Toad Hall Tales

Our trip

2009-03-06T10:57:00.001-08:00

Mount Shasta, California The happiest place on Earth (provided spending lots of money and standing in line for hours is what makes you happy). Still fun though... The cruise ship

Catalina Island Ensinada, Mexico It was Flag Day in Mexico the day we were there and we arrived just in time to watch this flag raising ceremony. Here the lads are holding a truly enormous flag.After lots of military higher ups arrived and some fuss was made they finally got to let go and raise the flag Look at the size of that thing.

The Whale watching trip where the whales kept away and dolphins were the highlight. Which is ok because dolphins a pretty great too.

There were about a dozen of them but they are fast so we only got a good picture of this one.

These guys were sleeping on the deck when we got back and apparently didn't like getting their picture taken.
He started barking and carrying on after this. It was very entertaining.

It was a great trip. The only low point was sunburn and vomiting on the whale watching trip (both me) which is pretty good considering five of us were together pretty much 24 hours a day for a week and that included 20 hours in the car each way.

Round Two

2009-02-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

This week we had round of two of cold, snowy weather and round of two of a stomach virus thing for me. Thankfully both were short lived and things are back to normal today. Everyone is getting a bit tired of the winter weather and as we don't get the extreme heat that my sisters do we are kind of looking forward to sun and summer living. We've all been ill more than once the past few weeks. The kids had sore throats and colds, we all got a stomach bug and then as I mentioned I got it again. Hopefully everything is past now and we are all healthy as we are going on vacation next week. We have a four day Mexican Cruise planned and we will drive down to San Diego taking a couple of days and seeing some sights on the way. I'm so excited. None of us has been on a cruise and a short one like this is perfect to see how we like it. The only problem is no one has any warm weather clothes and its in the high 70s there at this time of year. Oh well, we'll have to go shopping. What a shame.

Groundhog Day

2009-02-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Phil says six more weeks of winter. This was confirmed by the thick layer of frost this morning and the fact that I still need to wear several layers to be warm. I'm not happy but Phil is so cute I'll let it go.

When we had the big freeze before Christmas we were concerned about the birds that were foraging around trying to find to some food in the frozen snow covered ground. So we bought a bird feeder. Like most good eating establishments things got off to a slow start and we didn't see many birds at first and the food in the feeder lasted a couple of weeks or so. But word spread in the bird community and good reviews gave us this site each morning
There are usually several more on the ground getting what these guys have knocked out. I can barely keep the thing full of food now. I love it. Simon hates it and often barks at them and the cats are transfixed as they spend most of the day in front of the door watching them. They don't go out so the birds are safe. At least from my cats. There is a big black cat that keeps sneaking under the fence. He hasn't been able to get any and usually I see him before he gets too close. Some larger birds have appeared recently that seem to keeping the smaller birds away. I'm not sure what to do about that. But for now I'll enjoy watching them from my desk each morning.

More flooding

2009-01-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

We went out today and even after what we saw yesterday we were surprised to see how high the dyke's were

I had to take this picture from afar as they had just shut off downtown because the dyke's were about to break. Anyway, earlier we went to the dyke and saw this (usually fields and a road there)See that stop sign! There's also a Park and Ride under there. This is mainly farmland but its right on the edge of downtown.

Floods!

2009-01-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

We had a really nice Christmas. Everyone was happy with their gifts, we had lots of great food and a really relaxing holiday from the hustle and bustle of normal life. The weather made things difficult up until about New Year. The snow and icy conditions made travelling a problem and we had no trash pickup for two weeks, amongst other inconveniences.

Now.....well, we are flooded. There are flood warnings for most of Western Washington. The whole region has been affected by the days and days of rain (with no end to the rain in sight) with flooding said to be the worst on record. Roads are being closed, thousands evacuated and the all the schools are closed too. All the mountain passes are closed because of the extreme weather and avalanche risks. We went for some groceries today and driving home we saw lots of flooded roads and houses surrounded by water. We have many rivers here and they are breaching their banks. Its hard to tell where the rivers are in the huge expanses of water. Even the smallest creeks are overflowing and causing damage. Tonight I took 13 year old to help his church Scout Troop sandbag downtown near one of the senior centres. As I drove past I saw buses being loaded with the poor seniors who are being evacuated to the High School. We are lucky as we are on high ground but half the town and most of the farms are on flat, low ground and if they aren't water logged yet they soon will be. So I count my blessings as I sit with a hot drink in my comfortable, warm, dry house.

*Meanwhile wildfires are causing problems in Colorado. What an amazing world we live in. It certainly isn't boring.

2008-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year!

The week ahead.

2008-12-21T14:37:00.001-08:00

We have all our shopping done including the Christmas grocery shopping. The beginning of the week will be spent at home, relaxing, hanging out and eating yummy food. I am making Chex Mix today and will bake some sugar cookies and more gingerbread tomorrow. We have a nice Christmas Eve dinner planned for here then Christmas Day we will go to Yakima to spend the day with the kids Mum and her family then possibly onto Wallowa County to see Brian's Mum. All this depends on the weather which is supposed be much of the same as we've had. Heavy snow! We have to cross mountain passes which is the problem. We'll see. I have a back up Christmas dinner for here in case we have to stay home but I don't think we'll need it. I'm looking forward to a nice Christmas.

Waiting for Christmas

2008-12-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

We did the last of our Christmas shopping yesterday. The weather kept most people at home it would seem and we had the mall practically to ourselves which was nice at this time of year. So aside from a grocery shop next week we are all set for Christmas. This weekend we are planning to stay home and watch Christmas movies. I'll probably so some more baking as the peppermint brittle and gingerbread cookies I made two days ago are all gone. Its still very cold outside and Simon hates going out so this is what he plans to do.

Stay inside and play with his toys.

Snow pictures

2008-12-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

It snowed and snowed and snowed.

Simon had fun attacking snowballs.

He wanted that giant snowball. And yes, 17 year old is quite comfortable out there in shorts and a t-shirt!

Finally, Simon got the giant snowball.

Snow days

2008-12-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up to this and closed schools.

