Experimenting

A couple weeks ago the girls and I tried a new way to paint.  We mixed glue with white paint and then dripped color into it, then swirled and smooshed it until we came up with something beautiful!

Embarrassing

Leah is twelve.  She's been asking me to teach her how to shave her legs for months!  And unlike me as a child, she actually waited for instruction rather than sneaking off to her friend's house with hairy legs and returning home with semi-smooth, band- aided legs.

So I sat her down on the sink, she lathered up and I handed her a razor.   Then I left and came back with my camera. :)  That look is priceless!

"What are you going to do with that picture?!" she asked.

"Why, post it on my blog of course!"

"That's it!  I'm going to start taking embarrassing pictures of you and make my own blog!"

Bring it on little lady.  Can't wait.

Because sometimes a girl just needs to feel strong

I've got a lot on my mind.  There are many big decisions needing to be made in the upcoming months and my brain just won't quit!  In an effort to stop OVER thinking,  I decided to spend the day hiking.

After discovering a lovely trail called Iron Mountain, I parked on the side of the road and found the trail head. After a VERY brief visit to the port-a-potty (sick!) I was ready to hike, all by myself, with no cell service, and no one knowing where I was headed, alone, in the woods, alone, with my camera and sack lunch, all by myself.
It did not escape me that this trip was starting off like every single episode of "Rescue 9-1-1."  All that was missing was a freak snow storm when the weather was predicted to be clear and sunny.

The hike was quiet and nice, weaving through the forest, among beautiful trees and old growth.  I was comforted to hear the sound of cars driving by on the highway below.  Eventually, all sounds of humanity ceased as I got higher and I started hearing other sounds.  Nature sounds.
I found myself scanning the tree tops for birds, chipmunks, bobcats, and vampires.

 



After a while the forest thinned and opened into a clearing.  I saw this beautiful rock structure and snapped a photo of it.  Had a little snack and carried on.

At the top of the meadow, I found myself at the base of the lovely rock structure I had taken a picture of earlier.  My first thought was how impressed I was at climbing so high without even realizing it.  (We'll see how true that is tomorrow when I can't walk.)  And then it hit me.  That's Iron Mountain!  I'm going to the top of that?  Turns out I'm not much of a quitter.  Onward and upward!  The longer I hiked, the more determined I was to get to the top.

 I'm not entirely sure why someone felt the need to put this sign here, when the only other alternative was to fall off a sheer cliff face...  Anyway, the terrain became more rocky and looked more like a dessert.  I started hearing these loud clicking noises.  Based on my extensive wilderness training and complete absence of paranoia (cough...liar...) I was just certain there were rattlesnakes in the bush up ahead.  I picked up a rock and chucked it in the direction of the sound.  Out of the bush flew a grasshopper...whose wings clicked when it flew.  Thankfully there was no one around to witness my relief that it wasn't a flying rattlesnake, and on I went.  Not too much later I reached the summit.  It was beautiful!  Incredible views in every direction and so peaceful.

 And this little guy was up there to keep me company...and eat the ham out of my sandwich. :)

I realized a few things on this adventure.  1.  I can do hard things.  2.  This kind of felt like a metaphor for the journey I'm on right now.   It started out only mildly uncomfortable.  Then there came a moment of decision.  Do I turn around now because what is up ahead looks intimidating, or do I keep moving forward?  Keep moving forward.  It got harder.  Much, much harder and sometimes even a little bit scary, but I did it.  I made it to the top.  (and back down again...)  3.  I really need a pet chipmunk.

Still Kickin'

It's the week before school starts for me so I figured I'd take a gander at my blog...I still have one right?  Good news, it's only been 10 months since I posted last, and that's way better than a full year.  :)  I figured it was about time to do some catching up, and perhaps keeping up?  I'll give it my best shot fully knowing that this is what Mary Poppins would call a "pie crust promise.  Easily Made, easily broken."  I never really agreed with the easily made part, but I digress.

A quick look back at what has happened since November 2013...

Heidi had the worst Easter ever.

