11/13-11/19, a Quiet Week

Looking back over last week, it doesn't seem like anything hugely exciting happened.  Dode and I finished up 15 years of marriage and are a few days in to our 16th year together.  We'd celebrated by going away overnight a few weeks ago so the actual anniversary was pretty low key.  (In fact, we babysat for Sheri!)  Dode hung the big heart in the tree so that everyone driving up the Hwy could see that for some reason, a giant heart was floating in the sky.  We'd like to celebrate by having dinner at the space needle and use the gift card Dode won at his work Christmas party almost two years ago but the month seems to be slipping away from us. 

Elizabeth had her yearly IEP (Individualized Education Plan for special ed services) meeting for speech therapy where I learned that she qualifies for another year.  And, the speech pathologist told me she'd assessed "Mini Elizabeth" (Miriam) and that we'll soon be meeting to create an IEP for Miriam as well.  She'd done an assessment on Elizabeth at Miram's age and said it was like traveling back in time.  At the time, Elizabeth didn't qualify for services and she told me to bring her back in a few years.  Well, those few years turned into four and when we went back, Elizabeth easily qualified.  As a funny side note, I had speech therapy when I was going to college to finally be able to use the "s" sound (kind of important when your name is Stephanie!)  The college had a program where people going to school to become speech therapists could practice their skills on patients.  The person giving the girls speech therapy is the very same person who practiced on me 16 years ago.  Wow!  With Miriam beginning to receive services, that will bring us up to three IEPs in our family (William has the other). 

The most exciting thing to happen this week is for Elizabeth to choose a book from the library and finish it in two days. We're a family of late readers.  But, once they get the hang of it, they don't want to put books down.  Elizabeth is pleased that she's fallen in love with a series that contains over 30 books.  She can't wait to get the next book from the library.  I feel like a light has finally been turned on for Elizabeth.  She's had a struggle to become a proficient reader, and she's still got a ways to go.  She's been able to feed her imagination by listening to audio books.  To see her finally get wrapped up in a book was wonderful! 

Notice anything different about Elizabeth in the photo above?

11/10/11

11/19/11

Elizabeth's hair was finally long enough to donate to Locks of Love.  We got it cut on Wednesday.  Morning hair care has gotten MUCH easier!

We had a co-op distribution on Saturday.  It was a lot more work for me than normal.  I use google checkout for the orders.  At the end of October, something went wrong with the merchant part of google checkout.  I was no longer able to download from google what people had ordered.  Google doesn't give you any way to contact them.  The only recourse you have is filling out an automated email with pre-selected issues.  Then, you get an automated reply that doesn't address your problem.

I'd experienced google checkout problems last month when they wanted me to change some tax information on my account but didn't give me a way to do it. If I didn't somehow make the changes, they were going to suspend my account.  The merchant help forum was full of people with the same problem.   I spent hours trying to find contact information.  I finally used every automated "contact us" email I could and was able to get a real and living person to write me back and help me through the process.  I was ready to tell google to take a hike by the time we were done. 

Now, a month later they messed up again.  I ended up having to go to google check out and browse though every order placed in the last three weeks, opening each of the more than 60 orders up individually and manually typing into a spread sheet what each person had ordered.  Then I had to go through the spread sheet line by line compiling all the orders to see how many of each of the items had been ordered (we offered 15 items for purchase) so I could make the bulk order.  Then to make the check out sheets, I had to go through the spread sheet again looking at each of the 15 items to compile a list of who had ordered from that item and how many they had wanted.   It took a lot of time and I had a huge concern that I'd mess up some one's order.  The night before the co-op, I couldn't sleep for worrying about the train wreck that could be happening the next morning.  When the truck showed up at 5:00 am, it was 25 degrees outside.  I spent three hours in the cold and it was only at the end of the pick up time that I could breathe a sigh of relief that I'd only messed up once and forgotten to order a box of apples for someone.  There was a side benefit of the stress.  My worry about mistakes kept me warm out there in the freezing cold!  Am I frustrated with google?  You bet!  They charge a fee for each transaction they process.  Would it be so difficult to offer some customer service for when things go wrong?  I'm tempted to try another company but two things hold me back.  1.  The program Dode built me was created to use information I can (normally) download from google.  2.  If I went with paypal, I'd be getting the same customer service.  If I go with someone else, I'd have to purchase expensive software to provide transaction security.