It has snowed all day and doesn't look like letting up any time soon. This is the most snow we've had in this area in the 5 years I've been here. The schools are closed tomorrow too. This morning I had to make a path for Simon to get out.

It's filled back in so the boys are out shoveling it all away now. We're having a day of hot meals, hot cider and later I'm baking some gingerbread and making fudge. It's all very nice.

Freeze

2008-12-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

This morning it is 18f/-8c. Now that's cold and almost unheard of for us here. The east coast has been getting horrible storms and blackouts as well as the freezing temperatures so we can't complain . We had snow Saturday and then it cleared and now its FREEZING. All the slush and snow is ice now and the roads are treacherous. The schools started 2 hours late so I have kids still running around. We have a birthday today so I'm going to the shop to buy some things for the birthday dinner then I have an eye appointment but I'd rather just be snuggled in at home for the day.

Now I must go and salt the steps.

Visiting Santa

2008-12-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

Today we took Simon to get his photo taken with Santa at Petco. It was a lot of fun. There were lots of dogs including bulldogs, boxers and pugs. The squashed faced dogs were out in force. We had two "potty" incidents but Petco is prepared for that with clean up stations so it was no big deal. Simon tried on some antlers but we decided against them when he tried to chew them. They wouldn't last long if we got them. Pictures with Santa will be on later once I get them. There was snow in our area that bypassed our town completely. The surrounding area (I mean 1/2 a mile from where we live) looks like this

not much snow but still. We have absolutely nothing.

I have to say I love Zazzle . Last night I ordered several t-shirts including 3 custom made ones with Simon on them from them and they have already shipped. Now that's service. Tomorrow Brian and I are doing the Christmas shopping. I'm looking forward to that.

It just started snowing. We'll see how much we get!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-11T20:46:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the month I wasn't feeling particularly excited about Christmas. I think it because the older kids weren't being very enthusiastic. But that's changed. Today I filled the bowl with nuts, got in some eggnog and candy canes and planned what to bake tomorrow. We are told there may be snow so I thought it would be nice to have lots of yummy winter treats on hand over the weekend. This is the kids mothers year to have them for Christmas but because of her work schedule they will stay here and we will all go to Christmas lunch with her family. So really we have them whole time even though its not our year (hubby is secretly happy about that haha).

When everyone has gone to bed tonight I am planning to wrap the Christmas for my nephew and nieces in Australia so I can get them mailed so they (hopefully) get them before Christmas.

So this weekend we will bake and probably go for a drive around town to see all the neighbourhood Christmas lights and decorations. Oh and I got some visitors yesterday and was given this really nice fresh holly. Its looks so good.

Snowmen without the snow.

2008-12-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

My Mum used to make snowmen from Styrofoam balls covered in cotton wool. I thought this would be a fun thing to make with the girls so I bought the supplies. The girls have been eagerly anticipating making them. I'm asked on a daily basis if we can make the snow men. I have been ill with a head cold and various aches and pains so I haven't felt up to it. Today we finally made them. We were responsible for one each. It was as fun as I thought it would be. We plan to keep one and give one to our former neighbour who is like a Grandmother to the kids. The third will go the their mother.

Here they are.

They are in shadows because they are naked. I am knitting them hats and scarves. When they are dressed they will be revealed in all their (modest) glory.

I do wonder when knitting mini hats and scarves became my idea of good way to spend Saturday night. I have slowed but who cares... I'm having a great time.

2008-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

A bit of knitting news. I'm finishing off a pair of socks and then I have to decide what I want to knit next (I've been knitting these socks for so long I've decided I'm not allowed to start anything else until they are done). I have a Sock Monkey kit from Blue Moon . I can't wait to knit that but I also want to do another Noro Scarf. I have STR in Grinchy to make my annual Christmas socks. These are socks I knit in Christmas themed yarn over the Christmas holidays. I really need to get away from scarves and socks and knit a vest or something but I have these scarves and socks I want to knit. I guess I can knit whatever I want though. I just feel a tad boring.

We had a movie watching and pizza for dinner type of day. We watched Hoodwinked which was really good. Then Alvin and the Chipmunks and now we are watching Evan Almighty. I love that movie. Now that Thanksgivings over and school is back to its regular schedule tomorrow it seems life is back to normal again. Good. I'm not good with changes in the routine.

Oh and the outside of the house is decorated!!

It hasn't snowed. That picture is from last year. This year it looks just the same and I don't want to go outside and take another picture (it's cold out there - and I'm lazy).

Last but not least........I did it!

ETA: actually it appears I didn't. I wrote this post but must not have pressed publish post. Oh well!

2008-11-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

Well, last night we went to Wights Nursery in Lynnwood for our annual Tree decoration purchases. At Christmas time the nursery is transformed and all they sell is Christmas decorations. We love it. Each year we all get to pick a special decoration that's just ours with the plan being the kids can have theirs when the move out. So we did that and then we had hot chocolate and did a bit more shopping. It was great day all round. Simon was stuffed full of turkey leftovers and scraps so he slept through us going out (he was also tired from all the activity of barking at xmas tree and decoration boxes which were in the house without his consent). Today we have nothing planned but we'll see how feel. A movie maybe....

2008-11-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

I am so full and sleepy. We had our Thanksgiving dinner today. It was very good. We have most if the inside decorations done. The tree is up. It's raining so the outside lights will have to wait. It's feeling like the Holiday season now. I got a pack of Mrs Meyers seasonal peppermint cleaners and so I started using them. The smell peppermint really makes it feel like Christmas for me.

Here's the tree

Time for a nap I think.

2008-11-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

"The First Thanksgiving" (1915), by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris

(American painter, 1863-1930)

2008-11-26T21:29:00.001-08:00

Well, I did brave the shops today. It wasn't too bad. We have a huge turkey in the fridge and everything else we may need for the next few days including lots and lots of diet coke for me. We won't have our Thanksgiving turkey dinner until the kids get home on Friday and afterwards we'll put up our Christmas decorations. That's one of the traditions we've made in our short time as a family. I'm looking forward to it. As for tomorrow we plan to relax, watch some movies and snack. We're well stocked up on snacks. Don't you love holidays?

