Tonight....

Tonight I'm at my parent's house and will be for the weekend. Dad's carrying my brother via FaceTime to check on my furry ladies that are peeking in the back door. The dogs have seemingly befriended the new neighbor dogs and tackled each other multiple times across mom and dad's backyard. For all the moments when I'd feared that my non-dog parents would begrudge my animals, they secretly love to see our furry girls frolicking through their grass and eagerly licking their windows. At night the girls always sleep curled up on their beds that have been thrown in the back of dad's old truck in the garage.

Tonight hub and I showed up in our hometown about 5:30pm. We dropped off our bags and drove to our old high school, where hub took off with a friend to help set up an event and I swam oh-so-absolutely-amazing-many laps in my old high school pool. It was the first time I'd dived in between my old lane lines since our return and it was wonderful to feel my arms slicing and carrying me through the clear water. I embraced the comfort of things being exactly as they were 12 years ago--pull buoys and kick boards are still found in the same bins, and I spent a few moments re-connecting with the lifeguard on duty who had been one of my students back when I was a local sub.

Tonight I was reminded of how much of a natural provider my father is and how fortunate I am for his continual guidance and quiet example in my life. I relished sitting down at the table to a meal produced by dad and enjoyed actual conversation over food with both my parents. I purposefully embedded into my mind the moments of standing quietly by my father's side, being handed dripping clean dishes for me to wipe and dry, all while looking out of the back windows of the house together. I've spent this evening, butt settled into the couch half-ass watching the Mariners vs As game, with Dad pointing out the important points of the game---just like many evenings we spent together in years prior.

Tonight I've enjoyed watching Squeaks, mom and dad's lil cat, who has spent the evening bemoaning changes in her surroundings. ;) I'm relishing her quite nap two cushions over from me, her head twisted into itself.

Tonight I'm looking forward to tucking myself into the guest twin beds in the back corner bedroom and losing myself into deep moments of sleep. I'm eager for morning coffee with one of my best friends, and hopeful for an afternoon beach trip with the dogs and a soul-kid sister and her beautiful babies for a check-in. Tonight I'm ready to settle into the Sunday pews of my youth and remember the hope and promise of a Savior that I so frequently overlook.

Tonight I'm somewhere between frustrated and fortunate......and really just thankful to again be wrapped up in the graces and comforts of the home of my youth. 

Portlandia decor?

So hub and I have plenty of chuckles about the various episodes of Portlandia and this week while we've been looking at our carpets we keep thinking that it'd be the perfect next theme for an episode: pet inspired decor! In our case it's feathers from bird kill and dog bones! :)

Now I need to make clear that we usually don't leave feathers from birds hanging out on our area rugs BUT the vacuum stopped last week and we have on order a new belt for it. Until it arrives, the vacuum will suck up dirt and not dog fur (or feathers!), so until then we're chuckling at each carpet viewing! (The feathers are spread under the entire table.)

These are the best dog bones we've ever had. My mom picked them up somewhere and gave them to the dogs on our visit in December. The dogs have yet to make it through any of the four bones but haven't given up on them. No matter how many times we stack them up somewhere in the house, by the end of the day, they're back littering our carpets.

So should you be looking for new decor inspiration---just let your animals go wild and don't pick up after them! Give a whole new meaning to the Portlandia terminology of put a bird on it (although the bird itself got taken outside)....or in this case, put a bone on it.

On a side note: Major also has an uncanny habit of tracking muddy footprints all over the bathroom and last night he knocked an entire glass of water off my nightstand---so I guess he's really wanting to get into some interior design business. ;)

A Day in the Life: Saturday

Of which Saturday really isn't all that much different than Friday, Sunday, and part of Monday around here. We were tempted to head south to our home town this weekend to visit with hub's "sis" and her new baby, but the highways are closed due to floods, sink holes, and slides----didn't I tell you that Oregon had some crazy weather this last week?

