SYW287 – Memory Keeping with Video
2 weeks ago
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Just random stuff
Well, we have been home a couple of weeks and not much is going on but we seem to be very busy. My garden is producing stuff. The lettuce is just about gone and the carrots are finally big enough to eat. The mister's onions are nearing ready I think - hooray for all of us! The green beans are getting ready to come into existence and I have gotten two cucumbers which I mixed with some of the ripe tomatoes and made a cucumber, tomato and feta salad - yum! Pretty much the only way I like to eat raw tomatoes. We grew roma so I can make sauce so don't judge! Our one plum fell off the tree the other day - well, the mister thinks it was a squirrel. It definitely wasn't J1 so that is good news. It was too high for him to pick plus it was on the tree when we went to bed and on the ground when we got up. Phew. The mister is watching closely since J1 picked most of our apples really early last year - he was so pissed. And he was picking green strawberries too. J1 has been great this year and has not been picking anything he shouldn't. The pear has so much fruit it is sagging and there are tons of apples - should be a nice fall for fruit-eating. The blueberries are just about gone but there are a few strawberries left. I need to harvest and dry the herbs - maybe I'll get some small paper bags at the store and get that going.
I made a tactical laundry error last week. J1 spilled ketchup on our little throw rug in the kitchen so I decided to wash it. It is red and had never been washed so I knew it would bleed. I threw it in with some towels, bibs and a couple of the mister's garage rags. Well, I grossly underestimated the amount of bleeding that would go on and it turned everything *very* pink. That top one is a bib that my MIL made and it says "little prince" and is now totally pink. You need to look at the picture close up to appreciate it. The towel in the back is supposed to be yellow (like the edges) and is completely orange. I tried a wash with vinegar and a wash with bleach and the color didn't change a bit! Oh well, it was only bibs and towels.
It was a bit cold this day so I dressed J2 in long sleeves and pants. For some reason in this outfit, he looked so old. Where did my baby go?
When I was transitioning J2 out of our bedroom (at 7 months when he could finally crawl out of the co-sleeper) I put him in the portable crib in the spare room for a week so he could get used to sleeping alone without keeping J1 up. I felt so bad for him that the first night I took off my shirt and threw it in the crib with him - I had read that the smell would comfort him. Well, since then, he as adopted my shirts as his "blankie". He isn't picky, any t-shirt will do. Luckily I have quite a few I wear only around the house or as nightshirts so he has lots to choose from, I can rotate them for washing and I still have some to wear. Anyway, he used to be okay with just having them while sleeping but lately he sneaks back into his room any chance he gets and takes them out of the crib and drags them all over the house! This day he actually got tangled up in one and wasn't very happy. Didn't help that his mommy was too busy laughing and taking pictures to rescue him.
My bff D and I are having a garage sale next Friday. I decided that I would never have time to list all my boys' clothes on eBay and the off-label ones aren't selling for much anyway so it isn't worth my time. The garage sale is the answer. I also went through the eight totes of toys I had stashed in the spare room and attic and got a bunch to sell. Next I am going to go through my craft room and get out all the CTMH papers I have had since about 2000 and sell those and anything else I can find. I am trying to be brutal. Need D here to enforce it.
I made a tactical laundry error last week. J1 spilled ketchup on our little throw rug in the kitchen so I decided to wash it. It is red and had never been washed so I knew it would bleed. I threw it in with some towels, bibs and a couple of the mister's garage rags. Well, I grossly underestimated the amount of bleeding that would go on and it turned everything *very* pink. That top one is a bib that my MIL made and it says "little prince" and is now totally pink. You need to look at the picture close up to appreciate it. The towel in the back is supposed to be yellow (like the edges) and is completely orange. I tried a wash with vinegar and a wash with bleach and the color didn't change a bit! Oh well, it was only bibs and towels.
It was a bit cold this day so I dressed J2 in long sleeves and pants. For some reason in this outfit, he looked so old. Where did my baby go?
When I was transitioning J2 out of our bedroom (at 7 months when he could finally crawl out of the co-sleeper) I put him in the portable crib in the spare room for a week so he could get used to sleeping alone without keeping J1 up. I felt so bad for him that the first night I took off my shirt and threw it in the crib with him - I had read that the smell would comfort him. Well, since then, he as adopted my shirts as his "blankie". He isn't picky, any t-shirt will do. Luckily I have quite a few I wear only around the house or as nightshirts so he has lots to choose from, I can rotate them for washing and I still have some to wear. Anyway, he used to be okay with just having them while sleeping but lately he sneaks back into his room any chance he gets and takes them out of the crib and drags them all over the house! This day he actually got tangled up in one and wasn't very happy. Didn't help that his mommy was too busy laughing and taking pictures to rescue him.
