Scrap To My Lu

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

A day in the life at our house on Halloween. Ryan spent the day and evening with us since his parents are in Hawaii…….he was supposed to spend the night along with another boy, but the sleep over was off with Lucas having H1N1 during the week. Ryan hates having his picture taken…….I had to bribe him with candy. One piece for every photo. I love this shot. Lucas thought his expression says “hey, whattya doin Saturday night?”…….but I love it because I have almost the exact shot from a few years ago.

See? Somewhat the same……….just different.

For lunch I made Wrapped Mummies. They thought it was pretty cool.

Then they passed the time playing Wii and Monopoly.

It was finally ready to get dressed, wait for Bryce and head out. They thought they were extra cool since we let them do our neighborhood on their own. Jim was especially happy about that because he could watch the duck game a little longer.

Lucas’ pumpkin. He designed it…… Blurry decorations My costume……my new tatts. You can see a bit of my dreads too.

Our scary yard…….

Happy Halloween everyone………..

Oink Oink

2009-10-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

We’re not confirmed, but all the symptoms are there. Doesn’t he look miserable?

Although I love these shots. I think he was starting to whine in this first one. :)

He’s concerned about Halloween. He asked me if I would buy him a couple of bags of candy if he couldn’t go trick or treating. Bless his heart. If he does go, perhaps he should dress up as a pig with wings? Don’t worry…..he’s not going unless he’s been fever free for 24 hours.

Halloween isn’t his holiday. Remember this?

Maybe Mabie……

2009-10-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is Mabie…..my mom calls me Maybelline when she’s mad. Like when I went on a poop fest at 4am.

I’m glad my fur is finally growing out after that lady shaved me. I’m much cuter this way. People now ask if I’m a Portuguese Water dog rather than asking “What is she?” Most people are surprised to learn that I’m a Labradoodle.

At home, I like to harass the cat. I know she secretly likes it too. See that black basket? That’s where my mom puts all my toys……the ones I like to tear up. I also like to hang with my homey’s at the dog park. I’m the one running after the ball, but I’m way too busy to bring it back, so I just drop it on the trail. Mom’s coming that way anyway. I don’t like the big dogs that bark, so that’s when I run back to mom and hide my face in her knees. Sometimes she’ll pick me up if I look really scared.

Just another shot of me trying to look cute.

We spend a lot of time with The Boy and that ball. I love my boy. He’s the bestest human ever. Mom really likes him too. Mom usually takes me on a walk while he’s running around with the other humans. We don’t like that neighborhood since we saw a pitbull jumping and hanging onto a piece of meat hooked to a rope. Call me a snob, but that’s just not lady like. So my mom drives me to another neighborhood that has nice trees (on the parking strip) to smell……..Sometimes a cranky lady will come out and yell at my mom to “get her DAMN dog off her yard” My mom just smiles, tells her we’re not in her yard, that I’m not going to the bathroom and to have a nice day. I think she’s way to nice to that lady.

I’d love to chat longer, but my dad is going to take me on a run……I can tell….he’s got those shoes on. My dad is pretty nice too, but he’s always wanting to cuddle.

See ya………….

Pumpkin topiaries.

2009-10-08T15:11:00.001-07:00

It was my turn to host ladies bunco. It’s always good to have an event at your house every now and then….at least for me, because then I usually do something creative. Or it inspires me to complete that one chore of cleaning up my scraproom. Well this time it only inspired me to create something. My scraproom is still a mess. Oh well.

I decided this year I wanted different Pumpkin topiaries. I’ve used my fake orange ones for 3 years or so. This year I wanted a white one……but after searching high and low for that perfect white pumpkin………..with a stem……all I could find were larger ones without a stem. I’m so picky. So, I picked up one of those bluish/greenish ones to plop on the top. Pretty cute huh? Then I decided to use my owls I picked up in Utah this summer. Those babies were only $1.49. I used a grapevine wreath that I found at Michaels for $3.99. Then I found some Fall picks on clearance for $1.50. I tore those apart and stuck pieces of them in the wreath. I left the dirt in my urn from my summer plants, plopped my pumpkins on top….and called it good. I love how they turned out. Bad time to take photos…….way too bright.

My small pumpkin was too small for this planter…….I didn’t let that ruin my day. I just grabbed a section from the morning paper, wadded it up and shoved it in my planter and placed my too small pumpkin on top. Then I added the owl.