We bought hummus at the farmer's market and promptly dropped it in the gravel

I found a sign that said "Stop Hammer Time"

Leah rode in the car with a lot of balloons

H and E fell on the floor because they were both in one robe

I took a blurry selfie with E and H

I was confused by this product. "African Black Soap for all skin types."

My brother visited and shoved his finger up my nose. 

My children all stuffed oranges in their mouths.

It snowed.

I think we hit the highlights.  Also, everyone had a birthday and moved up a grade level :)

So, now we're all caught up.  Moving forward from here.

Toothfairy FAIL...again

Well now it's just getting ridiculous.  I forgot to be the Tooth Fairy AGAIN!  I was about to debunk the whole myth this morning, just to absolve myself of the guilt, but then i realized Heidi hasn't even lost ONE tooth yet and that wouldn't be very fair to her to crap out on tradition, just because I can't remember to follow through with it.  (Good reasoning right?)  Anyway, Emilia asked if she could write the Tooth Fairy an email this morning.  It was the least I could do.

dear toothfaiy why don't you give me dollers my frend's git dollers and why didint you come lastnight what is your name and what do you look like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

love emilia

Well, I guess since I'm lying to her anyway about the existence of a Tooth Fairy, I won't give her the straight answers to her questions, otherwise it would read something like this...

Dear Emilia,
I don't give you dollars even if your friends get dollars because I'm already paying for the care and maintenance of your teeth.  YOU should be giving ME dollars.  I didn't come last night because I am so ridiculously busy with being a wife, mom, student, employee that remembering to switch out a tooth for a quarter is about #796 on my list of things to do.  My name is Mom and I look like a very tired mid thirties woman with brown hair.  Magical, isn't it?

Love,
The Tooth Fairy aka: your Mother who has been lying to you for the first eight years of your existence

An honest conversation

This was the Google chat conversation I had with my parents as I was telling them about hanging up my photo exhibit. This is a priceless gem :)

me

6:03 PM

i just put it up...and it literally all fell down. so i put it up again today

---

Gary Fagersten

6:03 PM

what do you mean it fell down?

---

me

6:04 PM

i mean, it fell off the wall and onto the floor.  i used SUPER sticky tabs, guaranteed to hold 1 lb per square sticky

apparently my pictures were very heavy?

---

Gary Fagersten

6:04 PM

why those dirty cheats, I'd get my money back

---

me

6:04 PM

i would, but i stole them from the art office

---

Gary Fagersten

6:04 PM

why you dirty cheat

---

me

6:04 PM

i'd have to pay THEM!

---

Gary Fagersten

6:05 PM

you deserve to have them fall down

---

me

6:05 PM

that's probably true

---

Gary Fagersten

6:05 PM

just staple the pictures up

---

me

6:05 PM

classy.

---

Gary Fagersten

6:05 PM

where's my magic marker. I'm going to draw mustaches on them

---

me

6:06 PM

you are officially UNinvited

consider this your UNvitation

---

Gary Fagersten

6:07 PM

where is your show?

---

me

6:07 PM

i'm not telling

---

Gary Fagersten

6:07 PM

well, I'll find out. . .you just wait

 

Valuables

Leah will be horribly embarrassed one day when she decides to scroll through all my past blog posts and comes across this one.  So, sorry daughter in the future, but this one is just TOO good to pass up.

Leah and I were sitting in the car and I looked over at her only to discover her with her hand down her shirt.  "What are you doing?" I asked.
"I found a dime and I'm tucking it in my bra.  That's where I keep all my valuables."
"Ah...so that's what they're calling 'em these days."
"What?!  Mom!  Oh my gosh." 

The next morning before school I said to Leah, "Make sure and put a bra on.  You've got to keep those valuables covered."  She rolled her eyes and turned six shades of red.  Awesome. :)

Old. Just Old.

This is a picture of me.  ME, I tell you!

Reasons I feel really old this school year.

