Heather Lake Trail

K and I decided that we'd go on a hike today......so decided to look up Local Hikes and see what we could find. We found this trail called Heather Lake Trail. We needed some exercise points for this week (to get a cheesy prize tomorrow at Weight Watchers....... whatever incentive we can get!) and so we did it!

The thing we've found with this website and other hiking websites, is although someone else may call it easy......it may not be easy for everyone. We'd call it a moderate hike with lots of mud :) It was sure beautiful........ and I believe the words out of my mouth at the top were "Holy Shit!" :)

Here are some pics.....and the one of both of us is AT the VERY end of our hike...

Christmas Light Ideas/Suggestions

K and I discussed quite a bit today what we should do this year with (for) the Christmas lights in way of donations/sponsorships, etc.

My dad suggested we make shirts - which is a great idea - but we're thinking just a few shirts that we can wear around (and possibly a few family members also)

We're thinking of sending letters to a few local businesses and tree farms to see if they want to advertise on my website......

The question we keep asking ourselves though is....... If we were the business, we'd want to know how to track who comes to their place of business from my website?...(to know even if it was worth their money)....... any ideas???

I'm thinking of doing a drive of some sort...... diaper drive, food drive, any other ideas?? (I'd like to be as creative as I can....but it still needs to be simple)

Thanks in advance!!

Saturdays Activities

I woke this morning with a headache.....and chalked it up to being too much chocolate ice cream (sugar) the night before..... 1 cup = 7 points = well worth the 7 points :)

We had some coffee, had plans to go garage sale'ing but it was raining out....
had plans to go to our little community picnic..... K suggested I don't take lactaid to go with my little egg scramble I had (some .35 oz of cheese in it) and needed to stay near a bathroom :) so didn't go to that...... we had thought about going to a Geocaching seminar/class thingy at the local library.....didn't get showered until well after 9:00 (and it was at 10:00am) and just were NOT getting anywhere.

We ended up....going to visit K's grandma in the hospital. :o( She got transported via ambulance last night because of bleeding (which they do not know the cause of) and at 95 they are unsure of really what they want to do. (In the past, when she's been put out for a surgery, she's had a slight heart attack) so although a colonoscopy would be the route to go........(and at this point sounds as if it may be the route) there is quite a risk........

The hard part for K and I to swallow......is that we took her 3 baskets of raspberries last Tuesday (some to share with other family that was visiting at the time) and a few for herself.) She ended up eating 2.5 boxes of raspberries.....which we're thinking could be some of the cause of the issue she is having.............................. :o/ We'll see what they find out.....until then she's getting a few unrestful nights in the hospital......and lots of visiting from us! :) She feels fine, no pain, just bleeding........

After visiting Gma we came home and made the best tasting PB & J Sandwiches with CHIPS! Peanut butter is *a lot* of points - 5 for 2 tbsp, but we ate them anyway! MMMMM MMMMMM MMMMMM!! We then headed to the library....where I was hoping to find an encouraging walking tape/CD, but no luck....I didn't check any books out because I already have 3 I've started here at home that I need to finish......(Although Zenmomma and Qacei have me intrigued with Twilight) :)

The sun was then shining so we headed to the local county (small) fair. It was fun! We saw a pig with her 11 (she had 14) PIGLETS. We watched them for probably 10 minutes!! We saw all the exhibits, etc....it got very windy and started to rain and then we headed out!

We came home and then visited with our neighbor (Hi Karen!) and now K's in bed reading and I'm about to hit it too.

1. You know you're old when your boobs sag.

2. My heart is divided between Wii Fit and Saving Money.

3. A REAL PEPSI is what I need RIGHT NOW! (but not the points and/or calories!)

4. I have felt the pain of not being pregnant and spending lots of money on it but on the otherhand, I have known the depths of perseverance to become pregnant and someday to birth that child :)

5. Gah, won't these people just shut their pie holes!

6. October get here as soon as you can!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to hanging out and possibly mowing the lawn, tomorrow my plans include staying inside and snuggling down if it is rainy, possibly baking something from R & K's bakery and Sunday, I want to get outside and possibly go for a hike or do something fun!!

Things To Enjoy

I've been trying to find something I find real joy in, whatever that be. I always smile when talking about my Christmas Lights (and love it) but that is only one season (and costs a lot of money) so although I love it - the only way to make it better each year, is to spend more money - of which will be VERY tight this year.
Side note, have I told you guys about the envelope system? ;o) K and I put money away into a little divided type planner and have money for Gas, Restaurants, Groceries, Fun, Personal Products, Gifts, and Clothes. THIS has saved us (last year) and will this year in preparing for Christmas and/or Birthdays.

