Big Four Mountain

Big Four Mountain
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

Yesterday we had to run to town and decided to head out on an adventure since we were out. We were also looking for a bit of time with no kids... seems a rare thing these days.. which surprises me... I had always thought that when the kids became teenagers they would be off busy in their own lives.. they are more glued to my side now than when they were two. We headed down to Granite Falls and then up the Mountain loop Highway. Everything was really frosty/icy but we did not really see any snow. The mountain here is called Big Four which I found odd since I was thinking it was about the humps... but it is not.. I guess there is a large 4 shaped snow patch on the other side of the mountain. There are also said to be some really awesome ice caves here that people can go in and view... I have not yet been in there but hope to do that this spring. Click here for more information on all of this. It was a beautiful way to end a wonderful holiday weekend.


Here is a video I took while driving through the gravel (ice) part that connects the Granite Falls side to the Darrington side.

Bridge Girders

Yay!!! we are getting a new bridge onto Camano Island...(click here for info on the construction) This week they have been moving the girders in...the girders are 187 feet long... they are really really long... there is a semi in the front driving and then another one in the back to drive the back half... they placed the first two earlier this week but it was raining and there was some snow and it was cold.. so we did not get to see those.. last night though the timing was perfect... we were at the park and ride in Smokey Point and were able to get on the freeway behind it and then drive past it... got off the freeway ahead of it and took some videos of it coming down the on ramp and getting itself backed up so it could head down 532. We were not able to get any video of them lifting it off the truck and over the bridge as we were not in a good location for that. We were able to get some picture of the car in front of us who I believe are the rudest bunch of people on the island. At least two cars full of people.. honking their horns.. screaming rude things at the flaggers...I guess they were blind and did not notice the huge truck in the bridge.. and that would also explain how they missed the weeks/months of notices that were up all over town and in the local papers. To all the construction workers not only on the 532 project.. but all of our DOT people.. Thank you!!! You really do a great job and put up with a lot from some pretty stupid people. Example below of rude and stupid.


Be sure to click here to view more videos of the bridge girder

Brians Graduation from Washington Youth Academy

He is graduated and home! His graduation was in Bremerton so it was a long day.. a little over 2 hours there... picked up his stuff from the academy at 7:30 am.. then we all went out to breakfast...then over to the high school for the graduation... we were there right when they opened the door at 9 am so we were able to get pretty good seats...the place filled up fast. They started right at ten.. as with all graduations there were a lot of people doing a lot of speaking and many thank you's.

I did record one speech.. give by Colonel Pettit, it was a very heart felt speech and very touching. You can tell the people who work with these kids do it because they care.. and they want to make a difference.. and they really do. 121 kids... high risk... came to WYA for many different reasons but for many of the kids it was their last chance. There are kids who were getting into crime.. gangs... dropping out of school.. very low grades... horrible attitudes... and yet This man spoke of kids who in 6 months went up 6 full grade levels... one child there lost 92 pounds.. in 6 months... these kids, when given what WYA gave them...were able to work so very hard and to change their lives in 6 months. I will forever be grateful for the differences I see in my son... for the chances they have given him and the things they have taught him. I look forward to watching him use the skills and knowledge he has gained while at WYA to continue making changes in his life and in others. I have always known that Brian can do it.. and WYA showed/taught him that he can.

One of my favorite parts... yes I cried in it.. I cried like a baby through the whole thing.. was when they showed a video of before and after photos... I enjoyed watching the video and seeing how much each person had changed.. not only did they all get short hair.. but you can see in their eyes a different attitude... the best part though was watching and listening to the group of cadets as they watched their own photos and that of their friends... you could tell from the sounds and pointing that there was shock and surprise at who they themselves had been and had become.

Washington Youth Academy... Thank you.. to each and ever person involved. If this sounds like something that might be good for your child.. I highly suggest looking into it.. and I do believe it is offered in other states too. On the main page there is a drop down list of other states so you can find one near you.

