Coffee Stands

Here is something you might see next to a coffee stand here in the Pacific Northwest.

Located in Allyn, WA

Love driving along the Puget Sound!  The kids and I took a jaunt here over their Winter Break.  Most times I venture outside the house, I am smitten with how beautiful a state we live in.  I am so fortunate.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day, we were up bright and early and ready to head to British Columbia, Canada for the holiday.  Unfortunately, Brooklyn and I had been battling the flu since Monday, and she didn't make it out of the house without being sick once again.  We decided to relax for a few more hours to see what we felt like by noon.  She was feeling MUCH better so we finished loading up the van and off we went.  We made it to the bottom of our hill without any mishaps and were greeted by this beautiful sight.

 Picturesque, isn't it?

We stopped and picked up Keith's mom and made our way north.  It was a pleasant enough drive - the rains had started and the snow was melting.  Actually, the highways were quite clear almost all the way up.  We didn't see snow on the roads until we were north of Bellingham where they'd received a bunch early that morning.

No School

 Late afternoon yesterday

This morning

 Frosty hasn't found his magic, yet.  Still looking for his limbs, facial features, and hat.

Ahhhh...that's better! (late afternoon)

Feelin' the MAGIC!

Mid-day

Last night

Sorry pics are somewhat out of order - dear ol' Blogspot is trying my patience.

Snowing yet again tonight.  Wonder if we'll have school tomorrow.  Think Thanksgiving Break has come early for us! 

Soup and hot spiced apple cider on the menu tonight.  Lights are flickering - hope power doesn't go out since we have a pellet stove and not a wood one.  Brrrrr - at least we have lots of blankets. 

31°F when I checked at about 4 PM.

Perfect Ending

What could be better than a cup of homemade hot cocoa after playing in the snow? 

Click on to enlarge - Mmmmmm...

Snow update:  3 inches and counting...

Poinsettias, Anyone?

These pics are for you, Dad!  Wish you were with us.  They remind me of Grandma - she always had them at Christmas time.  I took Brooklyn with me to Degoede Bulb Farm. It is the place to go this time of year for Poinsettias!  Also a fabulous place to visit in the spring when tulips are at their peak.

Who knew there could be so many poinsettias in one place at a time,

 and so many different varieties?!?

It was cold outside, but inside the greenhouses it was a perfect 70°.

Can you guess which one was Boo's favorite?

Pink, white, speckled, deep burgundy red, bright red, cream . . . . . with names like Cortez Red, Feeling Pink, Sonora Jingle, Silverstar Marble, Cinnamon Star, Enduring Pink/Red, etc.

A peppermint colored one!  Probably my favorite, but we didn't get one this time.  We picked up white ones and, of course, one pink one!

Pumpkin Pickin'

We (Mom) procrastinated this year in making the trek to the pumpkin patch.  After all, we have a patch of little pumpkins right here at home.  The kids didn't find them adequate for carving, though.

All shapes and sizes this year - acorn looking ones, deep orange ones, bumpy ones...

 Scarecrow Boo

 We thought these two were the final picks - not so.

These pass Jordan's final inspection.  Jordan told the younger two, "If you can't carry them, you can't keep them."  Hmmmm. . . .wise young man, he is.

 What's cuter than baby animals???

Have a Happy Hooliween!

Silly Me

I was standing outside on the deck this morning mesmerized by the leaves "snowing".  It was absolutely beautiful!  Lots of work later, but oh-so-pretty watching them swirling and twirling down.

I tried catching them in mid-air on film.  Didn't work.

That was until I realized I'd just locked myself out of the house on a cold fall morning with the possibility of more rain in the forecast and barefoot to boot.  Ugh!  What good is a cell phone and keys when they're in the locked house?  I was a tad thankful that we didn't have close neighbors when I found myself having to climb in the bathroom window that was higher than my shoulders.

First item on the agenda today - get an extra key made.

Berrylicious

Our local berry stand just opened today! We had to make a u-turn and pick up a flat of strawberries for ourselves.

Don't they look positively yummy? There is nothing like local strawberries. They are red and juicy all the way through! No white in the middle like other strawberries. The lady at the berry stand said they're about a week later than usual due to the cooler weather we've been having. Strawberries will be here 3 more weeks before the raspberries are picked. Berry season goes all too quickly!

Jordan's Birthday

Even though Jordan's birthday was April 27, we celebrated it this last Saturday. His request was Mexican food so we put together a Mexican Fiesta for him. The menu was Chicken Enchiladas, Carnitas, Carne Asada, Miami Black Bean and Corn Salad, Mexican Rice, Cilantro/Lime Rice, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole and Chips, and Fruit Kabobs. It was a lot of work, but so fun and worth it! Many thanks to his 2nd mom, Kathy for all the recipes she emailed me - we used most of her family's favorites and then some!
Of course, what's a day at the lake without going for a spin around it or casting the fishing line in?

Jordan's dessert request was cheesecake and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Wish my cousin Cheryl was here from AZ - her cheesecakes are out of this world! Since she wasn't here, Costco's had to suffice.

Happy #17 Jordan! Wow. . . .

Loved the cute little chili pepper picks and had to add them to the cheesecake.

Jordan and his cousin Kayla modeling some of the party decor.

An "Awwww" Moment. . .

While enjoying the beautiful weather on our deck Saturday, we noticed these two families of Canadian geese swimming in the lake. The babies on land are a bit younger than the ones in the water.

Isn't spring wonderful?

Fishing Derby

On Saturday, the lake had a Fishing Derby. The fishing was not so good and the weather was even worse. It rained most of the day. Lots of people still turned out for the event so there were many boats on the lake. The kids and Keith only caught two fish, the largest being about 14 inches. The winner was just over 20 inches. At 5:00 PM, everybody gathered at the restaurant on the lake for the drawings. Brooklyn came home with a six person tent and Jaeden came home with a ball. Fortunately, Sunday was a dry day so the kids insisted they try out the tent. They set it up on our 2nd story deck overlooking the lake. Prime real estate, I'd say. What a view out their front door.

(click on picture above to get a better view)

Yes, they even spent the night out there. The report in the morning: Brooklyn said she stayed warm and cozy, but couldn't sleep 'cause of all the noises. Jaeden said he slept well.

I remember sleeping in a tent in our backyard with my brother when we were kids. Our view wasn't quite as nice, but we had a great time. Makes for fun memories!

What's a Girl to Do...

...on a Sunday afternoon? Make bouquets, of course! Brooklyn was looking for something to do and decided to fill all my canning jars with fresh bouquets from what was blooming around the yard. Two of our neighbors were lucky recipients as well!

Beautiful pink Rhododendrons and sweet Bluebells.

We now have bouquets on the kitchen windowsill, on the dining table, on an end table in the living room and even on top of the wood stove.

Ahhh . . . . Spring in the Pacific Northwest.