Back to finding things I enjoy....... I really enjoy making things for people at work and/or sending care packages. I LOVE IT!! I also really, really loved a cookie that I bought in Vancouver at the Farmers Market....that was HUGE, but was SO yummy. So.......I've been thinking I could possibly make cookies and sell that at farmers markets. NOW, these aren't going to be your average cookie - they are going to be BIG cookies...... I just need to come up with a plan and figure out all I need to.

I know that I need to look into getting my food handlers permit - first off. Secondly, to be able to sell something like this - you need to work out of a commercial kitchen (which I know there is a place locally that will allow you to rent out some time in the kitchen) so there is that. The cost of all the ingredients, the time to bake them all (and to sell them) and just how much I'll make. R & K's Bakery is what people at work call us.....so that's what it will be! We'll see if it works out for next years Farmer's Markets....... that'd be awesome! (OR if I could find a way to ship cookies.......any ideas?)

That's it for now!!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Positive Things in Life 1. I have an magnificent wife who loves me, provides for me, cuddles me, and allows me TO be. 2. I have a beautiful house, with an amazing garden that is growing lush and will soon be fruitful and provide us lots of yummy veggies. (Along with this, a wife that loves to garden and piddle in the yard) 3. I have a job despite all of the layoffs/closures. 4. I have 2 wonderful parents that have supported me, loved me, and done the best for me. 5. I have 2 kitties that snuggle with me, play with me, and let me be entertained by them! 6. I have 2 cars which both work, and run great. 7. We have money in savings. 8. I have so many friends/family members that love and care for us.....and leave awesome comments on our blog that encourage us! 9. I've met and learned from so many unschoolers - and love and am very encouraged by each individual. 10. I've tentatively made an appointment for October 17th for egg retrieval.....almost 2 months away.......that's nuts. 11. For the beautiful sun and the long nights. For the fun walks and the hikes and just the beauty of the world. 12. For knitting and the peace it brings to me. 13. For massage......and for K's elbows digging into my back interim between massages :)

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Simple Frusterations

My computer is giving me major fits and I'm about to drop kick it out of this universe. It is 5-6 years old, getting crabby in its old age, and just not doing what I want without errors coming up. My anti-virus/spy ware is up to date and isn't finding anything out of the ordinary.........IT MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM! (and as I read in the Readers Digest this morning.... one of the top 12 things a computer person doesn't want people to do is go buy a Mac because they will then lose a lot of business!) I'm really contemplating it.....(not any time soon).....

Secondly, tonight I am tired! I was talking to my mom at 7:30 and was tired then, it is now 9:30 and guess what? I'm still tired! I'm going to hit the sack soon.

Thirdly, this week I've had no ambition to do anything remotely to help myself in the Weight Watchers arena of things. Why the heck would I want to exercise, if I exercised 4 times the first week and didn't lose but a measly amount? Can you tell that I tend to hold on to things?..... I weighed this morning and still no change in the scale. Ridiculous.

We're out of money for this pay period.....which really sucks - since we have a whole 'nother week to go (including a weekend). We'll see what we figure out.....maybe to Bellingham to a Sand Sculpting exhibit, or to the Skagit County Fair (for a minimal price) and/or sitting at home?....

I'm headed to bed......maybe tomorrow be another terrific day.

What Sucks

When you work hard for 7 days to try to only eat the "points" you are supposed to eat (22 for me - 20 for K) and get a bit nervous/hyped about going in to see what you're going to weigh in at........ and only have lost a measly .4.

THAT SUCKS.

OH...and did I mention this was our first week? HOW ENCOURAGING! NOT!
What's hardest is changing my attitude about it also.......it isn't about me necessarily losing weight, but about me getting in better health to carry babies.....although WEIGHT LOSS is all I want to see........and health will come with that.

I EVEN exercised 4x this week.......and still a measly .4 lost.

UGH!!

Sunday!

We went out to Washington Park last night in Anacortes with Braxton and K's sister Laurie and the kids. It was a lot of fun, chaos, but a lot of fun!! I think it'll just be us with Braxton next time because then he can go and do whatever he wants to do - with our full attention.

We got home at about 9:30 ish, he was filthy so took a bath, then bed time. He wanted one of us to sleep with him (K did........thankfully) When he fell asleep she came in to sleep with me...... and then at 2:00am you hear "RANDIKAULEEN!" lol (we are one!) and she went and slept with him for the night. He has asthma I believe and has trouble breathing sometimes......very wheezy.....so we did a breathing treatment and then he slept until 6:00am! (did I tell you how I was so thankful that K slept with him?)

