Just Curious....

A year back Steve took down this bird house because an animal had tried to claw its way into the nest. I had forgotten about the bird house until last week when it caught my eye.

I went to pick it up and to my surprise I could see two small eggs inside.



The other day, I went out and picked up the bird house and brought it to the upper deck. It didn't take me long to get the latch undone. The trickier part was to get the door open without crushing the eggs.

After taking some time Steve and I were able to get the eggs out; to our surprise they were in really good shape. We do a lot of backyard bird watching, but we have no idea about their eggs. Nevertheless, it was fun to dig out the nest and eggs and take a peek at their handiwork.



Isn't it amazing how these little creatures build their nest? This was a fairly large nest and quite compact. Every twig, feather, piece of plastic, and dried grass was knitted together perfectly.

And as you can see Levi was there to check everything out too! The birdhouse has been cleaned and we hope to get the opening plated and the house hung up by springtime. Just in time for another family to move in.

Spiders Everywhere: Indoor and Outdoor

Over the last five years I have come to notice a ritual that takes place in my family room every August. Almost every evening, without fail, I will see a very black, eight-legged spider move quickly across the family room floor.

I always thought spiders came out in October due to the colder weather but that is not true,but a myth.

I decided to Google why spiders appear in late August/early summer and to my surprise Washington.edu had a blog about common myths.

Truly it is a myth that spiders come into your house when the temperatures drop. Most house spiders (indoor spiders) never go outside to live, while outdoor spider never come inside to live (and if they do, they will usually die). Isn't that reassuring.

So could I conclude that the very same species that crosses my family room floor every year lives in my house somewhere? So you might ask, why then do I only see them appear in the month of August? Well that is because they are wandering around looking for a mate. I was told a few years back that it was the male spider running from the female because she kills them after the mating season. As I see it, if they cross my path he's dead either way.

Meet The Neighborhood Cat ..... Socks

Meet Socks, truly the neighborhood cat. This little gal showed up in our backyard over the summer. It took us quite some time to figure out who she belonged to but in the meantime there were many of us (primarily my next door neighbor and myself who took to looking after her.

This morning, as I let Levi out to do his morning sniffing, we found Socks in the planter. This seems to be her choice of residency when she is left out all night long and needs a place to hunker down. I am not necessarily happy that she picked my planter, but what is the gal to do when her humans leave her out all night?



Immediately, Levi's sense of curiosity kicks in and he slowly approaches the cat. As many times as I have told Levi to leave her alone he always has to go and "check her out". And as we have found out,(as Levi has been swatted on the nose)she has some very sharp claws; so we tend to be very careful when we approach her. Don't we Levi?



This morning Levi caught her off guard and she was startled at first; but once she realized it was just Levi, and that he isn't much of a threat, she settled back down into her warm spot.



Socks is a beautiful cat and although you can't see her feet, you can probably guess how she got her name; all four of her paws are white. Occasionally, Steve slips up and calls her "Boots" and the neighbor renamed her "Jesse", since she seems to respond and like that name better, as the story is told.

Socks is pretty much welcomed around for the most part, but I do get a bit disturbed when she swats at my dog and tries to eat my birds.

One morning I came around the corner just in time to see her catch a bird. I grabbed Levi and tucked him under my arm and down the stairs we flew. I screamed, "let go of that bird, you are not eating him on my watch". All I could see was a spread of feathers coming out of her mouth. I sicked Levi on her and she dropped that bird and ran. Thankfully, the bird was still alive and Levi thought it was all a game.

Unfortunately, Levi and I can not guard the birds 24/7 and we have found the remains of one or two since she's been around. I can say on Socks behalf, that she is super quick and I suppose if you had to fend for yourself most of the time, you would have to learn to survive.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this story about our exceptionally friendly neighborhood cat...Socks.

God's Canvas

Truly the sky is God's canvas. I never get bored with the beautiful sunrises, the colorful sunsets, the marine layers that infiltrate our evenings throughout the year, the double rainbows and the sound of the waves crashing onto shore. God has given us such a beautiful place to live. Thank you Lord.

Steve and his Dad

I can't believe I let this picture slip by. This picture of Steve and his Dad was snapped Memorial Day Weekend at church. I don't get to see Steve in his uniform much anymore since he retired in 2003. It is only on special holidays throughout the year that he will shave his face and appear in uniform. Thank you honey and thank you dad for serving our God and our Country and its citizens Love you guys!

