Hick Momma

They're growing so fast!!

2011-04-09T14:39:00.001-07:00

Clayton and I took the girls to get their ears pierced today!! They weren't begging to get them pierced, but we took them anyway. Today was weigh-in for the Washington County fair, so I got up at 5:30 (on a Saturday!!!). We caught Big Dis (the pink one) really easy, but not Little Ann!! We had a little bit of a pig rodeo trying to catch her! We were on the road by 7 and in Hillsboro about 40 minutes later. We met the nicest people while waiting in line for about an hour! It was a lot of fun to chat with the other 4-H parents and for the kids to hang out together. Big Dis weighed in at 75 lbs which is the high end cut off. Whew-I'm glad she made it!! Anne weighed 62 lbs which is just fine! Clatyon's having a great time!

The Double Mint Twins

2011-04-05T20:18:00.001-07:00

These are baby quilts for my friend Brian. His wife is due with twins at the end of the month. It was super fun to do two quilts at the same time with the same fabrics. I did piece together one of the back pieces with flannel I already had. Congrats Brian!! I can't wait to meet your cuties!!

Quilt #1 of 2011

2011-04-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

What's not to love about flannel mushrooms?? Cutest fabric I have ever found!

This one's for baby Owen. I work with his mom and he was born last Saturday!! Congrats to the Robertson family on their second boy!

He's Legit!!

2011-03-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

Clancy's getting his picture taken for his driver's permit!! Congratulations! Now he gets to log in all his driving hours. Clayton is excited to have "bro time" in the car. I told him it will be a while before they can just head off together...wonder what he has in mind?
I know the picture is really bad. I took the picture with my phone and the woman behind the counter yelled at me for taking pictures inside DMV. This other lady waiting for her picture to be taken said, "Relax, she's just proud of her kid." Dang straight!!

Now that's slippery!!

2011-01-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is why we didn't have school today!! It's just so cool to see everything outside ensconced in ice! Big chunks kept falling from the trees, hitting the shop roof and making a lot of noise--I'm glad I stayed out of their way! While the boys and I were out doing chores the temperature went from 33 to 41!! We were out for about 45 minutes so the warm-up was pretty quick. I'm a little disappointed, though. If we still had ice tomorrow and school was once again canceled, then we would have 6 days off!! Well, one can only dream...

Weaving Tales

2010-12-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

Clayton helped me weave a bamboo scarf for his Sunday School teacher. It seemed worthy of a post. Clayton is a great weaver and made sure his selvege was perfect each time. I'm so excited to give this to its recipient!! I'm also so thankful for the gift of time with my son that I received while making this. Each night we'd sit together and weave for an hour or so and chat about stuff. I love hearing what's on his mind! Merry Christmas everyone!! Cami

Good bye blog, it was fun!!

2010-01-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

'Nuff said.

Bring it on!!!

2009-11-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

I love that we have had such a beautiful fall. We've had a lot of crisp sunny days and only a few soggy ones. Well, you can take the girl out of Montana, but you can't take the Montana out of the girl! (explains things on so many levels, don't it??)

I say bring it on! Let's drop the temperature a good 15 degrees and pile up the snow a good 15 inches. Oh, wait--I live in Oregon where that doesn't happen, or does it? I hope so!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

2009-11-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

I told you I would be back in November! I have really been having a fun time while I've not been posting! I coached Middle School volleyball for Corbett this year and it was sooo much fun! The thrill of seeing the improvement of each player is exhilirating! Winning is even better, and yes it does make playing even that much more fun! I have to say that it was super exciting that my team only lost one match and I think they really had a lot of fun!

Here's my Clancy-man playing soccer. He was invited to play by the coach at school when he saw Clancy play in PE. This particular game was so stinkin' cold! Clancy is in the foreground of the pic by the ref. The team was co-ed since we are a small school. He gave it his all the whole season and I'm super proud of him!

Clayton also played fall soccer with David as his coach. I don't have a picture of it, but he did great too!

So today we are out of school for Veteran's day. I was brilliant and six months ago scheduled an orthodontist appointment for 7 am so we wouldn't miss any school. I kept the appointment because I am crazy and I won't have to miss any work to take Clancy there. So much for sleeping in on my day off!!

We had dentist appointments at noon. (we are all about dental health today) After we were done I took the boys to the outlet mall to

see if I could find some jeans that might fit the Skinny Giant. We ended up at Levi's with some 28 x 32 skinny fit jeans! Who knew that jeans even came that skinny? At the check out the boys both spotted these hats! They had so much fun trying them on and they are such fun kids to shop with, (ahem) that I said yes. It was fun to watch them help each other find the one that looks the best. I think they are the cutest things on earth. They remind me of English school boys! Each of them wears it with their own style which is really fun to see. They are both such nice and fun gentlemen!

Ta for now!

The weekend that was

2009-09-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

The weekend at the beach that was wonderful!! One afternoon the pelicans were out in the waves and it was fun to watch them.

Here is my crazy boy catching some waves. The surf was pretty big and he caught some pretty good waves. He's braver than I am and impervious to the temp of the water.

Here I am with Clancy and the canine crew. Not only can I not believe that summer is over, but he is taller (he thinks) than me. I'm not ready to concede on being shorter than him yet.

So it's official that summer is over. We already have a week of school under our belts having started on the 31st. This is our busiest time of year with volleyball, soccer, scouts and trying to just be a family. I'll probably check back in some time in November! Till then!!

For Grady, Baby

2009-08-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest quilt for my friend's new baby whose name is Grady. I really love that name! Anyway this is just another version of my favorite baby blanket pattern. Click to see the pics bigger.

Here is the back, it's flannel and I pieced the back together along with a cute little square to make the back big enough. Once again it's so nice to be able to give a gift like this to show my love to the recipients. It also perfectly matches his bedroom, which I had no idea!

This week has been rainy and cold. We have still been able to pick blackberries in the morning and the evening and the boys are raking in the cash. It's so good for them to have the resposibility to their customers, so they pick each day to fill the orders that are coming in. Clancy is saving for the family computer and Clayton is stashing his cash for remote control accessories.

Today was the last day of volleyball camp at the school. It was great to see girls who did o.k. last year show up and do great! It's fun to see them mature and figure out how to make their long arms and legs work right. This has made me excited for the season to start which will be in just a couple of weeks!

Summer is winding down fast. The boys are restless and it's all I can do to keep them distracted. I can't say that I'm ready for school to start, though! Cheers!

Alaska all the way

2009-08-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

On July 24th we drove to Seattle, where we boarded the Holland American ZanDaam. You see, David's parents celebrate their 50th anniversary this fall and decided to take their children and the children's spouses on a cruise to Alaska! There are five children in the family, so with everyone we were a group of twelve. I don't know if I can begin to describe the fun we had with everyone! I know we all had a great time. Here is a picture of Sheryl, my mother-in-law and myself on a tender going to Sitka.