11/7-11/12

Elizabeth's 1st quilt
It was enrichment week at the school the home schoolers attend part time.  Enrichment week is the week that falls between school quarters.  It is a time for field trips, guest speakers, and special activities.  One of the activities Elizabeth and I participated in was "Quilt in a Day".  It actually took place over two days in three hour blocks.  We started by hitting the fabric store so that Elizabeth could select her fabrics.  She began with the celestial print and added a few complementary colors.   It took her over 30 minutes to pick the other materials.  I could tell that she was putting a lot of thought into selecting just the right colors and patterns.

I'd purchased the amount of fabric from memory and once I got home, I realized that I didn't have enough.  So, I had to go back to the fabric store later that evening, not my first choice.  Then, when I got there, I couldn't find the fabric she'd picked.  It had been a busy day at the fabric store and together the employee and I searched through all the bolts of fabric that were waiting to go back on the floor.  We found two out of three.  With a bit more searching, we came up with the last bolt of material.  Happiness!  My mistake ended up working out because she was able to make a larger quilt than the teacher had planned for.

Once at the class at school, we started cutting out strips of materials and assembling 9 patch squares.  Elizabeth sewed every seam herself.  She was able to get every 9 patch completed and to sew each of the 5 rows of squares together.  We were sent home at the end of the three hours with the homework assignment to sew the strips together into a solid top and to select a backing fabric.

The next time we went to class, Elizabeth sewed the strips framing the quilt as well as the binding. 

sewing on the strips

assembling the backing, batting and top.  Her teacher Mrs. Peterson is on the right.  They're outside because they used a special spray to hold the pieces together.

My proud young lady and her quilt

The class with their moms and the teacher.

We pinned everything together and her teacher was kind enough to offer to take it home and machine quilt it for us.  Elizabeth was so proud of herself and can't wait to cuddle under it while watching a movie.

Seattle field trip
Another enrichment activity we took advantage of was the chance to go to the Seattle Science Center and to take a tour of Channel 9, our local public broadcast network.  Wednesday Elizabeth, Isaac, and I made the trip as soon as we got done with the newspapers.  We started our tour of the Science Center with an Imax movie, Born to be Wild.  Elizabeth loved the documentary of two women who have made it their life's work to raise orphaned orangutans and elephants respectively.  After the movie, we visited the butterfly house where Elizabeth and I both picked up some temporary hair ornaments (butterflies).  The science center also had a traveling exhibit called "Design Zone".  They taught us about the science behind things like video games, roller coasters, and music.  I had to pry the kids away so that we could get to the TV station on time.  The TV station walked us through every step of making a TV program and patiently answered all the children's questions.

getting ready for Born to be Wild in 3D

a marble maze game

playing around with her photo

This bicycle has been there since I was Elizabeth's age!

In the room where the "magic" is made.  Producers, directors, sound men all sit in here.

As long as we were in Seattle, I decided to take advantage of a chance to go to Theo Chocolates, the maker of my favorite chocolate bar.  We were able to sign up for their hour long tour.  We pulled up to the factory and got out of the car.  Immediately, the rich smell of chocolate was evident.  Elizabeth and I walked up to an exhaust fan, stuck our noses close, and inhaled deeply.  Heavenly!  Isaac sat their smirking at his crazy family.  We learned that Theo is one of less than 20 chocolate factories in the US that actually receive raw cocoa beans and takes them through the entire process of roasting, grinding, and creating tasty chocolate treats from them.  They are the only organic and fair trade certified chocolate factory in the US.  We got to taste 90% of the products they make.  Yum!  I told Dode that I'm never going back.  I can't trust myself around so much deliciousness!  I spent way too much money on treats.  Chipolte Drinking Chocolate Powder, Cocoa Nibs, 1# of Spicy Chili bar pieces (my favorite candy bar) , a Cherry Chili Dark Chocolate Bar, a Milk Chocolate bar for Isaac, a Milk Chocolate Candy Cane bar for Elizabeth, and "Big Daddy Marshmallows" (graham cracker, marshmallow, caramel covered in dark chocolate.)

on the tour, looking stylish in our caps

This machine takes the roasted beans and grinds them up.

