Busted!

Yep, it's official.

The computer bit it.

Hubby is trying to get things straightened out so we can just reinstall Windows, but it's not going well. He wants to get an external HD to see if that will let us at least transfer the pic files (oh, he located them, but Windows is SO corrupted we can't get them transfered onto CD/DVD and I only have a 2 GB jumpdrive) but that won't happen for at LEAST a week.

So, for now all I can do is anticipate getting my stinking adorable video of my daughter counting uploaded eventually so I can share (okay, brag).

Dell Ate My Pics!

I restarted my comp a couple days ago, and when it rebooted it told me (ha, it told me) the profile was corrupt. Huh? So it continued to boot...

And there was nothing.

Nothing in my program files, nothing in MY PICTURE FILES, my music folder, NOTHING!

I had most (I think close to all) my pics uploaded onto my Kodak website, but I'm not sure. Husband says everything might still be on the HD somewhere...

So I'm out of a computer until it gets ironed out, which could be a long time. :( The Wii works to surf, but it just takes a little longer and uploading pics are going to have to wait. I can't upload at work either, because my camera is so old Windows threatens all Hades to break loose if I try to connect it via USB. (Something about an uncertified driver...lame)

So until everything is up and running again, no pic posts. :(

I Luv the Mailman!

I don't know WHAT it is with getting things through mail order, but it's fun!

I just got notification from UPS that my order from Shipwreck Beads will be at my place by the time I get home tonight. Oh the anticipation! What that basically equates out to is that I can officially begin making Christmas presents this weekend. :)

Ordering from the huge suppliers is cheaper than just hitting the bead store. Especially when you know what you want, and you need it in bulk. Shipwreck Beads is actually headquartered like 1.5 hours south from my place, and is HUGE! I got to peruse through there when I was about 6ish months pregnant with Celesta and I got totally overwhelmed (I made the mistake of not having any projects in mind, and only about 30 minutes to shop before they closed. Talk about pressure!).

My friend orders from Fire Mountain Gems and they have a really extensive selection as well. Coolest part about both of them is that they do gift certificates! (*HINT HINT*)

Either way, with my catalog order I'm getting a $15 card to use toward my next order, and trust me I already know what I'm getting! So here's to loving the postal carrier again! :)

Grape Picking!

Our first day of our grape juice canning weekend was fun! I stayed up a little too late Thursday night with a friend and didn't get home in time to prepare for the next day. So Friday morning I got up early enough to pack and get the car loaded before taking off. I had to spend a couple hours at work before meeting my mom in Eastern Washington so when I left the house Friday morning, I wasn't coming back until Sunday.


Front Seat


Passenger Side Rear


Trunk


Driver Side Rear

As you can see, I had my car absolutely packed to the gills! I brought 65 quart mason jars, 12 half-pint mason jars, 10 lbs of sugar, 7 empty banana boxes, the double stroller, two packed diaper bags, a duffel bag for myself, and I even had enough room leftover for some miscellaneous canning stuff! My husband thought I was going to need the hitch rack for more cargo room, but to my amazement, I proved him wrong! (That RARELY happens!)

After meeting my mom for lunch in Ellensburg, we all piled into her minivan and trekked out to Yakima. Our first stop was my Aunt's neighbors house. They had a small supply of grapes we picked for free. It was there that Celesta fell out of the van and chipped her tooth. I was so preoccupied with handling that, I didn't take any pics there.

Our next stop was a nearby fruit stand my mom loves to visit when she has the opportunity to do so. There I picked up two boxes of tomatoes, a bag of peppers and a bag of onions to bring home for making more spaghetti sauce. Since it's the end of the season, prices rocked!

From there we finally traveled to a cute little vineyard my mom goes to for her grapes.




There were LOADS of concord grapes!


Celesta 'helping' pick grapes




A very wet Celesta, can you see her tooth chipped?

It began raining as soon as we got there, so the picking wasn't exactly fun. After an hour of getting rained on, Celesta whining/crying because she was cold and her teeth hurt, and Rachael fussing because I didn't take her out of the car, we finally called it a day and left without filling all our boxes with grapes. We were kinda dissapointed we didn't fill all our boxes, but we figured we did the best we could.

After retrieving my car in Ellensburg, Mom and I pulled in to my parents place after 9:00pm with a van full of fruit and a car full of tired kids. We left the fruit in the van overnight and got Celesta and Rachael bathed and in bed before we finally retired for the day. I was wiped!

As soon as I get the pics from our day of canning, I'll post them! Until then!

In a Blur

I'm so glad this week is finally over! It's been nuts! I haven't even had a chance to post pics of my excursion last weekend!

I'll get some up as soon as I can, but for now you'll have to deal with some spoilers. I promise to fill in details when I get the pics up.

