told me that just so that I wouldn't go looking too hard - he got it at Home Depot. I'm thinking that maybe since people are thinking more "green" these days, clotheslines might start selling again.

So now I will proudly hang my clothes out to dry, helping the environment in small minute way. I will hang my clothes out to dry and not think of it as a chore, but rather a way to enjoy a few minutes of the quietness of the back yard. I will hang my clothes out to dry and think of good friends, and how good a small act of receiving a clothesline can mean so much. Thank you.

Oregon Vacation Pictures

2008-07-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures - finally - of our Oregon trip:

Our first cache of our trip - on Hwy. 89

Second cache! Mt. Shasta is in the background

Our friend, Cody and his cousin, Jesse, kindly offered the use of their house to stay overnight in Medford.

On the way to Elkton - another cache.

This cache was in Elkton. We searched for it after eating lunch at Arlene's. Gotta love the name of that restaurant!

If you geocache and are near Florence, Oregon, this cache is a must find! check out the geocaching website, and look up the name "carnivorous plants." I must admit my kids were getting very tired of geocaching at this point. We took a wrong turn on this one that led us down a very jungle-looking trail.

This was our first time staying in a yurt, and we really enjoyed it. We thought about just taking a tent, but weren't sure of how cool it was going to get. I'm glad we stayed in the yurt, because at night it did get a little cool.

An outside view of our yurt - #27, Coquille, in South Beach campground, Hwy. 101, Oregon.

Your classic coast picture

Tide pools near the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. We went with my friend Melissa, and her two girls.

Going down the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. Can you believe I didn't get any shots of the exterior of the lighthouse?!

The house we all stayed at in Gleneden Beach. I love this house! Of course, it was great to visit with Melissa, too. I've known her for so long, and although we don't see each other much, when we get together it's like we start in right where we left off. We've decided to make this a yearly tradition.

2008-06-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

Well, our vacation is just about over. Unfortunately, we didn't have internet access at our beach house, and we didn't get to a place long enough to post. We arrived late Thursday in Susanville (actually Friday at 12:00 am), and for some reason I'm not able to download my pictures. I'll get those up later. Here's a little of what I wrote during our stay at the beach house:

We’ve arrived in Oregon! We could not ask for better weather. We left Saturday morning, around 10:30. Our destination the first night was to Jacksonville, Near Medford. We have a friend who lives there and we stayed the night at his house. Of course, we did some geocaching on the way - and actually found a couple of them! That night we ate in Medford, and took Cody along with us for dinner. We were back on the road again the next morning by 9:00 am, headed for the coast! We took I-5 up to Sutherlin, then cut across to Reedsport. Again, there were a few more geocaches to find. From Reedsport we took Hwy. 101 up the coast. On this trip, I want to just enjoy the trip, and be able to stop when I or the kids want to stop. For some, that means stopping at Fred Meyer. Yes, Fred Meyer. This is a favorite store to a six year old. Of course, that means the toy aisle. I must admit I am really sick of the toy aisle. But, we are on vacation so I am holding my tongue. We tried stopping at the Happy Kamper Yarn Barn in Florence, but it was closed (Sunday).
We checked into the South Beach Campground just south of Newport. I had originally planned to pack a tent, but because you can never be sure of the weather at the coast, we decided to reserve a yurt. This was our first time in a yurt, and we really liked it. We also really enjoyed this campground. Close to the beach with trails, showers (some hot, some not), and clean bathrooms.

Adventure in Oregon

2008-06-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

We're getting ready for another trip to Oregon. Just the kids and I. We'll meet up with a friend of mine on the coast. I can't wait! Today we're driving to Medford - hope to be leaving in about 45 minutes. Plan to do some geocaching on the way. We'll keep our blog updated and try to post pictures.

Camping and Valhalla Renaissance Faire

2008-05-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy May! Last weekend we went camping in northern Washoe County. Did some fishing, hiking, geocaching and catching up on sleep. Even watched a movie while there was a thunderstorm nearby. We camped with some friends of ours and as usual, had a wonderful time, even with the thunderstorms, rain and hail. Hey, at least we didn't get snow!

