Happy Birthday Jake!

Yesterday my oldest son turned 15! Wow, halfway to 30! Tonite is his party and Jeremy kindly let us borrow his XBox and Rock Band for the boys to play(thank you thank you thank you Jeremy). 5 out of the 6 kids that Jake invited were able to come. We BBQ'd burgers and hot dogs and wow, I thought ONE teenage boy could eat a lot...21 hamburgers were eaten and 12 hot dogs!

Yesterday we made breakfast in bed for him, kinda seemed to annoy him. In the afternoon I took him to open swim with a friend. But he seemed to be having a rough time enjoying his special day. I must take a moment here to thank family far and wide for the gifts and cards you sent him. I know it meant a lot to him to know you were all thinking of him(and I am sure thank yous will be in the mail shortly)! He use to get tons of phone calls on his birthday and did not get a single one this year, so perhaps those meant more to him than it seemed! A teenage boy is a complex organism! But even as I write this, he is having a fabulous time with his friends(and I am hiding out in my room enjoying the sound of testosterone and video gaming)!
In case there was any doubt, yes he did get them all blown out with the first try!!
Taking a break from the game for a photo, thanks guys!Apparently 15 is not too old for a group hug, or a group choke hold as one boy called it...

Sun Angels

To beat the heat Megan and I met at Rood Bridge Park for a picnic today. They have a great playground, but we never made it that far. Once the kids started playing the stream and pond they were too wet to try out the HOT playground. Megan brought dad along, so the kids had a great time seeing grandpa(those are his legs in the background of this first photo, hehehe)! It was nice and shady and the sprinklers nearby were going, so it was fairly pleasant considering it was 100 degrees or so! Aren't the cousins little cuties together?

Heat & Light

Its been very hot this week. A year ago right now we were in Palm Springs and it was only a few degrees hotter there than it is here right now. Thank heavens for AC.

I am in a very dark place right now, and I am not talking about the fact that I am in my room with the light off. I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to blog about it. Instead I will share something cute I just found in my bathroom when I got out of a cool shower a few minutes ago. Annalina went on a color hunt today. She had a lined piece of paper and she numbered and then listed all the colors she found. They were
gold
ornge
darak green
purpel
light green(yay, she got it right and with the tricky ending of ght and everything)
blou
yelow
indiugo
pingk(probably my absolute favorite mis-spelling on the list)
I love it when she takes it upon herself to write and make lists. She also has a cute list of all the things she wants to do over the summer. We have gotten to quite a few!

I am grateful for kids who leave their stuff all over for me to find(when its cute like this anyway) I can't help but smile even when I don't feel like smiling!

Today My Shampoo Ran Out!!

I was about to wash my hair when I realized my shampoo container was empty! So I had to go get more. Right then, right there, I ran to the....cabinet under my sink and had to make a choice, is my hair feeling a little dry, or would I categorize it as normal?? Normal it was, so back to the shower I went! Shampoo is something I always forget to buy when I need it and I used to just buy the cheapest I could find, which left my hair feeling dry and tangly(sounds like a shampoo commercial doesn't it? Well its not, keep reading!)! In May, shortly after I jumped back to crazy couponer status there was a fabulous sale on John Frieda's Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioner. This stuff is usually $6-7 a bottle, but with a huge sale and great coupons I was able to get them for a mere 3 for $1. At that price I stocked up, I mean really stocked up. I have enough to last myself and my daughters for at least a year, perhaps longer now that Adrienne's hair is so much shorter and Annalina and I are going to get ours cut as well!

So why did I mention this? Often when the topic of coupons comes up, people say, "we just don't eat that way, coupons are only good for unhealthy foods". Then why are my closets filled with free or almost free toilet paper, room fresheners, paper towels, pain relievers, batteries of all shapes and sizes, tampons, razors, soap, laundry and dish detergent and the list goes on and on. Lets see, since May I have also gotten about 20 pounds of seafood at about $1.50 a pound with coupons, and I have cereal to last a lifetime, yes some of it is the sugar coated stuff, but I also have a lot of Kashi, Rice Crispies, Cheerios, what Jake considered to be ok to eat. We also have about 30 jars of peanut butter stored away for back to school, a 6 month supply of tuna fish, lots of graham crackers, Wheat Thins, Gogurts in the freezer, oh and a bunch of A&W Root Beer, its Richard's favorite. I also have salad dress and BBQ sauce to last a long while. Yes, there are bargains on the not so healthy food choices, last month I got Ben & Jerry's ice cream for .25 a pint and half gallons of Breyers ice cream for .50. Organic juices, fresh fruits and veggies, lunch meats, bread and milk....these things are all available for 50-95% off if you know where to look(and no, I am not talking about the outdated stuff). One of the great benefits of coupon shopping is that I rarely pay retail for anything. When it goes on sale and I can match a coupon with it, I buy enough to last a few months at least. Then when the next big sale comes along, I can pick up some more and I am never buying stuff at full price when I desperately need it(when the price always seems to be the highest).