I also understand a little bit more the idea of the "Wall of beds" for co-sleeping. I ecstatic about co-sleeping and agree with it 100%, but also find that I don't sleep well at all with Braxton (tossing, turning, smacking, etc.) but with a wall of beds......you can get far away from the tossing, turning child?....or am I mistaken? LOL

Nonetheless, they woke me up at 8am, sweet wife.......and we had some breakfast, rode bikes to the park, dug in the dirt, and then mom was here. We now have no gumption to do anything - none at all. So, K's taking a nap (I'm joining her after this) and then we'll maybe get something accomplished - or not. :)

We have no plans for next weekend.......and can I tell you how excited I am for that? Heck, I have no plans for THIS week!! yahoooooooooooooooooooo!!!

IVF vs. Insemination

I thought I'd try to give everyone who reads my blog some information on the differences between IVF and Insemination (K and I tend to talk about it like everyone knows the difference!) so here goes it!

INSEMINATION: (per Bellingham IVF - other clinics may do it differently)

Go about the monthly cycle as usual with a few vaginal ultrasounds to see how ones eggs are growing. On about day 12-14 you get an HCG shot to "make" you ovulate within the next 24+ hours. You then have an appointment the next day to be inseminated (the sperm is put into a tiny syringe type thing that and threaded into the cervix). You don't really feel anything other then the speculum (which a man HAD to have invented!) Then you wait 2 weeks to see if your period starts......and/or take a blood test. No testing early as HCG is what pregnancy tests detect.

(We have done insemination's and also added some medicine to create more eggs....but still the same protocol, other than.....more money)

IVF = Invitro Fertilization

This starts with birth control pills to take over ones cycle and then a month full of medicine to create more eggs, etc. This is pretty much the cycle where the doctor takes over your whole body to make it prime nesting grounds for a baby. They allow your body to make lots of eggs (mine can make 25+) and then they put you out and take a needle into your ovaries and draw out the eggs. They then "cook" them in a petri dish for 3-5 days and then put the now embryo's back in. Bed rest for a few days and then wait 10-11 days to do a pregnancy test.

This is the basic route of it all...... but hopefully that will allow you to understand a bit more.

As for our baby plans.......

We're planning on October and we're going to do IVF :) We are very excited, anxious and for me - I just wish it would get here! :) It is very exciting to tear another month off the calandar, knowing it is a month closer! :) This year at work we have to use up all of our vacation (no carry over) and so there are a lot of people with LOTS of vacation and we're getting down to the last 6 months of the year and so people are trying to get all their vacations in and so K and I have been trying to figure out when would be best to start the baby stuff. We scheduled October 17th - October 31st off! I should get a call this week from Bellingham IVF to make "tentative" plans............ YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long Time No Type!

This week went by with such a blur..... I couldn't even begin to tell you what happened! We had something planned for every night of the week and those types of weeks can be exhausting!

We started Weight Watchers on Monday. We've tried it many times before and haven't stuck to it...... but this time we both joined, attended a meeting, and we have the mind set that we can stick to it! We've done great so far and our first weigh-in is Monday! :) (It truly helps to have someone to be accountable to!)

We had a pizza party for a lady in our office that was leaving at our house. We had people bring pizza toppings and then we bought Boboli's! It really turned out to be a great time! We'll miss this person in our office greatly..... but hopes she has less stress and enjoys this new job lots! :)

Last night I went for another massage.... my neck has been bothering me quite a bit and I had a headache all week....so we coughed up the money. UGH. I love it, but hate spending the money on extra things like this. I do feel a bit sore today, with tweaks here and there...... we'll see. It may be more underlying....and I may try to find a yoga class or something to help strengthen.

This morning we got up and ran some errands - Farmers Market for BLUEBERRIES ;o) and some fresh green beans since ours will not be on for probably another 2-4 weeks......then I'll have them coming out of every crevice in my body! LOL and then we returned some books to the library (only to come home and find that we had left one CD in the CD PLAYER!!) so now we have to make another trip to return it..... and then to Kohl's to find some comfy tennis shoes for Randi's Big Feet......(this has been an on going saga....) but we did find some that are comfy! and then to get some shampoo and conditioner at JC Penny and back home for a yummy turkey sandwich, cucumbers, and some sun chips :) K's laying down for a nap....... and I'm typing!

Tonight we watch Braxton for our every 6 weekish night watch! We're going to take some hot dogs, blueberries and watermelon and head for the beach! He really enjoys playing in the water, in the sand, and just hanging out. So we'll go do that and BBQ there. The sun isn't really shining here yet....... so hopefully soon!! K's sister and kids may join us - which would be fun!

Weekend In A Flash

Our trip to Grand Coulee was wonderful! We spent time with friends, family and had lots of fun. A quick review of things we did:

Cuddled lots with a 2 month old baby :)
Swam in Lake Roosevelt / Columbia River (with and without bees!)
Ate, ate, and ate some more
Enjoyed the innocence of kids/teens

I took my camera, didn't take any pictures with *my* camera, but with my parents. I'll see to it that they email some to me so I can post them here.

