Laura's Day to Day

where to begin?

2010-09-07T11:21:00.001-07:00

Wow, I thought keeping up with my blog this year was going to be easy. Apparently not so much seeing the last posted date....

But as of last week, I have had some free time dropped in my lap. So maybe now I can get back to the world of blogging!

According to my calendar - I have been doing some traveling.... :) Oh and the fact that the suitcase has never been completely unpacked since January.

I have been traveling to the scrapbook conventions across the country with Boxer Scrapbooks. We have been to Costa Mesa, CA, Portland, Louisville, KY, Pleasanton, CA, Collinsville, IL, Mesa, AZ, Manchester, NH, Novi, MI, Arlington, TX, Chantilly, VA, Des Moines, IA, Puyallup, WA, Valley Forge, PA, Santa Clara, CA, Charlotte, NC, Tulsa, OK, and Virginia Beach, VA!!!! Those last 5 were right in a row - making August a total blur. We have 6 more for the year. A little behind on the postcards apparently. I found a few collections from a few destinations that never got mailed... Might have to send those this month as I don't have any travel in September. I won't be going to Ohio this week so have the weekend off. Not sure what to do with myself... Oh but I will get over it.

Between Manchester and Novi, I got to spend a couple days in Chicago with Kathy Jo and Tony. That was so much fun. Got the express day tour of the city and even taught KJ to make chicken enchiladas one night. :) Have the photos to prove it!

Spring Break - Tom and I took the boys and a couple of their friends to a beach house on the Oregon Coast. Was nice to just get away and relax.

I continued to work full time with Hot Off the Press until last week. I got a call notifying me that my position had been eliminated due to cut backs. That was and still is hard to take. So not really sure what the next step is as far as the work thing. Might have to think of a new adventure....

Lucas is cleared for football this year. He has been participating in the summer conditioning all summer and now they are in full swing practice. First game is this friday and he is excited and I am camera ready! I can't wait to see him on the field. It has been two years since he has suited up and a rough two years with all that he has been through.

Jake played lacrosse this spring and also a short summer league. He had a great spring season. He had several buddies from school on the team and even made it into the penalty box a few times - proud lacrosse mom moments. :)

Today, the boys are back in school. Lucas started 9th grade - wow, high school already... And Jake is in 8th grade. One year again of two schools and two different schedules, but somehow it all works out.

So think that brings us up to date.... Life is a crazy ride and I am just hanging on. Hope to be back here on the blog again soon!

Til next time...
Laura

a new year...

2010-01-04T18:41:00.001-08:00

so time to keep up with the blog again.... it has been so neglected. This just might be a resolution I can keep up with.

so today was a day filled with outings... I met up with friends for bagels where I often met Shauna for our playdates.

Sherry and I. She is such an amazing person that I am blessed to have her as a friend.

Then from the left, Paris, Sue, Shanna and I. Paris and Shanna: I met both online about 10 years ago. And Sue, I only met last week as we put programs together for Shauna's service. But because of Shauna - I know these beautiful souls and can call them friends.

Then Shanna and I stopped one more time at the cemetery to visit Shauna. SB was off to the airport so it was time for one more picture. Paris gave me the hat that I gave Shauna at the hat shower just before she started chemo and would lose her hair the first time. So it was appropriate to wear. Shauna looked much cuter in the hat than I did though.... But she was such a fighter I may just have to make this a regular hat for me... be perfect for set up days at the conventions this year....
I also had more tests today. MRI to look at the discs pinching the nerves in my back and an ultrasound on my thyroid. Should have results in a couple days. 2010 is going to be a good year, right? I keep telling myself that - I hope to believe it soon.

So now Lucas is waiting to teach me how to play some video game - probably because he can beat me.... But hey, if he wants to hang out with Mom - that is ok with me.

'Til next time....
Laura

today I celebrate the life of my friend, Shauna...

2010-01-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd, my friend, Shauna Immel, lost her battle to cancer. I can't even begin to say how much this girl has effected me - especially over the past 3 1/2 years. She showed me an inner strength a person could have. She showed me that life is a privilege and we should cherish each day. She showed me to tell people how we feel about them every day and every time we see them. She showed me how a person can touch another's life, just in an instance. She showed me a zest for life through the sparkle in her eye and and ever bright smile, no matter how terrible she was feeling. That smile was there. She showed me a beauty through her talent of writing and amazing photography. She showed me an artistic talent of scrapbooking that not only was spectacular design, but all of her heart into each project.

I met Shauna online through a scrapbooking group about 10 years ago. She was always there to chat no matter what time of night or day. I can't remember the first time exactly we met in person. It was either at a crop or a scrapbook store event. But she wasn't one to share her talents with anyone. If you asked her about something on your page, her response was in a soft voice, well what do you think would be good? After a terrible shuttle driver experience, she became my driver to and from the airport for my trips. She was an avid contest contestant. She would finish her projects just in time to make it to the 24 hour post office at the airport to have it postmarked by midnight. I made a couple of those runs with her. So when I was offered a position at HOTP, I was thrilled to get the chance to work with her daily, even if it was just supposed to be for the summer. But shortly after that, she was diagnosed with cancer. I ended up working at her desk due to space and it was such a hard spot for me. It was never my spot, and to this day, even though someone else sits there, that is her spot to me. I always held out hope that she would be coming back and sitting at that desk creating her masterpieces. But instead of working beside her, we became playdaters! Meeting for coffee at Borders, grabbing a funny movie at Bridgeport, bagels at Noah's and happy toes at V & V Nails. She was never to busy to meet up - it just took a quick text to her to see if she was up for it. Because of her, I had to increase my text plan! She had a way of making you feel like you were the only friend she had whether you just met her or have been friends for 10 years.

I could go on and on.... she touched my life in such a special way that I will cherish always. Today we celebrate her life and it is going to be a happy day through so many tears. We have a bright star looking over us with her smile watching over us. She will forever be my guardian angel.

I have come across the lyrics for this song by Toby Keith.... Really sums it all up.

Cryin' for me
Got the news on Friday morning, but a tear I couldn't find
You showed me how I am supposed to live
And now you showed me how to die.

I was lost 'til Sunday morning, I woke up to face my fear
While writing you this goodbye song, I found a tear.

I'm gonna miss that smile, I'm gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up, I'd do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven 'cause that's right where you wanna be
I'm not cryin' 'cause I feel so sorry for you, I'm cryin' for me

I got up and dialed your number, and your voice came on the line
With that old familiar message I heard a thousand times
It just said, sorry that I missed you, leave a message and God bless
I know you think I'm crazy, but I had to hear your voice I guess

I'm gonna miss that smile, I'm gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up, I'd do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven 'cause that's right where you wanna be
I'm not cryin' 'cause I feel so sorry for you, I'm cryin' for me

So play your upside-down, left-handed, backwards bass guitar
I'll see you on the other side, superstar

I'm gonna miss that smile, I'm gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up, I'd do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven 'cause that's right where you wanna be
I'm not cryin' 'cause I feel so sorry for you, I'm cryin' for me
I'm still cryin', I'm still cryin' for me, I'm still cryin'.

Thank you, Shauna, for your lessons, your kind spirit, your bright smile, and most of all your friendship. You will always be in my heart. I miss you.... Today we will stand up and celebrate your life because you fought tough each and every day for it. You loved your family and friends with all you could give. Live sweet in heaven, my friend.

Laura

sit back, grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up - it is going to be a long one....

2009-10-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Wow - August 18th was the last post from me - guess we are very past due for an update....

Ok, where to start.

On Aug 19th - I left for Tulsa, OK with Angie and Vicki for a scrapbook convention. We had a great time as usual - those girls always keep me laughing. Getting home was a little tricky. We had some flight delays so actually spent a night in Phoenix and got home Monday.

After I got home from OK, I just did some hanging out time with my boys. We went to the go-karts. Wow - puts these boys in a go-kart for two hours and they go round and round! They were vibrating when they finally got out. Think the unlimited laps for a time frame isn't such a good idea.... Rough on the boys - and the track! And the grass that is on the sides of the track! But they had fun and it was a good time watching them. Then we did some school shopping and just got that last week of summer in.

August 29th - Was Jamboree for football. So the day was filled with football games. It is hard to go to the games and not see Lucas playing but he is sure liking the coaching. I love to hear his comments to the team after games and practice. Most the time it is things that the coaches have told him when he was playing.... hmmm - he remembers that but not to make his bed...

September 4th was Nick's (Tom's Dad) birthday. He turned 85 and wasn't doing too well. He had been in a care facility for a couple weeks and now was in the hospital with an infection. So we thought we better go down and see him. We drove down to Reno after Lucas' football game on the 5th. Made it to Reno Sunday afternoon and spent that with Nick. He was not doing well at all. It was lots of conflicting info from the nurses and doctor. But we left Sunday with the impression that he was getting cleared up of the infection and would be going back to the care facility in a couple days. Monday when Tom called him, he was moved to ICU. Very confused and disoriented. Later that week, I went to Nashville for another convention. Talked to Tom on Friday night and he had taken another turn. Sounded like he didn't have long. And then he passed away that night. So it was another road trip for us to Reno the next weekend for the service.

September 8th - the boys started school. Yeah! Summer is over.... Ooops, did I say that out loud??? Anyway - Lucas in 8th grade and Jake in 7th grade.

Then I was home for awhile. Lucas' birthday was on the 26th. Wow - 14! He is as tall as I am now - but I am stretching everyday and puffin up my hair as much as I can to have a little advantage over him.... I might have to start wearing heels pretty soon. I won't be able to walk but I will be taller...

Jake is growing like a weed too. We just bought school clothes a month ago and he is already grown out of them. And the voices dropping! oh boy - they are turning into young men... I can't tell who I am talking to anymore on the phone... Jake is doing good in school. We have had some bumps already this year. I don't understand why teachers do not have the info on their students before they start the year. We had the discussion about the year back in May with his team.... What is the problem? So frustrating for Jake... But he is still showing them that no matter what - he can do it and still come out with good grades.

September 30th - I was on a plane again to Arizona. We had a show in Glendale. Was great to be in the sunshine. Was starting to get cold at home - and our furnace is done! The warm weather was good... Show was good. Always great to see the other "carnies" on the show floor. (Kris - missed you!) Then home on Oct. 4th. That should be it for the air plane rides for me this year. I will be going to Seattle in November - maybe two weekends in a row... Have a play weekend planned and will be great to just hang with my buddy, Vicki M. Who knows, maybe I will actually get Christmas cards done... Been too many years since I have sent those out...

Things seem to be just as insane in my life as ever. But the past month just seemed like it is taking it's toll. My friend, Shauna, was in the hospital for 12 days. So glad she is home and I hope that she gets the rest she needs. You are always in my thoughts - S. My friend, Paris - she is such a trooper. I call her Martha Dukes for a reason. She takes care of everyone! Her Dad just recently had a triple by-pass and she has been there for Shauna and her family. So her life is spinning. P - so glad you are letting me bring dinner over tomorrow night! Let some one else take care of you for a change. And when ever you need a ride... I have the Tahoe fully gassed up at all times! I am trying to find us a new furnace and heat pump. Set up appts and then they don't show up. Don't these people need the business? I have had 6 appts scheduled and only have 2 quotes. I have another 5 set up now so we will see if they start showing up starting today at noon. Lucas is keeping us busy with football. Practices during the week and game every saturday. I also took him for some x-rays. He is having pain with his left ankle. X-rays were fine so not sure what is up there. So another doc appt on Tuesday for him. We also need to have a scan done to measure his legs. This will help us get a lift for his shoe that is accurate. Will help even out his legs and hopefully help him get more active and back into things. I went to the doc yesterday - going to have some tests done next week. Apparently not going to the doc in the last 5-6 years is not a good thing... :) Hoping it is not anything to worry about - mostly check up stuff - that whole turning 40 thing, ok 41.... It is time to see that I am healthy and start feeling good.

So think that brings us up to date with the Nicholas family.... Angie and Vicki continued their trip from AZ to Kansas City for another show. Angie's grandma passed away yesterday so they may be staying in Kansas a little longer for the service. Miss you girls... Wish I was there to help with the show and anything you need. But if you need anything from here - just let me know....

Well, better get to my Saturday chores before the furnace guy comes. Tom and Jake are off on a scout camp out. Hope they stayed warm last night. They will be out riding horses today so I know they will have a good day. Both of them were really looking forward to that.

Til next time.... Hope everything is well with you that read this.
Laura

hitting the road again.... or actually up into the air!

2009-08-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I am heading off to Tulsa, OK tomorrow. 6 am is going to be here before I know it - so this will have to be somewhat of a short catch up. Well, actually, I need to be up much earlier than that - my flight is at 6.

Anyway, what has been happening around here....

Lucas had his 6 week post op last week. X-rays show bone growth is good and going as planned. He can stop using the crutches and work on working that leg again to full strength. He is walking with quite a limp because of that leg still being so weak. He uses the crutches now and then for stability. I can already see a difference with his foot turned back in -so that is good. He can't play football again this season. So the Coach he had when he played in 6th grade (who is also president of the league) asked Lucas to be on his coaching staff. I think he will learn more from this experience than if he played. He is really looking forward to that. He is hoping he will get a coaches hat and shirt... :) So we will be spending time at the football field again this season.

Jake is growing like a weed. It feels like he is taller every morning when he wakes up. Like he has a growth spurt when he sleeps. He has gone on some camping trips this summer with scouts. The latest trip was a 39 mile hike that Tom and Jake did around the Three Sisters in Sisters, OR. They had it planned to be a 5 day hike and they did it in 4. Think they just wanted to get home and shower! And to sleep on a real bed... Other than that, he has been a huge help this summer with mowing the lawn and doing things around the house and helping Lucas when he was still on crutches.

School is going to start in a couple weeks. I think the boys are actually looking forward to it. Better get buying those supplies. Only have paper and shoes so far!

Other than that - we are just doing our everyday thing. Speaking of which - I need to finish laundry and packing so better call it for now.

Til next time...
Laura

where did I leave off???

2009-07-02T19:06:00.001-07:00

Well, looks like I have been away for awhile....

So time for another catch up post here on the blog...

Go back aways... The boys finished up school on the 12th. They ended up with an extra day to make up for snow days. Also on the morning of the 12th, we met with an attorney to look into an investigation about medical negligence. Not sure if we even have a case. But Lucas is facing a rough summer with this surgery and it may of been avoided. The slipped growth plate was missed in x-rays last January. Anyway, we will see what comes of that.

Then Tom and Jake went that weekend on a camp out with the boy scouts.

Then on the 20th - my brother and sis-in-law and Tom and I threw a surprise 50th anniversary party for our parents. They were starting to put things together but think we pulled off the surprise pretty well. Had a nice turn out. We had 2 roasted pigs and tons of food. Thanks to my aunts who helped bring salads and such. Lorraine did an awesome job on the slide show and so many other behind the scenes things... She is what made the event happen! Everyone seemed to have a nice time. Was great to see family and friends for a happy occasion.Happy 50th Anniversary, Mom and Dad.

On Father's Day, we went out to Hagg Lake. Tom and the boys went out in the canoe . We packed a picnic lunch and just had a nice afternoon at the lake.