That little laminated card says that Family and Friends are Always welcome, but I do not except soliciting from religious groups, political campaigns and door to door marketing.

Happy Anniversary has gone to the dogs

2009-09-27T12:42:00.001-07:00

That doesn’t sound very good does it? It’s really not bad………it’s just our anniversary and we spent the morning taking Mabie to the dog park. She loves it. We love it because we get to see so many other types of dogs.

Mabie usually LOVES to wrestle, but only with dogs she knows. While at the dog park, she prefers to be chased. She’ll fetch a few tennis balls, she’ll steal a few from others just to get her to chase her…….such good manners.

Hi Hi Hi…..My name is Mabie……

This poor guy has a bit of a disadvantage wouldn’t you say?

Finally after sniffing about 50 butts, she found another pup to play with…….this was a 5 mo old lap mixed with a boxer or pit bull………….I say it’s part pit bull because they actually got into a bit of a scuffle after this shot was taken……this dog would not let her up, biting, barking etc…. and Mabie even snarled back….she wanted nothing more to do with this guy…….I had to pull her out of the mess and check her over for bite marks. Lets just say both of us were done after that. But we kept walking to let her and myself calm down…….if the boys wouldn’t have been there, I would have left right away.

Lucas stops and chats with just about everyone, asks what kind of dog they have, what the name is….etc…… Let’s just say he has a bit of his Ya ya in him. (Ya ya is what he calls his Grandmother)Lucas is always trying to get her to jump up on the logs……….Looks like she finally listened.

Looks like she recovered…………

And Happy Anniversary to us! 12 years.

sign of the times…….

2009-09-24T17:36:00.001-07:00

Lucas finally has his first cell phone……actually it’s his second….the first one we bought had a glitch. The poor kid…..he can’t give out his number, he can’t text his friends……..and he’s not to brag about it. We got it for strictly communicating with us when needed……It’s also a pre-paid………so if he was texting and calling his friends, it would eat up his minutes pretty fast. Had lunch with the college roomies……freshman year roomies. We missed Kathy…… Laurie made us a delicious pizza…….with no sauce. It was SO good. Always nice to be around them. It’s always nice to find people you want to be friends with for more than 25 years. I love this photo below because I’m the skinniest one……..who cares if they’re all pregnant.

Peaches the super cat………..if you look really close you may be able to see the coffee vomit stain from our pup.

Back to reality……helping Lucas study his vocabulary words.

Neglected with a plan

2009-09-20T10:46:00.001-07:00

My poor blog has been neglected. It gets that way sometimes. Life has been full of school habits, having lunches with girlfriends, taking Mabie to the dog park and icing my knees. Once I turned 48 they decided to remind me that I’m not as young as I think. Who knows what I did……..I think I was walking down too many steep hills around here….they feel hyper extended. So the last few days I’ve been on ice and moist heat………and Vitamin I (ibuprophin)

My plan…….my menu plan has been working nicely. I charted our dinner menu’s until Oct 8th…….why Oct 8th? No reason. I’d love to hear what you’re family favorites are.

This week:

Sunday - Crock Pot Potato soup

Monday – Crock Pot Pulled Pork sandwiches

Tuesday – Taco’s or Taco Salad.

Wednesday – School fund raiser for Papa Murphy’s Pizza

Thursday – Chili Mac

Friday- BLT’s (so many fresh tomatoes in the garden, gotta have them every week.)

I’m starting to clean up my craft room today, so maybe I’ll have something crafty to show you some time soon.

Please go vote for Mabie in the pup contest! You can vote daily and I could win $500 if I win the week. Each weekly finalist in entered to win ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

Big Plans

2009-09-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

Can’t believe it, but I am actually ready for Fall. I have mentioned many times how I LOVE Summer and have such a hard transition into Fall……….it’s not that I don’t like Fall too, but I usually spend so much time boo hooing about Summer being over that it’s Winter before I’ve had a chance to enjoy Fall…..are you following me?

I’m feeling good about Fall………Lucas is loving school, soccer and old friends. Jim is happy about the Ducks winning and the great weather we’ve been having for his bike commute to work. We’re all good. I’m even thinking about NOT using my traditional pumpkin topiaries (Lucas says they’re a tradition) and doing something else.

Soccer yesterday was good. They finally look like they’re playing soccer. We lost, but it was still a good game. Lucas played hard, feels good about it and that’s what really matters.