At the moment I'm on the sofa with Simon using my leg as a pillow. It's very cute.

2008-11-25T21:02:00.001-08:00

Can you tell from my previous Bag Balm advertisement that I don't have a lot to say. This posting every day thing is hard. I really don't think my day to day activities of errand running, cleaning and knitting are worth posting about. Today I ran errands, cleaned and did some knitting. See, not interesting! Brian is at work this evening and I'm watching some episodes of Peep Show that I have on DVD. I think I'll just stay home tomorrow as I don't want to deal with the last minute panic before Thanksgiving. Most of the shops will be shut for one day - aaargghh panic! Brian and I will be spending Thanksgiving relaxing and enjoying some time together. We have been invited to lunch by well meaning people who seem to think that we can't be home, just the two of us. I'm not sure why that's wrong. We'll see the kids the next day and well, we see them every other day too. We're ok if they are at their mothers and we have to go through the day without them. They are having fun and we'll manage to have a good day too. But for some reason that's not quite enough family to have the meal with so we've been invited to share other peoples. A nice thought from kind people but we won't be going. We have lots of places we could go but we've chosen to stay home. We're looking forward to our day.

*** Happy Birthday to my Sister. It's already passed in Australia but it's the big day here!***

2008-11-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Recently I stumbled across Bag Balm. I didn't know of it before, not being from here but apparently my mother-in-law swears by it and always has it on hand. Well, I love it. It's wonderful. It's like a miracle cure for dry skin, abrasions and even little sore areas on bulldogs noses! I first got a small purse size tub and now I have the huge tub. It's that good. I have dry, sensitive skin so its not often I find ointments and creams that don't upset my skin. If I ever leave this country I'll have to take a lifetimes supply with me.

2008-11-23T23:15:00.001-08:00

I got more knitting finished today. These

Dashing!

There wasn't much else going on. Brian got out in the garage and did lots of tidying, sorting and organising. It looks great now. One more cute picture (today).

This is why Simon isn't an outdoor dog. This is him waiting to get in after a bathroom break. Awww!

2008-11-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! I never thought I would see it this low again. These are 2004 prices!!!

I just got home from Ipanema Brazilian Grill in Seattle. I am so full. Lots of meat there. It was all delicious though. Now I feel like healthy eating forever. It'll pass.

2008-11-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

I finished my Noro Scarf just in time to wear to the Hockey game tonight.

2008-11-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

I saw an article from Forbes magazine about what your favourite dog breed says about you. Actually, it doesn't really go into what it says about me but more whether a dog is suitable to my personality. At least in the Bulldog one which, to be honest, is the only I read.

English Bull Dog

"You are a cut up, and your dog is lovable but mellow. Its pushed in nose tends to make it difficult to breathe in warmer weather, so don’t expect a companion on long walks or hikes. Also, steer clear if you are overly fastidious, warns Daisy Okas, assistant vice president of communications at the American Kennel Club, as English bull dogs tend to snore and slobber."

Not sure what a "cut up" is but I don't want a companion or hikes or walks because I don't want to do that sort of thing. So yes there. But I am fastidious and he does slobber (very often on my clothes) and snore. But look at that face. I can tolerate the slobbering and noise. He can do no wrong in this family.

2008-11-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

Is it only Wednesday? This week is going by so slowly. Usually the weeks fly by which isn't good but this week is going too slow. We're going to a local ice hockey game on Friday and then on Saturday Brian and I are going to drop the kids off with their mum then to Ipanema Brazilian Grill (sans children yay) in Seattle for dinner. The days leading up to that are full of boring stuff which is probably why its dragging. Today was just running around and dropping off and then the always unbearable parent teacher conference at the middle school. Poor 12 year old had to "lead" his own conference and he was obviously hating every minute of it. Why do schools do that? Just have a normal conference. He'd already told us just about everything at home already. One of things he had to show me was his report card which we got last week and read. He also had to explain it to me. Aaargh! I've seen them before people!!! I know what the letters mean and I can read so I got the gist of the teachers comments too. What a waste of time. Afterwards we both had to fill out a survey asking if they should do student led conferences again. We both said No. So there!

2008-11-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

I'm bored with this blogging every day. Today I was woken up at 6am by a child wanting a lift to basketball practice. I was not happy. Now I'm tired and I can't be bothered thinking of something to write. I'm going to go and watch Wall E instead.

2008-11-17T21:38:00.001-08:00

Busy knitting.

Socks.

Fingerless glovesI'm also knitting the Noro Scarf which I love. I can't stop. Love, love, love it.

2008-11-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

I am exhausted. This morning we went to Ivers in Seattle for brunch. Then we went to Woodland Park Zoo which was great. It was a cool, dry day and perfect was hiking around the zoo. There weren't many people there so we got good views of all the animals. All my favourites were out and about and doing interesting things. Last time we were there it was hot and they were all asleep.

2008-11-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did some shopping and then had lunch with Brian at our favourite Vietnamese place. They do the best Sweet and Sour chicken soup. It's so good. We have it a lot! Then we came home and had a visit from the kids Mum and her partner. They brought home 17 year old and took 8 year old and next Friday they will take the rest of the kids for a week as its their turn to have them Thanksgiving. I'll have a nice quiet week. They stayed for bit and we watched some 30 Rock and then they left to get over the mountain before it got late.

The kids will get back the day after Thanksgiving and that's good timing because that's when we put up our Christmas decorations. I know my sisters will be ill thinking about having decorations up from November 28th but that's what we do. So with Christmas on my mind I have been looking at these

I love Delia Smith.

2008-11-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

I had a big day and now its late and I haven't done a post. I'm very tired and I'm going to bed. So this it it. Got a problem with that?

