Saturday, April 23, 2011

A week in review...

Ummm...is it really Saturday? Where did this week go? Let's rewind:
Sunday: baking day and Scream marathon with Sparkles and Ashley
Monday: School.
Tuesday: Homework and housework then Scream 4 with Sparkles and friends. Oh and the car battery died at the movie theater. That was AMAZING!
Wednesday: School which included a field trip for  me and the mister getting a new battery in the car. Then an impromptu Survivor night with Sparkles. 
Thursday: Early morning bike ride with Amy and then errands.
Friday: Volunteered at an Earth Day celebration for Oregon Toxics then drinks with Sparkles and Amy. I also bought a new bike seat and lost my iPod. Wah, wah. On the plus side I did conquer a little of the fear I have of riding my bike in traffic. So that was good. And I also found the way NOT to go when I want to bike downtown in a hurry. Another plus.

So that leaves us with today. Today I joined my friend Jessika and went to Saturday Market then out to the Oregon Country Fair site for a wildflower walk. It was really neat to be out at the fairgrounds when it was empty, it is such a beautiful area. 
 It was also really cool to be out there with Jessika. I've never been to Country Fair but she goes every year so she knew what empty booths are what. She told me what this one was but I can't remember now...



The main reason for being out there was to see the massive amount of wildflowers that are in bloom around the property. It seemed like wherever we looked there was a new type of flower and, we probably looked at thirty plants. I took tons of pictures but not all of them turned out like I would like.
I'm adding here the ones that are decent and because I'm a huge plant nerd now I have the Latin name and common name on them. I'm sure nobody will appreciate this more than my Botany Buddy Ashley! Anyway, I just wanted to warn you...so now you've been warned...beware of the flowers, they have names. I think my brain is about to implode from exhaustion...that's probably what I should have warned you about. 





Oh wait...
There are two different types of Trillium... 


One of these things is not like the other!
The Giant Trillium has its flower sitting directly on the leaves while the Western Trillium has some stem between its leaves and flower. 
Show us your stems Trill!





Not to be confused with....


 That Solomon...he's a trickster!

 
 Next week I'll be working on my time management skills and I hope to do more than one post a week.
I have some new recipes to share so stay tuned!

Friday, April 15, 2011

A Dream Come True...

Here's a funny story. It happened just last week while my Mom was in town. Really this is hilarious. Prepare yourself.  
Honestly it's not that funny, but it is really sweet and still worth reading. So continue...

It just so happened that my mother's arrival coincided with me running out of various items that can only be found at Costco. Funny how that happens sometimes, right?  

Also because my momma was in town the mister was on his best behavior, and because she has magical-super-mom-powers she somehow convinced him to accompany us on our trip to Costco. These powers she has, they are crazy. I think she's a wizard. 

After eating every sample available and going down every aisle at least once,  I start to hear some commotion happening between the mister and my mother. Instantly I can tell they are in cahoots. This is not good. 

Suddenly I am surrounded. I try not to panic.

"You know she never lets me buy her anything." the mister says on my right.

What? Where does he come up with these things? What is he trying to pull?

"Really mister? Daughter, I think we need to revisit this gift receiving subject." 

Right. 

"What's the one thing you've always wanted that you haven't got yet?" 

Oh, he's just walking into this one!

Holding my left hand in the air and batting my eyelashes I innocently reply...
"A diamond."     

Sometimes I just can't help it. 

"Right, besides that."

Damn.
I don't know.
A working dishwasher?
A trip to Spain?
New flooring in my kitchen?
A free for all shopping spree at Nordstroms?

I was so caught-up with trying to remember what I really wanted that I failed to notice we had crossed the store and were suddenly standing in front of the Kitchen-Aid mixers. 

Oh right!
This is what I have always wanted!

So what ensued was a highly annoying debate between the mister and me over what mixer would be going home with us that day. Apparently it wasn't an option to leave the Costco premises without one. 
    Isn't it just so pretty! 
I couldn't believe it, I still can't actually.
It catches me off guard sometimes and then I remember that it's mine and I get giddy.

  
Thanks mister! 
And mom the great wizard!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Hello? I'm not dead!

Hello interweb peeps! Thank you for your patience and I'm sorry I've been absent the last, well...ahem...month and a half. What?!? I've been really busy with school and life and just needed a little break from blogging. But the gray shell of winter is starting to melt off and I'm ready to come out of hibernation!

During my hiatus I thought of ways to revamp this little corner of the web and am really excited to share them with all of you. So get ready for some new projects, new recipes and new ideas that I can't wait to share. 

To start off I wanted to do an update on my 29 before 29. Probably more for me and to see just how on track I am with my goals. Eekkk..this could be scary!

29 Things before I'm 29:

Read 12 for pleasure books (2/12: My Horizontal Life and Empire Falls)
Read 6 books that will teach me something
Get accepted to UO
Win a scholarship to UO
Get a job in my future field (whatever that is)
Become a better far-away friend/relative
Buy, wear and look damn good in a bikini this summer
Take a trip with the mister
Get the car into the garage
Organize all my craft stuff
Make a compost pile
Plant a garden
Spend more time with my girl friends (check!)
Bring back date night
Do something creative 30 minutes a day
Make 12 new craft projects
Take more pictures
Go on a mini-road trip with Sparkles
Have dinner with my sister
Do a body-cleanse
Put together my family recipe book
Start a family picture wall for our little family
Graduate from Lane with a 3.5 GPA or better
Go to a play
Acquire grown up living room furniture (a futon for the office sort of counts, right?)
Purge the house
Organize what's left
Become a volunteer (check, I start volunteering at Oregon Toxic Alliance tomorrow!)
Be a better blogger

Alright so I still have a lot of work to do but at least I can check some stuff off the list. Progress counts, right?
 
Stay tuned friends for new posts, I'm setting aside time every day for a new post. And please subscribe to get email updates every time I post. The gadget is just right up there in the corner. Can you see it?