This enrober and cooling tunnel looks just like the one they use at Aunt Bessy's honey factory!  What's in those red garbage bags?  Cocoa beans!

This is what chocolate looks like during the fermentation stage.  Look tasty?

Theo's retail store

After leaving Theo, the plan was to go out to dinner with my mom.  It was dark out and I had a terrible time finding Hwy 99 to head to her house.  I spent 30 minutes driving around in circles trying to find the correct road.  The kids kept asking me, "When are we going to get there?"  I didn't have a good answer for them and was so wishing I had a GPS to help me out.  I finally made it to the correct road and we eventually made it to my mom's. 

A Tree Falls
There is an alder tree that grows right next to the sidewalk outside the living room window.  It has three trunks and makes a nice scenic view.  I'm the kind of person who spends quite a bit of time looking out of windows and I've enjoyed this tree for the six years we've lived here. 

One trunk already gone, the view from the window

Dode on the other hand has been getting more and more worried about the tree.  The roots have buckled the sidewalk already and he was concerned they'd soon crack the foundation on the house.  He finally convinced me that the tree needed to go.  Randy came over and cut the tree down for us. 

The kids were in the hot tub watching and they were all very put out to see the tree go. Elizabeth would not even look at Dode after they cut down the tree.

Our zip line ends on one of the trunks and they thought that with the tree gone, there would be no more zip line.  Randy left the stump tall enough for the zip line.  Dode thinks the stump will be stable enough for the next year after which he'll have to come up with another spot to anchor the zip line to.  Hopefully, some day my girls can forgive their Uncle Randy for destroying their tree.  Dode says he's sure they aren't the first kids who Randy has made mad while taking out trees.  My only consolation is that we can use the trees to heat the house, the wood should give us about a month of warmth.

Fixing a pipe
About six months ago, Dode got called over to his grandparents to repair a leaky pipe.  His Uncle Dave and Aunt Viv had been remodeling the bathroom and had accidentally screwed into one of the pressurized pipes.  Dode put a new piece of pipe in and soldered it into place.  They proceeded to fix up the bathroom and all was well.  At least, everything was well until Saturday when water started flooding into the downstairs of the house.  After removing ceiling tiles, and eventually bathroom walls, they chased the leak down to the pipe behind the shower.   Had Dode's fix failed? 

Nope!  They'd managed to hit that pipe a second time when they finished up the bathroom.  This time, they weren't aware they'd done it and the screw stayed in the pipe all this time.  Eventually, it rusted away, leaving a hole that quickly created a major flood.  Dode fixed it up again a second time.  Thankfully he's thorough.  As he was preparing to apply heat while putting the pieces of pipe together, he tried to feed a piece of aluminum foil behind the pipe.  It kept getting stuck on something.  When he put his finger back there, he found that the screw had gone all the way through the pipe and was sticking out the other side.  If he'd missed that, it would not have been long before that piece of screw rusted away and he'd have been going back over to the house to fix another leak.  Our fingers are crossed that this time when the bathroom gets re-assembled everything goes where it should.

Work Bonus
At work, Dode sometimes goes out in the field with the employees of the fisheries department.  He heard that they do monitoring crab pots where they put down pots, pull up crabs, take them back to their lab to study them, and then get to keep them, since they're dead when they're done with them.  It's just a couple of single guys pulling up 40-80 crabs at a time and they sometimes have extra.  Dode told them he'd sure be willing to take some off their hands and Thursday, he came home with 5 crabs.  We had a real feast.  It's a lot of work to get full off of crab!  They told him that when it's time to do monitoring for shrimping season not to expect any extras.  Good thing I prefer crab!

not my most glamorous photo ever!

Hot Sauce Go Fish
Jacob and his friend Shamois came up with a fun and exciting game to pass the time.  Hot Sauce Go Fish.  They assembled several of Jacob's bottles of hot sauce and anytime someone had to go fish, they had to take a spoonful of hot sauce as penalty.  Shamois has hot sauce almost every day and has built up a tolerance for it.  Jacob hasn't been using so much of it and he was definitely struggling.  He learned it burns going down, burns coming out the other side, and burns coming up when he decided to make himself throw up to get rid of it.  He shouldn't have any stomach or intestinal parasites for a while!

