MI HERMANO

My brother lives three hours away, but I haven't seen him in five or six years.  Lame. 

A couple weeks ago, though, I found out some of us were going to be in his neck of the woods today and asked if we could meet him for lunch.  I told him the time, he picked the place.  He met the two littlest Ws, I found out he doesn't like bread.  I laughed at Naomi talking his ear off, then he picked up the tab. 

It was great to see him! 

FUN RUN - 2012

Running.  Eating.  Cheering.  Playing.  Visiting.

In order of appearance at the Fun Run ....

Devon, under the "I", completes 1 1/2 laps.

Naomi, under the "F", completes 1/2 lap.

Silas, under and to the left of the "F", completes 3 laps.

7/26/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the internet because it makes keeping in touch with people so easy.

What's something that you're thankful for?

PRACTICAL PURCHASE

We had a huge clothesline when we lived in Beaverton, but since moving from there, both in our apartment and in our current home, we haven't had one.  We'll eventually get a clothesline here, but I'm not sure where I want one yet. 

I try to keep dryer use to a minimum, so I've spent the last couple years putting wet clothes on hangers, then hanging them from doorframes and shower curtain rods.  It's inconvenient at times, but it gets the job done.  And when I'm not in the mood, I just toss stuff in the dryer and go on with my day.

I've looked at various wall-mounted drying racks online, but none of them will work in our laundry room.  So I was thrilled when a friend and I stumbled across these foldable racks at IKEA a couple weeks ago.  I bought two and I love, love, love them!  Not only can I hang lots of laundry on them, but I can put them anywhere that's convenient at the time, whether inside or outside, and they fit perfectly into a little space between our dryer and the wall when not in use. 

Check them out.  Here's one doing it's job.

Can you see them here?  The tops are sticking up just a bit above the dryer.  Perfect storage spot, isn't it?

I realize purchases related to laundry aren't the most exciting thing in the world, but sometimes it's the little things, the stuff that makes the daily grind a little easier, that are worth posting about.  Who knows?  Maybe one of you has been looking for the perfect drying rack and now you know where to find it.

What practical purchase have you made lately that you've been pleased with?

NAOMI REACHES A NEW MILESTONE

We start school in July, which means Naomi recently started kindergarten.  Can you believe it?!  She was only seven months old, the same age Tyler is now, when I started this blog.  Time flies!

Here we are working on science together.  She's pretty thrilled to be doing school!

HUBBARD HOP FESTIVAL - 2012

We went to Hubbard this morning for the Hop Festival.  A small town parade, lots of candy, some Russian food and a couple elephant ears shared with each other, a coloring contest, and some time in the playground.  A perfect morning and a slice of small town America. 

As much as I loved my 11 years in Ashland and enjoyed the 4th of July there, I must say that it's sooooo nice to be able show up to a parade ten minutes before it starts and get a good seat.  Gone are the days of needing to know someone who lives on the parade route or setting out chairs and blankets the day before the parade.  It's lovely.

Here are the little Ws before the parade.  Getting all four to look at the camera and give genuine smiles all at the same time is a rare treat, so we'll pretend it's happening in this picture.  At least we have proof they were all together.

Here's the whole crew.  It was bottle time for Teebs and elephant ear time for the rest of us.

Now all the kids are napping, Tim and I are relaxing, and then some friends are coming over this afternoon to visit and install an attic ladder in our garage.  Fun day!

MENU - SECOND HALF OF JULY 2012

We've tried three new recipes lately, all good.

cranberry sour cream cake - I had some cranberries in the freezer from when I stocked up in November and I had sour cream that needed to be used up, so we tried this cake.  I really liked it and will try it with blueberries another time.  You could probably leave out berries altogether and just enjoy the plain cake.

super simple carrot soup - This was easy peasy and I liked it.  I actually mixed some leftovers with some leftover garlic chicken with more garlic, with a consistency of saucy chicken, not chicken in soup.  Delicious! 

cinnamon banana cake - The name says it all.  What's not to love?  Bonus for the chocolate chips thrown in the mix.


BREAKFASTS
* fruit & doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings x6
* out of town x2
* Rebecca's granola
* oatmeal pancakes
* stuffed French toast

DINNERS* leftovers x2
* tacos x2
* rice/honey curried chickpeas (crockpot)/cranberry spinach salad
* Freezer Fest
* new recipe/peas & corn
* out of town x2
* barbecue chicken salad
* baked potato bar
* honey lime chicken enchiladas/beans (crockpot, from freezer)/ fruit & nut green salad #2
* penne & sausage casserole/cranberry spinach salad (for us and a meal delivery)

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* popcorn
* banana spice cookies
* chocolate chip peanut butter bars

7/19/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for opportunities to have Wednesday night Bible study out on the beautiful church property in the summer.  

What's something that you're thankful for?

THE WALL OF LOVE

I took care of something today that I've been wanting to have done ever since we moved in nine months ago, a project I couldn't do until the walls were painted. 

I put up the wall of love. 

I arranged the boards differently than in our last home and I really like how it turned out.   It makes me smile to walk past the faces of people we love and who love us several times a day. 



FUNNY BOYS

I'm not sure which I find funnier, the way Tyler goes back and forth between hysterical squealing and a silent straight face or Silas' whispered narration.

