Pack of Hungry Snails

Cooking From Scratch Part 5 - Blue Potatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes

2012-01-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Part 5 in the series on how I learned to cook from scratch!

Many of the homeschooling families that we met not only cooked a lot of their meals from scratch, they also grew a lot of their own food. Gardening was as foreign to me as cooking. We had a big garden one year when I was 10 (then we moved), but most of the time the only thing we grew were raspberries, and they were taken care of solely by my former step-dad. Though Mike grew up on nearly 4 acres, they never (!) had a garden.

If I had tried to start a garden right after another major move AND while still learning to cook, my head would have exploded. So I did the next best thing and we joined a CSA (community supported agriculture.) For those of you unfamiliar with how CSA's work, it's quite simple. You order a "share" of a farmer's crop before the season begins. Typically the CSA's here will sell 1/2 shares of full shares. Although they offer a myriad of different fruits and vegetables, how much you get of any one thing varies depending on how much ripened that week. If there's a bumper crop of something - prepare to be inundated! Which is what happened to us. Unfortunately, the bumper crop that year turned out to be lemon cucumbers. Mike is the only one in the family who likes cucumbers, and after a few weeks of me serving them to him in some way every night with his dinner, he'd had enough. The only problem was...we were still getting them. LOTS of them. Sometimes 10 lbs. a week! I began slicing them up and bringing platters of them to potlucks, loading bags of them to give to other families at park days, pawning them off onto neighbors.

I'm sure we all have a memory of a gardener who kept trying to give us zucchini, to the point where we'd avoid them because we just. didn't. want. any. more. That was me, but with cucumbers.

Otherwise, our experience was amazing! We ate our first blue potatoes, discovered scapes (now a favorite of mine), and relished the wonders that are heirloom tomatoes. In fact, this was the first time I had ever even liked tomatoes - other than in ketchup or pasta sauce.

Stay tuned for Part 6 - Recipes? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Recipes!

Other posts in the series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Cooking From Scratch Part 4 - In the Land of Raw Milk & Local Honey

2012-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Part 4 in the series! In Part 3, I talked about how I renewed my efforts to cook "real" food, all the while surrounded by extended family that were confused by, and generally not that supportive of, my efforts.

Although I made great strides - and my family was eating much better - it wasn't all smooth sailing. Although my son would eat just about anything (Locust Boy, remember?) my husband was a little harder to convince. He knew what he liked and I wasn't going to change him, dammit!

Or so he thought....

For instance, he and I were drinking a lot of milk at the time and I wanted to switch us from 2% milk to 1% milk. Most people would think it was a little change - no big deal. My husband saw it as sabotage of the most sinister kind. How dare I change the milk! He refused to drink it. To me, it tasted exactly the same. He swore he could tell the difference. Also, the color of the cap on the milk was a different color so don't try to fool me, he said. I did what any good wife would do. I found a brand of 1% milk that had the same color of cap as his beloved 2%. MUAHAHAHAHA! I'm evil that way. He was sucking down 1% for 9 months before I finally told him what I had done.

He unknowingly got me back, though.
My dear husband was totally in love with his mom's cherry cheesecake. I began experimenting with different cheesecake recipes, but none of them were "like mom's" according to my husband. (And whilst you may be thinking me stupid for not just calling her up and asking her for her "recipe," I should point out that she was completely unwilling at that point to share any of that kind of information with me. It took me 15 years to pry the coveted potato salad recipe out of her!) After consuming more cheesecake in a 3 year period than I had in all of the previous years of my life, you can imagine my surprise when I walked into her kitchen one day and spied the box of Jello No-Bake Cheesecake. Uh-huh. I had spent years trying to recreate a cheesecake recipe that only requires that you add milk to the powder in the box.

Anyway, after spending 5 years struggling to find a few like-minded people who shared my desire to eat foodstuffs that didn't include an ingredients list of unpronounceable and unidentifiable things, we moved again. This time we were going "home" to Oregon, to a town just outside of Portland. I was afraid that I would have to start from square one, searching out whatever support and real food I could find.

I need not have worried.

Most of these people were way ahead of me! Yay!! I was not only surrounded by good food, I was also surrounded by people who liked to eat good food, grow good food, and raise good food. It didn't take long before we were one of the few families we knew who didn't have chickens in our backyard. (Now we have 7.) We had 3 farmer's markets within 4 miles of our home. Grass fed beef, local honey, and farm fresh milk are easy to come by. Food co-ops, farmer run stores, u-pick farms, and restaurants that specialize in local ingredients are everywhere.

It was like we hit the real food jackpot!

It was also a little overwhelming. I discovered organic veggies are to me what shoes are to some women. There were many times that I would be so dazzled by something at the farmer's market that I would bring it home and it would languish, untouched, before ending up in the composter. (I swear one day I really will learn what to do with sunchokes!) Bronze Arrowhead lettuce and Cherokee Purple tomatoes will get me salivating the way a pair of Christian Louboutin heels will make some women's heart go pitter-patter. (Not that I would turn down a pair of Lougoutin's if somebody wanted to give them to me, they just wouldn't be very practical footwear when I'm hanging out by the chicken coop.)

Stay tuned for Part 5!

The Treat Fairy Struck Again!

2012-01-15T22:46:00.000-08:00

Some of my readers know that I have a dear friend in England (Hi Emma! :waves:) who sends us treats on occasion. Well, she has once again caused a suger-laden smackdown in our house!

There were 10, count 'em, 10 Curly Wurly bars in the package!! OMG - these are our favorite candy bars! See my happy face? Yes, this was right before the realization hit that I had swore of sugar for the entire month of January as part of my 101 goals. ARGH!!

Hubby foolishly assumed that he was going to get to snarf down all of the Curly Wurly bars. Silly man. Mine are safely waiting for me until February 1st. And if he gets any ideas about sneaking into my stash, bloodletting will ensue.

Locust Boy didn't get left out - he got a big pack of his favorites - Black Jacks! Emma was also kind enough to include 2 Lego packs. Sugar and Legos - what more does a boy need? (He'd say "a girlfriend" but let's not go there...)

Now to finish her box of goodies (I see Pixie Stix in her future!)

Cooking From Scratch Part 3 - 2 steps forward, 1 step back

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the third in the series on learning to cook from scratch. Or rather, how I learned to cook from scratch. I promise that I'm almost to the part where I can cook really well! But we're not quite there yet.

In Part 2, I talked about how our financial situation pushed me in this direction, and had the added side effect of beginning to heal our son. I would love to say that from that point on I cooked everything from scratch, ground our own grain, baked all of our own bread, and we all lived happily ever after.

I'd also love to tell you that we won the lottery jackpot and now spend our days sipping Mai Tai's on the beach.

Alas, they'd both be lies. Even after all that I learned during that time, it took longer than it should have to become second nature. After getting transferred...this time to Texas...our finances improved. A lot. Guess what crept it's way back into our fridge and our cupboards? JUNKFOOD!! That's right, boys and girls, once the belt loosened a bit we were all eating crap again. It started with things like: "Oh, it's only one bag of chips. It's not going to kill us." and quickly morphed into boxed pasta side dishes with our dinner and cheap-ass pizza from a pizza chain. Guess what else happened when I stopped cooking real food? Cody's issues came back, only worse.

Ugh.

A year later we were transferred back to California (we've moved a lot!) and I really started trying again. Only now I was surrounded by the, ahem, support of my mother and Mike's extended family, who's cooking prowess matched my own family. In other words, I. Was. Screwed. You'd think that people who've eaten that many preservatives would be better, um, preserved. I'm just sayin'....

Anyway, I really began to try harder. I took a cooking class. I started hunting down cookbooks that didn't involve ingredients that came from cans or packages. I'm not going to lie, it was very slow going. Partly because I had no confidence in my own abilities - especially when surrounded by people who didn't eat, or even necessarily like, real food. And we were spending a lot of time eating with these people!

Just to give you a glimpse at what it was like, my mom used to come over and lament: "You never have any food in this house!" Of course that wasn't true. What we had was real food in the house. You know, the kind that you have to actually prepare. So she'd head to the grocery store and come back with (I'm sooo not kidding!) $60 - $70 worth of crap. The healthiest thing she'd buy was a jar of Jif peanut butter. The rest was cookies, crackers, chips, at least 2 different kinds of ice cream. She would then proclaim: "There! Now you have some food!" After spending all of that money graciously filling my kitchen, can you guess where she'd head? Out to eat. Yep. I was spending $100 a week feeding 3 people - one of whom didn't come by the nickname Locust Boy by accident - and she was easily blowing through $250 a week just to feed herself. And can you guess who was eating better? Yup. We were.

Stay tuned for Cooking From Scratch Part 4 - In the Land of Raw Milk & Local Honey

Previous posts in my Cooking From Scratch series:
Part 1 - In the Beginning
Part 2 - Out of Necessity

101 in 1001 - It's Good to Have Goals

2012-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

A month or so ago I was perusing blogs looking for ideas. I stumbled upon one that mentioned a project called "101 in 1001" - 101 goals to be completed in 1001 days. As someone who hasn't done well with New Years Resolutions in the past, I still like setting goals. You should see the myriad of To-Do lists floating around my house. And really, a To-Do list is nothing more than a list of goals, right? I've also learned over my nearly-40 years that some goals ("lose weight!") are too vague. Better to be specific ("excercise for 30 minutes every other day.")

I've been working on my list for a couple of weeks now, slowly adding to it. My guys have added a few of their own to the list, as well. We're about 3/4 of the way there, and we'll be adding to it as we go. I've added a tab at the top of the blog (101 in 1001) and will be crossing things off as we complete them, so feel free to check on my progress! I've already been able to cross a couple off of the list. Woo hoo!

I tried googling the blog I originally saw this on, and instead found a website called Day Zero where you can keep track of your 101 - there's even a countdown, so you can see how many days you have left.

How about you? Any goals that you are working towards?

UPDATE: I found the blog that I got the idea from! The Lazy Homesteader

Learning to Cook, Part 2 - Out of Necessity

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Many of my early attempts at cooking were a disaster. Just ask my poor guinea pig husband. (He still makes "squeak, squeak" noises when I tell him I've tried a new recipe.) Let me just say - the amount of paste he ate over the years while I tried to learn how to make gravy...well...it's amazing he was ever willing to try anything else.

Although I had made great attempts at learning to cook for the first couple of years of our marriage, the real catalyst came from necessity. About 12 years ago we relocated for Mike's new job, and almost immediately they cut his hours. Our food budget was $30 a week. (I'm sure we could have qualified for some kind of assistance, but to be honest, it never even occurred to us to apply.) Fortunately, food prices were much lower than they are now. We were also living in California, where the majority of America's food crops are grown (translation - cheaper produce.) At $10/week per person, I could no longer afford to buy pre-packaged food and had to learn to cook.

There was a great, albeit minuscule, library in town that I began to frequent. There was a decent selection of cookbooks, and unlike the last few places that we lived, most of the recipes didn't call for a can of this, or a package of that. There were recipes for real food.
Guess what? I finally figured out how to make good gravy! I learned how to make pancake batter that didn't involve Bisquick. I roasted my first chicken. There were plenty of missteps, as well. There were some foods that we had a really hard time giving up - like crackers, chips, and soda. Basically, the crap. It felt like a major sacrifice, especially for Mike, our resident Mountain Dew addict.

Even though I started cooking from scratch to ease the strain on our budget, it had an unintended side effect. Our son - who had been having certain health issues - got better. A LOT better. Hmm - we had taken him to doctors in 3 states, and not one of them ever mentioned that there could be a link between his diet and the problems he had been having. Although I wasn't sure what this meant, exactly, I was even more determined to keep cooking this way.

Coming soon, Part 3 - 2 steps forward, 1 step back.

Part 1 - In the Beginning

Cooking from Scratch, Part 1 - In the Beginning....

2011-12-28T01:45:00.000-08:00

I'm currently reading The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Finn. She writes about how she helped 9 novice cooks learn to cook. She starts by doing home interviews with each one, looking at what they have in their kitchens and talking to them about what they had learned about cooking. I would have loved to have had someone like Kathleen come into my life when I was in my late teens/early twenties! My mom made cookies and fudge well. That's about it. Given the way her own mother cooks, I'm surprised that she learned to even do that. You may be thinking: "Oh - how bad could it really be?"

Let's see...

My grandmother is decidedly one of the worst cooks that I know. Once when hubby and I were visiting, she kept offering to cook for us and was getting decidedly frustrated by our polite, but insistent, declines. One morning she offered to cook us French toast. One of those telepathic looks passed between Mike and I that said "It's French toast. Even she can't screw it up." So we agreed. Oh...what a mistake that was! We walked into the kitchen a few minutes later to find her standing over a pan full of thick, egg battered French bread. Did I mention that she was frying it in 2 inches of vegetable oil?

Yes, you read that right.

My stomach still gets queasy when I think about it.

My mother's cooking wasn't much better. As I mentioned before, she could manage a few sweets, but even a kid can't live on sugar alone. My mom will often regale people of stories with how she used to make everything from scratch - even butter! What she really did was buy butter, roll it in little balls with butter paddles, and put in bowls for dinner parties. Do you remember when microwaves were all the rage in the early '80's? So do I. My mother started cooking e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in there. When I was in junior high, she started making "meat surprise," as my step-dad liked to call it. He'd often lean over to me and whisper "Do you know what this is?" Not because he didn't know what the recipe was, but because it was often difficult to identify what kind of animal it came from. When I would voice my dislike for something, she would always say: "Try it. You've never had it like this before." Except that I had...when she cooked the exact same thing last week. And the week before that.

One of my cousins is considered a gourmet cook by the family. I still haven't figured out why. I've seen her cook on a number of occasions, and it always consists of combining several pre-made, pre-packaged items. Maybe it's the fact that she combines them that has my family entranced.
Things weren't really any better on my dad's side of the family. My dad would cook breakfast on occasion, but my step-mother was the main cook. The things I remember having most days were glasses of Ovaltine ("It's good for you!"), warmed flour tortillas with butter slathered on them, and fast food. When we'd go back to Missouri most summer's to visit my grandmother, I can remember everything was friend in leftover grease (she used to keep the can of drippings under the sink, but did eventually start keeping it in the fridge.) Most of the time we were back there I subsisted on milk and candy.

