Independence.... Rocks

This was a long week. I wish I had the brain power left to make this a proper blog but...I don't,so bear with me :)

It's the time of year all cosmetologists secretly dread....back to school. Don't get me wrong,I love what I do but this time of year salons are packed with teenagers,one of the toughest age groups to please. Appearance is everything at that age and insecurities run high.

Thankfully it's only about 4 weeks a year and we are half way done :)

A friend of Del's gave us a rock tumbler.We have been needing one badly as we have numerous buckets of agates. This is all a new experience for me and I am super anxious to see all my beach finds polished and smooth. We added about 6 pounds of rocks into the tumbler,4 tbls of medium grit sand and enough water to cover the rocks 2/3.We put on the lid and wah la! Somehow I knew there would be a catch......So you put the tumbler on the machine and it turns and churns the rocks..but get this-you have to leave it on for 24 hours a day for 7 days! WhAt?! I have to be patient?!! That was NOT in the instructions and that's a LONG TIME! Let's just hope that means that they will look especially beautiful because good things take time? So in the meanwhile I sit here listening to what sounds like a little rock slide in our laundry room...and I will be...for 5 more days.Trying not to peek ;o) I'm hoping they look something like this..

Vern's son Trevor turns 18 in a few days.He wants to go to the zoo..I'm thinking they'll try to keep him!Haha Just kidding! I couldn't be more excited to go to the zoo! I have lived here almost 14 years and have never been-that's just stupid!
18 seems to be a bittersweet time for a parent and child. That time when every parent knows that what they have taught their children will be put to the test. The child goes charging off into the world with his new super power of "independence". All the while, the parent knowing how unforgiving and tough the world can be...and how quickly that independence can be taken away.
For a divorced father this is also the joyous time when he gets to stop sending the child's mother support! Yay Vern!! How weird a song just jumped in my head.."Ding dong the....

Let's be clear though-Vern will always be there for Trevor no matter what age he is. He is an awesome father and has always made sure Trevor had nice clothes on his back,food in his tummy and a few bucks in his pocket. The hard part was watching Trevor's Mom drink the support money away at the local bar. We see her rig there 3-5 nights a week if not more. I could go on but I won't. I could blame her for a lot of things but I won't.

I(We) will allow myself (ourselves) to celebrate Vern's (our) "independence" from her. I guess independence does feel good...and I can't blame the kid for wanting to experience it for the first time too,even though I know it's so hard for his Dad :')








We have harvested a cornucopia of veggies from the garden! Cabbage,broccoli,zucchini,green beans,snap peas and one ripe cherry tomato! The sunflowers are 8 feet tall and blooming like crazy! Mother Nature may I have just two more months of sun? Pretty pretty please?! I still have so many summer projects to do and not enough money to start the interior ones yet! I yi-yi-yi-yi....

Right now..Del is making me a grilled ham and cheese sandwich yummmm. Midnight munchies from him are always a cardiac arrest of goodness. I could say no..but I won't. But I do need to say ta ta for now-my sandwich is ready :)

Sekiu,WA August 2010

We had a wonderful 2 days on the coast!

I started my vacation off with a much needed nap in the peaceful quite woods.

All snuggled up on my sleeping bag with Chipper.
The sun was made the camping trailer warm and the buzzing boats in the distance lulled me to sleep.

It was bliss.

An hour and a half of warm sleepy bliss.

The perfect way to start vacation.

We spent most of our 2 days there beach combing and soaking up as much sun as possible.

The weather was perfect!

We ended the first day with a bonfire on the beach,eating s'mores and watching the meteor shower.

 The dark night sky sparkled with millions of stars.

It was so clear you could see the Milky Way!

We woke up early and walked the beach until we had to start out journey home.

Oh sadness,I hate to leave this place :(

Thankfully ....

Vern knew that a shower and a dinner date at King's Buffet in Silverdale on our way home would motivate me!

Goodbye Sekiu..

I'll be back soon.......

See You Monday

One more day of work and then off to the beach! 

Off to celebrate a friend's birthday and get some much needed beach therapy. 

Happiness :)

That means tons of new pics next week..

stay tuned.

Have a great weekend!

48 Hours

For the most part I did what I said I would today. 
 I slept in until almost 11am and then I finally rolled into the shower sometime around one.
I did my best to ignore all the chores begging to be done and watched a good dose of Keeping Up With The Kardashians,oh how I secretly love those Kardashian women...
BUT as the day rolled on and Vern got home I felt inspired to do some cooking.
I made a huge 9X13 meatloaf for dinner and topped it with cheese and frozen hash browns (Schwans has the BEST hash browns).
Here it is starting to bake in the oven,mmmmmm...

My secret to meatloaf is adding a box of Stove Top stuffing instead of bread or crackers. It's delish with beef or  turkey meat loaf.I made a huge meatloaf in hopes it will keep Del fed for a few days and I like to keep these types of left overs in the fridge :)
I also made a pumpkin cake with apple cider glaze.(It's the easiest recipe I know) I would share the recipe but due to a computer virus they were deleted from my system.
If you want any of my recipes,please let me know I am happy to share,I just need to type it out.
THEN I made a double batch of "Melody's Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies". I baked half and froze the rest. I love having cookie dough in the freezer for a last minute sweet tooth!
Whew,so much for taking it easy! Everything turned out great and I am making "Cara Packages" to share with our  coworkers.
I also took a little time to share the progress in my yard this summer...
Here's the view from the chairs in our side yard. Those sunflowers are 7 feet tall!

