Not Quite a Baby Picture

Yes, I'm scanning old pictures again. This is one of the earliest ones I could find of me growing up. That's me in the front on the right in the pink & black outfit. I think I was about 2 or 3 years old when this was taken. Also pictured are my brother Jerry (right behind me), my nieces Angie & Gina in the front and my older half brother & sister Houng & Twe in the back row. Do you think my kids resemble me at all?

Final Report Cards & Other News

Corey's final report card came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I forgot to comment on them. She had another great quarter! Corey made it through 7th grade with flying colors, making straight A's all 4 quarters. Way to go Corey!

On a side note Corey also found out that she was picked to be part of the Homesteader Program next year. Homesteaders work with various community groups to interpret & present the history & heritage of Tumwater during community service events throughout the school year. The homesteaders give "living history" presentations of pioneer skills & activities. It'll be fun to see Corey dressed as a pioneer girl-she already has the pig tails for it! She's very excited to participate along with her friends Madi & Ha-Yoon.

Plant of the Week #13

And......we're back! This week I'm going to talk about the Asiatic Lily. I chose it because mine are blooming right now. I planted a few the first fall we lived here (2004) and they have really exploded. I have them right in front of my porch and Marti calls it my "jungle" because I have so many of them! They get quite large-about 3 feet tall. I really need to get out there and divide my bulbs. The funny thing about my Asiatic Lilies is that I never know what color they will be. My blooms have been orange, white, pink and yellow. This year they are predominantly orange.

Here are some interesting facts about the Asiatic Lily:

• True lilies are bulbs, and they have fleshy stems, blade-like leaves & trumpet shaped flowers.


• The Asiatic lily is among the easiest to grow.


• Asiatic lilies are hybridized lilies which are famous for their vigor.


• They need to be an area with sun for at least half a day & well-drained soil.


• They return in thick clumps each year and require thinning every 3 to 4 years to break up the bulbs and spread them out. (I guess it's past time to do mine..doh!)


• Trim away dead foliage as the plants die off in the fall.


• Be sure to fertilize in the spring to stimulate growth.


• They are very appealing to butterflies.


• Bulbs can be planted either in early fall or mid-spring and they will produce flowers in June & July.


• Colors include orange, white, red, yellow and pink.

This is one of my orange Asiatic lilies.

I only have one pink one so far, but it sure is pretty!

Last Farewell

The Parks came by for one last farewell before taking off for Utah and then Georgia. It was sad to say good-bye but we hope to see them soon.

Gabby & McKell

Nikki & Susan

Paige & Corey

Corey wanted me to include this picture of them from 6th grade-they look so young!

Coconut Bliss Ice Cream

I found this awesome coconut ice cream called Naked Coconut from Luna & Larry's line of Organic Coconut Bliss ice creams. If you like coconut, you have to try it. It is completely dairy free and is made with coconut milk instead. It's quite spendy-I think I paid $5.69 for a pint of it at Fred Meyer. But, it is totally worth it. Plus, it's so rich & creamy you can't eat too much of it at one sitting, so a pint will last quite a while. If you set it aside for about 10 minutes after you scoop it so it can melt just a little, it tastes even better. There must be some coconut lovers out there! Let me know what you think if you try it! There are also other flavors, but I'm still stuck on this one for now.

Transformers 2

Last night Scott, my friend Clarissa, and I went to see Transformers 2. It has gotten horrible critic reviews. But we all really liked the first one so of course we decided to go see it. Scott & I both really liked it. I think Clarissa was a bit disappointed. It wasn't as good as the first one, but it did have great special effects and lots of explosions. That's pretty much what you would expect when you go see a movie like this. There were quite a few funny parts and I heard a lot of laughter in the audience. One of the things I really didn't care for was the bad language (much more than in the first) . I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Sea-Tac Volkssport Event

We completed our 2nd Volkssport event today by walking 5k around Angle Lake in Sea-Tac. It wasn't quite as exciting as our walk at NW Trek, but we managed to see a big, fat rabbit and a wooden carved beaver that Gabby thought was kinda cool. The lake itself was very pretty. Afterwards we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in Southcenter. The food was so yummy, but they gave us so much that we didn't even have enough room in our tummies for cheesecake! I guess the trick is to eat the cheesecake first and then the main course.


Gabby & Scott at Cheesecake Factory

Susan & Corey-the weather was beautiful so we decided to eat outside.

June Blooms

The "June Gloom" that we've been experiencing the past week or so has taken a hiatus today. It's 75 degrees & beautifully sunny outside. The weather this spring & summer have been good for my roses. They definitely have more blooms than last year. I am glad all those snowy & rainy days this past winter did not put a damper on their growth. Hope you enjoy the pictures!


Tropicana Rose bush

Close up of Tropicana rose bud

My Nicole Rose-it is doing well in the pot.

My Pink Rose-I never did find out what the name is. It never looks this good!

My Mr Lincoln came back after a bit of a scary start. I had to cut it down to the ground-twice! But here is the first bud, ready to open any day now!

