Fall is Arriving

Ok, so below is my current desktop appearance. I wish I knew who to give props to for the image. But that's not what I want to talk about. Look carefully... see the black weather box? Yup, that's what Portland's weather looks like when fall is coming around the corner. The mountain will get it's first snow this weekend - well, all the mountains. As a result, the indoor activities are coming out. Saturday Paul & I went clothes shopping and looked at mailboxes with functional lids (our mailman must hate us right now). Then I spent last Sunday afternoon scrapbooking with Julie, and had a chance to bolster my paper collection. (I'm Loving scrapbooking paper right now, especially from American Crafts!) Let me tell you, running a tab at any establishment is dangerous, even a scrapbooking store.
I'm also working on a nice autumn-like table runner, as the hula colors + burlap are no longer doing it for me. Also working on the tie one on assignment, since the deadline was extended - thanks Amy!
AND soup weather is starting - and coffee warm-ups after BBC class. Yay, but Brrrrrrr! I am beginning to change my clothes under the covers already. Yesterday we received our last $6 heating bill of the year.
I'm feeling like wrapping up the loose ends of summer this week too. I'm putting the final touches on baby gifts that should have been sent by July, and I'm adding/subtracting commas and parenthesis on the final 8 pages of my thesis this morning, getting ready for the ruler test and then binding the darn thing (!).

Is It Summer?

This totally makes me think of summer. (If you want more, you can stream the entire album here.)

And this does too, which we did this evening... plus fresh corn on the cob (silks were still yellow). Where was the ice cream truck?
Oh yeah, the 80-degree weather yesterday and the "humid," balmy air today also made it seem like summer. Nice tease, anyway.

Thanks a bunch to everyone's flatware finding suggestions. Tomorrow evening we'll give you an update - oh boy ;)

Happy Easter e'body.

-A

Darwin Awards, Pinball, and other Trivia

Kitty Accessible, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Every evening our little happy furry family crams & wedges ourselves onto the bed for a nice cozy sleep. This morning we awoke to a light dusting, the result of a regular Portland mist combined with abnormal sub-zero temps. Paul caught the 5:53 to Downtown as usual, and I did my normal AM routine consisting of kitchen duty, coffee, and e-mail correspondence. Then I e-mailed my mom to tell her about the impending "snow storm," remembering last week's buildup to a 'Winter Storm,' that left a teeny layer of the white fluffy stuff, and ensuing over-freak-outedness (mostly on the media's part). I scoff.

THEN pandemonium did occur. It snowed buckets (which translates to about 4 inches) between 8-ish and 10-ish. All the major roads were jammed - trucks jackknifed, cars abandoned, people playing bumper cars (*see video), buses getting stuck. Chains/studs were required for driving, since there's no (nearly) plows and salt trucks. THEN it got worse. Local news channels held "Continuous Extended Coverage" for hours into the day, people drove the streets towing their kids on sleds, four-wheeling fools tore up the parks, and hardly anybody shoveled their walks!

It wasn't all pandemonium though. Our tween neighbors and other neighborhood youngsters & dogs got outside and played in the snow throughout the afternoon. Folks reportedly broke out the kayaks & sleds on Mt. Tabor. I got outside and played in the snow! We all got at least part of the day off! And, because there aren't enough trucks to get rid of the snow, we get another (at least) half day off tomorrow. Yahoo!
-A

Fresh

Coasters, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Nothing signifies the advancement of time like an announcement of passing of the president who was in office at my birth. It cries, "you're no spring chicken now!" The last swift kick in the pants I received was back in 1998. I graduated, turned 23, got booted off my parent's insurance plan and donation list, and watched a new year turn over within 2 weeks. Welcome to the cruel, cruel, world, baby. I skated without health insurance for about 6 months until my dad found out and "highly recommended" that I purchase a plan.

Even though last week I read in "Glamour" magazine that 68% of us don't plan to make resolutions for '07 (it's no longer cool, you know), I can't help feeling some renewed direction around this time of year. The spices/cleaning supplies 'Stock Up" list is on the fridge, and I'm formulating a garden & sewing 'to do' agenda in my head. I'm also starting to organize a race training plan, and preparing for the final countdown toward a campus wellness fair (Living in Balance) for which I'm co-organizing.

But that's not all, folks. No, this year is going to be a big one. A "make-or-break," as they say. And not one of those, "This will be the year that I'm going to..." Nope. Something will happen. No "Willpower" needed.

The big deal is that I'm performing thesis research for the next 2 terms, and then planning to graduate in June. Yahoo! That means I have to once again figure out what to do with my life. Please tread lightly on this topic. I'll be sure to tell everyone when I figure it out.
Well, I thought I had a nice list of biggies, but I guess that's it. Happy New Year, everyone!

-A

Flip the Calendars

Hooray, it's December 1st! We can now officially start celebrating the holidays. Paul begrudges pre-Thanksgiving holiday ads and sales, and gets really frustrated at the pre-Halloween ads (though I think they got the point this year - didn't see any). I'm up there with him, although I still get started the weekend after Thanksgiving, for practical purposes. It's now December, and the holiday decor is sparse. Though I'm happy with what's up so far. A tree would be nice, but we're not holding our breath. I've been wondering (since Halloween) where a tree would go in this place. All the little niches & corners seem too little or too close to the fireplace. Anyway, I'm rambling -- because I'm excited!