Washington Youth Academy

Posted some pictures here Flickr

and some videos here youtube

Great Weekend

Christmas Lights
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

We had a wonderful weekend... very relaxing and calm and fun. Starting to really feel the holiday spirit. Last weekend we put up all the lights and decorated but it was so hectic trying to get it all done.. that it just did not have the right feeling. This weekend we relaxed... started a puzzle... had some pizza...played some board games... watched a movie.. went out on Saturday night to check out Christmas lights.. the one above was the best we found.. besides ours....ok no they are a lot better.... and then on Sunday we went into town.. took some photos on the way in because the freeway was totally stopped due to a lot of accidents all in one area... the roads were really slippery... Dave bought me my birthday present... a really fun camera that takes great videos too *thank you so very much*... and then we went to visit his parents... and found the route with the most snow to come home on... there are some photos on my flickr page. All in all it was just a wonderful relaxing weekend... today the kids have a snow day.. I am guessing it was pretty icy in town today since there is really no snow here at the house.

Be sure to click "here" to view more photos of our weekend.

thanks,
Michelle

Lanees shop

See something you love you can click on it to buy it right from here.. or you can click here to visit her shop and see even more of her beautiful work.

LaneesCrochet

Unique Gifts

Lights, Camera, Cookies

Lights, camera, cookies.... now everyone has everything they need to get the house and yard decorated for Christmas. We also need some hot cocoa... Yesterday the kids and I tried to get the HUGE tree in the yard decorated.. that did not go so well....Dave and I are going to work on some different ideas this weekend without so much help... we did get all of the Christmas stuff out of storage and the sheds and the attic... also bought a bunch more... have a list of things we still want/need but we have started with what we have.

recipe for these sugar cookies.. they will melt in your mouth.
cream together
1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powedered sugar
1/2 cup regular sugar
mix in
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour

sometimes I will add a bit of almond flavor with the vanilla

mix it all together and roll into small balls...flatten on the cookie sheet with the bottom of a drinking glass that has been dipped in sugar... bake in 350 degree oven for about 6 minutes.. it really depends on your oven.. you want to get them out right before the edges start to brown.


We did get our Christmas village all set up...
sad that we were not able to get one of the home depot houses to put in it.. they sold out super quick... who would have thought.. lol guess we are not the only rednecks spending too much time and money there.





We also got the tree up and pretty much done.. I think I want to string some pop corn (anyone with hints on the best way to do that please leave a comment) and put it on there... I did add some beautiful red ribbon... but so far I have not gotten it "just right" so it may end up coming back off. We have so many boxes in the living room that it is hard to tell how things really look... will have to wait until we get some more done and get the boxes out of the way.

Awesome

I always wonder if anyone really reads my blog.. I know I have some great friends who read it and family peeks at it.. sometimes there are comments and sometimes there are none... I keep getting new followers...*waves hi to each of them* thank you for the follow. Today I was on twitter and noticed that a friend tweeted about her blog post... which has something about one of my blog posts in it. It is totally awesome to find links to my blog on other peoples blogs...Thank you thank you Thank you!!! Now please go take a look at her blog which you can find right Here!

Weekend Plans

Well there are not a lot of them... I plan on spending some time working on a couple of orders that came in for some wine charms... going to get those in the mail on Monday... I also have some bookmarks that need to go out on Monday. We do want to go visit my in laws on Saturday for a bit.. see how they are doing and just visit. I know there area few things we want to get done around the house... want to put up the moose lights and the new kitchen blind and get the computer all set up in the entertainment center. I think that is about it. We do have two of the kids home this weekend so there will be some game playing, pizza eating and movie watching... one just called from the school and they lost power..... so everyone is hoping we lose it here tonight too... it is pretty windy so one never knows.....would be sort of fun... we love sitting around and playing games in the candle light.

I am now on google wave and I do hope to explore that some more this weekend too... I am thinking I am going to like it a lot... would love to have some contacts on there to explore it with. My email for it is glass_identities@yahoo.com I am not sure if I get a link to it or not... lol that would be one of the reasons I need to spend some time exploring it.

** update 11-14-09 all weekend plans have changed due to the fact that I am sick :( orders are ready to ship and that will be it for the weekend **

Caramel Corn

Make a bunch of popcorn.. air popped.. microwave wont work for this. I do three Big bowls.. it will all depend on how coated you want your popcorn.

Bring to a soft boil. (6 minutes)

2 sticks of butter... I use salted so I do not add salt later
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
2 cups brown sugar

after soft boil stage is reached
mix in 1 tsp of baking soda (will get fluffy. Kids used to think I was tricky)

Pour it over the popcorn and mix.( I like to mix small batches at a time ) Be sure to mix it a lot..get all of it coated.... if you want to add peanuts or walnuts or any nuts.. or pretzels or anything else.. I have found that adding it while mixing is the best time. (did learn that adding chocolate chunks needs to wait until after the oven stage... otherwise there are no chunks left) Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake for an hour in a 200 degree oven.. mixing a couple of times.

