Once again, I've been a bad blogger......except I have been taking pictures, so I am prepared to blog!

Here are the plants sitting and ready to be planted. Randy has been working so hard!! This week he has been getting the lawn ready to go, putting in the sprinkler system, and digging his ponds..............more to come on this!! I thought we were going to have a nice little pond with a waterfall like at our last home.........................BUT NO.........................hubby says you don't have 2 acres and put in a little pond!! Silly me!! Pictures to come.................................


At our last house, I had a row of roses on the south side just like this, and they did so well, so I'm hoping it will work out again! I just love looking out and seeing roses all summer long and having them to cut and put in vases!


Here are the pots I put together for the front porch. A tall grass, some coleus, ivy and bacopa.....we'll see how they fill in and work for the summer! I love them right now and am absolutely loving all the different varieties of coleus!



This cute little pot sits above the fireplace on the back porch. It has the most adorable little green tree in it with another variety of coleus called "painted window".


Another small pot on the coffee table on the back porch, more coleus :-)!

Come on by and check out the progress any time! I'll take pictures of the progress when we're all set up for Brandon's grad party tomorrow!

A beautiful day for a race.................to watch!

Yesterday Randy was in a team for the Ski to Sea Race - I believe this is about his 12th year. His Ski Patrol "C Team" from Mt. Baker enters this race with 4 other teams representing the mountain. These guys always place in the top 100 out of over 400 teams..........but then wouldn't you hope that they would since they are the ones up there saving your life on the mountain?!?! :-). We set out about 11am with Tanya and Jason and headed to watch out biker come in. Dan, Marla and Kameryn Raske joined us at Squalicum Harbor, and Dave and Kim Tjoelker met us at the finish!

Randy helping our biker in at the Everson Park - did I mention it was gorgeous outside!! (the best part - my friend Tanya across the street made me an iced latte' - thanks Tanya!!)



Randy waiting for the handoff from the mountain biker..............

Our friend Jason helping Randy get in his Kayak at Squalicum Harbor..........

Go Randy go, race Randy race, (at this point we run to the car and race across town to Marine Park to be there when he gets in..............................


Randy get out of his Kayak at Marine Park - it's great they have so many there to help!

After he kayaks 5 MILES!!!! - he has to run up the hill and across the finish line!!


An exhausted and relieved Randy crossing the finish line!!

Ready to go home and have steak and shrimp! We had the team party here afterwards and I was so busy playing hostess, I didn't take one picture :-( - I even forgot the team picture!

Today - is a sit and relax day with a barbeque with friends at 4pm.

Tomorrow I will blog ALL the work my hubby got done around here this week - CRAZY - the man's an animal!! It's looking gorgeous!! Here's a sneak peak........................

A little of this, a little of that......................

Okay quick update on the last few days!!

My heart stopped about a week ago, when my Kitchenaid Mixer (aka: do all, use to death machine) DIED!! It was working faithfully on a batch of bread, it made a few clunks .......and died! Immediately I'm trying to justify in my mind how I can run that very moment a buy another one!! BUT - RANDY TO THE RESCUE!!!! He unscrewed the top off looked at the motor, we got online, the rep emailed us a diagram of the motor, Randy ordered the right part, and WALAH (how do you spell that?) it's working like a dream. Music to my ears........................................... Here she is shined up after a batch of bread and ready to run!

Nathan came by the other night with his newly issued hard hat - cute huh? Don't you love the sticker on the front - it's sure to earn him some respect!?!?!

As of today - the announcements/invitations for graduation are in the mail!! What a relief! My face looks a bit odd, but I was watching the final of American Idol - who wouldn't be tense!! Woo Hoo - Kris won!! I'm a fan! Did you know he's a happily married, Christian worship leader? I only know this because someone was spouting off on Yahoo about how the conservative people ruined it and Adam should've won - I don't agree!

Yesterday and today I've been plant shopping - just research. Tomorrow we start buying and planting!! I'll post pictures of the BEAUTIFUL patio my husband poured this week - can't wait!

A week (or more) in review!!

I know, I know, I've been a bad blogger! Busy times here at Korthuis Manor!

I'm just going to give you a basic run through.

We had Emily's last Orchestra concert as a middle schooler - next year high school! She looked so grown up and, that girl can play a mean violin :-)!

Kathi's birthday was Thursday and I crashed her coffee party with her sister (my friend) Tami - I must admit, it was at Starbucks, and I felt like a traitor, and was afraid alarms would go off when I went through the doors - but I made it in!

