The Konrad Family

A Boy & His Dogs

2011-12-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Now that E is a crawling machine, Jake and Ben have become fun obstacle courses. They will both let E crawl all over, but after awhile, they retreat to the furniture. It's really cute to watch them together, and I'm glad that the furry children have adjusted to a new Captain in the house so well.

I'm Obsessed

2011-11-26T15:14:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to take Mary Collier's Momtography class and for good reason. I now actually know how to use my camera well enough that I feel comfortable taking it off the green box (auto mode). And now that I think about it, it was really quite silly to buy a camera and go straight to auto mode.

Now, I'm totally obsessed with taking pictures of Eric. I think I've taken 200 today alone. I'm supposed to review all the shots and then delete those that aren't so great, but I really have a hard time deleting any. He's just too cute.

So, every day I practice a little, and it's so fun! I ended up passing up on running two times this weekend to take pics of our adorable little guy instead. I'll probably wish I would have run at least once after Monday morning weigh-in, but hey, that's a whole day and a half from now - gives me plenty of time to get my eating back on track! ;/

We lovingly refer to E as our little octopus. He wants to get his tentacles on everything! And he's also starting to get a little spicey - watch out when things don't go his way. He must get that from Darin. He gets so serious and starts giving it to us which just makes us laugh and laugh. Poor kid - nothing like having people laugh at you when you're trying to kick some ass!

For now, these adorable little toes are used for chew toys and kicking around. They're great for making huge splashes in the bathtub. I'm certain that he's going to love to run and hike, and here's hoping that is the case. We've got a long list of all the 5ks he's going to run with us!

I've found that Jake can be a patient subject at night. He still won't look at the camera though - even when I meow. Maybe tonight I can get him to look with some left over turkey!

More Pics

2011-11-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Source: MKC Photography

7 Months!

2011-11-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

When we had these pics taken, E was just six months old, and now he's nearly 7. It's just amazing how fast seven months can fly by! These awesome shots are the work of Wenatchee Photographer extraordinaire: Mary Collier.

6 Months!

2011-10-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

Captain Konrad has officially reached the six month mark! He's eating baby food now; he loves squash and carrots, so much so that I fear his skin is going to have a permanent, lovely hint of orange look. We've tried green veggies, but they immediately get rejected as acceptable food. That's okay though - orange is a good color for this time of year. And - just maybe we can get him liking green foods in time to get his skin to a lovely hint 'o green for St. Patrick's day!

Every once in awhile, he'll even sleep in. Most of the time though, he's ready to go at 5:00 a.m. How did he know that I LOVE to be awake at 5:00 a.m.? Anyway - sleep is for sissies.

Toes are still the best to chew on. They're certainly formidable prey, so it really helps to size them up before launching an attack.

Playing with Ben is getting funner every day. Ben makes funny noises, he's super soft, and he just pretty much hangs out.

I think Jake's planning to takeover when Eric can run or at least walk fast enough to keep up. Now if Jake could just get Eric to unlatch the gate...

5 Months!

2011-09-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

E is five months old on Wednesday. He's the most adorable, cuddly, smart, funny, super baby ever - and he's started napping like a champ, too! HOORAY!!

What We've Been Up To...

2011-08-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of what we were up to during the last few weeks of my time off - a second trip to the Cabin, friends staying with us for a fun visit, and enjoying every minute with our little snuggle bunny. Here is Eric with his Great Aunt Marilyn. Marilyn is Grandma Konrad's twin sister.
Eric with Grandma Konrad and her sister Great Auntie Jean...
Proud pappa introducing E to Great Auntie Jean...
Eric and his cousin Jason Konrad. Rumor has it that Eric looks just like Jason when he was a baby. Can't wait to see Jason's baby pics! We just adore Jason; he has grown into a wonderful young man.
Gary, Michelle and Neal stayed with us recently. It was so fun to spend some time with them catching up. Next year, we'll be camping out I'm sure!
Darin feeding Eric some yummy mashed up bannana.

The kids hanging out, and they both appear to be fascinated by their feet! Thankfully they're both on the baby quilt - that keeps the drool/spit up/poop provided courtesy of Eric and the dog hair off the carpet. :)

Toes are the funnest to grab!
WHOA - a picture of Jake actually lying down. Every once in awhile, I can talk Jake into taking a break and hanging out with us. Ben's always happy to hang out, but Jake takes some coaxing.
Sooo cute; he just loves snuggly blankets. (Thanks for the tip, Nicke!!)
Catch ya later!

Cabin Trip

2011-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

We had a great time spending a week with family at the cabin. Not even the threat of our adorable, 3-month old precious little bundle of joy transforming into a screaming carseat banshee at some point during the eight hour drive could have kept us away. Luckily, Eric handled the drive very well. This is the trick - put in a baby songs CD and drive the whole way like you are running from the law. Works like a charm. (One caveat...now I can't get "The Ants Go Marching" out of my head. It's very catchy...the ants go marching one by one, the little one stops to suck this thumb....) This year's parade didn't disappoint - it was as wet and fun as ever. It's just total mayhem and crazy hilarious.
It's tradition and proper parade protocol to do the wave when cars pass by before the parade starts. I often wonder if the people driving by know about the parade. If they don't, do they think we're just spending the afternoon sitting alongside a random mountain road in Idaho doing the wave? I think it would be fun to happen upon a large group doing the wave at passersby. It's never happened to me though. Hmm...note for next year, drive by our group during the wave phase to see what it looks like. Once the parade started, Brad came up with the ingenious idea to hide behind a tree on the other side of the road, so he could catch water throwing paraders by surprise! Our group was so impressed with Brad's idea, that it sounds like next year we're going to split our group betwen the two sides. It's a whole new world of possibilities for our group now. We didn't see Nacho Libre this year, but we did see Elvis. Since Elvis wasn't carrying water, we waved and yelled "Happy 4th!" These suckers weren't so lucky. They had water - game on! This was a fun float. They were prepared with a trailer full of coolers and super soakers. They unloaded on the first part of our group (sorry Howie, Robin, Shane, Payton) and then when they were filling back up, they reached the second part of our group...Matt, Mitch, Mike, Darin, Shannon, Brad, Jordyn,...you get the picture; they got WET!It's absolutely hilarious both in sights and sounds; people laughing and then also screaming when getting doused with water, water balloons hitting the trailer, super soakers being unloaded...water flying everywhere up until the point that the float's out of reach. It ends up being quite the onslaught since the 'floats' are moving at super slow parade speed. They're definitely not running from the law.This guy was having a super fun time. I remember hearing him just laughing while he really got doused by our group. Can't wait for next year's trip!!

Eric Update

2011-07-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week, a few friends stopped by for a visit. It was super fun to catch up with them and chat over food and wine (and water, in my case)! To make it even more fun, Anne brought along her camera and we had an impromptu photo shoot with Eric. I think she captured some really fun images of him, and what he's up to at 3 months - chewing like crazy on that fist, looking around checking things out, and being held a lot.

Mi Familia

2011-06-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend having a great time with family that braved a long drive to meet the newest member of the family. Eric took the extra houseguests in stride and really enjoyed spending time with his Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandma. We had a super fun time, and we can't wait to see them again in just a couple of weeks!

Robin hanging out with Eric.

Brad and the butter bean.

Mom and the snuggle bunny.

Candy and Eric cuddling.

