Tink plus Priceline equals award ceremony

So kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you'll wait for me, hold me like you'll never let me go. Cuz I'm leavin on a jet plane, don't know when I be back again. Oh babe, I am so excited to go!..... I think I was on key?

Peanut and I are headed out for the place of my birth, the Mile High City. Home of the Broncos and elevation sickness. Speaking of the broncos, does anyone miss the John Elway days as much as I do? Anyway....all this packing and singing and planning and excitement of a hotel room, old friends, relatives and no cooking for the next eight days got me recalling a funny travel story.

Eldest offspring, B, graduated from Washington State this spring. This milestone warranted a Man Trek. Father and son have had many fun excursions together but this was there first ever Man Trek. Two weeks, five states, a tent, a few baseball stadiums, national parks and the open road. Their one hotel stop would be in Vegas, which by the way would be Eldest Offspring's first trip to the city of sin. Yikes! Even though I have been to Vegas a few times and quite enjoyed the shopping, food and luxurious pools; my good mother side was grimacing at the thought of my baby boy's exposure to said place. I was also not very excited about Fairborn Guy being there without me....as jealousy and I are quite acquainted.

My men Man Trekking together would have to just be the disciplined focus of my thoughts....sweet memories of travel and adventure...oops, the words adventure and Vegas just do not tandem in the mind of mom at home with an imagination.

I volunteered to handle the hotel reservation for them...I was attempting to act mature and un-jealous and trusting and helpful. They called me from the road once they had determined which nights they would need accommodations, as they left their itinerary flexible. My only parameters were to not spend more than 40 bucks a night but they wanted a room on the strip....aka the main drag. Cats out of the bag, Fairborn Guy likes cheep! I decide that the best and easiest way to stay in budget is to use Priceline.com. Great idea Tink, you are brilliant, there are just too many hotels to search through on that blasted looooooong strip...this will save you time. I plug in the data on the handy dandy website and walah, they kick me back a...Congratulations, we found you a room at your requested price and location, please place your order with the credit card of your choice. If you are not familiar with this wonderful site it works like this. You tell it what you want and it searches for you, however you do not actually know the name and exact location it finds for you until after you pay them. I have used this site before with great and grand and glorious results. It is a real money saver.

I enter my credit card information and excitedly await my confirmation so I can call my love and let him know that I was able to spend exactly what he requested, which would make him forgive my know it all attitude that communicated so lovingly...You will never get a room on the strip in a 3 star hotel for 40 bucks a night! You've got mail....... The confirmation arrived in my sweet little email inbox...Congratulations, your two nights at Hooters are reserved for the requested dates, enjoy your stay!!!

Laughing so hard, I could not even say "large knockers", I called the guys to tell them the news. Honey I have some good news for you, and I better darn well get mother and wife of the year awards!!

My Creative Side

Wanted to show some work from my quilting small group, "Knotty Girls". Seven of us swapped theme blocks.

Here is how it worked. Each member choose a theme and made a block.

They also chose fabrics to travel along with that block, although you could use fabrics from your own stash if you liked.

Each theme block and fabrics made the rounds to every other member of the group. We did not share the finished blocks with the owner until they were all finished.

This member's theme was a poster she owned and wanted to replicate. I made the diver's feet out of the water and the turtle blocks.

This member has a Vineyard, which was her theme. I made the block above the hot air balloon block.

This member's theme was Bold and Beautiful. I made the block in the center with the black background.

These are Cindy's blocks, her theme was her Family Lake House in Upstate NY. I made the tree block with the hammock.

This theme was Garden. I made the hummingbird block.

This theme was Salmon. I made the bear block.

These are my blocks, my theme was My Back Yard. I made the log cabin bird house block.

This swap was so much fun. I stretched myself in design and skills. The hummingbird was the most intricate applique I had ever attempted.

The grizzly bear block was my first attempt at machine applique with invisible thread.

One day I will get my adorable blocks set into a design, adding to my collection, a Back Yard quilt to throw on my lap to keep me warm.

Enjoy the look-see, maybe it will inspire you to jump into new creative waters this week if you get some time....for me, creativity works wonders to drive away stress, as does dancing!

Party Rabbit Trails

I discovered something today that is very party worthy! This is the first time in 20 years of homeschooling that I will not be creating a single lesson plan...I told you it was party worthy.

Peanut is still homeschooling, but like a brilliant homeschooling mother I have tutored her out for all of her classes this year. You may be wondering if that is kinda like pimping out your child's education.....heavens NO! Once I made this happy discovery I thought to myself, "...self, why have you not been celebrating this joyous milestone?". To which I answered back to me, "...hey, that is a great idea!"

This idea lead to thinking of all the ways I could produce a party around this event...like a costume party where all the guests are asked to wear denim jumpers and Birkenstocks with socks. When they arrive I, the celebrated hostess, would be the only one dressed in an Ann Taylor party dress and beautiful red shoes.

All this costume thinking reminded me of a blast of a party we Ya Ya's had once. Our theme was White Trash! Have you ever been to a White Trash party before? It involves one trailer house, bad makeup, horrendous hair, cigarettes (no way was I going to inhale), boxed wine and spam. I think we scrapped the boxed wine and settled upon fufu cocktails with white trash names. It really was the best party I have ever participated in planning and hoot-hollerin fun to attend!

For you I have post an edited photo. Notice my beautiful heart tattoo. Oh and just so you know how crazy nuts I can be, I will confess that I went to the grocery store dressed like that to buy the cigarettes on my way to the party. One must be as authentic as possible when one throws a theme party.

