Monday, June 22, 2009

Father's Day Weekend

Dustin and I cooked Sunday, baked ziti and his special cheese bread. Then he sliced up a pineapple and made a display so attractive that his brothers said he was the "g" word!
Nick and his baby girl relaxing. The pineapple display! That's all I could get as far as pictures go, couldn't get them all together. We missed Patti and her family, she was home recuperating from hernia surgery.
Sunday Barry and I took off for the day, I declared it his day. He choose to go to the observatory. It was beautiful up there over looking the LA area and out to the ocean. We watched a movie about the universe, it was really cool.
We tried to go to the Museum of Tolerance, but it was closed, of course! Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath! So we went to the Peterson Museum and looked at all of the old cars.
I totally remember the Helms Bakery Truck with its wooden drawers filled with donuts, pastries and cakes.
An old car from a movie, I forgot which one. Barry loved this museum!
We went to lunch at El Coyote for some Mexican food and then the grand finale...
WinCo for groceries.
Really fun day, we should take ourselves out more often!
Happy Father's Day!

The Night of the Raccoons

Friday night was crazy! None of us got any sleep. Raccoons were fighting/mating?? all around our house, slamming into windows, rolling on the roof. Jess couldn't even get out of her car, they were all around her. At one point I looked outside and Harley ran out and started to bark at the big raccoon and she chased him back into my house. She was at least 2 feet past my front door. I started screaming bloody murder and to my shock and surprise Barry continued to sleep! She ran out finally.
We were about to go to bed, when Jess took a look out and saw babies, so of course she came and got me to see them. We watched the momma trying to get the babies to climb back into the nest, which is inside my pillar by the front door. While we were watching, out charges a huge mean raccoon and all hell breaks loose! They start fighting and the babies scatter, one ran right into my house! The big ones ran off and so we decide to leave the front door open so the mom can call the baby out, we couldn't pick him up and didn't want to push him out when his mom was gone. So we sat in chairs and counters waiting, some with butcher knifes and 911 on speed dial. We waited and waited and in walks in another baby and goes right into Jessa's room. Now we have two babies in the house. Another if you count Barry who came out every 5-10 minutes, to flip his wiggy about us staying up all night (by then it was 6:30 or 7am) and us causing such a raucous!
By now I am worried that the mom is hurt, when I hear the fighting again! This time in a huge tree in the front yard of my neighbors. It was the mean one and a baby. The baby fell out of the tree and he kept tearing it up, I scared him away, but still no momma. So we finally call the Humane Society cause the baby was hurt and we had them inside. I didn't want to call because I thought they would be taken away. We'll the lady came and went to get them both which were now together in Jessica's room. She captured them and the noise was unbelievable, crazy coming from inside Jessa's room, they went round and round. One was sleeping under the pillow. So sweet. The officer was really nice and put them safely back on top of the pillar.
Anyway, I worried all Saturday that they didn't have a mom anymore, but she was there when I got home, her babies all snuggled in and her on top of the pillar, watching over them. I feel so lucky to have them here, even though they cause mayhem at times. They are so cute!

The little guy trying to look as big as he can. Trying to climb up to the top and then over and in. They live all the way down in the pillar.
Mom teaching them how to do it, she finally got impatient and drug one in by the neck!
They weren't scared of us at all, but they didn't like the dogs!
Aren't they so cute!
They didn't want to go in, so they would run back down and play some more. They should have listened to their mom, the mean guy came a few minutes later and it was helter skelter!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Then There is Jessa's Room and I Caved!

Jessa moved into Andy's old room after he moved out last year and never really settled in. And then it got out of control and more out of control...She couldn't even sleep in the room, she spent 5 months on the living room couch! You can see why...



And then I caved in and cleaned it while she was at work. I love to help her when she is working hard and comes home tired. I remember the way I felt when my mom would help me clean my room, I loved it. This room took a record number of hours to organize and countless loads of laundry, but it was worth it, I have now reclaimed my couch and can watch tv and even talk in my own living room while she sleeps soundly in her own comfy bed!

Check out the clean room!
We need to decorate still, she wants black and white french theme stuff.

You know what they say, "take a picture, it last longer!" O boy, how true it is!

When Dustin Cooks, He Does It Big!

Now that's a real Whooper!These burgers weighed in at 11oz plus each! They were so good! The middle was full of cheddar cheese and the meat mixed with cilantro, lime, and other secret ingredients, oh were they ever good! Heaven help us we are all going to have heart problems because they week before we had...
Homemade pastrami sandwiches!! Who does that?? Dustin does! He soaked the meat in a special brine for weeks, then smoked it in his new smoker, then steams it and finally slices it thin. Is your mouth watering yet? It was so good, the best ever. And just possibly the most expensive sandwiches ever made. Dustin says the more he makes the cheaper it will be since he already has all of the equipment. Go ahead then, make some more!
I love it when he comes for a visit, we eat so well!

My Bike Riders



Dustin and Heather bought some really nice bikes and a caboose for Kadence. They spent the night and rode to the donut shop the next morning, just like I used to do with Dustin. This time I followed them in my van! Kadence loves riding in style, all cozy with a blanket and a passie!

Friday, June 12, 2009

My Visit To Idaho

Here is a picture of Lynn in front of her new business. She and Bob opened another body shop in Meridian. I am so proud of them, both shops are so nice looking and professionally run. I know that their dream of having their own business would not have come true had they not moved to Idaho. It is the best decision they could have made for their family. The kids have good lives there too. I miss her terribly, I miss the kids too, but I know that she is where she should be.

I love my visits to her house. It's truly a vacation for me. They all make it such fun, so relaxing, and it's beautiful there. I am glad I have been able to make the trip as often as I have been, being able to keep in touch with all the kids is so important to me. Until next time, I love you all, especially you Lynn!

My Garden~Exploded!

I came home after a week at Lynn's and went to look at my garden and screamed, it had doubled in size. It was overwhelming. Andy wonders what kind of dirt we have! I am really enjoying my garden and we eat something from it every day. It's so much fun.
Barry made my prized pumpkin a scar face with the weed wacker! One way to get out of doing that job again! It's still living, not pretty, but living.
Harley never lets me out side without him helping me. He loves water and mud! Wood floors and Harley don't mix!

Barry wasn't sure when to pick the zuccini or cucumbers so he just focused on watering. I was just glad he did that. I can deal with some over grown produce. He did a good job and I appreciated him doing it for me.
Amazing how much it has grown in a couple of months. I have lots of green tomatoes of different varieties. I will be manning the canner all summer. Can't wait for that!
More tomotoes and squash

Memorial Day at Patti's House

We had a really nice day together, good food, good fun, and good friends (family)!
The guys manning the BBQ
Max
Kadence
Emma
Patti
Andy, he must have made a "corn hole"!
It is the most fun game.
Dustin and Brandon made it and we love playing!
Heather
My little spectators
Heather got Dustin a smoker and we had the most wonderful
smoked salmon and pastrami that he soaked in a brine for weeks!
Oh my, what a feast we had, ribs and steak too.
Randy and Matt playing, two teams play, blue and orange.
Surprisingly Barry is really good at it!
More spectators waiting their turns to play.
Brandon without Cheri, she had to work and we missed her.
A couple of my boys.
Close game, one orange, one blue = 0 score!
Nick and Ethan
Pool time
Some girls enjoying the pool too.