Fishing at Boulder. They recently stocked this reservoir so most of the fish we caught were small. Make sure to have a fishing license with you when you fish here. We've had the Fish and Game check on us several times at this remote place.

Who says the Nevada desert isn't beautiful?

Sunset - I can never capture the full beauty of this on camera

Part of a preserved petrified tree - near the George W. Lund memorial. Was supposed to be a cache here but we didn't find it.

Found this old shack by accident while we were geocaching

Found a cache on the way home.

A webcam geocache in Gerlach, Nevada

Today we went to the Valhalla Renaissance Faire at Camp Richardson, Lake Tahoe. Another fun time. Again, best explained with pictures:

The whole clan!

Actually got a target today!

I just had to have her arrested and punished! Worth the $3 I spent

One of the jousters from the Knights of Avalon

The man on the right would sit in the middle of the path and pose as a wounded man, while the man on the left would hide, covering himself with that tree branch, then come out and scare passersby. This was fun to watch.

The Bubble Fairy. This was a new act for us and a great show

Yep, finally got myself a costume!

And They Shall Be Gathered

2008-05-20T22:08:00.001-07:00

Tonight I watched Syd perform in the play, And They Shall Be Gathered, put on by the young men and women in our church. The kids have worked really hard for the past several months, and they did an outstanding job. Kudos goes to the adults that helped them with this. After hearing about the practices I wasn't sure what to expect. I really enjoyed it (can you tell?) The play runs about 70 minutes and tells of a young couple and the choices they have to make after joining the church in the Armenia in the late 1800's. Didn't get many pictures tonight, but I'll have more tomorrow.

We're thinking about buying a different lens for my camera. I have a Canon Rebel and love it, but one drawback I have is that I am not able to take good pictures of the kids when they are performing at school functions, or much anywhere at some distance with fluorescent lights. We had heard it is a good idea to get a lens with an image stabilizer, but those come with a big price tag. A friend of ours let us borrow a 75-300 lens that that does not have an IS. I have been playing around with it tonight and so far really like it. I'm more of a point and shoot person, so a lot of this camera talk really goes over my head. I want to be able to take pictures like a pro without having to actually sit down and take the time to read that darn manual. Don't we all! I'm taking it out when we go camping this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to get some beautiful sunset pictures.

Reno Feis

2008-05-04T23:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Reno Feis. Syd did a couple of dances yesterday, and most were held today. I attended an all day scrapbook crop yesterday, and got home around 12:30 this morning, and didn't land up getting to bed until around 1:30, then woke up around 5:45 am. Today at the feis I was sooooo tired. I tried reading a book while I was waiting for Syd's dance number, and I couldn't even see straight. Wow, haven't been like that for a long time. She did great, although she was hard on herself because, like all of us, she wanted to do better. She did get to move up in one dance - she got first places out of twelve. The solo dresses these girls wear are absolutely gorgeous, but they come with a huge price tag. New dresses cost around $1200 and higher. She has an idea for making one, but I see how intricate the designs on these dresses are and I am honestly not sure I could do it with my limited experience of sewing. We came home after the feis and everyone took a nap. Of course now I am burning the midnight oil, knowing I need to go to bed because I have to work tomorrow.

Sea Monkeys - yep, we have 'em

2008-04-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Remember sea monkeys as a kid? I remember the advertisement in the back of the comic books, and even ordered some. As I recall, they never lasted long. Last Christmas Adam received Sea Monkeys as a gift. I think I was more excited than he was. So, at the beginning of January, our baby sea monkeys were born. Adam fed them for a while, but quickly lost interest, and the job of caring for them was passed on to me.

I always thought sea monkeys were just brine shrimp. I am almost embarrassed to say, I am really enjoying them. Sometimes I swear they are watching me just as I watch them. They flip around and do somersaults, which I find amusing - they're either having a great time in that murky water, or are on their last breaths. We now have a "pregnant" sea monkey. Seems like she's been pregnant forever, and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of our bundles of joy. I have been aerating the water every few days, and have even quit cleaning the bottom of their tank for fear of sucking up the babies before I realize they have hatched. I tried taking a picture of the mommy-to-be, but it is a little blurry. Can you see the egg sacks on her back?

