eye candy

Just a little something to feast your eyes upon... progress... these pics are from last week. Lots has been completed since then, but hasn't been photographed yet!

I love how the shingles make it look like a whimsical cottage...

Kitchen cupboards in all in, and they are gorgeous!

Isn't that concrete wash sink awesome! Recycled from a friend's remodel in Cashmere.

And yes people I am taking showers in my own shower!
I have TWO working toilets!
AND most importantly my washer and dryer are IN like FLYNN and I am sure enjoying them :)

Next steps:
Trim
Hang interior doors
Carpet
Buy and hang more light fixtures
Back porch decking
Gas tank
Done? I doubt it. But very very close!

And now some of my favorite eye candy -- the incredibly cute Olaf!

superheroes

As I was searching through old old pictures for my last post, I came across this picture that I had gotten as an email forward a long time ago. I have no idea who created it so I can't give credit to someone... but hopefully it brings a smile to your face!


I keep imagining Olaf and Aleksandr or Micah in this situation... ha ha!

letters from Tall Timber...

Dear Jesus,
You are ever present at Tall Timber Ranch. The absolute GLORY of your mountains and your meadow never cease to amaze me. Nowhere else in my life am I so at peace in my heart as when I am surrounded by the beauty of your creation there. Thanks for helping me find this place so many years ago...


There is this place...
In between three sets of mountains (Grasshopper, Chiwawa Range, Dirtyface)...
In between 2 rivers (Napeequa, White)...
Backed by Mt. David and the Poets range...
That is full of amazing people, good teaching, delicious food, friends friends friends, and too many memories to count...
A place that is so close to my heart...

Tall Timber Ranch

I have too many memories to count here, and too many lifelong friends made, to really describe them all would take blog post upon blog post. So I will just tell you what it was like to come back to it after a few years away. The last time I had spent an entire week there was probably Snow Camp of 2002 when I volunteered in the kitchen for the week. Luckily my ex-boyfriend Steven happened to be volunteering that week also and realized he was still madly in love with me... but that's a story saved for another time :) Maybe on our 5th wedding anniversary next month! ANYHOW it had been a long time. Now that we both work full time, have a huge extended family and a kiddo of our own, and jobs, taking a week out of life to relax up at TTR has just not happened since 2002. SO LONG AGO! So this summer we decided to go to Family Camp. It is actually a full week long, but we could only go for Sunday-Tuesday, but decided it was worth it and did it. We were super late registering but luckily since Mom is the admin assistant for Tall Timber she slid us in. We stayed in the Pratt cabin... I think next year we will register earlier and shoot for a "cooler" cabin like Wenatchee. But Pratt was just fine and we enjoyed it. Jenny, Trygve and Ingrid came up with us as well, which was really special. How fun for the kids to experience it together! They all did really well.



What a difference it is to be a camper instead of staff... no special priveledges, no kitchen keys, no late-night climbing wall, no golf cart racing (no cooking or cleaning either). it was... AWESOME actually! The summer staff crew they have up there this year is made up of mostly Whitworth students and grads and they were really fun. Very dynamic and you could tell they were excited to be there serving the Lord for a summer. I was honestly very impressed with them.



I don't really know how to describe Tall Timber... fellow bloggers Ann, Becca, Kristin... you know what it's like to be on staff and be campers. SO MUCH FUN. Staff is almost like an exclusive club that only select few are a part of. I thought for sure I would miss being on that side of it, but I didn't at all. I was so happy to be a camper, to relax, be taught, let the staff take care of my kiddo for a few hours a day, have good conversation with other adults, receive great teaching from Chris Ward (formerly of Whidbey Pres Youth Group), and just enjoy being a camper again! I really encourage all y'all former TTR staff and campers to consider coming next year... we will for sure be there enjoying it all. (I am serious about this - think of the memories for your kiddos!)





And now... a BLAST FROM THE PAST!

Jenn, Ariyl and Annie, Program staff gals summer 2000.

The whole crew, post frisbee game, 2000.

Me and Ann. I swear I lived at this wall all summer. When I wasn't at the ropes course, of course.

Here we are again clowing around, waiting for campers to come try it out!

mr. O turns the big 01.

My dear son,
One year ago was quite a day. Quite a week. Quite a month... You came into this world slowly. EVER SO SLOWLY. Dear little Olaf you were so content to stay in my tummy an extra week... then 8 days, 9 days, 10 days. Well we had enough at that point so into the hospital we went to induce (entice) you into coming out... and it still took another day! So 11 days past your pull date you finally made an appearance to an adoring crowd. Most adoring of course were me and your daddy -- We were so proud of you already! You had all your parts, a head of dark hair, chubby wubby cheekies, and of course your daddy's big old Saugen dimples! Everyone knew you were your dad's son!


