After 20 years....

Our graduating high school class had our reunion this past Friday evening and Saturday. We only attended Saturday's family picnic. We brought our camera but were having so much fun catching up with friends we haven't seen in 20 years that we forgot to take pictures!

Our senior class pictures make good name tags.

At least I got a picture of the cake!

2009 August Pack meeting

Pack meeting this month was a bittersweet one. We had two boys (brothers) move up to 11 year old scouts - the sad part cuz this means they are growing up....and two more boys came in! Which is very sweet. :) Michael's awards this month included a bicycle belt loop, bike rodeo segment and flag football segment, swimming belt loop and civic service segment from helping with the stake service project. We also received (the 2 of us) a new special 100 year anniversary patch to go around the world crest emblem.

Oh what do YOU do in the summertime?

I like to pick blackberries! The season is short so watching for them is essential! I like to make pies for the freezer and the leftover berries make really good crisp! If you bring the ice cream - I'll share! :)

The....most....wonder...ful...time....of the year....

Organizing canning equipment and taking inventory - it's one of my favorite things to do...

I rearranged the top shelf so both pressure canners up there, both water baths, dehydrator, juice and electric juicer as well.

I took stock of jars I already had filled and stocked up the shelves. And did some rearranging.

The white apple boxes on the left and ALL the boxes on the top shelf are empty jars! So many to fill! Yippee! All the bottom boxes are full of full jars.

This is in my inventory as of today:

Pears, Peaches, Cranberry Sauce, Applesauce, Apple Pie Filling, Blueberries, Zukeapple (fake pineapple), Pineapple Juice, Cherries, Chicken, Chicken Soup, Chicken Stock, Beef Stock, Venison Stew Meat, Ham, Ham Stock, Beets, Green Beans, Pickles, Relish, Cherry Jam, Peach Jelly, Tuna, Pork, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, Pinto Beans, Black Beans and White Beans.

I will be adding:

Dilly Beans, Carrots and Potatoes.

Let's go fly a kite...up to the highest height...

Friday at cub scouts we had a kite derby. They boys made their kites out of newspaper and brown paper bags. Some of them did better than others. Yesterday Russell helped Michael make a different kite out of a plastic garbage bag to see if it would fly any better.

Russell is adjusting the tail - not sure if it's too light or too heavy. Kite flying is a science experiment I am finding out! The boys loved it though.

Holding it for Michael while waiting for the perfect breeze. It came in spurts - which makes for a not so fun kite flying experience - but the anticipation of a wind coming keeps them at it.

It came! Michael is flying his kite! (Even though the thrill lasted for a few seconds - until the next wind came along!)

Donovan even made himself a kite from Michael's book. The wind isn't helping him much.

Let's go fly a kite...

Up to the highest height...

Let's go.....

Fly a kite!

Boot the crutches...

I have been "upgraded." To a boot. In this nice lovely hot weather we are having. At least my foot isn't broken. I have the boot for tendonitis and steroids for neuroma. I am so lucky!

Impaled by...

Crutches! Not really. Michael got a hold of my crutches this evening to see if he can use them. I will update about me later when I know what is going on. For now - the top of my right foot is killing me. It's been hurting for a couple weeks. It's swollen with a sharp stabbing pain and hurt so bad last night that I had Russell take me to the ER in the middle of the night. They took x-rays but nothing appears to be broken. I see the podiatrist on Tuesday. I was supposed to see her yesterday BUT we got to the dr. office and they said....

"We're sorry but we scheduled you with the wrong doctor. You will have to reschedule because the person you need to see isn't in today. At all."

I am really glad that wasn't the only reason we headed to Portland yesterday.

So for now I get to wear a "boot" so my foot can't bend. At all. And use crutches.

Introducing...

One of many zucchini faces! I would like you to meet zucchinipineapple. It's a very tasty way to put up all the yummy goodness from the garden. I think it tastes like pineapple. It can be used the same way regular canned pineapple is used. I now have 22 half pints of "pineapple!"

A gift from the garden...

I have lots of zinnias and lobelia to enjoy. So...I brought some inside! A gift from the garden to me. And I am sharing with you!

A good haul...

I went out early this morning to pick green beans in the garden. Well - I got a little bit more than just beans!
All this zucchini yielded 49 cups of shredded goodness to go in the freezer. There are several more zukes in the garden just growing away.
The cucumbers I stuck in the fridge. Under those were peas. Russell shelled them and those yielded over 2 cups - also for the freezer.

