Daily Disorders of a Dainty Domestic

Random Spring Catch Up

2011-06-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

What happened to Spring?! Seems like I was planning Bug's birthday one week, and Potato's the next. Their birthdays are over two months apart! Life has been a mess of birthday parties, holidays, school activities, and goodness knows what else.
I did make Green Eggs & Ham, like I said I would. It tasted better than it looked.

We made Mardi Gras masks.

I also made cute little hair clips and pins for the kids to wear on St. Patrick's Day.

Flowers started blooming, despite the crazy weird still almost winter type weather we had right up into May.

Bug turned 11. The older kids were away for Easter & Spring Break. Potato turned 3. Now school is almost out! I don't think we took any pictures of the birthdays. Except of Potato's cake, and the dress I made her. We did take video.

My brain has dissolved into this puddle of sweet, sparkly goo of wedding fluff. It probably looks a lot like the River of Slime from Ghostbusters II. Except there are bits of ostrich feathers, lace, & tulle sticking out of it. Sounds pretty, doesn't it?

Weekend of Wheels

2011-03-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

What a weekend! I feel like we were hardly home. Most of Friday was spent driving the older three babies to their father. Sunday was spent driving to get the babies from their father, which involved hanging out at North Bend for an hour while Snoqualmie was closed for avalanche control. I am very glad we did not have to deal with an avalanche like they did on Monday.

We weren't home at all Saturday, either. It was a much more fun day, though. The three of us packed up and left the house by 11am for cousin Madison's birthday party.

Miss Potato was happy to go see her cousins, and other relatives. I made Madison a no sew tutu in yellow and pink. It was huge and froufy! Of course, I forgot to take pictures. Dottie's 10(?) year old daughter sewed a really cute blanket for Madison, and everybody now wants her to make them one.
After pizza, tradition continued with moving on to Tiffany's Skate Inn to continue the party. We brought Potato's tutu with us for her to wear.

It would appear that in the past year Potato has learned the fear of falling and pain, because she did not want to let go of our hands. Last year, I was the one getting plenty of help with helping kids skate. This year, Jeremy and I were able to offer help since we only had Potato with us. Potato totally rocked the tutu and roller skates.

Tomorrow, March 2nd, is Dr. Seuss's birthday.

Check your local library to see if they are doing something special to celebrate. If you would like some ideas on how to celebrate with your kids at home, ObSuessed is a good place to start. If your library is not doing something special, perhaps today you could go check out several Dr. Seuss books to read with your child. I for one will be starting my kids' day off with green eggs and ham. Maybe, after school, we will read some of the books and watch a movie or two. My favorite Dr. Seuss is Horton Hears a Who.

Ricola, DayQuil, and Love

2011-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

We have been so dreadfully sick around here for the past week. Bug has had this awful cough for weeks, which the doctor insists is just a cold. Fine. Except two kids in her class have been diagnosed with pertussis, or whooping cough as some call it. Pix had the cough for about two days and was over it. Same with Bear. But this last week something new and even more fun, yet similar, came around to kick all our bums. Except Pix. She's still doing stellar.
I largely suspect this new bug came from J and the work place. Potato only has the sniffles and a slight cough, thank goodness. Pix is still clear. J and I both have coughs, sniffles, and our lungs hurt. Yay! Poor Bug and Bear had it the worst. They spent the weekend with fevers and chills, taking several naps on the couch and rocker. They are doing grand today though, so the fevers obviously did what they needed to. I have lost my voice. Did I mention the kids have no school this week? And I lost my voice? This is going to be fabulous. Good thing my babies are mostly well behaved. I can still whistle at them so I can whisper at them.

I'm not exactly sure why Potato put this soda box on her head, but I had her saying "Nee!" for a good couple hours while wearing it. She's hilarious, and someday when she watches that movie I will show her the pictures and tell her the story of how Mommy raised her with a bit of geek.
There was also Valentine's Day. The older three children had a blast at their class parties. They came home with quite the bundles of confections and cards. I wanted to make sure Potato didn't feel left out, so I bought all four babies cute little tin pails from Target and filled them with heart shaped boxes of candy and cute little gifts.
Jeremy had a teddy bear, a box of chocolates, and two dozen roses sent to me, which didn't arrive until after he got home early from work.

Luckily, USPS did deliver mail in a timely fashion that day since a tie I had ordered him came in that day. I got him a 60s tie in black, red, and gray with the Chevy bow tie on it from Art Deco Dame. That girl is seriously quick to ship. She mailed it out the same day I made the payment. Not only is she quick, she's super sweet. I had ordered myself a pretty floral purple handkerchief, and she included another white with purple floral embroidery free of charge. She is such a dear. I also, got Jeremy the Darius Rucker album he's been coveting and a case of Brown & Haley Peanut Butter Mountain Bars. Yes. I said a case. He's a peanut butter chocolate fiend.
Traditionally, we take the children out to dinner for Valentine's Day. But neither of us was really sure we were feeling up to an outing. As we were trying to decide whether or not to pack up the midgets in the truck, the wind made a decision for us and knocked out the power. We had to travel all the way up to Silverdale, and took the kids to Famous Dave's since they all love barbecue and ribs. I stuck to boneless buffalo chicken. Ew to ribs. It was very convenient that we had to drive up there since it turned out my ring was ready at the jewelers after being resized. Rather fitting for Valentine's Day, I think. They also gave Jeremy an estimated value of the ring, and I guess he got a REALLY good deal on it because his eyes were bugging out and strutting a bit. He'll tell you I'm exaggerating. I'm not.
I don't care what he paid. He could have paid a quarter for it. I'm just happy I can finally wear it on the proper finger.

Back to Some Fluff

2011-02-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

I know. Try not to fall over. Two posts in the same week? This is my version of vegging after a week full of running errands like crazy all week, I suppose. The Potato baby is wiped from errands, and vegging with Diego. She doesn't want to move anywhere for any reason. I can live with that for a few hours.

