Fall Mosaic

Don't know how this will work,
but I went on Picasa
and am trying to Mosiac-ize
a few Fall decoration pictures that I had.
Here goes!

Grit, Dust Mites and Feces ... Oh My!

Yep ... I got em! Grit, dust mites and feces all contained in my carpet. Rather sobering if you think about it. Today a young man ... a son of a friend ... came over to demonstrate the Filter Queen Majestic Vacuum System. He did a great job of pitching his wares, but I had to decline the $2,995 plus tax price tag.

In an hour and a half he wowed me with this superior machine. First he used my central vac (apparently quite gutless) and went over a patch of carpet ... 52 swipes with my machine! Then over again 5 times with the Filter Queen power head. In 5 times AFTER my machine's effort to clean, he still pulled up grit, fluff, dust and stuff! I was impressed.

I don't think that it was clever trickery with slight of hand ... I am convinced that the Filter Queen is really that good. In the end I felt bad that I couldn't hand over my credit card number and get me a shiny new one. But life and other expenses get in the way sometimes. No harm in writing it on my Wish List though!

She Was Showered with Blessings

Well, Karen ... my partner in Bridal Showers Co-Ordination Inc. ... (Tee Hee ... This title makes us sound soooo important!) and I have our 2nd Shower under our belt. And it was a great success ... or at least we thought it went well!

Jennifer received lots of terrific stuff. And you know, I wondering ... if Hubby and I were to say our vows again ... could we get a lot of NEW terrific stuff? My 24 year old shower presents are long since broken, turned ugly, or have gotten lost in the what-not drawer!

During the evening we played a few shower games. One that was well received was the Memory Game of Kitchen Gadgets. Marilyn (on the left) purchased 20 unusual items and attached them to an apron. Jennifer (the Bride-to-Be) slowly walked around the room as we tried to commit to memory ALL of the gadgets. Jennifer leaves the room and we frantically try to write down all the items on paper we remember.

Most of us didn't fare too well with this game. Well, I should say most of us middle-aged contestants didn't do well. The prize went to a girl of 12 ... Way to go Alyssa! Oh to have the memory of a 12 year old again.

And then as with all memorable church events, there was lots of food. We did purchase a large cake for dessert, but opted to ask the ladies to bring savory items for the buffet. Now don't get me wrong, sweets have a very important part in a woman's life, but sometimes too much of a good thing ... is just too much.

And then finally after all of the present opening, Jennifer was donned with the official Bridal Ribbon Bonnet. A goofy tradition that still makes us all smile with glee.

~ * ~

And there you have it. Bridal Shower #2. Now all we have to do is just come up with more games and ideas for the next Shower that's around the corner.

~ * ~

Oh, hey, here's a thought. If you happen to have any ideas that you are willing to share, by all means SHARE away. I'd love to hear what other provinces, states or countries do at their Bridal Showers.

Here Comes the Bridal Shower

My dear friend, Karen, and I are the new co-ordinators for the Bridal & Baby Showers held by our church. Peeps ... putting together Showers is just too much fun! And althougth we have to plan within a set budget, so far we are able to assemble quite a do? ... due? ... dew? ... EVENT with the funds provided.

~ * ~

Tomorrow night we are organizing our 2nd Bridal Shower. Jennifer is the lovely Bride-to-Be. Word circulated today that Jenn is battling with the flu bug. Won't be much fun without her, of course, so we hope she recovers soon.

~ * ~

I promise to include more pictures of the actual party, but for now I will show you only the Jelly Belly packages that we will hand out for prizes. Sort of a sweet teaser ....

We found out that one package of Jelly Bellys from Costco fills 12 little zip lock bags perfectly ... and the treat bags fit perfectly into these pretty little boxes purchased from the Dollar Store. Wrap it with a ribbon, and we're good to go.

George Washington Inn

So my Hubby and I went on a bit of an adventure this past weekend. One of our stops included a night as guests at the magnificent George Washington Inn in Port Angeles, Washington

Here I am (far right) with Janet and Dan (Inn keepers) and their daughter Elizabeth. I have been friends with them for over 31 years. How can we look so good after 31 years!

In between catching up with the latest news with Janet, I went around their Bed & Breakfast and snapped a few pictures. My apologies for the darkness ... poor camera ... and even worse photographer!

Their B&B sits on 10 lovely acres. Here is a view from our bedroom window. On one side of the B&B you have a breath-taking view of the mountains ...

and if you turn around you see the vast Pacific Ocean. Yep ... God certainly has blessed Dan and Janet abundantly with this find.

Here is the back view of George Washington Inn. I know ... it's much bigger than my house too.

And finally, I snuck into the under-construction area of the B&B. Above the basement ... above the main floor ... and even above the 2nd floor there is yet another floor that they plan to open for conferences. An architecturally beautiful area with sloped ceilings and dormer windows. Perfect for a training retreat or seminar. AND if that wasn't enough ... above that is a cupola ... from there you can see in ALL directions for miles and miles and miles.

~ * ~

Unfortunately, this photographer has a horrible fear of heights and only made it half way up the spiral staircase. Maybe one day I will share the view!

Thanks Dan & Janet for the lovely stay and fellowship!

Check out George Washington Inn at: http://www.georgewashingtoninn.com/

Tell them Lori from British Columbia sent ya!

