No Whiners

If my helmet looks like this---can you guess what I look like?? It is colorful, nice shades of the sunset--purples and reds and more to come I'm sure.

I have watched more Hallmark channel movies in 2 days than should be allowed by law. My eyes are swelled from sniveling.

I gotta get this bruised kester up and moving. I've run out of kleenex is the bedroom.

Here is a quick peek at the legs. The left leg is the proud owner of 16 stitches. In an impressive "V" pattern. There's a plate of brownies for anyone who can figure out what cut my leg. That is one of the mysteries of life.

Ah Summer, how fast you flee

June and July were busy months at our house. I was planning to go visit kid/grand babies in Florida, visit Laura & Phil in Texas and come on home. Well life interfered. Chucks mom passed away at the ripe old age of 91. She had been living with her sister Fonda and niece Donna in St. George, Utah. I actually was in the car on the way to the airport when we got the phone call, so we turned around and cancelled my flights and took care of business.

Laura flew home for several days and it was wonderful to visit and laugh and enjoy her company. She and I flew out on the same day. She went to Houston, I to Ft. Lauderdale to she Ashley and Alexis! Oh we had fun! We went to the Zoo--it was REALLY hot and humid and it just sucks the energy right out of you. The animals didn't seem to mind one bit. The best part of the day was the water fountain area to cool off in. I volunteered to watch one of the girls, Dan had the other one. That was wonderful way to cool off and finish of the visit.

After we got home Miss Kaylee and Megan came for a visit. We were having our heat wave and it was really warm. Kaylee picked blueberries and raspberries out of the yard and cherry tomatoes. She didn't eat them, but wanted to pick them. She would get her shovel and bucket and dig with Wookie in the yard. Wookie was beyond ecstatic to she her.

Kaylee has really grown tall in the past few months. She is developing an eastern accent and is a sweet little girl with a little bit of a sassy mouth. Definitely a Poetz Girl. She knows where HER room is at at Grandma and Grandpa's house and had to go inspect it for all of her "stuff". She wanted to give the "talk" at dinner. (Bless the food.) And she told me I didn't do it right when I said the "talk". I didn't mention every ones names when I asked that they be watched over and kept safe. She wants to hear every ones names said, especially hers and her moms. Pretty cute.

Little miss K did not want to sit still for a picture with Grandma, but I held tight and Meg snapped quick and we got a keeper. I just feel so lucky and blessed to have the 3 daughters and granddaughters we have. I love being with them and showing them things in my world and exploring their worlds with them.

Now if everyone hasn't figured it out yet, I'll spill the beans. Grandpa is the Softy in the family. He just loves to spoil the girls.

Hawaii Day's at the Academy School

The Academy has lots of theme days. Today is All Things Hawaiian. These two hams are all set to go.

Look close. Can you tell who is who?? I can do this one! Ask me, ask me! Give up?????

OK this one was too easy because there are a couple of give aways.


1. Everyday is a bad hair day for Ashley.

2. Ashley has a little flat dimple under her right eye.

3. I saw a chipped front tooth in another picture.

Ashley is in front, Alexis is in pink. They were very excited to get dressed and get their lei's on.

Heather calls them savages. Anything this darn cute couldn't be a savage. Wild and crazy but not a savage.

I'm wandering down south to visit long about the 2ND of July. Rumor has it the mullets get trimmed for the first time, trip to the zoo, fireworks--all manner of good times.

Purple Kitties

Heather called today and we had a nice visit. Just before she hung up she said "OH, I better warn you, the girls are excited because Grandma Robin is coming to visit and she is bringing us Purple Kitties."

Purple Kitties. Have you ever tried to find PURPLE KITTIES????????

Walmart--NO,

K-Mart--NO.

Can you say Google??? Good thing I married the love of my life and he isn't a jealous man! HE is the one who said lets go home, you better Google it.

So it took a couple of searches, but I found Purple Kitties. They are called Periwinkle. I'm sure that Ashley and Alexis will come up with new names.

The things I do to make my kids and grandkids happy! And I love every minute of it.

