a new benefit

its not filled with trees,
its not filled with water,
Its not all green and colorful,
its not even chilly (yet?!?)....
but what it lacks in is nothing compared to this....


Friday after school I picked up the oldest boy and asked....
"hey guys, how about a quick trip to the beach?" (notice my PNW friends.... I didnt use the word coast).
we grabbed suits, slicked up with sunscreen, bagged three towels and some sand toys, and headed out.
the kids were out of school at 3:45... we were on the sand by 4:30.

there is a hurricane off the coast of Mexico this week,  so we  got the big waves and beautiful surf.
we enjoyed the moments for a few hours, came home and had us some dinner.
Just like that.
a quick, simple, and easy trip to the beach.
Wow, I could get use to this.
It was like magic for me to have such a great memory and have it not take all day, or weekend.

PAUSE. Stillness. the waiting.

I cannot believe that it is already May 1st.

This school year is slowly coming to an end.

The sun is shining more than the clouds are rolling in.

Trips were made, visitors came and left, 

changes have come...

yet our lives have remained.

I have been very reflective these past few weeks....

maybe its the Spring, where things are rising, fresh, new.... ready to start growing.

Our lives have had a strange and exciting pause.

Life change seems to be ahead~ but yet.... timing is everything.

It has me scared and excited at the same time.

Tears of sadness have fallen.... as hope and gratefulness have sustained me.

I know you have missed me~ I have thought of you often...

but it has been in this pause of life,

this season of change,

that I have experienced a calm, a peace...

a simplicity.

It has me feeling closer to those here (even though I am not around)

as well as those near me.

Waiting is all part of the game in life~ 

and anticipation is the gain in that return!

I anticipate communion with you again.  soon.

my friend,

it will be soon.

taking Ruby out

photo credit and great info about LL Stub Stewart State Park at LittleBayRoot

The joys of having a tiny little trailer is~ you get to use it.
I love throwing in some things,
loading the kids up...
and setting out on an adventure for the night (or two).


Ruby doesn't care where we go~ just as long as we take her along.

This past Friday we did just that...
threw some things in,
and drove west.

on a walk together

Just 30 miles west of Portland, about a 40 minute drive... near a little town called Vernonia, is a brand new campground called LL Stub Stewart State Park.
This place was fabulous.
The views were remarkable.
Hiking/biking/horse trails everywhere.

O holding up the mountain ranges

it was a perfect place, nearby, for us to spend the night.
The boys loved riding their bikes all around, and there were kids playing til the sun went down.

a spontaneous, successfully short stay~cation.

Bottle this

honestly,
someone should bottle this scent.
I know many people who would love to smell this all year round... me being one!
I get the joys of having one right outside my front door....
as each bloom bursts- the fragrance of sweetness fills the air.

oh daphne~ you are the first signs of spring for me.

refreshed.

I have a place....
I call my HAPPY PLACE.

It is here I find quiet.  calm.  rest.  and friendship.
It is here where I sleep~
drink coffee~

not a bad view for a cup of joe!

Sloppy Moussaka

and cook amazing meals that may not go over well at home.
Where the time ends to quickly....

 but I leave with a sense of joy and peace to return to what is the norm.

RECIPE UPDATE::

 

SLOPPY MOUSSAKAs recipe was a huge huge hit!  They were amazing with a handful of garlic fries and a PONZI pinot noir.... This meal is a definite make again for the hubby (its a touch to "hot" for the littles).

The recipe was in this month's Rachel Ray Magazine or you can click here for the link.  enjoy!

Birthday bucket

so last year, on my 40th birthday I wrote out a bucket list.  I found it was a great experience for me to put down in words things that I want to do.. could do... and should do.  I re-read it last night and saw that I can start to cross off some on the list...
as well as, maybe add a few more.

so, in celebration of being 40 plus 1
I bring you the updated bucket list.