Well it has been one whole year since then. HOLY MOLY YOU ARE ONE YEAR OLD?!?!?! I swear you went from infant to toddler overnight! You are now a walking, talking, singing, throwing, pulling, pushing, tooting, laughing, grunting, smiling, hugging, kissing, grabbing, shaking, eating, pointing, loving little boy. My little boy. I love you and can't WAIT to see what the year has in store for you and us. I hope and pray that you keep on growing healthy and strong, kind and caring. We are SO blessed by having you for a son. Thank you Lord for my wonderful Olaf.

Why is everyone singing this song to me?

Oooh, open flame...

Olaf actually hated the cake... or hated the feel of frosting on his fingers... whatever it was, he never ate any of it!

Miss Ingrid... will dance to any tune she hears!

Micah is such a big boy and a cutie to boot!

Later in the day it was pool time!

Today is Tuesday

I have recently been absent from the world o' blogs... That's a lie actually - I have still been reading everyone else's posts, just haven't written my own in a while! Not that there hasn't been material. Actually I have several started for Olaf's BDay No.1, Fathers Day, and Family Camp which we just returned from... so stay tuned for many many pictures!

just sitting here in the camper

Today is Friday and BOY am I happy about that! After a short trip to WallyWorld and Safeway after work I got to come home... blessed home. Steven is home this weekend which is nice. We have BIG plans -- work on the house. I may get to take my first shower in the new house if we can find a makeshift curtain... WOOHOO!!!! Unfortunately we are not going to get our washer/dryer hooked up this weekend due to having to rip out the drywall behind where they will go, to find out why the brand new gas line won't hold pressure... super bummed but what can you do. I'll probably spend hours doing laundry at my folks house (it's been 3 weeks since I last did laundry... I am out of... well... everything. Olaf still has clean clothes though thanks to his sweet Aunties/cousins for hand-me-downs... Every weekend I think I will be able to do it here in my own washer/dryer, so I keep putting it off, and then it doesn't work out... ah well :) we'll figure it out.)

Sunday my little sis GRADUATES from college with a degree in Apparel Design so we'll be heading to Seattle to celebrate with her! She is going to make me a dress she designed this spring... I know y'all are jealous... I will post pictures when it's done. It's going to be RAD since it will be one of a kind AND be specially measured and constructed to fit my weird no torso, extra love in the middle, long legged, 5'2" body.

Well I better pay a few bills before bed. Which will be at 10:00pm. Dang I feel old and boring sometimes...

one to the ten

My friend Brooke tagged me with a photo quest... and because I am staying up late right now watching a recorded SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (yes I do think I can dance, by the way) I am just going to have to do it!

The rules are as such...

ONE open your first photo folder

TWO now scroll to the tenth photo

THREE post that photo and story on your blog

FOUR tag five friends to do the same (or at least a few)

So here is my ten in one:


Hmmm, that's a photo that Steve-O took of me and my doggy Chelan in the office of the first house we ever bought in good old Lacey :) (I know a few of you recognize that room) This is Chelan's party trick. She likes to ride around piggy back. Kind of funny for a 75LB dog... but also quite entertaining.

Bonus... I love this hair of mine in this picture... it ALMOST looks like sweepy bangs, something I have NEVER been able to pull off... nice!

And now I TAG --
Mika @ That's What She Said
Kristin @ BonBonRose
Ann @ Another Cardinal Year

Let's see y'alls photos ladies!

ps.... Isn't it fun to play with COLORS?

little helper

Yesterday we came home to find half the kitchen cupboards installed -- woohoo! I am saving full kitchen pictures for when they are all in. But for now I thought I'd share some pictures of my little helper. He managed to pull an air hose from a compressor all the way from the living room into my office. Okay, it's not that far, but it did involved three 90-deg corners and a bit of strength. I'm so proud - he loves tools already! Like father, like son. I know the pictures are not the greatest of quality - my little point and shoot didn't think I needed a flash and it's hard to catch a moving kid without one sometimes, as all you parents know :)

eureka, i found it!

I have found the secret to getting my little boy to eat his finger foods... (aka green beans, broccili, cheese, anything he is bored with...) All you have to do is add spaghetti sauce! He loves spaghetti and really anything tomato based (ah, a boy after my own heart... that must be the italian in us. i am almost a quarter you know!). Yup, he just pushed his green beans around and spit them out. And then I smothered them in tomato mushroom spaghetti sauce and voila - he ate them all! Thanks Safeway for making my day!

flooring and porches and beams, oh my!

We have been off and running the last few weeks on the house. Probably because we've had a lot of folks here helping us out! We were home this weekend so I actually had time to help out a bit - installing can lights, vacuming, vacuming, vacuming.... cleaning the showers/tub. It was nice to actually feel like I am getting to work on the inside instead of just designing and supervising. And of course I am in charge of landscaping just because I love it. So anyway, below are a few pictures of our progress. Aren't the beams on the front and back porch beautiful!

Front porch -- perfect for a table and two chairs and hanging baskets of flowers

Gorgeous. We used the old chicken coop wood for the roof as you can see.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the color variations!

Back porch off our master bedroom

Life in the dustbowl

Reason No. 1 why I am super excited to have our washer, dryer, and shower hooked up soon!