My wish for you in 2009...

I wish you all Happy New Year! I hope that 2009 is a better year. We have had a pretty rough year in 2008 and we could use some less stressful times come this new year. We had lost loved ones and dear friends. We had health issues, surgeries and recoveries. We lost a job. We watched friends struggle with health, loss and hard times.

We are thankful for all the love and support from family and friends. Because of that, we make it through those tough times. Thank you to you all for wonderful laughs, good times and standing by us in the hard times. We love you all!

One of my favorite songs is My Wish by Rascal Flatts. Here are the lyrics and this is my wish for you in 2009...


I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

Happy New Year and huge hugs to you all.
Laura (And Tom and Lucas and Jake...)

a sewing good day!

Well, with the weather delaying our family get together for Christmas, I found some extra time to make my Christmas gifts. I got to sewing today and ventured out for my first solo quilting projects. Angie and Vicki (aka quilting coaches and overall enablers) have got me hooked on this and now I can't wait to get working on the coordinating throw.


These are a couple pillows that I made today. I am not too good with the top stitching yet so I added some buttons to help cover the messups... But I think they turned out pretty cool. I added the batting under the front so it is a little softer and then the backs of the pillows are a light suede like material. Gees - when I cleaned out my pantry.... I found two bags and two huge rubbermaid tubs full of fabric!!!! Must of been a closet quilter all this time... But this material was just a scrap left from something and was just enough to be the backs of the pillows.

But now it is time to check in on my facebook and maybe call it a night...
Til next time...
Laura

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you all are having a wonderful Christmas day. We are still under snow and iffy weather so we have postponed family get together til things are cleared off and a little safer for travel.

So last night we went to a candlelight service. I haven't been to church in so long and Tom has been wanting to check them out again and see about attending again. I didn't want him to go alone and thought this would be something all of us could do and get into the spirit of Christmas a little bit... It was nice. Lots of carols and singing. May not be a good fit for us though as far as a church - was a little too "something" for us...

Anyway, today, we are just hanging out at home. The boys are playing with their new games for the Wii and I am baking a pie! Oh my - haven't made a pie in so long.... We will see if it comes out edible. Gifts were on a small scale this year. With Tom out of work for so long this year, we just really scaled back on the spending. The boys said they didn't believe in Santa anymore so he did not come. Think they were still happy with what they got though. The boys got me a tea pot and they made Tom a little storage cabinet for out in his shop. Tom built me a large planter box for across under my window to my scrap room. I can't wait til spring when I can plant it full of flowers. I didn't even get Tom anything. He kept changing his mind on what he wanted so I told him to just go ahead and buy something and put my name on it... :)

But it has been a good day so far. We are going to escape for awhile though and go to a movie later this afternoon. I am going stir crazy with being home for the past week and a half!!!


Also, need to send out a huge Happy Birthday to my buddy, Paris! I met Paris through an online scrapbooking group. Over the past couple of years, our friendship has gotten closer as she referred me for the position at Hot Off the Press while she was going to gone traveling with her family as her husband was on sabaticle from work. Over two years later, I never would of thought that I would still be there and she would be off working her own business. But Paris inspires me - she is the Martha Dukes in my life and that dares me to try new recipes and do more cooking than just eating out all the time. Thank you for your friendship, Paris. I hope that you are having a wonderful birthday!

Well, pie is out of the oven and time to go to the movies! So I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the day with family and friends.

Laura

snow, snow and more snow, then ice and now more snow....

Well, it has been a week of winter weather around here. The boys were not supposed to be out of school til this week for the break, but they had all of last week off.... Looks like the break will be three weeks! Will I make it???

Anyway, Lucas built a snowduck one day. When I was taking the picture, Lucas said - wait, I think he blinked....

It was snow, then melt, then snow, then melt, then more snow and more snow and more snow - a total of 9 inches yesterday on the ground. Then last night started with freezing rain. So then we had ice covered snow. They boys tried to snowboard on the slight slope of the front yard... They got going for about 4 feet and then they were out of yard.

Lucas shoveled out around the trucks a bit today. Jake and I tried to clear off the deck and a little pathway to the garage. By the time we were to the side of the house, it started snowing again and what we had shoveled off the deck was on it's way to another covering of snow..

Tom said tonight that we are expecting a lot more over the week... I have been in this house all week! I was out for a bit friday afternoon for some emergency Christmas shopping but that is it... I love to be home when I have the choice...

Anyway, so I have been passing the time baking. Banana bread, gingersnaps, and tonight a chocolate cake... Not at all anything we need to have around but it has been nice to have some treats...

Well, other than snow - not much to report here. Keep your fingers crossed we all survive. Cabin fever is a terrible thing!

Til next time...
Laura

let it snow!

The weathermen were actually right! They predicted snow for tonight and we are actually getting it today. Ok, they weren't completely right...

But the boys have been having a blast. They have been outside since the first flakes started to fall this morning. I have had to call them in a couple of times though to warm up and thaw them out a bit.

It is very pretty and I am enjoying watching it fall from inside the cozy house. The wind is making it very cold outside. Good thing Tom doesn't mind driving in this, he can go to the store.

So if you are out in it - be careful. Otherwise, make some hot cocoa and enjoy the beauty.
Laura

actually crossed off a few items on the to-do list today...

One thing on my list today was to finish these cupcakes. Think they turned out pretty cute so thought I would share with you. Then they are filled with chocolates inside...

Been a wild week again. Will have to catch you up on the scouting for food and the lego robotic competition last weekend. We are expecting a big storm this weekend. I have Bunco tonight.... The list goes on. But for now, the tea is ready and I need to meet the girls to carpool to bunco.

So stay warm, have a nice night, and oh - I am so hooked on facebook now... I just can't wait to check it as soon as I get home to see if I have messages. What is this? Am I really this addictive personality??? Ok, don't look in my scrap room or even my dining room table - it is covered with material, batting and a sewing machine...

Anyway, have a wonderful evening and will check in with you again over the weekend.
Laura

Happy Birthday, Cabo!

Angie's puppy, Cabo is the big 1 today.... I think she is pretty cute - Ang might tell you different when telling stories of her chewing up books and making her mark around the house. I just get to see the cute side - well, except the time she chomped on Grandma's thumb because she was caught in her kennel - Cabo, not Grandma... Cabo used to come to work every day with Angie and she would even go to lunch with us. Then of course, it is always a mystery as to what she got into in the car while we were inside. But she really is cute.

Happy birthday, Little Princess.

I have never been an aunt to a dog before - what do you get them for their birthday??? May have to visit PetSmart and see if they have any suggestions. Ever since the meat counter guy was so helpful - I am not afraid to ask anymore when the people in the store ask me if they can help....

So have a great day - mine is full so better get it started.
Laura

Happy Birthday, Kathy Jo!!!

Kathy Jo and I met online back in 2001. We were both going to be attending CKU in Provo, Utah that August. Leading up to the event, an email group got together and chatted online to get to know each other. We chatted back and forth. That was also the summer that Tom got so sick on a motorcycle trip and ended up in a Reno hospital for 3 weeks... And I was putting together the embroidered shirts for the gals attending the event... Oh it was crazy times. But Kathy Jo - even though living in the Chicago area - she kept in touch with me and was always very supportive. When we met in person at the event - it was as if we had always known each other.