1. experience family life (or should a say... doing!)
2. travel through South France (Provence area)
3. Travel through Greece and Italy (the whole Mediterranean area, really!)
4. Live in a flat in the Netherlands
5. tour and sing with a band
6. Open a small restaurant that serves homemade baked goods and soups.
7. enjoy a Hot Air Balloon ride (I will do it this year!)
8. be a mentor to college kids 
9. volunteer at an orphanage/medical center in Africa.
10. knit a sweater
11. teach piano lessons
12. have lunch with Colin Firth
13. see O ~ Cirque De Soleil
14. hang out in Hawaii with Jack Johnson and his family.
15. Take the kids to Walt Disney World
16. visit the Grand Canyon
17. be a host mom (a billet) for a Portland WinterHawk's hockey player.
18. snowboard in Whistler, BC (or just hang out in the village)
19. win big in LasVegas, NV
20. visit and dwell with the Amish community for a weekend or two.
21. London, England
22. learn to spin wool.
23. take a pastry class at Western Culinary (registration starts in Fall~ looked at the schedule)
24. go to a NHL Stanley Cup finals game
25. work on a local farm for a week during the springtime. ( doing this Spring)
26. be on the Martha Stewart Show (okay-so this one if far fetched~ due to her show being cancelled this season!)
27. learn the ukulele ( got one for Christmas 2012 and am plucking away!)
28. graduate from college
29. Niagara Falls, New York
30. Snowboard in Mammoth,CA
31. own chickens
32. walk the streets of Dublin, Ireland (in platforms ~ and tripped!)

::Now adding::.

33. Volunteer for Pacific Whale Foundation

34. Beekeeping

35. visit with a blogging friend, in person!

36. learn to make leftse

37. sleep in an overnight train

38. sit in the audience of a live TV show

39. try glassblowing
40. horseback ride on the beach

   "Life is either a daring adventure 

or nothing at all"

~Helen Keller 

oh deer....

I found a photo on PINTEREST of a deer and pine cones on a winter windowsill.... and I borrowed the idea.  So with pine cones from our yard and a male and female deer purchased from our local toy store~ I had the makings of a cute window scene.

then something started happening.....
the deer were moving.
I started wondering who was the culprit of the moving deer... and realized it was both littles.

One liked them facing this way.

Odin thinks they should be kissing

The other liked them like this.

Bjorn thinks they should be looking out the window

I am beginning to think everyone has an opinion around here!

Autumn porch

This is my favorite season.
I love the warm hues of reds, oranges, and yellows.
I love the crisp wet mornings~
the apples,
the pumpkins,
the soups,
the scent of cinnamon.

My front porch reflects the love of the season.

this year, we have only a few pumpkins
( I didnt grow any this year~ so there are not a million of them... like last year HERE )
but, every time I walk in my front door...
I smile~ and think, hmmm... should I sit by the fire and sip some cider????

the cat was away

and the mice...

well they picked up hammers and built this!

remember when it was all started.... here and the progress was here
and then the ladder
and the sides
and so, the skeleton was set.... (before I left!)

even as dad built it... the kids could not stay off of it

but while I was gone the siding and windows were set into place.
Neighbors have begun to question if this house is for Bry or for the boys. ( you'll know the answer... when the hammock and Big Screen get set up...teehee!)

ITS HUGE!

ITS AMAZING!

and it is a KIDS HEAVEN!

two very excited boys!
one of my favorite photos of 2012

 next- a roof, a pulley and some bells and whistles!

my Girly weekend

so, I know... I have been back for a week....
but it took me a week to get back into the swing of things....
you see, when the mom leaves a house of boys....
things happen.
things like failure to use toilet aim,
things like tiny toys stay in really strange spots and live there,
things like a purchased (good night, they went out to buy whipped cream!) whipped cream bottle sprayed right in the mouth,
things like.... boy stuff that I, a girl, have no idea..... nor do I want to know.

but, a 4 day weekend away... was worth the whole gamut of catch-up.

my view all weekend long!

I slept! (a ton!!!!)
I read.
I got to sit in silence (which refuels me!).
I had breakfast for dinner (which doesnt happen at home with an autistic son).
I caught up with the neatest woman I know,
and relaxed.

We went into Ashland for a day (pedicures, picnic lunch, a gospel concert, and salted caramel ice cream!)

howie is ticklish beyond belief!!!

 We toured the Shasta Caverns.

And spent a whole day watching Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, and Shirley Temple movies (probably the best day EVER!!!)

Seriously, a weekend away.... alone... without the family.....
is always a good idea.
If you dont take this time....
you are missing out on what it feels like to be completely refreshed and refueled.
Drive away.... book your tickets.... do what you need to do.... BUT DO IT!

serenity now.

excuse me while I venture off... by myself... to visit with a dear friend.
to the mountains I shall go.
for calm, rest, peace and bacon.

what???

is it THAT time again.....

My heart just skipped a beat!

From

This picture is from our camping trip on Labor day weekend.  We went with some great and fabulous friends~ and she took some great photos ( I have always loved her photos.... Can you tell, she reads my blog).   I will be sharing the photos when I get them....

 but this was her little teaser.... 

and my goodness....
Look at my cute family!
This one is a keeper (the friend and the photo~ insert smile here)
teehee!

progress

the tree house is coming along....
looking quite nice.

of course, now with all the scrap wood around... we are finding all sorts of creative tree houses in our yard....
like this one in the plum tree.