That was a fun stop. We bought homemade jelly from a girl who is Orthodox Russian. Her family is large (her mom is expecting #12 this summer). They have a great business with their yummy jelly and sell to tourists in their shop and on the sidewalk in front of their house. There is a large Russian contigient in Sitka and there is a beautiful onion-dome church there as well.

Here's what we did lots of....eating! This is close to midnight and we are eating at the Dessert Extravaganza. Pretty much the only thing I worried about the whole trip was getting myself to the next round of food. It was nice to not have to cook for a whole week. It's a good thing we went dancing almost every night! That was a blast! I never thought we would all end up on the dance floor together! Every night we could boogie to "Billie Jean". (ugh)

Here is Glacier Bay. Seeing the glacier is only half of the experience, though. It makes a lot of noise and there is constant movement as the ice is melting and causing small avalanches that you could see and hear. The glacier made lots of noise! It sounded like target practice was going on! It was a beautiful day in the Bay and so much fun to see.

This is from our stop in Ketchikan. We got off the boat and bargained our way onto Sourdough Jack's tour bus. He was great fun and took us all over. Our first stop was to see some eagles in their nest. Then we saw the eagle above in the top of a tree drying its wings after fishing in the ocean. A little farther down the road we stopped to watch two bears fishing along a stream. It was almost like they were planted there for us to see and photograph! We went to a neat totem park. I was really interested in learning more about the native people in Alaska and this was a great place for that. There were also a couple of lectures on the boat that I attended that talked about the native life in Alaska-super interesting!

Thanks to Dana for staying with my kids during the hottest week of the year without any air conditioning!
The biggest thanks goes to Roger and Sheryl for a great vacation! Thanks for being a good example of marriage and the strength of family. As the sun goes down on the last 50 years, there's a lot to look forward to in the next years. Happy Anniversary!

Summer Makeover

2009-08-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

While his older brother was in Europe, Clayton and I made over his room. He picked the paint colors, decided on the diagonal pattern and picked the curtain fabric. After a couple of trips to Ikea (thank you very much) the transition was complete. New comforter cover, new artwork--which is sooo Clayton and even a new garbage can--orange of course.

The curtains have an island feel to them. Thanks to the next door neighbor for the bamboo curtain rod!

The artwork is so much fun and we also made a bulletin board that is on the wall next to his bed. All his medals for wrestling and certificates for shooting at cub camp. It's really fun to see how proud he is of his creation. He is even keeping it cleaner than usual. A nice perk that I hadn't anticipated.

Both boys have been to scout camps this summer. David and I went to Alaska, which I will post about later. Summer is flying. I even bought some school supplies today:(

Volleyball starts next week and school is close behind, sigh.

Summer Lovin'!!

2009-07-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing! I love summer and I tell myself that this year I'm going to sit in my lawn chair, read and drink diet coke. So far, it hasn't happened...This is what's been going on.

Clancy went to Europe for ten days! He had a great time, took great pictures and he's really grumpy when he has jet lag. Here is a great picture of the Louvre in Paris. The picture of him on the Segue was also in Paris. I'm so proud of him for working so hard to earn his way. It was definitely a memorable adventure. While he was gone Clayton and I painted his room and had a lot of fun doing a "make over". He and I also went to the beach with my sis and her girls. We had so much fun, the weather was nice for a couple of the days and typical for a couple of the days! We went to Tillamook, Oceanside and Lincoln City. It's fun to take Lisa and her crew to the beach because they live in Utah and never see it, so it's a huge treat for them.

We've already been floating the river. It's the perfect thing to do when it's so hot outside. Cools you off real quick. Clancy is volunteering at he library one afternoon a week. It's hard to find enough to keep him busy...

My friend, Cheryl, and I found some tables at a yard sale for $2.50 each. We had a painting party and here they are. Cheryl painted hers black and she copied a drawing freehand! She's mighty talented! Mine is the red one with the stars. I traced a stencil for the stars and then masked them off with tape. Pretty lame compared to what Cheryl can do!

The Fourth was a lot of fun. Dave and Clayton were in the parade again! We had about 15 people here to watch it and it was fun to visit beforehand. In the afternoon we were all too hot so we took a dip in the river. It was so refreshing! Finally, we went to fireworks at the school. It's really the best show I've ever watched! It's hard to believe it, but this little town puts on a great show.

Yesterday we celebrated Gma Lovell's 94th birthday! She is such a great woman and still has some spunk. I'm thankful to have her in my life.

There's still much to do for the rest of the summer. Boy Scout camp, Day Camp, Paul family reunion and then the long days of August...

something I threw together

2009-05-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to do a red, black and white quilt for a long time and here is one. I also wanted to do the pattern which is Triangle Tango. It's really not difficult and it was a neat technique to learn. I really thought the red, black, white quilt that I've wanted to make would go in my room. This one is for my friend, Brooke. She is the culinary arts teacher at school and a friend. She is leaving for Western Asia with the Peace Corps. I think she has made a courageous decision to leave all that is comfortable here to pursue something she feels so strongly about. The Corbett colors just happen to be red, black and white (go Cards!!) and some of the prints are specific to her; the beaters because she works in the kitchen, soccer because she coaches, exclamation points because she never shuts up!! The other side of the quilt was donated by staff members and I just put it together and gave it to her for her birthday. I've said it before, but giving handmade gifts is a great way to show love! I'll miss you Brooke!! Good luck...

I'm home alone because the guys are at a father-son campout with church. I should probably be going out and having fun with friends, but I'm going to make a chocolate milk shake and watch a movie or just read. Ahhh, there's nothing like having the house to yourself!!

Time to Brag

2009-05-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here's my sharp man in black! Doesn't he look good? He performed in a music festival at Warner-Pacific college on Friday. He plays the oboe and he does quite well. All of the schools at the festival were the same size-about 150 students in the middle/junior high schools. All the other schools had about 12 or 15 band members, but Corbett has 50--that's right, 1/3 of the school are band geeks! But it's cool to be a band geek in Corbett, even in High School. I think I have lots more festivals in my future.

Saturday was a gorgeous day and I cant think of a better way to spend an hour than watching a soccer game! Clayton is really getting the hang of the game and really enjoying himself. What a great action shot this turned out to be!!

I always have the best Mother's day and each year I say that this one is the best ever!! It's really true though, because my guys are sooo good to me! Breakfast in bed, sweet gifts, yummy dinner and lots of love. What more could I ask for? Thanks guys. You're the ones who give meaning to my life, I couldn't ask for better kids (except when you hit each other in the store)!! Love you guys!! Kisses

Sweet elephants

2009-05-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest quilt that I finished. It's for one of the teachers at work who is expecting in a couple of weeks. It's a boy and she (the mom) loves orange. I think this is my new favorite baby pattern to make because the pieces are big so putting it together is relatively easy. So here's the front. (click to big it) Here's the back. Who doesn't love elephants on flannel? I pieced together a section because the fabric wasn't wide enough and I didn't have any extra elephant fabric. I like how it turned out.

