Upper Windows

In addition to working on the roof and the eaves, since we had the Lift on the property, we took advantage of replacing the upper two windows when the roofers were on that side of the house. We actually had the windows in the garage since we replaced our living room windows awhile ago, but never had the desire to try to install them because of the height.

Eaves & Soffits & Vents

One of the projects at our house this summer is a new roof. But before we could have that installed, we wanted to re-do our eaves & soffits. The old ones were made out of vinyl siding material and the edge of the roof tilted "in". The new ones are made out of wood siding material and the edge of the roof is now "square". It is really starting to look nice!

Pump Boys and Dinettes

Mom, John and I went to Pump Boys and Dinettes at the CDA Summer Theatre. It is a country-western musical set around a gas station and a diner. The actors performed their own music and were very good. I loved how the gas station desk really hid a keyboard! It was almost like going to a concert and getting a story line along with it, as the highlight was definitely the musical abilities of the actors.

Portland Trip - Day #4

After breakfast we checked out of our hotel and got ready to head back home, stopping to get gas. We drove a little outside of Portland and stopped at Multnomah Falls. We then drove until The Dalles and stopped at this funny restaurant called "Cousins". When you walked in the door a fake cow mooed at you and then the hostess said "welcome cousins" and took us to our seat. We had too much to eat! We continued our road-trip taking just one more stop - just outside of Tri-Cities - before heading home. What a fun time we had!!

Portland Trip - Day #3

Today was another fun day! We headed to Tillamook to take in the Cheese Factory Tour. This was Saturday and the parking lot was almost completely full. When we finally made it to the visitor's center, it was very crowded. The sign that said over 1 million visitors come every year must have meant they all chose Saturday July 24th to visit? If I were to give any advice, it would be to head there on the weekday as many of the production lines were closed down for the weekend. We did get to see them wrap some cheese, but I think it would have been more interesting on a week-day when more production lines were going. However, the cheese tasting section was fun! We got to try a lot of pretty tasty cheese and then we had to get in line for some Tillamook ice cream!! After finishing there we headed down the coast on highway 101. Had to stop and take pictures as soon as we could see the ocean!! We continued until we got to Depoe Bay so we could stop in and visit my Grandma Janet. We have not seen her in a number of years and it was so very nice to see her again. After visiting with Grandma we headed to find Mariska some sandy beach so she could get her feet in the Pacific Ocean. Then we stopped at a little hole in the wall for some fish and chips before heading to the Tanger Factory Outlet in Lincoln City. After that we headed back towards our hotel, taking a different route than we had taken in the morning, stopping for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Clackamas.

Portland Trip - Day #2

We had to wake up early and get on the road as we needed to be at Hood River in time to board the Mt Hood Railroad. We took the morning excursion to Parkdale, a 22 mile journey south east that included history and fact narration. The train stopped for an hour layover in Parkdale, a small town near the base of Mt. Hood. We enjoyed a picnic lunch we had purchased on board and then explored the town. We got back on the train for the ride back down the hill, stopping in Odell to hook up a car full of timber as the Mt Hood Railroad is still a functioning rail line. A little history - in 1910 the Oregon Lumber Company completed the Mt. Hood Railroad from Hood River to Parkdale to serve the booming timber and fruit industries. The ride features one of the country's few remaining switch-backs used to climb the steep grade.

After enjoying our train ride, we hopped back into our car and headed to our hotel in Clackamas. We settled in and then decided where to have dinner. The Clackamas Town Center was nearby (very large mall) so again we took in a little shopping (bought a GPS... where have we been??) before stopping for dinner at Chevy's. I love that restaurant. Used to have one in Spokane but it closed a number of years ago. My menu favorite (besides the fresh made chips and salsa) is the Sweet Corn Tomalito. Yum!

Portland Trip - Day #1

We headed on a road trip to Portland for one of our summer adventures and took cousin Mariska along. We left Thursday night and only drove to Tri-Cities the first leg of the trip. We stayed at a newer hotel in Kennewick, just down the road from Columbia Center Mall. So after we got settled into our hotel room we headed out for a little shopping at the mall where Audrey was thrilled to find a Nesquick chocolate milk vending machine! Then we had dinner at Famous Dave's Barbecue where everything we said seemed to make us giggle. Or maybe it was just what John said ??

Silverwood

Audrey went to Silverwood with Aunt Kathy and her kids. They started by going on Timber Terror together, but after that, the girls went off on their own while Kathy and the boys did their thing. Audrey said that she and Brianna went on Aftershock about 10 times! They got back together later in the afternoon to watch the magic show. Then Brianna and Audrey made sure to take Aunt Kathy on the Aftershock. Her comment after the ride was "well... I've gone on it now". Not sure if she loved it as much as the girls!!

Cherry Picker's Trot

John and his sister Marcie and her friend's husband ran in the Cherry Picker's Trot tonight. Audrey and I were good spectators and made sure to try some of the hamburgers sold by the fire department (and served to us by Dale, Connor and Emma McLaughlin) before the race and then a snow cone (it was pretty hot) before finding a place near the end of the 4 mile course so we could take a good action shot of John running:

The course is up and down the hills around Greenbluff and right down the street from where John grew up. We were proud of his final time of 37:00 - good job John!!

Bathroom Remodel

We are finally done with our bathroom remodel: new sink & vanity & faucet, a new shower door, new tile floor, new lighting, fresh coat of paint plus beautiful bead board / wainscot and a cherry finished cabinet above the toilet. We are pleased with how it turned out!

