Where does the time go???

It's already August 15th and we are 11 days away from our trip to Greece and Russia! We are so excited and busy getting ready every chance we get. Here's my to do list still:

• Get shoes for the wedding
• Find a jacket to go over my dress for the wedding (dress has short sleeves and it might get chilly)
• determine opaque tights or sheer nylons with my dress for the wedding (probably depends on the shoes right?)
• find converter for hair straight-iron for europe and russia power outlets (must do this...must have hair straight-iron capability!)
• pare down multiple tops...can't take them ALL! How many white tops do I need anyway?
• Get sunscreen, benedryl, ibuprofen, anti-diarrheal (just bein' real here folks), aloe, face wipes, and a few things that I haven't thought of yet
• Get with the little girl across the street for pet care details (she's so in love with Mocha that I feel very confident in her desire to care for the pets while we're gone)
• MAYBE buy a new swimsuit...been looking but it's kind of lower priority since I have two that I COULD wear...and we all know how fun it is to shop for swimwear...could do a whole blog just about that and not cover the subject!

Well, I think that's it. But I'm sure to be wrong and leave out something very important like making sure we have our passports as we rush off to the airport at the last minute! Going to put our passports in my suitcase right now!

Another catch up post

It's been at least a month and I haven't posted. A few of my readers (and there are only a few to begin with) have asked me to update this blog. So here I go.

I happen to have a few days off this week due to working a 24 hour shift on Sunday. That entitles me to Mon, Tues, and Fri off. I asked a co-worker if he was interested in picking up an extra shift this week so now I have Thursday off as well...score! The point being that I better have time to update this blog (this week if ever) or I will never do it!

My morning has been spent in my pjs watching tv (even though my laundry remains unfolded next to the bed), eating berry muffins (even though the dishes remain unwashed in the sink), and catching up on the Bachelorette blogs that I follow (even though I have phone calls to make). So there, responsibilities!

Anywhoo, what has occurred of interest since I last wrote??? Well, our oldest turned 28 last month. I am not too distressed over it since it's not one of those milestone things like the kids turning 30. He said something funny on his birthday. He said he felt like he was turning 30 this year! I had to laugh because it's just like him to be ahead of himself like that. He has always thought years down the road to this or that goal. Maybe he meant that he was so stressed out that he felt older than he should, but I like to think that he meant that when he's 30, he'll handle it like it's no big deal...just another birthday...which it is...age is just a number and you're still my baby, Jasper so don't you forget it!

Chelsie also had a birthday last month, she's 26...smack in the middle of her twenties. She went floating down the river the other day with some friends. I talked to her before she went and told her to wear sunscreen...I'm such a mom. Anyway, she assured me that she always wears it but that she wanted "a little color" on her arms! I proceeded to lecture her on the dangers of sun exposure and that if I were in my twenties again, I would wear sunscreen all the time!!! But you know what, I probably wouldn't...I would feel like I had enough wiggle room to have "a little color" on my arms and legs without endangering my life. Ah youth!

We are looking forward to the wedding and making preparations. Polina and I went to the paper store yesterday to look for invitation supplies. I showed her what Chelsie and Michael had done just as a starting point for our search and she said, "Oh that's cool, we'll just do the same thing". I was expecting maybe a few hours of looking and not really settling on anything but she was so easy! We were in and out within an hour with all the supplies! Bridezilla she ain't!

A little accident occurred in our family over the fourth of July to Chelsie. She got some bad burns on her legs from an errant firework that landed in her lap! She spent the next two and a half weeks with bandages and ointments, wearing skirts instead of shorts...extremely painful with multiple blisters...work was almost impossible but she couldn't take time off. Michael spent the same two and a half weeks taking care of everything in the house and her. They were the kind of burns that you really had to watch but there wasn't much to be done except keep them clean and bandaged.

They are all but healed now and Chelsie said she will never again sit and watch fireworks in a neighborhood without something like a car separating her from the fireworks...so let that be a lesson to anyone within the reach of this blog...be careful! She also said that she really appreciates just being healthy and able to move without pain. Watching her struggle with this was so hard...especially being a nurse and not really being able to help or make the pain go away. Burns are the worst!