Other good things…….

1. I’ve been asked to speak on a panel at a blogging conference. All expenses paid. 3 choices. San Francisco, Atlanta, or Houston. Isn’t that exciting?

2. I’ve planned our menu for the rest of the month. We’ll see how it works. This week we have:

Monday- Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob, and Sweet Potato Fries.

Tuesday- Baked Ziti, Salad, Garlic bread.

Wed – BLT’s, pasta salad and chips

Thurs- Nachos

Friday- Homemade pizza using Trader Joes pizza dough. Spinach Salad.

I think it’s going to be a good week……..especially if I can keep the Raccoon poop out of our yard………or keep Mabie from rolling in the raccoon poop.

I’m now ready.

2009-09-07T15:33:00.001-07:00

School started last week…….before Labor day. It’s just not right. It just didn’t feel right. We had my mormon sister and her family scheduled to arrive Thursday afternoon for the last hurrah of summer…..which also happened to be my birthday. What a great gift. First day of school of course didn’t feel like the first day of school…….maybe I should just start everything over this week? I did take photos be to a good mom. Even though we can walk or bike to school this year, he opted for the bus on the first day. And I am proud to say this is my first year NOT going to the school on the first day.

Then my sis arrived. It was a blur the rest of the weekend. I only saw Lucas in passing. He and his cousins have so much fun. Never a cross word, only smiles, play and laughter. No kidding. He misses them so badly when they leave. Now Fall can begin. I’m finally ready. I’m ready for my pumpkin topiaries, apple cider and………school.

In session and OMG

2009-09-03T16:14:00.001-07:00

School….always a bit of drama. Lucas ended up getting switched at the last minute, but we were thrilled. His teacher already knows him, she’s a doll and I don’t HAVE to say that just because she reads my blog. SHE READS MY BLOG! CRAP!

Why crap? I don’t know……..I mean it’s ok to think 100’s of people I don’t know read it, but people I DO know and HIS TEACHER……..I told Lucas that she knows him VERY well.

We are excited for a fun year. I think it’s going to be his best……and I’m not just saying that. :)First day of school. Look how color coordinated he and Mabie are with the house.

This is the first year I didn’t go to the school on the first day. Lucas said he would have been embarrassed. That’s him and his friend Sam. Aren’t they cute?

My sister should be pulling in any moment. It’s my birthday and we’re going to eat CAKE!

Cutest Dog Competition

2009-09-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

That's my baby! Please go vote for her!

2009-08-31T11:42:00.001-07:00

Get YOUR Craft on! Grab this image for your post!

Sit on it

2009-08-29T15:19:00.001-07:00

Need I say more? Probably not, but I usually do.

This is normal for Peaches and Mabie. If she’s not trying to sit on her, she has her mouth over Peaches throat. She wants to play so badly, but Peaches is just not getting it. If Peaches would just use her claws….one time…..I think she would be relieved of her play duties………she just doesn’t realize she has claws.

Debi says it looks like Crushed Velvet.

2009-08-28T19:10:00.001-07:00

Poor little Mabie! I’m sorry. Let’s just say we won’t be visiting this groomer again. This groomer was so nice…….I have been watching her the last two times I took Mabie there for their U-wash services. Sweet sweet ladies. So I was confident when I took her there for a trim, we would get what we wanted. I should have known when she told me she was matted. Matted? My definition of matted is mats…… knots….her definition is when she can’t comb through it smoothly with her metal comb. Heck, that‘s when I should have grabbed that comb and tried to comb it through MY curls……..and I most certainly don’t have matted hair. Good Grief. So she basically shaved her……..not happy ……….not happy at all. None of us.

Debi the breeder was trying to cheer me up. She told me her coat looks like crushed velvet and that she has a nice shape……I suppose as a breeder she is interested in seeing her shape……….and of course she thinks she’s still darling……….and she is.

squeeze it in……..

2009-08-24T17:25:00.001-07:00

The last few days of summer vacation……..

The weekend started nicely. Of course I don’t remember what we did Friday, but Saturday night, Lucas had a birthday party from 5 til 11pm. So Jim and I thought we’d take the opportunity to see an “adult” movie. A movie that wasn’t meant for kids. Get your mind out of the gutter…… We headed out later than we should have if we wanted to make happy hour at Roots. So then we thought we’d just grab a bento…..drove up only to find it out of business………..by now we didn’t really have a lot of time to sit down and have a meal and make it to the movie on time. We decided to head to Cinetopia, a dine in theater. Ate in their dining room, walked into the theater only to find it packed! We actually had to sit apart. :( We saw Julie & Julia. Loved it.

