Happy Birthday Lucas!!

Dashboard Cookies, gotta try it! . . .

So in today's Oregonian there is a very resourceful article. With our weather being in the 100's for the next couple of days . . and with the prediction that today's high temperature of 107 should break the all time record, this could be a fun project for Mom's and kids alike. It's called "Yes, Virginia it is soo hot that you CAN bake cookies on the dashboard of your car!" Well, in my Nissan Murano I have a dashboard that is wide enough & deep enough to easily accommodate a large size pizza box as my son so readily suggested the first week I brought it home from the car lot. So in today's paper these are the baking suggestions . . .
First - the temperature outside must be at least 95 degrees (today would be perfect), AND pick a recipe with an egg substitute instead of the real deal (don't want to be sick in the bathroom with salmonella poisoning!). Park so the dash will get direct sun for a few hours. Follow a "vegan" cookie recipe (remember, raw eggs may contain salmonella and a car might not get hot enough to kill it). Put a towel under the baking sheet to protect the dashboard. Spoon cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Close the doors and wait 2 to 3 hours. Don't expect cookies to be brown, since the sugar won't caramelize. The cookies are done when completely firm. Now, even if they don't taste that good, wouldn't it be cool just to say you did it . . . mmmmmm better than new car smell ;)

Yeah . . now it's mine!

The mascot at the high school I work at is the "Viking". Since I started working there 13 years ago, I have been collecting various Viking things to "spirit" up my work area. When I transferred into the Athletic Office about 8 years ago I really got into it. Our former Athletic Director had an impressive collection of various wooden carved Norwegian looking Vikings, and I sort of inherited those when he retired. Since then I have been adding to the collection. When I go to garage sales, antique shops or am just out browsing around in general I sort of always have my eye out for something unique or new that I don't already have. The high school kids get a kick out of looking at my work area with all my different Viking things, Viking hats, books about Vikings, a big Viking nutcracker, Viking face mask, Viking Barbie (now that was a find!), one of their favorites is my SpongeBob Viking. So you might imagine my complete glee when as I was shopping for a toy for my grandson's 2nd birthday I find the perfect gift from Grandma. A YoGabba Viking ship with little YoGabba Viking characters inside. I purchased it, wrap it up and have it ready to go to his party in the next couple of weeks . . . UNTIL I happened to stop by their house the other evening and as we are sitting in the backyard watching him play by his little pool . . I spot the YoGabba Viking ship with the little people floating in his wading pool. So I tell my son, "I just got that for him the other day . . thinking it would be a good gift from Grandma . . darn." . . oh well, back to the drawing board for a gift . . . but hey!! now I have a new item to display on my desk. . Oh . . yeah . . the kids are really going to like this!

Ahhh such a nice Daddy . . .

Not sure it makes me want to run out and buy a Sprite though!

Painting the house . . .

We are suppose to be on vacation these 2 weeks but it's the only time we could really get this done. Painting the outside of the house is a big project, but since we are more of the do-it-yourselfer types it's the more affordable way to go. We ordered all of our paint from a local Sherwin Williams store. They helped us figure out how much paint we needed, they also sold us some funky gadget that has the tape already on the paper for covering windows, trim etc. for overspray and of course the "free" paint stir sticks. So hubby was on a mission yesterday taking down all of the light fixtures, doorbell, and covering every window in plastic. The inside of our house right now feels completely claustraphobic . . there is only one door we can escape out from that doesn't tear paper that has been carefully taped in place. Today begins the spraying . . Dale all dressed like the Intel man in his white suit and mask will start spraying as I give needed supervision . . . and he gives me dirty looks, ha!. Our yard looks like a complete disaster with everything moved out away from the house . . and it's driving us both crazy . . so the sooner this gets finished the better. Tomorrow we will start on the trim. Keeping everything the same colors as they were before, I wasn't ready to make a big change this time around. When I compare what our neighbor paid to have his house painted professionaly last week $4000.00 . yikes!! to our bill for the paint/supplies and sprayer rental $550.00. Even if it does take a couple days longer to do . . . I guess that's just the HDTV in us!!

Fun with the grandsons this summer! . . .

Grama has been enjoying some quality time with the grandsons since summer arrived. A couple weekends ago we went camping at Barview with Chad, Nicole, Lucas & Andy. Weather was not the greatest, except we did have Saturday that we managed to stay dry and spend some time on the beach and in Rockaway. Lucas LOVES to camp and enjoys being outside all day long. He especially likes to ride his little quad around and eat yummy camping food. We have noticed that he has a crush on Andy's girlfriend "SAREWAH" (aka Sarah) and enjoyed being tossed in the air until he nearly wore everybody out. Grama especially enjoyed the snuggles by the campfire when he was getting real tired at night.

Brayden came to stay with Grandma for the day on Friday. We had lots of fun playing, going shopping at Target and we made a stop at McDonalds where he ate his lunch that mom prepared (absolutely loves strawberries!), plus he got to nibble on Grandma's chicken nuggets which he loved. Then it was out to the play structure to climb on the slide and he was totally facinated watching all of the kids.

Pretty good summer so far!

So he went and did it . . .

What's a Mom to do? In conspiracy with his father to boot!. . now HE wants one again too. He bought himself a motorcycle. What is it with boys and motorcycles anyway?? "Hey Mom . . you guys gonna be home this weekend?" . . "Yeah" . . "Well, I thought I might come by and show you something" . . "OK, we will be here" . . . So in he pulls, with a chopper. It does look nice and all, it sounds very loud and rumbles like a Harley but it's a Honda. He is grinning ear to ear . . but Mom is not. I don't like motorcycles . . they are way too scary. Dale road a Honda for a number of years that belonged to my brother Phil . . I went on maybe 2 rides the entire time he owned it. One time around the block, the other when he tried to take me out to Hagg Lake on it and I squeezed his middle so tight that he had fingerprint bruises, we turned around 1/2 way there. And apparently, I lean the wrong way . . you are suppose to lean with the bike . . not the other way in an effort to save your life. So I am a motorcycle passenger failure . . which is perfectly fine with me. Dale says, "You should be proud of him he took the motorcycle safety class that he didn't have to take, it's going to be cheaper on insurance and gas than his truck was, it will be fine just quit worrying." Aaarrrghhh . . . Easier said than done you co-conspirator! boys!!