1. The kid I work with tells me every day I'm as old as the Crypt Keeper.  (Shut up Nick!  I'm just kidding.  No you're not.  OK, I'm not.)
2. Students are submitting applications with their birth dates on them that are the same years as my high school career. 
3. I'm taking a 200 level communication class that is generally taken by freshmen, and it is VERY obvious that I'm not following the fashion trends of hoop earrings, off the shoulder sweatshirts, and stretch pants with high tops.  (Sorry folks, I did that in the 80's.  Yes, the FIRST time it was popular.) 
4. I referenced a quote from "Top Gun" which came out in 1986.  I was attempting to prove my youth by saying, "Ha!  I was only seven when that movie came out!"  But before those validating words could escape my lips, my counterpart said, "Ha!  I wasn't even BORN then!"  Fail. 
5. My girls keep asking me to tell them stories from the "olden days, you know...when you used chalk boards at school."
6. I got dressed up for my artist reception and one of my fellow classmates said, "Wow!  You look really pretty when you're not wearing 'Mom Jeans'."  I'm sorry...do you REALLY know what 'Mom Jeans' are?  Because you probably weren't born when this SNL skit came out.  http://www.hulu.com/watch/10333
7. My youngest daughter is starting kindergarten.  Most of the other moms are dropping off their first child.
8. My oldest daughter is in MIDDLE SCHOOL!  How did that even happen?  

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

 

I work in the art office on campus and things are picking up with school starting Monday.  It was an 'everyday feels like Friday' week!  So to celebrate it actually being Friday, I wanted to bring cookies in for everyone.  One of the staff is allergic to wheat and dairy so I came up with a recipe for peanut butter cookies that worked around those limitations.  And the good news is, they were good enough that the "regular" folk didn't notice anything was missing.  :)  

 

Flour-less Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c crunchy peanut butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 t salt

1/4 c (not) butter

1 c oat flour

Mix well.  Drop onto a pan, criss-cross with a fork and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Note: If you use all natural sugar free peanut butter, you may want to leave out the (not) butter and increase the sugar to a full cup.

my FIRST gallery exhibit

Today, with the help of my husband, I will be hanging my first photo show.  It's in the gallery on the Oregon State University campus where I'm attending school.  I'm  not going to lie, I'm a little nervous.  Not because I hope people will like it...I actually don't care about that. :)  That's just part of creating art.  Some people will respond positively to it, some people won't.  I think it's more because it's a bit of an abstract concept and I'm nervous about it making sense to someone besides me.  That sounded conceited.  It's not that I think I'm super smart...I worry because I'm super random. 

Anyway...I'll take some pictures when it's up and at the reception.  I mean, if I'm going to do something that makes me uncomfortable, I may as well turn it into a party right?  Come party with me on TUESDAY October 1st.  I'll even make some cookies.

Homelessness and Charity

There are a lot of homeless people living in and around Newport.  This also means that at many of the street corners one will encounter a person or two standing with a sign asking for a variety of things. 

Last week I drove to pick up the girls from school.  As I went through the intersection I noticed a woman sitting in a wheel chair holding a sign that said, "Cat food" and a man standing with her holding a sign that said, "An act of kindness anyone?".  Well, I didn't have any cat food but I did have an act of kindness, so I said a prayer for the couple (I'm sure that's what they wanted) and continued on my way. 

Ten minutes later after I had picked up the girls, I was driving back home and I saw the same couple on the corner...with the man sitting in the wheel chair and the woman standing behind him.  Hmmm....

This past week our lesson in church was about having Charity.  The topic of how we treat the homeless people came up.  How do we know who sincerely needs help and who is just trying to get something for nothing.  The consensus was to follow the Spirit and let the Lord guide you. 

Later that week as I was leaving the Wal-Mart parking lot (a hot spot for someone with a sign) there was a kid standing there today.  He couldn't have been older than 20 and he was holding a sign that said, "homeless, hungry, hopeless.  anything helps".  The "hopeless" part struck a chord in my heart because I know what a dark place it is to be in.  I never have cash, so I looked around my car and pulled out a box of graham crackers I had just bought.  I opened my door and handed it to him and asked if that would help.  He said with a wavering voice, "Oh thank you!  You have no idea!" 

At that moment I was overwhelmed with love for this kid.  I said, "God bless you." and I really meant it and I felt the love that my Heavenly Father had for this young man.  Although he was on a street corner begging for help, he was still one of God's children.  We are reminded in Mosiah 4:19 and 21 in the Book of Mormon "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have? ...And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another."
http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/4?lang=eng

1 Corinthians 13:3

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

I guess that's what charity is.  It was nice to feel...even if it was only for a minute :)

Who needs a rooster?