And blooming like crazy!

See my Zinnias and Dahlia's growing there in front of the fence? Yay for perennials!lol

We also picked our first harvest of broccoli!

Nothing is better than home grown produce! I think it just tastes better when you grow it yourself..haha
One more pic because I had mentioned Chipper's new haircut and I don't think I have shared a picture yet. Here he is in his handsome sweater,I tell him it makes him look smart ;p

We are off to the beach this weekend for a quick over nighter. I am very excited to get away!
Living with Del has a lot of positives but it's hard  not having much privacy and tolerating the continuous barrage of friends and family that stop by and never call first. Oh and did I mention his mother has a key to our house? Yes, she stops by a few times a week unannounced. If the door is shut and locked she just let's herself in...isn't that nice.
In 48 hours..I will get 48 hours away. Fair enough :)

The Ickies

For the last 2 days,

I just haven't felt good at all.

It went from swollen crampy fingers to a kink in my neck and then the all over aches with a toothache. 

Weird. 

Then last night I had insomnia.

Sunday and Monday are the busiest days of my week and this week... 

they kicked my butt.

On a happier note-

I am busy picking paint colors for the kitchen,dining room and living room!

I have a client who works for Rodda paint and she offered to give me her employee discount!

That makes great paint very affordable and these old walls and this inexperienced painter need all the help we can get!

The closest store to me is in South Hill Puyallup so I am trying to do as much online as I can.

I'm looking for fairly neutral tones to warm and brighten and Del dislikes blue..

so it narrows it down quickly :) 

Beige and green?

She also said that all their stores have an "oops bin" that range from quarts to 5 gallons for $3-5.

I am thinking these will be helpful with trim,furniture and other crafty projects.

I don't find these clearance bins much anymore?

I used to love creating projects with random paint inspiration!

As for tomorrow,

I am going to take it easy.

I am sleeping in and staying in bed as long as possible.

Coffee and chick flicks-

the cure for even the weirdest symptoms ;p

Even Del Liked Them....

I set out today to find a cloth shower curtain and rug to put the finishing touches on our bathroom remodel. I knew my chances of finding one in my small little town were slim but..I just had to try. I had no luck with ANY bathroom stuff but I did find these!

They were $10 each at BiMore,a local discount store. They are about 2' tall and solar powered!At night they glow a warm orange light just like a candle,soooo  cute! Even Vern and Del liked them and the popular vote is to hang them from the beams on the new back porch (when it's finished..err started? haha).
The creative bug has bitten me since I have been reading a friend's blog.With her permission(and as soon as I learn how to) I will link you to her in the future. Her blog is called "Raising The Rhyne Brine" and she has an amazing talent for creating custom wall/home decorations and designs.
I am plotting my attack on the rest of the inside of our house this fall. The kitchen,dining and living rooms all need a face lift. I am thankful for True Value. com at times like these. I can pick my paint colors(or at least narrow it down)and see it in a virtual room before I even drive 5 blocks to the store. Very Convenient :)
My head is swirling with ideas and the frugal crafter in me is ready to start shopping for supplies and motivation. Oh and did I mention I want to make birdhouses too? Another day maybe...:)
.
.
.
Yet after all that....
I still need a shower curtain and rug for the bathroom.
It never ends.

Tastes Like Irony

  When people said gardening was hard work..I internally rolled my eyes. I assumed gardeners were just a bunch of green thumbs feeling unappreciated for growing their' own food and flowers instead of buying it.My thinking was something like "Good for you gardeners,now get a REAL job...."
I had plenty of flowers and vegetables that I grew in pots on my apartment patio!I never had any weeds or slugs these "gardeners" complained about? I assumed it was because they were neglectful and didn't mind to their flowers as often as I did. Yes my "garden" was smaller but how different could a "real garden" be? I mean really?!

Fast forward 2 years-
I FINALLY live in a house!
I have a yard with flower beds and a garden!
And if I may say so myself..it looks pretty awesome!
BUT...
The battle never ends.
The slugs.

The bugs.

The weeds.
Too much rain.
Too much sun.

Gardening isn't for wimps.
It's HARD WORK!!!
 My neighbors had to question my mental stability as I scurried around my yard until 2pm today in the Nike pants and t-shirt from last night,my hair in a frizzed out ponytail and remnants of glitter from yesterdays makeup sparkling down my face.I was a weed killing,yard organizing,flower tending machine!I lost track of time and before I knew it Vern pulled in the drive way from work. I hadn't even showered! I was covered in dirt and sweat..gross ;p
 Funny thing is..I was smiling ear to ear! Our yard looks so great that suddenly I didn't care how filthy I was.I was proud of our flowers and garden...and I couldn't wait to tell him about all the "hard" work I had done.
 So the slice of humble pie I eat tonight tastes like irony,( I think it's a popular favorite)
because I realized that I'm the "gardener" I used to mock.
:)