Oregon: Part 2

The kids played in the dirt everyday and if they used water, they made these huge mudballs.
On the warmers days they swam and splashed. Tristan loves having friends stay over!

Finally Renae warmed up to us and here she even flirts with Dave. Or is it the other way around?!

Renae gets a ride while the rest of us take a little walk to the canal.
the kids loved to play in the water, but need a watchful grown-up as it is a swift canal.
The water is ice cold, but she begged to get in it.
Josiah
Skipping rocks
One of our last days here we put the kids to good use.....washing the vehicles that Daniel and Sadie so graciously allowed us to use.Megan just washed her hair and she always wraps it up so her shirt doesn't get wet. Hope that works out for her!
Another fun evening at Ronnie and Nettie's. We love playing 'Shoot the Moon' with them. An old childhood game of Nettie's.

And then we watched elk videos! Jackie and Jody watch as if they've never seen them before. Dave and Ronnie watched as tho they'd never see them again!!Brooke watched just because it was time to go home and she was waiting. Oh, how i hope these tutorials help Dave's hunt this fall!

Looks like Ronnie doesn't need any more videos. I can honestly say that by the end of this 2-week visit i warmed up to the beast in Nettie's formal living room. At first i was campaigning for a move, but i now think he looks handsome. He certainly is worth showing off!And now it's time for good-byes. We always wait to go to the Troutmans until the last minute. As if putting it off makes it easier.......

Oh, Lily!! Just the cutest ever. Dave sure has a list of girlfriends here in CO. We love the Troutmans!
Loaded into and onto the biggest vehicle that the little local airport had. Everyone but the driver was unhappy about this arrangement, but we did survive. We are off to California to spend a fews days with E-man, Marcy, and family. An 8 hour drive, i think.

We had a super-duper time here these past 2 weeks. Thanks to our wonderful hosts and also to our fun loving church family. We LOVED the volleyball and kickball games!! ( why on earth did i not take pictures?!)We'll be back for more.

A Few Details

We had our kitchen installed in March, but my under mount stainless steel sink was on back order til who-knows-when. Well, i now know.......mid-June!! I was told that it would be worth the wait and i can now say that it was! I LOVE this sink. ( in the meantime i had my old sink balanced across the counter with a scrap piece of Formica) It is seamless and stream line, no fuss, simple, just the way i like it. I also love the counter-top. Simply Formica with Corian seamed into the front for smooth edges.

It's dark, doesn't show the dirt. It has some texture and a slight shine, that made me nervous, but it's quite nice.
I paid $1 for this little stool at my aunt's auction. Maybe i will re-finish it. I found upholstery pins at an antique shop in Oregon, just now, but they were so inflated that i am considering keeping them for my kids to re-sale. The original price on the little pack was 15 cents, but i had to pay $1.50!!! Do the math! And i bought 2 packs. They could possibly pay for my grandkids' college?
My favorite purchase is this Quartz island top! And we scored 100% on paint choice,too. Love it!!!
This is where i live and breathe. I love baking bread, making yogurt, eating muesli, chatting on the phone, flipping eggs, flipping pancakes, pouring coffee, making strawberry jam, talking with Dave, watching the sun come up, ( that's a joke, but i am told that left window points East and i once read that's where she rises)making smoothies, getting tile to shine, fixing lunches, cooking up dinner, making pudding for Dave when he finishes another major project, ( i define major)preparing snacks for the kids, helping the girls wash dishes, ( yes, we are THERE!)and i love folding laundry on the island counter. It's so smooth and beautiful. Sometimes i windex it just for giggles. I'd love having you over. I'd serve coffee and if you're really lucky, a biscotti! I'm very thankful for my new kitchen. It's not grandeur, just simple, practical, and quite useful. It's so me and i like it.

Bon Voyage

June 7,2010. The Big Day is here! Grandpa and Grandma are going on a European Tour on Queen Mary 2 and we are going to NYC ( Brooklyn) to see them off. Verna planned the farewell trip and invited my kids and I to ride along. It was too good to pass up. The girls were ecstatic about going to the City again and Josiah was excited to go for the first time.

As we were driving to Brooklyn we made one last effort to contact our childhood 'Fresh Air Girl' Luci. We haven't been to her house or seen her since '97. The only recent contact has been Christmas cards. We called to ask if we could drop by her house or could we meet her somewhere. She spontaneously, along with her mom, decided to meet us at the ship so they could also say good-bye ( and hello) to mom and dad.