2008-11-13T19:12:00.001-08:00

There's a really nice, big moon tonight (way bigger than it looks in the picture). It's a really crisp night. Lovely. I also have a tag that my sister did. Here's what you do

1.Go to your sixth picture folder then pick your sixth picture.
2.Pray that you remember the details.
3.Tag 5 others, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Here's mine

Its the information board at Bear Meadow near Mount St Helens. It explains about a photographer who was there when the big eruption happened. He stood there taking pictures (as seen on the board)before he realised the hot ash filled cloud was coming at him fast. He and his colleagues ran and got in their car and drove off through the darkness caused by the cloud that was still coming. It's a great story but not much of a picture. My sixth picture couldn't have been one of the actual mountain. Oh no.

2008-11-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

I've been reading through this book lately.

I've wanted it for a while and I finally just went ahead and bought it. I'm glad I did. It's really good. Its in chapters on different meats or vegetables. He explains the best ingredients to get, how to recognise the best quality meat and veg and also how to grow the various vegetables. It's almost making me want to plant a veg garden. Shame it's winter. I always imagine myself with a big vegetable garden, going out with my apron on and selecting the days ingredients and then cooking up tasty, nutritious meals. The reality is I'm way too lazy and I hate gardening (and sometimes cooking) so its never going to happen. I can still dream or at least read about other people doing it.

* I read about here, here and here. Oh and I like this too.

2008-11-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

Its Veterans Day!Relaxing with Tv and chocolate. That's been my day. Brian and I have been watching the 2nd series of 30 Rock on DVD. Its our favourite show. I've also been eating lots of chocolate. That's it. Nothing else to report. My life is so action packed.

We also hugged and spoiled our Veteran. Tonight we'll spoil him some more with a nice dinner followed by pecan pie.

2008-11-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

The girls went back to school today and with 17year old at his mothers that means I have the house myself during the day. Well, not exactly, Brian is doing a different shift as is home during the day but that's OK because we actually get to have conversations without being interrupted. I clan to catch up on my winter knitting. I didn't get any done today but I will get to it sometime this week.

Happy Birthday to the US Marine Corps!!!!

2008-11-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Today was just an ordinary, lazy Sunday. No excitement or drama like my sister had. So this post is a message for my little darling niece who broke her foot. Get better soon Aislin. I wish I was there to hug you better. I miss you. Take care and get lots of rest. I'm thinking of you!

2008-11-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today we had a big rain storm followed by sunshine and we got this
Pretty!

2008-11-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today, we went to Petco to get precious pup his special bulldog formula dog food and while we were there we had a look at the animals. I got "can we get one" when we looked at

Ferrets....

Chinchillas....

mice.....
look at all the mice...
There were lots more in the there. There was also an acrobatic mouse display
We also saw rats, cats, Guinea Pigs and hamsters and at every cage I was asked "can we get one?". We didn't get any. Its was still fun.

2008-11-06T18:43:00.001-08:00

It's hard to tell from the pictures but it has been wet, wet, wet today. It hasn't stopped raining. It has been really dark and windy too. A day to be inside and we have been. We have been snuggled up warm and dry. The girls have been working on the last couple of days of school work ( they are back to regular school on Monday) and I have been knitting. I have a nice hot comforting meal for us tonight. It's nice.

2008-11-05T20:35:00.001-08:00

The clocks going back and it getting dark so early is taking a bit of getting used to. I keep thinking its later than it is. Today I went out to my favourite yarn shop and half way there I had a bit of a panic that it would be closed when I got there. It was only 4.30pm but it felt like it was much later. I'll get used to it soon enough but for now it's weird. Now I'm just going through some new knitting magazines looking for something to knit with my new yarn.

2008-11-04T08:53:00.001-08:00

Who will win? It's very exciting. At this point its hard to tell. We'll be watching the results come in tonight.

Today it's cold and wet. Autumn is here. There is snow in the mountains too I'm told. The clocks went back on Saturday and its getting dark at about 5pm. I love that. I love the dark, cold nights. It's a day for warm comfort food so I think a lasagna is on the menu tonight. I have to go out and shop but I'd like to stay snuggled indoors with cups of tea and scones. Oh well, there will be plenty of opportunity to do that over the next few months.

2008-11-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

This is an extra post today because I am recommending looking at another blog I read. Bea at Baa Baa Blacksheep has the two cutest bulldogs in the world (after my own that is haha) and she had a competition where readers had to guess which of two bowls representing the two candidates the dogs would pick. This post has the pups picking their bowls for competition. It's too cute.

2008-11-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Please hurry and come Election day. I have lived in this country during an election year but it was my first year and I was shell shocked from arriving in a new country and having a new husband with six (ahem ) adorable children so I didn't take in much of the political hoopla. This time around I'm settled in and part of the community here so I'm right in the middle of it and oh my god, it seems to have been going on forever. I am so over it. I was over it in February! It just seems to have really dragged. I've heard other people say this so it's not just me. Now, the problem isn't so much what's going on out there. I can turn off the TV and radio and ignore whatever is on the Internet. My problem is that I married into a family of know it alls*. Not pleasant people who actually do know all and are modest and it keep it themselves, like me. I mean loud know alls who think we all need to know just how much they know and they will make sure we all hear it. 11 year old know all has been going on and on and on....well, you get idea, about politicians and the election and who she is going to vote for. Tsk! We are all forced, on a daily basis, to listen to her profound and well researched opinions on everyone. Things like " is evil", or "Obama rocks. I love that one speech he made" etc. While I'm sure it's great that she is interested in politics and what is happening to her country I really don't want to hear it screeched at me 50 times a day. And yes, its screeched. "OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!! HE'S GREAT!" So tomorrow the change I will get will be peace...for a day or so. Oh and I am very interested in the results and I do care who wins but please lets stop talking about it now.

* Don't worry, I have said this to their faces and it's fine. They think of it as a compliment actually.

2008-11-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

Actually the morning after the morning after. Halloween that is. The evening went well. We had about 100 trick or treaters. Thankfully there were many big groups so I didn't have to go to the door 100 times. I had time to drink tea, watch old movies and eat about 50 mini Twixes between trips to the door. The kids came back with huge hauls and now I keep finding tiny candy wrappers all over the house. I don't like that much and it causes me a lot of stress. It's not as stressful as having to open so many Twixes to get a satisfying amount of chocolatey treat. I decided it was best not to take a picture of the small mountain of wrappers after I was done. I don't need evidence of my gluttony lying around. I did learn one thing though. Buy bigger Twixes!

