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2008/07/30

Blogalog

Here's a catalog of my favorite blogs! Some of friends, some are people I don't know. The topics are all over the place, stuff I love!


Designer Cheese
Friend from school - I love her digital scrapbooking, photography and reading about her family life!

A Widow's Bit
Mary is an amazing writer and inspiring person. I love reading her blog, and since I discovered it late, I was able to read all the posts from the beginning.

Hey Mister
This guy writes about how teaching REALLY is! I love it!! Funny, heartwarming, and genunine! I hope he comes back when summer is over!!

The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl
All I can say is INSPIRING! I love that this lady both lost her weight and maintained. She is so positive, and I can't wait to get her book!!

Kendal Jean Photography
Another friend from the school family! I love Kendal's photography; she inspires me to learn more about the craft.

Snippets from the Streeters
Fellow teachers and Montessori parents :) I love reading about the Streeter family and their adventures! I love Jill's sense of humor and outlook on life! Great pics, too!

Parker Brown at Caring Bridge
I love reading about Parker and his family. I played softball with Sarah, and I just love her gentle and loving spirit. They are all an inspiration!

Nosh On
I love this blog because I LOVE to cook!!! The writer is funny and friendly, too!

Wear & Wen
This is a fun fashion blog. I just love the concept! Finding cute stuff in every day life. Truly living as an observer!!

Word Spy
I love learning new words and phrases!!

CNN Political Ticker
I love politics, and I love staying informed.

Sea to See Ride Across America
These guys stopped in Omak, and now they are in Illinois!

Of course, I couldn't forget my other blogs! LOL!
My blog about living healthy - Trisha Weighs In.
My creativity blog (poems and photos) - Heart Whispers.

New babies!

     OK, so maybe they are not babies in age or even babies period, but our two new horses are my new babies!!!! I love them like kids already.
      As you know, we have been taking horse lessons all summer, and finally we also found the perfect horses for us.
      I do love Rick's other horses, but they are too frisky for someone who doesn't have TONS of horse confidence just YET.
      Anyhow, we have now added Smoking Joe, a 10-year-old quarterhorse, and Secret Mystery (formerly known as Dirty Little White Girl, but renamed by our little one), a 10-year-old Pony of America - POA.
      My new babies are gentle! They are loving and follow me around everywhere! I just LOVE them to pieces. I didn't really know that you could feel so much love for horses!
      Joe is amazing! He is completely broke. I hopped up onto him (OK, maybe it wasn't exactly a hop, more like a grunting belly slide move).
     Then I rode him around! I couldn't believe how I could talk to him and he would do things by voice commands only!

          SMOKING JOE




      Secret Mystery is just as beautiful and wonderful and gentle! She is a perfect kid's horse!!

          Secret Mystery


      Now, I can't wait for us to go out into the hills! We are already planning a family horse camping trip up in the mountains next month!


      P.S. Speaking of new babies, I am including a pic of SOME of the baby peacocks that we have. We only have a gazillion baby chickens AND peacocks!!!

2008/07/29

Ryder!

     My good friend Missy has a little nephew, who is the cutest little guy!
     They just found out in the past few weeks that he has a condition related to his heart, and they are all over at Sacred Heart in Spokane.
     He is only eight months old, and he will be having heart surgery this coming Friday. PLEASE keep him and his family in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers.
     Certainly this is a time of need that you can only imagine. Fundraising efforts are being coordinated as we speak, and just keep coming back here for updates!
     I know there will be some sort of benefit dinner on August 16th, so keep your calendar open. I promise more details will be forthcoming.
     It does seem in this rural area that we do have a lot of need. Not too long ago, I read an editorial from DEE CAMP (OOPS, I had listed this an editorial from Alex Paul, but I was incorrect, sorry.) about looking into a community foundation in which we would combine all of the individual fundraising efforts throughtout the community and make a BIG impact.
     I am all for it!!! How do we make that happen? WHO makes that happen??

2008/07/20

Ride baby, ride!



     We rode the bike down to see Rick's brother in Moses Lake. It was a perfect day for a ride!!
     We had a great visit, too! And, I think we are planning our vacation together!
     I love riding the bike; it's such a sense of freedom and speaking of senses...I love all the things you notice when you are riding that you would miss in a car.
     The smell of fresh-cut alfalfa, the difference in temperature when you cruise by an orchard, the mama osprey and her babies...it's soul-filling, you know?!
     We stopped at Dry Falls yesterday, and I had never actually stopped there before even though I have passed it a million times!
     The visitor center is really nice! I learned a lot about the geological history of that area.
     I had no idea that at one time the waterfall there was the WORLD'S largest! No joke!


     It's so beautiful there, our very own mini-Grand Canyon!
     Yesterday was a good and relaxing day!

