Meadow Street Memoirs

2011 Installment of "Got Lefse?"

2011-11-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was my family's annual lefse-making party. We were missing three of our regulars so we didn't get as much done as usual, but I think we still did a great job. As usual, I took a lot of pictures. Here are a few.

This was taken Saturday morning from my grandma's back deck. How would you like to wake up to this view every morning?

This was our newest helper this year. She's me adorable niece, and since I don't get a chance to photograph cute little girls all the time I kinda went overboard with pictures of her. =o)

She had so much fun!

My dear Aunt Susie!

I love this picture of my sister and her daughter making lefse.

So happy!

She got pretty good at rolling... for a toddler anyway.

Perfekt! <-- Norwegian

Just like you!

Here's my boy trying his hand at rolling.

Hey kid! What flavor is that dum dum? (he prefers the mystery flavor)

Picture perfect lefse! YUM!

One of my cousins stopped by and helped for a bit. It was her first time.

My darling Grandma Nona!

Oh how you make me smile! I love you so.

I had to take a picture of this last lefse that I made. What a beauty!

Happy to be all done.

After all was done and counted, there were 124 lefses. Great work ladies and gentlemen!

My nephew was there too, but wasn't too interested in making lefse. He had action figures to tend to!

I had my niece try on one of the hats I brought for her. It looks as adorable, just as I had imagined.

The sunrise on Sunday morning.

Before leaving we had to raid Grandma's cupboards and cutout all the boxtops for school. Here are the boys counting the loot.

I don't know what's going on here, but I think she has a secret that she's not going to tell.

What a handsome kid! All he wants for Christmas are his two front teeth.

Sunday morning is a perfekt time for a cuddle with Great Grandma Nona.

Another awesome weekend at grandma's house. I already can't wait for next year!
Remember your blessings!
Amber

Wheels

2011-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Last night was my son's last soccer game. He earned the nickname "Wheels" by his coach. It is very fitting.

As with most of the kids his age, the funnest part of watching him play is his facial expressions. Let me share a few of those with you. Most of the time the tongue is either out, or it's making a bump on his cheek.

The kid takes the game of soccer very seriously, and he plays with conviction and passion.

And is so humble when he scores.

He's polite on the field and never pushes and shoves.

He's always willing to help when others are in the wrong spot on the field.

He celebrates with his teammates and gives kuddos when they score.

He's always ready to defend his goal.

He supports his teammates on and off the field.

He never gives up.

He's just a fun guy to have on any team.

And I don't think I even have to say anything about his impeccable style sense.

Yep. That kid sure does love his soccer.

Soccer Field Beauty

2011-10-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started with the most amazing sunrise! It was all the beautiful colors of fall on fire. I didn't have a chance to take a picture, but one of my Facebook friends did.

(photo by Bre Earl)

That alone made my day, but God wasn't done yet. Not even close! Levi had a soccer game last night and about 10 minutes in the most amazing rainbow appeared. It was so vibrant, and just a little ways to the left was a faint double rainbow. Absolutely glorious! I did have my camera for that. Here are a few of the pictures I was able to take.

This one is actually my favorite and was taken with my phone.

Then, just when I thought I'd seen all the beauty I could handle in one day, a gorgeous purple and pink sunset ended the day. I woke up still in awe thinking about it this morning.

Thank God for his countless incredible blessings!
Amber

Apples and Pumpkins

2011-10-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been to Green Bluff Farms? It's north of Spokane, WA. We visited on Sunday for the first time and had a blast! There are over 40 growers that are all part of Green Bluff Growers. This time of year they have their Apple Festival going on each weekend. A word of warning if you decide to visit; get there early! We got there after 12:00 and the traffic and parking situation was horrendous! Next time I'm going to plan a whole long day since we were only able to visit three spots. Bummer!

Here's a rundown of some of the things we did in the short amount of time we were there.

On our way through the parking lot at the Harvest House we saw this. CJ said "I've never seen horse hooves that big before! Wow!!!"

This little guy was there. Just nine weeks old. How adorable is he?! You could bottle feed him for the bargain price of just $20. We did NOT bottle feed the baby zebra.

The boys got hungry so they had a fun little snack at this fun little seating area.

He's a Deer man! I have no idea what's up with that expression.

After we were done at the Harvest House we were summoned across the road to Green Bluff United Methodist Church by the heavenly smell of baking apples. They had a sign out front bragging about their apple dumplings. So, we ordered up three and ate them while we enjoyed old country tunes and hymns played on the banjo and sung by an elderly gentlemen who I can only assume was a member of the church. It was absolutely delightful!

Apple dumpling covered in vanilla cream sauce. YUMMY!

After we finished at the church we headed to Knapp's. What a wonderful farm! There were pumpkins, gourds, and apples everywhere!

Delicious apples!

(photo courtesy of spokanekelly on flickr since I forgot to take a picture of apples)

They had "punkin chunkin" where they launch a pumpkin over a 1/4 mile from their homemade canon. Pretty impressive!

The boys really enjoyed their hay bale maze, and according to their website they also have a corn maze. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to experience that. =o(

We did have time for this though!

And this. I think my mom should be a bit more nervous!

After all of those fun activities it was time to go pick our pumpkins. I only gave the boys one rule for picking their pumpkin. They had to be able to pick it up themselves. "Is it off the ground mom?"

Photo op!

"Here's a good one!"

"Oh wait! That one is nice too!"

The one that Mr. Stripes finally settled on.

As usual, the oldest kid has to do all the work while the youngest is just along for the ride.

What a gorgeous place for a farm! Check out that view in the background.

Finally some help from the little guy.

While we were waiting in line to pay for our pumpkins I thought it would be nice to get a nice picture of the both of them in front of the red barn. If you ever doubted that a photographer's hardest subjects are their own children, here's the proof! Not one normal shot, and as you can see once again... always the youngest.

So that was our fun afternoon at Green Bluff Growers. I will definitely be going there at least once next year. We had such a great time!

I hope you all are enjoying the lovely fall weather and beautiful colors that have finally arrived on the Palouse.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

School Is Now In Session

2011-09-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

You know what the hardest part about being a mom is? Letting go. Yesterday my baby started kindergarten. It's such an exciting time for him, and I'm excited right along with him, but for me it's bitter-sweet. I'm pretty tough most of the time, but sometimes I can be a real sissy!

I was fine while he was getting ready. I was fine on the walk to school. I was fine waiting inside the door of the school. Then as we were all being herded down the hallway to the kindergarteners' classrooms, the 1st and 2nd grade teachers were standing outside their doors saying stuff like "Here come the kindergarteners!" and "Welcome to school!" I just about lost it. My eyes became wet. I pulled it together before my son could see me.

As my baby boy was hanging up his sparkly new Spiderman backpack and exploring his new surroundings all I could think about was the last five-and-a-half years. As his father and I were trying to get his attention so we could say goodbye, I was thinking how independent he has become and how starting kindergarten is a new chapter in his life. Then as I stepped across the threshold of the kindergarten door to leave, the tears I had been fighting back broke through and started trickling down my cheeks. Thank goodness it didn't last long, but even now just thinking about it gets me choked up.

On to the pictures!

Both boys all ready to go.

On their way!

In front of the school sign. This is an annual shot. My older boy hates it, but he humors me.

Levi in his classroom making friends. He is definitely NOT a shy kid!

I hope you all have had a wonderful summer!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Another Camping Trip

2011-07-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

We've been camping a lot this summer thanks to the purchase of a new-to-us toy hauler in May. I am now spoiled and will never go back to tent camping!

A couple weeks ago we went camping up the North Fork of the Clearwater River, South of Avery, ID. It's gorgeous there and one of our favorite places in Idaho to go camping. We found a beautiful spot along the river.

The whole crew came along; us, the kids, my mom, our dogs, and my mom's kitten, Sophie. There was lots to do.

Relax

Or try to anyway.

Some know better and find more private locations to relax.

Practice target shooting.

Pan for gold.

Go four-wheeling.

Or try to. Sometimes a fallen tree gets in the way and you have to wait for the big guy to saw through it.

Play in the water.

And others take picture of the water.

At the end of the day there's always the time spent by the campfire.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

My Own Private Show

2011-07-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

We went camping over the 4th of July weekend. It was so nice being out with the family; riding 4-wheelers, fishing, swimming, and just relaxing. The place we camped at was incredibly gorgeous too.

Some people think I'm crazy, but when I'm camping I love getting up before sunrise and going for walks with my camera. This time of year that requires rising before 5:00 a.m., and it's so satisfying when I step out to something as beautiful as this:

As the sun rises colors start emerging, and the lake turns into this:

There's just something about watching nature come alive. It's like watching God paint a masterpiece on a canvas; an ever-evolving masterpiece. It makes me feel like I'm watching a private show made just for me.

Next time you're out camping get up before the sun. You won't regret it!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Skies

2011-07-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

While I do have lots to blog about I am lacking the time to do it so today, in an effort to at least put something on my blog, I'll leave you with a few photographs of some beautiful skies from this spring.