Now that I've had my social awareness rant for the week, I'm going to post a bit of fluff. I might even get around to posting a recipe or two on Dainty & Psychotic today. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Have you heard of Bunco? It's a dice game, generally played with at least 12 people, 4 at each table. Lots of rolling. Lots of fun. This month it was my turn to host. I love having people over. I love to decorate a little, and Jeremy loves to cook fabulous food and have it be enjoyed. He was in the middle of a cooking storm when the gals arrived. They were shocked. "Is he cooking for us??" "Do you loan him out?" Yes, and yes. He wants to start giving in home cooking lessons. This is the first time we have ever stopped after the first round to eat. We usually stop at "half time" after the second round. "How do you stay so thin?!" I don't eat if he's not home. I feed the kids, and I might nibble, but I don't really eat. I know. I'm a bad person.
He made won-tons, deep fried ravioli, mushrooms stuffed with crab and cream cheese, sour dough bread, and some other things I just can't remember today. Basically, it was a smorgasboard of finger food. One of my personal happy places. We also had a variety of flavored lemonades which Jeremy played "bar tender" for. It's our party drink of choice.

Now for my part of the fluff. A tiny amount of festive decor. First thing I did was making something hang between the rabbit ears for the television, because they drive me crazy.

I popped into the local Dollar Tree to see if they had anything of use, and what I found were heart shaped doilies in two different sizes available in white and pink. Perfect! I used a smaller pink heart for the center of my strand. It already had the word Love embossed on it, so I used some glitter glue to accent it.

I also made a couple of "fancy" paper hearts. Here is the 3 dimensional pop up type heart. I used this idea from How About Orange. Except I used paper, didn't cut the smaller hearts in half, and glued in the crease rather than sew.

I then decided to try my hand at some paper roses. Craftzine has a good tutorial. I don't draw in the spiral though. I just cut it.

So, that was as decorative as I got for the living room. I still have my sparkly snowflakes dangling from the ceiling, and snowmen in the window because it is technically still winter.
Our dining room has a huge window, that we don't have any curtains on. It's pretty much unnecessary. So I decided to create something using the window. First, I took strips of paper about 2 inches wide, folded them in half, then folded them in thirds. Then I cut out hearts. Lots of hearts.

Then, I grabbed a Mtn Dew and read some blogs until my hand stopped cramping.

Organize the hearts by color.

I decided six hearts per strand would be just about right, and put together different color combinations of the hearts.

I ended up having to chart out what colors I had put on each strand because I was ending up with the same color next to itself, which I didn't really want. I lined up each set of six on a used padded envelope and used a pin to poke a hole near the top of each heart.

I cut lengths of white thread about 25 inches long. Using a sewing needle, I threaded the first heart.

After pulling most of the thread through, leave a little tail and secure it with a small square bit of tape.

Continue threading the rest of the hearts with the needle. You don't need to tape these hearts. I then secured each thread to the curtain rod already in place. For a 93 inch window, I used 30 strands of six hearts. Once you have all your strands in place, you can then arrange the hearts on the strands by sliding them into place. My strands are not the full height of the window, because there is a certain little girl who would probably pull them down.This is how it looked.

I know. My lighting is atrocious. But the kids love how it all looks hanging up there. At the end of the month, I'll slide all the hearts to the bottom to stack them. Then I can wrap the string around them, place them in an envelope, and save for next year.

Corsets and Courtesies, in flames

2011-02-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

Now, I'm generally the first to admit my blog is nothing more than a bit of fluff to keep my interested friends and family up to date on what is going on around here with my part of the clan. Today, I'm going to take a moment to pull out my soap box, put forth my two cents, and possibly go on a bit of a rant.
Recently, Solanah of Vixen Vintage fame posted about a darling outfit she wore while making a simple trip to the grocery store. My goodness if this didn't stir up a ruckus. Why? In this post, she also made note of a dreadful and increasing habit one often sees at the grocer.... pajama pants. I don't mean the ones on sale in Fred Meyer, or at the Super Wal-Marts. I mean the pajamas that have been washed in at least a week being worn on the bodies that may also not have been washed in many days. It's disgusting! Dirty, filthy pajamas being pulled on by hands that will then be touching food, possibly even produce, in the grocery store where many others shop for their own food.

On to the blog title, and my theories.

I believe the decline in the use of corsets, along with the increased popularity of motor vehicles, has led us to the society in which we now find ourselves. Why? When people had to walk or take horses to make visits, they had to plan. When women wore corsets, it took a bit more time to get dressed and ready to leave the house. It takes a lot of undergarments to make the corsets of yesteryear bearable for daily wear. This means you actually needed to plan your outings and visits to friends. When you have to plan to do things, you naturally want to take the time to look nice, as well. This was the same for ladies of the house, and ladies of the night.
Do not dare stretch this to say that I am blaming the liberation of women and would ever want to step back to a time where women do not have the right to vote, choose, or even own property.
When corsets were thrown to the waste baskets, women moved on to brassieres. Mary Phelps Jacob claimed to have created the brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon so that she could more easily go out dancing. She later sold the patent to Warner Brothers. Naturally this design was far easier and quicker to dress in. It was also much more comfortable.

Eventually, women did take a step back to a corset like design in the form of the girdle to achieve the popular androgynous look of the 1920s.

After WWI, brassieres returned, and Warner Brothers introduced cup sizes. Since then, many designs and materials have been used to create bras for women. Howard Hughes even had one specially engineered for Jane Russell.

My point is, the original corsets required assistance to put on. You made plans to leave the house, and you made sure you looked nice to do so. Your outfit had to be just so, and quite secure to withstand the traveling arrangements. Everything took time, including getting dressed.

Eventually corsets were designed so that one could be put on by the person wearing it. This does mean you have to take a little less time to plan when leaving the house. But still, not much of an improvement and still things took time. Though, the introduction of the automobile was influential in the time that it took people to follow through with plan, not everybody had one.

With the brassiere came reduction in material used to make a support garment. It was also substantially faster and easier to put on than anything before. You did not need undergarments beneath your support garment to protect your skin. Getting rid of all those layers makes getting out of the house much easier to just pop in on a girlfriend. Again, the automobile was becoming more prevalent as well. Heading out to the local grocer was a breeze. Even visiting the nation's landmarks became easier with the completion of the Interstate Highway.

Eventually the automobile was as common a sight as a woman with a properly supporting brassiere. But still, there were members of society who were unhappy with even this reduced restriction. So came the burning of the bras. This activity was usually done by people who were experimenting habitually with mind altering narcotics. Not exactly your upstanding members of society. Nor were they the most hygienic.

