Homemade Pizza

I found a great pre-made dough at Trader Joe's. Sure I could make it myself but sometimes it isn't worth the time. Anyway, TJ's has three great flavors, including wheat and garlic/basil. To save energy in the house, I used the pizza stone on the grill. I did purchase a new peel (slate board top picture) it is extremely helpful in maneuvering the pizza and stone around the grill.

I tried to at a touch of fun to the evening by speaking with an Italian accent and using the few Italian words my Aunt Barbara taught me. The boys thought I was crazy!

Trash to treasure...

I purchased this stool at a garage sale for $2.50. Both my grandmothers had similar ones in their kitchens when I was a kid. I just loved sitting on it while helping in the kitchen, or maybe staying out of the way! I can totally picture them sitting on in making a list, talking on the phone, or mixing a batch of cookies.

I refurbished this stool for my kitchen. It should help my back during those many hours of peeling, coring, slicing, etc.

Check back for the final results.

An apple by any other name...

During our visit to Jossy Farms for peach picking, we inquired about the variety of our apples.

We have four apples trees, the two large ones with greener apples resemble each other, as do the two small ones with very red apples. We assumed they were different varieties. Not that it really matters, we are going to can the heck out of them anyway.

Much to my surprise, according to the farmers at Jossy Farms, they are all the same...Gravenstein Apples (which they also grow). Apparently, depending on the pollination, sun exposure, rain, etc., they can take on a variety of colors and sizes. Gravenstein apples are tart and used for applesauce and pies.

Although I have tasted several over the past few weeks, testing for harvest, Wade finally tried one on Saturday. Wade gave is a small thumbs up, maybe one or two more weeks before they are ready for picking. I couldn't wait, I made one batch of applesauce yesterday, with about 12lbs I picked over the weekend, sugar-free but with cinnamon.

Just Peachy!

This is the first week open for U-Pick Peaches. We return to a favorite peach grove we visited in 2002, Jossy Farms.

Just as before, they are waiting and ready for all pickers. Such a smooth process, which with kids does help make the outing more enjoyable. They do require pickers to bring their own containers but at $.88 a lb., it is a bargain.

We picked 24 lbs. of peaches. I made five quart jars of quartered peaches in ultra-light syrup, froze 10 cups on sliced peaches, and made one casserole of peach cobbler. The kitchen held the aroma of peaches for several days.

Oaks Park

Oaks Park, Portland in 2002
Oaks Park, Portland in 2008

We finally had an outing with a local family. Well, kind of local,Tami, Dennis and their two boys, moved here from Texas earlier this year. Her oldest son was placed in Chandler's class. Although they have totally different energy levels, they seem to meet in the middle.

We decided to go to the "amusement park" in Portland, Oaks Park. It falls someplace between Six Flags and a traveling carnival. We started with the lame Lewis and Clark ride (the moms pick), and ended laughing into tears as Nick and Henry screamed their heads off on the roller coaster. We could only laugh at their terror since big brothers were by their sides, offering support (?).

It was really nice to spend time with Tami and get to know her better.

Disney Bingo

The Disney Bingo game is for ages four and up, so with Chandler and Henry 8 and older, they were a little old for the full learning effect of the game. So I asked my neighbor's 4 year old daughter, Piper, to play with us. Since she loves Disney characters, especially Snow White, she was excited to join us.

Piper loved picking a Bingo card, the boys picked a couple to keep up the challenge. Nice thing about Bingo, it is luck of the draw to win. Piper was able to practice her numbers, colors and matching skills with her favorite Disney characters and movie clips. Chandler and Henry enjoyed finding the characters. To challenge them even more, I made the name the character and movie before they could play the bingo mark. I must say I had to search my memory of a few names.

I would suggest for future production of this game, to challenge children, have the same character but in a different pose with a different letter and number. I could see kids, after playing a while, picking just by character instead of color, number, and letter.



I love the idea of this game and highly recommend it for family game night. Most children love to watch Disney movies, this game really appeals to a lot of families, in my opinion. The kids get to see their favorite characters, but they also get to interact with the rest of the family. I think this is a perfect game for learning numbers, letters and colors as well as creating fun family memories.

To top it off, it comes in a great small carrying case, so you can take it on the road. Imagine the kids playing Disney Bingo in the car instead of watching a movie! Also, although it says 2-6 players, you could play Disney Bingo all by yourself.