On the 24th, Lucas had his surgery. (He didn't like me taking pictures while we waited.) They went in to correct the damage from the slipped growth plate. It was pretty extreme and he was supposed to be in the hospital til Friday. But he was in so much pain and didn't really have any time with the Physical Therapists to get ready to go home, so we ended up staying til Saturday. Thank goodness Tom and Jake didn't go hiking that weekend because I never would of been able to get him home by myself. Overall, he is doing pretty good though now. Pain seems to be under control and he isn't taking as many pain meds. Bored so trying to find things for him to do.. Seems like as soon as I get started doing something - he needs something.... How many weeks is this??? It has only been 1 week and 1 day and I feel like it has been a month.... Then to top it off, we are having a heat wave right now and my house is like an oven. Sleeping on a too short loveseat is doing me in and I have no patience... Not a good thing.Angie and Vicki sent him a cookie bouquet today. That perked up his morning. Thanks Girls!

Sorry - don't mean to whine... Just wiped out. So should probably just hang out in my scrap room - there is AC in there - just not a bed though. A good nap would hit the spot!

Anyway, will come back again with something good to say...
Laura

need to do an update....

2009-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

Well, this blog has been neglected for some time....

Where do I begin?

We made it home from a wonderful weekend in Maple Valley over Memorial Day weekend. We stayed at my personal B&B - thank you so much, Vicki! You certainly spoiled us. Now Jake wants fresh strawberries and whipped cream on his toaster waffles in the morning! He thinks he is having belgium waffles... Don't tell him.

The pictures are a bit out of order - but think you will see that we had a great time...

We walked through the Pike Street Market after having lunch on the Pier. Ended up buying a salmon from the flying fish guys to bring home.
Of course, we went to the Space Needle.

The aquarium.
The flowers were so beautiful at Pike's Place - or is it Street????
We loved the otters at the aquarium - this guy was so cute just floating in the sun. He would even push himself off the rocks if he got too close...
Don't these just look yummy???
We went to Snoqualmie Falls. Very pretty spot - need to check into staying at that lodge sometime - off season.
The boys found some appropriate gear to wear.
They loved playing with Majic and the kitties at Vicki's.
Lucas says, "hats off to a good trip!"

We went to the Museum of Flight. That was very cool.

The boys even went in the simulator and got it backwards and upside down. I could hear Lucas inside saying - Whoa!

It was a wonderful trip with the boys. Just really didn't want to come home. But we had to....

After being home a day - almost had a trip to New York.... but ended up not going. Was kind of glad in the end because I then had another trip to Arlington, TX. Which I just got back from.

Sending out some birthday wishes this week. My sister in law, Lorraine - celebrated her birthday on Monday. My good friend, June - celebrated hers yesterday. And my brother, Mark - celebrates his on friday. So happy birthday to you all!

So stuff is keeping us busy around here... More to fill you in on but now I should be heading off to work. Will have to work on my update more later.

Have a good day.
Til next time....
Laura

hello from Maple Valley, WA

2009-05-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

hello there...

The boys and I have been spending the weekend here in Maple Valley and just having the best time. Vicki has been spoiling us and taking very good care of us. Feels like our own personal Bed and Breakfast! The boys have quickly figured out why I love to come here so much.

So just checking in... We are off to see Snoqualmie Falls today and then drive home. So will post some pictures tonight of our weekend.

Remember today those that have given so much for us. Those that are no longer with us that we love and miss so much. And those that are continuing to give so much for us so we can be safe. Remember those on this Memorial Day.

Til next time....
Laura

a poem by Lucas...

2009-05-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Lucas wrote this poem for school about himself. He is pretty proud of himself, as he should be. It is so true! I love the part about getting the joke.... If you know Lucas, there is usually a little delay before he gets the joke.

Anyway, thought I would share....

I Am What I Am...
by Lucas "Dozer" Nicholas (this has become his signature now....)

I am what I am...
I am a gentleman.
When I want to be.
Hold doors.
Pull out a chair.
Give advice.
I am what I am, a gentleman.

I am serious, yes, really.
When laughter is in the air, I am hard at work.
School is a mountain in my mind.
When it's appropriate, I get the joke.
I am what I am, serious.

I am patriotic.
I pledge allegiance to this flag.
And for which both it and I stand.
One nation under one God.
We are indivisible.
With liberty and justice for all.
I am what I am, pariotic.

I am strong.
I walk tall against the hard winds of everyday life.
I have tolerance for both physical and emotional pain.
My mind is strong too.
I am what I am, strong.

I am kind-hearted.
I pay attention to the things people feel.
I wish people luck when I feel their going to need it.
People come to me for help, I give 110%.
I am what I am, kind-hearted.

I am what I am...

Great job, Lucas.
Love, Mom

home again....

2009-05-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

It was an early morning yesterday starting at 3:30am Eastern time, but we made it home from Manchester, NH. It was a great trip. Here are a few of the highlights.

We got in pretty late Wednesday night after a short delay in Chicago (so great to get to chat with Kathy Jo on the phone in Chicago....) Terri was on our flight and went to dinner with us at the Red Arrow Diner. There are labels on the counter where people have sat there so I added our label...

Sorry this picture of Terri and I is upside down - for some reason it won't save as flipped. My tech support aka Jake is still sleeping this morning....

The convention was great. I met so many fun people at the make and take table. I should of gotten out the camera before the last hour and a half of the show on Saturday. I will never forget Lil. She came by and tried to pay me for her free make and take! After that it was just non-stop laughs. She was so fun and it was a pleasure to meet her and her daughter Shannon. Lil - if you are checking out my blog - find me on Facebook!

I also had the pleasure of meeting the Boston Scrap Mafia. They came by both days. Again another Mom and daughter and just fun to visit with.

Then Renee and Jeanne stopped by. Renee was waiting for a friend to show up. So she starts to describe to me what her friend looks like and that while she sat down to do the make and take - I was to look out for her friend wearing a tigger sweatshirt.... So it turned into me getting a full description of Christine and the girls were on their own for the project while I watched out for Christine to arrive. Again - such fun ladies.

Angie and Vicki working hard at the registers. Ang also taught three classes each day. Friday night we went to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse where some other vendors from SEI also went. So we told our waitress that it was Lin's birthday. We waited for them to sing and bring him a sundae before we left. Was so funny because it wasn't his birthday... So then Saturday at the show, we had the new guy to the event's team announce to the whole show that it was his birthday only to find out that it was not his birthday. Jory then came over to me at our booth and said - it isn't his birthday til September.... I told him, I know... But if you knew that you wouldn't of made the announcement.... lol Such good times...

Sunday we got to visit some quilt stores. Amazingly - I didn't buy anything. The first place though did have some wonderful samples that I could of gone crazy... The area was just perfect. So laid back. Beautiful homes and I just loved the huge lilacs. We ended our day road trip in York, Maine. According to Gertie Garmin, it was the farthest tip we could go - when you are at the lighthouse - you are just surrounded by water.

I also found my dream home if I ever win the Powerball lottery. This house was just perfect!
It was just a good day. Angie and Vicki - thanks again for wonderful memories and good laughs and good times.

Was great to see everyone again at the show - Kris, so glad we actually got to have lunch together one of the days to catch up. Will look forward to seeing you again in Texas....

But now it is time to put another load of laundry in the dryer, get the boys ready for school and head off to work.... In New Hampshire, the motto is Live Free or Die and in Maine, it is The Way Life should be. I so totally agree - that laid back small town feeling is just perfect. When things are busy and just out of control - I will remember that is not all that important - remember the Way Life should BE!

So til next time....
Laura

oh boy - where have I been????

2009-05-10T08:13:00.001-07:00

Well, between work hours, kids and the house... we have been busy around here.

It has been awhile since I have posted....

In the past month....

I have been trying to get a mailing out but keep getting some back.... Going to be crunch time soon and hopefully all the details will come off without a hitch. Had several meetings with school about an incident with Jake that happened involving an x-acto knife. Apparently they don't feel this is a weapon... Long story there that is too long to go into. But I am not letting it drop and going up over the school til something is done. There was so much more to it than boys will be boys... I just puts me in a tailspin when I think about it - makes me so mad... Also had a meeting at the school on Jake's IEP - that actually went really well. I think they listened to us and Jake attended this time. He spoke his mind and told them what he needed from them. Was pretty proud of him. He is doing so well this year - really surprises me. Lucas - now he is struggling a bit in school but I think that is just the teen thing and wanting to hang with friends and be cool... But that is just my opinion.... We also met with the Orthopedic surgeon about another surgery for Lucas. Not sure if it is something we will do - it is a major one with a long recovery. So we will get some more x-rays in a couple weeks and meet with him again to decide. He is young and has so much life ahead of him - that it is hard to think this
might stop him from doing things in life. So might be the factor to decide to go ahead with it. Will mean we will be spending the summer on crutches and recovering... But we will see.

The boys scouts had a car wash yesterday. Both boys worked on that and got some car washing training.... Well, maybe not. I had to go to the pros after they washed my truck. Apparently they just washed the hood and the windows - nothing below that.... It was pretty dirty to start with - but pretty dirty still in the end... Weather was perfect though for a car wash. Both Tom and Jake got pretty burnt. Lucas - just "tan". They didn't have a very good turn out this year, but did raise a little money for the troop.

I have been taking more photos of the beautiful blooms this spring. This is the lilac in my back yard. It smells wonderful! I just wish the blooms lasted longer....

Friday night, I went to see Ron White with Angie, Vicki, Judy, and Danita. Oh and Angie's George and aunt and uncle.... It was so hilarious. Angie is probably glad she didn't sit by me though - there were some jokes that needed some explanation..... But it still was hilarious and we had such a great time!

I got to spend an afternoon scrapping with Sadie. We met so many years ago when she took classes from me. Then she ended up working at HOTP and that is where she met Justin. Such a cute couple and I had a great time just spending the afternoon at their house.

Last night, I did some sewing and made this table runner for my Mom for Mother's day. So now off to make a card and head over to see her....

Happy Mother's Day to all of you that are mom's or have mom's or have someone special that is like a mother to you! I have some pretty special people in my life that are like a mom to me - I so appreciate you all! Thank you for your love and support.

Enjoy your Sunday! We are having beautiful weather here so hoping to be out in a bit today...
Til next time.
Laura

looks like an update is needed again...

2009-04-09T07:32:00.001-07:00

Well, been busy as usual around here. March 30th, the boys had Court of Honor at scouts and Jake was appointed Patrol Leader for the Rebels (aka Chief Lost Boy to his mom.... lol) and quartermaster for the troop. But pretty proud of him. He has already organized an organizing day to go through the scouts trailer and get the gear and supplies put together so they knew what they have and didn't have. He really isn't supposed to be in this patrol, but he bumped up and is in the same as Lucas.

One day last week, I met some friends for lunch. This is Toni, Katrina, Farhat and her daughter. We all met many many years ago when are kids just started Tae Kwon Do. Now Farhat is the only one that has a child still taking TKD. But it is nice to get together and catch up. Was a very fun day and I can't believe it was a year ago when we met the last time. Too long between good times...

I am loving the spring weather we have been having. The pink blossoms everywhere are my favorite and I can't stop taking pictures of them. Too pretty! We are going to be getting some rain soon so I know the blossoms will be down - but bring it on. I am ready for spring.

For Jake's birthday on the 3rd, we went out to dinner at Go Go's (a mongollian bbq grill place) and had a nice dinner. Jake loves pie - so for dessert we went to Shari's for pie.

Then on Sunday, Jake spent the day with his friend, Sean, playing video games. That was what he wanted instead of a party. Then, my parents, brother and sister-in-law came for dinner and more pie.... We ended up playing poker and it was a lot of fun.

These are my parents and the boys.

This is my brother and sister-in-law with the boys.

And after 3-4 tries.... us!

But need to get the boys ready for school and me off to work. So going to grab a cup of coffee and get my day going.

Til next time...
Laura

He is 12!

2009-04-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

Where has time gone? Today is Jake's 12th birthday! He is just growing up so fast. My little boy is not a little boy anymore. More and more, he surprises me with how smart he is - always trying to figure things out... The scary thing is so many times - I don't have the answer! But I am proud of the young man he is becoming. He is a joy to be around and he still lets me give him hugs - that is with limited exposure to the public. :)

Happy Birthday, Jake! We love you so much...

Spring break '09 - Nicholas' gone wild....

2009-03-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures - for some reason I can't add them into the text.... Either operator error or blogger thing...

Well, not really. It was pretty mellow but we had a great time.

I have been saying for the past few spring breaks that the boys and I would go to the beach for a couple days. This year, I booked us a room in Garibaldi for two nights. So this is how we spent our time....

Wednesday afternoon, we drove to Garibaldi and got into town about 4:30. Checked out the room and the boys were right to the pool. They spent a couple hours in there going from the pool to the hot tub and then back to the pool.... The pool really was just a big wading pool for my tall boys but they seemed to still have fun. Then we went out on the marina and found a restaurant for dinner. Couldn't believe I forgot my camera in the hotel. Missed some beautiful shots of the boats with the sun going down.

Thursday, we were off to Seaside. Oh boy - flashbacks of spring break during high school and college... Did we look that silly??? Kids riding those cycle cart things down the street - one texting, the other fixing her hair.... Another with 3 girls that couldn't turn the cart so they ended up on the side walk, out of the cart and trying to push it and turn it around... Boys and girls on every corner doing what every boy and girl does... Arcade full of smelly teenagers. Even had an Uggs siting!!! Several of them actually - what is the deal with these shoes???? We walked out to the turn around. Wow - Seaside has grown! What used to be a parking lot next to the Shilo is now a huge time share. The boys road the bumper cars and the tilt-a-whirl and hung out in the arcade for awhile. After grabbing some lunch at Subway, we were off to the go-karts. Oh my - the boys were in heaven. Jake had perma-grin on every lap and Lucas was Joe-Cool by driving with one hand on the wheel and one on his knee leaning out of the car! Then we headed towards Cannon Beach for just some playing on the beach time... Lucas braved the cold water and went in the waves. Then back to the hotel for some pool and then out to dinner.

Today, we had pretty yucky cold weather so we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream, Tillamook Smoker for jerky, and out to Oceanside for one last picture to end our road trip to the beach scrapbook! (Yes - already planning out the book of our trip....) But the boys played along for me and put up with the camera every time I had it out...

We got home this afternoon about 1:30. I sat in the chair and took a nap and the boys went to the man cave to play some video games...

Now to try to figure out dinner and maybe start some laundry. So have a nice night!

Til next time...
Laura

where have I been???

2009-03-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I have not been checking my blog.... let alone updating it!

Well, this has been a pretty busy month so far. What have we been up to???

Besides work, work, work and more work... the boys have been going to the pool a lot in the evenings. Lucas has discovered the diving board and that he likes it. The first couple of times took him several walks out on the board and back and then out again and finally a bunch of people yelling at him to jump! Now he is thinking of trying the first platform... Jake is liking it down at his end of the pool just fine. He has been practicing his strokes, standing on his hands under water and doing summer salts. He really loves to swim under water.

The first weekend this month was the Portland scrapbook convention. So worked that with Boxer and we had a great show. Was busy and as usual always great to see the other vendors and the familiar faces in the crowds. Hometown show is always a fun one.

The second weekend, Tom and Jake went on the scout campout. Jake is soon to be Patrol Leader (or chief lost boy - as I call him... :) ) so it was good for him to go and help plan the campout. Poor guys got drenched though. It rained and the wind blew all weekend. Lucas and I drove up North to Hoodsport on Saturday for my friend's husband's memorial service.

Lucas even took a book along and was doing homework! Was a photo op for sure...

It was a very nice memorial and wonderful to see Claudia again. Just wish it was for a better circumstance. The service was actually on a boat docked at Alderbrook Resort on Hoods Canal. It was such a pretty area - if the weather was nicer, it probably would of been hard for me to leave. I really do love that area.