Wow...Debbie-Downer right? Whaa-whaaaaa. Ok so something upbeat now...Kevin is a genius! He thought a lot about how hot it gets in our upstairs tv room in the summer and how to keep it cooler without running the AC all the time...so Ta Da...introducing the all new Kevin-roof-cooling-omatic! the concept is that if you sprinkle the roof in the heat of the day, the water will evaporate off and cool the roof.

That black thing you see sticking up is a sprinkler head like you would put in your lawn. Kevin rigged up some pipe to carry the water to the roof (this view is from the back yard). You can't even see the sprinkler from the front of the house but you can see the water coming down. It is working quite well. We hardly ever run the AC and it's keeping the upstairs room about 20 degrees colder than it would have been otherwise. So when we do go up there, we only have to use the AC for a short time to cool it the rest of the way.

This is the timer that he put in the house on one wall to control how often the sprinkler comes on. Cool eh? No pun intended.
Well, just remembered that Kevin and I are supposed to meet for lunch and here I am in my pjs! Gotta run!

aaaaand.....cabin trip time once again!

We went up to the cabin over memorial weekend with the kids. It was an exciting trip because we were finally going to put some real furniture in our main room! We found these couches that are micro-suede that look like real distressed leather but without the cold feel of leather. The cabin is cold enough as it is and we wanted something warm.

As you can see from the picture, Mafia loves these couches...he wants to marry them!

Anywho...we stuffed them into a U-haul trailer to bring them up. Yes, I'm gearing up for a trailer nightmare story. On the way, one of the couches blew off the trailer! And I mean, we had them WEDGED in tight...but no straps. Let that be a lesson. No matter how heavy and secure you think your truck load is, it ain't.

Well, so Kevin backed the truck up on the side of I84 with trucks and traffic whizzing past to where our couch was...just sitting there on the side of the freeway (well off the road thank goodness). No, I didn't take any pictures...sorry. We are lucky it didn't go through someone's windshield and that it wasn't smashed to bits. Just a little rip on one corner and a missing foot. The thing that kept going through my mind was that one of us was going to die there on the side of the road...just scarier than hell.


On a lighter note, Kevin caught this fish and we ate it. He usually doesn't keep any fish he catches but he kept this one for Polina who wanted to try it. It was super good...lots of little bones though. Which brings me to a story that is famous in our family. Poor Chelsie will forever be traumatized by a cabin trip long ago (I think she was 14) where Kevin convinced her to try some trout that he had caught...telling her how tasty it was. Her first bite, she got a fish bone stuck in her tonsil and we couldn't get it out. We tried peanut butter on toast, etc. It was stuck! Ended up taking her down to Rexburg ER to have it taken out at the hospital there. So needless to say, Chelsie didn't have any of this fish.

Here's Chelsie and Polina "excercising"...Polina called this one the dead bug...you can't tell from the picture but they are wiggling their arms and legs vigorously. They said they were sore the next day. It's some kind of pilates move or something. You can see more of the couch in the background.

Here's Michael getting ready to run. He had to get pretty covered up because it was COLD! We did stay indoors most of the time since it snowed off and on and was just mainly miserable outside. That's the kitchen in the background...new tile countertop with the edging. That was our latest project. Jasper and Polina and I went into Yellowstone Park on Saturday...found a rock...had to take pictures on it.

Old Faithful going off...very impressive sight and this picture does not do it justice.

Big ole beast...laying very close to the road...we got to get up close because we were standing on a bridge overlooking where this animal was. We saw lots of bison and some with little calves that were only a few weeks old. Saw some elk...no babies yet.

And extremely hot smelly water! The color in this pool is totally unreal..again, the picture is inadequate but I thought it was worth a shot to post it. It was boiling hot.

We had a lot of fun on this trip and hope to spend more time outside on the next one.

Polina graduates!