Yesterday started out lazy also, and concluded with my P90X workout, happy hour with hub's buddy, and getting my online grading done for the most part. We also watched a hilarious movie last night (Larry Crowne), which I think provided more insight for hub into what life is like for a community college instructor. ;)

But anyway, today which is Saturday:

4:30am I told Anna to lay back down, she'd been up flopping around half the night.
6:30am Both dogs are up. I let them out yesterday so I wait to see if hub will be the one to put them out. He does.
9:45am I grab my phone to check the time and proceed to check email, FB, and Pinterest. I also start texting with one of my gals in Louisiana, yet continue to lay in bed. (For all you parents out there, don't hate us......)
10:30am I get out of bed, let the dogs in, start my espresso, and start preparing french toast.
10:40am Hub gets up. The dogs greet him excitedly. He gets the paper and hands me my section (Home & Garden), and starts reading while also checking sports scores.
10: 50am We both eat the french toast and I save a piece for the dogs.

11-11:30am We look at the paper, mail, and chit chat about random things, including the other strange movie hub watched last night.
11:30am I clean up from breakfast and give the dogs their share.
11:45am I get ready for the day (clothes, make-up, etc). Hub takes out the recycling.

12:30 I head out to run errands and load the dogs up to come along.
12:40 First stop Albertson's to drop movies back at Red Box.
12:45 Think about stopping at gas station to put more air in tires.....but it's raining.
1:15pm Arrive at Bishops for hair trim. Wait for 25 minutes for the gal I usually have but turns out she's not there. Decide to let different girl cut it--turns out okay (but still wish original gal would have been there.....discover her name).
1:50pm Pay & tip stylist. Head back toward home.
2:15 Stop at gas station to add air to tires. (Low pressure light had been on for a week but hub checked them midweek.) It starts sprinkling. I discover there's an art to adding air to tires and I am in need of practice. Notice I am being oggled by men as I am airing tires.....in the rain. Finally get tires mostly situated and head home.
2:30 Arrive back home and unload dogs. Hub starts vacuuming. I check on chickens and open their abode to try to get them to come outside. Hub provides almost-empty peanut butter jar to dogs. Commence humorous evening of dogs attempting to lick all peanut butter out.

2:45 I leave for Feed Store to purchase a hanging pecking feeder to distract chickens while they're cooped up.
2:55 Arrive at feed store. Secure pecking goodie. Oogle bunnies, chicken hutches, and new leashes/collars for dog. For go "only buy used month" and select two new leashes and a new collar for Roxi so both vehicles now have leashes.
3:30 Arrive back home. Show leashes to hub and put new collar on Roxi. Hang distraction pecker in make-shift coop. Enjoy watching hub "call" to chickens to coax them out into yard (we're trying to get them to do this on their own rather than us drag them).

3:45 While back inside we hear commotion---chicken has vacated the coop! ;) Spend next ten minutes watching them not know what to do with themselves and eventually hop back inside shed & coop.
4pm Hub leaves for evening out with his friend. I change and do P90X Yoga X work-out.
5:30pm I actually concoct meal from random things in house (somewhat inspired by pinterest) and place in oven. Wash dishes.
6pm Hop in shower.
6:15pm Vacate bathroom. Remove meal from oven. Get dressed again and re-apply "face."
6:30pm Load dogs in Sorento. Go to Albertson's for a bottle of wine, bananas, and face stuff.
7:10pm Head back home and unload. Make smoothie and eat dinner (both are okay but not fabulous).

7:40pm My cousin arrives for conversation over beers & wine. Turns into a great time together.
10:30pm Cousin heads out for her house. I mend two garments. Watch an episode of Dear Genevieve.  And make (pinterest inspired) No Bake Energy Balls (with vanilla chips, chopped walnuts, and cranberries added)....they are delish!!

11:40pm I pick up laptop for first time all day and start looking at blogs etc. I'm on DD duty tonight for hub.
12:50am Finalize blog post and plan to head into bed.....after I check on just a few more things..... ;)
Expect phone call to pick up hub & maybe his friend before 3am.....