As is usual for me, once the holiday is over all decorations annoy me and must be removed. So by 11am Saturday morning all pumpkins were in the green bin and the other decorations were in storage in the garage. Ugh, I even bored talking about it. I'm done! Next up are the Christmas decorations which I will enjoy until Boxing Day.

2008-11-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to give NoBloPoMo a go. I'm copying my sister. The goal is to blog every day for a month. Can I do it? I generally have trouble blogging more than a few times a month so we'll see. I'll give it a go. I can't be sure the posts will be entertaining or even mildly interesting but that's not the point.

Simon's bored already!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

Pumpkins are carved and ready for their candles tonight. We have lots of fun Halloween themed home school activities planned but at the moment they are on hold because of the girls constant fighting and bickering. Ugh! it's endless. Well, we may get to them lately. I have a ton of candy for handing out tonight. It doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate and be pleasant for trick or treating. It has been mild and dry all week with lovely clear evenings. Today its bleak, dark and wet. The rain doesn't look like letting up. The house is so dark we need the lights on. It's good for getting in the spooky Halloween mood though. I think I'll go and watch a spooky old movie and the girls can do maths.

Movies

2008-10-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

You what annoys me? No? Well, I'm going tell you. Its how a certain mouse loving corporation only releases some of its classic movies for short periods of time then makes them unavailable. I mention this because today Hubby brought home Sleeping Beauty for the girls. This movie is out for its 50th Anniversary and all the ads are telling us that this will be last time its released. Why???? Well, I know why but it sucks!! The girls were asking about getting Snow White. We can't, its "not available". Not even in through their movie club. So we'll have to wait until some special occasion for them to bring it out for us all to run and purchase. Oh and they will have done something to it to make it better than any version we may have purchased in the past (the most recently released version of A Nightmare Before Christmas is a perfect example). I'd boycott them if the movies weren't so darned good.* Oh and don't they know it.

* I don't include any of the High School Musicals in that.

Home Alone

2008-10-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, kind of. Brian goes to St Louis next week for work and 17year old is at his mothers for a couple of weeks so as of Sunday its just me and the younger three kids. As I'm still jumpy from reading The Uninvited and the kids keep finding the bathroom door locked (from the inside) and empty I may be sleeping with light on hahaha. I don't have high hopes for this guy protecting me.

My wrist still hurts alot so I reluctantly keep following doctors orders by wearing my brace and not knitting. Its getting old I can tell you. Get better!!!!!

As Halloween is nearly upon us there are lots of horror movies of both the classic and crappy kind on TV. Yay! I'm happy. Although with the girls here homeschooling I can't sit and watch them all day. I watch them once every ones in bed and yes, I know it won't help with my scaredy catness when B is away but I'll still be watching.

Boo!

2008-10-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Well, its still 3 weeks until Halloween but apparently we are in full Halloween mode in our neighbourhood. Someone "booed" us, leaving a treat package on our steps and instructions to pass it on to two others. Ho hum. The kids really wanted to Boo Ernie's family so I went out got stuff and made up bag for them. Ernie is a bulldog friend of Simon's who lives down the street from us with two humans. Their names are not important, Ernie is the star. The kids refer to them as Ernie's Mum and Dad. Ernie is an only child and even more spoiled than Simon if that's possible. He is cute and sweet so I totally understand their indulging him. Anyway, the kids insisted the package had a toy for Ernie in it too. So it did.

Last night we watched The Happening. Blah! It was ok but not "terrifying" as I had heard it described. Once the message is that when in the event of natural disaster/alien invasion/zombie infestation what you really have to worry about is other people trying to save themselves. Ok, this movie also had a message about the environment and not pissing off the plants anymore but the other people thing was there too.

As it was clear and dry today we got out in the garden and did some work getting reading for the winter months. Weeds were pulled and killed, the lawn was mowed. Hoses were stashed and spiders webs were swept from the porch. I was mainly supervising due to my painful wrist. Such a disappointment to not be able to crawl amongst the weeds, fighting off frogs and lizards. Yes, frogs and lizards were found (well, one frog and one lizard - both tiny). As was an abandoned snake skins. One of the girls saw the snake (it too was tiny, a tiny grass snake) who had maybe been the skin shedder. I missed that one.

Tomorrow, homeschooling starts. Yikes!

Pumpkins

2008-10-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

The windy, wet storms have started so it must be October. The first came last Saturday which was the day we had picked to got the pumpkin patch for our pumpkins. It never fails, every year we go on the coldest, nastiest day. Its all part of the experience though. We get all rugged up and cosy and hunt for the perfect pumpkins. Only we weren't all the rugged up this year as it was quite pleasant when we left. We did some shopping, had lunch then headed to the patch by which time we had black skies, blustery winds and icy cold rain.

We went earlier than usual this year. Usually the whole field in the back is a sea of orange, full of pumpkins. They are still in the ground. We now have porch full of pumpkins waiting for carving.

I've hurt my wrist and can't knit. This is very annoying because I have my sisters birthday socks (which I wanted to send off this week in a package) to finish and some fingerless mitts (which I need) only half done. Oh well.

Tomorrow is the girls last day at school as we are starting Homeschooling. I'm looking forward to that. Then on Friday I have to take five 10 year old girls to Build a Bear for a birthday party. 10 year old turns 11 tomorrow. Her birthday is her VIP day at school and also her last day. So she's thinking its going to be a pretty great day haha. She has no love for school. Yesterday she got yelled at by her teacher and told her maths is worse than the Special Ed. kids. It made us so glad we are homeschooling now. I had some reservations about doing it but since went back so many things have happened that it seems we are being pushed to do this. Now I have to go and make cupcakes for her to take tomorrow and then thankfully I'm done with that too!!!

