March Memories.....

 I can't believe March is almost over with. I have thought about sitting down to express my thoughts and happenings of the past few weeks but........okay really here is my silly excuse.......I usually leave my web window open on my regular sites as a reminder to slow down my scattered self. However, I shut everything down one day for a re-boot and never remembered to open things back up. A sad excuse I know but it is all I can offer.

What can I share today? How about the fun weekend that just passed? Surprises and off the wall encounters were plenty.

Thursday evening as my husband was pulling into the driveway, he met up with these little friends. I personally know nothing about chickens. My only real thought was focused on trying to keep the dogs away from them as we did our evening things. I figured these biddies would take their cute chatter back to wherever they came from when they were good and ready.

The fuzzy boys eventually settled for the evening and we all got some sleep so I didn't give the chickens another thought except for gratefulness that they had moved on.

I was wrong. Friday morning found the boys once again beside themselves with hunter/stalker instincts in full force. They slobbered all over my front windows as the chickens casually took turns walking around my front yard. Our landlord sent someone down to catch them but had success with only bagging the black one. The brown one mysteriously disappeared.

Finally I gathered my whits and set out to find her, partially out of curiosity and partially because the dogs were getting on my last nerve. I followed the dogs' clues for a rousing game of  peek-n-seek with that chicken. Where was she hiding? She had decided to nest under my front porch and laid an egg!

Now, remember I said I have no experience with chickens? Keep that in mind as you picture me running around the yard with a slice of bread and a bath towel while trying to corner and capture this fast chicken. It was a hilarious sight indeed. Eventually I gave up and went to our landlord for help.  Once he had both chickens safely in a cage, he even found whom they belonged to.

The fuzzy boys were wrung out for the rest of the day. Protecting the house is such hard work! Aren't the just a sight to see?

~~~~~
Saturday was Hubby's birthday and he asked to spend the day hiking around Forest Park. We did up our day packs with sandwiches and dog supplies and set out for adventure. I cannot believe how long we have lived here and never stepped a single foot into the biggest city park in North America. Wow! I thought we had to be in the Gorge area to be spectators of such green beauty. This park sports well over 70 miles of hiking trails in the middle of the city.

The fuzzy boys were so very happy to wander, explore, claim territory and make friends with everyone on the well traveled pathway. The water stream intrigued Kekoa and he wanted to dive for stick treasures to take home. Congito on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the noisy cold water and stuck to me like glue.

 Were it not for our mighty little explorers wanting to keep on the go, 

I would have loved to simply sit for a while and watch the water 

flow over the rocks to destinations ahead.

 

~~~~~
In true typical fashion for us, the birthday DAY became the birthday WEEKEND by continuing the celebration with my folks after church on Sunday. Mom made a dinner feast and everyone had a grand time cutting up, goofing off and enjoying one another.

I gave Hubby the choice of having a decadent type of cake or a low fat healthy type of cake. Was that really a choice?  He picked the decadent surprise and I created the cake you see below. It is a Coca Cola Cake.  It looks sort of lumpy because it was so sweet and sticky that I had a hard time getting it out of the pan. But it tasted good and bumps helped to accent the decorations of "spilled coke bottles".   Hubby was positively thrilled with the cake because he is an avid Coca Cola collector. All of his treasures have pretty much taken over our bedroom walls (but that is another story for another day).

For now I need to scoot. The change in the air has given me cause to uncharacteristically clean my house like a woman on a mission.I pray that you have a wonderfully blessed week that is filled with God's joy and love that makes you smile from your inner most being.

Below is the recipe if you are interested. One look at the ingredients and you will see that it is not designed in any way for the calorie conscious person. I read that you can do a more calorie modest style by using a box cake mix and diet soda. Simply google "low fat coca cola cake recipe" if you want to try it instead of this.

Coca Cola Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• .
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 6 tablespoons Coca-Cola
• 1 box confectioner's sugar, (1pound)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside. In a large bowl combine flour and sugar. In a saucepan combine the cocoa, Coca-Cola, butter, and marshmallows; bring to a boil. Combine the boiled mixture with the flour and sugar mixture.
In a separate bowl mix eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla; add to the first mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, until cake tests done.
Frosting: In a saucepan, bring butter, cocoa, and Coca-Cola to a boil. Stir in the sugar and mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread over the cake while both cake and frosting are still warm.
Serves about 16.

