our life, our stories

finally found

2012-01-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time in waiting, but a home in the neighborhood that we love finally came up for sale.
There was one a few blocks away from this one that we missed last August so we've been waiting and looking ever since. That other house sold in two days so we knew that if one came up we needed to jump on it right away.
The day this one came available we contacted our realtor and she went to look at it right away.
We have been working with her since last summer and have been out to look at houses with her many many times. We trusted her to look things over for us, describe the floor plan, layout and condition to us over the phone.
Since we already knew that we loved the neighborhood, that was about 80% of the decision already made for us. As long as there was nothing major, things on the inside of the home can be changed over time. It will be several years before we move there full time anyway.
Its in a darling neighborhood with a park and streets like Cherry Tree Lane, Wisteria Lane, Hummingbird lane...
All the garages are to the backs of the homes and are entered in through the alley streets. The streets are lined with flowering cherry trees. I'm so excited to see it this spring.
So, we submitted our offer and the owner accepted. Now to just wait weeks for the bank to approve the short sale price. My tummy is doing somersaults

pass...

2011-11-14T13:41:00.001-08:00

So as I mentioned in the last post, Paul and I have been on this adventure. We are looking for another house in Oregon. This will be something that we will use on long weekends, vacations and holidays until we retire. It will then become our full time home.

We have a pretty specific list of must haves. It must be a single level home. It will probably be a fixer upper, and thats okay. We are more interested in location than condition. It is really important to us that the house be located in Bend, not in one of the surrounding communities. We want it to be centrally located. We want a nice neighborhood with neighbors that take care of their property.

We've made 6 or so trips to Bend this summer to look at properties. With each of those trips our list of must have's has evolved.

Case in point...

We found a house that we really liked. So much so that we made an offer on it. We were in competion with three other offers, but ours was accepted. While we were waiting for the bank to approve our offer we changed our mind...because the house was in a neighboring community and not directly in Bend.

This is the house we were days away from purchasing.

It was everything we thought at the time we wanted.

Then we changed our minds.

It was the right house, but it wasn't in the right place.

So we withdrew our offer to the other waiting bids to happily moved forward with it.

And so our search continues, but now we know a little more about what we will accept and what we won't.

Its all a learning experience.

Exciting times.

Posting

2011-11-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have drifted away from blogging lately. I feel with posting status updates on Facebook I'm saying all I need to say about whats happening in my life. I haven't read blogs or even thought about blogs the whole summer. Nor have I worked on my scrapbook
...and I do miss it.
Maybe its the colder season coming that makes me want to scrapbook and blog.

Today I flipped through some of my favorite blogs. This always inspires me to do more of this myself. Reading some of the entries really brought it home to me how much I miss documenting.
Right now Paul and I are on a great adventure. We have spent much of the past two months looking for a house to buy in Oregon that will be our second home for awhile, and eventually be our full time home. This is a huge milestone for us. One we have been planning and saving for for most of our married life...and I should be documenting the process.
Traveling back and forth, constantly scanning new MLS listings, working with our Realtor, these are the things that consume almost every day and many weekends. Its a 6 hour drive each way so going to look at a house takes some planning.
And I haven't been documenting any of it.
I know that I will regret it someday.
So, today that will change.

To start, I saw a post that Ali did a few days ago. She's such a great inspiration when it comes to just putting down daily thoughts. She posted an entry of some random things that were happening in their world. I'm stealing her idea, copied some of hers and thought of some of my own.
Here's whats going on at our house this week

■dreaming
of home decorating
■finding
Lots of great ideas on Pinterest.com lately. This website is one of my favorite pastimes lately
■praying
that a house I'm falling in love with is still on the market this weekend when we will finally get to go see it.

■planning
another trip to Oregon this weekend...see praying
■serving
Ethan and Jaryn came over last night so we picked up a take home and bake pizza. I forgot Ethan wants plain cheese but he seemed happy after everything was picked off for him and he ate two pieces. As long as there's plenty of Ranch dressing for him to dip it in, he's happy.
■shopping
for the Thanksgiving table decorations. I'm excited that we are hosting my family this year at our house.
■cooking
We baked a turkey breast this past weekend with some stuffing we picked up from Metropolitan Market. Getting in the mood for fall.

That's small, but its a start...more to come

even though its been a spring thats more like fall...

2011-06-26T19:28:00.004-07:00

My Peony still knows its time to do this....
And I always know its the middle of June, because my Peony tells me so. Its like clockwork.

And it smells amazing.
They say peonies are kind of touchy and I don't consider myself as having a green thumb, but somehow I have these growing in my yard. I plant something and it will either live or die. If it struggles, I have no idea how to help it. I'll do my best to give it a proper start, but for the most part my plants are on their own.
My peonies and my lilacs are superstars though. They make me look good in the neighborhood.

Fortunately, I planted my Peonies in the right place for them to do well...it was purely accidental, believe me.
They were one of the first things I planted when we moved into this house 16 years ago and I wish I had planted them somewhere different. But here they are, and I dont intend on moving them. There are two main clumps and I have split off 2 smaller plants to other areas of the yard. Those are not doing quite as well as the two original plants, yet. Peonies take time to really bloom well....and they don't like to be moved. Mine are growing right smack in the middle of a big patch of ivy. Somehow, they always seem to grow up through the ivy and bloom like crazy. My bushes are truely amazing and always FULL of flowers, and I love them for making me look like I know what Im doing.

The blooms are the size of a dinner plate which is awesome because one two or three flowers is a stunning bouquet. Many more and the fragrance might overwhelm you. They are VERY fragrant.

I love plants that make me look like I know what Im doing

chick chick

2011-06-19T19:44:00.001-07:00

So on fathers day my sister received a box full of chicks she had ordered. They were so cute!

They'd been in a box overnight and once they got let out, they had a big drink of water, a nice warm clean rubbermaid box, and a heat lamp.

Every one of them was a different kind of chicken. I loved this one

There were several that had zebra stripes on them. I don't know what its going to look like when its a grown chicken, but as a chick its pretty darn cute...

Here's a look into the box...lots and lots of chickies...

here's another shot of my favorite. Cute and fluffy for now.

This guy has a big pom pom on his head. It'll grow into a big feather poof.

Chickie butts...hehe

They were really entertaining. We watched them hop around, peck at the newspaper and drink water. My sister put rocks in their bowl of water. When I asked why, she explained that chickens are so stupid they will fall asleep in the water and drown so you put rocks in the bowl so they can't go too deep in the water...haha. Chickens are fun to watch. I could do without TV for awhile watching chicks peck

She's a Mama's girl

2011-06-08T10:08:00.004-07:00

I've never seen a dog more attached to one person, than this one. Although she loves everyone, she is totally and completely a Mama's girl.
Paul says that when he's home alone and Im gone, she lays on the rug in front of the door, or sits on the back of the couch watching out the window and waiting for me to come home.
When Jen had her last back surgery, I spent a few days with her. Paul said he would go to bed and she refused to leave the front door. He said when he would get up in the morning, she'd still be there...waiting.
I love that she's so attached to me, but it's a little scary too. I wish I knew what made a dog so attached to one person.

When we were on vacation in Sunriver last summer Paul bought this charm for her collar in the resort giftshop. It says i love my Mom more than you. When you flip it over, the other side says... Go Away

I doubt they intended it for a dog collar.

I won't even tell you how much this stupid little silver charm cost...it was crazy expensive, but so totally perfect for her that he couldnt resist.

lacing up

2011-05-29T07:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Paul and I went to South Sound Running to get really fitted for the correct shoes for our feet. Not just the right size, but the right fit for our stride and our foot. It was kind of strange because we didn't pick out the shoes, the tech picked them out for us after watching us walk. He explained our strides to us and brought out a few pairs of shoes for us to try. He explained each shoe and why he chose it for us. For me it ended up being between two different pairs which felt entirely different on my feet. In the end, I picked this pair. I'll train in them for awhile before picking out a second pair. I'll need two pairs, nicely broken in for the 3-day, 60 mile walk in September so these babies and I will be best friends. Im also testing out some new socks. Super important step if you dont want to get blisters, which can totally ruin a 60 mile walk.

its an abandoned blog

2011-05-23T09:25:00.001-07:00

Not really, but it feels like it.
Lately I feel like I've been so busy, but not busy with anything worth blogging about. Heck, I cant even think of a reasonably interesting facebook status to post much less a full blog post. But in an effort to get back into the swing of blogging, Im going to start posting again.... O_O shock and awe, I know!!
This is going to be really boring, so hang on for awhile while I shake the rust off. I dont promise that it will get anymore interesting though.

Paul and I have been doing quite a bit of walking on the weekends in preparation of the 3-day walk in September. We're doing 6+ miles on the weekends and I try to get in as many miles as possible on the weekdays. I've been meaning to get my new walking shoes so I can make sure their broken in and nice and comfy before the 3 day. I bought my sleeping bag and now am thinking of what kind of pad I need to put under it. I know one thing....since I'll be laying down on it after walking for 20 miles, three days in a row, it better be comfy. I am not a camper and my bones do not appreciate laying on cold hard earth. I tested out one at REI this weekend, but the cost of it was equal to a night at the Holiday Inn. Maybe I'll look around a little more. After all, I really think these two nights are the last for quite awhile that I plan on sleeping outside on the ground.

In fundrasing news, Im a little over half way there. I have a few plans to finish up the last $800. I need to raise, but Im starting to feel a little stressed about wanting to get that part of it behind me. Jaryn and I have a few Bakesales planned, hopefully that will earn us what we need to get this part done. Its truely the hardest part about this event.

No picture today...which is a bummer because I hate blog posts without something.
until next time :)

my first "cake" walk

2011-03-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I drove south to meet up with my teammates for my first team training walk. There were 8 or so Hello Cupcake team members and a few ladies from another team walking with us. This will be the first of many many miles we will walk together this year.

It was really nice to meet these ladies who'd I'd only chatted online with. I got some good tips on training, fundraising and how to prepare for the walk itself. The 4 miles went by fast and it was fun to meet some brand new best friends :)

5k Fridays

2011-03-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Its a catchy name.
5k Friday :)
I'm always inspired by Darci ever since I took a class from her at a CKC one year. She's cute, funny and super fun. I read her blog on and off and every time I read it I swear Im going to visit more often, because she's so real, and so inspiring.
She shared a challenge to get moving and be active. She calls it 5k Fridays.
http://darcidowdle.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/02/5k-fridays.html
It could be walking, running, hiking, skiing, biking.... the goal is to simply be active for 3.1 miles.

I need to start doing 4, 5 and 6 mile walks on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays in the next 30 days to prepare for the 3-Day, so 5k Friday is definetly what I need to be doing...as well as 5k Tuesdays and Thrusdays with cross training of some sort on Wednesday.

hello...is it you?