 

MARSHMALLOW GUN WAR - EIGHTH EDITION

Tonight was the first marshmallow gun war in our new home.    There were 26 people - three rookie families, some veterans, and a couple babies who sat around looking cute.  Such fun!

The "we travelled across the state for this" award goes to John, Amy, and their kids.  Actually, they were in the area for a wedding today and it worked out perfectly for them to join us, but we'll pretend they came up just to battle.

The "I can turn a battle into a craft project" award goes to Sachi for making really cool marshmallow poppers for people with wimpy lung capacity. 

The "I went to the wrong town" award goes to Mike because ... well, because he went to the wrong town for the war. 

The "I'll shoot pictures instead of marshmallows" award goes to Dave who was behind the camera all night.  I saw a shot he got of the sneaky sniper and can't wait to see more.

7/12/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that I get to meet two e-maginary friends today.

What's something that you're thankful for?

A FANTASTIC MORNING

I need to work on a painting project we started and I need to organize school stuff so we can start in two days.  But Tim's working a tournament all day and the little Ws are napping or having down time, so I'm going to take a few minutes to sit down and blog in a quiet house.  I'm confident the work will still be there when I'm done.

I gave this morning to the kids and took them to a local park.  In return, they're going to give me the afternoon and early evening for working on things I need to get done.  Win, win. 

We headed to Centennial Park, which we'd never been to, and basically had the place to ourselves for a couple hours.  Teebs napped, the bigs played, and I alternated between hanging with the bigs and relaxing on a bench.  Such a beautiful morning for being outside! 

Of course, my monkey man was in heaven.  He went high.

Then he went higher.

Ta da!!

Now that he was all warmed up, it was time to climb a tree and wave to the rest of us.

The tip of the arrow is on the top of his head.



So thankful for a morning at the park with the little Ws!  I love watching the bigs do flips off the swing set, time themselves as they do a lap around the play structure without touching the ground, lounge on the tire swing like it was a hammock, pet the dogs of people walking by, climb all over the place, praise each other's stunts and accomplishments, give encouragement to each other when someone can't figure out how do something, and take little breaks to check on Teebs.  It's times like this morning that help me keep things in perspective when they're bossy, uncooperative, and bickering.   I mean, it would help me keep things in perspective if my kids would ever act in such a manner.  Which, of course, they never would.  Right?

YAHTZEE!

Fact #1 - We played Yahtzee tonight.
Fact #2- Tim came in last place.
Fact #3 - I came in first place.  By a lot.
Fact #4 - Facts #2 and #3 are shocking.



MENU - FIRST HALF OF JULY 2012

We didn't try any new recipes during the last rotation.  I intended on doing one, but never got around to it.  Oops.

Anyway, here's what's cooking in the next couple weeks.

BREAKFASTS
* fruit & doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, hot cereal syrup, and energy mix as optional toppings x7
* Tam's granola (crockpot)
* buttermilk cinnamon bread
* biscuits & strawberries
* wheat germ whole wheat buttermilk pancakes

DINNERS
* leftovers x2
* tacos x2
* hot dogs (barbecue)/potato wedges
* cream of celery soup/rosemary white bean sandwiches
* garlic chicken with more garlic (crockpot, from the freezer)/couscous/cranberry spinach salad
* brown rice lentil salad/toast
* grilled salmon (Tim's catch)/rice/cranberry spinach salad
* carrot soup/biscuit-y bell pepper muffins
* crockpot ziti/Leslie's salad
* quinoa salad with apples & almonds/toast
* Jen's chicken (crockpot)/cheesy spinach mashed potatoes/Leslie's salad
* Mediterranean black bean salad/broccoli pesto (from the freezer) broiled on French bread

SNACKS & DESSERTSproduce
popcorn
lemon garlic cucumbers
carrots & black bean dip (make extra for the freezer)
cranberry sour cream cake
cinnamon banana cake

BOOKS I FINISHED - JUNE 2012

The Truth-Teller's Tale, by Sharon Shinn
This is book two in a trilogy I started last month.  It's the story of mirror twins, one a safe-keeper and the other a truth-teller, their friend Roelynn, and some guests who stay at the inn the twins' family runs.

Calico Joe, by John Grisham
People we admire, conflicts in our families, broken dreams, and baseball.

The Dream-Maker's Magic, by Sharon Shinn
The third book in Sharon Shinn's trilogy.  It's the story of a young girl, raised as a boy, and her friendship with a smart and crippled boy she meets at school.  This trilogy does not need to be read in order.

Multiple books by Saxton Freymann
I love Freymann's books and sometimes just check out a stack to read, just for kicks.

Wreck the Halls, by Jen Yates
I recently discovered Yates had put out a second book, then saw it on Amazon for $1.98.  I rarely buy books, but it's nice to have a couple sitting around that make me laugh, so I snagged a copy.  Her site and first book crack me up, so I had high expectations for this one.  It just wasn't as funny, though.  I only chuckled a couple times.  Oh well.  It was only two bucks.

Make Lemonade, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
This book was on the library's discard shelves and I read it in an hour or two.  I don't remember exactly how long it took, but it was a quick read while the little Ws were napping.   It's the fictional story of a 14 year old girl who takes a job babysitting the two young children of a 17 year old mother. I wasn't sure if I'd be annoyed by the fact it's written in free verse, but I loved the book.