The Craig Chronicles

New Year's Eve 2011

2012-01-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

This is the only picture we took on New Year's Eve. This is Piper and she is a cutie. Our neighbors (her parents) and Matt get a kick out of seeing me hold a baby so when they stopped by on New Year's they thrust her into my arms so I couldn't help but hold her and then proceeded to take dozens of pictures. I was cracking up watching them take pictures and make comments. I normally have a 6 month rule (I don't hold babies until they are 6 months old) but when I stopped by to visit these guys shortly after Piper was born, they pulled the same maneuver so I ended up holding her when she was only days old. What is so hilarious about me holding a child? Do I look uncomfortable? unnatural? I'm not sure but Matt won't let me take down the picture of me holding my friend Kari's triplets when they were 6 months old and they are now almost 6 years old!

Not a new year's resolution

2012-01-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

It has been exactly 2 years since I last blogged. What can I say? Life has been busy. I've been lazy. Both are true. One of my new year's resolutions is to organize old photos so it made me think of the blog and I thought I may just post some old photos and try to share more what is going on in our lives. This is NOT a new year's resolution though. I don't need that kind of pressure. The picture above is from our trip to Sedona in October. It is called Courthouse I think. Matt says its Cathedral. You decide.

Stehikin

2010-01-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

Imagine a place with steep mountains all around except for a 1,000 foot deep lake, only reachable by boat, no phones, no internet, no TV. Well that is Stehikin. Delores organized a trip to this remote town on the edge of Lake Chelan for us, her friend Sandy and some old friends of Matt and Delores', Maureen and Bruce, came along too. We drove up to Snohomish on the day after Christmas. Then we took a 1.5 hour boat ride from the south end of Lake Chelan to the North end. The town has 95 year-round residents and since it is not reachable by car, the boat also brings supplies, mail, groceries, etc so it is a big event when the boat comes. Here is Matt in front of our out-house...just kidding, we stayed in a really nice cabin that was heated by a gas stove but it had electricity and even a dishwasher. I forgot to take a picture of it. Here is the pic from the website. View of the lake and the mountains...I think I could live here...

A cool little area overlooking the Lake to pray or meditate. Beautiful.

Matt and I got a lot of use out of our new snow shoes.

Rainbow Falls was partially frozen. So cool.

Here is the rest of the gang on a little exploration hike of the area. We had such a fun time hanging out with these guys, playing games and eating great food. Thanks for a great adventure, Delores.

bench project

2010-01-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

As you can see I'm doing some catch-up blogging.

This was just a little project we did and I don't think I ever posted anything about it. We had an old shelf thingy that we weren't using anymore and I had been wanting a little bench to set things down on when you walk in our front door or to sit to put your shoes on. Well we added some legs and a few cusions and walaaa...an entryway bench.

Christmas at the Craigs

2009-12-25T14:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a great Christmas so far. This is us opening of gifts from Mike and Katie and family.

I have recieved a cat calendar from my brother Mike for Christmas for as long as I can remember.

They even remembered Olive. This is her excited face. Can you tell?

I think Matt liked the Cowboys grill. What do you think?

Thank you Mike, Kate, Natalie, Mandie, Shaun and Timmy.

Kathleen's birthday tea

2009-06-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Celebrated Kathleen's birthday by going to tea at the Lavender Tea House in Sherwood. This was my first tea experience and it was quite fun. Scones, girl talk, funny hats and a tasty cake. What a great time. Thanks for having a birthday Kathleen!

Burnt Lake Hike

2009-05-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Back in May we did a hike on Mt. Hood and ran into snow. We never found the Lake because of all the snow on the trail. On the way back we saw some llamas enjoying a ride through town which just struck me as funny....really I find anything having to do with llamas funny. We went back in July with our neighbor dog Cooper and did the hike again. The snow was gone and the lake was found! Beautiful. (clearly, it has been a long time since I've blogged and I cant recall how to rotate the pictures.)

Grandma Lang...

2009-05-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

In March I flew back to Rockford to say goodbye to my Grandma Lang. She wasn't doing well and I was glad I made it back in time to see her. She passed away the day after I arrived. My cousins and I agreed she had a way of making every grandkid feel like secretly they were her favorite. Grandma was a believer and I'm sure she enjoying heaven now. It is a great comfort to know I'll get to see her again some day.

Despite the sad circumstances, it was fun to get to see family and friends. I thought I'd share some of the funny/good things that happened:
1) Hearing stories from my uncles about their “wild and crazy” years growing up.
2) Getting to meet Jackson, my cousin Erin and her husband Matt’s little boy, for the first time. What a charmer. He is 2 and speaks in sentences with multi-sylable words.
3) Hanging out with family. My nieces gave me a manicure and Timmy helped Natalie put my hair up with the use of paintbrushes.

4) Getting to seem my good friends Laura and Aaron. We go way back. I’m so excited for them. They are pregnant with their first.

A new car...

2009-05-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Silver (my car) had seen better days so we’ve been praying about a new car. It seems odd that we got rid of our 9 year old car and kept the nearly 20 year old vehicle but they just don’t make ‘em like they used to (say that in your best old man voice). I bought Silver 2 weeks after I graduated from college. I had my degree, my job offer and now all I needed was years of car payments, right? Soo silly:-) I think a little bit differently theses days thanks to our friend Dave Ramsey.

After several hours spent at a dealership one rainy Saturday here’s what we came up with:

What do you think? Is it me? What should we name it? oh, it's a nissan versa by the way.
P.S. Don't get any ideas. The mini van next to the new car is a rental Matt had for work.

Prayer for direction...

2009-04-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

Matt has been looking for a new job since the beginning of the year. We really feel like the Lord is leading him in this way. He had a talk with his boss to let him know and his boss has been very supportive, understanding and flexible. Matt has learned a great deal from his current position (and as you know has some great stories to tell) but it just isn’t the best fit for his personality or his skills. He is looking to move from the consulting side of engineering to the client side and hopefully work for the Army Corp of Engineers or some other government municipality. While this isn’t the ideal time to look for a new position we truly feel like this is where God is leading us. It’s tough to know though when things seem to be moving slowly and now Matt’s boss is asking for a timeline so he can plan on when he needs to hire Matt’s replacement. We know the Lord has a plan and it will all work out in His timing. Can you pray for us? We would really appreciate it.

Test Flight...

2009-02-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

Over Valentine’s Day weekend we went to California with Bendrea. The purpose of our trip was to give Matt a “test” flight since he had done some therapy to help him with his flight anxiety. (It’s called NLP and you can ask him about it if you’d like the details). Bendrea just happen to be up for a trip and we also met Scabby along the way.

It was a good time. We went to Sprinkles cupcakes(so delicious), Universal Studios and we went to some friends of Bendrea in San Diego who had the fanciest house I have even been in. I felt like I was on some TV show or something. It was amazing. How was the flight for Matt you may ask? Well, despite a rocky start to the day (our flight was delayed and we got booked onto another flight but our luggage had already been checked to our original flight so we were very skeptical about it’s arrival) Matt did really well. He was able to keep calm and he even was comfortable enough to get up and walk around. This is normally not something he’d be ok with. He said it was the best flight he has had in 20 years. Praise the Lord! He wants to do a slightly longer flight next-probably Chicago- and go from there. I’m hoping to be able to get him back to New Zealand and Australia before too long:-) Yeah!!

Yummy Birthdays

2009-01-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

My brothers and I surprised my mom and bought her a ticket to come and visit Matt and me over her birthday. We had a fun time just hanging out baking, shopping, and crafting. She helped me with the assembly line of cards for a card exchange I did. I don’t think I could have done it with out her. We had some yummy dinners at Cheesecake Factory (for her birthday) and Mama Mia’s (for my birthday). THE Mother (owner of Mother's and Mama Mia) came and chatted with us while we were eating which was fun because I’m a big fan of hers (I wish I would have gotten a picture). We enjoyed a delicious ice cream cake from BR. I think that was the 3rd year in a row that I got an ice cream cake. Mmm. Definitely gives you something to look forward to about turning another year older.

