Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2013

Yes, I Ate That

I posted this picture last week asking " Is This Edible ?" : On Instagram I had a few guesses, but they didn't get the correct name of this fruit.  It's a Dragon Fruit. Here's what it looks like inside: The taste was a combination kiwi and bland apple.  It was, well, interesting.  I'll have to try another one to compare.   Have you tried a mystery food lately?  What was it and what did you think? (If you're on Instagram I'd love to follow you, here's my link:   http://instagram.com/annagainandagain  )

Talked Myself Into It - Tuesday Truth

Although I was incredibly nervous to attend a WordPress Meet-Up last night, I did it.  I pressed through my anxiety, my doubts and did it.  I converted my review site, Ann Again and again Reviews , to WordPress.org about a month ago.  To understand the enormous differences between Blogger and WordPress is proving to be difficult for this ol' noggin' of mine and through generous help from a blog buddy I was told about a class, or actually, a "meet-up" for WordPress Bloggers where all questions are welcome.  I needed to attend this meet-up.  I thought I would be the most clueless person there, but I had to go.    The event was last night in downtown and the fact that I found a parking space right by the front door gave me hope this was a sign that things were going to be all right.  Once inside the building however, my happiness turned quickly to anxiety when I couldn't find the meeting room.  There were no directories, no boards, no signage of any kind

Indigo Girls, Otters and Elephants - Oh My! Thank You Oregon Zoo

Starting The Week Off... with a smile While attending The Indigo Girls concert at The Oregon Zoo last night we were able to walk around the Zoo until the show was about to start.  We checked out the 7 month old Asian baby elephant who was completely adorable.  (The light was bad for pics.) I absolutely love otters and was so happy to find my little buddies floating along, drifting in circles and opening their eyes long enough to see me smiling at them.  (I hope I didn't scare them.) Foreground:  Head is close to the wall/camera.  Background:  Opposite direction I could have stayed much longer.  But... our Indigo Girls were about to play! We're Ready! L: Amy  R: Emily  a.k.a. The Indigo Girls After a few songs we just had to make it down to the front.  It was a great group of people and our voices were spent from singing at the top of our lungs for hours.  It was a great night!   The Oregon Zoo does a great job for their Summer Concert Series .

Staying Cool At The Virtual Girls Night Out - Join Us!

Hey Hey!  It's a hot Summer day here in ol' Portland so let's enjoy a cool beverage, some music and have fun at the Virtual Girls Night Out!  Stay cool! For our weekly Friday night blog 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! If you choose to leave your link to participate in a blog hop please do! I started this blog party in 2008 and bloggers have been virtually partying ever since.   To participate In The Virtual GNO:   Enjoy this post!  Or, if you would like, 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.   Also, I have a great Giveaway right... over... HERE . Time For Some Tunes! Get comfortable in your hammock and enjoy. Michael Kiwanuka "Home Again" This songs reminds me to breathe. Can't you just picture floating in a beautiful

Top 6 Favorite Summer Moments So Far

I'm participating in Mama Kat's (Pretty Much World Famous) Writers Workshop .  My writing prompt: List Your Top 6 Favorite Summer Moments So Far: 1.) Going to Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon for a family vacation.                            2.) Attending the Target store opening in Downtown Portland.  ( Review on my site:  Ann Again and again Reviews!). Sipping wine while partying at Target.  Cheers! 3.) Meeting fellow local bloggers Pepper Ferguson - PepperScraps.com -  and Beeb Ashcroft - SuperCouponGirl.com - during their lunch break at the FitBloggin '13 Conference.  (I crashed the lunch!)                                                         4.)  Going to see John Mayer (for the 7 time ;-> ).  The first time we saw/heard him he was an opening act for Glen Phillips - lead singer of Toad the Wet Sproket.  After the show we talked with him about our city of Portland and just hung out in the lobby for a bit. He actually waited for us to go

We Are NOT Getting Attached To This Puppy

Rob with Moses (the only boy in the litter) Our neighbors Brindle Terrier/mix had a litter of puppies 3 weeks ago.  Almost every day we're getting a "puppy fix".   However ... we aren't getting attached!  Nope.  Not us.  We have our Chocolate Lab, Benny, who is enough for us. Nope.  Not getting attached in the least.

Tuesday Truth - Give Me A Break!

