Friday, December 25, 2009

Love


May you reach all the sweet things in life! Wishing you all Happy Holidays!
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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Friday, December 4, 2009

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Enjoy the view!

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Seasons

The cool weather has set in. All the flowers are gone, except those ones my daughter planted that had half their roots exposed. I rescued them and gave them some more soil. They are still blooming. They are nestled close to the house near the door. I don't know why they are still blooming because it's getting pretty frigid out. My neighbor gave them to my daughter in a little bucket as a gift and she planted them all by herself. This time of year reminds me of the song Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds.

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!


My daughters are enjoying the holiday season. They loved the time we spent visiting family and playing with cousins over the Thanksgiving break. Holding the little tiny baby chihuahua puppies at my parents house was definitely a highlight of the trip. Every time we mention that we are going to Grandma's house they inquire as to what pets they will get to see. We were all saddened to hear that Socks passed away this week. She was a dog my in-laws have had since before I married their son. She had kidney failure. When they girls heard the news they were both heartbroken. They wanted to know where she was buried and how she had died.
Now they are busy making cards and letters for Santa. Lu Lu told Z that she must remember to say "please" when asking Santa for a Christmas gift. In the car on the long drive home Lu Lu mentioned that if she were rich she would share her money with people who were poor. This conversation was started when we read Fantastic Mister Fox. The three Farmers in the story are very rich, nasty men. We read the book twice, once on the way to Grandma's and once on the way home from Grandma's. And then there was that part during the visit when we saw Fantastic Mr. Fox in the movie theater. It is such a different, creative movie. I recommend it because it's got great music and may get your kids thinking about sharing.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Make over

Our bathroom was in desperate need of a make over. The linoleum was peeling up in the corners and had a 60's feel, mottled in blue and cream. I took out the toilet and wedged a screwdriver under the old stuff and hammered until I had a big enough piece to pull. Then pull and tug and pull some more. Under the linoleum was some tile laid down by black glue. I opted to tile over this because I didn't know if it contained asbestos. I found this advice on the web. "When asbestos flooring needs replacing, install new floor covering over it, if possible."
And down there in that second picture.... Yeah, the wall wasn't painted behind the toilet. My neighbor and husband laid the tile. Thanks! I love it.

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Veteren's Day

To honor those who selflessly serve. Thank you.

Adventures

We took the North Pend Oreille Valley Lions Club trian ride. It was the weekend right before Halloween. The girls bundled up in coats and hats and blankets. We choose to ride in an open air car with a pic-nic lunch consisting of rotisserie chicken, potato salad, and cranberry apple juice. The ride began in Ione Washington where we boarded the train. It took us along the Pend Oreille river north toward Canada.
We got to stop at Box Canyon Dam on the trestle bridge. This is a view of the river from the bridge. Then we looked down, down, down into the water below us. Our ride snaked along the mountain and through two tunnels. We stopped in Metaline Falls and were robbed by Ma Cutter and her gang. It was quite the adventure and very majestic.

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Sugar High

This cake was so fun to make. I found the candy sticks at a quaint little soda fountain shop in Colville.
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The cat's meow


This year my daughter wanted a cat cake. No problem. Easy as.... cake.
Just make two round cakes. Cut a moon shape from one for the tail and use the now oblong shaped cake for the head.
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Gloppy Fabric Softener


Just went to wash my laundry and it is so cold in the basement that the fabric softener has formed into globs. Kinda like milk when it starts to curdle. I guess that means winter is coming. Mom's favorite time of year. She loved layering up with sweaters and thick socks. I'm sure she would have loved watching her grand kids go trick or treating. I would have called her up and invited her over to sleep in my basement because it's like a refrigerator down there. I know she would have come.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Sweetness


In the middle of our flower patch grows a cherry tomato plant. Last year this spot was just weeds on the hillside. I use to throw old veggies out for the birds or wild turkeys to eat. To my surprise some seeds from last year grew into a cherry tomato plant. The tomatoes are small and sweet and juicy. But don't take my word for it. I wouldn't know because my little Lulu keeps eating them all!
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Saturday, September 26, 2009

Bet you didn't know I was such a neat freak.



According to Lulu this is me. Those squiggles by my head are toys. I am saying, "That's a big mess!"

