Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from June, 2013

Am I At The Conference Fit Bloggin'?

A fun blogger event in happening right here in Portland, OR and guess what?  I'm not there!  The conference FitBloggin' 13 is being held in The Nines hotel in downtown Portland and I didn't catch on soon enough that it would be just fine for me to attend.  The primary focus is on fitness, of course, but it also is providing info. on topics that I would love to learn more about and, most importantly, it's meeting other bloggers.  I'm such a dunce!  Well, I fretted about it for a while then I decided to drop in this afternoon so I could meet 2 bloggers that I've been chatting with.  I was so-o-o happy to meet Pepper from PepperScraps and Beeb of Super Coupon Girl .  (Did I take a picture?  ah-no.  I didn't do that either. GAH!)  Next year, we all said. Next year I'm there!  Enough of my complaining- time to start the Virtual Girls Night Out! For our weekly Friday night blog hopping party all you need to make this party complete is to grab a bever

He Makes Me Laugh

It's time for the (pretty much world famous) Writer's Workshop from Mama Kat's Losin' it . This weeks writing prompt:   "Something your significant other does that makes you happy" He makes me laugh!  Oh my goodness, he makes me laugh. He helps me try to sell things on Craigslist by being an excellent model: He likes to build me big fires at the beach: He'll eat "grubbin' food (as I call it) with me when I take a day off from the healthy eating train: Mac & Cheese w/ truffle oil and crunchy onion strips Oh wait, the prompt just said "something" and I've listed things.  ;-> What about you?  Would you like to share something(s) your significant other does that makes you happy?  Do tell!

I Can't Believe It's Been 20 Years

In honor of today being our 20th Wedding Anniversary, here's a story of how I noticed him.   Really noticed him. *** "Romeo & Juliet" by Dire Straits - I had never heard this song before 1992. I was on my way to a, well, I'll just call him a 'boyfriends' house to have one of those wonderful talks. The 'Where-is-this-going?' kind of thing. Yuck. As he walks me from the front door into the kitchen I see a girl sitting at the table with a guy who has a guitar. The "guitar guy" looks at me and says "hi". (He's super-duper cute and has an acoustic guitar. Melt my heart.)  We had meet once before, while I was waiting for my bus and our mutual friend was waiting with me.  "Guitar Guy" shook my hand that day and I felt some kind of electric charge - I really did. Now here we are, the four of us around the kitchen table not saying much. I'm totally confused because I thought it was understood I was coming over

I Don't Think My Brain Can Do This

I moved my Review blog from Blogger to Wordpress.org last week.  Oh. My. Goodness. Well, this learning process is taking a toll on this ol' brain of mine.  Good Lord!  I spent HOURS trying to figure out how to put a video on my latest post ( A giveaway for Red Baron pizza :-> ) and then more time trying to figure out why Rafflecopter wasn't showing! Plug-ins.  Plug-ins.  Plug-ins. So my Tuesday Truth is that I'm feeling stupid and overwhelmed and sad at the money I spent to make this conversion, thinking this would make my review site better.  Whaaa! Whaaaaaaaaaa!!! OK.  I got that out of my system. I've figured some things out and I'm baby steps closer to understanding some things.  Some. All righty then.  On we go!

Sweet Way To Start The Day

Starting The Week Off... with a huge smile ! Katie's treat for getting up early to join me in taking her little sister to camp.    To see more "Starting The Week Off..." posts: ~   Not The Place If You're Afraid Of Heights ~   What You Can Find If You Explore Your Neighborhood

Virtual Girls Night Out - Happy First Day Of Summer

Happy first official day of Summer!  My husband thoroughly enjoys Shakespeare and will be watching a performance of A Midsummer Nights Dream which begins at dusk as part of a Solstice celebration.  Our 15 yrs. old Katie wants to go as well, but I'm not so sure about myself.  It's enough for me to get through Shakespeare at an 8:00 performance but, by 10:00, I'm almost ready for bed!  Oh we'll see.  Let's get our Virtual Girls Night Out blog hop going! For our weekly  Friday night blog hopping party all you need to make this party complete is to grab a beverage of your choice (cocktail recipe below for inspiration) and your fuzzy slippers!  I started this blog party in 2008 and bloggers have been virtually partying ever since.   All You Do  To participate In The Virtual GNO:   Link up your blog below and visit your fellow party guests - say "Happy VGNO!!!"  Share the blog game/meme on your site to play along.   Time For Some Tunes! I was contact