Backyard Visitor

The other afternoon Steve and I caught sight of a Stellar Blue Jay in our backyard. He would take turns gathering seed on the back deck to flying over to the bird bath to get a drink. The last time we saw a blue jay in our yard was this time five years ago. I hear they can be a mean bird, but he sure is pretty.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Well after one year of waiting, due to Steve's schedule or the weather, Steve was finally able to use his 45th Birthday present - A gift certificate from PilotJourney.com (see old blog post from August 2009). After locating an airport that would accept Steve's Discovery Flight Certificate we scheduled his demo flight. Thank you Regal Air at Paine Field!



The guy on the right is the pilot (the guy on the left fueled the plane). When I first saw Mike's picture I was very concerned about how old he was (which would indicate how much experience he has) since he looked so young. I had no bones about asking him how old he was either after I met him. Thankfully, he is in his late twenties and has been a flight instructor over four years. Okay, so that made me feel a little better and a lot older! Steve actually got to take off, but not land. The plane was a Cesna 152, two-seater only.



After we were finished at the airport, Steve and I decided to take the ferry home since there was a major back up on I-5 due to an accident. So on our way home we stopped at Ivar's.



I have never eaten there, but had heard their food was great! So we took a stab at it and Steve ordered clamp strips and chips with clam chowder on the side and I ordered salmon and chips. Although the meals were fried, they were yummy!!


While we were waiting on our food, I was able to take a picture of the sound. The wind was blowing so the water was a bit choppy.


Overall, Steve, Levi and I had a great afternoon. The ride was nice, the weather was perfect, the food was good and the time together unforgettable. It really was nice just to get away for a few hours.

Until next time...

Frozen Mocha Torte

This past Sunday, our church held a Men's Dessert Contest after the evening service. There were nineteen fantastic looking entries.

My husband signed up and after looking through every cookbook we owned, he decided on the Frozen Mocha Torte. There was one main rule to the contest and simply stated: The "man" could not get any assistance from a/the "woman"; therefore, this creation was all up to Steve and his ability to follow the recipe.

Steve was in the kitchen for two hours working his magic and occasionally, to my delight, he would seek me out and let me taste his concoction.

Lets pause here for a moment and picture with me a mama who is proud of her child for accomplishing a special project? Oh how she would beam! Well, I must say that was me, the wife beaming over her husband's triumph. When Steve removed the spring-form pan from around his torte, I couldn't have been prouder. It all stayed in place!

Later that evening, after the competition, we got to partake. Not only did Steve's torte look great, but it also tasted a-m-a-z-i-n-g-l-y yummy! I am sad to say that his dessert did not take 1st, 2nd or 3rd place; but in my book, he gets the trophy!

Great job honey! Looks like you will be making more desserts in your future :)

It's raining, it's pouring and I'm not snoring...yet that is

Here it is the last day of August and what does it bring in? Rain and lots of it : very much a sign that summer is on its way out and fall is coming.

Don't get me wrong, I love fall and all the colors it brings, I just don't like the rain, overcast and cloudy skies and the lack of daylight that comes with it. My body seems to instantly begin its "hibernation" mode which will only get worse as winter comes on.

The month of August flew by quickly like every other month, it seems. I am making progress in my job...I actually like to get up and go to work now, since I have passed the "learning curve". I still have lots to pick up on, but I can get through the basic daily tasks without to much trouble. I just Praise God for all those who have been praying for me, your prayers are working! And for Kali who graciously answered all my "S.O.S. emails". Thank you!

This month was especially surprising as we were able to see the Waldron gal's and the Majors over the last two weekends and some longtime friend. The Majors and the Waldron's (plus their two gals) moved over the mountains to start a church back in July. God has been blessing them with visitors and ministry opportunities, PTL! It was so good to see them!

The bigger surprise was when I got a call from Judy who has known me since my preteen years. Her and her husband Chuck took their 5th wheel and toured Canada, Alaska and parts of the West. On their way back from Alaska they came through our neck of the woods. It was so great to see them. We were able to spend two evenings together over dinner and catch up on all the years we have been separated. It truly was an amazing time.

My husband had his 46th Birthday this month and things are going well for him. He is settling down in his new job and is loving it! He has been in physical therapy for his arm now for a couple of weeks, and that in and of itself has been a great help in the recovery process. I'll have to admit, it is kind of gross to see his bicep laying over on its side. He thinks it is cool and likes to show me it and the big indention where his muscle use to be attached. Boys, ya just gotta love 'em. :)

Well that pretty much covers my August. Looking forward to September and all that it has to bring.