Have a safe and happy 4th, and don't forget to remember your blessings!
Amber

No-Cost Homemade Photo Booth

2011-06-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

My son's end-of-the-year 3rd grade party was yesterday, and I ~~foolishly~~ eagerly volunteered to organize it. Thankfully, it was just for his class, and it was only one hour long. Like I always do, I started out by searching the internet for unique ideas for activities, games, food, decorations, etc. Then I actually thought of an idea myself! I know... shocking! Wouldn't it be fun if I could make a photo booth!

I knew this project was going to take me a lot of elbow grease so I delegated the other two games, decorations, and food to the other parents who had volunteered to help. Thank God for them!

Because I didn't want this to cost me a bunch of money I called the local appliance store and asked if they had a refrigerator or freezer box I could have. Luckily they did! Yay!

First thing I did was cut the box in half, then I stapled strips of old scrap wood I had laying around to the top and bottom of the opening, making the doorways on either side of the booth.

To make sure I had enough room for the pictures I had my two stinky dirty little boys come pose for me. Then I cut out a square where my camera lens would poke through to the inside of the booth.

After that I added a backdrop using an old curtain rod and a white curtain that I already had. The cardboard would have worked fine, especially after turning the pictures B/W, but I wanted something that would make the end result look more "photo boothish."

Then, I interrupted my stinky boys from playing baseball in the yard for another test.

Perfect! We're good to move on to the next step. Time for paint!

I used leftover paint I had from other home projects to paint the outside of the box. CJ, Levi, and even Winchester helped(?) paint... for a bit anyway. They eventually got bored so I pulled out their kiddie pool and was left finishing this myself. It got much less messy after that.

I used a set of old curtains to cover the openings and my son painted the words "PHOTO BOOTH" on each side (again with paint I already had).

Lastly, I determined I needed more light to come in from the camera side of the booth (so I wouldn't have to use a flash) so I cut out a "window" and covered it with some thin white fabric (from an old sheet) so to avoid the sun casting unwanted shadows through the hole. I added two stools for seating and our photo booth was ready to go!

It looked good, but would it work? Time to test it out... again!

Success!!! We have a photo booth ready for a 3rd grade end-of-year party. The part I like best about this is that it cost me exactly $0.00 to make! Anyone can do this project, and any camera can be used with it. Promise!

I'll be writing another post about how you take the photos you took in your photo booth:

And turn them into a fun B&W photo strip.

Plus, how I made this for my son's teacher!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Fun in Boise (which is NOT a state)

2011-05-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a Vandal, and as such I feel obligated to point out that, despite what the Boise State University believes, Boise is NOT a state. Just to clarify, BSU is (was?) our college rival. I wouldn't be a true Vandal if I didn't mention this fact. I wonder who thought it was a good idea to give their college this name.

So, you may be asking why I'm going on about this. Well, normally a trip to Bronco country wouldn't be all that appealing, but since my sister moved to Boise I figure I had better get used to it. I thought I would have her show me around over the Memorial holiday weekend while my sexy husband shot trap at the state tournament.

My sister showed my boys and me a very good time in Boise. We went to the Farmers' Market, the Capitol Building, the Zoo, Powell's Candy, one of the city parks, shopping, good food, and a movie at the theatre (Pirates of the Carribean 4).

Here are some of my pictures from the weekend, most of which are from our trip to the zoo.

This little guy seemed to be posing for me. Work it! Work it!

There were some very interesting looking creatures.

There were beautiful animals.

And some not so beautiful animals.

And some that I couldn't decide whether they were beautiful or not.

My boys got to get up close and personal with these prairie dogs. I thought this was such a cool idea!

There were some very regal animals.

This Sloth Bear obviously hadn't visited a manicurist in awhile.

This slimy toad reminded me of Jaba the Hut from Star Wars.

We took a very short boat ride that the boys seemed to enjoy.

I suspect these two partied too hard the night before we visited. During the three hours we were there these hyenas never woke up. Must have been some party!

The animals seemed to be drawn to my baby. Penguins are such characters.

My older boy had fun feeding the funny goats.

Seriously! Can you even look at this picture without smiling?

Some of the animals were kind of scary and intimidating. The king of the jungle loved flaunting his stuff in front of the windows.

Here he is giving my son a little looksy. I can't help but wonder if he was thinking "snack" while staring at my baby. Thank goodness for the very thick glass!

After the zoo we hit Powell's Candy Store and enjoyed some gilato. YUM! Spiderman's flavor of choice was strawberry.

Cala's favorite wall was the Jelly Belly wall. Can't say I blame her. Another YUM!

I loved how cute the presentation of the gilato was. This kid's flavor choice was rocky road.

After the candy store a little energy-burning was in order so we headed to the park.

We had such a great time, and my sister was a perfect host. I look forward to visiting her and Boise (not a state) again!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Soccerrific!

2011-05-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's time for another montage of Levi's sports pictures. He had a soccer game last night. This spring has been weird so there haven't been a lot of games due to rainouts. Boohoo!

So when they've actually gotten the chance to play, they've made up for it and played with complete gusto.

After his fourth goal. Silly kid!

Kudos from the coach.

There's the big bro in the background running along for support. Or more likely it was just something for him to do to keep from being bored.

Oh, and do you recognize the tongue? I did a post about CJ and his tongue awhile ago. Aparently it runs in the family.

Ladies first? Not likely. Ruthless is Levi's middle name, especially on the soccer field!

After all was said and done, we don't know the score, but everyone had a great time!

Especially Levi.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Locker Reveal

2011-05-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Remember the locker I built? It's made out of pine and cedar. I couldn't decide whether I should paint it white or stain it. Almost everyone said "stain it!"

Here's what I came up with. White wash stain on the pine and dark stain on the cedar back planks. What do you think?

I think it turned out great, and I really love it!

I had tried to make wood boxes for the cubbies made out of old pallets. I wasn't a crazy fan of that. The reason I tried that was because I had a hard time finding baskets to fit the spaces. After searching every store I could think of I finally found some! Can you believe it? They fit perfectly! Needless to say, I was thrilled.

Here's the locker loaded up with the boys' backpacks and coats.

And the boys getting ready to go to school. The top is so bare. I don't know what to put up there. If you've got any suggestions please share!

Have a fantastic week, and remember your blessings!
Amber

Play Ball!

2011-04-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Baseball season has officially begun and we couldn't have asked for a better opening day; 60 degrees and sunny. Yay! The opening ceremony was Saturday morning.

The team's first game started in the afternoon. Here's our coach supervising warm-ups.

Some of the boys waiting for their turn to bat.

Here's my boy at his first up-to-bat. He struck out. =o(

The action was endless even if it meant taking pictures of the opposite team.
A successful third base steal by the other team. Darn it!

Then he stole home from us too.

We have some good pitchers on our team. I caught this pitch from outside the fence behind the plate.

This is my favorite picture from Saturday. That's my boy up to bat hitting his first baseball of the season! You can see the dust coming off the ball if you click on the picture to see it bigger. Way to go kid!

A shot of one of our other pitchers.

Yay! A run for the Rockies!

Safe! Another run scored.

It was a close game, but the Rockies ended up losing 5-4 in the last inning. That's okay boys. We'll get em' next time!

Palletopia

2011-04-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

I was doing a search online the other day for examples on how to build wooden crates. I came across some crates that were made from wooden pallets on Ana White's site. It got me to thinking...what else have people made with wooden pallets? So, I googled it. I was amazed at some of the things I found.

I'll save you the time of googling it yourself and run through some of what I found. Some I will probably be doing myself and some I won't.

I'll probably be doing something like this for my vegetables in the backyard.

Look! A potting bench! I'll probably do a version of this one too.

You can make furniture out of pallets.

Even if it's just for display like this one. So cute!

Put wheels on a couple and make yourself a mobile daybed.

Wonder if there's toilet paper inside this.

Pretty cute.

Wonder how much sanding went into this before they were able to work on it.

I don't know about you, but this may be a little too obvious.

Someone is very talented!

Interesting...

Yard art?

This is cool, but what does one do with a huge wood pallet sphere?

This couple used pallets as the bones for their stucco wall.

Pretty cool huh?

My boys would LOVE this. All this mama sees is slivers!

Practical wood shed. Just keep the fireworks away from this baby. I bet it would light up in 1.2 seconds!

There's a riding lawn mower inside this shed.

These men turned these 206 wood pallets into...

THIS! Can you believe it?

And here's the inside. WOW!

So, lots of uses for FREE wood pallets besides firewood, even for those that have little experience with a hammer. I'll let you know how my projects turn out.

Remember your blessings!

Locker Dilemma

2011-04-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday I made a locker for the boys to store their backpacks, jackets, shoes, and hats. I made it out of pine and cedar. As of now it's unfinished. I can't decide if I want to paint it or stain it. It's beautiful wood, but it's two different kinds. What do you think I should do?