After the service, we went to Claudia's house for a bit. She lives near Lake Cushman - again in a lovely area. Just love all the trees. But secluded. She had 4 inches of snow that morning and the next day, there was 8 on the ground... But Claudia - you are in my thoughts....

Lucas and I were going to drive the long way home and drive along the coast, maybe find a place to stay for the night. I bought a map in Hoodsport and we were heading to Aberdeen. But before I knew it, I was seeing signs for Centralia - wrong way! Usually I am very good with maps - not sure where I took a wrong turn. So we ended up stopping for dinner and just driving home down the freeway. Then sunday, we went to a movie and then went to my parents for dinner. It was my dad's birthday.

One thursday night this month, we had family night at school. That was fun. Checked out the science fair projects and watched the first half of the basketball game. 8th graders playing the teachers. Teachers started out pretty good, but think they tired out the second half because I heard the students won...

This weekend.... yesterday I worked from home. Tom and the boys did stuff... Took the boys to the pool again in the afternoon. Today we drove up to Carlton and did some target shooting in the woods.We packed up the truck with a picnic lunch and just headed out. It was very pretty to just be out in the trees. It even snowed a bit and was pretty cold but it was a good day. I am surprised Jake is becoming quite the shot. Think he hit the target more than I did! Driving out in that area makes me really look at the real estate. There was one house for sale on 59 acres and was just perfect! Even had my wrap around porch. Now just to win that lottery!

Well, better get back to laundry and finishing up some projects for work . The boys made burgers for dinner tonight. Now just to get them to do the dishes after cooking...

This week, the boys are on Spring Break. They are out of school so much anymore, it just doesn't seem like Spring Break. The boys and I are going to take off to the beach for a couple days on Wednesday. Looking forward to that.

Will try to check in here more often!

Till next time then...
Laura

another year....

2009-03-01T08:46:00.001-08:00

Tom and I celebrated our 17th Anniversary last night. But since we were married on the 29th of Feb, we have an anniversary every 4 years. So actually, we have only been married 4.25 years! Boy it sure seems longer than that though.... :) Aren't you supposed to still feel like newly weds at 4 years??? Well, KJ - you have been married how long? You and Tony still sound like newly weds after 25+ years?

Anyway, got the boys some movies and a pizza and we were off to Newport Bay. We got some gift cards in the mail so thought it would be perfect time to use. Well, 50 minute wait... So back to the house to get the card for Stanford's. Drive to Stanford's - 75 minute wait.... New plan - Red Lobster. We drive over to Red Lobster where we don't have a card and the wait is 45 minutes! At this point, I was just tired of driving around - so let's just wait... An hour later - we were having dinner. We were finished in less time that we waited! We should of just stayed at Newport Bay - we would of been home an hour earlier... Anyway, food was good though.

So Happy Anniversary, Tom. Next year -reservations!

Also sending out Birthday wishes to Stanley today! Hope you have a wonderful day and so glad that you are trying out #41 before me.... Happy Birthday!

Well, tons of things to get accomplished today. Checking email, facebook and blogs really aren't on the list so I should log off and get to work.

Enjoy your Sunday - til next time...
Laura

Lucky #8...

2009-02-28T10:51:00.001-08:00

I have never done one of these, but my cute friend Jennie tagged me in her blog.... so figured I would try this one.

I've been tagged!

8 things tag rules are:

*post rules on your blog

*answer the 6 '8' items

*let each person know they are tagged by leaving them a 'comment'

here goes...

'8' favorite TV shows

1. Amazing Race

2. Rescue Me (when it is on...)

3. Extreme Home Makover

4. Apprentice

5. The Biggest Loser

6. Wife Swap/Trading Spouses

7. Survivor

8. Rock of Love Bus tour with Bret Michaels (why do I watch this show??? Where do they get those women - must have a special application.... just can't turn it off though when watching.)

'8' things i did yesterday

1. Took the boys to school and picked them up again after school.

2. Went to both jobs

3. Took the boys to the pool along with a friend of Lucas'.

4. Put gas in my truck, well, I live in Oregon though so the guy actually pumped the gas.

5. Tried to order pictures on line but couldn't just choose 50 so I missed the special.

6. Ate a salad from Wendy's for dinner.

7. Had lunch at Schlotsky's (spelling) for the first time.

8. Made a menu and grocery list for the week.

'8' things i am looking forward to

1. Dinner out tonight for our anniversary.

2. Tom taking down the swingset and moving the shed.

3. Planting my new flower box with spring flowers.

4. Taking the boys to the beach for Spring Break (or at least a couple days.)

5. More traveling this year.

6. Seeing good friends.

7. Home remodeling projects.

8. A cup of coffee....

'8' favorite restaurants

1. Olive Garden

2. Red Lobster

3. Moe's

4. Juan Colorado

5. Joe's Crab Shack

6. Bellagio's Pizza

7. Gustav's

8. McDonald's

'8' things on my wish list

1. health for self, family and friends

2. a cure for cancer!

3. be out of debt

4. my boys grow up to be fine gentlemen

5. update the house - get rid of the ugly carpet in my kitchen!

6. have my good friends that live all over the country - live closer...

7. travel to all 50 states

8. live in a log cabin.

'8' people i tag

1. Paris

2. Shauna

3. Kathy Jo

4. June

5. Angie

6. Vicki

7. Shanna

8. Mary Ruth

have fun!

he lives...

2009-02-26T17:01:00.001-08:00

A short update...

Dad came home and actually was pretty calm. Lucas took him out to the scene and explained again what happened. "But Dad, you should read Mom's blog. You will then see that this is humorous..."

They were out in the garage for some time, so I went out to double check that all was ok. They were putting away the tent and such and all was ok. Dad admitted that it was partly his fault for leaving the paint can out on the sawhorses.

Lucas was majorly relieved that the ending was happy...

He is home early again though today from school. He called me this afternoon saying he had a migraine. So Tom went to pick him up and brought him home and some medicine. Well, apparently he threw up at school - one of the steps when he has a migraine coming on. I come home and he has a bag on the couch... "What is in the bag?" "It is my puke bag." ON MY COUCH!!!! The school sent it home so in case he got sick in the car.... But couldn't they of given him a clean bag???? REALLY?

Anyway, I don't think I will ever understand the true meaning of BOY.

But he lives another day.... How many more until age 18?

Til next time...
Laura

In loving memory of my son, Lucas...

2009-02-25T18:49:00.001-08:00

Well, I am not sure where to begin...

So will start at the beginning.... (Note: there will be no pictures of this incident to protect the innocent...)

This evening as I was watching the news and catching up on emails, Lucas decided that he wanted to raise his basketball hoop and that he needed something from the garage. I told him he should wait for his dad to come home and he would help. "No, Mom. I know what I am doing. I can do it." I repeated myself again probably 5 times to him still going out to the garage. About 5 minutes later, he came back into the house with paint all over him.

"Mom, I need help. How do I clean up spilled paint?" Oh not good...

I went out there and he had knocked over a can of primer and it spilled probably half the gallon right in the middle of the garage floor splattering paint on everything within range! How in the world do you clean up paint??? I don't know. So call Tom - Lucas calls Dad at work. "We have had an incident. I spilled some paint. A lot of paint. How do I clean this up? I am so sorry... Oh crap - is this a message??? " So we try Tom's cell, but he never turns it on unless he is calling us so no luck there.

As we are standing around literally watching the paint dry on the garage floor, Vicki calls... Oh good - she will know! She is a mom and should know these things... After a comforting story from Vicki about her driving her corvette into the garage when it was being painted and spilled the paint all over the car and a sobbing Lucas.... "Dad is going to kill me. Dad is going to kill me. Dad is so going to kill me." we started mopping up the paint with paper towels. THREE rolls later, we could see the concrete. When reading the label on the paint - it said that it was good on concrete! Maybe we should just paint the whole floor, maybe Tom won't notice....

We got some buckets of water and my new mop - of course I had already thrown the old one away - and started scrubbing the floor. Poor Lucas... I vented on him for awhile and then we started to see some humor in it. But he is really freaked about when Dad gets home.

"Mom, I really need you to back me up on this. I am helping to clean it up."

"Dad always says there is no such things as accidents - how am I going to explain this one?"

"I am going to stay out here cleaning on this til Dad gets home so he knows I am trying to fix it."

I just kept telling him... "Well, it really has been a pleasure knowing you...."
"What have you learned from this?"

"Listen to when Mom when she says wait for Dad!"

But after about an hour of mopping and scrubbing - I think we got most of it cleaned up. Tom is going to be home late so think I should put Lucas to bed before he gets home... Lighten the blow maybe. The funny thing is that Lucas is now very hoarse and squeaky. We keep saying it is his voice changing because he is thirteen, but really it is his cold... Anyway, makes it a little more humorous. When I picked him up after school today, I asked him, "Why are you so hoarse?" He said, "I am not a horse!"

So keep him in your thoughts that he survives Dad coming home....

I told Lucas that if I got any paint on my new pants, he was buying me new pants. When we were washing our hands - he was looking at my pants "Mom, did you get any paint on your pants?" He doesn't mind spending money if it is for him.... lol

Kids - will I survive them???

Til next time...
Laura

neglected blog...

2009-02-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

Well, looks like I haven't been here since the 10th. Must be time for an update.

Sick kids, sick kids, sick kids and more sick kids... The boys have been out of school this whole past week. I think I have bought every type of cold medicine, comfort food, herbal tea and popsicle out there! How does one go about buying stock in Nyquil??? But think they are starting to feel better. There was some arguing yesterday and lots of stop touching me... So think they are back to school tomorrow. Lucas' cough is still hanging on but think I need to get him moving around a bit and off the couch and he will start to feel better. Think first on his list of to-do today will be laundry and working on picking up his room...

Other than sick kids... Been working, working and working... Hoping to feel like I have accomplished something soon.

So, I better get to my day. The to-do list is long and for some reason, these tasks don't take care of themselves.

Enjoy your day and I will try to be back here more often!
Til next time...
Laura

PS - Shauna, you are always in my thoughts - but I will be thinking of you for sure tomorrow. I hope all goes well.

on the road again....

2009-02-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am heading off to sunny California - at least I am hoping it is sunny - in the morning... So tonight I am frantically trying to pack, clean bathrooms, do laundry (necessary in order to pack) and just getting ready to go.... I will check in with you as I can - so have a great rest of the week and weekend.

Til next time...
Laura

Oh almost forgot... report cards came in the mail today! I am so proud of Jake. He has all A's but one C - which is in science and there are kinds of issues there so we are happy he is getting the C. But for all the trouble he had and me worried about how he would do in Middle School - I am just so happy for him. He works so hard and it is paying off for him. Lucas is also doing well. His grades are so much better at this school than last year's school. He is still having a hard time with Spanish, but he is actually studying now and doing his assignments so I am sure that will come up soon. But other than that, he is getting all B's and one A - in band of course... lol Anyway, it was a good day to actually open report cards! I am so glad that we were able to move the boys to this school this year, because they are both doing so well.

Ok, enough of the proud momma....

I am still here!

2009-02-08T11:31:00.001-08:00

Wow, been awhile since I have updated my blog... So what have I been doing to keep me away? Well....

I got home from Arizona on the 26th of January and been going ever since.... I went out of town with a cold and it came back worse this week. I pretty much spent yesterday in bed and on the couch. I did finally get out of the pjs about 5pm, when I took Lucas to spend the night at a friend's house. Tom and Jake and I went out to dinner and when I got home, I was back in bed again... Today going on Zicam and wellness tea - good stuff!

Other than being sick and working a lot - I did get to go out to dinner friday night to the Melting Pot with Vicki, Angie, Danita and Judy to celebrate Judy's birthday. Never been there before and it was wonderful. The food was good but the company was the best. Always a good time with these girls. Thank you Vicki - you didn't have to - but I so appreciate it! The boys were glad to get their loan back but somehow thought that a 5 hour loan accrued interest! lol They are so cute... But really, thank you - you are the best! Judy - Happy Birthday - it was a fun night. Danita - hope you continue to feel better. And Ang - we are ready to hit the road soon!

This Wednesday, I am off to Costa Mesa, CA. Will be nice to be back in the sun again. I am going with Angie to work a convention. Last one was in November and the break is over already. Time to get back on the road. The conventions are a lot of work, but at the same time, a ton of fun. You get to meet so many people and just always seems to be lots of laughter. Best medicine for anyone! And of course, I get to see my buddies that are other vendors... Always a big family reunion, practically. Kris - what restaurants are you going to? Do you have my new cell phone number so you can call me from across the room???? LOL

So lots to do before I leave. I better get to the to-do list. It was ignored yesterday and somehow it doesn't just take care of itself. I even have to brave a trip to the grocery store today - dread those field trips!

So have a wonderful rest of your day...
Til next time...
Laura

please keep in your prayers...

2009-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Please keep in your thoughts and prayers, Claudia and Dave Shilton. Dave passed away yesterday suddenly from a fall. My heart goes out to you, Claudia, during this difficult time.

Laura

all good things must come to an end...

2009-01-25T19:18:00.001-08:00

We had our last day here in Arizona and spent it sleeping in, hanging out at the house, and then to my Uncle Richard and Aunt Vicki's house. They really were across the desert out the back of our house. 5 minutes down the road. So I was glad that we made it over there to spend the afternoon.

We were able to catch an amazing sunset after dinner. Poor Kathy Jo - we kept her busy today that she missed her usual Sunday afternoon nap. She was getting pretty tired by the time the sun was going down. But I managed to get another good photo out of her.

We walked out a bit behind the house to the big Saguaro cactus named Grandpa. Such an amazing plant that they all seem to have different personalities and characteristics. Each one is different from the other -kind of like us, I guess. Wonder if they think the same thing as we stand next to them talking about him like he is a person...

I think the key to the perfect sunset is to have some clouds in the sky.

My uncle made burgers and chicken for dinner.. He hasn't changed a bit.

We each used a walking stick on our little walk in case of critters and to push away prickly branches. But hey, if it doesn't poke ya, bite ya or kill ya, you are not in Arizona.

It took some arm twisting but I finally did get a good picture of my aunt and uncle together out on our walk.

Just before we left on the walk, Dan and Sunny came by. Dan is my Grandma's brother's son from my mom side's of the family. So he is cousins with my uncle Richard and my second cousin. I am sure that I have met him before at reunions and get togethers but it was good to see him and catch up a bit. They live just down the road a bit from my aunt and uncle so I was glad they stopped by.

But we have packed up and picked up the house a bit now. We are enjoying our last night here. We have had a great time.

June and Kathy Jo - I am so happy we got this opportunity to spend the weekend. You gals make me smile just thinking of you and the memories of this weekend will be with me forever. I can't wait til our next getaway - January 2010??? I love you, Girls....

So going to show the girls how to make a folded cupcake and think about going to bed. KJ is looking kind of droopy and needs to get some sleep. We fly home tomorrow and back to life at home...

Til next time.

Laura

cacti, cacti, and more cacti!!!

2009-01-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

Today was a full day of desert experience. We started off by going to the Sonora Desert Museum. I was worried it would be walking through a dark musty building looking at replicas of cactus and old dusty stuffed animals - but every time we told someone we were going there, we got a great reaction. Oh is a must see. Oh yes - you gotta go there. So we are so glad we did. What an amazing place. It wasn't really a museum though. The name doesn't really do it justice. It is more of an outdoor walking path through the desert with live animals.

But for some reason my pictures are all out of order so will have to jump around here a bit....

Here are some highlights from day two of our Arizona adventures...

Kathy Jo took on a part time job as a bar maid for the afternoon in Old Tucson Studios.

Look at those cowgirls coming back from their trail ride.