This is a venting one. I find myself screaming "Come On! Enough already!" The van.  Transmission... AGAIN! 2 years ago our ol' Dodge Grand Caravan had us making that fateful vehicle decision- New transmission or New-ish van?  We traded in our Dodge and found a 2002 Honda Odyssey.  Car payments had to be included into our budget now (crap) but we needed this van. A few months down the road something wasn't working right with this new-to-us van so, after a trip to our local mechanics, we found out that the transmission was going out.  What?!?  I contacted the car dealer and they took care of a majority of the replacement but we still had to pay a portion.  I was not happy. The thing is, we were finally recovering from another situation when our car broke down 150 miles from home when we were on vacation.  We had it towed home and the mechanic put a new transmission in it however , he put it in backwards.  Yes, backwards.  That was a whole other fiasco.  So,

Church Is Not The Place To Have A Wardrobe Malfunction

Starting The Week Off. .. with a laugh I finally lost the weight and was able to fit into a gorgeous pair of slate grey pants that I'd found at Ann Taylor. In my earlier attempts to wear these pants I found the back pocket outline to show way too much. It drew attention where I did NOT want any attention at all, so I cut the pocket out. (I think I saw Stacy London from TLC's "What Not To Wear" do it once.) That was a while ago, so when I put the pants on yesterday to accompany my mom to her church service, all I was focusing on was the fact that I could actually fit into them. Finally! (The exercise is finally workin' for me!) The time came for us to walk to the alter for Communion. I was in front of my mother. Imagine her surprise when she see's her daughter kneel down at the alter only to have a bit of butt cheek show where once there was a silk lined back pocket. "Ann!" She loudly whispered "Pull down your top! I can see your bott

Is This Edible?

And from the category, "Is This Edible?" Name this fruit -

Remembering The '90's! Virtual Girls Night Out!

We've been back from vacation for almost a week and oh boy, do we miss it.  So great to have a break, so wonderful to be able to drive a few hours and be in a completely different atmosphere.  LOVE Central Oregon!  Have you been able to have a break yet?  Well, if not, how about we have a little one now at the Virtual Girls Night Out?! For our weekly Friday night blog 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! If you choose to leave your link to participate in a blog hop please do! I started this blog party in 2008 and bloggers have been virtually partying ever since.   To participate In The Virtual GNO:   Enjoy this post!  Or, if you would like, 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.   Also, I have a great Giveaway right... over... HERE . Time For Some Tunes!

Location, Location, Location - Wordless Wednesday

Is our cat Maddy in the cage with our little parakeet?  No. Would Maddy like to be in the cage with our little parakeet?  From the look in her eyes, I say 'Yes'. (No parakeet was harmed in the making of the photo.) I'm participating in Wordless Wednesday over at Sincerely, Paula.  If you join us, let me know!

Tuesday Truth - Name Me One Thing Twitter Is Good For

The other night I somehow became involved in a discussion about the value of Twitter.  I was put on the spot to defend this avenue of social media and I wasn't prepared.  I did have an answer to the strangers question of "Name me one thing Twitter is good for".  However, this persons indignation about the usefulness of Twitter shocked me.  'What an idiot!' I thought, and kept, to myself. It started when a group of women at the next table over were breaking up their party and heading separate ways. Each one brought out their various phones and were coordinating the next stop.  One party goer stopped by our table and a chat about Groupon and restaurants came up.  This party goer's friend comes to retrieve her from our discussion and that's when the Twitter comment happened.  Kinda out of the blue.  Odd.  And what was even more "odd" was this was Saturday night, the night of the George Zimmerman verdict and my Twitter feed was buzzing. I didn

How Not To Wear A Swimsuit

Starting The Week Off... With A Laugh Considering our recent trip to the incredibly lovely Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon required being in a bathing suit practically every day (it is super hot - but it's a "dry" heat ;-> ) I was reminded of an episode from years ago I never want to relive.   "The Rear View" The temperatures are soaring, Rob is out of town, and my girls and I need a break. So I decide to put together our swim bags to go to a huge swim park. My girls are so excited and I'm glad I have the energy to do this. We have a fine, long, drive. I get a great parking spot. We smile and hold hands skipping to our fun afternoon. We get one of the Family changing room's (which is a major coo in itself) and my 9 yr. old gets all set as fast as she can then asks if she can meet us by the pool. "Sure”, I say. “Don't get in without me", the usual rules. While my 6 yr. old is still trying to put herself togeth

Do You Really Want To Look Like That?