2011-03-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

yep. it is.
been gone but now Im back again.
I've got a lot ramblin around in the old brain and realized Ive been holding onto it because I havent written it down yet. Once I write things down, my brain can let them go.
So I plan to be back more often, because I need more room in my brain for new stuff.

so here's some stuff that I've been thinking about lately
These colors...I love them together

and this wall grouping

A bowl of message stones. This will be a fun rainy day project. I would love to write down quotes I love onto stones and keep a bowl full of them around.

and finally this print. love it.

started

2011-01-29T09:08:00.002-08:00

logged my first "training" miles today...not much I realize. Im pacing myself :)
Somehow calling a walk "training" makes it feel like something more.

One ... or two little words

2011-01-12T19:34:00.001-08:00

I have finally settled on my one little word for 2011.

In 2010 the word I picked to be my focus word was “Less”. Beyond last year I really couldn’t tell you what my word was…and I think that’s a problem. If you can’t remember your word throughout the year, how good was it?

Less was a pretty good word for me. I think I kept it in my head most of the year and tried my best to end up with less than when the year started, do with less during the year. Not stellar, but better than some of the other words I have had. I'm sure I must have had Simplify as my word one year, because just about everyone has had that word at least once…

What I have found with a focus word like Simplify is that it’s not specific enough for me to really feel like I have a pin point to focus on. Less was sort of vague, but it is more specific than simplify which is why I think I was more successful with less. I knew what I needed to do. I needed less. But it’s still vague enough to feel successful at the end of the year.

So I thought long and hard about a word for 2011.
Like everyone, I really want to make an ongoing commitment to exercise, so maybe something along those lines would be good. A personal goal for myself ...The whole move more, eat less concept.
But, like many fitness, get healthier resolutions, that commitment starts to waver somewhere around mid February, word or no word. I didn’t want my word to fail me this year, or me to fail my word.
I thought of rejoining the Y. But I had cancelled our membership last year because we hadn’t gone through those doors in over 7 months, even though it was costing us $75 per month. So that probably wasn't going to work. I also considered my treadmill…which although I do use it occasionally, I'm usually too tired to use it before or after work during the week, which was also the reason why we never went to the Y. I find the same problem with the work out tapes and the wii fitness.

Whatever was going to work for me had to be convenient and could be incorporated into my daily life. What I settled on was something easy to fit into my work day. Something I could do during the day, any day and every day. It had to be something that didn’t require me hauling a gym bag to work or taking a shower and redoing my makeup and hair before I could return to my desk. Been there, tried that, bound to fail. We get to work in the morning at 7 and get home from work almost 11 hours later. You really don't feel like doing much else after you've made dinner and cleaned the kitchen. I know that without a doubt.

I kept thinking, why don’t I just walk? Walking is good exercise. Walking is easy on my knees. Walking can be done anywhere. It requires no equipment, no gym membership. All it requires is consistency and a pair of shoes.

So, why not "Just Walk"?

Oversimplification? Perhaps. But I think its specific enough that I know exactly what I need to focus on. It’s convenient enough I can do it long term. If this is what my focus is on I can quit worrying about all the other stuff…the gym memberships, fitness tapes and the guilt when I don’t follow through.

To make sure I remember what my focus is, I’ll be wearing this every day.

I started to have them print Just Walk on the necklace, but at the last moment changed it to Walk.
Since I'll be wearing it everyday, having Walk stamped on it seemed a little less weird than Just Walk.

My one little word for 2011 is really two little words. Just Walk

Reality and balance

2011-01-01T10:49:00.002-08:00

Can you believe I’m posting again?! Neither can I.
Its something I really miss and want to get better at again in 2011. It seems to go hand in hand with my scrapping, because I slacked off with both at about the same time. I want to do more of both in the new year.
As Im cleaning up the dregs of the christmas decorations, I look forward to freshening and lightening my decorating as I go. Everything looks so clean once the holiday decorations are gone. I love them, but Im ready to pack them up. Clean and fresh makes it feel like it should almost be spring, when in reality winter has only begun.

Sometimes, I walk through my house and I shudder at the clutter.
Piles of “things” surround me. mail, to-do lists, half completed projects, piles of stuff.
I search for calm amungst the busy. Clutter free table tops. Clear walls and bare shelves holding baskets with a few items in each one instead of overflowing. Organized closets and pantry.

After all the heavy christmas decorations I crave simplicity.

I want organization.

Meal plans…simple meals that are do-able at the end of a long work day.

I want to craft again. scrapbook. Quilt. Decorate. Garden.

God knows, I need to exercise.

But sometimes its so overwhelming, so I just do none of the above.
Life is a continual struggle between what we want it to be and what we actually are making it to be. Trying to get those two things closer and closer together is the struggle. The balance between wants and needs and reality and what we can and cannot change.
And its something I'll be working really hard to get back in balance with in 2011

Happy new year everyone

christmas past

2010-12-28T18:20:00.001-08:00

Another Christmas past
I’m not sure how a day so anticipated can come and go so quickly.
So much work goes into making this day happen and be special and then poof!, its done, gone, over.

I admit, I put way too much energy into trying to make it as good as I possibly can. I do love doing it because I love Christmas time. But, when its over, it leaves me feeling a big fat let down that its over too soon, or when it doesn't all go Martha Stewart perfect or when I feel that everyone is not as happy as I hope they'd be. And there always seems to be a bit of drama with my extended family when it comes to big holidays. Who's hosting, who's coming, who's bringing what...and so on.

I vow not to do it again next year, but I know that next year I will be tempted to do the same thing all over again. Because when you get it right, its the best feeling ever.

But there must be a better way to make it special without killing yourself trying.
As adults, we shop, bake, cook, wrap, decorate, stress, plan…when in reality, the magic is right in front of us. Its in your family and friends. Its in your home.

What I did this year that I loved, and what I could do without and what I missed that I want to do next year...

Loved baking cookies with Jen.

Could do without the complex, time consuming sugar cookies that I ended up throwing away because nobody ate them.

Loved watching our favorite movies on Christmas Eve
Could do without the big dinner on Christmas eve. Next year, Nachos and more movies

Wish we would have taken a drive to see holiday lights...we need to scope out some good holiday neighborhoods

Wish I would have taken more pictures before Christmas. The few that I took on Christmas day didn't come out very well...grainy and blurry.

terrariums ... my version

2010-12-19T19:20:00.002-08:00

so after the inspiration post last week I had to give a terrarium a try.
I have lots of potential lidded glassware to use but I needed to round up some smaller plants that would fit in them. I found some small 2" plants at a local nursery so I picked up a few.
Here's two I planted last week and I've got plants for a few more.
I put some polished rocks and bits of moss in each jar

These were really fun to make and I like the fact that because of the lids, they need little to no care or watering. I'm bad about watering ...
We'll see if these survive

terrarium love

2010-12-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

Another post to add some terrarium ideas to my crafty folder.
Terrariums are making a comeback and I'm seeing them tucked into corners and on windowsills everywhere. I remember making these when I was younger, out of big glass bottles.
Now I see them in everything from beautiful apothecary jars to mason jars. I think they look so pretty in groups and the small bulbs that hang from fishing line are adorable.
I'd love to make one of these self contained eco systems for my desk. They require so little care I think they would work much better for the office where I often forget to water plants. Heck, I forget to water them at home too.
thinking about making some for Christmas gifts....hmmm

love this little hobbit stump house and some cute little mushrooms

boiled potato, steamed carrots and chicken breast

2010-10-23T18:50:00.001-07:00

Chicken pot pie?

nope
the dogs dinner

Lately she's been suffering from a food allergy from something in her dog food.
We're not sure what it is, but something is causing her to itch.

So, we're going back to the basics.
Chicken, potato, carrot and green beans. Nothing else.
If she's okay with this, then we'll know what she's NOT allergic to and we can start adding.

In the meantime we all need to get some sleep, and with her insistent scratching, none of us are sleeping well.
I just hope she will eat dog food again after this

decorating dilemmas

2010-10-12T09:54:00.007-07:00

It must be fall. Fall always makes me want to cozy up our indoors. Reading decorating blogs, thumbing through decorating magazines, studying pottery barn catalogs and pouring over paint chips is an addiction of mine. Paul and I love watching HGTV shows. These photos are a few of what is inspiring me now. Red red red. Im so in love with the red in each of these pictures.

The top two are from Pottery barn.

and these bottom two are from Sarah Richardson

We have nightstands in our bedroom that look a lot like the one in this bedroom photo, except that ours have a bottom drawer. Im thinking that it would be an easy thing to do to pull out that bottom drawer and remove the drawer glide so it can be an open space, and paint them. They look so much better dressed up in red, but any other color would work. I don't have red in our bedroom, but tan or blue would work just as well. Spray paint the shinny brass hardware with some Rubbed Oil Finish paint would really update the look of our 20 year old bedroom furniture.

Yesterday I used all my willpower and did not paint my coat closet door red. Adore this entry way. Red paisley curtains, baskets, a sitting bench and a vase full of fall branches crate such a welcoming entry. But that door. I love it.

Yesterday I decided I need to vent this need to paint something red so I took a little trip to my favorite antique store downtown. Its a great store and I found tons of stuff I could use, but ended up bringing home just a few projects to start with.

First off, I couldn't resist this little chippy ladder for less than $10.

Right now I've set this little ladder in the guest bedroom. It makes me smile every time I walk past it and see that flash of red. I think it will find its way into lots of different spaces around the house. Maybe next to the christmas tree or even out on the front porch. We'll see where it travels to. Its already red, but it needs a coat of clear polyurethane to keep the paint from falling off any more. It flakes off everywhere when you touch it.

The second thing I brought home with me is this little bench for $23.

It fits this little wall in our entry way and looks perfect against this red wall and it gives Paul a place to sit and take off his work shoes. It does need a little cleaning up and I intend to paint it, although we haven't decided on a color yet. Paul thinks it would look good black, I'm leaning toward a butter cream or even a khaki tannish with a stripe cushion like the one in the pottery barn hall tree photo or a pillow like the Sarah Richardson entry way.

Least you think Im seriously stuck on red, two last photos. I'm seriously in love this blue/grey wall color from potterybarn. The color is Newburyport blue- Benjamin Moore HC-155. I will be picking up a sample to test it on the dining room/living room wall. It looks very dark, but I think it would look really nice against the brick fireplace. That room gets light all day long so it may not be too dark. I really love the black and white photos and the yellow/golds which is what our sofa and carpets are, and even that little touch of a red rug :). My uncertainty is whether or not this would just be on the focal wall, or the entire room. I think just a focal wall balanced out with a cream color on the other walls, something like jicama Benjamin Moore AF-315. Dilemmas...

edited to add...picked up paint samples and this is incredibly dark. But I picked up two other lighter versions and the lightest is so far the best. Still a dilemma...

No dilemma here. This craft/sewing room is perfect...thinking a couple of old dressers, or maybe that old credenza I saw at the antique store yesterday for $30, painted this pretty blue, would make the perfect sewing corner.

thank you to my husband

2010-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Husband,

I just want to say thank you.

Thank you for the 2,314,872 cups of coffee in the morning.