Right now the focus at all my favorite frugal blogs and websites is on how to get school supplies for a bargain! It is a fun and useful hobby. It can be time consuming, but right now before I go back to school in the fall, its a good time for me to focus on building up our food supply. And I am not spending a fortune doing it. Our food budget has dropped incredibly in the last few months, which it would have had to anyway, we just don't have much in the budget right now. I am grateful to be able to help support our family in this way! Some of my favorite sites for checking out the bargains are listed below. There is a lot of info to sort through and it can be overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, the sky is the limit!

http://www.frugallivingnw.com/

http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/

http://www.fabulesslyfrugal.com/

Isn't She LOVELY!!!

This is my daughter Adrienne! Isn't she beautiful! She has had long beautiful hair for a long, long, long time! She decided a change was in order and took herself to the salon, armed with a photo of what she wanted done. And this is the fresh and sassy result! Isn't she just adorable!!!

Music To My Ears & TheOccasional Annoying Static

I think perhaps the most beautiful sound in my world right now is the full bodied, deep belly laughs of my children when they are playing nicely together. They really crack each other up and it is wonderful to hear. I try to keep them busy since it is summer and all. In the morning when I am trying to get up and get ready for the day, they come in looking for something to do. I send them off to make their beds. Annalina is on the top bunk right now and has TONS of stuffed critters keeping her company each night, most are the small beany babies she inherited from her big sister! So she goes in and throws them all on the floor and pulls up her blankets, positions her pillow and calls in the reinforcements-Joseph. He tosses each animal up to her for careful placement on the bed. They make it some kind of game and I don't think the rules are ever the same, but the animals go flying and the kids start giggling, then laughing, then deep belly laughs! One of these days I will have to sneak in with the video camera and try to capture the fun. They do this a lot, playing lots of different games together or trying to accomplish some chore I have given them. I send them off and before I know it they are playing and laughing together. I think of this as innocent fun and think its great they love each other enough to play so well together, however they may have figured out that if they come back too soon, I will just assign another chore. They really are pretty smart kids. Hey, whatever it takes, I am just glad they have great imaginations, kinda like each other and love to play.

That being said, I will also admit probably the worst possible sound is when they start to argue and fight, or just bicker quietly with one another. As Joseph is getting older, he does not always defer to big sis like he did when he was smaller, and she is none too happy about that. He has opinions and is not afraid to express them! Each night at bedtime they listen to music for a half hour. They take turns choosing what to listen to. The CD in their room right now has Enya, Disney music, Curious George Soundtrack, Coldplay and "My Music" which is what Joseph calls the CD we had on during his birth(Above The Clouds, even as a tiny baby this music would calm him). He still loves it. Anyway, they have usually been pretty good about respecting each others choices, but Joseph has taken to Cold Play since Adrienne listens to that in her car. It is a bit too lively for Annalina at bedtime, so she sometimes complains. The night before last, I just turned on Enya(Annalina's music of choice) so everyone would be happy. No one chose it, but me. Then last night Joseph took his turn and said he wanted Enya so Annalina's baby dolls could stay asleep. So sweet huh? This would have been what Annalina chose, but instead of being happy he was trying to think of her feelings, she got mad because she thought it was her turn and now she was missing her turn. I asked he what she wanted to listen to and she said, Enya. So there, everyone should be happy! But NO! Ahhhhhhh! Two minutes later and I hear arguing and go in. She is crying and says her life is ruined because she lost her turn -her words, not mine. EVEN THOUGH SHE WOULD HAVE CHOSEN THE SAME THING THAT WAS PLAYING!! So I turned off the music and told them to both go to sleep. This tell me that Annalina was desperately tired. They have been staying up later than during the school year, though only be a half hour to an hour, but they get up at around the same time, so they are short on sleep. I will have to be more careful to make sure they get the sleep they need.