I woot'ed for the first time today.......an all in one printer for $55.00 (including shipping) (of which I saw on sale at Target for $70! :) It should be here in a few days.....

I'm off to hit the sack.....the alarm is set to go off early to work out.......... I need to get this body in a little bit better shape to carry babies in the next few months!

Randi

Tonight's Activities

We baked 2 fresh raspberry custard pies tonight for work tomorrow! We have 7 quarts of raspberries in the freezer and probably at least a weeks worth of berries still to pick, so we needed to use them up! We love them on our cereal....but nothing is like FRESH (not frozen) berries! MMMMMMMMMMM

I haven't been able to eat enough blueberries latley......YUM! Today I was thinking of Veruca Salt off of Willie Wonka ...LOL (as I sit here in my purple night shirt!) LOL

I'm going to go read tonights paper then hit the sack..... we haven't been in bed before 10:30pm any night this week!

Friday Fill-In

1. I believe whatever doesn't kill you ... means your still kickin'?

2. If you're good at something, pursue it, dream it, and live it!

3. Why does life have to be so complicated? (I need a kid sense of life!)

4. Something is out there for us, and it's exactly what we need!

5. If my life were a sitcom, it would be titled Roo's Rainbow.

6. Sitting on my back porch I see the potatoes growing in the field, a lovely Japanese garden and veggies and fruits growing in MY garden!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to taking a beautiful drive over the North Cascades with the sun shining, listening to some fun books on tape we got at the library as we travel to Grand Coulee and have a fun BBQ upon arrival with friends and family, tomorrow my plans include lots and lots of beach time with kids and family and lots of sun and water and Sunday, I want to enjoy the time with K on the way back!!

Wednesday!

3 days gone, 1.5 to go!! YAHOO!!

Today K got a call from her dad at work and asked if we'd like to join him for dinner - kind of an odd thing for the Shelton side of the family to do......but sure! So, we enjoyed a very nice chat and visit with Dad Shelton, went and got some gas at the local casino for $4.13, and then came home!

We're headed to Coulee for the weekend to hang with the 'rents and a few others. Dad has a BBQ planned for our arrival.....

Work has been slower.......and the weird thing is - is it seems like it came to a screeching halt all of the sudden - not a gradual slow down....... I'm able to keep somewhat steady doing some map scanning, etc........but it will be interesting come fall/winter to see what happens........

Can you tell that this has been on my mind? There isn't a damn thing I can do about it - but it is still unsettling. I'm not worried about losing my job per se, I could find something else, and/or learn a new something....... just the thought of not knowing what is going to happen - and I'm a PLANNER. (I'm going to have to ease up on that with kids ..... I guess that is the un-hippy in me?)

I guess that's it for tonight...... :)

Work Note

Our President's Boss came to work today, which we knew he was coming - he visits probably about 2 times a year. Normally he'd come to meet with our boss (county manager) but today had a meeting with everyone.

Our work is not what it should be right now (does that surprise anyone, with the way the real estate is going?!) So, he pretty much forwarned us that the winter months and into Spring are going to be........unforseeable - but - that there could be possible changes that affect each and every one of us.

We were thankful he came to at least confront us all, even if it does seem doom and gloom.

We shall see where it goes from here........ if today was any factor of what it is going to be like....... I may go crazy. (The courier and I were both needing to scan with only 1 scanner!) It will make it interesting.

K says no matter what - we're trying in October. We are very lucky to have a place we can call home if need be - for free (property in Grand Coulee). That is a blessing amidst all the unsettled unknowing factors.

I'm exhausted.......K's mowing, I'm hitting the sack and it is only 8pm!! :)

Randi

This & That

Hey Gang! :)

What beautiful weather we are having around here huh? Our corn is finally knee high, we're gathering bucket fulls of raspberries to freeze for on cereal and eating some fresh, and I have ate a few tomato's, our corn, artichoke, carrots, and onions are all doing well also! It is so fun growing your own garden!

Saturday K had an old friend over with her partner. We had a great time! We talked, ate, talked, and ate some more :) They have gone to Gay Bingo in the past and told us it is a really great time! I am bound to go this coming year!!

Today we took a drive up to Whatcom Falls and toodled around a little bit. It was fun! We also went to Bellis Fair to see if their Bon Clearance store was still open, but it wasn't........ I need a pair of dress brown pants......... (not like khaki's) but like polyester.........12 TALL :o) Have I ever told you how hard it is to find me pants without paying an arm and a leg?................and ask those of my family members that have gone shopping with me - how much fun they've had ;)

K is now taking a little nap with the cat :) and we're headed to Grandma's house later this afternoon to visit her......

