Fun New Stuff

I found these cute little wooden frames awhile ago.. and I knew I needed them.. just was not sure what I would do with them.. well I figured it out... lol sort of as I went.. I just sat down with the frames, some paint and some boxes of imagination (different supplies) and started having fun with them.

I have them listed in my shop now and if they do not sell fast I may be claiming them for myself.... I love them! I also had fun trying out a new setting for taking pictures.. I think it worked pretty well.. Basically.. today was a lot of fun!

I Am a Blue Berry Snob and More

I do this every year.. and I am clueless as to why.. I should know better. I was at the grocery store and I saw they had blue berries on sale... I picked them up and then put them back and then ended up going back and getting some. They are horrible.. a huge waste of money. Not only are a bunch of them squished but some are moldy and some are not even ripe... they are just gross.

I grew up on a 45 acre blue berry farm and I am more than a spoiled snob when it comes to blue berries... I am really looking forward to visiting the local U Pick farm this year... am down to one small bag in the freezer and I need some great tasting fresh berries.

I have not been blogging much.. been too wrapped up in daughters graduation and her turning 18 and our last forced family road trip.

She did graduate and we had a wonderful day with friends and family stopping by for a bbq party.. it was a good weekend. She got a LOT of flowers :)

The following weekend we took Missy and John on a forced family road trip to the ocean.

The kids standing in front of a drill bit at the whoops site( Satsop Nuclear Power Plant ) ... and below is one of the towers... these things are HUGE!!!

we explored the whoops plant on the way there and then played some mini golf at one of our favorite places.

and spent sometime on the beach

we played games and had some great food...it was nice.. but it was very clear that even though we all had a good time.. we all would rather have been doing something with friends... sort of a weird thing.. it was a great time.. the kids were involved and part of it.. but... it is just not the same anymore.. which will be good... time to move on to having adult relationships with them all.. no more kids here.. sort of mixed feelings... excited to see what is coming and a little sad to see this change, but it does feel good... I am very proud of the kids and in myself for raising them to be independent.

Got some really cute fun cowboy shot glasses last week.. they were totally on sale and I could not refuse them :)

My mom brought me her spinning wheel, the one when I was growing up that I was not allowed to touch... it now lives in my living room... it is all put together and a friend came over and helped show me how to use it... now I practice a lot and I love it! It is another thing I am limited in how much time I can spend doing it due to the shoulder.. but I love it! I love the memories it brings from growing up.. I love that it makes yarn... furry stuff goes in and yarn comes out... I love it love it love it.. and I get to touch it every time I walk past it :)

We are still working on the wood shop... we did get most of the dust collecting items and are starting to get those set up so that we can finish building the rest of the cabinets and then it will be good to go. The dust collection has been the biggest challenge.. need it to gather as much dust as possible.. and be as out of the way as possible.. some tools collect from a couple of different places and some tools need to be able to move around the shop... all the tools seem to have different sized ports and there are 3 or 4 different ways/ type of hoses/pipes/and joints to use... and one kind matches with another but then another won't work and you can't seem to use all of one kind because none of them had all the pieces we need.. it has been a huge puzzle but I think we are on a roll now.

I am hoping to be doing a blog post all about that in the next week or two. We have been getting some trim pieces up on the one row of cabinets... makes it look so much more finished. We are both getting in a hurry to be able to use the shop to build fun stuff.. we still have orders coming in which is very exciting :)

Cupcakes Cupcakes Cupcakes

Well there no cupcakes but... it is all about what goes on a cupcake... frosting!!!

If you have ever read my blog before then you know I LOVE Javacupcake! Not only are the women ( Betsy and Jenn) running it super awesome and fun to visit with (facebook here) but the recipes they share are so wonderful, easy and real and taste perfect. Betsy has been basically holding my hand while I attempt to make her butter cream recipe (here) I have tried a couple of times... both were good.. but not perfect by a long shot. Part of my problem is I can't just follow a recipe.. I always have to switch something up... and I can never find a measuring thing.. a cup or a spoon.. not because I don't have them... I just do not often use them and am not sure where they are. One I made was ok.. I added cut up fresh strawberries.. it tasted ok... a bit gritty.. texture was off.. and it was just not what I wanted.. the berry flavor was great though.

So backing up a bit... there was a contest on javacupcake and I was one of the 6 that won... I won a cupcake piping kit from Bake it Pretty .... The Best Ever Cupcake Icing Kit. It arrived today and I had to give it a try. Now I already have a chocolate cake in the house and not enough people here to eat it.. so I can't justify making cupcakes... but.. I figured I could make some frosting and pipe onto a plate.. and I did! I went for the strawberry again... This time it was a lot different. I am not sure if it was Betsy or Jenn who said something about really letting the butter and sugar cream.. even walk away from the mixer... let it do its job. I did that.. I mixed and mixed... and would scrape the bowl and then mix and mix some more... once the sugar and the butter were really really Really creamed... I added a little vanilla and a little milk and I let that mix and mix.. then I added a few cut up berries. The color is a very light pink... the flavor is all strawberry and the texture is just smooth and creamy and I may be up for days on this sugar high :)

Thank you so much Betsy and Jenn.. you are both wonderful and I am so grateful to you for all the fun and smiles you bring into my life.. with your friendship and your recipes :)

The pictures in this post are my first attempts at using the piping kit... I just piped them onto a plate.. frosting is in the fridge for next week when I can make cupcakes!