October-fest

 October has come in like the wind that carries it. The air has a chill as it pulls through the leaves of color falling to the ground. While we are nailing down the house in preparation of winter's delights, October also brings about celebrations for us. It is the month of our anniversary and this year made 22 years strong.

Hubby and I decided to take off for 4 wonderful days and head up north in exploring new countrysides. We  booked our resort in Birch Bay, Washington located just 7 miles from the USA / Canada border. Neither of us have a current passport, so crossing the border was never an option. But hiking trails and exploring the local culture always makes for a time of refreshing.

From the moment we checked in, we felt so very celebrated. When we said we were there to celebrate, we were given a gift bag with a bottle of sparkling cocktail, chocolate mints and these adorable little toy ducks. 

Speaking of being blessed, it seemed that everywhere we went we made friends.  One couple that lives up there takes great sport in crabbing for Dungeness all through the season. Then with their freezer stocked piled, they delight in giving it all away.  I had tasted real crab only once before and was not impressed. I didn't want to offend them so I took all the fixings with a big smile and thank you and figured if nothing else, we would have a grand adventure of trying something new. Oh my goodness! Dungeness Crab fresh from the bay is so amazing! Hubby and I smacked our lips as we ate 4 crabs with salad, bread and our bottle of celebration cocktail until out tummies were round as beach balls.

As I said before, we hiked a lot during our stay. We pulled out our letterboxing kit and blew the dust off. It was good to explore the area while gaining insights to the area from our clue maps. The thrill of finding our treasure was quick to infect us with that old fever of treasure hunting delight and we began discussing other areas to explore or plant treasure boxes even before we were finished with the task finding at hand.

Here we are in Semiahmoo Marine Park.  Thought it is hard to see in this picture, right behind us and across the bay is the border crossing and Peace Arch Park. It was beautiful to sit here and watch the wildlife. The locals have taken great care in preserving the area for nature and it seems all live together with pride of harmony.

Peace Arch Park is a beautiful area where both counties work together to create an environment of unity in honor of peace. Visitors can picnic and take pictures in this small boundary land while having the thrill of saying they literally crossed the boundary line of countries without the pains of passports and such. Everywhere I looked there were people like us with their cameras clicking away. There were also border crossing guards everywhere just to make sure everyone was indeed safe. We noticed one gentleman sitting alone on a park bench and then another gentleman walked over and sat on the opposite end for a time and then left. It was like an espionage movie. I didn't think much about it but the border patrol sure did. They were on those two quick with all sorts of questions. Needless to say, we didn't stick around to see the outcome.

 My camera was faithful seemed permanently attached to my hands as shots were everywhere to be taken. This is a picture of Mt. Baker as seen from the marina at Semiahmoo Resort. I am told that it rains up there as much as it does down here in Portland. But we were blessed with these blue sunny skies all weekend for our delight. 

Papa God how grateful I am for the beautiful colors You created.

 

 

Here are a couple of sunset shots I took in the evenings while hiking. 

I loved the wisp of the clouds in the picture above.

Below, I was laying on the shore taking shots as the sun set. 

Hubby was having fun casting rocks and we happened to time everything just right to get this shot.

 

We loved our trip and are already discussing when to go back. 

Once we drove back into our city, the schedules we waiting at the door for us. There is work, office, the hub-bub of teen/young adult energy in the house, play practices, wedding plans, job interviews and the last of our babies about to be 18 and driving. Phew! It makes my head threaten to go light headed as I take in and savor each moment with the pride and joy of being a mom to my own as well as all of my heart adopted children.

But that is not all of the updates.
Our son called the morning after we got back. I was unpacking and sorting when he begged the question, "Hey Mom, what are your plans today?" He tried to sound casual but I know him too well. He and his wife had gotten up that morning and decided a drive would be fun and spontaneous. They had put the baby girls in the car and were on the 6 hour drive to surprise us.

Oh my goodness how quickly they grow!  And even though we had not seen them in 5 months, they were both so quick to allow us to love on them and share special moments.

This is my little Miss Izabell. She is now 8 months old. 

Those big blue eyes get me every time.

This is my little Miss Abbigail. She will be 2 years old in a couple of weeks. 

She also has those piercing blue eyes.

 It was a quick over night visit but we were so grateful for the time. They say they will be back over the summer with all 5 of the grand children. That will be a blast. We will have to make plans for great fun.

Thank You God for treasures of all shapes and sizes. 