Time for the Class Reunion . . .

It happens every year I will get a call in the office. "This is so-and-so I am from the class of 19 -whatever, do you have any contact information on members of our class?, Do you know if our class is having a reunion this summer?" The answer to that is no. Unless you would like to enter our fireproof vault and go through each huge notebook to locate individual student transcripts from the 60's, 70's, 80's and part of the 90's (pre-computer age) to find their address at the time of graduation. Once you walk across the stage and receive that diploma in their hand, we don't keep a compiled list of addresses. Usually the high school office doesn't hear about upcoming reunions, we refer the call to the local newspaper. "Oh" they say. "We just figured the high school kept up on that stuff". It's normally 99% the responsibility of the senior class president to initiate any class reunions and to maintain an ongoing up-to-date contact list. Thanks in part to Classmates. com, Facebook and MySpace news of class reunions begin to spread like wildfire. I bring this up because Josh & Dani have their 10 year reunion this weekend, my how time flies.

Here were my observations at the reunions I attended -

10 year reunion - Everybody still primarily mingled with their high school friends/clicks (as we called them). Lots of bragging or posturing about careers and kids. Really good attendance at this reunion from the Friday night classmates only, the big dinner on Saturday and golf/picnic on Sunday. Some girls already had 4-5 kids (primarily the Mormon ones). Many guys were balding already and many wallflower types had become real beauties (according to my husband who I had to smack a couple times for staring).

20 year reunion - Not as many in attendance, but a few who came made it their summer vacation from out of state. Lots of high school sweethearts who had married were now divorced. Some were already grandparents. The guys that were balding before, were now working on potbellies. The gals (to me) seemed to look even better, but you could definately tell that hair coloring was happening to alot of us. My biggest disappointment was that alot of my close friends from high school didn't attend. Most all of them live locally, so that bummed me out. This reunion was really fun. I think people were much more comfortable in their skin and where they were in their lives, no need for one upmanship. My favorite story from this reunion was standing next to a former classmate (guy) who had been married and divorced from a gal in our class. She had since remarried some Attorney from Portland and brought her new husband to the reunion with her. She was all decked out in a beautiful dress, looking very shapely and "hot" as my husband said. As I spoke to the classmate he began telling me a bit about their divorce when suddenly he began staring at his EX . . I could tell he was looking at her chest. I just sort of smiled slightly as he proceeded to tell me "She didn't have those when I was married to her". . oh my gawd it was hilarious, apparently she had gotten a little plastic surgery since the divorce . . we laughed it was a good time.

30 year reunion - I didn't attend and I regret it. I heard from a number of people that it was the best one yet. It was local and there was really no excuse for not attending. I have compiled a list of the gals that I hung out with during those 4 years of high school and I am going to definately call them all to attend the 35th. I guess as we get older we have reunions closer together as people begin to kick the bucket sooner. OH MY GAWD!! our 35th will be next year . . . geezz I'm getting old. Be ready gals the call is coming!!!

All aboard, it's Pear country! . . .

Yesterday we took a trip on the Mt. Hood Railroad. We had received a gift certificate at Christmas so decided to use it for their Brunch train. Upon arriving at the depot at about 10:15am and checking in we had about 45 minutes to wander in downtown Hood River. It was a perfect sunny day for grabbing a cup of coffee and browsing the downtown shops. We discovered Hood River is really a cool town. Lot's of bike shops, eclectic kitchenware & clothing shops, lots of places selling windsurfing gear and the outfits to go with that gear. A McMenamins type Historical hotel, a few brew pubs, lots of coffee shops with beautiful hanging flower baskets out front. It's weird sometimes how you judge a town that you quickly drive by on a freeway frequently and it's nothing like you thought it would look like. As we boarded for our train trip, which was a total of 4 hours that included a delicious 4 course brunch, we discovered what is hidden from freeway view of the "real" Hood River. As our train climbed back behind town, headed toward the halfway point to the town of Parkdale our conductor gave us a brief history lesson. Hood River is the "Pear Capital" of the world . . it's true, we passed acres and acres and acres of gorgeous pear and cherry orchards. There are a number of fruit processing plants that we traveled by that have been in business since the 30's.As far as you could see there were trees, with the beautiful backdrop of Mt. Hood. We learned to make pear wine that when the fruit is very small on the branch, they place a wine bottle over the fruit so it continues to grow inside the wine bottle. When it is harvested at a certain size, they send the wine bottles to vintners that fill them with pear wine. The fruit is forever preserved in the bottle and apparently if you are a fan of pear wine, it is the best you can buy. This is a trip that is well worth the fare, especially if you can catch a sunny Oregon day as we did. So tell your friends and visitors to Oregon, take a relaxing trip on the Mt. Hood Railroad.

New design, same old me . . .

Oh lord . . . it's taken me about 2 hours but I finally came up with a new design for my blog. I was brave and moved outside of the basic Blogger "classic" templates menu. Browsed the web for free blog templates, saved, copied, pasted and wah lah!!. For all you computer geeks out there this would be a very simple task I know, but for me not so much. I was scared that I would lose everything that I've posted over the last couple of years, but it still seems to be there. Lost some of my items down one column of the page. Oh well, it will give me something to do in redesigning it again. I've really been slacking on my blogging. There has been lots going on, just not finding the time to sit and gabb about it. Perhaps my renovation of the webpage will motivate me, we'll see!

Congrats! FG Grads!

Today's the day!! . . . before you know it your reunion will be here . . Congrats class of 2009!