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

2011-04-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yay for me! I finally got around to a project I've had sitting in the basement since sometime last year. It was such a nice day!

I picked up this mirror at a local thrift store for I think $25. It's been awhile. The good thing about nice weather is flip flops. The bad thing about nice weather in early spring? Pasty white winter legs!

There were hinges and decorative brass plates I had to remove.

The problem with removing these is they leave big holes in the wood.

I went to the hardware store and got some of this wood filler.

After sanding down the finish, then applying the wood filler, then waiting an agonizing hour and then sanding it again, it was ready to paint. Yay! Oh, and please note I did NOT paint this while it was on the tailgate of my truck. I had to move it due to an unfortunate even that happened under the house having to do with a broken water pipe. Ugh!

After the middle section was done it was time to repeat the steps with the smaller side sections.

After everything was dry it was time to attach the hanging hardware. I was nervous about the nails being too small to hold the weight of the mirror, but after trying with a larger nail I knew I had nothing to worry about. That wood is HARD! I decided to use these sawtooth hangers for the large section; one on each side of the mirror.

But since the side mirrors have a curved top I had to use hanging wires for them.

Here's the wall before the mirrors.

Just $10 worth of supplies, one afternoon of elbow grease, and a flooded basement later, we have this! The mirrors are bigger than what I had pictured, but what an improvement!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

This project linked to:

Frogs, Badgers, and Bears! Oh my!

2011-03-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

The boys and I all shot in the Tucannon 3D Archery Shoot this past weekend. My mom went along for the weekend too. We found a nice campsite, and the boys made friends with two boys at the campsite across the creek while we set up. Apparently, the boys told the fathers of their new friends that we needed firewood (a task I was going to tackle after we got the tent put up). So, you can imagine my surprise when two men showed up in our site with their arms full of firewood. The men told us we were smart to send such cute kids to beg for firewood (We did no such thing. I was mortified!). I explained to the nice gentlemen that we had no idea they were going to do that, then thanked them profusely for their generous donation. Then they invited us over to their camp for spaghetti.

Friday night it rained while we slept so we woke up to a bit of moisture.

It made for some beautiful scenery though!

Levi told everyone he met how his socks got wet when he went outside to pee. He's not a shy boy... at all!

After our breakfast of gogurt and biscuit and gravy pockets (a suggestion from my sister - SO GOOD!), we headed out to start shooting.

I love this picture my mom took through the branches of me shooting.

Levi couldn't decide whether to shoot left- or right-handed.

CJ had some good challenging shots. I was proud of him for being able to hit the targets from so far away.

Right-handed this time!

Yes, those are frogs! There were also some other fun targets like dinosaurs, a cheetah, a jaguar, and jackalope!

Of the whole weekend this target is the one CJ was most happy about. He stuck it dead-center in the metal target. Yay! We both walked away with our arrows in tact!

He was on cloud nine for the rest of the day!

Levi was happy to show off this badger he hit too!

I mentioned some challening shots. Here's one of them. Can you see what I'm shooting at?

It's a blonde bear right there through the trees.

I think this was CJ's longest shot.

It snowed on us while we were shooting, but at least it wasn't rain!

We all had such a great time!

When we were done for the day we headed back to camp for some tacos! Yum!

And the next morning we were all ready to do it again!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Since today is St. Patrick's Day and I really have nothing interesting to blog about I thought I would share old scanned pictures that have green in them. First though, here's a little history about this holiday which encourages the consumption of BEER!

I found the folloing informationi here.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

So why does everyone wear green on St. Patrick's Day? I consulted with Wikipedia for the answer to my question.

Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. In the 1798 rebellion, in hopes of making a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

Wow! Blue? I had no idea!

Okay, here are the old pictures I promised. Check out that ADORABLE baby! Her name is Amber. Isn't she sooooooo cute?! I think she might be the world's cutest baby!

This baby's name is John. He's my dad. I'm sure he's been put in that cage for some unjust reason. Just look at him. "I'm innocent!"

Where did those awful green leotards come from? Those poor girls! These are my sisters sitting on my great grandpa's lap. I'm so glad we are oblivious to the horrible outfits we wear as a child.

Nice pants Jacque! Personally, I think the one in the middle is the best looking and most fashionable one of the bunch.

My mom. I'm not sure how old she was here, but I love this picture.

Oh look! There's that incredibly fashionable, good-looking, and well-behaved little girl again in the background!

Question: Weren't those thigh rolls supposed to go away?

Well, there goes my chance of ever becoming Miss USA.

Wow! My great grandparents had a green kitchen!

My grandpa looked pretty good in green... and look! It's that incredibly adorable baby again!

I really can't help it! My mom holding the world's cutest baby... ever!

There's my mom with her brother and sister. Wasn't she so cute?!

Okay, okay! Stop shouting. I know you want to see one more picture of the world's cutest baby... ever, again, but this is the last one! "It's so hard being this beautiful."

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Five Years Old

2011-03-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

My younger goofball turns five years old today.

I got him a harmonica this past weekend.

He loves to annoy his brother by playing it.

I think we all know what a goofy kid he is.

He strikes his own poses.

He marches to the beat of his own drum.

He does little "swoosh" hand signals like he's making a basket when I'm trying to take pictures of him.

He's one of the cutest and most handsome boys I know.

And I LOVE his dimples.

Happy Birthday Kid!

Winchester the Snow Dog

2011-02-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I blogged about Winchester. Our big pretty boy is now a 20 month old, 60 pound puppy. He hangs out with us on the couch while watching TV and pesters Tristan whenever he gets the chance. He also loves this time of year with all the snow. I took him with us to set up a 3D archery course on Saturday. Boy did he enjoy himself!

He loves to dive in head first into the snow.

Then he scoots through the snow trying to cover himself in the white stuff.

Then he'll roll around.

Take in the snowy bliss while you can big boy!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

BBQ Chicken and Snicker Doodles

2011-02-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I posted some of my family's recipe pages. Here are a couple more for you!

Scrapbooking

2011-02-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'm at a scrapbook retreat in the mountains so I thought I'd share a few of my pages. Nothing too spectacular, but since it's been over a month since I posted, and because I need a break from trying to think of scrapbooking ideas at the moment, here are a few pages snapped by my mobile phone. (That's my disclaimer for the poor picture quality!)

Bargain Alert! ~Dollar Store Wall Stickers~

2011-01-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

I made a trip to the Dollar Store the other day and found these adorable wall stickers to use in my house!

This one is on my laundry door.

I put this one on my mantle. I love the color and I think it added just that little bit of whimsy without overdoing it.

They had all sorts of wall stickers there; butterflies and flowers for little girls' rooms, other decorative sayings, brightly colored designs, among others. What a great bargain if you're looking to spice up a shelf, door, or dresser. They do not stick to textured walls though. :o( Boohoo!

Remember your blessings!

A Place for My Pretty Essentials

2011-01-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm too embarrased to tell you how long I've wanted to do this project, and how little time it actually took to get it done. I don't know why I put it off for so long because I love the end result. I've always wanted to have a place in my bathroom for fun little glass jars with q-tips, cotton balls, and all those other little white things we use daily. Finally, it's done.

Sadly, I do not have an actual before picture, but thanks to photoshop, I can show you what it looked like anyway.

And here it is after I added those three tiny shelves. Now I have a place to put all those fun little items in cute Ikea jars I've had for about three years.

Not counting the paint-drying time, this project took me a total of about 30 minutes. Not joking. Plus, since I already had all of the materials and paint, I didn't have to spend a penny for this project! That's my favorite kind!

Now, does anyone have any ideas about what to do with my curling iron, flat iron, and hair dryer?

Airing Out My Dirty Laundry

2011-01-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

I got quite a few projects on my home to-do list done over the New Year weekend holiday. It's a good and bad thing when this happens. I'm happy that projects are done, but it puts me in the mood to get more done. Why is this a bad thing, you ask? Well, for one, projects cost money, and two, they take time. Especially the ones on my list. Projects like:

tile the downstairs entry area and laundry room
finish the unfinished downstairs
add a sliding glass door downstairs
finish the unfinished bathroom
add a storage niche in the boys' bathroom
convert each of the boys' closets into a desk area
replace the ceiling fan/light fixture in the master bedroom (it's HUGE)

There are sooooo many more! I made a list in excel and printed it off. My husband saw the list. God rest his soul. Okay, that's a little overkill, but he and I don't see home projects the same way. Something that I see as a simple project can be very daunting to him and he is never able to imagine my "vision." He's learned after 10 years of marriage to trust me, but let's face it. I am an impatient person. I start thinking of a project and I want it done right now (surfing blogs does not help!). Honestly, it sometimes borders on obsessive. My poor husband.

Now that you know all that unnecessary information about me and my husband I'll move on to the first project I got done this past weekend.

Meet my laundry room. Wait, room isn't really the right word. Meet my laundry closet! Yes, that seems more fitting.

