We have been super-productive the past few weeks and are feeling pretty proud of ourselves thank you very much.
Ben just put in a complete sprinkler system that is pretty impressive. I don't know if it's the really cool rotating fountain sprinkler heads or the thought of having lush green grass without having to drag that damn sprinkler all over the yard ...yay. I took a few of pictures but none of them really showed the scope of the destruction at the time. It was awesome. The trenches are filled now but the yard is still pretty muddy in places and it will be a miracle if any grass grows before the snow flies but it will be worth it in the spring.
So I thought one huge project wasn't enough how about two. A week before Ben was going to start the on sprinklers I decided I was going to paint our bedroom...yep a simple paint job. Give the room a little freshening up before winter. Well gosh it is the only room in the house we haven't painted yet! Two weeks later and my 'paint job' has include the removal of a wall, hanging sheetrock and of course all the lovely mudding and sanding that goes along with that...cough. I ripped out the 40yr old carpet and 70yr old linoleum...I think it was linoleum. I'm sure whatever it was it was chock full of Asbestos. Sheetrock dust, lead paint, Asbestos and I stepped on a nice big pointy nail. I'm amazed I survived.
Our house was built in 1926 so everytime I tear into a wall or rip up flooring I'm always kind of half-way expecting to find treasure. I did find something this time, not treasure exactly but pretty cool none the less. A beautiful wood floor with not a mark on it, you can see where the former owners (we are only the third owners) did some remodeling, I think they expanded the crawlspace and added the windows. Great idea. Then they put a wall up and made the area into a walk-in closet with the windows in it...? Who knows maybe the closet was supposed to be little office. Anyway the wall is no more. Me, my trusty hammer and my favorite pink Chuck Taylors made quick work of tearing that baby down. "Tear down this wall" ...hah. The floor wasn't stained in that part and was on the fence on if I wanted to completely strip, sand and restain the entire floor or give it all 'a good shelacking'. I decided on a little of both...a couple coats of new stain and three coats of poly somethiny-somethin. Nice and shiny. It doesn't match perfectly but I really like how the little imperfections and scuffs are deeper and richer looking now. So much more interesting ...and shiny. Being able to open all the windows now is awesome, our room would get so stuffy and stale before.
I love my new bedroom. Now I'm thinking that the old bedroom furniture is looking a little rough, I really want to finish the basement and I think J-bot's bedroom could use some freshening up........maybe a little 'paint job'.
Maybe not. I think my husband is is still recovering from that last major project combo platter so I may have to wait until spring before I do anything else major to the house. That works out for the best with the holidays coming and the weather getting cruddy. Time to be inside and crafty.

Bunnies

Cutest bunnies ever! Fun times at the Waterville Fair.... stinky but fun.
And now the sad news. On Sept.1 our close friends lost their beautiful 17 yr old daughter so suddenly I still don't have the words to describe the affect that it has had on our happy little clique. So I won't....describe it that is. I will just say that she was an amazing young woman and she is deeply loved and missed by all of us.
So I will make them a quilt 'cuz that's what I know how to do!
I hope to use as much of her clothing as possible and make it big enough that the whole family will be able to cuddle up. It depends on how much raw material I end up with but I'm thinking from experience that I will probably be able to make multiple blankets out of the same fabrics. We'll see.
With the bunnies out broadening their minds and my craft room in amazing 'is this MY craft room?' order, I am chomping at the bit to finish projects and get started on CHRISTMAS. I had a great time last year with the things I made and my Christmas spirit was easily found so I'm hoping for a repeat this year. My soap and tamale friend Wendy or as my girl calls her 'Winny' and I are going to be making soap again after a couple of years of uh....being dirty heh...along with hopefuly some body oils. I might even make some more candles and I found a pattern for the cutest little scrubby ducks....and then there is the food that I want to make this year.
Man I gotta get started!
But first I have to go clean the patio!

Camp cooking.

Chicken, corn and garlic bread on the campfire last Memorial Day camp trip. Delicious....or maybe it was the view.