Here's Polina the day she graduated with her Masters degree in Neurobiology! ( a few weeks ago...I'm way behind on my posts)

We are so proud of her! She has worked very hard for this day (and in a second language, no less). She hopes to get into Physician Assistant school to start Fall of '11. There's a program here in Boise.

Anatomy of a prom dress

I recently completed a prom dress for my niece Macey. I thought I'd show it off since it is probably one of the last big dresses I'll ever make...unless one of my future grand kids wants a prom dress...and I'm not too old to sew it by then...and they are a girl.

I used to do this all the time for Chelsie, not only dresses for dances but plays she was in and costumes for various occasions. So I thought this would be a breeze. It actually turned out to be a little bit of a challenge but I think I pulled it off...judging from the smile on Macey's face when she tried on the finished dress.

The bodice was the hardest part, interestingly enough, because of the curves seams in the front. It took me hours to get it right. And I had to make the sleeves from a different pattern since this pattern didn't have sleeves.

The cat was my constant companion whether I wanted him or not...one look at that tulle and he would NOT leave me alone! The thread going through the machine was another fascination. I did end up shutting him up in another room occasionally and he would meow and meow until I let him out.The skirt was three separate layers of tulle with the top layer covered in glitter and a base layer of the purple fabric. The glitter was a fun little side benefit of sewing this dress. Glitter everywhere! Notice my machine...a 1950's vintage Bernina...all metal parts...sews like a champ. Kevin gave me this our first Christmas together in 1982 and it was 30 years old back then! I love this machine.Here is the completed dress from the back...lace up back with a tie around sash.Throw it on a cute teenager and you have the finished product! She was especially excited for prom since she is going with a new crush and they are totally gaga over each other.

Here she is with the front view...yes, glitter on the furniture but that's ok...a small price to pay for a happy niece.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was so fun. My family took me to a nice restaurant for brunch, Cottonwood Grill. We go there quite a bit when we are celebrating something.

Chelsie and Michael brought these beautiful potted flowers right into the restaurant to decorate the table and it was perfect. Chelsie made these out of ordinary clay pots and some craft paint and do-dads that she got at a craft store...I was beyond impressed and I think she should make them and sell them! If you click on the picture it will enlarge enough for you to see the detail...super cute. I have them on the front porch now.

Jasper and Polina went to my favorite clothing store and picked out a top that I had looked at before but didn't get...they didn't even know that I had seen this and wanted it. So they are really in tune to what I like. It has rows of bead work around the neck and it's made out of super soft fabric. I will definitely be taking this to Greece with me! What a nice surprise. Later, Kevin and I went out to see his mom and give her a present. Kevin got her a printer for her computer since hers broke. So we ate chinese food and messed around on the computer with her. It was a very nice way to spend the evening.

I called my mom in the afternoon and talked with her for a while. She was having a good mother's day too but I wish that I could have been with her. It seems like I don't see her enough...and that's because I don't! I am working on a plan to bring her home with us on our way back from one of our many cabin trips this summer for a few weeks. We can just hang out here and go to parks, etc. It's so beautiful in Boise in the summer when it's not too hot.

Well, that's it. I'm supposed to be cleaning...have a bunch of co-worker gals coming over to my house tomorrow for bookclub and I haven't even started...oh, I take that back...gave Mocha a bath. Most important thing because she was hideous and now she's fluffy.

Catch up post

Been working and just living life I guess...weather kind of crappy...nothing to do outside. I did manage to put a few poor little flowers in the ground...pansies. But I'm afraid they are doomed. They looked so pretty too. But it's been very wet and cold...some freezing rain. Not a very promising start for the sad little things.Potted some flowers too. They are on the "back porch" such as it is. I've been after Kevin to build me an outdoor living space...with screen walls so that the flying stinging horrible devil insects can't get to me. I want to be able to have my coffee out there on a summer morning. is that too much to ask? But for now, I have to settle for a couple of potted planters.Ok, here's something I tried this past week, dog grooming. The poor thing looks like I went after her with an egg beater. I had purchased a new set of clippers hoping to be able to duplicate what the groomers do so easily. Well, needless to say, Mocha looks like a rag-a-muffin homeless dog. I mean, she's still cute...you can't cut the cute off of her no matter what. But I did return the clippers. My problem is that I don't want to pay for professional grade clippers ($200.00 on up). So I know I'm never going to achieve what they can in the shop. Oh, and Mocha has a bit of grass on her lip...just goes to show you what a bad hair cut will do to self esteem...she doesn't even care that she has grass on her face. She figures she can't get any worse looking so why bother?