Bras became thinner, while hair got bigger, and attitudes toward fellow man got uglier.

Camisole bra tops became acceptable to wear out in public, the internet and silicone were on the rise.

Now, when people deem it necessary to leave the confines of their computer screen, they often do it in their pajamas and no bra at all.

I'm not judging those who are physically incapable of getting themselves dressed. I know there are people out there who are disabled and have no help at all. People who are lucky enough to scrape together something to buy food, let alone a pair jeans to wash nightly in the sink. I'm not judging those people.
I'm judging the able bodied souls out there who make the choice to put forth the statement to the world, "I Don't Care."

We get the message, loud and clear. You not only don't care what others may think of you, but you also do not care to think of yourself. I assure you, if you feel depressed or down for the day, slipping into something nice and doing your hair and makeup will certainly make you feel better than ratty jammies.
Like I always say, "If I feel like crap, I'm sure as hell not going to look like crap!"
Stand up, Americans! Wash up and slip on a pair of jeans for goodness sake! Show some pride in yourselves. Show some pride in your fellow Americans. Oh hell, you can even go back to the bra shelf top. Just put on some support of some kind! And please, for the love of anything you care to love, please let the next group burn session include sweat pants that aren't even being used for working out in. Please.

Just a tad bit crazy around here!

2011-01-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

When I said I should really stop doing monthly update posts, I didn't mean that I was going to be moving on to quarterly updates! Hopefully with the hectic holiday season over, and January just about out of the way, I can begin blogging more frequently again.

Thanksgiving was our most mellow one in three years. I attribute this to coordinating with my Aunt Sylvia as early as September. But apparently it wasn't even chaos for the rest of Jeremy's family this year either. Just one of those years I suppose.
Jeremy and I were in charge of desserts, so I made pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheescake, each with graham cracker crusts. We did a pumpkin pie with the graham cracker crust last year and decided we liked it so much more this way. I also prepared batter for pumpkin muffins using leftover pie batter the night before Thanksgiving. I woke in the morning to bake them for our trip to Portland, which we miraculously began relatively close to the time I wanted to get going. I am not kidding when I use the word miraculous, especially with a family of six to dress and ready.
While driving down to Portland, we noticed the truck was sounding a bit funny. Apparently you can still drive an old Chevy with a blown head gasket, so long as you add oil often enough, because we are still driving it. Even with truck trouble, we made it to my Aunt's before my cousins and had plenty of time to socialize.

Jeremy and my Uncle Bob hit it off quite like I'd hoped they would. They are both car guys. So they spent just about the entire time pouring over car magazines and photos from shows and races my Uncle had taken. Even at the dinner table.

My Aunt and Uncle paid for us to stay in a hotel very nearby them, and we were even able to meet up with them for breakfast. I'm so glad we were able to visit them, and the kids got to met them.

Then it was time to begin decorating for Christmas, and making Christmas cards. (That I never got sent out, because I'm really lame.)
This is my favorite one.

Jeremy also made a wreath for the outdoor decor. Seriously, how awesome is he??

He decorated the outside so nicely. Unfortunately, neither of us got pictures. It's a shame since this was our first year together being able to put up exterior decorations. Actually, we didn't get many pictures of Christmas this year at all. Jeremy was real big on taking videos, but he took a couple of shots.

See that really big present by the tree in the white wrapping paper? Jeremy got me something very special for Christmas. Are you ready to see what he got me?

An Antique Ruby Engagement Ring!!!

Of course, I said Yes.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Where has October gone? It flew by so fast, I could hardly keep up. Goodness knows I couldn't keep up with blogging.

We took the kids to Hunter Farms. This farm is really fun, and by far the best bang for buck in the area. Maris Farms (where Ren Faire was held) gets a lot of attention because they have so many things going. Maris really does offer some fabulous activities. But when it's going to cost me $50 just to get my crew through the entry gate, and not include the corn maze or tractor rides or pumpkin purchase or any of their seriously awesome activities without additional fees.... I have to say, "See ya next Ren Faire!"

Hunter Farms cost us $10 to get in. That included the hay maze, tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch & and corn maze, and petting zoo. That's my sort of deal. If all you want are pumpkins, without a tractor ride, you don't even have to shell out the $2 per person. Walk your merry self on out to the patch. Just keep in mind you have to carry those pumpkins back, too. Their pumpkin prices were pretty good, too.

The hay maze had a slide that all the kids enjoy.

There were many children there (and parents) who did not abide by the "No running around on top of the hay maze" rule. By the way, my kids are standing where they are allowed to so they can get to the slide.

They had a miniature horse, llama, pigs, emus, and miniature donkies. Oh, and a reindeer.

Of course, there were plenty of oppurtunities for photos.

Then we got in line to take the tractor ride.

It was bumpy and fun. Then we took the kids through the little corn maze.

Then it was off to stomp in mud and choose our pumpkins! Where Potato lost a shoe.

There was lots of inspection. We had a rule; If you can't carry it out, it is not the pumpkin for you.

I really liked this pumpkin, but it was rotting on the bottom.

Eventually, all the pumpkins were chosen, and we were ready to head back on the tractor.

Once home, we wiped down the pumpkins and posed them for one last pre-mutilation photo.

Do you see all those pumpkins? The largest one is 55lbs. We spent less than $30 on pumpkins. That's pretty fabulous in my book. Just so you know just how big a 55lb pumpkin is....

Then out came the paint!

A few days after pumpkins, we baked and frosted cookies!

The week before Halloween, Jeremy and I wbrought out the knives and began carving away. The first one is mine, while the other two are his.

My little white pumpkin started looking iffy on one side, so I was leery to cut it open. Instead, I ribboned it!

It was the first to go outside, and made a little buddy.

Then it was time to add all the other wonderful pumpkins to the display.

Potato's completed pumkpin.

Bear's completed pumpkin. He really likes blue.

Pix's witchy pumpkin.

Bug's witchy pumpkin.

Then it was Halloween!!! Potato went as a puppy. I really wish I had followed through with my planto add bows on the ears. Bear went a s bat, using a costume I made for Pix two years ago. (Whoohoo!) Pix went as a kitty cat. I found great swirly fur fabric at JoAnn's for her costume. Bug went as a fallen angel. She is my carbon copy in life. Heck, she's only two years younger than when I first wore that black robe. Feck. Maybe only a year younger.