I think I'm going to make some whole wheat bread using my roll recipe and whole wheat flour and see how it works. It should be cheaper than buying bread nowadays.....

Baby stuff is coming on right along...... we're planning for October which is only a few months away to begin (in September). Today we both had the thought (which we really can't dwell on) but WHAT IF THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN!? ugh. We could spend $12,000 and get nothing - which we've already done......
BUT ya know what?

My body is right where it needs to be to make a wonderful, and perfect baby.

The stinky part that we have to figure out now is time off........and wether we'll get it off together now or not.....

Done for now.
Randi

My Personal Friday Fill In

It is after 11:00pm and here I am trying to do a Friday Fill-In and am getting overly frusterated with myself because my brain isn't functioning the way it should be......so I'm bagging it! :) With that being said........

Our plans for the weekend include a visit from an old friend of K's and her partner tomorrow (can't wait!) and then just enjoying each other doing whatever we feel like.

It was somewhat of a nice week at work, actually - despite a lady giving her 2 weeks notice and now not allowing K and I to have any time off together......... we all worked as a team and just did a great job together! Our office is really fun!

I cannot wait for tomorrow A.M. I'm making a mad dash for the Farmer's Market for BLUEBERRIES! They were so yummy!!!!

I'm off of here for the night............. hope you all have a great weekend!!

Cannot Wait!

I can't wait for those unschoolers who are probably having the most awesome time of their lives hanging out together - get back - and BLOG! My links of blogs is quite boring after a week of reading the same thing..........

:)
Randi

Fragrance Lake Hike

Happy Tuesday - and Weekend in Review

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! :) It sure is nice to have had the sun shining as much as it has on us!

K is gone tonight helping a friend paint her grandpa's house (whom just moved out into a retirement home) and preparing to sell the house, so I'm enjoying a little peace tonight by myself....... :) allows me to get caught up on all my blogging!

Friday night K and I went to dinner at the casino and then played a little. She was the winner, and I lost all the money. We came out $13.00 in the hole (including dinner) - so that wasn't too bad.

Saturday we got up at about 7:30, but didn't get moving very quickly, which is nice! We piddled through the house and at about 10:00am decided to head out for a few garage sales. Our neighborhood was having a community sale (that they told everyone about 2 days before?). We ended up finding a waving Santa that lights up for $5.00! We had one in our display last year, but it was borrowed........ :) After that we went to the farmers market and bought lots of yummy stuff! :)

(Blueberries, kohlrabi, peas, some jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread and some yummy carmels by Forte Chocolates (karen@fortechocolates.com) YUM!!!!

We checked on K's grandma later in the day and she was still so out of sorts. That poor lady. Her daughter leaving and her having been in the hospital really sent her for a loop. She wouldn't go to meals or anything. We ended up taking her some frozen dinners. Here is a picture of her and Kauleen:

Later that night I went to a gathering of sorts with a group out of Sedro Woolley. It is a group of people who have gone to different churches and tried to fit in, but never really felt part of the church, but still wanted a community to belong to. It was a lot of fun!! We sang songs, went over their goals from the beginning of the year and where they were at, and just had a grand time! I don't normally do things like this but have been yearning for some more socialization lately and they meet every Saturday........and the best part is.....

THEY ARE STARTING A DRUM CIRCLE! :)

So, I'll get in on that starting next month, cannot wait and also it may allow K to have some time to herself also, which she has been needing!!

Sunday when we got up....we had plans to go to the Bellingham Gay Pride Festival, but after the week of being gone every night, loving on Grandma and her needs a bit more, we were exhausted. We went to Target and bought new underwear (on sale-cheap!) and then came home and watched Juno.....yep, you read it - WE WATCHED TOGETHER, a movie.....and guess what? I DIDN'T FALL ASLEEP!!!! (although I was knitting.......and at times......my eyes were shutting.......BUT I stayed awake!) I loved it......very cute movie. After that, we did some yard work, etc.....and then decided to hit the festival in the afternoon. We drove 1/2 hour North.....got there.....and it was pretty lame. Obviously if we had hit it right after the parade it would've been a lot more people, but half the booths were tore down.....and it was 4:30 and was supposed to be going until 8pm. So we did about a 5 minute walk of the festival, listened to my friend from High School (Amber Darland) sing and play for a bit and then headed back home.......

Then, we decided to play re-arrange the furniture. Our Queen bed has a divot in it and so K is not all that comfy sleeping on her belly (which she does) and so we decided we'd move the full into our room (which was in the spare bedroom) and put the Queen bed in there.......that requires dis-assembling each bed frame, moving anything under the bed.....and then assembling all over again! Well....one night on the full bed and no sleep for either of us.........the next night, yep Monday night guess what we did? RE-ARRANGED FURNITURE AGAIN! This time........ we have the full still in the spare room.......BUT......this is what our room looks like:

No bed frame. We decided with the computer now in our room, and having had the Sleigh Bed out of our room for one night - we had a TON more room. So, we're probably going to bed a small size bed frame....but for now I like to think we'll keep it this way and add a few mattresses soon :) perfect for a wall of beds ;) (Oh and we put the sleigh bed on Craigslist and it went in less than 24 hours for the price we had said we'd sell it for!)