When I left home I was determined to learn how to cook. Mike's mom had been a stay-at-home mom since her first kid was born, so I thought I scored. Finally - somebody who could teach me to cook! Although she could cook a few more things than my own mother, she also preferred things from boxes and cans. At first Mike was resistant to try new foods, but I was desperate to experiment!

I can remember really wanting to learn to make lasagna. After looking at several different recipes (all of them vastly different), I decided on how I wanted to make it. I told Mike of my plan, to which he replied that he didn't like lasagna. I was so deflated! Until I asked him why. He said that his ex-wife once made Hamburger Helper lasagna, and he didn't really care for it. Well, hell! Even I knew that HH wasn't going to be anything like the actual thing! (I knew this partly because my mother always insisted that cottage cheese mixed with spaghetti was exactly like lasagna, and it wasn't. even. close.)

Lucky for me, my first foray into scratch cooking was a success. If it wasn't, I'm not sure that I would have continued to try. It provided me with a glimmer of hope while I continued to try (and often fail) at learning to cook.

Stay tuned for Part 2...

This post is part of the Patchwork Living Blogging Bee #18

Other Posts in this series:

Part 2 - Out of Necessity
Part 3 - 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back
Part 4 - In the Land of Raw Milk and Local Honey
Part 5 - Blue Potatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes

May the Force Be WithYou...and Santa

2011-12-16T23:08:00.000-08:00

(Topsy - this post is for you!)

I'm a huge sci-fi geek and it all started with Star Wars. I am old enough to have seen the originals in the theater and it was love at first sight. I was Star Wars obsessed as a child. Seriously... if there had been a 12 step program I'm sure my mom would have stuck me in it. (Not that it would have done any good - I would have relapsed immediately.) I was Princess Leia for 7 years in a row for Halloween, for pete's sake. I have buttons, books, ships, action figures, lunch boxes, t-shirts, notebooks, pencils, stickers, stamps, and posters. And notice that I said "have" them - that's right, they're still in my posession and many of those items now reside in my kitchen.

The best Christmas I ever had as a child was when I got the Millenium Falcon:

The next time my mom really knocked it outta the park was when she got me the movies on vhs for Christmas (Dec. of '91. Yes, I actually remember.) I sat and watched all three movies in a row, which probably would have annoyed people less if I was at home. But I wasn't.... Anyway, thus began my tradition of watching one of the original trilogy every year on Christmas Day. Laugh if you will, but it's one of my most beloved holiday traditions! Each year the three of us (we always spend Christmas Day at home - just us) lobby for our choice of which one should be viewed. So you can keep It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. To me, nothing says Christmas like: "Luke...I am your father."

Sidelined by Snot

2011-12-02T12:50:00.001-08:00

Yes, you read that right. Some form of plague has run rampant through our house, completely sidelining us for the past week. I was actually coming into December with my time and projects perfectly planned out. There wasn't going to be any of that mad rushing that seemed to happen so often in years past. Nope, I actually had my act together this year! And then the universe went "Nyah, nyah!" and it all went to hell.

Now I'm horribly behind on...well...everything. The sum total of my holiday decorating, at this point, is moving my two blooming Christmas cacti from the kitchen windowsill to the mantel. (That would be the new mantel that we're trying to put in, that's not even actually attached to the wall yet.) Yeah....

All of that was my not-so-succinct way of telling you that I haven't been doing anything fun to post about. I did, however, get mentioned over at Attainable Sustainable for my post on homemade stock. Woo hoo! I'm famous. :)

My New Porch Area - Part 2

2011-11-18T23:59:00.000-08:00

Since we were now the owners of a spiffy new front porch, we thought it was high time to do something about the ugly-ass front light. I'm sure at one point it was shiny brass, but those days were long ago.

The first order of business was removing it. :snicker: I always love it when there's wiring involved because my dear husband, manly-man that he is, rarely shuts off the power before he does any wiring. This often results in hearing many refrains of: "Ow. Shit! Ow! Shit!!" Alas...no DIY electrocution this time.

We realized after he removed the old light that the geniuses who painted the house last didn't bother to take the light down when they painted. They painted *around* the light. This meant that the whole section behind the glass part was bare wood. Oy. We dug around in the paint cabinet in the garage, desperately searching for some grey paint. No such luck. We did, however, have some black spray paint. Our new light also happened to be black. Hmm. We decided to paint the whole block that the light was attached to black. Since it was drizzly out, we knew it would take forever to dry so I broke out the ol' hairdryer to speed things along.

Look! A pretty new light.

Ta da! My new porch area. I have an Adirondack chair that will be going to the right of the door, and we're thinking of putting a planter to the left of the door. Who knows - I may even change it all with the seasons.

And now Mike can start on our next project! Heh heh heh....

My New Porch Area - Part 1

2011-11-13T20:31:00.001-08:00

When we bought this house 5 years ago, I didn't like the front stoop. It was tiny and due to settling issues, sloped forward. I knew that what really wanted was a small porch. Knowing what you want and finding the time/funds/energy to do the project is another story. Also, it was about item #246 on our list of things to do.

Apparently the stars properly aligned and it was time for this project to come to fruition. (I really should have taken a "before" picture before they started, but I forgot. Whoops.) The first order of business was to take out the shrubs that were on either side of the stoop. One didn't make it, but the other was successfully relocated to another spot in the yard.

Being the analytical gal that I am, I like to have a firm plan in place before starting a project. My husband is more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy. This can lead to some...frustrations...when we're working on a project. Hey, honey...what if we changed this...

It's good to not take yourself (or you plans) too seriously - as the universe so clearly showed us a little later on.

We like to have Cody help out on whatever home projects we have going, as we feel he's an "adult-in-training" and should learn all he can before going out on his own. Even if that means allowing him to run a jackhammer next to the house!

What we thought was going to be a rather easy removal ended up being a two hour ordeal, much to the chagrin of the neighbors. It actually wasn't too bad for us. We had earplugs. :) What looked like a six inch high stoop was actually more than double that in thickness. Mike figured that we (and by "we" I totally mean "they") hauled out nearly half a yard of concrete when all was said and done.

Looking down from the threshold at where the stoop used to be. Watch that first step!

The painting...oh, the painting! We'd had a dry sunny day a few days before the removal, so Mike had painted the front door to match the paint we'd bought for the deck boards. Since the rains had started, I knew that I would be painting the boards in the garage. No problem! Except that we don't really have a lot of room in there (we really need to clean it out) and did I mention that it was cold, too? Yeah, the temps had dropped 10 degrees in 2 days. Perfect.

Even though it was dry in the garage, the cooler weather meant that it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to dry between coats. After 3 days of painting we learned that our perfect paint wasn't going to work. Who knew that porch paint wasn't meant to get wet? Apparently it's slicker than snot. So off we marched to Lowe's to see what our options were. We were told that solid deck stain was the way to go. We chose a color that looked like the closest match to the original color (and the color that we'd already painted the door) and headed home. I got the first coat on the first side of the boards and came in the house. "I sure hope that paint color darkens when it dries," I said. "It looks kinda pink." Mike assured me that it would. So I kept painting. After getting several coats on, we took the board outside. Yeah, they definitely skewed pink. So...off we went back to Lowe's to see if they could darken it. No problem! It even looked great in the store. Stupid lying flourescent lights. We took it home and I started painting. Again. It looked great in the garage (see flourescent light comment above.) After several more days and several more coats, the boards were ready. Mike got home from work early and hauled the boards out to attach to the new frame.

I wasn't home.

I did, however, receive a phone call. "Hey, babe. The boards look kinda purple. Do you want to come home and look at them before I screw them down?" Um, yes, please. I most certainly DO want to come and look at the purple deck boards.

And yes, they really were purple.

This time we were forced to bite the bullet and buy ANOTHER gallon of...stuff. (See how I censored myself there? Because "stuff" wasn't my first choice of words.) Back to Lowe's we went, this time knowing that it didn't matter what color we chose, it wasn't going to look like the sample when we put it on the wood. We chose one with the understanding that whatever color it turned out to be, we were going to live with it (at $35 a gallon, we couldn't keep this up forever).

Can you guess what happened next? Yep, two more coats of paint. The upside of all of this is that in the event of the apocolypse the paint on my deckboards will survive, even if nobody is around to appreciate it.

I suppose you're expecting a photo of the finished project, aren't you? Well...you're not going to get it. Yet. It's called "Delayed Gratification," my friend. You'll have to wait until Part 2.

Taking Stock

2011-11-13T20:05:00.001-08:00

Or rather, making stock.

We use a copious amount of vegetable stock - and to a lesser extent, beef stock - while cooking. I use it as a base for most of our soups and stews, when cooking most rice dishes (especially pilaf), for making gravy, etc. Many store bought stocks or stock bases have gluten, so they're a no-no at our house. The gluten free varieties start at $2.50 a quart and go up from there. Since we can easily go through several quarts a week, I had to A) Quit using it, or B) Start making it myself.

I chose option B.

We tend to eat a lot of veggies around here, so scraps aren't a problem. I generally keep a gallon sized freezer bag going at all times, just adding bits to it as we go and then throwing it back into the freezer. When it's full, I dump the contents into a large pot, fill it to the brim with water, bring to a boil and then let it simmer for a few hours.

Sometimes I'll add in some herbs, such as rosemary or bay leaves, or maybe a little salt and pepper, depending on how I feel. Once the house smells wonderful or my husband peeks into the pot and says hesitantly: "Um...what's for dinner? (whichever comes first), I place my large mixing bowl in the sink, nestle the large colander inside and pour out the contents of the pot. BE SURE to put the bowl in the sink first. Otherwise, all of the good stuff you just cooked up will head down the drain and you'll be left with a bunch of cooked mush while standing, swearing, in the kitchen. Trust me on this....

After it's cooled for awhile, I pour it into 1/2 gallon or quart sized jars (depending on how much stock I have and whether it's to be used right away. (If you're going to freeze it, you'll want to leave several inches of space at the top of the jar - unlike in my photo. Otherwise, the stock will expand to the point that the jars will break. Go ahead, ask me how I know!)

One goes directly into the fridge, to be used in the next few days. The others go into the chest freezer. I would love to say that I don't buy stock at all anymore, but I'd be lying. I always keep a few emergency quarts of the store bought stuff in the pantry, for those nights when I failed to plan dinner. Dinner planning will be another post....

The New Me

2011-11-11T20:39:00.001-08:00

As part of the new and broader focus of my blog, I'm going to be talking a little less about my kidlet - who stays plenty busy without me these days - and a little more about me and what I'm doing. You're excited...I can tell. (Somebody really needs to invent a sarcasm font.) Projects around the house, in the kitchen, involving yarn and the like will be showcased a little more frequently, while also keeping up with our various homeschooling activities. Stay tuned....

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2011-11-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

After a much longer than planned break from the blogging world (and receiving much crap from friends saying: "Why aren't you blogging??") I've realized that part of my reluctance to start writing again is because my life has changed. Which means that the previous focus of the blog doesn't apply as much as it once did. (In simple speak: my son is now doing more activities without me, so I'm not there to take pix and write about it later.) I really do like blogging, though, so I've had to figure out what my new and somewhat broader focus would be. Over the next week or so, I'll be making some changes to the look and layout of the place and then I'll be jumping back in with two feet. Even if I'm the only one still around to read any of it. :)

Earth Day Cleanup

2011-05-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

As part of Cody's PeaceJam group's environmental call to action, they participated in a riverside park clean-up sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation. We met early on a Saturday morning, and the kids got bonus points for keeping their eyes open. (As did some of us parents.) Luckily, we were blessed with some actual, bonefide SUNSHINE, which has been rare this spring.

Here's everybody getting our instructions for cleanup (including what to do with any sharps found) and invasive plant removal.

While Mike and I were ripping out English Ivy, I saw something small crawling around the leaf litter. It was a shrew. Hubby wanted me to pick it up for a photo op, but I had visions of it running up my arm. So I did what any good wife would do. I let him pick it up and run up his arm.

A few minutes later, Mike found a salamander - the first of two he found that day. Would you believe this was the first one that I've seen since I was a kid?

Yep - it was a beautiful day!

Jarren, Jaci and Cody taking a break from working hard! If only we could get them to work this hard at home.

And, it just wouldn't be one of our outdoor trips without a dead animal. And so, I give you...a dead mole.

Not a bad pile of trash for 2 hours worth of work!

Here's a knee-high berm of English Ivy that we piled up (one of many such berms). We used it to block off several informal paths that people had created.

Here's a large barrel that Cody found buried next to the river. The kids grabbed some shovels and dug it out. They were very proud of their find!

Their next planned event is a beach clean-up next month. Hopefully we'll have some more great weather!

The Hunt Is On!

2011-04-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

As Cody and his friends get older, we parents sometimes have to get a little creative when it comes to the more "traditional" holiday events. Like hunting for Easter eggs. Now, our kids don't want to give this activity up, but as they age, it gets harder to make it a challenge for them (and entertaining for us!) My friend Jana and I were talking about what to do this year, and she suggested a night time egg hunt. Perfect!

First order of business was filling all of the eggs. And let me say - they have A LOT of eggs! These were all we got filled (we were out of fillings) but we had enough eggs to double this.

The eggs not only had candy in them, but they also had varying amounts of funny money, typically between $1 - $20. We had four bonus eggs that each had $100. (If it were real money, I would have been in on the hunt!) The money could then be used for the auction afterwards, where the kids could bid against each other on items ranging from Dora the Explorer hand soap (which went for $7), art supplies, lego sets, etc.

The kids bedecked themselves in glowing bracelets and necklaces, grabbed their flashlights, and prepared to out hunt each other!

Here they are, counting their loot while Jana explains the auction process. I'm telling you - you haven't seen anything until you've seen a room full of kids madly trying to outbid each other on silly putty or balloons (and spending well over $100 on the items). They had the parents in stitches!

Oh yeah - this came home with us!

Egg Dyeing Fun

2011-04-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things that we did during Turnoff Week was have an egg dyeing day with some friends. We had umpteen packages of store bought dyes, but we also made some natural ones to try.

Here are the natural dyes - ready and waiting for some eggs. Of which we had m-a-n-y!

We set up out in our friends garage, as any spills or splatters would be easy to clean up and wouldn't damage anything! It's hard to have fun and be creative if you're having to worry about making a mess.

