The Johnson Family

Guess what?

2010-06-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what this is? Go ahead and take a stab at it.
Then let me know what you thought it was and what kind of a
creative trip your mind took you on.

Scroll down for a closer look and the answer.

Okay, how many of you guessed the under belly of our resident duck? Isn't that hilarious? Rick and I were sitting in the family room when I heard something at the back door.
Could it be one of our critters trying to get our attention from the back of the house? He went to investigate and couldn't see anything...until he looked up on the breakfast nook skylight. There he was, exposing himself for all to see.
I can't say I have ever seen this side of a (living) duck before. I guess he'll go to any extreme to get our attention. Like I said, they have enough gumption and nerve to let us know when it's feeding time (which, by the way, is all of the time).

Spring and all that she has to offer!

2010-06-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung! 'Squeekers' has made his annual return.

He is quite content with his daily supply of peanuts.
The ducks have decided that they want in on the good stuff. No more bread tossed into the pond. Oh, no. They are up on the deck and even pressing their beaks against the glass doors to announce they are ready to be served.
Mother and I went out to Flower World to pick up some plants and were greeted by their resident rooster. I love the colors on this fellow.
And of course you all know 'Blackie' and his wife 'Brownie'. They have taken up residence in the cattails now for the past 3 years. We are happy to see them back. They don't mind us hanging out on the deck with them. His chirping is the first thing I hear in the morning and he doesn't let up until he is fed. He doesn't mind sharing with the squirrels, but the crows are another story. Names of the critters provided by Molly.

Mother spent a month and a half with us this spring. Doesn't she look beautiful? This picture was taken on Mother's Day. She has on a new outfit and new pearls. Rick bought her an orchid coursage and Amanda gave her a new hair cut. She is so darling.

Usually Mother comes around Thanksgiving and stays for a few months, but she decided that it would be nice to see the rhododenrons this year. They really put on a show for her. Since different colors bloom at different times she had a hard time deciding which were her favorites. I think she decided on the dark purple.

Isn't she the cutest little mama ever?

And doesn't she have a handsome son-in-law?

Sadie decided she needed to be in the photo. She loves mother

(not to mention all of the extra attention and treats she gets when mom is here).

Yep, she spoils us all, even the dog.

Even Mt. Rainier was nice enough to make an appearance.

I love this mound of evergreen azaleas. It really showcases the red in the leaves of the maple tree above it. Here the davidii is in bloom and the flowering crab apple is too.

Ahhh, spring!

A few years ago, I picked up this heavy iron fence at a garage sale for $50. I placed one section here in the rose garden and then added another section along the upper lawn (to the left of the photo) and planted roses in front of it also. One can never have too many roses. I will post a picture with them all in bloom - gorgeous!

Here is a new addition to the yard. A white deciduous azalea

that is as fragrant as it is beautiful.

The many colors of spring in the front yard.

I love the chartreuse green on the lime mound spirea,

tom thumb cotoneaster's red berries

and the burgandy of the crimson pygmy barberry all together.

A favorite pink of mothers.

Here is one of the

fragrant deciduous azaleas

'Glowing Embers' up close.

Hawaii ~

2010-06-20T14:07:00.001-07:00

Here are Molly and Jane's grandparents.

Molly says," they are all very nice and she loves us all."

Here is the story of our Hawaiian vacation together.

Rick decided to take me to Hawaii for my 50th birthday. Tom & Debi were going to be there so they invited us to meet up with them. They took us around to all of their favorite locations on Maui. We loved every minute of it.

The first morning looking out from our balcony we caught a rainbow over the ocean.
Our first evening, we went to dinner and sat out on the deck.
The breeze was cold but the sunset was beautiful.

Tom & DebiThe next morning, Tom & Debi took us to now one of our favorite spots. It is very rocky and the surf and spray were powerful and facinating to watch. Nearby is a labyrinth that we walked through. Nothing like it to begin our stress free vacation.

Here the water is receeding.
It is amazing to see that living creatures are able to cling to these
rocks with all of that powerful surf. Me

The guys.

The girls.

The weather was rainy, windy and overcast at times.

Here we were able to catch a few rays.

Debi loaned me a rash guard to keep me from burning.

Something I am very good at I might add.

Enjoying a little shade under the famous banyan tree.

Here is a bigger picture of the tree. It is quite amanzing.

Rick and I with Lahaina in the background.

Tom & Debi

The girls. This tuberose lei was so fragrant.

It smelled like heaven. I loved it.

A beautiful sunset.

Rick & Lori

Rick

The four of us at Mama's Fish House.

What a fabulous feast.

The presentation was works of art and the taste was magnificent.

This is one of the rare (and I'm not just a kidding) moments

when I had my eyes open in a photograph.

What can I say, I blink when a light flashes in front of my face!
Why does that surprise you?

On Tom and Debi's last day, we strolled through the labyrinth one last time.

I have to say that is one of the top rated experiences in my life. I loved it.

It can be quite emotional to say the least. We hated saying goodbye to our dear friends. They really showed us a great time.

Thanks you guys for a fabulous funfilled week.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday. Isn't this a gorgeous sunset?

and then as if on cue, a sail boat entered the scene.

On our last evening in paradise we went to a luau and

enjoyed our last sunset.

Oh yeah, Rick loved driving the Mustang convertible.

Birthday Surprise!

2010-06-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Dave and Brenda decided to come to Seattle to surprise me for my 50th birthday. Did I just admit to turning 50? We had the best time visiting the Tulip Festival. But the great weather we had been enjoying the months before (and caused everything to bloom early) disappeared and we had a cold front move it. We were freezing...

I took a few shoots of some of my favorites.

Red fringe and yellow parrot tulips.

Gorgeous combination of orange/pink tulips with purple hyacinths.

Fields of reds and pinks were everywhere.

It was so cold, I don't know how the tulips stood it!

I beautiful field of pink tulips at the base of the mountain.

I loved this picture with the tractor in a field of yellow tulips.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention it snowed? We still have a great time together. Eating and seeing the sights of Seattle. We even visited a few model train stores for Dave's new hobby.

Quilting Frenzy

2010-06-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

This pattern came from a darling quilt shop in St. George. I started these chickens years ago and put them away during a busy time of life. There it sat amongst the many boxes of UFO (unfinished objects) waiting for life to slow down a bit and be rediscovered. This is the 1st of the 8 quilts I finished during the month of March. Thanks to Kareena (who is living in China) we opened up her home as a sweat shop. We could go and work at our leisure, day or night. Having other motivated quilters around you working toward the same goal was great and inspired us to get things done.

#2 This quilt started with a charm pack I picked up in southern Nevada. I bordered each sqaure with a polka dot print and then a stripe border set them off. I used a fun floral print from Kaffe Fassett for the last border that tied all of the colors together.

#3 Lost Sock quilt. These blocks were put together on one of quilt group sew days. Everyone brought enough fabric to make the quilt and we swaped fabrics to make it very scrappy. I left mine with raw edges so the socks will fray when I wash it. I loved how it turned out.

#4 Belive it or not this is Christmas fabric. I loved that it broke away from the traditional red and green. This is called a disappearing 9-patch. I made 9 patches, cut them into 1/4ths and sewed them back together. Perfect pattern for charm pack squares.

#5 Another circle quilt using Christmas fabrics. The quilt group made and traded them with each other. I finished mine using a border print and mitered corners.