The Chickens & A Major Update

With the garage being cleaned out to create a work-out area, many of the "to do"s also got checked off the list. Hub donated our old king-size mattress & end tables to Goodwill (we didn't have any takers on Craigslist) and he's finally agreed to donate my old loveseat as well. Beyond that a few other things got donated and taken care of......and the chickens got relegated to a new home........out to the shed in back they went! ;)

Now if this was our house and not a rental, we'd probably just cut an entry hole in the side of the shed with a little ladder there on the right side. There are already shelves that line the right side that would be PERFECT for two little brooding boxes and we could enclose the right side off the shed with a built in chicken run area with wire, etc. However it's not our house and I'm pretty sure our landlords don't want chicken poop all over the floor of a corner of their shed nor do they probably want a hole in the side.....so instead, we just moved the kennel itself into one side of the shed.  

 This means the chicken poop is still contained and there's still electricity to plug in the heat lamp, but we can also open the kennel & shed door and more easily toss the chickens out. (If you can't tell the dogs are oh so intrigued btw!). I stood there for about 15 minutes hoping the chickens would figure out that if they hopped over the cardboard they could get to the outside oh.so.easily.....well they don't call chickens dumb for nothing....although I did stand there for 15 minutes, so I don't know what that says about my mental state today either (and ironically today I'm working from home.) ;) However, eventually, I reached back into the kennel and tossed each chicken out.

 The dogs were stoked to have their old friends outside and the chickens happily pecked around for about 15 minutes........with the dogs "cleaning up" after them.

Pure beauties aren't they? At this point I'm pretty sure they're full grown and they appear to be mid-sized birds. And while I don't have a picture of it, after about 15 minutes, the chickens are just like the dogs and start standing on the patio thinking they want in........sigh. Hopefully they'll just start being chickens and do a bit more clucking around the backyard!

 Major showed up inside at the backdoor looking out once I'd let the chickens out........

....but not to worry, so far he doesn't seem to want to eat them, instead he's just mad that he's still on a diet and his food bowl is empty. ;) Even though the cats survived off 1-2 small bowls of food a day while in Louisiana, they don't seem to be adjusting too happily to our attempt to return to daily food rationing!

Lady is giving her hunting meow out the back door as she watches the chickens, although anytime she's actually been around them she runs scared in the opposite direction!....And she's just now resigned herself to getting a piece of her own dry food daily ration. ;)

What's up with the animals in your neck of the woods?

A Standard Saturday

A run in the morning, followed by some time in the yard raking up more leaves and putting the final raised bed to "rest."

 The chickens are well-guarded when they're out pecking around.

 If you look very closely up at the top of this picture, you can see the first bunch of geese heading south for the winter.

And the morning of physical work, followed by a meal of my mixed squash stew made yesterday, and then a couple hours of prep work.....and a nap time for Major (you can tell he's male based on his desire to lay right next to the remotes.....). ;)

This evening I'm joining my brother and sister-in-law for dinner and then to see the Zoo Lights---so stoked! I've been looking into going since I heard it advertised on the radio a few weeks ago---here's hoping it's as grand as I imagine! :)

Hope you all are having a wonderful productive, yet fulfilling Saturday yourselves!

The Weekend Post

Are you getting used to these weekend only posts? ;) I definitely have lots to say but just not as much time to write about it all. Luckily I took Friday entirely off of work since I'd already worked over my hours for the week and it made for a great three day weekend, although there's been grading of exams and prepping for this next week still going on. Hub's been in our hometown attending our high school's football game and going hunting for deer with his best friend. Beyond grading/prepping, there's been lots of enjoyment going on between the critters and I though! One of my favorite gals came over Friday evening until late, the dogs and I finally ran twice last week, and all around we've been enjoying fall. Here are some more fabulous things from this special season:

Two of my favorite indulgences of fall: hard apple cider and pumpkin beer. I've also taken a hankering to red table wines--especially the one by Middle Sister which my mom (who ironically doesn't drink alcohol) turned me on to....although it's definitely a bit more north of my typical wine price range....

Major's been spending nights cuddling up between hub and I during the week. Usually we don't let the cats sleep with us, but he's been so still (and cold!) that we've let him just hang out curled up in bed while we sleep.

The leaves are changing colors everywhere and its completely gorgeous!

