The Hughes

A Big Girl

2011-03-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

Lily is getting so big, so quickly! She has started solid food at dinner time and so far she LOVES yams. I bought a variety of organic veggies and baked, pureed, and then froze them in ice cube portions. At dinner time we mix an ice cube, breast milk, and a little bit of rice cereal and she had enjoyed her "dinner" meals quite a bit. At her well baby check at the beginning of the month, she was 24 inches long, 13.9 lbs, and her head was 16 1/2 inches in circumference. She is such a happy little girl too, and she continues to delight our hearts!!

Pure Sweetness.......

2011-03-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

.....need I say more? Lily is such a little love. She is 4 months old now and loves to "talk," is teething, is sleeping well through most nights and only wakes 1-2 times to nurse, is learning to roll, and loves her Molly Dolly. She also enjoys being sung and read to........her favorite books are How Do I Love You ?and You Are My I Love You.

This is Lily giving Molly Dolly "loves."

Standing Tall

2011-02-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

Lately Lily has come to really love standing up, with help of course. She stands for quite a while and then when she gets tired, her chubby legs slowly collapse. It is a fun game we have been playing with her. She is able to balance herself better too. A few weeks ago when we did this, she looked like a shaky hoola-huper, as she tried to gain her own balance!

She got so excited with herself that she looked up at daddy.

A Satruday in Medford

2011-02-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

Last April my grandparents (my dad's parents) moved from Gresham to Medford to be closer to my dad and his brother. We took advantage of the 3 day weekend we had and went for a day trip visit. This was the first time Mama and Papa had seen Lily and they were taken with her sweet temperament, her chattiness, and curious personality. It was really special watching them interact with Lily too.
After we had lunch, Nana enjoyed playing with Lily too.

This next picture had nothing to do with our visit, but I just love it. Marla took it last week with her cell phone and sent it to mine, and it is now my screen saver. She captured Lily as her natural perfect self and every time I see this picture, I can't help but smile!

Faces

2011-02-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

This is the face that I love to wake up to in the early morning....
This is the face of the one I love to kiss......

....and, this is the face of the one I love to come home to.

So Blessed

2011-02-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

There are days when I am tired, have lots to accomplish, and am generally very busy. It is on those days that I pause and my heart becomes overwhelmed with how blessed I truly am. Being with Lily is the highlight of my day. Whether that be when she comes to school to nurse, or when I get home. She is our precious treasure. She loves bath times. She didn't used to until we figured out that she likes in much better with a constantly warm wash cloth on her tummy.

When she was in the womb she constantly had her legs crossed, which we were able to see during the ultra sounds. Even when nursing she still loves to have those chubby legs crossed...and how "lady like" I might add!

We often tease that after nursing she is "milk drunk." Even burping her doesn't bring her out of her drunken state.

Lily is also very happy, which makes for the most heartwarming pictures. Here she was playing with Daddy in the kitchen one evening after dinner.

Lily Pictures

2011-01-10T17:28:00.001-08:00

I haven't been the best at blogging since Lily has been born, but I have resolved to change that for good, starting with this post. Here are some pictures we had taken when Lily was 13 days old.....I couldn't figure out how to rotate them, but they are still so sweet!

Jason snapped these before church yesterday after Lily was done nursing.....she is the delight of our hearts and we can't imagine a sweeter little girl!

Amost there!

2010-10-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Nine and a half months! I feel like a kid the night before Christmas, waiting with exctiement!!

Pregnancy Pictures

2010-10-08T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of our favorites!

Eight and a half months!

2010-09-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Month by Month

2010-07-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

6 1/2 months!

Here is a pair of baby "Mary Jane" booties that my grandma helped me make, using the pattern I won off of Kelsey's site, Vanilla Joy. Lily should fit into them when she is about 6 months old. I am currently working on crocheting a baby blanket using yarn that is a mauve color.

Lily's Room

2010-07-19T13:20:00.001-07:00

We have been enjoying slowly putting together Lily's room from furniture to decor. We purchased most of the furniture last week in Salem. Jason put together the crib and changing table. The crib is really cool in that it later changes into a toldder bed, and a double bed.

I still need to purchase baskets for the changing table and then it will be complete.

We also found this awesome glider. The movement is so effortless and it is incredibly comfortable. I have found Jason napping in it several times once we got it home.

I became very discouraged as I looked online and perused through many magazines and stores, in trying to decide on a theme for the nursery. So at the suggestion of a friend, I chose three colors that I loved and am doing the nursery in colors instead of a theme. The colors I chose are a very pale yellow, mauve (I am not a fan of pink!), and a light sage green. From there the nursery theme developed into a Shabby Chic/French Cottage theme.

The walls are bare, but I know that will surely change in time. It was a big step getting in the furniture and choosing colors/theme. This is the dresser I had growing up and it works perfectly in Lily's room.

The Last Few Weeks

2010-07-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been super busy around our house and in our lives. Most recently I had a really nice visit with some of my roommates from George Fox. We hadn't seen each other in about 2 years, which is way too long.

About 2 weeks ago I was five months and two weeks. This was taken on the day that we found out the gender of the baby.

Connie was the ultra sound tech that day. I had her kids in class and so it was neat that she shared in our excitement.

I haven't done as much picking or canning as usual because it poops me out. But my mom and I did pick 109 lbs of blueberries.

On their was from Seattle to Grants Pass, Keri and the girls stopped by for a visit and a snack of fresh raspberries. I love it when they make our house a stopping spot on their long trip.

And lastly we recently painted our house (same colors). The contractors skimped on the exterior paint job and it was starting to peel. There was a lot of prep work such as caulking that needed to be done. So Ryan, my dad, and Jason worked hard and it looks beautiful!

It's a......

2010-07-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

...girl! Lily Pearl Hughes. Our hearts are joyfully overwhelmed with the Lord's goodness and faithfulness. We chose the name Lily...well because we loved it, and it was my grandpa's mother's name. And Pearl because it was the name of my great grandma that I never got the change to meet, but have heard wonderful stories about her all my life....and I had 2 friends growing up (Jeni Rabern) who always used to call me Heather Pearl growing up. I was certain the baby was going to be a boy. I just had this gut feeling and was ecstatic when we found out it was a precious girl. The Lord has truly given us the desire of our hearts. Every good and perfect gift truly comes from Him.

Yardage

2010-06-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Our yard is slowly but surely coming along. We did some small work on the front slope. Jason spent a lot of time weed eating and laying down geo-mesh to control the nasty weeds.

Then we ordered 11 yards of bark to be blown on top of the geo-mesh.

Here are the guys laying the bark with this cool hose apparatus over the mesh.

..and here is the finished product. I am sure the neighbors would rather look at this than the yucky weeds.

Apricot Syrup

2010-06-28T17:41:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago Susan and I made apricot syrup. It sounds interesting, but it is so sweet and tangy! I could eat it plain from the jar and be a happy camper. It is super easy due to a different type of canning method and pectin used.

First we pureed the apricots with skins. Then we added sugar and a special liquid pectin called Serto. Then brought it to a boil and poured it into jar.

Then we let the jars cool upside down and they sealed themselves due to the Serto. So we didn't need to water bath them at all. It was so easy to do!

Then I made really thin pancakes and enjoyed the syrup in large quantities. Yummo!!!

Our Graduate

2010-06-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to see Ryan graduate from Portland State University. The night before we all celebrated at our favorite restaurant in Gresham called Tadd's. It sits looking over the Colombia River, and the food is amazing!