Really couldn't keep them away from the cowboys.... May need a new Sheriff in town because the guy in the middle is in Kathy Jo's suitcase...

June continued to shop for the perfect outfit today. This time tried out a little fringe number.

Before Kathy Jo and June went on their trail ride just out of Old Tucson Studios - I just grabbed myself a cowboy... and skipped the trail ride. This is me, Cowboy Tim and his horse.

Kathy Jo just really couldn't find the perfect boots....

June and I were ready with our six shooters and side arms for the OK Corral...

Was just a perfect beautiful day in Arizona with the desert, cactus and wildlife - and good friends...

Either she was being held up or being a Saguaro...

Sorry, now jumping to the end of the day for a bit. We went to Saguaro National Park and what an awesome place to stand among these cactus. We found out that these cactus are 70 years old before they get their first arms. Then it is every 6-7 years for each additional. So this guy - not sure why - but they were guys to us today - was over 106 years old! Was looking pretty good for a guy his age...

Just amazing. We stayed til the sun went down trying to get that perfect postcard sunset...

Now kind of back to the start of our day...

We started with a bird of prey show and saw some amazing birds. Apparently I didn't have enough coffee this morning or something... The show was scheduled for 10:30. We got there a little early and were chatting with the volunteer. I asked her, "How do you plan this show at exactly 10:30 and know the birds will be here?" "Well," she says practically at the same time, Here is your sign... "Well, we put little alarm clocks on their tiny little feet and hope they show up on time. It got to be a little tricky with the time change so Arizona stopped and no longer adjust for daylight savings." Oh well, duh! Ok, bring out the birds.... lol

This was the last bird of the show and the wingspan was five feet from tip to tip. Just a beautiful bird. We saw a raven, an owl, and a falcon (I believe.)

Sorry, pictures are out of order, but this is June and her secret service agents on the bridge crossing the Rio Lobo River in Old Tucson Studios. A lot of the old western movies with John Wayne were filmed there. Even episodes of Little House on the Prairie and Bonanza. After the desert museum, we spent a few hours in the afternoon at the studios. Great photo ops...

This is another picture of Kathy Jo just not getting the map.....

Some how over the past two days, I have kind of become the map reader. June - don't think she even looked at one, she just keeps saying, "I'm with you guys..." Kathy Jo - now this girl just can't read a map.... Even if we are looking at the same map!

We had finished the birds at the museum and were making a plan of what we wanted to see and where to go to next. No, Kathy Jo, your map is upside down and see yours says the same as mine.... Really...

Finally we decided on the route to go, but just not which way to head out...

(We went with my plan... and made it out alive.)

Oh and we even took a little side trip (there are no photos of this just for the sake that we didn't want to leave any evidence and to protect the innocent) we drove up on an unpaved loop to an overlook in the Saguaro National Park in search of the best sunset photo opp spot. But did I mention that we are using the Mercedes that is in the garage of the house we are staying??? Is this an off road vehicle? Does it have 4 wheel drive? Are the tires in decent shape? Is the tank full? The answer would be no to all of the above but it actually drove very nicely down the water wash (or drive river bed) that was the road.... Just a little side adventure to add to our memories of another fantastic day.

They we came back to the house after the sunset and I made dinner for the girls. Pork chops with cinnamon apples and raisins on top with a baked potato (Great recipe from Rachel Ray) and we uploaded our photos and had even more laughs. Oh and we went out to see all the stars - such a clear night and there are no street lights out here so it was just an fabulous site to see all those stars!

But getting pretty late and I am finally starting to feel a little tired. Should call it a night. Tomorrow is another day. We plan to just hang out at the house though til we go to my aunt and uncle's for a BBQ. Our weekend is coming to an end too fast - makes me sad. These gals are such beautiful people that I am blessed to have as friends. It has just been a perfect time catching up, laughing and sharing the wonders of this area.

So til next time....

Laura

check your guns at the door!

2009-01-23T19:49:00.001-08:00

So here we are in Arizona and just having a great time. We have had a little rain but it seems to only rain when we get in the car to drive to our next point of interest.

Yesterday was our travel day. We is Kathy Jo from Chicago and June from Salt Lake. We all arrived by 1pm and our driver, Julio, brought us out to the house. The house is beautiful and kind of in the middle of no where. But hey - we are on vacation and just loving it!

We put together a shopping list and headed out with Gertie, our GPS, and the mercedes... We ended up in the middle of road construction in Tucson. There was a stretch where all the exits on the freeway were closed. Poor Gertie was in such a tailspin and recalculating, recalculating.... Finally we found an open exit and used our paper map to navigate our way back. We found the restaurant and had a wonderful Mexican dinner. Our trip home was uneventful as we were starting to get a feel for the area - even in the dark. We went to the grocery store and then back to the house to make a game plan for today.

Today, we headed out down the road to Tombstone. Took us about an hour together but it was worth the drive. We wandered around for a bit like tourists, cameras out.... and just was taking in the sites. A guy started telling us about the trolley tour and then the town historian came up and said it was great way to see the town. And it was... The historian was also the trolley driver and he was just hilarious. Was a great tour and we picked out the spots where we wanted to go back to see.

After the trolley, I met Woody from the Stand on the porch advertising water bottle prices tribe. He just needed some support for doing a good job, I guess... This is June and I at the visitor center. Had to get our brochures of the sites.

This is the historian aka trolley driver, me and the other guy we talked to first. Think he was just kind of the town greeter guy.

This is June and Kathy Jo after our tram ride up to through the Sanbino Canyon. Oh such a beautiful place... They were laughing at me because there was a sun dial we were looking at. I asked June, "how does it move?" She said, "It's a sun dial - the sun moves...." Ok, so I can't read a compass either.... Anyway good laugh.

Driving toward the canyon, we saw this beautiful rainbow. I was surprised my camera took this one so clear from a moving car.

This is just before the tram ride up into canyon.

A park ranger took a picture of us - boy are we windblown from the trolley. We rode in the very back row in the open car for the best views.

This is June and I. The trolley stopped deep in the canyon for a bit so we grabbed some more quick pictures. Definitely a popular place for runners, bikers and walkers. Lots of water running over the bridges and just overall beautiful.

This is June picking out her new outfit in Tombstone.

Look at these photogenic girls...

Well, so now we are back at the house and going to do a little scrapbooking. I brought some work stuff with me so better get to that. Our game plan for tomorrow sounds like the Desert Museum (everyone says it is amazing), maybe some caverns - need to check into those and another national park. Sunday we are going to a BBQ at my aunt and uncles house. Turns out they are 5 minutes down the road from the house here... Will be great to see them. Still holding out for some amazing sunset pictures.

So good night for now.

Til next time -

Laura

I am checked in...

2009-01-21T07:14:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow at 7:10am, I fly off to the sunny land of Vail, Arizona for a girls weekend away. Can't wait to see Kathy Jo and June. Hope to also see Michelle and Heidi and also my aunt and uncle while I am there. Can't wait!

But today is a work day and need to get the boys to school - so talk to you all more later.
Laura

Happy Birthday, Shauna!!

2009-01-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today is my friend, Shauna's birthday. This is one girl that words can not say enough about. It was about 9 years ago, maybe even 10??? I met Shauna online through a scrapbooking group. Wow - to think how many people I have met this way - could be kind of scary... But Shauna was a talent that I admired. She does great work. Shauna even became my rescue shuttle driver to and from the airport after an incident where my shuttle driver fell asleep and then later was pulled over for excessive speeding. But that is the kind of gal she is... No matter what she is going through - she always says "Why didn't you call me?" So when I was asked to work part time for Hot Off the Press the summer of 2006 - I jumped at it because I could work side by side with her. I never would of guessed it would turn out the way it did and I would end up working in her space for several months. I could never call it my desk and I could never move anything because I wanted to make sure that her things were there when she came back. I think I probably did my best work though sitting in that seat. Felt like I was sitting in some big shoes.. Anyway, since that time, I have gotten the chance to become closer with Shauna. She has been going through so much in the past two years that I now admire her for so much more. Her strength and will to make each day count. I laugh everytime I hear a story about her teenage boy because it is so like my Lucas. Teen boys - they are so alike... We could write a book. I will leave that though to Shauna, she is the writer. Anyway, I don't know how she does it - I probably would of given up going through what she has.

But girl - you are one tough cookie. Keep fighting your fight because I for one am behind you. I appreciate and cherish your friendship. You are always in my thoughts and I hope that you had a wonderful birthday today.

Hugs to you and thank you for your friendship!
Laura

ok just curious....

2009-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

Is there such a thing as grocery store etiquette? Or is it just me that thinks things are just wrong...

I have been to the same grocery store twice in the last two days. Right about the same time of day, just after dropping the boys off at school. So it was about 9:15am by the time I was going through the checkout line.

Yesterday, I was done paying and was bagging my groceries. Now I didn't have a lot because I knew I would be there again today. I knew there was someone behind me so I was not just lallagagging around... (Is that a word?) Anyway, this lady behind me moves my cart - which is completely out of everyone's way at the end of the belt and past the bags, turned towards the belt so someone could easily use the other side for their cart and to bag their groceries. I bag in both paper and sometimes plastic. So I had a couple things in the plastic bag hanging on the thing, and was pulling more items to put in that bag. This lady pulls my bag off the holder and pulls off a bag for her, goes in front of me and pulls some brown paper bags from underneath and goes back to bag her things while they were still in her cart.... Ok, if she was in a hurry - would of it of been such an inconvenience to say, excuse me, would you mind if I grabbed some bags, I am running late????? Instead, she cuts in front of me to take out the bags. So she was just ticking me off so I put up three paper bags on the belt and one thing in the plastic bag holder so I was taking up as much space as I possibly could.... Seriously - how rude? Then I left the store so wishing I had said something... Are people really that self-centered that they have no clue what is going on around them????

So today - same store, same time, even same register! Hardly anyone in the store. Plenty of registers open. Absolutely no reason for anyone to cut in line or be rude... Right? No... This lady (ok, different lady than from yesterday) looks right at me as I am pulling into a line to unload my cart. Today - more groceries. So when I see someone coming up to the line with fewer items than I have, I offer for them to go ahead of me.... I didn't even have a chance. This lady quickly picked up her pace to get to the line, bumped my cart to the side and pulled in to unload her groceries. I just stood there and said, "Really?" She knew exactly what she did and said nothing. She pays for her groceries and goes to other end to bag. She leaves her cart in the aisle so no one can get by to use the other belt. So I ask her if I could move her cart - she says nothing. So I moved it anyway. She says - "do you mind?" I said, "Actually, I do mind. No one can get by your cart because you are taking up the entire aisle." I was ready with so much more....

I move my cart to the other belt and start bagging my groceries. She is just mumbling away as she bags.. Instead of using the cart - she grabs her bags and walks out of the store. LEAVING HER CART IN THE AISLE!!!! I looked right at her and said, "Really? Could you be anymore inconsiderate?" She just leaves the store...

What is with people these days? Do we not have any consideration for other people? Are we not all busy with our lives - but does that give us the excuse to just be rude?

Anyway, just venting.... Thanks for reading along, if you are still reading... I think there should be a new reality show - Grocery Wars - like that show Parking Wars where they follow the people around who put boots on cars for those people that have so many parking tickets... I could be the host!

Well, hope you are having a happy friday. I am looking forward to tonight - my month to host Bunco. So better get back to making my chili and getting my house finished up.

Til next time...
Laura

they will go back to school, they will go back to school.....

2009-01-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

Can you tell that three weeks is too long for Winter Break? There is rumor that there will be snow tonight but I am chanting that they will go back to school.... How many times do I need to repeat it to make sure it comes true??? Positive thinking right?

Well, update from here... Been some busy times. We have been done with the snow now for about a week and it has been wonderful. I hadn't driven in two weeks and just had cabin fever just awful! So it has been a new freedom.

So you would think we have been up to a lot! Not really. :0) Christmas came and went. New Years came and went. We did go to my parents house for New Years Day and had our delayed Christmas. Mom loved the tree skirt I made her and I got some wonderful new sheets. What is it about new sheets? Just awesome... The boys got Wii Music so new sounds have been coming from the man cave this weekend. They also got a poker chip set so they have been trying to teach me poker. Kind of fun! We have been watching a lot of movies over the past week. I keep saying week, but really it has only been since last Wednesday - so really just a long weekend... Friday, I went to work for a little while. Trying to just get used to being back to work again - almost felt like my first day. Then I met with my quilting coaches for a bit in the afternoon. Got started on my next project. Can't tell you what it is because they are gifts... But I am liking how they are turning out. Then Saturday, Lucas and I helped with the boy scout tree recycling. We drove around from 10am-4pm picking up Christmas trees! Did 7 truck loads by the end of the day. The boys did good though - they collected a lot of donations. They also collected bottles and cans. Somehow those ended up in my truck to take to the drop off place. We hand fed each bottle and can for almost an hour! AH! That is a lot of work for the amount of money you get in the end. Anyway, it all goes for the troop... But by the time we got home, I was wiped and did not want to make dinner so off to Applebee's we went. Tom and Jake went on a hike that day so it was a nice way for us all to catch up on our day. Today - a quiet day at home. The boys and I took down the Christmas stuff and got that all boxed up again. Watched another movie - The Lazerus (sp?) project. Good movie - different and confusing at times, but good movie. Glad it ended well. Worked on the never ending mountain of laundry and a few other household chores. Now I am going to make some ham and bean soup while the pies finish in the oven. Not sure why, but I have been baking for three weeks now... Have an apple and a blueberry going now. I think it is the smells. I love the house smelling of warm apples and cinnamon.

Later I have some projects to finish up for work and then it will be get ready for the boys to go back to school tomorrow... I am in no way excited for this, really.... Ok, just a little... They will go back to school, they will go back to school.....

Hope your 2009 is off to a good start.
Til next time.
Laura

My wish for you in 2009...

2008-12-31T21:50:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-12-26T22:28:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

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....

2008-12-21T22:06:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-12-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-12-10T17:18:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-11-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

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....

2008-11-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2008-11-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

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....

2008-10-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

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???

2008-10-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

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....

2008-10-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2008-09-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

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???

2008-09-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

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....

2008-09-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

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???

2008-09-22T09:10:00.001-07:00

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

thumbs up thursday....

2008-09-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

yeah, I know, but it is Friday... But got home and had a message from the school. Usually not a good thing - but this time it was. Jake's homeroom teacher (also his language arts teacher) left a message saying that she was choosing Jake for the Thumbs Up Thursday this week. Here I was so nervous about him in Middle School and he is doing great. Guess we just need to let them grow up and see that it all works out.

well, will be short for now. will try to check in later tonight or sometime tomorrow.
Have a good weekend...
Laura

can it be true???

2008-09-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Monday and I can't wait??? Been a crazy week and weekend and I am looking forward to the normalcy of getting back to work.

To catch up on Lucas - thursday night was rough for him. He had a hard time sleeping but has been doing pretty good since. He hasn't had to take any pain pills other than Aleve during the day and taking the stiffer stuff at night.

Saturday, Jake and I met up with Shauna for a brief minute. We are taking our extra scrap supplies to a garage sale at a local store so was taking her the leftovers from our garage sale. Was great to see her even if it was just a short minute since our playdate for coffee was put off for friday.

Then we headed towards the music instrument rental place. But seemed like the traffic was just stopped. I called the store and they said the roads were closed for a local parade. Decided we would just try later then. Went home and worked for awhile. Tom and Jake went to the Nature Park to walk. When they got back, we tried the store again.