Sunday we got up and headed to the beach. We were suppose to meet up with a cousin, but her son was sick, so we just played more at the beach. Mabie was a good girl, but then started getting a bit sassy and not listening. Back on the leash. She loved the water and was jumping waves until I showed up……it’s like she knew “mama wouldn’t like that” so she stopped. She’s a show stopper. People stop…..look at her……….then ask “is she a standard?” or “what is she?” or “is she a Portuguese water dog”……then when I say “she’s a labradoodle” they then think she’s going to get really big……….they want to know if her mom was a poodle and her dad a lab. That’s when I say “she’s a Australian multi-gen labradoodle” LOL I’ve learned way more than I ever wanted to about labradoodles.

Later Mabie was grounded and re-leashed………she kept running up to everyone with their dogs telling them she’s really cute and everyone loves her………I grounded her. That made her pretty mad…..since the boys started flying a kite and she had to watch from a distance. She would not come near me. She even knocked down Lucas’ sand mountain and dug holes around his sand creation. Being the good mom that I am…….I let her. She whined and whined wanting to join the boys………..spoiled rotten.

That’s Lucas ringing her neck for knocking down his sand creations.…..kidding.

While Lucas and Jim played in the arcade, I walked……..5 people commented on her being a puppy…. 2 wanted to know what she was….48,000 smiled at her.

We headed to Goose Hollow Pub for dinner. The only dog friendly place in Seaside. Don’t go. We were there for 15 min before someone took our drink order……after sitting there for another 30 min, Jim reminded me that we still hadn’t placed our dinner order. I guess I was distracted by the 8 young drunk fishermen. Not distracted in a good way……….more disgusted. Or maybe I was distracted by all the smoke around us………OUTSIDE. She finally takes our order after I went in to get her……..45 min later…………no food. I go back in to see if our order has even been started. The cook was nice, the waitress wasn’t…….telling me they were really busy (not) and every ordered food at the same time. We left……..drove through McDonalds. Since it was already 8:30pm, we decided to take the long way home to avoid Portland traffic and construction……….only to get stopped for 45 min about 2 miles from our home by a roll over accident. UGH!

Even though the weekend was peppered with inconvenient spots……….the positive aspects out weighed the negative.

Focus Focus Focus

2009-08-21T14:57:00.001-07:00

Someday I would love to be a professional photographer. Not saying it’s actually going to happen, but I love photography and wouldn’t it be nice to make a living doing what you love? (not that I don’t love my job now)

I signed up for Karen Russell’s online photography class. I am SO far behind…….What was I thinking? Summer is crazy busy. And I’m a horrible student…….in any class. Online or physical.

This past weekend, my friend from college emailed me on Friday wanting to know if by chance I would be available on Saturday to shoot some shots of her family. All her girls were under one roof for only one more day and she really wanted to get some family shots. Luckily I WAS available……shocking. Our weekends have been packed, so having an open Saturday was a long shot.

I met them at LaCamas Lake………it was fun to try a few poses….I’ve known them forever, her girls babysit for me……..so we were all at ease. I doubt all photo shoots are this easy.

This one is the free spirit. Full of life….. Love all the feet. One daughter just got back from a mission in a far away hot place….you can see how tan her feet are.The whole family.

I love this shot of them walking to our next “location”.

It was also their 25th wedding anniversary last month. So cute.

I was in that wedding…………in fact here is the dress I wore below. Sorry it’s in a photo collage……but I think you can see what photo in the collage I’m talking about.

Anywhoo…….it was a great experience to practice and even more fun to spend the morning with them.

Summer Happenings….

2009-08-12T14:49:00.001-07:00

I am ignoring the school supply ads. I am ignoring anyone in different states who are already starting school. Why do we rush Summer? You don’t hear people saying “oh only 3 more weeks of winter” UGH!

I love Fall, but can never enjoy it because I build up all this anxiety about Summer ending….by the time I except that Summer is over and Fall is OK…….it’s almost over too. Then Winter………UGH! I seriously could be a snow bird…….NOW! I love warm weather, hot weather even if I have a pool and AC. Bring it on.

