Going to China...bringing back more than a t-shirt

On the road...again.

I hate to blog and run but this trip caught me totally off guard. I thought we weren't leaving until next week. I only realized my error on Saturday as I was filling up the grocery cart with food and Sean asked why I had so much food for 3 days.

You see, I hadn't even prepared a list of things to do. I hadn't even thought about packing. I hadn't even done my laundry. Since then I have been spinning in circles getting ready.

And this will be a road trip full of geo-caches and camping. This is Sean's big trip. Our roles have been reversed and I am standing back following his lead and looking dumbfounded at the amount of stuff we are bringing and what his plans are. I really understand how he feels now when I am in control of the vacation - lost in a fog. I just packed my stuff and made sure that I have taken care of myself and that's it. Everything else is in his head. And he is excited. Lana and I are however a bit scared. It's funny how lana rolls her eyes when I plan the vacation and complains how i nag her, but now she is constantly asking me for direction and a million "why's?" . And all i can say is "Ask your daddy."

Our goal is to get to California to visit my grandmother. I think that this whole trip has to do with Sean feeling badly about not seeing my grandparents before Papa left us. I know that it him hard. So this is his way of doing what he needs to do to cope or feel less badly. It is also Sean's "Big Dream Family Vacation". I hope that he realizes that most family vacations are usually full of chaos and bickering.

With this in mind, I am going to hold my tongue and be as cheerful as I can possibly be because I want this trip to be successful for him and we really don't have much time left before Lana can actually tell us that she isn't going with us and doesn't legally have to go. So we really must make the most of this. Please don't get me wrong - I am sure that we will have a great time - but I am always preparing myself for the worst case scenario.

Keep your fingers crossed that we make it there and back without strangling each other. Just kidding...sorta ;)

See ya in a few weeks or maybe sooner if I can get a hold of sean's laptop. xoxox

Sitemeter Problems

If you are having a hard time opening up your blog and viewing other blogs it has to do with the sitemeter counter that many of us has installed. All you have to do to fix it is remove the sitemeter code from your blog. That's what I did.

Here is a link with more info: http://www.blogherald.com/2008/08/02/sitemeter-crashes-blogs/

Won't you dog paddle this way, please?

Since fishing was a huge disappointment, I thought that i would let the dog's take advantage of the hot summer weather and go for a swim. Here is how things usually go:

Girl puts life vest on dog. Dog stands ready.

 

Girl throws ball. Dog jumps into water.

Dog gets ball.

 

Girl has to run out and fetch dog before he drowns.

Because you see Pavel has tunnel vision. He jumps into the water and goes for the ball like a champion swimmer. Then once he gets the ball...he panics and starts to sink. It happens every time.

 

Another lame fishing attempt.

Went fishing.

With a cheap rod.

That broke when the line got pulled by what I would like to believe was a fish.

Major part that broke floated quickly away from me and was never seen again.

So much for catching a fish.

But I did manage to attract an impressive amount of mosquitos.

 

And I was wearing cute shoes.

( I have two sets of these adorable rainboots courtesy of my mom.Can you believe they were on clearance?? )

 

Just because

 

He's so damn cute.

And I want to move yesterday's post down from the main page.

Wednesday Words - Blurry but back in action

Oh, my poor, poor camera - I often think that she really is like the rest of us as we get older. I have noticed that when I take alot of close up pictures that the first few are just perfect and the rest seem to get blurrier and blurrier. I think she needs a set of glasses...or could it my sight that gets worse as I take more pictures?? I'd rather think its the camera.

Once Upon a Time

Uggh - My first thought is happily ever after which leads me to think about marriage which, of course, makes me think of my own marriage. Do you really want to hear a story about how we met? *sigh*

Alrighty then. Once upon a time there was an 18 yr old girl who worked at a hotel restaurant, had a volunteer job, lived at home, was going to college, and a had a boyfriend.