Work is going pretty good this week so far........ :) One person is out on vacation, but I think that tends to make the office a little different :) Our boss BBQ'd for us today, in celebration of our Burlington office joining our team. (With the way the market is, we had to shut down a small office and lay someone off....but the closer got to join our group) She's a fun, spunky lady.......and we need some life!!

Last night K and I went out to a local park, took some chicken and such, a blanket, and sat by the water and tried to come up with some short term and long term goals. We're pretty much on the same page........just achieving them all and how to go about doing that.

Having a baby is #1. I had someone, who knew someone, who may want my eggs (and I had originally thought that we could split/share the cost of the cycle - being about $5,000 each) but turns out that won't work........due to legal complications with the IVF Clinic.......so unless someone wants me eggs then we'll be paying full price - which we are prepared for. It is a good thing I called the other day to ask a few questions (we're preparing to take time off of work....) and they said they are full for September and are starting to fill up for October!!! They don't have the calendar yet......but will call me soon with the dates available! CRAZY-NESS to think that in a few months, I'll be trying again, or at least starting with the medicines...........oh what a pain in the ass ;o)

Secondly, we know that at least one of us wants to stay home and/or work part time - but that will not be doable in the house we are in. We have property that is paid for, but then we need to evaluate if we want to live in a small, non-gay friendly town and/or in more of an accepting town with possibility of meeting other likeminded life learning families.......:) so when we do get pregnant, then we get to figure out what now!? :) THAT is exciting..............

Thirdly, we want to finish Coulee......but that may take us some time. I think we've decided our next step in Coulee is to get stairs made, get the space covering our water pipes covered securely, and then dig for water and get the water pipes in. The first 2 aren't too bad cost wise (well....after the baby they will be) but the last one is going to be costly. As soon as we get it finished, it could possibly be an income for us - if that is what we so choose.

Our corn is about K's knee high right now :) Raspberries are growing like CRAZY! and are so yummy!! We pick usually morning and night on the raspberries......and have them on our cereal, eat them raw, and freeze lots too! With the price of raspberries in the store, I'm thinking we should plant more bushes for next year and sell them at a little stand!

I need to go finish fertilizing the rest of the veggies with fish fertilizer ;) as organic as it gets....... and get a few things done around the house.

I'll post our Fragrance Lake pictures upon my return back inside!

I'm Pooped!

We did a lot this weekend.......lots of fun stuff.....

we just finished re-arranging beds :)

I'll share some pics of our hike last week, a awesome picture of K and her Grandma, and our farmer's market treats someday this week!

CRAP!

Last night I was on the computer for some time and decided about 9:55pm that I'd go and read a magazine and watch some news - very well knowing that WOOT becomes available at 10:00pm PST. At about 10:10pm I mentioned to K that maybe she could get up and go check the computer, which I had WOOT up on and just needed to be refreshed. She was reading the paper and didn't want to get up right away...... AND being as lazy as I was, I didn't want to get up and check it......

Well, when K got up to check it a little bit later (maybe 10:15-10:20pm) she wasn't able to refresh the website (sometimes WOOT gets bogged down at the time the item first becomes available depending on how hot of an item it is) and she yells to me "IT ISN'T LETTING ME REFRESH!" UGH.

It finally refreshes.....and what is it? IT IS THIS:

IT IS RANDOM CRAP that I've been WAITING FOR!!!! They give away items for $1.00 plus $5.00 shipping and from what I've heard it is some pretty freakin' AWESOME crap! (a lady I know got a blender in her random crap) On this specific crap night, you could have gotten 3 items of crap! AND....the stinkin' server was so bogged down, along with my lazy ass........ that we didn't get in on the deal........which was gone in less than 20 minutes. I even called my dad to see about getting on and getting a bag of crap.......he too had the same issues.

Nonetheless, we're having a good laugh about me not getting up to check WOOT at 10:00pm like I normally do.......and it being exactly what I've been waiting for.

Maybe I'll get CRAP next time ;)

HAPPY SATURDAY!!!!!!!!! :) We're off to go garage sale'ing...(our neighborhood garage sale) and then to visit Grandma a little bit later and check in on her :) we bought her a few frozen dinners last night to put into her freezer.