I love this recipe.. it is so easy and quick (minus the hour baking time) and clean up is easy.... and everyone loves it!!

Mom Revenge

Today was my daughters one month check up since she had mono... she has been feeling pretty good.. still gets a little tired if she does too much but other than that I thought she was doing good. Turns out her tummy (spleen) is still a bit tender and swollen.. so doctor ordered blood work and ultra sound. Appointment is tomorrow early in the morning.. had hoped to do it today while we were out but she had already eaten and that is a no no. Turns out daughter has not been as up front with me as I would have liked.. and that her spleen has been hurting sometimes when she does too much... When she got abit upset that the doctor kept poking her in the places that she said hurt... as all doctors do... that the reason was because she had not been honest with me... she nodded and said with a sigh... ohhh mom revenge.


**update 11-10-09**

Today we went in and Missy got her ultra sound on her tummy.. they do the whole area.. all of her "guts" it was cool watching but it was a little painful for to have them pushing on her when she was sore and she hated the goo they squirt on there... now tonight she is really hurting.. I am hoping it is because they poked and pushed on it today and the doctor did yesterday... we are watching her close.. no fever and the area is not hot... I may end up taking her into the er to get it checked.. but then that means they will be poking on it some more and if it is only tender due to the poking then we will end up with it even more sore... the mommy in me is not very happy with doctors right now.. poking on what they know already hurts.. I understand it but it is not fair.

walking on the beach

walking on the beach
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

Today the neighbor called me up and said.. "put your shoes on lets go for a walk" so off we went with her cute little dog for a walk on the beach. We found lots of shells and cool rocks and some sea glass too. Clicking on the photo will take you to my flickr where there are more photos of our walk :)

Happy Halloween

Today was wonderful... lazy... restful.. peaceful.. and just great. I did not make anything spooky for dinner... in fact we did not even have dinner yet ( 9 pm ) and I think we will be skipping it since we had a late lunch. We slept in late and then spent the day cleaning... turned on some good tunes and got to work....... all of the stuff that we brought home from my MIL's has now been sorted and put away. All the floors were cleaned and the kitchen got a good going through.. the kind where everything comes off the counter and gets cleaned good. Daughter and I were just going to clean up a little and one thing led to another and things that had been piling up or getting pushed aside have now been put away or thrown out. While we were out working in the kitchen and living room it turns out Dave was back in the bedroom getting the master bath all cleaned up and the bedroom cleaned up. He also got my new computer all loaded up with windows 7 and some other things... tomorrow I need to get the new office for it and a couple of other things and then hopefully by tomorrow night I will be working on the new system. We did end up putting up a few decorations in the yard for halloween... some pumpkin lights and strobe lights that make a witchy scream... we went through a 4 lb bag of candy... most of it was even given to trick or treaters. I have to say... I really want to start to decorating for christmas... but am going to try so hard to wait until after thanksgiving...am going to try to stick to the fall theme until then. lol I already know I am not going to make it. When do you decorate for christmas? Start listening to christmas music? Have all your shopping done?

Gross Halloween Dinner Idea

*photo from www.notmarth.org* click there for more of the ideas on that site. Click here for the recipe and how to for the hand.

I was stumbling around today online and came across this great idea for dinner on Halloween night. I am going to let my daughter invite her boyfriend over to hang out on Saturday and watch scary movies and pass out candy to the neighborhood kids...was thinking we would just get a couple of pizzas but am now thinking I might make a scary gross dinner for them... think I am going to try making them individual size so that I can dish up a plate for each of them and then serve them up.

pictures of mine to follow in an update after I have tried this.

*update 10/13/10* I did not end up making this last year... but... I am once again going to try to plan to make it this year :)

Pumpkin Cookies

Old fashioned soft pumpkin cookie recipe. I have been making these at least once a year for as long as I can remember and they are a super easy cookie that everyone seems to love. They are soft almost like a pumpkin bread. We love to eat them with a dab of coolwhip to dip them in.