If I had to do it again, I would have not gotten the pedestal drawers they are on and stacked them so I would have one whole side for a folding counter and shelves. If I wanted to change it now it would involve calling a plumber and electricion to move either the pipes and/or the vent and electrical outlet. $$$. No thank you. I'll just work with what I've got... for now.

We lack storage space in our house, but we had all this room above the washer and dryer. So, I pulled out my table saw, circular saw, paint, and paintbrush to build simple shelves using plywood I already had and recycled boards from my boys' bunkbed-turned-single beds project. This project took me about 90 minutes all together. I love having new projects done before my husband even walks through the door so he can be impressed with me!

Then, because who wants to look at the stuff you store there, I added a curtain. It's folded under right now because I haven't hemmed it yet. I plan to use heat-activated hemming tape. It's so much easier and quicker than sewing.

The other side has a wire shelf that we put up shortly after we moved into our house four years ago. I'll be replacing that with another wood one (I ran out of plywood). I decided to add the upper shelf after I had already painted the ones on the other side, so that will get a coat of paint after I replace the wire shelf.

Because our laundry closet is so small we used to not have anywhere to put our dirty laundry while it was waiting to be washed. A good friend of mine got one of these rolling laundry carts from Costco for her laundry room, and I knew I had to have one. It's heavy-duty, and the best $45 I've spent for laundry. It has solved three problems for us; 1-there is now a place for "laundry-in-waiting," 2-we can easily sort everything, and 3-there's a handy place to hang our delicates to dry. Since it's on wheels it is easy to move and it fits perfectly between the two machines when we aren't doing laundry.

I'll have another project to share with you tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Like Diamonds

2011-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

I'm still not tired of the cold weather and all the snow. Call me crazy, but I'm actually really enjoying it this year. Ask me again in about a month or so. My opinion on this will probably be different by then.

This past weekend it was cold. Single-digit type of cold. Because it has stayed cold enough we got a wonderful winter wonderland to enjoy. I don't mean the normal snow. I mean glittering, shimmering, sparkling all around us. I felt like I was surrounded by diamonds. In the trees, on the fences, and just laying all about.

I tried to capture the beauty, but I couldn't get the sparkling or glimmering you get in real life. This is about as close as I came. Just a little sparkle.

(as always, you can click on these photos to see them larger).

The sparkle in the trees was due to all the ice that was stuck to the tree branches.

Obviously it was all about the trees for me, based on the pictures I took. It's like God added white twinkle lights to every tree around us.

I just loved how the orange branches showed through on these trees.

The sun was setting behind this ridge, and the rays created a warm glow that filled the tree line.

Magnificent and magical!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

What My Family Did on Christmas

2010-12-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas this year!

We went to my parents' house in Oregon and spent four very fun days hanging out with them, my grandparents, and my sister. We did the extended family party on the day of Christmas Eve (potluck, white elephant, etc.), then us girls hit a store I'd heard a lot about but never been to; Hobby Lobby! It was instantly a new favorite. We only had about an hour to spend there so my wallet didn't suffer too badly. Thank goodness there's not one close to where I live! I'd be in big trouble.

The boys went to Ranch & Home (I think) where my father bought Big Squirt a mini 20-gauge shotgun. You see, my husband and I shoot trap and Big Squirt really wants to shoot too, but before Friday we hadn't been able to find a shotgun to fit him. Lo-and-behold, they find one that fits. My son was, of course, over the moon!

When we got back to the house we all changed into our PJs and settled down to open presents from each other.

Little Squirt got super excited about his Superhero Squad DVD from his Aunt.

Mom loved all her scarves.

Big Squirt was really excited to get a steelhead rod.

Grandma loved her warm clothes from Grandpa, which earned him a smooch and a hug.

Casey and I got an awesome Christmas present from my parents; two plane tickets to Las Vegas! In addition to the plane tickets, my parents paid for my registration fee to the NFAA World Archery Festival! I can't wait!

On Christmas day our family went out shooting. I told you earlier that Big Squirt got a shotgun from his grandpa. Well, he got to try it out. I was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle the kick, and at first it was a little hard, but I was so proud of him when he didn't let that make him afraid and he tried it again.

On just his 2nd attempt he shot his first clay pigeon!!! From then on he was hooked. I was so proud of him. He hit about 12 total, out of about 30 shots. Very very good for a brand new shooter. I might have to start calling him dead-eye! I caught this picture with the bird, shot, and smoke all in the air.

He shot righ along side everyone else and showed us how it is done.

After we were done with shooting we went back to the house, put the prime rib in the oven, later had a yummy feast, and after that played cards for awhile. It was such a fun Christmas! We missed our family that couldn't be there with us this year though.

Hope you all had an AWESOME Christmas!
Remember your blessings!
Amber

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

I hope this year's Christmas brings you and your family lots of laughs and more love than you know what to do with!

Artsy Fartsy Christmas Photos

2010-12-23T14:06:00.000-08:00

I love beautiful Christmas pictures. Who doesn't? There's so many small details about Christmas decorations that just scream to be photographed. Some people add artistic treatments to their photos that I just loved so I tried my hand at adding some textures and different effects. Here's a few of what I came up with.

Not really a Christmas decoration... or is it?

Go Vandals!!!

To everyone who will be traveling over the holidays, be safe!

Remember your blessings!

Amber

2010 Christmas Tree Post

2010-12-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

My tree is beginning to look pretty much the same every year. The good thing is that I love it! We decided to put up our artificial tree this year to save time and money. I do miss the smell of a real pine tree, but the fake tree is hassle-free, which is so nice! I did have to boost it up a little using my archery target. It's supposed to be a 6.5 ft. tree, but it's more like 5'10". Plus, it now has a lot more room for presents underneath the tree!

The boys have fun decorating the tree no matter what kind it is.

They love deciding which ornaments they'd like to hang.

They also love to wear the camo santa hat while decorating.

Tristan, of course, loves sitting under the tree and pretending he's a wild beast in the forest. Just look at him. He's totally ready to pounce. Oh, sorry Tristan. That's right... I can't see you.

My favorite thing about our Christmas tree is how it shines at night. After everyone goes to bed I love to turn all the livingroom lights off and just sit and look at it. It's so pretty!

Remember your blessings!

Amber

It's a Love Story

2010-11-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

I realize many of you may think it is over-the-top to blog about my KitchenAid, and I'm not going to deny that I considered myself a little nutty to be doing it, but here's the thing... I LOVE my KitchenAid stand mixer. It was my first year anniversary present from my husband, and it's pretty much the only one I remember.

Those of you who own a KitchenAid stand mixer know where I come from. Those of you who don't... well, all I can say is that I'm sorry, and maybe you should be nicer in the future so Santa will bring you one of these instead of a lump of cold black coal.

So, what prompted me to want to blog about my KitchenAid? Well, I got it a new friend last week. Ever since I saw the KitchenAid 90th anniversary limited-edition 5-quart stand mixer in gorgeous candy apple red sitting on the William-Sonoma showroom floor, I've wanted the glass bowl that was accompanying it.

I'm not kidding when I say I heard angels sing. Say I'm not the only one.

I was crushed when the evil lady at William-Sonoma told me it only comes with the KitchenAid 90th anniversary limited-edition 5-quart stand mixer in gorgeous candy apple red. Crushed! So, I have patiently waited and waited and waited and when I saw one box, containing one 5-quart KitchenAid mixing bowl sitting on the floor by the KitchenAid display in Tri-State I swooped it up, not even caring that it wasn't on sale.

My mom told me I should wait until Christmas. I told her she was crazy and that I'd already have all my cooking done before Christmas so what's the point in that?

I've written a song for my wonderful cooking companion, sung to the tune of "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes

And the flashback starts

I'm standing there

In my apron pouring flour everywhere.

I see your beater

See it spinning madly

Whipping up the the batter, man it sure is handy

And I'm hands-free, little did I know

That you would change the way I bake cakes and peach pies

Frosting, mashed potatoes, how it makes me cry

And now my life is so much easier

I'll love to till the day I die, and I say

KitchenAid it's sure been a great ten years

Your whirling motor has been like music to my ears

You knead the bread dough, while I go to recess

It's a love story, baby let's make a mess

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Lefse 2010

2010-11-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our annual lefse-making get-together at my grandma's house on Moses Lake. This is our fourth year of the tradition, and we made more than we ever have before; 214!!! Wow!

The day begins early for lefse-making.

Mom and Grandma Ora peeled the potatoes the day before then early Saturday morning Josi and I boiled, drained and mashed them. Then we put them on the table outside so they could cool.

We had a new trainee this year. This is my niece. She was in charge of quality control. She did a fabulous job! Every lefse she tried passed the rigorous taste test.

Grandma Ora was a flipper, as was Grandma Nona.

Normally Grandma Nona is a mixer/roller, but she spent Friday night in the hospital getting antibiotics so she wasn't allowed to do any of the harder stuff. It killed her having to sit and watch us do it, but I think we did her proud.

The Grandmas did a great job flipping.