Earlier this month I went to an all day crop with some friends of mine. This time it was held at a church hall we rented out. It's so nice to be able to scrapbook with friends, with plenty of room to spread out and even wear your slippers! I finished up 20 pages. Another crop coming up next weekend I need to prepare for.

Adam's school held an egg toss. A couple of the teachers threw - and I mean threw - the eggs off of the roof of the school. Adam wrapped his egg in lots of paper towels, then put it in a box filled with popped popcorn. His egg didn't crack!

This weekend is another busy one. Tonight Syd went to her play practice, then went to attend a friend's baptism. tomorrow she has more play practice. Saturday I'm taking Adam to a karate class in the a.m., then bowling in the afternoon. Tomorrow evening Syd and I are going to see the play, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, held at UNR. We are going with a group from a book club I meet with occasionally. Wish I could meet more often, but life always seems to get in the way.

Tonight a friend of mine is coming over and we are going to watch the new Moonlight episode. We have been waiting since the writer's strike for this, so we made a big deal out of it. We're having snacks and drinks, and will make a proper toast to Mick, since he's really the reason we watch the show!

2008-04-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Adam's first Pinewood Derby was on Saturday. Since it was his first, all we really wanted was for his car to make it to the finish line. Since Clay had worked with him on it, I came in to work for him while he took Adam and the girls to the derby. He calls me after a while to tell me that Adam's car made it, in fact he took first place in his division - the Tiger Cubs! That meant they had to wait for the finals. He got to race for the championship, and he landed up getting third. He was pretty excited about two trophies that day! We had a family party to go to that evening and he was sure to bring the trophies and his car to show everyone. Ahh, to be that young and carefree again....

2008-03-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

The prom is over - the dress got done in time! I was still trimming off the threads as we were taking pictures, but it did get done. Syd went with a group of girls this year - six total. I was their chauffeur for the evening, driving them in my "sporty" Suburban. I wish I would have gone with a group of girls to my prom. They really sounded like they had so much fun. They went to dinner at the Olive Garden. I waited for them by knitting my sock and reading my book. I'm starting a new series. Well, it's actually an older book, but new to me. A is for Alibi, by Sue Grafton. Yes, I could have gone with them to eat, but after the stress of making that dress I opted for quiet time by myself. Then off to the prom. It was held downtown, and I do not like to drive in downtown traffic. But I made it just fine. I get home - ahhh, finally relax - but no, I realize I haven't fed the dog for Syd. She is dog sitting and had asked me to feed the dog tonight. Off I go to feed and play with the puggle, Mercedes. I get home, and Syd calls. It's time to pick them up. Mom and I drove to pick them up. Yes, they want to go to Denny's. There we are, at Denny's at midnight. Mom and I got a separate booth and enjoyed watching everyone come in all dressed up. Finally got home around 12:50, and can you believe the Easter Bunny hadn't come to our house yet? I got to stay up a little longer just to make sure our house is ready for when the Easter Bunny does get here ;o

Ok, enough rambling, I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

2008-03-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

We now have a 14 year old! Actually, her birthday was yesterday, but we went out to dinner tonight. She wanted to go to the Olive Garden for dinner. We planned well this time, arriving at 5:00 pm. If you get to the Olive Garden at 5:00 or earlier you stand a pretty good chance of having little to no wait to be seated. This time we had no wait. She certainly is growing up!

Tomorrow is the high school prom. I am frantically making a dress for Syd. I kept thinking I had plenty of time, and really, I'm sure I do, but now it is crunch time and I am starting to buckle under pressure. All I have left to do is the hem on the bottom of the dress, but there is the dress hem and two ruffle hems. The ruffle hems I am not looking forward to, as they are made out of a material that REALLY unravels. I'll post pictures soon. All I have to say is I hope they don't make prom the day before Easter again! What were they thinking???!!!

