The purple purse.........

So - Tues. morning hubby and I were having coffee, like we do about 6:30ish every morning in the 2 chairs in our living room (unless we're out on the patio :-), and we were discussing money, budgets, etc. - YAWN - YUK - any other y word that fits here......

I assured Randy that I was living pretty much by a budget, and my final point was..................."there's even a purple purse that I want at work right now that I'm not buying because I know I just don't need it".

Fast forward to Tues., afternoon. I'm upstairs in my office at Grandiflora (which is a corner with no windows and I can't hear a thing), and when I come down stairs my two co-workers say, "you have a present" - which of course I replied "no I don't - no way"..............

Long story short, after telling me that a really hot guy came in and bought me a gift, I opened the bag.......................and there was the purple purse.

I know................OH MY GOODNESS......................Randy came in and bought me the purse and had them wrap it.

Does that bring tears to your eyes and a smile on your face - OR WHAT!?!?!

I will say, after almost 24 years of marriage, that wonderful man never ceases to amaze me!!

Of course I was feeling guilty and had to make sure that he understood I wasn't whining or complaining ( just trying to make a point - I never intended to make him feel like I had to have the purse) - our life is great, things have changed, but God is good and HE doesn't change!

PS For those of you that guessed ELIZA island - you were right. It's a beautiful place!

Where in the world is Randy...................?

Now before you go getting all upset - I DO know where Randy is!

One of his friends from ski patrol hired him to build a new deck and other repairs at his island cabin. Of course when he asked Randy if he wanted to do the job, he wasn't hesitant at all - imagine that :-0!

He goes out a few days at a time, ties our boat up to a buoy in the harbor and takes the dinghy into shore.


Now - I want you to guess which island he is on (if you know, you can't make a "guess").

Here is the cabin (it faces North).
Here are a couple clues.................
- this island has no ferry service
- it is only about 30 minutes off B'ham (and not it's not Lummi Island)
- several Lynden people have cabins there

Good luck guessing!

Jam with bread.................

Last night as I was making jam and bread, the song from "Sound of Music" kept rolling through my brain - you know - "Doe a deer, a female deer.....", they sing "jam with bread and bread with jam" at one point in the song............anyways, just a little trivia for you.

We didn't have a lick of jam or bread in this house and I was home alone and was feeling like being domesticated :-) (whatever that means?)
I normally just make strawberry and raspberry jam. This year I decided to make straw/rasp mix jam! It turned out great! The sweetness of the strawberries, with the tartness of the raspberries.

The bread is just my usual homemade bread - 4 loaves that will be gone in no time!
Tonight I'm home with no agenda and Randy is working late so , what will it be...................lazy sitting on my duff in front of the tv, or will I actually make it to my scrappin' room?!?!

Stay tuned..........................

NOTE: I just went to add the pics that I took in the jam and bread process and they are on the camera at work!!! I will add pics later!

EDITED: Here are the pics from the jam and bread night. I will post the bread recipe tonight. Also....................................it was a tv kind of night - Emily wanted to watch a movie, so I spent time with my daughter - that choice will always win out!! Love that girl!

Shop til' you drop

Saturday morning, Marla, Kameryn, Emily and I headed down across the border (the Oregon border that is!). We decided to take the girls school shopping in Oregon where they could shop tax free. They both worked in the berries this summer and were excited about buying some school clothes.

We stayed with my Brother Dave and his wife Sue in Corvallis. My niece made us her "famous" homemade pizza for dinner Saturday night.


Sunday morning we headed to Woodburn Outlet Mall. It's between Corvallis and Salem and it is the best outlet mall ever. They have the most beautiful and unusual flower displays!

Me and Emily...see the new red converse shoes.....only my daughter..... :-)
Marla and Kameryn.......... she got purple shoes :-)
Me and Marla..................

On our way home Monday we stopped for a couple hours at Clackamas Town Center - a two level mall. Emily had decided at the beginning of our trip that she would like to get her ears double pierced (I have a double pierce, but only in one ear - I know weird - kind of a signature I guess ?!?!). We called and asked dad and he said yes, but made it very clear this will be the last piercing she ever gets under our roof! So we headed to get the ears pierced.

It wasn't nearly as traumatic or exciting as when she was 10! :-(


When we left the mall we had a late lunch at Claim Jumpers - another "must visit" for you all! There is one at Alderwood Mall and South Center too! Awesome food! I always get a California Citrus Salad and a bowl of Baked Potato Cheddar Soup. Of course, there's always dessert! This is the favorite - I seriously crave this................English Sticky Toffee Pudding - it's served warm with a brown sugar sauce, Whipped Cream AND Ice Cream!! If anyone has a recipe for anything like this, PLEASE let me know!!!!
Kameryn opted for the good ol' chocolate cupcake, she gave it a thumbs up!
It was a good weekend, and now back to the grind - literally - I'm at the Woods booth at the fair Friday from 9-3 so come by and say "hi"!

A tour of our home away from home.......................

The last 4 days we spent out in the islands on our boat. We were traveling with my brother and SIL, Claudia. We spent 2 days in Chemainus, and then headed up to Nanaimo! The weather was pleasant (until Mon, when Randy and I decided to come home a day early), and it was some great relaxing time.

This is Poet's Cove on Pender Island in Canada where we check in to clear Canadian customs. The only thing there is a marina and a beautiful resort! If you're looking for a unique, romantic get away - try here. It's just a ferry ride away (Or I might know someone you could hire for private boat ride!)

As I was down in the galley doing dishes one night, I realized I have never given you a tour of our boat...................................(the beautiful part is I took all the pictures without taking more than 2 or 3 steps!)

The galley - complete with sink, fridge, freezer, cooktop, stereo, and pantry :-)

The overflow pantry, closet (below), and microwave!!

The Master Bedroom (how many of you can lay in bed and cook at the same time?)

The head (for you non-boaters, the bathroom), the faucet pulls out and goes up on a hook to make a shower - haven't tried that one yet!

The salon (non-boating term, living room)

The Guest bedroom, just like yours at home right - it's where you store extra stuff!

The dining room - formal AND informal!

The back patio and grillin' area........

AND the best part of all.......................THE VIEW!!!

This concludes our tour, thanks for coming along!

1 Month and counting.............

One month from today we take Brandon to college! He is sooooo ready to go and I am excited for him, but as I sit here and type I am honestly tearing up!

Brandon is so easy to love (as you can see :-)..........................

and everyone loves him! He is so easy going and loves to please. He will run any errand for me, including driving his 14 yr. old sister around. He even offers!!

Time to start figuring what he needs for clothes and such. We have the bedding,the laptop, the small fridge, and microwave (the important things), now we just needs towels, etc. If you have any tips for what he might need let me know, I'm new at this!

This month is jam-packed crazy which is good and bad. Good because it will keep my mind off the countdown (kind of :-{ ) and bad because it will make it go so fast!

Don't Judge me.....................

And certainly DO NOT tell my boss!

This is the my husbands coffee of choice.....................
Those of us who love him have tried to everything - even the 12 step program! He will not quit! I've offered to set the timer on the coffee pot - but no - he actually LOVES this stuff! Oh well - I did say for better, for worse............................

Does he not know where I work - I mean when your wife works for Woods coffee, you don't drink instant!!