These were our naturally dyed eggs. For the most part, the dyes were a disappointment. Some (like the carrot tops) barely changed the color of the eggs. Others, like the blueberries and beets, looked great until you realized that the color was just on the top and was easily rubbed off when the egg was dry. The only really good one was the turmeric.

My friend Jana and I even got in on the dying fun once the kids were done with their eggs.

Cody's finished eggs. I don't know at what age he's going to want to stop dyeing eggs, but I hope we get to do it for another year or two - I LOVE seeing his creations!

Turnoff Week - Update

2011-04-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we're over halfway through the week and I'm happy to report that we're still alive. Mike, who is admittedly the most tv-addicted of us all, seems to be having the easiest time of it. Go figure. He's not a big computer guy, so being laptop-free doesn't seem to phase him in the least.

Cody has (unsucessfully) tried repeatedly to get us cave and watch a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g that isn't school related (he has a study skills dvd series that he's been watching as part of his homeschooling. We would have skipped it this week, but as we've borrowed it from the library - and it has a long wait list - he had to keep watching it in order to finish it by the due date.) He's actually taken the whole no X-Box thing much better than expected. He rarely checks emails or FB anyway, so that hasn't been an issue for him. It was rather hilarious to hear him telling friends today how his crazy parents were making him give up electronics for a week.

As for me, I would LOVE to watch anything remotely sci-fi at this point. I know that Friday - with new eps of Sanctuary and Supernatural - is going to kill me to get through. Saturday is the premiere of the new Dr. Who, but we'll be gone, so that will be easier to bear. As Cody is involved in a million activities - and 99.99% of all communication is done by e-mail, I've checked it every day just so I can keep up with his ever changing schedule. Since I'm not allowed to flit about on Facebook, Whedonesque, and the myriad of other places that one can wast time online, I have had a lot more time to read, read, read.

I'm kinda sick of reading.

I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll be veging in front of the tv after we get home on Sunday.

Turnoff Week

2011-04-15T00:48:00.000-07:00

This year, April 18 - 24 is Turnoff Week (formerly, TV Turnoff Week).

The challenge: To turn off, or reduce the use of, entertainment screens including televisions, handheld video games, laptops, tablet computers, and smartphones.

Being the mad-woman that I am, I suggested to hubby that we try it this year. He said to go for it! Right before throwing in that the TV could only be off while he was at work. Fat chance, buddy boy. If I have to dvr the new eps of Supernatural, Sanctuary AND the premiere of Dr. Who, I'm making everybody else suffer right along with me! And I mean that with all of the love I can muster.

I then explained that it would include limiting the computer, too. "You'll die!" was his response. He might not be too far off on that one. I told him that some computer screen time would have to be allowed (for schooly stuff, bill paying, banking, etc.) but that no "fun" stuff could be included. I thought it might be interesting to blog about our goings-on as well. That's like work, right? At any rate, you can watch my ~~slow~~ quick decline into insanity and withdrawls.

Am I crazy? Wait - don't answer that.

PeaceJam Part 1

2011-04-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

One of the mom's in our homeschool circle formed a local PeaceJam group for homeschooled teens. From the PeaceJam website:

The mission of the PeaceJam Foundation is to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody.

PeaceJam's program is built on a pyramid of three simple ideas: Education, Inspiration, and Action.

Education:
The process starts with education, as the students participate in PeaceJam Programs focusing on the lives of the Nobel Peace Laureates. Programs are available for youth ages 5-29 and each program includes components which stimulate critical thinking skills, strengthen research skills, build skills in leadership and nonviolence, and promote personal reflection and growth. Each program teaches specific content around the lives and work of the participating Nobel Peace Laureates including an exploration of the issues that affect communities – both locally and globally. In this section of the site you will find more information on all PeaceJam Programs and how to Get Trained.

Inspiration:
Education is followed up by Inspiration, which comes from meeting the Nobel Laureates at conferences, and connecting with other people working on projects for their communities. Through the first-hand stories provided by the Nobel Laureates, youth will get to know each Nobel Peace Laureate on a very personal level - each story emphasizing the Laureates choice to stand up for social justice, human rights, nonviolence, and peace. In the Inspiration section of the site, youth can learn about the Nobel Laureates, find upcoming PeaceJam Events, share and look at pictures and videos from PeaceJammers all over the world in the Gallery, and talk to their fellow PeaceJammers on the Message Boards.

Action:
After being properly inspired, Jammers get out of their seats and into the streets! They get to work on service-learning projects that align with PeaceJam's Global Call to Action - an ambitious campaign to create and track ONE BILLION projects addressing ten of the most pressing issues facing our world. This section will also give you specific ways to create and implement a Global Call to Action Project, and will be where you can register your project so that it can be counted toward the one billion project goal.

The kids have been working hard and putting in a lot of hours in preparation for going to the national conference this month. One of the things that they did was put on a dance for local homeschoolers in order to help raise funds to go to the conference. They arranged a work trade with a local community center for the use of their gym, they garnered food donations from local businesses, and they created zero waste (everything was reusable or recyclable.) Oh - and they did all of this in 2 weeks!

We're gonna boogie oogie oogie 'till you just can't boogie no more!

Everybody LIMBO!

Part 2 coming soon!

Let the countdown begin!

2011-04-09T14:07:00.001-07:00

Because geeks like me actually keep track of this sort of thing.

Saturday Market!

2011-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Last week, our family made a list of places that we'd like to go during the "drier" season - May through September. I've found that if I don't get day trips, camping trips, and field trips on our calendar, the time slips away without us doing any of it. Hence the list...

Top of the list: Hawaii. Hey - we can dream, right? There are only 7 places on the list at the moment, but we've already crossed one of them off. Since moving back here 4 years ago, I've wanted to go to the Saturday Market - which is also on Sundays now, but the old name stuck. Anyway, picture many tents full of locally made goods (with some imported crap thrown in for good measure.) It runs March through December, so you'd think we would have made it before now. And yet...no. Why? Because it never ended up on the calendar. Yeah, we're bad like that.

Anyway, a friend of Cody's had his birthday last week and in lieu of a party the teens all met at the Saturday Market. Therefore, it was put on the calendar. After Cody met up with his friends, Mike and I spent a some time browsing the stalls and people watching. Oh, how we love to people watch!

Oooh - pretty!

This had to be my favorite item at the market:

Apparently, the market is twice as big during the summer, so we'll be heading back then. If I put it on the calendar.

So, what about you? Any plans for the summer?

The Play's the Thing!

2011-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Cody recently finished his most recent play - Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (if you're familiar with the play, he was Antonio).

But O how vile an idol proves this god
Thou hast, Sebastian, done good feature shame....

Yeah, that better be the ONLY time he's arrested!

Cast photo. Don't they all look sweet? Don't be fooled...

...they're crazy!

A bunch of his friends came to see the play, including several of his female friends. Some of the boys in the play were teasing Cody that his girlfriends were coming, so the girls couldn't help but get in on the fun (they even brought him flowers!)

And, of course, what kind of groupies would they be if they didn't squee and ask for his autograph??

I don't know if it was more entertaining to watch the girls, or watch the boys who were all trying to figure out WHY these girls were fawning all over Cody! Who am I kidding? Both were hilarious!

Several weeks after every play finishes, we have a cast party. One last chance for everyone to get together before we all go our seperate ways. There's always a gift exchange, where the actors are paired up to exchange with whomever their character was closest to in the play. Cody was paired with Lucas, who's character Cody saves from drowning. Naturally, Cody's gift to Lucas was a set of water wings (in case Cody's not there to pluck him from the ocean next time) and a beach ball so he has something to play with until he's rescued.

In the play, Antonio (Cody) gives Sebastian (Lucas) his "purse" so that Sebastian can get a room, eat, etc. So what did Lucas give Cody? You guessed it - a purse. Cody couldn't help but show his off next to Olivia's.

As we were leaving, Cody cried: "Wait! I have to get my purse!" To which Mike exclaimed: "That's the second least favorite thing a dad wants to hear his son say." In case you're interested, the #1 least favorite thing is: "Mom, I need help putting my makeup on."

*The curtain closes.*

Cheep thrills!

2011-03-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote: "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of...chicks." No, wait. I believe he actually wrote of love, not little balls of fluff. Hmm...maybe he just hadn't even been around any chicks.

In our house, we've been talking of new feathered friends for months. The farm store where we get them lists which breeds they get in each week on their calendar page, and we had the date that ours were coming in marked on our calendar. Last year, we lost 2 chickens - an araucana (which typically lay blue or green eggs) and a speckled Sussex (our favorite). This year we decided to hedge our bets and get two of each.

Here's what our speckled Sussex will look like:

Our araucanas will look similar to this:

We arrived at the farm store shortly before they opened. It's not uncommon for them to have a line at the door on the days that the chicks come in, and they often sell out long before closing. Originally, Cody and I only purchased 3 girls (Mike and I went back later and got the 4th).

Here's Cody, holding our loud fluffybutts. Oddly, they'd quit peeping if I was talking, but once I was quiet, they would get loud.

We brought them home and Zoe, well, she wasn't too happy. She has learned that the noisy fluffballs soon turn into horrible big birds that herd her around the yard.

Aren't they cute?!?

I may not make a good magician as I can't fit a rabbit up my sleeve. Does a chicken up my sleeve count??

Mike has this weird chicken-whisperer thing happening. When he cups his hand like this, all of the chicks run head first for it and promptly fall asleep.

]It's been a few weeks now and the girls are past the cute fluffy stage and are firmly entrenched in the ugly teen stage. We're also to the point where it's time to name them. Our other girls are all named after Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. Should we stay with that theme? Include all Whedon shows? Or expand it to include all of sci-fidom?

Death, Part 2

2011-03-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. - Pablo Picasso

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. - Diane Ackerman

OK, so all of this death stuff hit me a lot harder than I would have thought. I mean, obviously the events themselves were hard, but what it brought up for me was even harder to deal with. I won't go into all of the details here, but suffice it to say that for the moment I'm seeing the world with different eyes, and while painful, I hope that I don't lose this perspective.

As uncomfortable as it may be, I encourage you talk about your final wishes with your family. Death and dying are such a taboo subject in this country. Do you ever notice that people always say: "If I die..." Like any of us have a choice. It's not "if," it's "when."

We've had plenty of discussions about death and funerals these past few weeks and we've all learned something about each other. Like, Mike says that he's a fun person so he wants a fun funeral. His first suggestion was having a topless funeral. I reminded him that A) there'd be a lot of really saggy boobies there and B) he'd be dead. He's still working on another idea. I said that I wanted everyone to dress as a sci-fi character (their choice). Cody wants everyone at his funeral to dress as either a Jedi or a Sith. Lightsabers would be required to attend. :) We've also discusses things like cremations vs. burial. My darling husband originally wanted to be buried face down, with his butt slightly elevated (so everyone could kiss his ass.) Now he's just leaning towards a butt-shaped headstone. See? How would I know any of this if we didn't talk about it. LOL

Now, here's what I'd like to pass on to you:

"Someday" never happens, unless you make it happen.

Take the trip, go dancing with your husband/wife/significant other, savor that piece of cheesecake that you've been denying yourself.

Turn off the TV, put away the bills and play a game with your kids/friends/parents.

Celebrate family traditions. I'm not talking about cooking your grandmother's plum pudding (that nobody will eat) every Christmas, I'm talking about traditions that the whole family loves. It could be something as simple as pancakes every Sunday, just do it.

While you're at it, make sure that you and your spouse have special traditions, too. You two will be together long after the kids are all gone, so it's important that you have your own traditions.

Take more pictures of your kids, family and friends AND make sure that they take plenty of pictures of you - regardless of how you look in those jeans or if you're having a bad hair day. Portraits are great, but snapshots of your life are better.

Write down the stories of your life - childhood memories of your family, how you met your spouse, your dreams for the future. Your kids will cherish these more than Great Aunt Edna's silver platter when you're gone.

Tell the people in your life that they're important to you, and tell them why they're important.
Lastly, if you know someone who suffers from depression - please, please, PLEASE encourage them to get help.

Death, Part 1

2011-03-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

I got a call about 10 days ago from my aunt, giving me the news that my cousin's husband had committed suicide. He had been diagnosed with depression 20+ years ago, but still, the news came as a shock to everyone. They'd been together since my cousin was 14, and had four kids together. Cody calls them aunt and uncle, and they are his favorite of my mother's family. The next morning we got another call from my aunt, this time telling me that my uncle (her and my mother's brother) had passed. He had taken the other news very hard, and had a heart attack about 12 hours later. Yeah...

We packed the car and drove the 16 hours down there. I'll be honest - I don't know that we were of any comfort at all to my cousin. She had her hands full comforting the parade of people that were streaming through her house. She's always been a strong woman, but I was in awe at how she managed to hold herself together, their kids together, and everyone else together - all the while trying to plan a funeral and reception for several hundred people. I'm pretty sure I would be in bed with the covers pulled up over my head.

Monday morning was the viewing, for family only. I hadn't planned on attending, as I didn't want Cody to see his uncle that way. I'd been to a number of them, and it's not how I like to remember people (they never look "alive" anyway). Cody really wanted to go, though - said he had something that he wanted to say to his uncle. He asked if Mike and I would go up to the casket with him. So we went. We waited until there was nobody up there, and then Cody and Mike walked up - I just couldn't. Afterwards, we sat a few rows back and watched my cousin and the kids. I tell you - that was the hardest part, for all of us. Watching them. It was truly heartwrenching. Before that day, I'd seen my husband cry three times in the 19 years that I've known him. I saw him cry twice that day. He said he just couldn't handle seeing the boys like that.

That afternoon, we attended the funeral, along with about 350 other people.

It was their 24th wedding anniversary.

I can't even begin to imagine the lasting impact that this will have on their family, but I know that it has affected ours, in ways that were surprising even to me. Stay tuned for part 2.

Fun with Vomit

2011-03-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I thought that would get your attention. Before you start gagging at the thought of the last time you smelled that smell *blech*, I should point out that I'm talking about owl vomit. You know, the kind that comes sanitized and neatly wrapped in foil. (Which, quite frankly, is the only way I want to handle puke.)

We recently started a bi-monthly science club with another homeschooling family, and our very first foray was a unit on owls and owl pellets. The kids had already been learning some things about owls to prep for the club, so I kept the trivia short and moved onto some fun. I'd prepped a quiz for the kids, and gave each a Hershey's Kiss for every correct answer. (Before you balk at the thought of me bribing them, just remember that sometimes momma uses any excuse necessary to bring chocolate into the house!) Once the dad's found out that chocolate was involved, they got into the game as well.