2008-03-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

We made it safely home from our trip on Saturday. We were on the road and headed home by 10:00 am. Clay was nice enough to stop in Florence so we could take a quick visit to a yarn store we'd heard about, the Happy Kamper Yarn Barn. It's located right on Hwy. 101, on the north side of Florence. In fact, we passed it and had to turn around. We're so glad we stopped here. The owner was the nicest lady, and invited us to sit down and have a bite to eat (homemade quiche, looked delicious!) or drink. Both Syd and I bought some sock yarn. We hit snow when we got to Mt. Shasta, and again about an hour out of Susanville. We're glad we didn't bring the trailer with us with the snow. We really didn't want to leave Oregon this trip. Every time I'm there I think about moving up there. I love rainy weather, but living in it I wonder if I would get sick of it. Maybe Clay would let me live there in the summertime, with the kids. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder! Well, I can dream anyway.

Today I went with A to a bug/snake exhibit. He actually held a snake! Of course, a little bribery never hurt, and we went to McDonald's for lunch that day. I was so proud of him. My little man is growing up so fast. Today he was so tired on the way home he fell asleep in the car. As he was falling asleep I sang lullabies to him. He says, "Mom, don't sing me baby songs," to which I replied, "I AM singing you baby songs" knowing he couldn't do anything about it, as he was half asleep already. When they're little you can't wait for them to grow up, and when they grow up you wish they were little again.

On a sadder note, yesterday I attended the funeral of the daughter of a family I know. This was the first funeral I have been to for a young person, and it was very hard. She was only 22 and left behind a husband and two month old baby girl. I don't think I had a dry eye the whole time. Not many people did. This has haunted me since she passed away. I need to remember to cherish the time I have with family and friends, to not be so quick to criticize. We have such a short time on this earth, and should be grateful for what we are given. I feel for this family but strongly believe they will be with her again. Our children are a precious gift; something I need to remember more often.

2008-03-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Our last day here! We tried to finish up on everything we wanted to do. We needed to move out of our room this morning because it was already booked for this weekend. In the meantime, the room we were moving into wasn't ready yet. We got to pack everything up in the suburban and wait a couple of hours for our new room to be ready. We went and picked up my glass float. This was so fun, if you ever have a chance to do this, and you think it sounds fun, I say do it! E has been wanting a bonsai tree for a while now. There is a shop in Lincoln City, Roots 101, that sells bonsai trees, so we bought one there. The people that work there are very knowledgeable and took the time to show us how to care for this tree. Unfortunately, these kind of trees don't always tend to live, especially your first one, so I am thinking when we come back up here in June we may be visiting this shop again. Lincoln City has an outlet mall that we visited today. That's a place I'd like to come back to. They had a book store that has great prices. For lunch E and I went to a Thai restaurant. She had been wanting sushi on this visit but Thai food was a good substitute. I've never had Thai food before, so I got to embarrass her when I asked our waiter what to do with the bean sprouts they served with lunch! We went to Lincoln City's Museum, which we all enjoyed. They had a children's section that A and E had fun in. A harp that actually played, and a giant kaleidescope were our favorites. The yarn shop S and I had visited earlier this week had a knitting group that was going on today from 5-7 at their shop. We went and knit there with the group for an hour. The ladies were all so friendly; we didn't want to leave! We will definitely be back to this store, and hopefully meet some of them on Ravelry. Dinnertime - our last in Lincoln City. They actually still have a restaurant called Lil' Sambo's. Since Clay used to work at a Sambo's when he was young, we went there for dinner. We're really glad we did. There's nothing like good service when you go out to eat. Plus the food was good, too. We had rain off and on all day today. The view in this room is even better. We're higher so we can see more of the ocean. It's amazing how you can actually see the storm off the horizon over the ocean and see it move inland.

We're leaving in the morning for home. I hear there's a chance of snow down on the floor, with chains mandatory up in the mountains already. I like the snow, but I love the ocean!