Matt getting ready for the birthday party.

Birthday party turned into party favor wars!

Temporary ceasefire

Payton, Eric and Shane shooting the breeze.

Mike taking orders from Captain.

Mitchie making cheesecake. Yummy!!

Jordyn and Eric chatting away.

Mitchie trying to calm Captain.

Friday Night Shananigans

2011-05-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

We spent Friday snuggling...

getting attacked by a land shark after bath time...

and then Darin & Eric chatted away about who knows what. Absolutely adorable!

Thank You Neeley!

2011-05-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Neeley made Eric this super cute rag quilt. It's the perfect thickness for play and tummy time on the floor, and it will even get thicker and snugglier as the back frays. Of course, I love all the animals on the fabric, and it matches the quilt that Nicke made Eric, too!

Thank you, Neeley!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Milk Coma

Butter Bean

Darin's Mini Me

Oh, noooo.....! He's a BSU fan!

Baby Pics

2011-04-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

An amazing local photographer - Mary Collier - took these incredible photos of Eric when he was a week old. I'm convinced that she's a baby whisperer, and I absolutely love the images she captured of our son. (You'll see Nicke's quilting handy work in some of the photos, too!)

Lucky Me!

2011-04-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed and grateful to have a wonderful and supportive hubby and an adorable, super cuddly, precious little baby boy. (A great family, two fun puppies, and the best friends come to mind, too!)
It's so fun that Darin's so involved with Eric, and I love watching him with our son. He certainly holds the in-house title as the bath giving champion! I haven't even given Eric a bath yet, but I'm sure that day will arrive sooner or later, and when it does, I'll need a training session from Darin!

Welcome Eric James Konrad

2011-04-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Eric was born at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. He weighed 8lbs and was 20.5 inches long. We already love him so much!

I'm Lovin' this Baby Quilt!

2011-04-16T12:14:00.001-07:00

Here's the awesome baby quilt made by Eric's loving Auntie Nicke. I think the bright colored fabrics are completely adorable, and I love the modern, funky design. She's really good at making these wonky stars. I need to try this technique out soon! The random lines she chose for the quilting match the wonky stars perfectly. I'm not brave enough to do my own quilting yet, but maybe soon. Nicke says it's super easy - of course!Not only is the quilt super cute, but I think homemade gifts are so special. It's easy to see why Eric already loves it!

Belly Pictures

2011-04-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Darin and I had belly pictures taken the month before Eric was born. It was super fun, and I'm glad that we memoralized this special event in our lives.

Busy Weekend!

2011-04-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

The poor, poor puppies got mixed up in all the nesting mayhem during the weekend. Jake wasn't very impressed to say the least, but he's so soft and smells so pretty now. Just the look he's going for, I'm sure.

Darin gave Ben a treat to get him into the bathroom, but Ben ended up spitting out the treat when he figured out what he was being bribed to do. Guess he thought that the treat wasn't worth it. Mission accomplished - two soft and shiny dogs. They probably have plans to roll around in the backyard tomorrow to get all the dirt back in all the right places. After the bath, Ben decided to help me out finishing Captain's quilt. He napped while I cut and sewed fabric. It's not easy cutting fabric around a 140 pound snoring hound dog, but it can be done! I even finished the binding, too. First time all by myself, and I think it turned out pretty darn good!

Baby Mobile

2011-04-01T18:54:00.001-07:00

It occurred to me today that maybe the reason why Captain hasn't arrived yet is because we don't have a baby mobile in his room. I found the coolest one online, and it's going to be here between April 5 - 8. So - I wonder which we'll get first - a new baby or mobile? (BABY, pretty please!)It's not a big surprise that Darin's a big fan of this mobile. I'm betting that he hangs it over our bed after we're done using it in the nursery. :)

Ruff Around the Edges

2011-03-29T18:23:00.001-07:00

Paula, a friend and fellow quilter, made this incredible baby quilt for our soon to be arriving (fingers crossed) son.

She's amazingly talented, and we are just in awe of all the work she put into this quilt. I absolutely love it, and I know our son will too. She's a real artist with her quilt designs, and I love the dogs and sayings that she added to her latest masterpiece. The piecing work to add the dogs must have taken forever. Not only do they look absolutely fanastic, but they all have their own unique collars, too!

The back of the quilt really shows all of the work she put into this quilt. I love the dog, bones, hearts, and sun shapes. Paula does all of this quilting herself, and that's just amazing to me. I know we need to use the quilt for wrapping up our bundle of joy, but I really just want to hang it on the wall. Either way, for now, it's hanging in the perfect spot on the front of the crib.

Finished in the Nick of Time

2011-03-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

I can now say that I'm officially finished with my list for Christmas 2010. Brad & Candy's quilt was the last item on my list, and it's done!

Jake did his part by laying and sitting on it to add couple dog hairs just for B&C. Good boy, Jake!

Ben gave it a thorough sniff test, and it passed - whew! My dogs make me laugh. Whenever I lay out a quilt on the floor, Jake will sit or lay on it. Then Ben takes over and sniffs every inch.

Then I gave it a big hug, and Darin held it up to get the "white socks and quilt" picture that has become the tradition as the last official step in the quilting process. So a quick note to my family - just know that if we draw your name for Christmas next year, you're more than likely going to get a quilt and it's going to be a few months late...and maybe even a little bit more with a little kid running around this place!

Merry Christmas!

A Baby Quilt in a Day

2011-03-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that I've finished Brad & Candy's Christmas present quilt, and it's even at the quilter! It will be finished Tuesday, so I decided to hurry and get Captain's quilt done, too. My plan is to have it to the quilt shop Monday, and the quilter will pick it up on Tuesday when she drops off B&C's quilt. I think this turned out pretty good for a baby boy quilt.

I always lay out the blocks exactly how I want to sew them together and then somehow, every single time, I end up mixing it all up and it never ends up how I laid it out.

Luckily, baby quilts don't take too much time, and this pattern in particular was super quick. I just might have this done before Captain arrives!

Baby Shower!

2011-03-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

Here are pics from a baby shower a few friends threw for me at work. I had a super fun time! I think I work at the best place on earth and with a tremendous group of people.
It looks like these little pants just might fit..?!

Paige made this really cool diaper cake. I had never even heard of such a thing. That teddy bear is super cuddly!

Bump Update

2011-02-21T17:28:00.001-08:00

I am soo excited that we only have six more weeks to go!

And what if I end up being a couple of weeks early, so maybe I only have 3 1/2 weeks left...? Let's not even think about what if I'm a week late!

Final Countdown to Valentine's Day!

2011-02-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

This little Fourteen Days of Valentines Day project ended up being a bit of work! It was a whole lot of fun, though, and I think my hubby enjoyed all the extra attention and love. Awww.

These cherry chip, pink frosting cupcakes were sure yummy. Ben agrees - he grabbed one from the counter and ate most of it before I was able to catch him.

Coming up with 14 days of "why I love you..." notes was a good exercise and a good reminder of exactly why I married my hubby. I didn't even have to use the "I love the way you pickup dog poop" or the "I really love how you vacuum" notes I had planned as last resorts. :)

Countdown: Days Nine & Ten

2011-02-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Day Nine: I love to organize!
Day nine present - cable cuffs! All those loosey-goosey, dangley cords will be a thing of the past. The shop vac needs one of these to hold the hose from falling all over the place. I know, I know...it's all romance, baby!

