I Don't Wanna Go Home

I am sitting on cousin Davina's deck in 70 degree Oregon bliss. We're on our way home after the most glorious week I've had in a long time. I will miss the beach immensely; I saw two separate gray whales spouting on the ocean yesterday and it was rainy and foggy on the coast this morning when I woke up and looked out my window. Thanks Croteau's! And thanks Jones Family for the awesome time. Pictures to follow soon!

You Don't Bring Me Flowers...

...but you do bring me heart rocks! Our family has been collecting them when we're out and about for a while and Mark brought these back from his fishing trip for us. He said he carried the big one in his backpack 2 miles in the pouring rain. Sounds like one of those stories about walking five miles to school in the knee-deep snow, but I believe him, because he is the kind of guy who would actually do something like that for me.

I woke up yesterday just giddy that it had rained all night and was still cloudy and cold outside. It shifted my perspective about all the things that were bothering me; I felt like I had been given a reprieve. I told Mark I guess I'm just a stormy kind of gal and he said "You don't think I know that?"

Recovering the Satellites....

One of MY favorite, though lesser-appreciated Counting Crows CDs. We are back! The nice man from Wild Blue made a housecall today and now I'm posting. This should be the end of my trauma concerning my internet service, but I'm sure something will appear to take its place.

While I couldn't surf and post, I did end up working on quite a few layouts. Mark embarked on an impromptu fly fishing trip and before he left he gave me quite a bit of time in my studio. Before his trip we were staying up really late working together after the kids went to bed; him fly-tying and me scrapbooking. Usually I like to scrapbook alone, but it was so cozy and relaxing to have him with me, creating and chatting.

In other big news, the American Girl Itty Bitty Twins that Claire had ordered with her birthday money arrived on the UPS truck yesterday while her friend Emily was here. Talk about some enchanted little girls! I didn't think to snap a pic then, but I did get this one later.

We're on our way to the Oregon Coast for our annual family campout this weekend. The kids are ready to get out of here I think. They're a little tired of hanging out with me all day, every day. I'm a little tired of them too, come to think of it, so a little salt spray might do all of us some good.

Cherries and Challenges

Here are the beautiful cherries we picked last night, a five gallon bucket of 'em. I think Claire and I both ate as many as we picked. Isn't the color amazing?

I finished my first layout showcasing our Alaskan vacation for my Year to Remember Class. The challenge was to create 4 separate 6" layouts and tie them togther within the theme of having fun. I used my JBS kit papers from June and did a little painting along the edges, which is a technique I really like and don't do nearly enough.

It is so hot here, hot like you're baking in a very dry oven. The kids and I are headed over to a neighbor's house to swim in their above-ground pool this afternoon. I think a margarita sounds nice too!

It's Gotta Be Mercury

In the astological world it is said that when the planet Mercury goes "retrograde" (appears to be moving backward in the sky) it affects all things technological. That's gotta be what's happening to me. We lost our second free t.v. yesterday and had to buy a new used one. It's really great; we don't have to hit it to get a picture and we can actually hear it. The only glitch is that it was too big for our entertainment center, so we had to cut the shelf to make it fit. It was either that or buy a new entertainment center and rearrange all the furniture. A lot of work involved considering we hardly ever watch t.v.! But it was so worth it when we watched Planet Earth last night on a 32" screen.

I am also having internet issues. Every couple of months or so our internet goes down because the pole that it's mounted to falls forward with the weight of the satellite. You would think this would be an easy problem to fix, but it's not and don't even get me started on this! Mark went out and rigged up a ratchet strap to pull the pole back, but I think it's just a matter of time before I am offline for awhile. Needless to say, I am hurrying to post this in case that happens and if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why.

Trying to stay cool, get a little artwork done and keep the deer from eating my garden. Did eight loads of laundry yesterday, not only washed and dried but folded and put away too! Yay me! I hope to be picking cherries tonight. The fruit from our bing tree is so delicious and profuse this year. If you're in my neighborhood, I'm happy to share. Just bring a bucket.

Happy Birthday Ben!

It's been a chocolate cake for breakfast/transformer kind of morning. The first thing Ben said this morning after we sang him happy birthday in bed was "I'm in control of my own birthday." Obviously he's got some issues! Our day will be quiet, getting ready for the transformer movie and the birthday party tomorrow. Happy Fifth Birthday Ben!!!

Sparklin' and Scrappin'

Our 4th of July was pretty laid back and after working in the garden in the a.m. there was a little napping and scrapbooking going on. Our satellite tv connectin made a mysterious appearance, much to the delight of the kids, whom I guess badly needed a fix of commercials because they spent quite a bit of time watching them. The ads made my head hurt, but I guess it was all okay because it is so flippin' hot here and if we, as parents, want to partake of the aforementioned pleasures, we've got to give somewhere, right? (Plus, I'm planning on watching scrapbooking on DIY this afternoon!)

We enjoyed a bit of sparkler action on our porch Tuesday night, and Mark even shared a few goodies from his firework stash with us. We headed into Pullman with trepidation last night to watch the firework show; in years past there has been a lot of crying and covering of the ears going on. But the kids loved it and I must say our little town puts on quite a display. I spent some time reflecting on being an American and I realize that as much as I complain about our politics and ethics and inequalities, the fact that I CAN complain is the great part of living in this country.

Claire is dancing in the yard trailing sparkles.

They were so excited to witness the magic of fireworks.

This is a layout I did about my grandmother with some of my supplies from the JBS kit. My nana turned 85 this year and I've been thinking about her a lot.

This is our extended family on Mark's side at the beach in Oregon on New Year's Eve. You've probably noticed that I do not scrapbook chronologically, and I probably never will. I try to keep on top of the important holidays and birthdays, but I pretty much scrap whatever strikes my fancy.

My friend Erin helped me with this layout and I love how it turned out. Thanks Erin!

Home Again, Home Again

We made it home from the wilds of Alaska and enjoyed our cruise very much. It was great to be back there again; I had forgotten so much that I was delighted to remember. We got home last weekend and had a 36 hour turn around time before cousin Brian came to stay with us for a week to attend basketball camp and Claire went off to Girl Scout day camp. It was a very busy week and we're finally feeling a little caught up. We took the boat out on the river today and I scrapbooked with my girlfriends on Friday night. I've posted a few of my favorite pics from the trip in no particular order. It seems that when I upload pictures I have to PLAN my page first so that the first photos don't wind up on the bottom. Live and learn. And yes, those are caribou antlers on top of Mark's head, a grizzly sow with 2 cubs and humpback whales blowing!