Toy Story 3 & CDA Theatre

What a great day! We started by heading downtown to see Toy Story 3. And yes, it made me tear up. Then we headed over to Coldstone Creamery for a mid-day snack. While eating our ice cream we browsed a couple of the shops in the same shopping complex and went into a Hallmark store where we found this treasure. (If you did not know, I was named after the character Samantha Stephens from the show Bewitched).

Later that evening Audrey & mom and I headed out to CDA Summer Theatre to see their production of Cinderella. The Stepmother was played by Ellen Travolta and the step-sisters were played by Annie & Margaret Travolta. Evidently this was the first time that all three Travolta sisters were in a play together.
SOOOOO guess who was in the audience - - in the same row as us? John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston and their daughter! They had planned to attend one of the performances (unannounced) so we were pleasantly surprised to find out the night they decided to show up was the night we had tickets. To top it off the performance was amazing by all cast members (and technical staff - turning a pumpkin into a carriage?!)

Banana Berry Muffins

BANANA BERRY MUFFINS
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1/4 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pint fresh berries (used Blackberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Puree bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients & banana mixture to the egg mixture - alternate. Mix well. Fold in berries (I crushed slightly so they incorporated with the batter more). Spoon into lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until brown. Makes about 15 muffins.

Note: Tasty and nice way to combine fresh fruit in season. But did get too moist the next day. Also making 15 muffins was an obnoxious recipe when you have a 12-count pan. Maybe try a mini loaf pan next time?

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I tried a wonderful recipe for meatballs - very flavorful. We ate them too fast, so this is not the actual picture of our food - but you get the idea.

MEATBALLS
1 lb Italian Sausage
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 TB dried basil
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB garlic powder
1 TB onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, until completely incorporated. Roll the meat mixture into golf ball sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven until cooked thoroughly. Add your favorite pasta and sauce.

Potluck

We had a wonderful time at the Kremin's for an impromptu barbecue tonight. The Heerdinks came as well and we could not stop talking and laughing and just enjoying spending time with each other. Thanks for a wonderful time! It was nice to have a real evening where we could just be ourselves. Definitely need to do this again!!

4th of July

We were invited to Twin Lakes on the 4th of July. Problem of course was it fell on a Sunday so swimming and boating were out. And since we all had church assignments, we attended church from 1-4pm like any other Sunday. I believe there were a total of 20 families there : ) We went home and whipped up the Strawberry Shortcake cookies and got out to the lake in plenty of time to visit with the others there (Wagners, Osborns, McLaughlins and of course Hartmans - since it was their house). Evidently some of the neighbors enjoy shooting off fireworks so we were able to see many different shows coming from various homes on the lake. Here are just a couple pictures I took with my point and shoot camera.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

We were to bring something with us to the lake to munch on while viewing the fireworks, so whipped up these cookies after church. We love to experiment and try something we've never made when assigned to bring something. It's kind of exciting - what if it does not turn out or tastes icky? Well, this one is a keeper! Super yummy and they were not kidding when the recipe said "best served immediately" (they get too moist).

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE COOKIES
2 c. strawberries, hulled and diced into small pieces
1 tsp. lemon juice
9 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 c. heavy cream
Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture. (At this point you will think you have a lab experiment gone bad... it will work out, I promise!)

Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Knight and Day & 4th (3rd) of July at Mom's

This was a fun holiday weekend. Because the 4th of July fell on a Sunday, Mom had her annual picnic on Saturday July 3rd. And John and I both got Monday July 5th off, also because the 4th landed on a Sunday. That ended up giving us TWO more days to celebrate the freedom of our country. Cool!! John, Audrey and I started off our celebration by heading downtown to see a movie - Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. We enjoyed it. A comedy/action flick reminding me of a less serious Mission Impossible movie. An enjoyable break. Then we headed over to mom's at 5pm for the meal. We brought Rhubarb Punch, Sloppy Joe sliders and Stained Glass Jello. Mom had invited friends, neighbors and relatives and had a good crowd. The weather was warm, but not hot and the pool was open.

Rhubarb Slush

RHUBARB SLUSH
3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup apple juice
1 can (6oz) frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 liters lemon-lime soda


In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, water and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Cool for about 30 minutes. In a food processor or blender, puree mixture, half at a time. Stir in apple juice and lemonade. Pour into a freezer container; cover and freeze until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes before serving. For individual servings, scoop 1/3 cup into a glass and fill with soda. To serve a group, place all of mixture in a large pitcher or punch bowl; add soda and stir. Serve immediately. Yield: about 10 servings

Stained Glass Jello

STAINED GLASS JELLO (or BROKEN GLASS JELLO)
Makes one 9×13-inch pan
4 boxes (3-ounces each) Jello in assorted colors
14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 envelopes Know unflavored gelatin
Water

For each flavor, dissolve one box of Jello in 1 cup of boiling water. Pour into a square container that is about 6 to 8″ square and chill at least 3 hours, or overnight. After chilling the flavors, cut them into small blocks. Toss gently into a 9x13 pan. In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin into ½ cup cold water. After the gelatin blooms, add 1½ cups boiling water and dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and let cool. Pour cooled milk mixture over Jello blocks in 9×13 pan. Chill overnight or at least 3 hours until firm.

Face Mask

I introduced Audrey to the fun of using cucumber peel-off face mask...