(the rumor around here is that B plans to ask Santa for a nail gun for Christmas..... hmmm... any ideas on how to knit a nail gun?!?!?)

treehouse weekend

2 years ago the tree was chopped.....

this past Spring the play structure was torn down....

this weekend...

the tree house was started.

both kidlets are super excited.... one thinks it should be done by now!

but the hubby has a plan....

and it seems to be taking shape.

a boys trip~ and Carpe Diem

The past few days my bigger boys....

got to experience a once in a lifetime weekend.

We have been shopping for a new car....

one that hubby can drive for work.

He found one that was 2 years old, and only 30 miles on it.

the catch:: the car was in Kansas City.

we could have had the car shipped.... 

OR (and that is a pretty big OR)

we could fly out~ and drive it back ( taking 4 days of work off, spending $ in tickets, hotels and food)

but~ only one would change a child's life.

We found some super cheap plane tickets... packed up a few things....

and dad and our oldest little went on a last minute road trip~ seeing some fascinating things on the return home.

Mount Rushmore.

The Black Hills.

Old Faithful.

Yellowstone Park.

The famous Wall Drug Store.

I can say that I think this was the first time EVER I have been jealous of a 9 year old.  This was huge for the two "men" as they spent 4 days together... talking. laughing. and just being boys.

Why this trip was important (to me) for my son to experience....
two reasons.

1.  Odin did a 6 week report on Mount Rushmore last year... and he loved working on it.  I thought, how great would it be for him to experience that actual Monument that he grew so fond of while working on the report.  Kinda like~ the fruits of his labor.

2. If you ask most people.... the summer between 3rd and 4th grade... that's the summer that you have vivid memories.... you remember, talk about, and shape your life on these experiences.  I knew that this time, with his dad, and this road trip... would be something that he would value for the rest of his life.  I couldn't pass this up. Carpe Diem~ my dad would always say!

tomorrow... after I get the photos off the hubby's phone... I will post about their time they had together.
stay tuned... there are some neat ones!

A weekend... on wheels

RUBY, the kids... and smores are all packed....

and we are off to the coast.

Summer is here... and we are out campin'.

what are you doin'?

If it doesn't get done by Thursday...

My Friend K is an amazing volunteer at our local school.  She does everything, thinks of everyone, and gets things done.  She has become my closest of friend over the past two years~ and she is everything that I am not.
The third grade class is doing a Portland Musical next Tuesday and she was put in charge of the back drop.  The backdrop was to be of Mount Hood, and K was hoping it would be done by volunteers she had scheduled in.  Unfortunately, circumstances happen.... it wasn't getting done.
So I told her, If it isn't done by Thursday, I can come and help you.
We had a few pictures to go off of (thankfully~ I cant imagine ever getting it right without them)
And my crafty little self- had all sorts of ideas.....
So, we worked on it, using pastels....
and I am glad I did it~
I still have a little bit of drawing skills under my belt!
(as I pat myself on the back)

I totally love the team that K and I are.
She kept me at simple. on time. and organized (things that I struggle with)
and she didn't have to sketch Mount Hood.

I may never climb this beast of a mountain~ but I can draw one!

(my favorite part are the tree stumps)

gardening boy

tis the time of year...
where the winter fades and the spring gardening gets started.
This year we have another little helper alongside the hubby and I....
B has decided he wants to "help" plant beans.

This weekend we built two shade trellises for cucumbers to grow up and for lettuce to grow from under.  We used PVC pipe so that we could dismantle it and reuse it each year.... and once the starts come forth we will use garden wire to train the vines to trellis.  Much like this one....

see what we did!
the cucs will grow up the PVC, and
the lettuce will grow from underneath

The chickens have been given their little space around the coop in the back of the garden... but one little devious one- keeps finding her way out (even with her wings clipped!)... she continues to keep us on our toes.

the sneaky one!

So we have gotten our starts out from the greenhouse and have given them space to grow.  Carrots, onions, spinach, tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, squash..... and herbs.  Oh goodness!!!! It is Spring!

peas~ yummers!

devious garden destroyer #2

Window, window

what do you see...

I see snow falling for me.

Of course its not sticking... but I dont care.  

I still get giddy when snow falls~ and I am home (alone... the kids are already gone for the day!)

Get me a cup of coffee, some knitting needles, and a spot by the window~  I'm gonna enjoy this while it lasts!