Bronco

Big blue bronco
You brought us so far
Sad to say goodbye

We finally sold our old 89 Ford Bronco yesterday. I didn't think I would be so sad, I couldn't even watch it drive away. Cried like a baby I did. Lots of memories tied up in that pile of metal.
We bought it in '93 in Florida while my husband was still in the Navy. We drove it all the way across the whole country after he got out. I think it's bulk probably saved our lives when we got stuck in a tornado while crossing Illinois. Many many camping trips and probably a little too much late night 4wheelin'. Pop the top, blast the stereo and it was a cruising machine in the summertime or stick it in 4wd and it would chew through any snow bank in the wintertime.
Ah well... it was getting old and of course my memories will be sweet because I didn't have to drive it the past couple years. I kind of feel like it's the end of something... I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's time to be more serious...I mean the years are just flying by. I've done alot but there is still so much more. Maybe it's time to truly grow up.
GAH....I hope not.

Cherries!

Rainiers and Bings.
One of the best things about living in central Washington is the awesome climate. Now I'm not talkin' Western Washington with all the Seattle rain and gloom, I'm talking sunshine and blue skies for about 300 days out of the year. Snow in the winter, flowers in the spring, hot hot sun in the summer and leaves in the fall..you know the drill. Well the result of such great weather is tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. My garden is exploding with life and fruit seems to drop out of the sky..it's like it grows on trees or something. These cherries represent the last of a massive amount that were given to me by a neighbor, we have eaten our fill and I don't want them to go to waste so I made a delicious pie filling and stuck it in the freezer for future tasty treats.

B-day breakfast.

California Eggs Benedict. It may not be pretty and it took a little longer to make than I would have liked but it sure was delicious! Tomato, avocado, ham and two things I've never made before in my life.. poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I will probably make this again after I get one of those egg poacher thingys..and I work off the 5000 calories.
Not so much posting lately. Lots of distractions. Oooo look a pretty bird.

Stuffed burgers!

Mozzarella stuffed burgers. I added chopped onion and red bell pepper to the meat before forming the patties, very proud of the perfect meat-to-bun ration by the way. This was the first time I've made these so I didn't get crazy with the ingredients as I wanted to see how they would cook up first. The cheese was nice and melty, I cooked them over low heat to make sure the patties didn't break open and lose all their cheesy goodness. This one is cooked and stacked just how I like it, lots of lettuce and tomatoes with just a smidge of mayo and mustard.....it was delicious!
I think next time I'll whip up a mexi-burger...a nice big slice of queso fresco and a smoked chile inside with avocado and salsa for toppings....my tummy just growled, I'll make them this weekend!

Cody's reward.

Cody didn't waste any time on the big Memorial Day camping trip, he had his pole in the water before we had the tents up. The reward for his dedication......this beautiful fish and the knowledge that his grandpa, dad and uncles have been fishing off that same dock for about 15 years and never got so much as a nibble. Sweet sweet victory.

So busy.

Wow..... almost a month without posting. I've just been too busy. I have been taking lots of pictures so when I have some spare time I'll post more but 'til then here's a nice picture of a cool mushroom from the lawn.

Red

Big red blanket. I finished this a couple of months ago for a birthday gift and now that the day is here I can post about it without giving up the suprise.
The picture doesn't show how truly rich and red the fabrics are or how amazingly well they go together.
Towels, embroidered shirt,red jeans and ultra-thick and soft corduroy pants....6" squares as usual, they're my favorite.

Coconut cake

Mother's Day coconut cake. I was craving this as a special treat 'cept I was going to get one of those frozen cakes from Sara Lee...you know she's cheap and easy, haha. All I could find was chocolate and chocolate is good and all but when you have a craving for coconut, chocolate just doesn't cut it. So anyway... I called my crazy 'Aunt Betty' (crocker) and we whipped up this tasty little number using two different sizes of heart shaped cake pans and tons of toasted coconut...mmm.

Studio Friday...ROBOT!