I spent an afternoon mowing the lawn, reseeding some grass, raking pine needles, and putting one of our raised beds "to bed," so the chickens had the opportunity to finally free range. The dogs love following them around the yard, but man were those ladies difficult to catch this go around ;) Took me 15 minutes of chasing them before I finally had both of them back in their home!

Hub and I headed downtown to one of our funky favorite breakfast diners on Friday. It was neat to enjoy some delish breakfast together and led to a conversation about how we both, at times, wish we lived closer in. Even though we live 8 miles from my work, it takes 30-45 minutes of driving in order for me to get there and it's an hour commute for hub to get to campus downtown using public transportation. We love our rental and usually don't mind the 'burbs, but if we end up staying longer than I'm envisioning in the Portland area (it's definitely where the jobs are and hub could potentially have a grad program to go to after his undergrad degree.....) then we will probably want to re-evaluate where we are living in relation to my job and to downtown.

When hub and I got married as quickly as we did, we didn't really have the finances nor time to really think about rings. At the time I bought a simple white gold band that I wore and then added another ring about a year ago that symbolized my family when I was gifted a family ring with a unique stone from Granny. In my mind I always assumed that someday I'd get a different ring and after watching Blood Diamond (& getting into sustainability/simplicity), I've been against the idea of buying a new ring/diamond for myself. Hub and I hit some rough spatches this summer and one thing that came out of it all was my realizing how much I want us to have at least a few of the more "traditional" things, ie rings, dishes, etc that we didn't really do due to our chosen marriage route. While hub doesn't want to wear a ring (don't ask....), I've had it in mind to find a more traditional ring for myself. Yesterday I took my baby cousin (who actually just got engaged to her high school boyfriend who is training for the Army) to one of my favorite areas downtown. After looking at a couple other cutesy stores, we went into Gilt, which is a vintage and estate jewelry store. There were two rings that I equally liked but the one I chose felt more like a lifetime ring and I have to say....I LOVE IT! I love that it already has history (it's from the 1950s) and I love the swirl. While I usually try not to be too attached to things..it seriously makes me happy every time I've looked at it in the last two days......

The bedroom still isn't done but I thought I'd finally at least post a picture, as I don't know that we'll decide what we want on the walls anytime soon. I love how cozy it is and that it's a mix of new, organic, and old. The paint is low-VOC and is sort of a taupe color. The bed itself is the Sumatra II from Pottery Barn and the low footboard is perfect so hub's long legs can hang over still, the new mattresses from BedCo continue to be amazing, and we purchased the bedside tables for $20 a piece from our local Bimart. The lamps are ones I've had for years now that I got for $6 at Goodwill. The four panels of curtains are some I got on clearance at the evil store (Wal-Mart) and they were in our living room in Louisiana. Hub doesn't like extra decorative pillows so we only have regular pillows and we almost always have two down comforters. The patterned duvet is organic cotton from West Elm. Since we haven't really turned the heat on yet, I've got one regular sheet and one flannel fitted sheet on the bed currently ;)

I hate to admit that I haven't really cooked or baked in.....months. Yesterday morning I made banana french toast, and then this morning I made baked oatmeal using a recipe sent out by Two Frog Home via her newsletter.

Her Recipe is this:

Baked Apple Oatmeal

• 2 Cups Oatmeal
• 1 Cup Peeled, Cored, and Chopped Apples
• 1/3 Cup Chopped Nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 3/4 Cup Milk or Milk Alternative
• 1/3 Cup Sesame Seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar

--Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" Pie Plate
--Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing until thoroughly combined and well moistened.
--Pour and spread into prepared pie plate. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, the oatmeal will have puffed and be browned on the edge.
--Serve with extra milk/milk

I substituted dried cranberries and dried cherries for the apples, flaxseed for the sesame seeds, and I used shelled sunflower seeds for the nuts. It was a bit drier than other varieties I've tried but I liked that this version doesn't use eggs, and I ate it with organic vanilla yogurt so it was great!

 

The dogs have been pretty cooped up in the house and yard the last few weeks since we've been so busy so this weekend not only did I make sure to run them, but they got to go on several car rides. We drove the back farm roads looking for farms that would have decorative gourds this afternoon and then made a couple other errands the last two days. They always LOVE IT!