Day Ten: At Least it's not Candy
I don't know if all boys like bungee cords, but Darin sure does - can't get enough of them and never gets rid of one. They're kind of like duct tape without the sicky residue. I'm thinking we should use one of these to hold down the lid on the dog food container, because Ben's developing a habit of running out of his kennel, flipping the lid off the food and hurrying to gulp as much food as he can before we drag him away. He's so proud of himself afterwards that he runs off with his tail high and happy as a hound!

Merry Christmas Quilt

2011-02-08T18:36:00.001-08:00

I'm almost finished with Brad & Candy's Christmas quilt. I just need to iron the top, sew the back and have it quilted. Then I'll bind it, give it a big hug and send it off to Brad & Candy.

Since Nicke and I finished the star the block of the month quilt, I just love making stars, and Candy just happens to love stars, too - what a stroke of luck!

The next quilt on my list is a baby quilt for the Captain. I need to hurry up already, or he's going to be here before his quilt is finished! And - if I've jinxed myself, and that turns out to be the case, I'll send it to his Auntie Nicke to finish. :)

Countdown: Days Seven & Eight

2011-02-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

Day Seven: Catch of a Lifetime

Fishing tackle box full of fish candies. How cool is that? The bright fishes are really yummy!

Day Eight: Hot Lips

Just a little sack of heart shaped junior mints and red foil wrapped heart and lip shaped chocolate candies. Candy two days in a row is a bit much, so I've decided that the gifts for the next few days have to be candy free. I think I have a serious sweet tooth going on!

Countdown: Days Five & Six

2011-02-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

Day Five: I love you more than cookies!

I love p-nut butter blossom cookies, but for whatever reason, I never really think about making them other than around Valentine's Day. Must be like Easter and Easter eggs. I decided to go all out on the Day Five love note with this line "I love how I know for a fact that you will be better than me at changing poopie diapers." What do you think...too much romance??

Day Six: XOXOXOXO

Today's gift was six construction pencils. It's enough pencils to last 10 years, but hey, they're only 19 cents each. Since today is the Super Bowl, I hid them in the garage beer fridge. It was a pretty safe bet that he'd find them at some point today. Turned out to be around 2:00. :)

Countdown: Days Three & Four

2011-02-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

Day Three: I Choo-Choo-Choose You! (I know - a bit silly, but it's a classic Simpsons reference. You'd have to go way, way back to the 90's to find the reference - holy cow, I'm getting old!) Although, my brother Brad could probably tell you the season and exact episode without much thought. :)

The day three gift was a ratchet set. I'm thinking that Darin has a ton of ratchetey, tool-type things, but I'm hoping they're like the girl equivalent to candles - you can never have enough!

Day Four: Bee Mine (Simpson's reference here, too!) Valentine's Day M&Ms in a fun container from Crafties. Most of the M&Ms - but certainly not all - made it into the container. Yummy!

Valentines Day Countdown: Day Two

2011-02-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

Day Two: I'm Hooked on You!

- Krispy chocolate fish from Target

- Ribbon and heart from Joanne's

- Ooey, gooey love note written on the back of the heart

Hope I get a taste of that crispy crunchy chocolate candy fish - sounds fantastic!

Valentines Day Countdown: Day One

2011-01-31T17:41:00.000-08:00

I l-o-v-e Valentine's Day, so this year instead of celebrating a single day, I'm planning 14-days of sweeter than sugar, lovey-dovey goodness. By the time Valentine's Day rolls around, Darin's going to be leaving honey in his footprints.

So, I spent some time over the weekend searching out 14 days worth of budget-friendly little gifts that I'm hoping Darin will enjoy. First stop - Home Depot $1 bins! Funny thing is though, this weekend they were more like $5 bins. Anyway, every time we hit Home Depot, Darin totally gets suckered into checking out all the chotskies in the bins - just like I do at Bath & Body Works! It prooved to be a good stop primarily because I actually just paid attention to all of the items as I walked down the isles, and I found a bunch of different things for $5 or less. So - here goes:

Day One: You Fit Like a Glove

- Workgloves from Home Depot

- Container from Crafties

- Ribbon and heart from Joanne's

- Sugary sweet love note written on the back of the heart. :)

New Family Member

2011-01-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

Howie has a new roomie and dog BFF. Her name is Sage; she's a three-year old Llewellin Setter, and I think she's gorgeous. Howie, you need to visit us and bring Sage, too!

Captain Konrad's Nursery

2010-12-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited that we're oh so, super duper close to finishing the nursery. Here are a few shots of the room.

We spent Christmas weekend painting the stripes around the room. Darin, of course, is a super good sport and did all of the hard work. All I have to do is come up with all these fun projects, and Darin makes them happen. If these lines would have been measured, marked and taped out by me, there's one thing I know for certain - they wouldn't be anywhere near this straight.

In the mail today I had two super fun packages from my Idaho BFF - Neeley. She's been sending me packages of all of her baby "favorite things" and today's packages mark number 3 and 4 - holy cow! It's so fun to go through all the items, and she also includes instructions, tips and what-to-do-when notes. I've never been so excited to read exactly why her favorite diaper rash medicine earned that title! She sent me the diaper bag in the photo below - a one of a kind bag made locally in her area from vintage fabric - I love it!

It seems like it took me forever to find a set of curtains that I liked, and I'm glad I waited, because these striped panels fit the bill.

The rocking chair in the shot below is from Darin's Auntie Annie. The chair has special meaning to Darin because his Auntie would rock him in the chair when he was just a little guy. The date stamp on the bottom of the the seat cushion is 1947. I'm going to give it a little love with a touch up of cream paint and antiquing, and then I'll re-cover the cushion in a plaid fabric. (Yes, just insert "Darin" where I put "I" in the sentence above.)

I think this is the fabric that I'll use for the seat cushion, and I think it will look fantastic on a cream antiqued rocking chair.

My hubby is also refinishing a dresser that I picked up via Craig's list. It was a great deal, and it's also a very sturdy piece with good lines. It's circa 1970, so the stain color was a little reminiscent of the Bee Gee's/Saturday Night Fever days, but it's going to look fantastic when Darin's finished. Only 14 weeks left until the Captain is planned to make his arrival, and that's if he doesn't show up early!

Baby Quilt Fabric

2010-12-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

After many months of searching quilt blogs and chatting with Nicke about Captain's baby quilt fabric, I finally found exactly what I was looking for. Santa ordered the fabric for me for Christmas, and Darin even let me open it early!

I love the plaids and stripes with these prints! Do you love it, Nicke?

Ben was a big help as usual. I mean, what kind of trouble could a 140 lb Bloodhound cause? He really got into it and checked out the prints up close. I really appreciate his help - what a good boy!

Hmmm...I would move the red closer to the brown.

I don't know what it is, but if I've got fabric on the floor, Ben can't help himself - he has to lay all over it.

Don't mind me; I'll just lay on this little corner - just the very edge. You won't even notice me.

And then he's out for the count. It's tiring work, obviously!

I wonder if all hounds like to quilt?

Baby Boy Konrad

2010-11-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

We're officially 5 1/2 months pregnant! Unbelievable. 135-ish days to go. Seems like just yesterday I was just barely pregnant, and now, he's 7 inches long and weighs about 11 ounces.

Here's a recent picture him sucking his thumb. How precious is that?