My bff D and I are having a garage sale next Friday. I decided that I would never have time to list all my boys' clothes on eBay and the off-label ones aren't selling for much anyway so it isn't worth my time. The garage sale is the answer. I also went through the eight totes of toys I had stashed in the spare room and attic and got a bunch to sell. Next I am going to go through my craft room and get out all the CTMH papers I have had since about 2000 and sell those and anything else I can find. I am trying to be brutal. Need D here to enforce it.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Vacation wrap up
Friday we headed to the county fair at around 1:30. There was a bit more steer-watching to do and then on to the exhibits. We left J2 at the ranch with my MIL since he was sleeping and probably couldn't care less about looking at quilts and stuff. He may have liked the animals but he would have been in the backpack anyway so maybe not.
We watched the steer for just a little bit and then we visited animals. We looked at sheep and cows but somehow missed the pigs. Apparently there was a mama with like 8 babies. Sad to have missed that. Then we moved on to a tent with birds and bunnies. There was a huge turkey, some very cute ducks and so many cute bunnies. Also chickens but they aren't so cute. One had laid an egg which was sort of funny - doesn't seem like a conducive atmosphere for egg-laying but who am I to judge? The mister's cousin knew one of the girls that had bunnies so J1 got to hold one.
It was a good time but it was great to be home too.
We watched the steer for just a little bit and then we visited animals. We looked at sheep and cows but somehow missed the pigs. Apparently there was a mama with like 8 babies. Sad to have missed that. Then we moved on to a tent with birds and bunnies. There was a huge turkey, some very cute ducks and so many cute bunnies. Also chickens but they aren't so cute. One had laid an egg which was sort of funny - doesn't seem like a conducive atmosphere for egg-laying but who am I to judge? The mister's cousin knew one of the girls that had bunnies so J1 got to hold one.
They had these super cute and fuzzy bunnies so I took a picture for my sister. She used to love bunnies - maybe she still does.
As we were walking out, there were a bunch of tractors so of course J1 had to "drive" all of them. He couldn't get into one so he sat on the tire instead - it was taller than he was!
We left the boys with my MIL that night and headed to dinner with the cousins and their kids. It was so yummy! That was pretty much it for our vacation. We headed out the next morning at about 10. We stopped in The Dalles for a break for the kids at this great park where they were also having a car show - fun for all boys in my family!
It was a good time but it was great to be home too.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Miscellanous scrapbook pages
I am doing some challenges to learn some new techniques and get some practice. Thought I'd share with you.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Vacation Days Continued
Well, the temps finally cooled down which helped with sleeping. And the mister's cousin put heavy drapes on the windows in our room so the boys would stop getting up with the sun so that was nice too. The blackberry expedition was a success - they came home with 13 gallons or something and we got to eat some and a pie was made today. We went up to the cabin for dinner Monday night and had grilled burgers and hot dogs. We weren't up there too late.
Tuesday my MIL and I took the boys into town (Baker City) to a park which was great fun except it was so hot and muggy we only stayed about 45 minutes or so. Then she took us to Bi-Mart to get the boys some new toys so J1 thought that was fab. She got him this motorcycle thing that comes with a screwdriver and it comes all apart - very cool! There are many different ones listed on the box but I couldn't find any online even. Lame!
That afternoon we headed back up to the cabin for dinner again. I got to play some Mexican Train Dominoes - I don't get to play games very often so I was excited to do so. For those of you not familiar - it is a very fun game - check out Wikipedia: Mexican Train. The boys (the mister and his cousin too, not just the kids!) went to Frog Lake (not sure that is an official name - it may be just a swampy area) but apparently there aren't many frogs left. In 2005 we came with my sister and kids and there were many, many frogs although it seemed that most had only 3 legs and a stump. Maybe whatever caused that made them go away.
Wednesday the mister and J1 went up to the cabin for lunch and to hang out. J2 and I stayed at the ranch until after his nap then we headed up with my MIL. We had dinner there again and played some more Mexican Train. The boys had gone to the lake earlier in the day to watch another cousin fish and I guess J1 caught a fish too. I am supposed to get pics of that so I will post them if I do. J1 and the mister stayed up at the cabin that night and J2 and I rode back with my MIL to stay at the ranch. The cabin is only a one room place with a loft so having the baby there doesn't make much sense.
On Thursday my MIL and I drove to town again so I could get some diaper cream and we had yummy treats from Dairy Queen. J2 fell asleep on the way there so we drove around the valley being tourists until he woke up. Shortly after that, the mister and J1 arrived back at the ranch. We headed to town to watch his cousin show a steer at the Baker County Fair. It was pretty fun to watch the kids with the animals and I was sitting by the mister's Uncle G who had stories of his youth and also the scoop on what made each animal good or bad. The floor of the arena was covered in sand and there were some boys playing underneath the bleachers so J1 wanted to go play with them. I didn't want to let him just because it was so dirty but Uncle G convinced me I should and not worry about a little dirt. I know he is right but... Anyway, I let him go down but stayed close so I could keep an eye on him - so much for watching steer. After that we were supposed to go to dinner with another cousin but the boys were not in the mood - the steer-watching lasted until about 7:30 which is just too late to try to wrangle them at a restaurant. The mister went and we just came home and ate. We are planning on going back to the fair today (Friday) to look around and see the exhibits.