Friday night we had a surprise dinner for Kathi. Jeff's sweet sister Janice (with a name like that, how could she not be delightful? :-) was up visiting and she joined us. It was a beautiful night with appetizers on the patio, dinner inside, and then back to the patio for Coffee Creme Brulee' on the patio, until way too late. What is it about sitting around outside visiting - it's so wonderful and time flies, and people just seem to stay longer - I love it!


Jim, our neighbor came over and brought a few of their puppies for a visit. As you can see the birthday girl was enamoured!On Saturday, Kathi, Marla and I headed to Lynnwood for an overnighter, shopping trip. I didn't take any pictures - bad blogger! But we had a delightful time! Shopping, dinner at PF Changs, rented a movie in our room,(a true-blue chick flick) and crawled into bed and watched it! We had a great time!

On to another busy week, but I promise I'll be better about updates here on the blog. This Sunday Randy is in the Ski to Sea race and we have the party here afterwards, and then next weekend is Brandon's Grad. party - think we'll get our yard in by then ?!?!!? Not a chance - but we're (as in mostly Randy) are working hard to get as much done as possible.

More Shrimping..........................

This weekend we went out shrimping with Jeff and Kathi. The boys went out earlier in the day on Friday, and then picked Kathi and I up at Sandy Point about 8pm - just in time to see a gorgeous sunset!!

We arrived in Echo Bay at Sucia Island and tied up to the last buoy available, just in time to see the BIG YELLOW moon come up! What an evening for the senses!! The water was glass smooth too!

Got up early Saturday morning and started setting the pots.



The Jansens were not cooperating with picture taking for the blog - trust me - none of us were beautiful!!

A feast for a King!! (and Queen)

Good times......................................................

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Tonight I made a Cinco de Mayo meal for my family. Brandon didn't have golf tonight, so we actually got to sit at the table together - Emily was relieved to not be the only child dining with mom and dad. I'm afraid she'll get plenty of this in the next 4 years!! :-)

I stopped by El Ranchito and picked up fresh Pico de gallo, and then ran over to Food Pavillion for their fresh tortilla chips.


Nothing fancy for the main dish. I grew up with this recipe of my mom's and my family loves it, Spanish Rice. It has hamburger in it AND bacon sprinkled on top with cheese. It's awesome leftover too! Heated up some refried beans (from the can - worked until 4:30 so no time for homemade) and broiled some cheese on top.

I was going to take a picture of the family dining, but Emily came down from dinner directly out of the shower and she had a big purple towel wrapped around her head - I was warned NOT to take a picture . I guess I just didn't feel daring enough tonight to try it! So instead, you get a picture of the meal before the family dove in - not very decorated or fancy, I was going to make virgin margaritas - but everyone wanted milk instead - how boring!!

Hope you enjoyed a beautiful October day?!?!?!

License to be "shellfish and crabby"...........................

On Friday I went to Dave's Sporting Goods in Lynden and got my license to be "shellfish and crabby" - I didn't know I needed a license for that! :-)

We headed out with Dan and Marla to Sucia Island on Friday afternoon. Saturday was Opening day for Boating and for Shrimping. We woke up Saturday morning and headed out to set our pots and were back in for breakfast by 8:30. After breakfast we went back to pick up the pots and reset them. By the time we picked up 6 pots we had our limit and had to dump the rest - but we promised them we'd come back for them this coming weekend!!

Dan and Randy enjoying their coffee before we head back out to pick up pots.............

Marla and I thought we'd better take our picture so we get in the scrapbook too!

The First Mate down in the galley (OK it's the stateroom and dining room too :-) preparing breakfast!

It was so relaxing - until the storm started coming through!! We were sitting out at the island about 3 o'clock and decided to not risk trying to "beat the storm" to get home - they had posted a "small craft advisory". The storm blew in and it was crazy - WIND AND POURING DOWN RAIN!! We cooked up our shrimp, enjoyed dinner, and then went below and watched Seinfeld for and hour before going to bed. Our boat was tied to a dock and we banged against the dock until about 2am!!

We woke up Sunday morning to beautiful blue skies and headed home.

After we cleaned out the boat - cleaned up ourselves, and did some laundry, we headed back out to Sucia about 3pm with our friends the Strotz's, to do Brandon's Sr. pictures. I haven't seen them yet - but the subject was very handsome indeed!!

Back to reality now!!