May Photos

Little N climbed into my bed and hid under the covers.


Grandma and Little N during a recent visit


Running from the sprinkler


Apple buds


Big N's beautiful eyelashes.

Big N and his telescope

We've had some plumbing issues lately. Really, Pete has had plumbing issues, because I leave the pleasant surprises for him once they go beyond my level of capabilities.

Aren't I a wonderful wife?

More than once, we are surprised by a mass that will not flush. It has been discouraging to try to figure out what is going on. My poor daughter has suffered most of the blame due to the timing of her learning how to use the facilities and the timing of our issues. Little N is counting sheets of TP for each use.

I've started saving for her therapy later it life, really I have. And still, the plumbing issues persist.

Pete had to invest in a heavy duty snake with a very long cable. If you are not aware of what a snake is for, as far as it relates to plumbing, count your blessings.

This evening, Big N walked into the hall with a very concerned expression. In his hand was an empty roll of toilet paper. I helped him find a full roll and then reminded him to be careful with the amount he pulled off the new roll.

"But, Mommy, if I use the entire roll, I get a new telescope."

I sat there in silence for a minute, deciding how to address his telescope and thinking of the reoccurring incidents of major plumbing catastrophes. He proceeded to open the bottom drawer in the bathroom, which held 2 telescopes and showed me that it was empty of fresh rolls.

We worked on how to count sheets. We're working on counting up only as many as he is old.

Hopefully this works, for Pete's sake, but mostly for the sake of my bathroom floor.

Apple Blossoms

Our trees are blooming... They are beautiful and a reminder how fast the winter has flown by. The days are getting warmer and longer. We are once again able to enjoy the lingering sunshine on the back porch after dinner.

About two weeks ago, on one such evening, the kids were playing on the slide and I noticed the blossoms. The light had a pink cast to it, warming up everything in view. I immediately ran inside to find my close-up set and my favorite lens (85 mm). I think taking photos was in the back of my mind after talking with Mica when I recently ran into her.

This summer, I promise to not let the months fly by so fast. I need to take more photos. I need to do that for myself as much as for the kids. I am horribly out of practice, making mistakes that I notice on the screen and would have noticed through the lens in the past.

Springtime in Central Washington

Wordless Wednesday after a long hiatus of life just being too busy.





Time to find the lens hood. Oops!

Let the thunder roll

Seattle has a very moderate climate for weather. In fact, I can remember two thunderstorms in the 10+ years I lived there. I've always missed the big thunderstorms that we used to get late in the summer on the east coast.

We had a storm this evening. Not a big one that rocks and rolls, but enough to scare the dogs and make the kids cuddle in close. Right before the storm started, I noticed a rainbow out our front window.

Big N thought it was pretty cool.



The rainbow from my office window. It was raining at this point, bluring the view through the glass just a bit.

Dinner tonight

We had planned on hamburgers tonight for dinner, that is until my daughter was napping and Pete was somewhere in the land management land with the dogs AND I realized we didn't have hamburger rolls.

Big N and I decided we could make some because there was no way I wanted to wake up little N to drag her off to the store on a Sunday afternoon.

The rolls smell fantastic. I had enough dough that I made a small round loaf for tomorrow.



We did a combinations of two recipes, one from the Hillbilly housewife's site and a second from An American Housewife's site.

The two recipes are very similar. I tend to lean more towards the the first one, omitting the powdered milk. I also opt to proof the yeast in warm water prior to adding it into my mixer with the dough hook attachment.

I do get a more consistent loaf using the mixer over kneading the bread by hand, which is fine by me. Its easier to clean up the bowl than my counter. However, the kids like helping with hand kneading more. If both kids are helping, we all knead it by hand.

Pete has only good things to say about all of the bread experiments thus far.

We love carbs!

Skinny Boy Vest

Here is Big N in his finished Christmas Easter Vest!





The completion of the vest hit a few snags. First, when I had originally finished it on December 23rd, the neck was too small for Big N's noggin with the neck band attached. The other problem is the size 4 was great around his mid-section, but beyond too short on his belly.

This observation resulted in removal of the neckband, and the poor vest languishing unfinished in a bag on the bottom shelf of my nightstand. The little bag, staring at me each night when I ignored it to go to sleep.

Finally, I brought the vest back out to work on it. I tore out the shoulder seams and added another cable repeat to the front and back. I re-seamed everything up, added the neckband and asked Big N try it on. It not only fit over his head, but the length was great with room to spare.

Big N promptly asked me if he could wear it to church on Sunday, this was Saturday. I said of course, and stayed up way too late Saturday night weaving in all the ends and finally adding the armbands. I will admit, the armbands match the sweater body because I had just woven in the 3 different colors at the waist and the neck. At that point, the vest had enough gray and cream as far as I was concerned at 11PM.





On Easter morning, Big N came running from his bedroom. He found me and asked me if I had finished his vest so he could wear it. The final result made him happy. This, of course, makes me happy.