After that, we moved on to the "down and dirty" portion of the evening. I'd purchased small, medium and large pellets, and each kid chose 2 to pick through and investigate.

Look - a skull!

Hmm, what could that be? Oh, right. Another bone.

Bits of fluff and fur.

Lots and lots of little tiny bones.

All in all, not a bad bit of detective work. By far, their favorite part was watching this clip of a baby owl yack up a pellet.

If it's not one thing, it's another...

2011-02-16T01:32:00.000-08:00

This post is for Emma, who requested gory pictures. Ask, and ye shall receive!

Valentine's Day started out so well. Really. I had such high hopes. I spent the morning watching my son and a group of his homeschool teen friends roller skate, which brings back such fond memories from my own childhood. Afterwards, they all went to a class together and I had some actual time out. All by myself - for the first time in over a month. (Stupid plague.) And I had dinner plans with hubby that evening.

Then...my cell phone rang.

You know your day is going into the crapper when your dear husband calls from work to tell you that he's been injured.

Did I mention that this wasn't the first time he's made this call to me? Yeah, the last time was when a 10,000 pound beam (no, that is not a typo) fell and hit his foot, resulting in his needing surgery and being off of work for 9 months.

OK, back to yesterday's phone call. So, he tells me he's been hurt, that his pinky finger is definitely broken, at a very odd angle and that he's going to need stitches. After a whole 90 seconds, he tells me he has to go and will call me later.

*Click*

I then had an hour to kill before I could pick Cody up, all the while I'm flashing back to the last time he was hurt. Will he need surgery? Will they put a pin in? How long will he be off of work? Will he need physical therapy? WHEN IS HE GOING TO CALL ME BACK??

Over the course of several more brief phone calls, I still didn't know what exactly had happened or what all was going on. To top it all off, since this was an on the job accident, there was paperwork for him to fill out, meetings to be had, questions to be answered, etc. before he could come home. And since it happened at a highly secure facility, that added to the headache. The only upside (?) is that the accident was the result of somebody elses mistake, so Mike won't get in trouble. Hey - in times like these, you look for the silver lining wherever you can find it!

Eventually he made it home and filled me in. The incredibly short version of the story is this: Someone from the company they were working for made a mistake, which ultimately resulted in a nearly 70 lb piece of concrete falling nearly 4 feet and smashing his finger against a conduit. The only upside (see "silver lining" comment above) was that he turned a split second before it fell, resulting in it hitting his finger instead of his shoulder.

This is his finger after they stitched it up:

Icky enough for you, Emma?

In that one section of his pinky where the stitches are, the bone is broken into four pieces.

We went and saw a plastic surgeon/hand specialist today, and he definitely needs surgery. They don't know until they get in there whether or not there is any nerve, tendon, or artery damage.

And because I believe that we should all learn something new every day, here's your "Did you know?" for today: Approximately 60% of your hand grip strength comes from your pinky finger.

I'll keep you posted.

Old Man Wind-ter

2011-02-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

They should change the name of "winter" to "windter" - at least where we live. Come December, the arctic winds blow down from Canada, shoot through the gorge, and spit out right near our house.

Oh sure, it looks pretty in the summer time:

But it's colder than sh*t in the winter. According to city records, "the 2 year recurrence interval sustained wind speed" is 50 MPH (that'd be 80.47 KPH for you, Emma) with peak gusts being up to 30% higher. Talk about "wind chill factor!"

Yeah, forget about any hairstyle other than windblown.

'Cause it ain't happening.

On the plus side, it's really easy to find out where you need to re-caulk or add insulation. And playing "Who does the bucket/barbeque cover/lawn chair belong to" after a storm is a great way to meet the neighbors. Yep, I'm always looking on the bright side!

How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Sunshine and blue skies? Snow and ice?

Classic Books and Bad Movies

2011-01-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in our homeschool life is our family read-alouds. Hubby and I never had much in the way of "required" reading during school (at least not in our high school years) and so missed out on many of the classics. Unless you can count Stephen King and Jackie Collins as classics...but I doubt it. Anyway, I really wanted them to be a part of Cody's education, so we've added them to our studies. Over the years, we've read some that we really enjoyed (Around the World in 80 Days) and others we've really disliked (Swiss Family Robinson). Currently, we're making our way through a series of books who's key thread is...a bad movie.

OK, it's not the worst movie in the world, but it isn't anywhere near Oscar worthy, either. Cody really likes it, and so we're tying in our current run of classic novels to the movie, with a screening planned when we finish all of the books. In case you're not familiar with the movie, the characters include: Mina Harker (Dracula), Captain Nemo (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), Dorian Gray (The Picture of Dorian Gray), Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Allan Quatermain (King Solomon's Mines), and Rodyney Skinner (The Invisible Man). We're currently on the 2nd of the six books.

What about you? Do you like classic novels? We can't be the only ones...

Needle Felting

2011-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

(I'm still not over the ick - or done with the codeine - but I've had this post written up for a while now and completely forgot about it. Blonde moment, couldn't be helped!)

Every December one of the families in our homeschool group hosts a holiday craft party. Another mom in our group set up a needle felting station and showed those that were interested how to use a simple needle:

and some wool:

...to make a myriad of creations. What a hit!

Not only did I fall in love with the craft, so did Cody. Shortly after that craft day, we headed to the local Waldorf school and bought our own supplies. I love that I can sit down at the start of a movie and have something completed (and recognizable) at the end of it. Also, there is something oddly calming about stabbing a needle into a lump of wool several thousand times!

This is a bear that I made for my friend's daughter.

Have you discovered any new crafts lately, or maybe rekindled a love for an old craft?

The Plague - Part 2

2011-01-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

As it turns out, it's not the real plague (yay!), just a case of bronchitis AND pneumonia. I don't do anything halfway...

Which also means that I'm hopped up on many, many doctor prescribed concoctions - one of which involves codeine. Normally, codeine makes me hallucinate in a not-very-nice way. However, this time around it has me quite giddy and dreaming vivid dreams of a certain ginger-haired Scotsman whilst I traipse around the highlands and lochs.

I'll be back soon when reality returns...

The Plague

2011-01-16T20:42:00.000-08:00

OK, maybe not the real plague, but more than once this past week I've felt like I was in a Monty Python
sketch. *Dong* Bring out your dead!
Yeah, whatever this is, it is firmly entrenched in my system. You wouldn't believer how much effort (or days) this little post took. (OK, 3 to get it together coherently in my head, and one to write it). Luckily my guys have been able to play nursemaids - cooking, making me tea, rubbing my feet. I know, for as much crap as I give them it's times like these that they really shine. Well, with the exception of their television viewing habits when I'm too weak to argue. Therefore, I've been subjected to the likes of Transformers, TWO Resident Evil movies and Underworld. On the plus side, I was actually able to finish a novel this week, so I'm still on track for my reading challenges.

I'll be back soon, when my fever addled brain is a little more with it.

Reading Challenges

2011-01-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

My friend Lori is participating in 5 different reading challenges this year. I admire her initiative.(I also think she's a bit nuts. But that's not new news.) I am not quite as ambitious in my reading goals this year, so I'm only participating in 3.

1. 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge.

The title pretty much says it all. The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. Participants may join at any time. All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2011. Books may overlap other challenges.

Given that I normally read at least 3 books a week, this challenge should be a breeze! Though I realize that having said that, I may have just jinxed myself.

2. The e-book Reading Challenge.

I received a Kindle for Christmas, so this challenge couldn't come at a better time! There are 4 levels to this challenge, and any genre counts:
-- Curious – Read 3 e-books.
-- Fascinated – Read 6 e-books.
-- Addicted – Read 12 e-books.
-- Obsessed – Read 20 e-books.

Although I will probably read more, I'm going to stick with Fascinated for the time being for no other reason than many of the types of books I normally read aren't available as e-books yet. I've just The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and Deschooling Gently by Tammy Takahashi, so I know that those will be on the list.

And last but not least,

3. 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge.

The Levels:

Level I - Read 5 books from the 2010 Book Blogger Recommendation List
Level II - Read 10 books
Level III - Read 15 books
Level IV - Read 20 books
Level V - Read 20+ books

There are 413 books to choose from, and it can't be something you've read before. I'm only going for a Level I on this one, as most of these books are fiction, and I normally read are non-fiction.

If you have any book suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Anybody else feel like joining the challenge?

Sugar High brought to us by Emma

2011-01-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

We received a lovely package from Emma full of English treats. Look at all of that sugary goodness! See, this is why American's are obese. We have British friends who keep sending us goodies. :)

I had to pretty much throw myself between locust boy and the candy, once he caught a peek at what was inside the packages. Luckily I was able to restrain him long enough to snap a pix. He immediately started going though it all and making 2 different piles. I watched him for a bit before asking what he was doing (though I already knew). He said: "This is my pile, and you and dad can share that one." Fat chance! He was a little disappointed when I told him that it didn't work that way. Luckily Emma knows us well enough to have sent 3 of most things.

These pastel colored goodies are aptly named flying saucers. They have a texture similar to styrofoam packing peanuts (though Emma assures me that they are made of rice.) They have a filling similar to pixie stix and are oddly addictive.

This is similar to fun dip, but fizz's a bit and tastes better.

These are sugar mice. Apparently they are a standard British treat, though Emma may just be pulling a fast one on us. I can hear here giggling now: "Hehe - I got them to eat candy rodents!"

Our favorites by far are the Curly Wurlys.

OMG - these are good! Seriously, if she'd have only sent one, there would have been some kind of smackdown in our living room. And while my guys were fighting over which one of them got to eat it, I would have snagged it and snuck into the (locked) bedroom to eat it. I'm evil like that!

Anybody else have favorite foodstuffs that originate elsewhere, or are otherwise hard to come by?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

A new year - full of hope and many (many!) plans. I gave up on "resolutions" a long time ago, mostly because so few - including myself - tend to keep them. I am, however, very keen on setting goals. Don't ask me what the difference is, I'm sure there really isn't any (other than how I view it). But goal setting and list making are two things that I love to do. It is simply satisfying crossing something off a list. And when the list is posted somewhere that you see it every day, it makes it more motivating.

I have lists for personal goals, family goals, financial goals, household goals and homesteading goals (the last two seem to be ever changing and always lengthening). Here is a random sampling of this years goals:

1. Take Cody to Mount St. Helen's and Ape Cave (a caves near St. Helen's made out of lava tubes).

We used to live within sight of it when I was a kid, and happened to be on a trip to the east coast when it erupted. The last time I was there was in high school. I've been wanting to go since we moved back to Oregon 3 1/2 years ago, but something always seems to come up and we never make it. This will be the year that we make it!

2. Find an older travel trailer in decent condition, and cheap! I know it's a lot to ask for, but we're optimistic people. :) Our hope is to be able to use it for both camping and when Mike and Cody go hunting. As much as we love tent camping, I'm not ashamed to admit that an air mattress gets harder to sleep on the older you get!

3. Donate blood more often. As much as I hate getting stuck with a needle, it's something that I can do to help others in my community, and costs nothing more than an hour of my time.

4. Write more often. If I learned nothing else about myself in 2010, it's that I need to schedule my time. As much as I'd love to spend my days flying by the seat of my pants, the minutes and hours get away from me and I fail to accomplish my goals. Therefore, writing has been added to my list.

5. Double our flock of chickens. We've been narrowing our choice of breeds, only settling (thus far) on another Speckled Sussex.

Our favorite girl who died last year was a SS, and we'd love to have another. I don't know if this new one will like to sleep upside down in our laps while we rub her belly, but we're hoping so! The last one sure did.

So - what are some of your 2011 goals?

UPDATE: Well, I'm doing pretty good on #4 so far. I have 5 blog posts already written and waiting to be posted!

Spoiled. Rotten. Chickens.

2010-11-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

We were hit with a torrential downpour today - not shocking considering this is November. In Oregon. Anyway, when the rain let up a bit Cody went to check on the girls and found two sopping wet moppets. The third was relatively dry. Apparently, the wind blew the coop door closed and when the rain started coming down in buckets, Dru and Buffy stood (rather stupidly) outside the door, resulting in their complete soaking. Angel at least had the good sense to get in the run, which is tarped on top. As the temp is supposed to dip down to the high 30's tonight (that'd be about 3 degrees for you, Emma ;) we knew that we couldn't leave them in the coop until they were dry.

Which led us to do this:

Who's the prettiest chicken in the bathroom? Drusilla! At least she thinks so.

Call me crazy, but I'm betting HE never had this problem!

Give thanks...

2010-11-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

This year, be sure to tell the ones you love how thankful you are that they are in your life.

No matter how weird and freaky they may be...

(This is why *I* fold the laundry.)

(I could say that this is a rarity, but I'd be lying. What can I say? I'm sweet. :)

(Just call him Gumby.)

(There are nooooo words.)

(Hands off, ladies! He's mine!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The last warm weather until...

2010-11-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

...sometime next year. These pix are a few weeks old, but I'm wishing for some of that warm sunshine right about now (current temp. is 26 degrees and falling.) We took full advantage of the gorgeous weather and headed to the river for the afternoon.

With the exception of some kayakers and one fisherman, we had the whole place to ourselves.

After hiking along the riverfront for awhile, we decided to settle ourselves on a beach area. I chose to do some sketching in my nature journal...

...while monkey-boy decided to clamber all over a large bunch of felled trees.

Is it horrible of me to admit that whilst he was clambering, crawling, and balancing his way across and over the trees, I kept hoping that he wouldn't fall because there was NO way I'd be able to drag him back to the car?? Seriously, the kid weighs a ton.

He tried to coax me out there with him, but I'm a big ol' chicken and was afraid I'd fall. (I know me, and I've seen me do it before.)

How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Are you wearing mukluks and huddled in front of the fire, or are you still slathering on sunblock and wearing shorts? (If you're in the later category, please don't rub it in. I may just send you some sleet in the mail.)

The Princess Bride

2010-11-21T22:56:00.000-08:00

As some of you know (and you know who you are!) my son is active in a local community theatre for teens. Their fall production just concluded and they all had a blast! Once again, another mom and I were in charge of making a bunch of teens look like old people. What fun. :)

This is the first time that I didn't get any pictures during dress rehearsal, but I did remember to snap a few pix backstage.