I ended up taking the kids with me last weekend to Yakima and my parents place in Leavenworth for our grape juice canning event. Friday was a loooooong day of picking grapes and driving. Celesta fell out of the car at our first stop, scuffed her chin and broke one of her front teeth! I was so upset. So this week we've been dealing with a toddler not only going through some 'terrible two' meltdowns, but struggling with eating/drinking because her front two teeth hurt. I talked to my dentist and he said we don't have anything to worry about (it's a baby tooth, it's not loose or knocked out, it's not discolored) but I'm still not convinced. If this keeps up, I'm gonna look for a pediatric dentist.

Since we spent the entire weekend canning juice, I brought home all the ingredients for pepper jam, salsa, and spaghetti sauce. Which equivilates out to two boxes of RIPE tomatoes (end of the season), a bag of candy sweet onions and a box full of peppers. So this week we've been working like crazy in the kitchen! On Monday JT canned over 50 pint jars of salsa and spaghetti sauce, Tuesday, I did 16 more of spaghetti sauce, and tonight we're taking care of the peppers. My poor mother in law is curious to know when she's going to get her kitchen back, luckily after this week we will be DONE for the year!

This week we had some complicating factors with my husband getting his Class A CDL. After a night of nearly tearing my hair out, I found out today that there's a school nearby that will do training by the hour and rents trucks for the test. I have to talk to someone about it on Monday to get details, but I'm just HOPING this avenue will work! $4500 for schooling is not exactly possible at the moment, and we HAVE to get moving on this opportunity.

I also got to go visit my friend who had her twins this week. Everything went fine, the twins are absolutely ADORABLE (and so small compared to Rachael!) I might be able to sneak a couple pics and post them, we will see! I'll see them again next week when I go over to help. Twins and a C-section, what a mix!

Books and Anniversaries

We here at the Crofoot Household had an incredibly busy weekend!

On Saturday, I spent the day down in Sea-Tac at an insurance coding compliance seminar (I know, you're snoring already). I personally enjoyed it, and it was also cool because it was held in the hotel that the anime convention I attend every year started. I have a LOT of silly memories in that place, as well as knowing it like the back of my hand! I'll admit, parts of the seminar were spent reminiscing about how the last time I was in the particular conference room the seminar was held in, I was pouring over artworks from numerous sources to silently bid on. And if I remember correctly, it was also the same conference room approx. 6 years ago I went out on a limb and attended a viewing of an anime series I'd never heard of, seeing if I liked it or not! In my pajamas none the less! Oh, the silly memories! :)

That evening, the entire family spent the night housesitting for my father in law and stepmom. So for a homemade turkey dinner (just warming up for Thanksgiving!) we got to look after my in-law's aging dog and sleepover! Fun times!



Celesta and Ebby

The next morning we all packed up and headed home to drop off the kids with my mom in law, and JT and I headed over with our good friend's mom to a HUGE book sale thrown by the Seattle Public Library. They take donations of used books and sell them to support the financial needs of the library. And I am talking HUGE! It's held in an airplane hangar, the inventory is so large! It's held twice a year, and my husband, the bookworm, has gone the past few years to stock up on his favorite reading material at incredibly low pricing.

The challenging part is that the two weekends of the year it's held, we're busy! It's always on the same weekend JT goes turkey hunting, and later in the year, on our anniversary weekend! This year, however, we didn't go out of town for our anniversary and since my mother in law had the kids, we BOTH got to go!

It was my first time attending, and I was absolutely amazed at how many books were there! Boxes of boxes of any genre you could imagine! I got lost in the cookbook section and picked up some good books on canning, casseroles, cooking outdoors, and gingerbread houses! I also hit the science section and picked up books on weather, astronomy, as well as some textbooks on physics and math! (Hey, at .50 cents per book, you seriously can't go wrong!)

Since our anniversary was on this past Monday, we spent the evening (since I work on Mondays) at our favorite Italian restaurant we haven't been to in AGES! (Once again, kids were with a sitter-I've never had them away from me so often!) It was a great dinner, and my husband surprised me with not only flowers, but a Japanese immersion kit! I now have language CDs, another workbook to go through, software, and another DVD! I am still working with my workbooks and DVD from yesjapan.com (Their stuff is the best I've worked with so far) and the immersion CD's just aid what I've already learned from my previous workbooks. I now tout myself as knowing Japanese well enough to royally screw it up! :)

Playdate!

Celesta got to spend the day with my friend's daughter, Kay, who's only about 9 months older than Celesta. Kay is closest to Celesta in age of all my friends kids, so it's an absolute treat that my friend is up here from New Mexico until January. While Cici and Kay were tearin' it up, my friend and I were free to catch up and swap crafting skills.