PSU had the largest graduating class in history so the commencement was held in the Rose Garden downtown Portland. This picture shows about 1/2 court with all the empty seats.

Here is my mom using the under the seat binoculars to see the festivities.

Let the commencements begin....the ceremony was four hours long, but definitely worth it!

A final picture with the graduate who is wearing honors! We are so proud of Ryan and are thankful for the Lord's provisions.

Whoa.....watch the toe!!

2010-06-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Being pregnant has thrown off my sense of kinesthetic awareness and balance, hence the above picture. Last Friday I was walking in the dinning room when my foot met the vengence of a dinning room chair leg at a speed that was unsafe. The pain shot up my foot and I collapsed with agony. Hours later I removed my sock to see a black and blue swollen toe. I couldn't move it and immediatley began applying ice. The following day on a trip to see Ryan graduate from PSU I was unable to walk and found releif in elveating my foot in the car.

As a result my family felt it was unsafe for me to live in flip flops this summer. We went to an awesome birkenstock store in Portland and I got an early birthday present! Yay!!

19 weeks and 2 days

2010-06-08T19:53:00.001-07:00

Four months have almost gone by! Each step of the journey had been so special and I have learned a lot of information along the way. I love going to each appointment to hear/see the baby. We find out the gender on July 1st and we are really excited!

Three Months and Counting

2010-04-18T16:54:00.001-07:00

We are so thrilled to be three months pregnant. The Lord truly is good and faithful. Here is a side view of my growing tummy. We pray that this little one will come to love the Lord with all their heart and soul.

Here is our precious little one at nine weeks. We have had 3 ultra sounds and heard the heartbeat twice. The baby was asleep at this time, but not for long. The doctor woke it up and we saw hands, fingers, spinal column, vertebrae, fingers, legs and it was all amazing!

I found this shirt yesterday and thought it was fitting in more than one way!

John 3:16 and Grace

2010-03-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

This video is of one of my students who has worked so hard over a few weeks to memorize John 3:16. I took this one day in my classroom as we were all getting ready to go home.

A Finished Project

2010-01-18T12:06:00.001-08:00

I started crocheting this blanket for Jason over four years ago. It was meant to be a Christmas present, as he is so cold all the time. At the same time I started graduate school, was teaching at the same time, and added a specialized license onto my standard teaching license. Needless to say, this project got put on the back burner....until a few weeks ago. My grandma helped me whip stitch the panels together and crochet a border onto the blanket. Now Jason can stay nice and warm this winter.

Avacado Smoothie Anyone?

2010-01-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a trip to Gresham. Over Thanksgiving vacation, Papa (Dad's dad) had a massive heart attack and open heart surgery. It was good to visit them. While we were there Mama made me an avocado smoothie. I LOVE avocados.....the smoothie had 3 avocados, sweetened condensed milk, milk, and ice cubes. Mama got the recipe from her friend who owns a Japanese restaurant and they go for about eight dollars a glass. My verdict was....gross! I couldn't get past the texture...so thick and sweet.....yuck0!

My dad and Papa waiting for dinner.

My mom and Jason, and Ryan waiting at the Spaghetti Factory downtown Portland.

While in Gresham we visited with Paul and Vicki, who live in Damascus, and are Ryan's very good friends. They treat Ryan like their son and truly love him. Ryan works with Paul part time, as he is an architectural contractor. Here they are in front of their farm house that my parents painted last summer.

And while we were in Gresham, I couldn't leave without visiting Real Deals, my favorite store! Here it is, but it was closed. Boo.

Traditions

2009-12-26T16:57:00.001-08:00

Jason, Ryan (my brother) and I have had a Christmas Eve tradition for about nine years. The three of us go out for a late breakfast and then go to the movies. It is always so much fun, especially because we don't get to see Ryan too often, as he is a student at PSU and lives in Gresham.

Bread

2009-12-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

After a busy day of playing, a few evenings ago, Kristina and I made two types of breads to freeze and give as Christmas gifts. I made three loaves of a yummy pumkin bread from one of Jason's room moms, and Kristina made a delicious blueberry zuchini bread using our berries from this summer.

A little bit of everything

2009-11-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Things have been very busy, and I have forgotten my camera when we have been out and about, including Thanksgiving day and Black Friday. We had a great Thanksgiving with lots of family and friends. I even made homemade dinner rolls for the first time. This past week, first grade had a craft morning. Here is one of my wonderful room moms and her daughter making corn husk dolls....they turned out wonderful!

We also made pilgrim boys and girl hats......

Need to catch up....for Halloween Jason was an old man. I knew the prior day that he was going to get a haircut, but had no idea exactly what he meant.

Here is the haircut....I just died! Thankfully it is growing back quickly!

Flowers and Fingers

2009-10-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today I received these flowers and balloons at school with a congratulations note attached from my parents. On Monday I had my Chicken n' Dumpling soup featured on the local news out of Eugene, KVAL, as I won their crock pot recipe contest. I had my 30 seconds of fame and it was a great way to start the day.

Jason's finger is healed and all better. There is barley a scar and he is happy to have the stitches out!

A Great Visit

2009-10-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Keri and Kelsey stopped by for a visit. The Brinkerhoffs were our next door neighbors growing up, and we did everything together as toddlers, kids, and teenagers......and we have MANY fond memories. I have known Keri as long as I have known anyone else who is a non-family member. Keri lives in Washington and Kelsey lives in Utah. They were in Oregon having an early family Thanksgiving over the weekend. We had a great visit, and it was so wonderful to catch up.

Here is Keri's oldest, Naya, holding Kelsey's youngest, Carson. They are both such sweet kids.

This Weekend, plus Monday in rewiew

2009-10-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning my mom and I picked, blanched in hot and cold water baths, and froze 31 lbs of broccoli.

Sunday afternoon church we went to a surprise graduation (MEd) party for Kristina.

Monday at school, Jason had an encounter with a box cutter and lost. He cut through his half way through his tendon lengthwise but did not sever it. It required 4 stitches to repair the tendon and 10 to close up the finger. Here it is bandaged up.

Here it is lookin' like part of a Halloween costume.....Frankenstein?

Fall Visitors

2009-10-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had some very special visitors and so I decorated our house for fall. Here are the decorations right outside our door. Most of the pumpkins came from our garden.

My aunt (mom's sister) and uncle from Michigan were vacationing. They had their Harley shipped to Portland. Then they traveled, staying one night with my parents, and are taking Route 66 back to Michigan. It is really funny because they are not the "typical Harley" type of people. They own a counseling business and have 21 therapists working under them. Sometime Jason and I would like to vacation back there and see the rest of our family. It was a really fun time visiting, as we don't get to see them nearly as often as we would like. I was fascinated by how similar my mom and aunt sound, their gestures, feet, legs, and facial expressions were. It was almost like I was looking at an exact clone of my mom!

Auntie Cris brought me some treasures from her house in Michigan for my house.
My uncle was going to gave my mom a ride to their house on the Harley. Here auntie Cris was suiting up my mom.

And she and my uncle are off.......

Dishes

2009-09-13T18:22:00.001-07:00

Jason was doing the dishes, but thought this would be more fun.....

Oh Happy Day

2009-09-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went down to Applegate (near Jacksonville) to celebrate Ted and Jenni's 35th anniversary. That day I was battling some strong hives on my face and almost didn't go. Jenni has known Ryan and I our entire lives. She has been like another mom to Ryan and I. We've been neighbors with them my entire life and then when I went to George Fox, she and Ted moved to Newberg at the same time and they literally lived a block away from me all four years.....which was like having a little piece of home close and handy. She has planted many seeds in our lives and remains an important part of our family.