Jeremy and I went as Professor and Student.

While photos with the kiddos are positively adorable, this next shot is by far the coolest (spookiest) shot I got all night.

I really have to stop doing these monthly catch up posts. Maybe by the end of the week, I can even get up the Puyallup Fair posts. *snickers* Suuuure. ;)

I hope you all had a delightful October, however you may spend it with the ones you cherish in your life. Now we Americans get to start the build up to Thanksgiving. Goddess, give me strength.

Plethora of Pears

2010-10-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Remember that picture once upon a time of our very first pear of the season?

It wasn't the last of the pears. In fact, we became completely overwhemled in pears. Tonight I finally got around to posting one of the things we did with those pears.
Plethora of Pears- Cupcakes

I promise that I will be back to update this blog within the next few days. I finally was able to load pictures where I need to after weeks of frustration. Puyallup Fair 2010, pumpkin patches, painting, and cookies coming soon. Promise!

I hope.

Meanwhile, please check out my other blog, as I will hopefully be adding more updates over there as well.

The Start to September

2010-09-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

On the very last day of summer vacation, it rained. It didn't just rain. It poured. This is nature kicking me in the face for thinking I could do something fun with the kids the day before school started. Isn't she a peach?

The girls started school on September 1st. I forgot the camera though, because we were running late. The girls were a few minutes late to class. Parking was insane. The lot was full. Every "No Parking" bit of curb was full. Every fence lined curb was full. The road in front of the school was lined. The entrance driveway was lined on both sides so traffic could only flow one way at a time. Buses were having trouble getting in to drop students off. People are twits. Thankfully, since I was running a little late, I was able to get a parking spot as somebody was leaving. Yay!

Anyway... I didn't get pictures of their first day. We found their classrooms and I left. Another girl in Pix's class was wearing the same shirt. Is that basis for a friendship?

Bear is officially in kindergarten this year. I did get pictures of the kids on his first day.

He is so excited to be going to school, like a big boy. He really loves riding the bus.

Part of what we had to buy for school supplies were boxes of tissues. I let the kids pick the boxes they would contribute, and Bear picked out one designed like a Super Hero Comic. He then insisted that his back pack have the same theme. He didn't want SpiderMan or Superman or Batman, or anything else like that. He wanted it comic book style, just like his Puffs box.

So, out came the felt, glue, and scissors. I think I'm going to sew the pieces on so I'm not worried about them coming detached. It's going to be a hassle.

We dropped the girls off at class first, then took Bear so we could get him properly situated. When Bear got to class, he found his name tag and hung his backpack. It looked pretty funny surrounded by pink and girly backpacks. (Photo load fail. :( )Then he had to sign into class.

Then we had to say goodbye. He was SO excited. He likes his teacher so much.

I only teared up a little.

August, In Retrospect

2010-09-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

The month of August was incredibly busy. Mostly, it was busy because 4 children out of school and demanding entertainment and meals keeps things spinning. There were many movie nights.

Potato discovered a love of drawing. Stealing pens and paper to hide in a corner like it was some secret joy she couldn't bear to share with the others.

There was also berry picking. This property is plentiful in raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Which the children beg me nearly everyday to be allowed to go out and pick.

Once, a large butterfly flew near the children while they were playing outside. This was hazardous. Bear hit the butterfly with a bubble wand.

It continued to fly fine however. I followed it to where it landed elsewhere, and it rested on my hand a bit while the children gently observed.

It flew away once it's poor little heart stopped racing from it's near death experience.

There were piggy back rides.

And there were uncles.

There were lots of flowers.

And vegetables.

And the first pears of the season.

There were outings.

As one woman said, "It's like the Von Trapps!"

A trip to Port Townsend, with a side trip to Fort Warden with Rory, Dianna, and the kids.

There were also ferry rides.

A few tea parties.

Running through the sprinkler was a must.

Where we learned closing our eyes while running about with multiple children is dangerous.

Work began on the Beetle, again.

There was also the WA Midsummer Renaissance Faire. With barbarian trolls.

Gentleman Rabbits.

Fairy kitties.

Gypsy horse riders.

Oh, and pirates with cannons and whips.

Of course, we dressed up, too.

Jeremy and I also celebrated our 3rd year together.

A Quarter of Century

2010-08-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

*Note- I really, truly, actually did start this post on August 9th, my birthday.

That's how old my Dad says I am today. He also told me, "just so you know it will take less than half as long to get to a half century." I believe it. I already feel like the past 5, or even 7 years have just flown by.

I got to start the day with a laugh. My boyfriend left me this card, before he headed off to work at 5am.

Jeremy later called to ask how my day was going. He also said he didn't really want to call me a Selfish Bitch on my birthday, but knew I would like the card. :D

After I fixed the little folk scrambled eggs and bagels, we all went outside so I could take some floral photos and they could run around a bit. Barbara was outside watering, so I asked her to get a shot of us all. After 5 or 10 minutes of convincing Potato she needed to sit down, Barbara clicked the photo. One shot, and everybody looking at the camera.

It's a bloody miracle I tell you. There was some insistence by Potato baby that the garden frogs be in the middle.

The kids each got a chance to use the camera to take some shots, except for Potato of course. Pixy arranged us in various ways and took a few shots. Bear just wanted to take pics of flowers. Bug just wanted to get some pics of me.

25 years and 4 kids is starting to look rough.

Somehow, I got them all to sit still together for a kids group photo. Potato even posed nicely and smiled sweetly. Bug, unfortunately, is reaching the age where a real smile just might kill her.

Of course, eventually the children wanted to go out and see Teddy Bear. I made the older three sit in the flowers for a picture. I tried to convince Potato she wanted to join in, but she really loves Teddy Bear.

She loves him so much, she just sat and fed him kibble by kibble.

That dog is so amazingly gentle. He doesn't make any noise or an aggressive movement at all when small children reach in his bowl while he eats. He almost just sighs. :)

Then Jeremy came home. Really, it's a cause for celebration every day. :) Especially for Potato.