I'm more of a stringing seed bead hobbyist, while my friend is more involved with the wirework/jewelry side of beading. So I brought my stringing patterns, and my friend is teaching me a few techniques with wirework. The above piece will be one in a set of four, each representing the four seasons. I used amber, citrine, and peridot for Autumn (above) and I am currently working on Winter, using moonstone for the snowcovered leaves. Summer will be malachite (green) and I can't remember what we're using for the spring tree. I'll get pics up when I get them all finished!

Houston, We Have a Redhead!

I was holding out as long as I could to prevent myself from being wrong (Celesta's hair was reddish, but went platinum) but I think it's safe now to say that Rachael's hair is RED!


You might not be able to tell from the pic from my cell phone, but when the light hits it right, it is a coppery red color! Her grandmother is SO PROUD!

The Fair, Part Two

I got some more pics from the Evergreen Fair we went to...Two weks ago?


Celesta on her first ride by herself!



Tuckered out Rachael

JT left to go change Rachael, and it started raining shortly after he left. Here's how he got Rachael across the fairgrounds warm and dry, with many curious looks from other people!


Crazy, eh?

Change in the Air

Change in season, change in...Well, everything.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that we had an offer from an uncle in Utah for my husband to 'Semi-long haul' (truck driving) out of the Salt Lake area.

Needless to say, the timing is perfect among everything else that was going on this past few weeks. So here's how it's going to go down:

My husband will be driving a truck furnished by my uncle. (for the first couple years, then it's ours) The initial offer was to drive from SLC to Calfornia and back. Two days out, two days back, home on the weekends. Actually, it'd be a little less than two days once he got the routing and exchanging figured out. It's more than what he's making now, PLUS we'd be in an area that has a significantly lower cost of living than up here in the Northwest.

Now here are the drawbacks we were initially biting our nails over:

Moving. Where were we going to get the funds it'd take for us to move 850 miles, where were we going to live, etc.

Class A CDL. My husband currently holds a Class B, and in order to drive a semi with a 53' trailer, you need a Class A CDL. Classes run about $4500 and are currently booked through November. Currently, you aren't required to go to a school to get your Class A, all you need is to pass the written and a driving test. But you have to supply the truck to do the test in, and not many ppl have a semi-truck with insurance laying around in their backyards. And the laws are changing, as of 1/2009 you WILL be required to take a CDL course before getting your Class A. Ouch!

Health Insurance. The job doesn't come with any benefits, as he would technically be an Owner-Operator.

My job transferring. No, I'm not currently working as a Massage Therapist, but I'm still licensed in the state of WA. I would probably have to go back to school to get a Utah license, as I am no longer nationally certified (that's required for a UT license)

Also, the laws are different for insurance billing in UT- I have no idea if I could work down there doing what I'm currently doing up here.

My father in law. He's been struggling with cancer over the past few years (okay, longer than that, but it's been more serious in the last couple years) and may be on his last option for treatment before they are unable to do anything else but deem him terminally ill. This news doesn't encourage my husband to want to do any sort of relocating out of the area.

So we've been mulling things over in the past week. And it's almost surprising how smoothly things have lined up!

We were planning on my husband going down to UT first and working (probably staying with a family member) while I stayed up here for a few months to tie up loose ends and facilitate moving all our worldly posessions east. It just so happens that the SLC to Cali route isn't the only route he can work. There's a Seattle to Oakland route my husband could do. So does that mean we're not moving to the grand state of Utah? Heck no, it just means that we don't have to go crashing down to Utah before we can financially handle it. And, my husband has the option of doing the Seattle-Oakland route whenever needed, so when we're in SLC and he wants to see his dad, instead of heading back to SLC from Cali, he can just do a leg up north. So scratch the moving and father in law issues.

My sister just recently moved from Utah to Ohio, and has the information on something similar to PODS (when you pack your stuff into containers the size of dumpsters and they can be shipped cross country instead of renting a U-haul) but less expensive. So there's an option for moving all our stuff. Also, she still has connections to the HR department at Geneva Rock (biggest construction co. in UT) and could put in a good word for me to work there. Geneva Rock also has full benefits including health insurance for full time employees. So scratch my working ability, moving, and the health insurance issue.

My father in law currently holds a Class A CDL and (when not on medical leave for radiation) works as a truck driver. Since he's on leave, his truck is sitting at his house not in use for the moment. He is also good friends with his boss, and mentioned that he may be able to take my husband to the piers on the weekends in his truck and teach him what it will take for him to get his Class A. He would also be able to borrow the truck to take the driving test (like I said before, not everyone has a semi just sitting in their backyard...Except my father in law!!) This is a current development, and we don't have everything confirmed yet, but if it works, it'll save us $4500 dollars, get my husband his Class A faster, and before the January deadline that would force him to take an accredited course. So there goes the Class A CDL issue.