Oh boy - what was I thinking. A little tip - if your kids are taking band - go for the smaller instruments. They aren't as loud. Or take up so much space. We now have a trombone and a saxophone in this house! We don't have that big of house... These boys haven't played these before. Jake's trombone is about as big as he is! I have quickly learned that I have a new appreciation for doors and headphones.... Lucas found three notes today that were repeated for 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday afternoon, I took Lucas' to his football game. He was feeling up to it so we went for the second half. They played Sunset (arch rival) and won 12-0. Glad he could be down there for part of it anyway.

Today has been a little yard work early this am before it got too hot, some household chores, some work and just hanging at home. My parents and my brother stopped by for a bit on their way home from the beach. Made them lunch and they were on their way. Tom and Jake spent the day at the range so it was pretty quiet around here - aside from the sax... I wonder if my neighbors can hear that? I haven't heard many dogs howling yet so maybe it is muffled.

I needed some things from the store so Jake went with me. We hit Sonic for a cherry lime aide before wandering the grocery store. I just hate going to the store. Still didn't come home with any plans for dinners this week. Just need someone to do that chore for me and I would be a happy person...

Anyway, better get the boys to bed. Army Wives will be on soon. I am so glad to see they are back with new shows.

Have a good rest of the night and a good week.
Til next time.
Laura

what happened today....

2008-09-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Just a short little note as we are pretty wiped and heading to bed around here....

Lucas ended up having surgery this afternoon. They put a screw in his hip to prevent the growth plate from slipping anymore. He will remain on the crutches for another month and his foot should start to turn back in gradually over time. He is pretty tired but doing ok as far as pain and getting his appetite back. So thanks everyone for the happy thoughts and support. It is so greatly appreciated. I am hoping that this guy can start to get back to himself. End result is no football for this season. He will be helping the coaches from the sidelines.

So off to bed for me...
Thanks!
Laura

numbers from a day we will never forget...

2008-09-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Number killed in attack on New York, in the Twin Towers and in aircraft that crashed into them: 2,823

Distance, in miles, from which the burning towers were visible: 20

Maximum heat of fires, in degrees fahrenheit, at World Trade Center site: 2,300

Number of days underground fires at World Trade Center continued to burn: 69

Number of days that workers dug up debris at Ground Zero, searching for body parts: 230

Number of victims identified by New York medical examiner: 1,102

Number of death certificates issued without a body at request of victims' families: 1,616

Number of people still classified as missing from the World Trade Center that day: 105

Number of people who died when American Airlines flight 11 from Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center: 92

Number of people who died when United Airlines flight 175
from Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California, crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center: 65

Number of people who died when United Airlines flight 93
from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, crashed in rural southwest Pennsylvania: 45

Number of people who died when American Airlines flight 77
from Washington to Los Angeles, crashed into the Pentagon: 64

Number of people killed in the Pentagon: 125

Number of firefighters killed in the rescue attempt: 343

These are by far too many numbers that we can not forget. I was not directly effected by losing a loved one on this day 7 years ago, but this is a day that I will not forget. The feel of helplessness, the violation on our country, the sadness, the confusion, the stories of families looking for their loved ones that were missing, the stories of those that were lost that day, and yet the pride of a country coming together is support of each other, the flags waving....

So please take a moment today to remember 9-11-01 and all those people lost their lives in such a tragic way. I will not forget.

I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground?
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start preaching
Let me ask you this my friend

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it every day
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
After 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right

Have you forgotten how it felt that day
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away?
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside
Going through a living hell
And we vowed to get the ones behind Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fighting for

Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Yes, some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry 'bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?

-Darryl Worley

finally some MRI results...

2008-09-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it was 10 days ago when we had the MRI for Lucas. His Pediatrician called tonight about 4:45 to tell me that he had the results. Apparently, it is not his knee - it is his hip. He has a slipped growth plate. We had some xrays back in January that showed some signs of this but apparently it was missed. Now somewhere over this summer he has injured it more to where it is causing him more pain. So our appointment for tomorrow with the sports medicine orthopedist is changed to meeting with an orthopedic surgeon. We are to not give him any food or anything after midnight as he may be going into surgery tomorrow afternoon. Sounds like they will put a screw into his hip to prevent it from moving. I don't know much more than that. Will know more after the appointment at 9:30. So be thinking happy thoughts and I will let you all know what comes about tomorrow.

Til then...
Laura

Scrap it Forward...

2008-09-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today I received an email from a gal that I met while I coordinated the volunteers for the CK Conventions a few years ago. Shree is just one of these people that you remember, whether you are in contact with her just once, twice or even every day. I could just tell she was a "good egg" the first time I met her. Today, proves my theory again.

Shree contacted me about ways she could help a mother in her area. The mom had lost her 13 year old son in a terrible boating accident this July. This mom would love to have her photos in a scrapbook to share her memories with her remaining small children and family. She is overwhelmed and not sure where to begin. So Shree is asking for our help. Scrapbookers (I have met so many of you over the past 10 years) have so much compassion. I am hoping you can help us now. Shree is going to post a contest on www.acherryontop.com - she is asking that we submit layouts to help this mom create her scrapbook. (I believe the album is 12x12) Schree is also collecting product donations and those that donate layouts will be part of a drawing for the prize of donated products. I have gone through my scrap room and found some sample layouts that I had done for classes and such. The mom can just add photos and her journaling and the pages will be complete.

These are some themes of the layouts I have...
- Christmas
- 4th of July
- birthday
- fall
- beach
- sports fan

Here are some other theme ideas that the mom has photos of...
- beach vacation
- lake
- baby
- Halloween
- Disneyland
- skateboarding
- family
- school
- sight seeing
- soccer
- scouts
- friends
- cruise - mexican riviera

If you are interested in Scrapping It Forward and helping out with this, I would be happy to pass on Schree's address and you can submit your layouts. She will be collecting layouts from Sept. 15 - Oct. 15th. The drawing will be on Oct. 15th.

Your help is so greatly appreciated.

Til next time...
Laura

Saturday Sept. 6th - completed....

2008-09-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

The month of September is filled with insane weekend plans for us. We can now cross the 6th off as complete.

Yesterday started with the Boy Scout car wash at 11am. The boys had a great turn out. Plenty of scouts and adults and a steady pace of cars to fill the day. Tom and I had our rigs in there first. Think those were the training vehicles because there are many missed spots when my rig is parked in the sun.... Not sure how many cars they washed, but they raised over $500.
Great job - Scouts!!!!
Lucas (since he is still on crutches) worked customer service. He did a really good job - and he wasn't coached on what to say either. So he would go up to an approaching car and ask, "Can we get your car washed for you?" If they said yes, he would tell them where they are in line, whether they were next or if there were two or three cars in front of them. Then he directed them where they could park and while they waited, they could also get a cookie, water or soda. He did a great job.
Jake worked in marketing and also in production. He waved signs on the corner and also washed cars. The water was actually being sprayed on a car too and not other scouts. All the practice he has had washing cars here at home had paid off...
After awhile, the boys mastered the technique - rinse, scrub, rinse and dry... I think the fact that many of the cars were small cars made it easier on the boys and just looked like an army of scouts on each vehicle and fewer and fewer missed spots. Probably helped too that alot of the cars were light colors - hides the dirt a little better. :)

Lucas and I then left the car wash a little early to head to his football game. He suited up with his jersey and cheered on his team from the sidelines. The boys played a great game against Aloha. Aloha scored the first goal in the first few minutes of the game. But that was their only goal till late in the game. The Westview Wildcats took the game from there. Final score was 39-12. Go Cats!!!! It was an exciting game to watch but I could tell Lucas was bummed he wasn't out there playing. He was supportive of the players though and kept their spirits going on the sidelines. We have his appointment this week with the Orthopedist on thursday so hoping we will finally have some answers about his knee.

After the football game, it was back home and try to figure out something for dinner. Jake wanted Mac & Cheese. He is wanting to learn how to cook more than Top Ramen and PB & J's. So he made Mac & Cheese for the two of us and Tom and Lucas finished off the pizza we made last night. I got off pretty easy!

Then it was on to homework. Jake had an assignment to create a magazine cover about himself. He is quite the "tecky" kid. He had started it at school and accessed his file on the computer. He linked up to my photos and created a collage of pictures. Then he used different fonts and typed overlapping the photos on the page. He figured out how to change the colors of the fonts and sizes. After printing it out, we then trimmed it and added mats of red and black around it. Then he cut off a barcode from another magazine and put that on there. It turned out really cool. I am glad to see that he is excited about school this year. He is still struggling with his writing so I think his computer skills give him an outlet for his creativity. I hope that he continues throughout the year with the good attitude and effort.

Today, Jake and Tom are off to the Expo Center. Apparently there is another gun show this weekend. So Lucas and I are home. I have some projects for work to complete and Lucas has homework. Then of course there are the usual household chores that need to be taken care of. But it will be nice to just be at home and leave the car in the driveway!

Thanks to all of you that sent me replies about my weird dream... It was funny to hear the memories of our travels and such that probably provoked certain points in the dream. Helped to make some of it make sense... I have been trying to watch how late I eat dinner since then and haven't had anymore dreams like that....

Well, hopefully you all are having a good weekend. The morning is almost gone so better get this day started.

Till next time,
Laura

PS - also Friday night, I watched the Stand Up To Cancer telethon. It was very moving. I hope that it is a huge step to finding a cure and cancer can something of the past. If you would like more information or would be interested in contributing to the cause - check out www.standup2cancer.org

why do we dream this way?

2008-09-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am not sure how these are all related or if it is simply the fact that I went to bed right after having Taco Bell soft tacos for dinner... But last night - I had the weirdest dream that it needs to be shared. The funny thing is that it seemed so real and even though I was up so many times during the night, it just seemed to be continued like Season 1 of my life....

Anyway, here is a list of characters for you just to show how bizarre this was and you can decide if you want to keep reading...

Me and my Boys
Mindy, Loritta, and Beth (Gals from my Bunco group)
June and Kathy Jo (Friends I have met through Scrapbooking and we have gone to some CKU’s together, done lighthouse tours on the coast together and have just had great times together - good friends)
Vicki, Terri, Judy, Danita, and Stacy ( all people I have met through the conventions and traveled with)
David Ray(also from the conventions that I haven’t even seen in more than three years probably.)
Scott (works pre-press at HOTP)
Shauna and Paris (also friends from scrapbooking and also were co-workers at HOTP)
friendly tow truck man from Canby
some playful polar bears
a large crane
some kind of pier dock thing in a hurricane
a train
and Betty White from the Golden Girls....

So I am not sure where we were going, but I was driving a huge RV (probably bigger than than the one I drove to Alaska) and needed to make a right turn at a light. The intersection was along this waterway like I was on a dock. Kind of even like a slip in a dock where you would park a boat because it wrapped around the water. Anyway... I couldn’t make the turn and ended up in the water. There was this ledge type thing under the water about 4 feet so the RV was resting on this ledge. Not sure how, but it ended up perfectly parallel parked along the street where I was turning. As the water started to cover the floor of the RV, the boys started giving me emergency evacuation guidelines that they had learned in one of those mock emergency drills where an earthquake has hit or something. (My boys have never been to one of these by the way. Although there is one scheduled on the scout calendar for later this month....) As the boys are putting on life vests made from their seat cushions in the RV, I am calling AAA. AAA sends out a tow truck for me and it is my friendly tow truck guy from Canby who towed my van a couple times and seems to remember me every time I run into him in the Canby area.... He comes out and looks at the RV and just is puzzled on how this happened and not really sure what he can do. For some reason though - the boys and I got out of the RV, but we weren’t on the dock, we were in a boat behind the RV so I was watching it all from the water and could see the RV parked along the dock in the water... As the tow truck driver was trying to figure out what to do, 7 polar bears started playing in the water around the RV. The side door wasn’t closed all the way so some got inside and were playing at the table and sitting in the seats up front. The boys lunch was on the table so they were eating that. The bears up front got the radio going so that was blasting with the latest and greatest hits sung by Kathy Jo and June. Now with the polar bears involved and they were endangered species in this area, the tow truck driver was no longer within his jurisdiction to remove the RV from the water. A crane would need to be called in. So a big huge Ford pick up with crew cab and dualies shows up and Paris is driving. I am not sure how tall Paris is but she is not very tall next to me. So Little tiny Paris in this big huge truck with Shauna. Neither of them can get out very easily so they release the blowup slide from their doors and slide out of the truck. They are the crane operators. Since I was so late by this time (must be a regular thing for me because it was never really clear where I was going or why I was late....) they would take care of getting the RV out of the water for me and take the boys to the airport so they could get back home for school.

So I take the boat and go to this long pier thing. There are stairs up to the top where there is a line of people starting to form. They are putting on their yellow rain slickers and waiting to head out on the pier. At the head of the line is Scott. He has a backpack on with his little girl, Clara, in it. He is the tour guide across the pier. Since there are hurricane force winds and rains crossing the pier, no one is allowed across without Scott. In the line, I find Vicki, Terri, Judy, Danita and Stacy. They are all in their slickers and for some reason have matching shoes. Scott takes us out across the pier. Along the way, Scott gave us points of interest about the waves, wind speeds and why the wind made the rain come at us horizontally. The pier was more like just a long dock where we went up to another deck, more stairs and then finally we came out by a train. Not your typical passenger train, but a freight train. Everyone got into the cars, but the one I tried to get into was full so I got in the one to the front. It was very dark and only two little cut outs in the sides to see out. I kept looking around for David Ray and wondering if he got on the train. I looked out the window facing the next car and was talking through it to Mindy, Beth and Loritta. They didn’t know where David was but who was I with? Will I be able to see out of that car when it was time for my stop? I turned around to look through the dark to see who was in the car - I said, “ I am here with Betty White....”

Then I woke up - what on earth??? How strange is this - nothing really makes sense. All morning, I just felt exhausted because it all felt so real.

So I guess Taco Bell soft tacos + acid reflux = extremely bizarre dreams....

Hope to sleep better tonight!
Laura

Wednesday night wrap-up...

2008-09-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Time for some mid-week ramblings, I guess.

Again - not sure where the time has gone. I think the fact that I haven't been home at all this week but to sleep has a lot to do with it.

Monday - was supposed to be a holiday and a day off but it turned into a prep day for the scout car wash coming up this saturday. Tom and I went to a couple stores to get supplies for the signs. Seems like that was only part of the day, the rest of the day was filled with laundry and inventory of binders for the first day of school. Then Monday evening, we all went to scouts and the boys made the signs for the car wash.

Tuesday - got the boys off to school and I was off to work at HOTP for the day. Shortened the day a bit to get back in time to pick up the boys after school. Then it was football practice and home. Tom made dinner so that was ready when we came home from practice. That was probably the highlight of my week so far - not having to cook dinner...

Wednesday (aka today) - it was another day at HOTP. Back to pick up the boys and football... I am just wiped.. It is after 10pm and the last thing I want to do is anything around this house. So will just call it a night...

Thursday will be another day of school, work for me at Boxer (will be great to see Angie - she has been out of town and just really miss this girl when she is gone....) and will finish off the day again with football. I am hoping that Tom will take Lucas to practice though... I just need an evening at home to catch up on a few things... Not feeling very together with so much chaos..

Anyway, I hope you all that read my ramblings are having a good week. I am grateful for the nice sunshine we are having this week - not too hot - just seems right.

So til next time...
Laura

First day of school...

2008-09-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, they survived the first day... Lucas found out first thing this am that the school he went to last year did not withdraw him. So his schedule was mixed of old school schedule with new school schedule. That explained why he had teachers from last year, room numbers that do not exist at this school, and 10th period when there is only 7 in a day...