Yesterday my friend Maria spent the afternoon with us. She was supposed to bring her fitness music so we could share. She forgot it. But Lucas and Sammie got to hang out. They were together all the time when they were babies and toddlers. Sammie loved bossing Lucas around and he loved doing whatever she asked.Then it was time to take a couple of photos of my cute girl Mabie. She’s 7 mo now. About 30 lbs………and cute as ever. She is no longer sleeping in her crate……only because during the hot spell we let her sleep on our bed. Of course she loved it. She doesn’t shed, she doesn’t smell……..so until the rainy season, I can’t come up with a good enough reason to not let her. She is in heaven.

I’m off to enjoy Summer!

Lake time

2009-08-07T16:20:00.001-07:00

My inlaws have a place at “the lake” it’s a small man made lake in Central Oregon. There are several other family friends who also have a place at “the lake”. Pinehollow is where we hang. There can be the whole clan, or just a few on the weekends. There were just a few this past weekend, but we managed to have a blast. It was HOT……….really HOT! Like over 100 degree’s daily HOT……..like 111 degree’s one day HOT! We spent most of our day in the water…….dogs spent most of their day in the water.

That’s our friends’ boat….my son is in the water somewhere down there. He spent so much time on the tube that his hands are scabbed from being blistered. He would go to bed saying the lake was haunting him……saying it still felt like he was on the tube and could still hear the boat.

Here’s the view from my lounge. All friends…….all cooling off in their own way. The water looks a bit muddy, but that was only where we were walking in…..the water was at least 83 degrees or higher. It was so warm.

Lucas and McKenna ………what are you guys doing? Wrestling alligators?

Ummmm…….Lucas looks like he’s going to the bathroom………but let me assure you they were actually digging up large rocks off the bottom. Of course!

Mabie was HOT! She ended not minding the water. She would tootle around just enough to get really wet, then go lay in the sun.

Once home, we had a play date lined up for an afternoon. My friend Teri has a 12 week Golden Doodle. They played for about an hour…….enough to tucker them out for awhile. Mabie was so gentle with her.

Little Roxy.

The weather has cooled………too much if you ask me……..and we’re gearing up for a soccer tournament this weekend.

The dog has diarrhea & I have a mess in the living room.

2009-07-29T19:03:00.001-07:00

How’s that for a title?

It’s 107 degree’s, my dog has the runs and I have a mess in the living room…..and it’s OK. Lucas and his friend made a fort in the living room. Every kid should have memories of making a fort with the furniture. Since Lucas was in a soccer camp all morning………and it’s 107 outside, I told the boys that they needed to stay inside……I told them they could play unlimited Wii…….but they were still roaming around acting bored……started to play with the Lego's they had all over the living room floor for the last 3 days……..so I suggest they build a fort. Good Golly……you would've thought I told them there was free ice cream today…..they gathered every blanket, sheet, beach towel and used every piece of furniture available.

Meanwhile I kept Mabie hydrated and happy……….she’s fine. Really. She keeps getting into something……but we’re not sure what since she is never out of our sight. I’m thinking she’s getting a little kitty rocca from the garden….

Back to the fort……..my dogs bowel movements aren’t that interesting for a blog.

I haven’t heard this much giggling and planning in months. I kept hearing “oh no, there’s a collaption” Cracked me up.

Notice my messy dining room table……I have thing piled from my Utah shopping to put away………loving the blue painting tape to hold his sheet up. Love his little feet sticking out….his filthy little feet…….. That’s my vintage table cloth on the top……..$1 at a yard sale. And those 2 black obelisk looking things…….$2 at a yard sale. And that toile square to the left…..that’s the back to a chair that actually is made from cardboard…..not the cushion. My sister’s mother inlaw made me the cover. The broom is there because they said they used it to sweep up the legos. Hmmmm…….Ok. The lamp with the black shade………used to be brassy……..I painted it. And see those candle sticks way back there on the table? Those were $5 at a clearance sale. My butter colored chair……..yard sale………it’s a Mitchell Gold. I didn’t even know who or what that was til I bought them………couch and chair $500

How’s that for summer fun?

Outdoor Room on a budget!

2009-07-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

I dream of having an outdoor room…….one that is easily accessible from the kitchen area. My sister has the perfect set up………me? Not so much. I do have a deck off my kitchen area, but it’s our middle floor with no access to the yard from our deck…….which I have a love hate relationship with. There are times I love not having access to the yard below and there are times, I really do want access……Other than that, I am pretty satisfied with our home………wait………one more thing………I would like a better entry way………but other than that, I’m good……..I am fortunate to have what we do have and smart enough not to complain too much.

