Barbeque Season is Officially Open!

It's Barbeque season again, and we decided to kick off the summer with a big summer party!

Eric rolled out his shiny new charcoal grill....

There was much chowing down....

intermingled with visiting and conversation....

Rock Band was in full force....



as well as marshmallow toasting....



What a beautiful night for a party!!!



Those in attendance:

The Nifty Norlie's

(Sorry, guys, that I don't have a better picture! I'm now kicking myself for not getting a family shot before you left!!)

The Shining Schilaty's

The Handsome Howell's

The Dashing Davis'

The Collinwood Clan

The Jubilant Jorgensen's

And our motley crew!!!

The Whimsical Whites

Picnic Park

Today really felt like the first of summer!

The kids' last day of school was on Friday. Up until that point, the weather here has been phenomenal. I think we even broke a record for 30 consecutive days without rain, a highly unusal event for Seattle! Anyway, the gray skies rolled in again on Friday and carried over the weekend. Today was the first day back to the sunshine!

This morning the kids and I went to a free kids' movie deal, then when we got home I decided the day had just begun, and we needed more adventure. We packed a picnic lunch and drove over to Picnic Park -- a park on the beach between Edmonds and Mukilteo. We used to go there a lot when we lived closer.

There is a huge overpass that you must cross to get to the park itself. It goes over a train track, which is highly frequented by the racing railway. We have several times been on the bridge when a train thunders past. It causes a huge wind, rattling the bridge, not to mention the constant blare of the horn. The residents who live close to the tracks must love the constant noise disturbing their gorgeous view of the Sound! I guess it's the price you pay....

Anyway, this overpass has an incredibly steep incline to climb over, which is challenging enough for me to manage on a good day. Today I had the double stroller with both girls, a big diaper bag, a lunch bag loaded with food and drink, and a picnic blanket. Ethan is generally a run-ahead type of personality, so he is little to no help in these situations. Thank goodness for Heidi! She carried the blanket (which is a denim one, and quite heavy), then also served as extra muscle in pushing that darn stroller up the hill! I know for a fact I wouldn't have been able to handle it on my own! Some of the sections were so steep I was afraid of everything rolling backwards over me. Then once we reached the top, we had to brave the just as steep decline on the other side. Images of a runaway stroller kept plaguing me, as I fought to keep hold of this rolling object, weighing much more than myself. We toughed it out, though, and made it! Now my muscles are aching, with the leftover remembrance of our adventure, but it was worth it!

I would have loved to get more pictures of the kids playing on the beach, not just the blanket, but after the overpass I just couldn't muster the strength to get the stroller over the sand and rocks as well, so the girls and I hung out in the grass.







Ethan and Heidi got to go down to the beach and explore some, though. The tide was very low, so there was a lot to explore. There were leftover "ponds," which Ethan could not resist. Here he is showing off his perfect specimen of a skipping stone. Heidi spent her time looking for shells and examining the wild-life teaming on the rocks.






Overall it was a fun trip, and definitely made it feel like today was the first real day of summer!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the three most important men in my life!!

My dad, who has always taught me through love and example.

My father-in-law (and second dad) Brady, who has an unshakable love and commitment to his family.

And Eric, the father of my children and my eternal best friend, who continues to inspire me to be the best person I can.

I love you all and thank you for being such an important part of my life and the lives of my children!!!

I am a Collector, Not a Packrat

I am a collector.

Others may choose to call it something else, like a packrat. I'd say the definition is subject to interpretation.

All of my collections are dear to me. I would have a hard time letting go of anything I spent so much time putting together. The problem is that, as a collector, I have certain tendencies that are more than a little frustrating to my dear hubby who has to pack and move these items every several years.

A big weakness for me is dishes. I love dishes. Any and all kinds. Usuable ones and decorative ones. I have them all over my house. I am probably the only person I know who uses dishes as artwork in almost every room (my bedroom included!)

These are some of my favorites. I also love glassware.

My china hutch contains three full sets of dishes. Two are for service of eight, and one for service of ten. None of these are my everyday service-ware, either. Those two sets (one ceramic, one plastic) are contained in the kitchen.


Of course, to go along with my wide assortment of dishes I must have a wide assortment of tablecloths and linens! What's really bad is that I have most of the tablecloths in two sizes, so that when I set up two tables at once, they will both match. I know, overkill. You see, this is the bad tendency I was referring to. Why have just one of something you like, when you can have two of every possible color and fabric?!