Roasted Tomoato Sauce

2009-08-23T18:06:00.001-07:00

This week my mom, Kristina, and I made and canned Roasted Tomato sauce. We were able to use tomatoes from our garden (about 62 lbs) and herbs from our collective gardens. We made about 40 quarts. After picking all of the tomatoes on our plant, we still have tons of green and orange ones.
A mixture of homegrown oregano, two types of parsley, and basil.

Here it is just before going into the jars!

"A" is for Apple

2009-08-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Funny story.....so this morning Kristina, my mom, and I went to Lehne Farms to pick Gravenstein apples for applesauce. However, they were completely picked out, and I was so disappointed. We went down the road to a different farm that is new to the area. They had a variety of apples called William's Pride, and it has tart with a sweet taste, all at the same time. It was the most wonderful kind of apple I have ever eaten!!! And to our surprise the applesauce was a really pretty mauve color. We picked 136 pounds and got 118 pints. My new food processor worked like a dream and saved us hours of work.

Gresham and Camping Trip

2009-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was Mama's(that is what we grandkids call her) 80th birthday (dad's mom). Our family took her and Papa out to dinner to celebrate. She is a 4 foot spunky little Mexican lady and it is amazing to think that she is already 80 years old. It was nice to spend the night with them and visit. Happy Birthday Mama!

The next day we cut across to the Oregon coast and spent the rest of the week camping our way down to Bandon. I didn't realize it, but I really didn't take too many pictures, which seems kinda of strange. My dad wore this hat everywhere we went. It is one of those that has hair coming out of the top of it. His brother (who has a full head of hair, which is the opposite of my dad) gave it to him as a joke. You wouldn't believe how many strangers asked if that was my dad's real hair. In all seriousness, one lady told him that she had been trying to get her husband to do his hair all spikey like his "hair" for years. It was so funny!!!

The last night, Jason and my mom cooked fresh fish on the camp grill. It was delicious!

A Very BAD thing!

2009-07-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

Toady Jason was helping me finish up canning the peach pie filling and plain peaches. Last year when we canned we had a grill outside that had a great burner and we ran the canner outside. Well, that grill died and we have a different one. That was how we planned to work today. So I was checking on the canner outside because I saw what I thought was steam, meaning it was ready to start the first batch. Upon going out side to check, the burner side of the grill was engulfed in flames!!! After putting out the fire we realized the platform the burner was on was plastic and not stainless steel. The flames melted through the entire back side as you can see below. It was so scary as the flames were VERY close to the house.

So the problem solvers that we are....we called my parents and they brought their grill with the similar set up. So I happily loaded the canner with peach pie filling and went inside
to be about my business. All the sudden we heard what sounded like a big explosion. The whole grill canner and contents tipped over because of the weight. The canner was ruined and I lost several jars of filling. Glass shards were all over the place and I cut my hand trying to clean up the mess.

Then my dad had this idea to check in town to see if they have something that was similar to a platform with a gas burner. They found this "Camp Chef," which is actually used to can, cook crab in etc. So they set it up while I shopped for a new canner.....meanwhile everything at home was still a mess, especially in the kitchen.

Ahhhh.....finally after hours of work, here is the burner working like a dream with a load of peaches inside. I even bought a second new canner because it will save so much time when we do salsa, applesauce and pears. What a day!!

Moving Day.....kinda

2009-07-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of shifting of people, jobs, and cuts in our school district because of lacking funding, the economy, etc. At the end of the year Jason's teaching position was cut. Right when school got out we found that teachers were cut were being called back, and he was one of the lucky ones. He will be teaching third grade at another school in the Fall but we had to bring the personal contents of his classroom home for the summer. They have filled up our nursery and it is a big mess! Finally he was able to take some loads to his new classroom.

Before
After

Home Sweet Home!

2009-07-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Jason and I have been out of town for the past week at a reading conference with about 3,000 other teachers from around the nation. It was very fun to hang out with our staff (and others from around the district), meet other teachers from various locations, eat out 3x's a day, stay in a swanky hotel, be tourists, and learn some new ideas and perspectives on teaching reading. However, by about half way into the trip we were really tired of sitting all day at workshops, and eating out.....I never thought I could be tired of eating out and "herding" with others.....but we were. We were so glad to get home yesterday......I will post some pictures, etc. later on.

Green Beans, Anyone?

2009-07-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

I know green beans are not a lot of people's favorite recipes, but they are so easy to process. I picked them, blanched them in a hot water bath for two minutes, transferred them to a cold water bath and packaged them in pint sized bags, and put them in the freezer.
They are really yummy and easy to put in crock pot soups in the winter, casseroles, salads,and stir-fries....and they are so good for you too!

A Berry Busy Week

2009-07-07T13:59:00.001-07:00

Last week my mom and I picked pounds and pounds of blueberries, marionberries, blackberries and boysenberries. I canned all kinds of jams, pie fillings, syrups, and froze bunches for eating throughout the year.

Haven Blueberry Farm is our favorite places to pick. Check out their website at

www.thehavenfarm.com, which is located along the banks of the Umpqua River in Umpqua. The drive out to the farm is absolutely beautiful. We were there on the opening day, and usually there is a long line of cars waiting to get in.

We were the second car in line!

Here is a view of the farm from the road side and the blueberry rows stretch for acres and acres and acres.

There are even picnicking spots where you can bring a lunch and rest in the shade.

Raspberries and Cherries

2009-06-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Kristina and I picked and canned Raspberry jam....aren't they so pretty?

Then on Saturday my mom and I went to pick cherries on the opening day at Shady Lane Orchards. There were so many people there that it felt like 1/2 of Roseburg was out picking. Cherries are one of our favorites, and there was a boutiful supply. Tomorrow we will be picking blueberries at our favorite place. However, the berries around here are kinda scarce. Two main suppliers have now gone to strictly commercial selling. Lately, I really dislike other pickers, especially when they come onto the row that I was assigned, or when they reach their hands through the rows to my side, I just want to slap it. I am hoping to show a some restraint tomorrow, but if another picker dares to cross me I am not responsible for my actions =0)!!

Another Year Older

2009-06-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was my birthday and I had a great day. I REALLY wanted and needed new car mats for my car. My old ones were nasty, deformed, and never stayed in place. Jason got me the best car mats I had ever had...who knew car mats could be so exciting? We went down to my parent's for a family celebration. They gave me this huge heavy box. I tried to guess the contents, but failed. When I opened it up there was a humongous brick wrapped in the Sunday ads, along with the product description of a Kitchen Aid food processor, which was something I really wanted with all the canning we do. It is supposed to arrive sometime today, and I can't wait. I just get excited looking at it online. It slices, diced, chops, shreds, purees, juices, has a citrus press, and comes with all the high speed blades and gadgets!Kristina got me the jars I have been admiring and they were filled with my favorite goodies from Kruse Farms, along with some home decor. What a great day!

Strawberry Time!

2009-06-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite signs of summer is when the strawberries are on, which means the start of the picking and canning seasons. On Friday I showed Kristina how to make jam at her house. Last year she and I canned and made syrups, pie fillings, salsa, peaches, whole tomatoes, roasted tomato sauce, peaches, and apple sauce. This year we are going to enter some into the county fair.I always make sure that Kristina has enough ingredients on hand. She was sure she had enough sugar for the jam, and I just knew she didn't. So she had to leave in the middle of jam making and bought a 25lb bag of sugar. I didn't even know sugar came in such large quantities!!
This is about 1/2 of the jam we made. She got 32 pints and 40 half pints...all in a day's work!