It's absolutely amazing what can happen in a week! I'm absolutely stoked at the fact that my husband is able to move into a new direction with his career that will improve our financial condition, and ultimately relocate us to an area that we will be able to grow and thrive more than we are up here. I'm not totally sure of a timeline for moving as of yet, there's still so much to do, even though the biggest hurdles look like they'll be taken care of. Our current hurdle to take care of at this point is my husband getting his Class A, and we'll go from there.

Mission Complete!

I got the pears canned! ALL FIFTY-ONE JARS!

Well, I didn't do it all. My sis in law and her friend came over to learn to can. So between the three of us we peeled, cut and cored enough pears to fill fifty-one quart mason jars. It only took us 7ish hours!

Good thing we love to eat pears!

And coming up Oct. 3rd, I'm going to my parents place in Eastern Washington to make and can grape juice, as well as my mom's infamous pepper jam!

Good thing canning time comes only once a year! :)

You've got to be kidding me!

This week has been totally insane. Twists, turns and complications have hit me from nearly every angle! Now that it's Friday, I'm just looking back and doing what I can to laugh it all off.

Monday:

I get out the door late because today my husband was watching our nephew. So instead of getting through my morning first THEN waking up the kids, my nephew shows up at 7am, which wakes up the kids. No prob, I just had an interrupted morning.

I was starting a swim class with my mom in law that started shortly after I got off work. Now, we'd gotten home so late Sunday night I didn't have a chance to really confirm things with my mom in law, but when I saw the two new locks on the counter in the morning, I knew we were still on.

However, I didn't have a swimsuit, nor did I bring home the one from my parents house that I use when I'm over there like I'd intended. So on my lunch break, after trying to catch up on patient statements that were (at that time) a week late, I scream over to Costco, hoping they had some swimsuits still in stock. If not, I figured I'd trek to Walmart on my way home or something. Costco DID have some, but the biggest one they had was a size or two too small, and they were all two piece suits (but they were skirts, that was a bonus!). I figured I'd lose enough weight eventually for it to fit, have to be diligent enough to keep track of two pieces, and hi-tailed it out of there to get back to work JUST in time.

Now, I've always been a conservative, one piece swimsuit kind of person. So the two piece issue worried me. I didn't even know if the two pieces would cover my torso enough. Then I realized it was a HALTER TOP!

*cringe*

Boy, I was REALLY going on a limb with this one!

So after work I scream up to the gym with little time to spare. (Good thing I got a suit at Costco on my lunch break, I wouldn't have had time to shop after work) And after some hesitation, I hit the locker room and CROSSED MY FINGERS!

(Note, I guess this would all make more sense if you all knew what happened last time I joined a gym. To make a long story short, I overheard some comments about me from ppl working out nearby, and never went to a gym again until my boss took me to his TINY gym he went to. It took some really loud music from my player and not having my glasses to get me to go workout for 30 minutes in a small gym that was virtually empty during my lunch hour.)

Yes, it was kinda small, and the bottom of the halter top didn't get to my waist (joys of a long torso among other things) but once I got in the water I calmed down. My mom in law and I got home just in time for me to put the kids down and go to bed. For the record, out the door and 7:45am, back in at about 8:45pm.

Tuesday:

My day with our nephew. The poor guy had to have been bored, as we couldn't drive anywhere (I don't think all three carseats fit in my backseat...) and I spent the day unloading from the weekend trip and doing countless loads of laundry to fold and put away. I also forgot my cell at work so I had no phone. I was trying to coordinate this upcoming weekend with a trip to Anacortes (45 min. drive each way) to pick up jars, a day of canning to fill said jars, and a separate canning outing with my stepmom in law. I'm also getting new tires for the car, and need to drive with my mom in law to drop off a car (about 45 min the opposite way of Anacortes). But, I can't coordinate with anyone on my 'day off' because I have no phone!

Also, my husband forgot to go shopping yesterday and so I ran out of diapers for Celesta. I couldn't drive to the store, and pushing a double stroller left my nephew free to run around, something I couldn't exactly risk on the BUSY streets between me and the store. I tried surviving on Lil' Swimmers, but I learned after Celesta soaked through about four outfits and two baths (and her shoes...Well lets just not go there) that they hold MAYBE an ounce or two before failing. My husband finally got home three hours later than expected, intercepting me putting the kids in the car (my nephew had just left) to run to the store and hopefully only be about 15 minutes late for my dermatologist appt (and unexpected kids in tow again. Last time they came Celesta screamed so loud in the waiting room I could hear her clear back with the doctor and the receptionist couldn't answer the phone) to get my stitches removed and more work done. So I didn't have to take the kids to my appt or go to the store, making me BARELY on time for my appointment. I was so wiped, I declined getting more work done that day and aimed to reschedule....someday.