OK, that wore me out....no party planning for now, just Congratulations to me....the school year 2008-2009 will have zero lesson plans to fill in every quarter....HURRAY!

Feet Friday: A Top The South Sister

These feet belong to Snickerdoodle and her auntie Jennifer (my little sis). They are taking a vista moment atop a cascade peak of 10,300ish feet high.

Last summer five of us ascended the South Sister in Central Oregon. The hike was in commemoration of Fairborn Guy and I’s hike 26 years earlier. I was 19 years old…he was 26.

26 years later I put my mind to summiting that ole mountain….and summit her I did. Of the five of us (B, Jennifer, Snickerdoodle, Tim and I), I was the first to summit. It was not that I was a better hiker, only that I knew if I did not keep going full speed ahead I would never ever make it. I was soooooo excited waiting for my climbing chums to meet up with me. I was also very proud. Snickerdoodle was early in the climb convinced she would never make it. Jennifer had hiked this trail a few weeks prior and decided to turn back. B was born with resistances to heights…let’s just call it fear ok? And Mr. Fairborn Guy…or is it Mr. lets not ever exercise guy?, had not trained.

After a sufficient time atop the peak, viewing the astounding scenery, resting and documenting the event in photos, we headed back down the trail. My chums all decided to go first, to get a head start on me.

“What?...... Why are my knees not working?” I asked as I took my first few steps down the incline. The hike up took 8 hours; we figured it would be about 2.5 hours back down. Maybe had my knees working. Every single step down that return 5 mile trail I writhed in pain. I basically teetered down the mountain looking like the poster child for the March of Dimes. It took me 4 hours…4 hours of constant horrible pain. My chums thought I was faking…how could such a maverick ascend-er now look like an invalid? They had no compassion what so ever.



Here's to my two mountain summits....may they inspire me to climb metaphoric mountains always but leave the actual mountains to others!

Trio Thursday

Lunching with my daughters is a luxury very rarely experienced. Mostly due to work schedules. That's Peanut in the pink and Snickerdoodle in the blue. Wonder if their childhood nicknames will remain natural for me to say as the years pass? I am guessing they will.

Two daughters different as could be in personality, though both, always game for dining or shopping. :)

We three, very much enjoyed this sunshiny day last week with wonderful food at Monica's Waterfront Bakery in Old Town Silverdale.

Hint Hint girls...a threesome lunch date would make a great Mother's Day gift...never too early to plan!

"They stand for no reproductive justice."

Tonight while watching the "news" I was exposed to an unfamiliar buzz phrase...."reproductive justice".

This phrase was used by a Hollywood actress in reference to those who support life, apparently standing for the rights of those who are unable to speak, means to this actress, a lack of showing justice.

I respectfully disagree!

This actress also thought it would be a great idea to jail all of her fellow countrymen and women (that would include me) who disagree with her position....hmmm I wonder if she has the same dictionary I do?

Check out what one young woman is doing, along with many volunteers, on behalf of justice in the state of Colorado.



Colorado for Equal Rights Personhood Amendment from Personhood USA on Vimeo.

Time To Introduce The Girlfriend

I have out grown my jealousy issues and overcome my competition tendencies....lets just say that these days Wavita and I have a great timeshare relationship....she gets him 4 months out of the year and I get him the rest.

Who can blame him for loving her so much? She has zero hormone fluctuation, she goes where ever he tells her to and she came with a manual!

Fairborn Guy turns 53!

All I want for Christmas is...
Row Row Row your boat....
She aint heavy, shes my...
I wonder wonder who, oouu who, who wrote....
Sailing takes me away....

Here's to all the songs we have sung together as well as those yet to be,

Happy Birthday love!

I hope you like these old photos I dug up...it was hard work as you

prefer to be the camera man. :)

Feet Friday

In honor of Cindy's Feet Friday Fun I am sharing the feet of the non-human I love most in this world. The best part is, I am the human she loves most in this world. Life is wonderful!

Difficult as it may be.....

Lets see how this edit Html thing works. There has to be a way to edit this blog much easier than I have been doing inside the compose tab....hmmmmm perhaps I am thinking it more difficult than it really is.

Speaking of difficult, it is ever so difficult for me to contain my excitement for the Braveheart public servant who last night accepted the nomination for the Vice President slot on the GOP ticket.

I see, for the first time in my lifetime, a genuine public servant in the national office spotlight. Governor Sarah Palin embodies and respects "We The People" in a way I have not, prior to now, been blessed to witness.

Fairborn Guy and I have been watching the John Adams HBO series over the past few weeks. In watching the sacrifices that our founding fathers and mothers made for this great land to be birthed, I've felt such shame for modern day officials who generally show no resistance to self-seeking power and paychecks.

Where are the humble men and women called to serve who will fly in the face of waste and government intrusion upon the citizenry? Where are the called men and women who believe in a republic since that is what the United States is? Where are the called men and women who are em passioned to reform our over stuffed government and give it back to the people it represents; rather than trying to explain to us how little we all know about taking care of ourselves, our neighbors and our businesses?

Last night I watched one such woman speak with passion and determined spirit....I am dancing with joy!

I am thinking the very least the McCain/Palin ticket will do for this country is inspire millions of people who are cynical and overwhelmed with our government's games to re-read the constitution, recalling that We The People are the republic of the United States of America..."its a good thing".

Mission accomplished...the Edit Html tab did not blow up my blog, though some in my sweet homeland may wish that it had. :)