If you’d like to buy Disney Bingo be sure to check out Amazon.com or Drugstore.com to find the best possible prices.

Bread Slicer - Not Idiot Proof

I was so excited to use my new bread slicer for the first time. I couldn't imagine not slicing a straight piece of bread but if there is a way to screw it up, I will find it.
You may not be able to notice in the pictures but the slice closest to the back board is off!
I guess I need to pay better attention to my lines.

Alzheimer's Memory Walk

Please take the time to read this posting regarding the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. Teams are the heart of Memory Walk - people working together to support the millions affected by Alzheimer's. Team up to have fun, make new friends and support a great cause. I encourage you to take action to start a team in your area.

Facts about Alzheimer's:
Every 71 seconds, someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
As many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life.
Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal.
Today it is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

The Alzheimer's Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research – and it calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's. There are walks in more than 600 communities. A typical Memory Walk is a 2-3 mile walk held on a weekend morning in the fall.

By teaming up with the Alzheimer's Association, you can walk with a purpose – and move us closer to a world without Alzheimer's. Together, we can MOVE a nation.

Much Better

Thank you Big Guy!

Clone Wars

An upside to living in a small town, no lines at the movie theatre, even on opening day. We arrived only 25 minutes before the first showing of Clone Wars on Friday. Based on our movie going experiences in Arizona, we imagined buying tickets for a showing later that day. Instead, with only five other families in front of us, we were able to see the first showing!
Nothing will match the original Star Wars series, but this was still cool.

Give me a break little man!

I posted about hot weather in May. To my surprise, when I reviewed that posting, I was complaining about 80 degree weather, wimp!
The only thing keeping me from totally flipping out...the forecast for next week.

Really Cool!

Friday, Chandler received an early birthday present from Aunt Sheri and Uncle Mike. This really cool guitar, as Chandler called it.

Chandler's other guitar broke before the move. I took it into a shop for repair but they said it would cost more to repair than the guitar was worth. I was telling my sister this story coincidentally around the same time my BIL wanted to sell his old guitar. Long story short, they decided to send it as a birthday gift.

Chandler has wanted to teach himself how to play for a while. He was very upset about the broken/unfixable guitar, especially since it was a Christmas gift. Each time we have noticed a guitar for sale at a garage sale/store/Goodwill, he looks at it longingly. Knowing, he was receiving one soon, I had to give excuses as to why we couldn't buy a new one.

He has already spent the last two days practicing from his lesson book. He signed up for violin in orchestra this school year, maybe they will let him switch to guitar.

The next day...and the next...and the next.

Wednesday our visitors headed to Mt. St. Helens, another must see in the area. My family stayed home for the day.

Thursday, we decided to do some blueberry (and blackberry) picking. There was a little dissension among the ranks but with no other choice, all but dad joined us. (Every dad needs a little "dad time".)

Yummy!

Great picture of Henry taken by Chandler.

Could you get any closer Chandler...yuk!

As the case usually is, they all had a great time and picked an outrageous amount of fruit.

We returned home, fed the troops so Shannon and Craig could get out for a titch of wine. If you have never explored Oregon's wine country, you will be surprised by the number of wineries, tasting rooms, and vineyards in the area. They visited about five wineries with a few miles of our house.
No rest for the weary, or drunk, (just kidding she wasn't drunk), no sooner did they return home, we had a date to meet a teacher/friend from CTA, Sara. She actually grew up in Oregon, and has moved home to prepare for the start of a new life in Seattle this fall. While we enjoyed visiting and dinner at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, the boys stayed home for a boys night of grilling, ice cream making, water balloon fights, and tent sleeping.

Friday, included a trip to Hillsboro for a look at the airshow planes, a ride on the MAX into Portland, a little walk along the Waterfront, then a rest to have a drink and do a little people watching at Paddy's .

Wade met us downtown and took Craig to a few microbreweries. Shannon and I took the boys home for Pizza Schmizza and quiet time.

Who would believe the next day was Saturday. We all filled our bellies with blueberry pancakes and meat (sausage and bacon) before the serious packing of the car.

Although we did a lot during the week, there is so much more to see in Oregon. I believe we could have been content just hanging at the house too! Needless to say, the Sprueills had a great time. We feel honored to have friends willing to spend their vacation time with us, not to mention driving from Utah to spend that time with us.

Thank you again dear friends, hope to see you next year!