Mix together and set aside

2.5 cups of flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
.5 tsp nutmeg
.5 tsp salt


Mix in a large bowl

1.5 cups sugar
.5 cup of butter ( 1 stick )
1 cup pumpkin
1 large egg
1tsp of vanilla

Mix dry ingredidants into wet and stir well... drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheet and bake about 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.

I always make at least a double batch and most the time I triple it.

Stronger Woman

I love this song..Stronger Woman by Jewel... and think it says so much for moms.. not only moms with daughters but all moms... we need to be the women we want our daughters to be.. or our sons to marry. We can tell them all we want.. but it is what we do that they will learn from.

"Well tonight, I'm going to be
The kind of woman I'd want my daughter to be, oh.."

"I'm gonna love myself more than anyone else
Believe in me, even if someone can't see
The stronger woman in me"

Chocolate Covered Cake Balls

These equal heaven... saw a link to a website called Bakerella and as soon as the page opened I fell in love... so many things I want to try from that site. She has Great photos and explains how to do things wonderfully... lots of fun to read through the comments and get some hints and hear how everyones attempts turn out. The first thing my daughter and I have tried making are the cake balls... and everyone loves them... so we decided to try a few more and make each batch a bit different... first ones were just chocolate cake and chocolate frosting.. next batch I made using mint brownies... they were good.. but not Great... moved on to chocolate cake with peanut butter dipped in chocolate... oh wow.. those are my all time favorites right now...(neighbor boy says they taste like the reese peanut butter cups) Next we did a batch with chocolate cake and very strong coffee... these just got finished today and they are a very close second if not a tie for the peanut butter ones... Neighbor has suggest using coconut in a batch and I want to do a batch with a walnut in the middle....you can also use white cake and white chocolate to dip in..so many possiblities.. endless really! (family and close friends dont read this next part) We are planning on making a bunch of these up for christmas presents.. buy some cute candy boxes and little paper cups... each type of cakeball will have a different sprinkle on top... it is a great mother daughter type project.. and the guys and neighbors have loved being the sample tasters :) Be sure to check out the great website where I found this wonderful, fun, super easy recipe... you can get there by clicking right here Bakerella Cakeballs Don't forget to look around once you are there... so many wonderful things.

Proud Mom

Brian4
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

A few months ago my youngest son Brian was accepted into Washington Youth Academy and He is doing so great. I am so very proud of him and proud to be his mom. He has always struggled in school and been behind the other children and if I did not stay right on top of it he would end up screwing around instead of doing school work and would end up in trouble. He went to live with dad a couple of years ago and that proved to be a situation that he was not ready for yet. He ended up basically failing all of his classes and getting involved with the wrong group of kids and started using drugs. I started looking for alternatives for Brian since there was no way what was happening was going to work. I heard about WYA on the local news and looked it up and then sat down with Brian and we talked about the pros and the cons and where his life was going and how he needed to decided the road he wanted and get his backside on it. He did what he needed to do.. with a little prompting.. and got himself enrolled in this wonderful program. The weekend before he left for the school he spent a couple of days with me.. and then he had a pass to come visit a month ago and the difference was just amazing... a child who was full of snide comments and who was rude and disrespectful and could not sit still... came and spent the day with me and not only had he gotten even taller but he also could sit calmly and look me in the eye and visit and be respectful and was wonderful to spend time with. This Sunday we are going to visit him at the school for family day... there will be a picnic and things to do and I know I will cry and embarrass us all but they are happy tears as I see him opening doors to a wonderful future for himself and I am so proud of him and all he has done and all he will do. Way to go Brian!!!


That photo is on my flickr.. you can click on it to see more and I will be adding more after Sunday too :)

The Dock

Dock
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

Today was amazing... it was so sunny and relaxing and fun. I got an order yesterday for 20 of the "feel your boobie" keychains and a couple of custom bracelets. Today my daughter and I decided it was a good reason to head into town and get some supplies. We also picked up a small basket and some fake flowers for her to make something for me. On the way home it was so sunny and we had the windows down ( heat on a little bit ) and some good music in... we just were not really ready to be home yet so we stopped at a couple of the beaches on the island. We took some fun pictures and picked up some cool shells. If you click on the dock photo it will take you to my flickr page that has some of the photos :)

Great Cause, Good Friend...

is looking for some help.. she is looking for etsy/artfire donations to add to a basket that will be part of a silent auction, fund raiser for the local schools jerseys and other miscellaneous sports items they need. Check out her blog here ndn-chick. This is a great way to help out a good cause and get your shop name out there.. and it is fun :)