Here's Vizzini and the Ancient Booer:

Fezzik (aka Cody) and Miracle Max.

Fezzik, Inigo Montoya and Vizzini.

I'm always amazed at the amount of work that goes into putting on a play, and I am by no means the one who puts in the most time or energy. One of the other moms likened it to pregnancy and childbirth. It's a lot of work and a bit painful, but when it's all over you say "Gee. That wasn't so bad." At which point you turn around a do it all over again. :) Speaking of all over again, Cody's next audition is less than 2 weeks away. Here we go again...

I'm an oxymoron

2010-11-11T01:06:00.000-08:00

A popular geek. Who knew?? Not only have I been kindly nominated for a Homeschool Blogger Award for Funniest Homeschool Blog (I humbly beg you to vote for me here), I've also been nominated for three Homeschool Misfit Awards!

The Harried Homeschooler Award - "Good thing I don't neglect my kids like I do my blog." or "Who are all these kids and why are they wanting my attention when I'm trying to blog?". This is the blogger who has every intention of blogging regularly, but life just gets in the way sometime. Her family expects regular meals. What's up with that? - Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

The Blabber Blog Award - "MOM, you put THAT photo/story on your blog?" This one's for the blogger who isn't afraid to embarrass her family for the sake of blog fodder. - Ohhh, I have a sneaking suspicion that this post is why I was nominated. :)

And last but not least:

The Snarky Homeschooler Award - If you or your friend enjoys the snark and sarcasm, this is the award for you. - Me? Snarky? Never!!

Should I be concerned that I was nominated for 3 times as many misfit awards?? Am I letting too much of my weirdness show through? Nah...

You Like Me! You Really Like Me!

2010-11-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

Channeling my inner Sally Field (for those of you old enough to remember that acceptance speech) to say "Thank You" to the kind soul who nominated me for the Homeschool Blog Awards!! I've been nominated in the Funniest Homeschool Blogger category, so if you'd be so kind as to pop over and vote for me, I'd appreciate it. :)

And a big shout out to my friend Lori, who was also nominated in this category! We smart-asses always stick together, don't we?

You know you're feeling better when...

2010-11-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

...the sweetest husband in the world starts flicking you crap again.

OK, so you may be wondering how someone who has garnered the title "Sweetest Husband" could also flick his sickly wife crap. And then you'll remember who my husband is. :)

But seriously, the way he earns that title is how he behaves when I am truly ill.

Friday night was the opening night of Cody's play (for which I help do the hair and makeup for the performances). After two hours of trying to make pubescent kids appear old and grey, I spent the performance curled up in my car. By 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning it was clear to everyone that I would not be spending my normal 11 hour stretch at the theatre with him (2 hours of hair/makeup, 2 hour performance, 2 hour dinner break in between performances, another 2 hours of hair and makeup, 2 hour performance, and then cleanup). This is where Super-Hubby comes in. After getting up before dawn to cover a job for work, he was home all of 10 minutes before he had to head back out the door to get Cody to the theatre. By the end of the day he had spent 3 hours driving back and forth. He also ran to the store for me AND handled meals. In his spare time (no, I'm not joking) he tore down shelves and hung sheet rock in the garage. He stayed up until 1:00 a.m. - long after I had gone to bed - because I'd been hacking and wheezing (love that asthma) and he wanted to make sure I was breathing OK before he went to bed. See what I mean? Super Hubby.

Sunday morning rolled around and he was still sweetness and light. He kept working in the garage, ran errands, and cooked dinner. By the time evening rolled around, I was feeling semi-human again and it showed. Which is when we began to resume our normal snarky rolls.

Have you seen the new AMC series The Walking Dead that premiered on Sunday?

Being fans of the zombie genre we were excited for the premiere. It's the story of a sherrif's deputy who's been shot and awakens in the hospital some time later to find that while he was "sleeping" the zombie appocalypse occured. Without giving too much away, there's a father and son in the show that are conflicted as the wife/mother has become a zombie and the father can't bring himself to kill her, even though he knows he should. I turned to my dear, sweet hubby (see above) and said "Honey, if I turn into a zombie, I just want you to know that it's OK for you to kill me. I don't want you to feel guilty about it."

To which the love of my life looked deep into my eyes and replied: "Oh, I won't have a problem with it. I'll double-tap your ass."

Kinda chokes you up, doesn't it? ;)

On a side note, I'm also amazed at how many projects he got done around the house (even if it was in a self proclaimed effort to stay away from the walking plague carrier that was his fever wracked wife). So now I'm thinking that if I *cough* plan things just right *sniffle* I can maybe get him to finish *achoo* the rest of the things on his honey-do list.

The Homeschool Misfit Awards!

2010-10-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Lori over at Hearthside Homeschool Reviews...and More has helped create new homeschool blog awards: THE HOMESCHOOL MISFIT AWARDS!

With categories like The Harried Homeschooler, the Misfit Among Misfits, and The Snarky Homeschooler (which for some insane reason, Lori thinks I qualify for!) there's sure to be something for everyone.

So please go and nominate your favorite homeschool blogger in up to two categories. And if you agree with Lori about my snarkiness, feel free to nominate me, too. :)

Fall Leaf Art

2010-10-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

We love the classes at the library. We get to try out new things and best of all, they're FREE! What could be better than that? We recently took another class on on Leaf Art. There wasn't too big of a description for the class, but Cody and I figured "What the heck?" We were the first ones there, so had our choice of seats at one of the tables. In front of each chair was a piece of foam core and some Mod Podge. Layed out accross the front of each table were tons of dried leaves in colors ranging from yellow to black.

Within minutes the room filled with kids and moms, and the woman running the class decided to begin. She then whipped out a picture book and proceeded to read it out load. I fully expected Cody to lean over to me and give me some ribbing along the lines of "What in the hell kind of class did you sign us up for?" Instead, he giggled every time one of the little kids in the room got excited about something in the book. What a good kid.

Then we were turned loose and encouraged to make some kind of animal with the leaves.

In honor of Halloween and his current love of zombies (see previous post), Cody made a leaf man zombie. Unfortunately, the brains on the bottom didn't show up with the flash.

His other creation was a frog, complete with long froggy toungue.

My first creation was a bee.

And then a dragonfly on a cattail.

We ended up having W-A-Y more fun than we had ever thought possible, which probably explains why I have a large selection of leaves currently being pressed in our garage. :)

So what about you, my dear readers. Any fall crafts going on at your house?

Zombie Movie Madness

2010-09-30T01:54:00.000-07:00

Every fall we do horror movies. Lots and lots of horror movies. Not like Saw or Hostel, more along the lines of Psycho and Nosferatu (which is one of Cody's all time favorite movies). This year appears to be the year of the zombies, and e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y seems to be talking about them these days. As if I didn't need further reminding, I even came across this bumper sticker:

Now, Cody has brought up a good question - if zombies are dead, wouldn't they rot rather quickly? (This lead to a lengthy discussion as to the rate of zombie decomposition with regards to ambient temperatures, humidity levels, insects infestations, etc. Proving once again that ANY topic can be educational!)

So now we're trying to find some more good zombie movies to watch. Quite frankly, I don't think anything will ever top Shaun of the Dead, which is hands down the best zombie movie ever made.

Zombieland was pretty good, too, but we needed to find more. This of course led to a Google search where I turned up such gems as these:

Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned - The strippers will give you a lap dance and then eat your intestines. Good times!

Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies - As if the Nazi's weren't bad enough the first time around.

Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town - I admit it. I've actually seen this one.

Colton Bastian Vs. The Zombie Apocalypse - The entire fate of mankind rests on the shoulders of somebody named Colton? We are so screwed.

Fast Zombies with Guns - I guess your only hope is that their fingers will rot off quickly and they won't be able to pull the trigger.

Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane - And you thought snakes on a plane were bad.

FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency - Our tax dollars at work.

I Was a Zombie for the F.B.I. - He worked undercover for the FVZA

Gore-Met, Zombie Chef from Hell - If Gordon Ramsey were a zombie...

Hamilton Carver – Zombie P.I - Magnum's cousin.

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies - It was either that, or become Scientologists.

L.A. Zombie - Slightly better than Fresno Zombie

Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! - Luckily, their pants will hang down so far they'll fall over every time they try and chase you.

Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Terror - Just making sure they've covered all the bases...

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead - Maybe we shouldn't have buried our dead chickens in the backyard...

Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Rights Movement - Everybody has to be politcally correct these days.

Zombie Vegetarians - Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the garden!

So help me out here. What are your favorite horror/zombie movies?

A Nature Walk (and no dead things)

2010-09-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Miracle of miracles, we not only had some actual bonafide sunshine (!), but we also had a nature walk that involved no dead things. (So Emma, it's safe to munch whilst reading this post. ;)

We'd barely walked 100 feet when we came across this wooly bear caterpillar on the trail.

Cody immediately whipped out his nature journal and began sketching. We had to keep moving along the trail to keep up with this little guy because he was hauling furry hiney. I don't know where he was going, but he was making good time!

A little further up the trail we spotted these blackberries.

Cody couldn't help himself - he had to munch a few!

We only managed to take a few steps when he spotted this garter snake in the undergrowth. You can see the yellow stripe down its back. We saw 2 more of them further down the trail.

We stopped to get a sip of water and noticed this paper wasp nest in the tree about 10 feet from us. Luckily it appeared to be abandoned.

On our way to the pond we came upon a big stand of cattails. I was then compelled to tell him the story of when I was a little girl and discovered the dozens of cattails that my mother had squirreled away in the garage for some art project. It didn't take me long to realize that I could make the seedheads get all fluffy by rubbing on them, and proceeded to do that to ALL of them! My mother was pissed when she came into the garage and found the piles of fluff everywhere, but I had a ball. It's still one of my fonder childhood memories. :)

Of course, I then had to show Cody how to make them fluff up.

We finally made it to the pond, and Cody found a perfect observation point to view the wildlife.

We watched the Canadian geese for awhile, hoping they'd get a little closer. They didn't.

This young female mallard seemed to let her curiousity get the best of her, and couldn't help coming close to check us out.

We're supposed to have some more sunshine this week and hopefully we can make it to the river for some more outdoor adventures before the really bad weather sets in.

Random Happenings

2010-09-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Cody loves all things nature, and his idea of a good time is sleeping outside under a lean-to eating MRE's.

That is a level of strange that he definitely does not get from my side of the family. I blame Sasquatch.

Anyhow...

We constantly find ourselves in the out-of-doors. He's actually the best person to go on nature walks with, as he can pinpoint the smallest, stealthiest of creatures. Therefore, we have come to love nature journals (thank you, Charlotte Mason!) Anyway, it's a new year, so we have new journals. That would be mine on the left, sporting a spotted towhee. Cody's is...well...all his. :) In case you can't read it, it says: "Mine! HANDS OFF! My book! My tree! My rock! My earth! And you can't have any of it! Ha! LOL"

Next up on our tour of miscellaneous happenings, I came home the other day to find that my industrious - and ever hungry - child had made his own MRE's. You see, since we've had to go gluten free, the food he's lamented losing the most is, well, MRE's. Yes, those nummy (blech) Meals Ready to Eat that the military provides our troops. (If you've never seen/smelled/tasted one, I can assure you that you aren't missing out on anything edible.) Anyway, he loves them and has missed them dearly. So he has designed his own to be taken camping, hiking, etc.

Other news includes a chicken funeral. Once again, it was hubby's chicken who croaked. Yeah - he's not allowed to pick out chickens anymore. And whatever his had it was contagious, as we now have one of Cody's chickens in the hospital pen. From what I've read, I think it's Newcastle Disease - which is untreatable and has a mortality rate of 0 - 100%, depending on the website. What does it say about me that all I can think of is: "I'm soooo glad that we don't have bigger animals. Like horses. 'Cause they would be really hard to bury."

A Trip to the Coast, and Dead Things

2010-09-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

We decided to take one final good weather hurrah and head to the coast for the day. We chose to bypass our normal Astoria destinations, and headed instead for Tillamook and the surrounding area. Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which makes the best cheese in the US. Don't believe me? Well, you'll just have to come here and try it yourself.

It's hard to see in the photo, but they're doing a run of pepper jack cheese, which is hubby's favorite on his sandwhiches.

Of course, cheese isn't all they make! Their ice cream is pretty good, too. Do you know how you can tell? Sasquatch is smiling, and locust boy won't take the spoon out of his mouth. :)

Next up, we headed to Cape Mears, where we had a lovely picnic lunch with nobody else around us. After stuffing our faces full of nummy treats, I then tried to channel my inner Emma and take lots of pretty pictures of the scenery.

Oooh. Ahhh. Pretty. :)

Hey - if I get the chance to get a shot of EITHER of my guys smiling, I'm going to take it!

Hubby and I in front of the old lighthouse. There's actually a path that leads down to it, and you can go inside. The downstairs has been turned into a gift shop (naturally), and while you can sometimes go upstairs, today it was closed off.

We weren't very familiar with this area of the coast and had a rather difficult time in actually gettin down to the beach. We could see stretches of beautiful coastline, but having left all of our rappelling equipment at home we had to pass it by. We finally came upon a place with an actual parking area (and one spot left), so we headed out to the sand and waves. After staying there awhile, we jumped back in the car, stopped off for some salt water taffy and GF pizza, and headed to the next beach. This is where things got interesting!

We seem to have a knack for coming across dead things when we're out and about, and this day did not disappoint!

First up was this intriguing fish jaw with some really nasty looking teeth. I have no idea what kind of fish it was, but I'm fair certain that I don't want it swimming anywhere near my toes.

Of course, it wouldn't be a trip to the beach without seeing some big jellyfish.

Or some little jellyfish, for that matter. Though I hear that they're now supposed to be referred to as "sea jellies" since they aren't actually fish. Whatever. I'm still calling 'em jellyfish.

And here's a pretty recently dead bird. Not sure what killed it, as it didn't have any marks on it.

We saw this gull munching on something as we walked toward it. What was it eating, you ask? (Even if you didn't ask, I'm still going to tell you. MUAHAHAHA!)