Of all the robots in my 'studio' (spread all over the whole house) this one is my favorite. Good ole trusty Kenmore sewing machine...er I mean robot. It's perfect! It has only a few tasks that it knows how to do but it does them very well and it doesn't give me attitude like say...the computer. It can sew through layers of denim with ease. It's also nice and light so I can move it around. I have Singer that has fancy stitches and button-hole settings and lights etc. etc.. I save that one for special stuff....this one is my workhorse.

DIY...Farm Edition

Yes... you too can learn to make your own zebra at neatorama.com.

friends and neighbors

Jacob, Gretchen, Indy and Sara coloring Easter eggs. Sara (the redhead) moved away soon after this picture was taken. The other kids are a little sad and the neighborhood is alot quieter without her. They all played together almost everyday for the last 5 years. Sure there were fights....parents seemed to care more about them than the kids did....but mostly fun times and good friends.

eww... part2

Black sour watermelon with bright red super sour lime push-up pop....now with new and improved staining power. Warning stains skin and clothing!

eww....

After lots and lots of begging the kids got these for a treat. I know...I'm weak. Gigi picked an eyeball one but was so freaked out she wouldn't eat it 'til I pulled out the eyeball and made sure it wasn't real. The eye was kind of squishy on the outside and there was this red ooze that was gross looking but actually pretty tasty. Both kids were unable to finish them. J-bot said 'too much sweetness' and 'all melty'. Gigi wanted to save hers in a zippy bag which is code for 'I don't want this anymore but I still value it enough not to throw it away'....so I put it in a bag next to the four other misc. frozen treats that she hasn't finished.
The grownups had Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. They were delicious and only 100-150 calories a sandwich. Yummy

Yay Spring 2

Wow it's been a whole month since my last post. Darn that 'real life'. Always getting in the way of my more interesting and fabulous cyber-life.
Some really cool stuff has happened this last month....the best thing of all was J-bot got his cast off! hurray hurray He's doing great, is back at school and had his first communion. He has a slight limp but doesn't let that stop him.
GiGi turned 5 years old...don'tcha know! Oma and Opa Pete came to town and much celebrating was done by all
Bowling is over. Me and the girls ended up with 4th place and I got a really cool trophy for having the best improved average...I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I mean they're kinda saying 'Hey...glad you don't suck as bad as you did before'. I'm gonna put it in a nice safe place. In the basement right next to the home economics trophy I won in High School, you know ..the one that says 'Hey...glad you didn't burn the place down this time'.
The weather has been awesome...sun sun sun with just a little breeze. Perfect for ignoring any and all inside chores. I'm really good at that.
There was a couple of rainy days so I was able to finish as in done and gone 3 big blankets (pictures later)...yay for me. My sewing machine has a funny sqeak now that I hope a little oil will take care of. I'm going to take a break from sewing for a while....yeah right.
Right now I think I'll go ignore my chores.

Yay Spring!

Time to get rid of some old bread and give the kitties some lovely birds to stalk and chase.

Domestic Bling!

ooooo...shiny.
So finally after over ten years of faithful service we had to retire our trusty and oh so crusty Kenmore gas BBQ. I'm suprised it lasted as long as it did considering how much I used it.
A good little grill it was, although lately it was getting a little run down...the starter was broken, the top grill was almost falling apart and it just looked bad in a 'I hope you've had your shots' kind of way.
So anyway..my loving family ( knowing how much I love to cook outside) all kicked in and bought me the smack-daddiest BBQ I have ever had the joy to grill on. At first I thought it was a little too big and shiny for my humble backyard patio but now after using it a couple of times ...I Love It.
My favorite culinary challenge is seeing if I can cook an entire meal on the grill, especially in the summertime with all the fresh veggies from our garden...heaven. Well that is no longer going to be a challenge with 5 burners and a side burner with a griddle.....dude, I could cook breakfast....blueberry pancakes and grilled sausage yum.
I think I'll get used to how big and shiny it is...someday.

mmm...Twinkies

Prepackaged snackcakes are never very high on my treat list.......'cept for the occasional 25cent Little Debbie from the local Plaza Super Jet I can't remember the last time I bought a Hostess anything.
I may have to make an exception for the banana Twinkies. I must find them, buy them and then eat them 'til my teeth are coated with their delicious lard based cream filled banana goodness.