We had to head to the store to get some things for my birthday dinner. Jeremy had discovered this really great grocery store called Central Market a few weeks back. So, we decided to head there. Holy snap this place is awesome. If we lived closer to it, we'd be in a lot of trouble. :D

Look at all that produce!

The seafood market was pretty cool. I really don't think I've ever seen live crabs stacked up in a tank like that. There were quite a few tanks, too.

I don't think Potato was too sure about the tank of prawns, though.

I love bins of grains, flours, sugars, etc.

This entire case was full of a huge variety of chocolate truffles.

Why is it most grocers don't have beverage coolers like this anymore? This one actually continued around the bend on the other side of the racks.

Oh my gosh, the salad bar! If I worked near there, I'd eat salad bar nearly everyday.

They even have an indoor eating area, with a heated outdoor balcony. That silo also houses a BBQ stand.

We really had to get out of there before we spent more than we should. Plus, we were starving. So home we went for Jeremy to start dinner.

All I wanted for dinner was Havarti on Sourdough. The kids got cheddar. I have a hard time wasting expensive cheese on taste buds that won't appreciate it anyway.

We also Had To Have tomato soup, for dipping, and chili. Yum!

Sorry, the lighting really is horrid in this place.

The kids all seemed to enjoy dinner. I, of course, was in heaven. I love good sourdough.

Potato has discovered a love for chili. Such a Daddy's Girl.

While we were eating, Jeremy put on some music. After Potato finished her dinner, she promptly decided it was time to dance.

She's scary natural, and freakin' adorable!

But then it was time for baby bedtime, and Mommy indulgence. Truffles in cherry cheesecake, tiramisu, and pear brandy. I shouldn't have ate them all that night, but I couldn't help it.

Progression of a Pixy

2010-08-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

Once there was a stubborn little baby. Eventually, with the help of a midwife, the baby was turned from a sideways position in a ribcage and brought into this world at 8:05am.

And she grew.

Then a year passed, and her cuteness was excruciating.

A second year passed, and her cool sense of style was evident.

A third year passed, and her crazed sense of humor was swiftly developing.

A fourth year passed, and her enthusiasm for music became central.

A fifth year passed, and her book-smarts shined brightly with every passing day.

A sixth year passed, and her creativity blossomed.

Today the baby turned seven. She is amazing.

We'll celebrate her birthday on Friday.

Turkeys

2010-07-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

This last week, Jeremy and his dad were finally able to bring over one of the 1967 Beetles to the garage. They also brought along all his tools, compressor, and what not. Yay! Uncle Roy has a welder. Here's to hoping one of these things gets to be road worthy soon.

Um, I'm sure the fenders are somewhere in the garage. I know they are. I just don't know which garage.

I made him pose with it. I tried to get him to lean forward, hands on his knees, back arched, and lips pouty... but, you can see that failed. Pin up, he is not.

Meanwhile, Roy and Barb's garden is doing pretty danged good. We've been able to fresh greens for salads anytime we want for several weeks now. Yellow zucchini, too! Yum!

While Jeremy and his Dad were playing garage monkeys, I was working on cheesecake truffles. Oh, yes. I have another blog now. It's even more random than this one. But I will be posting my recipes and possibly my crafting ventures over there. When I can remember. So, my cheesecake truffle post is over at Dainty and Psychotic.

Potato has a couple of new favorite hobbies.

One is doing her Daddy's hair. Brush it forward. Brush it back. Brush it forward. Blow. Brush.

For some strange reason, she also likes pretending the small space between my glider and the side table is a tunnel. Sure thing, kid. Whatever you say.

While we were out running errands the other day, I looked down at the floor board and thought, "All this shot is missing is a fast food burger wrapper for truly American feel." Still, I like it. Okay. I wouldn't like it if there was a fast food wrapper. Maybe.

We also took Potato to the park.

I seriously love this shot.

She's also discovered how to un-click the top part of her car seat straps. This is super fun while cruising down the interstate at 60mph. This photo was taken while waiting for Daddy who had run into the store real quick. Not at 60mph.

Do you remember walking along a garden hose like a tight rope as a kid?

She's already doing this, at two!

Visits from Distant Relatives

2010-07-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

By distant, I mean that I live in WA and they live in CO. Earlier this month, my Uncle Clint came to visit with his family.

I hadn't seen him in about 15 years, so I was really excited. Plus, I was getting to meet my tiny cousin for the first time! Technically, she's my only real first cousin. All others are biologically second or third cousins. There is also about 7months difference between little A and my Potato Wedge. Neither of the girls wanted to cooperate for group pictures.

They did okay though when Amy came into the picture. Kind of.

Clint, Amy, Debbie, and Little A arrived sometime around 1130pm thanks to some scheduling issues. But they got here safe. Clint asked me right off the bat, "Do you have something against civilization??" lol The answer is Yes. Especially after living in Tacoma for 3 years. It's a good thing they have GPS in the rental van. Sweet Little A, she didn't have a problem letting this entirely new person get her out of her car seat and snuggle. Well, until we got inside and she saw Mama. Ah, the advantages of sleepy toddlers. Amy, Clint, and I stayed up til about 3am just talking.

Potato got up first in the morning. So I got up, got her dressed and took her walking outside while we let the others wake. When we came back after saying hi to the puppy dog, they were all up and in the living room. The girls got along so well. It was sweet. Little A even showed Potato how to use her Sit n Spin.

They hugged each other so enthusiastically, they toppled right onto the floor after the flash went off!

Potato also helped Amy and Little A get ready for the day.

Potato really like Amy, who is quite sweet.

Potato shared her coloring books, and her rabbit ears.

At some point, the girls found some balloons left over from Potato's birthday. This cracks me up every time I watch it.

When it was about time for them to leave, Potato and Little A began plotting how to ditch the rest of us.

They finished the visit with several hugs, like good friends and loving cousins.

One Thousand, Eight Hundred Twenty Five Days

2010-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

That was the exact the age my son was as of 6:41am on July 13th. In other words, my one and only boy is now 5 years old.

Bear and his sisters were spending some of their summer with their Ammie, near the Dam. My plan was for Jeremy, Potato, and I to leave our house by 7am to make it there by 11am. For some strange reason, my alarm did not go off, and we didn't even wake up until 6:50. Okay. That's a lie. I was leaping out of bed in a slightly panicked state at 6:50am. Jeremy just rolled back over to bed after I announced "We're supposed to be leaving in 10 minutes!" We pulled out of the drive at about 8:17am. Turkeys have no sense of get up and move your bum mornings.