I backed it with a flannel polka dot and a red and white stripe for the binding.

One of the circle has Elvis on it. Pretty funny.

# 6 This Christmas quilt is all flannel and I backed it in a fabulous

damask printed green flannel. Very cozy for those cold winter nights.

# 7 This is the Merry Go Round quilt pattern.

I used 3 jelly rolls of Mo Mo Wonderland fabrics by Moda.

It was a fun pattern to put together.

Here is a close up of the blocks.

# 8 A pastel 9-patch using a lot of scraps left over from Jane's nursery.

This started out as a group project with the Q2 quilt group.

Everyone made 9-patches and swaped them.

I love this sweet fabric called Serendipity.

Family Gathering - March 2010

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Nothing makes us happier than having the grandkids around. We have the cutest, smartest, most fun grandchildren EVER! (Logan was asleep during this picture so we caught him later)...
Hey, don't forget about me!

Jake, Alicia, Tyler and Logan

Logan's blessing.

Matt, Jake, Logan, Rick and Roger

The Family

Logan Duke Johnson

2010-01-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

He's here!

I could hardly wait to get my hands on him.

Logan has arrived.

We are so excited to have him here.

A very healthy, strong, big boy. He weighed in at 9 lbs., 3 oz. and 22 1/2 " long.

14" head and 14" chest.

Alicia was so grateful she chose to have a c-section. Such a darling face.

He looks so much like Alicia's baby pictures.
and like his big brother Tyler.

Alicia's boys!
All tuckered out.
Cute pie.

Ty was in the bathroom doing his own hair and laughing hysterically.

The results!

What a funny kid.

Two weeks old and doing great!

So content...

soo happy!

This little man has big feet and a space between his toes

just like his grandpa Johnson!

Alicia found that none of the baby booties fit him.

Pretty funny.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Amanda made this darling paper doll mobile for Jane.

She loved it.
Janie is sooo excited to open presents.
Of course the ribbons were a hit too!
Molls opening her gifts.

a box of art supplies for our little artist.

Kimberly opening Molly's roller skates.

I think she is secretly hoping they will adjust to fit her.

Grandpa reading Skippy jon Jones to Molly.

Jake had him record this on a CD for the grandkids.

They love his spanish accent.

Total adoration!

Jane gets a vintage telephone.

Grandma knows what every girl wants.

~~~~~~~~~

We didn't get pictures of the rest of the gang.

This year brought about new traditions as the kids have all grown and left home.

Amanda, Porter & Brittany opened gifts on Christmas Eve

and I was so exhuasted after the Christmas Eve dinner

that I didn't even think about getting my camera.

Of course we missed Jake, Alicia and Tyler being so far away.

Christmas traditions may have changed for us

but we are grateful that

the reason for celebrating and loving our family is eternal.

The Gingerbread Man

2009-12-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

Nan held her annual Childrens Christmas Party and she asked her crazy friends to put on a play "The Gingerbread Man". As you can see, I was the gingerbread man and spent the evening running away from the "little old woman and the little old man"...

and the butcher...

"the old cow and the sow"... and evetually fell victim to the clever old fox.

November festivites ~

2009-11-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

Janie turns 1!
Her first birthday cake, made by mom.
Auntie Amanda gives her a little encouragement to "dig in" with a little taste of frosting.

Ummm, yummy !

Now she's getting the idea!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Molly in the "Wizard of Oz" after school play.

Here she is playing the part of a flying monkey.

Flowers for a performance well done!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our booth at the 2009 Quilt Show in Houston.

Great fun and so much to see.

New York, New York!

2009-11-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

Of course our first place to eat after arriving is our favorite delicatessen, Carnegie Deli.

Rick had a turkey burger and I had the pastrami sandwich. Of course we took a slice of strawberry cheesecake back to our hotel room for dessert.
The next day while Rick was in meetings I went to check out some of the eating places that had been recommended. Le Parker Meridien has the best Burger Joint. It is tucked in the back corner of the lobby and plan on standing in line. It was totally worth it.
This the menu. Notice at the bottom it states you need to be ready to order or else you back to the end of the line. There is very limited seating. I offered to share a table with the gal in line behind me. She was from Australia and I happen to like Aussies. We had quite a good lunch and a great conversation.

I liked this sign that was posted in the resturant as well.

Later that afternoon and quite a long walk around town, I found my way to Serendipity. They are famous for their frozen hot chocolate. Rick and I had walked over there last time we were in town and it was so crowded that we opted not to sample their wares. This time I got there just before the crowd and found a seat for one was a short wait.

2009-11-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

Inside Serendipity
My frozen peanut butter hot chocolate...yummmm.
Just down the street on the corner is Dylan's Candy Bar.
You're not suppose to take pictures...oops. This big bunny is just inside the door where this clerk is passing out samples of candy.

The steps are inlaid with candy.

2009-11-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

This logo is made with jelly beans and inlaid in the floor. So clever.

Here are some of the old fashioned signs and candies available. Amazing.

That night Rick and I went to Vynl. Quite a fun place to eat and of course the theme of records.

The restrooms were each decorated with a famous artist. Their picture was done in tile. Their doll on display in the wall and their song playing in the background.Cher

Dolly
The next day as we were walking around we came upon the Naked Cowboy playing his guitar.

2009-11-30T09:25:00.000-08:00

This trip we decided to try Crumbs Bakery. Fabulous I must say!

We went to see the Lion King. It was so amazing. I was emotionally moved when all of the animals walked down the isle and then ended up on stage. The music was fabulous.The next day we decided to go over to Madison Park to the Shake Shack. On the way we stopped at the City Quilter.We passed by Home Depot. Quite the architectural building. And we passed by the Flat Iron building and we finally arrived at Madison Park and the Shake Shack.and this is the lineRick jumped in line as I went to save us a seat.
Here he is...still in line.

and still in line...
until finally it's his turn to order.
and let me just say...it was worth it! Unbelievably good.

Great burgers, fries and the best shake ever!

2009-11-30T09:15:00.000-08:00

Amanda makes her first Thanksgiving pies - lots of pies.
Cherry, fabulous cherry
mixing rolls for the Thanksgiving feast...
Lizzie and Amanda - ready to mix up the ingredients for the festivites.

Picture Perfect Pumpkin

a must have Thanksgiving tradtion

Pecan cream cheese

new to this years list of must and a new favorite

Porter and Amanda looking over a few of the pies.

Our tradition - make everyones favorite. Our grand total was 18 pies!

Rick, Amanda, Porter, Brittany & Lori

We also take our Christmas photo on Thanksgiving day. Since we couldn't have our entire family together, we had them send us photos of their families to include.

Jane, Matt, Molly & Kimberly

Tyler, Jacob & Alicia

Notice we are all in front of a fireplace? We certainly all think alike.

2009-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

"hum, where to start..."
Rick's favorite - cherry of course. Amanda did herself proud!
After the consumtion - everyone is well satisfied but wished they had room for more.

Let the party begin!

2009-11-15T23:10:00.000-08:00

Porter & Brittany Jane and Kim
Tyler (being bashful), Alicia, Dad Johnson, Jesse, Haleigh, Keaton, Mom Johnson, and me enjoying sour dough pancakes with buttermilk syrup.

Tyler decides to entertain us...

quite nicely.

The Family Gathering

2009-11-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

a few of the family

Jake, Debbie & Haleigh
Keaton & Haleigh

Porter & Me

(can't ever keep my eyes open when the camera flashes)
Rick & his Dad
Tyler & Molly

Mother

Debbie & Steve Marla & Byron

Grandpa & Amanda

Beautiful choice of colors ~ wine & rust

The Wedding ~

2009-11-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

Porter awaits his bride
as she steps from the horse drawn carriage and is escorted down the isle by her father.

the vows
the "I do's"
(such a beautiful setting for a gorgeous couple)

first married kiss

introducing Mr. & Mrs. Porter Johnson

Let them eat cake!

2009-11-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

The night grows too late for Jane.
Tyler enjoys using the giant goblet.
Jane settles down snuggled to Mom
while Molly & Tyler boogie through the night...

That says it all!

The professional wedding photos!

2009-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Click here to view more of Porter & Brittany's wedding photos.

Zion's Manly Hike ~ Sept. 2009

2009-11-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

Rick & Brian
a view from Observation Point
looking down at Angels Landing.

Brian and Ron

(my adopted brother and Brian's new father in law)

Ronny & Ricky

(aka studly men)

where the oxygen is minimal

the group hiking up to Angels Landing!

Hey guys, why are you all leaning to the left?

New Look!

2009-11-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

Amanda gave Molly a "new look".

She really wanted to see what she looked like with straight hair...

yep, still darling (but I love her curls - yes I do).

Jane has "new look".

Such a big girl sitting in the high chair.

Sadie is more than willing to clean up after her.

Porter has a "new look".

My oh my, such a handy dandy man!

Hillarious!

A bit of a "new look" around the house.

My dear friend Kareena left me in care of some of her furniture

while she and her family are in China for the next year or two.

Everything fits perfectly and we are enjoying these beautiful pieces.

Kitchen Update!

2009-06-20T10:28:00.001-07:00

It's almost complete...a few details are being added to the ceiling.
I absolutely love it. This range is a dream come true. It cooks and bakes beautifully. And it is gorgeous. I totally get men now and there cars ~ keepin' them washed and shiny.
An obsession indeed!

Family Vacation at Lake Chelan

2009-06-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

On the first day Porter, Brittany, Molly and I went to the water park while we waited for the others to arrive. Porter and Molly on a double tube, flying down the slide.

with the speed of lightning...
Porter and Molly make a splash landing!
Porter's solo (slow and somewhat boring) slide.

Miss blue eyes enjoying the water.