Wednesday:

Swim class again. I'm telling you, getting out the door with two diaper bags, a gym bag, purse, lunch, nursing pump, AND two kids in the morning is quite the undertaking. (I think I remembered my lunch twice this week) My daughter threw up her breakfast on the way to the babysitter's so I'm late to work because I removed and dismantled the carseat for my friend to wash while I bathed and changed my daughter before screaming out the door. I'm now ten days late on things at work. Got my phone, but the battery was dead and my charger is in my husband's car. So I jacked the battery out of my husband's broken phone that happened to be in the car (Forgot to tell you about that! He busted his phone last week!) and made a COUPLE calls on the way from work to the gym. Didn't get home until nine, the gym childcare didn't feed or change my youngest, so she had soaked through her clothes to her carseat and was screaming all the way home for food.

Overall, this was the easiest day of the week.

Thursday: The day everything broke loose.

Let me start with how today was SUPPOSED to go: I go to work until noon, go home and can a batch of applesauce while the kids are napping, husband comes home to help if he's home early enough, and I get to take off and do some beading with a friend in town.

Yeeeeeeeeeeah, not so much. :)

Before I begin, I need to mention that the parking at the complex where we're all currently residing (with my mom in law) has specific permit parking requirements during the night. Each condo has two passes. Currently, we have 4 vehicles: My mom in law's truck, my car, my husband's car, and the van my mom in law borrowed for the month to vacation in (that I need to help her drop off this weekend). My mom in law lost one of the parking permits, so she's been parking her truck in her reserved parking space and the van currently has the permit. Usually, I have the permit and my husband parks out on the street because he usually doesn't have the kids.

Now, if you don't have a permit, you run the risk of getting towed. But they usually give you warning first, and they don't usually come through unless it's a really big problem parking or something. So once in awhile, we've left an untagged car in the parking lot, and my mom in law's been parking without a tag but in her reserved spot.

On Wednesday, we got home late from the gym, and I was in my pajamas before remembering I'd left my car in the lot. My husband assured my it'd be fine, but on a wild hair I decided to get out of bed and move the car. So, in my bathrobe and all, I trekked out in my slippers and moved the car. Embarassing, but I did it.

Which ended up being the smartest thing ever because that night, they decided to tow. Without warnings. They even yanked my mom in law's truck because it didn't have a tag even though `her truck is registered with the condo, and it was in her reserved, covered parking spot that no one else can park in. Of course, we don't figure this out until my mom in law leaves to go to work that morning. I had just gotten out of the shower and was dressing when I heard my mom in law yelling downstairs. Since her phone was lost (we've all had the best luck with phones this week) she had to borrow mine to call and report it stolen. The 911 dispatcher informed her the truck was towed to an impound about three miles away from our place.

Now, she takes the bus into town to work, so by this time she's already missed her bus. And she can't leave her truck in impound or else she gets charged more. Seeing the time was a little after 7 AM, I figured with the use of carpool lanes, We could get the truck out of impound, drop it off at the park and ride, I could drive her into Seattle to work, then she could just bus home like a normal day. If we left immediately, I would only be slightly late for work.

Since I'd gotten home so late from the gym last night, my husband picked up Celesta (Rach still comes to work with me) and brought my dismantled car seat home. I didn't put it together last night (It only takes me a minute or two) so as soon as the kids were all dressed and ready to go, I went to put the car seat together so we could go.

It was missing the buckle.

I was now stuck! I couldn't take Celesta in the car because I didn't have a car seat! My husband was already at work, so I couldn't take his car seat out of his car. We also found out that if we went to the impound before 8 AM, my mom in law would be charged and extra $100 to get her truck out.

So I call my husband, (he JUST finished a stop, otherwise he would have missed my call) leave my kids with mom in law, and he directs me over the phone to his warehouse to get his seat out of his car. I get to the warehouse, but I don't have a keycard to get in the bay doors. Just as I'm about to leave, ready to go home and just climb back into bed, someone from a company that works in the same warehouse shows up and lets me in with him. I get the car seat, scream back home, take my mom in law to impound, follow her to the park and ride...

And the freaking park and ride is FULL!!! There's nowhere to park!

At this point, it's past 9 AM. We go back to the condo, drop off the truck, I take her to work, get to the babysitter's, and pull into work...

15 minutes before I'm supposed to go home.

Mind you, I'm still far behind at work, AND this is my second time being late THIS WEEK. So I stay for about three hours, get patient statements in the mail (that are oh, eleven days late at this point?!) and get home with the kids about 10 minutes before my husband does.

Oh, it gets better!

My phone speaker stopped working, and the only way I can hear someone is if I use the speakerphone or my earpiece. So much for me escaping the phone curse rampaging through our household!