One Year Ago Today

I can't believe it ...

It has been one year ago today that I started this blog.

Time has flown.

The sad thing is that I don't have time to do anything about it.

Life is still getting in the way.

But here we are,

my good lookin' hubby and I,

in a candid shot this summer.

~*~

One thing that I can say for sure ...

It's STILL a Wonderful Life

Painting the Poop Deck - Before

Okay, okay ... sort of an icky title for this post.

Let me say it in a more poetic broken French sort of way ...

"Painting the 'ensuite' "... yes that's much better ...

The time had come to paint this room

The colour: Benjamin Moore Caramel.

Same colour as your master bedroom.

My camera does not do it justice. It is really a lovely shade.

As a side note: Our family teases the bearer

of this foot for his insistence on

'wearing socks with sandals'

But he still remains the man of the hour

... or hours and hours ...

for all his labours of love for us

Even Johnnie-Girl got in on the action

Plain and Simple Advice

Do not anxiously hope for what is not yet to come;

~ * ~

do not vainly regret what is already past.

Goats on the Roof

Yes, Goats on the Roof .... for local yokels this means

of course ... trendy, beautiful Coombs, BC

~ * ~

Country market, delicious ice cream, local artisans,

wooden carvings, sculptures, jewelery,

and did I mention yummy ice cream?

Here's Johnnie-Girl sampling the local fare

Here is a stolen shot of a magnificent table and chairs
offered in one of the many shops

Hubby even got to try out a Harley!

Genius patiently waiting for sisters and mom

who did their share of window shopping

~ * ~

Check out Coombs when you get over to

Vancouver Island ... You will thank me later

~ * ~

A Last Visit with Tim

Ah ... Tim Horton's.

Home of the Canadian Donut and great coffee

Also the more health friendly fast-ish food

Dreamer cools off with her last (for a while) iced cap

before she returns to her final semester

in that South Carolina university

Johnnie-Girl savours her coffee ...

And then leaves her garbonzo beans !!!

She's my somewhat selective picky eater :o)

Wild Play Element Park

During the weekend of August 14 - 16th, our family went to

Vancouver Island
to celebrate my father's 80th birthday.

The whole family got together for this grand event and we had a great time.

One of the activities planned was a visit to

Wild Play Element Park
in Nanaimo. Now I didn't go ... an intense fear of heights held me back ...

but my hubby, kids and brother went for the thrill.

See the 'stairway to heaven' in the background?

To me that would even be too much of a thrill ...

but that was just the beginning for these adventurers.

A picture of Genius pondering

just how high they have actually come!

But has no trouble at all with the heights!

Dreamer pushes Genius off the platform

... in a swing

And then gets tangled in a 'spider's web'?

Now as much as I stand in awe of God's handiwork,

it's the awe-ing that I do

standing on the ground that I enjoy.

Do you see the little speck that is Johnny-Girl on the platform?

And the figure precariously perched on the wooded bridge is the Genius.

And these little clips kept them all safe ... in God's Hands of course!

Check out the videos featured on Wild Play website ....

http://www.wildplay.com/nanaimo/galleries/video-galleries.php

Dream a Little Dream

During our weekend away, my Hubby and I almost cruised by one of the most enjoyable adventures that we share together: Investigating new sub-divisions and the show homes they have on display.

Ahhhh .... Harrison Highlands ... perched atop the hillside in Agassiz, BC ... It claims to be 'The Largest River View Master Planned Community in the Fraser Valley".

The following are a few pictures of the the two show homes that we toured. The above is a large deck off of the kitchen and living room area. I love the West Coast feel of the cedar timbers used in the front window.

Take a look at the large TREE growing in this living room!



And the kitchen ... pictures don't do it justice. The back splash was unbelievable!

Nobody would complain about doing the dishes at this kitchen sink! You can see for miles and miles. Imagine the view as the seasons turn!

Back to earth girl ...

and a glance at some of God's handiwork. I'm sorry I don't know the name of these flowers, but I know that I like 'em! Hope that you are having a lovely summer too.

Weekend Away

I actually tore my Hubby away from the busyness of life and we retreated to beautiful Chilliwack and Agassiz. Such spectacular sights and relaxing moments.

We drove around without a care in the world ... we have a GPS in the car so how lost could we get? ... and explored. A new sub-division up on the hills of Harrison Mills has a look out tower. You can see for miles and miles perched up there!

A walk along the Fraser River in Hope was a breeze during low tide. When it is up the water is only about a foot or so deep along the edge, but the 'dry' river rocks were so much easier to walk on AND we were able to make our own version of the 2010 Olympic inukshuk icon. Doesn't he have such broad shoulders!

Not sure what plant has seeds like these, but I thought they were so interesting and wanted you to see them.

And last photo for today are the flags blowing at the Hope Information Centre. Notice the clouds in the background? During the weekend BC got one of it's most exciting lightening, thunder and rain storms. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of that, but I will share more of our weekend adventures tomorrow.

It keeps on coming ....

A few days after our profitable Garage Sale of 2009

our neighbour phoned and asked if we had sold

a bicycle she had eyed at the sale.

When I assured her that we hadn't,

she was relieved and offered to buy it from us.

For the $30 we were asking!

That brought the GRAND total up to $495.80.

Just thought that you would like to share the joy!