Anyway, it got worked out and I think overall, they had a good first day... Lucas even has his homework done for tonight. I, however, have more forms to fill out!

Now it is off to football practice and to fill out forms!!!!
Til next time...
Laura

is it really September already???

2008-09-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it is September already. The summer has just flown by. Tomorrow the boys start school - two middle schoolers, oh boy.... We got looking at the calendar and we have stuff going every single weekend for the month! That is aside from Football if Lucas is able to play. He is still wanting to go to the games though. It will be a busy month... The scout carwash on the 6th, bunco on the 12th, archery field on the 13th and Tom and Jake have something on the 14th - can't remember now...., out of town company coming the weekend of the 19th, the 20th - I help teach at a work event, Tom and Jake will be gone that weekend too for a scout thing, then the weekend of the 26th, that is Lucas' birthday. Whew - that isn't even with week stuff... I am tired already.

Today, just been hanging out.. The scouts are putting on a car wash next saturday. If you are in the area and need your car washed - come by Les Schwab on Walker Rd and 158th between
11am-4 pm. Will have the boys wash your car. So we went today to pick up some supplies for the boys to make signs tonight at their meeting.

Then of course the usual laundry. Tom took Lucas to get a haircut. This was a first - Lucas asked if we could take him??? Hmmm, is there someone we are impressing at this new school?

I read Paris' blog and she made a cobbler from the Pioneer woman site - I had to try it. thepioneerwoman.com - there is a blackberry cobbler debate. Both sound so yummy. Tonight though, we are trying cobbler #1. Didn't have all that was needed for #2. I am taking dessert to bunco so will make #2 then. I could not believe how simple this was to make. I am sure it will be yummy - it certainly is making the house smell wonderful as it bakes. I am inspired with new recipes and wanting to try new things after reading your blog, Paris. You Martha Dukes you....

Since I am going to the scout meeting tonight with Tom and the boys - I better finish up getting done what I need to today. This long weekend went by too fast... Will let you know how the cobbler comes out...

Til next time...
Laura

now we wait....

2008-08-31T16:30:00.001-07:00

So took Lucas up to OHSU this afternoon for his MRI. It took 3 hours... Went by actually pretty fast because I had a book and my iPod. I discovered that I have solitaire on my iPod so that took up lots of time, mostly trying to figure out how to play... Hopefully we will hear something soon and not have to wait til our appt on the 11th. At least if I can tell football an answer...

Tom and Jake made it home. So everything is back to normal already with the boys. I swear - 5 minutes and they are at it... Can I send them back to school now???

Well, hope you all are having a nice long weekend and finding something fun to do. Stay safe if you are traveling.
Til next time...
Laura

just hanging with "Dozer"...

2008-08-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures from when I dropped the boys off at camp - I look forward to this now all summer, but really when I drive off, I am surprised how hard it is to actually leave them... Notice Lucas - typical pose anymore...
This is actually a good one of the two of them. Jake had a good week again at camp this year. There are adults there, but just makes me think of the "Lost Boys" running amuck at these things... Especially when I hear the stories afterwards... I wish Lucas could of made it longer than one night though. But it was just too hard to get around on the crutches...
Jake is prepared with his pack. Hmmm... This is pretty light. Did you pack anything to get you through the week? Turns out he didn't. He suffered through the hike because he didn't take his hiking boots. He was kicked out of his cabin because he was too stinky. This kid stays in the same clothes all week. They finally made him shower on Wednesday... He got there on SUNDAY!!!! But he ended up in Lucas' patrol cabin. They apparently all stunk too so he spent the rest of the week there...
This is the view from our little hotel room in Hoodsport where we stayed on our return trip. It was just so relaxing and quiet! I want to go back and just stay there....
It is very hard to get any good pictures of Lucas anymore. I was surprised he actually stood still for this one and didn't put his hand up or make some funny face... I can't believe how fast the time is going by - not a little boy anymore...

Well, "Dozer" (nickname he picked up from Football last year.) and I are just hanging out again this weekend. Tom and Jake are off on their last backpacking trip for the summer. Yesterday before they left, Jake and I went and did a little back to school shopping. Something I started doing last year, just taking one kid at a time and doing their shopping. It takes a little longer but I like the one-on-one with them. So they headed out about 3:30 and it was then just Dozer and I.

Lucas has really gotten into football. He is turning 13 next month (actually been in training for those teen years for some time now....) and I have been checking into tickets to a Seahawks game. Oh but not sure I can pull it off. They are pretty spendy. But the last pre-season game was on tv last night against Oakland Raiders so we ordered a pizza and watched the game. Ok, he watched the game. I have been so tired lately. I laid down on the couch and lasted for about the first quarter. Then woke up a few times to check the score... Then before I knew it, it was last few seconds of the game... Then we called it a night.

Today we are just taking it easy. Catching up on some household chores and just hanging out. I think we will finish up the school supply shopping this afternoon. But need to do an inventory of leftovers from last year. See what can be recycled. I can't believe the supply lists each year. Really do they need all of that??? I know there are so many kids that can't provide their own supplies, but things are tough all around. I can't really afford to supply for the class. I think this year, I am only sending basics and they can keep a back stock of supplies here at home. When they need something, it will be here. I just can't justify sending them two dozens pencils on the first day. Seriously??? Anyway, seems like every year, the folders, binders, etc come home not even used. And where are all those CD's, VHS tapes and cassette tapes that have been sent over the years? I have never seen those come home with anything. If it turns out that they need something specific, then we will get it. Comes to be a time when a line needs to be drawn. Anyway, enough on that tangent...

Tomorrow afternoon, we will head to OHSU for Lucas' MRI. We finally got it scheduled. He won't see the Orthopedist til the 11th now, but hopefully the MRI will at least give us an answer to whether he will play football at all this season or if we need to focus on physical therapy or something to get him ready for next year. They said to plan for at least 3 hours or more for the MRI. They are doing from his hips down to both knees. Guess just being thorough or something. So will take my book and iPod to help pass that time... So hopefully this will get figured out and the kid can get on with better things.

So hope you all have a good weekend. Last before the new school year starts. I am hoping this will be a clean slate. Boys are starting at a new middle school. We went to pick up their schedules earlier this week and took a little tour of the school. They both saw lots of kids from either last year, lacrosse, football or scouts, so they will not be going not knowing anyone. I got a good feel from the school. So hoping this will be a good change for the boys. Will be a big change for me as I will be driving them to and from school now. Since they are part of an Open Enrollment program, they are out of the busing system. So it will be me...

Anyway, enjoy the rest of your long weekend!
Til next time...
Laura

I finished a book....

2008-08-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

Well, not sure when I started this one but actually finished it in less than 4 years like the last one.... I just finished reading At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks. I just really like his books. It had me frustrated for awhile - was she trapping the guy to get married??? Was it someone else's baby??? Is she lying??? Will he ever write again??? What is that ex-boyfriend really out for??? But then towards the end it turned into a can't put down. Will the baby be ok??? I was waiting at football practice the other night when I was finishing the book - oh man, it ended said... I wasn't expecting that. I am sure people were wondering why was I crying in my truck??? I won't tell you how it ends in case you want to read the book. But it did turn out to be a very good book.

So now I have started Marley and Me. I picked this one up awhile ago when Shauna and I were hanging out at the bookstore. I just can't seem to be reading more than one at a time.. Takes me too long to get into the story to be keeping them straight. But heard this one was a good one and will make me laugh. I can use that....

Well, not sure if Lucas is going to make it to football practice tonight or not. Having some issues. Must of been what he ate for lunch.

Tom and Jake need to do a little shopping tonight for their campout this weekend. Tomorrow it will be a mad dash through school supply shopping for us. So better get off this computer and figure out our evening....

Have a good one.
Til next time.
Laura

Nicholas Family news...

2008-08-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

So been another busy week. Work, work, and more work. Kids, kids and more kids...

I took Lucas to football practice this week. Poor kid is still not able to play. He has been hobbling around on crutches and just watching from the side lines. I finally got ahold of an orthopedist that can see him on the 4th - instead of the 29th of Sept. And they want an MRI before the appointment. So hoping we can get that this week. At least if we could find out if this is something serious or if it will work it's way out and possibly he can play this season. Or if we need to pull him out and get him healed up for next year. Yesterday, we went to the jamboree. The team did pretty well. It was exciting to be in the stands again. But a bummer to see Lucas on the sidelines on his crutches. He gets pretty down in the dumps because he can't play so it was cool at the end of the jamboree, one of the coaches said - hey Lucas, when are you going to be back in the house? We need you man. That was great for him to hear and he walked a little taller.

Wednesday was Bob (Loritta's husband) service. It was very nice. I went over to her house for a bit after with a couple gals from the bunco group. She is holding up pretty good. Breaks my heart she has to go through so much. It is wonderful that she has so many people around to support her.

Friday was my buddy Sadie's last day at work. I have known Sadie for close to 10 years now. She took classes of mine when I taught at a store in Vancouver. So the boys and I went down and met her for lunch along with a big group of others from work. Then the little stinker snuck off and paid for everyone's lunch... We were supposed to be taking her for lunch... But I have so enjoyed having her there. We would go out to lunch and just have some good laughs. I will miss her. Now we will just have to have dinners together...

Jake, Lucas and I did some closet cleaning yesterday. Did our inventory of what they need to start school. I am hoping over this next week to get my house "clean swept" so we can start off the new school year somewhat organized... If I can figure out what that is...

Tom and Jake are planning a hike/camping trip next weekend. Think they are going somewhere around Mt Hood. So will finish up house stuff and getting ready for school.

Today it is raining - I am kind of glad to see it. We have had some really weird weather here but something about the rain just makes things fresh again.

My parents came by for a visit today. Mom's garden is in full swing so she brought me corn on the cob, green beans, zucchini, fresh cut flowers and even some canteloupe. Think the canteloupe were from the store though... So tonight with the goulash, we will have fresh corn and melon. May make some zucchini bread tomorrow after football. Mom also brought me a bunch of pictures that her mom had. Grandma passed away earlier this summer and I made a small photo board for the service. Mom didn't know what to do with the board and the remaining photos, so looks like a memory book I will be making... Just need to make the time to do it. She had a bunch of pics of me growing up. I don't have any but one of me at age 2. So even though they are not flattering pictures, it is nice to have them. I may brave it one day and share them...

Sorry our movie escape didn't work out today, Shauna.... We will have to try again soon.

So - better finish up dinner. Load some more laundry. Get some stinky boys to take their showers. Finish up some more projects for work and call it a night before Army Wives...

Enjoy the rest of your evening.
Til next time.
Laura

busy morning ramblings....

2008-08-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well, another Saturday morning around here. Just the usual. Get the laundry going. Load and start the dishwasher. It is going to be another scorcher of a day here today, so thought I would put a pot of beef stew going in the crock pot for dinner. Because come dinner time, the last thing I am going to want to do is cook something for dinner.

Last night, Tom took Lucas and I out to dinner at Newport Bay. Think everyone else had the same idea because it was crowded. We received a gift card of $$ off and it expired on the 21st.. Heard a few other people saying that they needed to get in and use it before it expired - again - reason for the restaurant to be so busy. That marketing mailing was working for them... Anyway, was a good salmon dinner.

After dinner, I made peanut butter bars. A recipe I found on Mary Ruth's blog - girl - you post some yummy treats!!!! Tom and Lucas really liked those treats and since I didn't have to turn on the oven - even better.

Jake comes home from summer camp this afternoon. I hope he had a good time. I am sure he did - bunch of boys with adult supervision at a minimum.... oh yeah! I saw him for a bit on Monday when I went back to pick up Lucas and just trying to get a goodbye out of him was like - oh yeah - see ya mom. Got things to do... Oh well, I am glad he was having a good time.

I have a baby shower to go to this afternoon. Finished making a card this morning so better make a run to the store and pick up a gift. The mom is having a little girl so I get to shop in the pink section! Only bummer about going shopping now is the crazy back to school shoppers. Gees - what is with that? Do they not see that when they try on 15 pairs of shoes and leave them in the aisle that this could cause a problem for other people who are trying to go down the aisle with a cart!!! Please.... Anyway, better get to it, my morning is getting away from me.

Have a good day. If it is a hot where you are as it is here - stay cool! Hoping this is the last of our heat wave...

Til next time.
Laura

with saddened heart....

2008-08-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

I have sad news. My friend Loritta from my bunco group - just called a little while ago to let me know that her husband, Bob, passed away a couple of hours ago. He has been suffering from cancer for so long that this is a blessing that he is no longer in pain. But it doesn't hurt any less. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. She is a very strong woman but has been going through so much for so long. She still has so much ahead of her.

My deepest sympathies to you, Loritta, and your family.

who let the squirrels out???

2008-08-13T09:59:00.001-07:00

Or IN???? That is right - right into my living room. I was sitting here in the living room on my laptop and the front door was open to help cool off the house. And in walks a squirrel! Startled the $#$** out of me.

May be time to price screen doors!

why even bother making a plan???

2008-08-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, this must be the summer of changed plans…. Seems like there hasn’t been much that has gone according to the plan.

So with that said… here is the latest update of changed plans.

I drove up yesterday to take the boys to summer camp. Smooth drive, without incident. The campsite was in a beautiful setting on Hood Canal. If I was a camper, I would of stayed in a heartbeat. But as the boys unloaded their packs and got checked into camp, I found out the ferry schedule and then headed to Bainbridge Island. I caught the ferry over to Seattle and then drove to Vicki’s house in Maple Valley. This really is such a pretty area. If they could just get rid of the expense of living here and all the traffic – I could live here.

I had a nice dinner with Vicki and her girls. We watched Army Wives and called it a night. As I was setting up to do some work this am, I turned on my phone and had a message from Lucas. He was having such a hard time at camp. The trails to get around were gravel and loose dirt. Lots of hills and just overall too hard to do on crutches. The scout leader thought it would be best if he went home.

I packed up my things. Had a short breakfast visit with Vicki and headed back to the ferry. Got to camp and couldn’t find Lucas. He did make it up to the Archery Field so I made my way that direction. Found Lucas and Jake both there – so that was pretty cool. I watched them shoot arrows for awhile. A camp vehicle picked up Lucas and took him to his campsite. I wandered over there but couldn’t stop from taking pictures… lol Just such an amazing area.

We got Lucas’ pack put together and he started hobbling to the parking lot. I lugged his pack – man, what did he pack??? Finally, I just dropped the pack and went to get the truck. I drove a bit past the restricted area – oh well. What are they going to do, give me a ticket???

Then I went back to the camp office – signed him out and we headed home. Figured I should probably get him in to the doc again this week. Have an MRI and just see what really is going on in there. He is not getting any better. If anything, he is getting worse.

So as we are driving home, I am seeing all these cute little motels along the water and just really not wanting to go home… But before I knew it, we were in Shelton and away from the water. Tom called and I told him that I really wish I could just turn around and stay a night. It is so pretty here. He says – just let me know… Oh well, in that case, we pulled over and called information about those little motels. I got ahold of Sunrise Motel. Very reasonable rates and with a view! So back we went to Hoodsport. I got Lucas settled into the room - ok I see now why the rates are so reasonable. Grabbed a burger from around the corner for us for dinner and now I am sitting on the deck outside our room looking over the docks and water. There are guys fishing to the right of me and there are people out in their boats to the left. Birds flying around and the sun is starting to go down… Now this is vacation! I wish I could stay all week…. It just doesn’t take much for me anymore to totally get hooked on this laid back whole relaxed thing. Guess the hustle and bustle of live just really makes me enjoy it when I can.

