I finally beat the system

When Colin turned six I had his birthday party at the bowling alley. We invited his whole class because I didn't want to exclude anyone- I didn't want Colin to start compartmentalizing his classmates into friend and non-friend categories. Five years old just seemed to young to have a good grasp of who was your friend and who wasn't.

We had about 11 kids show up, and I had rented 2 lanes at the alley plus pizza and cake. The cost for that was $150 for the bowling/pizza, $20 for cake, and another $25 or so for treat bags to give each kid. So around $200 for the damn party. And let's not forget the money spent on presents.

When Colin turned seven I tried to do a cheaper party. We went to a local pizza place where parties could rent out a private room for no charge. We just had to buy pizza. That was about $60 for pizza, $20 for cake, $30 for quarters to play the video games, $30 for decorations, $30 for treat bags. I invited the whole class again- I'm not sure why. We had about eight kids at that party, so it could have been worse. But again, I spent about $170. Plus presents.

This year for his eighth birthday, I was determined to do something fun, but cost-effective. I was thinking a matinee movie, but it turns out the mall theatre party would have been a package deal costing about $200 when all was added up. No deal! Instead I found a small, old-fashioned movie theatre in downtown Edmonds (website here). Each kid's ticket was $6 and included a small popcorn. Now we were talking. Across the street from the theatre was a place called Edmonds Bakery. Perfect. We would meet there, grab a piece of cake or whatever they were baking, walk across the street, see the movie, and then have parents pick up their kids when the movie was over.

We had four kids plus Colin turn out (after inviting a modest six - no more whole class B.S.). The only mishap was when the bakery turned out not to be open. I had to improvise. We went around the corner to Starbucks instead. Hot chocolates subbed for cake. Presents were opened, shoved in the car, and then we were off to the theatre. Five kids to see "Toy Story 3" including popcorn was a mere $30. We watched the movie, walked out the front door, and hooray! All the parents were waiting for pick-up. Bye, kids!

That was by far the easiest, most relaxed (for me), best birthday party ever. And pretty darn cheap. $30 for the movie tickets, about $10 for hot chocolates, and about $10 for smuggled candy I passed out after we sat down. And instead of treat bags I gave each kid a foam visor with foam letters that spelled their names. This served as both a treat for the kids, and a way for me to visually ID each kid I was in charge of. And they were only 66 cents (I already had a supply of foam letters on hand)! Total party cost, about $55. Not bad.

I've been feeling pretty pleased with myself over this cheap-o kids party. I foresee many future birthdays for both kids at the Edmonds Theatre. Except next time, I'll double check the whole bakery thing.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my boy. He turns eight years old today.

I can't believe it's been eight years. Eight years since I was in the hospital being prepped for a c-section after 42 hours of grueling, painful child labor (turns out he was backwards).

Eight years since I spent the day pacing the hospital hallways in the vain hopes of progressing my labor. My mom loves to remind me that during one of these slow, shuffling hallway walks, I turned to her and said, "This better be worth it".

It was.

Eight years of laughing, crying, not sleeping, playing, worrying, and loving so much you'd think your heart would break.

I must be the luckiest mom in the world to have such a smart, loving, funny and wonderful boy.

Happy Birthday, Colin!

Before

After

Thank you for Being a Friend

The "Golden Girls" has always been one of my favorite shows. Those ladies makes me laugh every time. But now when I watch it, I can't help but be sad. Sophia, Dorothy, and now Blanch, they're all gone. Only Rose remains. It's just such a downer.

I think one resonating thing that the "Golden Girls" really nails is the idea that as older ladies, we'll always have our best friends. Facing the issues of aging and all that come with it aren't so bad if you have your old friends to laugh and share it with.

I can't help but watch this show now, and not only feel the sorrow that these real-life ladies are no longer with us, but the also feel the sorrow that I myself no longer have my future Golden Girlfriend to be old with.

Today is the six month anniversary of my best friend's death. And you know what? It's just as hard as the first day. Maybe harder in some ways because by now I'm supposed to pretend everything is "normal". I'm supposed to be "moving on". Whatever the hell that means.

You get better at hiding it, and you mostly learn to manage your crying. That's all that's different today versus six months ago. But living with the grief has just become part of the norm. Every day- and I mean every day- no matter how typical of a day it is, something happens; I hear a song on the radio, someone says some old word or phrase, someone I meet has one of our code names, the list goes on and on- something kicks me in the gut and reminds me that she is no longer here.

I had kind of always assumed she and I would be together our whole lives. And yes, I have other, very close, very dear, friends that I know I will be sitting on the lanai, eating cheesecake with in the future, and I love them (You know who you are). I just can't help but mourn the future without her. She would have been an awesome old lady, you know?