Oregon

2008-09-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am in Oregon with the two girls house/cat sitting for mother in law who is Portland visiting her sick brother. We are in Wallowa, my husbands home town. Yesterday we packed a lunch and went to the Lake for the afternoon. Its really beautiful there and the weather is just perfect here at the moment. We had such a nice afternoon that we are about to go a do the same thing again today. My mother in law has a really lovely old house that my husband grew up in. Its really special to him. We would love to live back here but work keeps us where we are for now. Anyway, here are some pictures.

Yes, thats it on my banner too. That picture was taken after winter, hence the snow capped mountains. We drove around the park which is gorgeous and saw these guys at the RV park. Imagine heading out in the morning and finding them at the bottom of the stairs

Every morning we get to watch the squirrels at the feeder in the big tree in the front yard. Then when we went out for walk this morning we disturbed about 1000 crickets as we walked across the lawn. We just don't see this stuff much back home. All the wildlife meant there is lots of crashing around and footsteps outside at night which is not a good thing when you've been reading this

Yes, I'm an idiot. Bringing a really scary ghost story to a weekend away in a big old creaky house with just two little girls to protect me was not a good idea. But, what can I say, I love good ghost story.

Tomorrow we head home and if I'm really brave I'll stop and take a picture of the huge canyon we drive past on the way out of town.

I take it back

2008-09-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

No weight loss will be happening this weekend as a package of chocolate and magazines arrived today from my sister in Australia. I will be be busy stuffing my face and reading gossip for the rest of the weekend. Bliss!

A Plan

2008-09-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

This week I started a big weight loss plan. Well, not so big just cutting back on the crappy food and doing a bit of exercise. 10 year old has been doing crossing guard duty at school and arrives at school earlier and leaves later than 8 year old so I have been walking her to and from school each day. Just adding this tiny bit of exercise has made a difference to how I feel. Its a really good incentive to work a bit harder and do a bit more. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I hope to go to Australia at the start of next year so I really want to get in shape before taking another long flight. I really can't face being squished in a plane seat for 16 hours not to mention the running around airports while I'm this out of shape (nice way of saying fat).

I now have a new fence around the backyard. It was put up in a day and half. Good work boys. The weather has been really warm and sunny but the tree is showing signs of Autumn. Its leaves are turning golden and falling off. Here we can see the fence, the evidence of sunny weather (see Simon soaking it up) and the fallen leaves.

He lay out there for ages and I didn't have to watch him because he is now secure behind the fence!

Decorating

2008-09-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

I love decorating for Autumn and then Halloween. Today I bought this cute candle from Bath and Body Works. Pumpkin Spice scent of course. I still have the container from last years Bath and Body Works Pumpkin candle which sits by my kitchen window year round. So I get a candle and a nice long lasting decoration.

I still haven't done much decorating. Just this on this on the door

and my dining table centre piece. Hmm that's a bit blurry. Oh well, you get the idea. That will stay until I change it for Christmas.

Anyway, my back fence has been started. Hopefully in a few days I'll have a picture of it finished. So far we just have a few posts which isn't very interesting to see. At least progress is being made and for that I'm grateful!

September begins.

2008-09-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well, its been an interesting week. School started obviously. We decided to put off starting homeschooling the girls for a while. The reasons are varied but mostly I am just not in a place where I am not willing do that right now. I won't elaborate but we'll see how I feel after winter break. The girls have really settled into the new school year and are enjoying their classes and new teachers so I'm happy with that decision. Our 12 year has started Middle School football this year and he's really having a great time and is excited about it. Its nice to have them interested in activities outside of the house and away from the computer/video games. Now, just to get 17year old out of the house.....

We are starting to see the first signs of Autumn. We have chilly nights with that lovely crisp smell of winter/cooler weather and wood smoke in the air. People in the neighbourhood are starting to decorate their porches with Fall decorations. I have started this in the house and will slowly do more over the next month. I've also stocked up on Pumpkin Spice scented candles which are a must for me in the Autumn/Winter months. I love them. The kids are talking almost daily about Halloween which is getting a tad wearing and we have 7 weeks still to go. Can you here me groan? I love this time of year though. From now until Christmas I'm happy, happy. Today I found myself thinking about starting a planner for all the activities. It made me think of my Mum who used to have notebooks and notebooks of Christmas ideas and plans. My sisters and I are list makers too. Not on the scale she was though. After she died we held onto them for a long time because they were important to her.

Today I spent doing some gardening and pottering about the house. Brian went out and got supplies to make a fence around our backyard. I can't wait until its up and our garden is private and Simon can't run off. He doesn't wander as a rule but if he hears people screaming and laughing he'll try to run around the front and see them. He's really friendly and wants to play but it worries us he'll take off and run on the road or get lost. Anyway, we are trying to get all the garden stuff done before the cold,wet weather and short days are upon us. Then we can snuggle up, nice and warm in the house for the next few months.

A little privacy please!

2008-08-24T21:30:00.001-07:00

I was trying to have a quiet, peaceful bath and I get this

Can I never be alone?? Usually, its one or both of the cats sitting on the side trying to understand why I'm submerged in water. This time Simon got in and was stressing because 5 minutes had passed without him getting any attention. Don't worry, I don't take my camera in the bath. I was listening to music on my phone and it has a camera too!

Cats

2008-08-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

I came across this blog today We Three Cats. Too cute!

Here are my furry cat babies

They don't have any exciting tales to tell like the ginger cats though. This is about all they do.

Present.

2008-08-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today Brian and the girls went to look at a community garage sale near by and came back with this

I love it. For now its just a nice decorative piece but Brian's Uncle collects and restores these old machines so we are going to get him to look at it and maybe I'll be able to use it. I'm happy with it either way.

I'm done!

2008-08-14T16:36:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm having a bit of a crappy week. I feel old, like its too late to do all the things I want to do (I'm not as old as I feel which is bad, I shouldn't feel this old). I feel fat and listless and bored and fed up. Life has decided to kick our butts this week. There has been lots of unpleasantness for my husband (thanks ungrateful stepson) which he has had to deal with on top school work and stress at work which in turn worries me. There has been disappointment for our 17yr old (and therefore us), indecision (to home school or not) and just general annoyances making life more difficult than it has to be. So I console myself while writing this with homemade (rather brilliantly homemade) choc chip cookies and milk. With all the horrible stuff that has been going on I don't have much of great interest to report. But there are much worse things that could be troubling us and its a beautiful day, we all have our health (and lots, lots more) and tomorrow is another day! Anyway, who could be unhappy with this guy around.....

