Farmers Market, Squash and New Toys

Yesterday the girls and I got up early and went over to Corvallis to get our chores done so we could have the afternoon to relax.  We left at 730 and were home by 11!

We stopped by the Corvallis Farmers Market and the girls were both mooned over again and again and again.  They love it and I am happy they can be taken out into public like this, I always feel guilty leaving them at home so it makes it easier this way :o)  I picked up some more fat tomatoes, some apricots and more canteloupes! 

I got two beef knuckle bones for the girls (not pictured) that they have been chewing on all day long.  I make them keep them outside - I don't want the carpet smelling like raw beef fat - so I have to go out to see them if I miss them for 5 minutes.  I also snapped up some more flowers, just a $2 bundle, but they just make the kitchen perk up.

At Winco they were having a sale on their summer toys so I tossed a couple of those rubber balls they keep in the wire cages - at $0.98 each, they're cheap fun for for the girls.  When we got home I tossed them in the back yard and Oak went bonkers.  Then promptly left them alone.  Figures.

As I am snapping this picture of my squash bed,

I look over and see Annie picking up the orange ball (melt my heart - she picked the right color - GO BEAVS!).

She quickly popped it.

Then she wandered over to the pink ball.

Oak wasn't having any of that and snatched it up, hauling it across the yard where she popped it.

They both seem to have more fun with the popped balls!

Molly hung out in the potted lillies and watched the girls pop their toys.

 At least they had fun!

Tetris #6 - the final block!

Just hopping on quick to get this up - I finished it Thursday night, the last Tetris block!!!

Check out Melissa's blog for the other blocks :o)

McDowell Creek Falls - Quick Peek

I am not feeloing so hot this afternoon, but I want to get some photos up of our hike this morning.  The girls had me up late into the night - they were freaked out by the thunder, so they let me sleep in until 930.  Could have slept longer though.  I rolled out, grabbed some breakfast, threw on my boots and loaded up the dogs.  Off we went to McDowell Creek Falls Park.  Here are some photos - I'll get more up when I feel like looking at somehting other than my bathroom floor for longer than 15 minutes.

Where'd the dogs go?!?  Peeking through the bushes, this is what I see.

Annie whizzing by behind O.

Majestic Falls

P-R-I-M-A-D-O-N-A.  But I love her for it.

Roman Shade and Farmer's Market

Today I put together and installed a roman shade in our laundry room.  It is the only window on the first floor that we didn't get blinds for when we had them installed in the house and it has been bugging me ever since.  We don't use the room much and the doors are always closed, but it gets hot!  The onions and potatoes always sprout early when I store them in there and like I said, it gets hot! 

I found Jen's great little tutorial on how to make Roman Shades in 20 Pictures or Less and got to work.  It was great!  The only thing I learned that she doesn't instruct you to do (but she mentions her ruler keeping her 2" from the edge) is that you need to put your outside rows of rings close (like 2") to the edge of the shade, or you get saggy sides. 

 Oh well, it won't be up much and when it is, it'll still look great.  I love this fabric and think it looks pretty neat with the Roman Shade style.

 I also hit the Corvallis Farmer's Market with the girls this morning and got quite a haul.  It is really hard to not just tear into everything all at once!  The canteloupes are filling the kitchen with their smell and I am looking forward to having one for dessert tonight!

The tomatoes are all juicy and yummy - Annie can't keep her eyes off of them when I walk by them in the kitchen.

The zucchini.  Oh zucchini - so pretty and so tasty.  Steam them up and sprinkle some Almond Parmesan on them.  Mmmmm.

I am going through withdrawals of dahlias this summer - I haven't been up to Portland much so I haven't had the chance to snag buckets of flowers from my Mother-In-Law's yard.  So, I put $2 in the Community Garden Jar and picked out this little bundle of flowers.  Think I might try and find that peachy-pink one for my MIL's collection.

I also dropped some lemon cucumbers off at Saturday Morning Coffee for Brad and Brandy and had some questions - what were they and how did they grow?  Just cucumbers and like cucumbers.  Simple.  Here is a ginormous mass of lemon cucumber flowers hiding.  I have a feeling I am going to be pawning these things off on anyone I can find.

And here is the cucumebr bed.  There is one green cucumber plant and several lemon cucumber plants.  If you notice the bed mayhem on the left side of the picture?  BOTH girls were in it this morning.

Tetris Blocks #4 and #5 and 50 Shades of Grey

Yeah, Josh was home again and I totally ignored my sewing in favor of him.  Gonna need to get my butt in gear before he comes home next time so I don't miss anymore deadlines!!  Here are my next two Tetris blocks for the Tetris Quilt Along over at Happy Quilting.

Block #4 (late but done!)

 Block #5 (on time :o))

Can't wait for next week - it is the last block, then we get to finish the top!!

And now on to the other part of this post...50 Shades of Grey.  That is Shades of Grey Charm Swap being hosted by Ellie Q over at Color My World.  I bought my yard of fabric and cut it up into the 5" charms:

Prospect Park Leaf Grey by Kitty Yoshida for Benartex

All bundled and ready to send to Ellie when she says to!  Something new to try - a Charm Swap!

Rooster Rock Trail #3399

Wow.  Rooster Rock was a brutal hike!  We went Sunday morning and yeah, it was brutal.  It is a 4.2 round-trip hike with 2,267 feet in elevation gain.  The first 0.9 miles is a "gradual" rise, but the last 1.2 is up, up, up.  This is a photo-heavy post, the hike was brutal and beautiful.  See?



Annie headed up Roster Rock Trail #3399



"Flat land" - the gradual 0.9 miles

Dry streambed near the trailhead

Trail looking back towards the flat land.

Trail looking up away from the flat land.  Can you see Josh?

Huckleberries were everywhere!!! Not quite ripe though.

Trees, trees, trees.  View looking down the side of the trail.

Trees and ferns - view looking up the side of the trail.

Small viewpoint - can you see the Santiam River wayyyy down there?

The Rooster Rock.

View from top of trail.  Rooster Rock is off the picture to the right.

Annie at the top, trying not to trip over her tongue and tumble down the hill.

Josh and the girls - the tongues!!!

Me and the Annie Bug.

Another view from the top.

Trail headed back down - steeper than it looks!

Another view of the trail headed back down.  So much variety in scenery!

We spotted 3-4 of these old telegraph line insulators along the trail up in the trees.

At the intersection of Trout Creek Trail #3405 on the way down.  Annie laid down every time we stopped.

Back in the flat land.  Like a fairy land!

Small meadow on the side of the trail in the flat land.

  So cool huh?  Yeah, felt like someone kicked me all 4.2 miles the next couple of days, but I am very proud of myself and happy to have made it to the top!