Evil Shana and Evil Leigh, drawn by Shana circa 1993

Father's Day Weekend

We drove over to the Tri-Cities this weekend to see my dad. It was a quick trip, just one night, and we weren't even in town for 24 hours. But we managed to hit all the Tri-Cities area highlights:

Miner's in Yakima

Hubby's Pizza in Kennewick

And that's it. Those are the two highlights.

On Saturday afternoon, while we were waiting to meet up with Dad, we went to Howard Amon Park in Richland to walk around. They were having a little antique fair and car show at the time, so I had to browse around. Well, it was fate. I scored major at a 75% off table. Fiestaware after dinner (aka espresso) cup and saucer sets. All in black. I got 12(!) sets for $2 each.

Oh, baby. Trust me, these are a major find

I also got this "Return of the Jedi" lunchbox. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I couldn't leave it behind.

It had the thermos!

We spent the early afternoon today tasting wines in Prosser. Three wineries - Kestral, Hogue, and Yakima River. I love drinking wine at 10am!

Our purchases- a red blend, a sangiovese, and a shiraz

Here's some baby cows we drove next to near Yakima.

I call this photo "Three Heads and a Butt"


This photo is unrelated, but Oscar and Archie just got haircuts, and they look so cute.

I used to be an animal lover

I like turtles. Or I did until I visited the Reptile Zoo in Monroe. They have a soft shell turtle there, and it's HIDEOUS! It swims in its tank, eye level with you, and stares at you with it's grotesque, blank eyes. I've never felt the same way about turtles since.

This isn't the turtle at the zoo, but you get the idea

I like cats. Or at least I thought I did until this nightmare-inducing cat came into my awareness today:

I'll try not to dream about this two-faced freak of nature cat crawling up the side of my bed tonight, but it won't be easy.

Guest Blogger - Colin

4 reasons i hate school


yeah hi, it's me colin.

okay,so this is why i hate school.

1. some times i get beat up.

2.evreyone has to do so much work.

3.i get so tired in math.

4. the school is full of idiots.

I love it when a plan comes together

Just a brief post, to let you all know that I am so very happy to say this: the new A-Team movie is AWESOME!

I am very surprised at the lukewarm reviews it's getting. I think it's pretty stupid to criticize a movie for unrealistic action sequences. Isn't that what we want to see? No, you probably can't fly a tank, but it was really, really cool!

If you check out yahoo movies, you'll see that the average critics rating is a C+. The average person's rating is an A-. Clearly, critics are soulless freaks with no sense of fun.

This movie has likable good guys, who each get character development. The casting knocks it out of the park. Liam Neeson. Sigh.

It has a story. Granted, sometimes it wasn't clear exactly which bad guy was doing what and why, but it hardly mattered. The story was solid, and it had heart. It pays just enough homage to the old series, but still has it's own feel, much like the new Star Trek felt.

And this film has super-sweet action sequences. I mean crazy good. Two hours flies by, it's never boring.

I had some worry that this film would be made by morons looking to score a fast buck off an old beloved memory, but I am so very thankful this isn't the case. My fears flew right out the theatre during the opening credit sequence.

Please let there be a sequel!

Cross Stich Craze Time

June is already here, and that can only mean one thing: It's time to get down to some serious cross stitching.

In case any of you forgot, or haven't been privy to my yearly stories of blood-thirsty cross stitch competitions, in these past few years I've been competing for ribbons in the needle arts category at the Evergreen State Fair.

My deadline for entering this year is August 13th. And I'm going to need every spare minute I can find every day from now until then to finish my entry.

This year's entry is a full-scale sized replica of a Monopoly game board. It's stitched on 18 count aida cloth. If you don't know what that means, it means I'm working on a very tiny-sized weave surface. It is not easy on the eyes.

I'm almost half finished with the game squares.

Once that's done, I'll have to stitch the center logo. But which to choose, the original 1932 version, or the more modern 1984 logo? It's a tough call. I like the simplicity of the original logo, but the more modern version has the Monopoly man. If you have an opinion, don't be shy.

While I'm in my mad stitching mode, my blogging may take a back seat. If I don't update as often, it's because I'm bent over my fabric, painstakingly drawing threads though the correct areas in order to replicate a pattern.

The Herb Farm

For my husband's 40th birthday, I took him out to dinner at the Herb Farm. The Herb Farm is a local legend, famous for its cuisine, decor, and expense. According to the menu, they are America's only AAA 5-Diamond restaurant north of San Francisco and west of Chicago. You can check out their website here.

They serve a nine course meal, with different themes every two weeks. Our theme was June's Silver Spoon.

