New House Part 2

Well, we put an offer on another house at the end of November. We've had it inspected and appraised and all of that junk you have to do when you buy a house. It all checks out, so we'll be signing papers on the 8th of January and moving soon afterward. The thing I think I'm most looking forward to about this house is having everything on one level. Right now I have to carry laundry up two floors from the basement to the kids rooms. Good exercise, but I think I can come up with other ways to stay trim that are more fun. We're really excited to own a house again, and we're finally going to get a dog! We've been telling the kids we'd get one for a few years now, but it just never seemed to be the right time. The place we're renting right now doesn't allow indoor pets, so I guess it's a good thing we didn't already have something when we moved in. We also get to stay in our current ward, which we are all happy about. We have made a lot of friends here and would hate to have to start over again.

Merry Christmas!

Ix-nay on the Offer-yay

Yep, we jumped the gun on this one. It was a sweet old house, like I said in previous posts. We had an inspection done today and all the dreams were - not shattered - but cracked. It's a bit more than we wanted to get a mortgage for, but we were willing to get it, and do some renovating with cash. Now it needs a completely new roof, new deck, plumber check for all the amateur plumbing in the basement, a replacement for the 40-year-old furnace, etc. We also didn't love the garage/carport in the back of the muddy yard arrangement, but we were willing to work with it, perhaps putting in a driveway and garage at the front of the property eventually. But with all those other things added to the list, suddenly the garage project was too expensive and would have to wait indefinitely. It simply became unacceptable. I'm sad it took us $325 to figure out what we instinctively knew already: that it was more expensive than we wanted to go with, and that it was an old house that would need a lot of maintenance. You'd think we would be more wary of an old house in need of repairs, since that was our last house situation as well. Next time we will be more realistic when looking at the "full" cost of a house (I hope).

Offer Accepted

They accepted our offer! Now we have to do inspections and see if it still looks palatable!

New House?

DH (I'm trying to anonymize my blog) and I are looking at houses, to buy . . . again
Here's a lovely garden spot in the side yard of our current favorite, near Downtown Salem

I totally love this little alcove. The ladder leads up to a secret room, and those are built-in bookshelves, woohoo!

This interesting space actually has a working sink, and skylights, and antique suitcases stored in the attic access cubbies.

I'm in love with this kitchen. I find the white and green linoleum tiles really charming, and no upper cabinets, totally retro!

Sadly, there are some not so great issues with the house too, like peeling exterior paint, a desperately needed new roof, and a somewhat funky basement space (which is huge and has four bedrooms and a bathroom). The garage is an eyesore and the backyard is longing to be beautiful someday. Anyway, keep us in your prayers as we are considering putting an offer down on this baby. You can check it out using the MLS code 617102.

The quilt Part 1

I'm making a quilt for a lady in my ward who won a service auction item from me. She wanted flowers and stars. So far, I've got the flowers bit covered. Still working on the stars. She's legally blind and needs bold colors and shapes to be able to see them.

I decided to do the hardest part first and had all my applique work in the center block. It took quite a bit of time, but I think it turned out pretty nice.

Hiking toward Middle Rock Lake

We went backpacking last weekend. We were able to enjoy the beautiful colors of fall, but it was warm enough to shed jackets during the day. This little meadow was full of gorgeous reds, yellows, and every shade of green imaginable.

Having 26 lbs. on my back was bearable, because I knew it wasn't as much as Shonee had!

Here's our temporary home, complete with roaring fire. It did get mighty chilly once the sun went behind the ridge. We expended large amounts of energy searching for, hauling, and cutting our firewood.

This shows the whole setup. Tent tucked away in the trees. We even brought little pillows (aah!). Fireplace in the "living room", and beyond that, a pretty little lake set in a tiny valley all to ourselves. We saw 15-20 people the entire two days we were up there wandering around the ridge. It was a great little getaway that I'll be feeling for a few days yet in my legs and back, but soooo worth the time I got to spend alone with Shonee.

New Movie

Hey all you Tron fans out there, get ready for a new adventure!
There's a new Tron coming in 2010, sweet!
I can't even guess how many times I enjoyed watching that movie growing up. I don't know why it's so cool, it just is.

I Went Out One Day

This is a poem I wrote that I'd like to see made into a children's picture book.

I went out in the wind one day.
I whistled along my merry way,
Then the wind whisked my whistle far away.
And that is why the wind whistles through the trees.

I went out in the fog one day.
My mother’s veil upon my face,
Then the fog gently lifted the satiny lace.
And that is why the fog veils the air.

I went out in the rain one day.
I chuckled along my soggy way,
Then the rain washed my chuckle far away.
And that is why the water chuckles as it flows.

I went out in the sun one day.
I smiled brightly on my way,
Then the sun soaked up my bright beaming face.
And that is why the sun beams down on the earth.

I went out in the snow one day.
My breath sparkled as I played,
Then the snow took the sparkles far away.
And that is why the snow sparkles on the ground.

Sometimes He Lets it Rain

My Relief Society teacher read this song to us on Sunday, and it really struck me.

Sometimes He Lets it Rain by Tyler Castleton and Staci Peters on the CD Women of Destiny

She sees the storm clouds gather,

The sky is turning cold and gray.

She knows that something's coming

When she starts to feel this way.

She pleads for intervention,

But heaven offers no relief.

And she would understand if she could only see that -

Sometimes He lets it rain,

He lets the fierce winds blow.

Sometimes it takes a storm

To lead a heart where it can grow.

He can move mountains of grief,

And oceans of pain,

But sometimes He lets it rain.

When her heart surrenders

To the master in control,

Her spirit learns the lessons of the tempest in her soul.

When it's no longer raging,

She can see how far she's come,

Through the wisdom and the mercy of the son.