~~~~~~

Day 2

Molly & Hannah getting ready for a ride on the tube.

Here they are smiling ~ though it was short lived.

What I didn't get a picture of was when they went off head first into the cold lake.

Brittany & Porter take a turn ~ hang on!

Matt had them flying!

Hanging on for dear life...

Brit just couldn't hold on any longer.

The water was freezing!!!!

Molly was so tuckered out from all of the fun -

she fell asleep sitting up, leaning against Brittany.

Handsome Ricky J

Fearless Porter

(Shark, Shark, Shark, shark, shark, shark...)

Thanks Matt & Kim for a great weekend!

Porter wake surfing!

2009-06-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is sideways...watch as Rick tosses Hot Tamales to Porter, which he skillfully catches in his mouth. Yes, great skill, balance, and controll is involved. Hillarious.

A Long Ride Home

2009-06-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

On our way home from sunny Lake Chelan toward Seattle, the fog was settling in.Letting us know the vacation of sunshine and carefree living was over.

Aaaah, the misty weather of the Pacific Northwest.
Where blue skies are never taken for granted.
Home.

Alicia & Tyler come to visit! Yippee!

2009-06-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Molly & Tyler decide to go down to the pond to feed the ducks.

The baby ducks are getting so big and are so happy to be fed.

What should we do with this last piece?

Let's eat it!

All done!

Quakin' like a duck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now on to some after dinner fun...

Molly & Tyler were watering the flowers, but then...

Tyler found an umbrella so lets pretend it's raining.

and rain it did.

and rain...

even from the ground up?!

Everyone is drenched.

and loving it

fun was had by all

silly kids

they even got Brittany wet.

"Why me?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Next Day ~ Woodland Park Zoo!

Jane's ready to roll.

Tyler checks to see if she has everything she needs. He is very attentive to his little cousin.Alicia laughs that we think its a "hot" sunny day. Amanda & Jane

Tyler stops traffic for a group photo.

Molly checkin' out the flamingos.

**********************

What I didn't get pictures of was our picnic. Of course we finished it off with a variety of cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes. This brought on the discussion of which Seattle cupcake bakery was the best.

Thus we began the quest to find the answer to that question. The next day we visited New York cupcake and then over to Cupcake Royale. The winner? Cupcake Royale hands down. What flavor was our favorite. Well, that's another challenge that we are willing to endure...

Mine? A rich moist (sorry Lindsey) chocolate cupcake with an amazing Salted Caramel frosting! Red velvet with cream cheese frosting is a close second. Rick's absolute favorite is Triple chocolate (a dark chocolate cupcake with dark chocolate frosting and chocolate shavings on top).

to die for!

Our trip to Victoria

2009-06-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

We drove 2 hours north and arrived at the Anacortes Ferry at 6:45 in the morning!
In route through the San Juan Islands we were lucky enough to spot a pod of orcas. The captain slowed the boat down so all could enjoy this amazing site.

Mr. Johnson, all tuckered out from the long journey, took a much needed rest.

Landing at Orcas Island to let a few cars on.

A dream home in the Straight of Juan de Fuca. Currently not for sale. Had it been, and money was no issue, a fight may have broken out.

Arriving at Butchart Gardens! What an amazing undertaking. Mrs. Butchart really had a vision to create such a beautiful setting from a stripped down lime quarry.

Mr. & Mrs. Walker enjoying the grounds. Given a crew to command she could rival this one. Her personal flower and culinary gardens are amazing.

One of the many amazing totem poles in the garden -even some impromtu versions!

This beautiful tree was in bloom in the rose garden.

I am sure when the roses are in bloom it is quite the site.

(Another reason to return in the summer)

Umbrella rose tree.

A lone man in the garden of eden...

and then he found Eve and he was soooo happy! Forget me nots and red tulips - one of my favorite color combinations.

A view through the Japanese Garden to the harbor. Can't you just imagine living here?

We enjoyed gellato here in the gardens of the home.

Brenda and Lori by the indoor gardens.

The view of the harbor from our room.

Dave, enjoying a morning stroll before we heading out to catch the ferry home. But wait, there's more to this vacation!

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack

2009-06-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Take me out to the ball game! The Red Sox's came to town!
Great seats behind home plate. Why are so many wearing RED?

Brenda, Dave & Kent. Of course the guys are focused on the game.

Griffey at bat...

Great family, great food, great time - who could ask for anything more!

Thanks Dave & Brenda. We love you!

The Puerto Vallarta Flea Market

2009-04-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

Rick, Susan and I visited "The Puerto Vallarta flea market" in Old Town. I loved walking down this street that runs under the bridge. Fascinating wares and so much color!

I think this momma and baby are adorable. She was rocking and singing to her little one in the market.

Pink bouganvilla hanging from the balconies.

I loved this picture. Gorgeous pink and white Bouganvilla growing above this terra cotta wall.

An amazing Mexican suset!
It was such a beautiful warm evening with a slight tropical breeze.

For dinner we ate at Victors Place at the Marina Vallarta. As we sat down we were offered shots of tequila. I think they were somewhat surprise when we declined.