Tuesday my MIL and I took the boys into town (Baker City) to a park which was great fun except it was so hot and muggy we only stayed about 45 minutes or so. Then she took us to Bi-Mart to get the boys some new toys so J1 thought that was fab. She got him this motorcycle thing that comes with a screwdriver and it comes all apart - very cool! There are many different ones listed on the box but I couldn't find any online even. Lame!
That afternoon we headed back up to the cabin for dinner again. I got to play some Mexican Train Dominoes - I don't get to play games very often so I was excited to do so. For those of you not familiar - it is a very fun game - check out Wikipedia: Mexican Train. The boys (the mister and his cousin too, not just the kids!) went to Frog Lake (not sure that is an official name - it may be just a swampy area) but apparently there aren't many frogs left. In 2005 we came with my sister and kids and there were many, many frogs although it seemed that most had only 3 legs and a stump. Maybe whatever caused that made them go away.
Wednesday the mister and J1 went up to the cabin for lunch and to hang out. J2 and I stayed at the ranch until after his nap then we headed up with my MIL. We had dinner there again and played some more Mexican Train. The boys had gone to the lake earlier in the day to watch another cousin fish and I guess J1 caught a fish too. I am supposed to get pics of that so I will post them if I do. J1 and the mister stayed up at the cabin that night and J2 and I rode back with my MIL to stay at the ranch. The cabin is only a one room place with a loft so having the baby there doesn't make much sense.
On Thursday my MIL and I drove to town again so I could get some diaper cream and we had yummy treats from Dairy Queen. J2 fell asleep on the way there so we drove around the valley being tourists until he woke up. Shortly after that, the mister and J1 arrived back at the ranch. We headed to town to watch his cousin show a steer at the Baker County Fair. It was pretty fun to watch the kids with the animals and I was sitting by the mister's Uncle G who had stories of his youth and also the scoop on what made each animal good or bad. The floor of the arena was covered in sand and there were some boys playing underneath the bleachers so J1 wanted to go play with them. I didn't want to let him just because it was so dirty but Uncle G convinced me I should and not worry about a little dirt. I know he is right but... Anyway, I let him go down but stayed close so I could keep an eye on him - so much for watching steer. After that we were supposed to go to dinner with another cousin but the boys were not in the mood - the steer-watching lasted until about 7:30 which is just too late to try to wrangle them at a restaurant. The mister went and we just came home and ate. We are planning on going back to the fair today (Friday) to look around and see the exhibits.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Eastern Oregon days 1 & 2
We left for Haines, Oregon http://www.hainesoregon.com/ on Saturday morning. Since we didn't start packing until late Friday, we were about 1 hour behind what the mister wanted. But since his cousins were going to be gone when we arrived, it wasn't that big a deal. The drive over (about 5 hours without stops) wasn't too bad. We were listening to Harry Potter book #3 which helped pass the time. We did have to turn on some Beach Boys to lull J2 to sleep at one point and we did stop at 1 rest stop and 1 gas station. All and all an uneventful trip. My MIL took us to dinner with her sister which was nice. The boys both put away lots of food so that was good too. The cousins came home and we visited with them until about 11 when we all (boys included) went to sleep. I was anticipating a long, peaceful morning without boys since they went to sleep so late but they were up early. J2 got up at 6 when I did and J1 woke up at 8. Not super common for J2 and almost unheard of for J1. Ugh. It is a farm so I guess they are keeping farmer's hours. Here is the sunset from the ranch and the hummingbirds that are almost constantly flying around out front - very cool!
Today we went to the Sumpter Valley Railway http://www.svry.com/ to take a ride on the steam engine train. We thought J1 would really like it since he supposedly likes trains. My MIL drove us all to Sumpter and then went to wait for us at the stop in McEwen. I thought the round trip may be too long for the boys and I think I was right. It was pretty hot and we chose to sit outside. Once you choose a seat, you couldn't move when the train was in motion. It was okay with the breeze but still fairly warm. J2 liked it quite a bit but J1 wanted to get off right away and then curled up and slept on the mister's lap. He was quite tired from running around at the ranch and not sleeping a lot but still... After that we went to lunch and back to the ranch. We had a yummy dinner on the patio and then to bed early for me and J2.
Today we went to the Sumpter Valley Railway http://www.svry.com/ to take a ride on the steam engine train. We thought J1 would really like it since he supposedly likes trains. My MIL drove us all to Sumpter and then went to wait for us at the stop in McEwen. I thought the round trip may be too long for the boys and I think I was right. It was pretty hot and we chose to sit outside. Once you choose a seat, you couldn't move when the train was in motion. It was okay with the breeze but still fairly warm. J2 liked it quite a bit but J1 wanted to get off right away and then curled up and slept on the mister's lap. He was quite tired from running around at the ranch and not sleeping a lot but still... After that we went to lunch and back to the ranch. We had a yummy dinner on the patio and then to bed early for me and J2.
Not sure what is next but at some point we are going to the cabin in Anthony Lakes and I think the mister is going to pick blackberries at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Ick!
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