Catch Up

It's taken me a while to get these pics up, but alas, here they are. We took a day trip to Tillamook during my vacation time and it was a super fun day. With so much focus on projects all summer it was a nice get away for us both.

I could not remember ever going to the Tillamook Cheese factory and so that is where I wanted to go for our adventure. It was a BEAUTIFUL day at the coast.


Exploring the beach. We spent a lot of time scoping out potential camping sites for later days. This is on the beach by the Barview Jetty campground in Garibaldi. It was a HUGE campground and we had lots of fun exploring. Can you see how pretty it was? I just LOVE love LOVE the coast, especially on days like this.


I'm hereeeee, and I love it!

Squinty photo. Not too many people around to take a picture on a Monday morning on the coast.

Steve had to take a picture of the boat outside. It is a cute boat, but I was there for the cheese!

And boy did we find it. Look at those huge blocks of cheese. Yumm-o.

I was so excited to be there :) I was disappointed that they didn't have the cheese curds or squeeky cheese everyone always talks about from back in the day when they went. Mostly the factory was watching the packaging process. The cheese making happens in big vats you can't see in any more.

Steve didn't want to be the farmer. He was happy to take pictures instead. We also had lunch, shopped for cheese and had ice cream while we were at the factory. I had a 5 mini scoop sampler, couldn't make up my mind.

We took a little detour to see Cape Meares. What a cute little town. We found a bench to sit on and enjoy the view. (It was right next to a little beach house we dreamed about owning for more frequent beach getaways. It's fun to dream lol )


Another chance for a photo. Another squinty photo. Steve loves it when I whip out the camera. After this stop we headed to Cape Lookout to scope out that campground as well. Good thing we did. The map of the campsites online and reality are very different indeed.

Well there you have it folks. Our day trip outta Portland. I'm ready for another beach trip. I just love it there, especially with my hubsters as my travel buddy :)

Project Update

The shed is complete! Well it's complete in my mind. Steve still needs to install downspouts but the door is up, the lock is on, and I got to move lots of stuff out of the garage! YIPPEE!!! It's a beautiful shed and MUCH improved over what used to be out there.

BEFORE : Little lean- to that couldn't

AFTER: The big shed than can!


Other projects? Using the vegetables from the garden. I made my first homemade marinara sauce using tomatoes from our garden and my parents'. Here is is being featured for dinner this evening. A little sweet, but still wonderful to have homegrown food on the plate.



And while my parents frolicked in Hawaii, we watered the yard for them. Ask a thank you for ourselves, we picked a HUGE bouquet of flowers from their yard and there are SO many more flowers left to welcome them home.




It might be time to refresh our supply as well. I love gardens and summer time. I think next year I'd like to plan to make the garden last more into the winter, but we'll see how space allows next year.

The summer of projects

I never liked the yellow house color. I was VERY excited when Steve agreed to paint the house this summer. Then the actual project arrived, specifically painting trim, and I am wavering in my enthusiasm.

The new color? Love it!

The process we are in the middle of to finish the project? I don't love it. Trim is not a fun thing to paint. It just isn't. Being in awkward positions high on a ladder that isn't quite stable... gives me the shivers. It's the price I must pay for my pretty house though. I know I'll appreciate it more having done it myself, well with a lot of work on Steve's part too ;) A lot.

Here's the latest photos of our home improvement project.


Gettin' ready


The transformation begins

Break for lunch!


Clean up the supplies


My worker bee, very dirty from painting!


End result. *sigh* so much more clean and crisp :)


And changing paces a little bit, the beautiful shelves in our shed. All that's left is hanging the door :)

1st Anniversary

What a FAST first year, but a GREAT first year of marriage. Lots has happened in this first year: Steve accepted a job at Intel, he got to move home, we traveled to Hawaii in Jan for our Honeymoon, adopted our Penny girl who was a JOY for 3 months until we sadly lost her too soon, built a new shed, will soon paint the house and just barely before our first year mark finally got our act together to join bank accounts to embark on our Dave Ramsey marathon! Whew! What a list and what a year. So thankful for all our blessings and our first year of wonderful memories as "marrieds."

We spent the day pressure washing the house getting it ready to paint next weekend. I'm so excited to have a pretty house rather than a yellow one. Endless projects but it's fun to get to see what we can accomplish together. Although, truth be told, I usually come up with the ideas and Steve usually does the work (shed, windows, painting the house)... What a guy!

Intel gave Steve's group quite a thank you for a job well done at work and we were able to use it to treat ourselves to a DELISH dinner at the Portland City Grill to celebrate our 1st anniversary.


I had reviewed the menu online and my eye landed on the lobster. I couldn't think of another time where a special event and a generous gift card would collide allowing me to indulge in such a way, so I went for it. And I'm so glad I did. It was SOooooo Gooood. But I had to have Steve help me finish it, 16oz was too much for me to handle by myself.


Then they brought us complimentary dessert. Neither one of us can remember what it was, but again it was delicious!


Part of the deal getting our cake at Helen Bernhard's Bakery was for our first anniversary they re-create the top layer of your cake for you so you don't try to eat freezer burned year old cake. And it was free too! Well, I like to say it was, however Steve reminds me that we paid for it in the cost of the original cake.