After our lunch break my sister took a little cat nap. Totally understandable since she was up late in the hospital with Grandma and got up early to go stay with her as well.

Once again, CJ took on the roll of a flipper. He would flip 10 lefses then take a short break. Way to pace yourself kid!

Lefse is a very serious business!

Everyone did their part to get the job done. Well, almost everyone. =o)

Lefse is also a messy business! This was my work station. I was the mixer and one of the rollers this year. My shoulders are still sore.

Here are a few of the bowls that held mashed potatoes and lefse dough. Every bowl that was big enough to hold a good amount of potatoes was used.

This was one of the flipping workstations. Flour covers every surface in the kitchen by the time we are done. Clean-up is so much fun! Or not.

I didn't get a shot of all the lefse this year, but if you want to see one check out last year's post here.

Now I'm off to enjoy a piece of lefse wrapped around a yummy layer of raspberry jam. Mmmmmmm mmm! Or should I say uff-da!

Pears Galore!

2010-10-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've been overrun by pears. My mom has a pear tree in front of her house and we went to town Sunday and ended up picking over 10 overflowing bags of the little juicy fruits. It was so fun! However, picking that many pears at one time poses a problem. I really have to figure out something to do with them all.

This is just a small few of the pears that have invaded my kitchen.

I started with some pear butter. This pot of cut up pears fills the house with the most wonderful aroma!

You'd think that a stock pot full of cubed pears would make quite a dent in my first basket of pears. Not so much.

The pear butter turned out soooo yummy!

I also made country pear cobbler. I doubled the recipe and, as you can see, just baked it in the cast iron pan I cooked the pears in.

Isn't the bubbling beautiful?!

Sweet sweet cobbler. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of joe.

And just like that, it was gone. YUM!

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Fall Time Family Favorites

2010-10-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time to share a couple more recipes. This time of year makes me want to spend time in the kitchen. It's probably because all summer I try to avoid spending time in the kitchen so it's like a long-lost friend by the time the leaves start changing. I start craving warm foods and Thanksgiving goodies. Click on the recipe images to see them bigger.

Here are my Grandma Nona's calico beans. Yum!

Here's a recipe for potato dumplilngs. My great grandma used to make these for her family during the depression.

Date bars! Yummy!

These cookies are soooo good! If you like date cookies, you MUST make these. My grandma makes them for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.

And because I'm in the mood to make pumpkin soup I went and found a recipe to try. This one sounds delicious, don't you think! Velvet Pumpkin Soup

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Casey's Birthday Hike

2010-10-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

In our family we let the birthday boy or girl pick what they want to do on their special day. This year Levi wanted bowling, CJ wanted Silverwood, I wanted sprint boat races. Casey, being that elk hunting starts only a week after his birthday, wanted to go scout his elk hunting spot. So, we loaded up the boys and the dogs into the truck and headed up to the mountain.

This is the kind of thing we were hoping to find! Fresh elk rubs!

Casey got to tell the boys all about some of the elk he's harvested in the past.

The dogs went along. Winchester was in heaven!

What a goofball!

Since we can't trust Moose not to run off he had to stay on a leash. Poor Moose. It didn't help that Winchester would come back to taunt him occasionally, but even with his leash limitations, Moose still had a great time.

Time for a little drinky drink.

Now THIS is a happy pooch!

CJ had to carry his .22 in case he saw a grouse. He also forgot his jacket so he wore my sweatshirt. Just a little big on him.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

3rd Grade Tackle Football

2010-09-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

My older boy's first football game was on Saturday. It's so fun watching those little 3rd and 4th graders out there in their football uniforms playing the game.

My little #2 before the game.

The team doing their warm-up drills. #2 is last in line in the far left line.

#36 scored the first touchdown of the game. Go Thrashers!!! Coach Tom is quite excited back there, as he should be!

What play will it be coach? Oh wait, this is the defense. Nevermind. Just stop the other team!

My boy waiting for his turn and watching from the sideline.

This one's probably my favorite picture. Gotta love those team sports!

Go get him #2!

I think the coach told him to do a twist here. I have no idea what that means.

He looks so grown up, doesn't he?

He looks so little, doesn't he?

That's my boy pushing back! Grrrrrrr!!!

That's one handsome boy right there!

Time for the end-of-game high fives witt the other team.

Silver Thrashers win 19-0!
Way to go boys!

That's all folks!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Harvest at Sundown

2010-08-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to hang out and watch a local wheat harvest last night. I was there until well after sundown and was able to snap some twilight photos.

A friend of mine is the driver in this picture.

Just look at that diesel smoke blow! Giddy up horsey.

Here they are bringing the horses in for the night.

Farmers work until the job is done, and if that happens to mean they need to turn on the bright flood lights of the combine so be it.

On my way home I had to take a picture of the harvest moon. How can you not marvel at the beauty God has created for us?

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Palouse Wheat

2010-08-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

I've been taking lots of pictures of wheat lately. This time of year I'm usually driving home from photo sessions on Sunday evenings just as the sun is setting, and I can't help myself. It's so gorgeous the way the warm sun covers the fields with it's golden blanket of light.

I love the way there are certain pieces of the wheat that tower above the others.

And the odd way they each bend and hang.

I love how once in awhile you find some that intertwine and make cute shapes.

I love the way the wheat compliments the landscape and creates a perfect way to showcase the beautiful amazing sky.

The stalks are so straight and linear then you have all the chaos at the top.

Above all though, it always comes right back to the warmth.

It's like this for such a short time at the end of summer, and it's marvelous. Don't you think?

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Yo Yo Bunny-O!

2010-08-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

My little energizer bunny has a fascination with break dancing and beat-boxing. He's just kewl like that! Or maybe he's just way phat, or bad, or sick, or whatever slang is being used nowdays. Anyway, he often breaks out in "song" randomly in different places. It's quite entertaining!

Yo yo yo!!!

My name is Bunny!

I know I'm funny!

Bum chicka chicka tsss chicka pssst *slobber spit*

I throw a football.

And then I catch it.

Pffft bam tssst boom chika *spit slobber* pow wow

I know I'm cool. Poom chicka pufsst

Pffft tsss chicka bum ahahahah bumbut *spit*

Check out my moves. The way I groove.

Woo hoo! eek chika pow tssst

You ain't seen nothin' like me!

Yeah yeah yeah!

You can't handle dat!
(This is his show-ending pose. Always.)

Remember your blessings!
Amber

A Day at the Water Park

2010-08-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

My sister recently visited from Vancouver, WA with her kids and my niece from Alaska in tow. It was so good to see everyone, especially my niece whom I hadn't seen since last August during my trip to Alaska.

One of the activities we did was take all the kids to the water park. Boy did they have fun!

This is my sister's boy. Isn't he a cutie?

There's my boy and my niece from Alaska.

I guess I'll have to claim this one too. Not only are his shorts falling off, but they're on backwards too. That's a signature move of my son!

My cute nephew again. What a ham!

Yep, that one's mine, and there's no indication in this picture that his wardrobe is malfunctioning!

There's my mom and my boy having a very fun time in the lazy river!

There's my cutie patootie niece. She loved climbing on the lounge chairs. Of course she got mad when she couldn't stand up.

My Alaska niece again being silly off the diving board. She was amazed that our water parks are outside. Evidently, all the water parks where she lives are indoors. I guess that makes sense, it being Alaska and all.

My boy's turn! Not quite as concerned about getting water in his nose.

CANONBALL!!!!!!

That was SO. MUCH. FUN!!!

The cutie patootie again, warming up on her aunt's shoulder.

My boy never passes up a chance to be goofy with anyone and Aunt Jo is no exception!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

How We Celebrated 11 Years of Bliss

2010-08-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

My husband and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary this past weekend. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it could be that long already and some days it feels like it should be at least 20 years by now. All-in-all it's been such a wonderful 11 years and I am so very very lucky to have found such an amazing man to spend my life with.

My mom offered to take the kids for the weekend, and who am I to turn her down? Since we had the whole weekend kid and pet free we decided to go camping. Just the hubs, me, and the chipmunks!

I had completely forgotten how wonderful camping can be when there is nobody whining things like "I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. Are we there yet? I want to roast marshmallows. That's mine! He hit me! I want to shoot my bb gun. Can I go fishing? My line is snagged. I don't like the bugs. I'm bored. I want to ride the 4-wheeler." For any of you that have gone camping with kids, you know how chaotic it can be.

Don't get me wrong. I do like camping with the whole family, but there is never any quiet time to just sit and think and maybe read a book while enjoying the nature around you.

The lack of children and pets allowed me to take more pictures than I normally do so I have quite a few to share. Let me walk you through our blissful weekend. Oh, and if you want to see any of them bigger just click on them.

We didn't get out of town until 5:15 Friday evening, which meant we didn't make it to camp until 8:30, but the timing was good for some pretty dusk-time pictures.

We spent most of Saturday on a long 4-wheeler ride. We drove on roads that had views like this.