Too Quiet!

2008-08-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Its always the same when the kids go away. Before they leave I think I'm going to enjoy the time alone. I do enjoy it but then it starts to feel too quiet. I get lonely. I have nothing to do. No, thats not it, I mean I have plenty to do to keep me busy. I'm not someone who is lost without children to look after and really they do most things for themselves but it would seem that I miss their company and having people around me. Going from being single, living alone and only having myself to think of to suddenly having a large instant family was really challenging. I guess I still think it should be challenging and that I need a break now and again because I felt that way for a long time. But I think the reality is that its ok now. No more challenging than parenting is for anyone else. I can do it. I'm used to it and I quite enjoy it! I look forward to them getting home and life going back to normal. I am going to make the most of the few quiet days I have left but I won't be dispppointed when they are over.

What have I been doing? Research (and knitting and eating and watching movies). Why? Well, this summer we decided that the two girls would be homeschooled next school year..by me. Eeek! I'm really looking forward it and have some really good curriculums that I'm looking at trying. Its a bit daunting though. There is so much to choose from. Our 17 year old is starting a program at Community College and our 12yr old does very well at school and wants to stay so its just the two girls. They are really excited about it too. The best bit...lots of shopping coming up. Books, curriculum items and best of all SCHOOL SUPPLIES. I love school supplies. Notebooks, pens, highlighters, more pens. Oh joy!

*The picture is of a kit that can be bought at Educational Products Inc

Hurrah!

2008-08-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night - watched Zulu with hubby. Great film. Then a bath and then the last episode of Doctor Who in my pjs with trifle and a cup of tea.

Saturday - Lazy day around house then off to the movies (alone with hubby, no kids) to see The Dark Knight. Very good but too long and too much happening. Taco Bell for dinner in the car on the way home (we know how to live).

Sunday - getting kids ready for Scout Camp (boy) and a visit to their mothers (2 girls) and then Monday.........the start of a virtually kid free week. Don't get me wrong, I love them but a break is nice. 17 yr old will be still be home but he has some college stuff to do and otherwise rarely leaves his room so it will feel like being kid free. Its been a really good weekend and the rest of the week is loking good too. So before the girls leave in the morning they can help clean the house (they love to help) then its relaxation time. Aaah! I don't have to watch kids TV for a week. I don't have to cook for 6 for a week! I don't think I'll cook much at all. It will just be me and Simon most of the time.....
We're very lazy!!!!!!

Weekend!

2008-08-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

During the week we took the kids raspberry picking. It was a lot of fun. We got loads of berries. Some have been made into trifle, LOTS have been eaten and we have frozen several pounds for later. Brian is back there with the two girls today to get more. It was really nice being out in the sun, amongst the berry bushes and eating warm fresh berries straight of the vine. Yum!

Today I went shopping for snacks and last minutes supplies for our 12 year old to take to Scout Camp. Having tons of snacks is half the fun apparantly. He leaves early on Monday morning. The next couple of weeks we will have kids coming and going with camp and visits to their mother. Its funny the difference having one kid gone makes to life around here. You wouldn't think just one being gone would be a big deal but it is. I guess its one less person fighting and arguing with siblings!

Last night a bunch of houses in our street were egged. So this morning 17yr old was out with the scrubbing brush and hose cleaning it off. He's a good boy. Its very annoying and seems to be happening a lot in our town recently. Last night was our streets turn! I assume its teenagers or kids (I'm sure its possible its not and if its adults its even more disturbing) and I have wonder where their parents think they are. We weren't in bed until after 11pm and would have heard if had happened before then. Oh well. There are worse things that could happen.

I'm not sure what we are doing for the rest of the weekend but its nice we don't have to do anything. We can do what want or do nothing. Relaxing.

Quiet week

2008-07-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have been doing little bits and pieces of quick, fun knitting. Here is my Whimsey Kerchief
This is the best picture I could get of the back of my head so here it is layed flat. I like it.

I'm not really sure when I'll wear it but I like the idea of wearing it. I also made this little wrist band which is Perdita a Knitty pattern. I got the beads and thread in a kit from Earthfaire. I love that site. They have lots of nice things. You can't tell from the photo but it has little gold beads down the middle.

Today the three youngest kids went to water slides with their big brother and his fiancee. I have a ham in the oven for when they all get home. Until then I'm just enjoying the quiet and relaxing. Tomorrow I might take them to the library. Even though school is still 4 weeks away it feels like summer vacation is winding down. We got rain today! Lots of it too which is nice change. Its been so dry which is unusual for here. We really need it for the plants and the lawn. I wouldn't mind if it kept up for a couple more days. I have little tolerance for summer and after a few weeks of sun and dry weather I'm looking forward to Autumn (my favourite time of year). It takes months of wintery weather to get me down but only a few weeks of hot weather. Which is just as well really as I live the Pacific Northwest.

They're in the house!!!!!

2008-07-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

Frogs!!! Ok they are tiny little thumb nail sized frogs but still they aren't welcome in the house. I found the first one on the stove late on Saturday night. We put up the tents to see if they were ok for the kids to take on a camping trip with their mother and we let the three youngest ones sleep in them that night. Well, 8 year old came in and left the door and the screen door open. We think that's how the first one got in. We assume the rest - which showed up on Saturday - came in on the camping equipment when they brought it in ready to go. Three were caught and put back outside where they belong but tragically three got dry and died and we only found the bodies which is pretty icky! So from now on outside stuff doesn't come inside without being checked for stowaways.

I have been watching the trailers for the Twilight movie. It looks good. I can't wait. It doesn't come out until December though.