Such a pretty cake.


I spiced it up a bit with some colorful nasturtiums from the yard.


Steve, obviously thrilled that I am taking his picture. I just wanted to document our first anniversary!


Yum, yum. Can't wait to see what year 2 brings!

PS: here is the SHED UPDATE:

The shelves are now in, the door you see inside the shed is painted and just waiting to be hung. Next up, move in! Such a pretty shed. What a handy husband I have :)

Iron Creek Camping

I requested a mini vacation and I got one! We had our first camping adventure (well 2nd if you count a couple years ago) but our first on our own :) It was a little drizzly, but fun to go someplace new, be outside and pass the hours by watching the fire burn. LOVELY way to spend a weekend.

We found this place searching on line as one of the few people who didn't know you had to make reservations 9 months in advance if you really want to be assured a camping spot. So this place had available spots on line, looked calm and serene and so instead of our coast camping trip like we originally planned (we couldn't be assured we could get out of town early enough to make it to the coast for a walk up spot), we set out on an adventure to some place new. It was gorgeous there but we both kind of missed the water aspect. There was a river close by, but nothing you could just sit and look at. Anyhow, here's a summary :)



This was our little slice of heaven for the weekend.


First night, enjoying a s'more.

Camping breakfasts are the best. Here is a little egg hash I whipped up.

The picture is a little dark, but everything was so LUSH and green. (The seemingly never distant rain drops were a great clue as to why this forest stayed so green.)

Kind of an artsy shot. Kind of.

Some pretty flowers we came upon on our walk about the campground.

Steve and Penny on the walk.

CANNOT remember the last time I actually roasted my hot dog over the fire. It was a tasty lunch after a drizzly morning.

SO MUCH to explore and see. Penny had bouts of serious exploration followed by long periods of serious napping.

Checking each other out by the camp fire.

At least I was DRY! Can't blame Steve for putting in his vote to pack up one day early since this was what he had to look at ...he he he. But I reiterate, I WAS DRY!

Camp is all packed up and we're ready to go home. Thanks Iron Creek for a peaceful weekend and mini adventure away from P-town.

Summer so far

Well we've been keeping busy around here with work, projects and raising Penny girl. Here are a few photo updates into what life looks like around here. Summer is flying by with all the exciting things happening.



Steve (with lots of help from my dad, THANKS PAPA!!!) has made significant progress on our new shed. We've just picked out paint color and once all the siding gets up, that'll be the next step. I am VERY excited for shelves to go up inside so I have something to organize. I really am very giddy just thinking about what I'll place where and how I'll then be able to get serious about cleaning out the garage. :)


Our herb garden. The mint (top left) is of course thriving with little attention. However, I'm concerned the rest isn't doing as well as I had hoped. Perhaps not enough sun yet this year? Anyhow, we are hoping as the weather gets nicer it will start to thrive! (Thyme, basil, dill, rosemary, lavender, chives).


Our 2nd garden! The spinach is doing SO well! I may end up doing a 3rd planting as the 2nd is bound to look this good shortly and i don't want it all to be gone so soon! Anyhow, harder to see in this picture are the sugar snap peas at the far end and our hopefully soon to be thriving romaine lettuce. First time trying romaine this year.


Steve was tired from baking 4th of July dessert all day (an apple and peach crisp) so I offered to clean up the kitchen. There was a bigger mess than I had envisioned... and this is how these two were as they watched me clean and prepare to make dinner. What a pair.


Penny looking over her garden. She is SO GOOD about staying out of the gardens. Behind Penny in our other garden square we have corn, tomatoes, carrots, cilantro, green onions and zucchini. I just LOVE our garden this year. So much yummy stuff we'll have :)





A smooshy face with my little girl. She wasn't feeling too photogenic.

Shed and Puppy Part 2

Our little girl is growing up so fast! Here is a before and after for you from 8wks when we got her and now, when she is 15wks. She is demonstrating "stay" here for you VERY well in the picture on the right. Our Penny girl is just SO cute. We got her a new chew toy today that she LOVES and she just wears herself out playing with that thing. She is starting to lose teeth (I'm thankful she can't wiggle them at me like a child could. Loose teeth are disgusting.)



























Brayden and Penny are starting to become better friends. Brayden actually wanted to hold her leash and petted her 2 times during this recent trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house.




Here they are getting acquainted again. Penny was a fun surprise for Brayden after his nap.


Brayden helped do a little yard work too. He helped Grandma and Grandpa plant their garden this year!





Penny taking a break from playing as she is out in the yard watching the boys work on the shed.

Penny passed out after a SERIOUS play session when Grandpa came over to visit. Those two love each other!


And as promised, here is the current progress on the shed.



SO SCRUMPTIOUS! Steve wouldn't let me make him his birthday cake for fear I would ruin his cake. (I don't like to measure when I cook, thus my dislike of baking.) This was so delicious with fresh strawberry topping to push it over the top YUMMY :)

And a random dinner I thought I'd throw in a picture for. Fish tacos that turned out exceptionally delicious. Gotta love summertime food. Oh and the garden is in and planted so LOTS of fresh veges and herbs are on their way soon! YIPP-EE!!!

Ok that is life's update for today. See you all later!