Here we have 2 musicians singing to us during dinner.

Since this was our last night in Puerto Vallarta, it would be Rick's last authentic order of chicken fajitas. (the only thing he ordered for 8 straight days - creature of habit!)

the beautifully garnished complementary Kahlua after dinner drink. Those of us who declined were given a scoop of vanilla icecream with Hershey's syrup. Rick was in heaven!

Feathered Friends

2009-04-05T11:50:00.001-07:00

At the Dolphin Adventures we met these 2 beautiful macaws.
This is Mambo. Isn't she beautiful?
Here she is retrieving a seed from Susan's lips.

Is this Marmalade or Mambo?

A little Mexican French Kiss!

so happy together!

(sing along)

See how long her tail feathers are?

Little Ricky all tuckered out after the big adventure!

A Date with Dolphins & Sea Lions

2009-04-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

Susan & I starting our big adventure!
Ready to jump in and become friends with the dolphins.
The trainers placed a fish in their teeth and then they would swim over to us. We would take it out of their mouths and then on the count of three, toss it back to them to catch and eat it.

Doing the happy dance as we praise them for a job well done.

Kisses...

and a group hug ~ all smiles!

And kissess for Susan!

Cool dude!

And we're off! We were the last ones to have a ride from our group. The trainer asked if we wanted to go on a fast ride! Absolutely! We had a faster and longer ride than the others. One of the benefits of being last!

As you can see, we we're having a blast.

***************

The Sea Lions!

Here we are visiting our new sea lion friends, Marina and Cassandra.
They loved being petted. Their skin has a very fine fur. Their eyes are big and round and they have tiny ears on the sides of their heads.

Ah, they are giving Susan a giant smooch!

and now they are kissing me! It was a very fishy kiss.

"Everybody smile!"

See their toothy grins?

"Say, ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

"Now, stick out your tongues!" Don't we look silly?

Next the trainers had them perform for us...

...up and over?!

(I know, my eyes are closed)

This one jumped up and touched the ball with her nose.

Next, one did a flip and then swam toward us really fast and

swooped up and splashed on us! They were so much fun! We loved them. They had such cute animated personalities! We will be best friend forever!

Vacationing by the Pool

2009-04-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

For us, a marvelous vacation consists of pool (ocean or lake), a good book and lots of sunscreen. Added bonus ~ great friends to enjoy it with. We love this place and the people ~no pressure just pure relaxation! Thanks Steve & Susan!

Whose feet are these? These long toes can only belong to... the Papa!

and these stubby toes?

Yep, they would be the Mama's
This is the pirate ship that sails around the bay. It is lit up in the evening and sets off a small fireworks show toward the Malecon (boardwalk) where the tourists are enjoying an evening stroll amongst the vendors and artisits.

AH! The night life!

2009-04-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Bay View Grand resort at night, with Sunset Pink touched clouds!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

2009-04-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

The Roberts invited us and our mutual friends, the Jackstadts to vacation with them at their resort home in Puerto Vallarta.
What a gorgeous place. The weather is perfect ~ sunny with a slight breeze. And the views are breath taking. The view to the north from the entrance...
The view to the west...

The view from our balcony. You can see our lounging area of choice located between these two pools.
The pools and bay with downtown in the distance.
This is the view south from our balcony. The cabana in the center of the photo is where you can order an assortment of mexican dishes. You can choose to eat in the shade of the cabanna or they are happy to deliver it to you as you lounge by the pool. One of the toughest decisions we had to make for the day.

Interesting sights...

2009-04-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Some of the wildlife we observed. The front entrance overlooks a bird refuge and golf course. On the golf course are several ponds that have some interesting inhabitants. Click on the photo and see if you can see the eyes of the gator lurking in the water... This gator decided to go from one pond to another. These two seemed to be having a conversation.

A cruise ship coming into port.

A sailboat basking in the sun and surf of the Banderas Bay.

Do you recognize this jogger? Anyone, anyone? Bueller?

Molly's Haircut & Cupcake Treat!

2009-03-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

We had a girls day out! We went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and then headed over to Amanda's salon for stylin' haircuts for Molly and grandma. Molly's long curls have been shortened...she looks absolutely darling.

Molly secretly ask Amanda if she could have pink hair. They made a sneaky plan and sent the unsuspecting mother next door to get a much deserved cupcake for the well behaved girl. When she returned - Surprise! Molly had a pink curl. It was so fun that Kim got in on the fun and added pink to her hair and even Baby Jane got sparkles in her fuzz top!

The end result ~

What?

Oh, I have some chocolate on my finger?
Let me get that off...

Did I get it?Waste not - want not!
Hey, I wanna cupcake and the one on my shirt doesn't count!

Strawberry Jane

2009-03-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

mommy's letting me try a yummy strawberry!
it's so sweet it makes me giggle
this is serious business ~ let me at it!

We have Light!

2009-03-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

The chandelier is up! After locating a light restoration store, Kent picked up a cap, chain and candlestick covers that worked perfectly. He painted the cap to match the age of the fixture perfectly.
The color on the walls accents the view out the window. It's so warm and inviting. Beautiful!

Next phase of the kitchen

2009-03-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

The walls and ceiling are painted!
Next will be the trim throughout and the stone tiles on the wall (left side of photo)
The new beams are sealed! He has done an amazing job!

Kitchen Update

2009-03-15T10:43:00.001-07:00

Kent added 8x10 cedar beams to the kitchen eating area. This will give us the opportunity to hang a chandelier over the table, which because of the skylight we were undable to do, and give us some much needed evening light.
Next he added the texture that will eventually cover the walls of the entire house. Its soft enough to add visual interest not a visual distraction.A clean slate - the walls are primed and ready for paint.
And the new soffit and crown is added.

The Chandelier

2009-03-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Kent and I found this treasure in Snohomish at Faded Elegance. It is an old Italian Tole chandelier and it is going to look fabulous hanging from the new "notched" and oiled beams. Perfecto!

March's "Lions & Lambs"

2009-03-15T10:28:00.001-07:00

I am confused. Is the saying "March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb" or the other way around. So far we have had snow at least once a week for the past month. I believe we have had more snow this year than any other year that we have lived here. Yes, it's beautiful. But I am so ready for the Seattle rain I have come to love and the green, not white, landscape of the Pacific Northwest.

AHQ fundraiser Thank You!

2009-03-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who supported us in the American Hero Quilts fundraiser. I am so grateful for the women in my quilt group that worked so hard to make this happen. For Sue, who had the vision of making sure our War Warriors are supported. I will never become tired of hearing her story or of supporting her in this great cause. I am thrilled to hear of the many guest that were touched and have now began making quilts and doing what they can to walk along side Sue on this journey. We were hopeing by the days end to make $3,000 and ended up making over $7300 in 6 hours on a blustery spring day.

It was amazing. Over 180 quilts hung around the room, 9 raffle items, over 30 silent auction items, tons of baked goods (thanks to many loving hands that baked and baked and baked for us) and grab bags of fabric, quilting and cook books galore...We even had 2 studly Marines help us out by holding quilts for Sue during her presentation!

To read more about the story visit Nan's blog http://www.potsandpins.com/

You are greatly appreciated!

