Back to blogging

I haven't added to the blog (or anything else) in a couple of months. I have been working non-stop getting ready for my first craft show (which was this past weekend in Brookings.

I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be for the show, but it was okay. The show was a bit disappointing, but we heard from other vendors that the crowd was nothing like it normally is. It was a great learning experience and that was what we needed for our first show. Now we know what we have to improve on. We'll see how the next one goes.

The good news is that the website is up and running (www.sparklesanddangles.com). It's not perfect yet, but it's functioning so that's a start.

So there's nothing much to report here.....the Lumberjax ended their season in the semi-finals, losing to Calgary. We got even worse news a couple weeks later when they announced that they are planning on leaving Portland. I'm not taking it well and am very disappointed. Oh well, just saves us some money I guess.

That's about it for now. Hopefully I will have time to keep the blog up again. Thank you for your patience. :)

E

Time flies...

Is it finally Spring? The weather has been beautfiul the last few days. Today it was 77. I hope it lasts.

Since our last post, the boys (Geoff and his best friend, Robert) visited, we've been to 2 lacrosse games, I've been creating bead stuff, and we slipped into a new month.

Our visit with the boys was a lot of fun, as always. We saw 2 movies - Monsters vs. Aliens and I Love You, Man. They were both good. Monsters vs. Aliens was my first 3D movie. We went to a Lacrosse game on Sunday while the boys were here. The Lumberjax lost. We spent the rest of the time watching movies at home and playing video games.

We went to another lacrosse game last weekend. The Lumberjax beat Colorado in OT. it was an exciting game, but a little too close for comfort. We watched the Friday night game online. They lost to Edmonton. It was also a close game, but got away from them.

Baseball season officially started today. The Cubs and Mariners both started the season with a win.

i spent this past weekend working on bead things. I made a lot of progress, but I still have a lot to do to get ready for the craft show in May. Last week was very exciting as I received several large bead orders and my business cards. They turned out very well.

Miss Priss has surprised me again. She has been sleeping in the other bed she got for Chrsitmas. It has been upstairs sitting on the chest in front of the window for months. I finally caught her sleeping in it the other day and she spends some time in there every day now.

Time for sleep. Sweet dreams and a great week to all.

Been too long since I've posted....

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I posted...at this point San Diego is just a memory.

There was sad news today. They found the remains of Stephanie Condon. She has been missing for over 10 years. She disappeared October 31, 1998. That was the year we moved to Oregon. Stephanie was on the Riddle volleyball team that my cousin, Kendy coached. I did stats for the team that year. I guess this is the result that I expected, but there was some hope that she was still alive and okay. At least her family can have some closure and move on now. These are the times when I really hope that there is such a place as Hell and that whoever is responsible for Stephanie's death finds out for sure.

On to happy things....

I've been very busy doing things with my beads...not making anything other than a mess though. I'm starting a little business with them so I've been getting ready...getting inventory organized, getting business cards, making plans, etc. Dad and I are going to try to have a booth at the 70th annual Azalea Festival in Brookings Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully it will go well and will inspire us to do more. If not, I'll stick to online. I'm hoping to get some stuff on Etsy and Craftmall soon. I also bought a web domain. I just don't have anything on it except the name, address, and phone number. www.sparklesanddangles.com

Kyle goes up to get Geoff and his best friend, Robert, Friday. Then they come back to Vancouver on Saturday. They will probably go back home on Tuesday or Wednesday. We will go to a Lumberjax game on Sunday. Thank goodness. I've missed it.

I still haven't gotten pictures from the trip organized. Hopefully I can get that done once all my bead stuff is organized.

Happy Wednesday.

Off to Southern California....

Tommorow morning we leave for La Jolla, CA for Impac's company meeting. I'm really looking forward to the time away, seeing everyone, and SUNSHINE...hopefully.