This Made Me Smile Today

Sunny Day

Sunny Day
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

Life is going Great! This last weekend I had two sales in my artfire shop and got a few more things listed... I am working on some new ideas for my shop... ( to those of you who sent me photos... I am still working on them ) I have to fit that time in between work and family and orders. Speaking of work.. it is going good... still only working very part time but I am loving it and hoping after the MRI next week that I will be able to really increase my hours. The house.. it so nice having the house done.. pretty much done... we have been working on the bathroom vanity this last week... there is one in the bathroom now that works just fine but is not very pretty. We hope to have the new one in and working by this weekend... I hope to be sharing photos too :) The kids are doing great.. oldest bought his jeep and sold his car all in one week.. I am so glad that his POS car sold so quickly. Daughter is 16 now and busy being busy... it is amazing watching her get older... *almost* funny how when she rolls her eyes it brings back memories of when I was 16, Once again I would like to take this minute to Thank my parents for not killing me... Thank you! Middle two kids are still keeping busy down south... rumor is that the oldest there will be going in the Marines very soon. Youngest kid is still doing great.. he is going to be 15 any day now and signed up for drivers ed in the fall and talking about getting a job and saving his money and buying a car, as of yet... he has not *done* any thing about getting a job or saving money.. but I figure in the next year or two. *smile* We are making plans for our summer vacation... possibly a road trip down the coast to california in the motorhome :) Over all this is shaping up to be a very nice and relaxed summer. The photo sort of is how I am feeling these days..laying on the grass looking up just feeling relaxed.

Space, Clouds, Volcanos and more

Amazing photos from the International Space Station of a volcano eruption and more.

Link is here

Looking for a Farmers Market Near you (local to me)

I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw when I turned on the twitter... lol no more tv for me... anyway.. was a post from @king5seattle with a link to the local farmers markets... it is a very user friendly link too.. you can search by county and and it is super easy.

PugetSoundFresh.org

Thank you king5 for sharing :)

If you know of a local farmers market in your area and want to share it in the comments that would be great! I will be more than happy to post a link to any that are anywhere :) ( does not have to be local to me ) Would also love to hear what makes a market number one for you.

Here is a Market in Marysville, the manager ( Hope ) is really friendly and easy to talk/email with Market on Getchell

Rhubarb Cookies

Rhubarb Cookies
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

I am loving my grandma right now so much... growing up she made the best rhubarb cookies.. not sure how.. but I had forgotten about them until the other day when my dad called me up looking for the recipe... ( thanks dad )....after sharing it with him I had to make some myself. I did not have any rhubarb but I put an ad on freecycle.com for my local area and within an hour I had 6 people write me who all lived within a mile or two.. so I headed over to one of the houses and she wonderfully let me take a whole bunch of it.. ( going to make a pie with what is left ) I just finished making them and not only are they wondeful *pats self on back* but they bring back so many wonderful memories of being young and carefree and playing at grandmas. Grandmas are truly a childs best friend.

Just a side note on this recipe make them small... they grew a lot while baking and ended up being the size of saucers which only made a dozen cookies.. I will be making more this weekend.

Rhubarb Filled Cookies Recipes

Ingredients For: Rhubarb Filled Cookies Recipes
1/2-cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2-teaspoon salt
1-tablespoon milk
1-teaspoon vanilla

Filling For: Rhubarb Filled Cookies Recipes
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/4-cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions For: Rhubarb Filled Cookies Recipes
Mix filling ingredients and cook until soft. Set aside and chill.

To prepare Dough: Cream butter, add sugar and cream together well. Beat eggs and add to this mixture.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mix alternating with milk and vanilla.
Chill dough.
On floured board, roll out dough 1/2" thick. Using a 2" cutter, cut out cookies .
Place cookies on a greased or sprayed cookie sheet.
Cover dough with a teaspoon of filling. Top with another cookie and press edges together with tines of a floured fork.
Bake rhubarb filled cookies recipes in 400°F oven for 10 minutes.