2008-03-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday - hard to believe our vacation is already half over. More, actually. Today we went to Lincoln City to find a couple of scrapbook stores. The first one we went to was out of business. Found the second one close by, but there was a sign that said they didn’t open until 10:30ish, depending on the weather. Ahhh, the hours of a small town business. Went in to Joanne’s Fabrics, came out around 11:00, and they still weren’t open, so we just left. Must be a sign that I really don’t need any more scrapbook supplies. At 1:00 we drove to the glass float studio. I got to make my own glass float! That was sooooo fun, well worth the $$ I spent. The guy that helped me was great, too. Didn’t make me feel overly incompetent at this glass blowing stuff. What surprised me the most was how little air you actually blow into the glass. At first it’s like blowing out a candle - very softly. I get to pick up my float tomorrow after it dries in a type of hot kiln. Did you take a guess on what color it is??
Lots of rain today. We went back to Newport to go shopping at the Bay Front, and hit a yarn store there. Got some alpaca sock yarn. S got some worsted yarn to make a headband. She’s making up her own pattern. Went out to dinner at a restaurant in Lincoln City. Got back to the room and just hung out. It was a little rainy and too cool for the beach. You know me though, I love rainy weather.
We switch rooms tomorrow. They had this one booked for the weekend already when we booked our room. It’s not too far from this one. The kids are loving this. I know it will be sad when we go back and reality sets back in. A is already missing his teacher - hi, Ms. N! As I am writing this, it’s very quiet, with the tv on low, and I can hear the ocean waves, and the rain splattering. That constant background noise of the ocean makes for a great night of sleep. The other day I slept 10 hours!

My favorite color for a glass float?

2008-03-12T20:54:00.001-07:00

Yep, another great day at the coast! Went for a walk on the beach in Lincoln City. Still didn't find a glass float. We went to the visitor's center today and they told us there are 10, yes 10, floats hidden every day. With five of us you would think we would have a pretty good chance of finding them. Tried going to a beach we thought would be less populated but it's hard to find parking close to the beach, so we went to the beach we went to a couple of days ago. It wasn't crowded because it's not the busy season, but there were quite a few people on this beach today. I am determined to take home a glass float, even if I have to make one myself. And that's exactly what I plan to do. On our way to Waldport today we stopped by a shop where you can make your own glass float, and I signed up to make one tomorrow. Hmmmm, which color do you think I'll make it? Purple?? I may just surprise you! Post a comment to take a guess as to which color I will make. Clay and the kids went crabbing in Waldport, while I went geocaching. Even found a couple! I am loving this sport. Lots of walking today, made me feel not so guilty eating the nachos and pizza! Today there was a little sun, mostly cloudy with some showers.

Adam gets an email from his teacher, and emails back to her - all by himself!This is what vacation is all about!

2008-03-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today we got an early start. Woke up around 6:30am and left our room around 7:45 headed for Albany. We originally planned a trip to Albany so that S could see a friend of hers who is visiting family in Albany. Unfortunately they didn’t get in touch with each other, so we made a morning out of it by going to the Jerky store, the dollar store (can you believe we make a special point of going to the dollar store there? Everything really IS only $1 - there’s no sales tax in Oregon). We also went to the cemetery. My grandparents are interred there. Even though so many years have gone by, I always remember the times I spent there as a kid with my grandparents, much to the chagrin of my kids. They get to hear the same stories whenever we pass a certain landmark. It’s a part of life that things must change, but the older I get the more I seem to reminisce about the “good ole’ days.” After eating lunch at The Original Breakfast (they only serve breakfast items!) we headed out to Monmouth for a tour of Western Oregon University. We had time to kill, so we stopped at a nearby Lavender Shop. Everything was purple - my favorite color - I went crazy! They had lavender chocolates that were yummy. Lavender soap, lavender tea, lavender soda. Everything lavender. Then on to WOU. Nothing like a tour of a university to make you feel old. We really liked the campus. Clay took Erin and Adam for a drive around Salem while we were there. Couldn’t believe how many coffee houses/drive thrus there are in Monmouth. Our tour guide told us there are nine of them, for a town with the population of 9000.
Now we are back in our “login” as Adam likes to call it. Enjoying the view of the ocean. It is so calming and relaxing. We are truly taking a vacation from everyday life!