Now we just have to come up with a name for this little guy!

Thanksgiving Fun!

2010-11-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

We are especially thankful this year to have spent the holiday with family! The Cutler group braved a wintery, 10-hour (or so) drive to spend Thanksgiving with us.

Sara, Spencer, Henry and Nicke

Henry and Darin

Spencer and Henry

Sara and me

We spent some time at the Christkindlmarkt festivities in Leavenworth. Sara enjoyed seeing all the characters and singing carols. (Truth be told, the adults did, too!)

Santa, Nicke and Sara

Nicke, Sara and the Nutcracker

Nicke, Sara and Mrs. Claus

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Fog machine? Check! Thunder storm sound maker? Check! Graveyard? Check!
Jacqi, Shannon and Hayden visited us over Halloween which was a lot of fun. Hayden was a big help setting up the graveyard.

Hayden made a very cute pirate. It was fun to see all the adults react to his costume and especially the ones that would give him a big "AARRGGGHH!"

Here's the Norton family before heading out to trick or treat. Hayden came back with a ton of candy, and he's good at sharing, which made it pretty darn cool!

Muchas Gracias!

2010-11-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

A big shout out to my sweet hubby for framing my run of the mill bathroom builder's mirror! One down, one to go!

2010 Dog Show

2010-09-30T19:01:00.001-07:00

Darin was nice enough to join me at the dog show a couple weekends ago. It's fun to see all the different pooches. We paired it with lunch at LeMolos which made for a fun afternoon date!

Hounds are Goofy!

2010-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Ben enjoys watching the neighbors - he'll watch them forever. Why is this goofy? Well, he really only likes to watch them through the garden gate. Maybe he thinks they can't see him, since he's behind a fence.

It ends up being a pretty convenient spot, because he can rest his head on the fence when he starts getting tired from doing so much sitting and watching. Tough work. I think he would make a good police dog; he could be on the surviellance team.

This is what happens after a whole pack of quail goes through the garden - Jake can't stay out. He smelled absolutely fantastic for the rest of the day, because in this shot he's rumaging through oregano, basil and mint. Yum!

Konrad Cabin Trip

2010-09-17T19:55:00.001-07:00

We recently spent a long weekend at the Konrad Family Cabin with the Konrad family - what a novel idea! Here are the four sons, their lovely wives, and Mom and Dad Konrad. This year marks Jerry and Carolyn's 50th wedding anniversary.

Here are the grandkids minus Michael. He and his wife, Trena, are newly hired school teachers and were busy at work. Hopefully they can make it next year.

Jason had a great football game the night before he made it to the cabin. He had a touchdown and a 2-point coversion. The family is very proud of this young man.

Danny and Stacey made it up on Saturday afternoon. They were a bit late arriving. They decided to drive the Viper, and Danny was the lucky recipient of not just one, but two tickets (driving awards as Stacey calls them) on the way to the cabin. Their Viper is a gorgeous car, but unfortunately, Vipers don't come with cruise control.

Mom and Dad with the four sons - Don, Darin, Danny and Dennis. Darin is the youngest son, and Don is the oldest.

I think Kelcey and Kaitlyn had a good time. We spent a few hours on Sunday hunting bugs for Kelcey's bug collection. We sucessfully bagged all the bugs she needed, and it was a whole lot of fun. (I know...I killed bugs...can you believe it? Shows what I'll do for those adorable nieces!)

The trip marked the 1st annual Konrad Golf Scramble. Don and Jerry were the winning team, and the whole group had fun playing Scotch Ball.

Kaitlyn was so full of energy, and a complete chatterbox at the same time, that Bonnie attached her to the back of a cart with a bag holder.

Darin and Mom made a good team. I had a good time watching them throughout the day; it's fun to see how similar their personalities are.

Holly and Sean (Don's wife and second son) were another team. Their personalities are similar too; they're both complete goofballs, witty and very funny. These two will keep you in stitches. Hard to believe from this shot, huh! Look at those cheesy grins - those two are up to mischief. See you next year!

Ben LOVES Green Beans

2010-09-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, Darin and I spent a couple days pickling and canning green beans. I didn't want to just toss all the green bean ends, so I decided to see if Ben would eat them. Ben will eat pretty much anything, so I don't know why I was surprised that he loves green beans, too. Since he liked them so much, and they're low fat (and Ben's watching his weight), I decided to boil a bunch and give them to him with his regular food for dinner. Seemed like a pretty good idea to me...what could go wrong?

Bad, bad, bad idea. Wow - as it turns out, green beans do not like Ben - at all. He must have farted 1,000 times that night. I think Darin and I escaped death by asphyxiation by only the thinnest of margins. It was so ridiculous that it ended up being really hilarious, too. Guess what, I can hold my breath for 30 seconds without passing out! I'm thinking that a real compost bin, other than Ben, is in our future.

Does Jake like green beans? Well, of course he doesn't! So while Ben farted us of of the house, Jake was busy as usual with perimeter control in the backyard.

You just never know when a group of those pesky quail, a snake, stink bug, or who knows what else will have the nerve to sneak into the backyard. Luckily, Jake's always on the job!

NCW Fair

2010-08-31T18:40:00.001-07:00

Here is my quilt being judged at the NCW Fair. I was so anxious watching them judge my quilt, that I snuck up real close and pretended that I was looking at another quilt, but I really just wanted to hear what they had to say. After hearing that I was missing a single stitch on each of my corners, I decided that I should stop listening!

After what seemed like an eternity, they pinned a blue ribbon on my quilt. Here are the comments from my entry card: "Nice design. Corners are bulky. Need to have corners trimmed. Good job." As it turns out, quilting judges are quite fussy about the quilt binding. (The tiny little edge of green fabric in the picture below.) Well, poop. After all that work, it's that tiny little edge that's subjected to the most critique. So - it looks like I'm going to have to learn to love binding. Hmmm...I love to bind; I love to bind...

When I picked up the quilt at the end of the fair, a judge was nice enough to give me some binding tips and show me how to fix my corners. At first I thought - there's no way I'm tearing out the four corners and re-stiching them - that's ridiculous! But, of course, I did end up tearing out the four corners and restitching them. And what do you know - they do look much better! I love to bind... I love to bind.

Here's the well deserved purple ribbon winner. I call this quilt Purple Haze - after my favorite Jimmy Hendrix tune. I have a feeling that the quilt more than likely isn't named after very purpley dope - but I think it's a good fit.

Spencer's theory that the quilt with the most purple wins the purple ribbon still holds true - which unfortunately means it's going to be a LONG time before Nicke or I win a purple ribbon. I don't see either of us making a very purpley quilt for another 20 years or so (30 for Nicke).

After checking out the quilts, Darin and I walked through all the animal barns. This funky chicken reminds me of David Bowie. I couldn't get China Girl out of my head for the rest of the day after seeing Mr. Bowie. I think I need one of these chickens. I think he would have fun with Ben.

The horse barn was the funnest. I think this horse looks like a fabulous super hero. Wonder what her special skill is? I think maybe she lifts her feet and shoots horse shoes. Darin, if you're reading this, I have a blue ribbon quilt that I will trade you for a chicken and horse, and yes, one of those mini goats, too. :)

Finale!

2010-08-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, Nicke, here it is. I think Thelma must be the best long-arm quilter I've ever met. She's horkin' good! (Thelma uses the word 'horkin' a lot; it must be all the rage with 76-year-old quilters. I can only hope to be as cool as Thelma when I'm 76!) I'm putting this baby in two fairs - Douglas and Chelan!