It is a BEAUTIFUL day out! We ate breakfast outside!! :)

Friday Fill-In

1. Oh, I can't wait until I have a baby!

2. Canned cat food is the first thing I see when I open my refrigerator (and the first thing that came to mind!

3. I never leave home without my altoids box!!

4. If I were a condiment, I would be sweet relish because you get sweet and salty put together as one!.

5. Crunching while eating is really high up on my list of pet peeves. (Thanks DAD!)

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was how much I love Kauleen.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to hanging out and doing something relaxing (we've been doing something EVERY night this week!), tomorrow my plans include possibly cleaning and/or staining the fence and Sunday, I want to go to the Bellingham Gay Pride Parade and Festival!

Thursday Thirteen

THIRTEEN LOCAL HIKES AND/OR WALKS

1. Mt. Constitution (Mount Constitution at 2,409 feet is the highest point in the San Juan Islands) and has one amazing 360 degree view! (a tough hike, but well worth it!)

2. Goat's Peak (Winthrop, WA) 7001 feet. One of only a few left - a manned fire lookout! Goats Peak Information

3. Whistler, BC - Matthew's Traverse. We thought we were on an easy hike, only to find out it was a difficult (thanks to some friendly folk who had rode the Gondola to the top and hiked down!) We decided to hike the whole thing........

4. Whatcom County - Fragrance Lake

5. Lake 22 - Granite Falls. This was a BEAUTIFUL hike, kind of tough, but had pretty waterfalls, wooden bridges, etc.

6. Lake Padden Trail - Bellingham, WA (a nice stroll that we do often)

7. Washington Park Trail - Anacortes, WA

8. Leadbetter Point - Long Beach, Washington

9. Sauk Mountain

10. Schreibers Meadows

11. Iceberg Lake - Glacier National Park Montana

12. The hike to no where......we took a trail in Glacier National Park with no map trying to get to some special "falls" but only ended up getting no where. We'll never remember the name of the trail, but will always have the memory. :)

13. Share with us your favorite hike and/or walk!

We Did It!

K and I have hiked up to a lookout 2 times now and have never made it past the lookout to a little lake called Fragrance Lake! WE DID IT TONIGHT!! :) It makes us laugh that we could do Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island (a HUGE hike) but for the life of us couldn't do this 4 mile hike! Well........could have anything to do with the first bit is TOTALLY uphill?

We took sandwiches, and ate at the lake and then came down.

We got home about 9:30 tonight and we're exhausted. We took some pictures so I'll put them on in a few nights!

Tuesday Thoughts

I'm tired tonight! I went to Knit & Chat and knitted for about an hour and a half by myself :) I didn't know what to think.........other than - what is my goal in trying to do this knit and chat and maybe I'm not going about it the way I'm supposed to be to meet people? :) I have one faithful attendee, and one person who has come a few times........just wonder if anyone else will come?? and if it is worth our time? (and faithful attendee pregnant....and due in the next few months) *shrug* I'll do it for a few more weeks and see what pans out.......

K's Grandma is now out of the hospital and at home. We'll have to keep a close eye on her for a few days as her daughter leaves town.......K took her some fresh raspberries and a few other little treats tonight.

Work hasn't been all that nuts-o, thankfully! It has been steady, but not uncontrollable.

Tomorrow is Wednesday - half way point! :)

I've been feeling fat lately.......and am trying to eat better and watch my calories......whether or not I add the exercise in quite yet.......that's a different story. I HATE exercising. HATE IT. But also hate feeling the rolls of fat on my pants, gut, bra, etc....... whine, pout, whine........

That's it for tonight.............

Damn Videos!

Can I just say that I have been trying to post those damn videos forever now. When I use the HTML off of YouTube they *never* are allowed to be posted (I think the embedded HTML is wrong) and so I've been sitting here cussin' this computer out to NO end......go check my blog, and I'll be damned if the videos aren't there (I added them via YouTube - which had its issues of its own!)

ARGH! I guess it is time for me to go to bed.

Jul 04 Canonica Blast

Jul 04 2008 Pirates

Weekend In Review

THURSDAY NIGHT - Shelton Family Gang

FRIDAY DAY/NIGHT - THE BIG BOOM!

(I took this picture RUNNING away from the lit fireworks - that I did not realize were being lit!)