We stopped at several places. The first was called Prospector's Point. It was beautiful there and there were some very friendly little chipmunks. This little guy posed for me.

After that we headed on to Lost Lake, which wasn't very lost considering the amount of people we met coming and going along the way.

This lake was full of crawdads! One even wanted to take on the hubs who was apparently on his rock.

After taking a little swim we again were on our way to our next destination–Fish Lake. This one took a little longer to get to and the hike was quite a bit harder, but we eventually got there. Beautiful!

Hubs did some fishing and caught a fish nearly every time he threw his line out. Unfortunately the fish were very small. I caught the biggest one and it was only about six inches long. We would have stayed longer but the mosquitos were horrible!!!

It was really pretty where we camped and you could hear the creek running. It was so soothing.

I picked huckleberries on Sunday and we headed home around 1:00. What an awesome weekend! Here are a few more pictures from the weekend.

I love you honey! I can't wait to spend the next 50 years with you!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Tacky Brass to Cottage Class - Bench Revamp

2010-08-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

We have a shoe problem at our house. There just doesn't seem to be a good spot to put them all. To solve this problem, I've been on the lookout for a wooden bench with baskets underneath, or enough space to put baskets. This way we can use the baskets to store everyone's most often worn shoes.

I wanted a wood bench, but didn't want to spend a lot of money which meant that I either had to make one, or find one at a thrift store, yard sale, or on craigslist or the classifieds. I don't have time to make one right now so that's not an option. As chance would have it, what I thought I wanted and what I found ended up being a bit different, as often happens. The other day I saw this at the local thrift store priced at $9.99.

Space underneath, check. Sturdy, check. Affordalbe, check. Right now you're probably thinking I'm crazy because, let's face it, this thing is pretty tacky with all that brass and old worn fabric. This is where imagination comes in. Look past the brass at what it could be. I did, and see how it turned out?

Yes, that's the same bench. All I had to do was remove the broken knobs on top, sand off the surface rust, scrub it down, paint it with my favorite Rustoleum Heritage White spray paint, and recover the cushion using fabric I got at Joann's with a 40% off coupon I got online. This project only took me about an hour and the total cost was a just around $24.00. I already had the baskets so I didn't even have to spend more money to buy them. Score! I love when things work out like that.

Tacky brass to cottage class!

Even Tristan approves.

Have a great weekend and remember your blessings!
Amber

This project linked to:

Another Archery Shoot - Anthony Lakes

2010-07-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

We went to an archery shoot this past weekend with some of our friends. It was at Anthony Lakes Ski Resort near La Grande, Oregon. You wouldn't believe how gorgeous it was! We rode the ski lift to the top of the moutain, which was 8000 feet, and then shot the 3D targets all the way down the mountain. To give you an idea, this picture was taken near the top of the mountain and the red arrow shows where we hiked down to.

Thank goodness most of the hike was downhill. The hike was not straight down. There were 30 targets placed in a zig-zagged pattern all over the right side of the mountain. That was Saturday. On Sunday the guys rode up again and shot the 30 targets on the left side of the mountain. My friend and I decided we could take the boys to the lower 20 targets on Sunday so they wouldn't have to hike the mountain again.

Here's some of the terrain we had to hike across/up/down.

So, we rode to the top of the mountain and since I was ordered by my doctor not to do any heavy lifting for six weeks because of surgery I was there to just take pictures. All the guys (including boys) shot their bows (I may have been a teensy weensy bit envious of them).

Here are the boys at the top waiting their turn to shoot. Look at them all loaded up and ready to rumble!

Here's my sexy husband! Hubba hubba! This was only his 2nd time shooting in a 3D archery shoot. He's new at this.

The older boy shooting.

The older boy's best friend. I caught the arrow in flight on this one! See it on the right?

The little guy's turn. He didn't hit very many, but he had fun, and he was a real trooper!

Another shot where I got lucky and caught the arrow in flight. This is our buddy, Ryan, the father of my son's friend.

In case you've never been to an archery shoot, here's one of the targets we shoot at. They are made of foam. This guy is our friend, Tim. He's an excellent archery shooter and is even sponsored by Alpine.

We had lunch when we hit the bottom of the mountain. The boys loved their lunchables.

Since the youngest in the crew was worn out from the long hike down the mountain Amber and I decided to take him back to camp while the guys took the older boys through the last 20 targets. My little energizer bunny definitely needed a recharge.

The other part of the crew didn't make it back to camp until around 7:00.

Good thing too because we were all hungry! Hot dogs... the standard camp food.

Sunday Amber and I took the boys through the lower 20 targets and were done before 11:00 so we decided to be good wives and go break down the rest of camp. We made short work of the wall tent, the dogs, and all the rest and had it packed into our trucks in about 35 minutes. Since it didn't take us long we decided to ride the chair lift up to the top of the mountain and back down. I'm so glad we did that.

Amber and the boys went on one bench and I was on the other with my my own handsome escort.

And yes, you guessed it. The end of day two. This is during the awards ceremony.

Remember how I said it was gorgeous? I'll leave you with some of the proof.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Longing for the Perfect Backyard Picnic

2010-07-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago this was our back/side yard; a muddy mess and a place we stored stuff since we never went back there (this was just after we started laying sod).

A few weeks later we have functional yard to hang out in and "join the stars" as my younger son puts it. He means enjoy the stars. I love sod!

Functional. Don't get me wrong. I'm loving the privacy, and I'm so thankful for our functional yard, but it still has so far to go before it's the yard that I want to spend all evening in. I see lots of potential and I know what I want it to look like in the end. It needs lots more plants and if it were up to me it would like something this.

There's a lot still to be done. For instance, see the trailer? How could you not? I plan to add a trellis to hide that eye sore and plant climbing roses. Won't that be nice? With the power of Photoshop you can see what I hope it will look like.

Then I was thinking maybe a little seating area for a picnic table would be nice in front of the trellis.

Everyone have a safe and fun 4th of July! I'll leave you with a few more pictures of the back/side yard.

Some fun lights I hung for ambiance as well as the boys' blankets where they "join the stars."

Remember your blessings!

Amber

My Pantry and Shoe Organizer Turned Season Packet Sorter

2010-06-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

When we built our house we had a closet underneath the stairs that I had no idea what to do with. My husband and I dubbed it the kissing closet. *blush* Since it's under the stairs it slopes down to the back and it's pretty small. What do you do with a closet like that? For awhile it stored all my photo props plus the vaccuum, broom, and mop. I felt like it had so much more potential.

So, one day when I was unloading groceries and cursing how full my cupboards were I had an epiphany! Why not turn the kissing closet into a pantry? It was one of those moments where you feel brilliant for thinking of it, but at the same time incredibly stupid for not thinking of it before that point.

I took my measurements and drew up my plan. It cost me about $120 for all the hardware and took me about two hours to complete. It was some of the best money I've spent on my house. Here is my small, but functional, pantry.

I decided to post about my pantry because of an idea I had. I saw a picture of an over-the-door shoe organizer that someone used to put kids snacks, medicines, etc. It occurred to me that it would be perfect for spice packets such as taco, fajita, and chili seasonings, onion soup mix, cool-aid, etc. I kept mine in two baskets and could never tell what I had. Enter the solution!

This clear over-the-door shoe organizer works perfectly! I didn't need the whole thing so I cut it in half and hung it using those little double-sided foam strips. Now I can see when I'm low on a seasoning. Plus, if you have a friend that wants to do the same thing you can split the cost of the shoe organizer since you cut it in half.

Tip: Place your seasoning packets with the closest expiration date in the front so you will use it first.

Remember your blessings!

Amber

A Special Moment

2010-06-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

Since today is my older son's last day of school I thought I would share a moment with you that would not be possible without school. It was bedtime and I went to tuck them into their beds. What I found was this.

For 10 minutes my older son read to my younger son. My younger son paid attention and listened and really enjoyed his brother.

For 10 minutes my children got along. There was no whining, or screaming, or crying, or hitting, or teasing.

For 10 minutes God gave me this moment of peace and filled my heart with love and pride.

Thank you God. What a gift. And thank you teachers for helping to create moments like this.

Amber

Freckles!

2010-06-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love freckles! I always wished I had freckles across my nose. I know those of you with freckles are probably screaming at me right now.

Well, my younger son has been getting more and more freckles and I couldn't be happier. I love them!!! I've tried to get pictures of them, but they are kinda light so don't show up much in pictures. However, I recently found a picture I took that shows them clearly in all their glory (click on the picture to see it bigger).

See them? They spread across his nose. Aren't they adorable? I'm sure he'll hate me later for saying this, but I hope he gets oodles more!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

A Horse Is A Horse

2010-06-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've always loved horses. I had a horse named Dusty when I was growing up. Horses are graceful and big and beautiful. They all have their own personalities.

One of my good friends has a pair of horses at her house. I love watching them. Once in awhile when I visit I take pictures of her horses.

This one is Holly. She's nine years old and is a very sweet horse.

She's got kind and gentle eyes.