Here's a close up of the elephants...

I always get nervous when I make something and give it for a gift. What if they don't like what I picked out? What if they don't like the design? What if ....I could just drive myself crazy with all the possibilities. My friend really liked the quilt. Even one of the male teachers said "wow". It's fun to be able to share talents with other people, I think it's one of the nicest ways to show love. Hasta!

This and that

2009-04-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's weird how when you haven't blogged and you feel like you should but you feel guilty that you didn't so then you don't and it just goes round and round like that...

So David was gone last week and I coached his soccer team for him. It was fun and it didn't rain on us. I like coaching volleyball better because there isn't any running involved. I'm glad Dave made it back by Saturday for the game which they won 5-1.

Spring has sprung and I love how everything is beautiful and green again. I'm even glad for all the work that I have to do outside. We really were cooped up this winter. The goats love spring too. I happened to come home for lunch one day last week and there were Doublestuff and Marshall munching on the lilac tree and other plants in the front yard!! It ended up being short of a rodeo, but I hustled them up to the pasture. When I came home after work, guess what??? That's right, goats in the yard again!! I think the fence is repaired now and the goats have been chastized!

Clancy had a big week this last week. The middle school went to the beach for an overnight field trip. That's right folks, 150 7/8 graders with their raging hormones spending the night away from home! Since I've been on a couple of these field trips I know that it's well-chaperoned. The kids had fun in the tide pools and had lessons by a park ranger-type person. Then they all rode in the ocean in an Indian style canoe. Everyone came home very tired and sunburned. On Friday Clancy packed up again and went on a scout trip to do the pioneering merit badge. They made it home late last evening, but with another badge for his sash!! Then he had to speak in church today about the blessings of the sabbath. We got to church and right before the first song started he came over to me all panicked and said "I left my talk at home, so I think I'll tell them to cancel me" He's a smart kid, so I wrote 5 words down to help him remember his talk and he aced it!! I'm so proud of him for pulling it through!

I have a new calling at church. I'm the Laurel advisor! I can't even begin to explain how excited I am to have a change! I'll miss my cubs, but I'm not so sure they'll miss me! Have a great week. Cheers!

Unfocused

2009-03-23T09:32:00.001-07:00

I can never get my pictures the way I want them... Why is Clayton in first place you might ask? You'll have to scroll down to the last picture to find out!

I love this picture. This is the smallest house that we've owned. I wondered how it would be being together all the time (what a brat I was). It's nice to see these guys being this close together and not hurting each other. Having a smaller living space has been a boon to our family. It's a joy to be together and be a family!!

Here's our guy!! He has participated in a wrestling camp at school that the varsity team puts on for the elementary kids. This is Clayton's fourth year participating and the fourth year that he has won 1st for his weight class. He's in the green shirt above. It has been really fun to watch him since kindergarten. He really improves each year with his skills and moves. This year he really understood how to use his own body weight to win points. He hasn't pinned anyone, but he always wins by a large margin of points. I'm a proud mama!

I feel unfocused and uncentered lately. I can't put a finger on what my problem is, but I don't have a ton of ooomph. David mentioned that we have more daylight and I should be feeling energized! Maybe it's the idea of all the work that needs to be done during the daylight!!

It's spring break and we were all so ready for the break. We have a few things to do here and around town the next couple of days and then the boys and I are off to the beach for the rest of the week! I'm excited to go and have a change of scenery.

I'm in the throes of making baby gifts again, so I'll have some pictures to post about that soon. I love making baby quilts just because they come together so quickly and I can make them cutesy or fun and funky!

Have a great spring break!! Cheers!

Does this make by butt look big???

2009-02-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

I'm seriously glad that I am not a goose! The two large orbs above are goose eggs while the blue and brown ones are chicken eggs. The top one just gives a reference point to the diet coke can. David wanted to get geese last spring. He ordered them from the farm store. Geese can be pretty nasty unless you let them imprint on you while they are young. To encourage the imprinting, our baby geese lived in the bath tub for a month or so. Baby geese are seriously cute!! The geese have grown a lot and one was killed by a savage animal this winter. We didn't know if we had the male or female left. I noticed over the weekend that the goose's beak was rather red, hmmmm....Then this morning I found these two eggs in the chicken coop in a small nesting area of straw! I was so excited! It really made my day that the goose has finally laid eggs. I'm a farm geek now, I guess.

What else has been happening? My parents came for a visit. It was nice because they stayed longer than they generally are able to. The boys really enjoyed spending some time with them. While they were here, Dad celebrated his one year anniversary of his heart surgery. Thank goodness for technology!! I'm glad you're still here, Dad!

The kids have had a lot of fun activities. Clancy had a Valentine's dance at school. Guess who won the dance-off at the dance???? That's right, Clancy the dancing machine!! He's still pretty excited about it. He was funny because before the dance he decided it was time to shave off the 14 hairs on his lip! I tried to take pictures, but he wasn't very cooperative! How funny to see him care about his appearance now.

Clayton is gearing up for wrestling next week. It's his fave sport and he's pretty good at it too. He had a Music program at school last week and had a speaking part. He nailed it! No dancing for him, though!

We are cleaning up the carnage of the wind storm. We had 8 trees come down in the storm. It seems like no matter how much we work outside, we will never catch up. I remember feeling this way when we first moved here, and we did get it all cleared away! I have to remember that.

That's all for now. Take care. Cheers!!

Holy Big Feet, Batman!!!

2009-01-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

He'll be 13 next Saturday and these are size 10 1/2!! That's bigger than his dad's feet. I'll be surprised if he isn't taller than me this summer...All this to go with the big attitude, right? I sure love this guy!

New Year Stuff

2009-01-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

I thought if I just write it down then maybe I would feel more compelled to accomplish some yearly goals.

1. Be more fiscally responsible. Buy what I need vs. what I want. This will be hard in the fabric and fiber arena, but I will use what I have first.

2. Be a better mom. Why do I think more volume will help my kids understand what I'm trying to say to them? Quiet words can have a great impact.

3. Be a better wife. There's not enough room here to list how I can improve in this area...

4. Be kinder to my body. Not eating gluten has been great for me. Now about the extra weight I'm carrying around. Some exercise would do wonders and so would laying off the sugar.

That's it. I can do a reasonable job with a smaller list. I'll check in next year and see how I fared.