Unwanted Visitor

2009-06-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

I hate raccoons! We had this huge raccoon who would come and harass our outside kitties nightly. Finally we tried to trap him. However, this isn't an average raccoon. He is the FATTEST one I have ever seen. His rear end was so large that he was able to walk out of the first trap backwards because of his huge rear! When we got a bigger trap he was caught, however no one slept that night. He was so loud, pulled off the piece of plywood that covered the top of the trap and growled, hissed, scratched, and literally used his body to rock the trap the entire night. I wanted Jason to shoot the creature into smithereens. We live close to being out side city limits, but Jason was worried about being fined. So a trapper took the raccoon away and relocated him. However, there is a new raccoon that I saw last night visiting.....grrrr!

The Best Day Ever

2009-06-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was the last full day of school, and tomorrow we have a half day left. Two nights ago Susan and I went shopping for an end of the year gift for the kids. We got them sand buckets and filled them with a $5.00 DQ gift card, summer goodies, coloring books, math flash cards, etc. The kids had no idea.

I couldn't resist capturing the looks of their faces when they first walked in!

At the end of the day, the kids (and Cheryl and Jessica) gave me a framed and signed photo collage that was mounted and the kids signed their name on the mounting. Then I got three gift certificated to my favorite places!! I guess they had been planning this for a while and even sent home notes to parents.....I was shocked that the kids kept the secret for so long....I was totally clueless. Never in my six years of teaching have I received a gift so generous, personal, or so nice. I even got a little teary. I am a little saddened though. This class has been one of the better classes I have had in a while. They are also my last second grade class, as I will be teaching first grade next year. This time of year is always a little bitter sweet for me! I just love and get so attached to my kids. They truly are a wonderful group and I will miss them bunches!

Morning Smiles

2009-05-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

For six weeks, Mandy Hatfield from the OSU Extension service comes to our classroom to teach a Nutrition unit which includes related picture books, food making and sampling by the kids, and fun activities. She comes once a week for six weeks. Her focus for second grade is "breakfast." Last week the kids got to sample mangoes and loved it! On this day the kids made Morning Smiles which includes a whole wheat english muffin, cream cheese, shredded carrots, crasins, and fresh peaches. I couldn't resist a shot of two of my favorite girls!
Then I caught them with their mouths full! Thanks girls for being good sports!!

Happy Birthday!

2009-05-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Friday was Jason's birthday. It had been quite a while since he actually had to "work" on his birthday (under grad. and grad school). He was a little bummed out about that this year. So my mom and I decided to send him some semi-pro golf balls attached to balloons to his classroom. He was really surprised! It was funny because his first graders are so used to their peers getting balloons sent to school on their birthday......they couldn't understand why an adult might receive them. We ended up going to dinner later and Jason got several golfing gift certificates, along with his favorite golf balls. Happy 31st Birthday! I love you!!!

Family Time

2009-04-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Jason's mom came to visit. She used to live over here for years, but now lives in Bend with her husband. The last time she was here visiting was about 2 years ago. On Saturday we spent time with our nephew Michael, while Rachel (Jason's sister) was working, and his mom....we even went to Real Deals for fun. Michael is a sweet little boy. He loves to "ride" in our laundry basket with his "seat belt" (the pillow) all around the living room.

Michael really thought that he was pushing Jason and it was really funny!!

Later that evening we had a barbecue with Rachel's family, and Kevin (his younger brother). The last time Jason's mom and siblings were all together was about five years ago. After dinner we played cards and games. It was a fun evening. Somehow James (Rachel's husband) and I weren't in the pictures...we were taking them =0).

Ever Wonder Where Easter Eggs Come From?

2009-04-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kristina surprised me with a Get Well/Easter basket. It was really sweet and thoughtful of her. Below is a video of the best gift in the basket, which explains where Easter eggs truly come from.

The Beach

2009-04-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we all went to Bandon for a day. It was a gorgeous sunny day when we got there and then by the afternoon it turned stormy. It was still as beautiful as ever.

Silly boy! Jason forgot his sunglasses as we were waiting in the sun for our fish and chips.

We found a great spot on the beach to look for agates. The tide was on its way in which made the agate hunting kinda tough. At least we remembered our rain boots! We even saw some of our students on the same shore.

A sneaker wave got Jason as he was looking for agates. I couldn't help but laugh....he got SOAKED. Then on the way home Kristina fell asleep and spilled a full glass of hot chocolate all over the front of me.....I was SOAKED. They all kept teasing me that I had an "accident." Then on her way home, she spilled coffee creamer all in her purse.....who do you think we were laughing at then?!?!

Funny Story

2009-04-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful day yesterday! Jason and I decided to go for what started out to be a short walk. We got to walking, and walking, and walking and before we knew it we were close to the Green bridge. We decided to continue walking into Winston and when I realized I needed to go to the bathroom badly. The nice people at Figaro's let me use their very clean bathroom, which I greatly appreciated. Then, we noticed that Muchas Gracias was in sight and decided once we got there we would turn around. Well, we got there and I suggested that we just continue and walk to the church and then turn around, which we did. However at that point we were pretty pooped. We walked home a little more tired with feet that were a little sore and starting to blister. Reaching home seemed like the longest journey ever! We finally arrived home and then got in the car to clock how many miles we walked in the last two hours. My guess was five miles. The grand total ended up being 8.4 miles! Whew! My feet were so sore and blistery today that I contemplated going to church bare footed (although I didn't think the other members of the worship team would appreciate the state of my feet.) Needless to say we are enjoying today's sunshine from our deck!

Look What I Won!

2009-03-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! As many of you know my favorite place to shop is Real Deals, which is a home decor store. I am there so often that they know me by first name. It is such a great store that has super cheap prices for quality pieces and various genres of home decor ranging from americana and coutnry to shabby chic. Last Saturday Kristina and I went to see their Spring open house. There were all kinds of goodies and special deals. I entered my name into a drawing. Kristina and I went back on Thursday and Kim, the owner, informed me that I won this Easter wreath! I was so thrilled!!

Then, we rag painted our bathroom over Christmas break. I had been waiting to re-decorate and had been saving a collection of gift certificates to spend at Real Deals. Here is the final outcome of our guest bathroom. I just love it. I like to walk in there several times a day just to admire the satisfaction of my handy work!

This is a picture of the opposite bathroom wall.

.....and, Jason's sister, Rachel, and her family came to visit us over the vacation. I tried to get a family picture, but little ones just weren't cooperating. I thought it would be nice to have a picture of the two of them instead.

Five Years

2009-03-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Friday night, which was the start of Spring Break, Jason and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. We had a beautiful gourmet dinner at D's Magnolias in old town. Jason had prime rib and I had artichoke and spinach stuffed raviolis. Everything was delicous and the atmosphere was very quaint and romantic.
After looking at the dessert menu, I decided I could make most of them at home. So, we went to Shari's (of all places) and bought a whole S'mores pie which is one of our favorites. It was sooooo yummy!

A Special Guy

2009-03-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

We had a quiet celebration for my dad's 60th birthday. On Friday his students (along with their parents) surprised him with a huge sheet cake and gifts. He was shocked and said in all of his years of teaching, students hadn't done anything that special for him on his birthday! Then we sent him balloons. Saturday evening we were going to all go out and celebrate, but I was really sick from some meds. Instead, they came over and my mom made a really nice dinner. We also got him a DQ ice cream cake, gifts, and then played several rounds of Sequence.