Contemplative Cat

Ooohhhh, that bird's lookin' real good right about now Maddy has lived most of her life, going on 18 years, in this house.  Not once have I seen her lean on the windowsill. Maddy's chillin'. Welcome to our Summer.

Tuesday Truth - Saying No To Facebook

Our girls aren't on Facebook. Our daughters, ages 15 and 12, do spend time on the computer, they do play games and listen to music but, they don't use Facebook.  Have they asked to have an account?  Sure.  But I always answer with, 'If you want to talk to your friends, or share something, use the phone.'  Then I get the eye roll and the "all of my friends have a Facebook account!"  Thing is, I don't care.  This comeback doesn't matter to me in the least. I say No to Facebook for my girls because: A).  There's already enough confusion and drama in life - why add to that with possible misunderstandings with a poor choice of words, or statements that were said in the heat of the moment that you can't take back. B.)  I feel social media in Facebook form increases the chances of getting sucked into someone else's bad mood, hurt feelings or revenge tactics.   It's one thing to support a friend who's going through a tough

Not The Place If You're Afraid Of Heights

This week I'm starting the week off with memories of the weekend.  For Father's Day Rob wanted to go for a drive up the Columbia Gorge and take in the amazing natural beauty.  Perfect thing to do on a Sunday. Walking along the wall of Vista House.  (Across the river is Washington State)  Lily following Rob.  Our 12 year old is almost as tall as we are - and that's 5'10!  It's a beautiful day in the Gorge Rob and Katie made it to the bridge of Multnomah Falls.  (Let's see... notice that person with their arms in the air? Well, that's not either of them ;->  They're 2 spots over.)  This was a difficult adventure for Lily because she's becoming afraid of heights.  The Vista House sits high atop a hill on the Gorge and Multnomah Falls is the highest waterfall in Oregon.  She didn't even want to try to make it to the bridge this time, so I kept her company. How are you with heights?  For some reason

It's Virtual Girls Night Out Time! Which Barbie Are You?

School's Out -  For - SUMMER ! Today was my daughter's last day of school.  On to having a 7th grader and a Sophomore in High School.  *gulp*  Wait a minute... I have a H.S. Sophmore???  Stop this time machine please!  It's going way too fast!    How about I distract myself from the "where has the time gone?" feelings and get going on a Virtual Girls Night Out!   For our weekly  Friday night blog hopping party all you need to make this party complete is to grab a beverage of your choice (cocktail recipe below for inspiration) and your fuzzy slippers!  I started this blog party in 2008 and bloggers have been virtually partying ever since.   All You Do  To participate In The Virtual GNO:   Link up your blog below and visit your fellow party guests - say "Happy VGNO!!!"  Share the blog game/meme on your site to play along.   Time For Some Tunes! Of Monsters and Men " Mountain Sounds " I love attending outdoor concert

This Is My Mommy Juice

My new favorite cup of the Summer ;-> Found Mommy Juice Wines and am enjoying the warmer June days.  (Although, in Portland, the warmth can be here for a half-an-hour then change to clouds.  But give it a minute!  It will change again :-> ) I'm happy to be participating in Sincerely, Paula's Wordless Wednesday.  Click the button below to link up as well.  Let me know if you do!

What You Can Find When You Explore Your Neighborhood

This week I'm "Starting The Week Off..."   With A   Walk In A Park Summer's sunny days are a great excuse to explore new paths with your pup. Dog Fence DIY encourages exploration beyond the fence!  Benny and I have a pattern; after we take the girls to school, I stop by a park that seems to call to me on that particular morning, and we have a stroll.  We live in such an incredible town, it's full of parks and dog-friendly off leash areas, that we have plenty of places to choose from.  Over the 7 years since Benny joined our family we have visited just about every park in our area.  But, on this particular morning, I decided to see a park that we frequent from a new angle, to see what was "beyond the fence" that I had created with our pattern.  What a difference a few blocks can make! Instead of beginning our journey in Cathedral Park in St. Johns, Portland, OR from our usual spot, the sweet dog park (just driving down the street Benny starts

Time To Begin The Summer Party! - Virtual Girls Night Out Blog Hop!