Thank You for the celebration of time and the provisions of fun places to do it in.

 

Mirror Lake ...take 2

Saturday the kids and I decided

that it was way past time for a hike;

an excursion of enjoying the beauty that God made all around us.

All of the other "stuff" beckoning for our time would still be here

when we got back and there was no harm in stopping for a few hours.

So up we drove to mile marker 51 on Hwy 26.

It marked the beginning of a fun hike to Mirror Lake.

Hubby and I had done this hike a couple of years ago and I really wanted

to share the secret find with the girls.

Even Kekoa was ready for an adventure.

We had so much fun laughing and talking along the way

with the friends that we brought with us.

We stopped to take pictures at bridges and rocks and

thought it was funny to find a patch of snow on the ground in mid May.

When we found a larger patch, Kekoa thought it was way "cool".

I guess he had gotten himself over heated from all the

hiking and climbing in the 72 degree weather.

We were all grateful that we had summer type clothing on and

I think we secretly wished we could all slide and romp

in our own patch of snow to cool off.

Here is Pippin enjoying her lunch and giving me

her perfectly contented cheesy smile.

And a shot of Puddin' overlooking an old rock slide area that had been

cleared out for a hiking path.

When we finally reached our goal 3 miles later,

Mt. Hood did not disappoint us with it's spectacular view.

It was breath taking.......in more ways than one.

It simply never occurred to me that we would be walking in snow

that was at times waist high as we circled the lake.

I know, you'd of thought I had more foresight in my planning and logic.

See the lake? It is slush filled.

In another month people will be swimming in it

and scooping crawdads out by the bucket load.

It was such a great day.

The kids had snow ball fights and laughed

until their sides hurt.

I am so grateful for the break, the breath, and the beauty.

God You are amazing!

Review......

The first week of being home was a reprieve of sorts. Puddin' was on spring break from school and my family purposed to keep the calendar blank for my sake. During that time I hugged and cuddled a lot with Hubby and girls. I put a few things in order to help me regain familiarity around the house and I chose to ignore other things that will beg for cleaning inspection at a later date.

Birthday Milestone

That week Hubby celebrated his 55th birthday. Daddy had sent a money gift home with me for us to go out and celebrate with so we went to one of our family favorites - Claim Jumpers. As always the food was scrumptious, atmosphere supercharged, and the company memorable.

Our girls were so cheerful with their smiles and stories that kept us entertained. A family friend met us there too and it was his first experience eating the yummy food. We were blessed to be able to share it all with him.

Goodbye to the Truck

Hubby called me one day for a ride home from work. His truck had broken......again. Over the years he has been so patient with jimmy-rigging his vehicle into function. Part of it has been out of financial desperation and part of it because it once belonged to his father. (To clarify...it is not the truck in the above picture. I just liked the nostalgia of the shot.) It is now however beyond the point of being worth fixing. It is hard to let his old Chevy go but we really do need to figure out a replacement.

I am so grateful to my mom and dad letting us use their spare vehicle while we figure out what to do. We have so many youth that are always wanting to hang around so it has been really nice to have the extra seat capacity of their Expedition. The only down side is that it is much too big of a vehicle for Pippin to drive and help me with all of our errands. I sure have gotten used to her extra driving hands. But I am still grateful for the wheels even if I am the sole driver.

Hiking Adventures

One of the things that I sorely missed while being in Texas was going on one of my treasured hikes. Recently we packed up food and friends for a day of exploration along the Historic Gorge Highway. We set our feet to tread around LaTourelle Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls, Ponytail Falls, and Multnomah Falls. Can I just sigh here? Sigh..................
I never tired of feeling so intimate with God's amazing creative beauty.

LaTourelle Falls

Do you see the tiny colored specs of red and blue

just to the right of the falls?

Those are our kids hiking around.

Bridal Veil Falls

This is one of my favorites that I can sit and breathe in

for hours while getting lost in the quiet nature all around.

Horsetail Falls

Pippin and friend "Jerry" looking like very daring lil' monkeys.

Ponytail Falls

This one is a hike about a mile in from Horsetail.

The hiking path goes behind the falls so it is quite the reward

for those willing to walk up the hill a sort bit.

Those are all our kids exploring the pool area.

Daddy

Rocks at Ponytail Falls

It has taken me a few days to come to grips with Daddy's latest scan results. The scan images show that while the tumors in his esophagus and kidney shrank during our vigilant regime, they also spread to his liver and stomach. There is no more talk of surgery or success from the doctors. Now they only speak of time and comfort.