This one is Sniper. He's almost two. He's full of mischief.

I think his eyes show that he's got something up his sleeve. If horses had sleaves anyway.

Together they're quite a pair. Click on this picture to see how Sniper is partialy sticking out his tongue. I think Holly tries to keep him in line, but that's a lot of horse to put up with!

Yes, quite a pair indeed.

A big beautiful pair.

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Has Anyone Seen My Dog?

2010-06-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

I used to have a gorgeous deep golden colored golden retriever. His fur was long and whispy and flowed when he walked. I left our camp for a short time and returned to this wet and muddy imposter!

There must be an explanation. This cannot be my dog. Surely I did not raise such a filthy creature as this animal.

Anyone?

My Sister The Football Player

2010-06-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

Have I told you before that one of my sisters plays football? She plays for the Portland Shockwave. They are a women's full contact football team. You heard me right. Full contact, meaning they put on pads and helmets and smash into eachother. They play teams from all over the west coast. Last week they played the Los Angeles Amazons in L.A. The Shockwave won 20-6.

Would you like to face her on the football field? I wouldn't.

I wouldn't want to face anyone on the team on the football field. I'd be squashed.

My little sister loves playing football. It's totally her thing.

She's even got fans. Check it out!

I'm proud of her.

We're going to watch her in her last home game on Saturday. The winner of this game will go to the championships. The other team has the #2 offense in the country. The Shockwave have the #2 defense. Should be a good game! Go Shockwave!!!

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Remember Memorial Day

2010-05-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

This long weekend while you are camping, or BBQing, or on the river, or whatever your plans are, please take a moment to remind yourselves and your children the reason we have Monday off. We Americans are so blessed, and we owe so much to those that have (and continue to) selflessly defended our freedom and sacrifice so much on all our behalfs.

Here’s to those who paid the price

And stood atop the wall,

Who didn’t call it sacrifice,

But duty to a call.

Beyond our power to add, detract,

Or honor with parade,

Or praise with words all copper-plaqued,

In public squares displayed,

They held the line, they took the brunt

Directed at our flank.

From general to lowly grunt

Now “hero” is their rank.

For some – unknown – the laurel wreaths

Must rest on unnamed graves.

For others still, their God bequeaths

No slabs or architraves.

For other heroes, living hearts

Still speak aloud their name.

Their daughters, sons, and better-parts –

To memories lay claim.

Some met the foe with angry eye;

Some trembled at the fray;

Some grieved for wife and family;

Some paused to kneel and pray.

Yet, as their hour approached its mark

And minutes became rare,

All gazed into the dreaded dark,

And stood – where we weren’t – there.

We praise with words their bravery,

Their steadfast soldiers’ hands,

That shielded us from slavery

And wrack from foreign lands.

Now pause awhile, and think on them.

Let recollection stir

To memory, through this artless hymn,

Of those and who they were.

Camera Monopolized

2010-05-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my sister this weekend in Vancouver/Portland. She had a football game. She plays for the Portland Shockwave women's football team. It was fun to watch and I had a great time with my sister and her family. I took some pictures of the game and the family. I really did! You wouldn't know it though because there was one little person that was in ~~50%~~ ~~60%~~ 72% of the pictures I took.

That little person would be my niece.

As I've mentioned once or twice, I have a weekness for small children. It may be bordering on a problem, but can you blame me? Besides, that dress was way too cute not to take pictures of, plus, it was a present from me.

I woke up to this little ray of sunshine on Saturday morning. She was standing at the edge of my mattress in that adorable dress greeting me when I opened my eyes. Except she was smiling. I'm not sure what this expression was all about.

Just look at that smile!!!

And see... I got some pictures at the game.

This must count for something.

On Sunday before I left we put another cute dress on her and took about 15 minutes to try and get some portrait-worthy pictures. She was pretty stingy with her smiles though. It was a tough crowd!

I hope you had as good of a weekend as I did!

Remember Your Blessings!

Amber

In It to Win It!

2010-05-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

The little guy is in soccer this season. Boy does he love it! There's a lot of action so he doesn't have time to get into trouble... much. He's agressive on the field so there have been two incidents, but overall he's been really great. He's picked up the idea of soccer very quickly and he is pretty good at dribbling the ball. If they kept score his team, the Banana Peel Dragon Tamers, would be undefeated.

He doesn't do this as much now, but at the beginning of the season all he would do is fall down. Over and over again. He would lay there and wait for the coach to come over and help him up. It was pretty funny. Now he dives and falls out of bounds when the ball rolls out of bounds. I don't understand it, but it sure make us laugh!

Here's a few action shots for you.

Check out the intensity! I'd be scared to stand in his way.

He's not afraid to get in there and go after the ball either.

Of course the whole point is to score goals.

We're nearing the end of the micro soccer season now. Next... t-ball.

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Family!

2010-04-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

I visited my grandma this past weekend. I love her so much!

You're probably wondering why on earth she's wearing a banner across her chest with her name on it.

Here's why.

It was her sister Lil's 80th birthday. The theme was Queen For A Day, and her kids organized a small type of skit for her. Grandma was given the job of reading Lil's biography.

The best part of a big party like this is the number of people that come. The last count I heard was 225! That's a lot of family and friends! I hope I have that many people attend my 80th birthday!

I got to meet cousins I'd never met before. The two ladies and the little boy in this picture, for example. They are my cousins from South Dakota. The man is my great uncle, Clubby. I had never met the ladies or boy before.

I also got to catch up with family that I rarely see. My favorite part is the stories and the laughs.

Or maybe it's all the young kids and the babies. We all know what a sucker I am for the little ones!

Or it could be the funny situations like this one where Evald (my grandma's husband) fell asleep holding his glass of wine and my grandma stared at him and kept saying "I hope he doesn't spill that wine. He's going to spill his glass of wine!"

Busted! He must have felt us all staring at him.

Overall, it was such an awesome weekend! What a blessing to be able to connect and reconnect with family. Besides, now I have a place to stay when I take my family on a vacation to South Dakota!

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Make Room for Spring!

2010-04-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

I love springtime and I'm so glad it's finally arrived!

The tulips have arrived.

The apple blossoms.

The bleeding hearts.

Even the busy little bees are a welcome sight. The wasps on the other hand are another story.

Happy spring everybody!

Remember your blessings.

Amber

Mobile Monday - A Big Thanks to Technology

2010-04-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Warning: If you came here to see quality photos leave now.

Now that I have that warning out of the way, I'll share something with you. More often than not, I do not have my camera with me. I love the quality photos I can take with it, but it's big and heavy and not very convenient. Yes, I have a small point-and-shoot camera, but most of the time the battery is not charged, and I unload the pictures on it maybe twice a year so the card is often full. Or, I just plain forget it, like at Levi's 1st dentist checkup. But... since I'd rather have a bad photo of something than no photo at all I use the camera function on my phone.

Surprisingly, it takes pretty good pictures, for a camera phone. Of course they aren't big enough to print very good photos, but at least I can drop them onto my computer and look at them and smile.

I also love to use my camera phone to send quick pictures to my family and/or friends live during fun times like this one right after the Vandals scored a touchdown!

Or I can post silly pictures of my dog, kids, or me to facebook when I'm bored or having so much fun I just want to share.

Here's one that Casey took with his phone.

Yesterday I sent pictures to my husband to share our son's first archery shoot with him since he couldn't be there.

He loved receiving these pictures on his phone.

Once in awhile I get lucky and catch something cool like the arrow just leaving the bow rest in this shot. Can you see it?

And his final score.

So, thank you technology, for the creation of the camera phone!

So I can check my hair in the morning and see how messy it really looks.

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Gus

2010-04-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is Gus. He is a 10-month-old German Wirehaired Pointer, a.k.a. Drahthaar. He belongs to some very good friends of ours.

His favorite person is Ryan. Wasn't he an adorable puppy? Not Ryan, Gus (for those of you that may have been confused).

(picture courtesy of Gus' family)

Gus totally cracks me up, and I'll tell you why. He LOVES his owner, and when he's not with him he cries. It's pathetic, and sweet, and very entertaining. My heart breaks for him. Seriously! I can understand where he's coming from though. I mean who wants to be left out of the fun?

On Easter Gus wouldn't stick around camp when he was granted freedom (remember, he's only 10 months old). So, he ended up having to be tied up for a bit. During that time Ryan wanted to practice shooting his rifle.

You have to understand one thing about Gus. He is a hunting dog. He LIVES for the hunt, and the shot of a gun means a bird is down and he has to go get it. This is a picture of him with his first bird.

(picture courtesy of Gus' family)

Gus was left with us ladies while Ryan took off to the shooting table, and the following is the crying that ensued.

Was that a gun shot? Oh dear... here we go.

THE AGONY!!!

When no one came to his cries, he decided to lay down and try to sleep (he continued weeping in his sleep. Honest!).

Until the next shot was fired.

In the end, even though Ryan had forsaken him, he loved him just as much when he returned. Besides that, he still had his boy who loved him.