Zero to 18 in the Blink of an Eye

Feels like this photo was taken yesterday.. and yet it was almost 18 years ago

Many moons ago my daughter was born, after having 3 boys in 4 years I was so very happy to see her... and I knew I was done.. with having babies... the easy part.. now on to raising them. Friday she graduates from high school and then in a couple of weeks she turns 18... guess I am done with the raising part now too. A friend on facebook who happens to be about 20 and who has a sweet little baby girl posted about how her daughter will never leave her... just made me smile. They do not stay tiny and sweet and in your arms for as long as you think they will.. you blink and they grow up. This last week has been full of a lot of memories... thinking about Missy and all that has happened when she was growing up... I remember how excited her brothers were when she was born... how proud of their baby sister they were. The road a mom and a daughter travel through the years is a lot different than the one a mom travels with her sons.. I am so thankful to have traveled with you Missy!

Their first steps and first big laughs that scare them... the look on their faces when they figure out the hand on the end of the arm is theirs and they can control it.. sort of.... pretty sure Greg gave himself several black eyes before he figured it out. I loved having my kids so close together.. watching them learn together and help each other...as soon as one child could do something they all would be doing it... which was good and bad. Took forever to potty train them all but once one child had it.. they all got it. As soon as one kid learned he could climb out the window and across the roof and down to the porch.. they all did it. Melissa never let being a girl slow her down... if her brothers could do it.. then so could she and she did.

I am feeling swamped by so many memories... leaves me crying and laughing at the same time... I have loved every single minute of being a mom, not that all of them were easy.. it has been by far the hardest thing I have ever done.... looking back I know my mom warned me... she told me how much work it would be.. and how no one can rip your heart apart like a child, and yet while it is being ripped apart it is at the same time filling with even more love, because as a mom you understand that it is their job to test and to push and pull and yours to hang on and love them no matter what. To all who have sweet cute little ones now... and they smile at you and your heart melts... collect that love and save it... you will need it on a rainy day when they are 16 :)

Always peek at your children when they are sleeping.. no matter how old they get... peek in and kiss them on the forehead and tuck them in while they sleep... there is a connection there... it reminds us of our position in this relationship, to love, protect and guide... care for and teach and treasure.

To all of my children, I am so proud of you all in so many ways. You have all be wonderful children and I will always be your mom and here for you when you need me. I am loving getting to be your friend and look forward to every day with you all.

Weight Loss Wednesday and Weekend Wrap Up

This is the first time in many years that this barn does not have a child's name written on it because of a fatal car crash. With summer coming on and graduation and the end of the school year I am praying it stays this way

Well it has been a week since I have posted in here... been a busy week! I keep saying that.. every week seems to be getting busier and busier. I guess it means summer is coming rain or not. Winter time just seems, for the most part calmer, the list of things to do as the weather turns nice gets so much longer.

Had a wonderful visit with my parents, I love when they come over.. I really wish they lived a lot closer.. even next door would work for me, we did that for a couple of years and I loved it. I am going to keep working on them and then maybe in a couple of years when I win the lotto (tries to remember to buy a ticket) I will buy some property and they will move onto it with us :)

Parents went home Friday and that started our 4 day weekend around here. We had breakfast with them and then they headed home and we hit some garage sales... did not really buy anything... then we headed home and started working on the shop.. more demo.. almost all of the shelves came out of the left hand side of the shop... this weekend involved a LOT of moving things around.. between the shop.. the garage/shed and the garden shed... sorting everything and getting all the car/bike stuff into the one shed and all the garden and extra storage into the garden shed.. getting as much out of the shop as possible so that it can be as focused as possible on wood working. It has been decided that before October we will be building a new garage shed...right now we have a metal one, holds the Harley and has shelves in it.. and it is not big enough and it is not weather proof enough... even though it is up off the gravel it is still has a lot of moisture in there.. so we have added that to the must do list.. along with finish the fence. Now if the Gods of money and time could just see fit to send some extra our way that would be more than wonderful, thanks.

Saturday we did more of the same in the shop...and Sunday too... Monday we started building again and setting up the tools where they go and getting that sort of stuff all figured out.. feels great to be on the creative, building side of things again. That place was so super dirty.. we still have a lot of cleaning to do but everything in there has been gone through and organized and I love it!! We have decided to have a garage sale this summer.. not a HUGE super one like last time ( yes I remember swearing I would never do that again ) but just a few tables.. we are doing the serious sorting of the sheds, the shop, the house, and we will be bringing everything home from storage. We are getting rid of a lot of stuff.... just tired of clutter and storage. If it does not fit in the house and we are not using it then why why why would be not only keeping it but paying to keep it... through the remodel and when the house was so full of kids I get it.. but now there is NO reason. Anyone wants to come set up a table in the yard and sell some of their stuff just let me know :)

We did head out on Saturday to support or local police officers who do an Awesome job, had a chili lunch which was really good!

Daughter will be staying with us at least through the summer, she had planned to move out but those plans fell through, which is a great big welcome to the real world for her :) She was going to have a big graduation/birthday/house warming at her new house in July but since she is staying her we decided to throw her a little something here.. perfect excuse to get out and clean up the yard a little bit too. It is sort of last minute and I know a bunch of people have some other plans but I have my fingers crossed it will be a good turn out... I know my parents are going to be back in town that weekend and I am hoping both my sisters will be able to show up with their kids.

To the WLW, I got up this morning and got on the scale with my eyes closed.. I was so afraid to look. We ate out a bit more than most weeks and I was horrible about doing any exercises.. but it was not as horrible as I had thought.. I just really REALLY need to start minding my food and working out.

Weigh in last week ~ 254 Weigh in this week ~ 254