February 25, 2011

Saw these snow covered hills outside of Lebanon on my drive home from Salem. They were so pretty I couldn't resist pulling over and taking a picture.

February 24, 2011

Snow covered tree branches

24 hour snow accumulation

A Christmas tree.....in February!

It's snowing!!!

The "kids" playing in the snow

Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!   Snow!!!

February 23, 2011

"If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond school teacher somewhere in Napa County. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours."

So begins the book Velocity, a fast-paced thriller, and one of my favorite books by Dean Koontz.

February 22, 2011

I got a 2 month temporary job at Walmart. While I'm not thrilled with working there, anything is better than nothing after 19 months of nothingness.

February 21, 2011

Ariana’s brother Arro supervising me in my parents computer room as I helped my Mom finish her taxes.

February 20, 2011

My girls, Ariana (left) and Annabelle (right), just chilling together on the couch.

February 19, 2011

Simply Orange--my favorite orange juice!

February 18, 2011

Watched the documentary Waiting for Superman tonight......Wow!! The movie completely nailed many of the problems with the public education system, and some things that are hindering it from changing. It really makes me miss being in a school--down in the trenches where I am needed, and where my heart desires to be. The film also made me sad to think that for millions of children a quality education is simply a matter of luck, as it isn’t readily available to them.

February 17, 2011

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!

My girls (especially Ariana) LOVE McDonald’s french fries. My dad started feeding our puppies some french fries at 5 weeks old, and I think it is safe to say Ariana might have an addiction problem. :-) Just a glimpse of that red french fry box sends her into a frenzy of excitement.

February 16, 2011

My dwindling wood supply. I’m almost positive I’m not going to make it through the rest of the chilly weather with what I have left. Guess it is time to scrape together some money and find some inexpensive wood.

February 15, 2011

No, it isn't rain---it's condensation because my house is cold.

Today’s weather consisted of rain! There is nothing unusual about this kind of weather here in western Oregon, and as a matter of fact I like the rain most of the time. The problem today lies in the fact that I am not able to enjoy the rain from inside a warm house. My wood stove (and only source of heat) seems to be in a stand off with me today. It seems no matter how hard I try I just can’t get a fire going. Needless to say my house is quite chilly at the moment, and my windows are so full of condensation that you can’t really see out of them.

February 14, 2011

Today’s picture synopsis is actually more significant than the photo, so I encourage you to not just look at the picture, but to read on. Valentine’s Day is hands-down, without a doubt, my least favorite holiday. I have never been the girl who received a heart-felt gift from that “someone special.” As I’ve moved into adulthood my dislike for the holiday has grown even more. I think I am the poster child for SAD!!! (Singles Awareness Day, aka Valentine’s Day). Sadly, I can’t remember the last time I even received any kind of real Valentine gift. So, in light of all the “love” going around, today I decided to reread the book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. Through the pages of the book I was reminded that I am loved and am “someone special” to the only one who really matters. God is crazy in love with me, and he doesn’t need hearts, chocolates, or cards to tell me that. Each and every day He shows me how much he loves me in the little things around me: a beautiful sunset, the joy my dogs bring me, a sister who makes me laugh, a starry night sky, the caterpillar crawling on the side of my house, the fat little quails waddling around the yard..... All these things are meant for me, for no other reason than because I am loved--I just have to take a moment to stop and realize what I have given.

February 13, 2011

A  Whatchamacallit and a Thingamajig--what more is there to say?

February 12, 2011

A little bit of loving from my Annabelle makes me happy. Annabelle generally isn’t into snuggling or laying with me, so I take what I can get from her. :-)

February 11, 2011

Early morning snuggles with Ariana. I was laying on the couch with a blanket over me watching a movie, and Ariana crawled into the small empty spot between the back of my legs and the couch. She is such a snuggler.....I love it.

February 10, 2011

Taking pictures of the new Ruger LC9 for my dad’s article.

February 9, 2011

Today's pictures are of a tree that is next to my house. It has no branches growing on the backside of it, and the branches on the front side curve and bow out. It is just interesting to look at. Not sure the pictures really do it justice though.

February 8, 2011

What would the week be if I didn't post a picture of something I had cooked? Tonight is was Stuffed Green Peppers--they were easy, tasty, and quite filling! They were stuffed with ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, a little bit of tomato and corn, and then topped with a dollop of cheddar cheese.

Whole peppers before cutting into them.

Cut open view.

February 7, 2011

This afternoon there was a brief downpour of rain, which was then followed by blue skies and a beautiful rainbow. Rainbows hold such blessings and promises!

February 6, 2011

Today was a serious lazy, movie kind of day. Snuggled with my “kids” a bit, cleaned house, did laundry and I watched Law Abiding Citizen, The Last Song, Charlie St. Cloud, and the Fantastic 4 on dvd; and watched Planet 51, Toy Story 2, The Proposal on tv.

February 5, 2011

My sister’s dog Rex.....resting his head on the box he is protecting from the other dogs. He is done ripping it up and playing with it, but by gosh he isn't about to let any of the other dogs play with it either because it is HIS box.

February 4, 2011

Got a fire going in the stove tonight....hoping the house warms up a bit as it's a little chilly in the house.

February 3, 2011

A few weeks ago my sister sent me the recipe she had found on the internet for Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I hadn't had the chance to make them yet. Made some tonight, and like most things I make, they tasted pretty good. :-)

February 2, 2011

Cooking again....tonight it was Thai Spicy Chili Chicken & Bacon Wraps (and there was no recipe involved this time, it was my own creation). I used spinach tortillas, grilled some chicken, fried some bacon, fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, tomato, onion, and a thai spicy chili sauce (get it at Walmart or Safeway--tastes similar to sweet and sour sauce, but has some zing to it).....put it all together, roll it up, and Yum!  :-)

February 1, 2011

Today I watched the 4 year old daughter of a friend of mine and we had lots of fun playing games, playing outside, coloring, and reading books. I even got the chance to work on my castle block building skills!!! I love hanging out with kids, they bring me such enjoyment.

Janaury 31, 2011

Got to hang out with some visiting Chinese students and some local 3rd graders today. The Chinese students answered questions and shared about their lives in China with the American students, and then the Chinese students asked questions of the American kids. The day ended with playing of American board games. It seemed like everyone had a good time and learned something new.

January 30, 2011

Annabelle rolling around with her prize--the ball she stole from Ariana.

Ariana starting to get a little popped out from all the running.

It was a nice afternoon outside today, so the “kids” got to go out and play in the big yard. I think both Annabelle and Ariana had a good time. Annabelle ran around a bit, chased Ariana, and then rolled around with a ball. Ariana raced around in circles like a complete crazy woman, took her a good 20 minutes of speed running before she slowed down a little bit--this girl just LOVES to run. I do have to say I love watching my girls play and enjoy themselves!

January 29, 2011

Watched The Social Network tonight. It is interesting journey of how facebook came to be. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be that smart and to think like that.....but it would have been nice to be in my 20s and be a billionaire.