Salsa Garden

salsa garden
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

This last weekend was so great... no time schedules... well Dave had some work he brought home that needed to be done but no house stress.. no projects we had to work 24/7 to get done. It was really nice. We did some garage sales.. got a green marble rolling pin/cutting board set for a $1.. and two barstools for $5... a great moose candle holder...it was great. Went to Bostons pizza for lunch and then on Sunday.. we slept in really late.. had some breakfast.. and then went back to bed.. it was amazing. Today I played in my little salsa garden this morning.. gave the tomatoes new stakes.. they are growing really fast right now... all are covered with little yellow flowers. The pepper plants are not growing so well I dont think... All the flowers in the planters are doing great too.. overfilling the baskets and full of very bright blooms. I love this time of year! Today I start back to work. Will only be doing short shifts.. see how it goes.. should be great..and then by the time I have the next MRI, in july, I hope to be working full time again :)

Great Weekend

This last weekend was so great... no time schedules... well Dave had some work he brought home that needed to be done but no house stress.. no projects we had to work 24/7 to get done. It was really nice. We did some garage saling.. got a green marble rolling pin/cutting board set for a $1.. and two barstools for $5 it was great. Went to Bostons pizza for lunch and then on sunday.. we slept in really late.. had some breakfast.. and then went back to bed.. it was amazing. Today I played in my little garden this morning.. gave the tomatoes new stakes.. they are growing really fast right now... all are covered with little yellow flowers. All the flowers in the planters are doing great too.. overfilling the baskets and full of very bright blooms. I love this time of year! Today I start back to work. Will only be doing short shifts.. see how it goes.. should be great..and then by the time I have the next MRI, in july, I hope to be working full time again :)

Sad little lonely mailbox no more

Friday we spent all day out and about... once again.. we headed out for a 9:30 am appointment in Stanwood ( ten minutes from home ) to get a new windshield in the truck.. and we got home about 6:30pm. We ended up heading into town to go to Home Depot to get a new mailbox... and well first we had to get some lunch since it was 11 when the windshield was done.. and it is looking very spiffy I might say.... also made an appointment to get the new shower doors installed in a couple of weeks....back to lunch.. we didn't want to just spin through some fast food.. so decided to go to Red Robin... I always get the same thing.. Bonzi Burger.. I love it so much...I have to say even though they totally forgot to put the pinapple on there.. it was the very best burger I have ever had there... service was a bit slow but the burger was worth it. Then since we were driving past we stopped in at Costco.. just to walk around and see what they have... didn't buy anything... then to Home Depot.. plan was.. buy a cedar post to make a new mail box stand.. and a new mail box.. ok that was quickly shot to heck when we walked past the clearance section and they had a really nice white one marked down from $130 to $25... then off to look at mail boxes.. well if we get this post then we need this type of mail box and yet we like the mail box that would go on the wood post.. but... then again.. this other mail box closes better.. but this one has a better flag ( which we never use ) point being.. too many mail boxes... finally we decided on a white one that goes great with the post. The post has this ball thing on the top... dont like it.. so we picked up a solar post light to go on top of it... Also picked up a great sign for the house numbers, which we had to go to Lowes for since we didn't like the house number selection at the first store. While we were at Lowes we also found a pack of 12 solar yard lights on a great sale so we grabbed them too. We have a set on the deck now but they are old and not working so well.. this pack has enough to put some around the deck and some in the new gardens :) We still need a patio set for the deck, can't decide if we should make something or buy something.. and a cool bench or small sitting set for the side of the house. We got the post all set and ready to go.. but the mailbox when we took it out of the box was dented.. had to return it and go to two different stores to get one that was not dented... finally it is all installed and it looks great.

How to Share a Link

See where the arrow is pointing.. you need to click on "link" and then a box will open with a http:// in it.
This is where you add your link, your URL, from them item you would like to share. It will look like this and then you click "attach" It will attach the link to to the post and should show a picture.. you may get an option to pick which picture you would like to share with that link.

There is a box for you to type in something if you would like to that will go along with this link/post.. then you click the share button.. and it will post to the group, with a "share" button of its own so that it is easy for everyone to share it on their profiles.

Any questions or comments please feel free to share them and I will do my best to respond.

Day One of Adult Vacation

Our Caboose "room"
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

Last weekend was the best 4-day I have had in a long time. (It was a long weekend) We left Thursday night for a weekend getaway... no kids... no real plans. Just get in the jeep and head out. Well so I thought. Dave had other ideas.... He loves to surprise me and spoil me.. and I am in no way complaining. . I have so much to I want to share that I am going to post each day separately.