2008/07/18

Why I love Beebe Bridge Park

1) The grass is like a plush carpet. I love walking on it!
2) The beach is sandy!
3) The water is cool.
4) The bathrooms are clean.
5) There is a huge tree that provides shade, if ya want it.
6) The facilities include: a covered picnic area, tennis courts, kids playground, baseball and soccer fields, and even outdoor showers to wash off the river.
7) There is always a slight breeze, enough to cool ya down a bit.
8) It's free! If you go to Chelan, you have to pay $2 for two hours in order to park in the parking lot near the beach.
9) It's beautiful there; you can see the brigde from the beach and the mountains, it's NICE.
10) NOBODY is around! The campground is busy, and I imagine the park is on the weekends, but on a weekday...it felt like it was all my beach!

I had the pleasure of haning out at Beebe Bridge on Thursday. It was SOOOOO pleasant. There was only one family there, and I enjoyed the sunshine and cool water!

2008/07/15

Bathroom redo!

     I decided to redo one of the bathrooms at Ricky's house. As you can see it has a dark salmon colored counter, so I decided to go with some retro colors.
     First, you must know it had white walls that had some purple and some faded green that I think at one time was glow-in-the-dark, but no longer is. GROSS!




     I painted the white walls with papaya. What a cool color!!! I reworked el bano for only $38 and some sweat equity :)






Paint - $12
Shower Curtain - $10
New bath rugs - $10
New bright colored washcloths - $3
Soap dish, garbage can, and basket - $3

Bathroom with new look: Priceless!

2008/07/13

I love summer! Movie time!

I was checking out my movie list from clear back in January! I will update ya!!

First off, we went and watched Hancock tonight, and I will just say that I LOVED IT!! It even had some unpredictable plot :) We laughed, and it must have been the right timing for the right movie, because it hit the spot!

Fool's Gold *VERY funny! Plus I love Mathew :) Two thumbs up, glad we watched in the theater.

The Eye *Jessica Alba, Lion's Gate, SUSPENSE...need I say more? One thumb up, definitely a renter.

Over Her Dead Body *Cute and funny! Eva kicks butt in this one.

Juno *I understand. I had Cody my senior year in high school. This was a delightful show that I wish I would've watched in the big house. One of my favorite movies of all-time.

Indiana Jones 4 * SUPERB!

Bucket List - Two of my favorite actors! I love the idea, obviously. Glad that we saw this in the theater.

27 Dresses *Cute chick flick. Rick even liked it.

Mad Money *Funny movie! Excellent ladies!

Untraceable *Real spooky, as in could this really happen? I love Diane Lane! This was an intense movie, good!

Jumper *I would love to teleport! I liked this, even though I don't especially like the lead actor. Renter.

Rambo *Yes, I watched this, and I actually liked it. We saw it in the movie theater, probably more of a renter.

Be Kind Rewind *This was hilarious. Of course, I love Jack Black (a local boy) and Danny Glover!!! The concept for this movie just makes me crack up. How refreshing!!

10,000 BC *I love these EPIC sorts of movies!!! It did NOT disappoint, and I wished we would've watched at the theater.

Charlie Bartlett - Funny, witty, and clever. Loved it!

Vantage Point - Intense, just watched it recently. Love the concept.

There Will Be Blood - Excellent!!

Drillbit Taylor - Funny. Loved the young trio of actors!

Still need to see:
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy
The Dark Night (another Batman movie - starring the late Heath Ledger as the JOKER).
Austin Powers 4
Get Smart
Spiderwick
Back to the Future 4
Meet the Spartans
Definitely, Maybe
Spiderman 4 (doesn't come out until 2011)
A-Team (BOY, this brings back childhood memories!)
Stop Loss *I know people who have really experienced this, and we have this right now to watch.

The Other Boleyn Girl * Ihave read EVERY book of Philippa Gregory, and this cast rocks!!! I can't wait for others to now discover her amazing historical fiction novels!!! I still haven't watched this or rented it, but I have been watching the Showtime Tudor's. I almost finished with the season, and it's the same story.

Cloverfield *Creepy - We have rented this twice, but not watched it yet.

Sweeney Todd *I am a HUGE Depp fan, AND, I love the musical. I first heard of it when I watched Jersey Girl, so then I had to research and read it! I have rented this baby twice, but not watched it yet.

P.S. I Love You *I know, I know. Total sap movie, but I do like the old-fashion notion of romance. Still need to rent.

Adding to the list:
The new James Bond movie out in November
Step Brothers
Stone Angel - I have read the book, and I loved it! I love Margaret Laurence's work!
Mama Mia - I love this musical
Mummy 3 - I especially love the history in this one!
Swing Vote
Fly Me to the Moon
The Perfect Game
Death Race

2008/07/11

mOvIeS!