10/31- 11/6

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun night of trick or treating.  We started off the night with Seth and Ellie and their parents accompanying us.  Seth didn't make it far before he was complaining about being done.  Sheri was able to get him to make a complete loop back to the car but it was touch and go.  As usual, my kids were tired long before the mom was.  Don't they know there's more candy out there to be had?

Miriam is a cowgirl, wearing a vest I got at Yellowstone when I was 8 years old.

The Cheeto face was not part of the costume.

Sir William is a king

Elizabeth is an animal lover.

She made her own costume, sewing the vest smaller and gluing on the animals.

She had a hitchhiker on her back

Anastaya sewed her own costume as well.  Those stripes took her at least two hours to sew on.

She's piglet.

Me?  I was going for warm! 

We learned through Internet research that this is a PhD robe.

Toy Store 3 on ice

Dode is able to get discount tickets through work to Disney on Ice.  He took the girls down Friday night.  The girls had a great time.  The dad?  He went because he loves his girls!  There were three prizes awarded during the evening and we won one, $10 off a future ticket!

The dress Miriam is wearing came from the Halloween clearance section.  She felt very glamorous.

Celebrating 16 years

Dode and I were able to get away for the weekend thanks to the babysitting services of Sheri and Sharon.  We left Saturday morning, after taking our turn cleaning the church building.  Our plan was to take a scenic drive over three mountain passes. 

On our way to our loop in Enumclaw, we drove by this sign on the side of the road and had to get a photo. 

Do you know how many people mistake Dorrel's name for Darrel?  Here he is running for office!  (It's really one of his relatives.) 

We began by heading up Chinook Pass.  At the top, we did a 3.6 mile loop hike, enjoying the scenery of the high mountains. 

Mount Rainer played shy with us, peeking out for just a minute.

Winter has definitely arrived in the high country.

We were on the edge of two worlds.  We walked in the snow the whole way while just to the east of us, winter had not yet arrived.

I've waited 10 years to walk across this bridge.  I saw the trails up here the last time we came over Chinook Pass and I made a vow to myself that someday I would come walk in the glorious alpine landscape.  I just didn't know it would be under snow when I finally got to do it!

For most of the hike, I was overheated and only wore my sweater.  As we approached the car, we went into the shadow of a knob.  I didn't want to stop to put on my warm jacket and by the time we got back to the car, I was pretty cold.  Even driving 30 minutes with the heater and my coat on, I was still covered in goosebumps.  I guess I got that core body temperature down a bit. 

We stopped at Whistling Jacks' for pie.  Dode got apple and I got bumbleberry (rhubarb, cherry, apple, raspberry).  The pie hit the spot and gave me a boost at warming back up.  With the cost of pie, ice cream and tip bringing our treat to $20, I'm not sure it was that kind of good!

We stayed the night at Camp Zarahemla near White Pass.  You know you're not staying in a regular hotel when you get four phone calls before you ever make it to your destination, finalizing details and calling to find out when you're coming. 

Camp Zarahemla is a camp owned by our church.

Our cozy cabin.

In the morning, we headed up over White Pass.  We had the whole day ahead of us with no obligations so we hit every scenic pullout.

Half waterfall, half ice fall

The view down the valley back towards the lake we camped on.

Mount Rainer was out in her glory as we headed down White Pass.

We walked to the Grove of the Patriarchs.  We met another couple on the trail who said, "Aren't those trees something?!"  We politely said, "Yes" although we'd already discussed that they were big trees but weren't anything different for what we're used to encountering as we go hiking.  Then we learned that the couple was from Connecticut and trees as big as that were not the norm for them!

We'd had such a good time on the Naches Peak loop trail our first day that we decided to do it again.  Once again, Mount Raineer was cloaked in clouds.  Even though we couldn't see the mountain, we enjoyed oogling the snowy ridges all around us and the company couldn't be beat!  It was so great to have two full days of being together just the two of us, with just one phone call from the kids!