So Close!

2010-08-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm finished with the borders and backing, and now I just need to get it to Thelma for quilting. I've got my fingers crossed that I will make it in time to enter this quilt in the Chelan County Fair!

A Good Night's Rest

2010-08-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

When I wake up in the morning, Jake's often completely sacked out on the couch. I've started taking his picture before he gets up - to memorialize his funny sleeping positions.

Almost There

2010-08-05T22:29:00.001-07:00

Quilting and Running?

2010-07-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

What a fun night! I quilted and went on a run with the puppies. That's quite the combination! Here are the results of my labor. :)

I wasn't terribly happy with all the points on this large center square to begin with, but after taking another look at it after the run, now I think it looks pretty darn good! I think running is good for me - it clears my brain (so do mango margaritas!).

I swear it's the hardest thing ever to get a picture of Jake that's in focus. He's always on the move.

We didn't get attacked by either Gigi the Chihuahua or Slinky the Dachsund this time, but we did meet Lily the Black Lab. Running around 9:30 at night is always interesting!
I think they'll sleep well tonight - Jake's even in focus in this shot!

19th Wedding Anniversary

2010-07-26T18:04:00.001-07:00

We just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. That means I must be near 40...how can that be? I swear I was just 32 a couple years ago. :) I love you, Darin - Happy Anniversary!

DA BOM Update

2010-07-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm finished with my twelve blocks of the month. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this!

I think this is my favorite block. It's pretty, and it was very tricky to sew. I would like to have a conversation with all the crazy ladies that came up with all the different designs. They are remarkably talented.

Now I'm on to the sashing, borders, and backing - my plan is to be finished by the end of the week. Wanna know the first step of the sashing process? Cut (192) 2" squares. Yes, that's right, one hundred ninety-two! I read the directions twice and called my quilt guru (Nicke) to confirm that the (192) wasn't a typo. I still can't believe it - 192, huh. Too bad Ben and Jake don't have thumbs; I would put them to work.

Cheer Camp

2010-07-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Covert video of Darin cheering with Jordie. :)

A Weekend's Work

2010-07-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the other stuff going on, I was able to get three BOMs finished this weekend. I had to stop quilting because I sliced a nice little chunk off my finger with my rotary cutter. In one fail swoop, I did an absolutely fantastic job rendering my pointer finger completely useless. Woopsie!

I only have two more BOMs and then all sashing, borders, backing, quilting and binding. I'm hoping to have this quilt finished to enter it into a local fair or quilt show. Maybe the Chelan County Fair...maybe the Leavenworth Quilt Show...?

Sit = Treat

2010-06-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ben and I have been through the obedience class series three times. (For Ben, not for me.) I know for sure that Ben knows basic obedience, he just is never inclined to use his skills without serious motivation. For the most part, I can only get Ben to sit if I give him a treat. Now, anytime Ben practices his sits, he considers it an event and thinks the effort deserves a reward. So when Darin was prepping some t-bones, Ben decided to practice sitting as close as he could to the counter, and the steaks, to see if it would payoff. It looks like he has his nose in the corner.

The steaks must just smell fantastic to him, and he's soooo close. If we would have left him alone, the steaks would have magically disappeared and without his knowledge, of course. What steaks?

What a good sit. He just can't sit any closer without jumping on the counter. T-bone steak worthy though? Not quite. Such a silly puppy!

Ingalls Creek

2010-06-12T16:23:00.001-07:00

Since we'd never hiked Ingalls Creek, we thought we probably should. The river is so loud that it's not a great hike if you want to chat the whole time, but if you're okay saving the chatting for the ride there and back, well then you're set! It's a gorgeous hike with great scenery, tons of wildflowers, and a beautiful river, too. I give this hike an A+! No more chatting, it's time to hike!

Twin Peaks

2010-05-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Darin and I hiked to Twin Peaks on Sunday. It rained just a bit, and it was a beautiful day in the mountains.

We took Ben & Jake, and they had a fantastic time, of course. Ben was focused on finding any hikers in the vicinity, and he met a few new friends that we ran into during the hike.
I think we might leave them home the next time we hike to Twin Peaks. Jake's tongue isn't too big in the photo below, but Ben's is HUGE!

2010 Owl Prowl

2010-05-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

This year brought sweet success from my three-year quest to get my hands on Owl Prowl tickets. This year I was in in to win it. My strategy began with a 6:45 a.m. alarm on Saturday morning, a quick drive to Leavenworth, and was followed by standing in line at the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce with a bunch of bird nerds. About an hour later, I was on my way home with two carefully guarded tickets for a late-night hike outside of Leavenworth to view owls.

On a Friday evening, Darin and I met our Owl Prowl guides (and fellow prowlers) at the Leavenworth Ranger Station. We drove out to the middle of nowhere and started hiking through the woods (not on a trail, mind you). It was really dark and really fun. It was spooky too. I was really wishing that I wouldn't have watched that werewolf movie recently, because I swear I heard werewolves while we were out there.

After hiking only about a quarter of a mile, the owl biologist started hoot hooting for Barred Owls, and within 10 minutes or so, two Barred Owls flew into the trees above us. It was awesome. They made all sorts of calls that you wouldn't expect to come from an owl and flew around us to scare us out of their territory. After about 5 -10 minutes, they figured out we were a bunch of silly owl prowlers, and they flew off. It was too dark to get photos of the owls, but this is what we saw. I can't wait for Owl Prowl 2011!

Sauer's Mountain

2010-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Darin and I hiked to the top of Sauer's Mountain this weekend. It's one of my favorite spring hikes - a beautiful 6-miles that's loaded with wildflowers and awesome views.

We saw a ton of different birds which was cool, because I practiced all of my bird calls while we were hiking. I really only know a few different bird calls, so I like to try them out on all different species hoping someday to find a match! Really no luck so far with that. We did see a turkey vulture; their call must be something like, "Hey! You dead yet?" But I didn't try that call out on him, so I can't say for sure. I just didn't want to use this turkey vulture as my first guinea pig.

The trail gains 1,900 feet over three miles - some parts are a bit steep - but its worth the view. When we arrived at the top, we were checking out the cool view of Leavenworth and came to the conclusion that lunch at South would most likely be the perfect pairing with the hike. Just to be sure, we tried out our theory. As it turns out, lunch at South WAS a good match!

I think we'll next try the Eight Mile Lake - Gustav's pairing. It sounds fantastic, but we'll have to try it to be sure!

Backyard Projects Part I

2010-04-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is the year that we plan to tackle our dog backyard playground. We've pretty much laid out at all-out challenge to "Mulcher Mower" Ben and "Chipper Shredder" Jake by having the audacity of planting SIX trees at one time in the backyard.

At our last house, we went through six trees (two at a time) before Ben stopped turning them into mulch. The only reason the last two trees made it is because we moved.

Jake and Ben haven't paid much attention to these trees so far, and I'm hoping that trend continues. I think we have a chance but only because Jake is 10 now and Ben is 7. We've got our fingers crossed! Funny thing is though, as I'm typing this, Ben's trying to break into the hydrangeas that we fenced in to keep him out. Gotta go!

Crazy for Baby Quilting

2010-04-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here are the quilt and white socks pictures! It's official - the 2010 Henry and Brystol baby quilts are finished!

