Friday, November 27, 2009

Christmas Cards and Kits




I have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic Christmas Designs lately...

Templates: Holiday Card Bonanza - Shutterfly Ready by Hillary Heidelberg at scrapbookgraphics. Today only $1.00

Kit: Christmas Trimmings by Lindsay Jane Designs at pickleberrypop

Kits: One Magic Night by Flergs and Alana McCarthy at scrapbookgraphics

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

another turkey



There is another turkey in our house. This one is a little less work to take care of and instead of becoming our Thanksgiving dinner, it will get baked down to go into breads, muffins and pies.
We went to Limbo (a neighborhood produce shop) on Friday. I love Limbo for two things. Their bulk spice and tea section. I think I can safely say it is the best in Portland. Marketspice in Seattle can compete, but Limbo is only a mile away. The other thing I love is their dollar table. They gather up bruised or flawed fruit and veggies package it up and sell it in big bags for a dollar. This giant squash was only one dollar. So for Dollar Tree prices we get a table decoration and several meals. Can't beat that. I just remembered a third thing I love about Limbo. Almost everything is organic and many of their products are local.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

a new bunny



We got another bunny today! An angora. You can read the story of how we got her and why on my other blog Simple Gifts.
She is a sweet rabbit, which is important, since we will have to groom her often.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

a field trip






We went on another field trip yesterday. This time to Zenger Farms, which is about two miles east of us. It is a community farm in the city. They have an egg co-op, honey bees and several gardens. They even raised turkeys this year. There were only three left.
The theme of the field trip was wetlands ecology. The weather was very cooperative with the wetland theme. The kids explored the water and learned about animals that live in wetlands. The rain was forgotten when we got down there and they got the nets, and viewing tools.
We ate lunch then helped with tasks around the farm. Liam really enjoyed seperating garlic. He wanted to peel it and eat it and they had to explain that they were going to plant the garlic in the sping. We also got to remove the kernals from indian corn to use for popcorn. We bought some of the pop corn to pop and use at home.

layouts




I have some new layouts completed.
Credits
Templates for the first two: Parenthically Speaking by Hillary Heidelberg
Kit for Autumn Afternoon: Mystique by Lindsay Jane Designs
Kit for Winter: Winter Wonderland - a collab by Oscraps
Noel: One Magic Night by Flergs and Alana McCarthy

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

train trip to seattle



We joined a homeschool group for a day trip on Amtrack. We left from the Vancouver, Washington station instead of the Portland station. I like this for two reasons. 1. There is free and abundant parking in Vancouver and because we were only traveling in one state, it cost less.
This was the first time I had been on Amtrack in 27 years and it was the boys first trip. They enjoyed the train ride, the scenery and Liam enjoyed re-enacting the movie Polar Express on the ride home. I am thankful that so many people had bus tickets to give him when he went around asking for tickets. Next time we do the trip, I will bring some 4x6 note cards and a hole punch for him to play with. I might need to also bring a shoe box, so he doesn't leave little pieces of paper all over the train.
While in Seattle, we went to the Pike Street Market. There was a large fish that they tug on to make it look alive. It freaked Liam out. He was not happy until we left. We also visited Market Spice to buy some tea and spices. I am drinking the Market Spice Rooibos Chai right now.
After the market and lunch we walked to the Pacific Science Center. The highlight was the butterfly gardens.

We walked back to the train station. I learned that it is a very long walk, especially in a Seattle Downpour and that the neighborhood close to the station gets quite interesting as it gets dark. I think we will utilize the bus system next time.
a quick note...I finished my the socks I have been knitting. Stop by my other blog Simple Gifts to see them! Wool socks and hiking boots are great for a long walk on a rainy day in Seattle.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

New Chair -kind of

We picked up a chair at Value Village the other day. I wanted a comfortable chair to knit and read in, since the couch seems to always me a bus, car or rocket and is not always available for its traditional purpose. Luna is quite fond of the new chair and has taken over.

They boys tried to squeeze in and share the chair with her, but she was not too happy.


I would like to sit down and knit now, I wonder if Luna will allow it.

New Blog

I finally finished my new blog, Simple Gifts today. I will be using this blog for photography, family updates and scrapbooking. My new blog is about my attempts at empbracing the DIY lifestyle. Stop by and visit.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009