One day one of her co-workers, who was in the military, brought by some of his military friends while on their way to go fishing. It was quite a large group of men but only one really stood out. He was tall, sweet looking, and was wearing a brawny man red plaid shirt. Even now, she can't recall any details about the other guys - only him. But even as she flirted and tried to get his attention, he never really seemed to respond. So she asked her co-worker about him and he said, "He only likes redheads." "Oh really!" , she thought, "We'll see about that!". And still, the hard headed lug didn't pay her any attention. The guys ate and left and the girl was left scratching her head and confused about why the "brawny man shirt guy" didn't notice her. Yeah I know - she was a bit full of herself.

So time went by and she would see "the brawny man shirt guy" every so often and still, he never really paid her any special attention. She finally brushed him off to being shy, having a girlfriend or wife, or even being gay. Because Lord knows, it couldn't be because he just wasn't interested - heh! And we really shouldn't forget that she has a boyfriend. But she just couldn't shake the thought of him! He was so sweet and polite, not to mention he had the prettiest blue eyes.

Well one day she received very horrible news - she would have to write a paper on Pres. Clinton's health plan. It was the last dreadful thing on earth that she ever wanted to do. The weight of the assignment hung over her like a huge black cloud, ruining her happy existence. So what's a girl to do. She bitched and moaned about it at work to her co-worker. And then he said something totally unexpected, " I'll help you!" A-ha!! The gears in her head started to work and she got this brilliant idea to use her feminine ways to talk him into doing the paper for her. And let me point out that this is something that she would never do since she was quite smart but the direness of Clinton's health plan was just too much for this smarty pants to bear. So off she went happily and smug that she found a way around her most awful assignment. The plan was to meet up in a couple of days.

So on the morning of the planned meeting, she got up, made herself extra pretty, and went out to meet her co-worker. She was as smug as ever. That is until she drove up and saw a car full of guys and not one of them was her naive co-worker. She did however recognize them as his friends from the fishing trip...including the "brawny man shirt guy".  She got herself together and playfully said, " Hi guys, I'm sorry I'm late. I almost thought that you guys would have left me." And "brawny man shirt guy" said, " Well actually we were just about to." Her face fell slightly as she thought to herself, "What a jerk!". Then her co-worker pulled up in another car and explained that he had to work and that these guys were really smart and that they would "help" her. So she figured that she could roll with this plan and sucker these guys into doing her assignment for her and proceeded with the day.

Their first stop was the library where they sat her down with the health plan and made her read it. She soon realized that these guys were smart and they weren't about to do her work for her. So much for her big plan. She then became a bit grouchy and noticed "brawny shirt guy" reading a fishing book. Just great, she thought. So she finally came to the conclusion that her plan wasn't going to work and that she would just have to do her own damn work. Rather than waste a day at the library, she decided that she was at least going to have a little fun that day and suggested that they all go out for lunch. They agreed and off they went. Once again, "brawny shirt man"seemed to be off in his own world as he seemed overly bored and only ordered an iced tea. She finally said, "you don't have to be here if you don't want to". He just looked at her...and shrugged! She immediately wanted to sucker punch him for being such an arrogant jerk but she held back and asked him what he wanted to do. He suggested a couple things and they spent the rest of the day driving through the Napa Valley and playing pool. It was a really great day - they all just had fun and she was treated like just one of the guys. Now keep in mind that she spent the day with a bunch of guys that she hardly knew relying a bit too heavily on her newly taught self defense skills...let's just say she got lucky because these guys were gentlemen and all-around good guys. And she was more of a guy's girl...a tomboy, not into all the frou frou and gossip that the other girls were into. She was the "good girl", the girl next door that the boys didn't want to party with but just be friends with. Perhaps that is why her so-called "flirting" didn't work.

So she did her dreaded report all by herself but needed help with her computer. She once again called upon her co-worker who sent over two guys, one being "brawny shirt guy". Now let's just say that it was very noticeable that her attention was not on the computer but on "brawny shirt guy". Even her mom pointed that one out. She finally got the nerve to ask her co-worker about "brawny shirt guy" and he said, " He's single but no, he never said anything about you besides don't you have a boyfriend?". Doh!

Okay!! Time out! Let it be known that she was getting really tired of her boyfriend and his so called friend's  activities. She had tried breaking it off but for whatever reason it never really happened. The end of that relationship was near and she knew it. She was just too cowardly to break it off ...and she really liked his family. It's complicated and yes, she was in the wrong.