"The greatest danger to the world is not the bad people, but it's the good people who don't speak out" . . . Hamilton Jordan

You know it's going to happen . . .

Some days you just need a Martini . . .

This week at school is crazy!!! Our last week for Seniors. I'm frantically printing a gazillion certificates for the spring sports athletes and the senior awards coming up, shipping trophies to the engraver, retirement party organizing, preparing for the huge awards assembly on Friday, contacting presenters and speakers, the staff golf scramble, . . . . aaahhhh! I want to hide! . . But first I have to share a "drink" find with you. My niece sells this product through one of those home party companies, it's called Tastefully Simple. They sell food and drink items online, through parties or their catalog. They have a fantastic beer bread and really great sauces (especially Teriyaki & Apricot dipping sauce) YUM! Anyway, on the order form was a product called "Mango Breeze Margarita Mix"

. . . but instead of Tequila or Rum as they recommend, I added Absolut Citron Vodka to the container. HELLOOOO!!!!!!! it's absolutely delicious!!! So as this week has been overly booked and busy . . I enter my kitchen and remove the container from the freezer to scoop some of the instant frozen stress relief and gracefully place it in my glass . . . take a sip . . . and all the world is good.

Happy Birthday Brayden! . . .

Who are all these people and why are they all singing to me??

"Hey, Daddy can I take it out and ride it now?"

"This eating cake is hard work."

"Taking some pool time with my friends"

Great party Mom & Dad!!

First you like them . . . then they screw up.

The NBA playoffs. Not sure why but lately I have been sucked into watching some of the recent playoff games (I suppose it's because I don't control the remote). I think it started with following the Blazers this past season and when they were eliminated we just sort of got caught up with who's still in it. It's weird how you can really like a player, whether it's his talent, charisma, or looks (oops, I didn't say that!), then they go and do something stupid, like cheat on their wife, beat up their girlfriend, have dog fights on their property, take steroids, or do something else illegal. Then you as a fan have to re-evaluate your loyalty to that player. Case in point - the Lakers. I have never really been a Laker fan, but when Kobe Bryant first came on the scene I admired his talent, charisma and thought he was a good looking kid. Then he was a stupid idiot and cheated on his wife, so now I have a different opinion of him. So makes it easier to root for the opposing team. Even though who knows, they probably have criminals on that team too. I will mention in a group setting that I might like a particular player whether its a football, baseball or whatever player. It usually won't be too long before I hear "He's a wife beater" "WHAT?","Yep, was arrested a couple years ago". . . crap . . now I can't like him anymore. Then again, who am I to judge, but really don't we all? That's why it's nice when there are the good guys . . like my all time fav basketball player Karl Malone, hmmm . . another name comes to mind . . Joe Montana!! I might have to go into therapy if I hear he did anything wrong. Oh . . and be quiet guys! I know he looks like Barry Manilow, but that's not a crime.

Raise your big toe and repeat after me . . .

The Open Toed Shoe Pledge

As a member of the Sisterhood, I pledge with summer nearly here to follow the rules when wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:

• I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.
• I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.
• I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.
• I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.
• I will shave the hairs off my big toe.
• I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.
• If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.
• I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.
• I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.
• I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.
• I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good.
• I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.
• I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $20 or $25 and worth EVERY penny).
• I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

There is nothing more beautiful . . .

Than a cemetery on Memorial Day. So many flags . . so many fresh flowers. A place known for it's solitude and silence becomes a place of men & women in uniforms, waves, hugs, stories and reminiscing. It's nice when people come to remember . . .

Now why didn't I look at the street number?

Well, it happened. I went into Ptown today to do some errands. I am still hunting down gift certificates for our staff retirees for a reception next week. I drive into town with some ideas, go around the block a couple times on Burnside around Powell's Book Store trying to find a parking space, can't and just go a few blocks up and over into a parking garage. This particular garage was charging $5/day, which I didn't think was bad from what other garages seemed to be charging (ie. $8.50-$10/day). I park, and start heading to Powell's. The weather today was absolutely perfect for wandering around NW Portland. Lots of people were out and about enjoying the day. So I get to Powells, do some book browsing and purchase a gift certificate. Then I work my way to Henry's Tavern and purchase a gift card there. My last stop after wandering around at one of my favorite kitchen stores Sur La Table, was to stop at the Deschutes Brewery and pick up a gift certificate there. Mission accomplished! now back to the car. Start heading in the direction that the car is and . . uh . . no car . . no parking garage . . go a couple more blocks over . . uh . . still no parking garage . . Crap! I have no idea what street the parking garage is on. I didn't look at the street signs when I took off. Have you ever had that feeling that you are going to be walking around for hours . . trying to find your car? . . ok . . maybe you haven't. Sh&t! . . now what?? ok . . stay calm. Remember the $5/day sign . . sandwich board on the side walk . . find the sign. . . how much longer until it gets dark?? this is Burnside . . Crap! So . . this is what Altzeimer's feels like? it sucks! Wholly cow!!! YIPPEEE! . . there is the sign!!! Yay!!! Ha! . . now how stupid would that be to lose your car in Portland . . . uh yeah . . I know very stupid. But I didn't !!!!

Possible handbook revision . . .

Everybody has to take care of business when nature calls. At work there is a restroom available for staff members only. I usually just pop into the one closest to our office which happens to be the one in the main commons area. I learn about alot of things when I go to the girls restroom during the school day. For example:

• When two girlfriends are in side by side stalls they don't care who else is in the restroom, they carry on a personal conversation, back and forth about whatever and do not miss a beat, no matter what the topic is.
• The restroom has become the new locker room apparently. Girls are constantly getting dressed for PE or sports in the public restroom, instead of the girls locker room . . I am stepping over people to get to the toilet . . arrrghhh! I asked them, "why don't you get dressed in the locker room?" "because it's too crowded in there". and it's not in here . . oh brother.
• Teenage girls have to have their face 1 inch away from the mirror when they are applying makeup, fixing their hair or working on a zit.
• No matter how many times they fluff up their hair with their fingers, they need to do it one more time.
• Girls have gotten 100% better about not leaving graffiti in the bathroom stalls than back in the 70's, not much good reading anymore . . .
• You will hear gossip in the restroom, even when they see you walk in the door . . "Hey girls . . don't talk that way about so and so !" . . oh there it is . . . the famous eye roll . .
• Girls do wash their hands, I have to give them credit for that.
• When you are sitting and doing your business . . don't fret when you begin to hear a strange noise . . tick . .tick ..tictictic .. tick . . tictic .. tick .. tick, it is the girl in the stall next to you sending text messages while sitting on the toilet . . oh my gawd!!??? Doesn't anybody just go to the bathroom anymore?