Warm and Fuzzy

2008-12-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

He wanted to make a blanket by himself. Never mind that I am making him a quilt. He picked the fabric himself, decided the dimensions and did it all. Not too shabby for a kids who loves skating, four wheeling and all that dangerous stuff. I love that he wanted to do this on his own.

Winter Break Quick List

2008-12-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

1. Missed the week of school before the break.

2. It snowed.

3. Ran around house maniacally looking for hubby's gifts. I couldn't find them anywhere.

4. Knit some baby booties.

5. Asked the boys if I had them hide Dad's gifts. They looked at me like I was crazy and pulled them out from under their beds--already wrapped. We had wrapped them together!! Argh, I do this every year.

6. It snowed-a lot.

7. Enjoyed being snowed in. Nothing says time with family like watching the Back To The Future trilogy in one day!

8. Made cinnamon rolls.

9. Saw some family.

10. Made some rockin' candied citrus peel! Seriously good stuff!

11. Did I mention that it snowed?

12. Went sledding with the kids.

13. Loved time with my family where we didn't have a schedule to keep.

14. Missed seeing my siblings.

15. Surprisingly had the power on the whole time!

16. Did some more knitting. (see #7)

17. Loved watching the lads love their Christmas gifts.

It has been a great break. I think we are going to try and brave the big city today. Little C is going to the skate park and Big C has a gift card to Powells Books. I'm looking forward to our outing. Ciao!

Just Wonderin'...

2008-12-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

We were all hanging out and watching a movie when little C says "Do you think I can do the splits in tighty whiteys? They aren't as flexible as boxers." Well, this isn't something that I can weigh in on, so if you have an opinion, by all means let us know what you think! Merry Christmas...

You live in Oregon if...

2008-12-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

You are snowed in during the month of December with only 18" snow. Granted we have received most of it in less than a week, but it still makes me giggle. This is a great picture of the shop in the snow and some of the drifting that we have going on. Some are really impressive.

Our neighbor came over and plowed us out with his tractor. David had taken the truck out to see if could get out, but couldn't make it back up the drive. We might be able to make it to town tomorrow if we don't have freezing rain. There's just no reason to go anywhere with all the stinkin' ice. In this picture you can see an orange topped figure. That would be little C who is snow boarding down that drift. He has had a blast playing in the snow. The wind should be calm tomorrow, so I think we will venture out and sled. We have enough big drifts that we won't have to leave our property.

You might ask yourself what one does while snowed in? Besides taking water to the animals and clearing snow away from doors, we have been watching all the free family movies on Comcast. On Saturday we watched the complete trilogy of Back To the Future. AMAZING!! I'm sure it makes you wish you could be snowed in as well... if only you could be so lucky! Well, I'm off to find a wayward retainer. Ta!!

It's always a party here....

2008-12-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

I love how sparkly everything looks when it's out of focus! The guys brought home the perfect tree on Saturday--tall and slender. We decorated on Monday and now we are anxiously waiting for the big day to arrive! We have only been to school on Tuesday this week, church was even cancelled because of snow and ice. It makes sense only if you live here. Because it snows so seldom, nobody knows how to handle driving in it. But after growing up in Montana it seems pretty wimpy.

Here's some good-looking logger guy who hangs out in my living room in the evenings. He's even better in focus!! (Maybe that will learn ya to call me a blogging slacker)

Here is a great picture of big C on little C's birthday gift with a friend of ours. I love how messy the room looks! It's just lots of birthday festivity!!

I love seeing the snow outside, it makes it really seem like winter to me. I hope you're enjoying yours! Cheers, babe!

First dance, second hat and third handspun

2008-11-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

Here is my third yarn that I have made. I think I might make a beret style hat for myself out of it. It's pretty small, fingering weight and took a while. I learned a lot about spinning smaller yarn. I think I'm going to continue to learn every time I start a new project.

Here's the second hat with my second handspun. I really love how the yarn turned out and the hat turned out well too. I think the kid wearing it is turning out alright as well. He had his first middle school dance on Friday after school. I stayed and spied on him. The dance started out as any middle school dance does with the boys on one side of the room and the girls on the other. Then groups of girls started dancing so groups of boys started "dancing"--I'm still not sure what they were doing, but at least they weren't just standing around. Then there was a snow ball dance and one of the cool volleyball girls picked Clancy. He had about three picks of his own to make until the song was over. After that everyone just danced in a huge group in the middle and really had fun. Clancy is quite a hit with the vb girls which is really good for his self-esteem. I loved watching him. He's pretty comfortable doing his own thing without seeking approval from everyone else. (he dances like his dad, but at least they both will dance!)

The mighty hunter went looking for elk and came home empty-handed. It's just the way things go sometimes. We have had beautiful weather with lots of sunshine. I really love it. I don't mind the rain so much when we have the sun in between. I think that's it. Probably not the most exciting post for my bros to read, but maybe I'll knit you a hat! Cheers!!

Rosy cheeks and creamsicle hats

2008-11-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

For my guy whose fave color is orange...This is my first handspun yarn and I have to say that I'm kind of impressed that everything worked out the way that I planned. Now the weather needs to cool off so he can wear it!!

Pirates and Skeletons, Oh My!!

2008-11-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

For the second time in my costume-making career I didn't make costumes for my kids this year. I feel no guilt and don't feel like less of a mother for the experience. Big C decided at the last minute to go trick-or-treating and a pirate costume was easy to put together with some of the stuff from last year's Indiana Jones costume.

Little C wanted to be a gorilla, but when he found the skeleton costume, his mind was made up. I love how it makes him look knock-kneed!

I didn't have to encourage this picture, it pretty much happens naturally when they stand next to each other! They really hauled in the candy and had a great spook night. Hope you did too. Ta!

What's in your outhouse?

2008-11-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

I bought this cabinet a couple of years ago at a garage sale and was super excited about it. My bubble nearly burst when I showed it to my dear hubby and he said "Whatcha gonna do with an outhouse?" I wanted to say that I would stuff him in it and flush! We all call it the outhouse now. It has become home to all my fabric and fabric-related miscellany. Until a couple of weeks ago it was a disaster, but now it is a thing of beauty! Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Outhouse!!

I even got all crazy and organized the fabric by color with all the flannel on the second shelf under the reds. The baskets have a bunch of goodies and special fabrics. I keep opening it just to see how pretty it all is! The two blocks on the door are for little C's quilt. He really wanted the orange to POP and I think he nailed it! If this seems like a crazy thing to be excited about, think about organizing your drill bits or whatever...Now you know what's in my out house! Ciao

DOES DAD KNOW??

