LIFE

I've been documenting all kinds of things thinking that maybe I'd post a little more frequently, but alas, that hasn't happened. Soooooo here are a few of the things that have been happening around here over the last month...............................


Decorated my mantel for back to school. I have really gotten into the "old" school stuff lately. Flashcards bring me great joy! I loved flash cards when I was in school, especially the multiplication ones. I could whip those answers out lickity split!!

I've been finding them all over the place and can't resist getting them. I went to my parents house a few weeks ago and found a set from 1963, the alphabet. I love that J is for Jar, canning jar that is! And P is for Pie. You know they are old though, when G is for Gun!!!

Here is my baby on his first day! New school...decided not to do the Running Start program so we put him in Lynden Public. He seems to like it, but it's weird not to have him at LC.
A few weeks before school started he got his wisdom teeth out. He only had 3 which explains the C on his report card last year!!

This is before...

Right after...(he was a little woozy!)

Ready to go home! He looks a little paler to me!

We took a few movies too, his request, and is he ever entertaining when he's on the happy meds!!

I'm skipping around here, but last week was my favorite week of the year at Haggen. It was the BOGO add for health and beauty. That's buy one, get one FREE people!!!!! I do my shopping for the year at this time...shampoo, ibuprofen, Excedrin, cold meds, contact solution, band aids, q-tips, cotton balls, alcohol, powder, mineral oil, toothbrushes, dental floss, etc, etc. I always check my cupboard and make a list so I don't have too many of something and not enough of something else.

Now a few of my friends have boasted of their savings at local grocery stores, but this receipt outshines them all and yes, I am boasting!!!! I also saved by using school scrip, which I got at a 10% kickback this month.

Are you ready??????

That's $269.20 that I spent and $285.59 that I saved!!!!! Wooo Hooo!! Just for clarification, I don't know what the wine and special discounts are, but there was no alcohol purchased here!!

The Abbottsford Air Show was on a beautiful day in August and the Canadian Thunderbirds put on quite a show! They are flying over my house here...I'm looking straight up!!

Amazing!!

A nice background for the performance!!

Dinner on the bay with Tyler, Grandma and Papa, Shelly and Mel. Such a cutie patootie he is!!

Hubby went salmon fishing for 4 days and brought back 120 lbs. of melt in your mouth fish. Don't know why I didn't take a picture of the fish rather than the boxes, but my freezer is full and I'm happy!!! Especially since he gets it all vac. packed up there and I don't have to do it anymore!!

And a post just wouldn't be complete without the latest project!!!

We are in the process of painting our house (of course it's raining this week!) and we've never liked the look of the porch, so of course we had to do a little remodel before we could paint! (it was sunny then!)

Funky peak in front and scrawny little posts.
Taking off the front...Brian's dad was a huge help!

We put shingles on the peak to match the others...

And built up the posts. We put shingles on those too. Now if we can just get the painting done!!!

I also re-did the front flower beds, which I've had to re-dig in order to get the scissor-lift into painting position!!

And the garden. Let's not forget that!!!!! This week I've canned 42 pints of chicken, 15 quarts of pickles, 14 pints of applesauce, 7 quarts of beans, and frozen 14 quart bags of corn, 10 of zucchini and 5 of summer squash!!! I'm ready for the garden to be done!!! But it sure is yummy to eat out of!!


I also tried Tami's www.theladyinthestonehouse.blogspot.com wonderful hot chocolate chip cookie recipe...very good!!!!!

That's all for now!!!!

Saying Good-Bye to Ben...

Franklin that is!!!

Tyler, Brian and Papa went to the Bellingham Auto Auction this morning to look at some cars and hopefully bring one home!

They got one!!!! All that hard work this summer and last paid off!

Handing over the money...all of it earned by him!
And the winner is...2000 Volkswagon Jetta...just what he wanted!

A great little car, black, leather, manual, power everything, heated seats, sunroof, 6 CD changer and really cool dash lights...picture to follow!!

Tyler doesn't get excited about much. The last time I saw him this happy was Christmas morning when he was 5 and found a nintendo after a lenghty treasure hunt!!! This has been a long time coming!!

These are some sparkly lights!!! Everything lights up...the windows, doors, gas tank button, etc. Very pretty!!!!

Congratulations Ty!!!

Did I mention that I now, once again, drive the worst car in the house??? Oh well.

P.S. I've banned the holy jeans from public!

Week-end Get-Away

Get your jammies on, get a cup of tea and curl up on the couch...this is a long one...mostly pictures though!!

I went to Eastern WA for the weekend. Went to Lake Roosevelt to see my brother and nephews. We like each other much better now that we're older!!!! I know it's hard to tell, but he is my "little" brother!!! It was so pretty over there, wish I would have made it there before now. My nephews were sleeping when I left, but they're adorable too!! There was a big wind storm the day before and tumbleweed blew all over, and gathered together by my brother's truck. I picked out a few choice branches and brought them home!

I'm sure I can do something with this for fall!!! They are sturdy little things...would have brought back a whole truck load and passed it around if I could have!!

The wheat fields were ready for harvest! My grandpa was a wheat farmer and I still love to see all that wheat growing and the combines in the field!!

I stopped at a few antique stores and then headed to Reardon for the Buggy Barn Quilt Show. Beautiful as always!!!

I got the patterns for the "Wisdom" blocks. I've always loved this quilt and hope to make it someday!

Love the setting in the middle of the wheat fields!

Some of the quilts inside the store...

The wind was a blowin'...

I headed into Spokane and up to the Browns Addition, a historical neighborhood on the outskirts of downtown. These homes were built in the early 1900's, but when I was growing up there, most of them had been chopped up into apartments and it wasn't the best neighborhood around!! In the past several years many have been restored and are so beautiful!!!

This yellow one is my favorite!

Love the color and the side porch!

Looks like a Southern plantation home!

Love this porch and the shingles. What's in that little room on the left I wonder???

The new Farm Chicks Store is located on the edge of the Browns addition and I couldn't wait to see it!

Lots of cute display pieces...

The crinkly paper was cute on the walls, and I love the green!

Only one negative...they didn't turn on the old school house lights, so it was a little dark. Otherwise, it's a cute little place! And you gotta love the chalkboard signs!!

Later that day I went to my favorite store, Hurd Merchantile, in Rockford. LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!

Home decor, garden, cowboy, kitchen, kids, antiques, jewelry, wine...8000 square feet of AMAZING!!!!

Wonderful antiques and displays...

High ceilings, cool lighting...

Next time I need to get there when it opens and stay until it closes...not enough time for me!
Here are the owners....... _______ and Jill! I'm so sorry I can't remember your name!!!! They called each other precious and love and that's what stuck!!!! Jill's husband was running the show last time I was there so I didn't get to meet these lovely ladies until this time. They are as dear as can be, best of friends and seem to have a hoot doing what they do!! I want to be their friend for life...and go shopping with them...and work in that wonderful store!!!!!!

Thanks for the latte Jill!!

I spent the night at my dad's. He likes to go out dancing so I met up with him and a bunch of his friends for a night on the town!!!! He's a great dancer (not me), and all the ladies like to dance with him!! My camera was dead or you'd be seeing some fun pictures!!!!

Home on Sunday, back to work, back to the garden and now I've been cleaning/de-cluttering my house. What a process!!! If you came in right now you'd think I was moving!!!!!

Thanks for hanging in there with me!!!! Good Night!!