Excuse me? It's how much did you say . . . .

I am not a golfer. My involvement with golf consists of being the person who drives the cart and delivers refreshments (typically at our staff golf tournament). People that golf seem to be having fun, but it's not for me. I tried to swing a club a couple of times and it was not comfortable, easy or fun . . as I slammed the club (after much instruction) into the grass and nearly dislocated my shoulder.


As our school year whines down we (a couple of the secretaries) are responsible (other duties as assigned) to purchase (out of monies from our faculty fund) retiree gifts. We have eight staff members that are retiring after a gazillion years of service. I am shopping for gifts for two of them. One I am finish getting, he was easy, after recently purchasing a motor home we got him an Oregon State Parks gift certificate. It can be used for reservations in any of the state parks. A really comfy lawn chair, and a big bag of limes (with a note that states these can be used for some adult beverages being delivered to his homes front door, not on school property!!). The other gift I have to purchase is for a guy who really likes to golf. After talking with some people in his department, they suggested getting gift certificates to different courses. Great! that sounds easy enough. I head out today after school and purchase a gift certificate at Forest Hills Golf Course for 18 holes ($40.00), stop by Meriwether Golf Course 18 holes $36.00. As I head back home I decide to swing by Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course and use the rest of the monies for a gift certificate there. As I enter the Golf shop and head to the counter a cute little golfer looking gal asks if she can help me. "Well, I am interested in getting a gift certificate for a teacher who is retiring that really likes to golf, I'm thinking a gift card for 18 holes of golf, can you tell me how much that would be?" . . as I grab my Visa card out of my wallet to get ready to pay . . she says, "Sure, that's a great idea . . we sell alot of those . . that will be $150.00." . . "Uh . . how much did you say?" "$150.00 . . for 18 holes." . . . ."Of golf? . . your kidding right?" . . "No, that's how much it is." . . . "Umm . . ok . . does that mean it's $75 for 9 holes?" "No, sorry, you can't buy only 9 holes, it must be 18." . . . "Look . . .do you have any specials or anything right now?" . . "How much were you planning on spending . . maam?" . . Great there's that damn "maam" word again. "I was thinking around $50". . . "Well, I could make out a gift certificate for $50 and he could come shop in the Pro shop or use it towards 18 holes." "Thanks, but no thanks." I left and I'm headed someplace else, not sure which other course yet, but I'll find another . . tomorrow. $150.00 freaking dollars! for 18 holes of golf????!! I never would have guessed, I'm obviously not from the golfing world.

Movie Review . . Angels & Demons

We went Saturday night to the opening weekend of Angels & Demons. I read this Dan Brown book and could not put it down once I started it. I have been waiting for the movie and I can say it was a great adaptation of the book. Equally if not better than the DaVinci Code. Great cinematography, and taking some of the complications in the book and explaining them clearly in the movie. Well, worth a big theatre screen peek.

Wow . . you have a big family . . .

Had a really great visit with our niece Candace & her mom Sherry this weekend. Candi has been living in North Carolina since she left Oregon quite a few years back and we have missed her being around. Her two daughters also traveled with her so they could meet their Great Grandma Merlie and alot of their cousins. She looked great and it was nice to visit with Sherry who we haven't seen in over 30 some years. I had to share with her that I still make a lasagna recipe that she shared with me when Dale & I were first married in 76' and I didn't know how to cook anything! She kept commenting on the size of our family, "Yeah, it's a big one" I said, and she said, "How really great that was" . . I agreed. It was especially nice to see how happy Merlie was to have all of her greatgrandchildren together, she was competely in heaven with all "her" babies. PS. Ever try to get a bunch of little kids to all look at the camera at the same time?? uhh . . . it's impossible!

Week the other foot dropped . . .

This past week at school was very nerve racking. The school district's budget message for 09-10 from our Superintendent was presented to the budget committee for approval, prior to going before the school board. With that proposal, people that I know in various positions will be losing their jobs. It just makes you sick. The RIFF notices as they call them will begin to go out in the next couple of weeks, but some people already know. Then the bumping can start, where employees with more seniority can bump (if a like position is there) an employee with lesser seniority. I think my position is fine, my boss has been pretty open with me through this process, but it is still worrisome as all this is happening around you. Last week I spoke with the Athletic Secretaries in our league at Tigard & Tualatin high schools and their positions have been reduced from 12 month positions at 8 hours/day TO 10 month positions at 6 hours/day. The Athletic Director positions at both schools have been cut completely. That is really sad when you think of all of the students that are going to be impacted by that loss, especially for 2 districts that place a high value in their Athletics & Activity programs as being an extention to Academics. I can't imagine with the amount of work that is expected, that it can be accomplished in that amount of time. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our daughter-in-law is able to keep her position as a 1st year teacher at Fern Hill Elementary, but at this point it is not really something anybody but the budget committee & school board have control of. More in the next couple weeks on that.

Mmmmm . . what's that smell? . . . .

