Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Home & Garden Show
Toby and I took Devera to the Portland Home & Garden Show this weekend at the convention center. Devera absolutely loved it. Her favorite part was the bee exhibit where they were selling little tubes of honey. She mentioned that it was "sticky" and "yummy". They also had a little part where the kids could pick a plant, put it in a pot, and take it home with them. One of the nurseries sponsored it so it didn't cost anything....pretty cute huh? The oddest thing was that she loved the gazebos. I'm not sure if it was the smaller space or that it looked like a little house but either way she just kept wanting to go back to the displays. Toby and I talked about the idea that if we ever moved to a place with a bigger lot it would be neat to build a separate little structure for the glass and jewelry studios. That's a long way off but it was kind of fun to think about while we were there. The outdoor structures/sheds were actually less than we thought they'd cost. It seemed like most were about $2,500 or so - - not bad for an extra room.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Vacation - San Diego & Los Angeles
Just got back from a week in Southern California, and wow, what a blast that was. Toby had a conference to go to on Thursday so Devera and I spent the day at Sea World. The top picture is of Devera running around at what Devera called the "park", which was actually just this grassy area that she thought was fun. The second picture is also from Sea World - - Devera keeps talking about how Shamu kept splashing and doing tricks. When Shamu started out she was pretty scared, but then she really enjoyed it once Shamu started swimming around and jumping. She was clapping like crazy! She also loved the manatees - - they happened to be eating lettuce when we stopped by - - Devera kept saying, "the manatees are eating salad!"
The next day Toby was off too so we decided to go to the San Diego Zoo. Toby and Devera really liked riding in the sky tram - she kept calling it the "buckets." I was a little less excited since it was about 100 feet in the air. After we left the zoo we went to the cemetery where my father is buried. That was kind of sad but also cool to bring Devera there. She had fun looking at all the lady bugs around the place. Kind of poetic since I could remember my Dad always showing me all the lady bugs in the garden when I was a kid. After the cemetery we stopped by a winery called Callaway. That is where Toby and I got married 12 years ago. The third picture is of Toby and Devera by the wine barrels. The place has grown a little since then but it was still as we remembered it. We all had a great time! We finished the day by driving up to Los Angeles to stay with our friends.
The next day we started by heading out to a park. The kids loved running around like little maniacs. We had lunch at our favorite fast food place in the U.S. - - In-and-Out Burger! In the afternoon we had a mini-reunion with some of my classmates from my Landscape Architecture program. There were about 12 or so adults and a bunch of kids as well. Devera had a great time playing with everyone.
So how's that for a 4-day adventure? Devera was so exhausted that when she came home she went straight to bed. I didn't help things out any when I dragged her out to the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) on President's Day. She loved that place! It took all of my energy to drag her away!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
My Little Valentine
It was cookie decorating day at our house....I took the easy way out and bought this little pre-packaged set complete with cookies, frosting, and sprinkles. Devera thought it was fun to just shovel the sprinkles straight into her mouth! The bottom picture is of the completed "masterpieces."
Monday, February 12, 2007
Movie Review: Night at the Museum
Toby and I went out for a movie and dinner on Saturday night which was a lot of fun. Both of us were finally feeling well after a rough January. We saw Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. It's definitely not a classic movie by any stretch, but it was nice and light entertainment. Toby loved the 2 boys sitting behind us giggling through the entire movie. This movie is great for kids, I can't imagine a parent finding anything objectionable in it. Devera is still too young for movies but if you had a child in the 6+ years old I bet they would think the movie was funny.
After the movie we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Portland, Lauro. As I've mentioned before on this site they serve up fantastic Mediterranean food. You just can't beat it! If you are ever visiting in Portland it's definitely worth the wait....and since they don't take reservations, be prepared. If you come in prime-dining time (7-9pm), prepare to wait up to an hour for a table. ....but keep in mind that you won't be disappointed! Bon Appetite!
After the movie we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Portland, Lauro. As I've mentioned before on this site they serve up fantastic Mediterranean food. You just can't beat it! If you are ever visiting in Portland it's definitely worth the wait....and since they don't take reservations, be prepared. If you come in prime-dining time (7-9pm), prepare to wait up to an hour for a table. ....but keep in mind that you won't be disappointed! Bon Appetite!
Pulled-Pork BBQ Sandwiches
Yesterday I decided I would try a new recipe that I saw in a magazine. I love BBQ so I decided I would make BBQ pulled-pork. After cooking for 6 hours I was very pleasantly surprised....it turned out fantastic. Although it made enough to serve 8, so I think next time I'll try it in the summer when we have a bunch of friends over. The highlight was the seasoning rub - - here are the ingredients in case any of you want to give it a go: brown sugar, salt, paprika, black pepper, ground coriander, dry mustard, and onion powder. MMMM....good!