2008-09-15T20:44:00.001-07:00

That's what little C said when he saw my hand. Older C told me in no uncertain terms that he doesn't approve. And yes, Dad knows. And he knows that it is henna and not a permanent tat...I went to Saturday market with my http://blogging-for-2.blogspot.com/ friend. It was such an incredibly beautiful day with lunch along the river. Since we were in Portland there was plenty of freaky-people watching! sometime I'll tell the story about the women on the train next to us...Keep Portland Weird!!! It was nice to have some time with a great friend in the sunshine. Thanks D!!

Poof!! Dreams turn to dust...

2008-08-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

He's my crazy guy who's afraid of nothing (except E.T.) He's a man's man and loves to things his dad does. That's why today when the audio doc said that his hearing is getting worse and there can be no more shooting of any gun, I saw his face turn and I cried and cried. The doctor really didn't know what to do with me, she doesn't understand how much a part of life that is for these guys. I asked C if he was more sad about his hearing or about the guns. He said the guns...and if his hearing goes he can always learn sign language-in fact he has said this since we first found out about his ears. This isn't some kind of boo-boo that I can put a bandaid on or kiss better. It has really taken the wind out of his sails...and mine too...

Fresh, Organic, Free Range Firewood

2008-08-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

This was a sign that we saw on our way home from the beach yesterday. It is totally hilarious!! Kind of makes me giggle.

This is a skim board. The guys are getting better at it each year. This year they figured out that if you go fast enough you can catch a couple of waves.

Here C is trying to get the dog into the water. She sure is a baby for how big she is! The beach was beautiful and relaxing. It was definitely hard to come home...

It's all about summer

2008-08-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

And summer is almost over...I'm just going to list what this summer has been for me.

-floating the river with the guys
-blackberries and jelly
-olympics and knitting
-cooking foil dinners over a fire in the pasture
-hanging the laundry to dry
-watching boys grow up faster than I ever thought possible
-looking forward to a family reunion and then being home too soon

Older C has been working for a neighbor this summer. He is saving for a trip to Europe next spring. He is also picking and selling blackberries by the gallon. He's been working really hard and I'm proud of him. He also spent his first week at Scout Camp and had a stellar time.

Younger C went to a skate camp and had fun. He also went to Cub day camp for the first time as a scout! He loved it and was really worn out everyday. This week is a football camp for him at the school. So much fun before we are back to the grind of school.

I had a couple of inservice training meetings this week. I would love to take a sabbatical the first three weeks of school and have time to do some things at home. Hey, if wishes were horses, right? I'm teaching a friend how to sew which is fun. She is really catching on fast. Now don't laugh too hard on this one...I'm assistant coaching the volleyball in the Middle School this year. I figure I can give a lot of pointers to the ones who sit on the bench since that is all I ever did. We are doing a camp this week, and it's fun to get to know the girls in a different environment than the classroom.

I always think about where I was personally a year ago and feel good about the personal progress that I have made in a year. I think about where I will be in a year from now and I wonder what changes are afoot for our family. I always wish for that crystal ball that might give me a glimpse at all the answers.

One more thing. I'm ready The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. It was written in the mid 1800's and it's well written and really darn funny. I really love the time period and the antics of the characters. Okey dokey...Ta!!

What a croc!

2008-07-23T10:17:00.001-07:00

What's not to love about red maryjanes? The fact that they are made out of plastic is weird, but they are oh, so stylin', right? Clayton's fav color is orange. When they were new these babies glowed! They were so bright. Clancy's favorite color is blue. These are definitely his fashion style, understated and match anything. I really love this pic!

So, I have not figured out how to post pics where I want them. I think you can follow though. The top and bottom ones are on a tour boat in Montana on the Missouri River. It's a great ride through what is known as the Gates of the Mountains. It's an optical illusion that makes the mountainous cliffs look like gates that are closing behind you or opening in front of you. It is cool to be there and think that this is where Lewis and Clark were so many years ago. The boat guide is a retired teacher and very cool, he let the boys pilot the boat on the way back to the dock. It was a big highlight for them.

The other two pics are the second day we were home. I found some hay for our animals on Monday and we went to the field to pick it up. Dave's allergies were so bad that the boys and I took the hay up to the barn on Tuesday. It's so much more fun to work with the "farm equipment" for the boys. It's good to have that all taken care of though.

We're off the the orthodontist, the library and wherever else I can make the mighty truck go! Ciao babe...

Back in the saddle

2008-07-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Coming back from vacation is always hard for me. We have sooo much fun, stay up too late and then have a ton to do when we come home. We had a great time at my family reunion. My brother and his wife were stuck with hosting the crew this time. They did a great job of showing us a fun time. I think the quotable quotes of the trip were the lady at the bowling alley saying how entertaining it was to watch us bowl and when Jared came upstairs after bedtime with a CareBear and Jason said, "Jared, why do you have a CareBear in your pants" without laughing. Try it some time, it's impossible not to laugh.

I can't find the USB cable or I would share some pics from the trip. We've been mowing/hauling hay/weeding/alpaca shearing since we've been back. No wonder I never want to get out of bed in the morning?! Well I'd better change out of my pj's and get moving on this day. Ta!

New York: It's a Zoo Out There

2008-07-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

I still haven't figured out how to post pictures and text...oh well!! The DC/NY trip was so fun and so full of details and events that I'll just say that I'm glad that I live in a tiny little burg in Oregon! In DC we went to the White house, the capitol, the Holocaust museum and all the various war memorials. We ate one day in Union Station which is a really beautiful place! In NY we went to Central Park, The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. We saw Legally Blond on Broadway which was a real treat. Another thing I really loved was haggling with the street vendors. I bought the zebra bag from the funniest guy who drove a hard bargain, but relented to the country bumkin from Oregon (his exact words)! The hustle and bustle were a little overwhelming at times. In fact I had people get angry with me for being too slow getting my money out or put away at lunch. Who knew? I much prefer the slower life this side of the Rocky Mountains.

I sure missed my guys. They went camping in Wallowa and I'm pretty sure they had more fun than I did. In these pictures they are packaging up the newborn kits. They are finally complete! It was fun to listen to their comments as we bagged things up. They couldn't imagine not having such a simple thing as soap to wash your baby. They talked about how many blankets both of them had as a newborn and what they have now. I think this project has made the impact I was hoping for.

We are off to Montana and Idaho next week. It's going to be a lot of fun seeing family and relaxing for all of us. After that we are just going to chill here on the farm, go to the beach and enjoy the rest of the summer! Cheers!

It's the way we roll

2008-06-10T08:34:00.001-07:00

We are making newborn kits for a Humanitarian aid project at church. We decided as a family that each of us could make a kit. Here are the guys sewing their receiving blankets. They each picked out their own fabric. I think they are having fun with it. Cloth diapers are next...

This quilt is going to our friends who are moving back to India. I thought a Cowboy/Western/Americana theme would be a great souvenir from their years spent in America.