Here's Henry's quilt. Jake gave it his stamp of approval and found the quilt suitable for shipping to his cousin Henry. The dog hair arriving with the quilt is Jake's special gift to Nicke. :)

And here's Brystol's - thoroughly quality checked by Operator 1542, Ben Konrad.

I've decided that I'm on quilting hiatus - that's until I talk to Nicke again which will be sometime tonight - and then I'll be back in the game! For now, I'm going to enjoy my two-hour retirement and bask in the glory of my accomplishments. :)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T17:25:00.001-07:00

WOO HOO, Indeed!

2010-03-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

My most favorite sister-in-law, Candy, passed her RN exam! Here's the text message she sent this morning, "I did it!! I passed!!! I am now an RN!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! :)"

It's really no surprise though, because Candy will try anything, and whatever it is - she does it very well. Look at her form and physique rockin to Guitar Hero -

First golf swing ever - good form!

Darin says she's a good shot with a pistol, too!

Congratulations, Candy! You should be very proud of what you've accomplished! We love you!

Sssshhhh....

2010-03-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, Jake's obviously keeping close tabs on Darin tonight. It doesn't really look comfortable for either of them, and I get serious jimmy legs just looking at this picture. But - it is very cute!Jake's 10 now. When he was younger, he used to be able to stay awake to keep his eye on people and what was going on. Now he just lays on us when he falls asleep, so he's quickly alerted when something's up. It's a system that really seems to be working for him. :)

OH, Snap!

2010-03-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, Nicke, here are my five blocks. Game on. (Oh, but before I get too sassy, can I trade my #2 block for yours, Trebeck?)

Block #1 - All the points match, A+ (nice work, Nicke!)Block #2 - Here's where the trouble begins. Center square is a bit off, most points match, C+Block #3 - Nice work, B-Block #4 - these damn center squares are difficult for me - C+Block #5 - very good, A-

The Recovery Process

2010-02-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

I think Ben's feeling better and better every day. He is particularly fond of his afternoon beer which he follows up with a quick nap on his favorite chair. Upon reflection, I'm thinking that there's a good chance that he learned this trick by example. (I'm not telling who else in this family likes the afternoon beer-nap combination, but it's a pretty easy guess.) One noteworthy point - since Ben's gastric bypass surgery, he's switched to Michelob Ultra.

Baby Quilts!

2010-02-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

So two of my favorite peeps are pregnant right now. One of them is my friend, Neeley. Here's what I've been working on for her while I've been watching Ben. She's expecting a baby girl March 12, and I'm planning to send the quilt to her by the end of February. She has no idea!So after I finish Neeley's baby quilt - here's the fabric for the next one. Hmmmm. Wonder who's getting this quilt??

Home Care for Ben

2010-02-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

Ben's healed well during the last week. With all the attention and fussing, he's also more spoiled now - and I didn't even think that was possible.

Last night, he was up at 1:00 a.m. - needed a drink. After unsuccessfully trying cheese, crackers and canadian bacon to coax him back into his crate, I finally got him back in bed at 1:30 a.m. with a piece of rotisserie chicken. Up again at 3:30 a.m. - had to poo. (Ben had to poo.) I went straight to rotisserie chicken to get him back into his crate this time - quite pleased with myself because it worked like a freakin' charm - quickly back to bed at 4:00 a.m. UP AGAIN at 5:00 a.m. - I'm thinking is he doing this just to see if he can get me out of bed again? He faked that he needed another drink and ran right to the fridge for his rotisserie chicken treat. Hmmmm, interesting. It appears as though I have done a great job training him to wake up every hour and a half. I'd give myself a treat of rotisserie chicken, but I'll need it tonight.

So of course, he's completely exhausted this morning - all he can do is sleep. What a cute little brat.

Ben's Thoughts for the Day

2010-01-27T18:13:00.001-08:00

Here's Ben saying "hellllllloooooo" to someone hiking on the trail behind the house. He's such a crack-up.

Jake's Thought for the Day

2010-01-26T17:24:00.001-08:00

Cabin Trip II

2010-01-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here's Hayden & Jacqi. What an adorable grin - makes me laugh. He had a 'tickle bug' under his arm. The only antedote for tickle bugs is a good tickling."Sara, say cheese!"It's hard to tell - but that's Anja, Natalie and Robin."Sara, say CHEESE!""Darin, you need a helmet."Sara getting ready to go build a snow fort.Mitchie snowboarding courtesy of DK.They don't drink, really. REALLY, they don't drink. And from the shot below, it's probably best they don't. Payton and Shane sharing a sled. Shane looks so much like Mikey.What up Mitchie?Here's Jeff and Anja, with Anja singing in Espanol. Here's Darin giving the snowmobile safety speech to Mitchie and Mattie before the three of them head out. But what I find most interesting about this photo is the car prowling going down on the right. Who's the car prowler, you ask? It's Robin! So BUSTED!

Merry Christmas & Happy Birthday Quilt

2010-01-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

I really find quilting to be quite relaxing. I just kind of zone out, get in a groove, and cut, sew and iron fabric. One word of caution though - I have found that too much red wine can cause seriously crooked blocks. So, it's best to groove a bit, but not too much.

After the top and borders are finished, and the quilting is done, it's time for the binding. I really don't like binding. Drives me nuts - even more than usual. So - my awesome quilting sister, Nicke, took over to bind my most recent quilt by HAND. She's such a domestic diva. The results are fantastic. She added the thin, red border in the shot below.The quilt is Jacqi's Christmas present from Darin and I (and Ben and Jake, of course). And now, the quilt is also Jacqi's Happy Birthday present from Nicke, Spencer, and Sara. Nicke's shipping it to Jacqi today, so she will have it by her birthday (this Friday). I happen to think it's very cool that the quilt was passed between two sisters, and I think Jacqi will love it. Here's the finished quilt photo complete with Spencer's socks (see bottom of quilt). Now that I have the quilt/sock picture, it's official, the quilt is finished. Thanks, Nicke (and Spence)!

Idaho Cabin Trip

2010-01-05T18:18:00.001-08:00

Here's my most favorite sister-in-law, Candy - she was in charge of pulling the kids on sleds. She'll be an RN by the end of the month, so not only could she drive the sled, but she was also prepared to provide medical assistance. :) She had them three sleds deep. They really had a great time and only took timeouts when the old snowmobile needed a break.Here's Mitchie - on his snowboard - being pulled behind a snowmobile by Darin.As it turned out, Robin and Anja were experts at making snow angels. Anja lives in Tennessee, so this was the most snow she'd ever seen. She couldn't get enough.I was playing the Humble Bumble snow monster, and here she is trying to escape. After Anja saw Payton take this spill from the last snow sled, she only wanted to ride on that sled. Candy drove much slower with Anja on the back, so she didn't fall off so dramatically, but I think the suspense was enough for her (and us)!I think it's pretty safe to say that Hayden had a great time in the snow, too. He's already pretty good at making and throwing snowballs. So - even though he's only a little guy - I'll be playing snowball wars with him for only one or two more years. Then the boys can take over. Sara loved eating the snow. She must have eaten a couple snowballs worth.She was pulled on a snow sled by hand, but Spencer did take her on a short ride or two around the meadow.Here's Matt and Robin enjoying the snow. More photos to come.

