Summer Project

Although the temperatures here haven't gotten out of the 70's it is still summer and I have a summer "to-do" list. I got this cute corduroy out of my mom's fabric shed last November and picked up the lining at the Fabric Depot last January. It feels so good to get something done! Off to the next project!

There's Nothing Better Than . . .

HOOD STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!
I wish everyone who reads this could just take one whiff of the sun-ripened luscious smell that we experienced when we got out of the car at the berry farm. HEAVEN!

We've been looking forward for months for a taste of these beauties. Strawberry season is finally here. Last year we didn't make it to the farm until the end of the season, so it was slim pickings (although still good). This year the rows were bursting with these edible rubies, so the picking went much faster. Ethan said that he used to hate strawberries until he tasted these. By the time Ethan's and my containers were overflowing, Jason's was only half full. He said it was because he was being selective, but I KNOW it was because he was eating more than he was picking. It's impossible not to eat as you pick, though. Now I've got to get busy making jam and other yummy treats.

You Smell Like a Monkey . . .and You Act Like One, Too

I don't know how it happened, but Hiram is now 15. He can't even drive the lawn mower properly, but the state of Washington thinks that he is old enough to learn how to drive. Scary. I make sure not to bring it up with him and hope that he forgets about the driving thing. Not likely. The even scarier thing is that Jason is the one that will be teaching him how to drive. I suggested that he brush up on the "legal" way to drive before "Jason's Driving School" is in session.
Anyway, back to Hiram's birthday. He got what every 15 year-old wants, a wallet full of money. Especially if that wallet has Sasquatch petting a kitten on it. He is going to save up for a Nintendo 3DS.
Hiram's cake was something that kind of just came together. I thought the chocolate rocks would be cool to put on his cake. When I mixed blue food coloring with the chocolate frosting, it turned green and looked like pine trees on the cake. I saw a theme here, so I went with it. I grabbed a Sasquatch magnet off the fridge and a couple of Sasquatch's friends out of Hiram's room and Voila! I bet you didn't know that Sasquatch's traveling companions are a seagull and llama.

For dinner Jason, Hiram and I went to PF Chang's in Portland (we didn't even make it out of the garage before Ethan and Caleb were kicked out of the car for throwing garbage at each other). Then we went to Powell's to browse the books. It was a very nice evening.

Another Post About Bunnies and Frogs

The bunnies have really been enjoying the long grass. They can get right up to the porch incognito and feast on all the spilled birdseed. This guy above is always there eating his breakfast at 6am. One day I saw 3 bunnies milling around on the porch. We've also got a resident pheasant that we see walking up and down the road once in a while. We saw our first possum the other day. The first live one I should say, there is more roadkill around here than you might imagine.

This little guy was found on our back patio

This is as close as Mia ever cares to get to the great wilderness outside.

The sad news for the animals is that after several parts, the lawn mover is finally fixed. It took Jason several hours today to get the back lawn mowed. the grass was probably 18 inches high out there. The bunnies, snakes, and voles scattered when they heard Jason coming.

Just for the Halibut

Ethan has wanted to go deep sea fishing for years. He finally got that chance when he and Jason took a weekend trip to Newport and went on a 12-hour halibut fishing trip. The seas were choppy and Ethan threw up 3 times, but it was worth it because he got his fish. It took 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get 30 miles off the coast to the fishing grounds. The line had to go down 600 feet to the bottom of the ocean, so it took a while to reel in the fish. Jason got a bite within 10 minutes. Ethan got his about an hour later and then spent most of the rest of the trip huddled on a bench in the cabin. With 2 halibut we have enough for 8 or 9 dinners! Jason made fish and chips for us and it was so good!

Run Caleb, RUN!

In Caleb's school district, 40% of all the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders participate in the annual track meet. The kids practice after school for 3 weeks then have a meet with three other schools. Caleb competed in the 100m, 200m, tug-of-war and relay race. His team came in second in tug-of-war. He did a great job and it was fun to see him compete in the big high school stadium.

Cousins!

A couple of weeks ago Caleb and I took a trip to Utah to babysit Caleb's cousin Olivia for a few days. He was so excited to play with her and his other cousins and go to all of his favorite places. It was a whirlwind of excitement! We went to Jungle Jim's Playland, Dollar Tree a few times, Nickelcade, the DI, and Grandma's house. We spent most of the day on Saturday at a yard sale where Caleb got to play with his cousins. Olivia found some great trinkets to buy too. At the end of the day when everything was free, Olivia joined in with all the boys in helping flag down passing cars. It was so cute! I was glad to be able to spend time with Olivia. It's refreshing to be around someone who lives totally in the moment. It also brought back a lot of memories of when my kids were little and how much work it is. I'm always happy to visit Utah and always happy to see the pine trees and and green hills as I fly back home.

A Hip Hop, A Hippity Hop...

I have some fun posts lined up to catch you up on what's been going on, but first I want to show you a picture I took this morning. Our lawn mower is broken so the grass hasn't been cut in a while. The grass is so long that the bunnies are having a grand ol' time hiding and munching. I went out to fill my bird feeder (blue jays are big pigs, by the way) and saw two bunnies hiding in the grass. I love how they think if they freeze no one will notice them. Juan Carlos just happened to be by the fence. I think it would be funny to make a book called "Where's Juan Carlos?" Maybe I will someday. Yesterday morning I saw a coyote running in the field. It probably wanted a cute bunny for breakfast.