Who needs a rooster when you have these guys squawking outside your window?! 

Peanut Butter Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

I think these are my new favorite cookies.  All good things rolled into one!  Naomi loved helping make this recipe up.  She listed all of her favorite cookies and we crammed them into one recipe. :)  Naturally she also came up with the name for them.

Peanut Butter Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

1 c butter
1 c peanut butter
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 c flour
2 c oats
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together butter and peanut butter until fluffy.  Add in sugars and mix again.  Add eggs, baking powder and baking soda and salt.  Mix well.  Add flour and mix.  Add oats and mix.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool on pan for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Now give most of them away so you don't eat them for breakfast.  I have it on good authority this happens...often. 

A little bit like my Dad

 Last night as my sweet family was riding our bikes home from the elementary school's annual potluck, I started channeling my Dad. 

Nearly every Sunday of my childhood, if my parents drove separate cars to church, we could expect a road race on the way home.  As we would drive away from church my mom would turn right and my dad would keep driving straight.  That was the unspoken signal for, "The race is ON!"  My siblings and I would scream and yell in the backseat for my dad to drive faster, hurry up, turn here, go go GO!  The rest of my siblings that were riding with my mom would be doing the same thing in the other car.  Mind you, both of my parents were raised in New Jersey, and thirty years after moving away from there, my dad still continues to drive like he is cruising down crowded highways, weaving in and out of traffic, honking the horn and speeding through yellow (red) lights.  Yes indeed, two cars driven by nicely dressed adults, could be seen squealing down quiet residential streets at 45 mph in a mad race to be first in our driveway on west sixth street.

So Lars was riding in the front with Leah and Emilia.  I was pulling up the rear with Heidi in the trailer behind my bike and Naomi beside me.  At the corner a few blocks from home, my Father's DNA started racing through my veins and I yelled, "Beat you home!" I turned down a side street and took off with Heidi squealing in the trailer and Naomi shouting, "Wait, I can't keep up!"  We booked it and when I pulled into the driveway triumphantly ahead of everyone else, Naomi was still a good block behind me.

"Victory!" I yelled as Naomi came panting up behind me, closely followed by Leah.  Soon Lars rode in with a tearful Emilia.  "What took ya so long?" I gloated.  "Uh, I didn't race off and leave my kid behind me in the dust" he answered.  (Always so practical, that one.)  "No mercy!" I joked.  "I guess we play by different rules" he said.  "Well then, I guess I'll always win." ;)  I can't help it.  I am half my Dad, after all.

Pumping Iron

I finally got up the nerve to go to the rec. center and learn the weight room.  It's not like I've never lifted weights before, it's more that the OSU football, basketball, soccer, baseball, track, and gymnastics teams all use the weight room here...and I am a little intimidated!  There are still a few weeks until school starts up so I figured there would most likely be fewer people there now, meaning a smaller audience to my ignorance. 

As I walked in, I surveyed the area and spotted a little old woman using the circuit training machines.  Using the pictures on the machines and my best guess, I made my way around several of them ending up next to this sweet little lady.  This was a machine I was unfamiliar with, so I leaned over and whispered, "Do you know how this machine works?"  She put her hand to her ear.  The universal signal for, "What's that deary??  Speak up.  Granny can't hear you."  I repeated my question a little bit louder.  Again, she put her hand to her ear and said, "What?".  I asked again...a bit louder.  She said, "What?" again.  Finally the fourth time I practically shouted, "DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS MACHINE WORKS?" At last she heard me...along with everyone else in the weight room, the rec. center and a twelve mile radius.  

She smiled at me, shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I don't know!  I've never used it before.  Just try to look confident!"  I smiled back and said, "That's what I'm trying to do, but the machine keeps making weird noises!"  She laughed and said, "Well, I'm deaf...so it doesn't bother me!!"

Apparently confidence increases as your hearing decreases.  Good to know.

