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

Yum.

I've copied delicious looking recipes from magazines & borrowed cookbooks for years, but I'm not so good at actually USING them. In sorting through the piles, I came across this one from a past issue of Country Living magazine. And we tried it. And it was good. VERY good. So I'm passing it on to you.... the whole family gobbled this up- though my littles weren't overly fond of my heavy hand with the cilantro/slaw. They liked it- just less of those. Me? I layed it all on thick. LOTS of red onion, LOTS of slaw, LOTS of cilantro. The contrast of flavors gave it a lightness. We served ours on onion rolls, but I think I'll try it on the recommended cheddar biscuits next time. We served up four cheese mashed potatoes on the side...a bit of a heavy combo- but on a rainy evening, it was oh-so-good!



PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

3 1/2lb. pork shoulder roast
1 1/2 T. chili powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 small onion, sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 c. barbeque sauce
1 c. addt'l barbeque sauce

Trim pork roast of any excess skin/fat. In small bowl combine chili powder, salt & pepper. Rub mixture all over pork roast until thoroughly coated. Place small sliced onion and the garlic in the bottom of a 4-6 qt. slow cooker. Add roast and the barbeque sauce. Pour water over roast until covered- about 2 cups or more. Cover and cook on high until very tender and meat falls off bone (3 to 5 hours). Carefully remove pork and reserve on platter. Strain cooking liquid into sink- keep onion. Return pork and onion to slow cooker- shred meat with fork and add 1 more cup of barbeque sauce. Cook on high until heated through (about 8 minutes).

Slaw Garnish

14 oz. bag cabbage slaw**
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1 medium onion per taste
fresh cilantro per taste

Toss bag of slaw with apple cider vinegar and set aside. Thinly slice red onion and remove leaves from fresh cilantro.
** this makes a TON of slaw for just being a garnish. I'd definitely cut it in half unless you're feeding a small dinner party.

Assemble sandwiches on biscuits or onion rolls and garnish with the slaw, cilantro & red onion slices.




Pictures of pulled pork aren't beautiful but trust me-- you'll want to try this receipe. YUM.

XOXO
~S

Isn't she lovely...

Gorgeous, isn't it?
This was one of my Moms thoughtful gifts to me this Christmas.
I cried over her thoughtfulness.
Then I cried some more when I realized that it was lovingly handcrafted thoughtfulness.
She truly is amazing.
In our life, she was Martha Stewart BEFORE there was a Martha Stewart.
She saw something that interested her or tickled her fancy and she would just go for it- whether she knew how to do it or not- she just dove in and figured it out until it worked. Food, crafts, home decor, you name it.
Our family should never be surprised with her creativity and the lovliness that it produces, but we are.
How could we help it?!

And here I have, a piece of her heart & artistry, forever- worn close to MY heart.
What could be better?

XOXO
~S

1st post of January '10

I can't believe we're 5 days into the new year already... it seems the days are already blurring into one another. yeesh. I'd grown a bit slack about posting on here- so I'm going to try & post a bit more regularly (we shall see!). Even if it's a bit rambly and disjointed, like this post!

We're attempting to get back into the "norm". It's been difficult- during the holiday break we were staying up into the wee hours- and then sleeping late the next morning everyday. So readjusting our sleep schedule, plodding sleepily along for the first few hours (LOTS of coffee!), some attitudes in dire need of adjustment. Not exactly a lovely way to start a new year, is it? *laugh* We're making progress, however.

Here's a family member that looks rather melancholy most of the time, (after holiday or not) when he's awake. He's usually tucked into a corner or curled up beside someone sawing logs. You know when he's REALLY unhappy or upset because his ears pull waaaayyyy down and his typicaly curled up tail straightens out and hangs low. It's his "tell" when he's been naughty as well.



We recently watched Lethal Weapon (WITH our handy,dandy CLEARPLAY player of course!) with the kids and they were amused by the fashion choices but mostly- they zoned in on how different the Pepsi cans looked. We were cracking up (as were they) over them being weirded out by such a silly thing. Then we're picking up a few things at Walmart and I spy this & had to bring some home to share with the littles...