     It's funny. I can't remember the last time we had the regular tv on. We have been playing lots, and then when we do settle down at night, we are watching lots of movies!
     Lately we have been even watching OLD movies! We watched a Louis Lamour movie starring Tom Selleck.
     First off, I love westerns, and I was a huge fan of Tom's back in the Magnum P.I. days!
     Then we watched Frisco Kid starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford (when he was a young man). That movie was hysterical! Everyone in the family was cracking up!!
     Last night we watched two movies. The first was Evolution. OH MY GOSH, that was SUPER funny! It has a great cast of talented people, and I can't believe I ever missed that one.
     After that we watched The Apple Dumpling Gang! I, of course, had watched those movies when I was a little girl, but dang it's just as funny this time around! I love Don Knotts and Tim Conway!!!
     The other day we watched The Constant Gardener. WOW! Intense movie that makes you FEEL!
     I am also watching the Showtime series, The Tudors, which is all about Henry the 8th. I love that time period, and it fits right in with my love of Phillipa Gregory's books (including The Other Boleyn, which I have not seen that movie yet, either, but the books all rock!).
     We have several other movies to watch, too! I love it! I promise to keep you posted.

2008/07/09

My top ten list

I love lists (sort of addicted to them), and I especially love David Letterman's Top Ten Lists! This list isn't any any order, but it is the top ten things that for the next couple of weeks I want to do!

1) Work on my novel!

2) Finish another book in the Outlander series! (Plus, I am reading three other books right now, a total of four!)

3) Catch up on scrapbooking (OK, not "catch up" but I would like to get at least 10 pages done. I can do this with #8)!

4) Find a horse and saddle!

5) Workout! (And, lose weight)

6) Empty out my storage (Only one truck load left, and I am going to haul it up to my mother-in-law's house, since everything is in tubs. I can't believe I have lived up here now for four years; that's a lot of money to storage! Rick and I have been together now for 4 1/2 years!!)

7) Plan a girls night! (I have incredible friends, and many of them don't even know each other!!! I need to get all these women together!)

8) Watch at least 5 movies on my to watch list (told you I love lists).

9) Work on my yard (weeds to be pulled and grass to be seeded).

10) Go to Chelan for the day, at least once.

There you have it, what I WANT to do over the next two weeks!

I did it!

      I finished my first little sundress! It's so stinking cute!!! I have a different pattern and more material, so I have three more dresses to go. I promise to post pics as soon as I have them all done :)
      The great thing about sewing is that it's very relaxing! I forgot about that.
      I love my sewing machine; Ricky bought it for me for Christmas this past year, and it's much more fancy than the old sewing machine I used when my boys were little!
      Now, I am all excited about other sewing projects!

2008/07/07

Camping and the computer???!!

     So, we headed off camping, and one of my FAVORITE things about camping is being unplugged!
     Our phones didn't have service, so there were no calls, voicemails, or text messages for the long weekend.
     I read a ton while we were up there. Picture this...sitting in a lounge chair, surrounded by everything green and beautifully colored wildflowers, reading, reading, reading. Nice.
     But, I will admit that each night we watched a movie!!!! LOL!!! We busted out the computer, settled into the tent, and watched some movies that were on our list to see.
     The first night we watched Drillbit Taylor. Although it was totally predictable, it had some funny parts in it.
     I LOVED the three young male actors in the show. They were hysterical and quite talented.
     Another highlight was when the three boys were hiring a bodyguard, they had a cameo appearance of Adam Baldwin who played the bodyguard in the 80s movie My Bodyguard. That was clever :)
     The second night we watched Charlie Bartlett. Let me just say...I LOVED THIS MOVIE.
     The guy who plays Charlie rocked! Anton Yelchin is the guy's named, and when I researched him, I found out that I have actually watched him in many other movies, and just didn't notice him, I guess.
     OK, so the movie is sort of predictable, but I just love the quirky characters and the reality of it all. The movie made me laugh, and both as an audience member and a person in the education field.
     On our last night we watched Vantage Point. Holy cow, loved this action-packed movie, and I did call the ending before it happened, so it's somewhat predictable, but I love the idea of seeing something from many points of view. I like that style.
     So, even though life was VERY relaxing and virtually technology-free for our camp trip, we did catch a few flicks, and I am glad we did!