My collections do not end there, oh no!
I also love to collect movies of books I love. One of my passions are Jane Austen novels. I have almost every movie-version of "Pride and Prejudice" known to man! My favorites are the BBC period productions. They are usually the most accurate portrayals of the original books, which is important to me. Changing too much there is like sacrilege!


Some other collections, which I will not even attempt to document through photographs are:


Books: I love having books around me. I think it's important to always have good books readily available. I grew up never lacking anything to read, it was always an encouraged and valued past-time, and I want to pass that on to my children as well. I have every kind imaginable. Novels, self-help, children's, young adult fiction, references, religious, classical literature....lots. And Eric's back can attest to that!


Crafts/Hobbies: I've got this stuff coming out at the seems!! Scrapbooking, paper-crafting, sewing, crocheting, painting, you name it, I've done it and got it! And all these hobbies have their own assortment of varying tools and supplies.



There are some things, though, that even Eric wouldn't argue with being a satisfying collection....

Let There Be Light!

I have recently been trying to improve my photographic skills by learning more about the functions on my camera. For many years I operated on a strictly point-and-shoot basis, utilizing only the camera's automatic functions. But now I am trying to learn all about shutter speed, f-stops, and apertures, as well as the proper use of a flash. It is turning out to be a long process. Sometimes I get frustrated and quickly turn back to an automatic setting, but I am gradually adjusting.

Since I have been experimenting a lot, I have also gotten some pretty funny shots -- of the kids especially. I love catching all of Erica's funny expressions. She's such a character! The pictures below were from different settings with a prolonged flash I was trying to turn off. The flash kept going anyway, blinding Erica, and I got some pretty hilarious expressions.

I love this one. You can just see her belly-laugh over it!

She's like a moth....the light is so bright, it hurts, yet she can't look away!

This one is just really cool. It looks like I got all artsy or something, but really it was just a slow shutter-speed in combination with her movement.

Paralyzed Pianists

Since I was in a gripe-session kind of mood yesterday, I failed to report on the kids' piano recital from last night. So, here's the report!


It has been a struggle to get the kids to practice the piano this spring. They are very reluctant, and if I don't get on their case, they end up goofing off instead of playing the songs they need to practice.


This year the annual piano recital seemed to sneak up on us. I admit it, I should have been more diligent getting the kids practicing. About a month before the recital I threatened the kids (falsely, but we won't tell!) that their teacher wanted the recital songs memorized by their next lesson. It wasn't a real falsehood, she did want them memorized! Ethan took the threat very seriously. He practiced and practiced and got both his songs memorized by the time they went to their next lesson. Heidi procrastinated until the day before. Needless to say, hers weren't.


Since then Heidi has been working on her pieces off and on, but not consistently enough to get a solid memorization. Ethan thought he was done, so he didn't try so hard.


So the day of the recital came. I had to work that day, but I left strict instructions for them to work on them until I got home. They did, and were even getting dressed for the recital when I got home. They both said they were ready, cool as cucumbers. I was still nervous for them, but I thought it would be fine....


I asked them if they wanted to bring their books, just in case. Neither said they needed it. So we left the books at home. I was feeling pretty good because of their cool confidence.


Heidi was the second to perform. She got through the first song easily enough. The second had a few bumps. Then near the end she forgot a passage and she froze. I could tell she wasn't sure what to do next. She ended up making up the notes and just ending on a chord. It was a little fumbled, but she pulled it off. I could see her embarrassed grimace when she returned to her seat.


Ethan was the next to the last to perform. He walked up to the piano and announced his pieces, then sat down and froze. He couldn't think of how the song started. His teacher tried to find the starting notes, just from memory, but it didn't work. Then she looked at me and said, "Hum the song, Mom!" I, of course, froze as well!! I couldn't for the life of me think of how the song started!! She had him go to his next song, then come back again. He still couldn't remember the first one so she rifled through her music drawer and pulled out the precious music! She had him play it once with the music, then do it again without!! (She's such an awesome teacher!)


After the recital the kids told me they would never leave their music at home again for the recital. I told them next time they shouldn't be worried about a back-up plan, but be a little more prepared instead!!


The kids always wonder why these little recitals are so important. Why do they have to memorize the songs? I hope they can learn that it is such a good experience for them. It is a wonderful talent to be able to perform in front of an audience. Stage fright is not usually easy to overcome. It takes practice to be able to do it. And then when you perform well, after having rehearsed and rehearsed, it is a real feeling of accomplishment. You know that you worked really hard for something, and you were able to shine! And not only do you get to enjoy the pleasure of the performance itself, you get to share a very special part of yourself as well!

Gripe Session

Today I just feel like griping.


It's been one of those run-around-can't-seem-to-catch-up kind of days and I am tired. I know all the mothers out there can relate!