Hot Cocoa in full bloom

My Chihuly Rose-also doing well in its pot.

Blushing Knockout-Rozanne, don't you have a couple also?

The same Blushing Knockout. I thought it was cool how this one bloom was half light pink and one half dark pink.

A large group of my About Face Rose blooms-so beautiful!

TGIF

I cannot say it any louder.......TGIF! It was a tremendously long week at work. I don't know if it was because I was coming back from a long weekend, starting my new 6am shift, or the fact that we had something going on almost every night this week, but I have been totally wiped out. Last night I came home and promptly fell asleep for around 2 hrs. After I woke up I was still tired and ended up not going to book club. And wouldn't you know it I actually read the book this month! I'm really looking forward to some sleep this weekend.

I have been woefully neglectful of my yard, so I asked Gabby to come out with me this evening to help me fertilize & prune my flowers. She was such a big help. Most of my roses are still blooming. My lupine has totally been eaten-I think it's those gross pincher bugs-so I cut it down to the ground. Gabby did a great job of cutting back my Bleeding Heart to a manageable size. It was completely overgrown. There's still a lot to do, but it was a good start. I still haven't planted the plant that the girls had given me for my birthday so that is on my list of things to do this weekend.

TGIF!!!!

Sounders vs Striker Girls

Tonight's game against the Striker Girls was a rough one for Gabs. She got elbowed in the side and hit with the ball in the stomach. She had to sit out for a while but was a trooper and came back in after which she got hit again by the ball-but in the thigh this time. The other girls on the team started calling her "Bruiser" but I don't think she likes that nickname very much ;) We're proud of her for being such a trooper!

I also have to mention that it was freezing the whole game. The temp gauge in my van said 60 but I don't believe it. The wind was really kicking. After we got home Gabby had herself a big cup of steaming hot cocoa. And I think she deserved it!


In a sea of green

Working hard

Going for the ball

Plant of the Week

Is cancelled this week because I didn't have time to do it! But never fear, it will be back next Tuesday ;) Instead enjoy the following:

The American Medical Association has weighed in on the new economic stimulus package...

• The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.
• The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it
• The Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.
• The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception.
• Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.
• Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!"
• The Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!'
• The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness
• The Radiologists could see right through it.
• Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
• The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow
• The Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."
• The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward.
• The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas
• The Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
• In the end, the Proctologists won out.

First Soccer Game of the Season

Gabby's soccer team, the TSC Sounders, had their first game of the season tonight against the Olympia Mud Bay Otters. It was a well-matched game. The girls played very well together as a team. In the end we ran out of time and lost 4 to 5, but I must say I'm very proud of the way everyone played. I was really happy to see Gabby be more aggressive this year in running after the ball. She played her favorite position-defender- whenever she was out on the field. Go Sounders!


Being aggressive

Up against an opponent

Run, Gabby!

Practicing kicks during warm-up

Playing left defender

Going after the ball

Action shot

Good Bye to McKell

Today Gabby threw a going away party for McKell. She decided to do a Hawaiian theme party and the highlight was making shave ice. It is a hand-crank model and all the girls took turns making their own shave ice. I think everyone had a good time. P.S. A big thank you to Corey who helped me get everything ready for the party including baking the yummy chocolate chip cookies!


Savannah, Jewel & McKell

Jewel, McKell, Janae, Ally, Gabie, Savannah & Gabby

Gabby was reading from her diary about our trip to Maui in 2005.

They played a rousing rendition of "Aloha-oi"

Gabby shaving her ice

Janae & Savannah

All waiting in line for another turn on the shave ice machine

More waiting

Gabie & Savannah

Ally & Janae

Pictures of Rose & Japanese Gardens

Too many great pictures.........this is only about half of them.......

Gabby, Corey & Gamma around the sun dial

George Washington monument.

The four of us in the Japanese Garden.

Stretch Johnson rose

Scott & Corey in the Japanese garden

Susan & Scott by the rose arbor

Scentimental rose

Saluda rose

Rio Samba rose

Queen Elizabeth rose

just a pretty view

pond in the Japanese garden

Perennial garden

Peppermint Twist rose

Orangeade rose-it was very vibrant

on a bench in the perennial garden

Susan & Sherry in the rose garden

Love rose

Henry Fonda rose

Henri Martin rose

girls next to a twisted tree in Japanese Garden

girls with large orange poppies

girls under the rose arbor

pond

girls with Gamma by waterfall

Gabby with Lilian Austin rose

Gabby with Dublin Bay rose

Europena rose

Crimson Bouquet rose

Corey with Rose Hill sign

Corey with Lilian Austin rose

Corey with Dublin Bay rose

Beautiful Corey

Corey by bridge in Japanese Garden

Cool bridge in the park

Cinco de Mayo rose

Brigadoon rose

girls by pond

Rose garden with arbor in the background

Gabby with America rose

Gabby by Altissimo rose

Gabby by fountain in Davenport Hotel

Corey by same fountain

Lobby of the Davenport Hotel