Blooming Clematis

When I got back from WV I noticed that the clematis was in full bloom hiding behind the trailer. 

NO TREASURE FOUND BEHIND LITTLE DOOR

I have been wondering what was behind this little door.  So I opened it.  Part of me really hoped to find and old diary, love letter, or other little treasure  hidden behind the door.   Instead I found a pile of dust.   Wouldn't it be fun to write a story about something you found behind this little door?  Maybe  I will pitch it to Carson.

What the hell have I done?

All I wanted to do was paint my bedroom.....Now this.....  We tore out the plastic Pergo-like flooring and found some fir underneath.  Overall, it is in pretty decent condition.  Now we have to live with it until we can save some money to refinish it.    That is on the bottom of the list at the moment.  I also am going to go ahead and finish painting the upstairs.  We only have the playroom and the hallway left so I may as well do it now.  I want to reglaze the bathtub, get a new front door,  and build a deck with a hot tub.  
Pauly came over to help us pull the flooring.  Now he has taken about 1500 sq. feet of the awful stuff to put in his house!  He didn't sign up to be our son's male role model and it's a good thing because he could be my long lost goofy twin.  Here he is getting stuck between our bed and the wall.   Sam loves Paul and when we aren't doing a house project asks when he will be coming back.  They are good buds and find humor in the same kind of jokes and bodily noises.

Inside my bedroom..

When we first moved into this house everything was yellow and tan-yellow.  It was like the previous owners bought a paint sprayer and painted most of the house tan or yellow and then mixed those two colors and painted the rest.
We exhausted ourselves and our wallet renovating the main floor.  (Actually, we didn't do any of the  work ourselves, but...).   Now I feel like the upstairs is in need of some attention.  So room by room we are painting and fixing and replacing.  The guest room is done!  However, guests will still be sleeping on an Aerobed since we wanted to still use it as an office for the 45 weeks of the year that no one is visiting.  The room will also convert easily to accommodate a Japanese Intern or exchange student in the near/distant future.
Now we are on to my bedroom.  I designed the whole room around my awesome Jesus and Mary pictures.  I know, kind of odd for a non believer to have HUGE Jesus and Mary pictures on a mantle in her bedroom, but they are so intriguing.   (Thanks for impulse buying them for me, Mom).  I also got an amazing tapestry made by women in Pakistan  from  old Saris to hang on the wall.
I will post pictures this weekend.

Carson helps.

Poor Sharon doesn't know that I also plan to make her paint the hallway upstairs this weekend too.   Pauly is coming sometime to take all the awful Pergo upstairs (which is also a variation of tan yellow).  I am hoping the hardwood underneath is in decent condition.

The Dody animals.....photos by Carson

Another beautiful day in Portland.

I am grabbing them up while I can, cause I know that the rain will soon return. I am also thankful that Carson will gladly stop playing with her friends to go for a hike with her family. The weather and the scenery were very Denver-like this weekend. Except I don't remember any blooming trees in Denver in Feb.

February Thaw.

This picture is extremely offensive if you are living on the east coast right now and your children have had two weeks of snow days.......
These are the flowers outside of Richmond Elementary.
The Pacific Northwest rain payoff = spring like weather and bloomers in February. We visited Portland during the February Thaw a few years ago and didn't believe that it rained all winter.....We were fooled.

Today Sam and I were out all day. We picked up Carson on the bus and walked home from school today. Everyone was happy for this day.

from now on, i will only shop at Cargo

I am in love with Cargo. This super coolio store in the Pearl is full of world treasures. Today I got a paper mache mask (I could have bought all of them), an old cigarette advertising poster from China, and what I thought was an Oni (Japanese monster) for Carson. It turns out that it was a Daruma, which is a small red wooden doll that you make a wish upon. When you make your wish, you color in one eye and when it comes true, you can color in the other one. Carson said, "mom, that is no Oni silly, it's a Daruma"! As if I would and could possibly know the difference.
Here are some paper mache masks. I got the girly one.

Sam and Grampa at OMSI

Who had the most fun? It was close. We spent the day keeping gma and gpa company while their house is in destruction mode for a remodel. I can't wait to see it. We went to breakfast, window shopping, and OMSI. I am thankful for the days I spend with Sam. I can't believe (or can't wait) for him to start Kindergarten.

The 4 year old sleepover.