We fly out of Portland at 10:25 tomorrow morning. When we arrive at Torry Pines we will have lunch. Then Kyle and Don can relax or scout around while Nora and I are in afternoon meetings. We will have dinner in La Jolla Thursday night, more meetings on Friday then hors'doevres and cocktails Friday night. Nora and I finally decided what we want to do on Saturday. We're going to Birch Aquarium (http://www.aquarium.ucsd.edu/), then to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad(http://www.theflowerfields.com/), then to the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego (http://www.gaslamp.org/). We're going to have a great time. I can't wait to see Sandy and meet Rogers' wife, Kandi.

We fly back on Sunday. Instead of coming home, Kyle goes to Phoenix until Thursday. :( Hopefully while he's away I can get the house back together. I still have Valentine's Day stuff up. Since Easter is so late this year I waited to put Easter decorations up. I resisted the urge to decorate for St. Patrick's Day.

Happy weekend!

New Link

We've added a new link to our list (over on the right). It is another blog where we are sharing our favorite recipes. Feel free to try them, comment, and share your favorite recipes.

Enjoy!

Tuesday stuff....

Kyle has been in eastern Oregon since Sunday. Once again, I had a plan in mind for what I wanted to get done while he is away. So far, I've done nothing from that list.

I rearranged the family room again. The couch and 2 chairs are back where they started. Kyle's recliner is relatively in the same place. The biggest difference is that I moved the hutch out of the corner and into the living room. I complained to Kyle last week about going to Costco by myself and having to lift the 40 lb bucket of cat litter, but I can manage to move a solid wood hutch 1/2 way across the house. In the corner where the hutch was I have a little desk with the computers and one for the printer, scanner, etc. Hopefully this will help my back (not sitting on the couch leaning to the coffee table to work on the computer) and I will use the scanner more because it will be hooked up all the time.

This past weekend went fast, but we did get some things accomplished including some much needed rest. Saturday night we went to the Lacrosse game. The Lumberjax won. They are still one game behind Calgary. At the end of the first quarter, the Lumberjax were leading 5-0. The final score was 12-10...a little too close for comfort considering how the game started. Now we have to wait another 4 weeks until the next home game. That one will be a lot of fun because Geoff will be here and maybe his friend, Robert.

This weekend we go to Roseburg for Alisha's dance recital and Cheryl's birthday. We'll probably go down after work on Friday and will be back Sunday afternoon. It will good to see everyone. We haven't seen mom and dad in quite awhile.

Kyle will be back home on Thursday. YAY! I have a lot to get done before he gets home, as usual...

Happy Friday!

It's Friday!! Yay!!

I finally got a good night's sleep last night. I was so happy that I actually got out of bed when the alarm went off instead of hitting snooze for an hour.

Congratulations to Nora! She found out today that Jeremy and Tina are having a little boy. It looks like she's getting a granddaughter and a grandson now. How exciting! I'm so happy for her.

We started the weekend with dinner out at On the Border (www.ontheborder.com) tonight. Brisket Tacos rule! I tried the pepper jack mashed potatoes tonight instead of beans and rice. They were okay, needed more cheese. I added some of the queso which perked them right up.

Tomorrow night is Lacrosse - Lumberjax vs. Philadelphia Wings. Portland is 2nd in the division behind Calgary now. Go Jax!!

Kyle leaves for eastern Oregon Sunday. :( He'll be back Thursday night. :) I wish I would have planned to go to Phoenix with him in 2 weeks, not only to spend the week with him instead of being home alone, but because it's that time again - spring training. The Cubs and Mariners both won today. Go Cubs!! Go Mariners!! We haven't been to a game in a few years. Maybe we can work one in this summer....Hmmm, could go to Lacey for bead shopping (www.shipwreckbeads.com) then to Seattle for baseball. I'll be checking our calendar!

Lots to do this weekend - take down Valentine decorations, return Christmas gifts that never made it to the recipients, laundry, cleaning, etc. I think it's supposed to be raining all weekend. It was 26 degrees this morning. I would be happy if that was the end of that. Some people from work are going to Florida and Hawaii next week. Maybe they'll bring some sunshine back with them.

Happy weekend!

Why am I awake at this hour....