The fireplace project hit a lull but is back! We tiled in front of it and now just have to put the carpet back. It looks awesome!

The other thing that's been keeping us busy is trying to book reservations for our Russia trip and the stop over in Greece...yes I said Greece! Check out this web site. http://www.agistrihotels.com/index.html It's where we are staying while in Greece. We will be on an out-of-the-way little island near enough to Athens to get to the airport/island easily but not near enough to be caught up in the rioting of a collapsing society! So it's perfect! We are very excited. Now we have to find a hotel in St Petersburg that is at once affordable and fairly nice.

Well, that's it for now.

More Hawaii

We've had a great week full of fishing for Kevin and just plain ol relaxing for me. This rainbow showed up the other morning so I thought I'd share!

I had an interesting experience one morning...I decided to set up my paints outside on the covered patio. Well, it's amazing how total strangers think they can talk to you and comment on your work...stand and watch you, take pictures of you, etc. I must have talked to 20 people as they passed...asking me where I'm from, how long I've been painting... this one lady even sat and drew a sketch of me painting! Then she took my picture. So I had her take one of me with my phone for this blog.

I wouldn't normally publish such a poor shot of me...eyes closed...but I promised Laura (friend from school) a picture of me painting in Hawaii so here it is! The painting is crrrap (roll the R)...but it was really fun. Today, kevin and I are visiting a really pretty resort and I plan to paint while he...guess what?! Fishes!

Here's our condo...modest but comfortable...Chelsie wanted pics. Actually it's in a really good location. Last night we went just down the beach a hotel away and sat on the sand with about 200-300 other people and watched a fireworks display over the ocean...really cool show all for free. So fun.

Tiny little tv but still managed to enjoy our shows...American Idol, House, etc...I got to see the finale of The Bachelor too...another disappointing season where the bachelor chooses exactly the WRONG girl...train wreck waiting to happen...can't help but watch.

The Kitchen is DINKY! But it's been great to have our own meals on our own time and the way we like them. We've eaten out a few times but mostly cooked our own stuff. I went to visit my grandmother and aunt yesterday on the North shore. It was great to see them again...Mama is 96 and looking good! She won't promise a 100th birthday so we can all throw her a party...even though I pressured her. She seems in good health and I enjoyed visiting with her and catching up. Lisa gave me all the links to the family blogs so I hope to keep up a little better with everyone going forward.

I may not post again until I get home since the internet service in this condo is scetchy at best...thought I'd lost this entry and it wouldn't let me send it...but later I checked and most of it had been saved. So anyway, i'm going to post this before the internet decides to quit again! See you soon!

Hawaii

Somewhere in the Pacific, an island gleams in the moonlight...here we are!

Finally after months of waiting (and a near miss from a tsunami) we are in Hawaii. We arrived last night under a full moon. It was so beautiful. Here is a picture off our balcony. The moon is just peeking out from behind some clouds. We are staying in a condo in Waikiki near a boat marina. Our condo is small but very clean and very comfortable. It reminds me more of a hotel room but with a small kitchen off to one side. The furnishings are newer and the colors are very modern but with a definite island feel.

We got up this morning and decided to jump right in to some activities. Kevin got all geared up for fly fishing (Kevin is covered from head to toe...sun protection and wind breaker because of the heavy wind this morning). I dropped him off in a neighborhood that has beach access between two houses...this little trail that you would never find if you didn't know right where it was.

He is carrying a plastic kitchen sink-looking thing to catch his line in when he "strips the reel"...a bunch of fishing lingo that most of us don't understand...regardless, Kevin is stalking the elusive bonefish and he's in heaven.