My first reaction was to cry and coddle with denial. I couldn't comprehend his cancer advancing when we had worked so hard to get him better. I had left him feeling confident. Things played tag races through my mind of what the rest of the year will look like and left me with nothing but fitful sleep for many days.

-I have to pack his house - I have to get all the little doggies up here - The girls need to see him soon - If I pull Puddin' out of school for 2 weeks will it submarine all of her grades - How long do I stay next time - Our oldest daughter is getting married in August - I wanted to forget everything and just get back there to hold him again.
Then I went numb. The slightest thing brought me to tears but I had no concept of understanding any of it.

Now I am snapping out of it to find reason and purpose to my thoughts. Even in the depths, I knew God was with me for I heard Him over and over again saying so. I can't plan out all this is going to happen. It isn't my job or place to do so. My job is to concentrate on this minute. the next minute will take care of itself and doesn't need my attention until it is actually here.

Prayer Works....Even In a Cave......

So much to write about, so many topics and I don't want them to disappear in the back of my mind. Do I write many smaller posts or one big one? Yeah.....why not one big one.

The Bed

Before Pippin and Rixxi moved back here from the beach a couple of weeks ago, Hubby and I set to the task of converting the bedroom into something fit for two young ladies to share. One major renovation was to acquire a bunk bed. For the last year as these plans were in the making, Pippin had her eyes set on a specific model of bunk bed that Ikea sells. The frame alone runs $300 and we didn't have that.

But we thank God quite often that someone had the foresight to create a web site such as Craig's List for there the bed frame was waiting for us. It also happened that the seller sold me the lower mattress for the bed for a mere $85 when she had purchased it new at Ikea for $230. Now please let me throw in a disclaimer here for I am not one to normally go around quoting prices on things. But for this story, the prices are very relevant.

Hubby and I drove over to the seller's home after work to pick up the bed. While Hubby was doing the loading, I visited with the seller and completed our transaction. She told me that she had purchased the bed set for her girls 5 months prior but was getting rid of it because they never used it even a single night. (Oh my goodness I thought. I am getting a bed that has never been used for such a lesser price!)

"Here is the $185 that you asked for", I said as I handed her the cash.

She responded with a smile as she stuffed the money into her pants pocket, "Cool! Now I can go and buy that pair of sunglasses I've been wanting."

It still makes me shake my head in wonder. I was able to purchase $530 worth of bed for only $185 because someone wanted a pair of sunglasses. Now, I am certainly not knocking the blessing of having the kind of money that can afford $185 sunglasses. It is just that it is a completely different world from where I live. I look at that $185 as an electric bill or 2 weeks worth of food.

The Prayer

My mother-in-law has been having stomach problems the past few months and the doctors are working to figure out how best to solve her issues and relieve her pain.

I was on the phone with her the other day while she was asking me computer questions and I could tell it was a rough day for her with her stomach. I interrupted her talking to ask what was wrong and she blew me off saying that she was fine and then redirected me back to her computer. I let her talk for a few minutes and then interrupted again with another concerned question. Again, because she is one to not like being the center of attention, she side stepped and changed the subject. My 3rd attempt met with success though.

Poor thing, she said that she had made a superbly wrong choice with what she chose to eat for lunch and had never experienced her stomach hurting as much as it did then. Plus she was in their motor home at that time in a hot part of the country side and their air conditioner was broken. The combination of extreme pain and heat was quickly zapping away all her will power and energy.

I asked her if I could pray with her for a minute. With her permission I prayed for her comfort, relief from pain, and that she could feel the cool relief of God's presence around her. Then I thanked God for hearing and answering our prayer and I said that we were looking forward to to hearing His praise in the issue.

She said amen and thanked me and we got back to the subject of computers. Within about 30 seconds though......she interrupted herself with this statement, "Hey my stomach feels better. It isn't hurting anymore." I praised God for the work He did and then we got back to the subject of computers again. In a matter of another 30 seconds, she interrupted herself again and said, "Oh my word! It's not hot in the motor home anymore! It feels so much cooler! How did you do that?"

I was smiling and thrilled. I of course didn't do anything. It was God that did it. When we speak in positive expectation it gives God more room to do what He like to do best. God's presence lives in our faith and our faith is made stronger and bigger by what we believe. Our words are powerful and the more we speak things then the more we believe it. So by speaking of expectation, we increase our belief which then increases our faith........that all equates out to less of me and more of Him. To me that is a great balance.