I asked the boys to move some rounds of wood from the tree David fell last year and here they are, farming it kid style! I love how innovative they can be. The wagon has bark on it. Whew, I hope they used enough chains!! This is how they spent part of the first day of summer break. They also mucked out the chicken coop and cleaned the nesting boxes. I have to harness their willingness to help whenever I can! They leave in the morning to camp with dad in Wallowa. They are so excited about this...maybe that's why they are so willing to help?

That's it for about a week. I'll post again when I am back from the east coast. I'm pretty excited about going. Have a great week! Ta!

Trippin' in a Mini-van

2008-06-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

I did it and it goes against all that I believe in. I drove a mini-van on a road trip! I don't know, maybe I'm a better person for it, but I had told myself it was something I would never do. I showed up to leave for the Middle School field trip to Antelope Oregon and was told I would be driving a mini-van of students on this trip. We have enough students to fill two buses and then about 10 more, so rather than take another bus, the school district rents vans for the overflow. One would think that one would need a special permit or something, but I guess I was just the one who seems crazy enough to say "Sure, how bad could this get?" Yeah, so paybacks really are hell!! Try spending four hours in a mini-van (!!!) listening to show tunes and six Middle School girls singing full bore the whole time. Whoo hooo!! I discovered this great phenomenon as we were driving, though: If you leave the Columbia River Gorge, you will encounter this yellow stuff called sunshine. Sunshine, blessed sunshine!! I almost forgot all about you!! So we get to Antelope and the place we stay is called Wild Horse which is where the Rajneeshe compound used to be. Now it is a Christian youth camp- a weird dicotome, I know. This field trip is a huge reward for the students. It was rough for me once we were there. I had to make sure the zip line would be fun...in fact I had to go down twice to make sure it was ok. Then after everyone was blinded by the whiteness of my legs, I hung out by the pool and just chilled. Have I mentioned how tough my job is?? We spent the night, repeated activities of the previous day and then headed back to the dreary drizzle of the Gorge.

This week has been more field trips with work. Yesterday and today I was in charge of a student with an authority defiance/agression disorder as well as ADHD and adolescent hormones. What was I saying about paybacks? As a culminating activity to an ancient Greece study unit, we went to the Greek Cuisina in downtown Portland. Awesome food!!! Wow!! The kids did some Greek dancing and had a chance to break plates. Good times. Today, though, I accompanied the squirrel to the Portland Zoo. I'm certainly thankful that my kids don't have behavior disorders or academic difficulties. I guess that's the best part of my job--greater appreciation for my guys.

Speaking of my perfect children, portfolio night was last week. Older C scored 2 points below the max on state math testing. He also had a band concert tonight and they really sounded great! Younger C is also a genius...reading and doing math above grade level. This really gives him a leg up for next year.

So now we have 1 1/2 days of school left and I will be leaving on Tuesday the 10th for the Middle School Washington DC/New York trip. Then I will just hang out with my own kids at home...I'm really looking forward to that! Ciao, babe

2008-05-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a week and I feel like I have nothing to blog. The weeks have been so busy...I know that everyone has a lot on their plate, but I enjoy being a homebody without a lot going on. Young C is in baseball and track so practices are a big part of life. Older C is still in Hunter's Safety for a couple of more weeks. At least the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming! I went to a really fun baby shower for one of the teachers at work, it was a lot of fun to chat and eat! Too bad I didn't take pictures of the dresses I made...Oh well. I'll write more later when I have fun pictures and a better story...Ta!

Of Mothers and Boys

2008-05-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's Mother's Day...a day I once abhorred. How does one sit in church while everyone waxes on and on about how wonderful motherhood is when I wasn't sure this was a 'hood' that I would ever experience. Mormon culture is really tough on the fertility challenged crowd. I remember wondering what my life was worth if I couldn't/wouldn't become a mother. I would always be wife/sister/daughter, but the elusive mother was a label seemingly just out of my grasp. There were so many times that hopes were raised and I was sure that this time all the meds/timing etc would work. Those hopes were let down so many times and with those hopes went my ego and emotions each and every time. Did I mention that I had a friend who had three children in the time I worked on and had my first. One day she said to me "I finally know how you feel, we have tried for a month and we're not pregnant." Yes people can be incredibly insensitive when they are trying to be kind.

Now I have two incredible boys who are so much more than I ever could have hoped for when I was incredibly naive and shopping for onesies and pacifiers. On this day they treat me like a princess. Breakfast in bed, nap in the afternoon, dinner prepared by their hands. They even give up the remote control to me for the day (maybe under small protest, but still..) I only have their dad to thank for teaching them that this should be a day of honor for me. Mother's Day is now a day I love and look forward to enjoying.

Now that I have that elusive mother label firmly in my grasp, I wonder daily what I should/could do to be a better mother tomorrow. My constant goal is to yell less. Some days are great and some aren't. I wonder do I set the example that they need to be honorable priesthood holders, just good people in society? Right now they are really good guys, so I'll just keep trying.

My own mother is hard to write about. She really taught us the importance of serving other people. I remember doing things for other people anonomously even when things were pretty lean at home. I know that I owe so much to her for who I am now. Happy Mother's Day to all!

Happy Anniversary, Baby

2008-05-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today is our 18th anniversary! It's pretty exciting to me, I've been married almost half my life. I have to say that we have had some pretty rough patches, but I think that sticking it out has made our relationship what it is today. I think there is a lot to say about friendship and the familiarity that comes after 18 years of being together. Our evening wasn't all glitz and glamour. We had friends over for dinner and David changed the brakes on their car. Isn't that what it's all about though? Being together and helping other people?

Last night I was thinking about marriages. I thought of my friend who is a widow at age 37. I also thought of my friend who left her husband this morning to move to California-alone. I don't think we get married and envision either one of these scenarios, but they certainly are real, aren't they. I am really grateful for my marriage and all the rough patches and great patches that make our relationship what it is today. I'm thankful that my hubby isn't so shallow that he still appreciates me-even when I'm chubby and hanging out in my Carhartts with a do-rag on my head. Yeah, it's sexy, baby!!

So here's to you Dear Hubby!! I'm signing up for another 18 years!

down on the farm

2008-04-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes indeed, we have alpaca now. And yes, yes indeed, we did haul them in the Honda Element. I know, it's just hard not to be jealous of my life, but not everyone can live the dream!! These guys will live with the rest of the animals out in the pasture. They are great for mowing and for guarding, which is the main reason for having them at this point. We have been losing poultry at an alarming rate. They both have good fiber, so it will be fun to play around with the fiber and see how that goes.

It's four-wheeler time in the country. The four-wheeler wouldn't run so the guys hauled it in for a tune-up. Now that it's back, our driveway will never be the same. It's really a lot of fun and like the little C says "We're back into 4-wheeling again."