American Hero Quilts Fundraiser

2009-03-03T22:55:00.000-08:00

Our quilt group "Sammamish Sew Whats" have been working like crazy to get ready for our fundraiser. If you want to see what we have been up to go to Nan's blog http://www.potsandpins.com/ and check out March 3rd, March 2nd, February 28th and 26th to see the quilts we will be raffled off, and read about some of the businesses around the community that are donating silent auction items. We have golfing at Sahalee, the most beautiful bottle of wine from Woodenville Winery's private reserve, to gift baskets and certificates at local businesses!

Remember, if you want to buy raffle tickets (6 for $5) I am happy to enter them in the jars corresponding to the quilt you are interested in. We are also raffling off a Featherweight Sewing machine!

With 9 raffle quilts you are sure to be a winner!

American Hero Quilt fund raiser

2009-02-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

Our quilt groups is having a quilt show/fund raiser to help raise money for the American Hero Quilts. I decided (while I had the flu) to make yo-yos. They are pretty easy to do while lying on the couch. Here are the 2 pillows I made with them.
We hope to make some money to help Sue fulfill her dream. See her website http://www.americanheroquilts.com/ to learn more her and her efforts to support our troops.

Sweet Baby Jane

2009-02-22T14:49:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the cutest baby on earth.

Not a biased opionion ~ just the honest truth!

She is such a happy baby, smiling and giggling...

it's very contagious!

Even Sadie has a smile on her face.

We love our little Jane!

Ruby

2009-02-18T00:04:00.001-08:00

We had to return Ruby to the breeder. My back went out AGAIN and I couldn't take care of her. She was so darling and almost house broken. She would come, sit and lay down on command. But when the door opened from the family room (her area) to the living room (our area) she would dart. I didn't have time to think about correct posture - just getting her on leash and out the door. Well, I tried to get Rick to work from home on puppy leave...

can you believe there is not such a thing?

We cried - who wouldn't with a face like that?

What's New Part 2

2009-02-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Kent has worked his magic with the old cabinets ~

adding fluting, kick plates and spindles they now have character. I can hardly wait for the upper cabinets and the hood! It's going to be fabulous! He has such vision. Dave drove up and brought granite.

I told him the colors I had going on and he knew the perfect

granite for the job. . .

Yellow River!

The gold, rust, browns and greys are perfect.

(It's even more gorgeous than my camera show's. The colors are amazing.)

Dave and Kent, you guys have done an amazing job. I'm lovin' it!
Stay tuned...there's more to come!

What's New ~

2009-01-31T23:47:00.000-08:00

Rick and I just got back from visiting our most handsome grandson, Tyler (and his parents of course). He is a Star Wars obsessed fan if there ever was one. He received a Xbox Lego Star Wars game for Christmas and may have put down the controllers a couple of times since then, I am not sure. Well, maybe for a quick sword fight with his lightsaber or to play with his plethora of action figures...

...hillarious!

NEW ADDITIONS

Since the last time I blogged back in 2008...we've had a few additions ~

A LaCanche Range. Yes you are seeing orange. It is absolutely gorgeous and I can hardly wait to get to cookin'. I had a plan to get it in and make do with the cabinets until we can remodel the entire kitchen...the brothers are setting me straight and thank heaven. It is going to be fantastic when they are finished. Currently the cabinets have been ripped out and she is standing alone as they work their magic - cabinets, granite, stone tiles, etc.

Introducing Ruby, our red merle Australian Shepherd puppy. She was born on Rick's birthday (is that a sign or is that a sign). She has been so much fun and is quite the sweetheart. We purchased her from the same breeder as Sadie, CTC farms in Ellensburg. They have the most beautiful dogs with superior dispositions. And smart!? Just ask Rick. Her training is coming along quite nicely, if he says so himself.

And last but not least, Jane Helen joined our family in November. She is quite the beauty. She is as sweet as they come and I can't get enough of her. Sugar and spice and everything nice...

I'll keep you posted as they all develop in the coming months. Really, I will. I have repented of my non-blogging ways, I think...

Work in Progress

2008-10-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Please check back...I am blogging our trip to NYC and trying to do it in order. It is taking me a bit of time so, come back and scroll down to see all 6 days of our trip. Unless of course you become board. Then go and watch TV instead...speaking of which. Rick is now the proud owner of 3 TV's, 2 with HDTV and 4 receivers. This means over 300 hours available DVR time! Whoo! If you could only see how proud he is. It's the prefect set up for the 2 of us!

New York City

2008-10-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Rick had some business in New York City, so I decided to go along with him and enjoy the city and all it has to offer. While we were in Phoenix with Jake & Alicia, we went to a NY deli in Scottsdale. The owner was a NY native and gave us great ideas of where to eat. We decided we needed to check them all out. So, here is our glutenous week in the big apple. We started off at Stage Deli. We ordered a Reuben and Turkey dinner. Very tasty, but true to a NY deli - too much to eat.

We then headed down 7th, then Broadway to Time Square. We loved the lights, not too many people on a Tuesday night. We ended up on 45th and ran into the theater for Spamalot and bought tickets for the next evenings show.

We had walked off our dinner and needed more sustenance, so we stopped by Carnegie Deli on our way back to our hotel. We decided to take a piece of cheesecake back to our room.

When we ordered it, they said "strawberry, right?" I can see why it's the favorite choice.

We had about 4 bites of the most creamy smooth flavorful cheesecake we have every had and then we were finished. Blissful exhaustion.

Day 2 in the Big Apple!

2008-10-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

The view from our hotel room as we woke up Wednesday morning. The Upper West Side.
The Upper East Side.
And a straight on view over Central Park. Fabulous. We could see the horse and carriages on the street below, ready to take a stroll through the park. We loved the excitement in the air.

We strolled around the upper east side searching for a place to grab breakfast. We came upon this tiny deli. As you can see,there are tables a long the left that seat 2 and a bar on the right. As we entered they yelled, "come in, sit." So we did - quickly. Then a waiter was at our table asking us if we needed a menu. We started to look it over and he waited...we got the hint and ordered quickly. It was like organized chaos. Next 4 people came in and sat at the bar. Obviously they were unaware of the process. This gentleman handed them menus and within minutes was asking to take their order. After a few minutes of frustrated waiting on his part he said, "you can take the menu home and decide what you want, then come back and order". He wasn't kidding. It was hilarious.

As we were leaving, I had to take a picture of the name so I could remember. Then I noticed the man...

who must have had to come outside for a breath of fresh air after the frustrating, agrivating slow-to-order customers. This is a place we recommend for those visiting. We'll have to go back there just for the entertainment factor.

We walked over to Rockefeller Center and watched the ice skaters. I grabbed the railing to walk down the stairs and put my hand in someones spit. Thanks for that. So we went inside to find a restroom to wash my hands. I could have done without that!

We decided to grab a bite to tide us over so we headed over to Carnegie Deli and passed by Radio City music hall on our way. We ordered a turkey sandwich to share and headed over to the David Letterman Show.

Okay, we ordered a sandwich to share. Did they think we were ordering one to share with a family of 8? I swear there was an entire turkey breast on that sandwich. How do you even begin to eat something this size? I had about 1/3 of my 1/2 and I was stuffed. I must say it was quite tasty.

Here we are, standing in the standby line. It's not looking too hopeful. But wait, they did come and take numbers 1-30. There's just 8 more of us. Could we be so fortunate? Maybe...

...but no. They did let the 4 girls in front of us in, leaving us at the front of the line. Then they came back and said it was full. Rick was feeling like a big loser, but he let me take his picture anyway.