Many times when you go to something like this, you meet someone and say - oh let's keep in touch... But you never do. With KJ - it is a lifelong friendship. We continue to email and we have had some getaways with our buddy June. Aside from recruiting her to help me with work. She has traveled to Arizona with me. Once to help in classes I was teaching and another time when we had a booth at the Phoenix convention. I think my most favorite trip though has been our lighthouse tour trip. That was such a perfect weekend.

This is a picture of us when we were working the booth in Phoenix. It was probably at the beginning of the weekend too before she realized what she was really in for!


I treasure all the time that we had on adventures and looking back, it makes me smile. Or laugh - when we were in Mesa we had a handicapped room with an interesting shower and we fed the homeless.

KJ - you are a good egg and I am honored to have you as my friend. Thank you for always being supportive and such a good listener. I can't wait for our trip to Tuscon in January!

Hope you have a very special birthday.
Hugs to you my friend.
Laura

take a day to escape...

That was my theme yesterday. But it didn't really turn out that way in the end.

I did manage to get a couple field trips in though. After taking the boys to school and trying to figure out what time everyone needs to be picked up - seems like it is different for each kid on each day... I need to cover my windshield with a calendar! But got everything figured out and a few minutes, so I dropped by JoAnn's. I got a good coupon in their email yesterday morning so figured I would stop and get some batting for my next tree skirt. Oh it was like being loose in a candy store. This could get dangerous so fast - just like the whole scrapbooking hobby. But I just don't have room in my house to get too carried away. Anyway, dropped a call to my quilting coaches to see what I needed. They were wondering if the store opened early for me because I was in there before 9. Well, they opened at 8. I wasn't standing at the door with coupon in my hand saying "Open.... Open... Open...." :) But after wandering the store (actually kind of a scary store at this location - it is an old store) I found that the batting was in a little dark room in the back corner of the store. I refrained from buying any fabrics, but oh - there were some great ones. I used my coupon, bought my batting and was on my way to Moonstruck.

Oh what a yummy place. It smells of wonderful chocolate! I got my caramel hot chocolate and sat down to read my book for a bit. Then Sherri and Jaci arrived. And shortly after that, Shauna was there too. It was great to see all the girls. I miss the days when I got to see all of them at work, now we have playdates. :) Anyway, we had a quick visit and I was then on my way to meet up with my quilting coaches. They were going to the fabric mart to pick up some things and I wanted to tag along.

Oh what another dangerous place. Luckily fabric is only on the bolts there so I had to walk away. But I still managed to find some goodies in my cart. Then later Angie and Vicki surprised me with "Merry Christmas" - they bought my stuff in my cart along with many more goodies and the cutting tool that I was really trying to buy at JoAnn's but they kept telling me, no don't buy it... So thank you so very much to both of you! I even started pinning my next skirt together last night. Guess the right term is sandwiched the top with the batting and muslin backing....

After a quick lunch, I was on my way back to the school to pick up Lucas. He has been complaining that his left ankle and knee have been bothering him and we are supposed to watch for these kinds of signs. It is common that since he compensated on that left side for his right hip so long, we need to watch for the left to slip. So off to the doc again. Got there and they asked if we had the x-rays. What x-rays??? Apparently they called the house and wanted x-rays done before we got there. So off we were to get those done. Got there and they were - what x-rays? Did they fax in the order? I don't know. They told me to come here, you were waiting for us. Well, they couldn't find the order. The gal I was talking to asked the gal next to her if she had it - nope. She called the girls in the back, they didn't have it. So ended up calling the doc's office to see if they could fax again.... Really? This craziness really is not helping my theme of the day - to escape! So after asking some questions about insurance and why we were there and such, I had said x-rays of the hips, frog legs. Because that is what the nurse said. We had already been there 15 minutes trying to figure this out.... The other girl turns around and says, oh I have that! It was right there in her basket right on top.... Seriously? Anyway, Lucas goes back with the tech and then the tech comes back out. Why are we checking his hip when he is saying his ankle hurts? Ok, communication is broken here.... So then I had to explain the whole thing to her! Geez.... She walks away, oh ok...

Back to the doc we went after the x-ray. He is doing pretty good. The left hip is not slipping and the right is holding with the pin. Lucas will walk with the limp because that leg is a little shorter now because of the hip slipping. If it really bothers him, we can have a lift put in his shoe. The pain in his ankle and knee though is not constant. Doc thinks that since he was on crutches for so long, he just isn't used to standing on his own. So we need to keep him active. Glad to hear that was all it was.

What a day - then I had to figure out dinner. Thank you little man at the meat counter in Albertsons. He came out and asked if he could help. I said - yes, I need a dinner idea... He said ok - well, how about chicken cour don blue (Sp?), roasted potatoes and brocoli? Ok - give me 4! He wrapped up 4, wrote on the paper how long to cook and at what temp. I went to get brocoli and we were out of there... Maybe I need to ask the meat counter guy what's for dinner more often! That was pretty easy.

Anyway today is a work day so I better get going. Lucas is still sleeping and I am out of coffee. So have a good day.

Paris - I hope you are doing well. That all went well yesterday. Just rest and call if you need anything ok?

Til next time...
Laura

juror #7

That was my number. I reported for jury duty today with 359 other people. They had ten trials today and when the first case came up, I was first called. Oh man.... The bad dreams of being sequestered in Hillsboro was starting to come true. We went into the courtroom. There was lots of questioning and lots of legal talk... Was interesting. But in the end, I was not chosen to be part of the jury of six. Was kind of relieved but at the same time was disappointed that I spent most of my day there for nothing.. Anyway, my obligation was fulfilled and I am free from jury duty now for two years.

Back to my world again.
And I am calling it a day.
Til next time.
Laura

a huge THANK YOU to my quilting coach!!!!

I finished my first quilting project today. THANK YOU so much, Ang. I couldn't of done it without you. I love how it turned out! I even got a "Cool" from Jake when I got home. He is asking for something for his bed.... Oh another project!!!!


This is a tree skirt with log cabin Christmas colors. This one will be for my mom and I have the top finished for mine. It will be with the same fabrics but it will have a red ruffle and the pattern is reversed. The plaid on the outer edge of Mom's will be in the center of mine and the brown center on Mom's will be the outer edge on mine. I just need to get some batting and sandwich it and do the "quilting" on top... I guess there is some lingo I need to learn, other than layer and stitch... :)

Anyway, this is what I did today.

I am so hooked on this... (Really, it didn't take very much...) I have a couple other gifts I am planning out for Christmas and I was sketching them yesterday!!! We will need to do a fabric store field trip soon for backing and such.... Sure means a lot to me that you helped me through my first project, Ang. Thank you....

Now to have dinner with the boys. They are roasting us hot dogs in the fireplace! Hey, it must be gourmet night...
Laura

Giving Thanks!

Well, we had a really nice day yesterday. We went to my brother's house for dinner.