Most of the times the kids are wonderful....to me, to each other, to everyone! I am so grateful for them and I deeply adore each and every one of them(yes, especially the teenagers). I am also glad things are not perfect all the time. When they argue, it gives me the opportunity to use and develop the ever important skill of patience. I think I am getting pretty good at it, except when I have not had enough sleep. I have to be more careful about that! I may be an adult, but I am not immune to the results of a late night and early morning!

The Difference Between 4 & 3 - Its not just 1

Things have gone very smoothly with the guys gone. Last year Joseph acted out in lots of crazy ways, but this year he has been very good. Its been fun having them sleep in my room with me and we try to find some fun every day! Yesterday we were picking up our raspberry order and drove by David Hill Elementary(which is no longer being used as a school) and saw a sign that said fun and lunch from 11-12:30. Hardly anyone was there, so we stopped in to check it out. They do this each week, its part of the federal grant to serve lunch all summer long. They also have planned activities and the theme yesterday was Australia. They made boomerangs, jewelry, played marbles, colored pictures, played with a parachute, had storytime, then we ate lunch. There were so few people there, the moms were offered lunch too. They served Roast Beef sandwiches, carrots, chips, oranges, and a cookie. We will have to stop in again, the kids had a really great time!

This morning Richard called and WE HEARD IT THIS TIME!! Annalina was still asleep, but Joseph and I talked to him for a few minutes. There are lots of stories to tell and we cannot wait to hear them when they get home. But he wanted us to know they are doing well and Jake is being a great leader! It was so good to hear Richard's voice and now the countdown is on, in about 24 hours they will be home!! Yippee!

We went over to water the Robert's garden and while watering the zuchini, I happened upon one that was so huge, how could I have missed it before?? We picked it and as soon as my battery is charged, I will add the photo to the blog, Joseph is very proud of it!!

Too many posts???

OK, I am dealing with my husband being gone by blogging just about every thought that comes into my head! To my faraway family who checks my blog every few days, please scroll down, there are several entries that are new from today and yesterday. I'd hate for you to miss them just because I posted so many of them! Love you all!!

My Dream Vacation

If I could vacation anywhere in the world, right now I would choose to stay here at the St Regis on the island of Bora Bora. I thought what a romantic gettaway this would be, then I started thinking how much fun it would be with the kids....jumping right off the deck into the beautiful lagoon. Can you even imagine these deluxe accommodations right over the water? But with airline tickets around $2400 per person.....ahhh, it is good to dream!!

4th of July Festivities

We had a very full 4th of July this year, perhaps too full considering the guys had to get ready for scout camp! But it was a fun day! We started out at the Hillsboro parade, which was entertaining, but long. Megan and her family came along again this year, I believe we may have created a tradition since we have done this so many years in a row now! This year we brought Gabe along and Adrienne's boyfriend Tim spent the entire day with us as well(and they are still going out, heehee). Also Megan has her "little sister" from when she lived in Belgium here visiting for the summer. Big Leila is a lot of fun and fits right into the family! She is not big at all, except when compared to Megan's 5 year old daughter Leila, hence the addition of Big so we can tell them apart! In an effort to clear the streets of Hillsboro immediately following the parade they end with street sweepers which kick up dust and all sorts of unpleasantness. I wish they would wait at least 5 minutes or something! Anyway, after the parade we headed to my parents house for a BBQ where the kids played in the sprinklers and got completely totally soaked. At one point little Zach, who is not even two, got a hold of the hose and soaked a few adults who were not planning to get wet!! While there my sister Marella got a very scary phone call. The propane tank on their BBQ had exploded, luckily a neighbor heard it and did not just assume it was fireworks. The siding in the back of their house was warped and the grill was destroyed and the grass was burned, but there was no serious damage, which was a blessing but it was still a scary experience for Marella and Dan.