It was munching on the innards of a cormorant. See the ribcage, sitting on top there? Yep, the gull had slurped out all of the tasty bits. I asked Cody if he wanted to get a closer look (it is an educational opportunity, after all) and we squated down beside it to get a closer look. Honestly, I don't know if it was more fun watching the other beach goers gag at the sight of the bird, or give us weird looks for being so interested in it. Maybe I should get us matching t-shirts that read: Back off! We're homeschoolers and you're interupting our field trip! :)

Bad Gifts (Thanks, Mom)

2010-09-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

My mother is a notoriously bad gift giver. And for those of you thinking: "It's the thought that counts" - that does not apply if no thought actually went into it. LOL

Who can forget these fabulous glasses that we got one year for Christmas - complete with cracked lenses?? We held on to them just long enough to snap this pix.

I will admit that there have been a few times when she really came through, like this gift:

Note that this is circa 1977. She also got me a really good gift for Christmas 1990 (again, Star Wars related). Usually, though, I get things like the bottle of perfume - the same perfume that she has worn since the '60's (I've never, ever worn perfume). Or the year she gave me the black procelain doll (she collects dolls). Or the year that she convinced my father - who's always been a fabulous giftgiver, BTW - that he needed to get me a paticular Barbie Doll. Oh, and did I mention it was for my 30th birthday?? How about the Christmas when she wrapped up a bunch of free samlples and gave them to me? Complete with the bottle of motel shampoo. I think you get the idea.

She usually fares better with Cody's gifts, though that hasn't always been the case. Like this year, when his big gift from her - for his 15th birthday, mind you - was a train clock. As in choo choo. Would have been cool if he were four years old and really into trians. But he's not...on both counts. He's never been into trains, so I'm not sure what she was thinking with this one. It's also the third year in a row that she's given him a clock. At least this one was better than the one that took 12 (count 'em: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12) AA batteries. And speaking of batteries, seperately wrapped was a package of...batteries. A pack of four, of which one had been removed leaving 3. Yes, she had actually wrapped a partially used pack of batteries to go with the clock, because apparently at the age of 15 he cannot be trusted with an extra battery. Maybe she's afraid he'll stick it up his nose or something.

Which leads me to what we do with all of these wonderful gifts. Are you familiar with White Elephant gift exchanges? For those of you who aren't, it's when you wrap up something that you already own (the more hideous or useless, the better) and do a gift exchange with family or friends. In some cases, you can swap with another giver, but that's not how we do it. We make you keep whatever you were ~~cursed~~ blessed to receive. Anyway, the things we give are typically what we've received from my mom (like those glasses up top). In fact, our friend James still has the Troll Doll earrings that my mother gave me for my birthday a couple of years ago. You can see the tops of their pink fuzzy heads in the picture. :)

So tell me: Am I the only one who gets bad gifts? What was the worst gift you ever received?

Homeschool Brain Fry and Our First Week

2010-09-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

"Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up." Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

So, my brilliant plan to hop back on the ol' blogging wagon was not so brilliant. I didn't expect to get full-on brain fry while trying to get things going. My son requested more structure this year than has been our norm, and trying to pull together the books and supplies (supplies and more supplies) was more than my grey matter could handle. To let you know just how bad it was, I even had a hard time coming up with the few brief Facebook updates that I've posted in the last few weeks. Pathetic, I know.

What's been happening, in brief: Cody turned 15 (ack!), and got a part in a new play, for which rehearsals have started - and the schedule has already changed 3 times. We hosted another chicken funeral (yes, you read that right) for our favorite clucker who passed last week. And, of course, countless yard and household projects, some of which have even been completed. :) There you go - all caught up.

Our "school" year offically started this past week, and we had our 9th annual Not Back to School Day. This is us, making our "Woo-hoo! We don't have school today!" faces.

Our first stop was breakfast at Slappy Cakes, an area restuarant that not only features gluten-free pancakes, but you even get to cook them yourself on the built in tabletop griddle. Cody chose chocolate chips as his add-in, and scarfed down not only his 4 pancakes and some turkey bacon, but half of my eggs and country potatoes, as well. There's a reason we call him locust boy.

Here he is, getting ready to demonstrate his mad flapjack flipping skills!

Next stop was Powell's. Ahhh, an entire city block of books. They also sell used books (shelved with the new ones, so no hunting in two different spots to find a particular tome), and take books in on trade. I'd taken a bunch in for trade weeks ago, and our whole trip cost me a scant $20 out of pocket. Not bad, considering the stack of stuff we hauled out of there!

Now off to peruse your blogs...

Watching Movies With My Very Own Sheldon Cooper.

2010-08-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

(Topsy, this post is for you. ;)

Most of you are, I'm sure, not only familiar with the TV show The Big Bang Theory, but probably fans, as well. For anyone who has been living: under a rock/in a cave/on the international space station, TBBT is a gloriously funny sitcom about 4 nerds and a hot chick. Get thee to Netflix, pronto, and load up your queue!

Our whole family loves this show, and have on more than one occasion STRONGLY identified with a character or situation. Normaly Sheldon reminds me of Sasquatch (especially in regards to how they like their bed covers), but when we head to the movies...it's Cody who suddenly channels Sheldon.

Remember this clip?:

Sure, it's funny! Because YOU aren't the one at the movies with a Sheldon. I am.

Picture, if you will, Cody and I arriving at the movie theater. We have our movie munchies in hand and enter the semi-darkened room. Now picture my child moving from row to row, and sometimes from seat to seat, trying to find the perfect spot for viewing. Imagine the odd stares from the people already in their seats. Now picture him leaning back and forth over a seat, trying to determine if the seat in the row in front is better than the one in his row. Luckily, he's not trying to find the "acoustic sweet spot" - so he's not as loud. Still...boys are weird :P

Things I've learned about animals in the last 2 weeks...Part 2

2010-08-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

OK, I don't know if anybody else is interested in the second half of my animal-lessons post, but I know Stace is, so this is for her. :)

Lesson #10: If the dog is scratching furiously at the back to door to be let in - and it's not raining - then something is up. Your night is about to change in a very bad way.

Lesson #11: If lesson #10 applies, do not let the dog in the house until you have had the chance to check her over. Otherwise, she will bolt right past you and it won't be until the stench wafts upwards that you understand why she was so desperate to get into the house.

Lesson #12: That stench that you smelled in lesson #11 will be skunk.

Lesson #13: After herding the stinking dog into the garage, you will become amazingly thankful that Google does, indeed, provide an answer to every question. The question, of course, is: How do I get skunk smell out of dog??

Lesson #14: This is when you realize that for every person that SWEARS by a particular method of deskunking, there is at least one other person who swears it doesn't work. This leads to some very interesting combinations of whatever is on hand.

Lesson #15: Whatever you readily have on-hand at 11 p.m. will not work.

Lesson #16: In a cruel twist of fate, the vet will be completely sold out of whatever de-skunker they normally carry, but will happily give you the same handouts that you printed out last night off of Google.

Lesson #17: Even worse than the remedies for deskunking the dog are the remedies for deskunking the house - the two main ones being Febreeze and coffee grounds lying about in bowls.

Lesson #18: You quickly find that while the Febreeze and coffee grounds do nothing to eliminate the smell of skunk, their smells mixed with the skunk smell will induce gagging.

Lesson #19: Even weeks later, the skunk smell will rear its ugly head every time the dog gets dampened in any way (which normally wouldn't be an issue in the summer, except that ours has been very wet).

Lesson #20: Pepe le Pew will form some kind of bizarre attachment to your house, and insist on visiting several nights a week. Even occasionally waking you in the middle of the night as their scent wafts through your open bedroom window.

Stupid skunk...

(P.S. - A special thanks to Snoopy who caught my bowel-instead-of-bowl typo! Once again, the danger of blogging with little sleep rears its ugly head. LOL)

tap, tap Hello? Is this thing on?

2010-08-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

I bet some of you are wondering where I've been and what I've been doing. OK, that's assuming that there is anybody left who is actually checking this thing. Well, anyone other than the people I see IRL who keep asking me "So, um, what's up with your blog?"

You want to know what's up? I've been busy.

Doing nothing.

Well, not actually "nothing." Just nothing fun. Or exciting. I've been running my little legs off (my hobbit sized legs if you were to ask my son) ferrying my child around town. And working on not-so-fun-but-have-to-be-done projects around the house and yard. Not really anything blog-worthy, unless you'd all like to hear about how I sat in the car for 2 hours and read a book while my son was at a class that was located too far away from the house to go home, and in a location with too much traffic for me to go anywhere but crazy.

Oooh, or there is the scintillating stories of me trying to de-skunk the dog, and by proxy, the house, clothes we were wearing, towels we used after bathing her (over and over and over again) and anything else she came into contact with. 5 weeks out and she STILL has the odor of Pepe le Pew.

I could regale you with stories of our anti-social chicken, who has taken to pecking EVERY SINGLE EGG that isn't hers, and squawking so loud, and so long, at the top of her little chicken lungs that I'm surprised we haven't had any angry knocks on our door. She's currently residing in the hospital pen we have set up in the garage (where her squawks are at least somewhat muffled) while we decide what to do with her. She may end up on the table by the end of next week...

So there you go. My last 5 weeks in a nutshell. I have a plan to blog 3X a week, because contrary to how badly I have been keeping up with this, I really do enjoy writing here. Maybe I can earn back some of my readers :)

Things I've learned about animals in the last 2 weeks...Part 1

2010-06-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Pets are great, aren't they? Oh, sure, they give you love and are fun to watch, but they can also be valuable teachers. Here are some things that my lovely dog and one of our chickens (Mike's chicken, to be exact) have taught me in the last couple of weeks...

Lesson #1: The internet is a fabulous tool for diagnosing animal ills. Where once you had to rely on a vet (who came with a hefty $$ tag), you can now use Google to find out anything, including pictures of possible diagnosis. WARNING: Be sure that you do actually want to see pictures of the icky things you Google. Because you will find them.

Lesson #2: Two of the methods for treating an impacted crop (which was our chicken's problem) is to give them red wine (a diuretic) and olive oil (apparently a lubricant). Throw in some penne and marinara, and it's a date! But no, this calls for sticking a tube attached to a 3 ml vial down their throat. We joked that we were marinating her from the inside out, and as much as she hated this, she really hated #3.

Lesson #3: Chickens do NOT like to be made to vomit. Come to think of it, I can't think of any animal on the planet who would like it, but I've never actually had to make anything else do it, so I can't be 100% sure.

Lesson #4: I don't speak chicken, but I'm pretty sure that I definitively translated something that the before-mentioned chicken said to me - and I'm pretty darn sure she called be a b*tch. No, seriously. It was after one of the forced vomiting sessions and I put her back in the hospital pen. She scurried away, looked at me out of the corner of her eye and said "Bock". But with a tone. Maybe you had to be there, but Cody witnessed it, and he agrees with me!

Lesson #5: When you try and explain to the lady at the store that no, your child isn't sick, the Pedialite is in fact for your chicken, she will look at you funny and walk away.

Lesson #6: A chicken who is on a very restricted soft-foods-only diet will suddenly become the pickiest eater in the world. She will turn her nose up at plump, juicy garden slugs and will demand the imported kiwi. Freakin' feathered diva!

Lesson #7: Apparently one of the top foods they recommend giving chickens on a soft-foods diet is...eggs. I find this very odd, and slightly cannibalistic, but the chicken loved it.

Lesson #8: When a chicken has been away from the rest of the flock for a week, the other chickens will behave as if they have never, ever seen her before. Even though they spent every single day for the previous 4 months together. It's actually been a lot like watching a pack of 13 year old girls. Anyone who remembers what it was like to be a 13 year old girl will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Lesson #9: Just when you finish with one animal issue, another will present itself. And if you think the last one was bad, the next problem will be worse.

Stay tuned for further lessons learned...

A blog name change may be in order!

2010-06-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

Cody took full advantage of the (finally!) dry weather and ate his lunch al fresco. He figured since the girls were our free ranging their lunch, he'd join them. He no sooner took 2 bites, and already Drusilla was in his lap, begging for a bite. He thought it was pretty funny and just leaned away from her...

...until he realized that Buffy was sneaking up on the other side.

Maybe I should rename the blog to "Pack of Hungry Chickens"!

Goonies - Take 2

2010-06-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

And now for part 2 of our Goonie adventures...

Our last stop of the day was the old jail/new movie museum, which had it's grand opening that very morning. Since there were so many people in town for the celebration, we had to get tickets with a later tour time. We took advantage of our wait time by having dinner overlooking the water.

Look - another shot of him smiling! Sasquatch is a Goonie at heart :)

After our meal, we headed back to the jail and found that they'd brought the Fratelli's Jeep Cherokee for the opening.

Even has the bullet holes!

Mike tried really hard to get a pix of the dashboard, which had been autographed by most of the cast. Turns out, it was nearly impossible with the glare off the windows, and this was the best photo of the bunch.

Everybody say "Goonie!"

This is the *only* time I want to see him in a photo like this!!

Is it just me, or is there a look of fear on his face??

Once we headed inside, we got to see a bunch of props including Data's backpack:

The treasure map to the good stuff:

Item's belonging to, or about, Chester Copperpot:

I was hoping they'd have the dabloon, but this was a good substitute:

One of the old jail cells was filled with Goonie collectibles, included trading cards, a license plate, lunch pails, posters...

...masks, mugs, records, books, etc.

Here's Cody, pretending to sleep in Jake Fratelli's cell:

Data's costume, bike...

...and of course, his "slick shoes".

Hmm, I wonder if I can talk Mike into making me a sign like this for our backyard.

On our way out, they had a bullitin board where you could post why you were there. Here's mine:

So that's it folks - our entire day in two posts, minus the 4 1/2 hours in the car :)

Goonies - Take 1

2010-06-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

(Be sure to turn up the volume on your computer so that you can listen to the theme music as you read. :)

This weekend is the 25th anniversary celebration of The Goonies, with a big ol' shindig in Astoria. Can you guess where we were today? I'm betting you can!

Bloggers note: There were some cast members in town for the event, and while we could have paid the $$ to see them, we didn't. You see, it would have cost us $60 to see Mouth and Chunk. Mikey Walsh will be here - but not until late tomorrow afternoon. I would have gladly paid the $60 to see the three of them, but not the two. I know - bad, bad Goonie fan! End note.

Our first stop:

Oh, if you only knew how many people were crammed into this building, and how much money was being dropped in the gift store! Some of it by me :)

Cody wanted a mug, and I also picked up a postcard, button, patch and sticker.

They were also holding a treasure hunt around Astoria, and so we picked up our treasure map and started walking (4 hours of walking, as it turns out).