We know how to show mom a good time….we took her to the cat show!Don't these cats look like they are enjoying themselves? Of course, there was cake at the cat show that we also enjoyed. This was our 3rd year attending the cat show. Let us know if you would like to join us next year. Anyway, good mother-daughter time. Glad you could come, mom!

nature on Whidby

2009-01-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

We traveled up to visit Rob and got to do some nature watching. Check out the animals that live at his neighbors. 2 dogs, 3 cats, 4 horses and 5 goats or something like that. They enjoyed checking us out.
We also did some bird watching on the island. Saw a bald eagle and several herons among other things.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

We had a very spontaneous New Year's Eve party which turned out to be a ton of fun. About a dozen folks joined us for yummy food, some Buzz on the PS3, my favorite, the celebrity game, and a midnight toast. When the clock stock 12 we heard a strange noise coming from outside. Tammy and I went to investigate and it turned out to be our neighbor Kelly blowing a conch shell. He ended up joining us since his crew had already gone to bed. We all put our resolutions in a jar that will be sealed until next year. I think this party will be a yearly tradition.

Images of the Arctic Blast at the Ladyfern

2008-12-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

We're waaaayyyy behind with blogging so here's a few images of what it looked like around our place during the Arctic Blast. My family back home will think what's the big deal? But, let me tell you, this was a very big deal for Portland. I couldn't drive my car for a week because the snow was so deep in the roads. We lost our power several times. Thus, the picture of Matt boiling water on our camp stove for tea. I guess they haven't had this much snow here in 40 years. Anyway, we survived and it was nice to have a little extra time off work:-)

Matt's second 39th Birthday

2008-12-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hand-taped tablecloth by Nicole.

We had a great time celebrating Matt’s 40th. First with his mom, who flew in just for his birthday. We did dinner, a movie and enjoyed her famous chocolate mousse pie. Then, we had friends over on Saturday for a sports-themed celebration. It was a good time filled with junk food, sports trivia, and spectacular prizes…ok, not so spectacular but there were prizes. Matt says 40 isn’t so bad.

The prestigious Matthew Craig Trophy was awarded to the winning team

These were a hit. Next time, I will just make tiny pigs in a blanket and nothing else.

An update for those of you who were at the party...sadly, we did finally use wd-40 on the cooler so no more loud SCREECH when someone grabs a beverage...how boring.

How the Craigs do Thanksgiving....

2008-11-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

It’s always a little different…but I like it. After Matt did the Turkey Bowl at church, we (and several thousand other people) took advantage of free day at the zoo. We braved the crowds and the rain to see Samundra (I think thats his name), the baby elephant, and he/she is so cute! Then we came home and made a yummy feast for the 2 of us and went to Bendreas to play games and enjoy more dessert. We are thankful for the many blessings in our lives including family and great friends.

weekend with TraJ and Brileen

2008-11-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

We rented a cute cabin up at Government Camp and had a relaxing weekend with friends. Some of us needed our coffee before others of us were even awake so we opted to ground the beans outside. We went on a hike, played games, made smores by the camp fire, enjoyed the hot tub and got into the Word. We are so blessed to have such great friends.

Pampered Chef Party

2008-11-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

Good food, kitchen gadgets and friends…need I say more.

The Land of Lincoln

2008-11-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from our trip back East. Once we rendezvoused in Chicago (Sounds very exotic doesn’t it?) we got to be tourists for 24 hours. Our friend Laura hooked us up with a sweet apartment right on Michigan avenue. Check out the view from our window. We did a whirlwind tour of Chicago including: Millennium Park, The Bean, Soldier Field, Buckingham Fountain (closed for construction), stuffed pizza at Giordano’s and delicious popcorn from Garrett’s (fantastic).
We spent the rest of the week in Rockford where I failed to take a single picture. We had a great time though. We went geocaching with my nieces and nephews and had a picnic and played football in the park.

Also got to introduce some friends to geocaching (puffy vest required). First time 'caching in a cornfield. It was a great time!

Matt's cross country journey to Illinois....

2008-11-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

So I dropped Matt off at the train station in Portland at 4pm on Saturday for his journey and headed over to Monica's and went to dinner with her. She took me to the airport the next morning. I arrived in Chicago around 2pm. Karrie and Kate picked me up and we hung for awhile. Then I met up with a Alissa, a friend from high school for dinner. The next day I took the train into Chicago and met up with my friend Laura and we met up with Matt at Union Station at 5pm on Monday evening. I'll let him add commentary about his journey but it was amazing to think about all that I did while he was in a train traveling across the country. Here's what his view was like...

5th Anniversary - September 6, 2008

2008-09-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe its been 5 years. We celebrated by loading up our bikes and going to the Mosier Tunnels trail that goes from Hood River to Mosier. It was a lovely day. After that we strolled around Hood River and enjoyed lunch at the Farmer’s market. Then we headed over to Skamania Lodge. They upgraded our room. It was so big we felt like we should invite some friends over to hang out. There were 2 flat screen TVs and 2 bathrooms and a patio. I think it may have been larger than our first home. We had a nice dinner overlooking a beautiful view of the gorge. Enjoyed the pool and hot tub. They even gave us a yummy treat for our anniversary. This was an amazing brownie. We did a little hike/walk on the trails around the golf course at the lodge and can you believe that Matt got bit by a snake? It literally jumped up and bit him. I think he had unknowingly stepped on it. All the places he’s hiked and he gets bit at Skamania Lodge’s golf course. Pretty funny. Anyway it was a great get-away.

RHAPSODY (Ride Around Puget Sound)

2008-09-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind on the blogging....

The day started with the alarm going off at 5am and matt heating up his buckwheat pancakes in the microwave. Once he was fueled up we were off to the starting line. My friend Erin came along to keep me company and help cheer on Matt. We thought while he rode his tail off we would have a relaxing day hanging out around Puget Sound...boy were we wrong....but more on that later.

We met matt at the half way point (90 miles) in Shelton. He was tired but doing well. He was the 6th person to make it that point. There were only about 40 riders doing the ride in one day so he didn't encounter many people on the course. About 350 people were doing the 2 day route. Matt loaded up on more cliff bars cytomax and he was off for another 80 miles. Meanwhile, Erin and I hadn't had any coffee yet so we were desperately looking for a Starbucks on our way back to Tacoma. We pulled off at an exit in West Olympia and noticed that the electrical on the car seemed to be dimming and Erin said it felt kind of funny in 5th gear. We decided to go get gas before Starbucks and ask where the nearest garage was. While the car was filling up, Erin and I prayed. We tried to start it up but no luck. I asked a guy if he knew how to push start a car and if he'd help me push. Still no luck. We prayed some more and I called my dad since matt was riding and didn't have his cel phone on. Just then, I realized there was a tow truck getting fueled up. I thought whoever was driving that might be able to help us out. I went into the gas station and guessed correctly that the bearded, heavily tattooed man with profanity on his Tshirt was the driver of the tow truck. He was very friendly and suggested that it was probably the alternator. He gave us a jump and we were off to the garage. I ran in to see if they had time to look at the car while Erin kept it running. The man said he couldn't look at it for at least a few hours and didn't know if he would even be able to work on it. I explained that I needed to pick my husband up at the finish line in less than 3 hours and he made a few phone calls and found a guy just down the street that could help us.

Amazingly, the other place had the in and out(it was the alternator) in about 1.5 hours. Thankfully, there was a mall right next store so we finally got some coffee. We actually made it back to Tacoma in time to greet matt at the finish line. He was the fourth rider to finish. Unfortunately we only took video footage so I don't have a picture but he was VERY glad to be done. He said it was mentally the hardest thing he has ever done...harder than the marathon, more difficult than the STP (which was 30 miles longer), and more strenuous than an elusive fantasy football title in his rookie season. Imagine that!

Anyway, there were a few more challenges along the way but this is already way too long of a post. We were so thankful for everyone's safety that day. The Lord totally took care of us.

GOOD JOB, MATT!! I'm proud of you!!!

More Matt's Murmurs

2008-09-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share some of my favorite sound bites and video clips. I think these are good and I will share a couple every once in awhile. I'm sure some of you have all ready seen or heard these but they still make me laugh. I hope you enjoy them.

1. Carl Lewis butchers the National Anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uDc5tQxmJY

2. Ozzy Osbourne signs Take Me Out to the Ball Game (at least that's what it was supposed to be) at Wrigley Field:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LYP7XhLqDI

3. Ms. South Carolina shows her talent by speaking fluently in Gibberish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

Matt's Murmurs - a view into my world

2008-09-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

To all my fans,

I realize that all you fortunate people that have been blessed to meet me have put me up on a pedestal. You think, "wow, he's an engineer." Yes, I can definitely relate to Tom Brady, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Michael Phelps. Guys hate me because of the looks, the prestige, the success. Gals swoon as I walk by in my hard hat with my name on the front. But, I thought I would share some pictures with you so that you won't be so intimidated by being around me the next time.