Anyways, she gave her co-worker her number to pass on to "brawny shirt guy". Well guess what - a couple weeks went by and he never called. She had a huge fall-out with her boyfriend and finally, called it quits. It was over. And guess who happened to call the very next day - yep - "brawny shirt guy". It had to be fate. She didn't even know who he was on the phone when he called. She had already given up on him ever calling. But he did!!

Three weeks later, they kissed. Three months later they were married. And yes, there is so much to tell in between all that time what with the old boyfriend coming around, his co-worker apparently not wanting to share him with me, him buying her a ticket to meet his family, a bicycle accident, a grown up job, and her parents not thrilled about the pending marriage (after all there were less than 3 days between the decision to get married and the marriage itself). Their courtship was pure craziness unpredictable . And even now their marriage is just as crazy and unpredictable but in different ways. And for now since nobody can predict the future - they are living happily ever after...14 years later.

Voila! Now I need a margarita but will settle for a glass of wine. 

Auntie Susie's Chocolate Applesauce Cake

I'm sure this cake goes by another name but this is what I call it.

Today I was in the mood for cake. It just seemed like a "cake day" what with the summer breeze and the sound of the kids playing outside. I wish I could describe it. Perhaps its the nostalgia of this idyllic way of life that magically casts its spell over me and makes me want to be like Donna Reed or June Cleaver when in reality I am more like Lucy Ricardo? Maybe its the altitude? Maybe its my period? Or could it be the fumes from the spray adhesive? I don't know. But I really wanted to make a cake from scratch.

First, go put on an apron - especially if you have a teensy weenie kitchen like mine. Things tend to splatter everywhere! I chose this groovy - dare i say 70's - polyester number that I found for $1.00. Cooking seems a bit more fun when it involves a special wardrobe...at least for me :)

So onto the yummy cake recipe:

Auntie Susie's Chocolate Applesauce Cake with Coconut Glaze Frosting

2 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

11/2 cups applesauce

1/2 cup buttermilk

frosting (see recipe below)

greased 13x9 inch pan (I used 2 round cake pans)

preheated 350 degree oven

1) In a separate bowl mix together flour, cocoa,baking soda, and salt

2) In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until creamy.

3) Mix in eggs, then vanilla, then applesauce, then buttermilk.

4) Combine dry ingredients with wet and mix well.

5) Put in oven for 35-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

6) Let cool then frost.

Coconut Glaze Frosting

a kind of caramelly thin glaze topped with coconut flakes (the generic bagged can since we have no coconut trees in Montana)

Melt together 1/2 cup Margarine, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup c*rnation milk, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla until sugar is no longer grainy ** and butter is melted. **I used the microwave and didn't put it in long enough which made for a grainy frosting. 

Pour glaze over cake and sprinkle with coconut flakes.

Although the frosting is delicious, if you aren't into the sugary glaze topping then don't use it. The real star of the show is the super moist cake which might I add goes quite nicely with a cold glass of milk.

 

 

The Sweet Days of Summer

Yesterday had to be the perfect summer day. Full of productivity that included a bike ride to the post office and an evening spent tidying up the yard. Even though the warmth of the sun and the cool mountain breezes made the idea of reading a book on the porch extremely tempting, I was more motivated to actually get some long overdue porch sweeping, weed pulling, and tree trimming done.

Although the yard seems to be a never ending project, won't you take a peak at what I found:

Just one of these pretties peeking out at me. Only one in a sea of green. Oh yes, and there is one of our dwarf-gnomes in the back.

I thought these were weeds - and they probably are - but I can't possibly rip them out if they bloom like this.

 

And I am so proud of my honeysuckle plants - despite an extrememly bad pruning job, they still came back to add some color to the gazebo area.

 

I told you it was a perfect day for relaxing outside. This little guy is sleeping under what I think is an iris plant. I saw a big sign saying free plants that even you can't kill and decided to bring a few home. I know that my other plants are lily of the valleys but I'm not sure about this one.

And here my two lazy bums in what is slowly becoming a comfy back porch. Doesn't Gizmo have that annoyed "Garfield look" down pat??

