5 Things Meme

I was tagged by Yolanda over at Perfectly Imperfect to join in the "5 Things" meme.
Here you have it ~

5 THINGS I LIKE:
Hummingbirds flittering around my fushia's
Moonlight walks
Baking yummy treats
Campfires on the beach
Fall time

5 THINGS I WAS DOING 10 YEARS AGO:
Raising my three kids as a single mom
Living in Cody, Wyoming
Working two jobs ~ the first as a closing agent ~ the second as a waitress/bartender
Trying to see over the top of the normal everyday household bills
Living in a trailer park

5 FAVORITE SNACKS
Pudding cups - butterscoth!
Ice Cream Sandwiches (even though I am EXTREMELY lactose intolerant and eating one will send me to the bathroom for hours on end)
Popcorn (since my gallbladder died popcorn hates me. I still love you, my darling popcorn!)
Berries ~ any berries!
BBQ French Fries from C-ZR's drive-in in Elgin ~Shout out to Melissa (o;

5 SONGS YOU KNOW ALL THE WORDS TOO;
The Devil Went Down To Georgia - Charlie Daniels
The Song Remembers When - Trisha Yearwood
I'M The Only One - Melissa Ethridge
Country Boy- John Denver
Bat Out Of Hell - Meatloaf

5 THINGS YOU WILL NEVER WEAR AGAIN:
Bikini!!
Leg warmers
Parachute Pants
Striped bell bottom pants that you have to put rubber bands around the ankles so they won't get caught in your bike spokes
Velour - am I even spelling that one close to right??

5 THINGS YOU WOULD DO IF YOU WERE A MILLIONARE:
Make sure my parents and my husbands could retire
Travel!
Set up a college fund for each of our neices and nephews
Buy a cabin at Wallowa Lake
Buy a pumpkin farm with a big red barn

That was fun! I tag Jodi Renshaw, Melissa, Terri, Cynthia and YOU!!

Sunday Travels....

Flying High ~
I just ran across this picture again that I had taken last September in Vancouver, British Columbia. I took it, planning on enlarging it for my brother although I have yet to do that. Todd loves the Grumman Goose planes and connects memories of living in Ketchikan, Alaska with them. We were just little tykes and he is two years younger than I am, so not sure how he remembers it all so well. Dad worked for Alaska Airlines and I remember a couple of flights in these planes. One time that is not real clear I think stands out more from the old photographs than from my actual memory. We flew, along with an aunt and uncle and cousins, from Ketchikan to some island off of the bigger island of Rivillagagato (sp?) that Ketchikan resides on. The island that we went to had a couple of little cabins that we stayed in. I can't recall at all whether or not there was electricity or running water. I have a picture of me sitting on the little front step, I must have been about four, my blonde hair cut in a paige-boy, a pink sweater, jeans and little black rubber boots on. I almost think I remember the plane coming back to pick us up...

My next memory is of standing at the living room window, tears rolling down my chubby cheeks as I watch my two bigger sisters walk off to school. I want to go! Why can't I go? My Daddy is on his way out the door for work, but turns around, picks me up, and away I go with him. What a treat! I'm treated like a princess for the day, (or maybe it was just for a couple of hours). A pilot named Chuckie takes me up in his Gruman Goose plane, we buzz the town. There's my house! There's Daddy's work! We land in the water as smooth as silk, walk back up the dock to the office, a smile stuck firmly in place on my four year old face. I head back home with my Daddy, my arms full of Alaskan Airline color books and my very own yellow wings pinned to my coat. What a beautiful day it has been. I'm so glad I'm too little to go to school. I would have missed out on such a great adventure!

Pay It Forward...

I've always really like the concept of paying it forward, so when I ran across this challenge over on Monique's blog I just had to join in.

Here's how this one works:
1. Sign up here in my comments section as one of three people to join me in this challenge.
2. I will make you a handmade gift and send it on it's merry way to you. ( I have one year to complete this task. Pretty reasonable I think!)
3. You will post this Pay It Forward challenge on your blog and also make a gift for your three people. You will recieve one gift from me, and pay it forward by making gifts for three others.

I hope there will be three of you out there who want to join me. I'm waiting anxiously to hear from you, crafty ideas floating around in my head...

I'm an Aunt!

Not that I wasn't already ~ I have been an aunt for years ~ but I'm a brand new aunt once again!

Meet little Kyle Lee, my brother and sister-in-laws newest addition. He looks like a little doll and I can't wait to meet him.

It seems that our family is blessed with beautiful babies...

(Stay tuned for the next birth in about a months time. What will it be? boy or girl? I feel a drawing coming on...)

My Very Own Apron

Remember all the aprons I made at Christmas time? Well, I finally decided enough was enough. It was time to make my very own apron, and abracadabra, here it is. I very excited to wear this and whip us up some tasty creations in my new kitchen. (no no! not yet! I'll tell you later. I don't want to jinx myself now!)