As you exit our Daylight basement………or walk out basement……..or the bottom floor, you will find yourself under the deck. It’s an eye sore……..To add to that eye sore, the owners previous to us had put in a very large concrete pad…….works great for a play area for Lucas……….and someday it will make for a great BBQ built in/fire pit area. In the mean time I have fussed around with this area trying to make it look more inviting…….

A little better I’d say…….especially on a budget. I love decorating with bargain items. Putting it together……..The drapes are actually canvas drop clothes. I got that idea from one of the featured bloggers I did at TCB. If could remember exactly who, I’d tell you….. I just nailed nails…….well my husband did…..to the deck, then used the clip on curtain hardware to clip onto the curtain and loop over the nail. Easy to take down if a storm comes. Drop Cloths = $9 each.

Table and chairs = $20 / I found this table and chair set at a yard sale down the street. It had been painted emerald green……not my color……….so my husband painted it black for me. The Candelier is from my Southern Living at HOME days. Chair pads are from IKEA =$2 each. I actually have cream colored pads somewhere……just need to find them. Grassy plants = $5 Curly willow planters $15 for both = yard sale. Rug =$40 from Lowes. I asked for more of a discount, but they wouldn’t give it to me. Never hurts to ask. I had found an outdoor rug that was turquoise and green for only $17.99 at JC Penny. But it looked more like a prayer mat than a rug….wasn’t large enough…..Black bench =$20 Barn House Boys Sale. More than I would usually pay for a small piece of furniture, but it was black and distressed and the boys were so cute…..I didn’t want them to think I was cheap…….well you know what I mean. You can see it better in the first photo.Can’t really see the green cushion in the lounge chair. Cushion = $10 JC Penny.

Lounge Chair = $40 Originally bought for my in-laws, but they didn’t like it, so we got it back. I love it. I would never have bought a chair for $40, but since we needed to replace one for the lake, I was trying to find one that matched the style they already had. Worked out in my favor. All wall accents are from garage sales. $2 here, $3 there. Plant was $1.25 in the clearance plant section at Lowes.

While placing my curly willow in my really cool metal planters and stuffing the tops with spanish moss, I found this fake daffodil plant in the bottom of the bag….so I stuffed in the pot that I still needed something in. It’s not spring, but heck it’s colorful and I love it. That wall sconce was only $3 at a yard sale……Southern Living at HOME. Score!

So if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for an Iced Tea…………except it’s too hot outside to enjoy my “outdoor room”…….but I’ll show it to you.

Utah or Bust ~ Back Home

2009-07-21T20:30:00.001-07:00

Back on the road……..for home. Let’s just say there are many rest stops between Utah and Washington…..most are very nice….some are kind of creepy.

Lucas was set up in the back with Mabie, the DVD player and snacks………we decided not to listen to an audio book like we did on the way. (The Outsiders)

We reminisced about our trip……..while coming down cabbage mountain we talked again how my sister was stung by a bee in the car and how I was hitting my then boyfriend who wouldn’t (couldn’t) pull over….still makes us howl.

Heading into Baker City, Ernest goes on Vacation tells me that he would really like to stop at the Oregon Trail Interpretive center and it’s not likely he’ll get around these parts anytime soon…….so off the interstate we go for yet another educational lesson from Ernest…aka Jim. He is giddy with excitement……..he reads EVERY historical marker…….EVERY .ONE .OF .THEM.

Sadly they wouldn’t allow dogs inside…….darn it! So I walked a few trails, then sat out front for a quiet afternoon…….until an older woman decided to sit next to me……..in only 5 min I learned she was pretty much blind, but grateful for having her sight up til now……..her daughter bought her a Great Dane puppy who was 5 mo old….(is that really a good idea for a woman who can’t see and can hardly walk?) She grew up in Boston, she was there with her friend who was from Boise and her daughter. She was mad at them for wanting her to come inside….mad because they know she can’t see anything….she may as well be looking at a bunch of watermelon…..She was kind of funny, so I just sat back and let her talk. She was obviously not interested in a conversation, and I wasn’t really interested in talking…..so I just listened. Jim came out just in time…… On the way home there are 1000’s of windmills……or are they wind turbines? I love them. They are SO big. I took these through the car window. We arrived home around 6:30pm……hit some rush hour traffic. Came home to an unlocked house and almost dead flowers. We had a couple of kids watching the cat. They did great with Peaches, but got a bit distracted with the details. They felt horrible. The funny thing? Their mom had sent me an email that morning with a news click attached about Camas home break ins not far from our home. :)

It was a great trip. Quality time spent with family. Lucas and his cousins adore each other and can’t wait to see each other again………maybe Labor Day.