Remember that engineers are just normal guys; we're not all role models for your children. When little Johnny Junior says, "I want to be an engineer like Matt!", you show him these pictures so that he will see that it's not all glamour.

You'll be glad to know that while I was up on my 40 foot ladder, ODOT received several calls that there was a suspicious looking vehicle by the shoulder of the freeway. I am glad that the citizens of Portland are still vigilant.

“ Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.”

2008-08-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

....Apparently this is the cavers motto. Matt and I ventured up to the Ape Caves near Mt St Helens. Neither of us had been before but clearly it is a very popular attraction. There were tons of people but when we got to the upper cave we got away from the people a bit. It was interesting because at some points in the cave we would get to this big mound of boulders and I would think ok, we've hit a dead end. There's no way I can get through that but then I figure other people have done it so I start scrambling up the boulders and eventually make it over to the other side and then I'd realize: that wasn't so bad? It seems like a great metaphor for life. Sometimes things seem quite difficult when you look at the big picture but once you start up the hill...it's not so bad.

Brianne's shower...

2008-08-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

ok since we have not had time to post much during our summer...I will just refer you to a fellow blogger. I attended a shower for Brianne. While the guys played some video games, the women ate cheesecake and talked diapers. It was a good time...really. Here is Brianne's entry.

Shirley and Blair

2008-08-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ahh, weddings. Shirley is my dad's cousin. Sadly, her husband Bill passed away a few years ago but the Lord has blessed her (through match.com) with a new husband. The wedding was beautiful and it was so neat to hear about how the Lord brought them together. Congratulations Shirley and Blair.

Cherry Pickin'

2008-07-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Turns out there is a great place to pick cherries just a few minutes from our house-who knew? Matt LOVES cherries so we went a pickin'. Neither of us had gone cherry picking before. It was fun but warm. The orchard had a great view of Mt Hood although I didn't capture it very well. We picked over 7lbs of cherries(did I mention that matt loves cherries?) and one week later we have very few left. I did make my first cherry cobbler. I'm not a fan of canned cherries or cherry pie filling but made with fresh cherries it was delicious!

Guests of the Ladyfern

2008-07-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

We had Erin and Karrie again for the 4th. This is turning into quite a tradition. Although many of our plans didn't quite work out we still had a fun time. It's not what you do, it's who you do it with that matters:-) It was great to reminisce about old times and the silly things we did back in college. We went to depoe bay (no whales were seen), Mt. St Helens (it was cloudy), berry picking (berries were abundant) and Hood River (wind-surfers and kite-boarders were out in full force). Can't wait until next year's visit.

Dinner Tonight

2008-06-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight we made a yummy Southwestern Salsa (recipe from this month's Cooking Light). They don't have the recipe online yet but it was similar to this one (minus the avocado). We used the limes we received from our Fruit of the Month club. It was delicious with homemade tortilla chips.
We bought a watermelon that was way too big for the 2 of us so I tried this Watermelon Salad recipe. I was intrigued by the mixture of ingredients. It was tasty. I might try it with cilantro instead of mint next time. Served it over a bed of lettuce.
I love not having to cook (except for baking the tortilla chips).

Together they made a very refreshing, summery meal. They are both great recipes to bring along to a summer cook out.

Both of the recipes came from an article about a restaurant in Denver where you pay what you can for a meal and if you can't afford to pay then you trade in work at the restaurant for food. Isn't that a great idea? It's called Same Cafe.

2008-06-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Our first venture in sourdough bread(Matt's favorite) proved successful. We had been working on a starter Matt's dad gave us a few weeks back. We kind of pieced together a couple different recipes in order to use the bread maker for most of the kneading and rising so we weren't quite sure what to expect but it was delicious.

In other bread making news...we have also been making some Amish Friendship Bread creations thanks to the Happel's giving us a starter. So far we have made a lemon poppy seed version and a chocolate butterscotch chip-yum. I'm not sure if that's what the Amish intended us to do with their bread but it was good. If you're interested on getting some starter let us know. We are running out of friends to give it to.

A long day on the trail

2008-05-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

In our efforts to get out on more hikes this summer and to condition ourselves for maybe some more ambitious climbing efforts, we decided to do the Table Mountain hike. I (Matt I am) had read about Table Mountain but never managed to get to it, partly because it has such a long hike in before the climbing starts. According to our guide book, the round trip to the summit is 15 miles.

Some advice for the male species...if you are trying to lovingly encourage your spouse to become more enthused about backpacking and climbing, going on a hike that nearly doubles the longest hike you've done in the recent past is not the best way to start. Yes, by the time we made our way to the top and were just beginning on our way back, my beautiful, gentle and demure wife exclaimed, "This sucks! I am done with hiking!" Each exclamation was perfectly synchronized with a savage blow of her walking stick to the ground. Now, it must be said that this came about because we just finished a somewhat long and treacherous stretch of 'controlled falling' down a loose rock slope. Kristi does not easily come to this state of mind.

Oh, and tip#2-make sure you bring plenty of water. I know most of you are smart enough to think of this on your own, but there it is. If you blow tips #1 and #2 like I did, you can always fall back on tip #3 - take your now annoyed and wiped out spouse for a tasty ice cream or TCBY treat. If you are really in a jam, tell her about the treat while you are still hiking. For best results, however follow all 3 tips, you'll have more fun.

Actually, the hike is spectacular if you've done a 10 plus mile hike recently (or you were born after 1985 and are not familiar with the concept of aches and pains). The views of Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood are tremendous and the south side of Table Mountain literally drops straight down from the summit giving you a temporary case of vertigo. The vertical walls are a result of the Boneville landslide which fell away to the south towards the Columbia River, leaving a severe scarp. I am sure we will do this again for another epic adventure.

Olive Update

2008-05-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

We got good news today from Olive's lab results from her appointment on Saturday. Her kidney levels have actually now gone into the normal range. The vet was very pleased. She said we can lower the dose of fluids we give Olive for her home treatment. We are very thankful for the good diagnosis.

This weekend...

2008-05-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend we stuck around the house and did some yard work. Our neighbors were in shock. The next store neighbor actually took my picture as I was weeding because he couldn't believe it. What can I say? We're not really "yard work people". I am excited about this lavender that I planted in the pot by our front door. Sadly, the plant I had in the pot last year did not survive. I blame it on the amount of sun it got (I'm sure it wasn't my lack of watering). Hopefully, lavender is more forgiving. Any words of wisdom from the green thumbs out there?

Matt attempted to tame the jungle that is our back yard. We also broke out the patio furniture and swept off the deck. It wasn't long before the yellow jackets came by though. We had a very bad experience last year. Anybody have advice for getting rid of them or at least keeping them away from our deck? After last year, I tend to get angry whenever they are near and I want to be able to enjoy dinner on the deck and reading in my hammock in the sun. I am so excited for summer in the beautiful Northwest!

Dinner w/ Bendrea

2008-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

You can read the full story of or our wonderful meal at Bendrea's here. Dinner was great and the cake was amazing. I think I am on a roll since I won my Final Four bracket and chose who would win the million on Survivor(and won an extra piece of cake). I'm thinking about starting a Fantasy Football team this year:-)

Ruckle Creek

2008-05-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

We attempted Ruckle Creek last weekend. Hit snow at about 3,000 feet elevation and trudged through it for a little while but decided to turn around because we didn't come prepared. The snow was getting in our boots and you couldn't see the trail. This is the least traveled trail I have ever done in the gorge area. We only encountered 6 people in our 5 hours of hiking. It was a steep one but had some great views.

Weekend on Whidby

2008-05-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

We visited Matt's dad this weekend up on Whidby Island. Saturday was a little soggy but we still managed to get a nice hike in. We also introduced Rob to the game of Settler's. He seemed to like it by the end. We stayed at this great B&B, Spring Hill Inn. I highly recommend it if you are going to be in the area. They have a cozy little cottage with a a fireplace and the breakfast was delicious. I am still full from it. This morning we went to Meerkerk Rhodenderon Gardens and walked around. It was beautiful. I can barely keep a houseplant alive so I am amazed by people who have beautiful gardens. Whidby has such a cool feel to it. The people are so relaxed and friendly...always up for chatting. There are so many pretty hikes and beaches. I could get used to "island life" as they call it.

Can you see the bee?

The ferry ride back had a great view.

Matt's Murmurs- Have you seen this man??

