On The Brink...

Here we are, teetering on the edge of April and peeking into May... I cannot believe it!
Wasn't it JUST January?!



Our crazy Pacific Northwest weather is still going strong...heavy rains for a while, then the clouds part and the sun gloriously breaks through..then ducks its head behind cover again..only to reappear just before sunset, causing our landscape to glimmer and appear almost magically technicolor. It makes my heart swell!

Matthew is moving his arm with greater ease today..a huge change in only a day! Still horribly discolored but it's getting better everyday. SO relieved! With his continued pain & weakness only a day or so ago, I had a nagging thought that he might have torn a muscle..looks like we've averted that as well. Yessss!

I've been thinking about what plants I could place on our patio. It faces the West and gets quite warm from mid-afternoon to evening. I'm going to attempt some container gardening with tomatoes and zuchinni...not sure what else yet. Any suggestions based on the conditions I've given?? Input would be fabulous! I think a little bistro set would be nice out there as well..going to keep my eyes open for something cheap but with vintage appeal. And for Summer, I'm now obsessing over these curtains for the sliding doors...



Found the image online but it's not adequately expressing my vision! lol. I think with the view of the patio & plants there, these will look great and freshen things up! Haven't bought them yet but I think next time I'm at IKEA, they'll come home with me.

Not much else to report...QUITE the exciting post, isn't it?! I've been reading quite a bit lately- so perhaps I'll post the slew of recent books tomorrow for you. I'm certain you'll be drumming your fingers & sitting on the edge of your seat just waiting for it!

I'm off to bed.

XOXO
~S

Arm Pain & Oregon Sunshine.

I found myself saying "Are you KIDDING me?!" several times today, while looking out the window. This morning the sun was shining- then suddenly the skies went dark and it POURED (and hailed) Alllllllllllll day long. Sometimes the sun would peek out between the clouds- while it poured. It was crazy. Not abnormal Oregon weather I suppose- but once we have a few sunny Spring days under our belt, it's a little sad to get this dreariness.


This weather causes me to turn sloth-like, craving sweatpants and cup after cup of hot coffee.




Those white specks are raindrops- I didn't photograph the hail. Yep. FAT Oregon raindrops. But look at all that GREEN! Our state is truly beautiful. I love it.




A little over a week ago, Matthew fell off his bike, directly onto his right arm. I've never seen him cry so hard or scream so loud. I was certain it was broken. He was white, shakey, his arm was swelling & he wouldn't let anybody touch it. Took him to the ER and they thought he broke it too- until they Xrayed it. They took several sets because they wanted to be sure, and sure enough- NO fractures to be found. I was surprised, the doctor was surprised, Matthew was surprised. The doctor said he had to have hit his arm as hard as he could have without breaking the bone and said it would slowly heal on its own. We're now at a little over a week out from the injury and this is what it looks like...





It's NASTY. The photo doesn't even accurately capture how dark and ugly the bruising is. It starts at his wrist and extends all the way up past his elbow. He's only beginning to use it again- writing, pecking at the keyboard, etc. He's had to miss several baseball games and practices and he's been VERY unhappy about that. BUT- it could've been worse. I sound like a broken record reiterating that to him, but it's true!

The last few weeks have been bumpy but I'm trying to remember that I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and He'll give me the strength, peace & patience that I need to get through ANYthing. Sometimes that's tough to truly accept and live out, but He hasn't failed me yet. Things are far from perfect & will continue to be (that's life!) but He's given me this life, this path, for purpose.

XOXO
~S

The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

*This is a picture heavy post...may take a minute to load..

We ventured east of Woodburn this past week, to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm! My mom ("Nanny" to the littles) and niece picked us up & we headed out- praying the quickly darkening skies would hold until we'd done our tiptoeing through the fields! And, they did! The crazy, wet weather over the last few weeks DID make it a slippery, muddy adventure- but one well worth taking!

The fields were GORGEOUS... it was like technicolor against the gray skies.. and then with the view of the mountains in the background.. WOWza.



Cuddling Cousins.
And just one more of the little man by himself...at his request (jaw dropping shocker to me!)




a PVC slide...








my little Dutch wooden shoe makers... the one on the left is REEEAAALLLY happy, no?



technicolor, I tell you...





He *has* been going through a growth spurt as of late...




and she's always usually RIGHT behind him on those...



on an antique John Deere tractor in the middle of the field...





see the mountains in the background?? BEAUTIFUL.









probably my favorite grouping in the whole place...




SOOOOO bright!



I *did* mention that it was a slippery, muddy adventure. We did our best to avert disaster- but sometimes, a race with cousins, down the middle of the flower patch is just too tempting & we throw caution to the wind! I must admit it was HILARIOUS watching this happen- downright hilarious. Not even 5 minutes later we saw another girl run to catch up with her family and ended up sliding on her side for a few rows... poor thing was COVERED in mud- but she was a good sport about it too.





adorable littles o' mine...and see those black specks in the pic? Those are black mystery bugs- literally SWARMS of them EVERYwhere. I was scared too scared to smile or yawn for fear of ingesting extra protein.. anyone have an idea what they could've been? They weren't flies... but they were THICK. Guess it was on account of all the great fertilizer on those flowers..?!