After such a rejection we needed comfort. Magnolia Bakery on the upper west side was calling to us. They are famous for their cupcakes and banana pudding. Ah, the aroma that hits you when you walk in. We knew we were in the right place. The choices were difficult, everything looked fabulous. But we narrowed it down to three choices. Well, 4 actually...

Kitty corner from Barnes and Noble in what appears as another office building is the temple.

Quite an amazing site in the middle of a city.

For dinner we went to Sardi's across from the theater. This resturant is frequented by the actors after the plays to hear the reviews of their performances. We decided to beat the crowds and go before the play. The atmosphere was very fun and the food was great! The play was fantastic. True to Monty Python humor. We had great seats, 5th row center. We had a great time.

After the play we stopped by Carnegie Deli. We picked up a couple of potato pancakes and Rick ordered some chocolate chip cookies for a late night snack.

Uh, did we forget we had purchased goodies from Magnolia Bakery? Oh well, a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Coconut Cake - yummy! But Nan's is better! As far as I can remember. I'd better bake one up one just to make sure.

And now for the cupcakes: Red Velvet with a cream cheese frosting and Chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting - my oh my! I loved the red velvet. Great texture and flavor - the frosting was perfect!

Banana Cream pudding with slices of fresh banana and vanilla wafer crumbs - Heaven! I could only eat a couple of bites but this was everything I had heard about it and then some.

Day 3 - Fashion District

2008-10-25T04:30:00.000-07:00

2008-10-25T04:25:00.000-07:00

One of the many fabric stores I walked into...

On my long walk home from 25th St. to 59th St. I ran into my husband looking for the infamous Soup Kitchen that was made famous on Seinfield. It is no longer in use and has been borded up. We had dinner at The Palm. Here is a picture of some of the cartoons that adorn the walls.
We ordered steak and lobster to share. We couldn't eat it all.

Here is our waitress cracking the shells for us. I must say is was fabulous.

2008-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the entrance to the beautiful Tracy Castle, where Porter and Brittany will be married Oct 3rd 2009.

We are so excited for them.
Here is where they will be married. What a view!

Here is a view from the back. They really found a gem.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!! If you want to see a darling little girls costume, check out this website. It's also a giveaway contest that you will want to enter. What a beatiful creation and very talented woman.

October stitching

2008-10-24T09:42:00.001-07:00

Ah, Porter's birthday. Can you believe my baby is 20! We had fun going to Outback for dinner and sharing great and hilarious stories from his childhood, now a thing of the past.
I had so many fun things I wanted to make for Halloween this year, but I think I was a little over zealous. This is the ONE I did get done. A embroidered pillow to put on my settee in the entry way. It was a fun project to see come to fruition. I think I'll start in January working on the other patterns in time for next Halloween.

Trying to get a jump on Christmas I made this little wall hanging. I love the little buttons that represent the 12 days.

Grapes

2008-10-13T09:40:00.001-07:00

I called Haas farms in Wapato and they will be suppling Welch's next week, so if I want grapes now is the time to get them. I borrowed Kim & Matt's tahoe and away I went. I left at 6:15 in the morning. Going through the canyon was so beautiful, I decided to take a picture while driving.

This is the gorgous sunrise at 75 miles an hour. What?

One more shot - it really doesn't do justice, but I tried. I arrived at the farm about 8:30, gathered up the goods and headed home, after I stopped and picked up pumpkins. I was home by 12:00 and juicing by 12:30.

Grapes Galore

2008-10-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Aren't these beautiful. They taste as good as they look!
And so I begins...The house smells just like Grandma's. Memories, like the corner of my mind (join in any time)
I know, why don't I make Halloween cookies at the same time? So how many quarts of grapes can you get out of 15 - 20lb boxes of grapes? 126 quarts and then some. Whew!

Day 3 - more plums & salsa

2008-09-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today I made plum sauce out of the plums I cooked down on day 1. I made 1 batch using a Plum Sauce recipe and the 2nd batch using a Tangy Plum Sauce recipe. Then after having my own little taste test I decided to make the 3rd batch using the tangy recipe, only adding a little more plums to it. It made it a little more tart but still very tasty. We had some of it on our chicken tonight. Fantastic!
I made the salsa today using up most of the tomatoes, peppers and onions. Isn't this colorful?
Here it is all mixed together. After chopping everything by hand it has to cook for 2 hours. It's sure worth it, blister and all. I love this recipe. It's sweet with a little kick, but not too spicy. It's just right.

Here is the finished product: 7 jars of Plum sauce, 11 jars of salsa, 8 pint jars and 13 8oz. jars of Tangy plum sauce. The little ones are so cute, they're perfect for gifts, don't you think?

Day 2 - more of the same

2008-09-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

The steamer/juicer is hard at work again today. I am juicing the rest of the plums to drink and make plum jelly later this winter. I love plum jelly.
Porter's favorite dessert is peach cobbler. He always asks for it for his birthday. The problem is Porter's birthday is the first of October when the "ripe off the tree" peaches are gone. I decided the left over peaches from yesterday would make the best cobbler. "If you make it, he will come" applied to this situation. Hence, Porter's birthday was celebrated today!
16 quarts of plum juice.

I also made a frozen peach pie with almond flavoring. My 2 favorite combinations! Wouldn't that make a great icecream flavor. Peach Almond Ding! hee hee

I always wanted to have the job of making up names of icecream and finger nail polish. As you can see, I'd better keep my day job.

Tonight I had the Activity Day girls over to make invitations and cookies to give to their dad's for the Daddy/Daughter night. Pictured clockwise from top: Kayle, Meg, Emily, Kiera, and Katie.
Pictured clockwise from bottom right: Vanessa, Kelyn, Kate, Ashley, Taylor, Julia, and Cassidy.

2008-09-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the finished cookie's for their dads. Didn't they do a great job!
Oh and then they each got to make one for themselves to eat! Not a candy morsel was wasted.

Porter may have had his peach cobbler but Brittany has a fancy for frosted sugar cookies. I mean FROSTED sugar cookies. She made sure I had enough for the girls and then she hid the rest for us. What I mean is she hid the rest for her! After the girls left she frosted the left over hidden cookies with the left over frosting. It didn't matter if it was pretty, it just had to have plenty. I knew she liked the pink frosted cookies from Costco but I had no idea how much until last night when I realized its more like an obsession. By the way, I always put almond flavoring in my frosting as well. I guess you could say, I have an almond obsession!

Day 1 - and so it begins...

2008-09-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

9 am and the grapes are in the steam/juicer.

Aren't they beautiful? The flavor is amazing.

While the grapes were steaming, I canned peaches and started cooking the plums
Here is the finished product 10 hours later.

18 quarts of peaches and 40 quarts of white grape juice.

About 9 pound of plums are cooked down and ready to make into sauce.

I was so exhausted that I headed for the tub. While I was soaking my aches and pains, Rick ran to the store and bought me a bouquet of flowers. What a guy! Even though fruit is his least favorite thing, he appreciates my efforts in storing the harvest.

Farmers Market

2008-09-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun at the market on Saturday. It has such an amazing aroma; basil, lavendar, and even kettle corn. But that didn't distract me from what I came for. Tucked away in the back corner is Haas Farms fruit stand. I have been purchasing from them all summer. They have an amazing selection that changes with the season. Here is this weeks purchase:

Niagra grapes - Welch's purchases this variety for their white grape juice.