2008-04-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

AP (Portland, OR) - Authorities were summoned to the site of a bridge last week, when a series of panic-stricken motorists dialed '911' to report a suspicious person underneath a bridge in Tualatin, Oregon. The perpetrator was dressed in a red and black raincoat, safety vest, hard hat and headlamp. (Note the pathetic use of duct tape to hold the headlamp in place). During an interview, one caller said, "Ain't no way that guy is an engineer, I mean look at him! I seen that feller on the Fremont Bridge a couple months ago and I called the cops then too. I hope they get him!"

Upon arrival, the officer prepared himself for the worst. When the officer walked up, the perpetrator was just returning from taking care of some 'business' in the bushes. The officer informed the perpetrator that several calls from concerned citizens had been received indicating that a suspicious character was beneath the bridge. The perpetrator was heard to mumble to himself, "What is wrong with me?? Why am I suspicious looking?? I mean, I'm generally a good person.....sure, I play video games and fantasy football...yeah, I hate yardwork and I don't rub my wife's feet as much as she would like, but c'mon!" At once confused, perplexed, flabbergasted, a sudden change came over the perpetrator when the officer said five simple words which forever changed the perpetrator's life. Five simple words which illuminated and explained everything, possibly even the very meaning of life..."It is what it is."

One concerned eye witness asked the officer, "Is he dangerous??" The officer sneared and said, "Are you kidding?? Look at him, he's a wuss. I can take him."

Disclaimer: The text in red above is a dramatization to make the story seem more entertaining. This content was added to enhance the comedic content of the story and therefore does not constitute a lie. In addition, the views and opinions expressed in Matt's Murmurs do not reflect those of the manager of this blogsite. In fact, they are usually the opposite. The blogsite manager does not understand why Matt's Murmurs can not devote time to more important topics such as the latest baked goods, fancy kitchen gadgets or a new theme for the living room.

What would you do??

2008-04-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

So I made a starter for a whole wheat boule last night. I haven't made this one before but it sounded like it would be similar to a whole wheat sourdough. I came home from work tonight and quickly got it and the rest of the ingredients into the breadmaker so that it would be done before we went to sleep tonight. I was anticipating the smell of bread wafting through the house and I felt pretty good as I hit the start button on the bread machine at 6:30pm...not bad, I thought,...until I read the timer on the machine...5:05. That's five hours and five minutes PLUS some more kneading and rising and baking outside the breadmaker! What do I do? I feel like I've already invested so much time (24 hours for the starter) and the ingredients. I'm already attached to the loaf but we're talking 1:30am before I could even think about being done. Do I love it that much? I'm still deciding. I don't operate well with little sleep. Matt offered to stay up until he learned it would involve kneading and shaping and he has a long day of field work ahead of him tomorrow. What would you do if it were your bread?

Update: Abby, I did think of calling you for advice-darn! I just couldn't let it go to waste. So, I went to bed around 11 and set the alarm for midnight when the bread would be done in the breadmaker. Then I had to shape it, let it rise some more and then bake it. I was back in bed by around 1:30pm. The house smelled wonderful and the bread was yummy but I will make a note not to attempt this one on a week night again.

Dog Mountain

2008-04-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful weekend! We didn't want to waste it on anything productive (like yard work) so we headed to the gorge and hiked Dog Mountain. This is another one we've done several times but it is a great hike and had a beautiful view of St. Helens at the top.

My mushy memory from this hike: We first hiked this together when we had just started dating. I didn't realize how cool it could be at the top when it was warm at the start. We got to the top and started eating our lunch, Matt noticed my hands we're freezing and he did all he could to get them warm. He gave me his gloves and mittens, rubbed my hands between his and he kept blowing warm air on them to help them warm up. What a sweet guy!

Kristi's Connection: Monica

2008-04-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in publishing my first Kristi's Connection. For those of you who missed it, check out my blog where I explained Kristi's Connection. I think we should really take advantage of this electronic networking thing to help others. So here goes...

Monica is a great friend. I met her when I moved to Oregon 6 years ago. She and Meg and I shared an apartment at the Hawksbeard for a year and a half. I honestly can't believe she hasn't met the right person for her yet because she is a wonderful person with a big heart. She is a social worker here in the Portland area. Since this is my blog I will describe the type of person that I see her with (Monica, feel free to comment if it doesn't match with what you're thinking)....

great sense of humor (monica loves to laugh and has a sarcastic sense of humor)

a heart to help children and people in need

someone who can sing or has some type of music abilities (Mon has a great voice and sang in her church's gospel choir)

I picture someone that has had an interesting life and has good stories to tell yet is humble and doesn't share unless you pry it out of him. (yes, I've thought alot about this)

no vanity license plates please (bad experiences-sorry)

a good listener, unselfish, considerate

intelligent

I picture her with someone that is not caucasion (is that bad?). That is not to say I would rule someone out that was.

a man that loves the Lord and loves others

Ok, there you have it. If you have someone that you think would be a good match, let me know. Maybe we could all get together for dinner or something.

The baking continues...

2008-04-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

We have tried a French bread (good but the crust was a little well-done), Sun-dried tomato and mozzeralla (not as flavorful as I had hoped), Carrot Cake bread (delightful warm from the oven with a little butter) and Matt is currently whipping up a loaf of Lemon Poppy Seed bread. It is funny how if something is called "bread" rather than "cake", it somehow seems ok to eat more of it. I am going to the gym for sure tomorrow...

Catch up Blog (last weekend)

2008-04-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Mt. Adams
Mt. Hood

5 years ago this month Matt proposed to me at the top of Hamilton Mountain. I was shocked... but I was sure this was the man God had planned for me to marry. What a wonderful husband I have:-) Since then, we try to hike Hamilton once a year. It is a great hike with a few waterfalls along the way and gorgeous views at the top (see above). It was a pefect day for it.

After the hike, we headed over to the Wilde's for a BBQ with them and the Bradleys. We met both of these couples through the Athey newly married group. It had been way too long since we had spent time with these guys and it was great to catch up over some great grub!(sorry no pics)

Caution: High-carb zone

2008-04-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

What is it with me and small kitchen appliances??? So, I've had this Williams-Sonoma gift card burning a hole in my wallet since Christmas. I stopped by the store a few times but was never able to make decision. Then, last week it hit me...what about a bread maker? They only carry one type of bread maker but I took it as a sign that it was stainless steel and black to match my coffee maker, food processor, toaster oven and Kitchenaid mixer:-) Isn't it beautiful?So far we've made:

Honey Whole Wheat (Matt was very excited about my purchase too):

Soft Pretzels (we haven't quite got our pretzel-forming technique down yet)...

Cinnamon Swirl Bread....

And Matt currently has a Blue Cheese and Olive bread in the oven...34 minutes to go.

Matt's Murmurs - the continuing misadventures of a bridge engineer

2008-04-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

...or, at least of an engineer who sometimes works on bridges. Well, if you read my previous posting about how I was confused with a terrorist, and I know that there's probably 2 of you (Kristi and someone else), then I have another one for you. I am now working on another bridge.

This time, I was confused with someone needing serious medical attention. Apparently, 911 received 'several' calls about how there's a gentleman who is suffering a heart attack under the bridge. How do I know this, you ask?? Well, a City of Tualatin fire'lady' walked up to me in my car while I was on the phone and asked if I was o.k. She then explained how she recieved the numerous phone calls from concerned citizens. So, I recreated the situation in my mind.....I have a heartattack while driving....I pull over, put my Jeep in 4-wheel drive to get through the mud, carefully back around the shoulder barrier and position myself directly under the bridge (you know, so as not to be seen).....then, I take my magnetic flasher and place it on top of my car being certain to connect it to it's battery. I then, put my reflective vest and hard hat on in case someone wants to drop a brick on me while I'm in cardiac arrest. I must have missed this section of the Oregon Road Code for what to do while suffering a heart attack during driving.

So, now, as a Public Service Announcement for the 2 of you who will read this...people work on bridges. The fact that someone is parked on or under a bridge with a flasher on their car with traffic control equipment does not necessarily mean that a tragedy is about to take place. Please remain calm.

Cooking in the Country....

2008-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

We went to visit the Hoefer's this weekend. Abby made a delicious dip called Cowboy Caviar. She hopes this video will kick off her Food Network career. The whole video was too long to post so below is the last minute or so of her show Cooking in the Country.

The Grand Finale

2008-03-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

They ended their week in Oregon at Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center and the kids had a blast. Matt and I met up with them for dinner. That place is so LOUD! I don't recommend going there on $12 Tuesdays:-)
It was great to have you guys. Thanks for coming!!