This is my brother, Joe and his family, wife Lorraine, and kids - Miranda and Travis.
This is a family picture of my brothers and I with Mom and Dad. Not sure what Mom was thinking in this picture, but best one of everyone else. I am really quite a bit taller than my brother. I had scootched down....
This is my Mom and Dad - pretty good picture of them. We had multiple retakes to get good pictures this year... The scrapbooker in me was looking for the good one...
Especially with my group. We finally got this one. Oh my - I only have a couple inches on Lucas. Kid is going to be taller than me next year!

But it was a good day. I spent the morning finishing a memory book for my mom. She had given me a bunch of photos that her mom had and wanted them in a book. Grandma had passed away this summer and I really tried to get the book done for Mom's birthday in October. But just didn't happen. I got the last 13 pages done yesterday and she really liked it. She was having dinner today with her brothers and sisters so hopefully she will get the book back. Anyway, was able to cross one more thing off my to do list.

Then we spent the afternoon and evening having good food and catching up with family.

Today, just a day at home. I have been working on a tree skirt for some time now. Angie and Vicki are teaching me to quilt. Just what I need, another hobby. But I am really enjoying it. That is until I overload the bobbin and my sewing machine doesn't like that and then I don't like my machine... Anyway, today I finished all the top stitching (I think that is what it is called...) and even did some decorative stitching and now the layers are all stitched together. Now I just need to add the edge trim and a ruffle. One Christmas gift then will be done! I had cut out the pieces for this a long time ago, but when I cut the strips, there are enough for a second skirt. This one, I am going to keep. So I got that sewn together today too. Now I have a second skirt to sandwich with the batting and such. I am going over to Vicki's on Sunday so Ang can teach me to do the ruffle. Maybe I will be able to completely finish them both.... That would be cool. Then I will want to set up my tree!

Anyway, was nice to just be home. I didn't even leave the house. Tom and the boys were gone for awhile this afternoon. So it was wonderful to have the house to myself - quiet! Just had the hum of the sewing machine...

But it is getting late and I am tired. Tomorrow I am taking Lucas and some of his friends from school bowling as a late birthday thing. That should be fun. Better get my rest!

Til next time then...
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so grateful to have so many amazing people in my life. Thank you for being part of my world!
Love you all...
Laura

Look out, Martha!

Well, not really. I don't have a chance against Martha Stewart... Or even Martha Dukes :)...

But I have been having a crafty weekend.



Yesterday I made oatmeal raisin cookies as a thank you and made this gable box to put them in...

Now today, I am off to go quilting with Angie and Vicki. I have a tree skirt I need to finish so I can move onto my next project. So better get my things together....

Have a great day!
Laura

more catching up to do...

Seems like I am never caught up anymore. Whether it is laundry, chores around the house, just stuff.... So maybe that is just my new version of "caught up" - to never be...

Anyway, left you off with last Monday and the Glow Golf with the scouts.

Tuesday and Wednesday were work days and kid pick up from school, etc. Jake had a class celebration after school on Tuesday, so that meant a trip back to the school later after already being there to pick up Lucas. Wednesday was another two trips to school because Lucas was out regular time and Jake had LegoRobotics. Needless to say, I let Tom go back and pick up Jake on Thursday. There are some days when I just want to be home....

Thursday night, I went to a Girls Night Out Fundraiser at Southridge High School. My friend, Beth, her son is a senior there and they were raising money for the Grad Night Party. Was a lot of fun. The halls were filled with vendor tables where you could shop. Students were selling raffle tickets for a donation by each vendor. Then we moved into decorated tables. There was a hostess for each table. Beth made a very yummy carrot cake and that was in the center and then decorated with black and gold. Very pretty and she did a great job. After dessert, they had the raffle, a fashion show of prom dresses. You could bid $20 and then your ticket went into a drawing. That was fun to watch - even though I will never be buying prom dresses... It was fun to watch the girls modeling. I wonder if Mindy got the one she was bidding on? After that they announced the silent auction winners and that ended the night. It seemed to be a huge success and I hope they were able to raise a lot of money. Besides, it was nice to just get out with the girls. I ran into a mom from Tae Kwon Do from many years ago. Was wonderful to catch up with her a bit.

Then Friday, I went into HOTP for awhile to finish up some cards that were due and pick up work for the weekend. I have been watching this bush bloom over the past week. It is just so pretty, I had to take a picture. I am not sure if it is supposed to be blooming in November, but it is just a reminder to stop and appreciate nature's beauty every once in awhile in this crazy life. Was barely there 45 minutes when the phone started to ring. Lucas was in the office with a headache. He was complaining of vis
ion trouble and felt like a migraine was coming on. Last time this happened, he ended up throwing up but he wasn't feeling like that yet. So he stayed in the health room a few minutes, but by the time I called him back, he was feeling better and going to class.

But then about half hour later, he called Tom at work since I was in Canby. Then Tom called me from home wondering where the perscription was for his migraines. Well, we didn't have any because it was left in the health room last year at the other school. We forgot to pick it up so it was disposed of. So off to the school he went with tylenol. By the time he got to the school, Lucas was complaining of numbness in his arm and vision trouble again. So Tom called the Pediatrician and he suggested that he go to the ER. So off Tom was and I was on my way from Canby. (Thank you, LeNae for finishing my last card and instructions!) I got there not much before the doctor. They were going to put in an IV and give him some medicine. They ended up doing a CT Scan too to rule out anything there. Words were coming out like stroke and heart attack - OMG! Freak out the mom, will you.... Then Lucas was getting nervous and broke down. Gees - what bedside manner... Anyway, test came back normal and he really felt better after the IV was in for awhile. He was really dehydrated and combine that with changing hormones, it brought on the migraine. So drink lots of water, Kid!!! We were out of there in time to get Jake from school. Got something at the store for dinner and went home. What a day....

We spent the evening after dinner playing a little Wii bowling and tv. I think I was in bed though by 9....

Today, it is a day at home. Tom and Jake are off to the Expo Center with a friend of Tom's and his son. Did a quick clean out of the car already this am. So they will be gone for the day. Lucas and I are at home. I have some samples to do and a house to clean!!!! I am hoping to have a quilting day with Angie and Vicki tomorrow so will need to get stuff together for that. I also need to make some cookies for George (a friend from school, scouts, and football). He helped me out by picking up the boys for me after school when I was in Bellevue. He loves oatmeal raisin - so guess that will be what I will be making. Haven't done any baking in a long time. Probably a good thing two of my three boys are out of the house today, maybe some will actually make it into the cookie jar.

Well, enjoy your weekend! It is a typical chilly fall day outside today. Maybe will even have a fire in the fireplace today...

Til next time....
Laura

a chance to catch a breath....

Well, that is until I finish this post... Then I will be out of breath again. It has been a wild week and a half (at least I think that is when I posted last. ) I know that is as far back as I can remember so will start with that.