The summer is here!  Well, the official first day of Summer is June, 21st however, it is the month of June and the sun has been shining for 7 consecutive days here in Portland, OR , so voila!  Summer!  (We take what we can get here in the Pacific Northwest.)  I know that Tropical Storm Andrea is pounding the East Coast so let's try to bring some happiness - and dry thoughts to the East Coast - and start our Virtual Girls Night Out!  For this  Friday night blog hopping party all you need to make this party complete is grab a beverage of your choice (cocktail recipe below for inspiration) and your fuzzy slippers!  I started this blog party in 2008 and bloggers have been virtually partying ever since.   All You Do  To participate In The Virtual GNO:   Link up your blog below and visit your fellow party guests - say "Happy VGNO!!!"  Share the blog game/meme on your site to play along.   Time For Some Tunes! Graffiti6 "Stare Into The Sun" Time For

Under The St. Johns Bridge

Walking our dog Benny in  Cathedral Park  in our neighborhood of Portland, OR.  The photo opportunities are endless in this beautiful space.  Here we are underneath the gorgeous St. Johns Bridge.  (Photo series to come soon.) I'm participating in Sincerely, Paula's Wordless Wednesday.  If you link up, let me know! ;->

Tuesday Truth - Confessions Of A Teen Mom

This week's Tuesday Truth is from my lovely Guest Blogger Christy from " Uplifting Families " I never knew how hard it was to be a mom until I actually became a mother.  In fact, when I was a child I vowed to never be like my parents.  However, all of that changed and I was soon doing the very things that I told my parents that I would never do.  During a conversation with my dad, he saw me doing one of the things that I told my parents I would never do.  He said, “What happened?”  I replied, “I changed my mind.”  My dad just grinned. When I found out that I was expecting my daughter at the age of nineteen, I was worried about what my friends and others would think of me for getting pregnant so young.  After all, I had only been out of high school for less than a year.  I tried to avoid people that I knew because I thought people  wouldn't  think of me as that type of girl.  Looking back, that was a dumb thing to think.  I should have cherish

Look Ma'! No Hands!

This week I'm "Starting The Week Off..." With A   Laugh "Look what I can do!" It's time to sell the trusty Little Tikes slide.  As I was taking pictures for Facebook and Craigslist postings Rob asked if he should help sell the slide.  I said 'Sure'.  And this is how he helped. It sold that afternoon. Thanks Honey! How are you starting your week? To see more in the series "Starting The Week Off.."  Visit: ~  Hope It Was The Right Decision ~ " Worry About You-sef !"  (LOVE this video)

A Little Walk In Our Neighborhood Today

The Farmer's Market in our little, quirky neighborhood of St. Johns in Portland, OR opened today and here's a bit of our fun.  (The food was delicious!  Pictures will be better next time, I was just too busy eating to take better quality images ;-> ) Make a video - it's fun, easy and free! www.onetruemedia.com * = What you're seeing: * St. Johns Bridge - Opened 1931.   * Welcome to St. Johns business marquee ~ = Food: ~ 1) Fresh made crepe filled with Salmon, Avocado, Tomato, Lemon Aioli * Clock in the center of our little neighborhood ~ 2) Turnover containing Olive Tapenade, Roasted Red Pepper, Roasted Corn. Crusty, sweet pasty. - Florio Bakery ~ 3) Buying organic strawberries from a local farm ~ 4) Cookie bigger than Lily's face - Florio Bakery ~ 5) Delicious berries and fresh whole bean coffee from our local St. Johns Roasters And... Strawberry Rhubarb pie is in the over now!  Pictures to follow!  (If it isn't eaten