Friday, February 09, 2007
First Signs of Spring....
Aren't these great? These are the first bulbs I've seen this year - - little patches of white Snow Drops are popping up all over the garden. I hadn't really noticed them and then all of the sudden I walked outside yesterday morning and they were all poking out looking for the sun! That means it's also time to get out there and set the snow pea seeds. I can't believe how fast winter has gone by. I'm really looking forward to the garden this year because Devera is so much more interested in these types of things than last year at this time. She loves picking, and especially EATING, all the ripe fruits and vegetables out there!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
A Little Delayed....
I've been a little delayed in putting up the next set of beads for auction, but don't worry, they should be up tomorrow (Friday). My mouth is just about back to normal and today I go back to find out if I can start eating solid foods again...definitely looking forward to that!
I rested a bunch this week, which let me catch a few more movies. I saw Lady in the Water by M. Night Shyamalan the other day. Wow, was that ever a poor movie. ...and I'm a big fan of his! I loved Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense was pretty decent as well. I even liked The Village which most people thought was pretty bad. Well this one was worse, by a long way. I almost felt like I was watching an argument between Shyamalan and his movie critics about how his movies always have to have a twist at the end. The "twist" of this movie was that there was no "twist". I bet some people thought it was pretty ingenious but I was just bored.
Devera was very disappointed today to wake up and find out she had to go to get a flu shot at the doctors. She kept saying, "no shot" and "I want to go to the park today." She was pretty upset when we went into the doctor's office but as soon as she was finished and I told her there were no more shots she was very excited. Even more so when she found out she got to have a sticker of "Chuck E. Cheese"....which was actually Mickey Mouse but she doesn't know who that is yet. I was informed by Devera that Chuck E. Cheese came to her class and gave her a big hug. Ok, that's pretty cute. Disturbing that she knows who Chuck E. Cheese is but not Mickey Mouse but cute none-the-less.
Alright, I'm off to take some pictures for tomorrow's Ebay auction.
Have a Great Day!
I rested a bunch this week, which let me catch a few more movies. I saw Lady in the Water by M. Night Shyamalan the other day. Wow, was that ever a poor movie. ...and I'm a big fan of his! I loved Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense was pretty decent as well. I even liked The Village which most people thought was pretty bad. Well this one was worse, by a long way. I almost felt like I was watching an argument between Shyamalan and his movie critics about how his movies always have to have a twist at the end. The "twist" of this movie was that there was no "twist". I bet some people thought it was pretty ingenious but I was just bored.
Devera was very disappointed today to wake up and find out she had to go to get a flu shot at the doctors. She kept saying, "no shot" and "I want to go to the park today." She was pretty upset when we went into the doctor's office but as soon as she was finished and I told her there were no more shots she was very excited. Even more so when she found out she got to have a sticker of "Chuck E. Cheese"....which was actually Mickey Mouse but she doesn't know who that is yet. I was informed by Devera that Chuck E. Cheese came to her class and gave her a big hug. Ok, that's pretty cute. Disturbing that she knows who Chuck E. Cheese is but not Mickey Mouse but cute none-the-less.
Alright, I'm off to take some pictures for tomorrow's Ebay auction.
Have a Great Day!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Dental Surgery
You know, sometimes in life you underestimate things. Like today for example. I went in today to get a dental implant for a tooth that had cracked in the back of my mouth a few months ago. I had the tooth (and all 4 of my wisdom teeth) extracted about 2 months ago and today was supposed to be the "easy" surgery. Easy in that they wouldn't be knocking me completely out for this one like they did last time. Anyway, it took about an hour and a half for them to do something called a sinus lift, root tip removal, and implant. Thankfully, these 3 things weren't painful at all. However, do you know how uncomfortable it is to have your mouth wedged open (and I mean wedged in the most literal sense of the word....with a little block that keeps your mouth wide open for you) for more than an hour? They sent me home with prescriptions for penicillin and vicodan, and told me to take it easy for a few days. What surprised me the most was the ultra-limited food options I have for the next week. Not only am I restricted to soft foods, but I can't have any dairy either. No exercise for a few days too! So I'm taking this as a great opportunity to just stay home and rest so I can beat this cold. Did I mention the cold? .....what a year this has been so far! This is when I realize how lucky I am though - - the last 7 years have been about as great as they could be for a person, so I guess one bad month isn't that big of a deal huh?