Meanwhile, The kitchen needed to be straightened before we could start the applesauce, the kids were hungry, tired, and needed diaper changes, I hadn't eaten all day, and my friend was calling, wondering if I was on my way yet.

Needless to say, I lost it.

My husband talked to my friend, while I finished the dishes. He chopped the apples while I fed the kids something, and while the apples cooked I just sat and stared.

Then my phone rang again. With an 801 (Utah) area code.

It was my uncle, and he wanted to talk to my husband. He wanted to offer him a driving job for more than he's making now, from an area (Salt Lake City) that is CHEAPER to live.

Among everything that happened, we were so stressed we couldn't give him an answer. We couldn't even think about all the things we'd have to do in order for my husband to work down there. Luckily we had some time to think it over and work out the details.

Seriously though, what freaking else was going to happen today?!

Honestly, I don't even remember Friday. I got off work, went to the storage unit to get ALL my canning stuff because I was canning four boxes of pears that had been ripening in my trunk all week. I needed every jar, lid and ring I could find. After I got home, my husband and I hit the store for what canning stuff I needed but didn't have (he bought three boxes of jars at Goodwill and I needed rings and lids for them, as well as some preserving powder for the pears.) and I got the car packed to go to my sis in law's place the next morning. It was after 11 or so when I finally got into bed, and believe me, I was more than ready fpor this PSYCHO week to end!!!

Grrr

So I've got a post going.

And I'm adding pics from photobucket.

But the sizes are messed, and they won't correct for some reason.

So I've blown a whole lunch break trying to fix it before giving up, deleting the photos off of photobucket and aiming to re-upload when I get home.

Did I mention that getting home will be around NINE, and I've got important phone calls to make regarding this weekend before getting on to upload?

Yeah, so um, expect a post of last weekend's fun THIS weekend or something, if I get time. But then I'll be busy telling about the jampacked weekend I have scheduled...

Man, there just aren't enough hours in the day...or on a weekend!!!!!

Weekend at the Grandparents!

The four of us were able to head over the mountains this weekend and spend a couple days in Leavenworth with my parents. We had planned to make some of my Mom's infamous pepper jam and showed up late Friday night armed with flats of multiple sized jars to fill and bring home. However, with the late start of Summer that we had this year, my Mom's peppers weren't quite ready. So, instead we loaded into my parent's van the following morning and trekked into town for what WAS in season: Apples (where do WA apples come from?) and pears!

Actually, the pears were a total score. My parents live a couple blocks from an orchard and last week they had their pears picked. When the workers go through the orchard and pick, many perfectly good pears fall to the ground and get left there. So, instead of letting perfectly good pears go to rot, attracting insects and animals, we got to go through and retreive any pears on the ground. After about five minutes we ended up with four full boxes of perfectly good pears! So instead of buying pears at approx. $15 a box in town, a little elbow grease paid off!

So after going into town for some apples, (we ended up with two boxes) we set off on an absolute canning spree. We utilized my mother's decades of experience of canning and turned the apples into applesauce, and pie filling!





As you can tell, it was quite the undertaking! We had to chop the apples and cook them down on the stove before running them through my mom's 'Squeezo' that then strained out the seeds, skin and stems of the apples, leaving us with applesauce. Then we canned them using my mom's pressure cookers (mine wouldn't fit in the car, besides, she has two!) to seal them for future enjoyment!

The pie filling was less labor intensive, we just made the syrup filling (my mom hooked us up with the recipe) and poured it into jars we previously filled most of the way with peeled and chopped apples. A water bath later, and we had ourselves apple pie filling!

After that, we got to work with veggies from my mom's garden and made some great salsa! I really enjoy the recipe we used as it leans more on the side of flavor vs. heat. This was our first time canning it and if I understand things correctly, it'll taste different canned than it does fresh. We'll just have to wait and see!

The coolest part about all of this is that what we learned at my parent's house could be easily replicated at our house as we have a 'Squeezo', pressure cooker, food processer, clear gel, and plenty of jars (and what we run out of we can pick up at Walmart! We're also getting quite the supply from my grandmother in-law this upcoming weekend!). In fact, I'm teaming up with my one of my sister's in law this weekend to can all the pears we brought home (they need about a week to ripen).

We also took the opportunity while we were up at my parent's place to have Rachael blessed in my parent's ward. My mom once again put her sewing skills to work and made an absolutely adorable dress for Rachael to wear for the occasion.





As you can see, it was a two part dress with a sheer overcoat over the dress itself. Mom and I picked the fabrics out and we had to be a little imaginative with what options we had to choose from in the store. The pattern called for the wide lace to be used over the ENTIRE outfit. We chose to use a coordinating thinner lace for the bonnet and sleeves. It also called for a more embroidered design for the overcoat, and a solid fabric for the dress itself, but we went with a plain sheer overcoat and decorative fabric for the dress itself that could be seen THROUGH the overcoat. It was a gutsy decision on my part, and it's always a challenge for me because you have to imagine the final product when purchasing fabric off the bolt at the store, but it turned out absolutely grand. I also chose more of an antique white vs. a bright white like we did for Celesta's dress, which I was slightly worried about, but everything coordinated together GREAT.