What to do with two four-year-olds? Why take them to the cemetery, of course. Then they can talk about dead people and zombie ghosts while I look for moss and terrarium stuff.
OK, let me explain. The other day I went shopping with D&N and we saw some awesome terrariums for about 190$. So I figured I could make one for 10$. I found this awesome glass bowl in a teak wooden holder for 7.99$ at the goodwill on Friday and bought some potting soil for 3.00$. So, I took the kids to the cemetery and we scooped moss off of the walls and rocks. We had one rule.....do not scrape moss off of the headstones or you will have 100 years of bad luck.

Friends or Enemies?

You decide.

Will you be there Kristen?

TGHP continues

Last week Carson spun the wheel and won the jackpot; a sleepover. So, Simone is here for the evening and the girls have planned 4 movies to watch. Do they know that is 8+ hours of sitting in front of a screen? I doubt it will happen. Oh, and also....They will be staying up ALL night long. HA!
The homework project continues to work and the secret is this......

All the prizes are stuff she would get or be allowed to do before. She had sleepovers, built forts, bought stickers, and picked out candy/ice cream before!!!

It's all in the details and the wording.

Everybody has their own addiction.

Lately I have been feeling the need for another tattoo. Sharon would kill me if I defaced my body anymore, but.... a girl can dream right? I think it may have something to do with the gray days of Portland when I crave a little sunshine or color in my life. Sometimes I forget about Frida and her monkey adorning my body and I get a glimpse of it in a mirror or window and get so excited that it is actually there. So, I am not going to get another tattoo.....yet.

I quit!

This is NOT caramel icing.

Couch shopping

I got home from a couch shopping outing with Don and Norma and downloaded my photos. This may just be my favorite picture of them EVER. It seemed to capture the moment well. We found some neat couches at Portico and this one jumped out at all of us.

Portland children mid-winter.

The first sunny day in a LONG time. Here is how the Pacific Northwest child responds.

Sam's new do

Sam FINALLY agreed to let me put styling juice in his hair after yesterdays haircut. Look at that pointy little chin! He must get it from Sharon.

Gabby

the puppet show

We had a crazy weekend of playdates and sleepovers. The girls (Carson and Siri) put on a puppet show for the boys (Sam, Manu, and Sten). I didn't think it could possibly last long, but the boys were hooked. I love a house full of kids.

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift."

The Great Homework Project!

My new favorite things to do.

Hot Mama Yoga at a wonderful NE Portland Yoga studio and then an hour of naked sauna and soaking at Common Grounds Wellness Center.

Heaven!

You know I would have posted pictures, but cameras not allowed!

I cannot wear your skinny jeans.

Have you ever been to American Apparel? Well, if you haven't then let me tell you that these people are hip. The employees are about 97 pounds and are just plain "too cool for school". I wear an XL in their clothes and that is pushing it. The clothes are made for adults shaped like Carson. That being said, I went there 1/2 hour before they closed on NYE and bought a t-shirt dress and awesome purple tights. Of course I knew I wouldn't wear it, but couldn't really leave with nothing and prove I am an old chubby mom. So, today I returned it and sam and I got leg warmers instead. Now, we can be hip and cool just like those people in their skinny jeans AND be warm and cozy.

The blackbottoms. Yum.

Dark chocolate cupcakes with sugary cream cheesey tops. They have big dark ghirardelli chocolate chips in them too. Delish. My aunt used to make little ones when I was little and I loved them. Since she doesn't really like me anymore (ahem), I thought I would find my own recipe and gosh, I think these are better.
Black bottom recipe here.

The first homework reward from TGHP

We are hoping our new "reward system" will make our life easier. The Great Homework Project (TGHP) is in full swing. So far, so good. We implemented this just 2 days ago and Carson has done 10 pages of the dreaded homework she had over her holiday break. She gets one token for each page of homework done with no whining/crying/screaming or the like. Once she gets 10 tokens, she can turn them in for a spin of the bingo basket (3$ at Goodwill). Each ball has a number with a corresponding reward. Rewards range from choosing dinner that night all the way up to a sleepover with a friend. You just never know what your prize may be.
Her first spin of the bingo basket gave her lucky number 20. Build a giant fort. So she got a big fort in the living room with electricity wired in for a movie on the travel DVD player. Mama Share even made homemade popcorn.
I have been reading about parents who don't think they should reward children for their work. I ask you this... How long would you go to work if they weren't paying you something?
This is a payoff for all. No homework tantrums. Moms are now watching football while the kids watch a movie quietly in the fort. AHHHH!!