One thing I was able to accomplish over the holiday break was sorting through all of our clothes closets & drawers. The littles drawers were out of control. I found size 6 unmentionables in my sons drawer (he's 10!)...gulp. We're all squared away in the clothes department now, which is a nice feeling. Speaking of clothes.... been wearing my beloved green peacoat any chance I can get. I should've bought another to put away after I wear this one out! Check out that rogue brassy curl...(aarg.)




Another thing I wanted to get done was finally put some prints on the wall. And they were up BEFORE the New Year (bonus!). Yes, that IS wonky spacing you see there- but there were nails up from previous hangings of different sizes. I wasn't about to mess with it at the time-- I was too happy to cross it off the TO DO list. I'll fix it later (well. maybe). Oh, and that little black speck above the top right pic....that's a spider. He was there one minute and gone the next, just stopping in for his 15 seconds of fame.



So I'd like to think I've got a head start on some things I've had lined up to get done in January. There's still much to do. And when I get discouraged or lazy- I simply need to watch an episode of HOARDERS and I'm back on the straight and narrow! My goodness, that show causes instant OCD for me. I start looking around the house and finding stacks of things and breaking out in a sweat, anxious to get it cleaned up. Thus, my office has caused a bit of whimpering. I've got quite a bit of Ebay inventory that needs moved- just stacked in there in bins, willynilly. It's a sight. And then there's the crafting table next to it...we just won't describe it. Use your imagination and multiply by 10 and you'll be in the ballpark, I'm sure. So my HUGE goal for January is to tackle that.
ick.

What's your mission for January?? Come on, I know you have one!

XOXO
~S

Mama, All I Want For Christmas...

Josie made mention, quite some time ago, that she'd love to have a handmade doll. It was random and she'd never expressed interest before- so I didn't take it as much more than just another "I want that" after seeing it or reading about it somewhere. Then the week before Christmas, she mentions it again. Only this time it was "I want a doll made by YOU for Christmas, Mama". "All I want for Christmas is a homemade doll". "You'd make a perfect doll for me, I know it!"..... yes...no pressure. None at all. Especially for someone who's never made a doll. Someone who not only doesn't know how to sew but is frankly SCARED of her sewing machine. Someone who had only days before Christmas but could not shrug this fanciful notion of her daughters any longer..and was suddenly overwhelmed with the potential guilt of NOT making one.

I'd seen the Black Apple dolls on Etsy and their creator demo them on Martha Stewart- but I didn't think I'd ever be doing it myself. And then a family friend recommended the use of that template & gave me a glimmer of hope- so I downloaded it and prayed for the best outcome possible.

It took me hours- fighting with my machine & re-do's due to inexperience, but suddenly this adorable creature began to emerge. And then, with a few final stitches and the snip of the last thread, she was complete. Granted, she's a bit wonky and not altogether symmetrical but it's charming, okay?! I gently wrapped her in tissue paper and tucked her in with the stocking goodies and anxiously awaited her grand reveal Christmas morning.



And then it was time. She unwrapped her and well...she loved it. I searched for politeness & overly eager remarks- ready to make promises of a re-do now that I'd muddled through the first one...



..but she was quietly thrilled, with this adorable smile on her face- stroking her & squeezing her and occasionally looking up at me with that smile...


She said she was perfect and named her Lily.



And Lily has been her constant companion since she opened her. She received a bathtub for her American Girl dolls this year from her brother, but instead of using them to play with it- she used Lily. And throughout the day, she asked me to take pictures of Lily & told me what a good job I'd done...

I see the lack of skill in the stitching and such, but the glow in my baby girls face and seeing that she so obviously truly DOES adore it makes Lily perfect in my eyes too. I'm so glad I forged ahead of my fear & apprehension- it's made this Christmas priceless.



XOXO
~S

The last day of November.

Aack! I cannot *believe* we're flipping the calendar to the LAST month of 2009 tomorrow! Is that crazy or what?! Where on earth did this year go?
I've got plenty that I could share... but for this evening- just a post to ease my conscience and get a few peeps off my back (wink,wink -you know who you are & I love you).