We got home LATE Sunday night with a trunk full of fruit and canned goods,and a car full of wiped out people. I've come to the decision that life will NEVER slow down!

The Fair!

We took the kids to the fair this weekend and had so much fun! This was Celesta's first year she could do some of the kiddie rides and it was priceless! She also dug the fair food she got to try like roasted corn, a corn dog, and a funnel cake. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera so the only footage I have of the day are on the in-laws camera and my phone. I got this emailed to me today, Celesta's first roller coaster ride! It's kinda long, but the expressions on her face are hilarious! As soon as I get more pics I'll get them on here. :)

Celesta's First Roller Coaster Ride

Good Times at the Dermatologist!

I had the chance to do this back when I was just out of school, but I chickened out.

So now, six years later I find myself at the dermatologist's office getting some moles and a cyst removed. See, the thing is, I thought it was going to be a one-time appointment. I go in, get everything done in one visit, and move on with my life.

Too bad it didn't work out that way!

Trip one was the cyst on the top of my head.

One week and three stitches later, I'm back for the two moles on my back.

I go back in two weeks to get THOSE stitches removed and maybe more work done.

Yay me. :)

Astrology For The Dogs!

I was checking my email last week when I saw a link for an astrology article about picking the right dog using your sign.

No, I'm not looking to get a dog anytime soon, but curiosity killed the cat.

Now, before I tell you what it said, lemme fill you in on what my husband and myself want someday for dogs.

Myself: Since losing Dutch, my family's Border Collie a couple years ago, I simply don't see myself going for a less intelligent breed.

Husband: A place he delivers to has a mini/toy Shitszu that lives on the counter. He's grown up with labs/other large breeds best for hunting, and he wants something small to nurture.

So what did the article say?

Gemini: (Husband) Border Collie

Scorpio: (Myself) Toy breed

lol

I love going against the grain!

25 Fun Facts

Okay, I've been tagged to do this! I've seen it before, and I think it's so fun to read. So here are 25 fun/not well known facts about ME! :)

1. I have a thing for Jordan Almonds. I always begged my mom to get some whenever we went to the grocery store when I was a kid, but she never did. Maybe it was all the bright colors. Either way, I buy them myself, and LOVE THEM!

2. I've used the same email for over 10 years. In fact, it was my first email address I ever created for myself!

3. I came up with my daughter's name way back in high school. Celesta was a character in a story I worked on when I was 'listening' in class. It's nothing exciting, but it'll be fun to show Celesta when she's old enough.

4. I own three pairs of shoes. BY CHOICE! I have my sneakers, black dress/work shoes and brown work/dress shoes. I've been accused of not being female because I didn't own like 80 pairs of shoes.

5. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist when I 'grew up.' Quite the aspiration, huh? :)

6. I am an avid bicycler. Well, I used to bike more than I do nowadays. In fact, in 1999, I rode the Seattle to Portland bike ride-- that's 200 miles in two days! I aim to do it again sometime soon.

7. I'm currently battling a 'black thumb'. When I was single living in my own place, I killed an IVY PLANT!! Now that almost takes talent!

8. I believe in gun education and want to join the NRA.

9. I met my roomie in massage school a couple years earlier through the internet. BEFORE CRAIGSLIST! It doesn't sound so weird now, but it was out of the norm back then!

10. If I could go back to college, I'd major in the Japanese Language. English/language skills are more of my strong point, (versus my math skills--otherwise it'd probably be Astronomy or Astrophysics)

11. In fact, I used to be so involved in the night sky, I was the Astronomy workshop/Stargazing leader at a Girls Camp when I was 18! It ruled.

12. I put corn in my mac and cheese. Makes me feel like I'm getting SOME nutritional value.

13. I was in Salt Lake City for the '02 Winter Olympics. I didn't have any tickets for the events, but I got to go to see the Torch, Olympic Village, and all sorts of touristy things!

14. I laugh when I'm nervous. Totally throws people off when I'm put on the spot and start giggling. Cost me my 4.0 grade in massage school because the stretching teacher didn't think I was taking her serious. And no, I'm not bitter. :)

15. My senior year of high school, I attended the Washington State Student Athletic Trainer Competition and ranked in the top 10% in the state. We were ranked by how we scored on an oral test and three written tests.