Gorgeous Gorge

2008-03-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Monday we ventured to the Gorge to the Historic Columbia Highway to check out the waterfalls. It was a beautiful day. Shaun loves Matt and enjoyed hiking with him and asking him lots of questions like "Matt, what's your 13th favorite NFL team?" Timmy was sick so him and Mike stayed home and watched Looney Tunes all day.

Lessons from Katie...

2008-03-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a very rainy day so we spent it inside playing games, baking and cleaning?? Katie introduced me to the Magic Sponge. It cleans really tough things like your stove top and the grout in my tile counter tops-Amazing. My oven needed to be cleaned due to an incident earlier in the week involving some Monkey Bread but I had NEVER cleaned it before. Katie helped me out...

Mandie loves to bake. We made hot fudge cake in the crock pot and these yummy cheese bread appetizers. Both were delicious!

Goin' Coastal

2008-03-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

My brother Mike and his family came all the way out from Rockford, IL to spend Spring Break with us. It was a great time. We went to the coast and had fun checking out the lighthouses, going to the aquarium, checking out tide pools and whale watching. (It was free-day at the Lighthouse-yay!) We were reminded of a few important lessons about the ocean: Always remember to watch out for sneaker waves and Don't turn your back on the ocean:-)

A weekend in the country....well Snohomish anyway

2008-03-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the train up to Seattle (a first for both of us) to see Matt's mom and his great-uncle Dick. Uncle Dick fell a few weeks ago and has been recovering in a nursery home. He is 91! His spirits have been down but Delores said it was the most he has smiled in a long time when he saw Matt. It was good to see him. Please pray for his continued recovery though. He really wants to be back in his own house.

We also planted some blueberry and raspberry bushes, a pear tree and an apple tree on Dick's property. He has about 20 acres and we took a little hike to check it out. It is really pretty up there.

Matt accidentally left his Bible on the train on the way up and was bummed. We checked in the lost and found but it wasn't there. Then, yesterday someone from Amtrak called and said they had it and they were sending on the train back to Portland. Very cool.

Better than I(we) deserve...

2008-03-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

ok, so if any of you are Dave Ramsey fans, you will get the title. For those of you who aren't fans, he is a financial guy that we listen to on the radio and try to follow his philosophies on money(although I don't really care for "rice and beans" and we haven't quite had "gazelle-like intensity"). He is a Christian but has radio show that is played on the local talk radio station(1190). He is big into having no debt...none...not even your house. Well we haven't quite gotten there yet but the Lord has blessed us in being able to pay off our 2nd mortgage and we're very excited about it and thankful. On the radio when someone gets to this step in the program they call Dave and scream WE'RE DEBT FREE....(except for our house). we think that is a bit over the top so we'll just stick to a small blog blurb.

Olive Update

2008-03-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ok. I apologize for the horrible picture(it was taken with my phone) and for not updating sooner but Olive is doing well. She has been home for about 2 weeks and seems to be back to her old-self. We do have to give her fluid treatments twice a week but she is handling that pretty well. We take her back for a check up tomorrow to see where her blood counts are. We are happy to have her home. This picture was taken when we visited her at the pet hospital. She had to wear the blue thing so she didn't pull out the IV she was on. Of course, she still managed to pull it out once or twice. As you can imagine, she was not so thrilled about wearing this.

Kristi's Connection...Coming Soon!

2008-03-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, don't we all have at least a one friend that is a great person but just hasn't found the right one for them yet? I have several friends like this and I figured if I have a few and you have a few, maybe we could help some of those friends meet. The trick is that my single friends are mostly women so I hope some of you know some wonderful men that could be a great fit for my friends. I will write a blog about the friend and if you know someone that might be a match, let me know....maybe we could all get together for dinner and introduce the two of them...or whatever.

Keep checking back for my first Kristi's Connection blog.

p.s. If you're single and you would like to be featured on Kristi's connection, let me know:-)

Raspberry Almond Mini-Muffins

2008-03-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

I made these last week and brought them into the vet as a thanks for all the people that helped take care of Olive. They were tasty. The folding of the preserves into mini muffins is a little tricky. I think I might just make regular size ones next time. Sorry no pics.

Brown Butter Tortellini with Spinach and Ham

2008-03-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night we tried this "featured" Pampered Chef recipe. With Matt's chopping assistance it went pretty quickly. We were eating within 30 minutes of starting. Interesting and unexpected blend of flavors and textures. Not a low-fat recipe but we enjoyed this one. We gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A ride in the park

2008-02-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was so nice that we had to take advantage of it. We packed up the bikes and went to Forest Park for a bike ride. I'm not exactly an expert cyclist like my husband. I don't even own bike shorts (unfortunately for my bum). We had to park a little ways(downhill) away from the entrance to the park and I was dying by the time we made it to the entrance. Then, Matt told me that I had my bike in the most difficult gear...OH...that helped. We did 6 miles and only got passed by one jogger (it was when I was trying to figure out the gear thing and he was going pretty fast :-) It was a beautiful day. So nice to get out and enjoy it.

sick kitty :-(

2008-02-23T12:33:00.001-08:00

We had to take Olive to the vet this morning because she hasn't been eating much. The lab results won't come back until Monday. If you think of it say a little prayer for our kitty.

UPDATE: We took Olive into the "hospital" this morning(Tuesday). She has "reduced kidney function" and the vet isn't sure why. They are going to put her on an IV and push fluids through to see if they can get her blood levels back to normal. They are also going to do an ultrasound to check for kidney cancer. She will be in for at least 3 days. We can go visit her though. Hopefully this treatment will help her feel better. We should know more in a few days.

This has been really tough. We realized that we had been saying she is 9 or 10 years old for several years and then we finally calculated it out and she has to be at least 13 or 14. We decided that was because we didn't want to face the fact that she is getting older. Matt has had her since she was less than a year old. She has been with him through some tough times in his life. And she has been a part of our (Matt & me) relationship since our first date when Matt made me blueberry pancakes in preparation for our hike and Olive tried to nibble on my pancakes as I ate them. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We'll keep you posted.

2/27/08 UPDATE: We went to visit Olive last night. Her belly is shaved and she has this pink bandage on one paw where the IV goes in. Poor kitty. She seemed happy to see us and while we were there they fed her dinner and she ate more than she has been eating with us. All good signs. The good news is that they confirmed that she doesn't have kidney cancer. They now think it may have just been a kidney stone that caused her kidneys not to function very well. She has passed the stone. There is hope that with the treatment she may regain some kidney function and with a special diet she may be fine. They are doing blood work again this afternoon to see how she is responding to the treatment. We'll keep you updated.

2/28/08 UPDATE: Olive's blood levels moved more towards normal so that is a good sign. She is continuing the IV treatment to keep bringing the blood levels down. We were very glad for this good news. She is also eating alot and talking alot to anyone who will listen.

3/1/08 UPDATE: They took Olive's blood again yesterday and her levels are continuing to get closer to normal. We thought we might get to bring her home but they wanted to keep her on the treatment for the weekend to see if they can get the levels down some more. Our clinic isn't open on Sunday so we have to take her to one that is open for Sunday and then bring her back. Hope she handles that ok. She seems like she is getting used to being there and the routine of it. They will take her blood again on Monday and see where she's at. We hope to bring her home then.

Good finds...

2008-02-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

I had another Naked Lady Party(clothing exchange) last night. A little lighter turn out than normal but everyone still left with at least a few items. I didn't find my camera until this morning so I took a picture of some of my great finds. I think I am ready for another cruise or some hot dates...or both:-) I really like the red rain hat too. It was fun just hanging out with the girls. Hope everyone had fun and got some good items. Feel free to comment about your favorite item or report back about a great opportunity to wear the item (camo tank top).

Food, cake, gifts, and baby talk....

2008-02-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

I must say I learned a thing or two...as I always do...at this baby shower. We discussed deep issues like the ploys marketers pull on expectant, unsuspecting parents; how to properly put your child to sleep; and how exactly do you use that thing that looks like it came out of a clown's nose (sorry, its past my bedtime and i'm not feeling very creative here-I'm referring to an aspirator-I always thought it was just a snot sucker). Anyway, it was great to host the shower for my dear friend Tracy. Her and BJ are going to be wonderful parents. Alot of people think they can predict the gender of the baby based on how the mother carries it. Do you think it will be a boy or girl??

Flowers are always a good thing...