This huge tub is 2/3 full of green beans. I got 16 pints and 1 half pint today. It was a good haul.

A fair update again...

I worked at the fair today in the culinary department. I checked on my quilts and afghans right before my shift started. This is what I got...

My denim quilt got 1st place. From what I heard - the judges absolutely loved this quilt. Very cool!

This baby quilt got 3rd place.

The afghan I made Michael got 2nd place.

My ripple afghan - I didn't think would do anything but....

got 1st place as well! I can pick them up Saturday night after 9 p.m.

Fair update...

I got a phone call from someone we know telling me I should go to the fair tonight to see how we did. It's still free on Tuesday evening and most of the judging is finished. So I grabbed Russell and we went on a short "date" to the fair. This is what we found!

Nephi got a 1st place ribbon!

Michael got a 3rd place ribbon...

And a 1st place ribbon....

And a 1st place ribbon!

This is the picture Donovan did. He didn't get anything that we know of. There are special awards to still be handed out. He is hoping...

My strawberry freezer jam got a 1st place ribbon....

so did my raspberry freezer jam....

and my UNpickled beets got a 1st place ribbon as well....

My cranberry sauce received a 3rd place ribbon. I was very excited! I didn't think I would get so many awards.

The only place I didn't see was Textiles. The judges were still working in there. I will have to be patient and wait until Thursday when I do a shift at the fair!

School shopping...

School shopping. You know you like it. You know you do! :) Russell and I had been talking about ways to help the boys with budgeting money. We gave each of the 4 boys $150. We helped them go through the clothes they already had to see what was still decent for school.

Then we helped them write down what they needed. I am very proud to say they each did very well. We told them if there was any money left over - it would be their's to keep and do with what they liked. They made sure to have new shoes, socks, underwear, some needed extra shirts, sweatshirts and jeans. They all needed new belts. Nephi will need a new winter coat - so we are waiting for those to show up in the store and THEN go on sale. :)

Never pay for anything full price. That's my motto and I'm sticking to it.

2009 Tillamook County Fair Entries....

All the jars I entered.
Back row L-R...
Green beans, UNpickled beets, Raspberry freezer jam, Strawberry freezer jam and Peaches.
Front row L-R...
Tuna, Peach/Blueberry freezer jam, Rainier Cherry jam and Cranberry Sauce.

I had Russell hold up the quilts and afghans for me.


This one is upside down. Click to see it larger. It's my personal favorite.

The back of the above quilt.

Nephi's entry.

Michael's entry #1. Pirate Ship

Michael's entry #2 Sunflowers

Michael's entry #3. Robins

A baby quilt I machine stitched and machine quilted. I like to call it "Orange Sherbet."

The granny square afghan I made Michael is also going in the fair.

I also entered a ripple afghan but didn't get a picture. I will get one at the fair.

Donovan also entered a picture he drew entitled "Treebeard."

The scare of a lifetime...

Russell woke me up around 11:45 p.m. last night saying he needed my help. I figured someone in the ward called and we needed to go visit. That's happened before.

Nope.

This was for him. We had gone swimming today for cub scouts and Russell came with our other boys. He said when he was done his heart was fluttery and not keeping a steady rhythm. He said he was worried about it since he had felt dizzy and starting getting really sweaty. Off to the ER we went.

They hooked up wires all over him to monitor his heart beats. My were they high. As high as 209. They would flucuate up and down 20-30 numbers at a time.

They gave him a dose of Cardizem to see if it would help bring his heart rate down. Normal for him would be in the 70's or 80's. It wasn't working.

The dr. came in and said he has a condition known as Atrial Fibrillation and said a shock would help restore a normal rhythm again.

So the nurse proceeded to put shock pads on Russell. He had one right over his heart and another placed on his back.

Propofol (also known as milk of amnesia) was given with 2 doctors and another person standing by watching his vitals. As soon as the medication was administered Russell was out almost instantaneously. The doctor called his name just to make sure.

They then shocked him and immediately his heart rate came down to the mid 70's and stayed there. Which is good.

The whole procedure took maybe 2 minutes. Not long at all.

The dr. had Russell lay there for a long time afterwards making sure the heart rhythm stayed in the "normal" range. It did. Russell even had some orange juice to drink to see if it stayed down.

We got to come home around 2:30 this morning. Monday morning Russell needs to call St. Vincent's Cardiology department for an appointment.

Russell was very relieved when we went in and found something was wrong. He said this might explain a lot of things like the night sweats he would get and sometimes feeling lightheaded over the past couple years.