The Cave

Last Saturday we had plans to take the youth group on one last hike before the fall cooler weather set in. My plan was that we hike to Mirror Lake up on Mt. Hood and relax/swim the afternoon away. It was a great plan too except for the weather. Every day leading up to Saturday and for a few days afterwards were all really hot days. But Saturday woke us up to rain with the forecast of 60% chance of rain all day and 50 odd degrees for most the day. I had already made lunches for the 25 people that had planned to meet at our house for a day of fun so we switched gears real quick and changed the event to spelunking Ape Caves in Washington.

I had completed the lower cave a few years back which was nothing more than a 3/4 mile stroll in the dark so I figured the upper cave couldn't be that much different. Wow was I wrong! If I would have realized what I was getting myself into then I never would have entered the mouth of that cave. But then I never would have had such an amazing day and felt so accomplished when it was all said and done.

Here is a graphic map of the upper cave which is what is left of an old lava tube. We hiked up to the upper entrance and entered there so that we could work our way down to the stairwell. The length of the upper cave is 1.5 miles long and though you can't imagine that distance taking a huge amount of time; we spent a good 3.5 - 4 hours in there.

These pictures were both taken at the entrance of the upper cave.

And this one is inside the cave when we were just getting started.

There were so many rock formations to climb over. Up down and around we went trying to pick our way through the rubble that the harsh and amazing forces of nature left behind. At one point we used the rope that my hubby had brought to drop down a distance where the footing could not be felt. Every one's "guess-timates" were different but that drop was somewhere between 7 and 8 feet.

In the beginning of the walk, there were times when I felt panic rise, you know that small voice that tells you you're stupid to try such a thing. But then I could hear God on my other shoulder whispering memories to me of other successes. "You are right God. You are my big God and creator of the universe. If you can help me navigate a high rise obstacle course through the trees then you can surely help me find my footing on a few loose rocks."

If you go here and click on TDE Ape Cave Hike you can see all the pictures.


Currently
Pippin and Rixxi seem to be settling into their home environment. They love the bed and room set up. They are working hard at filling out job applications and I am giving advice and cheering them on. Puddin' is presing forward in school and loving being the youth band drummer. It is a strange new time for us all but we are having fun with it.

Blessings to you today,

Touring Thru a Portion of the Columbia Gorge......

One of the many things the girls and I did while I was away from blog land was take our visiting Hawaiian friends on a tour of the old scenic highway in the Columbia Gorge. It was definitely a day of giggles, sighs of awe, and adventure.

As I pulled down into my mom's driveway to pick up our guests,

my Rosie girl said, "Hey Mom look at those sun flowers.

They look like Mickey Mouse!"

Our first look-around was at the scenic Vista House.

Locals around here affectionately call it Crown Point.

This photo is a shot looking east.

The Columbia River is the state boundary line with Washington

on the left and Oregon on the right.

Our first waterfall hike was one of my personal favorites

called La Tourelle Falls.

There is my group headed towards the sound of falling water.

Amazing isn't it?

I pointed out various features to our friends concerning the moss, falls, and

the geology of the basalt rock while my girls hiked all around the water area

looking for treasures.

Indeed a treasure was found. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Pippin took pity on this little guy. She found him close to the water and decided

that he was so chilled by the water that he didn't even have the energy

to hop away when she got close.

So, into her warm hands he went until his temperature perked up and

she set him free in some warm moss.

Our next stop was a short mile hike to Bridal Veil Falls, another of my personal favorites.

This is the bridge one must cross at the bottom of the hike to get to the falls area.

Here is the lower portion of Bridal Veil Falls.

See that speck of a person sitting on the left side of that big rock? That is my Pippin.

Every time we go out to this area, my girls love to climb all over the rocks

and soak in the beauty.

I couldn't resit putting up a couple of pictures of our dear friends.
Left to right is Lilly, myself, and Mary. These wonderful ladies are precious sisters
and always full of so much infectious joy.
Mary first became a part of our family years ago when she and my mom
met and attended school together in Japan.
We are so grateful to have them in our lives.

Our last waterfall of the day was to visit Multnomah Falls. We shot some pictures, gasped and awed and the splendor, and then sat down for well deserved ice cream cones.