BRRRR

2010-01-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit snowy and cold recently. Since Jake has such short hair, and not much body fat, when he's cold - he gets wrapped up in his favorite quilt.
He'll stay there until he's so hot that he can't stand it anymore but that often takes awhile. He'll hold out 'til the very last second. He's not getting out of the quilt anytime soon tonight. I don't think I could get him off the couch, even if I wanted to.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-12-20T12:08:00.001-08:00

I finally finished Darin's quilt. I meant to have it finished for him way back on Father's Day, but I didn't, so it became his Birthday present quilt. I just kept adding blocks until I ran out of fabric. It kind of looks like South Dakota from an airplane.Ben, of course, made himself right at home. This quilt is just his size.This is the look on Darin's face when I was saying, "Get closer to Ben and give him a big hug - come on, closer, closer. He needs a hug." I don't really remember, but as I vaguely recall, I don't think Darin wanted to give Ben a big hug. I think he thought I was up to something...AH HA! Success! This is exactly what I was going for - a big kiss from Ben complete with walrus whiskers.I guess from the shot below you can probably tell that I couldn't talk Darin into scooting closer to Ben again to give him just one more hug. :)

SpecDUCKular!

2009-12-05T16:10:00.001-08:00

Darin and I enjoy going to football games. Darin goes to watch the game - what a concept. I go for the $8 beers and to watch the mascots. My favorite mascot? The Oregon Duck!

The Duck is very entertaining - he enters the game on a Harley as a pirate,Sports a wicked pirate costume - watch out Johnny Depp,Comes out in a Trojan Horse to impress and endear USC Trojan fans,And does as many push ups as the total Oregon score each time the team adds points to the board. I've seen this duck do 47 push ups in a row!

Nicke & Sara

2009-12-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Here are shots from Nicke and Sara's visit in November. It was nice having family around. We spent a day in the Leavenworth starting with lunch at Pavz.

We spent some time at the petting zoo. Sara's very good at her animal sounds, so it was particularly funny watching her with the farm animals.She really liked Jake. He loves kids, so they made a good pair. Ben's not so interested in kids. He's good with kids, but he can take them or leave them where as Jake can't get enough. If Sara could fit Jake in her pocket, he'd jump in for sure.We watched the Steelers on Monday Night Football. Darin showed Sara how to be a good Steeler's fan - complete with a Terrible Towel. Nicke and I were quite amused watching Darin that night. He would get the first half of a swear word out, and then quickly change it to something like - apple butter or kelly clarkston!

Mullet Mania

2009-12-05T15:03:00.001-08:00

I consider myself quite fortunate to have observed three mullets in the wild recently - and all at football games - what a shocking coincidence!

October 31, 2009
Oregon Ducks vs. USC Trojans
Eugene, Oregon
I didn't even notice this mullet until after half time, and he was only two rows away. At first, out of respect, I considered just letting this one go to continue living a good life in the wild. Then I got one good look of the stripes on the side, and that was it - I raised my camera and bagged that bad boy.
I think I did a good job capturing this mullet in all its glory. But, more than being proud, I am humbled by the kill. One note of interest - his snack of choice was chili dogs. Makes sense. I spent the rest of the game with my eyes peeled making sure there were no others in the vicinity.
November 28, 2009
Apple Cup
Seattle, Washington
When Darin pointed this pair out I said, "HOLY SH*T - is that the elusive double mullet?" After careful observation though, I can't confirm to what extent there was some business in the front with this pair. There is definitely a party going on in the back. You decide. No snacking with this group - they were all football.

Norton Family Vacation

2009-10-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

Shannon, Jacqi and Hayden recently spent some time with us. We went to Mazama for a couple days and enjoyed our first snowfall of the year. Brrrr!

Rather than taking Hayden hiking in the snow, we drove part of the North Cascades Loop. Hayden skillfully spotted the big, black train in Newhalem. He had a great time climbing all over and ringing the bell. He also saw his first deer in Mazama. He said we probably saw forty or fifty deer! :)

Geaux Tigers!

2009-09-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

We spent last Friday night at the Huskies vs. LSU Tigers game in Seattle. The weather was nice, and the Dawgs played a good game. It was a good night for football!
The LSU fans were a real kick to watch. I've never seen fans sing and cheer their hearts out - they cheered along with the cheer squad most of the game - and at the same time, be so courteous and respectful to opposing fans. They also neatly fold their hands in their laps between plays. Okay, that's a bit of a stretch, but they are certainly reverently passionate about their football. I was very impressed. Good form, LSU fans!

L-E-A-P!

2009-09-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Okay - here are photos of the front yard from this year. This is the third summer since the plants were put in the ground. The third year in the post-planting growth cycle is called the "leap" year. I just love these trees and plants. Darin and I visit nurseries together (mostly since I tend to think that I can always find room to fit in another tree here or there, so Darin's the calm voice of reason) to check out plants. It's a good time and makes for great memories as we watch the plants grow. The dogwood in the photo below is one of our best finds; it was only $20, and it is growing into a beautiful tree! I love the arbor he built me (visible in the background); it's a simple, clean and absolutely perfect design.
The hydrangea is one of our favorite plants; I think we've been able to squeeze five into the front yard. I think I could fit a few more, though.I think I've decided that I really need an acre or so to plant. The only problem is that I think it would still be this packed.The plum trees have grown very well. You used to be able to see the fence behind them, and now it's barely visible. I see a good pruning in the near future for them.

North Cascades Splendor

2009-08-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend with friends in Mazama. We hiked into Rainy Lake - where Darin and Jay fished, Sara played with Chloe, and I stuck my foot in the lake. The water was the perfect temperature - mountain lake freezing cold. It was a gorgeous day and a fantastic time. If you look closely, you can see Jay in the background of this shot. Jay braved the log jam to get to the fish. It appears as though fish control his brain, too.Sara took a break from throwing the stick for Chloe to grab this shot. Another hiker asked her if we'd seen the bear across the lake, so we spent a good half hour watching the opposite bank. I think they were fooling us.

Here's Mr. Wonderful enjoying a cigar and fishing - two of his favorite things. (You can spot Jay in the background of this shot, too!)

"Big Lion"

2009-08-28T10:30:00.001-07:00

Jake's favorite TV program - Into the Pride - is on Animal Planet Thursday nights. He jumps up on the ottoman to get as close as he can to the TV, and then he just sits there with his eyes glued to the set.

My Mental Tarsal is Broken

2009-08-23T17:27:00.001-07:00

Darin is taking tomorrow off to go with me to my drs. appointment in Seattle. What a nice man, my husband. I've promised not to talk about my foot all the way to Seattle, and I won't - I'll talk about my "friend's" broken foot. :)

I'm taking all of my x-rays to the appointment, and I'm hoping this doc looks at their progression and says, "I have fantastic news; you are healing very, very well!" Hope that's not delusional thinking on my part. For the last seven weeks, I've been sporting a beautiful black walking boot that serves as a wonderful foot sauna, a convenient place to stash cash, and a great conversation piece. My foot must be healing; eight weeks ago, I was in a splint and couldn't put any pressure on it what-so-ever.I'm dwelling on my lameness and healing process. I don't think my broken foot bone is connected to my ankle bone. It's connected to my whine bone. I believe I'm pretty good at turning lemons into lemonade, and I promise to be back to that soon - broken foot or not.

Sleep, Creep, LEAP!