I knew my husband would be excited about eating here. He's the kind of person that can watch the food network all day. Me not so much. I don't like anything too weird, and I don't like eating most sea life, red meats, or things made out of organs.

But for $195 per person, I was determined to eat everything they served.

All dinners begin with a garden tour, to learn about the herbs that will be used in the evening's courses.

You also get to meet their truffle pigs in training, Boris and Basil.

We sat near the Spanish guitar player. He was really, really good.

Oregon Brut champagne infused with your choice of wild nettle or Douglas fir elixir


Course 1: Grilled local spot prawn with housemade miso, sansho leaf and salad burnett; plumped Lopez Island oyster with nori puree, borage and pickled shallot scrape; torched albacore tuna on its tartare with crushed black sesame and Oregon wasabi

Wood-oven breads with hand churned Jersey cow herb butter

Course 2: Tarragon and morel stuffed galantine of Bernie Nash's spring chicken with cured mother hen yolk, wood-roasted radishes, pea shoots, and a basilwood smoked chicken nage (paired with Amaurice Chardonnay, Columbia Valley)

Course 3: Caramelized British Columbia sea scallop and seared foie gras on fingerling potato puree with port reduction and green chive oil (paired with Facelli Sangiovese, Columbia Valley)


Course 4: Slow roasted Washington coastal king salmon with wood-roasted boletes, new spinach with cream fraiche, little farm onions, chervil, and a boletus mushroom-new garlic sauce (paired with Westrey pinot nior, Dundee Hills, Oregon)

Course 5: Cattail Creek Oregon pastured lamb rib eye with winter savory and woodoven braised and glazed lamb shoulder, with baby turnips, crisped farro gnocchi, lacinato kale, and red wine caramelized whey sauce (paired with Decendants Liegeois Dupont Syrah, Yakima Valley)

Course 6: Alpine Lakes creamy bleu sheeps milk cheese; Herbfarm Charcuterie with home-fermented vinegar cotta and Spring sage blossoms

The hot towel course

Course 7: Herbfarm knotweed honey sorbet on sorrel panna cotta with hazelnut dust

Course 8: Napoleon of red beetroot-chocolate cake with rose geranium mousse, white chocolate and old-fashioned rose blossom ice cream with candied rose petals

Course 9: Coffees, teas and native beverages. They even make their own fancy sugar cubes.

Served with an assortment of handmade candies

On the way to the bathroom, you can look into the meat storeroom

It was a hell of a meal. I ate things I never thought I'd eat. Most importantly, my husband was happy with his gift. You only turn 40 once, and this was certainly a special meal we won't soon forget.

And I have to say, it wouldn't have been possible without the kindness of my friends, Steve and Rebecca, who came over and stayed with the kids for the evening. Thank you!!!

The World Loves a Hairy Man

I've been writing this blog for about six months now. After two months, I figured out how to add a counter, which is located on the bottom of the page. If I log into my counter account, it tells me not only the number of visitors, but where they come from around the world and what their referring links are.

Surprisingly, I've had visits from all over the globe (see the additional dot map also below). But the most surprising thing of all, is that 95% of these international visitors arrived to the page I composed about hairy men who swim at the 24 Hour Fitness pool. And they weren't searching for the hairy man text, but for the google image results looking for hairy men photos.

My conclusion? The international community loves hairy man photos.

So, to welcome any new blog viewers from around the world, I present this compilation of hairy man photos:


Batter up!


There isn't enough vodka in the world...

Is this a belly or a butt?

Bear hug?

Not tonight honey, I have a headache. Tomorrow and all the rest of the nights, too.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Every Spring, it's so pretty outside (well, not so much this year) I want to do a ton of projects outside in the yard. These well intentioned plans usually end with me not really doing them, or me doing them and things getting so messed up, that by now you can't even tell they were ever done.

Last year I cleaned out all the rock beds in the backyard, removed any weeds and debris (power washers are awesome) and made them all shiny and beautiful. Today they are covered with dirt layers and have a garden of weeds growing through.

I swear these were neat and pretty last year


The year before that my brain dreamed up a big plan of how I could tear out some ugly bushes on the side of the house and build my own little raised vegetable garden. That one never happened (But I'm still back burnering it).

Some day, ugly bushes...


This year my kick is strawberries. I wanted to try growing my own strawberries. I bought the pots and the plant starts, and now my beautiful plants are growing out on the patio.



Many of my past years' dahlias and zinnias have been destroyed by slugs, but these strawberry pots are on raised tables, out of slug range.

I hate slugs.


Of course, the damn birds or squirrels will probably get them instead.

But look, my strawberries are already turning out to be immature like me!