Valentines Day

2009-02-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

We had a really nice Valentines Day. In the morning Jason and I exchanged gifts. I got him an i-tunes gift card and he got me candles and a gift certificate from my favorite place, Real Deals. Then, we had the Richardson's over for a special dinner. I had never made lasagna before, but it turned out really yummy (thanks to a neighbor's recipe). I made a layered chocolate dessert and then we played card and board games late into the evening hours. Thanks for the fun Danny, Jessica, Destiny, and Jacob! We love you guys!!

This Week

2009-02-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

The last two days of school have been really fun for the kids and adults. Thursday was the 100th day of school and yesterday we had Valentine Parties with PJ day. Jason and Austin both got haircuts on the same day so they did a normal pose and then did their "G.Q." poses together.

Katie (former student) has got to be one of my favorite students ever. She always remembers me on Valentines day with a pound of dark Dove chocolate!
I love my job, but it is even more special when my students' parents become good friends. I love Jessica and Cheryl. I look forward to them coming in weekly, and their friendships have truly touched my heart. I love you two!!

2009-02-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

My dad is part of the 5th grade band at his school learning to play the clarinet. He was having some trouble so I gave him some pointers.....it was really fun. It is taking him a while to catch on because he isn't always able to daily be in the band class with his students. I realized how much I miss playing! I told him I was repaying him for all the times he stayed up late with me during junior high helping with Algebra, due to being stuck with a horrible math teacher.

Wonderful of the Day

2009-01-25T16:23:00.001-08:00

Last week I was at the ESD for several days of Mentor Training, as I am part of a team of teachers who mentor brand new teachers in the district. The training was great, but I basically sat and listened all day. On day I got home early and went for a walk. On my way home I took this picture of the property we own behind the house. This picture made the all day sitting and listening worth it!

Today

2009-01-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan, my brother, is a Child and Family Studies major at PSU. Part of a class this term required a 30 hour practicum in a classroom. The schools in the heart of Portland that the university is connected with were filled with Education majors doing their practicums, so his professor suggested he do it in my room. It is a really special time for Jason and I to have Ryan with us at our jobs. We sure love and appreciate him!
My kids love it when Aubrey comes weekly with Cheryl. They treat her so kind and lovingly. Aubrey just jumps into whatever we are doing and fits in well with the kids. Today we played a new PE game. Aubrey wasn't as excited with the game as she was with the parachute last week. Today she was entertained by arranging and rearranging the cones.

Projecting II

2009-01-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Over the break we did some painting inside. We swapped the guest bedroom with the office. Instead of making the office again we painted the nursery. Even though there isn't a baby yet, we wanted to slowly start getting thinks ready. Below is a before and after of the guest bedroom.I love how the nursery turned out (more before and afters)! For some reason it just felt good getting this room ready. Someday soon I know in my heart of hearts that it will be filled with a little one. It is a soft warm yellow color. My parents helped us paint =0)

My mom and I painted and ragged color and glaze onto the other bathroom walls. It was really hard to pick up the colors in a picture, but we ragged on a beige and subtle grey color along with a pearl. It turned out really beautiful and gives the feeling of faux texture.
Here is all of our stuff from the three rooms that was out in the living room while we painted.....we also did some spring cleaning! I took this picture after we spend 2 days going through stuff.

Time with Friends

2009-01-03T16:12:00.001-08:00

Last night we went to Danny and Jessica's for dinner and games. On the way home Jason commented that we hadn't had as much fun or laughed as much in a really long time. Sometimes I am amazed when the Lord puts the right people in your life at the right time. We really had a wonderful time!

I made a blackberry pie with my homemade pie filling and it was really yummy. Jacob had a few pieces and it was so cute!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

This Christmas Jason and I received wonderful gifts. However, we were truly more blessed to give than receive. My parents have a beautiful Chalet home and they are always "doing" for others. It is actually hard to give to them, because they are so giving of their time, finances, care, etc. to others. Last Christmas my dad was bragging that in their 35 years of marriage they never had to purchase a new TV. Their current TV is HORRIBLE. It is an old Curtis Mathis in an ugly old wooden console. This was the same TV they had when Ryan and I were growing up. So, we shopped around, looked at Consumer News and Reports and in June we (Ryan, Jason and I) bought them a brand new 46" flat panel TV and stand. I was so excited to give this to them the night before Christmas that I could barley sleep!

Here is the old clunker!

Ryan and Jason hauling the new TV upstairs

And here it is all ready to go! They LOVE the TV and can't get over the quality of the picture! (I posted 2 today, so keep scrolling down)

White Christmas

2008-12-31T16:24:00.001-08:00

These were the views we woke up to Christmas Morning! It was beautiful. We went to open gifts at my parents and the farther south we traveled the less snow there was.A view down the road of North Summerwood

Jason walking in the house after shoveling the driveway.

A picture of our house taken from across the street.

Great News!

2008-12-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Today Jason and I went in to find out the genetic testing results that were done on our baby. The baby had Trisomy (sp?), which was good news. People have 46 chromosomes. Our baby had 69. In other words instead of having one chromosome in each of the 46 chromosomal areas, the baby had three. Our Dr. said this was just a glitch. Pregnancies with that many chromosomes can't continue. She said either 2 sperm got caught in one egg, or the egg didn't split completely. So, nothing is wrong with our genetic material, this was a fluke of nature, and she was confident we would get pregnant soon again! All is well!!

Theraflu

2008-12-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up fully intending to go to church. As I was getting ready my body felt achy, I had awful chills, a headache, and stuffy nose. So, when Jason came home he made me some Theraflu which I had never tried before. The box has great claims of reducing flu like symptoms, but boy does it taste rank! However, the citrus smell is deceiving. It tasted like warm NyQuil and bitter lemons....yuck! I hope the great claims on the box come to pass soon.

Staff Christmas Party Progressive Dinner

2008-12-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night was our Staff Christmas Party Progressive Dinner. It is always a lot of fun. We went to Bonna's house for appetizers, our house for crock pot soups, and then the the Feasel's house for desserts and games. There were four games we played (Yahtzee, Scrabble, Skip-bo, and Apples to Apples) in 1/2 hour segments. Each player kept a score card for the games and added them up at the end. The grand prize was 4 movie passes to the movies, and coupons for popcorn, along with 4 DVD's and movie candy. Brenda won that prize! Jason won the next prize which was the 4 movie passes and coupons for popcorn. Then there were about 12 other prizes the people with the next highest scores chose from. It was such a busy week that Brenda nor I had time to shop for the prizes. I have the most amazing and wonderful mom, as she was the one who spent Thursday shopping for us. Jason and I hauled chairs from school and tables from church, as we took out some living room furniture to fit every one in our house.

Jason and I spent Wednesday and Thursday evening getting ready. We felt like mechanics being under the tables to secure the wrapping paper.

Tana made a really YUMMY french bread with spinach, butter and garlic!We were SOOOOOO glad Kristina could make it! I sure miss her.

Let the games begin (and desserts)!

A Big Sigh...