Thank you for doing the laundry, even though I can fold better than you even if you don’t think so, I’ll just let it go, so thank you.
Thank you for not getting too offended when I seem to get annoyed at you for interrupting me when I appear to be doing nothing.
Thank you for listening to me rant on for hours about pretty much anything.
Thank you for not suggesting things to solve those problems because Im ranting about, you know at that point, it’s not really the point. Just listen.
Thank you for tactfully ignoring all the time and money I seem to spend at the hairdressers to cover the grey hair.
Thank you for watching chick flicks with me even though I won’t watch yucky sci-fi action movies with you.
Thank you for being kind and funny especially when I really need you to be kind and funny
Thank you for listening to my radio station when I know you’d probably rather be listening to a different radio station

Thank you for the best twenty five years any woman could possibly wish for

Happy Birthday to Macie

2010-09-12T19:02:00.001-07:00

Look whose three...:-)

Its coming home with me

2010-08-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

My sister was gathering some of her artwork to sell at the fair.
Lucky for me I spotted this one leaning against the wall.
I bought it from her right away, but then had to fight my own mother for it because she hadn't seen it either and wanted to try and out bid me :-)

But I knew I had the perfect brick red wall for this picture in my entry way.

It was a little hard to photograph because of the glare on the glass, but I love the old overgrown house with the chippy paint shingles.

finish one before starting the next

2010-08-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a one project at a time person. I need to finish a project before starting the next one...which is good, but also frustrating at times. I just finished my first quilt and I loved each step of the process. I know I hear some people say they love the top but hate to quilt, or love the quilting but hate the binding.
I loved it all. So much so, that I couldn't wait to finish my first quilt to start the second one. That's how I know I loved quilting. When I knitted by first pair of socks, after I made the first sock I had to push myself to finish the second one. Then I thought the next pair of socks would come easier, making it more fun...but it wasn't. I guess knitting, at least knitting socks, wasn't for me.
But Quilting certainly is. Its like scrapbooking with fabric
Here is quilt #1
The front

and the back detailing

I just have to say, free motion quilting is really fun, but hard on the back, neck and shoulders.

My mom just taught me a faster way so I may try that on my next one.

Quilt # 2 is getting cut today.
This is the quilt kit I bought at the Sisters Quilt show last month.
Didn't take long to cut 2 1/2" strips.

basket love

2010-07-31T17:08:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting a basket for my bike since I got it a few years ago. I don't even remember where I saw the Nantucket bike baskets, but I didn't forget that I wanted one.

And today I found one :-)

Blogoversary and summer crafts

2010-07-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

July 20th was my blogs 5 year anniversary!
I just realized five years ago I wrote my first little blog post here. It's really hard to believe its been that long.
It has never once felt like an obligation because I've always enjoyed writting. My personal rule: I won’t write unless I want to write. There are weeks, maybe months when I don't feel I have anything I want to write about. But then there are days that I could write several posts each day. If you've been around since then, I want to humbly offer a sincere thank you to you for being my friend :-)

This has nothing to do with my Blogoversary, but I found this fun craft idea I wanted to share.
I've seen a bunch of these cute tile pendants made from scrabble tiles. Adorable.
Even cuter when the letter on the back is one of your initials. I think Im going to be on the hunt for an old scrabble game at the goodwill so I can make some. I love them on a chain, but think they would be really cute on a ribbon or a silk cord too.
I may have an old scrabble game somewhere even, or maybe tossed it. (*slaps forehead)
Could be some really cute stocking stuffers!

Scrabble tile pendant instructions

Instructions and photo courtesy of this adorable Etsy shop peachy pendants

She's got some beautiful already made pendants for sale.

Here's another craft that I'm itching to try. When I was younger we made all kinds of things out of magazines. Not having a lot of extra cash my Mom was always on the lookout for ways to keep us busy during the summertime and not spend ~~a lot~~ any money on supplies.

Magazines seemed to be readily available so we did a lot with them. We spent hours folding Readers Digests into Christmas trees and spray painting them gold or cutting the pages out and rolling them around a pencil or wire and gluing them to make beads.

Lately I've seen rolled magazine art reappear in trendy boutiques everywhere. I'd like to use up some of the brightly printed pages making something like this sometime.

This craft project was posted on rag and bone but they havent yet posted the promised instructions.

Apparently its made from a wire wreath form. I think it would be really cute with a round mirror attached to the center.

moving along

2010-07-18T19:28:00.002-07:00

Once again I changed my mind about my quilt. I had started to put it together, then thought I'd rather make it a rag quilt, so I grabbed the seam ripper and took apart the blocks I had sewn together.

Thinking again, I decided to keep to the pattern. So, back together it went.

on closer inspection of this photo it looks like that orange strip right there in the middle has just a tish of skewing, but now that I know its there I kind of like it :) It makes it like me, just a bit off, but overall okay.

So before I could change my mind I sat down and went to work. The top is now finished and I can move on to the quilting. yeah!

quilts

2010-07-11T15:04:00.002-07:00

Being at the Sisters Oregon quilt show sparked the itch to get quilting again.
Normally I love to sew during the winter months, not so much in the summer. Until now.
I wanted to share a few more of the quilts that were displayed at the pre-show.

This quilt was so beautiful. It was so realistic..almost like a photograph. (click on the photo to make it bigger to see the detail) The picture was a quilt hanging on the fence, with the three sisters mountains in the background and surrounded with pine trees. It was almost like looking at a painting, until you realized it was tiny pieces of fabric pieced together.

These were some of the quilts hanging in the fabric store
Obviously this store was the center of activity during the week leading up to the show.

and this it the quilt I purchased the kit to make at home. I love the grey, yellow, pinks and greens.
The pattern is called - Another brick in the wall.
The kit came with the pattern and instructions, and all the fabric for the quilt top. I will just need to buy the backing fabric and the batting once I get the top done.

This little antique store had a friendship quilt from the early 1900's hanging outside. It was in beautiful condition. Each square was made by a different lady and she signed her name in embroidery in the middle of her square.

Finally, here are just a few more pictures of this adorable little antique shop that I couldn't resist sharing

From here to there to here again-part 1

2010-07-07T21:18:00.003-07:00

I'll tell you something, it takes a lot of stuff for only two people and a very small dog to go traveling for a week. I think that very small dog brings almost as much as we do. I really should get her her own cute little suitcase. Maybe that would be overboard...

I'll tell you something else, there's no better way to start the summer off than with a road trip.
We like the driving part, the seeing part, the taking pictures part. And the hotels along the way part. yes, we are big fans of road trips.

This year we are in central Oregon.
We are staying at Sunriver, but one of the attractions of the area is Sisters, Oregon.
The weekend after we leave, Sisters is holding its quilt show. Apparently, its the largest outdoor quilt show in the world with over 1000 quilts hanging on display outside...I'm sad that its the weekend after we leave :(
But I did manage to see several Pre-show quilts on display

and I did buy a quilt "kit" in the local quilt shop. They had the quilt on display and all the fabric and the pattern to make it already cut. Although I have one quilt I need to finish up, Im so excited to get started on this new one. Sisters has really inspired me to put some miles on my sewing machine.

one more attraction in Sisters...Sisters coffee company. Theee best coffee and my vote for cutest coffee shop

an early birthday present

2010-06-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Paul got my birthday present early so I could enjoy it during our vacation.

I loved the packaging on the kindle box...

Decorating inspiration

2010-06-25T10:00:00.002-07:00

I realize this post doesnt interest anyone but me, but as I find decorating inspiration I like to deposit them here so I can find them later. We have a ton of projects we're working on around the house so I've been seeking inspiration online and found some decorating inspiration I want to add to my saved files. Saves having to buy the magazine then figure out where to save all those torn out pages.
Not that my family room looks anything like these rooms, its the color and accesories I want to remember. Both photo's come from country living magazine. These summery looks will go well with our denim blue sofa. I like the rattan shades and blue prints, and the green pillow adds that little bit of color to mix it up. Those big blue lamps are awesome.

I love this coffee table. For some reason Im always attracted to coffee tables with wheels. If I only I could find a big basket like this one...and the lamp. Love that

I have found a great place to download picture of to print and frame. Vintage Printables is a free website with all kinds of vintage botanical pictures. I think maybe some Coral crabs and these shells too. they'd make a nice grouping.

Also working on updating our master bath. We dont want to do a full remodel so I'm looking for ways to save some cash, but update it. One thing I know for sure, I am drawn to bright and light bathrooms rather than any kind of wood. I'll be painting our dark wood cabinet a bright white and the walls a nice blue/green seaglass color. Soft grey towels look awesome here, but I also think orange would look great as an accent color somewhere.Maybe just a little cup of flowers or something
Love these ones I found online in Sunset Magazine. Of course everything looks better with marble countertops and white subway tile.

fresh from the nest eggs

2010-06-23T20:31:00.003-07:00

for the past few weeks we've been buying our eggs from my sister. She's got a bunch of different kinds of chickens and they all lay different sized and different colored eggs. Because they eat such a quality diet the yolks of these eggs are bright orange, almost red. They are so beautiful and so fresh!
They are not good for hard boiling because they are too fresh....did you know that you need old eggs for hard boiling? Also, I found out that eggs you buy in the store can be up to 30 days old when they get to the store....wow, 30 days?
Robin gets the eggs out of the nest the morning she brings them to us. They are hours old instead of weeks.

There's something else I learned about eggs...if you put a raw egg in a bowl of water and if it sinks and stays down, that means its fresh. If it floats, that means its getting older. It floats because that air pocket inside the egg gets larger in an older egg. The bigger the air pocket, the more the egg will float.
Learn something new every day.

Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts and Feta Cheese

2010-06-22T09:16:00.002-07:00

making this for dinner tonight.

Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts and Feta Cheese

A few more rugs I like

2010-06-17T13:28:00.005-07:00

Im still looking at the rugs over at Madison at main and I found they have another style called Homefires.

It looks like Homefires is more of a closed loop rug than the Jellybean rugs.

Here are a few of the Homefires that I like. There are so many to choose from! Click on the pictures to see the closed loop design

I still love the red pickup truck one, but this chair looking out to the ocean has me wishing I was sitting there
And here's another one of the Jellybean rugs that I think would look good in my kitchen.

A new blog and a rug

2010-06-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

I was surfing home decorating blogs this afternoon and found a new one that I quickly added to my favorites list. low tide high style
Her post today is about area rugs.
First off, I'm not such a fan of area rugs. I'm always straightening them, they seem to need to be washed constantly and I've never found ones that make me smile as much as these these ones do. So many cute ones to choose from!!!
Here are three that I put in my wish list while I ponder which one would look best in front of my kitchen stove.