Wednesday, November 12th, I packed my bag and that evening Vicki and I headed up to Bellevue for the Creating Keepsakes Convention. We got a late start as both Angie and Vicki were on baby watch up to the minute we left. After a brief detour to Vicki's house to pick up some forgotten product and a very good laugh in the driveway.... I know she will kill me for posting this but it is too funny.... Vicki had a friend staying at the house while she was gone and didn't want to startle her by coming into the house. So she was calling her. But she was calling the gal's cell phone instead of just calling the house. I asked her - don't you know the number to your house??? Gave us a good laugh, at least me anyway.... Angie and George had drove up prior and were just getting there when we took off. Drive wasn't too bad once we got past Woodland. The rain had quit by then and was a pretty clear night the rest of the way.




Thursday, we set up the show. We were right next to the Galloping Horse gals again so of course that makes for many laughs and good times. I have known these gals for many years now. Oh the stories I could tell you about them, but then they have just as many on me - so will just have to leave you guessing on that.

Friday, I worked the make the take table. Was kind of glad when I ran out of product for the project. Gave me a chance to do a different one for the afternoon. Busy and good day. That night we went out to the Croatian pizza place. OMG! This place has the best bread and such good food. I had Croatian Cousins - it was a pasta dish with scallops, shrimp and clams. Oh so good.

Saturday, another day of make and takes. Mixed it up a bit by switching off with Vicki awhile and I worked the register. Somehow George got the morning off so he could watch a football game... Hmm... he must have an in with one of the owners. I never get to come in late.. :)

Shauna made it to the show for a getaway. Was so great to see her and her bright smile.


Doesn't she look great! I was so happy that she got an escape away and people saw her as "Hi, my name is Shauna." Not Shauna with cancer. She even helped us pack up at the end before scooting off to dinner with friends.

Anyway, finished up the day, tore down the booth and packed our new pod. Was amazing how much bigger it was and we had so much room left over. But I am sure this is a honeymoon thing and over the next year we will be fighting for storage space again.

After teardown, we went to Vicki M's house in Maple Valley and celebrated the end of the season. Judy and Danita were wrapping it for the shows. Terri was also done with traveling on the CKC team. And we just had a chance to celebrate with friends for the end of another good year. This party was complete with great food, laughs, stories and even a pinata!

This is Terri and her daughter, Anna Marie.


Anna Marie is growing up and has turned into such a wonderful young lady. She has been helping with the conventions since she was 9 so we have been watching her grow up. I will even put up with her mom to keep seeing Anna Marie at the shows... (Just kidding, Terri. Always good to see you....)

Terri and Vicki M are sisters and worked together on the CK traveling teams for almost 4 years (I think...) But we had great times and saw many new places around the country. Of course, lots of stories - and even ones that Terri will embellish upon... :) Terri won't be traveling the the CK Team anymore but will be working on the vendor side now so I will still get a chance to see her and give her a hard time at the shows.

Oh forgot to update about the baby watch.... Angie and Vicki's friend, Karen (Angie and Karen grew up together) Karen had a baby girl early Thursday morning. So they missed it, but we woke up that morning to a photo text of the cute little one.

Sunday we drove home. Tom had fixed my oven and we were good to go to cook dinner. I lucked out though and just made a store run and Tom made dinner.

I then worked on projects that were due Monday morning - long night to finish everything up.

Monday night was a Scout fun night. They had a campout over the weekend so instead of a meeting - they do something fun. This time it was Glow Golf. Since it was downtown Portland, I took the boys. Lucas invited his friend, Patrick, and we were off. Was pretty fun. I have never been there before so it was a nice change.



Here is Jake on the third hole - think he had about 50 strokes by then. :) But they weren't keeping score and he was having fun.


This is Lucas and Patrick - they ended up finishing early because they accidentally went to the last hole before they went through the whole course. But they had a good time.

Well, that gets us through this past Monday. Now dinner is about ready and the natives are hungry around here. Will fill you in on the rest of my week... Lucas wrapped up today with a trip to the ER with a migraine - will fill you in on that one later...

Til next time.
Laura

they are champions!!!

Undeafted. First Place... 10-0!!!! Champions.... The boys won their championship game today. They played Beaverton and final score was 19-0. Congratulations Cats!!!! It has been an awesome season. Lucas has been there with his team the whole way. I am very proud of the young man he is becoming. So many people came up to me after the game and told me the same thing. The Coach told me it would of been so easy for him to just quit but he kept coming and wanting to be part it...

After the game, we headed off to Tigard to cheer for our varisty boys. They played Sherwood. Unfortunately there was a terrible injury for one of our boys.. He broke his femur and was taken off by ambulance. The varsity boys did loose their game to Sherwood, but they kept up their fight throughout the game. Congrats to Sherwood for a good win. Angie's nephew played Sherwood so was secretly cheering for them too.... Great game and congrats Reggie.

Well, we are off to get some dinner. Still no working oven here so a good night for me to get out of cooking....

Til next time.
Laura

Election day is here...

Today - no matter who support, no matter what party you belong to, please go out and vote. There are so many things happening to so many people I know, losing their jobs, health issues, marriage issues, just too much... Placing our votes is one way to have our voices heard. So please go vote today....

On another note - just a little catch up on our past few days.

Saturday - Lucas' team played Sunset in the playoffs and won, 21-8. Check out Lucas
just after Sunset scored. Funny kid... It was a very good game. It was a bit of an awakening to the boys. They have been playing so many games where the point spread was so high, they worked harder at not scoring than just playing football. So made for a good game to watch.

And then check out Lucas in the line up after the game, just ahead of the cheerleaders. :) Congratulations Cats!!!!

That means then that we have one more week of football. They practiced last night in the pouring down rain. It just rained hard the whole entire practice... We will have the Championship game then this Saturday and the end of the Season banquet on Sunday.

Yesterday, I made a thank you card for Lucas to give to his coach. He has been so supportive of him this season and has really been working with him to feel part of the team, even though he couldn't play. I used these great little chipboard t-shirts from Boxer and made it look like Lucas' jersey on the front and the back is the thank you card.



Lucas will write his message on the tag.

Well, better get ready for work and get my day started. Have a good one - and remember, if you haven't already mailed in your ballet, please go out and vote.

Til next time...
Laura

Post Halloween...

Well, we survived the dreaded day. I don't know why, I am just always glad when Halloween is over.

We did end up having a pretty good day though. I went to my doc's appt and the boys stayed home - together even.... They did really well. They played Monopoly "with a twist". They each had two playing pieces like they were playing with four people but only had the money for one player. :) When I left, Jake was down to $10! But they were still playing when I got home. I was actually able to get to the post office, the bank, the gas station (down to $2.49!) and the pharmacy... Maybe they are getting old enough and mature enough - if that is possible - to try this the two of them together at home... We will just take baby steps though - because I have a lot of scrapbook supplies that I want to survive any kind of disaster.

Anyway - did get my foot checked. Of course, the office was filled with cat woman at the reception desk, the nurse was in some kind of foam barrel thing - not really sure what she was. Then my doc was Gilligan. Appropriately since his last name is Gilligan...