Still, I figured a 12:30 arrival wouldn't be too bad. It wouldn't have been. I realize now that I am still not used to not traveling straight on through with maybe a quick trip into a drive-thru. MapQuest, from my old address, used to indicate my drive would be just over 4hrs. I usually made it in 3.5 hours. Without speeding. Okay. Without speeding more than five over. But Jeremy needed a pit stop, and Potato needed a changing. Then there was the quick run into Ephrata's Safeway for berries. When we thought we were ready to go, the Audi wouldn't start. Two attempts for jumping, a phone call to his dad, and about an hour and a half later we were on the road again. The problem? The gear shifter was not all the way in park. Something about things not being aligned just perfect after the transmission install. We did not arrive into town until about 3, I think. Oh! We did stop to give a guy a ride into town. The fuel guage in their off-roader is faulty, and they ran out of gas. Funny enough, they're from our side of the state!

Our little Bear was so happy to see us. He's gotten taller even in just a few short weeks. He'll be due for another hair cut before... he starts school. Okay, I am not going to think about that just yet.

Bear loved his cake! He is such a strawberry and blueberry fanatic. He saw something similar with raspberries instead of strawberries, and decided that was the cake he wanted.

The theme of this year's birthday was once again SpiderMan. I won't be surprised if it is again next year.

These masks mildly disturb me.

This year, Bear received his very first heavy duty remote control car. His dad got him the Land Rover with big wheels for all sorts of terrain.

My little man has the funniest facial expressions.

He got a lot of new Hot Wheels. I might have gone slightly overboard with the awesomeness. I couldn't resist all the cool cars!

Funny enough, despite other guests being there, Bear was the only boy child. After he opened all his gifts, Bear presented a gift to each girl. Potato got a soft baby doll, while the older girls each got beachy barbies.

When we drove home the next day, I noticed the lake was just about the calmest I've ever seen it.

My little Bear is such a sweet kid. He is so caring. Each morning when he hears Potato first wake, his primary goal is to make her laugh right off the bat. His older sisters find him a bit troublesome at times, when he only wants to play with them. He loves sports, cars, and anything else that goes VROOOOOM! He loves fruits and veggies for snack. He hates carrots. He's a cheese fiend. He's my snuggly Bear. He has the sweetest smile. He always gives the craziest and wackiest faces.

Fireworks and Family

2010-07-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Something incredible and unprecedented happened on the 4th of July this year. For the first time in 15 years, Jeremy had Independence Day off! He's always had to work at least a few hours. But this year, the day was totally ours. Unfortunately, he did have to be at work at 5:30am. I tried to convince him to call in sick. "Oh man, I must have had some potato salad that sat out a little too long." People get food poisoning quite a bit, right? It's common enough to be believable. But, no, no. Go to work he must, and did.

Jeremy really wanted to see his best friend, Brent, on the 4th. They don't often have coordinating days off. Usually just two days a month actually. Plus, Brent's birthday was the 3rd. So we packed up the swimsuits, towels, and sun block to head south to Long Beach. Poor Katie, she could not avoid a visit from her most detested acquirement of marriage to Brent.... Jeremy.

I know alot of people who say Ocean Shores is the place to go. No, thanks. I love Long Beach. The town itself is just so much better. Bunches better. There's more to explore, and it just plain feels better. Ocean Shores kinda has... well, a scuzzy kind of feel. Compared to Long Beach. Compared to other places, I'm sure it's the Emerald City.

Sadly, on the way to Long Beach, we just knew the weather was not going to be a splendid utopia of sunshine and blue skies. Sadly, on the way there, I discovered that the denim jackets I had planned on Potato and I wearing had been leaked upon by an open valve on the cooler... and turned fuzzy. What the frick?? They had only been in there a week! Quite plainly, I was seriously miffed at this. I love my denim jacket dang nabbed it. Do you know how hard it is to find a denim jacket in my size, a style I like, and at $30?? (Well, ok, they cleaned up nicely. Really. No discoloring or smells. Yay for white vinegar!) Jeremy was sweet, and practical. He couldn't very well let his girls get chilled. So, Potato and I each got brand new pink Long Beach sweaters as soon as we rolled in to town. He takes such good care of us.

Then, Jeremy got on the horn in an attempt to locate Brent. They were already down on the beach. No surprise there, really.

Despite having been there before, we decided to walk the town some more. We were going to pop into Marsh's? It's a curiosity shop of sorts. Most importantly, it is the famed home of Jake the Alligator Man. Fellow blogger,Twila Jean, is a fan. Anyhow, we did not make it in there this time around because it was Insanely crowded. Not stroller friendly in the least. I think if we go there on the 30th, Potato gets the umbrella stroller. At least it can be folded and walked much friendlier.

We did however, at my insistence, get pictures in front of the giant skillet. Yay! Touristy. (Ahem- Notice, new pretty pink sweaters.)

One gal was even nice enough to take a picture of all three of us.

They also had free horse drawn carriage tours. No, we did not go. Maybe next time?

After a bit more walking, and peeking into kite shops, we headed down to the beach. Brent said he was about a mile down the beach from the entrance. So, we thought, "Hey, Brent made it that far with is Dodge Stratus. We can make it in the van. It's done chain only conditions on nearly bald tires." So down we went. Wow, he was down there a ways. More than a mile, I'm almost certain. We almost turned back around, but then we saw him and figured, "It's only another 30ft." The boys said hello, then promptly began setting up. (See! The back of my van is organized!)

Potato baby was excited to see all that sandy beach. Oh, and all that "wa-her." Baby loves water.

As soon as Jeremy was thoroughly distracted by his kite, baby girl and I kicked off our shoes and made a run for the water. Yes, it was a cloudy covered day, with skies like you only see here in the PNW. That brightly varied gray sky, where you still feel the heat beaming through. There was a bit of a breeze, and you could smell the next wave of rain in the air. We didn't care. This was the ocean. This was our paradise. We were going to enjoy splashing our feet in the water. Unfortunately, we came across a Huge piece of broken glass. Fortunately, I saw it before it became a problem for us, and hopefully anybody else. Like good little citizens of earth, we (I) gingerly retrieved it from the surf, and took it back to the van for disposal.