Weekend Visitors

We had a busy weekend. In addition to tending the neighbors three ducks, we had the fun of Madison, Brooklyn and Karsten visiting.The ducks were pretty self contained, but the kids took turns changing their water and feeding them. On Saturday some of us went to the Art Fair in Salem, and Shonee stayed home with the little ones. It was so hot, and the fair was mostly for grown-ups, but we did play at the spiderweb park for just a bit.

On Sunday, Season and Sara came to pick them up, but they didn't want to leave! A tire swing and fun cousins are hard to give up.

Table Rock Trail

Shonee and I left the kids with Grandma L. Saturday and went to Table Rock Wilderness outside of Molalla. We hiked 1500 ft. up to the top and were rewarded with stunning views of mountains on all sides of us. The valleys were stretched out below, looking lush and green. We were in the sun at the beginning and end of the trail for about 3 miles altogether. Otherwise, were hiking through a beautiful forest with wild rhodedendron growing on the hills. It was wonderful to be out hiking with my sweetheart, just talking and enjoying the time together.

When we were driving back through the canyon, Shonee decided he needed to stretch his legs, so we pulled over by the river and climbed down to some flat rocks to stretch. It was lovely and cool by the water and a great way to end our adventure.

Work In Progress

Well, I took the plunge last week and got braces put on my teeth. I will have them on for 14-18 months. I'm still feeling very crowded and tender in my mouth. I have to select what I eat carefully, but I'm hoping my teeth will settle down soon. I know it will be worth it, but so far, it's been quite a hassle.
If you can't really see anything, that's the idea. I've got clear ones on my front upper teeth. The rest are old-fashioned metal ones. I wanted to do invisalign, but my tooth rotation made them unsuitable. Oh well, I guess I can't have everything, right?

Memorial Day Hike

We went to Silver Falls on Memorial Day this year with my sisters family and our folks.


The water felt very cold to me, but the kids played after lunch for a long time.

Does anyone see a future rock-climber here?

Savannah has a lot to say these days, and grandparents make such good listeners.

My Super Hero!

There were lots of convenient resting spots along the trail, even though sometimes we had to squeeze a bit!

Opal Creek Hike

We like to hike a lot in the summer.
Just a week or two ago we went to Opal Creek, near Detroit.

There's an abandoned mine by the side of the trail, complete with spooky drippy ceilings and dark murky tunnels. You can see that the tunnel is blocked off about 10 ft. inside the entrance.

There is also an abandoned mill by this beautiful "Waterfall of the Children".

There are some seriously tall trees in this part of the forest. It has been protected, so the old growth is still there, the water is crystal clear, it's absolutely beautiful!

We spent the walk back from the mill pretending there were faeries bathing in the streams and resting on the mossy banks, flying to and from their hidden houses. We even think we saw Peter Pan's secret hideout up a rocky, mossy cliff.

my church bag

I've been wanting a new bag for my scriptures for a while now. My old one didn't fit the standard works and my lesson books all together. I also wanted a bag that would be hands free and not flop around my arm like a purse would. Here is the result of my efforts.

I designed this as a messenger-type bag with a flap that goes over the top to keep out rain and keep in various little bits and pieces.

I added a liner and some pockets along the back side. It holds pen, pencil, hymnal, and chapstick, etc.

Here it is, stuffed with all my churchy type things, ready to go! It's got a flat bottom so it stands up by itself when it's filled.

Fish

Montana received a goldfish as a birthday gift. This is our first experience with any aquatic lifeforms in our home. Anna and Savannah decided the fish needed a thorough inspection before being fully approved as a member of the household. You see Savannah even had on appropriate clothing in case she needed to get into the bowl with the fish. Apparently, s/he passed muster, because the happy little thing is zipping around it's bowl this very moment.

A.C. GIlbert House

Last week for a field trip, we went to a children's museum here in Salem. It consists of three victorian houses with different exhibits in each room. One of my favorites is the darkroom. You can dance and jump and it has different ways of showing your image back to you. Sometimes this way, sometimes as a kaleidescope, sometimes slowly fading, sometimes quick. It's very fun!
Another favorite room is the bubble room. The floor has mats so no matter how drippy things get, no one slips. There are several tables and contraptions to play with and test out different shapes of bubbles. You can even "beam yourself up" inside a bubble column, if you've got the skills.
Alena was particularly adept at making giant bubbles with a hula hoop. You can see Montana, Erik, Djeryd and MyLiege on the left side of Alena and Emma in the lower right corner. It was hard to walk away from this fun room.

Life is not a destination, but a Journey...

. . . enjoy the journey. I've recently become vaguely discontent with my life. My sister says it's because I turned thirty last year. I suddenly feel like I should behave and look like a grown-up, at least most of the time. Like actually wearing makeup to the grocery store and going beyond wardrobe basics to something with a bit of flair. I am intimidated by these ideas and don't know where to go, but I now have a sort of road map for me. My sister lent me a book called The Total Mom Makeover. It's a six-week deal. I'm on day 2. I tend to shy away from deep self-reflection, but I'm going to force myself to go through the exercises each day in hopes that I'll come out at the other end a better person and more happy to be me (not that I don't like being me, just that I could be happier with myself).

Welcome to the Farm

Meet our closest neighbors, Betty, Jane, Morty, and little Jr. They are nice neighbors. Very quiet. The only time they even show an interest in us is when we get too close to the fence with the lawn mower, or if we offer them a bite to eat.

This next picture shows how truly healthy our garden soil is. Look at all those worms!

We are having so much fun living out here in the country! The yard keeps surprising us with new beautiful blooms as spring spreads across the landscape. It's really a nice yard, just neglected a little. We will conquer the blackberries, eventually.