But - I'm really leaning toward this one....I've got a thing for old pickup trucks and dogs

She's running a giveaway today, so if you like these rugs as much as I do, hurry over and leave her a comment for a chance to win one. If I cant win one, I sure hope someone I know does...so go, get your name in!

just a walk

2010-06-15T08:29:00.002-07:00

There are days when I arrive at work early in the morning and don't step a foot outside the office all day long. I miss the entire day. I have the best intentions of getting away from my desk, but it never seems to happen. It makes for a pretty long day when there isn't an interruption to work for 10+ hours straight. I even eat my lunch at my desk most of the time.
Even a short walk around the block would be nice. Today it was beautiful outside for the first time in quite a while so I made up my mind to go out and get some fresh air. It just so happened that I'd stuck my little point and shoot in my purse that morning so I grabbed it before I left my desk. It really made that short little time away from my computer screen fun. I took a nice walk, enjoyed the sunshine and took a few pics along the way. Here are some shots of my walk today.
Half way around the block is pretty manicured landscape of offices and hotels, and the other half is wild fields of weeds. Both were much more interesting when I was looking at them through a camera lens.

It sure makes a pretty boring walk more fun if your on the lookout for things to take pictures of and it ties in nicely with my "word" for this year, Focus. I may not be walking as fast as I could without the camera, but I'm getting away from my desk and taking a little mental holiday. I think I'll find a little more time to get away from my desk if I bring my camera with me.

unraveled

2010-06-06T18:20:00.002-07:00

It was a drippy drizzly Sunday and Paul wasn't feeling well so I pulled out a project that hasn't seen the light of day in many months. I think August was the last time I worked on my quilt. I love to sew and last year I got an amazing new sewing machine. I haven't had much time to play with it lately, although I've thought about it a lot. I got to thinking about the design I was using for this quilt and decided I wanted to make it a rag quilt instead of the way it was going before. I had all the squares together and had sewn them into strips.

Today I took the strips apart because I want to quilt each square and put them together as a rag unraveled quilt. I love the looks of these kinds of quilts so much and didnt want to go through all the work of making this a traditional quilt.So, the seam ripper was my friend today. In a few hours I'd undone the squares.
While I was working on that, little miss Thing was napping next to me. She just got a haircut yesterday ;-)

curb appeal inspiration

2010-06-03T15:43:00.004-07:00

I wanted to save this lovely garden for future my future reference.
obviously the house is georgous...perfection. I would love to see the inside of it. But what really caught my eye in this picture posted on the inspired room blog, was the walkway and the plants. I think I would slowly wonder up to this front entrance, browsing the rockery and looking at the flowers. I can imagine changing the annuals with the seasons, those tulips are stunning. I love the spacing...a clump down front, then another closer to the door, some daffodils in between. The piled up rocks creating higher layers where you could tuck in a few hens and chicks, some whooly thyme or a pansy or two, the basket by the front door ***sigh***

I've always loved boxwood headges that are kept short like this. We have several in our yard, but they were allowed to get pretty big. I like these shorter ones.

Across the river and over the mountains

2010-06-02T11:14:00.007-07:00

My little blog has been sorely neglected lately.

I knew the blog was still here and I have no intentions of getting rid of it. I was starting to miss it though. When I dont take the time to blog, I feel like I'm losing the stories that I used my blog for keeping track of. Unless I jot them down here, I forget the details I want to remember...if I ever do get time to scrap again ;-)

Since I plan to get back into the blogging groove again, I realize that I need to also remember to take more photos. Paul seems to grab the camera more often than I do lately. Im really thankful for that, because he takes lots of cool pictures, but they are not always the about the story I feel like I want to tell in my scrapbooks. Must remember to take more everyday pictures.

So, we've been ~~anxiously~~ counting down the days til we head to Central Oregon. We've both heard so much good stuff about this area, and we were so excited to see if we would love it as much as we thought we would. So on a rainy, drizzly (typical Seattle) Memorial Day weekend we set off. A 5 1/2 hour drive, across the river, over the mountains and into the sunshine we went.

The hotel that we booked looked almost too good to be true. We had no idea exactly where it was in relation to what we wanted to see since we'd never been here before. Its always a little hard to know where to stay when you've never been somewhere. Sometimes you end up miles away from everything.

But this time it turned out just as good as it looked online and it was smack dab in the center of downtown Bend, with all the restaurants and shopping right outside our door. The Oxford was listed as an urban sheik, Eco friendly, downtown hotel. It just opened in January so we were only the 2,608th guest to stay at the hotel. The beds were the most amazing thing I've ever slept on...and that includes the Hilton Heavenly beds. When we walked in the lobby to check in, they saw Macie and right away knew who we were. The concierge asked...is this Macie? We've been waiting for you.... That was pretty cool.

Just a few blocks down was a great park where we could walk Macie. The river runs right through town and this was the view across from the park on our morning walk.

We decided to take a short drive to the town of Sisters. Definitely heading back there again because the few hours we spent here were not nearly enough.

Unfortunately the weekend ended all too soon and we had to head back across the mountains and over the river. We were really sad to leave. Say goodbye to these blue sky's because it was still raining in Seattle when we got back. We'll be back in July whole week and again in August. We're already counting the days again

hello cupcake

2010-04-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

two posts in one day... guess you can tell Im catching up today.

After years of wanting to stop by this little cupcake shop in downtown Tacoma, we finally took the time to find it a few weeks ago.
I've been a "fan" of the shop on facebook for quite some time so I always get their updates for the different special cupcakes they come out with. The pink bike out front is one of my favorite parts of the shop.

...and I couldn't leave without one of their logo mugs. We got one for my sister in law too. I think she'll really like it. She wanted to visit the shop too, but wasn't with us when we went, so she'll have to settle for the cute mug this time.

love love love this chandelier. Would not love to clean the crystals though.

three lemons and one carrot cake.

a new ride

2010-04-11T15:09:00.002-07:00

Last week I ordered this new bike trailer so we can bring Macie with us on our bike rides. She's pretty small so its not like she can run beside the bike like a bigger dog could, and I really didn't feel comfortable with the handlebar type of baskets they make for carrying dogs. I think she would freak out in a front handlebar basket.
Paul and I loved this little pull behind trailer when we saw it online. I ordered it around 3pm Monday afternoon and it showed up on my doorstep about 2pm the next day. Thats some fast delivery! Guess it pays to live close to the amazon warehouse :-)

Macie has never been crate trained so we were a little worried that she wouldn't like being confined in this trailer, so we're letting her get use to it in the living room...once she's comfortable in there (which she already is doing pretty well), we'll hook it up to the bike and take it for a spin.
It has a front and back door. The front entry is screened and has a clear plastic rain/wind sheild that can close. The back door is not screened and has pockets to hold leashes, water bottles and stuff. There is also a clear plastic sunroof that unzips so she can poke her head out and enjoy the wind in her ears.
I put one of her little beds and a few toys inside it so she feels right at home already.

I gotta say, this is the cutest little trailer I've ever seen and I know we're going to get much more use out of our bikes now that Macie can come too.

my secret addiction

2010-03-28T19:04:00.004-07:00

is this site...
foodgawker

I can surf this site forever, just gawking at food.
Its where I go to find new recipes or just find something to make for dinner. But, I could just look at pictures and read recipes for hours.
I'll warn you, once you start its hard to stop....

recently I found its sister site
craftgawker
When I first spotted this I was excited because I thought this was crafty stuff you could make, but actually this is mostly etsy shops, but its still lots of fun to surf.

good stuff

lets go shopping at one of my favorite places

2010-03-26T11:50:00.002-07:00

Does anyone not enjoy shopping at Cost Plus? I think its the most fun place.

I never come out empty handed and can always find a cute birthday present, something special for the house or for dinner. Love the fun jewlery, wall art, dinnerware....its where I get all my placemats and napkins.

Its the best place to find stocking stuffers at Christmas time, but I just picked up some great easter basket stuffers too. Have you tried salted dark chocolate? its awesome!

One of these days Im going to pick up a bottle of this wine. I admit, I buy wine by the cuteness of the labels, and this one is super cute

Its a great place to stock up on great ethnic food...I found a lot of new things I want to try

and these cute coffee cups!

I love cost plus furniture because they always have something different, but they seem to have furniture that fits the size of my house too. My house isnt large so most furniture is just too big. Its well built too. We got our kitchen island from Cost Plus and I love that thing. Right now there's a dining table that I think will fit our formal dining area perfectly.

its going to be a big week around the wyno household

2010-03-19T18:10:00.001-07:00

because after years of wanting, we're finally getting new carpet throughout the house.
The carpet sample on the bottom left is the carpet we had put in the family room a few years ago.

I love the color and texture in that room.
We didn't want to match this texture or color in the rest of the house, but we wanted it to blend.This carpet has a little dot in the pattern and I think it will look really pretty. My brother had something similar installed in his house and I always loved it.
Its hard to remember which one it was, but Im pretty sure it was the second row up from the bottom, second one to the right of the family room sample.
Installers will be here on Tuesday so the weekend will be spent moving all the furniture, a task Im not looking forward to, but it will be so worth it when its done.

white

2010-03-12T10:07:00.004-08:00

I havent done a mosaic flickr favorites in awhile but I was brousing flickr today and was just so inspired by white. I am usually a color lover, but lately I've really been enjoying white.
Not just plain white white, but off whites, neutrals like cream, blush, grey, tan.
Color, when added to a neutral base just pops.
It seems so peaceful and soft...restful on your senses. Cool, but warm. Clean, but cozy.
click on the picture to get a better view of these cute chicks and the bunny-so cute

1. Untitled, 2. T H R E E, 3. Cotton tail, 4. Unnecessary, but oh so gratifying, 5. ...take a seat...., 6. Closet Semi opened, 7. calendars, 8. Kitchen shelf loving yellow..., 9. Seven candles..., 10. ...yes....there was chocolate cake..., 11. new pink pillow, 12. Lovely light..., 13. Passion, 14. Day 56, 15. Coffee together, 16. My newly painted laundry room

For once Im glad i didn't throw something away

2010-03-05T15:22:00.003-08:00

These old wooden croquet balls have been out in our old shed for about 10 years now.
Some of the mallets were broken and Im sure most of the wickets are gone too.

Everything in that old shed was destined for the dump because we want to tear it down.
Unfortunately we never got it all the way cleaned out last summer like we intended to, but one day I started working on it and I came across this old croquet set. It brought back some fond memories of killer croquet games we use to have in the back yard and at the cabin. The truck was full so these got left in the shed for another trip. Today Im so happy that they did.

A few months ago a picture in a magazine made me think of those old wooden croquet balls out in the shed. Since then I've been itching for a nice enough day to trek down to the back of the yard and pull them out of there. Today I made the trek. I washed them off and put them in this bowl on the table. I love the colors and I also love that they make me think of summer BBQ's at the cabin.
I think I want to get an old wire basket to keep them in.
For now, Im just happy these didn't make it into the truck last summer

for Ramona...

2010-03-03T18:36:00.003-08:00

Ramona asked me to post pictures of the jars I have with lids. She is re-decorating her kitchen and it is so bright and fresh. She filled a tall jar with lemons and limes. I got these two apothecary Jars at Ross for under $10. each and I love them.

They're both really big. The squatty round one I think is called a french apothecary jar and it is about 15" tall and the tall one is about 18" tall.

At the moment one is filled with green things and the other is filled with lemons and leaves.