We interrupt this blog...

For one of my favorite daily newspaper columns.

From the local Police reports:

* Police found a man who did not have a belt and had a hard time keeping his pants up in the median near the Seventh Avenue exit of Interstate 90 around 8 a.m.

* A man walking on Evergreen Drive was stopped at 8:16 a.m. because his pants were falling off.

* Two officers were sprayed by a skunk as they released it from a rabbit trap on Chambers Drive at 9:54 a.m.

* A man reported that a mattress he bought at a yard sale but decided he didn’t want was thrown into his front yard on West Peach Street at 2:40 p.m. by the man from whom he purchased it.

* A woman reportedly in her 50s flipped off and cursed at officers when they tried to help her at 8:48 p.m. She was wandering around in traffic on East Peach Street talking into a mirror.

I swear to you that Sean was home at the time of the first 2 incidents...I think.

If I were you, I'd think twice about moving out here. Crime is at an all time high.

Wednesday Words - Gratitude

We had a really nasty storm last night. I remember looking out the window and seeing the trees swaying at an odd angle. I saw the sky being eaten up by a huge brown cloud of what seemed to be dust. And in seconds, there was lightening and thunder. The winds began to howl and blow up dirt, leaves, and debris as if in a fit of anger. Then the rain came pouring and spitting all at once.

As the lights flickered and the dogs barked, Lana and I hurried to shut all the windows. I went outside to gather up all the patio stuff I had just set out and was shocked at the intensity of the wind as I tried to keep my dress from flying up and at the same time avoid flying watering cans and bird feeders. Only one thought raced through my mind -  tornado.

Now I have never been in a tornado like you east coast peeps, or in a hurricane like you Floridians, or even in a typhoon like in Guam - but I think I got a taste of that fear that many of you have felt. That something bad just might happen feeling deep down in your gut. That desire to have all of your loved ones close to you so that you know exactly where you are. That urge to call your loved ones far away...just in case. One goes into emergency mode thinking about everything from what matters most and how it will fit into one bag to hatching up evacuation Plans A, B, and C all within a matter of seconds.

Sean. who was still at work,  called to say that he was on his way home and that he had to take the freeway because the city streets were already flooded. And then he wondered if there was a tornado nearby. My heart sank because he actually knew what a tornado was and the mere fact that he, too, thought it was possible scared the daylights out of me since we didn't have a basement.

As i gathered candles just in case of an outage, I had Lana search the house for Gizmo. He was nowhere to be found inside the house. So I went back outside in the howling wind deperately calling for the damn cat to come home. I crouched in the mud and looked under the patio and there he was -  scared, shaking, and not about to come to me. Then Lana came outside, her long hair flying crazily in the wind, looking like some character out of a horror movie. Even though I told her stay inside, I was relieved that she was there when Gizmo came out far enough so that she could grab him. Finally, we were all safely waiting inside for Sean to finally arrive home.

The noises that came from storm were so loud and surreal that it was hard to decipher if a tree had fallen, a train was passing, or if it was just the thunder and the wind. I told Lana to stay near me and out of her room just in case the tree out back fell onto her room. And then, thank goodness, we heard the garage open as Sean arrived home just as the winds were dying down. His 8 minute drive took about a half hour as he had to avoid fallen trees and major flooding.

He then asked if I had seen the tree that fell next door. My heart sank as I immediately recalled the faces of the kind older couple next door. I ran outside and breathed a sigh of relief as the huge tree had fallen towards the road, away from the house next door, barely missing the house across the street. The neighborhood manly men were already outside cutting up the tree and clearing the road. I was amazed at how quickly they moved in a time of crisis and felt a bit safer knowing that if something bad had happened to us, our neighbors would be there to take us in and help out. This truly is one of those towns that you only read about in books.

So I am thankful. Thankful for the safety of my family and this community. Thankful that I was able to truly experience that feeling of I could lose everything in a moments time. Thankful that I was forced to think about what is really important to me and what is just material. And I am thankful that this was just a scary storm that didn't turn into a nasty tornado. How the rest of you who are used to tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons come to expect it, I'll never know.