16. My first job was working at a gift shop during the Beanie Baby craze. Yes, I own lots of the 'hard to get ones'. My daughters now drag them all over the house and chew on the tags. So much for my retirement investments, huh? (JUST KIDDING)

17. I've always wanted to take etiquette lessons. I think it'd be cool to know what all 20 (I don't even know how many pieces there actually are, I'm making that number up) pieces of flatware are specifically used for in a fancy place setting, that and so I'd be more comfortable going out to lunch with my boss!

18. I have a photographic-ish memory. How do you think I cruised through anatomy classes in high school and massage school? :)

19. I took a speed reading class my freshman year of high school and clocked myself at a reading speed of 1400 words per minute. Now that's not how fast I read ALL the time, only when I'm really trying to read fast. That's with about a 90% comprehension rate as well.

20. I'm a HUGE fan of surprises. I know, it's weird for a semi-control freak like myself to like such a thing, but I do. One of the coolest birthday parties I remember as a teen was when a couple of my friends threw me a surprise birthday party (oh, and the decorated training room at school rocked too, Nicole!)

21. I guess this comes from having children, but I am a HUGE list person. I have to-do lists and reminder lists all over the place! I have to have a list to go to the grocery store or I forget something critical that got me to shop there in the first place!

22. My nickname 'Bikkiboo' came from my older sister. It was something she called me to entertain me when I was a baby and the nickname just kinda stuck. It's a combo of my name + boo, boo coming from being born on Halloween. When I got online in my teens and needed something unique to use as an email addy/identity, I chose Bikkiboo.

23. I started reading when I was three years old. And honestly, I haven't stopped since.

24. I was not given a middle name. Seriously, I don't have one! Actually, I do now that I'm married, as my maiden name was moved to be my middle name. I just have to convince the Social Security office of that...

25. My husband and I got married on our two year anniversary of dating. I thought it was cute, he did it so he wouldn't have another date to remember for an anniversary. And yes, it was in the middle of the week! I got married on a WEDNESDAY! Nuts, huh?

The Road to Self-Improvement

So a quick note regarding my last posting on my Myspace blog: Trying to be witty and sarcastic while distracted by two kids apparently does not work well. I was meaning to be a little on the silly side, and it didn't exactly come over that way. Oh well, if you're reading this then you got the idea.

So now that Rachael is here, and my insurance out of pocket max is met (which means that instead of my normal 80% coverage, I've got 100%) I'm screaming through all the doctor appointments and stuff that I can during the rest of this year since I don't have to pay for it.

It's so funny though, it seems that every time I try to get something done, SOMETHING gets in my way. I'm to the point to where it's pretty stinking comical and I need to share.

So the first thing on my list: Getting back on the bike. I've been a cycling (and swimming) fan most of my life (why walk when cycling gets you there in half the time?) and I want to get back into things. I want to ride the Wenatchee Century again (and hopefully a massive headwind won't ruin things) and maybe even the Seattle to Portland ride, depending on how things go.

So I gotta get my gym membership back. Check. Problem is, I can't workout on my lunch breaks like I used to right now because the gym's childcare is CLOSED during my lunch hours. (Rachael comes to work with me right now.) Darn. And my bike needs to be tuned before I can hit the roads again. Which is getting taken care of this week, but that just puts things out another couple weeks. (I'm running out of Summer weather!) Oh, and I dunno if Cici and Rach will fit in the bike trailer while Rach is in the infant seat.

And I was expecting things to be EASY??

Thanks to the new WA law banning ppl from using cell phones in the car without a hands free device, I've got my new earpiece for when I'm driving (which is ALL THE TIME since I have a 45 minute commute each way excluding the break of dropping off Cici half way through). Prob is, the designers of the Jawbone device forgot the population that wear glasses. The jawbone doesn't work/fit properly when sharing my ear with my glasses. Annoying.

So the fix: I'm going back to contacts!

So I amass all the required things needed: Solution, lens case, case for glasses. JUST IN TIME to come down with a freaking bladder infection. What's the connection? The meds I'm taking specifically state that contact lenses are not to be worn while on the specific medication because it'll stain the lenses.

Quite the coinkidink don't you think? :)

I'm also going to the podiatrist to get a solution for my plantarfacitis and my nail issues I've had for years. The annoying part? I'm probably going to need to go on a med that won't all0w me to continue my feeble attempts at nursing my daughter. Granted she's predominately on formula, but the nursing helps burn extra calories and keep my metabolism up a little. My weight loss with my first daughter was GREAT until I stopped nursing...

And as for the dermatologist appointment for some moles getting removed? Well, knock on wood because nothings come up yet. And if it does, I won't be surprised.

I know there's opposition in all things, but this is just silly! :) I guess NOTHING worth getting done is easy being carried out! :)

Chocolate Pie!

We decided to give Celesta chocolate cream pie for dessert a couple weeks ago and the following pictures ensued. My daughter is SUCH a ham!