Today I baked white chocolate chip cookies and brownies (the brownies I made from a packet mix) so I could have some yummy snacks and actually get to eat some before the kids scoff them all when they come home tomorrow. Yes, I have been enjoying a quiet house and no work without the kids. Back to reality tomorrow though. They will love having cookies waiting for them. Until then I making the most of the extra me time.

He thinks he's a cat

2008-07-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

Simon is a bit of a climber and loves being on the back of the sofa......

sometimes I get a dog shaped pillowHe got the idea from his feline sister

Cozy days at home

2008-07-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last night the kids and I watched Joseph and His Technicolour Dream Coat. This one was on DVD starring Donny Osmond and Richard Attenborough among others. I remember loving it as a teenager in the 80s when anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber was hugely popular. So I rented the DVD and was surprised that I still remembered all the words to the songs. Don't worry, I didn't sing along. The kids don't deserve that haha. Everyone really enjoyed it although I wasn't keen on a couple of the sets in this version and in the Egyptian parts there were lots of half or more than half naked women which seemed unnecessary.

It was a cooler day today with lots of cloud and even a bit of fog this morning. A perfect day for baking. So I made Creamcheese Banana Nut Bread which I found on There's No Place Like Home. It turned out really well. YUM! I also got out the crockpot and made Hot Ham Rolls which I also found on a blog. This time The Homespun Heart. They were really yummy. I served them with Swiss cheese and they turned out just fine. I love both of these blogs and highly recommend going and reading them. The house smelled great with the ham going and the banana bread baking.

I also spent a bit of time moving all my recipes into a nice new binder. I've had quite a productive day and its only lunchtime. I'm going to spend some time this afternoon with a nice cup of tea, some banana bread and my knitting.

Pipes and Drums

2008-07-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a really nice for us again. In the morning we relaxed and I finished knitting these
They are the Broadripple Socks from Knitty that I knit with Socks That Rock Socktopus mediumweight. I love these socks. Fun and easy to knit.

Later in the afternoon when hubby came we went to the Skagit Valley Highland Games and Celtic Festival. It was a lot of fun despite the heat and the lack of shade at the grounds. I got to have a Scotch Pie and and Irn Bru for lunch and I have another Irn Bru in the fridge for later.

We saw Pipes and Drum bands

They were all great. As we were there near the end we got to see them all together for The Mass Pipes and Drums. It sounded amazing.
It was really hard to get picture that really showed how many of them there were but trust me there were loads and they were loud. There are all age groups in those bands. We saw really young boys and girls with the drums. They are all very clever and talented. We all agreed that was our favourite part of the day.

Out and about

2008-07-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today we all got out of the house. 17 year old was off with his friends and the rest of us went to the mall for a bit of shopping and lunch out. The three oldest kids all helped my Mother in Law move and she paid them each a nice chunk of money for their hard work. Last week we opened bank accounts and they got debit cards. It was all very exciting for them. So today, they got to spend a bit. I now have Baby Alive called Abigail crying and peeing non stop courtesy of 10 year old. She's been desperate for one. I'm told Abigails my "grandchild" so I suppose I should be patient with her. While at the mall we saw a huge queue for something. Of course we were curious about what it was and later realised it was the queue at Apple for the new iPhone. Who knew so many were ready for a new phone today haha. It was a very pleasant day. Even the drive was nice as its a beautiful clear day and the Cascades and Mount Rainier especially were visible in all their rugged, snow capped glory.This picture is from last year and gives an inferior impression of how this mountain looks but still here it is!

Once we were home we had just enough time to get Future Marine ready and dropped off for overnight Scout Camp. Then it was feet up on the sofa watching the Nancy Drew movie with the girls. I enjoyed it immensely. When hubby gets home we are having dinner at a local Chinese restaurant then for me its back to the sofa and these

Lovely!

Now that's a good day!

Summer

2008-07-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Meet my arch enemy - pollen. Aagh, I'm worn out and feeling crappy most of the day thanks to allergies. I wake up with a dry, scratchy throat, itchy eyes and sneezing. I have an antihistamine that works but that also knocks me out. So when I don't have allergy symptoms I'm tired and sleepy and just want to lie down. Sick...of .....it!

So , I'm staying indoors and knitting. I'm currently besotted with all Tweed Yarn. I want this book Tweed just because of the lovely yarn on the cover. Although I'm sure its a great book for other reasons. Since summer holidays are here I rarely get a minute to myself and am only getting to enjoy a clean house for about 2 minutes after its been cleaned. There's always someone to come along and rumple something or drop some crumbs. I also seem to spend an inordinate about of time driving people around. Why can't they make friends with kids who don't live miles from us? But I am grateful that the usual arguing and bickering that goes on when everyone is together at home has been kept to minimum and for the time being everyone is getting along and happy most of the time. I know from experience that things start to get tense around week 7 of summers holidays as everyone gets bored and sick of the sight of each other. There are lots of activities coming up to keep everyone occupied. Scout camp, day camp and a long list of movies we all want to see and hopefully some beach visits. We should be fine.

We've seen a few movies already. We loved Wall.E. Next up is Journey to the Centre of the Earth (3D, the kids are beside themselves), then The Dark Knight and the latest Mummy movie.

We are getting really nice weather. We had a nice, dry 4th of July so Hubby and the kids were able to do our annual mini display. I just on the porch and had a great view of not only ours but several really great ones going on around the neighbourhood. A few of our neighbours were up on their roof to see them all but our house it situated in such a way that I got to see everything without climbing up on ours (thankfully). I don't have pictures. I'm not that skilled at photography at the best of times so good shots of fireworks were out of the question. The only bad part was when I was covering the BBQ and a frog jumped off the cover onto my foot. Ok, it was tiny but still, it was a FROG!

The kids have gone to bed so I'm going to relax for a bit and watch Bram Stokers Dracula! Again.

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2008-07-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

We relaxed and spent time together. We had our hot dogs and burgers. Everyone is off buying fireworks to let off after dark. We have Independence Day taped to watch later. The 4th of July celebrating doesn't get much better than that.

Another reason to celebrate is that we have had our little treasure Simon for exactly 1 year and 2 days.
I hope you all had a great day too!!!