Homeward bound ~ Utah or Bust

2009-07-20T11:12:00.001-07:00

We left on a Thursday morning and headed for Boise. Everyone was sad. Lucas was sad to be leaving his cousins and their friends. I was sad for leaving my sister’s home and Jim was sad to be almost done with his vacation.

A neighbor of mine who almost had the exact vacation, just a week earlier had stopped in Shoshonne Falls on her way through to Utah, so we decided to stop on our way back. It’s a quick in and out, beautiful falls. Supposed to be the Niagara of the NW. Lots of Native American history throughout these hills. This is located near Twin Falls Idaho. No restrictions for dogs there…….so if you’re thinking of that Doggy Daycare franchise idea………you can skip Shoshonne Falls. We spent the night in Boise…..same hotel……..same room. I was looking forward to a relaxing evening, swimming, etc…. Up early the next day to start our last decent home.

Utah or Bust – The Day afterr

2009-07-19T14:26:00.001-07:00

Since we arrived home so early in the morning, we had another slow day around the house. The boys were in complete combat mode after playing Risk and then seeing all those cool rocks that were perfect for sniping. Jim and I just wanted to lay by the pool for one last day since we knew tomorrow would come too soon and we would be on the road again for home. The boys created this “drama” with my sisters 30 year old Raggedy Ann dolls…..I think we were supposed to think they came alive. They had one of their friends hide behind the chair (my sisters craigs list chairs…… I think she paid $40 each) to scare Jim when he came in. I think he was a bit startled, but I don’t think he was afraid of the dolls like they’d hoped for. While Jim was being frightened, Zach was laying on the floor with red marker drawn on his wrist…….supposed to be blood they told me.

On to plan B. They set this up to scare Kacie when she came home from the grocery. Notice the pocket knife and butter knife……..and the rug that needs vacuuming………….but hey! My sis was on vacation too and neither of us were doing more house work than needed.

What you can’t see it? You can’t read the scary letter? LOL Here’s a closer look

We spent our last day packing, relaxing and sun bathing………wishing we had another week.

Utah or Bust – Bryce Canyon

2009-07-18T10:14:00.001-07:00

Waking up in Cedar City after a short nights rest and headed to Bryce Canyon.

After a “quick” trip to walmart to pick up some hats………I wanted a wide brim hat and this was as close to it we could find….aren’t they cute? LOL So Kacie got white to match her shirt and I got a light turquoise to match mine. They even had a cute little bow. I’m loving how this shot really shows my chin or lack of it I inherited from my Grandmother Velma.

We drove on what looked like the back roads to Bryce. Beautiful. We even saw a baby moose……….not sure where the mom was. We stopped at a couple of touristy look out points to see a glimpse of what would greet us later at Bryce. Of course Lucas was ALWAYS last getting out of the car………If you look in the far distance…..that little valley is where we stayed. Cedar City. We are at about 10,000 feet at this point.The sky really was that blue…….

Once again, I had my ISO set too high so my photos are a bit washed out. I loved this tunnel, there are 2 of them which was handy since I was wanting her to pull over to take a photo of the first one….then magically another appeared.

We had decided to take Mabie to a doggie day care. There were two in the area. One had a website and one didn’t. The one with the website didn’t answer their phone, but when we stopped in town for Subway, the owner confirmed they were a great place, great people and told us how to get to their house………I yi yi…..it was WAY there. He told me it was way out there and I guess when you’re already in the middle of no where, WAY OUT THERE really means WAY OUT THERE………we finally find it and see gated kennels with dogs…….all dirt……with tarps over the top to keep them cool in the 90+ degree weather. Thank God no one answered the door……..I don’t think I could have left her there no matter how nice they were………

We headed into another small town called Tropic to drop her off and the other one, the gal I had talked to on the phone. I am not sure what I expect from these places, but my girl is no hillbilly. She had 2 gated kennels over cement with a bed. Tarped for shade, but close to the house. She also had 2 dogs who Mabie seemed to like. Once was a 5mo puppy, so I told her that Mabie would LOVE to play with her and asked if she could be put on the running lead to have some freedom. It was like leaving my newborn. UGH! Off we went to hike around Bryce.