2008/07/02

Ode to Baby's Breath

     OK, I am not really writing an ode, but maybe I should. I LOVE baby's breath! This is a funny thing in our family because NOBODY else does!!
     I think it smells good. But, all the guys in the family say that it smells like cat pee.
     I don't get how they get that, but right now with it in bloom, I just love to drive with my windows down :)
     And, I told all the baby's breath HATERS in my family that I was going to devote a blog to baby's breath!!!
     Some facts about baby's breath: It's botanical name is gypsophila, it's a perenial herb, it attracts butterflies (who doesn't love a butterfly??), it's a popular florist filler, and finally...WHY do they call it baby's breath?
     I have searched and searched in all sorts of reference places and nobody OFFICIALLY says, but here's what I have found.
     Baby's breath symbolizes innocence. You know how all flowers have some sort of meaning. And, it's colors are all pastel-like, which in the olden days that's what adorned most nurseries.
     Many other people say (as would the men in my household) that is smells like old milk.
     Still others say because it is as fresh as a baby's breath or as delicate as a baby or that the flowers have a delicate fragrance.
     Get this though, according to a Californian government website, Baby's Breath has in places "escaped cultivation and become a noxious weed." It later mentions that it is "an escaped ornamental." It is ILLEGAL to plant in California!!
     Upon further delving, I have found that it is a Class C noxious weed in our very own state!!
     SO, I don't know why they call it Baby's Breath, and I suppose you argue either side if you wanted to debate it :) Some people say babies stink, other LOVE that baby smell!

I love the 80s!

     I love all 80s music! When I was driving home from Chelan on Tuesday, it was 80s the whole way on the radio.
     I was totally jamming out, and I decided that no matter how you feel about 80s music, whether it's cheesy or not, it is feel good music!!
     And, since I graduated in '89, I am officially an 80s kid! Those were the days: big hair, fluorescent colors, side ponytails, yada, yada!     But, definitely I love the music the most! All of it!!

Let me repeat myself!

Want to save on gas??? Don't we all?! Well, I read a great article yesterday that I wanted to share with you today about saving on gas.

Of course, that reminded me of the blog I wrote back on May 29th, and you can check that out, too. It has some links that are related to the topic :)

I liked the editorial in this week's Chronicle about staycations! It's something that we have decided to do, except for one splurge when we head down to the Oregon Coast later this summer.

Ultimately the best way to save on gas...don't drive as much, duh! That reminds me of what my ex-father-in-law (who I still love dearly) once told me. He said that he figured he won $52 a year on the lottery by not buying a ticket each week :) Of course, that was back in the day when they only had the lottery once a week. But, you get it!

2008/07/01

A couple of movies!

      I was totally thinking that I should update my entire movie list and check out the ones that I have watched!!
      I might do that later, but for now I will tell you about what we have recently rented.
      First off, 10,000 BC. I liked the story even though overall the plot was predictable. But, I love the huge movies with lots of people! You know the big productions, they always amaze me in how they coordinate so many people.
      I also liked that the actors were fresh faces. I saw a couple of interviews with them, which made me want to watch the movie even more. I definitely think it would have been an intense movie to watch on the big screen.
      We watched Employee of the Month last night, and it was OK. There were some funny parts, and I couldn't help but think that if I worked at Costco, I would probably find even more humor in it!
      We also watched a short movie (only 82 minutes long) yesterday afternoon called Into the Jungle. This movie was more than predictable, but I found more interest in researching its topic.
      Even though the movie was kind of a Blair Witch feel (the documentary type format), it wasn't very scary.
      The concept behind it was cool! The story was based on the true disappearance of Michael Rockefeller believed to have been killed (and, well eaten) by cannibals near New Guinea.
      I found tons of info about this and the subsequent searches for Rockefeller, since it was reported that he was sighted several times after.
      I have a couple of other movies I can't wait to rent, and I will try to update ya! I also am planning on watching a couple of tv shows that are now out on DVD, and I will let you know how that goes, too.

Free as a bird!

      I love riding the motorcycle; it's one of my favorite things to do in this world.
      But, I have a bit of a rant...What's the deal with people riding motorcycles with virtually no clothes?
      The other day I saw a guy and girl riding a bike, and he was dressed in shorts and flip flops, and she had on a bikini top, shorts, and flip flops.
      I couldn't believe it! I get that people are hot and maybe want some sun, but HELLO???!!!
      Many years ago, I rode a motorcycle down to a concert wearing shorts, and when I got off the bike I burned my leg badly.
      The really bad thing is that I had a burn like that from when I was a teenager, too. I guess I didn't learn from that time either.
      Then a couple of summers ago I was driving back from Twisp, and I watched a motorcycle wreck when a deer jumped off the hill and ran into a couple driving down the pass.
      The motorcycle skidded on its side and slammed down over the edge. The two riders were OK, surprisingly.
      BUT, even though it was the heat of the summer, a VERY hot afternoon, they were both wearing their leather.
      Their helmets were scratched up, and they both did have some road rash and burns in places that the leather either wore aware or wasn't at.
      The lady wasn't wearing gloves, so her hands were pretty ripped up, but really they walked away basically unscathed.
      Now, change the picture to that couple I saw the other day...YIKES!
      Ever since, I have always worn pants and boots (of course, our helmets) at the least, even in the ridiculously hot weather.
     So, be as a free as a bird, and one not skinned alive!