Glass Floats/Your Name Here?

2008-03-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

We've been taking pictures of signs that have names of or mean something to people we know. Search this blog to see if you find a sign that has significance for you!

This morning Syd and I woke up early and went for a walk on the beach. We didn’t find a glass float, but did have fun and a good walk while we looked for it. We talked to one of the locals today who said they may not put them out every day, and also that there are people who stay up all night until people put them out on the beach them come and take ALL of them. What a let down :-(
We drove to Waldport today, and ate at the Salty Dawg near the dock where we go crabbing. We stopped at Whittler’s Workshop and were pleased to see it is still open, it just isn’t open today. Syd said she wanted to drive over a bridge while on vacation. Clay had her drive from Waldport, over the Alsea bridge, to Seal Rock. He sat in the back seat and said, “I could get used to this.“ We drove back to Newport and had to stop at our favorite fudge shop in Seal Rock. There’s an older couple and a lady (possibly their daughter?) who must be the owners - they’re there all the time. Got some fudge for dessert, but it didn’t all last until dessert time. In Newport we hit Pirate’s Plunder, and tried a yarn store, but it was closed on Mondays. From there we visited the Rogue Brewing Company. Clay tried some of their ale, while the rest of us had rootbeer - they make their own there, yum! Then went into town and shopped at the Kite Store where Clay bought a nice sized kite. Make sure to ask when he’s going to fly it when you see him! We got back to the room around 3:30, then Syd and I took a quick trip to find a yarn store in Lincoln City. The store is called Nestucca Bay Yarns. It’s right on Hwy. 101. Very nice shop - so helpful, and the girl working there invited us to their knitting club this Friday night. I hope we have enough time to go there!
Tonight we had crab for dinner in our room. It got windy and rainy as soon as we got to our room, and didn’t let up until after dinner. Once it got back we hurried out to go geocaching. We had two we wanted to find, but couldn’t find the first one. We did find the second one - our first Oregon cache! This was so fun, I want to find more. Going to bed early tonight so we can get up early and head out to Albany in the morning. We’re going to Monmouth to look at a college for Syd there.
I'm getting the hang of this blogging, and really like it. We are having a great time!

We're here!

2008-03-09T20:20:00.001-07:00

We left our house about 7:30 am. We wanted to leave by 7:00, so half an hour late isn't bad when you're on vacation. Stopped in Medford to get gas and eat lunch (I was good - had a side salad and half a chicken sandwich). We didn't get to find any geocaches on the way there, but I did take a couple of interesting pictures. This picture was taken while we were on hwy. 89 - I think. At first it just looks like trees and snow, but keep looking and if you tilt your head to the right it begins to look like a man's face. See it? We also drove by Mt. Shasta. It is such a big mountain close up. It looked very windy, like the snow was blowing off of it.

We arrived in Lincoln City around 5:30 and found our hotel right away. It is so nice, so far we really like it. Nice and roomy for the five of us. It has a kitchen, a living room area, with two twin beds behind the that area, and a separate room with another queen size bed. We went to Mo's in Lincoln City for dinner (parmesan sole with steamed green beans, and had to have a cup of clam chowder), then took a quick trip to find the beach access from our hotel.

Still figuring out this wireless internet and laptops. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will work. We're hoping to get up early and look for glass floats on the beach!

Packing Day

2008-03-08T17:18:00.001-08:00

Today's the day - the rush day before vacation. I pack with a list. I make a list of what I need to pack, then wait until the day before we leave to pack it all. Today we've been washing clothes and packing, packing, packing. I think we're about done except for the things we need to use tomorrow morning and then pack.
I'm attempting to stay on the WW program while we're on vacation. I'm boiling eggs right now, taking instant 2 pt. oatmeal, and have packed 1 and 2 pt. snacks in baggies. Anyone have any good ideas? Please comment them - I need ideas!

Make Room For More

2008-03-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

More blogging, that is. Already have a blog, but want to make this one more personal to share the happenings with our friends and family. For knitting and scrapbooking/card crafts, check out my other blog at www.stitchnscrap.blogspot.com.