Saturday gone lazy

The plans I had for Saturday got canceled. So Friday Night I made a to-do-list of things I needed to get done. It appeared reasonable to a Ambien brain at 10pm Friday. It looked sort of like this:

Saturday

Laundry

Vacuum, Dust

Scrub Kitchen Cabinets

YARD

Finish touch-up painting on woodwork

Bath Wookie

This is what really got done:

Laundry

Vacuum & Dust

Yard

watched movie Juno--really enjoyed this!

googled music from Juno---Moldy Peaches--Anyone Else But You--theme song.

researched luggage size for carry-on's and checked luggage on SouthWest

Researched (Google--gotta love Google--how did I survive before I discovered Google???)

structure of Pillowcase Dresses to convert to Pillowcase Nighties for Miss Kaylee, decided to try 2 different methods, dug through fabric for just the right stuff--looked through ribbon for correct size, color, edging to match fabric, then whipped up 2 nighties!!

Made dinner at 7 pm, while Tater Tot Casserole cooks, took shower and created this post.

Sooooo. . . . . . Wookie still looks like an orphan dog, the kitchen cabinets still need scrubbed so I can sand and prime and paint them.

But on the bright side here are Miss K's Nighties:

I guess there is some hope on Monday that I will scrub the cabinets ------I want it DONE!!

After a long search (ha--it was right where I put it) I found the Arlo Guthery poems I taught the girls when we were riding in the car to keep them from killing each other. Dog Kickers and Moose Goosers. As soon as I can I will post these for your reading pleasure. On a side note, I memorized these in Freshman Biology with Mr. Morgan. How I passed that class is a mystery and phenomena and small miracle. It must have been my shining personality--it sure wasn't because I did any work.

While we were enjoy the blue skys and tropical weather on the beautiful island of Kauai, Wookie Wonkeye was having himself the time of his life. He is doggy watched by 2 capable young men in our Ward. Ages 9 and 12. They have 2 dogs and a fenced yard for WookieWonkeye to play in. He is always very excited to go and not so happy to leave and come home

Wookie came home looking like a happy dog in need of a trip to the groomer.. His curley hair is interesting at best,and keeps him warm, but tends to knot easily. He was smelling doggie also.

This is wookie before he goes to the groomer,

And this is Wookie after the groomer called and said there was no hope. Bald is beautiful!

(He has shivered for a couple of days now!) Wonkeye is not going to were no coat/sweater/clothes of any kind. He is a dogs dog. HAHA. So he sits around and shivers. Lovely.

His hair is very soft, almost like velvet. Note the nose lick, not as talented as our cows were, but not bad for a dog.

The picture of the "girls" up top is Karen, DeDe and I. Karen and DeDe have been friends for 50 years. Yes, that said 50 years. Karen joined us in Hawaii. She swears this was her best vacation EVER!! And it truely was an incredible trip. 2 weeks was just perfect. As much as I didn't want to leave the perfect weather for Oregon rain, I was ready to come home and get back into my routine.

Lap Tob Abuse/Over Use

I asked The Dog Catcher if he thought there was a 12 step program for LapTop Abuse. I have gone to the programs for Fabric shopping, Walmart shopping, I REFUSE to go for chocolate consumption. But we need to give careful thought to the time spent on our rear-ends staring at the lap tops. Dog Catcher does genealogy. The Mrs DC goes for the blogs. The things I have found!! Sewing Blogs, Cooking Blogs, Food Storage Blogs you name it. Lots of time reading and absorbing. But it is sucking time vacuum.

So starting Monday my laptop time will correspond directly to the time I spend exercising. Drastic move, but necessary.

Dog Catcher got the tiller running and tilled the area for the Raspberry bed for me. I raked then planted 50 starts. Makes a nice row and NEXT year we will start getting berries!! The Blueberries are still in their pots, but the weather is changing so maybe I'll get them in the ground before we go to Hawaii.

We also got the ground tilled by the new fence and I raked and spread the grass seeds. DC place large rocks on the outside edge to discourage cars form driving over the new grass. This is on the gravel road side of the fence.

Tomorrow we pick-up the new chest freezer!!! I'm excited and ready to start filling it up. Will start with Whites Meats and build from there. Ok time to call it a night. Tomorrow will be a busy day of grocery shopping, dog bathing, tanning, picking up the freezer and organizing the laundry room where it will now live.

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!!

It was 40* today. It rained all afternoon. My car tire had a slow leak. Nail in the sidewall. New tire. Shopping in the rain. Enough I say. I would like to be able to plant a garden and actually have it grow ---- not rot in the ground. It looks like a soggy, bug ridden summer. DARN. I may have to wander on to visit the kids that live in the HOT and SUNNY area's of the US.