And I'm stoked because today I got to indulge in one of my favorite fall looks. :) Ballet slippers, beat up old jeans, tank, hoodie, and my poofy down vest.

LOVING FALL and hoping you are too!

Chick Update

At the one week marker of having the chicks in our home, we lost the smallish one. My aunt had come over to meet 'em and announced that Pip Squeak didn't look like she was doing too well and sure enough when I got up the next morning she was stiff. We'd tried to do some research and do what we could to help her, but she must have been too far gone by the time we noticed. Sad day for Pip Squeak, but luckily the other two seem to have really bonded and are thriving for now. The other plus side is that losing Pip Squeak got hub on board a bit more and he's been a fabulous help throughout the craziness of the last week. So here are the two survivors, pecking away at the area rug in the office:

 Hub built a perch and they've come to absolutely love it! They've also been upgraded to our mid-size dog kennel so they have even more room when they're "cooped up." :)

Major has stopped caring as much about the chicks. He still hangs out in "their" room most of the time but he's back to his regular lazy self.

It took Lady a week to even notice the chicks since she's in the house much less than any of the other animals and really only ventures into a few rooms in the house. She is the huntress and is fascinating by these chirping creatures that are behind bars. ;)

And ironically Anna continues to LOVE them. If they squawk and she's across the house, she comes running to investigate. If their cage is open she wants to be right there to keep watch and "help." First thing in the morning she runs to make sure they're still there and doing alright. We're continuing to build their relationship as we hope it will transfer outdoors--in case there start to be any critter issues, hopefully Anna will protect them.

We also are trying to make sure that we take them out of the dog kennel and give them time to run around free every day. Last week we alternating evenings running around in the office with sunny afternoons outside. Additionally, I introduced them to our raised beds a few days ago and they absolutely love them. They're fluffing their feathers and burrowing, plus are able to get some good grit from the dirt, etc. It's highly entertaining to watch and the dogs are constantly whining at the injustice of the chicks getting to be in the raised beds even though the dogs aren't allowed. ;)

To say the peepers are "cheep" entertainment is hardly even giving them full justice. ;)

We've Got New Friends!

Three lil' chickies sitting in a box. The poor things had quite an eventful first few hours in my care as I bought them in Vancouver, WA when I was picking up my bridesmaid dress and meeting the bride-to-be for conversation/lunch. I couldn't exactly leave them in the hot car during lunch, so I attempted to sneak them into the bar/restaurant, although their peeping soon made them not-quite-so-hidden. Luckily the manager gave me the go-ahead to keep attempting to hide them, and then when there was about 10 minutes left of lunch and their chirps were getting louder, I took them outside to chill out in the shade until we were done. Thanks to the bride-to-be for being such a good sport for my chickies today! ;)

Major and Anna were quite intrigued by the chickies. In fact, Major didn't leave the cage for the first hour that they were here, hence why they are in a locked old puppy kennel....no critters can get in at them!

Anna and I laid in front watching them for quite a while. The lil' chicks are pure entertainment!

Of the three, we have one that is quite smaller than the other, one that is much more vocal than the rest and already had a blocked poop vent that I had to clear, and then another larger and more adventurous gal. Well at least we're hopeful they're all girls, really and truly.....AND that they make it to adulthood in my care. 

I've dove back into the chick-care book and already made some slight changes. The water dispenser is sitting on a plate to make it harder for them to contaminate their own water with their feces. I've instructed hub to help monitor the-poo-in-the-water situation so we decrease their chances of getting sick. I cleaned off the lil blocked vent chick so she hopefully won't croak this soon on us, and I'm monitoring where they are in the kennel in relationship to the heat lamp. 

We did spend about an hour with the three of them tucked up in my curled up shirt, snuggling on the couch and they actually were pretty content with that situation. Now they're passed out--hopefully for a while and hopefully content in their little abode! They're incredibly sweet and seem to like when I pet their lil heads. ;)

And in case you're a chicken lover, they are Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, which means they might look like these when they're older:

Pretty no?! Picture taken from FeatherSite.com. 