I went home to make our traditional 4th of July ice cream, vanilla and strawberry. In the past we have served the ice cream at a gathering here at home and set off an arsenal of fireworks for the family to enjoy. This year fireworks were not in our budget, nor anyone elses, so we deviated from the usual. I do not like crowds, I don't think there is anything fun about being in a huge crowd of people even if it is to watch fireworks, espcially on a hot summer day. So I was less than thrilled at the idea of going to a big fireworks display out in Banks that Jeremy discovered. But I also did not want to do nothing on the night of the 4th, the kids were so looking forward to fireworks. So we headed out around 8 and found a small hillside off Hwy 6 and 47 overlooking the park where the fireworks were launched from. Across from us was an off/on ramp for the highway and in the center of that were emergency vehicles and a life flight helicopter. There was a demolition derby going on so we thought maybe they were there as a precaution. After a while Richard put Joseph on his shoulders and decided this was a perfect learning opportunity for our future pilot! He asked the pilot for a quick look and they got a tour! After about ten minutes they turned and ran from the helicopter and stopped to watch at a safe distance. When they got back Richard explained that there was an accident in the mountainous region of the freeway and an ambulance was bringing a patient to the helicopter who would then fly it on to a Portland hospital. It was fascinating to see it take off so up close and fly right over our heads. The fireworks were to start at 10, but shortly before then our friend the helicopter was back and within about 15 minutes another ambulance arrived with yet another patient. Needless to say the fireworks were delayed while the helicopter was in the area. I do hope both of those patients are alright. I tried to look up information on it, but found nothing. Again we watched it take off and around 10:30 the fireworks started. The sun was down, it felt wonderful out and the display was fabulous! We were not the only ones who chose to watch from where we were. We had parked in a small grocery store parking lot with one exit and it took about an hour to get out after we loaded up the car. Next time we will park out on the street after dropping off our blankets for a quicker escape.

I must commend Jeremy on his great idea and apologize that I wasn't completely on board with the plan he and Richard came up with while with the Nerd Herd(a story for another post). I would gladly go do this again next year and would love to have the whole family there with us if they can! It was funny, when we headed out to Banks Annalina was feeling a little upset that we were not setting off our own fireworks at home. But all the kids loved the fireworks display and were laying in a cute little row on blankets watching them in awe! Priceless!!

I'm Lonely....But I WILL Survive!

If it isn't enough that my husband and oldest are away, my sister left with her family yesterday and I will not be able to talk to her until Friday night! Yikes! What is a sister to do! I had a moment of panic Monday when I called her and it went to voice mail! I was worried they had already left! But she called and I think I got my fix for the week, although it is Wednesday and I am wishing I could pick up the phone and call her! Megan, if you check your blogs while you are away, just know that I MISS YOU and I love you too! I hope you are having a fabulous relaxing time with your family!

My husband is so sweet. Last year after they returned from camp I admitted to him that I often called his work number and his cell phone just to hear his voice on the answering service while he is away. So it may seem a bit weird, but it is comforting to hear his voice when I am missing him. So yesterday he called and left us a message,we were actually home and my heart broke when I heard his message, we were cleaning up the downstairs and had the music up too loud and we missed him(but the kitchen sure looks nice) :-( ! He had climbed to the highest bluff at camp and said if he stood in just the right spot facing the right direction he could get a bar or two. He talked for a while and had things to say to the children, it was very sweet. Of course, I have saved the message and have already listened to it a few times. The kids were excited to hear his voice as well. He said they are doing well so far. This year they are at Camp Meriweather, over on the Oregon coast, so they are closer than they have ever been before. They have a ton of boys and only two leaders, so I am sure he is working hard this year trying to keep track of everyone and keep everyone on track. I am proud of his dedication. When they released him from the Scouting program, I thought he might pass on a full week of scout camp, but he is there and I know Jake appreciates it. This year Jake is the Senior Patrol Leader, with three boys serving under him. He is about to advance in rank again and should be working on his Eagle project before long! Go Jacob!!!

So you may think that scouting is taking over our lives, and you might be right! Today I spent the day just beyond my backyard at Camp Ireland with our cub scouts who are going to day camp there this year. It is my first year going without a son in the program. It was fun, but I am glad I only needed to go one day. It was a full day of activities and trying to keep seven boys together, some of whom have 10 year old attitudes, was not always easy. But I was glad to help out. And it was fun to get to know some of the boys I have not had a chance to work with!

Adrienne was kind enough to babysit the kids for me today and Joseph went with Christy Smith and her kids to a library activity this morning. Adrienne took Annalina out for Sushi! Lucky girls!! Now Adrienne is at a swimming party with the Laurels and her friend Cynthia. It was a cool day, so I hope the pool is heated!

