Walden Island Day 42 & 43

We got up to the lake early Saturday morning and started working. We had to bring a trailer of wood over to the island, and move two other trailers out of the campground.

Makena wasn't very excited, but she did help unload the wood, load it in to the boat, unload it from the boat and then load it on to a small tractor trailer. Look at her work! : )

It only took us two boat loads full to get the wood over to the island.

Then it took 15+ loads of wood in the small trailer to get it all up the hill.

Then I (yes...just me) stacked all of that wood. Makena was exhausted (of course) and Jamie had to go to town to get some parts for The Monster (that wouldn't start when we needed it to).

After finally getting The Monster started, Jamie decided to take out some trees before leveling out some of other lot.

Unfortunately, he took out some of the trees that I wanted to keep! I managed to save two small ones - the two on the left in the picture below. There used to be trees in that entire open area - trees that blocked the neighbors ugly water heater & garbage cans. Jamie later said that he wished he wouldn't have taken out the trees...once again, I'm right. Those neighbors are never out there, maybe they won't notice if we move the things. : )

I then cut up all of the trees (with my handy chainsaw) and made burn piles.

I got up early on Sunday morning to finish cutting up the trees (again, with my handy chainsaw) and finally ended up with three burn piles. Jamie made breakfast and was ready to clear out some more trees in the lot behind us. Yep...more cutting and adding to the burn piles. Makena did help a little, but spent most of the day reading and taking pictures. (I'll post some of her pictures later.)

I also managed to dig a bunch of rocks up out of the other lot. I decided to pile them all up together and use them some day - maybe to build a small pond or wall. I loaded as many rocks as I could in the small tractor, but had to have Jamie use the backhoe bucket on some of the larger ones.

By the time we got back home on Sunday, all we wanted to do was shower and go to bed. By Monday morning, my body was so sore that I didn't even want to get out of bed! It really sucks being older and out of shape...especially when I'm working out muscles that I didn't even know where in my body!

Senate Bill 637

Senate Bill 637 is on its way to the Senate floor!!

The Integrated Pest Management in schools bill, Senate Bill 637, is on its way to the Senate floor. The bill was approved by the Senate Education and General Government Committee on a unanimous vote late Friday.

Today we're one step closer to healthier school environments for our kids to learn in, as well as effective, common-sense pest control for our schools. Pesticides commonly used in Oregon schools have been associated with cancer, reproductive problems, and nervous system damage. Children can be exposed to pesticides by playing on floors, lawns, and play areas, eating pesticide-treated foods, or by handling treated pets.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive way to control pests and weeds that results in effective suppression of pest populations while minimizing human health and environmental hazards. Put simply, IPM is a safer and usually less costly option for effective pest management. IPM uses common sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests in buildings and grounds. IPM is also a big part of the proposal put together by OEC for the Healthy Schools Act.

Walden Island Day 41

We got up early on Sunday to head up to the lake. We had to bring our new John Deer tractor over to the island. Just imagine a much smaller version of bringing over The Monster. We bought the tractor last month - it needed some welding and we knew just the man to do it. Thanks Duane!!!

It was already nice out when we arrived around that morning.

St. Helens still full of snow

our new tractor - love it!

We had some things to move around at the property as well as get the compost toilet ready. Something exploded in the fridge - I guess we can't leave cans/bottles in there when the power is off and it freezes for a while - so I had to clean that up too. Jamie and I put together the small trailer that attaches to the tractor - it's going to save our backs hauling stuff up the hill! Jamie showed me how to work the tractor, so I mowed the yard. I'm really wanting a riding mower for the house and rental house now - it was great! Jamie put together our new mosquito catcher/machine. We're hoping to get back up there and see all of the female mosquitoes in the machine - not flying around the shed.

Can't wait to get back up to the lake this summer!

Kallie's 2nd Birthday Party

Kallie's 2nd Birthday party was on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day to BBQ and play!

another overexposed picture I tried to rescue

Kalllie Bug

Kylah Teagan
a game of Duck-Duck-Goose (I never liked it)

time for cake

yummy cake!

her favorite Auntie (me) gave her paper, finger paint & markers!

and she got a Dora jeep from Mom, Dad & Kylah!

a jeep that Logan loved!

it was NevaeH's birthday party too - here she is with her butterfly cake

and presents!
TeaLee & Makena

"Give me kisses Bug!"

Jamie snuck off to take a little nap

time to clean their feet from running around in the grass all day

Makena and TeaLee got to stay the night and have even more fun! Happy Birthday Kallie - we love you!

After Kallie's party, we headed over to the Castilla's for Sydney's 16th Birthday party. A lot of hyper teenagers were there! : ) I somehow managed to leave all of these parties without any cake - what was I thinking?!?

Electronics Reycling Event

Last Saturday, we were up early to help at a Relay For Life of Hillsboro - Electronics Recycling Event. As well as a wonderful recycling event, it was also a fundraiser for Relay! We raised over $600 during the event!

Jamie unloading a tv

some cool "green" garbage cans I found
some of the electronics that were recycled

So...for a three hour event, I think we did great!