Thursday after lunch we drove north through the area where the Skagit tulips should be.... they are blooming a bit late this year so all we saw were a bunch of daffodils... still totally awesome...then we got on the ferry at Keystone going to Port Townsend. The weather was beautiful and while on the ferry there were sea lions swimming next to us. We got off and headed towards Sequim. I have to say... it felt as if Dave was a little rushed for this part of the trip. I know he had called ahead and reserved the ferry ride... that is suggested with this ferry.. it is smaller and runs less often and can fill up.. even after we were off the ferry though he seemed a bit in a hurry. We have this great book called Washington Curiosities. Quirky characters, roadside oddities and other offbeat stuff. Lots of fun stuff to check out in this book. One of the things I saw in this book earlier in the day was a fun looking bed and breakfast in Sequim where you get to stay in your own caboose. I told Dave about this and thought since we were going through Sequim we should stop by and just check it out in case we wanted to stay there next time. As we were coming into Sequim the Red Caboose Getaway was right there on the right side of the road. To be honest from the road it didn’t look like much… some train things in someones yard is pretty much it. The cabooses are rustic on the outside and someone went and put up a bunch of tract housing next them… but…the closer you get… the better this place looks. There is a big silver dinning car out front with one of the cabooses.. and then in a circle around a pond are the rest of the cabooses each on their own piece of track. Some of the cars are still a work in progress. Early in the day there had been a new (old ) caboose delivered. The plan is to have a total of 10 cabooses done up that people can stay in. I believe there are 6 finished ones at this time. Each caboose has its own theme and is done up inside. We stayed on track 2, orient express..( caboose in top photo) talk about romance. Wait I have to back up here…we pulled into the parking lot.. and I loved the place already.. wishing we had found it earlier so that we could have planned on staying here. Since we are here we want to get out and have a look around and see how much they are and how booked they are during the summer. We walked up to the “station house” and Olaf, the conductor comes out of the dining car to greet us. Dave reaches out to shake his hand.. introduce himself and says… to Olaf… “we have reservations for tonight” My mouth dropped and I smacked Dave upside his arm, thinking he is joking and being sort of rude….Olaf looks at Dave and says… track 2 is all ready to go. Into the office we go to get the key and are given a map with things to do and places to see and Olaf shares with us some of the locations for great food. All this time I am still not sure if it’s a joke or if we are really staying. With key in hand Olaf heads out and we follow. He opens the door to our caboose and oh wow… so beautiful. The colors the textures the smells… everything is perfect. When you open the door there is a big bed with lots of pillows and beautiful bedding. There is a gas fireplace in the corner burning low. The floors are a dark wood and in the back you can see a Big tub. I would have thought that the inside of a caboose would be rather crowded and dark. This is anything but that…. I could not believe how much room there was and how much light…. A lot of the light comes from the cupola in the center of the caboose. You can climb up there and look out over the whole “train station” It is a bit hard to take photos in the caboose that turn out great in there though… hard to show the feeling one gets in the caboose. It is rustic but it is elegant and romantic and beautiful. In the morning there is breakfast in the dining car. I don’t even know what to say here. It was the best breakfast!! Even Dave who does not eat some of what was served, baked apple, strawberries, He doesn’t like fruit, still said it was best breakfast he has ever had. They started us with the coffee, hot chocolate or tea… not just hot chocolate though; they have many flavors to pick from. Same with the juices, not just orange but a blend that was amazing. They then brought out the bread still warm and oh so wonderful. We then had baked apple with sausage/cornbread stuffing.. not something I would have picked.. but now that I have had it.. I will so go back for it. The dutch baby with strawberries and lavender cream… loved it!! It was all just amazing. I know I have gone on and on here…thank you for reading this. We will be going back to this place… in fact we were making plans to go again before we even left. If you ever are in the area it is a great place to stay. This is not a family/kid place… this is a place to getaway with your loved one and reconnect with each other or yourself, the kind of place you leave feeling spoiled and reenergized and ready to tackle the world. More photos on My flickr :) Please feel free to click around here and comment.

Thank you to Olaf and Charlotte for a wonderful stay.

Friday, Saturday and Sundays post to follow. Lots of animals, landscape and history coming.