Life.....

Life has been so full and busy and there seems to be more to do than I have time for in a day. For a while now I haven't blogged on a consistent basis because not much was really happening. However, this hasn't been the case over the last couple of months.

In May I made a surprise visit to my folks in Florida. I was able to spend a week with them and I enjoyed their company very much. Besides my folks, the best highlight of the trip was the warmth and sunshine. I was outside everyday soaking up the vitamin D, which I terribly needed.

In June I changed employment. I left Kathi at RE/MAX (which was very hard to do) and went to work for BBC. Hats off to Kali for making this job look so easy. There are a lot of working parts and being older and slower, catching on is taking a little more time than I would like .

Our church also had Summer Camp during this month and the results were f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c! Many of the young people received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! The spirit of the campers and staff workers was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! My husband went as a counselor and in all the years he has been involved in camp he says, "he has never seen anything like this" PTL! The Spirit of God was moving!!

Now it is the last day of July and I sit here wondering what happened to the month (actually where has the year gone is more like it). Anyway, this month was full of more surprises.

My husband was promoted at his job and is now the Chair of the Electronics Department. He was a bit nervous about it, but has fit in well and is catching on fast. He absolutely loves his job! Although I don't see him as much I do love the fact that he is happy!

Just a little over a week ago, Steve and I sold our sofa set and delivered it to the new owner. Everything was going great until Steve ruptured his bicep. In past injuries Steve is usually partly responsible for being reckless, but in this case, it was just a freak accident with no recklessness involved. So we are now in the whole "recovery" stage, which will take about six weeks - along with physical therapy. In the past, when Steve would get injured I would get very upset at him, but this time has been different. I truly know that God is in control. I have handled this whole situation a lot better, and I am just Praising God for another victory, PTL!

Well, I think I have blahed, blahed, blahed enough for one posting. This should bring everything current.

Until next time......

My Herbs are Growing!

Check it out, check it out, calling all green thumbs....this is amazing. Here is my gift from Sandi that I received a couple weeks ago. I diligently planted the seeds according to the instructions and voila, they appeared.



So now the question is, which plant is what? I planted cilantro, basil and parsley and didn't mark them. I must of been having a "dah" moment. Oh well, I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Thanks again Sandi for a great gift. I hope I don't kill them before they mature. I'd love to use them in my recipes.

Northern Flicker Rescued

As most of you know I am a backyard bird watcher. This morning when I was getting ready for work, I noticed a Northern Flicker clinging to the bark of one of the trees. What was most unusual was the fact that she was all puffed up and looked like she was missing her head.

I watched her through out the morning and I found that she was acting quite strange. The next time I saw her she was sitting in the yard pecking at the ground. If any of you have ever watched Northern Flickers, you would recognize that this behavior is very odd.

Before I left for work I finally realized that the little bird had a broken left wing. I was concerned for her welfare and hoped that she would not be eaten by one of our neighborhood fat cats. Thankfully, on my way out the door, I happen to see her hobble up a tree.

This evening when I got home, there she was again sitting out in the backyard. After talking with Steve I decided to call and talk to Lydia who owns the Wild Bird store in town. Lydia advised us to call Best Friends Vet Hospital. Chris was very helpful and was able to dispatch a technician to our house within thirty minutes.

It didn't take long for the young lady to catch the bird and boy did that Northern Flicker scream when she picked her up.

I wish I could tell you that there will be a "happy ending" to this story, but that might not be the case with this creature. Birds bones are hollow and depending on where the break is on this birds wing will determine if the Vet can fix it or not. If they can repair the wing than she has a chance of survival, if not, then she is going to be a snack for one of the eagles they have nursed back to health. That was hard to hear.

The cycle of life, I know it exists but sometimes it is hard to digest. Would it have been better for her if I had just left her alone than to try to have her injury treated? I had no idea that if she couldn't be treated that she would end up as eagle bait. :(

The experience has been somewhat intense and quite interesting. I hope she makes it!

It's That Time of Year Again

I know this is not the best picture of a rainbow, but I just had to take it.

When the rain showers begin and the sun peaks its head through the clouds, 99% of the time, a rainbow can be spotted. Tonight I saw a double rainbow and then this one within a few miles of each other.

I can't help but think of the promise God made to mankind that he would never flood the earth again. God is so amazing and so good!

Thank You Sandi

Thank you Sandi for your prayers and gifts over the last month. This past month, Sandi was my secret prayer sister and I was hers and what a surprise to find that out during the revealing Monday night and the LBF.