2008-12-13T15:19:00.000-08:00

I haven't created a new post in a while, because Jason and I have had a hard time dealing with our recent loss. The hardest thing was dealing with the shock, which left a painful sting. After the D&C, I went back to work quickly so I could get back into a routine. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to walk through. When I stay busy, I am okay....but the loss still hits me in quiet or down moments.....in the middle of the night when I roll over, seeing another pregnant woman in the grocery store, etc. When my heart gets troubled, I am already thanking the Lord for the blessing of the baby that he will someday give us. Jason said when he found out the news he went for a very long drive, cried, screamed, yelled and was okay. It has been a bit harder for me, and still is at times. My doctor is amazing! She said I am one of her healthiest patients and she was confident that we should be pregnant very soon again. One of the things we did find out was that the hives were not in any way linked to the pregnancy (great news!) like the allergist thought they were. We decided that next time we are going to wait until we are through the first trimester to share the news. In talking with others our loss seems very common, in that it has happened to a lot of other people. So, thank you for such comforting comments, prayers, cards, gifts, hugs and shoulders, and for caring.

Blessed Be Your Name

2008-12-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Today was my 10 week appointment. Sadly to find out, the baby passed away about 2 weeks ago while in my tummy, due to fetal cardiac arrest, meaning that the heart stopped beating. Early tomorrow morning I have a D&C. Our hearts have been shattered through this news today. However, we have a peace and hope as we trust in the Lord. Even in this circumstance, though the Lord gives and takes away, out hearts will truly say, "Lord blessed be Your Name."

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was a wonderful time that we spent with family and friends. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving day, as I was really nauseous. We had the big dinner at our house and the normally delicious aromas of food cooking turned my tummy upside down. Ryan, my brother, who is also a full time student at PSU was able to join us. He hasn't been able to be with us on Thanksgiving for a few years due to work and his practicum schedule. After dinner, he and Jason put Christmas lights on the house.

For about 8 months Jason and I have been saving, researching the consumer reports, and pricing flat panel t.v's. A few weeks ago we ordered our 46 inch t.v., and it arrived this weekend. We were so thankful that Ryan was home to help Jason with the wall mounting and installing (I can't lift too much right now). We put the t.v. in our bedroom across from the bed. We had the perfect wall space. We were going to put it in the living room, but it is what you call a "great room." Currently when we watch t.v. we have to have it up pretty loud as there aren't a lot of close walls for the sound to bounce off of....and where the currently t.v. is in the living room will be the same side of the house where the nursery will be located.....we didn't want to disturb the baby with the loud television.
Getting the wall mount level was a little tricky!
Ta-daa! All finished! We totally LOVE having the t.v. in our room. Ryan brought home his gaming system and in the evenings we have had a blast playing family video games. We hooked up our blue-ray player to the tv, which makes you feel like you are in a theater when you watch the movies....the picture is amazing! I also have been wanting an artificial tree for the bedroom in addition to the real one we have in the living room. We got a great deal Friday on this 7 1/2 foot tree.

The Nutcracker

2008-11-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon Jason, Brandon, Kristina, and I went to the Nutcracker. It was all sold out and was a wonderful show, not to mention that students and friends we knew performed in the ballet. Then we went to the Ikola's for dinner and exchanged Christmas gifts.

I got country/shabby chic home decor, which I absolutely LOVE.

Brandon got golf goodies.

Kristina got a red pillow to match her house and snowmen bowls.

Jason got golf and Sudoku puzzles.

Who Are You?

2008-11-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, this might sound strange, but we have noticed a reader from a connection in Owosso, Michigan reading our blog. In the comment section, can you please tell us who you are.....we are curious?

I've Been Tagged

2008-11-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

Cheryl and Jessica "tagged" us and I have finally had time to sit down and blog this week. The challenge was to find the fourth picture in your fourth album and post it. Jason is 7 years old watching cartoons while visiting grandma. I am 6 and have just woken up Christmas morning (note the great morning hair).

Our Sunday

2008-11-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last night I decided not to take the antihistamine and see what would happen with the hives. This morning was the start to many hives today. I don't think I will do that again! Here a smaller hive to the right of my wrist.

Jason is such a sweet guy! He has been so helpful today, which he always is. After church the weather was gorgeous. I asked Jason to help me finally turn over my summer garden and help me make it into a compost.

Then, I needed to change the bedding in the guest bedroom from summer to winter bedding. So, Jason started with the bed skirt (which really requires 2 people...but I am pregnant, so he did it). He flipped the mattress against the wall. While he was maneuvering the skirt to the top of the bed, the mattress fell on top of him! I was on the other side of the house puttering, and heard a faint flailing noise. I thought it was one of the kitties outside. But, upon further investigation this was what I found!

I am almost 9 weeks pregnant and have occasional waves of nausea, so in between the waves I made this yummy dinner of Lemon Garlic Chicken with Rice. However, a wave hit me and I had chicken noodle soup for dinner instead.

Happily Discomforted

2008-11-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

I realized I haven't posted in a while, but for a good reason. As soon as we found out I was pregnant I came down with Strep Throat and was really sick for about a week. At the same time I was coming down with awful hives. My lips swelled to 4x's their original size, my eyes swelled shut, my throat almost swelled shut, and hives under my skin appeared all over. We thought maybe they were food induced or environmental. Lots of factors were eliminated, but the hives still appeared all over my face, every other day, only at night, and when I slept. I was beginning to wonder if I was allergic to myself. Any body part I touched or accidentally brushed would swell up with these awful hives. Jason wanted to post a picture of my misery, but I was worried it would scare people away! After being to 3 different doctors, my allergist finally had some answers. The hives are basically pregnancy induced. They took a lot of blood work today to run some tests today. I feel very relieved, and happy that there is a solution and some closure, AND I can start eating real food again!

Strange Morning Routines of An Elementary Teacher

2008-10-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

WARNING: If you have students in either of our classes, please do not share this information with them until AFTER school tomorrow, as they will soon find out! So, I had all the signs and symptoms of pregnancy but negative results until this morning at 5:00 am! I woke up in some discomfort and had to go potty. I thought, on a whim, that I would take one last test. To my surprise it was positive, and Jason started his day waking up to my screams! I told Jason and them called my parents early too! Needless to say it has been a long day. I went to the doctor for some more tests and they found that I am 5 weeks pregnant and have a due date of June 24th! We are so excited and thrilled and wanted to share it with you, our faithful blogging friends!

BOO!

2008-10-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

This is how I feel at the end of the day after being with 28 little ones.....just kidding! On Saturday my mom and I canned 50 lbs (69 1/2 pints) of pickled beets. A lot of people don't like pickled beets, but our family loves them (except for Jason). My hands were discolored for days. I tired scrubbing them with a fingernail brush, to no avail. On Sunday I was on the worship team and a couple of guys teased me, asking what I had just killed. However, the canning season is over. It is kinda funny because I have never canned this much. It was hard enjoyable work and now my cupboards are filled with all kinds of yummies for when the frost is on the pumpkin!

A few things....

2008-10-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we canned applesauce...it was yummy and we got 50 pints of applesauce and 6 quarts of apple juice. We borrowed this strange contraption from a lady at church. It saves us hours of time.

Kristina is seasoning the applesauce. The post was so big that she needed a stool for proper stirring leverage (hee-hee). You have to check out Cheryl's post of Alyssa on her blog ( Lookin' Good). It is hilarious. I have watched the footage at least 5 times tonight....it is SO funny.

Tomatoes and Apples

2008-10-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some delicious tomatoes being cooked down to can.