Working in an Athletic Office, there are many different smells, most of them are unpleasant. It can smell like dirty socks, mildewed towels, muddy grass, dead mice (yes, we have mice occasionally), Icy Hot, new basketballs (bet you don't know what a room full of new basketballs smells like?), slight smell of something burning from the copy machine (when somebody copies way more than my little machine can handle), etc. etc. etc. In our office we also have a coffee pot. Each morning upon my arrival I make a pot of coffee, and let me make this clear . . I make it because I want to NOT because it is in my job description. Typically, the coaches who wander in during the day bring in a tub of coffee that they (I'm sure their wives) have picked up at the store. Don't fret taxpayers! we don't charge it to our department. We all pitch in and either buy coffee or they leave me money to pick up coffee. So my saving grace when our office smells bad is to make some coffee first thing, because the coffee smell usually covers whatever is not smelling good at the moment. Well, last week we ran out of your basic roast Folgers, Yuban or whatever brands we typically use. I didn't have time to go to the store this week and nobody brought any coffee in even with my big displayed sign, "WE NEED COFFEE", so I just ground up some of the Hazelnut Creme flavored beans I had at home, took them into school and brewed them up. Here's what I hear: "That smells like girlie coffee (from a coach)" . . . yes, well if you want any that's what you get since I'M making it and nobody brought coffee in . . ahhh including you . . hmmm I notice you are taking a cup . . is that desperation? "Man, Mrs. C. it smells really good in the office today. Can I have some of that coffee?" (from a student) NO! "Oh, are you trying to turn this into Starbucks?"(from a coach) . . HEY, very funny if you don't want any don't drink it. Oh, that's funny, there he goes taking a cup! "OH gross Mrs. C, what is that smell, it's making me gag" (from a baseball player) A bit dramatic I'd say. Then there is . . ."ssssshhhh, don't tell anybody I said this but it tastes really good." OH Brother, the male coaches think it will reduce their manhood to say "out loud" amongst the others that they actually like Hazelnut Creme coffee!! Some things in our department can be SO stereotypical!! Ha!

Hang in there Andy! . . .

NOT MUCH LONGER . . . . . .

Great Mother's Day weekend . . .

I'm really lucky to have my Mom so close. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get to spend Mother's Day with their Mom. We went out to lunch and did some shopping on Saturday. We also went browsing for plants at a local nursery and found some nice vegies and hostas plants for the back yard. The weather was perfect for getting a start to gardening and just hanging out with my Mom.

On Sunday the boys all gathered at Chad & Nicole's house and made a huge delicious breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs w/ham, banana pancakes, biscuits and gravy, fruit and juice. It was the best buffet in town for sure!!! Even Andy came all the way from Monmouth early in the morning for a quick visit. He had to be back to work at his job at NAPA by noon. Lucas & Brayden were in great moods for their Mom's to enjoy the day. The picture I took (of course) with the girls in it didn't turn out very good, Nicole took this one (oops, minus Dale)! I'm a very lucky lady.

Yum . . . for summer

Grocery store find! . . . .there is a new seasonal Mike's hard "raspberry" lemonade out and it's delish! Some of the Mike's flavors give me major heartburn, but this one doesn't. Great over ice with a lemon wedge & a couple of berries on top!

"Who say's we can't climb stairs!" .

I get the sense that what one doesn't think of, the other will!!

Day 2 in quarantine . . .

And they think a little ammonia and warm water cleaning will do the trick . . . people, people. Swine flu . . it's only a "code" name. ha!

FINALLY! . . . a quarterback . .

DA BEARS!

Be careful what you wish for . . . .

It just might happen . . . . yikes! First district in Washington County to close. This may get complicated over the next week . . . .

ALERT!
All Schools Closed Monday & Tuesday
Upon the recommendation of the Washington County Department of Health & Human Services, all schools in the Forest Grove School District will be closed Monday and Tuesday, May 3-4, due to concern over the spread of H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. The Forest Grove Community School will also be closed. One probable case of H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) has been reported at Cornelius Elementary School, and health officials said there are other suspected cases at other schools in the district. Cornelius Elementary School will remain closed all week, May 4-8. District administration, in conjunction with county health officials, will decide Tuesday whether other schools in the district will be able to reopen Wednesday. All sports, clubs and other school activities at all schools are cancelled for Monday and Tuesday. Students are asked not to congregate in other settings or at any of the school playgrounds on those days. By closing for two days, the district and health officials will be able to better determine whether the virus has spread and whether it’s necessary to close schools longer, said Superintendent Jack Musser. Updated 5-3-09, 4:10 p.m.

Happy 28th Josh! . . .

Wouldn't you know it . . .

Swine Flu possibilities have struck Oregon . . . and of course of ALL places it could have started . . it chose Western Oregon University. I heard this first thing this morning as I get into work. "Did you hear they have closed the campus at WOU because there is a suspected swine flu case?". "WHAT??? you're kidding right?? My son goes there!!!!!" . . . So within a few minutes after hearing this news, I give Andy a call. He doesn't answer so I leave a message, "Hey, what's this I hear about school closing?? Give me a call ASAP!" . . . . So lucky for him (ha!) he calls me back in short order . . "Hey . . wussup Mom?" . . "WHAT IS GOING ON THERE? DO YOU FEEL ALRIGHT? ARE YOU SICK? DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SCHOOL CLOSING? DO YOU HAVE A FEVER OR A COUGH, DID YOU GO TO CLASS WITH THIS PERSON THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT? ARE YOU SURE YOU FEEL ALRIGHT?" . . . after I stopped to take a breath after my uuhhhh. . 50 questions . . . Andy says, "It's all good, I didn't go to any classes with the guy, it sucks though that they are only closing Friday and Monday, those are the days I don't have any classes" End of sentence . . . aarrrghhh . . I'm having a heart attack here!!! and he's unhappy about his days off!!! I guess I must assume my questioning is a bit of an over reaction . . well, slightly. . . uuuhhhh alot I guess. But I can't help it, you worry. Of course at about 4:30 tonight I said to hubby, "Let's call Andy again and see if he's still alright", hubby gives me the eyeroll then says. . "alright" . . . ring. . ring . . "Hey Andy, your mom wants me to call and see if you are still breathing" "OH SHUT UP . . I didn't say that!!" "Well, you might as well have". . Sometimes Dads just don't understand the way Mom's worry about their kids. No matter how old they are. I will try not to call again, at least until tomorrow . . . or later tonight.