After cleaning up the lot, Jamie and I went home to get ready for Kallie's birthday party.

Good Things #12

Why should you Go Organic?

For Health!

Organic production helps protect your health and future generations.

For the Planet!

Organic farming never uses toxic and persistent pesticides.

This helps keep air, water, and soil clean.

It's Easy!

Now nearly every food you eat has an organic alternative.

Many non-food agricultural products are also being grown organically as well.

Go Organic! For Earth Day, a website that promotes ways to live a healthy and sustainable life. Visit the site for tips, coupons, and to sign up for an educational newsletter.

I'm a bleach girl!

I am a person that loves the smell of bleach, I always have. To me, that smell means 'clean'. Every other product I use is an all-natural product (inside & outside of my home) but I just can't seem to give up bleach. For years I have read articles about the affects of bleach and I really just need to make the switch! Here is an article today that caught my eye...

To a lot of people, clean just isn’t clean if it doesn’t smell like bleach. The bleach that smells like, well, bleach is made from chlorine and is a pretty nasty product to have and use in your home. In addition to being harmful to humans and pets when inhaled, chlorine bleach doesn’t play well with others and becomes extra-toxic when mixed with the chemicals commonly found in other household cleansers. Want to deep-clean your world without all the nasty side effects? Try using non-toxic cleansers. Still can’t live without bleach? Switch to hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine bleach. Hydrogen peroxide is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen and can do a lot more for you than turn tresses platinum. In low concentrations, it works well as a disinfectant and antiseptic without the smell and potentially harmful effects of chlorine bleach.

Still not sold? Consider this: hospitals do not clean with chlorine bleach — it’s too dangerous, too smelly and it doesn’t kill mold (it just bleaches it!). Hospitals clean with peroxide-based cleansers. To get your home antiseptically clean, consider making the switch. Your lungs, your damp basement and your planet will thank you.

Post # 300!!

Wow...I haven't even been blogging for a full year and I'm already at post # 300!! Can you believe it? (I know...me either!) Sometimes I get behind on posting, but I am still very much enjoying my Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Good Things #11

RECYCLE CAPS WITH AVEDA

Aveda found that a majority of plastic bottle caps do not get recycled today. Often these caps end up as litter or trash, ending up in landfills and beaches or migrating into our rivers and oceans. Birds and other marine creatures mistake them for food with tragic results. The magnitude of this pollution problem is devastating to our oceans and wildlife.

You can be part of the solution by joining Recycle Caps with Aveda. Aveda is announcing a new recycling initiative that helps extend the current boundaries of recycling and elicit participation from all corners of our community. With the help of our network of salons and stores, in partnership with community schools, we are building a new recycling program for plastic bottle caps in which caps are collected at stores and schools and then sent by Aveda to our recycler where the material is recycled into new caps and containers. Aveda has been able to work closely with our suppliers to develop ways to make new caps and containers from the recycled caps. We hope to ship new products using this reworked, environmentally-friendly material later this year.

What type of caps do we collect?The program accepts caps that are rigid polypropylene plastic, sometimes noted with a 5 in the chasing arrows recycling symbol. This includes caps that twist on with a threaded neck such as caps on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.
Excluded from collection are pharmaceutical lids and non rigid lids such as yogurt lids, tub lids (margarine, cottage cheese), and screw on lids that are not rigid. If you can bend or break the lid with your bare hands, then it does not meet the rigid plastic definition. Please do not include any metal lids or plastic pumps or sprayers. Unfortunately, too much of the wrong types of materials can contaminate the recycling process. We appreciate your efforts in keeping it clean!

Join the Recycle Caps with Aveda campaign. Bring your plastic caps into an Aveda Store and feel great knowing that they will be repurposed into new Aveda packaging and kept from entering our waterways and harming wildlife.

The local stores that I found are:
New Beginning Salon Spa 19360 NW Cornell Rd Hillsboro, OR 97124
Avenue Hair Design 4690 SW Washington Ave Beaverton, OR 97005
GiGi Salon & Spa 9396 SW Washington Square Rd R11TIGARD, OR 97223

Caution!

Makena and I got to the Hillsboro Main Library at least once a week, and I usually go to Costco afterwards for gas. After turning on to Airport Way (going behind Costco & past Triquint) and turning on to 48th to go to Costco, I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop. I honestly had NO idea that I was even speeding! I saw the cop down the road and it never even occurred to me to slow down or look at my speedometer as it didn't even cross my mind that I was speeding. I assumed that I was going along with the other traffic and still didn't even look at my speedometer when his lights came on - again, not thinking it was me. I was just slowing down to pull over and get out of his way. Well...apparently I was speeding...he said that he clocked me on the laser going 42 in a 25. (Maybe I just had the biggest car?!?) He also said that the neighborhood had been complaining about speeding vehicles and that's why he was out there...hmmm...

Take caution the next time you are driving down Airport Way...be sure to look at your speedometer!

Green Fact #10

As with my "Good Things" posts; I don't know how many posts I've done that are green related so I'm starting with #10! : )

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more fuel is spilled each year filling up garden equipment than was lost in the entire Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

Wow - that seems crazy to me!! One more reason to love my battery powered garden equipment.