I bought 5 boxes!
O'Henry peaches! They are so flavorful and juicy.
I bought 2 boxes. Sorry the picture is so dark but these are dark purple plums - yum, yum!

I bought 2 boxes!

I bought 1 box of tomatoes and 1 box of onion/pepper combination to make more salsa!

and 1 box of Jonathan apples! Did anyone total that box count? That would be 12!

Now the work begins!

Lake Quinault & Quinault Rain Forest

2008-09-14T11:21:00.001-07:00

Hiking trail to the lake on the north shore.

A break in the trees for a view of the mountains.
The sun shining through the rain forest. They get about 142 inches of rain a year. We had the most perfect day to explore the area.This waterfall is located on the south shore road just after crossing the bridge from the north shore.
Lake Quinault Lodge, built in the 1920's. The location and view are amazing and gave one the feeling of going back to a more leisurely time.

Kalaloch

2008-09-14T11:06:00.001-07:00

As we got closer to the ocean the fog set in. The mysterious wall of fog ahead of us.
This is the Kalaloch Lodge. We spent the night here in one of the cabins near by. The fog was so thick the night before we didn't see the beauty of this location until the next morning when we awoke to this...

What a gorgeous location. We could have spent hours here.

Forks

2008-09-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

You Twilight fanatics will love this...

Need I say more? The whole town is a buzz. Bella's birthday is coming up on Saturday and they expected thousands to show up for the event. Here is an interary of the days events.
We picked up t-shirts for some of the fans back home.
It was pretty entertaining to listen to the locals buzz about their NOW famous town.

Lake Crescent

2008-09-14T10:36:00.001-07:00

This is the most gorgeous lake. The mountains extend right into the lake. The water is very cold and crystal clear.
This is Lake Crescent Lodge. We ate lunch here and enjoyed the view.
The property has darling little cottages to stay in as well.

Olympic Peninsula - Port Angeles

2008-09-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

We stayed here at the George Washington Inn. They just opened in February of this year. It sits on the Straight of Juan de Fuca just east of Port Angeles.
What a gorgeous view from the balcony of our room.

The view from the front of the house looking toward the Olympic mountains. Sunny blue skies and 75 degrees - it was perfect!

Cooling off in HOT Ariziona

2008-09-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Tyler is fearless! He jumps in with great gusto! He's lovin' it and I'm loving him!
Ty and his Mom enjoying the refreshing coolness of the pool. Of course I thought the water was great. Those accustomed to Arizona weather thought it a little nippy.
He's number ONE!

(someone needs a little reminder of using his pointer finger for such exclamations)

Worthy Motto

2008-09-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

I love this sign. I think it is very thought provoking. It has been a motto of mine throughout my life. (Just not quite stated that way or in print.) My parents instilled in me a desire to work hard, be engaged in good works and to enjoy the end result. With so much to see, do and enjoy in this life ~ I can't imagine idleing through it.

Family Photo Op

2008-09-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

Jacob, Tyler & Alicia
Ty Man
Taking a nap
NOT!

Sunday Afternoon Olympics

2008-09-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

Tyler performs a somersault... Tah Dah! Great landing! And now, a self portrait.
I had to delete about 40 random pictures off my camera. Thank heaven for digital!

Raspberry Fields - Carnation

2008-09-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Posing for a picture amongst the raspberries. We ate some of them and made raspberry jam out of the rest. We love raspberry freezer jam!

Molly thinks she's pretty funny when she...

pulls a funny face!

And here's Tyler's funny face. Can you tell they're related?

I didn't ask for a funny face ~ purely spontaneous on their part!

NEWS FLASH!!!

2008-09-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Porter & Brittany are engaged! We love her and are happy to have her officailly in our family. They are such a cute couple.

The date for the wedding is October 3, 2009. We'll keep you all posted as the plans progress.

Makin' Cookies with Great Grandma

2008-09-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Great Grandma Walker & Tyler.

"Let's see, which one is the teaspoon?"
Adding the chocolate chips!
Lickin' the beaters.
All smiles! this picture was actually taken before they licked the beaters.

The Babysitters Club

2008-08-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here are the worlds BEST babysitters....and sorry folks, they are BOTH retired. Looks like you missed out. In June, Lindsey and Lori got together for the most incredible babysitting job ever. Lindsey was watching Hannah Fairbanks, and Lori was watching her darling little grand daughter Molly. For part of the time, the fab 4 headed out to Lake Chelan....to live it up in heat, sunshine and swim like fish.
Here are some of the pictures from their FABULOUS week.

You may be asking yourself....where are the children? So are we. As the legend has it...the girls tied Cinderblocks to their feet and sent them out to sea. Good thing they are olympic swimmers....and they made it back, without turning into foam. The smiles on their faces are totally fake. They were almost dead.

Here is the big race between Rick and Molly....it looks like Rick is winning...however, Little Molly Phelps pulled forward at the last minute and won the race.

And look what she won!! Look at the face on that girl....she is pretty serious about her Jet-Skiing

Because she is such a team player...she took the silver medalist out for a ride. What a sport!

Lindsey and Lori participated in a week long "beef jerky" contest. The contest was to see who could resemble beef jerky the quickest. It was a close match. Do you see how amazingly tan these "girls" are???....hehehehe

They had a very educating week. Not only did they have daily swimming lessons, but they did arts and crafts and also some cooking classes. Basically it was like a girls camp, for midgets.
The little fishies...
Sorry Folks...I have no idea how this picture got here. Lori was on her lunch break....don't worry, I am sure the children were safe, somewhere.

Between the swimming, eating treats, swimming, tanning, swimming, eating sugar babies and junior mints....the girls had an amazing time.

and so did the babysitters....however, please remember they are retired.

Mother's 90th birthday!

2008-08-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

We celebrate mother's 90th birthday on the 18th of July. Our whole family was in attendance. It was great to spend time together (especially for me and my grandbabies). We had a big party at the church. Lunch was served and then we had a program. It was such a wonderful time and so much fun to have most of the extended family there.

This quilt was made for Mom & Dad's 60th anniversary. Each vertical row contains a house that represents each of their 7 children. In each of the tops & bottoms of the court house steps (cream areas) list the children's children and their grandchildren (mom & dad's grandchildren and great grandchildren). I brought it home with me prior to the party to update it. There are 7 children & spouses, 36 grandchildren some with spouses, and 95 greatgrandchildren. Can you believe it? What a posterity for this amazing couple married in 1941. We are all so grateful for their love and devotion to their family! We are blessed!

...a little additional excitement!

2008-08-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

so, just as we were sitting down to have the program, Hudson age 4 (shown above) wondered what the red handle in the hallway of the church was...so he pulled it!
The alarms went off and just around the corner the bell at the station sounded and the fire engines roared into action. Thank heaven they understood and joined in the fun.

We couldn't let the opportunity pass us by to take pictures! Hubba hubba!
(Eat your heart out Lindsey)

Service Quilts

2008-08-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Our quilt group was asked to make quilts for mothers who were giving their babies up for adpotion. Kent came over and helped sew these up one day. It was fun to work together for a good cause. (these are not the best pictures & they were taken before they were quilted)We ended up giving this organization 10 quilts from our group.

Ethan's Eagle Quilt

2008-08-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

I am so proud of Ethan and this great accomplishment. What a great honor! I just had to make him a quilt. After making one for Jake & Porter they loved them so much, I had to make one for my favorite nephew. Not to mention that his mother, Marni, helped me with Porter's Eagle scrapbook ~ this is the least I could do.