I think I'll change up what I fill them with, maybe pinecones, apples and pears for fall, or a birds nest for spring.
Please disregard the dust... :)

Happy Birthday Ethan

2010-02-26T13:15:00.004-08:00

Its hard to believe that its been 5 years ago today that this little guy came into the world and changed all of our lives forever. Little did we know that day, what a blessing he would be to us all. 2005 was the most difficult year of our lives, and having Ethan to help soften the blows that we would all live through, was truely a gift.

Little did we know at that time, what a wonderful Mom Jaryn would become. We use to tease her that she had never even taken care of a house plant before, and now she would be responsible for this living breathing little human being. In the blink of an eye this little bundle changed her forever.
Seeing your child become a mother is one of the most wonderful and rewarding of all experiences. I know now that this is why they say how amazing it is to be a grandparent. Not only because you blessed with this new baby to love, but you get to experience a change in your own children beyond anything else that has ever happened to them before.

I think it was little surprise to anyone how much his Papa would adore him.Or that he had decided his grandson's name should be Cooper, not Ethan, so no matter what Jaryn and Justin decided to name him, he would always be called Coop by his Papa. And still is...5 years later.

This is one of my favorite moments the next day.

Jaryn and I were alone, waiting for the car to be brought around to the hospital. I asked her if she would have ever believed she could ever love something this much, in less than 24 hours. She looked down at him as I took this picture and began to cry...and said she no, she could have never imagined.

Happy 5th Birthday Ethan! (Coop)

We love you

cyber shopping

2010-02-19T20:13:00.001-08:00

Im so glad that HGTV has picked up the canadian show, Sarah's House.

Its one of my favorite shows of the week. I recently did some digging and found they have been showing Sarah's house in Canada for two seasons now. The third season starts in March and they are doing a farmhouse. I cant wait!

But, in Season two, one of the episodes was on the bathroom. Sarah did the bathroom in grey/white with my favorite marble countertop and floors. She had this mirror over the vanity... Im in love!

Its called the Cyrus Mirror. Sadly I found that it use to be available at Target of all places. Wish I would have picked it up from Target. But, I found it at Neiman Marcus.com for $199.00.

I think it makes an awesome statement so I think I need to order this for our master bath remodel.

While I was cyber shopping at Neiman Marcus I found some other cute things...then I found them both on Amazon.com

Did you know you could buy a soft serve ice cream maker?

In pink?

that little thing on the side is a condiment dispenser, for sprinkles :)

I think its on sale for $100. at Neiman Marcus.com

and how cute is this bento lunchpail? very cute, I think. I have a thing for lunchpails since I take my lunch every day. I like to have a lot of them, just to keep it from getting boring. This ones called the Vivo Lunchbox and its only $20

Focus

2010-02-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

I probably should have done this blog post in December, or just after the new year but I never got around to it. Its about resolutions, or lack there of. I don’t necessarily make New Year’s resolutions, but a few years ago I started choosing one word to focus on throughout the year. The chosen word sort of helps guide decisions about just about everything during the year, so it needs to be pretty general and so I can apply it to whatever is going on at the time. Each year I think I’ve been pretty successful with my words, much better than I think I would have been with specific resolutions and I guess thats partly because the words I've chosen are pretty general. The words are more of a guide than a specific goal. I cant tell you how often when Im trying to make a decsion, the word pops into my head and I instantly know what I should do. Pretty cool the way that works.

Two words I’ve used in the past were Simplify and Less. Similar words but I think I really tried to use them consistently through the year. Whenever I wavered, I just errored on the side of less...
and I think we made pretty good progress cleaning out and getting rid of a lot of old stuff. We’re not done, by any means, but we had a huge garage sale last summer and at the end of it, nothing came back into the garage. Paul called a guy and they came out and picked up everything that was left over at the end of the day. This year we’ve dug a little deeper into the closets and shelves and we have even more stuff to haul away. We even sent 15 pairs of shoes to Haiti. That made some room and felt pretty good at the same time!
This month we switched the guest room and the craft room and I really tried to use the move to clear away as much stuff as possible, resulting in several trips to the dumps and the goodwill. Still a work in progress but I think a couple huge pushes and we’ll feel a lot better about our efforts.

This year’s chosen word is FOCUS.

Focus on the projects and get them completed. Focus on our life, our home, our family, our relationship, our hobbies, and on our diet.

That’s a lot to focus on. I hope I do as well this year as last year.

cookie of the month?

2010-02-01T20:46:00.001-08:00

The only thing that equals my love for pasta, is cookies. Unlike pasta, I avoid them like the plague. No cookie is safe in the house and its just torture to have them in the house and not eat them.
Last weekend PW requested that I make him some oatmeal cookies for his lunches. Clearly it doesn't take much to talk me into "having" to make cookies for anyone, and I wouldn't object if it became a monthly treat.
And I only ate a few...

This was a "one of these days" weekend ....

2010-02-01T10:43:00.005-08:00

I got so much done last weekend and it really does feel great to have made some progress on a few projects along that have been on my "someday I really want to get that done" list. I tend to let things build up over time, then dive in with both feet, much to the annoyance of PW. He likes advance warning when Im going to tear up the house.
I have wanted to move my scraproom into the larger of our two extra bedrooms for quite some time. When I first began scrapping, the smaller room was just fine. But then, as we all know, it just grows and grows. Before long my little room was overflowing and driving me crazy, to the point where I had no room to move, much less put things away. Besides scrapping this room holds all of my many hobbies, including sewing and knitting and its the home for my treadmill as well.
There is a LOT of stuff in that room, and it was making me crazy.

Right next door to it is a spare bedroom that sits virtually empty save for a few times a year when Jennifer comes to visit. It was a waste of precious real estate I could be putting to much better use.
It would be wonderful if there was enough room to just move everything at the same time, but we had to do this move in stages, first moving the larger items one at a time swapping space for space...then moving the small items.
Also, my 4 bazillion pound desk had to be disassembled moved and reassembled with the help of PW, which he wasn't too happy about...but he got over it.
It doesnt look that heavy here, but let me just say that its solid wood butcher block, 6 feet long and 4 feet deep with heavy steel support legs and a shelf under it held on by about 40 hefty screws. This is an industrial workbench that Paul brought home from work one day because they were throwing it away. We sanded the top and sprayed the steel grey legs black. It makes a perfect scrap table, as long as you dont have to ever move it. Seriously, I cannot even lift a corner of it off the ground but maybe a half inch or so.
Eventually we got it moved then I started piling it up with stuff..
I got about this far before I decided I wanted to paint the wall back there. I knew PW would NOT be happy if I asked him to help move this again, so on Friday afternoon I moved it myself, painted the wall, then moved it all back.

There happened to be some IKEA floating shelves right above the desk that will work perfect for holding buttons, paint and all kinds of baskets full of stuff.

This corner doesn't look all that bad, but trust me when I say this is the neat corner...You should see the other side of the room...Im embarrased to photograph it. What a mess.

To save my our backs I stopped off at Linens and Things and picked up some of those Sliders. You place them under furniture and things glide easily on carpet...it really helped me move that desk and this monster of a treadmill all by myself, and the Ikea bookcase with some help from PW, for help steering aournd the corners.

Now that everything is in the right room I can start organizing it and putting it away, but it already feels so much roomier.

The extra bedroom is pretty much put together now, and I have found the top of my scrap desk again.

I put the bulk of the things away, but one side of the room is piled with rubbermaid totes filled with stuff Im not so sure I need to keep. I'll be going through those totes, purging as I go.

Eventually I'd like to make the closet into a sewing table with shelves for storage. I guess thats a new item on my "someday Im going to get this done" list.

Not to leave any room out from my plan of destruction, I got my paintbrush and painted the accent walls under the kitchen cabinets and behind the stove while PW watched Transformer 2 on Saturday evening. The paint is Valspar Gypsy Leather and we think it looks really good with the lighter maple cabinets and dark countertop.

Our plan is to finally install that tile backsplash you see leaning up against the wall there. We remodeled our kitchen about 10 years ago and I've finally found some tile that goes with our countertops. But first we wanted to paint the walls. So, now two of the three walls in the kitchen have this lovely Milk Chocolate color on them.

So thats a few "someday we need to get this done" projects completed.

something new

2010-01-17T14:44:00.003-08:00

Paul and I love to eat out, but it seems like we always go to the same places. This year we decided to start something to shake thinks up a little and add a little fun. Each month we are going try a new restaurant. It can be anywhere within a days drive, and it can be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I got to pick the January restaurant.

I picked a new restaurant that just opened last October called Boom Noodle in Bellevue. Funny name, but we learned that in Japan there is a popular term "my boom" that means the thing I am currently obsessed with. They serve all kinds of soups, noodles, wok stir fry's and small plates. I picked it because we really enjoy Pho, japanese food and because it is right in Bellevue Square, and I had two Potterybarn gift certificates to use...so, food + shopping= a good day.

The decore was nice, although kind of sparse, but in a hip and kinda cool way, with big posters behind the bar and lots of fun hanging lights.

To start off we had some fresh spring rolls and Ahi Tuna tacos. We both loved the Ahi poke tacos since we're huge Ahi Poke fans. Ahi poke is raw tuna in a sesame oil, with some seaweed and other spices. It is delicious! These little mini tacos were in crisp shells with shredded carrot which added a crunchy sweetness. The sauce was too spicy for me, but Im a spicy wimp. Don't care for spicy, no thank you. But the tacos alone were perfect

I had Coconut Chicken Curry. It was spicy, but not too spicy. Probably not my favorite thing ever, but it was good.

Not sure I'd have it again if I went back so I'd probably rate it as a 2.5 on a scale of 1-5

Paul had Tokyo Ramen. It was braised pork, tamago (egg), bamboo shoots, green onion, soy seasoned chicken pork broth.

On a scale of 1-5, he says he rates it a 4. Really...a 4? I cant imagine, but he is easy to please, I guess.

As a first effort, it was a fun choice. Im sure we'll go back again.
Next month, Paul's choice. We'll see where he decides to take us.

a new favorite

2010-01-10T18:39:00.005-08:00

Macie gets a new toy almost every weekend... she really has too many toys, but its so fun to see her with a new one we can never resist another trip to the pet store to see whats new. Although she has her old favorites, she loves every new one we buy her right away, and she will play with them for weeks before moving on to a new one.

Then from time to time she will dig around in her toy box just like a little kid, finding an older toy that she hasn't seen for awhile, and play with it all afternoon. And she'll drive you nuts bringing it to you so you'll play with her.

Thankfully she also does well playing with them on her own, pushing them back and forth across the floor.
The best ones squeak. Most of the older ones have broken squeakers.
So, no surprise that for Christmas Santa brought her two new toys, a frog and a fuzzy blue octopus. I knew as soon as I saw the octopus in a doggie "boutique", that this toy would turn out to be a favorite for a long time, and I was right.

I could tell it would last beyond the week. Its not sewn, its actually knitted so she cant pull it apart. The eyes of the octopus are knitted in, so they cant be pulled off. The squeaker is super heavy duty, so she wont pop it with her sharp teeth. And she loves it.