Tuesday Without The Men

We went to the park this morning for a while. The kids played while I went through one of my new library cookbooks, (Don't Panic-More Dinner's in the Freezer). Definitely one I will have to buy eventually. I put sticky notes on the recipes I want to try and write what ingredients I'd have to buy if I was going to make that particular recipe. Eventually I will compile my favorites into a shopping list and have a big cooking day. But no time soon due to budgetary reasons. Its still fun to plan for.

So the kids played and after a while I got up and played frisbee with them. We got in a triangle pattern and took turns throwing it to each other. The kids were surprisingly good at it and there was much giggleing going on. When Joseph threw, he'd wind up and end up throwing himself onto the grass from the exertion. It was a good work out for us all!

Then we drove over to the Robert's house and watered their beautiful garden. Since our last paycheck was so tiny we have struggled with cash flow this month and it is something that is always in my prayers. I have wanted a garden in our back yard for a while now. But for some reason too complicated to try to explain, that has not happened yet. A few weeks ago Lori MacGregor gave us a dresser they were not using anymore and on her porch were a half dozen large tomato plants. I asked where she got them since I would have to get some so big to have any hope of a crop this year. She said someone gave them to her and she did not need them all! She let me take a couple home which I have planted and are sitting on our front porch so we remember to water them! Yay, can't wait for tomatos! Then my visiting teacher Jennifer Roberts was going out of town and asked if I could water her garden while they are gone. She said to pick anything ripe during that time, so we have enjoyed lettuce, radishes, lots of peas and blueberries. We got to see how they set up their garden and will hopefully be able to make ours similar when the time comes. Then yesterday Beth Stimpson dropped off a HUGE bag full of peas, my favorite garden item to munch on!! It has been so fun to have some fresh produce to enjoy and I feel that all these things have been blessings. The Lord is mindful of our situation and even if others are not, I am grateful to those who have listened to those promptings to offer help or to share. I am sure they do not even know they are being an answer to my prayers!

So I just finished cleaning up the upstairs hallway. No more toys or laundry strewn about and I even cleaned off the walls, it is amazing just how much dirt Joseph has smeared on the walls of our home!! It is freshly vaccuumed and looked so great I decided to organize the closet in that hallway. I can now actually walk into the walk-in linen closet! It is inspiring to have a small part of the house perfectly clean. There is hope for me yet....

Partying With a 7 & 4 Year Old

Richard and Jake left for boy scout camp EARLY Monday morning. Adrienne is on a camping trip with her dad. That leaves Joseph, Annalina and I. All on our own! So what did we decide to do? Have a PARTY!! We popped popcorn, bought peaches(hey, it's what they wanted) and ate a TON of fresh peas from Beth Stimpson's yard. (Thanks Beth!) We had waffles and eggs for dinner and watched some movies, played some games, told some stories and THEN....we all slept in my room! Annalina has actually learned to sleep on her side of the bed instead of invading mine all night long and for Joseph we brought in the little futon matress from the chair in their room. It is only about 4 feet long, but it was perfect for him. He was giggling for a while and Annalina was complaining that he kept waking her up(this after 2 minutes of actually being in bed). I gave him a warning that he would have to go back to his own bed if he could not be quiet and about 30 seconds later I heard the tell tell sign of sleep...that smacking sound he makes as he sucks on his bottom lip, which can get surprisingly loud! Too cute! So he was curled up under his blankey, which is not long enough to cover his whole body stretched out and everything but his head was completely covered. I don't know how he does it, he sleeps in a little ball! In the morning I looked down at him and it appeared he had not moved the entire night! He slept until 8, Annalina was up around 9:30. For them, that is sleeping in! What time was I up?? 7:30...bummer!

My list of things to get done while the guys are gone is very similar to last years list. Clean my bathroom, organize my closet and get our room cleaned up once again! Maybe I will get a chance to work on the laundry room and I would love to get the main pantry organized, oh and I'd love to get some weeds out of the backyard, but I don't want to expect TOO much from myself, otherwise the pain of failure will be deep! Aside from getting a few things done around here, I really want to just have some fun with the kids! Its cool this week, we have had the windows all open and I am loving it, though the kids get cold easily. I think some trips to the park are in order! I'll post more later about the end of swimming lessons and our glorious 4th of July fun this past weekend!