At the end of June, I got a blister on the side of my heel. Thought maybe my shoe just rubbed funny or something. But it has gradually gotten worse to the point where it is hard to wear shoes, it is hard to drive, and there is a burning pain. Now there is a second one that has developed over the past couple of weeks. It is more under the skin and is very hard and right under the center of my heel so when I walk, I hit that first. So doc says that they might be planter's warts??? Not sure what those are or how I got them but they hurt. He started talking about freezing them, shaving them off, and apparently my face said "You want to do what???" So he said that we could try a topical route first. There is less risk of infection and such this way. Ok by me... So will try this and then after a couple of weeks, I will go back and see him. If they are not gone, we will look at the freezing thing or maybe even do an x-ray and check to see if they are possibly bone spurs. Then a pediatrist will get involved and the rest of the details from that did not sound fun at all. I just want to have it go away! So just hoping this topical route will be the answer.

Anyway, got the errands done and then home. The boys were having a good day just having the day off from school and hanging out at home. So I got the taco chili going in the crock pot and did some things around the house.

About 4, I took Lucas over to his friend's house for the Halloween party. Of course, he was fully dressed up as.............. ready for it? ..................................................

HIMSELF! :) Sorry no picture...

Then Tom, Jake and I went to a movie. We saw Pride and Glory. Cop movie with language and violence (probably not the best for Jake) but it was a good movie. After the movie, we came home and had dinner. Jake carved his pumpkin -- yeah nothing like waiting til the last minute... Apparently we haven't actually carved our pumpkins for sometime. We usually get them the night before Halloween and just set them on the porch. So he really wanted to this time because he doesn't ever remember doing it before. Gees - guess need to get some traditions going again, I guess so these guys remember..

He didn't want to do any trick or treating so he took door duty and passed out the candy.

About 9, I went back to pick up Lucas from the party. He had a good time and quickly told me there were girls at the party. This detail was not released when I dropped him off. Well, guess the boy needs to grow up sometime. Mom is just having a hard time knowing how much is good. How much freedom do you give a fresh 13 year old??? But sounded like he had a good time.

Today - we have playoffs. Lucas' football team is going into the playoffs in first place as they are undefeated this season. So keep your fingers, toes and whatever else crossed for these boys. Weather is kind of yucky and they are going up against their rival, Sunset. We shut them out earlier in the season 12-0, so think they will be coming at us hard.

So have a good Saturday...
Til next time.
Laura

Halloween costumes and driving....

Ok, so some states - it is illegal to drive and talk on the cell phone. Now they are even trying to make texting while driving illegal. I know that putting make-up on while driving is not a good thing. I see that practically every morning.

But today - I drove to work alongside Winnie the Pooh. She was driving a little Mazda and that hood blocked her view any which way she looked. She pulled out in front of me as she pulled out of PetSmart - was she picking up something for Tigger??? I drive a Tahoe... It was not easy to get stopped in time.... But then we progressed down the street and she ended up pulling on the freeway ahead of me. Seemed like we played chicken all along 217. Traffic was really slow so every time I tried to pass her, she would pull in front of me. I was just waiting for a chance when traffic would stop and I could be along side of her and tell her that "Hey, might of been a good look for you when you were three....." Anyway, made it to work ok.

But then there was the ride home... Geez - good thing I am not commuting tomorrow....

Again - stuck on 217 with traffic. I saw a clown, a surgeon (with the mask on!), a scarecrow, a witch, some man without a shirt on (not sure what he going as but he obviously didn't watch the weather report this am) and then there was Raggedy Ann with Andy in the passenger seat. Good thing Pooh wasn't going home yet, the drive was pretty uneventful other than being slow.

This is definitely not my holiday. I never was big on the scary movies. The dressing up. I do love the pumpkin patch, the changing of the leaves and the chill in the air of Fall, but actually Halloween - not my thing. I love to bake this time of year too - but my oven went out the other day. I have all this cookie dough here too from the school fundraiser and I can't bake a single cookie! This year, the boys are torn about trick or treating. A few years ago, they grew out of the cutesy costumes and were the scream guy for two years in a row (both of them!) Last year, Jake was a hippie and Lucas a football player - at least no costumes needed to be bought - just a beard for Jake. So now trying to decide what to do about tomorrow night. Lucas was invited to a friends for a Halloween party. Tom, Jake and I may go to a movie. Just not too into it. The boys do want to carve the pumpkins tomorrow. They don't have school so may be a good time to do that. I have a doc appt in the am to have my foot checked out and then we have the rest of the day. Will be good to hang out with the boys. We have had a busy week and will be nice to just "be".

But our busy-ness for the week is not over yet. Lucas has football practice tonight at 7:15 so I better get to making dinner. Been challenging without an oven so tonight it is swedish pancakes and sausage. Good ole' breakfast food back up! Tom is going to take Lucas to practice. I took him the last two nights and just froze... Jake and I are going to stay home and watch survivor!

So enjoy the rest of your evening. Just remember that if you are driving in costume - we can see you! :)

Til next time....
Laura

been a good weekend...

Busy, but good. I won't bother filling you in on the week, because it was just a blur. Not really sure what I did this week...

Friday night - Lucas said he needed a haircut. Hmmmm - there is always a motive behind that when he mentions it is time for a haircut. Wonder who she is??? So went and took care of that after school. No one wanted me to make spaghetti for dinner (what is wrong with my spaghetti???) so we went out to Applebee's. We seem to be big fans of the Ultimate Trios there because we order a couple of them and share around the table. Makes for a not too expensive night out. Then we just spent the rest of the evening at home and watched movies. Well, Tom and the boys watched a movie, I fell asleep.

Saturday - in the morning hours, Lucas and Tom went to the range and did some target shooting. Jake worked on homework and then we went shopping. Their binders are falling apart after 2 months of school. We couldn't find what they wanted so will have to check out different stores on Sunday. We made it back to the house in time for Tom and I to switch kids. Lucas and I then headed over to his football game. Last of the season against Hillsboro. Great game. The boys scored 34 points before half time. Lucas did a great job cheering them on and supporting his team. Even though I know it was killing him knowing the team was going to finish the season undefeated and he was on the sidelines the whole season.I am very proud of him though. He kept with it and continued to go to each practice and game and supported the team. Tom and Jake came for the second half of the game. They went to the wrong field at first. Tom wondered why the players were so little??? :) Anyway, probably easy mistake. We had been at Westview for the last 5 games in a row so maybe he was flying on autopilot. With the score 34-0, they couldn't score anymore. So made for an interesting second half. Even when we tried to give them a chance to score, we would end up with the ball again! But the boys ended up holding them off and finished the game 34-0 and ended their season 8-0. Go Cats!!!! Congratulations boys - they are going into Playoffs next week in first place. They will be playing Sunset.It was so cute to watch this little girl join the cheerleaders. She did such a great job and followed right along. Even Jake was watching... And he wanders why there are cheerleaders in the first place....

After the game, we went to the Silent Auction and Dance for the players and cheerleaders. I bid on a few items and probably on a few items more than I wanted to because Lucas was bidding too.... But ended up getting what I wanted the most. I won an employee store pass to the Nike store. Perfect timing too - Jake needs new shoes. And I can maybe get a couple Christmas gifts out of the way and get some good deals. The boys avoided the dance floor like the plague so when the auction was complete, we headed home.