2008-02-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

My sweetie gave me these lovely roses on Valentines Day. There was also chocolate -yum!(See's Candy) and we had a lovely dinner Saturday night at Il Piatto. Very cute place, romantic and not rushed at all. What a great husband I have.

I know people have mixed feelings on this Hallmark holiday...(and I agree it is a hallmark holiday) but I think another opportunity to tell those you love -how much you care about them is a good thing. But for the record, when I was single and in college, my girlfriends back home and I used this holiday to play pranks on the dumb guys that would never ask us out....That was fun too...different fun...but fun.

I've been published....

2008-02-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

...ok not really but Matt's dad (Rob) used a picture I took when we visited him over Thanksgiving on the Whidbey Audobon Society web page. It is rather small on the web pages so I also posted it below. I'm sure this is my big break into the world of photography don't you think? :-)

Crispy Ginger-and-Garlic Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2008-02-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

In case you're looking for a new recipe...I made these lettuce wraps on Monday night after we went grocery shopping-why do I procrastinate? Anyway, they were yummy. Matt said they were just as good as PF Changs-quite a review. The recipe was pretty easy-the most difficult part was finding hoisin sauce at Safeway. Oh, and my lettuce "cups" weren't quite as perfect as at the restaurant-how do they do that?

mmm Focaccia Bread

2008-02-02T21:29:00.000-08:00

I have never made bread before-well I've made banana bread and monkey bread but those don't really count. I mean the kind where you use yeast and stuff. So I came across this focaccia bread mix at Williams Sonoma (on clearance, Abby) and thought this was a good way to start. It came with yeast and the seasoning was already mixed into the flour. You had to let it rise 3 different times for a total of 2.5 hours. After much anticipation and a delicious aroma wafting through the house…I think it was a success. We made some delicious Panini sandwiches in what I call our poor man’s Panini grill (the george foreman:-). So can I say that I've made bread now or does it not count since it was a mix?

A rousing game of Kremlin

2008-01-31T21:22:00.000-08:00

Matt had a few guys over to play this strategy game. I left for most of the evening but I guess it was a good time although I heard some complaints that the game ended too soon...Ian.

Cat Sheow!

2008-01-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

Matt here...Kristi let me write about one of my favorite topics...cats. We went to our 2nd ever Cat Show on Sunday with Bendrea. If you haven't been, you are missing a good time. For $3 and 2 cans of food for the homeless, you get some serious entertainment. Many breeds of cats are there to see...Bengals (shown above), Abyssinians, Burmese, American Shorthairs, British Shorthairs (see below).

Unfortunately for their owners, cats like to get out of their cages at the first opportunity and hide under the tables that their cages are on. When this happens, the announcer yells, "Cat Out! Please keep all doors closed." You can imagine the drama, can't you?? Everyone stands still and raises their hands if they see the feline fugitive. When they find the little guy, the announcer joyously yells, "Cat Got, Cat Got!" Everyone sighs a sigh of relief and the show goes on after much laughing and clapping.

Did you know that a fresh cake is offered on the hour for the attendants?? Unfortunately for the cats, the judging involves a little too much poking and prodding for their tastes. One cat gave several warning hisses and cries before they took a swipe at the judge who was trying to extract him from his cage. Ah, the stories (and scars) that a veteran judge must have. If you enjoy cats at all, look for the next international cat show at a 2 to 3-star hotel near you!

Riverdance

2008-01-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

Matt surprised me with tickets to see Riverdance. It is their farewell tour and I had never gone to see the show but always wanted to. We went Saturday evening and had a wonderful time. There was so much talent and energy on display-it was amazing. Matt even enjoyed it.

Oh, and I didn't get a chance to blog about it but my sweet husband made me breakfast in bed on my birthday. Waffles, fruit and coffee in my Bears mug-yum. I could get used to this I think:-)

A new car!!!!

2008-01-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

Just kidding. We went to the Auto Show Friday with Bendrea. It was fun to check out all the vehicles without the pressure of a sales person. While Bendrea searched out the best minivan and/or Lexus Matt and I checked out the mini cooper (s0 cute) , all the new Jeeps and my favorite, the Honda Element. I think this will be our next vehicle. Of course, we are waiting for one of our cars to die. Whose do you think will die first: my 2000 Alero with 110,000 miles or Matt's 1990 Jeep Cherokee with 175,000 miles? Either way, I think we have awhile before we purchase but it was certainly fun to look!

The drying rack...

2008-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

I have had a dilemma since we moved into our house with an abundance of hang dry items and no good place for a drying rack since our laundry room is also Olive's area. The result has been clothes hanging over the tub and shower constantly-UGLY. I have been eyeing this drying rack that actually looks cute when not in use (a plus) so I finally ordered it. It came on Friday and Matt installed it yesterday. Sweet, laundry drying organization...it's a good thing.

What do your recommend for a sinus infection?

2008-01-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

I have some serious sinus pressure. I don't think I've ever had a sinus infection before. Any words of advice?

The date...

2008-01-19T16:20:00.001-08:00

I must apologize to my loyal readers (all 3 of you) for being out of blog-world for awhile. I came down with a serious flu/cold/sinus infection and it has knocked me out this week. I'm still not totally better but I'm getting really sick of the E channel so I thought i would do something more productive...

Matt took me out to Bugatti's in West Linn last Friday night. This restaurant was not to far away from our house when we lived in Lake O and we always meant to go but never made it there. It was delicious! I highly recommend their chicken marsala-out of this world. Then, we went to a chick flick! What a guy...he is willing to sit through girly drama even though I won't sit through the sci-fi/fantasy stuff he likes. Anyway, we saw P.S. I love you. Neither of us knew much about this movie going in ...I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I left feeling depressed. It had some cute parts though. Anyway, it was a lovely date with my husband. I'm told we have another one next weekend-yay!!

I have a hot date on Friday night…

2008-01-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

...with my husband. He told me not to make any plans. I’m very excited. I love to be surprised and I love spending time with my sweetie. He seems to be going to some effort to make plans…but the funny thing is that I really don’t care what we do. If he told me on Friday that the plan was to eat PB&J at home and play Risk, I would love it. I just love the fact that he asked me and that he wants to spend time with me and that he is taking the time to plan something. It makes me feel special. What a great husband I have.

Presto Pesto!!

2008-01-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Last night I used my new food processor Matt got me for Christmas (how did he know I love kitchen appliances?). It worked great. We made some yummy pesto over whole wheat pasta with a green salad for dinner. Delish! Thanks sweetie.

Matt's Murmurs - Bad Man of the Year

2008-01-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it's a new year. At New Year's, there's always a lot of reviewing to rehash all that happened in the previous calendar year. Well, my Bad Man of the Year award goes to Clay Bennett, the chairman of the ownership group of the Seattle Sonics. In 2007, he filed his intention to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City. For the past 2 years, he has pretended to try to keep the Sonics in Seattle but never really had any intention in doing so. Here's a quote from one of his ownership cronies: "We didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here (Oklahoma City). We started to look around, and at that time the Sonics were going through some ownership challenges in Seattle. So Clay, very artfully and skillfully, put himself in the middle of those discussions and to the great amazement and surprise to everyone in Seattle, some rednecks from Oklahoma, which we’ve been called, made off with the team." Bad Man of the Year for 2006 was Howard Schultz (owner of Starbucks) who sold the Sonics to this group, presumably knowing that Bennett wanted to take them away. It was pretty obvious.

As a Seattle native and fan for over 20 years, I hope for a last second breakthrough to keep them in Seattle. However, I'm not optimistic, so as a tribute, I painted this plate for my soon to be departed Sonics. Notice that I was sure to paint SEATTLE Sonics. Not only will the team be gone to Oklahoma but how can I even root for a team owned by these guys once they move?? Answer: I can't. I guess I will have to become a Blazer's fan.....

Surprise!!

2008-01-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

We went to a surpise party for Amanda last night. The big 3-0! I think she was shocked.
It was fun to get to hang out with these girls. Meg (in the middle) is my friend from college that moved to Portland first and she was the only person I knew when I moved out here. Monica (on the right) was our 3rd roomate at the Hawksbeard (our apartment) and quickly became a great friend. Amanda (on the left) also from Illinois, moved out here about 4 and a half years ago and moved into the Hawksbeard as I was moving out to get married. ahh...the hawksbeard. we had some good times there with quirky neighbors, late night chats and Oscar(monica's cat). Love you guys!

The results are in

2008-01-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the story behind the two polls at the right...