Thanks Jaime! . . . keep them coming!

I wish I could get away to Maui where a friend is working,

just another day in paradise . .

Hey! . Hey! . hey! . hey! . hey!

"Macho, Macho Man . . I want to be a Macho Man!" . . NO, not me . . . , that song . . that song won't get out of my head. I discovered a couple of new slot machines at Spirit Mountain this weekend and one of them is called "Village People Party", the machine plays this song, over and over and over again as you go through the bonus rounds. Now it won't go away. It is a fun game though.
Thanks to my friend Sue, hubby and I were treated to a weekend at Spirit Mountain Casino. She and her husband are TrailBlazer season ticket holders and apparently when it came time to renew their seats for this season, a coupon was enclosed with their tickets for a nights lodging at Spirit Mountain Hotel, a $100 meal voucher, plus $100 in casino cash. She brought it into school one day and said, "Do you think you would use this? We don't gamble and I remember you saying that you liked to" . . . hello? does it rain in Oregon? . . "YES, of course I would use it if you don't plan on it!!, Yay!!" So we stayed overnight at their hotel, VERY nice I might add. We attempted to spend all of the $100 meal voucher, but couldn't. That's a ton of food, the best we could do was $60, and that was NY steak, seafood fetticine, creme brulee and strawberry cheesecake (can you say, burp . . off the diet?). When we went into the casino we cashed the $100 voucher $50 went to hubby and I took the remaining $50, then off we go (we never gamble together, we always separate, then meet up later). I did play on a couple of new machines that were really fun . . besides the Village People one. There is one themed after the Wizard of OZ. . . "This is the great and powerful OZ!" comes booming from the machine. Lots of bonuses, bells and whistles. Then there is another new machine called Star Trek Slots, where you sit in a chair that is a part of the slot game, it vibrates, shakes, has speakers behind your head, it's almost like a Disney ride! People were 3-4 deep behind the seats waiting for others to get up and leave them after playing. And of course that is the other music stuck in my head . . wuuuuuhoooooowuuuuuhooohoowuuuuuhooooohooohoooo. Sorry, not quite sure how to type it but you know that Star Trek trailer music!! Happy to say, after staying there and playing lots of slots, I left with my $50 in my pocket, can't say the same for hubby. Maybe next time!!

Feeling the love on Earth Day . . .

What a pleasure to meet . . .

• A first time grandma & grandpa getting flowers for their daughter
• A little boy who now has a baby sister and wanted to buy her a pink bunny
• A husband who's wife is recovering from open heart surgery, trying to find the right card
• A lady who's best friend just had a mastectomy wanting a cheery flower basket & balloon
• A daughter who's mother was in surgery for a hip fracture, finding her favorite candy
• A Daddy of brand new twin baby girls, picking out 2 girlie balloons and 2 pink teddy bears
• An RN that, "just needs some chocolate" to get her through the afternoon.
• A man whose friend was in a car accident, buying her red roses.
• Parents of a preemie baby in the NICU, walking around, just looking exhausted, wanting to talk about their baby . . .

Just another day in the gift shop . . . .

"Will Work for Food"

OK, so I have been pouting . . .

Dang BLAZERS! On Saturday we dressed the part, hopped on the MAX train and like many other Westside riders wearing their Red & Black, we chanted "Go Blazers" all the way into the Rose Garden. As we unloaded off the train we were overwhelmed with scalpers all trying to sell us better tickets than we had. The Rose Quarter was packed with a stage, band "5 guys named Moe" playing, lots of dancing, it was truly a 'pre'game playoff party atmosphere. We headed into the restaurant/bar across the entrance called "The Game" where we stood in a forever line to buy $8/beers . . yikes. Took in all of the music and ran into a couple of people we know, it was GREAT!! We head into the game about 45 minutes early so we don't miss the lineup. There are more familiar faces we bump into on the way to our seats. As you walk into the Rose Garden they are handing out flags and posters to everybody . . Well, of course before we get into our seats we have to get ourselves another one of those fabulous $8/beers . . yikes again. And we stare down anybody that looks like they are going to bump one drop of it out of our glasses as we make our way to our seats. Oh, and let's not forget the $8.50 sausage dogs to go along with those beers . . double yikes! Should have eaten dinner before we left . . duh!. Portland gives Aaron Brooks of Houston (former UofO duck) a warm welcome as well as Rick Adelman . . .The Rose Garden was deafening with clapping, screaming and yelling for the introductions of our Trail Blazers. Then the game started . . . and oh crap . . that Yao Ming guy. . he is the real deal. The guy is a freak of nature . . he doesn't even have to jump to make shots or block balls . . like ever. And our young guys had a complete "Oh my God we are in the playoffs and this is too much pressure" problems that night. They missed soooo many shots it was horrible. Having said that, we did stay until the very end . . as painful as it was. So as we approach game 2 on Tuesday night, we can only hope that the Blazers show up and make it a series worth watching . . . GO BLAZERS!!

Look out it's Blazermania in Ptown! . . .

Well, the Blazers did it! The playoffs are starting this weekend and thanks to my sons Wells Fargo connection we have ourselves a couple of playoff tickets for Saturday nights game vs. the Houston Rockets. I don't own one piece of Trailblazers clothing or accessories anymore, tossed long ago when they were all acting like a bunch of jerks. What a great group of guys they have now, and everybody around here is excited for them to do well in the playoffs. Who's number should I wear? Roy? Outlaw? Rodriquez? Fernandez (Rudy . Rudy. Rudy)? Oden? Aldridge? Pryzbilla (hubbys fav)? So many choices!! I need to find something though and fast, I plan on dressing like a complete crazy Blazer fan on Saturday night to show support for everything positive they have brought back to the franchise and Ptown again! GO BLAZERS!