My hands have been hurting all day, which always seems to color my perspective a bit. I have an on-again, off-again battle waging with carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. Some days just aren't that great. Actually, some days it likes to rear its ugly head and remind me that my pain-free days are tenuous, at best.


My allergies have been bothering me lately so I spent the day either sleepy or loopy, depending on my drug of choice.


I had to endure a tirade from my boss after she saw the hack-job her gardener did on her rhododendron bush in front of the office. We're talking throwing items and yelling profanities. I thought she was just being melodramatic until I saw the hack-job myself.....uh oh.


Then tonight the kids had a piano recital. It was a frantic evening of getting kids ready to go, racing to the recital, enduring the myriad of nerves that besiege me for my children's sake (I think I was more nervous than they were -- I must take this way too seriously!), then finally having a late dinner following the recital since there was not enough time before.


Oh, and it's Monday.


The defense rests its case.

Preschool Days

Thursday was Elise's last day in Preschool. It has been such an amazing year for her! She has had the best teachers and therapists you could imagine. I have loved every one of them! They all simply adore Elise, I mean, who wouldn't?


This year Elise had two classroom teachers -- Miss Nancy and Miss Maryanne, a physical therapist -- Sheri, and a speech therapist -- Judy. She loved all of them, but poor Sheri got the raw end of the deal! Since she puts Elise through lots of physical motions, moving her in ways she doesn't like, and makes her do things that basically make her work, she doesn't like Sheri quite so much. And Sheri tried so hard!! She has done so much wonderful work for her and has given me lots of fantastic advice for at home. Whenever Elise would hear Sheri come into the room she would start to fuss and throw a fit -- she knew what was coming! :)

Elise has grown a lot in her gross motor function, her core strength, and her fine motor skills. She has recently been able to stand on her own, while propped against an object. We are still working on getting her to tolerate a crawl position, which is important for shoulder and arm strength, as well as core balance. She has gotten good at holding small items, like crayons and paint brushes, and knows how to do a "coloring" motion. She is also working on using a spoon, although that one is still a ways off.

About one month ago we got some orthotics for her feet to stabilize them a little more and enable her to stand. She has been starting to roll her feet out and they are harder to form into the correct position, so orthotics were called for. She hates putting them on, but once they are in place she doesn't seem to mind them.

Next year will be the start of a new adventure. Elise will be going to Kindergarten! She will have the same therapy as Preschool, but will be going the same hours as Kindergarten, five days a week. She will also be going to a different school, which is always hard, but I know that she will adjust with time. Everyone always loves her so much, and she loves all the special one-on-one attention she receives at school! I know it will be another year of wonderful growth and changes!

More Sweetness....

Here's a little more cuteness to add to your day, from Erica!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice....

That's what little girls are made of....right?

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Erica and Elise are, on their own, the sweetest little girls! The problem is when they get together!

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The two are in constant competition. As soon as one of them spies something they want, the other immediately notices and the race is on! They scoot and/or crawl just as fast as their little bodies can get them there. Recently Elise has taken to using dirty tactics. She grabs Erica by the shirt/neck/face/ear, whatever she can grab, anyway, and pulls her down -- HARD. Sometimes she gives a few good wacks on the face, just for good measure.

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My angel.

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Of course, Erica is not by any means without recourse. She shoves and pulls, pushes and hits, all with a gleeful laugh.

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Tonight I caught on camera just one little instance of their entertaining relationship. Erica was showing off at the piano, so Elise had to make her mark as well. She shoves Erica out of the way and gets her notes in. I love the look of triumph on her face as she turns her head while she's playing the piano....

Of course, I also love how Erica chose to sing along with her sister's playing.

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I told you, aren't they sweet?

Pampered Toes

At our last Book Club meeting we got onto the subject of pedicures (don't ask me how, these conversations just seem to evolve....) I revealed the fact that NO I have never had a pedicure before. Shocking. Unless they are hurting, my feet are just generally a part of my body I don't consider on a daily basis. I have no opposition to a pedicure, just never have done it.

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Well the girls were in shock. It's the most relaxing thing, you feel so pampered, it really isn't gross, the environment really is clean, all points were canvased. So, I thought, maybe one of these days I'll try it.

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A couple days ago I had a childless 30-minute interval to spare, so I decided to go ahead and put this pedicure thing to the test.

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Okay, I admit it, I'm sold.