Verna and i had no idea what to expect in this great city with this great ship. We didn't know how close we could get to see someone off. But as we got closer and closer, we got more and more confident, so we kept right on with the flow of traffic heading for the gigantic ship up ahead! The parking lot was right next to the water and Luci arrived with-in minutes of us. Now where are the sailors? Mom, Dad, and the rest of their group came soon and we were able to spend about an hour together. Of course they were surprised to see Luci and Margie. So much excitement was in the air. These folks were going across the ocean in 6 days to spend 4 weeks touring Europe. And on the largest ocean liner on the water!
We had a grand time chatting, looking out over the water, craning to see the top of the ship from such a close view, and meeting others going on the trip as well.
Verna, 4 of her kids; me and my 4; Luci and her mom; and Mom and Dad.
Ready to say our final good-byes. Gramps and Grand were ready to go explore the ship. The world for that matter.
Emily and Hans. Everything in Hans' life is measured against the Titanic. Is Queen Mary 2 bigger? We sure hope that she won't hit an iceberg!!
She's a beauty!
Lower Manhattan there. ( it still makes me sad that the Trade Towers are gone from this picture.They were incredible to see!) After saying farewell to Grandpa's and bye to our city friends, We 10 went to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island. It was a gorgeous day! We would not have made it any better ourselves, had we been able.
Here's a view of the ship from our ferry ride over to Miss Liberty.
Me, Meg, Josiah, Brit, And Brooke ( Lyn :)
Follow the leader, she's a good one! Verna did a fantastic job driving thru the city ( i sat shotgun as Navigator) and taking us from one place to the next. We learned and saw about as much as one could in one day in one city. We covered alot of ground!
While we were on Ellis Island and touring the museum we kept peering out the windows to keep a sharp eye on QM 2. We wanted to watch her sail and sure enough....a picture to prove it. Dad didn't answer his phone, but we were so excited to watch her go and wave, of course.
8 happy cousins. Troopers everyone!
After seeing countless ice-cream trucks, we finally settled for one and enjoyed a cone.

We also walked to ground zero, drove by Central Park and thru Times Square. What a place that is! The teenagers were leaning out the window with my camera ( around your neck, thank-you!) and here are a few shots.What a great day! We got home after midnight and were so thankful for the successful day we had together. The kids were very patient, just along for the ride! They all loved the city and now my girls can't wait to come back to shop on Times Square. I said MAYBE when Dave's elk hunting. ( and Josiah is at a friend's house) We girls have just have a knack for shopping that my 'boys' do not. We'll see....................anyone wanna join us?!

Bedroom/Bathroom

Here's a peek into the Master Bed and Bath.

I fell in love with this lamp at TJ Maxx, bought it with gift money ( thanks,Shelly!), and then had to match the rest of the room around it. Dumb idea that eventually ended in perfect harmony.
I love the bed, i love the paint, i love the bedding, love the lamp, love the little birdie.........
.....i just love the whole room. That's how it's suppose to be,right?
And in the bathroom....Dave chose the copper bowl. I will need to learn how to care for it.
He also chose the charming hardware. It's a good thing our water pressure is mild!

I saw this at the deserted Vintage Gardens and it really wanted a good home so i kindly brought it home.
Home Depot and Lowes had nothing that Dave liked, but he found this gorgeous light (and more) at a small 'Mom and Pop' store.

Dave designed the vanity made by Kauffman Enterprise and we chose a granite top to match.
Mr. Phil, the tile guy, took us to one of his suppliers where we chose this 'Suede' tile. Tile floor? Cold for a bathroom you say? Never fear, it's heated just like the kitchen. Even now in the middle of May i have it set to warm..... just because i can. Don't tell Dave! He'd probably say that's an unnecessary use of electricity. But Chad, the electrician, said "pennies a day"!!But even so, don't tell him. The less he knows the easier my life(style) is.
So here's the whole picture. It's kinda hard to take a full shot of a long skinny room, but i wanted to show you. The walk in closet is to my left, but pictures are not included.

We keep chugging along, alittle here, alittle there.

Partially Finished Kitchen/Dining

Chad, the family electrician, ( he could be yours,too) put heat down before the tile was laid. For most of Dave and I's years together we've burned wood in our basement and thus have cozy warm floors. We still will, thanks to the heat that Chad claims "will only cost you pennies". ( AFTER today, that is)
Philip, the family tile guy, ( he could be yours,too) cleans for the third time!! Thanks to the picky lady homeowner that unfornunately is at home, and watching, during the job!
Me, Lil, the family painter, ( she can NOT be yours,too) painting before the cabinets come.
Many, many evening looked like this! All three brothers within the same range of my little lens. "The family that....lives close to each other, gets a phone call"!!!! These three live within a mile of each other and they sure do make good use of the convenience. What a blessing. Their Mom in the background sure sets the example!!!
Mommie Nissley and Megan take all the tape and stickers off the new fridge and clean it for me! And that's Dave over there, hooking up my temporary sink because my new one is on back order for who knows how long!
Fresh bread from my new oven.......fun!fun!
I recently purchased these bowls at an auction. They look like they were never used, certainly never in a dishwasher! I love, love this era of Pyrex bowls. I've also added a brown one since this photo shoot.
So...my kitchen is quite functional inspite of little to no counter top.
We absolutely love our dining room in this new location! The big set of windows allows for lots of scenery during mealtime or otherwise. I will continue to take better pictures as things progress.

Gotta go, bread's rising, cookie dough waiting.