Today's project

Mom and I found the pattern for this Cupcake Pin Cushion at Craft Warehouse. It's very easy to make and takes very little fabric. With two coordinating fat quarters, I'm guessing that you could probably make 10-15 of them.

Today's project

Emma's new library bag, using one of Fred Meyer's pink ribbon shopping bags.

Thanks, Cassie for the idea!

Today, I am thankful for...

...this wonderful time change.

Our morning routine last week:

7:00 Drag myself out of bed and into the shower

7:25 Get the kids up and dressed

7:45 Yell at Ryan for taking so long

7:55 Yell at Ryan again for taking so long and not actually accomplishing anything

8:00 Breakfast and make Ryan's lunch

8:15 Sadly, yell at Ryan once again to hurry and eat

8:25 Push the kids out of the door in order to get Ryan to school on time

Sounds fun, eh?

Our routine this morning:

6:15 Jumped out of bed and got dressed for my exercise video

6:20-6:50 Exercised

6:55 Showered while Bob got the kids up

7:15 Kids dressed, teeth brushed, etc, etc

7:30 Kids off to play while I made my yummy morning bowl of oatmeal, made Ryan's lunch and read the newspaper

(Notice no yelling?!?!)

8:00 Warning to Ryan to get all last minute stuff ready for school.

8:20 Out the door, Ryan to school, Emma to preschool

I love this time change!!! Even better is that fact that the kids bedtime (except for meeting nights and volleyball nights) is now 7:30-8, rather than 8:30-9.

Happy Time Change!

Pumpkin Patch

Emma's preschool class went to the pumpkin patch last week. It was a beautiful day, if a bit windy. The kids had a blast. They all got to run through the hay bale maze and pick out pumpkins to take home. We also got to go on a hayride...along the way to saw farm animals, a zebra and a camel.

Amy and W

"That's the one, Mom!"

The kids could only pick pumpkins that they could carry on their own. Emma finally found one that she could carry.

Happy Fourth Birthday, Ember!

Emma and I attended the super-cute ladybug party for Ember's fourth birthday. Check out those cupcakes! The kids (and the adults) loved them. The recipe is posted here

The kids had a great time playing in Ember's huge backyard and coloring their own puzzles. Emma and I put together an art box for Ember full of all kinds of fun stuff. Happy birthday!

Just so stinkin' nice!

Boise Botanical Gardens - October 2008

I love nice people.

I've always wondered why some people choose to be so grumpy. I know that we all have bad days now and then, but it seems like there are those people that simply cannot let themselves smile. I've noticed something here that is so different from Portland. Strangers are so nice! Yes, we did run into nice people in Portland who smiled and said hello. However, it seemed like those that you interacted with at the grocery store, the coffee shop, on the streets were just trying to get through their day. Oh, but here, people smile at you. They ask you how your day is going and actually care to hear the answer. They smile as they pass by you. They hold the door and wave you through in traffic. We've been here two months, and I have yet to see an instance of road rage. Just this past week, while at Wal-Mart paying for my groceries, I joined a conversation with the checker and the lady in front of me. We chatted as she finished her order and then while mine was being rang up. It was so pleasant as we talked about getting older and forgetting things like words and what we were going upstairs for. It was even nicer when the checker said that I couldn't be more than 26 years old! :) My next stop was Starbucks. In Portland, the people that worked at Starbucks would ask for your order, take your money and move on to the next customer...all without a "How are you?" or a smile. Here, they ask how your day is going, actually wait for the answer, take your order, remember your name from last time, and chat at you while you wait for your tall non-fat no-whip two-pump mocha! Now that's friendly!

I love nice people!

Just for Max...

It has been mentioned by a couple of select individuals that there aren't enough pictures of Uncle Max and Aunt Amanda on this blog (hmmm...didn't see their names in the title of the blog!). So, here are a few pictures of Uncle Max from 2003. If I had a scanner, I'd go waaaaaay back to the early years of Max...all dressed up at piano recitals, dressed in white from head to toe to show his goat named "booger" at the fair, his wrestling photos in his singlet, wrestling with any of my friends that were brave enough to come to our house. However, until I resolve this issue, we'll have to settle for photos of "grown-up" Max. Amanda...since I'm starting back a ways, you'll have to wait a while. Don't forget I have some of you growing up, too!

These photos are from December 2003. Max (and Hop and Nana) took Ryan to see the Sruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville. So begins Ryan's love of airplanes...




That's Max as the horse, spurred on by Uncle Matt, at Ryan's third birthday party.

That's all for now...more photos to come once I have the spare time to go through years of photos just to find some of Uncle Max.

Happy Fall from Ryan and Emma

Gorgeous Fall Colors!

Fall has always been my favorite season. When I was young, Fall meant the smell of apples as we worked in the orchard. Once the apples were picked, we'd sort them on the sorting table in the apple cellar. I still remember the smell of the apple celler...that wonderful smell of earth and fresh apples.

The apple trees are all gone now, but Fall remains my favorite season. It's amazing to me the brilliant colors the result from less sunlight for the trees. The colors here are just starting to change. Today, we passed a lane that was lined with trees on both sides. On the east side of the lane, every tree was a brilliant red. On the west side of the lane, the trees were still completely green. At just the right point during our drive, the trees lined up so that they alternated red and green. It was gorgeous, the contast between the two colors.

Emma's First Playdate

Emma had her first friend over to our house for a playdate this past week.

It was such a beautiful day, so we spent some time outside playing with chalk and doing some bubble-stomping. Fun!

The kids worked on crafts...

...and played with Thomas the Train.

I love this pic of their heads together as they work on the Thomas track.