Many of the eateries had Goonie themed goodies, some of which they gave out for free, like this chocolate "truffle shuffle". I was actually made to do a slightly altered version of the truffle shuffle in order to get the validation stamp at one of the treasure hunt locations. Luckily my family did not witness it, or the mocking would have been ruthless!

Of course, we couldn't walk to all of the treasure hunt locations - one of which was the Astoria column.

We were blessed with a picture perfect day, and took advantage of the great weather and view to have a picnic lunch at the column.

You know it's a good day when Sasquatch smiles for a photo!

After lunch, we continued on our hunt. One of the things we noticed was cars from all over the country. We couldn't believe how far some people traveled to come to this! We also noticed a lot of decorated vehicles, like:

This one (from New York):

This one:

Not to mention, this one:

And this one:

Whoops! Don't know how that one made it on my blog! LOL

We finished the treasure hunt and headed back to Goonie headquarters to collect our loot:

A baggie of gold dabloons for each of us! Too bad they weren't real gold... :)

And by some strange coincidence, I ended up extras of much of our Goonie goodies.

Hmm, I wonder what I could do with it all. Send it to a particular Goonie-loving bloggy friend who lives across the pond, perhaps?

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Goondocks...

Butter makes everything better!

2010-06-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

Or at least it makes everything you eat taste better :)

One more side effect of the cooking classes he's been taking - Cody now wants to make everything from scratch. The most recent item? Butter.

After letting the cream reach room temp, we poured it into a lidded container, plopped in a few marbles and a dash or two of sea salt, and Cody started shaking.

And kept on shaking...

He did stop long enough to let me snap a pix, though.

Nearly done!

After draining off the buttermilk and rinsing the butter until the water ran clear (not sure why, exactly - just following the directions), we had the finished product. Look, ma! Rich, creamy butter.

Cody had so much fun, he said he wishes that we had a cow to milk so that he could make it all the time! Of course, he's only saying that because we don't have a cow that he'd have to milk all the time.

drip...drip...drip

2010-06-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

I hear rumors that people...people who don't live here...have actual sunshine. And warm weather. And apparently they're being very selfish and not sharing their fabulous weather with us. So here we sit, under wet gray skies, listing to the sound of the water dripping down the gutters. Wondering when - or even if - our summer is going to start.

On another note, any of you with chickens who've dealt with an impacted crop, we'd love to hear any advice that you have to share!

Cody's First Shave!

2010-05-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Long gone are the days when my little boy would practice shaving with a razor he'd built out of Legos. Friday night we all gathered in the bathroom (OK, I had to plead to be let in - especially since they knew I was armed with the camera) while Mike taught Cody to shave for the first time.

C'mon - smile for the camera!

Nearly done now - and not one cut! Although there is plenty of time for that in the future ;)

Now it's shaving...in a few months it will be driving. 2010 will be a year of firsts for him!

Eat My Dust!

2010-05-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours is very active in the local rally racing circuit. I will be the first to admit that I am not a sports-loving girl. I do love going to watch hockey games, but I really can't stand watching any sport on TV, with the exception of rally racing (not that I really watch much of it, but when I do, I like it. It looks like a lot of fun). A week ago they had the big Oregon Trail race, and we were given the opportunity to volunteer. We got up at some un-godly hour on a Saturday morning so that we could drive for an hour to get to the meeting spot and then all of the volunteers caravaned to the race area and each headed to our designated spots.

Oooh, doesn't he look handsome in his official tee and badge :)

Mike's job was to stand in front of the race cars when they pulled up to make sure that they didn't cross the start line. And hope that they didn't squish him like a bug.

See that cloud of dust? Yep, we got to eat that all...day...long. + I'll let you imagine what wonderful things came out of our noses when we blew them at the end of the day. We'll call it my gift to you :)

That would be Cody on the left helping our friend (and "other kid") Marcus assign start times to the drivers.

Here's a short little bit from that day:

Although not exactly what we expected, we would do it again. It was kinda cool to meet the drivers, but the most amazing thing was the volunteer effort. Every person involved at every point along the race was a volunteer, and the drivers and co-drivers (who definitely have hardest of the two jobs) were very appreciative for all of the hard work that went into the race.

Hiking Near Home

2010-05-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Cody and I headed to one of our favorite parks to do a little hiking and see if we could catch a glimpse of some wildlife. Being that it was a weekday there was hardly anyone there, save for a few fisherman. Just the way we like it!

I love how green and lush everything looks this time of year.

We saw tons of fiddleheads unfurling. Later that afternoon, I found some recipes in a cookbook for sauteed fiddleheads. Hmm, we may have to find some more and try it out. That'll be a recipe that Cody won't have in his cooking class!

As we walked down the trail, we heard some rustling and spotted three deer munching away. They were obviously used to people, as they let me get *thisclose* to snap a photo.

Cody wanted me to snap a pix of his "imitation of Sasquatch" pose. Oh, his father would be so proud!

Look! One showing his actual, smiling face! Do you want to know how I did it? I'll let you in on a little secret. When I told him I wanted a picture of him with the river in the background, he was not happy. Or cooperative. He said if I wanted him to smile, I was going to have to MAKE him smile! Undaunted by the challenge, I readied the camera and said: "Boobies! Squishy, squishy boobies!" And just look at the result. Boys are so easy :)

Stay tuned for more tales from the garden, and a day of eating dust...

Cooking Class

2010-05-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

Cody started taking a cooking class a few weeks ago, and let me tell you - it has been paying off in big ways! First of all, he now readily volunteers to cook. I walked into the kitchen the other day to witness this scene:

Yep - Sasquatch and The Spawn cooking dinner. Without me. And let me be the first to say, that didn't hurt my feelings one little bit!

Mike was making the main course, while Cody was making the side dish. He had made this in class that day, and thought it was so good that he wanted to make it for dinner. I'm just thrilled that he was willingly (!!) eating a leafy green vegetable! It's chopped cabbage, carrots and onions, sauteed in butter. I snapped a pix of it a couple of minutes into the cooking, but it looked a lot better when it was done. And was yummy :)

Last week they cooked Mexican food:

It wasn't all yummy looking, though. See him eating something unidentifiable with those chopsticks?

Here's a close up shot:

It's basically s'mores in a bowl. Or so I'm told. I freely admit that I wasn't brave enough to try it. I could barely even look at it :P

Now if I can just find a cleaning class for him to take, I'll be set!

Farewell to Topsy

2010-05-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

When I started my blog 2 years ago, I didn't know anyone else who was doing it. To be perfectly honest, I started it so that our far flung family and friends could keep up with our goings-on. I don't think one of them has ever been on here (figures, right??) So it morphed into this place where I could journal about what we were doing, geeky things that I love (and which my less-geeky family really doesn't want to hear about), and as a general outlet for what's going on in my brain. I wasn't sure that anyone would read it, or if they did, if they'd ever come back.

Lucky for me, I was wrong.

Over the last 2 years, I've made some great friends (you all know who you are!) One of the first was Topsy-Techie. As time went by, we learned that we have a lot in common - even our names. We've often joked about living nearly identical lives on opposite coasts. We've shared our joys, frustrations, family dramas, and general geekiness. Our sons became friends via Facebook, and recently even our hubbies have formed a bond over the eternal struggle over who is the manlier outdoorsman: Les Stroud or Bear Grylls (Sasquatch is firmly in Team Stroud, whilst Topsy's hubby is on Team Grylls). She has been a source of support, friendship, geeky joy and laughter.

Topsy,
We still have plenty of places to see and catch up with each other, but I'll surely miss your blog, sister-friend!

Chicken Update

2010-04-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

The chickens are finally outside which means - yippee! - my garage no longer smells like chicken poop. We still have to put the trim on the coop, so you'll just have to wait for pix. I know - I'm a mean ol' blogger, aren't I? The trim will be finished...whenever it stops raining :( I'll keep you posted.

I will show you what the girls look like now. This is Browncoat on the left, and Buffy on the right - enjoying some free range time in the yard. Brown is probably the most docile of the group, and our resident escape artist. Buffy is the resident slug hunter, and is probably the most dominant of the bunch.

This is Browncoat (again) on the right, and either Angel or Drusilla on the left. Don't ask me to clarify which ~~vampire~~ chicken it is, because I can't. I have a hard enough time telling the two of them apart IRL, let alone from a photo. So which ever one it is, just imagine a nearly identical one, and that would be the other :) Dru is the one that always keeps us laughing with her crazy antics, and Angel is the quietest and most introverted (can a chicken be introverted??) of the group.

I have to say that none of us had any idea how much we were going to like having chickens. If we had, we would have started keeping them much sooner. And urban chickens are so popular around here, it seems as if everyone has them/has had them/wants to get them! We now find that many of our conversations with people turn to talk of chickens. Better than talking about the weather, I suppose (rain, rain, more rain...) Stay tuned!

Cody's Find!

2010-04-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

We stopped at a garage sale the other day and Cody scored a vintage military medical kit. Not one thing in it has a date on it (of course), and after spending a ton of time searching around the internet, I can only say with certainty that the bandages and such were first used during WWII. Of course, given the fact that they continued to use WWII items until the beginning of Viet Nam, all we really know for sure at this point is that it's from somewhere between 1943 - 1970!

Oooh, look at all of the goodies!

Items include a minor surgical kit, tourniquet, a can (yes, can!) of petroleum jelly, tons of bandages (some in cardboard boxes and others sealed in wax paper), needles and sutures, and water purification tablets.

When Cody tried to buy it, the couple having the sale refused to sell it to him! They said that it was full of "adult" things and that they couldn't sell it to a child. I very nearly said "Why? Is there porn hidden in the bottom?" but luckily my shut-up filter was on that day. I assured the man that he had my permission to sell it to my son, and again he refused. So I looked at Cody and said "Fine. Give me your money and I'll hand it to the guy!" They then again (!) insisted that they couldn't sell it to a child. I explained that Cody collected vintage military items (they were shocked!) and that it was, really, OK to sell it to him. As they sat there, mouths agape, we left the money on the table in front of them and brought it home. :P

Playing with fire!

2010-04-20T01:02:00.000-07:00

I've always encouraged Cody to try things. When he was little, he would want to "cook", which basically meant that he wanted to combine odd combinations of things in the kitchen and try and get me or the dog to try it. A good mother might taste it and say "Yum! You're such a great cook!" I am not that mother. Nope, I told him that if he wanted to cook it, he had to try it. If you saw some of the things he made, you'd understand.

Even if I was not always willing to try the things myself, I still encouraged his experiments. The other day he found a jelly bean left over from Easter and pondered what would happen to it if he burned it.

What would a good mother have done? I don't know, but I told him to grab the lighter :) Well, a lighter and a glass of water...just in case.

We figured it would turn into a molten mess, and although it did expand, it actually had a hardened shell. Learn something new every day.

This led to the inevitable question: "What will happen to other food if you burn it?" Cody tried a GF pretzel (it charred), one of Zoe's dog treats (really didn't do much of anything), one of Mike's crackers and some rice pasta. FYI, both could be used as kindling in a pinch. We left everything outside to show Mike when he got home. This is when we learned that birds and bugs like their food barbequed ;)

A Pond Full of Kermit's

2010-04-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

We lost the last of the fish early in the winter, and have had an empty pond since. We didn't really want to put in more fish (which just ends up being expensive sushi for the 'coons) - what I really wanted was frogs. Everything I'd read said that if you had water in your backyard, they'd find it. Of course, that couldn't happen while there were fish in there (koi will eat them), so we had to wait. Even after the fish were gone, we still waited. And waited. Finally, our patience paid off and we were rewarded with the sounds of croaking coming from the pond!

OK, so maybe there is a slim-to-none chance that ours look like Kermit. But I can't be sure. We hear them - they coak loudly. All...night...long.

But none of us have actually seen one of them. After a few days of trying, Mike suggested that we go out at night and use a flashlight, hoping that the light would shine off their eyes and we could catch a glimpse. Nope...no such luck.

What we have seen, though, is frog eggs. Lots and lots of eggs. Which means that we'll soon be up to our arse in tadpoles. And croaking frogs.

Geodes and Garden Adventures

2010-04-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

There's an annual rock show at the local community college, and it's been the one event that we go to every year. We always find cool stuff and it's fun to talk to people who have a real passion for their hobbies. This year Cody's big find was geodes. He bought a HUGE softball sized one for $1! Guess what happened as soon as we got home? Yep - out came the hammer :)

(And I would just like to say that I am so proud that he actually had the good sense to put on safety goggles before he did this!)

Oooh - pretty. I just wish I would have thought to buy more while we were there.

In spring gardening news, we are in the process of adding more raised beds. Look, here's two of them now, sitting pretty, just waiting to be filled with dirt and seeds/starts. Of course, first I have to move the flagstones that are currently sitting where these are going to go, and then we have to fill them with the soil mix that we use, and then I get to plant the stuff. When will this happen? Hopefully before next spring.

Then, of course, we have the issues with the beds that are already in. See this one? Full of that green stuff? Those would be raspberry canes. Did I mention that we didn't actually plant any raspberry canes in this bed? Yep, so all of those pokey little buggers get to be dug up and moved before we can plant the tomatoes in there.

Oh, and this little baby here is my favorite pain in the arse.

Don't let the naked, gnarled branches fool you - this is actually a wisteria that gets so leafy in the summer that Cody has named it Fangorn Forest (a la Harry Potter). I have always coveted wisteria vines. I would catch glimpses of them in other peoples yards, their purple blooms gracefully hanging down over arbors. Or I'd see them clambering over a fence in a garden magazine, and I'd wish that I had one in my own yard. For 14 years, I wished for one. Three years ago we bought this house and I was giddy - GIDDY! - to finally have one!

That first summer came and...3 blooms. That's right - 3. I was more than a little disappointed. We assumed that it had to do with the fact that it hadn't been pruned in probably, well, ever, so we pruned it. The next summer we were rewarded with...5 blooms. And while there is an arbor that it covers, they didn't build the arbor tall enough. It's only 6 feet high. With the vine a jumbled mess, even I, in my vertically challenged state, have to duck when I'm under there. Meaning that the entire back corner of the yard is useless. So guess what? We're ripping it all out.

Our other little problem is that a large portion of it has made a home in the neighbors tree. I have NO idea how we're going to get it out of there!