Road Trip With Kids

lighthouse
Originally uploaded by glass_identities

Last weekend we took the two youngest kids and headed out on a day trip. We left really early in the morning and drove for a few hours then stopped and had some breakfast. We wanted to go to the beach but to try a different one. So we headed to West Port. We took the long way through some small towns that we had not visited before... checked out a great knitting shop and a chainsaw art shop that teaches classes.. Dave and John are both wanting to sign up for that. It was a beautiful drive through the country all day.. we did the best we could to stay off any freeways. WestPort itself was not very much fun.. they have a nice beach for surfing on but we did not find very much to do in town. We did love the visit to the lighthouse. Also found that the statepark in GrayLand is really nice and might be worth a visit. We had hoped to explore some areas near my mom for dirt biking trips this summer but the main road was closed due to an accident and it was getting late.... gives us an excuse to make another tip. We also have all decided we want to take a long weekend to explore Mt St Helens.

I put my etsy shop on vacation today. Surgery is next week and well.. I am looking forward to it.. to the break from having to do anything for a few days.. and really really looking forward to not hurting anymore. I am excited to be thinking about being about to go back to working full time...it has been over a year and i am done with all of this and really looking forward to it all being over.

Dave has a fun special weekend planned for us this weekend but he isnt giving me too many details.. whatever it is I will be taking photos and will be back to tell all about it ... well at least some :)

Click photo to be taken to my flickr where there are more potos with links.

Strength, Courage and Wisdom

I was listening to a great song this morning by India Aria that is called Strength, Courage and Wisdom when I noticed that treasury west was just about to open. So I used that title to make a treasury ( a collection of things from other sellers on etsy ) I would love if you could go check it out by clicking here and then when it opens please click on each shop and leave a comment at the bottom of the treasury so the people in it can see it. Thank you :)

Drop it.. pick it up... opps they all slipped off

Ok so two days ago I decided I wanted to knit... all of a sudden I just thought.. hey I want to do that. So off to the craft store to get some needles and yarn.. thanks to those who helped me know what to look for. Hurry home last night and open the needles and the yarn and off to youtube to learn how to make a fancy sweater. Ok I know I am not going to learn that in one night but I do tend to think big sometimes and forget my life jacket when jumping into things. The first vidio was great.. learned how to cast on using one needle... had no clue what the next step was.. browsed around some more vids... I love how the "Learn to knit for beginners" starts with 4 rows on the needles.. if I knew how to get 4 rows on there I wouldn't be a beginner.. well not as beginner as I am. After dropping the needles about twelve times.. they are so slippery.. and all of the yarn falling off the tip of them many times.. a friend, warmnfuzzy , showed up online and was able to talk to me one on one and walk me through it with some great pictures and directions she sent me. * thank you thank you thank you * I got up this morning and made a pot holder sized square.. only had a few holes in it.. learning quickly what not to do...now the yarn is staying on the sticks better so having less holes. I think tonight or tomorrow I may be ready for the next step. Possibly next weekend I can make a fancy sweater *smile*

Red Neck Bathroom Fan

I cant post any after pictures... yet.. but we are coming along in the master bath.. one more coat of paint on the walls then we get down to tiling..... I did take a picture of this and could not resist sharing it. We already have a new bathroom door.. did new doors on the whole house... so this old one we cut a hole in and bungeed the fan to so we can vent the room really good to the outside with the drywall dust and then paint fumes.

Arrgh teen update

This is an update on the chore list for the teenagers post....well... so far so good.. sort of... number one reason for doing this was so that my house would be clean and I wouldn't have to treat them like little kids and tell them what to do and then be mad when they don't do it. Responsibility for self.. that is where I would like them to go. I had one kid who picked a chore off the list and then... since they didn't know how to do it they just thought about it what it might mean and then marked off on it. Mind you when we set this all up we went over each of the chores and what they were. Second child.. still wants to ask me every day..what they should do. Every person in this house is old enough to figure it out without a list... and with a list they really shouldnt need to be told. Third kid is doing a lot more than they used to.. but it is the kid who didn't need to do more. This list needs a little tweaking as I knew it would...we will have a sit down at dinner tomorrow and we can all talk about it and see what we will change.

My Wish

Heard this song again today and it doesnt matter how many times I hear it.. I cry. I printed out the words and sent them to each of my kids along with a note after hearing it the first time. It nails my wish for my children and those that I love in every word.

youtube of it

Rascall Flatts "My Wish"