Sandi gave me this balloon cactus and herb planter. I prepared the soil, sowed the seed and now I am just waiting to see if I have a green thumb. I will keep you posted on this project. Thanks again Sandi for the thoughtful gifts.

Republican Party Is Co. Convention

Have you ever been involved in a parties grassroots caucus and then convention? Well I am here to tell you what a laborious process. This past Saturday I headed over to the Island County Republican Convention. The task at hand was to vote on the 2010 Republican Platform and to hear from some of the candidates that will be running in the 2010 election.

Although the process is somewhat painstaking, it is important to see our younger generations (including mine) get involved in our country's politics even if it is just at the local level. I would venture to say that about 90% of the folks in attendance were at least 55 years of age or older. Here are some pics of Saturday's event.

This is a picture of Al, Alvera and myself. We represent the Swantown precinct. Al is our PCO and Alvera and I are delegates. All PCO's and delegates have voting rights.

Happy as larks - here sits Bro. Mike (a delegate) and Bro. Tim (PCO) - and members of Bible Baptist Church. Bro. Tim also led the opening prayer!

Bro. Glen (PCO), Steve's dad and a member of Bible Baptist Church. Glen was also voted in as a substitute delegate to represent our county at the State Convention in June.

Lastly, all decked out and ready to vote is Sis. Carolyn (delegate) and a member of Bible Baptist Church.

Also in attendance was Katie and Vicki (delegate). I took pictures of them, but they turned out to blurry to post.(Sorry ladies :()

This is the first time I have ever been involved in politics and I have stepped up to this challenge for two reasons: 1) Our Country and 2) Vicki. Are you going to stand by and watch your once "free" country turn to socialism before your very eyes? Are you going to continue to stand by and agree with the "change" we have been enduring over the last seventeen months? Will you do your part and get involved? This is our country my friends, and we need to stand up and do what is right. We need to continue to stand for God's Word and his ways and preserve our U.S. Constitution. Get involved now and help make a difference...don't wait until 2012.

Blown Away

Woke up this morning at 1:30am to a wind storm that was pounding a howling wind. After trying to fall back to sleep for many hours I gave up and got up. The wind has not died down at all and we are under a wind advisory until 6pm tonight.

Thankfully, we have not had to endure any power outages as wind gusts are expected to be as high as 35mph.

This picture of the Straits was taken this morning on my way to work. Check out the white caps and the leaning grass. The wind is so powerful that it absolutely takes your breath away. Lots of wind and cold temperatures, but at least the skies are blue and the sun is shining.

Soroptimist of Oak Harbor

Back in February I was invited to a Soroptimist event at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club. Soroptimist International is an international volunteer organization whose mission is to improve the lives of women and girls locally and globally. Soroptimist are women at their best working to assist other women to be their best.

When I had my store open, I met a lot of women in the community. I had no idea that many of them were SIOH members. I joined SIOH this past Friday and I am looking forward to working with these women in the near future. When I (plus twelve other women) were inducted into the organization we were given a yellow rose. A yellow rose indicate joy, gladness, friendship and "I Care". Very appropriate for this volunteer organization of women.

A New Backyard Visitor

Steve and I look forward to this time of year because this is the time that all the flowers begin to bloom and the birds return. This past month Steve and I were surprise to find a new backyard visitor.... a Varied Thrush. He is an absolutely beautiful marked bird. At first glance one might think they are looking at a Spotted Towhee, but the marking in the face is quite different. The Varied Thrush actually has a black mask over his eyes. Pretty awesome, huh?

A Pleasant Surprise

A pleasant surprise indeed. Last year I was given this beautiful plant from my secret prayer sister. To my surprise it came back this year, WOW! Thanks Alyssa for this lovely plant. :)

My New Ride

Well, I can't believe it has happened. For over a year now I have been in need of a newer car as my Impala was in bad shape. At the end of March God blessed us with a Nissan Altima. Praising God for his provision!

January: December SPS Revealed

I am sure many churches across the country have a special meeting for the ladies of their church either on a weekly or monthly basis. Our church holds a Ladies Bible Fellowship (LBF) once a month. I know in past posts I have mentioned on and off about different gifts I've received from my Secret Prayer Sister (SPS).

You might be wondering what is a Secret Prayer Sister? Is it a secret group of ladies? Is there some kind of initiation to get into the group? No, to both questions. This is how it works.