I, on the other hand, drove a little ways beyond where I dropped Kevin off and realized I was right near Hanauma bay so I went in. Boy, has it changed! I mean, the water and the bay and all that is still the same but they have closed off the entrance so that you have to pay a fee to enter ($7.50) and then you have to watch an instructional video that tells you to not feed the fish and not stand on the coral reef...lame. Oh yeah, and it tells you how to snorkle. You HAVE to watch the video or you can't enter the park. So I trudged along like all the other sheep and watched the freaking video...felt like I was in communist china the whole time...

But then...I got down to the beach and found a spot in the shade. Put down my little beach chair and took a deep breath to cleanse myself of all the stress of getting there. I then read my book under a palm tree...as you see in the picture, a lovely spot. it looks like evening in the picture but I think my phone just does weird things with the light when I'm facing into the sun. I had a really nice time...the wind did blow some sand in my hair and down my shirt...well, we won't go into that...but I enjoyed the time. I am thinking I might try to paint this scene with the oils I brought with me. We'll see. Well, that's it for now. Hopefully I can post again later in the week.

Wedding road trip

Yesterday, the whole "fam damily" got in a rented suburban and drove 4 1/2 hours to Kirk and Natasha's wedding (my sister's kid). It was a blast, actually. We made Chelsie and Michael sit in the far back because: 1, Michael had a cold and we didn't want him coughing all over us (actually I don't think he coughed even once); and 2, they are the shortest and the leg room back there was not optimal! They were very good sports about it all. They laughed and joked with each other and all of us despite their cramped quarters. 

Chelsie was the official cooler slave...fetching us sandwiches and water, etc. Jasper and Polina sat in the middle row and did math half the way. I'll explain...they are looking at buying a used Toyota four runner (sp?) and wanted to figure out if the 8 cylinder engine, which gets 2 miles less per gallon than the six cylinder one but costs 3,000 dollars less up front would make financial sense, given that the six cylinder engine dollar amount per mile of travel given a certain gas price would pay them back for the $3,000 extra. (I didn't really understand but I played along as if I did...just smiled and nodded as they computed their brains out). I think at one point, they had smoke coming out their ears...we made lots of fun of them, especially Jasper. I believe they decided that at $3.00/gallon, the six cylinder engine would have to be driven 150,000 miles to pay back the additional 3,000 up front cost... I was impressed anyway. 

 We all talked about the up coming trip to Russia and all that goes into planning an itinerary that works for all of us. It's amazingly complex and I am just now getting my brain wrapped around the whole process of getting a passport, our travel visas, the hotel, the flights, etc. To make matters even more challenging, Chelsie and Michael want to stop over somewhere (France) for a few days on their way to Russia and Kevin and I want to stop over for about 6 days somewhere else (Greece maybe) before we arrive in St Petersburg. So the idea is that we will consult a travel company that specializes in travel to Russia. It's such a habit now a days to book everything ourselves online...we've been doing it for years and years. A million years ago, we used to use a travel agent for everything! But I have tried to look at a few thing myself online and it's nearly impossible to navigate what we want to do. I've never been to Europe and the whole multiple cities thing is throwing me off big time. Polina and Jasper and are going to help us of course. 

 Once we got to the wedding, we were able to visit with all of Annette and Garry's kids (except for Garrett who was serving his two weeks training in the guard that weekend) and see Kirk and Natasha's beautiful wedding. They looked so happy. My mom was there along with Bob and his new bride Loreen, whom I was so happy to meet. Annette did all the decorating and most of the food...did the photography and the flowers...amazing! She pulled it off without breaking a sweat. You should have seen the flowers! Red roses with pearls in the center and black feathers around the outside of the bouquets, very original. Annette had spent weeks making lasagnas and freezing them. She made the lasagna noodles too...no store bought noodles...very delicious. Her friend handled the salads and bread sticks. All in all, a very nice event. We stayed a little while but had to drive back to Boise that night so we all piled back in the suburban and Jasper drove us home. No math on the way home though...just music and snoring to be heard throughout the car. It's rare that we can all get together to do anything for a few hours...this was a great opportunity to just be together and enjoy each other.