Kristina, my mom, and I were pretty rummy when it came time to make the apple pie filling. We each ended up with a burned finger, arm, or hand by the end of our endeavors. Here I was putting the apple pie filling ingredients together and Kristina was stirring. However, on two occasions, I forgot to turn on the burner for her and so she was stirring and stirring for quite some time before she realized nothing was happening! We all got a good laugh.
Jason and Brandon even got in on the action of peeling apples (with a potato peeler..it was all we had!)
Ahhh.....the signs of a hard days work! We made 50 quarts of tomatoes and 50 quarts of apple pie filling.

Fall and The Farm

2008-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Kristina, my mom, and I went to Lehene Farms to pick tomatoes (more...I thought they were nuts to can more tomatoes) and apples for apple pie filling. However, when we arrived Fall was in the air. So we had to get a few pictures before we started our hard work (I will post that later).

Kristina and I decided we will buy this farm when it is for sale, quit teaching, and run the business. We will have a barn that has a store like Treasures of the Heart in it too. Then Brandon and Jason and work real jobs to support our newly found hobby! We haven't told them yet about our plan.....

Sometimes I think Kristina and my mom have more fun hanging out together. Kristina is always commenting on how she really loves my mom. So, Kristina was excited to see a squash with an endearing name, and bought it for her! We all got a kick out of this!!

Grungy Schmungy to Fancy Schmancy

2008-09-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

My parents have a summer painting business. Last Saturday Jason and I were helping them finish a job in town. We rolled out of bed early in the morning and spent the day working with them. That evening Cheryl invited us to the South Umpqua Foundation dinner, which is a fundraiser for the schools to make improvements and additions. It was really fun! We got to hang out with the Jim and Sharon, Mark and Michelle, as well as Lonnie and Cheryl. Thanks Cheryl for inviting us!

Grungy Schmungy

Fancy Schmancy

Chocolate Zucchini Cake and Fall Decorations

2008-09-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Michelle, Sharon, and Tori, I was able to make Chocolate Zucchini Cake this afternoon.....all I have to say is, "WOW!" This recipe is so wonderful, and the cake is so good that I couldn't get a picture before people started eating it. I gave some to my parents, neighbors, and I am going to take some to school tomorrow for Susan! It is incredibly good, I was able to put my large zucchini to good use, and freeze some of the shredded zucchini too!

On Saturday Kristina and I spent the day together and had a "girl day," while Brandon was busy working on their shop and Jason was gone for the weekend at an annual men's retreat with our church. We went to one of our two favorite stores, Friends and Family ( in Sutherlin, and the other one is Treasures of the Heart in Tri-City). I found these pillars, quilt runner, candle "garland" and cinnamon scented pine cones on Saturday. We had lunch and spent the rest of the day catching-up at her house. It was a wonderful Saturday!

A Bounty of Gifts and Chin Puppets

2008-09-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

I was walking through the busy hallways this morning and from a distance Destiny and Alyssa's faces were glowing. As I got closer I saw their arms were full of these gifts for me! They were so proud of themselves for walking all the way to school as they carried cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, jalapenos, summer squash, and this gigantic zucchini from their garden. The zucchini has got be be at least 4-5 lbs. I am going to make Michelle's Chocolate Zucchini cake and I am so excited. Then another student has been bringing me roses everyday this week....what a sweetie.

My classroom is on the hot side of the building and the kids were just loosing it because it was so hot this afternoon. I canned the lesson we were working on and we did Chin Puppets instead. Here Paige the Purple Polka-dotted Pig is sporting some lovely barn yard brown hair! I set it up like a little talk show with a real microphone and the kids had a blast.....they were giggling and totally engaged! Aubrey( Alyssa's younger sister) even helped name the Chin Puppets. Thanks Cheryl for helping with the paper clips. I wish I had thought of that a long time ago!

Is It Sleepytime Yet?

2008-09-04T18:25:00.001-07:00

The last few evenings after dinner is made and dishes are cleaned, ironing is finished, and lunches are made, I have found Heather sacked out on the couch. She has 27 second graders this year and she's expelled a lot of energy the past few days. Last night Figaros appreciated teachers by offering large pizzas for $5. We got two and are set to have pizza for several nights. It makes me happy because nothing could be better than pizza for dinner, and Heather doesn't have to cook. (Jason)

Too Many Tomatos!

2008-08-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Kristina and I started the morning at Brosi Farms in hopes of picking Roma tomatoes, which we would later turn into salsa, and roasted tomato sauce and then can. However we were very disappointed with the lack of ripeness at Brosi and headed out to Lehne Farms. The lady at the produce weigh station told us the pickings for Roma would be slim because of the weather. However, Kristina and I were so happy with the bounty that we kept picking and picking and picking....then other people came out to where we were and picked and picked as well. The farther we got down the rows the larger and riper the tomatoes were! More and more people came to "our picking area," and so we picked faster, hoping to get the best and most. We piled all our work into the car and went to get the fruit weighed, keeping in mind we only needed 32 lbs. total. We were shocked with laughter when we were told we picked not 100 lbs, but 104 lbs of tomatoes!! We were so overwhelmed we laughed so hard we were in tears and people were starting to stare at us! So, starting at one in the afternoon yesterday we made and canned 60 pints of salsa and 20 quarts of roasted tomato sauce. I finished processing the last batch a little after midnight. Thankfully Jason and my mom pitched in to help. We (Kristina and I) have NEVER and will NEVER do anything like this again!After hours of work Kristina was cheerful as every, and I was beginning to peeter out.

Kristina and my mom tasted each batch of salsa for the flavor and added ingredients.

What a guy! Jason put his plans for the day aside and chopped 75 cloves of garlic and was the best salsa "stirrer" ever! Funny side story.....so we needed 89 cloves of garlic for both projects...well, I didn't know that the small individual cloves counted as one clove. I thought the whole "large" clove counted as one clove. So here I am putting the bigger cloves into our box and I turned in all seriousness to Kristina told her that Lehne's didn't have enough garlic cloves, starting to panic at where we were going to get enough cloves......yet, another time we busted out with unstoppable laughter!

Salsa anyone?

Delicious roasted tomato sauce

Finally at the end of a LONG day everything was finished.

Pies and Pianos

2008-08-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

My dad is very active in Canyonville's Pioneer Days celebrations. It is a big fundraiser for the students he takes to the coast for the week at the end of the school year. My dad asked my if I would make a pie for the pie auction, and then he would enter them under his name, "MR. J". They even had a professional auctioneer for the event! The money raised goes to the Lions for local community projects. The crowd went wild when they foumd my dad, Mr. J, entered two pies. For my dad, I made a blueberry pie (with my homemade canned filling) and it went for $125.oo. Then I made a German Apple pie which went for $115.00. It was a lot of fun seeing local merchants and families compete against each other during the auction.
I have always wanted to have a piano in my classroom. I do a LOT of singing with my students, and it is so much fun! Several years ago our custodian asked if I had wanted an old high back piano that she was moving out of another classroom. I was in the middle of my graduate work and the logistics of trying to fit it in my room felt like an overwhelming hassle. However, one night last week I could not sleep and I remembered the old piano in storage. However, Susan (my good friend and teaching partner) reminded me that there were 2 pianos in storage. She and I went to look at both if them and I felt like a little kid in a candy shop comparing the sound quality, tone, and overall appearance of each instrument. I finally chose this black one. I am so excited to share my love of music with my students, not vocally, but now by playing the piano too. In time for Meet the Teacher night, my sweet husband bought me a bouquet, as a final touch!