Well, better see about getting Lucas in the shower and cleaned up. Camping definitely is a dirty adventure… We will be home tomorrow and I will share some of the pictures I have been taking here. Just not the same as being here though – add this to my list of must come back to….

Til next time…
Laura

hello all....

2008-08-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is Saturday again... Just been doing laundry, mowing the "grass" aka dry weeds, grocery shopping and house chores today... The boys are getting packed for summer camp. I can't believe summer is almost over. Only a few more weeks and we will be back into the school routine.

Last night was Bunco. That was fun. Always good to have some good laughs. I stopped on the way and picked up Guitar Hero for the boys' Wii. They were up pretty early this am playing it already.

Tomorrow, I take the boys to summer camp. We will be back next saturday. I am going to go visit friends in the area while the boys are at camp near Shelton, WA. I hope Lucas will be ok as his knee is still giving him trouble. Tom picked him up some crutches today and I think they are helping him get around a little more. Maybe this will help his knee heal without so much pressure on it.

Send up some happy thoughts.... I have several friends and family going through so much right now and they could use a little extra sent their way. A friend, Loritta, had a second surgery on her shoulder this week and the shoulder was beyond repair. This was not good news. While she was recovering from this shoulder's first surgery, she tripped and injured her other shoulder. She is waiting to meet with her doc and see if anything can be done for that one. While she is trying to recoop from these injuries, her husband is suffering from cancer. It doesn't look good. She has so much on her plate right now....

Another friend, Beth, had surgery on her back yesterday. She did call one of the bunco gals last night and she was home and doing well. She had pain from the incision but she said that for the first time in three years, she wasn't in pain. Beth - I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Then my neice, Miranda, is in the hospital again. They are not sure what exactly is going on with her. She has had so many things she has gone through since she was 11 years old. She is now 24 and still faces so many difficulties. She just came back from a wedding in Spokane and her foot was really swollen. They took x-rays thinking it may of been broken. She doesn't have feeling on her right side so she might have done something to it and not even know it. Then they were saying she might have a blood clot. But then at the same time, they just really don't know. Anyway, please keep her in your thoughts. She is a special young woman and could just finally catch a break....

Of course, Shauna, you are always in my thoughts. This was a chemo week for you so I hope you are feeling a little better now later in the week.

Paris - you always have so much on your plate - I hope you are getting by and have finished up all those brushes.

Mary Ruth - I hope that you are doing well with being pregnant. I can only imagine how miserable you are in that Texas heat....

It just seems that life has been so hard lately. What happened to the happy ever after? I hope that things turn better soon.

So off to finish getting ready to leave town. Hugs to you all hope you have a good week.
Laura

they are home already???

2008-08-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, stopped at the store last night to pick up some ice cream - just been really wanting some coconut pineapple in this heat. Had a message on the phone when I got in the truck - Tom and Jake were home... Hmm, they weren't supposed to be home til friday. So Lucas starts with all the circumstances that could of made them come home early. Dad fell and broke his leg and Jake hiked out either dragging him or to get help..... But nothing like that.

They got there Monday morning and hiked in 6 miles. Then they realized they did have enough fuel for their camp stove. So they hiked back out. 12 miles that day. Ended up getting a hotel (oh boy this is roughin' it!) and looked for an REI tuesday am. Ends up - they did a small hike to Devil's Lake and decided to come home. It was pretty hot. They were sore. Jake was getting a blister from his boots and not sure if the fuel was going to last. Tom was using some different kind and it was burning faster. ( I am not a camper - so didn't really know what he was talking about...)

But they made it home safe. Jake got chewed on quite a bit from the mosquitoes and they both got pretty red from the sun. They will probably just take it easy today and maybe hit the pool.

Update on Lucas - took him to the doc monday. Looks like he may have some small tears in the ligaments in his right knee. There is also some fluid in there. So he is taking ibuprofen 3x a day, ice, and on limited activities. So he is participating still in football camp from the sidelines. He is able to go to summer camp with scouts next week, but needs to limit activities. So no hike. He was going for a requirement with a 5 mile hike - will have try another time. Just want him to heal so he can still play this season. He just wants to be on the field, not the sidelines.

So I got to see my cuz, Eric, again at the airport in Philly. His boys were flying home same airline as I was but a couple hours earlier. So got to snag a picture with him quick before he headed home. Thanks Vicki for taking a great picture... It was so great to see him and his family.

Oh I promised you a funny story from my trip so here is the best one that tops many for a while....

But first it needs a little set up....

When Angie was in Vegas for a trade show, she was heading out of the convention center to head to dinner and she ran over a cone. She dragged it under the car and they ended up having to get a security guy to help get the cone out from under the car.

So, on Sunday, we had one box that we needed to ship home so we stopped at Staples. And pulled into the parking space - up over the curb - and parked... We were laughing already... Then Vicki got out of the van and saw this cone next to the shrubs over the curb. She started laughing even more because this cone was just mangled. I told her that I was going to put it under the car. So I stayed in the van waiting to make sure that the shipping counter wasn't right at the windows and put the mangled cone under the tire....Angie and Vicki come out of the store. Vicki is asking me- where is the cone? I told her I put it under the car. She thought I said I put it in the back of the car so she was waiting for Ang to say something because she was now putting something back there. Anyway, Ang comes up along the side of the car and opens her door. "You are not going to believe this. But there is a cone under the car..." I am thinking, I can believe it! So we are all laughing - mostly because Ang believes that she ran over this thing and not sure how long it has been under there. She says - oh we should send a picture to Debbie (she was also in the car in Vegas for the first cone) and I say - oh I have my camera right here....

So take pictures .... and here is Ang on the phone posing with the cone.

We just let Ang go on thinking she ran over this cone. But awhile later, she made a comment about - I don't know how I ran over that cone. I said, "I can. Because I put it there...." We laughed some more, well, maybe Ang wasn't laughing that much... Oh what good times. Thanks Angie and Vicki for a great weekend. Oh and I guess, Judy and Danita too.... lol We spent a lot of time with them too.

Well, should probably get to work. Or at least get ready to leave for work. Have a good day. Make time to laugh and hug your families.

Til next time....
Laura

this is going to be short....

2008-08-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

because I am exhausted!

I got home early this am about 1:30. Our flight was delayed about an hour out of Philly as we waited for a crew.... Hmmmm, that is what happened when we tried to fly from Philly last year on that same flight. Anyway, we made good time and got in just about 30 minutes past our original arrival time.

So got home, dropped the bags and the door and went straight to bed.

Jake woke me up at 4:30am to say goodbye. He and Tom were taking off for their 45 mile hike around the Sisters Mountains.

I went back to sleep and Lucas woke me up as he hobbled around the house at 7:30am. His has been having alot of pain in his knee all weekend.

So with him thumpin' around, I was pretty much awake.

Caught up on laundry today.. Geez - how many towels can three guys use in five days? I think I did three loads of just towels today. Called the doc's office and took Lucas in at 3:30 this afternoon. Looks like he may have some small tears in the ligaments in his knee along with some fluid. So he is to rest it, ice it and take ibuprofen 3 times a day. Well, football camp was to start at 5pm tonight. So we went with our doc note and he followed along in camp from the sidelines. Then we were off to scouts. Again another doc note because summer camp is next week. Got that figured out and now going to try to find something quick to eat. And then I am off to bed.

I have some great pictures from my weekend and some funny stories to tell. But right now, I am just too tired and wiped out. Will post again tomorrow after a good full night of sleep - at least 8 hours....

Til next time.
Laura

so long Philly....

2008-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finished up with the show. Yesterday, and friday for that matter, were busy. We tore down the booth last night and then when to dinner and closed the restaurant. Had some great laughs with Judy and Danita (yes, Shauna - these are the gals from Galloping Horse that had the store in Hillsboro) We had to call it a night though when Vicki and I started getting leg cramps and just couldn't sit in the booth anymore.... Oh what fun memories.

Not sure what the plan is for today. We are getting ready to pack up. Well, I am ready. Just waiting for Ang.... Check out was 50 minutes ago but not really worried about it. The front desk did call me though in my room (if I didn't say before, I ended up with my own room - oh that is a story on it's own) at 11:09 to ask if I was extending my stay and that check out was 11. oh well....

But fly out tonight after 8pm sometime and will be home pretty late. Will be good to be home. Tom and Jake leave tomorrow for their hike around the Sisters for the week so it will be just Lucas and I. Sounds like he has been having a lot of leg pain this weekend so not sure what that is all about. May be going to see the doc this week... I am hoping it is growing pains.

So have a great day.
Laura

Oh - I did get to see Eric and his family friday night. He came into Valley Forge with his adorable little girl to pick me up. Then we went out to Pottstown to have dinner at his house. Was great to see him and finally meet his wife, Theresa. His boys were there visiting for the summer and I just got attached to his little girl Emma Lynn immediately. She is just the cutest little peanut. I called her Peanut and Eric says - that is what I call her - Princess Peanut. too funny... She is 13 months and just full of everything. It is so cute how she has Eric just wrapped around her little finger. Austin - his oldest - was visiting some more family so missed getting to see him. But saw some pics and oh how he has grown. He is 6 months older than my Lucas. But did get to see Bailey and Conner and they are growing up so fast. But it has been so long since I have seen them too. Way too long. I have some pics so will post when I get home. But it was just great to catch up and have some good laughs.

day one down....

2008-07-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

well, we got the booth set up today. Took us a little longer today so wasn't able to meet up with my cuz Eric. But have plans for tomorrow so will be great to see him.

But it was good to see the old regulars from the consumer show circuit. Makes you feel like a carnie almost.... lol Kris - so wonderful to see you for a little bit today. Will need to see you again this weekend so I can stock up on adhesive again.... Congrats on the new grandbaby. And hope the sandwich was good... Vicki, Jennie and MR - I sure miss you girls at these shows. I have so many wonderful memories of our trips together. Of course, Terri is here though.... Guess it was ok to see her. lol

Well, should finish my mudslide and left over dessert from last night before calling it a night. Have a good one!
Laura

hello from Valley Forge, PA!

2008-07-31T05:17:00.000-07:00

well, I made it here last night. Flight was ok except for the guy in front of me reclined back so far he was in my lap. Seriously... So I tapped my foot on the bottom of his seat til he woke up... Ok, and yeah, I pushed on it a few times too. I couldn't even open up my book if I wanted to.

Anyway, made it here safely - guess that is what matters most.

Angie and Vicki picked me up at the airport and then we went and got Judy and Danita (more vendors and friends here) they all had been site seeing in Philly for the day. We went to an awesome steakhouse for dinner.

On our way to dinner, my cousin Eric called. He had just gotten home from a day in Philly with the family. He even was talking about his drive home on 422 and had to take a different way because of traffic. We were in that traffic! He probably passed us... Anyway, looks like I will see him tonight after set up. Will be great to see the family.

Well, today is set up day so better finish getting ready.
Have a great day. It was 93, overcast and MUGGY!!!! when I landed yesterday at 4:30pm.
Til later then...
Laura

I am hittin' the road!

2008-07-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well, besides what is in the laundry, I think I am packed... If not, oh well....

Tomorrow am I am heading to Philly, PA. Going to work the convention with Boxer Scrapbooks in Valley Forge. I am hoping to see my cousin, Eric and his family too while I am there. They live 20 minutes from Valley Forge. And maybe even go to a quilt store. I was there this time last year and went to a very cool quilt store, bought some things, never did anything with the things I bought yet, so it should be time to check it out again and get some more things...

4:45am is going to come very quickly so I better see how many more loads of laundry I have before I can head to bed.

Have a nice week.
Talk to you more soon.
Laura

PS - Shauna, I had such a great time Saturday. The movie was so funny (some parts I could of probably not seen) but it was good to just laugh. And then just visiting at Borders was great. We need to do that more often....

change of plans....

2008-07-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

well, got a call at 7am this morning from Lucas. He was having some issues at camp and needed to come home. So off to Fort Stevens I went...

Came across one of the scouts on the bicycle ride. They were doing a 15 mile ride today. Then shortly after that, I came across Lucas and Jake loading Jake's bike in the back of a pickup. Apparently Jake has grown out of his bike and was having a hard time with the ride. So took them both back to camp to get their things and head back for home, with both boys....

We made it home after a short visit to Les Schwab in Seaside. My service tire monitor light came on - ok, what does that mean??? The guy checked the tires and put some air in and we were on our way.

But made it home in time to help Tom replace the kitchen faucet. Finally - no more dripping faucet.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day!
Til next time....
Laura

home alone for the weekend....

2008-07-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, with Tom that is!!!! The boys are off for the weekend on a boy scout camp out. (I couldn't convince Tom that he really wanted to go...) So tonight we got the boys off and then went out to dinner at Red Lobster. Oh so good. Had wood-grilled halibut and king crab legs - oh so yummy. Been watching too much Deadliest Catch, I guess. Really wanted some crab. And I usually cook myself crab when the guys are all gone so it was nice to actually have some one cook it that knew what they were doing.... Then we did a little grocery shopping. I can't remember the last time Tom and I were in the store together. It was kind of nice to have him bag the groceries for me and load them in the car - but I still drove the cart!

So sorry I missed your call this afternoon Shauna. I would of loved to sneak off to a movie. But think we were packing up the boys at that time. So will be fun to meet up tomorrow and see something funny... Some laughs are always good medicine.

Well, sounds like we are watching Ice Road Truckers here tonight... Have a nice night.

Til next time...
Laura

wii gonna be gettin' fit around here....

2008-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received a check - finally - for a job that I did in January and February. So on our way to the pool today (OMG- who told the old men of Beaverton that it was ok to wear speedos??? Today was a record for how many of them could get into a crowded pool in a 1 1/2 hour time period...) Anyway, on our way to the pool, we stopped at Game Crazy to see if they had any wii fit in stock - nope, so went across the street to Game Stop and they did, so I bought it for the boys. Apparently it is a hit... They have been wii-sizing since they got home from the pool. Thinking I may have to try it too, but might just have to wait when no one is home....

So tomorrow, going to take some more of that check and buy myself a new suitcase. Airlines have been hard on my bags past few trips so time to replace before jetting off to Philly next week.

Well have a nice evening!
Til next time....
Laura

Finally some good news....

2008-07-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Tom received an offer today from McAffee (the computer virus people) and he accepted. This is great news and he is very happy. This is a job that he really wanted. So he is going to take Jake on their long hike around the Sisters mountains after I come home from my trip to Valley Forge, PA and then start work on the 11th of August. Oh wow - such a relief!

Til next time...
Laura

need a chocolate fix?

2008-07-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

You will have to try this... I was reading through my friend Mary Ruth's blog and found this recipe. Asked the boys if they wanted me to make it. They had no idea what it was - but they were all for it. So easy to make and so super yummy... I think I made it in a pan that was too small though - it spilled over in the oven. But MR - you are right, a little vanilla ice cream would of have just topped this off perfectly...

(Sorry - there was no time to take a picture of this one!)

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

3⁄4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter melted
1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla
1⁄2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1 1⁄4 cup hot water

Heat oven to 350. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour into a 9 inch square baking pan. Stir together remaining sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa. Sprinkle on top over batter. Pour hot water on top. DO NOT STIR. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Garnish with whipped cream, walnuts, or vanilla ice cream.

that is it from me for tonight.
til next time...
Laura

actually made cookies...

2008-07-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

I made cookies yesterday for the first time in I don't know how long. Just needed something sweet and since they were oatmeal - they are healthy right? Turned out pretty good and of course the guys gobbled them up. Did manage to get some in the cookie jar though.

So thought I would share the recipe.