Quilt for Me! by Kent

2008-08-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

Kent decided to make me a "memory" quilt. Each block symbolizes a part of our childhood. I absolutely love it. He put a lot of thought and time into it. I means a lot to me. Thanks brother!
This one represents the time he put his windup toy car in my hair. My hair was wound up so tight in the wheels...i can't remember the end result - i must have blocked it from my mind.
oh, and this is the time he put me on the motorcycle, started it up and away I went - i almost crashed through a hugh locust tree, i took out 1/2 a liliac bush and wound up in the canal behind the house. my guardian angel was working overtime that day. Come to think of it - most of my childhood.

Gardening

2008-08-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

New additions to the garden.

Isn't this orange begonia gorgeous? I purchased the planter in Oregon and then came home a spray painted it white. I have 3 orange begonias planted in it. I love it. It is the perfect welcoming arrangement to great guests at the front door.

This rose is called Honey Dijon.

It looks fabulous next to this Hot Cocoa.

This rose is known as Julia Child and is located on the opposited side of the rose garden from the Hot Cocoa. They are separated by Tamora (not pictured).

I love these calla lilies. I have planted several surrounding the bird bath in the front yard.

Amanda's Graduation ~ June '08

2008-08-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Amanda graduated from Seattle Aveda Institute and is working at Kismet in Madrona. She is amazing and very talented. We are so lucky to have her as our personal stylist. We used this photo for her announcements. Isn't she gorgeous?

A trip to Portland ~ Friends, Fabric & Food

2008-05-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go with a couple of friends to the International Quilt Market held in Portland. I couldn't believe all the wonderful new fabrics, patterns, and ideas that are coming our way. We spent 3 days and yet "too much to do - too little time" (and too little money) applied here although we didn't let that stop us. We were like little kids in a candy store ~you should have seen us. The car was packed from top to bottom. There was absolutely no room, not an inch to spare.

Oh what joy!

Fabulous Ideas...

A Fabulous Shop - The Pine Needle in Lake Oswego

Fabulous Food!

A few of my favorite things...

2008-05-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

We took the opportunity to drive around the Portland Temple. The flowers at the temples are always so gorgeous.
These tulips really caught my eye. The colors were so striking and the flowers were so tall.

It's Tyler! We went to visit our little man. Can you believe how much he has grown? He is such a

fun little guy to be around. We went fishing, scouting, hunting, and shopping. Fishing for real fish, scouting for sites to see, hunting for garage sale bargins and shopping for mothers day for Alicia. We had a blast! Thanks guys.

Tyler and Nana made cupcakes. As you can see, they were yummy!
A serious moment. Whatcha' thinkin' about Tyler?
A rare moment... a thunder storm in Phoenix!

What do you do when it rains?

Dance in it!

Yeah! The den is finished! We love the color. It is a rich carmel color (Benjamin Moore - Golden Retriever) very warm and lovely. I know it looks a lot like the original color, but believe me when I say this is a welcomed difference. The previous color turned and nasty gold/green in the evening light and well lets just say the 1970's are not welcome here!

I have always wanted shutters on the living room windows. Kent surprised me while we were out of town and Wha-la, here they are. I think they add so much to the house and he really did a great job! They're fabulous! (the shutters and Kent).

Molly's Surprise

2008-05-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Molly took the pictures of her surprise. Can you guess what it is?

Kim and I walked into the fabric store the other day and they were having a sale on fleece. Well, Molly loves Strawberry Shortcake and this was so soft and fuzzy we just had to get it. We backed it in bright pink and fringed the edges. I was suppose to just cut it for Kim to tie, but Rick was out of town and I was bored, so I tied it for her one night while I was watching TV. Molly loves it.

Celebrating Donna's Birthday in LA

2008-04-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

We met up with the Davis' on Friday and headed to Seal Beach. We enjoyed the sun and surf for a couple of hours and then headed into town to grab a bite. We went to Walt's Wharf

and had the best seafood. One of our favorites was the Oak grilled Salmon which Rick ordered and we all helped to consume.
Then for dessert we found ourselves at Sweet Jill's.
Everything looked scrump-dilly-ious.
We bought several items to sample but our favorite was the cinnamon rolls.
Still not as good as homemade but a sugar high just the same.

2008-04-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this young lad's mother has worked at Sweet Jill's since he was 3 and he has never had anything from this bakery? As you can see, he loved having his picture taken.

Rook

2008-04-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ron getting his game face on...

Rick resting up for the big game...

Reading Houdini.
He's been studying about how to count cards!!!
Note to self - Cheaters never win!

2008-04-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we met up with the Romero's and went to see

at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood.
It was fantastic.
We loved the story line and the music was fabulous.
Afterward we drove around to see the sites and ended up at...

Griffith Park Observatory

2008-04-29T13:48:00.001-07:00

Several movies have been filmed here.
A gorgeous (yet smoggy) view toward Beverly Hills...
...toward Los Angeles. Donna's grandfather designed

and built the tall white building in the center.
Troy in front of the Hollywood sign. Once a star always a star!

Navagation without a map?

2008-04-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Ron decided to multi-task; drive, talk on the cell to Troy,

use his GPS and listen to what he calls Jazz.

At times Rick was steering so that

Ron could have both hands to use his cell and GPS.

He drove us everywhere.

Sometimes stopping to accost some unsuspecting pedestrian

as he plead for directions.

We thought surely we could find a place to eat on some main road

but to no avail.

Donna is wishing for her personal steering wheel or at least a

magic wand.

Rick hoping for a REAL Jazz station. (See the pain on his face?)

Lori, chanting "there's no place like home". Having forgotten her ruby slippers in the Emerald City of Seattle she remains in turmoil in the back seat of the car.

Eventually we ended up down Santa Monica Blvd and past the

Los Angeles temple.

A little spot of heaven - a moment of peace.

Antica Pizzeria

2008-04-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

We ended up by sheer luck at a fantastic Italian Resturant in

Marina del Rey called Antica Pizzeria.

I had the pleasure of meeting Peppe Miele,

the owner and founder of this fabulous restaurant.

Check out their website for the history of this pizzeria. http://www.anticapizzeria.net/mdr/index.html

Peppe (pictured here on the right) is also the president of the Verace Pizza Napoletana

and trains others in the traditional recipes of Naples. What a treat!

Ended too soon!

2008-04-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time renewing old friendships and enjoying the sunny weather. We weren't ready for the trip home. I think the guys really won the most hands of Rook, but whose counting. It was fast and furious but much needed. For the next trip; book more days, learn Italian, what constitues REAL Jazz, update the GPS, bring a map of the city we are visiting (or not - it was an adventure), sleep less and play Rook longer!

It's Spring!

2008-04-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

Our flowering cherry tree survived the snow storm and put on a beautiful show.

Ah! The view out our bedroom window.

and since there's no place to go...

2008-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

This may seem like no big deal to those of you who live in Utah,
but this is Seattle.

We're up to about 4 - 5 inches now.

We can hear limbs cracking on the trees.
They are weighed down from the very wet snow.
We just heard the forecast calls for freezing tonight.
Yikes!

2008-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

The forecast called for clear skies today.
Uh, 2 hours later and it's still snowing...

and snowing...

and snowing.

Here's the proof -

the deck

the front yard

and Sadie's prints!