The first one proved my point that memorizing your driver's license number is a male thing. We had a friend that got pulled over and didn't have his wallet with him but he had his driver's license number memorized and he gave it to the cop and he didn't get a ticket. I said "who has their driver's license number memorized?" and matt said he did. When I checked with some other friends it seemed that men are more likely than women to memorize such useless information so I just wanted to check my theory.

The second poll is because we went to C.A.T. (a no-kill shelter for cats) last week to get some gifts for our cat and cat-loving friends and while we were there we checked out all the kittys. There were so many cute cats that need a home. It is tough because Olive has been an only-cat all her life and she is pretty spoiled. We were debating how she would handle having another cat around. I guess we decided not to get one for now but I think we are going to volunteer at C.A.T. If you know anyone looking for a feline friend, I recommend this place.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

We spent the evening at Bendrea's with the Smythes also. Andrea had an impressive spread of appetizers and some wonderful cupcakes and a hot cocoa bar. Unfortunetly, I have not been very good about taking pictures lately so you'll have to wait until they post some on their blog. Thanks for a great evening, guys.

Payton (their dog, as in Walter Payton) was kind enough to part with a Bears Jersey that was too small for him and Olive was delighted to recieve it...can't you tell? Actually, she managed to wiggle her way out it within minutes but at least we got a few pics.

Life Hoeferburg...

2007-12-31T08:15:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we took a trip up to the Hoefer B&B. The accommodations are wonderful. The view from our window of snow-topped mountains and horses is so picturesque. And the food is amazing. From the fluffy pancakes and eggs to the classic panini sandwiches. All is first rate. If you're lucky you can even catch a "Cooking in the Country" class put on by Abby. She is bound for the Food Network I'm sure. We took an exciting adventure to Leavenworth which is a cute little Bavarian village tucked in the mountains.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Hoefer B&B - although I hear that reservations can be tough to come by...

A White Christmas at the Craigs

2007-12-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

We actually did have a white christmas. It was very exciting and this picture isn't that great. The snow didn't last for long but it was so pretty.

I love traditions around the holidays. We always start Christmas morning with homemade scones, fruit salad, and coffee or juice for breakfast. Then we ease into present opening by starting with our stockings...eveyone takes a turn pulling out one item and we rotate thru until the stockings are empty. We do the same thing with gifts. Here are a few pictures. Matt managed to wear 4 of his gifts at once. Delores got an electronic crossword puzzle game...
Olive loved her new little play house....
Oh, and the pumpkin gingerbread trifle turned out well dispite all the mishaps on christmas eve:-) After lunch we played a few games. In addition to Delores' new Soduku game (I am so not good at that game) we played some classics: Scrabble, yahtzee, clue and Monopoly
It was a wonderfully, relaxing, laid-back chistmas. I never even got out of my pajamas.

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

May you have the peace that only comes from the One that we celebrate this season.

Not what I expected to be doing on Christmas Eve...

2007-12-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

After the movie, we tried to go to this Moroccan place...it no longer exists...and several other restaurants on Hawthorne (all closed). So we decided to head home and pick up a Papa Murphy's pizza on the way home. After we baked the pizza and some gingerbread for my Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, Delores and I made some Mocha Meringue Cookies. I've never made Meringue cookies before. We had them all ready, but when we went to put them in the oven, the oven door wouldn't open...that's right, it was locked. Have you ever been locked out of your oven before? Another first for me. We ended up having to pull the oven out (by we I mean Matt) and he messed around with it until it finally unlocked. It had some how gone into the self-cleaning, lock mode. The weird thing about all this was that I had just been wondering how I was going to get everything cooked and ready at the same time for tomorrow's dinner. I mentioned to Matt that maybe we should get a new double oven...could it be fate? Well, will see how it goes tomorrow. We put the cookies in the oven after they had been sitting for awhile and held our breath. meringue is a very delicate thing. Since we had the oven out from the wall I decided to clean back there. There were a few treasures. (I can't believe I took a picture of this)While the meringues were baking for an hour, I was going to assemble the trifle. I pulled the pudding I had made earlier out of the fridge, assuming it had set. It hadn't. so it was basically a bowl of thick milk and I spilled it all over the floor and under the refrigerator so we (Matt again) had to pull the fridge out from the wall to clean that up and Delores ran to the store to get some more pudding. I cleaned out behind a the fridge...again, disgusting but I didn't take any pictures. Delores found some pudding and we assembled the trifle. The cookies were flatter than normal but still very tasty and now I'm ahead of schedule for my spring cleaning. Merry Christmas to me. I'll let you know how the trifle turns out tomorrow.

2007-12-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to church. There were carols, a kids program, worship, communion and a dessert potluck. The kids in the program were hilarious! I decided to attempt to make a poundcake for the potluck. I have never made pound cake before. I didn't quite follow the directions exactly but 1 cup of sugar, 3 cups of flour, 6 eggs and 3 cups of sugar later I now know why they call it pound cake..

Delores arrived bright and early this morning. We hung out for awhile here. Then, we went and visited Moose. We are checking in on him while TraJ is in Kansas. He was a little freaked out by us at first but eventually warmed up to us. I think he appreciated the company. Then we headed over to OMSI to see Antarctica on the omnimax. It was a good show but I wanted to see Polar Bears. Apparently there are no Polar Bears in Antartica. Here is us waiting expectantly for the show...

Christmas shopping...done!

2007-12-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty laid back Saturday. Besides finishing up our shopping, we did some gardening...well, kind of...

Delores got us this little herb kit as part of the 12 days of Christmas this year. Matt did the planting today. Keep your fingers crossed because plants, shrubs, trees of any variety really don't have much of a chance with us. If we manage not to kill them, it will be fun to have fresh herbs to cook with.

Matt's Murmurs - 'tis the season

2007-12-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! A time to remember the incredible gift of salvation by Jesus Christ, who gave His life for each and every one of us. Associated with Christmas, people often are swept away with grandiose thoughts of giving to charities or those in need, surprising a loved one with a new Corvette, giving elderly folks a hand in walking across the street or sweeping up the leaves from your neighbors yard.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is by Johnny Cash and is a story where Johnny tells of a Christmas in his youth when his family was extremely poor: his daddy shot a squirrel for dinner, his sister's new dress was made from a flour sack and he whittled a whistle for a gift for his brother. Even under those circumstances, they still managed to give some 'cool oil' (I don't know what that is) and some hickory nuts they picked to an elderly neighbor who was even worse off.

These are wonderful expressions of love for us to give. However, if you can't seem to manage any of these kind of things, I have one idea for you that anyone can give. It's the gift of letting a driver merge ahead of you into the lane that you are in. It's got all of the qualities you look for in a gift: it makes you feel good, it makes the receiver feel good, it requires sacrifice on your part and it's a gift that keeps on giving and may inspire others to give the same gift to someone else.

This year, I'm planning to give this gift a lot. Selfishly, I hope that I'm given this gift too. Why just last night, as I was completing my 1.5 hour, 20-mile commute home from our bridge project (see previous Matt's Murmus) on Friday during rush hour, I gazed with eager anticipation because the opportunity to be given this gift over and over arose but in ever growing disappointment, it just wasn't being given. Finally, I did receive it and felt some joy. So, this year, give the gift of a little lane space ahead of you. Merry Christmas!

A man and his guitar...

2007-12-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

I love random things...Today Matt and I stopped at Petco (where the pets go) to get Olive some cat food on the way home from church. We pulled into the parking lot and there was this guy sitting on the hood of his car playing a guitar...it's 40 degrees outside...mind you...and he's playing what appears to be an electric guitar. Anyway, it cracked me up. I nonchalantly took a picture of him with my phone but managed to delete that-sorry. It all reminded me of when I went on a roadtrip to NY with my girlfriends in college...and while we were sitting in some random parking lot in Toledo, this man pulled into the parking lot next store and began shoveling dirt out of a burm in the parking lot into his trunk. We all got a good laugh out of it and that one is on video.

Buckendorf's Bash

2007-12-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

There was food...there were folks and there was fun but it wasn't McDonald's...it was the Buckendorfs Christmas Party. I think Andrea and I got a little carried away in our attempts to capture the moment for our blogs but you get to benefit from that. The white elephant exchange was a hoot. Thankfully we made out better than last Friday night, Matt's favorite item was a pen that shocked you when you pressed a button, but he let me pick (my starbucks card is already spent).

Thanks Buckendorfs. You put on a good party.