Yes, Gus loves his owner, and his owner LOVES him!

(photo taken with mye cell phone)

Remember your blessings!
Amber

And the Winner is...

2010-03-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you for all who left comments for my giveaway! It was fun to see people I didn't know even read my little blog! We had a total of nine comments so I put that into random.org and it spit out the following:

Which was this comment:

Congratulations Cori! I'll get your gift card to you asap!

This giveaway was so much fun. I'm going to do some more of these in the future. For now, I'll just leave you with a happy springtime picture.

Remember your blessings!

Amber

A Stroll Down Memory Lane and a Giveaway!

2010-03-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Just because it's Friday and because the weather is icky outside I'm going to do something I've never done on my blog before. A giveaway! I'm giving away a $10 Starbucks gift card to one lucky person. I know it's not a huge prize, but it's enough for two lattes, mochas, or you can get my favorite; a caramel white mocha frappuccino with caramel drizzle. Yum!

All you need to do is leave a comment. Say anything you want. On Wednesday, March 31st, I will announce the winner. Please be sure and leave your name and/or your email so I can notify you if you win.

In the meantime, I'd like to share some pictures I found on an old thumbdrive of mine. I'm talking pictures from when my oldest was only a year old. He was SUCH a cute baby/toddler. Just look at those big chubby cheeks!

These were from at my cousin's wedding. I think it was in 2003.

Me with short blonde hair. More my natural color. I like me better with dark hair. Look at that cute, round, cake-covered face. This was before he started back-talking! I really miss those days.

Somebody help me! I'm getting all teary-eyed and nostalgic. Plus it's a baby taking a bath pictures. They've always been my favorites, and since this one is mine... my heart swells even more!

My boy getting into something he wasn't supposed to while my parents' puppy, Zoe, sat there and let him. Some babysitter she was! Sadly, Zoe is not with us any longer.

This picture made my eyes water up when I saw it. This is my Grandma Ora and Grandpa Jack during my cousin's wedding reception. Grandpa passed away in July of 2008. These two were married 65 years and after nine kids and all that time they still loved eachother sooooo much. You can just see the adoration in his face as he gazes at my grandma. Everyone misses him, especially Grandma. I'm so glad I discovered this picture.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Remember your blessings!
Amber

Our Weekend At A Cottage

2010-03-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Some friends of ours rented a cottage on Chatcolet Lake this week and they invited us to stay with them so we took them up on their offer and stayed Sunday and Monday. We had a wonderful time! Here are some pictures from our time there.

This is Chatcolet Lake. It was very pretty, but the water level was very low. We didn't get much snow this winter so there wasn't all the runoff. Therefore, the fishing was nonexistent. We had some disappointed boys on our hands.

We built a fire on the beach Sunday night hoping to catch some catfish. The only things that were caught were some snags and tree bark.

Monday we went on a walk to the bridge. The biking/walking trail ran right by the place we stayed. How convenient!

On the way to the bridge CJ found a nest of gardner snakes and caught a few. My friend had never touched a snake before so I ~~forced~~ convinced her to touch it. She'll probably never invite me to any type of outdoor function with her again.

Here's the oldest with his walking buddy. He carried it across the bridge and back then let it and a buddy go when we got to the park.

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Here's the bridge we walked across. Well, actually the others walked across while I got side-tracked taking pictures of it.

See! Here they are coming back for me. I'm sure they missed me more than they can express.

We stopped at "Pirate Park," as my son called it, on the way back. He did some swinging. I love swinging pictures! They make me smile almost as big as he is.

After we got back to the cottage my husband grilled up some hotdogs for the kids and some cheddar bratts for the adults. I know you know what grilling hotdogs looks like, but because I take pictures of everything you have to suffer through pictures like this. That's just how I roll. I can't help myself. Someone get the ketchup, or is it catsup, and what's the difference anyway?

Isn't this gal such a cutie! And a sense of style to boot!

After lunch we took the kids out back to practice their archery skills. I'm afraid my youngest has a long way to go. Notice that the bow is backwards and upside down, and that arrow isn't going anywhere. Eventually, he would just get frustrated and grab the arrow and throw it at the target and exclaim "I got it!"

Ssshhh! I'm hunting for bears in the bushes (a.k.a., the ditch by the driveway).

I'd like to finish off this post with some furry pictures. The first is Quincy. He is our friends' dog. He's a chow mix. Notice the cute spots on his tongue. He was a sweetie and just the right size for playing with Winchester.

Our friends also brought their tiny black and white Shitzu, but I somehow didn't get one shot of her. She was cute too!

Of course, you already know these two.

Winchester

Moose

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Winchester the Water Dog

2010-03-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Late September was the last time Winchester had been around water that he could play in, and at that time he was less than impressed. Something changed over the winter months because when we took him down to the beach along Chatcolet Lake this weekend we couldn't keep him out of the water.

He was one HAPPY puppy! He bounced through the water like a clumsy gazelle.

Winchester loved hauling sticks out of the water too.

And since Moose didn't really care to join Winchester in the water, Winchester would bring the sticks up on the beach and taunt Moose with them since Moose still needs to be on a leash. Eventually though, Winchester would get close enough for Moose to grab ahold and they'd play tug.

At one point the tugging got a bit too heated and a fight broke out between my two little furry ~~brats~~ angels. I gave two fishermen a show trying to break the two knuckleheads apart. Boy was I a mess after that; wet and muddy.

I'll share more pictures from the trip later this week. Everyone had a great time!

Remember your blessings!

Amber

Bubble-Up Pizza

2010-03-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

I've never posted recipes on my blog before. Mainly because cooking is not my forte. I don't have any original recipes. I just use ones other people have created. It's not different in this case. I'm sure there are very few people who have not heard of Bubble-up Pizza. I just thought I'd post it here because it's easy, quick, and everyone loves it. It's a hit with my kids, and those of you who are grandparents, if you want to score some points make this for the grandkids! It's a very versatile recipe. Any topping you like on your pizza can go into this one. Eezy-peezy!

So, here goes. My poor attempt at sharing a recipe through bad photos. What can I say? It's a learning experience.

This is what I put in my bubble-up pizza this time (cheese not shown). I just used whatever I had in my fridge. The only must-haves are the biscuits, sauce (spaghetti or pizza), and cheese. Everything else can be changed up. Although, I think a BBQ chicken one might be tasty, in which case I wouldn't use spaghetti sauce, but BBQ instead. Hmmm...

Unwrap your biscuits and cut each into quarters. Like so.

Then throw them into a bowl.

Add about 1/3 jar of your sauce and about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese right on top of the biscuits and stir. Mozzarella would be the preferred cheese, but I didn't have any so I used monteray jack instead.

Now add the "toppings" – as little or as much as you want. I used olives, bacon, and fresh chopped up parsley. Next time I'll be using pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and probably a little onion. Or whatever I have on hand. Stir it all up.

Pour everything out into a baking dish. I know it doesn't look very appetizing this way, does it?

Pour the remainder of your spaghetti or pizza sauce over the concoction.

Cover in cheese! Cheese makes everying better. This was about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cheese I think. Just like with pizza and enchiladas, you can never have too much cheese.

Throw into your 400°F oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Take it out and let it cool for about 5 minutes, then serve.

I need practice with my food photography. This photo does not do it justice... at all.

You can look up this recipe anywhere online, but to make it easy for you, here's the base recipe that I deviated from quite a bit.

Bubble-Up Pizza

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1/4 lb. pepperoni
1 small can olives
15 oz. spaghetti or pizza sauce
2 - 12 oz. cans Pillsbury biscuits
2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13" pan.
Cut biscuits into quarters and put in a large bowl. Add about 1/3 of the spaghetti/pizza sauce and about 1/2 C of cheese.
Brown and drain the ground beef. Add to bowl.
Add pepperoni, olives, and any other ingredients you want to the bowl.
Stir and dump out into your pan.
Pour remaining sauce on top of the mixture, then spread the remaining cheese over top of sauce.
Bake for about 25 minutes.
When you take the dish out, it will be bubbling, so allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Remember your blessings!
Amber

Kitty Cat Facial

2010-03-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

No, this is not the newest fashion trend in pooch head gear.

What you are witnessing here, my friends, is the playful banter between Winchester and Tristan.

To me it looks painful, but Winchester can't get enough of it. Tristan bites, scratches, and claws relentlessly.

It goes on...

and on...

and on.

I swear Winchester thinks it's some kind of special facial he's getting. He's probably wondering where the cucumbers and steam are.

Eventually, Tristan gets a little tired of the game and hops off the chair, leaving Winchester lonely and confused. You know how aloof cats can be.

Tristan sits across the room to groom herself and totally ignores Winchester.

Then she gets that look in her eye and her tail starts to twitch.

Winchester turns on his puppy dog eyes and just waits and watches Tristan. Hoping she'll return. Begging her to return.

And she does. And once again, they begin their game.

Remember your blessings!

Amber