I wouldn't mind a drought and un-seasonably hot weather. For the entire summer. Sandbars in the Columbia River. Just a thought.

Chuck approved Black Bean Soup

I have several cooking blogs I routinely visit. One of my favorites is called "The Half Assed Kitchen" because they use many short cuts and don't like fussy recipes that take tons of ingredients. This is THE BEST Black Bean Soup I have tasted. Quick and easy. And if this isn't soup weather---then nothing is!!





Here's what you need and how you do it:



1 medium onion, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped (optional)
Olive or canola oil
2 cans black beans (with liquid)
32 ounces chicken or veggie broth
1 14-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
1-2 cups ham, cubed (optional)
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon thyme
1-2 Tablespoons balsalmic vinegar (adds a lot of flavor, don't skip)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream



Sauté onion (and celery if you use it) in olive oil over medium heat. Add black beans, broth, tomatoes, ham, cumin, thyme, balsalmic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Let simmer, covered but vented, for at least an hour. Preferably two.
Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream.





Enjoy!





I paired this with homemade rye dinner rolls and butter. I like my own cooking way too much. So I am going back on South Beach and scrape some fat off my behind, and there will be no more homemade rolls for a while. Sorry Chuck.

I love this picture! It is from our Bike Trip 2007.
I think we know how to vacation--eat lots, sleep well and surround yourselves with wonderful friends & family.

Good name for a fish????

Miss Kaylee called me this morning. She was wired tight and chattering a blue streak. Lots of questions for me "where is Wookie? where is Grandpa? what was I doing? When she took a break to breath I asked her about her new fishies. At one time they were "fishy 1, fishy 2, fishy 3 and Blue.

Today one was named "Booty" as in shake it. I'm laughing at that one. Her mother wasn't. "Kaylee Nicole you can not name a fish "Booty" It's not appropriate."

Hummmmmmmm, Megan is worried about appropriate?? Since when?

Just for fun!

A friend sent this to me. It just takes a minute and is really pretty cool. Enjoy

http://www.youniverse.com/statement/module/PersonalityModule/New_Personality_module

Bike Riding Fever

We were very anxious to get back on our bikes. The sky was sorta blue and the boys had Presidents Day or Uncle Milty Day or some such holiday off so we loaded the bikes, bundled up and went for an easy ride on the Springwater Trail.

We rode 12 miles and it really felt good. The only bad part was riding into the east wind from about Jenny Rd to Gresham City Park. It was hard to ride against and my nose ran and my finger tips were really cold. Riding gloves leave 1/2 of your fingers exposed.

It was a good ride, enjoyed by all. I'll try to remember being cold this summer when I'm gritting it out going up the "hills" sweating my brains out.

Chuck is styling with a ski cap under a bike helmet. That's how chilly it was.

Took a Little Vacation and forgot to blog . . .

Life has been plenty busy for the last couple of months. We ventured to Florida for Christmas. We flew out on Christmas Eve. That was quite the task due to the snowstorm in Portland and general crappy weather on the east coast. We were late but arrived with luggage.

Christmas with the Brooks family was all about the twins. Then we followed up with their 2nd birthdays and lots of McDonalds Milkshakes.

Time passed quickly and soon we were home and right back into the frightful weather. Just in time for an ugly windstorm. Lost some shingles, lots of limbs and the new fence bite the dust in a couple of sections. The 2 x 4's are now replaced with 4 x 4's. They better hold. That makes for a REALLY expensive fence.

The wind is still howling in Corbett. I am tired of it!! We have additional shingles to replace now and it is just too cold. I have 50 raspberry plants and 10 blueberry bushes to get in the ground but I'm a fair weather gardener. I also have to till where the raspberries will go.

Chuck is working too many hours but I only see that getting worse with the budget crisis. I'm working 3 days a week with rumors of going to 2 days. I wouldn't mind 2 days a week thru the spring and summer. I have several projects that will keep me busy at home.

Ok time to get myself moving on the weekend chores. Wookie is also getting a bath. He HATES his baths. But he is looking really ratty and dirty. I will now attempt to post a few pictures of the weather damage. The truck was just scratched. It looked like a total hit from the kitchen window.