2009-08-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

The first year, plants sleep. The second year, they creep. The third year, they LEAP!

The beginning of the front yard project, and first year photos of plants below. This year to follow soon...

Deep Hound Dreams

2009-08-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ben snores - loudly. His distinction in this area is surpassed only by his ability to fling drool across the room, and oh yes, he's pretty good at smelling, too. When he's really snoring, you can hear him anywhere in the house. Many years ago, Ben figured out that napping on a leather chair is much more comfortable than napping on the floor. Smart dog.

He's claimed the chair as his, and from the sound of it, it's working out for him very well. He needs his beauty rest; his night cream is no longer taking care of the gi-normous wrinkles around his eyes.

After a long day chasing birds away from the bird feeders, barking at quail on the other side of the fence, and patrolling the backyard for mice, snakes, spiders and stink bugs, Jake prefers to nap on the couch with a fluffy pillow. He looks pretty happy to me - almost grinning. It's obviously been a good day.

Jake also likes comfy blankets - the bigger, the better. He prefers being wrapped in blankets fresh out of the dryer with just his head sticking out. He normally follows this up with his wickedly absurd 'Shorthair in a Blanket' skit - which is a real hit with his in-house fans - and absolute proof that we watch WAY too much Monty Phython.

Local Wildlife

2009-08-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

We spent Monday afternoon golfing at Rock Island. There were turtles everywhere - adorable! There was goose poop all over the greens - guilty party below.

We drove around the Clockum on the 4-wheeler last weekend. We saw a bunch of deer and wild turkeys!

I need to ask Brad about wild turkey calls. What I tried didn't work at all. They just ran away.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

2009-08-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

My most adorablest niece, Jordyn, is now a part of the West Minico Cheer Squad. Congratulations, Jordyn! We love you!

Ben Konrad, Basset Hound Impersonator

2009-08-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here's Ben doing his best impression of his good friend, Obie Hakensen.
And - here's Obie. Good job on the impersonation, Ben! Both Ben and Obie have it tough. :)

Da BOM

2009-08-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a Block-of-the-Month quilt, and so is Nicke. I took my first block on our trip to the cabin, so I could get Nicke's professional instruction. I broke my foot during that trip, and I convinced Nicke that my foot hurt way too bad to sew. (hee, hee) Since Nicke is such a fantastic sister, she cut and stitched the block for me. It's perfect - all the points match.The next block I cut and stiched, and as it turns out, it's not so perfect. Damn it! This is the hardest block I've ever stitched by far. I've ordered another kit, and I'm going to do my best to get it perfecto! At the end of this project, I'll probably have two quilts - a crooked one and a straight one. OR I'll just send them to Nicke each month, and they'll be perfect. :)

Fish Control My Brain

2009-07-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

Darin's catch of the day - the three biggest fish hanging up. The super little fish was caught by the guy in the grey jacket.

I Think I Can See Russia

2009-07-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

We had an absolutely fantastic time in Alaska last week. We flew back to Wenatchee Friday and celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary Sunday - sweet success!

Fishing the Kenai river for red salmon. We had two boating companions - the guide and the black laborador, Lily.

Here's the view from our balcony at the Inn at Tern Lake. I could sit out on that balcony all day, every day (minus the winter months). Don't ask - just know that it was TOTALLY worth it....

The mountains surrounding Resurrection Bay are awe inspiring.

This silver salmon earned me the 'largest catch of the day' award (which meant I bought dinner and drinks). Darin beat me later in the week with a one-two punch - 50 and 30 lb king salmons - caught on the Kasilof river.

Darin had a great time. I think fish control his brain.
Seward is a beautiful place; I prefer mountains to the beach any day - hands down. Here's a shot of the harbor.

The seagulls showed up around 7:00 p.m. each day to hang out on a roof near our cabin - I'm assuming - to talk crap about their catch of the day during what must have been seagull happy hour.

We can't wait to go back!

Jake Konrad, CNA

2009-07-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

Jake doesn't know what to think about me hobbling around the house. He's started whining when I'm crutching (using my crutches) and lays right by me when I'm hanging out on the couch. He doesn't like it so much when anyone or anything gets near me - he stands in front of me and whines - so we've been working on that. What a silly kid.

Want Your Scooter? Go Get It!

2009-07-09T15:34:00.001-07:00

Perils of having one good foot - taking the cart out of the truck and watching it slowly roll down the driveway and across the road.

Golfing, Guns & a Broken Bone

2009-07-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

We spent last week at the Idaho cabin having a great time with familia. I'm just a bit clumsy and normally sporting a few bruises to prove it. Well, this time I really did it. Just three days into the trip, I broke my foot and earned the nickname - One Good Foot. You should see the bruise on my foot; it's fantastic!

Darin and I were planning to ride our road bikes that morning, and although my foot hurt, I was 105% certain that it wasn't broken (x-ray eyes, you know), so I put on my clicky shoes and got on my bike. Darin was riding right by me watching for any problem signs, but unfortunately, I couldn't click that foot into its pedal and only made it a mile or so before he called the race. Oh, if only my bones were as thick as my head. Thankfully, Robin rode my bike a time or two, so it was still able to get out on the beautiful mountain roads.

One morning, we enjoyed Bacon Explosion for breakfast courtesy of Brad. It's bacon artfully cross-hatched around sausage that's wrapped around bacon. It was yummy and low carb!Here's Darin and Mitchie. I wonder if someday we'll stop calling Mitchell "Mitchie" - more than likely we won't. (Hey Mitchie - go into the forest and get me a shrubbery!)

Even with the broken bone, we had a great time. We golfed, took the 4-wheelers out, shot guns, and watched the 4th of July parade. Sounds like Idaho!

"Look over Here!"

2009-06-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a novice birder. I am working on many bird calls incluing the Chuckar "look over here" call taught to me by my brother, Brad. I am still working to perfect my California Quail call which is subtley different than the Chuckar call as you leave off the 'look' and just simply call "over here."

Darin and I took the 4-wheeler to the end of Douglas Creek over Memorial Day weekend, and I was able to practice my Chuckar call - which is apparently so accurate that it's hard to distinguish from the real thing - because after a few "look over here" calls, I snapped the following shot of a Chuckar. Success!!

Cabin & Alaska Trips

2009-06-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

Darin has done a great job with our July schedule. We're spending a week with family at the cabin in Idaho, and then we're spending a week in Alaska! I absolutely cannot wait!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2009-06-15T19:15:00.001-07:00

Darin definitely needs more garden space. We're hoping that he earns enough crop income this year to add acreage.
Now the farm is beautifully trimmed in bark and completely overgrown!

Our Kids

2009-06-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

The following photos show the biggest difference between Ben & Jake. One's a pointer, and the other's a sniffer. It's remarkable how two kids can be so very different. :)

Jake's the pointer; here he is oh so very slowly creeping up on the quail and finches in the backyard. It's like the game red light, green light. When the birds look, it's RED LIGHT!

Ben's the sniffer; he's smelling a caterpillar. Jake would have eaten it, but Ben just wants to know what the caterpillar smells like and where he's been.

Can I Keep Him ..... PLEASE??

2009-06-15T13:11:00.003-07:00

I've caught two snakes this year; Jake's caught five. I let them go, but only after I ask Darin real nicely if we can keep them. He always answers with a resounding "NO!" But I check with him each time - just in case.