She rolls around with it in her paws, holding it like a baby holds a bottle.
She carries it with her to bed each night and its the first one she grabs in the morning.
I dont mind buying toys for her when she loves them this much.

Holiday Amaryllis

2010-01-05T19:19:00.008-08:00

Ethan and I planted this Amaryllis just after Halloween.

He was so surprised when he saw the big stem growing on Christmas Eve, and the flowers hadn't even started to open yet.
He came running into the kitchen and said...Nana!!!! come see! Close your eyes! Then he led me by the hand into the front room to where the flower pot was. I had to keep my eyes closed until he said SURPRISE! and I had to pretend like I was astounded that our flower was so big.

It was pretty fun to see his amazement in what our ugly bulb had grown into so quickly. I love teaching him how to grow things and growing this huge Amaryllis was a really fun thing to start him out with...maybe this summer we can grow some carrots or something.

The bulb is the size of a very large grapefruit, and if you've ever grown one you know it grows about 2 inches a day.

We bought this one from a grower who was selling them at the holiday food and gift festival, and she assured me these were very healthy bulbs that would grow huge blooms year after year.

Year after year? I never knew you could regrow them. I have grown them before, but always tossed them after the holidays.

This one has two stems with flowers on them and the first flower opened on new years day.

Its about 3 feet tall so Ethan and I inserted a heavy dowel into the pot when we planted it.

Each stem has four flowers on it and so far two of the flowers on the largest stem have opened.

I hope Ethan gets over here really soon to see the flowers that we planted...and I cant wait to see if I can actually regrow this bulb next year

New years at Skamania Lodge

2009-12-31T18:12:00.010-08:00

We rarely, okay make that never...go anywhere on New Years.

We usually stay home and watch Dick Clark on the TV, Paul falls asleep and as soon as its midnight we go to bed. Our neighborhood goes nuts with fireworks, so sleep is kind of impossible. Pretty exciting.

This year we decided to treat ourselves and book a few nights at one of our favorite places to stay in the summertime, the Skamania Lodge. This is really a summer place to go because its a golf course and its a big wind surfing spot on the Columbia river. There are lots of great hiking trails all around here as well as several wineries.

We were really excited to see it in the snow and see how they decorated it up for Christmas. It did not disappoint.

Everyone congregates in the lobby. Its full of rocking chairs, sofa's and huge four story windows. Usually in the evenings someone is playing the piano.
The fireplace is big enough to walk inside of...definitely a cozy spot to read, knit or just people watch.

Happy new year, from Skamania Lodge

It's going to get chilly around here

2009-12-30T14:43:00.010-08:00

Maybe I should pick up a few of those snuggies because it looks like the furnace will need to be replaced....At this point its shut off completely.

It's possible that we could just have it serviced, but at this point we've decided to just replace it. Its old and its ready to go...

From what the repair company tells us, it'll be a week before they can get out here to install the new one. Being that is January...well, lets just pray for mild temps.

In the meantime, this little guy is our source of heat. Thankfully it pumps out the heat and warms up the whole house almost as fast as our old furnace did.

The only bummer is that the house is going to be cold cold cold when we get home from work in the evenings. Poor Macie.

Come to think of it, maybe I just better pick up a snuggie for her too, and put it on her before we leave for work :)

It couldn't have been any better

2009-12-25T20:11:00.008-08:00

sitting on the couch this morning reflecting on yesterdays day. For me, it turned out to be one of the best christmases ever.

Fritta for breakfast, nachos for lunch, brie smothered with walnuts and honey for snacks...good food all day long. Dinner was turkey which I brined overnight, (and it came out absolutely perfect if I do say so myself), twice baked potatoes, fruit salad and the king crab legs left from christmas eve's dinner.

Getting dressed was optional, although we all managed to shower and put clean pj's back on. Thats the way we stayed all day long. I had thought once or twice about taking a walk, but that would have involved getting dressed.

I also would have liked to play some wii, but we managed to watch a couple of movies.

all in all, it couldnt have been any better.

Its a christmas I'll remember as just about as perfect as possible.

Flashback Fridays

2009-12-18T09:25:00.004-08:00

going way back ... 20 years, to the Christmas of 1989.
As you can see, Nick has probably had his retna's burned by the flash, Justin is wearing his very awesome smiley face tee shirt, and I could still see without glasses.

What a difference 20 years makes huh?

checking my list...

2009-12-18T08:59:00.005-08:00

Well, I think I'm almost done with my shopping...almost. Except for the two people that live in this house.

Every year Paul and I save the shopping for ourselves until the very end...and I think by that time we are pretty burned out on Christmas shopping.

So, today I am going to try and knock some of that gift shortfall out. Santa has asked for my help in picking out something nice for myself, so I'm going to do my best to find something that I'll love!

I named him Gus

2009-12-10T19:58:00.004-08:00

but he's the travelocity gnome.

He was my gift today at the office white elephant gift exchange.

I miss him already so I may have to go back to QVC and buy one for myself :)

being thankful

2009-11-26T10:45:00.006-08:00

Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in the daily grind and we forget to appreciate all of the blessings we have in our lives. Paul and I often talk about it. Thank goodness we have what we need. Thank goodness we have jobs, reliable cars, a nice home, our children and grandchildren, each other.

I think we’re pretty thankful on a day-to-day basis. Part of that comes from sometimes not having all of those things that we now have. Through hard work, we do okay. Thank goodness. Since this is thanksgiving week I'm especially thinking about everything that I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for my children. They are trying hard to establish their own lives and families, but they stay connected to Paul and I on a regular basis.

My parents and family...I was so blessed to have a mother and father who loved us, took good care of us, took us to church on Sundays, and taught us love, respect, and compassion. I know they don't always seem completely normal, and sometimes they drive me crazy, but they’re all good hearted people and I love them.

I'm thankful for my husband. I'm thankful for his strengths, and also his weaknesses. I'm thankful that he's honest, loyal, responsible, disciplined, and that he's such a great father to our kids. He loves me and he loves our children. He's good and decent and has a huge heart and sometimes endless sense of humor.

I’m thankful for my home. I love being home more than anything else. Its certainly got its issues, like a furnace that doesnt work at the moment, but Im so thankful we're having mild weather this week and that we have a woodstove if we need it.

I'm so thankful for grandchildren. I miss Kaylee so much, but am thankful that we live near Ethan and can see him on a regular basis. This love is so different than raising our own children. Maybe its that I'm older and appreciate how fast they grow up.

….And I'm also thankful for all the little things in life, my dog, my friends both online and locally, GeekSquad who helped me get Pauls computer running again last night, and last but not least, my new refrigerator :-)

Happy thanksgiving everyone.

what extra hour of sleep?

2009-11-01T15:14:00.003-08:00

Macie doesnt have a reset button, so she woke up at her same time... only today it was an hour earlier ... thats just great.

On a normal weekend she wakes us up between 6 and 7. Today it was between 5 and 6.

Daylight savings time should be abolished. really.

What is the point anyway?

I really dislike going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.

Way to make a bad season even worse.

speaking of starbucks

2009-10-25T20:21:00.002-07:00

I pick one of these up on my way out the door everytime....

They are great for your garden.

Feeling fall-ish?

2009-10-24T19:19:00.005-07:00

This chai tea concentrate is really good and its much faster than running through the Starbucks drive through. Just add equal parts of concentrate and milk. Pop it in the microwave and thats it. I think its a little spicier than the chai tea latte that you get at Starbucks. You can add some frothed milk on top if you want.

And to have with it, its always good to have a fresh out of the oven gingerbread cookie. This mix makes it super easy too. For an added bonus, the house smells wonderful too.

Fall in an instant....and all for about the price of one Grande Starbucks Chai Tea Latte and a slice of pumpkin bread

remember that scene in ET where ET hides in the closet with the stuffed animals?

2009-09-21T19:24:00.006-07:00

I was looking for Macie the other morning. I looked upstairs and downstairs.

I looked in everyone of her sleeping spots.

Then I happen to see a movement under the kitchen table where her toy box is.
This is were she was laying, quite content to hang out with her toys

every.single.day

2009-09-15T04:44:00.003-07:00

you are missed

...but none more than today.

There are places I remember all my life,
Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain.
All these places have their moments
Of lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I loved them all. (The Beatles)

We love you Justin

RIP

happy anniversary

2009-09-14T13:56:00.007-07:00

to the silly

the sweet

the funny

the totally cuteman I married.

Love you

so easy, even a caveman could do it...

2009-09-11T16:57:00.007-07:00

We were in this fancy schmancy boutique in Seaside last weekend. It was all decked out in fall and Halloween decor. I saw this cute sign sitting on a side table. Foam board with the word Boo! printed on it.

Another little sign had the words Give Thanks. They wanted $17. each for them.Not happening...

It was one of those moments when you look at something and say. . .Thats really cute, but I could make that myself in about 15 minutes. So thats what I did.

I took a piece of scrapbook paper with some writing print on it, then I inked it up so it looked old. I think the one in the store might have used a page from an old book. If I had an old book, thats what I would have used too, but this was the next closest thing I could think of.

Then I printed the word Boo on it. Just realized that I forgot the ! ... darn it.

Anyway, I cut some black foam core 1" larger than the paper and glued it down. I considered using some black chipboard I had, and it would have worked too, but I like the thickness of the foam core board...After that I just stuck a bow on it and was done!

Just the finishing touch I needed for the entry hall table.

I'm going to make a few more of these, for thanksgiving and another for Christmas.

love this

2009-09-04T11:46:00.003-07:00

coffee table.
Well, the whole room actually.
Although I do not like the pottory barn price for it.
I keep wondering how hard it would be to make something along these lines with an old door?
I think I've seen these wheels at the feed and farm supply store....hmmmmm

new shoes

2009-09-01T12:51:00.006-07:00

Does anything feel any better than wearing a new pair of shoes. I love new shoes, but Im seriously in love with the pair I bought last weekend...they are by Naot and I have not taken them off since I got them.

These things are theeee most comfortable shoe I think I have ever slid my foot into.

I've been wearing them with pants, but I think they will look equally as cute with black tights and a skirt.

sunday sunday

2009-08-30T20:30:00.006-07:00

We took advantage of another great Sunday afternoon taking a drive to one of our favorite little towns up north.

Every trip here requires a stop at this little cafe for a sandwich made on homemade bread. They will pack you up a lunch box to go, complete with a homemade cookie.
This is what we drive here for. A box lunch enjoyed outside while watching the boats pass by...a 75 degree day is just icing on the cookie

Cooking for 2

2009-08-28T14:54:00.006-07:00

Last night Paul gently reminded me that I haven't updated my blog in a long time.

One reason is that I haven't taken many pictures in awhile and a blog entry requires pictures. No pictures, no post.

Today when I got home from work I needed to cook up some chicken for Macie's dinner so I decided to take the opportunity to combine all four things I wanted to do. Cook for Macie's dinner, make my own lunch, take some pictures and make sure I have the new computer set up correctly to download photos, and update my blog

First I cooked the chicken for Macie.

