Garden Produce

Oh, my ... we came home from vacation to "ready to pick" produce. I'm a little concerned as I think we may have planted too many plants this season.
I can see it now ... as we approach our neighbors with zucchini in hand, blinds will shut and doors will not be answered.

If you stop by for a visit, you may leave with a parting gift : )
Something to consider for next year ... rethinking our planting strategy!
Here's to loaves of freshly baked zucchini bread ....

Wordle Site

I found this fun site from another scrapbooker and had to give it a try using our Wallowa words. You can pick your font, create your own color scheme or use one of theirs, determine the layout etc.
With a Mac I was able to save it as a pdf for future use as a background paper in my Wallowa layouts.
Check it out here. Plan to stay a few minutes ... it was pretty addicting : )

Forecast ... FUN????

O.K. … after 3 days in the 90's ... this morning we woke up to cloud cover but on close inspection of the sky we actually saw thunderheads rolling in. We started securing tarps and waterproofing our campsite in anticipation of a downpour. Moments later while cooking a delicious breakfast of French toast and bacon we heard the distant sound of rolling thunder. It wasn’t long before the EVENT began. Crashing thunder rolled down the valleys, lightning snapped, drenching rain fell. Memories of 2004 came quickly to mind as my kitchen floor began to fill with water.
Colin started crying, and thinking he was afraid of the noise, we soon learned the reason for the tears. He has been so busy digging small holes in various areas of our campsite and now they were filled to the brim with water and he didn’t want to start over again : )
Each year I make it my goal to wear shorts the entire week while at Wallowa. I haven’t given up yet despite a temperature of 58 degrees : (
We are praying for a weather turn-around. The Beatles’ song, “Here Comes The Sun” keeps running through my mind. There’s still so much FUN awaiting us this week.

Summer Layout Template

Pamela McNicol @Digitreats found a layout she loved in the newest issue of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. She created a free template to download using the word "summer". Even though I have much to do for Wallowa I had to stop and give this one a try. It only took a few minutes to create a unique layout.
If you are interested in other word templates, she has 66 12x12 PSD layered templates for $4.99 including: January - December, Autumn, Spring, Winter, Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Aunt, Uncle, Cousins, Grandma, Grandpa, beach, beauty, believe, birthday, blessing, cat, celebrate, cherish, child, Christmas, church, create, cuddle, darling, dog, Easter, family, friends, giggle, halloween, Hanukkah, hero, holiday, home, inspire, laugh, learn, live, pets, love, play, remember, reunion, school, smile, teach, thanks, toys, travel, vacation, valentine, work. Check it out -- here

VICTORY ... this evening I was able to put a border around my layouts giving it more definition. Seems like I am learning something new in Photoshop Elements everyday!
Pamela posted again this evening with instructions on how to create your own words/template. Maybe I'll give it a try ... perhaps try the grandkids' names.

Credits:
Template: Digitreats Summer template
Fonts: CK Ali's Writing, American Typewriter, Cricket

Found It!

O.K. ... as I've been cleaning out closets and cupboards (summer project!) I found my Kaboom patch in my sewing basket. I looked back to a post in May 2006 (see archives on right) when I wondered what happened to it ... perhaps stored in a box in the attic?
Now I know you've been waiting to see it so here it is ...
Hhmmm ... Nancy, did you ever find yours?!?!?!?

Maybe I'll sew it to something in my Wallowa wardrobe for a good laugh : )

Eugenia Price

Several years ago ... way back when the boys were younger (me too!) I discovered a great series of books in our church library by Eugenia Price. I recently found another fan ... Loretta, when we were discussing books we've read and enjoyed. We both have trouble keeping each series straight so Loretta -- this blog is for both of us : ) -- especially when I'm shopping for used books for my personal collection. I have been known to buy multiple copies of the same book : (

St. Simons Trilogy
Beloved Invader 1965
New Moon Rising 1969
Lighthouse 1972

Florida Trilogy
Don Juan McQueen 1976
Maria 1978
Margaret’s Story 1980

Savannah Quartet
Savannah 1983
To See Your Face Again 1985
Before Darkness Falls 1987
Stranger In Savannah 1989

Georgia Trilogy
Bright Captivity 1991
Where Shadows Go 1993
Beauty From Ashes 1995

4th Favorites

We enjoyed a great celebration on the 4th ... thanks to our party planners, the Petersons. It was so nice to have Don with us this year. We had awesome food ... great cake, Mary! Even got to celebrate a birthday in the Jackson 5 group ......... next year's the BIG ONE, Janet : )
The little ones had so much fun in the sand, on the slide and in the pool ... what a fun "grandkids" playground!
We ended the day with pre-Wallowa s'mores around the Peterson "campfire."


Here are a few of our 192 pictures taken that day ....

Ikea Idea

I discovered another use for a great Ikea product ... intended as a potting bench ... but after we assembled it I had another idea for its use.
Every time we have company on the deck we never have a place to set the food, dishes etc. We had intended to put the potting bench under the deck -- instead, at least for this year it will be a serving "hutch." Ikea had them on clearance a few weeks ago ... love that store : )

Wallowa Gals Pedicure Day

I think this should be an annual tradition before Wallowa. It helped us feel refreshed ... and fashionable before the big event.





Now on to planning
and packing ....

Wedding ... Hawaiian Style

We traveled over to Tillamook for a wedding Saturday ... but Saturday Tillamook was transformed into Maui... every detail made you feel like you were at a Luau. What a fun, creative idea and a day filled with JOY as we spent time with the bride and groom, friends and guests.

One added bonus was spending time with my cousin Vickie (Cindy's sister from previous post) and her family. They are now part of the Tillamook "family tree." It makes me smile to think of the many connections we have to Tillamook through friends and family : )
The theme for this summer: Weddings ... two more to go. Each one has been unique and it has been a JOY for us to be a part of their special day!

Our Thirty-Fourth

As I'm writing this, I see a pattern in our anniversary trips to Cannon Beach. We enjoy spending time there year after year because it is so relaxing and we feel so refreshed when we come home.
When we arrived we were greeted with cloud cover and a breeze ... compared to Portland where it was already 92 degrees before 11:00 a.m. Such a nice relief.
We love pitching our sunshelter on the beach and in the following hours indulge in good conversation -- even some tech talk : ), reading, napping, journaling etc.
It's a JOY to spend time with your best friend!

Short But Sweet ...

While Cindy was on a road trip for a wedding in our area we were able to squeeze in an overnight visit. It was filled with good talks, good laughs, good shopping and was much too short!
Even though we live in different states and have been very busy over the years being "carpool moms" etc., when we get together we instantly pick up where we left off as if it has only been days instead of years.
In 1999 we had a weekend "cousin reunion" ... it would sure be fun to do that again : )