Inside & Out

This was my office today. It was a ton more comfortable than my regular office, I have to admit. Our primary sitter was sick (as was her son) and our backup sitter is out of town for the week. So I worked from home today, and got a surprising amount done. Kayla entertained herself VERY well; she sat on the blanket there and played alone for an hour at a time. She has discovered a new game: Pull everything out of the toy basket, play with it, and then roll/crawl around for a while until it gets boring, then crawl over to Mom and be picked up. We played this game several times today, and I'll admit I found it to be a fun game.

In other news...remember the bulbs I planted after my parents ripped out my mostly dead rose bushes for me? Well, they're almost all in full bloom now and I'm loving the vibrant colours around my front porch.

Signs of the Times

I love this tree on the Walla Walla U. campus. I'm not sure what it is, but it's in front of the Fine Arts Center and it really lit up with the sun shining on it this afternoon. Spring is certainly here!

32 Years

Today is my parents' wedding anniversary. They are here visiting for the weekend, so I got them some flowers and chocolate in honour of their many happy years together. These are the flowers I got them. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad! Here's to 32 more years!

The Wait Begins

First of all, please ignore my stupid-looking grin. I look like a rabbit, but don't let that deter you from enjoying this blog post. I'm trying not to. Okay, moving on. I am pictured here next to the spot in front of our house where Dad and I planted bulbs this afternoon. Next spring there will be gorgeous hues of red, purple, white, and orange-yellow filling this empty space. We planted tulips, crocuses, and hyacinths. We also found a few previously planted bulbs (tulips and daffodils) and replanted them along one side, so hopefully most of the area surrounding our front patio will be filled with colour come springtime. I'm anxious to see how it turns out, and of course I'll post another picture of the flowers as they bloom.

Then, tonight my dad and I made up a recipe for a creamy potato zucchini soup. We based it off of two recipes: Creamy Zucchini Dulcelatte Soup and Creamy Garlic Potato Soup. We just compiled what looked like good items in each recipe and just guessed at how much to use. Then we added cream cheese to make it creamy, blended it up, and served it. It turned out delicious! We were very excited. I'm going to try and put together a recipe so we can use it again...and so I can pass it along to others who have expressed an interest in trying it.

Changing it Up

Jason's mom came up on Wednesday and stayed for a couple of days to help us around the house. And of course, seeing her granddaughter wasn't a bad bonus, either! It was great to have someone to talk to during the day while Jason was at work, and she did a LOT around the house. She cleaned our bathroom (shower and all!), swept the leaves off the back patio and the roof, vacuumed thoroughly, washed and replaced the guest room sheets, got the cobwebs off of our windows, and cooked. It was great! All the while she was happy to give me a break from holding Kayla - even when she was crying. When Nana left this afternoon, she left us some beautiful flowers to replace the ones she'd given us when Kayla was born. They lasted a long time, but they were starting to look a little pathetic. I love fresh flowers and am so glad I got some replacements!

Fragrant Gifts

These are the gorgeous flowers we got from various people in celebration of Kayla's birth. From left to right, they are from: The Heinrichs, Grandma Sevison & Aunt Foofie, the Enrollment and Advancement offices, and Nana St. Clair and Aunt Whitney. Most of them are still blooming and gorgeous. It's been wonderful having so many beautiful decorations around our dining and living rooms.

The Last Day?

Well, supposedly today was my last day of work until the end of October. Okay, okay...my last day of being in the OFFICE. I do realize that having a baby is not work-free. (That's to parry any comments to that effect.) Here I am, attempting to finish up last-minute tasks just prior to getting off work. Note my constant companion: milk. It's been my best friend since fruit juice and pop were stricken from the menu. Those peaches are for Sabbath breakfast, courtesy of my student worker, Sarah. They smell heavenly!

When we got done with work, Jason and I took Ruth with us to run some errands, and then headed home to do chores. Ruth volunteered to take the cardboard to the recycling place (just because she wanted to drive) and she somehow got lost at Safeway and the Dollar Store on the way. Which ended up working out because we needed wasp spray anyway. While out, she also bought Jason and I a "Happy Baby" gift:


So after we put those in water, Ruth and I set about making cupcakes - yes, from scratch - for small group tonight. Unfortunately they didn't turn out well...I'm sure they turned out "right" it's just a gross recipe. The frosting was nasty, too - cream cheese and white chocolate. Sad waste of chocolate, really. Fortunately there wasn't a whole lot in the recipe - just some unsweetened cocoa powder and a few chocolate chips. And...we were entertained by making the frosting. When we were done mixing the cream cheese and melted white chocolate, I saw a hippopotamus, and Ruth saw a frog. What do YOU see in this completely accidental "frosting blot"?

Outdoor Church

When I was in high school, we had outdoor church a couple of times. On Sabbath morning they'd drive carloads of students to the mountains and we'd have a church service and outdoor activities all afternoon. It was great! I loved the change of pace, and church in the middle of a forest in jeans was a lot better than wearing uncomfortable dress clothes and sitting in a stuffy church with other teenagers who smelled funny. Today, instead of church (since it was campmeeting and our church wasn't meeting), Jason and I went to Rooks Park. We took the camera I showed you yesterday and had fun taking pictures of the beautiful area. There are a ton more, but here's a small sampling of what we took.

Photos by Jason

(This one is best viewed if you open it and zoom in.)

Photos by Becky

(See the heron?)

Yellow

Tonight we decided it was time to water the lawn again. So we went out to put the hose and sprinkler where we needed it and turn on the faucet. Right next to the hose is a lily plant...that has completely bloomed! There are another 2-3 plants at the end of the house, and they are all in full formal dress for their brief time here this season. I wish they would last longer, but they'll probably be gone by the end of next week. For now, I'll enjoy them every time I see them.

Every Petal...

The wife of one of our history professors was diagnosed a few months ago with cancer. For a while they couldn't decide what kind it was, and after undergoing treatment for something it turns out she didn't have, she was just recently re-diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A friend of hers - the wife of another history professor - organized a campus-wide Sabbath of support. She asked that anyone who knows Jonna leave flowers and/or notes of encouragement and support on the family's driveway gate. The evening was to start at 5 p.m. and go through sundown, welcoming the Sabbath with a gate full of flowers of faith. Someone had taped a note to the gate saying, "Every Petal is a Prayer," and when I arrived a few minutes after 5, several people were already there. They had bags full of lilac branches they were tying all over the gate. Someone else was there with a couple of potted geraniums. And others had already left bouquets of different types and colours of flowers at different spots on the gate. I added my bouquet (on behalf of a committee I chair at the university) and left again. I hope someone takes a picture when all is said and done. Jonna, we're still praying for you.