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. --Michael Altshuler

I can't believe our friends have returned home already. Time did fly by, but we made the most of the week.

The boys fell right into their friendship as if they played together the day before, not over a year ago. The grown-ups weren't much different. Wade and I could really use the adult company. This was our first company in Oregon to stay with us. Even though Shannon and I had a two hour phone chat the week before, we still found something to talk about. Not surprising for those of you who know me...us.

Wade was able to come home early on Monday and take off Tuesday. We spent Monday relaxing and getting caught up over dinner and drinks. We're not sure what the boys were doing. Just kidding, they had a great time playing video games, dart guns, etc.

The next day, since the forecast temperature in Forest Grove was 90, we decided to head to the shore. Along the way, we stopped at the Tillamook Forestry Center and the Tillamook Cheese Factory...both a must for first time visitors. I stocked up on cheese for the winter, I probably looked like a little hoarder.

We made it to the top...bring on the ice cream Shannon!

Time to make the cheese!

After the tour and a little ice cream, we headed up the 101 to Manhattan Beach. Although it was 90 in Forest Grove, the beach showed no evidence of such. The haze was suppose to burn off by Noon but it never did. We enjoyed the beach anyway. Those crazy boys even when into the water but not for long...way too cold. Afterwards, we drove up to Cannon Beach for dinner at Mo's, one of our favorite seaside family restaurants from 2002. The chowder is a must.

The smiles say it all!

Check in tomorrow for more adventures from the week.

Other strange birds around town!

I've shared pictures of the robins nesting under our deck but not of the other birds that visit our yard. Enjoy! (click on any to enlarge)

The shadow of our roof, onto our neighbor's house.


Same bird



Peeking Peacock!

Hovering Humming Bird

A visiting Oriole

Stellar Jay...they seem to visit only when I put bread out.

Can you see the pink in the center of the picture? That is Brutus. He is our regular humming bird bully!

What a man!

The Friday prior to our out-of-town guest arriving, I was in search of additional outdoor seating. We have our table for four from Az and four camp chairs but not enough to seat eight for dinner comfortably. As with many of us these days, spending money is not a top priority but I wanted our company to feel at home.
Not without a plan, I searched the local paper for Friday garage sales. Lucky me, a neighbor around the corner and behind us was having a sale on Friday and Saturday. Included in the ad information, 'Outdoor Furniture'. Knowing the house sits on a number of acres, plus is quite large and kept nice, I was sure they would have good items for sale.
We got an early start, so we were one of the first to arrive. Sure enough, they had the above teak set for $20! I paid for the table and a few ceramic crocks for the front porch. The next day Wade helped me bring it home.
So this is where Wade comes in. The table, although sturdy, was very sun worn. I was willing to use it for our company and stain it another time. Wade, Mr. Wonderful, spend the next two days staining the whole set. Chandler and Henry each did one chair.
By the time our guests arrived on Monday, the table and chairs were ready to be used.
Doesn't it look beautiful?! Thank you Honey!

So Gross!

A week or so ago, we hung wasp traps in the yard. We felt it necessary with the apple trees. Apparently, wasps like the over ripened apples and get drunk on the fermenting juice. Nothing is worse then a bunch of drunks hanging around the yard!

Although the apples are not at that point yet, it is good to plan ahead to avoid nests starting. Wade bought two of the type pictured above and another type. I filled each with juice, sugar and a piece of raw meat, as instructed in the directions.

Today, I decided to clean them out. We have the Myers family arriving next Monday so I wanted it done before they arrive, to avoid having to do it while they are here. OMG, cleaning the trap out was one of the grossest things I've ever done. The meat was rotten, of course, there were a ton of wasps dead in the juice and something in one that wasn't the meat or a wasps...yuk!

I'm glad we are keeping the yard clear of drunk wasps but there must be a better way!

They have left the nest...

The robins nesting under our deck's floor have left the nest. It seems like just yesterday I posted pictures of one egg and two newly hatched babies. This video shows a parent feeding them on July 19th. The parents were amazing taking turns to feed them, what seemed like, every 15 minutes.

Late last week we noticed the babies gone from the nest. We think they moved to the pines around our yard. Every so often, we noticed a parent feeding a baby waiting on the ground or a tree limb.

Today, while walking the yard, not one robin was around, adult or baby. It is a little sad they are gone but I'm glad they survived and are off to make a new home. Maybe they will pay another visit next spring.