For my lunch, I get the broth from cooking the chicken for a bowl of soup (I got some of the chicken too...dont tell Macie).

A few onions, a couple of potstickers,

click click download...(yeah, it works)

and update the old blog...done :)

Time for lunch

wishing and hoping and dreaming and praying...

2009-08-13T08:22:00.008-07:00

about this little house for sale on the oregon coast.
4 blocks to the beach, and its for sale...
would you just look at that adorable stone wall and cute little garage?

marble countertops in the kitchen....deep breaths

a stone fireplace in the back yard....sigh hardwood floors...

oh yeah, I could live happily here forever and ever and ever....

amen

build your own kit challenge

2009-07-30T19:03:00.006-07:00

Remember a few weeks back when I pulled a scrapbook "kit" out of my own stash?

Well, because of the heat I haven't been able to spend much time in my scraproom. Its sweltering hot up there. I was only able to complete one layout from my kit but that's one I wouldn't have done without this challenge.
I plan on getting back to the table real soon to create a few more layouts and a few cards with the kit I put together. And, this was so much fun I plan on pulling another "kit" when I'm done with this one. I really enjoyed it.

On my back patio..

2009-07-26T17:51:00.010-07:00

This afternoon I was sitting on the back patio, sipping on a SanPellegrino Limonata and watching Paul hang my new sling chair. Usually we spend the weekends running around or working in the yard. Its nice to just sit and enjoy sometimes, so thats what I planned on doing today.

Macie was playing with a huge ice block I froze for her in a half gallon milk carton. I was noticing the fushia starts that I had planted in June have filled out nicely.

I dont think my fushia has ever been so full and pretty as it is this year. Im really enjoying the red color. Usually I buy pink. I did put pink in the urns that are on the steps and I really like how they've filled the pot. I've never put fushia's in these pots before, but I like the way they turned out.
all the flower pots seem to be doing well this year. The micro drip watering really helps I think.

This is what I enjoy about lazy Sunday afternoons...taking time to sit back, notice and just enjoy.

Cabin work party

2009-07-18T20:14:00.015-07:00

Today was the planned work party at the cabin.

We had 9 people show up with gloves, clippers and assorted other tools.

Here's some before and afters

Before And after Before --- After-----Back side of the cabin- Before-

and back side of the cabin after --

Trial before -

Trail after -

There was a deck outside this slider but it had rotted through so my SIL and Paul knocked it down.

While we were all cutting and tearing down outside, Mom gave the inside a good vacuum and dusting and the little kitchen got a cleaning.

Next time I go over I'm taking down the curtains and bringing them home with me for washing, maybe I'll just sew up some new ones.

the shells got dusted and returned to the window sill

We got it all done in 5 hours.

and my old bones are feeling every minute of it tonight....but it feels good too.

Its the first of many cleaning and repairing trips, but it was a really good start.

make your own kit

2009-07-18T14:53:00.001-07:00

Trying to get our scrap mojo flowing after a long dry spell, a few scrapbooking friends and I are building our own scrap kits. I was thinking about how tempted I am to buy into some of the scrapbooking kits because they make everything look so fun since its all coordinated. But, I know how much stuff I already have that I really want to use. So we decided to make our own kits from already purchased stuff.

The challenge was to pull 4 peices of cardstock, 4 patterned paper, maybe one specialty paper and an assortment of embellies, maybe a stamp, some ribbon, stickers...what have you.

The theme is summer.

This week we were putting together our kits, next week we'll be posting what we've created from it.

So, here's my kit.

I have no idea if I'll use all this stuff, or how many layouts/cards I will create out of it...but its kind of fun to see things I've had for awhile all put together like this.

Next weekend I'll be posting what I've made out of it.

Fiesta...where?

2009-07-12T20:46:00.002-07:00

Right here in my cupboards.
They use to be filled with Bistro white plates, bowls and cups. I like how they looked, very crisp, very clean . . .and very boring.
So, after three years with white white and more white, Im ready for color color and more color.
So, today I removed the white and filled the cupboards with colors.
These make me happy every time I open the cupboard doors...

and I have opened the cupboard door at least 6 times since I put them away this afternoon.

Everytime I walk by, I open it...smile, close it and move on.

Fiestaware...fun stuff.

Paul says...

2009-07-06T19:23:00.005-07:00

at least its not a flamingo :-)
He just kept saying...oh my god. Seriously?
Aside from the pots full of petunias and hanging baskets of fuchsias, there's not a lot of color in the backyard. I pulled the color from the petunias and painted an old bird feeder very berry.
This thing is about 15 years old and was destined for the junkyard anyway so I didn't have much to lose.

Like Jenny B said...this color just makes me happy. It needs a few more flowers around its base now, so excuse the dirt and rocks
I think I just may get another few summers (and winters) out of it yet...don't you think it will look pretty in the winter covered in snow too!

very berry

2009-07-05T17:02:00.002-07:00

Anyone care to guess what Im painting with this?

totally random

2009-07-01T19:49:00.003-07:00

It always makes me smile to see the fir on the top of Macies lip tucked inside her mouth.
I just think those are some really cute black lips...Like I said, totally random

so sad

2009-06-21T19:36:00.010-07:00

About 25 years ago my parents bought a piece of property in the country. I think its about 2 or 3 acres or so, I think....Not waterfront property, but just a few blocks away from the public boat ramp. If you walk to the end of the road, there is a steep set of stairs down to the beach.

Its a nice little piece of land way out in the woods about an hour and a half from home.
We would go on the weekends helping Mom and Dad clear the trees, leaving right after work on Friday night and returning home Sunday night. When the trees were cleared, my Dad started building a cabin.

Many weekends we would pack up our bags and go. At first we slept in a tent while we built the cabin, and eventually staying inside the cabin. There were many wet, miserable weekends standing in the rain and hammering walls into place, sleeping in a tent while it poured rain all night...cold to the bone, Dad cutting cedar shingles one by one and then trying to dry out and stay warm around the campfire. It was a labor of love for Mom and Dad. A place for them to get away on the weekends and for the rest of us too.

But, there were also so many wonderful weekends. Our entire family gathered around the BBQ. There is electricity in the cabin, but no running water so you have to use the porta potty or make the trek to the outhouse. Paul and my brothers thought it was fun to hide in the woods and toss pebbles on the roof of the outhouse when the girls were inside, trying to scare us. Since we were pretty creeped out anyway, it didn't take much.

Upstairs there is a sleeping loft with feather beds and tiny reading lights. You can only stand upright if your right in the middle of the room :-) Mostly you just crawl on your hands and knees to the ladder that goes downstairs. The grand kids all loved to sleep up there under down comforters. Dad used a few antique stained glass windows when he built the house and they cast a pretty golden glow to the inside during the day.
We had our Easter egg hunts and some killer croquet games, horse shoe games, lots of s'mores around huge bonfires and lots and lots of laughs. Its not a big cabin, but its our families cabin.
We all sweat blood sweat and tears building it. It was our place to gather.

But, for the past 10 years or so, the families have grown up, the grand kids moved on, the parents retired...and the cabin has been waiting. Sometimes, like now, it has been waiting for years and years. We think its been over 4 years since any of us have been there, and its only an hour and half from home. Its just sad.

This past weekend Paul and I went on his fathers day picnic. The drive took us right past the cabin. On our way home we took the cut off and went to see how bad it looked. I wasnt sure if I wanted to see it. As we came down the road the sight made my knees buckle. The neglect of this once loved little cabin brought tears to my eyes.
The bushes have grown tall, the grass is about 3 feet tall and has fallen down, the bonfire pit is still loaded with clippings (the pile in the bottom corner), waiting for our next bonfire. I crawled up the steps and peeked in the windows. The inside is tight and dry, just like we had just walked out last weekend. But, the ivy has crawled over the entire deck almost to the dutch door. Shells and favorite rocks are still on the windowsill.

Outside though, the forest is trying to reclaim the cabin.

So today, work parties are being scheduled, families have been called to arms, lawnmowers, clippers, chainsaws and brooms are being gathered. Their will be more fun had here again very soon.

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T06:42:00.014-07:00

We've never explored the Olympic peninsula of Washington State, so a picnic to the area was me and Marcie's present to Paul for Fathers Day. The weather was suppose to be iffy, but thankfully the rain held off for us to catch a glimpse of this beautiful area.

There were still lots of wildflowers mixed with bits of snow still on the ground. It was a little chilly up at the top, but the views were well worth it.

One day soon we will come back and explore more. We'll need to leave the furry friend at home though because she's not allowed on the hiking trails.

After spending just a short time at the top of the viewpoint, the weather started to roll in. Had we shown up a bit later, it would have been completely covered with clouds.

The picnic turned out great, and Paul really enjoyed what I had prepared, fried chicken, deviled eggs, carrot salad and chocolate chip cookies.

The lavendar fields are not quite ready, just now starting to bloom, but we stopped for a quick peek at one of the roadside farms.

All in all I think it turned out to be a perfect day for one of my favorite Dads, who definitely deserves to have a special day all his own.

Marketing day

2009-06-20T06:46:00.012-07:00

My blog has been sorely neglected.

Im not giving up on myself though. It will still be here when I have the time, any anything noteworthy to share. Summers are like that. Lots to do.

I did want to share our first farmers market of the season. A few weeks ago we took the day off and headed to the Ballard Market.

Ballard is a very small funky artsy neighborhood in Seattle. The market is one of the best known in the city, although its pretty small. Its does offer some fun and unusual stuff.

I love these old buildings.

I use to work just on the other side of lake union so we went there for lunch often. I've never walked around this part of Ballard though. The buildings are just beautiful

The food is good too. As the summer gets into full swing, there will be more vendors.

We plan to go to lots of farmers markets this summer. We want to find a few new ones, along with our old favorites. Ballard Market will be one I want to come to again.

Couldnt have been a nicer day

2009-05-24T19:16:00.004-07:00

The sun cooperated and so did the Mariners.
The weather was perfect, Griffey hit a home run and the Mariners won.

The seats were pretty good to. We like this spot because it gets lots of foul balls. The seats are in the sun all day and only 15 rows up from the field so you feel up close to the players.

Im not a beer drinker, but the lemonade was pretty tasty.

My only complaint ... the kettle corn guy never came around after the 3rd inning and I really wanted some. I went to go find some and all of the places were sold out :(

So I decided I'd go with a slushy, but that guy never came back around either.

I guess it just wasnt meant to be.

Still, a great way to spend a sunday afternoon

at long last, summers here

2009-05-22T09:12:00.004-07:00

happy memorial day everyone.
Hope you can run through a sprinkler, wave a flag, eat a Popsicle, BBQ. Have a wonderful weekend!

1. Sprinkler Bokeh, 2. Clothes Line, 3. Happy 4th of July, 4. strawberry salad, 5. Famous Ice Cream Truck, 6. luscious cherries, 7. Les Paul Cherry Sunburst, 8. Backyard Vegetable Garden, 9. Ginger Lemonade, 10. mmm, s'mores - 5/19/08, 11. 365-161 What-A-Melon Toes, 12. let's pretend it's summer, 13. Day132 - first BBQ of the year, 14. Sea Monsters: Dying Lovers on the Beach, 15. Chai Iced Tea, 16. SUMMER!