Unfortunately, this meant our water time was cut. I was minding Potato, and she was minding Daddy's kite flying.

Brent's dog, Bubby, was minding it also. Oh, how he wanted that kite. If only it would swoop down low enough. That fat, little beagle jumped with all his might. I was impressed. Still, no matter how low Jeremy swooped down to torment the little dog, his jumps were just to short. Then the kite went for a swan dive. Just out of reach of Bubby's lead.

Jeremy decided the winds were getting a bit crazy for flying. He didn't have anymore strings if these snapped, and didn't feel like adding the tails. So, out came the paddle ball. Potato was so cute. She saw that Brent's little shovel was blue and about the same size as their paddles. She ran to get it, and eagerly ran back to join in the game. They would set the ball on there, and she'd fling it to them. She's so smart.

And cute.

About 5pm, we all decided it was time to head out for dinner. So we packed up. Brent and Katie went ahead of us, and came back before we got to driving. The water was coming up to the vehicles, and people weren't moving them. Okay. It was one car being the biggest pain. A Toyota Camry owner. Surprised? I'm not. So Brent said we should try to go the other exit further down. Then Brent got the Stratus stuck. The good thing about the beach, people are generally really friendly and helpful. As soon as it was clear he was stuck, several people came over to help, including a guy with a Jeep. With a bit of a dig and a tug, he was free.

Off we went back towards the Toyota. We actually did fine. Jeremy drove the van into wet sand while the waves were out. It got a little iffy, but the van pulled through. We even made it quite a bit past the Toyota. Then we hit trouble. Soft, dry, deep sand. I opened my door to the view of sand just inches below the van. But, behold! A 2x4. Obviously, this had been left behind by previously trapped travelers, for it's mate was on the other side of the van. I immediately got down in the sand and began digging out the tires. Jeremy used a borrowed shovel to dig out the other side. I realized I was screwing up my skirt and brand new sweater. Off they went into the van, and I continued digging in my swimsuit. (Jeremy claims this got a lot of spectators. They were probably blinded by my whiteness.) We tried wedging the wood under the tire for it to grip in hopes of backing out. It wasn't going to happen. The tires were just spinning, and a puff of exertion was coming from under the hood. The van was high centered. I moved to the front to begin digging out the front end as far back as I could reach. Jeremy was getting in there with a borrowed shovel. But there was still more sand. In fact, the van was high centered at the axle. Score.

Along came a man with a jeep, and a chain. He'd already pulled numerous people out that day. I suspect he enjoys it some. I probably would, too. So after a bit of contemplation as to how the chain should be wrapped around the front end, it was secured. Jeremy told me to quickly jump into the seat and get it started, cause this guy was ready to pull. Ta-Da! Once pulled to packed sand, the gentleman disconnected and drove off for his next adventure. He was part of a group that had an Enormous pile of wood going for a bon fire later. Any scrap they could find, and every pallet they could get. In fact, they took one guys entire pickup bed of pallets and scrap wood to add as repayment for getting his butt out. I'm ashamed I didn't get pictures of the pile, or of being buried in the sand. I was little preoccupied by the incoming surf.

I did get photos of my van afterwards, though.

While we were digging, Katie came to tell us they couldn't get around the Toyota. They were going to try to wait for when the tide went back out. So, Jeremy and I decided we would head down to Astoria for dinner. Why the heck not? It's practically right there, anyway. That's quite the bridge they've got there. We drove around a little while, trying to decided what sort of food we were feeling up to, and what looked good.

We found the Flavel House.

The Old County Jail, which is now Film Museum. How cool is that?

Some darling little houses.

The Liberty Theater. Isn't it grand looking?

I don't know what the story is behind this house.... but I want it.

We finally settled on a restaurant with a water front view, called Pier 11.

The view was gorgeous. There were even a couple of seals bobbing about and playing nearby. The menu looked spectacular. Jeremy had such a hard time deciding.

It's a really great little place. The wait staff was super friendly. The chef, who also owns the joint, even ok'd ordering off the Lunch Specials menu despite it being after 6pm. So I opted for a seafood mix in a phyllo wrap, with asparagus and rice. It was sooooo yummy.

Jeremy ordered the steak, medium to medium rare. I swear to you, this is the first time a steak has ever been brought in front of Jeremy the way he asked it without having to cook it himself. In fact, he said it was one of the best steaks he's ever had. High praise, coming from him, I assure you.

Joey was enjoying the view, her crayons, and the steak as well.

With our bellies feeling incredibly full, we headed out and back to the van. If Jeremy hadn't been scheduled for 530am, we might have stayed to enjoy the fireworks display. However, we had to head home. It was cool though. We got to see miles and hours of celebrations, and several grand finales. When we got home about midnight, some of the neighbors were even still lighting off.

It was a long day, and a really good one.

Menagerie of Floral Photography

2010-07-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

The other night after arriving home from a hectic schedule, I noticed my rose had bloomed. The lighting and weather were just wonderful, so I ran inside and got the camera. I couldn't resist getting shots of my fuschia as well. But then I noticed that Barbara's rose had bloomed, also. What ensued was photo clicking bonanza. I took well over 100 shots. This post is simply a collection of my favorites, and nothing else, really.

I took these photos, they are mine. If you wish to use any for any reason, please ask. It's just courteous.

Mailings of Good Tidings!

2010-06-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, we've been getting some pretty good mail. It's much nicer than the regular ol' junk mail.
About a month ago, I sent my good friend, Maudi Mae, a birthday card. I've been trying to remember to do this for the past couple years. I think I'm two for two now. The other day, the mail came bringing me a white box. Yay! I hadn't even ordered anything. Maudi Mae is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. Not only did she send me a thank you card, but she also sent a stuffed puppy for each of my children.

Only Potato is home, since the other three are with their grandmother, so she got first pick. This is the best picture I could get, since she was playing peek-a-boo using her puppy.

I also recieved another small package. This one came from Jill, the Good Mail Queen. I had won another one of her blog give aways. This time, I opted for a personalized mini notebook. It's so darling! I just love the colors.

