Hangin' with the peeps

His latest aquired skill
"Underdog Papa, underdog! "

"Underdog, Pa pa"

This would not have been the face we would be seeing if he had!
She would've freaked.

Pizza, a walk to the park for playtime, and reading stories.

Sweet.

Saturday Morning

Sooooooo, where can you watch the planes land......
eat Swedish pancakes for breakfast with your hubby.......
shop, and get hubby's opinion about your inspiration? Discuss paint colors, etc?

Yah, ve vent back to Ikea, on Saturday.

We picked up a few frames and rugs, and took our notes to Benjamin Moore and picked up some swatches. it was a fairly quick trip, but fun.

Posting this, and looking at the pix, I was reminded of when we were newly married and lived in California. We would sometimes get up on a Saturday morning and ride our bicycles to the airport and watch the planes, and have breakfast.

Yah, good times, dat's fur shur.

Was Goldilocks Swedish?

[Sarah's photo....my food]

Yesterday, Kate, Sarah, and I went for a "girl's day out", to celebrate Sarah's birthday. We were bummed that Anna couldn't make it, because of work. The plan was to go to all of the fun places at Cascade Station, but we started at Ikea, and that place is a "time warp." We spent the whole time there. We walked, talked, laughed, and had absolutely the most fun, i've had in a long while. Of course we had to all have Sveedish Meat balls and sparkling lingonberry juice, can't go to Ikea without that; mandatory, right?! I tried to be very good and not buy everything in sight, but after much arm twisting and cajoling, I came home with a picture. The best thing I came home with though, was inspiration. Lately, I've felt very lacking in that department. Night after night, I sit watching a movie in the "snug" and look around at it...so dissatisfied, nothing done to it, and completely incapable of being objective and creative to remedy that situation. It's like I hit a brick wall. Last night, I came home with a whole new plan for it, and I'm pumped! Today, I cleaned out some storage shelves, and perused the stash of paint chips....I feel like Goldilocks....this one is too dark....this one is too light....I want it to be .....JUST RIGHT!

A Country Road Color Palette

All of the bright saffron orange color was fields of California Poppies.

The flowers in this one remind me of a Monet painting; soft and impressionistic.



This adds a powerful punch of color and reminds me of "Barney"

A huge field of mixed poppies

I get to show a jewel of a flower, because I have a jewel of a husband.

He patiently pulls off of the road for me to take pictures.

Poor guy...this trip..... he had TWO Nikon packin' women.

He and the kidlets actually kind of "got into it" though,

and were pointing out different fields to us.

Nice Day for a Picnic

The lunch basket was packed and ready to go..... Motoring past the bright red fields of poppies......


To the shady woods where the foxgloves grow,

And the sun filters through the tall fir trees,

Making the maple leaves glow.

There were turkey sandwiches

and cupcakes.



To walk off our lunch, we headed for the loop around the falls.

The kids liked going on the path under the falls ledge

To where you're under the falls

and there's lots of little hidey holes

We took picures of our shadows off of the bridge.

Jim, Sarah, and the kidlets and the South Falls

South Falls

Above the falls, right before it drops over the ledge.....
the creek quietly ripples under the Monet style bridge

When Sarah wasn't taking photos....

She was reminiscing about Outdoor Camp, and munching on Sour grass, passing her fondness for it on to Josie; who now loves it too.

Matthew? hmmm, not so much.

The last time I'd been up to Silver Creek, was close to 10 years ago or so. I took a friend from out of state, and it was raining. The lodge was such a cozy, welcome spot, to get in out of the weather.

In my memory, it seemed a lot larger.

The North Falls. Next time, we'll take that trail.
I've loved going to Silver Creek Falls since I was in High School.

We've gone there many times, for family picnics and taking visitors from out of town.

Everything there seems smaller to me now.

I wonder if it will be that way years from now for the kidlets?
I enjoy it now, but I miss the awe of the first time I ever saw it.

Here Chicky, Chicky.....

Our Hens and Chicks plants, may make for the only chicky babies around here.

" Eggsperanza," is my best laying hen. Her Aracauna green eggs are huge, and my favorite for baking with. But I guess since she's layed faithfully all year, she decided she needed a Holiday.

She's gone to setting. Unfortunately, she's much better at production, than being Mother material. She leaves her nest of eggs to eat and drink, and then goes next door to someone elses egg that they just layed, as sits on it. I would love for us to have a new batch of peeps, but all she manages to do is ruin the eggs. (I think she's blackmailing me for a ticket to Acapulco.)

Since my dear Jesslea in Canada, has received her little thank you gift from me; I can show you what I made for her. She likes her chicky ladies too, (And has such a beautiful home for them!) So I made a plaque for her as a thank you for being the FIRST person to comment on my First Blogiversary post.

Gilding the Lilies

This should read "guarding the lilies".
For the longest time, with our wet, did I mention wet?, WET, wet, spring, the lilies were in their tight little bud raincoats. And THEN the SUN came out and the lilies started opening like popcorn kernels!
I wish the pictures could do them justice...but they can't.

Which is really too bad; because I'm afraid they may be gone before my special guests come in a couple of weeks.

Guarded/captured here in photos..... the lilies, in all of their gilded loveliness

The Big Orange

A favorite summer treat for me.

When I was a girl and we would travel to California to visit my Nana and Uncle Whitie, there were "big orange" shaped, juice stands, every so often, along the highway. With temperatures in the triple digits, and no air-conditioning in the car, they were a welcome sight to hot, sweaty, travelers. The tall glasses full of yummy, fresh squeezed orange juice, (with it's natural pulp,) and crushed ice melting on our tongues, were so refreshing. It made my sisters and me forget all about the backs of our legs sticking to the hot vinyl upholstery. I was saddened to find out that with the fast moving freeways, the big orange stands are a relic of the past. More's the pity.

Mama's Garden