Easter Weekend

We decided to spend Easter weekend in Garibaldi. We had a great time! Makena & I colored our eggs on Saturday. Funny story...I went over to visit with my grandmother for a while and when I came back, my mom was boiling more eggs. I asked her why she had made more eggs and she said it was because she had cracked some of the ones I had brought. "How did you crack them?" I asked "When I boiled them." She answered "I already boiled them Mom!" I laughed. That lady - she's so funny! Love you Momma! We mixed them all together so no one would know! (We did tell everyone later tho.)

Mom was making sure that Makena didn't make a mess. : )

perfect picture Makena! : ) Our eggs...

I got up early on Sunday morning to go to my favorite antique mall. I had a few things in mind that I wanted, but I didn't leave with anything this trip. It was very stormy at the Coast on Easter Day - I stopped to take a few pictures.

Gram colored eggs too and wrote our names on them

the damn egg-game...they were coming for me!

Papa VS Makena

and the winner (again)!

Girl Scouts & Gardening

My Girl Scout Troop is doing community gardening for their Bronze Award Project. One of the things that they did on Friday was to go to my grandmother's to help in her yard. She showed them how to weed correctly. We are hoping to get back over soon to learn more! Thanks for showing the girls some yard skills Grandma, and thanks for the yummy cookies!

The girls are also doing some weeding/planting at their old elementary school, and hope to help out Growing Gardens of Portland again too.

I'll miss you Great-Grandma

The funeral service for my Great-Grandmother was this afternoon. The sun was shining brightly during the outdoor service and everything was beautiful. I have very vivid memories of my great-grandmother and will always cherish them. My favorite - getting a 'spit bath' by her and her nice white hankies. I was with her quite often when I was very young...and a 'spit bath' was a must! I also have a beautiful blue afgahn that she made many, many years ago.

One thing that struck me at the service today was the Officiant talking about "Maxine's legacy". She is survived by not only a husband and children, but 14 grandchildren (my dad), 26 great grandchildren (my sister & I) and 4 great-great grandchildren (Makena). This truly is a wonderful legacy to be a part of! The Officiant asked us to think about our legacy and how it compares. There is an emptiness in many hearts.

Great-Grandma & I ~ 1976(ish)

In Loving Memory ~ Maxine Jones ~ January 7, 1920 - April 6, 2009

Spring Vaca - Coming home...

We arrived back in Florida around 7am on Sunday 3/28. We had our luggage taken out the night before, so we had very few things left to take down with us while we waited to be called to leave. We went down for breakfast, and Makena was excited to be able to text her friends again! And so begins our journey home...

After arriving at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, we found out that several flights had been delayed or cancelled. If you have not been to this airport before - there are 4 or 5 gates crammed in to one very small area - and now there were about 1000 very unhappy passengers in this area. We waited in line, at the only restaurant, for about 45 minutes before finding a seat just outside of it. We very VERY lucky to get these seat, as they had outlets for our laptops and we could order food and drinks. The few hours delayed seemed to go by quickly while we stayed busy.

We were finally told that our plane had arrived and that our connecting flight would be waiting for us in Houston. Unfortunately, the connecting flight didn't wait, and there were 16 of us stranded at the Houston Airport. This is when we found out that we were going to be arriving home as planned. First, we were diverted to Las Vegas and told that we would be spending the night there. Makena was happy to miss another day of school and get to go to Las Vegas. That is, until we arrived in Vegas and our luggage was no where to be found...

Makena wasn't too impressed with the Vegas airport

Our luggage was finally found and we all just wanted to get to our hotel room! The shuttle service that we were told would be taking us to the hotel actually stopped running an hour before we arrived so a group of us walked out to find a ride. A large, beautiful limo was right at the door and we all jumped in! I don't know they got all ten peoples' luggage in the back, but they did. We arrived at the hotel around 3:30am, all very tired! The airline gave each family a $30 voucher for a room at TravelLodge - not the nicest, but by that time we weren't going anywhere else.

"Good Morning Pook!"

From Las Vegas, we were diverted the Reno Airport. Another plane change, one more flight delay and we were finally on our way to Portland, Oregon! Martine picked us up at the airport and brought us home. I think the only reason why Brandi was happy that we were home was because she was out of food and water! We dropped off our luggage and then left to go pick up Moxie. By the time we got back home, it was around 9:30pm. I think we were all in bed and asleep by 10pm - and slept very well back in our own beds!

We did have a wonderful vacation and will always have some great memories from it! It's always nice to get a break from every-day-life.

Spring Vaca - Day 8

Day 8 (Saturday 3/28) - was our last full day at sea. I was up early, reading on our balcony, while everyone slept in. We had breakfast delivered to our room and then I eventually made my way up to a sun deck. Carol and Makena met up with me later, while Jamie tried to win some money at the casino. I enjoyed a Mai Tai (my drink of choice during our cruise) read a book and soaked up as much sunshine as I could!

our last night at dinner - with Mario

one last strawberry smoothie
Jamie was chasing Makena with the camera