Today, went by really fast but got a lot done. I had some projects to finish for work, we still needed to find some binders, Tom needed a haircut and Lucas had his first guitar lesson. So after his haircut, Tom and Lucas went to the nature park for a walk. Jake and I worked on his homework. I helped him type his report for Social Studies. I just have to share it with you because he did such a great job. He thought it all out - I just helped with spelling, punctuation and capitalization. He had to create a map and he did a great job on that too. I wish I had scanned it before he turned it in. Usually I can tell between his work and Lucas' - but I had to ask on this one. I am so proud of how he is doing this year. Things are really coming together for him. Anyway, his map was of Squirrel Island. It was in the shape of a squirrel and the surrounding smaller islands looked like acorns... Here is the report that he wrote about the island.

Introducing Squirrel Island

Have you ever been to Squirrel Island? For all the people who haven't, the prime of the agriculture is in the forrest of the main land. Another reason to come to Squirrel Island is its extending shore lines. The thing that gets the most attention is the many attractions. A lot of dense population is down by Small Nut Island because of such a large food supply. But if all that is not overwhelming, you can take a bush plane to Big Nut Island. On Big Nut Island, the hospitality is the best in the entire country.

The history of Squirrel Island began in the 1800’s. The founders were the Squirreltopians, natives to the Islands. They were the first to establish substantial government. The chief of the Squirreltopians wrote the Constitutionalist of Saftiness. The Constitutionalist of Saftiness was signed by the entire population of the Squirreltopians, totalling 200 people. The chief named the first president, Fletcher S. Nuts who was the bravest Squirreltopian to swim from island to island. The famous inventor, Adam S. Acorn, invented the dens on Squirrel Island and later invented the first dry roasting machine.

The religion that is most common is known as Squirrelism. It is a religion that is more of a lifestyle. The Squirrel is their God and symbolizes their prosperity. Their customs would include only eating raw vegetables, never eat raw meat, attend nut collecting meetings on Monday afternoons, and on Sundays they give their services.

Beans are a delicacy because nuts are in such a high demand. Beans do not grow very well on Squirrel Island because the only place they would usually grow, doesn’t get enough sun. The forrest on the main land of Squirrel Island grows a mass variety of fruits. The fruits, bananas, mangos and guavas, are used fresh and also canned and shipped to the other islands. Nuts are grown on Small Nut Island. Acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds grow in abundance and provides protein to the inhabitants.

Squirrel Island is a free country so it has a President. The President’s name is Chester S. Bushytail. He is elected by poplular vote because of the small population on Squirrel Island. His term is four seasons and the maximum terms to be served is four. Each household can only pick it’s weight in nuts on government property. If they grow their own, they will be taxed on the land that grows the crop. If you would like to visit Squirrel Island, be prepared to show your identification, your criminal record and a $50 dollar per person entrance fee to be given to the Customs officer. Cars are illegal because of the size of the islands and to keep the natural wildlife in tact. Transportation allowed are foot powered only, such as bicycles, scooters and skateboards. There are no speed limits. Only the government is allowed to use trucks for logging. All citizens of Squirrel Island are protected by the Constitutionalist of Saftiness.

The social classes are based on family size. Lower class have 8 or less members in the family. Middle class have 9-20 members in the family. Upper class have 21 or more members in the family. The Lower class will walk instead of owning a bicycle and will work in manufacturing. The Middle class will travel by scooter or skateboard and occasionally a bicycle. They will work in Collection of produce and Education. The Upper class will travel by bicycle or recumbant bicycle. They will work in management and government. Social Classes are not as important on Squirrel Island as they are in other countries because everyone is treated equally.

In conclusion, the archipelago of Squirrel Island has many opportunities for its population and visitors. The freedom of the country allows the population to be successful if they are willing to do what it takes. Come visit Squirrel Island and see the amazing attractions - fruit groves, nut forrests beautiful beaches and gift shops.

Great job - Jake!!!

After the report was printed out, I finished my projects. The boys wanted to play Monopoly today and I told them when all the work is done that needs to be done. So it was kind of cute when Jake kept checking on me to see if there was anything he could do to help me with my projects or to speed things along. Then we went to buy binders. Luckily this time - we were successful. Even got a good deal. Only $14.99 marked down from $44. Who would pay $44 though??? Got home, Tom and Lucas were home from the guitar lesson, started a load of laundry, started the dishwasher, got the pork roast in the oven, and we were off to play Monopoly. Was a good game. We stopped to have dinner, but ended it at 8pm to watch the Amazing Race. Lucas creamed us. Tom was close on his heals though. I found out later that when I stepped away to get the potatoes going, Lucas and Tom made some alliance with properties or something and took over one whole corner of the board. Kind of put Jake and I on the defense and we swapped some properties and took over the other side of the board to stay alive - for a little while. Anyway, was good time with the boys. Was nice to hear them laugh and play together and just have fun together. We just don't have that much with our crazy lives.

Anyway, now it is time for Army Wives, another load of laundry and maybe calling it a day. Hope your weekend was a good one too!
Til next time.
Laura

another week bites the dust...

Here we are Saturday again and time for a wrap-up of the week.

Sunday, I got home from Kansas City. Tom and Jake were home from their Scout campout and Lucas was home from staying the weekend with a friend. Lucas' team had a football game last Saturday and they won. Leaving them still undefeated. Sunday night was just a catch up around the house, laundry, and last minute homework. After the boys went to bed, I worked on some projects for work.

Monday - I was off to work at Boxer. That evening was football practice and fun night with the Scouts. Tom dropped off Jake at the arcade place and took Lucas out to Chinese food. I worked on more projects at home...

Tuesday - I worked at HOTP. After school programs were cancelled this week because of conferences so was back to pick up the boys at regular time. No football practice so we used the evening to catch up on homework.

Wednesday - I worked at HOTP again. Picked up the boys from school. Took Lucas to football practice and then home for the evening.

Thursday and Friday - no school for the boys. I spent Thursday home working and the boys just hung out. Friday am, we went to school for conferences. I am pretty proud of my boys. They are actually doing pretty well in school this year. They are not straight A kids, but they are doing better than I had thought. Jake is stuggling in Science and just needs to get in some missing work and that will bring that up. Lucas also has one class that needs some work. But it is just some missing work. Then we went to the bank, got coffee at Starbucks (the boys had some banana chocolate thing) and we were on our way to Boxer. I helped the girls get the boxes sent off for the convention next week in Ontario, CA and the boys did some packaging. After that, we went to the scrapbook store in Sherwood so I could get a couple things. Lunch at Micky D's and then off to the mall. Lucas needed new shoes and had some in his head he was going to get. Um..... Size 13!!!! and $110. I don't think so... He ended up with some similar though from a different store and still ended up costing me $80... Hope this kid gets a job next summer so he can start buying his own clothes and shoes! After the shoe shopping, we dropped off dry cleaning and filled the truck with gas. Ended up being a day of errands. Then we went out to dinner at Izzy's. Saw Mary there - was good to see her. She was jetting off to Disney World today so hope she has a good trip. Izzy's just isn't as good as it used to be - but filled up my three boys. When we got home, the boys played the wii and Tom and I watched Leatherheads. Called it a day about 10. Seemed like a long day...