Oatmeal Crispies

Cream together:
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar

Add and beat well:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together and then mix with sugar mixture:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Stir in:
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Form dough into long roll on covered cookie sheet with waxed paper. Chill thoroughly and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. (I tend to slice mine about 1/2 inch) Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes (a little longer for thicker cookies) in a 350 degree oven.

Well, Jake is having a friend over this afternoon, so better finish up my house chores. Then it is back to working on some projects for work.

Oh and my nephew Travis - turned 21 years old yesterday!!! Happy birthday, Travs. Wow - 21! Today I think he is celebrating by going to the new Batman movie, if he didn't go to the midnight show already. Huge Batman fan. Anyway, I am very proud of the man you have become - happy birthday.

So til next time...
Laura

oh - found a lost post....

2008-07-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded my pictures off my camera and found this one of the frame that I made for Scott. Scott works in Pre-Press at Hot Off the Press. A very nice guy. So thought I would share with you. Scott says, Dude, all the time. So I had to work that into the frame. Sorry for the glare... Such a proud daddy and an adorable little girl.

Laura

remembering...

2008-07-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of remembering July 14, 2006. Not especially the day, but of the wonderful man that lost his life that day. My good friend, Angie, lost her dad that day. Angie and Vicki (aka Mom)are more than friends to me, they are like family. And their world was changed forever on that day. It doesn't feel like it has been 2 years. Just unreal. I still feel like Mike is going to drive up in his old brown truck with stories of his fishing adventures. Mike was a one of a kind man. Not really sure any words I can write would give him justice and fully explain who he was. But I feel like he is still here. When I go to work at Boxer, it just feels like he is standing there laughing at me because the tape is crooked across the boxes and I need to add a second strip. Or when we are working a booth at a convention and I am having trouble snipping the zip ties to take down the grid wall, Mike would of shown me some kind of trick to make it easier and at the same time, he would of been making fun of me. Mike loved his family and would do anything for his friends. Everyone was his friend. He is so greatly missed. Ang and Vicki - you are amazing. I admire your strength and know that I am always here for you whenever you need anything.

Hug your families and tell them you love them. You never know when they might be taken away from you.
Love always,
Laura

from our house to yours...

2008-07-06T15:34:00.001-07:00

Well, that time again. Feels like many days have gone by and time for a catch up....

We had a nice quiet day on the 4th. Tom and Jake went to hike the Nature Park and then they spent most of the afternoon at the shooting range. Lucas and I did a couple errands. We have been collecting our cans and plastic bottles for the recycle refund. Well, this is all and all a good idea.... Until - you go to Freddies and they only take the brands that they sell. So Lucas went in the store and came out with 25 cents... So we go to Safeway then because the remaining bottles we have are their brand. Well, after a few bottles, the machine is full. So Lucas then comes out of the store with 35 cents! Wow - this is really becoming so not worth the effort.

So we ended up at the grocery store and got some things for bbq-ing burgers. We swung by another Safeway on the way home and finished off recycling our bottles. At the end of it all, Lucas had a whoppin' $1.70! It only probably cost me $10 in gas to go to the three places. He may just have to find another way to raise funds... He is saving for a guitar. Pretty proud of him so far though. He is not my saver. Jake - he can save money. Lucas - not so much. But he is up to over $13 now so he is off to a good start.

We got home and while I unloaded the truck, Lucas laid down. The couple errands wore him out. He is starting to feel a little better but sure gets wiped out.... He was out on the couch through dinner and through a movie. We woke him up for fireworks though...

But while Lucas napped, Jake and I ran to get some fireworks. Hit the buy one get one free stand. Got a good selection. Sure do miss the good fireworks from Washington. Oregon fireworks are basically fountains.... So we got $40 worth of fountains...

We had a nice bbq for dinner and I made a cake. I found a recipe on Mary Ruth's blog called Three Leches Cake. I changed it just a little bit and came up with this.... Didn't realize how crooked my stripes were until I posted this picture.... I made a white cake mix. Then after it was done baking, I poked holes in the cake and poured a mixture of 1 cup milk, 1 cup condensed milk and 1 cup evaporated milk. The warm cake soaks up the milk mixture for an extremely moist cake. As the cake cooled, I sliced strawberries in half and washed up some blueberries. When the cake was cool, I covered it with cool whip and added the strawberries and blueberries. Then I put the cake in the fridge for a couple hours. It was very good. So easy to make and loved the fresh fruit. Just seemed like the perfect dessert for Independence Day.

After dinner, we rented a movie On Demand. Weird movie... Ended with Tom and I looking at each other and saying, "that's it? Weird ending...." Then my little Pyro Jake lit off the fireworks for us. Not sure what it is with fireworks, but kids love them and they make us Moms nervous... There were so many fireworks going off in our neighborhood, that there was just a haze of smoke every where.

But it was a good day.

Saturday, was a day of running around. A guy wanted to meet Tom in Vancouver and buy his motorcycle. Well apparently neither of them actually checked that this DMV place where we were meeting was actually open... Got there - closed for the holiday weekend. So then it was on the phone with information and everyone I knew with internet access to try to find the next DMV that could possibly be open. Finally found one and it was on the other side of Vancouver, actually down the street from where we used to live. So off we went. Got there shortly before they were scheduled to close - to find out that since Tom couldn't find the title, this transfer needed to take place in Oregon. So back again to information. They could only give me a phone number for a DMV that doesn't have personnel that answers the phone on saturday and their automated service didn't list the hours! After an hour of frustration - we decided to just try on Monday. But don't think Oregon DMV's are actually open on Mondays... Anyway, we drive home, I happen to swing by the Renewal place just down the street from our house to see that they were open til 5pm!!!!!!!!!!!! So call Tom and he was home already and checking online for what he needed to do...

After awhile, we were sitting on the couch talking about the lost title. All the different places that it could be. Tom said that he did something "clever" with it and then could longer find it. So I started asking of the different places.... Finally I got to - Is it in your stacking boxes where you put your mail? He goes to look and there it was..

Jake and I decided to go to a movie. We went to see Wall-E. Cute movie.

Tom emailed the guy that he found the title and the deal was finalized about 8pm. The guy came from Woodland and bought the motorcycle.

We ordered pizza for dinner from Hungry Howie's - close to the house, thought we would give them a try. Oh my gosh - the worst I had ever had. Not ordering from there again. Then they messed up the order so called them back and they sent another one. Still wasn't any good...

Today we went to the Nature Park and walked. Tom and Jake went on their route and Lucas and I took ours. He identified his 10 items of nature for a requirement for scouts and we just had a nice walk. Guess I will have my first thing to sign off on in his scout book! After we got home, Lucas assumed his place on the couch and took a 3 hour nap. He is feeling good to be out and about, but it takes its toll. Now he and Jake are out on their bikes.

I have a project I am working on for work but it is just a mellow day at home. Hope you all are having a great weekend.

Til next time...

Laura

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2008-07-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

There is something about this day that makes me think of all those that work to protect us. Those that are fighting to keep us safe. The soldiers, the police, the firefighters, the coast guard... And of course those that have lost their lives doing their jobs for us. So waves those flags high today and be thankful for those that continue to protect this country and remember those that gave the ultimate price of their lives for us... Thank you!

Lucas update....

2008-07-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, he started throwing up last night about 11:30. So I stayed up with him til about 3 when he finally fell asleep. Tom woke me up at 8:30 to say they were leaving for the doc's office. Jake was still asleep so I stayed home with him.

Now Tom and Lucas are back. His temp this am was 103. He has pnuemonia and strep throat. So now we need to get some antibiotics and keep pushing the fluids. Doc said we should see his temp going down over the next three days or so and cough getting worse because he has alot of gunk in his lungs to get out... Poor guy. What a way to spend the start of his summer vacation.

So we are going to be having a quiet day at home for the 4th this year. Tom and Jake may do something to get out of the house.

That is about it from here....

Laura

some good news.... and some bad news....

2008-06-30T22:05:00.001-07:00

Lucas is still not feeling better. Today he slept most of the day, that has been the pattern for most of the past week though. No energy at all. No appetite. I stopped at home after work to get Jake's scout stuff before going to tutoring and picking him up. Lucas was just sweating like crazy and making weird noises in his sleep. So when I felt his head he was burning up.. Looked all over this house for a thermometer and finally found one. Took his temp and it was over 105. So called the doc right away. Since it was after hours, I got the on call. We have a 9am appt for him - they want to rule out pneumonia. I had to go get Jake. Tom thought I should still take him to scouts and he would stay with Lucas. After some more meds, Tom put him in the tub for awhile to cool him down. Seemed to work, so far... But he is just so glassy eyed and not really talking. Not my Lucas at all...

So went to pick up Jake and he came out smiling. Ok, yes, this is the good news part.... He said he got $14 and he is done with tutoring.. He had finished his last two books and he cashed in his tokens. I am so proud of him. He has come so far and worked so hard. We are going to test him wednesday for his math, but I don't think he will need the tutoring for that. He has been doing pretty good there... But I think he is pretty proud of himself too - as he should be. He has made so much progress.

Then we went to scouts - mind you, Tom usually does this... So it was all greek to me... But boy did they smell the fresh meat though!!!! This one guy kept giving me the book to look up what merit badges I wanted to coach and what ways I can be involved in the meetings and campouts and such.... Um, is there a Howard Johnson at these campouts??? Otherwise, you won't see me there. Anyway, he was definitely thinking he was getting me involved. I am all for being involved in my boys - but I am not too sure about this whole scout thing.. It is a different culture to me... Boy lead??? Excuse me???? Anyway...

Got home and Lucas was quite a bit cooler. He is actually awake now and the right foot is wiggling.... This is a constant thing with him. But before, he wasn't moving anything. So think he is feeling a tad better. No appetite though. Anyway, will take him to the doc tomorrow.

Some other good news - I don't have to report for jury duty tomorrow. I got a summons a few weeks ago but didn't read the whole thing. Well, apparently I was supposed to send in a post card saying I was going to report on the 1st, I was going to defer to a later date, or I was over 70 years old. Well, didn't send it in needless to say. So called today and said my husband is out of work, going to interviews, work is crazy and I have a sick kid. Is there anyway, I can get out of this? She asked when I was supposed to report and I said - tomorrow... She kind of laughed and said, well lets put it off for you . So now I don't have to report til December 1st. With my luck, I will get on a jury and be sequestered!!!! Oh wait... That might not be a bad thing. Will I be able to watch the Lifetime channel???

To keep with the good news, Tom had another interview this am. And he also heard that an offer will be coming from the job that he interviewed with on friday. So that is good...

So now we just need to get Lucas healthy. We are holding off on any plans for the 4th right now pending on how he is doing.

It is almost 10:30 now and I am teaching Jake how to make mac and cheese! I am liking this that the boys like and want to cook for themselves... Sure makes life easier.

Well, hope you all are doing well. KJ - I am so sorry. I didn't get your surprise in the mail today. It was bit of a hectic one. So will try tomorrow.

Til next time

Laura

this blogger is back from being MIA...

2008-06-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

Wow - another week down. I am so losing track of time. All this past week, I just thought, ok, today is the 18th, nope, it was the 25th!!!! My days are running together and just seems like I need another 24 hours per day.... Even then, I don't think I would get everything done.

So catch up again...

Jake has been feeling better. But seems like he is still getting pretty tired easy. He missed one night of tutoring this week. He spent a few hours at the sitter and they went to the park. When he got home, he laid down on the couch and was out... But he did go on the campout this weekend with the scouts. I was nervous about this one because Tom and Lucas were not going. But a little more at ease that Lucas wasn't going on this one. There was a bicycle ride on some trails and just worried that Lucas would crash. Lately he hasn't been able to get out of our cul de sac without crashing... He would be prepared though. I looked out the window once and he was at the corner putting on a band aid! He certainly has learned alot from the scouts... So Jake is home tonight - tired and think he had a good time.

Lucas has come down with whatever Jake had. He has been running a temp all week and now just has a terrible cough. With this heat we have been having, the poor guy is just burning up. So lots of popsicles and chicken soup.

I spent alot of time this past week putting together things for my scrap room garage sale. Shauna, Paris and I have decided that it is time to do a clean sweep of our stashes and try our hand at a sale. We filled my scrap room! I didn't really make a dent in what I still have in my cabinets, but it feels good to clean out and just reorganize. We didn't have a very good turn out - only 6 people. So we will try again in a few weeks. I didn't put an ad in the paper this time so will need to do that next time. This one was open to an email group we are on. May also try my hand at e-bay..

So this am, I got up and washed my truck inside and out. Just something about a clean car - maybe it is because my car is never cleaned out that it is so nice when it finally is...

This afternoon was Kate's memorial servie (our receptionist at HOTP). So I picked up Shana and then we met Sherry (our editor at HOTP) and she rode with us. It was a nice surprise that Jacie (one of our graphic designers) was there with Sherry and she rode with us too. It was a very nice service. Kate was just one of those people that instantly became part of your life when you met her. It showed by how she loved her family and friends. It was nice to hear her story and to celebrate her life. We so miss her every day... Thank you Shauna, Sherry and Jacie for going with me. Paris - we missed you being there, but totally understand. You were with us in spirit.

A quick update on Tom - he had a couple interviews this week that went well. I think he is most excited about the one he had on friday. He has another interview tomorrow with another place too. So we are hoping that something comes about with these.

Well, sounds like dinner is beeping. It has been so hot that I haven't cooked in sometime. We were talking about pasta salad today so I made a big bowl of that. Sounded good. Also doing some pork chops and will figure out a veggie.

So til next time... Hope you are doing well. Oh KJ - Paris' daughter Nat is making some special things for me and I can't wait to mail yours off tomorrow. I hope you will like it. This girl has got some talent!!! I should of asked her a long time ago to do these for me... Like two years ago when I thought I was going to try my hand at this.... Anyway, don't want to tell you too much without giving away the surprise... But thanks Nat - it is beautiful!!!

Hugs to you all....
Laura

Sunday Summary...

2008-06-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well, another week is coming to an end. So thought I would do a little summary of what we have been up to around here.

Not sure where I left off in the week, so will go back to Friday. After work, Jake and I went to do some errands. He needed to pick out a bday gift and get a much needed haircut. So off to Target and Great Clips we went. He has been sick all week so it is good to see him feeling better. Thursday he said he had a plan... Friday he would be feeling a little better, and Saturday he would be feeling good so he could go to his friend's birthday party. Guess it is good to have a plan.

So Saturday afternoon, I took Jake to the birthday party and then met Shauna for lunch. Thank you so much my friend. It was wonderful to see you. Thank you for the beautiful card and movie gift certificate. I can't wait to take a day and go to the movies. You are too sweet and I loved just visiting and catching up with you. Let me know when we should meet to get your items for our sale. I will also pick you up for Kate's service next sunday at 1ish. Paris - if you can make it, you are more than welcome to ride with us.

Finished off my saturday with working on some projects that are due Monday. And then I found how I can watch episodes on Lifetime that I have missed on the internet! Angie - you too can watch Lifetime on the internet! You'll love it.... So I finally got to see the whole 1st episode of Season 2 of Army wives. I saw part of it, but fell asleep so the second episode really wasn't making any sense to me... Not it does and then I ended up watching the second episode again... That is probably one of my favorite shows right now.

So today... not sure what the plan is. Need to catch up on some chores around here. Get some more projects done for work. Clean up my scrap room for a scrap sale next weekend. And just get ready for another week to start.

Update on Tom's job - he had a phone interview this week with a company that has him excited about. He got a follow up call about it and they are thinking a face to face interview early this week. So keeping fingers and toes crossed....

Enjoy your Sunday!

Til next time....

Laura