Road Kill Bingo

We are about to embark on a road trip from Oregon to Iowa.
Thanks to the modern invention of the car, this should only take 28 hours (not including bathroom breaks, eating, sleeping or getting out of the car on the side of the road so you can breathe and count to ten, or one hundred, before you lose your mind.)  Naturally I started thinking of what on earth we could possibly do in the car so we still like each other by the time we get there.  I visited a few blogs that  gave great ideas if you wanted to spend as much time prepping games for the trip as it would take to get there.  I decided to just go back to my great idea that I've had forever, but have never brought into fruition.  Road Kill Bingo.  Oh yeah.

I told the girls what I was making.  Heidi, who is four, looked very confused and concerned.  "You mean, we are going to try to run those animals over with the car?!"  Haha!  No, we are just looking for them on the side of the road, and if we see them, we check it off.  Then Naomi piped up, "Why don't we just play 'Animal Bingo' and look for living animals while we are driving.  That would be much less violent and gross."  There always has to be a voice of reason...  

Myth Buster

One really funny thing about having kids is hearing that all of the same jokes, songs and urban legends from my childhood are STILL circulating the elementary schools today.  My daughters are always flabbergasted when I know the punchline to their jokes, start singing along with a song they "just learned" or debunk the mysteries of life that a very reputable nine year old just shared with them.

We were out in the yard planting when a daddy long leg crawled by.  My eleven year old warned her sisters, "You know...daddy long legs are the most poisonous spider in the world.  Their mouths are just too small to bite humans."  Sisters were impressed with her vast knowledge and their not so healthy fear of spiders was heightened.  I heard and repeated this "fact" my entire childhood as well.  It sounded plausible, I mean, they DO have small mouths after all.  I finally decided to get the truth!

I am here to debunk this theory.  Daddy Long Leg spiders are NOT poisonous, at all.  They do not have venom or fangs making it not just unlikely, but IMPOSSIBLE for this myth to be true.
http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html

I'm sorry to ruin a life long belief for most people.  Watch out because next I'm going to be telling you that you will NOT, in fact, find a whale with a polka dot tale "Down by the Bay."

Blueberries!!

This recipe is VERY loosely based off a cobbler recipe I found.  I changed it so much it's really not even the same thing, so I'm claiming it as my own. :)  p.s.  I took the picture and made the food in it.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 T baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
1 c milk
2/3 c butter, melted

2/3 c brown sugar (less is fine)
2 t REAL vanilla extract*
2 T water
juice of 1 lemon
4 c fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, 1 c sugar, salt, baking powder and lemon zest together in a bowl.  Add in milk and butter, stirring to combine.

Generously grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Spread batter into baking dish. 

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, vanilla and lemon.  Mix.  Stir in blueberries.  On the stove top, cook over medium heat JUST until sugar is dissolved.   

Pour blueberries and syrup over batter in the baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Delicious warm out of the oven!  Dessert or breakfast :)

*If you have a really expensive bottle of vanilla tucked in the back of your cupboard that you've been saving for a special recipe...this is it! 

July the 4th

Every year my opinion is confirmed, I just have the best birth-day ever.  July 4th is always buzzing with excitement and activities, not to mention parades and fireworks!

                        (me.  seriously contemplating how fun my birthday is...with my party hat on)

This year we decided to stick with tradition and head north to Monmouth where we used to live for their small town parade and festivities.  We sat with our good friends and laughed at the horrible excuse for a parade that traveled in front of us.  Heidi also kept us entertained with her antics.

                                               "Look Mom!  That horse is wearing leg warmers!"

"Hey Mom!  That Ass...Astro...That guy gave me candy!"

 Our favorite "float" was a truck pulling a flat bed full of hay bales, arranged so people could sit on them; only, there were no people sitting on them.  It was completely unmarked and didn't seem to be promoting any specific business or cause. We concluded it must be promoting Alzheimer's awareness and they all just forgot to show up. :)

After the parade we headed over to the main street park where there are crafts for the kids, food, booths etc.  The girls all had an opportunity to do a bit of screen printing and painting.

About three o'clock we headed back home.  I took a beauty rest (because I foolishly agreed to sleep in the tent again the night before) then had dinner, opened presents and went to fireworks. 

It was a lovely, lovely day!