I found this fabric on ebay. Isn't it fantastic? I had something similar in mind, so when I ran across this one, I just had to make it mine!

May you all be blessed with a project of your very own...

Home...

Mama and baby are home. Isn't this about the sweetest picture you've ever seen??


What a cutie!

Welcome to the World...

Our first grandbaby was born yesterday! Little Ayden John came into this world strong and full of sparkle. Mamma and baby are doing great (as is Daddy, too!)

Congratulations Ryan & Natascha. We can't wait to hold him and look into his tiny little eyes. Give him a hug and kiss from Grandpa, Grandma and all his aunts and uncles.

Germany, here we come...

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden...

...a lavender field, yes. Roses, no. This picure was taken at Lavender Valley Lavender Farm. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and the scent...ah, heavenly!

Riff had given me tickets for our anniversary for an (incredible!) Allison Kraus concert that took place last weekend in Troutdale. We stayed at Edgefield in Troutdale where the concert took place, then got up Friday morning, drove the scenic Columbia River Gorge (that is entirely another post), coming out at Hood River. We had picked up a map awhile back for the Hood River Fruit Loop and have been saying for a year now that we were going to go over and check it out. There are 36 farms, fruit stands, wineries and you name it on this beautiful drive through the Hood River Valley. We chose ahead of time just a few that we wanted to stop at, so I do believe that we will have to go back another time. Join me here on a small tour of our day...


I can't even tell you how many wineries are on this loop. With alot of whining and crying (from Riff - he wanted to stop at them all!) we managed to stop at three for some delightful wine tasting, coming home with several bottles for our evening indulgences.


I was very excited to stop at the Llama farm, Foothill Yarn & Fiber. As we pulled up the driveway, we were flagged down by this pen. It turns out that this little guy was only a few hours old. Isn't he just the cutest little thing?


Pears. Everywhere you look, Pears!


How much fun would this be? Windsurfing on the Columbia with majectic Mount Hood regining over it all.

Be Happy...

I love this railroad crossing sign that sits beside the tracks on our riverwalk down by Mill Pond Village. Just a little reminder to be happy...


One of my childhood summer memories is walking along the tracks with my best friend Melissa, each of us with arms spread wide trying to balance as if we were walking the high wire in a circus. In our tiny little farming and mill community the trains rattled through several times a day and the tracks ran right through town in a couple of different spots. Summer time track walking brings back the golden August smell of the tall dry grass that grows along the tracks. We'd walk along, stalks waving from our mouths, giggling and laughing all the way. Melissa was always much more coordinated than I was, so she would usually be the winner of the farthest tightrope walker. Ah, to be 10 again, experiencing a small town summer. Melissa, I challenge you to a track walk once again. As you can see, I've been practicing....(heeheehee!)

Baby Mobile

When Brittany was out back in April, we were baby shopping and ran across the cutest mobile that featured little felted animals. Brittany fell in love with it, but it was pretty pricey so I told her to just name her animals and I would make her one. About once a week, she calls and asks "Mom, have you started making that mobile yet?". "Well, no, but I fully plan on it!" The day finally came where I couldn't put it off any longer, so picked up my needle and thread and got to work. This is the finished project and I am tickled to death with it. Why did I wait so long?? Super easy too. I made up the little animals out of felt, cut some bamboo from my back yard and Wa-La, here we have a baby mobile flying it's way to Wyoming for Brittany's baby shower.


Here is all the little critters that make up this fun little mobile. Brittany picked her favorites, then I proceeded to make them for her. We have a butterfly, panda, cat, whale, penguin and crab. I had such a good time with this project that I just might make a few more and try to sell them.

Happy crafting!

Beachy 4th of July

Happy 4th, everybody! And before I forget (or most likely just don't make it back to my computer tomorrow) Happy Birthday to my sister, Stacey! Above is the bag that found it's way to her in Wyoming for this years gift. Hope your having a fabulous few days in Glacier National Park!

For the last couple of years we have gone to the beach on the 3rd of July to light off our own fireworks without such a crowded beach to deal with. It's quickly becoming a fun tradition. We bring snacks, drinks and firewood. Dustin digs a small pit and sets up his fireworks in bunker style so that he's all ready as soon as that sun starts to sink. I, of course, always have a book on hand and settle down in my chair with my blankie after taking a long walk. Let the show begin...


I found an old game of "Jarts" in perfect condition at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago, so we broke it out for our beach party. What a fun game! We had a blast throwing those Jarts around while waiting for dark to set off the fireworks. (Actually we only waited until dusk, as Dustin could hardly stand himself until he could start making some sparks!)


We sat around our beach fire until about 11 pm, telling really dumb jokes because nobody could think of any scary stories to tell. It was a perfect warm summer night. We crawled into our beds smelling of campfire smoke and sand, dreams of fireworks dancing in our heads.


Happy Independance Day to you!