Our bodies are such mysteries. A few weeks ago, I couldn't get enough sleep. There was a Saturday awhile back when I slept through the night for about 10 hours. Then I took a nap during the day and still went to bed at a decent hour that night. Now I'm back to not sleeping for more than 5 hours and I'm wide awake. Of course a couple of hours later I'm ready to sleep again and feel like crap when I wake up after only an hour or so of sleep. I've made a point not to have caffeine after noon. I just want to go back to sleeping 7 or 8 hours and waking up when I'm supposed to. In the meantime, I'll use this time to catch up on the blog.....

Kyle went up to see the boys last weekend. They had a good time - saw a show, a hockey game, and a movie - Slumdog Millionaire. They said Slumdog Millionaire was really good and not as depressing as they had expected. Kyle and I went to see Marley and Me a couple of weekends ago and I cried a lot at the end. It's just too close to home for anyone that has loved and lost a pet.

Anyway, I had great intentions of getting some things done around the house while Kyle was away. As it often does, that changed. I did some shopping on Friday night and found a calendar of Steve Hanks pictures on clearance at one of our craft stores - Craft Warehouse. I love Steve Hanks' work so I bought 2 - thinking I would actually use 1 for a Calendar and frame the pictures from the other one. So, I spent Saturday looking for frames, etc. I finally decided on a plan - where to put them, how to frame them, etc. - went to Craft Warehouse, Michael's, JoAnn's, back to Craft Warehouse because I changed my mind about where to put them and needed different color frames, back to Michael's because I changed my mind about what I wanted to use for the background, back home then back to Michael's. I got 3 of the pictures framed then decided I should probably consult Kyle about where to put the pictures. We made a decision when he got home on Sunday and the decision also changed what I'm going to use for the backgrounds. I was going to work on them this week, but Kyle has been working in the evenings and has his computer in my space (the kitchen table). Maybe I'll work on them this weekend and/or next week.

I started a new beading project last night that I'm very excited about. Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of it yet because I am going to give them as gifts and want them to be a surprise. I'll post pictures eventually, but by then almost everyone that reads this will have seen them. LOL

Kyle is out of town next week - to Burns and Ontario, Oregon. He flies out Sunday and gets back on Thursday. That will just prepare me for him being gone the week after we go to San Diego/La Jolla when he will be in Phoenix. I hate it when he's gone for more than a couple of days, but it makes me appreciate the time when he's home.

We leave for La Jolla 2 weeks from today. We haven't decided if we're going to the zoo or SeaWorld. We'll figure it out when we get there. Every time we think we've decided we think of something else that makes us want to go to the other one. If we had more time we would do it all, but with really only 1 day, we have to make a decision.

It snowed again during the night so I'm really ready for some sunshine and warm weather now. We've had some really nice days the last couple of weeks and thought spring was near, but I guess that darn groundhog was right.

It's that time of night again when I'm ready to go back to bed. Happy sleeping.

Yay! It's almost Friday again! Happy Friday Eve!

My latest creation

Here is my latest beaded ornament. I had hoped to have this one finished by Valentine's Day, but I obviously didn't make it. It's a bit different than the pattern. I didn't like the swags between the main dangles so I changed them. I've been buying beads for my next project. It's one that I don't have a pattern for. It will be totally unique. I hope it turns out well.

Finally, the weekend...

The week went quickly, but I was sick for most of it. Darn germs! Fortunately, I think I'm about over it.

Kyle went north to see the boys this weekend. Tonight he and Geoff are going to see Mary's latest show - Glorious! (www.whidbeyplayhouse.com). Tomorrow night they're going to a hockey game in Everett - Everett Silvertips vs. Kelowna Rockets (http://www.everettsilvertips.com/). I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. There is plenty to be done around the house, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

The weather has been beautiful the last few days, but it's supposed to start raining again. Hopefully that will help my sinuses. Unfortunately, it won't help the lawn any. There is already too much moss.

Yesterday when I was working from home (trying to keep my germs to myself), a squirrel came up onto the back deck. They run across the fence a lot, but I've never seen one of the deck. He got up on the porch swing and deck railing. By the time I got the camera he/she was back on the fence, but he/she stopped and let me take his/her picture.

Monday again.....

Happy Monday! It has been a quiet Monday so far, just the way I like it.