And then there's the hedge, which has enjoyed our warm winter and spring, and now needs a good 3 - 4 foot trim off the top.

This is probably one of the most bizarre things in the yard at the moment. It's a snapdragon that didn't reseed itself, but has come back on last years roots. I've never seen an annual do that before.

One of the few bright spots in the yard at the moment is our bulbs. We planted 115 of them last fall, and have been enjoying them! And unlike our neighbors, the squirrels didn't dig all of ours up.

We've also ripped some things out in anticipation of planting anew. This back corner of the front yard had some weird, pokey evergreen in it, that even the birds shunned. Mike and Cody removed it this weekend, and we're hoping to plant a dwarf fruit tree there.

This is side of the garage, leading up to our front door. There was an even larger pokey evergreen here, that nastily assaulted me every time I tried to do anything with the hose. We're going to put a raised bed here (I think).

There was another nasty pokey thing here. It went bye-bye as well, and another raised bed will go here.

And then there are the potato beds and the pepper beds, which are going to be in a different spot in the yard, and the chicken coop to finish, and the 101 other things on the to-do list.

Ugh, spring is too short.

Equine Love and Moolah

2010-04-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

They got a new horse where Cody volunteers, and he is smitten. He even got to name her (Silkie - because she's soft as silk) and so he as deemed this horse "his". In fact, he made me promise that if the powers-that-be ever change the zoning laws to allow horses in the 'burbs, we're bringing her to live with us :)

As an added bonus, the woman he volunteers for PAID him last week! I told her that it was totally unnecessary, he so loves going there that he doesn't need the money - but she insisted. She said that if she can get enough funding, she'd like to start paying him regularly.

I couldn't help but snap a few pix of him with his first paycheck. At first he insisted on hiding his face (a Sasquatch in training).

Fortunately, he was willing to allow it - just this once ;)

Adventures in Astrogeology

2010-04-08T00:25:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that science has always been severely lacking in our house. Well, that's not exactly true. I should say that formal science has always been lacking. Even when we were textbook-heavy, science was Cody's least favorite subject. Not because he doesn't like it - he does - he just never liked how it was presented. Or what was considered "required" for whatever grade he was in. He's always been an experiential learner, and would much rather be slogging around in a pond in the rain looking for frog eggs than reading about Newtonian physics.

For the last couple of years his more "formal" science education has come from local sources, like the local planetarium and OMSI. Today he went to a class there in astrogeology. For those asking "Astro-what??" -

Astrogeology: the science dealing with the structure and composition of planets and other bodies in the solar system.

In their first lab, they learned about volcanoes on other planets and moons, and learned that some volcanoes spew ice instead of lava. The kids then got to use chocolate cake batter to simulate lava flow. Talk about messy fun!

The next lab covered impact craters. After looking at craters on both earth (including the one in Arizona) and elsewhere in the universe, the kids got to try their hand at creating their own. I didn't think the boys would have more fun than this until they got to lab number three...

In the third lab, they learned about ice on earth and other planets, and how things like plate tectonics and gravity pull and push on the ice to form cracks. They then got to try their hand at simulating the effect on plain gelatin squares. Seriously, you'd think these boys had been given free Legos with how much fun they were having with this stuff!

Oooh - squishy fun!

At the very end, the kids were all led out to a 5ft tall hanging globe. This was my favorite part! Using a Wii remote, they can turn this globe into any planet (and several moons) in our solar system. How cool is that?

Here's Earth, in all it's glory (it spins a little fast at one point, so they could spin it for the kids to see north America).

A Place for Secular Homeschool Parents

2010-04-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

My bloggy friend Topsy-Techie has developed a great forum for secular homeschoolers: Secular homeschool She started it awhile back, and it's really picking up steam. Come and join the fun :)

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-03-26T00:23:00.000-07:00

OK, most of my faithful readers already know that we took this trip weeks ago, but I only took two - TWO - pictures with my digital camera. Both of them outside of the lodge. What was I thinking?? Umm...something to do with not wanting to ruin or lose my camera. I know - selfish me ;)

This is one of those pix, and it was a good thing that I took two because the other one didn't turn out very well.

I *do* want to say that I was smart enough to buy one of those disposable underwater cameras that we did use while we were there. Turns out that I'm a little slow on the actual getting-it-developed part. I'm so used to immediately uploading and seeing the photos that I take, I keep forgetting to take the dang thing in. It's on my to-do list for this weekend, and I promise to share those pix next week. The rest of these photos were brought to you by my bff Jana, who actually stayed clothed for part of the trip just so she could take pix. You rock, Jana!

See this tall green thing? This is what they use to haul the inflatables up to the top of the water slides. See that upermost landing on the right hand side? Do you recognize those tiny people? No??

How about now? Yep, a waterlogged Sasquatch and...me. Hmm, it just occured to me that hubby has a nickname (see above), Cody has a nickname (the locust, and occasionaly, the spawn), but I have none. Oh, Emma...time to work your magic :)

We made it! And with only slightly more water in our ears that what we had at the top.

Here's the kid, making his way accross the lily pads in one of the other pools.

Whoa! Hang on - you're almost there!

See us all sucked up to the wall in the wave pool? You may be wondering why we're against the wall, and not out in the middle of the pool.

This is why we weren't in the middle. It was p-a-c-k-e-d when we were there, and although these waves don't look too big, the alternating set were HUGE. There was no way to keep from getting slammed into other people.

Have you ever been to a Great Wolf Lodge, or someplace like it?

Whales, Sea Lions, and Goonie fun

2010-03-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

It's spring break here in the PacNW, and we have been blessed with some pretty fabulous weather. Normally we skip going anywhere this week (crowds - ick), but when we found out that the grey whales were starting their northern migration, we just couldn't help ourselves. Although we didn't plan it, we ended up having more than a little Goonie fun!

We headed to Ecola State Park on the northern end of Cannon Beach. As soon as we turned onto the road, Cody said "They filmed part of Goonies on this road!" (The scene when they're riding their bikes on the way to the Fratelli's restaurant). After checking online, it turns out that he was right! After winding our way to the viewpoint, we were rewarded with some breathtaking views. You may recognize Haystack Rock in the center (the rock Mikey Walsh lines up in the dabloon).

Oooh, pretty.

Cody keeping an eye out for whale spouts. There were quite a few whale watchers there today, and we all were rewarded with some sightings.

Oh no! I think I've been spotted!

Come to find out, we were sitting in the very spot where they had built the Fratelli's restaurant. Who knew? After a bit of a snack, we took a little hike through the trees. We would have gone farther, but the trail was still a soupy, muddy mess from last weekends rain. It was very pretty, though!

We had planned on hitting some shops in Cannon Beach, but found that it was so crowded that we couldn't find a single parking spot (crowds - ick...again). Instead we headed to old town Astoria and hit a few shops there. On our way out of town, we stopped to see (and hear) the local bunch of sea lions. They were VERY vocal today!

Stay tuned for further adventures...

The library really does have everything!

2010-03-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

I walked into the library the other day and found a bowl of stuffed keychains on the counter. Were they cute little animals?? Nope, they were cholera. Yes...I said "cholera". As in the disease. I snagged two ;)

You may be asking: "Why would your library have a stuffed bacteria?" Well, it's to do with the book The Ghost Map : The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic — and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World - all part of our library's book choice for their "Everybody Reads" campaign, which is "Designed to bring neighbors, friends and colleagues together in a community-wide discussion of one great book, Everybody Reads combines book discussions with dozens of related events, including performances, literary programs, community forums and film screenings."

I'll be honest - I haven't read the book. My purpose for grabbing two of these little guys is due to our love of the book Disease: the stories behind history's deadliest killers. Seriously - Cody and I have loved, loved, loved reading this book! I know...we're weird.

I encourage you to peruse their website - Giant Microbes. It's hilarious. Know a bookworm who has everything? Now you can send them a stuffed bookworm. Annoying boss (or mother-in-law)? You can send them rabies or mad cow. How about the "Heart Warming Box" to send to someone you love - which comes complete with a stuffed Sperm Cell, Egg Cell, Kissing Disease, Penicillin, and a pink Amoeba. For someone you don't love, there's always the "Heart Burned Box", which includes stuffed Herpes, Pox, HPV, Chlamydia and Penicillin. Ahh, the gift that keeps on giving ;)

Chooks R Us - Part 2

2010-03-15T00:53:00.000-07:00

First off: Thanks to all who have offered us tips and tricks for raising chicks. (Hadn't planned on that rhyming, but it did. ;)

Things have been busy for us on the chicken farm. Hard as it may be to believe, this is the first time that Cody has had baby anythings. We got our dog as an adult, and the only other pets we've had were fish. Admittedly, they did breed like bunnies, but they are far from cuddly. Having never had gerbils, hamsters, or the like, we've never had to deal with cute little dead things, either. Until now...

One of our chicks died, 2 days after we got her. Cody was crushed. Can you guess what he did? He dug her a grave...and gave her a wooden headstone...and then we had a memorial for her (in 42 degree weather, BTW) where we were all required to say something nice about her. Did I mention we'd only had her for TWO DAYS?? Just checking...

Yes, boys are weird, but they can also be very soft hearted and sweet :)

Are you lookin' at me? ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT ME?

Umm, you have a weird growth on your neck. You might want to have that checked.

Argh! Cody doing his pirate impression.

See Zoe ignoring the hell out of the chick in Mike's lap? Yeah - no jealousy there...

So now to introduce you to our brood: These first two are Buffy and Angel.

No, not that Buffy and Angel. They are named after them, though.

This is our Buffy. She's mine. (Yes, we've bonded with specific chickens. Yes, it's weird. But so are we ;)

This is Angel. Cody picked her out. Cody named her (he thought there should be an Angel to go along with Buffy). Somehow she has become mine (not really sure how that happened...)

This is Browncoat. She belongs to Mike (Can I just mention how freakin proud I am of my husband for naming her Browncoat? I love him more and more every day :)

This here is Cody's chicken, Dru - that's short for Drusilla. You know - the crazy @ss vampire from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We named her this after we found out what a crazy @ss chicken she is.

And there you have it - a little peek into our corner of crazy ;) See you all next time...

Chooks R Us - Part 1

2010-03-02T23:41:00.000-08:00

We did it. We are officially chicken farmers. Well, at least according to my dad. I asked him how many chickens would qualify us as chicken farmers and he replied: "One." Of course this is the same man who, when I told him that we had bought some chicks responded: "Why? Oh, God - you're those green people, aren't you??"

OK, maybe he didn't mean those green people ;)

Here they are, in all their fluffy glory. The yellow one is a Brahma (I nicknamed her Buffy, 'cause she's blonde, and the name has stuck). The brown striped one is a Amaraucana (aka an Easter egger, because they lay blue and green eggs). One of the black ones is a Plymouth Barred Rock, and the other is a Cuckoo Moran.

Here's Zoe, intently watching "Farm TV". So far she's been OK while we're holding them, but I'm not sure how she'd do if one got out and was running around. Hmm, I'm thinking that those chicken flavored doggie treats we've been giving her weren't such a good idea ;)

Here I am with Buffy. She's cute, but man is she noisy when she's separated from the other three!

Here's Mike and his little Easter egger. I think my favorite part of having these chicks has been watching Mike with them! He's so sweet, it's cute :)

Cody is just smitten!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Behind the Scenes at the Audobon Society

2010-03-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

We have had (fabulous!) unseasonably warm weather this winter - and we have been taking FULL advantage of it! Recently the Audobon Society had an open house, where they brought out some of their resident birds (the ones that can't be released back into the wild) and had a behind-the-scenes tour of their rehabilitation facility.

We were a bit early for our tour time, so we decided to do a little hiking in the trails behind the facility.

Aww - doesn't he look thrilled to be having his picture taken with his mother? Suck it up, dude.

Look - Sasquatch is smiling! I know you're wondering how I managed to get him to do that. Truth is - I have no freakin' idea!

We spent 10 or so years living in the southwest, and one of the things I missed most was seeing all of the moss on the trees. It's one of my favorite things about the forests here.

This is Ruby the turkey vulture, and she thinks she's human. Between you and me, she's quite the ham! She LOVES posing and having her picture taken. The Paris Hilton of the bird world ;)

This little guy is Captain Jack Sparrow-hawk, though he's not acutally called a hawk anymore. No, sparrowhawks have been renamed American Kestrels and are actually a falcon. I actually had to look up what the difference was between a hawk and a falcon. I guess I am a 37 year old homeschool student :)

See this cutie? She's a northern Spotted Owl named Hazel. There was a big hoo-haw here in the PacNW about 20 years ago when logging companies were restricted from cutting down old growth timber, which is where these guys live. Their numbers are falling rapidly, and it's estimated that there are less than 20 (20!) still residing in British Columbia. Their numbers aren't too hot in Washington or Oregon, either.

Mmm - doesn't that look yummy? Among other foodstuffs, they breed mice to use as feed, and get quail that have been raised for food, and donations of rats. It's still not enough to cover the need, so they spend thousands of dollars every year supplementing with purchased food.

I walked into the exam room and caught a glimpse of this duck, feet up. It took me a second to register that it was a stuffed duck ;)

Stay tuned for more birding adventures (though next it will be chickens)...

More Field Trippin' Fun!

2010-02-25T23:55:00.000-08:00

A few days ago (well, maybe it was 10 or so...) a group of us left our warm, sunshiney weather to head south to the state capital where it was cloudy and cold. I know...what were we thinking ;)

It was well worth it, though, as the kids all had a blast! Where did we go, you ask? Our destination was A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village. The name might not ring any bells, but he was the inventer of Erector Sets - among other things - and he was from Salem, OR. We were fortunate enough to be there on a day when they were having a huge science fair. There were tons (and tons and tons) of projects for the kids to do, and what Cody deemed the "most awesome" playground structure ever!

Cody and Jarren, channeling their inner Edith Ann. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers that Lily Tomlin character! She was my favorite :)

Here's Cody, modeling the DNA strand bracelet that he just made.

Cody and Jarren making a cell with a balloon, polymers, and, um, "additives" (for lack of a better word) for what's in the cell. Jarren made a cell of the life form that would result from the collision of an asteroid and a squirrel. You have to love a homeschoolers imagination :D

Here's some of them doing one of the experiments in the bubble room. Imagine it: an entire room full of sloppy soapy goodness! They even made bubble big enough for them to stand in!

Stay tuned for more fun...