This year has been a busy one and an idle one at once. Busy-ness seemed to come in chunks, followed by enough 'routine' to cause stir-craziness and the confidence to do 5 things at once. I'm so lucky to have my own studio (that sounds professional, huh? Really it's just a guest bedroom with turquoise carpet), where those 5 partially-completed projects can sit and wrinkle under the next half-completed project. I'm not sure if that phenomenon is a product of my personality (nervous-busy-toe-tappin'-smiley-yet calm), or the craft. Ask any sewer or crafter how many unfinished projects they have, and I'll bet you find some goodies. Proof of that is the hand-me-downs I recently got from my Grandma V, of a project she was working on in the early '80s (I recognize the fabric from a bonnet/dress I had). She had cut little flower, circle, and squares out of a bunch of different patterns (maybe my cousins would recognize them), so I don't know what it all would have become.
This year was also filled with busy times with house guests. We're so lucky to have so many travel-agreeable friends and family and a place to stick 'em at night! We loved making the dinner menus for those weeks, but had a harder time picking restaurants and activities -- too many! We were relieved when people arrived with a little 'to do' list. Whew.

Let's see, here's our 2006 guest list...
January: My Dad, Step-mom, & Bro Luke visited. We went to the beach, out to eat, & had general fun.
April: Friends Dan & Dominic came up from Mississippi to explore. Those boys can hike!
April: Paul's Dad & Grandma visited from STL and Paradise (CA) on my wisdom tooth weekend. Thanks again for letting me have Bread Pudding for dinner!
June: My Mom & Step-dad visited for the hottest week of the summer. We escaped to the Mtn., the AC, and the coast when we couldn't stand it anymore.
June: Friends Chris & Kelly from MS visited while touring the Greater NW. They sure showed us the town & wine country, being fmr. residents of Portland.
July: Friends Bobbie and Jay from MS visited with ulterior motives: Oregon Brew Festival. We had a great time at the special tasting night and the fest days.
August: Paul's Mom & Sis Marci visited from San Diego for his birthday weekend. We had a really full house for one night when Paul's Uncle Tom, wife Tije, and dog (something mythological) stopped by. That was a fun weekend!

Did I forget anybody? Thank you all for visiting us! I guess it's our turn now. :)
BTW, I wanted to add a photo tag to all each visitor, but I don't have (many) pictures of everybody's visit, specifically Chris & Kelly, and Paul's birthday weekend (Marci?).

-A

Waiting in the wings

I know, I KNOW it's pathetic, right? Dreaming about Christmas before Thanksgiving even gets here. Remember in fifth grade how everybody who had straight hair wanted a perm, and everybody with curls wished they had straight hair like their girlfriends? Well that's me (the former, specifically). I want to indulge in The Christmas Box (lights, decorations, etc.), Christmas candy (you know it's already out there), Christmas crafts, Christmas baking, and Christmas everything else.
Why? Because I have homework. Sob... [thesis proposal 'write up' x5 versions - 25 Wellness Fair guests to figure out and invite - 12-page paper due] sniffle...

My favorite Christmas thing to do is work on Paul's stocking. It's fun because I can grab fun stuff here and there and not worry about spending a fortune (though it does add up). A good collection of tiny goodies, one that has to be bundled or thrown in an empty box in order to lug out of the living room, is imperative! It's also nice if at least one of the items provides some child-like fun (see exhibit B).

Exhibit A. selections from Paul's stocking from years past.
[brewing gadgets, a tape measure, old fashioned toy, boxer shorts, work desk gadgets, a gift card, a favorite snack, funny magnets, silly putty, and of course, a chocolate orange in the toe]

Exhibit B. fun toy -- there's a Battle Bot in each Bro's hand (that came out of a TODDLER's stocking, I believe). The battle occurs in the empty box top.
I used to start collecting stocking stuffers throughout the year, but so far this year I've got one (1) item. Oh well, that's good incentive for me to Get Back TO WOrK (so I can go shopping already)!
-A

Fall has Fallen

My, time sure flies when you're working hard! We're doing stuff; Paul was granted permission to help regulate the Willamette 2 weeks ago, about the time it started raining. I have been cranking out papers for school and trying to organize a campus wellness fair, as well as keep my creative mind moving with sewing etc. -- anything to avoid tackling my thesis full-on. Next weekend we're taking a day trip to watch the wild Chum Salmon spawn, and then climb some huge rock.
I've been seeing some beautiful fall images ("beautifall") online lately, and have been meaning to catch a few of my own. So far, the Japanese Maple et al. leaves in my Blue Fescue, and the one above from a few yards down are all I've got. The recent wind and rains have pushed most of the leaves to the ground. I guess we missed the season down South, because we can't stop marveling...
-A

The Novembers

Ahhh, Fall is really here now. The plants come indoors, the space heater comes out, the trees are getting bare; it's soup weather. To boot, I enjoyed watching the cutest little flora, fauna, and 'cowgirl' yesterday for Halloween. In the afternoon our neighbor came by to share some delicious pumpkin bread. Paul & I ate dinner at the dining room table, bean with bacon soup, while listening to Sirius' Spooktacular radio, waiting for trick-o-treaters. There's leftover soup and treats. Yum.

But egad! Today being today means that the stores are now free to begin X-masing. I must hurry up and buy/make, wrap with matching ribbon, find the right sized packaging, and mail presents before December 13 (unless I want to end up paying obscene rates)! Forget about Thanksgiving; there's no time. And don't even get me started about how much schoolwork I have to do -- before December 8th. It's just, it's just, there's sooo much to do, and Christmas is practically here!


Oh, that's a pretty display. Sigh. Okay. Whatever happens between now and 2007 happens, and whatever doesn't get done is just fine. Life is nice that way. (sideways smiley face)
-A