Had an experience the other day and it reminded me of a past post: *From the archives I was getting ready in a hurry. My girls had some place to be and I didn't want them to be late because of me. (Usually they are the ones dawdling, however this morning I decided to be good to myself and exercise. Yay me!) So I jump out of the shower and do all of the primping I normally do, only 10 times as fast. Rub on all of the lotions and potions that I've researched to make me look younger, brush my hair with the fancy hair brush that will help my hair shine and bounce, put on the self tanner so I don’t look like an Albino. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Albino’s. I’m just saying for me, I go with the faux glow, thank you!) I drive my youngest to her friend’s house. I go inside to get things organized with the mom and snuggle with her new baby, Macy (she’s just a doll!). Next I take my oldest over to her friend’s house and chat with that mother. She just bought a package of S

The Harrison's Attempt A Pyramid

One of my dream places to be is Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon.  (Have I mentioned that about 20 times recently? ;-> ). It's pool time on our vacation.  Can Rob, Katie and Lily create a pyramid? If you want to be surrounded by God's natural beauty, clean air and kind people, then visit Central Oregon.   Black Butte Ranch is near Sisters, Oregon which happens to have their famous Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show coming up next weekend, Saturday, July 13th. Have you visited Central Oregon?  If so, what did you think?  If not, please do!

Party At The Ranch! Virtual Girls Night Out

We weren't sure if we were able to make it this Summer but it came around, we were able to return to one of my favorite places to be, Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon.  First stop:  The deck ~ Rob on the deck You take a deep breath and look at these: Ponderosa Pines Surrounded by mountains and desert, rivers and streams, it's pretty darn glorious.  More pictures to come!  (The Wi-Fi is so-o-o-o slow here.  But it reminds me to slow down myself ;-> )  Let's get going with our weekly Virtual Girls Night Out and have fun! 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!!!"  Shar

With The Help of Mary Engelbreit

Artist Mary Engelbreit Happy Fourth of July. God Bless our Troops and bless their families.

Good Place For Water Babies

Thank goodness for generous neighbors.  We are so lucky to have a beautiful pool so close.  It's a saving grace beyond measure. Our neighbors say, "This isn't really "ours".  We are happy to share with those that appreciate it."  Amazing. The house that partners with this pool has been a host to many, including Bobby Kennedy when stumping for his Presidential nomination. Our little, funky, neighborhood of St. Johns in Portland, OR. ( Now... we get to see Grimm (NBC on ??? night - they keep changing it!) filming in our little neighborhood and around the city.)  My neighborhood may be small, but it can feel very big. I'm participating in Wordless Wednesday at Sincerely, Paula.  If you choose to participate, let me know! ;->

Tuesday Truth - My Kids Don't Have Chores

I know that I'm in the minority here when I share that my daughters, ages 15 and 12, don't really have a lot of "chores", or rather, jobs around the house.  My girls are perfectly capable of washing dishes, putting them away without chipping or breaking them.  They get that vacuums have this really cool ability to suck up all the cat and dog hair our pets care to share. And they are aware of the concept: Dirty clothes + Soapy Water = Clean Clothes.  But... I just don't have them do those jobs. My reasoning is this, I feel that, being a "stay-at-home" mom, I should do these things.  My husband has never, in all of our 20 years of marriage, said anything to me that made me feel I should do all the housework, it's just that if I'm not going to a job outside my home and contributing an income, that I should take care managing the home.   Also, I like to have things done a certain way and I get anxious handing over the reigns.  There'

How To Have Fun At A Child's Party

Starting The Week Off... with a smile ! It may have been a pool party for my cousins young boys, but hey!  It's the grown-ups who really know how to play.  Here's my Cousin Terek and my husband Rob performing an impromptu synchronized swimming: Point those toes Taa-Daaaaa! Next year will add costumes. How was your weekend?  Are you staying cool?  Or, are in the heat wave? ~See more Starting The Week Of... "Sweet Way To Start The Day" " Not The Place If You're Afraid Of Heights" ( Thank You to my dear sister Kathi for taking these pictures!)