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I think this will become a new indulgence for me (as if I need any more of those!) I walked in, a little nervous, but excited at the same time. There was a gal there who immediately addressed what I needed. I could only understand about half the words she said, and basically repeated everything twice, but eventually communication was successful. Once I admitted this was my first time doing this she understood why I didn't instinctively know what she was saying, and she was great at leading me through the process. I selected a deep purpley-red for my polish and followed her down the aisle to these fabulous chairs set up with a whirl-pool of heaven for my feet. I got myself settled in and prepared to be pampered.

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Right next to me was a woman who walked in shortly after I did. I felt bad for the little gal that had to work on her. "The chair is in the wrong position, I just can't get it right, doesn't it lean back more? I mean, I have a bad back. Oh! That water's way too hot, plus it's swirling too much, can't we cool it down?" The list went on....Later on I peaked over as her nails were getting filed down. The girl actually got out an electric dremmel-type tool and shaved them down! Images from "Dumb and Dumber" kept popping in my head! (If you don't know what I'm referring to, then you need to educate yourself a little more in the goofy-movie department!)

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Aside from the entertainment sitting next to me, I quite enjoyed myself. I flipped through the pages of a glossy magazine, something about Stars' Style -- you know, showing how to get the designer look of a movie star for only $300 -- whatever. I didn't even know that my feet and calves hurt until she started massaging all the little aches and pains away.

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All the customers were chatting with each other, even though they didn't know one another, talking about who's high school graduations they're going to this weekend, etc. It was like a step back in time, when everyone knew everyone else, and all the local gossip was passed around at the local beauty shop.

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After my pampering was complete I was instructed to go up front where there was a "drying" station, with UV lights to cure the polish. Unfortunately, I was so greased up from my massage, not to mention I still had those silly spongy things they put between your toes to keep the polish from smearing, that I did an amusing combination of slipping and hobbling down the entire aisle.

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Now I am enjoying my new toes. They've never looked so good! I think this is an experiment I will have to repeat, only next time I would like to go with some girlfriends. It was fun to people-watch, but I wouldn't mind having a companion with me who has a tad bit better hygiene!

It Won't Be Long Now!

Erica is growing so fast! She is trying to walk lately. It seems that she's been trying for the last three months! I thought for sure she'd be running by her first birthday, but, she decided she preferred crawling instead to get where she wants to go. She's been walking around objects for quite a while now, but just hasn't been brave enough to venture beyond.

Last night she was really trying to walk, though. It was so cute how she would tentatively step away, but still have a death grip on Eric's finger. Then she would frequently "dive" toward her target!

The tentative stance alone....

Good catch, Dad!

My Project Man

Last weekend we had an impromptu hotdog roast outside. The weather has been really beautiful and we have wanted to be outside as much as possible, after this long, wet winter.

Last summer I got it in my head that I wanted a gas firepit for our backyard. I wanted to save up and buy a nice one that we could enjoy, but Eric decided this was a project just calling his name.

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So we scoped out the different firepits at Home Depot and Lowes and found a basic wood-burning pit that we really liked that was pretty inexpensive. He then spent the remainder of the summer/fall trying to convert it to a gas pit. The converting wasn't a problem. The problem was he didn't want to buy an expensive firepit insert, but thought he could come up with one of his own. So began the experiments....

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The first trial was the gas stove section from our old barbeque grill. It worked pretty well, but it put off such a tiny flame that it wasn't entirely satisfying. I wanted fire, baby! Second trial was a copper coil tube that Eric put together and punched holes in for the gas to burn through. He thought that by varying the size of the holes he could control how big the flame was. It also worked, but it looked more like a ring of birthday candles lit up. Again with the fire! Third trial was the charm. Like always, I had already given up on the experiment working and was trying to talk him into giving in and ordering the firepit insert already (I had been waiting a while for my fire by this time, OK?) While I was at work one day, he suddenly came upon an alternative source....

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(Bear with me, there is always a back story....)

Two summers ago I was frustrated trying to can some pickles because the enamel pot for water-bath canning does not work well on a glasstop stove. Ever my McGeyver man, Eric came up with the solution to use a turkey-fryer base. You know, the big huge pot that you deep-fat-fry a turkey in? Well, it has a stand with a lovely gas burner that heats up really well. It was the perfect solution. I plop my canning pot on that burner and it fires up immediately.

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So now Eric decided to sacrifice my "canning burner" for the much nobler assertion of becoming our flaming glory for the backyard. His reputation for genious innovation was on the line, after all. (This was all disassembled, then jerry-rigged while I was conveniently gone, hence no arguing over using my valuable appliance....)

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Well, it worked gloriously! We now have a beautiful fire we can light up at any time. Now I just need to have him figure out how to jerry-rig a new canning burner for me!!