I see Dutch people...(Nanny & Josie)




& another lovely variety I loved...




It was a wonderful afternoon and I'm so glad we all went together! Long overdue, after talking about going for several years- but we can cross it off the list now!

XOXO
~S

Cupcake & Broccoli Love.

Somehow I managed to walk out the door without my camera on Easter. Aaarrrgg. It felt as though I was missing an appendage! I took a couple pics of the cupcakes I made to take to my parents for our annual family dinner. Though the holiday is already gone, thought I'd share them here anyway.



I loved the simplicity of just the little nests on top but I added the bunny toothpicks for added kiddie appeal. Chocolate cupcakes with whipped buttercream frosting. Toasted coconut "nests" with blue speckled jelly beans on top!


I made a broccoli salad as well, but didn't take any pics of it. It's a delicious, simple recipe....

Broccoli Salad

1 bunch fresh broccoli, washed, drained, broken into flowerettes
1 head fresh cauliflower, washed, drained, broken into flowerettes
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 c. celery, chopped
1 lb. bacon, fried crisp, drained & crumbled
1/2 c. hulled sunflower seeds
1/2 c. raisins (&/or fresh red grapes, halved)

dressing:
3/4 c. mayonnaise**
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. vinegar


Combine salad ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Set aside. Combine dressing ingredients together thoroughly. Pour dressing over salad ingredients, stir to blend. Serve chilled. Yield: 12 servings.

* I'm a bit heavy-handed with all the salad ingredients- I add much more of everything- especially the bacon, grapes & onion!

**this time I used 1/4 c. of Poppyseed Dressing & the rest mayo and then cut back on the sugar and vinegar since the poppyseed dressing already had some of both in it already. Just adjusted to personal taste.

XOXO,
~S

Where The Heart Is...

Do you spy the heart in the wood grain on our lovely, 13 year old IKEA table?!
Cool, yes? I think so anyway... the table is rickity and seen more than it's fair share of moves & incidents but it's still standing!

This is where we spend a good part of our school days- sitting together, learning, laughing (sometimes too much), eating, whining & bickering (sometimes too much), creating, encouraging one another, playing games.... when we're not curled up on the couch reading, we're at the table.

I leave jars of colored pencils, a tin of crayons and a jar of markers on the table - functional decor! It's encouraged the kids to be spontaneous in their creativity- which I LOVE.



This was taken on a pleasant Monday morning, with blueberry muffins & oj (and COFFEE!) before starting school.

I hope tomorrow is another pleasant, sunny Monday.... I could sure use another one!

XOXO
~S

Spring time drives...

On occasion we drive down to our old hometown to visit family, pick things up from storage,etc. It's about a 40 minute drive and we all take advantage of the time in various ways... being in awe of God's creation-- SUCH an abundance to see & admire in the Pacific NW! I try to keep my camera with me pretty much wherever I go- just in case something grabs at my heart. There's usually SOMEthing..even if it's spying one of my adorables in the backseat through the side mirror..just makes my heart swell.



see what I mean about Pac NW beauty?!?! Sure, the persistent rain stinks sometimes but boy- when the sun comes out, it's GLORIOUS!



We occasionally grab a snack to chomp on the way down...



and (be still my book-lovin' heart!) now this is an everyday occurance... they both LOVE reading and usually carry a book with them when we go anywhere. LOVE IT!!!



And then there's always this....if he's not reading, he's sacked out. Food, books, beautiful scenery, a little siesta---what a life!



XOXO
~S

My own Wally Cleever.

Isn't he adorable? Such a sweet, sensitive, giving little man. My heart swells when I look at him and I can't believe how some weeks it seems each and every day he looks OLDER and acts OLDER. That's NOT. OK. Time needs to slow down so I can savor these new things for a while before he hits me with new ones. He makes us laugh. He is the first to volunteer to help out with any household chore or "can you do me a favor" and does so with a cheerful spirit. He's a tremendous blessing to this family. To me as a mother.

And the hair. Oh my goodness- he has the most thick, curly hair!! It grows at a ridiculous speed and becomes instantly unruly unless we douse him with a good smattering of gel & mousse & hairspray. He needs more styling products than his mother! Ok...maybe not quite THAT bad- but close. Everytime we take him to get his haircut they oooh and ahhh over the texture and curl...which embarasses him. lol.





Doesn't he look like Wally Cleaver??! The red robe is the clencher-- instant cute Cleaver appeal. And I don't mean that in an Eddie Haskell kinda way either....



XOXO
~S

This is my happy face.

He pretty much looks the same at the front end whether he's happy or sad... I should capture the back end sometime to show you that you CAN tell when he's happy or sad! His little tail curls up and wags like crazy *OR* he straightens it out and lets it hang low when he's sad or in trouble. Fortunately we don't see the latter too often. We sure love him! Best. Dog. EVER.

XOXO
~S