Adalei's Birthday!

Adalei just had her fifth birthday! I had the Walmart bakery make her a Cinderella birthday cake for $4.88. They don't make chocolate cakes - only white ones - so it was no temptation for me to have a piece of it.
Elijah was napping when I took the above picture. It is so cute I had to include it without him.
Above and below, Adalei was opening her birthday gifts. Cute bracelets above and a fun hat below.

Adalei started pre-school so she was happy to have a new coat to wear to school. She loves school and says it is fun.
Adalei was licking the icing off the birthday candles above and then below I just had to capture Adalei and Brielle with the blue frosting and enjoying their treat. I got Rocky Road ice cream and that was a big hit. Now I did have a little ice cream..... :)

My birthday in 2010

This is where I was on my birthday - flying from one airport to another.... Left Portland early in the morning, changed planes in Atlanta, and arrived in Raleigh that evening! The picture above is the Atlanta airport and the picture below is from the Raleigh airport.

I hadn't seen my aunt in at least 17 years and we recognized each other - it was a great trip and I made lots of wonderful memories. She made me a purse (below) the 2nd day that I was there. She did a great job and I love it! She put pockets inside and the pockets on the outside are great too! She takes orders if you know anyone wanting a jeans purse or a similar pursue out of fabric.

Marcene's husband Jack below is great at BBQing! I loved everything he made - chicken, baby back ribs, rib eye steak, and grilled romaine! He said the next time I come he'll BBQ me shrimp and salmon fresh from the ocean. I hope it won't be too long until I see them again as I loved that southern BBQ! I did bring home a couple of bottles of the Carolina BBQ sauce - "Sticky Fingers." I'm excited to try it and hope my BBQ will be good even though I don't have Jack's skill. He also makes a fabulous baked potato that just melts in your mouth.

Below is a picture of me and my aunt Marcene in her back yard in North Carolina. We are 4 years apart in age. She was like my big sister when I was growing up. I always wanted to be just like her. We are closer in age to each other than either of us are to our own sisters. We also lived 1/2 mile apart while I was growing up.

Above is Marcene's house - her husband was in the Navy so they are very patriotic as you can see from the flag pole. Below is a picture of Marcene with some of her NutriSystem food. She was great to share some with me while I was there. I really like the food - it's good, high in protein, and keeps you feeling filled up. I went to Big Lots twice since I've been home to pick up some of the NutriSystems food they sell. I hope I'll look as good as Marie Osmond in a year!

We did pedicures and made cards - over 100! She has at least a year supply now! It was fun doing them together. I was able to see her children and grandchildren - my cousins and their children. Our kids are the same age so we are both grandmothers. She has 4 cute grandchildren - 2 girls and 2 boys.

In case you wonder what North Carolina looks like, I took the picture below. It is beautiful and green and I loved the weather. I could live there. The weather reminded me of California. It was a great trip and I made lots of wonderful memories.

My kids gave me a Kindle for my birthday so I had that to use. I downloaded scriptures and a couple of books. I just got an email today from my aunt and she just ordered herself a Kindle also because she really liked mine! I have wonderful kids that got me such a great gift for my birthday. (I should have taken a picture of it but you can look it up on www.amazon.com!)

My favorite cookies

Double Tree Hotel
Chocolate Chip Cookies

20 servings

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup rolled oats
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts INSTRUCTIONS Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended.

For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.

Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350°F oven for 16-18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft.

People Watching Visit to Saturday's Market in Downtown Portland

Above is a picture of my sister's family and my nephew Kade. From left to right: Derek, Kelly, Danielle, Carma, Tyler, Audrey, and Kade. It was so fun to have them come visit from Michigan. Below, Carma took a picture and included me in the group. You may have noticed the beautiful scarves.... Danielle, Audrey, and I had fun picking out scarves together! They were only $8 and made in India. This was the same price I paid for a scarf in the Holy Land so I thought it was a great deal. I told the girls their scarves were their birthday present as they have birthdays coming up.

This is just a beautiful picture of the Willamette River in Downtown Portland. I love the rivers and the bridges!