Leupold 3 . . . Pirates 0

Mom calls me this morning at school. "Hey, I wanted to tell you that I'm listening to KPAM radio right now, it's the Bob Miller show and the Vice President of Leupold is on there speaking as a guest" . . "What?" I said, "Yes, he is saying that the Navy Seals who took out the Pirates holding the American ship captain hostage off the coast of Somalia on Sunday had Leupold scopes on their guns." "Really? wow, that's cool, I wonder if Dale knew that?". . .
So, there you go you damn pirates, don't mess with the Navy!!!. . . Now if it can just bring them more business that would be really good!

I don't like this exercise . .

As the doom and gloom of the economy is spoken every night on the news our school budget (or upcoming lack there of) hangs over us in the district. We were asked last week to help assist in a "budget exercise". Each school district employee was emailed a complete breakdown in detail of the entire school district's budget for one year. All the Certified/Classified staff payrolls, supply budgets, district office salaries/expenses, bussing, custodial, athletics/activities, ratios of class sizes, reductions in days (what a day costs), music & arts programs, etc. etc. etc. We were asked to go down the list and cut $7 million out of the budget. Then we were asked to meet together within our buildings, where we sat in groups and at individual tables of about 8 people each, we were instructed to create a list of our top ten cut items. Each group was given a big sheet of butcher paper to write their top ten on, then they were plastered onto the cafeteria walls side by side. Every staff member was given 20 colored sticky dots. "Now, place your dots next to the suggested areas you feel most strongly about" says our Principal. "Then we will create a spreadsheet in decending order of items with the most votes to areas with the least votes". This is the part I could not participate in, it felt horrible, cheezy and cheap, and it gave me a stomach ache. Like I am going to march right in front our band director or AG teacher and put a big sticky mark next to "cut music programs" or "cut agricultural programs" Who am I to judge their programs importance in the big scheme of a child's education. The sad part is there were some people who were totally into it, smiling, slapping stickers on programs like they really have the power, it was bizarre. Plus, I guess on the selfish side I didn't really want to sit there and see all the sticky dots going up next to "cut Athletics/Activities programs" either. So now all our district admin. folks (who I think already know what is going to be cut and what isn't) can tell us no matter what is decided, "We allowed our staff to be a part of the process." Well, I think this exercise should be "cut" because it stinks. and on that happy note . . . .

Prom tree in full bloom . . .

My favorite tree in our backyard is showing all it's beauty. The magnolia (tulip tree) is so pretty right now with the buds just beginning to open. Don't talk to hubby in about a month or so though as he will be pissed because all of the petals will be dropping off into his pond, and it is a big mess. But until then I enjoy every morning standing by the patio door and just looking at it. We(I) nicknamed it the "Prom" tree years ago because it was where I would make the boys stand with their prom dates for a picture. I suppose I could post some of those but perhaps not . . HA!

Aunt Diane's Pizza rolls . . .

A while ago Diane brought some homemade pizza rolls to a family function. Well, as quickly as she heated them up and sliced them, they were gone. The boys love her pizza rolls, so do hubby and I, in fact the guys recently spent many unnecessary emails harassing her affectionately in an attempt to receive one on Easter. Apparently, they won her over because she pulled through, the fabulous Auntie that she is! So although this is not my recipe, she did share it with me years ago and now I am sharing with you to enjoy!! Luv'n U Diane!! (and the picture!)

Pizza Rolls

1 package of Rhodes frozen dough (so they aren't totally homemade, who cares)

1/2 lb. sliced provolone cheese

1/2 lb. thinly sliced pepperoni

1 egg

minced garlic

sliced olives, if desired

Thaw dough, according to package directions, it does not have to rise.

Roll out about 1/4 inch thick into a rectangular shape.

Layer pepperoni on dough, layer provolone cheese on top of pepperoni. Add olives, if desired.

Start slowly rolling up the dough (along the long side), with each roll brush a mixture of beaten egg & garlic (to taste).

Place completed roll on cookie sheet - Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until brown.

Cool slightly before slicing.

Brayden and Grama's Excellent Adventure . . .

Since Momma Dani was out of town visiting friends and Daddy Josh wanted to spend some time working on his new fence, Grama drove over to the house to babysit Brayden for awhile. Josh took the truck to get some boards at his new favorite store "Lowes" and I loaded up Brayden in the stroller for our big adventure. Diaper bag, Cheerios, sippy cup and off we went. The weather was beautiful on Sunday, a balmy 70 degrees! We go down the driveway, onto the sidewalk, up and down roads of gravel and pavement. I forgot how awkward strollers can be in gravel! and how heavy little ones are to push after awhile. We talk, or I talk he jabbers and giggles. We watch kids playing in their yards, dogs barking at us, many Dads with lawnmowers roaring up and down the yard, as we continue on our journey. Our ultimate destination is "downtown" Lafayette to their collection of Antique stores, of course! We enter the first store after I drop a few Cheerios in the little tray on the stroller, so Brayden will be occupied as Grama browses. Now have you ever maneuvered a stroller through the narrow aisles of an Antique store before? Well, I should get an award for not bumping anything off of the shelves. We shopped, I would show Brayden things and he would either just stare at me and smile or jabber, which I could clearly understand as "Grama, I think you should buy that". He was such a good boy, just stared at everything around him. I showed him lots of things that I thought he would like, an old Popeye lunch box & thermos, baseball mitt & ball, an Elmo that was dressed like Elvis, wooden alphabet blocks, old Fisher Price farm with animals, Hot Wheels and lots of other cool things. He will definitely want to go back there again, he enjoyed it ;). We needed a diaper change so on the grass of the historic Lafayette Schoolhouse Antique building, he laid on a blanket and got his diaper changed, then we had some lunch (tasty sweet potatoes). Couldn't get into the school house to look at antiques though, it's not stroller friendly (too bad for them, they lost a customer). Then we headed back to the house where daddy was pounding nails into the fence. We went into the house, played, and then Grama needed a nap. It was a really good day.