So Sad...sniff..sniff

2008-08-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sad tonight. One of my very best friends, Kristina Ikola, has taken another job teaching 4th grade at Winchester Elementary! I am very happy for her and she feels like her decision is bitter sweet. She loves our school, the people,and the kids. But, she has really wanted to be in the Roseburg school district. Kristina taught kindergarten at our school this past year. I think when you have a very close friend and get to see them every day, hang out together with each other's families, etc. you kinda take the convenience of getting together for granted. We decided at the least that we will have Saturday morning dates at least 2xs a month, which takes some of the sadness out of things...

S'mores Pie (really!)

2008-08-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jason and I spent the entire day working in our classrooms. Poor guy, at the end of the day and with all the work he had done, his room still looked like a disaster. He is switching grade levels and had to weed through 2 sets of curriculum, and materials. We got home really late last night and had to run into Roseburg for some storage items he needed. On a whim at 10:30, we went on a dessert date the Shari's and I had the MOST WONDERFUL S'mores Pie ( I forgot my camera and asked for a take out menu with the picture of the pie on it but they were out of those). It was packed with chocolatey sweetness...pure s'mores bliss. I think I am a s'mores addict after my fist try this summer. As Rachel Ray would say, YUMMMMO!!!!

Forking Lawns

2008-08-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

One evening before Kristina went to visit her family in Kentucky, we had a great idea to give one of our co-workers (who will remain nameless) a hard time by "pranking" them...harmless, of course! She, Brandon, Jason and I bought 250 plastic white plastic forks and put them prong side up in our co-worker's lawn. It was funny because we saw the co-worker walking with their family and we drove right past them on the way to our mission. I didn't get to snap many pictures because we wanted to get out of the area before we got caught. It was so much fun and Kristina and I were laughing uncontrollably on the way back to the car. Brandon and Jason were worried that we were going to blow our cover.
What a girl...she even takes time away from forking for a quick smile! Maybe someday this picture could be incriminating (chuckle-chuckle).

Sickie

2008-08-11T21:47:00.001-07:00

When I was recovering from surgery last week, Kristina came over and sat with me in the afternoon while I was doped up on meds. It was such a nice surprise.....I was felling like I had "cabin fever." She made this painting and gave it to me with a get well card. It brighten my spirits and touched my heart!

S'mores Anyone?

2008-08-11T21:29:00.001-07:00

When we were little kids we always went camping. However, I had never made s'mores ever before. So we made s'mores on the last night we camped....I must say they were scrumptious! Last week Jason and I were in bed at about 11:00pm and we both had a sweet tooth. So, he had this idea to light the gas stove burner and we still had left over marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate. We had our own version of s'mores at home....although it wasn't a "safe" way to have them, they sure were good!

Florence

2008-08-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places to eat on the Oregon coast....Once our camp at Honeyman campground was set up my mom and Jason rested and enjoyed reading the paper.

Later my dad and Jason tried to start a fire....which was pretty amazing seeing how the night before it rained there too.

We got some fish at a local fish market. I am not a fish eating kinda girl, but my mom cooked it on the camp stove and I LOVED it!!! So much so that I needed to take a picture of it (hee-hee-hee).

High Rise Tool Shed

2008-08-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Part way through our camping trip it rained one day and full evening. We couldn't get into a yurt, and so this cabin was then next closest, and dry place to sleep for the night. I was, however, very displeased with the temporary living conditions. As Jason teased, this cabin was basically a tool shed on stilts. It was tiny, not the cleanest, and the bathrooms were outhouses. The showers were about a mile walk away. I would have rather slept in the car, but I was a good sport and bore the evening in the cabin....and I might add that the electricity went out due to the rain storm too.
A peek inside the high rise tool shed/cabin
Boy was I glad when morning came. My cold body was comforted by my morning cup of Joe....ahhhhh. All was well now!

Fort Stevens

2008-08-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

Fort Stevens was a working fort used from the Civil War to WWII. It is the western most point of the entire Pacific Northwest (or so I heard). The fort served as a base during WW II for armed forces. In walking through the fort we saw cement bunkers where the military prepared to defend in case the Japanese attacked from the ocean, and huge missiles and machine type guns....it was kinda cool!

Do you "Truffle Shuffle?"

2008-08-05T10:40:00.001-07:00

This last spring the movie, The Goonies, became very popular with the students in my room. They were constantly quoting the movie, doing the truffle shuffle, and it amounted to a lot of silliness at times! I had never seen nor heard of the movie. The kids thought I was crazy and one of them asked if I grew up on another planet. So, one of my kiddos brought the movie to school and I took it home to watch. Fortunately Jason loved the movie as a kid, and enjoyed seeing it again. The next morning I understood the kid's jokes from the movie and I was able to get in on their fun. So, in Astoria we found the original house that was used in the movie. It was a bit tricky to find with all the older roads and neighborhoods. As we approached the dirt driveway that lead up to the house there was a BIG sign that read something about a private drive, no cars, pictures, or trespassers. I think the people who now live here got tired of all the tourists. So my dad and I ran up the hill, quickly snapped some pictures (trying to get as close to the house as we could without being spotted) and ran back to the car. I felt like I had broken a law and gotten away with it!

Next we ventured to the John Jacob Astor Elementary school where the movie, Kindergarten Cop was filmed.
Do you think our "Arnold" poses would scare away naughty students?

The Column

2008-08-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

When we went to visit the Astoria Column it had been closed! I was so disappointed, as Jason had never been there. Apparently the stairs, which were 83 years old, were being replaced for safety reasons. It will reopen in January 2009.....maybe next time! The pictures on the Column are beautiful. They tell the history of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

From the top of the mountain where the Column sits, you can see all over the city of Astoria, the Columbia River, and the in between mountains and valleys. Picturesque views like these make me love Oregon more and more. The views form the very top of the Column are similar to these, so we weren't entirely disappointed.

My dad and Jason were admiring this topographical map of the area. Secretly I think they were also looking for directions to the next place we were going to visit!

The Ship

2008-08-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

After the Maritime Museum we got to tour a ship that used to frequent to waters of the Columbia river.
Jason is washing up in the kitchen of the ship....
I am at the oven checking things out....
While I am in a bunk, my dad gets ready to sneakily whack me with a pillow in the head!
Jason and my parents on the deck of the ship.

Columbia River Maritime Museum

2008-08-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Columbia River Maritime Museum offered a "hands on" look at the history of Astoria from the beginnings of the fish canneries, to war ships, and training grounds for the US Coast Guard. It was very interactive. There was so much to see and do in the museum with so little time. Looks like Jason found a new toy!
What an interesting gun......
Jason enjoyed sitting in the Captain's seat on one of the ships.

Hangin' with The Colonel

2008-08-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

After visiting Fort Clatsop we stopped at KFC in Astoria for lunch and couldn't resist snapping a picture with Mr. Sanders....geez, what a guy!

Fort Clatsop

2008-08-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

My dad loves Oregon History, as it is part of his 5th grade curriculum. We couldn't visit Astoria without spending time at Fort Clatsop. Here we are on the trek down to the newly refurbished fort. It burned down several years ago after several embers in the fireplace started a fire.

Fort Clatsop was the location where Lewis and Clark nearly ended their journey and stayed for much needed rest for a season.

Setting Up Camp in Astoria

2008-08-03T16:15:00.003-07:00

Jason got out the horse shoe set as soon as the camp was set up in Astoria. He and my mom were pretty good at horse shoes!
This is called the Peter Iredale ship. Basically it was lost at sea for several years. Over time the remains of the ship lodged itself into this part of the seashore which was close to our camp site.
I thought this picture was cool. Jason was walking back after talking a closer look at the Peter Iredale.