The other picture above might not show it too well, but he has a black eye courtesy of his younger sib. I wasn't home when it happened so that absolves me of bad parenting, right? Actually he is pretty proud of the shiner and had to point it out to everyone. It's on the yellow side now and on its way to fading out completely.

I spent a couple of days last week on a field trip with the Middle School. We went to the beach for our oceanography unit. It was super rainy the day that my group was inside doing labs and nice the day we went on a 4 mile hike. The day the other group hiked, it rained 2.5 inches. They had water running down the trail. More kids came back muddy than not. It was a good hike and we could see where the estuary went into the ocean. I don't have any pics from that trip but it was a lot of fun.

On the crafty news: I'm almost done with a super cute knitted dress that will be a baby gift. Almost done with a scarf that I started in Montana and started a scarf for a family member that I'll see this summer. (Jason, you can wear it with your leotard...the pink one). I'm off to pick up the Little C from a rainy baseball practice.

Aprons and cowboy quilts

2008-04-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here is our sewing group. We made aprons which is quite obvious. They are all reversible, which is really snazzy. We had a great time. It's really sad that my hair looks like crap and I look pregnant, but really, it's just the apron...

Here is my third quilt of the year and the recipient. Her name is Dulsanna and she had Ian this last Tuesday. I think she liked it. It's nervewracking for me to make a quilt for someone when they haven't chosen the fabric. The back is cowboy flannel and I couldn't get that picture to upload for some reason. You can see it sitting on a chair in the apron picture, though.

It's supposed to snow this weekend so I'm going to build a fire now. I think it's the latest in the year that I've ever built a fire. I think I'll go recover now for posting so much in such a short time...

This whole life thang

2008-04-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today I went to a funeral for the mother of one of my friends. Her mother was 85 and lived a great life. The family took up most of the chapel and there were very few other people there. I had taken the lads with me and they were sooo good!! As the speakers talked about this woman's life, I wondered what would be said about me if I were to have a funeral today (weird, I know...just consider the source). Would it be said that I hated getting up in the morning and was grumpy for about the first hour of waking? Would it be that I was just some crazy woman about 5 seconds from directing traffic in my nightgown? Well, I asked the lads...They said they would say that I'm a good mom, not too strict and not too much on the spoiling side. It really made me smile to realize what would come to an 8 and 12 year olds mind...Little C also said that I was a hard worker and big C said that I'm grumpy when I'm tired. I really love these guys, especially when they aren't punching each other in the stomach or having some kind of flatulent contest. At the end of the service was a beautiful song about a woman meeting Heavenly Father again. I might have had a tear or two going down my cheek and the boys were very tender toward me. It almost made me cry harder. They held my hands and told me I would be ok. It's nice to know that they can be so sweet and loving.

So this whole life thing is incredible. I've held an hours -old baby this week and attended a funeral of a woman considered a great and loving mother by more than just her children. I think we sometimes underestimate the impact we can make during our time here. Just something to think about...

Oh, Baby

2008-04-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

It seems this whole life thing is quite cyclic. I suddenly find myself surrounded by a lot of pregnant acquaintances. Most of them are young and having their first. Two of the women I work with are pregnant. Well only one is now and the other brought in her baby today for a quick show-and-tell. I forgot how beautiful a newborn is. I love that when I held him out from me he stayed all scrunched up with his legs pulled in close to his body. Another friend is 45 and had a boy today. She also has boys that are 22, 20 and 16. Surprise surprise!! I've thought a lot about her in the months since she told me that she was expecting. This is not a curve ball that life has thrown at her. This will be a huge change in everyday life for her and her family that is still at home...It really brings to home the fact that we are subject to the Lord's will. I'm excited to go to the hospital this evening and meet this new life...

Howday

2008-03-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

Life can really teach some great lessons. I'm learning that absolutely nothing is more important than the time we can spend with our families. I flew home for a week to be with my parents while dad had open heart surgery. He did great, but definitely a cause for thought. After I came home a good friend of our died of cancer. I think of what his wife would give just to be able to make more memories with him...

I can't believe that my oldest son is wearing a size 8 shoe and is 12. By the end of the summer I wouldn't be surprised if he is as tall as I am. My younger son is learning some of the things that some second graders never learn, like the importance of real friendship. He also has made the distinction between celebrating the Easter Bunny and Santa or celebrating the birth and resurrection of the Savior. Because of my children I am definitely a better person.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I have been up to. I think it would be a lot of fun to make one quilt a month this year, no matter what size they are. I've made two and need to finish the third, so I am right on track. Let's see if I can figure out how to post pictures.....

So the pictures are there, but not here. I really have to figure out the picture thang....

where have I been??

2007-06-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? I really had such great intentions of posting more often and everytime I thought about posting I would have some sort of huge block.

I'm now working for a school and so have the summer off for the first time in 3 years! I now realize what I have missed these last couple of summers. I love just hanging out with my kids and hopefully they appreciate having a mother at home with them this year. I'm definitely more relaxed and feel more like doing things around the farm and with my family.

We now have 10 chickens - I think one is a rooster though - 3 ducks, 2 goats, 1 pot belly pig and 4 cats and 4 baby kittens. Oh, and 2 dogs. EIEIOOO.

We are getting ready for our trek to Montana and I'm feeling some stress about it. We are taking the dogs for one thing and I think that my mom will freak out about that. She and I don't always get along anyway and so I'm a little nervous about spending the week there. I know that parents age, and I know that mine have, but I don't think that I'm ready to face the reality of this and what it means for my dad and all the ailments that affect him in different ways. I really relate well with him and could cry right now just writing about him. Maybe I'll just leave that subject as is.

We said good-bye to Gma Paul last month and that has brought up a lot of feelings about family. I am really going to miss her. I spent more time with her when she lived in Portland than when she was in Hood River. She was an incredible inspiration to me and how I should treat others.

Here are some pretty pics from around the farm.

2006-10-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's fall here at the farm. My flowers are so happy to have a reprieve from the heat and to have it rain so they can have a drink. I am having a nesting kind of day--sitting around and taking it easy for a change. I can only be turbo for so long. I am finishing my first real quilt today! I have had the fabric for years and it feels so good to see a finished project. It's a lot of flannel that I bought on sale at various quilt stores. I was going to originally make rag quilts for the kids, but it's been long enough now that it's not what I want. I'll have to take a picture and post it later.

Life is life and we are all doing o.k. here. School is well under way and the kids are doing great. We've had friends over a few times and that is just so fun. Halloween is on deck and I have one costume done. I will have to work on the other one this weekend. I love making costumes for these guys. I think I'd better tackle laundry before it overtakes us all....

Counting down...