Andrea, I just checked your blog...I was the first to post. I guess I won:-)

Matt's Murmurs

2007-12-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

So....you're driving across a bridge and notice that some people are working on the shoulder. You see signs and cones closing the shoulder on the bridge. Do you a) proceed cautiously and move into a lane away from the shoulder that's closed, b) completely ignore the signs and cones continuing your cell phone call and Egg McMuffin, or c) assume that the workers are just acting like they're working on the bridge and conclude that they're really terrorists and promptly call the police to report them??

Well, someone chose option c) while we were working on the Fremont Bridge last week. Apparently, they felt that our Enterprise Rent-a-van with flasher on top looked suspicious. They determined that our signs and cones (which take us about one half hour to 45 min. to put up and take down each day) were part of the act and that our vests and hard hats were a costume.

And y'all probably thought that engineering was boring. Well, if you find yourself driving south on 405 on the top deck of the Fremont Bridge next week and see some guys with an Enterprise van working on the shoulder, feel free to honk but realize that we aren't trying to take down the bridge. We actually like the bridge and think it should stay.

2007-12-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made Caramel Popcorn to bring to the Buckendorf's Christmas party tomorrow night. I hadn't attempted caramel popcorn for years. It takes alot of time but it isn't too difficult. I think it turned out pretty well. We'll see...

It smells good in here...

2007-12-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Scones and Cinnamon streusel coffee cake so the house smells very good. I am bringing them to a work meeting tomorrow morning. I love the smell of cinnamon...or any baked goods for that matter. I modified the scone recipe from a pampered chef cookbook I have. I couldn't find it online or I would include the link. The coffee cake is a Bisquick recipe my mom has been making for as long as I can remember. I remember waking up on Saturday mornings to the smell of it and getting so excited....it's delicious and now Bisquick comes in a lower fat and cholesterol version so it is a little better for you. No pictures of tonight so instead I will leave you with a picture from Thanksgiving last year when my niece Mandie and nephew Timmy and I did a little baking. Too cute. We could not get Timmy to quit eating the dough. I just realized that I was wearing the same pajama pants tonight. How funny.

Comments...I like them!

2007-12-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

I want to start out by thanking those of you that have left me a comment (Abby, Andrea and Kari)-cuz I like to read them and it is fun to know people are actually checking out the blog. I would like to encourage those of you who are intimidated by the idea of commenting to give it a try. It is very simple.
Here's what you do:

1) click on the link at the bottom of a blog entry: it will say O comments or 2 comments and be underlined.

2) That will bring you to the comment page. You can type a comment in the box.

3) If you aren't a fellow blogger, just click the circle next to anonymous.

4) Then click publish comment.
That's all it takes...It's fun. Hope to hear from you soon:-)

R.I.P. Largest Sitka Spruce..

2007-12-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

Many of you have visited the largest sitka spruce tree on your way out to the lovely Oregon Coast. Well, sad news. She's gone. Last week's storm took her out. I visited the tree on my first crazy trip to this state. The six of us stumbled out of Bernice (meg's car) to check it out. Impressive...we thought. This article talks about what has gone on in the world since that tree has been around. Amazing! Matt and I have brought many of our visitors by to check her out so I thought I would spread the word. May she rest in peace.

Baking cookies...

2007-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today Tra-J came over (our friends BJ and Tracy). Matt and BJ watched football and played PS3. Trace and I baked and she worked on her Christmas cards. We made Gingerbread cookies, cocoa slices, Brown Sugar Ginger cookies and Bisscotti. All except the gingerbread recipe were from my Cooking Light magazine. I LOVE to bake. We had a fun time chatting and baking the afternoon away (unfortunately I forgot to take pictures until after she left).

After TraJ left, I was finishing up the gingerbread cookies and all my kitchen tools and gadgets made me think about my wonderful friends and family who have encouraged my love of baking...my friend Tennille made the apron I wore ... my wonderful husband got my Kitchenaid mixer for me...my mother-in-law gave me the subscription to Cooking Light...the wooden rolling pin I used was my grandmother's whom I never got to meet...my brother Bryan and sister-in-law gave me my recipe stand for Christmas last year...I used some wonderful cookie sheets that were given to me by Abby...I used many pampered Chef items which made me think of Meg (free plug-but I really did think of you)...and I thought of my mom who instilled my love of baking in me.

The cookies turned out well. I brought some over to the neighbors. Stop by if you'd like some :-)

The tree...

2007-12-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

Matt and I have been debating about whether to get a real or fake tree this year...Matt doesn't really like the idea of killing a tree even though he knows that is why they were planted. I don't like real trees because it makes a mess in the house and the needles can wreak havoc with your vacuum cleaner. We both enjoy the scent and look of a real tree though and want to support the local economy...So what do you think we decided on? Please disregard the ribbon at the top of the tree. We need a tree topper...
Olive's favorite place is in front of the fireplace. She will lay there for hours. Notice what is sitting on top of our mantel (yes, that's right, it's the white elephant gift from Friday night)

Friday...

2007-12-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the words of advice from Andrea and Abby. This is my test email. Friday night we went to Rheinlander German Restaurant for my work Christmas Party. Rheinlander is a vonderful place to go for the holidays. It is very festive and the servers sing christmas carols with accordian players. I'm not crazy about all the sausage and meat but I LOVE the cheese fondue. We had a white elephant gift exchange. Matt thinks we scored. I think we got hosed. What do you think?

Blog Questions

2007-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, Fellow Bloggers:
I need help with this whole blog thing...
How do I insert embedded links to web pages? Andrea, I know you told Abby how to do this but I can't remember.

How do I label my pictures? Like I my last blog I wanted to make comments right under of over the picture but couldn't figure it out.

How come the blog looks different when you preview then when you post it?
I would appreciate any helpful advice.

Thank you!

The Grand Finale...

2007-12-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

...to wrap up the celebration of Matt we had a few strategy-game playing friends over last night. Matt's favorite things for the evening included: burritos from Taco del Mar, chips and salsa, Dots,Sweetarts, good friends, strategy games, and the infamous Chocolate Mousse Pie. Matt's mom has been making this for him on his birthday for as long as he can remember. In recent years, I have attempted to whip it up, but this year Delores was here in person to make it and it was WONDERFUL. Ian and Mindy taught us a few fun strategy games-thanks guys! We are so blessed to have such terrific friends in our lives.

Looks intense, huh?

The celebration continues...

2007-12-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

We continued to celebrate with Matt's favorite things...

There was football. (The Bears lost-boo)

Matt painted some more and we enjoyed some of the Wonderful Royal Rivera Pears from Harry and David that Delores brought. I had never had them before but they were amazing! They are like a dessert so sweet and juicy.

For dinner, we went to the new Mexican Restaurant in Sherwood-Manzanillo. It was a much anticipated meal as their "Opening Soon" sign had been up for about a year. They sang for Matt and we got to share in his Fried Ice Cream-yum.

Then we went and checked out the Christmas lights at a neighborhood in Tualatin.

When we got home, we played Matt's 24 game (like the TV show). We failed our mission but then found out that Matt was the mole so I guess he won. Delores made a yummy Peanut Butter Pie dessert from my Cooking Light magazine (so it was somewhat good for you). It turned out very well.

Today is Matt's actual birthday so the celebration continues...

On another note...Oregon got hit with a massive storm with rain and wind. Our rain gauge on our back deck measured 2.67 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. There is alot of flooding, power outages and trees down. We are blessed to be safe and sound and we have electricity so I can write this:-)

The first day of Matt's birthday weekend...

2007-12-01T22:01:00.000-08:00

The theme for this weekend is Matt's favorite things. We had waffles this morning for breakfast. Then, Matt had to go to work for a little bit (not his favorite thing, but necassary). Then we went to The Painted Plate to paint pottery. Delores is in town and joined us and thanks to her, we have wonderful new camera which I am still trying to figure out. My first pictures were of the "parade" in Sherwood welcoming Santa Claus. It occurred while we were painting...

I know I need a little practice with the camera...it gets better:-)

Then, Matt watched a little of Lord of the Rings and we went out to this yummy Indian place. It was well worth the drive...and the detour..

We'll see what tomorrow holds... somehow I have a feeling that there will be football involved.

What's Matt been up to??

2007-12-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

Even though I don't entirely understand what my brilliant husband does for a living. I do appreciate his hard work. This past week he has been working on the Fremont Bridge here in Portland . They are installing some type of monitoring system to measure how the temperatures affect the bridge....or was it the wind?...anyway, they are going to monitor stuff. Don't worry though. The bridge is completely safe. This project has been keeping him very busy but at least it is in town so he gets to come home at night.