Would you like your receipt in the bag? . . .

Yes, it's official I'm a "blue smock lady" as my better half calls me. I have been formally trained and now can run the cash register in the hospital gift shop. Actually it's really going to be a fun job on Saturday mornings every other week. I'm the only one that works in there that still has some hair color left - even so be it bottled! ha! I can charge up a VISA card on the machine, place & deliver flower orders, restock shelves with candy, stuffed animals, magazines, cards, gift wrap, inflate balloons, scan employee badges for charges and all the while scoping out shoplifters, HEY . . you name it, I can do anything that any other 70+ year old can do behind the counter in a hospital gift shop!! woohoo!!

Email, Escort, Exit . . .

Last week I received an email from hubby, who normally doesn't send me many emails at work. It was Thursday morning (how ironic the day after April fools), "take a look at this email" he writes me. . "it's from the company president". "Dear employees, due to the downturn in the economy, and many of our customers (ie. Sportsman's Warehouse and Joe's) filing for bankruptcy reorganization, our company is forced to review procedures, sales, and re-organize. With that comes the difficult process of needing to reduce our workforce, (not his exact words, but you get my gest). So as difficult as this decision has been, for the future of the company the reductions will begin . . today. We appreciate your professionalism during this difficult time and know that you will remain productive during this transition." . . . period . . end of email. Now my quotes aren't exact, but it's basically what he was telling them. So as I am at work reading this email I think, this is scary, now what? I was afraid to email him back thinking well I wonder if they are checking personal emails . . maybe a little paranoid but I didn't know. Well, that didn't last long, I emailed him back and asked, "Are people being escorted to their cars now?", "Yes" he says", "Anybody from your department yet?", "Yes" he says, "You can't really talk right now can you?" "No, I can't" he says. "OK, see you at home later". . . So of course I'm worrying about it all day. His shop is non-union, whether that matters or not, they can basically choose whoever they want to layoff, I guess. When he gets home that night, he looks like he's been hit by a truck, emotionally drained. Leupold is a fairly small company (580 people), everybody knows everybody. They laid off 48 people. Two guys from Dale's immediate dept, one that has worked there as long as he has. . . gone with a freaking morning email warning that it was coming. It sucks. Now they re-organize some areas. They have been told this may (probably won't) be the last of the layoffs, depending on the continuing market. We appreciate that his position wasn't on the chopping block this time and hope the employees let go are able to find good jobs again. You know really all any of us can do is get up every morning, go to work, do the best job you can do at whatever it is you do and hope your position survives this mess. The rest is beyond our control.

Worth stopping for . . .

A friend told me about these little Red Box machines popping up, so I thought I would stop and try one out. I'm not much of a McDonald's restaurant person so I never really paid much attention to these additions to their businesses. Red Box Movies are $1 day . . period. They carry the very newest released movies and are very easy to select and return movies to. We typically rent from Blockbuster Video where new releases go for $3.99 per day for rental. The On Demand movies via cable are $4.99 per movie. So how can you beat $1 a day?? you can't! We don't really rent enough movies to join Netflix, so this is a great deal! Anyway, there you go, give it a try and I hear they are not just at McDonald's but other various locations too.

Picture this . . . .

OMSI planetarium, Portland, Oregon 1977, midnight show on a Friday night. Hey! what did that guy just pass me?? Nice, this is very nice . . .

Anybody need a tshirt? . . .

Not sure when it happened exactly, I guess it has just occurred over time. My wardrobe for work. Long gone are the days of Ralph Lauren suits, Nine West heels, Obsession perfume and London Fog raincoats. That seems like a lifetime ago. I use to love to shop for nice clothes to go to work in everyday. I'd enjoy spending hours at Meier & Frank, JC Penney's and the Nordstrom Rack looking for bargains on slacks (who uses that word anymore?), pantsuits (before Hilary Clinton ruined them), dresses, matching purses, shoes . . . oh the money I could drop . . wooohooo. BUT, I did have a much better salary in those days (pre-low paying school district job) and dressing professional was an expectation. Oh my! how my wardrobe has changed from those days. In the very back, very dark corner of my closet I have retained 2 nice black dresses from the "old" days. . . that's it. For years I couldn't part with the many outfits I had accumulated, but eventually I saw no need to keep hanging on to them. My clothing attire these days is an eclectic mix of tshirts, polos, hoodie sweatshirts and nylon pullover jackets . . . period. Collected from nearly every sport, musical, activity, playoff or championship event that happens during the school year. "Hey, Mrs. C you want one of our baseball tshirts?" "Sure, why not" "Mrs. C, here is one of our playoff tshirts, aren't they great, the boosters got them for us, you need to wear it on Friday!". "OK". "Nice shirt, Mrs. C thanks for supporting the danceteam!". So that's how it happens. I have gone from a sort of fashion conscience professional to a tshirt/hoodie wearer. I'm not sure why I did this the other day, curious I guess, but I counted how many school related tshirts I have . . . . 48 (short sleeve), 23 (long sleeve), that's not counting ones I have saved for sentimental reasons. Like the old district & state wrestling championship tshirts during the years the boys wrestled (I know, it's pathetic). Uh, hoodie sweatshirts with team logos on them . . . there would be 18 of those, polos and nylon pullovers . . oh there would be 13 of those. So as you see, I have a wide variety of choices of what to wear on any given day. It's just that there are some days that I miss the old professional me. If I did dress as the me in my previous life, this is what I'd hear: "Geezzz, Mrs. C, are you going on a job interview, don't you like it here anymore? (hmmm, let me think about that . . ha!)" "Did you go to a funeral today or something? I'm sorry", "Why are you all dressed up is somebody getting married?" So as I rotate my tshirts at the end of each school year, to make room for the new batch next year, maybe I will try on one of those black dresses and some heels and think about how completely uncomfortable they would be to wear again everyday!!!