Today, catching up on housework. Got chicken and dumplings going in the crock pot. Laundry is running again. Going to make a pineapple upside down cake. Need to get some projects done for work. Lucas has a game at 3:30 and a friend coming to spend the night after. Jake has some homework to work on. Tomorrow, Lucas has his first guitar lesson and then we have a committee meeting with scouts. I am going to the meeting too this time because Tom and I have some concerns to express. We are just not seeing the example that we are expecting from scouts. Or that it is really meeting our expectations - or the boys'. Not sure what it will accomplish, if anything. Or if we need to start looking for a different troop. Will see what happens.

So anyway, that puts us through the week. Hope you all had a good one.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Laura

is it saturday already???

wow - this weekend seems to really be going by fast. Today is our last day of the convention. Yesterday was steady and busy so hoping for more of that today. We fly home tomorrow afternoon so not sure what we have planned for a morning outing or if we will just sleep in, but has been a good trip.

Tom and Jake are off on their camping trip and Lucas is spending the weekend with a friend. They have a football game this afternoon. Sounds like he is doing pretty well. He is so happy to be off his crutches.

Well, better get my shoes on and get out the door. Til next time!
Laura

Enjoy your day....

set up - complete...

So we got the booth set up today by 5:15. That was pretty good. Tomorrow the convention starts and the rep event starts. So tonight we called it early with just a quick dinner at Wendy's and then back to the hotel. Have some projects to work on so this is going to be short. Great to see the familar faces at the Convention. Also great to see Kris and Richard. So we got to visit for a short minute. But really just focused on getting the booth up so we could be done for the day... Jennie, Vicki and Mary Ruth - always missing your smiling faces at these events!!!!

So happy thursday, y'all.
Til next time!
Laura

Pass the BBQ sauce...

Hello from Kansas City! I made it here. Flight was pretty uneventful. Sat next to a nice older couple on the plane that were in Portland visiting family. When she asked why I was coming to KC, she told me that she loves to scrapbook. So we talked about that for awhile and before I knew it, she was asking about page ideas for her photos... Seems like I am always helping people with their projects....

We went from the airport to do a little shopping for supplies in the booth. Then we came to the hotel for awhile. Very nice room - 5 star compared to what we have stayed in in the past... :) Just got raz the girls there... Vicki says not to get used to it though... We went to Hobby Lobby to find the Boxer calendars but couldn't find them. Maybe the big order we sent out hasn't hit the stores yet. But oh boy we found some cute things and I ended up buying a little Santa fireman ornament. Too cute! I had to get you one too, June!!!! Good thing I just packed a small suitcase otherwise I may of bought more. Angie is too easy with the UPS account though - hmmmm. Will we be driving by there again?

We had a fabulous dinner at Abeullos (sp?) I had a fajita chimichanga - oh so good.... Martha Dukes - you probably could figure out how to make these...

So it is getting to be the end of a long day and think Angie is wanting me to help with some samples. Have a good night and will check in with you tomorrow evening!

Laura

Kansas City - here I come....

It seems like I have been doing laundry since friday and there is still more.... Who wears all these clothes - and man, how many towels can a family of 4 go through?

Anyway, finishing up a few things and getting ready to head out of town... I am really looking forward to this trip. It isn't easy on the guys (so I am told anyway) when I am gone. But right now - I just want the escape.

I am going to meet Angie and Vicki in Kansas City tomorrow. Angie and I will work the scrapbook convention over the weekend and Vicki will be working with a local rep doing an event for store owners. It will be good to see them. They have been gone since last wednesday. It seems like longer than that though.... Anyway - see you soon girls!

Have a good week. Will try to check in from KC. Guess that is Missouri, not Kansas... So confusing... Anyway, it is a place I have never been so be expecting a post card! :)

And keep your fingers crossed all goes well with the boys this week. They have two more days of school to get through. Friday is a day off so they are going to the archery place. Then Friday night, Lucas will be going to spend the weekend at his friend's house. Tom and Jake are going on a scout campout. They will be horseback riding so Lucas is not up to that yet after his surgery. So this is the first time that I have traveled and Tom is out of town at the same time. I am pretty nervous about it. But I trust the family Lucas will be with. Paris and Shauna - can I use you two as emergency contacts???? I hope I don't need it...

Anyway, more again later.
Laura

baby news!

There is just something about a brand new baby that makes me smile. My good friend, Mary Ruth, had a beautiful baby boy on Oct. 2nd. What a cutie.... Now when I can make a trip to Texas so I can meet this little guy?

Congrats, Mary Ruth and Joey. Your little guy is just too adorable. I am so happy for you both. You have wanted this for so long and now you are parents. Get lots of rest when you can and enjoy every minute. It goes by so fast....

Other news from the Nicholas household... well, let's see. This past week seems to be a blur - seems like I could think of many other ways of saying that - but every week, same thing. Work has been busy this week. Wednesday we had a lunch for Jacie. She worked in Graphics at HOTP and is moving on to do free-lance work. I wish her the best of luck and I will miss her. She always had a bright smile that could perk you up anytime you needed it.

Our week was filled with homework. Jake is starting poetry in Language Arts. I will have to share those - he did a pretty good job. Funny how an 11 year old boy sees poetry...

Here is one of Jake's poems - think he said it was Illiteration style. You know - like Suzy sells seashells by the seashore... :)

Charlie camps in the Cascades
chopping chunks
and cooking carrots on the campfire.

Lucas and I went to the Westview High School game on Friday night. Tom and Jake lasted long enough to get a hot dog and then decided real dinner at Applebees would be better. We got totally soaked in the pouring down rain. But it was homecoming and recognition of the youth football league. So all the youth teams lined up on the field before the game and were introduced with their coaches. Then they formed a tunnel for the players to run through as they came out. Oh it was a brutal game. We played Jesuit and they had 21 points in the first quarter! By the time Lucas was done watching the Westview Wildthings at the halftime show.... he was ready to go home. Oh to have a teenage boy!!!! I was soaked and not too upset to leave early either. Went home. Took hot showers and had hot chocolate to warm up.

Saturday was another day of football. Lucas' team played against Southridge and they won 41-12. Great game. It was 33-0 for a long time and at this age group, they are allowed a 35 point spread. At that spread, the winning team can't score. So once Southridge scored a little, we had some good football again. Way to go Cats!!!!

I am getting ready to go out of town this week. I will be going to the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Kansas City with Boxer. Angie and Vicki just finished up the convention in Hartford, CT and I will meet up with them in KC. So yesterday was a mad crazy day to clean house and catch up on laundry. The boys even got their rooms cleaned up. Jake worked on the man cave - aka game room - and Lucas worked on their bedroom. Once enough floor was opened up, Tom moved the bunkbeds so they can have more room in there. After dinner, I made brownie sundaes for the boys - was probably feeling guilty for my meltdown with them earlier in the week and now going out of town. Then went to work on some projects for HOTP that are due Monday. Before I knew it, it was 4am. Got a little sleep and now it is time to start all over again...

So better get to it.
Have a good sunday.
Til next time...
Laura

way to go Cats!!!!