The pages are even personalized with my initial!

After the necessity of a refurbished transmission for the A8, Jeremy got himself something he's been wanting to get for quite some time. Something frivolous, and mostly just for fun. He purchased a beginner's kit for learning to do pin striping. You know, the pretty paint lines, swirls, crests and such on cars? He was even sweet enough to get me some little detail brushes for doing my nails. (Hm, did I just hear some groaning of men folk?) He's a good man. Shaddup.
As excited as I was to get my new teeny brushes, I'm just as excited about the pin striping kit. Why? Because I want to do it, too! Permission to add pretty details to the side of a vehicle? Yes, please! Ever since the kit arrived in the mail, my hands have been itching to break it all out and go to town practicing on the windows. Amazingly enough, I was able to withstand the unbearable torture until he got a chance at it first. After all, it is his.

So the other night he got out his mounted glass, courtesy of Uncle Roy, and got all his supplies set up. The kit came with DVD to teach you the basics, which we watched weeks ago. Yes. I allowed a box of art supplies to sit untouched for weeks. Shh. Anyway, Jeremy did pretty good. He only pulled out the can of white, which left me a bit disappointed since he has a can of red paint, too.

You might think, "What's the big deal?" But, it's trickier than it might seem. Due to the cut of the brushes, there's a right way to hold and roll. Not to mention getting the consistency of the paint and reducer how you want it. Jeremy concluded he'd add a little too much reducer. I think he did just fine. I even kept my trap shut and didn't give any tips or suggestions. I am prone to such things. Shocking, I know. Instead, I took pictures of flowers and plants around the property. That will be another post, though. Perhaps tomorrow.

Western Winded Woman

2010-06-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

There are days when I feel like I'm going to start screaming, and I'm not going to stop screaming. At least, not until I pass out or damage my vocals. I'd love to just be able to do that. I think it would be a great way to relieve stress. But, then people just look at you like it's time to call the people with the white jackets and large needles. Who knows... maybe it is?
The past couple of weeks have been crammed full of crazy. Not the kind of crazy that causes you to spin counter clockwise constantly to ensure the earth does not spin off its axis. The kind of crazy that makes you feel thankful there are people who believe they must spin counter clockwise to keep the earth on axis.
There was Potato's 2nd birthday coupled with Memorial Day. Then Bug's school let out, which meant a full week with her here. This meant lots of bubbles, and sunglasses.

At that same time was Jeremy's birthday. There is so much cake to be had in this family, I thought cream cheese smothered brownies would be better, because Jeremy loves them. He also decided he wanted kebobs. I also bought him a new Audi shirt for his birthday.

Then I had to drive the kids to their Dad, for their six week summer break on the east side of the Cascades. We also saw our friends Kelly and April with their new baby boy. Then the huge family celebration that combined Father's Day, Jeremy's birthday, and Chad's birthday. It was a miserably wet day, for which I of course wore heels and a skirt. I didn't get a single decent picture of Potato dressed up, and any half decent shot I did get was ruined by the necessity of flash.

Jeremy also had vacation, during which he.... wait for it..... put the NEW (refurbished) TRANSMISSION into the AUDI!!! That's right folks. After over a year of uselessness (leave it alone), and several months of the engine being ratchet strapped to the rafters, the Audi is nearly road worthy! Just needs transmission fluid, and tabs. This makes us so incredibly giddy around here. Brent came down to visit, and helped clean out the barn/garage where Jeremy will be allowed to start working on the Beetle. I can't decide if the Audi being fixed, or being able to move forward with the Beetle make me happier. I think, for now, the Audi being fixed since that is still a funds draining car payment. I wish I had pictures of the guys doing all that work. But I was being all womanly and minding children.
Then there was nephew Zack's 16th birthday, which was a pool party, much to Potato's delight. I made him a card, and Jeremy decided we'd get him a gift card to DICK'S (sporting goods) so he can get paint balls of his choosing or such. Way too many jokes about that store name.

Yesterday wrapped up some of the craziness for cousin Bekah's graduation/18th birthday party. I made her a card. I have no other pics to reference this event. Purple is her favorite color, and yes, she has dyed her hair purple and plans to again this summer.

I'd love to say the calm is going to begin settling in.... but it's not. Coming up is the 4th of July. Maybe something for Brent's birthday. Probably not. His wife hates Jeremy because she can't keep up with their banter. Neither can I, but I'm usually amused by it. Then there will be the cross state trip for Bear's 5th birthday. He wants a red, white, and blue cake made up with strawberries and blueberries. That kid loves strawberries. Two weeks after that, we'll get the kids back for August. Pix's birthday. Dani and Dottie's birthday. My birthday. Oh, then back to school chaos.
For now though, Potato is thoroughly enjoying being a geographically only child.

I have to go see what she's destroying, and try to covince her to eat her chickie nuggets. Goddess, give me strength. Maybe a beer.

Another Flashback Post....

2010-06-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

I swear... okay, I really hope... this is the last the last flashback post I do for awhile. Hopefully. Maybe. We'll see?
(Sadly, I actually did begin writing this within a couple days of her birthday. But it got put on the back burner.)

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31May2010

Two years ago on this day, after 32 hours of constant labor, a sweet little squnchkin came into this world. She was dubbed, Jojo Potato Wedge. She only weighed 7lbs, 4oz when she came into this world shortly after 4pm. (23hrs after we arrived at the hospital!) She even had her Daddy's feet.

Today, she now weighs about 28lbs, and has been wearing size 2T pants for a couple of months already. She still has her Daddy's feet. She almost never quits moving. She sings. She dances. She plays drums on any bit of surface using pencils or her hands. She even hits high while mimicking the strike of a cymbal. She loves kangaroos, her Tinkerbell blankie, and bubbles. Oh, how she loves bubbles. Dogs, too.

On Saturday, we invited family and friends like family over for barbecue and cake. Despite the horridly indecisive weather that had been occuring lately, it did not rain! It was a bit overcast, but it worked out fine and wasn't too chilly. I got bunch balloons, a huge bottle of bubbles, and a wide assortment of wands for the kids to be entertained. It's all they really need with some yard time. :)

Pix and buddy, Chris, playing with the punch balloons.

Potato admiring the table setting Bug layed out.