During the course of the evening the ladies can participate in the SPS exchange. A basket goes around the room and we drop in a form that has our name on it and any prayer requests or concerns we would like to have prayer for. There are three requirements if you decide to participate: 1) You must pray for the lady 2) you must contact her, without giving yourself away and 3)you must reveal yourself to her at the next LBF.

You can imagine my surprise when I received a place setting for four of silverware. Initially, I thought who would give their SPS silverware? As you might imagine, I found it to be an interesting choice for a gift. I mean, come on...it is not like I just got married.

But, this story gets even better....on Friday late afternoon, Vicki asked if I had heard from my SPS. I said, "Oh yes, I've heard from her. As a matter of fact, I got the most unusual gift." She proceeded to ask me all about it. I obliged and blah, blah, blahed all about how weird this gift was. I also told her that I had also received some delicious banana bread in a tray that looked much like the one I had received from another SPS some time ago.

After I left Publications I headed home and began to tell Steve about our conversation. It didn't take long for me to stop and get this gut wrenching feeling, that maybe, just maybe...my SPS was Vicki.

Saturday morning came and Steve and I headed over to church for a Memorial Service. (One of our members had passed away after battling cancer, and PTL, is now in the arms of her beloved Savior.) Once we got into the church building I found Vicki and we sat together. I leaned over to her and said, "You know, by chance, you are not my SPS are you?" She looked at me as casually as she could and said, "why, yes I am".

Are you with me? Do you feel the sinking feeling in my stomach? I turned a few shades red and then instantly apologized if I had offended her or come across less than thankful. Vicki, on the other hand, thought the whole thing was a hoot. I am so glad she has a sense of humor.

As always she is such a blessing to me (whether she is my SPS or not). Vicki has truly learned the skill of listening. When we were together over the holidays I had made a comment about how I didn't have enough silverware when it comes to hosting a larger group of people.

So the gist of this story is...if you get Vicki for a SPS, watch out...not only is she a good listener, but she can pull the wool over you eyes too!

Thanks for riding with me to the airport to pick up Carolyn, for the silverware (really :)), for the yummy banana bread and for the book I just received (I can't wait to read it). You truly know how to minister to a friend.

Closing the Doors

We are filled with many emotions as we move into the new year. After four and a half years of being in the Candy Bouquet business, Steve and I closed the doors of our store on December 31st. This decision did not come lightly and took much time and prayer.

With the economy the way it is and not knowing for sure "when" the economy will begin to recover, coupled with the fact that our contract was coming up for renewal in September 2010, we decided to take a step of faith and shut the doors early.

I say a step of faith because the decision left us with commitments we still needed to honour such as a monthly rent, franchise fees and other leasing fees.

Amazingly enough, I am here to tell you that God is still on the throne! Sometimes we make decisions we don't always understand, but know we are doing what we are suppose to be doing.

In the last two weeks, God has moved mountains. First of all, although the place we rent out has not been rented, we have seen four people show interest in the space (please pray that we can get the space rented by the end of this month). This is awesome because there has been a space for rent right next store that has been available to rent for over seven months. See God's hand working?

As far as the franchise fees go all I had to do was write the company and tell them I was closing my doors. Now, I don't have to pay the franchise fees! Yeah!

We also had a lease with Crystal Springs, which is a bottled-water company. Check this out scenario.

I called them last month to find out when my lease ended. They told me not until March 2011, 2011! So, I figured I would move the bottled-water unit to my house and use it there until the lease was up. Well, this past week, I called them to make the transfer.

This is how our conversation went while I was on the phone with the representative:

Me: "Is there any possible way I can get out of my lease?

Representative: "No, then she said, Well, the only way you can get out of the lease is if you pay a termination fee."

Me: "How much is the termination fee?",

Representative: "$100".

Me: "How much is my average monthly bill?"

Representative: "Between $20-$30". (Can you do the math?)

Me: "Cancel my service, I'll pay the termination fee."

Representative: (As she begins to put in the request, she states), "Oh, your termination fee is only $50".

Praise the Lord! Amen! God is so good.

Isn't it wonderful how the Lord orchestrates everything in our lives!

So you may be wondering what in the world I am going to do with myself. Don't worry, I already have my time divided up. I am working part-time for a RE Agent in the mornings and will be spending two to three days, in the afternoon, out in the print shop at church.

Steve is still spending much of his time working for ITT Tech in Everett and still tutoring students on the side.

Overall, we are so excited to see how the Lord is going to use us and what he has in store for us this year. Come on 2010!