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Book Mobile


This is our new library. It comes once a month on wheels. They can fit a lot of books inside. More than you would think possible. We don't think it comes often enough. We go through library withdrawal out here in the sticks. I hope they don't mind when we check out forty books next time. I could go crazy reading the same book every night for a month.
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It's Finished

Remember that quilt I was trying to finish before the baby was born? Well... I did it. I finished it a week before the baby was born and it got placed in its rightful home atop the bunk bed for my oldest daughter. All those negative comments my readers left about how I would never finish it in time really motivated me to get it done. Last night it got initiated into childhood with glittery silly putty. Silly putty sticks to fabric and doesn't come off! Help! does anybody know how to remove it?
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Friday, August 28, 2009

Images from a morning walk

Our flower garden in full bloom


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These murals are found on the community center. I was glad there was a ladder propped against the side of the building. It gives perspective on the size of the paintings. I wanted to share the amazing art work from my community.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

September Birthday



We have two September Birthdays in our family. One has already committed to sharing her birthday money!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Bargain Shopping

While at R.E.I. this weekend I ventured into the garage sale room. This is a sale on items that have been returned by customers and then sold to the public at a discount. None of my girls have sleeping bags and when we go camping we stuff them into an older one my husband had before I met him and bring along lots of blankets. This bag retails for $59.95 but at the garage sale I got it for $9.73. The only defect I could find was an X on the back in permanent marker, and I had two girls who both wanted to use it. I did make sure the zipper worked while in the store. Once I was at the Gap Outlet and bought a sweatshirt, then found out at home the zipper was broken. I think we hit the jackpot!

Friday, August 7, 2009

The Pendleton

The figure in the center of the blanket is the warrior who is wearing a rayed headdress that symbolizes spiritual support for his quest. At the top and bottom of the blanket are the petroglyphs. Each petroglyph has its own identity and legend.

The colors are also representative. Rust is for the basalt cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge, Tan is the warm, sweet earth that reflect the landforms that guide the Great River. The shades of blue depict the waters of the Columbia River; dark blue = the deepest part, medium blue = swirling eddies, and pale blue = shallow water where the fish fan the gravel with their tails to lay their eggs. Yellow and Orange are the spiritual colors of the warriors quest.

Spirit Quest

I recently received a Pendleton Blanket entitled "Spirit Quest". My current residence is along the Columbia River, the river that once brought salmon from the ocean, the lifeline of the Native Americans who live here. The Coulee Dam was built during the Great Depression under a public works project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Now the salmon are permanently blocked from migrating to their spawning grounds in the upper Columbia Basin. The dam negatively affected the Native American tribes who had to relocated their settlements and graveyards. Kettle Falls was once the primary fishing grounds for the Native Americans. I drive to Kettle Falls to get my groceries. There is a lot of history behind these little towns.
And now back to the original reason I started this post... the narrative about the "Spirit Quest" blanket.

For centuries, Columbia Gorge tribes honored the Great Spirit with petroglyphs to record the important figures, events and visions in their lives. Throughout history in the Gorge, Salmon runs developed , tribes evolved and the Gorge of the Great River became a major crossroads to fish and trade.

Most remaining petroglyphs date back 1200 to 1500 years to the high point of an art producing era and are still visible today on the basalt cliffs where the back waters from the dams have not covered them. Some petroglyphs represent shamanistic tales of the ancient ones which protected and guided the spirit world.

The Spirit Quest blanket commemorates the ritual of young braves who would seek out their own destiny through a vision into the spirit world of their Creator.

According to tribunal legend, as a young warrior developed his spirituality in his adolescence, he was sent alone on his Spirit Quest to a sacred, secluded place without food or water. He waited until the vision came to him - sometimes in the form of a human or of an animal.

Depending what appeared to him, the warrior gained the power to become a great hunter, leader, healer or provider to the People; and if he endured the trial of his Quest, he was rewarded special power, protection and a direction through life.

The vision was often etched onto rocks at the place of the quest to record the experience. If the Spirit left a token, like a feather, it was worn with other sacred objects and returned to the Earth with the warrior.

Once the vision was apparent, the warrior returned to the Elders of his tribe to present his direction. They could either grant the Vision or, if they felt it was not accurate, they could deny it. Often his name was derived from the direction the Elders agreed upon. If the power of the Spirit was lost or weakened later in life, the Quest was again employed.
-Pendelton Woolen Mills

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Scienic Idaho


We visited Lake Coeur d'Alene one week before my due date. I felt safe knowing I was closer to a hospital while on vacation than when I was home.
There are a number of model T's sitting on the bottom of the lake, due to people in the early 1900s who would drive across the lake during the winter time in order to save half the distance in getting around the lake. When the ice broke, so did the chances for getting across. Also, there are some steamboats on the bottom that had been burned when they were no longer used to ferry people around on the lake. Divers frequently visit these ruins on the bottom.
This is how you get a four year old to hike. Offer rides on Dad's back up the hill!




We also visited Lake Pend Orielle and had a pic-nic on the shore.
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Monday, July 20, 2009

Location, Location


Our vacation was too short! We went to the Oregon coast and stayed in a rustic yurt. We ate seafood, visited lighthouses, and saw seals sunning themselves on rocks. We searched the tide pools, collected seashells, and roasted smores over the fire. I only wish we could have stayed longer and viewed the sunset from the beach. I must give my husband credit for taking lots of great pictures. He captured the top three in this group. The weather was crisp and cool, only getting into the low 70's. Now that we have returned home we get over 90 everyday. I really am wishing I was back at the beach.

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