Girls' Night and a Slumber Party!

I had a girls night slumber party at my house. Audrey, Danielle and I started the night off with mud treatment facials. Our faces were really soft and looked great afterward. Below, you can see how involved Carma was with our activities. The girls made cards and Carma caught up on her sleep as she didn't sleep much the night before at Randy's. (Carma is my only sister in case you are wondering who she is.)

Danielle just loved holding little Elijah and he seemed happy to have her holding him too!

Audrey and Adalei read quite a few books....

Brielle was loving the one-on-one attention....

Carma, Misty and I ran to the store and when we returned Audrey had Brielle sleeping for her nap. They looked so cute that I just had to take a picture....

Adalei and Danielle cuddled up for the slumber party and had a fun time together.

Cinderella, Sweet Tomatoes, and No Work When Carma Came to Visit!

I took the day off work to spend with Nate and family and Carma and my nieces. Nate and Misty had the great idea to go see the Cinderella play. It was a great play and we enjoyed it very much. Here's a picture of Danielle, Adalei, and Audrey eating snacks brought by Carma (nuts, chocolate chips, raisins).

After the play we all went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch! I love the food at Sweet Tomatoes and I had enough coupons for all of us so we saved some money too!

Audrey and Adalei above.......

Danielle with the cute little ice cream cone!

Yummy Blackberry Cobbler

When Carma and family came to visit from Michigan, we all went blackberry picking along the street near my house. We had a great time and were rewarded with yummy blackberry cobbler afterward. (The blackberries grow wild in the Northwest.)

Elijah was especially enjoying eating berries as Nate picked.

Derek had a great idea which was supported by his uncle Randy to pick up high!






























You can see that Brielle was eating as fast as she was picking!























Everyone was picking quite earnestly!








Misty was holding the container where we all dumped our berries. When it was full, we knew it was time to make the cobbler.








I made several cobblers and we all really enjoyed it. I served some with whipped cream and some with homemade ice cream. This recipe is one that came from my Grandma Crawford and is a family favorite! It was so good!

The recipe for Berry Marble Cobbler......

1/2 c. sugar
1 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 T. oil
1/2 c. milk

Mix above ingredients and spread in buttered pan. Scatter 2 - 3 cups of berries or fruit on top. Sprinkle 1/2 c. sugar on top of fruit. Pour 3/4 c. juice or water over all.

Bake 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out of dough part clean.

Yummy with ice cream!

Surprise for Dr. Tanner!

We had a surprise congratulations party for Nate on his last day of work in Vancouver and to wish him well for his new endeavors in Grants Pass.

Jenna helped us with a theme for the party and then Misty leveraged off of Jenna's great ideas to complete the party plans. Misty came up with the cute analogy for the wishes shown in the poster. (I made the poster.) The best fillings are gold so that's why the new practice in Grants Pass is a "gold" one.

Attendees at the party included Randy and family, Carma and family, Nate's family and me!

Misty came up with the fun idea to hang dental things from the lamp..... She was so clever! Isn't the little stuffed "tooth" cute by the poster?

For food, we had lasagna (Nate's favorite), french bread, salad (thanks to Randy), jello (thanks to Carma) and the two ice cream cakes. (Charity's ice cream cake is better so next time I think I'll use her recipe!)

Happy Birthday to Misty!

This is Misty's special birthday for the "3"s. I sent her 3 gifts and a card. Before they moved to Grants Pass, we went to dinner at Chevy's. Misty and Nate passed on the birthday dessert but Misty did get to wear the sombrero and have the waiters sing happy birthday to her.

Family Picture 2010

Thanks to Jason we have another family picture. My best gift every year from my children is taking a family picture. I love to have an updated picture at home and work to see and show others my wonderful family! Thanks to all of you for posing and creating this picture that reminds me of our wonderful family reunion in June in Newport on the Oregon coast.

From left to right: Jason, Spencer, Ashley, Misty, Elijah, Nate, Brielle, Paisley, Adalei, me, Weston, Charity, Casey, Benson, and Jenna!

I have the best family and they bring me joy beyond measure. I am so blessed and cherish my time with them.