SATURDAY / NIGHT:

Hung out with the parents and chilled! We had to make a trip to Bellingham to feed a cat, and made a stop at Trader Joe's! :) We got our favorite oatmeal! Then we invited a few family members over to have a "left-over" BBQ (ended up running out of propane...) but thankfully they don't live that far and went and got a spare tank! THANKS SHAUN! :) Here's a family picture we took:

SUNDAY:

We took my dad to the Seattle Airport at 5:20am this morning is when we left. I had a hard time not falling asleep on the way home, thanks to my dear wife for driving! We came home, crawled back in bed and woke up at 11am! IT WAS DELIGHTFUL! We took showers, went to town to find more yarn....... (which we decided I'd be done since I wasn't going to find any yarn that was going to even come somewhat close to this somewhat "specialty" yarn.......and now I have just got to figure out how to do something different.........like a hat, place mat or something?!) and then we mowed the yard (which looks beautiful!), picked raspberries.....not QUITE a full freezer container full with lots more soon to be ripe (YUM!) and then we did this:

and as I type - K is cutting up the other flat of strawberries! A friend from work called on Saturday and her brother owns a local berry farm and they'd picked way too many berries for the 4th and didn't sell them - so they had tons of berries to get rid of for cheap! :) So, we did a bit of running around, but got us 2 flats!

We got a lot accomplished today!!

K's grandma is in the hospital (went in today at the age of 95) with fluid around her heart and lungs. Think good thoughts for her. She's a fighter.....and is feeling good (other than out of breath). They'll be keeping her a few nights to get her blood sugar back under control and we'll stop by and see her tomorrow.

Work this week will be interesting! :) We have 2 people gone and so we'll see how the work flow goes......... it is just one week. :)

That is it for now.......I'm going to post a few videos for you to watch of the awesome fireworks display and the parade! :)

Important Notice

I ran out of yarn tonight for knitting......with about 5 inches to go.........and the scarf isn't done. Now I need to go find different yarn to match this...........that is a for sure on my list of things to do.........and then figure out how to get it attached!

Secondly, weekend in review..........exciting stuff. Look for it tomorrow.

We're taking dad to the airport leaving at 5:45 butt crack A.M. :) to bed I go.

Thinking of each and every one of you!

In Loving Memory of Coco

Dog heaven is a special place

My tail is wagging fast

With all the things we dogs enjoy

I'm having such a blast.

Each night when I look in my dish

I get filet mignon for dinner

Never that dry stuff or stale meat

No cereal or filler.

So many other dogs are here I never get dog lonely

It never takes me long at all

To find that night's "one and only."

We have so many balls to chase I'm getting so much fitter

With water flowing everywhere

Always sweet and never bitter.

Sometimes it looks like Star Wars

When I stare into the sky

It isn't UFO's I see

But countless frisbees passing by.

The firemen here all love the place

A perfect spot they can retire

With one hundred hydrants for each dog

They'll never have a fire!

Cars with windows lowered

Pass by me on the street

With dog ears flapping from each one

It makes me feel complete.

Yet in this perfect playground

Doing all I love to doI find I'm often thinking back

Of all the times I spent with you.

There could be no kinder owner

We always had so much fun

Don't forget that I had seven years

Every time that you had one.

You always gave me so much love

Such kindness and attention

You deserve an owner's blue ribbon

Not just an honorable mention.

So please keep my memory active

In the morning when you eat

As you're chewing on your bagel

I'll be sitting at your feet.Arf!

Love,Coco

Rumblings!

I'm sitting here typing and don't want to turn the computer off - as lightening and thunder are going on around me! Weird colors of the night sky are pretty! :) We have a tint of purple, pinks, black and some orange.......

Today work was do-able. I've had some overloading issues lately (where I get all the work in the afternoon but in the morning am trying to *find* work to do) Sometimes the flow of work can't be helped - but I get quite overwhelmed. I'm supposed to get all my work done and out the door, but sometimes it just isn't going to happen and I need to learn to start accepting it! I really focused on that today.......

Money had me a little stressed out this morning! We're trying to save for the baby, but even with our incentive this month - we still won't make enough to cover all the bills! (so we'll have to take some from savings) WHERE is this money going to come from for the baby stuff if we can't even save for it?! (I guess it is kind of a catch 22 - we put money INTO savings - but we're having to take it out to cover the bills?!) AND don't get me wrong, we have money....we can pretty much do what we want to......... just sometimes are more tight than others, especially when we have the goal of wanting to try for the baby! :) In the end it'll be worth it!!

Tomorrow is our FRIDAY! :) I am very excited! We made our 4 loaves of Amish Friendship bread tonight for the 4th and we bought some drinks...... I think we're set. I need to remember to bring my drums! :)

That's it for now!

Hump DAY!

We've made it to Wednesday! ONLY ONE MORE DAY!!!!! :)

We got haircuts last night and both got a little different of a style - not too much, sure feels good.

I had knitting group and enjoyed a visit with only one lady :) but sure enjoy her! and then came home and ate some dinner and then hung with K when she returned from her Gma's house.

Tonight we'll clean up a bit, make some Amish Friendship Bread to take to the 4th and hang out in celebration of tomorrow being FRIDAY!!!!!!! (or our Friday).

I'm really missing my unschooling friends from LIG. :(

Randi