Now I've just got to get hub to build them a coop ;) 

Fort Stevens State Park

A few shots from a Sunday afternoon walk on the shores of the Columbia River right where it meets the Pacific Ocean---Oregon's most northwestern point on the coast. The dogs were reminded of how much they love the river and we were reminded of how much we love watching the dogs love their rivers....

Its 1am, Night Cap in Hand

This evening I told my night class about how much the hub's and my schedules have changed. We went from being up at 6am and in bed by 10pm to up til 1am and sleeping in until an hour of the morning that makes me feel so guilty I don't even want to type it! Again, I'm not sure if this is maybe due in part to our lives currently feeling like long glorified vacations OR if it's the fact that hub is heading into "those college days....". Regardless, I'm not surprised to find that it's 1am and I'm sitting down to write with a glass of wine in hand.

I started my job this week and am, so far, really enjoying it. Definitely a bit different than what I've been doing for the last two years, but I'm glad to be back in the health and teaching fields. Am spending more time than I expected on weekly prep for lecture and on responding to student emails, but it's been a great way to get back in the swing of things in the field. Speaking of which, if you'd like to see how your county/state measures up on various health outcomes, the new stats are out. Also, you've heard me mention TED Talks before, but spend 20 minutes listening to Majora Carter's inspirational discussion: Greening of the Ghetto.


The hub and I are headed to our hometown this weekend, so it should be no surprise that we ended up with an injured pet this week...they always seem to know the perfect times to choose. ;) Anna broke her nail near the quick causing a big bloody mess Sunday evening. They couldn't get her in until Tuesday and $45 later only told us what we already knew via internet searches. She was scheduled for nail removal tomorrow but we've pushed it back for another week, as she seems to be doing fine and we're somewhat hoping it will fall out on its own. Luckily baby cousin is very reassuring and between her and the fabulous boyfriend, I'm pretty sure our pets and home will be well cared for while we're gone.

I for one am very much looking forward to spending some time in our hometown. There are a few people living there (and others coming into town for the weekend) that I haven't seen in two years. The primary reason to go this particular weekend is to attend a major community fundraiser organized by the "family" of hub...beyond getting to see everyone and our favorite hometown haunts of course. Hub and I are still taking our running clothes and I'm hopeful to remember my swimming gear to hit up some laps in my old high school pool. Whether either item will get much use during our first attempt to equally balance time with both of our families and individual friends is to be discovered...

A few fabulous moments of late:
--The first bite of REAL Mexican food indulged in upon our return, felt like a complete taste sensation.
--The toad quivering in the garage this week, cornered by an inquisitive Lady cat.
--A morning run with the hub with a smiling and joyful Roxi accompanying.
--The gleeful backyard squirrel happily storing away corn kernels while the dogs rested unaware inside.
--Reading the local paper alongside the roaring fire.
--Long, languid mornings snoozing away in our cave of a master.
--Health discussion and discourse.
--Hub's acceptance into one of his colleges of choice.
--Savory Oregon chai in the mornings and Oregon local wine by night.
--Rehabilitation of clearance purchased house plants.
Still much to enjoy, see, and do back up here as well....and we still haven't seen several of my family and close friends yet! Still no real break in the weather, although I'm dreaming of the yard work and gardening we'll someday be able to get accomplished.
 
Hope each of you has a relaxing and rewarding weekend ahead. Best wishes to you and yours!

Mutty Dog

This morning on New York Times, I saw a photo slide show of the Best of Breed Dogs at the Westminister Dog Show. The minute I saw the picture for the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, I did a double take. We've known that Roxi is a mutty dog, but we always assumed she looked more like an Australian 

Shepherd than anything....and then I saw the Nova Scotias. While her coloring is totally different, everything else about these dogs from their personality showing through in the google image photos to the fur length and texture to her absolute love of water matches so closely to this breed.

SO....What do you think?! Is she or isn't she a Nova Scotia mutt? ;)

Above image taken from here.

Above image taken from here.

If you google image the breed, there are so many other photos that have so many of her same expressions, it's pretty amazing! ;)