Its been awhile

2009-05-20T07:00:00.004-07:00

actually its been 8 months -
not counting the 8/8th or 9/9th.
8 months since I've scrapped a real layout. That's a long dry spell but I finally found the time and had the urge to scrap...both at the same time!!
Yes, the stars have re-aligned and both things happened at the same time. Usually I have the time, but no urge, or the other way around.
I'm just happy to have done something. Not anything overly difficult, but still...very fun to be putting paper and pictures, glue all together again. But in scanning these lumpy bumpy layouts, I remembered what I disliked about scanning layouts...It just takes so long and the colors are all shadowy.
I'm hoping to get plenty of our latest Hawaii vacation pics done before the inspiration wears off again paper ruffles...this time glued into a circle and secured with a button to make a flower.
I should learn to take pictures rather than scan these things.

These were really fun so I expect to be making lots more ruffled flowers

I really got into making paper ruffles. I just gathered it accordion style, then stitched through it.
It really makes the layout bumpy though and hard to scan. It really isn't crooked.

good good fresh fresh

2009-05-18T08:43:00.003-07:00

This weekend I was hunting for my mom's birthday present.
There are two sure fire presents that will always make this woman happy...yarn and kitchen gadgets. Since the last two gifts I've given her were yarn, we went for the kitchen gadget this go round.
This weekend we experienced our first 70+ degree weekend...and so the choice was made for a good ice cream maker. I choose this Cuisinart one because the reviews said that it had a good strong motor, and of course because its easy...just freeze the inside canister for 24 hours, mix up your fresh ingredients and turn it on...20-30 minutes later you have good fresh ice cream.
Since nothing makes me more happy than ice cream, and because it looks like so much fun to try different combinations, I couldn't resist getting one for Paul and I too. I cant wait to try it out using all kinds of fresh ingredients. I've read some yummy recipes like lemon custard, Cinnamon walnut rum, pumpkin, green tea, not to mention endless varieties of chocolate, heath bar and chocolate. Im excited to try making some sorbet or gelato.
I read this is the ultimate book for ice cream recipes, so I'll be picking up one of these soon

smell the flowers

2009-05-15T09:20:00.007-07:00

Last week I brought home a few flowers for the various pots around the back deck.
I sat the flat of flowers on the porch until I could get to them. As soon as Macie saw them there she pounced on them.
I'm not exaggerating when I say she spent at least 5 minutes sniffing each and every flower.
She sniffed the tops of the flowers, she sniffed the bottom of the flowers. She smelled each and every leaf.
She must think that flowers smell better than anything she's ever smelled before. She had her face totally buried in the flowers trying to get to the ones in the center of the box...I could see her eyes close and she just continued enjoying them.

It's been a long winter...we all need to stop and smell the flowers

relax the back

2009-05-09T19:28:00.004-07:00

Last week after Jennifers back surgery I went looking for a chair for her to sit in. Nothing she had in her apartment was going to work while she recovered. I had a few requirements. First, I didnt want to spend much. I considered patio furniture. I looked at a fairly comfortable patio chair for $27.00

I also considered an office chair for $50. I even considered taking her an extra one that I have in my scraproom.

I decided to take a look at the Goodwill Store. You never know what you'll find.

I just hoped for something that was clean and not torn, not a gross color fabric, something not too big because she didnt have a lot of extra room, and mostly, something that would not cost a fortune.

What I didnt hope to find was a recliner.

What I really didnt hope to find was a smaller recliner.

Nor did I hope to find one that matched her sofa

But thats what I found....and it was $19.95

sweet!

loved this book...

2009-04-30T10:40:00.005-07:00

I read this book while I was on vacation and loved it. I highly recommend Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan if your looking for your next book.
Its an emotional book, which I dont really choose to read when Im on vacation, but it was so good I could not put it down - a little exert from Amazon

"The Middle Place is about calling home. Instinctively. Even when all the paperwork -- a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns -- clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter."

Theres lots more to this story. Like a woman with small children going through breast cancer while her Dad is going through his third bout with his own cancer. I absolutely fell in love with her family stories and the bond she has with her Dad.

She has a website here - http://kellycorrigan.com/themiddleplace/videos.php
and you can watch a few videos of her reading parts of the book.

or you may have seen her youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4qwVLqt9Q

but she also has a website http://www.circusofcancer.org/
that deals with how you can help a friend who has cancer.

More almonds please

2009-04-29T13:18:00.005-07:00

Im so into almonds right now.

This year my buzz word for the year was Less.

The goal was to get away from the diet yoyo and just try to eat healthy and excercise more...no strict diet. No craziness. No stress. Just less.

Mostly less processed foods and more raw, organic and fresh unprocessed stuff.

Almonds are my favorite snack because they are so good, and so good for you.

I bought a huge bag at costco a few weeks before we went on vacation, and I took a baggie full of them with me on the plane. I think I spent the entire week munching on them.

Without getting out of control, Almonds are great to have just before a meal and the added protein really helps with those hunger pangs.

I just found out that their really low in carbs too, and that people with diabetes can make breads or cakes out of almond flour. I'm going to let my dad know that because he really watches his carbs these days.

Lately I've been adding some to my cereal or yogurt in the morning too.

Almonds are definitely a good thing.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T10:17:00.004-07:00

Jaryn got Macie this easter shirt. She doesnt really like the hood up so she wouldnt hold still for me to take a picture, but it has bunny ears.

Love the pom pom tail.

Happy easter everyone!

Its like having a 2 year old in the house

2009-04-05T07:11:00.008-07:00

Ever since we moved this rug under the kitchen table, Macie has claimed it as her own.
She hauls her toys up here, one by one until the rug is covered. It doesn't do any good to put them back in the basket, because she'll bring them out again.

During the day while we're at work, I don't think she ever leaves this rug. She is surrounded with all her favorites. Believe it or not, this is only a few of her toys. The dog is spoiled rotten, but she loves her toys and we cant resist buying them for her.
I think she loves this spot because from here she can see the front and the back doors. In the evenings she can keep an eye on me in the kitchen while I'm cooking and I like it because she's not under my feet.To make it even better I moved one of her little beds up here into a corner, not to make her any more comfortable in this spot, but rather to keep her from scratching at the rug, trying to make a nest!
This lovely mess is one of the first things you see when you walk in the front door. Nice!
Anyone walking through the door would think a 2 year old lives here. I think its really a good thing we hardly ever sit at this table too because we'd never get to it.

Its a constant mess, but its her spot and she's keeping it.

Couch potato

2009-03-23T19:28:00.005-07:00

This is why we leave the TV on all day while we're at work.

She watches it.

Even when we dont think she's paying any attention to it, she will come running from another room because she hears her favorite commercial come on.

We change up the channel all the time while we're at work. Sometimes she watches Animal planet, sometimes Ellen and Oprah. This time it was just a news story that got her attention.

Just about anything that has an animal in it...

I always wonder how often she does this during the afternoon.

mosaic Monday, on Sunday

2009-03-15T07:48:00.005-07:00

Its been months since I've taken the time to participate in Mosaic Monday so I took the opportunity on this snowy Sunday morning to search out some flickr photos in a color that's totally inspiring me lately. Although its a day early, its when I have the time.

It must be this long grey winter that has me longing for turquoise blue anything, but I cant get enough of this color. I want to surround myself with it everywhere, but restraint is in order I think. Im totally going to paint my scraproom this color....

1. 9. Flores yellow & turquoise door, 2. turquoise water meter, 3. My creative space, 4. Bygone Era, 5. turquoise, 6. Clouds & Trees at Sunset in Kentucky with Turquoise Sky 1680 x 1050, 7. Turquoise Seam Binding, 8. Turquoise Bedroom, 9. Initial necklace with turquoise tagua nut, 10. turquoise, 11. Turquoise House, 12. Turquoise, 13. Mosaic in Turquoise and Rust, 14. giro tutto il mondo, 15. Nostalgic, 16. feeling turquoise

nine in oh nine

2009-03-08T15:49:00.005-07:00

This layout has been sitting on my scrap table for about a month now. That probably shows how often I've been scrapping lately. So far, 2009 is starting off just like 2008 ended, without much scrap happening. It makes me sad that I havent made time for it lately, and hopefully I'll get going again soon. Even though I didnt do much in '08, one thing I did do, and Im so happy that I did, was my 8 on the 8th album.

Its time I sit down and spend some time with Feb 9/9th so it was time to dust this one off and put it in the book.

Here's the cover and inside page of this years mini album -

http://susanwyno.blogspot.com/2009/01/9-on-9th-for-2009.html

And here's the January entry.

Turning 4

2009-03-01T16:50:00.006-08:00

Theres such a difference between turning three and turning four.
I think Ethan really "got it" this year. He has been anxiously awaiting his birthday this year. I dont know if he really got it when he was two, turning three. But he definetly knew what his birthday would bring when he was three, turning four.
Having your birthday means you get to feel super special...you get lots of hugs
You get to open lots and lots of presents and cards....

and I think most exciting, was that everyone sang Happy birthday and he got to blow out 4 big candles.

Sweet

2009-02-22T18:01:00.006-08:00

He's back and we couldnt be happier.

Paul even dug his Griffey Jr candy bar out of the back of the freezer...way way back

The date on the back of this yummy bit of a chocolate bar? 1989. really.

Making Ebelskiver

2009-02-15T08:07:00.007-08:00

Last week I bought the Nordic Ware ebelskiver pan. I didn't need anything fancy, nor did I want to deal with the cast iron pan on my flat top stove. I've never even eaten an Ebelskiver so who knew if Id ever make them a second time ;-)

I did a search of recipes and found that true ebelskiver recipes call for separating the eggs and beating the whites separately and using buttermilk. That's not exactly difficult, but I only had egg beaters and regular milk in the frig, so I decided to just make it easy and go with a regular pancake batter.

It went about like it does when I make pancakes.
The first batch...not enough butter in each well and heat on too high.
Second batch...too much butter in each well and heat on too low.
Third batch...just right

When the butter melted and bubbled, I filled the little well about 2/3 full with pancake batter.
I didn't have the traditional chunky applesauce but I did have chunky peach sauce from Trader Joes, so I put a dab of that in the center of each one.

I waited until they had puffed up and were showing bubbles in the top, just like when making regular pancakes, at which point they were also nicely browned on the bottom, then I turned them using two pointy bamboo kabob skewers. A sprinkle with confectioners sugar and some berries...all set. Paul used some Mrs Butterworths too.
Now that I know how easy they are, I'm anxious to experiment, try adding some chocolate inside each one, or using Cinnamon sugar instead of confectioners and I'd like to try one of the traditional recipes, which I assume will produce a lighter, fluffier pancake.
They were quick, easy, delicious and it was a fun valentines day breakfast.
I definitely plan on making them again