2006-08-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

I find it rather ironic that I am posting at the very end of summer. It is a cold and rainy day. We are all feeling a bit bored and not wanting to do anything that requires energy. The oldest C has a cold and Little C is just happy hanging out and doing crafts. We are getting ready for a garage sale with our neighbor, so he is also cleaning out his room and preparing to sell all that he hasn't played with in a while. I managed to clean out the craft closet and I feel sooo much lighter now.

The picture at the top is me with my mom and sister. I had the great experience of hosting my family for 5 days for our family reunion. It was at the end of June and sooo much fun. I just couldn't ask for a better family (if I did it probably wouldn't happen anyway).

School starts in about 7 days and we are all ready for it. The boys really need to keep busy and I'm craving some time alone in the house and having the house stay clean on a regular basis. I'm also so sad about school starting just because it is fun to be with these guys. They will never be these ages again and sometimes it feels like time is slipping like sand through my fingers. They just grow up so fast. I sure love, love, love them!!

I don't wanna go...

2006-05-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

Usually this time of year I am so excited for summer break. Not so much this year and I'm really not sure why. Don't get me wrong-I love spending time with my kids. It's the whole coming up with activities that don't ruin the budget that can really get me down. It helps to make a list that I can turn to for fun, so I must make my list soon.

My kindergarten boy is ready for summer too. He decided yesterday that he really didn't want to go to school. He hid from the bus when it came!! What a little stinker! At least he was honest and told me what happened. I just so happened to not have any wheels for the day, so once again my neighbor came to the rescue. I just have to laugh...

2006-05-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

So this was the best vacation EVER!! We had a great time, were sun-kissed and exhausted when we came home. Life really blasted me upon coming home. I have been mowing and weeding, laundering and grocery shopping. Whew! It's just so much fun to watch the kids faces as they take in new experiences!

2006-04-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

So here a a couple of pics of the ducks taking a bath in the kitchen sink. They really loved it this time. I think now that David has watched the boys and how happy and excited they are that he has somewhat forgiven me for buying more animals after we agreed to wait till next spring to have ducks. Things are just ducky now!!

We went to an egg hunt at a farm not far from here and we got soaked through!! Happy Easter in Oregon!

Ducky Days

2006-04-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Things are just ducky around here lately. Here is Brownie and Spotty the newest residents in our laundry room. They are so darn cute. We let them go swimming in the kitchen sink this afternoon and they really liked it. The boys laughed so hard! I figure we might as well try out every farm animal that is small that I can haul in my car! It's just too much fun so far!!

Our big goat Spike broke his leg while trying to jump the fence the other night-the punk!! Well, we decided to splint it with some aluminium and duct tape--a vet's fee would be $250 or so to come on out. We called to see how long he should be splinted and it's 8-10 weeks!! Oh dear.

Well, Happy Easter! Ours will be soggy and cold so we will hopefully relax and enjoy.

Trillium Thrill

2006-03-31T15:50:00.000-08:00

Trilliums are another great reason to love where we live. We have counted over 20 blooms on our property. I love spring!!

2006-03-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

First I have to say thanks to my superb best friend, David, for putting up with me and my horrible, sleep deprived, pms and depressed self. I love you so much and appreciate all your support during stressful times.

I've decided to needlepoint and took my first class last week. I can tell that I will love doing this new craft. I purchased a canvas that is a sampler with a rooster in the middle of it. It's black and ivory and I think it will look spectacular in our house when complete. It's going to take a loooong time, but I'm up for the challenge.

Speaking of challenge, we are beginning spring break and boys are home and needing things to do. I hope the weather will be nice enough to hike and play at the river. I was hoping to go to the beach, but the house was snatched away before I had a chance to ask.

This is more of a journal entry today than a funny/cute post. Well, I don't think anyone but my hubby reads this so it's better that way...

And Then......

2006-03-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

The pigs are here, and I'm trying to post a picture of them. I am blog challenged so hopefully I will figure this out by the end of the day. We are having fun watching the pigs. Our little farm has definitely become a responsibility--not in a bad way either. The pigs are a real crack up, all their snorting is hilarious. I think I could live the life of a pig, sleeping and eating and playing in the dirt...not bad

So depression can really suck. I really would love to feel normal again. I'm pretty sure that it isn't normal to wake up and hope that this might be the day I'm lucky enough to get hit by a truck on my way to somewhere. Thankfully my family puts up with me and loves me anyway....

I have a confession to make...

2006-02-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

I think I am bored with knitting...There I said it and it's out in the open!! This is so sad because knitting is such an escape for me, and because I am a knitting instructor at a craft store. I have been exploring some of the other crafts that I enjoy, sewing and needlework, and just feel like maybe I need to spend some time working on those. I won't put my knitting away forever though. I have to finish the vest and hat for my hubby and I have numerous socks that I want to complete. I didn't even mention the small stash of yarn that would haunt my conscience if I decided to never knit again. I have yarn for two sweaters, some small felted projects and a bunch of miscellaneous yarns that I picked up at the Knit Picks sale last spring. I think it is just time for change. Now that the weather is changing I will need to spend more and more time outside working, which is something I love to do. I keep asking myself if I'm copping out on something that I've worked hard to master. It seems to me that I need to broaden my horizons right now and follow my interests to see where they will take me. I have met some truly amazing people through this whole knitting adventure, people who have truly enriched my life and made me want to be a better person. I really think that is what life is all about: taking from your life experiences and using all those moments to become a better person...I'll see you at the fabric and needle shops next!!

Kids and what they say

2006-02-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

So our school is having a food/clothing drive for Katrina victims. Our youngest decided that he wanted to make/knit hats for these unfortunate people. I whipped out my Knifty Knitter and he was on his way. Of course, older brother decided that he wanted to join in the effort so I whipped out my other size of KK and he was on his way too. They are making great progress and I'm so proud of them. I teach knitting so I'm glad that my children have an interest in this too. So one day after school, the boys are watching a tv program and working on their hats. The youngest leans toward the oldest and says in the cutest voice.."We look like girls!" The oldest was not impressed and threatened to quit until I assured him that boys can knit too. (all the while casting the evil eye at their father to say otherwise). This is my favorite story of my kids right now. I love that they want to help and do their best. The little guy took a bag full of canned goods, toys and hats of his own doing. The bag was so heavy I carried it down to the bus for him and helped get on the bus.

One other funny kid story...We moved out here about 15 months ago from the city. As we cleaned up the house and yard to sell that house we made a trip to the dump. The kids had never been there before (maybe that's why we had such a large load?) As we were unloading our junk, the boys were overcome by the smell of the place-not too pleasant. The youngest once again with great wit and charm said "It smells like chicken!" I love this!! When in doubt just blame the chicken...

Maiden Voyage

2006-02-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

Here is my first entry into blog land. I would so love for it to be something wonderful and genius, but no such luck. I need to get dinner on the table so we can go look at vaccuums tonight. Wow, that really sucks!! More later, Cami