We had another great game tonight. Lucas' team played Beaverton Beavers JV Orange. We won 20-6. The boys did a great job and made some awesome plays. One of our guys even ran about 75 yards to score a touchdown, but there ended up being a flag on the play so it didn't count. Refs made some questionable calls tonight that were not in our favor. But in the end - it was an exciting game to watch.

Lucas took cupcakes for the team and they gobbled them up - orange frosting and all... Didn't know who we were playing when I bought the cupcakes. I just know, Lucas likes the color orange and they were better than the yellow ones with little sunshines on them... Now we are home warming up with the fire that Jake has built in the fireplace and going to watch a movie. Been a nice evening...

Til next time...
Laura

wow - is he really 13 already???

What a goofy bunch of guys?

Tonight we went to dinner at Applebee's for Lucas' 13th birthday. Wow - I can't believe how fast time is going by. Any suggestions on how we can slow it down? He has been a teenager in training the past year, I have been saying... But overall, he is a good kid and I can't believe that before I know it, he will be off to college.... Well, think I better slow down and get through Middle School and this prospect of dating!!!! Still waiting to see if that grade has come up in Spanish yet....
Lucas has wanted an electric guitar for the past year. He was constantly checking the inventory available online and for the past few weeks has asked me at least 20 times a day - "Did Dad order my guitar yet?" Tom ordered it and we had it shipped to my work so we could hide it better. He was surprised and very excited. Now to learn how to play it - may have some lessons in his future.
Jake took this picture of us at dinner. He has an eye for photography that makes me laugh.

Here is another photo that he took of Tom at dinner.
Kind of looks like bigfoot or something.... lol

Anyway, was a nice evening. Lucas' football team was going to have a pizza party tonight but it had to be rescheduled. So we did our family dinner tonight. Tomorrow we will take cupcakes for the team after the game. This birthday "day" soon becomes a day, a week, a month....

I made some calls today to schedule follow up appointments and such from Lucas' surgery. He is doing really well and so wants to be done with the crutches. He doesn't feel like he needs them anymore. The surgeon said he would feel this way. So gave him a call to see if we need to keep him on them for the full month. Yep - we do. So he has the go ahead to use just one around the house and steal the few steps to the restroom and such without, but when out of the house, he still needs to use both. So two more weeks....

Talked to my dad yesterday. He is doing pretty well. Still in pain from the fall and was scheduled to see the chiropractor that day. He just needs to take it easy - and stay off those ladders for awhile.

Well, have a good evening all - what is left of it. Enjoy the weekend.

Oh here is a couple more photos from the out of town girls visit from last weekend. Shanna from California stayed an extra night so Shauna and I hung out with her for a chunk of Monday before we put her on the MAX to head to the airport....

Shauna and Shanna - who spells it correctly???? Shanna on the MAX - Will she make it to the airport? Should we worry about her - or the people on the train with her????

I received many text messages from her trip through Portland... Always an experience. But her first time ride was successful - even though there are no restrooms on the MAX....

Ok, really - now signing off....
Til next time.
Laura

fall is here....

I really think this is my favorite time of year. I love the chilly mornings, leaves changing, getting out the sweaters and going to football games. I took this picture from a field of sunflowers while driving down to Sherwood Monday morning. Went to pick up my left overs from the garage sale. Did pretty good - over hundred dollars - so of course, bought a ton of adhesives right away.

But I think my Dad took Fall in a whole new meaning. He was on an 8 foot scaffolding Tuesday working on an addition on their rental house. The board flipped out beneath him and he fell directly on his head. Over 20 stitches to the huge gash on his head, an overnight stay in the hospital and pretty stiff and hurting. Think he will be ok - but what will he do when Spring comes along????

Anyway, better get to my day. Just wanted to stop in and say good morning.
Til next time...
Laura

so who's birthday is it???

This weekend has been filled with new memories and many many many laughs and just good times. We had some gals come to visit from all parts of the country. Shauna introduced me to an online group many years ago and it is always tons of fun to see them in person. Almost two years ago, when I helped to put on an event in Shauna's honor, many of these same gals came to visit and attend the event. The night before we went to Chevy's and Shanna from California told the waitress that it was Shauna's birthday - so the sombrero and dessert came out. This weekend, she told them again. But we changed it up a bit to make it a photo opp...

Is it Shauna from Beaverton????

Is it Michelle from Arizona????
Is it mine???
Is it Heidi from Arizona????

Is it Angie from Indy????
Is it Ali from Utah???
Is it Paris from Beaverton???? Or is it Shanna from California????

Made for some great laughs, good pictures and the amazing part was the dessert was not spilled all over the table or someone!

Saturday, I missed the fun with the girls. They went to see some sites but I was working at the HOTP Girlfriend's Getaway event. We had a good turn out. I taught two classes and helped the rest of the day with the others.

Then I went and caught up with my family and watched the last half of Lucas' football team. They played against Tigard and won 14-8. It was a great game. It was hard to watch Lucas on the sidelines again, but so very cool at the end. He stood at the front of the lined up team and they all went through and gave him a high five. Then he turned around and high fived all of Tigard's team. He definitely is learning a lot this season about supporting the team and sportsmanship.

We finished the evening by going to dinner at Applebee's. Good conversation with the boys and just hanging out together.


Sunday, I went back over to the hotel and caught up with the girls for breakfast. Just a laid back day. We took Ali and Angie out to the airport and sadly sent them off. Then it was back to the hotel to regroup and make a plan and let Shanna pack up her stuff to change rooms. Off to lunch we went - wow, seems like all we did was eat! We had a great lunch at Gustav's where Shauna joined us. The conversations took so many turns that I can't even get into those, but the laughter was the best. Good thing we were in the back of the restaurant....

Then we just visited more again back at the hotel for a couple hours. I had to head home and Michelle and Heidi soon after went to the airport. It was so great to see all of them and just have some fun. I look forward to the next girls weekend! I hope to catch up with Heidi and Michelle when I visit Arizona in January. Always good to have a plan - right???

But now it is Monday again.... They just seem to come around too quickly. My day started off with Tom saying we need to talk.... Never a good thing... Apparently Lucas is very smitten with a girl in his Spanish class and wants to ask her to a movie..... Uh, ok, that explains the grade in Spanish.... :) I found a progress report in his pocket when I was doing laundry. Wondered why he only gave me three last week.... Saved the one with the bad grade. Anyway, what do we do? How old are boys supposed to be before they ask a girl to the movies???? Is there a manual for teenage boys? I am so confused and so not ready for this.... We decided that when the grade comes up - we will talk about it again. But for now - focus is school and keeping the grades up. The kid isn't even 13 yet. Ok, ok, so he turns on friday.... But to mom - he is still 12!!!!!

Well, I am off now... Need to go to the local scrap store and pick up my left over garage sale items. I hope there isn't much and I can continue to downsize on my "stash". Gees - what happened to the time when all my scrap stuff fit into a shoulder bag. Oh - it developed into a rubbermaid bin, then several, then a room, then a converted garage to a full wall of cabinets!! Anyway, I hope the sale was a success for the store. Then I will meet up with Shanna - have another meal together :) - and then take her to the MAX so she can head to the airport.

Have a good monday.
Til next time.
Laura