It was amazing……….more than I expected. Since we were dog free and we had Ernest goes on Vacation with us (aka Jim) we had to hit EVERY stop around the canyon.

There was an area where you could walk down and closer to the edge. Very cool. My sister thought I was going to fall………see?…..safety queens run in our family.

It was finally time to hike down into the canyon………we needed to pick up Mabie by sundown afterall.

It was switch backs over and over going down…….nice flat trails at the bottom and switch backs over and over coming up. You can see the woman in the lower left corner gasping for air as she starts her climb. Notice Lucas…..drinking water in every photo…..it’s his signature. I should have thought about clothing color choices……Jim in brown, Lucas in Grey….Zach in orange……we should have all worn blue.

The boys really like it……….because they thought each turn was the BEST place to have a StarWars war with snipers.

Done with the hike……..they (Jim, Lucas and Alexa) decided to take the trail to the lodge. We drove…….because someone had to meet them there right? We bought tee’s and trinkets like we’re suppose to, then headed back to Tropic to pick up Mabie. She was SO excited to see me, after trying to greet this overly excited pup, she bolted to the van and got in. I talked briefly to the gal and she asked if she really was a puppy because she was so well behaved and so smart! That’s our Mabie!

We headed home at 9:30pm……..drove the speed limit (80) most the time and 90 some of the time. We made it home by 12:30am. Quick memories…………Leaving at 9:30am on Monday, arriving home Wednesday morning at 12:30am…….what a quick adventure!

Utah or Bust ~ Road Trip!

2009-07-17T16:40:00.001-07:00

Off to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. Just a quick trip…..one night. We took my sisters van…….a Nissan Quest. This easily fit all 6 of us, the x-box, luggage, and the dog. While the kids played a video game, Jim played Brain Age on the DS…..Kacie and I took sips from straws that made us laugh hysterically…….you had to be there.

We drove down, dropped our stuff off at a hotel……the only one we could find that took Pets……one that had ZERO grass for pets to eliminate……….Poor Mabie. After dropping our stuff off, we headed to Zion.

We stopped at the Visitor Center because we had “Ernest goes on Vacation” with us aka Jim. Jim also knows where EVERY bathroom there is between here and Utah, as well as every single one IN Utah…..and he never misses an opportunity to use one. As he was coming out the door I said to my sister….”watch, he’ll see that bathroom and he’ll just HAVE to go”…..there he goes

And here he comes……knowing exactly why I’m taking a picture he gives me the thumbs Up.

I took this one out the side window! Yes, I edited it a bit. Because I had my ISO set too high and it would have looked like this below if I hadn’t.

We stopped at the first trail. Of course Dogs weren’t allowed……….something about them scaring off wildlife……..so I stayed with her near or in the car while they all headed out.

We then headed into town……very cute town…….we needed a place to eat……dog friendly place…….not alot of them. Then we saw some picnic tables in the back of a restaurant. Perfect……..if you like the smell of Bison and Elk poop with a view of the rocks . But really how many of you can say you ate lunch next to Bison and Elk? I can.

Refueled we headed out on the only dog friendly hike Zion has. By now, Lucas is grating on my last nerve…..giddy with exhaustion…..and ended the hike freaking out that he almost lost his life because he saw a black widow.

Jim (Ernest goes on vacation) just walked ahead to miss the drama…….he was probably looking for a bathroom.

The sky really was this color.

Lucas messing around……shocking. Wearing Alexa’s glasses. Still messing around……Alexa looking annoyed, but I actually think she was trying to make a face……….Zach….not sure what he was doing.

A boy and his tumble weed……….who needs toys?

He finally talked his cousin Zach into joining the madness……….Zach is always willing to throw you his latest face.

Jim missed it all……..he was one with nature. So if you were on the trail trying to enjoy nature and a little boy talking non-stop, squealing, running, being yelled at by his mother ruined it for you.......that was us…………Sorry. But it really was beautiful.

Now for those of you looking for a business……you need to start a franchise of really nice Doggy Day Cares near National Parks. An Animal hotel with daycare would be even better. Why National Parks don't have their own......think of the extra revenue.