Kyle and I had a good Valentine's weekend. He sent balloons to the office on Friday. We had a quiet day at home Saturday then went to see Marley and Me Saturday evening. It was much too close to home and I cried a lot. Anyone who loves pets will have a difficult time with it. We had planned a nice dinner for Saturday night, but neither of us felt like cooking so we had McDonald's. LOL We had our nice Valentine's dinner last night instead.

I'm finally posting some pictures of the bead project Christy, Cheryl, and I did 2 weekends ago. I've been working on a project for Valentine's Day, but didn't get it done in time. I'll get it finished and pack it away with the Valentine's decorations. It will be interesting to take a look at it again next year.

Enjoy the pictures and have a great week. It should be quiet here this week, not much going on except Kyle going north to see the boys this weekend.

Cheryl's Beaded Ornament



















Christy's Beaded Ornament





















Edie's Beaded Ornament

Another one bites the dust!

It's Thursday evening. The week is almost over. It's been a long one.

My team from work (Rogers, Cheryl, and Nora) have been here all week. We've been going into work around 7 and working until about 5. I'm not used to getting up so early so I'm really tired. Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep this weekend.

The Lumberjax game last weekend was great. They beat the San Jose Stealth 16-13. They are now 4-3 and 3rd in the NLL West Division. The next home game is February 28th against the Philadelphia Wings.

Tomorrow night we are having dinner with Kathy Eaton, Kyle's mentor and former colleague. This weekend we will probably stay home and be lazy.

Yay! It's the weekend! Cheryl and Christy arrived around 9:30 last night. Since it become tradition, we immediately went to the Rock (www.therockwfp.com) for pizza and Buckets. We had our usual Bad to the Bone and Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy and had a great time. Naamon (our usual waiter) waited on us and we made him blush once again. He still requested hugs before we left so all is well. :)

Today we're sleeping in then going to do some beading. I finally get to do something with all those beads I've just been staring at the last few days. Tonight we're going to dinner to celebrate Kyle's birthday then to a Lacrosse game - Portland vs. San Jose. They've won their last 2 games so this should be a good won.

Tomorrow will be more beading before the girls head back home. Then Nora comes up and the busy week begins. I won't think about that just yet and will just enjoy the girls being here and having a great time with them.

Happy weekend!

Happy February! The groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter. The last few days have been sunny and warmer, not warm by any means, but warmer than it has been.

Kyle is in Coos Bay for a couple of days. He said it has been nice there also. He'll be home late tomorrow.

I rearranged the furniture in the family room this weekend. It hasn't been changed in 2 years so it was time. We're not convinced that we like it yet, but we'll live with it for awhile and see how it goes.

Chopped, American Idol, and Fringe tonight. I should be doing stuff around the house, but we'll see how it goes. :)

Happy Super Bowl day! Go Steelers!

Kyle went north to visit the boys this weekend. Geoff and Kyle went to a hockey game in Everett Friday night - Everett Silvertips vs. Seattle Thunderbirds. Seattle won 3-1. There weren't any fights during the game, but there was one in the crowd after the game. Saturday Kyle, Keath, Lisa, and Geoff went to the movies to see Inkheart and Frost/Nixon.

Kyle made it home today in time to watch the 2nd 1/2 of the Super Bowl. We recorded it on the DVR so we could watch the commercials. So far of the ones I did see, the Budweiser commercials are my favorites as usual.

I was very excited today. I checked the mail and the first 2 shipments of beads arrived. I'm anxious to get started, but will try to wait until next weekend when Cheryl and Christy are here. I have plenty to do to keep my busy besides that. Kyle leaves tomorrow for Coos Bay then Roseburg. He'll be back home late Wednesday.

Here's to a good week!

Happy Friday Eve!

It's Thursday already! The week is ending better than it started. My mood has improved enormously over the last couple of days.

Kyle is going north to see the boys this weekend. Then he goes to Coos Bay and Roseburg next week. He hasn't been gone for awhile so it will be strange. Hopefully I can get a lot done while he's gone though.

Strange weather today - fog all day long.