Our Thanksgiving was lovely and as usual- it flew by much too fast. The food was delicious but I think I savored little family moments captured forever much more... I wish I would've had my camera out more but it was nice to just "be". TONS of leftovers between three Thanksgiving dinners with family... Have I mentioned how much I *LOVE* turkey sandwiches??? I do. very much. And it's a good thing. We will be living off turkey for a good while. Turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey pot pie...


photo: Annie Schlechter

I'll try and post again with more news tomorrow.
I have a new laptop coming in a few days and I cannot BEGIN to tell you how excited I am! The timing couldn't be better because the other one is on the fritz. I feel as though I've lost an appendage and don't know what to do with myself. *giggle* Sad, right?

XOXO
~S

Catch Up...

Attempting to get things caught up, as I sit here watching BattleStar Galactica with my brood. Aren't laptops one of the best inventions ever?! I certainly think so!

So what's been happening around here lately?

• AWANA's Harvest Party at church. SUCH a nice evening for us all.
• All of us have been on the verge of getting sick but nothing full fledged yet.. just achey, sporadic fever here and there, dizziness. Then the symptoms go away after a few hours and we're left feeling tired but otherwise fine. We've been like this for a week now. I'm trying to keep us home as much as possible and pumped with fluids, vitamins and rest but...this flu season causes some anxiety.
• This business of it being dark at 4:30pm is a bit crazy. I'd be perfectly content to roll into bed an hour or two later!
• The hubsters father has moved into the neighborhood and the littles have loved walking over in the later afternon to visit for a little while and we've had him over for dinner and movies a couple times now. It's been nice to have him close by.
• Perplexed about upcoming birthdays of my littles. They're only a few days apart so we typically combine them but it's always crazy. And what to do this year?? WHere? Without costing an absolute fortune, I might add. That's a key issue, really.
• A smidge of rearranging furniture in the living/dining room area. Nothing drastic but it's nice to improve on functionality. Especially since we use the dining room for our schooling.
• I'm over the concept of boxing up our school work, projects, etc at the end of everyday so it wouldn't get in the way of our home decor... I realized that I enjoy leaving out the kids jars of pencils and crayons. I stopped posting our timeline in a notebook and put it up on the wall so we can all view it on a regular basis- school "time" or not. Leaving our posters up... it's a part of our lives- an integral part right now. To foster a love of learning- and pique the interest- I've already discovered that it's beneficial! Leaving out books on our current topics in History, the littles thumb through them at their leisure, and get sucked in! I've caught them doodling stories about people living in Egypt. It's these little things that affirm!
• Starting to get some requests for photo shoots. Cannot tell you how exciting this is. Working on business cards and other things. I'm building my portfolio right now, so if you know anyone wanting photos but not able to afford a lot- this is the perfect opportunity! Email me for details!
• Thankful for God's hand in my life. So many things have been going on recently- yet I see His faithfulness and guideance through it all. Even very unpleasant, emotional situations. Situations where I have to make the decision to step up when it's much more comfortable to sit back & remain acceptable in others eyes. But I know its best to be more concerned with being acceptable in Gods eyes versus those of others. Seeing and experiencing the consequences though... that's a tough one. I will say it's taught me about strength and truth of character- both in myself and in others.
• Holidays are rapidly approaching. We started listening to Christmas music today... going to remember to focus on what's truly important instad of getting wrapped up in the marketing, the scheduling and the emptiness of it all. When you focus on the surface, the holiday passes and you're left with this melancholy, hollow feeling like "All that work. All that time thinking about it. Working toward it----and just like that. It's over". I don't know how many years I've had this feeling but I *hate* feeling like that and it's up to me to change that- for my family and myself.
• I could ramble about bits and pieces and thoughts on this and that for a long. long. time.
• See all that cereal and hair product down there? Essentially free. Used Target Gift Cards earned from previous deals to buy this and earned two more Gift Cards...so I spent nothing and they paid me to take the cereal. Gotta love that! I used coupons to maximize the hair products- it only came to $1.49 for the three (but again, I used a gift card!). I've said it before and I'll say it again, these things make me giddy!!
  
  

Enough rambling for now.....

XOXO

~S