My spirits were slightly dampened about my new project - beading. I couldn't find anything the patterns called for at our craft stores. So, I went online and found what I need. Now I just hope everything arrives before next weekend.

Hell's Kitchen starts tonight! Yay!

Dish Network dropped Fisher Broadcasting which is our ABC affiliate so I've missed the last few episodes of Desperate Housewives. I need to catch up online.

Super Bowl Sunday this week! Kyle will be travelling so I will DVR it and we'll fast forward through the game to watch the commercials when he gets home. I'm rooting for the Steelers because of Troy Polamalu.

That's the scoop from here.

Once again, the weekend is about over. I'm not sure that we accomplished anything this weekend, but I suppose that's okay. Most of the things on the 'To Do' list will wait. We did buy a new ceiling fan and light fixture for the family room today. (Thank you, Dad!) I'm excited about getting it put up, maybe next weekend.

Friday night we went to a Lacrosse game - Portland Lumberjax vs. Edmonton Rush. After losing to the Rush by one point last week, the Jax beat the Rush 15-10 at home. They held the lead the entire game and there were 2 good fights. It was the best game of the season so far. The next home game is February 7. Cheryl and Christy are coming up for that one. We'll celebrate Kyle's birthday, go to the game and do some beading that weekend.

I did some shopping yesterday - darn sales at Michael's! I bought my first additions to my new addiction/hobby - beads. How could I resist? Everything was 50% off!

I haven't been in the best mood this weekend. I've been upset about people and the way they treat other people. I work so hard to do things for people, to make them happy, and I get little in return. When I see something I think someone will like, I buy it for them or send it to them or whatever. I don't have to have an occcasion. I often do it just because. All I expect in return is appreciation. The same thought would be nice, but I know that's asking too much. I don't expect 'things' in return, just appreciation, thought, consideration. Why is that so hard? I'm going to start doing less for others and more for myself and those that are deserving. The really sad part is that I don't know that the others will even know the difference, but I will and that's all that matters now.

So things are about to get really busy. Kyle is going to be doing a lot of travelling over the next few weeks. That will give me some time to get the office/craft room in order and hopefully do some crafts. My work group will be in Vancouver in a couple of weeks so that will be a busy week as well.

Time to think about dinner and work on laundry. The weekend is about over.

Happy Inauguration Day! I didn't watch any of the ceremony, but Kyle did. I did read Obama's speech. It was inspiring. I've heard people joke about change coming, but I'm going to stay hopeful that he can turn things around. Someone online commented that it's not like he can snap his fingers and make things better. It's going to take time and support of the nation.

It was a beautiful day today. The sun was shining, but it was still a little chilly. This evening the wind picked up again. We'll probably have frost again in the morning.

American Idol tonight - auditions in San Francisco. People are amazing. I missed the season finale of Momma's Boys last night. I fell asleep so I'll have to watch it online. We haven't had ABC for awhile now so I've been missing Desperate Housewives. I need to catch up on it online as well.

Happy Wednesday tomorrow!

This is our first post on our blog. Several people shared their blogs with us and Edie became intrigued by being able to share pictures and happenings so easily. So, here we are.

What's going on with us? We finally got the house back to normal from the holidays. (Thank you, Mom/Linda!) Edie will be decorating for Valentine's Day next.

Last year about this time, we found a new event that we enjoy watching - indoor Lacrosse. Portland has a professional indoor Lacrosse team - the Lumberjax. We bought season tickets for this year. We have gone to 2 games so far and have 6 more to go to. The Jax play Edmonton Friday night. They played at Edmonton last Friday and lost 11 to 10 after a 14 to 5 win over Colorado the Saturday before. Go Jax!

Sunday (1/18) was the anniversary of our first date 9 years ago. We didn't do anything special this year unless you count cleaning the house. :)

The weather has improved greatly over what it was a month ago. It's cold at night and in the morning, but clear and sunny in the afternoon. I'll take the cold as long as we can have some sunshine for awhile. Hopefully we're done with snow for the winter.

Tomorrow is Inauguration Day. It will be very interesting to see what the next 4 years hold.